Author's Note: I'm torn on whether 5+1s are better as a oneshot all crammed together or as separate chapters.

I almost went the separate chapters because I wanted a multichap PeggySous fic to my name, but the sections just weren't long enough to warrant the extra work it takes to post 6 individual chapters. Especially because I'm not entirely sure anyone's even reading this fandom XD

But, if you are here: welcome, thank you SO much for taking the time to read, and please enjoy :) :)

1. Desk

Peggy was always the first person to know when Daniel was having a bad day. She could tell by the distinct tightness in his neck and shoulders, in the way his hands balled into fists on top of his desk and he slapped his files down a bit more firmly than necessary. She was also the first one to know when he'd just had a big break in a case, because he'd jolt a little before hurriedly writing something down. She could even tell how much sleep he'd gotten the night before by the amount of times he went to the break room for coffee.

In conclusion, sitting in back of someone had their marked advantages. Especially when that someone had just fallen asleep at their desk.

Peggy glanced covertly around. No one else seemed to have observed Daniel's slumped head. Granted, Peggy had noticed that people tended to avert their eyes from Daniel. She knew that it was because of his disability, because people wanted to pretend it didn't exist so they didn't have to feel bad for him.

For once, that was actually going to work in his favor. There was no telling the amount of teasing he'd get if one of his coworkers found out he'd fallen asleep on the job.

Peggy got carefully to her feet. Most of the time, she was even more ignored than Daniel, so not a single gaze followed her as she approached the young man in front of her.

"Daniel," she said in a low voice, resting a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked, hands immediately flying up into a defensive position. Peggy caught at his wrists before he could try to lay a blow on her. "Hey, hey, it's just me."

"Ah- Sorry, Peggy," Daniel muttered, pulling his hands from her grasp and rubbing at his forehead. "You startled me."

"You fell asleep," Peggy told him. "I didn't want anyone to catch you."

Daniel's lips pursed and he shook his head. "Thanks," he muttered. "I... I appreciate that."

Peggy nodded, not seeing it as all that big of a deal. "Of course. Is... everything alright?"

"Yep, everything's fine," Daniel said shortly, straightening up in his chair and pulling the nearest case file a little closer to him so he could start absentmindedly flipping through it.

"Are you sure...?" Peggy pressed, uncertain.

"Yes, Agent Carter," Daniel snapped, spinning to face her. "Everything's fine, thank you for your concern. You can get back to work now."

A few agents had looked over at the volume of his voice. Stung and cheeks flaming, Peggy nodded shortly at him and strode quickly back to her desk.

It wasn't until she'd fully re-immersed herself in her work that she heard the soft rap on the top of her desk and glanced up to find Daniel standing uncomfortably in front of her. "I'm sorry," he said the moment their eyes locked.

"Whatever for?" Peggy asked calmly, shuffling a few papers on her desk and reaching for a new pen. She wouldn't let their eyes meet again.

"For snapping at you," Daniel elaborated. "When all you did was save me from an awkward conversation and possibly some stern words from the chief."

Peggy pulled out a new sheet of paper from a file and then looked up sharply as Daniel's hand fell heavily on her arm. "Peg," he said seriously. "I really do appreciate you waking me up. I was embarrassed to be caught in such a position, but that wasn't your fault."

"No it was not," Peggy replied. "But I would have reacted the same way." She tilted her head a little. "And your sure that there's nothing you'd like to talk over? When people are sleeping during the day, I assume that means that they haven't been sleeping during the night."

Daniel let out a sigh, leaning against her desk and setting his crutch down to rest on it, too. He opened his mouth and then seemed to remember that they were in the middle of a workplace, with agents ringing them on either side. Smiling a little, he straightened up and shook his head slightly. "You know how it is in our line of work," he said.

His words were vague, but Peggy understood. Whether it was being overworked, plagued by nightmares, or being too wired at night to fully decompress, it could be challenging to get a good night's sleep on a regular basis.

"Well, if there's every anything I can do, let me know," Peggy told him quietly. She wasn't sure exactly how she would help him with his apparent insomnia, but she had never liked not be able to do anything for something.

Daniel nodded. "I will," he said, but as he turned back to his desk Peggy had a feeling that he probably wouldn't.

2. Office

Peggy crossed her arms and sat down on the edge of her desk. She had been waiting outside of Daniel's door for the better part of fifteen minutes, and she was starting to get impatient. Sure, Peggy could sit motionless by a window for hours in order to successfully complete a stakeout, but all she needed was to get Chief Sousa's signature on a piece of paperwork so she could officially close her latest case.

Their latest case. Since transferring to LA, Daniel and Peggy had handled quite a few cases together. They'd also managed to balance carrying on a romantic relationship, which was no easy feat considering their line of work.

Agent Michelson, the new back-of-the-head she stared at every day of the work week, turned around in his chair and raised an eyebrow. "Are you still waiting for him?"

"Yes," Peggy said through her teeth. While it was true that she didn't like to cross their work and personal relationships much, this might just have to be a discussion at dinner tonight. "I'm not exactly sure what he's doing in there, but he told me he'd let me in when he was ready and I've been waiting for..." She checked her watch. "Twenty minutes now."

Agent Michelson laughed. "You sure he doesn't have a woman in there?" he joked, turning back around.

Peggy glared at the back of his head. Sometimes it was very hard for her to remember that no one at the office knew the two of them were dating.

After a full half-hour had gone by, Peggy decided to do what she did best: take matters into her own hands. She straightened her skirt and the file in her hands and then strode briskly to Daniel's closed office door. There was no response to her knock, but the door was unlocked so she let herself inside with a complaint ready on her lips.

And there she stopped.

Daniel had his head rested on his open palm, his body slouched sideways. His eyes were closed and he was snoring every so quietly.

Peggy covered her mouth, overwhelmed by how adorable he looked. She had seen him sleeping before only once in her life, and waking him up hadn't lead to their best encounter.

But things were different now. They were much closer now. They were partners. They were dating.

Peggy quietly approached the desk. "Daniel?" she asked softly, reaching out to brush some of his hair out of his face.

The reaction was immediate. Daniel almost fell out of his chair in his haste to scoot backwards, startling so violently he banged his knee on the underside of the desk.

"Oh!" Peggy cried, hurrying around the side of the table. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. In all honesty I wouldn't have woken you up at all if I didn't know you'd want me too. You looked so peaceful."

Daniel covered his heart with his hand, letting out a breath. "You, Agent Carter, are a very stealthy woman."

"And you, Chief Sousa, are a very sound sleeper," Peggy shot back, lips quirking. "A surprisingly sound sleeper, actually, for our line of work."

Daniel laughed a little. "I'm not usually," he told her. "I think that's part of my problem."

Peggy tilted her head, sitting down on the edge of his desk now. In her defense, she's already been on her high-heeled feet too much today and she had blisters. "Have you not been sleeping well?" she asked, concerned. "Something on your mind?"

"No more than usual," Daniel deflected. He reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Just a late night. I wouldn't trade this responsibility for the world, but it makes for a long day here and there." He shook his head. "Who am I to talk, though? When I left last night you were still here."

Peggy snorted a little. "I learned a long time ago that I require little-to-no sleep to function," she told him with a wry smile. "You however, look like you need another nap."

Daniel laughed and rubbed at his face. "No sleep for the Chief," he said. "You had something you needed me to sign, didn't you?"

Peggy passed him the paper. "I did," she acquiesced, before glancing at her watch. "And after you do that, what do you say to us clocking out and heading to dinner a little earlier than normal so we can get a nice long night's sleep?" She took in the deep rings under his eyes and reached out to stroke his cheek with her thumb. "I dare say you need all the extra rest you can get, unless you want me to be dating a raccoon."

Daniel laughed, a little surprised by the joke. "I'd refuse," he teased. "But I learned a long time ago that saying no to you is next to impossible."

"A very good lesson to grasp early on," Peggy replied, smirking. She bent down and pressed her lips to where her thumb had been before getting to her feet. "Now, Chief Sousa, we dine. And then sleep."

3. Car

Peggy had been rattling of information about the countryside around them for the better part of fifteen minutes before she realized her companion was no longer listening. Daniel Sousa, riding on her left (the opposite driving in England took some getting used to, but he'd been handling it quite well), had his forehead pressed to the window and was fast asleep.

Peggy checked the nearest milage marker. Her parent's house was only about ten minutes away if traffic stayed this clear. She decided it would be in her best interest to guide the car to the side of the road and give Daniel a few more moments of rest.

Her plan was ruined, however, by Daniel stirring awake the moment the car stopped moving. He rubbed at his eyes and pushed his hair out of his face, pulling himself away from the window with a stiff groan.

"Here I'd thought you'd spin into a tizzy with anxieties about meeting my parents," Peggy commented as he blinked drowsily over at her.

Daniel smothered a yawn. "Didn't get much sleep last night," he said apologetically, stretching his neck.

"So maybe you're more anxious about meeting my parents than I'd even anticipated," Peggy said. She reached over and took his hand. "You should have told me you were worried. I was right down the hall."

"Not very proper if someone were to have seen me going into your bedroom at 2am," Daniel rejoined with a faint smirk. "Imagine the talk."

"Ohh, talk," Peggy said with a mock shudder. "My very worst fear in the world."

He snorted, chin dropping.

"They're going to love you, you know," Peggy went on after a moment. "My parents."

"I hope so," Daniel answered with a light shrug. "I just couldn't help thinking about what you told me about your ex-fiancé. I have to wonder if they're going to look at all of... this-" he gestured down to his prosthetic, hidden by his pants, "and see something that's not enough. If they think anywhere close to the way I do, they'll know that you deserve... everything, Peggy."

Peggy let out a breath, unsure of how exactly to reply. "Daniel... whether or not my parents think that you are enough for me has nothing to do with what I think. Yes, they thought that Fred was perfect for me because he was a clean, cut and dry military man with a respectable upbringing and what they considered to be a good head on his shoulders. But he was nothing -is nothing- compared to you. You are not only a hero but you are my partner, the man who has saved my life on more occasions than I could possibly keep track of." She reached across the center divider so she could take hold of Daniel's hands with both of hers. "If that's not enough for them then their expectations are... virtually unattainable."

"Wow," Daniel murmured, giving her hands a squeeze. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'd say thank you but it doesn't feel quite strong enough."

Peggy smiled happily. "Nonsense," she told him, tugging her hands gently away and putting them back on the steering wheel. "If you want to thank me, stay awake to serenade me for the rest of the drive."

Daniel grinned. "You asked for it," he said, and turned the radio on so he could sing along.

4. Home

It had been a long day for Peggy, and she was relieved (though not entirely surprised) to walk into her home and be greeted by the smell of dinner. Her stomach growled and Peggy quickly took of her coat and shucked off her heels, hurrying from the entry hall.

"Daniel?" she called, peering around the kitchen for any sign of her husband. There was a silver serving dish on the center of their dining table, a lid on to keep the heat from escaping. Peggy peeked underneath the lid and grinned widely to see a roasted chicken steaming in front of her.

There had been no response from Daniel, so Peggy wandered, barefoot, from the kitchen and into the adjoining living room. The lamp was on, a bundle of beautiful yellow roses lay on the coffee table, and Daniel was out cold on the couch.

The first thought that popped into Peggy's head was that he'd been beat up and dragged himself to the couch only to fall unconscious. The idea may have seemed dramatic, but it wouldn't have been the first time it had happened.

But then Daniel let out a soft snore and Peggy stifled a laugh. "Oh my," she murmured, walking towards the couch and brushing some of his hair out of his face. "Darling, wake up."

Daniel jerked a little, sitting up and staring at her blearily. "Oh," he mumbled, looking around him in mild confusion. "You know, I really should asked you to add 'I promise not to startle my husband awake' to your vows."

Peggy laughed, nudging him over so she could sit down on the couch. Daniel's eyes landed on the roses and he quickly grabbed them to hand to her. "Got these for you," he said, a little unnecessarily.

"What is all of this?" Peggy asked, accepting the roses with a smile and nodding over to the kitchen. "The flowers and the dinner...? Did I mistake the date and it's our anniversary?"

"No, nothing like that," Daniel replied with a chuckle, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "You've just seemed so stressed about work lately that I thought it might be nice to have something like this waiting for you. I was intending to put on some music and not be sleeping when you came in, but..."

"I'm not the only one who's been working hard," Peggy completed with a significant glance in his direction. "As evidenced by this whole situation."

"Fair point," Daniel acknowledged. He grabbed at his crutch and started to lug himself to his feet, but Peggy grabbed at his arm.

"Stay here," she told him. "Chicken can just as easily be eaten on the couch as at the table, wouldn't you agree?"

Daniel grinned. His wife wasn't one to break the routine of a semi-formal dinner every evening at the table. "I would indeed agree," he said, waving a hand to give his permission that she get everything set up for them.

"After all," Peggy teased as she pressed a kiss to his cheek and got up from the couch. "Can't have you falling asleep in your plate, now can we?"

5. Couch

Peggy Carter had faced down Russian assassins, secret organizations set on getting their hands on bombs, and a force that manifested itself as all-consuming black goo. But her greatest challenge, by far, was being pregnant.

Peggy was due in under two weeks now and Jack had told her not-so-tactfully that she was as big as a house. She was uncomfortable, sore, starved of sleep, bored from the lack of action maternity leave forced her into, and so very, very hormonal. Those very hormones had gotten her into such a grumpy state that she had banished Daniel to the couch for...

She honestly couldn't even remember why, at this point.

So now, she was not only sleepless, uncomfortable and irritated, but she was lonely. Peggy had gotten used to having Daniel's steady, slightly stuffy breathing to soothe her to sleep every night. She was accustomed to the way the blankets fell differently when resting on both their shoulders instead of just hers. The mattress even felt odd; less pressed down by their combined weight.

Peggy let out a deep sigh and hauled herself to her feet, trundling out of the bedroom and into the living room. Daniel was stretched out on the couch with his head propped up on a throw pillow at an awkward angle, leg tangled in the afghan. She really was a monster; she hadn't even allowed him to go and get proper blankets, considering they kept them in a closet off of their room.

"Daniel?" Peggy asked, poking at his shoulder.

Daniel groaned and blinked up at her. It had taken them nearly four years, but he finally didn't jerk awake at her touch. "Peggy," he replied blearily, sitting up. "Everything alright?"

"No," Peggy sighed, nudging him over so she could sit, very slowly and carefully, down on the couch. Maybe Jack was right. She was almost as big as a house. "I was a complete and utter git to you earlier and I couldn't sleep right knowing you were out here all alone and cold and hurt."

Daniel raised his eyebrow, smiling faintly. Pregnancy hormones not only made Peggy moody, but they made her dramatic and frequently teary. Even after eight and half months of the same, it was something he was still getting used to.

"I'm sorry," Peggy said. She reached for his hand and put it firmly on her stomach, just in time for him to feel his daughter-to-be kicking at her insides. "We both are."

"Apology accepted," Daniel replied instantly, pressing his lips to her bowled out belly and then to her lips. "Am I allowed back in bed now?"

"Yes," Peggy said, and he pulled her to her feet so they could both get some well-needed rest.

+1. Hospital

Daniel Sousa had never been a particularly outgoing, conversation-starting, overeager type of man. So to see him crutching along the halls of the Pomona Valley Hospital with a wide grin on his face, chatting conversationally with anyone who passed by was certainly a sight.

He had two cups of coffee miraculously balanced in one hand, and when he reached the door where his wife was staying he had to wait for someone to open it for him. Thankfully, a nurse was just on her way out, and she gave him a hand.

"They're both sleeping," she said quietly as she passed by. "And they need the rest, so..."

"Low voices, got it," Daniel agreed, and let the door fall softly shut behind him.

Peggy was lying in the hospital bed, her hair lank with sweat and her face just regaining the glow it had lost during her labor. There was a small white bundle nestled snuggly in her arms, and Daniel felt his heart nearly explode with happiness at the sight of his wife and his newborn daughter, lying together so peacefully.

He set Peggy's coffee gently down on the bedside table and took a seat, letting out a long breath. The noise was enough to wake Peggy, ever the light sleeper, and she blinked around at her surroundings before her eyes lit on Daniel.

"Hello," she whispered, before glancing down at her newborn daughter. "And hello, Michelle."

After finding out that they were set to have a baby girl, Daniel and Peggy had immediately decided on the name of Michelle. It was a tribute to Peggy's older brother, Michael with the feminine twist their child's gender required. Daniel thought it was perfect. He thought Michelle was perfect.

"I love you," he said quietly, reaching out to brush Peggy's hair out of her face. "Both of you. I have never been so happy before."

Peggy's smile was exhausted but as bright as ever. "I love you, too," she murmured gently, and leaned down to press a kiss to Michelle's forehead. "Now get in here before I fall back asleep again."

Grinning, Daniel leaned his crutch against the bedside table and carefully shifted onto the bed so he could stretch out next to his wife. Peggy put her head on his shoulder and passed him his daughter, and it wasn't long before both of them were fast asleep again.

Author's Note: That was fun! I'm glad I ended up going the route of covering the different stages in their relationship as well as the theme of catching each other sleeping. I think with 5+1's sometimes you need something extra like that to not only make it a trope but to make it a story, y'know?