Day 5: Inspired by
Your inspiration can be anything - a song, an artwork, a colour palette, a quote. Or take it to the next level and make a remix: create art or gifs based on a favourite fic, or write fic to go along with an inspiring visual creation!
Steve came home after a particularly long day at work. His students had final exams in one week, which meant a select few had taken residence in his classroom after school, attempting to learn everything they had neglected during the semester. He took his shoes off at the front door, wondering where his wife was since he saw her silver Volvo in the driveway.
“Hello? Peg?”
Her voice came from somewhere on the second floor, as she called back, “I’m upstairs.”
Steve grabbed himself a can of soda from the refrigerator and then went upstairs to find his wife. She was in their bedroom, sitting on the floor in front of their dresser where an entire drawer’s contents were on the ground. She stuck her arm into the drawer elbow deep, unearthing a balled up shirt that had wedged itself into the back corner.
“Hello darling,” she said. “How was your day?”
“Well, considering I taught some kids an entire semester’s worth of US history in two hours, not bad.”
“You’re good to do that for them. If it were me, I’d say you can learn it when you retake my class.”
Steve smirked and asked, “So, what’s going on here?”
“This - “ Peggy began, gesturing at the pile of clothes. “Is all Pepper’s fault.”
“Oh sure,” Steve answered reasonably.
“We had lunch today and she was telling me about this Marie Kondo woman. Apparently she is the queen of tidying up, or some nonsense like that. Anyway, Pepper was going on and on about her folding method and how it’s life changing.” Peggy rolled her eyes, clearing indicating her feelings on that sentiment. “I think it’s a load of crock, but Pepper insisted I try it. So, here I am."
“What exactly is this new folding method?”
“Well, it’s very scientific. You fold everything in threes.”
“That’s all?”
“Not entirely,” she admitted. “You then put everything upright into the drawer so that there is no stacking. I think it’ll be an utter disaster, but, we’ll see.”
“Only one way to find out,” he said, sitting on the bed. “You know, I’m actually sort of invested in this.”
She smiled back at him and said, “We need to get you some hobbies.”
“I have hobbies! Bucky and I just started that softball team.”
“Oh yes, what are you called again? The Ice Cold Pitchers?”
While she wasn’t looking at him, Steve could tell she was holding back laughter by the curve of her cheek.
“That name is all on Sam. I had nothing to do with it.”
“Darling, let’s be fair, your choice would not have been much better. Need I remind you of the Howling Commandos?”
“That was more Dugan than me,” Steve argued. They came up with the name one night after several pints of beer. It was a good thing alcohol didn’t affect him then, because he doubted anyone else would have remembered in the morning. “And the Howling Commandos is a great name.”
Peggy had finished folding her clothes and had begun putting them into the drawer. When she placed the last folded shirt into the drawer, she looked at her handiwork and said, “Damn it.”
“What is it?”
“It worked."
Steve stood and looked at the drawer. What had previously been a mangled mess of clothes was now a tidy line of folded shirts, each of them visible and easily accessible, with nearly half of the drawer left empty.
“Well, now I have no choice,” Peggy said. She proceeded to stand and open each of the drawers, pulling out armfuls of clothes and depositing them on the ground. When Steve asked her what she was doing, she said, “I can’t have one good drawer and then all of these. Besides, we can do some culling. Like, look at this...” she held up a ratty white undershirt, “...you have quite literally had this shirt since the 1940s.”
“It’s a memento.”
“According to Pepper, if an item doesn’t spark joy, you let it go. Does this shirt spark joy?”
Steve narrowed his eyes and said, “It’s a shirt. How does it spark joy?”
Peggy looked down at the piece of clothing in her hand, considering what her husband said, and after a moment, returned with, “You’re right. That is a remarkably stupid rule. Alright, new rule. If it hasn’t been worn in a year it goes. Come on, you can help.”
Steve sat back down on the bed, thinking of the half-finished book downstairs that he had planned on reading, and said, “I think you should have less lunches with Pepper.”
Summary: “With all of her love, all of her soul and all her body, she kissed him. And he kissed her back, retaking all of what those years apart took from them. With all the intensity of the red, all of the anticipation of the wait, all of the regret of leaving her, he kissed her. In a kiss, fire and heaven met once more. And they didn’t plan that to be the only time again.”
or, a few snippets and hidden key moments of Steve and Peggy's story.
Read here on Ao3.
Based on the song “Te Besé” by Leonel García ft. Maria José.
Written for Steggy Week 2020, day 7: free choice. Hosted by @steggyfanevents. Thanks for organizing this!
(I also have an Steggy playlist on spotify if you want to listen it while reading this. You can check it out here).
Spoilers: Through the Middle of CA:TFA, but characters from Agent Carter do show up.
Disclaimer: They're not mine.
Distribution: AO3 / FF.net. Anyone else please ask first :)
Story Summary: She’s the only woman in camp, so she must be qualified to take care of a baby, right?
Chapter 5 Summary: They hit rough seas, and everything needs to be put on hold.
Chapter 5 A/N: Here’s a little Hurt/comfort for you all…
Chapter 5: Rough Seas
Steve was not a heavy sleeper and never had been. Maybe it was because in his youth he’d never actually slept well: he couldn’t get comfortable, was always struggling for a good breath, and the noises outside his window seemed endlessly more fascinating than sleeping. It was a good trait to have in the Army: even when he wasn’t on watch his eyes would pop open at the first sound of intrusion or someone moving around. Here, he’d been able to fend off the worst of Amanda’s cries in the middle of the night by scooping her out of her bassinet when she was still just whimpering or starting to move around.
They’d only finally gotten her down close to midnight, and he expected to be up with her every few hours again tonight.
All of this is why, when Peggy shot straight up in bed just shy of three AM, eyes wide and taking shallow breaths, his eyes opened immediately. “Peg?”
She didn’t answer, just took a deep breath and flew out of bed, barely making it to the dark bathroom before Steve could hear her retching.
Steve slipped out of bed and turned the light on in their room, leaning into the bathroom doorway. The light was enough to illuminate her on her knees in the still dark bathroom, head pressed on her crossed arms on the seat of the toilet. He was about to ask her if she was all right, but she started heaving again.
He pulled half of yet another of his clean undershirts from the table, one that hadn’t been sacrificed as a diaper yet, and ran it under cool water from the faucet. He crouched down next to her, setting it across the back of her neck. “Feel better?”
“God, no,” she muttered into the toilet.
“Here, sit back for a second,” He pulled her back against his arm and reached up, flushing away the remnants of her dinner as she focused on breathing slowly in and out. He took his free hand and wiped the cool cloth over her forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“Dinner, maybe?” She let her forehead rest on Steve’s shoulder as he laid the cloth back on the nape of her neck. “Feels like the word is spinning.”
He let his hand run gently up and down her back. “You don’t usually get dizzy with food poisoning until you’re dehydrated.” He was about to move her to sit in his lap when he felt his own stomach roll and recover as the boat took a steep dip to the side.
Peggy did not recover. Her head was back in the toilet, losing what little she had left in her stomach. Amanda was also awake now, screaming furiously. “Get her,” Peggy murmured into the toilet. “I’ll be a while yet I think.”
As Steve stood he felt the world tilt again and took a minute to get his footing. “Peg, do you get seasick?” He reached into the basket, picked the squealing girl up and held her tight.
“Not generally, no,” she replied. He heard the faucet run and the sound of her gargling. The boat pitched again. “Though I supposed there’s always- oh!” She didn’t finish her sentence, couldn’t as her body violently reacted to the lack of stability.
Amanda had calmed somewhat in Steve’s arms, but began hiccupping as he held her, and somewhere in time with Peggy’s heaving Amanda vomited as well. Nearly the whole bottle’s worth, he estimated, down the front of his last clean undershirt and all over her nightdress. She looked up at him, mollified for only a moment before she started crying again. “That makes two of you.”
The movement of the ship was rough under him, but he stayed steady as he laid a towel on the bed and stripped Amanda down to her diaper and cleaned up her chin with a clean corner of her already ruined nightdress. He took his own ruined shirt off and tossed the two over Peggy’s head to the floor of the shower. He’d clean them out later. By the time he had Amanda in a new nightdress she’d calmed a little, and holding her tight to his bare chest seemed to calm her further until she was just making soft mewling sounds at her discomfort.
“I think you’re both seasick,” Steve said as he sat himself on the floor of the bathroom, leaning back against the sink, Amanda still held tight against his chest in one arm. Peggy, pressed flat to the tile floor, only hummed in agreement. “Come here,” he prompted, holding his hand out. She slowly spun, stopping halfway through to take a deep, slow breath, and eventually made her way so her head was pillowed on Steve’s thigh. “Feeling any better?”
“Not at all,” Peggy muttered. She reached up and started pulling her pin curls out, letting the pins clatter to the tile below them. “Headache,” she justified.
Steve used his free hand to help her pull each and every one out, then ran his fingers gently through her hair, massaging her scalp. “Better?”
She hummed, still focusing on keeping her breathing even to slow the spasms in her stomach. “What happened to your shirt?”
“Amanda decided she didn’t like it.” He looked over at the baby in his other arm who had slowly started to let her eyes drift closed. “It was my last clean one, and I don’t want to wear a button down to bed.”
“Not complaining,” Peggy muttered, her voice full of sleep.
Steve didn’t even entertain the idea of moving, not when both his girls seemed so comfortable on him. He wasn’t sure when in the last three days he’d decided they were both his girls, but he wasn’t arguing with the protective impetus right now.
He leaned his head back against the cabinet in the still dark bathroom as Peggy’s breathing started to slow and even out. He could feel the boat shifting below him and knew the water hadn’t been this rough yesterday. He wondered if they were moving quickly away from a U-Boat or if they’d come across a storm. He kept his fingers moving slowly in Peggy’s hair, content as Amanda’s breathing and squirming finally started to slow as sleep overtook her, too.
~*~
Another series of pitches about an hour later left Peggy scrambling to her knees, dry heaving into the toilet. Steve managed to get Amanda in her bassinet without waking her and returned to the bathroom to hold Peggy’s hair back.
“Oh, there’s nothing left to come up,” she moaned as she spat bile into the toilet.
Steve handed her a glass of water, which she gladly swished around her mouth and spat out before trying a tiny sip. The water made her stomach roil but didn’t come back up. She sat, leaning back against the wall across from the toilet and closed her eyes, trying to get her stomach to calm.
Steve crouched next to her, pushing the hair back from her face. “It’s gotten rough.”
“No shit,” she bit out, before turning, and looking at him with heavy lidded eyes. “Sorry, I’m not a good patient.”
“And I’m no nurse,” he kissed her temple. “You ok here for a minute?”
She closed her eyes again and tipped her head against the wall. “Seems so.”
Steve stood and ventured back to the bedroom. A quick inspection told him nothing was bolted down and it would all move easily. He started with the dresser on his side of the bed, lifting it up and away to the middle of the room. He gently shifted Amanda in her bassinet to the floor and started on the bed, sliding it across the room so his side was butted up against the wall. He put Amanda back on the bed and the dresser filled the hole against the wall on Peggy’s side.
While they’d been sleeping in the bathroom he realized he quite liked the arrangement. He wanted to be closer to Peggy, especially with her feeling unwell, but couldn’t let Amanda roll or slide off the side of the bed. His solution was simple: add a wall, and there was plenty of room for all three without the risk of the baby falling out of the bed.
“What are you doing?” Peggy called out.
He slid the table and chairs out of the center of the room and up against the wall opposite of the bed, giving Peggy a clear run to the bathroom if necessary again. “Light redecorating,” he replied. He shifted Amanda’s bassinet against the wall, the baby starting to fuss again as he could feel the boat starting to rock once more, and leaned on the bathroom door jamb. “Think you can get into bed?”
Peggy held out a shaking hand, embarrassed. “Not sure I could get my legs under me.”
Steve didn’t hesitate; he just dropped low and swept her up in his arms. “Ready?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and hummed appreciatively. He took the few steps to get them to the side of the bed and sat, laying her out before he scooted back and in between her and the basket. He reached up, hitting the light switch that was now overhead, and twisted, pulling the once again fussing baby from the basket. He settled down, letting Amanda lay over his heart with his hand on her back to keep her close and pulling Peggy in tight to his side, his other arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“I think I like this better,” her voice was tired, and just a twinge shaky.
“Good.” He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her gently. “Now sleep.”
~*~
They were up several times in the early morning hours, Peggy dry heaving what little was left in her system and Amanda crying pitifully as Steve tried to figure out how to quell her misery.
Somewhere around five in the morning Steve gave up on getting any more sleep and was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to get Amanda to take at least something from her bottle. “You have to be thirsty,” he kept repeating, “just a little, please.”
Peggy crawled next to him, hair slicked back and her nightgown sticking to her after breaking out in a cold sweat this last time the heaves had overtaken her, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “We’re quite the pair.” Peggy managed a genuine smile when Amanda finally latched on to the bottle. “Ah, yes, good job little lady!”
Amanda managed a few mouthfuls before she spit the nipple out and fussed again. Steve moved her back to his shoulder over the towel he’d been using as a burp cloth and started rubbing her back. “I know you can do better than that,” he murmured, looking at her small, scrunched face which was regarding him with quite a lot of distaste, “You’ll feel better.”
Peggy leaned back on the bed, curling on to her side. “She might not, if I’m any indication.”
“Keep any water down yet?” he asked without looking at her.
“Nu uh,” she hummed in the negative, taking a slow, measured breath.
“It’s almost breakfast.” Steve stopped his rhythm on Amanda’s back to pull a stray hair away from Peggy’s face and tuck it behind her ear. “Howard’s bound to have something for seasickness on board.”
Peggy laughed lightly. “If I knew all I had to do to get you nearly naked was vomit on you I’d have done it ages ago.”
“First,” Steve laughed, letting his hand settle on her hip, “Amanda lost her dinner on me, not you. Second,” he smiled and kissed her head, “All you have to do is ask.”
Peggy’s eyes took on a dreamy look as her exhaustion started to kick in and she yawned. “Then I’m submitting a formal request for you to spend more time in only your general issue boxer shorts.”
He stood, smiling brightly. “Request noted.” He kept Amanda tucked tightly in his arm and used his free hand to pull the blanket over Peggy and tuck her in tightly. “Now sleep.”
She grabbed his hand briefly, wanting to maintain her connection with him but knowing she needed to surrender to sleep. He reached up, turned the light back off, and carefully found his way to a chair across the room.
He started a gentle rhythm, rocking back and forth, and started talking quietly to hopefully put Amanda to sleep. “So, there’s this girl who lives on a farm, and her name is Dorothy…”
~*~
“Peg. Peg?” Steve shook her. He hated to wake her when she was sleeping so soundly, but he couldn’t wait any longer.
Her eyes flickered open, looking at him up and down, fully dressed in his khaki pants and a button down. “I thought I told you less clothes?” She yawned and pulled the blanket up higher.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, crouching next to the bed and running a thumb over her chin.
She took his hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek. “Still vile, but not nearly as bad as last night.”
He smiled lightly. “Yeah, Amanda’s asleep, too. Seems to have calmed at bit.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “That’s why I woke you. I have to go check in with Howard. She’s asleep, but I didn’t want you to wake up without me here.”
She squeezed his hand. “We’ll be fine, take your time.”
“No, I’ll be back soon,” he tucked the blankets back up around her, “with something to help you.”
He watched her turn over, peaking in on the bassinet before snuggling back down and waving him away. “Go.”
He left, taking turns to the dining room quickly and making his way over to the table where Howard was.
“Where’s Peg?” Howard asked immediately, noticing how hurried Steve seemed.
“Sleeping, hopefully.” Steve sat, signaling the waiter for a cup of coffee. “She and Amanda spent the night alternately losing the contents of their stomachs.”
Howard nodded. “Them and half the boat.” Steve gratefully took the coffee and Howard waited as the waiter filled his own mug up. “Captain says this part of the ocean’s generally choppy, but there was a storm we steered around last night, making it worse.”
Steve looked at the breakfast menu and ordered quickly. “Have you got anything for either of them?”
Howard ordered his own breakfast and shook his head. “Nothing special or exciting. I’ll send Jarvis over right after breakfast with the usual- seasick pills and ginger tea.”
“Thanks,” Steve looked into the black coffee between his hands, suddenly feeling much more tired than he should. “About the tests?”
“They can wait until Peg’s feeling better,” Howard muttered, looking around the room where there were quite a few more empty seats than normal. “Captain said rough water’s not over.”
“Anything conclusive?”
Howard leaned back as their breakfast was swiftly delivered. “Conclusive? No. Interesting? Potentially.” He spread his napkin over his lap and smiled at Steve, “But nothing that can’t wait or can be changed at the moment.”
Steve started to cut through the eggs and toast on his plate and stopped, looking up at Howard. “If Amanda is…”
Howard nodded, his mouth full.
Steve leaned forward, eggs forgotten. “Why would she be seasick?”
Howard swallowed and took a minute to decide how he wanted to phrase things while they were out in the open. He pointed his knife at Steve, finally finding his phrasing. “Did you ever get seasick before Camp Lehigh?”
Steve shook his head. “I’d never been on a boat before that.”
Howard shrugged, cutting a piece of ham. “Not everyone gets seasick. You just might be lucky. Not everyone gets hit by bullets, either.” He took his knife and purposefully drove it into the hamsteak. “You get hit and you manage to shake it off.” He pulled his knife out and used the knife and fork in his hands to push the hole back together. “Get it?” Steve nodded; Howard was referencing his ability to heal quickly. “But say, it just kept coming…” Howard put the knife back into the meat, and tried to squeeze the hole closed while the knife was still in it. “Can’t shake it off.” He finished slicing the ham and put it in his mouth, chewing quickly. “Doesn’t matter how fast you can get better if your body isn’t given the chance.”
“True,” Steve nodded, lifting his fork again. He would heal around bullets, almost too quickly, but right where that bullet was always stayed raw and jagged until it had been pulled out.
“Besides,” Howard gulped down his coffee, “We don’t even know if she is or isn’t.”
Steve just drank his own coffee and kept that little piece of knowledge to himself for the moment.
~*~
They were both sound asleep when Steve slipped back into the dark cabin and he decided to stay as quiet as possible as long as he could. Mr. Jarvis would be there soon enough and wake them both. He stepped into the bathroom, closing the door most of the way before flicking the light on. He started running the hot water, rolled up his sleeves, and reached for the vomit covered shirt and nightdress in the corner of the shower. He could at least clean up from last night and catch them up on diapers in the meantime.
He was elbow deep in the sink, scrubbing the cloths clean, when he felt the boat shift drastically again. Amanda started to stir first, but Peggy’s moan wasn’t far behind. He’d only just picked Amanda up from the bassinet when she let loose the little she had in her stomach that he’d been able to get in her this morning, ruining another of Steve’s shirts.
“You’re wearing too much and she knows it,” Peggy mumbled between pitiful moans. She sat up anyway and held her hands out. “Give her to me, and get that soaking. As much as I enjoy the sight, you’ll have no clothes left by the time we make it to New York.”
Steve had just pulled his shirt off when Mr. Jarvis was knocking on the door. He snatched a clean one from the drawer and slipped it on, waiting until Peggy had made herself as presentable as she was going to get covered up in bed holding the crying baby before he opened the door.
Mr. Jarvis smiled at Steve and pushed past him with a rolling cart. “Mr. Stark told me Mrs. Ryan and little Amanda were feeling poorly and asked me to bring some supplies by.” He dipped his head at Steve and Peggy in greeting, though he looked slightly scandalized by Peggy’s disheveled state and Steve still buttoning up his shirt.
“Thank you, Mr. Jarvis, anything you have would be much appreciated.” Peggy held the crying baby close, smiling tightly.
“Of course,” Jarvis looked around for the table and wheeled his cart towards it. “I see you’ve redecorated.”
“Just a little,” Steve muttered, following Jarvis and watching as he laid several plates out on the table.
He set it out as if it were for a king, and Steve wondered at how he treated such meager things as if it were a generous bounty. He understood why Howard took this man with him wherever he went. “I brought an assortment of things that may be helpful. First,” he pointed to each item as he spoke, “Mothersill’s Seasick Remedy for Mrs. Ryan. It has quite the good track record and should work quite quickly. In the meantime, there’s lemon and ginger tea. It has quite the bite, but will calm a roiling stomach swiftly. There’s a small selection of toast and bread, as well, should the lady feel like eating.”
Steve picked up the bottle of pills and poured two in his hand, walking them over to Peggy right away. “This is great, thank you Jarvis.”
Jarvis poured a cup of tea and was right behind Steve, handing it to Peggy once she shifted Amanda to Steve’s arms. “You are most welcome. I sincerely hope you start to feel better soon.” Both men watched as she drank the tea cautiously, taking the pills once she could feel the warmth of the tea coating her stomach.
The boat pitched enough so they could all feel it. Peggy braced for another wave of nausea, which seemed to be somewhat reduced already, but Amanda let out a sharp wail. Steve tried to calm her, holding her tight to try to ground her.
Jarvis held up a finger and turned back to his cart. “My wife and I are not yet parents, but she has quite a bit of experience with children.” He unveiled a small covered steel dish. “My wife suggests adding a bit of grated ginger root directly to the next bottle. She was very specific: just a pinch, as it is quite pungent.”
Steve shifted Amanda and moved over to the vanity. “I’ll make one right now.” Mr. Jarvis watched as he maneuvered the bottle and water and powdered formula with only one hand, holding the small bottle out for Jarvis to sprinkle the smallest bit of ginger in before he capped it with one hand and shook it.
“That is quite impressive, Mr. Ryan,” Jarvis watched Steve shift the baby gently as he sat, aiming the bottle at her scrunched up lips. “If I may ask, how long did it take for you to get so adept at juggling the little one and your other tasks?”
Steve looked up at Peggy, a silent conversation in their eyes hidden as Peggy sipped her tea and Amanda finally latched on. “It happened surprisingly quick. So quick I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Mr. Jarvis smiled softly, “Quite so. Well, I will leave you to rest. Mr. Ryan, please do not hesitate.”
“Your help has been much appreciated,” Steve replied.
He took a small bow and stepped quickly to the door. “I’ll stop by at noon with a selection of sandwiches for lunch and a fresh pot of tea. Mr. Stark was quite insistent that you all stay in this afternoon.” He slipped out as quickly as he’d come.
“You’re really feeling better?” Steve asked.
“The tea’s helping take the edge off,” she sipped it again. “It’s something.”
He nodded, eyes on the baby. “She’s hasn’t eaten like this in a while. I think it’s a good sign.”
The boat lurched again and Steve held Peggy’s gaze. Her eyes were wide and she took a slow breath. “Holding steady for the moment,” she reported, more than a little pleased with her body. She sipped the tea slowly, and though she knew that the warm feeling in her stomach was more than likely just the heat from her beverage, Peggy thought it might also be from the sight of Steve holding little Amanda so dearly, talking softly to her as she gulped down her bottle. “You’re very good at telling stories,” Peggy shifted her teacup to the table beside her. “I caught most of the black and white section of The Wizard of Oz before I fell asleep last night.”
“Shame,” Steve replied, not embarrassed at all that he was caught. “You missed my impression of the Lollipop Guild. The story really picks up once it’s in color.”
Peggy sat up taller and reached over past her teacup for the comb that was on the nightstand. She pulled at the end of her hair, starting to comb out the tangles from sleeping without it pinned up. “What story’s next?”
“Oh, I was thinking Snow White,” Steve set the empty bottle on the table next to him and smiled down at the finally content baby. “I don’t think you’re ready for the Marx Brothers quite yet.”
“Who is,” Peggy mumbled, trying to pull the comb through a nasty tangle.
Steve stood, moving over to the bed. “Trade you.” He held Amanda out and she quickly snuggled into Peggy’s embrace, content to be held now that her stomach was full and calm. Steve took the comb, moved the pillows and leaned on the headboard as he settled behind Peggy and started to work out the snarls gently.
“Now you’re a hair stylist?” Peggy asked, making silly faces at Amanda, causing her to giggle riotously at each one.
“I can see the knots better than you can,” he justified.
Peggy laid the girl between her outstretched legs and unswaddled her. “That ratted?” She let the baby grab hold of her fingers and try to shove them in her mouth. “Now you know why I sleep with it pinned up.”
“It’s not really that bad,” he conceited as he got one section to comb through easily and paused, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m feeling…”
“Go on,” she prompted, still letting Amanda play with her fingers.
“A little useless.” He leaned back and started on the next section of hair.
Peggy turned, looking him right in the eyes with as much ferocity as she could muster. “You are the farthest thing from useless and I’ll not even entertain that idea any further.” She pulled a hand out of Amanda’s grip and let it sit on Steve’s thigh. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you, including taking care of her this morning.” She kissed him on the cheek and turned back to Amanda, shaking her head. “You’re the farthest thing from useless, you ridiculous man.”
Steve started up the gentle strokes on her hair again, but didn’t say anything for the longest time, just let the comb run though each section, holding tight as he picked out knots and pressing long strokes through as each little piece came loose. “I think I get it now, how you were feeling when we first arrived.”
“And how’s that?” Peggy tickled Amanda’s feet, the baby laughing as she pulled them back.
He stilled, leaning his head between her shoulder blades. She could feel him shake it side to side. “Kind of like I want to shoot a torpedo.”
Peggy leaned forward, talking directly to Amanda in a light, happy tone. “I did not say I wanted to shoot a torpedo. That was your-“ She stopped ‘father’ from coming out of her mouth just fast enough and swallowed he word quickly. She turned, meeting Steve’s gaze when he lifted his head. “That was what you said, I believe.”
“At the moment it seems like a completely rational reaction,” He took her head in his hands and turned it back, moving on to the last section of hair. “Just… just let me do this, ok?”
“Oh, I’m not complaining at all,” she replied, smiling down at Amanda. “It’s helping me feel a bit more human.”
“Your color is better, too,” Steve finished and started sweeping the comb over in large sections, making sure he hadn’t missed anything.
She leaned back into his arms as he put the comb on the side table. “If I ever get the energy I’ll endeavor to shower.”
Steve dropped a kiss on her shoulder, right near where two healed, pink scars peaked out from the shoulder of her nightgown. “These are healing well.”
She hummed in agreement. “And I walked five miles back to camp after I got those. Pain I can handle, a little nausea and I’m the worst patient in the world.”
“Not the worst,” he reassured. He pulled the tea from the side table and handed it to her. “Get some more of this in you while it’s still hot. Howard said it’s likely to get worse again today.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America (Movies), Agent Carter (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Characters: Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter
Additional Tags: steggyweek2020, Domestic Fluff
Series: Part 3 of Hope Street
Summary:
Peggy opened her eyes slowly as the sun shines through the blinds. She stretched her hand to feel the cold space next to her.
