Daisy Johnson

The smile was exactly what he was HOPING to see, one that didn’t seem to be there often but when it was it blew him away. “Well I asked Simmons for suggestions, I ended up picking this one out of the list.” A smile of his own tugged at his lips as he replied. “Seems she was the RIGHT person to get that list from.” He added as he sat back, more than half of his pizza gone. “I like it, not as good as back in the day but definitely a good slice of pizza.” 

“Really? And what else was on this list she made?” She tries to sound casual, but there’s no hiding her genuine curiosity. 

If he had known his wording would have caused THAT kind of reaction, Sousa would have thought of a better way to say it. Granted, he was still learning if words he knew had different meanings today. Like when he said peachy to Mack, he almost made him think the saying meant something bad these days. It was NICE to hear that hadn’t changed. Still, he set his pizza aside and adjusted his position in the booth. “Yeah…suggestions on what to do, where to go, that KIND of stuff.” 

Relieved, Daisy just barely holds back a bigger smile at just how sweet he’s being. “So was it your idea or Simmons’ to come here?” 

Considering how health conscious Simmons tended to be, she would’ve been surprised to hear it was her idea. Or maybe she just knew Daisy that well. Taking another bite of her pizza, Daisy wipes the grease off her hands with a napkin.

Oh he knew from the TONE alone that she wasn’t exactly sorry, just being polite. Either way he wasn’t upset, it just meant she had great taste. So, Sousa waited for the red pepper flacks and took the glass from her to sprinkle some on his own. Though as he placed the glass down, his attention was ALL her’s as she spoke up. His brow arched as he began to lift the pizza to his lips all while keeping his eyes on her. 

Dammit Simmons. Alright, he thought, note to SELF to not tell Simmons much of anything anymore. Shifting in his seat, he kept the pizza close to eventually take a bite after replying to her. “Well, not exactly keeping a secret.” He began. “I was just ASKING for suggestions is all.” He shrugged and lifted the pizza to his lips and took a bite. 

“Suggestions.”

 Daisy repeats, suddenly feeling, well, nervous? Daniel went to her best friend for suggestions, which means it’s very likely he wanted Jemma’s opinion on something that has to do with Daisy.

Of course he KNEW the answer to that, Daisy was competitive and took everything as a challenge. He couldn’t help but be the same way most times, maybe it was why they got along so well. But the small laugh caught his attention, seemed that was a debate MANY people have had from her reaction alone. It was nice to hear he wasn’t alone in that sentiment. “How is it even a debate? It’s a fruit, those don’t go on pizza.” He shook his head at the thought before attention shifted to the waiter bringing over their OWN pizzas. A quick thanks was given to the other before almost reaching for the red pepper flakes himself only to be beaten by Daisy. “Well, I was about to.” He teased. 

“Sorry.” She’s not really sorry, but she does quickly sprinkle it over one slice before handing it over to him. “So--” 

Daisy pauses to fold her pizza and take a bite out of it before continuing, “Simmons almost blabbed to me about a secret you told her the other day. You’d think after years of practice, she’d be better at keeping secrets.”

She was. Usually.

“Didn’t know we were keeping secrets from each other now.”

Was she seeing THAT as a challenge? Because from the pizza menu alone he had one glaringly obvious issue with it. “For one? Pineapple on pizza. Who does that? That doesn’t even sound good together.” 

Everything was a challenge. Except winning his affections, apparently. Snorting softly at the first thing that apparently pops into his head, Daisy remembers a pretty heated debate a while back with the team over this very subject.

“You wouldn’t be the only one who thinks that. It’s a very controversial debate. Personally? Anything remotely healthy should never touch pizza.”

If it wasn’t for Simmons she’d probably have scurvy by this point. The waiter came over with their pies, setting them down on the table she thanked, then reached for the jar of red pepper flakes.

It was nice to see that SOME things didn’t change, Root Beer was one of them. However it didn’t exactly taste the same as it did back in his time, but it was close enough that it wasn’t much of a bother. So he took a sip from his soda and let out a laugh. “Well, I do need to learn what I’ve missed so part of it is because I WANT to learn, you being there helps.” He replied with a smile of his own as he sat back and place the soda on the table. “Though I wouldn’t say I’ve loved EVERY change I’ve seen.” 

Laughing softly at his compliment, Daisy takes another sip to keep from smiling too big. He was such a dork but she loved that about him.

“We had GOOD pizza too, so I’ll be judging this one to see if it matches up.” It was all he had right now to keep himself in some form of familiar territory. Cheese would be a safe option till he learned how good pizza in this time could be. She seemed to ENJOY his confused look every chance she could get which was pretty often while he was adjusting into this new time. “Hey, I’ll branch out when I get a good understanding of where this pizza stands.” He said defending himself. When she got up to order, he sat forward, leaning against the table FINDING it the more comfortable position for him in the booth. It didn’t take long and soon she returned with drinks in hand. A nod of thanks was given as he took it from her and gladly took a sip. However he ALMOSTt choked at her compliment. “Oh you think so?” He questioned after clearing his throat.”Is that why you keep introducing me to NEW things?”

Taking a seat across from him, Daisy takes a sip of the soda she had ordered for the both of them. Root beer existed back then, right? She remembers seeing it in older movies.

“That might partly be the reason, yeah.” Smiling against her straw, Daisy set her drink back down on the table. 

Brows furrowed, eyes glued on the menu, ALL confusion. When did making a pizza get so complicated? There were some good things that came out of the sixty years he missed but this was not one of them. And pineapple on pizza? How odd. “I lived in New York City for a good amount of years, that’s ONE thing you don’t have to worry about.” And the one thing he was actually sure on. A sigh followed and finally looked up from the menu.”I think I’m just going to stick with CHEESE.” 

Upon pulling back, eyes glanced back down towards her lips and noticed a SMILE. The relief he felt at seeing her happy with the kiss caused him to smile in return. “Oh I don’t know about that.” A tease of his own in reply. Now that he knew how she felt, he could feel MORE comfortable talking to her in this manner. “Something might be trying to break through but doesn’t quite ring a bell.” 

The attempt to HIDE a smile didn’t go unnoticed, the agent’s trained eye able to notice a shift in anyone demeanor in any situation. It was a nice thing to have in a moment like this. It made his smile appear on the corner of his lips as he kept himself leaning forward. “Oh, I see.” His smile shifting to more of a SLY smirk as he let a nod accompany his words. Arm lifted to cup her check as he leaned in further to meet her lips in a deep yet gentle kiss. It last a brief moment, testing the moment as he SLOWLY pulled away. Sousa didn’t want to overstep, knowing she did like him helped but that didn’t mean he could overstep. “Something might be coming back to me from the loop.” A TEASE more so than the truth, the smile on his lips giving it away. 

To say he was SURPRISED was an understatement. It wasn’t a bad surprise, a welcomed one and the fact she initiated it showed him she was interested just like he was. Though he was a bit disappointed it was in one of the loops he didn’t remember along with that little talk they had. But if he was surprised BEFORE, he was incredibly caught off guard by what she said next. 

His face now showed he was completely FAZED by something, it just so happened to be involving her. Somehow he knew when he saw her in his office that she was more than just some agent from the CIA. Slowly he sat himself forward, his expression shifting to one of a cool demeanor along with a bit of smirk of his own. “WHY, Agent Johnson, are you asking me to kiss you?”

Biting back a smile, Daisy leans forward when he does. The fact that he seems all for it has her heart racing. She hasn’t felt this way about someone in God knows how long and, she likes it. She really likes the way the butterflies are fluttering around in her stomach from just the way he looks at her.

“I’m saying, I wouldn’t mind repeating that moment again. You know, maybe jog your memory.” 

Sousa was still unsure of what he was supposed to remember but by the look in her eyes it appeared to be something important. That was why he listened even if he sat back enough now to be prepared for any bad news that happened in the time loop. Did he die? Did they all die? Not that it mattered now since they were alive but it would still be a bit unsettling to know he died at one point and didn’t know it. To hear they had a talk caused him to relax, somewhat.

“A talk?” He repeated with a questioning tone. “About?” And soon she began to explain, a knowing nod began to take place. “Wow, well I wish I could remember what I said then. But I’m glad it helped.” Sousa paused a moment.”It helped right?”

A smile tugs at her lips when he asks for confirmation.

“Yeah, it helped.” 

It helped her see just how genuine of a person he was, which was a real rarity these days. Usually, when people are this willingly helpful, there’s something in it for them. Or they’re just trying to use Daisy. It’s hard for her to get rid of that mindset and trust people. But Daniel has proven to her that he can be trusted, that she can be vulnerable around him if she wants to be and, he won’t look down on her for it.  “We also--”

Daisy looks down at her hands, afraid of what his reaction might be now that they weren’t in dire circumstances. 

“We also kissed. Well, technically, I kissed you. At least the first time, the second time...”

“But he did and we made it out of that time storm. Best we can do is finish what he started.” Sousa countered, hoping it would get through but he had an idea it wouldn’t right away. It was a hard process to get through. Still, here he was in case she felt like talking it out. Sitting back in the chair, he crossed his arms over his chest as she moved on to a somewhat different topic. His brow furrowed a bit before giving a shake of his head in response. “If you mean from the loops? No, I only remember falling asleep beside the healing pod you were in and walking up to that mess we were in.” Sousa paused a moment, giving a small tilt of his head.”Only you and Coulson knew about the loops, right?”

“Right.”

Daisy looks down at her hands, lips pressed together as she debates whether or not to just tell him. Would it just make things weird between them? 

“You and I had a talk during one of the loops. It was—”

Daisy lifts her gaze to meet his again.

“It was nice. You kind of called me out, but, I didn’t hate it. I’m not used to people seeing right through me like that. It’s hard for me to just be myself after so many years of having to protect myself from getting hurt by people.”