Peggy dressed carefully before meeting Steve for dinner, laughing herself through it as she chose a simple, classic blue dress and brown heels. It wasn't like she and Steve didn't see each other often, because they did. They met for meals every once in a while, caught a drink together, a coffee - nothing about dinner that evening was unusual. And yet …
She leaned in towards the mirror to check on her lipstick, the same cherry red she'd begun considering to be her signature. She popped her lips and stepped back, fluffed her hair gently. Then she turned on her heel and walked out of her apartment. She was outside of Cava fifteen minutes later, smiling widely at Steve, who was waiting for her, lingering just outside the door.
"Hello, Steve," she greeted.
Steve had tried not to think much about that night’s dinner. It was just a normal dinner between two friends. Two good friends. He couldn’t deny there were feeling for Peggy, but he would rather push those aside to keep their friendship if she didn’t feel the same way.
“Peggy... You look beautiful, as always,” he said with a smile when he saw her. He opened the door for her. “Shall we?”
"Thank you," she said, face warming at his compliment. Peggy reached her hand out, smoothed at the collar of his shirt and looked up at him. "I haven't had a chance to eat here yet, have you?" She stepped into the wine bar and glanced back for Steve, just behind her.
His lips curled into a smile at her gesture. “I’ve been here a couple of times,” he said with a nod. He had tried to been to every place Atlantis had to offer at least once, and after being there for more than a year he had managed to do it. “Great wine, and the food is quite good.”
"Wonderful," Peggy said. They were seated together a few feet from the bar at a cozy table, sitting across from each other. She left her menu on the table and looked over at him. "I've been meaning to talk to you, since Howard came and went," she said. "It was really the first time I've felt so affected from a departure."
“Even if it happens more often than not, you never get used to seeing the ones you love disappearing,” he said. It wasn’t the first time Howard had come and go. Just like her, too. Those had always been the hardest ones for him. He wasn’t used to seeing her go. “You and Howard were close.”
She nodded slowly. "We spent a lot of time together after the war." Peggy shook her head. "For better or for worse, really. Mostly it was me continuing to get him out of precarious situations. How he ever managed to get married and raise a son, I'll never know." But her smile was fond anyway.
Peggy looked down for a moment. "I just don't like that everything is so inconsistent. At least during the war, we expected people to leave us."
Part of him wished he could’ve lived those moments with them, living a normal life. But he went under the ice and then his whole world changed, and his priorities changed too. He was a soldier, and would always be one. “Some things are better left unknown,” he chuckled. “He raised a good son. Tony is a good man,” he said.
“Hopefully once this war is over people will stop leaving us.” If they stopped the war, which they would. They had to. Steve couldn’t bare to lose another battle, not after what happened with Thanos.
"It's a nice thought, that eventually this will just end. Hopefully it'll be soon and then we can - just live again." Not that they weren't living. They were. This was just still at war. "I've enjoyed having the chance to get to know Tony too. I'm glad you're friends."
“We can’t lose hope, can we?” he said with a smile. “I don’t know if I’ve ever lived, at least not since the serum,” he admitted. There was always a battle, always a mission. “Me too. We’ve had our rough spots here and there, but I’ll always consider him a very good friend.”
Peggy flicked open her menu and nodded. "Some of the best friendships have to get through the rough patches," she said. A moment, her lips pressed together. "I don't want to give you hope, but I also don't want to keep waiting to live. Steve --"
“That is very true,” he said with a nod. His eyebrows raised at her words. “What do you mean, Peggy?” He thought he had an idea of what she meant, but he’d rather hear it from her than imagine things.
Her menu was very interesting, really, and they should both decide what to eat and order but also it was good to just get this all out there at the top of their meal. "Would you be interested in - trying us out? Together?"
Suddenly the menu and the wine were not important anymore. “I think you already know the answer to that, Peggy,” he replied, smiling at her. “And I still owe you a dance.”
Her cheeks heated more, and she tipped her head to the side to regard him. "I was hoping to hear you say it, Steve," she said lightly. Her eyes wandered a bit, past him, to the piano in the corner, the dim lighting. "I'd love to take you up on that dance."
His heart was thundering in his chest and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He smiled and followed her gaze, turning his head to the piano. “Shall we, Miss Carter?” he asked with a smile, his eyebrow arched.
"I'd love to, Captain Rogers," she said, holding a hand out toward him.
He took her hand and led her to the corner, the dim lighting giving them some privacy. “Sorry if I step on you,” he joked lightly before placing the hand that wasn’t holding hers on her back.
Peggy slid her hand over his shoulder and stepped in close to him, tilting her face up to smile at him. "Oh, I'm sure you'll manage just fine," she told him. She curled her fingers against him, just a little, and laced their fingers together.
“You’ve been warned,” he said with soft chuckle. He began to sway to the rhythm of the piano, his eyes never leaving hers.
Even if he did step on her feet, she wouldn't care. It was good just to be here with him, near him like this, finally getting that dance after years and years of waiting, impossible waiting. "I'll take my chances." She let her fingers move to the back of his neck as she inched a little closer, swaying with him.
It seemed almost like a dream, having her in his arms as they got that dance he promised her decades ago. He moved his hand to press her a little closer to him as they kept dancing, his nose almost touching hers.
"Steve," she breathed out, holding herself back from leaning in to close that last whisper of space between them.
He brushed his nose against hers lightly, as if asking for permission to take that final step.
She nodded, just a slight inclination of her head.
That was all he needed before he closed the space between them, his lips pressing against hers in a kiss he had been waiting since their first and ever kiss over 70 years ago.
Peggy stopped swaying with him, let her hand curl around the back of his neck, her fingers scratching at his hairline. She sighed into the kiss, squeezing his hand.
He deepened the kiss a little before pulling back, resting his forehead against hers, his lips curling into a smile.
A smile slid onto her face too. "Well," she said quietly. "I guess we're on the same page then."
His smile widened and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her words. “We’re definitely on the same page.”
"Good," she said, leaning in to kiss him again.
He smiled against the kiss, letting go of her hand to cradle her cheek in his hand, his thumb caressing her cheekbone.
Peggy's smile grew, and she leaned into his touch. "This is good," she said softly, moving her hand around to spread her palm out against his chest. "I've been wanting to talk to you about this for so long."
“Me too. But I wasn’t sure you felt the same way and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship,” he admitted, the hand on her back gently caressing her.
She nodded. "I know. But I'm glad we're taking the chance. I'd regret it," Peggy admitted, "if you left and I hadn't tried."
“I know,” he said softly, brushing his thumb against her cheek. “I’m not gonna go anywhere, specially not now that I’ve got you.” He knew leaving or staying was pretty much out of his control in the place. One never knew. But he would fight if he had to, to stay with her.
"I'm going to have to hold you to that, Captain Rogers," she murmured, leaning in to kiss him again. "Now, do you want to have a glass of wine and - maybe just a dessert? Before we get out of here."
“Good,” he smiled, kissing her back. “I think wine and dessert sound perfect,” he nodded. He let go of her hand but kept his arm around her waist as they walked back to their table, pulling her chair out before sitting across from her.
It was easy to lean into him as they walked together back to the table. She slipped into her seat and went for her menu. "Well, now I'm going to be a little distracted for the rest of our evening," she admitted, glancing over at him with a blush, a smile.
He replied to her smile with one of his own. “As long as it’s not a bad distraction,” he teased lightly, taking his own menu and looking at it, but glancing at her.
"Hardly," she said, laughing lightly. When the waiter came around to take their order, she asked for a glass of sweet white wine and for the chocolate mousse.
He asked for a glass of red wine and the lemon infused flan and thanked the waiter before he left. He put his menu aside and smiled at her. He liked this all felt so natural with her. It felt like this is where he was supposed to be. And he knew it was.