That first month, when she'd been recovering, had sucked. Skye had been confined to a wheelchair and had everyone fussing over her 24/7. She'd thought it had been awful until Ward came knocking at her door. Looking like he wasn't going to tear her apart piece by piece.

"Hey." He was looking serious, but then, he always did.

"Hey. What's up, SO?" She grinned up at him, hoping to coax that hesitant smile that only seemed to appear for her.

"I need to tell you something."

Skye's heart started to thud a little faster, but she kept the smile on her face. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

Ward took a moment before he spoke.

"I've been - involved with Agent May for a while now. I, ah," He coughed, "thought you should know."

Skye could feel the smile slipping from the corners of her lips. "Okay." She said. Really, what else could she say?

"Okay." Ward said, awkwardly. And suddenly a wave of anger rushed over her and she hated him, and his adorable awkward stance and that way he had of making her feel like maybe her future wasn't a bleak mess after all.

"I'm glad you told me." Her voice was stiffer, colder than just moments before.

"There's something else."

Oh, god. What else could there be to make this any worse?

"Coulson wants to see you."

"Oh."

Ward seemed at a loss of what to do. He jerked forward, like he was going to help her, but Skye quickly pushed herself from her bed to the weelchair.

"I've got it." She assured him with a tight smile, pushing herself out of the room as quickly as possible.

She pushed herself into the storage closet just so she could sit and cry for a few minutes.

Ward had expected her to be...oh, he didn't know. More upset, maybe? He'd expected shouting, or at least a few choice words about him and May. But Skye had been remarkably calm about it all. And that was good. He told himself that, firmly, confidently. It was good that she didn't care. That made this decision easier.

He knew things could never work out with Skye. He was her SO, but even more than that, he knew that if he let himself he would fall in love with her. And that he would choose her in any situation, over any protocol. So he had to stop this before it even started.

He was going to go back to May. He cared about her, if not in the same way he could've cared about Skye if he'd let himself. He could be with her without endangering anyone with clouded judgement. It was the smart choice - it was the right choice.

So why did it feel like he was leaving behind a part of himself?

Skye picked herself up again, like she always had. She wiped away the tears for the last time, and she went on like nothing had happened. She laughed at Fitz when he was being ridiculous, and joked about it behind his back with Simmons. She did impressions of May behind her back, and teased AC about his fascination with everything old. But she left Ward alone.

He made it too easy to not think about him - he spoke to her only when absolutely necessary, and avoided her completely unless they were training or working a job. It was like he was trying to keep her out of his life - out of sight, out of mind. If only that worked for her.

But no matter how much she missed him, she didn't push it. Didn't show up when he was training, didn't press him for answers. If he needed space, she'd give it, even if it tore her apart to see him drifting away.

He was with May, now - not just casually, he was with her. Skye would turn around, laughing, and see them with their hands clasped, or resting with Ward's arm around May. But she kept the laugh on her face and the light in her eyes, because she couldn't let him know how she felt. She couldn't let anyone know.

Months passed. Ages, it felt like. It got easier, a little, to see him with her, but Skye still felt herself falling when she was alone.

She was with Simmons, searching netflix for something to watch, when the younger girl turned to her.

"You need to talk to him." She said, like she was trying to be firm but didn't really know how.

"Talk to who?" Skye asked.

"Ward." Simmons declared. "You need to tell him how you feel."

Skye's eyes dropped to the couch. "I don't think that's the greatest idea."

"Why not?" Simmons was insistent. "I know you're in love with him, and he loves you too. I know he does."

"He's with May." Skye said flatly.

"He's with May because he can't be with you." Simmons sighed, exhasperated. "If he had the slightest inkling -"

"He did." Skye burst, then caught herself. "He did," She murmered in a calmer voice. "and, he left."

Simmons shook her head emphatically. "He loves you, Skye. I can tell."

Skye bit her lip. "I'll think about it." She muttered, but she knew what his response would be. He didn't love her, of course he didn't. He'd avoided her for months, gone out of his way to make sure that he didn't speak to her more than necessary.

But the more Skye thought about what Simmons said, the more she came to the decision that she would tell him. If not for him, then for her. To know that he knew, and he left. To close any doors that had been left open before.

When Skye found Ward, he was in the training room. He'd been there more often than not, lately.

"Hey."

Ward jumped, then glanced over at her. "Skye." He sounded surprised, and not altogether pleased. He took a step back from the equipment. "What are -"

"Wait." Skye took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you - to tell you something that I meant to a long, long time ago.

"I love you. I've loved you since I saw you sitting in that stupid chair reading Matterhorn, I was just too stubborn to admit it to myself. I know it's crazy, I know you're with May, and I love you - stupid, senseless, stand-outside-your-window-with-a-boombox love. And if you want me to go, to never speak to you again and pretend this never happened, I will. But I needed to let you know, that this is me. Saying I would give all of me, anything for you to just say it back."

She sucked in a breath. Took a step back, breathing in the silence.

"Okay."

She left him, with just that word as a goodbye.

She went straight back to her room, and for the first time since that day when Ward had told her about him and May, she grabbed her pillow and pressed it to her mouth to stifle the sobs that racked her body. She stayed there until there were no more tears left, until every last sob had been drawn out of her. Until a knock at the door came.

Skye stood up, wiping the leftover traces of tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. She felt raw, open, as she opened the door and saw him.

"Ward?" Her voice was uncomprehending as she looked up at him, heart clenching in her chest. And then he took a step towards her, and before she knew what was happening had curled his hands into her hair and was kissing her like she had only ever dreamed of.

He whispered to her, when they broke apart, that he'd left to end it with May. He told her why he'd avoided her all of those months. "You were a distraction." He murmered into her ear, and the way he said it Skye could only take it as a compliment.

"So what do we tell the team?" She asked later, when they were curled up on her bed, their feet and fingertips entwined, her head on his chest.

"We tell them the truth." Ward said, and even though Skye wasn't looking at him she could hear his smile. "That I love you."

"You do, huh?" Now she was smiling too.

"Really." He said, bringing her fingertips to his mouth and kissing them softly, one at a time. "Truly. Madly. Deeply. Senselessly."

"I could live to hear that more often." Skye murmered, and she curled her fingers in his hair as she brought his head down to hers.

They fell asleep that way, fingers intertwined, foreheads together, breath intermingling.

That night Skye dreamed of the stars.