"Graaaaaant?" Skye's voice sing-songed through the walls of the Bus, carrying from the lounge to the sleeping quarters, where one tired specialist was trying very hard to put said quarters to their stated purpose. "Graaaant Waaaaaard?"

Ward turned to the side and lifted his pillow over his ears. It wasn't that he didn't like Skye. She'd been on the team for only a short while, but already he could barely imagine the Bus without her. She even played battleship with him, a surefire sign that she was not, as SHIELD (or apparently everyone, but he didn't know if he really believed that) would say, a "bad seed." But right now, he was tired. Their last mission had been especially taxing for him, requiring a mile-long sprint down a beach while under fire. After he came down from that adrenaline high, he wanted nothing more than to knock himself out until they reached their next destination.

The next musical summons sounded much quieter to him and Ward smirked, maneuvering himself as to best fall asleep with the pillow in that position. He didn't hear anything for the next minute and almost drifted off. Then,

"Agent Grant Ward, I am Agent Grant Bored!" Skye belted out from what could only be the doorway of his room. Not even Ward's improvised pillow shield could protect him. "Agent Grant Bored," Skye tittered to herself, proud of her creation.

Ward sighed, then roused himself. Putting on his best scowl, he towered over the girl standing in his doorway, puffing his chest out and flexing his muscles while keeping his arms crossed. It was, all in all, quite an intimidating sight.

Skye was unfazed. "Good, you're awake," she said. "Battleship?" She held up the game box with a smile Ward was sure, if tested, could melt an iceberg.

"Tired," he grunted.

"Bored," she returned in what was obviously her best Grant Ward impersonation. She smiled again. "Come on," she said, grabbing his arm. "It's three hours to our destination and I have nothing to do."

Ward sighed.

"Hit," said Ward. He had lost more quickly than usual, probably due to his unusual strategy of placing his pieces in a row in the middle of the grid. As the agent looked over his fleet, covered in red markers, he wondered why he had thought that was a good idea. "You sank my battleship."

"Wow," Skye said, staring at him with more than a little amazement. "You are tired. There wasn't even a hint of bitterness when you said that." She tilted her head to the side and studied him.

"Play again?" asked Ward. He was still exhausted, but part of being a Supervising Officer was tending to the emotional well-being of his trainee. She seemed to be having fun. He could manage.

But Skye was shaking her head, rising from the table. "Nope, Ward. We are getting you to bed. I didn't realize how tired you were; I'll find something else to entertain me." She pulled him up from the table, placing his arm over her shoulders. "Come on, Mr. Tough Guy. Even robots need sleep sometimes."

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Ward grumbled, and Skye laughed.

"Guess so," she said. They walked in comfortable silence back to Ward's quarters, and at the door Ward let go of Skye and collapsed onto his bed. Skye stood over him. "You know," she began, "if you were this tired, you should have said something. It's no fun playing against someone who's a minute away from nodding off." Ward rolled over and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"S.O... responsible for morale... emotional health..."

Skye smirked. "You played Battleship with me instead of sleeping to keep up my morale? Geez Ward, way to make me feel like an asshole. My 'morale' is fine. How do you measure morale anyway? Good? Strong? High? High sounds right." She looked down. Ward was barely conscious, and likely had not followed any of what she said. But as he buried his head in the pillow she heard his voice again.

"Besides... pretty when you play... smile a lot..."

Skye grinned. Now there was something she didn't hear everyday. Nearly-asleep Ward was more unguarded than normal Ward. She bent down and kissed his cheek, doubting he'd remember when he woke up. "I think you're pretty sharp too," she whispered. "Grant." She straightened and glanced down. He was fast asleep.