everybody's starstruck in june.

[mucked]

Who: starstruck crew & visitors
Broadcast: n/a
Action: aboard the ship
When: june

[ another month; another mingle. but there are changes in the air! the starstruck has some fresh crew to boast of, as well as a spiffing new lounge. things have been difficult, lately -- the common area might make for a great place to decompress and socialize with your fellow starstruckers.

after all, it seems the captain's gone and requisitioned max's record player. for the first week in june, it'll be returned again and again to the new lounge. good luck hiding it from her, rockatanksy.

ready steady go! ]

Comments

[mucked]

[ she's got her cheek pressed against his shoulder; it makes smiling a bit of a challenge, but she nevertheless manages it. he'll end up with lipstick on his cotton shirt by th end. she's sure of it. ]

Lawn bowling, of course.

[ almost as bad as croquet. ]

[uprightness]

Lawn bowling?

[ he sounds doubtful that there is such a thing - since when does peggy know so much about such a vast variety of sports? ]

Is that another English thing?

[mucked]

You've never gone lawn bowling. [ an amused beat. ] Of course you haven't.

[ -- she's not ignorant of their very different upbringings. there's a great gulf between a fashionable hampstead childhood and the tighter-packed parts of brooklyn. peggy hadn't been much for bowls herself, but there were always young men playing in pristine whites on the green next to the pavilion.

she used to like to steal the bowling balls; little peg got shouted out of the gardens on more than one occasion for her interference. ]

It, too, is rather dull. So don't go getting any ideas.

[ the last thing she needs is him busting his back over recreating something she'd never much cared for in the first place. ]

[uprightness]

I never even knew I had an option of going. Wasn't aware it's a sport. I know bowling. You know - dropping the pins, stupid shoes.

[ the usual sort. ]

You know, you've been saying it a lot lately.

[ don't go getting ideas. ]

Eventually, one of those will stick.

[mucked]

Hopefully, it's the right one.

[ -- peggy's steps quicken just enough to catch up to the next song. ]

Of all the many things I want to do with you, Steve, bowling is absolutely not one of them.

[uprightness]

Not bowling, huh?

[ in all honesty, he would have grown bored of it as well. it's the sort of game that might get repetitive. ]

Because I'd win?

[ not much difference between a bowling bowl and a shield. the quicker rhythm is like a bit of punishment for the sass. ]

You know I wasn't kidding about your toes -

[ so deeply concerned. ]

[mucked]

-- My toes have survived worse. [ probably. she can't exactly be certain. ]

And, for the record, we can't know for certain whether you'd win or not. [ a beat. ] Rather that it's simply not worth finding out.

[uprightness]

You can't really know that, either.

[ if they've survived worse or not and oh no, suddenly he feels that much younger, like he's about to babble nonsense at her again, all awkward and unsure and suddenly, more clumsy than anything else. ]

it's a pretty big risk.

[ confused, he takes to carefully watching his feet. he will not step on her, he refuses to. ]

[mucked]

Say you do. [ step on her toes. ] What's the worst that could happen?

[ she's not about to jilt you over a bit of pain, rogers. nor does she think he'd be so upset if she had to stay off her feet for a few days. but peggy rather doubts it would ever come to that. ]

[uprightness]

Whatever it is, I'm not going to find out.

[ because he will not step on her toes. they're not sixteen in a school dance nor is he the guy who called her a dame in their first somewhat private conversation.

his smile is nearly bashful. ]

And you know, you're distracting me.

[mucked]

Distracting you -- [ she echoes, and the words are bright and warm on her tongue. peggy pulls him nearer, eroding that last bit of space between them. ] I don't think I'm doing anything of the sort. Perhaps you're distracting yourself.

[uprightness]

You know, that doesn't even make any sense. A person can't distract themselves, Peggy -

[ it's outraged and enamored. she takes his accusation and raises the stakes and he chuckles. yes, alright, point made and he's rather content with her where she is. ]

Is this how I'm gonna learn?

[ because if it is, he could grow used to it. ]

[mucked]

Not at all; this is terrible dancing.

[ but it's lovely for a brace of other reasons -- ones she makes quite clear when she nestles near and grips his hand in hers. they turn, lazy and beatless, and they don't need the music to make the rules for them. ]

Don't learn anything from this.

[uprightness]

Really? I was kinda hoping this might be what it's all about.

[ and maybe in another way, it is. his fingers spread at the small of her back, his thumb draws shapes across her knuckles. surely there's nothing else to dancing or else, surely dancing can't be better than this. ]

You sure?

[mucked]

Positive as pie.

[ she's danced. danced aplenty, and more than just here in the fleet. such skills come easily to her; steve isn't the only one who picks up lessons quickly. then again, peggy doesn't much mind this. ]

You'd best learn the proper steps. You can't go dancing like this with anyone.

[ because dances like this are hers, now. ]

[uprightness]

I'm not so sure that I want to dance with just anyone.

[ he had avoided it so far. Dancing is something that was very rarely done with anyone else. It's so closely connected to her. ]

[mucked]

You dance. [ she huffs, quietly indignant against his shoulder. ] Don't pretend you didn't take Natasha for a turn 'round the floor at the party. Or, if not that time, then certainly at Halloween.

[ she notices these things. how could she not? point is, she's not shooting at him for it. ]

[uprightness]

Two times. One and a half, really.

[ it wasn't around the floor, good lord. ]

That's hardly a habit.

[mucked]

-- I think in dancing, you round up. [ so two times, you weirdo trying to suggest that a half-dance is a thing. it's not a thing. ]

And what do you do when you dance with her? Screw your eyes shut and pray you don't step on her toes?

[ oh this sort of teasing ends well for no one. ]

[uprightness]

Usually I try not to while she pokes fun of me. It seems to work.

[ he hadn't stepped on her toes but at same time, Nat had deemed him in need of her lessons. ]

[mucked]

I suspect you needn't have to try. Her toes are probably capable of avoiding your steps altogether; she's a rather adept dancer.

[ -- peggy's turned the floor a few times with her, herself, after all. ]

[uprightness]

So are you.

[ but she's right. It's a whole other kind of dancing between the two of them. He bends down, gently knocking his nose against her in lieu of a kiss. ]

I'm much more nervous around you, though.

[mucked]

-- I hope you don't mean that as a compliment

[ shite compliment, in the end. but she's smiling; she must not mean anything too critical by saying so. ]

[uprightness]

I kinda do.

[ but if she's going to judge him for it, well then! ]

I can give you a few, better ones, if you want.

[ a few, he says ]

[mucked]

[ -- she laughs. it shouldn't be a day for laughter. shouldn't even be the bloody month for it. but she does, and she cradles herself nearer to him as the first side of the record comes to and end and the needle skips over nothing but silence.

she could break their dance and flip the record, but she doesn't dare let him go. ]

What sort of person would I be if I asked for praise? [ peggy shakes her head. ] I'll make do.