Insecurity was normal. Everyone suffered that sort of thing from time to time, or so Peggy assumed. She'd tried to nudge friends toward counseling when it seemed appropriate, but most seemed less inclined to find someone to talk to and more interested in drowning their emotions in some kind of chemical aid. Peggy was a little ashamed to contribute to those choices, in fact, but she preferred to help knowing her sources were far safer than some.
Still, she'd no idea how to talk Bucky around from thinking he was essentially only good to be the fall guy for others. He was worth more. Maybe Steve would have more impact if he tried convincing Bucky of that, or maybe in combination, they'd wear down the walls Bucky liked to hide behind.
It never hurt to try, at any rate. Peggy was a big believer in persistence.
"I'm not responsible, no," Peggy agreed, "But I contributed to the circumstances. I'm sorry for that. You're going to accept that, and then you're going to stop trying to hide half of your face like that because, frankly, it makes you look silly." The hand covering his lifted, skating along the strong curve of his jaw to nudge him back around to face her. "I've seen a black eye before." She'd seen worse. They all had, which didn't need repeating, and the gravity of her expression said that she worried Steve would end up with worse if he didn't stop provoking fights in public arenas; especially with some of the more influential citizens.