Chapter Text
May still had the noise of the gunshot ringing in her ears when she heard the faint cry of a baby in an alley next door to the carnage. That she caused.
Her heart twisted painfully. What if she just killed that baby’s parents? But what if the baby’s parents were there, just unable to stop the crying?
It couldn’t hurt to check.
May stepped into the alleyway and found a smoking van with the door ripped off the hinges. Inside, hidden under one of the seats, was a little basket with a baby inside. Wailing its little lungs out.
May glanced around before reaching inside to grab the basket, sliding the baby out in its blanket. The kid couldn’t be more than a few weeks old.
Her eyes widened at the spring under the blanket and she tossed the basket— along with the explosive inside that she had just discovered— into the window of the building that SHIELD just evacuated. She ran back to the car that was waiting to take her back home, hiding the little baby who had finally stopped crying under her jacket.
During the flight back to HQ, May checked the baby over with her minimal field medical training. The baby was seemingly unharmed, a girl, all happy now snuggled close to May’s chest in her baby blanket. Once May fed her with some milk that she probably shouldn’t be having, the baby was fine.
May closed her eyes for some rest after escaping an explosion and… killing that girl. Her name is… was Katya. She was around ten.
The agent held the baby closer, smelling the scent of baby milk and powder on her.
She couldn’t dwell on the girl she killed for too long. She was holding a tiny baby, and she was on the way home. She needed to take care of her.
May released a weary breath and finally settled into the seat she was given. Maybe she could fall asleep…
When she woke up, the weight in her arms was gone. She scrambled up from her seat only to see her partner sitting beside her, bouncing the baby in his arms.
Phil had a soft beam on his face as he listened to the baby version of a giggle, smiling down at her as he murmured a song to her. He glanced up at May when she moved in a panic, his smile still there. “Good morning, Em,” he said quietly. “Where’d you find this cutie?”
May forced herself to sit back down. “In a van in the alleyway next to the building. She had an explosive in the basket, so I assumed it was safe to take her.”
Phil handed the baby back to her at her look. “So you’re why the building we just barely evacuated in time exploded, then?” he teased.
“You could say that.” May stared at the baby in her arms. “You think I have to report her to Fury?”
“Well, he might give you a baby bonus and a little break.” Phil turned to her, a hand on her shoulder. “For both the kid and…”
“I’m fine,” May interrupted shortly, still looking at the baby, who was staring back up at her with the widest, most curious eyes. “I don’t want to think about it.”
Phil nodded. He understood. He looked up as the plane landed, standing up and offering May his hand. “Walk you to Fury?”
May looked at it, then up at him. “You have to go too?” she said, taking it with a sigh.
“Of course. I’m your partner on this.” He hefted their bags over his shoulder. “I have to go where you go.”
May rolled her eyes and walked to Fury’s office with his hand in her hand.
She felt weird.
They’d held hands before. Many times, in fact, whether it be for missions or just platonically, even just for practical reasons. But god, she wanted him. She’d wanted Phil for a long time. He was her best friend. And now they were holding hands while she held a baby girl that she found in an alley that she also wanted (though in a different way).
The three of them walked into Fury’s office and stood while they waited for him to stop dramatically staring out of his windows.
After a moment, he finally turned and motioned for them to sit. “Phil called ahead and told me that you found a baby?” Fury said, directed towards May. “Elaborate.”
May sent a withering glance over to her best friend before looking at their boss. “I was clearing my head after the incident and I heard her crying in an alleyway. Picked her up, found a spring-load explosive in the basket, threw the basket into the building we evacuated and ran.” She held the baby closer. “It didn’t seem like anyone wanted her, so I just took her.”
Fury sighed. “And it didn’t occur to you that the kid might’ve just been kidnapped?”
May opened her mouth, but Phil was quicker. “I checked all the missing baby signs on the way back, sir, and none of them match her description,” he chirped. “I promise.”
Fury closed his eye, probably fighting off the migraine that came with dealing with Phil and May. He let out a breath. “So what do you plan to do with…” he waved his hand at the bundle in May’s arms. “That?”
May cleared her throat. “I was thinking we could keep her? Sir?”
Fury raised his eyebrow at her. “A baby’s a huge responsibility, May. Are you sure you can handle it? You’ll need to feed her, change her, raise her, between your workload and everything else, are you sure you can?” He looked at Phil. “You? You prepared to help? Who’s gonna take care of her when you two are on missions? Who’s gonna take her if you guys are MIA? Or worse?”
Phil nodded. “We can figure it out, sir.” He leaned forward a little bit. “Please?”
May thought he must’ve given his best kicked-puppy expression for this, because the next moment, Fury sighed and leaned back in his chair, fingers rubbing at his temples.
“Fine,” Fury said heavily. “I expect her adoption paperwork on my desk by the end of the day. Once I get it, I’ll approve a stipend for the kid. That and your insurance will cover medical visits that you will make by the end of the week plus anything the kid needs. They’re a lot of work in the first few months, so you’ll be riding the desk until she can sit up by herself, May. Understand?”
May nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“And I want both your mission reports by tomorrow night. Hard deadline.” Fury gestured for them to go. “Bring in the next pair of idiots.”
Phil and May got up and went down to Administration to get her adoption forms, and they sat down in the cafe to do them.
“What’s her name?” Phil asked as he stared at the paper in front of him. He was filling it in for May since she was holding the baby. “Does she have a name?”
May hummed as she checked the baby blanket. There was nothing on it but a pattern of flowers. “No, not on here.” She looked up at Phil. “You wanna name her?”
He snorted. “I’ll name her Stevie.”
“I am not letting you name my kid after Captain America.” May rolled her eyes. “Pick again.”
Phil sighed in mock defeat and reached over to check the pattern on the baby’s blanket. “Do these look like daisies to you?” he asked her.
May squinted, nodding. “Why?”
“I’m picking Daisy. You said pick a name—“ he scribbled it down on the paper before she could stop him— “so I did. You have a middle name in mind?”
May handed him the baby in exchange for the pen. “Tian si.” She wrote the Chinese characters under Phil’s amused gaze. “Look, if I’m keeping this kid, she’s probably going to meet my parents, and they’re gonna ask me what name I picked for her.” She signed by the x and shoved the papers into the envelope they came in.
“You made that name up quickly,” Phil mused.
“I’ve had it picked out for a while.” May motioned for the baby back, holding her to her chest. “I guess I have to go shopping now, huh?”
“I think the med bay should be first. You know, to check if she’s okay.” Phil brushed the tiny hairs out of Daisy’s face. “Right?”
His best friend nodded. “Right.” She forced a smile when she looked back down at the baby— her baby now, since she signed those papers— and let out a breath. She had a baby now. A cute, adorable, tiny baby girl named after the pattern on a blanket and the big, blue sky.