close enough to touch

(close enough to hope you couldn't see what i was thinking of)

It was a late night at the office, a frustrating case, a few months after Daniel had left for LA. They were looking into the smuggling of potentially dangerous chemicals. Not exactly a big thing, but then again, everything seemed like small potatoes after Stark and Dottie. Jack had sent everyone else home because they were all getting on each other's nerves and not making headway. The only reason Peggy remained was because she was the only one stubborn enough to stay against his orders.

She sat at her desk as Jack stood in the doorway of his office, watching her. She ignored him.

"Go home, Carter," he said.

"I'm working," she said without looking up.

"You'll work better after a night's rest."

She turned and glared at him. "I am finally making progress on this code. Do you want me to stop now?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Have it your way. But if you make a mistake because you're tired, it's on you."

"Duly noted."

Jack remained in the doorway watching her, but Peggy paid him no mind. For some reason – likely the hour and the proximity in which they'd been working – he felt the urge to antagonize her. It was an urge that he was well aware would not necessarily end well for him. But he wanted her to spar with him, as she always did – as opposed to the other agents, who mostly just fell in line.

"Have you always been this headstrong?" he asked. "I'll bet you were a pain as a kid."

Peggy pursed her lips but kept working.

"An absolute terror to your teachers," he continued. "And your mother too, I'm guessing."

"Is there a purpose to these musings?" Peggy asked. "Or are you trying to annoy me into leaving?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just curious."

Peggy put down her pen and Jack couldn't deny the slight jump in his heart rate. The adrenaline of the approaching bout.

"And what were you like as a child, Chief Thompson?" she asked. "All-American golden boy with silver tonsils to match?"

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

"Rest assured it was not meant that way."

"The kinda guy every girl wanted to go to the dance with."

"Poor girls. They must have been severely lacking in options if you were their best one."

"As though guys were lining up round the block to ask you out."

Peggy's jaw tensed slightly, but she said, "Only the ones who dared," with a small smile.

Jack looked at her curiously, saying nothing.

"What?" Peggy asked finally.

"I'm just trying to figure out if I'd be one of the ones who dared."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous." She went back to her work.

There was no way he could leave it at that, so Jack said, "What? You don't think so?"

She gave him a knowing look and for a good few seconds all Jack could think was that she knew, that she had overheard what Dooley had said that time – your crush on Carter. But she couldn't. This was just her pretending to know everything, as always.

And Jack never accepted defeat that easily.

"You know what?" he said. "Maybe I wouldn't be among the select few who dared to go after you, but admit it, you would've been curious about me."