Another one-shot for you all! I wanted to let you know I moved to AO3. I will still be posting here, of course, but I'm now on there too with the username Daisies_and_Roses
Anyway, enjoy! This is an AU for AoS AU August, where the Bus Kids are civilians and roommates and live in a house together at River's End. Jemma is a regular doctor, Fitz is an engineer, and Daisy is an IT person.
It was a beautiful summer Saturday morning. The humidity was low and there was always a faint breeze that took the edge off the heat. It wasn't quite eight in the morning yet, but the sun's yellow beams shone miraculously into the house. Of course, being the responsible person she was, Jemma was the first one up. She sat at the kitchen table, sipping her morning tea as she scrolled through her emails on her laptop. She smiled when she saw the one from her boss telling her not to bother to come into the clinic until tomorrow. Sure, it was the weekend, but being a general practitioner for the busiest urgent care center in town, it felt like Dr. Simmons was always needed.
But apparently not today!
A big smile on her face, Jemma stood from the kitchen table and strode to the sink, rinsing out her now-empty mug of tea and setting it gently on the top rack of the dishwasher. She was energetic now, hyped from both the caffeine and her newfound free time. As much as she loved her job, she was always jealous when Fitz (her boyfriend) and Daisy (their friend) would be able to stay home over the weekend. It always seemed Daisy was out at some party and Fitz was working on his own little mechanical contraption in the garage.
Jemma didn't know what to do with herself today. She loved nature but she hardly had the time to get out into it anymore.
That's when it hit her: a hike! She didn't care how busy Fitz was or how groggy Daisy would be, she was going to take them on a hike and she was going to do it today.
Paging through the park guide to River's End, Jemma smiled when she found the perfect trail. Ten miles wouldn't be too bad, would it?
Or so she thought.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Jemma shouted as she banged on Daisy's bedroom door. She knew she had to wake Daisy up first; the girl was not a morning person and took at least twenty minutes just to plant her feet on the ground.
"Mmmph," was the only response. Jemma heard a clunk and a few muffled curses before she finally got a verbal response. "Why?" came Daisy's groggy voice.
Jemma opened the door and smiled when she saw that Daisy was fully submerged in her teal comforter, only a small tuft of blonde hair poking out at the top. "We're going on a hike!"
The lump under the covers shifted and two brown eyes popped out the top. "You and Fitz?"
Jemma smiled, her hands on her hips. "No, 'we' as in you, me, and Fitz!"
Daisy chuckled as she yawned, rolling onto her side and grabbing her newly-cracked phone. She checked the time. "Jemma, it's eight. I was out last night, you can't just- " She sighed. She turned onto her opposite side and pulled the covers clear up to her neck. "Don't you have to go into the clinic today anyway?" she asked a moment later.
"Nope, Becky is giving me the day off. That's why I want to go with you." She tried to act disappointed in hopes of making her best friend feel guilty.
Daisy groaned. "Just go with Fitz. I'm sure he's already up."
"Daisy- "
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
Before the blonde could say another word, Jemma grabbed her hand and rather roughly yanked her out of bed. Daisy landed with a plop on the floor and hissed, "Jemma!" as she scrambled like a mouse to her feet, a scowl on her face.
Jemma smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I got you out of bed!"
Daisy rolled her eyes at Jemma's always-chipper mood. She mumbled a few curse words before stumbling toward her closet to pick out her outfit. Once her face was fully buried in the small enclosure, she mumbled, "Fine, I'll go. But you're buying me coffee on the way."
"Deal," Jemma said with a smirk as she left Daisy's room to go wake her boyfriend.
By half-past eight, all three were settled in Fitz's car, winding through the only neighborhood in River's End. It was miraculous how all three friends managed to get jobs in the little town. Fitz and Jemma had met in college, both Brits coming across the pond to study, and Daisy met Jemma when she happened to be working IT at Jemma's medical school. They often met to help with Jemma's incompetence when it came to any technology, and shared meaningful conversations each time. They became friends and hung out every weekend, not just for the sake of work anymore. One Saturday night, Jemma decided to introduce Daisy to her boyfriend, Fitz, and the two went off for hours discussing technological things. From then on, the trio became best friends and Daisy wanted to make sure she got a job near Jemma once she graduated from med school. She was extremely happy (to say the least) when she got accepted into the IT department at a little office near Jemma's clinic. Fitz got a job in the same town and they found a sizable house to stay in. Of course, Fitz wasn't as happy as Jemma when he found out Daisy would be rooming with them, but Jemma took pity on Daisy for having barely any family and convinced Fitz to let her in. Eventually the man agreed and what do you know, the trio found themselves living together for the past three years. In those years, an engagement ring had landed on Jemma's finger and marriage arrangements had been made. Daisy felt awkward living with an engaged couple, but Jemma always insisted she was welcome. She knew well and good Daisy had no other place to go.
Daisy yawned as Fitz pulled up to the local Starbuck's. There weren't many chain restaurants in River's End but they took pride in their Starbuck's. Daisy made sure she finished her coffee before she spoke a word to either of her friends.
There was a lot of bickering in the front seat as Jemma directed Fitz to the correct nature center. Daisy guessed it was a couple's thing and once again started to feel like the third wheel. She just settled to burying her face in her phone and trying to tune it out.
Once they finally got there, Jemma was the first out of the car, her chipper mood making Fitz and Daisy groan in annoyance. Both hadn't enjoyed being woken up so early, but Fitz always needed to please his fiancée and Daisy didn't exactly have a choice.
"Which trail?" Daisy asked when she walked up to Jemma. The Brit was standing in front of the large trail map, studying it.
"I say Red Maple," Jemma proposed.
"Are you crazy?! That's ten miles!" Daisy exclaimed, her eyebrows raised.
Jemma turned to her friend. "You got somewhere to be?"
Daisy sighed. "No, but- "
"Then let's do it!" Jemma said, cheerfully clapping her hands together.
Daisy's still-tired brain didn't have the capacity to argue, so she dragged her feet along as she followed her two best friends to the trailhead.
The first few miles were rather delightful. The trees offered a cool shade and the breeze made everything so pleasant. Daisy's legs started to get tired but she continued nonetheless. Her phone was no longer getting service so it wasn't like she had any interest in stopping.
"Picture time!" Jemma exclaimed, abruptly stopping in the middle of the trail, making the three bump into each other like dominoes. Fitz scoffed and Daisy rolled her eyes as Jemma attempted to take a selfie of the three of them. She acted like such a mom sometimes.
As she stopped, Daisy started to notice the thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. "It's a bit hot, don't you think?" she offered, wiping the sweat off.
Fitz nodded in agreement. "It's never too late to turn back, Jemma," he said.
Jemma shook her head, insisting. "There's a beautiful overlook of the ocean at the end. Please, just humor me. This is my day off."
"Could've been spent getting pedicures or going to the beach," Daisy mumbled as she bent down to retie her tennis shoe.
Jemma rolled her eyes. "Stop being so difficult, both of you. You know this is fun."
Fitz plastered on a smile, wanting to make his future wife happy, but Daisy grumbled as they continued on the trail.
After a while, the sun was rising to the point it started to get hot outside. The aforementioned sweat grew tenfold, covering their entire faces and backs. None of the three were comfortable in the August heat, but they kept going, knowing they were well over halfway to the lookout and there was no use turning back at this point. Their conversations had been reduced to near-nothing; all three wanted to save their breath for more important things as the heat began to be unbearable.
"We're almost there!" Jemma said cheerfully as she kept walking. She didn't notice that Fitz and Daisy had stopped to sit on a fallen tree.
"It all just looks the same, Jemma," Fitz muttered as he looked up. The sun was already almost straight-up, telling him that it was probably ten or eleven. They'd been walking for at least two hours already and there'd been nothing but trees and foliage.
"We've gotten this far!" the doctor cried as she turned to look at her favorite people in the world. She rested her hands on the back of her head, realizing she, too, needed to take a breather.
"Let's get back already," Daisy mumbled, exasperated as she pulled her shirttail up to wipe her soaked face.
"I- " Jemma began.
"Please, Jemma," Fitz insisted. He motioned to Daisy. "She's about ready to pass out, and we've already finished our water. Come on, it's been fun while it lasted. We can stop at the beach if you want on our way back."
Jemma sighed, but nodded in agreement as she reached down to help her fiancé to his feet. She planted a light kiss on his cheek before starting in the direction they'd came. Fitz turned to make sure Daisy was following them. Satisfied, he turned back around and focused on his breathing and his steps as he tried to make it through the rest of the hike. He felt lightheaded and parched, but decided not to complain because he knew both girls felt the same way. He just hoped he could make it to the end.
An hour after deciding to turn around, Daisy muttered, "I'm getting hungry."
Always the doctor, Jemma asked, "Did you eat breakfast?"
"Does the coffee count?" came Daisy's response.
"Daisy."
"Jemma, please. I can take care of myself."
Another half hour passed.
"I think I'm going to take a break," Daisy mumbled as she broke away from the group, not even caring where she sat as she plopped on a spot right off the trail. She was starving her head off and it wasn't making it easy for her to walk that much. She pulled a leg up to her chest, closing her eyes and hugging it as she tried to will away the hunger she was feeling. She heard a small thump and a slightly larger one follow, and knew immediately that Jemma and Fitz had joined her on the ground.
She felt a gentle hand rubbing her back. "I'm sorry I took you on this trail. It was a bad idea," Jemma admitted.
Fitz scoffed. "Ya think?!"
Jemma sighed, pulling her hand away from Daisy and hugging her knees. "I'm sorry, I just wanted some quality time on my day off. I just- I felt like a bad friend for always working these days and wanted to make it up to you guys."
Daisy sighed, finally opening her eyes to look at Jemma. She patted her friend's hand. "Look, Jemma, this has been fun. We've been spending time together, that's what counts."
Jemma nodded, smiling a tiny bit as she turned to check the time on her phone. "Gosh, it's nearly lunchtime. No wonder you're hungry."
Daisy scoffed and nodded, burying her face in her knees. She tried to stop her stomach from audibly grumbling but it was no use.
After a few minutes of catching her breath, Jemma stood up again and decided to continue. "Come on," she said to Fitz and Daisy. Fitz stood up but Daisy didn't have near as much luck. She managed to get to her feet but her legs gave out and she started to sway. Luckily, Fitz caught her before she landed on the ground.
"Woah, there," he said as he pushed her back upright. He kept a hold on her shoulder as Jemma came to his side, her eyebrows knitted with concern as her eyes trailed up and down Daisy's face.
"I'm fine," Daisy said. "Just a little shaky. I'm hungry." She pushed away from Fitz and continued walking. Jemma shared a look with her fiancé before continuing on the trail.
Along the way, there were just a few mishaps. Fitz tripped over a root and twisted his ankle, so he had to hobble, cursing under his breath, the rest of the way. Jemma scraped up her leg on a thornbush and Daisy tripped and cut her chin open on a rock. Luckily, Jemma had some tissues in her pocket and they were able to stop the bleeding.
After what felt like an eternity, the trio finally saw the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. The trailhead was in sight.
"Oh, thank God," Daisy muttered, her legs always on the verge of giving out, her chin throbbing, and the deep ache of hunger ever-so-present in her stomach. She raced to the car, dumping herself into the backseat and letting out a sigh of relief as she finally got a proper break. She closed her eyes as she felt the car dip when her friends entered the vehicle. She didn't even notice that Jemma was driving, what with Fitz's injured ankle.
"I'm driving us to my clinic," Jemma declared as she started the car, then shifted the gears out of park.
"We're fine," Fitz mumbled.
"No, Leopold, you need an x-ray and ice and Daisy might need stitches. Besides, there's free water in the minifridge. I did this to us, and I'm going to fix it."
"Jemma, you don't need to feel guilty," Daisy mumbled, her eyes still closed.
"I do, so I'm going to make up for it."
Daisy sighed, defeated and Fitz glared at his fiancée. He hated when she blamed herself for things. He knew she was well-meaning in taking them on a hike; hell, she'd had no idea it'd go so wrong.
"Can we at least get food on the way?" came Daisy's voice after a few minutes, breaking the silence.
"Of course," Jemma replied. "We can go to Jamie's Diner."
Jemma picked up their takeout order from the diner; Daisy'd specifically requested a burger, milkshake, and three servings of fries, all for herself. The girl managed to finish the entire meal before they arrived at the clinic. Food had never felt so good in her stomach.
Within the hour, they were all patched up and headed home. Daisy had passed out in the backseat, her lunch placing her in a food-coma. Jemma wondered how much she really slept; personally, Jemma preferred to make the most out of every day and found naps to waste them. But to each her own, she supposed.
Once they got home, Jemma helped Fitz to their bedroom, tucking all the pillows around him so he was comfortably sitting up in the bed. She brought him his ice-pack and planted a kiss on his forehead before exiting the bedroom to check on Daisy. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her friend sprawled out on her own bed, scrolling through her phone. Satisfied, Jemma went back to her computer for the rest of the afternoon.
That evening, Jemma cooked grilled chicken caesar salad for dinner.
"How was your nap?" Jemma asked. She and Daisy were standing at the counter, chopping the chicken up together and tossing it into the salad bowl with the lettuce.
Daisy smirked. "Good. Like, the best one I've ever had."
Jemma chuckled. "I'm glad. Look, Daisy, I'm sorry..."
"Jemma, please stop apologizing." She laughed as she threw a strip into the bowl. "Despite how traumatic it was, the hike was fun. It was an adventure."
"That's for sure," Jemma quipped. The two laughed as they thought about all that had happened on the trip. Traumatic, sure, but they'd bonded and they'd always have a funny story to remember and to tell everyone. That was worth it in itself.
"Dinner's ready!" Jemma hollered once they were finished cutting the chicken, loud enough for Fitz to hear. Jemma tossed the salad as Fitz came into the kitchen and seated himself at the table, setting his leg on the spare chair to elevate his sprained ankle. Daisy joined him at the chair next to him.
The dinner was relatively quiet. All three diners were exceptionally hungry, so that didn't exactly leave room for much talking. Eventually, Fitz spoke up: "So where to on your next day off?"
Everyone's laughs illuminated the kitchen. "I think, the beach," Jemma replied, a huge smile on her face.
Daisy smiled and nodded in agreement. "Wise choice, Jemma, wise choice."
Fitz shook his head and chuckled. "I'm never taking a hike again."
Haha I'm loving this! Please review if you want me to turn this into a series :)) and if so, leave suggestions for what other adventures these three can go on/what other characters you want to appear!