A/N: Hey guys! Apologies for the late update. I'm getting ready to go to Europe for three months and that requires a shit ton of paperwork.

I had a request from reviewer to write a one shot, however, this was already halfway done by the time I got that request.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it. I'm working on it now. Hopefully I will have it up by next week. This is just a filler until I have time to sit down and finish the other one.

Hope you guys enjoy! Taking it back to season one for this.

OoOoOoO

Skye wasn't oblivious.

Sure, she had dropped out of school, and sure she had lived in a van for a while, but she was quite observant.

She picked up on things, nuances, behaviors. With so many years allied with the Rising Tide, she learned to notice habits and body language. How to figure when someone was lying, or uncomfortable.

Being on the plane meant differences in how she saw things. For instance, she knew when Ward was upset because he always hit a punching bag. She could tell when Fitz was stressed because he placed his hands together like he was praying and lay them against his nose. She knew when Jemma was deep in thought, because the girl would furrow her brow and hum to herself as she worked.

Coulson tended to bottle his feelings, which wasn't surprising to Skye. However, even he had his tells. His hands would clench by his sides, his peaceful blue gaze would turn into a stormy blue ocean.

And with each of them, she knew what could make them feel better. Ward go one of two ways, she could either give him a drink, or she trained with him. Usually whatever was bothering him would come out at some point. Fitz was also easy. All she had to do was ask him something sciency and he would brighten right up and begin talking a mile a minute. Jemma was the same way. All she had to do was get her talking about another subject and whatever was bothering the girl would either be solved, or discussed.

Melinda was another story altogether.

The woman was stony….that's the only way Skye knew how to describe her. She didn't show emotion, or at least not much more than irritation. Melinda never went postal, never cried.

In all honesty, it was a skill Skye was kind of jealous of. She wished she could be unfeeling,but all she could do was wear her heart on her sleeve. Years of having her heart broken should have hardened it like a rock, but she couldn't push aside the feeling of hope that came when she joined the team. When Ward betrayed them, her heart became an icy stone in her chest. For the first time, she saw a shift in herself. No longer was she the naive agent convinced things would go well. She was pissed off and scarred. She began to understand why Melinda rarely let herself feel. It was easier that way.

But still, as she say in the near-empty playground, she found that wound wanting to reopen, to sting her. Maybe it was the loneliness-Phil had been gone for two weeks and Jemma had left. Or, maybe she was just feeling again.

She forced herself off of her bed, fighting the hurt that threatened to rise in her chest. Changing into workout clothes, she made her way down to the gym in hopes of sweating out whatever emotions threatened to engulf her.

Not even five minutes into taking swings at the punching bag, she felt a presence behind her. Sensing it was Melinda, Skye didn't stop.

There was a beat of silence for a moment as Melinda set her water bottle down.

"You're getting strong." It was a quiet compliment. Skye hesitated, hearing both the sincerity and something else in the agent's voice. She turned, a pleased blush creeping up on her face.

"Thank you."

"But you're favoring your right side." May folded her hands behind her back. Skye's smile faltered for a moment.

"W-what?" She stuttered out as May took a few steps forward.

"You punch mostly with your right hand, and lead with your right foot. It means your left side will be weaker both muscle and coordination-wise." Melinda replied. There was something…..soft…..in her eyes. "You want to be comfortable switching hand domination."

Sensing that Melinda really was trying to help, and considering it was one aspect of her training that Ward had never gotten to, she nodded eagerly. After switching positions, she went to take another jab, but felt a hand on her bicep stop her.

"Feet further apart, or you'll fall over. And don't hesitate. Punch like you would with your right. If it's a weaker shot, that's okay." She removed her hand, looking surprised herself that she had so willingly made physical contact. The contact was surprising for Skye as well, but she shook it off and turned her attention back to the bag.

The punch was not quite as strong as she was used to, and it felt strange, almost foreign to be relying on that arm alone.

"Not bad." May nodded, giving her a smirk. Skye smiled a bit at the praise.

Melinda moved over to the treadmill to begin her run, but before she could, Skye called her name.

"Hey May." Skye sighed, not really sure how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "Do you- you think you could, you know, help me? With training, I mean." Seeing the stoic look on Melinda's face, she worried she had overstepped. "Since Ward left, I don't really have a supervising officer."

At the mention of Ward,there was a flicker of irritation across Melinda's face. Skye worried once again that she had said the wrong thing.

"Sure."

The young agent's head tilted up in surprise at the nonchalant answer.

"But it won't be easy."

Skye slowly nodded in disbelief. "O-okay."

"Okay." Melinda nodded quietly. "I start Tai Chi at 5:30. Training starts at 7."

She moved over to the treadmill and started it up, leaving Skye with a small smile on her face.

Melinda was stoic, quiet, fearless in the face of danger. She also liked honey in her green tea, and she was surprisingly good at poker. May couldn't cook worth a damn and loved Thai food and had trained under Peggy Carter. Skye found out that she loved the rain and a decent book when she was in the mood. She wasn't stony, not in the slightest. She just didn't show emotions like the rest, didn't wear her heart on her sleeve.

There were years of walls around her heart, but she felt and she cared, more than Skye even realized.

Maybe Skye was a bit more oblivious than she thought.