A/N: This story was based on a prompt given by "otppromts" on tumblr. Without giving anything away- the prompt was based around a meeting under an umbrella. Also, Capuchin is a real robot! I stumbled upon it while researching and thought it was a perfect Fitz invention.
This is my 30th story here on this site! I can't believe that I've reached this point as it feels like yesterday that I was itching to write my first fic which was a Jim/Pam one for "The Office." Thank you to everyone and anyone who reads my stuff. I appreciate each of you so very much!
I hope you enjoy!
His mum would never allow him to leave the house without an umbrella if she saw the smallest hint of a dark cloud in the sky. While he would stuff the last of his scrambled eggs into his mouth, she'd- without fail- look out the kitchen window and assess the likelihood for rain. When he'd try to escape out the front door, she'd rush after him, waving his red and yellow Iron Man umbrella.
"Leo Fitz, I'll be damned if you don't take yer umbrella wit'ya. I'll be hearing none of it if 'ya catch yer death, boy."
"But mam…!" He'd cry out in return, an exaggerated frown upon his face. "They'll make fun of me. None of the others lads have a superhero on their umbrellas. I'm not a child anymore!"
"There's nothing to be 'shamed about! Tony Stark is a good man. He gave your father a job when he needed one; the least you can do is carry an umbrella with his face on it."
Leo would grumble, moan and deepen his frown, but he always obliged. His mum meant the world to him, and if she asked him to collect a star from space he probably would, just to make her happy.
It's why, when he moves to the States for school, he doesn't toss the red and yellow umbrella when he finds it tucked among the clothes in his suitcase. He figures his mum must've hidden it there, knowing that he'd try to leave the UK without it. When he sees it for the first time, he can't help the warm glow that echoes through his body. It's as though she's waving to him from across the Atlantic.
The climate in the U.S. is much drier than it is in the U.K. and thankfully, he has no occasion to use the only umbrella he owns. School keeps him so busy that it doesn't even occur to him to replace the one that leans against the wall next to his door. It's not until he looks out the window one morning and sees the grim, dull grey of the sky that he realizes his predicament.
Typically, Leo wouldn't be concerned by a little rain. But unlike other days, he's meant to interview for a position as a research intern for S.H.I.E.L.D. For several weeks he'd been desperately eyeing the employment board and as soon as a position had appeared, he'd jumped at the opportunity to submit his name. When they'd called him back for a final behavioural interview he couldn't suppress his excitement; he'd wanted an opportunity like it for as long as he could remember.
However, on that overcast morning, he has to walk to campus carrying the best drafts of his proposed weapons and robotics. The oversized scrolls could, under no circumstances, get wet as the admissions committee would be examining them to qualify his talent. And so, with that in mind, he makes a decision to take the glaringly embarrassing umbrella along with him.
Leo tries to be quick as he walks toward campus, hopeful to avoid the oncoming rain. Yellow and red fabric peek out from under his arm as he makes his way through the throngs of students heading for class, the scrolls tight againt his chest. When the heavy clouds finally release, he is forced to relent and begrudgingly opens the umbrella to protect himself from the sheets of rain that fall around him.
A few students laugh and point when they see the face of Iron Man staring back at them, but Leo steadies himself and refuses to engage. He has a meeting to get to and he wants to hold on to his positivity which he suspects is beginning to fade. The laughter and pointing reminds him of secondary school where he'd, on numerous occasions, find himself in a similar situation. He'd never really fit in anywhere- always the youngest, smartest or strangest kid among this classmates.
He's trying to calm his mind from the haunted memories of his childhood when his feet stick in the mud of the wet field. Leo attempts to examine the damage done to his trainers as he walks when something- rather, someone- slams against his side. He haphazardly nudges the scrolls out of the way with his chin to find a slender girl tucked in next to him. He's so surprised by the very sight of her that he stops entirely and begins to sink further into the mud.
Her hair is damp from the rain and it sticks against her face in dark chunks. Her fitted blue tweed jacket hangs heavy on her shoulders and when he stops, she does too and stares at him with wide, expectant eyes.
"You realize we're standing in a puddle of mud, right?"
"Uh- I-" Leo stutters, his mouth agape. His hand grips the handle of the umbrella tighter and he can feel the scrolls begin to slip from against his chest. He awkwardly struggles to hold on to the collection, bringing his knee upward to tap them back in place. The strangled action causes the umbrella's stretcher to hit the girl in her head.
"Oof!" She cries out. And with her hand massaging into her tangled hair, she giggles and offers to take a few from him to lighten his load. He nods, relieved and she slides some of the scrolls from his grip, careful to shield them from the rain.
"You're a bit forward aren't you?" He remarks as they start to walk toward the campus buildings. He thinks he's never met a girl so maddeningly brazen that she would attempt to share an umbrella with a complete stranger.
"Sorry," she says. "Didn't mean to startle you. But you had an umbrella and if you hadn't noticed it's raining out."
"You're English," he says as though it wasn't the most obvious statement he could make.
She chuckles, nodding her head. "You're quite perceptive, aren't you?" He knows she's teasing, but his face reddens just the same. "You, sir," she says, digging her finger into his shoulder. "Are Scottish." The girl finishes by mimicking his accent and he can't help but laugh at her poor attempt.
"You're not very good at that, are you?"
She shrugs her shoulders and screws up the corner of her lip. "Guess not. You're lucky you have an umbrella. If it were any other day I'd probably give you a good shove for insulting my impressions. Back home, you know, it's quite a hit."
Leo laughs. "I bet it is. People probably throw rotten vegetables at ya to show their appreciation, don't they?"
The girl grins widely. "You've heard?!" She says, snickering. Leo thinks her smile might be infectious because he can't stop his own from growing.
"I'm Jemma Simmons. I'd shake your hand, but I can see they're quite full."
"Leo Fitz. 'S a pleasure."
"So Leo Fitz, where you headed?" With her free hand she pushes some of the wet hair from her face. "I'm curious as to how much longer I'll be protected from the elements by the most hideously cartoonish umbrella I've seen outside of primary school."
"It's just Fitz and for the record my mum gave it to me!"
"Well, Just Fitz, and here I was thinking you were the bravest man alive to be carrying it around!" She exclaims with laughter upon her voice. "I didn't think anyone would be caught dead with such a garish umbrella."
"Garish?!"
She nudges him with her elbow. "I'm just teasing. Honest." She holds up four fingers. "Scout's honour."
"I think it's meant to be three fingers."
"Right," she says as she corrects her salute, her smile never fading. "So, are you going to tell me where you're headed?"
"I've got an interview at 10. Grimley Hall."
Jemma bites at the corner of her lip. "For the S.H.I.E.L.D internship?"
"Yeah. You too?"
She nods. "They actually already gave me a job as the biochemist for whichever developer they decide on. I'm meant to assist in the interviewing of the candidates." She shrugs. "I suppose they just want to know who'll be the best fit to work with me."
"Ah."
"Don't worry," she says with a laugh. "I'll try not be biased."
"How'd ya mean?"
"Well," she says, pulling open the door to Grimley Hall. She props it open with her foot as she waits for Leo who struggles to close the umbrella. "For starters you let a complete stranger saddle up next to you to stay dry. That shows that you're far too trustworthy." The now familiar tone of teasing is again in her voice as she wags her finger at him.
"Really?" He asks, a grin wide upon his face as he taps the excess water from the fabric and follows her through the doorway.
"And secondly-"
"Secondly?"
"Secondly, you carry an umbrella that's meant for a child."
"It was the only one I-"
"Thirdly-"
Leo stops mid stride and cocks his head, questioning. "There's a third?"
"Your taste in superheroes is quite excellent."
"And that's a bad thing?" Leo says, jovially poking her side with the tip of his umbrella.
Without missing a beat, she bats it away with her hand and he notices her trying to measure her smile with little luck. "Well, they say opposites make for the best partners."
"So what you're saying is that because I let you share my childhood umbrella that has my favourite superhero on it, I would be a terrible choice for the internship. Because I'm too much like you?"
She grins. "Obviously."
"I see," he says, feigned seriousness in his words.
Jemma looks over her shoulder and when she's satisfied that there's no one within listening range, she leans closer. "Don't worry, Fitz. I'm incredibly biased."
"Oh yea?" He asks as he tries to quell the heat that rises to his face as he takes his scrolls from her. He's getting the distinct feeling that the biochemist that's set to interview him is flirting with him.
That is, until she punches him in the arm with her curled fist.
"Bloody hell-! What was that for?"
She turns and pushes through the nearest door. "For good luck!" She calls over her shoulder.
…
Leo thinks he should be nervous but his interaction with Jemma Simmons has left him teeming with positive energy. He feels as though he can do no wrong with an ally on the panel and when he's at last called in for the interview he waves to her. Her face remains unchanged, but he swears he sees her wink at him when he's flattening out his draft scrolls.
When the interview begins, he's taken aback. He suspects that he may have underestimated her role in the decision making process as she's quick to ask him questions about Capuchin, his climbing spybot. The professors that flank her allow her to challenge him unimpeded, so he expertly explains how it utilizes series elastic actuators to facilitate its ability to climb vertical heights and secure itself to any surface.
When she narrows her eyes and asks how he would modify Capuchin if electroactive polymers were available to him, he- without missing a beat- replies that he would make the already agile robot a submersible. She smiles at his response and the professors jot notes into their notebooks.
When he finishes presenting all of his proposed ideas, it's Jemma that thanks him on behalf of SciTech. She taps her papers into order and when she runs a line he's certain they've used on all of the candidates, his heart sinks into his stomach.
"We really like what you've presented, but it's a hard decision. There are many great candidates. We'll be in contact if you're the one selected."
He nods absently, forcing a confident smile upon his face but he can't help the disappointment that eats at him. He rolls back up his scrolls and before leaving the lecture hall he offers one last thanks to each of his interviewers. When he turns to Jemma he says the words that have been echoing in his mind since she'd challenged him about Capuchin.
"I look forward to the opportunity to work with you." He means every word of it.
He doesn't wait for her response and exits the room quickly, his drafting scrolls once again tight against his chest.
When Leo is about to exit Grimley Hall he hears his name being called and turns to find Jemma running toward him, his yellow and red umbrella in her hand.
"You forgot this!" She says holding it out to him.
"Oh!- thank you," he says, taking it from her.
He moves to leave but her hand grabs his arm, rooting him in place. "You- you got the job!"
"I don't understand." Leo shakes his head, stunned. "I thought there were other candidates. That you were going to interview other candidates."
Jemma shrugs. "Not really. That's just what Streiten and Vaughan wanted me to say. There's no one else as qualified as you. The job was yours from the start."
"Then what was all that for?"
She screws up her face and shrugs her shoulders a second time. "Torture chamber?"
Leo narrows his eyes and gives her an incredulous look. "You're impossible and a pain in the arse, you know that right?"
"I know!" She trills happily. "But I suspect we're going to be the best of friends just the same."
"What makes you think that?" He challenges, a smirk upon his lips.
"You look like the type that always picks scissors in Roshambo," Jemma teases. "And I like to win. So Just Fitz, take your fancy umbrella and when you get home, pack up the parts belonging to your Capuchin, because tomorrow you and I are going to turn him into the best damn robotic monkey that S.H.I.E.L.D has ever seen."
"How so?"
"Electroactive polymers." With a flourish she turns and begins to walk away.
"Wait- you can do that?" He calls after her. "You know how to make electroactive polymers?"
"I'm a biochemist, Fitz," she says, spinning on her heel so that she can face him. "And I told you, you and I are going to be the best of friends."
When he heads back out into the stormy weather and opens his red and yellow Iron Man umbrella, something tugs inside of him and he can't help but think that Jemma Simmons is right.
They will be the best of friends.
.:Fin:.
Want to know Jemma's perspective? Stay tuned for her version of events in "Underground, the Stars are Legend"- coming soon!
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