A/N: Three chapter update today. Enjoy :D
Agent Carter is a force of nature. She's one part refinement, one part terrifying drill sergeant, and one part brilliance, all wrapped up in one beautiful, intimidating woman.
There is a practiced danger to her movements, an inborn authority and a presence that brooks absolutely no insubordination. Agent Carter resolutely demands respect, just by walking into a room.
Steve likes her immediately.
Of course, it seems only men with half a brain pick up on Carter's presence. When one of the recruits starts catcalling and back-talking her, Steve is just considering telling the man where exactly he can put his crass remarks when Agent Carter puts a stop to the situation decisively herself, with a mean right hook. In one shot, she drops Pvt. Hodge (the smart-mouthed jackass) straight into the dirt. Steve almost cheers, though he manages to keep himself to just an entertained smirk.
Hodge must notice, because he spends the next six weeks making Steve's life a living hell. Steve vaguely considers asking him if he's related to Billy Williams or Stan Hargrove back in Brooklyn. They all like the same stupid insults and resort to the same asshole tactics for their bullying.
He doesn't bother.
None of the others want him here, he can see that. The colonel clearly doesn't. Hodge especially seems to take his presence as an insult. Steve thinks, as politely as he can, that they are all free to go straight to hell if they think he's going to let that stop him after coming this far.
He even refrains from laughing at the stunned faces of his company when he pulls the pin out of the base of the camp's flag-pole and strolls over to collect the camp flag and his free ride back to the barracks.
Steve's a gentleman like that.