After another week soon went by, the weekend finally arrived. Students were given the choice to stay on campus (as some teachers would often stay and work anyway) or they could visit home and return in time for their first lesson on Monday. Jemma planned on going home every other weekend, but she didn't plan on meeting Fitz, who couldn't exactly go back to Scotland for only two days (not that he'd want to go back anyway, it seems). So, Jemma decided she would stay on site and keep him company. Skye and Grant also remained on campus, but that was mostly because Skye was interested in the growing friendship between Jemma and her new Scottish friend.
As Jemma sat on her bed, smiling at her phone as she quietly texted Fitz, Grant was sat rocking on a chair in the corner of the room with Skye on his lap, staring at Jemma curiously.
"Look at her. She's so into him. She wants to get under his kilt." Skye whispered to Grant.
"You know, the amount of research you're doing on Scotland is getting very creepy. Plus, Fitz doesn't even wear a kilt." He commented.
"Oh, shut up. It's nice to see her finally get a chance at romance for a change. I don't even think she realises she likes him yet; she's too cute. We need to get them to go out together. But we need to do it sneakily, so they don't know we are involved." Skye explained.
"Um, we? This is Melinda May's School for the Gifted and Talented, not the Melinda May's School for Secret Spies. This isn't a TV show, Skye." Grant said.
"Oh, come on Grant. After everything Jemma did to get us together for two years, don't you think we owe her one? Fitz could be her soulmate for all we know." Skye said.
"Well if he is, then surely it would happen without our interference?"
"Well, we can just guarantee it, can't we? We just need a perfect opportunity." Skye said. Grant sighed.
"Have I got a face that no one listens to?"
At that moment, a tall beautiful girl peered into the open door and smiled at everyone; Bobbi Morse, a fellow student. She had a stack of leaflets in her hand.
"Hey guys, are you staying nearby this weekend?" She asked, and everyone nodded, Jemma even taking the time to take her eyes off her phone for the first time in hours.
"Cool. I'm just going round handing these out. They're flyers for the new Italian restaurant that opened in the city centre last week. I got a Saturday job there and the food is incredible, and if you can I'd love for as many people as possible to come tonight. If you turn up with a flyer you only half to pay half your bill, but it's for this weekend only." Bobbi explained. Skye's face lit up; her plan was creating itself.
"Sounds great, Bobbi! How about it, Jem? Me, you, Grant and Fitz can all go together tonight! It's only one bus journey away." Skye said.
"I'll ask Fitz now." Jemma said, returning to her phone excitedly.
"We'll be there." Skye said happily, and Bobbi handed her a flyer with a smile.
"Awesome. Thanks guys." Bobbi smiled and walked out. Jemma's phone soon vibrated and she smiled.
"Yeah, he's up for it. Around 7pm?" Jemma suggested and Skye nodded, winking at Grant.
"Well, we better go and pick out an outfit for this one." Skye said, rubbing the top of Grant's head and dragging him out the room, waving to Jemma as they left.
"This is perfect! We act like all four of us are going together, but us two cancel last minute so Jemma and Fitz have no choice but to have dinner together in a romantic Italian restaurant or starve for the evening." Skye said.
"So we're not going?"
"We are, but we aren't."
"Skye, you're gonna need to give me more than that."
"We stand them up, but once we know they're inside we'll spy on them from the outside. We can hide in a bush or something and see how it goes." Skye said.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Grant asked.
"Yes!" Skye said. Grant sighed, doubtful.
"Well, on your own head be it."
…
"Are you sure you should be going out drinking with your friends?" Fitz said as he sorted through his wardrobe looking for a shirt to wear that night.
"I won't overdo it dad, I promise." Callum said sarcastically, causing Fitz to give him a glare.
"What are your plans for tonight, anyway?" Callum asked.
"Going out to dinner with Jemma, Skye and Grant."
"Ooh, a double date! You never said you got in with Jemma. Nice job, mate!" Callum teased.
"It's NOT a double date. Or any kind of date. It's just four friends having dinner." Fitz said.
"Yeah, okay. Well, I better go and meet the lads. Enjoy yourself tonight." Callum said, patting Fitz on the back as he left.
"AND USE PROTECTION!" He shouted at the end of the hallway. Fitz rolled his eyes.
It wasn't a date. Definitely not.
…
That night, Jemma was stood outside the restaurant in a long brown coat to keep out the chilly breeze. Skye had text her hours before to tell her they'd meet her at the restaurant and Fitz was on his way. Fitz turned up at 7pm exactly, right on cue.
"Hey!" He said with a smile.
"Hey!" Jemma replied, pulling him into a hug. She wasn't really sure why she spontaneously hugged him; they'd never hugged before, but there's a first time for everything. Fitz didn't seem fazed by it, relieving her slightly.
"When are the others getting here?" Fitz asked, his arms folded to battle the cold air.
"Not sure. Shouldn't be too long. Oh, that'll be Skye now." Jemma said, taking her phone out of her pocket when it beeped. She sighed as she read a text.
"Oh for god sake. They're not coming; just says that something came up and they'll make it up to us." Jemma said.
"Oh, right. So, um, what do we do?" Fitz asked. Jemma reached into her pocket and pulled out Bobbi's flyer.
"Well, Skye give this to me in case she lost it, so we might as well go in if you fancy it?" Jemma suggested.
"Yeah, okay." Fitz agreed.
"It's just dinner, anyway, and the food's supposed to be nice. It's not like, a date or anything." Jemma said.
"No, of course it's not a date. It's two friends having dinner."
"A friendly, non…datey…dinner." Jemma summarised. Fitz smiled slightly, opening the door and letting Jemma walk in first. As soon as the door closed, a nearby bush shook with excitement and Skye popped out of it, a grin plastered across her face.
"YES! I knew this would work!" She exclaimed happily. Grant moaned as he rolled out of the bush with a bump, rubbing his back.
"Those twigs were getting into all the wrong places. This is insane, Skye." He said.
"No it isn't. Can you see them?" Skye asked, looking through the restaurant's windows.
"No."
"Damn! They must have been sat out of view. Crap! Um…okay. You need to go in there." Skye said.
"WHAT?"
"But be discrete, don't let them see you. Just hide behind a plant or something, see how it goes."
"Skye, I'm NOT spying on our friends!"
"Do this for me, and you'll be a very lucky man tonight." Skye said. Grant looked at her in silence for a moment.
"…I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look."
…
Jemma waved at Bobbi as she walked by, smiling at mouthing 'thank you' as the two got accustomed to the atmosphere of the busy restaurant.
"It's pretty nice in here." Fitz commented, clearly impressed.
"Yeah, but boiling." Jemma added, taking off her coat to reveal a tight, red dress that matched her lipstick. Fitz took one look at her and nearly had to physically lift his jaw back up.
"Wow."
"Sorry?" Jemma said, not hearing what Fitz had mumbled.
"Oh, nothing. I, um…I just…you look very nice." Fitz said, growing red. Jemma sat back in her seat, flattered.
"Oh, thank you. You look very nice yourself." She replied shyly, looking down at the menu in front of her.
It's not a date. Definitely not a date. Friends complement each other all the time!
Silence.
"…Uh, Mrs Byron's class was funny yesterday, huh?" Fitz eventually mustered.
"Oh, yeah." Jemma replied, killing the conversation instantly.
Silence again.
Fitz wanted to bang his head on the table in frustration. In any other situation they'd both be talking away about lessons or songs or Doctor Who, but put them in a fancy, romantic restaurant and they're less conversational than a group of mimes.
This is ridiculous. I blame Skye and…Grant.
Fitz's thoughts were interrupted by him looking to the side of the room, where he swore he could see someone resembling Grant standing behind an exotic looking plant. He turned to face Jemma, pretending he hadn't seen him.
"Jemma, is that Grant stood behind the tree over there?" He asked. Jemma looked and her face widened.
"I think it is. What the hell's going on? GRANT!" Jemma said, standing up and pointing directly at the tree to make sure Grant knew she'd seen him. A few faces turned to look at Jemma. While Fitz knew he could never draw attention to himself like that in a public place, he admired the way Jemma had handled it. Grant slowly appeared from behind the tree and awkwardly approached the table.
"Have a seat, why don't you?" Jemma asked bluntly.
"Sorry I'm late." Grant said with a cough, sitting on a spare seat next to Fitz.
"Skye said you both couldn't make it." Fitz said.
Quick, Grant, quick!
"Yeah, um, I was gonna stay with her but she told me to come anyway. She's uh, she's got…problems. Lady problems." Grant spurred out; the topic made Jemma and Fitz uncomfortable enough to not press him much further. After a few minutes of silence, Fitz spoke again.
"Well, why did you hide behind the tree?"
Come on Grant, think of something!
"Oh, well, I was trying to see if you'd ordered yet or not. If you had, I wasn't going to interrupt you and just gone on home." Ward explained, lying through his teeth.
"…Oh, well that's plausible." Jemma said, and Fitz nodded in agreement. Ward wanted to punch the air in delight and let out a huge sigh of relief, but instead his phone buzzed. He saw Skye had text him.
'Well? Xx'
"Is that Skye? How's she feeling?" Jemma asked, concerned.
"I'll ask." Grant lied, texting Skye back.
'They saw me. Had to join them. It's okay, we're in the clear. Things were pretty awkward between them before they spotted me though x'
It took the duration of the waitress taking everyone's orders for Skye to text back.
'Crap! Okay. I'll head back. Love takes time; we know that better than anyone x'
Grant quickly sent a reply.
'Okay, see you later. And by the way, you couldn't come out because you had woman problems… Love u xx'
Grant cringed as he sent the text, dreading Skye's reaction as he continued sitting in a very awkward silence with the others. Somehow, the situation was better before Grant had joined them. Skye's reply came just as some complimentary nibbles arrived.
'WTF GRANT!?'
Grant put his phone away and started eating, no one having the courage to start a conversation. Grant eventually took one for the team.
"So…Fitz, planning on visiting home anytime soon?"
Jemma filled with panic; of all the things anyone could have brought up. Fitz looked even more uncomfortable and Jemma's heart broke when she saw tears forming in his eyes.
"No, not right now. Excuse me, I need the bathroom." Fitz said quickly, getting up and heading towards the men's room.
"…I don't know how to respond to that." Grant said.
"Fitz doesn't like talking about Scotland. I don't know why. I think something pretty bad happened." Jemma explained. Grant banged his head on the table.
"Oh, shit."
"Basically." Jemma said, holding back the urge to check if Fitz was okay.
"Being locked in a room with all of Skye's exes would be less awkward than this." Grant sighed.
…
The group decided not to have desert, eating their food and leaving as quickly as possible. The three of them exited the restaurant and took in the freezing cold around them.
"Well, that was fun." Grant said.
"The food was certainly lovely." Jemma said, trying to hold up a conversation. Fitz remained silent, having barely said a word all night.
"Right. Good. Jem, could you call Skye and check on her for me?" Grant asked.
"Oh, um, okay." Jemma said, getting out her phone, dialling Skye's number and walking slightly away from the men, leaving Grant and Fitz alone.
"Fitz, can I say something that I genuinely don't mean to be out of line?" Grant asked. Fitz looked at him briefly and nodded.
"First, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier; I now know that isn't a topic I should bring up." Grant said.
"No worries." Fitz said shyly.
"But maybe you should. One day. Clearly you're holding something in, and I think you might feel better about it if you let it all out to someone sometime. It doesn't have to be me, or Skye or even Jemma, but just…someone. I think it might do some good." Grant said. Fitz nodded.
"Maybe." Fitz whispered, but in his heart something told him that he knew Grant was right. Jemma soon returned.
"She seems okay; she'll just need a cuddle from you when you get back." Jemma said.
"Yeah, I imagine that'll be the extent of physical contact I'll be getting tonight, despite some promises." Grant said glumly.
"Come on, let's get the bus back." Jemma said, and the group started walking off together. Ward walked ahead a few steps and Jemma put her arm in Fitz's.
"You okay? He didn't know." Jemma said.
"Yeah, I know. I'm fine." Fitz replied.
"Good."
"…You really do look beautiful, Jemma." Fitz said after a moment of silence. Jemma blushed again.
"Oh. Thank you, Fitz."
…
Callum stumbled into his and Fitz's room at 2am, and was shocked to see Fitz sat at his desk, very much awake.
"What are you doing up?" Callum asked.
"Are you extremely drunk?" Fitz asked in reply.
"Not as drunk as I could be, or have been." Callum answered, sitting on his bed.
"…Can I, can I talk to you about something?" Fitz asked.
"Sure. Shoot."
"I just…it's pretty big. I want to say my piece and let that be that. No questions afterwards. I just want to get this off my chest. It's about Scotland." Fitz said. Callum grew serious at Fitz's words, the effects of the alcohol he had drunk fading almost instantly.
"Oh…okay. Tell me everything you want to." Callum said calmly and respectfully.
Fitz took a moment and a very deep breath before he started to speak.
…
Silence.
"…That's all of it?" Callum said in almost a whisper.
"Yeah. That's why I can never go back home." Fitz said, wiping the last of his many tears away. Callum wiped away a tear of his own.
"I'm glad you told me, Fitz. I hope you're glad too." Callum said.
"I think I am, yeah. I just need some sleep now." Fitz whispered, crawling into his bed. Callum did the same, and the two boys switched off their bedside lights, filling their room with darkness.
"Fitz?"
"Yeah?"
"...I'm so sorry that happened, man."
"…Me too."
