He'd liked him. It wasn't surprising. Everyone had liked him.
"That was the point." he said bluntly. "Make myself what you could fix. Someone who needed a purpose, someone who needed a team but fought against the idea." It had been the only way in and he'd taken it without hesitation. Of course it hadn't gone as planned. "I was there to find out how you'd surrvived. The one thing John didn't know. I wasn't there to cross you off, it was recon. But then I got to know you all and in some ways, yeah, I liked you back. All of you. And there was Skye. A weakness." he said, even then unconciously chiding himself for being as weak as John had always said much as Skye repeatedly told him otherwise.
Skye had changed a lot for him, but not enough to make him turn away from John. Besides what could he have said. If he'd mentioned HYDRA no one would have believed it and he'd have been dead before anyone could confirm it. And HYDRA were already stronger. It wouldn't have changed anything except it would be just another weakness.
"It got messy. And I hate messy. I knew my mission and yet I felt like finally I had people that gave a damn. You think I just killed Hand and evil laughed my way to the Fridge? It was harder than I thought it would be but then killing shouldn't be easy. I just...I had orders."
He finally sat down. Still not sure why he'd stood up for all that but very aware he wasn't ready to sit yet. This caring and sharing crap. It was for Skye. He was here for her. And so was Coulson.