A/N- Second to last chapter. Happy to hear so many are enjoying it! This one belongs to May.
That night Coulson decided to reinstate an old standard: game night. Skye picked out monopoly, and May grudgingly agreed to play. It wasn't normally her style, but Coulson pointed out it would be good to have some normality. She agreed. It wasn't easy to watch the world crumble down around you, and even harder to watch it happen to those you care about.
"Isn't there a motel option?" Skye grumbled as she landed on one of May's hotels yet again. "I'd never stay in hotels this expensive."
Coulson shook his head. "You picked the game."
"That was before I knew May was some monopoly tyrant!"
A small grin tugged at May's lips as she took Skye's money. "Never underestimate your opponents."
No one quite remembered how (May suspected Trip or Skye made a wisecrack) but they were soon all laughing. Coulson laughed so hard he fell out of his chair, and Trip and Skye ended up leaning on each other for support. Simmons was smiling, and it was the largest one May had seen in days.
May's heart sank as Simmons' smile fell and the tears of joy in her eyes fell in sorrow.
"Excuse me." The biochemist scrambled upward and all but ran out of the lounge and down the hallway. Everyone moved to follow her, but May got up first.
"Let me talk to her, Phil." Coulson's eyes assessed her before nodding his consent. May nodded in return before going down the hallway.
Living in the past was something May tried to avoid, but that didn't mean she could resist it all the time. She'd been the one to choose Fitzsimmons for this assignment, and she had considered their safety her responsibility. She had promised Fury as much when he'd learned they hadn't passed their field assessments. And now Fitz was in a coma.
The two scientists had wormed their way into her heart somehow, and May was worried about the state of Simmons. Fitz would pull through or he wouldn't (and if he didn't, Ward would certainly be getting a visit from her) and there wasn't much she could about it. Simmons, however, was at a critical point. The way she reacted to this tragedy would shape her for the rest of her life.
May wanted to give her a push in the right direction.
The sobs could be heard through the door of Simmons' room. Tears weren't something May was used to dealing with, but she pushed the door open anyway. Simmons was sitting on her bed, her head in her hands as she rocked back and forth with sobs.
"Simmons?" The girl looked up at her in surprise and tried to stop her sobs.
"Oh, May." The tears were being wiped away quickly. "What can I do for you?"
"You feel guilty." May uncrossed her arms and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. "You wonder how you can smile and laugh while Fitz is lying in a coma."
Simmons held her gaze for a few moments before looking at the ground. "How did you know?"
"I've felt the same." May sat down on the bed beside her.
Simmons nodded as she twisted her hands in her lap. "It doesn't get easier, does it?"
"No," May answered honestly. "But you are allowed to still enjoy your life."
"Am I?" The question was quiet. "Because that feels an awful lot like betrayal."
"Fitz gave what he thought was his life for you. What would he want? Would he want you to feel guilty for every laugh and smile you have for the rest of your life? Or would he want you to be happy?"
Simmons sighed and rubbed her arms. "He'd want me to be happy."
May nodded. "Then you live your life like it. I've seen the alternative, seen what happens to people who lose their partners in the field like you almost did. I don't want to see you go down the same path." She paused. "No one out there will think you're dishonoring Fitz by having a little fun. We've all been worried about you, and, in all honesty, it's nice to see you smiling again."
Simmons let out a small laugh before her face fell again. "I just want Fitz to get better."
"We all do." May placed a hand on Simmons' shoulder. "Take some time. We'll be waiting for you to finish the game."
May stood and made it to the door before Simmons called out, "Thank you, May." The senior agent turned and smiled at her, nodding once before leaving.
May sat down with the rest of the team. No one asked where Simmons was, and they continued on with meaningless conversation, Skye glancing down the hallway on occasion. May could see that the younger girl was about ready to give up and go check on her friend when Simmons reentered the room. They all fell silent as she sat down at the table, watching to see what she would do.
"Well," Simmons said when no one else spoke, "let's finish this up. I want to see May kick Skye's ass."
There was a beat before Skye began to laugh. Coulson joined soon after, followed by Trip and May. Simmons hardly cursed, and especially not in such a casual situation.
Soon Simmons began to laugh as well, and it made May smile. They made eye contact, and Simmons nodded gratefully. It seemed she was going down the right path.
Thoughts?
-princessmelia