A/N: I had this idea yesterday, but am only just now getting around to writing it. Also, I promise that Match of the Century will be update by the end of next week at the latest.
New Year Tradition
New Year's Eve; a day usually spent at parties with family and friends and watching the countdown on television. Agents of SHIELD didn't get such luxuries. For Coulson and his team, their New Year's was being spent aboard the Bus in route to Moscow, Russia to investigate a Hydra sleeper cell.
Not that Skye was going to let that stop them from celebrating. Ten six-packs worth of beers cans, party streamers, noise makers and empty chip bags littered the living room from the miniature party that she managed to cobble together in the four hours the spent in Paris while May fueled the jet up. It was quite the shindig, complete with Fitz and Simmons getting completely wasted and making out atop the pool table, Coulson working up the nerve to sing karaoke, and Skye giving a still drunk Simmons a lap dance.
May left once Fitzsimmons started petting. Ward followed her once Jemma jammed her tongue down Leo's throat.
Ward wasn't a party type of guy. Yes, he enjoyed sharing drinks with the team and yes, he enjoyed their company; but the whole 'party' atmosphere made him feel uncomfortable. Honestly, he preferred the quiet calmness that being in Melinda's provided in spades. She didn't speak unless necessary (she didn't necessarily speak when spoken to), she didn't act like a complete jackass when drunk and she didn't try to coax him into a long, drawn out conversation about complete nonsense like the others would.
In short, he really liked being around her. In more so even since his being exposed to the Berzerker Staff and their little heart to heart. The baser part of him admired her for her sexual prowess, which he had been becoming very acquainted with over the last few weeks.
It all started when she invited him into her hotel room after his exposure to the staff, holding a full bottle of wine. They talked and drank, drank and talked, and then drank in silence until the bottle was bone dry. Then, with no more alcohol and nothing else to say, he kissed her. It was to say thanks for being a good friend, since he was in no position to enunciate it in words. He didn't expect her to kiss him back. One thing led to another and he found himself waking up in her hotel been naked and feeling really good about himself.
They agreed that it was only to be a one time thing, until they found themselves in bed again after a particularly tough mission in an AIM military compound. The second time led to the third time, which led to the fourth and before he knew it, they had fallen into a routine of sex after rough missions. 'To unwind,' she had explained it.
He was okay with that. Kind of. He would have been a liar if he said that he wasn't developing feelings for her. They were unrequited, he was sure. Agent May didn't do love.
Still, that didn't stop him from planning on upholding a long standing New Year's tradition.
He looked at his watch; still two minutes before midnight. He smirked and watched her switch the controls over to autopilot and stretch her tired arms out. In his presence, she allowed her rigid mask of harsh stoicism to fall away. It was like this, when she was relaxed, that she revealed how beautiful she really was, even at her age.
"Happy New Year, Grant," she said with a soft sigh.
He looked at his watch again. Somehow, a minute and a half had managed to escape him. "Happy New Year, Melinda." His heart rate jumped up a fee notches as the time for his move to be made quickly approached. He took a breath to calm himself. "You know, Melinda, there's a tradition that we like to partake in during this time."
"Really? Any noise involved?"
He chuckled, but internally grimaced at the edge creeping into her voice. "No. No noise."
"Good. I've had all I can handle for a –"
The clock struck twelve before she could finish. The yelling and screaming from down the hall told him that it was now or never. With another another word, he abruptly cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her freeze and tense up in his grasp. He hoped to God that it was from surprise and not from a lack of want.
One more second and he quickly pulled away, blushing madly and grinning like the world's largest schoolboy.
Silence reigned for almost s full minute, the only sound being the fireworks exploding in the lab (yes, actual fireworks), and May's breathing. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, finally breaking the silence.
"That… that was the tradition."
"Ambush kissing someone is a New Year's tradition?" she followed up, incredulous.
"Well, no. It's just that at the stroke of midnight on the new year, you kiss the person you're an item with," he explained.
She was silent for another moment. "We're an item," she stated.
He noted a hint of skepticism in her voice and internally panicked. "I, well, I mean, not if you don't want to be. All we've been doing is having sex. Not that I haven't enjoyed it! I've enjoyed it a lot. Really a lot. And I wanted to keep doing you… it! Keep doing it. The sex, that is. Not that I'm claiming you as mine, or anything. You're free to do whoever you want. Not saying that you're a skank or anything, but if you were to sleep with Coulson, I wouldn't be mad. Since we're not an item. Or we are, and as such, I'd be very upset. Not accusing you of sleeping with Coulson. Though the guy seems to have slept with every woman, so I wouldn't be surprised if you two had done it at some point. Have you two? I'm not jealous, just curiou–"
Melinda's mouth crashed into Ward's, effectively shutting off the endless stream of rambled nonsense that would have made Fitzsimmons scratch their head in confusion. She pulled back, leaving him in a miniature daze. "You talk way too much."
He started to reply, which undoubtedly would have led to more uncharacteristic rambling, so he just nodded.
She smirked and cupped his face, "Just give me some time. It's… been a while since I've done… this."
"Was it with Coulson?"
She didn't answer, but her mouth twitched upward.
"Knew it. I knew that guy got around." He smiled touched her opposite cheek. "I'll give you as much as you need. With that, he gently pulled her into another kiss. This time, she melted into him and kissed back with gusto.
All of a sudden, the upcoming year was looking very bright.
A/N: Happy New Year, everyone!