A/N: Thanks to charis-chan for this suggestion to have Skye demanding cuddles in all situations.

Enjoy!

When Skye was a child, and she was being passed from foster home to foster home, and then back to the orphanage, there was little opportunity for hugs and cuddles. If little Skye was sad, or hurt, or in need of comfort, well, then little Skye had to go and seek it out for herself. Hugs, when Skye was a child, were pretty hard to come by, and so, now that she was an adult, living in one place with her SHIELD family, Skye took advantage of every opportunity she had, for having cuddles. No matter how inappropriate the time may be…

…

"Don't be ridiculous." May said, running her hands through her hair in frustration and sitting back down in her chair next to Coulson at the meeting table.

"Agent May," One of the more senior, and apparently braver, of SHIELD's remaining agents said, "with all due respect, we don't have many options at this point. It's better that we send them in there and just see what happens."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "We are not sending junior SHIELD agents into a situation like that. It's not necessary, and it's too risky." May almost growled and other agents in the meeting eyed her cautiously. "Some of them are practically kids. Are kids."

The brave senior agent scoffed. "What are you even pissed about? You're little protégé wont be on the infiltrating team anyway, she's still skipping about with a cast on her arm."

"Talk about Skye again, I dare you."

May leaned towards him in her chair, baring her teeth, and Coulson stood up, pushing her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"May's right. We can't."

"But HYDRA-," the senior agent began but was cut off by May.

"How about we just send you in and 'see what happens'?" She threatened coldly.

The agent paled and closed his mouth.

"Okay." Phil said, pacing around the table. "So we need a new plan. Any suggestions?"

Before any of the agents had the chance to even open their mouths, the door to the meeting room opened and a blur of dark hair and grumpiness flew in and tackled May. Phil smirked and rolled his eyes, moving over to the door to close it as Skye settled herself on May's lap. The other agents in the room watched with various expressions of curiosity and confusion.

"Can I help you with something?" May asked, pulling her face away from where Skye's hair insisted on attempting to get up her nose.

"Mmm." Skye hummed and pressed her face into May's neck.

May patted Skye's leg. "Come on, up. We're having a serious meeting, I'll come fine you after we're done."

Skye didn't get up, but she did lift her head enough to peek at the other agents watching her. She looked to Phil. He was watching the whole exchange from beside the door.

"I can't go." Skye said quietly, snuggling back into May's neck to hide her face from the agents.

"Why not?" May asked.

"'Cos I'm sad and in pain. My arm's aching and I need a hug to make it better."

May seemed to soften at that and she conceded, putting her arms around Skye's middle and hugging her close. She kissed her temple.

"Continue with the meeting." She said to Coulson. "We'll be here."

Phil shook his head with a fond smile and turned back to the rest of the group. "Okay. Eyes on me. Suggestions?"

The meeting started up again with only a few side-glances at Agent Skye sitting in Agent May's lap, and May went back to caring for her little girl. She spoke quietly, as not to disturb the meeting any more.

"Your arm hurts?" She asked and Skye nodded. "A lot, or just a little bit?"

"Enough that I need cuddles to make it better." Skye murmured.

May smirked. "So a little."

"Maybe."

"Well," May rubbed Skye's back. "Is it feeling any better?"

"Hmm," Skye presented to think, "it needs at least another ten minutes."

May squeezed Skye, smiling. "Of course it does."

…

"Ow!" Skye complained as Simmons poked her elbow with a needle. "You suck."

Jemma continued, unperturbed. "Skye, you were very poorly only a week ago and no matter what you say, I know you're still not quite one hundred per cent. Just let me take the blood so I can make sure you're okay."

Skye pouted as Simmons pressed some cotton wool to the tiny wound. "I was fine before you started poking me with knives."

"Don't be so over dramatic, Skye." She took away the cotton wool. "There. All done, see? That wasn't so bad."

"For you, maybe."

Simmons wandered over to her desk. "You're just being grumpy. I think you're tired. Maybe you should take a nap."

"I'm not three, Jemma."

Simmons shrugged. "Then stop acting like it."

Skye stuck her tongue out at her friend and Jemma shook her head.

"Your mum won't be happy if I tell her you're being rude to me." Jemma smirked.

"She's not my mom." Skye mumbled, looking down and picking at the hem of her shirt. "I'm still pissed at you for sticking needles in me."

"Hm. You just keep trying to tell yourself that." Jemma smiled, going back to analysing Skye's blood. "I'm still going to tell your mummy on you."

"You're going to tell Skye's mommy what?"

Jemma and Skye both looked up to see Agent May lounging by the door, a little smirk gracing her face.

"Come on," May said, when neither of them spoke, "what should I know?" She walked over to where Skye was sitting and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Skye was being rude to me." Jemma said.

May raised an eyebrow at her little girl. "Skye?" Skye looked away. "That true?"

Skye shrugged. "Maybe. But she deserved it."

Simmons huffed. "Oh get over it, Skye."

"What did Jemma do?"

Skye pouted at May, looking positively adorable. "Jemma was stabbing me."

"I'm sorry, what?" May said.

"I was taking her blood, and she didn't like it. That's all."

"Oh, baby. I know it's not very nice but you've got to get it done." May sympathised, stroking Skye's cheek. The younger agent pressed her face into May's belly.

"It hurt, Mama."

"I know, baby."

"Still hurts." Skye mumbled.

May smirked. "And what, my child, could possibly make it feel better? Huh?"

Skye lifted her head and gave May a lazy smile. "Hug?" She held out her arms.

"How did I know?" May laughed. She took a step forward so that she could wrap her arms around Skye's shoulders properly. "Better?"

"Mmhm." Skye hummed. "As long as Jemma doesn't stab me any more."

May petted her hair and kissed Skye's head. "But Jemma has to know if you're healthy."

"Yes." Simmons agreed. "By the way, Skye, you're healthy." Jemma tapped the computer screen with her pen. "Perfectly healthy, well, except for the broken arm, but I can't do much about that."

"See." May said. "You're all better. No more poky needles for a while."

Skye lifted her head to look over at Simmons. "You sure I'm all good?"

"Very sure." She smiled. "Sure enough that I don't need to stab you again."

Skye grinned. "Good. I like it better when you're my best friend than when you're my worst enemy." Skye held out an arm.

"Me too." Jemma said. She wheeled over to Skye and May on her chair and accepted her invitation into the hug. She pecked Skye's cheek. "Even when you are a grump."

"Love you, too, Jem."

…

The cockpit was May's sanctuary. It was the one place on the bus where she could escape the bickering between Bobbi and Hunter, the cheers and boos during the kids' Mario kart tournaments, and even Coulson's doting on Lola. Sometimes May jest needed a bit of 'me time' and the cockpit was her place to get that.

Or at least it was until Skye came shuffling in with a grumpy pout and a constant glare at her purple cast. She plopped down onto the co-pilot's chair, and stuck her cast arm out to May.

"Will you do some ninja trick on Hunter's face?"

May quirked an eyebrow. "Yes. But I should ask why first." She leaned over to look at Skye's arm. "What am I looking at, little one?"

Skye lifted her cast up under May's nose. "Look what he did while I was napping. The dick."

"Language." May warned.

"Fine. Jerk."

May held up the cast and inspected the new addition of words on the top, perfectly written in thick, black capital letters.

She read them aloud. "Don't poke the bear."

"He called me a bear." Skye huffed, pulling back her arm and cradling it her chest, as she'd taken to doing since having it put in the cast. "And he implied that I'm grumpy."

"Well…"

Skye looked scandalised. "You agree with him?"

"I didn't say that." May said. "But, baby, you can be a little grouchy at the minute."

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am on your side. And I'm not happy about Hunter writing that on your cast, but he's got a point."

"Mama."

"You threw a shoe and Trip yesterday because he changed the channel on the TV." May said. "Honestly, I think they're all just a little scared of you."

"Well," Skye smiled at May, "I am pretty scary."

"Yeah. Sure you are."

Skye pouted. "I'm still mad at Hunter, though. Calling me a bear." She glared at the words on her cast, mumbling her distain for the British mercenary.

"Don't worry, baby." May said. "I'm sure Bobbi is kicking his ass as we speak."

Skye grinned. "I hope so."

"And I'll beat the crap out of him for upsetting you. No one messes with Mama bear's cubs."

"Yeah." Skye giggled. "Mama May's baby bears."

"Hey." May said. Skye looked over at her. "C'mere." She patted her knee.

Skye smiled and stepped across the gap between the two chairs in the cockpit, dropping onto May's lap and resting her head on her shoulder. May rubbed Skye's back and rocked her gently, pressing her nose into her hair.

"I don't really hate Hunter." Skye said quietly after a few minutes.

"I know." May smiled. "You guys bicker, but I know you love each other, really."

Skye wrinkled her nose. "I don't love him. That's Bobbi's job."

"Love him like a brother?"

"Maybe. A really annoying and infuriating brother."

May snorted. "Sounds about right." She lifted Skye's cast up. "You want me to draw over this? I'm not sure I can salvage the stylistic aspects of your cast, but I can scribble over Hunter's words."

Skye seemed to consider the offer for a few seconds, but then shook her head. "Nah. I'm not mad anymore. It's kinda funny really."

"Good girl." May kissed her temple and stroked Skye's hair until she put her head back onto her shoulder. "Chin up. This stupid cast will be off before you know it."

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"I wouldn't be mad if you kicked Hunter's ass a little bit."

"I'll keep that in mind, Skye."

…

With everything that had happened to Skye during the course of her life, it was always going to be inevitable that she was going to have nightmares.

As a child, she'd dreamed of the worst foster parents she'd ever had when she was little. A foster mother who resented Skye for not being her biological child, and had taken it out on her with screamed words that she had been far too young to understand. A foster father who only wanted a child for the most disgusting reasons, and who banged on doors while Skye hid under beds and in the top of closets.

As a teenager, Skye had found herself waking up screaming after images of bullies at school haunted her long after leaving the building at the end of the day. Bitchy girls teasing her for her second-hand clothes, and mean boys who had no problem with making a game of throwing food at her during lunch. Their faces haunted her dreams right up until a new trauma over took them.

Being shot was terrifying enough. So many nightmares had come from that. Sounds of the gun, Quinn's smarmy face, Coulson's voice panicking in her ear. It was somewhere during these dreams that Skye managed to train herself to wake without screaming and waking up the entire bus. A skill that came in handy after HYDRA, after Ward betrayed them, after her whole life went to shit.

Skye was used to having nightmares, and generally she coped well and on her own, but sometimes, the images that invaded her during her sleep were just too much to bear.

This was a bad one. One of the worst Skye had suffered in a long time. She awoke, gasping for breath and sobbing hysterically, disorientated and feeling sick, in sweat dampened sheets that tangled around her feet.

With very little conscious thought, using most of her cognitive ability to concentrate on not hyperventilating, Skye got out of bed and stumbled through the bus, until she reached May's bedroom, situated behind the cockpit. She probably should have knocked, but the plane was dark and everyone else was sleeping and Skye was scared.

The bedroom was mostly dark when Skye entered, only lightly illuminated by the computer desktop on the small desk in the corner, but she saw May sit up and bed and whip her head around to the door.

"Skye?" She said sleepily and Skye sobbed in relief at the sound of her voice. "Oh, baby, what's wrong? Come here." May opened her arms for her little girl and Skye rushed across the small space to climb into the bed with May.

"Mama." She sobbed into May's chest.

May rubbed her back and rocked her gently, pulling the duvet up and over her when Skye began shivering.

"What happened, baby? Tell me, Skye."

Skye tried her best to gain enough composure to speak. She swallowed a few times and managed to stop the tears, although her breath still came out stutteringly.

"I…I, had a… a b-bad dream."

"A nightmare?"

"Bad one, Mama."

May pulled Skye's closer and lay them down side by side in her bed so she could see Skye's face. She brushed her baby girl's tears away from her cheeks with the pads of her thumbs and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, my baby." She said, gently stroking Skye's hair. "My baby girl. You want to tell me about it?"

Skye closed her eyes. She honestly couldn't remember the bulk of the nightmare. She was quite sure Ward had featured, but that wasn't unusual for her nightmares. Even if the details were sketchy, the trauma was still evident in the way Skye felt herself beginning to get upset again.

"Hey, it's okay." May said, having apparently noticed Skye's distress. "I'm not going to make you talk about it if you don't want to."

Skye opened her eyes. "S'okay, Mama."

"You were scared?"

"Mmhm."

May cuddled Skye close, tucking the duvet up around her chin. "You can stay here tonight, okay? You don't need to be scared anymore, baby girl."

Skye gave her a watery smile and nuzzled her nose into May's shoulder. "Because Mama bear will protect me?"

"Oh, yes." May rubbed her back. "Mama bear takes good care of her cubs. Especially her baby one." She kissed Skye's nose. "Remember that."

"I will, Mama bear."

"Good girl."

They lay quietly for so long, that May assumed Skye had eventually fallen asleep, but then she made a little snuffling noise and moved her face away from May's shoulder to look up at May properly.

"Mama?"

"Yes, baby?"

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you, too, baby bear cub. Now, time for sleep."

A/N: Have a suggestion for this series? Leave it in a review! xxx