Someone asked me to write another Dousie one-shot and they gave me a few ideas to work with. I liked this one the most so here we are. Obviously I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of the characters.
He snapped her neck. Without a second thought Malick snapped Jiaying's neck with the same effort you would put into crushing a bug. Daisy had to watch her mother die in front of her all over again, and there was Nathaniel Malick taunting her. At least, Daisy assumed he was taunting her; she was having a problem even processing his words. All she could see was her mother lying dead in front of her and suddenly she was flooded with memories. Jiaying's death at the hands of her father, wiping her dad's memory, finding out Coulson was going to die and didn't want to be brought back, finding out Fitz had died, Lincoln's death, Tripp's death, and Ward's betrayal.
It felt like all the memories bombarded her at once along with countless other tragedies she and the team had gone through. Space, becoming inhuman, the framework...all of it came crashing into her and it felt crushing. She didn't even know the ground was shaking until she heard Malick's confused voice again. It felt like she couldn't stop, like she didn't want to, it felt good to quake like this. Sometimes Daisy wondered why she didn't let loose like this more often and then she remembered the fear she'd felt when she thought she would be "the destroyer of worlds". She still didn't stop.
Nathanial Malick had backed up and with some small satisfaction Daisy realized she'd seen actual fear on his face and that felt really good. He didn't realize the full extent of her- their powers and she shuddered to think what he would do if he figured out how to quake like this. She could barely control this, how would he? Daisy noticed him run away and she vaguely realized she should stop and run after him.
She tried to stop, she really did, if only so she could go stop him, but she felt out of control. It was like the first time she'd discovered her powers or the first time she tried to control them. Daisy saw May, injured May, trying to come towards her and talk her down. It was hard to hear May, but she saw her name and the word 'stop' escape May's lips.
Then there was another voice and for a moment Daisy thought (she hoped ) it was Coulson on his way to fix things. He could talk her down, he could get her to stop, he would find a solution to the Jiaying problem- oh...oh no. She'd been so stuck in the memories that she'd completely forgotten what this would mean for her future...or lack thereof. If Jiaying was truly dead then she would never meet Calvin and Daisy would never be born and her whole future would be gone-
"Daisy!"
The other voice snapped her back into the present moment and she looked around only to see that not only had the shaking gotten worse, but the building looked like it was going to start tearing apart. Daisy needed to stop, she really needed to stop, but her vision was blurry, her breath was quickening, and her heart was about to pound right out of her chest. She couldn't stop.
"Daisy!"
This time Daisy's head snapped towards the voice, which she had only just realized wasn't Coulson. It was Sousa. Daniel Sousa. The man they'd all but stolen from the past and thrust into multiple different eras the man never wanted to see (not that she'd wanted to see them either). The man she had asked for help multiple times in the time loop. The man had never once seemed phased by any of it (even now she didn't see any fear or hesitation in his eyes). The man she had watched die to help her. The man she had kissed.
She watched with wide blurry eyes as the man took a step forward and she wanted to yell at him and tell him to stop before she hurt him, the way she inevitably hurt everyone, but her mouth couldn't seem to form words. Her throat felt as tight as her stomach. Water dripped down her cheeks, and with a start, Daisy realized she'd started crying.
"-sy, you have to stop."
Daisy snapped her head back to May who had inched every so slightly closer and was bracing herself against a doorway trying to come closer. She only had to go to the next door and she'd be right next to her. Daisy didn't doubt that May could do it, but she really didn't want May to try. Daisy could hurt her, she could hurt Sousa, she could make this whole building collapse at any given second. She needed to regain control.
"Daisy."
A soft voice cut through her inner turmoil and slowly she shifted her gaze back to Daniel. He was staring at her with the same concerned look he'd given her every time she'd gotten out of the healing chamber in the time jumps.
"Hey," he said slowly as he took another small step closer, keeping his hand and half his body braced against a door frame, "Look at me. Focus on me."
So she did. She kept her tear filled eyes on his steady ones. He put his other hand out in front of him in a calming gesture and held her gaze as if trying to soothe an injured animal.
"Daisy listen, I know what just happened must bring back memories of when she- of when it happened the first time." If only he knew just how many times there had been. "I know you're worried you might not even get the chance to exist now and I know you've been through this same feeling too many times to count."
She must have looked startled by that because his eyes softened and he explained.
"It's in your eyes, in your stance," he paused and his eyes flickered away from her for a second before returning, "it's in your cautiousness. I've seen it before. People who have gone through tremendous losses and I understand. Everyone I knew and loved is probably dead in your time and I'll never get to see them again." He swallowed and Daisy knew that he did understand. "I never got to say so much as a goodbye. So believe me, I understand."
Daisy didn't realize it at first but the quaking that she had done before was now at a low trembling. Her hands were shaking, her tears had somewhat dried, but her heart beats had begun to slow down and felt almost normal again. The world was still trembling but it had calmed down enough for May to approach her slowly. She looked ready to knock Daisy out if need be.
"Daisy." May's voice was softer than normal, but still firm. "You need to stop now. I promise you we will find a solution, we always do, but you need to stop. We need you to stop."
"Breathing usually helps."
Daniel's (and when had he become Daniel to her?) voice and awkward sounding suggestion almost made her smile. Okay, she could do this. She nodded at May and began to take in deep breaths and exhaled them. The trembling calmed down, it took a moment, but eventually it ceased completely and Daisy only had a moment to celebrate before she felt herself collapsing. She expected to hit the floor hard and pass out, but instead she felt two strong arms catch her and prop her up against an equally strong shoulder. Of course Daniel would catch her.
She'd run into a wall and there he was to pick her back up and help her stand (this time literally). Daisy almost didn't want to push away from his shoulder, but she tried to stand on her own anyway.
"Hey." His soft voice brushed gently against her ear. "Save your strength. I've got you."
Really how was she supposed to fight that?
She gave up the fight and sagged against his shoulder letting the exhaustion creep into her body. In the background she heard May say something about checking in with the others and asking Daniel to help her back to the bunkers. She felt an arm curl around her waist and she shifted slightly to lean against him a little more. They made it about two feet before Daisy's legs stumbled underneath her and almost made her collapse again.
"You know," Daniel was still speaking softly and Daisy could almost hear the smile in his voice, "This might be easier if I just carried you."
She might've blushed if she wasn't so drained.
"No 'm fine."
"Yeah, I know." He sounded genuine, not like he was humoring her, and Daisy appreciated that. "I just want to put some weight on the new leg."
"Mmmm, okay."
She was lifted into the air and Daisy tried not to linger too long on how much she enjoyed that he picked her up with such ease. Almost instinctively her hands snaked around his shoulders and her head pillowed into his shoulder. Later he wouldn't comment on it, but she would be ready to say it was only because of the exhaustion and over exertion.
Daisy hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she woke up in one of the bunks with Daniel sitting awake in a chair next to the bed. When she opened her eyes he was staring right back at her, looking as if he'd woken up only a few minutes earlier than she had. He didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed to be caught staring at her while she'd been sleeping (and she didn't actually find it that creepy). One of these days Daisy would ask how he kept his face so passive.
"Hey." She gave him the smallest of smiles and reached her hand out to his arm. Daisy wasn't sure why, but she tugged on his arm as hard as she could while still feeling drained. She tried to get him to come closer.
With a grunt he followed and almost fell out of the chair and onto the bed next to her. Dainel shifted and somehow he ended up lying next to her on the small bed that just barely fit both of them. He turned on his side and smiled softly at her.
"That was one heck of a...what do you call them? Quakes?"
Daisy huffed out a laugh. "That wasn't even the worst of them. There's this other timeline where I was supposed to destroy the world and cause some apocalyptic future where the human race ended up in some big space stati- you know what? I will tell you that another time."
Dainel's smile had faded back into that passive look and he nodded slowly. Daisy realized that the smile he'd given her had probably been one of the very few times he'd broken that passive look. Maybe it was his own defense mechanism? So far she'd only seen that smile, concern, and amazement break that look...two of them directed at her and the last one directed at the phone she'd shown him. That was an observation she'd file away for another time.
Daisy turned on her side so they were face to face, their noses just inches away from each other.
"Daniel?" His name left her lips so easily.
"Daisy?" His eyes seemed to search her face for something and Daisy saw his face relax.
"Thank you."
The corner of his lips twisted up.
"Anytime."