First time Coulson calls Daisy Angel Eyes, she thinks back to the dream she had. Just a little idea I had :)


Growing up, Mary Sue watched other kids and their parents with a pang of jealousy and longing. Other kids got picked up from school by their real parents, got help with their homework, participated in club sports, but not little Mary Sue Poots. No, Mary Sue was the girl who moved from home to home and back to the orphanage. She didn't have connections, no attachments, because it was easier than hoping for something.

Even now that she had a family, she still longed for the time she had lost. She wished she had people to look out for her and protect her when she was little. She wished someone was there to tuck her in and chase away the bad dreams, but the reality was she was no one's "daddy's princess" or "mommy's little girl." She was nobody's, and as much as she pretended like it didn't bother her, sometimes she'd lie awake at night imagining what could've been.

Tonight was one of those nights. No matter how much she tossed and turned, Daisy couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. Her mind was a movie reel playing scenario after scenario, but she couldn't hit pause.

"This is ridiculous." She muttered. She rolled out of bed and threw on an oversized sweatshirt before heading to the common area to get some tea. It had been two nights since she'd slept, (well three if you counted the night she slept for 25 minutes.) Her steps echoed through the empty hallways, but it didn't feel lonely. As she rounded the corner she saw the light of the kitchen reflecting on the concrete floor. It could be a number of people in the base, but she had a pretty good guess on who it could be.

"I know Fitz and Mack hog the TV all the time, but getting up at 3 a. watch Captain America cartoons is a little excessive, don't you think?"

Coulson chuckled and patted the spot next to him, inviting her to sit.

"What? No sassy comment?"

"I think you have that part covered." He said, causing Daisy to smile. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you?" Daisy countered.

"I asked you first." Coulson said, raising an eyebrow at the stubborn girl. Daisy just shrugged and focused her attention on the screen. He knew this tactic well, she'd wait for him to speak first before she'd share anything. If it were anyone else (besides May), he wouldn't give in, but Daisy, being his pseudo-daughter, had him wrapped around her finger. He sighed and began to speak without taking his eyes off the TV screen.

"Being Director is exhausting. I have a million situations running through my mind, you know nothing new. Just needed something simple to occupy my mind. Now, honestly, what are you doing up?"

Daisy sighed, and rested her head on the back of the couch. She knew she could tell Coulson anything, she trusted him with her life, but she hated being vulnerable. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she drew in a shaky breath. Who knew not sleeping for three days would make a person so emotional?

"Daisy?" Coulson furrowed his brow and turned to face her. He noticed the dark circles under her tear-filled eyes and knew the issue was more than not being able to sleep for one night. "When's the last time you've slept?"

At that question the dam broke and the tears ran freely down her face. Coulson pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Three? Yeah, three days I think. It's just… my mind won't shut off." Daisy wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just can't help but think about what could've been."

"Oh, Daisy."

"Sometimes my mind wanders back to when I was young-"

"You are young." Coulson laughed silently.

"Okay, when I was younger. I just didn't have anyone. And sometimes I wonder what would've happened…it's dumb." She scoffed.

"Whatever it is, it's not dumb, understood?" Coulson said firmly. He knew that whatever it was that was bothering her, she needed to let it out now. She was at her breaking point.

"Fine." She sighed, but didn't move her head from his shoulder. "I just get lost in the idea of if I had grown up with parents. My mom and dad were insane, but I wonder what would've happened if you… if someone adopted me. It's dumb. I have a family now, but it doesn't change the fact that my entire childhood I spent on my own. I guess the idea haunts me."

Coulson hugged her and placed a kiss on her temple. He wished he had been there when she was little too. He wanted to go back in time and raise her in a household full of love and patience, one that she deserved, but unfortunately he couldn't.

"We wish we could've been there, but we're here now. It's okay Angel Eyes." Coulson soothed the sleep deprived girl.

"What?" Daisy's mind flashed back to a very specific dream she had just before she got her powers. She sniffled and lifted her head to gawk at Coulson. "What did you call me?"

Phil tensed and cursed himself, Idiot. She's not actually your daughter!

"Oh, Angel Eyes, sorry it just slipped out. Wasn't thinking." He stumbled over his words.

"No, no. It's just, I've heard that before in a dream. I know that sounds crazy but… I like it! I never had a good nickname before."

She laid her head back down and relaxed. The room was filled a comfortable quiet. A laugh track echoed softly from the TV and Daisy chuckled along with the rerun of a Full House episode. No one would be able to tell that she'd had an emotional breakdown just a few moments ago. Coulson glanced at the microwave clock and his eyes widened when he read it was currently 4:08. Somehow they'd been down here for an hour already. He waited to say anything, but after Daisy yawned for the third time, he knew he had to put his foot down. Coulson reached for the remote and turned off the show.

"Hey!"

"You need to go to sleep, Daisy. This isn't healthy."

"I'm fine, Coulson."

"No. A good agent needs sleep, May would agree, and do you really want to argue with her?" Daisy grimaced at the thought. "That's what I thought. Take today off and get some rest. Come on."

He pulled her up from the couch and the two walked in silence back to the bunks. They stopped in front of her door and she hesitated before entering. She turned around and pulled her pseudo-father into a hug.

"Goodnight, A.C. Thank you." Although slightly surprised, he returned the hug.

"Goodnight, Angel Eyes." He pulled away from the hug and began his walk back to his own room.

Surprisingly, the second Daisy's head hit the pillow she was out. Instead of the "what ifs" that haunted her, her dreams were full of the family she had now. The past was hard to let go of, and a part of her would always hold on to it, but she knew it got her to where she was now. For that she would be forever grateful.