Disclaimer: I Don't own M.A.O.S. Author's notes at bottom.
Walking through the halls, Fitz's arms felt heavy due to the important pieces of paper he sheltered, in the crisp envelope, in his hands. He strode briskly towards his destination with purpose, distractions fading into his peripheral vision . A small smile pulled at his mouth thinking towards the weight of the action he was about to commit. It didn't feel like handing over a piece of paper; it felt like jumping from a cliff. Terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.
He was looking for members of the team, with a very serious mission. He was delivery boy for the 'save the date' cards for he and Simmons' wedding. Retrospectively, he shouldn't have been nervous; he'd surpassed the highest hurdle- Asking Jemma to marry him (which had been received with unprecedented joy and a bone crushing, tackling hug). Inviting their friends along for the ride wasn't anything to compare, but exposing himself vulnerably like this had, in experience, never ended well for him. But as they say- The love of a good woman- and all that. Its amazing the personal journey he'd been on from '16 and achingly shy' to this man, with a team he could rely on, trust. All of course under Jemma's guidance, with her constant company- his greatest gift.
Approaching the communal area (the one he knew Daisy particularly liked to slack off in) he took a deep breath, raising his hand shakily, in anticipation to knock rhythmically announcing his presence. He wanted to do so to warn Daisy of his presence if she was there and also warn her he wasn't May- who's distinctive knock was short and forceful-capable of making Daisy move quicker than should be humanly possible into a façade of activity, rather than eating junk food, and hacking into servers she really shouldn't be on.
In Fitz's brief pause, while syking himself up to go inside however, he heard hushed and urgent voices. Living among super spies you, of course, pick up a thing or two, so curiously, but rather guiltily without much conviction and no malice- Fitz eavesdropped.
"Do you reckon Fitz and Simmons have talked about it?" It was Mack's rumbling, contained voice he heard-dripping concern. Fitz stepped slightly forward.
"The way they dance around pressing issues, I'd say not." Daisy retorted, unrest palpable in her tone. Fitz envisioned her pacing- hands wringing through her hair. Her silhouette in the blurred textured glass eluded such was occuring.
"They have to talk about it." Mack dictated plainly.
"Do they?" Daisy countered, inquisitive. "Fitz doesn't really have a say in this- The power's in her hands." What on Earth were they talking about?
"What will they do?" Mack questioned, seemingly to a deity or higher power rather than Daisy. The man sounded so helpless in the face of whatever this problem was- a dangerous prospect considering Fitz could count on one hand all the things he knew that made Mack afraid. Any higher power from experience clearly wasn't going to help He and Simmons out either- They had a vendetta against them- such had been proven time and time again. But they'd shown the 'bloody cosmos' its place- and they'd persevered. Mack's thoughts were in the wrong place. What could possibly come between he and Jemma now?
"They won't be Fitzsimmons anymore." he stated; dread settled in Fitz's stomach.
This was bad. Whatever it was, it was a serious threat to his happiness if it got in the way of being with Simmons. Only a few things had ever done that, A Virus, A Brain Injury, A Million Million miles of space when she was abducted to an alien planet, A Killer droid, a virtual reality, his brain washed actions. All of which they'd overcome. They'd paid their damn dues and deserved to be happy- deserved each other. So what the hell was this newborn issue that, had unspeakable power strong enough to rip apart the conjunction of their names, that was so commonplace it was even used by strangers? Fitz opened the door a crevice and stepped further into the doorframe, A tell tale frown settling on his face.
"Right!" Daisy Agreed. "We can't call them that if something like that happens."
"And if she goes with the alternative, what will he think?" So it was a choice? A choice for Simmons? Was it something she was struggling with? Was it something to do with the wedding? Those things are bloody festivals of decision making- trust him, after hours of cakes and serviettes and fonts and dresses and venues and guest lists and multitudinous other trivial matters to be pondered, he knew well all the decisions to be made.
"She doesn't have to do it to keep him happy," Daisy defended. "And Fitz would never ask that of her." The aforementioned Fitz got even more unsettled, this sounded like a difficult subject matter. Had Jemma been struggling with this? If so, why was she keeping it from him?
"We just have to wait and see what they do." Mack concluded wisely.
"Or we could ask?" Daisy probed (in classic Daisy fashion) incapable it seemed of leaving this elusive matter alone. "Act as a catalyst maybe?" Fitz, in part, was, in some ways, grateful for this stubbornness in the circumstances however. He was in dire need of answers.
"I don't want to be on the receiving end of that conversation, do you?" Mack shot her down. Whatever this was it definitely wasn't a comfortable subject and no-one seemed comfortable sharing it with him. Not even Simmons. Which in and of itself was a scary thought.
"It's not an inviting idea, no." Daisy relented. She sighed.
"See but that's their issue," She started up again. "They won't want to talk about it because it's uncomfortable." Fitz took a deep breath and tried to relax. His brain did him no good like this. He tried to go through a logical progressing thought process with the data he had, just like Simmons always had with him when he was being difficult. No need to assume the worst, be optimistic. What would Jemma do?
"You're saying we should help?" Mack offered. Fitz instantly reprimanded his genius brain for snowballing out of control, making assumptions. This was his team. These were his friends. No matter what past experiences he'd had his trust in them shouldn't waver. Their intentions were surely good. He should just walk in now and ask them about it. Well, he was all for channeling his inner Simmons sure, but that was quite naïve. He can't forget they're all spies. They keep secrets for a living.
"Yeah, mention it.' Daisy encourages. "When you're engineering away or whatever, just slip it into the conversation." Wait was this now something casual? Apparently so, gone was the urgency. Then were they just talking about them when they thought no-one could hear?
"I don't know Daisy, this feels manipulative to mention, like we're questioning their decision. I don't want to do Fitz like that." Again with the decisions. This madness had to end! Fitz needed answers, he hated feeling like he needed to be suspicious all the time. The sooner he and Jemma escape to a cottage in Perthshire, with a lab instead of a conservatory, and rendezvous from there as S.H.I.E.L.D science consultants, the better.
"We're being supportive friends, helping them through a tough conversation, okay?" Fitz didn't hear affirmation that Mack had agreed with Daisy before he strode into the room (without knocking), his jaw set and stance stand-off-ish.
"Might be slightly more effective if you were talking to Simmons and I, instead of just about us." Fitz offered coyly, tone dripping sarcasm- eyebrows furrowed downwards.
"Fitz, How much did you-?"
"Hear? Enough to know there's something you've got to tell me about Jemma." He probed, nervous for the answer he might be given.
"Nah Fitz," Mack dismissed. "It's a misunderstanding. We just-"
"If she's got an uncomfortable decision to make I can help." Fitz offered innocently, his chinks in his armour hardened by misplaced trust bleeding through.
"Fitz, it's not uncomfortable." Daisy said maternally, despite Fitz having heard nothing but the contrary for five minutes.
"Well she hasn't told me about it." Fitz exclaimed, uncaring at how codependent he may seem.
"It's just not our place to question this." Mack equivocated (in classic Big Mack fashion).
"Well if it's not why are you talking about it? Whatever it is."
"Did she ask you to keep something from me?" Fitz asked openly, very truly afraid to be affirmed. A shinning innocence settled in his eyes disguising his age.
"Woah, woah! Slow down Turbo." Mack instructed a paranoid Fitz slowly finding his comebacks swifter and louder.
'She and I don't have secrets!" Fitz stressed, the implications of the conversation becoming too much. "So forgive me if I'm worried about something that could rip us apart so badly that you can't call us 'Fitzsimmons' anymore!" Fitz finished loud, explaining his fears to the two seemingly confused agents.
"Rip you apart?" Daisy asked incredulously. "Fitz, no. This is going to bring you together."
"Wait, what?" Fitz was very confused.
"Fitz, you're getting married!" Daisy stated obviously, smiling like a child on Christmas- where news of their union seemed to be her treasured gift. "That's huge! How wouldn't that bring you together?"
"Of course we're getting married," Fitz stated dryly. "I love her. But what's that got to do about what you were talking about?" He was growing evermore aware he was out of his depth with this conversation.
"You don't know what we were talking about, do you?" Daisy deadpanned, possibly salvaging this conversation from cycling on forever in a like pattern.
"No, that's why I'm asking." Fitz cleared up, voice strong. "Is something going to jeopardise the wedding?" He asked.
Mack's eyebrows shot up and then his eyes softened. "Nah, nothing like that man. The exact opposite in fact."
Daisy injected. "We were only wondering after you've married, what was going to happen to Jemma's last name."
"Yeah," Mack agreed unanimously. He continued, sweep staking away the clouds of doubt. "like wether she'd stay on as a 'Simmons' or take your name and be 'Jemma Fitz'."
"Or," Daisy injected, reminding Fitz of his and Simmons own habit while explaining something to finish one another's sentences. "We wondered if she'd double barrel her surname and be called 'Jemma Fitz-Simmons'."
"Because if she's 'Fitz' or 'Fitz-Simmons' on her own, we can't call the both of you collectively 'FitzSimmons'. It just wouldn't sound right."
A passive silence settled in the air once the two of them finished clearing up the misunderstanding that Fitz realized was clearly activated by his assumption, but also theirs- "And what, you think we haven't talked about this?" He quizzed.
"You have?" Mack questioned, unsubtly disbelieving tone creeping in.
"We aren't the painfully shy duo who we used to be." Fitz defended. "We don't steer clear of conversations anymore for fear of embarrassment. We talk about everything. Way to make a big deal out of nothing."
Daisy, gob smacked like a fish, struggled for words. "Wh- says you! You started freaking out, thinking we were keeping secrets."
Fitz rubbed the back of his neck looking down ashamed. "Yeah sorry, I jumped the gun. I just get jittery when I hear talk about us being pulled apart."
Mack responded empathetically with: "Lord knows you've had enough of that for a lifetime."
"Yeah." Fitz affirmed.
"But you did talk about this?" Daisy explored, wanting to consolidate the knowledge she'd just obtained.
Fitz explained "Yeah, we did. To be honest, I'm amazed you think I'd have any objections to whatever she wanted to do with her last name. To tell her what to call herself- Bit old fashioned frankly."
"But bless her, she asked me if I was okay with what she decided. Like I'd ever say no to her."
"It certainly wasn't the awkward conversation you made it sound like. You made it out like there'd be bloody civil war."
Daisy looked around sheepishly. "We may have gotten carried away."
"Well so did I," Leo relented. "I didn't mean to be so suspicious of you both."
"It's cool Turbo, next time we'll just straight up ask instead of coming up with wild theories."
The air comfortably cleared and atmosphere easy, Daisy chanced. "So... I gotta know, what name did Simmons decide on?"
"Oh, I'm not telling you that." Fitz dismissed.
"What? Why?" Daisy squawked in outrage, having been so casually denied rights to her apparent favorite pet project.
"You'll find out when I actually marry her."
"And when is that exactly?" She asked coyly. "You guys don't have a date yet."
"Oh, actually. Here." Fitz said handing over the envelope, where they then pulled out their invitation cards. "Save the date."
"That's actually what I came in here for." Fitz explained. "Well, that and the bloody broken centrifuge I have to fix." he said shyly, stealing said object away from its position next to the coffee pot of all places. No wonder it was broken, someone probably poured coffee all over it if it was there.
Nearby, while Fitz tinkered, Daisy gushed. "Aww congrats to you guys, but seriously, I cannot wait this long. Just tell me what name she chose."
"No!" Fitz reprimanded almost like he used to when she was the new kid on the block, no real forcefulness in it. "You're going to be patient. And you are not going to harass her over this, you know what she's like under your vicious interrogations."
Daisy gave a slight evil smile, before quickly correcting herself. "She always caves. But Fitz, come on! I'm not that bad, just tell me!"
Suddenly, Mack, who'd been quite docile, savouring all the information on the card put in front of him like a gift, chimed in. "I'm with Fitz on this. You're scary when you want intel on something you don't know."
Daisy smiled easily. "Well, thank you."
"But, damn it I want to know." She said throwing a tantrum like a child.
"You'll find out when I said, now put it on your calendar." Fitz berated, gesturing to the card as he headed easily back the way he came, to the doorframe.
"Hug Jemma for me." Daisy shouted after him as he was leaving.
"Always do." Fitz shouted back, a raised hand remarking her without needing to turn around.
An easy silence settled in the room once Fitz had left, Daisy looking after him smiling, reminiscing. Daisy looked at Mack who was looking down at the little card like it was a picture of his daughter as he knew her in the framework. Innocent, strong, worth protecting. Daisy almost felt like she was intruding seeing something so intimate. But that's how they all cared for their favorite pair of scientists. When Daisy could wait no longer she asked Mack."So what do you think she decided on?"
Mack looked up, seemingly caught out. He raised a defensive hand and shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to speculate, that's what got us into all of that confusion just now."
Daisy sauntered closer to him and rubbed her thumb and fingers together, gesturing a chance to acquire some money; after all- people bet on things all the time. "I'll make it worth your while." She bargained.
"Are we really doing this? Betting?" 'On our friends.' He almost added, because on other occasions he could be, in all intents and purposes, a gambling man (if an opportunity presented itself which didn't clash with his morals such as this.)
"Well yeah." Daisy remarked, the unsaid 'Duh' implied in her tone, as if such an action as gambling was the natural progression after the previously unfolded events.
Mack seemed to stay true to his stance, for all of thirty seconds, before his shoulders visibly relaxed and his mouth curled upwards in a slight smile. With ricocheting confidence, Mack declared: "Twenty that she stays a Simmons."
Daisy was surprised, but tried to play it off and leaned against the breakfast bar- feigning apathy. "Really? Why do you say that?"
Rather cryptically, Mack simply stated: "We Simmons've gotta stick together."
Daisy pulled a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Mack abruptly said: "Don't worry about it." Rather suspiciously. Daisy just shook her head, vowing to figure out what he'd meant later.
Daisy put forward her predictions equally confidently. "I bet she barrels it. 'Fitz-Simmons' it just reminds all of us of a simpler time really. It's got sentimental weight."
Daisy smiled, face almost reflective while she was musing. "And I think she'd want to show Fitz in another way on top of everything else she already does that he's the only man in the world for her."
"We call her Jemma nowadays anyways (so we wouldn't trip up and start treating her like a stranger), I think that's what she'd want."
Mack seemed stunned by the level of thoughtful analysis She'd put into this "That sure is deep Daisy." He appreciated.
Daisy confessed unashamedly: "Yeah well, they do that to me. Seeing the two of them together, makes life seem less suckish, y'know?"
Mack raised his beer with one hand. "Let's drink to that. And let's shake on that bet." he stuck out his other hand to consolidate their agreement.
Daisy took it firmly, shaking his hand with a coy smile and unbreakable eye contact, exuding confidence. "I look forward to collecting my twenty dollars."
Mack chuckled and raised his beer, equally well pleased. "Here, here."
The two settled easily back into casual conversation.
AN: Henry Simmons is the actor who plays Mack so, naturally, he'd be on Team Simmons. He sticks true to his own.
I wanted to play around with the ideas of possible repercussions of the frankly traumatic BS Fitz will have gone through to finally be with Simmons- explicitly the loss of trust in himself and others he displayed in the framework.
My mum has a doubled barrelled surname that she recently changed from being just her maiden name, inspiration for this fic stemmed from the reasons she explained to me for doing so.
In the case of FitzSimmons, you know that your ship is watertight if your work colleagues call you by your ship name.
Also, if you guys want a continuation of this I think that might be on the table. I mean who doesn't want to see a FitzSimmons Wedding and also find out who won the bet?
Please review: if not for anything more than saying which name you think Jemma chose- let's start a poll and she can have the highest grosser (if enough answer that is)