Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 5

The weeks with the team had been adding up on one another, mission after mission unfolding with a pretty high success rate. The team was beginning to behave as such: an actual team. A team which could help one another and have each other's backs. Asia had become rather close to Skye, Leo, and even Jemma, although Jemma still seemed to keep an odd distance from her. Still, the four of them spent much time together in the lab, even when they weren't working on a case.

This morning, however, Asia was working on her normal workout routine. She spent a minimum of an hour beating at a punching bag, and afterwords she would run on the treadmill for at least an hour as well. Beating at the punching bag was one of her favourite activities, it allowed her to let out the raw emotions she so often kept bottled up. She would punch and kick and punch that bag until, at some points, it completely broke apart. That was one of the most satisfying feelings. She had put on a white tank top and some black leggings, earbuds jammed in her ears, the music blocking out everything around her as she hammered away at the punching bag.

"What do you think she's listening to? Well she, erm, punches all of that?" Leo Fitz asked from within the Lab, where he leaned against one of the tables. Jemma looked up from one of her test tubes, studying the brunette figure outside of the room.

"Probably something very intense, from the look of things." She muttered in response, going back to moving a liquid from one test tube to another.

"Well," Skye said from behind her computer screen, "There is only one way to find out for sure." She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously, before she began to type rapidly at her keyboard. "I can just hack into her iPod, and we can listen for ourselves. Anyone want to take bets at what it'll be?"

"I would say it's some of that nasty screemo where you can't tell what the words are" Jemma offered up, stopping her work to watch Skye.

"Something intense, but not crazy," Leo suggested, "Hollywood Undead or, um, some sort of rap. Possibly."

"Well, now is the moment of truth..." Skye said, pausing, before hitting the key, music flooding the room. It was anything but what they expected, causing the three to burst out laughing. "It..it says..it's called the Elizabethan Serenade!" Skye said between laughs.

"Ballet music?" Jemma snorted, "She listens to ballet music while doing that?"

Leo couldn't help but laugh as well, stuffing his hands into his pockets and watching the agent who was separated from them by a sheet of glass sheepishly.

Agent Asia Monroe had no idea that several feet away her friends were giggling uncontrollably. She just kept hitting away at the bag until suddenly, from nowhere, Ward came up behind the bag, applying full force to stop her violent bashing. Asia jumped back, pulling the headphones out of her ears. "Ward! Jesus, watch yourself. I wouldn't want to hit you on accident."

Ward shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "Nah, you wouldn't have hit me, I wouldn't have let you," he teased, before stepping away from the punching bag. "I'm going into the Lab to discuss some things with Fitz...wanna come with?"

Asia exhaled, brushing back her bangs from her face. "Yea, sure, I can come with you," she replied then, trying to keep the light blush off of her cheeks. In the past few weeks, she and Fitz had become quite close, although she was rather positive she was the only one who had an inkling of feelings toward the other. But, even as small as the crush was, just beginning really, Ward had picked up on it instantly. He knew her too well. It was almost annoying how well.

"Thought so," he said with a light grin, before turning and leading the way into the Lab, Asia following behind him, carefully wrapping the bandages off of her hands as she did so, taking practiced inhales and exhales and composing herself in the methods Natasha had taught her.