Three's Not a Crowd

“Oh, buck up, Steve. This is no time for performance anxiety.”

“I’m not having…that’s not what it is.”

“Darling. You were less nervous when a mad scientist was about to dose you with radiation and permanently alter your DNA.”

“Yeah well. You were there.”

Smiling, Peggy packed a few more essentials into her suitcase as Steve paced their bedroom. “The mechanics haven’t changed. Should be simpler, actually, with one less person. Besides, I won’t always be there to hold your hand.”

Steve halted for a moment. “It’s not usually my hand you’ve got a grip on.”

“Clever man. Brilliant. When all this Captain America hype dies down, you should embark on a comedy tour. I’ll get Howard’s publicist on it.”

“Peggy.”

He was pouting. Again. He’d done that a lot in recent weeks. Pouted, then panicked, then repeated the cycle. “It’s Angie, Steve, not a Hydra squadron.”

“Exactly, it’s Angie. If I screw this up, I’ll be wishing for Hydra. Or a return trip to the ice.”

“Don’t bloody joke about that.” Steve winced. So did Peggy. She hadn’t meant for it to come out that sharp. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re right. It’s not funny. Just, helps me stay sane, not taking it seriously all the time.”

He’d stopped moving altogether, come to her side. Peggy kissed him, slow and soft, rubbing a hand over his chest, feeling the heartbeat underneath. “I know,” she said after the contact broke. “Just, let me help with that too, all right?”

“Of course.”

“And Angie. She needs to, just as much as I do.”

“And Angie.”

“Good,” she said, patting Steve’s cheek with one hand and turning back to her packing. “Now that that’s settled, stop sweating through your shirt and get ready for your date.”

Steve sighed and she laughed. Really, the man was utterly ridiculous. It’d been her idea to give him and Angie a special night, something just for them. Angie had agreed wholeheartedly, and so had Steve. In principle, anyway. But time, as usual, was never on their side. There was all the frenzy surrounding his return, press conferences and news articles. Not to mention all the paperwork needed to give him his life back after years of being MIA. And the SSR, that was hardly a nine to five endeavor. Endless debriefings and examinations, figuring out what his new role would be. And Angie’s own fledgling career, an audition or class or rehearsal every other minute.

In short, they’d put it off too long, Steve had too much time to think and worry and run worse case scenarios, and now he was an absolute wreck. Which really shouldn’t amuse her as much as it did, but what could she do about it?

“You know, one benefit of the right partner scenario? Me not having to embarrass myself with too many women.”

“You’ll be perfectly fine. You don’t even have to put thought into the venue, Angie’s got it all arranged.”

“That’s not the part I’m worried about.”

Peggy raised and folded a pair of trousers to cover her smirk. No, the aspects that involved being out in public, he’d be comfortable enough with those. But after, this was the first time he and Angie would have an after that didn’t involve her. Honestly, two days in Washington to discuss some hush-hush notion of Howard’s about starting a new agency. Two days, one date, and Steve was acting like she’d thrown him to the wolves.

Although, Angie had been known to bite.

Peggy was quite happy her lovers were finally getting a night to themselves. Angie in particular needed to know that this arrangement they had wasn’t just about herself and Steve. So, Peggy was happy. She was also the slightest bit jealous, but planned to make up for the fun she’d miss as soon as possible.

Steve, bless him, looked ready to pass out. “You really needn’t worry. Long before any of this,” she indicated the two of them, the bedroom that was often shared by one more, “she expressed her fervent desire to eat you with a spoon.”

All right, perhaps that was a strategic misstep. If anything, Steve seemed to be getting more nervous.

“What if I can’t…what if she doesn’t…”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “You’re terribly persistent when you want to be, and Angie’s hardly shy about discussing what she wants. It will all work out. Just lie back and think of England.” She made a show out of frowning. “Though I suppose that would apply more to Angie. Not that it will, of course. I’m sure you’ll do a perfectly respectable job.”

Steve scowled. “I’ll save you a place on that comedy tour.”

Before Peggy could torment him further, Angie hurried in through the open door. “Mr. Fancy’s in the drive, Peg, ready when you are.”

“Excellent.” Skimming the room for any forgotten necessities, Peggy was satisfied that she had everything. Closing the case, she hefted it off the bed, waving off Steve’s offer of help. She almost always did, but it was still sweet of him to ask.

They both walked her downstairs. Setting her bag on the floor, Peggy pulled Angie into a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon, love.”

“We’ll miss you, English. Be safe.”

“You too. Be home at a reasonable hour. And use protection.” Angie cackled happily. Steve blushed. He really did make it far too easy. “Have a wonderful time, darlings.”

“Oh we will,” Angie replied, wearing a wicked grin as she clutched Steve’s forearm. “I’ve got plans for this one.”

***

Plans, Steve learned, meant a Dodgers game. Edging through the crowded rows of seats, he could almost forget his nervousness about what would come later. Bearing sodas, hot dogs, and several bags of peanuts, he grinned as he returned to Angie’s side. “As requested.”

“You’re the best,” Angie said, taking slightly more than half the food away from him. “I’ll never understand how Peg can be so against hot dogs.”

Steve laughed, picturing Peggy’s disgusted expression the first and only time they dragged her to a ballgame. The woman just wasn’t a fan of America’s favorite pastime, or the food that came with it. He’d expected Angie to choose a movie or a play as their activity for the night, but this was better. They could indulge their passion for this greatest of sports without torturing Peggy in the process, hearing her mutter about how bored she was, and why couldn’t things go faster, and what? What the hell did they mean about extra innings, wasn’t nine more than enough?

The seats were high enough for them to enjoy the view, low enough to actually see the proceedings. Angie coming through, as usual. Steve found himself watching her more than the game as she finished the hot dog, moved on to catching peanuts in her mouth. He ate whatever she hadn’t, pausing when she caught his chin between her fingers, kissing a bit of ketchup from the side of his mouth. Both of their hands were a bit worse for wear, with lingering traces of condiments and salt from the peanuts. Angie held his hand anyway, playfully adjusting the ball cap he’d worn in what was admittedly a pitiful attempt to avoid recognition. So far so good though, people were too focused on the game to pay them much attention.

Even when Angie’s traditional game ritual began.

“Swing, why dontcha? Do something useful for a change! Swing, batter, batter, batter, swing!”

Angie was on her feet, Steve content to stay seated and grin bemusedly as the batter did as instructed.

“Ha, you call that a swing? My dog could hit better than that, and he had one eye. And polio!”

“I’ve talked to your mother, Ang. She said Buster was in perfect health. Definitely better than I was before Erskine came along, anyway.”

“I know that and you know that, but does he need to know that? ‘Course not. He does need to find a new career though. Was that supposed to be a swing? Looked like you sneezed and made the bat twitch!”

And so it went.

Sometime later, when not engaged in her heckling duties, Angie bopped his cap again, an odd look on her face. “You okay there, Soldier?”

Steve hadn’t realized he was drifting until she had to work so hard to get his attention. “Yeah, sorry.”

“No sorry. What’s up?”

Steve breathed out, a weak smile on his lips. “Bucky and I would come here together, when we could scrape up the money. Swore we’d be around for a Pennant game someday.”

Angie reclaimed his hand, entwining their fingers. “I’m really sorry, Steve. I didn’t think—”

“Hey. No sorry. I was lucky, they’re good memories. Now I get to make new ones. With you.” He kissed her knuckles. She punched his arm and called him a sap, but smiled while doing it.

They didn’t talk for a while after that, not until Harold “Pee Wee” Reese came up to bat. Steve frowned at Angie’s sour expression. “I thought he was your favorite player.”

“He is. Hit a homerun right into the bleachers first time I came here, won the game. I almost caught the ball.”

“Almost?”

“My meathead cousin knocked me out of the way, snatched it up himself. Practically twisted my ankle off. Limped all the way home while he’s blabbing on about what a great catch it was, and the manager probably saw it, so don’t be surprised if he gets recruited for the team one of these days.”

Steve made a mental note to find out which of Angie’s many, many cousins did this. For now, he stood with her as she cheered Reese on, her encouragement even louder than her insults had been. Twice, it didn’t help. The third time there was a crack of wood, a roar of cheers, and a ball that was headed straight out of the park.

Unless…

Steve tracked the angle, the trajectory. Then he leaned close to Angie’s ear, shouting to be heard over the cries of excitement, hers included. “Trust me?”

Angie, who’d been jumping up and down, stopped to frown at him. “What?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Well yeah, of course. What kinda stupid question is—”

Her response turned into a surprised shriek as he lifted her up and onto his left shoulder. “Get ready!” he shouted before jumping into the air.

She shrieked again. Then swore. Then giggled. When they hit the ground and he eased her to her feet, she was still laughing, but stopped long enough to kiss him quite soundly amidst a wave of cheers and whistles. She clutched the baseball in one hand and kept kissing him.

So much for avoiding attention.

***

“Think Peg will mind if we put it on the living room mantle?”

“Well, there are four mantles to choose from just on this floor, so I think she’ll be okay.”

They were in the kitchen now, having just gotten home. Steve poured two drinks, but when he tried passing one to Angie, she was busy throwing the ball straight up and reenacting her catch. Finally he went to her between tosses and tilted the glass to her lips. She groaned in appreciation.

“Who knew Captain America made such a mean drink?”

“Hang around Howard long enough, you learn things.”

“Just keep it to bartending, okay? I’m afraid to find out what other things that guy knows.”

Steve froze for a moment, then smiled as he placed both their drinks on the counter.

Angie finally set her prize aside, utilizing more of the massive counter space. Slipping off his hat, she let it drop to the floor, reaching up to play with the hair at the back of his neck. “We don’t gotta do anything, you know.”

Steve put his arms around her waist. “It’s not that I don’t want to. Unless you don’t—”

“No. Yes. I do want. Just, not if you don’t. I’m not Peg.”

Steve frowned. The words were simple enough, but, “What does that mean?”

Angie shrugged, tucking her face into his neck. “I’m not sayin I ain’t a catch, but Peg’s a different level of catch. Smart, sexy, damn near perfect—”

Steve stepped back enough that she couldn’t hide against him anymore. He leaned down to kiss her, moving his hands up her ribcage, to her face, further up to get lost in her curls. He could’ve held her that way indefinitely, were it not for the knowledge that their lung capacities were vastly different.

“You’re all of that, Ang,” he said, desperate for her to understand. Peggy had talked about keeping her from feeling like an outsider, but Angie had never expressed those worries to either of them. She was such a good actress, Steve never realized Peggy might be onto something. “All of that and more,” he continued, never more aware that Peggy knew Angie far better than he did. For now. “You’re amazing. I couldn’t…I couldn’t live the way we do if I didn’t think so. If I didn’t love you, too.”

“Feeling’s mutual. Sap.”

There were tears in the corners of her eyes, but Steve didn’t have time to do anything about that, not with her standing on tiptoes for a kiss, then wrapping herself around him. Having her so close, her thighs around his waist, stole some of his usual grace. He stumbled back into the counter, reached out with one hand to keep the drinks from spilling onto Angie’s new prized possession.

“Still nervous?” she asked, breaking from his lips to run her tongue over his earlobe.

Steve shuddered, careful to hold Angie steady. “Among other things.”

“Me too. Feel like I’m touchin Peg’s property without her permission.”

Laughing, Steve kissed her deeply. Her weight barely registered, but the effect of having it against him certainly did. “I think we’re both Peggy’s property, and you definitely have permission.”

“That’s true. She’s incredibly sweet.”

“Among other things.”

“Among other things. You too nervous to get us to the bedroom?”

“Nope. Whichever one you want.”

“Thanks, Soldier.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

“Not just yours, Cap. Not if this goes half as good as I think it will.”