Author's Note: Right yep so, new chapter. You guys are awesome I love the reviews and thanks for the feedback there was a concern expressed about my characterization of Ward which I appreciate, so if you guys could drop me a review if you agree or disagree with this assessment I really want to know. I can get carried away with what's in my head.
Also, there's little shout outs in this chapter for some people, reviewers, meme makers, if you recognize something that is why ^.~
Let the games begin, happy reading.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned something, but I do not, I own not a thing.
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Another day had passed and Ward still hadn't been able to get Kara out of her cell. She said that she was fine, that as long as he was safe she was content to stay where she was. She worried about him. Him with Skye. Didn't like the idea of Skye using her powers on him no matter the reason.
He had to admit that he wasn't really thrilled at the idea of being on the receiving end of that force if Skye ever used it on him in earnest. Lying on the mats afterward he'd joked and discussed different tests with Fitz and different training techniques with Skye just to give himself time before he had to stand.
Luckily it had worked.
Skye had remained sitting next to him, legs crossed and chin resting on a closed hand. After a few minutes of the other two not moving Fitz had hunkered down as well. He'd asked Ward how he was feeling and about what it had felt like to be hit with Skye's ability.
Ward had given a quick shrug and said it packed a punch while acting as non-affected as possible. All the while his bones shook and his intestines felt inside-out. She was amazing, incredibly powerful, even more than she had been before the change. The agent in him could appreciate the way she had always risen to the task. Adaptability was key in a good agent.
The animal in him recognized the strength.
Just the idea of that side of him had him doing an internal systems check. The diagnostics came back mostly clear. Physically his body was fine, back to 100% function capability. Mentally, however, there was a lot of...tension...
He was seething, almost continuously. He had to remind himself to stay calm. Fitz's words rolling through his mind like waves on a beach. He was determined not to lose control again.
Never again.
He stood in the Bus watching Skye give a report on the information they'd found. It had taken far longer than the two of them thought it would to locate the Hydra base. Now it was a matter of getting to the site, acquiring the target, destroying the base if possible, and getting everyone back out.
He wasn't concerned.
In fact, he felt anxious to get started. He needed the release. A difficult mission would give that. Something to expend all this energy that had been building. That old caged feeling was coming back and he couldn't seem to shake it. Constantly roaming around the base had helped.
That was until May had tracked him down and promised to spar with him if he didn't knock it off. Because he liked his larynx, along with the other parts of him, staying nice and unbroken he'd followed her orders. He had been sparring with Skye every day this week instead.
This had not helped. At. All.
It was more like a torture the two of them had signed off on. Ward couldn't stop himself from showing up for his daily dose of sexual tension. His only solace was the fact that she did the same. At this point their sessions were more like foreplay than combat.
Ward wasn't sure exactly when, but Fitz no longer showed up for their bouts, stating there was too much data to run through. His make-shift shrink was of the impression that Ward's vitals stayed within normal range for someone doing physical activity.
Grant didn't tell him it wasn't the activity but the company that had his pulse spiking.
Watching Skye now, he could feel his jaw creak as he ground his teeth together. Considering his position as the nutjob on the team, it could all be in his head, but it seemed like her gaze was steadily flicking to him and away as she spoke. If he was right, she was remembering the same things he was. Ward could feel his emotionless mask in place, but his mind was running on overdrive.
He could recall too well the way she felt under his hands. Each block was done with hands instead of forearms. Holds lasted moments longer than was necessary. Skye's athletic gear had dwindled down from layers until she was down to only the necessities. He hadn't said anything in response to this, simply started showing up earlier to whale away on the heavy bag before they got started.
She in turn never protested when his hands slid across the toned plane of her stomach in something not at all resembling a combative move. Her cocoa buttery skin would pebble under his touch. Depending on the day her smell would alternate between citrus and almond vanilla. He hadn't taken a shower with an ounce of warmth in it for over a week now, and if he did another push up he was likely to dislocate a shoulder.
All in all Grant Ward found himself in the best version of hell he could hope for.
Glancing to his left he saw Coulson steadily gazing at the images appearing on the large screen before them. To his immediate right was Fitz with Simmons and May farther off. Ward noticed that Fitz seemed to always be running buffer between him and those two. Simmons and May might not be willing to work with him daily like Skye and Fitz, but they had voted to let Skye make the decision regarding his residency. So far they'd accepted that consequence with quiet irritation.
"Ward." Skye said, handing the remainder of the presentation to him.
"As Skye was saying, the base is located in the middle of nowhere. Makes it difficult to approach without being seen." He said, eyes mostly sticking to Coulson and May.
"Difficult, but not impossible?" Coulson asked, a knuckle tapping steadily against his mouth.
"Correct. While it is largely uninhabited jungle, I've been to the area before-"
"Shocking." Simmons muttered.
So much for quiet irritation.
"While I had not been informed about the base's location," he continued on, through May's and Simmons's disbelieving looks, "my connections should be able to get us in."
"Jungle." Fitz sighed, face scrunched up in annoyance. "Why can they not have these things somewhere reasonable?"
"Be happy it's jungle and not some frozen dead zone." Ward lectured automatically, giving the little Scott a disapproving frown. Fitz stared back at him, expressionless, after a few moments Ward looked away. He took a steadying breath, exhaling it loudly through his nose. "What do you have on that new cloaking tech.?"
"Ah yes, excellent." Fitz answered, immediately more enthusiastic. "Finally something not mind numbingly boring." Ignoring Ward's glare he quickly tapped a sequence into the table display screen. Pulling up a set of schematics he began speaking animatedly. "Taking the idea of cloaking from some of our equipment, such as the Bus and the full body mag pouches, I've created a kind of body armor that will effectively cloak an agent's location."
Taking in the impressed looks from most the team he nodded happily.
"That's great Fitz." Skye said, looking wide-eyed at the complex notes and diagrams slide-showing in front of them all. "Total Harry Potter."
"Yes, quite." Simmons agreed eagerly.
"Glad our Hermoine approves." Fitz replied, obviously pleased with himself.
"It is great." Ward said evenly with a nod. "If it works."
"Seriously?" Skye said exasperated.
"What?" Ward asked, eyebrows raised.
"No, really Ward, why should your prior attempt on my life stop you from criticizing my work, please, go ahead." Fitz deadpanned, returning Ward's glare with a look of boredom.
"Fine." Grant said finally with a sigh. "With Fitz's tech. the information that Skye found, and my connections, we stand a decent chance of completing the mission."
"Sounds so promising." May commented quietly.
"We need more boots on the ground." Ward continued, looking at Coulson. "Not a lot, too many and we attract attention, but Skye, May, and I can only do so much."
"I'm going to." FitzSimmons chorused, grinning slightly at one another.
"Me too." Coulson said, raising a placating hand to May when her brows twitched together. "The intel that Agent 33 and Ward gave us makes me nervous."
"All the more reason for you to stay safe." She argued.
"I'll be safe, I'm calling in some backup. This mission," he looked to each of them in turn, "it's important. For more reasons than saving this innocent from having done to them what was done to Kara, to Ward. It'll be the first mission we've been on together since the day S.H.I.E.L.D. fell."
They were all quiet for a moment.
"Alright then." The Director said, smiling at Skye. "I believe I owe someone a home cooked meal."
Ward watched them all file out, considering how to keep them safe, smiling a little when May paused at the door and crooked an eyebrow at him. Levering himself away from the table he followed his team off the Bus.
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"Coulson you are a god, a golden god, Thor has nothing on you." Skye sighed, sitting back in contentment.
"The chicken wasn't that good." Coulson chided with a smile.
"Are you kidding me? It was amazing!"
"Well, I'm glad you liked it." He answered, not able to hide the pleased look on his face. "Gladder still that I didn't have to make it for Ward."
Skye nodded wide-eyed in agreement.
"Yeah, talk about awk-Ward." She joked, pitching her voice low. Coulson looked at her with a raised brow and she smiled unapologetically in response.
"How're you doing with that?" He asked in dad voice, and she immediately felt the smile ebb away from her mouth.
"It's difficult sometimes…being around him." She answered, ducking her head and glancing at him through her lashes. "Or, not being around him." Her body, lulled into a false sense of security by the excellent meal, started slowly to react. She could feel her heart quicken its pace in her chest as she watched for Coulson's reaction.
Maybe she was losing her mind but she needed to know what he would do. And it wasn't in her to lie to Coulson, not if she didn't have to, not after everything. He considered her quietly for what felt like an eternity.
"While I do not encourage any happenings between the two of you," he began finally, looking like he might regurgitate his chicken, "you are, no matter what you decide, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a member of this team." She smiled at him, eyes a little over bright.
"You're not going to disown me?"
"For having a terrible taste in men? No. I do however reserve the right to throw him into the darkest cell I can find if he goes to the dark side again and attacks anyone on this team, or you know…makes you cry…either one will result in a swift kick in the ass for him."
"Understood." She said with a nod. "And anyway nothing's happened." At his pointed look she rolled her eyes. "Nothing else has happened. I just wanted you to know, it matters to me. What you think." They held each other's gaze for a few minutes before shaking his head Coulson rose from the table.
"A swift kick in the ass, Skye, if I think for a moment he has anything other than genuine concern and dedication to this team." He made it half up the stairs before turning around. "Oh, and I will never ever be cooking dinner for the two of you. There will be no date dinners cooked by me."
"Sir, yes Sir!" She answered with a smile, as he walked up the rest of the stairs from the rec room.
After he was gone she sat and mulled over the possibility of loosening her control on the Grant issue.
Oh this is stupid! Nothing's going to happen.
A few nights later…
Skye felt like her spine would shatter with tension.
Jab-jab-cross.
It had been forever since her kiss with Ward.
Jab-jab-cross.
She saw him daily.
Hours spent watching the way the light cut across the sharpness of his cheek bones. Stubble that added even more definition to the sharp angles of his face. Liquid depths of dark eyes that flicked in her direction, holding her gaze long enough for her to feel flushed before they'd drag themselves away. Lips that she couldn't seem to stop staring at during their sessions.
Jab-jab-cross.
Spending so much time around him had her going to the base's gym twice as often.
Which had worked fine.
Jab-cross- left hook -cross
Sliding her eyes she could see him working his own heavy bag. Blows landing with a meaty whomping noise.
Jab-cross-left hook-cross
Jab-jab-cross
Jab-cross-left hook-cross
Jab-jab-cross
Her body moved from muscle memory as she watched him. The lean lines of his build were glistening with sweat. The sight was enough to make her need another round with the heavy bag in the middle of the night.
When they weren't sparring he always kept himself turned away from her.
He was obviously the stronger one. If it wasn't for the way she'd catch his gaze lingering on her, she'd be worried she was becoming just as crazy as he was. But it was in the looks, or how his hands clasped and stroked during their bouts when they should be striking.
Skin moved over muscle and she could imagine running her hands down the planes of that back. Dancing her fingertips along the deep crevices along his hip bones and across the flat expanse of his abs.
Jab-jab-cross
With a loud exhale she rolled her shoulders and began unwrapping her hands. This was it, she had to stop forgetting her headphones.
Anything to drown out the site and sound of him.
She gathered up her things, hearing Ward lay into the bag like he'd had another encounter with the Asgardian rage staff.
Jab-cross-left hook-cross
She made her way back to her room. Lecturing herself with every step. She never should have kissed him. It had been stupid and reckless.
And felt so good the memory alone makes my toes curl.
Shaking her head angrily she entered her room and slammed the door behind her. Stripping off her tank she went systematically through every bad thing he'd done. She was willing to do anything in trying to keep the craving at bay…
Maybe she'd go back and see if he was game for another sparring session. The mission was coming up. No one could blame her for wanting to be prepared. She could already smell spice and sweat, feel callused hands roaming over her stomach and back.
Stop!
The sudden rapping at her door had her jerking it open without a thought.
He stood there. Breathing heavily, hands braced on either side of her door. Still shirtless, sweat carving out each muscle in his torso, sweat pants slung dangerously low on his hips.
His eyes skimmed her from ponytail to sports bra, then bare midriff, and finally her shorts and legs. When his eyes came back to meet hers she licked her lips at the deep chocolate color staring back at her.
Reaching forward she hooked him by the hem of his pants and drug him into the room with her. Shoving the door shut before wrapping a hand around the back of his neck she pulled his face down to hers.
Each time she kissed him it was the discovery of just how they fit together.
His kiss was hot and just a little desperate as he bent to meet her. One of his hands stripped the tie from her hair before it dug into her scalp. While the other one pressed against the base of her spine.
She clenched the bristled tufts at the nape of his neck, pulled his bottom lip into her mouth and bit, until growling, he swung them around into the nearest wall. He knocked her hand out of the way in order to band his arms around her back.
She moved her hands and held onto his shoulders. He released his hold far enough to drag his fingers along her back, hitting the spot near the top of her spine that made her shiver violently against him.
Finally gasping for air Skye pulled her mouth from his. Changing targets, he ran a quick pass of his tongue along the crook of her neck. Her hands on his shoulders clamped down as her back arched. The feeling of his stubbled face nuzzling the sensitive area before he bit down lightly dragging unintelligible noises from deep in her throat.
Skye registered a kind of hesitation in him, a stutter in the sliding of his palms down her sides. A pause in his ministrations to her shoulder, the feeling of warm heaving breath, soft lips, and wiry hair stilling. The fingers gripping his shoulders clawed their way down his chest and abs, eliciting another rumbling noise from him as the muscles clenched and he bit hard into the flesh of her shoulder.
He kissed her hard and pushed his hips against her. As he dipped his tongue passed her lips tones of want came rolling out of her into him. The pressure delicious, her need reciprocated in the length of him trapped between them.
"Up." She commanded. And like a good operative he reached down, and gripping the tops of her thighs, carried her grindingly up the length of his body. Until she could at last anchor herself around his hips with her legs.
Tilting his head she initiated a deep and thorough kind of kiss that ended with her scraping her teeth on his exiting tongue. Ward easily slid a hand along her side and under the hem of her bra, and then stopped, causing her to breathe out a sound of protest before rolling her hips into him.
Ward broke the kiss and gasped out fevered breaths against her collar bone.
"Tell me to stop Skye." He muttered against her throat. Strong fingers digging at the side of her ribs.
Stop?
There was no stopping.
Reaching down she hooked her own fingers around the offending piece of clothing. Tearing it off impatiently and tossing it as far as a flick of the wrist would get it. Cupping the back of his head she ran her fingers through his sweat slickened hair.
With a sound between a hum and a growl he boosted her up a little higher and ran soft lips and rough stubble over the soft exposed flesh. Her head was leaning back against the wall, eyes shut tight, hips rocking in an unconscious rhythm.
"Make me stop, Skye." She exhaled a noise that conveyed both threat and pleading. Hands becoming claws, that drug down his neck and along the breadth of his shoulders.
When his mouth finally closed around her already hardened flesh she cried out. A grip on the back of his head encouraging him to stay put.
A knock on the door and her eyes flew open. Her whole body stilling as Ward gave a parting nip before resting his head on her sternum.
A quickly muttered, "Thank God" was said reverently into her heated flesh.
"Skye?" Coulson's voice came through the door muffled. Skye swallowed several times before she trusted herself to speak.
"Yeah?"
"Team meeting. Now."
It was like the man was speaking Greek. Lifting his head from its resting place Ward looked up at her. His eyes so deeply brown she could barely make out his pupil in the darkened iris around it.
Her own confusion was mirrored in his expression. They were both taking great labored breaths as their brains struggled to understand.
"Meeting?" He mouthed, letting her slide an inch or two down until they were face to face but refusing to set her down, or maybe forgetting her weight.
"No idea." She replied quietly. Her gaze flicking from his eyes to lips and back.
"Skye? You alright?" Coulson asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. I was just about to jump…in the shower. Give me a second."
Ward reluctantly released his grip, and taking a step back, allowed her to regain her footing. He ran the backs of his fingers along the space between her hips and ribcage, she couldn't stop staring at him, and he couldn't stop touching her.
Finally after sharing a nod he turned, and stepping to the side, stationed himself to be concealed by the opening of the door. Grabbing a towel and shirt from a basket of clean laundry, she pulled the shirt over her head.
"Neck." Grant hissed, motioning to where neck met shoulder. Nodding she pulled her hair across the still tingling area. Receiving a quick verification of her being presentable, she pulled the door open.
Coulson stood waiting, a smile on his face.
"You have five minutes to get," he motioned to her obvious dishevelment, "all that taken care of. My office." He paused as he leaned away and looked at her carefully. "You sure you're ok?
Skye could feel Ward's eyes on her but she'd been training as a field agent for long enough that she resisted the urge to flick her eyes in his direction.
"Feeling fine. Yeah. Team meeting, five minutes, your office." She gave him a bright smile. "Got it DC."
"You know," Coulson said, squinting at her, "I don't know why, but I feel inexplicably uncomfortable with that nickname."
"Really? Huh." With another nod he began walking away from her before stopping and turning back.
"Oh and Skye?"
"Yes sir?"
"Get Ward a shirt, you know, before the two of you head in for the meeting."
"Wh-What?" Her eyes finally jumped to Ward's position, seeing him for a moment with clenched eyes and jaw before going back to Coulson's unreadable expression.
"I suggest your 'Frak Hydra' one, should be baggy enough to fit him."
"I-"
"And don't bother trying to stagger when it is the two of you arrive." He continued, as he turned around and kept walking. "We don't have time."
"Yes sir." She said weakly before taking a step into the hall and calling out to his retreating back. "Can I use Ward as a human shield when you tell May?"
The Director gave her a thumbs up as he went around the corner. Stepping back she closed the door and exhaled loudly. Ward flashed her a sheepish grin when she gave him a brief glower at their being discovered by the man that was basically her father.
"I told you to make me stop."
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"Do you actually have a "Frak Hydra" t-shirt?" He asked, back turned as she changed. Knowing without being told that she'd rather gut him than have him see her naked right now.
"Yes. Now shut up. This is a nightmare Ward."
"It'll be ok."
"I said shut up."
"You used to be such a happy person."
"Shut. Up."
Fully clothed, wearing her custom shirt, that he could only imagine her using to sleep in from its size, Ward opened the door and looked at her expectantly. He quirked an eyebrow when he looked down at her own apparel, a t-shirt with a cartoon eagle sinking its talons into a grumpy looking octopus. Pressing her lips together she returned his look with a shrug and went walking through the door.
"Seriously?"
"Yup. Don't hate on my anti-Hydra gear. Let's go. It's going to be bad enough without us being late."
Rolling his eyes a little he trailed after her, and immediately started analyzing what the hell had just happened. He hadn't felt in control of what he was doing. It was terrifying to think of what he could do like that when around Skye.
This had felt different than the episode with Fitz however. Instead of disconnected from his body it was like everything in him was hyper-aware. Was that the mental manipulation bullshit or was that just the effect Skye had on him?
How can I know for sure? Too many variables.
He never should have followed her back to her room. It was stupid, not to mention dangerous for her. He hadn't been being careful. Hadn't tried to avoid her, or stay out of her way. Not to mention every time he went to work off some of his pent up energy, she was there.
Christ…that mouth…
His pulse tripped up a pace as he thought of the blaze that had been contained between the palms of his hands. The way she'd ordered him to do what she wanted.
And people could say what they wanted about Grant Douglas Ward, he excelled at taking orders.
His fingers flexed and clenched with the recalled sensation of soft skin sliding under the pads of his fingertips. He wanted the chance to trap that full bottom lip between his teeth, now that that was an actual possibility, it was a need.
This train of thought had his bottom lip pulled back into his mouth, a quick trace of it with his tongue as he remembered how willing she'd been to use her teeth. He needed to stop. Next would come the memory of the sounds she'd made…and the rolling of her hips…not to mention the taste of her skin as he rolled his tongue around that sweet little…
Clearing his throat he picked up his pace. Quickly outdistancing her, he made sure to put some space between them. He just needed to give his body time to calm down. They rounded yet another corner on their way to Coulson's office.
"What're you doing?" She asked, jogging a little to keep up with his longer strides.
"You wanted a human shield. Can't be your Kevlar if you're out in front."
He could tell she was looking at him but refused to meet her gaze. As they strode through Coulson's open door he took in the scene quickly.
Coulson cross-armed and serious, Fitz carefully expressionless, May and Simmons looking like they were trying to decide who was more upset, and a man that looked vaguely familiar.
"Hunter?" Skye said, next to him.
The man looked between her and Ward with raised brows.
"Coulson says you two are thick as thieves again. What happened? I was gone less than a month."
"What are you doing here?" Skye asked, ignoring him. This must be one of the new recruits. There'd been rumors about some upset but Ward had been careful not to pry into the matter since he got back.
"Me?" The Englishman asked, with a splayed hand on his chest. "I work here love, what's old wack-job Ward doing here?"
"I work here." Grant mimicked before Skye got anything out.
"Provisionally." Coulson snapped from behind his desk.
"Provisionally." Ward nodded, smiling benignly at Hunter until the man looked away looking uncomfortable.
"Agent Hunter has news from the entity calling themselves the real S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson supplied, breaking the quiet tension. Ward couldn't help the loud noise of derision that came from his throat into the otherwise soundless room. No one else smiled and Coulson looked at him as if seriously considering which deep and unknown pit to throw him in.
Giving a quick search to the faces around him, including Skye's, he saw only stern expressions.
"Real S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He repeated, looking at Coulson in confusion. "You're the real S.H.I.E.L.D. who doesn't know that?" Coulson's mouth compressed into a thin line and some of the steel left his gaze. Ward saw Fitz nod a little in approval and looking to Skye saw her fail to hide a smile.
Damn it, what is going on?
"I can't tell you entirely who mate," Hunter supplied, tone devoid of levity, "but I can sure as hell tell you where and what time."
"They're coming." Coulson stated. "When?"
"Few days." Hunter confirmed. "Maybe less."
"Numbers?"
"More than us."
"Any idea what they're after? Anything specific? Or just shutting us down in general?"
"They didn't give me an itemized list before I was able to hightail it out of there, but I believe they're after our girl here, didn't take to kindly to her getting loose on them."
The room went quiet again. Every expression was stony, except for Skye who simply looked worried. He knew, looking at them, that there wasn't a single person in here who would let anyone take her. Even if most of them were unhappy about the choices she made, they'd fight for her till their last breath. Ward looked at Skye sidelong while one thought echoed in his head.
We're her family.
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Alright so be honest, be blunt, that was ridiculously hard. Anyone feeling like Coulson let Skye off the hook too easily…what can I say? Call it wishful thinking. The intimate stuff was challenging to write so holler at me if it sucked. All feedback is appreciated and seriously considered while working on future chapters. Thanks again guys!
