It was Skye who found the room and both her and Melinda who found them. Skye was on clean up duty with May and some of the other agents.
They had received a bunch of supplies in from an abandoned base and were cleaning them and checking what to keep and what to throw. Which meant moving a lot of stuff around and making room. Skye had been working with May and Hartley and had grown tired of the whole thing. She had told May she needed a drink and the bathroom. After doing so instead of returning to work right away, Skye had opened a door planning to just sit and rest from everything. She entered what appeared to be a storage area filled with large covered objects. She sat down leaning into the wall and closed her eyes. She was tired. They all were tired.
They had been going non stop with all this inventory and supplies, plus had just returned from a few hard missions, and not to mention all the training Skye was doing under May's watchful eye. She took a swig of water and then set the bottle down. She then drew her knees up and rested her head on them clasping her legs with her hands. She closed her eyes again thinking of their last mission. They had retrieved good intel on some more of the missing prisoners form the Fridge and had found them at the same abandoned building all this tech and supplies were from. Skye had been with May and they had been attacked by Hydra agents and Skye had actually taken down two of them with her fighting skills. Of course May had gotten the rest but after May had complimented her and told her she was proud of her. That had meant the world to Skye.
It was a little while later that May was gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name. She slowly raised her head, disoriented and groggily looked at her SO kneeling at her side.
"Skye come on wake up."
Skye blinked rapidly at May and then rubbed her eyes and cheeks. "Um uh sorry. I was only going to sit for a little bit. Must of dozed off."
"Dozed off? You were snoring Skye. Loudly. That's how I found you." She deadpanned. Then her mouth twitched upward as Skye stared at her.
"You ...you heard...oh right May. You're so funny."
"Yes I've been told that." May's eyes held a spark of warmth that was becoming familiar to Skye as of late. She pulled herself upright.
"Really sorry though. I didn't mean to skip out of the work."
"Well we had been going at it for hours. I dismissed everyone. We'll pick it back up tomorrow late morning after your training."
Skye nodded. Melinda looked around the storage room.
"What is this place anyway. I don't think I've ever been in this room." She glanced at the large covered items. Skye shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't know. I just saw it when I ducked in to rest." She walked a few steps to one of the items and started pulling the cover off.
It was ancient. Well okay maybe not ancient. But definitely old. Very old. May gasped. Skye's eyes widened. There in front of both was an arcade game. A pacman arcade game to be exact. May walked over to it and ran her fingers across the screen.
"Pacman." Melinda spoke softly, even fondly Skye thought.
"What's a ...oh, oh nevermind. It's a video game. A very old video game right? Oh they set these up in places and you played them before gaming systems. Wow this must be really old."
May gave her a dirty look then she continued to caress the game and look at it. Fondly. Yes, Skye thought most definitively May was looking at a machine fondly. Like a long lost friend. Skye giggled.
"You want to get up at 4am tomorrow?"
Skye slapped her hand against her mouth and shook her head from side to side vehemently.
May removed her hand from the machine and stepped to the next covered item. She pulled off the cover and grinned at what she saw. Skye moved next to her to see better.
"Asteroids." Skye read.
"Coulson's favorite."
Skye's eyes widened comically. "AC played video games.?
Melinda gazed back at the younger woman. "Still does. Call of Duty is his favorite. But this. This was around when we were at the Academy."
"When dinosaurs roamed the earth..."Skye trailed off smirking at her SO.
"You really want to start at 4am tomorrow don't you?"
"Oh psssssstttth...May. You like when I tease you."
Melinda turned her head from her student as her lips turned upward. Yes, actually she did. Skye wasn't afraid of her like everyone else and she liked when the girl teased her and got on her case. But damn if Melinda was gonna admit that to the girl.
"Oh you call an extra 20 pushups liking it eh?" She turned back with face masked again and looked piercingly into the girl's eyes.
Skye faltered for a moment and then just smiled. "Only 20? Getting soft Agent May?"
This time Melinda could not stop her small grin. Skye widened both her smile and her eyes gazing back at May. Melinda moved her attention on the remainder of the covered items. There were three more. She moved to the next one and pulled the cover off. It was a pinball machine. And old Bally machine from the 70's. Melinda knew that because she and Phil would play one just like it at a little arcade near the academy. Just like they played the Pacman and Asteroids machines.
"Um what is that?"
Melinda looked at Skye with a shocked expression. "A pinball machine. Please don't tell me you never saw one before?"
"Okay I won't tell you. But what does it...oh, wait a sec.. You're a pinball wizard there has to be a trick, that's a song. On your ipod May, you play it when I sit up there in with you and ..."
"The Who. Yes, Skye."
"Ohmygosh. You mean they are real things, Pinballs?"
Melinda just sighed and shook her head as she rolled her eyes at Skye. She pulled the cover off the next one and revealed another pinball machine, this one Melinda did not recognize but could tell it was old since the theme of the old machine was the old Adams family TV show. Skye ran to the last item and grabbed the cover. She yanked it off and then stood in wonder looking at it. It was bigger than the other machines and long. There were bowling pins hanging down at one end. She glanced back at Melinda and quirked her eyebrows at her.
Melinda laughed. "I haven't seen one of those for at least 20 years."
"What is it?"
"Shuffle Bowling."
"Ya okay. So how's it work? Like bowling?"
"Pretty much. You take one of the disc things and slide it trying to get all 10 pins to go up by hitting the target lights underneath them. Great game to play when you're drunk. I always could beat Phil."
At that Skye raised her eyebrows. They got drunk. Together. She'd have to store that info away for use later. "So this was in bars?"
Melinda nodded. She was checking it out looking for the plug. "I wonder how these machines ended up here?"
"Well I think we should move them. Out to the common area."
Melinda nodded in agreement. Which Skye was not expecting.
"We just have to make sure they work and then get help to move them. Gonna need to stock up on quarters though."
"Seriously May? I can gerryrig all of them to work without that. Give me an hour or so."
Melinda glanced at her student. It was good to have a someone with such good tech skills. "Good. I knew we kept you around here for something other than being a pain in my ass."
"Hey!" Skye tried to look affronted at the comment but instead she grinned. May was teasing her and that happened, well, like never. In fact Melinda looked rather happy. And that also did not happen very often what with all the shit that usually was going down. So yeah, Skye thought. May deserved to have some happiness. She was always taking care of all of them, always making sure they were safe and happy. Skye had not seen her look so lighthearted ever since she knew her. She made a mental note to make that part of May come out more often.
"So Skye go grab some people. Hartley and Hunter and Mac. Anyone else you find along the way. They are probably in the kitchen trying to rustle up some food."
"Copy that." She turned and went out the door and trudged down the hallway. Melinda listened for her steps to move away. She pulled out her phone. She pressed a button and waited.
"Phil. Come down to the storage area. I've something here you may want to see." She listened for a minute. "I know you're busy. Go to the kitchen and follow Skye and the others." She hung up before he could ask here anything else. She moved to the Asteroids machine and grinned. She reached out caressed the screen. So many memories of her and Phil sneaking off Shield campus to play in the arcade. Phil really was a nerd. If they weren't doing that they were going to see Star Wars or Back To the Future movies. She blamed Phil for turning her into a nerd as well. She heard voices and backed away from the machine. Hunter and Mac entered first followed by Hartley and Idaho. Behind them came Skye who was grinning with Phil behind her sporting an annoyed face. They all stopped. Hartley saw them first. She whistled appreciatively.
"Agent May.' She nodded at May. "I do believe you have found a treasure." She laughed robustly.
"What treasure?" Mack stared around obviously confused. Hunter crossed his arms while Idaho looked bored. Skye pushed her way through the men to stand beside May. May and Skye watched Coulson.
He started to say something and then his eyes grew wide. He looked at the machines and then back to May several times. Skye giggled.
She whispered to May. "Is he gonna have a geek moment?"
Melinda's mouth twitched upward. She whispered back to her student. "I think he may just piss his pants from all the geekness present."
Skye's giggled erupted into a belly laugh. She grabbed for Melinda's arm holding on for balance while she crouched over laughing.
Melinda smirked at Phil. "Remind you of something?"
Phil took in Skye's hysterics figuring it was aimed at him as he also looked over Melinda. She was amused. More important she was allowing Skye to practically drape over her while Skye became weaker from laughing. He smiled. She was returning back to him. Melinda was becoming more like the woman he had met at the academy and he had the younger woman in front of him to thank for that. At least in part. He had seen glimpses of it from time to time the last few months as Melinda had allowed Skye slowly into her life. Into her heart.
Melinda watched Phil's googly eyes watching her. She could guess what he was thinking. She'd had a few conversations about how she was becoming her old self and he was glad she was letting Skye in her space. She didn't even mind anymore. She had stopped denying to herself how much the girl meant to her. She knew it was impossible to hide it from her best friend, or whatever they were to each other these days.
"So blimey, you want to tell us all what the bloody hell we are looking at?" Hunter was the one to break the silence.
It was Skye who answered. "Arcade games. Like old video games. Really old video games. AC and May played them when they were young, eons ago." She rolled her eyes at the word young."
Melinda punched her lightly on her arm. Skye grinned back.
Surprisingly it was Hartley who spoke up first. "Shuffle Bowling. Holy moly, I haven't seen one of those in years." She walked over to it and excitedly stood in front of it. "Does it work, May? Oh please tell me it works."
Skye laughed louder. Idaho smiled as the happy mode was contagious. Coulson grinned.
"Do they work Melinda?"
She shrugged. "Let's try them." She reached over to the Asteroids game plugging it in. It lit up. Skye cheered. Idaho joined in. They high fived each other. Mack and Hunter just stood there.
"Who has a quarter." Hartley searched her pockets and flipped one to Melinda. She put it in the machine. Coulson moved in front of it.
"It works!" He wore a silly grin as he grabbed the control and started playing. Skye pushed into Melinda trying to see while Idaho crowded behind Skye trying to look over her shoulder. Melinda smiled as she watched Phil blowing up little rock asteroids on the screen.
"Lemme try AC." Skye tired to worm her way around May. May shot her a glare. Skye frowned. "What? I just wanna try." Skye whined like a little kid. Which brought a chuckle from Hartley. Phil slammed his hand against the machine.
"Damnit. I'm out of practice." He turned to face everyone. "Anyone else got a quarter?"
"Ohoh. I call dibs on the next game." Skye shouted practically in Melinda's ear, who winced noticeably. Skye shot her an apologetic look, but still looked ready to jump up and down, grinning at everyone.
Melinda took charge. "Let's move these out into the common area. Start with this one." She reached down to unplug it. "I'll try the others to make sure they work. Move the sofa against the one wall out away from the wall, and put them there." She moved to the other machine motioning Mack and Hunter and Idaho over to the one Phil just played.
"Gonna take a lot of quarters eh?" Hunter spoke up.
Melinda answered winking at Phil. "Nope. Skye says she can make them work without quarters and she wants to get started on that one so she can play it first."
"Oooooo yeah. I can. And will. Come on guys move it. Let's go." She was bouncing back and forth on her feet with a excited grin on her face. Melinda ducked her own head looking for the PacMan machine cord, as a full on smile blossomed on her face. Phil bumped her hip and grinned seeing her face. His eyes shown brightly at her as she turned a bit pink. Yeah she was changing a little. Thanks to Skye. Thanks to Skye blasting down her barriers and climbing over her walls. Much to Melinda's surprise, she had even started encouraging the girl to do so.
Phil watched as Skye's enthusiasm became contagious. Even Hunter no longer had a scowl on his face as he listened to Skye bantering back and forth with Mack about video games while they carried the machine out of the room. Hartley mumbled something about supervising the kids as she followed them out. Which left just him and Melinda. He glanced over to her to find she was actually staring back at him. He walked the short distance to her.
"Skye seems excited."
Melinda nodded. "She's excitable."
"There was a time when you were too."
Melinda looked to the floor. Phil panicked thinking he mighty have overstepped his bounds. "'Hey I just meant..."
"I know what you meant Phil. I miss her sometimes too." Melinda raised her head to look him in the eyes.
He saw a brightness present that had been missing since Bahrain. He cocked his head and widened his eyes.
"But once in awhile she stares back at me in the mirror."
He smiled. "Like she is now."
She smiled back. "Yeah."
"Yes Skye is a good kid."
"Yeah that's true but I wasn't talking about Skye."
He stepped closer to her and reached out to hold her arms with his hands. She looked at him curiously.
"She's amazing actually and I don't think I tell her that enough."
Melinda gulped. Where was this headed so wondered. She and Phil had many facets to their relationship. But this ..they hadn't done this for a long time. "Phil?"
"I don't know Melinda." He responded as if he had read her mind. But didn't they used to both do that? Know exactly what each other were thinking. He stepped in closer and rested his arms on her shoulders.
"Mel."
She looked at him curiously.
He reached in and touched her lips lightly with his own. She reacted by pulling back slightly and gasping. He gazed at her intently.
"Phil?"
He tilted his head and wet his lips. She pressed into his body and grasped his head with her right hand puling him back toward her. This time neither was surprised. They came back up for air briefly but then leaned back into each other stronger as she felt him part her lips slightly and reach his tongue...
"Oh my God. I knew it."
Both broke away and turned to look at the young agent. Her mouth was opened, her eyes comically wide as she gazed at her two favorite people. Melinda started laughing with her body shaking while Phil looked back at Skye with a goofy expression.
"Could you give your parents some privacy for Pete's sake." Phil deadpanned at his pseudo- daughter.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times and started backing out of the room.
"Do not say a word Skye. That's an order." Melinda stopped her laughter to try to look stern. It didn't work. Skye turned and ran out of the room.
"How long before the rest come in here after Skye blabs it to everyone."
Melinda sighed. "Less than a minute."
He let go of her and walked to the door. He glanced back mischievously at Melinda as he locked the door. She walked over to him and they both slid down to the floor against the door. Melinda draped her arm across his shoulders as she curled into him with her head resting on his shoulder. He pulled her tighter to him. They both grinned as they heard the doorknob shake.
"Oh my God, they locked the door." Skye's scandalized voice traveled through the door.
Melinda dissolved into giggles as Phil pressed his lips into her hair.
It was over an hour later when they walked past the common room to go to Phil's office. They ignored everyone else not even looking at them. Skye watched them with wide eyes. As they turned the corner before they were out of sight, Phil looked back and winked at Skye with a huge grin.
Skye sank onto the sofa covering her head. Her pseudo parents were embarrassing. She smiled. But that was okay. Cause she never had that before and it was rather endearing. But she was gonna tease the crap outta May at training tomorrow.
"I heard that." Skye looked up. Melinda was glaring at her from the doorway.
"But I didn't say...", she trailed off as Melinda grinned at her.
"Let's make it 7am tomorrow Skye. I have a feeling I may be up a while tonight... um...exercising."
Skye sputtered and stammered. "Oh ... umm...hey I didn't need...to... to know that." She turned red.
"Gotcha."
Skye could hear AC and May's laughter as she sat still on the sofa turning even redder.
"Parents can be so lame." Hartley came by, patted her on the head and laughed as she walked away.
"Yeah. Parents can be lame." Skye whispered. Then she pulled up her knees, and rested her head on them as a huge smile broke across her face.