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"It wasn't real. They were just messing with my head," Coulson said, unsure if he was trying to convince himself or Skye, because he knew better than to think those visions he'd seen were anything but not real. Skye's singular raised eyebrow told him she didn't buy any of it either. But she decided to let it rest, grateful that he was back in one piece, alive and well - she had been worried sick since since he was taken by Centipede. Plus, he had been kind enough to remove the tracking bracelet that she so vehemently detested.
"My first day without the bracelet!" Skye wiggled her fingers in glee as she sat in her bunk, still wide awake at half past two in the morning, fully intending to celebrate her newly regained technological freedom. Firstly, it was time to do a little "catching up with the news" as she called it - which was more like gaining remote access to people's online activity to see what they had been up to recently. All relatively harmless, just browsing around. She learnt that various members of the Rising Tide were hack-vocating (hacking and advocating) some social cause, a select few were up to shady, potentially nefarious activities, whilst others seemed to enjoy pulling the usual hacker pranks. Skye made a mental note to keep tabs on the ones who seemed to be up to no good and checked around to see if Miles had been up to anything, although that was doubtful since he couldn't use a computer without setting it off, thanks to SHIELD's bracelet.
"But what is a celebration without a drink?" she thought, and Skye headed for the bus' well-stocked bar to see if she could score herself a bottle of bubbly to enjoy. She smirked as she spotted the gold gleam of the Taittinger sitting in the wine cooler. Skye tiptoed quietly to the bar, so as not to wake Coulson who seemed to have fallen asleep on the couch, TV remote still in his hand and dressed in his signature black suit. She gently took the remote from his hand and switched off the TV and was in the midst of figuring out the best was to open a champagne bottle neatly and quietly when she heard a strangled noise from behind her. Skye turned around to see Coulson curled up on the sofa with a grimace on his face and wincing in pain. "No, no, please, stop, please, let me die, please," he murmured in his sleep.
Skye's heart shattered when she saw the man she knew to be determined and courageous, so vulnerable, so broken. She shuddered to think what terrible things must have happened to him, and wondered what did he see in his newly recovered memories, what did SHIELD do to him?
"Wake up Coulson, wake up, its only a nightmare, wake up" Skye said as she tugged on his hand and shook him, trying to wake him from the nightmare. Coulson blinked at the figure before him, tears in his eyes "Skye?" he gasped. "Its ok, I'm here, nobody is going to hurt you," Skye said reassuringly as she held his hands. "Its just a nightmare, shhh...." He clung on to her hands, eyes wide with fear. "Don't go," he rasped out.
Skye couldn't resist the urge to stroke his soft, if not sparse hair and Coulson seemed to relax a little. She reached for the champagne bottle and yanked off the cork, pouring him a glass "Here, you look like you need this more than I do."
Coulson took a sip, recovering a little, he asked "Champagne? What's the occasion?" Skye waved her bracelet-free hand at him and grinned "Thank you, here's to you." She said, pouring herself a second glass and briefly toasting him before gulping it all down. "No, thank you, for saving my life," he replied. Skye blushed a little and nodded in acquiescence. Soon, they polished off the entire bottle, Coulson drinking more than his fair share. "He sure looked like he needed it," Skye thought.
As it turns out, drunk Coulson was much less of a robot than sober Coulson, and while he wasn't that much more chatty, the guy actually seemed to smile, or at least what could pass off as a smile. "I could get used to this," Skye thought absentmindedly as she sat there observing him. "Definitely much cuter with the smile."
"Perhaps we should get to bed," Coulson drawled sleepily as he tried to get up but promptly tripped over his own feet and landed right back onto the couch. He was drunk, incredibly drunk. Skye tried to help him up but boy was he heavy. "Maybe the robot goes to the gym in his free time," she thought. Lifting heavy things (or people) was not her forte and there was no way she could drag him up the flight of stairs to his office. "Bed," he whined insistently. So Skye dragged him to the nearest empty bed she could find - her own bunk.
After dropping him onto her bed, Coulson tugged at his suit irritably, trying to get it off, but with little success. Skye looked at him amusedly, "I thought you liked your suits." "Uncomfortable for sleeping in, they look nice though," he said, huffing in frustration as he tried and failed to remove his jacket. Laughing at how innocent he looked when inebriated, Skye helped him out of his jacket and he insisted the shirt and tie must go too.
As she undid the buttons on his shirt, she let out a little gasp at the huge scar that ran across his chest. It was much worse than she had imagined. She ran a finger across it, before tucking him into bed. Wounded like that and then revived? That sure explains the trauma, even without the details. Just as she turned to leave, Coulson reached out to grab her hand "Stay, please? Don't want the nightmares." Skye sidled up and sat next to him on the bed and he pulled her down to lie on top of him, hugging her close.
"I'm lying on top of Coulson," she thought and the shock was soon replaced by a buzz of excitement. She'd always had a little crush on AC and his quiet, unassuming ways. And while the suits screamed "I'm an agent!" they were also incredibly sexy, not to mention those beautiful eyes and velvety voice. But he was her superior and she'd never dreamt of acting on it, thinking he would never return her feelings and she would probably get in more trouble than she was already in. His actions tonight seemed to prove otherwise, or maybe he was just drunk and he needed company. Either way, she was not cruel enough to leave him to his night terrors, and having Coulson as a human pillow for a night wasn't half bad, he was warm and he smelt nice. She subtly took a whiff of his cologne before snuggling up and dozing off.
After a while, Coulson began to squirm under her, waking Skye up just as she was about to fall asleep, and he tugged at her hand insistently. Skye cracked open an eye groggily, wondering what was it he wanted this time. Her question was soon answered as he placed her hand over what was unmistakably a bulge. Now both her eyes shot wide open. A little apprehensive but excited, she gave it a little squeeze and was rewarded as he ground back needily into her hand. Experimentally she tried squeezing it and stroking it a little, and with every movement, Coulson seemed to get harder and his breaths turned to ragged pants.
"Need," he gasped, and Skye needed no further instruction, she helped him undo his trousers, freeing his engorged manhood which bounced up to greet her. She hurriedly got rid of her own sweatpants, she was already wet and craving for him. Coulson helped her as she slowly lowered herself over his length, feeling herself being stretched from inside in a really good way. He fit perfectly. Soon, they were moving in tandem as Coulson leaned up to capture her lips in a kiss. Their moans intensified as they neared the edge, and once he felt her hot walls squeezing him and her gasps of pleasure, he couldn't hold it in any longer and came inside of her, filling her completely. He pulled her close and they both fell into a peaceful sleep, with Coulson having no nightmares for the first time since being revived.
Skye awoke the next morning and found something warm cuddled up against her in her tiny bunk bed, and the memories of last night came flooding back. Coulson was still fast asleep, but as soon as Skye made a move to get out of bed, he too woke up. "Hey," he grinned, "Good morning." "Good morning," Skye replied hesitantly, unsure as of yet how to deal with this morning after experience. At least Coulson seemed rather happy and not eager to get rid of her, she thought.
Sensing her uncertainty, he sat up and motioned for her to sit next to him. "Skye, how do I say this, I don't mean for this to be a one night stand. I'm sorry last night I was too drunk to say the things I should have said, so please hear me out." Coulson took her hand in his and continued "I was never in Tahiti, SHIELD made me believe so because the process of reviving me was so painful I had lost the will to live, so they replaced those memories with a vacation in Tahiti instead. But the thing is, now, I don't need those artificial memories to restore my will to live. Because I've found something, or should I say someone worth living for, and that's you Skye. I've loved you since the day we erm, kidnapped you from your van, and the when you came into the hut and woke me up from that machine, I've never been happier to see anyone in my life. It was like seeing an angel at the end of the tunnel. Skye, you're my angel, and I love you."
Skye sat there stunned by his confession before elatedly climbing into his lap and kissing him. "Phil, can I call you Phil now?" Coulson nodded and smiled. "I love you too. And I'll be here for you, no more nightmares, I promise."
For the first time since being revived, Coulson felt his life was complete. And he had the courage to face those memories that was locked away from him, because now he knew that whatever pain there was, it was all over, and he didn't need the memories of Tahiti because he had something better to live for - the girl of his dreams.
Outside the bunks, FitzSimmons were gossiping away. "Simmons, did you hear that last night, someone was moaning in Skye's bunk, I think she's got a guest. I know it because her bunk's right next to mine, I swear I hardly got any sleep!"
"Who could it be? It has to be someone on the team since no one else has boarded since our last mission. Is it Ward?"
"Ward was up early training, I saw him. Nobody has left the bunk since last night. And I doubt May swings that way and she's probably flying the bus. And it was certainly not me."
"If its not Ward, and not you, and well, definitely not me. That leaves......"
"Coulson?!" They say in unison.
FitzSimmons stare at each other in wide-eyed horror.