- So, I'm diving into the deep end with this one I guess? I've recently become obsessed with this pair and I couldn't get this vague idea out of my head.

- The first chapter is some May/Skye bonding type of thing, but the second will be May/Coulson.

- Any prompts or something you'd like to read would be great, plus any opinions on this work. I'm trying to get back into writing, so this is that attempt.

- It may be a little out of character, in the respect that May talks a bit more. I'll shut up now. Read and Enjoy!

P.S. I've Told You Now by Sam Smith was what inspired this one, so that explains a lot. Go check out that song! I think it fits pretty well.

It was becoming a bad habit of hers to sit up late at night, or early in the morning, watching the dark sky fly by. Her demons were far from quiet, but her mind refused to rest the longer they kept looking for pieces to a puzzle they didn't know much about. It was a common thing among people, to be afraid of the unknown, but that wasn't what was keeping her up at night. It was Coulson expecting her to take him out, if it ever came down to that. They'd known each other for decades, and it floored her that he thought she'd do it. She'd made it perfectly clear she cared about him, but it didn't seem to sink in. She wouldn't be the one to kill him; it'd kill her first.

She sat by the window, her reflective mood comforted by the darkness and the quiet she was surrounded by. It was nice to know the rest of the team didn't stay up with their own demons night after night, but that sliver of hope was shattered when she heard the door to one of the bunks open, a sniffle making its way into the air before the distraught person themselves. She didn't move her eyes from the window, regretting her decision to be in the common area rather than the cockpit. She heard the shuffling in the kitchen, listening to them opening the cupboards and brewing tea as she sat there silently. She knew it was only a matter of time before the seat in front of her was no longer vacant, but she couldn't bring herself to get up and walk away. She heard the chair move, the person easing themselves down, the mug settled between them as they watched her silently. She closed her eyes for a second before turning towards her unexpected company, taking in the reddened nose and eyes before speaking.

"Rough night?"

Skye laughed brokenly, the sound intertwined with another sniffle as she took a sip from her tea before pulling it into her chest, her knees drawn to her chest as she blew out a breath.

"Yeah, you could say that"

They sat that way for a while, just soundlessly taking in their surroundings as Melinda went back to staring out the window, the dark inky sky a comfort to her tireless brain. Skye managed to stay quiet for almost an hour, just drinking her tea and looking out the window herself, but Melinda could feel the shift in her once she'd gotten a good hold on her emotions.

"I know this is probably overstepping a ton of your boundaries…" she said, looking small but hopeful as Melinda met her eyes, "but I needed to talk to someone, and I think you'd be the only one to understand"

Melinda just continued to look at her, seeing the honesty and the uncertainty lurking behind her eyes, and something told her Skye needed her. Skye was always ready to go to any other member of the team for something she needed, but Melinda knew there was an air about her that didn't lend to being a sounding board most times. Tonight, it wasn't one of those times.

"Understand what?" she asked, crossing one leg over the other as she turned her body towards Skye.

"How do you stop loving someone when loving them is dangerous? Not just for you, but for other people too?"

Melinda should have known this was what she wanted to talk about, but she didn't have the heart to turn her away. Not too long ago, she was thinking along the same lines. Dangerous lives were part of the job description, but dangerous love…there wasn't a manual or a training course for that.

"I don't think I can answer that," Skye looked disappointed, but forced a smile onto her face as she made to get up, feeling small in the dead of night, but Melinda's voice stopped her, "I haven't figured it out yet either".

Skye looked at her shocked, flopping back into her seat as she stared at Melinda with disbelief. She opened her mouth a few times, but no sound came out, and it amused her enough to smirk at the young woman while she gathered her thoughts. When she finally did, she just raised an eyebrow at Skye, waiting to hear her speak.

"I didn't mean to make this awkward, I know you and Ward-"

"It's not Ward"

That shut Skye up, but the twinkle in her eyes returned, and it was a much better sight than the tearful girl she'd seen an hour ago.

"Then can I ask you why we do this to ourselves? Ward played me, used me, and I can't get my heart to understand that what I'm feeling is…"

"Wrong?" Melinda supplied, no judgment on her face, merely just filling in the blanks. Skye nodded slightly, and she folded her hands on top of her knees, resting her chin on her forearms as she looked at Melinda. She uncrossed her legs, pulling her right leg underneath her and bringing her left knee to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shin. She mirrored Skye's body language for the most part, trying to put her at ease the best way she knew how.

"Don't fight how you feel, but don't let it be the thing that consumes you," Skye looked at her confused before she continued.

"Know that it's okay to feel the way you feel, but remember that there are others at stake. Don't let that feeling become more important than the people counting on you"

"Is that what you did?" she blurted out, covering her mouth in horror the second the sentence left it, her eyes widening comically as Melinda chuckled.

"I did, I made sure everyone else was safe before I let my feelings take over. Sometimes though, it still feels like a loss"

Melinda's face fell, remembering everything her and Phil had been through up to this point, and it was true, she made it her mission to appear to feel nothing. Her feelings for Phil, she pushed them and him away because she wasn't the same after Bahrain. She couldn't be that person he loved to be around, she didn't deserve to have him love her when she had nothing to offer him then. And now, a lot of time had passed. She didn't know where to go from here, so she could understand where Skye was coming from.

"What happened to him? If you don't mind me asking?"

She sighed, turning her head away from Skye, resting her cheek on her knee as she stared out the window again, not sure if telling her was going to make it better or worse. The entire team knew they'd been friends a long time, but her feelings towards him were personal. Even after all this time, she didn't think he felt that way about her, and she was okay to bear that weight alone, but that wasn't what Skye was asking. And she was tired, so tired, that it didn't matter right now. It was just the two of them, and she knew the girl could keep a secret if she threatened her, but she had a feeling it wouldn't come to that. Skye needed answers and Melinda understood it, sometimes not knowing would just slowly drive you crazy.

"He died…" she said, and Skye murmured her apology, but she waved it off, looking at her again, trying to communicate the seriousness of what she was telling her, "and then he came back to life. And now he's losing his mind…" she muttered, but Skye heard her loud and clear. Skye looked at her with this look of…wonder. That was the best description she could come up with, and she watched as Skye's eyes filled with tears again, and it puzzled her. She tilted her head in question, and Skye sniffled, wiping her eyes as she sent Melinda a wobbly smile.

"If that's the dangerous love you have, I think the safest thing to do is to let him love you back" Skye murmured, and it was Melinda's turn to feel small. She didn't know how to let him love her, and that's assuming he does. She'd lied to him and things have been said between them…sure they were friends, but relationships weren't as easy to fall into.

"It's not that simple. The world's shades of gray Skye, and not everything can be fixed"

"Maybe not, but I love a monster that I'm pretty sure never really cared about me to begin with. At least Coulson knows you, all of you. He won't run"

"Some things are better left unsaid" Melinda said, giving her a final look before getting up, putting a hand on Sky's shoulder as she passed. Skye's hand shot up to hold her in place, and their eyes met with an understanding.

"Not things like this May. If you look at him with half as much feeling as he does you, don't let this go. I can't have what my heart seems to want, but you can"

Melinda looked at her, and squeezed her shoulder lightly. She hated to burst Skye's bubble, but maybe it just wasn't in the cards for them.

"We've always had bad timing Skye, but I'll survive"

"But that's not living," she argued, and Melinda pulled her hand away from Skye to turn to her fully. She squatted down to her level, meeting her defiant gaze calmly.

"But it is surviving, and that's all I can ask for. Especially when I don't know if he'll live through this. I won't put myself through that, not again. I'll see you in the morning" she said, getting up and walking away from her, but not before she heard her parting words.

"But what if he does? Make it out of this alive I mean, then what?"

Melinda paused, looking over her shoulder as Skye leaned over the arm of her seat to see her reaction. Melinda merely shrugged, walking away from the young woman that asked too many questions for her liking.

Like it? Think I need to know something? Feel free to let me know, but be gentle please!