Disclaimer: I don't own a thing
Sorry it's been so long…
Fluffy fluff fluff
"Simmons, take this away from me before I get fat and slow!" Skye pushed the carton of rum raisin away from herself and towards the biochemist who neatly put the cap back on a placed it on the coffee table in front of them. They had been talking and snacking for the last half hour while therest of the team was scattered around the Bus doing their own thing until they were to land at the Playground in two hours' time. Skye and Simmonshad originally been speculating about Skye's father but as the British woman turned back to Skye, the hacktivist sensed a shift in topic.
"So Skye, you and Ward…" Simmons prompted and Skye bit back a smile as she licked the last drop of ice cream off her spoon.
"Yeah, we're good now I think. I mean, he was super moody before but it's Ward. It would have been weird if he was happy all the time." She responded, rolling her eyes a little.
Simmons said softly, "He is happy all the time now. He's happy when you're around."
There was something in Simmons' tone that made Skye look up concernedly and ignore how cliché her words were.
"Simmons, is everything okay?"
"It's just…"
Skye scooted closer to her friend, "What is it? You can tell me Jemma."
Simmons sighed and curled up into herself a little more, "Sometimes it's hard to forget what he did. I know he makes you happy and I know he's working hard for redemption and he's saved our lives, but…"
Skye let out a small breath, squeezing Simmons' knee gently in understanding, "I know. And I think that's what he's been thinking about these last two weeks. I mean, talk about an existential crisis. " Skye lowered her voice, "I'm still trying to figure out what the best way to deal with all this is," She confessed with a wild gesture of her hands, "I look at Fitz and I don't know what to think. How to feel. Then I look at Ward…and my head just starts to hurt." Groaning, Skye flopped back onto the couch, reaching for the ice cream again, "It's like a guilt trip every time I see either one of them."
"I don't…" Simmons' voice thickened and Skye looked over in alarm to see the biochemist's teary eyes, "I don't know what to do about Fitz. He's getting better but I doubt he'll ever be the same again. And he simply adores Ward."
"You don't know who to blame." Skye translated and Simmons nodded miserably. Skye popped open the lid of the ice cream and waved her spoon as she talked, "Sometimes you can't just blame people. I guess you just have to accept that it's a fucked up situation and move on from there," She said wisely.
"Is that what happened with you , Steve and Ward?"
Skye choked at Simmons' smooth segue and saw that she was grinning through her damp eyes.
"Simmons."
"What?" the biochemist said innocently, "I'm curious and you just reminded me of that."
"Steve…and Ward….not Steve, he was just…" Skye spluttered, knowing that she was making absolutely no sense.
Simmons pointed delicately at Skye's spoon, "Careful, you'll drip that on your clothes."
Skye shoved the spoon into the carton of ice cream and said firmly, "Steve and I were never a possibility. He just hates Ward. Well, maybe not hate but he hates Hydra and the Red Skull and Ward happens to have been recruited for Hydra…"
"I've seen the way Captain Rogers looks at you There's definitely an attraction that could have fueled his dislike of Ward." Simmons said, her eyes dry now. While Skye was glad her friend was no longer on the verge of tears, she wasn't sure that this was the conversation she wanted to be having then and there.
"Well," Skye started slowly, careful to pick her words wisely, "maybe in another world but-," Then she stopped herself, not sure she was ready to tell Simmons the "I love you's she and Ward had exchanged the other night, "-he's Captain America and I'm just a hacktivist with a track record. And he's…ancient. He doesn't get half the jokes I make."
Simmons hummed in agreement, "But his physique. Have you seem his arms?"
Skye picked up her spoon, relieved that she had navigated that part of the conversation well, "Mmm, definitely dreamy. And his chest. I mean, my God. His is smile is to die-," She stopped abruptly, eyes widening as she heard the low tones of two males' voices. Simmons heard it too and her hand went flying up to cover her mouth.
"Are you sure you don't want any of this rum raisin, Simmons?" Skye asked lamely in attempt to smooth over their surprise.
"No, thank you." Simmons responded a few seconds too late and Skye cursed her biochemist's terrible lying skills.
"You really shouldn't be eating that stuff," Ward chided as he and Trip came into view, "It'll slow you down and hinder your training."
Skye gave Simmons a knowing look and scoffed, "It's ice cream, Ward. Its benefits clearly outweigh its negative effects. Besides, I'm on vacation." She directed the last part to Trip who held up his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I'm not one to deny a girl her ice cream. But you know what that means when two girls are eating ice cream together." Trip raised his eyebrows at Skye who rolled her eyes.
"One." Simmons said suddenly and everyone turned to look at her, "only one girl was eating ice cream. She finished blushing a little at her outburst.
There was a pause the Trip spoke up, "Actually Simmons, I had a question that I was meaning to ask you about the GH-325 drug. I was going through your notes and I came across something…"
Skye smirked at Trip's smooth over, taking a bite of her ice cream. She felt Ward's eyes on her as she slowly (and perhaps a little too seductively) slid the spoon out of her mouth.
"Let's go down to the lab and we can pull up the data on the Holotable." Simmons suggested.
"See you guys," Skye said a little vaguely and Ward gave something of a grunt.
"Want some?" Skye offered Ward once Trip and Simmons had disappeared.
He cleared his throat a little unsteadily, "Uh, no thanks. We should… we should talk though."
"You sure about that?" Skye teased, her eyes flicking up and down his body, "I think I know all that there is to know." She took pride in seeing his jaw twitch as he fought for control of his body.
"Skye…"
"Mmhm," She reached over and tossed the carton onto the coffee table and pulled him down in one swift movement, "I'm tired of talking," She whispered in his ear, letting her lips graze his earlobe.
His lips ghosted over her cheek as he replied, "You were talking about Rogers before. Let's talk about me now."
"Well, you've got really nice arms too but Steve's are much bigger," Skye murmured, running her hands up and down his biceps as Ward hovered over her, "And Steve's chest is much more defined but I've always liked my men to firm but not unyielding-," she was cut off by Ward's lips catching hers harshly before he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.
"Skye."
The hacktivist sighed, unable to dissuade him from 'the talk', "Look, you don't have to apologize. You needed time. Maybe we both did."
Ward pulled away and sat down next to her, his expression borderline uncomfortable and his voice tight, "But you and Rogers… you never… I mean you could have if you wanted-,"
"No." Skye said firmly and Ward relaxed visibly, "Not when I've got you," she pulled Ward towards her again.
"Although," She added as an afterthought, "if you were ever to die while on a mission, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on his body-," She teased but was cut off yet again by Ward's hard lips on hers.
"I'm kidding," She mumbled inbetween kisses but she didn't push him away, "but you have to admit, he has a fine physique," She continued as his lips traveled down her neck and his fingers traced the skin exposed by her hitched up shirt.
"Yes, but what you have here, babe, this is all-natural, self-made muscle. Not an experiment." Ward breathed but Skye laughed. The specialist pulled away and looked up at her with an aggrieved look on his face.
"Babe?"
Ward smirked, "What, you don't like it?"
Skye placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him sweetly, "I just didn't expect it from you, babe."
"You can take the drawers on the right side and just shove my clothes aside to make room for your own stuff." Skye instructed Ward as she dumped her duffel onto the bed and kicked her box into a corner by the dresser, "I'll put my stuff away later. I just want a shower now."
Ward looked around the room, "You know, when you first told Coulson that we could share a room I was worried that our stuff wouldn't fit but I guess I was wrong."
Skye shrugged, "I couldn't exactly be a hoarder when I was living out of my van." She pointed out.
"We'll have to get your old stuff out of storage." She remembered, eyeing his own bag of meager possessions.
"You kept it?" Ward said incredulously, setting his bag carefully down on the bed.
Skye grinned, "Well we kept you didn't we? Besides, it was evidence. Come on, let's go get it so you can get properly settled in." She led the way out the room.
"Do you think this is the closest we'll ever get to moving in together?" Ward asked suddenly as Skye led him through the winding halls of the Playground.
"What do you mean?" Skye asked, scanning her finger into a small pad before performing a retinal scan. The door clicked open and Skye navigated through the tall shelves before reaching an empty rack, save for a large cardboard box covered in dust. Peeking into the box, she heaved it off the shelf and into Ward's arms.
"SHIELD is my life, Ward. My family is here. Weren't you planning on staying an agent all your life too?" Skye asked as she began to weave through the room again.
"I suppose, but that was before I met someone that I could actually imagine starting a regular life with." Ward confessed and Skye smiled to herself.
"If you really love Trip that much then I'll be more than happy to step aside and let you guys go at it." She wasn't going to lie- there was a time when she had daydreamed about carrying Ward's child and there had been a house and a white picket fence and dinners with the team and a very domestic Ward but that was all it had ever been- a daydream, "I can't leave them, Ward."
Ward was silent and Skye was scared to look in at his face.
"But maybe, someday, when this mess is over, we can find a nice apartment that isn't just a safe house or a house on the beach." She added slowly, reluctant to make any promises she couldn't keep.
"I'd like that." Ward said and Skye could almost hear the smile in his voice as she mentally kicked herself.
Suddenly, Skye heard panicked footsteps echoing down the hallway and she shot Ward a look.
"Skye!" Fitz's accent was heavy as he skidded into view, out of breath and clutching a tablet, "Skye, Coulson needs you- Raina just called his personal line."
"What? I thought the line was-?"
"Personal? Yeah, I know but she must have traced the call through one of Coulson's calls to the FBI or CIA or-,"
Ward interrupted, "It doesn't matter right now. We need to get there, now."
At first, Skye thought the box would get in the way of Ward's movements as they sprinted down the hall but then she had to mentally kick herself again. Of course it wouldn't. He was Grant Ward for goodness sakes. Carrying boxes and running was probably a perquisite to his specialist training and somehow, he was still running much faster than her.
"Coulson," Skye gasped as the three of them burst into the Director's office. Coulson, May and the two Avengers were grouped around the phone wear grim expressions as if they were at a dear friend's sickbed, "What happened?"
"It's done." Romanoff spoke, "The meet's been set."
Skye whipped around to face the Director, "What did you do?" She demanded but Coulson refused to meet her eyes, "You have to cancel it." She pleaded, turning to look at May and Steve. When no one responded, she turned imploringly to Ward.
"It's going to be a trap, I know it."
"Sir?" Simmons' timid voice came from the doorway, "Sit, Lance Hunter is at the entrance and I'm afraid Billy is throwing something of a fit."
"I'm coming." Coulson excused himself, still not looking at Skye and brushed past Simmons who threw Skye an apologetic glance before scurrying after Coulson. Steve hurried after Coulson, leaving Skye to stare accusingly at May and Romanoff.
"He'll have plenty of back up. We're not going to be sending him out there on a silver platter." Romanoff assured her but Skye remained unconvinced.
"You saw what he did to me…"
May stepped forward, "There was no talking Coulson out of it. You know he'll do everything he can to keep you safe and if he believes that this a way to do just that then he will do anything in his power to make sure it happens."
"Skye," Ward said quietly but she ignored him.
Romanoff turned to walk out of the office, "There's nothing more we can do than prepare and hope your father doesn't feel a specific need to take his powers out on Coulson."
May also started for the door, "We should go meet this Lance Hunter."
Romanoff waited until May had exited before looking back at Skye, "I think Coulson wants to know everything he can about this GH-325 drug and he thinks your dad will know. You know how people are with getting the information that they want. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or Coulson." She promised, then threw a look at Ward, "I'm sure your boyfriend won't either."
"Skye," Ward started again but Skye threw off the hand he was extending toward her shoulder.
"Don't, Don't tell me it'll be okay when we both know it won't."
"We should go." He said after a few moments and she led him lead her out of the office.
The team was huddled in the foyer with Steve and an unfamiliar man in the center. He was a deal shorter than Steve but well built while still being lithe. His hair was cut close to his head but he had a fair deal of scruff framing his jaw and chin.
"Lance, this is Skye and Grant Ward." Steve introduced as they approached them.
The newcomer shook both their hands,
"Senator?" He asked Ward as they grasped hands.
"Brother." Ward responded smoothly and Skye looked up at him curiously, anger forgotten.
"Where's Hartley?" Steve asked, bringing the attention away from Ward.
Hunter's gaze hardened minisculely and he picked up his beaten duffel bag, "Dead. Show me my quarters, will you mate?"
Skye was silent as she watched the Captain lead Hunter away.
"He'll be good." Ward commented aimlessly but she knew a lot of thought and observation had been put into his consideration.
"He's something of a mercenary." Romanoff added, "He's dabbled around in SHIELD a bit, but nothing too significant. Probably why he didn't recognize you." She directed the last part at Ward who took it wordlessly.
May crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed, "As long as he can do the job."
Guys it has been way too long. Seriously. But here it is… I'm also working on a one shot so let me know which you want to see first- the next chapter of IACB or the new Skyeward oneshot (which I think will actually be really long!)
Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who is still reading this and hasn't given up hope on me or this story! Happy New Year~