Back to You [An Endgame Continuation]

Calm Before the Storm

Low-key could stare at him forever 😭
Also— 4K!?!? 💕
XxLauren_Luv

§Ｃａｌｍ  Ｂｅｆｏｒｅ  ｔｈｅ  Ｓｔｏｒｍ§
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p.o.v: Peggy

The next morning, I stood waiting by the plane, looking for Howard and Steve to show up at eight, but when I saw their small figures dot the gray horizon, it was well past that time. The rain was gathering in puddles around my shoes, and I wouldn't have been surprised if the heat coming of my face converted the water around it into steam.

As they walked toward me, I could tell Howard was hungover, judging from his awful posture and dragging feet. Steve had to prop him up under his arm, and I fought the need to crumple my newspaper I had read seven times into a ball and lurch it at their heads.

When they were in hearing distance, I began. "Would you like to explain why you're four hours late or are you just going to keep that information to yourself?"

As they walked closer, I noticed that the lack of an umbrella had caused Steve's hair to be soaked and darkened into a deep brown. He stopped a couple feet in front of me and started to speak. "I'm sorry—"

"Oh stop with the damn chivalry," Howard interrupted hotly as he tried rubbing the rain out of his bloodshot eyes. "It wasn't your fault. I was the one who forgot to come home last night."

"Ah!" I exclaimed as if I had solved some mystery. "Let me guess. You spent the night with a skimpy broad and a bottle of Jack," The end of the sentence lost its sarcasm and revealed the anger I felt bubbling under the surface. "How predictable."

"Save the lecture for the plane," Howard replied flatly, shrugging away from Steve to unlock the plane with the key in his pocket.

My burning red ears almost seemed to sizzle when the cool raindrops landed on them, and in the one moment Steve and I were alone, I avoided his eyes in frustration.

He waited a moment before speaking. "You know you never came home last night either," he said, and his concerned tone made the churning anger in my stomach dissipate like it had never even been there. "Where'd you go?"

I chose to stare at the plane's landing gear. "I was out."

His silence was a clear indication that the answer wasn't enough, but he let it go.

With each second that passed, the pull I was feeling towards his eyes was increasing, and eventually there was nothing I could do to not turn my head to look at him.

I was surprised to see that the first expression I saw on his face was... guilt. Droplets of water threaded his brows and lashes as he propped a thumb behind him, gesturing to the previous scene with Howard. "Over there when.. when I said I was sorry." His jaw clenched as he assembled the words. "I wasn't talking about Howard."

I pressed my lips together as I realized what he was saying sorry for, and the words I wanted to say to him formed. Of course you're sorry, and you should be. You had no right to try and kiss me and I had no right to let you, and now you're making me question everything. Instead, two words came out, curt and dismissive. "I know."

His concerned expression remained the same except for the slight dip in his eyebrow, and he opened his mouth like he was about to say something.

Howard knocked loudly on the side of the plane and beat him to it. "You guys comin' or what?" He shouted out to us.

"Yeah," I finally said to Howard after a short delay, my accent omitting the "h." "Coming." My eyebrows knitted together, and I pulled myself away, walking to the plane before I found myself saying anything else.