Skye was having another nightmare. Jemma dashed out of her own bed and into Skye's bunk when she heard the tossing and turning sounds along with the soft crying that her ears were trained to listen for.
Jemma slid the bunk door shut behind her before sitting on Skye's bed and gently shaking her awake.
"Again? That's the third time tonight." Jemma asked Skye sympathetically. "They can't hurt you anymore." Jemma promised while enveloping Skye in a crushing hug.
Jemma had taken on the self-appointed job of comforting Skye since the night after she woke up. Jemma hadn't been able to sleep any of the three nights, she was woken up by Skye's cries every time she began to drift off.
"It wasn't about me." Skye muttered over Jemma's shoulder. Jemma was curious about what Skye had dreamed about, but she was also happy. That was the clearest sentence Skye had said in three days. Jemma had been watching painfully as Skye tried to pronounce her words correctly the whole time and knew how hard it was for her, how hard she tried to talk. But she appeared to be getting better very quickly, something Jemma was thankful for.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jemma asked hopefully when Skye finally pulled out of the hug and positioned herself so that she was sitting with her legs crossed in front of Jemma, who tucked her legs beneath her on the bed.
Although this was not the first time Jemma was comforting Skye, this was the first time Skye had decided to open up to Jemma about it. For Jemma this was a small moral victory. Because she thought it was the right thing to do, Jemma hadn't made a move on Skye since that first kiss that seemed to have happened a lifetime ago and it felt like they hadn't connected very much.
"It was about you." Skye told Jemma as she sniffled and let a tear fall from her eyelashes. "I keep having nightmares about them... about them..." Jemma couldn't tell if Skye couldn't finish her sentence because of her brain damage or because of her emotions, but Jemma knew she herself was beginning to get choked up.
"Every... Every time I close my eyes I see them... hurting you." Skye reached up and brushed her fingers against the faded bruise still remaining on Jemma's jaw. "Because of me." Skye choked out her last line. Jemma thought her heart was going to explode before, but this was something else.
"No, no, sweetheart, it wasn't your fault." Jemma told Skye in an attempt to stop her sobbing. Jemma froze. She didn't know what she was saying, it just came out of her mouth. But it didn't seem to faze Skye, she didn't appear to think it was awkward or weird in any way.
"I have a question." Skye sniffled. The tears had finally stopped. Without either of the girls realizing it, they had moved a few inches closer to one another.
"Anything." Jemma told her.
"I remember something that.. that I think I just need to confirm." Jemma thought she knew what Skye was talking about. She nodded and let her continue.
"I know that we, uh... we, uh..." Jemma knew for sure this wasn't about her injury because Skye's hand traveled to the back of her neck and her cheeks were a rosy pink.
"Kissed, Skye. We kissed." Jemma finished for her. Jemma smiled with Skye as she nodded.
"Yeah. That. Did you really mean it? I mean you haven't said anything-"
"Of course I meant it!" Jemma laughed, impulsively taking Skye's hand in hers as she explained. "Before I did anything else I just wanted to make sure that you actually were a lesbian and you weren't doing anything because you were drugged." Jemma said. It was her turn to blush.
"I'm bisexual." Skye confirmed, rubbing her thumb across the back of Jemma's hand, which was still grasping hers.
"Oh. Oh." Jemma said, looking down at her lap. She knew that was a mistake when she looked back up and observed the offended look on Skye's face.
"Do you have a problem with that? Because it would be extremely hypocritical to-"
"No! No, it's nothing like that." Jemma interrupted her, wanting to make sure it was clear so that Skye wouldn't be upset with her.
"Then what is it?" Jemma could see Skye still simmering and cooling down a little, and she had to refrain herself from laughing. It was so like Skye.
"Well, there's just... more competition." Jemma told her, instantly thinking about how Ward looked at Skye the same way she did.
"Jemma, there's no competition whatsoever." Skye laughed and took Jemma's other hand in her free one. "None. You're so out of my league anyway, there's no way I could turn you down." Skye joked. Then the bunk was silent. Jemma was still trying to take in this information when Skye leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. As she smiled, Skye caught her bottom lip between her teeth in that way of hers that drove Jemma crazy.
"Skye, would you do me the honor of allowing me to court you?" Jemma asked in a formal fashion, standing up to do a quick curtsy and gave a beaming smile that caused Skye to crack up.
"Yes, yes." Skye answered between short bursts of laughter. Jemma flopped back onto the bed and leaned into Skye slowly as she closed her eyes, trying to act confident, but not too confident. Jemma knew she was an awkward idiot, but but she pretended she had more game.
Skye apparently was not a very patient person and eagerly met Jemma's lips, surprising her. The blood rushing through Jemma's veins quickly began to boil. Skye couldn't get enough of Jemma's soft lips, the lips that were as smooth as if she was wearing lip gloss, even when she wasn't.
The flow of the moment was both familiar and new to both of them as they moved in synchronization. They only paused for a moment in hopes of easing their rapid breathing before Skye attacked Jemma again. Jemma's hand entangled itself in Skye's long brown hair that smelled of daisies, and in effect Skye's arm wrapped around Jemma's waist and pulled their hips together.
Jemma could feel Skye's breath against her face every time their lips parted for a fraction of a second and it only made her realize how much she wanted to share everything with Skye. Jemma let her hands wander down to Skye's waist and she toyed with the hem of her shirt between two fingers.
Skye let out a soft moan as Jemma closed the little space that was between them. With both girls in tank tops, there was plenty of exposed skin that caused shivers to run down the girls' spines as they touched. Skye's skin was warm from being tucked under the blankets only recently and Jemma's was slowly warming from its nervous, clammy state.
Jemma moved Skye onto her back on the bed so that she could lay on top of her and pepper kisses on her neck and face. She pushed Skye's hands above her head and Skye intertwined their fingers.
It felt like sheer paradise until it all started to go horribly wrong. Jemma rubbed her thumbs against the inside of Skye's forearms while their hands were still connected, and while Jemma's intentions were nothing other than to please Skye, it made Skye self-conscious about her scars and as much as she wanted to throw off her shirt right there, she didn't want Jemma to see it all again.
Skye wiggled out from underneath Jemma and tried to catch her breath, placing one hand on the wall to steady herself.
"Skye?" Jemma asked as she recovered from her absence and stood up. From where she was standing she could see some of the large scars on Skye's back, the long slashes she had been horrified to see the first time. Skye pushed her hair behind her to cover them.
Jemma came up behind her and placed one hand on one of Skye's shoulders, but Skye shrugged it off and fled her own bunk before Jemma could put in another word.