Dooley's voice echoed around the office as he humiliated the best agent in the agency.
Daniel didn't miss it as he escorted Edwin Jarvis to the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dooley's blue suit and Peggy's slim figure and white blouse.
"Who did I cheese off to have you dumped in my lap?" he said angrily, dismissing her presence in the male-dominated office.
Daniel winced. He was almost to the door, and the entire office grew silent at the sound of their boss' lecture. The creak of his crutch was the only one in the room.
The men neared the exit of the building. "Good bye, Mr. Jarvis," Daniel said with a nod. Jarvis tilted his head in reply, and his long strides went away. Sousa turned and headed back to the office.
As he entered, murmurs of disapproval sounded throughout the space. T he men glanced at Peggy with disdain; Thompson with pity.
Daniel furrowed his brow. How he hated their treatment of Carter. Heck, she participated in war the same as all of them. It wasn't like she'd faint at the idea of combat. She could handle any job, and she certainly handled filing. That didn't display the full extent of her abilities, however.
He neared his desk. Ahead, Peggy was hunched over hers, focused on her next "errand". He could faintly hear a sniffle. He frowned, sorry for her. Then her remembered what she had said, that she could handle herself. He looked back at her, no sound coming from her desk. Yes, she could.
He sighed at the sight of more folders to organize and file. He hated this part of his job; his missing limb limited how much field work he could actually do. In this way, he knew how Peggy felt.
It was a mistake. One mistake, and how long had she been at this job? Did their superiors seriously believe she was perfect? He made mistakes too! But no, he wasn't humiliated. She was. This angered him, and he wanted to do something.
"I can handle anything these adolescents throw at me." She could, she could. He knew that. He also knew that even the strongest person, even Atlas holding the sky, needed support.
Daniel divided the messy pile in half, one for him and the other for the agent behind him. He felt a strange need to comfort her, but anything verbal was out of the question. Then the both of them would be subject to even more teasing. Daniel opted for something a little quieter. He took out a small notepad, scribbled a short note, and printed Peggy's name in his small scrawl on top.
"I'm sorry. I know you can get through this, like you said. - D.S."
He discreetly folded it and tucked it next to the handling form on top of the first folder. He scribbled his name on the handling form. Daniel gripped his crutch as he got up, and placed the bundle on Carter's desk.
"Can you put these away for me?" he said, not meeting her gaze. Not in disdain, but because of Peggy's reprimand, everyone else would act the same way. Selfish, he chided to himself. Save himself, but not her. "Also, I need file P-146. I think there something in there that might help us in our search for Stark."
She nodded, taking the files in silence. Peggy brushed past him without so much a glance.
Peggy noticed Daniel's averted gaze from her. Was he, too, ashamed to have a female colleague? She took the files from him, grateful for an excuse to escape the hateful gazes of her peers.
She took a breath in the back room, leaning on the wall. She was strong. She'd show them, one day. Peggy swore she'd show her narrow-minded co-workers that she was competent.
She went around the boxes, hunting around for the right container to put the folders in. She glanced at the first file, and filled out the handling form. "From: D. Sousa To: P. Carter" she wrote on the slip.
Something poked out underneath the form. Curious, she pulled it out, surprised that her name was on the note. She unfolded it. Peggy smiled at Daniel's silent encouragement, his acknowledgement that she was capable at proving herself. He seemed to be there to cheer anyone up. He seemed to be the only one who treated her as an equal.
"Thank you," she whispered. She ran her fingers over the message, like she could almost feel his presence.
She finished putting the away the files and started to look for the other one Daniel requested. It took her a while, since her filing abilities and Sousa's were quite different. Perhaps she could jokingly chide him into improving.
Peggy wanted to show him that she was thankful. She decided to send a note, like he did. She tore a slip from an old notebook, writing a short message in neat cursive.
"Thank you, Daniel. Nice to see that someone's listening to me. - P. Carter"
Strange, she thought, how the two of them had resorted to communicating like naughty schoolchildren. Who knew that their interactions, interactions between equals, was contraband. She shook her head.
Daniel was a good friend, the only one she really trusted at the SSR. She felt like she could tell him anything, but she could never get close. Those who did, she lost. She wasn't keen on losing him, or Angie, or Jarvis, or anyone else.
She tucked the note inside the tan folder, then filled out the handling form.
She walked back to her desk, her back a little straighter, chin a little higher. She went towards Sousa's desk, placing the file on top.
"Here you go," she said quietly. She looked at the floor. Daniel gave a short nod in reply. A thin veneer of indifference over his concern.
She sat back down at her own work table. She saw Daniel open the file, then cover her note with a well placed hand, scooping it into his lap. He slowly opened it, reading it under the table to make it look like he was studying the documents. He turned and nodded, as if to say, "You're welcome."
She smiled, grateful for another person to lean on. Another person to watch over her.
Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment for feedback. Also, please visit my profile to vote in a poll, so I can see if I can write stories in-character. Thanks again! - Roxanne