Alfie Fitz is quickly becoming my favourite character with his brazen and playful atitude!
"I promise it won't hurt!" Jemma attempted to reassure a reluctant Leo into letting her put some medication on his rugby injury.
She was sat in her red checked pyjamas at the end of his bed; with a tube of shield issue anti-inflammatory gel held menacingly in her hand.
"That's what ye said before ya stuck that needle in me las' time!" Fitz protested using his hands to awkwardly pull himself further up the bed away from her till he was pressed up against the pillows stacked against his headboard. Getting, if possible, even more Scottish in his annoyance.
"That was a needle Leo. This is gel!" Jemma exclaimed, waving the tube around.
"Ye still lied!" Leo yelled back, only half messing with her. That needle had stung quite a bit.
"Shut up and take your shirt off!" Jemma shouted inertly, tensing up.
There was a second of silence in which both scientists decided to ignore the more than platonic connotations of those words.
Leo Fitz shot her one last stare, as he carefully peeled his white pyjama top over his head, trying to agitate his ribs as little as possible, only to get the fabric caught around his neck.
Jemma sighed as she watched his helplessly tug and growl for a second or two, muttering curses. "Okay, hold on." She crawled over to his left side, loosening the top from his neck and with the right angle of her body managed to free Leo from the tangle he'd created.
"Thanks," He murmured awkwardly, adjusting the pillows and lying back, trusting Jemma to put the gel on.
"Anytime." Jemma said, opening the cap of the tube and applied some of the gel to the angry purple and blue bruise swelling on his side. Leo hissed at the cold and pressure.
"Sorry," She murmured with sincere empathy, automatically placing her other hand on his warm, rising chest to calm him. She kept it there as she spread the medicine across his skin. He was afraid to breathe in case he disturbed her.
Jemma observed where the bruise faded to smooth white skin, from pink to paler. He wasn't exactly muscular or broad shouldered like his older brothers, but lean, with strong flat surfaces rather than bulk. She thought it suited him.
"You just have to leave it to soak in for a few minutes then you can sleep, okay?" Jemma said cheerily, removing her hand from his chest, closing her fist.
"Jemma," Leo called out as she made to leave, "hey, ye want to stay a bit? I'm not that tired and I don't feel like sittin' alone." He pulled back the bed covers and gave her a slightly awkward but genuine smile.
Leo's bed smelled nice this morning, like cinnamon or something vaguely Christmassy, it felt a lot warmer than normal too. His eyes fluttered open a bit to discover why. Jemma was curled up on her side facing away from him, toward the door, with her head on his outstretched arm. His nose was brushing the back of her head, with his other hand curled gently around her soft waist and her back pressed up against his chest (the gel seemed to have worked due to the fact it felt completely numb). He tried not to think too much about the fact she was curled into his lap, and even more so about how comfortable and normal it felt. He couldn't move without waking her, but even if he had been able to, he wasn't sure he would have. That'd been one of the best nights sleeps he'd got in months.
This wasn't good though, even if it felt that way, she was his closest friend; he couldn't afford to make things awkward especially when they were going to be stuck back on a plane for months on end in a few short days.
That's when he spotted them, and his stomach dropped out. There were two steaming mugs of morning tea placed on top of the dresser by the door. Someone had been in the room while they were sleeping; sleeping in the exact same position that he'd woken up to. He was in for it. In what way depended on whom it was who'd brought the tea.
He checked the time; 10:47. Pretty late. It wasn't too early to wake Simmons up. His hand stopped before he could jostle her shoulder, maybe it would be better to get out the room and wait for her to wake up naturally.
It took a good minute to slip his arm out from under Jemma without waking her, putting on his old school hoodie he quietly made his way downstairs, taking his tea with him. There was a wonderful homely smell of fried meat and fresh bread.
He'd barely pattered into the kitchen when he was bombarded by his mother.
"Oh! Leo! I need you to take these to the dining room for me since ye're on yah feet." Jane Fitz pushed a stack of plates into her son's arms and shooed him back through the door.
Fitz found his dad setting places at the dining room table. "What's goin' on Da'?"
Angus Fitz grinned cheerily, his cheeks pink, "Ye mother's cooking us all a family breakfast, a proper British fry-up with all the do-dads!" Fitz's mouth watered at the thought of the juicy, sizzling sausages and baked mushrooms. "Been a while since ye had a British breakfast I suppose, don't suppose they serve them up in America much. How's the battle wound?" His father referred to Fitz's injury.
"Argh, can't feel a thing thanks to Jemma. As for American breakfasts, I've eaten a lot of pancakes since I went to America, tha's true enough! I miss hash browns. And the waffles over there aren't potato either!"
"What in the name of God to they make 'em out of then?" Angus asked, shocked.
"I dunno, but they've got sugar in 'em. They're sweet, not savoury."
"How strange." Angus marvelled, putting the last of the cutlery in place. "Now hurry back and have yourself your morning tea, lad, I can finish up here."
Leo made his way back to the kitchen and settled in the chair between Amelia and Mandy at the breakfast table. Mandy was sitting back and teaching Hamish how to properly fry bacon, Leo smirked at his brother agitatedly flipping bacon rashers while his girlfriend teased him. He turned to see Amelia gazing into the distance absentmindedly, a cup steaming in her hands.
Then Alfie appeared, closely followed by Mrs Fitz, slipping into the chair opposite Leo, he leant forward, a mischievous glint dancing in his eye. "You sleep well Leo?" He asked sweetly.
'Oh God no…' Leo groaned internally, 'out of everyone it had to be him?'
"Where's Jemma?" His mother asked, glancing around and seeing no sign of her son's best friend.
"Still asleep." Leo told her shortly, hoping the subject would change quickly.
"Probably just overly tired Ma'. Maybe she didn't get much sleep." Alfie didn't make eye contact with Leo but simply chuckled softly into his tea, and raised his eyebrows. Leo kicked his foot out and hit Alfie on the shin under the table. Leo's brother hissed indignantly.
"Yeah, well jetlag, you know?" Fitz said, taking a sip of his tea.
"Yeah… jetlag…" Alfie nodded slowly and sarcastically. Leo gritted his teeth.
"Morning everyone." Jemma announced cheerily as she entered, clutching her mug.
"Morning Darlin', take a seat we'll be eating soon. Do you want porridge?" Jane Fitz smiled at the girl.
Soon they were sat in the dining room, with the fry-up spread the length of the table in the middle. Mr and Mrs's Fitz had made enough to feed a small army; Jemma didn't think she'd ever seen anything like it in her life.
"Where's me fork, Sally, dear?" Fitz's addled grandfather patted his daughter's arm.
"It's Jane, Pa', and ye fork's by your elbow." Mrs Fitz told him calmly.
"Oh, so it is, yes. Thank ye very much Sally, darling." Grandpa Stuart said, eagerly grasping the silverware.
Alfie rolled his eyes at the old man.
Simmons' brought her lips to Leo's ear and whispered, "Who's Sally?"
Leo shook his head at her, his eyes wide, and a little sad.
"So, Leo, Jemma, what sort of things do you two really get up to then?" Angus Fitz asked levelly, drawing attention away from his father-in-law.
"Pardon?" Jemma tried to stop her voice from cracking. Leo wasn't so lucky and began to choke on a piece of waffle. Jemma patted him firmly on the back. What on earth was going on? Alfie sniggered.
"What sort of work do you guys really get up to?" Fitz's father seemed genuinely interested.
"Well Jemma is a biochemist, a brilliant one. Mainly she works with DNA and developing pharmaceuticals 'n the suchlike, anything that's needed 'n that area she can do."
"Cool! Have ye ever dissected a human?" Amelia's eyes gleamed.
"I'd rather not say at the table." Jemma smiled unsurely.
"That's a yes then." Alfie concluded.
"And Leo, me lad? What'a you do then? I know you're an engineer."
"Oh Fitz is the best engineering specialists I've ever met! He's specialises in chemical, mechanical and electrical engineer. Learning the ins and outs of one branch in difficult enough, let alone three." Jemma announced eagerly, sporting a wide smile. Leo blushed a little.
"We'll you seem to have made quite an impression, Leo, dear." Jane Fitz beamed at her son, picking at her bacon with her knife and fork.
Alfie nudged his brother in the side suggestively. Leo nudged him back, harder.
"Not just on me; Fitz is a legend at our alma mater."
Fitz continued the rest, "We both are. We're the youngest ever graduates and we both graduated with egregia cum laude. I did say before."
"Sorry, wha'?" Hamish stared across the table at the two of them.
"Egregia cum laude, it means 'outstanding honors'. It's latin." Jemma explained to the Fitz's.
"Wow, there's really two of 'em, huh?" Mandy gazed at Fitz-Simmons in awe as Hamish stole one of her sausages. She gave him a shove with her shoulder, and complaining stole one of his baked tomatoes.
"While we're all in one place I actually have a bit of an announcement." Hamish flourished his hand to gain everyone's attention and swallowed the last of his mouthful.
"We!" Mandy stuck her elbow in his side.
"Yea' okay, Hun, give it away why don't ye," Hamish agreed with a chuckled before turning his attention back to his family, "We… are getting married!"
"About damn time, Son!" Angus bellowed as Amelia and Alfie whooped in unison.
"Oh! Sweetheart," Jane Fitz squealed, almost tripping over herself in order to go hug her son and his new fiancé.
Jemma grinned at a stunned Leo. "Congrats, Hammy." Leo grinned lopsidedly at Hamish.
"Don't start, Leo." Hamish growled good-naturedly at his little brother.
"I knew it! Didn't I say Alfred?" Jane Fitz looked to Alfie.
"Yes, Ma'" He nodded .
Mr and Mrs Fitz eventually calmed down and returned to their seats at either end of the table.
"One bairn down, I wonder which've me lads 'll be next!" The wrinkles around Jane Fitz's eyes and mouth deepened as she smiled wide, tearing up a little. With her words everyone's eyes fell on Alfie, the second eldest, who had tomato juice dribbling down his chin. Everyone's gaze quickly travelled from Alfie over to where Fitz-Simmons were ignorant to the current topic of conversation, and Leo was pouring Jemma another cup of tea, just the way she liked it as she nattered to him about something no one else could understand. Mrs Fitz raised a brow conspiringly.
"Now, boys, Millie, I need all o' the help I can get because it's Christmas eve and so, of course, we've got the Christmas party tonight." Alfie and Amelia let out a collective groan that earned a dangerous 'don't start' look from their mother. "Leo, Jemma, go get ye coats, I've got a job for you two!"
I was actually pretty sceptical about this chapter, no matter what I did it just didn't seem finished or something. There is much better material to come. I'm itching to write some Fitz-Simmons 'action'.
bairn is scots/northen slang for a baby or child. My nana Stewart calls me 'the bairn' sometimes… 'cause I'm the smallest in my family.