Who: Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers What: Random run-in Where: Irvine Spectrum Center When: September 30th Rating: Low/None Status: Closed/Completed Gdoc
It was a typical weekday afternoon and Peggy had to get out of the office for her lunch break. There was just something nagging in the back of her mind that she knew a walk in some fresh air could probably fix. The latest weirdness of the OC had hit for only a couple days and she was thankful that she wasn’t genderswapped along with others, but there was no explanation for the event and why it was so quick. Nothing ever made sense when it came to the crazy things that happened to people. There was also the fact that she was trying to figure out how to work at having a life outside of work again. The blind date with Leon had helped her realize that she really needed to get out, try new things, and not live her work so completely.
It was a point that she was musing over as she walked down the path at the mall with a bottle of pressed juice in her hand. Maybe she just needed some retail therapy and that was her intention as her feet lead her past one of the many fountains on the properly. Unfortunately fate decided it needed a twist a couple of children ran past Peggy and sent her stumbling straight into that fountain. A yell of surprise escaped her lips as she felt herself go over the stone surrounding it and the splash of water hit her body. Could this get any worse?
The mall wasn't a place that Steve frequented that often, but sometimes one had to bite the bullet, so to speak, and go. Today he had a mission, and that mission was to buy a couple pairs of jeans, and a few board games to donate to the Children's Hospital of Orange County as they were lacking and Steve was tired of playing Chutes and Ladders.
Not that he minded, goodness no, he was more than happy to play that game for hours on end, but he figured the kids were probably tiring of it. Steve was humming a soft tune underneath his breath, although his tune stopped short as he saw the children running and the woman stumbling.
Had she not actually fallen into the fountain, Steve would've grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and hauled them over to her to apologize, but as it was, she needed some help. He rushed over to the fountain, reaching out to catch her arm in order to help her up, "Are you alright?" He asked, concern clearly written on his face.
And in that moment Peggy learned never to question the universe because when she reached for the arm of the helpful stranger she had no idea what she was in for. Brown eyes turned towards the face of her savior and the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks instantly paled. Things could get worse. Infinitely worse. As in Steve Rogers, the literal man of her dreams, was currently fishing her out of a fountain and had absolutely no idea who she was.
It felt like ages before she could find her voice again, but it was probably only a moment, so to compensate she nodded her head. "I think I am alright. Just bloody embarrassed about the whole thing," her voice was crisp and she was doing her best not to say aloud that her arse hurt and probably broke her fall. Instead she held onto his arm as she attempted to right herself and step out of the fountain, "And I lost the rest of my overpriced juice. Good riddance."
His question in regards to her being alright was probably dumb, and he recognized that only after he'd asked it. Ducking his head slightly, Steve kept his grip on her, mostly just to keep her as steady as he could. She was beautiful, Steve might've been a bit awkward around women but he knew beauty when he saw it.
There wasn't anything he could do about the embarrassment, although he wished that he could. Steve wasn't sure what he could offer, other than a helping hand, but he wanted to say something in order to make her feel better. Or at least try to. "Good, glad to know you're alright" He gave a small nod, "Well, it's hard to dodge kids when they're focused on playing, and those two were definitely focused on that." Although there was a time and place for playing, and mall outside of a play area was not a place to play. It bothered him to think that these kids hadn't come back to check on her, or apologize at the very least.
A small smile tugged up one corner of Steve's mouth, "If you want another overpriced juice, I'd be happy to buy you one."
If Peggy could read his thoughts she would be surprised that he found her attractive while she looked like a drowned rat. Using his arm for balance she maneuvered herself into a standing position and reached down to remove her heels. She threw them out of the fountain while holding onto him and stepped out of the fountain. “Thank you for coming to help me. I’m usually really graceful, but dodging children isn’t a skill I’ve acquired just yet,” she admitted to him, rambling just slightly, as she reached down to wring out some of her skirt. That skill would come some day with her own children or dodging Vivan.
The comment about the juice made her turn her head back towards him with a grin. “Oh goodness, no, love. It was overpriced and under-flavored, but I appreciate the offer,” there as a pause before she noticed she was still holding onto his arm and removed it with a deep blush, “Sorry.”
Steve honestly couldn't imagine not helping her. It wouldn't have been right to just pass right on by and not thought twice about it, although there were people out there that would've done just that. Steve tried to believe the best in people, however, they often proved him wrong which was disheartening. "I can understand that. It's something I've gotten good at working with kids myself, although sometimes they can surprise you." He chuckled, still keeping a hold of her to make sure that she didn't fall again as she wrung some of the water out of her skirt.
Chuckling, Steve gave a small tip of his head in her direction, "You're welcome. I figured it was the least I could do since I don't have a towel to offer." His smile turned a bit sheepish as she released his arm, the blush on her cheeks causing him to duck his head once again, and he stepped back in order to give her a little space. "Oh, I'm Steve Rogers, by the way." He introduced himself, figuring that it was the proper time to introduce himself.
He worked with children? Was there anything that Steve Rogers wasn't skilled at? However, just the mental image almost made her knees go weak. A soft laugh was given to his comment as she continued to wring, "Then it should have been you. I am sure you would have kept your balance a lot better than I did and no one would be wringing water onto the sidewalk." If the tables had been turned she would have happily helped him out of the fountain.
At least this Steve was as smooth as the one she knew from her dreams. It was surreal to watch him and compare the two mentally. It was a different time now and she knew he wouldn't perfectly match. "I may have to go buy some dry clothing and a towel, but I'm not bothered by the juice. Thank you again for the offer," the blush stayed put as he introduced himself and she became tongue tied, "I kn-- I mean, I'm Peggy Carter. Thank you for being the knight in shining armor, Steve."
He chuckled, and lifted a shoulder. "You never know, I could've easily lost my balance and been in the same predicament." Steve had definitely had his share of stumbles over the years, so he wasn't about the rule out the possibility that if he'd been in her shoes that he wouldn't have fallen. Steve didn't judge her, or think anything of it really; accidents happened.
Steve about opened his mouth to say anytime, but he was getting ahead of himself wasn't he? Maybe? That seemed silly though, he was only offering to get her a juice, but of course Steve didn't date a whole lot and yeah, he was getting ahead of himself he thought. He could play it cool, right? No, probably not. His brows furrowed for a split second, but the look quickly faded. "Nice to meet you, Peggy." He gave a small inclination of his head in her direction, "You're welcome, but I don't consider myself to be a knight in shining armor. I'm just a guy who tries to do the right thing." He offered her a crooked smile and lifted one broad shoulder. "I think that's all anyone can do, especially in situations like this."
"I don't know, love, you look fairly stable. Military? I'm ex-Army for England so I know the look," Peggy commented. He held himself in a certain way and she had an inkling he was probably similar to his dream self. It wouldn't be surprised if it was true and she needed to know.
Peggy couldn't help but continue to smile when he flashed that crooked smile. It was refreshing to be around someone as optimistic as him and almost made her want to be a happier person, "I truly appreciate it. I may just refer to you as a knight when I retell my embarrassing story." She was happy that he didn't completely write her off because of how she looked right now. Not the first impression that she wanted to make.
Steve's brows rose slightly, a clearly impressed look crossing his features. She was right on the money, and since she was ex-Army he could see how she'd know the look. "Yes, ma'am. Army, still employed by them as a recruiter." Steve enjoyed what he did, and had no complaints whatsoever. Sure, there were times that he missed being in the middle of the action - okay, those times were plentiful - but he was content. Yeah, that was a better word.
He chuckled, "Well, alright, if you feel the need to do that, by all means." Even after he'd returned home and received his Purple Heart Medal, Steve hadn't felt like a hero or even thought he should be called one. He'd done his job, and that was that. Clearing his throat, Steve hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Sorry if this is a bit forward, but could I have your number?"
"We will have to compare our respective militaries some day. And you're a recruiter now? Do you enjoy that? I left and began working for the government, which is almost the same thing," the comment was punctuated with a laugh. She wondered why he was no longer active duty, but that could be another conversation for another time.
"I will make sure you are painted in a very positive light," she promised with a playful smile on her face. She wasn't looking forward to parting ways since she assumed he wouldn't want to follow a random stranger as she shopped for new clothes. But his next question took her by surprised and she flushed, "What? Oh! Yes, that is fine. Do you want me to write it down for you?" Just the idea giving him her number was making her stomach do flips. Heaven help her if he did actually call her.
"Absolutely." Maybe they could do that over dinner one day, or something. Steve felt as if he were getting ahead of himself again, but who knew? "Yes, ma'am, I am. I enjoy it, it can get a bit boring sometimes." He could admit that, but then again, most desk jobs were boring at some point and time. Steve tried to look at the glass half-full as often as he could. It didn't do him any favors to be pessimistic did it?
He nodded, a small smile on his face. That smile grew into a wide, goofy grin as Peggy agreed to giving him her number. "Hang on," Steve fished his phone from his back pocket, and attempted to unlock it. It took him a few times to manage it, but once he had, he managed to get into his contacts and to the add a new contact screen. "Here, this way I won't lose it by accident." He handed over his phone so she could input her number.
She shouldn’t have been surprised by his answer, but she was pleased that he readily agreed with meet up with her. It was highly unlikely that he had any dreams at this moment since he didn’t recognize her just yet, but at least she could get a feel for how his time in this military went. It could be useful if she ended up recruiting him to helping out with the Agency, “I can understand the boring part. Nothing is as exciting as being out in the field.”
That smile was her kryptonite and she could feel her knees weakening just slightly. It was impressive how excited he could get over such a simple thing, but she knew that she had a bit of a goofy smile on her face as she took her phone from him. Her fingers moved over the screen as she put in her information along with her email address. She hit save and handed it back over to him, her fingers brushing his, and briefly wished that she didn’t have to let go, “There you go.”
He couldn't argue with that, though the one thing he was thankful for was not being shot at. Of course, there had been those incidents in Chattanooga not too long ago, and it'd been a great loss for all of them regardless of what branch they were in. Steve shook those thoughts from his mind, and focused on Peggy instead. "No, there really isn't anything like it." He agreed with a nod.
Steve shifted his weight from one foot to another once while he waited on her to put her number into his phone. The brush of her fingers against his caused his smile only to widen, if that was even possible, and he gave a nod. "Alright, thank you." He hit the button on the side of his phone before shoving it back into his back pocket. Steve didn't want to go either, but he knew that he had to so that she could get herself some dry clothes. "It was nice to meet you, Peggy. I'll be in touch soon." And he would be, there wasn't any reason for him not to be as far as he saw it. "Just keep an eye out for rambunctious kids yeah?" He teased, still smiling before he turned to continue on his way to go get those board games for the kids, although his mind was preoccupied now with thoughts of Peggy. Steve couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt as if fate had led him there today.