800 words
Skye, at the ripe young age of 25 was finally starting to feel like an adult. She was finally going to get to move out of her van and into an apartment, her first home on her own. It made her wish that she had parents so that she could tell them about how excited she was. Then again, a lot of things would be different if she actually had parents. Having to have to find a place to live would probably have never been an actual issue. So, lack of parental units aside, Skye was excited. That is, Skye was excited until she heard the shower running in the bath off of the master bedroom, and she noticed that someone's things were already being unpacked.
"Oh, hell no." she groans, setting the little hula girl from the dashboard of her van on the kitchen table.
"Hey, dude, I think you've got the wrong apartment!" Skye shouts, barging into the bedroom and knocking on the bathroom door. When she doesn't hear the water shut off she tests the doorknob, nearly falling into the little room when it proves to be unlocked. A woman's shrill voice shrieks as she steps out of the shower, having thought herself alone.
"Who the bloody hell are you?!" she yells, snatching a towel from the top of the toilet and covering herself.
"I'm...Skye, I...live here." Skye answers, trying really hard to stop staring and remember her home at the same time.
"I'm Dr. Jemma Simmons, and I live here. I would also very much appreciate it if you would allow me to get dressed. If you don't mind. If you would be so kind as to wait for me in the dining area?" Jemma aks, red faced and annoyed.
"You're British." Skye states dumbly.
"Yes, and very much naked, so get out." Jemma pushes the stunned younger girl out of the bathroom.
A couple of minutes later Jemma comes out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, her wet hair tied up in a lopsided bun, to find Skye sitting at the table staring morosely at a little hula dancer that one would usually find on a truck driver's dashboard.
"Who did you say that you were again?" the young doctor asks as she goes about unpacking everything that she needed to make them both tea.
"I'm Skye." Skye answers, offering no other information.
"Do you have a last name, Skye?" Jemma asks curiously. "You know my full name."
"Orphan. No last name unless you count 'Doe' which no one does." Skye scoffs.
"Do you have a preference for milk or sugar, Ms. Skye?" Jemma asks kindly, placing a cup and saucer in front of her as she takes the new information in.
"No, thank you." Skye answers, appreciating the young woman's kindness immensely as she moves her meager box of belongings off of the table so that they could actually see one another. "What brought you to the USA?"
"Work. I'm a scientist with SHIELD's xenobiology division." Jemma answers warily.
"Aliens. That's cool." Skye says, nodding her head as she sips her tea.
"It appears that we have been rented the same apartment, Ms. Skye." Jemma says after carefully going over both of their rental agreements.
"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Skye agrees. "What are we going to do about it? I was finally going to get to sleep in a bed again and I was looking forward to it." she sighs, running a hand through her long brown hair.
"Wait, where were you living before this?" Jemma asks, feeling mildly alarmed.
"You can see from the window." Skye stands up and leads Jemma to a view of the city and the parking lot.
"Where?" Dr. Simmons asks.
"That older purple van there." Skye points it out.
"You've been living out of your car?" Jemma asks, looking truly horrified as she returned to her seat at the table.
"Ever since I ran away from my foster home when I was fifteen." Skye admitted. "Except for a few years of living with my ex. I actually prefer living from the van."
"We can split the rent and live together." Jemma decides right then. "Sleeping in a bed should be a basic human right, and you're going to have it every night if I have anything to do with it. Let's get you all set up."
"Thank you so much, Jemma. It means a lot to me." Skye says with a sigh of relief and hugging her before moving her box of things into the guest bedroom. She envelopes Jemma in a hug and squeezes her tight, making the older woman acutely aware of how very naked she was under the robe.
"Well, this should be fun." she mutters as Skye walks away.
