Ward lifted his eyes to stare at Coulson. He breathed once deeply before straining forward. The chaines creaked. Ward looked murderous.
A short while later in which Ward was shot with a mild sedative, Simmons tended to his abraised wrists.
"You really should know better," she admonished.
Ward stared down at the fresh linen wraps. He didn't say anything, lips pressed tightly together.
Fitz meanwhile crouched on the edge of his seat, eyes pleading. Ward couldn't look at those cesious orbs for more that a few seconds at a time. They reminded him far too much of Tommy.
After Simmons left Fitz finally spoke up. "Do you want to talk about it? What Garrett did?"
Ward snorted, but didn't say anything.
Undeterred Fitz continued, "Did he hurt you?"
"Ward?" Fitz reached out, fingers brushing against Ward's shoulder. He felt muscles spasm and tense. So he withdrew his hand, a faint frown marring his features.
"Grant, if he abused you-"
"It wasn't abuse!" he denied, "They were just lessons that made me a better soldier."
"What kind of lessons? Because, from the way you're acting...please Ward, just tell me what that bastard did to you."
Ward twitched at the language, how unlike Fitz to say such things. Honestly, he hadn't been all that sure Fitz even knew what swear words were. During his time on the team he found himself holding back, they seemed so very innocent. FitzSimmons. To be protected. Protected until Garrett told him otherwise. And, it was then that he remembered their betrayed expressions as he dropped them in the ocean.
Recalling those looks prompted him to say, "He would beat me up sometimes, never anything permanent. Just broken bones and bruises after I screwed up a mission. It was nothing I couldn't handle."
"You shouldn't have had too."
/
Entering the hub with a light knock, it wasn't smart to sneak up on the Calvary, Coulson greeted May with a quiet hello.
May responded with an near infinitesimal nod.
Motioning to one screen she muttered, "Watch this."
On it Garrett and Ward were stalking down a hallway. Unfortunately, the video didn't have any sound but you could clearly tell that their conversation wasn't going well. Ward appeared to be pleading for something, gesturing back toward the medbay multiple times. Garrett had a frown etched across his features which only deepened as time passed. He interrupted Ward's speech, backhanding him forceful enough for Ward to stumble back a step. It seemed to cause a flip to switch instantaneously, for gone was the steady defiance. Ward kept his eyes on the ground, sholders slumped. The picture of defeat and subservience.
"There are at least seven others like this that I've found so far."
