Captain Carter x Fem!SHIELD worker
Warning: established workplace relationship, teasing, fluff and humor, no angst
You’re assigned with making your girlfriend’s new suit. Her original one is ‘outdated’
You’re trying, genuinely trying, to be professional.
There’s a work-issued tablet in your hand, fabric swatches spread across the table and a highly detailed schematic of a new combat-ready suit projected midair in front of you. This is real work. SHIELD-level, world-saving work.
You even skipped lunch for this. Unfortunately, your girlfriend is not taking it nearly as seriously.
Peggy Carter, Captain Carter, technically, although you’re the only one who calls her Peggy to her face and lives to tell the tale (aside from a certain redheaded ex-assassin), is currently standing on your platform wearing a glittery Union Jack cape that looks like it was stolen from a pageant contestant. And not even a good one.
“I think this one says leader” Peggy declares with faux-earnestness, spreading her arms out dramatically like she’s about to levitate.
The cape is sparkly. Her smirk is worse.
She shrugs innocently. “Because you get that little crease between your eyebrows when you’re focused. It’s adorable. I’m helping”
You squint at her. “You’re helping the way a cat helps with a puzzle by sitting on it”
“Oh, you love it” The taller woman says breezily while stepping down from the platform with the kind of grace that only people enhanced by super-soldier serum can manage. The cape flutters behind her like a flag waving surrender.
“I’m removing glitter privileges” You mutter, swiping her ridiculous hologram aside and pulling up the real prototype.
“Unwise” Peggy teases, walking behind you and resting her chin on your head. “You gave me full creative input, remember?”
“I gave you the illusion of creative input. Like those toy steering wheels you give toddlers in the back seat”
“If you had your way, you’d be in a trench coat and a pair of brass knuckles”
“Well, trench coats are classic”
“Trench coats don’t deflect plasma fire, Peggy”
She hums in acknowledgment and runs a hand over the table, stopping at a dark blue mesh swatch with embedded armor threading. “This one’s nice. It feels solid”
You pause. Real feedback? From Captain Distracted by Biscuits?
Then, just as you’re about to praise her progress, she adds, “But can we put a tiny snack pocket inside the sleeve? You know, for emergencies?”
And there she goes again.
You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Yes, fine. Emergency biscuit storage. Anything else you need, Your Majesty? Maybe a teapot holster?”
She gasps like you’ve read her mind. “That would be brilliant, actually”
You’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, but the smile that creeps across your face makes the decision for you. You glance at her sideways. She’s already looking at you, grin softening into something warmer.
“I want this one to feel like me,” Peggy says quietly, more serious now. “Not just the flag and the shield and all that. Me. You know?”
You nod. You know exactly what she means.
After everything, being pulled from her universe, from her time, from her life, Peggy’s had to carry more than just a shield. She’s carried the weight of identity, of belonging, of always performing the role people expect her to be.
But here, in your tiny corner of SHIELD HQ filled with fabric bolts and body scan holos, she can be a little selfish. A little silly. A little herself.
“You want something functional,” You say softly, “but still you. Durable, versatile, not too flashy, but bold enough to make a statement. Something classic but modern. Strong, clean lines. No nonsense”
“Exactly” She says, leaning in with a smile. “You always get it right, darling”
You give her a crooked smile and wave your hand at the floating projection. “Then no capes”
Peggy points a finger at you like you’re preaching gospel. “Absolutely no capes”
You blink. “You.. agree with me?”
“I’ve read the incident reports,” She says solemnly. “Jet turbines, elevator shafts, automatic doors.. It’s a deathwish. And I’ve seen The Incredibles”
You bark a laugh. “You did not just reference a Pixar movie during a uniform design consultation” You grin and shake your head, scrolling through more design elements. “Okay. So we ditch the cape, keep the classic Union Jack motif, but tone it down to a darker blue base with reinforced paneling. We’ll embed a kinetic energy dispersal mesh in the torso, flex-weave in the joints, stealth coating on the gloves”
Peggy whistles low. “You talk nerdy to me like that and I’m going to have to kiss you”
“Promises, promises” You murmur, distracted by adjusting the collar details in the hologram. “Also, reinforced knees for all the times you jump out of things you shouldn’t be jumping out of”
“One rooftop and you never let me live it down”
“You didn’t even check the landing”
“I was checking. With my feet”
You snort, setting the tablet down and tucking your hair behind your ear. “Okay, I think we’re close. Let me render the mockup. Want to see it?”
She nods, then grabs the back of your chair and spins you to face her. “Only if I get to model it first”
“Oh, so now you’re suddenly interested in cooperating?”
“I’ve always been interested. I just like watching you work more than wearing skin tight fabric in front of people”
“You literally led an airborne assault team in spandex”
“Yes, but you weren’t there to make me blush about it”
You look up at her, your heart doing a little somersault. For all her teasing, there’s something genuine in her gaze now, affection, admiration, trust. It always catches you off guard a little. Like you’re not entirely sure what you did to deserve being the soft part of Captain Carter’s world.
“I’ll print the suit tomorrow” You say quietly, almost like a promise. “You’ll look amazing”
She leans in, just close enough for your noses to bump, and murmurs, “I already do”
You roll your eyes. “You are so full of yourself”
“I’m full of biscuits. And love. Mostly love”
Before you can make another sarcastic retort, Peggy kisses you, soft and lingering, like you’ve got all the time in the world.
For the first time that afternoon, you forget about deadlines, suits, and specifications.
You remember, instead, that even superheroes need someone to hold the measuring tape. And maybe to sneak them snacks between missions.