Somebody's first time at 'The Boiler Room' makes for some fun memories... But SHIELD Academy isn't all fun and games...

part 2 of the Ward/Didi backstory, for your enjoyment!

If you've got the time, please review :)

SHIELD Academy, 12 years ago

The first time Didi took Ward to 'The Boiler Room' he was not amused. She had come by his dorm room and just dragged him out. He'd been so surprised, he didn't even react until they were already halfway towards the Sci-Ops building.

"What the hell are you doing Didi?" He asked her, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. She just shrugged, "You're coming with me to the twins' birthday party. You know, normal people RSVP to events such as birthdays and anniversaries but we'll forgive you just this once. You're still learning after all."

Ward's scowl deepened. "You ever stop to consider that the reason I didn't RSVP is that I didn't want to come to this party?" Didi cocked her head to the side. "No, I didn't. Because you don't just not show up to a friend's birthday party. That's just rude." She grabbed his arm again and started pulling, but Ward wouldn't budge.

"It would be, but they're your friends, not mine." Didi turned to face him fully, and poked a finger in his chest. "What do you mean, they are my friends? You've been spending every Friday night with us for the past 2 months: you spar with Bulk, you accidentally flirt with the twins and you play chess with Walter. Newsflash, Academy-drone, you made friends."

Didi's claim stunned Ward so much, he let her pull him forward without resisting. He probably didn't even notice they'd started moving again, until they were standing before the door to 'The Boiler Room'.

Without letting go of Ward's arm, Didi opened the door to the legendary Sci-Ops bar. The music that spilled into the quiet hallway was proof of how much work had gone into this secret club. Well, Didi supposed it wasn't all that secret, but as long as the teachers pretended it was, it was fine by her.

She pushed Ward ahead of her, so he didn't have a chance of bolting and together they made their way through the mass of gyrating bodies. Didi noticed the stiff set of Ward's shoulders and the way his eyes kept darting around the dimly lit room. "It's just a club, Ward. Nobody's going to jump you."

The words had only just left her mouth, when 2 streaks of brown came bursting through the crowd, almost tackling Ward. Two sets of arms wrapped around his neck and two identical voices started screaming, "Ohmygodyoucame!" One of the twins said, not even bothering to pause in between words. Didi saw Ward squirming to get out of the embrace, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. It actually looked adorable.

"Uhm, yeah," he shrugged as best he could, with the twins still attached to him. They let go of his neck, but immediately latched onto his arms. "C'mon, we've got a booth over there." Didi followed the group, slightly grinning. In her head, she called it the 'Ward effect'. Everything she (and by extension their friends) made him do seemed so new to him. Playing games for fun? Going out? Laughing? It was like he'd never got a chance to do that before and his almost childlike wonder at certain things was both hilarious and endearing. It was definitely a stark contrast to the Ward she'd met that first day in class.

She arrived at the booth just in time to hear the rest say their hellos to Ward. When Walter saw her though, he turned his attention away from the greetings. "Oh Didi, finally. So, do we get to open this mystery box now?" he said, pointing towards a square cake-box that was sitting on the corner of the table. It looked to be untouched still and Didi was glad for that. She'd warned Walter to keep the lid on it (definite pun intended) until everybody was present. "I'm getting a little hungry." Walter's eyes wandered back towards the box and he licked his lips.

Didi had to fight her laughter when she opened the box and revealed … not a cake. In the box, there was a saltshaker, some limes and 6 custom shot glasses. The look of utter disappointment in both Walter and Bulk's eyes was priceless. Didi cocked an eyebrow at them, "What? I'm a Specialist, not Martha freaking Stewart."

She slid into the booth next to Ward and started pulling out the shot glasses. Then she took out her knife and started cutting the limes in parts. "Okay guys, let's order us some Tequila and get this night started."

Nobody listened to Ward's protests of not drinking and Didi kept filling up his glass. After about ¾ of a bottle, somebody (Didi was not sure, but she suspects it was Sara.. or Emma) suggested they start a round of 'Never have I ever'. Admittedly, the game was only mildly better than 'Truth or Dare', but if you wanted to get shitfaced nothing was better.

So she poured another round, ordered a new bottle and divided another lime. Then she turned to Ward, "So I'm assuming you don't know this game," he nodded slowly, like it took him a lot of effort. "Somebody will make a statement, starting with 'never have I ever…' if you have done that particular thing, you have to drink. So for instance," she said, and turned back towards the table, "Never have I ever turned 20." Sara and Emma picked up their glasses and toasted each other before clocking back their drink and biting down on the lime. Didi turned towards Ward and saw the confusion in his eyes.

"So… If I did turn 20 already, I drink?" Didi nodded, and her eyes grew wide as she watched Ward pick up his glass and empty it. "When the hell did you turn 20?" she asked him. He shrugged, "two weeks ago.. my birthday is January 6th." Didi let out an exasperated sigh. "And you didn't tell us? We're your friends, Ward, we wouldn't have let your birthday go by without celebrating." Ward lifted his shoulders in another shrug. "I didn't know I had friends to share that with. Besides, it's not the first time I didn't get a celebration. It's all good Didi." He lifted his glass again, a sign for her to refill it.

He was clearly already too drunk to be yelled at (or at least remember that he had been yelled at) so Didi decided to save that particular tirade for some other time.

The rounds of 'Never have I ever' started out innocent and fun: "Never have I ever stolen a Christmas tree." "Never have I ever gotten a ticket for speeding." "Never have I ever been grounded." "Never have I ever been drunk at a party." But soon the booze really kicked in, and the questions asked, weren't really the questions meant.

Didi had started it, and she would probably come to regret that move later on. "Never have I ever gotten a hidden spot inked." She watched Sara and Walter pick up their glass and to her surprise Ward also tipped his backwards. "You've got a dirty tattoo?" she whispered to him. He raised his eyebrow in question, "You didn't say dirty, you said hidden. Mine is hidden, most of the time." His hand dropped to the hem of his shirt and he lifted it up a bit. There, on his ribcage there was a tiny black mark but it was too dark to make out what it was exactly. She lifted her head and met his – slightly clouded – eyes. "Not exactly what I mean, but okay."

Next up was Sara, who wasn't too pleased with Didi for 'outing' her. Now that Bulk knew she had a tattoo hidden somewhere, he would probably never stop bothering her about it. "Never have I ever… had an AH-MAYYYY-ZING walk through the Academy Park." She put a special kind of emphasis on the 'amazing' bit and her eyes twinkled with satisfaction when Didi raised her glass. But again, Ward surprised her by lifting his glass as well. "I've been a the park…'s great for runs." He slurred his words, and Didi had no other choice but to laugh. "Again," she told him, "not really what Sara meant. But that doesn't matter."

Ward kept misunderstanding the questions, and by the end of the night, he was so drunk Didi wondered how he was able to remain upright. "Never have I ever eaten cookie." (No Ward, not a cookie, just cookie…) "Never have I ever played with the snake" (Not a literal snake, dude.. and who the hell keeps a pet rattlesnake?) "Never have I ever dipped the hotdog into the mayo." (That one you don't drink on?)

"Okay big guy, I think it's time for you to say bye-bye and go to bed. C'mon," Didi said, while pulling on Ward's arm. Drunk Ward turned out to be less of a drag (literally) but more whiney than she would have imagined. He kept complaining about the cold, the leaves on the grass, the people at the bar... Didi was kind of relieved when they arrived at his dorm room. "D'di," he said while leaning heavily against his door, "c'n I make 'nother n'vr thing?" She nodded. 'N'vr have..I ev'r really kissss'd a girl."

Didi's jaw dropped at that. Okay, Ward wasn't really a social butterfly and if what he'd said about his birthday was true, he never had been. But he was very good looking and had an air of mystery around him, that would attract many an airhead. He was still leaning against his door, looking like he was about to pass out at any second. Didi paused for only a split second, before leaning in and kissing him deeply.

His eyes popped open again and when the kiss ended he looked at her questioningly. "W'y d' you do tha'?" he asked her, his hands going up to his lips. She shrugged, "Just helping out a friend, that's what they are for." She turned around and started walking; only looking back once to wink at him. He was still up against his door, his hair a little mussed from Didi's hands and a look of wonder on his face.

The first time Didi realized she felt more for Grant Ward than just platonic friendship was during their mission field test.

Instead of final exams, second year Spec-ops students went through a series of assessment tests. There was an aerial fight simulation, an undercover fact finding mission (disguised as a game for the civilians involved), a drop in another country to test lingual and problem solving skills and finally a simulated field mission. Failure to complete any of the tests would result in the immediate exclusion from the program.

Didi had easily aced the first 3 tests and she'd heard that both Ward and Bulk had also passed their assessments. She knew little to nothing about the rest of her friends but that was hardly a surprise. Both the twins and Walter each had their own op-specific evaluations to struggle through and had been pretty much locked in their dorms or labs since classes ended. Didi wasn't worried though. There was no doubt in her mind that their motley crew would still be intact come September.

The final test she and her fellow Spec-op-ers had to go through was a simulated team mission. Even though it was important for Specialists to be able to rely on only themselves, it was equally important they could function in a team if need be. This meant though that one person's misstep during the op could snowball and lead to the expulsion of the entire team. That raised the stakes just a little more.

Didi got her mission specifics a few days after she got back from Croatia. It was an infiltrate and terminate mission, much like the one she and Ward had written their TA assignments about. They were to infiltrate a hostile facility, retrieve the required intel and blow the place up, all within the hour. Operatives who did not make it out of the facility alive before 'detonation' would be cut from the program.

Didi was made team leader based on her scores during the other tests and she was disappointed to realize neither of her friends were on her team. She supposed that should have made her happy, because that would mean they had received high scores too, but it made her a little more nervous about this mission. She trusted Bulk and Ward and to Didi, that was an essential part of being a team.

Her team wasn't bad though. She was on a first name basis with both Malory and Ethan even though they didn't really travel in the same circles. She knew they were smart and skilled though, so it shouldn't be a problem. The third team member, Tony, she'd not met before but she'd seen him around the mess a few times. He seemed solid and dependable.

The final member of her team worried her a little though. Word around the yard was that Lisa had difficulty obeying orders and loved to cause a scene, but since Didi hadn't met her yet, it was hard to tell if she would be an asset or a liability to the team. If the rumors were true, Didi wondered why Lisa was still in the program, but with 'Pierce' for a last name it really wasn't all that surprising. Didi only hoped that Lisa wouldn't turn out to be such a problem that it would cost another member their place within the program.

There were 2 teams ahead of Didi's for the test, and she took the time to go over the mission specs with her team. Both Tony and Malory had excellent close-quarter combat skills, so they would take the front and the rear of the infiltration team. Based on shooting-skills Didi and Lisa were in charge of cover fire. Ethan was the one who would actually hack the computers for the information. All in all, Didi felt confident in her team's ability to succeed in the course.

Their run went almost perfectly. They got in fast and silent and made it to the computer room in less than 10 minutes. Detonators placed is strategic places along their route would guarantee maximal destruction without having to cross through the entire building. Everything went according to plan, up until Lisa decided that Didi's tactics weren't good enough. She left the safety of the formation and got herself shot by the 'enemy'. Before she went down (those beanbag shots could really pack a punch) she fired a burst of rounds into a support beam.

Didi and her team effectively ended the remaining enemies and got Lisa out with just 6.12 minutes to spare. Lisa was sent off to the medical bay to get the bruises looked at and the rest of the team settled in to watch the next team make their run.

Her breath caught when she saw both Ward and Bulk in the next team. She could tell by the posture of the people in the team that Ward was team captain.
Their strategy during the run was similar to that of Didi's, placing the bombs along the way, rather than splitting the team up. Their formation was slightly different than hers, but equally effective.

The run they did was practically perfect, until they reached the point where Didi's mission went south. The opponent hidden in that hallway made another appearance and Bulk fired 4 rounds, 2 hitting the enemy and 2 hitting the support beam again. Given the fact that this was an old building and it had already seen plenty of damage it shouldn't have surprised Didi that the beam gave out. But it did. She watched in horror as the beam crumbled with Bulk standing under it and then he wasn't anymore.

Her eyes grew wide when she spotted Ward dragging Bulk away from the rubble and towards the exit. He'd ordered the rest of his team to go ahead, place the bombs and detonate if he wasn't back within 5 minutes. Ward and Bulk came tumbling out of the building 4.50 minutes after their team and 15 seconds before the hour was up.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took almost 2 days before Didi saw either Ward or Bulk again. They had been kept in the infirmary because of the concussions they had. The ammo during the test might have been bean bag rounds, but concrete was still concrete after all.

She was beside his bed when Ward woke up in the morning. "Hi," he said softly, knowing full well that loud noises were bad for concussions, "what'r ya doing here?" Didi beamed at him and pulled out a stack of papers. "I wanted to show you our revised TA paper." This earned her a confused look from Ward. Or well, a more confused look. "What'd ya mean, revised?"

"Well, you can't expect me to hand in a paper that's so by the book it's embarrassing, after that totally not by the book rescue you pulled during the field test. So I … tweaked it a little." She flashed a grin and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "And the best part? Deadline was," she took a glance at her watch, "10 hours ago."

She laughed quietly when Ward groaned, gave him a peck on the cheek and practically danced out of the hospital room.

When they got the assignment back a few days later, Didi couldn't help but gloat about the big fat A they had gotten.

Her smirk fell however, when Ward marched up to her, planted a searing kiss on her lips and walked away again. This time leaving Didi standing there with that look of wonder on her face.

The Playground, present day

Skye's laughter interrupts Didi before she can continue into another story. "Oh god, Ward drunk must have been sooo funny!" Didi winks at her. "Yeah he was. But don't get roped into strip-poker while he's drunk, because even that inebriated, he was still the master at poker faces." She pauses for a second and her eyes start twinkling. "On second thought, you totally should let yourself get roped into that."

Skye laughed harder and she almost fell from the ottoman. "If I ever get the chance, I totally will." Then she gets serious again. "So, he saved your friend from being cut out of the program… yeah, that's something I could definitely see Bus-Ward do."

Didi nods, "What he did during that mission, it showed how loyal he is and how high he valued the friendships he made. But that was while we were in school. The real world? That's a whole other thing altogether."

Thanks again to my wonderful beta Eedmund, for correcting those silly mistakes (yes 'comma' i'm talking about you!) and for not letting my rants go to far :)

Any and all mistakes that are still present are totally mine.