Hey! This is a little May and Skye centered one-shot. Skye has trouble dealing with Trip's death and the events of San Juan. May helps her through the hard time. (Angst at first then slowly turns to fluff). These two are probably my favorite characters and I love their growing mother/daughter-like bond. I constantly search for May and Skye centered fics, so I figured I should write one of my own. (Set right after 2x10) Hopefully it's not too OOC. Okay, enough talking, I hope you enjoy!
Blood was dripping down her face. Her cut from her battle with Agent 33 was once again opened. The city had crumbled under, rubble sprayed everywhere. After escaping the cavern that Skye had followed Raina to, a vast chain of events had unfolded, most of which Skye could hardly remember. The same thought flooded her mind, over and over again. Trip was dead. There was nothing that was going to change that. She had watched him crumble, much like the city that fell on top of his ashes. He was gone.
She remembered finding Coulson as she stumbled out of the broken stone wall. She had to try her hardest not to tumble into his body, tears streaming down her face. Her arms wrapped around him, refusing to let go. Pain had shot through her. Why couldn't he be her real father? It would have made things so much simpler. If it were true, than maybe Trip would still be breathing. It had taken her a few seconds to realize that Mack was there too, the otherworldly glaze gone from his eyes.
"Shh," Coulson said softly, "we need to get out of here." The next few minutes had been a blur. The three of them shoving back through the path that both Skye and Coulson had previously taken. Cries breaking from Skye's breath as they moved.
"Trip...he's gone," she said, the words hardly made it out of her throat. Coulson's face looked shocked at first, then recognition and pain buried his expression.
"No," he said, his mind not letting him believe it. Skye nodded against his chest, tears continuing to stream. The glow stick that Mack held, barely allowed their eyes to pave the way in front of them. Shards of cement tumbled down from the ceiling. A particular piece had skimmed across Skye's right arm. It left scratches and blood in its wake, but she didn't react. Too much pain already lived inside of her. When they had finally reached the entrance to the cavern, Coulson had screamed for May. Skye couldn't remember how they actually managed to get to the surface, but they had succeeded. This time she actually did fall into May's arms. Skye was too weak to let go. So she just held on. They somehow had made it to the Bus and Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi and Hunter had joined them at some point.
Skye was far too shaken up to tell the team what had happened down in the city. All they needed to know at the moment, was that something terrible occurred and Trip died because of it. Bobbi had gotten the Bus off the ground, because May was currently preoccupied. They all had taken the news about Trip pretty harshly. Simmons had started immediately crying. She had excused herself and broke down completely in the privacy of her bunk. Bobbi had looked teary-eyed, but focused on flying. Fitz wouldn't believe it at first. He was in denial, but everyone suspected that he would fully deal with the loss of their friend later. Hunter and Mack seemed clearly rattled by the situation, but had kept control of their emotions.
Skye was still broken, lying on the floor of the cargo hold. May tried to convince her to let her clean up her cuts, but Skye didn't respond. May eventually decided to carry her into the room where they held the medical supplies. Skye curled up into her S.O's arms, much like a child would in their mother's embrace. May didn't seem to struggle with the girl's weight at all. She simply placed her down on the bench and gathered everything that she needed to clean her up. Simmons would probably want to look Skye over later, but she was currently occupied. After Simmons had taken a few minutes to collect herself, she had insisted on cleaning up Coulson's wounds. Phil was a bit reluctant at first, because he didn't want to leave Skye. But he knew that May would be there for her and that he needed medical attention.
When May turned back around, Skye was slightly shocked to see that her eyes looked red as if she had also been crying. Because Skye had been such a wreck, she hadn't actually looked at May's face. Clearly she was upset about Trip too. Some things made Skye realize how wrong she really was when she believed that May didn't feel anything. In fact she probably felt more fiercely than most of them on the team. She just channeled her emotions. Didn't let them show unless it was useful. Skye respected that.
May used some wet wipes to clean the dirt and soot off of Skye's face. She then took her thumb and wiped Skye's tears away. She dabbed a wet cloth, and cleaned the blood off of both Skye's face and arm. After covering up Skye's wounds, May disappeared for a few seconds. When she returned she had a clean shirt and a pair of Skye's sweatpants. From hugging Coulson, Skye had gotten some if his blood on her shirt. May helped her take off the bloodied clothes and slip on the new. She set the supplies and clothes aside and hoisted herself up next to Skye.
Skye's tears had slowed down slightly, but they hadn't fully subsided. May took one of the younger woman's hands in her own, and started rubbing it. Skye brought her head over and let it rest on her S.O's shoulder, trying to relax. Her mind had turned back to Cal and what he had said about her mother. Whitehall had killed her in cold blood. He had taken everything he possibly could take from her, then left her in a ditch. All for his so-called research. All so he could live longer. Her father's words still tumbled in her head, telling her that no one but him would understand her. Something in that room had changed her, she could feel it. May moved one of her hands to Skye's head, pushing her bangs out of the way. She paused a moment before speaking.
"Do you want to talk about it?" May's words were quiet, but clear. Skye sat silent for awhile before nodding. May stayed quiet, understanding that Skye needed her space. Skye did not speak for awhile, and May understood that she was waiting for her to ask her a question.
"Why did you follow her?" she asked after a sum of time had gone by. Skye knew she was talking about Raina. She wondered what May's reaction had been when she had found out that Skye had gone down into the tunnels. Coulson must have found her and told her.
"I don't know," she said honestly, "I wanted to stop her, I couldn't let her go down there and cause everyone in the world to suffer because of her selfishness." May smiled sadly at the young woman. Skye had gone down there, risking everything for the greater good. A real shield agent. It was practically in the definition. Skye's action reminded her of herself when she was younger. It reminded her of Bahrain. She had never considered herself to be courageous or brave, in her mind there was no other option. She had to go in to save those agents and the girl. There was no other way, she had to do it. Over the years she had regretted that choice, but she had realized that if she hadn't have done it, she would have regretted it the rest of her life. No matter what she had chosen, her heart would have been tinged with guilt. Bahrain had changed her life forever, and there was no going back. What if the same would be true for Skye and San Juan?
"You stopped her, didn't you?" May asked, assuming that worse of things would have occurred if not. Skye shook her head, tears begging to tumble more furiously again. May noticed a slight tremor in the bench, but pushed it aside, figuring it was just turbulence.
"Trip stopped her," Skye cried, voice breaking. May silently cursed herself from mentioning it. But she had to find out somehow. She slowly rubbed Skye's shoulders, trying to help her calm down.
"But she changed," Skye started, breath catching in her throat, "So did I." May was slightly confused at first, but she didn't want to push her any further. Skye could clearly tell that May didn't understand what she was talking about, so she continued.
"The obelisk did something. It changed something in us. Raina… she told me that we would find out what we become." Skye continued to relay what had occurred to May. Every so often she would stop, needing a moment to collect herself. Skye was worried that something had changed her DNA, that she wasn't fully human anymore. May didn't make any comment, but she wondered about the GH-325 and how it had affected Coulson, but not Skye. Maybe this had something to do with it. She then told May all about her father. What he had told her, that her real name was Daisy.
"I like Skye better," May had added quietly. It had made Skye smile slightly, knowing that May cared. She then told May about what her father had said.
"He...he said that he would be the only one that would understand me… and that you guys would leave me." The words stung for May. How could a man who had killed so many people and had left his daughter to face the world on her own, ever say such things? He didn't know anything about their team or his own child. How could he make such assumptions? She tried to shake the angry feeling, but it wouldn't budge. She was going to prove Cal wrong. Skye was her family, no matter what he said. To her, family wasn't blood. It was the people who loved you and made you feel safe. It was the people who you wanted to comfort and never see in pain, and she would never abandon her family.
She thought about it for a minute, and realized something. She did understand Skye. Maybe not in the sense that she had undergone a change that might have turned her into something inhuman. But May had been changed too. They both had gone into a building as different people than the ones that they came out as.
"He's wrong, Skye," she said, voice quiet but forceful, "We will never leave you." Skye nodded her head, knowing it was true, but still wanting the reassurance. What May said was incredibly strong and powerful. It once again made Skye regret her former opinion of the woman. She still remembered the words Coulson had spoken over a year ago. How he told her about what happened in Bahrain, how it had changed May.
" She was warm," he had said, referring to the woman that she used to be. And now in this moment, more than ever Skye knew that the person May used to be was still inside of her. Skye looked up into eyes of the woman she had started to think of as a motherly figure. Even back before Hydra, May had been looking out for her, for all of them. She might not have shown it or admitted it, but she had always wanted to protect them. How could she have been so wrong?
"Do you feel better?" May asked after a few minutes had passed. Skye nodded slowly. She did feel better, but a deep emptiness was still buried in her chest. She was afraid that if she admitted that she felt alright, that May would leave her by herself. Surely May had better things to do than sit around babysitting her all night.
"Hey," May said, moving Skye's chin so she would look into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere." Apparently May could read minds. Skye would have to add that to the list of superpowers her S.O. possessed.
"Come on," May said directing her towards the door. May helped Skye off the bench, letting her lean her body into her own. They made their way into Skye's bunk, May helping her slip under the sheets. May tucked the blankets around her, almost like a mother tucking her daughter in for the night. Skye silently wondered how her life would have been different if that were true. Although the room was small, May sank to the floor next to Skye's bed. She took ahold of Skye's hand and held it. Skye still seemed anxious, but soon closed her eyes. After all the pain she had been through, her body finally relaxed. May watched the girl drift to sleep, finally at peace. She slowly moved to her knees and pressed a firm kiss to Skye's forehead. She sank back to the carpeted floor, having no intentions of leaving.
"Sleep tight, angel eyes."