Chapter Text
Bone tired.
Daisy had always liked that expression because there was something about it that rang viscerally true. To her it meant a kind of tired that couldn’t be brushed aside, or in anyway ignored, because it had penetrated your bones. She had felt this tired before, dozens of times since she started S.H.I.E.L.D. and a handful of times before that.
Even though this tired was a familiar ache, it didn’t dull the annoyance.
She just wanted to sleep, but no matter how hard she tried, she just… couldn’t.
So, instead Daisy was in the Zephyr’s mess making herself the umpteenth cup of chamomile. Maybe, she hoped, tonight she could get a few hours of restless sleep instead of spending the whole night starting at the ceiling trying to keep images of Jiaying from flashing across her eye lids, as her entire body from her still bandaged hand to the tender spots at the base of her spine ached.
She had been out of the healing pod for three days, and she had gotten less than three hours of sleep since. Daisy knew that Jemma would prescribe something if she knew but she couldn’t shake the memory of Malick’s drugs and the hazy horrible half state of her medical coma that followed.
She sagged into one of the couches, mug in hand, when she felt a heartbeat’s vibrations come closer before she saw anyone.
Daniel was at the door, leaning against it just a bit, cane in hand. He looked better than she did, she was sure. He was still dressed like they were in the 50’s, but now the suit jacket was gone, and his white button down had the sleeves rolled up. She felt underdressed, even though that made no sense; you were supposed to wear ratty leggings and sweatshirts when you wandered around the ship at midnight.
It was like… A rule.
Daisy hadn’t said ‘hi’ yet, and she knew she should.
They hadn’t talked since… everything. It hadn’t seemed like he was avoiding her, though, just like he thought that starting a conversation would be an imposition. Because he was, by all estimations, a great guy.
A great guy she didn’t want to deal with right now.
“How are you recovering?” Daniel said. He was always just a little bit too formal, a little bit to reserved to be from her time, and it always caught her off guard, “Daisy.”
He said it like he wasn’t sure he should. Like it was too familiar despite already telling him “call me Daisy” a dozen times.
Daniel was a gentleman, through and through, and if she wasn’t so tired, she might even respect it. She knew that she didn’t have any excuse to be flippant, or give him a hard time. He got to be nice, and courteous, borderline galant if he fucking wanted too. He carried her out of that place, stayed by her bedside for 12 hours according to Jemma. He wasn’t even the one to tell her all about his straight up heroics, because on top of everything else he was modest.
Daisy never wanted to be rescued, by anyone. She never wanted to owe someone that debt, but especially not to a handsome WWII Vet, traveling through time. Daniel, who was brave and decent, and kind of funny, and who she could easily depend on, which was way too dangerous to consider.
She couldn’t need Daniel like she needed Coulson, May, Jemma, Mack, Fitz-
The list of loved ones was too long, the likelihood of getting her heartbroken when one of them was taken from her, way, way too high. He could so easily be a name on that list, and what then?
She couldn’t like him, so instead she was annoyed.
Annoyed at the politeness, the formality, asking about how she was when he knew she wasn’t ‘fine’, the fact that he probably thought she was some lady in need of his protection-
(This was probably stretching the guise of believability, he knew she was a super hero for God’s sake-)
“How do you think?” Daisy muttered, just loud enough that she knew he would hear her.
“Sorry,” Daniel’s eye brows furrowed, looking more than a little distressed, “I didn’t mean to offend-”
“You didn’t.”
“Right.”
The silence stretched out uncomfortably between them and she did nothing to end it. Maybe if he was too uncomfortable he would just leave her be, and she could make amends in the morning.
“How are your stitches?” He asked, moving fully into the mess now, “Agent Simmons told me that you were having them removed tomorrow-”
“Jemma,” Daisy said, before she could stop herself.
“Sorry?”
“Her name is Jemma,” She knew that she was being unreasonable now. Hell she called Jemma ‘Simmons’ all the time, but she was so tired that she was close to tears, and every time she moved she found a new pain, a new ache, a new reminder of being used as a lab rat just like-
“Right,” He shook his head like he was in a fog, which probably was how he felt, “I am still getting used to the informality of your time.”
He shot her a self deprecating half smile, and she could see his arms strain against his shirt, and it really wasn’t fair. She had enough that she couldn’t control, she really didn’t need a racing pulse, and a warmth in bottom of her stomach that she hadn’t felt in years.
“You called me Daisy,” Daisy took another sip of her tea, avoiding his gaze that she swore she could feel on her skin, “I suppose that’s progress.”
She still wasn’t looking at him, when he spoke again.
“If you want to talk. I know we don’t know each other very well, but-”
“I don’t need to talk.”
“Okay,” He was all politeness, but his tone clearly belayed he didn’t believe her.
“Not the first time I got the crap kicked out of me,” Daisy shrugged, but her voice was acidic, “Won’t be the last.”
“Are you always so cavalier about being tortured?” He didn’t say it with any judgment, but there was an edge to his voice, too.
Almost like it was personal.
Daisy blushed and she didn’t really do that anymore.
“Sometimes” She tried to keep her voice light, but based on Dainel’s expression was only partially successful, if she was at all.
“Sometimes.”
“I’m fine.” She continued brusquely, holding the cup of her tea a little closer to her body, “Really, thank you for everything, but I’m not like the women you knew-”
“I don’t think your giving the woman I knew enough credit.”
His voice, for the first time, was threaded with annoyance.
Daisy winced.
A series of Jemma’s ravings about Peggy Carter came rushing back. If her ramblings, as well as Coulson's equally fervent commentary was true not only was Carter a bad ass, but she was a bad ass that lead a command with Daniel, that they worked closely together as partners.
(And maybe were involved until she ended up with Captain America? But that was a whole other conversation).
“Right,” Daisy said biting her lip,“Sorry that was rude.”
“It’s fine,” He said it like he meant it, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do with that.
“It’s really not,” Daisy ran a hand through her hair “You have been nothing but nice.”
Daniel joined her on the couch, a respectable distance away (of course), and they let the silence wash over them.
“I’m recovering,” Daisy said, quickly, not sure who she was trying to convince, “I really am. I’m just tired.”
Daniel nodded.
“I haven’t been sleeping very well,” Daisy admitted, “I’m kind of on edge.”
“At first, after the field hospital,” He said, and the memories flooded back; Daniel telling his story as he stroked her hair. “All I did was sleep. Then, it was like a flip switched and I didn’t sleep, for weeks it seemed like.”
He had picked her up, and her head was on his chest, and she had been in so much pain, but she had felt safe. She hadn’t remembered, and now she wasn’t sure how not to.
“Anything help?” She asked, trying not to think about his hands steady under her knees, around her waist, how she had clung to him as he walked her out of a collapsing building.
(She failed).
“Change of scenery,” Daniel shrugged, looking more than a little chagrined, “Being home.”
“Well,” Daisy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding, “Can’t exactly pop back to 2020-”
“You’re from 2020?”
He looked gobsmacked at that, and she really couldn’t blame him; the whole time travel thing was still trippy to her, and she had a pretty high tolerance for weird.
“Yah,” She said, “I forgot you didn’t know that.”
“Things must be so different there,” He said, seemingly more to himself than to her, “Then from my time.”
“They are,” Daisy said, “And not in a lot ways, too.”
Daniel nodded, and she was almost sure that he knew exactly what she meant.
“I’m sorry,” She said.
“You don’t have to apologize,” He gestured, as though waiving away her apology, “I know you are under a lot of pressure-”
“I didn’t mean,” She started then stopped, and started again,“Well sorry for being rude, too. I’m sorry, I know you can’t go home either.”
“I’ll manage,” He said, looking off into some middle distance she couldn’t see, before looking back at her, “Just as you will.”
Daisy smiled at that. It was nice to be around someone so certain. He had been certain, when he carried her out of that hell hole. Everything he said, how he said it, what he did-
He had been certain he could save them, and strangest of all, he was right.
“Talking helped, too,” Daniel said, looking into her eyes and she swore she could feel it in her bones.
“I don’t think I’m ready.”
He was the first one to break their shared gaze and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed.
“Well, I’m around, if you ever do want to talk.”
She cocked her head to the side; she guessed that meant he wasn’t planning to jump ship when they landed wherever they landed next.
Interesting.
“Thanks.”
“For being born 70 years apart, I think we might have more in common than one would think-”
“Wow,” Daisy said and she shook her head; she hadn’t actually done the math, “Maybe, but your still old.”
He was actually only five years older than her, but that was neither here nor there. Because why would it matter how old he was, right?
“I can deal with that,” He said all faux-resigned to it and she let out a giggle despite herself.
The silence enveloped them both, again, but this time it didn’t feel uncomfortable, it felt… safe.
She wasn’t quite sure what to do about that.
“I’ll be fine here,” Daisy cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at him, “If you want to go to bed-”
“I’m fine here, thanks.”
She was relieved, and she really didn’t know what to do about that.
“So your a super hero.”
“Kind of.”
“That’s” His voice was far and away and she could drown in it, “Miraculous.”
“Thanks,” She had no reason to swallow back tears, but he was looking at her like she was something precious and she almost believed him.
He didn’t say anything else, not as the minutes passed by, and then hours. He made her another cup of tea, wordlessly, and she muttered another ‘thank you’. She kept meaning to give him an out, to go back to her bunk or send him back to his, but she couldn’t manage it. Her body was in rebellion, wanting sleep and reprieve from the deep aches and pains littering her body, but her mind couldn’t will herself to close her eyes.
The hours passed, and eventually the silence enveloped her, and she closed her eyes. The last thing she thought before she fell asleep was that word and the way Daniel had said it: miraculous.