Skye woke up, feeling something squishy and wet trailing up her cheek. „What the.."
She scrambled up, ready to fight off whatever gross thing has crawled up on her but what she found, made her smile. A large brown dog, standing up on his hind legs so that he could reach her, where she was lying on the couch.
„Puppy!" She squealed excitedly, feeling like a six year old but when the labrador barked and wagged his tail happily in return, Skye's smile only grew. „Wow, you're gorgeous." She leaned forward, one of her hands reaching for the dog. For a split second, she wondered if he might bite her hand off, but she had been asleep a few seconds ago and all the dog had done, was lick her face.
She bumped his soft nose, not sure if this was the right way to get to know a dog. But when the pink tongue slipped out again and wet her fingers, Skye giggled.
After deciding that the dog had enough time to bite her hand off, if he'd wanted to, Skye let her fingers slip through his soft chocolate brown fur. Scratching behind his ears and down his throat, she slid off the couch and down on the floor. The dog wasted no time, jumping into her lap.
He was huge. And he was definitely a he. For a few seconds, the labrador moved around, trying to find a comfortable position and once he found it, Skye had a lap full of dog. It was warm and made her feel all kinds of happy.
Slowly, Skye came to her senses. She was in an airplane. In the air. Where the hell had this dog come from? Her hands stopped their movement and the dog immediately let out a disappointed howl.
„Guys?" Skye called out. She had been napping on the couch for the last few hours and she really wanted to know how they had managed to adopt a dog while she was out.
The door to the bunk closest to her slid open and Simmons' head poked out. „Everything alright?" Skye could pinpoint the exact moment Jemma's eyes found the dog, because her mouth literally fell open. „Bloody hell." She whispered and hurried over. „Skye! Where did you get the dog from?"
„Me?" Skye asked, the dog wiggling in her lap, probably wanting her to keep on petting him. „I woke up to this little puppy licking my face. I had nothing to do with bringing him on the plane."
Footsteps made them both turn their heads. Coulson stood at the foot of the stairs, watching them with his brows furrowed. „Skye, please explain to me why there is a dog on your lap. And how you got it onto the plane. "
„Seriously?" Skye groaned. „Why do you think I had something to do with this?"
He crossed his arms, giving her his signature exasperated look. Oh, right. The dog was in her lap, not Jemma's.
„I didn't bring him there!" Skye said, defensively. Still both her hands were on the dog, rubbing slow circles into his warm body.
The dog made a deeply satisfied noise and Skye beamed at him. „Maybe Fitz or Ward brought him in."
„Brought who in?" Fitz asked, entering the lounge area of the plane, his arms full of tangled wires.
„The dog." Simmons said accusingly. At her words, Fitz looked up. „A dog?"
„Yes, a dog." Coulson said, rolling his eyes. The labrador barked as if to chime in. „Did you bring the dog onto the plane, Fitz?" Coulson asked.
„N-no, sir." Fitz stammered, pressing the wires to his chest. He looked down at Skye and the dog, that had jumped up and was licking Skye's face again. Fitz let out a choked laugh.
„Then Ward." Simmons said. „Or May."
„May wouldn't do that." Coulson replied, almost automatically.
„I'll find Ward, then." Simmons said, heading passed Fitz and down the stairs.
Skye didn't pay any attention to the investigative work Coulson and Simmons were doing, too wrapped up in gleefully enduring the hot tongue tickling her cheeks.
„Do you think this is sanitary?" Fitz asked, moving closer to them, dumping the wires on the couch. He slid down to sit next to them and the dog stopped in his movement to turn his head and look at Fitz.
„I don't know." Skye replied, truthfully. She hadn't actually thought about it.
„I mean, we don't know where this dog came from."
„Ugh, Fitz. Stop thinking so hard, just pet him." Skye groaned and as if the dog understood her perfectly, he bowed his head towards Fitz, inviting him to crawl him behind his ears.
Fitz did as he was bid. For a while Skye, Fitz and the dog sat on the floor, laughing (and barking) in delight, until Simmons approached them and wheezed, „We can't find Ward anywhere!"
The dog jumped out of Skye's lap and tip-toed towards Jemma. With his large, puppy eyes he looked up at her. He wagged his tail playfully.
He tilted his head and Jemma's own head mirrored his movement. Her expression changed from alarmed to thoughtful. And then she furrowed her brows. „Ward?"
The dog barked in return, his tail wiggling more animatedly.
„Jemma?" Fitz pushed himself off the floor and walked towards Simmons, who was fixated on the dog. „How is this possible?" She asked the dog.
„What are you talking about?" Skye asked and the dog's ears perked up at the sound of Skye's voice. He turned away from Jemma and leapt back into Skye's lap. She caught him, though her attention was on Simmons.
„It's Ward."
„What about him?" Skye asked, worry flooding her. „Is he okay?"
„Oh." Fitz gasped.
„What? Will somebody tell me what the hell is going on? What's wrong with Ward?"
„He's a dog." Fitz said.
Skye stared at them. For half a second she was confused as to why Fitz would change the subject, until she realized that he hadn't.
She looked down at the dog, that was perched between her legs, his brown eyes looking right at her. „Ward?" She whispered and the dog leapt again.
„Holy crap." Skye gasped out, when she realized that the overjoyed dog currently licking her face was in fact her broody SO. „Ward's a dog."
A/N: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. Come find me on tumblr.
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