Work Text:
"Let me help you up" Ward says, holding his hand out for Skye to take.
They had just finished a mission briefing in the lounge area, coordinating with Agent Garrett's team. Everyone had already gone off to complete their separate tasks, excepting Agent Triplett who was staying behind to coordinate with the team back at the Hub.
"That's O.K." Skye replies to Ward. "I'm good here for a while." She settles back into the couch, opens up her laptop, and throws what she hopes is a reassuring smile up at Ward in a clear dismissal.
Ward looks at her suspiciously. Skye had been feeling uncomfortable around Garrett and Trip--worried she didn't make a very good impression on her "Grand S.O." (her words, not Ward's) and his new specialist. How she could make a bad impression when thier first interaction had occurred while she was unconscious ("Seriously robot, can you say 'bedhead',") Ward wasn't sure. But Skye just looked up at him and did something with her eyebrows, probably trying to tell hims something, but who knows, and quickly diverted her attention to something on her laptop. Taking his cue, he leaves the lounge, stopping just out of sight to make sure his rookie is O.K.
The lounge is quiet for a long moment before he hears his rookie softly clear her throat.
"So," she starts, "so you were here when I was all..." Skye trails off, ostensibly supplementing her words some ridiculous gesture.
"Yeah," Trip replies, "It's good to see you up and around."
"Yeah, yeah," Ward can just imagine Skye waving him off. "But, you were here during all the craziness. You probably know better than I do what all went on then. What my team did to save me. What they did when somebody hurt me."
Ward has no idea where she's going with this. Trip's slow reply of "Yeah, I guess so?" reveals his confusion as well. Ward moves over a bit so he can catch the reflection of the scene in the window across from him.
"Good," comes Skye's only reply as she packs up her stuff. Ward has to stop from giving himself away as he watches his rookie slowly lever herself off the couch as she slowly makes her way towards the staircase down to the lab.
Before she starts to make her way down, she stops and looks back over her shoulder at a very confused Agent Triplett.
"Just a hint," she adds, "Simmons? She's a whole lot more likable than me. Food for thought." She turns back and focuses her attention on gingerly navigating the stairs.
It doesn't take Ward long to get it and he eventually sees realization dawn on Trip's face. A shovel talk; that's his rookie. Ward smiles to himself and ocntinues to the cockpit to coordinate with Agent May.