[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo Fitz

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Nina woke up in her bunk, laying in her bed with cold compresses strapped to both her arms. She was groggy and tired, still dressed in the same fitted pants and hoodie that she had been in before but despite the thick clothing, she was freezing.

She felt sick, like she was recovering from a common cold, and as she sat up, her body felt heavy. Nina wondered if she'd been sedated while she was unconscious but that thought was quickly abandoned when she saw a note on her bedside table. Handwritten by Fitz.

You ruptured veins in both your arms.
We gave you something for the pain but it should wear off soon.
The compresses should help but it'll take a while for the bruises to clear.
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.
I'll try harder this time, I promise.
Get some rest, I'll stop by with breakfast in the morning.

p.s I know you worry about your brother. He's okay,
Sif just knocked him out for calling her a bitch.

Nina read the note with a small smile on her face, laughing at the outcome of Hunter's words, before setting it down. She carefully pulled off the cold compresses from her arm and gulped at the sight of the bruises that littered her arms. They were dark and prominent, centring around her veins, which were the darkest colour they'd ever been without her powers in action.

The bruises hurt way more than they looked, and Nina learnt that the hard way when she lightly brushed her finger against one and shivered in pain.

"They were right," Nina whispered to herself as she softly reattached the compresses to her arm, sighing in relief as the cold temperature soothed her pain, "I really was killing myself."

Despite the negativity in Nina's voice, she smiled. Not because using her powers with zero control was killing her, but because Melody's face flashed through her head for a second. She'd really seen her, she'd really seen and spoken to the engineer of her late team. She'd touched her, she'd hugged her and amongst all the pessimism her life had taken on, Nina couldn't help but be happy about that.

When she'd first gotten these powers, she'd seen them as a nuisance, a bad thing but now she had a different view. If she could control them, truly control the shadows and the ghosts, maybe she could see her family again. Maybe she could hear her Dad laugh once more and Monica rambling about a new scientific discovery.

Maybe she could bring Trip back, let the team see him and give him the chance to say his goodbyes. Nina didn't even know what the rest of the team thought about her now, but if she could use her new abilities to help with their grieving, she would without question.

Maybe she could see her whole team too. Sara's stoic gaze, Adam's bright smile, Tristan's innocent green eyes and Tobias... maybe she could hear her first love's voice one more time.

All she needed was control, and she was going to get it. No matter how long it took.

"Hey, Nina?" Skye's voice echoed through Nina's quiet room. She looked up to see the hacker poking her head through the door, "sorry, I knocked but there was no answer."

"That's fine. I was in my head, didn't hear anything," Nina smiled at the woman, crossing her legs on the mattress and beckoning her forward, "come in."

Skye shuffled into the room, sitting on the edge of Nina's bed. She was a little surprised when Nina surged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, but she relaxed into the embrace immediately. No words were needed for Skye to feel the gratitude in Nina's hug, they were both thankful.

Thankful they had each other and thankful they hadn't been sent away.

"You're hurt," Skye stated as she pulled away from the hug, noticing the slight grimace in Nina's face as their arms touched.