I don't own Agents of SHIELD nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.
Warnings: Mentions of abuse.
Kara was ready to murder someone and if looks could kill, they'd all be dead right now. She scowled when they hit some turbulence and the plane shook a bit. "I want to be back on solid ground."
"We're almost there, Kara. You want to play a game? We can do that," Grant suggested, hoping she'd take him up on his offer.
"We can play Go-Fish. I bought a card game at that gas station we stopped at the last time we landed," Fitz explained to her.
She shook her head. "No thanks."
Grant shot a grateful look towards Fitz, who just shrugged. "That's okay. Maybe we can find something else to do?"
"Eye Spy," came Lance's sarcastic suggestion.
"I spy a cowboy," Grant teased.
"Shut up, Hydra boyfriend," he shot back.
"Stop calling me that!"
"Stop calling me a cowboy!"
"Boys, stop fighting or so help me, I'll make Mike turn this plane around and drop you off at the nearest airport so you can find your own way back," Phil threatened.
The threat was so ridiculous that all of them - including Phil - cracked up. "How did that go in your head?" Lance genuinely wanted to know."
"It sounded more stern and not stupid," the director admitted.
"We should be landing soon so buckle up!" Mike called.
"Ah, fantastic. Who's going to vomit this time?" Fitz snickered at the look on Grant's face when the former specialist scowled at him.
"It was a rough landing and I had just eaten the snacks you gave me!" he tried.
"Don't blame my snacks for the way you eat."
"Like you're one to talk. I don't know who's wasted more money on food this trip; you or him." Kara couldn't believe how much Grant and Fitz could put away. It was unreal.
"The pizza was well worth it."
"I had to get four pizzas because Ward ate a whole one by himself and so did you," Phil pointed out. They were going to eat him out of house and home if this continued any further.
"It was amazing!" Fitz and Grant cried at exactly the same time.
Kara rolled her eyes at the drama when the two shot dual surprised looks at each other. Fitz was still hesitant around Grant, who was working his way up to an apology but kept freaking out and backed down every time he tried. The fact that Fitz was freely giving him snacks was a good sign, however, because he really didn't share food. "Stop fighting about food already. No one cares anymore."
As soon as they landed and were free to depart, Kara bolted out of the plane and then laid down in grass to relax. "You comfy, Kara? I can get you a blanket if you need one."
"Stop hovering, Grant."
"I'm just worried. You're going to get dirty," he fretted.
"He's such a mother hen," she stage-whispered to Lance once he sat down next to her.
"Wouldn't expect that from him from what Skye and the others ranted to me about." Lance could see that despite what he had done in the past, Grant was a good person now - or at least he was attempting to be. And Grant was such an overprotective big brother figure to Kara that he secretly thought it was adorable (when he wasn't on the receiving end of it, that is).
"Do you have a headache? I can grab you a pain reliever and I'm pretty sure Fitz will let me borrow some." Grant ignored Lance because he couldn't think about what that meant right now. Saving SHIELD and Skye was his number one priority right now. And Kara and Fitz too, not that he'd admit it.
Kara waved her finger at him and beckoned him to come closer. When he did that, she grinned at him. "Go apologize to Fitz right now," she ordered.
He stared off into the sunset and sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I can apologize but no one's ever going to forgive me." Phil let him escape but the director still didn't trust him and he understood why but it still hurt. He wanted so badly to wipe his ledger clean but Grant didn't think that was a possibility. He had fucked up too much and there was no going back now.
"Do it now!"
"Okay, sorry!" Grant replied as Lance's shoulders started shaking with laughter. He bit his lip and slowly made his way over to Fitz and Coulson, who made up excuses and bolted as soon as he saw the look on Grant's face.
"Why are you staring at me like this? You can't take my candy again, Ward. It's mine."
"I'm not here about your candy, Fitz." Grant's eyes filled with tears and he stared at Fitz so the man would know he was acting sincerely. "I am so sorry for ejecting the pod. I'm not excusing my actions but it was supposed to float and I needed to keep you safe from Garrett because he would have shot and killed you both, and I couldn't let that happen. I fucked up and I can never make up for what I did."
Fitz's eyes filled with tears and he wrapped his arms around Grant, who shuddered at the contact. He was getting better with that but he still couldn't stand when people touched him. "I forgive you, Ward, as long as you let me apologize for taking away your oxygen. I was driven by revenge and I shouldn't have done that."
Grant pulled away and shook his head. "There's nothing to forgive, Fitz. I deserved that and you don't have to feel guilty because I understand why you did it. But if it makes you feel any better, I forgive you too."
And then they were hugging and crying each other and talking over one another. "Who ordered these two messes?" Lance called over to Phil.
He looked over at the two hugging men and sighed. "Well this is better than the alternative, Hunter. They could be trying to kill each other."
"Good point."
Mike looked all around the field before focusing all his attention on Phil. "Did you ever get the full story about what happened on the plane?"
Phil frowned. "No. Do you want to tell me something, Mike?"
"I wasn't around for most of it but Garrett treated both of us the same. I thought you knew or else I would have said something sooner." Fuck, now he felt guilty.
"Treated both of you the same?" What the hell did that even mean?
"Garrett belittled him every chance he got. Raina witnessed some of it too so you might need to ask her next time we see her. She told me that Garrett beat the shit out of Ward to supposedly sell the cover but went above and beyond while doing so." Mike wished he had said something sooner or else this might have gone differently either. He couldn't feel guilty for thinking about his own life and redemption, though. It was something he was learning with the therapist Phil ordered he talk to.
The revelation floored Phil and he knew he needed to speak to Grant about this soon but now was not the time, not when Skye and SHIELD were more important. He wished Grant had spoken up sooner but maybe the man hadn't realized quite what was going on. "Thank you for telling me, Mike."
Kara looked up at Mike curiously. "Are you uncomfortable?"
He shook his head. "No, I've become used to living like this."
She stood up and with his permission, touched Mike's face. "How do you live knowing you've been damaged forever?" the curious Kara wondered.
"We're not damaged, Kara. We've just been through a lot of shit and came out the other side stronger. We're survivors."
"Damn straight," Grant chimed in after he and Fitz finally pulled away from each other, wiped the tears off their faces, and joined the others. He wasn't the type of survivor Garrett thought he was, however. He hated that bastard and hoped he was rotting in hell where he belonged.
"Are we stealing a car or just walking from here?" Lance needed to be drunk off his ass if they were going to walk.
"We're stealing another car." Phil didn't quite like the idea of walking either.
"What's going to be big enough to fit all of us?" Kara hoped they weren't cramped in a small car.
"We'll find something," Mike promised. And sure enough, they stumbled onto a minivan less than five minutes later.
"I call shotgun!" Lance cried as he stared diving towards the passenger side. Grant elbowed him out of the house (he felt bad about it) and got there first but Phil wouldn't let either of them sit in the front.
"I get shotgun privileges. Lance, you drive. Grant, go sit in the back."
"I feel like a little kid back here," Fitz complained as he climbed into one of the middle seats.
"So do I. Can we watch one of these movies back here?" Kara asked after picking up a box of DVDs on the floor.
"Ooh, Frozen!"
"Will it keep you four distracted back there?" Phil hoped they said yes because he had a headache from all the arguing.
"Yes?" Grant wouldn't mind taking a nap but that hadn't been possible in the last few days and he was exhausted.
"This is actually pretty uncomfortable. Who thought these were a good idea for families?" Mike wondered.
"Can I drive at some point or is that option out?" Grant was genuinely curious.
"What's a good movie to watch?" Kara couldn't decide but that wasn't surprising.
Lance slammed down on the blakes and they lurched to a stop. "Light turned red. Sorry!"
"Pay attention to the road, not the bickering," scolded Phil. God, he needed to be back home with Melinda because he couldn't handle all five of them on his own.
"I'm taking a nap," Kara decided after she yawned several times in a row.
"We'll stay quiet for you," Grant promised. He had been looking forward to watching a movie with Fitz, Mike, and Kara, too.
"Is that even possible with you and Hunter in the same car?" Mike snarked.
"Yes it is."
"I take offense to that, Peterson!" screeched Lance.
"We should have stopped for snacks." Fitz looked at his pile of eaten, opened snacks mournfully and wished he and Grant had some self-control when it came to sweets.
"We'll buy out the place at the next gas station." Grant really just wanted to eat some more candy. Garrett had restricted his diet to only healthy food and now he was pretty much making up for all of it.
Much to Phil's chagrin, Lance stopped the car at an ice cream place about half an hour later. "What? I"m hungry too! It's their fault."
"I like this plan to pin the blame on Fitz and Ward." Mike smirked as he opened the door to get some air.
While waiting in line, Fitz, Lance, and Grant wandered over to the plastic ice cream on the ground and started fucking around with it. "We must be really bored," Grant surmised.
"It's been a long week," Fitz agreed. He was eager to get back to the Playground and reunite with Jemma. For the first time in a while, he thought their relationship could be fixed.
Lance and Grant were moving the plastic ice back and forth when Fitz slapped his palm on it and then they heard a creaking sound. It fell to the ground and the three men stared at each other in horror. "Did anybody notice?" questioned a panicked Lance.
"No, I think we're in the clear," replied an equally panicked Grant. "Scatter," he whispered and they all took off in different directions..
"Idiots!" Kara muttered as she saw them running away.
"Our idiots," teased Mike.
"Yes, pretty much."
Phil came back with all their ice creams within five minutes and the five of them gleefully tore into their treat. He took over driving when they got back in the van, and Mike joined him up front.
Poor Kara got stuck in the middle as Fitz, Lance, and Grant began bickering over stupid shit. "I hate you all," she moaned.
They stopped for the night at a motel (and ditched the van) once the sun started to set. Kara was just so glad to be able to walk without problems that she started pacing in the room she shared with Grant. Fitz ignored her to play games on his phone, wishing he could contact Jemma.
Grant went to get ice and stopped dead in his tracks when he accidentally ran into Skye outside. "We've been looking for you!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" She couldn't believe her luck.
"I'm with Coulson, Fitz, the cowboy, and Mike Peterson. Road trip to help find you and save SHIELD from falling again," he explained.
"We felt something in the air when we landed here but had no idea how to contact anyone." Skye was so relieved she started laughing and he stared at her in alarm.
The others joined them when Grant set out a quick group text. He glared when Skye introduced them to Lincoln. "You've been making sure Skye's safe?"
"I can take care of myself," Skye complained.
"Thank fuck you're here because I want to fucking kill all of them," Kara ranted. At least she wasn't the only girl anymore.
"Not that she needs my help but yes, I've been taking care of myself," Lincoln answered, unsure why when they all started talking over him.
"I've been working for Coulson for months now - he helped me escape," Grant explained to Skye when she questioned why he was there.
"Okay then." The earth trembled a little at that but the team ignored it.
"Is it always like this?" Lincoln shouted into the void.
"Yes. Get used to it," Mike answered.
"It's nice to see you again," a grinning Skye told him. She had a lot to tell them, including the fact that her biological mother was alive, but that could wait for now.
Now seven of them had a common goal - saving SHIELD and stopping Gonzales and his team. Lincoln had his own agenda that would be revealed in due time.
And Kara and Skye teamed up to purposely annoy the hell out of the boys. None of them stood a chance against those two.