Note: I've watched the first episode of 'Agent Carter' and the first two episodes of season three of 'Agents of SHIELD', so that's progress, at least. Please don't tell me any spoilers. For the purposes of people getting along, 'Age of Ultron' didn't happen, but Skye has decided to go with her birth name, so she's going to be referred to as Daisy.

"Games"

Daisy couldn't believe she was finally here. When she was a kid, she never expected to be hanging out with Tony Stark. She knew she'd have some kind of contact with him, at least according to her soulmark, but to actually be in Stark Tower, in the presence of the Avengers, was mind-blowing.

"This is Sk… uh, Daisy Johnson," Coulson said, introducing her to Stark. "Our computer specialist. We first met her after she hacked SHIELD."

"Really?" Stark drawled, sizing her up. "You hacked SHIELD?"

"I got caught," Daisy admitted. "And it… kind of wasn't the first time. What can I say?" She shrugged, looking him up and down in return. "I like a challenge."

"Is that a challenge?" he said.

"Now I'm wishing I'd never introduced you," Coulson muttered. "I should've known this would happen. I'm going over here before I develop a migraine. Please don't take over the world or bring it crashing down while I'm not here to supervise you."

"Got it, DC," Daisy said, saluting. He walked off, already wincing, which seemed unfair. Then Stark smiled at her slyly, and she understood why the director would worry about what they might get up to.

"So, who else have you hacked before?" Stark asked. "Here, let me get you a drink. You're old enough to drink, right?"

She rolled her eyes as she followed him to the bar. "Yes, I'm old enough to drink."

"Good, because any sensible bartender would ask the same question," he said. "I really don't want to face a fine – or Coulson's wrath – for supplying a minor with alcohol. Although I guess it's okay in the home." He paused, cocking his head, and then retreated behind the bar. Daisy perched on a barstool. "What's your poison?"

"Bit early in the day for me," she said. "Got any orange juice?"

He snorted. "Yeah, got some for mixers. Sure you don't want anything stronger?"

"I need to keep my wits about me, and my powers under control."

"Fair enough," he said, though he made a face. "Hope you don't mind if I drink."

"Not at all." She watched as he poured her a juice, and then a scotch for himself. He sat beside her, and they silently watched their respective team-mates interact for a few minutes.

Eventually, Daisy broached the subject which had been on her mind since Coulson told them that the Avengers knew he was alive, and that he was taking some of his team to meet them. As backup, he'd said, which Daisy could understand after the yelling started. It was all she could do not to bring the building down by accident, and Hunter actually had to be restrained when he leaped to Coulson's defence.

"Say, I was wondering," she said.

"What's that?" Stark said.

"Whether… I could challenge you?"

He snickered. "You looking to lose, Agent Johnson?"

"You can call me Daisy," she said. "And who's to say I'd lose? I think I have a pretty good chance of winning."

"Against me?"

Okay, so she'd known he was arrogant, but it was another thing entirely to see it up close and personal. She glared at him.

"Let me make this clear, Mr. Stark," she said. "I don't actually care whether or not I beat you in a hack-off, if I can call it that." His eyebrows rose, and he inclined his head.

"So what's in it for you?" he said. "Experience? A chance to pick up techniques?"

"Nope," she said.

"Then what?" His eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't let you try hacking SI. We'd start with something like… I don't know, whatever's left of Hammer Tech. Something that doesn't matter."

Daisy glanced around. She chugged down the rest of her orange juice, and put Stark's drink on the bar beside hers. Then she dragged him to a corner, her back to the room, and raised the front of her shirt to bare her stomach. In writing as familiar as her own was scrawled 'Did you really out-hack Tony Stark?', and she sighed when he began to chuckle, and then laugh fully. She let her shirt drop back into place, and crossed her arms while she waited it out. Instead, he just laughed harder, and had to rest against the wall, nearly bent double.

"Wow, you're a lightweight," she remarked acerbically.

"Just…" He waved his hand, catching his breath, and then straightened up. His lips twitched at the edges, but he seemed more composed. "Let's get to it."

"Wait, what? Now?" That was fast.

"I can't think of a better reason," he said. "I'm not gonna make it easy—"

"I'd be offended if you did," Daisy said, but she wasn't annoyed. Instead, she was nearly vibrating with excitement. "Just as long as my soulmate thinks I beat you, so he can say those words."

"Damn," Stark said, pouting. "Just think how hot it would've been if your soulmate was a woman." She nearly punched him on the arm for that.

"Who knows?" she said. "I'm into guys, and the writing looks more like a man's, but maybe I'm only supposed to have a platonic soulmate? And soulmate relationships don't always work out…" She trailed off, thinking about her parents. It had been a loving relationship, she guessed, and it only went sour thanks to Whitehall. And most of the people she saw in relationships nowadays involved secret agents. May and Andrew, Coulson and Audrey, Hunter and Bobbi… yeah, not the best examples.

"No," Stark said slowly. "They don't. But they can. And if I help you find your soulmate that's at least one good thing I can do to make up for my shitty past. So c'mon, Daisy Johnson, or whatever Agent was gonna call you before. Let's get a couple of tablets and… you called it a hack-off? Yeah."

Spontaneously, Daisy hugged him. She stepped back quickly, but couldn't stop bouncing in place.

"You are seriously awesome," she said. "Thank you so much for this, Mr. Stark."

He coughed, shrugging.

"Call me Tony," he said.

"Don't think I'm not still pissed at all of you for shouting at DC, though," Daisy said as they returned to their drinks. "He hasn't exactly had it easy since coming back to life. And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"Then I guess we'll have to be grateful for that," he said.

"You'll… still let go up against you?" she said.

"What, d'you think I'm gonna stand in the way of Fate? Hell no. Soon as I've finished this…" He held up his glass and drained it. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?" the AI said.

"Set up a challenge for us, would you? Let's say… White House security. Whoever hacks the president's personal emails first."

"Wouldn't that get us arrested?" Daisy said, suddenly questioning the wisdom of challenging Tony Stark to a hacking competition.

"Only if we get caught," he said. "JARVIS will hide our tracks, won't you, J?"

"I am certain Director Coulson would not approve if Agent Johnson were arrested for hacking President Ellis," JARVIS said.

"Then it's settled." Stark… Tony, she guessed, put their glasses in the sink and left them there. "Are all the Avengers in the building?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can I use my laptop?" Daisy asked.

"Sure thing," Tony said. "Go get it. I'll make an announcement."

The 'announcement' was grandiose even by Tony Stark's standards, and Daisy hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself too much by not living up to expectations. Just as long as someone she didn't know thought that she won, well, the rest didn't matter.

Sure, the challenge itself was more than she could've dreamed of, but that it might lead to finding her soulmate was more important than anything else. If only she could tell her dad about it… but she couldn't.

With a sigh, she set up her computer and found the connection without JARVIS's help. She and Tony swiftly established rules of the contest, and Daisy smiled when her friends and team-mates cheered her on. Then the timer began, and everything else faded out as she put all her hacking skills to the test against the supreme hacker of any generation to date. She wasn't just doing this for herself, but to find the other half of her soul. With that seated at the back of her mind, her fingers moved faster, were more sure, and she allowed herself no time to second guess her instincts as she hacked through the White House's tight security until she was staring at President Ellis's junk mail, including the obligatory Viagra emails.

"I did it," she said, and she glanced up at the others. "I actually did it."

"Damn, and two seconds ahead of me," Tony said. He grimaced. "I need to spend less time engineering and more time brushing up on my skills." He reached his hand out and Daisy shook it, stunned. "Fairly won, Daisy. Congratulations. I'll be able to rest easy knowing Agent's got someone with of your talent working for him."

"Thanks," she said weakly. "You didn't… let me win, did you?"

"Where would the fun be in that?" He brightened as he looked over her shoulder, and Daisy quickly left the president's account before the hack could be traced to her device. "Hey, Rhodey! I just got out-hacked! Only by two seconds, and I'd recruit her if I could, but I don't think SHIELD's gonna let her go without a fight."

Daisy gulped, shutting her laptop quickly. Colonel Rhodes worked for the president, after all; she hoped Tony wouldn't tell him exactly what they'd been hacking.

"Did she really?" Rhodes said, approaching them. Daisy realised just then – and kicked herself for not noticing sooner – that he was only wearing an undershirt and gym pants. And his arms were glistening. It was like a living wet dream.

"Daisy," Tony said, "this is my best friend, James Rhodes. Rhodey, this is Daisy."

"Please, God, don't let them really be on first name terms," she heard Coulson say.

"Did you really out-hack Tony Stark?" Rhodes asked, looking amused.

…Well, shit, this explained Tony's grin.

"You bet your sweet ass I did, soulmate," she said.

"Ha!" Tony crowed, and he jumped to his feet. "This calls for a party."

"Soulmate?" Simmons exclaimed.

"Sweet mother of God," Coulson said.

"Wow," the colonel said, staring at Daisy.

"I am the greatest," Tony sank, making his way back to the bar. Daisy put her laptop aside and stood up.

"Hi," she said, holding out her hand. "Sorry. Uh, like Tony said, I'm Daisy. I mean, I went by Skye… the name Skye for years. But my birth name is Daisy Johnson, so that's what I use nowadays. Um… you can call me Daisy. If you want to."

"Call me Rhodey," he said, shaking her hand. He didn't let go right away. "Everyone else does. You look so young… it makes me feel like a lech. And so damn lucky I should feel ashamed."

"How do you feel about people with powers?" she asked. She noticed that he still hadn't let go of her hand, but it felt so right that she wasn't going to complain.

"What do you do?" he said.

"I make things… vibrate," she said. He grinned, all pearly white teeth and eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I can imagine some of the uses that could be put to," he said.

"None of that!" Coulson called. "Not until you make your intentions clear."

"Oh my God, DC," Daisy moaned, hiding her face with her free hand.

"Is Coulson your dad?" Rhodey asked, his eyes widening.

"No," she said. "And the less said about my biological parents, the better. Trust me."

"…Right." Daisy tried to pull her hand back, worried that she'd scared him off with a few ominous words. But he wouldn't release his hold, and stepped closer. "I think we should continue this somewhere we won't be surrounded by spectators."

"Yeah," she said. "Um… I'll see you guys later."

"Take your time!" Simmons said cheerfully.

"Not too much time," Tony said. "Or we'll be starting the party without you."

Daisy nodded, and smiled up at Rhodey as he led her to the elevator.

"I wouldn't risk starting a party for the two of us while Coulson is armed," Rhodey assured her, squeezing her hand.

"You wouldn't hear me complaining," she said. "Can I see your mark?" He lifted his undershirt, and Daisy traced the letters. "This should totally have said 'sweet abs', because that would also be true."

Yes. Yes, it would. Hang on, do we ever see Rhodey shirtless? If we don't, that's a crime. Just sayin'.

Please review! Sorry I haven't been updating as often as I should, but I've been a bit listless lately. And school on Friday drove me to drink. Literally. I bought a bottle of vodka on the way home and drank half of it. (Fear not; it was a 50mL bottle.) I've started work on the next chapter of the head canon continuations, but damn it, I keep going over the previous chapter in my head and what would happen after that. The head canon for that one is getting severely out of control.

Edit: pairing requested by kogouma and a guest.