#because how can i possibly write a fic with daisy that DOESN'T include sousa. honestly

[hecckyeah]

scars we cover up with paint

(or: Daisy just needs her mom May)

(Agents of SHIELD, post-canon, MayDaisy mother daughter bonding time)

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The first warning sign she should have picked up on was the clenching, gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Melinda May had been out of field duty for so long, she just attributed it to indigestion.

There was a time, years ago, when every warning bell in her body would have picked up on that noticeable gut feeling. That feeling meant action. Danger. Act fast, or else. She had once been able to quickly sort through the causes of it, just by scanning her eyes around the room or noticing discrepancies in her surroundings that her subconscious had picked up on before she could register them.

She would have been checking in on her team when that happened, going through names on her phone and knocking on doors, one by one, until everyone was alive and accounted for. And then she would find out what her intuition was telling her. 

That was her past life. That was always being on the move, never predicting the next tragedy, never being able to keep her family safe. 

That was then.

This is now.  

There was no reason for it. Unless one of her Academy students was secretly harboring evil intentions, the feelings were simply natural and meant nothing.

But now, even with a stomach full from lunch and a good book in hand, the discomfort persisted. 

I’m going crazy . 

The warning bells continued. She shifted in the chair, hoping it really was just a rare bout of indigestion. Even stood up, stretched her arms up toward the ceiling, then down, folding herself in half until her arms hugged her knees. Stretched from side to side, twisted her torso.

It didn’t help.

Which meant it was probably time to panic.

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The message came before she could pick up her phone to call Mack.

It really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Simply an update from Agent Payne, assistant head of the space exploration program, explaining as requested that the Zephyr Three just touched down and that the agents were currently being examined at the SHIELD medical facility in Charleston, South Carolina.

Melinda remembered, with a pang, that this was officially the end of the small team’s last mission. After five years flying missions for the space division and at least that many trips around the galaxy, the Zephyr Three and her crew were finally Earth-bound, permanently. 

“I’m ready to leave space travel to the younger kids,” Sousa had joked last year at their annual Framework meetup. “I’m like a hundred and ten – You guys think I deserve to retire yet?”

May had seen the emotion-filled look Daisy sent her husband, probably thinking she was being subtle but failing valiantly as usual.

If anyone deserved a nice life of low-stakes office work and training recruits, it was those two. Daniel and Daisy. 

She returned her attention to the phone screen and Payne’s message. Glanced over it one more time. 

In getting lost in her memories, she had missed the end of it.

Zephyr 3 just landed, the message read. The crew’s headed to the SCMSC for their workups. All healthy at first glance, just tired and ready to be on solid ground again. Don’t want to worry you.. but your girl is anxious to see you. Might be trip related, maybe not. But she asked for you a few times. Let me know if you want a ride down here.

May paused. 

Your girl.

She knew Payne was referring to Daisy. It was widely known in SHIELD that the small team had a special, unique, altogether unbreakable bond that rivaled that of even the tightest-knit family. It was forged in the years of insane trials they’d gone through – Events that would have destroyed any weaker souls. They’d lost the people closest to them. Almost lost themselves hundreds of times over. No one could go through all that and not come out changed.

Coulson had sometimes referred to Daisy as the daughter he never had. And although she rarely said it, May had always felt the same.

Your girl.

The girl she’d trained. Protected. Held up when the universe seemed determined to destroy her. 

Daisy had never needed May. But she’d always chosen her. 

Chosen her to be the mother figure she’d always dreamed of having. 

The next text message followed, with perfect timing. And even before she could see the sender’s name, she knew it was from Daisy.

Hey May. Payne said he’d update you, but I’m thinking he’ll downplay things. Need my S.O. right now. Please tell me you’re free. I’ll tell Payne to send the jet.

No emojis, no exclamation points, perfect punctuation, and she hadn't called May her Supervising Officer in years . Something was very wrong, and the thought sent a hot stone down to the depths of her chest. 

It only took her seven minutes to pack a small duffel, all while on the phone with Payne, arranging pickup. He also promised to personally call the Academy for her and arrange for a substitute for a few days. She thanked him profusely for that gesture. 

Finally she locked the door behind her, stepped out onto her front porch, let out a deep breath, and set her jaw.

On my way, she texted Daisy. Hang in there. I got you.

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read the rest on ao3