Chapter Text
It's not their fault really. After two years of being in a relationship, most of this time spent aboard a tiny spaceship, of course they developed their daily routines around each other. They are stuck with the muscle memory of endless small gestures. It's hard to break away from that.
Their relationship bloomed inside of Zephyr-3, countless milestones celebrated in their shared bunk at the end of the ship. They explored the ship together, selected the accidentally larger bunk to share (there was another one gathering dust, regulations required there be a bunk for each member of the team, but there was no need).
They shared each other spaces so effortlessly, moving and twisting like a well oiled machine.
So what if they keep slipping up?
Who cares that Daniel still finds himself heading to the galley every afternoon to brew Daisy some tea, knowing that she usually needs a break at that exact point and that the caffeine will keep her good mood going until the end of the day?
What if she still automatically adds classic movies to her Netflix queue, reading the little blurb to talk to Daniel about it later, see if it’s something he is going to be interested in?
It doesn’t hurt anyone.
They made damn sure that their break up would not affect the team negatively in any way. Kora was cold to him for half a day before she remembered Daniel was her Supervising Officer and she would have to see him every day.
They act friendly during meetings, never let any awkwardness show.
The only problem with them forgetting that they were no longer together sometimes, was the slow build up of realization. That quiet moment when they remember that everything has changed. That they are Johnson and Sousa, SWORD Director and her second in command, not Daisy and Daniel, the couple that broke the rules of space and time to be together.
1.
The first time it happens it’s three days after their break up.
Daniel is still fighting the last tendrils of sleep as he heads to the galley to get breakfast. He is used to Daisy waking up before then him to do Tai chi. He puts on his clothes, brushes his teeth and when he passes by Daisy, he immediately puts a hand on her waist and kisses her cheek.
Something had been nagging him in the back of his mind since he woke up. He was disoriented, the bunk seemed too far away from everything he was used to, and his clothes weren’t in their proper place, but as he breathed her in, he finally felt like himself.
“Good morning.” tucking in a strand of her hair behind her ear, Daniel cupped her cheek, lingering. Usually, he would already be preparing his coffee, but he felt stuck there. Everything in him was telling him to stay in this moment for as long as he could, to bask in the happy look in Daisy’s eyes, the warmth of her body close to his.
Looking down at her lips, he starts bending down to kiss her, it feels like it’s been too long. The air still around them, their noses bump together, it’s only at her soft murmur of his name that his mind finally awakens, memories piecing together.
His eyes snap open and he steps away, and he can see the second that things dawn for her as well. There is some relief in that, that he wasn’t the only one feeling this magnetic pull. His chest ached at the realization of his loss.
“I’m so sorry.” his mouth feels dry, but he keeps repeating an apology. He has never felt so rotten in his entire life. She tries to grab his hand and tell him it’s okay, but he isn’t listening to her anymore. Looking down at the ground, he apologizes again before scurrying off to the galley to get some coffee.
Kissing her, it’s not part of his routine anymore. It’s over, and he will never get to kiss her again.
He kisses her cheek five more times, before he asks Kora to meet him with coffee in the weights room. Each time he has to pull away hurts more, he could barely stand straight last time. Having everything he wants so close, having her in his arms, just to lose her again and again. It’s not something he can do anymore.
2.
Daisy has always had problems sleeping, ever since she was a child at the orphanage, sleep has been an enemy of hers -- hard to come by, and cruel when it visits.
Everyone complains about the ship’s noise, claiming it disturbs their sleep, but for Daisy it’s proven to be calming, the vibration outside similar to the one that tugs at her bones. She has never slept better in her life. Or, perhaps, the reason why she has been falling asleep so well it’s that she hasn’t slept alone since this all started, the idea of not sharing a bunk with Daniel never crossing her mind. They were sharing an apartment on Earth, why not share a bunk in space?
They fill their bunk with memories from Earth and trinkets they gathered in space, their clothes hanging together in the closet, their bodies curling on the mattress. She was safe in his arms, absorbing the ship’s vibrations.
That is, until she found herself sleeping alone.
The worst nights weren’t the ones where she kept thinking of the moment where their relationship imploded, it’s the ones she waits up for him.
Space is his dream, and he offers to take the night shift whenever he can, where he can gaze out of the window and enjoy in quiet wonder the incredible world he was brought into. Daisy always loved that, but she especially loved it when he slipped in bed with her, curling around her in bed.
She waits.
And waits.
Waits until she hears him say goodnight to the agent replacing him. Waits as she hears him linger outside of her door, breath caught in her throat, until his footsteps start again, fading as he heads to his bunk.
His bunk.
Not theirs.
Daisy is sleeping on her on from now on. She grabs more pillows, puts on his shirt, and tries to forget, hoping for dreams where they are happy once more.
3.
Would it be cruel to say they are lucky?
After all, they only kiss once.
They narrowly escape being taken hostage on an hostile alien planet. They have to shoot their way out of the atmosphere, Kora doing some of her best maneuvering to duck through barriers and enemy ships.
Daisy never leaves the command center, expertly guiding their tiny team to safety, not resting until the radar beeping quietens. They are as deep into space as they have ever been, Earth is a faraway star on their vision. It will take days for them to get back to their old course without punishing the ship, and yet when her grip loosens around the weapons command, her sigh of relief echoing around the quiet room, a feeling of celebration imbues the whole team.
She is heading to her bunk to put her gauntlets away when a hand shots out and drags her into a supply closet, Daniel’s lips desperately closing over hers a second later. There is no hesitation on her part, she immediately responds, pushing him against the wall and pouring out all of her frustration and longing into the kiss.
They cling to each other. It doesn’t take too long for either of them to remember they shouldn’t be doing this, but they can’t stop, it’s all they’ve been able to think about for weeks and they both know they won’t get another chance to do this. They lose themselves in each other, the ship and their responsibilities melting away, all of the reasons why they broke up are caged into the back of their minds.
The last time they were in here they were yelling, a bad mission result hanging like a dark cloud over their heads. This time no words are exchanged, they are too dangerous, they simply kiss and hold each other until their hearts stop threatening to jump out their throats.
It’s only when they hear an agent talking about popping open a bottle of champagne and calling for them, that they jump apart.
There is no need for apologies this time. In the darkness of the closet, they don’t need to check if the other one looks guilty or regrets the decision, they can just wait a few seconds before leaving, leaving unfinished desires in their wake.
That's the price of forgetting, it opens the door for the pain to come back time and time again.