For:  @tqpannie , @amazon-x , and miss_elizabeth Pairing:  Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers Prompt: Irish Coffee Rated: T

"I dunno, Darcy…" Steve said softly, looking down where his hands still clasped hers, unwilling to let go even if he was having second thoughts about what she was asking.

"C'mon, Steve… no one's going to make fun of you. If they did, I'd knock 'em out. Not to mention that you have a seventy-year explanation for not knowing the latest and greatest dance moves."

She swung their hands between them as the band started to play something a little slower, but just enough.

He found himself nodding, thinking for a short moment that it was probably the bourbon he'd sipped at the bar earlier that was affecting his answer. Except he didn't get affected by the sauce anymore… not since his seventy-year explanation for having no moves.

Darcy tugged his hands softly, until he came with them, allowing her to wrap both around her waist. She held them there for a moment, likely worried they'd fall away if she didn't, but Steve was already entranced.  

Hypnotized by the low, throbbing beat of the slower song. The way her hips coaxed his own into motion. The way he picked up the rhythm without any prodding from her.

The way they moved together once she wound her arms around his neck.

It was a slow dance, but damn if it wasn't intimate.

He could hear every tiny sound Darcy made. The exhales, the throaty hums, the rumble that caught in her throat when he moved one hand down just so…

"Thought you said you never danced with a dame before…" Darcy teased, her voice low and only for him.

"Guess I'm a quick learner," he replied.

"Lucky for me," she chuckled.

I personally used short circular needles when making the Hawkeye Hat—my interchangeable set has a 16″ cord that made it easy to switch sizes after the ribbing—and then I transferred the stitches onto the 30″ cable to use the Magic Loop method for the decrease rounds.

That said, the beauty of knitting in the round is that you can do it any way you like—the yarn won’t know the difference! If you prefer to use DPNs or to do Magic Loop on a longer length of circular needle, you can (just watch out for laddering if you’re new to the techniques). 

If you prefer to use straight needles, remember to purl the wrong side to maintain the stockinette stitch and to add an extra stitch on each side for the selvedge edge.

Shouldn’t Natasha be an egg?