Birthday Surprise

The first thing that makes him worry when he gets back from his mission is that Skye's not waiting for him in the hangar like she always does – biting her lip and worrying the hem of her shirt, not completely calm until she sees him alive and whole, no matter that he previously reported through the comms that he's okay. So yeah, her not being there is not normal, not at all (and okay, he is kind of missing his "welcome back" kiss).

The second is when he can't find her in their bunk either. Because, after all, it is past ten p.m., and she must have had a stressful day, so it would be totally understandable if she already went to bed (especially now; at nineteen weeks pregnant, she needs her rest). But no, the bed is untouched – well, not really, because the sheets are messy as an evidence of her unwillingness to make the bed in the morning, and his pillow is pulled over to her side (the bed must have gotten lonely the night before when he wasn't there next to her, so she stole it; she tends to do that), but still, the bed is empty and the sheets are cold.

Fighting down his – completely unnecessary – anxiety (if something was wrong, somebody would have told him already), he quickly showers and changes, then, his hair still wet, he sets out to find her.

But she's not in the gym, nor in the lab, and FitzSimmons swear they haven't seen her since late afternoon. He also checks Coulson's office and the server room, but nothing (hell, he even knocks at Bobbi's door, hoping for the other woman having seen her, but when all the answer he gets from inside is some hurried scrambling and Hunter's annoyed grunt, he gives up).

His last shot (which he approaches while contemplating about why exactly this base has to be so big and why can't Skye wear some kind of tracking device) is the kitchen, which is, again, a plausible place for her to be – even if it doesn't really explain why she wasn't in the hangar to great him (and no, he's not bitter about that).

And when he opens the kitchen door, lo and behold, there she really is – being such a sight that he can't help but laugh.

The room, and especially the counter, looks like it has been hit by a smaller hurricane – there are dirty puts and splotches of milk and spilled flour and other substances all around. Skye herself doesn't look any better – she even has a smear of something blue (maybe icing?) on her cheek, and the red of her shirt is almost completely hidden under the flour she's gotten all over herself. She looks adorable.

Even though she didn't hear him come in, she lifts her head in an instant upon hearing his laugh. Her eyes go wide in alarm, and she jumps in front of the counter before he could see what is actually on it that she is trying to hide.

"Shit!" she lets out involuntarily, then "Out!" she orders, coming towards him, trying to get him out of the room.

The fact that she's wearing fuzzy, rainbow colored socks and her hair is held back with what appears to be a pen and half a pair of chopsticks, plus the blue smear on her cheek, doesn't help her case to look menacing. No, all she accomplishes is that he grins down at her, grabs her shoulders when she gets close enough, and kisses her (yeah, he really did miss their "welcome back" kiss).

"Why should I get out?" he asks cheekily when he lets her go, earning an indignant huff from her.

"You are not supposed to see it," she says a little ruefully, not meeting his eyes. "It's not ready, and…" she gives him a little, defeated shrug.

"What?" he blinks, but then glancing over her head, he suddenly sees what she's talking about (not that it takes a genius to get it).

His mouth pulling into an amused smile, he sidesteps her, and walks to the counter.

There's a cake on it. An ugly cake. Well, something that at least resembles a cake. It's mostly circular, but the edges are not clear, and the sponge cake looks rather lumpy. The white icing the covers the whole cake is uneven, and the blue decoration is only half done. And the whole thing looks like it's about to fall apart.

It's only then when he realized what day it is – January 7th. His birthday. Hah – if it's not for the cake, he would have completely forgotten it.

"I really wanted to surprise you with it," Skye says, suddenly at his elbow, tears in her eyes. "I spent most of the afternoon with making it, but I burned the first batch, then the second simply tasted horrible, and this one…" she sniffs, hand on her bump. "This one looks like Frankenstein's cake. I totally messed it up."

He really doesn't want her to feel like he's mocking her, but he just can't help laughing. So he reaches for her and draws her against his body until she is flush against him, her face buried into his chest.

"I love it," he tells her with absolute honesty, kissing the crown of her head.

"But it's ugly," she protests.

"It's beautiful," he counters. "Did you know that nobody has ever baked me anything before? Only you."

"Really?" she sniffs, raising her had.

"Really," he nods. "And I really do love it. So," he says gesturing towards the cake, "what do you say we cut it up, and see how it tastes?"

She actually gives him a teary smile.

"Okay, but I can't guarantee that it's actually edible," she chuckles. "And when that's done… we can go back to our bunk. You know, it's not the only gift I prepared for you."

He can't help but smile mischievously at that.

"I think it's my best birthday yet."