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i.
This was all Angie’s fault.
Peggy never backed down from her responsibilities but this… this was all Angie.
Angie and her stupid kiss on the cheek.
It had been two weeks since Angie admitted to being distracted by Peggy and had kissed her goodnight. No, Peggy was not over it. After that small display of affection, she had come to realise that they had never kissed before. Sure, they had hugged, or cuddled after a particularly tiring day, but no kissing.
So maybe that was why she was so obsessed. They didn’t share enough kisses and that needed to change. Especially now that she knew Angie’s lips were so soft. They were friends. Friends did these kinds of things.
“... and apparently Ms Fry found out Sarah had been sneaking men into the Griffith pretty much since the first day she got there…”
Angie was telling the story of how Sarah had gotten kicked out of the Griffith (Angie made a point to keep up with the gossip at the Griffith even though she didn’t live there anymore), talking animatedly with grand gestures and so many different facial expressions it was almost hard to keep up.
Peggy loved how Angie’s face came alive whenever she was telling a story. Angie’s every emotion was reflected on that face. She was like an open book: a very interesting, very endearing book.
Her lips kept moving faster, and Peggy’s thoughts drifted to kissing her again. Except this time her brain didn’t exactly imagine those lips on her cheek.
Oh no.
Kisses on the cheek? That would have been fine. It had been fine for two weeks, one more time wouldn’t have surprised Peggy. What surprised her was that she found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss Angie’s lips.
Her lips.
Friends definitely did not think about these kind of things and Peggy found herself trying to hide a blush behind her cup of tea.
She tried focusing on the story Angie was telling. Apparently, Ms Fry had caught Sarah kissing some man after curfew.
Kissing.
Peggy was doomed.
ii.
They had been living together for a little over a month. By now, they knew each other’s little habits and moved effortlessly around one another. They had spent countless evenings sprawled across the sofa in the living room or the library, telling stories about their childhoods or complaining about male coworkers and creepy customers. Sometimes, they would just sit in silence and read a book.
That was the case today. They were facing each other on opposites ends of the sofa and contently reading. Or at least Angie was.
Peggy was staring at Angie.
Again.
No matter how much she tried to focused on the words, she always ended up looking up at Angie. Her friend was frowning at whatever was going on in her book and muttering some incredulous comments under her breath. A few minutes later, she looked up to find Peggy smiling at her. It took Peggy a small amount of time to catch on the fact she had been caught.
She did the dumbest of things then.
Instead of owning up to the fact that yes, she had been smiling at Angie (for 6 minutes and 27 seconds) she looked down.
She was a spy. A professional liar.
Yet here she was, blushing and avoiding Angie’s knowing smirk. The other woman was gloating. How dare she.
Without saying anything, Angie got up, put her book down and started looking for a new one. She lazily traced the book covers with her fingers when she found something that interested her. She got on her tiptoes to reach the higher shelf, without success. She let out a frustrated sigh and tried again.
Now, Peggy was the one smirking.
“Do you need help?”
“No, it’s fine. I just don’t get why Howard Stark has such high shelves. I mean, he’s not even that tall.”
“I don’t think Howard spent much time in the library, Angie.”
Peggy put her own book down and went to stand behind Angie. Being taller than the younger woman, she reached the book easily. She was about to pull it down when Angie turned around with the intention of glaring at her.
Except, oh. They were standing very closely.
Peggy had accidentally pinned Angie against a bookshelf.
Bloody hell.
Peggy felt her cheeks go red again. She didn’t remember another time in her life she had been sweating that much. Such class. She felt Angie’s breath on her lips and she noticed the blush forming on her neck. She could see every single detail of Angie’s face, her lashes, her small nose and those lips.
She was so close. She just had to lean in a little.
This could be a terrible idea; it could ruin everything. The friendship and trust that had grown between them could be gone in an instant. Angie hadn’t moved from the spot, though. So whatever Peggy was feeling, Angie must have been feeling the same.
The risk was worth taking.
Angie closed her eyes and so did Peggy.
A brush of lips.
“Miss Carter? Miss Martinelli? Are you in there?”
They sprang apart as Jarvis entered the room, eyeing them curiously. Peggy still had her arm above Angie with a death grip on the book. She cleared her throat and handed it to Angie with a curt nod. She smoothed invisible crinkles on her skirt to give herself the time to compose herself before speaking to Jarvis.
“Did you need something?” If he noticed she sounded annoyed, he didn’t comment on it. He didn’t have a death wish, thank you very much.
“Mr. Stark has requested your presence in his office. He would like to discuss a new project of his.”
Ah. Of course it was Howard’s fault.
iii.
It was always Howard’s fault.
Peggy was learning that the hard way.
She was getting ready in her bedroom when she heard three soft knocks on the door and saw Angie shyly make her way in. She looked around, probably looking for an excuse as to why she was there. This had become a sort of tradition. Every time Peggy was getting ready for some secret mission, Angie would watch her as she tied her hair in a tight bun and arranged her weapons.
That last part always made Angie shudder.
“You need help with that?” Angie asked pointing to Peggy’s hair. She didn’t but she knew Angie was just trying to distract herself from her worry.
She nodded and let her roommate gently work on her hair. They sat down on the bed and Peggy was left fidgeting with her hands. Once Angie was done, carefully tying the hair in a bun, Peggy turned around to face Angie. She let out a small thank you to which Angie answered by taking her shirt’s lapels in her hands and rearranging it.
Their knees were touching.
Angie’s hands were making her shiver.
They hadn’t talked about what had almost happened in the library but when Peggy looked Angie in the eyes, she knew.
This would either leave her breathless or with a nasty scar.
“Angie…”
“Stop talking, English.” Angie’s voice was barely above a whisper and that’s all Peggy needed.
This time though, their lips didn’t even graze before someone violently opened the door.
“Pegs, are you ready? We need to go!”
Howard.
Without thinking, Peggy reached for the book on her bedside table and threw it at Howard, aiming for his head. However, he just ducked, looking very unimpressed.
“Nice one, pal. We still gotta go.”
She was going to skin him alive.
iv.
Peggy was exhausted.
What was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance patrol had turned into a trap. It lead her to fighting a group of four men and winding up with a gash on her arm. She was in desperate need of a shower and some sleep.
She took off her heels and padded in the kitchen, where they kept the first aid kit. Upon retrieving it, she felt soft steps behind her. She was surprised to find a fully awake Angie in the entryway.
“Angie? It’s nearly 3am, why aren’t you sleeping?”
The other woman simply rolled her eyes and approached Peggy. She took the kit from her hands and made Peggy sit on a barstool. Without uttering a word, she helped her take her jacket and blouse off to get better access at the wound.
“What happened to you this time?” Angie sounded off.
Cold.
Was she mad at her?
“Are you mad at me?”
Angie huffed and dabbed at the wound to clean it. Peggy tried to hold in a wince without much success.
“Now, why would I be mad? I have no reason to be,” she dabbed a little harder before examining the gash.
“You won’t need stitches,” she finished patching her up and went to put the first aid kit away. Peggy stood back up again and put her blouse back on. She then proceeded to awkwardly look around her. She didn’t know what to say to Angie.
Angie turned around. “Okay, you know what, Peggy? I am mad.”
Peggy didn’t even need to say anything apparently.
Angie started pacing in front of Peggy, going off into an angry rant.
“You’re a spy. I never once in my life thought I would be friends with a spy. Yet, here we are, living together, just two gals being pals.”
Angie suddenly stopped in front of Peggy.
“Couldn’t you have called? I thought tonight was going to be ‘a piece of cake’. No more than an hour and I’ll be home, darling,” Angie mocked Peggy’s accent and furiously pointed at her shoulder wound. “I waited for six hours. You came back six hours late and injured.”
Peggy frowned and took a step towards Angie.
“Are you blaming me for getting stabbed?”
“That’s a stab wound?” Angie’s voice was incredulous, void of worry. She looked hurt, like Peggy had somehow betrayed her. Maybe in some sense, Peggy had. She had promised countless times that she would be careful. She always had been, including tonight, but to Angie, the injury was proof that Peggy’s behavior was reckless.
“I can’t do this. I can't keep wondering if you're ever going to come home." Angie truly looked distraught and Peggy's heart broke a little more. She hated seeing Angie like this, upset, like nothing was worth hoping for. She needed to say something. She needed to do something.
She walked closer to Angie, closing the distance that was separating them. She didn't dare touch her, though. She tried to meet Angie’s eyes, but found them looking at the ground, stubbornly refusing to look up to Peggy.
"I'll always fight harder to come home when I know you're waiting for me,." Peggy’s voice was barely above a whisper, as if talking louder would disturb the silence surrounding them. "Tonight really was supposed to be a piece of cake. I suppose--even I can be wrong."
At this, Angie let out a watery laugh, and Peggy frowned upon realizing her friend was crying.
"You're an idiot, Margaret Carter."
Angie finally lifted her head and here there were again. Standing so close together a piece of paper could probably not come between them. Their bodies were brushing in very nice places and Peggy had to remind herself to breathe. She was taken back to a few days ago, in the library, and the fleeting touch of their lips.
Angie was intently looking at her.
Was Angie waiting for her to make a move?
Should she make a move?
But why should she be the one to make a move?
Peggy was mulling over these questions in her head and barely noticed Angie taking a step back and shaking her head.
"Good night, English."
She should have done something. She still could, right?
"Angie..."
She turned around from the door and waited for Peggy.
"Good night."
Angie nodded and left, leaving Peggy alone in the middle of their kitchen.
Peggy was an idiot. A bloody idiot.
And a goddamn coward.
v.
Peggy was very gracious and poised. She had control over her body and her strength. She was aware of her surroundings at all times and knew how to adapt and blend in. She had quick reflexes.
Except when she didn’t.
She was looking for some files she was pretty sure she had left on her nightstand when it happened. She was walking very fast and wasn’t looking where she was going.
Of course that had to have happened.
Of course Angie had to round the corner leading to the hallway at the exact same time she did. Peggy found herself crashing into her body with such force that she sent them tumbling down. That’s how Peggy Carter found herself on top of Angie Martinelli. Their bodies were touching again and really, how did she always manage to find herself in situations like this.
She pushed herself up enough to look at Angie’s face and apologize.
She didn’t though because Angie was smirking. She had a mischievous look in her eyes and Peggy knew that only meant she was going to hate whatever was about to happen.
“Hey, Pegs. I hope you didn’t scratch your knee falling for me.”
Peggy groaned and Angie started laughing. She looked so damn proud of herself that Peggy found herself smiling too.
She hadn’t scratched her knee.
Still, she had fallen for Angie.
vi.
They had their morning routine down to a science.
Angie always woke up before Peggy. She got up, locked herself in one of the bathrooms and got ready. When she came out twenty minutes later, she'd cross paths with a sleepy Peggy.
A sleepy Peggy who didn't understand how someone could be so cheery in the morning. After a shower, she headed down, retrieved the newspaper and entered the kitchen where she knew Angie waited for her with a delicious cup of tea. They sat next to each other at the counter and talked about their plans for the day or current events while eating their toast. Sometimes, they sat in silence and just enjoyed each other’s company.
Peggy always helped Angie clear the table and today was no different. When all was in the sink ready to be watch, Peggy went to put on her shoes and jacket in the lobby.
“Peggy,” Angie appeared from the kitchen to stand behind her, “would you mind picking up some milk on your way home from work tonight?”
Peggy simply nodded. She picked up her red hat from the rack and put it on, all the while smiling to Angie.
“Alright. Have a nice day, darling,” she pecked Angie on the lips and went on her way. It was when she caught sight of Jarvis waiting for her that she realised what had just happened.
She had kissed Angie.
On the lips. Without even thinking about it.
She stopped on her tracks. What should she do? She couldn’t stay there gaping like an idiot. She heard Jarvis calling her name from where he was standing next to his car. She looked at him and considered leaving with him and ignore what had just happened.
Okay, so maybe Peggy sometimes backed down from her responsibilities.
She was still debating her options when she heard the door open behind her. She turned around to face a stunned Angie. Peggy didn’t give her the time to say anything, she just rushed back inside taking Angie with her and closing the door. She couldn’t let her speak for fear of being mocked or insulted.
“I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t know why I did,” she was rambling and she knew it. Yet, she couldn’t stop. “I guess I got caught up in the moment.”
Angie was smiling at her. That was good, right?
“Peggy… You weren’t the only one leaning in for a kiss.”
Peggy blinked.
Angie couldn’t possibly mean…
Still, for once, Peggy actually leaned closer into Angie. She gave her time to back away if she were to change her mind. Maybe Peggy had misunderstood all of this?
Angie didn’t move, though. She waited patiently.
A kiss was so much more different than a simple graze of the lips. They had barely registered the peck but now, with lips fully against each other, they had the time to get lost in it. They was shy, hesitant. Lips moving slowly, trying to find their rhythm. When they broke it, Peggy was left breathless and scared to open her eyes.
“Took you long enough, English,” Angie whispered with a smirk firmly on her face.
Peggy wasn’t the bravest of souls when it came to love. She was scared of hurting and losing the people closest to her. She was still afraid to harm Angie in some way, but in that moment, when she leaned in again for a second kiss, the moment was perfect.
That is, until the heel of her shoe gave way and she found herself on the floor.