Title: Ward Gets Kissed Multiple Times (and It's All Fitz's Fault)

Summary: What it says on the tin. Sort of Biospecialist. Bus family fun. Set before 1.17. Coauthored by kittyorleans and princessmelia.

Fitz had talked to Simmons, had talked to himself, had brushed his hair and teeth, and it was all planned out. This could possibly be the most stressful moment of his life, but he couldn't let the fear conquer him.

...He was going to ask Skye on a date.

He was nervous. Beyond nervous. Skye was so out of his league (Simmons had told him she wasn't), she had a crush on Ward (the man himself assured Fitz that was all in Fitz's head), and he was way too nervous about this (no one argued with him there).

She was sitting on the couch, browsing over a manual, when he decided to make his move. Ward was there, reading at the counter, but he would mind his own business. The time was perfect. Fitz approached her, sweating, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Skye?"

"Yup," she said, popping the p, smiling at him like some sort of goddess.

"Um, um," he said.

Her face transformed into one of concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just... wanted to ask..."

She waited a few minutes cluelessly. He just stared at her. "Fitz, you okay?"

"Jemmawantstoseeyou."

"Oh. Oh… okay. Sure." Once a thoroughly confused Skye bounded off, Fitz looked up and allowed himself to see Ward's judgmental gaze.

"That," Ward said, putting his book down, "was bad."

Fitz groaned and put his head in his hands. "I know, I know."

"She'll never go out with you if you don't ask her. She's not a mind reader. As far as we know."

"She'll also never reject me either."

"Skye's not going to reject you, Fitz. I mean, I'm not promising a spring wedding, but she'd say yes to one date."

Fitz shrugged and sat down next to Ward, head hanging. "What do you know? I bet no one ever rejected you."

Ward sighed and looked around before leaning in closer to Fitz. "In high school. I was actually a pretty big kid. Acne, fat, the whole nine yards. I got rejected plenty. Rejection is hard, but you recover. And there's no way Skye is as mean as the girls in my high school."

Fitz looked up at him like Ward had just shared the secret of the universe. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll do it!" Fitz jumped up and walked out of the room with his head up. Ward watched him go and let out a chuckle. Please, like he ever got rejected. And then he shrugged. Skye still wasn't as mean as the girls in his high school, though... "You can do it, Fitz," he said before returning to his book.

Fitz walked in the lab where Jemma and Skye were talking. He could do this. He could do this.

"I don't mind making dinner tonight, but I don't think take-out sounds good," said Skye. "We had that last week. Only person who hates my cooking is Ward."

"Ward hates everyone's cooking."

"So it should be fine."

And then, to his humiliation, his nerves got the better of him and he practically shouted, "Willyougooutwithme?"

They both turned to face him and then looked at each other. They waited for the other one to answer.

Skye blinked. "Aren't you going to—"

"He's talking to you."

Skye's mouth formed a perfect O. "Like... on a..."

"Yeah, just one date, thought it would be fun, you and me, but I mean if you don't want to..."

"Oh, no!" Skye protested, turning red. "It would be fun, yeah, that... sounds like fun..."

"Well, I'm out," said Jemma. "See you two!" She gave Fitz a thumbs-up. And then she fled.

"So, uh, what did you want to do on our... date?" Skye asked, watching her friend go.

"I never got that far in planning," Fitz admitted with a shy smile.

"I like movies and dinner," said Skye.

"Okay," said Fitz. "Perfect."

Meanwhile, Ward and Jemma watched from the sidelines.

"This is gonna bomb," Ward whispered.

"You shut up," Simmons hissed back. They ducked away when Fitz and Skye looked towards them.

"I can't do this," Fitz told Simmons. "If I don't show up, will she think I'm sick?"

"Fitz you live on the same plane. She'll know."

"Right, this is why you're the smart one."

"What if he tries to kiss me?" Skye asked Ward. "I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I don't think this is going to work out."

"You could tell him you're secretly in love with Coulson."

"That's a terrible idea... Right, this is why I'm the smart one."

Fitz offered Skye his arm as they walked down the ramp of the plane.

"Have fun!" Simmons called out. They both turned and waved. "Oh, I'm so nervous, you'd think this was my first date. It's not even his. I need a distraction."

"Want to beat me at scrabble?" Ward asked.

"Always."

Fitz didn't try to kiss her, but he did put his arm around her. Skye smiled and enjoyed it and watched the movie, and thought that it was hardly the worst date she'd ever been on. There were no police sirens or fireworks, but Fitz was happy. That made her happy.

"This was nice," she told him. He nodded as they walked up the ramp.

"Thank you for accompanying me tonight." They stopped walking and he kissed her cheek. "Goodnight Skye."

He began to walk away and was almost to the stairs when Skye called out, "You're a real gentleman, Leopold Fitz."

He blushed. When Simmons asked the next day, he'd admit that it was fun, but... "No sparks."

"Sorry." She dumped her vial into the sink and turned on the water.

"It's fine." He shrugged. Perhaps he and Skye would be better as friends, after all. "Hey, I saw a preview for this other movie you'd like, we should go!"

She turned red and looked away. "Oh, Fitz. I'm sorry. I already agreed to go see it – with Ward."

Fitz froze in the middle of counting and took off his goggles. "Like, on a date?"

Simmons shrugged her shoulders. "We didn't really say."

"Well shouldn't you figure out before you go?"

She went back to work. "It doesn't matter, Fitz. We're just going to have fun."

He was staring at her back, his eyebrows drawn. "Don't let him force you into anything."

"Fitz!"

"Tell him I can kill him."

"I'm going to ignore you."

"Tell him you can kill him."

"You suck, Fitz."

"Ward, you sly dog." Skye grinned and then punched him in the arm when he told her over training. "Don't hurt her."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He grinned into the punching bag as he held it steady.

"Are you joking? That was like the ultimate wingman -you encouraged Fitz to ask me out with a plan in mind."

"Is that the sort of thing a friend would do?"

"Hell yes." She threw another punch and laughed.

The send off Ward and Simmons got was very different from Fitz and Skye's. Fitz crossed his arms and glared at Ward while Skye kept winking and making suggestive comments.

"Now, you children be back before midnight. Remember lipstick doesn't come out easy, and it's my laundry week."

All three of them were sort of considering killing her, but she wasn't nearly done yet.

That night, Skye dove into Coulson's room unannounced, nearly crying with laughter. "Help," she gasped. "Ward's going to kill me! Hide me!"

Coulson put down his report. "Why?"

"I may have put a teenage magazine on kissing tips on his and Simmons's beds."

Coulson blinked. "...Why?"

"For kicks, AC," Skye said. "For the hell of it." She squealed when Ward burst in.

"Skye are you serious?!" Ward bellowed as he chased her around the room. Coulson raised an eyebrow. Ward hadn't even noticed he was there, and Skye was shrieking. The situation was bad.

Fitz came in and it got worse.

"What the bloody hell, Ward?"

Coulson thought perhaps sitting here and smiling was inappropriate, but he couldn't help it.

"What?" Ward nearly shouted.

"What, are you just trying to get off on Simmons?"

"What?" shrieked Skye in pure and utter joy upon seeing the horror on Ward's face.

"I found the magazine you left in her room!" Fitz fumed.

Skye began to giggle uncontrollably. Ward protested, "But I didn't—"

"She'll snog you if she wants to snog you, but you better not bloody well force it upon her!"

"Fitz, I've told you," Jemma said, coming in, glaring. She was perfectly adorable, still with her goggles on. "He didn't leave that – he said I'm a fine kisser..."

Skye was screaming with laughter. She had fallen on the floor, and Ward had caught up but was yet to lay a finger on her. He was still stuttering. Coulson was in danger of joining her, and the older man tried to hide his face.

Ward and Fitz got progressively redder in the face (from anger and embarrassment) while Skye and Coulson laughed.

Just then May walked in. "I feel left out."

"We're talking about kissing Ward," said Skye.

"I've never done that," May admitted. She lifted her eyebrows at Ward, and he looked suddenly terrified. "Are we trying it or discussing it hypothetically?"

"Mostly hypothetical," Coulson said, "but you're welcome to try."

"What?" Ward hollered. "No, no one is 'welcome to try'."

"Someone kiss Ward," gasped Skye. "Oh, gosh. Simmons, Coulson... someone..." She was red in his face, thrilled at the success of her joke.

He heard Skye's demand and he just... reacted. Fitz grabbed Ward's face and planted one right on his lips. It was short and chaste, but the whole room fell silent.

And then Skye roared with laughter. "That was perfect!" She fell to the ground in laughter.

Ward looked green, but at that point, Simmons was laughing too. "My turn!" she said, and kissed Ward right on his face. He responded with a bit more enthusiasm this time. He didn't want to let go when she pulled away.

Fitz barely noticed. His arms were full of a laughing Skye. "You're my new favorite," she said. "Oh, Ward, do I get a turn?"

"Uh." She took her dumbfounded response as a yes and kissed him as well.

May sighed and shook her head at the antics of her crew. She pulled Skye off of him, and Skye didn't fight it, still laughing. And then May took her turn.

"Oh, very funny," Ward said, hands on his hips.

"Well, if everyone else is," Coulson said as he stood to walk towards Ward.

"No, really, sir, we don't have to—" But it was too late.

And that's how Grant Ward kissed everyone on the BUS in under five minutes.