Runaway Home - Part 1 ~ Chapter 3

This part of the story is inspired by B00k Freak and CeliaEquus and so some of the writing may be taken from the original story.

****Memory****
"One day you'll make a decision," Leo's mother used to say. "It'll decide your soulmate for you."
"But doesn't Fate say who our soulmate is?"
"Sometimes the most powerful relationships have to be tested before Fate decides who's worthy."
But..."
"You have no soulmark. Your loyalty will be tested one day. Choose your soulmate, and you'll gain your marks."
"My soulmate's blank as well?"
"And will be until one of you decides."
****Memory****

Leo was reminded of those old conversations when he promised to protect Skye by lying to the others, and his soulmark formed.

The rest of the team filtered off to bed, one by one, until only Fitz and Skye remained. Fitz spoke up first.
"You okay?"
Skye nodded, trying her best not to start crying again. She had been crying too much.
"I think so." She swallowed. "I-I don't know how long that's gonna last though."
"Hey, it's okay." Fitz said, forcing her to pay attention to what he was saying. "Whatever happens, we'll work through it. We're a team." He took her hand.
Skye bit her lip, but the tears were winning out. "Stop making me cry." She complained, and Fitz grinned, pulling her into a hug.
"Everything's gonna be okay." He mumbled.
Part of Skye knew that no one could guarantee that. That things were most likely not going to be okay. But part of her really really wanted to believe Fitz, so she simply returned the embrace. It was warm and close and Fitz was one of her best friends on the planet.
He held onto her and stared at her, his eyes shone with caring. She knew what it meant for him to keep a secret from Simmons; even with how strained their friendship had been since Jemma's return from HYDRA. Fitz chose Skye – he knew what she'd done in the temple, he saw what she could do in the lab and yet he still chose to fight for her, to protect her. She remembered the words of her father, his warning that after the change nobody would understand; that he would be waiting for her. Before she knew what she was doing she buried her head in the shoulder of the man who had proved her father wrong. Tears ran freely from her eyes onto his jumper and she felt his arms close around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Thank you." She breathed, tears escaping one by one. "For being here, even if I wasn't-" She broke off.
"You were though." Fitz said softly. "You were all there, but I couldn't... couldn't work properly. I-I needed someone- someone new, but you were still there. Jemma- Jemma left, Coulson left, and they- they both had reasons, I know... but you- you and May, kept checking on me, dropping in."

He sucked in a breath. No one knew about this, but he wanted to tell Skye. "You two kept me from... I was thinking of doing.. uuh..." He struggled for the word. "Some- pretty bad stuff."
"What do you..." Skye stopped, catching his eyes. "No.. no, Fitz, y..you wouldn't..."
"I'm okay now." He muttered, somewhat shamefully. "I...I never... every time I thought about it, I just remembered you two... and I thought of one of you finding me... I couldn't... do that."
Skye hugged him tighter, searching for the right words till she found them. "I love you."
"I love you too." He replied without hesitation. "We're gonna get through this."

At this statement Fitz felt a searing pain across the base of his spine, by the gasp of pain from Skye she too felt something.
"We're soulmates?" Skye said, "where's your writing?"
"Er-um," stuttered Fitz.
"Oh sorry Fitz is it somewhere I can't look," by now Skye was smiling faintly at the blush blossoming in his cheeks. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," she said now fully grinning.
"Oh hardy haha, just pick on the poor vulnerable scientist,"
Here Skye stopped smiling and returned to a more serious tone,"I'm sorry. I feel as though your this huge missing piece and now that I've found you I want to be as close to you as possible. But that doesn't mean you have to do anything you don't want to, I don't want you to change just for me."
"I-I'm sorry your stuck with me Skye, you deserve better than me. I mean look at me I can't even tie my own tie anymore."
"No Fitz no, your perfect the way you are you're funny, loyal, intelligent, not to mention pretty handsome and then there's your accent." She hugged him again. "Thank you I didn't know it but you've always been there for me."
"Eh, you've always been kind to me too. And it turns out that we're soulmates. I'll do whatever I have to, to protect you."

Skye buried her head in his shoulder. Who knew that this man was so damn comfy? "The others will find out eventually. What do we do then?"
He smiled grimly. "We keep quiet about what happened here, and test the waters to find out how the rest feel about…"
"Me?"
"People like you. Just because they might feel differently about you doesn't mean that their feelings about others are right. It's a kind of racism, I guess."
Skye said nothing.
"Hey, do you really think that any of us are gonna shut you out?"
Skye huffed a laugh. "You do know that one foster home sent me back cos I broke a mug?"
Fitz smiled a little. "Well lamps are more expensive than mugs, and no one cared that that broke."
Skye quivered slightly, as did the couch, but Fitz's only reaction was to tighten his arms.
The two ended up falling asleep on top of each other on the couch, taking solace in the others presence.