A/N - don't own anything, Marvel does. This is rated T, but I do use the f-word and there are some sex references. You've been warned.
Chapter 1: The breach
Set: Straight after Season 1 episode 8.
She left her fucking door open. Ward felt like the time froze. He felt himself moving toward the door, almost against his will.
Just minutes ago downstairs Skye all but propositioned him. She was quite smitten and quite upfront about it. He knew better. He knew his mission and he also knew Skye was way too endearing to mess with. Skye was dangerous. Skye was happy and cheerful and beautiful and she made him feel… She made him feel. He couldn't allow himself to start anything with her because he wasn't sure it wouldn't compromise his mission. He had to restrain himself. He'd to leave no matter how much he'd wanted to stay. And now this.
As he closed the door of May's room behind him he almost chuckled - he'd thought getting together with Skye was dangerous and now he's in the bedroom with the freaking Cavalry. Well done, Ward.
"Didn't think you meant this when you said "let me help"." Ward said sitting down on the bed. He knew he was taking a chance being this snarky with May, but he was angry. He was mad all the time and he had to contain it. All the time. And he had to keep to his mission. All the time. He was so deep undercover he could drown in it. So he decided to let go. This, now, had to be real. At least something in his life had to be real. He wanted, no, needed to be snarky and sarcastic and maybe mean and maybe a lot of other things and here now, he will not control himself, he will not have any strategy or plan. He'd just be himself. She can take it or break a couple of his bones - he didn't mind the risk.
"Actually…" May poured the whisky and handed Grant the glass. "When I said that I meant teaching you tai chi, and breathing techniques to help soothe the anger…" He lips formed her famous semi-smile and her eyes twinkled with mischief. "And when I left the door open that was an invitation to have sex." She pulled down the zipper on her leather jacket and slipped out of it. "But if you wanted a master class in anger control…" She slowly came up to Ward, who was unmoving on the bed. May bent down and whispered into his ear seductively "you should probably get the fuck out of here."
And then Ward laughed. That was certainly not what Melinda could have expected and he caught a glimpse of her genuinely surprised expression before he pulled her in for a rough kiss. That was exactly what he needed - an equal he could battle it out any way he needed - with words, sex, or even in the gym. And Melinda May was the perfect partner.
He woke up in the morning half expecting Melinda to be gone, even though it was her hotel room. However she was not. She was sitting on her side of the bed gloriously naked eating something. Ward smelled waffles - he tried to lift his head of the pillow to take a peak and regretted it immediately - his whole body was sore. No wonder - the fighting the day before was definitely excessive, and keeping up with May in bed surely didn't help. Ward couldn't suppress a groan and May looked at him lazily:
"Too much for you?" she raised her eyebrow and smirked a little.
"It wasn't just you, you know. I've been in a fight yesterday too." Ward knew there was no denying his pitiful state. "But if you tell anyone, I'd have to tell them I saw you eating belgian waffles with wiped cream"
"I'd kill you" May sounded dead serious.
"You almost did last night" Ward was happy to see another small smile on her face. "Are there any waffles for me?"
"No" May was as talkative as usual.
"So what is this?" Ward sat up in bed and looked at May. She was devouring the waffle and Ward caught himself staring.
"What do you mean?" May didn't bat an eyelash, staring into her tablet, reading up on the morning news.
"You. Me. Naked."
"Didn't seem to bother you last night"
It didn't bother him now. Well, it did, but in a good way. Ward was about to offer May a repeat performance when he heard her dialing someone on her tablet. Ward saw Coulson ID and then heard Coulson himself answer:
"Hey May. I've been looking for you."
May chuckled slightly: "Sorry, sir, I slept in."
Ward heard Coulson laugh : "How very human of you. How was your night?"
May shrugged her shoulders: "Nothing special, sir. What's the game plan for today?"
"Take it easy. I'll see you back on the plane. No plan May, just relax. That's an order - do you copy?"
"Copy that, sir!" Melinda put her tablet away and sipped her morning coffee. Ward took in her naked form - her toned body looked spectacular in the morning light.
"That was wrong on so many different levels" - seeing May talking to Coulson while naked and in bed with no other then himself amused Ward to no end. He couldn't suppress a smile, feeling like he and May were in on a mischief mission together.
"I'm level eight, have to act accordingly" Melinda was still smiling, obviously happy. It was the first time Ward saw her playful like this. "This must be how she looked like after pranking Fitz that night" he thought to himself.
"You're beautiful" He said before he could shut himself up. May froze and then reached out for something on her bedside table.
Ward tensed, ready to take the hit, but it turned out, May didn't reach for the knife, gun, or whatever weapon he could imagine.
She silently placed a plate with belgian waffles before him.