AN: So I promised a sequel to 'What's the Point?'... you'll get it, I swear. I've recently become obsessed with the entire Marvel 'verse (In the last fortnight, I've watched Iron Man 1-3, Avengers Assemble, Thor 1 and Thor 2... I love them all dearly). So, basically, writing took a back seat.
This WAS going to be the prequel to the sequel (hehe that rhymed :3). But then it got longer and fluffier and I realised that it had very little to do with the plot for the sequel. So, instead, I'm posting another one-shot :3 Enjoy!
A year. Had it really been that long? It certainly didn't feel like it. The two of them felt... right, somehow. No one was quite sure how, or why, it worked; it just did. And both Ward and Skye were immensely grateful for that fact.
Ward had made special plans for their one-year anniversary. The entire team, Skye included, were surprised to know that he really was quite romantic, and Simmons in particular was thrilled and more than happy to help with his plan.
Fitz simply grinned, taking notes of how well Simmons reacted; their anniversary was the day before Ward and Skye's, after all, and a few extra little tips could only work in his favour.
Originally, Ward planned on asking Coulson for some downtime so that he could treat Skye to something special; namely a meal out, away from the commotion of their lives as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and a night at a hotel without fear of anyone else on the plane overhearing their celebrations.
It didn't take him long, however, to reconsider. It became apparent to him that the plane that they lived on together was their entire life, the majority of the time. Even when away from it, on missions or during downtime, the recurring thought for all of them was 'when will we be getting back?'. It was unusual and strange, but true nonetheless. He and Skye had officially shared a room after just seven weeks of being together, and had unofficially shared it since the very start of their relationship. Ward was sure, beyond all doubt, that if they had not been living on the Bus, they wouldn't have 'lived together' for months, if not longer.
In short, the plane that the team called home had provided many a favour to the couple. So Ward figured there was absolutely no better place for them to spend their anniversary.
The morning of their anniversary was a late one, even by Skye's standards. By Ward's, it was positively unheard of and startled everyone who heard about it. Ward was woken by Skye rolling over, placing her hand on his chest. He smiled slightly.
"Morning, Rookie." The nickname still hadn't been worn-out, despite Skye being as new as everyone else was on the team and now having a year and a half's experience.
"Good morning, Robot," she replied, grinning sleepily, "Today's a big day, huh?" Ward looked thoughtful.
"Is it?" he said, faking confusion, "No, I don't think it is... I don't remember anything special about today..." Skye punched his arm playfully.
"Stop teasing!" she whined, still grinning, "You know today is special."
Ward rubbed his arm, "You're getting too strong for your own good," he said, chuckling as he rolled her eyes, leaning up to kiss her, "Happy anniversary." Skye smiled, kissing him back.
It was another ten minutes before either of them even wanted to get out of bed, the two of them walking into the kitchen holding hands, their fingers interlocked as they enjoyed the other's company. The area was empty as Skye sat at the breakfast bar, watching Ward as he made them a breakfast of waffles.
"I can't believe you're actually making waffles," Skye said happily, "I haven't had waffles in ages."
Ward grinned, "Everyone loves waffles," he said, "I thought it'd be a safe bet for breakfast." Skye smirked.
"Then I look forward to lunch," she said jokily.
"You should be looking forward to dinner," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her. She looked questioningly at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he simply smiled and let the mystery hang in the air.
Coulson walked in to find both of them in their pyjamas, smiling slightly, "I suppose congratulations are in order?" Ward nodded his thanks as Skye smiled.
"Thanks, AC," she said. Coulson had long since given up trying to get her to stop calling him 'AC'; like the rest of the nicknames for the members of the team, it was stuck with him.
"We haven't got anything planned for today," he told them, "Unless something urgent comes up. Everyone's going to try their hardest to keep out of your way," he started walking up to his office, smiling slightly, "I'd make the most of it if I were you." Skye didn't quite catch the secretive wink Coulson gave Ward, and for that, Ward was grateful; he'd spent a ridiculously long time planning his and Skye's one year anniversary, simply because he knew exactly how much it meant to both of them. It was a milestone that neither of them had ever seen themselves hitting, much less with each other. It was most definitely something to celebrate.
Apparently, Skye's way of celebrating was eating a waffle with all the toppings.
"Are you trying to make my job as your SO difficult?" Ward smirked as she ate two waffles with chocolate chips, whipped cream, strawberries and maple syrup. Skye rolled her eyes.
"It's one breakfast," she said, "The worst that's going to happen is having to do thirty five press-ups instead of thirty."
"I might have you do pull-ups instead," Ward said, his voice serious but his face teasing.
"You wouldn't dare," Skye retorted, eating another mouthful of waffle, "Oh my god, these are so good. You need to make waffles more often."
"Not going to happen," he said smirking, "Me cooking is definitely something for very special occasions."
She poked her tongue out at him, "Spoil sport," she muttered, "So do you have anything else planned?"
"Not until later," Ward said shrugging, "I thought we could decide together what to do."
Skye considered for a minute, "We can do anything?" she checked.
"Anything you want," Ward confirmed. Skye grinned suddenly.
"I know exactly what I want to do," she said decisively. Ward nodded, putting his and Skye's empty plates in the sink.
"Well then," he said, holding his hand out, "Lead the way."
The team, and anyone else who later heard the story, could say whatever they liked: Skye had absolutely no doubts that challenging Ward to several different board games before settling down for a movie was the best way to spend an anniversary.
She was glad they got to spend so much time together on the plane without fear of anyone walking in on them, or a mission to distract them, or paperwork to get in the way... It had been months since they'd gotten to spend quality time together in what was essentially their home. Though Skye had never exactly experienced a 'normal life', she was pretty sure that a home was meant for relaxing, which the Bus certainly wasn't.
"Who know Super Spy would be so bendy?" she commented, smirking as she twisted her head round to look at Ward.
"Who know Rookie's favourite board game isn't actually a board game?" Ward replied, the sarcastic grumble evident in his tone.
"Twister is a board game!" she insisted, stretching to spin the arrow, "See? The spinner is on a board. Besides, Battleships isn't exactly a board game."
"Irrelevant," Ward muttered, "Battleships is an enjoyable game. This... stretches muscles I don't think I've ever used."
"Then it's excellent practice," Skye laughed, "Right foot red."
"It's already on red!" Ward protested.
"Green, then," Skye said.
"You can't just change it like that," Ward said, frowning, "Spin it again."
"What? You're not bendy enough to reach the other side of the board?! Skye teased. Ward rolled his eyes.
"Next year," he grumbled, "I'm choosing what we do for our anniversary."
If Skye was going to make things overly sentimental, she might have made a comment on exactly how much Ward's words touched her; 'next year'. Already, he was sure that they'd have a second anniversary? Was that a gut feeling, or were they just words? Skye had long since learnt that not trusting Ward's gut feelings usually ended in disaster.
She'd like to think that there was true meaning behind his words. But that thought left her head as he collapsed on her a second later, sending her into a fit of laughter.
"I win!" she declared happily.
"I want a rematch," Ward grumbled, lifting himself slightly to stop him crushing her.
"Not a chance," she giggled.
"Oh really?" he asked, smirking mysteriously, "You're sure about that."
"Absolutely," Skye said firmly, "It's not my fault you're a bad loser!"
Ward's smirk turned slightly evil, "Well... Super Spy isn't the only one who's ticklish."
Skye's eyes widened, "You wouldn't dare."
"Oh, wouldn't I?"
Skye's giggles echoed throughout the Bus, making Coulson chuckle all the way up in his office on the other side of the plane.
Later that evening, Skye was in her and Ward's room getting ready. Ward had been strangely cryptic when he'd told her to 'dress up', but found that Simmons was ridiculously helpful and apparently knew more than Skye did herself.
"What about this one?" Simmons asked, taking a pale pink dress from Skye's closet. Skye grimaced.
"No," she said, "I was thinking something a little more... sophisticated. Not that I even know what this is for." Simmons gave her a disapproving look.
"It doesn't matter how many times you say that," she said firmly, "I won't ruin Ward's surprise. He's worked long and hard to get this perfect, you know." Skye sighed.
"Fine, fine," she said, "What about this one?" she asked, pulling a dark blue dress out and holding it up against her body. Simmons mouth dropped open.
"It's perfect," she said, "Really perfect. You have to wear that one." Skye looked unsure.
"You're sure?" she asked, "I haven't worn this dress since... actually, I don't think I've ever worn this dress..."
"Trust me," Simmons said, a twinkle in her eye that was there for no apparent reason, "That one is just right." Skye looked at the dress before smiling.
"Right then," she said, far more excited than she was really letting on, "I suppose I should get ready." Simmons gave her an unexpected hug, squeezing her tightly.
"I'm so happy for you, Skye," she said, even more genuine than she usually was. Skye was slightly taken aback by her actions, but hugged her back nonetheless.
"Thank you," she said, smiling uncontrollably, "I'm happy for you too. Honestly, at the beginning, I thought you and Fitz would never get together. Now you've celebrated your one year anniversary."
"Thanks to you," Simmons pointed out, "It was you who pushed Fitz into making a move, remember." Skye laughed.
"You're welcome," she said, pulling away from the hug. She sighed contentedly, "I'm starting to wonder how this has all turning out so perfectly..."
"Don't question it," Simmons said immediately, "If you start questioning things, then they'll start going wrong."
Skye held up her hands, "Alright, alright," she said, "I'll just be happy in the moment." Simmons nodded.
"Good," she said approvingly, "Now, hurry up and get ready. I'll come and get you in an hour."
"Come and get me for what, again?" Skye asked, acting innocent.
"Nice try," Simmons said smirking, "But you're getting nothing out of me!"
An hour later, a soft knock on her door alerted Skye to Simmons' return.
"One second," Skye called, checking her hair for what must have been the hundredth time, breathing a surprisingly nervous sigh before opening the door. "How do I look?" she asked twirling around for Simmons who gasped in delight.
"You look amazing!" Simmons said, "I'd hug you again, but I don't want to crease your dress..." Skye made the decision for her, wrapping her friend in a hug.
"Right," Skye said pulling away, "I hate secrets and this one has been kept from me for far too long. Let's go." Simmons linked her arm through Skye's, leading her to the stairs to the hold. Skye decided it was better not to question it; with the amount of training they did, Skye had already deduced that the hold was one of Ward's favourite places to be.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, however, she was momentarily fooled into believing that it wasn't the hold at all. The room was dark if not for the fairy lights that were up on the walls or the lanterns hanging from the ceiling, or the candles decorating the centre of the dining table set up in the middle of the room.
And there, standing next to the table, dressed impeccably in a black suit with a black tie, was Ward, his hands clasped behind his back. Having lived in the same small space as him for a year and a half, Skye could see that the smile on his face was masking his nerves. In an attempt to reassure him (or perhaps just to let him know that she knew how he felt), she smiled back without hiding all of her own nerves as she once would have done.
Sometimes, she decided, sharing how you felt was the difference between making things good and making them even better. She glanced around, expecting to see Simmons still behind her, but was met by an empty space. She nodded in acknowledgement, turning back to see Ward taking a step towards her. She met him halfway, taking the hand he held out to her with an even wider smile.
"If this is your way of getting brownie points," she said smirking, "Then you're going the right was about it." Ward chuckled, kissing her lightly. Skye interlocked her fingers behind his neck, deepening the kiss as his hands fell to her waist. "Happy anniversary," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers when they pulled away. Skye smiled.
"Happy anniversary," she said, wishing that they could stay like that forever.
"Shall we eat?" Ward asked, standing up straighter so that his forehead left hers. Skye grimaced, already missing the closeness that had just disappeared.
"I suppose so," she said, "Is it as good as breakfast?"
"Better than breakfast," Ward assured her, pulling her chair out for her. Skye brightened up immediately.
"What are we eating?" Skye asked. Ward raised his eyebrows mysteriously, clapping his hands. Skye was confused for a moment until she heard the doors to FitzSimmons' lab open, turning around to find Fitz dressed up and carrying two plates. She laughed hysterically, as he placed a plate in front of each of them.
"Enjoy your appetiser," he said, putting on what Skye immediately classified as a 'posh waiter' persona, winking good-naturedly at Skye as he left. Ward's eyes where twinkling when Skye looked back to him.
"You liked that, huh?" he said, finding the fact that she was still giggling rather amusing. Skye nodded, wiping a tear from her eye.
"You wouldn't think that would be that funny," she said, shaking her head, "But it really was. You, sir, certainly know how to mark an anniversary."
"This is definitely better than your birthday," he agreed, "For example, we are not currently being shot at by Russian super-spies."
"Hey, we got to meet Black Widow," Skye pointed out, "That was a great birthday present. Truly, it was incredible."
"I don't think May agreed," Ward pointed out, grinning, "I think she was jealous."
"My birthday was nowhere near as bad as your birthday," Skye said, "Honestly, Coulson doesn't choose particularly convenient times to get kidnapped and taken hostage, does he?"
"Apparently he doesn't," Ward laughed as he uncorked the wine bottle in the middle of the table, "But that was a great birthday. We had cake and everything."
"Simmons always makes cake," Skye said, "Next year, it's going to be really special."
"I suppose there's no point in asking 'how'?" Ward asked, pouring wine into her glass.
"Nope," Skye said, grinning, lifting her glass, "To many more perfect anniversaries?"
"To many more perfect anniversaries," Ward agreed, tapping his glass against hers.
Skye wasn't entirely sure when she'd told Ward (or anyone for that matter) what her favourite meal was, but the entire night was ridiculously perfect. Everything, from the meal to Fitz dressed as a waiter, made the night just that little bit better.
"I can't believe you cooked all of that," Skye said, smiling at Ward, "I'm tempted to hack the cooking rota so that I can eat this every night."
Ward chuckled, "You'd end up getting bored of it." He pointed out. Skye shook her head, finishing her spaghetti and meatballs with a contented sigh.
"I could never get bored of that. It was delicious," she said, smiling, "So, thanks, Robot. If you ever want to quit your job at S.H.I.E.L.D., a chef would be a good career choice."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, standing up, "Now... would you care to dance?" Just as he finished his sentence, music started up. Skye laughed as she took his hand.
"Oh, you just love pulling out classics, don't you?" she asked, smiling as he rested his hand on her waist.
"I'm taking a leaf out of Coulson's book," Ward smirked.
"I heard that," Coulson's voice came on the intercom over the music, "And I let you borrow my music, Ward. You owe me, big time."
"Woah," Skye said, trying to stop herself laughing, "You borrowed something ancient? From Coulson?! You must love me if you're willing to do that."
"Well, that's true," Ward said, nodding, "I do love you I suppose..." he glanced down at her, just catching her eye roll, "I'm kidding. I do love you. No supposing."
Skye's smile was almost shy; the entire situation she was currently in was completely foreign to her. "I love you too," she said, because it was true, "No supposing." She added with a smirk.
They danced in silence for a while, Skye laughing quietly when Ward twirled her around, mentally applauding her choice of outfit; her dress was made for dancing. The songs played through one by one, and eventually the pair were left to dance in the silence of the cargo hold, having run out of music to dance to.
"Grant?" Skye murmured into his chest after a while, not wanting to pull away and talk to him properly, preferring to remain held against his body, fully enjoying the closeness.
"Skye," he replied, waiting for her to continue.
"What you said earlier," she said quietly, desperate to get the thought off her mine, "About choosing what to do for our next anniversary... did you... did you mean that?"
"Definitely," Ward said, smiling, "There is no way I'm ever playing Twister again." Skye smiled at his joke, but turned serious again.
"Not that, stupid," she mocked, pulling back, "I mean... do you really believe that we'll have another anniversary?"
"You don't?" he asked, frowning slightly, "I certainly don't plan on ending our relationship in the next year."
"Neither do I," Skye said, quickly, taking his hands in hers, "I just... this is new, for both of us. A one year anniversary is a huge thing... I've never really thought past it, you know?"
"I know," Ward said, "I haven't really thought about it either. With our line of work... I suppose we just have to take each day as it comes." Skye nodded.
"I guess," she said quietly, "... I'd like another anniversary." Ward grinned.
"So would I," he agreed, pulling her close to him again. She wrapped her arms around him, breathing deeply as he hugged her back.
For that moment, it didn't matter if they'd have another anniversary. They didn't even need to think of how they were going to take the next day. All that mattered was the moment itself, and that was enough.
Ta-da! The last bit was a bit difficult to write at first and then it all came at once and I rreeeaaalllyyy wanted to publish this, so if there are any typos, please do point them out! As I said, the sequel will HOPEFULLY (homework permitting) be up soon, i.e. at the weekend, but I have a dance thing that goes on until late so I'll have to see how it goes :3
Reviews are rays of sunshine in a magical world of dragons and unicorns and really do make my day, so drop me one if you deem this one-shot worthy of your words of praise/criticism :3 TTFN my lovely readers and thank you muchly for reading ^-^
...
'WtP?' SEQUEL PREVIEW (I'm so nice :3):
"What do you mean, it was real?" Skye asked, her eyes wide as she looked to Fitz for further explanation.
"It wasn't a dream," the scientist looked up from the tablet in his hands, his face pale and worried, "I've got it right here, with pictures, exactly as you described. Whatever that was, Skye... it wasn't a dream."
Is that enough of a teaser? I think so ^-^ TTFN!