[1] Take the Shot | Leo Fitz

12

Nina had stayed back on the Bus with Simmons while the rest of the team were out looking for a piece of the rod in a church. She didn't like being benched but Coulson gave the order as she hadn't stopped to take a break in a while, Nina had been on since dealing with Richard Hall and sooner or later that unwavering work ethic would be her downfall. However, Nina's break was less than relaxing as 5 minutes into it, the sound of Ward in pain flooded their comms and the announcement system of the plane. She was anxious for the team to return and once they did she went straight to her best friend.

Ward was sitting in the lab with Skye, while Simmons was being told by Fitz and Coulson what had happened, May was nowhere to be seen but that was normal.

"Ward, are you alright?" Nina burst into the lab and drew Ward's attention. it was clear that Skye had been trying to talk to him but was failing. Nina marched over to her friend and placed a hand on his cheek. Ward leaned into her touch and looked her in the eye, he looked traumatised but was still trying to act unbothered, "what happened?"

"I touched the staff then I... um I thought about something I haven't thought about in a long time," he told her. Nina just nodded, not liking seeing him so vulnerable and stepped closer to him. She was effectively standing between his legs with their bodies pressed together, the action was purely platonic and done between two close friends, although Skye knew that, she didn't like seeing it.

"Thomas," Ward whispered his brother's name and Nina knew exactly why he was so distraught. The two specialists had gotten drunk back in the academy and shared the war stories of their childhood, while Nina's were mainly about her dead father, dead sister and absentee mother, Ward had spoken of a well and a day that ruined his and his little brother's life.

Nina didn't say anything, she didn't need to. Instead, she allowed Ward to rest his head on her chest and she cradled the back of his head. He was trembling, it was too slight for the eye to pick it up but Nina could feel the shaking as their bodies touched. She wanted nothing more than to take the pain from him as he had done for her when she was recovering in the hospital after Cambodia but she didn't know how to.

Nina and Ward would have most likely stayed in their position if it hadn't been for FitzSimmons entering the lab and Skye clearing her throat for their attention. No one spoke for a second as Nina walked over to lean against a table and Fitz watched her, he didn't know how to feel after seeing her holding Ward as she had but once she looked into his blue eyes and smiled the widest most genuine smile he'd seen from her, all concern left his body.

"Coulson ordered me to give you a full work-up, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Um, before you lost consciousness, were you feeling claustrophobic?" Simmons asked Ward as she walked towards him, he looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"Why?"

"She's ruling out a panic attack," Fitz answered his question.

"I don't panic," Ward deadpanned and Nina scoffed.

"Everyone panics Grant, even I do," she told him, a little disappointed that his invincible persona came back up so quickly.

"I don't panic. Ever," he repeated his previous response without even sparing Nina a look and she just rolled her eyes. She knew Ward too well to be hurt by his pride.

"There we go, ruled out," Simmons told him, also sensing Ward wasn't going to open up about anything.

"Touching the staff caused it, right?" Skye asked him and he nodded ever so slightly.

"Any residual effects? Are you exhibiting any extra strength?" Simmons asked a shockingly valid question and Ward looked past Skye at the feed of the holding cell, where Coulson was with Randolph.