A/N: so i've read a lot of fics where skye finds out about may and ward and gets jealous and i just don't see her as a very jealous kinda person? like, she's lost too much to expect anything to ever be hers, and having even a bit of something is enough for her now.

also ward is totally in love with her and no one can ever tell me different.

+ title from strong hand by chvrches (i swear like most of that album fits angsty skyeward)

+ this is unbetad because i'm a lazy arse, so all mistake are my own. let me know if you spot any.

Skye has been in hospital for a month now (conscious, that is), and she's bored out of her mind. She's bullied the nurses into letting her have her laptop, but she's pretty sure she's now watched every single kitten video on YouTube. Normally, especially after she first woke, someone would sit with her and watch over her, but now they've started going out on missions again and leaving her on her own. Simmons is in as often as she can be to check on her (and on her doctors - every single one is scared of the adorable Jemma), and Skye makes her tell her everything that's been going on. Skye feels horridly isolated in her little hospital room. She hates not being in the action, on the bus. Maybe in the first week she was glad that nobody was shooting at her, but now, anything is looking better than Flappy Bird (high score 109).

She's also 90% sure that one Agent Ward is ignoring her. It all starts to make sense after a conversation with Jemma, when she moans that the mission went south after Coulson, May and Ward started arguing over "personal issues".

"I haven't seen Ward in like, an age," Skye says.

"Oh, he was here last night," Jemma says. "Quite a few nights, actually." She's a little distracted studying Skye's charts. "He said something about it being the only time he can get any sleep."

Skye feels a little bit flattered. But she laughs it off with some snarky comment. Jemma still isn't listening, because now Fitz has arrived to watch over her.

Skye naps during the rest of the day until she hears Ward swap shifts with Fitz. She feigns sleep for half an hour before she opens her eyes and shifts up to a sitting position on the bed.

He looks a sort of adorable. He's sitting in the chair by her bed, arms folded, frowning in his sleep. She feels a bit bad about waking him. But then she remembers the pull-ups he would give her when she was late to training, even though she had only just rolled out of bed and always looked like hell. And she doesn't feel nearly as bad.

She leans over, straining a little against all the wires still attached to her, and flicks Ward hard on the nose.

Within the second he is wide awake, still frowning. He looks at her, with an expression that sits somewhere between annoyance and affection. "You're awake," he tells her.

She is forced to bite back about a dozen sarcastic responses, instead settling for, "And so are you." She couples it with an ever-so-innocent smile.

"What do you want?" he asks, not unkindly. Total sucker, Skye thinks. He would leap up right now and do pretty much anything she asked, she's sure.

"You've been ignoring me," she says, pouting.

"Have not," he counters.

Skye raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "Then why did Simmons say you always take the night shift watching me?" she asks.

He doesn't have an immediate answer to the question. He finally comes up with, "Everyone else always wants to be with you when you're awake." He must think she's really stupid that she would believe that. And Skye is both not stupid and has a couple of months of SHIELD training under her belt. She feels a little insulted, honestly.

"Seriously?" she asks. When he just looks a little uncomfortable, she plows on to the real reason she has him awake. "So…" she begins, dragging the word out. "I was talking to Simmons today. She said something interesting."

Skye is pretty sure he actually looks worried, but he attempts to sound vaguely disinterested. "Oh?"

"Yeah." She drags out the pause until he looks physically in pain. "So how long have you and May been doing it?"

He chokes on air. It looks really stupid. "What?" he yelps, totally confirming her suspicions. "No! Why would Simmons say that?"

Skye cackles. "She didn't. I guessed. But I'm so right."

"No!" he protests. "I… no. We're not."

"Aw, Ward. Stop trying to deny it," she teases, enjoying watching him get all flustered.

He huffs in defeat and refolds his arms.

Skye presses on. "Anyway. The point of me bringing this up, other than to get a little enjoyment out of, y'know, this," She gestures to him, "was how come May? I mean, I know she's like, the Cavalry and all… is she really good?"

Ward sort of splutters. Skye realises she's getting sidetracked.

"Where was I?" she asks, when she's done having another giggle at his stupid face. It's making her ribs ache. "Yeah. So why May? I mean, I would totally have been on board for being like, with benefits or whatever." She pauses to take in his expression. He looks like he might just run away from her little hospital room at any minute. "Like, I'm hot. You're hot. Not that May isn't hot. But if Coulson has personal issues with you two doing it…" She stops, eyes going wide as she has another thought. "Oh my god! AC totally fancies May!" She clasps her hands over her heart, making an 'aw' face. "Do you think they used to be together? Do you think that's why he got her out of retirement? Because he wants second chance?"

Ward doesn't really answer her bombardment of questions. "Um," is the best she gets out of him, so she gets back to her original track.

"Yeah, so since your current arrangement isn't working out, we should be having sex," she concludes.

Ward is silent for a little too long. But he doesn't run away, which has to be a good sign. "No," he says eventually.

"Aw…" She's not disappointed. Totally not. "Why not?" she whines. "It's only sensible. Missions are stressful. And we can't get in the way of… Philinda." She's a bit too pleased with herself for that one.

"No, Skye. It would be… inappropriate and…" he trails off.

Skye pouts. "Spoilsport," she complains. "Wait." She holds up a finger, eyebrows furrowing. "And what?"

"And…" Her SO has never been especially good with words, but he seems to be having an especially hard time at the moment. "It just… wouldn't… I mean, I couldn't… do that. With you." He looks nervous. Skye supposes she is interrogating him about his sex life.

She raises an eyebrow. "C'mon. Less babble, Robot. Why can't you? Am I that repulsive?" she jokes.

"BecauseIthinkI'minlovewithyou."

Skye's mouth drops open. Her eyes go wide. "Woah." It is her turn to be at a loss for words. "Um. Okay. I gotta say, I didn't see that coming." She grins, a little hesitantly. Maybe she should have seen it. There were signs, she realises, but she had spectacularly missed all of them, and, on many occasions, thought he hated her.

Ward looks like he might puke or something, so she reaches over and pats him on the head like the adorable little puppy he is. "Sorry," he says.

She shakes her head, shifting on the bed to be closer to him. "No. Don't be sorry." She bites her lip, really unsure how to process this new information. Ward is in love with her. "I mean," she begins, "I can't say, like, wow I love you too, because I don't. Not yet. But…" She feels nervous now. This is stupid. "But I feel like I could, y'know?"

He's giving her a really weird look. The kind of look that makes her forget how to breathe. She swallows. "Ward?" she asks.

He kisses her. Carefully, at first. But she replies enthusiastically to remind him, no, she isn't broken. She's all fixed up, very much not dead, and she's going to damn well kiss him. Then, his hands go to her hair and wind through it and she feels like he's wanted to this for a while. But who is she kidding? So has she.

They only break apart when her heart monitor starts beeping, but Skye feels better than ever.