Title: Classic Sensibilities
Author: Alysia
Summary: A short one-shot set before the time jump in the final episode. While Daniel struggles with the idea of the physical side of his relationship with Daisy, she comes to her own realization.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel. Also, I did include a quote in here about grief that isn't mine, but I didn't see an author attached to it to give recognition.

"I'm sorry that I keep pulling back," Daniel Sousa apologized, straightening out his ruffled clothing. He was still aroused, but as had been the same since they began moving past kisses and mini-make out sessions, his insecurity over his leg kept him from moving past what Daisy called 'second base.' Sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned over and rested both elbows on his thighs and hunched over.

Still lying on the bed, Daisy Johnson attempted to get her libido under control. "I know," she replied before she closed her eyes and counted to ten. As the moment had passed, she felt a rush of relief. Daniel certainly knew how to kiss and caress her just right and her body easily responded under his ministrations. It was almost enough for her to forget the fact that despite all that, she wasn't quite ready to take that final step either.

There was no frustration in her voice when she spoke, but he still felt as if he was a disappointment for her. It wasn't the first time that one of their make out sessions grew out of control, but each time, she never blamed him or grew frustrated when he put on the breaks. "You sure?" He asked, not needing an answer before he continued further. "I know that things are different in this time compared to when I came from. I understand that sex isn't so taboo a subject between unmarried couples, and this isn't about my 1950's hang-ups."

Sitting up, she scooted closer to the edge of the bed. "Daniel," she said, hoping that her interruption would stop him. "I know that I tease you about being a square and about your…classic sensibilities."

He snorted upon her wording at that point.

"But you're not ready to take that step. I get it." And she understood it. And she wasn't about to hold it against him. "I…maybe I'm not ready either, even if my body says different."

"Really?" He asked with an air of skepticism in his voice.

She nodded. "Really," she affirmed, knowing that their conversation was going to take a serious turn. She ran a hand through her hair in effort to tame it...and possibly distract herself. "I didn't expect you and everything that it entailed," she reminded him gently. "I didn't think I'd fall for someone again. I certainly didn't aim to."

It was then that Mack's warning of her being hurt echoed through his recall. "You've been hurt in the past."

She nodded. "His name's Lincoln Campbell."

He nodded once, hoping this wasn't the part where Daisy told him she was still in love with her ex. He didn't think he could put himself in that situation once again. It had been hard enough when it was Peggy and having to live in Roger's tall shadow. No, he couldn't do it again, not with Daisy. Despite the short time that had passed since they'd become a part of each other's lives, he'd fallen hard and fast for her. And the idea of having to live in another man's shadow in her life…he just…couldn't.

"At the time, things had gone to hell in a hand basket. There was a rogue faction of SHIELD trying to claim power and a majority of the agents part of it weren't comfortable with the idea of me walking around with powers. And then factor in the way I struggled to control them…they were ready to put me down."

He frowned. Without questioning her, feeling out her motives? They just wanted to put her down?

Reading the expression on his face, she nodded. "Yeah," she agreed quietly. He may not have said anything, but the look that crossed his face expressed enough. "Coulson took me to a safehouse so they couldn't find me, but he didn't stay. Do you remember Gordon?" She asked.

"The kid that teleported?" He asked.

Daisy nodded. "Yes, but I met him when he was an adult. He had tracked me down, offered to bring me to a community of Inhumans where I could learn to control my powers without worrying about harming anyone else, but I couldn't leave Coulson or the team. Despite the tense atmosphere around the Playground, they were my family."

She'd told him about her time at Afterlife, so she must have gone…

"May called me one night, letting me know that the other SHIELD had learned where I was and had already dispatched agents to my location. I rushed out of the safehouse, but it was too late, they were already there. A couple agents cornered me and one fired off his gun. I meant to use my power to redirect the bullet in the opposite direction," she shook her head. "But I also ended up blowing the agents back several feet as well, injuring one in the process. I knew that any leniency they would have offered me went out the window the moment he'd been injured. I called out for Gordon and that was the last thing I remembered until I woke up. Lincoln was the first person I met at Afterlife, he'd been going to medical school and was helping out in the infirmary. And he was assigned to be my transitioner."

He felt like he should understand the term, but he couldn't quite grasp it. "Oh?"

"It's a position that some Inhumans take on, in order to help the newbies. Think of it almost like a bond between an agent and their SO."

"And you and he were involved…" Daniel finished for her.

"Not at first. It's a very uneven dynamic," Daisy clarified. "He wouldn't have tried anything with me," she said, needing to defend her Inhuman lover's character. "There was a spark of interest on both sides, but we didn't act on it. But…eventually, yeah. Things with the Inhumans took a dramatic turn and…SHIELD came out on top of things, if only for a beat." She looked at her companion. "Is this okay?" When he frowned at her, she decided to explain it further. "I mean me talking about my former boyfriend?" He wasn't weirded out, was he?

"I'd like to hear about it," he responded in earnest, ignoring the mounting dread he felt in his stomach.

"We…had our obstacles from the beginning. Though he helped us when it came to the fight against the Inhumans, he wasn't a fan of SHIELD and he ran off. But then situations brought him back into the fold. That spark of interest ignited and things were good for a bit," she allowed a small smile to dance around her mouth. "Things weren't perfect, but Lincoln was the first person that showed me what a real relationship should look like…aside from the SHIELD bit. And then Hive came along," her smile fell. "I was completely lost under Hive's sway and I did these horrible things. I…killed Gideon Malick-"

Daniel frowned. "The guy that was trying to talk you up at the bar in '73?"

She nodded. "I killed him, and I blamed it on Lincoln. I turned my back on the team for Hive." She began listing the things that she'd done under Hive's sway while she was away from the team. She spoke of Lash's attempt to sever the connection and her return to the base that she'd nearly destroyed. "Everyone forgave me, but I couldn't forgive myself. I couldn't get over the things I'd done and when Hive's plan nearly came to fruition, I was ready to confront him, to undo the things that I'd done." She took a moment to explain Hive's plan and the team's plan to counter it. Her voice was small. "I was ready."

"Ready to what?" Daniel asked, hoping his voice was more neutral than he felt. That small ball of dread in his stomach had only expanded. He didn't even know why he asked it, he knew what she meant. She would have given up her life to save the others, because that was the kind of person that Daisy was.

She shook her head. "I was ready to stop him, it was because of me that his plan was even realized. The team had already been through enough…I couldn't let someone else risk their life to stop him…not when I was the one that exacerbated the situation."

"You were going to sacrifice yourself," he murmured, reading between the lines.

She nodded slowly. "But I didn't see it that way that the time. I really thought that I deserved it and that I was atoning for the mistakes that I had made."

He had a feeling that the fact that she was sitting next to him at that moment meant that the decision had been taken out of her hands. "Lincoln took your place, didn't he?"

She nodded. "It was one of the worst days of my life," she confessed. "He didn't deserve to die for my actions. I blamed myself every day for his death."

"Do you still?"

She could only shake her head in negative. "I think it depends on where my brain is on any particular day. Some days I'm fine and others…I wake up reminding myself that I shouldn't be here."

Daniel shook his head in negative. "I think you're exactly where you need to be," he told her as he grabbed one of her hands in his. "I felt the same way about Mike Stevens," he said, reminding her about the man that had saved his life. "People enter our lives, for whatever reason. Sometimes, they're meant to stay a while…and others are…a lesson. For whatever reason, Mike saved me, and he paid the ultimate price for it. I don't suppose I'll ever hold him to the same regard that you hold Lincoln in, but it certainly humbled me."

Daisy tried to smile, but it fell flat. "I have conflicting feelings when it comes to Lincoln," she confessed, looking at their entwined hands. "I…I did love him, I mourned for him, for his life for the relationship we never had a chance to have. I don't know, if given the chance, if our relationship would have lasted. But what I do know, is that most mornings, I wake up feeling smothered by the guilt I carry around for his death." She turned her body slightly towards him. "And it's only gotten worse since we started dating," she admitted.

"The guilt?" He asked.

Daisy nodded slowly. "I feel bad for being happy with you…for thinking about a future with you."

He wanted to smile upon hearing her confession of being happy with him, but knew it wasn't the time. She was genuinely upset and needed comfort, not to deal with his preening. "Do you think Lincoln would be upset that you've moved on?"

"No," she confessed softly with an exhale. He'd loved her enough to die for her, he would have loved her enough to let her go if their relationship ended. "He wouldn't. He had his own demons to contend with." No, Lincoln would have understood where she was coming from. "I just…I guess I've been hiding behind him for so long."

"Hiding behind him?"

She nodded. "You know, using him as an excuse when someone expressed interest in me. I mean in the beginning I really was still mourning him, but then it became handy when I wanted to easily let someone down. I don't know how to let it go," she confessed then.

"Maybe you don't," he replied. "There's no rule book or time frame when it comes to mourning and it's different for everyone. Grief is like the ocean in a way. It comes on like waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim."

Through the years, various people had offered her advice when it came to grief, but nothing had sounded so eloquent before. "That's sage advice, Mr. Sousa. How'd you get so smart?"

"I survived a world war, when so many of my brothers in arms didn't," he replied evenly. "Loss was a part of life when I returned stateside."

"That's weird to think about…" Daisy trailed off.

"What is?"

She offered him a smile. "That my boyfriend fought in WWII," Daisy clarified.

After hearing her talk about her guilt and grief, he was expecting her to take a step back, not label him her boyfriend. "Your boyfriend…" He repeated the phrase, testing it out on his tongue. Boyfriend. He could handle that.

"If you'd like to be," she responded with what she hoped was a casual shrug. "I mean I'd like you to be, I just wanted you to understand that we both have our hang-ups." Sometimes it was easy to forget that he wasn't always around. Things between them developed so smoothly and effortlessly. One day she was surprising him in his office at Area 51 and the next, she was noticing things about him that maybe she shouldn't have when dealing with an acquaintance. He'd been there for her on one of the worst days of her life and she'd quickly grown to trust him.

"I appreciate that. And I do…want to be with you too."

"Good," she said then, leaning a head on his shoulder.

"So…before you mentioned thinking about a future…with me," Daniel stumbled over the words. "What does that entail?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Whatever we want, I guess." She hadn't envisioned anything in particular when she thought about her future. All she knew was that she wanted him by her side for it. "We have time to figure it out."

Smiling down at her, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "That we do," he agreed. "How did your meeting with Mack go?"

Daisy pulled away from in order to turn to him completely. "Good," she admitted. "Remember when I told you that in order to find Fitz, we went into space?" She waited for his reaction. "Well, we finally had a chance to really talk about it. I mean the reports are so fact based and to the point and he's thinking about possibly sending another team out…and he's asked me if I'm interested in running it."

"Wow. That's one hell of an opportunity," he offered up, not knowing what else to say. Was he happy for her? Yes. She'd already told him about her adventure with Jemma and the others and how much she'd enjoyed the experience. And he had no doubt she would be in her element up there…but what did that mean for him?

Daisy nodded slowly. It had been several weeks since their final confrontation with the Chronicoms and Malick. In that time, Fitz-Simmons had already departed for England with little Alya in tow. Mack and Yo-Yo had relocated to a helecarrier while the HUB was being rebuilt. May had officially walked away from field duty, taking on a teaching position at the newly finished Coulson Academy. With Coulson working various assignments, he spent much of his time traveling. Kora and Flint had already departed for dorm life at the academy. Even Piper and LMD Davis were getting ready to leave and join Mack on the helecarrier. At first, she'd enjoyed her downtime, but as her family began to traipse off, she'd started feeling like she was being left behind, which only further reminded her that they were no longer together.

"So, then I should be expecting my assignment soon…" He trailed off with a frown. If that was the case, then why hadn't he heard from Mack?

"We thought you might consider joining me," she replied then. She watched his eyes light up then.

"You want me to go?" He asked.

"Yes, I want you to go. How else can I begin to have that future if you aren't there?" She watched him process the news. "You don't have to give me an answer right now. The trip is still nine months out. Just…think about it," she urged, hoping that he'd agree to it. "Mack does need a decision by Friday though, so that if we don't accept, he can begin looking elsewhere."

"If we don't accept?" He repeated. "If I said 'no,' does that mean you'd stay too?"

"You're not gonna," Daisy deflected. "You stayed with us because you wanted an adventure. What's more adventurous than space?" His gaze was searching, and it prompted her to circle back to his question. "In the off chance that you do decide to turn down this opportunity," though she knew he wouldn't have, "And yeah, if you decided you didn't want to go, then I would have turned it down too."

"Good to know," he murmured. He fell into a momentary silence. "You're right though, I'm not going to turn it down."

Raising a hand, she patted his chest. "I know," she chimed, pressing herself against his side. "I'm glad to hear it."

End