uprightness | ɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ

Depends.

[ he counters, doesn't miss a beat. ]

You offered me what I want, what do you want?

[ she bites down on her first felt answer. peggy nearly wagered that he should just go ahead and move into her quarters -- still a little lost in the lingering memory of sharing a room together on corona. but no, it's too soon. too quick. that's a question for another day -- and certainly one too important to be touted as stakes in a sparring match.

instead, buying herself a moment: ] I -- I'm not certain.

[ that's a first, but he says nothing, tilts his head at her with a small smile. ]

I guess you'll have to think about then if I ever do lose. Doesn't seem likely, though.

[ carefully, she replaces the tea-cup in its box. they are exquisite. really, she ought to show more gratitude. but instead, she's gone and dug herself into this awkward little standoffish hole.

turning towards the door, she hedges: ] I know Winn gave you a bottle of that high-powered spirits for Christmas. Maybe that should be my stakes.

The bottle?

[ he arches both eyebrows, clearly confused. ]

You know he put a warning on that bottle for a reason.

Not for me. If I win, you'll drink with me tonight. [ ... ] Me, with the bottle of whatever Eugene brewed up in his still. And you with yours.

...alright. I'll accept those terms.

[ though god only knows how strong that stuff is and that could result in blackmailing material for her and a rather big headache for him but it is what it is. ]

If I lose, we'll do that.

[ with a satisfied nod, she waits for him in the hallway. there's an eagerness in her posture that almost embarrasses her. peggy isn't given to joyful violence, exactly, but it's hard not to anticipate enjoying a tussle with steve. ]

Must we shake on it? Or have we moved beyond needing such things.

Well beyond that.

[ but he looks so amused, almost on verge of laughter. ]

Peggy -

[ he looks above her, to the lights he worked so hard on hanging. he may have hung a few of those mistletoe on the wires. he is somewhat torn between feeling entirely too pleased with himself and slightly horrified that she might actually punch him for this little trick. ]

[ her chin lifts. she examines the space above her head and! ] Oh, for -- [ peggy rolls her eyes. certainly, the instinct to (as barnes had put it) ring his bell a few times surfaces. but she resists; there'll be time enough for that in the cargo bay.

for now, she might as well try and press a slim tactical advantage. peggy crooks her finger -- calling him nearer, to join her under the sprig of green. ]

Yeah, I know.

[ he nods, settles for simply being pleased with himself, for now. It's not a trick that will last; she'll find the others and remove them, too. just one victory, better make the best of it. ]

But you really shouldn't argue with holiday traditions.

[ he reasons, wrapping an arm around her waist, swaying just a bit, an intimate little dance. ]

[ she spreads her hands gently across his chest. peggy steps forward, claiming the space between them. she even indulges him his mild sway before using the minimal momentum to tip forward and kiss him. quite a keen kiss, too, despite the public nature of the hallway. ]

Enjoy them while you can, I suppose.

[ this is the no-longer-hidden truth laying beneath layers of professionalism and banter. peel those off and there's something else entirely; a gentle sway to a non-existent tune, a kiss of a far more fiery nature and a familiar sort of rush that makes him answer her dryer response with another one, a stolen sort of kiss, a shade more playful, an instinctive response to her words. she did say enjoy them, after all. ]

I probably should, you're going to punch me in a couple of minutes.

[ might as well enjoy this little moment while he has it. ]

[ -- she curls her fingers against his chest, snagging his shirt in a loose fist. doesn't hurt to take a little enjoyment for herself, deepening the kiss for a heartbeat or two before she retreats.

and clarifies: ] I plan to do more than punch you, darling. You'll end up flat on your back.

[ the battle has already started; he just may not have realized it yet. ]

[ he allows himself another moment to enjoy this, her in his arms, the way her voice curls around that one word, darling before he realizes she's trying to distract him and worse, it seems to work. ]

You're very confident. What's gonna happen when you lose? You'll take it all back?

[ it's entirely possible (perhaps even likely!) that she'll lose. doesn't matter; she wears her confidence on her sleeve. it keeps the stakes high. maintains a playful atmosphere, too, because in the end there's no pride lost if she doesn't win. she's taken out men of his size and stature before: it's the serum that makes the field uneven.

she ghosts her fingers across his jaw. down his neck. ] I'll eat crow. But I'm not going to lose.

[ and if she does, she'll have had a good time of it all the same. ]

[ highly likely, she is right about the effects of their stay in the hotel. The whole thing made everything that much easier, the shift of one hand from her hip to her back, the slow caress there. Soft and softer still and perhaps a bit spoiled by the knowledge of what it feels like to fall asleep and wake up with her in his arms. Given a victory, that might be exactly what he'll ask for today. ]

Well, I already have today planned so I can't lose, either.

The bigger they are, Steve, the harder they fall. [ and he's a mountain of a man. peggy only begrudging breaks their half-embrace after a moment longer. she escapes the mistletoe's radius, but finds herself wishing she'd maybe lingered in it a little longer. ]

And I've already planned for you to fall. Hard. [ this is flirtatious. warm. inviting, even, in a way that other conversations don't quite match. ]

You're planning for something that already happened, you realize.

[ he smiles, follows her as she goes. Ha! The mistletoe is still there. With some luck, it'll still be there when they make their way back. ]

I mean, you're a little late, should have thought about alla that in Camp Lehigh.

[ it's there when she punched another mountain of a man to the ground and in the process, made a smaller one fall just as hard. ]

[ she's a little late? oh, don't even get her started. but-- ]

Lehigh? Really? [ a cluck of her tongue. truth be told, she hadn't quite thought it had catalyzed quite so soon. she'd had her eye on him from the outset, certainly, but it had been her assignment to review and observe the candidates. had peggy been pressed to identify when she might've thought steve's feelings for her started? her answer would be the back of the ssr transport car.

to be surprised -- this far in -- invites a flutter into her stomach. ] I'm not certain what that says about you.

[ let alone her. ]

Probably that I've never really met a woman who could punch a fella to the ground like you did.

[ she has more than a bit of a temper but hell if that wasn't the first thing Steve loved about her. ]

There are more of us than you know. [ dry-like. she refuses to think there's anything special about her willingness to punch stupidity its guffawing mouth. ] Just follow the trail of Howard's dalliances. Plenty of those girls have strong hitting arms.

[ which, in the end, only proves that howard quite possibly suffers from the same masochistic affliction as poor steve rogers. ]

No, thank you. I'd like to think one woman with a temper in my life is more than enough.

[ just saying. ]

Smart man. [ ... ] Smarter, still, if you surrendered here and now.

No can do.

[ and that will surprise no one. Steve Rogers could never compute the concept of surrender and who knows it better than his present company. ]

Too much at stake.

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