Another story! Because this hiatus is killer, can you believe we still have two weeks until a new episode? Anyway, thanks to everyone on the kind words on my other stories, I really appreciate it! So this story takes place during 4x06, in between the time with the fight with the director and them getting to the factory. I love writing these two so I hope you all enjoy.
"My brother…"
Daisy jumped slightly, turning towards the voice. Fitz had told her about the abandoned facility they were quickly flying toward and had asked her to try and bring up a map for it. She wouldn't be part of the team going down into the factory, still on the "injured reserved" list, so she would be communicating with the team from the jet. She wanted to get a familiarity of the layout before sending them into it, a worried feeling growing inside of her.
That focus was probably why she didn't hear the footsteps of a certain flame head.
"Robbie, jeez…" she laughed lightly, "you really know how to sneak up on a person."
She watched him wring his hands together, trying his best not to make eye contact with her. "Sorry," he mumbled, "thought you noticed…"
A sigh escaped her. This was a whole other issue. After the incident with the new director, Daisy left Gabe in one of the empty rooms the Zephyr had. She tried to talk to him but quickly could see it wasn't getting anywhere. It wasn't hard to tell the Reyes brothers were related, both of them knew how to keep their thoughts to themselves. So she left him alone, told him if he needed anything to find her. No response. And now here was the other brother, seeking her out. She always seemed to find herself in these situations didn't she?
"Gabe just needs some time Robbie," she explained, leaning against the table, "It's a lot to take in."
He nodded his head, continuing to wring his hands. She could tell his mind was going a mile a minute, the tenseness of his shoulders making her concerned. This whole thing hadn't gone as he had planned. And now, as she looked at him, Daisy reminded herself that this whole thing is new for Robbie as well. Being brought into this spy world, working with people he's only known for a day or two. The one person who he could turn to for some normality, which could calm him down, was Gabe.
She bit her bottom lip, "Hey…you guys will figure it out, and he's jus-"
"I know," he interrupted, finally looking at her, "I just…" he shrugged, running a hand over his hair, "I don't know what to do…"
She had never seen him like this. Robbie, she noticed, always tried to come off as cold, someone who didn't care. But the more she talked to him, listening to his story and seeing him talk about his brother, she could see behind the wall. Maybe it was because of "it" that he tried to act this way, but she was starting to see the cracks of someone who used to be happy. Full of life, living it to it's fullest potential. Watching him now, she thought back to what Gabe mentioned to her when they were back at their house. How Robbie's wheels would fall off without Gabe.
Daisy was seeing that now.
"Robbie…just let him come to you, your brother loves you but something like," she waved her hand around the room, "this…it's hard to wrap your mind around."
He started to pace around the room, "He just…his face…I was just going to tell him, but for him to actually see," he leaned against a wall and slide down it, "but even before then…he's right," he chuckled, shaking his head, "Gabe was always the one would could move on…and I'm…I'm stuck."
She walked over and sat on the floor next to him, keeping her eyes forward, "People deal with everything differently," she began, cradling her casted arm, "sure, you have a bit of a hiccup with…'it' there, but you're stronger then it Robbie."
A laugh escaped him, "You think so?" he said, "Didn't feel that way today."
Silence hung in the air. She watched Robbie pull his knees closer to his chest, putting his arms over them. This wasn't a Robbie she recognized. Not the man she saw in the garage whose glare could have cut through her. Not the determined man when he snatched James' chain right from his hands. This was a side of Robbie she hadn't seen yet, someone who was afraid of losing one of the most important people in his life.
She wouldn't let that happen.
"Do you enjoy it when 'it' kills people?"
His head shot up at that, his eyes wide with shock, "What? No, why would you ev-"
"So if you don't enjoy it," she continued, talking over him, "and 'it' takes over you, why are you so hard on yourself? If you aren't the one who decides who dies, why are you letting that get in between you and your brother?"
"You don't know what you're talking about." He growled, his eyes narrowing. His hand was balled up into a fist so tight his fingers were white. She had to be cautious here.
"Well then enlighten me Robbie," she pleaded, "you came to me asking about your brother. You sought me out and I want to help, but I can't if I don't understand what is happening to you. What happens to you when 'it' takes over?"
His jaw clenched, his eyes not leaving hers. Not even blinking. But she couldn't look away; she needed to get this out of him. She thought back to when he had her in the garage and talked about how they weren't that different, and in this moment she agreed. She looked at him and saw a version of herself, what she could be. What she once was.
Something in his face broke. He started to tap his fingers on his knees, breaking eye contact with her. "I…" he stopped, his jaw clenching, "I've come numb…to 'it' killing people. There are times when I can control what 'it' does, but most of the time 'it' is..."
He stopped, looking back at her, "When my skin burns off…I feel every second of that. Can't really get used to your face burning off you know?" he chuckled, "But when 'it' takes over I don't…it doesn't allow me to black out. My mind is fully aware of what is happening and I can-can't stop it. I see my hands, I see my body and what it is happening and almost all of the time I have no control of it."
"Almost…?" she asked, trailing off.
He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow, "I did mention that it was me who let you go that night."
She froze. Her mind flashed back to that night, the heat of the flames. She could hear herself begging for him to kill her. 'Just do it…I deserve it.'
"I try to push the killing all on 'it', you know?" he continued, breaking her from her thoughts, "That it isn't me…but what if it is me? I think those gangster did get what they deserved," he stopped, frowning, "but…to actually kill them? Is that 'it' deciding that? Or is it something inside of me urging it on?
"How long am I supposed to do this? I'm alive, but it's like living in a personal hell. Now I can't even look at my own brother without seeing fear in his eyes…"
An impulse drove her to grab his hand. She felt him jump slightly, surprised by the contact, but she tightened her grip, "If you're asking these questions, then you should already know Robbie." She looked him in the eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips, "You know what it does and you don't like it. But in your situation, there is almost nothing you can do. But you are strong enough to know when to control it. You may think you're not, but you are.
"Something like this is hard for people to accept, but they will. Because behind that fire, that skull, you are there. Gabe will accept it because he loves you more then anything."
She can feel the grip he had on her hand tighten, his face unreadable, "You sound like you have experience with that." he mused.
"A little bit," she joked, "wasn't born with my powers, you know?"
"Right," he paused, looking at their hands, "you should listen to your own advice. I can tell that the people on your team…they care about you a lot."
Her jaw clenched. She had a feeling he would turn it around on her. In a small part of her heart she knew that the team would never let her go. No matter how hard she tried to hide or how much she would run, they would always find her. Their faces flashed in her mind, their words, and she knew it hurt for them to see her like this.
But she was doing it for them. To keep them safe because all she brought was trouble. It was proven to her time and time again. But she looked at Robbie and even he couldn't be alone. Gabe was his rock and he clung to it like his life depended on it.
Maybe she should take her own advice.
"I appreciate you telling me all that," she replied, "we'll probably be at the factory soon. I'm sure you have to go talk to Coulson and all of them about the plan."
"Right," he whispered, slipping his hand from hers. She frowned, surprisingly upset with her hand being left alone. Shaking herself from that, she stood up next to him, watching him fix his jacket.
"Thank you…" he paused, looking at her, "If you wouldn't mind…until I get back, looking after Gabe? He doesn't need it but I…I'd like someone I trust making sure he's ok."
Trust? She was stunned, although she shouldn't have been. Robbie had told her a lot about the demon inside him, things that he had never mentioned to Gabe. But for him to say that word to her?
"Of cou-course," she stuttered, "He'll be fine, I promise. And I'm sure he'll be thrilled when you bring your uncle back. I'm sure it's been too long since a family reunion happened."
A faint smile tugged on his lips, "Yeah, too long."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, passing him to her laptop. She grabbed the handle of a small silver suitcase and handed it to him. He looked down at it, confused, and looked at her.
She tapped her ear, "Ear pieces for the team. So I can talk to you guys while you're down there. It's probably easier for you to bring them since I have to stay in this room anyway."
"Right, so now I'm an errand boy?" he joked, holding up the case.
"I didn't say that!" she laughed, punching his arm, "I'm just too lazy to walk back and forth the length of the ship. Who needs to walk that much anyway?"
He laughed, shaking his head and smiling. Daisy liked it. It wasn't like his other laughs, which had been sharp or humorless. It was genuine, like he was relaxed. It sounded nice coming from him and the smile wasn't that bad either…
She felt her face heat up, quickly shutting down those thoughts. 'Not the right time brain!'
"I'll get out of your hair then," he interrupted, the smile still on his face, "I know I said it, but thank you. It…feels reliving to talk about things like that to someone who can relate."
She smiled, nodding to him and watched him leave. As soon as the door closed, she rushed over to the computer, her face still red. Leave it to her brain to think about silly things when they were about to go into a dangerous situation.
She put in her own earpiece, testing it out, and smiling at the voices coming through it. With only one of those 'ghosts' left and Robbie with the team, it shouldn't take them that long to complete the mission. She brushed away that bad feeling that was lingering around from earlier and set on looking for a quick route for the team. They would be back before she knew it.