#para:ward

[leofitz-engineer-blog]

Meet the Family // Grant & Leo

Ever since Tony had surprised Fitz, Leo had slowly begun to crawl out of his depression. He started fidgeting with gadgets, he was making a few of his own meals, hell, he was even wearing jeans these days. But with every two steps forward, Leo would think back to the negatives and take another step back. He continuously forgot to shave, make his scruff grow even more along his jawline, he would revert back to his bed by six o’clock, and while he was fidgeting with technology, he wasn’t make any substantial progress on any projects. 

And to make matters worse, Fitz continued to dodge friendly contact. He couldn’t count the number of times he tried to discourage friends from coming over, he felt guilty at the mere thought of Darcy, and he could tell that Grant was getting suspicious of his refusal to meet him somewhere. It was just hard; Tony was an idol, but not someone Fitz had grown to love and treat like Family. Grant, Darcy, Skye, Jemma, all of those guys? They deserved his best- something he couldn’t deliver at the moment. 

When the door to his apartment started rattling for the second time that week, he just sighed and watched the door from his position on the couch. Why did everyone think he was incapable of being alone for more than two days at a time? Instead of shrinking from whoever came through the door, Fitz stood and tugged down on his sweatshirt, biting his lip in worry when Grant walked through. He had expected it to be Coulson, to be completely honest. “Heeeeeey Grant. . . whatcha doin’ here?”

[leofitz-engineer-blog]

Find Me ll Leo & Grant

After spending so much time in the lab, and meeting such limited success, Fitz finally accepted defeat and walked out. The cloaking device was giving him a migraine, and the fact that he couldn't remember how to even wire the damn thing was shortening his patience bit by bit. Had this project been placed in front of him four months ago, Fitz would have had it up and running within a week. Now he was spending almost every second of time on it and he barely had the electronics piece done. He knew SHIELD wouldn't have this much time to waste on one item, but they would never say that to his face. They would all just offer to help, give him that pitying look, and remind him that he wasn't the same person as before. . . Some days were worse than others. 

Shrugging on a jacket, Fitz left the Tower, hoping that he may be able to find something new to focus on, something that would distract his mind from its failings and maybe give him a bit of inspiration for something else. He knew that Hawkeye was hoping for a new design for arrows, but did he really have enough time to juggle a new project on top of a more pertinent one? Of course, if the question had been posed to Skye, she would simply tell him to stop pushing himself so far. But with so much to do and so many people counting on him, did he even have such a luxury? He felt in his jacket for the burner phone, feeling the steady weight bump against his chest with each step. Should he call him? It would definitely be a breath of fresh air, and he could offer ideas for how to get past the road block. . . but would he be willing to meet him when Fitz was like this? Leo paused by the awning of one of the storefronts, taking out the phone to stare at Ward's number. Should he really. . .? Fitz snapped the phone closed and walked further down the street, a sigh escaping from his lips. He was afraid of how Ward would react, and he knew it. But was that so wrong? He didn't want Grant to feel bad; that was fair, wasn't it? 

It wasn't until he was crossing the street that he felt the eyes begin to follow him. He clutched the phone tighter and checked behind him, trying to see who it was. He could still feel their eyes, but no one seemed to be the obvious viewer. With panic mounting, he dialed Ward and brought the phone to his ear, hardly waiting to hear the man's voice before spilling out his location and a simple request for help. He ducked into a side alley and stepped within the echoing walls, waiting to see who would show up first . . and praying it would be his brother. He had no idea if the assailant was Hydra, or if it was a demigod who really needed to learn the concept of timing, but Leo was unwilling to take a chance. When an outline formed against the street's light, Fitz shrank back against a shadowed wall and held his breath, waiting to see just what the person would do.