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Chapter Text

Fitz touched the keypad and removed the virtual wall, the only physical barrier that separated him from his boyfriend, no, his ex-boyfriend. That ship had sank when Ward tried to drown him and Jemma without as much as a second thought. The ship had started to sink when Skye revealed that Ward was working for Hydra. That was unforgivable, yet Fitz felt a sizable hole in his heart that was slowly expanding, the space Ward had filled now replaced by a thick, dark pain.

Ward still wasn’t allowed to leave his cell in the basement, but communication to collect intel was advised.

As soon as the screen washed away, Ward looked up, probably expecting Coulson to come calling with questions about Hydra. As he was imprisoned, Ward had vowed that he would never lie to any of them again, feeling ashamed about his betrayal. This was the first time Fitz was actually speaking to him since the attempted drowning. His brain was on the mend, his mental faculties had returned but it was a struggle that went on every day. Jemma had left, Ward had betrayed him and Fitz had never felt so alone.

“Fitz,” whispered the pained voice of Grant Ward, looking as dishevelled as one could expect without the capacity to shave. “You came.”

Fitz folded his arms. He was not going to buckle under the weight of his love for Ward. This was about loyalty and he was loyal to the team. He had also been loyal to Grant, but that didn’t matter now. It was hard, not to remove the obstructing barrier and run straight into Ward’s arms like nothing had ever happened, but Fitz was standing firm. For who knew how long.

“I figured you owed me some answers,” Fitz shrugged coldly.

Ward swallowed. “I owe you so much more than that, Leo.”

Fitz shivered as the weight of his name hit him like steel. They only used each other’s forenames in times of intimacy. Fitz scowled at the fact that Ward was trying to use it to crawl back in Fitz’s good graces. Well, that was not about to happen anytime soon. “Don’t, don’t call me that.”

Ward nodded slowly, once, eyes fluttering closed. “You know I promised not to lie anymore. Everything I say to any of you from now on is going to be the truth. Especially you, Fitz. The rest of the team, they’re special, but you’re more than that. You’re everything and I hate myself for what I did to you.”

Fitz snorted. “Which? The betrayal or the attempted murder?”

“Both,” Ward whispered in defeat. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to mend his relationship with Fitz for a sizable amount of time, if ever. “Will you let me explain things to you? I’m not asking for your forgiveness because I know I’ll have to earn that, but I’d really appreciate it if you let me explain everything.”

Fitz sat down on the chair, fighting the urge not to touch Ward like he had done so many times before. “That’s why I’m here. I’m not here as your…um…fuck, I can’t think of the word. Your…nope, it’s gone. Basically, I’m here as a team member and nothing else. Coulson and May would’ve beat the shit out of you, Jemma isn’t here anymore and Skye doesn’t want any of us to give you the time of day, so I had to do it.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Ward replied firmly.

Fitz banged his hand on the table forcefully. “You’re damn right I shouldn’t have to! I shouldn’t have to be having this conversation with one of the few people I trusted implicitly!” Fitz felt hot tears spring to his eyes and he just let them fall. There was no point in denying them their release. He already felt like shit.

Ward sighed, not missing the past tense in Fitz’s words. His eyes were shining in the limited light and he swallowed heavily. “I’m so sorry, Fitz. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you at the moment, but I’m sorry.”

Fitz looked up, his face wet and his eyes glossy. “Why did you have to make me fall in love with you? It would have been so much easier if you’d rejected me when I kissed you. If you’d have said “I don’t feel that way about you, Fitz” and left it at that. Why couldn’t you just…?” Fitz couldn’t finish the sentence when everything hurt so damn much. He took a moment to focus on his breathing before standing. “I can’t do this. I’ll see if Tripp wants a turn.”

“Fitz, wait!” Ward begged, sitting back on his bed. “Please,” he added in a strangled gasp.

Fitz, still not able to deny Ward of anything when he sounded so desperate, turned around and walked up to the barrier. He reached out to touch it, feeling the solid sheet of air in front of him and realised that air was the only thing keeping him from reaching Ward. Whether he truly wanted to or not he wasn’t sure, but for now he was going to keep his distance behind the barrier.

“It’s funny. Part of me hopes that your explanation makes everything okay again and that you had a completely good reason for everything you did to us, to me. Another part of me doesn’t want to listen to your stories and wants to let May come down here and do what she wants to you.”

Ward winced at the very thought of that. “Which part are you listening to?”

Fitz blinked rigidly before resuming his seat. “Can I ask some questions?” Belatedly, Fitz wondered why he was being so polite and kind to the man who had ruined his life.

Ward was surprised by the decency, too. Then again, that was Fitz. He was rarely an aggressor, leaving that to the warriors among them. He smiled quickly at the remnants of the Fitz he fell in love with. That man was there, but behind layers and layers of self-protection and defensive measures. Fitz was incomparably intelligent and he knew how to protect his mind. Ward felt a twinge of guilt shoot through him at the damage that he had personally done to Fitz’s brilliant mind. “You can ask me anything and I’ll tell you the truth.”

Fitz readied himself. “Was I an assignment?” That was the main question that had been running through Fitz’s mind since he found out about Ward.

Ward blinked in surprise. “What? Leo, of course not!”

“Stop calling me that,” Fitz snapped. “You gave up that right when you left me to die. Are you telling me the absolute truth? You weren’t using me?”

“Think about it. I had access to any intel of SHIELD’s that I wanted, I wouldn’t have needed you for that. I needed you for a much different reason.”

If Fitz responded, Ward didn’t notice.

“Did you try to back out once we started dating?”

Ward felt the guilt sweep through him yet again. It would have been so much easier to lie Fitz, tell him that he was controlled or made to do it or tell him that he tried to untangle himself from Hydra’s web once he fell in love. He could possibly have Fitz back.

Ward made a choice.

“No. I didn’t.”

Fitz nodded, like he already knew the answer. “Would you, if you had to do it all again?”

Ward bit his lip. Would he? That was hard to say. “I’m not sure. Maybe.”

Clearly that was not the answer Fitz wanted to hear, but the one he expected.

“Did you protest when you were ordered…to kill me? And Jemma.”

Ward nodded easily, because he had. He hadn’t understood why he was being asked to kill them both. “Yes, of course I did.”

“You say that like it’s obvious. When really I don’t know anything about you do I, Grant?” The word sounded like a sharp invective to Ward when it fell from Fitz’s tongue.

“I suppose not.”

“Has anything you’ve ever said been the truth?”

Ward tilted his head. “A lot more than you’re presuming, Fitz. When I told you things, personal things about my life, I wasn’t making them up.”

“The well?”

“It happened. It’s a big part of why I followed Garrett so closely. I know you don’t want to hear anything that makes me sound like a decent guy, but I wasn’t always like this.”

“I know,” Fitz whispered. “Do you regret it?”

Ward nodded. “Yes. And no. What I regret more than anything is being put in a position where you were in danger. Watching that capsule get further away from me was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Fitz remembered the look on Ward’s face, but he also remembered the blind panic that whipped him like a white hot cord once the capsule started to move. He clenched his fists, ignoring the tremor and scowled. “Harder than pressing the button that activated it?”

“Honestly, it didn’t really sink in until a second after I’d pressed it. That it was probably the last time I was going to see you. Seeing you today…it…Fitz, it feels so good. You kept yourself alive.”

“I shouldn’t be.”

“What do you mean?”

Fitz blinked stoically. “I made the contraption for Jemma to survive once the water came through the window. My arm was broken, everything had been ripped away from me. I was ready to die.”

Ward did not take this revelation lightly. He pressed himself up against the barrier, eyes filled with hopeful longing. “Fitz.”

“You don’t get to react to that! You were the reason. Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

Ward frowned. “Love? Not loved?”

Fitz fidgeted. That was the question he was having the most trouble answering. Not because the words weren’t there, because the answer wasn’t. He hated Ward but, simultaneously, he was still madly in love with him. The latter’s actions hadn’t affected that, they had only damaged Fitz’s opinion of him. “I’m still figuring that out. I’m wondering how I can love someone who tried to kill me and destroyed everything, but I’m also wondering how…I can hate someone who I’m in love with.”

“There’s a fine line, Fitz,” Ward reminded him unhelpfully.

Fitz pursed his lips. “If the roles were reversed, would you love me or hate me?”

Ward smiled sadly. “If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have even come down here. It just shows how much of a better man you are, Fitz. I’ll always love that about you.”

Fitz stood up and turned his back on Ward. “I think I’ve had enough.”

“Will you come back?” Ward asked, knowing that Fitz didn’t owe him anything, but hoped that this wasn’t the end for them. Foolishly, he hoped.

Fitz, still facing away, nodded. “Yeah, I think I will.”

Fitz didn’t see the smile on Ward’s face, but he didn’t think that he wanted to, either. That would just hurt more.

And Fitz had had enough hurt for one week. But maybe there was hope. Just maybe it would seem that Ward could redeem himself.

As foolish as that sounded, Fitz couldn't help but want that more than anything he'd ever wanted before.

Chapter Text

Skye smiled wryly as she walked into the lab.

Over the past few days, she had noticed something that piqued her interest. Being banned from ninety-nine percent of technology for the time being made her more than a little bit antsy, so she needed something to distract her from that.

Skye had found that pretty quickly.

Observing Jemma Simmons undertake scientific procedures, even ones that Skye probably couldn’t pronounce, was something to behold. Even hunched over, she looked graceful. Her bottom lip were securely tucked between her teeth as her eyes narrowed.

“Hey, what are you working on?” Skye interrupted as patiently as she could

Jemma jumped a little, turning around quickly. “Oh, nothing. Just analysing the biological properties of various alien substances procured by SHIELD agents around the world after the battle of New York. The Chitauri left myriad residual chemicals behind when they invaded. The Avengers may have dealt with them, but their environmental and biological footprints are all around the city. With enough analysis, we can learn more about them and any intel is good intel.”

Skye nodded, because that made sense. Maybe not total sense, but enough for her to agree. “Right, good. I’m sure you’re making good progress.”

“Oh, I am! I’m organising the data into separate categories which will help us to identify anomalies within the results.”

“Is Fitz helping you?” Nobody could say that Skye ever beat around the bush. That just wasn’t her style. When it came to affairs of the heart, Skye liked things direct. It wasn’t exactly what was happening between her and Ward, but that would take time, she supposed. Ward wasn’t exactly the mellowest of human beings.

Jemma blushed, clearing her throat. “Not explicitly, but I’m sure I’ll ask for his input at some point or another. Why do you ask?”

Skye shrugged. “It just seems like something that you two would work on together. You know, as a duo. Fitzsimmons.”

Jemma smiled. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to ask if I have feelings for Fitz.”

“And?”

Jemma bit her lip. “Is it that obvious?”

“To everybody but him, yeah. Don’t worry, Simmons, you’re fine. He doesn’t know a thing. He’s completely clueless. It’s up to you to clue him in.”

Jemma tilted her head, as though her wildly talented brain did not factor in Skye’s words. “I’m not sure I understand. Why would I want to clue him in?”

Skye almost rolled her eyes, but she saw how genuinely bemused Jemma was about her suggestion and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Because it’s obvious that he has feelings for you, too. Come on, Simmons, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

Jemma coughed and tapped on the countertop in front of her. “Fitz and I have always been just really good friends. We understand each other in ways that nobody else does, we…”

“Yes?”

“How sure are you about this?”

“You question my matchmaking abilities?” Skye smirked with a mock gasp.

Jemma scoffed. “Well, it’s not like there’s a quantitative experiment we could run to test the theory! It’s all down to whether you’re reading Fitz’s tells correctly.”

Skye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Jemma clearly struggled with deciphering other people’s emotions as she was always more invested in being scientifically correct and there was no test in the world that could measure love on an accurate scale. Love was way too wildly unpredictable for science to gauge. Skye reckoned, though, that if anybody would come up with a way to determine love through science, it would be Simmons. Then Fitz would assemble the machine and Simmons would use him as a test subject and…Skye shook her head and made a note to stop writing fanfiction in her head, forever. Not that she would ever write it down, of course. Not ever.

“Jemma, do you trust me?”

Jemma paused and then nodded. “As time goes by, I’m trusting you more and more, yes.”

Skye held her tongue about that and continued. “So if I told you that Fitz was crushing on you, you would believe me?”

Jemma opened her mouth to argue, but realised that she was inferior when it came to dealing with matters of the heart. It was a feeling that she hated, being worse than somebody at something. She knew it was immature and petty and that everyone was good at different things, but she had grown up being academically gifted and ahead of her peers in the curriculums they were set. It caused social problems, but who needed friends when you were trying to become a S.H.I.E.L.D agent? Jemma still maintained the theory that if she and Fitz had met before S.H.I.E.L.D Academy, they would not have been friends. Jemma was way too engrossed in her studies to speak to many people, even if she felt a connection with them. “Yes, I suppose I would.”

“Okay. And if I told you that you should say something to him, to tell him how you feel about him? Be brave, throw caution to the wind and do something bold!”

Jemma blushed deeply and shook her head. “I never agreed to anything like that!”

Skye shrugged. “Wouldn’t you rather be with Fitz than spend all of your time ogling him from afar?”

Jemma smirked. “Would you rather be with Ward than spend all of your time ogling him from afar?”

Skye knew that she had been shut down. “That’s different.”

“How exactly?” Jemma folded her arms and looked at the other girl expectantly.

“I don’t know,” Skye admitted, “it just is. Ward is so closed off and so emotionally distant from everyone. At the moment it’s just a physical connection.”

“And what’s wrong with something purely physical?” Jemma raised an eyebrow and Skye was impressed.

“Jemma Simmons, I underestimated you!” Skye laughed as she heard a noise from behind her. Whirling around, she saw Fitz lingering in the doorway.

“Uh, sorry,” the man said, breathing deeply, “I was just coming in to see how you were doing with the alien residue, Simmons. I can see I’ve interrupted something. I’ll leave you to it.”

Skye shook her head. “Fitz, I was just leaving anyway. You can stay.”

Fitz sighed. “I would, but I have to see Coulson anyway.”

Skye turned quickly to Jemma. “Now’s your moment,” she whispered.

“Fitz!” Jemma called loudly at the aforementioned man before he had chance to leave the lab.

“Yeah?”

Jemma froze, her insides turning to mush as Fitz’s eyes gleamed with sincerity. “Uh, it’s nothing. I’ll fill you in another time.”

Fitz nodded quickly and left, leaving Jemma to blush profusely.

Skye raised an eyebrow at her. “So much for that.”

Jemma shrugged. “Maybe I’ll be brave enough next time.”

That was good enough for Skye.

Chapter Text

Jemma’s eyes returned to her boyfriend as the team meeting came to its conclusion.

Fitz tilted his head. “Are you okay, Jemma? You seem a little distracted today.”

Jemma eyed him with a wary smile. She definitely did not want to admit what she had been distracted by for she didn’t think that he would understand. Hell, she didn’t even know if she fully understood it, yet, but she wasn’t about to take that chance with Fitz.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just all up in my head as usual. I guess we’d better go and prepare the children for their assignments.” Jemma headed for the lab, ready to organise the bots for their intel mission. Fitz’s feather-light touch on her arm stopped her and she turned back around. One look into his incredibly honest eyes and Jemma knew that she couldn’t lie to him any longer.

“We’ve got some time if you want to talk about something. I’m here for anything you need. I’m not just your boyfriend, I’m your best friend, too. I’m sure both of those people can help you figure some things out.”

Jemma sighed and realised that she was backed into a corner. She would have to tell Fitz eventually and maybe he would even understand. It was a common occurrence and an act of human nature. It wasn’t like she was the only person to feel the way she felt. “Okay, sit down.

“I don’t exactly know how to say this without it causing problems for…us.”

Fitz looked a little worried, but it soon passed. “Whatever you need to say, I’m sure I can understand it.”

“I’ve been…um…thinking about something that I wanted to talk to you about for quite a while now.”

“Well, I’m intrigued.”

“Okay, you know how happy I am with us, right? I love you so much and I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything in the world.”

“Me too, Jemma,” Fitz said, smiling at her, quietly unsure of her next words.

“I…wanted to posit something to you and see how you felt about it.”

“You know how much I love you, Jemma. You can tell me anything.”

“I want us to have a threesome!” Jemma blurted, clapping her hand over her mouth.

“You…what?”

Jemma tried to control her breathing while she explained. She wasn’t successful. “I understand if this freaks you out, but I’ve been really thinking about this and I think it would be fun and I—.”

“Jem, slow down. I think that’s a great idea.”

“You do?”

“I mean, yeah. Our sex life is wonderful, you know that, but it could use some spicing up. Not to say it’s bad or anything, I just—“”

“I completely agree,” Jemma nodded happily.

“So we’re going to do this?”

“I can only think of one problem and it’s kind of a big one.”

“Who to ask?”

“It’s like you read my mind,” Fitz smirked. Gosh, Jemma loved it when he did that.

Jemma bit her lip gently. Gosh, Fitz loved when she did that. “I mean, the only people in our lives are the people on the Bus.”

“Well then, let’s narrow them down,” Fitz suggested, feeling the heat rush around his body at the prospect of including another in their affairs.

“Coulson and May are out, they’re like our parents.”

“Obviously,” he replied swiftly.

Jemma blushed even more. “Hunter?”

“Do you think he’d be up for it, though?”

“Good point.”

“Bobbi?”

“Way too intimidating,” Fitz widened his eyes and Jemma smiled, conceding that.

“Skye?”

Fitz nodded. “Skye? I’m good with that. I mean, if you are.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested her if I wasn’t”

“Okay, so…we’re going to do this. I mean, we’re actually going to have a threesome.”

Jemma frowned. “Is it that hard to believe?”

“Well no, but…it’s still strange to think about. Don’t you think?”

“I guess so. And we actually have to ask Skye first…”

Fitz nodded. “Do you think she’ll say yes?”

“Do you?”

Fitz shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe. She seems like she’d be down for anything.”

“Remember when she told that story about her and Miles?” Jemma asked, blushing as she spoke. That story wasn’t going to be she would be forgetting any time soon.

Fitz blushed automatically. “Uh, of course I remember that. I couldn’t look at her for three days!”

“Right. So what do we do about this? Do we talk to each other more first or talk to Skye?”

“Talk to Skye about what?”

Fitz and Simmons turned around as Skye’s voice echoed from the doorway.

She looked good. She was wearing a dark green jacket with black jeans and her signature pair of combat boots. Fitzsimmons shared a quick look, smirking slightly, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. But then came the hard part. What to even say to her.

“Are you ready to go into the field? Is there something wrong with the bots? Maybe I can take a look at them. I’ll be happy to have a look at them, if I can avoid Bashful and his dirty looks.”

“The bots are fine, Skye. We, uh…Jemma?” Fitz nudged Jemma, who gasped.

“Fitz and I were talking about something that…kind of concerns you.”

Skye gaped. “Oh my god, you guys are already asking me to be godmother to your future child?”

“No!”

“Maid of honour at your future wedding?”

“What? No!” Jemma squeaked.

“No? I’m insulted. So what’s up with you two?”

“It’s kind of…delicate,” Fitz explained poorly.

Skye smirked. “Oh. I see. Then I know what this is about.”

“You do?”

“Sure,” Skye shrugged. “Simmons is redder than most tomatoes and you’re blushing harder than you did when I told the Miles story.”

Fitz looked down, embarrassed.

“You guys want a threesome.”

Jemma gasped quietly. “And you’re not running away?”

Skye chuckled. “Why would I do that? It’s not like I’ve never had one before. Though just take my word for it when I tell you to stop at four.”

“Four!” Fitz squeaked.

“Miles had some friends,” Skye explained, waving her hand idly. “It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters now is how we’re going to do this.”

“You’re in?”

“Course I am. You two are hot and I haven’t had any action for a long while.”

All of them stayed silent, the Grant Ward debacle still heavy on their minds.

“Are you two sure that you want this? Threesomes can be tricky and I’ve known them to affect relationships in a major way.”

“You think this is going to split us up?” Jemma wondered. It was a genuine concern in most cases, but she and Fitz were far closer than most couples she knew.

Skye frowned. “You two? Nah, I just wanted to make sure you know what you’re getting yourselves in for. Things could get messy.”

Fitz smirked silently. “That’s kinda what we’re counting on.”

Skye laughed and waggled her finger, walking away.

“Wait, where are you going? You don’t mean…now?”

She cackled. “No time like the present. Be in your room in five.”

“Shit, this is really happening.”

Jemma nodded. “I’m nervous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited, but I’m nervous. Skye is…she’s beautiful. And I’m—.”

“Beautiful, too. You know I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Skye’s hot, there’s no denying that, but you’re radiant, Jemma Simmons. So if you’re feeling insecure, remember that I love you more than I thought it was possible to love another person.

“I love you too, Fitz.”

He grinned. “Good.” Fitz rubbed his hands together. “Now let’s go have ourselves a threesome!”

Chapter Text

“Fitz, Ward isn’t awake yet and we need him for strategy.”

Leo rolled his eyes. He knew what was coming. “And it’s my job to wake him up, right?”

Coulson smirked. “Yep.”

Leo grunted. “I did it last time.”

“Hence why it’s your job.”

“I hate you sometimes, Coulson. If I have to do it, you have to come with me.”

Coulson shrugged. “That would make no sense. It doesn’t take two agents to do one wake-up-call, Fitz.”

Leo winked. “And this is how I know you’ve never delivered a wake-up-call to Agent Grant Ward. He manages to be the most paranoid person I know and sleep like a baby at the same time. I don’t get how he does it.”

Coulson rolled his eyes fondly. “Fine. We’ll do it together. But if we waste precious time waking up Agent Ward, it’s on you.”

Leo shrugged and led the way to Ward’s room. He knew that a simple knock wouldn’t do the trick, but he wanted to show Coulson just how difficult it was. Rapping on the door and receiving no reply, Leo smirked at his superior and opened the door widely.

What he saw was not what he had expected from this particular task.

There, on the bed, lay Grant Ward, as naked as the day he was born. His earphones were in, plugged into his phone. It didn’t take a scientist to figure out why. Especially considering the large...well...thing that was currently standing to attention with a hand wrapped around it.

As soon as they entered, Ward noticed them. He threw his phone to side and tried to cover up.

Leo counted his effort as a complete failure. He had been on top of his bedsheets, legs spread across the bed. He covered his more private parts with his arms, but the damage had already been done. Leo and Coulson had seen everything he had to offer.

“Well that was…something I never thought I’d see.”

“You get used to it when every morning you’re sent to wake the guy up.”

“Every time?”

“Only when he’s been out late on assignment and needs to…let off some steam, I guess when he wakes up.”

“I’m sorry I keep asking you to do that.”

“I’m not saying that I mind entirely.”

Coulson smirked. Oh. So that’s how it was. “Well, I don’t see why you can’t wake him up every day, Agent Fitz. Seems like it’s a very important job.”

“Oh, yeah. Very important. Takes an exceptionally intelligent engineer to wake up a combat agent. I have to make sure that he’s in the right psychological state when he wakes up so that he recognizes me as a friendly face and not a combatant.”

“Only an intelligent engineer would know what to do with the tools required.”

Fitz blanched. “Oh my god, Coulson. I always say you’re like a father figure to me but this is not what I meant. I don’t need…that from you.”

“So you’re saying that you don’t appreciate the innuendos?”

“I don’t hate them, but it’s weird. Anyway, if we want to start this meeting on time, I’d say I had work to do.”

“Yeah, you do,” Coulson retorted playfully.

“Oh my god.”

As Fitz entered the room, Coulson stood with his back against the door, folding his arms in case anybody came by. There was a small slit in the door for any talented prying eyes to glimpse through. But Coulson was the leader, a professional, and there was absolutely no way that he was going to pry. None at all. No way.

Fitz slipped into the room, back against the door.

“I thought you were just going to leave,” Ward muttered as he untangled his earphones.

Fitz walked towards the bed. “And pass up all of this? You overestimate my powers of resistance.”

Ward pulled him closer. “Wait. Is Coulson still outside?”

Fitz gave him a look.

“Oh. Oh Fitz, you kinky bastard,” Ward attempted his best efforts at a Scottish accent which, being an American, didn’t work out too well.

Fitz scrunched up his face. “I’m begging you never to try that again.”

Ward flipped both of them over so Ward was on top, peering down at Fitz. “You’ll be begging for something else in a minute.”

Outside the door, Coulson smirked.

Simmons chose that moment to walk past, looking around the hallway. “Oh Coulson, have you seen Fitz? We were going to get breakfast.”

Coulson paled. “Uh, no haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s looking for you somewhere.”

Simmons frowned. “Why are you standing guard outside Ward’s...oh. He finally did it then.”

“What?”

“Fitz has been into Ward ever since we started here. I’m just glad he’s finally getting some. Really loosens him up.”

Simmons chuckled at Coulson’s reaction as she walked away. Boy, did she love keeping people on their toes.

Chapter Text

Fitz slammed his hand against the wall, a sob ripping from his throat. He briefly felt Skye’s hesitant hand on his back. He jerked at her touch before letting her wrap her arms around him.

“I can’t believe him.”

Skye squeezed him tighter. “I know. I know, Leo.”

Fitz twisted in her grasp. “How could he?”

Skye unwrapped her arms and grabbed Fitz’s hands instead. “I don’t know. Can we…can we take a deep breath or whatever? We need to process.”

Fitz ripped his hands away from her. “No. What I need is to punch his face off.”

Skye bit back a smile. “You’re going to punch his face…off?”

Fitz nodded angrily. He caught her eye and slowly cracked into a chuckle. “I’m not gonna do that.”

“No, you’re not. I asked May and Simmons to give us some time alone. Coulson’s…I don’t know what he’s doing. Drinking, probably.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Skye eyed him dangerously. “Alcohol will not solve this. We need to stand together, process, and talk about it. Think about what we’re going to do next.”

Fitz took her hand again. “We’ll be okay, Skye. I promise.”

Skye laughed. “How do you go from punching walls to making reassuring comments?”

Fitz looked down. “I think the…the…whatever happened, is messing with my head.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t think straight. I can’t remember things. Words are…see what I mean!”

Fitz clenched his fists angrily.

“We’ll work it out, Fitz, we always do. We can go find Simmons and start analysing your synaptic response and find a way to fix it.”

Fitz nodded before his small smile faded. “How will we fix us?”

Skye took his hand carefully. “We go on. It’s going to be difficult, but we still have each other. We’re still going to love him, and denying that is useless. But we can hate him in equal measure. I do.”

“Me too. But I still love him.”

Skye nodded. “It’ll take time. But I want you to know that I’m in this with you, Fitz. Ward has taken something from us, and we’re going to be broken for a long time. But I love you so much and I know that we’re going to be okay in the end.”

Fitz kissed her hand. “Please don’t be a part of Hydra.”

Skye gasped.

“Too soon?”

“Oh yeah, buddy, way too soon,” Skye chuckled and pulled Fitz in for a tight hug, one of those body-crushing ones that stabilised him. Fitz was glad for Skye in this moment. If it had just been him and Ward in the relationship and the same thing had fallen into place, Fitz didn’t think he would have survived it. Not the actual life-threatening danger he had been put in, but the aftermath. The confused brain, the crushing guilt and the grief, and the broken heart that now plagued him. It was a truly awful situation, and Skye was going to be his anchor, he knew that already.

Skye was a fixer, she didn’t need fixing herself. Fitz did. Jemma could only do so much for him, but he knew that she would try her very best. He was grateful for his best friend and girlfriend more than anything. Coulson, May, and the others would try to help, but only his two girls knew what exactly he needed.

And one of Skye’s tight hugs was exactly that right now. He didn’t know whether things would get better, but he knew that he would have Skye around no matter what.

Chapter Text

Coulson looked around at his team, unsure how to address the latest political power play that may have affected them. “I wanted everyone here this morning while we have some downtime to address the situation I know is on everyone’s minds lately.”

May nodded. “We’ll have to take steps.”

Skye bit her lip. “Sorry, what’s going on?”

Coulson took a deep breath. “The United States government has banded together with councils from around the world to introduce the Sokovia Accords after the battle with Ultron.”

Fitz grunted. “Basically, it gives the government control of enhanced people and grants them the ability to track them.”

Skye gaped. “Is that…?”

“Legal?” Coulson interrupted. “Now, yes. Is is ethical? Well, that’s where there have been disagreements.”

Bobbi bit back a grimace. “It looks like the Avengers have splintered. Stark and Romanoff agreed to sign. Cap and Barton refused.”

Coulson nodded. “I talked to Talbot and he’s sending a thorough document about how this will affect our day-to-day operations.”

“Well, it won’t,” Hunter frowned, before Skye coughed quietly. “For most of us, I’d assume. No?”

May shook her head. “It gives them sanction on how best to use our resources. After the many mishaps from the Avengers, it allows them to avoid Sokovia-level damage.”

Hunter folded his arms. “Or keep the Avengers from saving countless lives. It’s a catch 22, May.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

Fitz was all but vibrating at this point. “How can you not? What makes you think the government know the best way to use us or the Avengers? If they had their way, they’d probably have kept them from beating Loki in New York.”

Coulson swallowed heavily, Loki lingering in his mind more than he’d like to admit these days. “I have to agree. We’re in our positions for a reason, Fury assembled those specific people for the Avengers for a reason, because they have insight. How are the councils around the world going to know the best way to handle a superhuman threat?”

Simmons spoke for the first time during the discussion. “Look at what happened in Lagos. That wasn’t an extinction-level event, yet the Avengers were sent in and ended up causing even more damage. And why? Because of Wanda Maximoff.”

Skye turned to her. “You can’t just put every enhanced person in a box like that and…what? I assume there’s biometrical tracking, registration. We have rights too.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, Skye, I just…can’t help but feel like it might be worth a try.”

Fitz shook his head. “It’s just a way for the government to have more control over something they don’t fully understand.”

Coulson held up a hand, effectively silencing everyone. “Right, this is getting out of hand.”

“But you agree with Rogers?” May wondered.

Coulson eyed her carefully. “Interesting that you’d phrase it like that, but yes. With the amount of inhuman and enhanced people we’ve saved and helped, I can’t in good conscience support a regime that pacifies them in such a dehumanising way. I don’t want Skye wearing a tracking bracelet because they’re scared she’s going to level a city when we have the resources to monitor her.”

Skye nodded, forever touched at how much Coulson believed in her.

Mack cleared his throat. “Even it means keeping people safe?”

“What about keeping them safe?”

Mack tilted his head. “I don’t follow.”

Skye took over, knowing where Coulson was going with this. “You don’t know that if every enhanced individual registered with the government that that’s something that would be accessible to the public? The record gets out and you know what would happen then? They’d start to hunt us. If you start to make a big spectacle out of every enhanced ability, it villainises us.”

Fitz nodded. “General Ross fast-tracked this didn’t he?”

Bobbi nodded on behalf of everyone.

“His history with Bruce Banner is common knowledge, this doesn’t feel like a well-thought out piece of legislation, it just feels like personal revenge.”

Simmons frowned. “But Ross didn’t write the thing. And 117 territories have agreed to enforce it.”

Hunter sighed. “And the United States are just powerless to change the opinion of foreign dignitaries, aren’t they? Saying that everyone agreed to it is short-sighted.”

Simmons was a little shocked at how insightful Hunter was being, but chose not to dwell on it. She wouldn’t admit to being secretly impressed by his argument, whether or not she wholly agreed with it.

Hunter acknowledged Simmons’ shock and tightened his mouth. “What we really need to be focusing on is what we do about this.”

“We can’t do anything if we’re at each other’s throats about it. We need to be a democracy,” Fitz replied.

Coulson took a moment to think.

“Okay, how about this? We each get a vote about whether we agree with the Accords or not,” Coulson said smoothly. “Everyone’s vote is weighed the same and whichever perspective comes out on top gets to decide whether we continue to operate as normal.”

Simmons raised a sculpted brow. “You’re our Director. Surely your vote is just going to win in the end.”

Coulson put his hands up. “We need to make a decision and I’ll respect whatever the outcome is. I just can’t have us debating every little assignment we go on to decide whether it follows the Accords or not.”

“It does seem fair,” Bobbi supplied.

May nodded. “Okay. So who agrees with signing the Accords?”

May raised her hand, along with an eager Simmons, a resolute Mack, and a hesitant Bobbi.

Hunter elbowed Bobbi playfully. “We never could agree on anything, could we?”

She grinned. “Part of me thinks you're doing this on purpose just to oppose me.”

Coulson cleared his throat. “So that’s four for signing, which means Skye, Fitz, Hunter, and I are against sining.”

“I guess we’re deadlocked,” May sighed.

“I guess we’ll never properly agree with each other,” Mack replied swiftly.

Fitz looked up suddenly. “Not true. There are nine people on this plane.”

Mack did a quick headcount. “You sure about that, Turbo? I only count eight.”

Coulson and Skye nodded their agreement.

Fitz smiled wryly at them all. “Have all of you forgotten about the prisoner of war we have stashed away in the basement?”

“Oh, not fucking Ward,” Skye groaned.

Fitz stepped back. “I hate this as much as you do, believe me, but it seems to be the only way to seal the deal.”

“Well, we can’t just all swarm into the basement and debate ethics.”

“Fitz and I will go,” Simmons suggested. “I haven’t spoken to Ward since he tried to kill me, so it’ll be nice to catch-up.”

Fitz shivered. “I forgot how scary you can be when you’re in revenge mode.”

Simmons grinned evilly. “Pray it’s never towards you.”

Skye raised her eyebrows as she led Fitz towards the basement.

“Any idea how he might swing?” Bobbi wondered.

Everyone turned towards Skye.

“Okay, I hate this,” she barked. “But I think he could go either way. He hates the government about as much as anyone so he wouldn’t want them interfering even more than they already are, but he also hates the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D with a passion. This really could go either way.”

“Great,” Hunter groaned. “We’re awaiting our next steps from him.”

“Blame Fitz,” Mack grumbled.

“I think you mean thank Fitz for being able to solve a problem,” Fitz shot back.

Jemma tugged on his arm. “Let’s just go before another argument breaks out.”

Fitz and Jemma straightened their stances before pushing the button that removed Ward’s invisible wall. The panel slid back and the man looked up, surprised to have visitors. His facial hair had grown out and was becoming a little unkempt.

Jemma sighed before pushing the unmute button.

“It’s really good to see you both,” Ward muttered, knowing that it likely wouldn’t matter to them.

"Save it,” Jemma held up a hand. “You left me for dead, I don’t want to hear anything from you.”

Ward’s eyes turned to Fitz. “Thanks for coming back.”

Jemma’s eyes bulged. “Coming back? Fitz, please tell me you haven’t been visiting this monster.”

Fitz’s jaw hardened. “I needed answers, Jemma. Of course, I didn’t get any, talking to him is like talking to a box of sand.”

Ward grinned. “Yet here you both are, obviously needing something from me.”

Fitz spat. “Don’t look so smug, the only reason we’re here is because you have a pulse, which could change in an instant so don’t fuck around.”

Hearing Fitz curse was enough for Ward to shut his mouth.

“Good,” Jemma smiled. “Fitz.”

Fitz sighed. “Hypothetically, if there was a mandate that demanded supervision for gifted people by the government in order to dictate how they operate, would you sign it?”

“Hold on, that’s not what it is,” Jemma frowned. “If the legislation was in place to safeguard the talents of these people, would you sign it?”

Ward frowned back at her. “What the hell is this? Some kind of inhuman thought experiment?”

“Just answer the damn question.”

“I need to make sure I’m getting this,” Ward paced inside his tiny cell. “So the government have introduced a set of rules that determine how The Avengers operate and prevent global catastrophes?”

Fitz and Jemma nodded.

“Okay,” Ward pondered. “I’m going to need more information. What do the government have access to?”

Fitz, surprised that Ward was answering so casually, shrugged. “Well, they’re able to have final say over whether The Avengers should be sent to deal with something. The way they see it, putting them on a leash would put a stop to these larger threats.”

“And it includes inhumans too?”

“Yes.”

Ward thought about it for a long moment and snorted. “No fucking way would I sign that.”

Jemma put her hands on her hips. “Why not?”

Ward shrugged. “As much as I fucking hate them, we'd all be dead without the Avengers. Loki would’ve destroyed New York, then the whole country, and then the rest of the world.”

“But seeing destruction on that scale, they would probably have sent them out.”

“Yeah, after everything’s already burning to a crisp,” Ward scoffed. “The only thing worse than the Avengers is the government.”

Fitz nodded. “That’s probably the most sensible choice you’ve ever made.”

“Even over saving Jemma’s life?”

Jemma grimaced. “Any points you got for that were wiped out the moment you joined HYDRA.”

“Your views on good and evil are so biased, Simmons.”

“And yours are based on a foundation of prejudice. Let me guess, you probably thought the Nazis had a point.”

Ward blanched. “No fucking way. Whatever you might think, HYDRA and the Nazis aren’t synonymous with each other.”

“I don’t want to hear any HYDRA propaganda, Ward,” Jemma shook her head.

“Okay,” Ward shrugged. It didn’t matter to him either way.

“We’ve got what we came for. I would say thank you, but I hate you,” Fitz quipped, turning to the door.

“See you soon, Leo,” Ward replied solemnly.

Jemma hit the mute button and the rest of Ward’s words were drowned out. Fitz turned back and met Ward’s eyes for a second, trying to read his lips. Shrugging, he punched the other button and the panel slid back into place, as though Ward had never existed. That was the way they wanted it.

The pair trudged back upstairs and were met with expectant eyes.

“Well?” Skye pressed. “What did that weasel have to say for himself?”

Jemma sighed heavily. “He said he wouldn’t sign the Accords.”

“And you explained it to him properly?” May had her beady eyes on Fitz, who scowled.

“No May, the two smartest people on the team failed to accurately explain a simple concept,” he drawled, to May’s irritation.

“So that’s it? Decision made?” Bobbi confirmed, looking around the room.

Coulson nodded. “I believe so. We’ll continue to operate as though the Accords don’t exist. Unless Talbot or someone else directly steps in, we go about our business as usual. I don’t want any in-fighting about this.”

Mack sighed. “Sure thing, boss.”

Coulson looked around the room and studied the team. “Anyone has a problem with the decision, bring it to me. No arguments, got it?”

The team nodded. As much as the entire situation was causing heated debates and testing allegiances, the team had respect for each other’s opinion, even Ward’s in a twisted way, so the final decision was just that. Final.

“I also want to say that we need to be more vigilant in regards to the inhumans we have on our radar. In places where the Accords have been unanimously signed, they might to retaliate out of anger, or those who support the Accords might start to…”

“Hunt them,” Skye finished, steel in her voice.

“We won’t let anything happen to you, Skye,” Hunter whispered from across the table. She shot him a thankful look. “I can’t believe any of you would’ve wanted to sign that thing.”

“Hunter…” Coulson snapped.

“No, we should have this out. Might prevent some unfriendly sniping down the line.”

“Aren’t you tired of us always being at each other’s throats?” Mack asked.

“Course I am,” Hunter replied. “But this team doesn’t work until we’re all on the same page. And from the looks May has been giving me, I’d say we’re not.”

The team turned to look at May, who shrugged. “You’ve never liked an opinion that wasn’t on the same lines as your own.”

“And here we go,” Skye whispered, knowing that the team was about to fracture itself in a new way than before. They would be okay, they always were, but something would change. She appreciated May, Mack, Bobbi, and Simmons having their own points of view about the situation. None of them were powered like her and she couldn’t expect them to feel as indignant as she did about the Accords. There was a part of her that was a little put out that they weren’t ready to defend her rights, but it was something that she would just have to let go in the ensuing conversation.

She watched Fitz passionately argue with Simmons about her right to exist, and operate as a human being with unfiltered decision-making abilities and she couldn’t help but smile. Her friendship with Fitz ran deeper than a lot of people thought and he was one of the people who would always have her back, even against Simmons it seemed.

Coulson was the other person who had always had her back no matter what, and he caught her eye briefly before turning back to the conversation.

Hunter was more of a wildcard. They got along and were friendly, but they didn’t know each other on a deeper level. They hadn’t discussed much about their lives before SHIELD and Skye didn’t really know much about his relationship with Bobbi, at least from his perspective. Bobbi had divulged some details that had left her amused, bewildered, and more than a little turned on.

But here Hunter was, all but slamming his fist down on the table to defend her and people like her, without any reticence. She knew really that it wasn’t just about her, that there was more to the conversation regarding governmental control and the monitoring of threats by organisational bodies that didn’t know as much as they did, but it still touched her to know that he had her back.

As they argued, something was niggling at her in the corner of her brain, scratching back and forth in a less than satisfactory way. And, really, she knew the only way she could quell it.

She silently slipped out of her seat, ignoring the eyes that followed her as Fitz and Simmons levelled up their intensity with each other.

Skye tried to drown out what Simmons was saying next as she descending to the basement, sliding back the panel to see Grant Ward.

“Skye…you said you would never…”

Skye willed herself to stay strong, to not let her once happy memories flood through the wall she had built around her and stay in their rightful place: the past. “Yeah well, I need to know why you wouldn’t sign the Accords.”

Ward’s brows shot to his hairline as she paced from wall to wall. “I’m surprised you care what I have to say.”

“I generally don’t. But this is important.”

“Well, Skye, I’ll tell you what I told Leo and Simmons. The only thing worse than the Avengers is the government.”

Skye didn’t like that the person she hated most in the world was on her side, but she knew he was about to make a good point. “Elaborate.”

“What happened in Sokovia was horrible. But the government are lying to themselves if they think they’re doing this to save the world. They’re doing this to keep Tony Stark in check. He’s always had too much money, too much power, too much freedom ever since he took up being Iron Man. This way, they can muzzle him at least a little bit.”

“And the inhumans?”

“An afterthought. A way to keep the general populace happy and still look like they’re trying to protect people. Stark knows everything about everything that happens in DC and ever since Romanoff leaked SHIELD intelligence, they’re started to understand how much Stark actually knows. Things they’d rather bury. He signed them, right?”

Skye nodded.

“Makes sense. Not signing them would draw too much attention to him. Attention he wouldn’t want. After what went down with Ultron…he doesn’t need the bad press rebelling would bring him.”

“So this is just about Tony Stark?”

“In a way,” Ward nodded. “Obviously, the government hates anything they can’t control or predict, the inhumans are just another thing that they have to admit they’re not ready for. This way, they can try and protect themselves. For them, it’s actually a fairly smart move. Even though it’s bullshit.”

“Right.”

“And Skye…”

“What?”

“I know this isn’t going to mean anything coming from me, but don’t let them break you. The government, the Accords, or those on the team that voted against you. They don’t know what you’re going through.”

Skye felt a strip of rage lick its way up her back. “A while ago you were the person I’d want to tell about all of this.”

“I’m still the same person, I never changed.”

“But I did,” Skye snapped and turned from the room.

She would think about Ward’s words often as time moved on, hating the fact that they were from him. They were good words, ones that she’d end up living by, but she’d never be able to reimagine that someone else had said them, or get rid of the sound of Ward actually saying them.

As she made her way back to the team, she thought about the future of the lives of so many inhumans who would now be targeted or worse simply because the government didn’t understand it. Ward had been right and she knew it.

A lot of things would have to change.