C164 Cougar

C164 Cougar

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-Red Room Base-

An hour earlier...

The dim light in Peggy Carter’s bedroom cast a warm, intimate glow over the space. Nestled beneath the soft covers, Peggy rested her head on Steve Rogers' chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear bringing a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in years. Her eyes were half-lidded, her mind drifting in the blissful haze of the moment.

Steve’s hand traced lazy, soothing patterns along her back, and she couldn’t help but smile, her fingers lightly brushing against his side.

The room was a pleasant mess, with clothes scattered around from the impromptu reunion, but Peggy couldn’t care less. For now, everything was perfect.

But as she lay there, a flicker of doubt wormed its way into her thoughts. It was a familiar doubt, one she’d tried to push aside but couldn’t quite banish.

"Steve," she murmured, her voice quiet and almost hesitant.

"Hmm?" Steve’s hand paused for a moment, then resumed its gentle motions.

Peggy bit her lip, steeling herself before continuing. "Is this really okay?"

Steve’s brow furrowed slightly, and he looked down at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"This," Peggy said, gesturing vaguely between them. "Us. I know we’re the same age, technically, but... you haven’t aged since you were frozen, and I..." She trailed off, her voice softening further. "I look like I could be your grandmother."

For a brief moment, Steve just stared at her, processing her words. Then, to Peggy’s surprise, a chuckle escaped his lips, and he shook his head in disbelief.

Peggy looked up at him, a mix of confusion and vulnerability in her eyes. Before she could say anything else, Steve leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, tender kiss. The unexpected gesture caused Peggy’s thoughts to scatter, and for a few blissful moments, she lost herself in the warmth and certainty of his embrace.

When Steve finally pulled back, he met her gaze with a smile that was both loving and reassuring. "I love you, Peggy," he said firmly. "Old or young, it doesn’t matter. I just want you. I wanted you in 1942, and I want you in 1993 too. Nothing is going to change that."

Peggy’s heart skipped a beat at his words, her breath catching in her throat. For a rare moment, her usual stoic demeanor gave way to a flicker of vulnerability as she looked up at him. "Really?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Steve’s smile turned mischievous as he repositioned himself on top of her, his strong arms bracketing her on either side. "It seems I have to prove it to you with actions since words don’t seem to be enough," he teased, his voice dropping to a playful murmur as he leaned in closer.

Peggy’s heart raced, and she felt a thrill of anticipation at his words. But just as their lips were about to meet again, the shrill ring of a phone cut through the intimate atmosphere like a knife.

"Ugh..." The spell was broken, and Steve hesitated, glancing toward the source of the noise—a brick-sized cell phone perched on the bedside table.

Steve made to pull away so that Peggy could answer it, but she quickly pulled him back down to her, shaking her head. "Leave it," she murmured, her voice laced with frustration. "I’ll deal with it later."

But the phone continued to ring, its insistence growing more and more irritating with each passing second. The mood was thoroughly ruined, and Steve sighed, giving Peggy an apologetic look. "Just answer it, Peggy. It could be important."

Peggy groaned, knowing he was right. She reluctantly reached over to the bedside table, picking up the clunky device. With an annoyed and frustrated tone, she answered, "I don’t know who this is, but you’d better have a damn good reason for interrupting me..."

On the other end of the line, Peter’s voice came through, sounding far too casual for someone who was supposed to be in trouble. "Hey, Peggy. So, uh, funny story—I’ve been arrested."

Peggy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, her annoyance quickly shifting to intrigue. "Arrested?" she repeated, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in amusement. "How on earth did you manage that? With all your abilities, I figured escaping some cops would be the easiest thing in the world. Why are you calling me? Just break out or something. I’ll handle the aftermath later. Just... don’t kill anyone, alright?"

There was a brief pause on the line before Peter answered, his tone resigned. "There were some... factors that made getting arrested the best option at the time. Trust me, it’s not as simple as it sounds."

Listening in on the conversation, Steve raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. He leaned in slightly, catching snippets of the conversation. "Who got arrested?" he asked quietly, directing his question to Peggy.

Peggy held up a finger, signaling him to give her a minute as she continued the conversation. But Peter, who seemed to have overheard Steve’s voice through the phone, immediately asked, "Wait, was that Capsicle? Did he wake up?"

Peggy’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, feeling a bit flustered as she glanced at Steve, who was still waiting for an answer. "No, no one’s here. It’s just me." She denied, unsure how to explain her current situation.

Steve, who had been quietly observing the exchange in confusion, finally caught on to what Peter was doing and couldn’t help the amused smile that spread across his face.

Peggy, on the other hand, was torn between wanting to beat Peter to death and finding the situation utterly ridiculous.

The officers in the room were now whispering among themselves, exchanging bewildered looks. The young cop who had tried to stop Peggy earlier was staring at Steve with renewed confusion, his brain working overtime to process the absurdity of what he was hearing.

At the same time, a group of female secretaries huddled together in a corner, giggling as they whispered amongst themselves. Their eyes darted toward Peggy and her young companion, their expressions turning scandalous as they pieced it together.

She was a cougar!

Finally, just as Peggy opened her mouth to put an end to Peter’s antics, the Police Chief came marching out from his office, his expression one of annoyance and curiosity. "What’s going on here?" he demanded, his authoritative voice cutting through the tension in the room.

Peter immediately stopped his performance, flashing a smug grin in Peggy’s direction before leaning back against the cell wall with a satisfied look on his face.

Peggy, still struggling to maintain her composure, sent one last withering glare at Peter, "You’re lucky I owe you so much, or else I’d leave you here to rot." With that, she spun on her heel and stormed over to the Police Chief, her steps firm and filled with purpose.

Before following Peggy, Steve turned to Peter, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "You know she’s gonna get her revenge for that, right?"

Peter, still leaning casually against the cell wall, returned the smile, clearly unfazed by the warning. "Yeah, yeah, probably," he said with a shrug. "But it's good to see you up and running, Captain."

Steve's expression softened with gratitude. "And I hear I have you to thank for that."

Peter shrugged again, his tone more sincere this time. "Peggy’s my friend. I just wanted to do something nice for her."

Steve’s smile grew warmer, the respect he felt for the young man evident in his eyes. "Well, you have my thanks," he said, giving Peter a nod of appreciation before turning to catch up with Peggy.

Meanwhile, Peggy had already reached the Chief, who was still standing dumbfounded outside of his office.

She pulled out her Shield badge, flashing it with an air of authority. "Peggy Carter, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," she introduced herself, her tone leaving no room for questions or doubt.

“?” The Chief, still processing the whirlwind that had just entered his precinct, barely had time to register what was happening. “W-what...?”

She didn't wait for an invitation and instead brushed past him, entering his office as if she owned the place. "Come inside and close the door behind you," she ordered, not even glancing back to see if he was following her command.

The Chief, clearly out of his depth, could only stare at her retreating form, a mixture of confusion and indignation flashing across his face. This entire situation was unfolding too quickly for him to keep up.

Just as he was about to gather his wits, Steve stepped up beside him and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I’d listen to her if I were you," Steve advised with a calm, almost sympathetic tone. "She can be quite scary when she’s angry."

With that, Steve followed Peggy into the office, leaving the Chief standing alone, still trying to process everything. The realization that he was dealing with forces well beyond his pay grade finally seemed to hit him, and with a defeated sigh, he turned to see every cop in the station watching him.

Embarrassed, the Chief barked at the other officers, "What are you all looking at?! Get back to work!"

As the other cops scrambled back to their duties, the Chief reluctantly entered his office, closing the door behind him.

Inside, Peggy had already seated herself at his desk, in his chair, looking every bit the commanding officer she was. Steve stood beside her, his presence imposing yet calm.

...

Back in the holding cell, Peter watched all of this unfold with an amused smile. “I should get arrested more often...” He muttered.

But then, a soft voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the present. "What was that about?"

Peter turned to see Mikaela, who had woken up during the commotion he made. She was sitting up, rubbing her eyes sleepily, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity.

“And... was that Captain America?” she asked, uncertain.

“Uhh...”

A/N: 2643 words :)????????