"So."
"So."
"Let's never do that again," Simmons said, smiling grimly at him as they entered the Bus, snaking through the halls until they reached their bunks.
"Which part?" Fitz asked, happy to have the light banter between them after such a long, heavy day. "Are you referring to falsely thinking one of our own was a traitor? Or finding out that half of the organization we've worked for our entire careers is evil?"
Simmons laughed sarcastically, continuing to walk with him past his bunk and into hers. They usually split their time between each other's rooms, but lately they'd been hanging out in her room since she always kept it in pristine condition, while Fitz's room tended to get messier the busier he got. "Well, yes, both of those," she said. "But I'm mostly referring to us being split up in the middle of a major crisis." She watched Fitz key in the code to her room, a combination he had guessed within the first five minutes of them moving into the Bus and she had never found a reason to change.
"Ah, yes." Fitz said, glancing into the hall before closing the door to double-check that no one was close enough to overhear their private conversation. "I didn't like that, either," he admitted. Fitz followed her into her room and perched on her bed, grabbing a partially-intact phone he had left on the bedside table and started to pry it apart. Tinkering helped him calm down after a stressful day. "I didn't like that one bit," he repeated, focusing his attention on the phone so she couldn't see the red spreading across his face. If only she knew how much he had panicked when he realized she was stuck at the traitor-filled Hub.
"I feel terrible for Ward right now. Can you imagine? Being betrayed by someone who held so close? Skye said Ward once told her that Garrett was like a father to him. Can you imagine?" Jemma fretted, flitting about the room, straightening books and knick-knacks that didn't need rearranging.
Fitz snorted, keeping his attention on the phone, "Yeah, I don't have to imagine, Jemma."
"Oh, Fitz, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking," Simmons rushed to apologize, joining him on the bed. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it once.
He nodded and she dropped her hand, effectively dropping the topic. She reached out for her tablet and leaned back on the pillow next to him. "Still. Things will be very, very different around here. I don't know what happens next," she admitted.
"Me neither," Fitz sighed, letting go of the phone and gazing at his partner. "But we'll stick together, right?"
"Of course!" Simmons said, tone cross as though the mere thought of them separating was ludicrous. "Don't be absurd. We have to stick together for our own safety - I was too worried about where you were to even think about my own safety! I'm the one who dragged you into the field, after all."
Fitz rolled his eyes at the age-old argument, "Once again, Jemma, if I didn't want to be in the field, I wouldn't have signed on," he said, answering with his usual reply.
The pair smiled for moment before Fitz blurted out, "I thought we were going to die."
Simmons' frown disappeared quickly, "What?"
"I mean, I thought you were going to die, mostly. When we found out the Hub had been overtaken by Hydra and you were still in there…" Fitz trailed off, shuddering. "I was so scared, Jemma," he admitted. "I hate feeling like that. Quit making me feel like that, okay?" Seeing his partner's eyes start to well up, Fitz rushed to lighten the mood. "But at least you didn't do anything dramatic like jumping out of an airplane this time," he joked, hoping his smile covered the pain he still felt every time he thought about that awful day.
"Yes, well, this day wasn't exactly a walk in the park for me either," Simmons admitted. "I didn't know where you were, either! I don't know why you were so worried about me - you were the one who actually faced the most danger! You actually confronted Hydra! That was so brave!"
Fitz shrugged, "Didn't feel brave. I felt terrified. I think today is the first day that I actually thought I was going to die. I've been scared, and out in the field before and everything, but it's always just been a hypothetical. That it was a possibility that something might go wrong and I might die. But today was the first time I really, truly thought that I was going to die. I was certain of it."
"Not very fun, is it?"
"Oh, it wasn't so bad," Fitz said casually, surprising Simmons. Her own brush with death at the hands of the alien virus had shaken her to her core. "Once I got past the fear, I was mostly just thinking about my mum. How sad she'd be, how angry I was at myself for experience so much grief. Disappointed I was leaving her alone."
"Oh, Fitz."
"And you," Fitz continued, as though she hadn't spoken. "I was thinking about you being alone. Sad I wouldn't get to see you again, sad about all our work I'd be leaving unfinished. Hoping you were safe and someone would be able to keep you safe in the future - Agent Triplett or someone else, I don't know. Maybe Ward, once he's recovered from everything. Just… Everything I'd be missing out on."
Fitz stopped, realizing he was starting to ramble a bit too much. He glanced at Simmons and saw her staring at him, the same look in her eyes that she had when she was on the verge of solving a puzzle. He held his breath, waiting for her inevitable queries.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and smiled, "Well, fortunately, we're both here and we're both fine. Now! Aside from the obvious, did I miss anything else while I was at the Hub?"
Fitz thought for a long moment, then broke out into a wide smile. "Yes! Agent May shot at me."
"WHAT!?"
