Boop. Hi there. So, new chapter. Yep. This is a really awkward intro. I'm just leave now….

Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it


"So then you get the alfalfa and put it in here, make sure it doesn't touch the ground or it'll get moldy. Mold equals bad. Got it?" Skye asked Ward to make sure that he listening. It was around 4pm and her father had apparently told Ward that Skye was in charge of teaching the new boy about some of his new responsibilities. Skye wasn't sure if she was excited about spending more time with the handsome man, or exceedingly nervous. He was mysterious and closed off, as if he had something to hide.

"Got it. Mold is bad, don't want dead goats," Ward said sarcastically.

"You betcha. And if one dies on your watch I'll I'm doing is handing you a shovel."

"Gross," he said and Skye could've sworn she saw his lips turn up slightly. Not that she was staring at his lips…very much...

"You've covered everything, haven't you? Shall we move on to Mr. Blake's farm?"

"Yes," Skye said. "Umm, there's just one thing."

"And what would that be?" Ward inquired.

"Is there any chance we could take your car? It's about ¾ mile from here and it's like 100 degrees outside. Please! My dad's truck doesn't even have AC! (Ya see what I did there? ;) )

"I suppose we can. Do you mind if I pick it up a bit first?"

"As quickly as you can, City Boy, or I might just boil right here and you'll have to use that shovel on me."

/\/\/\/\/\

When they approached Ward's car the boy next to her started walking a little faster. She stopped a few feet away from the sedan's trunk. Skye wasn't sure what he meant to clean up and her curiosity got the best for her. She leaned slightly to see Ward shuffling around in his car with his rear end sticking out of the passenger side door. Skye saw him pull out several papers and shove them into the glove box. They didn't look like car registration papers, from what Skye could tell. One of the papers looked like a picture, though Skye didn't get a clear look at it.

"You done in there?" Skye called out.

"Just about," Ward said with strain in his voice. He was so tall that when he went to stand upright, he smacked his head on the roof of his car.

It took all of Skye's might not to laugh uncontrollably. Here was this tall, tough, serious guy who couldn't get out of his own car without dinging up his head. What a derp.

"Ah, ow. Okay, hop in," he said.

The pair of them drove down to the neighbor's farm with Skye directing the attractive boy next to her down the old dirt road. They rode together in silence. Skye wasn't sure if it was a comfortable silence or an awkward one. All Skye knew was that is was dead quiet, something Skye didn't handle very well.

"So, um, my dad tells me you're from New York?"

"Does he?" was all he said.

"Uh, yeah. He does," Skye said. "Assuming that's true, what part of New York did you live in?"

"Manhattan, Upper East Side."

Skye contained her many other questions. Manhattan! Skye would never tell her father about her dreams to live there some day, she couldn't. He believed that she was happy in itty bitty McKinley, and she planned to keep it that way. But she wanted to live in the city more than anything, though she knew it was unrealistic. But perhaps with the connections Ward could give her it would make her possible future move a little easier.

"Why did you move?" Skye asked.

"Family problems. I'm emancipated," Ward said and didn't go in any further. "We're here."

/\/\/\/\/\

"This is Taffy, Baxter, Frodo, Quasar, and Onyx," Skye said as she introduced Ward to Mr. Blake's horses.

"Frodo?"

"Hey, I named that one. Don't judge."

"Oh, no. Frodo is a perfectly acceptable name for a horse," Ward said, sarcasm practically dripping from his words.

Skye rolled her eyes and walked towards the stables where the horses usually stay, gesturing for Ward to follow. They walked side by side, their hands brushing slightly causing Skye cheeks to turn a light pink.

"You've might have to do some acrobatics to get to the hay," Skye said as they approached the barn, "For some reason old man Blake stores all of it up here. I've tried to deter him but he insists."

Skye showed Ward where to climb and began scaling up the old wooden walls.

"I usually put my foot on this bucket here for starters but don't think it will hold your weight. Try that saddle stand?" Skye said.

He did as Skye told him and they began climbing up the the barn's attic together. Ward's eyes widened slightly as Skye practically jumped from one object to the next. It was like watching a crazed chimpanzee swinging through the jungle. Once Skye reached the top she plopped down on a hay bale and waited. And waited. And continued to wait until, about 5 minutes later, Ward crawled through the small hatch and rolled on the wooden floor.

"What took you so long?"

"A.) I fell twice. B.) Doesn't the man own a ladder?!"

"Of course he does but it's not tall enough. Come, sit. We'll rest."

Ward did sit but not where she gestured him to. He sat on the opposite side of the room on the tough ground instead of on her side where the softer hay bales lay. Did he really not want to sit with her that much?

Ward eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "Wait, how do we even get the food down to the horses?"

"Simple," Skye said. "We push them through here."

Skye then stood up and walked over to what Ward thought to just be one of the four walls of the room. She gently pushed on part of it and it swung open, a window of sorts that was nearly invisible. It stretched from the attic's floor to almost its ceiling. Skye then turned back towards Ward and took one step backwards.

And fell.

Skye had never been on a plane. She had never understood the feeling of flying, and she got a brief taste of it in that moment. She could feel her hair fly upwards. She could feel the fall in her gut. The fall should've broken her leg at least.

But it didn't. Her descent was cut short sharply by a firm grip on her wrist. A sharp wave pain slammed into her shoulder.

"Agh!" she cried out. She glanced up to see Ward with his torso hanging out of the barn's window both hands on Skye's one wrist. He had saved her.

"Skye, can you give me your other hand?" He asked is a voice that was surprisingly not very strained. He could almost easily hold her weight, even at this angle.

"My shoulder!" Skye said, "I think it's dislocated!"

"We'll deal with that later, Skye. Give me your hand!"

The pain in her shoulder was immense and pulsating but she ignored it. She swung her other arm up, despite the pain it created, and Ward gripped it tightly. As he began to pull her up slowly their eyes met. She then saw something she hadn't ever seen in those eyes before. Skye wasn't entirely sure what that was but it was entirely different from the Ward that she knew. The look was almost gallant.

Ward was using most if not all of his strength to lift her and once she was close enough, pulled her quickly upwards to safety. Which resulted in Skye being pulled up so far that she fell onto Ward.

They both laid there a moment, both of them breathing heavily from the sudden burst and loss of adrenaline. When Skye's drooped head finally lifted she realized where she was. She was on Ward. He was on his back, his arm was draped over his eyes, obviously exhausted. They were in sort of an "X" position with Skye laying across Ward's stomach, facing the ground. Things got even worse when Ward decided (stupidly in Skye's mind) that he should sit up. This caused Skye to roll into his lap and flip her over so that she was looking at the ceiling.

But it wasn't the ceiling she was looking at. She was looking into Ward's seemingly endless brown eyes, and they were staring back at her.

"Hi," was all Skye said.

"Hi," he said and broke into a grin. A real, full smile that Skye couldn't get enough of.

He leaned down then, his face so very, very close hers. Their breath mingled and Skye could smell the scent of his sweat and soap. Their lips were only inches apart, but Skye decided they were much too far away. She began to arch her back so that her lips would meet his.

But they didn't. To her dismay, Ward sat straight up suddenly. Skye was left flushed in his wake. She felt stupid. Of course he wouldn't want to kiss her. She shouldn't have been so foolish.

She sat up as well, mostly to get out of the awkward position of being in Ward's lap. Once the moment was fleeting and gone, the pain in her shoulder returned to greet her. Skye winced.

"C'mon," Ward said standing up and offering his hand to her, "Let's get out of here."

She took it with her good arm gratefully.


Hai. Sorry parts of this chapter weren't really well written. I don't really have an excuse for it, it just sucks. Well, anywho I hope you enjoyed despite it. Favorite, follow, and review to make my day! Oh, and thanks to Fandoms8 and AwesomeGirl for reviewing.