Small Treacheries(Agent Carter, Sousa)

[RiversD]

This is all beatlelover22's fault. I haven't even finished this darn show (don't hurt me, it doesn't air in my country. I'm doing the best I can). And I have other writing I should really be getting on with. So naturally, along comes her drabble thread and makes me want to mess with the boys at the good ol' SSR. *sorry not sorry*

Character: Daniel Sousa

Fandom: Marvel's Agent Carter

Authors Notes: This was going to go in my drabble thread, but I looked at the word count and decided I was kidding myself. So here you go.

 

“hh-NssCHH!”

It was half-stifled into one protective hand, but still elicited a slight stirring of “Bless y’”s from the office at large. Not many, though. It was a busy place, and no-one had much time for niceties. The world moved on.

Peggy had glanced up from her desk at the sound of Sousa’s sneeze, and she let her gaze linger on the man for a while longer. It obviously hadn’t resulted from a stray irritation- he was in too much of a hurry to reach his handkerchief for that. Definitely nursing a running nose, she decided as Sousa turned back to his work, hanky still pressed to his face with his off hand.

She fidgeted with the sheet of paper in front of her. It was a letter offering the CEO of AceCorp the schematics of certain Stark technologies- for a price- and really belonged on Sousa’s desk. But it was the result of a long night with Mr Jarvis, rifling through the gentleman in question’s correspondence. She’d rather not have to explain that. Which left…

Her gaze strayed back to Sousa himself. She could wait for him to leave the room, but that still ran the risk of one of the other agents questioning her. And this was important. She couldn’t let the state of the SSR’s investigation depend on Sousa needing the bathroom sometime soon.

Besides, a slight distraction shouldn’t be too hard to come by. Even as she watched, the tremulous motion of Sousa’s shoulders warned Peggy that he was fighting another sneeze.

Not terribly successfully, either. Sousa’s pencil returned to his desk with a click, and his head tilted back with a series of hitching breaths that sounded increasingly desperate for relief.

Perhaps his nose was teasing him as retaliation for trying so hard to hold it back, Peggy thought.

Sousa twisted away from his desk, and Peggy was treated to a brief glimpse of his face, screwed up in irritation, before he snapped forwards into the waiting handkerchief.

“hep’TSSCHH!”

He had to blow his nose after that one, apparently still doing his best to be discreet. Peggy stood, picking up her little piece of evidence alongside two irrelevant folders. She felt guilty for taking advantage of him like this, but it seemed like the only way to bring the letter to the SSR’s notice without disclosing how it had been acquired.

She took the few steps that brought her from her desk to his, and hovered a little to his left.

“Daniel?”

He looked up at her, eyes still glistening a little in the aftermath. Slow to recover from the violence of his sneezes, then. That would help.

“Yeah?”

“Are you quite well?”

Just as well it was Sousa, she thought. She’d have had much more difficulty fabricating convincing concern for, say, Thompson.

Sousa actually coloured a little at the question.

“Might be coming down with something.” he admitted. Peggy suspected that was understating it. Sousa was far too pale, and his eyes had that slight squint to them which usually betrayed a splitting headache. He looked perfectly miserable. Still, if he wanted to downplay his suffering, she would play along.

“Well, if you will work all those nights…”

“You know how it is, Peggy. That’s the job.”

Sousa’s nose twitched, and he blinked hard, some spark of irritation apparently catching him by surprise. He brushed a knuckle against his septum to ward it off.

“Just your job, apparently. I seem to be forbidden from sharing in the joys of overtime.”

Sousa gave her a wry smile. “I think we’ve had this conversation before.”

He raised the handkerchief again and dabbed at the underside of his nose. It didn’t seem to do much good- if anything, it was making matters worse. Keeping an eye on his steadily weakening expression, Peggy continued.

“Perhaps, but as I’ve yet to convince- oh, bless you.”

Sousa grimaced, clearly unable to put the sneeze off any longer. It looked as if he half wanted to acknowledge her anticipatory blessing, but he was helpless to adequately respond to anything beyond the immediate demands of his nose. His eyes slid closed, and he flinched into the handkerchief.

As he cringed forward with a desperate, damp-sounding “ hh’TSSCHH!”, Peggy reached across to slide her contribution smoothly into the pile of paperwork on his desk. She masked her movement by bringing her now-empty hand up to rub his back in what she hoped was a comforting fashion.

“Bless.” She repeated, absent-mindedly. “That doesn’t sound good.”

Sousa wiped his nose, clearly embarrassed to be doing so in front of a lady. She didn’t bother to avert her eyes, however. He sighed.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to be a distraction.”

“Strangely enough, it’s you I was concerned for, not my concentration.”

That earned her another blush, and a dismissive shrug.

“Colds always hit me hard and fast. The worse I feel, the quicker it’s over.” He pulled a face. “The way this one’s shaping up, I should be fit and healthy in time for the night shift.”

Peggy forced a smile, and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder.

“Well, good. Can’t have you slacking, can we? Oh-”

She had half-turned to leave, but paused to take a clean handkerchief from her pocket. It was a men’s brand- the lacier alternatives were nice enough, but these were cheaper, and easier to multi-purpose. She placed it on the corner of Sousa’s desk.

“In case you need a spare.”

He shot her a look of such pathetic gratitude that the accompanying wave of guilt rendered her unable to concentrate for a good ten minutes.

Edited January 10, 2021 by RiversD

[Dusty15]

Guh! I love this Peggy's such a great character and Sousa was a lot of fun in the series. I appreciated that he wasn't the cliched romantic interest. Him with a cold is just adorable

[Anonymouse]

“Perhaps, but as I’ve yet to convince- oh, bless you.”

Sousa grimaced, clearly unable to put the sneeze off any longer. It looked as if he half wanted to acknowledge her anticipatory blessing, but he was helpless to adequately respond to anything beyond the immediate demands of his nose. His eyes slid closed, and he flinched into the handkerchief.

THE CASUAL, PREEMPTIVE BLESSING. You are killing me with this story. I love how Peggy genuinely cared but also had an ulterior motive... that she happened to accomplish by taking advantage of his sneezing. Cute detail about the slow recovery time, probably not the best trait for a secret agent which makes it all the more endearing.

[SpamKey]

Omg this is beautiful! I just love it, I ship it so hard! I know this can be read as non-shippy too, but... Gah. I don't have that kind of self-control.

[beatlelover22]

OH my gosh! I would apologise for writing my own Agent Carter drabbles but... this was way too good. I love how Sousa's so focused on his work, that's very in character. And caring!Peggy is to die for... Thank you so so much for writing this! I hope to see more Agent Carter from you, you know, if you have the time!

[RiversD]

You guys are the best.

Guh! I love this Peggy's such a great character and Sousa was a lot of fun in the series. I appreciated that he wasn't the cliched romantic interest. Him with a cold is just adorable

Thank you! Yeah, I'm glad that (as far as I've reached, anyway) he hasn't been that one-dimensional; "only guy who isn't a jerk and therefore who you should fall for, female lead". And he has a fun face, I think.

THE CASUAL, PREEMPTIVE BLESSING. You are killing me with this story. I love how Peggy genuinely cared but also had an ulterior motive... that she happened to accomplish by taking advantage of his sneezing. Cute detail about the slow recovery time, probably not the best trait for a secret agent which makes it all the more endearing.

Aw, thanks! I do have a soft spot for preemptive blessings (as long as they're not directed towards me ). I think it's something to do with the sentiment of "dude, you obviously have to sneeze. Just go ahead."

Poor Sousa, his body's determined to make his work harder... My kinda-sorta-headcanon is that his usual, random-tickle-no-biggie sneezes aren't too bad for him. They can make him a little light-headed, but they're not such a struggle to come back from. It's mostly when he's sick that they hit him like a sack of wet sand. Colds take his leg right out from under him.

Glad that Peggy came across- I've been enjoying that, while she's wonderful and badass and all, she's not the single-facet love-and-light hero that she could have been- and perhaps that Sousa wants her to be. She's judging between ends and means all the time.

Omg this is beautiful! I just love it, I ship it so hard! I know this can be read as non-shippy too, but... Gah. I don't have that kind of self-control.

Aw, go ahead! If it gives you happy images, it's all good. *is proud that she can get this reaction*

OH my gosh! I would apologise for writing my own Agent Carter drabbles but... this was way too good. I love how Sousa's so focused on his work, that's very in character. And caring!Peggy is to die for... Thank you so so much for writing this! I hope to see more Agent Carter from you, you know, if you have the time!

Yay! I'm glad you liked it!

He works too many night shifts and everybody knows it. Maybe he works overtime at desk duties to compensate for not being able to contribute as fully to the active stuff, who knows...

I might pop out a couple more- though perhaps I should actually watch the final two episodes first! Wouldn't want to second-guess the show and make a public fool of myself!

[Anonymouse]

Aw, thanks! I do have a soft spot for preemptive blessings (as long as they're not directed towards me ). I think it's something to do with the sentiment of "dude, you obviously have to sneeze. Just go ahead."

Exactly! And what you said about him having a fun face... seems like it has the potential to get quite expressive, so it would be difficult to hide an obviously impending sneeze or two.

I might pop out a couple more- though perhaps I should actually watch the final two episodes first! Wouldn't want to second-guess the show and make a public fool of myself!

Pop away!

[*Dark_Side*]

Ugh!!! I love this story so much. Now that I've read it, all I want are more stories with Peggy comforting Sousa and there are almost none. I ship them so much and now I just need more stuff to fill my need for that ship. Thanks so much for writing this fic!

[Bruyere]

He looked up at her, eyes still glistening a little in the aftermath. Slow to recover from the violence of his sneezes, then. That would help.

I love how calculating and pragmatic Peggy is in this but also how guilty she feels at the end.

“Perhaps, but as I’ve yet to convince- oh, bless you.”

I love the 'blessing before they've actually sneezed' bless you. <3