Unlove You (Can't Do That)

Skye honestly didn't know what to do. WIth Trip their relationship had been easy - after the whole Ward thing was over. They kissed and flirted and had amazing sex, it was easy to fall in love with Trip when he'd look at her like she was the best thing he had ever seen, the answer to every question in the universe.

With Bobbi they'd only had a handful of conversations. Bobbi had been avoiding her, then she'd been avoiding Bobbi, then they'd bonded. Bare skin against bare skin.

And then there was Hunter.

Hunter had spent three days straight at Bobbi's side after rescuing her from Ward and Agent 33, to the point where he smelled gross, all his muscles ached from the hard plastic chair he'd slept in, and he had bags under his eyes the size of Texas.

Then nothing.

Bobbi had all but ordered him out of the room to take care of himself and he hadn't come back since. The blonde had worried that he'd run - apparently it was a real concern, not just an excuse for when Mack kidnapped him - but he was still on base. Skye had checked the cameras and he hadn't left, he was just everywhere they weren't.

Hunter was avoiding them and when she told Bobbi the blonde honestly looked heartbroken.

Because they weren't normal. Skye had been with Trip and couldn't just forget and move on because she had a new Soulmate. Bobbi had beenmarried to Hunter that's how much she loved him, and that doesn't just switch off like a lightbulb. And it was no secret they had been sleeping together at the very least - Skye had stumbled across security footage of the two of them getting into an SUV half naked in the garage when she was doing a check of all the systems.

Maybe it was because she couldn't stand see Bobbi so upset - especially when she was already so hurt - she liked to think she would have done even if they weren't Soulmates.

"You know Bobbi loves you, right?" Skye managed to trap Hunter in his room one night.

"Yeah? How do you figure that?" The Englishman refused to look at her.

"She gets a little sadder every time the door opens and it's not you." She tried to pretend she wasn't, but it was hard to miss the way she'd deflate and her eyes would dull a little when it wasn't Hunter coming to see her.

"Surprised she noticed, really." Skye sat herself on his bed, next to him, his shoulders were hunched and he was looking at a spot on the wall. "Surprised you're here and not there."

"So it's because of me." Skye surmised, "because of this." She kept her hand closed over the scar of Trip's mark as she flashed Bobbi's words at him.

"Always knew there wasn't a hope for us when I realised she didn't have my words." Didn't make it hurt any less. "Don't get me wrong, if she's happy, that's great. Bloody fantastic, really. But, I'm thinking maybe I should go, tell Coulson permanance isn't really my thing." He shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Coulson gave me an assignment." Skye murmured, fingers absently smoothing out the blanket on Bobbi's bed.

"Yeah?" The blonde caught her hand, relishing in the pleasurable tingle when she pressed their marks together.

"Track down powered people, help them, train them, make a team." From hacking S.H.I.E.L.D for information to compiling her own team within the Agency in two years. It had to be a record of some kind.

"Long-term op?" Even without looking she knew Bobbi was frowning.

"Lot of powered people showing up for some reason, so yeah." They were silent, long-term ops meant long-time absenses.

"Great." Bobbi huffed, untangling their hands and breaking the bond. "Simmons, May, Hunter, now you. Anyone else leaving? Am I going to end up sitting here alone on base because everyone is just disapearing?"

"I'm not leaving, Bobbi, I'll be ba-"

"Yeah? When? Tuesday? Saturday? Next month?" Bobbi accused, her blue eyes narrowing. "Admit it, Skye, you're leaving and it's got something to do with me, which I really don't understand because I thought we were past the avoidance thing. So what is it? Why are you leaving?"

"Hunter's leaving because of me and it's clear that he's the one you're in love with." Skye burst out, "at least this way I can do something useful instead of sitting around feeling guilty for making everyone miserable."

Silence!

Word of Skye's departure travelled pretty quickly, but it was the end of the day before Hunter came to her room. With his hands shoved in his pockets, bags under his eyes and smelling distinctly of beer, he didn't look too disimilar from after every other break up they'd been through.

"Didn't mean to scare her off, Love." He hovered by the door, keeping his distance before he did something stupid.

"If this is you saying goodbye too, don't bother." She really wasn't in the mood. "You're both leaving because you think the other is miserable and will make me happy. Does anyone care what I think or was decision making attached to my ability to walk?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, I was always bad with authority, you know that."

"Don't bullshit me, Hunter, if you were going to leave you would have done it the second I got back from HYDRA." Bobbi snapped, pushing herself so she was sitting up straighter. "Tell me the truth!"

"The truth?" Hunter's eyes went hard and he glared at her. "The truth is you and I, we can't be in the same state without either killing or sleeping with each other and you have Skye now so that cuts out the sex. You have Skye and that's fantastic, finally found your Soulmate, Love, but I found mine years ago and I can't sit around and watch her love someone else. So you can sit there and beg and pout about me leaving, but we both know if it came down to it, you'd choose her every day of the week for the same reason that I'd choose you." Hunter's voice had raised to a yell and he was breathing heavy, his eyes glassy, his voice breaking at the end. "So, yeah, I'm leaving. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone, but you're making it really bloody difficult, Sweetheart."

Bobbi was really sick of everyone else deciding what was for the best and completely disregarding anything she had to say. So far Skye doing what she thought was best - for Bobbi according to her - involved the brunette taking an assignment that would take her off-base for months on end with Mack. Lance doing what he thought was best - once again for her - involved him disappearing from the base with vague assurances to Coulson that he'd keep in touch.

Coulson doing what was right was forcing her into therapy with Dr. Garner. May doing what was right - after she got back from vacation - was throwing herself into hunting down Ward, which Bobbi really wanted to be a part of.

It felt like the only one who actually listened to what Bobbi wanted was Fitz who stood by and encouraged her when she did her PT.

She had started her recovery off with a lover, a Soulmate and a lot of friends who all promised to help her recover.

She ended up with no Lance, no Skye, a mostly empty base when everyone went on missions, and Fitz... Not that Fitz wasn't great, he just wasn't the right kind of great to make her heart stop hurting.

He'd probably changed his number, Skye dismissed, staring at her phone. Three months, She'd been in the field with Mack for three months and she was going insane. Then again, he never did what anything thought he'd do.

"Hunter." The call had rung three times before going to voicemail when she pressed to dial. "If this is still you, just-... Bobbi's not doing so good... Fitz called, I'm in Italy, but I'm trying to get back. If you're closer... She needs you, Hunter."

Fitz had given him a death glare when he turned up back at the Playground. But, he had let him in. It was bitter-sweet being back at the Playground, but Hunter knew it had taken a lot for Skye to call him.

Skye had left because she thought she was in the way of him and Bobbi. He'd left because he thought it was best for Skye and Bobbi... They'd both just left Bobbi.

When he finally found her she was in her bunk, absently juggling her escrima sticks and staring at a spot on the wall with a frown on her face.

"Hey, Love." He didn't know what she was thinking about, but the second he spoke she jumped out of her skin and one of her escrima sticks barely missed hitting him in the head - would have if he didn't duck. "Nice to see you too."

"What are you doing here?" The blank stare in her blue eyes turned into a hard glare.

"In the neighbourhood, thought I'd stop by." Lance shrugged, glancing around the room. Clothes, papers, plates, glasses... This wasn't Bobbi, Bobbi was clean, neat, always picking up after him. "You look good."

"Feel fan-fucking-tastic." Bobbi rolled her eyes. "Why are you really here? Did Fitz call you?" No, the Scotsman hadn't deigned to call him, he'd called Skye halfway across the planet in Italy instead of him.

"Skye, actually." The blonde let out a sigh at his words. "Fitz called her, probably figured Soulmate trumped ex-husband."

"Yeah well, you can tell Fitz that I can still kick his ass. And I'm fine. I had a bad night, no reason to call the reluctant troops to rally at my side." She stood up with her weight rest heavily on one foot as she reached for the crutches leaning against the wall.

"Shouldn't you be sitting down? I'm sure the Doctor told you not to even attempt walking for four months." He'd been there, in fact, when she got out of surgery. Her knee was messed up; may never be the same, they'd said. "That can't be good for your shoulder either."

"I'm fine, Hunter, you can go now." Bobbi used her crutches, ignoring the now-familiar pain, to 'walk' away.

"Bobbi!" Hunter huffed, watching her leave. "Bob!" She didn't even turn around and if he followed her he knew he'd get a very painful punch to the arm. "Bloody great." He muttered to himself.

"The three of you need to figure out what the Hell is going on." Fitz was the one that snapped not even ten minutes after Skye had managed to get back to the Playground. "Bo-Bobbi-Bobbi is gettin' depressed because you two decided to leave her when she was injured and hurt. That's the same thing that Jemma did, she left me when I was hurt, and you know-" he turned his blue glare on Skye. "-you know, Skye, what I was like when she left, I started seein' her everywhere, I didn't want to get out of bed. Bobbi's stronger than that, but you both left her because you decided the other should have her." Lance looked down guiltily, Skye looking to the side, blinking away tear. "You need to talk to her because she gets a choice too and you both don't get to decide for her."

Bobbi was laying in bed, not sleeping, contemplating taking another of her painkillers - more than she needed, that's why Fitz had called Skye, because he noticed that she was going through her painkillers twice as fast as she was meant to. Her door creaked open and she glanced over to see a nervous figure hovering in the light from the hallway.

"I'm sorry." Skye's voice felt like silk and satin and sleeping on a cloud; like all the nice things people dream about. Maybe it was just the pills. Maybe it really did feel like that.

If that's how Skye's voice sounded, her body was better. She climbed into Bobbi's bed, kicking her shoes off and pressing a kiss to her bare, scarred shoulder. The bullet wound had healed over, scarred - forever - still tender sometimes, the muscle was still recovering. Skye's soft touch made it feel a little better.

"I'm sorry." The brunette repeated. "I guess I don't know how to do this Soulmate thing without fucking it up." Gentle fingers moved across her stomach, searching out her right hand. "I'm here now." Marks touched against each other.

"For how long?" Bobbi couldn't keep the accusation out of her voice.

"As long as you need me."

Skye was sleeping, an arm protectively across Bobbi's stomach and holding her arm even in her sleep, keeping their marks together.

If Lance noticed Skye he didn't acknowledge it. If it bothered him, he didn't say anything. Instead he silently slipped into bed on Bobbi's other side, touching his lips to her temple as he settled next to her.

Bobbi didn't focus on the words Lance whispered in her ear; sweet nothings that soothed her enough that her vision stopped swimming. She wanted one of her pills, needed it, they made the pain stop. Because Skye and Lance would leave eventually and she'd be alone again with an aching shoulder and a fucked up knee.

She couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. She let them hold her until she fell asleep.

None of them talked about it in the morning.

Bobbi went from having a lover to having a lover and a Soulmate to having neither... Now she had both again and most of the time they just danced around her like she was made of glass. It was almost as bad as having neither of them there.

"I don't know what you said to them, but they won't leave me alone." Bobbi huffed, letting Fitz help keep her standing between steps. Most of the weight was still on her uninjured leg, but hopefully she'd be able to stand unassisted someday soon. "I swear I had to lock the door bath this morning or Skye would have followed me in."

"I-I honestly... I honestly see no problem with that." Fitz was smirking until Bobbi thumped him in the arm. "Hey." The Scotsman yelped, "I'm just saying that Skye is a, um, she's a-" the man flushed, "-Sk-Skye is-from a scientific and purely platonic view, Skye is not aesthetically unapealing and-and-"

"Did you just say Skye is hot?" It was Bobbi smirking this time. "I mean, I get. I so get it, but you're a bonded man, Mister Fitz."

Lance was the one who took the initiative to round the three of them and sit down to talk.

They really needed to talk or everyone was going to end up miserable. Again.

So far it was working out fantastically; they were all sitting in silence and awkwardly avoiding looking at each other.

"You guys have history together, I figured it would be better if we were platonic." Skye was the first one to speak, bringing two pairs of eyes to her.

"Yeah, great history; fighting, divorce, the occasional kidnapping." Lance rolled his eyes. "You two are Soulmates, I would only be in the way of that." In unison four brown eyes turned to Bobbi.

"This isn't something that we can just come to an agreement on." Bobbi shook her head, "this is-..." She reached for her painkillers, ignoring raised eyebrows and concerned looks.

"How many of those-" Hunter started, his brow furrowed.

"Three." Skye answered before he could finish. "Three this hour."

They kept a very close eye on her after that.

Fitz would frown at her in the lab as he worked frantically to find Simmons, every time she took a painkiller. Hunter would sigh at her and shake his head in disappointment. Skye just looked at her like a sad puppy with a distinct note of understanding in her eyes.

"Alcohol." Skye sat down across from her one day when she was working in the lab.

"What?" Bobbi looked up from the analysis she was running.

"I ran away from the system when I was seventeen, met up with the Rising Tide." The brunette started, not looking at the blonde. "Freedom of information, pieces and puzzles, all that jazz. But, they're not the best crowd to hang around when you're looking to find yourself. A beer or two at night turned into afternoon, turned into noon, turned into morning. There was harder stuff - drugs, you know - but I was never really into that, didn't like the feeling. But, alcohol... I built a pretty high tolerance, when that happens you start drinking more to get the buzz back... Until you hit rock bottom... They say the first step is admitting there's a problem, right?"

"There's-..." Bobbi gulped, her heat surging with pain. "I don't have a problem, Skye. I promise."

"Yeah." The girl got up with a sad sigh. "Sure."

Hunter is already asleep when Bobbi gets to her bunk. Skye is there too, tapping away at her computer and speaking lowly into a headset, going through profiles and psych evaluations and talking with Mack - who was now out with Dr. Garner assessing her Caterpilla candidates.

Hunter is snoring softly with an arm draped lazily across Skye's lap, with the brunette reaching over to run light fingers through his hair every now and then.

Bobbi doesn't say anything as she lays on Skye's other side and sets her crutches against the bedside table.

After Skye signs off with Mack and closes her computer she slides down and reaches her hand out to Bobbi. Hunter only grumbles a little at the movement before cuddling in closer as Bobbi links her hand with Skye's and touches their marks.

Fitz is still ever-constant in her life, but he can focus better on finding Simmons now that Hunter and Skye are there.

Hunter is spotting her when she can hold the weight in her left arm for a full minute without wavering. She kisses him.

Skye has an arm around her for support the first time she puts equal weight on her injured leg and doesn't crumple to floor. Skye's tongue tastes like minty toothpaste.

The first day Bobbi doesn't take a painkiller she's a snappy, bitchy, argumentative asshole. It's not like she quit cold turkey, but it makes her feel like shit and the only reason she does it again the next day is because of Skye's proud smile and Hunter's assurances.

Coulson gives Skye more leeway than she should probably get, letting her take a more subdued role in the field; letting her work more from the base, not keeping her out for months on end like before. She's never away from Providence for more than two weeks now - barring something urgent.

Hunter goes into the Director's office and walks out with a S.H.I.E.L.D badge and agency regulation Sig and Icer.

One night Hunter sleeps in the middle with Skye draped over one side, and Bobbi on the other, one of the blonde's hands tucked under his shoulder, right where his mark is and it's the best sleep he's had in a long time.

Skye waked up first that morning and leans across him to kiss Bobbi before absently pressing her lips to his as well before she gets out of bed.

When they get Simmons back the first thing Fitz does is kiss her - after the questions, medical, blood test, debriefing and a whole of other regulations have been completed of course.

When they finally all get a down day with everyone at the base they celebrate with crappy junk food, cheap beer, and music that Koenig insists they turn down - it's supposed to be a secret base, it's not secret if they get a noise complaint from the police.

Bobbi notices that Skye only has two beers before switching to soda - drinking in moderation, she'd said one day when Bobbi had asked her how she could still drink alcohol after her problem. Hunter stops after three. Bobbi didn't want to risk it so soon after kicking the painkillers.

If anyone else notices they don't say anything.

In the shower - when she can stand unassisted for more than ten minutes - Skye's lips sear her skin every time they touch her. Skin is slick with sweat and the water from the shower, expert fingers touch all the right places to make her moan.

Bobbi gasps Skye's name when she comes around her fingers - she's gotten really good at honing those vibration powers of hers. Like a human vibrator!

Skye doesn't say anything when she comes back from an op, checking out another possible recruit - she likes this one, even Mack agrees that he'd be an asset - and the room smells like sex and Lance and Bobbi are sprawled naked across the bed.

She doesn't even have it in her to feel jealous, which she thinks might be odd in itself, but instead of dwelling on it after a seventeen hour flight, she kicks off her shoes and lays down. She'll check in with Coulson after a nap. Right now she's tired, and comfy. and Lance's aftershave lingers on Bobbi's skin, mixing their scents and it's a heady concoction.

Simmons is the one that asks them what their relationship is and when none of them can answer they decide they should probably talk about it.

"Don't make me choose." Bobbi starts with that. She's not dependant or anything - this isn't some stupid chick flick where the girl falls hopelessly in love and can't live without the other. But, she does love them. Both of them. She could live without them - has done so before, thrived even (she's blames the painkillers on the turmoil of both of them leaving at the same time right after she was injured) - but that doesn't mean she wants to.

"Love, I don't know about you, but the only choice I want made is if we're watching Star Wars tonight, or something good?" Hunter shook his head.

"Star Wars." Skye answered as if it were obvious. "It's Bobbi's week, and you got to watch that Western last week." Bobbi wonders when movie night became a thing, when they started watching together and rotating the choices. Was it a conscious thing? If so she was left sorely out of the loop. "I'm..." Skye turned serious, biting her bottom lip for a second. "I know it's not, like, conventional or anything, but... I kinda like this... Us? Is this an us thing or am I reading way too much into it? Because I am going to be-"

"I think this is an us thing." Bobbi nodded, cutting her off before she could start rambling. Skye was a rambler when she was nervous. "Lance?"

"I thought it was already an us thing, Love." Hunter shrugged. How was Hunter the most observant one in their... Was it a relationship now? What did they even call their relationship?

They talk for a long time, figuring things out between them so the next time someone - Simmons, most likely - asks they know what they are. So that they themselves know what they are.

That night it's three of them in bed, naked and panting, hands and tongues and body parts are everywhere. If the base shakes a little all three of them ignore it because Skye's whole body has started buzzing and it's an amazing effect. It really is.

Bobbi is cleared for field duty three weeks later and her first mission is tracking down Ward with Skye and Lance. The three of them are a force to be reckoned with...

Thank-you for enjoying another installment of the disjointed, angsty Soulmate fic featuring Skye, Hunter and Bobbi.

It's different than I imagined, but I started and kept going and this came out, so I hope you guys liked it.