America's Sweetheart (Steve Rogers) - 1

11

"Stop." Peggy muttered as there was another thud against her desk.

"Stop what?"

"Kicking my desk, let alone sitting on it – go back to your own!" The eldest Carter sibling snapped and shoved her sister off her perch.

Mo rolled her eyes. "I'm bored."

"So find something to do! It's not even eight in the morning and you're already getting on my last nerve."

Mo stomped back off to her desk that was outside of the Colonel's office and looked at the paper. By now the news had spread about Captain America, and he was to receive a medal for valour. It was front page news on all of the newspapers that were on her desk.

Steve deserved all the recognition he could get. Erskine would be proud.

"Someone needs to turn the sun down!" Howard arrived looking a little worse for wear. No doubt he'd spent the night consuming a stupid amount of alcohol in the company of a woman or two. "One minute it's raining and the next WHAM!"

Mo pouted. "You need to curb your drinking habits, then perhaps you wouldn't be suffering."

"Just seeing you curbs everything in the right way doll face."

"Ergh." Peggy rolled her eyes from across the room and Howard smirked. "Honestly Howard, that's my sister..."

"What can I say? She's a beautiful woman." Howard wetted his lips. "Did you manage to find Steve and give him the message?"

Mo nodded. "I did indeed. He'll be here."

Howard shoved his hands into his pockets. "Good. I've got a lot of things to show him, come and have a look now..." he beckoned towards the lab and both Carter sisters followed, seeing everything that was laid out. The suit currently undergoing modifications.

"What are these?" Mo frowned at what was laid out in front of her.

"He's quite partial to the shield? So I whipped up a few prototypes." Howard shrugged casually. "Hydra's gonna be quaking in their boots once we're done here."

"I think they already are." Peggy noted, "Schmidt has seen him and what he can do, there's going to be more guards patrolling facilities, more assaults..."

Mo crossed her arms. "Let him try. We've barely scraped the surface. It's gonna take ages to destroy these bases and what's in them."

"How long we talking about?" Howard asked.

"A year or two at least. It depends on how we go about it."

Peggy frowned. "We?"

"Steve asked me to help, and I said yes."

"Wait what! No! Are you barmy!"

Mo waited for her to stop. "I'm doing what I'm meant to do, I'm not going to be running at Johann Schmitt with a bloody rifle!"

"No but he'll have his own air defences..."

"Hence why I'm here?" Mo gestured to herself. "If destroying a Hydra base means flying a plane into it then I will."

Peggy was refusing to believe this. "No, no way...and Phillips agreed to this!"

Mo nodded. "He did. Look Peg I'll be fine, I've flown hundreds of times..."

"I'm just worried that..."

"I'm not going to be bombed out of the sky and if I am? Then so be it. It's war and if my name ends up being another to add to a list of condolences then that's life."

Peggy gritted her teeth. "But you're a pilot not a soldier!"

"And I don't claim to be that either. But it's simple. You're doing your bit, and now I'm doing mine. Not just because I want to prove a point, but because I have to see that Steve and his team complete our main goal. Take out Hydra. Take out Schmidt." And before her sister could say anything else, she walked out of the lab and back to her desk.

Steve arrived at the lab a while later and saw that Mo was sitting at her desk going through some papers. "Morning..." He greeted her as he approached slowly.

She looked up and smiled. "Captain. Did you enjoy the rest of your evening?"

"I think Bucky and the others are paying for it more than me..." He said and saw her face change. "Alcohol...found out it doesn't affect me, so the downside? Can't get drunk."

"Tragic." She pouted.

He leant back against the desk facing her own and crossed his arms. "So...did you erm...sleep well?"

That was pathetic, and now he was mentally kicking himself.

"Not particularly, but these days I never do." She shrugged and put the papers into a new file before rounding her desk and passing him a paper. "Seems that you are being recognised for what you were meant for."

He took a look at the headline and brushed it off. "It's not...I mean, I..." he didn't really know what to say.

"Erskine would be proud."

"I hope so." He said with a small smile. "He's the only one who ever really believed me...I mean, apart from you."

Mo was fully aware that they were now incredibly close as they stood next to one another, shoulders brushing lightly.

Peggy rounded the corner and cleared her throat, telling Steve that Howard was ready. The pair quickly moved apart. "I guess I'll see you later." He nodded and made his way to the lab.

Peggy watched him go and then looked at her sister with a frown. "Don't even think about it." Mo warned and shrugged on her jacket. "I'll be in the hangar if you need me."

"I'll be sure to relay that to Captain Rogers when he's finished in the lab."

Mo said nothing to that and continued walking, trying to focus on the tasks she had for the day instead of Steve. Thankfully her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Dugan waiting for her. "Little bird tells me that you could probably out drink most of the men here." He grinned. 

"And would that little bird also be called Peggy?" 

Dugan laughed loudly. "Got it in one - I've been told you're a Commando now." 

"I'm a what?" 

"A Commando - The Howling Commandos to be precise. Don't ask, we just came up with the name while we were drunk and it sounded pretty good." He shrugged. "Anyway, Cap told us you're on the team? So naturally you're going to be coming out and drinking with us tonight" 

Mo smirked at this. "Am I now? Well I'm not a Commando nor do I want to be. I'm just back up for when you boys are high and dry with no other option." 

Dugan eyed her. "Not what we've been told but believe what you want Carter, either way I'm gonna be drinking you under the table this evening." 

"I really wouldn't lay down that challenge Dum Dum, you'll only lose." 

"Prove me wrong then Britannia." 

Mo thought for a moment and then held her head high. "Ok then, you're on."