Skye
Skye sinks into a chair, letting out an audible sigh of exhaustion. According to Ward, she is getting a tiny bit better at her combat skills, which pretty much means sheʻs become an expert. But man, all this training was tiring. If they werenʻt off on a mission, almost dying, whatever, they were back here, working their butts off. FitzSimmons in the laboratory, inventing stuff that nobody there understood at all. Coulson, doing whatever Coulson does. Probably gazing dreamily at his Captain America trading cards. May, practicing her kung fu or tai chi or something. And then Ward, trying, and only partially succeeding, in teaching Skye how to shoot a gun properly or punch somebody hard in the face.
"Want an M & M?" Coulson asks. He sits down on the chair next to Skye, holding out the shiny bag.
"Nah, too exhausted to reach over," she mutters. "Thanks, though. Whatʻs up, anyway, A.C? Havenʻt seen you in days."
"Checking up on HQ, seeing if we have a mission. And we donʻt. Which means," he speaks up, and the rest of the team looks up from whatever theyʻre doing to listen to what he has to say. "I figure we all deserve a break, even if just a weekend. After all, New Yearʻs is coming up fast. A chance to visit family," he nods to Jemma, whose been getting annoyed calls from her parents for months, "party," which is obviously directed to Skye, "and such."
Skye would cheer, but she was too tired to do anything other than grin and thank Coulson. It had been ages since they had any time off. In fact, probably months. Not that she had anyone to see or anything to do, seeing as she had no boyfriend after that unfortunate incident a couple months back. And certainly no family. Her only friends were here. Still, a day without training would be super nice, she thought, even if Iʻll probably end up at some noisy club, ringing in the New Year with a bunch of strangers.
"My mom will be so happy," Jemma says. "They think Iʻm avoiding them." She laughs nervously.
"I wonder why…." Skye says sarcastically.
Jemma puts on a scolding tone. "Skye, you know none of us have had any time off. Of course Iʻm not avoiding her. Though Iʻm not overly fond of her pea soup," she mutters the last bit, probably scared of anyone hearing her say anything less than perfectly nice. Someone behind Skye laughs, and she turns around. Ward stands there, holding his duffel bag.
"When did you get here?" she asks him. The rest of the team has already been sitting down, hanging out, relaxing, but, as usual, Ward had been nowhere to be found.
Ward looks rather confused. "Um, Iʻve been here for fifteen minutes."
"You know, it wouldnʻt hurt to make some noise, at least breath, so we know of your existence." Jemma, who is standing nearby, munching on a granola bar, starts to laugh very loudly and obviously at Skyeʻs comment. Continuing to laugh for a full minute, she stops abruptly when she realizes the entire room is staring at her. Typical awkward Simmons.
"So, almost a new year," Skye says to Ward, in attempt to tone down the awkwardness of the entire situation.
"Yeah, so?"
"I donʻt know, I was just trying to make conversation," Skye says, again not sure exactly where she was going with that statement. They stand there awkwardly, silently for about thirty seconds, until she decides to use her standard awkward moment escape. "Iʻm hungry."
"Then go eat something," Ward raises his eyebrows. Well, this usually works, Skye thought, I guess not with Ward, who might be the king of awkward.
"Never mind," she saunters away, to talk to a more intelligent, or at least less awkward lifeform. Namely, Agent May. She might be more silent than Ward, but at least she actually has good responses to my awkwardness, Skye reasoned. Something better (and less logical) than "go eat something." May sits on the couch, seemingly deep in thought.
"So, whatcha doing?" Skye ask, sitting down beside her. May looks at her, aloof as usual.
"Now or for New Yearʻs?"
"Both."
"No idea," she says, a small smile on her face. Skye is almost struck speechless by what might have been an honest yet terrible attempt by Melinda May to make a joke. Skye decides that sheʻll never figure her out. Or at least, not until she figures herself out. That would be a start.
