InsaneJournal

Who: Peggy/Steve
What: Reunited and they may never let go of each other ever again.
When: After her arrival & chat with Tony.
Rating/Warnings: Green, maybe grab a tissue who knows.



That was the only thing going through Steve’s mind as he ran through the streets of the city. It was almost an entire re-enactment of just after he’d emerged from the chrysalis in his present form except that the person he was running for wasn’t a HYDRA agent. Quite the opposite, in fact. Part of him didn’t believe it was really her. A bigger part of him hoped it was really her. He would learn the truth very soon.

Running was faster than taking transportation, especially in New York. Steve reached his destination almost before he was emotionally ready to. He stood outside the door, and he didn’t fail to realize that one of the biggest crossroads of his life was right there behind this door, just two inches of cheap wood. Now he understood Schrodinger and that dumb cat.

Shaking his head he reached out with a loose fist. He hesitated for a single moment then knocked.

Peggy had seen a lot of strange things in her life, but this was one for the record books. Not a few hours ago she had been walking through Daniel’s house and the next… well she still wasn’t really sure what this was.

Her talk with Tony had been informative but she was relieved when he left to let her settle and try to wrap her head around everything that was happening. When she heard a knock on her door, she was almost sure it was him coming back.

She fumbled with the lock for a moment before tugging it open. What she saw made her stumble back a few feet, heart immediately in her throat as she tried to make sense of what she was sure she was seeing.

“St-Steve?” A beat passed before she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, a protective hand coming to rest on the back of his head. “H-how? Is this real?” The tears were already itching in her eyes and she knew her voice would do little to mask them.

The door was pulled open and Steve learned that the cat was most definitely alive. All he could do was stare at the woman over the threshold, heart on his sleeve and lips parted. It was her. Really her. He’d seen the video of her from the 50s. He’d visited her in the nursing home. But here she was just as he remembered her from all those years ago.

The moment broke when he suddenly found her in his arms. He buried his nose into her hair, smelling that shampoo she had used that he never thought he would smell again. His chest tightened, and for a moment it was as if he’d forgotten how to talk.

“Hey,” he managed quietly. “Yeah. It’s real, Peg.” The sting of tears were in his own eyes before he forced himself to loosen his arms enough to smile down at her. “It’s me. How is a little harder to explain.”

She could feel his heart beating again like she had only been able to dream about every day since he’d gone into the ice. Whatever it was that pulled her here, she hoped with everything it wouldn’t take her away again.

“I made him search, I made him-” It was too much. The pounding of her own heart sounded in her ears as she looked over his face, eyes cloudy as as drops started to fall down her cheeks. “We looked, I swear we looked for so long. We tried to find you-”

Her hands cupped his face before leaning up on her toes to press her forehead against his. “My darling.”

The anguish and desperation in her voice hurt to hear. Only with Peggy did he let everything he was feeling show. That sorrow for what she had endured weight heavily on his face as he smoothed his thumb over her cheek to wipe that tear away.

“Hey. Shhh.” That boyish smile of his wavered a little, but was still there for her. “I know.” Because not only had Tony told her, but she herself had said so in the video and in person. “It’s fine. It all worked out.”

That touch of her forehead. They hadn’t ever had a chance to be this intimate, but it felt right. It felt like the universe was finally giving them both a kind of reward for all they’d been through. Steve’s smile wasn’t going to go away any time soon even as he shifted his head enough to kiss her forehead. “I still haven’t learned how to dance you know.”

Peggy felt like she could finally breathe again. Like somehow in all the time he had been gone from her, she had been holding it, and now finally she could exhale. The longer she was near him, the easier it became. From heavy to ragged and now to steady breaths as she felt his lips on her forehead.

A light, breathy chuckle came through her lips as she dropped her hands to rest against his chest. “I’ll still teach you.” Nuzzling her nose against his, she pulled back to look up at him momentarily, eyes searching all over his face. It would be a lie to say she didn’t feel butterflies stirring in her stomach at the touch. It felt too much like a dream and she was certain she’d had this one before. But it also felt so real she didn’t want to find out it wasn’t and feel her heart break all over again.

“God Margaret, pull yourself together.” A self deprecating laugh escaped her as she dropped her hands to his, tugging him into her temporary room. “This is mad.” She said softly, pushing the door shut, still unable to let go of him as she pulled him to sit on the edge of her bed with her. “I have so many questions I don’t even know where to start.”

Every tone of her voice was a moment spent in the past. Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations of this division. Each word hit him like a punch in the chest by Banner. You’re late. Steve didn’t want to let go. Not even for as long as it took for Peggy to pull him into her room. Please don’t do this!

He had to blink out of his memories when he sat down with her. No way he was letting go of her hand, though. “I know how that feels.” Gently, he squeezed her hand. “It would take forever to try to explain, but I know where to start.” That dumb museum.

There was barely a few inches between them but it still felt like too much. The hand he wasn’t squeezing raised to touch his cheek again before sweeping up to brush at the hair dangling onto his forehead. “I’m with you.” She said firmly, giving his hand a squeeze back. It didn’t matter what happened, there was no way anyone was going to pry her from his side.

That tender smile that only Peggy had ever seen from Steve formed on his face to her. He could sit here forever and look at her and be happy. Let the universe break. No. That wasn’t him. He couldn’t do that and he knew Peggy would probably swat him if he tried. That thought made him chuckle and lower his eyes.

When he lifted them again it was to look around. “First, we’re going to get you a better place.” He could call in a favor from Stark. No doubt Tony would set Peggy up with a penthouse overlooking Central Park. Overkill was his way.

“I’ll get someone I know on that, and while that’s going on I’ll take you to a place where you can start getting answers.” He smiled at her again. “Ok?”

That boyish smile would never get old. “Oh no, this, this is-” She made a feeble attempt to fight him but she knew better. All she could do was let out a small breath, smirk, and nod. He certainly was still a captain. About the only person she’d ever grown used to truly taking orders from. “I don’t plan to be that far away from you though, I hope you realize.” She said softly before standing, brushing at her clothes and running a hand over her loose curls.

“Where are we going? Am I… I don’t have any other clothes.” She muttered, gesturing down at the sundress that had fit in so well with the California weather she had left but New York… might be another story. Half a century probably made a big change in fashion choices. Suddenly Peggy felt very self conscious about her entire being.

“This is a closet.” Steve chuckled as he finished her sentence. Peggy deserved a lot better than this, and he might actually let Tony go overboard like he usually did to make sure she was living the way she should. “And if you want to live near me you’re going to have to live in Brooklyn. That’s where Bucky and I are living.” No doubt she’d react to hearing that Buck was still alive. That would take a lot of explaining, though.

“And we’re going to Brooklyn.” Steve stood up then put his hands gently on Peggy’s shoulders. “You look fine,” he assured her. “Beautiful, actually.” That smile became a grin as he stroked his thumb down her cheek. He couldn’t stop staring.

“Well yes but those aren’t mine, I can’t just...” She gestured towards the door, losing her words as she turned back to him. A redness filled her cheeks at his compliment, eyes shining as she looked up at him. “Thank you, darling.” She leaned her face into his touch for a beat and before- “Wait, Barnes? He’s?” A brightness filled her face, replacing the red as she smiled wide. “Steve! That’s incredible!” She threw her arms around him, excitement overcoming her. “I’m so glad you weren’t alone.” Her voice was soft then, loving.

The conversations they’d had about Bucky, both in their actions to save him and after his apparent death rang in her ears. She knew how much he’d meant to Steve and how devastated and depressed he had been after losing him. To know that he’d come back to him as well made her heart swell.

Regaining her composure she pulled back, pushing her hair behind her ears before nodding. “We’ll have to go see him after then.” They hadn’t had the relationship that Peggy had developed with Steve but anyone that he loved, she did too. After his reassurance, she wasn’t too concerned about her clothes anymore and she slipped her hand down to lace her fingers with his as they moved towards the door.

“I really hope this isn’t some sort of nightmare again.” She’d had them too many times, at a point they had been nightly. Steve being alive and the chance they’d missed out on right in front of her before being ripped away violently whether it be by some demon in her mind or by the simple act of waking. If that happened now she wasn’t sure she’d be able to function for days.

Steve was startled at first but he caught Peggy when she hugged him. Hey, any excuse to get his arms around her. But he couldn’t let her continue believing that everything with Bucky was fine.

“Peg…” he began then put her back on her feet. Steve pulled back to look at her, but his hands stayed on her waist. “Bucky...he’s not...he didn’t come through as easily as I did.” He was kind of starting in the middle which frustrated him a little. Steve sighed.

“I’ll explain after you see the museum, ok?”

Her eyes searched his face, feeling the apprehension pouring off of him suddenly. For a moment she was afraid she’d done something wrong but it was quickly clear there was more going on than she could ever imagine. “Of course, Darling.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze again before taking a deep breath. This was going to be an adventure.

It was going to be something. Steve wasn’t so sure it would be an adventure. He really hated going to that museum. But it would be the easiest way for Peggy to understand what had happened to him after he went into the ice.

But first, he had to do something he’d been wanting to do since the last time he had actually seen Peggy. Steve looked into her eyes, searching them. For what, he didn’t know. This lasted for a heartbeat before he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

Peggy had seen that look before, standing in a hall, around a table, in a plane… but neither of them had ever acted on it. This time she knew better. But still, the smallest of gasps escaped her before their lips pressed together. She’d kissed others, even after she’d lost him, but this, there was nothing that could ever compare to this. Raising up on her toes, she returned his kiss, slipping her arms up around his neck before deepening it. She’d lost her chance to have this once and she would never let that happen again.

It took a lot but she finally pulled back just the slightest, her breath heavy like the first moment she’d seen him. She watched his eyes open to hers again, and all she could think was how much she loved him. The real him, the skinny nervous Steve, the one who would sit quietly and sketch when he needed a moment to himself. Without another moment's hesitation, she threw herself back against him, pressing their lips back together passionately as she’d wanted to so many times before.

Steve’s arms slid around Peggy’s slender waist when she’d deepened the kiss. Natasha had once joked that he hadn’t kissed anyone since the war. Steve hadn’t wanted to admit how true that was. Now it didn’t seem to matter, and some part of his mind thought Nat would be really happy about this.

That tender smile of his remained where her lips had been when she’d pulled back. He thought that would be it for now, and he was fine with that...but then she was right back to kissing him more intensely than before. He had to remind himself not to tighten his arms too much even though he didn’t feel she was close enough. And for one wild moment Steve felt that clothing were ridiculous.

That thought snapped him out of it. With a gasp he separated them a few inches. Feeling flushed and flustered he grinned sheepishly at Peggy. “Keep that up and we won’t get to the museum,” he said.

Looking at him and his flushed cheeks and lips, Peggy was sure she had never seen anything lovelier. But he was right, they were an expert at tension and she’d felt the same charge the instant he had. Grinning wide, she let out a small giggle before leaning her head against his chest, settling her breathing to the thump of his heart. “I know, bloody hell do I know.”

She bit her lip and pulled away to look up at him, trying to push the very unladylike thoughts he’d stirred in her head out. “We should go before I try and take you up on that.”