Chapter Text
Being on the road, going to the places he could only dream about was exhilarating. Imagine being on top of a mountain, looking down at the field of green, with a lake over the horizon. Daniel heard a saying once, we hike the tallest of mountains to see the world, not for the world to see us. And every week, he found himself on a new adventure. Scouring for a new place to write about. Taking pictures of the gorgeous view that only a hint of it could actually be captured.
That’s why he worked on the site. Because he wanted more people to travel the world to admire and appreciate the beautiful landscape that a screen couldn’t possibly satisfy.
But after 13 years of being on the road, he had missed the feeling of home. Of family. So, when Fitzsimmons invited him for their annual Christmas party, he accepted it. It had been a while since he saw the people who treated him like family from the moment he was a young boy whose mother left, and whose father was barely around.
He came in a little later than he was expected to, but the look on Fitz’s face was too good. He walked into the Fitzsimmons’ apartment, closing the door behind him, as he put his index finger to his lips while looking at the two girls sitting in front of the dining table. He’s sure that those girls are Alya, Jemma and Fitz’s daughter, and her best friend, Luna Campbell. He hadn’t heard much about Luna from Fitz. But he knew that she’s a good friend to Alya.
Then, he strode along the back of the couch, where Fitz was talking to Phil, and slid on the edge of it, sitting beside a little boy, who he guessed, is James Fitz-Simmons.
“Hey Fitz. I thought you’d be more excited to see me.” Daniel said confidently.
“Daniel!” Fitz screamed. “You’re here!” He whirled around and hugged Daniel while James was squished in between the two grown adults. “I told you he was real.” He said, while pointing to Alya and Luna.
James struggled to get out from underneath the two men. “I’m lucky I’m alive!” He squealed once he’s could breathe again, with his hands up in the air.
Daniel and Fitz had been best friends since they were 8 years old. Fitz was adopted from Scotland by Phil Coulson and Melinda May when he was 7. They brought him into America and stayed in Philadelphia. Daniel met Fitz in school. He wasn’t that much of a good student. His grades were mostly Ds, some Fs. But ever since he met Fitz, he was influenced to take things more seriously.
When he was 9, his mother left. Fitz became his family. And when Jemma trailed into their little group, he was glad to have more friends. More friends meant less time at home. Less time at home meant less time with his father, who wouldn’t stop drinking.
Fitz’s family became his ever since. He would come over to their house, marvel that it is a house, instead of an RV, have a good homecooked lunch or dinner, and be a part of the family. See, even though he had no mother, and barely a father, he had Fitz, and he had Jemma. Ever since the 3rd grade, they would go to school together, be in the same classes. All throughout middle school and high school too. Even their teacher stayed the same. Mr. Fury. That was just plain weird. It was the three of them against the world. Well, technically the four of them. They had one weird friend in their group. His name is Lance Hunter. He was quite the genius, but he wasn’t exactly in the group. He would keep bothering Fitz and arguing with him about literally anything. He used to compete with Jemma about who got the better grade. Even though he could be a thorn on their sides sometimes, he was still a good friend.
Fast forward to the middle of high school, when they welcomed Margaret Carter, who would like to go by Peggy amongst her friends, with open arms. And Daniel? For the first time in his life, he fell in love. Because he had always wondered if he would ever love someone the way Fitz loves Jemma. With so much heart, and care. Fitz was completely sure that him and Jemma would be together forever. He took care of her on the days she felt insecure, or whenever she got sick. He would be there for her every single time. Daniel wanted to love someone that way. And here was Peggy, confident, strong, all on her own. How could he not fall for someone like that?
Then, when they were off to college, Fitz, Jemma, Daniel and Peggy went to Pennbrook University while Hunter went to Princeton. Daniel and Peggy had started dating at the end of high school and he thought that he would be with Peggy for the rest of his life. But when they graduated college and went to New York along with Fitz and Jemma, their paths didn’t seem to stay together. They went on their separate ways. She left him. And he was completely heartbroken. It took Fitz, Jemma, and even Phil and Mel who flew over to bring him back. Since then, he closed himself off to that kind of relationship.
Then, after a year in New York, Jemma got pregnant, and little Alya came belting out. Not long after, he left the city. Went on the road. Started writing and capturing the beauty of the world. He hadn’t visited the family for quite a while.
So now, in the living room of Fitzsimmons’ apartment, with Phil and Mel, Fitz and Jemma, their children, Alya and James, Fitz’ younger brother Deke, and Alya’s friend Luna, he felt slightly foreign. It was so familiar, yet vastly different. He felt left behind. Deke had grown up, Alya had turned 13, James had gone to school. Time had passed while he stood still.
Alya and Luna started to talk, and he was brought back to the present.
“So, that’s us, huh?” Luna asked. Curious about how Alya had an uncle that was rarely in her life.
“So I’ve been told.” Alya replied. She didn’t really have the chance to get to know her Uncle Dan. She only knew him from the stories her parents would tell her. His past. His present. To be frank, her father’s obsessed with Uncle Dan. They’re the best of friends. Just like her and Luna.
Vaguely listening to the two girls’ conversation, Daniel saw Deke stood up and he mirrored the 16-year-old to greet him properly.
“Hey, Dan. Am I cooler than you yet?” Deke joked.
“Oh. Not yet, but I’m getting nervous.” Daniel teased, before he was pulled into a hug.
Then, Jemma came in front of Daniel. Happy to see his friend again, he went for a hug. “Hey, Mrs. Fitz.”
“Hey, Mr. Fitz.” She replied with a knowing smile. Jemma knew how much Daniel meant to Fitz. They’re the best of friends. And when they were separated, it was hard on Fitz to not have his best friend around. But they kept in touch.
As they separated from their hug, Fitz came and placed each hand on their shoulders. “The both of you. Here. Together. This is amazing. My favorite person in the world.” He paused and grinned. “And my wife.”
Jemma pulled a frustrated face, with her lips pursed and one eyebrow raised. She turned towards the two girls sitting behind her. “My entire life.” She mockingly said, before walking back into the kitchen to prepare their dinner.
“Hey Daniel. How are you doing?” Phil asked.
“I keep moving, Mr. Coulson.” Daniel replied, giving the older man a hug.
“We’re glad you’re here, Dan.” Melinda stated, patting him affectionately on his back.
“Yeah.” He smiled.
He turned around to find Alya and Luna standing in front of him. “Hi, Uncle Dan.” Alya said.
“Yeah. Hey kids.” He responded, unenthusiastically. Darting his eyes to everywhere but her. He shuffled his feet for a moment before getting his bearings and walked towards Fitz.
Luna was disappointed. “Yeah, hey kids?” She questioned. How dare he talk to my best friend that way? She thought.
“I-it’s getting better.” Alya waved her hand and shrugged. “Last time it was just—” She nodded her head, gesturing the way Daniel would greet her in the past. She had always wondered why her Uncle Dan wouldn’t strike up a conversation.
“Maybe he just doesn’t talk much.” Luna tried to comfort her. Knowing that this issue with Uncle Dan would eat at her mind.
Unfortunately, Daniel had the worst timing possible. He slapped Fitz on the back and took off his coat. “Fitz. Time to talk. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”
Luna and Alya shared a look and looped their arms together, walking off to Alya’s room. She was saddened at the bare minimum interaction. Why wouldn’t he look at me? Alya wondered.
Inside her room, the two of them sat on her bay window.
“So that’s your dad’s me?” Luna asked.
“Uh-huh.” Alya responded, unfazed.
“We’re them?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I don’t see it.” Luna shook her head.
Meanwhile, back in the living room, Daniel and Fitz sat on the bench near the windows.
“So that’s Alya’s me?” Daniel asked.
“Uh-huh.” Fitz calmly replied.
“They’re us?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I don’t see it.” Daniel furrowed his brows and shook his head.
“Hey Dan. Why don’t you move back to the city?” Fitz paused, while Daniel shuffled around in his seat. “The apartment above us is for rent.”
“Fitz. I-I’ve got a job to do.” Daniel said, racking his brain for a better excuse. He knew why he didn’t want to stay. But he’s afraid of voicing it out loud. Because saying it would make it real. And he hoped that they could pause time. Maybe rewind it. Back to when things were simpler. When all he had to worry about was homework.
“Oh, come on, Dan.” Fitz tried persuading him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Fitz—”
“I wanna talk to you.” Luna walked into the bubble that Daniel and Fitz were in, interrupting the two.
“Me?” Daniel pointed to himself. He scooched over to sit closer to Fitz while Luna settled herself a foot away from him.
“I’ve heard a lot of stories about you. You’re great in the stories.” Luna said while looking him over with a critical eye. “I don’t see it yet.”
“Okay.” He tentatively answered her.
“Alya and I are the best friends on Earth.” She proudly stated.
“Well, that’s cute.” He gave her a smug smile. “Cause Fitz and I are the best friends in all of existence. Which, you know, includes your little Earth.” He raised his eyebrows and continued. “Fitz and I finish each other’s—”
“—sentences!” Fitz grinned, excited.
“Yeah? Is that all you do?” Luna challenged.
Alya chimed in as she slid into the seat next to Luna. “Because Luna—"
“—and I—”
“—can read—”
“—each other’s—”
“—minds.” Alya finished. “Ready?” She placed her hand on Luna’s arm as they looked at each other. “What am I thinking of? One, two, three—”
“—pizza. One, two, three, clouds. One, two, three, Zephyr.” The two girls said in-sync. At the end of their little stint, they grinned.
Fitz scoffed. “We can do that.”
“We can’t.” Daniel replied.
“One, two, three—” Fitz started. “—monkeys!”
“—can’t do it.” Daniel shook his head, and then smiled at the girls. “It’s pretty impressive. But you’re still not like me and Fitz.” He ended. Him and Fitz always had each other’s’ backs. Ever since they met, Daniel took it upon himself to be there for Fitz, and vice versa. Fitz was there with him when his mother left. He was there when Daniel’s father kept drinking, and eventually passed. And Daniel hoped that he was just as good to Fitz. He would try to protect Fitz whenever the bullies were around. He would stand by Fitz no matter the situation.
He didn’t get too much time to wander through memory lane, because Luna quickly spoke up. “Why do you make Alya feel bad?” She blinked at him.
Daniel paused. His smile faded away. He didn’t realize that kids are so perceptive. “I—” He shook his head slightly. “—I don’t mean to.” He said, as his eyebrows knitted together.
“Well, you do.” She nodded. “And that’s not okay with me.” She looked to Alya and took her hand. “Cause I’m her best friend. So, I just wanted to tell you that.” Alya means a lot to Luna. They had gone through ups and downs with each other since they were 5 years old. Luna would protect Alya from anything. That’s what friends are for.
Daniel nodded. He was impressed. He looked down, feeling ashamed of himself. Then, he heard their shoes clicking, showing that they had stood up and about to walk away. “Hey.” They turned around to face Daniel. “Maybe you are like me and Fitz.” He murmured earnestly, while bobbing his head.
After Daniel and Fitz were left alone, they started to catch up again. They talked about what it’s like for Daniel to be traveling all the time. Whether he missed stability or not. He does. But he didn’t voice it aloud. He missed a lot of things. Family, being the first on the list. Stability, second. A homecooked meal, third. They ended up back on the couch, taking a quick nap. When he was suddenly awakened.
“How could you possibly not like Alya?” Luna’s face was incredibly close to Daniel’s.
“Luna.” Alya chastised her.
“What is she talking about?” Daniel looked up at Alya, confused.
“Whenever you do come here, it’s like you find some excuse not to talk to me, and then you leave.” Alya responded.
Oh no . Daniel’s trying to find some sort of excuse. His behavior was unacceptable, he knew that. But the more he talked to Alya, the more he felt like he didn’t belong. Like he was left behind. He darted his eyes everywhere except for her face as he sat up. “I talk to you. I’m talking to you right now.”
“When’s my birthday? What’s my favorite color?” Alya asked.
“Alya. That stuff doesn’t matter.” Daniel said.
“It does matter.” Luna nodded. “Tell us what you know.” Because she’s extremely close to losing it with this guy.
As Daniel blinked at them, Fitz decided to help him out. “Girls. Daniel knows Alya’s birthday.”
“How do you know?” Alya furrowed her brows.
“He knows.” Fitz gave his daughter a pointed look.
As if Jemma knew to cut the tension off of that conversation, she belted, “Dinner everyone!” To which every person in the apartment rushed onto their seats around the dining table.
The dinner was absolutely delicious. There was roasted turkey, still with the bones in and everything, mashed potatoes, butternut squash soup, rice, and some sautéed vegetables. In fact, it was crazily good that everyone ate it in 5 minutes. Jemma kept blabbering about how they were all animals who gobbled it all up.
“It was delicious, Jemma. Thank you. I don’t get a lot of homecooked meals.” Daniel smiled at Jemma.
“How’s the job going, Dan?” Fitz leaned onto the edge of the table with his arms crossed.
“Oh, you do something?” Luna’s eyes widened.
“Yeah.” Daniel chuckled. “I write for a site called ‘Hit the Road’. Go to a lot of different places. And tell you if it’s worth the weekend.” He said, while looking around the table.
Luna blinked. “I-I go on that site.” She said, stunned.
“You do?” Daniel’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah.” She muttered. “I just think about—”
“—other places?” Daniel finished her thought.
“Sometimes.” Luna narrowed her eyes.
“Yeah.” Daniel said.
“Yeah.” Luna continued. “You take the pictures too.”
“I do.” His eyebrows furrowed, confused. “How’d you guess that?”
“I draw pictures.” She replied.
“Yeah?” Daniel’s impressed. Again.
“Yeah.” Luna challenged.
“I’m gonna say ‘yeah’ last, okay?” He said.
“Very mature.” Luna sarcastically responded.
“Yeah.” Daniel gave her a pointed look.
“Yeah.” Luna mouthed as the two of them stared at each other’s narrowed eyes.
“Okay, that’s it. When’s my birthday, Uncle Dan?” Alya cut in.
Daniel looked to Fitz as Fitz replied. “He knows, Alya.”
“You keep on saying that. Why won’t he answer? What did I do?” Alya questioned.
Daniel was at a crossroad. There are several ways he could take this. One-up them right now, in front of everybody, or take them someplace else for this conversation. He decided to go with the latter. He rose up from his seat, walked towards the front door, grabbed his coat from the hanger, and looked back confused.
“Are you coming?” He asked Alya and Luna.
The girls smiled and followed him out of the apartment with their coats, of course.
“Where are we going, Uncle Dan?” Alya asked.
“Just the bakery around the corner.” He replied.
“Oh. The Lighthouse? We go there all the time with our friends.” Alya said.
“Why are we going all the way there?” Luna wondered.
“Well, why not?” Daniel asked.
“Okay, fair enough.” Luna left it at that.
The three of them walked towards the bakery in silence then. Daniel kept thinking about how he should handle this. He didn’t want Alya to think that it’s her fault. Because it’s not. It’s his. He should’ve stayed in New York, he knew that. But he couldn’t help it. His best friends had a daughter and that daughter is now 13 years old. It’s insane.
Luna kept thinking too. She kept thinking about why someone would leave. Her father left. And it broke her heart. Especially when she saw her mother cry every night. That’s why she got overprotective when it comes to Alya. And why she wanted to know the reason that Uncle Dan would leave the people who love him. Because it perplexed her. Why would people leave? Why couldn’t they just stay?
They had arrived in the Lighthouse and took a seat inside since it’s snowing out. It’s funny, Luna thought. It was snowing the day her father left too. It was snowing the day she walked into Alya’s bedroom through her window. She wondered if today would mean something to her. The way the previous two did. There’s something about Uncle Dan that she couldn’t pinpoint. Kindred spirits, perhaps?
They ordered some pies for dessert. It was quiet for a while. There were people chattering around the bakery. Employees and customers. The latter came in and out. They bought their cakes, croissants, pies, and then they walked off to their own families. Luna’s glad that she has the Fitzsimmons to spend Christmas with. Because her mother’s working again. All day and all night. She took a day off on Christmas Eve, only to work on Christmas Day. Luna didn’t know which is better. To have her half the time or not at all. Because she knew that her mother did something to make her father leave. Right? Because why else would her father leave her? How could someone just leave?
Luna and Alya were playing with their pies. Didn’t know where to start. Didn’t know whether they should push or let him gather his thoughts first.
“November 20th.” Daniel spoke up.
“What?” Alya asked, shocked. Both Luna and Alya looked up.
“Your birthday?” Daniel said.
“That doesn’t save you.” Luna claimed. She was still pissed at him. “I know her birthday, but I don’t abandon my friends to hit the road.”
“Whoa.” Alya muttered.
“You think that’s fair?” Daniel asked Luna. He was starting to see why they’re good friends.
“I do.”
“Then this is fair too.” He looked at Luna. “What time was she born? How much did she weigh? How tall was she?”
“Uh-oh.” Alya and Luna echoed.
“4 in the morning, 7 pounds 6 ounces, 24 inches.” Daniel answered his own questions. “I was there all night.” His lips twitched up slightly as he recalled that day. “I was the first person to hold you after your parents.” He looked at Alya. “You look like this.” He scrunched his face.
“She still does.” Luna didn’t feel angry at him anymore. But she did wonder why he left.
Alya copied Daniel’s scrunched up face, before turning back to Daniel. “Why do you remember it all so well?”
“It was the day I left New York City.”
“The city wasn’t big enough for the both of you?” Luna interjected.
“When people get married, and they have kids, sometimes their old friends who didn’t keep up start to feel a little out of place.” Daniel fidgeted in his seat.
“Uncle Dan. Don’t make me the reason that you don’t stick around.” Alya pleaded.
“No. I’m the reason. It’s on me. Your parents are two of the best people I’ve ever known.” Daniel nostalgically replied.
“Well, then you should love Alya. She’s like the best combination of her parents. She’s exactly like them.” Luna added.
Silence filled the air.
“He does love me. He loves my parents, and I come from them. So, he loves me. He loves me so much that he can’t even look at me.” Alya came to a realization then. As to why her Uncle Dan didn’t stay around.
“I’m right here.” Daniel waved.
Alya went to sit beside Daniel, grabbed his face with her two hands, made sure that he’s looking at her, and said, “Look at me.”
Daniel smiled. “You’re Fitz with Jemma’s hair. You got lucky. Your hair was blonde when you were born but now, they’re not.”
Alya released her hold on him and grinned. “Can I say something scary?”
“I hardly think that a 13-year-old can say something that would scare me.” Daniel shook his head.
“Every time you see me, does it remind you of what you don’t have?” Alya asked.
Crap. She got me. “Check, please.” He bellowed, panicked.
They got to the apartment and was immediately hauled towards Alya’s bedroom by Alya herself. Daniel and Fitz were told to sit on the bay window. They had a chat about how much Fitz was occupied with his little monkey, a nickname that Fitz used to call Alya. And still do, occasionally. Fitz said that he wasn’t occupied. That he had space for his friends and family. Then, a boy came through the window looking for Alya and Luna.
“Ladies.” He said. But was faced with two grown men. “Oh. Sorry. Do I have the wrong house?”
“What’s this?” Daniel gestured to him.
“This is Zephyr Hunter.” Fitz replied.
“Hunter?” Daniel asked. “Lance Hunter?” He remarked.
“Wha-yes.”
“Hunter reproduced?” Daniel couldn’t believe it.
“What—you think he’s cloned in a lab of some sort?” Fitz asked.
“Look at him, Fitz.” The two men got a good look at Zephyr. He looks exactly like his father.
“Zeph, have you seen your birth certificate before?” Fitz wondered.
“Huh. If you’ll excuse me, there are some things I need to attend to.” Zephyr left.
“Wow. Even Hunter.” Daniel shook his head at how much things have changed. “Hey Fitz. What’s it like having kids?”
“It’s amazing, Dan. My life began when I had Alya. It was truly the best journey I’ve been on.” Fitz responded.
“Alya’s right. I left New York because whenever I look at her, at your family, it reminded me of what I don’t have.” Daniel finally voiced it out loud.
Then, Alya came barreling in, pulled Fitz up, and dragged Luna in from outside the window.
“What is going on?” Daniel questioned as Luna got settled into her seat.
“Ask him about his parents.” Alya gently demanded Luna. Then, she walked back to where Fitz was standing. “Look at them, dad.” Alya whispered to her father. “They’re us.”
“Is this what you’re going after, monkey?”
“Uh-huh. What do you think?”
“I think you’re going to make a great Queen of schemes.” Fitz teased.
“Fitz? What are you two conspiring about?” Daniel wondered.
“What are you up to Al?” Luna asked.
“You got this, Danny.” Fitz replied.
“You got this, Lu.” Alya answered.
The father and daughter duo walked out of the bedroom, leaving the confused best friends sitting on the bay window.
“Okay. So, what about your parents?” Luna asked.
“Okay. My mother left when I was young. And my father was in and out, never really there.” Daniel answered.
“Well, I’ve got half-a-mom. But no father.” Luna gave into her self-pity. She had resisted feeling sorry for herself for so long. Knowing that her friends couldn’t possibly understand what she had gone through. But now, Daniel’s here and he understands.
“Gosh. I’d never let someone grow up that way.” Daniel shook his head.
“Never?” Luna questioned, looking up at him with a hint of hope in her eyes. Hated that she could feel it rumble inside her. She kept telling herself that hope is for suckers. That nothing good would ever come from it. That she’d only get disappointed from all the expectations. But she guessed that Alya, ever the hopeful teenager, had rubbed off on her.
“Never.” Daniel firmly said. If he could change one thing from the world, is so that children could grow up with both parents. So that they wouldn’t wonder whether it’s their fault that one or both of their parents left. So that they wouldn’t have to forgive themselves for the anger and mistakes that they didn’t cause.
“Oh.” Luna looked down. “Never?” She asked him again. Looking in his eyes, making sure that he understood what she was trying to convey.
Daniel shook his head, then looked back at her. “Oh.” He let it happen. Because he left New York, he wasn’t there for Luna the way he could be if he had stayed.
They talked a bit more. Talked about her art, his job, what’s going on at school, her friends. They talked and talked until the only emotion Daniel could feel, was fondness. This 13-year-old girl had been through what he had and was still able to love and care for her friends. If Daniel would ever have a daughter, he wanted her to be like Luna. The same tenacity, drive, strength, capacity for love that she has.
And Luna was starting to get attached to an adult and a possible father figure. Fitz had tried to be that for her, but she didn’t let herself be parented that way. And now? She kind of wants to. To have a father. But she knew that if she let that hope in, it could end in disaster. Daniel’s job is to travel around. He would always leave. How could she let herself hope only to get her hopes up?
It was the end of the night and the party. Christmas presents were opened, laughter and cheer had been had. It was time to head out. For Daniel, at least. The rest of the crew would have a big sleepover in the apartment. But before he could go, there’s an offer he wanted to share with Alya.
“I’ve got an assignment in Upstate New York in a couple days.” He said.
“We’re gonna miss you, Dan.” Fitz replied.
“Maybe not. Because I was thinking, maybe you’d want to join?” He placed his hand on Alya’s shoulder.
“All of us?” James asked.
“Of course.” Daniel grinned.
“You know, Uncle Dan, I never go anywhere without my best friend.” Alya responded
“Ah right. You.” Daniel joked as he looked over at Luna. “So, what do you say kid?”
Luna chuckled. “Okay.”
“Hey, before I go, I wanted to give you this.” Daniel took out his camera and handed it to Alya.
“Your camera?” Alya’s in awe.
“Yeah. Since Luna’s good at drawing pictures, I thought you could take them.” Daniel said.
“So, now you two could be inspired together.” Jemma added.
“Good friends shouldn’t be apart for too long.” Fitz smiled sadly.
“New friends too.” Daniel nudged at Luna’s elbow.
“Yeah.” She replied.
“Yeah.” Daniel challenged.
“Yeah.” Luna raised her eyebrows.
Daniel nodded and conceded. “Okay.” He smiled.
He grabbed his things and walked out the door. He promised that they’ll spend more time together in the next few days. He went towards his car and drove off to a motel. He had a lot to think about.