#everybody say thank you to deke

[cosmicqvake]

I just wanna know how 7x09 goes from being this goofy, hilarious take on Groundhog Day, with moments like Daisy and Jemma casually DYING on the floor, with Deke proceeding to have a mental breakdown over it (because HELLO he just watched Daisy and his nana dramatically drop dead on the floor), while Coulson groans with annoyance about how much of a pain in the ass it is. And, of course, “phlebotinum”, and Enoch casually destroying everybody, and Coulson slowly but surely losing his mind, some cute Dousy moments too, among other absolute gems.

Then you get straight up gut-punched by conversations like Daisy and Coulson’s, about the irony of the time loop being a metaphor for his fear of the inevitable future where he will have to watch every single person he cares about die because someone “decided he should.”

Like wow. Hit me right where it hurts, why don’t you? (I could make a whole post about that conversation alone.)

Not to mention the power of Enoch’s last scene:

“Does it hurt?

It does, a bit. But it's not the physical pain that troubles me. I am acutely aware that in my thousands of years observing humans, I never used to feel lonely. I've been alone many times. To be candid, I preferred it, but it wasn't until I met this particular team of SHIELD agents that being alone meant feeling lonely. And I don't care for it. So, I am feeling, as you might expect, some anxiety now…

You don't have to. You're not alone. Daisy and I will stay with you right up until the end.

That is very kind of you. But, it's that last part, isn't it? You can stay with me up until the end, but you cannot come with me at the end. I will have to leave you and I will have to do that alone and I can't help wondering when that happens, will I feel lonely?

I can say with some authority that you're not wrong. Dying is lonely. But the feeling is temporary, at least for the person dying. The ones who are left behind… less so. I guess that's the one advantage to going first.

Yes. It's different watching your friends go before you, isn't it? I've been through that as well. It can be harder to stay than to leave. I'm sorry, Philip J. Coulson.

Enoch, the team will carry on the mission. We will survive because of you. Thank you.

You are most welcome. But Agent Johnson, while your friends will indeed survive, the team will not.

What do you mean?

I have seen the future. Carry on this mission and cherish it for it will be your last mission together.

That's not possible. Enoch, this is my family.

Of course. Yet, this is the nature of families. I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive, so we celebrate, and people leave us, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in-between but the cycle is always there. No one escapes it. Not even me.

Which means you are not alone. You are apart of that cycle.

Like every other living thing.

Fitz... he was my best friend.

And you are a good friend to Fitz. You are a good friend to all of us.

As I have always...”

Like holy SHIT, man. I am on the FLOOR. It never fails to get me each and every damn time. I resonate on such a deep level with that entire scene, and it honestly affects me so greatly, even to this day. The emotional chokehold that it has on me is unmatched. Someone put the entire thing on my grave tbh.

I could go on about it forever, but basically, 7x09 is just my favourite episode of television ever, and I can say that wholeheartedly. Hats off to everyone who worked on that episode (and every episode let’s be real) I swear. It will forever hold such a special place in my heart.

[daisylincs]

Top 5 Male Characters

Thanks @eowima​​ for tagging me! A chance to gush, yay 🤣🤗

Peter Parker. Probably one of my favourite characters ever, forget just male character. He’s awkward, he’s adorable, and he’s just genuinely such a nice guy you kind of can’t help falling in love with him. What’s great about him is that he’s genuinely developed through the movies, from a goofy kid who just wants to impress Tony Stark, to... well, still a goofy kid, but a proper Avenger, too. (Tony said it, it’s canon.) And throughout it all - because man, is there a throughout it all - he’s managed to stay himself. And the thing about Peter is, himself is just such a great person - selfless, brave, sweet and so awkward, but honestly totally deserving of his spot on this list.

Leo Fitz. Oh my gosh, Leo Fitz. First of all, just typing out his name has made me miss him SO MUCH - because come on, AoS, we all really desperately want to see him again!! And not even just the fans - even the team is missing him by now. Seriously. 

Second of all, you know how I said I like characters who have gone through significant journeys in their shows/movies? WELL. Fitz has come unbelievably far in this series - from an actual cinnamon roll adorkably obsessed with monkeys to this confident, downright heroic agent. And yes, he’s had his hiccups *cough Framework cough* but on the whole Fitz has also managed to stay true to his wonderful and sweet personality.

Also - and this cannot not be mentioned, because Iain de Caestecker himself said it - Fitz and Simmons are a package deal. They come together. Always. And if that isn’t the sweetest thing literally ever, I don’t know what is.

For a moment there, I had my doubts about putting him on this list - but then I decided, no, you can’t have a list of favourite male characters without Phil Coulson. Because yes, he is in an... interesting place in the moment (dead??? LMD??? Computer??? who even knows anymore...) but in the end, whatever the situation is now, Coulson is an incredible character.

He’s also been through quite the journey, from, you know, DYING, to, you know, DYING AGAIN (for realsies this time... except NOT, because next thing you know, there’s a creepy space alien thingy who looks just like him. Wait, no, then he dies. Wait, no, then we have LMD Coulson. Wait, no, then HE dies! Wait, no then we have... what, again?? TV Coulson??) 

ANYWAY. The point is, everybody loved Coulson so much that they could never kill him. And, I mean, fair. The guy is probably the funniest, sweetest, nerdiest spy dad you could ever imagine! He’s great, seriously. Even if his storyline has gotten more than a little crazy. (But to be fair, at this point, who’s hasn’t?!?!)

#CoulsonLives (for the 2819263178264th time, because hey, he deserves it. Philindaisy forever.)

Lincoln Campbell. Probably one of the most underrated guys on all of AoS. People love to hate on Lincoln and call him “boring,” but if you actually go look at things, he was anything but.

First of all, yes, he did have a shitty past. But do you know what the most important thing is? He owned that, and he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it by helping people. And while that certainly doesn’t excuse any of the crappy life choices he made, it does tell you a lot about his character. 

Second of all, he’s a really nice guy. I mean, really nice. Sure, he was Daisy’s transitioner in Afterlife, but I’m fairly sure he didn’t have to go to all that effort to be her friend, too. But he still did it. Why? Because he’s a nice person who genuinely cares. And that is... way underrated.

 Third of all - P O W E R S. Who wouldn’t want Inhuman powers, let alone ones as cool as Lincoln’s? He can shoot literal electricity from his hands. (I digress.)

Fourth of all, he has a great sense of humour - and that is always a selling point for me. That, and terrible puns. And if you combine that with snark and sarcasm, and an actor as cute as Luke Mitchell? Well.

Lastly but definiitely not leastly (leastly? Is that even a word? ANYWAY.) Lincoln also had a pretty good journey on the show. From being reluctant to join SHIELD to basically co-leading the Secret Warriors with Daisy to sacrificing his life to save the world, there’s a lot that can be said about his arc here. But I’ll cut myself off before I go into literal hundreds of words and just say, he’s great.

Mack!! Gosh, I love him so much. He’s another one of those characters who stole my heart pretty much immediately by just being himself - remember how nice he was to Fitz back in Season 2? Yeah. I was an instant fan. 

And gosh, has he had a journey on this show. From double agent for that whole Real SHIELD mess to trying to quit (about 200 times lol) to becoming the actual Director of SHIELD, Mack has come unbelievably far in this show. (And he’s even gotten himself a really cool girlfriend. But that’s not the point.)

The point is, Mack is a genuinely great guy, and I absolutely love him to pieces. The end. 

... I just realised, looking back on it, that this post has basically become a Guys of Shield appreciation list. And I would apologise, but... I’m really not sorry. The guys of SHIELD are awesome. (Sorry I couldn’t fit you in on here, Deke. Or you, Sousa - we’ve only had you for a few episodes but I already love you.) 

Anyway, I’m tagging @ohwriteiforgot​, @everythingirl44​, @springmagpies​, @2minutes2midnight​, @clementinewhy​, @sunalsolove​, @tomatobookworm​ and anyone else who wants to try this!

[3cf]

AoS Finale

It is the end and I have too many things in my head and too many feels, so I am just going to put out there a “few” things I really love about 7.12 and 7.13. I tried to kind of sort it out by character.

(Warning: forget proper English, it does no exist here, or at least probably even well less than usually).

Mack

This is the end and we get to have the iconic association of Mack and his axeshot gun one last time.

Love his sassy answer to the chronicoms coming for their faces: typical Mack one-liner (and Sousa’s comment afterward). 

Him bounding with Sousa and showing him appreciation.

“Find me some duct tape”. I guess I appreciate comic relief Mack a lot.

Reunion at the bar with YoYo. awww

Director Mack building a Lola for Coulson, being with YoYo, being uncle Mack and all. Always there to be the SHIELD, leading his man. Love to see it.

Deke

When he imitates Fitz !!! Especially considering the fact that the posture is something that Deke actually unconsciously do quite regularly (something that many amazing “like Bobo like grandson” gifsets show perfectly). The scene takes very little time and it is cute and funny and a proof of the FitzSimmons Family bond. I love it so much.

When there are vibrations to open the door, Deke is in defense position to protect Nana in no time. Protective Deke

And then so sweet, and caring with his beloved Nana who is so lost.

Him figuring out what is the machine and proposes the plan to bring the chronicoms. Well played Deke.

CEO mode, I’m in charge of the operation vibe.

Mack telling him he is a great friends, thanking him, calling him agent Shaw and all.

Staying for the team and especially for FitzSimmons to have their happy ending and because he is competent with the tech. I wish we had more of a goodbye but time running out and all... He expressed that he could actually like being stuck in the 80s (7.8 I think), he found his place in this time and so he too can have a happy ending there, even if he does have to sacrifice seeing the team. 

the new guy in charge *what? oops* “yeah!”. It is SO Deke.

(I really love what they did with Deke in s7, especially as his writting has been a diffucult journey sometimes).

They did mentioned him being in another timeline and being missed at the bar ...

Sousa

Well, AoS is really good at dynamics and relationship but they really nailed wrtting ships. In only 11 episodes they manage to make Daisy & Sousa love interests in a way that neither felt forced or rushed. I was a bit skeptical at first but I have to admit they made it work. Partly thanks to the whole loop in 7.9 as it gives different opportunities and less risk on Daisy’s part as he will not remember. So I did like the Sousy part of the episode.

“Impressive” “Thank you” I just found it hilarious. 

Gentleman and very smart man: chronicoms becoming missiles. Hell yeah!

He got to be a part of SHIELD, see the universe and be with Daisy, so he is a happy man.

Coulson

Throwback to s2 (with the hand and) with Fitz’s tech against Gordon (Science biatch!)

We got to hear him say on last time the classic: I am Phil Coulson Agent of SHIELD

Smug Phil agains Sybil and all. Plus Coulson interacting with the villain is always good.

His relationship with May getting better by the minute.

Well, good news he does not feel like “dying” just yet, he enjoys the world, is crazy about Alya and all, I was expecting so much sadder but no! He got to be around quite happily!!

Coulson Academy!!!!!!!

LOLA !!

May

Phil & Melinda sorting things out. Both wondering who they are, because they have been through so much changes, expressing their appreciation for each other even after all of those changes... It was time they had a bit of time to address it and I’m happy they made it and it was in a very Philinda way.

Huging Daisy !!!! and once she felt like it might have been to impulsive, Daisy reassuring her. (Daisy is so happy, smiling so much).

Her banter with Coulson

The Cavalery !!!! My fav thing about May in the finale. So much trauma, so much fights but she made it, she can own that name now, make it mean something else. That’s just... woaw powerful and beautiful moment.

someone other than Coulson calls her Melinda during the bar/annual reunion scene ! (i was shocked but happy they are family after all).

Saying she hates her job and complaining is such a May moment. But like Coulson says she loves it and somehow she seems to be stuck to find and take care of her own little ducklings from now on. FitzSimmons and Daisy gone well there is an academy full of potential agents to form and help becoming their best version of themselves.

She really insists about Coulson passing by and it seems like she really wants to be closer to him.....

YoYo

YoYo killing it is always a joy to see.

Her little exchange with Sousa

I think we got one last turtle man from her at the bar.

She got her happy ending, things going well with Mack, kills it as an agent. She does what she always wanted, changing the world for the better, saving lives, giving hope. It fits her so well. I love that she works with Piper and Davis. (7.8 was such a great episode and it gives her her time to shine, the whole bouncing back storyline is so beautiful).

Daisy

Her being all happy about the kiss with Sousa, she simply radiates joy and excitement and there is a playful side too.

Happiness and hug when she sees Deke! Okay her moto was saving my sister Jemma (SISTER JEMMA!!!!) so I was very pleasently suprised by her relief and warm welcome of Deke.

Any scene where she uses her power.

Talking about Jiaying and being lost with Kora.

Going straight to hug Coulson at the bar and then to May. I love when she embraces her daughter status

That fight against “Mister I am always in the tag”. Pure Agent Quake. And the last quake... damn. (Thank you Kora on this one though.)

Happy Sousy building a relationship. Still with SHIELD, helping Kora to find a place. The series is in a good part about her leaning who she is and relearning when everything changes, finding a family, a place and she does it for Kora... Happy Ending for Daisy !!!

That last talk with Coulson

Fitz

That he is THE threat to the chronicoms, the one constant that make them loose.

When Fitz appears! and then his joy and the whole team’s joy.

He is back with his accent and gestures. Trying to explain stuff and all.

He asks Deke to team up with him on the machine. awww

Fitz was so well prepared for the whole memory thing. It was geartly done.

we had time flashback and FitzSimmons scenes. 

the whole she remembers a bit of Fitz but not her feelings for him and then Fitz issaying that she forgot something that matters way more !!!!!! I mean he is hopelessly in love with her and he says that !!! Seriously such a magnificent proof of love for his little monkey. (because that left no doubt that they had a baby).

OUR EVERYTHING !!

Happy loving Dad Fitz !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When Fitz arrived in the bar having trouble working I was so disturbed but it is just his little monkey. and LITTLE MONKEY like it is everybody’s headcanon about Dad Fitz but we got to hear in the show !!!!!

Jemma

Costume and can I have one stuff when she saw Daisy (+ Daisy and Deke’s yes). Cute and funny bit in the episode.

Smell his hairs!!!! When she says UNSTOPPABLE!!!

She called Z1 home !!!

two becomes one and three becomes one when putting the 084 together because no way they don’t have a child. so yes I love it/

Jemma’s ring beeing the key is such a Fitz and FitzSimmons thing to do.

we had time flashback and FitzSimmons scenes.

When she remembers,” what we are fighting for” ahhhhh

every scene with or about Alya. FitzSimmons Family in Z1.Mama Jemma ! I want it all.

Enoch

loved every single mention of him or small apparition I love both.Enoch

when the chronicoms say as we have always been... that punch in the gut. (though it does not make that much sense)

His ending is way less happy but 7.9 gave him a beautiful one no the less and it took the time to do it properly, it makes me cry so much but it really is a special moment and they did no rushed the scene for which I am very grateful.

Piper & Flint

I was so happy when they appeared on the screen, even if we did not see them much, I was expecting less, so good suprise.

Just all the Piper in 7.13, felt good to have her back.

anything you want -> Davis !!!!!!!!!!! Damn !!

Flint at the academy !! (May is going to have to take care to new ducklings).

Alya

Well I love that she exists. The little family is the cutest, they are so happy to be a little family, all the uncles and aunt seems to love her so much too. FtzSimmons as parents are adorable (and unstoppable).They are just so happy with their little life together and their own perthshire cotage. And she seems a bit special in a very FitzSimmons way so... I love it!

Also, the whole doing her own fish is so funny and cute. Especially with Little Girl Jemma talking about her project to study some special kinds of fishes in inescapable and the little ref to it when her memories are still a mess.

Other stuffs

Young John Garrett (I like him in his few episodes in s7).

Kora “redemption” but like mainly because she was very clearly being manipulated and because of Daisy. it is less heavy on Daisy like that and in some ways she got another chance with her biological family and she can do for her what other have done for her.

084 scattered through time and in pieces to not be seen by Sibyl & cie. It’s smart, 084 is also a classic of early seasons (one of the first mission, Skye, the whole obelisk...) and Enoch

I like that they say “what we are fighting for several times” but never really explicit it.  (I think)

Happy endings for everyone !!! Honestly that does feel great. Plus, they are just happy to see each other again.

[theartofbeinganerd]

I absolutely love your stories!!!! And blog!!!! Thank you for sharing them!!! I’m still heartbroken over the finale... would you be able to write a fun fic about Fitz and Deke remeeting where Deke interacts with Fitz before he sees anyone else from the team and he is unaware of what happened to the other Fitz so both are confused, then Jemma comes and is happy to see Deke didn’t blink out if existence, and upset that Deke didn’t even say goodbye before leaving. Just some fun family fluff! :)

Aww thanks anon!! :) There is a lil bit of angst in this, just because of the subject material, but the family feels are still very much there! :D

Also, I know I said that I’d be writing all of my prompts in order for the Summer of Writing, but I figured I’d switch it up a bit and throw in a s6 spec prompt every now and then. I’m sure that’s a lot of what you guys are wanting to read right now, anyway! 

(Ao3)

-

“Fitz!”

At the sound of his name, Fitz paused in hisexploration of their new base, the Lighthouse, whirling around and peering aroundthe corner of the hallway that he’d just passed by. There, he found a man that he’dnever seen before, grinning at him and waving, now picking up his pace to catch upwith him.

Unsure what to do, Fitz hesitantly stepped forward tomeet him, rubbing at the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how tohandle this. They’d been back at the Lighthouse for only a few hours now, andwhile Jemma was putting their things away in the bunk she’d said was theirs, he’ddecided to give her some time and have a more thorough look around – in thebrief amount of time that he’d spent there before cryo-freezing himself, hehadn’t seen much of the vast bunker at all.

Finally reaching him, the man, who had dark hair anda beard, greeted, “Hey! Where is everybody?”

Fitz briefly glanced at the empty halls around them,wondering if this man had made a mistake somehow or was talking to somebodyelse – even though that was a bit far-fetched, given that he had referred to him by name. “Uh…”

“I mean, I’ve been all over this place,” the mancontinued, seemingly not noticing Fitz’s obvious confusion or lack of response.He chuckled, patting Fitz on the shoulder and offering him a relieved grin ashe said, “I’m glad I found you, at least.”

“Everyone’s um…getting settled back in,” Fitz finallyreplied, eyeing the man warily and wondering just how much detail he should gointo. Obviously, he had to be involved with SHIELD somehow if he’d gotten intothe Lighthouse, and it was easy to deduce that he must’ve known the Fitzthat hadn’t made it out of Chicago, but thisFitz still had no idea who he was.

“Yeah, I actually stopped back in last week and no one washere,” the man went on, widening his eyes as he held out his hands helplessly. “Bigmission or something? I didn’t see anything on that…news thing you guys have.”

Fitz squinted at him slightly, making a bit of a face as heanswered simply, “Something like that, yeah.”

The man nodded sagely, agreeing easily, “Yeah, I thought so.And hey, great job on saving the world from falling apart, by the way.”

“Er…thanks,” Fitz muttered, even though he’d had nothing todo with that particular victory.

Suddenly, the man frowned, squinting at him in much the sameway that Fitz had been looking at him just moments ago. “You okay, man? You’reacting even weirder than usual.”

“Uh…”

“Deke?”

Jemma’s surprised, eager voice had them both turning, andFitz gave a silent sigh of relief to see her heading toward them. Clearly, sheknew who this guy was, and would be able to make this conversation (if it couldeven be called one) a lot less awkward.

“Jemma!” the man – Deke, apparently, which Fitz thought wasa rather strange name (but that didn’t mean much coming from a Leopold, did it?) – greeted her, a grinspreading across his face once more.

“Oh Deke, I’m so relieved to see you,” Jemma told him,stepping right up to him and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “We weren’tsure what happened to you after we’d changed the timeline.”

Deke returned her embrace with only a brief second ofhesitation, admitting, “Yeah, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen either,for awhile there. Half expected that any moment, the world would crack apart,or I’d just disappear.”

Jemma stepped back, her smile still firmly in place – until hereyes narrowed in an expression that was veryfamiliar to Fitz. Then, she gave Deke’s shoulder a little smack, planting herhands on her hips. “I can’t believe that you didn’t even say goodbye before youleft! What if we’d never seen each other again?”

More than a little bemused by Jemma’s interaction with Deke,Fitz glanced back and forth between the two of them, the latter now lookingproperly chastised after her reprimand. “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Dekesighed. “I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, see as much ofthis world as I could before I lost my chance.”

“Wait,” Fitz cut in suddenly, causing both Jemma and Deke toturn and look at him, “you’re from the future? The one where the planetactually did break apart?”

Deke stared at him blankly, as though he’d just spoken in aforeign language, but Fitz noticed a flash of guilt crossing Jemma’s features.It was followed by a heavy sadness, then a brief resignation, only for herexpression to ultimately settle on determination.

“Um, yeah?” Deke said finally, glancing between Fitz andJemma, as though looking for some sort of answer as to what was happening. “You’veknown that for ages. What…what’s going on?”

Jemma released a quiet sigh, tucking a strand of hair behindher ear, and met Fitz’s gaze as she gestured toward Deke. “Do you remember whenI told you about…our grandson?”

Fitz, of course, remembered very clearly the briefconversation that they’d shared on the Zephyr just days ago, headed back towardEarth. He’d sensed that there was something she wasn’t telling him, something thatshe was holding back – more than just what he’d been told about them stoppingthe upcoming apocalypse, and then coming to wake him up.

But, he hadn’t pushed her on it, and had given her some timeand space, let her come to him when she was ready. After a bit, she’d done justthat, and had begun to explain everything that had happened while he’d been incryo-sleep, to explain about the version of him that had made it to the future,only to be lost after they’d returned to the present and saved the planet fromits impending doom.

She’d also mentioned them having a grandson that had comeback to the present with them, but she hadn’t gone into much more detail thanthat, let alone mentioned his name – and, well, Fitz had been in far too muchshock at the very idea to ask.

Quickly putting two and two together, Fitz turned to gape atDeke, looking at him with new eyes. This man was their grandson (well, their grandson from an alternate future, one wherehis future self hadn’t died and had instead lived to conceive his mother)? “This– he’s – our…?”

“Yes,” Jemma answered simply, taking a step closer andresting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“A bit, yeah,” Fitz replied a little absently, arching hiseyebrows and dragging a hand through his hair as he studied Deke. He didn’t look much like either of them (he didn’teven have an accent), and he wasdecidedly…strange, but that could just be because he was from a future where he’dspent his whole life in a bunker run by aliens.

“What is happening?”Deke finally burst out, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. “You’veknown that you were my grandparents since waybefore I left! Remember, you thought I was an annoying kid, and I thought youwere a grumpy old man? What, did you get your memory erased or something?” Whenneither of them spoke, his hands dropped to his sides and his eyes widened. Ina whisper, he asked, “Oh my god, did you really lose your memory?”

“I didn’t lose my memory,” Fitz told him flatly, folding hisarms over his chest and glancing at Jemma beside him, waiting for whatever hernext move was going to be. He didn’t really feel that it was his place to bethe one to tell Deke what had happened to the Fitz that he’d known, after all.

“Deke,” Jemma murmured, closing the space between them oncemore and placing a gentle hand on his arm, “there are some things that you…missed,after you left. Things that didn’t happen in previous loops.”

Deke frowned, his brow furrowing. “Well, yeah, because theplanet’s fine.”

“No, other things,” she corrected, shaking her head. “Fitzwas very brave, he helped Mack and May rescue Robin’s mother, who unfortunatelyhadn’t made it previous loops. But…”

She paused, and Fitz noticed her blinking rapidly to holdback the inevitable tears, and he watched as she briefly bowed her head in thegrief that was obviously still there, and likely always would be. Offeringsilent support, he slipped his hand into her free one, lacing their fingerstogether. Almost immediately, she gripped it tightly, gaining the strength tocontinue from him.

“But he was hurt very badly,” Jemma went on after a longmoment, raising her head to meet Deke’s confused gaze once more. “And…and he…wasn’table to survive his injuries.”

“What…” Clearly confused, Deke blinked, glancing at Fitzstanding right there beside her. He shook his head, obviously not comprehendingwhat she was telling him. “But he’s rightthere, I’m looking at him, I was talkingto him!”

“That’s where we were, why no one was at the Lighthouse,”Fitz explained to him, giving Jemma’s hand a supportive little squeeze.

“Fitz got to the future by putting himself in cryo-sleep,”she told Deke, “and when he…when we lost him, we took a trip out into space tofind the version of him that was asleep.” With that, she nodded her head towardFitz.

It took a moment, but then Deke’s grew wide and his mouthdropped open. He gaped wordlessly at Fitz for a beat, then slapped his handagainst his forehead, his voice rising as he asked incredulously, “Fitz died? He really just… And – and, this isa different Fitz? That’s why he doesn’tremember anything?”

“He’s not a different Fitz,” Jemma corrected, quicklyshaking her head, and Fitz had a feeling that she was so quick to correct himbecause it was something that she’d had to struggle with as well after losingthe version of him that she’d married, that she’d met Deke with, that she’dtried to stop the end of the world with. “He’s simply the Fitz that didn’tquite make it to the future to save us, because we weren’t there anymore.Really, he only lost a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, I…I guess,” Deke agreed hesitantly, eyeing Fitz asthough he was now a stranger – which, in a way, Fitz supposed that he was.

And, with that in mind, Fitz cleared his throat and held outhis free hand to Deke. “Um…hey, I’m Fitz. I’m…your grandpa, I suppose. Nice tomeet you.”

Deke’s eyebrows rose slightly as he studied Fitz and hisoutstretched hand, but after a moment the corner of his mouth quirked upslightly and he took the offered hand, shaking it. “Deke. Where I come from, Iactually called you ‘Bobo’, but…let’s just stick to Fitz, okay?” He paused,then added, “And, nice to meet you too. Again.”

“Bobo?” Fitzrepeated to himself under his breath, making a face. He glanced at Jemma then,and was surprised to find that there were tears standing in her eyes, but thata content smile was spreading across her lips. It was one of the few, trulyhappy smiles that he’d seen on her face since he’d woken up to find thateverything had changed, to find that she’d been broken apart by losing himwhile he’d simply been sleeping through it all.

And, well, if the three of them being a family (albeit avery…unconventional one) made herthat happy, if it put that smile on her face, Fitz would gladly accept Dekewith open arms.

“Why don’t we head to control, see who else is around? I’msure they’ll be pleased to see that you’re alright, Deke,” Jemma offered, gesturingin the direction of the control center.

“Sure,” Deke agreed easily, following them as they beganheading down the hall. “Oh!” Suddenly elbowing Fitz lightly in the ribs, he pointedout, “Hey, you don’t remember it, but you promised to teach me how to playcatch.”

Frowning and narrowing his eyes slightly at Deke, Fitzasked, “I did?”

“Yeah, definitely. Like, after the whole ‘end of the world’thing was over, you said you’d be happyto show me.” Deke nodded emphatically, arching his eyebrows high on hisforehead. “So, when are you free?”

Slightly bewildered, Fitz glanced between Deke and Jemma,who was trying unsuccessfully to hide her amused laughter behind her hand.

Well, it looked like being a grandfather was yetanother item to add to the growing list of things that he was going to have toadjust to now.