Set at the end of The Well (fitzward.. sort of)
He wasn't used to having others to lean on. Letting May help him went against everything he'd previously trained himself to believe. He was a one man unit. Self-sufficient, capable… solitary. But the more time he spent with this team, the more his walls were starting to get chipped away, leaving him exposed to thoughts and emotions he hadn't thought he would ever want to experience.
He found himself moving easily down the hallway from May's room, passing the door that held another team member inside. He wasn't surprised to see the glow leaking into the hallway from underneath. Fitz was still awake. Probably still working on one of his many projects long into the night.
Ward paused by the door, caught in a moment of indecision. It seemed to be the night for apologies and soul barring. Just when he thought he couldn't handle any more tonight, the memory of Fitz's face when he unleashed his fury on him in the lab flashed in front of his eyes. The guilt quickly followed.
Fitz opened the door after the first soft knock, almost as though he'd been waiting for it. He didn't appear to be even remotely surprised that Ward was at his door at two in the morning.
"Still awake?"
Fitz didn't answer right away and Ward inwardly cursed himself for stating the obvious. He felt a little unsure, not used to the slightly guarded expression on Fitz's face and he found he didn't care for it. He realised then he didn't like seeing those blue eyes so wary, as though he was nervous that Ward was just about to unleash on him all over again.
But typical Leo, he held his ground.
"Can we talk?" Ward asked softly.
Fitz nodded once before pushing the door open and turning to walk back into the room. He went straight to the bed, picking up the tablet and sitting down. The fact that he held the tablet close to his chest wasn't lost on Ward and another prickle of guilt slid through him. He tried for casualness, leaning casually against the window. Outside, the city lights twinkled merrily against the inky black sky. He tore his gaze away to look over at Fitz.
"What are you working on?"
"I'm looking for a way I can utilise nanotechnology to replicate the transfer of electromagnetic- " Fitz pulled himself up sharply and frowned. "You didn't come here to ask me that."
"No," Ward said carefully after a moment. "I didn't."
Fitz made a noise that sounded like a grunt then his gaze dropped back to his tablet. Ward watched him for a moment as his hands flew over the tablet's surface, the tiny furrow that appeared on his forehead as he concentrated. He'd underestimated Fitz on too many occasions and it was a hard, bitter pill to swallow to admit that to himself. Even today, in the face of his rage, Leo refused to run.
A few moments of silence ticked over and Ward found himself struggling to find the words to start. Fitz didn't appear bothered, he simply continued to stare hard at his tablet as though it contained all the secrets to the universe. Ward finally sighed and moved to stand in front of him. He reached out, tugging the tablet away from Fitz's hands and forcing the younger man to look up at him. He was stuck by those impossibly blue eyes, still slightly wary but full of courage.
"You didn't back down. Again."
"I'm not scared of you."
"I could have hurt you."
"But you didn't." Fitz glanced away then. The next few words were said under his breath. "At least not physically."
"Leo…"
"It's alright. Like Jemma said, it was just a biochemical reaction that-
"Leo, I'm trying to say that I'm… I'm sorry. What I said, I-"
"I know."
Fitz held his gaze for a moment before flicking away when the moment became too intense. There was that strange little flutter in Ward's chest again. "Guess we should get some sleep, huh?"
"Yeah," Fitz responded quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor. Ward looked at their knees, side by side, almost touching but not quite. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to caring so much about another person. Another person's feelings. What happened in the field… they all knew it was part of the job, there were no guarantees. But since Russia, he cared what Fitz thought. He patted Fitz's knee awkwardly before moving to climb to his feet. He didn't get far before a weight slammed into his chest. He could have thrown it off easily, but the sudden action of Leo throwing his arms around was a welcome surprise. He felt the brush of Fitz's curls against his neck, felt the warmth of his steady weight and his heart did a strange little stutter in his chest.
It was a good thing when Leo pulled himself away abruptly and disappeared into the bathroom to leave Ward alone in the room.
He wouldn't have been able to say a word anyway.