Matter of Importance

Spoilers: Season 2 promo

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Marvel owns it all!

A lazy morning between missions and training was abnormal for anyone on the central team. They were few and far between since Senator Ward started assisting HYDRA's efforts to eliminate SHIELD. Even Talbot was taken aback by the man's sudden move and began aligning his forces with Coulson. Of course a normal morning was early rising for training or missions so when the alarm on her heart monitor went off at 0800 instead of 0530, Skye found herself smiling.

Going to the bathroom, she ignored the running of the shower and quickly did her business before standing in front of the mirror to brush her teeth. Wiping away the steam from the mirror with her hand, she grabbed her toothbrush as the curtain to the shower was pushed aside. She met the eyes of her suitemate/boyfriend, he stepped out of the stall with a towel around his waist.

"You finally wake up?"

Turning with her toothbrush in hand as he grabbed a comb from the shelf near the sink and began combing his hair, she smiled. "Yep. May put my alarm on 'lazy' mode, meaning I wake up at eight instead of five-thirty. Did you just finish working out?"

"Hunter bet me he could take me down in under ten minutes." He shrugged as she turned back around, moving the hair from her neck to kiss the soft skin. Meeting her eyes in the mirror he smiled. "Hurry up and I'll take you to breakfast."

"Hmm…" the sound was all he got as she had a toothbrush in her mouth. He was gone into his room before she could answer.

The table the team sat at was off to the side of the room, big enough for them all and definitely the size necessary to fit them all at one time. Skye smirked as she watched Ward and Hunter argue about their sparring session a few hours before, Hunter calling Ward on several moves that weren't routine. It was like a tennis match between the two, everyone waiting to see what the other would say or do.

"Dude just give up." Trip shook his head and Hunter looked at Ward with a smirk.

"See even he agrees."

Skye chuckled, "he meant you Hunter."

May was soon hovering over them and they all looked up to see a familiar person standing beside her. Jemma Simmons looked like she always did, oxford shirt and slacks with a vest over the shirt. "Simmons has decided to join us again."

"Do you remember us?" Skye stood in front of her friend, hope in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, no. Agent May was kind enough to explain everything that has happened and why I don't remember." Simmons smiled, "maybe in time we can be friends like she says we were, you're Skye right?"

Skye nodded and hugged her friend, "we'll be friends again in no time." Pulling back she smiled, "come on, sit down and get to know everyone while I get you some food."

When Skye returned she found Simmons talking with Fitz and Mac, no doubt about something technical that Fitz was working on with the mechanic. Ward and Hunter were having one of their weird staring contests again. The two had an epic bromance going to the point it got weird sometimes, even for her and she thrived in weirdness.

"Here you go." Skye put a plate of pancakes and eggs in front of Simmons with a cup of tea.

"Thank you, you're so thoughtful." Simmons smiled at her and then narrowed her eyes in confusion at the two men just starring at each other. "Are they alright?"

Trip practically roared in laughter, "them two, alright? Apart they make us worry but together, we pray nothing happens."

Simmons nodded, "I see, well hopefully their relationship doesn't affect the work."

"Relationship?" Mac seemed confused, "wait you think they're together?"

"Am I wrong to think so?"

"Hah, you blinked!" Hunter leaned back and smirked, "best we didn't bet on that or you'd be paying me back what you took from me this morning."

"I warned you not to bet me in a fight." Ward took a sip of his coffee before standing. "I have to help Byers with the new armory, apparently Darnell decided to mislabel everything and they grabbed the wrong weapons last mission."

Skye smiled at him, "you do remember what you'll be busy with this afternoon right?"

"I made a promise and I plan to keep it." He looked down at the computer that sat in front of her. "I'm not a computer expert but what does last week's episode of Reigning Towers have to do with the coding that Coulson wants you to get done today?"

She closed the laptop and looked up at him with a smile. "Don't tell me you watched it already." She saw his face, "no don't tell me what happens, I can't handle knowing that if Cora dies from Lord Cole's attack, that Mitchell will have a severe breakdown."

"What?" Hunter looked between them, "wait, are you two talking about that new science fiction show that started last month about the dragons and magical twins."

"Never pictured you as the type Ward." Fitz piped up and the man rolled his eyes.

"Skye begged me to watch it with her and it's not that bad."

Hunter snorted as he took a sip of his tea. "In other words mate, he didn't want to risk saying no to the missus and being booted to the metaphorical doghouse." He shook his head and looked at Ward. "You are a sorry sap that is wrapped around her finger."

Ward merely shrugged before walking off, Hunter dodging Skye's biscuit as she threw it at him. "You're pathetic!"

"Call them as I see 'em luv and he is wrapped around your finger." Hunter looked to the men beside him, "am I not correct?"

A chorus of 'yeah' and 'sorry Skye' was heard before Simmons made a comment. "Oh I get it. They are together while Agent Hunter and Agent Ward have a bromance going on."

"A bromance that is bordering on epically weird proportions." Skye rolled her eyes, "I should know since I thrive in weirdness but this is a whole new level of weird."

When Skye had stated she had to get out of the base, Coulson put his foot down that she wasn't going alone. So as always, Ward found himself walking behind or beside the computer specialist as they made their way down one of the hills to one of Skye's favorite spots in a small meadow. The summer took away snow and replaced it with beautiful landscapes that Skye insisted on escaping to once a week.

Pausing, the woman in front of him took her water bottle out of her pack. "I never have thanked you for putting up with the need to escape every week."

"You never need to thank me mia bella." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know what walls can do to you, making the need for fresh air necessary."

"So, what's in the bag?" She motioned to the pack he had on his back, it wasn't normal that he carried one so he had been waiting for her to question it.

Smiling he started walking, "you'll see, come on."

Making it to the meadow right before sunset, Skye looked around. "We can't stay long, the trek took longer than expected." She sighed, "we should have come this morning instead of the afternoon."

Ward put the pack down on the ground and started digging through it, throwing materials onto the ground. Skye bent down to pick them up and found thermal blankets as well as two thermal ground pads. Finally Ward withdrew something from the bottom of the bag and set it on the ground. "Insta-Tent." He looked up from where he knelt on the ground, "May handed it to me as we were leaving, stating to not come back till noon tomorrow."

"Well that's unexpected. Let's get started setting up camp."

While Ward set up the tent, Skye made the march about a quarter mile to get wood for a fire. She arrived back to see the tent set up and Ward digging a hole in the ground so they could burn a fire without causing it to erupt into a blaze. She put the wood in the hole and watched as he lit it with a few matches.

"Nice surprise?" He looked over at her and Skye nodded, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Better than just a hiking trip."

Night seemed to settle in, sandwiches in the pack was dinner as they sat by the fire talking. Ward seemed to magically produce a bag of marshmallows out of nowhere when Skye least expected it. Stories were exchanged over roasting marshmallows and laughter seemed to fill in where talking stopped.

"And then Trip just out of nowhere, bam right into the glass wall." Skye watched Ward chuckle. "Apparently it works, the glass force field that Mac and Fitz created. After the laser one in your cell I don't know why they went on to make a glass one but if it works who cares."

Ward looked at his watch, "we should both get some rest if we're going to be up early enough for sunrise."

"Yeah, I saw the sunset so I want to see the sunrise." Skye stood and looked down at the fire, "do you know how to put that out?"

"I survived in the woods for years, starting and putting out fires is not all that new to me." He stood and started gathering the dirt he'd dug out, throwing it on the fire as Skye crawled into the tent and started shuffling things around. After the fire was out and he waited a few moments to be sure, he crawled into the tent to find Skye had layered the ground pads and blankets, in between them with her head on her arm. "I had arranged it already."

She just smiled from where she laid, "scared to cuddle with me, keep me warm from the cold?"

"It's not that cold mia bella." He slipped off his shoes and placed them beside hers, climbing in between the ground pads and blankets to lay beside her. "As for being scared of cuddling with you, I'll never grow tired of it."

Skye turned over onto her other side after he'd pulled her to him. Her back lay against his front, an arm around over his as he held her. She closed her eyes to the sensation of his hand on her bare skin at her waist and his breath on her neck. "Me neither." She whispered into the night.

Ward woke to the first sensation of light outside and he knew it wouldn't be long before the sun rose. Opening his eyes he found Skye facing him, her head on her arm and her hair all over the place but it was a sight he often found himself immersed in because it was beautiful.

Gently he ran a finger down her cheek, watching as she scrunched her nose at the odd sensation before groaning. "No training, more sleep."

"No training today mia bella. The sun is going to rise in a few minutes though and we could miss it if sleep is more important."

Groggy she sat up and pushed her hair back as she opened her eyes, "sun rise than more sleep."

"Whatever you want." He meant that statement, he'd do whatever she wanted despite him still be tagged by the bracelet and every moved tracked.

They crawled out of the tent and sat on the ground, Skye buried herself in his lap and pressed as close as she could to him. Ward wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head as the sun began to peek above the horizon. "In September we need to come out again, to see the Northern Lights."

"We can do that." He rubbed her arm and kissed her temple. "We can do whatever you want."

She gave a small snort, "only with Coulson's permission of course."

"Let's not worry about that now."

Snuggling deeper into Ward, she nodded. "Sounds like a plan. It's beautiful, much better than the sunset."

"Second most beautiful sight." He whispered into her hair, "after you."

A/N: Okay so Simmons is back and we had a sort-of date between Ward and Skye.

Next...not sure yet.

Please read and review...