When Daisy Johnson met her parents, it had been a dream come true. Her mother, miraculously alive and a pillar of their community. Her father, a crazy monster who wanted to make up for lost time. She'd only had a few short weeks of living that dream before it had turned into a nightmare when she'd learned her mother was the real monster and her father loved his little girl more than anything.
But she'd learned at their sole family dinner that Cal wasn't her biological father. He'd met Jiaying when she'd been pregnant and they'd fallen in love. Years had passed since that night and Daisy didn't doubt for a single moment that he would have loved her with everything he was if he'd been able to raise her — it didn't stop her wondering, though.
It was funny how the truth could be staring you in the face and you never even knew it. After they'd returned from space and Simmons "retired" from the field, she took the time to finally build a medical database for SHIELD with close genetic matches for all agents, because there really was no telling when the need might arise. So many of their now-disbanded team had brushes with death over the years (some more than just a brush) that it made sense to have the information at the ready. But when Daisy was injured and the database was put into practical use...
The second Daisy was out of critical, her best friend had given her the news. She'd made Jemma run it again, twice, before they concluded that the old samples from the man in question weren't going to give them any different answers. They needed new samples for that, which is how she found herself using SHIELD connections to get a meeting. Though, really, it was probably Coulson's name that got him to agree.
Phil Coulson. It's a name he hadn't thought of in years, and one he hasn't actually heard in what feels like even longer. It's a name that always sits just below the surface, however, waiting for someone to mention something that even sounds like it to drag it back up. Now that it's been dug up from that spot where he keeps it tucked away, from that spot where it can't get in his way, it's all he can think of.
Coulson died believing in the Avengers. He believed in them as an idea and as a team. Back when they were still individuals fighting a common enemy, who were trying too hard to prove something to each other, Coulson believed in them. Back when they didn't deserve his belief, he believed in them.
What would he think of them now, fractured as they are? Divided by their different ideals. Broken entirely by a secret brought to light. Would they have been able to work things out, if not for that secret? If Tony had just reacted differently? If he hadn't reacted the way he did and gone after Bucky with murderous intent?
When Coulson's name comes up, Tony feels like he owes it to the man to accept the meeting. He ruined what Coulson died believing in, after all. His own guilt drives him to say yes without hesitation to someone with a connection to Coulson, as well as his own desire for the connections that he lost. No, lost is the wrong word. Severed. The connections that he severed. Pepper, the other Avengers, he drove them all away. He even pushed his own AI turned synthoid away.
So, Tony dragged himself from his workshop (he had considered just taking the meeting there, but even he recognized that he needed a moment away. He had to walk away from Cap's shield that sits in the corner of the workshop. He needed to stop pulling apart and reworking his suit. It felt necessary to walk away from the damaged chest piece, with its indentations that perfectly fit the shield and Bucky's fingers.) for this meeting, and now he waits impatiently. The smart thing to do would have been to ask what the purpose of this meeting was (if Pepper were still with him, she would have certainly asked or made sure he did), but did it really matter? Was he going to refuse depending on what the reasoning was? Right about now, probably not.
Nervous doesn't begin to describe what Daisy's feeling as she parks her car outside the building. Terrified might be a more appropriate description of the tension running through her, fight or flight warring with each other and refusing to settle one way or the other. As she walks to the door, it takes every ounce of control not to lose hold of her powers — which is really saying something, considering the last time she completely lost her grip.
What if he turns her away once he finds out why she's here? Coulson's name had gotten her foot in the door but what if it just gets slammed in her face? She has a chance at something here that she's always wanted and—
What if he doesn't want her? That old fear of rejection rears its ugly head and she can't escape the black pit that wells up inside her, threatening to swallow up every hope and dream she's ever had. Despite knowing for years now that SHIELD had been the reason she'd never had a steady home growing up, that they'd just been doing what they thought they had to in order to protect her, she's still always wondered how far that really went. Was it every family that actually wanted her to stay, or was it just one? Did any of them really? Had anyone before her team ever actually wanted her in their lives?
But she can’t keep thinking that way. Standing there in front, she forces herself to take a deep breath and walk forward. Because, really, what’s the worst that can happen? Either she gets answers and possibly gains a new member of her family, or she doesn’t lose anything and simply goes on with the family she already has. There is only something to gain from this situation and she’ll be no worse off if nothing comes of it. So pull it together, Johnson.
The lower floors of Avengers Tower have grown quiet in recent days. With the building in the midst of changing hands, from Tony's to the new owner's, there isn't exactly much need for public-facing employees. The only people left in the building are on the upper floors, packing things away to get them ready to be moved to the new Avengers compound. The final clean-up before the big move. From one empty building to another.
Tony paces in the lobby of the building that he had once opened to his friends to use as a home, base of operations, lab, whatever they needed it to be. A building that had once stood as a monument to himself, he turned it into something better, something with more meaning.
Now the 'A' that adorns the top of the building just feels like it's mocking him.
Turning back around and starting to retrace his steps yet again, Tony rubs his eyes before he slips on his sunglasses. Outwardly, it's a simple but pointless gesture. For Tony, however, it's much more than that. It's an extra layer between him and the world. A little something to keep it out when he's feeling vulnerable (a feeling he's been becoming more and more familiar with lately). A barrier between Tony and those around him, to keep them from getting a proper read on just how he feels. They're there when he doesn't have his machines to hide behind. They're his armour when he otherwise has none.
Tony stops in his tracks when he sees a young woman standing out front. This has to be the young woman he's meeting with, right? One of Coulson's people. He inhales deeply and exhales slowly, continuing forward when she does. Tony shoves his hands into his pockets and tips his head up, gesturing toward the young woman with his chin. "Sorry, building's closed." He speaks loudly, his voice echoing faintly in the mostly empty lobby. "New guy hasn't taken ownership yet and the Avengers have moved on." All except for him.
"Unless you're my-" He looks down at his watch. "-Well I don't remember what time we agreed to meet so I'll assume now. So you're in the wrong place unless you're my two-ish o'clock." A big part of him hopes that he's right and she is who he's meeting with. He's not interested in waiting in this big empty space on his own for much longer. He's been alone with his thoughts more than enough already lately.
It's strange to be back at the Tower when so many years ago she'd spent hours standing outside it in a ridiculous costume, hoping to catch a glimpse at one of the world's superheroes. Now she is one of those heroes, someone who gets stopped for autographs and selfies, and meeting Iron Man wouldn't be anywhere near as nerve-wracking if it weren't for the unexpected possible personal connection between them.
Her steps falter slightly at the sound of his voice and she looks up with a deer in headlights look that she shrugs off after just a moment, straightening her spine and moving forward again with the confidence of an upper level SHIELD agent. She might not feel confident right now but, damnit, she'll fake it like a pro.
"I'm in the right place," she replies after stepping through the door that's been left unlocked for the workmen to use. "Agent Daisy Johnson. Thanks for meeting with me." She doesn't offer him a hand to shake because it doesn't seem like a Stark thing to do, based on the stories she's heard from Coulson. But she does try to keep her tone casual, her expression calm and neutral, not allowing either to betray just how ready she is to bolt right back out the door she'd come in.
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at the start —
no subject
Coulson died believing in the Avengers. He believed in them as an idea and as a team. Back when they were still individuals fighting a common enemy, who were trying too hard to prove something to each other, Coulson believed in them. Back when they didn't deserve his belief, he believed in them.
What would he think of them now, fractured as they are? Divided by their different ideals. Broken entirely by a secret brought to light. Would they have been able to work things out, if not for that secret? If Tony had just reacted differently? If he hadn't reacted the way he did and gone after Bucky with murderous intent?
When Coulson's name comes up, Tony feels like he owes it to the man to accept the meeting. He ruined what Coulson died believing in, after all. His own guilt drives him to say yes without hesitation to someone with a connection to Coulson, as well as his own desire for the connections that he lost. No, lost is the wrong word. Severed. The connections that he severed. Pepper, the other Avengers, he drove them all away. He even pushed his own AI turned synthoid away.
So, Tony dragged himself from his workshop (he had considered just taking the meeting there, but even he recognized that he needed a moment away. He had to walk away from Cap's shield that sits in the corner of the workshop. He needed to stop pulling apart and reworking his suit. It felt necessary to walk away from the damaged chest piece, with its indentations that perfectly fit the shield and Bucky's fingers.) for this meeting, and now he waits impatiently. The smart thing to do would have been to ask what the purpose of this meeting was (if Pepper were still with him, she would have certainly asked or made sure he did), but did it really matter? Was he going to refuse depending on what the reasoning was? Right about now, probably not.
no subject
What if he turns her away once he finds out why she's here? Coulson's name had gotten her foot in the door but what if it just gets slammed in her face? She has a chance at something here that she's always wanted and—
What if he doesn't want her? That old fear of rejection rears its ugly head and she can't escape the black pit that wells up inside her, threatening to swallow up every hope and dream she's ever had. Despite knowing for years now that SHIELD had been the reason she'd never had a steady home growing up, that they'd just been doing what they thought they had to in order to protect her, she's still always wondered how far that really went. Was it every family that actually wanted her to stay, or was it just one? Did any of them really? Had anyone before her team ever actually wanted her in their lives?
But she can’t keep thinking that way. Standing there in front, she forces herself to take a deep breath and walk forward. Because, really, what’s the worst that can happen? Either she gets answers and possibly gains a new member of her family, or she doesn’t lose anything and simply goes on with the family she already has. There is only something to gain from this situation and she’ll be no worse off if nothing comes of it. So pull it together, Johnson.
no subject
Tony paces in the lobby of the building that he had once opened to his friends to use as a home, base of operations, lab, whatever they needed it to be. A building that had once stood as a monument to himself, he turned it into something better, something with more meaning.
Now the 'A' that adorns the top of the building just feels like it's mocking him.
Turning back around and starting to retrace his steps yet again, Tony rubs his eyes before he slips on his sunglasses. Outwardly, it's a simple but pointless gesture. For Tony, however, it's much more than that. It's an extra layer between him and the world. A little something to keep it out when he's feeling vulnerable (a feeling he's been becoming more and more familiar with lately). A barrier between Tony and those around him, to keep them from getting a proper read on just how he feels. They're there when he doesn't have his machines to hide behind. They're his armour when he otherwise has none.
Tony stops in his tracks when he sees a young woman standing out front. This has to be the young woman he's meeting with, right? One of Coulson's people. He inhales deeply and exhales slowly, continuing forward when she does. Tony shoves his hands into his pockets and tips his head up, gesturing toward the young woman with his chin. "Sorry, building's closed." He speaks loudly, his voice echoing faintly in the mostly empty lobby. "New guy hasn't taken ownership yet and the Avengers have moved on." All except for him.
"Unless you're my-" He looks down at his watch. "-Well I don't remember what time we agreed to meet so I'll assume now. So you're in the wrong place unless you're my two-ish o'clock." A big part of him hopes that he's right and she is who he's meeting with. He's not interested in waiting in this big empty space on his own for much longer. He's been alone with his thoughts more than enough already lately.
no subject
Her steps falter slightly at the sound of his voice and she looks up with a deer in headlights look that she shrugs off after just a moment, straightening her spine and moving forward again with the confidence of an upper level SHIELD agent. She might not feel confident right now but, damnit, she'll fake it like a pro.
"I'm in the right place," she replies after stepping through the door that's been left unlocked for the workmen to use. "Agent Daisy Johnson. Thanks for meeting with me." She doesn't offer him a hand to shake because it doesn't seem like a Stark thing to do, based on the stories she's heard from Coulson. But she does try to keep her tone casual, her expression calm and neutral, not allowing either to betray just how ready she is to bolt right back out the door she'd come in.