Authors' Note - This fic is a collaboration between Silverspoon and WelshWitch1011. We really need to stop doing this... and yet here we are again. Somebody should really stop us now. Damn those wascally wabbits.
This fic follows our 'Ward as a triple agent' trope. We know it's not likely but it's a fast way to fix things and make the bad feels go away. Set six months after part one of our other fic, I'd Come For You.
Chapter One
Staring down his adversary, Grant Ward curled his lip, communicating his displeasure with an audible growl. His fingers flexed at his side, an involuntary gesture, and every muscle in his body gradually coiled tight in response to the heightening levels of adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Ward took a step forward and adopted a defensive stance, his narrowed eyes keenly trained on his target. His jaw set and he dismissed the sudden urge to grind his teeth. In that moment, he was certain of precisely two things; he would not relent, and he would not be beaten.
However, when his girlfriend's voice shattered the uneasy atmosphere like a baseball bat to a cheap window, Ward actually started and his head whipped around fast enough to make the room spin.
"Grant, would you quit being an idiot and get over here," Skye demanded, her lips pursed in a demonstration of her irritation, "it's date night and you're ruining it."
Ward's mouth dropped open at the accusation and he crossed his arms as he glowered back at Skye, refusing to be cowed by the less than impressed expression spread across her features.
"You were supposed to be cooking. Last time we had date night, I cooked," Grant retorted, gesturing to the humongous cardboard box dominating the centre of Skye's bed, "that is not Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée with Salmon En Papillote. That is not cooking!"
Skye snorted and shook her head, her tone derisive as she replied, "Please... I can't even pronounce that crap, let alone cook it. I ordered in, pizza's here, so strap on your big girl panties and come grab a slice."
"That..." Ward began, jabbing a finger accusingly at the take-out box he had been staring at, which was almost saturated by a half translucent grease mark, "is not pizza. That is a myocardial infarction just waiting to happen. Do you have any idea what you're doing to your cholesterol level by eating that junk?"
"No, but I know what your whining is doing to my blood pressure," Skye answered, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips as she widened her eyes to promote a false picture of innocence. She lowered her voice almost conspiratorially as she continued, "I think you're just scared you'll enjoy it. It'll be our cheesy, greasy, delicious little secret, Ward. Nobody else even has to know."
"I think I'm done with secrets around here," Ward replied pointedly, dropping down next to her in defeat, although he still eyed the pizza slice she held in her hands with obvious trepidation. He watched Skye close her eyes, clearly realising that his gaze was currently fixed upon her lips, and she bit into the Hawaiian pizza with a dramatic moan of pleasure that sent a jolt of electricity directly to Grant's groin.
Skye chewed slowly and carefully, peering up at Ward from behind a thick fan of lashes. Swallowing her mouthful of food, she grinned as she teased in a sing-song voice, "You sure you don't want to try it, Agent Ward? It's really good..."
Huffing out a dramatic sigh, Ward's lips set into a grimace as he watched her advance upon him, offering out the pizza with a promising smile.
"Fine," he huffed, dutifully opening his mouth and taking the smallest bite of the pizza he could manage. Skye watched him intently, a wide grin blossoming on her face as his expression changed from one of distrust to rapturous approval. Yet she could tell - with much amusement - that he was ashamed of his new culinary epiphany.
"Okay fine, it's good," he acknowledged, a smirk twitching across his lips as Skye scooped up a fresh slice from the box and handed it to him. He accepted it wordlessly, biting into the pizza with obvious relish.
Fist pumping with a whispered 'yes' leaving her lips, Skye's triumphant smile widened as she enthused, "I am officially leading you astray!"
Ward deflected her comment with an incredulous and slightly amused look, and Skye swallowed her food as a blush coloured her cheeks.
"In a 'sometimes food' capacity," she clarified, clearing her throat lamely and picking up a can of soda. She downed a liberal swig and offered the drink to Ward, who responded with only a frown.
"You're bad to the bone," Ward dead panned, shaking his head gently in amusement as he watched Skye set down her soda can and begin nibbling gooey strings of cheese from her pizza again.
"See, date night is far more fun when you actually participate," she cajoled, through a mouthful of food, which earned her a disparaging look off her boyfriend.
"I really need to teach you the finer points of etiquette and manners," Ward teased, working hard to bite back a smile, "poor little urchin girl who grew up in a van."
Skye arched a brow and licked each one of her fingers in turn, deliberately slurping to make a point, "I didn't grow up in a van. That would have been way more fun than nuns."
Wiping her orange stained fingers on an already balled up paper napkin, Skye then proceeded to playfully poke Ward in the centre of his chest as she accused, "Not all of us grew up in the lap of rich-ass luxury with 'the help' there to peel our grapes and polish our salad forks."
"I, personally, hate my grapes peeled," Ward replied, scrunching up his own napkin and tossing it good naturedly at his girlfriend, who was not quite quick enough to evade the missile.
"Besides," he added, somewhat more soberly, "that's not exactly how my childhood played out."
Skye lowered her gaze to her lap, suddenly wishing she had slightly more control over her errant mouth and the words that often flew out of it.
"Grant... I... I'm sorry, I..."
Ward shook his head, looping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close.
"Hey, it's okay. It's the past... and I'm working through it, right?" his tone was slightly more hopeful than he had intended, but Skye appreciated his understanding no matter how ridiculous she felt.
Leaning her head on his shoulder, Skye slid her arm around his torso and smiled as he instantly embraced her in response. She closed her eyes, happy to lay in his arms where she once again felt safe and as near to content as she dared. His chest rose and fell beneath her, and a gentle sigh escaped his body that made Skye's heart swell.
"Maybe I should just keep my big ole mouth busy with this..." she murmured, reaching out with her free hand toward the pizza box and pushing the lid up with the tip of her finger. She glanced at Grant questioningly as his hand quickly reached out and his fingers curled around her wrist, drawing her hand back.
She grinned as he nuzzled playfully against her neck and she felt his smile against the skin of her throat, where he'd begun to draw a line of teasing, open mouthed kisses.
"I've got a better idea," he stated, and Skye shivered as his breath ghosted over her earlobe and his hand curved around her hip.
"Oh, you do, huh?" she whispered, craning her neck and glancing up into deep brown eyes that were shining with not just mischief but obvious adoration. It was a heady combination, and the new and insistent tug in the pit of Skye's stomach ensured that her thoughts were firmly focused on more pressing and carnal hungers.
Ward simply nodded as his hand came up to cup her cheek and his lips landed on hers in a slow yet urgent kiss. The pizza box slid off the bed with a soft thunk, but neither agent bothered to attend to the remnants of their meal, which was up ended on the carpet of Skye's bedroom. Koenig would probably have her head come morning, and most definitely a percentage of her pay packet to cover the cleaning bill, but Skye had far more important matters to attend to.
She mumbled incoherently against Ward's lips, her heart rate quickening as Ward's kiss deepened and his tongue began exploring her mouth. Warm desire pooled in the pit of her stomach as Ward began to push her bathrobe from her shoulders and his fingertips found the hem of her top in the next moment. As they ghosted against her skin, Skye let out an involuntary groan which only encouraged Grant to renew his assault on her lips. He smoothed his palms across her stomach, hands brushing the slightly puckered scars that remained there courtesy of a man who seemed to belong to another lifetime. Ward was helping her shed her pyjama top only seconds later and Skye found herself scooting into his lap before locking her arms behind his neck and all but melting into the hard planes of his body.
A subsequent knock at the door startled them both, and Skye scrambled behind Ward as her bedroom door was hurled open without invitation. Agent May stood in the doorway, framed by the florescent glow cast from the hallway strip lighting, wearing a stoic expression as she regarded the couple.
"Meeting, conference room, five minutes ago," she declared, seemingly unaffected by the compromising scene she had interrupted even as Skye scrambled for her top, which she held in front of her chest like a protective shield. Ward bobbed his head in acknowledgement, managing to look suitably chagrined as May shot the couple a final disapproving glare before turning on her heel and disappearing down the corridor.
"Well, that was just the awkward interlude I was hoping for," Skye muttered, the apples of her cheeks near glowing crimson as she struggled to slip her pyjama top back over her head. Strands of hair tumbled from her messy braid as a consequence, and Ward found himself reaching forwards on instinct to sweep a stray curl behind his girlfriend's ear.
"Guess I should probably get dressed," Skye sighed, although the expression on her face told Ward that for a moment at least she had contemplated attending the meeting in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and matching unicorn print pyjamas; not exactly the normal uniform of a SHIELD operative but so very Skye.
Sweeping an analytical gaze over her, Ward couldn't help the grin that twitched at his lips and he kissed her again on impulse, reveling in the fact that he could now act upon such an impulse.
"You're not helping, Agent Ward," Skye breathed, loathed to interrupt their evening together for something that she assumed was urgent and therefore time-consuming. A team meeting at almost midnight was not a promising omen, and she assumed it would be a while before they had any down time.
"Gotta be something pretty bad, right?" she checked, sliding off the bed and throwing open her closet as she flung her pyjama top behind her and foraged for a plain black shirt, which she pulled over her head without bothering to address the formality of buttons.
"Probably," Ward agreed, watching her yank down her cotton shorts and hop hurriedly into a pair of jeans, "unless Coulson's implementing a midnight Margaritas policy."
"Cool. Should we take chips and dips?" Skye retorted, toeing on her boots and snatching up the pizza box from the bedroom floor with a saddened pout.
"Sorry," Ward said, indicating the pizza with a slight inclination of his head. Skye frowned back at him, setting the box on the night-stand and affixing him with a stern look.
"No you're not," she accused, her tone evidently displeased.
"Not even a little," Ward assented as Skye huffed sulkily. "Junk food just isn't a weakness for me."
Skye arched a brow but refrained from comment, instead sliding her hand into Grant's and tugging him towards the bedroom door.
"You owe me," she insisted, pausing in the hallway to close the door with a quiet click before the couple set out towards the main conference room, hands still entwined and arms gently swinging.
"I promise I'll make it up to you," he assuaged, a smile flitting across his lips as they turned the corner and continued on to their destination.
"You bet your ridiculously fine ass you will," Skye replied, leaning into his side and smiling as he bent to press a kiss against the top of her head.
Skye felt a chuckle rumble through his chest, and when she glanced up at him the wide smile that was playing across his features was a welcome sight to behold. For the first time in possibly forever as far as Skye was concerned, Ward looked happy and at ease. Gone was the stoic, almost robotic persona she had still somehow managed to fall in love with, as slowly but surely the real Grant Ward was starting to break through.
That's not to say that he was still not perhaps the most accomplished and effective Specialist at SHIELD's disposal - second to Natasha Romanoff he was perhaps their most lethal and conditioned soldier. But there was a new found side of Ward that Skye was thrilled to be uncovering.
"Looks like a party," Ward frowned gravely, opening the door to the conference room as he and Skye walked in sheepishly to see the rest of the team already assembled.
"You and I have very different ideas of a 'party'," Skye whispered, sinking down into a seat beside him as Coulson eyed them somewhat knowingly and then stood to address the team.
May ignored the pair and instead stared up at the screen behind the Director. Bobbi shot them a sympathetic smile whilst Tripp hid a grin behind the rim of his coffee mug, and Hunter made no attempt to disguise the smirk that was blossoming on his lips. However, it was the reactions of another couple that Ward sought out, finding that, just as was the norm since his return, Fitz and Simmons were pointedly ignoring his presence. The scientists busied themselves with staring at the screen of an i-pad that sat between them on the table, but the Specialist could tell that they had noted his arrival; the firm line that Fitz's lips were pressed into confirmed as much.
Six months after returning to the team, and having been exonerated of all the charges previously brought against him, Fitz and Simmons were still unable or perhaps unwilling to forgive their former friend. Ward hadn't known the pod would sink- indeed it had come as something of a surprise to the two scientists themselves. Garrett had ordered him to cross off the pair in no uncertain terms, and Ward knew that getting them off the plane was their best chance at survival. If Garrett had stepped in as he had threatened to, neither of them would be sitting across the table from him now. Yet despite Skye's best efforts to act as mediator and portray Ward's side of the story, progress was slow, and Grant had begun to assume that their previous friendship was past the point of salvaging. The guilt he carried over his actions continued to haunt him, there in a familiar stab of sharp pain to his heart and gut whenever Fitz stumbled over his words or Simmons tensed up at the sight of a body of open water. He knew that it would for the rest of his days.
"Skye, Ward, thanks for joining us," Coulson began, his expression stoic as his eyes ghosted over the two blushing agents in question. However, before either could respond in their defense or otherwise, Coulson tapped at the tablet he held in his hands and a series of crime scene photographs sprang up on the screen affixed to the far wall.
Immediately, Simmons leaned forwards in her seat, her mouth hanging open and her interest piqued. Fitz coughed and looked away quickly, a balled up fist pressed to his mouth, and Hunter's usually tanned complexion paled by several shades. Ward felt his lip curl involuntarily and, at his side, Skye made a strangled choking sound as though she was fighting the urge to vomit. Even May's eye twitched in a gesture suggesting that an actual expression was perhaps imminent.
Coulson kept his back to the screen, no doubt the images upon it already seared into his brain, and instead allowed his team to tamp down their disgust before he declared, "Let's get straight down to business... I think we have a rather pressing matter to attend to."