Jack Thompson never realized that he had feelings for Daniel Sousa until it was way too late. Jack has never felt the way he has for Daniel before and what makes it all worse is that Daniel would never love him back. Daniel’s straight and he’s in a committed relationship with Peggy Carter. Originally, Jack was happy for the two but his happiness quickly turned to jealousy once he registered what he was feeling for the other male agent.
Jack was told that being a homosexual was wrong ever since he was a child, especially by his overly religious mother, so it was only karma that he would be something deemed so wrong by most. His family expected him to marry some beautiful woman, settle down, and have children but those are just more expectations to never meet. He was never good enough to meet any of his family’s other expectations so why bother meeting those.
If Jack were to have to pinpoint when his feelings for Daniel changed from friendly to romantic it was probably when Daniel saved his life during the Leviathan case. If Daniel hadn’t put cotton in his eyes so he couldn’t be coerced by Dr. Ivencko to shoot Jack. After that he fell hard and fast for the brunette. It’s not like he could tell Daniel what he was feeling either, he would just have him arrested and locked up for good.
So he turned to drinking instead, a way to block out his feelings and hopefully get rid of them for once and for all. It helped, temporarily, but his thoughts would be clouded with anything involving Daniel as soon as he sobered up.
But it didn’t really help when Daniel smiled at him whenever they talked with a smile that puts the sun to shame. And a laugh that sounds like music in Jack’s ears. So maybe Jack was a little relieved when he was able to send Daniel off to Los Angelos to be in charge of the S.S.R out there. That meant that he would barely ever see Daniel so his feelings would have to go away, right?
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
His feelings grew even stronger than before and he thought of Daniel almost all day, every single day. The sporadic phone calls from L.A didn’t exactly help but he was also one of Daniel’s closest friends and Daniel was his best friend so he had an obligation to answer the phone every time he called. Jack also liked to hear Daniel’s voice but he wasn’t going to readily admit that to anyone, ever.
“You should come and actually visit one day, Jack” Daniel said one day over the phone.
The last time Jack was in L.A, it was during the Isodyne case that heavily Whitney Frost and Jason Wilkes. But Jack wasn’t exactly with the S.S.R during the whole case, he tried to blackmail Peggy because of Vernon Masters and the potential political power that he could give to Jack. But by the end of the case, Jack was back working with Daniel and Peggy so stop the bad guys like they always used to do.
“I’ll think about it, Danny boy” Jack says with a sad smile.
He knows that he won’t willingly go out to L.A again, not wanting to have to subjugate himself to that type of torture. He’s happy for Peggy and Daniel but he would give anything to switch places with the British Agent, even for just a day. Because of her newfound relationship with Daniel, Peggy transferred from the New York S.S.R office to the one in L.A. Jack knew that he lost his best agent but he silently allowed it to happen.
“Good, good. If it means anything, Peggy and I forgive you for everything that happened with Vernon Masters” Daniel says.
They weren’t on the best of terms the last time they all talked in person, because of Vernon, so it does mean a lot to Jack. He just wants Daniel to reciprocate his feelings but since that obviously won’t happen, a small apology will have to suffice. Especially if it’s genuine and coming from both Daniel and Peggy, who were the closest Jack had to genuine friends, as sad as it may be.
“Thanks” Jack says quietly.
Jack looks out the window of his office. Being the Chief did have its perks, like the office and the privacy of it. The blinds in the windows facing the desks of the other agents were closed, allowing Jack some much needed alone time from the other agents. Most of them were as dumb as nails but if he fired them there really wouldn’t be any S.S.R presence in New York anymore.
“I-uh-I’m thinking of proposing to Peggy” Daniel says through the phone after nearly a minute of silence.
Jack’s eyes widen and he struggles to breath for a minutes. Daniel and Peggy have been together
for less than a year and he’s already planning to propose? Tears sting his eyes and Jack knows that he has to hang up because he won’t be able to continue this conversation without admitting his feelings to the other man.
“I-I have to go. Chief duties” Jack lies quickly and to the point, thankful that his voice didn’t crack.
“Okay. Bye, Jack” Daniel says.
“Bye, Daniel” Jack says and hangs up the phone a second later.
The blonde slinks back in his chair and looks blankly across the room, allowing the tears to silently stream down his face.
Daniel was getting engaged to Peggy and would never ever be his to hold, his to tell that he loved him everyday.
Jack Thompson was irrevocably in love with Daniel Sousa and he had missed his opportunity to tell him, if there ever was one to begin with.