Chapter 39.
Fitz had a secret vice.
He adored hot showers. Really hot, with the water pressure so strong it felt like pounding on his shoulders. And considering the antiquated facilities at the Playground, and the tube that masqueraded as a shower on the Bus, his short stay at Avengers Tower a few weeks ago had been the last chance he'd had to indulge.
So he headed rapidly down into the Tower, ignoring his three female team-mates who were quite clearly all about to get their brains banged out, even Skye. Fitz wasn't stupid. He just preferred to turn a blind eye to that sort of thing when it didn't directly involve him. Which, regrettably, it usually didn't.
"Hi JARVIS," he said cheerfully, slapping his palm on the identifier plate.
"Good day, Dr. Fitz, a pleasure to have you here again," JARVIS responded. "I believe Sir wishes to consult with you later about some of the designs you worked on together on your last visit?"
"Sure. First things first…"
"Your shower, sir? I have already activated the overpressure mechanism and set the water to your preferred temperature." JARVIS sounded smug.
"You're a legend, my friend."
"Thank you, sir. Enjoy your shower." The elevator doors whooshed softly open and Fitz headed straight for his room, dumping his bag on the bed and halfway stripped before he even got into the bathroom. He hopped ungracefully for a moment getting his boots and trousers off and then stumbled into the shower at last, groaning in relief as the steaming water hit the knots in the back of his neck. He had to hold himself up against the wall by his arms as the taut muscles slowly loosened.
Forty-five minutes later, considerably refreshed, Fitz pulled on some clean clothes and considered his next move. "Where is everyone, JARVIS?"
"Dr Simmons is with Agent Barton…"
"Not my team-mates, I can guess very well what they're doing!" Fitz cut JARVIS off. "I meant everyone else. Mr Stark, Dr Banner, Dr Foster… Miss Lewis?" he said Darcy's name last in the vain hope that JARVIS, at least, might be unaware of his interest in her.
"Sir is currently busy on a classified project with Mr Barnes and Mr Wilson. Dr Banner is sleeping. Dr Foster and Miss Lewis are in Lab 77 and are aware of your presence in the Tower. Miss Lewis left a message for you." JARVIS played what was obviously a recording, of Darcy's breathy, soft voice.
"Leo is here? How awesome! Ask him to join us if he gets some free time, would you, Jarv? I have the most amazing surprise for him!"
Fitz couldn't help smiling at the sound of her voice. Darcy could snark with the best of them, but she never did at him. She even insisted on calling him Leo, telling him that she thought he was as brave as a lion and he should claim the name for his own.
"I'll go join them for a bit then, JARVIS," he tried to sound cool and realised he was failing miserably.
"Very good, sir," Fitz was sure he could hear an undercurrent of amusement in JARVIS's smoothly modulated voice. He ignored the paranoid feeling and stepped into the elevator.
A short ride later and he was at Lab 77, Jane Foster's magnificently equipped astrophysics laboratory. Fully set up now, it looked astonishing; Fitz didn't even recognise half the machines. Some of them appeared to be put together with duct tape, though; he frowned. Not very efficient or aesthetically pleasing. Surely he could do something about that… his fingers twitched with the urge to grab some tools and get to work.
"Leo!" a high-pitched squeal made him turn, and a moment later Darcy came barrelling round the corner. For a moment he thought she would run right into him and braced for impact, but she skidded to a stop in front of him and looked shy for a second before suddenly demanding; "Give me a hug!"
Well, he was quite used to that sort of demand; both Jemma and Skye were chronic huggers. He opened his arms with a grin and Darcy immediately stepped into them and hugged him tightly. His arms closed around her and he breathed in the scent of her hair. It smelled sweet, like apples.
"Mm," Darcy's cheek was against his neck. "You smell good."
"Just had a shower," he muttered a bit sheepishly. "Felt a bit grubby when I got in."
"Oh, the showers here are the best, aren't they?" Darcy showed no inclination to back out of the hug even when Fitz loosened his hold. Looking up at him, she smiled, open and without artifice. "Missed you. Everyone around here is so dull."
"Thanks," a voice behind them said dryly.
Darcy finally disengaged from Fitz. "Yes, even you, Jane, with you it's either Thor! or Science! all the time, and well you know it!"
"Yeah, yeah," Jane rolled her eyes dramatically. "Well right now I am giving into your nagging and going to attend to the Eat! and Sleep! portion of your demands. Those scans should be finished in an hour or so, I am trusting you to collate the results by the time I regain consciousness, Darce. Hi and bye, Fitz, see you later."
"Hi Jane," he responded with a smile. "Um…" he looked at the nearest duct-taped piece of machinery.
"As long as it works exactly the same way as it did before, I don't care what you do to it," Jane grinned over her shoulder at him as she entered the elevator.
"Later, there's something I have to show you!" Darcy grabbed his hand and tugged, and unable to resist her infectious enthusiasm, Fitz followed her. She let him through the lab to a quiet, shadowy nook, pressed her finger to her lips to gesture him to be quiet, and pointed.
For a moment he couldn't quite figure out what he was supposed to be looking at. And then he realised that the strange shape on the table was a small, squashy beanbag.
With a capuchin monkey sleeping on it.
Fitz's mouth fell open. Seeing his face, Darcy smothered her giggles behind her hand and tugged him away. "We won't wake him yet, he's only young, he needs his sleep."
"What the – Darcy, why – how do you have a capuchin monkey in your lab?"
"I adopted him. The Avengers took down this lab full of mad scientists and their evil creations, you know, the usual."
He didn't, but he nodded as though it made perfect sense. "And the monkey?"
"He was only a baby. His mother was one of the experimental subjects, and they were all infected, they had to be put down. But Watson was too little, they were keeping him in a separate cage in another room, waiting for him to grow up a bit so they could use him in their horrible experiments too. Bruce brought him back and, well, I asked if I could have him. He's so adorable, really clever and ever so easy to train – Leo, you've gone a funny colour, are you all right?"
I really think you might be my perfect woman. What Fitz said aloud was "You called him Watson?"
"Another sidekick to a genius, like me," Darcy grinned. "I'm so glad you're here, I know you know a lot about monkeys and I really wanted your advice."
Oh. He sagged a bit. Of course. She just wanted to pick his brain. That seemed to be all the use any woman had for him. Well, what could he expect? Darcy lived in a tower full of superheroes. He didn't exactly measure up well by those standards.
"Leo?" Darcy was peering at him, her brow furrowed. "Do you not like him? I was hoping – I know you can't have a pet with your work, but I thought – if you help me train him, he'll be partly yours too, won't he?"
"You really mean that?"
"Of course," she gave him that shy, sweet smile again, nudging her glasses up her nose. "You told me how much you wanted a monkey for a pet. I wish I could give you Watson, but the best I can do is look after him and share him when you're here."
"Thank you," Fitz said around the lump in his throat. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"Oh, pshaw," Darcy tried to wave it off, but he wasn't having any of it.
"You are a wonderful, generous person, Darcy Lewis, and I am very glad you're my friend."
She lifted her chin and gave him a brighter smile at that, and Fitz didn't fight the impulse to hug her again. She hugged him back, but she also stretched up and kissed him on the cheek, softly, her lips lingering.
Wondering if he'd misread the signal, Fitz hesitated. Darcy reached up, put one hand on his cheek, turned his head slightly towards her and looked him in the eyes.
"Are you gonna make me do all the work here, Leo?" she asked quietly.
Even he wasn't dense enough to miss that cue. He bent his head – she wasn't much shorter than him, but enough that he had to lean a little – and kissed her.
They were interrupted a couple of minutes later by a screeching monkey landing on Fitz's head and trying to pull his hair out.
"No! Watson, no! He thinks you're attacking me," Darcy tried to get the monkey off Fitz, who was yelping and jumping about. With one final vicious tug, Watson leaped off his head and into Darcy's arms, turning to chitter victoriously at his vanquished rival.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Fitz grabbed at his head, checked his fingers to see if there was any blood. Finding none, he pointed an accusatory finger at the monkey. "Apparently the first thing we need to teach you is some bloody manners!"
"And not to interrupt when his co-owners are sharing a very enjoyable kiss!" Darcy put in.
They are so cute together – all three of them – I'm dying of the cutsieness!