AN: I promise next chapter will be longer.
May was still asleep when Skye woke. Her neck ached from the awkward angle it had been in for potentially hours. She didn't know how long. She rolled it back and forth, feeling the muscles protest the movement. She stifled a groan, not wanting to wake the other women.
The sky was still dark. Looking out the window, Skye realized that the bus was on the ground. Either the plane had landed itself, or May had woken up to land it. Either way, it was nice to not feel the vibrations.
Skye stood as quietly as possible so as not to wake May. Given just how tired her face looked, she needed the sleep, even if it was in the pilot's chair. Skye had never worried much about May before, but after the events of yesterday, she was starting to. Before, she would look at May and see only a detached, icy coldness. Now, she saw someone who was constantly hurting inside.
No matter what it took, Skye was going to help May heal. She had never before felt so driven to help somebody, but she needed to help May. There was something about the agent that reminded Skye of herself. As a kid, she had been closed off from the world, afraid of any more pain. That changed when she met Miles. He helped her, and now, she was paying it forward.
Silently, Skye crept out of the cockpit. If she was going to function tomorrow, she needed her bed. The halls were dark, but Skye knew her way around the bus well by now. Navigating the way to her bunk wasn't a problem.
As she turned a corner, she nearly ran straight into Ward. "Sorry," she apologized, taking a step back. Her voice sounded as groggy as she felt.
"What are you still doing up?" Ward asked, curiously raising an eyebrow.
"I could ask you the same," Skye deflected. For some reason, she felt embarrassed to tell her SO that she had fallen asleep in the cockpit.
"I never sleep," Ward answered straight faced. He began walking in the other direction, leaving Skye confused.
"Wait, seriously?" Skye called after him, jogging to catch up at the same time.
"Seriously," he answered with a smirk.
"No," Skye replied.
"I do sleep," Ward admitted. "But only for a few hours. You'll notice that with a lot of agents."
Skye fell into beside him. "Really?" she asked.
Ward nodded solemnly. "You see things in this job; things that you can't unsee. During the day, you can ignore them, but at night, it gets harder."
"You're saying you have nightmares?" Skye asked, concerned.
"I'm saying most field agents do," Ward replied.
Skye's thoughts wandered back to May, still asleep in the cockpit. She wondered if she had nightmares too after whatever she had seen. Given what Coulson had said, it seemed likely. Her heart ached for the other women.
"Well, speaking of sleep, I should probably get some," Skye announced, turning away from Ward. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he replied. The look he gave her told her to enjoy sleeping while she could. She shuddered a bit, wondering if she would turn into one of those agents with the cold, empty eyes, hardened by pain.
Instead of making her way to her bunk, she walked back to the cockpit. Quietly, she peeked inside. May was still peacefully asleep. Skye held back a sigh of relief as she backed away.
With drooping eyes, Skye finally found her way to her bunk. She collapsed onto her bed. Every muscle felt heavy with the need to sleep. She crawled under the covers, making herself comfortable.
As tired as she was, sleep came quickly. Her last conscious thoughts were of May, and how she vowed to help her.