womanofvalue | Daniel Sousa

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Daniel Sousa - Date Night

Ever since the party at Magnus' mansion and her conversation with Peggy, she's been singularly focused on one single thing. Her job search has fallen aside, the self-defense classes have only received a paltry amount of attention, and she's been glad that not much has come up to require her with Reese's project. Her birthday is in a matter of days and there's only one thing that she wants. It's time for her to tell Daniel the important truths about the time in between them.

She's sent him a proper postal invitation to dinner, but has followed it up with text and email just to ensure that he doesn't miss it. She's found herself a perfectly suitable blue dress that's equal parts modern and vintage and the heels match her lipstick perfectly. These are the easy parts, of course. Setting up plans is child's play for a spy like Peggy, but what matters is the part where she has to now execute the plans.

That involves her feelings and being honest about them. She'd struggled with that even back home to the point that she'd let her actions speak for her, but if she wants anything to happen, she needs to do something here. Near eight, she sits herself at the table she's reserved in her dress and her loose hair and a mission in mind.

Now comes her challenge in convincing Daniel that in the time between them, things have changed, and for the better when it comes to the two of them.

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One of the minor benefits of almost always moving more slowly than Peggy ever did was getting to watch her walk away from him. Some of the other fellas in the SSR had commented more than once on that. Daniel had never participated in any of those conversations, but there was something nice about knowing that Peggy wouldn't mind him looking. She'd mind most of the other fellas looking, which was why those conversations had always taken place when everyone was sure she was out of the building and preferably out of the borough.

He stepped forward to open the door for Peggy as the cab arrived.

"Ladies first," he invited. He meant for drop-off, too. For all that Peggy could take care of herself, he planned to see her home before he got himself dropped off.

Peggy settles into the cab with as much grace as he can, crossing her legs comfortably as she reaches out to take his arm in hers, settling back against the seat. She leans forward to give her address to the driver, relaxing back and giving him a fond look. "So, will you be awake tomorrow to have coffee, perhaps in the afternoon? I just had a wonderful date and I'd love to tell you all about it," she teases.

Peggy could get into a cab gracefully, and did, but Daniel couldn't. He'd had entire sessions of physical therapy that were about how to get in and out of a car, not to mention driving one. They'd had an actual car inside the hospital in Atlantic City, and he still wasn't sure how they got it in there. But if the Army wanted a car in a hospital, the Army got a car in a hospital, and pity the poor sergeant who had to figure that one out.

Candlewood and Dimera weren't too far away from each other, all things considered, and by making sure the cabbie dropped him off second, he got to pay for the cab ride. He did plan to enjoy the ride, too, especially with Peggy warm and soft against his arm.

"I have another job interview tomorrow. Rain check?" he suggested regretfully.

She doesn't mind that it takes him a little longer to get in the cab, not at all. In fact, she appreciates the extra time with him, which she gets as she keeps him close. "Well, then, perhaps we'll have to make plans later and you can tell me how the interview went," she agrees, not minding a little delay.

"Where are you interviewing? Or will I jinx it?"

"Lawyer's office. They're looking for a entry level clerk and they like the military background," he replied. He would have shrugged, except it would have jostled her, and he didn't want to do that.

"The, uh, human resources manager said they like to hire vets when I talked to him on the phone. I just hope I'm not displacing someone more qualified like before when people hired vets but I can't do much about it either way."

He knew women had worked valuable war jobs and then gotten kicked off the line as soon as the boys came back. It was different now, he hoped, but he wasn't gonna presume it was perfect. Nothing was.

Peggy knows all-too-well how hard it could be for women to find a job when men are up against them; even with the Colonel's recommendation for her, it had been a struggle to maintain a post at the SSR and they hadn't trusted her until she fought to prove herself. "You'll simply have to impress them with your skills," she insists with stubborn determination. "And if you're the right fit for the job, then they'll give it to you."

She keeps herself tucked neatly in with him, disappointed that she knows her building is only a few blocks away. It's been a lovely night and one of her best birthday celebrations ever.

"And if I'm not, I'll keep looking," he agreed. "I've learned a lot about how to apply for a job in the future already. It'll pay off, and till it does, I won't die if I eat beans for dinner."

If they'd been a little farther away from her building, he might have slipped his arm around her, but they weren't, so he'd keep his hands to himself. Plenty of time for anything like that, or at least he hoped so. He was gonna take this slow, if he could, so Peggy didn't feel like he was some kind of wolf.

She admires his persistence a great deal, not letting anything stop him. She likes it because she feels she often needs to bear the same talents, so to have a partner who can push her as much as she pushes him feels good, it feels right. "I assure you, you won't survive on beans," Peggy says, glancing out the window as they arrive.

Turning to him, she gives Daniel a searching look. "Thank you for the lovely dinner," she says, reaching over to cup his cheek, thumb sliding down the curve of his jaw. "I'd like to request one last birthday gift, though," she admits.

It was pretty clear what Peggy was wanting as a birthday gift, with that look and her hand caressing his jawline. He wanted that too, but not in the back of a cab, with the cabbie's dinner mingling with Peggy's perfume. He'd thought more often than he probably should have about the first time he'd kiss Peggy Carter, and none of those times had involved the smell of hamburgers.

"Why don't I walk you up to the door?" he suggested quietly, and then spoke to the cabbie. "I'll be right back."

The cabbie mumbled something about it being Daniel's money, which was as close to an agreement as Daniel thought he was gonna get, so he pushed the door open and got out to hold it for Peggy.

She nods and waits for Daniel to get out, following after and taking his hand to steady herself as she sets her heels on the ground, feeling rather young all over again. She leaves her keys in her purse for the moment, lingering at the door and enjoying the air that's beginning to warm.

She waits as patiently as she could for him to join her, reaching out for his shirt to give him a gentle tug towards her. "I think this is my happiest birthday, yet," she admits.

With the heels he'd never seen Peggy not wear, she was just about at the perfect height for him to lean down and kiss, if he wanted to do that. He'd noticed that awhile ago and filed it away as something to be known but not proven. Except maybe it was something to be proven.

He slipped one arm around her waist when she tugged him closer and then planted his feet and cane securely on the doorstep. They were blocking the door, but they wouldn't be here very long.

"Good," he said softly. "You deserve to be happy, Peggy."

He makes her happy and Peggy intends to show him that. She knows that there are doubts lingering in the air, but in all the mess after the war, Daniel had been a bright spot along with Jarvis. With his arm around her, she feels secure in knowing that she can set the pace of this kiss without using it as a method to shut Daniel up when he's being smug.

When she's done studying his face, her fingers stroking his cheek again, she leans in for a slow kiss, tentatively not pushing her luck just yet, wanting to make sure she does this slowly and right, a part of her willing to let him guide the pace.

It wasn't something he really told anyone, but Daniel was a little bit of a romantic. She'd kissed the other him before, so this wasn't her first kiss, but it was his, and he wanted to get it right for both of them. He wasn't gonna push too fast or too hard.

He wasn't sure which of them actually closed the gap, maybe both of them, but the first moment they were actually kissing he thought he might have felt it down to his remaining toes. He kept the kiss fairly chaste and focused on the feeling of her in his arms, her fingers on his face, and even the little bit of wax from her lipstick.

Kissing was something he knew how to do, something he enjoyed doing. Some of the other fellas had kind of felt like it was something to be dealt with to get to the main event, and he'd had those moments, but he liked it for what it was by itself too.

Peggy sinks into the kiss as normal as breathing, sliding her arms through his hair, settling around his neck to hold on, leaning on her toes to make sure the height gap between them is non-existent, tipping her head to one side as she parts her lips to deepen the kiss, kissing his lower lip, sliding back in for more, all the while casting the briefest of glances to his face to make sure he's still enjoying himself, before she lets her eyes fall shut again.

First kisses were usually little awkward as both people figured out where their noses went, but this wasn't really awkward at all. He did breathe a half-chuckle when Peggy leaned up on her toes, which also had the effect of leaning her body all the way into his, but he wasn't complaining about that either.

She wasn't shy about letting him know when she wanted the kiss to get a little more intimate and he was happy to let her set the pace on this one. He mostly kept his hand in the center of her back rather than letting it wander anywhere less gentlemanly, although he couldn't resist sliding it down to the curve of her waist just once. Peggy was a generous handful of curves and he appreciated them all.

Eventually they both had to breathe and the cabbie was gonna start honking soon, but not yet. Not yet.

Her fingers drift back to his hair to slide in between, digging her painted nails through them and not forcing him closer so much as enjoying the warmth of it, knowing that her fingers will smell of him later when she's in her robe and curled up in bed replaying the evening. She catches herself starting to smile against the kiss and presses her other palm to his shoulder, an apology on her lips for being distracted, but his hand at her waist makes her serious all over.

Her body shivers with the prickles of possibility, thinking of his hands all over her, something that makes her dizzy with the prospect and ends up pressing her body against his, just to find out what it might feel like.

He should have known that she'd be as enthusiastic and determined about this as about everything else. She didn't do anything by halves, which made him think some very interesting thoughts about other things she might be determined about.

That wasn't going to happen, though, and realizing that was like feeling cold water down his spine (and other parts of him, which was probably a good thing right now). As much as Peggy was clearly all for kissing him, and as much as he was all for kissing her, he knew there was only so far this would ever go considering his limitations.

For now, though, he'd enjoy kissing her, although he did reluctantly, slowly, end the kiss once he really did have to breathe. He was breathing a little harder, even, as he pulled back enough that he could smile down at her.

"That's a hell of a good night kiss."

"Yes, it is," she agrees, finding herself a touch breathless not only from the kiss, but from how excited she finds herself at the open doors that loom before her. She knows that there's a cab waiting and she's not the sort of woman to invite someone back on a first date, but she also knows it's going to be terribly hard to let Daniel go.

She must, though, if only for propriety's sake. "We're going to have to try for more, you know," she warns him. "Perhaps not this moment, but just to make sure that wasn't a fluke."

He didn't think of himself as prone to smugness - that was more Thompson's schtick - but he definitely smiled a little smugly for a second. Her innocently not innocent suggestion that they'd just have to kiss again was something he thought was worthy of just a bit of smugness on his part.

"Probably," he agreed. "But not tonight. I should go before the cabbie decides to leave, but I'm glad you invited me."

That would probably take a few more minutes considering Daniel was still paying for the fare, but he did need to consider getting back in the cab soon. He reluctantly let go of Peggy and stepped back one half a step.

Peggy reaches to the side to offer the crutch back out to him, using the opportunity to get in as close as she could before she gave him a chaste, briefer kiss to his lips. "Go," she encourages, even if the look in her eyes says something different. "I'll call tomorrow, just to make sure you're fine."

Part of him was screaming that he was crazy to be walking away from this woman in this moment, but they both knew it was the wisest choice. He couldn't come up with her for so many reasons.

"Sleep well, Peg," he wished her, because as much as there were other things he might say, for now they were gonna go unsaid.

He looked back and waved as he got into the cab, then settled into the back with a sigh. It'd been a damn good night.

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Daniel Sousa - Date Night

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