Alright, finally, I have successfully rewatched the finale and gotten my stuff together to get this one-shot done. I hope you all enjoy it!
ONE-SHOT #9: The Aftermath of the Chronicom Ship Explosion
SUMMARY: After season 7 episode 13 and before the "One Year Later", when Daisy sacrificed herself to blow up the Chronicom ship and kill Nathaniel Malick and Kora revived her
Looking down at the girl he'd long considered his daughter, Phil swallowed, still in shock. "This is what we were fighting for."
Daisy looked up at her sister, her breathing heavy. "Family," she croaked, a tiny smile appearing on her face.
A second later, everyone went back to work, May and Mack heading to the cockpit while Kora and Sousa crouched down next to Daisy to check on her.
Daniel cupped her cheek, gently stroking her temple with his thumb. "How do you feel?" he asked, concern laced into his voice and his brows slightly furrowed. Coulson couldn't help but think about how damn respectful and kind this man was.
Daisy scrunched her eyes up. "I'm okay," she croaked. "A bit...achy." She turned her head away from the people around her and coughed.
Sousa looked over at Kora and then to Phil, worry still evident on his face. He turned back to Daisy. "Let's get you up," he said warmly, sliding his arms under her and grunting a bit as he hoisted her into his arms, cradling her to himself just like he did back at the barn. Had her head not been spinning, Daisy would have gotten nostalgic.
Coulson and Kora following them like baby ducks, Daniel carried Daisy to the med bay and laid her down on the gurney, gently running his fingers through her hair as Kora and Phil went into the storage room to grab the healing pod.
"Please don't ever do that to me again," Sousa said once they were alone. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I thought I lost you there," he whispered, his lips oh so close to her face.
"Yeah, 'm sorry...'bout that," Daisy mumbled, coughing a little. She smiled up at the man she loved. "I'm glad Kora saved me."
Sousa returned the smile, continuing to gently stroke her hair. "I am, too."
Kora and Coulson came into the room, rolling the cart that held the medical pod and setting it next to the gurney that Daisy was on.
Daisy groaned. "Do I have to go back in there?"
"Simmons told us to put you in here for a few minutes just to make sure," Coulson insisted, switching on the machine and popping open the top. "Come on, it'll make you feel better."
Daisy sighed, allowing Sousa to help her get a drink of water then remove her gauntlets, boots, and jacket before gently lifting her into the pod. He gave her a gentle kiss on her soft hand before closing the top, putting it on the settings Jemma had instructed them to use. Within a few seconds, Daisy's eyes were closed and she was out cold. Coulson and Kora left to take care of some things.
Heaving a sigh of relief, he jumped up onto the empty gurney and turned on his side so that he was facing Daisy. He willed himself not to fall asleep but eventually, his nature must've given in.
When Daisy opened her eyes, she was no longer in the healing pod, but a bed in the Lighthouse med bay. It felt so good to be at home, in the right timeline. Closing her eyes again to gather her bearings, she reopened them and noticed a chair to her right that had clearly been pulled out and the dip in the cushion hinted that it had recently been occupied. To her left, her fuzzy eyes picked up on Simmons writing on something. She could've sworn that she saw a blonde child in the corner, but it could've been her mind playing tricks on her.
"Oh good, you're awake!" Jemma said cheerfully, checking the pulse ox on her finger and the heart monitors on her chest.
"How long have I been asleep?" Daisy asked, her voice a tiny bit weaker than usual.
"Mmm, about twenty hours or so. The healing pod makes you sleepy." Daisy nodded in understanding. "Now, based on my exam, it seems Kora's power was able to warm your bloodstream and systems up enough to bring them back to function and the healing pod furthered that process, however, there could still be a few complications. I'd like to keep you here for a few- "
"Mama?"
Jemma sighed gently and patiently turned toward the child in the corner. "Yes, baby? Mama's busy."
Wait, Mama...? Was the child...Jemma's?!
Daisy shook her head. This couldn't be real.
"When is Dada coming back?" the child asked, running on her little legs up to her mother, tugging on the edge of Jemma's shirt.
"In a few minutes, Alya," Jemma replied, rubbing the child - Alya's - head. "Go play with your toys, Mama needs to talk to Auntie Daisy."
Alya smiled up at Daisy and giggled, then obeyed her mother and went back to playing in the corner.
"Jemma..." Daisy started. Her lips curled into a wide smile. "You had a...kid?"
Simmons smiled, patting Daisy's arm. "Yes, Daisy, we did. We had a few spare years."
"Oh, my God," Daisy said, her entire chest flooding with a warmth she didn't know she could feel. "Congratulations, I'm so happy for you, I- "
Jemma smiled. "Thanks, Daisy." She looked over at her daughter. "She's a wonderful little girl. We're lucky to have her."
Smiling, Daisy nodded.
"Was Alya a good girl while Dada was gone?" came a familiar Scottish voice. Fitz entered the room, carrying two to-go cups of coffee. Behind him was Sousa, carrying his own cup of coffee and dressed in an orange polo; something other than the blue shirt for once.
Jemma nodded, walking up to her husband and giving him a kiss on his cheek before taking a cup from him. "She was." She smiled at her daughter as she took a sip of coffee, happily playing with her My Little Pony toys.
"Of course, the five minutes I'm gone, you wake up," Sousa said, setting his coffee on the bedside table and leaning next to Daisy, taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling?"
Daisy smiled at him. "A lot better. Kora does wonders."
Daniel smiled and kissed her hand, cherishing his love because he had nearly lost her.
"We'll leave you two to it," Simmons said, smiling at the couple as she lifted Alya up to rest on her hip. The child smiled at her Auntie Daisy and Uncle Sousa. "Daisy, you had better stay in bed. I'll be back in a bit to check on you."
Nodding, Daisy watched the adorable family of three leave her room, smiling and giggling all the way.
"That's adorable," Daisy commented to Sousa.
The man nodded. "It is. I wish we could have met her as a newborn."
Daisy sighed. "Time is so wack..."
"No need to tell me that."
Daisy chuckled, wincing at the tiny pain it caused in her stomach. "Fair."
Sousa sighed, pulling his chair up and sitting right next to Daisy's hospital bed. "What can I do for you? Do you want to read some magazines, or..."
Daisy sighed. "God, it's been so long since I've watched anything on TV. Would you mind getting me the remote?"
Daniel stared at her with blank eyes, blinking.
Daisy smirked. "Oh, right, you have no idea what those are."
Sousa shook his head. "I don't. Can you...point out what I should do...?"
Daisy pointed to the TV in the corner of the room. It was usually used for surveillance but when Yo-Yo lost her arms, Mack made sure to get a few streaming services installed on them in the med bay. "That's called a TV, or a television."
Daniel smirked. "I know what a television is." He squinted at the one in the corner. "But that one's like your computers; awfully small."
Daisy giggled. "Okay, Danny Boy. The remote is a control that can turn it on and off from a distance, so we can put our TVs anywhere, really. It's that little black rectangular box thingy on the table."
Sousa grabbed the remote for her, squinting at it as he delivered it to her. He pointed at it when he handed it to her. "Are those buttons?"
She nodded, turning the TV on. Sousa turned his head to look at the device, his mouth open in awe as she scrolled through the available TV shows and movies. "What do you want to watch?"
Daniel's eyes widened. "Stop going so fast, Daisy! You're going to give me a seizure!"
Daisy smirked and slowed down her scrolling. "We can watch something old-timey or a modern movie. Whatever you want."
Sousa sat down in his chair, leaning back and crossing his legs. "How about a cross between them?"
"Wise choice, Sousa."
Daisy decided upon a modern-day murder mystery that had a lot of classic elements to it. The entire time, Daniel was completely enthralled in the film. He kept commenting on the amazing colors and clear picture, and the superior acting. At some point during the movie, he snuck off to the common room and grabbed some pretzels, candy, and popcorn for them to share.
Once the movie ended, Sousa finally took his eyes off the TV and saw Daisy lying on her side, looking away from him. He knitted his eyebrows, concerned, and stood, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Daisy let out a tiny whimper, not moving to face him. Worried, Sousa walked to the other side of the bed to find her face scrunched up like she was in pain.
"Daisy, honey, are you alright?" he asked, cupping her cheek. Her eyes opened in slits and she tried to nod.
She swallowed. "Just a..." She was breathing heavily. "...a bad dream, I guess."
"I'm sorry, love," he whispered, gently brushing her hair out of her face. He looked into her eyes with pity. "Are you in any pain?"
"Mmm," Daisy mumbled. "Hard to get...comfy..."
"Okay, okay, shh," he soothed, wrapping his arms around her like he was going for a hug. Instead, he lifted her to his chest and held her there, then with his free hand, climbed up onto the hospital bed, seating himself at the head of the bed and then leaning her back so that the back of her head rested on his chest. Her eyes remained closed but her face softened a bit, like she was more comfortable now. Sousa kept his arms around her like he was giving her a loose, gentle hug, and stayed in that position until he felt her breathing slow and knew she was asleep.
Sousa stayed there, never falling asleep. He just watched the woman he loved as she slept, her innocent and gentle eyes so sweet.
Suddenly, Daisy was back in the room with the blue lights and Nathaniel was quaking her chest. It was so painful and hard to breathe she feared she might die before she could blow up the ship. But she succeeded, and there she was again, falling into the vacuum of space. It was so cold...and empty...and hard to breathe...
With a gasp she bolted awake, sitting up straight in her bed. She winced immediately at the sudden movement and hyperventilated, cherishing the air she needed to make sure she still had.
"Daisy, woah, you're okay," came a strong, gentle voice from behind her. She felt strong arms wrap around her shoulders and lay her back, all the way hushing her and reassuring her. "You're okay," he whispered.
Daisy swallowed, nodding as she let her heartbeat sync up with his. Damn, she loved this man.
After a few minutes, Sousa's very presence had calmed her enough to sit up, taking a sip of water. Daniel got off her bed and sat back on his chair, yawning as she stretched his neck and rubbed his prosthetic leg.
Daisy swallowed a sip of water. "You should go get some sleep," she told him, pulling her blanket back up over her lap.
Sousa waved his hand around. "I'm fine. You're the one who needs rest."
Daisy rolled her eyes, setting the water cup on the bedside table. "I've slept for the past day straight, Daniel, I think I'm fine."
Sousa stood, rushing to her and taking both hands in his own as he stared into her eyes. "No, you're not." He squeezed her hands. "You nearly died."
Daisy sighed, looking down at the floor. "Not a new experience."
Daniel released one of her hands to cup her chin, lifting her head so she could face him. "I know you've been through a lot, Daisy, but you have to take it easy on yourself. You hit a wall and you have to let me pick you up."
Daisy smiled a tiny smile at the mention of that metaphor and a corner of her lip rose. "I will. I love you, Daniel Sousa," she said.
"And I love you, Daisy Johnson." He leaned forward to kiss her on the lips with a gentle kiss, being mindful of her soreness all the way.
That evening, Kora came to visit and Daisy was able to properly thank her for saving her life. Later, Daisy and Sousa watched a few more movies together until Daisy insisted Sousa go to his bunk to get some sleep. The man reluctantly dragged his feet to a bunk, making his girlfriend exceedingly happy. Later as she watched a movie alone in her room, Jemma came in in the middle of the conflict of the movie.
"Jemma..." Daisy groaned when the scientist stood right in front of her as she checked her monitors, blocking her view of the TV.
"Daisy, your health is more important than a film," she told her as she shined a light into Daisy's eyes, making the Inhuman hiss in annoyance. Daisy was happy when she took the heart monitors off her chest. Those had been exceedingly uncomfortable. "You're looking good," Simmons told her, rubbing some hand sanitizer on her hands. "I'd like you to spend the night here and tomorrow morning, if all is well, you can go back to your own bunk." She itched her neck. "But Daisy, that doesn't mean you're going straight back to work. I want you resting."
Daisy mumbled something under her breath but plastered on a fake smile when the biochemist shot her a glare.
"Thanks, Jemma, though, really," Daisy said a moment later when Jemma had put away all her medical supplies. "How is Alya?"
Simmons smiled, her face lighting up. "She's good. She fell asleep a lot faster than I was expecting tonight."
"Where are you all thinking about going from here?" she asked.
Jemma sighed, biting her lip. "I'm honestly not sure. I do believe that once we get everything sorted out around here we'll be retiring from SHIELD. You know, to raise our daughter."
Daisy's eyebrows knitted together in sadness; she couldn't help it. She would desperately miss her best friend. "I'll miss you," she whispered.
Simmons swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she fought back a tear. She leaned down to give Daisy a gentle hug. "I will, too, Daisy, I will, too."
That morning, Jemma and Sousa came into her room at the same time, waking the groggy Inhuman up. Jemma listened to her heartbeat and removed her monitors before declaring she was good to go. She left Daniel and Daisy alone in the room.
"How did you sleep?" Daisy asked.
Daniel smiled. "Good. Thanks for making me go to my bunk." Daisy chuckled. "Oh, and I brought you some of your own clothes, if you're interested."
Daisy smiled when he handed her a pile of clothes containing her favorite sweatpants and an oversized shirt that used to belong to Mack before she snatched it. "Awesome. Thanks, Danny Boy."
Sousa scowled as he turned around to let her change. "I have mixed feelings about that nickname you've given me."
Daisy smirked as she slid off the hospital gown. "Good." She threw the shirt on.
"What is that supposed to mean...?"
"I'll leave that to you to figure it out."
Once Daisy was dressed and Sousa had helped her strip the hospital bedsheets, he wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her down the halls back to her own bunk. With his free hand, he reached down to fiddle with the doorknob.
He furrowed his brow. "How does this thing work? It won't budge."
Daisy giggled, lifting her hand to hold it to the scanner. The scanner beeped a second later and she lowered her hand. "Try now."
Sousa was able to open the door, almost falling over when it pushed open. "That's an interesting lock mechanism, if I do say so myself."
What an old soul. Daisy giggled again as he walked her to her bed. She felt a rush of familiarity and warmth as she rolled over her own covers, her own bed, her own pillows...
It had been too long.
Smiling, she clicked her lamp on and kicked off her slippers, propping her hands behind her head as she smiled, taking it all in.
"Your bunk is fancy compared to the one Mack gave me last night." Sousa's head roamed around as he looked around her room.
"That's 'cause you're supposed to decorate it to your liking. We have some freedom in that sense, at least."
Daniel raised his eyes and nodded. "You do, now?" He smiled, looking to Daisy for approval before climbing onto her bed, kicking off his shoes as he rested his hands on his stomach, folded neatly as he looked up at the ceiling.
"Have I mentioned I'm glad you're alive?"
"Yes, Daniel, many times, actually."
"Well, I am."
"I'm aware."
"Mmhmm."
"I love you, you know."
"I do know, Daisy." He leaned over to her and planted a kiss on her lips. He pulled away, smiling. "I love you, too."
Ah I hoped you all liked this! I really like writing DaisySous/Dousy and I hope I did a good job with it / Anyways I'll be writing more on this story as I rewatch the series, so keep your eyes peeled!
