Day Three: Tulip

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/25631800.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Agent Carter (TV), Agent Carter
(Marvel Short Film)
Relationship: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers, Peggy
Carter & Daniel Sousa
Character: Peggy Carter, Daniel Sousa, Steve Rogers
Additional Tags: Fluff, Old Married Couple, Protective Steve Rogers, peggy is still a
bamf, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Language: English
Series: Part 3 of Peggysous Week 2020
Collections: Peggysous Week 2020
Stats: Published: 2020-08-04 Words: 1355

Day Three: Tulip

by TheAsexualofSpades

Summary

Tulip: Perfect, enduring love between partners or family members, undying passionate
love, royalty and a regal nature, the 11th wedding anniversary, abundance, prosperity, and
indulgence.

***

One of the first things Steve does upon moving to D.C. is finally follow up on one of the
first pieces of information SHIELD gave him when he came out of the ice. Find Peggy
Carter. He gets some help from an unexpected source.

Notes

daniel is the husband and imma die on this hill

Steve glaces down at the piece of paper in his hands before squinting up at the writing on the edge
of the old building.
This must be it.

Shoving the piece of paper back into his pocket, Steve takes a deep breath and walks up the steps,
passing by a young woman who gives him a warm smile on his way in. The inside feels…strange.
Almost like trying to peer through syrup. The walls are a butterscotch color, interrupted here and
there with little vases of flowers. The reception desk is a block of white in the middle of the floor.
Steve walks up and waits for the woman in the tortoise shell glasses to look up.

“Oh.” She smiles. “Hello, dear. Haven’t seen you here before.”

“Yeah, I uh,” Steve says, “just moved in across town.”

“Ah.” The woman leans on her elbows. “And how are you liking the city so far, dear?”

Steve makes a so-so gesture with his hand. The woman laughs.

“Yes, well, she’ll grow on you.” She winks at him and produces a clipboard. “Now, because
you’re new here, we’re going to have to do this the long way, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Lovely.” The woman taps a few keys on her computer and grabs a pen. “Now, who are you
visiting today?”

“Carter. Margaret?”

“Oh, old Peg.” The woman smiles as she scribbles something down. “She’s a pistol.”

I’ll bet she is.

“And what did you say your name was?”

“Steve.”

The woman’s hand freezes. She looks up slowly, the friendly warmth in her eyes slowly turning to
ice. She sets aside the clipboard and glowers at him.

“Now young man, I don’t know what you think you’re doing here,” she growls, Steve almost
taking a step back at the ferocity of her tone, “but—“

“Hey!”

They look around to see an older man coming toward them. He makes his way around another
group going out the door, pointing accusingly at Steve with his crutch.

This was a terrible idea, I should leave—

“I thought I told you to wait for me.”

Steve blinks. The woman behind the counter falters.

“Daniel? You know this man?”

The other man—Daniel, it seems—comes to a halt beside Steve, giving him a look that clearly
says ‘play along,’ before smiling at the woman fixing her glasses.

“He’s a relative from outta town,” Daniel says easily, clapping Steve once on the arm, “said I’d
take him to see Peggy. Now, young man,” he continues, turning to fake glare at Steve, “I did tell
you to wait for me, didn’t I?”

Steve hangs his head, hiding a smile. “You did. Sorry.”

“No need for apologies, son, just, you know.” Daniel waves at the receptionist. “Don’t go
frightening old Linda here.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Daniel,” Linda says, giving Steve one more look, “we’ll get you sorted when
you’re done with your visit, alright?”

“Thank you, Linda.”

Steve nods when he gets a sharp poke from the crutch. He looks over to see Daniel with a shit-
eating grin. “Thank her, young man.”

“Thank you,” Steve repeats.

“Now, how is Peggy today?”

“She’s talking, she remembers.” Linda passes them a key. “It’s a good day.”

“That’s good.” Daniel glances at Steve. “Can’t have you seeing her for the first time and not have
it be one, right?”

Steve nods, still trying to figure out what the hell is going on here.

“Well, you tell your wife I said hello, won’t you?”

Ah.

“Will do.” Daniel beckons to Steve. “Come on, young man.”

The second they’re down one of the other corridors, out of earshot from the nurses, Daniel takes
Steve’s arm and hustles him down the right corridor.

“So,” he says, stepping back to look Steve up and down, “Steve Rogers, huh?”
“Yes, sir,” Steve says automatically. “Uh, thanks for that, back there, I, uh, think Linda thought I
was lying.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.” Daniel waves him off when he bristles instinctively. “No, no,
none of that. Peg’s still sharp enough to recognize the real deal.”

Daniel holds out a hand. “Daniel Sousa.”

“Steve Rogers.”

“Nice to meet you, young man.”

Steve laughs as they shake hands. “You loved every minute of that, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” Daniel smiles, “plus, it’s true.”

Steve narrows his eyes. “Oh, yeah?”

“Your birthday is July 4th 1918, isn’t it?”

Steve nods. Daniel lays a hand flat on his chest.

“And yours truly was born March 21st, 1918.”

Steve throws his head back and laughs. “Alright, you got me.”

“Of course, young man.”

“That’s not going away anytime soon, is it?”

“No.” Daniel gestures down the hall. “Now come on, let’s go see Peggy.”

Peggy’s room is, well, it looks like a room in a nursing home. The only things that make it Peggy’s
are the photos on the dresser and the medals over the window. And, of course…

“Daniel Sousa, you get your bloody arse over here and tell me why you’re late.”

“Sorry, Peg,” Daniel says, taking a seat in the chair and leaning his crutch against the side, “bad
traffic.”

Peggy scoffs, turning her head against the pillow. “I’m sure.”

“It was!”

“You’re no better than Jarvis was.”

“Well, in fairness to Jarvis, it was his job to drive everyone around.”

“Yes, and he was very good at it.”

“Are you…insulting my driving?”

“No, I’m simply saying the larger population could’ve benefited from lessons.”

Steve smiles. They look good together. He can see the playfulness in their gazes, hear it in their
voices. He can see the tenderness in the way they reach for each others’ hands. He can see the
warmth in the air around them.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, Peggy,” Daniel says softly, “you’ll like it.”

“Oh?”
Daniel turns around, motions for Steve to come closer. Steve does, walking hesitantly until
Peggy’s face comes into view just over Daniel’s shoulder.

Peggy’s face goes slack, staring at him. Then it contorts and Steve’s heart clenches.

“You,” Peggy declares regally, “are late.”

Steve laughs in relief, face breaking out into a smile. “Sorry, Peggy. I, uh—“

“Refused to give me your bloody coordinates like a drama queen.”

Steve rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “…yeah.”

Peggy rolls her eyes fondly and beckons him closer. “Come here. I want to see you.”

Steve glances around, spots another chair, and sets it next to Daniel’s at Peggy’s direction. She
takes his hand, still strong after all these years.

And, strangely enough, Steve doesn’t feel out of place.

He’d thought that when he woke up, he’d thought that when he walked inside the nursing home.
He’d thought that when he was watching Daniel sit next to Peggy.

And yet, here, now, it doesn’t feel out of place. He glances over at Daniel who just smiles warmly
at him.

It feels…right.

“So,” Steve says finally, looking back at Peggy, “I’m sure you’ve got stories.”
“And how,” Daniel mutters, holding up his hands in surrender when Peggy raises an eyebrow at
him. “What? You do!”

“You’ve never complained before.”

“I’m not complaining, Peg,” Daniel says softly, “I’m amazed.”

“Here here.”

Peggy rolls her eyes. “Oh, dear god, now there’s two of you.”

“I think this is the start of a wonderful friendship,” Daniel says, looking at Steve. Steve nods.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Steve says, looking back and forth between the two of them,
“how’d you two meet?”

“The SSR,” Peggy says, “we were colleagues.”

“Peggy kicked ass and no one else seemed to appreciate it.”

“Wow, I’m so surprised.”

“Boys,” Peggy sighs.

“And how did…” Steve gestures between the two of them, “this happen?”

Daniel makes eye contact with Peggy. “Should we just tell him the whole story?”

“Starting from New York and—“

“Yeah.”

Peggy settles into her pillows and fixes Steve with a look. “Well, to begin, Howard Stark is a
ridiculous man.”

Steve gasps theatrically, his hands covering his mouth.

“Oh, I like you,” Daniel says.

Peggy swats Steve’s leg. “Behave.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyways, so the bloody bastard got himself accused of treason…”

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