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There’s no way to get the lighthouse’s hangar open, since power is still out. They still need to deal with the chronicoms, which are... just at the base now.
“We need to leave now” Simmons pleads. Her voice still filled with worry.
“Jemma. We can’t talk to the Zephyr. Maybe- She’s going to be alright just for a few minutes”
“I don’t want to wait any more minutes” She swallows.
Daniel approaches the couple, then “That’s alright. Agent Rodriguez and I can wait for the team. You need to check on your daughter” He offers with a soft smile.
But Fitz looks away, placing his hands on his lower back, trying to bit his lip before he speaks “I- maybe we just want to wait a little longer”
“Why? Is there anything you’re not telling us?” Yoyo asks abruptly.
Fitz swallows and Jemma just knows. There’s something wrong.
“Did you tell them anything that you didn’t tell us?” She asks and he just can’t look away from her.
He takes a deep breath “The mission had... risks. It had risks for us, too. This had like an 85% chance of failing. Then we had like a 11% chance of not being bombarded-“
“And we didn’t. We’re safe. That means they made it” Daniel cuts him off.
“That means...” Fitz continues, but his voice breaks a little before he continues “... that Daisy blew up the ships” he moves his hands in defeat.
“How?” Simmons demands.
“It was in the numbers, Jemma” He says softly “It was the only way. She was the only one that could do it”
Daniel is suddenly up in front of Fitz “She was the only one that could do what? Did you just send Daisy up there to die?!” His voice raises as he speaks, full as anger and fear.
Simmons and Yoyo immediately move to try to get between them, but Daniel continues.
“Did you even tell her?!” He gets even closer.
“Of course! The whole team knew! They all knew what they had to do. I made sure to tell them exactly what they needed to do to make it back!” His thick accent continues to break with worry “I know that you’re new around here, but Daisy would never stop. No matter the odds”
Daniel raises his finger, clearly trying to stop himself to punching Fitz, or just... anything “I know. I know that she’ll run straight into a damn wall if it’s what it takes!”
“Fitz” Jemma speaks again “What are the numbers?”
“If they blew up the ships, the team always comes back-“
“What are Daisy's numbers?” She insists.
He breathes and looks between Jemma and Agent Sousa before he answers “3%”
Daniel’s face falls. All trace of anger is now replaced for complete desolation. But he finds the same pain in the rest of the agents. These people are like her family, after all.
There’s just silence between them for a few seconds.
“I should have been there. I could have-“ Daniel starts, but Fitz cuts him off immediately.
“There’s nothing you could have done. It had to be them there and it had to be us here”
“It doesn’t matter” Yoyo adds “They will all make it. I don’t care about your stupid numbers”
Fitzsimmons share a look again. They know. All they care about is science and numbers. But this time they choose to make an exception.
“It’s Daisy” Jemma starts “She always comes back. Even if just because of how stubborn she is” she says as Daniel just falls on the nearest chair in the command center, grabbing his face with his hands.
3%
97% chance that she just died in some alien ship. Alone. When he was the one that wasn’t even supposed to be here.
A world where he has nothing. But he thought- he hoped...
“I’ll wait outside” He gets up and starts walking away without further word. But the rest of the team follows him. There’s nothing they can do inside the base. When the zephyr lands it will be in the field where they left their quinjet. It’s the best place to wait.
Daisy opens her eyes at the slightest bump in the, otherwise smooth fly of the Zephyr. Over the years she became a really light sleeper.
You never know when aliens are going to attack, or robots, or... anything. She has to be prepared for the next thing. All the time. Always the next mission. Because she has always known that at the end of the day, it’s her responsibility.
Like it was today.
The truth is that anybody in the team would make the sacrifice if they had to. But none of them had the power to quake apart a whole fleet of starships.
Fitz had the numbers. Not that she needed them. And usually she wouldn’t give it a lot of thought but today...
Today her heart ached at the prospect of losing more than just her life, or not seeing the team again. Because as she grabbed Malick’s hand she realized that she would lose something else, because for the first time since she could remember, she had hope for a thing of her own. Something new.
Something that she might not even get the chance to see if it could work.
“You’re awake”
Daisy hears her sister’s voice. She’s been siting by her side. There’s guilt written all over her features.
That’s familiar.
She tries to get up and Kora reaches for her.
“Are you sure you are ok?”
Daisy doesn’t really consider that. She never does. “Yeah... I mean. Thanks” there’s an awkward pause and her sister looks away as Daisy sits up against the headboard. “I think we landed”
"Maybe you should take it a little easy?. I think you actually died for a few seconds"
That almost makes Daisy laugh "Well, another Wednesday, right?" she jokes but her sister just frowns at that "Anyway... It's just that there's someone that I really want to see"
The four of them run to meet the others as the cargo ramp starts to lower.
Daniel watches Simmons, Fitz and Yoyo and he feels... selfish? These people have known her for how long? They look terrified.
Fitz and Simmons decided not to leave until they knew.
And somehow he feels like his heart is being crushed like theirs. Maybe even more.
He has known her for such a short time but he just.... knew.
They just kissed for the first time a few hours ago, but it felt like in that moment, the fact that he had just lost his entire life and world... was so far behind him. Sure. Still painful. But he had hope for what would be next. He really wanted it, no matter where her crazy life would take him.
When the door is finally open, there’s only Agents Coulson, May, and the director.
“No...” he whispers and they all start moving.
“Daisy!” Fitz and Simmons plead at the same time, then only Fitz continues “Where is she?”
Mack’s face softens and this feels like the longer moment in existence for him “It’s fine. She’s with Kora”
He doesn’t need anything else. He just walks inside the plane, headed straight for the bunks and leaving the team to hug and celebrate behind.
The door is open, and his heart beats in his ears as his eyes meet hers.
Daisy was talking with Kora, but she stops when she sees him and then she flashes him a smile, which makes her sister turn around and nod with a knowing look.
“I will get you some water” she offers before she leaves.
Daniel sees the glass half full of water on a small nightstand next to her bed.
It’s been what? An hour? It felt longer. The wait felt so much longer.
He sits on her bed, by her side. Just stopping to consider for a second that this probably isn’t anything considered inappropriate in the 21’st century.
“3%” He leads with that and Daisy looks down.
Her smile brightens up the small room “I know. Crazy, right?”
“Crazy? That’s what you have to say?”
“It’s not like I walk into battles not thinking that I might not make it back. Knowing the numbers doesn’t make a difference”
“That’s rich” He shakes his head “It certainly made a difference for me”
“What? That’s how little faith you have in me? You really don’t know me, Agent Sousa”
He smiles “I want nothing more than to have the chance to get to know you”
She opens her eyes wide “Wow... real smooth. You would put 21’st century players to shame, Danny boy”
“I’m not any kind of... player” His smile morphs into something different. His brow furrows and an intense look appears in his eyes as he stares into hers “I thought I could lose that chance today”
“Woah. We just kissed a bit, there’s no need to get all deep” She says raising an eyebrow and he freezes.
His first reaction is to move back and give her space.
Did he misread this whole thing?
As panic takes over, a grin spreads through her face. She leans forward, catching his wrist to pull him back and keep him in place “That’s a joke! I’m- I’m sorry. I just tend to do that. You’ll have to get used to it”
“Oh” He relaxes a little. He should have seen that coming.
“My point... You’re not getting rid of me so easy. I wasn’t about to die having unfinished business here” she bites her lip end tugs at his wrist. “I really want that chance, too”
“You’re never going to stop making me worry, aren’t you?
She smiles again and gives him some kind of mischievous look “I’ll keep running into walls. But It’ll be better if there’s someone to help me get back up” Daisy lean forward, and he’s doing the same, all his worry replaced by something really soft that she’s kind of scared to analyze.
But just before their lips are about to meet he stops and makes a weird face “I’m sorry. I really... can’t. I don't think it's right to make out with a woman out of wedlock” then he moves back.
Now she freezes. She looks to the side like... did she just hear that right?
But soon he can’t contain his chuckle anymore “Sorry. That's a joke” he leans towards her again “You better get used to it” he teases using her own words. He can play her game.
Daisy opens her mouth in disbelief and then grabs the collar of his blue shirt.
She makes a mental note that, she doesn’t really know about his old time-y ways, but she’ll make sure to show him just how things have changed in her time.
He doesn’t protest as she pulls him and kisses him intensely, though. In fact, he’s almost leaning on top of her and his hand goes from her neck and face to dig his fingers into her hair, making the kiss deeper.
Not bad.
He leaves her a little dazzled and gasping for air as he breaks the contact.
Definitely not bad. She smiles as she prepares to go for another round when he speaks.
“Why does that sound familiar?”
Wait what? She might need to get her thoughts in order.
“I just said something like that and... I was just thinking- Did I miss something?” He narrows his eyes at her and Daisy knows that she’s in trouble.
He’s just... great at this. But she’s not afraid of how smart, or challenging he is.
She’s kind of afraid of how much she loves it.
Daisy licks her lips and grins sheepishly at him “Do I have a funny story for you, chief”
He lets out another small chuckle, but for now he seems more interested on going for that third kiss.
Or fourth, whatever. Numbers...right? She thinks as she smiles against his lips.