The sound of your voice
Summary: He doesn't recognise her, Daisy can tell. There is nothing in his eyes, when they reach her. / The first time he saw her he didn't understand the ache in her eyes when they saw each other.
Daisy tries to get the others out of the Framework, while Phil tries to understand why he doesn't know her. Until they finally meet in the middle.
A/N: Late upload, bit of an AU.
He doesn't recognise her, Daisy can tell. There is nothing in his eyes, when they reach her.
She didn't know what to do. Once she woke in the Framework and finding out where she was in, she made sure she could use her powers and then grabbed a knife. It was messy, but quick and it took the bastard by surprise. She burned anything that showed her 'existance' and ran.
Hydra and Inhumans being hated and used as weapons.
Even May was anti-Inhuman, working for Hydra. (She found that out the hard way.)
So, she ran, straight to him. Because he was always the one she would start with. (He was also the one she knew how and where to find. May was something of a lost cause at the moment.)
And that was how she ended up in Manitowoc, sitting outside of a high school.
When he came out, she took a step towards him.
The movement caught his eye and when he turned to look at her, Daisy froze.
That was a Phil Coulson who didn't know who she was.
She turned and ran away, despite his surprised call to wait.
There was no way.
He was the only one she could trust, even in this nightmare, but she was wrong. He couldn't help her. There wasn't anyone who could anymore.
(She has no idea where to find Jemma.)
She spends a month looking at him from afar. She feels like a creep, stalking him like this, but she can't find the strength to talk to her dearest person when they have no idea who she is. How do you explain to them they mean the world to you, when you are just a random stranger to them?
Daisy sighed in her mug, closing her eyes.
"I can't do this alone." she said softly.
She felt someone freeze beside her. Daisy looked up and came face to face with Coulson.
"I..." he started, his eyes darting all over her face.
"Coulson." she sighed.
"How do you know me?" he asked, frowning at her.
"Please, sit down, Phil." she nodded at the chair across from her.
"But, who are you?" he asked, as he sat down.
"My name is Daisy Johnson. And you, you are Phil Coulson. And I've known you for four years."
"Your voice is so familiar." he said quietly. "Why can I recognise your voice, but not you?"
"You know my voice?" she asked almost breathless, unbelieving.
"Yes. The more you talk, the more sure I am. I know your voice."
"How?"
"I...I've been having dreams?" he looks away shyly. "Sorry. This is weird."
"And in them, you hear my voice?" Daisy pressed. "What do I say?"
"My name. Telling me to come back. To listen to the voice."
Daisy drew a deep breath, lowered her eyes away from him, resting her head on her hand.
Somehow, beyond hope and reason, he was still with her. In the dark, together.
"At least we're in the dark together." she sighed. "Always, always, defying propabilities, reason and logic, even in this nightmare, we find each other, don't we Phil?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" he asks, breathless.
"Pieces solving a puzzle."
"Tides in the universe." he said in awe. "What do you need?"
"Your help. So we can all go home."
DJ~PC~DJ~PC~DJ~PC~DJ~PC
The first time he saw her he didn't understand the ache in her eyes when they saw each other. She was clearly moving to come talk to him – though for what reason he couldn't tell, seeing as she wasn't a student nor someone's older sister or guardian.
He tried to stop her, calling after her, but she ran off and he felt so bad, for upseting her.
(Because it was clear he had upseted her. She was waiting for something or someone and he wasn't that. He ignores the pang of disappointment.)
He doesn't know why he suddenly takes better notice of his dreams now.
They are always the same, anyway; a starlit sky and a voice calling his name, telling him to come backhome, that it would guide him through.
He sees her standing to the far side, never making a move to come and talk to him, but always with the same sadness in her eyes.
Like she misses something precious.
He keeps an eye out for her, because there is something that draws him, and when he sees her at the coffee shop, he desides he needs to talk her.
Her voice is like a punch in the lungs, because he knows that voice. He listened to it every night for as long as he can remember.
And she knows him. She knows him and he understands – she ran because he doesn't know her. Only her voice. And this is so small, but it seems to give her such great relief, it breaks his heart.
"What do you need?" he asks.
He doesn't know her, but he knows the voice she speaks with. The only thing he had questioned in his life. The only thing that doesn't fit his perfectly normal and quiet life.
And she needs his help. He is just a high school teacher, what can he possibly do?
"I'm just a teacher." he shakes his head. "And what do you mean by 'all go home'?"
"You are much more important than that, Phil." she said. "At least, you are to me."
"I don't even know you." he said, saddness laced in his words.
It feels like he failed at something, his not knowing her. What did she say her name was? Daisy Johnson? Sounds deceptively strong. The name of someone who would gladly take the weight of world on their shoulders, with no complain, even if it bears down on them, without gaining anything in return. It suits her.
"Please, explain what is wrong?" he asked calmly.
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She tells him everything. And he listens. He can't believe it, at first. She can see it his eyes. Those eyes that could hide so much from everyone but her. He never had a reason to learn how to hide in here though, did he?
"I need your help, Phil. I know it sounds crazy. I know this feels real. But it's not. We went in a simulation, you and me, to get the feel of this place."
"You must have got the wrong person. I am not..." he shook his head.
"You're Phil Coulson. You were born in 1964, July the 8th, to Robert and Julie Coulson. Your dad was a history teacher and coach to Manitowoc's high school. He brought a red '62 Corvette that you two worked on, even though you didn't want to be working on the damn car while your friends were out playing. But when you were done, she was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. You love sweets and you have a secret grilled cheese recipe." Daisy said, quickly.
"How...how do you know all this?"
"Because you told me. You told me that no matter how I change, at the core I am still the same person you met in that alley in L.A." she said, almost desperately. "And if you're not him, if you're not my Phil Coulson, why do you hear my voice in your sleep?"
"I don't know." he replied quietly. "I can't explain it. I am just a teacher."
DJ~PC~DJ~PC~DJ~PC~DJ~PC
It was a surprise that it took HYDRA so long to find her.
At least she was alone and didn't drag Coulson in this mess.
He already thought they were both crazy. Add to that 'Inhuman on the run from world dominating Nazi organisation' and she wouldn't be surprised if he'd ran for the hills.
Of course, deflecting Hydra agents in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, wasn't descreet. Even less, while using her powers.
And on top of everything, she had to find Mack, Mace, Jemma and Fitz. She knew where May was and she was the last one they were getting out. No way in hell was she getting close to Hydra HQ on her own.
(Not when they were after her head at any rate.)
So, she hides out of the city and keeps them away from Phil.
But of course he finds out. Everyone finds out, really.
"You're Inhuman." he says, accusatory, scared.
Daisy takes a step back. This is wrong. Coulson isn't scared of Inhumans. (Coulson isn't scared of her.) Coulson was always, always the first person to side with Inhumans. The first to say they are as human as the rest of the world. (She remembers; at her core, she's still just a red '62 Corvette.)
"Yes. I am." she answers, defiant.
He stares at her, hard. Takes a step away himself. They met at a park, away from prying eyes and curious ears.
"Inhumans are to be feared. They destroy everything around them." he said.
"Look at me, Phil Coulson. Do I look like the kind of person that destroys everything around her?"
"I don't know."
"For all my life I thought that there is something exeptionally fucked up about me. That everything is my fault. Which would explain why no family wanted me. I am just rotten and bring misfortune and destroy everything. It wasn't easy when I changed. Almost everyone treated me like the plague at first. Except for you."
"Me?"
"You believed in me, even when I didn't." she said. "With you, I never had a reason to put on a show, because you always saw me. You somehow knew me in the same way I knew you."
He looked lost at that.
"I still know you. It's the same heart in there, even if the memories don't really match."
"But..." he shook his head.
"Phil, please."
His eyes grew wide.
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Coming back wasn't easy.
Daisy had to kill Aida in the Framework so she would deactivate in the real world.
It opened the path for Daisy, Jemma and the others to get out, to track them. Daisy, despite the fact she was still hurt from the LMDs shooting her – and they were berely a couple of days in there, her and Jemma according to Piper – led the agents down there, walked in first, scanning the room.
Ivanov's head looks back at her from across the room and she pushes down the urge to throw up.
Radclife's dead, uploaded to the Framework, along with Agnes. In there the two were still alive, as much as she is aware and she wonders what they are going to do about that, them.
"Get them out of those machines." she orders, as she moves to Coulson. "Hey, Phil. Come on, open your eyes." she says softly, as she unstraps him.
Everything narrows down to the man in her arms, and trying to bring him back.
"Phil, come back. Come back, come back, come back." she says softly, berely audible to her. "Open your eyes, agent."
A soft groan escapes his lips. His eyes blink.
"Daisy..." he sighs, relieved. "You..."
"I found you. I got you." she tells him. "I'm here."
His hands reach almost blindly to her, her face, holding her close, holding on to her.
"Daisy..." he sighed again.
She pressed a kiss to his forehead, lingering, her hand pressed against his heart.
She helps him stand, looks around her. Elena has gotten Mack, Jemma has Fitz, Piper is supporting May and two more agents got Mace.
"How...?" she starts.
"They're all stable, ma'am." Piper answers quickly, the others nodding.
"Let's get out of here."
"What about the Framework?" Jemma asked.
"We get our people on the Zephyr. Then Davis can stay here, secure it. We get back to HQ, send a team, my Geek Squad, move it to the base, make sure shutting it down permanently isn't going to cause any problems." Daisy says, walking towards the plane.
"And then?" Piper asked.
"Rebuild."
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They moved the machines to the Playground, Mace and May were still on leave and Daisy had stepped up and taken charge. Phil, Mack, and Elena (and Piper) were always ready to help, relaying orders, assisting with the rebuilding.
It wasn't easy taking the lead.
Once Phil was cleared by the medical staf, Daisy tried to get him take up Acting Director duties, but he declined, saying she should be, start getting used to the role.
Both Phil and Mack helped her at first settle into the role, one being a former director the other a former acting director.
"But why don't you want to be the acting director?" Daisy asked him one evening in the Director's office.
"I was only Director to get SHIELD up and running. I didn't plan to stay Director after I was certain we wouldn't get arrested on site or another rogue cell of SHIELD appeared. For a while I also didn't believe I had much time either. It was always going to be you who would succeed me. I knew that from the moment I was apointed Director."
"Phil." she sighs, a mix of exasperation, fondness and wonder in her voice.
"I didn't like being the one giving the orders. I couldn't plan ahead, to prevent our enemies from making a move. Hell, I didn't know there was a SHIELD faction that had infiltrated us until they attacked."
"And you think I would have seen it?" she asked, almost unbelieving.
"You'd certainly have reacted better." he smiled. "The Framework was supposed to be a place of no regrets." he started suddenly, serious. "The moment I realised I knew your voice but not you, I felt sad. I didn't know you." he shakes his head. "I regretted not knowing you."
Daisy reached for him.
Phil gave her his hand, let himself be pulled to her embrace.
"I regretted not joining SHIELD." he tells her. "Not in the way I regretted joining, losing the normal life. No, that was a dream I chose not to follow for something bigger." he said, his face hidden in her neck.
"You're here now. We are here now." she said quietly, holding him tightly.
"Yes." he breathed out.
"And we're here together."
"Yes."
Daisy pulled back a little to look at him and Phil smiled softly. Slowly, she leaned closer, pressing her lips lightly to his. He sighed, relieved, and kissed back.
"I'd like that." he sighed. "Together." he said softly.
"We've always been together, though, haven't we?" Daisy smiled, holding him closer.
Phil hummed in agreement, leaning close for another kiss.
"Dai-Oh, sorry." agent Piper backtracked out of the office quickly.
Phil mock-groaned.
"Is this going to happen a lot now? Are we going to get interrupted whenever we want a moment for us?"
Daisy chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
"Well, you wanted me to be the Director. We could have been just two agents and fool around in my bunk."
Phil kissed her again.
"I wouldn't want anyone else as my boss."
"Mace?" she raised an eyebrow at him.
"You know I went around his orders to find you."
"Are you going to be insubordinate with me, too, Phil?" Daisy smirked.
"Only if you want me to be." he smirked back.
Daisy chuckled softly, happily.
"Come on, let's see what Piper wanted me for."