Title: Broadsides
Author: Katie
Story Summary: Skye and Ward finally deal with the events of "Girl In The Flower Dress"
Spoilers: This falls in some indiscriminate time between "Girl In The Flower Dress" and "The Well"
Ratings: PG
Pairing: Pre SkyeWard
Authors Note: This is my first Shield fic, please read/review
Distribution: Please! Just let me know.
Feedback: Please…Please!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…at all…
When he pushes the door to his sleeping quarters open, he can immediately tell that someone has been in here since he last was, this afternoon to change clothes after a workout. Nothing seems moved, the light are still off – he can't see most of the room clearly enough to tell anyway, it's just the feeling that someone has invaded his space.
He slides his hand up the wall until it pushes up the light switch and floods his room with the yellow tinted light he was waiting for. He sighs a little, involuntarily, when he sees it – a box, simple and black, with a small blue tag that reads only "Grant" on the top. It's on the center of his bed.
He knows, without thinking about it, who left it. When the door slides shut behind him, he leans against it heavily.
She found it accidentally, moving files around on the computer to create some sort of organization, in her early days with the team. His birthday popped up on a personal file that she might have perused just a little too long, and without really meaning to, she must have memorized it – filing it away for future use.
About a month later they were in some tiny little coastal town on the outskirts of Spain – she and Simmons were given the afternoon off so they were browsing shops in a tiny strip mall in the center of town.
They're in a second hand shop marketing its self as 'vintage' and Simmons in looking over jewelry (what they came in to look at) when her focus is pulled away. She walks to a table in the corner of the store with various things just piled on it, she laughs a little when she sees it and just shakes her head at Simmons when she asks what she could possibly be buying here.
He sighs little when he pushes himself off the door and into the room. He takes the four steps required to get him to his bed and runs his fingertips over the box. He shakes his head, once, and pulls the lid off the box, laying it down on the bed.
Inside, is an early edition of the game "Battleship". Its box is tattered and worn, the date in the corner reads "1971" it's so old it's still called "Broadsides". Under the name of the game in big bold blue letters it's says "A game of naval strategy".
He kind of can't help the smile that finds itself on his lips as he pulls the game out of its gift box. When he does, a small piece of notebook paper floats back down to his land on his bed. He picks it up to look at it;
"If it's strategy, I think we can officially call it training, S/O.
Happy birthday!
-Skye"
She's sitting in a chair in the common area, pretending to watch a movie with Fitzsimmons while she fiddles with her bracelet.
Maybe she should have just let Ward's birthday pass – no one else seemed to know that it was today (and she got the vibe he kind of preferred it that way), she could have acted like she didn't either.
He was still, obviously, really mad at her about the Miles thing – everyone else had pretty much let it go (even May had stopped rolling her eyes every time Skye walked into a room) but not him. She knew it wasn't that long ago, but he wasn't letting up at all.
After dinner, when Fitz had excitedly asked him if he wanted to watch a movie (they would even let Ward pick the movie, Fitz had promised, his head bobbing up and down like an excited child), he almost looked like he was going to give in and do it…right up until Fitz had gestured at Skye, saying it was her turn to bring snacks and she always brought the best ones (she may or may not have a secret stash in her bunk) cluing him in, for the first time, that she's be in attendance. His face had pulled tight for a second before he shook his head, saying he had things he had to take care of and walking off.
She'd waited until he went to talk to Coulson and slipped into his room, setting the box on his bed. She nearly turned and picked the gift back up twice before she heard Simmons yell from the common room; "Skye, if you don't hurry with the snacks I'm going to shut Fitz up with the night night gun" she ran out of the room and to the kitchen to the soundtrack of Fitzsimmons arguing, not giving herself any more time to obsess over Ward's gift.
Fitz does a little clap when she walks into the room with snacks, her and Simmons share an eye roll.
She glances up from her bracelet, movement in the corner of the room catching her attention, to see Ward standing at the edge of the hall way – eyes focused on her. She stands, mumbling the word bathroom to Simmons (Fitz is unfazed by her movement). Simmons asked if she would like the movie to be paused but she just shakes her head and gestures at Fitz (wholly engrossed in the movie) with a smile. Simmons laughs as she walks away.
They walk a few steps into the hallway, out of view of the common area, before she stops and turns to look at him, "I'm sorry, I -"
"Thank you," he cuts her off, enjoying the look of confusion on her face "I can't remember the last time my birthday was anything…good…" he drifts off, his eyes clouding over for a moment before they return to Skye.
Skye's surprise gives way to a huge smile as she looks at Ward. After a moment she starts to shift her weight back and forth, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth and chewing for a moment before, "does this mean you forgive me?" it's a whisper.
He rubs the back of his head for a moment, "I really want to trust you again, Skye -" he cuts himself off, seeing the look of disappointment fall into her eyes. He nods once, he's lectured her, been mad, done all of that, but looking at her, now, in this hallway, "Yeah, Skye, I forgive you".
All at once, she launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug "Thank you" she hears him nervous laugh against her hair as he shifts his weight, counterbalancing them so they don't topple over. She lingers a moment longer than is strictly necessary before "happy birthday, Grant" it's a whisper, her lips brushing his neck. She kisses his cheek as she leans back into her own personal space, cheeks slightly pink.
They stand for a moment, looking at each other, before Ward remembers himself and reaches back to the small table behind him. When he turns back to face Skye he's holding the Battleship box in his hand, they both smile, "Up for a game?" he asks. She nods, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a nearby table to set up.
They play for hours, long after everyone else has gone to bed.