Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
"B6."
Leopold Fitz looked down at the game, before her frowned, and his eyes widened comically.
"Say it, Fitz." Grant Ward prodded, not bothering to hide his smirk.
"You sunk my battleship." Fitz grumbled, before adding, "That's not fair, you cheat."
"I do not!" Ward retorted, seemingly offended that his friend would accuse him of such a thing.
Jemma Simmons rolled her eyes at the men's banter, mumbling an exasperated, "Oh Fitz", but her lips were quirking up into a smile.
"Yes you do! You position the ships in a peculiar manner, a manner that is against the rules." Fitz crossed his arms, his frown never wavering.
"No, I don't." Ward retorted, although he knew Fitz's assumption was correct.
Fitz opened his mouth to retaliate, but was cut off when Ward added, "Do you know who does cheat? Skye."
At that, both Fitz and Simmons shared a knowing, slightly exasperated look.
"What?" Ward questioned, mildly irritated. His friends were constantly sharing meaningful glances, seeming to have the ability to read each other's mind, while Ward was always left clueless.
"Nothing." Jemma said, her gaze going downward. Fitz too looked away, fiddling with the game.
"Seriously, what?" Ward asked again, this time more forcefully.
The two uni students sighed, and Fitz spoke up, "Simmons thinks –"
"We think." Jemma interjected.
"We think," Fitz amended, "that you should just tell Skye how you feel."
"How I feel? What's that supposed to mean?" Ward inquired defensively.
"Oh, come on, Ward. It's obvious that you have a crush on Skye. I mean, you're constantly talking about her." Jemma said, and this time when she rolled her eyes, she truly seemed annoyed.
"I do not!" Ward retaliated, looking quite offended. He did not talk about Skye constantly. As for the crush, he hadn't known he was that obvious."
"Yes, you do. It gets quite annoying, actually." Fitz said, his gaze shifting upward to meet the man's eyes.
Ward began to respond, but Simmons cut him off.
"Do you know what you should do?" She asked, "You should buy her flowers."
"Flowers?" Ward repeated, frowning.
"Yes, flowers! Girls love flowers!" Jemma said, as though it were common knowledge.
"They do?" Fitz perked up, glancing hopefully at the woman.
"Yes, Fitz, they do. Which is why Ward should buy Skye some. There's a flower shop not far from here, I believe it's called The Flower Pot." She informed the men.
"I'm not buying Skye flowers." Ward said, and he truly thought he meant it.
~000~
Ward wasn't entirely sure how he found himself at The Flower Pot. One minute, he had been researching for a project that was due the following week, and the next he was finding the address to the shop.
He stared at the colorful sign, wondering if he should just forget the whole thing and leave, until he heard his name being called.
"Ward?" The voice calling his name had a thick Scottish accent, and was all too familiar.
"Fitz? What are you doing here?" Ward inquired, attempting to keep his tone casual.
"I could ask you the same thing. I thought you said you weren't buying Skye flowers." Fitz responded.
"And I never heard you say you were buying flowers for Simmons." Ward retorted.
Fitz opened his mouth several times, but continuously closed it once more. He then began grumbling under his breath, saying things Ward couldn't make out, but he was sure they were not very kind.
Fitz then walked toward the entrance to the shop, pausing before he opened it and calling over his shoulder, "Are you coming, or not?"
At that point, it seemed too late to turn back, so Ward nodded and followed the man into The Flower Pot.
"Hi, are you guys looking for anything specific that I can help you with?" The florist inquired, and Ward froze.
The florist turned, and upon realizing who she was talking to, grinned.
"Hey, guys." Skye greeted.
Ward's heart skipped a beat. This could not be happening. How was it that his luck was this bad?
He sent a desperate glance towards Fitz, who seemed just as baffled.
"Uh, guys?" Skye watched the look exchanged between the men, confusion evident on her face.
Fitz was the first to recover, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck. "Uh, we're here to get some flowers."
"I kind of got that." Skye said, her grin returning to her face, "Anything specific?"
"Lilacs." Fitz answered instantly, knowing Jemma's favorite flower by heart.
Skye nodded, "I'll go get them." She left, maneuvering her way through the aisles of different flowers. She returned with a bouquet of lilacs in hand, and Fitz took them with a smile.
Skye then turned to Ward, "Are you looking for anything, too?" She seemed strangely anxious.
"Uh, yeah." Ward replied.
"Just out of curiosity," Skye said, keeping her tone casual, "Who are they for?"
Damn.
Ward froze, making incoherent sounds as he attempted to respond.
Finally, he answered with the first name that appeared in his mind. The first name besides the truth, that is.
"Simmons."
Fitz turned to look at Ward, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. He looked entirely displeased.
A million emotions flashed on Skye's face, before it became blank. "Huh. Okay, what kind of flowers do you want?"
Again, Ward's mind went blank. After a long pause, he inquired, "What type would you recommend?"
"Oh, well, I love daisies, but I'm not sure Simmons – "
"Daisies will be fine, thanks." Ward responded.
"Actually, Simmons doesn't like daisies. Her favorites are obviously lilacs and roses." Fitz scoffed.
Ward shot his friend a look. The look clearly read, "Fitz, shut up." He had perfected this look long ago.
"I'll take the daisies." Ward said, and Skye nodded, maneuvering her way through the aisles once more to retrieve the flowers.
"What was that? You know I' not actually getting them for Simmons." Ward glared at Fitz, who glared back.
"Well, what the hell was that? Why would you tell Skye, the girl you –" Fitz began, but trailed off when Skye appeared, "Oh, hello Skye."
"What?" Skye questioned, wondering why the men were acting so strange that day. When she received no reply, she handed Ward the daisies.
Ward thanked her, and both he and Fitz paid before leaving.
~000~
"Oh, Ward." Simmons, lilacs in hand, looked entirely exasperated. Ward felt mildly offended that she was using the line she usually used when Fitz did something stupid on him.
"Well, what was I supposed to do?" He retorted.
"Just to be clear, you do like the lilacs more than the daisies, right?" Fitz piped up, looking at Jemma expectantly.
She smiled, "Yes, Fitz, thank you."
Fitz shot a smug look in Ward's direction, who rolled his eyes in turn.
Jemma's smile faded quickly and she turned towards Ward, continuing the argument as though they had not been interrupted. "Why on earth would you say that you were buying the flowers for me?"
Ward sighed, "It was… a moment of panic. Besides, maybe she thinks I bought them for you because we're friends."
"No one buys flowers for their friends, Ward." Jemma said. Fitz blushed, his gaze drifting to the flowers, before falling to the ground.
Ward began to argue, but Jemma cut him off. "You should go back to the shop."
"Why?" Ward questioned. He had already screwed up, he didn't see why he should go back.
"Because you have to fix this." Fitz explained, his gaze lifting to look at his friend.
"Yes, and explain everything." Jemma added.
"Ward shook his head, "No way am I going back there."
When FitzSimmons began to argue, he stood up and walked towards the door, not wishing to continue the argument further.
He began to close the door behind him, but paused when he heard his friends speak in quiet tones.
"If you don't buy flowers for your friends, then what are we?"
"I don't know, Fitz. But I'm willing to find out."
Ward smiled. At least one thing had gone right today.
For a moment, he wondered if he was wrong to refuse to go back to the flower shop. However, he soon reminded himself that he had vowed to both FitzSimmons and himself that he would not return. Surely he meant it this time, right?"
~000~
Evidently, he did not mean it. For, the next day, Ward found himself entering The Flower Pot once more.
Skye looked up when the door swung open, and smiled when she saw it was Ward that had entered.
"Hey Ward." She greeted, grin remaining intact, "Back for more flowers already?"
Ward forced a smile, nodding.
"Simmons must have hated the daisies." Skye said jokingly.
"No, she loved them. That's why she sent me back here." Ward blurted out, all thoughts og telling Skye the truth abandoned.
"Oh, wow. They must have been pretty nice daises." Skye grinned, but Ward noticed her joking manner faltered at the mention of Simmons.
Ward nodded, crossing his arms nervously. There was a brief paused, and Ward found the silence even worse than the awkward conversation. In an attempt to snuff out the muteness, Ward asked in what he hoped was a casual tine, "So, how's the English essay going?"
Skye crossed her arms, mirroring his own posture, and for a moment, Ward thought his attempt had been futile. He debated the possible outcomes of turning and sprinting out of the shop silently, but his train of thought was cut off when Skye groaned. She seemed exasperated, however, a grin lit up her face.
"Don't remind me. I stayed up all night trying to finish that, but I swear I've only got two sentences completed. Now I only have tonight and tomorrow to finish it, and I must look awful, considering I only got one hour of sleep." She complained.
Ward studied the woman's appearance. She wore a long, tight fitting, purple t-shirt and blue skinny jeans. Her silky hair cascaded down her shoulder, and her deep brown eyes gazed into his own. Ward could think of many words to describe the way Skye looked, but 'awful' was not one of them.
"Ward?" Skye questioned, breaking his concentration.
"I've seen worse." Ward finally managed.
"Wow, you really know how to reassure a girl." Skye responded, rolling her eyes. However, her grin never faltered.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant –" Ward desperately searched for the words that may fix his improper phrasing, but was able to find nothing. Skye raised an eyebrow, obviously awaiting his explanation, and Ward finally finished lamely, "never mind."
Surprisingly, instead of the offended look Ward expected, she laughed.
"Wow. You are awful at this." She said, with a shake of her head.
Ward's cheeks burned, and in a failed attempt to save the last of his pride, he asked, "Can you just help me look for more flowers?"
Skye giggled once more, and Ward had to admit that she looked adorable. She then nodded, "Yeah, okay. More daisies, right?"
Ward simply nodded in response.
"Okay, be right back." Skye said, before turning and maneuvering her way through the many aisles. Ward waited patiently, until she returned holding a bouquet of daisies, identical to the ones he had purchased the day prior.
Ward payed for the daisies, before bidding Skye farewell.
"I'll see you tomorrow, in English." Skye said, and Ward hated how much he was looking forward to it.
~000~
Needless to say, FitzSimmons were not pleased when Ward returned with yet another bouquet.
"Ward! I thought you were telling Skye the truth!" Jemma cried, in a way that Ward deemed slightly over dramatic.
"I was going to," Ward began, "but –"
"You chickened out?" Fitz supplied.
"No, I didn't." Ward defended, "I just thought, maybe now isn't the best time to say something."
"Really?" Jemma said, obviously not buying into a single word Ward spoke, "Then when would be the best time?"
"Uh," Once again, Ward desperately searched for an explanation, "When we become closer?"|
"Oh, please." Jemma spoke in a more than slightly exasperated tone, "She's practically your best friend."
"After us, of course." Fitz spoke up.
"What are you talking about?" Ward inquired, furrowing his brow, and crossing his arms defensively.
"Ward, you spend time with her constantly." Jemma replied.
"What? No I don't."
"Yes, you do." Fitz said, "You play battleship, you work on projects together; oh! And you never stop talking about her."
"That's not true." Ward retorted indignantly, before shifting his weight. Was this true? He did recall mentioning Skye several times, but he certainly didn't talk about her constantly. Right?
"Ward." Jemma gave the man a pointed look, "Yes it is."
"No I –"
"Now you are going to go back there and confess." Jemma interjected.
"I can't. I have classes tomorrow." Ward stated. He had never been more grateful for this fact.
"You have English with her, don't you?" Fitz questioned.
Shit. "Yeah, but –"
"You're telling her then." Jemma ordered. Her tone caused Ward to believe that any objections would be ignored.
"Fine." Ward gave in, sighing.
Fitz seemed satisfied, but Jemma didn't look entirely convinced.
~000~
For the first time in as long as he could remember, Ward dreaded the end of class. However, he refused to even consider the idea of being nervous. He just wasn't what to say to Skye. Which is why the man payed hardly any attention during class, instead he focused his attention on their future conversation.
He didn't want to be too forward. Nor did he want to give her the wrong idea.
Suddenly, the students began to get out of their chairs, making their way towards the door. Ward realized this must have meant that the class was dismissed.
Ward glanced at the seat behind him, and saw that it was empty. Skye must have already left. Well, at least this gave him an excuse not to talk to her. Simmons couldn't be mad, for this wasn't entirely his fault.
Mentally preparing his excuse, Ward rose from his chair, and walked toward the door. However, as soon as he exited the class, he noticed Skye. She stood by the door, chatting with her roommate, Bobbi Morse.
When Skye noticed Ward starring, she stopped talking. Bobbi turned to see what had captured Skye's attention, and smirked, before waving goodbye to her friend and leaving.
Skye shot Ward a grin, before walking toward him.
Ward froze, before managing a small smile.
"Hey, Ward." Skye greeted, "You know, I tried to say 'hi' during class, but you were either ignoring me, or super lost in thought."
"Just lost in thought." Ward confirmed.
"Wow. You must have been thinking about something pretty important to devote that much attention to it." Skye remarked. Ward glanced at the woman, taking in the pink sweater and black skinny jeans that looked amazing on her, before nodding.
"So, I'm assuming you have no idea what we were assigned." She said, and Ward's eyes widened.
"We have an assignment?"
"Yep." Skye confirmed, "Are you okay? You look like you're starting to panic."
"I'm fine."
"Hey, don't worry. I can explain the assignment." Skye offered.
Ward shot her a grateful look. "Are you free later?"
"No, I'm working. But I have time now."
It wasn't until Ward knew exactly what he needed to complete, and Skye had already left, did Ward realize he had once again failed to confess. FitzSimmons would not be pleased.
~000~
When Ward entered his dorm, Fitz and Jemma were both working on their science assignment. However, once Ward shut the door, they immediately looked up.
"So?" Fitz inquired, "Did you tell her?"
"No." Ward admitted, taking a seat on his bed.
"And why not?" Jemma interrogated.
"I got distracted." Ward muttered.
"Ward!"
"It wasn't intentional." Ward retorted, taking a defensive stance.
"Ward, I don't want people to think we're dating just because you're too scared to tell the truth!" Jemma cried. Fitz nodded in agreement, taking the woman's hand.
"Hey! I'm not scared to –" Ward started, before pausing. He glanced at FitzSimmon's intertwined fingers, and recalled when Fitz had bought Jemma flowers. "Wait. Are you two dating?"
He had suspected, but didn't want to voice his suspicious in case he was wrong. However, Fitz and Jemma's matching blushes confirmed his theory.
"Alright, fine. Skye works today. I promise I'll tell her." Ward vowed.
"Good."
~000~
Unfortunately, once again, Ward failed to confess.
Instead, he returned with yet another bouquet of daisies, and then another. Soon enough, Ward had learned Skye's schedule, and was constantly at The Flower Pot, always returning with a bouquet of daisies. FitzSimmons couldn't be less pleased. Especially Fitz, who had to suffer sleeping in a room filled with daisies.
The new couple continued to pester Ward, ordering him to tell the truth. Then, one night, Fitz completely snapped.
Ward was awoken to the sound of Fitz's violent sneezing. He sat up, before glancing at his roommate, and asking, "Are you okay?"
Fitz glared daggers at Ward. If looks could kill, Ward believed he would merely be a pile of dust.
"No, I'm not okay!" Fitz cried. He was so loud, Ward feared he would wake the other students. "I'm living in a room filled with daisies that are causing my allergies to flare up, because my roommate is too much of a coward to tell a girl he likes her!"
The words stung more than Ward would like to admit; he was not a coward. However, before he could defend himself, Fitz rose out of his bed.
"Where are you going?" Ward questioned, both annoyed and concerned. It was still dark out, and they both had classes in the morning.
"I'm going to Mack's room! I can't take this anymore!" Fitz cried, before storming out, and slamming the door behind him.
~000~
Ward called Fitz multiple times, attempting to apologize, while avoiding the word "sorry."
"Just come back. You're being ridiculous!"
"No! Until you get rid of all those daisies, I am saying with Mack!"
Ward sighed, before deciding that perhaps getting rid of the daisies wouldn't be the worst idea.
Which is why, the next day, Ward entered The Flower Pot, pulling a wagon filled with daisies behind him.
"Hey, Ward." Skye greeted, before realizing what the man had brought, "Where did you get that wagon?"
"I'm not dating Simmons." Ward announced.
"What?" Skye furrowed her brow, before crossing her arms, "Well, that does explain Fitz flirting with her. Why did you lie to me?"
Ward sighed, "I didn't want to tell you who these are really for." He said gesturing to the daisies.
"Who?"
"They're for you." Ward confessed, bracing himself for her response.
She didn't look disgusted, instead she did something much worse. She laughed.
"You bought me flowers, from the flower shop I work at? I'm sorry, but –" She managed, before giggling once more.
Ward was mortified. She was right, this had been a stupid idea. "I'll just, uh, go."
"No, wait!" Skye said. She had stopped laughing, but her grin remained intact. "It's stupid, but also kind of sweet. I don't work tomorrow, want to go for dinner?"
Ward smiled, "Sure. I'll pick you up at six?" Skye agreed, and he exited the shop feeling elated. However, the feeling soon vanished as the thought dawned on him. He still had the wagon.
What am I supposed to do with all of these daisies?
A/N: I still ship skyeward, but canon is kind of a mess. So I decided to write the typical, fluffy florist au. I hope you enjoyed it!