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Who: SKYE, WARD, and FITZ
When: 4/27, following this post
Where: Courtyard
What: Bad superhero-spy decisions.
Warnings: Violence, mostly. Spies being spies. Tag order: Skye - Fitz - Ward

[ ♬ miss missing you - fall out boy ]
[ All-in-all, it's a terrible idea. Really, really awful, probably one of the worst she's had, and this girl ran into Ian Quinn's basement alone without backup.

Straight-forward, though, she can have that much. If she wants to learn how to keep herself from registering on the richter scale, she needs to let it happen. All this time, she's been trying so hard to avoid going off, holding it back, upsetting herself further by her inability to hold it in. What she needs to start with is figuring out how to shut it down quicker. That's step one. An extension of May's training, but May isn't herself. She can't help.

So Skye's gotta do it. She walks herself into it thinking it's the kind of thing May would suggest: put herself through the ringer to come out better for it.

And right now, the ringer means inviting interaction with the man she tried to kill. Truthfully, a part of her already feels a pang, something sitting wrong in her chest as she uses his olive branch as leverage to pull him into this. The larger part of her, bitter and angry, thinks maybe he should be more careful about who he extends an olive branch to. They'd had to learn the same lesson when he betrayed them.

She stands with Fitz in the soft summer rain, a soggy haze of gray miring the courtyard. Her hands fold around her, hugging her sodden jacket to herself as she squints over at him through ropy wet bangs. ] What if he doesn't come?

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[ The direct question from Ward earns a startled look, like he's affronted that Ward would assume one confrontation was enough to settle it. Before he can go off on whatever lecture wells up, however, Skye's control slips. ]

You can. [ A silly thing to say, but he says it anyway, automatic and reassuring despite the thread of fear that keeps it from being altogether steady. ] You've stopped it before, yeah, just— breathe.

[ He doesn't back away from her. But he's still wary enough to keep some distance between them for the sake of not spooking her further (or because he can't completely override the defensive instinct, honestly). But he's uncrossed his arms now, hands held out in a placating gesture, indecision obvious.

That forced calm is interrupted when his focus snaps back to Ward, tone sharp and accent heavy as he bites out a quick: ] And you, just— you stay back.

[Ward is almost thrown off his feet, arms out - almost like he's been punched in the chest. Fitz can't help me.

He glares at them both before - speaking to Fitz.]

Did you plan this??

[He doesn't scream. Really he's just surprised. This is what comes. This is what comes from everything you did. ]

[ Fitz tells her she's stopped it before, but for the life of her, she can't remember how. Not with the fresh surge of guilt sparks with Ward's question. It's too much demanding her attention at once, splitting her in different ways, summoning up all her ugliest doubts. That there's no way to stop it. That she's a monster—she's certainly acting like one, drawing people out just because she knew he'd aggravate her powers.

It was a mistake. ]

No. No, I can't— [ She raises her hands, flinching away from the tremor. The quaking almost takes Ward off his feet, and when she sees him stumble back, her eyes shoot wide and she reaches one hand out like she means to stop it. There's no deprogramming impulse. Instead, it focuses in a ten-foot line to him, concentrating the wave and plowing through him like a mack truck.

It takes him off his feet and then some. ] NO! [ It's not just Ward. Fitz is right: it takes her back to Trip, the crumbling ash of his face. The earthquake in San Juan. Destruction, absolute.

Her power fans out around her again then in a true sphere, vibrations billowing the swings away from her in a burst of energy that ripples like a gust of air out from her. The rain turns to mist, blown out by the effects. She curls her hands into fists, backing away, drawing it back into her as she drops her gaze to the puddles of water. Focuses on them first, trying to get the ripples to stop, reeling it in.

Lock it down; she recalls May's voice, shuts her eyes, draws a breath. The buzzing gets quiet. Darkness swims in her vision. An ache ripples from the center of her chest, spanning outward, winding her. She lifts her gaze, first to where Ward falls, injured, then over to Fitz, a desperate and confused plea as she wobbles on her feet. Steps back, and then plummets to the concrete. ]

[ Fitz knew what she was capable of, in theory. He'd been in the lobby with her when her fear had made the tables rattle, has felt the quake beneath his feet and up through his bones before. The way vibrations warp the air when she throws her hand out, however, isn't something he's expecting.

It knocks Ward back, hard, and for a second all Fitz can manage is to stare, expression blank. It's that sweeping radius of power that snaps him out of it, causing him to finally stumble back himself. He catches himself up against the swing set, one hand cast out behind him to grab the pole.

Then it stops. He's only just gathered his composure when Skye looks at him, both of them wide-eyed and lost — and then she falls, and he isn't quick enough to catch her. He ends up kneeling down beside her instead, knees skidding on concrete as he slides a hand beneath her neck to lift her head, other hand finding the pulse point on her wrist.

The abrupt emergence of discoloration along her hands registers as a brief, confusing distraction. When he looks over to where Ward's fallen, his expression is panicked, voice the same. ]

Ward?

[It's only training that keeps Ward from screaming. It's training and seeing powers before - not a lot of powers, nothing like this this is...elemental.

It's weirdly beautiful.

It's terrifying.

But it's Fitz's Ward that makes him look up. Businesslike. For one brief moment the dead are raised and the man looking back at Fitz is the man that he met on the bus that very first time.

Ward's focus is on Skye and the sudden stabbing shooting pain in his side takes a backseat.

It'd probably be like looking at a ghost. He raises a hand and waves Fitz off]

...Fine.

[No. He breathes hard and something twists in his side]

Skye. She- Is she okay?

[ No. Fitz looks back to her hands, already bruised. ]

Yeah.

[ It could be worse. He's reluctant to look back towards Ward, mostly because he doesn't want him to see any sign of relief that he's alive — but it's there, anyway. Fitz can justify it as relief for Skye's sake, that she hadn't taken someone's life with her powers, but it's still there.

He schools his expression into something more neutral as he looks over, watching Ward for a moment before he speaks. He doesn't quite believe that Ward's fine after a blow like that, but he isn't quite sure he cares, either. ]

I need to get her inside.

[Ward doesn't hesitate. Instead he moves forward to lift her up, not reacting to the pain in his side. There's a flash of annoyance and anger but he keeps it to himself.]

Taking her to Coulson?

No. [ Too quick. He regrets that as soon as he says it, because it's far too telling. But he's distracted enough by taking care of Skye (and watching as Ward picks her up, wary and restless and reluctant to trust). ]

Room one-fifteen.

[ Does Ward already know what Skye's room number is? Probably. Fitz gives his own anyway, just in case. There's been more than one medical professional on the network, lately, so if he can just get Skye somewhere safer and then talk to one of them— ]

We weren't trying to kill you.

[ Not exactly the time for that, but it comes out anyway, a little sharp and defensive. The follow-up's even more so. ] Not that we haven't got every right to.

[Ward's eyes flick to him before staring down at Skye.]

Of course not.

[He doesn't believe you. Maybe. He keeps himself straight even as the pain rings in his side. He smiles at Fitz, his expression tight.]

It certainly shook things up for me here.

...How did she stop it?

We should hurry.

[ Which is absolutely him avoiding the question, a) because he doesn't know, and b) because he's not sure how much he should tell Ward. He moves towards the door to the lobby instead, holding it open.

For what it's worth, he's having a hard time meeting Ward's eyes while blatantly not answering his questions. At least he's mildly ashamed, right? ]

[Ward stares at him before hefting Skye up higher. There's the slightest grunt of pain as he stares at the stairs - and powers through it.

The pain in his side is palpable.]

...She's a fighter. She'll be all right. You have someone to contact?

Yeah.

[ As terse as he's being, there's no spite in his voice. Something very close to an apology, maybe, even if it's guarded and begrudging.

And hey, at least they aren't going to the third floor. It could be worse. He considers saying absolutely nothing until they reach the door to his room, but his resolve doesn't last long. ]

What about you?

[ Accompanied by a quick glance to Ward, though he tries not to sound overly concerned or curious. ]

[He tilts his head and looks at Fitz. Somewhere someone says I tried to play it sincere.

And Ward swallows.]

I'm fine.

Listen, there's a doctor, Helen. She helped me when I arrived. Try calling her for Skye.

[because he needs to go find...some place he feels safe to sort out his feelings]

[ That's answered by silence as Fitz unlocks his door and pushes it open; the room's kind of a mess, or as much of a mess as it can be when they don't have much in the way of personal belongings. The gift basket from weeks earlier is sitting on the chair, and the small teddy bear's on the bed.

Is that embarrassing?? We'll pretend it's not embarrassing. Fitz is quiet while Ward puts Skye down, and it isn't until he's on his way back towards the door that Fitz speaks up. ]

Thanks.

[ This time there is some spite to it, an undercurrent of anger that counteracts the formality. He's grateful for Ward's help with this, but he wants to make it clear not all's forgiven. ]

[Ward looks over his shoulder and nods, coldly but something in his features softens and...he leaves before he can say something wrong or bad.

Mostly because he needs to get out. So he gets outside and nearly collapses, the pain in his side sharp and cold.

He had to get to Kara's room]

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Why did I not get this notif???

i hid it

Not cool Fitz D:

look i think we can admit this is an awkward situation ok!!

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