A/N: This is my first Fitzsimmons fanfic inspired by the latest episode. When LMD Fitz said about marriage it got me thinking, what if Fitz had more than thought about marriage?
What if...?
Fitz was always good with plans, meticulously pouring over details until everything was perfect. Sifting through the box his mum had sent him of his old school awards and photographs, he found what he'd been looking for. An old, dusty, red velvet box. The hinges were loose and there were slight patches on the material covering it but to Fitz it didn't matter, there was a sentimentality to this that no money could buy. (Not that S.H.I.E.L.D paid him enough to buy anything as breathtaking as this). Opening it up, he couldn't help but smile as he saw his grandmothers engagement ring inside. The small diamond wasn't anything special, not a fancy antique like he knew Jemma's brother had inherited from their grandmother, but it had a simple elegance. Classically beautiful.
He remembered when his father left, how his mother had adopted wearing this ring, a young Fitz not knowing why. Thinking back now, he knew it was a matter of regrets. Trying to atone for mistakes made by her younger self. He remembered what she told him, how she'd sit with him to help him with homework, (despite the work being easy to Fitz and far too complex for his mother) and she'd tell him about how one day he would settle down, how he would use Grandma Edith's ring to seal the deal. Back then he couldn't even begin to imagine a world like that, barely able to talk to the classrooms hamster let alone any girls in class.
All of that changed when Jemma Simmons came bustling into his life. A ball of energy who didn't hate him for his intellect, even if he didn't warm to her at first. Once he'd learnt to work with her everything, from complex biological ideas to what his mothers bedtime stories used to mean, became clearer. He knew without Jemma pushing him into the field, he would be dead by now, he wouldn't have had the bravery or skill to fight off the HYDRA attacks of the labs. Jemma Simmons was his saving grace.
Until that is, he had been hers. It hadn't been a clear path for them in getting to where he now was. None of the things in their path had been a part of his plan. Betrayal, separation and pure pain. All of it filling the two of them with regret but bringing them to the perfect point. They had each other, that's all that mattered to him now. He knew he would never be like his father because his every instinct was to protect Jemma and he knew she felt the same about him. Sure they disagreed at work, but that was a healthy impulse, their natural scientific curiosity, nothing that could get between their bond. Simmons, he was sure, would have some beautiful explanation, something far too poetic for a scientist to conjure up. Fitz just couldn't be that poetic. He knew complex mathematical theorems and scientific concepts but talking about feelings that weren't anger or pain never came naturally to him.
Still, he knew for this he needed something, something memorable and romantic but not too much for it to come across as sickly. When he'd called his mother to send the ring, she had struggled to contain her emotions, tears quickly falling and her voice giving off several auditory clues that she was pleased despite the tears. He'd relayed the plan to her, asking her to send over a box of old school things, to hide the ring box amongst it so Jemma wouldn't be suspicious. He had then transported the box to base one morning when Jemma had an early morning meeting, knowing she'd be too busy focusing to question the box.
Now he stood, in his empty old bunk, furious scribbles on the blackboard by his bed, the ring shining from its box. He looked up to the numbers on the board, running through them in his head one last time. Seven thirty, the time they should land from the retrieval mission. Eight, the time of the reservation at the little Italian place in fifth. One simple question he had to ask and only one variable, Jemma's response.
The boy in him was terrified, knowing he'd regret this when she ultimately turned him down, but he had a quiet confidence with this he would never be able to explain. This was him and Jemma, Fitzsimmons, after all the pain and heartache they'd suffered, why would she say no? He still had a list full of insecurities but, in this, they didn't matter. This wasn't his comfort zone but it all felt right, uncomplicated. He'd finally found what he wanted in life.
When the door opened, he fumbled, clasping the box and dropping it into one of the file boxes on his old bed. Turning on his heels, he smiled to Jemma, running a hand over the back of his neck at the close call. "Jemma, I was just working on something. Nothing important. Do you need me?"
Jemma raised an eyebrow at his curious behaviour, knowing there was no time to question it. Any odd behaviour could be addressed later, for now they had a mission to get on with. "Coulson wanted me to tell you wheels up in five on the Mace and May retrieval mission. Are you okay? You seem more jumpy than usual."
Fitz shook his head, moving over to the doorway where she stood. "Me? No. I'm fine. Just the usual. Monsters, evil robots, saving lives. Keeps me on edge." He kissed her cheek, waiting for her to start walking, falling into step right beside her. The two in perfect synchronisation. In just a few hours, he would risk it all with one simple question. All he had to do was survive one retrieval mission. It was simple.
Until it wasn't.