X marks the spot

T.A.H.I.T.I

When things happened to him it was fine. He could deal with it. He'd just heal and move on. Or, if worse came to worse. He'd done something to deserve the pain.

But when it happened to someone he knew or cared about? No, that was a line that few people crossed. One that, when crossed, the people who did so normally didn't make it to the other side.

It mainly rarely happened, as the boy never had many people he cared for. So, not many people to get hurt. But that was beside the point.

The waiting room was the last place he wanted to be. Anxiously waiting as Coulson got more and more desperate for a way to save Skye should everything fail. But everyone was declining him. They didn't understand how much she meant to the team. To them, to SHIELD as a whole, she was an outsider.

Or maybe that was just Aaron's pessimism kicking into overdrive.

He wasn't tapping his foot like he should have been doing. He wasn't pacing like he should've been doing.

He was sat in his seat, looking out a window and scrunching his hand. Thinking about how much better this would've been with a smoke or beer. Maybe that'd help a little.

His phone went off, alerting everyone in the room. They all looked at him, but he only stared at the device. One name coming up.

Rebecca Sitwell.

Numbly, he picked it up, flicked the green phone icon, placing the device to his ear, "Yeah?"

He heard a sigh of relief on the other side, "I just heard what happened. I – how are you holding up?"

Aaron scoffed, his free hand tightening in a fist. The others all watching as he seemed to just shut off the rest of the world.

"Don't do that. Don't shut me out. Don't shut them out. They just want to help."

Aaron ran a tired hand that still had some dried blood on it down his face, "I can handle myself Rebecca. You don't need to worry about me. Partners or not."

The room fell into silence again as he hung up the phone, placing it right back on the table and going back to his original position. Ignoring the looks from the others as he looked at the table. Looking to the table, he saw his reflection. One of a damaged person. Not one of the fighter that Quinn called him.

"Why didn't I stop her, I could've..." Fitz asked himself, Aaron looked at him silently. Jemma gave an answer for them all, "As if you could stop Skye from doing anything, she set her mind too."

"Shouldn't of let them go after Quinn by themselves. What was I thinking?"

"Tactically. You were thinking tactically." Fitz looked to the other one who had gone in the building, and nearly hadn't left it. His eyes showed anger, but all the other emotions were being pushed back as he continued. Never breaking the eye contact, "If you would've gone in their too, none of us would've made it out. You saved us, Fitz. With the tracker and disabling the cars. We got Quinn –"

"Yeah, but at what cost –"

"I know the fucking cost." His sneer caught them off guard. The hate that came through it. Even if he knew it wasn't directed at him, Fitz still flinched a little. "Aaron." The boy looked to Ward, "Your pissed, we all are. I am especially, but it helps no one if we snap at each other."

Aaron debated his words, before nodding and looking back to Fitz. A calmer version of the anger still shone through, "I'm sorry Fitz." Fitz only nodded but didn't make eye contact.

Blame seemed to be the name of the game, as Ward the continued it. Saying that, as her SO it was one him. But Aaron saw the glance he gave to Coulson as he said that Skye shouldn't have even been there in the first place. And while he was quick to look at Aaron and include him with that statement. It was too late; Aaron had already clocked it.