Tumblr Prompt by SnarkySweetness: 11. Jealousy
In retrospect, Skye should've known that someone that looked like Ward wasn't going to be single for long. He was tall, dark, and always brooding, and that was on a good day. Still, seeing him talking to a girl at the bar in the PLAYGROUND still stung.
She wasn't supposed to feel jealousy, not after everything he'd done. Sure, Ward was welcomed back to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Team after a year in prison and especially after nearly sacrificing himself to save the Team a few months later after a HYDRA shakedown gone bad, but the sting of betrayal was still there whenever Skye looked at him.
But she also felt every spark and tingle that came with a shared look that lasted longer than it should have. There was every sense of safety when they would be put on two-man missions together. There was every craving of a simple life together when they would be watching a target in a diner or a coffee shop.
Seeing one of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits get a little hands-on with Ward while he was sparring with her hurt. Skye knew the sparring wasn't anything special in itself as Ward often did it with the new trainees. Coulson made one of Ward's requirements in the new S.H.I.E.L.D. to be a physical trainer, something Skye knew firsthand he was very good at. May usually helped the girls learn how to fight, but sometimes they needed to spar with Ward given that most guards were closer to Ward's size than they were May's.
Skye still trained with him in the mornings, before his sessions with other recruits would start. She wasn't happy about getting up at 4:30 just for sparring, but there was something rhythmic about sparring with him, something simple. It was like they could match each other's moves and sync their bodies up perfectly, timing themselves to react to each swing of the other's body. Whenever one of them would get pinned to the mat the sparring would end immediately, mainly because they both knew the gym clothes they were wearing were going to end up scattered across the ground if they kept at it, but every day at 4:45 in the morning, they were right back at it. Neither of them would admit they craved that alone time with each other.
The feelings they had for each other were still there. Neither of them acted upon them though, for Ward it was because of guilt for the things he had done, for Skye it was because she didn't want to be in love with him anymore, it was just too painful. After his betrayal she was so hurt and angry she had no choice but to accept that the cruel fantasy of them being together was nothing more than that, a cruel fantasy that the universe would plague her dreams with.
The dreams were a nice respite at first. They would always start off sweet with Ward and her either having dinner or just lying on the couch snuggled up together while watching TV. Other dreams were a little more erotic, insane amounts of sex until she woke up in a cold sweat and a flushed face. Those dreams were what made mission briefings so difficult for her. She would walk into the room and Ward would attempt to smile at her, something she should've scoffed at but instead she would always return the gesture, thinking it was cute instead of pointless. The entire briefing would be spent with Skye sparing a glance at Ward as the memories of the dream prior to that morning would flash through her mind.
The dreams would come back tenfold the night before a mission. She always chalked it up to stress and nerves, but deep down she knew what it really was, it was her heart telling her that she shouldn't be sleeping by herself the night before she goes out and risks her life, she should be in the arms of the man that loves her with everything he has. She would argue that it wasn't that, she just wasn't blind and he was a desirable guy. She expressed those concerns to May one morning during their workout, and May was very uncharacteristic as was her nature since the rise of HYDRA.
"I just don't understand why I still feel something for him. I should hate him, but every time we're on a mission or we're in a briefing, or we're just getting something to eat, I get these fucking butterflies and they just piss me off!" Skye exclaimed as she flailed her arms after a Tai Chi move.
"You're angry at him not because he hurt you, but because he hurt you and your heart still wants him. Your brain tells you it's a bad idea all day but your heart won't listen." May replied as she continued with her Tai Chi.
"Speaking from experience?" Skye pressed as she tried to get back into form.
"Not the point. The point is you should see where it leads before one of those new trainees finally gets ahold of him." May finished as she grabbed her water bottle.
Skye was left with her thoughts in the small room off the gym after that. When she finished her Tai Chi she picked up her duffel bag and turned towards the hallway that would lead her to her bunk.
She spotted Ward holding a punching bag for one of the new female agents. His face was as stoic as it always was when he was training, but the woman was flashing him flirtatious smiles and laughing at every little thing he said.
Could she be any more of an obvious slut?! Skye thought angrily as she huffed and stormed to her room.
Skye grabbed another duffel out of her closet and packed her laptop and a tablet before walking to the small black key safe by her bed. She inserted the key she kept in her pocket and removed the pistol and ICER from the safe. Skye was too busy checking the ammo in the magazines and the mechanics of the two pistols to notice Ward walking into her room.
"Still remember the difference between the safety release and the magazine release?" Ward teased as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the door.
"Guess we'll know when I have to shoot someone." Skye joked weakly.
"That's not funny." Ward replied as he walked over to the bed and rechecked the pistol she just finished.
"I know, and I also know how to check a pistol, so you don't need to double check my guns for me." Skye snorted as she snatched the handgun from him. Skye knew that while Ward could kill very easily, he still didn't care for it. He didn't when he was HYDRA, and he sure as hell didn't when S.H.I.E.L.D. asked him to. He told Coulson that if this S.H.I.E.L.D. is founded on a stack of bodies, than what made it any better than HYDRA?
"I just want to make sure you're prepared." Ward raised his hands in surrender.
Skye's face fell after hearing his words. He was supposed to be going with her on this mission. She was going to run the computer hack in the server room while Ward guarded her.
"You're coming with me, I'm pretty sure I'll be well protected." Skye said trying to reassure herself rather than him. She knew the training sessions with May were paying off. Skye could handle a few guards on her own, but still, it was nice to have someone like Ward that could take on twelve of them on his own if necessary.
"I'll be right there the entire time." Ward said.
Ward left Skye in peace to pack up everything that she was going to need for the mission. The op wasn't supposed to last long, a few hours at most. Coulson said they should be back by dinner if all goes according to plan.
"Still living in denial?" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Skye thought cheerily as she zipped up her duffel bag and through it over her shoulder before flashing Coulson her best winning smile.
"What makes you think I'm living in denial?" Skye lied.
"Because it's plain as day the two of you are still in love with each other." Coulson replied as though he was merely reading the statement from a book passage.
"No, we're not. I'm over it, and he's got plenty of damned trainees ready to jump him should he need some comfort." Skye retorted letting her anger get the better of her. She always tried to convince everyone that she wasn't bitter about letting Ward back on the Team. Letting him into S.H.I.E.L.D. itself didn't bother her, but letting him back on her team was too much of a stretch in her opinion.
"I take it you don't approve of my decision in making Ward one of our combat instructors?" Coulson asked with a teasing tone.
"Trust me, I know firsthand how good of a teacher he is." Skye huffed. She knew better than to argue with the Director, but Coulson never minded when she stated her opinions.
"So, what is it then, jealousy?" Coulson pried as his lips curved into a small smile.
"No!" Skye defended too quickly as she fought the heat rushing to her face. She felt like a damned teenage girl trying to be friends with the guy she was in love with.
"Okay, whatever you say. The briefing is in ten minutes." Coulson relented before turning to leave.
Skye sighed and adjusted the strap of her duffel on her shoulder before leaving after him. She knew better than to be late to mission briefings now.
The Command Center was fairly empty and left Skye with a sense of nostalgia as she looked into the glass-walled room and saw her entire team awaiting Coulson and May. Ever since Coulson restarted S.H.I.E.L.D. he named May as Deputy Director. It made it far easier to convince everyone that he was in fact married to the woman, something that came around as Skye was looking through the files HYDRA uploaded to the internet.
It was nice, Mom and Dad needed to be together for their little girl. Now if only she could convince herself that she wanted Prince Charming instead of Prince of Darkness, not that they weren't the same guy, she just wanted to believe the Grant Ward she fell in love with isn't the Grant Ward she sees now.
Skye looked into the room and saw the familiar faces of Simmons, Fitz and Trip. When she looked at who Trip was talking to she couldn't help the flutter in her stomach. Ward was standing there in his standard tactical gear, but that gear always made Skye a little weak in the knees.
The long-sleeved shirt hugged his arms in an enticing way that Skye wouldn't mind if he wore that shirt every day. Skye's blood ran cold though when she saw one of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. secretaries walk over to Ward and hand him a tablet and a couple of files.
The downside to having Coulson as Director? He lived in the forties and deemed that all secretaries ware blouses and skirts and high heels. It only served to make all the male agents ten times more likely to show up to meetings early to catch a glimpse of the women sauntering in their uniforms. Ward was the only who kept some semblance of neutrality whenever one of the secretaries would walk into the room, something Skye cursed herself for being thankful for.
The secretary smiled sweetly and was lightly laughing at Ward as he took the items from her outstretched hands with what Skye recognized as his "I don't like talking to people but I know better than to show it" smile.
Skye couldn't hear what was being said, but she knew flirting when she saw it. This woman was throwing herself at Ward and Skye honestly didn't know whether or not he was encouraging her or just putting up with it. The former made her blood turn to ice in her veins and had her hand unconsciously grip the pistol on her hip.
Skye released a breath she didn't know she was holding when the secretary finally left the room. Skye walked in the entrance opposite the one the secretary left and took her place beside Fitzsimmons.
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin. I just got off the phone with General Talbot and he wants us to secure some files from an office building he believes an arms dealer is using as a front." Coulson said as he walked in with May on his heels.
"Okay, but Sir, why are we doing this for the U.S. Government?" Ward spoke up as he sat the tablet on the table.
"Normally, we try to stay out of government affairs, but Talbot said that the arms dealer has come across something Asgardian and he would rather have S.H.I.E.L.D. secure the Intel on it than start explaining the whole Asgard and the nine realms idea to Congress." Coulson explained.
"That's also why we're sending two of my best stealth operatives to secure the Intel." May said gesturing to Skye and Ward who nodded at their mention.
"The job's simple, grab the intel and get outta here." Coulson said.
If only he knew…
"Think you can hurry up?!" Ward yelled as he punched another guard in the throat. The guards were endless, for every one Ward knocked out three more would seem to show up.
The job was supposed to be simple. Skye thought bitterly as she struggled to crack the last bit of encryption on the computer. Whoever this arms dealer was she was going to have to have a drink with his IT person, they really knew their stuff.
"Just another minute!" Skye pleaded as she glanced at Ward to see reaching for his pistol. Damn it, she was hoping they could make it through this without having to resort to real guns.
After Ward shot at least three guards she finally cracked the last layer on the computer. "Ward, I've got it!"
As Skye started scanning through the files, she found that it wasn't information on the Asgardian relic, it was the location of it.
"Ward! Get over here!" She called as she saw him checking one of the bodies for a fresh magazine. Ward had apparently dealt with all the guards in the building now, so they had some breathing room.
"What is it?" Ward asked slightly out of breath as he swapped out the magazine in his pistol.
"The relic's in this building. Right under us. We can grab it right now before any more guards show up." Skye told him quickly as she packed up her equipment and slung the duffel bag over her shoulder. She would hand it to Ward, but she knows he's the better fighter and needs to have as little weight as possible and as much mobility as his tactical gear allows.
"Alright, let's go." Ward said as he took her hand and started rushing them through the hallway. She knew he didn't enjoy it either but he was far better at dealing with it than she was. Something May told her once rang through her head, "Training is never a substitute for experience." Skye understood that no matter how hard she trained, Ward still had at least ten years of running black ops on her.
Skye hooked her phone up to a sensor on the wall by the door that lead to the basement. Once she cracked the lock Ward kicked it in scanned the immediate area for any hostiles. This was why Coulson always paired them together. Skye could open every door and Ward could clear every room. Skye rarely needed to help him in that regard, but there were still times the mighty Grant Ward couldn't handle everything on his own.
When Ward put his hand on her shoulder she stopped walking immediately. She turned to look at Ward and saw him staring at something in a glass case at the far end of the room. Inside the case were two halves of an emblem.
Fitzsimmons would be having a field day with this. Skye thought happily to herself as she walked over to the case and carelessly picked up one of the pieces. There was a glimmer coming off of it that she assumed the panel lights above were causing. Ward grabbed the other piece and held it closer to the light for a better look.
Skye turned to him and her breath hitched in her throat. Ward was bathed in that same glow and it highlighted his features perfectly. Her eyes were again drawn to the way the sleeves ran against the curvature of his arms and drew attention to his biceps.
The air in the room was growing hotter in her nose as Skye felt a rush of tingles work their way down her sides settling in her core. Ward looked at her with an expression she had only seen once, it was that night in Providence after his little confession. Skye didn't know what to call it then, but she knew now, love. It was an emotion she always tried to have separated from Ward since his betrayal, even more so when Coulson brought him back.
"Do you have the package?" Coulson's voice rippled through their ear pieces bringing Skye out of her daze and back to reality.
"Yes, Sir." Ward replied calmly as he walked back towards the staircase. To Skye, his voice sounded heavenly, that perfect mixture of bass and gravel tone that was made her close her eyes to savor the sweet bliss pinging her ears.
Back at the PLAYGROUND…
Fitz was checking over the two halves of the relic while Simmons tended to the bumps and bruises Skye got on the mission. Trip was tending to the small knife wound Ward received on his right shoulder from when a guard got a lucky hit. The scar on his cheek was reopened though, and Skye was having a hard time keeping her eyes off it.
She was having a hard time keeping her eyes off of Ward in general. Once they were in the SUV with the extraction detail Skye kept sneaking glances at him. She regretted it almost every time though because once she saw him a pulse would go straight to her core. When Trip had Ward remove his shirt to see how bad the wound on his shoulder was she thought she might pass out.
Simmons noticed the distant look in Skye's eyes and wasn't surprised to see that it was directed at Ward. Everyone at the base knew Skye still harbored feelings for him but none of them had the guts to call her out on them. They all just left Skye to her own devices and hoped that she would stop kidding herself and make a move before one of the new hires gets him drunk enough to make a bad decision.
"Okay, well, the two of you look alright. Ward I suggest no heavy lifting or intense training until that shoulder wound heals. As for Skye, well, a good night's sleep should take care of any lingering soreness." Simmons instructed as Skye hopped off of the table.
As Skye turned to leave the room she heard Ward's footsteps catching up to her. She turned her head to look at him and had to silence a sigh of defeat when she saw that he had put his shirt back on. Skye had to give him credit, he was good at hiding his pain. Despite being stabbed in the shoulder he was moving his arm as though nothing happened.
"You did good tonight." Ward broke the silence. Skye found her heart picking up pace as she heard the fondness in his voice.
"Okay, the files Skye got should tell me what this thing does." Fitz says as he opens the USB Skye handed him when they got to the lab.
"Does it have anything on the engraving between the grooves?" Simmons asked as she tucked herself close to his side to get a better look at the screen. Trip had long since retired to his bunk for the night after he cleaned up the waste from patching up Ward's shoulder.
"It's got a translation if you believe it." Fitz started before he spared another glance at the two halves of the amulet lying on the table to his left.
"It says 'to bring her to the one she's meant to be with, even if she doesn't want to believe she should be.'" Fitz recited.
"Skye and Ward both touched it, do you think it'll have any effect on them?" Simmons pondered.
"That arms dealer must've had someone do some research on it so he could get it properly appraised. The notes hint at a drastically increased libido in subjects. The trigger for it being 'when they love someone but don't want to admit it to themselves.'" Fitz's eyes went wide after reading that part of the file and he walked away from the computer to look down the hall.
"What's going on?" Simmons asked.
"Skye and Ward both touched the amulet." Fitz stated.
"Yes," Simmons agreed.
"We both know they're still in love with each other." Fitz recalled.
"Of course, but Skye's still in denial." Simmons added before her eyes went wide in realization.
"Do you think we should tell Coulson to move everyone out of their hall?" Fitz wondered aloud.
May was walking into Coulson's office with an annoyed expression plastered on her normally neutral face.
"You didn't have to do that. I was already making progress." She stated when she got to his desk and crossed her arms in mock annoyance.
"You wanted to win the bet against Hill and I made sure you did. As Director I had Thor drop off a few things and one of his sorceresses conjure up some guards. No harm done." Coulson explained as though it was common knowledge.
"What about Fitzsimmons?" May wondered. She knew about the plan but the rest of the Team didn't.
"The files Skye grabbed were real and we both know the amulet will have no effect on either of them, not since the pod." Coulson assured her.
"Still, you know there's going to be a big stack of noise complaints on our desks by morning." May said with a small smirk etching its way onto her face.
"I look forward to them, she deserves to be happy and we both know he's the only that can make that happen." Coulson said with a smile.
"Want to grab a drink then?" May offered.
"Might as well, no one's gonna be sleeping tonight anyway." Coulson relented as he stood from his desk and looped his arm around May's.
Skye was having a difficult time. She knew she had to get away from Ward or else she was going to do something she wasn't going to regret in the morning and that was the problem. Her heart was practically begging her to kiss Ward, it was pleading with her to tell him she still loved him. Her body on the other hand didn't give a crap about love, it just wanted to pull him into her bunk and rip his clothes off.
Ward wasn't saying anything but he wasn't moving out of the way either. Skye had a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that was sending rushes to her core and only fogging her mind more.
"So, I'll see you in morning then." Ward said before he turned and that's when Skye snapped.
She tightened her grip on Ward's shoulder and he turned to look at her before she kissed him roughly. Her heart won the war with her brain, and damn it she waited too long for this.
Ward responded instantly and threaded his fingers through her hair. He pushed her up against the wall outside her bunk and Skye hooked her leg around his hip to smash his body against hers. His lips were assaulting her own and she loved every second of it. When Ward's tongue swept her bottom lip asking for permission she could only moan in approval.
Skye took the hand she had currently pulling on Ward's hair and moved it toward her door so they didn't continue making out in public. She pushed Ward off of her and into her room with all her strength before kicking the door closed.
Skye grabbed the hem of Ward's shirt roughly and yanked it over his head. Once the offending garment was removed she pulled his head back down to her so she could smash her lips against his.
Skye's hands wandered over to the valleys of his torso and she moaned her appreciations into his mouth. Ward pushed his body up against hers until he was against her front and the door was against her back. He took her hands and pinned them above her head before trailing kisses down the column of her throat.
Skye found her head tilting to give him better access to her exposed skin. Ward released her hands and stepped back while she shrugged off her shirt. Ward's eyes darkened and Skye's skin heated under his gaze.
Why the fuck did I wait almost two years for this? She thought angrily as she popped the clasp on her bra and threw it across the room.
Ward pulled her flush against him and pulled her into another mind-blowing kiss. His lips began moving from her mouth down the column of her throat to lavish her breasts with his mouth and tongue.
Skye was brimming with lust and she could feel the heat pooling at her core. She needed their pants off. Now.
"Grant," Her voice was high pitched because he was currently doing his best to fuck her through her pants with his fingers and nipping at her pulse point with his teeth. "We should take this to the bed."
Ward grunted in response and proceeded to withdraw his fingers from being pressed up against her clit through the denim. Skye whimpered at the loss of contact but was silenced when she felt Ward cup her ass and pick her up.
Skye wrapped her legs tightly around Ward's waist and grinded against his front. She could feel his erection pressing against the fabric of his pants and it was making her pants drenched in anticipation.
Ward threw her against the mattress and started working on getting her pants off. She was only too happy to help in that regard and in seconds she was completely naked and Ward was kneeling.
Ward licked a line against her slit and Skye moaned loudly as her body shuddered against his lips. Ward started lightly sucking and grazing Skye's clit with his teeth before inserting a finger into her folds further pushing her to the brink.
Skye was cursing and panting and moaning and at some points screaming before her first orgasm hit. At that point she was mute with the pleasure, her vocal chords almost ripped apart from the intensity of the pitch of the scream she was yelling.
Ward wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before crawling over Skye's body to reclaim her lips in a searing kiss. Skye had felt a tear snake down her cheek. Two years was a long time to go without an orgasm so something like what she just had was close to making her have a heart attack.
"You still with me?" Ward asked with his voice barely above a whisper as his mouth hovered centimeters above hers.
"Get them off." Skye ordered harshly as her hand shot to his crotch to palm the package he was hiding from her. The first orgasm only left her starving for more and damn it if she going to feast on him tonight.
Ward smirked against her lips and started undoing his belt before shrugging off his pants. Skye eyed his erection appreciatively. Is he even going to fit? Skye mused wistfully as she took a hold of Ward's shoulders and flipped them so he was pressing down against the mattress.
Skye got a firm grip on Ward's erection and she heard him suck in a breath. She pumped a few times and watched Ward's hands fist the sheets beneath him while his head fell back on the mattress. She stopped her menstruations suddenly and positioned her entrance above him before locking eyes with him.
"Are you sure?" He asked shyly.
Skye didn't respond. She just impaled herself on his erection with a loud, heady moan. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head with the feel of him inside her.
Skye started rocking her hips against his, lifting herself off of his member before striking herself back down as hard as she could. Her thrusting increased in speed and Skye pressed her head against Ward's chest as she rode him to the end.
Skye's fingernails were cutting so deep into Ward's skin she was surprised that she wasn't feeling any blood seeping down her fingers, especially the one that had stitches.
Skye and Ward's moans filled the room and the hall beyond as they continued their primal dance. Ward flipped them over and started pounding into Skye's core with all the strength he could muster much to Skye's very loud approval as she shrieked in ecstasy.
Skye was finally pushed over the edge when Ward added his fingers to the mix, twirling her clit around between his thumb and index finger. Ward followed soon behind her spilling his hot seed deep within her.
Ward's body slumped against Skye's. He rolled over on his back and Skye followed, curling herself against his side and placing her head against his chest. She could hear his racing heart and couldn't stop the shit-eating grin that was creeping up on her.
Ward's arm came around her shoulder and pressed herself tighter against his side. Skye threw her own arm across his torso and squeezed just as tightly before she nuzzled her head against his chest.
Ward pulled the blanket over their sweaty, tired bodies and turned on his side. He wrapped his other arm around Skye pulled her further against his chest. Skye burrowed her head as far as she could into the firm surface of his chest before letting out a content sigh.
"I love you." Her voice was muffled against his skin but he smiled at what he heard nonetheless.
"I love you too." Ward replied as he kissed the top of her head before he allowed sleep to claim him.
Hill walked into the bar with a pissed-off look on her face. She spotted May and Coulson sharing a bottle of scotch between before she reached into her pocket. She drew out a fifty dollar bill and slammed it down on the bar.
"I hope you're happy. I'm pretty sure half the damn staff in that hall are traumatized by what they heard." Hill spat out.
"You should've known better than to make a bet on whether or not Skye would come to her senses. It wasn't a matter of if she would sleep with Ward, it's always been a matter of when." May replied calmly as she tucked the fifty into her pocket.
Hill huffed in annoyance before she trotted out of the bar. Coulson laughed lightly at their antics before returning to his scotch. May soon joined in with the chuckling and the two just sat there contently sharing a drink with one another.
Skye stirred in her sleep. She tried to sit up but found herself locked in the muscular arms of one asleep Grant Ward. A soft smile worked its way to her face while she watched him sleep.
"Has anyone ever told you that it's creepy to watch people sleep?" Ward mumbled sleepily.
Skye giggled. "No, but did anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't fake being asleep when you could be doing other things?" Skye suggested seductively as she let a hand wander south on his body. At least one part of him was awake and ready.
"So you don't regret it?" Ward asked carefully.
"No, I love you. That didn't change in two years and definitely not in one night." Skye spoke truthfully as she placed a tender kiss to Ward's lips.
Ward smiled his goofy smile before rolling Skye on her back where they continued to do things that lead to a few hundred noise complaints being slapped down on the Director's desk by jealous secretaries and exhausted agents.
