Peggy and Liv rounded the corner in SSR Headquarters in London when they came upon Steve kissing Col Phillips' blond assistant Lorraine.
"What the hell?" Liv gasped.
"Captain!" Peggy loudly called out, a frown on her face. "We're ready for you, unless you're otherwise occupied."
She turned on her heel and Liv gave Steve a death glare as he broke loose and straightened his uniform.
"Peggy, wait!" he pleaded, hurrying after Peggy. Liv angrily punched his shoulder as he passed her.
"Owww," he said, looking at Liv.
"How could you?" she hissed at him.
"It's not what you think!" he said, trying to catch up with Peggy.
"You still don't know a bloody thing about women," Peggy bit out when she led him to Howard. Liv turned on the blonde.
"You best get out of my sight if you don't want a black eye," Liv threatened. Lorraine huffed but Liv could see the fear in her eyes. "Go on!"
The secretary scuttled away.
Liv caught up with Peggy, who was still fuming. They wandered to where Steve was trying shields.
With an innocent face, he smiled at Peggy.
"You quite finished, Mr. Stark?" Peggy asked, ignoring Steve.
"What do you think?" Steve asked her, holding up the vibranium shield in front of him.
Peggy grabbed the gun closest to her on the table and aimed directly at Steve, letting off four rounds.
Howard ducked for cover as Steve cowered behind the shield. Liv shook her head at her cousin's antics. Peggy was nearly as good of a shot as she was.
"There are better ways to handle your anger, girl," Liv muttered behind Peggy.
"Yes, I think it works," Peggy stated, feeling much better now. She set the gun back down and sauntered right past Steve. Liv raised an eyebrow at him as she trailed behind.
Steve and Howard just stared at their backs in awe.
"Please forgive me," Steve begged Peggy that evening at the apartment he temporarily was inhabiting with Bucky.
Still livid about his behavior, Peggy didn't want to see him before the squad left on their six-part mission later that week. But Liv had insisted, telling her she'd regret it if God forbid something happened to him.
Peggy didn't want to admit her cousin was right. But she also couldn't bear for Steve to leave without settling whatever this was between them.
Liv happily accompanied Peggy to the apartment as her chaperone. Not that Peggy needed one, but Liv wasn't about to pass up spending some private time with Bucky before they headed out to the field.
Thanks to her experience on cattle drives, she knew time alone was rare.
Bucky whisked Liv to the living room couch while Peggy and Steve hashed it out in the kitchen.
"Do you think she'll forgive him?" Bucky whispered, glancing at the two. "He feels guilty for kissing that woman."
"Then why did he do it?" Liv haughtily retorted, drawing his attention back to her. "Peggy thought they had something special."
"That floozy was the one who threw herself at him before he could react," Bucky said, defending his best pal.
Liv lifted an eyebrow.
"Really? From where I stood, he seemed to be enjoying it," she said. Bucky sighed.
"Aww, c'mon. What was he supposed to do? Shove her away, slap her?" he said.
Liv snorted.
"Whatever it takes," she flippantly replied, pointedly looking at her fingernails.
"Don't be like that, dollface," Bucky pleaded. "It wasn't his fault. I'm telling you, he's been sick about it all day. He really does care about Peggy."
Liv finally lifted her eyes.
"And what about you? What would you have done in his place? What if some floozy had thrown herself at you?" she asked.
She had no illusions that Bucky was hers exclusively; Soldiers—or any man for that matter—like Steve were one-of-a-kind. But Liv couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth with the high hopes that Bucky might be like Steve.
Bucky gave her a half smile.
"Is that your way of asking me to go steady?" he half-joked, half-serious.
Exasperated, Liv started to stand when Bucky stopped her by grabbing her hand.
"I would have told her that I had someone waiting for me, politely removed her hands from me, and then walked away," he softly said, his gaze boring into hers. "Don't let her come between us, Liv."
"You're just saying that to appease me," Liv weakly said, knowing full well that wasn't the case at all.
"Not at all," Bucky said, licking his lower lip and biting down on it in one of the most endearing sights Liv had ever witnessed. Damn, how would she ever be able to resist this man?
The Howling Commandos weren't the least surprised when Liv boarded the military cargo truck behind Captain America, her lariat looped over her shoulder and a pistol strapped to her thigh.
"Anyone ready for some action?" Bucky shouted as he bounded up the ramp behind Liv.
"Always!" Dum Dum, who sat in the driver's seat, returned with a grin.
Steve double-checked their equipment before giving Dum Dum the thumbs up.
"You sure you can drive this thing?" Gabe asked Dum Dum.
"Just like driving a Buick," he replied. Gabe glanced at Jacques who muttered in French something about stupidity.
They raided and ransacked one Hydra base after another. Liv was right in the thick of it, her sharpshooting rivaling Bucky's.
In fact, the men treated Liv like one of the boys and started taking bets as to who would be the most likely to kill the most Nazis—her or Bucky.
Steve refused to take sides when they asked him to add to the pool. He had seen both in action; not to mention there was no way he was going to choose between his best friend and his best gal's cousin.
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter; fortunately you get a much longer-and smuttier-one next!
