I don't own SHIELD and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
When Ward first disappeared after his day from hell, Skye initially thought nothing of it because she figured he needed some space after everything that happened. But when he didn't reappear later she knew something was wrong and the situation was most likely worse than she thought. "Do you think Ward's okay?" she asked Coulson.
Also worried about the other agent, Coulson shrugged. "I don't like that he vanished and we should probably go find him." He didn't think Ward was up to anything but this vanishing act? Not a good sign at all. And they could check the inhibitor bracelet he wore at all the times, but Coulson honestly didn't see the need to. They were still on the Bus and there was nowhere for him to go, plus they'd most likely be able to find him pretty quickly.
The two of them checked the training room first and were disheartened to see Ward wasn't taking his angst and anger out on the punching bag. He wasn't in the lab with Fitz and Jemma either so Skye and Coulson decided to look in unlikely places. Ward tended to stay away from his bunk on his bad days and no one could figure out why either; they didn't bother to look there.
Skye gasped when she finally found Ward hiding in a corner of the Bus (far away from everyone), sitting on the floor and silently shaking as sobs wracked his body. He was practically curled up in a ball. She dropped down next to him as Coulson turned around the corner and saw them. The director sagged against the wall when he saw Ward, not shocked at all by the scene in front of him. It happened sometimes and they just had to ride out these crying jags. "What's the matter?" Skye gently asked Ward.
"You don't have to stay here with me," he tried but shut up when Skye stared at him. His voice cracking and the tears pouring down his face gave away his distress.
"Grant, you don't have to retreat into yourself on a bad day. That's what we're here for, kiddo. We lean on each other." Coulson tentatively smiled when Ward turned his tearful gaze towards him.
"Crying isn't a weakness, Grant. It means you're human. Your therapist would agree with that, wouldn't she?" Skye reached her hand out, nearly sighing in relief when he didn't flinch away from the contact. She was the only one who could touch him, but he still occasionally reacted instinctively, tensing because he thought someone was about to hurt him. They all knew to warn him ahead of him and always waited for permission so Ward didn't freak out.
Ward shuddered but didn't say a word. "I'm fine," he said as his voice broke once more. He didn't want them to see him like this – he hated being so vulnerable and weak in front of his team – but seemed like there was no choice. They had found him and now he had to deal with it. He hated his bad days with a burning passion.
"Just stop trying, Grant Douglas Ward." Her heart ached for the broken man in front of her. He was so strong even though he denied it most of the time. To survive a living hell for thirty straight years like he had? Yeah, he was broken but still standing. Skye was so proud of him for that even though he didn't believe her.
Coulson kneeled down next to them, wincing at the ache in his knees caused by the action. "We're your family and it's okay to fall apart in front of us because we don't judge you. You had a really bad day today, huh? We all have them and you'll probably have more but that's okay. Just let us in. And we love you, Grant." He normally wouldn't say those three words, but Ward needed to hear them.
Skye chimed in, "And that'll never change."
That did the trick. Ward leaned over into Skye's open arms and sobbed even harder. The motion rocked her backwards just a bit but she held on tight. "I'm sorry," Ward wept. Although muffled, Skye and Coulson heard his apology clearly.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she soothed. Skye really hoped he stopped the frequent apologies soon, especially for breaking down. They had all forgiven him but he didn't believe he deserved forgiveness. His guilt definitely overwhelmed him on the bad days, but it wasn't the cause of today's breakdown (he'd probably drown in it later, but they'd be there for him).
Coulson grabbed Ward's free hand and held onto it provide some more comfort. It helped a little bit - the tears eventually stopped flowing, and that's when Skye helped him stand up. She wiped the tears off his cheeks as his head dropped down, and they walked back to her bunk hand in hand while Coulson made his way to the kitchen (to stress eat, but no one had to know that).
Skye and Ward curled up together as soon as they lay down on the bed. "Love you, Skye." He just needed to say it to hear so she'd know how he felt. It was important to him that she believed him.
Skye felt the same way about Ward. She kissed his forehead and then murmured, "Love you too." He deserved to hear those words as much as possible since no one had ever said them to him before he joined (and then rejoined) the team. That was horrific.
That set Ward off again, the horrible day clearly taking its toll. Skye teared up herself but rubbed his back until he calmed down and fell asleep (well, he cried himself to sleep which was nothing new, but this was actually one of his better nights). She was and would be there for him every time this happened, something he just had to accept.
Grant Ward wasn't alone and it was time he realized that. With the team by him and on his side, he could be a better man and live the life he deserved to have.