#7 It's only just a crush, it'll go away

It was funny how one tiny thing could change so much. After the staircase incident Simmons started noticing more and more things about Fitz. Like how symmetrical his face was, or how the closer he was standing to her, the more trouble she had focusing on her work. She would wait impatiently each morning for him to drop by her lab with tea and just couldn't wait for the end of the year, when they could finally work together-together, every day in the same lab, table by table. She liked how they tended to end up talking through most of their lunch breaks about the latest scientific discoveries and new episodes of TV shows, how they ran out of time for eating and yet lingered near the dining table, trying to postpone the moment when they had to go back to their separate labs as much as possible. It was amazing how when one of them mentioned a movie or a book or even a TV show they liked, they instantly found out that it was on the other's top list too. She noticed how each time someone gave her a hard time or caused her problems with the project, he was somehow always there to back her up, and she was beyond grateful for that. Every time she was tired he was right beside her, trying to help her finish the job as soon as possible, telling her not to overwork herself. She noticed how his smile always made her feel warm and how her stomach insisted on behaving strangely each time he accidentally touched her.

Somehow Skye's teasing was no longer so senseless to her. She still denied it every time Skye tried to make things look different than they were. Because no matter what she might want them to be, there was one tiny detail tainting the picture, making her more and more confused each time it reappeared.

"Okay, okay," she gave up one day, trying to keep the frustration away after another one of Skye's not-so-innocent teasing. "I like him. So what? It's just an interest in someone who is both intelligent and nice to me, no need to get too excited about it, Skye. Besides, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Skye looked surprised, both at Simmons' answer and the fact that she even gave her one. "Because?"

"Because it's just a stupid tiny crush that will go away." She'd decided to start with the less painful part of the truth. "Things like that happen. We're spending more time together and my biology is looking for a way to give my genes to future generations, and Fitz happens to be nice and intelligent and also geographically available since we see each other many times during the week, so this kind of... fondness appeared. It would be over after some time, no need to get excited about it or risk ruining our work by being unprofessional. And anyway, clearly he's not interested in changing our relationship in any way, so there's really no sense of even starting this topic, Skye."

"And why do you think so?"

"Because he's never acted on it," she pointed out tiredly. Really, she'd had this conversation with herself way too many times and now she had to do it with Skye. Logic. She had to stick with her logic, it was the best approach.

"Neither have you," Skye shrugged. "Maybe you should give him a chance. To, you know, see you outside work."

Simmons didn't answer, because she was not ready to tell her the truth. To admit that she might have, on some occasions, completely innocently and by accident, dropped a hint here and there. And that Fitz never bothered to pick them up.


"Skye?" Simmons looked cautiously inside her friend's bedroom. "Are you asleep?"

"It's 6.30 Simmons, of course I am," Skye growled from her bed. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering..." she started while entering the room on her tiptoes. Skye moved her covers away. She'd known Simmons for a long while and she recognised that tone. She wouldn't go away until she spit out what was on her mind. "Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?"

"No, I don't. But seeing that you've come all the way in here, I guess you do."

"Well, I was just thinking. Because, you know. Thanksgiving. It's getting closer, right? And people make plans for it. Like get-togethers and other stuff." Simmons waved her hands all around her, trying to get the point across, as if she was hoping that Skye would read her mind and spare her the trouble of voicing it.

Skye thought that if it wasn't so early, she would be really happy to see her friend getting so adorably frustrated over something. Now she was less than happy, but decided to enjoy it since sleeping was no longer an option.

"So, I've been thinking," Simmons continued, stalling near Skye's bed. "Well, we get the day off from work. And this is a family holiday, right? I don't really celebrate American traditions and besides, my family is far away. And as you know, you don't have family, and-"

"Gee, thanks for reminder, I almost forgot," Skye laughed, while Simmons took a terrified breath.

"Oh, that's not... I mean, you-"

"Chill, I'm messing with you. No offence taken, Whatever plan made you this nervous must be really good," she smiled with all her teeth, watching her roommate pout. "So, what's this about?"

"Well, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but I thought that, uhm, you know, maybe we could like, invite someone? Who is not celebrating too? So that we could have fun during our free day? Nothing spectacular, just movies and the usual stuff. I just thought that we're not celebrating Thanksgiving and I bet Fitz isn't either, so maybe we could keep each other company that day?"

"Why am I not surprised that Fitz is involved in this plan?" Skye smiled, quite content to be awake. This was totally worth it. "Okay, that's a good idea."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, sure, invite him. It will be fun."


Fitz was quite surprised to see Simmons entering his small lab before working hours even started, looking a little uncertain but smiling when she saw him looking at her.

"Hi," she greeted him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Hi there," he smiled at her, beause it was impossible not to do so when the day started with such a nice surprise. "What brings you here so early?"

"Well, there's a holiday next week," she started.

"There is?"

"Yeah, Thanksgiving. It's a free day from work."

"Oh, right," he nodded with a chuckle. "I'm always forgetting about that one."

"Yeah, I'm not a fan either. I don't actually do anything holiday-related that day, so I thought that, well, since you don't celebrate, and I don't celebrate, we could try not celebrating together?" she asked and bit her lip uncertainly. "Like, just hanging out, watching a movie or playing boarding games?" She scrunched her nose after she finished speaking, clearly not pleased with herself.

"Will there be turkey involved?" He tilted his head, pretending that he was weighting the pros and cons in his head, hoping it would gain him another one of her beautiful smiles.

"Absolutely not," she assured him. "But there might be some sandwiches. Probably popcorn. Maybe even some biscuits, if I'm very bored the day before."

It sounded really nice. Too nice. He didn't answer right away, biting his lip in hesitation. It would be great if he could just agree, but with just the two of them it could get… complicated. And that was the last thing he should be letting himself step into.

"Skye will be there too. Since we live together," Simmons added after a moment, just as if she was reading his mind.

"Sounds great." He smiled wider, relieved. "I'd love to come."


A few days later, Simmons was very bored. Very, very, pudding and meatloaf and cottage pie level of bored. Maybe bored was not the right word to describe the emotions pushing her to go out of her way just to make sure the food was tasty. Maybe she just wanted to make a good impression on her guest.

Maybe his impressed stomach wasn't the only outcome of the evening she was aiming for.

She just hoped that her nerves wouldn't eat her up completely and make her do something stupid. Skye looking at her with an unnerving smirk playing on her lips was not helpful at all and made her start questioning the whole idea over and over.


"Thanks for inviting me," Fitz said, and Simmons just nodded, walking him to the apartment door. "It was a really nice evening."

It really was. Best Thanksgiving ever and it still would be the best of all, even if it wasn't the very first one she'd "celebrated". They'd had a marathon of TV shows with long breaks for discussions of topics varying from plot to favourite characters, with food, laughs and sitting so close on the sofa that their arms were pressed together.

"I'm glad to hear that." She smiled at him, thankful that Skye was smart enough not to follow them and had gone to her bedroom about 20 minutes beforehand, giving them some privacy.

"And the food was just amazing," he added while putting his shoes on. "Really, I don't remember when I've had such a good cottage pie outside of home." His jacket followed and there he was, standing before her, fully dressed and ready to walk away.

She tried to think of something to say, to make him stay just a little bit longer, or make him realise that if he would like to invite her somewhere in return, she would gladly go anywhere, even to a baseball game or a sumo match, if it was with him.

"Do you think you'll get some new samples on Monday?" Fitz asked, and furrowed his brows. It made her chuckle a little, because it was a really lame excuse to linger at the door. At the same time, it made her extremely happy, because he wanted to continue badly enough to ask about biology, a topic he hated with all his passion.

"I don't know." She dared to move just a little closer. "I'll have to just go and find out." Well, that hadn't sounded as deep and filled with double meaning as she had wished it to be, but it was all her thrilled-with-excitement mind could come up with at the moment, trying to give him a clue of what she was hoping would happen next.

Fitz wasn't moving away, which was a good sign, and he was looking at her with a strange, soft look in his eyes that made her lift her hand to touch his arm before her brain commanded it to, and for a moment she thought that he would finally get the hint and actually do something, whether it would be kissing her or asking her out or telling her she looked pretty. Anything that would move things forward.

She remained still, waiting for his next move, hoping and wishing.

"Time to go," he said quietly, and straightened his back, his eyes losing their previous shine. He said his goodbyes, accompanied by a wave of his hand and wished her pleasant dreams.

Then he just smiled slightly at her, turned around and left, locking the door softly behind him.


A/N:

The chapter's title is from "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge

No animals were harmed in the making of this. I mean no offence to Thanksgiving tradition, but as a person born and raised in Europe I must admit that most of us don't even know when it is and I suppose Fitz and Simmons being British would not celebrate it.