Chapter Text
Leo Fitz
“There was a new person at this morning’s briefing.” Jemma said brightly. “He was very handsome.” She watched the curly head twitch in his version of a shrug as his hands continued to work on something tiny and delicate. “He’s going to be on May’s team. He’s a former soldier or something.”
There was that twitch again. Fitz didn’t care about former soldiers; everyone on May’s team had seen combat. That was the point of them. It was ridiculous to focus on ending war without people who knew the reality of it. He sometimes wished his labmates were as silent as he was.
As if on cue, Skye bounced into the lab. “What did you think of the new guy?” She immediately asked. “You should have seen him, Leo, just your type. Big, strong, broad shoulders, completely kissable lips.”
“I liked him.” Jemma wandered over to watch Fitz’s small movements with a soldering iron. “He didn’t seem like the last one. What was his name? The one who washed out?”
“Craig something?” Skye provided, eyes sparkling at the frustrated hitch of Fitz’s shoulder.
The young man knew they were teasing him. They knew full well what the man’s name was, they just wanted to get under his skin.
Skye giggled at his raised eyebrow. “Gagne! That was it. Craig Gagne. That guy was a mansplaining asshat. New guy has brains and a nice body. Seems to understand the tech as well as the strategy. Hates war as much as May and Coulson. I think he’s serious about our goals.”
“I heard that he used to work with them. You know, before Coulson got Stark to bankroll this group.”
Fitz was finally done with his circuit board. He put it carefully into a static-free box and brought it back to his other desk. When he turned around, his fingers flew, -- I don’t care about the new guy. Don’t you have better things to do than gossip? The clean water project is going to fall behind. --
“New guy’s name is Grant Ward.” Skye provided.
-- I DON’T CARE-- He made his signs big and emphatic.
“Geez, no need to shout.” Jemma teased. She kissed his cheek. “We’re working on the purification method, I promise. Skye’s simulations are almost complete and I’m just waiting for the results to build the new filters. Coulson will want to speak to you since you missed the meeting to finish your circuit.”
Leo was already changing out of his work lab coat into the one that had the company logo on the sleeves and his credentials clipped to the pocket. None of the scientists wore their standard-issued coats for actual work; the sleeves were too long, there weren’t enough pockets, and having something dangling from your chest was inconvenient.
Fitz trailed his hands across the granite walls as he walked.
The end of the lab wing was marked by a change from stone floor to carpet. Stone didn’t show as much damage when chemicals and other materials were occasionally dropped. This central hub had huge, computer filled rooms that resembled war chambers. Analysts kept an eye on the entire world while also trying to figure out where best to send their resources.
Fitz didn’t pretend to understand or care about their work. He preferred to spend his days working on projects for the betterment of mankind -- let the bureaucrats decide on their uses. They never worked on weapons and that was enough for him.
Coulson’s assistant waved him in.
“Dr. Fitz, anything to report?” Coulson looked up from his desk with a smile.
Fitz sent his response to the man’s intranet message system: No, sir. Circuit is finished and ready to be added to the bot. Please don’t blow her up again, she’s not created for mine diffusion. I already built you one of those.
“I’m sorry about that. I’ve spoken to the team, they’ll be more careful this time.”
Thank you, sir.
Coulson removed his glasses to look at the young genius. “Have you met Grant, yet? He’s new to May’s group.”
Fitz barely suppressed his sigh and eyeroll. No, sir. More important things.
“Please take the time to meet him. He’ll be May’s second-in-command.”
Yes, sir.
“Dismissed, doctor.” Coulson went back to his own work.
Fitz grimaced at the military manner; Phil was normally better about that. He rarely spoke to the scientists and civilians in the same brusque manner as he did the former soldiers. Leo resisted the urge to click his heels together before leaving the office.
He might as well make good on his promise to go meet this Grant person. The Strategy and Testing wing sat at a ninety-degree turn from R&D. Their poured concrete floor had flecks of blue mixed in, unlike R&D’s green. In contrast to their clean, white-walled labs, May had requested that her wing be mostly rooms with large screens and comfortable chairs. The hall was shorter, making space for the various testing pods that could be accessed by a covered walkway.
Fitz knocked against the open doorway. A number of heads popped up from the central pit. They waved at him and one pointed to the back of the room.
“White Coat to see you.” Someone shouted.
Fitz nodded his thanks and headed to May’s usual workspace. The woman uncurled herself from her chair. “Fitz. Did Coulson send you?”
He nodded.
“To meet Ward?”
He nodded again.
May gave an apologetic smile, “He’s out doing the last of his paperwork for the hiring. You can meet him later. How are my girls?”
Fitz gave in to his desire to roll his eyes but his easy smile took out the sting.
“Driving you crazy, then?”
-- Yes!--
“Business as usual, then?”
-- Unfortunately.--
“That’s the price of brilliance, I guess.”
Fitz shook his head at that particularly biased comment. May, Jemma, and Skye were one of the stranger relationships that occurred in this building.
-- I have work to do.--
“Come back later, Grant will be here.”
-- Send him to find me. I don’t have time for this.--
“You’ll like him.”
Fitz threw his arms into the air before walking away.
***
The rest of the day was spent in the machine room, working with the vacuum molds to create chassis for his newest fleet of constructs. When the last of the aluminum molds was created, Fitz shook himself and remembered that he hadn’t gotten around to eating lunch. With a sigh, he took the shuttle back into town and caught the bus home.
Fitz loved his apartment. He’d specifically chosen this location because the condo association promised a quiet space. After dinner, he changed into a tighter pair of jeans, a dark blue button-down shirt, and restyled his hair.
Grabbing his jacket, he went outside to find the car he’d ordered earlier already waiting for him.
“Evening, Dr. Fitz. Hop in.” The chauffeur opened the door and didn’t speak another word until they’d arrived at the club. “Have a good evening, sir.”
Fitz smiled. He would have a car pick him up later when he was ready to go home.
Inside Knots & Bolts, the music was loud enough to make talking pointless. The bass notes vibrated the bar as Fitz waited for the bartender to notice him.
“Not your usual night! I thought you didn’t like coming here on Monday.” The tall woman teased while handing over his usual. “Looking for something new?”
Monday nights were notoriously the fresh-meat night. Fitz didn’t recognize most of the leather clad people playing at being part of the scene. He actively sneered at the pale-faced, vampire wannabes who thought coming to Knots & Bolts would up their street cred.
“I’ve got my eye on that dancer.” She pointed to one of the plinths along the edges of the room. In the cage on top, a tall, chiseled body was writhing to the music.
Fitz pointed to the man, then to himself and lifted his drink. With a nod of understanding, she said, “I’ll give it to him when he comes down.”
Paying for the drinks and leaving his usual generous tip as a thank you, Fitz went to find somewhere to watch the gyrating man.
There was a joy in the socially acceptable voyeurism of watching a sexy body dance in public. The scientist found himself wondering whether the man was here with someone and what his more private preferences might be. The dancer wasn’t wearing any clear paraphernalia to indicate anything other than his desire to have a good time. Fitz shrugged to himself, too bad.
A few songs later, the dancer stepped backwards and made his way down the ladder. Fitz watched him approach the bar for a much-needed drink. Jamie, the bartender, flirted outrageously while she poured both a large glass of water and some sort of beer. She refused his money and pointed towards Fitz.
The man raised his glass in thanks, a move that Fitz mirrored. Another sweaty dancer approached the bar, said something to the man, and his attention was effectively off Fitz.
The young scientist’s silence was a useful tool when large, contemptible men thought they were doing him a favour by inviting him into their beds. He watched them coolly, radiating his disapproval and not even caring when they called him a twinky little bitch.
The car was waiting to drive him home. Fitz sank gratefully into the comfortable seats and let the noise of the club melt away into the distance. Tonight hadn’t been a total bust. It had effectively reduced his boredom and he had a new fantasy to fuel the rest of his evening.
~~~~~~~~
Grant Ward
The music had done its job. The loud, thumping bass reverberated through his skull, emptying it of the last week’s stress. Moving, unpacking, starting a new job, and meeting so many new people had put a lot of pressure on him.
The free drinks afterwards had been a pleasant bonus. And his sweat-soaked shirt provided a perfect excuse to avoid the men and women that threw themselves at him. He really wished he’d had a chance to speak with Curly-Hair; he’d seemed out of place with the clientele at the club. Ward had wanted to drink in the aura of quiet calm around him.
Waving goodbye to the new friends he’d made that evening, he headed home.
***
May was waiting for him outside his apartment. “Ready?” She was dressed for running.
Ward sighed, “You’re not giving me much of an option.” He did a few warmup hops.
She grinned. “You’re the one who chose an apartment less than three miles from the complex. We can bike in from time to time, if you’d like. Now let’s go.” She took off, not waiting for him to be ready.
He laughed and moved to follow.
“Have a good night, last night?” May asked.
It was a good thing they were running and he was slightly out of breath. May could be like a human lie detector when they were just talking. “Didn’t do much, really. Tried to relax.”
She glanced sidelong at him. “We need to get you out. Come out with us Thursday night.”
“Who is us?”
“Me, Jemma, Skye, and some others. We always go out to the club on Thursday. You’ll come with us?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know other clubs in the area.
May led him through a side door where they could simply scan their badges instead of chatting to a security guard. “Join me in the shower?” She asked, smiling up at him.
He laughed, “I think I’ll save ‘sleeping with the boss’ for a little later.”
“Your loss.” She shrugged and headed into one of the bathrooms.
Ward grabbed his towel and chose the next available door.
***
Ward impressed everyone by remembering their names and positions within the group. “I have an eidetic memory for names and faces. Once I’ve been introduced, I never forget.”
“Creepy.” Skye opined.
“Actually, it’s quite fascinating,” Jemma added, “it’s a type of hyperthymesia - that’s superior autobiographical memory, but it’s localized; more easily storing short term information about names and faces into long term memory. Really quite remarkable.”
Ward blushed at being described like that. He let the conversation continue around him until Coulson cleared his throat.
“Alright, team, it’s 9:00 am, let’s get started.”
The door opened and a white-clad body moved frenetically as it stalked to an empty chair.
It was Curly-Hair! He was clearly annoyed about something.
“Dr. Fitz, thank you so much for gracing us with your presence.” Coulson said.
Curly-- Dr. Fitz glowered, crossed his arms on his chest, and sunk into the chair.
Coulson kept the meeting blissfully short, briefing everyone on their current projects and then releasing them to return to work.
May grabbed Ward’s arm and pulled him toward Skye, Jemma, and Dr. Fitz. “Grant Ward, this is Leo Fitz.”
The scientist’s eyes widened ever so slightly, betraying his recognition. He looked Ward up and down, shook the offered hand once, and then left without saying a word.
“Don’t mind him!” Jemma laughed awkwardly. “He’s normally a bit nicer but something must have happened in the lab. Don’t worry, though. He’ll warm up to you.”
Or he’ll avoid me forever so that no one else learns that he was at an alternative-style club last night.
Ward made the appropriate noises, saying he wasn’t bothered and that it didn’t matter.
Skye clung to his arm. “Join us for lunch! We normally eat outside. And it’s a beautiful day.” She smiled so winningly that he couldn’t refuse.
“That sounds wonderful. Just let me know when you decide to go.” He let May lead him back to their room.
~~~~~~
Leo Fitz
So the dancer from last night was Grant Ward. They were right, the man was exactly his type. Maybe. Not that any of that mattered now. The Strategy and Testing team had once again ruined one of his bots and it would take him days to fix it. The idiot that thought his desert walker should be tested in the swamp pod should be drawn and quartered. The beta model wasn’t waterproof!
He’d walked into the lab that morning to a pile of twisted metal and virtually unsalvageable mechanics. The testing notes beside it had sent him into fits.
After making some final remarks on the notes and checking, yet again on what was left of the bot, Fitz flung himself out of the lab.
“Uh oh, Hurricane Fitz.” One of the analysts said. “I wonder who’s getting it this time.”
It wasn’t entirely his imagination that a sigh of relief went up through the hub as he passed through it into S&T.
He knocked angrily on the door before barging in. He spun around, looking for any human upon which to unleash his anger; preferably one of the idiots who had tested (and destroyed) his beautiful baby.
Ward stood up from a table at the back. “Can I help you, Doctor?”
Fitz gestured to the rest of the empty room.
“Oh, they’re all getting read the riot act. Something about reading specs properly? I don’t know. I think I was spared it because I wasn’t here last week. May doesn’t want to scare me too soon.”
The scientist tossed the report at the man, threw his hands in the air, and stormed out of the room.
Melinda May caught up with him just as he was leaving the wing. “Fitz. I’m so sorry. I saw the report this morning. Coulson’s furious about the lost tech. And I know you’re angry too.”
He gave her his best “No, REALLY?!?” face and kept walking.
“Hey!” May grabbed his shoulder. “What have we said about that? You promised you’d stop taking out every little disappointment on me and the girls.”
She was right. Fitz took a deep breath and turned to her. -- I’m sorry. That’s just weeks of work down the drain. And it’s only Tuesday. Can this week get any worse? If I try to rebuild her, I’ll fall behind on the other projects.--
“I put the fear of god into them. They’ll stop trying to be clever and stick to the testing protocols. And don’t worry about the desert walker, we’ll have one of the other White Coats modify a mine diffuser based on your specs and upload the programming from the server. We’ll test with that and let you know how it goes. We need your brilliance on the current projects. ”
He bobbed his head in agreement. -- Sorry again.--
“I know. Are you coming out with us on Thursday?”
He nodded.
“Good! I really think we need to find you someone to spend quality time with. You haven’t been this testy in a long time.”
The hand-signal he made was not ASL but it didn’t need to be; she understood exactly what he was saying. She laughed. “Right back atcha.”
***
Skye cornered him later that afternoon. “Hey, buddy. You missed lunch. Grant’s going to think you’re avoiding him.”
He shrugged. He wasn’t in charge of Mr. Handsome’s feelings. There’d been stuff to do and eating was low on his list of priorities. Now, though, his stomach was rumbling and a snack would be good. -- I’m going to get something to eat and maybe a cup of coffee. Want anything?--
“Nah. I want to finish up this piece of code. I’m getting an infinite loop somewhere and it’s overwriting an array in the worst possible place. I need to fix it.”
-- Let me know if you want me to take a look--
“Oh, you know I will! No one debugs better than you.” She kissed his cheek. “Now go get food before you’re too grumpy to work with.”
Fitz walked to the small kitchenette on their hall and grimaced at the lack of coffee and snacks. He’d have to go to the larger kitchen upstairs.
He was sitting at one of the small tables, sipping his coffee and looking out of the window when someone cleared their throat. He turned around to find Ward holding a cup of tea and an apple.
“Hi.” Ward smiled shyly. “Are you staying long? Can I join you?”
Fitz looked around for someone, anyone who could explain to Ward that Fitz didn’t talk. He must have looked like he was trying to avoid the man because Ward backed up a few feet. “Nevermind. I just- uh- I wanted to come by and thank you for the drink.”
Fitz sighed as Ward fled down the hall. Smooth, you idiot, very smooth. You left your cards in your nice lab coat and now Ward probably thinks you hate him.
~~~~~~
Grant Ward
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Bringing that up at work? What were you thinking?!? Ward berated himself as he walked back to his office.
“Everything okay?” May asked as she watched Ward bite rather angrily into his apple.
“I think I said something wrong to Dr. Fitz. I don’t think he likes me.”
She chuckled. “You just met him. He takes a little while to warm up to folks. I think you two will get on famously.”
Ward wasn’t so sure. The man hadn’t spoken a single word to him. That went beyond just “taking a while to warm up.”
“Besides, we destroyed one of his babies. And not in an acceptable way. It’s fine if we find flaws in a design but we drowned a desert machine. We’re lucky the entire swamp pod didn’t get electrocuted. I don’t know what Red Team was thinking.” She sighed. “I’m giving them all a few days off. They’ll work from home and stay out of Coulson’s way. By the time they come back, we’ll either have a new success or a completely different failure to worry about.”
Ah, that explained the sudden disappearance of a few of the people he’d seen that morning. He picked up the stack of briefs from his desk and settled into a chair to read through them. He spent the rest of the afternoon making notes on his Starkpad and preparing notes for their next meeting.
***
Wednesday passed rather easily. Dr. Fitz was once again absent from lunch though Dr. Simmons was quick to reassure him that “Our Leo is just so single-minded sometimes. He forgets about lunch and is a crab all afternoon. We tried to pull him away but he was in the middle of a test.”
“I hear you’re coming out to the club with us tomorrow.” Skye changed the subject. “Are you single? Can we set you up with someone?”
“I, uh-” How to explain that he’d come out of a terrible relationship recently and even if he was looking, the type of relationship he was looking for wasn’t exactly… traditional.
“Are you into men or women?” Skye continued without waiting for an answer. “I mean, not that it matters, the club caters to all kinds, just curious.”
Jemma hit her lightly in the arm. “Don’t mind Skye. Just wear something tight and sexy.”
Ward agreed, if only to avoid answering more questions.
***
May and Ward had meetings scheduled all of Thursday. By the end of the day, he was dragging. “You can’t seriously expect me to go to a club after today.”
“Trust me, Grant, looking forward to the club is the one thing that gets me through all those meetings without bashing someone’s head in. You’re definitely coming. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
With a sigh, he went home to shower, eat, and change. As usual, May was five minutes early. Skye and Simmons were sitting in the car, discussing the latest results of some test when he hopped into the car.
Sitting in the car with Melinda May at the wheel brought back a lot of memories, not all of them pleasant. He hoped the club would have strong drinks and loud music because he really needed to lose himself in something else.
“Here we are!” Skye laughed. “Now don’t be alarmed by the name or the clientele. It’s a nice place, I promise.”
Ward looked up at the sign. “Knots & Bolts.”
May gave him a funny look. “Well, come on in. Let’s get one of the quieter tables before it gets too crowded.”
He followed them in, taking in the differences between this night and Monday. The average age seemed to have gone up about ten years. There was a lot more leather andmore people wearing collars that weren’t just part of a costume. The music was still loud and Jamie was still bartending.
Ward excused himself to the bathroom.
On his way back, he stopped by the bar. As he waited to order, a large burly man pressed into his personal space.
“Well, aren’t you sexy! New here? I don’t know if you sub but I would love to spend time spanking that tight ass of yours.”
Ward was completely taken aback by the guy’s manner.
“Well? Whadya say, boy?” The man frowned at him. He turned aside suddenly as a small body slid around him.
Ward instinctively took the two drinks that were handed to him. Fitz nodded to the other man and turned back to Ward, eyebrows raised. “Fitz! Great. You got our drinks.” He watched Fitz nod regally once more and lead the way to their table. “Thank you!” Ward said gratefully. “That guy was--” He stopped, realizing that Fitz wasn’t listening.
“Oh goodie! Drinks!” Jemma exclaimed, reaching out for one. “Which one’s mine?”
Fitz jerked his head at Ward’s right hand and Grant immediately proffered the drink.
“Hold on a minute.” Ward said. All eyes turned to him. “If you’re not ashamed of buying me a drink on Monday, why the hell have I been getting the silent treatment all week?”
The scientist stared at him wide-eyed then blinked. Jemma, Skye, and May were laughing as if he’d told the best joke. Fitz carefully put down his two drinks and rifled through his coat pockets. He pulled out a stack of cards. Shuffling through them, he found the one he wanted. Ward squinted to read it in the dim light.
I’m mute.
“Oh. Wait. Really?”
Fitz flipped the card over.
Yes, really.
His smile was dazzling and Ward felt himself fall into the laughing blue eyes. “Everyone says that?”
Fitz nodded.
Jemma had sobered. “No one at work told you that Fitz doesn’t speak?”
“No. I just thought he was avoiding me.”
“Fitz wouldn’t do that!” Skye said. “For someone who doesn’t talk, he’s not shy about expressing himself. If he’s mad at you, you’ll know it.”
Fitz tapped May’s shoulder. -- Tell him I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come across as angry.--
May repeated the words aloud for Ward.
“That’s okay.”
Fitz beamed at him again, pleased that Ward had spoken directly to him; not falling into the common pattern of speaking to May as if Fitz needed an interpreter.
“Hey now.” Skye interjected. “You came on Monday and didn’t tell us?” She punched her labmate’s arm. “You hate newcomer Monday.”
-- Normally, it’s awful. But you should see Mr. Handsome dance. -- He blushed. -- Don’t tell him I said that. --
Skye turned to Ward. “So you were here on Monday?”
He nodded. “Before I moved here, a friend of mine told me about it. I wanted a night out to blow off some steam so I thought I’d try it out. I like their drinks and their music is good.”
“The music is great!” Skye jumped up. “Let’s dance!” She dragged Ward out of his seat.
Jemma spun around. “You bought him a drink?” She hissed. “You never buy people drinks.”
Fitz pointed at the glass in front of her.
“People you don’t know!”
Fitz shrugged.
“You’re attracted to him?” May asked.
He shrugged again, really not in the mood to get into this conversation.
May grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. “I don’t know why he left the east coast but I know things ended badly with his last relationship. He saved my life just as many times as I saved his and, so help me, if you hurt him, I will end you.”
Fitz shook off her grip. -- Is he attracted to men? Is he into BDSM?-- He didn’t respond to her death threat.
“His friend happened to mention a club that has advertised leather and bdsm nights and it didn’t even faze him. I’m guessing yes.” Jemma pointed out.
-- Top or bottom?--
They all turned to watch him dancing with Skye. Jemma noticed immediately that he was following her lead. May saw him carefully moving between Skye and the more rowdy dancers who were trying to crowd into her space.
“Switch?” Jemma guessed. “Good at protecting. Good at following.”
Fitz shrugged. He had no intention of pursuing a man he worked with. That couldn’t end well.