Fitzsimmons

Leo

Agent Simmons looked up slowly from the screen displaying Skye's blood test results. Her real results. Fitz stood across the bench from her, and it suddenly made sense why he was rambling so much when he could barely speak at all.

"Fitz, are these right?" she asked through a tight throat and rapidly blinking eyes. He swallowed, tears already pooling in his eyes as he stepped around the bench.

"Simmons," he tried sorrowfully, but her sharp gasp cut him off. "I didn't want to lie to you," he pleaded, voice cracking as tears began falling from both deep brown and pure blue eyes.

"Just," she interjected bitterly, then softened her tone slightly. "Just tell the truth now."

"I'm sorry, I just," Fitz started, and Simmons turned away before he could finish. The clicking of her boots against the tile echoed across the somber lab to Fitz's labored breathing.

She paced the hallway outside Coulson's office a few minutes before recomposing herself and making a decision. She stepped inside his office surely, smoothing her blazer before Coulson looked up.

"Sir, I'm afraid I have bad news."

----------------------------------------------

Fitz sat silently next to Simmons on the bench outside Coulson's office. He wanted to hate her so much for this; for telling on Skye, for putting him through an unnecessary interrogation. But as he sat but a foot away from the person he was supposed to dislike most, he could only think of how beautiful she was. He desperately tried to ignore it, diverting his gaze.

"I'm sorry it's hurting you, Fitz." He looked up, expecting a second apology to the girl she had truly hurt. To the girl now destined to a life of quarantines and probing experiments.

"I won't apologize for turning Skye in," she said stubbornly. "I couldn't possibly bear losing another friend. I couldn't bear losing you."

Fitz refused to reply. He knew if he did it would make things worse between them. He probably wouldn't even be able to get out a single harsh word before regretting thinking it. She was so bloody confusing to him now.

----------------------------------------------

"Skye's being sent to the basement," Fitz got out when he exited Coulson's office. "They're keeping her quarantined indefinitely." Simmons kept her eyes down, though she hardly regretted a thing.

"Don't you think someone else would've been infected by now if it was contagious?" Fitz questioned with a shaky voice, not directly posing the question to her.

He left before she could reply, and began normal business with Mack, talking less than he usually did. Garage work was not as appealing as he originally thought. Mostly because he didn't see her everyday.

And now he wouldn't see Skye either. Skye was his last remaining friend, ever since Mack had drifted away from him. Skye was his sliver of happiness during the day, and he was hers. Now his life would be wholly upsetting.

"Fitz," Simmons startled Fitz out of his thoughts, and he dropped the small wrench he was using. She had her head halfway committed to peering through the doorframe.

"What?" He replied, wiping his oily hands on his jeans and trying to sound indifferent.

"Can we please talk?"

He was going to say no, but his heart forced a 'sure' out of his mouth before he could swallow it back down.

They found a quiet place by the doors to the vaults.

"Look, we can't keep arguing like this anymore," Simmons said with a deep breath. "The team is already falling apart without our petty disagreements, and we can't just let this entire tech division break apart. This isn't the Jemma versus Leo show."

Fitz looked up instantly, his eyes sparkling.

"What is it?" Simmons asked, confidence dropping faintly.

Fitz rocked back on his heels and rolled his bottom lip into his mouth, internally debating his answer. Soon enough a shy smile spread across his face, the first genuine smile in so long.

"You said my name," he said with a wavering voice. And for once he didn't feel degraded. For once, she smiled back.