#peggysous fanfic

[hr-nm-grnd-zr]

Peggy Carter - Mermay Prompt “Scales” Ao3

no warnings except maybe grammar errors

This takes place after Season 2, she doesn’t know about her brother yet.

I’ve had this Mermaid Peggy headcanon for a while now and I kinda like it. Might post more every once in a while. Feel free to send ideas but I cannot promise anything.

@peggycarterbingo

It had been a long day, very hot as well due to the L.A. sun. Peggy was driving home in a car which, now that she was staying in L.A. for a while longer, had been designated to her. It came in quite useful considering Mr. Jarvis had been busy driving Howard around after he had finished his movie project. In fact, him and both Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis went on a business trip over the next few days. They had left earlier that day and wouldn’t be back until Wednesday afternoon.

She turned into the Stark Mansion driveway, stopping in front of the door. It was the first time she would be alone for more than a few hours in this House. She had been thinking about it for a few days now. It had been a long while, with all the working and all the people around her. Also, the water quality in New York’s rivers was worse than just questionable. She had been living here for a few months now but was way too busy to go to the beach. And even though she considered Mr. Jarvis one of her best friends, with his good observation skills it was hard to stay unseen when he was so eager to drive her everywhere. Especially late in the evenings, which was the best time to go swimming without risking anyone to see her. It was frustrating, to say the least. Peggy got out of the car, taking her keys from her bag and opened the door. “Hello?”, she shouted into the house. ‘Just making sure’, she thought. When nobody answered she made her way to the kitchen, dropping off her bag in the hallway, to get something cold to drink. She found a cold, homemade lemonade from Mrs. Jarvis. Peggy wouldn’t tell her husband of course but Ana made the best lemonade she’d ever had. She took the jug out of the fridge and got a glass from the cupboards. Pouring the drink while she walked to the garden, then sat down at the table outside and considered the pool for a second while she practically downed her first glass of lemonade. It was way too hot in this city. Looking around again she slowly got up. No one was here. She unbuttoned her blouse and took off her trousers, subconsciously slipping off her shoes in the process. Walking towards the pool she took off her bra and underwear leaving them in a trail on the floor. She dipped her toes into the water. It wasn’t too cold but nice and refreshing. She sat down on the edge feeling the tingly sensation of the shifting on her legs as scales started to appear. Quickly she lowered herself into the pool, her legs fusing together, her bones getting more flexible shifting into a different structure. She let herself drop under the water breathing out and taking a deep breath of water in. Pool water wasn’t ideal, but it would do for now. Peggy sank to the bottom letting the water cool her overheated body temperature. If she were over the water, you could hear her long sigh. Instead, a bit of left over air escaped her lungs in small bubbles. She couldn’t say how long she swam in that pool, maybe 30 minutes, maybe two hours. Peggy had gotten so used to not being able to swim she totally forgot how good it felt. Like coming home after a very long day. Her thoughts drifted to her parents back in England and her brother. How they had visited related family on the coast and their father teaching them all about their heritage from the sea. Feeling nostalgic she was now letting herself float on the water, deep in thought. That’s when the doorbell rang. Opening her eyes and blinking confused she wondered who could be at the door. Freezing for a moment she remembered Daniel had wanted to come by for dinner. She swam towards the edge of the pool from where she could see the clock on the living room wall. It was 5 pm. He was just on time. Shit. She let her tail shift back into legs as fast as possible and climbed out of the pool. Picking up her clothes on the way to the cabinet. She opened it, got out two towels and stuffed her clothes inside. She wrapped the small one around her head. When she was rubbing the water off her body the bell rang again. Stumbling a bit Peggy made her way to the front door while wrapping the bigger towel around herself, trying to conceal as much as possible. In the hallway she quickly checked in the mirror for panda eyes but the water had washed all the make up away. Only a hint of her red lipstick was left on her lips. She opened the front door. Hadn’t it been so embarrassing she would have laughed at the expression on Daniels face. He was mid frozen in knocking on the door, looking up and down her body. Peggy laughed nervously. “I must have forgotten about the time.”, she offered, and Daniel raised one of his eyebrows. “Where you still in the shower?” “Actually…”, she paused, pursing her lips, “I was in the pool.” Now he was grinning. “You? In the pool?” “Yes me.”, she said in mock offense. “It is surprisingly relaxing when Howard isn’t around.” Peggy took a step back to let Daniel in while he still grimaced at her last comment. Closing the door, she offered: “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the garden for a moment. There’s lemonade on the table.” Pausing she furrowed her brows. “You might need some ice, it has been out there for a few hours. I suppose it must be warmed up by now.” Chuckling, Daniel gave her a peck on the cheek. “Alright. I’ll wait for you there.” Peggy smiled and turned around to run up the stairs. “I’ll be quick!”, she shouted back at him. “Okay.”, Daniel answered grinning. But just as she turned around the corner something on her left leg caught his eye. It had only been there for a second. He must’ve imagined it. Daniel shook his head and walked to the kitchen to get the ice. But it had looked so real. He thought he had seen some bright red scales on Peggy’s calf.

[momentofch-aos]

M's Marvel Thought of the Day

Daniel Sousa, now settled in the 21st century, looks up what happened to his friends from his own timeline.

Daisy had already gently broken the news about Peggy's death to him. They visited her grave site and talked about the adventures and missions the two had been on.

He read the case file on Howard and Maria Stark's death, the Winter Solider case and knowledge of who he was sending him for a loop. He'd met Sergeant Barnes once, that day when he thought he would die on the battle field. He had never been Howard's biggest fan but no one deserved that.

He read the obituaries of Ana and Edwin Jarvis, found they were buried in New York, side by side as they'd been in life. He left pink flowers - Ana's favourite colours of peonies - on their grave, and thanked them for their friendship and support.

There had been two people he'd been somewhat surprised to find out were still alive and unbelievably in the same old people's home in DC. He'd been unsure whether visiting would be a good idea but after some gentle investigating from Daisy and Mack, he found himself entering a rec room. There was various elderly people around, reading newspapers or napping in high backed armchairs. But no-one looked familiar. Daisy squeezed his hand before getting the attention of one of the nurses, who led them around the corner of the room.

As they make their approach when Daniel hears a far too familiar voice, making him stop in his tracks.

"Ha! Got you again Thompson, pay up!" Rose Roberts, with now grey hair but with the same thick glasses, smirked triumphantly across the top of the checkers board.

The older man across the table groaned. "We go through this every damn day Rose. Can we go back to Chess?" Daniel took in the older man he'd known a life time ago, hair still slicked back in the way it had always been. A cane leant against the wall behind him and he coughed after laughing at Rose's comeback.

"Chief Thompson? Agent Roberts?" The nurse asked drawing their attention. "You have some visitors."

Both former agents looked across to see Daniel standing with an indecipherable look on his face.

"Fucking hell..."

"What the hell..." Their voices overlapped suddenly.

"Hey Rose, hey Jack." Daniel said stepping forward. Rose struggled to her feet, using the table to leverage herself up.

"Chief? Is that really you?" Rose looked up at him, his arms coming up to help balance her.

"It's me. It's good to see you Rose." And he found himself engulfed in her arms, wrapping his back around her and holding her tight. "God it's good to see you Rose."

"How the hell are you here?" She said as she looked back up to him. "And who's the beautiful woman you brought with you?" She fixed him with that same mischievous look she used to shoot at him all the time after glancing to Daisy who stood off to the side. Always so invested in his love life, so he chuckled.

"I can explain everything I promise. Why don't we sit?" He helped her back to her chair, glancing across to Jack who had his hand's in fists on the other side of the table. "Hi Thompson."

"Who are you?" He demanded. "You're sure as hell not Daniel Sousa. He died in...55." He paused remembering the exact year. "We buried him. We... mourned him. You sure as hell aren't him."

"I can explain that I am Jack."

"I am 102, not stupid." Rose scoffed, making both men turn to her.

"Jack do be serious. What about Rogers? He came back to Peg did he not?"

"How can we be sure? It may be some traitor. Davey was telling me just the other day about those shape shifting aliens Fury was palling around with..." Jack started saying.

"How about this Jack? I'll prove it to you." The older man looked puzzled but let him continue. "Before you went to Russia with Carter, met the Howling Commandoes when we were investigating Stark. You tricked me in the locker room, into seeing Carter changing. You asked me to get your compass from..."

"Locker 42." Jack finished his sentence and looked Daniel up and down, his gaze resting on the prosthetic leg.

"I've still only got one leg but the future makes a better prosthetic than Stark by a mile." Daniel joked, and Jack stood at that, pulling Daniel into a hug that he was not expecting. "It's good to see you too Jack."

They sat back down, chairs pulled up for Daniel and Daisy, as they told the story of faking his death, and pulling him out of time. Of their adventures into space and the weird and wacky things he'd discovered in the 21st Century.

They told him stories from their own lives after his death, cases he'd missed out on, Howard's ridiculousness. Peggy's rise to power. The three old friends spoke fondly of her, recalling stories from throughout the time they spent with her.

Rose grilled him and Daisy on their story and relationship, telling Daisy all the embarrassing things that Daniel had been happy to leave behind in the 50's. The unlikely pair giggled and formed a friendship.

Rose told her stories of her first and second marriage, her daughter, son-in-law and grandson who would visit every weekend.

Jack had been married when Daniel died, to Peggy's lovely personal secretary Ruth who knew how to put him in his place. They'd only had a daughter the year or two before Daniel supposedly died. Jack talked about how they'd gone on to have three more daughters, now had 8 grandchildren, including a grandson who had joined SHIELD recently (Daniel promised to keep an eye out for him). Then, his Ruth had passed a few years ago and Daniel expressed his condolences.

At that moment, a young boy, probably 5-years-old barrelled into the room and to Jack's side. "Pops, Pops!"

"Hey there, Danny. How's my favourite guy?" With surprising strength for a man of his years, Jack swung the young man up till he was sat on his knee.

"I'm good! Momma's coming now." He pointed to where a pretty blonde was making her way across the room, shaking her head as she stooped to kiss Jack on the cheek and ruffle her son's head.

"Sorry Grandpa, the traffic was horrendous." She greeted Rose much the same way, passing her a package. "Fudge from that place on 4th for your Rose, Danny over there insisted." She turned to the guests who sat between them. "Hello, I'm Ruthy." She shook their hands.

"Ruthy, this is Daniel and Daisy. Daniel, Daisy, my granddaughter Ruthy and her son, Danny." Jack smirked at Sousa as his great-grandson played with the watch on his wrist.

"Danny? Huh." Was the only thing Daniel came up with as he watched an old friend acting like a goofy grandparent.

"Yeah, Grandpa had a friend called Daniel who saved his life a bunch of times when he was younger. Used to tell us stories all about Sousa and Carter and their adventures. We never believed him until we found out where he worked." Ruthy filled in nonchalantly, sitting on the opposite side of the table, digging through her bag to produce a water bottle for her son unaware of the look on Daniel's face. Jack smirked massively. "Here, Grandpa. I managed to grab that album from storage that you wanted." She handed across a large leather bound photo album to the older man, who flipped through a few pages.

"Here you go Daisy, you'll like this one." Jack smirked, that old charming smile creeping onto his face as he passed the now open book across to her, Daniel peering over her shoulder and scoffing.

"Woah." Ruth finally looked up, glancing at the photo and then back up to Daniel and back again. "Well. I cannot believe it took me that long. I knew you looked familiar. I thought it was just Quake that had me thinking that."

Daisy smirked. "You don't seem surprised?"

"Oh I've worked at Stark Industries for a long time, I'm so used to superheroes and weird tech not much surprises me anymore. You see Tony Stark walking round in Iron-Man pants one too many times and you get over stuff pretty quickly." She levelled Daniel with a look. "Time travel huh?"

"Yes. But I haven't seen these in literal years." He said his hand tapped a few photos. One from the first day of opening the first SHIELD base, Thompson and Howard Stark stood either side of Peggy and Daniel. Another of Peggy, Daniel and Rose throwing confetti at Jack's wedding. One of Daniel and Thompson with Peggy on her Wedding Day. An outtake of that one where Howard was attempting to jumping into frame and Jarvis dragging him out, while the three of them laughed lay below it.

He could still picture that party, he could hear the band playing, memories of Peggy dancing with Rogers, happy and content. He remembered how happy he was for her.

Daisy squeezed his knee beneath the table and brought him back to the present. He pressed a kiss to her temple and continued the conversation. They had coffee and cake and Rose shared her fudge. Daisy made lunch trolley roll across the room, making Jack's great-grandson shriek in delighted laughs and push it back into a position where she could do it again and again.

They left hours later and Daniel felt more settled than he had done in a long time. Daisy squeezed his hand as they drove away.

They'd return to visit every time they were in town, which was more often these days now SHIELD HQ was there, sometimes together, sometimes alone. They met all of both of their families, attended Ruth's 100th birthday. Brought presents for Daniel's namesake's birthday.

When Daisy and Daniel tied the knot, two reserved seats on the front row of the groom's side were filled my two of his oldest friends some of their families just a couple rows back. They 'snuck' them into new SHIELD HQ to see all the new tech and planes, the memorial wall that included people they'd known a lifetime ago.

Daniel loved the future, loved living his life alongside Daisy and her family. But knowing his friends were there, getting to spend time with them was an unexpected but valuable thing for him. It gave him a link to the past, someone to shoot the breeze with, with some similar experiences from the past. A taste of a previous life he was grateful for as he lived his new one.

[ao3feed-peggysous]

Consequences

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/whjytoL

by ScorpioGirl1987

My take on what season 3 would have been like. Jack being shot leads to Peggy discovering some terrible truths about someone who she thought was dead. Meanwhile, as soon as Jack repairs his relationships and forms new ones, his deepest darkest secret comes to light in the worst possible way.

Words: 5282, Chapters: 1/12, Language: English

Fandoms: Agent Carter (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Peggy Carter, Jack Thompson (Marvel), Michael Carter (Marvel), Daniel Sousa

Relationships: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Jack Thompson (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Michael Carter/Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Mystery, Family, Friendship, Drama, Romance, Action/Adventure, 1940s, BAMF Peggy Carter, Jack Thompson Lives (Marvel), Jack Thompson Needs a Hug (Marvel), I'm about to ruin this man's whole career

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/whjytoL

[stxrdust-widow]

Okay, so a few years ago I did a cute little Christmas fanfic series, and I’d like to do it again this year. I created a prompt based on each line of the song + a kiss, but I don’t really want to do that this year so I’m just trying for more Christmas/holiday/winter fluff + kiss.

If you have any suggestions for ships with a particular kiss/prompt, lmk!

Kisses: Forehead kiss | Cheek kiss | Hand kiss | Neck kiss | Shoulder kiss | Butterfly kiss | Trailing kiss | Nose kiss | Breathless kiss | Jaw kiss | Hair kiss | First kiss

Ships (Platonic): Agathario | Everlark | Jisbon | Caskett | Rizzles | Romanogers | Starmora | Maydaisy (P) | Peggysous | Scott x Hope | etc

If you’ve seen me blog about any other ship that I’ve missed- I’ll probably write it lol

[redvanillabee]

for the fanfic writer asks: 2, 6, and 18 :)

Thank you for the ask!

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

Oh yea. Oh totally. Some of my fics fill a very niche premise that I haven't really seen covered by other fics, so I reread my own.

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

Oh my god. There are SO MANY. I have over 100 tabs open on mobile Firefox that's just AC fics I like, and listing them all would take all day. So here are two that I've been rereading:

Te Amo by FunctionalMute, Peggysouson. It's got a little bit of case fic, as well as very soft and fluffy OT3 moments. I return to this fic every time I want something fluffy and cosy.

Slowly, and Then All At Once by truth_renowned, Peggysous. It's a smut fic that's both feelsy and hot. What more can you ask for?

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Still. It would be nice to know that there is more in his future than…than work, than chores, than the empty, monotonous repetition of bacherlorhood.

—Scars Can Heal and Reveal

This is my aroace Jack fic, and I really wanted to translate that aroace uncertainty or inability to imagine a future when everything around us shows only futures that involve marriages, children, buying a house, etc. This is, in my opinion, one of the angstiest sentences I have ever written but I love poking at my wounds by rereading it.

Fanfic Writer Asks

[captainsophiestark]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

TORIIIII I love you so much 😭❤️❤️

It's honestly hard for me to pick, because I've genuinely enjoyed writing so many of them (even if they weren't my best work), but I decided to go with a top 3 (in random order)

Peony (Peggysous)

This is a fic I wrote for the first Peggysous Week (back in 2020!!) and I think it was semi-recently after I first watched Endgame and was SO MAD with the scene at the end with Steve and Peggy that I decided to take the chance to write something that still fit with Marvel's new established canon and didn't break up my otp 😂 I'm still super happy with how it turned out, and I think it's a sweet and heartfelt fic that I really enjoyed writing (so thank you for enabling me to lmao)

2. The Undead Scourge (The Originals x Harry Potter)

This I'm pretty sure was born out of a one-off Wattpad comment on a longer story I've written there that's not on Tumblr, something along the lines of "I wonder how the Mikaelsons would react to Rita Skeeter's anti-vampire article" and I decided that was a very fun and funny prompt and made this lol. I still enjoy rereading this one and it feels like such a random crossover but it was super fun to write and at least in my opinion is super fun to read

3. The Dread Pirate Roberts (Westley (Princess Bride) x Reader)

This is one of my newest fics that I wrote for the Year of Themed Creation (it's my March entry) but I just had SO much fun writing it (clearly there's a theme in what makes something a favorite for me lol). I've loved The Princess Bride since I was a kid and Westley was one of my OG childhood crushes, so getting to write a fun story set in that world that includes story-typical epic romance with Westley (especially when there's not a lot of that out there for him) was great, and I think it turned out pretty good too

Going back through all my old works really made me smile (most of the time) while I was doing this positivity boost, so thank you Tori!! It was a really fun challenge, and it made me fall back in love with some of my old writing, which is always a much-needed nice feeling. Tagging some mutuals, but any writers or creators who see this, PLEASE do it! Gotta spread the creator self-love 😄❤️

No pressure tags: @ghostofskywalker (I saw somebody already re-sent this to you but I don't care, I wanna see at least one more honorable mention if you're up for it ❤️) @arttheclown-coveredinblood @hellotvshowtrash @auroracalisto @space-helen @madame-fear @startrekkingaroundasgard @oonajaeadira @valkyriepirate

[momentofch-aos]

Thank you for the tag @backgroundagent3, sorry I'm a bit late to the party!

Elizabeth Angela “Beth” Sousa not only took after her mother in her looks, but also in spirit and personality. This often meant she was fiercely stubborn and often got into mischief.

An update for my PeggySous alt timeline fic To Belong, a long time coming 💜

as I'm late, i would love to see any of my friends on here continue this ⭐️

Rules: Make a new post and post your latest line from your WIP & tag as many people as there are words. 

Thank you for the tags @techs-stitches @photogirl894 and @tech-deck 💚💚💚

This is from my newest WIP: "Let's Take A Chance" (title subject to change)

As the earth shattering realization sets in, Tungst sobs, “Vod’ika, wake up!”

Tagging: @the-epic-magnus @isthereanechoinhere96 @ihaventpickedausername @oldmanwithashield @sugared-tea @drafthorsemath @dreamswithghosts @fives-girlfriend @commander-sunshine @ladyzirkonia @nahoney22 @softsunburstlove

[pegs-carter]

AI-generated Peggysous fanfic

(I didn't write this, ChatGPT did).

Daniel Sousa and Peggy Carter were both agents in the Strategic Scientific Reserve during World War II. They were initially colleagues and respected each other for their dedication to their jobs, but soon they found themselves drawn to each other.

Daniel was drawn to Peggy's intelligence and bravery, and he was amazed by her ability to take on any challenge that came her way. Peggy, on the other hand, was drawn to Daniel's kindness and sense of humor, which helped to lighten the heavy burden of their jobs.

As they worked together on missions, their feelings for each other deepened, and soon they were sharing secret glances and stolen moments. Despite the danger and uncertainty of their jobs, they found solace in each other's arms and their love continued to grow.

After the war, Daniel and Peggy left the SSR and started a life together. They traveled the world, had children, and created a life full of love and adventure. Through all the ups and downs, they never lost sight of their love for each other, and it remained as strong as ever.

The end.

[ravenpuffheadcanons]

For the Fanfic Ask Game, H and V!

H: How would you describe your style?

Hmm, I don’t know the answer to this! I find fic to be a fun way to play with lots of different styles. I do work on original writing as well with the aim of producing something publishable one day, and one of the things I try to do in longer fic projects is set myself a different challenge each time as skills development. E.g. in The Face of All the World is Changed, I am trying for a version of the Victorian “why use one word when ten will do?” style that I love so much (albeit toned down a bit so that it doesn’t seem ridiculous to contemporary readers). In an unposted WIP, I am writing a Star Trek AU, which necessitates lots of action/dialogue/short sentences. Basically, I don’t know if I have a consistent style!

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

So much of what I enjoy about individual fics is an author’s style and universe. It feels somehow presumptuous to think about writing sequels or prequels to other people’s fic (which is strange, because I obviously do not feel this way about original fiction). I will say that I would give my eye teeth for a sequel to A Lady of Value by Eienvine, a Regency Peggysous AU with romance, intrigue, and spycraft. Eienvine created such a rich and interesting (and Austenesque) world, and I think it would be a lot of fun to write a story in that universe.

Thank you for the ask!

[peggysousfanarchives]

Peggysous Fic List

This puts all of my fanfic in a list from complete and in progress. All are on Ao3 and Wattpad.

Complete🔷 

•Captain America: The First Avenger An AU Series: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22033705/chapters/52584439

• Discovering the Truth: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22376425

• Dancing in the Dark:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/22682638

• Will You Be My Valentine?: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22730542

• Welcome Home Surprise:    https://archiveofourown.org/works/23589013/chapters/56600191

• Little Dove: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883784

• Harboring Love: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905489

• Project New Generation:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415580/chapters/56119300

• The Past starts the Future: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298600

Work in Progress 🔴

• Agent Carter An AU Series: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22036435/chapters/52591300

• One Shot Series:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/22040335/chapters/52601890

• Prompted Snippets:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/22357372/chapters/53411392

• Agent Carter Series: Discovering True Love:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/22307098/chapters/53280331

• Bad Romance:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/23106880/chapters/55284565

• A Wild Reign: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23083099/chapters/55219582

• New Years Series:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/22148527/chapters/52869400

• The Choice: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24582199/chapters/59371906

[emobabeyy]

Chapter 3 is up! Full Peggy/Daniel fluff for those who need that today lmao

[momentofch-aos]

CHRISTMAS PROMPTS WELCOME

I'm working on some Christmas Fics for what I'm currently calling ' 12 momentsofchristmas" (get it 😉) and while I have some ideas, I would be more than open to any prompts anyone would like to see! Probably mainly fluff but I'm up for a challenge (I refuse to kill anyone off)

fandoms to include

Agents of Shield

Agent Carter

NCIS: Hawai'i

White Collar

Castle

MCU (if we're pushing it)

much love for the holiday season ❤️

[ao3feed-peggysous]

smile even though you know you don't stand a chance

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/G59tTza

by raganalightwood

Set after the events of Season 2 - Jack survives being shot, and so he spends his recovery break from work developing hobbies outside of drinking and shooting things. Meanwhile, Peggy and Daniel have just entered a romantic relationship, but something about it just drives Jack mad.

This is HEAVILY inspired by 'Smile' by Jann, to the point where it only really makes sense when listening to it because the lyrics don't do the emotions justice - sorry not sorry

Words: 2253, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Jack Thompson (Marvel), Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

Relationships: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa/Jack Thompson, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter/Jack Thompson, Daniel Sousa/Jack Thompson

Additional Tags: Song: Smile (Jann), POV Jack Thompson (Marvel), Jack Thompson Lives (Marvel), Jack Thompson Needs a Hug (Marvel), Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Angst, Sad Ending, Peggy Carter is not as subtle as she thinks she is, Good Friend Daniel Sousa, Good Friend Peggy Carter, Pre-Relationship, Established Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Songfic, Post-Episode: s02e10 Hollywood Ending, Internalized Homophobia, Bisexual Jack Thompson (Marvel), Bisexual Daniel Sousa, Vignette, A series of them actually, Vernon Masters is awful, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Alcohol, Overuse of italics

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/G59tTza

[the-truest-sentence-i-know]

no one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you (and you know you hurt him too)

Fandom: Agent Carter

Characters: Peggy Carter x Daniel Sousa

Rating: T

Summary: Peggy transfers to the new SSR office in LA to be closer to Daniel but finds the transition more difficult than she expected.

Word Count: 4.4k

ao3 || ff.net || wattpad

They were going to be late for work. It was still Peggy's first week and they were going to be late. And they were going to blame it on the traffic, even though what really happened was that they were somewhat enthusiastic in bed the night before and had knocked the alarm clock on the floor where the batteries had fallen out.

Daniel was honking and swearing at the other drivers and complaining about LA traffic and Peggy couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

"They don't know where you live," Daniel said. "So they can't check up on the story."

"You think they're going to check up on my traffic story?" Peggy asked, holding on to the door for balance as they switched lanes quickly. "There won't be an investigation. The only person who cares about me being late is my boss, and that's you."

Daniel grinned. "You know I keep expecting Dooley to come back from the dead and tell me that Hawaiian shirts are not proper office attire."

"I'll bet he'd have a lot more to say about LA than just the fashion."

When he had parked in front of the Auerbach Theatrical Agency, Daniel said. "Alright, I'll wait five minutes, so we don't go in together."

Peggy smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Ruining your reputation as a punctual supervising officer for me is so sweet of you, darling."

"I'll ruin more than that," he said, pulling her in for a more substantial kiss.

When she pulled away, she smiled and handed him a handkerchief. "For the lipstick," she whispered and got out of the car.

Daniel watched her go, the handkerchief to his mouth not hiding his smile.

Peggy had known, from the first day, it would be difficult. From the first time she'd walked into the LA office, newly transferred from New York, she'd felt the looks sent her way. Her desk was quite near Daniel's office, which her new colleagues were also quick to observe.

And when Daniel had formally introduced her to the other agents, there were knowing glances, nudges, and murmurs. But she was used to all of this. Surely she had gone through worse before, with her relationships with Steve and Howard openly speculated upon in New York. She had handled all of that. She could handle this too.

And Daniel was sweet and understanding and made sure to follow her admittedly strict rules. They did not discuss personal matters at work, ever. They did not even hold hands in the office. If one of them went out for a drink with their coworkers – usually Daniel – then the other wouldn't – usually Peggy. She was determined to give no fodder to the rumours she knew were already pervasive – that she only had the job because she was sleeping with the boss.

It was a little over a month since her transfer to LA, and it was Valentine's Day. She and Daniel were going out for dinner after work. Peggy came to the office and found a pink envelope on her desk, addressed to her in what was not Daniel's handwriting. Inside was a somewhat mundane store-bought secret admirer card. She wasn't quite sure of what to make of it until Sutton – a newer agent who had been hired since the last time she had been in LA – sallied up to her desk.

"So, what about it, valentine?" he asked. "Be mine?"

Peggy rolled her eyes and held the card out to him. "Fortunately, I'm already spoken for."

"Oh." He took the card, acting surprised. "I thought we were taking turns. He's had you for over a month; I thought it was high time someone else–"

"If you finish that sentence and I'll ensure you don't see next month," Peggy snapped.

He laughed. "Threatening a fellow agent, I oughtta report you to the chief, although I've got a feeling he'd let you off easy."

Peggy glared at him, grabbed the card from his hand and tossed it in the garbage can as he walked away.

When Daniel came by her desk a few minutes later, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, fine," she said. "I left my report on the east side break-ins on your desk."

He blinked. "Right, thanks."

She smiled and she knew he could tell it was forced, but, as per their rules, he didn't say anything about it.

Dinner was at a new restaurant near the beach. It was lovely and romantic but Peggy's mind kept wandering. She kept glancing around the restaurant, worried there might be SSR agents there, seeing her and Daniel out as a couple. It was ridiculous and paranoid and she knew it, but then again, fears are not always rational things.

One evening a week or two later, Peggy was so focused on her work that she hardly realized that everyone else had left. The only light in the office other than her desk lamp came from Daniel's office. She looked over and felt herself relax a little at his presence. She missed having his desk just a few in front of her. Over their months in New York, she had learned to read his mood by the set of his shoulders and how many times he had run his hands through his hair.

It had been simpler then. They had been a bit of a team – both outcasts from the other agents. As she turned back to her work, the vague thought came to her that maybe they were no longer on that team. Daniel had moved up in the world. She shook the thought away; Daniel had risked his career – and his life – backing her play against Vernon. He was on her side and had been since the beginning.

About twenty minutes later, Daniel's office door opened and closed. Peggy looked up and smiled at him as he approached her. "Late night, chief?"

"Always," he said. "You done for the night?"

Peggy glanced at her desk and sighed. "I can probably leave the rest till tomorrow."

"Well," Daniel said, drawing out the word as he pulled Peggy to her feet. "Since neither of us is on the clock and no one else is here, I'd say we're not technically at work."

"I like the way you think," Peggy said.

Daniel pulled her into a kiss, holding her close. Peggy wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his hair; she let herself sink into and get lost in it. There was no work, no stress, no fat-headed male coworkers; there was only her and Daniel and far too many clothes between them.

They stumbled their way back into his office, refusing to let go of each other, crashing into chairs, desks, and the doorway on their way. Daniel lost his footing as he opened the door, but Peggy managed to hold onto him until they both tumbled onto the couch, her on top of him.

Peggy had just gotten her blouse unbuttoned when there were footsteps out in the bullpen.

"Hey, chief," Vega's voice neared them, and Peggy tried to hastily do up her top again. "I realized I forgot to give you the report on–" He stopped when he stood in the doorway and stared at them, before quickly turning his head away. "Sorry for... interrupting."

Peggy quickly got up and, holding her blouse closed with one hand, walked over, and grabbed the report from his hand. "Thank you, Agent Vega," she said. "Have a lovely evening."

Daniel sat up and watched as Peggy placed the report on his desk, waiting to see what her reaction would be. He knew this kind of thing was exactly what she had been afraid of being insinuated in the office, and here they were, actually doing it.

Then she laughed. "I feel like I just got caught kissing a boy in the bathrooms at a school dance," she said, turning to him.

Daniel relaxed. "That happen often?"

"It wasn't really the boys I liked," Peggy said, straddling Daniel's legs where he sat. "More the rebellion of it all."

"Rebellion, huh?" Daniel looked around them. "Should I be nervous?"

Peggy just smiled and kissed him. Daniel's hands roamed up under her blouse before he pulled away.

"That wasn't a no," he said.

"It wasn't a yes, either," Peggy said teasingly.

He looked at her for a moment then grinned. "I'll take it."

It wasn't until Peggy got home that night that it really hit her. She sat down on her couch, surprised at the rate of her heartbeat, the way her breath was trying to come out in short shallow gasps. She held out her hands and found they were shaking.

"Alright, Peggy," she said to herself. "Pull yourself together."

It was fine. She was fine. Everyone had been caught in a compromising situation at some point in their lives. If Captain America could snog someone on an army base and have no one say anything about it, then... Well, then this was nothing compared to that.

(Except it was something, because it was different, and she knew it was but God she was just so sick of it all.)

Mr. Jarvis and Ana were currently back in New York, where Howard was too, on business. Peggy sat in her empty apartment and realized that she did not have many friends in LA – except for Violet, who she couldn't talk to about this for obvious reasons.

Angie's voice was such a comfort – even over the phone – that Peggy nearly teared up. "Hey, English."

"Angie," she said, relaxing on the couch. "It's so good to hear your voice. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Don't worry about it," she said, a bit more hesitant at the quiver in Peggy's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I–" She sighed. "Not really." She explained the situation to a patient Angie, pulling her legs onto the couch and leaning against the armrest. "I just feel stuck," she concluded. "And with no one to talk to about it."

"Other than Daniel, you mean."

Peggy doesn't say anything, which Angie immediately picked up on.

"You've talked to him about it, right?"

"Not really," Peggy said, quickly continuing before Angie said anything. "Because I know that if I do, he'll want to talk to them, and tell them off."

"Which will only make things worse," Angie finished.

"Yes, exactly."

"Peggy," Angie said, and Peggy already knew what she was going to say. "You need to talk to him. You two were friends before you got together, right? Tell him like you told me."

Peggy sighed. "You're probably right."

"It happens more often than you think."

Peggy knew Angie was right, and she would talk to Daniel about it. Eventually. After she tried to do things her way a little bit longer. Because she was doing what she had always done, working as hard as she could until she finally won the begrudging respect of her coworkers.

She worked long hours, taking the shifts no one wanted, and made sure her reports were detailed and above reproof. She responded to the comments from Sutton and the others with witty retorts until that became too tiring, and she just ignored them.

Around the time she thought she was finally gaining a little respect, she also realized she was seeing less and less of Daniel. She made a note to figure out a day they could go out for dinner, but it was soon buried by paperwork.

One evening, as she was going over the weekly records of a florist they were investigating for being one of the mob's fronts, there was a knock on her door.

"It's me!" Daniel called.

"It's open!" Peggy said, not looking away from the papers.

Daniel came in, carrying what smelled like Chinese food from the place around the corner. He set the bags on the dinner table and then came over to her, kissing the top of her head. "Have you eaten?" he asked.

"I had a coffee after work," Peggy said distractedly.

"That would be a no then," he said. "Come on, you need a break and food."

"Just let me finish this," Peggy said, flipping to the next page.

Daniel came around the couch and manoeuvred himself into a kneel beside her. "Peg," he said, and she finally looked at him. "Hi."

Her face softened and she smiled wearily. "Hi," she said and leaned forward to kiss him. "Sorry."

He smiled. "Come on, you need to eat."

She sighed and put the papers down. "Did you get Pork Chow Mein?"

"Yep."

Peggy smiled and kissed him again.

They sat at the table, unpacking and dividing up the food.

"So, how's the florist looking?" Daniel asked.

"Pretty normal, except for the high demand for tiger lilies. I didn't think orange was very in right now."

"Do you think it's code for something?"

Peggy shrugged. "Or it's simply me being behind in LA floral fashion."

Daniel laughed. "Maybe we need a fashion consultant in the office."

"Mm, maybe we do."

They ate in silence for a bit.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you," Daniel said. "The office has tickets for the Rams game next Saturday. Do you wanna go?"

Peggy smiled. "Daniel, I don't know anything about–" She stopped. "Wait, are the Rams baseball or football?"

Daniel sighed, exaggeratedly exasperated. "Football. And I can explain while we watch."

"I wouldn't want to spoil your fun."

"You wouldn't be," he insisted. "Besides, Peggy, we hardly ever go out."

"It's a work event, Daniel, it wouldn't be a date," Peggy said. "And anyway, I don't want to be the girl who needs the rules of the manly sport explained to her."

"You don't know the rules because you're British," Daniel said. "If we went and watched a game of cricket or polo or whatever, I'd need you to explain what was going on."

Peggy sighed. "That's not how they'll see it."

"Since when have you cared how people see you?"

Peggy's gaze dropped to her food, and she took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll go then."

"Wait, I– I don't want to force you to go."

"Okay, then I won't go." She looked up to meet his eyes. He looked at her, confused, before looking away again.

"Well, there's still over a week, if you... change your mind."

"Right."

They ate in silence again until Daniel said gently, "Are you alright, Peggy?"

She looked at him and smiled softly. "I'm fine, just tired."

Then one day, like some malevolent trickster, Jack Thompson showed up. "Hey Marge," he said, walking through the bullpen. "Hope you're keeping everyone on their toes."

"Chief Thompson," Peggy said. "What a lovely surprise."

"Have I ever told you you really know how to make a guy feel welcome?"

Peggy gave him a small smile. "I believe Chief Sousa is on the phone right now, so you'll have to wait."

"Are you his secretary now too?"

"That's what we've been wondering," Sutton said, approaching Jack with his hands held out. "Agent Sutton, sir."

Jack shook it. "You know she almost shot me once," he said, jerking his head toward Peggy.

"What?" Sutton asked, confused.

"Yep."

"Women and their aim, right?" Sutton tried to recover.

"Oh no, she woulda gotten me, except the building behind us exploded." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Just don't piss her off."

Sutton glanced between her and Peggy. "Right..."

As he walked away, Peggy shook her head and stared at him. "What was that?"

"Seeding fear amongst the new recruits," he said. "He's new, right?"

"Relatively."

He grinned. "Wait till I tell them about the time Sousa tried to kill me."

"In my defence," Daniel said, who had come to stand beside Peggy's desk. "You were being, well, yourself."

They shook hands. "Let's go into my office."

Peggy sighed as she watched them leave. With her luck, everyone would think she was sleeping with two SSR chiefs.

It was Friday and when everyone else had left, Peggy went to Daniel's office, where he and Jack were still talking.

"Peggy," Daniel said when she came in. "Jack wanted to go to The Mint. I've got some stuff to finish up here yet, but maybe you could take him."

She hesitated only a moment. "Yes, alright." It had been too long since she'd gone out with a friend. As much as she could call Jack a friend.

Jack grinned and stood up, holding his jacket. "I promise not to steal your girl," he said to Daniel.

Peggy rolled her eyes. "As if you could."

The bar was smoky and dimly lit, and it was one of Peggy's favourite places to come with Daniel. Maybe it was because it would be difficult for their coworkers to spy them out with the poor visibility, but she didn't put too much thought into it. She and Daniel usually took one of the back booths, but with Jack, she sat at the bar; this was not a semi-secret rendezvous, this was having a drink with a friend in the open.

"Jack," Peggy said after they had exchanged stories from the job for a good twenty minutes. "Do you remember what you said to me in the interrogation room that time? That no men would ever see me as an equal and that it was sad but no less true?"

He looked at her curiously. "Yeah," he said. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I've just been thinking about that lately."

"I wasn't entirely right," he said after a moment. "I bet Sousa's telling off guys left, right, and center for looking at you funny."

"I've told him he's not allowed to do that."

"What, you guys have rules?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm a female agent dating my supervising officer," Peggy said. "Of course, we have rules. About work..."

"No hand-holding in the office?"

"No anything in the office."

Jack raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Really? Cause I heard this rumour–"

"That was one time," Peggy interrupted. "And we thought everyone had gone home."

"Ah, rookie mistake," he said. "Never assume the office is empty."

"Have you been dallying with anyone at the office, Jack?" Peggy asked with an amused smile.

"Not the SSR's office," he said. "That would be inappropriate."

Peggy rolled her eyes.

"Seriously though," he said. "Since when have you cared what people think? Half the office thought you and Stark had messed around and you still went to bat for him. You didn't give a shit."

"You think I don't go to bat for Daniel? Of course, I do. I just think we should keep our personal and work lives separate, so people don't get any ideas."

"You think they'll think you only got the job because you're screwing the boss?" Jack asked, confused. "They won't. They don't. They're just dicks. Believe me, I'd know."

Peggy nodded. "I know."

"Then what's the problem?"

She sighed. "I'm exhausted," she said, then laughed. "I'm so tired of it. Every day, the looks, the comments. It's like nothing I do is enough."

Jack nodded. "Not to play couples' counsellor, but what are Daniel dearest's thoughts on the situation?"

"Daniel is not fully aware of the extent..." She looked at him. "I don't exactly tell him everything."

"Always the sign of a good healthy relationship," Jack said, nodding sagely. "I never tell anyone what's bothering me and, as you know, I am happily married with like three kids."

Peggy tried to look displeased but couldn't ward off a small smile. "You have a remarkable talent of making things sound worse when you say them."

He grinned. "Happy to help." He downed the last of his drink. "Before you go make your relationship all better and boring, or whatever," he said. "Why'd you come to me about this?"

"I think you and I are quite alike."

"Really?"

"You're more cynical than I am, but we both see the world as it is."

"And Sousa sees it as he wishes it was," Jack said. "He's an optimist."

Peggy smiled slightly. "I suppose I can't fault him for that."

"I do," Jack said. "Makes him too much of a boy scout."

"I happen to like nice men."

"Clearly," he said. "Picking Captain America over Howard Stark? Your type is showing."

Peggy stood up. "This was a more enjoyable and enlightening evening than I expected it to be," she said. "Thank you, Jack."

"And if it doesn't end up working out between you two," Jack said. "I've got a cousin's wedding this summer that I may have promised my grandmother I was bringing a date to."

"As much as I'd hate to disappoint your grandmother, I think we'll be okay."

"Alright, see ya, Marge."

On Monday, Sutton slapped Peggy's ass as he passed by her in the bullpen.

Peggy spun around and snapped, "If you touch me again, I'll break all those delicate little bones in your hand."

He just grinned and wasn't backing down and Peggy was just starting to think she'd have to make good on her threat when Daniel poked his head out of his office and said, "Everything alright out here?"

Sutton stepped back from Peggy. "Yeah, chief. Everything's fine."

"Peggy?"

She kept her eyes on Sutton. "Yes, sir."

"Alright, then." His office door closed.

Sutton grinned again and went back to his desk. Peggy's knuckles were white as she gripped the back of her chair. When she went to the bathroom she punched a dent in the wall of the stall and then almost cried at how tired she was of being angry.

Daniel was sitting on the front steps of the apartment building when Peggy got home that evening. She accepted a kiss to her cheek but put a hand on his arm when he started to follow her inside. "I'm tired, Daniel," she said.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I just need to rest."

"Was Sutton bothering you today?" he asked. "Because I can talk to him–"

"Don't do that!" she burst out. "I mean." She sighed. "That would only encourage him."

He followed her into the foyer. "So, he is bothering you."

"I'm handling it."

"You don't have to handle it alone."

Peggy sighed. "Remember what I said before: I can handle whatever those adolescents can throw at me."

"Yeah, but then I didn't have any power to help you. Now I do."

They had reached her door. Peggy unlocked it and they went inside. Daniel helped as Peggy began unpacking her groceries.

"I just want your time at this office to be better than in New York."

Peggy turned to him. "Darling, it is." She took his hand in hers. "You treat me the same as all the other agents. That's all you have to do. The rest I can deal with myself." She continued putting things in the fridge.

"When you say to treat you equally, what you mean is that you want me to turn a blind eye to guys bothering you," Daniel said. "Are you telling me Jack never told off a new guy for giving you a hard time?"

"No, he left that to me," Peggy said. "And even if he had, that would be different."

"What? Because we're together?" Daniel said. "I know that's why you weren't so sure about transferring, but–"

Peggy turned to him. "Daniel, if you say anything to them, you will only make it worse. I can deal with them; I have ample experience."

"Peggy, you're working yourself to the bone."

"If that's what I have to do to gain their respect."

"What kind of plan is that?"

"It's my only option," Peggy snapped. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, 'cause you're the only one who was given a hard time in New York," he said seriously.

"And which one of us is now the chief of the new SSR office?" Peggy asked. "Oh, look, it's you!"

"Hey, don't blame me, alright, I recommended you for the job."

"I'm not blaming you, I'm just saying that this is what it is. This is what it was like during the war, this is what it was like in New York, and this is what it's like here." She sighed. "We both know what it's like to be overlooked and viewed as less than ideal. But you can't understand what I go through any more than I can understand what you go through. So believe me when I say: this is the only way. I must excel to be at all respected."

Daniel sighed. He pulled her close and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I just wish I could help." They swayed in the dimly lit kitchen.

"Me too," Peggy said. "But you can't."

Something between them shifted that night, but at the time, Peggy wasn't quite sure what it was.

Daniel began acting differently after that as well; he was less accommodating and more clipped and terser with the agents. Mistakes were met with strict telling offs. Peggy found herself comparing his leadership style to Jack's and Dooley's – and even a few of her superiors during the war.

And because she knew what had caused this change, she didn't ask him about it.

Peggy kept working every shift she could get. She pulled all-nighters and cracked difficult cases and arrested dangerous people and it was somehow never enough. She got into petty arguments fueled by too much coffee and not enough sleep with anyone in her way, including Daniel.

Any time they spent together that was not work-related was usually spent sleeping together – in the most literal sense. They were growing apart and they both knew it. Peggy knew Daniel resented her dogged determination in earning everyone's respect; a determination that sometimes felt like running into a wall, getting knocked down and then running at it again anyway. And he knew she resented the fact that he resented it.

He thought that them caring about each other would be enough to carry both of them through the difficulties of the job. And she knew that it probably should be enough, but for her, it just wasn't. She needed more than a supportive boyfriend to come home to at the end of the day.

They weren't broken up yet, but it would happen eventually, and when it did, it will have felt inevitable. It wouldn't be some final argument, but an outside thing – or, more likely, a multitude of outside things piling up until they became unbearable – as it had always been.

But for now, they stayed, tumbling exhausted into bed together after a day of barely making eye contact at work, quietly wondering how much longer it could possibly last.

[prankprincess123]

We've all had conversations of "What are you reading" "A fanfiction about [X fandom]" "Oh... 😒" but I've found that by ommiting the mention of fandom in any way, suddenly others are interested in what you're reading.

For example, one time when my great grandmother asked me what I was doing on my phone for so long, and inquired deeper when I responded that I was reading, I actually went into depth on what I was reading about. I explained to her that it was a story about a WW11 army lieutenant who was sent home after loosing his leg in battle, only surviving because he was saved by a captain of another company, and his journey through his recovery both physically and mentally, as he eventually becomes a government agent and ends up falling in love with one of his coworkers who happens to be the former lover of the now deceased captain who had saved his life. And my great grandmother's response was that it sounded like an enlightening and interesting read, and that she would be interested in reading it herself were it not for the waiting between chapters. I was talking about a Marvel fanfic. And my then 89yo great grandmother who never watched a superhero movie or read a comic, and could barely even identify a single superhero, said she would probably enjoy reading it, just because I explained it by the actual content rather than solely in the context of a fandom.

Like seriously; change how you explain fanfiction, and suddenly it goes from a 'geeky waste of time' to a deep and intelligent way to spend your day.

[jbbarnesnnoble]

The Dance

Summary:  Steve returns to the past to live out his life with Peggy, only to learn a lesson in moving on

Features/Warnings: Mild angst, fluff

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Reader; Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa; background Wanda Maximoff/Sharon Carter

Notes: I started writing this in March. It’s finally done. There is a little twist in this that I couldn’t resist. 

Word Count: 4384

The autumn breeze swirled around the group gathered by the platform. You shared a look with Bucky as Steve stepped to the platform. Steve had become one of your best friends in the years since the Avengers brought you in, to the point that you had followed him in his quest to save Bucky. The two of you had been tiptoeing around something more. He had dated Sharon Carter briefly, which had fizzled out quickly because the chemistry wasn’t there. Not with Steve.  You knew it would be only a few moments before Steve returned but you couldn’t help but feel like things were fundamentally changing. Bucky had a look of guilt on his face as you glanced at him when Steve vanished. 

Bucky hadn’t felt anxiety in this way in years. It wasn’t the kind of anxiety he associated with the trauma he’d experienced. No. This was the kind of anxiety he had when Steve’s ma died. The worry he’d had about what would happen to his best friend. He knew Steve had no intention of returning, that he planned to find Peggy. Bucky had tried to talk him out of it. Peggy had gotten married, had kids, with someone who wasn’t Steve. He didn’t think it was right to disrupt that. 

He looked at you. Your lower lip caught between your teeth as you stared at the platform, your hands running up your crossed arms. Your foot was tapping out an unsteady rhythm. He watched you for a moment longer as the realization set in. He looked away. He knew Steve had been interested in you. It was something they had talked about in the time between Shuri removing the triggers and the arrival of Thanos before the Snap. He hadn’t been surprised when he found out Steve hadn’t made a move in the five years since the Snap. And now he never would. ‘Steve is an idiot if he can’t see that she loves him,’ Bucky thought to himself.

When Steve didn’t appear right away, Sam and Bruce were concerned. Bucky glanced toward the bench, but no one was there. You felt tears welling. It wasn’t hurt that he wasn’t back. Bucky’s slumped shoulders told you he’d known. It was the fact that Steve hadn’t trusted you enough to tell you what he was doing. 

You and Steve were complicated. You’d given him your heart long before you realized it. Falling for Steve Rogers was easy. You weren’t sure getting over him would be, even if you’d never been together. You’d always put the focus on work first, dreams of a relationship second. And the past five years had been a focus on work, on finding normal again in a not so normal world. You wondered, for a moment, if he would have come back if you had only had the guts to tell him how you felt.

You thought about your grandmother in that moment, wishing desperately that she was there. She and your grandfather had adopted your mother when she was a teenager, their older children long since grown. You played with the locket around your neck. She had left it to you when she passed, a gift from your grandfather to her when they had found out they were expecting their first child. She always had the best advice, and she was why you had joined SHIELD, joined the Avengers. 

“He’s not coming back, is he?” you asked Bucky, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” you said, a bite to your tone. You sighed before apologizing. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve glanced around. New York. December 1948. As the suit retracted to reveal his civilian clothing, he set off to find Peggy. He wasn’t sure what he could say to her that wouldn’t sound crazy. He was walking past the phone company when he bumped into a man. 

“Sorry,” Steve said, moving to continue on his way. He wasn’t sure where to go first, where to even begin looking. He had to go about this carefully. He was presumed dead. Appearing out of nowhere was bound to raise suspicion, and there was only so much he could say. Guilt weighed on him about how much he couldn’t say, how much he had to sit back and let happen, lest he change the outcome. 

“Captain Rogers?” the man asked. Steve froze. 

“I think you’re mistaken. Captain Rogers died in the war,” Steve said. The man’s eyes narrowed. He felt like there was something off about the man who looked like one of America’s most well-known heroes. 

“I’m going to need you to come with me,” he said. Steve made a split-second decision and was surprised when the man dodged his punch and managed to get the upper hand. He was led through what looked like a phone company and into a room that was emblazoned with S.H.I.E.L.D. 

“No one says a word to Carter or Sousa about whose look-a-like we have here, got it?” Agent Thompson said after securing Steve in the interrogation room. He was the head of the New York division of S.H.I.E.L.D. After everything that had happened the past few years, he owed Peggy and Daniel this, making sure that whatever this was, whoever this was, wasn’t about to disrupt their lives. 

“You sure that’s a good idea?” someone asked him. Jack glared at the agent, before heading back to the interrogation room. He paced the hall outside the room, formulating his game plan. He knew he had to proceed with caution. How was it possible that Steve Rogers or at least a very convincing look-a-like was there, looking older, but very much like the missing man? Jack frowned at the thought that the man was telling the truth, that he just happened to look like Rogers. That was a mess he didn’t want to deal with. 

Steve took in the room around him. It was a standard interrogation room. If he wanted to, he could get out, but that would risk confirming what the agent suspected. He wasn’t willing to have that conversation with someone who wasn’t Peggy. The door opened and the agent entered, sitting down across from Steve.

“Who are you?” Agent Thompson asked.

“None of your business,” Steve replied, glaring at the man. 

“It is my business. You show up in New York, looking like Captain America? What’s more, you appeared out of thin air. What I don’t understand is how the ID we found in your wallet says it was issued in 2023. Or how it has a Stark Industries logo on it,” he said. Steve frowned. He had forgotten he’d had his ID for the compound in his wallet, that he’d had his wallet on him at all. Agent Thompson stared him down.

“What do you want me to say here?” Steve asked. He knew he was backed into a corner. He tried to come up with a plausible reason for it.

“You can start with who you are,” Thompson said. Steve sighed, unaware of the man stepping into the room behind the glass, a frown on his face.

“You know the answer to that,” Steve said. Jack slammed his hand down on the table. 

“I know that you have an ID claiming to be Steve Rogers from the year 2023. Forgive me if that seems a little unbelievable. So who are you really? Why are you here?” Jack asked. Steve sighed. He knew there was no way out of this, no way of convincing this man of his identity. 

“My name is Steven Grant Rogers. I was born July 4, 1918. I’m here because it’s where I belong,” Steve said, not breaking eye contact with the other man. 

Daniel Sousa had arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D’s New York division to go over a report with Jack.

“Oh, he’s uh, he’s in the middle of an interrogation,” another agent said when Daniel asked where Jack was. He frowned. Daniel had been unaware of any ongoing cases that would require an interrogation. With Peggy out on leave, an area S.H.I.E.L.D was ahead of the curve on, Daniel had taken up her responsibilities in the field, keeping her in the loop when he was called away from home. 

“Who’s he interrogating?” Daniel asked. The agent shared a look with another agent. 

“It might be better if we show you,” the agent replied, knowing there was no way he could prevent Sousa from finding out. The agent led him to the interrogation room, opening the door to the observation room. Daniel froze when he saw an older version of Steve Rogers on the other side of the glass. It wasn’t possible. 

Jack emerged a short while later. Daniel met him in the hall and directed him toward his office. When the door was shut, Daniel looked at Jack expectantly. Jack ran a hand through his hair.

“I know what it looks like,” Jack said. 

“It looks like you have Captain America locked up in an interrogation room,” Daniel said. 

“I didn’t get much out of him. We found an ID with his name on it, dated 2023. The only question he answered was about his name. He said he’s here because it’s where he belongs. He wants to see Peggy,” Jack said. He braced himself for any reaction, unsure of how Sousa would react.

“Then let him. She can handle it. If it is him, maybe she’ll get to have closure. If it isn’t, well, you’re familiar with her punch,” Daniel teased. Jack shook his head.

“Peggy can’t know. Daniel be reasonable. She’s due any time now,” Jack said. 

“I don’t think that’s your concern, Thompson. I know my wife. If we keep this from her, she’ll be furious,” Daniel said. Outside the office, he could hear the arrival of Peggy and he sighed. She never was good about taking a break and letting others handle things. It was one of the things he loved about her. It was also one of the things that had been driving him up the wall as her due date neared. The door to Thompson’s office opened and there she stood, arms crossed with a look of annoyance.

“Howard called,” she said simply. Jack bit back a curse. He knew he shouldn’t have informed Stark of the man locked up in interrogation. He had done so as a courtesy, given the fact that it was Stark’s name emblazoned on the ID card.

“Peggy, I can explain,” Jack said. She raised an eyebrow.

“Please do. I would love to hear about why you didn’t think to inform me of who you have in the interrogation room,” she replied. Peggy and Daniel had returned to New York shortly after learning about her pregnancy. Their support system was there. As it was, S.H.I.E.L.D required a fair bit of travel. 

“I was walking in when I heard something down an alley. He appeared out of nowhere wearing some strange suit that morphed into the clothes he’s wearing. I followed him until he was out front and escorted him in,” Jack explained. 

“You realize how ridiculous that sounds,” Peggy said.

“I know. I know. It’s why I didn’t want to tell you until I figured this out. Steve Rogers died. Whatever that thing is, it’s not Rogers. You can’t go in there, Carter,” Jack said. Daniel shot him a look and a wave of regret washed over him. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. Telling Margaret Carter she couldn’t do something would only drive her to do that very thing. She turned on her heel and headed toward the interrogation room, the two men trailing behind her, protesting what she was about to do. Before she opened the door, she turned to look at them.

“I’m the only one in this building who can determine if he is who he says he is. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen,” she said, before heading in. 

She wasn’t sure what she expected. He looked just as handsome as he had before that fateful mission. His hair was longer, he looked slightly older, like he’d seen more things that haunted him. When he looked at her, she felt a pang in her heart. She loved Daniel wholeheartedly, but there would always be part of her that loved the man in front of her, or at least, the man whatever was in front of her was pretending to be. 

“Peggy,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper as he took in the sight of her. His eyes moved from her face down to the obvious bump. His breathing hitched momentarily. He felt a pang in his chest as he saw the ring. She was married. She was married and having a child. She wore a locket that looked familiar, but he couldn’t place it. 

“I don’t know who you think you are. Masquerading as Steve Rogers,” she said, her tone even.

“It’s me. Peggy, it’s me,” he said.

“How? Steve Rogers died during the war,” she said, her arms crossed. 

“I...I can’t tell you how,” he said. She frowned. She needed answers. She needed to know. Her head and her heart were engaged in battle. She had mourned his loss. She had moved forward. Now there he seemed to be, and the progress she had made, the stability and happiness she had found in life after Steve Rogers was threatening to unravel. 

“What’s something only Steve would know?” she asked. 

“Fondue...when I went...when I went to save Bucky and the 107th...I thought fondue meant that you and Howard had been together...intimately,” he said, his cheeks tinge pink. Even after the years spent in the 21st century, the memory was still enough to make him feel a little embarrassed. Peggy uncrossed her arms at that. It wasn’t something that was in the books, but it still wasn’t enough for her.

“When you were on that mission, what was the last thing you promised me?” she asked. He smiled at her, though it held an air of sadness.

“A dance. I promised you a dance. 8PM at the Stork Club,” he said. Her eyes widened. It was him. She felt happiness, sadness, anger, and a host of other emotions at once. 

“It really is you,” she said, shock resonating through her. Though part of her heart would always be his, she wasn’t in love with him, not anymore. Daniel was her husband, the man she had fallen for. 

“And you...you’re married now,” he said. She gave him a small smile. 

“Yes. He’s a good man. An honorable man. We met working for the S.S.R after the war,” she explained. Steve nodded. As she spoke, he saw the happiness she had, the pure joy when she told him about some of the things that had happened since the end of the war. He started to doubt that going back and staying back was the right idea. 

“Steve? How did you end up here?” she asked him. He sighed.

“I can’t tell you much. It has too much potential to cause a ripple effect,” he said.

“Are you saying what I think you are?” she asked.

“Depends on what you think that is. It’s dangerous and unstable at best,” he said.

“Time travel...but if that’s the case...you’re still alive...out there somewhere. Where did they find the plane?” she asked. He shook his head. He knew he couldn’t tell her. 

“Just...let history happen. It doesn’t matter when they found me. Only that they did. I was selfish coming here. Lost in what could have been instead of what was in front of me,” he said, his voice trailing off. He thought of you. He had avoided his feelings for you, hung up on the past, on Peggy, on the life he believed he had been owed. Now that it was in front of him, he knew. His place wasn’t in the past. It was in the present, with you. With Bucky. With Sam. With the family that had been pieced together to save the world. 

He stayed long enough to be snuck out of the building and to the Sousa home for dinner. The air was light. Daniel, as it turned out, had been a soldier Steve had rescued in ‘43 when he liberated the prisoners of war. 

“I have some paperwork to finish up. I’ll be quick,” Daniel said, standing and placing a kiss on his wife’s cheek after they finished dinner and retired to the sitting room. Peggy had put a record on. The music played as Steve and Peggy sat looking at one another. Neither seemed to want to move, knowing it would be the last time they saw one another, that this time, they were having their chance to say goodbye, to find closure. 

“When are you going back?” she asked him. 

“As soon as I leave here,” he said. A moment passed between them, not a word said as they took it in, committing it to memory. 

“You owe me a dance,” she reminded him. Steve smiled a little. Closure, this was closure. And so they danced. His hand on her waist, one of her hands in his. He saw Daniel standing in the archway, a small nod sent his way by the other man. The song ended sooner than Steve liked. 

“You’ll find your happiness, I know it,” Peggy said as they moved apart. 

“I think I already did. She...she’s incredible and I’ve ignored my feelings for too long,” Steve said.

“Tell her how you feel, Steve. Before it’s too late. A lifetime of dances is in front of you. Don’t make her wait any longer than you have,” she told him. Daniel returned to the room a few minutes later, the trio sitting and talking a while more. 

Steve walked out the door feeling closure in a way he hadn’t after Peggy’s death. He thought of you. He often did. The two of you were close. Then Thanos happened and time travel became more than an abstract idea. He thought the past was what he had wanted. But it was clear more than ever that it wasn’t. 

When he reappeared, it had only been ten minutes in the present. Bucky pulled Steve in for a hug, surprised that he had returned. Sam lightheartedly punched his shoulder while Bruce asked what had happened.

“I got caught up with some things and missed the time. It got a little messy back there,” Steve said, not wanting to admit what happened. It was for him and him alone. 

You looked at Steve, a knowing expression on your face. You had an idea of what had happened. What confused you was why he would come back, if he’d gone back to be with her. You were surprised when Steve swept you up into a hug before kissing you.

“What’s that for?” you asked him when he pulled away from you. He smiled as he stepped back, his eyes meeting yours.

“I missed you,” he said. You laughed.

“You were gone for ten minutes. And that still doesn’t explain why you kissed me,” you told him. He shook his head.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you. Going back...going back made me think. I don’t want to miss my chance with you. I don’t want to be too late. I don’t want to miss the dance,” he said. You and Steve had a weird tension between you. It had been a thing for a while. You’d thought, once upon a time, that he was going to ask you out. But he never did. 

“Alright, slow down there Garth Brooks. Are you alright, Steve?” you asked, concerned about how he was acting. You didn’t think there was something physically wrong. But whatever had happened, seemed to be weighing on him. The Steve you knew didn’t just go around kissing people because he missed them. That would be weird. The mental image drew a slight smile to your lips before you refocused. 

“I will be,” he said with a nod. 

“We’re talking about that kiss later. Don’t think I’m letting that go,” you told him as Bucky and Sam made their way back over to the two of you. You hadn’t noticed the two of them had walked away with Bruce, giving you and Steve privacy to talk. 

“So, dinner? Barton said something about pizza,” Sam said. You laughed a little.

“Pizza fixes everything,” you replied. You couldn’t get your mind off Steve and how he was acting. He was lost in his thoughts, something you weren’t used to seeing from him. You wondered where he was in his head. What remained of the team had gathered for dinner. 

Sharon and Wanda were cuddled up on a loveseat. Both women had been Snapped away. They had been together only a few months when it happened. You were happy for them. Your cousin deserved happiness, and happiness was what she had found with Wanda. You touched your locket, thinking of the photo it held, of your grandparents on their wedding day. Steve didn’t know who your grandmother was, only that your mother had been adopted by her parents later in their lives. 

“Hey, do you know where that book Aunt Peggy left you is? Was it at the compound?” Sharon asked you. Steve looked between the two of you with confusion. Bucky raised an eyebrow at the comment while Sam chuckled to himself as he took a sip of his drink. This was going to be interesting. Sam was one of the few who knew that Peggy was your grandmother, which was why Steve’s interest in you amused him to no end. Peggy may not have been related to you by blood, but you were Peggy Carter’s granddaughter.

“You think I’d keep that at the compound? Mom has it. I trust keeping it with my folks more than keeping it at a military installation, thanks,” you replied. 

“Aunt Peggy? You’re related to Peggy?” Steve asked. You rubbed the back of your neck.

“It’s never come up? Though, I thought you would have clued in when I was at the funeral,” you said, eyebrow raised. Steve’s cheeks tinged pink.

“Oh my god. You...you thought I was there as a supportive friend,” you said.

“And as an agent who worked with her. I remember you said you learned a lot of what you know from her,” Steve said quietly. You tried to keep your laughter in. You thought it had been obvious, especially with how close you were to Sharon. 

“Natasha figured it out within a week of knowing me, without looking at my file, though that information was redacted,” you explained. You wore a sad smile as you thought of Natasha. She had been one of your closest friends. 

“I wonder if Cap’s just wired to fall for Carter women,” Natasha said. You looked at her with confusion as the two of you sparred.

“What?” you asked. You had never divulged that information to anyone, including Nat. You knew it wasn’t on your file either. You had wanted to make it based on your merit, not for being Peggy Carter’s granddaughter, something Fury had honored. 

“I figured it out the first week we met. Your locket for one. In old photos of her, she wears it. You have some of her mannerisms too. You may not be related to her by blood, but there is no denying you’re her granddaughter. And there’s no denying Steve Rogers can’t escape his attraction to women in the Carter family tree,” she teased. You felt your cheeks warm. You wouldn’t deny that you had been jealous of the attraction Steve had to your cousin. 

“Shut up,” you had said, throwing a half-hearted punch. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Steve asked. You shrugged.

“I always wanted to make a name for myself, without being in her shadow. And I have,” you said. 

Later in the evening, after everyone had split off to do their own thing, you found yourself sitting outside with Steve. A comfortable silence filled the space between the two of you. 

“So you went back and saw her,” you said, a small smile on your face. Steve nodded.

“I thought I wanted what I left in the past. I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I want is here. In the present. With you. I loved her, but that’s it. I loved her. I’ve spent more time here, in the present, with you, with our friends, than I did with her. I was lost in my nostalgia for another time that I let myself believe that was where I belonged,” he said. You nodded. It made sense to you. You knew he had struggled at times. The world was a vastly different place than when he had gone into the ice. 

“Did you get your dance?” you asked him. He frowned.

“What?” he asked. 

“Grandma...Peggy. She told me about you when I was growing up. She’d watch me sometimes. And she’d tell me about you. When I got older, she told me the real story about what happened that day,” you explained. 

“She talked sense into me,” he said. You smiled at that.

“Sounds like her alright,” you said. The two of you sat talking for a while, laying it all on the table. Your fears. Your feelings. Your hopes for the future. 

A year later found your friends gathered at the lakeside. You had invited a few close family, and that was enough. Your locket fell nicely with the dress you had chosen. A ceremony filled with laughter and tears as you and Steve became husband and wife. 

“May I have this dance?” Steve asked after the two of you were introduced at the reception. You grinned at him.

“For you? You can have this dance and every one to come,” you said, pulling him into a kiss as friends and family whistled and clapped. 

This was a dance worth waiting for, Steve thought as he spun you around before pulling you close again, a content smile on his face.