open » action

[mucked]

Who: Peggy + you
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Starstruck, Iskaulit
When: All day.

[ as compelling an attraction as the asteroids can be, peggy wakes up on what could have been april 21st and promptly decides that a captain's work is never done. despite a short holiday on one of the less glitzy asteroids, she storms her way back onto the starstruck around midday. she'd have preferred to be back earlier, of course, but a certain stubborn steve rogers had delayed her more than usual this morning.

because, you see, today is peggy carter's birthday. and up until recently, she'd thought this particular piece of sensitive intel might have remained under wraps. certainly, she's never announced it to the fleet (not had it announced for her) but over the last year there'd been an influx of individuals who might otherwise be privy to that sacred knowledge.

and so surviving the day becomes a little trickier. her first precaution is to not even address the network -- indeed, she hasn't got her device with her at all. so if some friend or ally does try and contact peggy, they may be forced to seek her out in person instead. after all, it's rare that she should persist with so much radio silence. visitors and crew on the starstruck will find her in her quarters trying very hard to dodge the likes of both steve rogers and edwin jarvis. and trying to busy herself with 'paperwork', though closer inspections might prove she's doing little more than working on a few hobby ciphers. and let's not forget the copious trips to the kitchen for tea, of course.

for visitors and crew: it seems steve's left the odd 'hint' and trinket around the ship. flowers here, candles there, and there's at least one cake chilling in the kitchen. perhaps more. when asked about it, the captain feigns innocence.

later, when that diversion fails, she heads to the iskaulit. first to the firing range, where she squeezes off just enough shots to counterbalance the creeping sensation of domesticity. and that done, she stops by the space bar for a drink of whatever-the-devil most resembles whiskey. ]

Comments

[mucked]

-- Steve.

[ a drop of sentimentality. she watches him while the shuttle docks. ]

You're a soft touch. [ ... ] Soft as lights.

[ but not in a bad way. ]

[pulcher]

Haven't said it to me in a while.

[ he doesn't seem to mind it one bit. ]

I'm just honest.

[mucked]

Honest? Yes. But not just honest. [ honestly alone cuts as sharp as any knife; peggy knows because she's wielded it on more than one occasion.

now, perhaps it's the whiskey talking. she did have three rounds with natasha prior to what she'd drank with steve. but, quietly, she adds: ] Sometimes, I think about whether you're too nice.

[ for me, she means. for what i deserve. after all, she's never been one for kindness in her own right. not by any traditional definition. ]

[pulcher]

No such thing.

[ it's a firm assurance, its eagerness linked directly to the way her voice seems to lower around that confession. ]

'sides, Bucky says I've always been a punk. I can't be too nice, if he's right.

[ and god knows he is. ]

[mucked]

Too nice for me. [ she qualifies as the shuttle's engines wind down.

heavens, if michael could only see her now. ]

[pulcher]

Are you saying my best girl isn't nice?

[ he hurries to get up and kiss her cheek. ]

No chance.

[mucked]

[ her nose crinkles, yes, but she nevertheless smiles on the receiving end of his kiss. indeed, she's in no rush to disembark -- choosing instead so sway a little nearer to him, spanning the space between their seats. like young sweethearts making the most of their last few moments behind the wheel of a borrowed car. ]

You and Winn Schott are just about the only people in the world, I think, who would dare to call me nice.

[pulcher]

Doesn't mean we're wrong.

[ he places his right hand on her hip, both affectionate and stabilizing and at the same time, reaches with his left to tuck a curl behind her ear. they're all comfortable gestures, made so by a year of shared time; moments upon moments leading up to today. ]

Only that have some nerve.

[mucked]

Mmhm, [ she murmures in the moments where their lips part. ] You've got nerve in spades. Certainly.

[ winn? well, she's not so certain about winn. but winn's not the point of this conversion (not really) and she's only got attention for steve just now. ]

I loved your nerve, I think, from the moment I first saw it.

[pulcher]

Funny, I can say the same thing about you.

[ and while she has changed, so much of her is still the same to him. still the same woman who fought by his side. for all the time differences, it doesn't feel as if it was that long ago. ]

what does that say about us?

[mucked]

Heaven knows.

[ she pats his cheek once more before giving in to the inevitably -- disembarking and stepping out into the cargo bay. ]

I'd like to think it means we've both of us got good taste.

[pulcher]

I can abide by that.

[ if only because it is so absolutely true for him. he places both his hands in his jacket's pocket as he walks by her side, seemingly casual when in truth he is rather excited about this. the idea for her gift started such a long time ago, a small collection he had to tend to in secret, adding a new item each time. it was always a work in process and while a part of him wanted to give her the items on the hand-holding planet, he had decided to keep them hidden. it was a risk, there was always the risk of her or him simply disappearing.

it was what sparked his stubbornness to begin with. there was a risk but steve wasn't about to let it dictate their lives, either. ]

so? what's the verdict? was it an overall good day?

[mucked]

I didn't hate it -- [ which is a rather warm endorsement, really. it's not as though she can't stomach the day, but the fuss has never been all that pleasant. ]

And it seems to only be getting better by the hour.