The Bus
Chapter 2: OCTOBER
The first month of the school year flew by for Fitz now Jemma Simmons was in his life, and it went by equally as fast for Jemma herself. Jemma came to Fitz's classroom during lunch on her first day and they spent the whole hour talking and eating; soon enough it became the norm, their first tradition. They eventually spent lunchtime watching an episode of Doctor Who on Fitz's tablet every single day, and the remaining time was spent by Fitz teaching Jemma how to use it; for someone claiming to be good with technology, Fitz wasn't so convinced. But when he ended up spending his time with his arms around Jemma showing her what buttons did what, he really didn't mind.
Fitz waited for the bus on a cold October morning, sighing at the Halloween decorations all around him. He hated public holidays sometimes. Well, all the time. Unless Jemma liked them, then he'd like them too. The bus turned up and Fitz smiled at the sight of Jemma sat where she always sits, her bag saving his seat for him as he got on and sat beside her.
"Morning!" Jemma said enthusiastically.
"You're very chipper for this early in the morning; I smell an all-nighter with about fifteen cups of coffee in your system." Fitz said.
"Bang on. I was up all night marking these bloody test papers." Jemma moaned, looking down at her bag with a sigh.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say 'bloody' before. Or any rude word for that matter, though I see all words as simply words. It's simpler." Fitz said. Jemma smiled.
"Oh, I swear like a sailor when I'm at home. Or incredibly drunk. Just you wait for the work Christmas party. I'll be a mess." Jemma chuckled and Fitz joined in, picturing Jemma stumbling into tables and vomiting on their colleagues (only the ones he wasn't particularly fond of).
"Can't wait." Fitz smiled.
"Anyway, I've had no sleep AND Mandy is back from her suspension today and is in my class first thing." Simmons sighed sadly.
"Oh man, Mandy Baker is a curse to have first thing, especially on her first day back, she always spends the day even more stroppy than usual. She's a nightmare child. Puts me off the thought of having kids when I think of her." Fitz moaned.
"Me too. Though I do want kids, one day. I just need to, you know, find the right guy first. And from what I've gathered from living here for the past month, it's slim pickings." Jemma said.
"Thank you very much." Fitz smiled.
"Oh, you know what I mean. Are you seeing anyone? Are there little mini Leo's to be running around in the not too distant future?" Jemma asked.
"No, no. I've never been particularly lucky in that department. Mostly because I've lived in foreign countries for most of my life and none of the women can understand what I say." Fitz said, making Jemma laugh and nearly drop the sixteenth cup of coffee she held in her hand.
"You need to warn me when you're going to be funny, Leo." Jemma smiled.
"Well, to be fair I never know when I'm going to be funny. I'm normally not trying to be." Fitz said.
"Well, you're a very funny guy. You're the only one who could cheer me up when I'm stuck on a freezing cold bus having not slept and about to face the nightmare child from hell." Jemma said.
"Well, just make her read Shakespeare and she'll fall asleep soon enough." Fitz teased.
"Are you mocking my field, Leopold Fitz? That's blasphemy; Shakespeare is a genius and you know it." Jemma said with a smile.
"I know, I know. It would probably work though." Fitz added cheekily. A playful glare from Jemma silenced him.
…
"You know what I find incredible about this place? Every time I get on this bus I spot something new. I never realised, for example, that the neon sign on that shop doesn't work." Jemma said.
"Really? Fascinating, tell me more." Fitz said sarcastically but with a hint of charm.
"We haven't know each other long, Leo, but I will slap you."
…
"Any plans for Halloween?" Jemma asked as the journey neared its end.
"Not really, I'm not a huge fan of it. I'm not comfortable giving away free stuff to strangers, it sends the wrong message. Plus one year some idiots egged my flat and that put me right off." Fitz revealed.
"Oh, that's a shame. I was thinking of hosting a party at my place; I'd have loved for you to come along." Jemma said. Fitz perked up.
"Well, you know, I…I don't mind parties. I'd be up for that." Fitz lied.
"Oh, brilliant! You'd have to dress up though."
"People tell me I dress up like a clown every day."
"Very funny, Leo. And I like the way you dress. It's sophisticated. Not many men can pull off a cardigan but you do it nicely."
"Thank you, Gok."
"And for that comment, I take it back. You look ridiculous."
"It's all I know."
…
"Well, here's our stop. Ready for the devil child?" Fitz asked, collecting his things.
"No. I might just quit then go back to bed." Jemma said. Fitz smiled.
"That would be pretty drastic."
"Would you blame me, Leo?"
"To be fair, no. How about this; you make it through the day and I'll treat you to a coffee after work." Fitz suggested. Jemma smiled.
"You're a miracle in male form, Leo Fitz. I could bloody kiss you." Jemma said.
"I try my best."
…
On the bus home, Fitz and Simmons were once again in deep conversation.
"I definitely need this coffee, Leo, I tell you now. Mandy Baker is an evil, evil little menace." Jemma complained.
"I know. On my first day she got sent home for punching a boy in the face." Fitz explained.
"Why did she do that?"
"She didn't like his glasses."
"Well, today I asked her to read a passage from 'Of Mice and Men' and she thought it would be hilarious to add 'innit' to the end of every sentence. I know we shouldn't bitch about our pupils but she is just awful. I dread to think what her parents are like." Jemma grunted.
"I know, they must be terrifying. At least you don't have her tomorrow." Fitz said.
"How do you know that?"
"I know your schedule."
"How?"
"You told me it."
"Yeah, that was weeks ago."
"I have a good memory. I remember lots of things about you." Fitz said.
"Really? Like what?"
"Well, your favourite Doctor Who episode is 'Listen'. Your favourite flowers are lillies but you can't buy them anymore because you have a cat called Skye and lillies are toxic to cats. The only films you've ever cried are 'Marley and Me' and 'My Sister's Keeper'. You hate many things about how the Harry Potter films differed from the books, but the thing you hate the most is that Hermione's dress in 'Goblet of Fire' is pink in the film when it should be blue. Your favourite lesson in school was drama. You have to have at least one pink item in every room in your apartment. You think 'Game of Thrones' is overrated. You hate how much you love One Direction and Taylor Swift. You think Ed Sheeran is the most talented person on this planet and, most importantly, you hate public transport." Fitz listed. He could tell Jemma was seriously impressed.
"Wow, you remembered all of that? I must have just mentioned some of that in passing; I don't remember telling you half of that stuff." Jemma said.
"You told me 'Listen' was your favourite Doctor Who episode when we happened to watch it one lunchtime. You told me how much you love lillies but can't have them at home when I bought you one for your classroom. You mentioned the films you've cried at when I got teary when we watched the series two Doctor Who finale together when Rose left. You told me about your Harry Potter gripes when I happened to read 'Chamber of Secrets' one journey to work. You told me about your love of drama in school when I noticed your school photo in your purse. Your obsession with pink items came out when I noticed how bright your pink stapler was in your office. You told me you didn't like 'Game of Thrones' when you saw me watching it one lunch. When I caught you listening to Taylor Swift after school one day you told me about your love for her and One Direction as well as your awe for Ed Sheeran's talent. And you told me you hated public transport when I mentioned it on the day we met." Fitz rambled. Jemma was silent.
"Sorry, that probably came off as pretty creepy." Fitz added, embarrassed.
"Leo, no! That's incredible! And actually kind of sweet." Jemma said shyly. Fitz smiled at her.
…
"Hmm…" Jemma squeaked, marking some work as the journey continued.
"What is it?"
"I'm marking some work and I don't know how this word should be spelled, and it's pretty relevant to our situation now." Jemma said, grabbing a pen and some spare paper from her bag and writing out words. Fitz watched, intrigued.
Buses? Busses? Bus'? Bus's?
"What do you think?" Jemma asked.
"Well, I'm not the English teacher of the pair of us, but I think the first one looks right."
"I agree. And shut up." Jemma said, smiling. Fitz loved how she never took offence from his teasing, and never had. He loved a lot about her.
…
"Shall we get off here? There's a Costa just round the corner." Fitz suggested.
"You know what I'd prefer? Why don't we have a coffee at my apartment?" Jemma suggested in return. Fitz's heart began beating faster.
"Oh, uh…yeah, sure. Sounds great." Fitz managed to muster.
"Great. It'll be nice to finally show you my place; it's not quite at the standard of your OCD paradise, but you can at least have fun trying to find the pink item in every room." Jemma smiled. Fitz smiled back.
"Sounds good to me." Fitz said.
"Good. You know, I'm really glad we met, Leo. You're pretty amazing." Jemma said gently.
"You're pretty amazing too, Jemma." Fitz replied.
Neither of them could wipe the smiles off their faces for the rest of the journey.