#Steggyfanevents Secret Santa 2022

[nageill]

Steggy 2022 Secret Santa

[For the @steggyfanevents​ 2022 Secret Santa!]

Hello, @broadwayqueenregal ! I was your Secret Santa!

I am still working on your fanfic, which is turning out longer than I intended (oops), so I did a few Steggy and a Peggy moodboard that I hope you enjoy!

Congrats on starting cosplaying our beloved agent! It has been a very rewarding experience for me, too, and I’m glad to see it has been for you! I’m actually part of a cool Peggy Carter group on Facebook, so hit me up if you want to know more about it.

Anyway, I hope you have a safe and joyful holiday!

[roboticonography]

Fic: A New Name for Everything (5/7)

Title: A New Name For Everything

Relationship: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers

Rating: M

Word count: Approximately 20K total

Work summary: Officially, Steve and Peggy are in New York for their honeymoon; unofficially, they are faking photos and forging documents to establish Steve’s new backstory. But there’s also a third, secret reason for the trip.

It’s hard to plan a surprise for a man who’s already seen the future, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Peggy Carter.

Notes:

For @somewhereapart for Steggy Secret Santa 2022. Officially my all-time record for latest completion of a Secret Santa fic.

Posted for @steggyfanevents’ Saturdays at the Stork Club. (Last Saturday of every month! Don't be late!)

Read this chapter (AO3)

Read the story from the beginning (AO3)

[teaandatale]

For a Later Date - Chp. 1 of 2

A Steggy Secret Santa 2022 by @steggyfanevents gift for @3pirouette.

I apologize for the delay! A sudden migraine took me out for the count and I was sure I wouldn't meet my own by-the-end-of-the year deadline. But I found some extra energy today and found this fic lends itself as well to be a two-shot, so this way I can at least present you with the first chapter! I hope to have the second chapter up soon. Happy belated Steggymas and have a great New Year!

Summary: Steve wakes to the worst headache of his life and finds out that he’s missed out on over four years of life. Despite all the life-changing differences that have resulted in his lost time, Steve finds that perhaps some old plans can still be kept for a later date.

Preview:

Distant noises, unknown and mechanical sounding disturb him, but his eyes are much too heavy to be opened. The regular rhythm to the sounds doesn’t cause any concern, though he wishes they would cease disturbing his sleep as he was mighty tired. Though he couldn’t really recall why that would be.

He wasn’t sure but he thought he fell asleep again only to be awakened by disturbing noises again. This time however, in addition to the mechanical noises, he heard something else, a human element. Whispers? A low conversation? His body should have been on full alert, as he’d been known to have a hair-trigger for such subtleties. The fact that he still couldn’t even open his eyes made him even more alarmed. Why couldn’t he seem to make his body behave? That was more than concerning. They could be about to be ambushed! Was he taken prisoner by Hydra?!

Steve could swear a giggle cut through the mechanical din, high-pitched, joyful and so out of place of war. Strange. He must still be dreaming. Some kind of nightmare. The incomprehensible chatter continued.            

Finally, Steve was able to flutter his eyes open, blinking away his blurred vision away. The sight before him makes no further sense, though his immediate sense of alarm lowers a touch.

[Read in full at AO3]

[doctorhelena]

Steggy Fic: Until Then (We'll Have to Muddle Through, Somehow)

This is my very belated @steggyfanevents Steggy Secret Santa 2022 gift for @imxthexhandler (although, this year I am not technically late because I also made (unrelated) fanart!)

The story is complete, and a new chapter will be posted every Wednesday.

Story summary: Five times Peggy and Steve carved out small moments of happiness, and one time they didn’t have to.

Chapter summary: In which there is an apology that goes even better than Steve had hoped.

Rating: R

Read it on A03

Excerpt:

London, December 1943

“Well, you’re brave, I’ll give you that,” Howard Stark told him, both amused and a little impressed, judging by his voice and the quirk of his mustache. “But it might have been less risky to parachute solo into Krausberg, pal. I can get you the stockings, but even if you bring your new shield with you, I can’t guarantee you’ll deliver them alive.”

“She isn't going to kill me,” Steve said in what he was starting to think of as his Captain America voice - a tone that often radiated considerably more conviction than he actually felt. Now that he actually was a captain, using his stage voice seemed to give people the impression that he knew what he was doing. It was undeniably useful, but - it was also at least partly how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. “I’m too useful to the war effort.” 

Howard guffawed at that. “Look, kid, I’ve made a lot of women angry in my day, and my first piece of advice is whatever you say to her, definitely don't lead with that.” He shook his head, turning slightly more serious. “And my second piece of advice is - why bother trying so hard to fix things with her? Just be glad she’s forgiven you enough to work with you without trying to shoot you.” He shrugged easily. “There are plenty of fish in the sea, and you, my friend, are prime bait. Peggy’s a bombshell, there's no denying that, but there are a hell of a lot of pretty girls who it’s a hell of a lot safer to try to kiss. And look at you. Handsome mug, supersoldier muscles, and a hero to boot - the dames must be all over you.”

"Yeah, that’s the trouble,” Steve said glumly. “Well, that, and you and your sudden craving for fondue.” He buried his face in his hands. “God, I can’t believe I accused her of fonduing with you.” It was awful on two levels - the worst, of course, was the accusation itself, but spectacularly misunderstanding the meaning of the word fondue was right up there too.

Howard laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Oh, you have got it bad, pal.” He nodded thoughtfully. “All right, if you’re going to do this, you’re going to have to go big. My usual weapon of choice is diamonds - necklace for apology, bracelet for ‘it's over’, earrings for - well, it doesn't matter. Now, I stay far away from the rings, myself, but - ”

“I think I’ll just stick with the stockings, thanks,” said Steve firmly. “How much?” The Army not only fed and housed him, it paid him too, and from what he’d gathered from Bucky and the guys, he was pretty sure he could cover a pair of stockings from his savings, even at black market prices.

Howard waved his hand. “For you, kid, they’re on the house. Let me talk to my butler. How long are you in London?”

Steve blinked. Of course Howard Stark had a butler. Steve had never even seen a butler, unless you counted on the silver screen at Sunday matinees. “We ship out Tuesday,” he said. “But - if you could get them a bit earlier, I’d like to - ”

Howard smirked at him. “All right, pal, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” said Steve, sincerely. He was planning to apologize one way or another, but he felt better bringing a peace offering when he did.

Howard grinned. “I like your spirit, kid. And, I’ve seen the way Peg can’t keep her eyes off you. You just might have a chance of coming out of this alive.”

Read the rest on A03

[erskiine]

Just a moment

MERRY CHRIST/HAPPY HOLIDAYS @captaindoritoes !!! Created for the 2022 steggy secret santa @steggyfanevents

I love winter, especially during the night when it’s snowing. It creates such an intimate feeling <3

[steverogersnotebook]

This is my gift for the 2022 Steggy Secret Santa for @avengeclintasha who suggested "them being soft together, no matter the setting. Peggy in the future or their lives after ‘endgame’ --run wild with whatever sparks your interest and have fun"

I did have fun, I love them and I hope you love the gift.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Summary: A vignette of Steve and Peggy in front of a fireplace during a winter storm.

Rating: teen+ Word count: 1352

Thank you @steggyfanevents for organizing this

[cafecitowriter]

I posted 2,022 times in 2022

39 posts created (2%)

1,983 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wedonttradelives

@theawkwardterrier

@laviejaguardia

@doctorhelena

@captainjimothycarter

I tagged 1,015 of my posts in 2022

Only 50% of my posts had no tags

#steggy - 320 posts

#peggy carter - 79 posts

#adorable - 56 posts

#steve rogers - 54 posts

#i love this - 49 posts

#star wars - 39 posts

#lmao - 36 posts

#i love them - 34 posts

#eternals - 31 posts

#eternals spoilers - 30 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#i literally had to block someone who drew aos fanart because they made may daisy and elena look as white as jemma in everything they made

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

mi pedazo de sol

Summary: Sarah Carter-Rogers tries to keep her chin up as she returns back home to celebrate her parents' 25th wedding anniversary in the wake of her own personal turmoil.

A/N: Written for Steggy Week 2022 Day 5: Domestic Bliss, featuring family in all its forms, with a focus on one of Steve and Peggy's kids in particular.

While this work is part of the Stars' Verse, this can be read as a standalone story. All you need to know it's an alternate branch universe post-Endgame where Steve and Peggy had three children: Sarah, Isabel, and Nathaniel, who all inherited some of Steve's enhancements to varying extents.

Title taken from Tacones Rojos by Sebastián Yatra. It means "my piece of sun".

Shout out to @steggyfanevents for hosting this event!

Read on AO3

Preview:

Steve walked into the bedroom after having brushed his teeth and washed his face, smiling at the sight on the bed. Peggy was dressed in one of his pyjama shirts (the worn out blue checkered one) and held a book in her hand that she was ignoring in favour of pursing her lips at an undetermined point just above their shared dresser.

“So… not a fan of Carrie?” Steve joked lightly as he approached the bed. He knew Peggy well enough to know that startling her - no matter how unwittingly - could be dangerous.

“Mm?” Peggy hummed, looking up at him before her eyes flicked to the book in her hand. “Oh, actually I’m afraid I haven’t started reading it yet.”

“That bad, huh?”

Peggy lightly smacked his chest as he settled into bed beside her, but shuffled over regardless, discarding the book carelessly on her nightstand in favour of curling up against him.

“I was just thinking about this weekend, our anniversary dinner.”

“Should I be worried that after 25 years you’re thinking this hard about our anniversary?”

“Only if you keep trying to be funny,” she quipped.

26 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

#4

Just One Thing (Chapter 8/8)

Chapter Title: All I want for Christmas

Chapter Summary: Peggy gets her wish (again). This time, she knows exactly what she needs to do.

Fic Summary: 16 year old Peggy Carter hates change. Change has only ever caused her trouble and made life harder. Which is why when one day, her best friend Steve confesses something that has the potential to change their dynamic forever, she makes a wish that she hopes will help her solve everything.

Because adults have everything figured out... Right?

A holiday version of 13 Going on 30 (more like 16 going on 36) Steggy Secret Santa ( @steggyfanevents​ ) present for @thesokovianaccords​. Inspired by the movie and this iconic AU gifset by @beautifulwhensarcastic

A/N: This ridiculously long final chapter/epilogue is brought to you by me not having any self-restraint whatsoever in terms of picking which scenes to keep and which to leave out, so consider this a director's cut-esque chapter. This was written with a lot of love for a super awesome person. Many thanks to Darcy for catching my mistakes and consistency errors.

Finally, Livia, happy belated holidays, and I really hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Read Chapter 8 here

Read from the beginning on AO3

Chapter Preview:

December 2001

“And well… you’re my true north, Peggy.”

Peggy’s hands froze. Her hands, that were slimmer and smaller and that had glitter nail polish on her fingernails, not bright red. She slowly looked up from the compass. It was nighttime, but she was no longer on aunt Lizzy’s couch. She was outside, close to the football field of Midwood high school.

And Steve was here, right in front of her. But he wasn’t 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and he certainly didn’t have a beard. He was 16 again, wearing his blue suit and nervous smile. Looking just like he did when he…

“Steve what… what are you saying?” she whispered.

He took a deep breath, and brought his hands out of his pockets just for him to stuff them back in again.

“I love you, Peggy.” Steve confessed, his voice shaking slightly.

“What?” she breathed out.

“I love you,” he repeated. “I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you since you punched Hodge on the first day of the first grade for picking on me.”

His words made Peggy want to cry tears of joy. She was back. It really worked and she was 16 again. This was her second chance. Slowly, her mouth grew into a large grin.

“Steve!” she squealed, tackling him into a huge hug.

Unfortunately for both of them, Peggy momentarily forgot that Steve no longer had the strength of giant muscles to support them both, especially since she caught him by surprise. The force of her hug had knocked Steve backwards, taking her along with him. They landed with a collective grunt, Peggy trying to readjust herself so she was hovering over Steve instead of crushing him beneath her.

“Ow,” he groaned, furrowing his eyebrows in pain.

“Sorry,” she said, looking down at him with a large smile.

“So is this your way of telling me I ruined everything or…?”

33 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#3

in silent screams and wildest dreams

Summary: Steve Rogers has been plagued by nightmares of death his entire life; his father’s and his mother’s, most of the time his own. Visions of blood and war and illness are the most prominent things in his life when he closes his eyes. At night he regularly dances with the Grim Reaper when she appears, flirting with countless outcomes of how his own demise will occur night after night.

Until he joins the army and meets Agent Carter.

Written for Steggy Week Day 2: Favourite Era, inspired by this ask from @thesokovianaccords and my love of war-time era Steggy.

Shout out to @steggyfanevents for hosting this event!

Read on AO3

Preview:

Steve has been plagued by nightmares his entire life.

The night terrors began during his toddler years, and never left him as he got older. At first, the only part of his dreams that followed him into consciousness was a strong burning sensation in his eyes and on his skin, as though his entire body was on fire. Steve would wake up night after night shaking and gasping for air, never knowing the reason why. As he grew up, he was finally able to remember the images that haunted him ceaselessly.

It was visions of his father, who had died of mustard gas before Steve was even born. In these dreams Steve never heard a sound but he could smell the gas, see his father’s face as he inhaled the poisonous fumes.

Steve never told his ma the details of what he saw. She had enough to worry about without being concerned that Steve was having visions of his father’s death every night. He got better at hiding the fact that he was still having these nightmares - just enough that his ma thought that he finally grew out of them.

He kept a book under his pillow filled with sketches that he drew every morning when he woke up, trying to make sense of it all. Maybe if he understood them, they would stop.

But they never did.

36 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

#2

STEGGY FANFIC READING CHALLENGE - COMPLETE

1.1 - Fluff

Comforts of Home by @teaandatale

Quiet moments caring for each other at home are one of the luxuries that Steve and Peggy treasure as they move into a life together.

This is one of the softest fics I’ve read and I adore it

~

1.2 - Reread an Old Favourite

S’Wonderful, S’Marvelous by @teaandatale​

Peggy’s been dreading her company’s weeklong business retreat at an upstate ski lodge until she makes an unexpected acquaintance.

I don’t know what to say other than despite the fact that I don’t tend to read winter/Christmas fics outside of November-February, I reread this one at least three times a year and it never fails to bring me comfort even if it is the dead of summer

~

1.3 - Captain America Adventure Hour

That Swell Liberty Gal Carrying A Torch For You by Redrikki

Angie was sure that skinny Steve had been a real swell guy, but there was no way he'd been good enough for her Peggy.

A series of conversations makes her change her mind.

I am a huge fan of any fics where Angie realizes who Peggy’s lost soldier is, and this one is no exception

~

1.4 - Trauma

I knew nothing but shadows by @beautifulwhensarcastic

Children of Thanos aren't meant to care for the life they had before Father took them in. Neither Nomad nor Margaret remember much of Terra for it to matter anyway, or to feel any kind of connection between them. Truthfully, they'd sooner cut the other's throat than bond.

Nothing says trauma like being a child of Thanos. Justine layers the trauma - and subsequent healing - in a beautiful way. Featuring enemies to lovers

~

1.5 - Cohabitation

Someone to watch over me by rachellovesligers

Steve tries to distract himself while Peggy's on a mission, but he's there to take care of her when she returns.

Technically Steve and Peggy aren’t living together, but they’re at each other’s apartments enough that they may as well be

~

2.1 - Double Steve or Peggy

like the way you burn by @formerlyir / irony_rocks

Soulmate mark AU. Peggy thinks about the mark, the compass. She thinks about the providence behind its appearance alongside Project Rebirth. It's only the beginning to a series of events destined to change her life and the fate of the future.

See the full post

47 notes - Posted March 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The Right Partner - Steggy Netflix Series

See the full post

221 notes - Posted July 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[imxthexhandler]

Ho ho ho, it's your Steggy Secret Santa! The elves and I have received your letter and are excited to get to work on your gift! We here at the North Pole are 100% behind giving Steve and Peggy some well-deserved joy and happiness, and we were wondering if you also had any more specific requests. Do you have any favorite tropes, eras, characters (aside from Peggy and Steve), scenarios, etc?

Hello, Secret Santa!

First off, I hope you are well!

Second, I am fine if it is an alternate reality, wartime, modern-day, What If? verse, post-Endgame compliant, whichever strikes your fancy! Set it at any time!

Third, other characters I adore are the other Avengers and the Howling Commandos, Howard Stark, Edwin and Anna Jarvis, and Angie.

Fourth, scenarios between Steve and Peggy I adore- the DANCE! Yes, I am hopeless romantic sucker. I was the person in the theater for Endgame, dressed as Peggy, who was literally crying when that scene happened.

Fifth, I am a sucker also for good banter, Steve not always being suave and smooth but sometimes just an adorable dork around Peggy and loving it when she’s a badass, Peggy not having to hide her opinions, soft side, or vulnerabilities around Steve. I’m also a fan of hijinks from the likes of Cary Grant romantic comedies.

Sixth, it can be Christmas-themed or not. I’m really not that picky, honestly. Heck, it can be Steve and Peggy having to help out Santa Claus with a super sleigh prototype that a time traveling Tony Stark helped his father Howard build with Dum-Dum and the other Commandos trying to make toys at the North Pole and getting drunk off egg nog. I am just curious what you come up with!

And if you have a writer’s blog or a creator blog, please let me know so I can link back to your blog after it’s written!

[steggyfanevents]

Steggy Secret Santa 2022 gift exchange - signups now open!

➡️ Sign up here. ⬅️

New for 2022 

We’ve shifted the event timeline to give you more time to finish your gifts. Take note of the earlier signup dates, and don’t miss out!

When you sign up, you now have the option to write a “Dear Santa” letter. We’ll deliver your letter in the match email!

Event timeline

November 18, midnight CT: Sign-ups close.

November 21: All matches are sent. If you don’t have a match email from us, check your spam folder before messaging the event team.

November 22 - December 24: Make your gift.

December 24 - January 1: Post your completed gift. Make sure to @ your match, and don’t forget to tag it #steggysecretsanta so we can see and share!

Full event guidelines below the cut.

Steggy Secret Santa is hosted by the friendly elves at @steggyfanevents. Follow us for Secret Santa updates, or @ us to get answers to your burning questions.

Please help the elves out by reblogging this post!

And, as always… don’t you dare be late.

Event guidelines

Steggy must be the focus of your gift. Including other pairings is fine, but Steggy should be the main pairing.

You now have the option to write a "Dear Santa" letter directly to your gift-maker. Like any letter to Santa, we can’t guarantee that you will get everything you ask for.

If you send your match an anon message, be sure to specify that this is for Steggy Secret Santa, as some people are signed up for more than one holiday exchange.

If you change your Tumblr URL at any time during the exchange period, let the event team know.

If you need to drop out, let the event team know right away. Don’t let a Secret Santa go ungifted!

Keep things fresh! Don’t repost previous work - your own or someone else’s.

Not following the guidelines may disqualify you from participating in this or future exchanges.

Fanfiction

Minimum of 1000 words; no maximum word limit.

If your entire fic is posted on Tumblr, please add a “read more” after the first few paragraphs.

Optional: make a graphic to go with your fic.

Art/Graphics

Minimum width is 540 pixels; no maximum width.

If drawing on paper, please scan your drawing (don’t take a photo).

Optional: write a ficlet to go with your art or graphic.

Gifsets

Minimum 4 gifs in one set; no maximum number of gifs.

Optional: write a ficlet to go with your gifset.

[thesokovianaccords]

#steggysecretsanta2k21 (organized by the ever-incredible @steggyfanevents team)

it all starts with that tip - a whistleblower reaches out to peggy carter, an investigative journalist with the guardian who has an impressive track record. she’s proven herself willing to stand up to power without fear and share the truth with whoever will listen (and many more who won’t). 

the whistleblower is natasha romanoff, an agent of shield who’s discovered a horrible truth. the intelligence organization tasked with global protection has been infiltrated from the earliest days and at the highest levels, all the way up to acting director alexander pierce. 

peggy knows the best guy for the job. she’s worked around steve rogers for many years, and she knows him best by reputation. he’s an expert in intelligence organizations and a dogged reporter, with an impressive contact list and a hatred for bullies. 

turns out, peggy’s initial instinct is right. she and steve are fast friends, and they chase the story on their respective sides of the atlantic with the same enthusiasm and determination that they’ve always brought to their own projects. they bond over long days and nights reviewing classified government documents and make each other playlists because they’re adamant that the other has terrible music taste. they order takeout for each other, recommend their best cocktail recipes, and spend hours on video calls, hashing out the best way to present the complicated technical jargon and make bets on whether their co-workers will finally admit that they don’t hate each other. they make each other better, the longer they work together, and the SHIELD files are just the beginning of a fruitful partnership - inside and outside the newsroom. 

an investigative journalist au for @steverogerscanyounot - happy happy holidays from your steggy secret santa, and best wishes for 2022! ( x / x )

[roboticonography]

Fic: A New Name For Everything (3/7)

Title: A New Name For Everything

Relationship: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers

Rating: M

Word count: Approximately 19K total

Work summary: Officially, Steve and Peggy are in New York for their honeymoon; unofficially, they are faking photos and forging documents to establish Steve’s new backstory. But there’s also a third, secret reason for the trip.

It’s hard to plan a surprise for a man who’s already seen the future, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Peggy Carter.

Notes:

For @somewhereapart for Steggy Secret Santa 2022. I promise it will be done someday!

Posted for Day 4 of @steggyfanevents Steggy Week 2023 - Family and Friends.

Read this chapter (AO3)

Read the story from the beginning (AO3)

[roboticonography]

Fic: A New Name For Everything (4/7)

Title: A New Name For Everything

Relationship: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers

Rating: M

Word count: Approximately 19K total

Work summary: Officially, Steve and Peggy are in New York for their honeymoon; unofficially, they are faking photos and forging documents to establish Steve’s new backstory. But there’s also a third, secret reason for the trip.

It’s hard to plan a surprise for a man who’s already seen the future, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Peggy Carter.

Notes:

For @somewhereapart for Steggy Secret Santa 2022. This may be my all-time record for latest completion of a Secret Santa fic.

Posted for @steggyfanevents' Saturdays at the Stork Club. (Last Saturday of every month! Event post is here if you missed it!)

Read this chapter (AO3)

Read the story from the beginning (AO3)

[doctorhelena]

Steggy Fic: Comfort and Joy: The Lost Chapter

I’ve created something for every day of Steggy Week 2022 over at @steggyfanevents! This is for Day 4 (Trope or Genre). Previous Days: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Summary: Chapter 9.5: In Which A Scandal is Averted and a Mission Prepared For

(This is a “missing chapter” from my my Secret Marriage story Comfort and Joy, containing a little subplot that I’d originally cut out so that I could finish my already very late Secret Santa gift. I think it can stand on its own without reading the rest of the fic, but if you want a refresher on the events Phillips is referring to at the beginning, they’re in Chapter 9 of Comfort and Joy.)

Rating: R

Read it on A03

Excerpt:

London, January 29, 1945

It wasn’t at all unusual for Peggy and Steve to be called into Phillips’ office simultaneously - Peggy was the Howling Commandos’ official liaison, after all, and Steve was their leader. So, perhaps foolishly, neither was particularly alarmed that morning when they found themselves arriving in his outer office at the same time.

“He seems mad,” Private Lorraine warned them as they passed, but that was normal too. Despite their general success at stomping out smaller Hydra targets, there had been a very frustrating lack of intel on the movements of its biggest players. Peggy wondered if perhaps one of the seeds she’d planted with her networks in northern Italy and Austria had finally borne fruit.

It wasn’t until they were both seated in his office with the door shut that Peggy got a sudden sense that something other than Hydra was wrong.

Phillips glared at them both for what seemed like a very long time before unfolding a newspaper to display a photograph of themselves with the Howling Commandos in the Whip and Fiddle three evenings ago, staring at each other with unmistakable intent - Peggy’s mouth half-open with the tip of her tongue just visible, Steve leaning his body well into her space, each of them looking rather like they wanted to devour the other.

“What,” Phillips asked, “did I tell you about flying under the radar? Carter, you’re a goddamn spy. You know perfectly well how to keep your face out of photographs, at least when this idiot isn’t keeping them in his compass and waving it around in newsreels. Does either of you want to explain what the hell happened here?”

There was a long silence. “We went out to the pub with our team, and happened to sit next to each other at a rather crowded table,” said Peggy, finally. “We were all on leave at the time. However, I should have been more aware that there was a camera present. I - don’t have a good excuse for that.” Their personal relationship aside, it was imperative that her image not be disseminated in photographs, particularly in the company of Captain America, or her spying career was as good as over.

Phillips narrowed his eyes. “It’s not the sitting together, so much as the fact that you look like you might be about to commit an indecent act right there on the table.” His glower intensified. “Not to mention the fact, Carter, that the reporter who took this is willing to swear he saw you pull Rogers into an alley halfway down the block, and come out both looking a hell of a lot less put together.”

Peggy closed her eyes. Bloody hell. She’d been more than a little tipsy at the time, certainly, and it wasn’t easy to spot a tail on a crowded street after only half a block, but - she should have noticed. She ordinarily would have. What had she - well, she knew what she’d been thinking.

“It wasn’t what it looked like,” said Steve, unexpectedly. “Agent Carter hadn’t eaten, and Dum Dum was buying, and - well,” he gestured ruefully. “Guess I messed up her hair a bit helping her hold it back while she threw up all that whiskey.”

Phillips snorted. “Right. Well, I believe she’d had a few too many, because she’s a much better spy than this.” He glared at her again. “But I also know she can drink a man under the table, and I’ve never known her to -  ” He frowned suddenly, peering at her sharply.

Peggy sat up straight. “No! Sir. I assure you, it is certainly not that.” Phillips raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. “I wasn’t sick in the alley. You were correct in your first assumption. I’d allowed my judgement to become somewhat impaired, and I pulled Captain Rogers into the alley to kiss him.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Steve turning red. Her own cheeks felt a bit warm, when it came down to it.

“It really was just a kiss,” Steve said cautiously, eyeing Phillips.

Phillips held up a hand. “Stop right there, son, I don’t want details. What I want is not to have to keep telling the Ministry of Information that they need to censor pictures of Captain America’s romantic adventures for national security reasons. First that damned compass, and now this. You two are on very, very thin ice.”

Peggy knew that her cheeks were flushed. “Sir, I - it was absolutely unacceptable, and shoddy spy work besides, and I promise it will never happen again. I - ” she sighed. “I let my guard down. It was stupid.”

“Yes, it was,” agreed Philips.

Steve looked indignant suddenly. “It wasn’t all Peggy’s fault.”

“Oh no, you’re in trouble too,” agreed Phillips. “It’s just that Agent Carter’s the one who should have known better. We already know you’ll never be a spy.”

Read the rest on A03