Tales From The SSR

Tales From The SSR
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/32161393.
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America - All
Media Types, Captain America (Movies), Agent Carter (Marvel Short
Film)
Relationship: Jack Thompson (Marvel)/Reader, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Ana
Jarvis/Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky"
Barnes/Reader
Character: Reader, Jack Thompson (Marvel), Peggy Carter, Daniel Sousa, Howard
Stark, Edwin Jarvis, Ana Jarvis, Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes,
Pvt. Lorraine (Marvel), Michael Carter (Marvel), Timothy "Dum Dum"
Dugan, James Montgomery Falsworth, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita,
Jacques Dernier, Howling Commandos, Rose Roberts, Aloysius
Samberly, Angie Martinelli, Chester Phillips, Original Characters, Fred
Wells
Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Domestic
Fluff, Slice of Life, Humor, Flirting, POV Third Person, Reader-Insert,
Mild Language, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD,
Hurt/Comfort, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Compliant,
Mutual Pining, Implied Sexual Content, World War II
Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Our Chaotic Founders of SHIELD
Stats: Published: 2021-06-26 Updated: 2022-10-22 Chapters: 11/? Words:
23617
Tales From The SSR

by BerylRoses
Summary
A collection of one-shots chronicling our favorite SSR agents and their many audacious
escapades occurring before, during and after the events of Specs and the Flyboy.
Notes
Summary: After witnessing a tense moment between her best friend and new commanding
officer, (Y/N) takes pity on Steve and tries her hardest to help him understand women.
Needless to say, it doesn’t go well.
Fondue (Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter)
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Fondue
November 1943
SSR Headquarters, London
While (Y/N) was stirring a dollop of honey into her morning cup of tea, she watched with an
amused smile on her face as several lab assistants and two MP’s hurried into the SSR’s laboratory,
brandishing their fire extinguishers and brooms as they ran.
“What’s going on, are we under attack?!”
(Y/N) turned away from the spectacle and regarded the young woman standing beside her at the
kitchenette, the fearful expression on her youthful face making her heart clench in sympathy. “You
must be new here, Private…?”
“Private Eliza, ma’am.”
“Oh, I’m Agent (Y/L/N), but you can call me (Y/N)! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” With a reassuring
smile, she shook the younger woman’s hand and gestured over in the direction of the laboratory.
“In just the year I’ve been with the SSR, Howard Stark’s nearly blown up the lab a grand total of
nine times…well, ten if you count today.” Private Eliza’s eyes widened in shock and (Y/N) patted
her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it in no time. I’ve actually got an appointment
with the pyromaniac at eight, so I’d better start heading down there before he causes Number
Eleven. It was nice talking with you, Private Eliza!”
The younger woman’s face relaxed into a smile. “You too, (Y/N)!”
With her cup of tea in hand, (Y/N) made her way through the bustling rooms as she hummed a tune
under her breath; she was not only looking forward to working alongside Captain Rogers and his
newly-formed task force, but she was also eager to learn more about the man she knew Peggy was
smitten with. He’s not exactly my type though I can certainly see what Peg likes about him, she
thought with a grin, remembering how flustered the super-soldier looked when Peggy had spoken
to him at Whip and Fiddle the night before.
“…don’t think they were all married.”
“You’re a hero.”
Frowning, (Y/N) stopped beside the floor-to-ceiling map of Europe and looked around for who
was speaking; her gaze landed on Steve Rogers and Private Lorraine standing close together in the
corner near her desk, and her brow arched in surprise as she watched a nervous-looking Steve
begin to ramble while the blonde woman’s fingers caressed the knot of his uniform’s tie.
“W-well…that, you know, that depends on the definition of-”
“The women of America? They owe you their thanks, and seeing as they’re not here…” Smirking
seductively, Lorraine’s hand wrapped around Steve’s tie and she tugged him back behind one of
the bookshelves next to her desk.
“Damn,” (Y/N) sighed to herself, watching with a disappointed frown as the two of them kissed.
Her heart dropped into her stomach when she spotted Peggy walking towards Lorraine’s desk,
completely oblivious to what she was about to come across. “Oh damn…”
Peggy turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks, her hands moving to rest on her waist
while Steve and Lorraine continued kissing; she couldn’t see the younger woman’s face, but (Y/N)
had known her long enough to tell when she was well and truly angry. “Captain!” Peggy’s sharp
call instantly made Steve pull away from Lorraine. “We’re ready for you, if you’re not otherwise
occupied.” She turned and strode away as Steve anxiously followed after her, leaving the blonde-
haired private standing alone in stunned silence.
Taking pity on the shocked private, (Y/N) walked over to her desk and offered the younger woman
her cup of tea. “I think you may need this more than I do.” Lorraine accepted the tea with a nod of
thanks and was taking a long drink as (Y/N) made her way down to the laboratory; she was
unsurprised to find Steve standing alone near the guarded doors, a baffled expression on his
handsome face. The poor man doesn’t even know what hit him, she thought as she sighed to
herself, walking up to the super-soldier with a smile that widened when he gave her a polite nod.
“Agent (Y/L/N).”
“Captain Rogers.” She glanced around and innocently asked, “Where’s Peggy?”
“Peg-Agent Carter just left to, um, she needed to go and see someone about…well, about…”
Steve’s rambling trailed off once he took note of her arched brow and his shoulders sagged in
defeat. “You saw all that back there, huh?”
The corner of (Y/N)’s mouth curled upwards as she led Steve through the MP-guarded doors.
“You mean when Private Lorraine cast her line out in hopes of snagging the Star-Spangled-Man-
With-A-Plan?” He flushed scarlet and she bumped his arm with her shoulder. “It’s okay, Steve,
I’m sure that Peg was just shocked to see you two like that. A little jealous, too, but she’ll come
around if you explained everything that happened.” When the super-soldier began awkwardly
rubbing the back of his neck, she stopped and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You did explain
everything that happened, didn’t you?”
“W-well, I tried to but she just kept goin’ on and on so I might’ve…well, I might’ve said
something about her and Mr. Stark…” Glancing warily around the hallway they were standing in,
a beet-red Steve leaned closer to her and muttered, “…fonduing.”
She blinked in confusion. “What?”
“You know…fonduing.”
Utterly baffled by the super-soldier’s embarrassment, (Y/N) tried to understand exactly what he
was struggling to say and when she couldn’t, she let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, I’m a little lost
here.”
“While they were flying me over the German lines, Mr. Stark asked Peggy if she wanted to stop in
Lucerne for a late-night fondue.” Realization dawned on her and she tried masking her chuckle
behind a cough but Steve was quick to notice it. “What?”
“Just come with me, Steve, I’ll let the man in question explain it to you.” (Y/N) led him down the
hall and into the laboratory, making a beeline towards Howard leaning against the edge of his desk
and jotting down notes on a clipboard. “Howard, can you do me a favor?”
The inventor looked up from his notes with a flirtatious grin and winked at her. “Sure, anything for
the SSR’s most gorgeous codebreaker!”
“Please explain to Steve here what fondue is.” Howard’s brow shot up in surprise and while the
super-soldier sputtered indignantly behind her, she leaned closer to the inventor and murmured,
“You see, he thinks that it means something…well, something suggestive, and he assumed that
when you asked Peg if she wanted a late-night fondue, you meant…”
His expression slowly dawned with realization. “Oh…” Setting his clipboard down, Howard patted
Steve’s broad shoulder and chuckled. “Fondue’s just cheese and bread, my friend! One of the
Swiss’ best creations, right alongside tourbillons and cellophane!”
“Really?” Steve asked incredulously and when they both nodded, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“I didn’t think-”
“Nor should you, pal; the moment you think you know what’s goin’ on in a woman’s head is the
moment your goose is well and truly cooked.” Clearing her throat, (Y/N) arched an unimpressed
brow and Howard glanced over at her with a nervous chuckle. “I, um, what I meant to say was…
well…”
(Y/N) rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the super-soldier. “Okay, Steve, let me give
you a little free advice: never ask for Howard’s help when it comes to women and if you really
want to make things work with Peggy, just apologize and ask her out on a date. She likes you a lot,
so I’m sure that she’ll say yes.”
At her reassuring words, Steve flashed her a thankful smile and with an indignant huff, Howard
gestured for the two of them to follow him. “C’mon, you guys, let’s go before Colonel Phillips
finds something else to yell at me about.” He glanced over his shoulder at her and winked once
again. “Speakin’ of romance, (Y/N), you ready to make an honest man out of me? ‘(Y/N) Stark’
has a nice ring to it…” She and Steve exchanged looks of mild exasperation as Howard shrugged.
“Your loss. Anyways, who needs romance? Me, I concentrate on work, which at the moment is
about making sure you and your teammates do not get killed.” The three of them entered the main
floor of the laboratory and the inventor led them over to a table cluttered with various bullet-proof
vests. “Carbon-polymer. Should withstand your average German bayonet, although Hydra’s not
gonna attack you with a pocketknife.” They walked past Steve’s dented and scuffed-up prop shield,
and (Y/N) couldn’t help but think of how insane the man must’ve been to storm a Hydra facility
dressed in a simple stage costume. “I hear you’re kinda attached…”
Steve shrugged. “It’s handier than you might think.”
“I took the liberty of coming up with some options,” Howard led them to another table littered with
prototype shields; this man must never sleep, she thought as her widened eyes roamed over the
nearly dozen high-tech shields before her. “This one’s fun; she’s been fitted with electrical relays
that allow you to-”
“What about this one?” Steve interrupted, bending down and retrieving a rounded shield while his
blue eyes shone with interest.
Howard looked a little taken aback. “No, no, that’s just a prototype-”
“What’s it made of?”
Beside him, (Y/N) rested a hand against the metal and let out a contemplative hum. “It feels
incredibly light for a metal; is it some sort of alloy?”
“It’s vibranium, stronger than steel and a third of the weight. It’s completely vibration-absorbent.”
Steve slipped his arm through the arm-straps and tested the shield’s weight. “How come it’s not
standard issue?”
The inventor tucked his hands into his trouser pockets and jutted his jaw out towards the shield.
“That’s the rarest metal on Earth. What you’re holding there? That’s all we’ve got.” While Steve
continued admiring the shield, Howard turned his attention back to her. “Now, I’ve got some new
radio equipment for you that might help you with your codebreaking-”
“Are you quite finished, Mr. Stark?” All three of them looked up to see Peggy striding across the
room towards them; (Y/N) had known the younger woman long enough to tell that she was fuming
with anger so she was quick to move around the table to stand beside Howard, well out of her way
as she neared them. “I’m sure the captain has some unfinished business.”
With a proud smile, Steve turned towards Peggy and held up his new shield. “What do you think?”
“Oh Lord…” (Y/N) sighed under her breath, mentally face-palming while the super-soldier did the
exact opposite of what she’d told him to. Peggy’s stony expression darkened and (Y/N) realized
what she was planning on doing a split-second before she moved; she clapped her hands over her
ears while the younger woman picked up a nearby pistol and fired four shots in Steve’s direction,
watching as the super-soldier ducked down behind his shield.
The echoes of the shots reverberated throughout the laboratory and the nearby scientists stood in
stunned disbelief as Peggy lowered her pistol and smiled sweetly at the shocked super-soldier.
“Yes, I think it works.”
Tossing the pistol back down onto the table, the younger woman sauntered past Steve and Howard
moved to stand beside him, both men wearing matching expressions of astonishment as they stared
after her; Steve reached into his uniform pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper, handing it
over to Howard without taking his eyes off the retreating agent. “I had some ideas about the
uniform…”
“Whatever you want, pal.”
(Y/N) watched the two frozen men for another moment before rolling her eyes. “If you two are
finished gawking, then I think we should get back to work.” Steve and Howard both jumped a little
and began to hurriedly discuss their team’s uniforms, and she couldn’t help but smirk as she
muttered under her breath, “Lord help me if I ever fall for one of my coworkers…”
Chapter End Notes
Thank you for reading and commenting! Linked below is the Spotify playlist for this
fanfiction, and it'll be updated every time I post a new chapter. Enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0iKzLZlEK1rTaSIiW5zRlk?si=97af3c9ce3ff4b65
The Nearness of You (Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: Jack comforts (Y/N) after a nightmare and begins to reevaluate their
relationship (Snippet of Chapter 15 of Specs and the Flyboy in Jack’s POV)
Chapter Notes
*Disclaimer for a brief scene containing talk of drug addictions and symptoms of
PTSD*
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Nearness of You
November 1947
London, England
When they’d first decided that they needed to travel to England for their investigation, Jack was
looking forward to their trip; he’d only been to the country once before to retrieve the ‘M. Carter’
file from his old friend Nick and after spending so many months cooped up in Los Angeles, he was
eager for a nice change of scenery. It wasn’t until they were on board their plane and (Y/N)’s hand
slipped into his during take-off that he realized his goose was well and truly cooked; the two of
them would be practically alone for the duration of their trip, with no prying butlers or suspicious
landladies to bother them for once, and they’d also be sharing a hotel suite, sleeping in separate
rooms but still far closer to one another than they’d ever been before. Jack had tried distracting
himself with reading and feigning sleep but nothing could stop him from thinking about the woman
seated beside him. Thankfully, their extensive journey tired him out enough so that when they
finally arrived at their hotel, all he could focus on was eating a large dinner and falling asleep in
his comfortable-looking bed.
And that’s exactly what Jack did; once he called Nick and arranged for them to meet with him in
the morning, he and (Y/N) ordered room service and listened to a BBC radio program before
turning in for the night. Jack threw on his pajamas and crawled into the cozy bed with a sigh of
contentment, quickly feeling himself drift off to the sound of rain against his bedroom’s window
and the codebreaker’s absentminded humming in the other room; she really loves those Andrews
Sisters, he thought with a fond smile, burrowing deeper into the bedding and succumbing to a
dreamless sleep.
Jack wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep for when he was suddenly jolted awake by what
sounded like a muffled scream; he rolled onto his back and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, tiredly
assuming that it had only been the storm raging outside. Just as his eyes began drifting closed there
was a second, much louder scream and it had clearly come from (Y/N)’s bedroom. He wasted no
time in jumping out of bed and grabbing his handgun off of the dresser before hurrying to the
codebreaker’s room and throwing the door open.
“(Y/N)?!” Jack slammed his free hand against the light switch, expecting to see an enemy agent or
one of Michael’s hired goons in her room, but what he saw was even more concerning: (Y/N) was
sitting up in bed and struggling to catch her breath while her eyes looked everywhere but nowhere,
almost as if she were still trapped in the middle of a nightmare. Without a second thought, he set
the gun down on top of her vanity and quickly crossed the room, kneeling at her bedside before
taking hold of her shoulders. “(Y/N)! (Y/N), it’s okay, it’s just me!” Her frantic eyes found his but
she still hadn’t fully come to her senses, so he rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms and
instructed, “Just breathe, (Y/N), can you do that for me? C’mon, just breathe…” A small surge of
relief washed through him when she released a ragged breath and he felt himself nod. “That’s it, it
was just a nightmare, it wasn’t real…” Jack’s relief rapidly turned to panic when (Y/N)’s eyes
welled with tears and as he watched in stunned silence, she buried her face in her hands and her
shoulders began shaking with quiet sobs.
As evident in his brief encounter with Peggy’s old friend back in New York and (Y/N)’s argument
with Howard during their visit to his backlot, Jack Thompson wasn’t the greatest at comforting
crying women. But seeing his partner – the woman he’d undoubtedly fallen in love with over the
course of their investigation – so distraught over her nightmare made his chest constrict in
sympathy and with barely a moment’s hesitation, Jack sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled
her into his arms; one hand cradled the back of her head while the other soothingly rubbed over her
back, and his murmured words of comfort masked her muffled sobs.
“It’s okay, (Y/N), everything’s gonna be okay…I’m here, I’ve got you…shhh, I’m not going
anywhere, baby…it was only a nightmare, (Y/N), it wasn’t real…”
It took a while for the codebreaker’s sobs to subside and once they eventually did, she pulled back
from him just far enough to look into his face; the distraught expression written across her face
filled Jack with concern and while she wiped away the last of her tears, he couldn’t help but
wonder what it was in her dreams that made her break down the way she had. Taking a deep
breath, (Y/N)’s eyes finally met his and she shakily spoke, “I-I’m so sorry, Jack, I woke you up-”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.” Jack interrupted, the hand still resting against her back
tightening as he silently debated what to say next. “Do you…? Do you wanna talk about it?” Just
as he’d predicted, she shook her head and he nodded in understanding before releasing his hold on
her. “Well, if you’re sure that you’re okay then I should…”
Just as he was beginning to move, (Y/N)’s hand latched onto his arm. “Please, I’m not…I don’t
think I can be alone right now. Can you stay?” Looking into her pleading eyes, he felt himself nod
and settle into the empty space of the bed beside her, making sure that there was a respectful
amount of space between them before leaning over and switching off the bedside lamp; under
normal circumstances, he would’ve been a flustered mess at the idea of sharing a bed with the
codebreaker but that night, he was far too worried for her to be embarrassed. The two of them laid
there in silence for several moments before (Y/N) quietly asked, “Do you…do you ever have
nightmares about the war?”
Jack’s fingers drummed against the material of the comforter and he flexed his shoulders
uncomfortably as he nodded. “Sometimes. When I first got back, they were pretty intense but once
I got a job at the SSR, I didn’t have them as often. From what I’ve heard, a lot of people who
served experience them; they’re…they’re nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of.”
He felt (Y/N) shift a little beside him. “I know…my father used to have them. He served in the
Army during the Great War and from what others have told me, he returned home a changed man.
They got so bad that right after I was born, he started to use opiates.”
“…That’s how you knew what to say to get Peter Hanson to talk.”
“Yep. That’s probably the only good thing that came from growing up with a father who cared
more about getting his next fix than his own daughter.” She humorlessly chuckled and let out a
sigh. “I haven’t had nightmares in months but the moment I return to England…? Well, I suppose it
was only inevitable that they’d come back.”
Silence filled the room once again and as the storm continued raging outside, Jack wrestled with
what to say next before simply reaching over and holding her hand in his. God, I hope this was the
right thing to do, he silently fretted, threading their fingers together and resting their joined hands in
the open space between them. “’Night, Specs.”
“Goodnight, Flyboy.”
Much to his surprise, (Y/N) rolled over and scooted closer to his side of the bed, resting her
forehead against his shoulder and giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she burrowed deeper into the
bedding. In no time, her breathing had slowed and once he was sure that she’d fallen into a
peaceful sleep, he let his own eyes close; as he laid there in bed beside his partner, taking in the
faint scent of her perfume and appreciating the warmth she radiated, the last thing Jack thought
before succumbing to sleep was that he’d never felt more comfortable in all his life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While Jack was slowly starting to wake up, he brought a hand to his face and rubbed the sleep out
of his eyes with a tired yawn; he hadn’t had a real good night’s sleep like that since before the war
and it was with a content sigh that he decided to stay in the warm bed a little longer than he usually
would. Although, it wasn’t until he fully opened his eyes when he realized exactly why he was so
warm; (Y/N) was curled up against him with her head resting on his shoulder, one arm tucked
underneath his pillow while her other arm was slung around his waist. His own hand was pressed
against her back and holding her secure against him, and his fingertips barely brushed the bare skin
of her shoulder blade. Her breathing was slow and even and when he craned his neck over to see
her, he smiled softly at how peaceful she looked while she slept.
Jack was careful not to move around too much as he brought his hand up and fixed one of (Y/N)’s
loose pin curls, securing it back into place and adjusting the edge of the satin handkerchief tied
over her hair with a quiet chuckle. As he lowered his hand, his fingers brushed against the soft skin
of her cheek and his breath caught in his throat when she snuggled closer and tightened her hold on
his waist; he glanced over at the clock on the bedside table and sighed, knowing that they should
be getting up so that they could go and meet with Nick; he gave his partner’s shoulder a gentle
shake and whispered, “Specs? Hey, Specs, it’s time to wake up…” The corner of his mouth curved
into an amused smirk when she merely nuzzled her face into his chest and he gave her shoulder
another shake. “C’mon, Sleeping Beauty, rise and shine.”
(Y/N) finally began to stir, blinking her tired eyes open and lifting her head up to meet his gaze.
“Oh, hi there. I thought you were a blanket.” Jack’s smirk widened as she rubbed the sleep out of
her eyes. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Mm-hmm, like a baby. What about you? Any more nightmares?”
She shook her head and rested it back onto his shoulder, her face brightened by a thankful smile.
“Nope. I…well, thank you for staying, Flyboy.”
“You would’ve done the same if you were in my shoes.” Jack replied, shrugging his shoulders and
yawning loudly into his hand. “’Sides, my room was freezing and you’re like a human furnace.
Seriously, how can somebody be that warm during a rainstorm?”
Her smile widened at his teasing and he chuckled as she lightly swatted his chest and shot back,
“Well, then, I’m glad I could be of service to you.”
While their laughter died down, Jack’s eyes roamed (Y/N)’s face and took in her cheerfulness,
admiring the way that the morning light peeking through the bedroom curtains illuminated her
beautiful features. Her eyes met his and without a second thought, the hand resting against her back
flexed and pressed a little harder, holding her securely in his embrace while his other hand moved
to hold hers flat against his chest, directly over his heart; it could’ve been his imagination, but the
codebreaker’s eyes seemed to glance down at his lips while she slowly moved closer, his own eyes
beginning to slide closed. They both leaned in and…
In an instant, the spell was broken by the blaring ring of the telephone in the other room and they
both wrenched themselves away from one another as if they’d been burned; Jack leapt out of bed
and hurried to answer the telephone while his face flushed scarlet and his heart pounded erratically
in his chest, picking up the receiver with a gruff, “Yeah?”
“And a bright good morning to you too, Jack! I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“’Course not, Nick, I was, um, I was already up…” Jack rambled, running a hand through his
mussed hair and casting a brief glance towards his partner’s bedroom before continuing, “So,
where’d you wanna meet up to talk?”
Jack was barely listening as his old college friend talked, his mind too preoccupied with playing his
and (Y/N)’s almost-kiss over and over in his head; you’re such an idiot, he harshly berated himself,
you’re still going back to New York when all this is over and you still don’t have a shot at a
woman like her. With a sigh, Jack resolved to pretend that nothing had happened; surely she’d just
forget about it as long as he never brought it up, right?
Chapter End Notes
Also, my Tumblr is @swan-of-sunrise if any of you were interested, stop by and suss
out the vibe!
The Right Choice (Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: After squaring away his new position within the West Coast SSR, Jack
finally asks (Y/N) out on a date.
Chapter Notes
The Right Choice
December 1947
West Coast Strategic Scientific Reserve, Los Angeles
“Just when I thought we’d finally gotten rid of you for good, you had to go and fall in love with my
top codebreaker,” Daniel said with feigned exasperation, the corners of his mouth curling upwards
in an amused grin as he hung his crutch up onto his hook and sat down behind his desk. “Just my
luck, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.” Jack absentmindedly hummed at the chief’s words while he stared through the office
window at (Y/N); the codebreaker was finishing up a report on her typewriter, her reading glasses
perched on the end of her nose as she concentrated on her work. Her vivid red lipstick had long-
since faded into a pretty shade of pink and while he admired the focused expression on her
beautiful face, he felt himself begin to smile at the memory of their passion-filled kisses. He still
couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that his massive leap of faith had actually paid off and
that (Y/N) loved him just as much as he loved her; I’ve gotta be the luckiest son of a bitch on the
face of the planet, he thought to himself, his heart leaping in his chest when the codebreaker’s eyes
met his and returning her shy smile with one of his own.
“…Jack? Hello, Earth to Jack!” Jack quickly turned his attention to Peggy, who leaned against the
edge of Daniel’s desk and let out a low whistle. “I think you’ve got a little bit of drool on your chin,
Lieutenant…”
With his face beginning to warm in embarrassment, Jack shot back, “Oh, you’re one to talk, Carter,
you know how many months I had to put up with you makin’ eyes at Danny Boy here back in New
York?” Peggy scoffed while Daniel’s ears turned pink, and Jack flashed them both a triumphant
smirk before leaning back in his chair. “So, how’s this job interview gonna work? Did you two
want my resumé or my list of references first?”
Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “That’s really not necessary, Thompson, you’ve got a job at
this branch as long as I’m running things; we just wanted to hear the whole story about how you
turned down the CIA position.”
“Yes, from what we’ve heard Senator Cooper was quite insistent that you take up the position,”
Peggy added, her nose wrinkling as she mentioned the senator’s name. “I can’t say that I’m very
fond of the man, especially after hearing about what he said to (Y/N) during his visit.”
Jack nodded in agreement. “You and me both, Peg, he’s a real horse’s ass. There’s not really much
to hear, though-”
“C’mon, Thompson, it’s the least you can do! You know how hard it was keeping all this a secret
from (Y/N)? A very sad, very lonely (Y/N)? Rose and Zhang nearly spilled the beans at least three
times this week, and even I almost blabbed earlier at the hospital.” Daniel pointed out as Peggy
nodded in agreement, and Jack let out a defeated sigh.
“Well, by the time my first plane landed in Colorado I knew that I wanted to come right back here
but I figured that there were things I needed to settle before I could; I had to thoroughly vet my
replacement – and before either of you wise-asses ask, no, Chief Harding’s not a Russian spy – and
I had to get out of my apartment’s lease and arrange to have my things shipped out here. After I did
all that I paid Senator Cooper a visit at his office downtown, returned his letter of recommendation
and told him I wasn’t interested in being his political tool before storming out. Doesn’t make for a
very interesting story, but that’s pretty much everything that happened.” He caught Daniel and
Peggy exchanging a skeptical look and frowned in confusion. “What?”
“You remember Angie, my old roommate from New York? Well, she’s friends with one of the
secretaries who works downtown at the senator’s office and the other day, she telephoned to tell
me all about the verbal altercation her friend witnessed between Senator Cooper and a rather irate
federal agent,” Peggy explained with a knowing gleam in her brown eyes, continuing on as Jack
began self-consciously rubbing at the back of his neck. “According to the secretary, the agent read
Cooper the riot act for not giving proper credit to the team responsible for closing a major case
over at the West Coast SSR; he was adamant that the case never would’ve been closed if not for
the entire group of people he worked alongside.”
“Nah, it must’ve been some other federal agent, Peggy, ‘cause Thompson here’s never been very
big on sharing credit…or being nice…”
Rolling his eyes as Daniel and Peggy exchanged amused grins, Jack ignored the heat rising in his
face and replied, “You two’re hilarious, you know, you could give Crosby and Hope a run for their
money. I told Cooper off ‘cause it was the right thing to do…and I thought it might make up for
taking all the credit when we closed that Leviathan case back in New York.” He shifted awkwardly
in his seat and shrugged. “What can I say? I was a real ass back then, but I’ve decided to turn over
a new leaf.” His eyes flicked back over to (Y/N) and he couldn’t help but smile, knowing that the
codebreaker had been a large part of what inspired him to become a better man. “A fresh start here
in L.A. with (Y/N)’s all I’m lookin’ for.”
Daniel’s smile was full of warmth when Jack turned back to him and he leaned across the desk to
offer him his hand. “Well, Agent Thompson, let me be the first to welcome you aboard the West
Coast SSR.” Jack grinned and shook the chief’s outstretched hand. “And since there’s no way I’m
gonna get either of you to focus on any work now, you and your new partner can go ahead and take
the rest of the afternoon off.”
“Yes, you two deserve a fun evening out!” The happy expression on Peggy’s face was soon
replaced with mischief as she arched a playful brow. “But not too much fun; it’s a work night, after
all.”
Jack rolled his eyes as he got to his feet and jokingly retorted, “Yes, Ma.”
Bidding Daniel and Peggy goodbye, Jack left the office and paused for a moment to nervously fix
his tie before making his way over to (Y/N)’s desk; the codebreaker, who was still typing away on
her typewriter, looked up from her work and smiled as he leaned against the edge of the desk. “I
suppose I’ll have to get used to calling you ‘Agent’ now instead of ‘Chief,’ won’t I?”
“C’mon, Specs, we both know that you’re just gonna keep calling me ‘Flyboy’ instead.” He
chuckled when she gave him a noncommittal shrug. “But yeah, you’re lookin’ at the West Coast
SSR’s newest field agent. And my interview went so well that Chief Sousa even partnered me with
the branch’s top codebreaker, can you believe that?”
(Y/N) smiled in amusement at his reference to their contentious first meeting but played along,
arching a curious brow and replying, “I take it that you’re fond of codebreakers.”
“Absolutely crazy about ‘em.”
“Even the ones who wear reading glasses?”
“They look cute with specs.”
“And the ones who don’t make very good spies?”
“Hey, nobody’s perfect.”
“How about the ones who’re messy and can’t keep anything clean?”
Jack winced in mock distaste. “Now that’s a deal-breaker.”
Laughing, (Y/N) took off her reading glasses and shook her head in mild exasperation. “You’re a
jerk, Jack Thompson.”
“And you’re beautiful, (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” His heart warmed at the flustered expression on her face as
she began anxiously organizing her cluttered desk. “I’ve got even more good news; Sousa’s given
the both of us the rest of the day off.”
She tucked several files into one of her desk drawers and closed it with a small chuckle. “Time off
for good behavior?”
“Something like that.” Suddenly overcome with nervousness, Jack crossed his arms over his chest
and cleared his throat before tentatively continuing. “Since we’ve both got a free afternoon, I was
wondering if you’d…well, if you’d like to…to do something? With me?”
“I’d love to! What did you have in mind?”’
“Well, The Olympic’s still showing Miracle on 34th Street; I’ve heard it’s a pretty good flick and I
know you’re a big Maureen O’Hara fan,” He reasoned, his calm exterior hiding the overwhelming
sense of relief that washed over him when she accepted. “So, how ‘bout a movie and afterwards,
milkshakes and fries at Lou’s?”
(Y/N)’s smile widened as she nodded, and the both of them went to fetch their hats and coats;
while she was preoccupied with pinning her hat onto her hair, Jack quickly threw his fedora and
coat on before grabbing her coat and holding it up for her to slip into, feeling very gentlemanly as
she did so. The two of them left the bullpen and walked down the hallways of the West Coast SSR
together, both of them occasionally glancing over at the other and smiling whenever they were
caught staring. It wasn’t until Jack’s hand tentatively reached over and held hers that the unspoken
tension finally came to a head; in an instant, he was being pulled into the nearest supply closet and
his back hit the closed door as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Soft hands moved to cup his face
and hold him against her while his own arms slipped into her unfastened coat and wrapped snugly
around her waist, tugging her close as he lost himself in the sweetness of her lips.
The codebreaker was the first to break away, a little out of breath as she reached up and flicked on
the light bulb hanging from the ceiling; her lips were swollen and her (Y/E/C) eyes were gleaming
with happiness, a soft smile on her face as one of Jack’s hands reached up to caress her cheek.
“Well, baby, that confirms it.”
“Confirms what, sweetheart?”
Jack grinned. “That I definitely made the right choice.” His fingers held her chin as he ducked back
down, their lips meeting in a softer and more meaningful kiss; when they finally pulled themselves
away from one another, they straightened their appearances before ducking back out of the supply
closet and continuing down the halls, their smiles reaching their eyes as their joined hands swung
between them.
Chapter End Notes
out the vibe!
Operation Slack Happy (Platonic! Steve Rogers/Reader, Platonic! Bucky
Barnes/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: When (Y/N) receives some worrisome news about her brother, Steve and
the others convince her to let loose and forget her troubles for a night.
Chapter Notes
Operation Slack Happy
December 1943
Whip and Fiddle, London
After taking a sip of her whiskey, (Y/N) set the glass down onto the table and looked at the
crumpled letter before her; she’d read the letter almost a dozen times already and had practically
memorized it word for word, but she still had no idea how to go about writing a reply. Maybe I’ll
be struck with a little inspiration after a few more of these, she thought with a weary sigh, carefully
tucking the letter back into its envelope and slipping it into her clutch before removing her reading
glasses and taking another long drink.
“Mind if I join you?” (Y/N) looked up to see Steve and smiled as she gestured to the table’s vacant
seat. The super-soldier nodded in thanks, sitting down and taking a long swig of his drink; her
shock must’ve shown on her face because a moment later, Steve chuckled in amusement. “I
promise I’m not trying to give myself alcohol poisoning or anything, it’s just that the serum makes
it so I can’t feel its effects like I used to.”
“Well, that’s a relief; for a minute there I thought that all those crazy stories I’ve heard about
Brooklyn guys were true.” She joked, her smile widening as he laughed. “What brings you here?
Peggy’s on assignment right now so it can’t possibly be her…”
Steve’s ears flushed pink and he shook his head. “No, I’m actually laying low; Senator Brandt’s
been searching headquarters for me, so I figured that I’d better make myself scarce and let Colonel
Phillips deal with him himself.”
“I can’t say I blame you; I’m not exactly a fan of Senator Brandt myself.” Her nose scrunched in
distaste at the thought of the older man; she’d unfortunately met him several months prior when he
arrived at the SSR’s headquarters for a briefing from Colonel Phillips, and her low opinion of him
was cemented when he referred to her as a ‘smart little lady.’
“Is everything okay, (Y/N)?” She looked up from her drink to meet the super-soldier’s concerned
gaze. “It’s just that you don’t usually drink by yourself.”
“Everything’s fine, it’s just…I got a letter from my parents today.” Setting her half-empty glass
down, (Y/N) reached into her clutch and withdrew the letter. “It’s the first letter I’ve gotten from
them in over a year. They didn’t even bother asking how I’m doing or if I’m safe; the only reason
they wrote was to ask me to keep an eye on Freddie and make sure nothing happens to him when
he ships out.”
Steve frowned. “Freddie?”
“My little brother; he was just drafted into the 222nd Infantry and apparently left for basic training
last week.” She began rifling through her cluttered clutch. “I’ve got his graduation photograph in
my wallet…ah, found it!”
He leaned forward and smiled as he examined the small photograph. “He looks a lot like his big
sister; you two have the same look in your eyes, like you’re both thinkin’ a million things at a
time.” Glancing up, his azure eyes softened in sympathy. “You’re really worried about him.”
“He’s only nineteen, Steve, he…he should be in college right now or working at his first real job,
spending his weekends going out with friends and having fun. But even before our country entered
the war, all he wanted to do was fight. I think that me being recruited to join Bletchley was the
final straw for him; if his big sister could go off and fight for her country, then so could he.”
With an understanding look on his face, Steve replied, “Sounds to me like Freddie was gonna find
any way he could to fight for his country no matter if you’d gone to Bletchley or not. Take it from
the guy who volunteered for human experimentation just so he could do his part, your brother
wouldn’t have let anything or anyone stand in his way; there’s no use in beating yourself up over a
situation that you have no control over…or letting your parents guilt-trip you, for that matter.”
Shrugging, (Y/N) downed the rest of her whiskey before giving the super-soldier a half-hearted
smile. “You’re right, but it’s still my job as a big sister to worry about my little brother.”
Just as Steve opened his mouth to answer, a sharp knock on the window they were seated next to
caused them to jump in surprise, but the both of them relaxed when they realized that it was only
Bucky. “Hey, the fellas and I are gonna go to Feldman’s for a little drinkin’ and dancin’, c’mon!”
“You go ahead, Steve, I think I’ll call it an early night…” She trailed off when she noticed the look
on his face. “What?”
“It might be an older sister’s job to worry, (Y/N), but no one said an older sister couldn’t go out and
forget about her worries for just one night.” Steve stood and offered her his hand to take. “That
letter’ll still be there in the morning. Besides, Peggy told us that you’re one helluva dancer and
Bucky’s been looking forward to finding out how much of that’s true.”
Her eyes flicked down to contemplate her outfit; she was wearing one of her nicer blue dresses and
her shoes were fairly comfortable for dancing…Looking back up, she matched Steve’s smile with
one of her own as she accepted his hand. “Well, I’d hate to let Bucky go on believing that Peg’s a
liar…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feldman Swing Club was in full-swing (no pun intended) when their small group arrived and it
was then that they discovered that the one and only Benny Goodman was playing that night. The
dance hall was packed with American G.I.’s, British soldiers and their dates, the sounds of their
talking and laughter mingling with the band’s deafening playing. While the others split off towards
the bar to fetch drinks and chat up any ladies they encountered, (Y/N) and Steve found an empty
table at the edge of the dance floor.
“I haven’t been to a dance hall like this since college!” (Y/N) exclaimed over the noise, taking a
seat beside Steve and watching the energetic dancers with a smile on her face. “The ones near
Stanford were okay but on certain weekends, a bunch of us would drive up to Oakland and go to
Sweet’s; now that’s a dance hall!”
“Wait, you’ve been to Sweet’s? That’s one of the most famous dance halls in the country, Bucky’s
been yakkin’ my ear off for years about wanting to take a trip to California to go there!”
Steve’s sudden burst of excitement made her smile only widen. “Well, when we’re finally out of
this mess I’d be honored to show you fellas around my home state. Maybe I’ll be able to convince
Peggy to tag along, then you two can finally come to your senses and have a nice night out on the
town.”
The super-soldier chuckled nervously and began rubbing at the back of his neck. “T-That sounds
swell, but I’ll have to learn how to dance before I go askin’ P-anyone out.”
“I’d offer to teach you right now, but swing music’s a little much for a first dance lesson.”
The two of them sat at their table and watched with thinly-veiled amusement as their companions
tried their hand at dancing; Gabe was surprisingly good, managing to keep up with his partner
while chatting her up in fluent French, but Dugan seemed to have two left feet. Just as (Y/N) turned
to Steve to ask if he wanted a drink, Bucky hurried up to them with a grin on his face. “C’mon,
doll, they’re playin’ our song!”
“When exactly did ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ become our song, Barnes?”
Bucky’s grin only widened. “When you agreed to show off your killer-diller dance moves five
minutes before good ol’ Benny started playing one of the best dancin’ tunes in existence.”
Chuckling, Steve took her clutch from her and gestured towards the bustling dance floor. “I’ve
been watching this punk show off in dance halls for almost half my life, so it’ll be fun seeing
someone upstage him for a change.”
“I don’t know, it’s kind of crowded here…”
“Ah, Stevie, she’s just scared that she won’t live up to Carter’s high praises.”
(Y/N) narrowed her eyes at the undaunted man but after a moment, she stood, smoothed out the
skirt of her dress and walked towards the dance floor, pausing to glance over her shoulder with a
brow arched in challenge. “You coming, Sergeant Barnes, or do Brooklyn fellas need a written
invitation?”
“No, ma’am!” Bucky hurried forward, latching onto her hand and pulling her into the lively crowd
of dancers while Steve cheered them on. “If you need a break to catch your breath or anything,
doll, just let me know!”
“That’s funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you!”
Bucky laughed and as he whisked into the fast-paced swing dance, (Y/N) felt her worries finally
begin to fade away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, (Y/N)’s head was pounding and her stomach felt a little queasy but she was in
fairly good spirits; her night out on the town with friends helped her relax and not worry too much
about Freddie’s impending deployment overseas, and she knew that once she overcame her
hangover that she’d feel even better. But that’s the last time I ever try and out-drink Bucky Barnes,
she thought as she weakly chuckled and rubbed at her throbbing temple, I beat him at dancing but
that man’s got a real affinity for whiskey.
“Good morning, (Y/N)!”
Wincing, (Y/N) glanced up from her morning cup of tea at Peggy, who was still dressed in her
tactical gear as she entered their shared living quarters. “’Morning, Peg, but do you mind keeping it
down a little? I’m currently being tortured for going out and having some fun last night.”
“Ah, I knew that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why you’re wearing sunglasses
inside,” Peggy replied with a teasing smile, tossing her knapsack onto her bunk and shedding her
sturdy jacket. “I’m glad that you had an enjoyable evening out. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve been in
the field for three days and in dire need of a shower; we’ll catch up over a spot of lunch, okay?”
Once (Y/N) agreed, the younger woman retreated into the bathroom and she switched on their
battered radio, listening to the morning news for a few minutes before turning the dial to a slow
tune. She cast a fleeting look at the bathroom door before reaching into her clutch and pulling out
the letter her parents had sent her; biting her lip, she took her sunglasses off and slipped on her
reading glasses. “Time for you to be a good big sister, (Y/N).”
She grabbed her stationary set and went about replying to the letter, promising her parents that
she’d do everything in her power to watch over Freddie while he was deployed in Europe. If only
she’d known then how that letter and her reply would soon come back to haunt her…
Chapter End Notes
out the vibe!
The Telephone Hour (Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: Peggy and Daniel attempt to spend a quiet evening in after (Y/N)’s
interview at the SSR, but it would soon prove to be a momentous challenge.
Chapter Notes
The Telephone Hour
September 1947
Los Angeles, California
“Seriously, Peg, you wouldn’t believe how big of an ass this guy was! A cocky, self-absorbed flyboy
who had the nerve to call me a pencil-neck, stuttering brainiac, all while lounging in Chief Sousa’s
office like some sort of grandstanding fat-head!”
Peggy heaved an exasperated sigh and leaned back against her kitchen counter as she switched the
telephone receiver to her right ear. “I wish I could tell you that you caught him on a bad day, (Y/N),
but that’s our dear Jack Thompson for you. I’m sorry that you had to endure all that on your own;
if I know anything about you, though, it’s that you’d never take that sort of talk lying down.
Remember how you dealt with that OSS agent at Whip and Fiddle?”
The codebreaker snorted in amusement. “Of course, I punched Agent Huntington right in the face
and let Bucky buy me a congratulatory drink afterwards. It’s too bad that your fella already hired
me; I’m sure he wouldn’t be too thrilled if I sock his fellow chief’s smug face on my first day of
work.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Depending on how much Jack annoys him that day, Daniel might even give
you a pay raise.” As their laughter died down, Peggy anxiously twirled a finger around the
telephone cord. “Speaking of Daniel…um, what do you think of him?”
“He’s great, Peg! Just as kind and polite as you described him, but with an added touch of dry wit;
he’s pretty cute, too, with those dark eyes and that adorable smile of his. And it was so sweet
seeing how his face lit up when your name came up, and-”
“All right, that’s enough of that,” She interrupted with a chuckle, her face warming at the
codebreaker’s praising words; it reminded her of how she’d tease her about her growing attraction
to Steve throughout the war and after everything they’d both gone through, it was nice to hear her
old friend poking fun at her again. “Daniel’s a truly wonderful man, (Y/N). After Steve…well, I
resigned myself to believing that I’d simply never find another man like him. But when Daniel
came into my life and I slowly got to know him, I couldn’t help but fall in love with him; we’ve
only been together a little more than a month, but this is the happiest I’ve been since before the war
ended.”
Peggy could practically hear the smile on (Y/N)’s face as she replied, “If anyone deserves a bit of
happiness in their life, Peg, it’s you. And all teasing aside, Daniel’s an amazing guy and I’m glad
that you found each other.” As Peggy smiled to herself, the codebreaker let out a small sigh. “It’s a
real shame that Jack Thompson’s such a knucklehead; the first thing I thought when I saw him
sitting in the chief’s office was that he was handsome in that ‘Hollywood Leading Man’ sort of
way. Doesn’t he remind you of a blonde Dana Andrews?”
“Was Dana Andrews the one in Casablanca or the one in Holiday Inn?” (Y/N)’s groan of defeat
made Peggy giggle. “I’m sorry, but I’m not a cinephile like you!”
“Peggy Carter, you’re living in the film capital of the world, what the hell do you do for fun out
here?!”
“Um…assemble rifles?”
“That settles it, you and I are going out to the movies this weekend. And to answer your question,
Dana Andrews wasn’t in either of those films; he was the leading man in State Fair, The Best
Years of Our Lives and Laura. He’s handsome, charming, charismatic…”
Peggy arched an inquisitive brow. “Are you still talking about Dana Andrews?”
“Well, I’m certainly not talking about that hot-headed flyboy, that’s for damn sure. I think I’d
rather walk barefoot on hot coals than be stuck alone with that man again, but I’ll do my best to
behave in a professional manner at work; I’ve missed codebreaking these past couple of years and
I’m certainly not going to let Jack Thompson stop me from helping people again.”
“That’s the (Y/N) (Y/L/N) I know!” The sound of the front door being unlocked drew her attention
away from the phone and she glanced over at the hanging clock, surprised to see how long they’d
been talking over the telephone. “I have to go, (Y/N), but I’ll ring you tomorrow and we’ll make
plans for the weekend.”
“Okay, talk to you tomorrow!”
Hanging up the receiver, Peggy left the kitchen just as Daniel was closing the front door. “Hello,
darling!” She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek once she reached him and held his crutch so that he
could remove his fedora and coat. “I got a little sidetracked and forgot that you’d be coming over
after work.”
“Well, I would’ve called ahead like I usually do but your telephone line was busy; I take it that
(Y/N) was givin’ you the full run-down of her interview?”
“Mm-hmm, she told me that she enjoyed meeting you and that she was grateful for the opportunity
to work for the SSR again, but we mainly discussed her…ah, interesting introduction to our dear
Jack.”
Daniel chuckled in amusement. “Yeah, Thompson spent the entire afternoon yakking my ear off
about that. I only came in at the tail-end of it, but it sounded like he put his foot in his mouth and
didn’t like what (Y/N) had to say about it; he kept going on and on about how much she’d gotten
on his nerves and that he was looking forward to not having to see her again when he goes back to
New York.”
They both sat down on the sofa and Peggy allowed him to drape an arm around her shoulders,
holding her close to his side as his free hand intertwined with hers; she felt his lips press a kiss to
the side of her head and sighed as she relaxed in his embrace. “Seeing as our only lead in his
shooting turned out to be a dead end, I’m afraid that Jack won’t be leaving Los Angeles anytime
soon.”
“Lucky us, we’re gonna be stuck with that B.T.O. the whole time,” Her boyfriend quipped and
raised a surprised brow at her when she chuckled. “You know what B.T.O. means?”
“Well, of course I do, the SSR was a wartime agency, so naturally I picked up some of the popular
military slang. If I’m not mistaken, the acronym B.T.O. means ‘Big Time Operator,’ or someone
who thinks very highly of themselves. There were a handful of those working at the SSR during
the war, as (Y/N) can surely attest to, but thankfully Colonel Phillips didn’t tolerate their
grandstanding for very long.” Catching Daniel looking at her with a soft gleam in his brown eyes,
Peggy felt her face begin to warm. “What?”
“Oh, I was just taking a sec to appreciate my O.A.O. a little.”
She frowned in confusion. “O.A.O.? I’m not sure I’m familiar with that one.”
“It’s an acronym that my unit used a lot whenever they wrote letters back home to their
sweethearts…” The hand that had been holding hers moved up and his fingers gently tucked a
wayward curl behind her ear as his smile widened. “O.A.O. means ‘One and Only.’”
“…I see.” Peggy’s blush deepened and she pressed her cheek into his palm despite her sudden
bashfulness. “I think I quite like that acronym.” They both leaned in and their lips met in a slow but
passion-filled kiss. Over the past month, Peggy had grown very fond of kissing Daniel Sousa; he
was a gentle and considerate kisser – typically allowing her to take the lead and set the pace – but
the way he always tugged her into his lap and held her against him was anything but gentlemanly.
With a content hum, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders as her free hand toyed with his dark
hair, smiling when his hold on her tightened in response.
When they finally separated for air, Daniel flashed her a sheepish grin as he caressed her cheek
with his thumb. “I was originally gonna ask you where you wanted to go for dinner tonight, but
now I sorta think we should stay in and cook something up right here. What do you think, honey?”
Peggy hummed thoughtfully and pretended to ponder his question. “I think…that I’m dating a very
intelligent man.” Just as she leaned down to kiss him again, the telephone rang and startled them
both. “Dammit, I should answer that.” She clambered off of Daniel’s lap and pressed a finger to his
pink-tinged lips with small smile. “Just marking my place, darling.” Taking a moment to smooth
out her skirt, she walked into the kitchen and picked up the handset with a breathless “Hello?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Carter! I trust that you’re doing well?”
“I am, Mr. Jarvis…um, was there something specific that you needed?”
There was a brief pause on Edwin’s line. “Are you positive that you’re well? You sound a touch out
of breath…”
Peggy blushed and she fanned herself a few times with her free hand as she replied, “I’ve recently
begun a new exercise regiment, actually, you just caught me in the middle of my one-arm push-
ups.”
“How very intrepid. I’m telephoning you on Mr. Stark’s behalf, he asked me to inform you that he
finished working on a new prototype for a compact taser and wanted to know when you’re
available to test it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Daniel enter the kitchen and lean against the counter.
“That’s wonderful! Could you please tell him that I’ll be over tomorrow at noon? With any luck,
this new prototype won’t burn down his laboratory like the last two nearly did.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears. I’ll let you return to your calisthenics and relay your answer to
Mr. Stark; have a pleasant evening, Miss Carter!”
“And the same to you, Mr. Jarvis.” With a fond smile, Peggy placed the telephone handset down
onto its receiver before turning to face Daniel. “Now, where were we?”
“Um, you were praising my god-like intelligence and putting my virtue into some very serious
danger,” Daniel joked, grinning as she rolled her eyes in exaggerated exasperation. “Unless you’ve
got another way of describing what we were just up to…?”
She crossed the kitchen and looped her arms around his neck with a quiet chuckle. “At the risk of
inflating your ego even more than it already is, you wear sarcasm almost as well as I do.”
His breathtaking smile made his eyes crinkle. “That’s some high praise from the one and only
Peggy Carter.” They leaned in and closed their eyes but before their lips could touch, the telephone
rang once again; Peggy groaned in frustration at the interruption and Daniel sighed, kissing her
forehead and nodding towards the offending electrical household appliance. “You might as well
get this one too, honey.”
Grumbling under her breath, Peggy hurried to the telephone and picked up its handset. “Hello?”
“English, I just got back to my place and I haven’t even taken my stage makeup off ‘cause I just
had to call and tell you what happened! Guess who showed up to tonight’s rehearsal?”
“Angie, I-I haven’t the foggiest idea…”
“Gene Kelly! I guess that he’s a friend of our director’s and he came by to oversee our
choreography as a favor to him and Peggy, he’s just as dreamy in real life as he is onscreen! And
at the end of rehearsals, he came up to me and complimented my dancing! Can you believe it,
English?! Gene Kelly himself complemented my dancing!”
Ignoring her earlier shortness, Peggy felt a surge of pride for her friend’s accomplishment and
couldn’t help but beam. “Oh, Angie, I’m so happy for you! When did you say that your show
opens?”
“October 9th, so in a little less than two months. I wish that you’d be able to come and see it, but I
know that you’re still trying to solve that chief’s shooting.” As Peggy listened to Angie talk, she
felt Daniel move to stand behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his lips brush
against the side of her neck. “I’d better see a nice bouquet of roses in my dressing room on opening
night to make up for it!”
“Of course, Angie, whatever you-” Her breath hitched in her throat as one of Daniel’s hands slid
away from her waist and towards her stomach, where his fingers began to fiddle with the buttons of
her blouse while he continued pressing deliberately slow kisses down her neck. “Um, Angie? Do
you mind if I…if I call you back sometime tomorrow?”
Peggy could practically see the smirk that her old roommate had on her face as she replied, “Of
course, English, I’ll give you a call sometime around three. Enjoy your hot date and I wanna hear
every juicy detail about it tomorrow!”
“Yes, goodbye, Angie!” She practically slammed the handset down onto its receiver and gave an
unashamed Daniel a withering look. “You’re a troublemaker.” Before he could reply with
something witty, she tugged his head down and kissed him hard, one hand holding the back of his
neck while the other clutched the front of his aloha shirt; he made a sound of surprise but eagerly
kissed back as his arms wound themselves around her waist.
Ring, ring, ring!
“That’s it, I’m going to shoot the damn thing! Loan me your pocket pistol for a sec, Peg.”
“I cannot believe that this needs to be said, Daniel, but you’re not allowed to shoot my appliances,”
Peggy lightly scolded before once again picking up the telephone receiver. “Yes?”
“Geez, Marge, are you runnin’ a bed and breakfast over there or what? Every time I try calling
your line’s busy!” Jack’s voice echoed through the handset and Daniel let out a deep sigh.
“Anyway, some files and paperwork just came in for you. Did you want me to leave them at your
desk or did you wanna come pick them up before I head out?”
“Just leave them at my desk, Thompson, thank you. Is that all-?”
“You know, you could’ve given me a little heads-up about your friend this morning; I walked into
all that pretty unprepared and I-”
Peggy interrupted the beginnings of his rant with a brief yet firm reply. “I’m sorry, Thompson, but
I’m having ladies troubles right now and must deal with them before my home looks like the scene
of a murder, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow!” This time, she actually slammed the handset down on
the receiver but instead of leaving it there, she took it back off and rested it on the marble
countertop before turning back to Daniel and kissing him with extra vigor.
“’Ladies troubles?’” Daniel laughed between kisses. “You get a lot of mileage outta that excuse,
honey.”
“It’s quite handy, darling. So, what do you think we should do tonight?”
Peggy and Daniel exchanged mischief-filled grins, and the telephone remained off its receiver for
the rest of the evening.
Chapter End Notes
out the vibe!
Home For The Holidays (Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: (Y/N), Jack and Benny spend a sweet and memorable Christmas Eve
together in Howard Stark’s mansion.
Chapter Notes
Home For The Holidays
Christmas Eve 1947

Stark Mansion, Los Angeles
Humming along to the festive music playing on the radio, (Y/N) continued hanging ornaments
towards the top of the Christmas tree with a happy smile on her face. It had been years since she’d
truly allowed herself to celebrate the holidays, not having the heart to even try after the war and
Freddie’s death, but this year she decided to give it a shot; Jack’s surprisingly festive mood was
infectious and it hadn’t taken very long for her to finally get into the holiday spirit. Carefully
securing a glass ornament onto its branch, she leaned back a little to admire her handiwork as her
smile became more wistful. “If only the others could be here tonight…”
It was just (Y/N)’s luck that the year she finally decided to enjoy the holidays would be the year
that all of her friends and colleagues were traveling out of town; Peggy and Daniel were spending
their Christmas Eve with Michael at the hospital and would be flying out to Pennsylvania to spend
New Year’s with Daniel’s family, Edwin and Ana were accompanying Howard to his New York
residence and helping him prepare for the holiday party he was throwing for Stark Industries, and
both Rose and Henry were busy with their families. Since Jack wasn’t exactly on good terms with
his family and (Y/N) had been disowned by hers entirely, they decided to spend Christmas together
in the inventor’s sprawling mansion.
A joyful bark shook (Y/N) out of her reverie and she looked down at the Bernese mountain dog
sitting by the foot of her ladder with a small chuckle. “Of course, I’m happy that you’re here with
us, Benny.” The Jarvis’s young dog barked again, bounding over to the couch and curling up on his
usual cushion, where he watched with interest as she finished putting the final touches onto their
tree; once she finished, she packed up the ladder and spent a moment scratching Benny behind his
fluffy ears before making her way to the kitchen.
Jack stood with his back to her and was busy stirring a pot of marinara sauce at the stove,
seemingly unaware of her presence as he hummed along to the music drifting in from the living
room; she smiled at the endearing sight and was about to comment on it when a plate of freshly-
baked chocolate chip cookies on the nearby counter caught her eye. As quietly as she could, (Y/N)
tiptoed into the kitchen but just as she began reaching for a cookie, Jack called out, “I’m pretty sure
that those are for after dinner, Specs, not before.” He glanced over his shoulder with a teasing grin
that made her stomach flutter. “But I’ll be nice and let you sample the marinara sauce.”
“I suppose that’ll have to suffice,” (Y/N) heaved an over-dramatic sigh but smiled as she made her
way over to where her boyfriend stood, accepting the full tasting spoon he handed her and
humming in approval as she tried the sauce. “Mmm, that’s delicious! If you weren’t already such a
great SSR agent I’d tell you to open up your own restaurant, Flyboy.”
“You sure that you’re not just butterin’ me up so that you can steal a cookie when my back’s
turned?”
Her jaw dropped in mock outrage at his playful accusation. “And here I thought you were a real
gentleman, Jack Thompson, the kind who’d never go around accusing defenseless young ladies of
thievery.”
“Oh, believe me, baby, you’re anything but defenseless.” Her boyfriend wrapped his free arm
around her waist and tugged her close before capturing her lips in a soft but passionate kiss. Like
with most things in his life, Jack Thompson was a very thorough and straight-to-the-point kisser,
wasting little time on teasing and managing to take her by surprise each and every time; she began
to return his kiss after a moment, one arm draping itself across his back while her other hand
moved to cradle his freshly-shaven cheek. They remained close when they finally broke away,
their foreheads pressed together while they worked on catching their breath, and her face warmed
as she watched him lick his lips and wink. “But you’re right, this sauce is goddamn great.” With an
arm still around her waist, he switched the burner off and moved the sauce pan to the counter
beside them. “Dinner’ll be ready in a few, I just need to toast the bread.”
“All right, then, I’ll go raid Howard’s wine cellar for a ridiculously expensive Merlot and set the
table.” (Y/N) pressed a chaste kiss to Jack’s lips and started towards the doorway as he turned his
attention back to the food; she stole a brief glance at him before snatching a cookie off of the plate
and hurrying out of the kitchen, giggling to herself as she heard his tell-tale sigh of exasperation
intermixed with an amused chuckle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Their Christmas Eve feast of spaghetti and meatballs with toasted garlic bread and red wine was far
better than any turkey or ham dinner they could’ve had, and (Y/N) was just as pleased with the
company. She and Jack had been quite busy at the SSR, what with Michael’s impending surgery
and the endless paperwork that went along with it, and they hadn’t had the time to see one another
outside of work; despite all that, though, their fledgling relationship seemed to be as strong as ever.
But it won’t be if he keeps beating me at chess, she thought with a sigh of defeat, watching in
disbelief as her boyfriend checkmated her king for the third time that evening.
“Checkmate!” Grinning triumphantly, Jack looked up and chuckled when he caught sight of her
annoyed expression. “C’mon, Specs, don’t be a sore loser! Just admit that I’m better at chess than
you are.”
“It’s just beginner’s luck, that’s all.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion when he quickly looked away
from her and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Wait a minute. This isn’t your first time playing
chess, is it?”
Jack shrugged noncommittally as he fought the smile that was creeping onto his face. “I might’ve
played a little chess in middle school…and in high school…and maybe some in college…”
“Oh, you bastard.” (Y/N) stood up from her chair and glared, crossing her arms over her chest as
her boyfriend continued to smirk. “Are you proud of yourself?”
“Yeah, a little. It’s not easy gettin’ the drop on you, you know.”
She slowly circled around the coffee table and behind the couch he was sitting on, struggling to
keep the smile off her face when he innocently looked over his shoulder at her. “Any last words?”
“Baby, I’m very sorry…that you’re such a sore loser.” Jack’s chuckle soon morphed into a full-
blown laugh when (Y/N) dug her fingers into the skin of his neck, trying his best to squirm away
from her merciless tickling but her triumph was short-lived; her eyes widened as his arms suddenly
wrapped around her waist, tugging her over the back of the couch and straight into his lap before
tickling her sides in retaliation. Their laughter filled the living room and they both leaned in for a
kiss, Jack’s hand moving from her waist to rest against her cheek as her fingers curled around his
tie to pull him closer. When they separated, there was a tender gleam in Jack’s eyes and he smiled
as his fingertips caressed the side of her face. “How ‘bout a truce?”
(Y/N) hummed thoughtfully before matching his smile with one of her own. “Okay, Flyboy, but
it’ll cost you.” Her boyfriend raised a curious brow and her smile widened. “Hot chocolate and
cookies?”
“Hot chocolate and cookies, it is!” Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, Jack eased her off of his
lap and headed off to the kitchen, whistling along to the music on the radio as he went.
After checking to see that he’d left the room, (Y/N) got up and hurried to the coat tree in the
entryway to retrieve her Christmas present for Jack she’d hidden in her coat’s pocket. She set the
brightly-wrapped package onto the coffee table and sat back down on the couch, taking a moment
to fix her hair and smooth out her skirt before sitting back and anxiously waiting for him to return; I
hope that he likes it, she thought as she nervously fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater, knowing
that he would but unable to ignore the doubt gnawing at her. She was pulled out of her thoughts by
Benny, who had jumped onto the couch and rested his head on her lap. “Are you having a good
Christmas, Benny?” The young dog yawned and she chuckled, petting the soft fur of his head with
gentle fingers. “As far as Christmases go, this is a pretty nice one.”
Jack returned a short while later, setting the serving tray down on the coffee table and standing
before her with a nervous smile on his face. “I guess it’s time for presents now.”
Her boyfriend withdrew a small white box tied with a red bow from his pocket and handed it to
her; Benny jumped down from the couch, and (Y/N) untied the bow and lifted the lid off the box
while Jack sat down beside her, her brows rising in surprise when she saw the velvet jewelry box
within. Anticipation rising, she held the velvet box and carefully opened it, letting out a small gasp
when she saw what was inside; it was an oval-shaped locket, etched with an intricate floral design
and suspended from a delicate gold chain. “Oh, Jack…” A smile broke out across her face as she
met Jack’s anxious gaze. “It’s beautiful!”
As his shoulders relaxed in obvious relief, he gestured to the locket in her hand. “Open it.”
“Oh, please tell me you didn’t put a photograph of Howard in it, I can’t-”
Her words abruptly died in her throat when she carefully pried opened the locket and stared down
at the familiar black-and-white photograph of Freddie; her younger brother’s high school
graduation photograph was one of her favorites, since it perfectly captured his trademark grin and
the mischievous gleam that was often easily spotted in his eyes. She’d even carried a battered copy
of it in her wallet all throughout the war but removed it shortly after his death, not wanting yet
another reminder of her loss and the guilt that came with it; as she looked down at Freddie’s
smiling face, however, she didn’t experience the usual surge of guilt but rather a warm fondness
and it took her a moment to realize that Jack had started talking. “After everything you told me
back in London about Freddie, I thought that maybe you’d like to keep a part of him close.”
Blinking away the unexpected tears that had begun to prickle at her eyes, (Y/N) looked up from the
locket and smiled. “This is the most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me. Help me put it on?”
He nodded and she turned in her seat, lifting her hair up and allowing his warm fingers to fasten the
chain around her neck; the cool metal rested against her chest and she held it close as she turned
back around and gave him a one-armed hug. “Thank you, Jack.” She pulled back after a moment
and flashed him a more lighthearted smile. “Now it’s your turn!” She retrieved the wrapped present
from off the coffee table and pressed it into his hands. “It’s not much when you compare it to a
gold locket, of course, but I hope you like it.”
“’Course I will, Specs,” Jack reassured her before tearing the colorful wrapping off and holding the
present in his hands. “Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe…wait, is this your codebreaking
book, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It’s what I practiced all of my codebreaking in while I was at Stanford, before I was
scouted and recruited into Bletchley; I discovered that Poe’s works are wonderful templates for
dozens of code styles and variations and throughout the war, I even added notations and
information on each of them.”
“I…I can’t accept this, (Y/N), this is important to you-”
“But I want you to have it,” She interrupted, refusing to accept the battered book he was attempting
to give her. “It’s silly to say out loud, but that book was the closest thing I had to a security blanket
throughout the war. Keeping it close always reminded me that my work was saving lives and not to
lose faith in myself, and that’s what I hope it’ll do for you.” She playfully bumped his shoulder
with hers. “Besides, we’re partners; if I still have to attend your lectures on espionage and
undercover work, then you’ve got to keep honing your codebreaking skills.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” The corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile as he carefully
set the book on the coffee table. “Now, you said somethin’ about hot chocolate and cookies?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Where the tree tops glisten
and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow…I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every
Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be
white…”
“I thought I’d miss havin’ a more traditional Christmas,” Jack commented, glancing away from the
crackling fire they were sitting before with a small shrug. “You know, turkey and snow and
annoying family members gettin’ tipsy on homemade eggnog, the whole nine yards. But this is
probably one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had.”
(Y/N) hummed thoughtfully and drank the last of her hot chocolate. “A spaghetti and meatball
dinner on a foggy Los Angeles evening, attended only by two SSR agents and a very large puppy…
well, it does sound a little unconventional when you say it all out loud like that.”
Chuckling, her boyfriend’s arm tightened around her waist and guided her to lean back against his
chest while the other adjusted their blanket around them. “Yeah, but it sure sounds like us, though;
pretty damn unconventional in every imaginable way.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and smiled. “Merry Christmas,
sweetheart.”
“Merry Christmas, baby.”

They kissed, their lips languid and soft against one another’s as the fire continued to crackle and
the music from the radio played on.
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Where the tree tops glisten
and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow…I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every
Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be
white…”
Chapter End Notes
out the vibe!
When Worlds Collide (Platonic! Peggy Carter/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: At Bletchley Park, Peggy meets (Y/N) (Y/L/N), her new roommate and
codebreaking mentor from America, and soon finds herself building the foundations of
a long-lasting friendship.
Chapter Notes
When Worlds Collide
June 1940
Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
“Carter, Margaret Elizabeth!” Hearing the old woman seated at the desk finally call her name,
Peggy picked up her suitcase and train case before hurrying over to her; she barely looked up from
her clipboard as she spoke. “Miss Carter, you’ll be sharing a dormitory room with Miss (Y/L/N),
your assigned instructor while you acclimate to your work here. She’s been residing here for
several weeks now, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to show you around the dining and recreation
rooms once you’re settled in.” She gestured to the hallway to the left. “Turn right at the end of the
hall, and you’ll find your room three doors down on the left.”
Peggy tucked her train case under her arm and accepted the room key and slip of parchment paper
with a polite smile. “Thank you, ma’am.” She made her way down the hall as the woman called out
another name, chewing her bottom lip in nervous anticipation; she hadn’t shared a dormitory room
since her days at St. Martin-In-The-Fields and that hadn’t quite been an all-around pleasant
experience, aside from her heroic attempted thievery of the headmaster’s whiskey and his wife’s
knickers. On the bus that had transported them from the train station, several other Bletchley
codebreakers mentioned that they’d recruited women from all around the world to work at the
Government Code and Cypher School, so there was no telling what Miss (Y/L/N) would be like.
“Hello,” A red-haired woman walking down the hall greeted her with a friendly smile. “You must
be one of the new girls here! My name is Alice.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Alice. Mine’s Margaret, but you can call me-”
“Did you need any assistance finding your dormitory, Margaret?”
Peggy shook her head. “I’ve just found it actually, thank you.” She nodded towards the closed door
on her left. “Room B16.”
“Ah, you’re sharing with that American,” Alice remarked, her eyes flicking away towards the door
as she pursed her lips in disapproval. “I suppose I’ll see you later at dinner, dear, six o’clock
sharp!”
They exchanged goodbyes and the redhead continued on down the hall while Peggy’s brow
furrowed in contemplation. It would seem that some of the ladies here don’t get on well with Miss
(Y/L/N), she thought to herself, wondering if perhaps it had something to do with her being
American. Peggy had never actually met an American before, so the only reference point she had
were Hollywood films and magazines, although those tended to portray Americans as brash and
overly-glamorized. Squaring her shoulders and hoping for the best, Peggy stood before the door
and briefly hesitated before knocking twice.
“Just a second!” Came a muffled reply and a moment later, the door swung open to reveal Peggy’s
new roommate. The woman was only a couple of years older than her and clearly an American,
with her (Y/H/C) hair fixed in the latest style and her mouth adorned with a vivid shade of red
lipstick; contrasting with her stylish outgoing appearance, however, were her intelligent (Y/E/C)
eyes that crinkled around the corners as she gave her a friendly smile. “Miss Carter, right? Mrs.
Bridgers mentioned that you’d be arriving sometime today.” She stepped aside and gestured into
the room. “Welcome to our humble abode!”
Stepping into the dormitory room, Peggy set her luggage down onto the unmade bed and took a
moment to look around; it was a cozy room, about the size of her old bedroom back home in
Hampstead, with two beds, two desks and a large wardrobe in the corner. Her new roommate’s side
of the room was already decorated and had a lived-in feel to it, telling her that she’d already been at
Bletchley for several weeks; a handmade quilt was folded at the foot of her bed and several black-
and-white photographs were tucked into the frame of the mirror hung beside her desk, over which a
red Stanford University pennant and a framed diploma were fastened. The radio on her cluttered
desk played softly in the background and a pair of reading glasses rested beside an unscrewed
bottle of crimson nail polish.
“It’s not much but hey, at least the roof doesn’t leak.” The older woman closed the dormitory door
and moved to hold her hand out, but chuckled to herself when she caught sight of her crimson-
painted nails. “Sorry about that, you caught me in the middle of a much-needed manicure. My
name’s (Y/N) (Y/L/N), your roommate and your assigned instructor until you get the hang of
things here.”
“I’m Margaret, but I prefer to go by Peggy.”
(Y/N) smiled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Peggy! Fresh bedding’s on the top shelf of the wardrobe
and in case you wanted to iron your clothes before hanging them up, the ironing board’s tucked
behind your desk.”
They fell into a comfortable silence, with (Y/N) slipping her reading glasses back on and resuming
her manicure and Peggy unpacking her suitcase; stealing clandestine glances at the American
across the room, Peggy admired the effortless and unapologetic way she stood out and couldn’t
help but feel slightly envious; all her life, she’d been told how to behave and cautioned against
ignoring the unspoken rules of her social status, so she’d never had an opportunity to outwardly
express herself in the ways she’d always wanted to. “So, (Y/N), is California as sunny and
glamorous as everyone says it is?”
Her roommate looked up from her nails with her brows raised in mild surprised. “How’d you know
that I’m from California?”
“Your school pennant. My brother was considering moving to America for university and Stanford
was on his list of potential schools.”
“You’ve got a good eye, Peggy.” With a shrug, she took a moment to blow on her nails before
answering her question. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but California’s not quite as sunny and
glamorous as the movies make it out to be…well, Southern California sort of is but I’m from a
little ways away from San Francisco, in Northern California; we get sunshine, sure, but with it
comes a whole lot of wind from the Pacific.” She gestured towards the window at the overcast sky.
“Your English summer’s actually helped me cope a little with the homesickness.”
Noticing the wistful look in (Y/N)’s eyes, Peggy’s heart clenched in sympathy. She couldn’t
imagine how isolating it must feel to travel halfway around the world in the middle of a war to a
country with no personal connections; her roommate made the difficult decision to join the fight
against Hitler and his allies – despite her country continuing its public stance of non-
interventionism – and for that, she felt a spark of respect beginning to form for her fellow
codebreaker. In an effort to lighten the mood and cheer the older woman up, Peggy pointed to the
framed photograph on her desk and raised an inquisitive brow. “That fellow’s quite good looking.
Is he your boyfriend?”
Her roommate burst into laughter. “God, no! That’s my little brother, Freddie. I’m sure he’ll be
over the moon when I write and tell him all about how my new roommate thinks he’s a real dish,
the poor kid might even faint.”
“Unfortunately for your brother, I’m already spoken for.” Giggling, Peggy pulled a framed
photograph out of her suitcase and held it up for (Y/N) to see. “By happy coincidence, this is Fred,
Fred Wells. We met while working in the same office and we’ve been going together for almost a
year now.” She gave the photograph a smile and carefully placed it on her empty desk before
hanging several dresses in their shared wardrobe. “Do you have anyone special back home?”
(Y/N) shook her head. “Haven’t met anyone who’s worth my time yet. Maybe I will when all of
this is over but for now, I’m content with just me, myself and I. Does that make sense?”
“Of course…” Peggy’s gaze drifted over to Fred’s photograph on her desk and a strange feeling
formed in the pit of her stomach; she liked Fred very much but it didn’t take a genius to figure out
that he was a safe option, the sort of fellow a girl’s family would unanimously approve of. While
there was nothing wrong with wanting security in a relationship, a part of Peggy that she kept
hidden from the world around her valued passion over practicality. With a small shake of her head,
she looked back at (Y/N) and forced herself to smile. “So, what sort of fun things are there to do in
California?”
Over the rest of the afternoon and into the evening after dinner, Peggy and (Y/N) got to know one
another and Peggy could honestly say that besides Michael, her new roommate and mentor was the
easiest person to talk to; the older woman was funny, sharing story after story about growing up in
California and amusing anecdotes from her years at Stanford University, and despite never having
traveled to another country before joining Bletchley, she was incredibly worldly. She introduced
Peggy to jazz and blues music through the Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and Count Basie records
she’d brought from America (she quickly fell in love with the music style and vaguely-suggestive
lyrics of some of the songs), she taught her some popular American slang words (some of which
thoroughly confused her; why on Earth would anyone refer to a telephone call as an ‘ameche?’)
and she’d even let her sample one of the candy bars her little brother had slipped into her suitcase
(the Hershey chocolate bar was undoubtedly the grossest thing she’d ever tried and she wrinkled
her nose in disgust as her roommate shrugged and finished the rest). She even got the opportunity
to peruse (Y/N)’s personal codebreaking journals and was amazed by the complexity of the codes
she’d created and the unusual ways she’d learned how to translate others.
Never before had Peggy met someone and felt an instant connection to them within mere hours of
knowing them, but (Y/N) (Y/L/N) was a kindred spirit; on-paper, they shouldn’t have much of
anything in common with one another, but the only real difference between them was that (Y/N)
never felt societal pressure to hide her true self away as Peggy had throughout her life. She’d only
ever had an older brother but while she and (Y/N) laughed together at one of the American’s
stories, she could imagine that this was what having a sister felt like.
“Oh, I couldn’t show my face at that dance hall for months after that! Thankfully, some fella from
Cal Berkeley’s Alpha Kappa Lambda got into a brawl with the Stanford branch of Phi Kappa Psi,
so everyone forgot about my little girdle accident.” (Y/N) laughed and fanned herself with her hand
while a giggling Peggy wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes; their snickers eventually died down
and from her spot on her bed, the codebreaker wrapped her arms around her knees and gave Peggy
a timid smile. “This might sound a little strange to hear, Peggy, but today’s the first time in weeks
that I’ve felt like myself. It’s been hard adjusting to living in a different country, especially one
that’s not very fond of Americans; I can’t go two days without listening to the BBC and hearing
about how Americans are ‘undermining and eroding the very foundations of civilized society,’”
Her fairly-good impression of a British accent made Peggy smile and she shrugged. “I guess what
I’m trying to say is that I’m glad you’re my roommate and I’m looking forward to working
alongside you.”
“I’m glad that I’m your roommate as well.” They shared a smile and judging by the look in
(Y/N)’s eyes, she felt the same bond of sisterhood beginning to form between them. “So, do you
have any more wild stories similar to the girdle accident?”
“Of course I do, but some of them require a little alcohol first.”
“Well, in that case…” Reaching into her bottom desk drawer, Peggy withdrew a sealed glass bottle
of Glenlivet 12 and held it up with a mischievous smirk. “The finest single malt whiskey that
Scotland has to offer, courtesy of my brother Michael. Will this suffice?”
(Y/N)’s lips curved upwards and she nodded in approval. “You and I are definitely going to get
along, Peggy Carter.”
Chapter End Notes
out the vibe!
A Jarvelous Afternoon (Edwin Jarvis/Ana Jarvis, Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: Ana and Edwin reminisce about their own love at first sight while
watching romance begin to blossom between Jack and (Y/N).
Chapter Notes
A Jarvelous Afternoon
October 1947
Stark Mansion, Los Angeles
Ana Kertész Jarvis was not a nosy woman. She was raised to respect the privacy of others and, as a
resident of the infamous ladies’ man Howard Stark’s mansion, wasn’t the type to pry into matters
that didn’t concern her no matter how mysterious or intriguing they might be. But as she peered out
the window of one of the second-story guest bedrooms at the pool down below, she couldn’t bring
herself to feel any guilt over spying on Jack Thompson and (Y/N) (Y/L/N).
The chief and the codebreaker were seated at the poolside table with their case files and documents
spread out on its surface, and they were taking a break from working on their investigation to relax
and enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola in the setting sun. (Y/N)’s bare feet were propped up on a wicker
ottoman, her ankles resting one on top of the other and her heeled sandals tucked underneath the
table, and Jack’s shirt was unbuttoned over his undershirt and his sleeves were rolled up to his
elbows; he looked to be telling her a story and while he talked, she sipped her soda and smiled as
she listened. The way that the codebreaker was looking at the distracted chief, with her (Y/E/C)
eyes soft and full of shining admiration, made Ana’s heart warm in her chest and she covered her
mouth to hide her own widening smile. She hadn’t known either of them for very long but after
witnessing Jack’s worry when (Y/N) was injured during one of their missions and observing the
stolen glances they exchanged ever since, she had a feeling that there was more than just a
partnership forming between them.
“Ana? Ana, darling, it’s nearly time for dinner!” The sound of approaching footsteps made Ana
turn away from the window in time to see Edwin appear in the open doorway; her husband’s
expression brightened the moment he caught sight of her and he strode over to where she stood
with a bemused grin on his lips. “What exactly are you up to in here, Mrs. Jarvis?”
“Only a little harmless spying, Mr. Jarvis,” She replied as his arm moved to wrap around her
shoulders. “I was closing the upstairs windows when I heard their laughter, so I thought I’d see
what was so funny.”
Edwin arched an inquisitive brow at her. “Espionage isn’t quite your modus operandi, darling.”
“Well, you and Miss Carter aren’t the only ones who are allowed to occasionally partake in
surveillance activities,” Ana playfully retorted, returning her gaze to the scene unfolding outside.
“Chief Thompson seems to be getting along well with Miss (Y/L/N), wouldn’t you say?”
Humming in agreement, her husband peered out the window at the pair in question. “They’re not
attempting to murder one another, so it would seem that it’s going swimmingly.” He caught sight
of her eyes widening in concern and quietly chuckled. “Metaphorically, of course. They both have
extremely…passionate temperaments, so much so that it’s a wonder they’re able to work together
at all. You should’ve heard the way they spoke to one another when I dropped your apple pie off at
the SSR last month; one could easily have mistaken the office for a prison yard.”
(Y/N) leaned forward in her seat to hand Jack a file, and Ana watched as the chief’s ears reddened
when their hands briefly touched. “Perhaps Miss (Y/L/N)’s recent injury has changed their
attitudes towards one another.” Seeing the way that the chief and the codebreaker were stealing
glances at one another, Ana smiled to herself and looped her arm around her husband’s thin waist.
“Edwin, do you remember when we first met?”
“Of course I do, darling; when I walked into the hotel tailor’s shop and saw you standing behind
the counter, I thought that I was hallucinating an angel.” Ana’s heartbeat quickened in her chest at
the look Edwin was giving her. “You could’ve attempted to sell me a moth-hole riddled nightshirt
and I would’ve purchased it in an instant, just so that I could continue talking to you.”
She smiled up at her husband after he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “And I remember
seeing you walk into the shop and thinking how incredibly handsome you looked in your uniform.
Hearing you speak for the first time was even better; you were so polite and respectful, dear, a truly
perfect gentleman.” Looking back at the pair seated outside, she tilted her head to the side while
she considered them. “But I suppose that not everyone falls in love the way that we did…” She
turned to fully face Edwin and reached upwards to cup his face between her hands. “Do they, Mr.
Jarvis?”
“I suppose not, Mrs. Jarvis.” Edwin smiled tenderly, leaning down and capturing her lips in a slow
but passionate kiss that she was quick to return; when they finally pulled away from one another,
he was struggling to catch his breath and she went about smoothing down his freshly-rumpled hair
while he moved his hands to rest on her waist. “Darling, how long has it been since I told you I
loved you?”
“Oh, several hours, at least,” Ana replied as her lips curved into a playful grin and her fingers
slowly ran through her husband’s soft hair. “Perhaps you should say it again for me, to refresh my
memory?”
Chuckling, Edwin nodded and held her closer. “I love you, Ana, with all that I am and more.”
“And I love you too, my dear Mr. Jarvis.”
They both leaned in for another kiss when suddenly, Howard’s voice called out from downstairs,
“Hey, Jarvis, I’m gonna take the soufflé out of the oven now! I’m goin’ dancing with Cyd Charisse
at nine and she promised me a private lesson, if you get my meaning!”
Edwin’s eyes widened in alarm and after pressing a hasty kiss onto Ana’s cheek, he turned and
unceremoniously sprinted out of the room as he loudly replied, “Please don’t, Mr. Stark, the
soufflé isn’t ready to be served just yet!”
Ana fondly giggled at her husband’s gallant attempt to save the soufflé from Howard’s meddling
and looked out the window at Jack and (Y/N) down below; the chief and the codebreaker had
moved to sit on the edge of the pool, with Jack’s trouser legs rolled up to his knees and the hem of
(Y/N)’s skirt carefully tucked up away from the side. They were absentmindedly moving their legs
back and forth in the water and chatting away in the light of the setting sun, looking as though they
were the only two people on Earth whenever they stole glances at one another. Not everyone falls
in love as quickly as a tailor’s shop assistant and a British soldier, she silently admitted with a
smile, but getting to know each other might just push them in the right direction.
Chapter End Notes
Lending A Hand (Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: Jack discovers one of (Y/N)’s secret insecurities and makes it his mission to
help his beloved codebreaker overcome it.
Chapter Notes
Lending A Hand
March 1948
“If you continue to chew on the end of that pencil, Thompson, one might easily mistake you for a
beaver.”
Jack hummed in acknowledgement at Peggy’s lighthearted quip across the bullpen and tucked the
pencil behind his ear, sitting up in his seat and reorganizing the various case files that were
cluttering his desk as if he hadn’t been caught staring sullenly at the framed photograph of (Y/N)
propped up against his desk lamp. His girlfriend had gone to a portrait studio to have it taken and
gifted it to him on Valentine’s Day along with – in true codebreaker fashion – a card written
entirely in code; he enjoyed the challenge of decoding her sweet declaration of love almost as
much as seeing the flustered smile on her face when he presented her with a bouquet of roses and
the silk scarf she’d been eyeing for weeks, or when she pulled him into the supply closet so they
could enjoy a private moment far away from any prying eyes. The happy memories made the guilt
that had been gnawing at him since breakfast grow, so he avoided looking at the photograph and
continued to work on straightening out his desk.
“Jack, have you seen (Y/N)?” Peggy asked and when he glanced up, she was looking around the
bustling bullpen with a frown on her face. “I need her signature on this case report before I hand it
over to Rose but I can’t seem to find her.”
“She volunteered for filing duties today right after we clocked in.”
As her frown deepened, Peggy stood and crossed the bullpen to lean against his desk. “(Y/N)
despises working in the records room. Is there something the matter with her?” When Jack didn’t
immediately answer, the younger woman’s expression fell. “You two had a fight.”
“No, not exactly,” Jack sighed, leaning back in his seat and running a weary hand over his
forehead. “To be perfectly honest, Carter, I’m not really sure what happened; we were joking
around over breakfast at Lou’s but when we got to the office, she stopped by Sousa’s office to
volunteer herself for filing duties and I haven’t seen her since.”
“Well, what were you two talking about between the diner and here?”
“(Y/N) was telling me about how her neighbor down the hall serviced a rich guy’s Rolls-Royce at
the garage she works at and how he was flirting so much with her that he slipped on an oil slick
and knocked out his gold tooth. That’s when I told her that Stark did the same thing once, only he
fell into his pool and ruined his new Rolex…” His brow furrowed in concentration as he struggled
to recall the rest of their conversation. “And then, I said somethin’ about how falling into a pool
isn’t so bad ‘cause at least everyone learned how to swim as a kid and there’s less of a chance of
losing teeth in one.” He froze when Peggy’s features suddenly contorted into a wince. “What?”
The younger woman cast a quick glance around the bullpen before lowering her voice and asking,
“Has (Y/N) told you about her parents and what her childhood was like living under their roof?”
“…A little, but she doesn’t like talking about them much. Why?” An imploring look from Peggy
made Jack’s heart slowly sink into his stomach. “They never taught her how to swim, did they?”
She shook her head. “From what I’ve gathered, (Y/N)’s parents weren’t exactly hands-on when it
came to raising her; she once told me that she was forced to secretly teach herself a number of
basic life skills while she attended college and during the war, but swimming’s something that
she’s never been able to learn on her own.”
“Damn…I knew that they were shitty parents and that they neglected her, but I had no clue how
bad it really was.” The flash of white-hot anger that Jack felt at learning more unpleasant
information about his girlfriend’s negligent parents quickly gave way to guilt over his thoughtless
remark. “I swear to God, Peggy, I had no idea, if I had I never would’ve said somethin’ stupid like
that-”
“I know, and I’m sure that (Y/N) knows it as well.” Peggy uncrossed her arms to give his shoulder
a comforting pat as she smiled a little. “You want my advice, Jack? Just talk to her and listen to
what she has to say…and fetching her a cup of tea wouldn’t hurt.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A short while later, Jack stood in the hallway outside of the records room with a cup of tea and its
saucer in his hands, anxiously staring at the closed door before him as he prepared himself for what
he’d encounter inside. You’ve really got a talent for putting your foot in your mouth, he mentally
scolded himself, exhaling through his nose and nudging the door open with the toe of his shoe.
(Y/N), who was busy lifting a large stack of files off of the heaping cart beside her, looked up from
her work over the lenses of her reading glasses and gave him a tight smile. “Hi.”
“Hey,” Jack bumped the door closed and held the cup and saucer out for the codebreaker to take. “I
didn’t see you in the break room this morning, so I thought I’d grab you a cup of tea and bring it to
you down here. Earl Grey and two teaspoons of honey, your favorite.”
(Y/N)’s eyes softened and the corner of her mouth curved into a gentler smile as she took the
beverage from him. “Thank you, Jack.”
Since she’d accepted his unspoken peace offering, Jack decided that it was safe to continue on with
his apology and waited for her to take a drink before broaching the subject. “I’m really sorry about
that crack I made earlier, (Y/N), the one about everybody knowing how to swim. I had no idea you
couldn’t or why you never learned until Carter told me a little while ago, but that still doesn’t
change the fact that what I said upset you.”
The codebreaker’s shoulders sagged as she released a sigh and after taking another sip, she set the
drink down on a nearby filing cabinet and began to fiddle with the gold chain of her locket.
“There’s no need to apologize, Flyboy, but thank you anyways.” She tried to smile but it resembled
more of a grimace. “It’s not as though you’re the reason I’m a complete failure of an adult.” When
she reached up to remove her reading glasses, he caught a glimpse of the expression she’d worn
that night in their hotel suite when she finally told him about her younger brother’s tragic death and
why she blamed herself for it.
“C’mere, Specs.” Jack stepped forward and wrapped his arms around (Y/N), holding her close as
she buried her face in his chest and pressing a comforting kiss on the top of her head. “Now, what’s
this about thinkin’ you’re a complete failure of an adult?”
“Well, there’s a bunch of life skills that a person’s supposed to learn from their parents while
they’re growing up that’ll help them navigate adult life. Half of them are things that I was forced to
teach myself during and after college – things like how to drive, how to handle finances and how to
live on my own – and while it was difficult, I managed to learn them all on my own; there’s some
things that I just can’t teach myself how to do no matter how hard I try, though, like how to swim
or how to cook.” She huffed out a humorless laugh and he ran a soothing hand up and down her
back. “At least my parents started trying when Freddie came along, but sometimes…I can’t help
but think that I was somehow never good enough for them, and that’s the reason why they never
really cared about me.”
The matter-of-factness of her words contrasted the wavering tone of her voice, and Jack felt his
heart break for her all over again. The more he learned about (Y/N)’s past, the angrier he grew on
her behalf; no kid deserved a childhood where they experienced anything less than unconditional
love and support, and it was unfair that a kid who grew up neglected by their family was forced to
struggle with the aftermath of that neglect well into adulthood. The fact that (Y/N) (Y/L/N), hands-
down one of the smartest people he’d ever met in his life, was made to believe that she was a
failure made him long to track down her parents and give them both a piece of his mind, but he
knew that righteous anger wasn’t what his upset girlfriend needed in that moment.
With his arms still wrapped around her, Jack leaned back so that he could see her saddened face.
“You know, I read an article in Life Magazine once that was about how some scientists figured out
that it’s harder for adults to learn new languages as opposed to kids; their brains are able to absorb
and retain it easily, you see, but adults have more trouble ‘cause their brains are already fully
developed.” She arched an unconvinced brow. “Yeah, I won’t pretend to understand everything
those eggheads said but what I do know is that learning basic life skills the hard way makes you
even smarter than I already thought you were.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to lie to cheer me up-”
“You outta know by now that I’d never lie to you, (Y/N),” Jack lightly scolded and he reached up
to gently hold her face between his hands. “You’re smart and strong and so goddamn determined,
Specs. You raised yourself when your parents didn’t and once Freddie came along, you did what
you could to raise him so that he’d have a better childhood than yours all while struggling to get
yourself through school, you can crack some of the toughest styles of codes in the world and make
it look as effortless as doing the morning crossword puzzle, and while you might not know a few
important life skills, there’s not a person alive that can do what you do every single day.” His
thumb brushed away a stray tear of hers as he gave her a tender smile. “You’re not a failure, baby.
You don’t have to believe me right here and now; trust me, I know that nothing I say can magically
change how you feel or somehow make you see yourself the way I see you. Someday you will,
though, and when you do, I’ll be right by your side to remind you as many times as you need me
to.”
Jack watched (Y/N) nod to herself and rest her hands on his forearms, her (Y/E/C) eyes flicking
between his as a smile slowly crept onto her face. “I love you, sweetheart, more than you could
ever know.”
“And I love you, too.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers in a slow and meaningful
kiss; her hands journeyed up his torso and came to cradle the back of his neck while she kissed him
back, the feel of her fingers carding through his short hair sending a pleasant tingle throughout his
body and encouraging him to curl an arm around her waist to pull her closer. When they were
finally forced to come up for air, he rested his forehead against hers and took a moment to breathe
in the sweet scent of her perfume before finally breaking the silence. “It’s kinda lonely down here;
you want me to go and get Sousa to assign me some filing duties so that you’ve got company?”
(Y/N)’s eyes twinkled with a hint of her usual mirth. “Jack Thompson, you detest working in the
records room.”
“That’s true, but I love you even more, Specs.”
Jack grinned as his girlfriend rolled her eyes in playful exasperation at his sappy reply. “Well, in
that case, I’d love a little company.” He gave her one last kiss before extricating himself from her
inviting arms and starting towards the door. “Sweetheart?”
He turned back around to face the suddenly nervous codebreaker. “Yeah?”
“I was wondering if…well, there’s something else I’d like for you to help me with, if that’s okay
with you…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As much as Howard Stark managed to push all of Jack’s buttons on a regular basis, he couldn’t
deny that the man had impeccable taste when it came to the finer things in life, which included the
luxurious pool that he and (Y/N) would be spending their sunny Saturday afternoon in. Due to the
childhood swim lessons that his parents insisted on and all the training he’d received while in the
Navy, Jack was an excellent swimmer and although he’d never personally taught anyone how to
swim before, (Y/N) believed in him and that was all he needed. The only thing I’ve gotta worry
about now is keeping my eyes to myself, he thought as he finished piling a couple of beach towels
on the chaise lounge and mentally prepared himself to see his gorgeous girlfriend dressed in a
swimsuit for the very first time.
Benny’s joyful bark pulled Jack out of his less-than-pure thoughts and he chuckled when he saw
the young Bernese mountain dog happily paddling in the shallow end of the pool. “Looks like the
dog’ll be joining us today. I figured that we’ll start off with learning how to tread water and
practice some different emergency floats; if you feel up to it, I can even start showin’ you a few
different strokes to see which one you’d like to learn first.” Jack straightened up and glanced over
his shoulder at the pool house where (Y/N) was busy changing into her swimsuit. “That sound
good to you, Specs?”
“Whatever you say, Lieutenant Junior Grade!”
Despite her teasing words, Jack could detect a hint of nervousness in his girlfriend’s voice and felt
another surge of sympathy. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready, (Y/N). I may be the
Lieutenant Junior Grade but you’re the one calling the shots today, so we can-” The door of the
pool house opened and Jack’s jaw dropped as his widened eyes roved over the codebreaker’s
figure, somehow made even more appealing to him by the floral-patterned one-piece swimsuit and
wedge sandals she wore. “S-So we, um… we can just…”
(Y/N)’s lips curved into a knowing smile while he struggled to form a single coherent thought.
“Peggy helped me pick it out. I take it that you like it, Flyboy?”
“That’s a pretty safe assumption to have.” Jack cleared his throat and ignored the warmth spreading
across his face, shrugging off the robe he wore over his swim trunks and tossing it onto the chaise
lounge; after turning back around to face her, he caught his girlfriend staring at his bare torso and it
was his turn to smirk. “Daniel lent me a pair of his trunks. I take it that you like ‘em, Specs?”
That made her burst into laughter. “God, you are such a smart-ass.” She crossed the distance
between them and her smile softened as her hands moved to rest against his chest, her fingertips
brushing against the raised scar of his healed gunshot wound. “But yes, I like them very, very
much.” She leaned in and kissed him, and she hummed in approval when he cupped her elbows and
began to kiss her back; when they separated, she kissed his cheek as she gave him a grateful smile.
“Thank you for agreeing to help me with this. As cliché as it sounds, it really does mean a lot to
me.”
Instead of answering, Jack pressed a long kiss onto her forehead and slowly led her over to the edge
of the pool. “You’re absolutely sure you wanna do this today?” (Y/N) gave him a firm nod, her
earlier hesitancy gone and replaced with the fiery determination that he’d grown to adore. “Okay,
then, let’s get in the pool and see what you’ve got.” He walked down the pool steps and guided the
codebreaker to sit down on one before pushing off the wall and drifting into deeper water.
“Treading water’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it and it’s probably the most useful survival
swimming skill you could learn.”
“So, this is what’ll keep my head above the water on the off-chance that I can’t swim.”
“Exactly. See, you’re already doing great, Specs!” Jack grinned, happy to see that some of the
tension had left (Y/N)’s shoulders as he demonstrated how to tread water. “You start by regulating
your breathing – that’ll help you conserve energy and tread water longer in case of an emergency –
then you gently kick your legs and move your arms horizontally with your hands slightly cupped,
like this.” He swam back over to where she sat and offered her his hand. “Ready to give it a try?”
(Y/N) nodded and clutched his hand tight as he guided her off the step and into deeper water; just
as he predicted, she lurched forward and into his open arms the moment her feet couldn’t touch the
bottom of the pool, momentarily blinded by a burst of reluctant panic. “Okay, this is a little scarier
than I thought it would be!”
“It’s okay, you’re okay, just take a few moments to relax before trying anything.” Jack’s soothing
reassurances slowly but surely did the trick, his partner’s breaths evening out while he continued
treading water for the both of them. When he was sure that she was calm again, he rested a hand on
her hip and lightly traced his fingertips down her leg, grinning when her breath hitched and she
tried not to smile. “Take as long as you need, baby, I’m more than comfortable right where I am.”
“As much as I’d enjoy having a handsome man carry me around the pool all day, I think that I’m
ready to try treading water now.” (Y/N) kissed his brow and loosened her hold on him; he waited
for her to take a deep breath and begin moving her arms and legs before letting her go, leaning
against the side of the pool as the codebreaker tread water for the very first time. “It’s not so bad
once you get the hang of it. A little tiring, maybe, but not too difficult.”
“Don’t worry too much about gettin’ tired, you’ll begin to build stamina the more you practice,”
Jack replied as he proudly watched on. He was about to give her some more advice on her form
when a sudden movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention; without turning away from
(Y/N), he saw the curtains framing the kitchen window rustle, almost as if they were being
watched from inside the mansion. There’s only one good way to deal with nosiness, Jack thought
with an inward smirk, and that’s a little revenge. “Hey, let’s take a quick break before we try out
some variations, okay?”
He swam back over to her and allowed her to hold onto him like before, a little surprised to see the
smile playing on her lips. “Let me guess, you noticed that we’re being watched and you’ve got
some form of revenge brewing inside that head of yours, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but how’d you-?”
“I’m a much better spy than I am a swimmer, Flyboy.” Her eyes were twinkling with mischief as
she brushed some hair away from his face and subtly glanced over at the kitchen window. “What
sort of revenge did you have in mind?”
Jack wrapped an arm around her waist and grinned. “Oh, I think you’ll like it, Specs.” Spinning
them both around, he brought his free hand up to his mouth and whistled; Benny, who’d grown
tired of paddling and had taken over (Y/N)’s seat on the pool step, perked up in interest and Jack
called out, “Lunch, Benny, go get lunch! Good boy!”
The Bernese mountain dog leapt out of the water and ran towards the mansion, nudging the
kitchen’s open back door with his nose and bounding inside; moments later, shrieks and yelps of
surprise filled the air as Benny presumably shook the water out of his thick fur and onto their
snooping friends, and both Jack and (Y/N) burst into laughter. “That serves you all right for
behaving like a pack of Peeping Toms!” The giggling codebreaker shouted and while Peggy,
Daniel, Edwin and Howard attempted to wrangle the rambunctious and sopping-wet dog, Jack
cupped her cheek and guided her forward into a smile-filled kiss.
Chapter End Notes
A Sergeant And A Codebreaker Walk Into A Pub... (Slight! Bucky
Barnes/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: While enjoying an evening at the local pub with Steve and the rest of the
newly-formed 107th Tactical Team, Bucky Barnes falls hard and fast for an SSR
codebreaker with a thousand-watt smile and one mean right hook.
Chapter Notes
*Disclaimer for a brief scene containing verbal & physical harassment*
See the end of the chapter for more notes
A Sergeant And A Codebreaker Walk Into A Pub...
November 1943
Whip and Fiddle, London
“I’m invisible. I-I’m turning into you, it’s a horrible dream…”
Steve smirked a little and patted Bucky on the shoulder before resuming his seat at the bar. “Don’t
take it so hard. Maybe she’s got a friend!”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, punk…” Turning away from where Agent Carter had disappeared, Bucky
downed the last of his whiskey and set his glass back down. “Be a pal and order me another one of
these while I go find the little soldier’s room. Oh, and make sure it gets onto Captain America’s
tab, would ya?” He grinned in amusement when Steve heaved an exasperated sigh and nodded,
walking back into the crowded section of the pub and keeping close to the walls as he edged
through the sea of patrons. While he walked, he thought about his best friend’s drastic
transformation and the insanity they’d recently been through; he was happy that the scrawny kid
he’d protect from bullies was finally doing what he’d always wanted to do and that it seemed he’d
finally found a gal who’d give him the time of day, but he also knew it would take a while for him
to wrap his head around all of the major changes happening in his life. Who woulda thought that
this war could get any crazier, he thought with a snort, his eyes catching sight of yet another
Captain America tour poster fastened to the wall.
Squeezing his way through the crowded pub and into the men’s restroom, Bucky handled his
business and after washing his hands, he looked up at his reflection in the mirror and studied his
features. He’d always been a fairly good-looking guy, according to a majority of the gals living in
New York and the unbiased word of his mother, but his time in Austria as a POW had certainly
taken its toll on him; he was noticeably thinner, with his pale blue eyes sunken into his face and his
service uniform’s jacket practically hanging off his shoulders, and he had the appearance of
someone slowly recovering from a long illness. He chuckled a little when he realized that he now
had more in common with the old Steve Rogers he’d nursed back to health and defended from
bullies than the propaganda pawn turned bonafide war hero waiting for him back at the bar.
“If I get loaded enough, then maybe I’ll finally get a good night’s sleep…” He muttered to himself,
giving his reflection one last look before turning and leaving the men’s restroom.
The sound of voices nearby prompted Bucky to stop walking and turn around, where he saw a man
and a woman standing further down the hall by the ladies’ restroom; he noticed that something was
wrong when he saw how the woman’s back was pressed against the wall and how she was
shrinking away from the obviously tipsy man, visibly uncomfortable in his presence but unable to
get away. Bucky’s hands curled into fists as he angrily started forward but his footsteps faltered
when the woman’s (Y/E/C) eyes met his, an unmistakable look of warning flashing in them. Before
he could react, the woman ducked underneath the man’s arm and hurried over to his side, pressing
an exaggerated kiss onto his cheek and exclaiming, “There you are, Sarge! You’re a half an hour
late, you know, you said to meet you here at nine o’clock sharp.”
“Sorry ‘bout that, doll, but Steve was yakkin’ my ear off,” Bucky replied with an easygoing grin,
immediately going along with the woman’s clever ruse and even wrapping an arm around her waist
to steer her away. “C’mon, lemme buy you a drink and make it up to you-”
“Hey, darlin’, aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friend here?” The intoxicated man asked, the
terse smile on his face not quite meeting his eyes as he looked them both over.
“Y-yes, of course, this is my very good friend…”
Bucky tightened his hold on the flustered woman and held out his free hand towards the man.
“Sergeant James Barnes of the 107th.”
The woman beside him stiffened as the man’s brow rose in surprise and he shook his hand. “The
107th, huh? Your unit’s pretty famous ‘round these parts, Sergeant. My name’s Calvin Huntington,
I work with the OSS.” His haze-filled gaze shifted to the woman and his smile widened. “I hope
you don’t mind, pal, but the lady and I were in the middle of an important discussion so if you’ll
excuse us-”
“It looks to me like she doesn’t really wanna talk to you.” Bucky glowered at Huntington as his
anger began to rise. “So I suggest you scram before we’ve got a problem.”
“You know, you’ve got a lotta nerve comin’ over here and interruptin’ us like that,” The agent
slurred, his hand darting out to latch onto the woman’s arm. “C’mon, darlin’, let’s go.”
Before Bucky could even think of what to do next, the woman brought the heel of her shoe down
onto Huntington’s foot and while he howled in pain, she wrenched her arm free and punched him
square in the jaw; he watched in awe as the man instantly dropped to the floor, knocked
unconscious by the single hit, and when he looked back at the woman, she was massaging her
knuckles with a self-satisfied smile on her face.
“Oi, what’s going on back here?” One of the bartenders peered around the corner, his expression
shifting from confusion to annoyance when he spotted the passed-out man on the floor with a
rapidly-growing bruise on his face. “All right, who started it?”
“He did, the lady was only defending herself from a drunk idiot makin’ passes at her,” Bucky
quickly explained, watching with a twinge of amusement as the bartender called another man over
and they carried the unconscious man out of the crowded pub; he glanced back over at the woman,
who was still rubbing her knuckles. “You’ve got a mean right hook, doll. Remind me never to get
on your bad side.”
The woman laughed and his grin widened at the sound. “Thank you…and thank you for your
assistance, Sergeant Barnes.”
“Call me Bucky…” Bucky paused for a brief moment and chuckled to himself. “You know, I don’t
even know your name. What do they call the doll with the meanest right hook in England?”
“(Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” They shook hands and (Y/N) smiled. “And while I’m flattered, that title’s
much better suited for my friend Peggy, she’s-”
“Hold up, Peggy? As in Peggy Carter?”
(Y/N) nodded. “Mm-hmm, she and I work together at the SSR; she’s a field agent and I’m a
codebreaker. Do you know her?”
“Not really, she’s, um, sort of a friend of a friend.” Noticing how the codebreaker kept rubbing at
her sore knuckles, Bucky gestured back towards the rowdier area of the pub with his chin. “How
‘bout we go get somethin’ for those knuckles? It’ll be kinda tough crackin’ codes with a bruised-up
hand, you know…”
While the two of them made their way to the bar, Bucky couldn’t help but steal glances at the
impressive codebreaker beside him. She was around his own age and clearly an American, but that
was where the similarities between them ended; she was an absolute knockout, with intelligent
(Y/E/C) eyes and a bright smile accentuated by vivid red lipstick, and she wore a stunning navy-
blue dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. If the dolls who work in the SSR look anything
like (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Peggy Carter then why the hell did I decide to enlist in the Army, he asked
himself with an inward chuckle, leading her to an empty bar-stool and getting the bartender’s
attention. “’Scuse me, can I get a glass of water and a spare bar towel for my friend here? She’s got
an injured hand that needs medical attention.”
The bartender hurried to fulfill his requests and once Bucky had everything he needed, he got to
work treating (Y/N)’s knuckles, dampening the bar towel in the glass before carefully taking her
hand and wrapping the towel around it. “You’re a pretty decent medic; did you learn on the
battlefield?”
“Back home in Brooklyn, actually. My best friend Steve was always gettin’ into fights with guys
twice his size and I was usually the one who had to patch the little punk up afterwards.” Bucky
wound the damp fabric around her hand once more before starting to tie the end off. “So, how does
a tough American broad like you end up fighting Nazis here in Europe?”
“I showed an aptitude for codebreaking in my senior year of college and after being evaluated by
British intelligence operatives, I was invited to join in their efforts to stop Hitler and the Nazis from
gaining more power. When the U.S. eventually joined the war after Pearl Harbor, I worked with
the OSS and was loaned out to the SSR almost a year ago.” (Y/N) tilted her head thoughtfully
while she watched him work. “I was the one who decoded the top secret correspondence that
revealed the location of Hydra’s weapons factory in Kreischberg, the one where the majority of
your unit was kept after their capture in Azzano.”
“In that case, I should be thanking you for savin’ my life; I spent over a month there before it was
liberated and destroyed.” He tightened the makeshift bandage around her knuckles and winced
when she flinched in pain. “Sorry, I know it’s tight but your hand should be good as new by
tomorrow morning.”
The grateful look that (Y/N) gave him made his heartbeat quicken and nearly knocked him off his
own bar-stool. “I know that I handled Huntington pretty well back there but before you showed
up…well, sometimes even gals who can knock a man onto their ass freeze in a dangerous situation;
you appearing when you did and immediately offering to help was enough to snap me out of it,
so…” She rested her free hand atop his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Bucky.”
“I only did what any decent fella would’ve done, but you’re welcome.” Bucky gave her a soft smile
and the air around them filled with a strange electricity as they seemed to shift closer to one
another, (Y/N)’s gaze focusing on his lips while his eyes slowly drifted closed, and-
“There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you, (Y/N)!” They both suddenly jumped and
looked away from each other to see Peggy Carter approaching them, a glass of whiskey in each
hand and a concerned expression on her face when she saw (Y/N)’s mild injury. “Good Lord, are
you all right? What happened?”
“Calvin Huntington; he got tired of being turned down so he cornered me by the restroom.”
Peggy’s eyes flashed dangerously and (Y/N) hastily continued. “Everything’s okay, Peg, Bucky
here intervened and when that didn’t work, I sucker-punched Huntington in the face.”
Bucky grinned and nodded. “Yep, she knocked him out cold and they chucked his sorry ass outta
here. I wrapped her bruised knuckles to keep ‘em from swelling, and they should heal up nice and
quick.”
“I can’t promise that I won’t track that arrogant plonker down and continue what you so
wonderfully started, but I’m glad that you’re all right.” The agent handed (Y/N) a glass of whiskey
and clinked hers against it before taking a small sip and turning to Bucky. “And thank you for
looking after her, Sergeant Barnes. Can we buy you a drink?”
“That’s okay, I’ve already got him covered.” Steve appeared beside the three of them with Bucky’s
fresh drink in his hand and his cheeks flushed pink when Peggy met his gaze. “Nice to see you
again, Agent Carter.” When he finally tore his eyes away from her, he took notice of (Y/N)’s
injured hand and his brow furrowed in worry. “Are you all right, ma’am?”
(Y/N) took a swig of her drink and gave him a cheeky grin. “Yep, just had to teach a jackass some
proper manners.”
“Captain Rogers, this is Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N), one of the SSR’s top codebreakers and a very dear
friend of mine.” Peggy leaned against the bar beside her friend. “(Y/N), this is Captain Steve
Rogers, the first and only super-soldier created through Project Rebirth.”
The codebreaker turned to Bucky with an amused smile. “This is the same Steve you grew up with
in Brooklyn?”
“The very same, only he was a helluva lot smaller back then and just a little less annoying.”
Both women laughed while Steve rolled his eyes at Bucky’s gentle ribbing. “And you’re an even
bigger jerk now than back when we were kids.” His expression softened when he turned his
attention back to (Y/N). “It’s an honor to finally meet you, Agent (Y/L/N). Colonel Phillips speaks
very highly of you and if fact, you’re the only codebreaker he recommended for the tactical team
I’m assembling. A group of us will be focusing solely on taking down Schmidt and his remaining
Hydra facilities by any means necessary; Buck here’s already agreed to join and so have five of his
fellow POW’s, but we could really use someone of your unique abilities.”
Bucky perked up in interest, closely watching (Y/N) as she exchanged a surprised look with Peggy
and looked back at Steve. “You just met me and you’re asking me to help you personally end
Hydra? How can you be sure I’m the right person for the job?”
“Because Agent Carter wouldn’t call you one of the SSR’s top codebreakers and her very dear
friend if she didn’t mean it, and I trust her judgement wholeheartedly.” Steve stole a shy glance at
Peggy while her cheeks flushed red, and Bucky couldn’t help but smile at his best friend’s
awkward but endearing method of flirting. “Besides, I can tell by those bruised knuckles that you
hate bullies just as much as I do and Schmidt’s one of the worst ones around.”
As (Y/N) considered his offer, Bucky shrugged a shoulder and flashed her a teasing grin. “If you’re
lucky, doll, you might even be able to use that mean right hook on the Red Skull himself…”
They shared a smile and the codebreaker turned back to Steve and Peggy with an almost infectious
air of confidence about her. “Sounds like a swell time to me; I’m in.”
Later that evening, after they’d introduced (Y/N) and Peggy to the rest of the 107th Tactical Team
and the alcohol had really started flowing, it was all Bucky could do not to dwell on the fact that
he’d felt more alive just talking to the beautiful codebreaker he was set to fight alongside than he
had since before he’d shipped off to war. I might not be as invisible as I imagined, Bucky thought,
a genuinely happy smile spreading across his face for the first time in months.
Chapter End Notes
In Her Kiss (Jack Thompson/Reader)
Chapter Summary
Summary: Because of a playful kiss, Jack has to grapple with some unexpected
feelings for his beautiful but aggravating partner (Snippet of Chapter 7 of Specs and
the Flyboy in Jack’s POV)
Chapter Notes
In Her Kiss
October 1947
While giving Daniel a hand with some old case files that needed reviewing, Jack kept a close eye
on his stubborn but determined partner as she tirelessly worked to try and decode Michael Carter’s
encoded messages; the codebreaker had spent days secretly working on the former SOE agent’s
case file but to no avail, unable to make even a small dent in his elaborately-crafted codes, and he
knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t pleased with herself for it. Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N)
hated failure – even more than she hated Jack and his apparent ego – so she was pushing herself to
decode the case file’s messages and continue working to solve their secret investigation into who
was responsible for Jack’s shooting. She’s gonna run herself into the ground if she doesn’t take a
break soon, he thought with a small twinge of worry; with the skilled codebreaker out of
commission, their off-the-books investigation would be stalled and Michael Carter could disappear
without a trace before being brought to justice.
Jack was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed (Y/N) leap up from her desk with her arms full
of translation journals, and he frowned when she threw him a pointed look as she hurried out of the
bullpen. Knowing exactly where she was headed but with no clue why, Jack closed the case file
he’d been in the middle of working on and remarked, “Sousa, I’m gonna go get a bite to eat down
at the diner. You want me to pick you up anything while I’m out?”
The distracted chief shook his head as he poured over a case file. “Nah, I’m good, Jack, but
thanks…”
“Okay, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Jack strode out of Daniel’s office and out of the bullpen, his hands
shoved deep in his pockets as he navigated the halls to their unofficial – and frankly, questionable –
meeting spot: the second-floor supply closet by the locker room. He grimaced and cast a weary
glance around while mumbling “Sneakin’ around like a couple of goddamn teenagers” under his
breath.
He quickly ducked into the cramped supply closet and switched on the lightbulb hanging down
from the ceiling, arching a brow when he noticed that (Y/N) was bouncing on the balls of her feet
and beaming in delight. “I’ve done it!”
“What, finally had a mental breakdown?” Jack’s concern for the codebreaker’s sanity grew when
she didn’t snap at him or stop grinning. “I know we need those codes cracked but you’re gonna run
yourself into the ground at the rate you’re going, and-”
Jack’s words were suddenly silenced by (Y/N)’s hand clamping over his mouth and before he
could even register his surprise, she dropped her hand and brandished one of the papers in her
grasp. “I figured out how Michael’s creating his codes! He’s using his background in Literature to
develop his own coding style! Remember, you read in that file the other week that he attended
Cambridge before enlisting in the British Armed Forces, majoring in Philosophy and minoring in
Literature; he definitely would’ve learned enough there to be able to create new codes.”
Impressed by her breakthrough, Jack crossed his arms over his chest as he asked, “And this new
style, you can figure it out?”
“It’ll still be a challenge but since I think I have an insight into his process now, it shouldn’t take
nearly as long as it has been.” The codebreaker grinned and gave the coded paper in her hand a
small shake. “How about we decode this one over a turkey and Swiss at the diner tonight?”
Jack nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Maybe we can also think of a better meeting place while we’re
at it?” (Y/N)’s head tilted in confusion and Jack couldn’t help but use his partner’s naivete for
some light teasing. “I mean, the others might get the wrong idea if they catch us in here. You and
me alone in a tiny supply closet…? Very scandalous.”
The codebreaker’s unimpressed expression only made Jack’s teasing grin widen. “Is that so?”
“Oh, definitely. It’ll spread all over the office that the new codebreaker’s seduced the innocent
Chief and then my reputation’ll be ruined.” His partner huffed out an exasperated sigh and began
maneuvering herself out of the cramped closet with little success, much to his amusement; he
enjoyed getting under the codebreaker’s skin but ever since their contemptuous meeting with
Howard Stark, it was becoming a little challenging to find new ways to annoy her just as much as
she annoyed him. This one seems to be working pretty good, he thought with an inward chuckle as
he took note of the heat radiating from her face and the slight tremble of her hands. “Hey,
defending my virtue’s very important to me, Specs, don’t knock it!”
(Y/N) stopped and turned back towards him with a blank look. “Well, in that case…” Quick as a
flash, she clasped his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss onto his neck and pulling
away as her red-hued lips curved into a satisfied smirk. “Have fun defending that one, Flyboy.”
He watched in stunned silence as she ducked out of the closet, leaving him alone to contemplate the
effective way she’d turned the tables on him and how swiftly she’d been able to reduce him to a
blushing mess. The way her (Y/E/C) eyes sparkled with mischief…how her smile somehow
brightened the dingy supply closet…the lingering scent of her sweet perfume in the air…the
feeling of her hand on his face and her lips softly brushing against the skin of his neck-
“Jesus, Thompson, pull yourself together,” Jack scolded himself, giving his head a small shake and
taking a shaky breath before exiting the closet, cursing the warmth in his face with each step. The
bullpen bustled with activity as Jack made his way back towards Daniel’s office; he forced himself
not to glance over at (Y/N)’s desk and didn’t relax his shoulders until he sat down at his own.
“You know, if you’re gonna lie about where you’re going then you should probably be sure to
dispose of all the evidence.”
Jack’s head snapped up at Daniel’s comment and he was already in the process of crafting a lie to
cover up his secret investigation when he realized that the chief was smirking instead of fuming.
“What?”
“Last I checked, the diner ‘round the corner doesn’t give out hickeys whenever you buy a ham-
and-cheese sandwich.” Daniel’s smirk widened as Jack swore under his breath and dug into his
pocket for his handkerchief. “So, who’s the gal?”
“None of your business, that’s who,” Jack fired back at the amused chief, wiping away the smudge
of red lipstick as best he could without a mirror at hand and shooting Daniel a sharp look. “As long
as I’m stuck here in goddamn Los Angeles, I might as well try and make the best of it.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” With a shrug, Daniel turned his attention back to his case file
and Jack breathed an inward sigh of relief. “Hope this gal’s worth the hour it’ll take you to scrub
that lipstick off your shirt collar…”
Jack glanced over at the office’s window and watched a diligent (Y/N) work alongside Peggy to
decode backlogged messages. He didn’t miss the way that his heartbeat quickened when she
smiled triumphantly with each successful decoding or the strange but not-so-unpleasant feeling that
washed over him as he recalled their most recent interaction, and while he was beginning to view
his reluctant partner in a different light, he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not he should. With
the smallest of smiles on his face, Jack continued to study (Y/N) out in the bullpen and replied,
“I’m not sure…but I think she might be.”
Chapter End Notes
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Tales From The SSR

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/32161393.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Tales From The SSR

See the end of the chapter for notes

“What’s going on, are we under attack?!”

“Private Eliza, ma’am.”

“…don’t think they were all married.”

“W-well…that, you know, that depends on the definition of-”

She blinked in confusion. “What?”

Steve shrugged. “It’s handier than you might think.”

“What’s it made of?”

“Whatever you want, pal.”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The Nearness of You

“Mm-hmm, like a baby. What about you? Any more nightmares?”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The Right Choice

“Absolutely crazy about ‘em.”

“Even the ones who wear reading glasses?”

“They look cute with specs.”

“And the ones who don’t make very good spies?”

“Hey, nobody’s perfect.”

Jack winced in mock distaste. “Now that’s a deal-breaker.”

“I’d love to! What did you have in mind?”’

“Confirms what, sweetheart?”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Operation Slack Happy

Steve frowned. “Freddie?”

“I don’t know, it’s kind of crowded here…”

“Good morning, (Y/N)!”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The Telephone Hour

“Okay, talk to you tomorrow!”

“Oh, I was just taking a sec to appreciate my O.A.O. a little.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Carter! I trust that you’re doing well?”

“Angie, I-I haven’t the foggiest idea…”

Ring, ring, ring!

“Just leave them at my desk, Thompson, thank you. Is that all-?”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Home For The Holidays

Christmas Eve 1947

“I…I can’t accept this, (Y/N), this is important to you-”

“Merry Christmas, baby.”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

When Worlds Collide

“Did you need any assistance finding your dormitory, Margaret?”

“I’m Margaret, but I prefer to go by Peggy.”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“And I love you too, my dear Mr. Jarvis.”

Chapter End Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“It’s okay, you don’t have to lie to cheer me up-”

“That’s true, but I love you even more, Specs.”

He turned back around to face the suddenly nervous codebreaker. “Yeah?”

“Whatever you say, Lieutenant Junior Grade!”

“Yeah, but how’d you-?”

Disclaimer for a brief scene containing verbal & physical harassment