div class="chapter preface group" style="border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.5em 3em; padding: 0.643em 0.643em 0px; float: none; color: #2a2a2a; border-style: solid initial initial initial;" role="complementary"
h3 class="title" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; text-align: center;"a style="color: #111111; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 19.4443px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" href=" /works/7045453/chapters/16055635"Chapter 2/a/h3
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.62px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2a2a2a;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: inherit; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The last thing on Earth, or at least the last thing on the Bus, Leopold Fitz expected to hear from the comforts of his own room was a scream coming from the newly occupied room beside his own. Granted, it was muffled, but bloody hell that girl must have been screaming ridiculously loud for him to be hearing her whatsoever. And that got him to worrying. The odds weren't high, but what if someone had managed to sneak onto the Bus? Sighing, Fitz slid off of his bed where he had only just sat down with a soft covered book to read, after changing into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Shuffling out of his room, the scientist padded the few steps down the hall the short distance to the new girl's room, stopping outside and pressing his ear against the door. Yep, the screaming was definitely coming from inside. It was as if her lungs went on forever, the way she never seemed to stop for breath. He looked down and noticed the entrance was still simply a doorknob. He would have to discuss with her an alternate form of entry, whether it be retinal, code, or fingerprinted. Sighing, he grabbed the handle and opened the door, greeting the complete darkness and the piercing scream. He quickly pulled the door shut behind him to keep the scream from penetrating the rest of the Bus, once he saw the Agent was in her room all alone. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, head in her hands, eyes squeezed shut, just screaming. Her screams were starting to die, and turn into little whimpers, and she didn't even seem to notice his arrival./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Ahem," he quietly cleared his throat, hoping she would notice him, and he wouldn't have to reach out and tap her. He learned the hard way by sneaking up on Ward that that would be a one way ticket to a dislocated shoulder./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia looked up, eyes wide, cheeks turning deep red in immense embarrassment. How the hell had she not noticed someone entering her room, much less approaching her and turning on the light? "Oh dear God, I am so. So. sorry," she said quickly, hands covering her cheeks. Damnit. Damnit Damnit Damnit. This was the way to make a good first impression. She probably looked completely mental, sitting alone in a dark room screaming her brains out. "I, um, just wanted to check how soundproof it was."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, I could hear you a bit from, from, next door," Fitz said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his plaid pants. "So it's not completely soundproof but...you shouldn't have to worry about anyone else. I'm the closest to you, physically speaking."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia blinked, averting her gaze from him back to her hands. "Well, I suppose that's good to know..." she trailed off, still trying to asses her level of embarrassment and whether or not she should threaten him into silence. Before she could speak, the engineer spoke first./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Erm, if you don't mind me asking...Asia, is it? Yes, well. Is everything alright?" And suddenly it was his cheeks which were tinted red. "I mean, I know you were just testing out the sounds here but, just...just checking up on you. I know starting can be a little rough."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The brunette grinned and shook her head slightly, sighing. "I don't know if that's a can of worms you want to open...em, Leo, right? Can I call you Leo?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Leo is fine, most people call me Fitz if you'd prefer it," he shrugged, "And I don't mind opening your can of worms, I mean, that is, I don't mind listening. If you need someone to lean on, or, um, talk to, about things."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Leo it is then," she said, scooting over on the edge of the bed. "You can sit, if you really want to listen..." she left the choice up to him. He could easily make an excuse and leave if he so chose. That would be the easy way out, really. She would take it, if roles were reversed. And she wasn't entirely sure why she felt the need to tell him anything whatsoever. Natasha would have raised an eyebrow at her and have said "You're not going to keep that to yourself?" Having too many feelings was a sign of weakness. But perhaps it was to fill the void Nat had left behind. Who knew how long it would be before she saw the rest of Strike Team Delta? While Natasha had warmed up to her in her own way, and Clint had always taken care of her like a younger sister, she knew if she ever was concerned or battling feelings, she could go to them and they would listen. Sometimes she needed that after missions. The things they saw, the things they did, Asia couldn't always push it away and never look back. And here, without her even asking for it, was someone offering to let her unpack, mentally. Perhaps he was more than a bumbling engineer she saw in the lab, close as could be with the girl named Jemma./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"And, in continuation of her surprises this day, Leo sat down on the edge of her white bed, lacing his hands together in front of him and propping his elbows on his knees. Admittedly, part of her wondered if this was a trap. If it was, she was already analyzing the best way out of the situation, and she didn't doubt she could easily disarm the man next to her if need be. She wished that maybe sometimes she could turn off the constant worry about being betrayed or attacked. But that was not the life chosen for her, nor would it ever be the life of an assassin. She had stumbled down this path and now she had to walk it with confidence. "So, what's up?" He asked in his beautiful Scottish brogue. It was his voice, she decided, that calmed her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia thought for a moment, pressing her lips together in a fine line. "I'm just...this is a big transition. I've been a part of Strike Team Delta for...five years now. I have lived and grown and slept next to and changed with Nat and Clint. They were the closest thing I've ever had to a family. And now I'm here, with no one, in this empty room with not a single one of my old things and I just feel like the walls are closing in, and now I've got no one left to have my back."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She could see Leo Fitz looking at her from the corner of her large brown eyes, but for a moment he didn't say anything. Perhaps he wasn't the confidant she was looking for. But after a moment, he did speak. "Erm, What happened to your family? If, if you don't mind me asking, that is. Don't mean to press into any matters in which I don't belong."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia was admittedly slightly taken aback by the question. People did not usually press into her past, a past which she id like to usually keep quiet. But it was too late now, she had taken out the stopper which was the only thing blocking the emotions she had bottled up. "They were killed when I was four. By HYDRA. I remember everything. I was hiding, in a cupboard, a secret place, that my parents told me to go if anyone ever came for us." And as she started speaking, it was immediately as if she were transferred back to that tiny cupboard, peaking through the smallest of cracks and watching her parents be slaughtered. "The worst part was they took my baby sister. She was only two, this cute little thing. She looked much more like my parents than I did. I heard them say, 'Where's the other girl?' and I thought that was the end for me. But another replied with, 'It doesn't matter, this is the only one we need.' And they left. I was so scared, I scrambled over to my mother's dead body, pushing my hands over the bleeding wound on her neck, putting on pressure. They taught me that, when I was little. That wounds needed to be pressured. And I remember thinking my dad would be so mad there was blood all over my dress, because he had to do the laundry. And thats when S.H.I.E.l.D. found me." She picture the agents filtering into the house, guns raised, but they were late, too too late./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"A hand on her arm jolted her out of her trance from the past and instantly she was grabbing the arm and shoving the body against the wall, arm against his throat, before she remembered it was simply Leo. Blanching, she instantly moved back. "Oh God. I'm so sorry. You surprised me. I don't take surprises well all the time..." Now he must really think she was a freak. She could feel the prickle of tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. No, no, she couldn't cry. Not on her damn first day. But this was all too much, the embarrassment, the emptiness, the memories of the past. "I am, seriously, so, so incredibly sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"But Leo didn't seem to take it all that negatively. "It's probably my own fault, shouldn't have surprised you like that. You did, um, look a little out of it there. Lost in the past. I know that can, uh, be a bit dangerous. It does not do to dwell on dreams."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""And forget to live," Asia finished the quotation he had begun, a smile coming over her face. "I appreciate you, Leo. Also, you and Jemma are rather cute together," she offered the compliment, testing the waters. This would be a good, concrete way, to find out if they were infact a couple./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The Scott's face immediately flushed," Oh, em, Jemma and I, we're, we're not, no, we're not together, I mean we spend time together, but, we're, we're not ah, any sort of couple. No. Just lab partners. And very good friends. But not dating, no." The way he stuttered caused Asia to laugh. It was cute, really./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Just checking, Leo. You seemed very close, so I didn't want to keep you if you had a pretty girl to get back to." The brunette agent tucked a loose strand of long brown hair behind her ear, glancing over at him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, why would I have anywhere to go when I'm with a pretty girl right here, I mean, well, you are pretty, but that's not to say-" He began to get flustered once more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Shh," Asia replied, putting a finger over his lips to stop the talking. "Everything is fine. I appreciate you being here, and listening to me. But I am getting a little tired..." she leaned against the head of her bed with a yawn. "Not that I'll be able to get any rest with this extreme lack of pillows." She rolled her eyes, her tone slightly bitter./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's wrong with two pillows?" Leo asked her with a lopsided grin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, I usually sleep with six at the least. One being a pillow pet," Asia explained with a laugh. "This is a bit of a downgrade."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Umm..just wait right here. One second. Don't go anywhere, ok?" Leo hopped up and was out of the room in a flash. In the time he disappeared, Asia quickly pulled off her skinny jeans and slipped into a pair of soft, pink, sleeping pants. When he returned, with three pillows in hand, he looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Wow, pink? You, uh, don't exactly seem like a pink girl."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh stuff it," Asia rolled her eyes. "What are you doing with those?" She nodded at the pillows, raising one thin eyebrow./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh, well, I figured you need your sleep, you know, if you're going to help out the team. And we do have a mission tomorrow," Leo explained, tossing the pillows lightly at her. "It doesn't get you to six but..it might help, I think."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""That," Asia beamed, while arranging the pillows, "Is the sweetest thing that's happened to me all week. Thank you, Leo. Really. You have literally been my savior all night."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh, well, you're a hero during the day, I'm just, you know, trying to do my part." Leo explained with a shrug, and then he turned to head out the door./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Where are you going?" Asia asked, stopping him in his tracks, her voice slightly drooping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, back to my room, so you can get some sleep?" He said, but it came out almost as a question, as he turned back to face her, a perplexed look in his soft eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I've got all your pillows, don't I? Wouldn't want you to sleep on a rockhard mattress," Asia said shyly. In truth, she just didn't want to be alone again, not the first night at least, in this dark, empty room. On missions, she was used to sleeping right next to one of her teammates, staying warm, while the third of them kept watch, kept them safe. It was clear Leo didn't expect this, or think of things in the same way as which she was, as his face immediately flushed red again. "Jesus, Leo, not like that! I just wanted a friend here. You are a friend, I think...so, just stay. Don't make it weird."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Leo sighed, shaking his head, before moving back towards the bed. "Do you like the inside or outside?" He asked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia immediately scooted up against the wall. "Inside, definitely." She patted the spot next to her before laying down and pulling up the blankets around her, sighing into the pillows behind her. "ahh, so much better than just two." A content smile drifted over her sleepy lips, causing Leo to smile as well. "I'm going to sleep now, okay?" she said in a tired voice, rolling on her side so that she was facing him, her eyes still shut. "Thanks again, Mr. Leo Fitz." and with that, she was out like a light./p
/div
h3 class="title" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.286em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0.5375em 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; background: transparent; text-align: center;"a style="color: #111111; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom-color: initial; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 19.4443px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" href=" /works/7045453/chapters/16055635"Chapter 2/a/h3
/div
div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.62px; float: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: #2a2a2a;" role="article"
h3 id="work" class="landmark heading" style="border-width: 0px 0px 0.25em; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: inherit; font-size: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em; line-height: 0; opacity: 0; height: 0px; clear: both; color: transparent; border-color: initial initial #333333 initial; border-style: initial initial double initial;"Chapter Text/h3
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The last thing on Earth, or at least the last thing on the Bus, Leopold Fitz expected to hear from the comforts of his own room was a scream coming from the newly occupied room beside his own. Granted, it was muffled, but bloody hell that girl must have been screaming ridiculously loud for him to be hearing her whatsoever. And that got him to worrying. The odds weren't high, but what if someone had managed to sneak onto the Bus? Sighing, Fitz slid off of his bed where he had only just sat down with a soft covered book to read, after changing into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Shuffling out of his room, the scientist padded the few steps down the hall the short distance to the new girl's room, stopping outside and pressing his ear against the door. Yep, the screaming was definitely coming from inside. It was as if her lungs went on forever, the way she never seemed to stop for breath. He looked down and noticed the entrance was still simply a doorknob. He would have to discuss with her an alternate form of entry, whether it be retinal, code, or fingerprinted. Sighing, he grabbed the handle and opened the door, greeting the complete darkness and the piercing scream. He quickly pulled the door shut behind him to keep the scream from penetrating the rest of the Bus, once he saw the Agent was in her room all alone. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, head in her hands, eyes squeezed shut, just screaming. Her screams were starting to die, and turn into little whimpers, and she didn't even seem to notice his arrival./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Ahem," he quietly cleared his throat, hoping she would notice him, and he wouldn't have to reach out and tap her. He learned the hard way by sneaking up on Ward that that would be a one way ticket to a dislocated shoulder./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia looked up, eyes wide, cheeks turning deep red in immense embarrassment. How the hell had she not noticed someone entering her room, much less approaching her and turning on the light? "Oh dear God, I am so. So. sorry," she said quickly, hands covering her cheeks. Damnit. Damnit Damnit Damnit. This was the way to make a good first impression. She probably looked completely mental, sitting alone in a dark room screaming her brains out. "I, um, just wanted to check how soundproof it was."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, I could hear you a bit from, from, next door," Fitz said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his plaid pants. "So it's not completely soundproof but...you shouldn't have to worry about anyone else. I'm the closest to you, physically speaking."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia blinked, averting her gaze from him back to her hands. "Well, I suppose that's good to know..." she trailed off, still trying to asses her level of embarrassment and whether or not she should threaten him into silence. Before she could speak, the engineer spoke first./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Erm, if you don't mind me asking...Asia, is it? Yes, well. Is everything alright?" And suddenly it was his cheeks which were tinted red. "I mean, I know you were just testing out the sounds here but, just...just checking up on you. I know starting can be a little rough."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The brunette grinned and shook her head slightly, sighing. "I don't know if that's a can of worms you want to open...em, Leo, right? Can I call you Leo?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Leo is fine, most people call me Fitz if you'd prefer it," he shrugged, "And I don't mind opening your can of worms, I mean, that is, I don't mind listening. If you need someone to lean on, or, um, talk to, about things."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Leo it is then," she said, scooting over on the edge of the bed. "You can sit, if you really want to listen..." she left the choice up to him. He could easily make an excuse and leave if he so chose. That would be the easy way out, really. She would take it, if roles were reversed. And she wasn't entirely sure why she felt the need to tell him anything whatsoever. Natasha would have raised an eyebrow at her and have said "You're not going to keep that to yourself?" Having too many feelings was a sign of weakness. But perhaps it was to fill the void Nat had left behind. Who knew how long it would be before she saw the rest of Strike Team Delta? While Natasha had warmed up to her in her own way, and Clint had always taken care of her like a younger sister, she knew if she ever was concerned or battling feelings, she could go to them and they would listen. Sometimes she needed that after missions. The things they saw, the things they did, Asia couldn't always push it away and never look back. And here, without her even asking for it, was someone offering to let her unpack, mentally. Perhaps he was more than a bumbling engineer she saw in the lab, close as could be with the girl named Jemma./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"And, in continuation of her surprises this day, Leo sat down on the edge of her white bed, lacing his hands together in front of him and propping his elbows on his knees. Admittedly, part of her wondered if this was a trap. If it was, she was already analyzing the best way out of the situation, and she didn't doubt she could easily disarm the man next to her if need be. She wished that maybe sometimes she could turn off the constant worry about being betrayed or attacked. But that was not the life chosen for her, nor would it ever be the life of an assassin. She had stumbled down this path and now she had to walk it with confidence. "So, what's up?" He asked in his beautiful Scottish brogue. It was his voice, she decided, that calmed her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia thought for a moment, pressing her lips together in a fine line. "I'm just...this is a big transition. I've been a part of Strike Team Delta for...five years now. I have lived and grown and slept next to and changed with Nat and Clint. They were the closest thing I've ever had to a family. And now I'm here, with no one, in this empty room with not a single one of my old things and I just feel like the walls are closing in, and now I've got no one left to have my back."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She could see Leo Fitz looking at her from the corner of her large brown eyes, but for a moment he didn't say anything. Perhaps he wasn't the confidant she was looking for. But after a moment, he did speak. "Erm, What happened to your family? If, if you don't mind me asking, that is. Don't mean to press into any matters in which I don't belong."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia was admittedly slightly taken aback by the question. People did not usually press into her past, a past which she id like to usually keep quiet. But it was too late now, she had taken out the stopper which was the only thing blocking the emotions she had bottled up. "They were killed when I was four. By HYDRA. I remember everything. I was hiding, in a cupboard, a secret place, that my parents told me to go if anyone ever came for us." And as she started speaking, it was immediately as if she were transferred back to that tiny cupboard, peaking through the smallest of cracks and watching her parents be slaughtered. "The worst part was they took my baby sister. She was only two, this cute little thing. She looked much more like my parents than I did. I heard them say, 'Where's the other girl?' and I thought that was the end for me. But another replied with, 'It doesn't matter, this is the only one we need.' And they left. I was so scared, I scrambled over to my mother's dead body, pushing my hands over the bleeding wound on her neck, putting on pressure. They taught me that, when I was little. That wounds needed to be pressured. And I remember thinking my dad would be so mad there was blood all over my dress, because he had to do the laundry. And thats when S.H.I.E.l.D. found me." She picture the agents filtering into the house, guns raised, but they were late, too too late./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"A hand on her arm jolted her out of her trance from the past and instantly she was grabbing the arm and shoving the body against the wall, arm against his throat, before she remembered it was simply Leo. Blanching, she instantly moved back. "Oh God. I'm so sorry. You surprised me. I don't take surprises well all the time..." Now he must really think she was a freak. She could feel the prickle of tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. No, no, she couldn't cry. Not on her damn first day. But this was all too much, the embarrassment, the emptiness, the memories of the past. "I am, seriously, so, so incredibly sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"But Leo didn't seem to take it all that negatively. "It's probably my own fault, shouldn't have surprised you like that. You did, um, look a little out of it there. Lost in the past. I know that can, uh, be a bit dangerous. It does not do to dwell on dreams."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""And forget to live," Asia finished the quotation he had begun, a smile coming over her face. "I appreciate you, Leo. Also, you and Jemma are rather cute together," she offered the compliment, testing the waters. This would be a good, concrete way, to find out if they were infact a couple./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"The Scott's face immediately flushed," Oh, em, Jemma and I, we're, we're not, no, we're not together, I mean we spend time together, but, we're, we're not ah, any sort of couple. No. Just lab partners. And very good friends. But not dating, no." The way he stuttered caused Asia to laugh. It was cute, really./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Just checking, Leo. You seemed very close, so I didn't want to keep you if you had a pretty girl to get back to." The brunette agent tucked a loose strand of long brown hair behind her ear, glancing over at him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, why would I have anywhere to go when I'm with a pretty girl right here, I mean, well, you are pretty, but that's not to say-" He began to get flustered once more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Shh," Asia replied, putting a finger over his lips to stop the talking. "Everything is fine. I appreciate you being here, and listening to me. But I am getting a little tired..." she leaned against the head of her bed with a yawn. "Not that I'll be able to get any rest with this extreme lack of pillows." She rolled her eyes, her tone slightly bitter./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's wrong with two pillows?" Leo asked her with a lopsided grin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, I usually sleep with six at the least. One being a pillow pet," Asia explained with a laugh. "This is a bit of a downgrade."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Umm..just wait right here. One second. Don't go anywhere, ok?" Leo hopped up and was out of the room in a flash. In the time he disappeared, Asia quickly pulled off her skinny jeans and slipped into a pair of soft, pink, sleeping pants. When he returned, with three pillows in hand, he looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Wow, pink? You, uh, don't exactly seem like a pink girl."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh stuff it," Asia rolled her eyes. "What are you doing with those?" She nodded at the pillows, raising one thin eyebrow./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh, well, I figured you need your sleep, you know, if you're going to help out the team. And we do have a mission tomorrow," Leo explained, tossing the pillows lightly at her. "It doesn't get you to six but..it might help, I think."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""That," Asia beamed, while arranging the pillows, "Is the sweetest thing that's happened to me all week. Thank you, Leo. Really. You have literally been my savior all night."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh, well, you're a hero during the day, I'm just, you know, trying to do my part." Leo explained with a shrug, and then he turned to head out the door./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Where are you going?" Asia asked, stopping him in his tracks, her voice slightly drooping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Well, back to my room, so you can get some sleep?" He said, but it came out almost as a question, as he turned back to face her, a perplexed look in his soft eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I've got all your pillows, don't I? Wouldn't want you to sleep on a rockhard mattress," Asia said shyly. In truth, she just didn't want to be alone again, not the first night at least, in this dark, empty room. On missions, she was used to sleeping right next to one of her teammates, staying warm, while the third of them kept watch, kept them safe. It was clear Leo didn't expect this, or think of things in the same way as which she was, as his face immediately flushed red again. "Jesus, Leo, not like that! I just wanted a friend here. You are a friend, I think...so, just stay. Don't make it weird."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Leo sighed, shaking his head, before moving back towards the bed. "Do you like the inside or outside?" He asked./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Asia immediately scooted up against the wall. "Inside, definitely." She patted the spot next to her before laying down and pulling up the blankets around her, sighing into the pillows behind her. "ahh, so much better than just two." A content smile drifted over her sleepy lips, causing Leo to smile as well. "I'm going to sleep now, okay?" she said in a tired voice, rolling on her side so that she was facing him, her eyes still shut. "Thanks again, Mr. Leo Fitz." and with that, she was out like a light./p
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