Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Thank fuck they let us off on this, first aid training..I can’t imagine....” Karen trails off as she notices Peggy’s glossy eyes staring at the gold ring on her slender finger, her eyes shift unfocused back onto Karen with a loopy smile accompanying it. The lights flicker slightly and the buzz of people in the bar makes it a comfortable atmosphere, the place is small but the most popular in town as it’s crowded with people, young and older alike.

“Peg?” Karen questions as she tilts her head and snaps her fingers in front of Peggy’s face. Her eyes widen and blink quickly at the sudden noise and movement, like she’s only just regained focus of her surroundings.

“Ah, Huh? Uh?” Peggy says unintelligibly, the multiple glasses on the table are a telltale sign of her drunkness if you didn’t already notice her slurred speech and confusion. Peggy grins as her eyes meet Karen’s now entertained ones and she shakes her head at Peggy’s drunken state.

“Mmm, I think you had a little too much, that’s enough. This ‘producer getaway’-“ Karen raises her hand and gestures mockingly. “was a treat for us but we do have work tomorrow Peggy.” Karen sighs as she watches Peggy become more unfocused and watches as Peggy squishes her cheek with the palm of her hand. Karen tilts her head as her coworker starts giggling and her hand slides down her face. Karen watches in amusement as Peggy giggles like a crushing high schooler before questioning her. “What’s got you so giggly Peg?” Karen leans in closer, ready to be told the gossip. Peggy trails her finger over the rim of her cup before giggling again.

“Karen..he’s” Peggy trails off slightly, her eyes laser focused on the empty glass in her hand, she hiccups before finishing. “so cute.” Peggy says through small laughs, her smile splits into a wide grin and her eyes crinkle, Karen smiles along with her and let’s her continue. “He’s funny! and cute and hot and just so-“ Peggy squeaks into her hand and Karen winces at her leg being on the receiving end of Peggy’s accidental kick. “H-He’s so mean sometimesss though, aaaaand sarcastic aand witty but-but he also hates Teddy Gallows so he’s redeemed.” Peggy slurs as she talks and swings her leg harder, her excitement is palpable in the air, like she’s an extremely happy puppy. Karen scoffs quietly before chuckling at her drunk confession.

“And who would this be Peg? You seein’ someone?” Karen swishes her drink and giggles to herself as she imagines a handsome man with a smooth face next to Peggy. “What’s his na-“

“Forrest is hot-“ Karen sips her drink and proceeds to spit it out onto the table in shock, she sputters and tries to regain her breath as Peggy snickers and continues her lovesick tangent. The stained brown tables are sticky as she bangs her hand down, accidentally gaining the temporary attention of a few people but she dismisses them with a small small. Peggy blinks at her owlishly before Karen gapes at her again.

“Forrest Nash?! Peggy, he’s..not very, well..you know.” Karen states before she grimaces at Peggy’s sad eyes, she trails off and sighs once again at the pleading expression on her coworkers face. “Why him?” Karen asks exasperated before her face falls into a frown. “Actually don’t tell-“

“He’s funny!” Peggy announces loudly and pouts grumpily at Karen. “His voice is nice, he’s nice too! he’s just a little..off putting? he’s kind and considerate, he brought us coffee-“ Peggy starts her list of reasons before Karen interrupts her.

“Nice? Kind? Considerate? Peggy what the fuck? He’s never gotten us coffee before ever.” Karen furrows her eyebrows in confusion before her mouth opens like an O as she gasps. “Oh! oh my..” Karen says and grins at a smiling Peggy. “Peg, he got you coffee, not us.” Karen states and her leg bounces as she waits for the dawning realisation that he also likes her back to-

“See! he IS considerate! He even offered to take” Peggy turns her head sharply to a small altercation happening before she starts again” Take, yeah, take me home, he’s a good friend. E-Even if I see him as more than that.” Peggy mutters sadly and her smile drops into a line which makes Karen’s thirst tighten. She hates seeing Peggy sad, a drunk sad Peggy is not a joy to be around. Especially if it makes her sober up.

“I..I think that’s enough Peggy. We have to get home.” Karen reaches over to gently grab Peggy’s arm and squeezes it, her glazed eyes look sorrowfully into Karen’s, the buzz of atmosphere from earlier disappears, like it’s just them two in the building, before the loud clinking of glass snaps them both out of it. Karen shakes her head and slides out her chair, gripping the table as she attempts to stand straight. The floor and ceiling wobbles dangerously in her vision and she spares a glance at Peggy who is thankfully giggling again and unfortunately not fairing any better, tripping over her own feet.

“You have anyone who can get you Peg?” Karen asks as she leads Peggy into the cool outside air, the bitter smell of smoke fills her nostrils. Karen looks at her watch as Peggy leans her body weight against the wall, stones dig into her back and she chuckles again. It’s two in the morning, Karen’s husband should be here to pick her up around now..but what about Peggy? Karen thinks to herself and bites her tongue as Peggy doesn’t answer the question, too enthralled with watching the smoke disappear into small whisps.

“I can’t let you walk, Peg.” Karen remarks carefully and grimaces as her husbands car pulls up. It only fits two people, the back seats are full with boxes on top of boxes that need to be sorted. “What can we do with you Peg.” Karen says before her husband chimes in helpfully.

“There’s space in the boot!” He laughs and gets out the car, opening up the car boot and gesturing to Peggy for her to climb in. Karen opens her mouth to complain before Peggy laughs loudly and walks towards the white car, her hand wraps weakly around Karen’s wrist and she let’s Peggy drag her to the car. In her blurry vision, Karen sees a black car pass and slow down, like the driver is watching them, but she dismisses the thought as quickly as it came.

“C’monnnn.. Get in the front seat Karen, i’ll be in the back.” Peggy slurs and wobbles as she climbs into the boot of the car and curls into a ball, Karen smiles and chuckles before staggering into the front seat. She buckles herself in and waits for her husband to climb in next to her. Instead, Karen hears angry shouting and footsteps towards their car, in her blurred drunken vision, she sees a man with brown hair and a fluffy brown moustache stomping furiously to their car.

Karen squints at him before her eyes widen in shock as he slaps her husband, the boot closes and Karen unbuckles herself swiftly, her hands fumbling and she gasps as she realises who it is. Forrest Nash.

Chapter Text

If you were to ask Peggy where she was on a humid thursday night, several hours after KFAM were doing a first aid training, she wouldn’t be able to tell you because right now she’s squeezing herself into the boot of a tiny car and is absolutely wasted. If you were to ask Karen, she’d tell you because seeing her husband be slapped in the bar’s parking lot by her coworker was not on her plans for tonight.

“Forrest!” Karen exclaims as she wobbles in her heels which click furiously against the road, she turns round to face the two men and crosses her arms in anger as she squints to make out the two figures. “What are you doing?! Get off my husband!” Karen grabs a fistful of Forrests shirt and tugs him back weakly from her husband who is becoming more physically alike to a beetroot than a tomato from embarrassment and fury.

“What am I doing? Fucking saving Peggy, why is she in the boot of your car?” Forrest steps back and turns his rage blindly to Karen, his hand is lowered but ready to strike and his moustache twitches as he frowns. Karen leans against the closed boot of the car and sighs before attempting to explain the situation in her sobering mind, she is rudely interrupted by an oblivious Peggy banging on the door.

“Kaaaaarennnnn!” Peggy drags out her name and Karen’s stomach lurches from both the alcohol and the quick forming redness on Forrest’s cheeks, his anger is permeable in the air. “Are we there yet?” Peggy shouts through the door and Karen scoffs at her realisation that in her coworkers drunken mind, she thought the car was moving. Karen let’s out little snickers and leans off the car door, her fingers gliding recklessly along the door to find the little handle to pull the door up, she grabs onto it and her body sways unsteady as she puts all her effort into weakly hauling the door open. It gets halfway up before Forrest steps forward and Karen’s husband pushes him back forcefully, his snarl challenges Forrest’s disgruntled expression and Karen grips Peggy’s arm and heaves her out the car.

“Peggy!” Forrest calls her name, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise as her body comes flying at him from the boot and almost on top of him. He catches her and wraps his arm around her waist and one on around her shoulders to keep her upright, his split second expression of relief morphs back into angry irritation and he spits out his words like bile.

“Why was she in your boot.” His tone is accusative as he grips Peggy closer, unobservant to her wide eyes and parted lips, her gaze is fixed onto him and Karen feels a little miffed as she observes her friend. “You okay? Peg?” Forrest doesn’t give Karen or her miffed husband a second to answer as he starts concerning himself with Peggy, his eyes taking over her for any bruises or signs of violence.

“Well my dear husband was going to take her home. But it seems you can do so since you are soooo willing!” Karen seizes her husbands shoulders and steers him towards the car, thankfully he swiftly understands her memo and hurriedly pushes past Forrest to clamber into the front seat. Peggy staggers as he bumps into them both and Forrest steadies her, glancing down at her glazed eyes before up to speak to Karen, his mouth opens like a goldfish but she beats him to it. “Thank you so much! You know where she lives? Yes okay, bye!” Karen smiles tightly and slams the boot shut, several birds in the trees fly off at the bang excluding Peggy who’s knees buckle slightly at the noise.

“Now wait just a minu-“ Forrest recoils as the engine starts immediately and the car reverses and turns, black skid marks imprint the road as the car speeds off with a screech while Karen waves happily from the front passenger seat. Forrest gapes at the couple driving off before he focuses on Peggy, studying her blown pupils and the waft of alcohol from her slightly open lips. He sighs heavily and tilts his head up to look at the twinkling stars.

“C’mon Peg, let’s get you back to your house.” Forrest says with a final sigh and fastens his hold on her before dragging her to his car that he left in a haste. Peggy’s shoes drag across the ground as she groans, her hands flail and he feels them push against him.

“No no no...No thank you..got some-“ Peggy cuts off with a hic and tapers off into a whine as she continues fighting off Forrest, her hands banging weakly against his forearm as she frowns deeper. Forrest let’s a small snicker escape him before he opens his car door and guides the complaining Peggy in to the backseat. (If asked, he will deny that he gently sat her down and buckled her in, her perfume overflowing his nose in a calming sense)

“You wanna say something Peggy?” Forrest teases her lightly for her hiccups as he climbs into the drivers seat, her body lolls against the window in the passenger seat next to him and he closes the door before fixing her head so her neck doesn’t hurt later. He huffs a laugh at the incoherent mumble she lets out. “Try again?” He spares her a glance before setting his eyes on the road ahead, his fingers drumming the steering wheel.

“I miss ‘im” Peggy complains and huffs, her hand holds up her cheek, her face squishes together. “Miss him?” Forrest inquires her and furrows is eyebrows at her vigorous nod, a pit of discontent wallows in his stomach uneasily and he shrugs it off as just concern.

“Mhm, got work tomorrow with him too..” Peggy blabbers on after but Forrest doesn’t listen, his ears tuning her out as he zeros in on that information. “...so cute.” Forrest snaps back as she finishes her rant and his face contorts together into a small scowl, his moustache moves as he speaks lowly like he’s trying figure out something from this information.

“Wait what, hold on, cute? Who?” Forrest asks quickly and his hands grasp the steering wheel tight as Peggy giggles in response and her head turns his way. He swallows the lump in his throat as her lopsided grin and dimples cause his chest to loop in joy, his ears burn and he clears his throat and trains his eyes back on the road.

“Him!” Peggy says like it’s obvious and grins like an idiot to Forrest, his rising frustration is like a game to her and he turns his head to face her entirely. He glowers at her and faces back to the traffic light, suddenly braking the car as it turns red, an old granny stumbling across with her stick. Peggy flies forward in her seat and her hand grips his thigh for steadiness as she leans back and laughs hysterically, unbeknownst to Forrest’s shuffling as his spine tingles from the close contact. His car swerves right and turns into Peggy’s street, he slows down until halting the car entirely.

“We’re here Peggy. Go.” Forrest says with slight annoyance and a hint of desperation as she clumsily unbuckles her seatbelt and blindly finds the door handle, pulling it open and pushing out so she can scramble in her drunken mind to her house. Forrest watches Peggy through deep breathes as and he eyes her carefully as she knocks on his window, smiling gleefully and gesturing for him to roll it down.

Forrest sighs but obeys and moves his head to face her, his eyes closed as he speaks. “Peg, go sleep, jesus christ we have work tomor-“ Forrest cuts himself off as the wet feeling of lips press lightly against his cheek and all too soon, Peggy pulls back, giggling and stumbling to her door and unlocking it with her keys all while Forrest burns red with embarrassment and happiness together. He watches Peggy wave him enthusiastically goodbye before shutting the door and locking it. Leaving him in his stupor and with more questions than answers, but one thing he is sure is that Peggy’s ‘him’, works at KFAM.

Chapter Text

Throbbing is the word Peggy would use to describe her headache this morning, throbbing and a pain in the-

“Peggy!” Karen shouts from across the road, letting a car beep then pass before the clicking of her shoes comes to a stop in front of her friend, “Peggy.” Karen waves a manicured hand in front of her face, watching Peggy’s confused and disgruntled expression morph into surprise and split into a strained smile, her headache from being drunk had not subsided even with the multiple instances of throwing up this morning and Karens voice didn’t make it better. Nothing made it better, and the confusion of how she got home last night really added too it all.

“Migraine?” Karen supplies helpfully as she walks beside her, rummaging in her brown leather handbag and waving to Barbara across the street with a big grin. “It wasn’t from being in our boot last night, unless Forrest put you in his instead, I wouldn’t put it past him you know.” The pop of her lipstick is like a bomb in Peggy’s ears even when she blinks in the stretched silence to will it away, her brain slowly interpreting Karen’s words and the implications.

“Wait…” Peggy motions slowly, her fingers massaging her temple while Karen stares at her dumbly. Forrest saw her drunk- no not drunk. Wasted. Blackout?

“Took you home last night, Peggy are you okay?” Karen whispers, glancing at the KFAM building before continuing in a hushed whisper, “He punched my husband last night you know, thought you were getting kidnapped and all.” The door to the front swings open as Reggie Scott walks out, his unimpressed expression morphing into confusion as he watches Peggy massage her temples with closed eyes and a grimace with Karen smiling at him widely. “Peg.” Karen nudges her, head feeling it’s about to burst.

“Peggy.” Reggie says with an amused lilt as she jolts and twirls around to face her boss.

If someone asked Peggy what the atmosphere in KFAM felt like right now, it would be-

“Why’s everyone acting like Reggie put a stick up where the sun don’t shine.” Peggy murmurs to herself.

-gloomy

Her desk has been organised and shuffled more times than she can count and with the added annoying jingle of her keys as she grumbles about the headache pulsing in her skull, the shuffling of shoes and creaky doors alike had her on edge already. “Where’s the..Forrest.” She groans lowly, remembering the keys she gave to her cohost were still not returned even though she’d given him a deadline. Last thursday!

“Peg.” A high pitched voice mimics from behind her, the door falling shut as he trudges in, key in hand and a tube of lipstick? “Returning you a souvenir, a ride in my car? that’s your holiday for the year.” Forrest jokes non chalantly, leaning against the wall as Peggy flops against her chair, the key and lip sticking tumbling onto her lap from Forrest throwing it.

“Appreciated.” Peggy drawls out dryly, the thudding of the headache not minimising at all even with the two empty water bottles gathered on her desk. Forrest lets the silence linger before clearing his throat to speak again, eyes scanning the room to take in all the equipment and technology.

Peggy uses this time to ogle at him, light brown shirt hugging the curve of his shoulders, the little things- the peak of hair in his shirt as he moves, the careful drum of his fingers against his thigh, everything. Except the unusual purple sticky note stuffed into his pocket, a sore sight on his outfit so against better judgment, Peggy reaches to snatch it, purple sticky note paper with names drawn all over it, even as Forrest steps forward to grab it back.

“Clive, John, Hamish?” Peggy reads aloud before glancing at the red crosses next to the names, the circle on Brad making her gape at Forrest who’s fingers dive in swift to grab the note yet slide against Peggy’s softly, the paper indented between his fingers. His sour expression matches the tension at KFAM. Peggy thinks the worst, stumbling out her chair and across the other side of her desk, Forrest trapping the door side.

“If I scream they’ll hear me.” Peggy warns to an aware Forrest, only two words into his excuse before halting in confusion.

“Fucking what? Peggy, no it’s not-“ Forrest scoffs and attempts to round the table but Peggy dashes to the other side, eyes in a panic and scanning the table for any use of throwing objects.

“You’re gonna kill them!” Peggy cries out, throwing the pencil box at Forrest who lets it hit them with a thud, his mouth open in surprise. “That’s why they have red X’s on them! I’ve seen the shows Forrest!” Peggy exclaims, her brown eyebrows narrowed and arms shaking against the table. She watched Forrest shake his head, scratching his brown beard in exasperation.

“No! Jesus Peggy, No. It’s uh..it’s for something at KFAM.” Forrest itches his chin, nudging his hair and smirking to himself as Peggy watches him. “We’re doing a guess who.” Forrest lies, sighing in relief when Peggy immediately calms down and walks around the table with curiosity, attempting to pluck the note from him before he stuffs it defensively back into his pocket. She huffs and rubs her temple again, one hand on her hip and the other coming down again to hold up against the desk.

Her eyes widen when foreign fingers press against her own temple and press down, a split-second wave of relief washing over her before those fingers move away and Forrest breathes deeply. “Can you answer this question?” Forrest grumbles, cheeks tinted pink even as his beard semi-hides the colour of his pale face changing colour in embarrassment. His fingers return back to massaging Peggy’s temples and she sighs in bliss at the break from her migraine, her head nodding slowly, afraid that if she spoke the magic would break and Forrest would move away from her.

“What do you think about Bradley?” His voice rings out and Peggy’s heart stops.

“He’s disgusting, Barbara could do so much better.” Peggy sighs with a smile which drops when Forrest stops, his fingers resting against her hair and eyes scrutinising her. “Can’t believe he broke up over note with her.” Peggy murmured, watching Forrest’s confused expression.

“I thought you really liked him.” Forrest remarked cluelessly, stepping b forward to catch Peggy as chokes on a laugh, hands gripping her shoulder before she falls into the equipment. “You called him cute, stop trying to save face.” Forrest recalls from last night with a hidden smile as he teases Peggy who recovers from her coughing fit of hilarity.

“No! No!” Peggy exclaims hoarsely, her voice breaking as she inhales a deep breath, “Hell no.” Her laugh echoes out in the room and Forrest feels his legs wobble slightly from the sound, his heart in his throat.

“So, who?” Forrest asks quietly, sighing when Peggy stutters her way through a poorly concealed excuse, her brown hair not being able to hide the red tilt on her cheeks. “Finding the man who left your friend via note is a new low I’d never think you’d stoop too.” Peggy huffs, feeling the burn of Forrests hands on her shoulders and his words, his teasing makes her hands clammy as he continues on. “So if it isn’t him, or Clive, or John or Hamish…” He says slowly, arms dropping from Peggy’s shoulders to her torso, his eyes dancing everywhere but her own.

“It’s you.” Peggy blurts out with a grimace as Forrests voice overlaps her own.

“It’s Reggie.”

“…What?”

Peggy stares into Forrests own brown eyes darting back at hers as they stay still in complete shock, Forrest recovering and quirking his eyebrow at Peggy before starting to say a joke that would probably haunt Peggy at her expense before he’s cut off by a softer pair of lips against his own, and arms thrown around his neck.

And a shocked Reggie staring in from Forrests room in the studio, turning on the mic to the button he just placed a sticky note down on.

“….Radio on in five minutes, wrap it up.”