A/N: Thank you Karlandra for suggesting this story - "I have a story suggestion, set in season 1 of AOS. Fitz has a nightmare (or series of nightmares) about his Father, Skye (having the bunk beside him) hears and comforts him. Would like it if Simmons doesn't know about the nightmares (and Fitz explicitly asks Skye not to tell her). Could be a two-parter part one, Skye secretly comforting Fitz, part two Fitz secretly comforting Skye during her post terragenesis PTSD"

I expanded upon it... kind of a lot ahaha... soooo here is my take on your prompt.

Also, slight Between the Lines (which by the way I renamed to Lost Connection!) extension bonus scene here, again I'm trying to make it so y'all don't need to go back and read all 60k words of that story but for those who HAVE read it, maybe the extension scene will be gratifying in some way. I always find it fun when I read something that references something I'd previously read.

Fitz and Daisy always seem to have a way of finding each other when they can't sleep.

It was no secret that Skye never slept.

Ever since she was little, she'd developed little survival habits. Quirks from bouncing around the system, if you could call it that. She'd adapted to sleep lighter, and to sleep as little as possible. She distinctly remembered several nights in many different houses where she'd stay up as late as she possibly could, her eyes wide as they watched the crack of the door for any flicker of light, honed her ears to pick up on any thump that could be a footstep outside her door. With some houses, she knew to expect bad things to happen at night - a drunk with anger issues, a teenager who felt she was indebted, a bad part of town with a high crime rate. Either way, it was easier to be as alert as possible.

And, of course, the nightmares she got from her childhood trauma kept her up as well.

After all, it was difficult to make sleep enticing when every time she closed her eyes, she saw memories of awful things that had happened or metaphorical visions of everyone she'd ever cared about being taken from her; she saw the ground splitting apart and swallowing her whole as the world around her disappeared, reminding her of how truly alone she was on this earth.

So needless to say, hearing soft crying in the bunk next to hers was something she picked up right at the first whimper.

The first night she'd heard it was only a few days into her stay on the Bus. And, well, she still wasn't certain she was sticking around. Hell, she'd never stayed in one spot more than maybe two years at a time, so nothing made her think any different. Sure, this Coulson guy seemed kinda cool, but he'd grow tired of her and toss her aside like everyone did. Besides, May took one look at her and saw the worst in her, so it wasn't like she had a chance.

But a few days later, when she'd heard it again, something tugged at her heartstrings, and she couldn't leave it alone.

Especially because it was coming from Fitz's bunk right next to hers. And Fitz was cool. She liked Fitz. He was kind of quirky and very annoying but in an endearing sibling kind of way, not so much in a drive-her-up-a-wall-insane kind of way.

So she made the executive decision to investigate. She slipped out of her bunk and tiptoed just a few steps over to Fitz's door, rapping on it gently. "Fitz," she hissed softly. "Can I come in?"

When she got no response, she decided to just go for it and hope the Scot didn't sleep naked.

(Spoiler alert - he didn't. He wore plaid fleece pants and a monkey tee.)

"Hey, Fitz," Skye whispered, shaking the Scottish scientist awake. He gasped, sitting up straight, tears streaming down his face. His labored breaths evened as he regained consciousness, but his cheeks flushed red as he realized Skye had awoken him.

"What... What's... What are you doing here?" he asked nervously.

"You were crying," Skye responded simply.

"No, no I wasn't," came the immediate denial.

Skye shook her head. "No, you were definitely crying Fitz, I'm literally in the bunk right next to you and the walls are thin."

"Oh..." Fitz scratched the back of his head nervously. "I uh... hope I didn't wake you."

Skye shrugged. "I don't sleep." After an awkward moment of silence, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What?"

"The nightmare."

"Oh. Uh... no. So like, you don't sleep ever, or...?"

Skye sighed exasperatedly. "Alright... a secret for a secret?" When Fitz's eyes widened and he nodded, eager to learn more about the newest addition to the team, Skye sat on the edge of the bed and continued, "Alright, you first, then I'll tell you anything you want. Within reason."

Fitz frowned. "Me first?"

Skye nodded. "You first."

Fitz sighed, averting his gaze and fiddling with his fingers. He was quiet for a moment before finally he started. "I... I didn't have the best relationship with my dad." Skye nodded in understanding, but already her chest was tightening. Fitz was so sweet and so good-hearted, the thought of anyone being mean to him made her angry. He struggled for a minute to string the words together before adding; "He... was abusive."

Skye gritted her teeth, balling her fists, but she let him continue.

"He said it was to teach me respect, that all kids should know the belt across their backs from time to time. I never felt like I was enough for him. He... I just relive some of the things that happened in my dreams, I guess."

He dropped his gaze, studying the threads of his blanket. Skye searched for the right words to say that weren't "that fucking asshole, burn in hell" - something more gentle and comforting might be more suited to this situation. She settled on, "Fitz... I'm so sorry. I promise you, you're more than enough, even if he couldn't see it. Nothing could justify the way he treated you."

"Yeah, well... your turn." Fitz immediately deflected and turned it back to her.

Skye immediately regretted her deal.

"Why don't you sleep?" Fitz grilled her.

"Survival," Skye responded honestly. "And... uh, like you, I don't sleep too good when I do."

Fitz thought for a moment. "You get nightmares too." She nodded. "What about?"

Skye shrugged. "I grew up in the system. You never really know who you're staying with."

Fitz frowned as he processed what she meant. Then, his gaze softened. "Oh... Oh Skye..."

"It's cool," Skye brushed it off.

"No... I just... I can't imagine what you've been through," Fitz murmured as he thought about it more. "And here I am complaining about my dad-"

"Nope!" Skye cut him off. "Do not compare our struggles. Everyone is dealt different cards. At least I was never with the same people for more than two years, max. And I never had real bonds with them. I can't imagine when it's someone you live with your whole life, someone you actually have a real bond with."

Fitz looked away, unable to respond. Skye sat in the silence, watching him carefully before asking softly, "...You okay?"

"Yeah," he responded, looking back up with her. "Are you?"

"Yeah," she said back. He squinted.

"Are you really?"

Skye could have laughed. Probably not, she mused. But she simply shrugged. "Yeah. You?"

Fitz thought for a moment, like she'd just asked him for the answer to a math problem - though, she supposed that wouldn't take much thought for him to answer. He nodded. "Yeah. I'm good."

Skye smiled. "Good."

Fitz cocked his head to one side. "So like... you're not gonna sleep at all tonight."

Skye shrugged. "Maybe I'll doze off for an hour or two," she answered, though it seemed unlikely. The caffeine from the Monster she'd chugged was still keeping her feeling nice and alert.

"And... you're not gonna tell anyone, right?" Fitz was nervously fiddling with his fingers, avoiding her gaze. "Like... not Coulson, not Ward... not Simmons."

Skye shook her head. "Scout's honor," she promised, finding it amusing that the person on that list he seemed to put the most emphasis on was the one who she'd thought was basically his other half. Skye actually had a theory that they were once Siamese twins that had been surgically separated but they still shared the same brain, and if they shared the same brain then surely Simmons knew about his past and his nightmares, and thus would be much better at comforting him then she was. Even still, she understood the importance of the secrecy for him, and would keep her word.

Fitz smiled at that. "Thank you," he murmured.

Skye nudged him gently. "Try and get some sleep," she encouraged him. "I know it's hard, and it doesn't sound like much fun. But at least try. Your big brain needs all the rest it can get." More seriously, she added, "And if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thank you Skye," Fitz said earnestly. "For real. I... I really appreciate it." She smiled.

"Of course. Anytime."

Fitz had been struggling to sleep ever since Trip died.

It had been such a tragic loss to the whole team. Trip had meant a lot to all of them - hell, Trip had stuck by their side through the rise of Hydra and the rebuild of S.H.I.E.L.D., he stuck by the Bus team's sides when Ward betrayed them all; he was a loyal friend and a strong agent. But ever since his death, and everything that went down in the temple, Fitz had been struggling to sleep peacefully again.

He was also worried sick about Skye.

She'd come out of the temple changed - hell, he'd been the first to know about her newfound powers and altered DNA, he held her while she cried over it. Now she was out of quarantine but in her own isolation from the team.

Fitz knew she'd heard them arguing about her. He knew she'd heard Mack calling her dangerous.

He knew she feared herself, especially after hearing what Lady Sif and Vin-Tak had said about inhumans.

And because of this, it was only a natural deduction that she was also having trouble sleeping.

He knew her well enough to know this for a fact.

So, as it was two in the morning and Fitz couldn't sleep, he decided to go check on Skye in the cage on the Bus, where he knew she'd decided to isolate from the team.

But when he got down to the garage, the Bus was shaking. Fitz stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the plane as it shuddered violently before running up the ramp and towards the cage, not even bothering to knock or announce his presence or anything. He ran right over to young woman curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slept, and knelt down to her level, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Skye," he hissed, shaking her gently. "Skye, wake up!" She squirmed unconsciously, recoiling at his touch. "Skye! Come on Skye, y-you-you gotta wake up!" He shook her again, and this time her eyes snapped open and she sat straight up in the bed, gasping for breath, looking around wildly until her fearful eyes landed on Fitz.

"Fitz," she breathed, relief lacing her voice. Then, her eyes flickered with panic again as she realized the world around her was still shaking. "Oh God, Fitz, I can't-"

"Come on," he encouraged, gently rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. "You've got this."

Skye took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated on stilling her mind, and eventually after a few moments the quaking stopped. Tearfully she looked back up at Fitz. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely. "I'm sorry, I'm a danger, I shouldn't-"

"Hey, hey, hey." He looked right in her eyes as he spoke. "You're okay. Everything's okay. Y-you just- you just had a nightmare. That's all."

Skye nodded softly, averting her gaze as she wiped the tears off her face. Fitz sat down on the bed next to her, rubbing her back soothingly as she processed. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered.

She shook her head, looking away. But despite the nonverbal no, she spoke anyway. "It's just... I'm so afraid. Fitz. I'm terrified. You heard what Lady Sif and Vin-Tak said about me. I'm a weapon. An abomination. Even Simmons thinks I'm a plague to be eradicated, even Mack says you all need to be protected from me." Her voice broke as she continued. "I finally have a family, I finally have people I love, and I'm going to... I'll..." Her eyes turned up towards the ceiling as tears pooled in the corners of them once more. "God, you're all gonna die because of me."

"No," Fitz stated firmly. "No, we're not. I'll tell you a th-thousand times over until you believe it. You-you're just different now, and t-that's okay."

"God, everyone always goes away." Skye buried her face in her hands. "I don't wanna lose you guys... But I lose everyone. I always lose everyone. Even if I don't kill you all, everyone's afraid of me now and you're not gonna want me around anymore and I can't... I can't go back to being alone again, okay? I can't do it."

"Hey, no, hey, you're not... you're not gonna l-lose us," Fitz promised her, though he mentally kicked himself - what was left of his stutter must make him sound so unsure, maybe even making her think he was afraid of her, when all he wanted to do was reassure her. "I promise you. We're not leaving you be-behind."

Skye smiled softly to herself at this, and Fitz pulled her into a side hug, gently squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "Thank you," she murmured. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you're tired-" She stopped, looking over at him quizzically. "Why are you here in the first place?"

"Couldn't sleep," he admitted. As a flicker of nervousness crossed her face, he quickly added; "Not because of you. W-well, not entirely. I was w-wo-worried about how y-you were d-d-doing."

"You're sweet." They sat in silence for a bit, his arm around her shoulders, before she reluctantly added, "You should go though. You should try to get some rest."

He shook his head. "I'm not l-l-leaving you. If-if that's okay." At her confused glance he quickly continued, "I-I figured y-y-you wouldn't want- wouldn't want to be alone. I'll stay."

A comforted smile crossed her face. "I can't go back to sleep," she admitted, her expression darkening again. "I can't... I can't bear to see you all die because of me again."

"Then we'll- we'll stay up together."

"You sure?"

Fitz nodded. "We can wat-watch something instead."

Skye visibly relaxed, and she bent over to grab her laptop out of her bag on the ground. "Thank you," she repeated. "I really, really appreciate it."

When Daisy returned from being under Hive's control, she spent a lot of time crying, and pacing, and sitting and staring. The guilt gnawed ferociously at her conscience as she replayed the events leading up to present day over and over and over again. Days and nights blurred together and the only real concept of time she'd had was the updates she received from her team.

When Lincoln died, Daisy returned to the containment module and practically shut down.

Each member of the team would check up on her daily, dismayed to find her in such a depressed state. It was truly heartbreaking to see the once-spunky, loyal, genuinely sweet inhuman agent hate herself so much. She stopped eating. She stopped sleeping. She just sat on her bed and stared at her fingertips, or laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling, or cried softly to herself, her head in her hands. Eventually, they found out she was self-harming too. Her eyes had dark, puffy bags underneath them, her hair hung limp and lifeless from not being cleaned or brushed, and when she stood it looked like it took genuine effort, her shoulders sagging and her feet dragging like she was carrying the weight of the world on her back.

Simmons did morning check-ins with her, always reporting back with tears in her eyes. Mack would bring her meals and beg her to eat. May and Coulson would go in and try to get through to her reassuring her that they loved her and that it wasn't her fault and please Daisy, please come back to us.

Fitz kicked himself over and over for not being more present before she'd finally run away.

Daisy had been genuinely suffering. He'd never seen her get this bad before. Sure, she barely slept before and had nightmares when she did sleep, but at least she'd had moments where she was well rested, where she wasn't tormented in her dreams. But now... every time her body shut itself down and forced her to sleep, it didn't last long, and she always appeared to wake up more exhausted than before she slept.

Fitz struggled to see his friend in this way. He couldn't bring himself to face her. But he watched her constantly on the security feed on his tablet. He saw everything. Every little movement she made, he'd direct his attention to the feed. He watched her pace back and forth. He watched her rock herself on the bed for hours. He watched her cry, he watched her turn away from her teammates, he watched her teammates beg her to try, to take care of herself, to step in the right direction. He watched her sneak out one night and return with her pocketknife, the one Bobbi had gotten her for her birthday. And... he'd watched her use it on herself.

He watched her fall asleep. He watched her toss and turn. He watched her room shake while she was unconscious. And he watched her sob when she woke up.

Sometimes his legs would carry him downstairs to her containment unit. Sometimes he'd take some strides towards the door. His hand would hover above the keypad to let himself in, and he'd freeze up when his eyes landed on his inhuman friend and the state she was in, and he'd watch through pursed lips and saddened eyes as she buried her face in her hands, pulling her knees to her chest, and rock back and forth, sobbing quietly to herself.

One of those times, when he'd frozen up, she lifted her head and her tired gaze bore straight into him. Their eyes locked, and Fitz couldn't move. It was like time had slowed down, and her eyes were so pained and exhausted and angry and melancholic and full of self-hatred, it made his breath catch in his throat, it made his chest tighten up so much he couldn't make his lungs work, and he could get lost in those huge, watery, mournful eyes and feel his soul slip into that black void she harbored... They held each other's gazes for a moment before she turned her head away sharply, like she didn't want him there, like she wanted to be left alone.

Like she didn't deserve his company.

Thinking about this, remembering everything he'd witnessed her doing, made him so angry with himself for not being able to face her head on, to be one of the people to beg her to come back to them, to try again. Especially knowing that she'd been there for him always, that she and him would frequently find each other when they had nightmares, or just couldn't sleep. She, of all his teammates, knew the most how much his father tormented him in his sleep. She was the one who found him when he relived those memories unconsciously, who reminded him that he was valued and loved and that his father was wrong; she was the one who understood, who he could confide in without receiving nothing but pity because she'd experienced similar things too.

And so when she left, when she disappeared for half a year, he felt like he'd lost a piece of himself.

He felt like it was partially his fault.

Fitz had nodded off on the car ride to the diner after the defeat of AIDA.

Daisy had watched his eyes drooping sleepily. The car ride had been fairly quiet - everyone was exhausted, and they were just enjoying being able to relax with each other before getting some comfort food. They would talk and joke like old times once their bellies had been filled - for now, Simmons, Mack, Coulson, Fitz, and Daisy had been quietly dozing while May drove the van.

So Daisy was certain she'd been the only one to see Fitz nod off into a disturbed nap, and then wake up with a start, blinking tears out of his eyes quickly when they pulled into the lot.

And judging from the past conversation they'd all had prior to deciding to get food, she knew he was feeling guilty about what he did in the Framework.

That was the thing about their friendship, Daisy mused to herself. They were always the best at comforting each other because somehow, their experiences always seemed to line up with each other. Not to mention they had very similar sleeping habits, with reliving their traumas in their dreams being a common theme.

As the team blinked sleep out of their eyes, shuffling into the diner and feeling much more awake as the smell of fried food wafted into their noses, Daisy pulled Fitz aside in the parking lot.

"Hey," she said softly. "You fell asleep in the van."

Fitz immediately dropped his gaze. "Yeah," he muttered, taking a step back.

Daisy cast him a sidelong glance. "You were crying," she stated. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

Fitz only crossed his arms, looking away.

Daisy sighed, creasing her eyebrow in concern. "I just... I'm here for you, okay? You know that." When he didn't say anything, she frowned, continuing to speak, hoping maybe if she shared her experiences, he'd feel okay to speak about his. "I just know that... when I was under Hive's influence I did some things I'm not proud of. And... when Lincoln died I saw him all the time in my dreams. I watched him die over and over and over, begging me to save him. It was... horrific. All the people I hurt, you included, came after me, blaming me for what I did, telling me I deserved to die. And... I know that's really hard. Tormenting yourself like that. I know that you feel guilty for what you did in the Framework. But... in this situation, neither of us were in control of our actions. I just want you to know that. It's not your fault. Please don't beat yourself up like this."

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to look at her. But... he spoke. "I'm surprised you're not afraid of me," he muttered. "You should be. I treated inhumans like abominations. I experimented on them while they were still conscious. I had you tortured."

"It wasn't you," Daisy said firmly. "It wasn't you."

"Don't you get it? I killed people. I tortured people. I did terrible things in there." Fitz glared at her, his eyes intense, full of regret and self-hatred. "I deserve to be locked up."

"No." Daisy reached out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly, but he immediately swatted her away, taking another step back. Helplessly, she dropped her hands to her side. "No Fitz. I promise you. If I don't deserve to be locked up for what I did under Hive's influence, then you don't deserve to be locked up for what your swayed consciousness did in a digital world."

Fitz glared at the ground for a bit, muttering something under his breath. Daisy watched him, worry creasing her brow, but before she could say anything else, he launched himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. Surprised, she returned the embrace, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice sounding choked up as he suppressed tears. "I'm sorry for everything I did."

"I know," she murmured, understanding what he was going through all too well. "I know."

"I deserve to rot," he continued, his voice breaking as his whole body shook with sobs. "I don't even deserve to be here with everyone."

"Hey, hey, hey, stop that." Daisy rubbed his back soothingly, hoping to calm him down. "I promise you, I know it feels this way now, I know it's easy to blame yourself and I know I can't change your mind, but I promise you we all love you and are here for you. Trust me. It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

As they parted, she noted he didn't look convinced, although he stopped crying, which Daisy took to mean that maybe she'd comforted him at least a little. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Hey... I'm sorry I never checked up on you back when... you know."

"Huh?" Daisy thought for a moment. "Oh. You mean way back when..." He nodded. She shrugged. "Holy shit. That seems like a lifetime ago."

"Doesn't it?" Fitz chuckled a bit, his voice still a little thick from crying. "I'm sorry though. I really am."

"You're good," Daisy reassured him. "I always knew you cared. I know it was hard back then... you know."

He nodded. "I know."

Daisy's tone grew serious again. "But really. If you need to talk about anything that happened. Please don't hesitate. And... maybe don't disappear for half a year trying to deal with it on your own. Trust me - that was not my best move."

"No, it wasn't," Fitz agreed. "I know you're here for me. I appreciate you."

"I appreciate you too," Daisy said. "Are you going to be okay? Do you need a minute before we rejoin the group?"

He shook his head. "I'll be okay. Thank you."

Daisy smiled. "Great. Let's go get some pie. I'm starving."

"...You do not want to do this..."

"No... I don't. But... I have to."

Fitz looked down at the pitiful inhuman strapped to his table, sobbing and shaking and begging him to stop.

But... despite their history... Despite the fact that this pitiful inhuman was one of his closest friends... Despite everything they've been through together, the closeness they shared...

He only felt the tiniest shred of remorse for what he was about to do.

He knew this was going to hurt. He knew it went against all ethical standards and that Daisy would never forgive him.

But he also knew it was the only way.

She was just going to have to deal with it.

Daisy's screeches echoed throughout the room as he went in with his tools and extracted the inhibitor. Her sobs were loud and earsplitting and her face was contorted in what Fitz could only imagine was unbearable pain and the room started shaking tremendously as the inhibitor's grasp within her loosened, and her blood spattered on the table as he placed it aside and her breath came out in shallow gasps and shakily she uttered "I will never forgive you."

I will never forgive you.

And, his voice, devoid of emotion, he responded, "I suspect you won't be the only one."

But he accomplished what he needed to do.

Now it was time for her to fulfill her task.

And as he looked back over at Deke and Jemma, their disgusted and horrified faces burning into his mind, he could feel all the guilt tugging at his conscious, even though he was certain it had been the right call to make.

And as Daisy finished compressing the gravitonium, turned around warily scanning the room, unable to look at him... As she hugged herself, rubbing her arms nervously as if they could shield her from the world, before turning on her heel and rushing out of the room, her gaze turned at the ground and fighting back tears... he couldn't fight the feeling that he'd just destroyed something very precious.

~/~

Daisy refused to lay down and sleep.

Not after what happened.

For the past week every night she'd fallen into a restless sleep sitting up against the wall. That is, if she slept at all. Insomnia had always been an issue for her, but recently it had felt like it had been getting better. Maybe the days have been so stressful that her body craved to shut down for a while. But now, she found herself sitting up with her back against the wall, supported by a couple pillows, staring at the door all night long.

It reminded her of some foster homes she'd stayed in, quite honestly.

She hated to admit she was afraid. Terrified, even. She was so afraid of being the Destroyer of Worlds, of quaking the earth apart, splitting it through its very core and murdering every innocent soul on the planet. The inhibitor had been the only thing protecting everyone from that fate. And even though it made her feel like a shaken wasps nest, vibrational energy rippling under her skin, even though sometimes the buzzing in her head was near unbearable at times... she was willing to bear it if it prevented the worst.

Fitz had taken that choice from her. One of her closest friends, someone she trusted with her life. And he'd ripped into her skin and took the only safety precaution they had, pulled it right out of her, and he hadn't even cared.

He didn't even care that he'd hurt her. He didn't care that he'd scarred her.

And she'd been awake for all of it. She felt the cold metal tearing into her neck, she felt her warm blood trickling down her neck, and she felt the tech being ripped from her neck.

And she felt the wasps nest explode inside of her.

She replayed it over and over in her head. She could picture Simmons' and Deke's horrified expressions as they watched, unable to do anything. She remembered May marching into her room, demanding to know what happened, and her furious expression when she'd told her in between sobs was burned into her mind.

She still felt the scalpel digging into her neck. She still felt all of it.

And no one else even seemed to care - well, no one but May. Hell, they all sided with Fitz.

Daisy gritted her teeth.

No one was on her side.

Daisy was sick of people taking her choice away from her.

Her throat felt dry as her thoughts went rampant, replaying it over and over and over. Her mind kept on showing her Fitz's face, twisted in concentration and some sort of sick, eerie calmness as he twirled the scalpel in his fingers. Blinking away the tears - she was not about to let herself cry about it again - she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood, deciding she needed to take a walk, she needed to get out.

Her feet led her to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water, sipping it slowly, letting her eyes close as it slid down her dry throat.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Her eyes snapped open, but she didn't even need to see to know who the Scottish voice belonged to.

Her breathing shallowed. From across the room, Fitz simply shrugged as he crossed the kitchen to the tap to retrieve a glass. Daisy took a few wary steps backward - she refused to be weak in front of him, but she needed to put some distance between them. For her sake.

"Yeah, me neither."

He turned on the tap and filled his glass, his eyes trained on the faucet, avoiding her. She watched nervously as he shut off the tap, flipped around so his back was to the sink, and took a swig of his water.

Her stomach rolled and her chest tightened as he turned his attention to her, studying her face in the dim light.

"I... hear your screams. Every time I fall asleep. I hear your cries."

Daisy couldn't speak. She just stared, unable to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. He shrugged again, turning his gaze forward. "It's when I'm awake too. I hear you sobbing in the back of my mind. Almost constantly, actually."

Did he regret it? What was he getting at?

"Every time I fall asleep, I feel it all over again," she admitted aloud. He closed his eyes, dropping his head. "I relive it every time I close my eyes."

Fitz's eyes reopened and he gave her a sidelong glance. "I'm not going to apologize for doing it," he said honestly, and Daisy flinched, crossing her arms defensively. "But I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry there wasn't a better way."

"You didn't... you didn't even... you just went and did it." Daisy's voice was hoarse and she struggled to string together the correct words to describe how she felt. "It was... violating. I trusted you and you didn't respect me at all. I was... I was just your lab rat."

"You couldn't see the necessity," Fitz responded simply. "I'm sorry but... I had to."

"Fitz-" Desperation laced her voice. "Fitz, I trusted you. I thought... I thought you understood. I thought you knew that..."

"That you've been hurt," Fitz said gently. "Over and over and over. By people you love. That your whole life you've never had a say in what happened to you, and that more than anything you value your autonomy. That your trust isn't easily earned." He looked at her, his eyes soft. "Yeah. I know. And now I'm one of them. And I will never forgive myself for becoming one of them."

Daisy dropped her gaze, clenching her jaw. Part of her still hated him for what he did. But the part of her who still clung to their old friendship wanted to forgive him.

"I did what I thought I had to do. But I sacrificed something special." Fitz swirled the water in his cup. "I don't want or deserve your forgiveness. But I want you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. Ever. You've always been there for me and I took that for granted." Taking one last swig he placed his glass in the sink, looking at her. Daisy lifted her gaze to meet his and was surprised to see only hurt and sincerity reflecting in his eyes. "Please try to get some sleep. I know insomnia's a bitch, but you're too tired lately. You deserve a good rest."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Daisy opened her mouth to call for him to wait... but what was she going to say? She didn't forgive him. She couldn't. But... she appreciated that he cared about her. And something deep inside her felt nostalgic and sad, watching one of her first friends at S.H.I.E.L.D. walk away from her.

One of the first people she'd bonded with on the team. Way back on the Bus. Were things simpler back then? Surely they had to be. Daisy took daddy issues for granted. They sure were better than having to worry about quaking the earth apart.

"Fitz," she called softly. He stopped, but didn't turn to look at her. After a moment of hesitation, she found her voice.

"I hope you're able to sleep too."

A/N: So anyway. Here's that. Thank you again Karlandra - this was a really great prompt for me to explore, and I hope I did it justice for you.

I'll gladly accept any more prompts people have for me.

Thank you always.