Post-Seeds. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Tomorrow is going to hurt really really bad. I cried while writing it.

Knowledge

"The Academy's pretty awesome, I'll give you that," Skye was saying as she swiveled back and forth on one of the stools in the lab. "Bet it must have felt amazing when you learned that you got into there."

Leo offered a weak smile to her. Reaching for the remote, he turned off the news report playing on the television about the sudden freak storm that had hit the area around the Academy. They were back on the Bus, heading back to who knew where. He was still in shock about Donnie, and what had happened with him. Seeing that happen to someone who practically a younger version of himself, it made him shudder to think about what he would have become without Simmons's friendship. You never realized how thankful you were for something until you saw you saw yourself without it.

"It was pretty good," he confessed, deciding to leave out the part where he'd fainted in bliss when he was told that SHIELD Academy was opening their doors to him. "How about you? When Coulson said you could join us, how did you feel?"

Skye's face fell, and immediately Leo regretted his question.

"It used to feel like I was doing the right thing," Skye said glumly. "But now, it's like I've cheated. I told this to Ward, and he basically said I did. And after seeing you and Simmons just being those people that everyone loved, it made me feel stupid. I thought I was good at something, but now I don't even know if I'm smart enough to be here."

Leo bit his lip. He felt terrible about how he hadn't stood up for Skye that morning when Simmons was implying that she could only get into Communications. The two of them had been so excited about visiting their alma mater and gotten too focused on it. Sighing, Leo reached out and rested his hand over Skye's.

"You might not be as smart as most Sci-Tech students," Leo said to her. "But that doesn't mean you aren't smart at all. You know a lot. Skye, you can hack the FBI in minutes where it takes most of those students three times as long. You can relate to people and find out who they are, what they are thinking, what they are going through. When Agent Hand threw you off the Bus, you didn't give up on finding Coulson. You used your brain and your wits and you were the one who brought us to him and got him back. If it had been me who'd been on my own, we wouldn't have been successful. Believe me Skye, you are smart. You just have a different kind of knowledge than the rest of us. Your way into SHIELD might have not been like everyone else's, but you've proved yourself a true agent so many times that your origins don't matter."

Skye looked up at him with a small smile. "Do you really mean that? All of that?"

Leo nodded. "Of course I do."

Skye hopped off the stool and ran around to where he was standing on the other side of the table. She threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Fitz."

His heart beat a little faster at her touch. "Anytime," Leo replied as he returned the embrace.

Please review! And prepare happy fluff to read for tomorrow!