3, Smile More
A week into her training, Skye chooses a new personal mission: annoy, prod and amuse Grant Ward to a point where he'll actual show some kind of emotion. Any kind of emotion (although she'd rather not like to be punched).
So she's following him around, always being near him, always having something to say, something to ask. The most she gets is annoyed looks, though, and she supposes it's his default setting, so she doesn't take it as success.
Then one day she hits the jackpot.
He's making inventory in the galley (of the food; for a change) when she finds him in the morning. She, still in her PJs, takes seat the counter, to observe him from there – to watch as he carefully checks every single can and jar and bottle, scanning the best before date, noting down how much food they have left, and putting together a meticulous shopping list at the same time.
The whole process – at least the way he does it, the concentration of his face, and the way his biceps flex as he moves – is quite mesmerizing. And a rather nice sight.
"You know," she says after a while in a wondering tone, "if this whole superspy business doesn't work out for you, I'm sure you could make a perfect butler. Or a househusband."
She doesn't expect any kind of reaction from him – maybe that's why it's so astonishing when his lips twitch.
"Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?" she says half-serious, half-joking, which causes his smile widen. Wow – it looks good on him.
"Maybe I did," he replies, his tone almost flirtatious.
Skye chuckles.
"You know, you should smile more often. It makes wonders to you – suddenly, you are not half as robotic as you are on normal days."
"Perhaps I will. If you give me a reason to," he says, and she could swear he winks at her.
Okay, new mission: make Grant Ward smile more often.
