A/N: As promised this is the continuation (or alternative POV) to Sun Among the Clouds. You don't need to have read Sun Among the Clouds (which is Leo's perspective), but it would certainly help.
Anytha84, after reading Sun Among the Clouds said that she wanted to see Jemma's perspective and I couldn't resist.
When Jemma Simmons receives the email confirming her internship with S.H.I.E.L.D she can barely contain her excitement. It's the first promotion she'd ever received and she'd never imagined that they'd accept someone as young- and certainly new- to the Academy as she was.
"Darling, that's absolutely wonderful," her mum says excitedly when she calls her parents in England with the news. "I'm glad that Dr. Banner was able to help you. You know how he is about favours."
"I know, it was quite generous of him," Jemma replies. "Honestly, I'm still surprised that he was willing to help me out."
"Jem-," her father interjects. "It's a good thing that I met him while doing my fieldwork in India. He's a surprisingly hard man to find."
She pictures her parents, with their heads pressed together, listening from the one phone and has to stifle a giggle at the mental image. She swears to teach them how to Skype the next time she's back home. "Dad, I know. I'm incredibly grateful to him. If I ever have the chance, I'll -"
"-I highly doubt you will, darling. You know how he can be."
Jemma's face reddens. "Yes, Dad," she says meekly.
"Now tell us about the Stark Science and Engineering competition. Did you win the grant?"
She tucks her head against her chest. She'd hoped that her parents wouldn't ask her about the competition. While she'd entered her electroactive polymers, she'd known from the start that a win would be hard to achieve. Her skill was in biochemistry and Tony Stark tended to favour the engineering and tech side when judging the competition. When she hadn't place in the top ten, she wasn't particularly surprised.
"No," she says at last, bracing herself. "Someone else won." Jemma figured that her parents would be disappointed and she's not wrong. No sooner are the words out of her mouth, does her father click his tongue and say that he'll have to have a word with Stark Industries. Her mother, as usual, tells her that she needs to study harder.
"You're getting your homework done, right?" She asks.
"Yes, mum. Of course." But the assurances fall on deaf ears as her parents collectively continue to give advice as to how she can improve her performance.
When she hangs up, she's left regretting having called them in the first place. She knows her parents are proud of her but she wishes that for once that there wasn't a "you could've done better" footnoted to every achievement.
As she's about to settle herself at her desk, a knock at her door startles her. Jemma narrows her eyes, she thinks the person on the other side must have the wrong room as she's not one to have visitors and if she did they'd have had to be buzzed in.
"Jemma Simmons?" A commanding voice calls from the other side of the door, knocking in a quick, forceful succession.
"Y-yes?" Her hand pauses at the latch, her head almost touching the door's frame.
"Seriously, you need to let me in. I hate the smell of college dorms; I swear it's like urine mixed with beer."
"Who are you?" She asks through the door.
"Tony Stark."
Jemma gasps. With eyes wide, she hastily pulls at the latch, turns the lock and opens her door. There, standing in the hallway of her dorm floor, is the same man whose face graces virtually every tabloid magazine.
"Mr. Stark!"
He enters her room and turns to face her. His hand rubs at his dark goatee and Jemma gets the distinct feeling that he's assessing her. Her back presses at her now closed door and her eyes are drawn immediately to the faint glow of his artificial heart beneath his pressed, white dress shirt.
"You're Jemma Simmons?" He asks, surveying the length of her body.
She nods, crossing her arms at her chest, suddenly self-conscious.
"Usually they're not as good looking as you."
"I'm sorry?"
Stark shakes his head and taps a finger against his chest as though refocusing his attention. "I want Leo Fitz."
"What?" She exclaims, confused by his sudden declaration.
"Well I want you too," he corrects, eyes narrowing as he takes in his surroundings. "I just want him more." Stark begins to move around her room, examining the books that are neatly lined up on her shelf. "Technically I already got you."
She shakes her head. "I don't understand."
Stark's next words come quickly and Jemma holds her breath, desperate to hear every word. "The internship." It's as though he talks in riddles, assuming that she'll understand what he means. Stark waves his hand. "It's not important. Egregia cum laude," he says pointing to her diploma that hangs on the wall. "Impressive. I was Summa cum laude at M.I.T. so… you know…"
She doesn't, but nods anyway.
"Where was I?" He asks absently. "Oh right. Leo Fitz. Tomorrow you're supposed to help Streiten and that bore Vaughan pick a technician. Coulson says I can have anyone I want in SciTech and I want him."
"But why tell me?" Her hand presses against the base of her neck. "You're Tony Stark. I'm sure they'd do whatever you asked of them."
He shakes his head. "That Vaughan guy hates me. He always does the exact opposite of whatever I want. Besides I need Leo Fitz and he's a bit… unpredictable. All weird little geniuses are. Look at me." He pauses. "Only I'm not weird. Just a genius."
She shakes her head slightly as if to clear the nonsensical information that he's giving her. Jemma presses her fingertips to her temple. "Who is Leo Fitz?"
"You haven't met him? Why would you have? Now he- he has a Summa cum laude from M.I.T. I knew his father before- well, just before. Good man. Genius too. Bit of a weird guy as well. But you know what I promised that man?"
Jemma shakes her head, stunned into silence.
"The day he…" Stark clears his throat. "Let's just say died. I'd promised him that I would take care of his son. That I would make sure he was protected by S.H.I.E.L.D." Stark sits on her small dorm bed, bouncing twice. "These are a lot more comfortable than I'd originally thought," he adds, distracted anew.
"Again," she says slowly, her frustration showing in her voice. "Why can't you tell him? Especially if you have a relationship with his family?"
Stark rises from the bed and moves toward her door, pulling at the handle. "Do you believe in destiny Dr. Simmons?"
"Not particularly."
He stands in her doorway, his hand once again at his goatee. "I don't really either. But in the circles I run in, people talk. They analyse data. Piece things together. They come to conclusions, you see." His finger points at her. "I'm sure you know the history of S.H.I.E.L.D and what my father did to build the organization from the ground up. We like to be prepared, have plans you know. And for some reason I'm supposed to care about you and Leo Fitz."
"I'm not sure I understand."
He steps out into the hall. "I like to gamble, Dr. Simmons. Go to Vegas, roll the dice. So right now I'm betting on this annoying little rumour that's circulating saying that you and that engineer kid will save my father's life's work. So help me win. Make sure he gets the job."
As Stark begins to back further out into her hall, students stop and stare, flabbergasted by the celebrity that stands among them. "There's a…" he wiggles his fingers in the air and squints his eyes. "96.243% chance that it will rain tomorrow. The kid will probably have his umbrella. It has my face on it; it's ugly. When you find him, chat him up a bit. Flirt with him, guys like him like it when a pretty girl talks to them. It'll help him do better in the interview and you-" he points at her again. "Will be more able to convince that stick-in-the-mud Vaughan to hire him."
Jemma opens her mouth to protest, but the words stall in her throat. She fairly certain she'd be a fool to refuse Tony Stark, so she doesn't. Instead she watches as he walks, with expert confidence, down her hall and into the elevator.
…
Stark wasn't wrong about Leo Fitz. Nor the rain. When the downpour happens, she's taken off guard. She'd imagined a light drizzle rather than the torrential onslaught that occurs. To make things worse, when she opens her umbrella it is pulled inside out from the wind. Jemma struggles to right it and when it's flipped right side in, she realizes the damage that's occurred.
She's quick to toss it into the nearest bin and much to her chagrin, allows herself to get drenched. Her hair sticks to her face and her favourite blazer hangs heavily holding every droplet of water within its fabric. A shiver runs the course of her back and she thinks that Vaughan and Streiten will assume she's lost her mind when she shows up for the interviews looking like a drowned rat.
She's about to give up in her search for the infamous Leo Fitz when she spots him heading into the quad. It's exactly as Stark had explained- in his hand is a yellow and red Iron Man umbrella, the sort that they sell for children in department stores. She can't help the laugh that escapes as she races to catch up to him.
Unfortunately for Jemma, Leo comes to an abrupt stop and she collides right into his side nearly sending him catapulting forward. She grabs his arm to steady him and it seems to surprise him as he gives her a funny look through the numerous scrolls held in his arms.
There's something innately familiar about him that she can't place and to shake off the distinct grasp she feels in her chest, she tries to break the silence. When she comments on the fact that her trainers are beginning to sink in the mud, he very nearly drops his scrolls and knocks her in the head with his umbrella.
The entire exchange sends Jemma into a fit of giggles. It's as though their first meeting has been purposefully choreographed for a comedy. She offers to help him with his scrolls, as it's the least she can do in light of the fact that she's startled him so thoroughly, and he eagerly agrees.
She immediately notices his thick Scottish accent and she can't help but smile. It reminds her of home and its familiarity warms her heart. He seems to notice hers at the same moment and she can't help but tease him when he points it out.
Jemma's cheeks are tinged pink as she can't believe her own brazen behaviour when she does her- admittedly terrible- Scottish impression. There's something about the stranger that stands next to her; she feels as though she's known him her whole life.
Growing up her parents limited her interactions with other children, believing them to be a negative influence on her academic achievements. While Jemma didn't necessarily agree, she was always one to follow the rules that her parents had set out. So when they told her she wasn't allowed to date until she was 18, she obliged, declining any boy who'd asked for her number while away at school in her accelerated program. In truth, her choice to pursue multiple degrees and a PhD before she was 21 left her little time to socialize.
To say that she's an unpracticed flirt is an understatement. But Jemma somehow manages to effortlessly engage Leo in conversation. She thanks her lucky stars that she'd thought to search the internet for flirting tips as her preparation seems to pay off.
The closer they get to Grimley and the lecture hall he's set to interview in, Leo becomes increasingly more nervous. She does her best to allay his fears and perhaps shows her hand a little too much when she leans forward and says, "Don't worry, Fitz. I'm incredibly biased."
He cocks his head a bit to the side and Jemma panics and does the one thing she'd swore she wouldn't do.
She punches him in the arm.
Jemma had read somewhere that a girl should show her affections through physical contact. She'd thought the blog's conclusions were antiquated and ridiculous and completely inappropriate, especially alongside the psychological subtext associated with flirting. When Leo curses she's horrified and embarrassed and it takes everything she has inside of her to laugh and offer the excuse that it was for good luck. She vaguely recalls having seen something similar in a film once and hopes that he buys into her save.
She never finds out because she pushes into the lecture hall and disappears behind the door in a desperate attempt to escape.
As she'd promised Stark, she does her best to drive Vaughan and Streiten's opinions of Leo Fitz. She'd imagined an uphill battle ahead of her and has a multitude of excuses and reasoning at the ready to defend her selection. But when they call him in for his interview, his answers to her questions ease all of her fears.
Leo Fitz is a genius.
While Stark had hinted at the possibility of Leo's talent, Jemma hadn't dreamt that he'd be skilled and detailed and… entirely impressive with his designs. He is professional and knowledgeable and Jemma is instantly impressed. She does her best to control her emotions and tries to appear as flat and unmoved as possible when questioning him. He's so well prepared that he raises the bar she's set even higher when he shows them his sketches for the Capuchin. It's the perfect companion to her electroactive polymers and she can barely stay settled in her seat she's so excited by the prospect. By the end of the interview she knows instantly that it will take little convincing to secure him as her partner and she can't help but wink at Leo as he leaves the room.
When the door closes behind him, she immediately turns to Streiten first. She knows he's the easier sell and without her having to say a word he says, "Yes."
Jemma turns, this time more hesitantly, toward Vaughan whose head is bent over his spiral notebook, her teeth gnaw at her bottom lip. "Professor Vaughan?"
He looks up at her and pushes his dark rimmed glasses up his nose. "I'm not entirely certain that Dr. Fitz is the right fit for this internship. He's quite scattered with those-"
"Wendell," Streiten says with a hint of warning. "He's perfect, don't be ridiculous."
Vaughan sniffs and pushes at his glasses a second time. "I just don't think-"
"Please Professor Vaughan," Jemma pleads. "I've been dying to apply my polymers and you know just as well I do that that Capuchin is perfect for it." Out of the corner of her eye she notices Leo's red and yellow umbrella propped next to the door. It reminds her of the confidence she'd channelled earlier and she decidedly sits straighter and looks the senior professor in the eyes. "Besides," she continues. "I was under the impression that I would have final say in the selection since I'd have to work with the person."
"She is right, you know," adds Streiten.
Vaughan sighs and returns to his notebook. "Very well. But don't blame me if he turns out to be a nightmare."
He says more, but Jemma hears none of it as she races out the door with the umbrella in hand in an attempt to chase after Leo.
When she at last catches up to him, she's out of breath and can barely string her words together.
"You-you forgot this," she says between breaths. He's surprised but grateful as he takes the umbrella from her and turns to walk away.
Before she can even think twice, she's grabbing his arm stopping him. "You got the job!" She adds. When he doesn't understand how or why, she latches on to the same energy she'd used when they'd first met.
Almost instantly his face lightens and a smile spreads across his lips. She thinks she likes seeing the joy on his face and believes with little reservation that they will truly be excellent partners.
When they part and he opens his umbrella to protect himself from the elements, her eyes are drawn to Iron Man's face which stares back at her as Leo walks away. Instantly she's reminded of her conversation with Tony Stark and the gamble he chose to take on them. While Stark's motivations were vague, she thinks that there is truth to what he's predicted.
She's drawn to Leo Fitz and she's not exactly sure why.
Jemma is certain of one thing though: that she looks forward to working with him too.
.:FIN:.
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