Skye opened her door quietly the next morning and nearly tripped over Hunter, who was sitting beside the door in the dim hallway, fighting drowsiness. He'd been on guard duty since yesterday, not leaving her side except for trips to the bathroom (when he would clear the room first before sending her in alone and guarding the door).
He was alert and on his feet in an instant. "Morning," Skye whispered, trying not to wake everyone in the base. "I'm going to go work out with May. Do you want to get some sleep?"
Hunter blinked bleary eyes at her and nodded. "I'll probably be more use to you after some rest," he admitted. "And I have a feeling Agent May could handle Ward."
Skye smirked. "Last time they met, it didn't go well for him."
They looked at each other for a moment. Hunter fought the urge to cup her cheeks in his hands, kiss her, and tell her to be careful. Instead, he settled for smiling. "Go work out," he said affectionately. "You need to build up those muscles."
She grinned mischievously. "Watch out; I might just take you down," she teased.
"I'd like to see that," he grinned back. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he turned to head off toward his bunk.
Skye shook herself a little when she realized how openly flirty that exchange had been.
"So," Agent May asked mildly, as Skye sat on a bench, wrapping her hands to go a few rounds with the punching bag. "What's going on with you and Hunter?"
Skye's jaw slackened. Her brain scrambled for a response that May wouldn't see right through. Had it been that obvious?
She gave up and decided to go with the truth. "Honestly, I have no idea."
May's lips tightened into a thin line. "Did you know he requested that Coulson assign him to keep you safe?"
Skye's eyes widened. "No."
May arched an eyebrow at her. "Do you think he has feelings for you?"
Skye looked up from fumbling with the wrapping. "I don't really know," she admitted.
May paused. "Do you have feelings for him?" she asked, more gently.
Skye's cheeks reddened, and she lowered her gaze back to her hands. That was all the answer May needed.
"How long has this been going on?"
"A couple of weeks, maybe," Skye mumbled, wondering why she felt like the naughty kid in the principal's office. She looked up at May. "Am I breaking some kind of rule?"
May hesitated before shaking her head, her lips still pressed into a thin line. "No, but I don't know what you see in him, Skye. He's good-looking, certainly, but he's insubordinate, abrasive, arrogant -"
"Don't say that," Skye interrupted quietly. May stopped, surprised. "He can be cocky, okay, true. He can be insubordinate. But he's not abrasive, or arrogant. Not when you get to know him."
May's eyes softened, and she sat down next to Skye. "This is about more than just a fling, isn't it?" she asked. "You really care about him?"
Skye nodded, embarrassed to feel tears welling up in her eyes. Mercifully, they didn't fall.
May spoke in a measured tone. "Relationships between agents can be complicated. Even dangerous, if they begin to affect your judgment in the field." May looked Skye over critically, but not unkindly. "Are you sure you're ready for something like this? After...?" She let the question hang in the air.
"No," Skye replied sharply. "No, I'm not sure." She blew out in frustration.
"Hunter's loyalty to SHIELD has always been in question. You do know that, right?" May eyed her warily.
Skye nodded.
"That's something you need to work out before you take action on anything. I want you to know what you're getting into." Concern laced her voice.
Skye nodded again. "I know," she whispered.
Silence fell between them for a few minutes. Then Agent May spoke quietly. "Skye, I will trust your judgment with Hunter. You have the ability to see good in people that I can't." She sighed, then continued in a more urgent tone. "I can't tell you whether you are ready. You're the only one who can know that. But I will tell you that a relationship with another agent isn't easy. You have to be able to leave it all behind when you are on a mission. You will sometimes be separated. Life is uncertain. You worry not only about the mission, but also about another person's safety."
Skye pressed her lips together tightly. She would worry anyway.
May looked tired, and Skye suddenly realized she was speaking from experience.
"Is it worth it?" Skye asked quietly.
Agent May smiled faintly, the shadows of pleasant memories and regrets washing across her face.
"Yes," she said softly. "For the right person, it really is."
"How do I know whether I'm ready?"
May's lips quirked regretfully. "I wish I could tell you," she replied. "But I suggest you decide what your answer will be before the question comes up."
A/N: The dominos have been set in place...and they're starting to fall. We'll see what kind of a wrench this week's episode throws in the works! For those of you wondering whether Ward and Hunter are going to face off, I'm going to try to stick as closely to show events as possible, weaving SkyeHunter in between and behind the scenes (canon freak alert!). But believe me...if Hunter and Ward are on screen together for a second, I'll try to make use of it. ;) (And no, Ward fans, I don't hate Ward. But I think most of the team does at this point, so their actions reflect that.)
And yes, Philinda shippers...feel free to read a little Philinda into May's comments. No need to do so if you're not a Philinda fan. ;)