Cap/Agent Carter fic: Sleepers of Ephesus (3/4)
(link only because LJ won't post the whole thing)
Sleepers of Ephesus (chapter three)
Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes ) | PG-13ish
Peggy Carter is far from home
She’d never been just his best friend’s sweetheart, not then and not now. During the war, he’d treated her as capable of anything - sometimes far more than she actually was able to do. Now, he had to take the lead in most situations by dint of his greater knowledge and capacity, but he did so in a fashion that was… not deferential, but respectful at least. He phrased what he thought they should do as a suggestion instead of an order, the way he had with Steve back when Captain America had been a greenhorn commander and Sergeant Barnes the experienced NCO. He didn’t seek her permission, but he would wait for something like agreement from her, giving her at least a nominal ownership stake in the decisions, the way he had with Steve because Captain Rogers had to be the one issuing the commands even if he hadn’t thought them up. And he let her make what decisions she could, not just for herself, but for them both: not only when they would travel or where they would stop, but also in the mission planning and execution. He’d put his foot down if he felt very strongly one way or another, but she could expect a reason. In return, she tried to reward his trust by using her authority to protect him where she could, both in their quest (where he was far too reckless with his own safety) and in his quiet struggle to regain his humanity.
direct link to chapter 3
Also posted at DW.