7175/Good Morning, Soldier

Good Morning, Soldier
Date of Scene:	01 August 2021
Location:	Carter-Sousa Home - Long Island
Synopsis:	The morning after the military ball, Peggy and Daniel walk down memory lane before enjoying their hotel room a little longer.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

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Daniel Sousa has posed:
The Regimental ball had been wonderful, the first real chance for Daniel and Peggy to dance since their wedding and the first time Daniel could do more than shuffle along to a slow song. And the sneaking off to make out in the corner hadn't been half bad either. All of it made him feel young again. Indeed the night was full of good memories? well except for the grog bowl.

Awake in the hotel room Daniel lays in bed a hand under his head as he stares up dreamily at the ceiling, a smile having a firm hold on his lips. He's content to lay there in his memories while listening to the steady sound of Peggy's breathing beside him, but as the unfamiliar sounds of the city waking up begin there's plenty to drag her out of slumber.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As usual, Peggy's sleeping later than him. After a 100 years of early mornings, one would think she'd finally get used to it, but it just means her body savors the chance to sleep in even MORE the rare days it happens. However, it's been a while since they lived in a city. The Playground is rural and mostly underground, so incredibly quiet compared to this. Unfortunate, since she did keep him up with *other* enjoyments last night, until they body collapsed exhausted and happy in bed well after midnight.

Now, however, she can't avoid those sounds. She gives a little whimper of displeasure at the light and turns her body over, automatically burying her face into his chest as she tries to avoid the light. That she can escape, but the city is still awake and soon she will be too.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
If his watch wasn't elsewhere with his clothing, he'd have been checking it when the sounds of the city started waiting for her to do exactly what she did groan and hide from the sun. It had been their habit since that first night together in that hotel in the desert. Wrapping his arms around Peggy and kissing the top of her head he says, "Morning," his smile audible in the words as he gently runs his fingers up and down along her shoulder blade as he holds her.

Breathing in her scent his chest rising and falling as he does. "How'd you sleep?" he asks half teasing her with the question, expecting some grumbled response against his chest.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I never thought I'd say I miss our underground cave... But it's quieter there." Peggy mutters into his chest, the words muffled as she's still half asleep and hiding, but after this many years of marriage he can probably figure them out. Her fingertips then stretch out, brushing across his ribs and starting to trace little, affectionate circles there. If she's going to be awake, she might as well enjoy it. She smiles a bit wider against his chest. "Mm. You smell good."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Mmm," Daniel agrees through a contented smile. "Yeah, definitely quieter, but less chance of Master Sergeant Barnes breaking in in the middle of the night," he jokes softly, a pleased emphasis put on the man's new rank. "Good thing too with what we were getting up to last night."

He shifts into those gentle circles by his ribs, a familiar and welcome touch that conjured up memories of quiet mornings like these from their past, just like the scent of her rose oil and vanilla still clinging to her along with other pleasant scents after their night together. "You too," he tells her, kissing the top of her head again and then trying to urge her head up to give her a proper kiss to follow it. "Glad we got to go to the ball, it felt good in a lot of ways."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"You're still quite the dancer. And you were worried." Peggy mutters with a wider smile, tilting her head up to press a few kisses into the gentle valley of his collarbone, her nose brushing across the crest of his shoulder as she does so. There might be other temptations for enjoyments this morning at this rate, but she's also still clearly waking up.

"Mm. Yes. And it is good to have a weekend. We barely even gave ourselves a honeymoon. But after two days, I'll be ready to go back to it. I... don't know if I know HOW not to work, nowadays. That should have been the one thing that told me things were very wrong int he Framework -- I retired."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's chest shakes with his gentle laugh, before tilting his head to let her kiss along his collarbone freely, yes other enjoyments do seem to be on the table this morning. "I may have brushed up on a few moves while training for the physical tests," he confesses, "I wanted to make an impression," he grins.

"True," he says about their honeymoon, "I think we spent more time 'checking in' on the the new SHIELD station at Pearl, than we did on the beach," which suited him fine, he wasn't a lay on the sand and do nothing kind of guy. There's a smile about the Framework though those memories were still fresh, "True," he says and the smile dims a few watts, "But you had a good reason there."

Then he quickly moves on so as not to dwell on the loss of that life in the Framework. "Warned Coulson, this weekend off was about all he could expect from you when it comes to time off, I'd offer to try and help you remember how not to work but I've been on the shelf for 65 years, so, once I get my certs done I'd be a helluva hypocrite if I tried," he smiles and kisses the top of her head. "At least we'll be at work together again?" he says looking at the bright side of their obsessive work habits.

Peggy Carter has posed:
That gets a bit more of a laugh from her, the fact that he warned Coulson about Peggy's work habits. She's still very slowly kissing his neck, now working up to his adam's apple, but she speaks between the kisses. "Being at work together again just about sounds the nicest thing I can imagine in the world. I... missed my partner. A lot. And to think, this all started with you being utterly certain I'd betrayed you, the SSR, and our country entirely on behalf of Howard Stark."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Mmm," Daniel says as those kisses find his neck, it makes it hard to think about anything other how good that feels and what those kiss promise. "What were we talking about again?" he asks her before he gets his mind back on track. "Yeah, I've missed us working together too," he says before laughing. "Oh it started before that, about the time you first walked into the bullpen," he admits. "It'd been raining, you were wearing the that blue suit of yours with the big grey lapels, Jack had to wave a hand in front of my face to get me to remember we were in the middle of an update on a case."

Smling a bit shyly, he continues. "You may have been right though when you threw in our faces how we all saw you, 'the girl on the pedestal'" he leaves out the rest of her description of his opinions of her out of tact. "And boy was I dumb, you're better than that, getting to know the real you rather than the ideal I had in my head has been way more fun," he grins. "And I was glad I was wrong about you... and that you got away," he says brushing his fingers along he line of her jaw.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Hearing those stories, things she somehow has never asked him about, gets him a bigger smile and Peggy finally picks up her head from his throat. She blinks a bit against the morning light, but she's clearly awake now as she looks over his face, smiling besotted but curiously. "Really now? You were that... distracted when I came in? Is that why you kept trying to play high and mighty hero defending me against the boys? I was... so pissed at you for that. Had me thinking you were no better than Jack, for a while there." Peggy is only half teasing. It feels several lifetimes ago, and was for her, but that makes reminscing about it all the sweeter.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel looks up at Peggy and nods, "Yep, that distracted, Jack never let me forget it." A bashful look and a bit of a scrunching of his brow follows, "Guilty," he says about all the reasons he stood up for her. "I was half-way in love with the idea of you, and you know, also because Kzeminski was a jerk, and I actually took the time to pull your file, me and Jack might have got the medals and title of 'war hero' but you were the real deal. Didn't think you deserved that crap." He glances away from her for a moment a flash of old guilt in his eyes before he looks back. "I don't think I ever apologized for what I said about you and Howard, I was an ass, I'm sorry."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As that flash of guilt comes, Peggy shakes her head almost immediately. She leans over and kisses his forehead, that kiss far more tender and about forgiveness than it is seducing him. "No, no... That is long in the past. And you were working off the evidence in front of your face. I *was* conspiring with Howard, you were right about that. Just... not for the reasons you all thought. I knew you were a better detective than half those idiots and that scared me. Because I... I also knew I couldn't get close. If I let myself fall for a man again, that's... I was so scared that is how everyone would see me. Daniel's girlfriend. Cap's best gal. A side note to history. But you... You never let that happen. I mean, other than running away to LA and ignoring my calls."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel offers a grateful look for that little bit of reassurance he wasn't an ass, there's no words though, the rest of what Peggy says takes them away until finally, he says, "I can get that, and of course when it didn't seem like you were interested, I think I started buying into something Krezminski said to me, which yes, saying it outloud I realize how dumb that is, but what he said was, how a girl wasn't going to trade a red, white and blue shield for an aluminum crutch, and with Jack razzing me about you and everything else, when they tossed that promotion my way I took it. Should have answered your calls though, and clued in that the reason why you were calling was because you were interested," he say and then gives her a wry smile. "So maybe not that great of a detective huh?" he says with a shake of his head.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Just... not that great at talking to girls. Seems I have a type. And after everything with Violet... god, I felt so guilty." Peggy admits gently. Now that they are stuck in nostalgia land, somewhere that feels oddly nice to be, she sinks back down into the bed to rest her head against his bare chest, arm still lazily about his waist, but happily remembering the old days. Since it did work out, it the end. "I was so scared I'd ruined your life. You two seemed... so happy. And I never dreamt you'd *really* want a girl who wanted to be in the field as much as you did. We were both such a mess." Peggy mutters with a little laugh.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles, "Hey I did ask you out for a drink eventually," he says before grimacing a little. "And maay have seen 'I've got other plans' as more of a brush off than it really was.

Violet brings a guilty look to his face, "Me too. I fooled myself into thinking I was over you and she got hurt because of it, it wasn't your fault, hell remember how you were when I told you she broke off the engagement, incensed she thought she could do better than me and ready to march on over, wounded or not and tell her what a mistake she was making? knowing how you felt now, I think I love you a little more for that, you were really willing to patch us back together even if it meant we'd never get together," he says in wonder. "I'm glad it went the way it did, but god Peg you're amazing sometimes."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's the faintest blush to her cheeks as he mentions the whole scenario, a little laugh following, though it's guilty too. "I simply could not understand how... *how* anyone would break it off with a man like you. I think I was still... a little in love with you at the time too. Maybe more than a little. But I never thought I'd be a good choice for anyone, considering my career choices. I was *certain* you deserved better. A nice, quiet life, with a nice little nurse..." Peggy shakes her head, smirking a bit more before she turns to press a kiss over his sternum, "How much better I know now."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel mmms at the kiss pressed to his sternum, "I'd say a whole lot better, but to be fair back then I think I thought that was what I wanted too, a quiet life, the whole American dream package, but I'm so glad it went the way it did, I think I would have been miserable having to choose between my job and my wife all the time, coming home from missions and having to keep my mouth shut about all of it, to keep them in the dark, but with us, we don't have to choose, work and each other it's all part of the same thing. So guess you were mostly right, neither of us were no good for anyone but each other. No one else would stand sharing us with SHIELD that much."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I mean... I can't even say I feel bad. I do think I'm right. I felt bad Violet was...hurt, but I don't know that she'd have been happy either. We just didn't know ourselves back then near so well as we do now. It was also right after the war -- we had no idea what would end up happening to the SSR... no dreams that something like SHIELD would ever occur, much less I'd be running it. God... if you told me all of this that first year we worked together, I'd have laughed in your face. And yet... Here we are." Peggy picks her head up from his chest and, instead, leans up and over to steal his lips in a longer kiss that is as much about reunion and remembrace as it is passion. She shifts her body a bit more over his, heat climbing into her cheeks.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"No I don't think she would have been, even if I married Violet as soon as I'd hear about SHIELD I'd want to be a part of it even if it meant moving across the country and it'd be like I said, she'd be splitting me with that and I don't think that would be fair. Though, out of the both of us I think you had the better fix on who you were, you might not have known what was in the cards for the life you chose but you saw it wasn't fair to bring someone into that life, at least someone who isn't as dedicated to the job as you were."

As to what they'd think of this if they told their past selves. "Which parts?" he smiles, "That SHIELD would be possible, you'd be running it, or that'd we be laying in bed together in 2021, after going dancing at a party with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes in attendance?" he asks.

The kiss is returned and Daniel drinks in the feeling it brings with exuberance, when it parts and she shifts above him, he smiles at her blush, gently caressing her cheeks with a finger and staring up at her with those dark eyes of his. "What?" he asks of her rising colour a bit of a smile on his lips.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"...Yes. All of that. Exactly all of that. Would you have believed one little bit if YOU were told that?" Peggy asks as he lists off the very improbable things in their lives, a throaty, warm laugh escaping her lips.

And then he's caught her blush, his fingertips tracing over her warm cheek. She turns her head again, pressing a little kiss into the center of his palm, "Oh... just considering how much longer we have the hotel room and what we could *do* with it. We are on vacation, after all... And we were almost in the middle of something... distracting, before we decided to walk down memory lane. As nice a walk as that was..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Shaking his head Daniel says, "No. I'd think their nuts, back then I didn't understand how wild things could get when you know Peggy Carter," he grins with those last words and kisses her again. "Got a better idea now, can't say I'm complaining either," he tells her, meeting her eyes.

Her remarks about the blushing get a warm laugh from him and he tells her, "If what you've got in mind makes Peggy Carter blush like that I'm all ears to hear about it," he teases. "We do havd this room for awhile yet."

Then a touch more seriously he adds, "It's been good to look at our past with you though, it helped, made me realize I've been fixed on what I lost and ignoring the blank pages laid out ahead of us. If we wouldn't believe where we are now when we met, who knows what's in store for us next, I want to find out though, right at your side."

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy's got some incredibly energetic ideas about what they could be doing in the hotel room, when he utters those last words, her rather hungry expression softens a little more as she looks him over. Her hand comes up in turn, drawing gently across the stubble on his chin and across his cheek. "Oh, my darling, that's... what I've been trying to tell you. The past is past. Yes, it hurt and I missed you so horribly. But the fact we *do* have this. Now. It's a miracle. We have a literal whole new chance at life... Both of us. And I trust us to take that chance like no one else would. Because it is us. I love you madly. I never stopped. I'm so excited to... see what comes next." She murmurs, the words romantic but incredibly important to her. He needs to know how much this means to her.

"But...for now, we have this hotel room and I am quite awake with a handsome man beneath me. I have a few things in mind we could do to... celebrate that new life." Then she's dipping down to pull him into a kiss that is all about passion and promise of more enjoyable things to follow.