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"You're overthinking it."
"I'm sorry," she said, frustrated, as he lowered her sweatpants-clad leg to the floor.
"This is an op, Skye," he replied, his face glistening slightly, as he took a breath and then switched off the music, going for a towel hanging on the wall hook.
"I'm having to learn this from the ground up," she said, staring after him. "I didn't get to take a semester of dance at SHIELD Academy."
"Understood," he said, turning back towards her, tossing the towel to the floor.
"You know that if May or Bobbi were available, you could've moved on by now," she said to him, arms crossed.
"But they're not," he replied, tilting his head at her. May was tailing Ward with Fitz and Mack and Bobbi was with Hunter investigating a HYDRA lead from Bakshi. "Besides, it's a useful skill to have. Lets you completely survey a room virtually undetected."
"Understood," she replied robotically.
"Then what's the problem?" he asked, shrugging. He pulled the t-shirt away from his body a little as it stuck to him. "Is it me?" She rolled her eyes and looked away from him. "Is this causing you to feel out of control?" he said, concerned, referring to her powers.
"Let's just start again from the beginning," she said, the corners of her mouth turned down.
Coulson nodded and started the music back, putting the controller down and walking towards her, holding his hand up to lead.
"I just...," she started, taking his hand as they began to move, stepping across him. "I don't know how you and May can do this and not feel things."
"You think we don't feel things?" he asked, sweeping her down towards the floor, palm against her lower back to hold her. "Of course we feel things."
"So what do you do, then?" she asked, holding her breath for a moment as he drew his hand across the middle of her back to bring her face to face with him again. "This dance is all about feeling."
He took her hand then spun her around and held her from behind as their hips moved together and they stepped forward, then back.
"Compartmentalize," he said, leaning his head against hers. "Imagine you're dancing with someone else," he told her, putting his hands on her hips. "So it means something, but only to you."
She was wrapped in his arms for a moment, then slowly turned with him as her thigh was pressed against his, then she jerked her knee up.
"Good," he went on. "And stop thinking so much."
"Okay," she said, lowering her leg, leaning into him, as the song ended.
"We have a few more days," he said, stepping back from her, holding her arm at the elbow. "Then, it's go time."
"Thanks," she said, walking across the room to pick up her water bottle.
He eyed her curiously, as she walked towards the door.
"This has been helpful."
***
He showed up the next day and she was already in the gym waiting for him. Leggings and a t-shirt this time. Not her usual sweats.
Maybe she was finally taking this seriously?
She had the controller in her hand as he joined her on the floor, and pushing the button she stepped forward and raised her hands to him.
He smirked for a moment, then met her, willing to humor her.
Leading forward, she took several steps towards him as he moved easily with her, holding her eyes, as she stepped across him, and felt his foot catch for a moment. Sliding around behind him with a few steps, she dragged her hands along his shoulders.
"Not used to being lead?" she asked, meeting him on his other side as she grabbed his free hand and held their arms out together.
"I'm a quick study," he said, following her as they moved across the room together, then stopped and turned.
She swayed her hips as her hand went to his neck then traced a path down his back in time with the music.
"Improvising?" he asked, grasping her hand and stomping his foot to the ground before spinning her around.
Leaning back against him, she wrapped his hands around her body with her own.
He took her hand quickly and extended it leading them in that direction as they moved across the room.
She turned and went down to her knee, and he pulled her up towards him, letting him drag her foot along the floor.
Then she stopped, and put both her arms behind his shoulders, leaning him back into a dip, running her fingertip along his throat, before jerking him back up into her arms.
"Skye," he breathed, as she smiled at him then lead them together in a tight circle. "What are you doing?"
"Compartmentalizing," she said, looking at his mouth and then up at his eyes.
The music stopped and he was still holding onto her, his eyes wide.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
***
"This was a good lesson," she said.
"You were great," he said, walking towards her, his jacket tucked into the crook of his arm, the steps of his shoes echoing against the walls.
After it was all said and done, here they were standing in the gym together. Back at the base. Mission accomplished without a hitch.
"Made you nervous, didn't I?" she smiled at him, biting her lip.
"Yes," he confessed, stopping a ways from her.
She was still wearing the dress from earlier that evening. Long and black, and the slit up the side hidden until she moved.
"You should trust me by now," she said, touching her fingers against the column next to her.
"I was expecting...a different tango," he said, putting his hands into his pockets.
"I'd never compromise a mission," she replied, looking at him seriously. "You know that."
"I do," he said, laughing at himself, then shaking his head, looking down at the floor.
"Did you forget to compartmentalize?"
His head shot up to look at her, his eyes wide again. "Yes," he said, after a moment, peering at her.
She looked at the shelf on the column and picked up the controller from it. Took a step forward, all leg.
"Shall we dance?"
He dropped his jacket and met her across the floor as she stood before him.
As the music began, he took her hand, and raised it, sliding his into hers.
Instead, she moved behind him, and ran her hand across his heart, as he intertwined his fingers with hers, she pulled away and slid her arm along his back, coming alongside him, then turning herself into his arms as the tempo changed.
Hand holding her waist and running along her side, he pushed her away as she spun from him, then she stopped as he met her, falling into her arms, cradling her, as her hand touched his hair and her fingers pressed along his bare forearm.
He spun her again, stepping back to follow her step, then tracing his fingers along the length of her arm, linking their fingers together, as he pressed his forehead against hers.
The next step he took, her leg tangled against his. A step back. A step forward. Hips pressed together in time to the music.
Then she put her hands on his shoulders and turned him around, leaning into his back and sliding her leg up along his, until it reached his hip as she held him against her with her arms against his chest. She let him go and pushed away, as he turned back to her and followed until they were against the wall and he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.
"Coulson," she breathed, running her fingers along the open neck of his dress shirt, working apart a few more buttons as his mouth pressed against hers harder in answer, his hands up against the wall.
His skin was hot and damp, and when he stopped kissing, she could feel him looking down over her, his hand coming off the wall to lift her thigh away from the folds of her dress into his view. His fingers ran over it, eager.
"I want to touch you," he said, looking back up at her. "All of you."
She slid her leg around him as he lifted up her hips and she reached for his mouth again, sliding her tongue against his as he began to grind her up against the wall to the sound of her moaning.
Her evening dress came apart as he fit his hands between her and the wall, pulling the zipper down her back, lowering her to slide the dress down to the floor.
He kneeled before her and slid his hands over her thighs, her stomach, her waist, kissing his way back up.
"Please, let me," he asked, running his fingers under the lace edge of her underwear.
"I want you," she said. "Inside me."
His answer was to press his mouth against her underwear. As she jerked above him, his hands pulled at the lace, sliding them to her knees as he spread her with his thumbs and then pushed his tongue inside.
He worked it in, tasting her, then his fingers, feeling her building so quickly to a climax.
"How's that?"
"Mmm."
She had pressed her legs together, and with a few more flicks of his tongue and she was pulling at his hair, tensing over him, as he was easing her down.
Or, she was easing him down, pushing him onto his back, to the floor.
He splayed out, his hands to his sides, watching her catch her breath, as she took his belt apart and slid his boxers and his pants down all at once.
Then, she was stroking his cock with one hand, as his head tipped back. He was already so close. Too close.
"Please. Skye."
Her hand slid up and down him a few more times, eager.
"I want to be inside you," he said, putting his hand on hers.
She kissed him deeply, then moved her body over his, sliding against him, like when they had danced. Then on her knees, giving up a little moan, as she lowered herself onto him.
Moving against him first, he pulled at her hips, finding a rhythm that matched.
"Oh. Oh, Skye."
"Uh, Phil," she said, leaning down over him now, her mouth against his ear.
He pressed down on her lower back, holding her against him, coming.
"That easy, huh?" she said, relaxing against him.
Taking in a couple of deep breaths, he touched his fingers against her back, smiling.
"Compartmentalization."