driftfleet | [open] august starstruck mingle

I can shorten the beard, too. But you said I should give up and so.

[ as it's only fair ]

I need your help.

Need it? [ peggy reaches out and gives a bit of a tug on some of his beard growth that's a bit more easily grabbed. ] And here I thought you went the war shaving your own chin. Don't tell me you had Dugan do it for you that whole time?

[ she teases -- warming up, maybe, to the idea of lending a hand. ]

Well I was much younger then. You can't compare that to being ninety-nine.

[ since evidently he's such an old man these days. ]

[ despite all her best intentions, his words draw a slow grin onto her face. it does her cause no good, she knows, but she can't help it. sometimes -- sometimes -- he's genuinely funny.

to her, at least. ]

You're like no ninety-nine year old I've ever met. Whiskers or none. [ she lets him go after a brief waggle of his chin. ] Fine. I'll help. Just this once, since there's so very much of it to get rid of.

Just this once.

[ which means he'll have to make each moment count. He leans in to press a kiss to her cheek. ]

Thank you. Sorry about those regulations by the way.

[ the public display of affection, the beard. Pick and choose. ]

Oh, please.

[ it's a miracle she doesn't push him away, really. but ever since the coma's end, there's been a considerable relaxation in the harshest application of her rules and regulations. a kiss, she supposes, is alright. especially if restrained to the cheek. ]

You're not in the least bit apologetic.

That's not true.

[ it's absolutely true but he's also pushing his luck just a bit. He's on a roll today so just as well. One agreement and one kiss and he's on cloud nine. Apparently that's what happens when he gets his way. ]

I'm a bit apologetic.

Enough to let me off the hook, perhaps?

[ why not also press her luck? ]

Think about it. You can't really want me near your throat with a razor.

I'd trust you near my throat with a butcher's knife.

[ and it's such an easy thing to say especially because it's true. ]

A razor's nothing. You don't scare me.

What, not at all? [ she wears her mock-disappointment quite readily. god, every day makes him bolder. and she would swear as well that ever day since his not-quite-a-proposal has made him bolder still.

it's a problem. she's not yet certain how to address it. ]

Not one bit.

[ he stretches his arms behind his head, eyes her with a smile. ]

Peggy, it's been more than a year now. Surely a fella can think you're just about swell by now.

[ well. he's a bit of alright, isn't he? peggy behaves as though she isn't watching (with care) the way he stretches and lounges on his side of the sofa. he's right -- it's been more than a year now. and all the same she clings to her coyness. ]

I am still the captain of this ship, mind. Your captain. I'm owed a bit of an intimidation factor, surely.

Not at all.

[ and although there is an aroma of humor in the air, he grows serious for a heartbeat or three. ]

You don't need any of us to fear you. You're our captain because we want you to be. Respect is better than fear, anyway.

Oh, get off it. [ she huffs a mixture of amusement and displeasure. peggy knows this argument -- she's on steve's side of this one, in fact. his turn towards the serious (however brief) is unwelcome. peggy doesn't want to be serious. seriousness invites 'round too many storm clouds. ]

I'm not talking about the rest of them. [ she's talking about him. ] Being their captain is, I confess, a touch different to being yours.

[ this isn't a can of worms she should be opening. and yet. ]

Alright - look, after having a gun knocked into my face, I guess I do fear you a bit. I learned to fear sudden movements.

[ firm nod. ]

Better?

You realize, of course, that it was entirely your fault. [ well. and a little bit sam winchester's. ]

I figured we just came back from the Marsiva. How is it my fault? all I did was get in my own bed.

[ innocent as you please. ]

I couldn't just spend that whole night in that other room.

[ he says that as if the option itself is absurd. ]

You might have given me a shake on the shoulder, however. [ but her protest isn't much in earnest. peggy would have felt more guilt, perhaps, if steve rogers wasn't steve rogers. she'd attempted to inflict more and worse during their occasional spats at sparring. ]

Given the lights a bloody flicker.

I didn't want to wake you like that. I never do. I hoped for a more pleasant thing before I nearly got my nose broken.

[ that was a fine moment aside of the pain ]

You know I was a little disappointed.

[ such a neutral tone. ]

You never play your cards so roughly when we spar.

[ nearly, he says. she doesn't believe him. but she does put a bit more stock in his (apparent) disappointment. nevertheless, she arches a brow. ]

Disappointed? Oh, heaven forbid I should ever disappoint you. You should have said you wanted more of a challenge. [ she's never exactly held back, no, but she's never exactly gone all out either. ] Although, perhaps you ought to be careful what you wish for.

I just never figured Peggy Carter went easy on anyone.

[ he keeps his tone neutral, casual. As if they're discussing the weather. ]

I guess I should be flattered.

Perhaps I'm going soft.

[ -- he's too controlled. it's unnerving. sometimes, very rarely, she misses the way he used to stammer and stumble every time he spoke with her. moments like these? she craves that old upper hand. ]

Perhaps you've gone and blunted me.

I won't forgive myself if that's true. Never met a fiercer person in all my life.

[ and oh no, he's the one going far too soft all of the sudden. For a second, it seems as if he's about to fall on one knee right there in the lounge and ask her to marry him, this wonderfully fierce soul sitting right there. It hasn't been easy on her, this last while and god knows he wasn't helping her at all. ]

I'll put this tape away and I'll go and shave.

[ has he really been giving her a hard time over something silly like that? ]

[ the game falls away, revealing the heart beneath it all. peggy pauses -- watching him for a moment, and it seems as though she might indeed turn soft and pull him into an affectionate hug. but she stops herself, just shy of it, and instead lays a hand on his elbow. ]

What happened to needing help?

[ -- she watches him with attention and care. so, maybe, she hadn't much minded his earlier demand. ]

Yeah. I'd need that.

[ though lord knows if he's still talking about shaving or about something else, entirely. He seems distracted, somehow. As if some inner balance has been lost for a moment or two and he is now struggling to get it back. The marsiva had left so many scars. Steve remembers a surge of panic when he lost sight of a little girl with a wooden sword and an endlessly long dance she insisted on. Another sacrifice for his sake.

So many trials, as of late. ]

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