Chapter 16
Daisy seemed in a weirdly happy mood today. She was normally sarcastic or glaring at people mainly in sync with May. And Hunter from his experience from working with Daisy, her being 'happy and smiley' meet she had killed an unsuspecting target.
But the girl was genuinely happy because her three weeks were up, and what a boring three weeks it was. No missions just small surveillance tasks. Which was sitting in a small van with two people sweating, bored and stinging-eyed from overlooking screens.
The Avengers to her were like a family, people she will always look out for no matter what. Something she had always wanted in her life but thought was out of reach.
S.H.I.E.L.D had its group like that closer than most agents. She was welcomed in but not with open arms. More like an unwanted younger sibling that had all the parent's love. It was common knowledge that Coulson and May gravitated towards their team on the Bus even if Daisy had been Hydra. So she found her place there.
She had made friends with Agent Morse bonding over the fact that everyone else was lazy and would talk to each other in a different language, Much to the agent's annoyance especially Hunters. The man she found increasingly hilarious yet irritating.
The two Inhumans she sticks to as much. Elena or known as Yo-Yo was great to be around as she constantly pranked people, She reminds Daisy of Pietro. Maybe she'll introduce them one day.
But Lincoln looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here as he mopped around in the med bay. According to Coulson, they brought him in for his safety as his identity got leaked and couldn't work at the hospital anymore. So he was stuck here being insociable, in Daisy's opinion she didn't care.
She still had a few hours before she was due to fly back, so she sat in her bunk painting her nails a deep purple while listening to the S.H.I.E.L.D documentary that all agents had to watch if they didn't go to the academy. In her case it was extremely boring as the narrator's flat voice filled her room, unpleasantly scratching her ears.
Her thoughts returned to Wanda and the Avengers. She hadn't spoken to them in the last week and it was getting suspicious. Wanda would call her every other day, updating her on everyone as they had a turn to speak.
So she double-checked the date, July the second. Yep, the time she was supposed to be back at the compound. Sighing she started to pack away her stuff after many minutes of procrastinating the exact activity.
It wasn't like she had much, but the thought made her tired and the documentary going on about how great S.H.I.E.L.D was might even change her mind about ever coming back to the playground.
A knock at the bunk door make her feel a childish amount of relief as she got to stop the minimal packing as it was two duffle bags.
"Hold on, a sec." She shouted to the person on the other side of the door before shoving the open bag full of an unusual amount of weapons under the low beds. Before answering the door Fitz held his arms behind his back.
"Hello Fitz, what do you want?" She asked looking at the slight nervousness of the older guy. He shuffles on his feet and showed her what was in his hands.
"Well-i-um-when I offered to clean out your bunk on the bus as the team looked like they wanted to burn everything but I decided to keep this."
In his hands was the little wiggling hula girl, it don't look much but it held something important to her inside and can't believe she forgot about it.
"Thank you, Fitz I appreciate it. Maybe I should invite you to the compound as well. See what you and Stark end up creating. God knows he needs a responsible person in the lab that can understand him."
His face of pure awe if it wasn't owning a monkey then Fitz's other dream was to meet Tony Stark let alone work with him. If she was getting too friendly with anyone else then the whole agency might end up at the compound before long.
Sticking to May and Fitz then potentially Simmons. And until The truth about Coulson comes out then he is to stay back at the playground for the file being.
Daisy could tell the Fitzs dearly wanted to pull her into a hug. His eyes flickering in her direction or the slight lift of his arms before dropping back down. To get it over with she unexpectedly pulled him into a hug listening to his quiet sigh of contentment.
Fitz had always been warm for the time she had known him, he smelled like men's cologne and a little of iron from his work in the garage all day. It brings back a certain nostalgia in her, remembering the days when she was truly happy once again until it all slipped away like water through fingers.
"Right, I better get going, Fitz. And I can't if you don't let go." But he still stayed latched on like a monkey. It was quite fitting as the man had always wanted a pet monkey.
"I'll get you a monkey for your birthday," Daisy said in the spur of the moment and as stunned Fitz slid away from her with his wide blue eyes shining with delight.
"You'll get me a monkey." he was sceptical like any agent was trained but Sci-tech less so. Maybe if his reaction wasn't so hard to give up she would have debunked the monkey buying case. But Fitz may have taken a class at manipulation or two because his eyes widened like a puppy dog. As he slightly tilted his head with a silent beg.
Now she knew she had to buy him one if he knew it was a joke or not she still will find a way to sneak it on the base when the time arrives. Fitz was already mentally preparing for the non-existent monkey as he knew what to prepare in advance.
The two walked to the Hanger carrying Daisy bags which Fitz had insisted he'll take the heavier duffle. His look told her that he wanted to know what was in it. "I don’t want to know what's in it. Or do I? It's not going to be human remains, is it?"
"No Fitz I assure you that it's not human remains or anything slightly disturbing. Hurry up I'm going to miss my ride." knowing exactly that she in fact cant miss her ride as she is the one driving the plane, seems like Fitz forgot that.
So they walked a bit faster than the usual walking speed. Some agents had bid Daisy a 'goodbye' but some remained unsure about her being ex-Hydra. That little fact part used Daisy off. People like to define someone by their actions in the past than the present acts.
Nevertheless, she mentally thanked these people because of a small belief that she would get a better life no matter where and S.H.I.E.L.D had some that for her but also the Avengers. Daisy to her surprised that she had recovered too quickly from the horrors of her past. She was always the one to push anything bad to the side and play it off with a sarcastic joke yet everything breaks and she was sure she would too.
The farewell wasn't tear-jerking because she had only known these people less than a month leaving out Fitzsimmons, Coulson and May. But she admitted to herself that she felt a little hole in the pit of their stomach as she said her goodbyes. The original team made her feel welcome before anyone had ever but betrayed the because Garret had changed plans without her consent.
She was ready to fully leave Hydra but when the Winter Soldier attacked the Avengers and Hydra tore S.H.I.E.L.D from inside out she was forced to change due to her small loyalties to the people who made her who she was.
Fitz loudly reminded her to get him a monkey-like she promised which the team had shouted back words of opposition. Which she laughed off as the cargo hold of her jet opened up.
With one last wave, she was off and back to the compound. The fight passed by slowly for the woman. Every minute felt like hours E yet the time had only passed by one. So she restored to autopilot and watched the clouds move by.
When that had gotten boring she decided to catch up on the documentary but shut her laptop down as soon as she heard the droning voice.
She finally resorted to Tai Chi a useful stress reliever May had taught her and had grown to get used to waking up a five. The gradual flow of movement and the blocking of the thoughts ms and the outside world out provided a great deal of calmness in her one anger-filled life. So that is what she did in the empty cargo hold of the jet until the small-signal told her she was getting close to the landing strip at the compound.
"This is Shield 146 requesting permission to land." The line crackled before Tony’s voice was heard on the over end.
“Permission granted, welcome back Agent Johnson.”
She smiled as landed the plane ready to see the team again after the long weeks of searching for a book she didn’t care about. She walked through the calm atmospheric place of tress and the sound of a waterfall. The Compound was too quiet for her liking. Even form out the font Tony’s words of curse usually came out in streams if he mess something up which happen more than one would think.
She got a bit suspicious as she pulled out her handgun even if she didn’t need it made her feel a little comforted.
No one was around not even the trainees that Fury was training for his little group. She easy worried, how could she be. No one could kill off all eight avengers at once unless a huge bomb went off even then it was likely one was to survive, plus they had the agents to get through. Even then a big bomb doesn’t like it went one just everyone had gone on leave.
She was too consumed with a suspicion that only noticed the large number of vibrations emitting from the huge common area. They were gonna surprise her she knew it because as she got the closest whispering was hired behind the door.
Using her ability to manipulate sound vibrations she managed to just catch the last of a conversation, “Shhhh, Wanda is quiet she could be outside of the door.” That was Pietro. So it was for her, maybe to spray her with nerf bullets or water guns. Like Tony had before lest say he had a bad headache for a few days.
She used this to her advantage, she held one of her palms open at her side wielding her power and the over to open the door.
When she opened the door she noticed very badly hidden people. She knew where everyone was hidden but she let no one know she knew because she didn’t want to ruin it for them or her.
Clint was in the vents with Natasha right near the opening ready to drop at any second. Wanda and Pietro hid behind the sofa on the far left giggling slightly. Tony hid in the game’s cupboard with a game that fell balancing on his haircut. Bruce and Steve had hidden the side cupboard full of snacks as it was big enough for the two. Fury and Maria even joined them not much to Daisy's surprise. And the Director and Deputy were unvaryingly squished under the sofa. That must be a sight to see.
As soon as she opened the door though she didn’t get plummeted with rubber bullets instead they all shouted.
“Happy Birthday, Daisy”
Now that got her confused, it was her birthday? Was it, surely she would remember.