Title: The Academy
Chapter 01: Grant
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: R
Characters: Grant, Skye, Coulson, May, Fitz, Simmons, Triplett, Sharon Carter, Mama May, Fury, Hill, Dr. Weaver, Garrett, Agent Avery, Grant's family, & other MCU people that will be thrown in when needed
Pairings: Skye/Grant, Antoine/Jemma/Leo, & Melinda/Phil
Summary: AoS AU in which it is Phil Coulson, not John Garrett, that pulls a young Grant Douglas out of Juvie: After saving Grant from himself and his family, Phil enrolls Grant in The Academy, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pre-communications Academy reserved for the teen children of agents and early recruits. There Grant meets Phil's plucky daughter who teaches him that there is something worth fighting for and he finds a family in the form of his ragtag new group of friends. Or a story in which I show John Garrett how you're really supposed to save a teenager because Phil Coulson is better than you.
Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, teenage shenanigans including underage drinking, dry humping, and unfortunate, awkwardly timed erections, plus Skye talks like a sailor and at some point she's going to rid Grant Douglas of his virtue.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This is for Annie who wanted a Skyeward High School AU and Caitlin who wanted an AU in which Coulson gets to Grant before Garrett does. Grant's past is pretty terrible. I'm not using my full head canons because they're like horrible but I do hint at some pretty terrible things (including his sister's attempted suicide) but I tried not to get too into it because Grant doesn't like to think about it (yunno his whole 'conceal' don't feel thing). Anyway, I promise the story gets happier I just wanted to show what Coulson pulls him out of, so this first chapter is pretty sad, but the rest is mostly dumb kids being teenagers. Also, obviously since this is an AU I made them all around the same age and I'm making this set eleven years ago so aww yesssss late 90's/2000's pop culture references (also, everyone's at least seventeen in this and I'm pretty sure The Academy is in New York where the age of consent is 17 so I don't really consider any of their awkward hook-ups underage because they're all 17 or 18 and yeah it's with each other). I also totally made a playlist with songs from that time (a.k.a. my misspent youth) if you want to check it out on my tumblr. Anyway, enjoy my skyewardees.

"You have a visitor."

Grant, who'd spent the better part of the morning simply staring down at his hands, glanced up in surprise. He'd swear the guard was speaking to someone else only he was in a cell all on his own. He was a 'risk' so they'd so far allowed him to be alone which he preferred. He didn't want to deal with anyone else's bullshit.

"What?"

"You heard me, come on, kid."

He held out his hands and the guard cuffed him before leading him out of the room and towards the visiting area. He ignored the sneers of his fellow inmates. There were two types: those who feared him or those who wanted to challenge him. After it became clear him being around others would only lead to fights he'd been stuck in a cell on his own, not allowed to attend any classes or free time. He was truly a prisoner.

He wasn't sure who in the hell would be visiting him. Not his fucking parents, that was for sure. He hoped it wasn't Gramsy; she was barely hanging on as it was. He knew he'd added to her stress but he'd acted on impulse and aside from how it would affect her he didn't care about the consequences. He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

When he arrived the guard motioned to a suit waiting at a table in the middle of the room. Grant stepped forward and eyed him warily. Was he a lawyer? No, no public defender would dress that nicely and there was no one to hire him a real lawyer. Maybe a cop? The cops he'd dealt with so far had been complete jackasses and this guy didn't give off that vibe.

"Grant Ward?" The man stood and held out his hand. Grant eyed him warily but lifted his cuffed hands to shake it. "Please, have a seat."

Grant continued to watch him curiously as he did as he was told. He'd been shown a lot of things since being thrown in here but kindness had not been one of them.

"I'm Agent Phil Coulson."

"What are you, a cop? I already told those other cops everything."

The man smirked. "I'm kind of a cop. I work for an organization looking to recruit bright young men like you. You've been on our radar for some time. You have great test scores and all of your teachers agreed were it not for your personality you'd be one of their best students. But you're a risk. It's hard to trust a man who will break out of military camp, steal a superior officer's car, and drive five hundred miles to burn his family's home to the ground. Tell me, did you know your older brother was inside or was that merely a coincidence?"

Grant stayed silent.

"I'm giving you a chance to tell your side of the story. There are no cameras; this won't be held against you. I just want to know why."

"Is it important?"

"It is to me. I'm willing to give you a second chance if you're willing to earn it and the first step to that is telling me why you tried to kill your older brother."

Grant kept his mouth shut. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how the law worked. He'd spill his guts and they'd have a confession. He wasn't falling for it.

Eventually Coulson sighed and closed Grant's file. "Suit yourself. Too bad, you would have been a great asset to The Academy. Probably would have made a good agent as well."

"Wait-what Academy?" He asked as Coulson stood.

Coulson hugged the file to his chest with a shrug. "Too late, I gave you a chance to-"

"I knew he was in the house!" He blurted out and immediately regretted doing so.

Coulson eyed him for a moment before tossing the file back on the table and returning to his seat. "Go on."

He glanced around, panicked, before Coulson's voice calmed him. "There's no one listening. It's just you and me. And I already know everything; I'd just rather hear your version of it."

Grant wasn't sure why but there was something about Coulson that made him believe he was telling him the truth. He gave him a small nod and toyed with the edge of the table while trying to find his words. Opening up and talking were two things he was good at but he'd give it a shot.

"You've read my file?" He whispered, knowing he couldn't talk about everything. Sure, the file didn't cover a fraction of it but he was sure it covered enough. He'd seen more social workers and doctors in his life than he cared to and every injury wasn't on that list.

Coulson nodded.

"I…." he swallowed. "I was always too scared to fight back and I thought it was just me and my little brother, you know? My dad was always a bully and my mom was too weak to do anything about it and my older brother was exactly like my father and I guess I just never saw it. It was about me until I was brave enough to fight back and then it was about me and my brother and I never knew. I was too blind to see it. Then when they realized I wasn't going to stop fighting back they sent me away, which I was fine with, except it left Edwin alone…

I was part of the problem for a long time but he needed me. And then I wasn't there and I know it got worse, it had to have gotten worse, but I didn't know how bad it was until…"

Grant couldn't even say it. It made him sick to think about it.

"Your sister's attempted suicide?"

Grant closed his eyes and tried to hold down the rage.

"I had no idea he was…I thought she was safe, you know? It was stupid but Alison always seemed fine. No bruises, no broken bones, Maynard and my father were always kind to her; it never occurred to me that…" Nausea crept up and he took a deep breath. "When Edwin called me and told me what they'd been doing to her," he exhaled and opened his eyes, looking Coulson right in his eyes. "What they did to me and Edwin was nothing compared to what they did to her. I'm only sorry my father wasn't in that house and that they both didn't burn to the ground with it."

It wasn't cruelty or even hate. His father and older brother were monsters; the worst kind of monsters. They got off on hurting others. And his mother was just as bad as they were because she had never lifted a finger to stop him. His Gramsy had tried to get her to leave him, had tried every legal means possible to save them from that monster, and his mother had covered it all up, lied for him. She was just as guilty as he was.

Hell, even Grant had a part to play in all of this. He should have been braver; should have stood up to them sooner. Maybe if he had his sister wouldn't have been forced into going against every belief she had to get rid of a kid she should have never had forced on her. Grant knew that was what finally broke her; what made it all be too much. Why his baby brother, who'd endured enough trauma to last twelve lifetimes, had found her half-dead next to an empty bottle of pills in a pool of her own blood.

They were the two people he should have spent his life protecting and he was partly responsible for ruining them. He'd never forgive himself for that.

Maybe snapping and trying to kill his abusers hadn't been the best plan but he owed Edwin and Alison that much; of course in true Grant Douglas fashion he'd failed them once again.

To Grant's surprise Coulson didn't get up and leave, instead he reached out to place a hand on his but Grant pulled back instinctively. "Sorry," he muttered, realizing his mistake. He was used to…well, it didn't matter. If he was going to live in the real world he'd have to get used to being touched, right?

Coulson didn't bring it up. "Here's what I'm willing to offer you, Mr. Ward. My organization has ways of making things happen. Your grandmother is too sick to take in your brother and sister but we've found them a foster home that will take both of them in. They're good people who have handled children from similar situations in the past. They'll both receive therapy. And when your sister turns eighteen in a few months, if she's healthy enough, we'll make sure Edwin stays with her if he wants. And we'll continue to monitor them for any threats. There's nothing we can do about your mother but your father and older brother will be imprisoned on multiple counts of child abuse. Your grandmother has provided statements, that along with a written statement from you if you'll give it, records we have of complaints, and a judge who owes me a favor will keep them in there for a very long time."

Grant's heart stopped. Was he serious?

"In exchange for what?"

"Nothing. I don't like bullies, Mr. Ward.

Now, as for you, there's a place for you in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. There you will finish your High School education while also receiving advanced training and if you do well you can continue on to attend our Academy of Communications and then if you survive that, our Academy of Operations. We also have an Academy of Science and Technology but something tells me you'd be more suited for the field."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. We're the good guys, Mr. Ward. Spies. Doctors. Agents. I think you'd be a good asset, once you've had some training. But I do have some conditions."

Grant gave him a nod to continue.

"You attend two therapy sessions a week. We can shorten it down to one when your therapist thinks it's time. You have to make an effort to socialize. I understand with your past that your people skills are lacking but we'll work on that. I want to see a real effort from you. This will be the hardest thing you've ever done, Grant. The work won't be easy, you'll be behind every one of your classmates, and you'll be the new kid. On top of all of that you'll be working through things no one your age should have ever been put through. But I think you can do it. And do you know why?"

Grant shook his head.

"Because you're a good person. And I think you want to help people. Do you know want to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded? Protection. An individual, the world, it doesn't matter. I believe that every person is worth saving. And a man can accomplish anything when he realizes he's a part of something bigger. A team of people that share that conviction can change the world. And that's what I'm offering you Grant, a change to be a part of something bigger, a chance to protect others, to change the world. All you have to do is work for it and you can accomplish it. So, what do you say?"

Grant swallowed and tried to find his voice. "Why me? I'm not sure I deserve the chance, sir."

Coulson smiled. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Plus, I'm a sucker for the underdog. So, are you going to walk out that door with me or are you going to spend a good portion of your adult life trapped behind bars. Your parents and brother will be here in five minutes and they're pushing to have you tried as an adult. You can face them or you and I can go get a cheeseburger while you tell me who Grant Ward really is and I tell you everything you need to know about S.H.I.E.L.D."

It was everything he could want but answering was still one of the hardest things he'd ever done, which meant this was the right thing. It had to be.

"Can we get shakes with those burgers?"