Hello dear Deckerstar shippers! Giftees and prompts have been assigned!!!
Remember to send anon love to both of your giftees, you can ask questions, wish a good week or just pop up to say hello but remember to be on anon, don’t spoil them :D
All your works have to be posted on April 25! So, you have until that day to work on your prompt :)
Remember to include #thedeckerstarnetwork in the first five tags when you post on tumblr, so we are able to reblog your amazing works :3
We are using “TheDeckerstarNetwork” also as tag on Ao3, so if you want to share your writing with us, use that tag and we will post in our blog your fanfiction!
When you post your gift remember to tag your giftees so they know that it is for them and of course you can reveal yourself!
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to message us!
(A gift from theblakesiblings and myself, for fsmoakes and aslanscompass, who asked for Academy Fitzsimmons. Hope you guys enjoy your first gift!)
Her eyes met his and they sparkled to match the smile on her face. It was silly really, their hands often brushed in the snacks’ bowl when they were watching movies or TV shows together. But this time their eyes didn’t avert like the other times, he kept watching him intensely with his deep blue eyes and she couldn’t look away. He was so serious that her smile slowly fades away and she waited, waited for something to happen.
A few seconds passed and they were still gazing at each other, Indiana Jones completely forgotten. She wouldn’t be able to explain the reason why she leaned in at some point, it was like some outside force was drawing her to him. An irrepressible urge to touch his lips with hers. So she simply did it, closing both her eyes and the space between them. Surprisingly, he didn’t move back like she thought he would. Instead, he pressed his lips against hers even more firmly, which confused her so much that she opened her eyes again and met his gaze. It held the same bewilderment she supposed hers did but also a fondness that made her break the kiss and look away, a blush forming on her face.
All of a sudden it was as if the surreal bubble they were in burst and she jumped back to her previous position in the couch, distancing himself from him. She could still feel him watching her but she couldn’t hold his gaze anymore so she resumed watching the film as if nothing happened. She was grateful he didn’t say anything; it was almost as if it had all been a dream. But they were both very aware it wasn’t.
She didn’t linger too much once the movie was over, claiming that she had to study for a test the following week. She offered him a weak smile to go along her excuse: she doubted he believed her at all but thankfully, if it was the case, he didn’t say anything. He nodded her goodbye even though she could tell he was still confused just by the expression in his eyes.
Xx
She finds him at their usual table in the corner of the library. It’s mostly out of sight, which is why it’s perfect. Jemma takes a deep breath before forcing herself to move towards the table. She needs to fix this mess she created and that means no running away.
When she finally gets to the table, she sits down in her usual spot, the chair across from him. He doesn’t look up or even greet her like he normally does and that causes her stomach to knot almost painfully. He’s mad at her and she doesn’t blame him. She has to make things right.
Reaching over, she places her hand on his. He stops writing and looks at their touching hands. She pulls away, feeling slightly heated, but at least she has his attention.
“Can we forget about what happened last night Fitz? I was tired and not thinking straight. I acted on impulse. I just want to act like it never happened.” She says.
Fitz looks at her and smiles. “Of course.” Then he’s right back to working on whatever project he has planned and Jemma’s left to her own devices.
For some reason she wants to cry but she shouldn’t. Fitz seems happy with what she suggested and that’s what she wanted. So why does she feel so chocked up?
It takes a few days for the tension to completely disappear but after that they go back to being just how they were before it happened and she’s happy. This is what she wanted. Everything is how it should be.
Xx
She remembers when they first became friends. It was almost six months into their freshman year and she just knew he hated her. He was always upstaging her with his projects, and trying to best her. Not that she minded too much in the long run. It gave her the determination to try even harder.
Eventually their professors noticed that both students were way more advanced than all the other ones. So it was only logical that they paired them up and to Jemma’s surprise they actually got along pretty well. They had accomplished so much more working together than they ever had competing against each other.
And he was just so important to her.
“Jemma?”
He was her best friend in the world.
“Jemma?”
She couldn-
“Jemma!”
Her head snapped up as she heard her name. “Sorry Fitz I was lost in thought.” He nodded before setting down a cup in front of her. Tea. Every morning he brought her tea. They had a routine, a good one. One she would not trade for anything in the world.
She would not ruin them.
Xx
Jemma knew attraction was a normal human behavior. It made sense that she would be attracted to the smartest person she knew. But attraction was not love and she couldn’t ruin their friendship over something as simple as attraction.
She had been alone for so long. In the past she had always been the smartest person in the room. It made it hard for her to fit in. Even her parents weren’t sure how to handle her. S.H.I.E.L.D recruiting her to the academy had been the best thing to happen to her. At seventeen she was confused and a bit lonely and she was ready to go somewhere she would actually fit in.
Except that, once she was at the Academy she was not only the smartest person in the room but also the youngest. Not many people appreciated that. But when she met Fitz things became different. She finally had someone who could keep up with her. She felt like she was finally belonging to a place.
Their friendship had started restricted to the lab but then one morning they went for coffee. On some late nights they would go to a small dinner and eat breakfast food and talk for hours. Then without realizing it, she began to know how he took his tea, or how whenever he was stuck on a problem he brought up monkeys. She learned that he was just as lonely as she was, and that he loved his mum more than anything on Earth.
And he knew her just as well. She was sure that no one else knew her as much as he did and at times that scared her because she wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to people who genuinely liked her company.
So maybe there was an attraction, and maybe that attraction caused her to act on impulse but she wouldn’t, no she couldn’t lose what they had.
Xx
On Tuesday she studies with Serena. They both were in the Organic Chemistry II class and found it easy to study together. Today is different though. Serena seems fidgety and out of it, and after her twelfth sigh Jemma finally asked her what’s wrong.
“There’s this guy I met a few days ago and I think I really like him.” Serena says with a smile and slight blush. “But… I don’t know if he feels the same.”
Jemma understands the struggle more than she would like to. Though she’s approached by guys a lot she’s never sure if someone likes her unless they say so. “Do I know him? Maybe I can figure it out for you.”
At this, Serena nods enthusiastically. “He’s your friend. Fitz. We bumped into each other in the Boiler Room and got to talking and he’s really great. You know him better than anyone, so maybe you could help me.”
Suddenly Jemma wishes she had never asked. She was feeling queasy, but she reassures herself that it is nothing. Everything in her is telling her to say no. To make up some excuse or flat out lie. But logically she knows she’s not the best liar and she has no reason to. Fitz and she are just friends and she should have no problem with him seeing someone else.
So she squeezes out a yes and excuses herself a little while later.
It shouldn’t hurt this much, she thinks but it does.
Xx
“Did you meet a girl in the Boiler Room a few days ago?” She asks. He stops to think.
“Oh, yeah. We talked about the theory of time travel for a bit. Do you know her?”
She nods. “Actually she wants to know if you want to ask her out.” His eyes widen and she holds back a laugh. While Fitz definitely got attention from the women around here he never seemed to notice. As bad as she could be socially, he was even worse.
“Would you mind if I did?” He asks eventually and now it is her turn to be taken back. Why would her approval mean anything?
“No. Of course I don’t mind.” She winces at how pitchy her voice sounds and understanding seems to cloud Fitz’s eyes.
“Well she’s not really my type and there’s so much work to be done. I probably don’t have time for dating anyway.” It’s a lie and they both know it but she’s grateful anyway. It’s probably the best and worst she felt in a while. She’s happy that she won’t be forced to watch him move on, but she hates to think her selfishness is holding him back.
Xx
Everyone remembers the point of time when something changes. Whether it’s the time, what they were wearing, or how everything looked at the particular moment they remembered.
For her it was five months ago in their lab late at night. Fitz had proposed they take a break for a few minutes as he sunk to the floor and leaned his back against the wall. She joins him down there and they sit in silence. His foot tapped against her and she tapped back and in this companionable silence Jemma realizes that she’s happy just like this. If they were somehow trapped in this moment for the rest of their lives she would have no complaint.
Contrary to the rumors that roll around The Academy, Jemma does have a life outside of Fitz and her homework. She goes out on dates, shops with friends, and completes her own separate projects.
Back when she was first enrolled, Jemma had always assumed that she would graduate and land a job. What she hadn’t planned on was Fitz. She didn’t plan on having a partner that somehow managed to make her work even better. Now when she thought of the future she couldn’t imagine going anywhere without Fitz. He was her lab partner, her best friend,… but was he anything else? Sometimes when she catches him watching her, she’s unsettled by what she can see in his eyes.
She can’t put a name on it, or maybe she is too afraid to even think it out loud. This steady fondness that makes her believe he truly cares about her and maybe not only as friends do. And her heart clenches even more when she realizes she might hurt him every day after what she did that night in his dorm. It wasn’t fair to him when she kind of knows how he feels about her – or at least she has a strong idea about it, to confuse him even more by her actions. But she still doesn’t have a definite reason nor does she have any idea about the true depths of her own feelings towards him. He was different. He was a constant in her life but one she’d never had before. He had a unique status in her mind and heart and therefore she couldn’t decide where she stood overnight.
She needed time. But the more she thought about it, the more she realizes she was going round and round in circles without coming up with a solution.
Xx
“Stars look so much better when we’re at your mother’s house.”
They’re both out on the rooftop, something they do occasionally. The Academy has way too many lights on, for them to actually see stars but she enjoys the company.
“Too many lights.” Fitz agrees. Then he looks at her and she gets that feeling all over again. The one she got, that very first night they kissed. This time she decides that this time will be different. No running away. No pretending these feelings don’t exist. Because he’s what makes her happy and maybe if she can just fight pass the fear, and logic that clouds her brain, this thing could actually work.
She takes a deep breath before sitting up, and she turns her head up to look at the sky.
I wrap it up from VMware PEX in San Francisco. Special thanks, of course, to you for watching this week – I do appreciate it and hope it is both entertaining and helpful. Appreciation also goes out to Ron Carovano, Matt Quill and Keith McManigal for their guest appearances. Reporting from the City by the Bay, thanks for watching!
Ron Carovano, Mgr. Business Development for Security Solutions, gives us the scoop on what customers are asking for from security vendors, including F5. Consolidation, visibility, mobility and management are all on the table. Point products do not always solve the problem.
I lead you on a short journey to find F5 booth #209 at VMware Partner Exchange. I talk about the theme of Dare to Thrive and with this being my first 2015 trade show video, an opening number is in order of course.
