Grant is 23 when he admits his feelings. Sorta.

Grant squinted at his phone, comparing the name on the neon lights to the one on his phone. The Playground. He was definitely in the right place. It had been Skye's idea to celebrate her 21st birthday in a bar. Something about "Celebrating boozing legally." He had heard a few things about The Playground, none of them being particularly flattering, but Skye had insisted.

He could already hear the roar of laughter and singing from the customers inside, and the sound intensified as he opened the door. The building was dimly lit, and there was the pungent smell of cigar smoke. He squinted trying to find his friends through the smoke and was rewarded with a loud Oy! He smiled when he recognized the Scotsman waving at him from the back.

When he arrived at the table he saw several familiar faces. Lincoln nodded at him while Jemma leaped up to embrace him in a hug. Tripp waved at him and continued his conversation with the Koening Brothers. Grant couldn't help but notice that Jemma and Lincoln were strategically placed between Skye and Tripp.

According to Fitz they had they had broken up several months ago, amicably, but Grant still held in a smile at the space between the two. When Skye spotted him she waved him over to the empty seat on her left. He grabbed the seat gratefully and asked the waitress for a beer. He studied his surroundings and couldn't help but wonder how long his friends had been there.

Skye had just downed her 4th beer and was calling for a 5th, Jemma only had 2 bottles in front of her but was already flushed and giggling. Trip was still nursing his singular beer, and Lincoln, still under 21, was sipping on his sprite. When the waitress finally returned with his drink she shot him a suggestive smile and a wink. He smiled back at her and raised his bottle to her.

It was that moment Skye turned her attention to him,

"Lookit here, Mr. Security Consultant taking a load off with a beer! Who would've thunk." Grant smiled but said nothing, lifting the drink to his lips and giving her a wink. He could've sworn that Skye had blushed, but he dismissed it as a trick of light and the alcohol. They sat for a while, drinking, and trading stories.

"So I'm manning the IT desk, and I get this call from this freshman, freaking out that he accidentally deleted his research paper, and he needed to get it back. So naturally I go to try to help him and what does he say? 'Can you patch me through to the professionals. I think this is a little bit more sophisticated than a regular secretarial issue.' And I can't help to wonder, should I inform this idiot that my major is, in fact, computer science, or do I send him over to Walter and have Walter fuck him over?" Skye leans back and smirks, "Naturally, I did both. Safe to say Mr. Daniels had one less research paper to grade."

The table erupted in laughter. As soon as it died down, Skye perked up again, her gaze directed at the now empty karaoke stage. It made sense now why Skye had chosen this particular bar. She never could resist the chance to sing loudly and publicly. She reached out and grabbed Grant's hand. He tried to ignore the spark of electricity that ran through his arms with her touch. She turned her face toward him, excitement in her eyes,

"Oh please Grant! Just one duet!" Grant shook his head,

"Oh no! There's no way you're dragging me onto that stage." He crossed his arms in defiance. Skye frowned and made her lip quiver, "Oh no. That puppy face may have worked when we were kids, but not now."

"Pleeaassssee! It's my birthday!" she begged, soon the rest of the table chimed in, culminating with a chant of his name. Finally Grant relented. Skye squeaked in happiness and pulled him up from the table, dragging him toward the stage. He climbed up and adjusted his microphone while Skye whispered into the DJ's ear. He raised his eyebrows in question when she joined him, but she just gave him a mischievous grin. She adjusted her mic, and then nodded to the DJ.

Grant laughed when he heard the beat, Really? Empire State of Mind? She would expect me to rap. Skye looked at him expectantly. Grant figured, he was already drunk, might as well enjoy himself.

Yea, yea I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever

The bar erupted in cheers and Skye gave him a surprised look. He grabbed the mic off the stand and began to walk up and down the stage, emulating his best Jay-Z. When the chorus began he stopped and pointed to Skye who effortlessly channeled her inner Alicia Keys.

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do

Grant was temporarily stunned at Skye's voice. It was way different than the voice she used the sing in the car. He almost missed his cue to begin the second verse. The crowd went wild and clapped along to the rest of the song.

When it was finally over, Grant had to catch his breath. In his semi-drunk haze, he felt light and content, and the big smile Skye gave him made him want to soar into the sky. When they stepped off stage Skye was immediately enveloped by their friends. Grant found himself surrounded by a group of women. He tried to excuse himself back to his friends, but one aggressive girl managed to slip her number into his pocket before he could make it to the table. Fitz had ordered another round of beers for the table and Jemma was trying to convince Tripp to sing with her,

"C'mon girl, we all know I can't sing." Jemma pleaded one more time before focusing her efforts on Fitz. Fit was a lot less strong willed than Tripp and in no time they were on stage, singing along to Grease. Grant couldn't help but admire Skye while she laughed. Her whole body shook, and her eyes squinted. Her beautiful brown hair bounced with each movement.

Stop staring. Someone's going to notice. Grant shook himself from his reverie, and took a large sip from his beer, returning his focus to the two geniuses on stage.

A couple hours later, the bartender rang the bell for last call and the friends began to say their goodbyes. Lincoln went outside to try to find a cab for his friends and Tripp draped an inebriated Jemma over his shoulder while Fitz stumbled behind them. Grant and Skye were the last to leave, the excitement from the last few hours finally draining away. Grant called a cab while she settled the tab. When he finally got a car, she insisted he see her home, so Grant climbed in behind her and directed the cab.

As the cab made its way through town, Skye yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder. Grant tensed at the initial contact, but eventually allowed himself to relax. By the time they reached her apartment, Skye was out like a light. Grant made sure to pay the cabbie before gently pulling Skye out. He considered waking her up, but she looked so peaceful, he decided against it.

Luckily, Skye's apartment complex had a working elevator, so Grant carried her bridal style all the way to her door. A sympathetic neighbor heard him trying to grab her keys and unlocked the door for him. He thanked them and kicked the door closed behind him. It only took him a couple tries to find her bedroom and he promptly laid her down on top of the sheets. Skye gave a small mumble and snuggled up to the pillow. Grant smiled and placed a small kiss on her forehead and whispered,

"I love you Skye." He waited with bated breath, hoping Skye was still asleep. Skye just gave a sigh. He gave a sigh of relief.

He pulled the covers over her frame and left a water bottle and trashcan next to her bed before slipping out the door.

I hope you guys enjoyed it!

There's going to be just a few more chapters till the end.

Following the conclusion of this story, I will be making a sequel from Skye's POV.

Review, Comment, and let me know what you think. It means a lot to me.

Till next time.

-Alex