For Fitz/Daisy, an au where both of them have normal life’s and they meet the others parents on Christmas.
Daisy can’t help but to feel an overwhelming panic. And when she feels stressed, she tends to fidget. A lot. She’s cleaning the house up, preparing to meet Leo’s parents. For the first time. Ever. On Christmas. To be fair, he’s also meeting her parents for the first time too…
She doesn’t stop scrubbing at the mantel above the fireplace when she hears her boyfriend walk into the room. “You’ve cleaned everything about ten times now, Daisy…” His accented voice calls out, clearly amused. Finally, she stops once more. Looking up, she sees her boyfriend leaning against the doorway into the kitchen.
“What if they don’t like me?” She finally blurts out, worrying the rag in her hands. Their parents should be arriving shortly…Both her mother and father as well as Leo’s Mother and step father were coming to stay in their two guest bedrooms. Leo’s job as an engineer-as well as Daisy’s White hat work for corporate Companies-give them enough money to afford a nice place like this. And it’s coming in handy now, seeing as they needed the room. (Although Daisy had been opposed to it at first. Her family had always been of the persuasion that you don’t need more room than what you need…)
Leo comes forward, taking the rag from her and placing it to the side. He gathers his girlfriend in his arms with a smile. “Impossible. You’re smart, funny and cooked my mother’s favorite dish!” He shrugs before turning his smile into a grin. “Besides, you’re too adorable to hate!”
Daisy eyes him. “Shouldn’t you be freaking out too?” She asks, seriously.
He shrugs. “Parents love me.” He says. “Besides, you only ever tell me good stories. Why would I worry?”
She rolls her eyes, pulling away from Leo. “That’s because I didn’t want to freak you out. But now you’re making fun of me…” She grabs her chin and starts pacing, her brows arching down. “My dad once told a guy I was serious about that he knew all of the…” She pauses here, looking at her boyfriend. She couldn’t tell him…It might make him freak out too much…Besides, she’d gotten her dad to promise this time… “Never mind.” She says, shaking her head, and then shaking out her hands. “The point is, is that I never saw that guy again…” She sighs.
“You worry too much…” Leo says, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Even if your dad threatens me, I’ll still be around. Alright?”
She relaxes a little reluctantly in the arms of the man she’s in love with. She can’t help but to smile. With both hope and at the warmth that Leo’s words inspire in her. Maybe she is worrying too much. After all, Leo is kind hearted and protective, funny and smart…he’s nothing like the usual men she dates…and she loves him a lot more than she knew she could. Surely her dad will see that too?
The only problem is that her dad tends to get straight to it. He doesn’t get to know her boyfriend before getting him alone and starting in on the threats… The woman worries her lip.
--‘
Leo’s parents arrive first. And Daisy is only nervous for the first few moments, before she realizes that Leo’s mom’s warmth encompasses Daisy as well. She’d heard the stories of how loving the woman was-but she figured that was both because Leo is her son, and because he loves her enough to exaggerate.
“You must be the woman my Leo has told me so much about!” The woman says, bypassing Daisy’s offered hand for a straight up hug. “It’s so good to finally meet the girl that managed to catch my son’s eye!”
Daisy is a little flustered by the hug before she smiles and returns it. When the woman releases her, it’s only to lean back further. She still holds Daisy’s arms. “Let me have a look at the woman that can turn my son’s head out of his work shop!”
“Mom!” Leo groans.
Daisy laughs, even while her face flushes. “I’m not sure how I got lucky enough that I caught his attention, Mrs. Wrenton. I’m just happy that I did.” She tells her with a smile.
“Nah, mum, I’m the one that’s lucky! She’s-“
“Funny and smart and gorgeous-and that one time…” Leo’s dad interrupts, teasingly mimicking his step son’s gushing. “We know. And we quite believe you, son.” He adds with a blink.
Daisy blinks and turns to see that Leopold has turned a cherry tomato colour. Daisy’s own face heats up. She never knew her boyfriend spoke so often to his parents about her. Something pleased unfurls inside of her. And so she decides to save her boyfriend’s adorable awkward self more embarrassment, and turn the attention on something else. “W-well. He talks a great deal about you guys too! I’m glad to finally meet you all!” She says with a smile.
Leo’s mother finally releases her with a smile crinkling her eyes. “Yes. Well met. I smell something wonderful cooking.”
“Ah, yes! I’m making some egg hamburgers with ham fried rice and a potato casserole.” Daisy responds. “It’s not quite done yet. I still have to make some of the hamburgers.”
“Oh, well. May I help? I do love to cook.”
“If you like to cook, then I could not keep you away!” Daisy says, leading the woman away. A worrying weight is lifted from her shoulders. Leo’s parents like her. And Leo talks about her often. She can’t help but to feel happy. Even as she feels nervous still about her own father’s arrival…
--
“You’ve caught a good one.” Fitz turns to his dad, who is looking where Daisy and his mom disappeared.
“Ehm…” Fitz’s blush deepens. “I know. She’s…” He trails off, remembering his dad’s teasing from earlier and becoming embarrassed again.
He sends a glare his step-dad’s way when he sees the older man’s teasing eyes. “She sure knew how to diffuse your embarrassment for a moment, anyway. And had mercy to do it, too.”
That’s because she wasn’t expecting how much I love her. Enough that I talk about her all the time. Honestly, the men she dated before must have been twits… “Yeah.” He grins softly.
“Shall we join them, son?”
Fitz grins. He and his father both are terrible in the kitchen. To be fair, so was Daisy when she first moved in with him. But having both of them unable to cook forced the one with the best skills in that area to become better. She’d learned to cook especially for Fitz. He remembers the first time he came home to burned Shepard’s pie-his personal favorite. She’d been sniffling and told him she’d tried really hard, but still ended up making a mess of it…
It was in that moment that he had realized that he loved her beyond anything he’d ever loved before. He’d pulled her into his lap, before taking a serving and eating it. It was the best food he’s ever eaten, even if it was burnt…
“Yeah. Even if we can’t help out, we can make conversation.” And Fitz honestly can’t wait to watch his mother and Daisy interacting together more.
--
The doorbell rings while the women are chatting over making patties for burgers. Daisy pauses, looking up and then down to her dirty hands. Fitz can’t help but to chuckle, and he gets up from where he’d been seated at the table. Leaning over he kisses his girlfriend on her cheek. “I’ll get it.”
He grins when her cheeks flush. But her eyes still look slightly worried. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine, love.” He whispers in her ear as he goes behind her in the direction to get to the front door.
Honestly, his girlfriend worries too much. Fitz doesn’t think it’ll be that bad, especially from all the stories that he’s heard from her about her family. He reaches the front door, and opens it. “Merry Christmas. You’re Daisy’s parents, right? Cal and Jiaying?” He says.
There at the door is a tall man and a slightly shorter woman. “Yes.” The woman answers with a smile. Fitz steps aside to let them in. He notices that Jiaying_ is carrying something. “Moon cakes. Our Daisy loves them a lot, so we brought some!” She says. “Cal baked up a lot of them. Which way to the kitchen?” She asks.
Fitz points with a smile. He hadn’t known about moon cakes being Daisy’s favorite. “How about you show me to the tree. I’ve got presents for Daisy.” A gruff voice says-her father.
“Of course.” Fitz says, eager to help-and please-Daisy’s father. He leads the man into the living room and watches as the older man sets the gifts down. There are two. When the man straitens up, he makes no move to join his wife and daughter in the kitchen. Just stares at Fitz-causing the Scotsman to fidget.
This must be the part where he gets a threat. He’s never actually had a girl’s father threaten him before…He swallows a bit too loudly. Cal comes forward with his eyes narrowed. “That girl in there is my little girl. And I’m gonna warn you the same as I have every other bastard that’s come near her. I know all the most painful nerves in a body. And a few drugs to make you paralyzed but still feel all of it. If you hurt my little girl, I will break my Hippocratic Oath and hurt you. A Lot.”
Hurt…Hurt Daisy?! He-what-no! Fitz raises his brows in disbelief at the unthinkable act. “I could never hurt Daisy! D-Daisy is-is-“He flounders to describe his love to her own father. What she is to Fitz… He throws his hands out gesturing around as if grasping at something to help him to explain. “Daisy is everything to me. She makes me laugh when I’m sad, she comforts me, warms my insides…she’s like the light in my life. Without her, I’d be a blind man!” He splutters out, struck with disbelief. “How could I ever hurt her?!” What a ludicrous idea! Fitz realizes that Daisy’s father is just giving him a threat-looking out for Daisy. But…He can’t honestly imagine hurting the girl he loves. His heart skips a little though, watching the bigger man glare at him.
Fitz only fidgets for a moment more, before he straightens his spine with a glare of his own.
Until Cal cracks a grin. “You’re alight.” He says, leaving Fitz confused and spluttering.
They both turn their heads when someone comes into the entrance for the living room. “Dear, are you threatening Daisy’s Boyfriend again?” Daisy’s mom sighs, coming in, glaring at her husband.
“It’s different. I like this one, Jiaying_” Cal says, as if proudly. Fitz honestly still feels confused at the now smiling man. His personality towards Fitz seems to have changed suddenly.
Mom looks disbelievingly at Daisy’s dad. Before anyone can say anything, another person enters the living room. “Dad!” Daisy says, and Fitz sees she’s gone pale.
“What? I like this one. He’s definitely better than that hacker boy a while back…” Cal pouts.
But Fitz is more concerned about how pale Daisy looks. He rushes towards her. “Are you feeling alright, love?” He asks, brows scrunched down in concern.
She blinks up at him as if surprised. “You…You’re not s…not scared off?” She asks, hesitantly.
Scared off? Why woul-oh…oh. That speech is the one that scared off her last boyfriend that she hasn’t seen since? Fitz scoffs. “If I were scared off by that speech, I wouldn’t deserve to say I love you!” He growls.
“See?! That’s what I’ve been trying to say!” Cal exclaims, clearly feeling validated. Both Daisy and her mom send the man a glare. Fitz sees the older woman smack the man’s arm too. “Ow!”
Daisy turns her attention back to Fitz. “But…He really knows how to do that stuff, ya know?”
“Pfft, yeah. He’s a doctor. They all know that kind of stuff.” Fitz waves his hand.
Daisy looks confused, her face scrunched up adorably. “But…Shouldn’t you be afraid of him doing it? He will, you know. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Fitz didn’t doubt that either. He was in a special ops group for a while, after all. He had no doubts the man didn’t mind killing. But Fitz just shrugs. “No. I should only be scared if I was plannin’ on hurting you. Which I would never do. So, I’m good. Honestly, that other guy must have been a dick.” He adds lowly.
And Daisy lets out a loud laugh, lifting up Fitz’s heart with it. Especially as he sees the woman’s blush. “Oh, I do love you, Leo.” She sighs, leaning in to kiss him chastely.
“See. I told you. He gets it. I like him.” He hears Cal repeat once more, as the older pair pass them.
“Yes darling.” Jiaying replies with amusement. “How about you come in the kitchen and meet the boy’s parents. His mother seems to like to cook-something you can bond over, I’m sure.”
Fitz takes in the information offhandedly that Cal likes to cook. “You know…it’s weird but…really nice to know he likes you.”
“Oh?” He asks, turning his attention back to the woman with dark hair in his arms.
“Yeah.” She says, turning her dark eyes up to look at his light ones. “He never likes any of my boyfriends. I knew you were the right one!” She brags, with a crooked grin.
The statement makes Fitz’s insides warm up almost unbearably. “As I have known you are the one from the first moment you stepped into my workshop, lost-yet absolutely curious and insatiable.” He grins.
She shrugs. “Maybe I wasn’t so much lost, as following the path to finding you.” She says, blush creeping up her cheeks further and deepening more at her own cheesy line.
He grins and takes the woman he plans on marrying one day, and closes the distance between them for a passionate kiss. He is glad that she got lost that day. There are no other area’s they would have crossed paths in-in this universe.
Fitz pulls back with a nip on Daisy’s lips. “We should re-join them.” He says, panting a little.
Daisy is also panting a little, with her forehead against his. She nods. “Yeah. This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had so far. Thank you, Fitz.” She says. It’d been his idea to invite their parents here. Last year, they’d only just started dating when Christmas came around, and both had plans to go to their respective parents’ house. He’s also glad that he brought up the idea to fly their parents to them.
He grins. “Anything for you, Daisy.” He doesn’t say anything about being right on how Daisy was worrying for nothing. He’ll tease her about it later…