426: What's it good for?

[bethefaceless]

Away at War/Battle MemeWe all know war can be a hard time for everyone but those left behind? It can be torture. Hoping you get a letter or a call, staying glued to the television and cringing at those news stories. Guess what happens to you now? Your loved one has gone off to fight a war (battle, fight, in that ilk of things) and some time has

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Steve has enough whumping his life right now!

[americacapt]

[He gives a slight nod. The sensation in his stomach is the norm when speaking to a woman, the tightness contrasted with butterflies that enjoy doing back flips and the simple fact he doesn't feel comfortable enough to look into her eyes. But then there's a strange warmth in his stomach, too. A comfortable warmth as well.] And I have a feeling I shouldn't question that.

[He watches her sit, eyes more on her shoulders and face. But he recognizes the posture. He's not entirely sure if he's seen Peggy sit like that before, but it was common enough among men looking for jobs in the US not too long ago. Drained emotionally and physically and nothing to show for it. He's just thankful someone dropped by.]

I think he's taking the news pretty hard, too. He and the rest of my squad are pretty upset about this. [He sighed, trying not to show the expression he's felt like he failed them, too. Despite not remembering names and barely recognizing faces, he knows he's done something terribly important for them.] He might have been looking for you and you just didn't cross paths.

[ithinkitworks]

[Amused, but fond:] Good.

[He might have seen her sit like that after a particularly grueling mission, maybe. She doesn't slouch per se, but she leans forward, shoulders slumped a bit, and the fatigue in her eyes is evident. She straightens up after a second or two, regaining her posture, but it's still relaxed and not ramrod-straight. It's comforting and familiar just to be sitting here and talking with him again.]

[Unfortunately, she catches the expression he's trying to hide.] They're upset because they're worried about you. No one expects you to be able to just - accept all this and go on exactly the way you did before.

[She's choosing her words carefully here. They are in the middle of a war. Colonel Phillips probably wishes Steve could do that, and she can only imagine what his reaction was like. But he's a realist, and he won't let Steve lead his team into combat if he doesn't think he's fit to do so.]

I didn't give him much of a chance to find me, I'm afraid. [Because the second she heard he was awake and coherent, she'd headed straight for the infirmary.]

[americacapt]

[How could Steve blame her how she sits and how she seems to be aware of what she conveys? From what he's seen, the military uniform she wears is a rarity unto itself. Women are allowed to be agents... he thinks. And he can't help but admire her ability to recover at an instant. He hardly had that ability himself, serum or no.]

But I did something for them? Because I'm still bewildered how I managed to get such a group of men worried about me. I know I saved lives but... Bucky was too choked up to give long explanations.

[And if he had to, Steve would. What he learned wasn't entirely gone. But perhaps it wasn't wise. Not until he managed to learn names and keep remembering them this time around.]

He'll probably come back soon. I wish he'd just rest though. It'd make me feel better than seeing him pace and worry. I got back here in solid order.