Chapter Text
“You two are going on a mission-” Coulson blinked as he took in the scene in front of him as he entered the room. Hunter was struggling feebly on the mat, Skye sat on his back twisting his arm behind him with her right hand as she held a book in the other looking bored.
“Sir-” Hunter wheezed “Get this witch off me-” he coughed. Coulson’s brow lightly twitched at the phrasing, closing his eyes for a moment to take a deep breath in. Skye would hand- “OW!” He opened his eyes, watching Hunter clutch the back of his head, whining as Skye released him, having clearly smacked him.
“What’s the mission?” She asked, brushing herself off a bit.
“Have you been working out?” Coulson raised his brows. Skye always kept in shape sure, but she was bulking up a bit now.
“Steve suggested weightlifting to take full advantage of my strength factor, he had some good tips.” She shrugged a little. Coulson rose a brown before giving a short nod.
“We’re sending you both to offer help to a Shield team that is being targeted by a group of assassins. It’s a team of six, their hacker is unknown but their equipment is good, your jobs are to protect the three man team of scientists at their safehouse until you can take out the enemy team” Skye frowned
“I can do this on my own.” Hunter rolled his eyes strongly.
“Everyone needs backup, just don’t bloody well sit on me-”
“Behave, both of you.” Coulson stared firmly at them both as they glared at eachother. Skye scoffed, scowling as she looked away from him. He knew he should really reprimand this. Hunter was annoying, but she was going overboard teaching him lessons. She was being mean, and while no one could really blame her, he knew it was out of character.
And he could see why, it was his mistake to pair her with a partner so soon. It had only been a few months since what happened, she wasn’t ready to trust again. But that was fine, Hunter didn’t need to be trusted, he needed to be watched, and she would do that.
“We’ll move out in ten.” Hunter huffed as Skye left the room, rolling his shoulders to try and fight off the stiffness as Coulson left as well. He felt a teeny bit bad for Hunter.
Not much though.
They moved out quickly, Skye was surprised to see Hunter at the quinjet in only five, but she didn’t spare a single comment for it, getting them in the air and setting their trajectory. He sat beside her, arms crossed grumpily but not putting his feet on the control panel this time.
“Mission details are here.” She passed him the folder. He gave her a surprised look, taking the file and reading it over.
“I didn’t realize missions meant homework. This is a lot of reading. You’ve already done it?”
“While I was waiting,” she answered flatly.
“What, are you a genius or something?” He snorted.
“Yes.” She answered evenly. Hunter coughed.
“What? I was just joking, you’re not actually- are you?”
“I have five degrees and a graduate certificate from The Shield Academy of Science and Tech.” she answered as flatly as possible, disinterested in the conversation as his mouth hung open.
“Bloody hell, you’ve got it all huh? What next? You’re rich?” she didn’t answer, watching in the corner of her eye as he sank into his seat. “You fucking are aint ya?”
“Shut up and read. You won’t have time to review when we get there.” Hunter wrinkled his nose but finally complied this time as she sent him a dark glare.
“Jemma left for some mission right, when is she-”
It only lasted a few minutes.
“Read.” Hunter huffed but went back to reading, dozing off a bit halfway through the file before waking back up and continuing to read, barely managing to skim it all before they finally arrived, landing in the backyard of a rural home.
“This is the place?”
“No Hunter this is the home of a random couple I picked at random.” Hunter rolled his eyes.
“You don’t have to be an asshole you know.”
“Neither do you.” She pointed out. Hunter glared back at her. She was actually ticking him off. He’d been making an actual effort, since she seemed to hate him and he’d be stuck with her for who knows how long, but she wouldn’t budge. He’d been trying for a week, reigning his own comments in (and that was hard alright? Very hard ) for her sake and it was getting him nowhere. And giving up and being a dick again just got him pinned down while she read a book waiting for him to give up.
“Agent Collins,” The woman that greeted them at the back door looked incredibly relieved to see her, smiling softly, opening the door wider.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again professor Grande, I understand you and your three associates are being hunted?”
“Yes, there used to be four of us but one was caught by them. We know what’s going on now, it’s no coincidence she was murdered like this, We’ve been documenting the people we see often and face ID matches some former Shield agents, but they have to be part of Hydra if they’re doing this.” Grande ranted softly,
“Well we just have to kill them right?” Grande looked incredulously at Hunter as he grinned. Skye sighed.
“We’ll get it handled then set you up in a new location professor, so please rest easy. I’ll keep watch at the entrances. Try and get some rest, you look exhausted.” Grande smiled appreciatively.
“Thank you for coming again.” She thanked her softly before heading upstairs. Once she was gone Skye shot Hunter a look.
“What? We’re just here to kill them right? That’s what Coulson said!” Hunter defended himself.
“He said to protect them, that means we have to move them to another location as well, set up new identities for them and get them prepared to hide more properly this time, so it doesn’t happen again.” She explained dismissively.
“How the hell was I supposed to know that? You’re not even giving me a damn chance here.” She twitched lightly, her right hand clenching tightly into a fist. It throbbed in response as she dug her nails tightly into her palm, pain blossoming from the pressure.
“I’ll take watch.”
“We can switch.” She didn’t argue or accept, taking a seat in the kitchen, closing her eyes softly. She kept an eye on everything as she did so. “So uh, I’m taking first watch then?” He blinked, looking a little confused.
“No. I’m watching the entrances.” She answered calmly, offering no explanation.
“You have your eyes closed.” He pointed out in a complete deadpan tone.
“And you brought a knife in your pocket and a spare gun in your bag. Your point?” Hunter jolted a bit, eyes widening at her.
“There’s no way you don't have some kind of future sight or something, that’s freaky.” He sat down in the couch chair next to her. She grunted softly in response, refusing to answer. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, Hunter needed to be taught his place, that was true, but she knew to some extend he was trying, and she wasn’t giving him any credit for that.
She was just tearing him down at every turn when he’d been so clearly trying to buddy up to her for a week straight till he finally gave up and his ugly personality came back. Natasha was her sollace in that week especially, she was ready to explode because he was constantly following her around and she hated it.
His very presence bothered her. He was an unreliable factor, someone who didn’t belong in Shield.
She didn’t wake him up for second watch when she noticed him drifting off. Instead she quietly moved around the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee once morning came. He naturally woke up a bit after dawn, looking annoyed but not surprised at her. He didn’t comment this time as she drank coffee, the pot already half empty from the share the scientists had taken earlier.
“So where do we start with this group?”
“I’ve traced them to a warehouse a few miles south in the industrial district.” She answered “A car was hovering nearby, I identified the driver as one of our guys and used a private server to grab his phone’s location and track him back there.” She answered calmly. “I can go and clear them out while you stay here-”
“Are you seriously just going to spend this entire mission treating me like I can’t do a damn thing.” Skye stared at him blankly.
“That single phone location tells us nothing of the other five people. If one of them is here watching you need to take care of it when I attack their main location.” Hunter faltered.
“Oh uh, I’ll handle it.” He blinked a bit, surprised at the sudden responsibility.
She hated it, hated having to trust him. Hated having to leave something so important in his hands. She hated even more the way he looked a little happy. “I’ll handle it all here, don’t worry.” He grinned, Skye letting out a soft sigh before nodding.
“Give the professor one of your guns just in case. She’s not much of a fighter but it’ll be good to have them armed in case someone sneaks past you, even if the gunshot only serves to alert you.”
“Roger, I’ll go give it to her now, I’ll keep my com on, tell me if anything goes wrong.” She nodded stiffly, grabbing her bag and leaving through the front door. She watched the street, finding no lurking cars or people this time and moved on, making her way to the warehouse. She took out the group. But only ended with five bodies.
“One is missing, be on alert.”
“Yeah uh- about that.” She paused as she pulled her usb from the computer. She bolted back to the house as Hunter laughed nervously in her ear. She saw it before he even spoke.
“Well uh… I guess we know what the sixth one was doing. No one’s hurt at least.” She watched in horror at the flaming quinjet in the yard, scraps flung every which way in a large explosion, the house in flames as she watched Hunter usher the three scientists into their SUV. She got in the driver's seat, pulling them out of the driveway as she tried to resist the anger building up.
She shouldn’t have left him with them, she should have waited till she could confirm the presence of all six. No mistakes would have been made if she did it that way. No mistakes would have been made if Coulson had just sent her alone.
“Yeah?”
“The house is in flames, we need another safe house.” Coulson coughed.
“I- alright. There’s another available safe house in the province a town over, please don’t burn this one down though.” She didn’t respond to the lightheartedness in his tone.
“Thank you, I’ll handle everything else.” She hung up, taking a glance at the address as the message appeared before navigating them to it. They headed into the new house without delay, parking the car in the garage and Skye started making calls immediately, sorting things out as quickly as she could.
“We have flights for you first thing tomorrow, you’ll take them to a neighboring country where I’ve gotten you all citizenship. Your safehouse there and new identities should keep you safe as you continue to work. We’ve dispatched the team after you and eliminated all the information they used to find you.” Grande smiled thankfully.
“Thank you both.” She gleaned to Hunter as she spoke. “We couldn’t have survived without your help. Thank you truly but will you be alright going back without the jet?”
“It’s no problem professor, we’ll find our way back.” She smiled reassuringly. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“You lied didn't you.” Hunter deadpanned as they walked down the sidewalk aimlessly.
“I really don't want to talk to you right now.” Hunter scoffed.
“Yeah sure, it wasn’t even my fault. I prioritized them just like you asked, and you never told me how many were with you so of course I didn’t go out to fight him when I saw him planting the bomb. It would be risky if another was around.” Skye gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down as she called Coulson.
“What’s up?”
“The quinjet got blown up by one of the assassins. We’re going to make our way back to base unconventionally. I’ll book a flight back.”
“...Alright.” Coulson sighed heavily “I’ll replace it as soon as we can afford it, just… go easy on him a bit.” She pursed her lips.
“I’ll see you when we get back.” She hung up.
“So we’re hopping on a flight?”
“Yes.” She didn't offer anything more, trying her best to ignore him as they made their way to the airport in a cab.
“I’m sorry ma’am, we don’t have any available flights right now.” Skye paused for a moment. She didn’t really like doing this, Tony reveled in it, but she never had. She reached into her wallet, slipping a card out and pessing it onto the counter, smiling evenly as the woman froze, her gaze clinging to the black card sat before her.
“I would like your earliest flight possible, I’ll pay now for any fees associated.”
“I uh..” She stared at it for a moment “I’ll get it sorted.” she smiled nervously, very gently picking up the card and swiping it. Skye didn’t ask the cost and the attendant didnt offer it up, gently handing back her card.
“Your flight to New York leaves in an hour. There’s a private VIP waiting room we can offer you until then.” She nodded, smoothly moving to it as directed, Hunter moving after her.
“Was that a fucking black card? So you are rich.” Hunter grinned, laughing a little as he sat down on the couch of the VIP room. Skye checked around a bit, making sure there were no cameras or recording devices before she sat down.
“Please stop talking.” She sighed. Hunter rolled his eyes.
“You know if you gave me an actual chance this wouldn’t be so miserable.”
“I did give you a chance.” She shot back. Because she had, right? She was acting like this because he annoyed her. He gave her an incredulous look.
“You hated me from the moment I joined, I literally tried me best to be nice and you still hated my guts.” Skye frowned, “ And you wont trust me with anything, you barely trusted me to protect the scientists, I did, and it costed the jet but hell, they’re still alive. You wouldn’t trust me to take watch, you don’t trust my skills,and you’re constantly watching me. Look, I get you have trust issues but come on-”
“I don’t have trust issues.” She snapped. He snorted.
“Sure.”
“Will you shut the hell up?” She hissed, glaring heatedly at him. He glared back at her.
“No, give me a fucking chance at least. I’m trying my damn best here to please you because the big man said we’re stuck together, I’m even taking your orders when he never said I had to, I get I’m a mercenary fine, but give me an ounce of credit instead of whatever the fuck this is.” She flinched, the realization snapping into place in an instant.
She had been watching Hunter like a hawk this past week, keeping an eye on his every movement. She’d scrutinized his every move and only grew more judgemental and uneasy the more she watched him. Because he seemed nice, he seemed genuine.
But she’d fallen for that before.
Hunter paused at the look she was giving him.
“Are… you okay?” He asked softly, she swallowed thickly, resting her mouth in her hands.
“...You’re right, I’ve been unfair to you.” She muttered softly. Hunter flinched a bit.
“Hey, I- Damn it this feels weird now. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad just… give me a chance yeah? I understand shit happens and I’m not reputable but-”
“No, it’s… a me problem.” She admitted bleakly, slowly re-assessing the content of the week with a more unbiased eye.
“What?” he blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she hesitated, because the last time she’d shared her emotions with a partner he’d twisted them like daggers in her mind, taunting her with every detail she’d shared in confidence.
“... My last partner turned out to be Hydra, that’s how my hands got this way.” Hunter froze up, glancing down to her hands. He hadn’t really thought to comment on it before. The robo hand was cool looking, though she was covering it with a glove now to blend in, but her right hand was deformed, heavily scarred and jagged.
He suddenly felt bad for all his pushing. “Oh…” He replied unintelligently, blinking a bit. “If it helps any, I totally am not a Nazi.” She snorted softly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips in amusement.
“You sure are weird though.” He grinned widely at the inch she had given him.
“How about this, you get to shoot me if I betray you, deal?” She raised her brows at him.
“How chivalrous.” he laughed “But fine, I was gonna do that anyways if you did.” He fake gasped.
“How rude, and I was bearing my heart here.” She rolled her eyes, lighter this time, not as angry or annoyed.
“You’re still annoying.” he shrugged
“My constant chatter is part of my charm love.” He grinned. She let let out a soft sigh. “So… we getting first class?”
“Probably, I didn't ask but when she saw the card I’m sure she went for all the bells and whistles by default.”
“How much do those cards cost anyways? I always see them costing a bunch but I've never heard how much they really are.”
“Fifteen grand to buy one but qualifying requires a million dollars of assets minimum,” she answered after a moment of hesitance. “Normal black cards are expensive yes, but this one’s a more exclusive kind.”
“Oh so you’re rich rich.”
“Not anymore, I spent most of my money on Shield.” She answered, forcing herself to offer something to answer his questions. She had to give him some trust, even if it was just this.
“Wow, if I had that much money I would not be spending it on rebuilding a spy agency.” She snorted softly
“I pay your salary,” she admitted. “I pay everyone's salary.” Tony had paid for a lot, but her residuals from her heavy involvement in inventing things for Stark Tech landed her a hefty paycheck yearly which right now was enough to pay for all the current staff of Shield.
“Holy shit.”
“Ma’am, sir, the flight is ready to board for you early if you’d like.” A woman gently knocked on the door before entering. Skye picked up her bag, Hunter following suit.
“Yes, thank you.” The attendant smiled nervously, easily guiding them onto the plane. They were given a VIP area to themselves. Skye folded her arms, laying back in one of the recliners as Hunter inspected every part of the suite. The way back to the base wasn’t too bad. Hunter still talked her ear off but now that she was consciously aware of what she had been doing she was paying mind to not let it get her on edge this time.
They took a car to the town near the Lighthouse, walking the rest of the way quietly.
“So.. your last partner.”
“He was kind until he wasn't. I’ll save any real answers for when I trust you.” Hunter huffed a little before shrugging.
“Fair enough.” He grinned a little, bumping his shoulder against hers as they walked through the checkpoint into the base. She was still giving him a flat look as they entered, but she was forcing herself to give him the benefit of the doubt now.
“How did it go?” Coulson was watching carefully, glancing between them.
“Aside from the Quinjet we totally lost pretty well.” Hunter grinned. Skye snorted a little, stifling it quickly as Coulson’s gaze snapped to her.
“Well enough, the safehouse was lost as well but all three were sent off quickly to a more secure location. They have new identities, funds, and a new safehouse for the moment. I wiped all information that they had been traced with and set up our system to continually cover their tracks as needed.” Coulson smiled softly, assessing for a moment.
“Good, I’m glad it went so well.” Skye rose a brow at him in mild disbelief as he smiled back at them “Rest for a bit and I’ll grab your full reports tomorrow.”
“I’ll send you a written copy for the files.” Coulson nodded gratefully, dismissing them with a smile. The quinjet and safehouse were a loss for sure, but something had shifted since they’d left. Skye seemed to have become aware of what she was doing at least, it seemed like she was making an effort to give Hunter a chance.