Title: Intentional Respite

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Spoilers: Agent Carter Season 1, set in the Tactical Insertion Universe

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

Distribution: . Anyone else please ask first :)

Summary: Set after Tactical Insertion, written for Steggy week 2k16 – "Domesticity." After all they've gone through, they deserve a quiet night at home.

Feedback PLEASE at:triplepirouettephile Or just hit the little button there.

AN: Just a little tooth rotting domestic fluff for you.

Peggy watched Steve from the kitchen window over the sink as he pushed the lawnmower back and forth across the backyard. It had been something to get used to: all the maintenance involved in keeping up a home. Steve seemed to relish in it, though, jumping up for every task from mowing the lawn to watering the plants to cleaning the gutters. It had only been a few months since Howard had handed over the keys, and yet she felt like she'd never lived anywhere else.

She ran a hand over the counter, still as pristine as they day they walked in here, as Steve wrangled the mower back into the shed. The commute into the city wasn't Peggy's favorite thing to do, but the drive home every night made her feel lighter. She'd nearly bounced home today, a Friday afternoon without any late paperwork to finish up or leads that needed following. For once, she'd taken Thompson's lead and started clocking out when her shift was over, which lead to more time settling in to their new home and exploring the small town springing up around them.

"Peg?" Steve's call was a little breathless, a testament to the heat of the summer afternoon.

"Don't you dare tromp all that grass into this clean kitchen!" she ordered playfully, knowing full well that he'd been about to take a step in, his shoes caked with grass clippings. It was what happened every time.

"Right." Steve knelt down, untying his shoes and stepping into the kitchen in his stocking feet. He took three long strides to Peggy, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her like he hadn't seen her for weeks. "Welcome home."

Peggy hummed happily, her eyes closed still as she leaned back in his arms. "If that's the kind of welcome I get, I can leave and come back if you want."

"Nope," Steve lifted her off her feet as she let out a squeal of delight, spinning her in their kitchen before setting her down on the counter. "You're home now, all mine." He leaned forward, a sultry gleam in his eye and his hands planted just outside her hips on the counter, trapping her in.

Peggy feigned disinterest, looking at her nails and shrugging. "I did bring home quite a bit of work-"

Steve's kiss silenced her, and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around him. She pulled her lips just a fraction of an inch away from him. "You're sweaty."

"I know." He kissed her again, "It's hot outside."

Peggy pushed him away with a wry smile on her face. "Hit the showers, Captain. I'll get started on supper."

Steve stole one last kiss before he backed up, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "You know, I thought maybe we could go out tonight- try that nice looking bistro around the corner?"

Peggy mulled it over as she slid from the counter, her head bouncing on her shoulders. "That's an idea… but I wanted to try to cook that chicken before it's been in too long. Wouldn't want it to go off on us like the last one."

Steve's nose crinkled up at the memory. Neither were good cooks by any means, though they were both making an effort to put the kitchen Jarvis had designed for them to good use by learning. More often, though, they would stop at the Automat to see Angie and pick something up or stop by the deli down the street on the way home. Last time they'd gotten fresh chicken from the butcher they'd forgotten about it so long that it had turned grey and the stench caused them to have to toss everything in their refrigerator. "Yeah, we don't want a repeat of that…"

Peggy smiled, pulling out the pan from beneath the cabinet. "How about tomorrow? I'll pull out a nice dress, put on some shoes that I definitely cannot run in, maybe you can find yourself some pressed slacks somewhere… we'll make a date of it."

He nodded, a soft smile on his face. "Great idea. Tomorrow it is!"

As Steve took the stairs two at a time he heard Peggy call out to him, "You have twenty minutes or until I insufferably burn dinner, whichever comes first!"

Steve laughed, shedding his sweaty shirt and tossing it in the hamper of their star spangled bedroom. He took a surreptitious peak out into the hall, and when he only heard Peggy fighting with the pans, he slipped over to his bureau; sliding out a drawer and pulling a small velvet box from inside a roll of tube socks. "Tomorrow it is," he whispered, checking the sparkling ring. He'd had it in the house for a week now, and he couldn't fathom that she hadn't found it yet. His palms itched and the proposal was lodged in the back of his throat, ready to come out every time he saw her. But he was patient. He snapped the small box closed and hid it once more, gathering new clothes for after his shower.

Tomorrow night he was going to ask Peggy Carter to make him the luckiest man alive, and he couldn't be more ready for her answer.