Hey! So... this is my first ever AoS fic and its a Coulson/Skye pairing. There's not a lot of fluff or anything completely romantic outright happening because I just wanted to add in something like a 'missing scene' between these two when Skye first wakes up! From what the epi showed she was def not making her first attempt to escape before Simmons stopped her & we saw Coulson watching over her at the end of T.A.H.I.T.I so this picks up from there!
Disclaimer: Marvel owns S.H.I.E.L.D and therefore Skye and Coulson and everything else I wish I owned! *sigh*
It had been several hours since Simmons had injected Skye with the GH 325 drug and yet the young hacker still remained unconscious; although the biochemist reassured everyone else that this miracle cure was working and healing Skye at an immensely rapid rate, she also mentioned that it would take at least another twelve hours or so before their team member would awaken. And so, the vigil over Skye's bedside began with Coulson being the one who sat beside the young woman as he waited... waited for any signs of her waking up. There were a dozen thoughts running through his mind, or at least a dozen that he could actually fathom making some sort of sense; no matter how hard he tried, Coulson couldn't help flashing back to what he had found in the bunker - the door labelled T.A.H.I.T.I revealed more than he ever expected to discover. Now that he knew where the source of this GH 325 drug came from, a unknown chill had seeped into his mind because there could be endless possibilities of what the drug would do to Skye.
As soon as his thoughts shifted toward the hacker, Coulson looked over to where she still lay asleep, breathing normally and it would seem, peacefully too. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was nearly 6 am. He hadn't bothered waking anyone else up to take the next shift because no matter what, he wanted to be the one with Skye when she woke up at last. Everything that had occurred over the last few days seemed a blur to Coulson and yet to him, it still felt as if he had only just discovered Skye's cold and limp body slumped against the basement in Quinn's house. Shaking his head clear of all those images... holding on to Skye, begging her to wake up, feeling the blood from her stomach flowing through his fingers as he barely remembered yelling out to Simmons for help... in that moment when he had seen what happened to her, for a brief split second he had feared the worst and even though it had long since passed by, Coulson still remembered how that feeling had nearly killed him all over again; for that was the amount of pain he experienced, the thought of losing Skye was so unfathomable to him that he knew without a doubt, he would do anything in his powers to keep her alive... to have her safe... and to know that she would be there with him once more.
"Uhh..." A soft and barely audible moan escaped from Skye's lips as she slowly began to stir, breaking through Coulson's tumultuous reverie.
"Skye!" He whispered her name as he pushed back the chair and went over to her. "Skye..." Calling out to her again, he gently touched her hands with his and watched as she winced slightly and began to open her eyes which were flickering as she adjusted to the light of the room.
"A.C, what...?" Skye instantly recognized the voice that was calling her name, Coulson was near her. She needed to wake up and see him. Warn him about... about... what she had witnessed.
Everything felt groggy and disoriented to her as she tried to move, but as soon as she felt the warmth of Coulson's hands helping her to sit upright Skye opened her eyes and saw him staring at her in... awe?
"You're awake." The relief that flooded his voice revealed more than he would have let on if it were anyone else but when it came to Skye, there was nothing he could truly hide from her. "Skye... are you... how do you feel?" Sitting down on the bed beside her he noticed that she had finally gotten her bearings and yet looked as if she was trying to remember what had happened to her.
"I... I feel fine A.C. What happened to me?" Skye's voice was still soft but at least the color was returning to her cheeks, there was a shooting sense of pain that lasted only a second and as soon as her fingers brushed against her stomach, all of the memories came rushing back to her mind. Going with Fitz to the mansion. Entering that basement. Finding Mike. Quinn shooting her. The cold, painful darkness she had fallen into. It all happened so quickly that Skye felt all of her thoughts start to overwhelm her and she snapped her eyes shut trying to push it all away, back to the deepest corner of her brain where it would stay for good.
"Skye... listen to me, what happened is a long story and I'll tell you about it all... later..." Coulson reached out to hold her hand, "The important thing is that you're okay now. Simmons found a cure and you're healing slowly. Just... try to relax." He knew that there was a lot Skye wanted to tell him and he wanted nothing more to listen to her but he also knew that she had just awoken and thinking about all that had taken place would probably not help the over-active mind of hers to calm down so that she could rest.
"Coulson, I... I know it was you who saved me." Skye wasn't even sure how she knew this, a lot of things still felt like a big blur of blanks in her mind and yet something in her knew without any doubts that he... A.C... had been the one to save her life.
Surprised to hear this, Coulson gazed at her for several moments wondering if she remembered anything from the moment Jemma had administered the injection into her system. Or if it was something that she had heard while unconscious. What was surprising to him was the certainty in her voice because it proved that she knew him better than anyone else; perhaps even himself. Even though he knew that he had found the GH 325 for her, it still didn't feel like he saved her... she had to know the truth... but not right now. Not yet. She still needed to rest and regain her strength and later, he would talk to her about everything.
"It wasn't only... I had... everyone else helped to save you Skye. I... wa... we weren't about to let anything happen to you. So thank the rest of the team when they wake up. I'm sure Jemma will be very glad to see you awake so soon. I should go and call her, let the doctor do her work." Coulson suddenly felt as if he should be anywhere in the Bus apart from here and he didn't know why.
No. Of course he knew why; talking to Skye just now and hearing her voice when she told him that she knew he had saved her life, the slip up he almost didn't fix when he said "I" to her, the comfortable silence they were finding themselves in, it was starting to bring up things he wanted left aside. Things from within his heart... Feelings... from within his heart. For Skye. He had to force them back down soon or else...
"Don't go just yet." Her whisper and gentle tug of her hand pulling his back to where she sat was enough to make Coulson stop mid-way as he tried to leave. "I... I want to just rest for a little while longer before Jemma starts to poke and prod me. Please?" It was a long shot in her mind and yet Skye couldn't help but wonder if Coulson would hear her. Hear what she had left unsaid, "Stay with me."
"Alright. But only for a few more minutes okay?" Coulson knew that he could never say no to Skye, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone.
"Yes! Thanks A.C!" It was completely instinctive on her part and yet Skye didn't think of anything else when she suddenly flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, a bright smile forming on her lips.
Coulson was stunned for several long seconds wherein he tried to process what was happening. This wasn't the first time that Skye had hugged him nor was it the first time she had taken him by surprise but it was still something he needed to expect from her. Without thinking about anything either, this time Coulson found himself wrapping his arms around her tiny waist as he hugged her back and letting the warmth fill his heart. For a moment he could forget all his worries, he could think of nothing but the woman in his arms, he could not care about what his feelings were for Skye because even if she never felt that way for him, it was enough to know that she still considered him to be an important part of her life and he could find some happiness in this. And not for the first time since he had met Skye did he wish that time would just stop to let them just... be.
A moment later Coulson decided to pull back from the hug as he gave Skye a small smile. Not wanting to linger on his thoughts about all the confusing, conflicting and complicated emotions he was going through, he decided to give Skye a few minutes alone. It was time he went to call Simmons and see if the rest of the team had risen yet. Once again though, just as he got to his feet Skye's fingers brushed over the back of his hand and he turned around to see her staring... no, not staring, gazing at him intently; the look on her face did not reveal any signs of any emotion but simple determination to have some company with her. And yet, when Coulson met her eyes he noticed a flicker of something hidden in them. Whatever it was, Skye did not seem to be as aware of what her own gaze betrayed to him but when she realized that her hand still held on tightly to his, she let go of her grasp almost immediately. Feeling the heat rising through her cheeks, noticing that neither of them was willing to stop the sudden staring contest that had sprung up from nowhere, she broke her gaze first and glanced away.
"You were leaving without saying goodbye." Was all she said to him, even though she didn't look back to meet his eyes again.
"Do you think I would really do that? You didn't give me a chance to say bye." Coulson couldn't help but grin slightly as he noticed the change in Skye and... a blush creeping up her cheeks?
"Right. No, I guess I didn't. Sorry." Skye started to fumble through her words a little as she dared to turn around and face him again. Where were these sudden stirring feelings coming from? Within herself? Inside her heart?
"Apology accepted." This time he smiled a little more than he had earlier. "I better go and find Simmons now, get some rest. I'll be back later to check and see how you are." If all went well and there was nothing else to deal with today, Coulson felt as if he could stay here all day and all night with Skye. Just to be in her company was enough to make him feel... alive. It was something he hadn't felt came to him very easily, given all that he had been through in the last several weeks. Now, things seemed different. Perhaps Skye's sudden nervousness around him meant that maybe there were some feelings within her that she was slowly starting to come across. If that was so, then Coulson would continue to hold on to the hope that if not today or tomorrow, maybe one day, they would have something more than just this... connection of an unspoken bond between them. For the moment however, he was content to wait. After all, he always believed patience was one of his stronger suits; in the meantime, he would visit Skye as often as he could and stay with her until she was fully recovered.
"Bye A.C." Skye mumbled loud enough for him to hear her. If she did get a few minutes alone before Jemma came rushing in, maybe she could figure out what this warm and familiar feeling she was experiencing around Coulson meant. Surely it was nothing... or was it?
"Take care of yourself Skye." And with that, he finally left the room and went on his way to meet Simmons. Knowing that whatever came their way next, whichever enemies they encountered, alliances they formed, he and Skye would be as strong as ever.
Thoughts? A little R&R would be nice too! ^_^