The Irresistible Force Paradox

Chapter Four

Ward is already there when Skye arrives. He stands up from the bed and Skye closes the door behind her. They're both frozen in place for a moment, Skye with her hands braced behind her on the door, Ward leaning forward slightly like he's only just holding himself back.

Skye takes one step toward him and then Ward has cut through the distance between them in an instant. He takes her face in both hands, gently, and then he's kissing her. There's no grace to it – and a lot of teeth – and Skye pulls him closer by his belt loops.

"I was worried," Ward manages to get out between kisses. "You might be mad at me."

"No." She shakes her head. "I should be, but I'm not."

He pulls back for a moment, to see her face, and she takes that opportunity to step back because she asked him here so they could talk about this, not just to fuck.

"I knew you wouldn't actually do it," she says. "That's why I'm not mad at you."

"But you should be?" he asks.

Skye runs a hand through her hair. "Look, this is 1000% a bad idea, and it could – and probably will – end very badly for both of us. And I'm not even sure what this is yet. But I can't stop thinking about it, about you, about what you said." She takes a breath. "That we have a shot."

He nods, slowly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she says. "And I think we should take it."

Ward's smile is cautious at first but blooms into something that maybe does make Skye feel something. He's still smiling when she kisses him and something about that has Skye smiling too. They've never kissed like this. It's always been at a vulnerable moment or a we're-about-to-die moment or an I'm-playing-you-because-I-know-you're-Hydra moment. But now they can kiss the way regular people who like each other kiss – happily.

Skye jumps up and wraps her legs around his waist. He holds her tight, one hand under her ass, and he's kissing her and he's smiling and for once it really is like the world outside doesn't exist. It's just them.

He walks over to the bed, and she drops onto it on her back. She bounces twice on the mattress and lets out an honest-to-god giggle. And Ward laughs and pulls off his shirt and climbs on top of her and it's the lightest Skye has felt in ages.

They let themselves be goofy and embarrassing – a whole different type of vulnerability.

Ward fumbles with Skye's bra clasp and she looks at him with a straight face, undoes it herself, and says, "You seem nervous, Agent Ward."

He watches her toss it aside and says, "I'm just calling to mind my training," before latching his lips to the newly-exposed skin.

"Training?" She grins. "Damn, I missed some fun times at the SHIELD Academy, huh?"

And when Skye lets out a small fart about halfway through and Ward just about dies laughing and she threatens to kill him if he doesn't shut up right now, she doesn't mean it. Not even a little bit.

Because Ward has a small freckle on his left collar bone and he smiles like the wholesome boy-next-door football player from every teen rom-com, and he knows more about her and her past than any guy she's even been with and he still looks at her like she's everything he's ever wanted. Even though he knows she's not quite there yet.

Yet.

Because if she thinks about it, really digs down and is honest with herself, she's been falling for him for months. Basically, since she met him. And sure, he fell faster and harder, but she really isn't that far behind. She's just better at hiding. Or, needs to hide it more.