Forever Captain: “Bearded”
Nov. 11th, 2024 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11Forever Captain:
“Bearded”
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
Summary: “Peggy comes home after several weeks away on a mission to find Steve has neglected to shave in that time. Fetching as she finds the beard, she learns there’s a reason why he’s never grown it out before.”
~~~
“Darling!” Peggy called, as she twisted her key in the lock and pushed open the door. “I’m home!”
Agent Peggy Carter enjoyed her work likely more than most people, but after two straight weeks away in the field, she couldn’t have been gladder to walk back through her own front door, into the home she shared with Steve. In the year they’d lived there together since their marriage— and with all the strange time and space they’d spent apart —the novelty still had not worn off, coming home after a long day to find him there waiting for her.
Except, this time, it appeared that he wasn’t. Pocketing her key, Peggy bent to set her bags down, then straightened, looking about in slight surprise. Usually Steve was quick at the door when she’d been away for some time, but now she couldn’t even hear him stirring.
“Steve?” she tried again. “Where are you?”
“Honey?” his voice came at last. “That you?” He sounded like he was upstairs, maybe in the back bedroom.
“Of course it’s me.” She stepped to lean on the wall and take off her shoes. “Come see me, it’s been weeks.”
There was a brief pause. “Just a minute, Peg, I was going to… guess I lost track of time. Coming!”
Peggy shrugged out of her coat and turned to the rack to hang it. She could hear his footsteps on the stairs then, in that surprisingly light tread for such a large man that was uniquely his. “After I’ve been away on a mission, you’re usually waiting at the door. What’s so absorbed you that…?”
She trailed off as she turned to see his broad frame appear in the stairway, the way she had countless times before. As always, he descended briskly, in his typical homebody uniform of T-shirt, sheepskin slippers, and faded blue jeans. Except this time, when at last his handsome face came into view again, it was with several weeks’ growth of beard.
She took a moment to stare. It was darker than his golden hair, with a slight wave, too full to be scruffy but not cultivated either, just neatly brushed back along the line of his jaw. He looked— older, perhaps, more distinguished, with a certain edge of something she’d never seen on him before.
“Goodness,” she said at last, and blinked. “Look at you.”
He dropped his chin and made a chuffing sound, as if he were a little embarrassed. “Heh. Guess I let it go while you were away.”
She took a few steps toward him, taking him in with a crooked grin. “Hello there, stranger. What are you doing in my house?”
He cracked a smile himself then, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was working on a big commission and I didn’t want to take the time. Was planning to shave it before you got back, but…”
Peggy tipped her head to the side. “Not so fast. I must say, the difference is rather intriguing.”
At last he looked back up at her. “You like it?”
She made a show of considering, chin rested thoughtfully upon her hand. “As a change of pace… I’d certainly say I do.”
“Hm.” He looked away again, as she moved in close to put her arms around him. She ran the tips of her fingers along the line of his jaw, examining the texture. It was more wiry than his hair but still soft, with a touch of the blond showing through when the light hit it.
“Who would have thought my boy scout had it in him? Even on the front, you never let it go.”
He shrugged, still not quite meeting her gaze. “Well. When I was a glorified mascot, there was an image to maintain. And then later, having the routine helped…”
She snuggled in close, burying her face in his chest. “Maybe you ought to keep it. Just for a little while.”
She could feel him stiffen against her. “Really? Because I was planning on shaving it.”
“Must you right away?” she sighed. “Like I said, it’s fun for a change of pace. When you’ve never had one before.”
She reached up again, fingernail tracing flirtatiously through the scruff. But far from responding as he usually did, that time she could see the definite downturn, the way his expression fell.
She drew back to regard him. “What?”
“Eh. It’s silly.”
“What is it?”
He chuckled, drawing back one corner of his mouth. “You know, it’s funny. I’ve thought about growing it out a few times since I’ve been back.” He moved to sit on the bottom step of the staircase and scratched at his chin contemplatively. “Living under a new identity, it seemed like it might make sense— make it harder for folks to recognize me. But I could never quite bring myself to do it.”
Peggy watched him solemnly. “Why not?”
He turned his face up to hers. “Because I did do it once. At another time when I didn’t want anybody to recognize me.”
She knew at once what he was referring to. “When you were on the run.”
He nodded. “When I had to break the law to save Bucky, and became a wanted man.” He’d filled her in on that part of his life when he’d told her of his time in the Twenty-First Century, of all the strange twists and turns that had brought him back to her. For all the remarkable highs and very deep lows, that period had stood out as a particularly grim one. “I was on my own, in opposition to so many of my friends… and it was just the beginning of a very rough several years.”
She came to the base of the stairs to sit on the floor in front of him, enfolding her hands in his lap. “I know.”
“Yeah.” He sighed, with a small shake of his head. “Well. I remember when I shaved it off again, when I didn’t have to hide anymore, I just felt a little more like myself.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of his jaw. “Seeing myself like this again… just kind of reminds me of what it felt like back then. The loneliest time in my life. I’d rather not go back.”
He heaved another sigh, taking hold of Peggy’s hands. “I’m really sorry, Peg, I know you just said you liked it—”
“No, no.” Her fingers closed around his in a resolute, comforting squeeze. “I like you any way you are.”
That half-smile of his returned, and one of his eyebrows raised. “You sure?”
Peggy laughed. “Darling. I liked you back when I outweighed you by two stone. And I’ve got the picture to prove it.”
“Hmm. That’s true.” She knew how much that meant to Steve, that small sign that she loved the man that he was, not just the version of him made for the service of others.
She climbed up into his lap then, arms winding around his neck, then tipping up his chin so he had to meet her gaze. “You came here for a new start, a different sort of life. I want you to feel like you’re moving forward, not back.”
After a moment, Peggy smiled and stroked his chin, in a movement that became decidedly more flirtatious than comforting. “Besides, with a jaw like this… as they say, mustn’t hide one’s light under a bush.”
That made him genuinely laugh. “Isn’t that ‘bushel’?”
She flashed him a wicked grin. “Not in this case.”
When he mirrored it, she knew she’d won. He stroked one side of the beard and then the other, in an extravagant gesture of consideration. “Maybe I should experiment. Put that to the test a little.”
She rolled back her head. “Oh, no.”
“Try a handlebar mustache,” he mused, with mock innocence. “Or mutton chops.”
“Darling. Don't push it.”
“Why? Don’t think I could pull them off?”
She kissed him then, the coarse little beard hairs tickling against her face. “Oh, no,” she chuckled, lips against his. “With mutton chops, I don’t think you could pull me off you. I’d never get anything done.”
His whole body shook with the laughter. “Oh, I see. In that case— consider my razor chucked.”
~~~
The End
“Bearded”
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
Summary: “Peggy comes home after several weeks away on a mission to find Steve has neglected to shave in that time. Fetching as she finds the beard, she learns there’s a reason why he’s never grown it out before.”
~~~
“Darling!” Peggy called, as she twisted her key in the lock and pushed open the door. “I’m home!”
Agent Peggy Carter enjoyed her work likely more than most people, but after two straight weeks away in the field, she couldn’t have been gladder to walk back through her own front door, into the home she shared with Steve. In the year they’d lived there together since their marriage— and with all the strange time and space they’d spent apart —the novelty still had not worn off, coming home after a long day to find him there waiting for her.
Except, this time, it appeared that he wasn’t. Pocketing her key, Peggy bent to set her bags down, then straightened, looking about in slight surprise. Usually Steve was quick at the door when she’d been away for some time, but now she couldn’t even hear him stirring.
“Steve?” she tried again. “Where are you?”
“Honey?” his voice came at last. “That you?” He sounded like he was upstairs, maybe in the back bedroom.
“Of course it’s me.” She stepped to lean on the wall and take off her shoes. “Come see me, it’s been weeks.”
There was a brief pause. “Just a minute, Peg, I was going to… guess I lost track of time. Coming!”
Peggy shrugged out of her coat and turned to the rack to hang it. She could hear his footsteps on the stairs then, in that surprisingly light tread for such a large man that was uniquely his. “After I’ve been away on a mission, you’re usually waiting at the door. What’s so absorbed you that…?”
She trailed off as she turned to see his broad frame appear in the stairway, the way she had countless times before. As always, he descended briskly, in his typical homebody uniform of T-shirt, sheepskin slippers, and faded blue jeans. Except this time, when at last his handsome face came into view again, it was with several weeks’ growth of beard.
She took a moment to stare. It was darker than his golden hair, with a slight wave, too full to be scruffy but not cultivated either, just neatly brushed back along the line of his jaw. He looked— older, perhaps, more distinguished, with a certain edge of something she’d never seen on him before.
“Goodness,” she said at last, and blinked. “Look at you.”
He dropped his chin and made a chuffing sound, as if he were a little embarrassed. “Heh. Guess I let it go while you were away.”
She took a few steps toward him, taking him in with a crooked grin. “Hello there, stranger. What are you doing in my house?”
He cracked a smile himself then, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was working on a big commission and I didn’t want to take the time. Was planning to shave it before you got back, but…”
Peggy tipped her head to the side. “Not so fast. I must say, the difference is rather intriguing.”
At last he looked back up at her. “You like it?”
She made a show of considering, chin rested thoughtfully upon her hand. “As a change of pace… I’d certainly say I do.”
“Hm.” He looked away again, as she moved in close to put her arms around him. She ran the tips of her fingers along the line of his jaw, examining the texture. It was more wiry than his hair but still soft, with a touch of the blond showing through when the light hit it.
“Who would have thought my boy scout had it in him? Even on the front, you never let it go.”
He shrugged, still not quite meeting her gaze. “Well. When I was a glorified mascot, there was an image to maintain. And then later, having the routine helped…”
She snuggled in close, burying her face in his chest. “Maybe you ought to keep it. Just for a little while.”
She could feel him stiffen against her. “Really? Because I was planning on shaving it.”
“Must you right away?” she sighed. “Like I said, it’s fun for a change of pace. When you’ve never had one before.”
She reached up again, fingernail tracing flirtatiously through the scruff. But far from responding as he usually did, that time she could see the definite downturn, the way his expression fell.
She drew back to regard him. “What?”
“Eh. It’s silly.”
“What is it?”
He chuckled, drawing back one corner of his mouth. “You know, it’s funny. I’ve thought about growing it out a few times since I’ve been back.” He moved to sit on the bottom step of the staircase and scratched at his chin contemplatively. “Living under a new identity, it seemed like it might make sense— make it harder for folks to recognize me. But I could never quite bring myself to do it.”
Peggy watched him solemnly. “Why not?”
He turned his face up to hers. “Because I did do it once. At another time when I didn’t want anybody to recognize me.”
She knew at once what he was referring to. “When you were on the run.”
He nodded. “When I had to break the law to save Bucky, and became a wanted man.” He’d filled her in on that part of his life when he’d told her of his time in the Twenty-First Century, of all the strange twists and turns that had brought him back to her. For all the remarkable highs and very deep lows, that period had stood out as a particularly grim one. “I was on my own, in opposition to so many of my friends… and it was just the beginning of a very rough several years.”
She came to the base of the stairs to sit on the floor in front of him, enfolding her hands in his lap. “I know.”
“Yeah.” He sighed, with a small shake of his head. “Well. I remember when I shaved it off again, when I didn’t have to hide anymore, I just felt a little more like myself.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of his jaw. “Seeing myself like this again… just kind of reminds me of what it felt like back then. The loneliest time in my life. I’d rather not go back.”
He heaved another sigh, taking hold of Peggy’s hands. “I’m really sorry, Peg, I know you just said you liked it—”
“No, no.” Her fingers closed around his in a resolute, comforting squeeze. “I like you any way you are.”
That half-smile of his returned, and one of his eyebrows raised. “You sure?”
Peggy laughed. “Darling. I liked you back when I outweighed you by two stone. And I’ve got the picture to prove it.”
“Hmm. That’s true.” She knew how much that meant to Steve, that small sign that she loved the man that he was, not just the version of him made for the service of others.
She climbed up into his lap then, arms winding around his neck, then tipping up his chin so he had to meet her gaze. “You came here for a new start, a different sort of life. I want you to feel like you’re moving forward, not back.”
After a moment, Peggy smiled and stroked his chin, in a movement that became decidedly more flirtatious than comforting. “Besides, with a jaw like this… as they say, mustn’t hide one’s light under a bush.”
That made him genuinely laugh. “Isn’t that ‘bushel’?”
She flashed him a wicked grin. “Not in this case.”
When he mirrored it, she knew she’d won. He stroked one side of the beard and then the other, in an extravagant gesture of consideration. “Maybe I should experiment. Put that to the test a little.”
She rolled back her head. “Oh, no.”
“Try a handlebar mustache,” he mused, with mock innocence. “Or mutton chops.”
“Darling. Don't push it.”
“Why? Don’t think I could pull them off?”
She kissed him then, the coarse little beard hairs tickling against her face. “Oh, no,” she chuckled, lips against his. “With mutton chops, I don’t think you could pull me off you. I’d never get anything done.”
His whole body shook with the laughter. “Oh, I see. In that case— consider my razor chucked.”
~~~
The End
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