ɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ

[uprightness]

STEVE ROGERS;

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[uprightness]

--- No, it really is.

[ you know what! he just now realizes it. ]

It actually just dawned on me that we're finally equal.

[mucked]

Equal! [ she repeats. ] Equal for what?

[uprightness]

[ he smiles. oh lord, he does look happy all of the sudden. ]

if you have to ask -

[mucked]

[ well, now she might just hit him in order to crack the grin off his face. peggy doesn't ask so much as stand there, hands suddenly dropped to her hips, and stare at him with a measure of expectation.

spit it out, rogers. ]

[uprightness]

I'll tell you some other time.

[ he says, he promises ]

when none of us is affected by any atroma-induced glitches.

[ apparently, it falls into the category of things he won't discuss in her current situation. ]

[mucked]

You can't go and leave it at that. Steve.

[ steve. you can't go and dump a puzzle in her lap and then deny her the pieces. ]

[uprightness]

Well, I have to, we have a plan, remember?

[ keeping it safe. he does find her impatience endearing, however. ]

but I'm sorry, it does mean you can't hit me seeing that we're finally even.

[mucked]

I'm not yet convinced we are.

[ give us a hint, darling. ]

[uprightness]

well, I am.

[ and that will have to do for now but he does lean over to press a soft kiss to her cheek. ]

we'll have to talk about it again next week.

[mucked]

[ she puts the heel of her palm against his chest and gives him a steady little rock-back immediately following his kiss. but, once the deflection is done, she leaves her hand precisely where it is. it's nice, in the end, to keep a bit of contact. after all, it's been a week.

a week and two years, if you cram those fresh memories back into place. ]

I'll have you 'fessing up to whatever it is within that time. I swear it.

[ it's a challenge, now. ]

[uprightness]

No you won't.

[ and he says that with such confidence, too. ]

I'm not telling you anything until then. a plan is a plan.

[mucked]

Plans change all the time. They change every bloody day.

[ she gives him some nudges -- one to punctuate every word. ]

[uprightness]

Not this one.

[ but he grabs her hand, uses it to tug her close. ]

This one can hold for a week or so..

[mucked]

[ a shake of her head. but she bumps into him gladly, anchoring an arm around his waist. she's not happy -- she's far from it. but there are some urges that transcend questions of happiness and unhappiness. and being with him, relishing this windfall, will always be one of them. ]

We'll see. [ she levels the words like a threat. ]

[uprightness]

we'll see.

[ he agrees, wraps an arm around her, palm resting at the small of her back. there's a moment of comfortable silence and then - ]

Peggy?

[mucked]

[ she does, at least, sink against him. there's no harm in snuggling near, surely, even when her dander is up and her temper is raised. she can be both near to him and upset all at once. surely, she can multitask to that effect. ]

Steve. [ she acknowledges, speaking his name in a hushed tone. go on. ]

[uprightness]

[ he rubs soft circles at the base of her spine. there are things to do, her mood to improve, problems to solve but they have time for it, they have time. ]

I'm just glad you're back.

[mucked]

[ there are hundred little reasons to stay angered. panicked, worried, off-kilter, the whole lot of it. but then there is steve: caressing calm into her muscles and reminding her that she's more than just a rogue agent pulling unfortunate souls behind her like so many tin cans. they're a team, here. they're a partnership. her problems are his problems. his problems are hers.

it's a bewitching notion. it takes her a half-second to remember it. they have time. together, and to spare. he tells her he's glad she's back and it strikes her as a positively selfish sentiment. being here strips them from home.

but she's not all that disappointed in the suggestion. hell, she feels the same. ordinarily she wouldn't put so fine a point on it but so long as they're being honest. ]

Me too. [ she kisses the crook of his neck, just above the neck of his shirt. ] Now that I am.

[uprightness]

[ she's positively the most stubborn person he knows and while there are moments when their edges rub one another the wrong way, most moments are like this - an almost perfect fit, a lock and a key.

And so it's easy to let her go for the day, knowing she doesn't need him to shadow her to deal with this fresh development. Steve stays where he can be seen, sees to his own work and the day goes by. He's rather glad when it ends, rather glad to wrap his arms around her and slip into his first good sleep of the week.

It all feels rather sweet, really. ]

[mucked]

[ so! mistakes were made. namely, the kind of mistakes where one tells a certain red-headed spy altogether too much. it's a wonder peggy manages to crawl into bed at all, considering the waves of distraction and disappointment cresting over her mood. but, eventually, she's coaxed to bed.

but she doesn't sleep. she's still treading and retreading that something steve had refused to name. something ruined, akin to her punching bag, and she keeps playing the moment over in her head as he walks to the drawer and...

the drawer.

in a struggle to sit up, she starts pawing at his arms locked affectionately around her middle. in the end, it takes an elbow jammed against his ribs to gain some measure of freedom from her clingy first mate. she nudges him awake -- and none too gently. ]

I figured it out. And you're wrong.

[ it might be just shy of three am. ]

[uprightness]

What --

[ he's curled up behind her, an arm around her waist and his chin tucked against the crook of her neck. Everything is right and everything is peaceful until -

He yelps as she elbows him, seeking her body and grunting. ]

What the hell Peg

[ he shifts until his head finds its way to her lap. ]

[mucked]

[ it's been a long time coming, this easy rapport between them -- the way she prods him awake and rather than jackknife to alert he sidles closer. peggy doesn't begrudge him the head in her lap. indeed, she goes so far as to comb her fingertips up the back of his neck. it's a short and loving touch, despite the context of his awakening. ]

Your botched proposal isn't near the same as my busted punching bag. [ she comes out and says it. that's what he'd meant, isn't it? clearly, she can't wait the week out to have this conversation at a more appropriate time.

no, she's having it now. ideally before he can wake up enough to defend himself. ]

[uprightness]

Yeah, mine was a much worse situation. I'm glad you're finally seeing sense on that.

[ is he being sarcastic? it's hard to tell with his face pressed against the night shirt she's wearing. ]

can we go back to sleep now - ?

[mucked]

Worse! [ excuse you, captain rogers. she doesn't push him away, but she certainly does register her protest. ] It's not my fault you're rubbish at hiding things.

[uprightness]

I didn't mean to ruin your punching bag but that's not nearly the same as you accidentally botching one of the most important moments of our lives.

[ look at him using her vocabulary. ]

we shouldn't be talking about this anyway.

[ he burrows closer, fully intent on having his cuddles one way or another. ]