Disclaimer: I don't own anything… which is why I must keep writing this
Heey guys! Kudos to you if you're reading this right now! I'll leave an author's note for you down below if you want to know my new plan for this story! But for now, all you have to know is that this is an new chapter and I hope you enjoy~
They stopped for a day on their way to the Playground because Simmons insisted that they needed to restock their medical supplies ASAP because what would they do if they were boarded on their way out to the Playground? And Simmons was not losing a patient to exsanguination, not if she could help it so they needed to be fully stocked at all times.
Secretly, Skye believed that Simmons just wanted to let everyone off the Bus in hopes that once the doors opened, the tension between Ward, Steve and Skye would dissipate into the fresh air.
Coulson's errand had been cancelled so he was more than willing to set foot on solid ground for a few hours to refuel and get something other than airplane food to eat.
So that's how Skye found herself squashed between Steve and Fitz in a high-end restaurant, watching a gorgeous and impossibly curvy redhead walk up to their already crowded table. She was the pinnacle of fashion in her charcoal dress with an asymmetric neckline and sky high stilettos that Skye had no doubt were Louboutins or some other name brand with ridiculous pricing. She carried a simple bold blue clutch that the hacktivist knew was filled with lethal pointy objects and a small pistol.
"Ah, Agent Romanoff, what a surprise! Here, let me get you a chair-," Coulson rose to signal to a nearby waiter and seconds later, a chair materialized between Ward and Simmons. Romanoff shot Skye a very brief but very meaningful look as she slid into her chair and Skye grimaced her way as Fitz's elbows dug into her side when he shifted in his seat to speak to Coulson.
Turning away, Romanoff's lips thinned as she leaned into hear Ward's quiet words to her. Skye watched as the Black Widow's obvious look of distaste towards the specialist lessened as she returned his whispers with some remarks. Skye didn't realize that she was leaning toward them in attempt to hear their conversation until she nearly toppled into Steve's lap, her hand shooting down onto his thigh to catch herself. He steadied her and Skye looked back up in time to see Ward turning back to Romanoff, fury barely concealed beneath his smooth complexion.
"Skye, what are you having?" May asked, trying to draw attention away from the moment but Steve's hands were still wrapped around her and Skye was watching Ward's jaw twitch as Romanoff asked him a question in low tones. Skye swung her head to face May who was sitting in front of her before Ward could glance in her direction again.
"Uhm, the salad with the uh…" She stammered, pulling away from Cap which caused her to bump her head against Fitz's curly (and hard) one. The hacktivist tried to hide behind her menu but she could feel Ward's eyes burning into her skin, making her hot all over. She was beginning to wish that they had stayed on the Bus because it would have been easier to avoid Ward and Steve there.
"Do you think they serve alcohol here this early?"
Later that night, after Skye had spent an hour tossing and turning in her bed, she decided to go get a glass of water. She had spent the day actively avoiding Coulson, Steve and Ward because she simply didn't want to be reminded of the task she still had to carry out. Avoiding the Captain and Coulson meant that she hadn't been able to talk to Romanoff since the Black Widow had been next to either one of them the whole day. Trip had been a constant companion of Ward's so that left Skye to talk to Fitzsimmons and May as they ran errands.
The common area was dark, dimly lit by only the wall lights. Skye padded quietly to the kitchen, trying not to think about all the times she made her way to the Cage at the same time of night to spend the night with Ward.
But before she could reach the tiles of the kitchen, a hand clamped down around her mouth and nose, effectively silencing and choking her while another arm latched around her middle, lifting her and dragging her away to a dark corner. Skye struggled, thrashing out but her captor was too strong for her. Skye's muffled shouts weren't audible over Fitz's monstrous snores coming out of his bunk next to them.
Skye threw her elbows against her assailant but they bounced off him like he was a stone wall. She was becoming weak from the lack of oxygen when she saw a figure streak past the booth and crouch behind the divider between the booth and dining table. Her mind went into overdrive- they were being attacked on their own plane and they were all about to die. She was seconds away from losing herself to unconsciousness and she prayed that the rest of the team would be able to wake up in time to save themselves.
Then she saw another figure walk purposefully but leisurely towards the cockpit, clearly unaware of the person crouched just out of their line of sight. Skye tried to scream when she saw the person walking fall under the other's well placed low kick. They were on the floor scuffling but all Skye heard were dull thuds.
Suddenly, just as Skye was about to pass out, she felt herself being released and she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for her life, rubbing her throat.
"He's out." A voice whispered and Skye recognized it as Romanoff's. What was going on?
"Take him to the Cage." A gruffer voice instructed- Ward's. Skye stumbled in their direction, groping along the table to keep herself upright. Peering down, she saw the familiar face of Dan, the rookie agent from Delmore's base.
"We'll interrogate him tomorrow when everyone's up." Romanoff decided aloud. Skye looked up to meet the Black Widow's watchful gaze. Skye opened her mouth to ask why Dan was there and why he was knocked out but Romanoff spoke first.
"You didn't have to choke her half to death, did you?" She asked Ward sharply but he remained silent, helping Romanoff position the body to drag to the Cage, "I'm going to do a final sweep to make sure there's not more of him on this damn plane."
Giving Ward one last dirty look, Romanoff began to move to the other end of the plane. Only then did Ward turn to Skye.
"Are you okay-?" He asked, reaching for her but she jerked away, causing her head to spin again.
"Don't touch me." She spat, stilling leaning half her weight on the table, "What is wrong with you? You almost killed me!"
His face remained stoic as he withdrew his hand from her and the shadows cast across his face by the dim lighting only made him seem more like he was chiseled form stone. "I had to make sure you wouldn't make a sound without alarming you first. It would take a lot more than that to kill you." Ward's fingers hovered over the spot on Skye's stomach where the scars from her gunshot wounds were before dropping back down to his side.
Seething from his double-ended comment and nonchalance, Skye rejected his helping hand again and made her way slowly back to her bunk.
Throwing herself under the covers, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out her questions about Dan and her renewed anger at Ward but to no avail. She was just as restless as she was before, even after she had brought down her heart rate. She hadn't been sleeping well for days and she knew exactly why that was. Jumping out of bed, she threw open the door of her bunk with every intention of resolving her insomnia to find Ward standing on the other side, his fist raised to knock. There was a beat of shock from both sides and Skye didn't know who moved first but then they were kissing hungrily and moving backwards into the bunk. Ward turned them around and slid the door closed without breaking contact, pressing her against it once it was shut.
Skye slipped her tongue past his lips while her hands traced the taut muscles in his back, making him moan and tighten his hands around her hips. His lips traveled south, brushing against her neck with such tenderness that he had lacked earlier when he was holding her silent.
"I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly, bringing his face up to meet hers again. Skye ran her fingers through his ungelled locks, bringing his mouth down on hers again.
"It's okay." She said into his lips sincerely, "I missed you."
"I love you."
The words seemed to have tumbled out of his mouth on their own accord because when Skye jerked back, she saw a brief flash of shock cross his face which was quickly replaced by the most vulnerable look she had ever seen Grant Ward wear.
Swallowing her surprise, Skye ran her hands down his chest, not missing the erratic rhythm that drummed under her fingertips before she looked back up at him. His molten eyes were wide, anticipating her reaction to his declaration. Skye leaned up and pressed her lips to his, fully aware of the tear streaking down her cheek. He kissed her back quickly before pulling away to search her face.
"Why are you crying?" He asked worriedly, framing her face in his big hands. Skye laughed causing more tears to leak out of the corners of her eyes as she buried her face into his chest.
"Because I love you too."
When he woke the next morning, his arms were empty and the blankets were rumpled from where Skye had slipped out of bed that morning. Tossing the covers aside, Ward grabbed his shirt from the foot of the bed and slid open the door of Skye's bunk. The Captain was just walking by and when he turned to see Ward framed in the doorway of Skye's bunk, his step faltered a little. Ward returned his gaze unashamedly, letting the implication of his presence in Skye's quarters transfer fully to Cap. The exchange lasted two seconds at most before Rogers continued purposefully to the cockpit and Ward entered the kitchen which was occupied by Fitzsimmons and Skye, whose back was to him as she fixed coffee. He nodded briefly to the scientists before striding up to Skye and putting a light hand on her back. When she turned to face him, he captured her lips with his. He heard Simmons' quiet "awh" and Fitz's muffled groan but he ignored them, pulling away to look down at Skye. She smiled widely up at him and he was sure he had an even goofier grin splashed across his face.
"Good morning."
Skye reached up and pecked his lips again before handing him a cup of coffee, "Sleep well?"
Before he could answer, Simmons cleared her throat pointedly and he turned to see Rogers entering the kitchen, trying to look as casual as possible while Trip tailed him in, not bothering to hide his broad smirk.
"There's coffee in the pot." Skye announced, moving out of the way. The kitchen was near its full capacity with six people so when Coulson rushed in, Ward had to press himself against the fridge to avoid getting coffee splashed over himself.
"I need everyone in Command in five." Coulson announced, accepting a cup of coffee from Skye before ducking out, his tie almost dropping into Fitz's plate of eggs.
"I should really go help," Fitz mumbled, his hand hovering protectively over his food as he maneuvered his way out of the cramped kitchen.
Ward swiped a piece of toast from the plate next to Trip before following Fitz out. He had totally forgotten about their prisoner in the Cage and the other events that had transpired last night.
When he joined Romanoff, Coulson and Fitz in the Command Center, they had a running visual up of Dan sitting at the table of the Cage. He had a spectacular black eye forming on his face that matched a similar bruise lining his jaw.
"You really did a number on him, didn't you? He's just a kid. All you would have had to do was yell at him." Ward remarked but Romanoff glared at him.
"You were once a kid too and look at how you turned out." Romanoff pointed out but her tone wasn't malicious, just factual, "Besides, look at who's talking; you almost killed Skye last night."
Fitz's head snapped around to look at Ward so fast that he was afraid that the engineer might have broken his own neck but Coulson didn't even react to the words being exchanged around him. The Director just continued to watch the boy on the screen.
"What did he say he wanted?" Coulson asked, indicating the rookie SHIELD agent.
Romanoff adjusted her stance to face the Director more fully, "He said he had a message to get to you that he wanted to give to you personally."
"And did he say how he got onto this plane?"
"No sir. It must have been while you were out at lunch."
Ward crossed his arms and squinted at the boy bathed in semi darkness. He was barely moving, his hand twitching every so often to show that he was still alive, "But why would he follow us all the way here…? Why not just relay the message to you while we were still at the base?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to know, Ward." Romanoff muttered under her breath and Ward raised an eyebrow at her but before he could snark a reply back, the rest of the team filtered into the Command Center.
"We're going to need a bigger bus." Coulson murmured as they shuffled around to make room for everyone. Skye slipped in next to Ward unnaturally silent and Simmons folded her hands carefully in front of her as the biochemist took her spot next to Fitz. Ward narrowed his eyes at the biochemist. Whenever Simmons took extra care in body movements it meant that she was trying to smooth over an awkward or delicate situation and judging by Skye's stony silence and the biochemist's care to keep her eyes adverted from the Captain and Ward, there had been an argument back in the kitchen between Rogers and Skye and that argument would have been about Ward.
Coulson, again, took no notice of the tension in the air and began to fill in the team about how Ward and Romanoff had suspected someone of sneaking onto the plane and successfully captured him, revealing the culprit to be Dan, the foot soldier from Delmore's base.
"Is he Hydra?" Fitz's question was directed at Ward and the team along with the Avengers all turned to look at Ward.
He shook his head, peering once again at the battered boy to be sure, "If he is, then he would have been recruited after my time."
"Well they like to get 'em young, don't they?" Rogers said blandly. Ward let the barbed comment slide but Skye stiffened next to him.
Surprisingly, Romanoff glared at Steve but spoke to the whole team, "Let me go in and I'll get the truth out of him."
Trip made a noise of dissent, "No disrespect, but if you go back in there, I think the kid might pee his pants."
"I'll go," Coulson decided vocally, "He asked for me."
May started forward as if to hold him back, "Coulson, you're Director now. You can't just waltz in and talk to any prisoner."
"Send Ward in." Skye suggested and Ward looked down in shock at the hacktivist, "He talked personally with Dan back at the base."
"Absolutely not." Rogers said sharply and Ward felt Skye bristle a little. He brushed the back of his hand against hers in attempt to calm her down but she was already snapping.
"Steve, if you-,"
Trip interrupted, "I'll go in," But Skye was still firing off at the Captain, clearly more than eager to continue their argument from before.
"-Just because I didn't-,"
Steve responded back angrily and in the confusion, Ward was sure that he was the only one who saw Dan get out of his chair as if he knew what was going on with the people that were watching him. But then Simmons' clear and high voice ripped across Trip's frantic attempts to dispense the argument while Skye and Steve went at it continually louder.
"Guys, stop!"
Everyone whipped around to look at the biochemist as she pointed to the live feed with a steady finger. Dan was now standing directly under the hidden camera's view so that his body took up the entire screen.
"I need to speak with Philip Coulson. It concerns Skye's father."
Thanks as always for reading!
So first off, I should apologize for now updating/ finishing the story as I had previously promised but my plan has changed. I found out that I wasn't really too happy with the way that season two is progressing…don't get me wrong, I still love the show but I really wanted more Skyeward…although their version of their relationship is much more realistic than mine. So needless to say, I'm continuing this story as a most definite AU so that us Skyeward shippers can have the best of both worlds. I can't promise a steady update schedule but I will try to update as much as I can. I hope that in the actual show, Ward will get his redemption or at least continue to be a constant character and I can see that the chemistry between him and Skye hasn't completely died out yet- there's still hope! Anyway, thanks to everyone who is continuing to read and support even after all this time!