I do not own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Don't forget to check the poll on my profile. Happy late Valentine's Day everybody.
Melinda May had been toying with the idea to give the necklace to Skye-Daisy-for the past few months. What better day to give it to her than Valentine's Day? Well, there was Daisy's birthday or Christmas, her brain commented unhelpfully.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wasn't sure why she hadn't given it to the younger agent yet. She certainly earned it, and God knows Melinda loves the girl like a daughter. Then again, when it came to feelings, she was a bit of a coward.
She took a moment to gather her courage before knocking on her protégé's door. Damn it, what was she afraid of. She'd faced Asgardians, armies of HYDRA agents, even needles! This was just a gift.
"Hey," Daisy greeted when she threw open the door. "What's up May?"
No backing out now. Melinda walked into the younger woman's bunk, closing the door behind her. She pulled the box out of her pocket and handed it to the inhuman. "This is for you."
Daisy looked at the box in her hands in confusion. "You got me a gift for Valentine's Day?" The pure shock in her voice made the supervising officer look away in guilt.
"Consider it a late birthday present." After all, she didn't need word to spread that Melinda May got someone a present for the holiday of love.
I can't say it out loud. I never told you. So let me show you.
Daisy nodded, and Melinda knew she got the message. She nervously watched as the inhuman carefully ripped the wrapping paper and opened the box. When Daisy saw what was inside the box, she paled and backed into a corner, the box and the necklace inside on the floor.
Shit, she did something wrong, didn't she? Melinda picked up the necklace. Three coins laced together with red ribbon. The agent wasn't sure what she missed, but it looked like Daisy didn't like the gift.
Melinda mentally sighed. This was why she didn't do holidays. "It's-" Daisy curled up into a ball, trying to protect herself from an invisible enemy.
"A traditional Chinese gift to ward off evil spirits," she finished.
"Yeah, how did you know?" The older agent was almost certain that they hadn't covered countries and culture in Daisy's lessons yet.
"My mo-Jiaying. She gave one of those to me," Daisy explained. The inhuman turned over in her bed, eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall.
"Oh, Daisy…" What exactly was she supposed to say to that? Melinda really wished she followed her instincts and went with the red envelope instead of this.
She just gave Daisy the same thing Jiaying gave her. Jiaying. The name brought bile to her throat. What sorry excuse of a parent tries to kill their own daughter? Mentally stable or not, nothing excuses what she did. And now Melinda reminded the inhuman of her mother and what she did all over again. She felt like shit.
Melinda turned to leave, not wanting to cause Daisy more pain, but found two hands grabbing onto her shirt. "Don't go," the inhuman pleaded and damn it all, who cared what the world thought? She was going to stay with her daught-friend. A good friend, not her child. The girl was breaking her heart without even trying.
Melinda pulled the younger agent into a hug, which Daisy gratefully accepted. There were no tears, no words, just a tight embrace between mentor and student.
The inhuman pulled away, picking the necklace off of the floor. The corners of her lips twitched.
"Thanks May," Daisy finally said, pocketing the gift. "I think I like yours more."
Melinda smiled at her student, doing her best to blink away the tears of pride. The two necklaces were probably identical, but she knew the message Daisy was trying to send across.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Damn it, she was going soft.