Summary:With no clear memories of her past, she has no choice but to move forward. But that doesn't stop Skye from carrying on with her research about her past, though she can't do it alone. Making friends and enemies along the way will the answers be enough, or will they set off an even bigger web of lies and questions? Avengers / Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Skye's Origin Story (kind of) - AU
Notes:Hello everyone! I first uploaded this story on FF 3 years ago and I thought I should transfer it here. I am still very new in AO3, so I might make some mistakes when transferring the work, please bear with me. I will keep the AN's similar to the ones in FF. I hope you all enjoy this story.
I will try my best to post a chapter a day until we reach the same chapter count (100 at the moment) as FF. I am moving soon, so I might miss a day, but I will try my best not to. And if I do, I will make sure to post 2 chapters the day after. That's it for now. So, as I always say in FF:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter 1: How It All BeganChapter Text
Third person's POV
"What the hell happened here?", May eventually asked the question everyone was thinking of but none dared to say out loud.
They were all staring at the building in front of them, or at least what was left of it. Being the only one in the whole block that had collapsed, it looked like a bomb went off but for some reason, nothing else was affected by it.
"Well, that's what we are here to find out, right?" Coulson came and stand next to her, his eyes never leaving the ruins.
"Like always," Natasha and Clint said in unison as they were, as carefully as possible, cleaning rocks and bricks from the road. "Well, come on" Natasha shouted back to the two who had yet to come closer. "We aren't going to find anything anytime soon if you just stand there!".
Coulson smirked and looked at his partner. "Reminds me of you," he said while walking to join the two agents. May just Rolled her eyes and joined the party.
The peculiar state that the building was in, compared to the rest of them, was the reason why S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten involved.
That's why they treated it like every other 0-8-4 mission. See if they'd find anything out of the ordinary and report it. If they were lucky they would find the reason for the collapse, but their hopes weren't very high. Always considering the state of the building, the chances of finding anything useful were nearly zero to none.
So, slowly but steadily, they continued their way to the centre of the ruins. At one point Natasha and Clint raised a big chunk of stone or at least tried to since it was unexpectedly heavy. But they did get a chance to look underneath in case they found something. Anything would be better than the absolute nothing they had managed to collect so far. No information and no evidence. So, when Nat saw a glimpse of a dark tunnel, she took the chance. She rushed in, leaving only Clint to support the heavy rock who quickly released his grip and the stone fell back to its place trapping Natasha underneath.
"Hey, Nat! Can you hear me?", Clint was basically screaming having forgotten that they had the comms on.
"Yeah, Legolas, I can hear you" she snorted back. "Now shut up before you make me deaf. I'm trying to work here". She took her flashlight out and after a few tries, it was switched on. She made a mental note to remember and change the batteries.
"Agents, what's your status?", Phil could be heard from the comms, his professionalism coming to the surface the moment he lost Natasha from sight. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, sir. I found this tunnel that I'm following, it looked relatively safe and I'm smaller than Agent Barton so I decided to check it out".
She could hear Phil sigh from the other end of the line and in her mind's eye, May was rolling her eyes for her 'impulsiveness and stupidity', as she would call it. "Stay safe. We are working on lifting this rock and we'll come to find you. Call in if you find anything and if the comms don't work… well, then shout. We'll keep an ear out for you".
Natasha was only half paying attention to what she was being told, it was mostly protocol after all. Her attention was to the corridor ahead. It didn't seem very stable and she didn't wanna risk it falling on top of her.
But then, she found a door at the very end of the corridor and having nowhere else to go, she decided to try her luck. There was no handle and it was made out of stone. She tries pushing, softly at the beginning and harder and harder once she decided that it was safe and the roof wouldn't budge.
Frustrated that nothing was working she started examining her surroundings. The closest thing to a way in was the bottom right corner of the door which was broken. Probably it broke while the rest of the building was falling.
Natasha laid on the ground trying to peek from the not-so-big hole that she managed to find and used her flashlight to shine inside.
"Shit!", she exclaims once she looked inside. "Guys, get in here now!", she all but screamed to the others and without knowing if it was the right move she started digging. She could faintly hear the rest of her team asking what happened or if everything was all right, but she focused on the task at hand.
She was almost finished when May and Coulson came up behind her.
"What took you so long? And where is Clint?", she asked never taking her eyes off her target.
"We came as fast as we could, and he is outside keeping watch in case anything happens. Now what's wrong?", May's voice was heard.
"There is a person in there" she replied as she finished her digging. "Finally!", she exclaimed and made a move to go in only to be stopped by May.
"I'll go" she demanded but Natasha didn't have the patient or the time for that.
"I'm smaller than you and I can get in there faster" she tried, but could still see the hesitation in May's eyes. "We don't have time for this" she added, a careful and quiet whisper. "You wanted me to take initiative, this is me doing so. Now let me go". Even though she didn't mean to, it came out as a small threat and May eyed her carefully before releasing her grip. Natasha nodded slightly and quickly got back to work.
Once she was inside she focused on the hand that was coming out of the stone debris from all around. With all the gracefulness she could master, she started unburying the person trying not to cause any more damage.
She could hear her heart beating in her ears. A sigh of relief escaped her once she spotted a face and immediately supped the girl's pale cheeks in her palm. She brushed the hair out of her closed eyes and then pressed two fingers to her throat, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding once she found a pulse. A weak pulse, but a pulse nonetheless.
"It's just a girl" she whispered to herself and pulled the child's body in her arms to get her out of that place.
Chapter 2: Home Sweet HomeNotes:Thank you all for the already support! It means a lot :)I will also do my best to reply to your comments. As promised, here is the second chapter, hope you guys enjoy it.
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
"I'm telling you. I'm better off with you, guys! Why do you even make me go there?", I pleaded one more time trying to make them change their minds. With a pout, I looked at Nat, who was sitting in the shotgun seat next to May.
Natasha's smile only grew larger every time I asked. She was enjoying this more than she should. Couldn't she see that I was suffering?
"Oh, come on Skye. The Academy isn't that bad. You're gonna make a lot of friends and have lots of fun" she tried, but wouldn't get off that easily.
"Say's who, you?", I peeked between the two sits ignoring Mays protest to get back to my sit. "You've never even been to the Academy" I resorted trying once again to make her see reason.
"Maybe not this Academy, but I had my kind of training…" she answered quietly and I immediately felt bad for bringing back the memories of the Red Room. But quickly enough she cleared her throat and turned back to look at me. "Trust me, you'll have a blast," she said smiling. One of the rare genuine smiles that I was one of the few who got the chance to witness. And it almost made me believe her. Almost…
Before I even opened my mouth, the car stopped and May turned around as well. My eyes suddenly found the floor of the car much more interesting and I was patiently waiting for the scolding to come. So, when I felt a hand on my shoulder I flinched a little bit and closed my eyes, still not used to being touched. Even after 4 years. But nothing followed the action I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to meet May's kind ones.
Wow, it must have been a special day. Natasha's smile and May's soft gaze occurred with a difference of mere minutes? I'd be damned.
"We're here" May's voice broke through my trace. Well, of course. That explained everything.
Without having any other choice but to accept my fate I nodded and moved slightly, letting May know to take her hand off my shoulder. Grabbing the bag from next to me, I opened the door and made a move to exit the vehicle but hesitated a bit in the end.
"See you when I'll see you" was all I managed to say before heading out to the new home I would be stuck with until they decided that I was trained enough to be in the field. I didn't even look back, because I didn't trust myself enough to have the strength to say a proper goodbye.
Having nothing to lose, I looked at the tall building in front of me, mustered whatever strength I could find and walked through their 'doorstep'. This word being an understatement considering how enormous the entrance actually was.
I opened the bag and took out the paperwork that I needed and walked to the front desk.
The woman behind the desk didn't even look up to see who came in. Her focus still on the computer when she mechanically lifted her hand, palm up towards me. I put the papers in her hand and watched as she brought them down next to her computer and started reading everything and typing at the same time.
"Name?", she asked and I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. What did they even need the paperwork for if they were going to ask me either way? I was this close to opening my own pc and hacking into their system to make this whole process go faster, but I had made a promise that I couldn't break.
"Skye" I replied after a while. At the sound of my voice her eyes snapped up to mine and she looked me up and down as if not believing what she was seeing.
"Skye what?", she continued and that was it.
Screw the promise, I just couldn't stand the tone of the woman in front of me. My laptop already at hand and my fingers working quickly and without hesitation. Soon, the woman's computer page blinked and the almost-empty form that was laying lately at the screen was now full with all the necessary details.
"Would that be all?", I asked. I imagine May beside me with a frown on her face, trying really hard to hide the smile underneath but she was not here. So, the mischievous smile on my face was truly and well felt.
The agent opened her mouth in shock as she inspected the screen in front of her, her eyes darting between the filled form and me.
"I believe I won't need those anymore, so feel free to do anything you want with them" I continued pointing at the papers still at her hand. "Don't worry, I'll find my way" I pointed at the screen in my hand with the floor and number of my room.
As I kept walking through the corridors I almost forgot why I was so nervous in the first place. Oh yeah, I thought to myself. How could I ever forget the two factors that changed everything?
The first problem was the Academy's speciality. Which I might had been able to avoid somehow and I had to admit that I brought it down to myself.
Lost in my thoughts, I reached my bunkers and opened the door. I walked to the empty bed and turned around, not really bothering to put up a smile and was met with the second factor that I had momentarily forgotten.
"Hi there, I'm Jemma. Nice to meet you!"
People.
Chapter 3: Just Like High SchoolNotes:Again, thank you for the support, kudos, hits, bookmarks and comments. I hope you are all having a great day.
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
I looked at the schedule on my screen. I had the rest of the day off and only my meals planned. I had to thank May for that when I talked with her again, given that it was her idea to wake up early and be in the Academy first thing in the morning.
I was patiently waiting for the time to pass so that I could grab some lunch, even if I didn't really look forwards to that event… Sitting with crossed legs on top of my bed I watched as Jemma Simmons, my one and only roommate for the rest of days here, unpacked box after box of stuff. What did she even need all those things for? It had taken me only a few minutes to arrange the things that I had in my bag. All I needed, after all, were some sets of clothes and my laptop equipment.
So, I watched with great curiosity all the different books, mostly, and equipment that Simmons kept unpacking even 2 hours after I arrived. I could already tell that she was a perfectionist. She must have planned her stay here months before and looked at the room's layouts. Everything went to its place, not an inch further.
I looked at my side of the room. I couldn't decide whether we would actually have fun or if my life had just become the tiniest bit harder.
After what seemed like forever, I started making my way to the canteen. With my laptop securely in my hand, I braced myself and walked through the doors of the canteen. The large room was hosting at least 500 students and a fair amount of teachers, and an equally large serving station at the far right. Lots of large and small tables were everywhere, not in a specific pattern.
At first sight, everything rolled out better than I expected. I hadn't really attracted anyone's attention and I planned for it to remain that way. But of course, something like that would last for long.
I had only made a couple of steps to go and grab my food when a hush spread out as the new girl was seized up by everyone. I kept on walking towards the serving station, not really paying attention to the laughter that rose here and there and the smirks that could be easily seen on most of the student faces. So far nothing seemed different from High School and I had my fair share of experience in that treatment.
So, I resumed the same plan I had at the time. Head high, eyes on the target and one step at a time, not too slow but not too fast at the same time. I took a plate and began putting myself some food.
When I turned around I was met with a hundred and more curious looks. I knew that look all too well and was used to it. But then a thought arose in my mind and I recoiled a bit. Was that how I was looking at Simmons when we were in our room? Geez… if that's the case, maybe I should apologise, I made a mental note for later on.
Once I had everything I needed, I made my way to the emptiest table that I could find. The moment I sat down, I immediately took out my computer and turned my attention to the device in front of me.
For some time the only sound that could be heard was that of my keyboard. Until, finally, the welcoming committee came over. It was a total of 7 students whose muscularity made it obvious that they were part of Operations. I could hear their footsteps coming close by the second but never acknowledged their presence when they just stopped in front of me and stared without speaking.
"So, you're the rookie," one of them said, not really a question but it was clear that he expected an answer or at least something to come out of my mouth. But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I just kept on typing, my appetite lost the moment he came into view.
From the corner of my eye, I could see him sizing me up. "I'm guessing Communications" he continued trying to make me say anything, but I had far more experience than he expected.
With satisfaction, I saw him get up and dismiss me with his hand. Still not fully looking up, I observed as he made a move to turn around and my eyes darted to the person with whom I had spent the last couple of hours. Our eyes made contact and I could clearly see the fear in hers.
I was so gonna regret this.
"What gave it away?", I said loudly and looked up meeting the gaze of the guy that quickly sat back down in the seat across from mine.
"Oh, look, it speaks," he said and a smile forming on his face.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that comment. "Oh, look, it can state the obvious" I replied not able to help myself.
His friends all wanted to burst out laughing, but one look from the guy and they all shut it. His smile had long disappeared. If I didn't have his full attention before, well now I had more than that. "What are you doing here, kid?", he put a lot of emphasis on the last word, "This ain't Kindergarten". His eyes narrowed and watching my every move.
"Again, stating the obvious," I said and shook my head a bit.
"What's your name?" Anger was now oozing out of him in waves.
"Wouldn't you like to know?", I said with a smirk.
Chapter 4: Not So Bad After AllNotes:As promised, here is the next chapter of our story. Time to see things from Jemma's side for a change.
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSimmons' POV
I was really excited to start attending the Academy of Science and Technology in S.H.I.E.L.D. Being seventeen with two PhDs and a ton of questions, this was one, if not the best day of my life. The sun wasn't really high in the sky when I arrived at the facility and after doing the paperwork and taking the campus map, I made my way to my room.
I already knew that I would have a roommate and couldn't be happier about it. We could explore the wonders of the world and make discoveries together. Because they had to be from Science and Tech, right? Those were the rules, after all. So when the door opened, not too long after my arrival I was met with something unexpected.
I was met with a kid! She looked like… what, fifteen? Did she even finish High School? And that's when I knew that there was no way she was part of my Academy. Even if we didn't take the age factor into account, she only had a bag and a computer.
So… Communications? I wondered to myself. She didn't even say her name, and choosing to just go straight to her bed and sat in front of her computer. I could see her peeking and wondering what all of my things were and my assumption for her not being in Science was confirmed. Silence filled the room as she was on her computer and I was making sure everything went to its rightful place.
Before I knew it the time had passed and she was heading out, probably to the canteen to get something to eat. I sighed and soon followed in her steps as my growling stomach complained due to the lack of food.
You would think that because she's in Communications, she would be a little a bit good at communicating. My thoughts were short-lived as I saw the door to the canteen in front of me. I knew what that meant. Mercilessly teasing the new girl and since I couldn't possibly avoid it, I braced myself and slowly open the door.
But the room was already quiet and then I remembered the other girl. Everyone's attention was on her and none of them had really seen me come in. This was my chance! Once she sat down, I carefully poured myself some food and sat at a four-seated table that was empty and close to the exit door.
Soon a group of guys walked right up to her and everyone's attention as to what they were saying.
"So, you're the rookie" the one who seems the leader of the group said. After getting no reply he tried again, looking her up and down. "I'm guessing communication" but was once again met with silence. Oh, she was good, I would give her that. And he was starting to see that she wasn't going to even acknowledge him.
He figured as much and gave up trying to tease her, so he started turning around to leave. But he was turning the wrong way, my way. And I knew for sure that he would spot me and that I would be his next victim.
I was looking straight at him and even if he didn't mean to, there was no way I wouldn't get attract his attention. But I couldn't take my eyes off him.
That's when I saw it. The slightest movement coming from my roommate who was proudly looking at the guy's retreating figure. Her eyes darted to the room and only for a second, they made contact with mine. I must have looked at her filled with dread because just as he was about to fully face me she spoke up.
"What gave it away?" Her face was blank not revealing her emotions, though I was sure that she was having a mental argument with herself about deciding to help me.
Her voice got once again the guy's attention and that of the rest of the canteen once again. I watched in awe as she talked back to him as if it was nothing. She actually looked like she enjoyed herself. The rest of the canteen seemed to fall back to its routine and other peoples voices soon filled the room. But my attention was fully rested on the girl who was too young to deal with a situation like that so swiftly.
Thankfully she was left alone after a while and I didn't have to kick myself as much for her standing up for me even if we were the only ones that knew about it. She never looked at me again and I didn't know how to feel about that.
Skye's POV
When I got back to the room it was empty. I didn't expect to see Simmons either way, she should still be eating. But something told me that she wouldn't be far behind, so I got back on my bed and plugged my computer. Didn't want it to run out of battery and I had completely forgotten to charge it before getting here.
My expectations were met soon after when the dorm door open.
What I did not expect, was what came next or the lack of it at least. No talking, no trying to make conversation, just plain old silence. My eyes were glued on my screen for a bit longer but curiosity overtook and I looked up.
Simmons was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, back against the wall and were just staring at me. The curious kind of staring, as she was studying me and probably trying to figure out what I was thinking. I raised an eyebrow at that and she shook her head as if just understanding that I was looking back at her.
"I'm sorry" she hurried to say. "I didn't mean to stare, it's more of a habit" she added. To be honest I could see that. The scientist in her, observing what she didn't understand and trying to find what was that which confused her. I mentally smiled at that, my face still blank but not hostile.
My eyes were once again set on my screen but I could see that she wanted something. The way she played with her shirt, finding something for her hands to do. Observing seemed to be something we had in common. The only difference being I was usually observing people and she must have been observing… whatever they observed at a lab. She was obviously not good at figuring out people's thoughts from their body language.
"Just say it," I said and saw her pause for a moment. Then it hit me. It was the first time that I spoke to her since I got here and she mustn't have expected me to say anything.
After she recovered from the shock she carefully got up and slowly walked towards me, as if afraid she would scare me off. She extended her hand to me and I saw that she was holding a granola bar. I raised an eyebrow at this and took the bar.
After a long pause Simmons spoke up, "I figured you might be hungry. I saw that you didn't eat anything at lunch".
I contemplated it for a minute. It was not that I wasn't good with people. If I wanted to, I could be very good with them, but usually, they didn't want to be friends with me because of how young I was. That's why I had learned to distance myself and not get my hopes up.
"Thank you," I told her, placing the granola next to me as I set down the computer and sat up straight across from her. She had returned to her side of the room.
"Thank you" she replied instantly. "If it wasn't for you, things would probably be worst for me now and you took it upon yourself to help".
She sounded sincere, so I nodded and smiled back at her. That must have lifted her spirits as she smiled back and relaxed more in her bed.
Maybe Nat was right after all… maybe things wouldn't be as hard as I thought. Maybe it was the positivity that Simmons was radiating from across the room, but for a moment I thought that even if we hadn't really spoken all day, there was a bond that was starting to form between the two of us.
Maybe we could be friends after all…
Chapter 5: Sparring 101Notes:We're introduced to even more characters here. Thank you all for reading this story, hope you enjoy the chapter :)
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
My first official day of training began a couple of days after I arrived at the facility. To say that I was excited about it didn't come close to the way that I actually felt in the slightest.
I had already gotten a glimpse of the way that people from my classes acted on my first day in the Academy. A smirk settled on my face, but I quickly made it disappear before anyone saw it. I was sitting alone in the large gym that had mats spread out everywhere. The top part of the wall across from the door was covered in one-way glass. I was sure that while training other teachers would observe. I didn't really like the idea of having other people watching me without my knowledge but it didn't really matter what I thought.
Of course, no one was there yet, since it was around 5 in the morning and training didn't start until 7. But that gave me some time to myself that was just what I needed to calm my nerves.
I threw my bag on a bench and went to the centre of the room. I made some breathing exercises, to begin with, and then my normal morning routine began as if I was in a trance. From the very first time that I started it, I had found out that Tai Chi, this early, was the best way to start my day.
My thoughts were flowing as I moved around the space. I lost track of time as the frustrations from the first days in this new environment were slowly melting away.
I slowed down to a finish once I was satisfied with myself and closed my eyes, taking for the last time a few deeps breaths. The emptiness in my mind shattered the moment I heard the gym's door close. I turned around to find it shut. Maybe it was just my imagination…
I walked to my bag and checked my phone. It was 06:30, so I still had enough time for a quick shower and get back here before the training began. I wrapped everything up and headed out.
When I got in the gym the second time, there was a total of about thirty other people already waiting. Just like in the canteen, all eyes turned on me and once they figured I wasn't a familiar face all conversations subsided.
For about five seconds, which seemed to me like five hours, nothing was heard. However, once the silence broke, I found myself wishing for it to come back.
"You got lost, kid?", a voice full of superiority was heard.
I watched with a blank face as the guy, who had decided to torment me on my first day, walked towards me and stood proud and tall a few feet away. Out of all the possible groups that I would be assigned to, why did I have to be in the one in which he was a part of? My luck seemed to run really low lately.
"Nope, I'm exactly where I have to be" I replied trying very hard not to put much emotion in my voice. I was better trained than this, but this guy seemed to get under my skin all too easy and it annoyed me to no end.
"This isn't the Communication's building" he raised an eyebrow at this.
Stating the obvious yet again, I thought but decided against letting it out of my head. Instead, I kindly smiled at him, a fake and well-practised smile. "I know. I'm not in Communications". He laughed hard at that and the other six of his pack followed suit, while the rest of the room remained quiet. "Oh, I'm a hacker all right. I was just too good that they decided to put me in Operations" I finished and made a move to leave but he grabbed my arm.
I took in a deep breath and turned to look at him. "You're not for Ops kid. I know your kind. You hackers always cower behind your computers" he finally, finally, let go of my arm. "You ain't gonna last a week here".
Thankfully the door opened and agent Maria Hill came in.
"What's going on here?", she asked once she took in the sight of the way that guy was looking at me, "Nothing, ma'am". His answer was too quick, combined with a step away from me and that was all I needed to know.
"Good, now get ready for the warm-up" she continued without even glancing at me.
After the warm-up, we did some strength training and then there was the time for sparring. Hill paired everyone in the group, but I was left last because we were a single number in total. I watched carefully each sparring, taking in as much information I could.
"Grant, Davis, you're up next".
So, Grant it is, I thought as I saw the same guy that I was sure wanted to make my life a living hell while I was in the Academy. My attention was now fully on that match and, not to my surprise, it didn't last long. Not even a minute and a half later Davis was tapping out and it was over. When Ward got up he looked at my way and grinned.
When all the matches were finished, I was the only one who was left completely unharmed.
"By now you all know that I don't play favourites" Hill's voice echoed through the gym. "No matter the gender or the age," she said the last part and looked into my eyes. "So, I find it appropriate to have our newest member here spar, but I'll leave the choice to you. Whoever would be willing to show her what we do here at S.H.I.E.L.D. please raise your hands".
"I'll do it" Grant's voice was heard loud and clear. "I just don't wanna break anything" he continued as he approached me on the mats. His usual smile was on his face, as always.
My eyes quickly locked on Hill's blue ones. "Don't worry, that's what the Med Bay is for" and she slightly nodded. "You're sure, ma'am?", it was my turn to ask. Grant laughed at that and threw me a pair of MMA gloves. "Yes," Hill replied and moved between us.
Once we both had the equipment on, Ward came closer and asked me to touch gloves. "No hard feelings," he said as my glove made contact with his.
As soon as the whistle was heard the smile disappeared from my face. My concentration at its fullest and my mind raced back at everything I managed to get from my opponent's last match. I patiently waited for him to make the first move, but didn't have to wait long.
He made a quick left jab, followed by a right hook. The same starting move from before and I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. He continued throwing punches and kicks, but I swiftly dodged every single one of them. I could see him growing frustrated that he couldn't land a hit.
Waiting patiently I watched as his tolerance grew smaller and smaller by the minute and knew that it was only a matter of seconds before he made a mistake.
And then he did. The more-than-normal sloppy right jab was all I wanted.
I grabbed his hand with my left. I earned a small cry, both of surprise and pain, as I twisted his wrist. Before he could even register what happened, my legs were locked around his neck we were both on the floor.
He tried his best to get out of the hold, but I kept my grip both on his hand and neck firm. Without any escape, he tapped at my leg and I released my legs and gracefully got back on my feet. Grant was still on the floor. He was carefully cradling his right wrist close to his chest with his uninjured hand. His eyes were full of surprise, but the feeling quickly changed to hatred.
"No hard feelings," I said as I offered my hand to help him up.
Of course, he didn't take it and it took him a while to actually get up because of his wrist. The room was once again dead silent and he stood tall in front of me. All the other cadets were looking at us, or to be more precise at me. Grant took a step back and joined the rest of the students as I felt a hand on my shoulder and tried hard not to flinch from the touch. I tilted my head to see Hill next to me.
"I suppose now it is the right time for a proper introduction" her eyes never leaving those of the others from the group. "Everyone, this is cadet Skye. From here on out she will be a part of your group and you'll treat her as you have every new member before her". Then she turned her head to look at me.
"Welcome to the family".
Chapter 6: Bad DayNotes:Hey guys! I know you haven't seen much action so far, the action will come. Just bear with me during these initial chapters. Also, again, thank you so much for reading this story and for the support in any form. Hope you're all doing well.
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
I had been at the Academy for six months. Six months went by quite quickly, to be honest. My day-to-day life usually consisted of training, classes and then more training. It wasn't really that bad. I had to admit that it was so much better than High School. The main reason for that being Simmons.
We spent most of our free time together, but it was a little bit tricky. She had quickly become very popular in her Academy because of her ideas and how smart she was. And she was extremely smart. Sometimes she would get lost in her own thoughts and mind and began rambling about what problems one formula had or why something else didn't work. Most of the time I couldn't even keep up with her for more than five minutes when she was in that state.
But other people from her Academy could understand most, in the best-case scenario, of her gibberish. So, she fitted there perfectly, and it was only natural that others looked up to her despite her being just a year older than me.
Not that I hadn't become famous myself. But, in my case, a lot of other cadets weren't very fond of me. That was because of two factors, the first one being the high rate of washouts. Who knew that having a sixteen-year-old girl that could keep up if not be better than most of them would make a lot of people see me as a threat.
The second factor was the people I hang out with. Simmons might have become popular, but we were always seen together. She did most, if not all, of the talking and I was a great listener. So, whenever she would go out with her other friends I would usually tag along because she was saying that I was spending too much time alone with my computer. She was so nice, and the first truly good friend that I had since I could remember myself that I couldn't say not to her.
This is how everyone had learned that we were a package deal. Wherever one went, the other would soon follow. But sometimes even that wasn't enough.
"So, tell me. Did you make any new friends?" That was usually how our conversations with Natasha started and this time wasn't an exception.
"No… you already know the answer to that question. Why even bother asking?"
"Because I'm your friend and I care?", she said back. I sighed and I must have been louder than I expected because she picked it up quickly. "Hey what's wrong?", her tone changing to that of concern fairly quickly.
"Nothing's wrong. Everything's good" I said not truly believing it. I was having a really bad day.
"Good, but not great. I know you for four-five years Skye and I know when something is bothering you. Is it Grant again? I swear, if Fury ever puts us in the same mission, even if he allows us in the same base I'm gonna have a long talk with him" her words full of venom. Her protectiveness coming out every time Grant's name was mentioned.
"Nah, it's not him. After all, he will go on a mission in a couple of months to prove his worth as a field agent. Then, hopefully, he will earn his budget and I won't have to see him again" I said before I thought of what had just come out of my mouth.
"Skye…" Natasha's voice suddenly became low. The only warning sign that I needed. I facepalmed and pressed my temples thinking of how stupid I was. "You promised no more hacking in the servers".
"I couldn't resist! Plus, I'm in Ops not Communications, so how else was I supposed to practice. It isn't the first time and it won't be the last, we both know it". I decided not to lie to Natasha, she would know and then everything would just be worse.
I could hear her from the other end of the line taking deep breaths. I missed her more than I dared to admit. As I opened my mouth to tell her about why I was having the worst day in the past six months, my laptop buzzed.
"Shit, I have to go, Nat! I'm really sorry for cutting our conversation short, say hi to Phil, May and Clint from us, will you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it". I was about to end the call when I heard her call my name and I placed the phone back to my ear. "You know that you can tell me anything right?", her voice was soft, and it spread a warm feeling in my chest.
"Of course" I replied just as softly. "Talk to you soon, be careful out there" I ended the call before her voice reached my ears.
My head rested on the wall I was sitting against and I closed my eyes trying to control my breath.
Grant's POV
I was doing my late-night run in the forest next to the Academy. Garrett had informed me that I was to go undercover in a few weeks and my excitement was giving me more energy than I needed. I really wanted to make him proud for taking me in and teaching me everything I knew, I didn't want to let him down.
Because of that, my head was full of thoughts almost all the time every day since I was informed about my graduation test. These runs helped empty my mind and enter the trance that I yearned for at the moment.
The forest itself had a built path for whenever we did endurance exercises. But after exploring the woods, I rarely used the indicated path. And I was the only one that did that, at least as far as I knew. That was why I stopped short and hid behind a trunk once I heard other footsteps closing in nearby. My breath forming white in front of my face because of how low the temperature was.
Even more to my surprise, I saw the kid running alone in the dark. That brought an idea to my head and a smile to my face. It was pay-back time.
"What's up kid?", I asked when she came close enough. As if in instinct she threw a kick my way which I barely escaped. Now that she was facing me she put her hands in front of her face, ready for a fight.
"Don't you know that you shouldn't sneak up on people?", annoyance clear in her voice. Her words came out breathlessly as she still tried to catch her breath. This was the first time that I saw her breathless. "What do you want Grant?", her eyes were narrowed and never leaving mine.
That's when I saw it. The tiniest bit of tear paths, frozen to her cheeks. If her being here had surprised me, then this puts a whole new meaning to the word. I just stood there, unable to do anything. Just keep on staring at her brown eyes who were calculating me and my every movement.
Not long after she got restless and lowered her hands. "I don't have the time or the mood for this" she dismissed and turn to restart her running.
I wasn't even sure why I did it, but my hand was wrapped around her arm, just like that first day in training.
We both stopped moving at once. She slowly turned her head to look at my grip and then lifted her gaze to meet my eyes. There was a threat as clear as day in her eyes even before she spoke. "Let go" she didn't even shout. Her tone was so quiet and serious that I had never heard before. Slowly I did as I was told.
"Are you okay?", I asked, not faking the concern in my voice. God, I had never seen the girl show much emotion, what with her always having a facade on all the time. This uneasiness that rose inside me when I understood that she had been crying was something I hadn't planned but was still there, asking for an explanation.
"Peachy! Now, if you'll excuse me," she said and once again turned to leave.
I didn't dare grab her again and so I just run after her. "Hey, what's wrong?", but she continued to her routine, trying not to pay any attention to me but I could see her turning stiff. "I think you should head back" I tried reasoning with her but still nothing. "Skye…" this made her stop.
"What Grant? What do you want? Don't pretend as if you care," she said and was well justified.
Ever since she arrived I had made her life a living hell. That was because, in a matter of days, no one ever respected me. I was at the top of my class, everyone was looking up to me. But then she came, and everything was turned upside down. But as much as I hated what happened, I always admired her.
Being sixteen in an Academy like that and with her skills wasn't an easy task. And as if that wasn't enough of a reason, she was on top of the class, always there and with the answer or skills to do what was asked of her. She acted in a way that nothing seemed to bother her, no matter what others thought or whispered behind her back. Truth be told, I might have started some of the rumours myself, but I was acting out of a grudge that had lasted far more than it should.
"I–" I started but didn't even get to finish.
"No, you listen to me" she came closer with every word. "You never liked me. You never even called me by my name until now". Now that was something that I hadn't even realised before she mentioned it, but it was true. I always called her 'newbie' or 'kid'.
"And I'll say this once and I would suggest you don't forget it," she said, stepping closer. For someone so small her presence was tremendous, and I had to hold myself so as not to step back. "Today, never happened. If I hear that you mentioned it or even send it as an email or message to anyone, I'll know. Trust me. And you don't want to see me angry."
And with that, she left me alone in the dark.
Alone in shock and with more questions about her than I had before.
Chapter 7: An Unexpected RevelationNotes:All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
It has been a week since my night encounter with Grant and he had yet to tell anyone about it. I was pleasantly surprised by it, but I guess my threat scared him off. Good… I didn't want anyone looking into my personal life.
"So, what are you doing tonight?", I asked Simmons who was laying on her bed the same way I was in mine. From the corner of my eye, I could see her tilting her head in my direction and raise an eyebrow.
But nonetheless, she didn't question me, at least not yet. "Well, let me check" she answered and got up to take a look at her planner.
"Why even bother keeping a planner? Or checking it out? For starters, you don't have that much stuff that you do every day. Also, I am a hundred percent sure that you have memorised all your activities for the next month!" Sometimes it was very hard for me to understand what was going on in that head of hers.
"Well, Skye, just because some of us…" her eyes pointed at me before getting back at reading her daily activities, "…don't see the worth of a planner, it doesn't mean that none of us do". She mockingly faked being hurt by my words. "And you may or may not be right about me knowing my daily schedule for some weeks in advance, but there is nothing wrong with that or with double-checking. What if I forgot something, anything? Oh, what if I forgot a lecture?" Her eyes grew a bit larger at the thought.
I couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped my lips. Her eyes instantly narrowed and she grimaced at me. "Don't you dare laugh at me! This is important, how do you expect me to keep up with my Academy without a proper plan? I'm sure that in your Academy things are more lenient. Not so strict a schedule as ours and such" she dismissed with her hand. "Besides I'm a perfectionist and you know it. It's in my nature to want everything planned" she finished and got back at looking at her little notebook.
"Well Simmons what happened, is the Academy rivalry finally getting in your head? Come on you know that we aren't that bad, and you have no idea how strict our lessons and attendance are" I replied truthfully. Well, almost saying the whole truth. I did know that our rules were stricter than theirs, I had hacked in both systems by now and knew the rules for both Academies. If I hadn't done as much I would be disappointed with myself.
"Well not all of you are," she said smiling at me. "But so far you're the only one that I know of that isn't that bad." I opened my mouth to say something back but she raised her hand to silence me and spoke before I had a chance to even form a word. "And you can't say that I am not right because you hang with us all the time. I haven't even seen you once associate with people from your group".
Well, I couldn't really deny that. Hill had said that we were supposed to be a family. From what I had learned, family meant not lying to each other, being there in case one needs help and supporting one another. At least I thought I knew what that term meant. I wasn't so sure about that anymore.
"Do you have anything to do tonight?" I asked once more tired of our conversation and the turn it took.
Simmons closed the planner hard and sat back on her bed. "Nope, why? What do you have in mind?", excitement was written all over her face.
"I was thinking that, oh I don't know, we could sneak down the boiler and then go through the door that is supposed to lead to maintenance" I smiled broadly waiting for her reaction. I wasn't disappointed.
She gasped and then started mouthing words without actually making any sound. "How do you even know about this?" She finally managed to say coherent enough for me to understand. My smile getting even broader was enough of an answer for her to translate. "You hacked into our systems, didn't you?".
"Oh, come on. It wasn't really that hard to learn about it. You seemed to forget that I always listen to what others around us say. It wasn't really hard to put two and two together once I had heard a couple of people talking about an underground bar. Plus, your main problem is people from Ops finding out about it. Who would I even tell?"
Finally, reason seemed to make its way to her and she relaxed once again. But then reality, or more logic in our case, hit her hard and her demeanour took a 180.
"No! Absolutely not! I've never been there and you won't do such a thing either, at least not until you are an adult," she said firmly.
"Is that a challenge?" I wanted to play a little bit with her. But I know that she knew as well that if she didn't come along, my chances of actually going there were extremely low.
"No, it's not. It's a rule that I'm setting here and now. It is illegal. I'm not going to be part of your bad girl shenanigans!" Now that was the most British thing I had heard her say, and I had heard a lot, and the accent didn't help in the slightest.
"What's illegal is drinking. We won't do that, we're just gonna relax outside of the room for a change. Plus, you said it yourself. You've never been down there and I can see that you want to. Your curiosity gets the best of you a lot of times and this is no different"
She took a couple of breaths to compose herself. "Fine, we'll go," she said and thought about it for a while. Then turned to me and asked, "Why do you even ask? This is the first time I've heard of you asking to go out" with a big question mark written all over her face.
I thought about my answer for a while, not sure how much to say.
"Let's just say that I need to get my mind off things" and thankfully she didn't question it any further.
I was sitting in one of the large, leather couches that the underground bar had. As promised I had not taken any alcoholic beverage and had ended up with plain old water.
Even if she didn't want to admit it, Simmons was excited that she came down. She had even invited her best friend with her, one guy named Fitz. He was actually a rocket scientist, how cool was that?
He was a really quiet guy and only opened himself when Simmons was there. I could relate. Simmons had that aura that made you wanna be friends with her.
No matter what my relationship with Simmons was, it was easy to see how close she and Fitz had come. They started at the Academy around the same time, Fitz only arriving at the Academy a few weeks after Simmons and I did. They had this instant bond because they were talking the same language. All that gibberish from Simmons somehow made sense to him. He was also a very often topic in the conversations I had with her since they spend a lot of time together.
I watched as they talked at the bar and soon came over to where I was.
"So, you both know each other only by name and it is time to actually meet. Skye, this is Leopold Fitz. Fitz, this is Skye" I got up and shook the hand that Fitz extended my way.
"You've talked about me?" We both asked almost simultaneously, something that made Simmons laugh.
"But seriously. Leopold? Do I have to call you that?" I asked.
"Oh, please don't. You can call me Leo or Fitz, whatever you prefer," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Is there a surname that I should know of, Skye?".
"Nope" was my quick reply and I could see how Simmons wasn't expecting a reply but would be very happy to have one. My attention was soon turned back to Fitz
I had seen him around with Simmons once or twice in the past, I just didn't know that he was the one named Fitz. And as I paid attention to his accent, it was quite strange. Definitely not American, but not English as Simmons' was. "You're Scottish?" I made a wild guess and was glad that my speculation was verified when he nodded.
"But seriously, what have you told him about me?" This time I turned to my roommate who was trying to look innocent.
"Yeah, what she said" Fitz moved and stood next to me and crossing his hands over his chest. I had to say, seeing Fitz trying to be intimidating was hilarious.
"Don't be like that" Simmons said as she moved behind and in between us. She wrapped her hands around both of our shoulders and peeked between our faces. As I observed the scene play out, I caught Fitz blush a little when Simmons' hand touched his shoulder but said nothing of it. "You two are my best friends, I have nothing bad to say about either of you".
I had gotten used to Simmons touching my hand or shoulder and made nothing of it. I had even stopped flinching out of instinct. But her words made me step away from her and look into her eyes. The sincerity in them made me start tearing up and the concern that replaced her happiness didn't help.
"Excuse me for a minute," I said to them and quickly moved out of the bar and out in the open in desperate need for the cold wind to hit my face. I could hear Simmons saying, as loudly as her manners allowed her, my name but I just needed some time for myself. Soon I found myself in the woods, running a bit and after some time I found the spot that I was looking for. So, I sat on the ground with my back on a big rock that could as well have my name on it considering how many times I had been there in the past, just to clear my head.
I had more or less only four people in my life that I would consider friends or something more. But I was never sure if they actually wanted to be my friends or were just acting that way because they were the ones to find me. And just as I was in a good place with our relationship I had to find out about that damn redacted file which made me reconsider our whole relationship.
But with Simmons, sure I had thought about the possibility of being friends with her. And I had to admit that we had gotten closer through the last past year that we shared a room but I was never sure where she stood.
Sure, we talked more than we did at the beginning and we each knew a lot of things about the other. Or, to be more precise, I knew a lot of things about her. She didn't really have any knowledge about my past. And I could tell that she wanted to know because her eyes glinted with curiosity every time a similar subject would come up. But she never pushed and was always very caring.
But that word… friend, was never said and I was starting to believe that she was just spending time with me because of pity. Because I didn't have anyone else.
Tears were running down my face when I heard footsteps getting closer. I quickly cleared my eyes of any signs of crying and got up to leave before I stumbled upon Grant again. I was about to head off when a voice stopped me.
"Skye" I turned around to find Simmons stopping a good distance away from me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked and couldn't help as my gaze scanned around for Fitz.
She must have seen my eyes darting around. "He is not here. It's just me" she said and her hands had risen as if to show me that she meant no harm. But she stayed still. "I wanted to see if you're okay…" she tried as I didn't say anything back after her first reply.
"I'm fine. How did you even know about this place?" I had never come here with anyone and the only guy that knew about me coming to the woods was Grant.
"I know more things about you than you know Skye" I stiffened a bit at that and she picked up on it. "What I mean, is… I know that you wake up and train every morning at five in the morning when everyone else is asleep. I know that you come here to be alone and that this is the place where you let yourself be free of that mask that you wear the rest of the day" she said and had started moving closer to me. "And I know for a fact that you are not fine".
"How do you–"
"Know all that?" She finished my sentence. She was now standing only a few feet away from me. "Because I observe. My whole career is based on observation and problem-solving. And I know you do the same to everyone, always there on the sidelines, listening" she was now right in front of me.
All this time, I was giving her less credit than she deserved. "But why?" I needed to hear it.
"Because I'm your friend and I care about you. And it's ok if you still don't see me that way, but I do. And I want you to know that I'll be there for you if you need me and you can tell me anything and I won't say it to anyone else. You can trust me and I'll never betray that trust" her hands now wrapped around me in a soft embrace.
The way that her words sounded so similar to what Natasha had told me some days ago and so many times in the past made me break. All the feelings that I had kept bottled up came crashing down.
She didn't seem to mind when a wet spot started growing on her jacket, or when my hands mimicked hers and I pressed myself against her chest.
"Thank you".
Chapter 8: Late Night TalkNotes:It is bonding time! Also, you might have noticed it but now and then I change the POV from the person whose eyes we see the story unfold. In most chapters, I do have Skye's POV, as she is the main focus of the story, but I do like to change things up a bit here and there. Hope you all enjoy it.
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
We stayed out there in the quiet of the night for a few more minutes. And we would have stayed longer hadn't Simmons commented on how cold it was.
"Let's get back inside. I'll make some hot chocolate and we can talk if you want, or just sit on the beds or whatever. I really don't mind," she said as we headed to our room. I didn't say anything more, unsure of what to say exactly.
Once we reached our destination, we got inside to change into some more comfy clothes. "I'll make the chocolates, don't worry about it," I said and made a move to leave. I could feel Simmons getting ready to object but I turned to her and tilted the edges of my mouth a bit upwards. "You've done enough today, please let me do at least that".
Normally I would leave without waiting for an answer, but I went against my habit and looked at my roommate. It took her a while, but in the end, she gave in and sat on her bed while crossing her legs. "I'll be here then" she smiled back.
Simmons' POV
I watched as Skye's silhouette disappeared in the corridors of the Academy. My mind was racing in a hundred different directions.
Sure, it was a bold step calling her my best friend. We hadn't even called each other a friend before. But I was watching her for all those months, slowly opening up to me. Not too much, but I had realistic expectations to start with.
From our very first encounter, I knew that she didn't talk about herself much and kept lots of secrets. And I wasn't really sure whether or not we would even get the chance to be friends. It would require a lot on my part and I didn't know if I would have the energy and the time to actually pursue something that seemed so hard. Instead, I had quickly decided to focus on my studies. And I would be more than happy with that.
But then the incident in the canteen changed every thought that I had made that far. She stood up for me and basically protected me, even though she didn't know me and didn't have to. She took all the teasing from the guy, who we would soon find out, was in the same training group as her.
This was the moment when I decided that no matter how much I would have to try, being friends with a girl like that would definitely be worth it.
The truth was that I was hoping for a better reaction on her part. Maybe not any reaction at all, or a smile at best but not her almost flying out of the building and out in her hiding spot. I couldn't let her alone there, I had watched her retreat there too many times, to begin with, and this was not a time for her to be alone.
Alone, I thought once more. This word pulled me out of the trance that I usually entered when my mind was running wild. I checked my clock and furrowed my eyebrows. Skye was gone for a good half an hour, she should have been back by now.
First, I checked the canteen. Dinner had finished a while back and though there were some students and teachers still there, it wasn't too crowded. It was easy enough to scan the tables and the coffee machine, where I knew that Skye would order the hot chocolates from. She was nowhere in sight.
The thought of her going outside again was quickly erased from my mind. She would have to come back to the room to get some warmer clothes. And she wouldn't go out in the cold with just her thin jacket, or so I wished.
However, there were still a couple of places she could be, but my feet moved me to the gym.
I was half expecting to find her going through her morning routine, despite the hour. Tai Chi, I thought it was called? I shrugged, not my kind of stuff. When I slowly opened the door I just found her on the floor, legs crossed, palms on her lap and eyes closed. Two steaming cups of chocolate were on her left, likely forgotten.
The door creaked a bit and her head snapped my way. Once she saw that it was me, she let a breath escape her lips and relaxed a bit.
"I'm so sorry," she said when she realised why I was here. "I lost track of time" her tone was full of guilt.
She made a move to stand up, but I stopped her when I approached her. "I didn't mind it. Seriously, I was just worried that something happened to you" I kindly smiled at her. I found myself doing it more often than not when I was with her. "Do you mind if I seat with you?" She just shook her head.
We just sat there, in the silence that seemed to embrace us. A million questions were running in my head and I tried to keep them at bay until I couldn't anymore.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to" I began whispering, but because of the quiet of the room, my voice travelled to the whole length of the gym. "Why do you always keep the facade on? You know, when you're not alone that is".
At first, I thought that she wasn't gonna answer. But then I noticed that her body language indicated that she was still relaxed. So, I knew that she was going to speak even if it took her some time to find the proper words to answer back. I wasn't disappointed.
"It's easier not to trust people" she began and I could see that this was hard for her. Talking about something so personal, but, still, it was a step she needed to take.
"It's easier not to get attached. I tried it you know? Imagine a young girl in a class with people three years older than her. All I wanted was to fit in, I even tried to make friends" she grimaced at the memory of what happened. "But all they wanted was to make fun of me. So, they pretended to be my friends, that was until I ended up being humiliated in front of the whole school. From there on out, I was the freak with the computer that was always alone"
I imagined a smaller Skye in the country yard under a tree or alone in the classroom during breaks, and even older kids making fun of her and teasing her all day long.
"And in the Academy that I'm in? Well, all Hell will break loose for me if I don't keep the facade on, as you said. All they'll see will be weakness and they will be no different from those High School kids. And I have a feeling that things will get so much worse if I start letting people in". Her voice didn't hold much of any particular emotion and that worried me. This shouldn't be the voice coming from a fifteen-year-old girl.
"You know…" I began. "I had scoliosis when I was younger. It was so bad that I had to stay in bed almost all the time" her attention was fully on me. "My father would always take me outside and we would stargaze whenever we got the chance. It was one of the reasons why I became a scientist, you know?" I smiled at the memory. "I put all of my efforts into my studies and I ended up here, two years older than you and with two PhDs. Do you think people were always kind to me? No, so trust me when I tell you that I know what you've been through" I looked at her.
"Trust me, you don't," she said almost to herself, but I heard it all the same.
"Okay, maybe I don't. But I would like to know if that's all right with you. I want to show you that it's okay to let people in. Even if you won't admit it, I know that you'll always be there for me. Just like that first day we met" I saw a smile form on her lips and I knew I was in the right way.
"So, I guess I'm here to tell you that I'll always be there for you. It doesn't matter what you tell me about yourself, or what the circumstances may be. I'll be there. And that's all you need to know" I moved a bit closer to her and our hips now touched.
"Do you trust me? Because I definitely trust you"
Her eyes were full of shock as I spoke those words. She carefully but willingly eased next to me and her head rested on my shoulder.
"You're one hell of a friend, you know that?" I heard her say.
"Well, I have my moments" I replied and hearing her laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard.
We stayed like that for a few more minutes until she got up quickly. My confusing look must have been funny because her laugh echoed through the room once more. "We have to get back and get you to sleep?" She said as she moved to the door dragging me behind her.
"Oh, do we?" I asked not sure where she was going with this.
"Of course we do, I'm gonna drag you with me tomorrow morning for some Tai Chi. Trust me, it'll make your whole day better and you have that exam next week, right? The one that you study so hard for?" We were in our room by now.
"Well, yeah. But you know my opinion about waking up early. Mornings are evil" we were both now at our beds and before I had the chance to say anything the lights were switched of.
"Don't you trust me?", she said, and I could imagine a smirk on her face despite my inability to see her. "That's a low hit, you know that, right?" I replied not really hiding my annoyance.
"And that's why we are gonna sleep so early. So, you'll get your full six hours of sleep that you want to have at least every night" I couldn't really argue with that, so I sighed.
"Fine, you win. Good night Skye" I said and closed my eyes.
"'Night Jemma" my eyes snapped open but made no sound. I waited until I heard her breaths even out and got back up opening my desk lamp, making sure not to wake her up. I quietly found my planner and opened it up.
February 26th.
I marked that day although I was sure that I wasn't about to forget any time soon. The first time that Skye called me 'Jemma' and not 'Simmons'. We made a lot of progress today.
Needless to say, I slept with a smile on my face.
Chapter 9: Making PeaceNotes:Hey guys! I just wanted to say that I am starting more properly the process of moving houses. So for the next week, things might not be as consistent in my posting. As I mentioned before, I will try my best to keep the 1 chapter a day thing going on, and if I do miss a day I will make sure to make up for it. Just a heads up in case I miss a day here and there.
Okay, that is all from me. Thanks for the support. If you want, let me know what you think. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Until next time [probably tomorrow :')]
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextSkye's POV
I had to practically drag Jemma out of bed the following morning, so much for sleeping early. But she was kind of forced to properly wake up after the third time that I corrected her stance. After that we had a blast, mainly me laughing at her as she tried to copy my movements and desperately failed to do so.
It was around 6 am when we decided to call it a day and head for some breakfast. Normally Jemma would eat around halfway through my first training session since she didn't have any early morning classes. But now that she was up, she could come with me as I grabbed something light before cardio.
I picked my bag with clothes for both of us, since my roommate didn't have any training clothing in her closet and started heading out.
That was when the door to the gym opened and Ward appeared there, blocking our exit. We locked eyes and I could sense Jemma holding her breath as she recalled who he was. His eyes darted from me to Jemma and I instinctively protectively stepped in front of her.
"What do you want Ward?" I didn't even try to hide what my feelings towards his face were and my tone was filled with different emotions. The dominating ones being annoyance and hatred, having yet to forget our meeting in the woods. And here he was, sure enough, to bring it up again. So much for starting my day peacefully.
"Can we talk?", he simply asked. Not demanded, which made me raise an eyebrow.
"Okay…" I replied turning my body towards Jemma's, but my eyes stayed glued to his for a while longer. "I'll see you at the canteen".
"Are you sure? I can stay if you want". Maybe some of my protectiveness was rubbing off on her.
I nodded, trying to show confidence even if I didn't feel that way in the slightest. "Go, I'll meet you there". Thankfully she didn't object, took the bag from my hand and made her way to the exit. Ward made way for her to step out of the room and she looked at me one last time before I lost her from my sight. Ward closed the door behind him, which made me tense, but he was smart enough not to lock it.
"I just wanna talk," he said as he stepped away from the door and to the mats with his hands raised.
"I don't have anything to say to you," I said back, biting my words. I tried to take a step towards the exit but he got closer to the door as well. "Fine," I told him when he made it clear that he wasn't gonna move. And I really didn't want to fight this early in the day. Couldn't he wait to get his ass kicked during our sparring sessions?
"I want to ask for a truce".
To say that his words took me by surprise would be an understatement. From the shock, I even stumbled back a little bit but quickly recomposed myself. "I'm listening," I said, curiosity evident in my voice.
"I know that you probably hate me and you have every right to do just that. I also know that the way I've treated you so far hasn't been fair and I am not going to make up any excuses for my actions. So, all I can ask for is a truce. I understand that asking for forgiveness may be a bit too much right now, but I would like to have that as well one day" I listened carefully until he finished.
Maybe it was some of Jemma's stupid positivity that was rubbing off on me, but I was actually considering his words. I mean, I didn't have anything to lose except for him trying to humiliate me. Nothing new, right?
"It doesn't have to do anything with what happened the other day, now does it? I don't want you to do this out of pity" I challenged.
"No, it has nothing to do with this. I just finally understood how you deserved none of what I gave you since you got here" he said confidently. A practised reply, but honest nonetheless.
"Fine, you'll have your truce. And you can have my forgiveness as well" I could see him relax a bit. "But…" and he tensed again, "…don't expect to have my respect. Respect is something that is earned, and you have all but done that".
I walked up to him and he tried hard not to step away as I extend my hand. Maybe he thought that I would strike him or something. But, why would I when I just told him that I forgave him?
"No hard feelings" I waited for his reaction. Upon hearing my words, he let a deep sigh and shook my hand.
"No hard feelings" he repeated with a smile, not as smug as his usual ones.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a breakfast to eat and a friend who's waiting for me" and without any other word, I left him alone in the gym where I would meet him once again in less than an hour.
The news seemed to travel faster than I thought throughout the Academy. My rivalry with Ward was a well-known fact and everyone was very eager to learn more about it. Who would have thought that in the Academy of Operations people would be so interested in the gossip? We weren't the Academy of Communications for crying out loud.
So, when I arrived at the gym everyone else from our group already seemed to be there and discussing the new hot topic, our truce. Once I stepped into the gym no one dared to speak. All eyes were on me and I felt like the newbie who knew nobody again. Davis, a guy that came a few months before me and who was destroyed by Ward on my first training session stepped forwards and all eyes were now on him.
"So, is it true? Did you ask Ward to end the competition between the two of you?" I didn't see the second question coming at all. But I couldn't possibly let people think that not when it wasn't even true.
"First of all, there was never a competition in the first place. Not from my part, that is. No matter how you intercepted it, it was never a matter who was the best" I looked at every and every guy and girl in the room making sure they heard me loud and clear. I didn't spot Ward though… but I kept going. "And second of all–" I didn't get to finish before being interrupted.
"And second of all, I was the one who asked for a truce" Ward came and stood next to me, hands behind his back. Some went as far as to gasp a bit. "Skye is an exceptional cadet who deserves to be here as much as every single one of us. She is a great addition to our group and my behaviour so far was wrong" he looked at me. Something told me that he wanted to place a hand on my shoulder but was smart enough not to do as much.
"Now, agent Hill said that we are a family and I know for a fact that she has won the respect from most of you in this room. I also know that it was because of our disagreement that she never really became part of that family. But now that that's over, I think it's only proper to welcome her among our 'ranks'".
I watched as Ward took his place among the front of the others as they stood in lines, in the same order like the one we use for our training. Ward saluted and everyone seemed to copy him, not saying a thing.
I mimicked their moves and as soon as the little unofficial ceremony was finished everyone rushed to me and I was surrounded from every direction. I caught a glimpse of Hill in the door smiling broadly at me and nodding her head a little. I pleaded with her with my eyes to start the training so that I would escape this, but she was having the time of her life.
After two excruciating minutes, her voice echoed loudly in the room. "Everyone, get ready for the warm-up".
No one needed to be told twice. "Yes, ma'am" echoed similarly through the room from thirty-three combined voices, one of which was mine and for the first time I felt like I belonged there.
Chapter 10: Sister From Another MisterNotes:Time to see some more Nat and Skye interaction!
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter TextNatasha's POV
I had finished a very hard extraction mission and was exhausted. I fell on my bed, gear and everything still on, with a great desire to just close my eyes and sleep for a whole day. It mustn't have been more than half a minute since my eyelids were shut and I felt someone tapping my shoulder.
"Clint…" I said dead serious, "…if you want to keep your hand, I suggest you stop and step out of my room. Why don't you close the door while you're at it?"
"Can't do that darling" he said in between laughs. Darling? I thought. Now that was interesting. I opened one eye, looking at him up and down with an eyebrow always raised. "Look at the time" he pointed at the wall clock behind him, the one that he was hiding with his body.
I didn't even know where he got the energy from. I rolled my eyes and got up, peeking at the desired object. My lack of energy suddenly disappeared and I all but flew to the living room, opening my computer. Clint came after a while as I typed furiously in the device in front of me. I didn't even take my eyes off the screen as I addressed him.
"If you ever call me 'darling' again, I'm gonna break your shooting hand," I said. "But thanks for the reminder" I added even though he knew both that I was joking and how grateful I was.
Once a month we had agreed to have an online video call with Skye through a line that she herself had secured, insisting that we should have a line for ourselves. So far, I had only missed it one time, when I was on a mission that Fury just had to put me on. Of course, he had a piece of my mind afterwards and made sure to never put me on a mission that day of the month, at least until Skye finished her freshman year. The same went for Clint since we were together at most of our missions so far and had made a promise to each other to never let the other forget this time.
A new window opened and soon Skye was sitting across from us.
"Hey Nat," she said looking at me. Then turned her eyes to Clint with a playful smile on her face. "Hi Old Guy, how you've been?"
Before I got a chance to reply, Clint yelled "Who do you call old, Kid?" I smacked him on the shoulder the moment his scream, which I was sure would cause me a headache later on, reached my ears. "We're both fine, thanks for asking sweetie"
Skye's face seemed to come closer to the screen and her eye narrowed as she was examining something. "Is that blood on your face?" She finally said, her whole face beaming. "Oh! You were on a mission. What was it about?" I meaningfully looked at her and she sighed. "Let me guess, it's classified, isn't it?"
"How's May and AC?" She added soon after, quickly changing the topic of the conversation.
"They are both great. Safe and sound. Not on a mission or anything, so you could probably call them whenever you want" Clint wasn't even given the chance to be the one to reply.
I was quietly studying Skye's face from the sidelines. She obviously relaxed at the good news about her parent figures, but there was something in her eyes that I couldn't quite place. And even though I couldn't place where it came from, I knew that there was a reason behind that, probably unwilling, reaction.
"Clint?" I said interrupting him mid-sentence as he had begun a completely different conversation with Skye. "Do you mind if I talked with Skye alone this time?" I could already see the rejection coming from his part, though we both knew that if I had set my mind on something, it was very hard for me not to accomplish it. He opened his mouth to say something but Skye talked before him.
"It's okay Hawk. Tell you what, next time you'll have all the time to yourself" she spoke knowing that he couldn't say no to that.
"Pinky promise?" Clint was heard and held his pinky in front of the screen. Skye grimaced not hiding her annoyance, making me laugh inside but didn't express it.
"I'm not twelve anymore Hawk" she complained but Clint was consistent on his opinion. "Fine" she exclaimed when she saw that he didn't back down. Raising her finger she replied, "Pinky promise".
Satisfied with his victory Clint got up and bowed dramatically at the screen. "Well then, I'll leave the two of you alone" and just like that he disappeared to his room.
Before Skye had the chance to say anything, I raised a finger shushing her and got up to head to my room. I didn't trust Clint to not overhear and we needed our privacy. Once I reached my personal sanctuary I locked the door behind and placed the computer on my desk, before grabbing a chair and sitting in from of the screen once more.
"What's wrong Nat?" I could see the concern written all over her.
"Nothing's wrong, Skye. I just wanted to make sure that you're all right. May and Phil said that you haven't called them for more than two weeks now and have declined their calls. They're worried, and to be honest, so am I. What's going on?"
"As you said, Nat, nothing's wrong". I could see her face turn into that, all too familiar, mask. She had watched me as well as May do the same so many times in the past that it was only a matter of time before she mastered it herself. But she hadn't used it with me for over a year now. That's how I knew that she was lying, and something was, indeed, very wrong.
I didn't try to object to her, I knew her far too well for that. She would only shut down more and this was exactly what I was trying to avoid.
"You know that you can talk to me" not a question, she didn't need that right now. "I'm here and you know for a fact that I'm great at keeping secrets". That seemed to break through her and I knew I was on the right path. "You can ask me anything, little sis. If you want to I can even come by the Academy".
"No, no, no. Don't you dare come here" she spoke as if hit by lightning. "You know the rules very well. Very limited contact with people outside of the Academy and no visits during the first year. They don't want Ops to be homesick in case of a long undercover". At least her mask had broken. I laughed at her panicking expression and she pouted at me. "Not funny" she claimed.
"Yes, funny. I should have recorded that and have it for future blackmail" I playfully said, and she seemed to relax a bit more on her bed.
Even if silence was all around us, it didn't bother me. She would talk when she felt ready, not sooner.
"Can you promise that whatever I tell you will remain between us?" I nodded confidently. "No" she explained. "No-one can know, not Clint and definitelynot Coulson or May". This made me hesitate a little, but I knew that I would do anything for my little sister so I nodded once more.
She let out a deep sigh at that, obviously relieved by my answer. It warmed my heart knowing that she believed me without second-guessing, just as me being a person that she trusted. And based on what she had just asked me to do, I was seriously doubting her trusting anyone else. Not Clint, Phil or May and since she didn't have any friends in the Academy, I might as well be her fail-safe. Just as mine was Clint when he saved me from my former life. This only made me more determined to not betray her trust.
"I think that May and Coulson are lying to me and I know for a fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. knows stuff about me that they didn't tell us when you found me. Things about my past" her words really confused me.
"Why do you think that?" I tried getting inside her head but really couldn't.
"I'm not sure yet. Not a hundred percent sure that is. But I have some clues that I'm gonna see where they lead to and if they check out. And I cannot trust them right now, the others I mean. Because if what I found out is true, then this creates more questions than answers".
I opened my mouth, but nothing sprung to mind. Things about her past? We've all been trying to find clues but every lead we had never actually lead anywhere and we soon run out of information to pursue. And what could this new info have to do anything with Phil and May?
"I know it's a lot to take in right now and I promise to tell you if I learn anything new. I'll try to speak to them…" she didn't even have to explain who she was referring to "…but can't make any promises. Maybe I'll try texting, I think it will be easier". Her eyes darted to where I assumed was her door and I heard the lock open.
"Sorry, have to go. My friend's back and we'll go for a walk. Talk to you soon, love you Nat".
And just like that, the screen went dark.
"What happened in a month?!" I screamed to myself.
Skye's POV
I could hear Simmons closing in on the room and reaching the door. I turned to Nat who was looking at me with a million questions and like I was crazy.
"Sorry, have to go. My friend's back and we'll go for a walk. Talk to you soon, love you Nat" I hurried to say before Simmons opened the door. The secure line was soon shut, and the computer turned off as my roommate stepped into the room.
I facepalmed once I realised what I had just told Natasha. Not the 'finding something about my past' part, I didn't go into specifics and was positive enough that she wouldn't say anything to anyone. I did have a lot more explaining to do, but it would be at least two months before I had to give her a proper answer, since next month I had promised to mostly talk to Clint and he wasn't gonna just let Natasha steal his moment.
No, what I was regretting was telling Natasha about my friend. Since I first said that word some three weeks ago, this word had become a more common one in my day-to-day vocabulary but I had yet to speak about Simmons to any of my 'family' members.
"What's wrong?" Simmons' voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to reality. "Were you just talking to someone?" She continued and the lack of reply on my part only served to verify her assumption.
"Who was it?" She threw her stuff on her desk and practically jumped on my bed. I had never seen her so excited about anything before, and I had seen her the day when they told her and Fitz that they would have Professor Franklin Hall in their second year.
"My… uh… my sister" I ended up answering and instantly regretted my choice of words.
Simmons' face lit up instantly. "I didn't know you had a sister" she exclaimed and I winced at how loud her voice was. I could also add the rest of the unspoken sentence that she didn't dare utter. I don't really know anything about your family.
I sighed. I had made a promise to myself not to lie to Simmons. Maybe avoid the truth sometimes but not lie to her face. So, even if I knew that I would regret what I was going to say, even more, it left my mouth before I had a chance to rethink it.
"I don't have a sister. But she is the closest thing to one" a half-smile making its appearance.