Skye padded across the base in what classed as her pyjamas – a baggy tee shirt she'd had since she was eighteen years old, and a pair of tiny jersey shorts – her fluffy socks making no sound as she went. Training with May had provided her with methods of motion that left virtually no sound, but right now in the depth of darkness she found it almost unsettling how she left no audible trace of her movements. Nothing to confirm to her she was actually here, in an underground base, fighting to save what was left of an organisation she had once beheld from afar.
Things were different, changed.
They all had.
Whereas only a few months prior she had curled up in her bunk each night, falling into a sleep filled with dreams of adventure and friendship and endless possibilities surrounding her life, now upon closing her eyes she sensed the darkness of what lay ahead, dragging her down and threatening to begin its consumption of her soul. She often awoke from these terrors, the first rays of artificial light drifting across the bunker telling her it was almost dawn, her head pounding with screams and Ward's betrayal, and she would find herself choking back sobs.
Skye crossed the corridor to where the gym area was, but kept walking, trailing her fingertips along the cool bricks of the walls around her.
A punch bag could only help so much.
May understood, knew what it was to feel like one was drowning in their own mind. She'd offered her comfort, should Skye ever need it, and that gesture alone had provided her with the strength to fight her demons. Skye had spent her life looking for some kind of family, some truth as to who she was, but she was realising now that she had already found one; May was the closest thing to a mother she had ever had, but whether she would admit that to the woman, she did not know.
Skye had seen May change over the last few months. Or maybe she had changed her view, she wasn't too sure which. Upon joining the team, all Skye knew was that she was tough, a legendary warrior with a reputation to be feared. But time had brought her new beliefs, new understandings; she began to see that the woman she had once feared was not filled with ice, but had a heart of warmth that flowed out to encase and protect those she so fiercely cared for. The horrors of her past were still of an unknown entity to Skye, but she knew how they tainted her, how they led to May awakening from nightmares Skye couldn't even comprehend, and forcing her to wear the mask of a statue that she often needed solely to enable her to function.
She hadn't known where she was heading until she was there. But turning the last corner before reaching the kitchen she stopped, realising there was a light already on inside. Coulson always lectured them on preserving the electricity and switching off everything that was not in use, so she knew there was someone inside.
She'd wanted to be alone, something in her mind telling her that company now might not have been a good idea, but there was a small part of her that needed to know who else was up so early, and whether they too were trying to chase away their nightmares over a mug of strong black coffee.
Peeking her head around the doorframe however, she stopped.
Coulson was there, stood facing away from her and the archway she was now peering around. She hadn't known he had returned; he had been away on some kind of mission for the past ten days, and their recent tasks had been monitored and organised by May. Skye was tempted to say that May was now the unofficial Deputy Director, but she wasn't sure the woman would ever take that title.
But he wasn't alone. In front of him, in between his body and one of the wooden counters that held nothing but a few newspapers, a bowl of fruit, and two mugs that were emitting wisps of steam, was her new SO.
Skye had never really known what Coulson and May's relationship was. Listening to the gossip of her fellow team members, other agents she had met at The Hub, and watching them act around one another, it wouldn't have come as much of a surprise if it turned out that the two had been sleeping together for months, even years. Rumours fluttered around that they used to be married, that they weren't always "just friends", that sometimes an after-mission stopover would turn into something more. But these were never confirmed, and she sure as hell would never ask. Skye didn't believe it was her business to know either, but if they were together, then she felt one hundred percent that they deserved it.
Taking in the couple in front of her, she still was not one-hundred percent sure. But, their friendship was one of such closeness and trust that Skye had a feeling whatever happened in the future for them would be entirely natural anyway, whether it remained solely platonic, or moved forwards to something more.
Coulson's hands were gently looped around her waist, not so much hugging her or pulling her close, nor pushing her against the counter, rather just touching, as though that alone provided a comfort. May had the fabric of his shirt in each hand, but again, not tightly bunching it up or pulling desperately at it; simply holding on. His head was buried in the soft waves of her hair, whilst she just leaned hers against his chest. They breathed quietly, in harmony. They were anchored to each other in a way that radiated security, and Skye felt blood tinting her cheeks in a blush she could barely understand.
In a bizarre and surreal way, she almost wished she'd walked in on something else; at least if they had been having sex in there she would have an excuse for the colour blooming across her cheeks. But they weren't, they were simply stood holding each other close, soft murmurs for the other alone pouring from lips that she could not see. She felt like an intruder, witnessing a moment between two people that should be for their memories only. The scene in front of her was more intimate than any she had ever experienced, and a sad longing in her chest made her wonder if she ever would.
She left once more in silence, praying they had never known she was there.
Just sometimes, a trace of light can be found, even when darkness has swallowed the sun.
I've never written Skye, so please let me know what you thought; it would mean so much to me!
Usual disclaimer: I don't own AoS or the characters.