driftfleet | April System Mingle

[ now here is what they'd call a golden opportunity. she presents him with a very specific question and a rather thrilling get-out-of-jail-free-card. just this once and no complaints? he knows how to seize a chance when he sees one. ]

Alright.

[ he consider, watches her with a little smile. ]

Well, honestly?

[ his lips find the line of her jaw, whatever honest words he's going to give her, they would be muffled against her skin. ]

Honestly, I'm very much in love with you, Peggy Carter, absolutely smitten .

[ he's smiling, shifting beneath her, tugging her closer. He's going to make the most of 'just this once'. ]

[ fear not, darling steve! crossed heart or not, she'll find a way to make her complaint. and well within the confines of their little agreement.

she allows herself to be tugged near (but feels the difference in it, and in his strength) and nuzzles her nose against his neck. ]

-- That's a confession, not an agenda. Still doesn't answer how you intend to spend your week in hiding.

[ here's what he's grateful for: during the last time he spent hours mapping her, touching every bit of skin, learning and committing to memory. The map is still there, serum or not. He knows that there is a spot right between her shoulder blades - ]

I'm making good use of my moment. Don't get a lot of those.

[ -- ah yes, his fingers find it all too easily, just a little pressure, a thumb rubbing circles through fabric and some tension is bound to go away. ]

A whole week? I'd make up for lost time. It's been months, Peg.

[ this can't happen ever again, he presses a kiss to the left corner of her lips. ]

I've missed you.

[ it's been two, she wants to argue -- almost to the day. but then he catches the age-old knot between her shoulders and a half-satisfied stretch rolls through her torso. unfair, peggy thinks, but she doesn't say so in case he stops. she braces herself, briefly, and presses back against his fingers.

honestly, she shouldn't complain. he's taking the morning in stride. and there's nothing (nothing) about his present state that changes how she feels about him. if anything, there's a raw pleasure in the pit of her stomach when she recognizes how undeterred he remains.

it leaves her with no desire to ask whether he's certain, whether he's sure, whether he feels it's prudent. he's different, that's all. he isn't some fragile tea-cup, close to shattering. and she won't complain about proceeding gently. ]

I haven't gone anywhere, [ peggy teases. she knows damn well it's not what he'd meant -- but her clearer reply comes in the form of a firm kiss. more direct than his. her mouth claims his for a heartbeat or two. ]

[ it's all wonderfully leisurely, as if they have the entire day. There's nothing rushed or frantic in the way he touches her nor in the way she kisses him. Steve may have longed for this exact proximity but when faced with it, he's quite giddy by how they don't seem to hurry at all. ]

You're a smart-ass.

[ usually this accusation would fit him better and it does but every now and then he feels the need to send it her way, too. He sighs shifts beneath her until he can slip a hand under her blouse, counting the bumps of her spine before he finds the exact same spot between her shoulders. Better. ]

Watch your tongue. [ but she gives her warning in a warm and pleasant tone -- every syllable relaxing. elongating. ] You might want to speak more kindly if you're trying to convince me to stay all week.

[ she won't, of course. less than a day and she'll be stir-crazy. him, too, peggy suspects. but she at least warming up to the 'game' molded around the rest of the week. she traces the edge of her thumb over the more delicate, narrower structure of his cheekbone. but when she kisses him, his lips feel the same. albeit, perhaps, a little cooler. ]

But I missed you too. [ peggy confesses, dragging her mouth away from his and choosing instead to kiss a line down his throat. ]

Yes ma'am.

[ the words are drawled, lazy and happy. He's both pliant and obedient but he thinks that if this passes before they're out of this planet and he would have enough strength to push back and trap her beneath him -it'll be exactly the sort of battle he would favor. ]

Do I stand a chance at all?

[ if he manages to keep her on one spot today he'd be lucky. He catches her hand in his, brings it to his lips yo press a kiss to the knuckles. ]

[ after his kiss, her fingers uncurl and stretch across his cheek. mouth on his throat, she can feel the rumble of his voice -- it, too, is practically unchanged when listened to at such close proximity. ]

A slim one, perhaps.

[ it's a familiar gesture, almost automatic; she splays her fingers and steve leans into the touch, smiling and pressing a kiss to the center of her palm. ]

that's the best news I've heard all week.

[ making slim chances into successes is sort of his legacy, after all. ]

[ she smiles against his collar bone -- thin and evident in his narrow frame. peggy kisses his skin once more before rolling to the left, still within reach, and propping her head up on her hand. ]

It will require a bit of compromise, however.

Of course.

[ it's a well known routine by now, these negotiations. Odd to some, Steve is terribly fond of these back and forth exchanges. He turns to look at her, reaches to twist a finger in her necklace again. ]

I'm listenin'.

Once we're -- [ she smiles, not because of the negotiation but because of the way his touch gravitates towards the necklace's charm ] -- finished? I'm calling Barnes. It's a better idea than me trying to spook some clothing out of the rancher's family, at least.

[ finished. the what hasn't been properly defined, but she realizes she doesn't need it to be. part of her would be happy simply hugging him close for the next forty-five minutes. for once. ]

Oh no - Peggy.

[ he groans, this is the worst. ]

He'll worry. It's bad enough that you worry.

Come, now. Would I still be here, in bed with you, if I was worried?

[ arguably that might be most of why she's still in bed with him. ]

If you thought it would help somehow, yeah.

[ the look he gives her is absolutely dry. ]

It'll pass in a few days.

You're still going to need something to wear. [ peggy reaches to brush a bit of hair back from his brow. ] And he knows what sizes to grab, doesn't he? There's no one better to call. Don't argue otherwise.

I can manage without him worrying about what this could mean. I'm not that bad with pins and needles, I'll alter what I have.

[ and here is the truth, no part of him wants to tell any of his friends about this predicament. ]

Steve. [ she shakes her head. ] You can't avoid him the entire time. Might as well call him up and get it over with.

We don't even know how long it'll be. If it doesn't pass in a week -

[ then maybe. He was very happy to be equal to bucky. Going back to being a cause of concern is even more annoying than the actual glitch. ]

[ at the risk of spoiling the mood altogether: ] I will be calling him. As I said, I'm still your captain. And I'll do what I know will be most helpful.

That's not helpful, that's patronizing.

[ it's a tale as old as time, two stubborn souls digging their heels over the same issue. He almost says something else but reins it in; a strike that might hurt her feelings is never the road to take no matter how ticked off he may be.. ]

[ patronizing! she may very well be patronizing, but she sure as hell won't swallow being told so by steve rogers. peggy decides she can't take this while laying down (literally) and so sits up in their modest farmhouse bed. her hair is mussed and the colour in her cheeks from their earlier play stays in place. ]

He's your best friend. For God's sake. If I had a best friend and I got hit with a glitch, I'd damn well hope you'd call them on my behalf.

[ that might not exactly be true. (un)luckily for her, the point can't be proven because she clearly doesn't consider herself to have someone who ticks that same box. ]

Really? You'd want me to do anything on your behalf? Or would you want to be the one calling the shots regarding the situation?

[ he steels himself in his spot, crosses his arms over his chest. ]

You wouldn't have any problem with me telling you what you need?

[ he's right. of course he's right. were their positions reversed, her objections would be both louder and less judiciously made than his. she bites down on her first retort, swooping instead to argue: ] After what happened with Barnes you shipped me from one bed to another and I rather think I took your shot-calling rather gracefully, for one.

[ but it's not the same; it can't be the same. she'd been broken and bandaged and bruised. this isn't some emergency. better, indeed, that she cut to the very quick of what's bothering her: ] And what if I hadn't been here, hm? Would I be treated as you're treating him? [ she sounds almost more offended on barnes's behalf than on her own. ] Days going by while you wait for it wear off.

That's not the same - I don't need medical attention. You're comparin' apples and oranges.

[ it hits a nerve, somewhere, an old, hidden spot that he thought he grew out of. ]

I'd trust you to listen but you're not doing that right now. You're too busy being right.

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