The Intruder

Living on this plane – the Bus, the science twins called it – is still new and strange, and he never sleeps well in new and strange places (the chances of unexpected threats are too high to put his mind to ease), so of course Grant wakes to the first soft, shuffling noise coming from the main area of the plane's middle deck.

He is awake and alert – more or less – in an instant, grabbing the gun he keeps within reach of the bed (old habits die hard), and the next moment he is already at the door, sliding it open the quietest way possible, not to alert the (potential) intruder of his presence.

He sees the guy right away as he steps out of his bunk, his bare feet moving soundlessly over the carpet – the unknown intruder is on his way to the kitchen (or the cage; or the avionics bay – all of them are in the same direction), moving slowly, deliberately, almost clumsily. He is not too tall – around the same height as Fitz, and technically half of his new team, but, based on his blurry outline in the semi-darkness, heavier set than anybody on the plane.

Still, it should be rather easy to neutralize him.

Keeping the gun steady in one hand, he sneaks behind the intruder, coming up close behind him – close enough to catch him if he bolted or be able to disarm him if he tried anything –, then raises his pistol, high enough that it points straight at the guy's heart, and says in his calmest, coldest voice, "Hands in the air and turn around slowly."

Only the intruder doesn't raise his hands or turns around slowly – no, Grant's only halfway through the sentence when he suddenly whips around and… Well, it almost ends in a disaster.

Or at least in a big embarrassment.

So the intruder suddenly turns around.

There's a moment of recognition for him.

And a moment of scare for her.

She opens her mouth to scream.

(For a split second he feels like if she screams he'll start shouting.)

Then he drops the gun and puts his hand on her mouth before she could wake up the whole plane.

A second passes in this awkward position.

"Skye!" he says at last, voice breathless, heart beating wildly as he finally lets her go. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I could ask the same! Ward, you scared me half to death!" she snaps in a heated whisper. "I was thirsty!" she continues, and it almost sounds like an accusation. "And what the hell are you doing?"

He takes half a step back. For good measure.

"I heard noises – I thought you were an intruder."

"You are freaking paranoid!" she says, throwing her hands in the air. "We are in a freaking S.H.I.E.L.D. base! Who the hell would sneak into the plane here?!"

(If only she knew…)

He clears his throat.

"Anyway, I was–" he stops mid-sentence, finally getting a good look at her. "Wait – are you wearing – is that a… That's a Chewbacca robe," he ends it as a statement.

And it is a Chewbacca robe he notes to himself, taking a closer look – a big, fluffy, brown robe (there's even an embroidered weapons belt thrown over one shoulder) that is at least two sizes too big for Skye. She even still has the hood on, her hair tucked inside – hence his earlier assessment that the "intruder" is heavy set.

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips despite his best efforts.

Skye huffs and pulls the robe closer to her body.

"Yes, it is," she admits in an almost embarrassed tone. "It's cold up here during the night, I'm a California girl and this robe is cozy, alright? And Chewbacca is cool, anyway," she adds, avoiding his eyes.

"He is," Grant agrees absent-mindedly, although a part of him would rather comment on how cute she looks right now rather than discussing the merits of a fictional dog-man. "Anyway, I'm… I'm sorry for scaring you."

She lets out a little sigh.

"Apology accepted. Now I'll…" She swallows. "I'll just go over there," she waves towards the galley, "have something to drink and then… yeah, my bed's already calling for me."

He lets out an almost-chuckle – it's more awkward than amused –, then takes an unsure step backwards.

"And I'll… I'll just go back to my bunk. To sleep. See you in the morning." He turns around and starts walking towards his bunk, picking up his gun from the floor as he goes.

"Yeah, see ya," she waves. She actually waves. "Oh, and Ward?" she calls and he stops, turning his head back towards her. "Next time you hear noises in the dark, it's just most likely me bumping into things, okay? Not the boogeyman."

It actually makes him smile. He taps his temple with his finger.

"I'll keep it in mind. Good night, Skye."

"Good night, Robot."

They don't talk of the incident of the next morning, or any time after that. But he always makes sure that there is an extra blanket in the longue for her, should she be cold.