A meeting, and a new arrangement

Life at SHIELD went back to normal, or at least as normal as SHIELD went. Okay, there were a few people Daisy struggled to look in the eyes after her return to the jet, but they were polite enough that they didn't mention it. The worst she'd gotten was a few judging looks from May, and that was hardly new.

Still, more than a few of her friends had seen her naked. That wasn't something she could immediately forget about, no matter how polite they were about it. And then there was Simmons who was apparently downright intrigued by the prospect. Daisy was increasingly bewildered by that.

A month or so down the line, and she got a call to go to Coulson's office; it was routine, through the usual channels for an assignment, but she still practised looking up in the mirror a few times, and double-checking that her outfit was suitably conservative. The last thing she needed was to get a reputation for wardrobe malfunctions.

Two days time, she check her clock and headed out of her room. The door was open: Daisy stepped inside, to see Coulson already sat on the far side of his desk, and May standing by the wall behind him.

"You called?" Daisy said.

"Have a seat," Coulson said. "It'll just be a sec."

Daisy nodded; there were two chairs set up ready. Apparently this wasn't a one person assignment. Patiently, Daisy waited, and looked firmly at a spot on the wall just over Coulson's shoulder. Idly, she wondered if the people who painted the walls here had security clearance too, or if SHIELD just brought in random contractors. It would have to be a very niche business otherwise.

Yeah, it was better to focus on that line of thinking than the alternative. The potential security risks of handymen overhearing classified intel. She could make that sound like she was pondering something important.

And then: "Hi! Sorry, am I late?"

Someone else walked in the doorway. Coulson smiled warmly.

"Right on time, Simmons," he said. "Close the door, and have a seat."

"Right, excellent!" Simmons said. "Oh, hi Daisy. Shared mission, is it? Not had one of those since I saw your- ahem."

Face hot, Daisy gulped. The wall really was very fascinating. Another advantage was that walls didn't babble about things in the most awkwardness-inducing way possible.

"Right," Coulson said. "You know the drill - we're spread a bit thin, I'm advising on a potential breach of the Accords, Fitz is making safe some of the old tech you salvaged, Bobbi is undercover in a cult that seems to have developed from some past Asgardian contact, we're all over the place so I can't send as many people as I'd like. Still, I reckon you can handle it."

As professionally as she could, Daisy nodded, a pool of... something building in the pit of her stomach. It was equal parts dread and excitement.

Judging by how Simmons was almost vibrating on her chair, no doubt in a way she thought was subtle, she'd noticed it too. It was their deal after their last mission together; Daisy had stripped down more than she really ought to, riding the thrill of carrying out official SHIELD business in the nude. Simmons had caught here, there had been much babbling and blushing, and then Simmons had picked up the habit of writing post-mission reports naked. Initially it had just been scientific curiosity as to whatever thrill had driven Daisy, though now she seemed to actually be enjoying it.

And it was the plan; the next time they had a chance, the next time they were on a sufficiently private mission, with no companions, they'd... experiment, a little bit more.

Daisy swallowed.

"It's a long-term posting," Coulson said. "Two weeks, there are samples from an old 0-8-4 that need monitoring, studying and cataloguing. Potentially dangerous, potentially alien, standard stuff. Simmons, that's you - Daisy, you're on security. We have reason to believe HYDRA remnants are aware of the safehouse. Keep an eye on the perimeter, send an SOS if breached, and take care of what you can while it's just you. We don't have any reason to think this is a priority of theirs, but it's best to be certain."

"What kind of safehouse are we talking?" Daisy said.

"Off the grid, middle of nowhere," May said. "The kind of place that you don't want to be found, rather than the kind people ignore. Safer that way. No neighbors, no hiking trails, you're unlikely to have any civilian guests."

"Is it warm?" Simmons said, suddely.

"Er. Sure?" Coulson said.

"I mean, wouldn't want to be stuck somewhere all rainy and cold, especially without any layers," Simmons said.

"You'll have the normal supplies," Coulson said, hesitantly. "Raincoats, winter-wear, on top of sunglasses and sun-cream. You know how it goes, Simmons, we're ready for anything."

"Oh, right," Simmons said. Her cheeks went pink. "Of course."

Daisy cleared her throat.

"I'm down for a couple of weeks somewhere comfy," Daisy said, carefully dragging the conversation off that particular topic. "So it's just make sure that no one gets near?"

"That's your role," Coulson said. "Simmons will be doing analysis over the long-term. You'll be getting detailed briefings in your email, but we wanted to make sure everything's clear."

"Gotcha," Daisy said.

"You ship out the day after tomorrow," May said. "You'll be driven to the site when we land. Make sure you've read everything."

"Will do," Daisy said, keeping her voice from sounding particularly breathless. Professional, formal, those were the watch-words.

"Absolutely!" Simmons said, her voice significantly squeakier. "Gosh, Daisy, this sounds like a fun mission we will absolutely keep our clothes on for, doesn't it?"

Well there was a reason Simmons wasn't going undercover. Daisy buried her head in her hands. Oblivious, Simmons sat happily beside her.

May cleared her throat. Silently, Coulson handed ten dollars back to her.

"Well, if there are no more questions," Coulson said.

"No! No! None at all!" Daisy said, quickly interrupting Simmons from making things worse.

"Then good luck," Coulson said.

One suitcase between them, a sheaf of papers, and the two of them dressed in the least eyebrow-raising, casual clothes that they had. They stepped off the jet just on the outskirts of a town, where a car was waiting for them. Splitting up the journey was meant to make it harder for spies - what tracked a jet, might not so easily keep track of a car. Daisy and Simmons got in the back, Daisy a little unsteady. She'd had a few late nights learning the blueprints.

Basic guard duty wasn't what she was best at, but she could more than carry out the role. The weird technical stuff was all Simmons.

They'd drive there, then their driver would leave, and it would just be the two of them. An ideal situation, technically.

"I had an idea!" Simmons said, brightly, as the car began to move.

"Simmons," Daisy said, carefully.

"I've been thinking a lot about this," she said brightly. "What if we made it a game? Rather than just streaking around the compound for a couple of weeks - though the idea of spending a full 24 hours naked is intriguing - we could, say, pick the other person's outfit."

"Jemma," Daisy said, a little more warningly.

"Think about it!" Simmons said excitedly. "So, I could order you to go naked, but then you'd have to do the same to me. We can ease into it together. Though I hope by the end we both-"

"Simmons!" Daisy said. "Can we talk about this when we don't have a driver?"

There was a pause. Simmons' attention wandered to the front of the car, just beyond the very much not-soundproofed divide. Less distracted, she flushed. The driver - a Koenig, as SHIELD had plenty of them spare - politely waved into the rear-view mirror.

Daisy looked away. Simmons squeaked a little, and shifted.

Okay, trying out this whole... thing again, was potentially interesting, and there was no way it could go wrong this time, right? Though it was hard not to be a little nervous (well, even more nervous) with how much thought Simmons had apparently put into this.

The next couple of weeks were... certainly going to be something.

"If it helps," Koenig said. "Not the weirdest conversation I've overheard on this job."

"Just drive," Daisy said.