#shield scitech academy

[captainsophiestark]

Star-Crossed Agents

Grant Ward x Reader

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Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: Marvel

Summary: Grant's SO is part of SciTech, which means they have to sneak around a little bit to hang out, and with the end of their Academy careers approaching it's harder than ever to find time for each other

Word Count: 1,485

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I took a deep breath in and then let it out, slow and heavy in a massive sigh. I'd been staring at my laptop for what felt like an eternity, and I was about to truly and completely lose it.

I snapped out of my thousand yard stare at the screen two feet in front of me at the sound of my dorm window sliding open. I shot up from my desk and whirled around only to find my boyfriend, Grant Ward, hanging out of my window.

"You gave me a heart attack," I said by way of hello as I rushed to the window to help him the rest of the way through. He had takeout containers in one hand, which I immediately took to make sure he wouldn't drop them. I turned to set them on my desk, and by the time I returned to Grant, he'd made it all the way through my window and stood in the middle of my room with his hands on his hips.

"Really? You went for the food before me?"

I just shrugged and grinned at him. "You're a Specialist in the top of your class. I figured you'd be able to handle it, especially since you've done it a thousand times before."

He sighed, but didn't waste another second before crossing the room to kiss me either. His arms wound their way around my waist as he pulled me to him, and I brushed one hand against his cheek before gently pulling back.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I don't think I'm gonna be a very good date tonight. Between trying to finish out the SciTech-Ops prank war and my final thesis project being due in just a few months, I'm probably going to have to mostly do work tonight."

"I don't mind helping you with SciTech pranks, if that's what you're working on," said Grant as we walked to my desk together, sitting shoulder to shoulder. "Why don't you open up your notes on that, and let me see all the things you have planned."

I scoffed. "I thought Specialists were supposed to be better at getting information out of people than that."

Grant fixed me with a look and put his hands on the arms of my chair, slowly leaning in until his face was inches from mine, effectively pinning me to the spot.

"I bet I could get you to give up some secrets if I tried."

I leaned in, closing the distance between us until our lips were barely a hair's breadth apart. Then I smiled.

"Nice try, but I'm already betraying my entire school by dating you. No way I'm giving the Ops kids an edge in the prank war. And no way I'm letting you distract me, either, I have work to do."

Grant sighed, but when he leaned in for a kiss it was just a quick peck before he sat back in his own chair.

"Fine. We don't really need your help to win, anyway. We've got this in the bag."

"Mhmm. And you just keep telling yourself that, Superspy."

Grant and I shared a grin as he dished up our food and I reluctantly turned back to my laptop. Leaning against Grant and having him here, especially with some of my favorite food, made trying to work less frustrating. But it didn't magically spark any inspiration or ideas like I'd hoped it would.

After we finished dinner, Grant crossed the room to kick back on my bed and cracked open a book while I kept trying to make my brain work. I stared at the computer screen, just trying to get some kind of brainstorm to start. I felt a headache coming on with every passing moment, and my brain started to feel literally heavy, like thick fog was just sitting up there, weighing me down. My eyes squinted against the glare of the screen, and still I didn't move, scanning over my notes like they might magically add some insight that they hadn't before.

I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder, then turned with bleary eyes to find Grant had returned to sit next to me, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright? You were starting to look like a zombie over here."

"Yeah, yeah, just... waiting for inspiration to strike."

"...And how's that going?"

"Uh. Not well."

Grant huffed a laugh, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile as he pulled me a little closer to his side.

"Then I think it's time we take a break together."

I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. Truly all I wanted to do was spend time with him, without anything SHIELD-related hanging over our heads, but final tests were coming soon and I really didn't have a moment to spare.

"I don't think I can, Grant. Everything I've been working for since the day I got here all comes down to this project. I have to make sure it's perfect."

"Right now you're not going to be able to make anything perfect."

I pulled back, mouth dropping open as I glared at him, but he just stared right back with the frank appraisal of a Specialist that I both loved and hated.

"Your brain is clearly fried from working on this for too long. Anything you put down now is just going to be something you have to go back and fix later. I've seen it before, from new Ops recruits and from you. You need a break. If you take one, odds are you're going to have a much easier time brainstorming and working things through after you spend some time not thinking about this project. It'll be faster and better than anything you might manage to force out now."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That... actually kind of makes sense..."

"I know it does. It's because I'm right." I scoffed, but Grant ignored it, instead leaning forward and resting a hand on my thigh. "Besides, the next month or so is going to be hell for both of us. Between your final projects and all of my practical exams before we graduate... I'm barely going to have time to see you. So we should enjoy the time we have now, while we still can."

I sighed, leaning forward and raising one hand to rest at the nape of Grant's neck, gently touching my forehead to his.

"I don't like to think about that," I admitted. "Or about how much harder it's going to be to stay together when you're out in the field and I'm in the Hub or the Triskelion doing work."

"I know. I hate thinking about that too."

We fell into silence for a few moments, the uncertainty of both of our futures hanging over us. Grant's grip on me tightened slightly, and I sighed. He was right. I needed a break, and I needed to enjoy every moment I could get while it was just the two of us like this.

"You know what? I think we'll be fine," I said, straightening up enough to meet Grant's eyes. "If we can make it work as two people from rival SHIELD schools dating each other? Like a more intense version of Romeo and Juliet? Then I think we're gonna be just fine, no matter what the rest of the world tries to throw at us."

"...You know Romeo and Juliet ended pretty badly for both of them-"

"I know! I was just trying to make a point, we're from aggressively rival groups and we're finding love anyway. Just... ignore the ending."

Grant chuckled. "Alright. So does this mean you're going to take a break with me?"

"Yes, it does. Come on, let's watch some terrible tv and eat the chocolate I keep in the bottom drawer of my desk for emergencies and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist."

Grant smiled, catching my chin before I could move away and pulling me back to him for a long, deep kiss. When we finally broke apart, I was breathing hard and grinning like an idiot at the man before me. I really, really loved him, even though when he finally spoke he said:

"Anything but Love Island."

"What! Grant, come on. We were almost done with the last season! We have to get caught up before the new one starts."

"No way. I'll watch anything but that."

"...Anything?"

He sighed. "This is gonna be a long night, isn't it?"

I just grinned at him. It was fun to give him a hard time, but at the end of the day, I was happy doing anything as long as I got to do it with him. And I knew he felt exactly the same way. We'd make it work, from picking a tv show tonight to whatever our futures might have in store for us after this.

*****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @songbirdcannabe @infinetlyforgotten @coinsublime @sagesmelts

If your blog is crossed out, it's because Tumblr wouldn't let me tag you for some reason

[skyler10fic]

Recruit: Ch. 2 Compatible

Read on Ao3 | Chapter 1

Fic summary: Daisy Johnson and Carol Danvers each decide to join Shield as students at Carter Academy, but when a school camping trip goes awry, will they and her new friends rise to the occasion and help defeat the evil Pantheon? And will Melinda May’s Shield team survive their mission to reclaim what Pantheon has stolen from them?

Chapter summary: Mutual pining begins! But also the gravity of what they are signing up for gets real and a friend group is formed. Plus we find out what is on Fury's pantheon thumb drive.

---------------------

Carol Danvers clutched her schedule in a sweaty hand, while adjusting her new Carter Academy hat with the other. She’d dreamt of freshman orientation at her dream college all of her life, even more so since finding out about Shield and the academy’s true purpose a year ago when she was recruited. And yet, without Maria Rambeau by her side, it felt lonelier than she anticipated. Maria had been accepted to an elite Air Force program, to become one of the Pegasus Pilots, an opportunity no future pilot would pass up. But it meant Maria would be based in California, and, soon enough, flying all over the world. With her parents moving to join the rest of her extended family on the West Coast too, they knew the chances of Maria coming back to Virginia for any length of time were practically nonexistent. Carol had finally been the one to bring up how slim the chance was that they would make it as a couple, two 18-year-old girls going to different sides of the country, with bright futures in different government agencies, probably working on different top-secret missions around the world for the rest of their careers….

They had fought, not over anything in particular, just both sad and frustrated and knowing they were making the right decisions but too young to not feel their first heartbreak as more of a total shatter. They said goodbye as friends a few days later, but they both knew that their romantic relationship had ended. Despite never being much of a crier in front of others, Carol rode home in tears from the nearly empty Rambeau house with her best gay-heartache playlist blasting from her Harley’s speakers.

Now, she followed a tour group around Carter Academy as they showed her the buildings, training facilities, and dorms. There was a long grassy park area with boys throwing a frisbee and girls in bikinis sunbathing. Carol marveled that these students were some of the toughest, smartest, and bravest future spies. It looked, oddly, like a normal college campus.

“Summer is usually a downtime for the academy,” the tour guide explained. “But for those who need a second try, or who just want to get ahead in their studies, we do offer a May-June summer session and a July-August summer session. As freshmen, your classes will begin in the fall. The majority of your time at Carter will be spent in one of four colleges: Science and Technology, Communications and Data Analysis, Aeronautics and Transport, and Operations and Tactics. You’ll take classes in all, but besides basic foundational courses, your overall course load is tailored to your interests and abilities, where Shield sees your future, and where you are most likely to succeed. Throughout your four years here, you will work with an advisor to plan your path to becoming an agent. Any questions?”

“Yes.” A young man with a Scottish accent had raised his hand. “Are the SciTech laboratories open 24/7 or are there certain hours?”

“Or perhaps a keycard entry system?” an English girl Carol recognized from high school finished for him.

“You’ll have to ask the Science and Technology program director,” the guide shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

The British kids gravitated toward each other to inquire about their “concentrations of study” and spent the rest of the tour side by side, eyes lighting up to have found someone like themselves. Carol smiled. If only it were that easy for the rest of us.

A familiar laugh sounded from around the corner and, before she knew it, the source was about to collide with her.

“Oh, sorry! Ohhhh helloooo.” Daisy Johnson, martial arts warrior goddess, was right in front of Carol. Mere inches, in fact.

“Hey, sorry.” Carol tried to play it cool. Forgetting her hat was on her head, she tried to drag her fingers through her blond hair in her signature move but caught it before it fell to the ground. Carol tried to remember what year Daisy had been in school. “Are you a student here?”

Daisy smiled as if Carol had, somewhat literally, walked into an inside joke. “Apparently so.” She looked to the people with her.

“These are my parents, Melinda and Phil,” Daisy introduced. “This is Carol Danvers.”

“That’s Agent May and Professor Johnson to you,” Melinda said warmly and as a preemptive correction all at once.

“Yes, ma’am,” Carol responded and shook her outstretched hand, then Professor Johnson’s. Carol turned to Daisy in confusion. “I’d always thought your parents… Oh.” The reality set in for Carol. Not only was Daisy’s mom a pilot, just as she’d always dreamt of becoming herself, but a Shield pilot. And her dad was a professor… The pieces fell into place. They were watching her, still friendly but amused, waiting for her to react.

“It is an honor to meet you both,” Carol tried not to gush.

“Are you a freshman, Miss Danvers?” Professor Johnson asked.

“Yes, sir. Hopefully, I’ll have your class this year.” Carol said without thinking. She couldn’t remember what he taught. She’d only had the courage to talk to Daisy a few times, and Daisy seemed to avoid her at the dojo so far this month. Probably not cool to be seen talking to adult beginners when you’re a lifelong champion and teaching the classes.

“History of Shield. Good choice,” the professor praised. “You know, there’s a lot they don’t teach you about history in high school.”

“Not the time for a lecture, Dad,” Daisy warned.

“Right. We were just about to join the end of the tour. Mind if we tag along?” Professor Johnson asked.

“Not at all, of course.” Carol and the Johnsons caught up with the rest of the group just as they entered a building Carol hadn’t been in before.

The glass atrium was large and filled with light. The tile floors and marble walls echoed with the sounds of awed voices and the group’s footsteps.

“Alright, stop here, everyone,” said the tour guide. The group fell into silence as they realized what they were standing in front of. “This is the Wall of Valor. Each fallen agent is commemorated here with the Shield emblem and their name. This wall is for those who graduated from Carter Academy. An identical one sits at every Shield Academy in the world. Those who give their lives for the protection of all are never forgotten.”

The group stood in hushed reverence for a few moments, remembering what they were signing up for. They slowly moved along to explore other parts of the atrium, but Carol lingered.

“Looking for someone in particular?” Agent May asked softly.

“Yeah.” The words caught in Carol’s throat as she saw the name at the end of a row. Steve Danvers, flight mechanic. “My brother. I didn’t know this was here.”

The Johnsons stood with her in reverent silence, no uncomfortable words of trying to make her feel better, no assurances that God needed an angel or he died doing what he loved or that it was worth it. It occurred to her that they probably knew people on this wall, or at least Daisy’s parents did.

She took a deep breath and caught sight of the tour group moving on to a new room.

“We should…” She gestured and they moved along to rejoin the tour.

------------------

Meeting up with her crush while with her parents was not the way Daisy envisioned this day going. But it affected her, she had to admit, and not the way she thought. Sure, it was embarrassing, but seeing Carol in front of the Wall of Valor reminded her of the gravity of Shield. This wasn’t just a career path or her parents wanting her to go to the same university that they went to. This was real, life or death, risking everything. And her parents had done it every day since they were around her age. She hadn’t known Steve—he’d been so much older than Carol—but seeing her face, and even still Daisy’s own parents’ faces as their eyes lingered too long over certain names, people they had known… She realized it could be their names there someday. Or her own.

Instead of making her turn away from this life, it made her brave. It made her feel right, somehow. All of these people had found Shield—and its ideals—worth defending. Like how her parents, how all of them here, had been protecting her all of her life. Maybe she should feel betrayed, or angry, that they had kept all of this from her for so long. But instead, just like on the plane, she felt like she’d come home.

She turned to her mom, who was subtly watching her reaction as they moved on through the atrium. Waiting to see if Daisy would rise to the future of honor and sacrifice being offered to her.

“Yes,” Daisy said, just to her.

“Thought you might say that.”

“Not because it’s what you want or what other people are doing,” Daisy tilted her head toward Carol, who was walking in front of them, “But because it’s worth it.”

“It is.”

“Good. I’m in.”

“Everyone here will be thrilled to hear it. Including your friend.” It was Melinda’s turn to tilt her head in Carol’s direction.

“Mooom,” Daisy groaned. Parents could be so embarrassing. There was no way Carol Danvers would notice if Daisy was here or not. She almost felt preemptively jealous. Carol would follow in Melinda’s footsteps exactly. Instead of spending her life so far getting in trouble, she’d spent it building up to this moment.

Daisy watched Carol take it all in: the cause her brother had died for, his name listed and honored as an agent of Shield for defending Earth against threats most people would never know about. The other teens around her had similar expressions as they entered the auditorium where a podium with the Shield logo stood centerstage. When they had all settled into their seats, a woman with short silver hair and unnaturally green eyes took the stage.

“Welcome, class of 2025. New adventures await. I’m Dr. Wendy Lawson, director of the flight training program. Soon to join me will be Dr. Anne Weaver, director of SciTech, Dr. Erik Selvig, professor of Theoretical Astrophysics, and ….”

Dr. Lawson named several other professors, each of whom gave a brief introduction to their field and hoped the eager audience in front of them saw themselves pursuing studies in their areas.

Daisy recognized a few names, more pieces falling into place about stories of her parents’ colleagues she’d heard over the years, not knowing the context for their work: Andrew, who did student psych evaluations and, back when they were cadets here, went out with her mom before Melinda and Phil were together. Vaughn, an elderly history professor whom Phil often disagreed with. Anytime aerospace was mentioned, Carol sat up straighter. Occasionally Phil shared an inside joke with Melinda. But Daisy was antsy. Sitting still this long without a task in front of her made her nervous.

She’d been avoiding Fury’s pantheon. Her parents had given it to her and only said who it was from and that it was her decision what to do with it. She’d found the hidden thumb drive almost immediately but hesitated to plug it in. She wanted to come to campus today and decide for herself what her future would be. Not because someone ordered her to or wanted to use her, but because it was the right thing to do. Now that she had made up her mind, the thought of it in her bag next to her distracted her from being able to pay attention to any of the speakers, even ones that she’d likely be taking classes from.

She whispered that she was going to find a restroom and snuck out of the auditorium. A nearly empty library with a coffee shop and a computer lab was just next door. She purchased an iced coffee and settled in at one of the computers. She plugged in her headphones and the thumb drive.

A video loaded.

“Daisy Johnson,” a man began speaking, “allow me to introduce myself. I’m Director Fury. By now you know that I’m your parents’ boss. I have a special assignment for you, should you choose to accept it. There are some people I want you to meet. Oh, and bring Carol Danvers, too.” The man disappeared. What followed was a set of numbers Daisy recognized as a time and coordinates. She also recognized that she was being tested.

The longitude and latitude were to a building that was unlabeled on the campus map. She searched the Carter Academy site and attempted to casually ask around, but no one knew (or was willing to say) what the building held. She had a few hours until she was supposed to be there (with Carol, apparently. How Fury knew she knew Carol, she could only guess). Daisy decided she had better catch up with her parents and the tour group before they came looking. She recycled her empty iced coffee cup and really did head to the restroom next to the auditorium. She knew it had been too much time for her flimsy cover story to be believable, but at least it would provide a location to meet back up with them if they were done with the presentation.

She met her parents and Carol and the tour group just as they were leaving the auditorium.

“Long line,” she lied, obviously, but her parents knew her too well to wonder and Carol didn’t know her well enough to challenge her on where she’d really been. “Carol, would you want to hang out tonight?”

As the words came out of her mouth, she realized it sounded like she was shooting her shot, at friendship at the very least, not hinting at a secret meetup with the US director of Shield for an assignment. The former was still nerve-wracking but at least believable.

“Sure,” Carol agreed quickly. “I’m free.”

Melinda and Phil smiled. “First day on campus and already making friends,” Phil praised.

“First, dinner,” Melinda suggested, which Daisy knew was her way of scoping out Carol and how much trouble she’d be likely to get Daisy into. Or vice versa.

They fished their dinner tickets out of their welcome packets and showed them at the door to the cafeteria, which had been decorated for the occasion. They found a spot at a long cafeteria table next to Jemma, who introduced them to her new friend, Leo Fitz, and her father, Dr. Allan Simmons.

For a moment, regardless of whatever was coming next or what sacrifices they would be asked to make, the Shield family bonded. Carol listened enraptured to Melinda’s stories, Jemma and Allan peppered Phil with questions, and Fitz explained his ideas for new tech to Daisy. Other tables were much the same, a sacred night of intergenerational hope for the organization dedicated to the protection of all humankind.

[alyafae-a]

𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗: 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙴𝙻𝙳 𝙰𝙲𝙰𝙳𝙴𝙼𝚈

Academy of Communications

The Department of Communications is the largest part of the SHIELD Academy. Communications focuses on data analysis and team building. It may be the easiest department to get in but it doesn’t make its students any less valuable. Many great leaders and agents have come from Communications. The head of the Department is no other than Phil Coulson, former director of SHIELD. Communications also serves as a bridge between Operations and SciTech.

Academy of Operations

The Department of Operations has the most aggressive program as every graduate will end up in the field. They are trained to operate in every possible situation they might face. Because of that, their rate of drop-outs is much higher than it is in the other Departments. Though all graduates go out on the field, there will be students trained as Specialists for various jobs. The head of the Department is no other than Melinda May, legendary SHIELD agent and former right hand of Director Phil Coulson.

Academy of Science and Technology

The Department of Science and Technology (SciTech) is responsible for guiding many of the world’s best and brightest scientific minds. Their aim is to support and encourage clever minds to be better and make a difference in the world. Cadets are required to have at least one Ph.D., however, exceptions could be made if said person has proven themselves to fit in.  The head of the Department is Marcus Benson, former Director of Natural Sciences who uses SHIELD as his second chance.

Wall of Valor

The Main Hall has a Wall Of Valor just as its first incarnation. The Wall exists to honor agents who gave their lives in the line of duty and to remind every cadet that in their line of work, it is possible that they will give their lives. It is a reminder to honor and remember their history and a symbol of what they are fighting for.

The Daily Cadet

SHIELD Academy has its own online newspaper, The Daily Cadet, usually written up by students from Communications. They inform the cadets about the latest news around campus, deadlines as well as honorable mentions. Every cadet is welcome to join as it is a voluntary work.

A History Of SHIELD

Each cadet will be given a handbook with the History of SHIELD. Just as the Wall Of Valor, it serves as a reminder of their past and also a guideline for how to maneuver within the organization.

The Idea

In its first incarnation, SHIELD Academy consisted of three different Academies that rarely interacted with each other. Although the new Academy has different buildings as well, it is no longer divided into three different Academies. Theoretical courses take place in the same building and several of these courses are mandatory for each of the divisions which means there are mixed classes with cadets from all three divisions. In this building, the main building, there are also two libraries as well as the cafeteria and break rooms. Apart from the main building, there is a building with a big outdoor area for physical work and mock missions. Last but not least, one building serves as a testing area for SciTech where they can test potentially dangerous inventions without the fear of harming anyone else. Although everything is very high tech, SHIELD insisted on keeping several elements of its original charme.

Each division has its own schedule, however, there will be courses or even days planned for team building activities. Competitiveness is highly discouraged as they aim to prepare their cadets for the work in a team in the field where they will be confronted with people from different divisions. The whole idea of the joined Academy is to show their cadets that they have to depend on and trust each other if they want to be a SHIELD agent. Although each cadet is assigned to specialize in a certain division, they have the chance to attend courses from the other departments (eg. a com student taking op classes) if they show a certain amount of skill for the matter. Every once in a while, there will also be guest lectures given by (former) SHIELD agents as well as by people who have been workin with SHIELD (eg. an avenger)

Additionally, a program has been added to the basic SHIELD program, inspired by the Avengers Initiative which aims to prepare gifted students to become an avenger rather than a SHIELD agent. Clint Barton serves as instructor for the program.

[stxrdust-widow]

AoS finale spoilers!!!

I’m a wreck

I can’t believe we’re bever gonna see them on tv again

This season was amazing tho so 😍😍😍

Anyways some thoughts (not in order):

- BABY FITZSIMMONS abdhdudjdjj so cute I’m in love, and y’all totally called it. And naming her after a star system 😭😍

- the MayDaisy hug bless, it’s not quite what I was wanting but I suppose the “I love you” was implied

-timetravel hurts my brain so I’m still sorta confused by them interacting with their “past” selves and then their other selves disappearing but 🤷‍♀️

- The final scenes gave me iZombie finale vibes cause they also did that hologram-interface-whatever stuff

- May as a teacher???? I’m so happy for her, opening up and helping the new recruits. Now question, what is she teaching, and is the Coulson Academy like just one academy, like did they build more for Operations and SciTech and Communicatuons??

- also did May get her emotions back? Cause there was little lines throughout the season but I thought they were just to bug her but I guess not. Whatevs, we love an empath queen who saved the world with EMOTIONS who woulda thought. Now that’s called growth

- That fight scene with Coulson and May against the chronicons and Daisy against malick- badass, we live to see it

- Also Daisy absorbing Makicks shock waves- called it that was awesome. And the nerve of the writers to make me think they killed Daisy for a sec

- Fitzsimmons living their life finally together and with their baby we love

- Mack gave me fury vibes with his trench coat lol but I dig it. Also glad mackelena are together and happy and she’s doing missions with piper and Davis 😭😭 so great

- I was scared they were going to deactivate Coulson so I’m so glad they didn’t! Also Mack touched Lola 😮😮😂 but that transforming scene was dope

- I’m glad they saved kora. Like she was kind of anoying, but I get that she was easily manipulated, I mean she had no outside human contact for her whole life- like maybe 20 yrs max? And then someone comes along and promises her stuff? Like I get it. Good thing malick didn’t drain her like he drained Gordon oof.

- and Garrett being shot by Victoria Hand -poetic cinema 👌( I know it was actually Ward who originally killed her but he gave the order so)

- also Kora technically being older that Daisy but physically younger- nice. Makes for fun conversations I bet. I’m also glad daisy was able to get to her and to help her and her line like “it’s funny what can happen when someone believes in you” bruh I got tears

- Daisy exploring with Sousa 😭😭so cute. I’m glad they’re happy together. I’m glad daisy finally gets some peace.

- also the team gets together more often than once a year like- I don’t make the rules 🤷‍♀️. Also whenever Daisy’s back on earth she totally visits Fitzsimmons and has family dinners with May and Coulson and Kora and Sousa.

- also what was Simmons sending daisy?????

- And y’all know daisy is the best aunty ever she ded spoils Arya- actually I’m p sure everyone spoils her

- and Deke my precious space dummy. Saving the world and staying in an alternate timeline? Wow. I really like him this season. Also he’s like the director of shield??? That’s scary 😂 And his side gig of being a singing legend 😂😂

-I’ll probably think of more stuff later. I’m just very grateful they didn’t kill anyone and they’re all happy and they get together more often than once a year

Thank you, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D for 7 amazing years!

[meanderings0ul]

Some Meta for Mack

So we got some more wonderful background details for Mack from 7x6 and 7x7. 

His parents names are John and Lilla to go with Alphonso and Rueben. Mack got being so tol from somewhere else in the family, seems to have multiple aunts/uncles and cousins, seems to have picked up a lot of mechanical knowledge from his dad, is a Baptist (6x1), and is from the northern midwest. From the original timeline in 3x14 we know his parents retired to Florida and that Rueban was more involved in their lives as an adult as Mack continued to take on a larger role with Shield. 

We also of course have some details that don’t quite line up.

I’ll do the location issues first because it’s shorter.

In season 3 after having to lose contact with Hunter and Bobbi, Mack went to visit his brother in 3x14 Watchdogs. The location of their childhood home, now Rueben’s home, was given as Naperville, Illinois, located west of Chicago. 

The Lighthouse base is located next to a fictional town alongside Lake Ontario. In New York. This is unfortunately a 9-10 hour drive away from the house in s3. 7x7 also implied most of Mack’s family lived in this general area. 

This is a relatively inconsequential and plot-driven retcon, but it is a change.

As far as timing, we know Mack was not introduced in S2 as a long-term character already here to stay, but that plan got changed before the season ended. Several of the other characters have ages that are just two years knocked off the actors ages, but that never worked well for Mack (Henry is ageless, congrats to you sir).

7x7 gives us the information that Mack was 10 years old in 1982 when he and Deke get stranded. This places his now-canon birthday in 1972. We don't have a time of year to work with from the show, but Henry Simmons was born in July.

In 2x20 Mack attempts (the first time) to resign from Shield. He and Coulson discuss that Mack had been a Shield agent for 13 years. That takes place spring of 2015, which would imply Mack became a Level 1 agent in 2002.

In 5x13 we meet Mack’s first academy roomie and see his awkward yearbook photo, confirming he went to Scitech. It’s very likely Mack already had an undergraduate degree at that point, probably electrical or mechanical engineering, was recruited out of college and in his early twenties around being recruited. While his yearbook photo looks quite young (and the joke about fake IDs from Candyman implies it), it’s also very plausible he was recruited after grad school. (Despite Simmons’ dig in 1x12 Seeds, the whole ‘oh all of the early 20-somethings in this school already have PhD’s’ thing is fundamentally ridiculous.) Mack’s time in school takes 8-10 years.

Even including a master’s degree before the academy and having Mack begin college at 18, we end up with a two year discrepancy. Previously used numbers would place Mack’s birthday in 1974.

Mack either graduates high school in 1990 or 1992. (Can’t Touch This comes out in 1990.) He finishes undergrad study in 1994 or 1996. He would have finished his masters in 1996 or 1998. 

Mack reasonably starts at the Shield Academy at 1998 (24) or 1996 (24), no younger than 22 even if his masters was accelerated, etc. He should be done with Shield’s academy in 4 years, making it 2002 with the previous implied birth year of 1974 and 2000 using the 1972 number from 7x7. He becomes a shiny new agent at 28.

In 4x07 we see Mack holding a picture of his daughter Hope on it, dated 4/18/06 on the back. From 4x11 we know his ex’s name was Nicole and the relationship was serious. In 2005 with Nicole, Mack would have been either 31 or 33.

Season 2 and season 3 make it clear Mack has known Bobbi and Hunter a long time. They met Hunter when Mack and Bobbi were on a mission for Big Shield (2x13). Mack and Bobbi had already known each other a while, but it’s very unlikely they met around either character’s time in the Academy. SciTech didn’t overlap with the other academies very much and the ages are different. 

As a small aside, in an organization as large as Big Shield was, there’s almost too many options for how they met and began working together. Season 3 gave us a possible hint with 3x15 Spacetime when it again showed us Mack’s familiarity with surveillance equipment and with playing the role of agent on the comms with everyone during an operation. 

The years they met and worked together most likely took place within the range of the mid to late oughts through to 2014 for Mack and Bobbi. 

In 2014 when Big Shield fell, Mack is either 39 or 41. When he temporarily resigns he is either 40 or 42. 

In 3x11 when we meet Elena it is around spring 2016. Mack is either 41 or 43. 

With the change in the timeline to Mack’s parents official deaths being in 1976, Mack would have only been 4 and Rueben younger. This makes it unlikely they remember much about their parents in that timeline. 7x7 also shows us they were taken in by their Uncle Marcus. The 1974 year implied by previous dates clashes with the storylines in 7x6 and 7x7. 

While the team as a whole was already not their actual calendar ages due to the weeks spent in the future in S5 compared to the months that passed on Earth, S7 takes place roughly during 2019. It is reasonable for Mack to currently be 45 - 47 depending on fic author preference. 

[a-biochemist-not-a-bird]

Leo Fitz and Daisy Johnson were recruited by SHIELD when they were 15 and 14 respectively for creating the most advanced androids known to humankind at that point. Daisy being responsible for the software and Fitz the hardware of course- they spent every day after school working on it. SHIELD Academy’s Science and Technology Division’s entry requirements include a PhD which neither teenager happens to have. Welcome to the SciTech pre-program for gifted recruits in situations where they do not have the means to earn one. It is run by SciTech seniors and was founded by Anne Weaver, herself, but in the new environment, the two best friends begin to draw apart. Will they be able to salvage their relationship? 

[assemblcd]

peggy carter, nick fury, phil coulson, jeffery mace, mack mackenzie, and deke shaw all walk into the boiler room at the scitech campus of shield academy...

oh, my soft boy, you’re in the big leagues now.

deke will look so precious with stress-induced grey hair.

[agentofship]

My rewatch AoS 1x11 to 1X15

I am very late for the rewatch so I thought I’d keep doing my rewatch review in blocks of five episodes (or whatever seems relevant). So here we go. With TAHITI, we're starting to get a glimpse of what the rest show is going to be since from that moment on. Except for Yes Men (who still gives an important moment information about May at the end) who really should have been in the first part of the season, every episode will be connected in a more or less big way to the main plot of the season. Like Yes Men who's completely independent or Seeds whose main plot doesn't seem linked until the end when we learn that Iain Quinn was linked to it, this first part of 1B makes the transition between the happy Bus days and the darker tone of the last seven episodes that will continue on in season two. So here's a few thoughts about separate episode: The Magical Place I absolutely love that first scene with the team working together perfectly, each using their own talent, it was perfect. Still love it when people call Fitz "sir" in season one, it's just so funny since he's so tiny 😄 May is really smart in that episode. Everyone did exactly as she had planned without even having to tell them (because she knew FitzSimmons and Ward would help Skye escape) and thus also remaining in Hand's good graces. Agent Skye mini May is adorable! But she really is as smart and ressourceful as May, she just needs to be trained in combat and badassness now! I know it's a very unpopular opinion but Raina annoys the crap out of me with her too sweet smiles and exaggeratedly sexy voice. I mean she's obviously really at getting in men's heads, including Coulson but I just find her… annoying. She gets more interesting after she turns, too bad she didn't last longer after that. Love the Coulson rescue mission, again that was some very good team work. And love the reunion scene, although I know at least Skye wanted a group hug. Love May's side smile and "Nice Jacket". "Bet there's no flower dresses where she's going!" "Amen to that, sister." Love that :D "Disengage bracelet" Coulson's dorkiness really is one of his most endearing traits. Seeds First of all, a big thank you for giving us enough FitzSimmons content for hundreds of FitzSimmons Academy Era fics. Love that FitzSimmons scene where they present each other's work mirroring the scene in the Pilot when they introduce each other, it's adorable. Also love the way their speech is so well rehearsed, it's perfectly flawing between them and I bet even that joke Fitz does was written on paper. "Potential can sometimes be dangerous…" Oh Fitz, you're going to remember that one quite bitterly in a few years. FitzSimmons are so proud of their Academy and being such stars there. I love their competition with Ward and Simmons' "Did you have one of these in ops? Did not think so." Yep, cannot imagine Ops having something so fun! SciTech would have definitely been more my kind of place (except for the fact that I didn't study science at all :p) "My room was just like that." We know it's a lie but it's cute, it's Fitz's slightly awkward way of trying to connect. We know he has trouble making first contact and it looks like he's also kind of thrilled of being someone's hero or even a father figure of sorts. Coulson saying "You're talking, it's weird" is the best. That's some pretty dangerous info we're getting on Skye. They really took their time giving us bits of information all through the first season to focus on it in season two. Love the little robot on the bar at the boiler room, never noticed that before, need to include it in a future fic, it's adorable! Too bad Donnie ended up as he did, he really wasn't a bad person and deserved a redemption arc. Again, May is such a freaking badass. And all this without a single superpower! T.R.A.C.K.S Although there will be some criticizing, keep in mind that this episode still remains one of my favorite episodes of the season and the show as a whole. Love the plot, the humor, the action, the different POVs and that's also some top notch drama at the end. So, first of all, the accents. Even I, a person who only some distant italian relatives, can tell that Ward's one is awful. But at least, he's not supposed to be Italian so that's understandable. But that conductor sounds like a mix between Mario and Jen speaking pretend Italian in IT Crowd (hilarious episode by the way, you should look it up if you haven't :D) Then, that train. You should read @valentinaonthemoon‘s post here about it if you haven't because she points out all that is wrong with the train and its route. But seriously, it's so weird. It's all too big and pretty. I have never seen a restaurant carriage with actual cute little wooden tables and chairs and actual room to walk between the table. And what the hell about the actual bed? I've taken a night train to Venice once, even first class wasn't close to looking like that! Anyway, now moving on to all the good parts. May is the definition of badass in this episode. First casually walking on a moving train and then taking of all the bad guys with the knife they stabbed her in the shoulder with. And I also love the little Philinda moment where she lets him help her but didn't let Ward. Love Fitz summing up every cliche Europeans have about Americans "They have some good shows. Lots of nice teeth." and "Someplace affordable with big portions." His pretend relationship and real friendship with Skye is very very sweet in this. I love all the teasing but also the way he insists she takes the gun and tells her to be careful. Jemma is, once again, very heroic in this. Once more, she takes the conscious decision to sacrifice herself for his friends and Fitz in particular. Of course, that grenade wouldn't have killed them but she didn't know that. So really, during the pod scene, when Fitz is faced with the reality that only one can hope to make it to the surface, his decision is easy. And I think it's not only because he loves her and couldn't bear to live without her anyway, but also because she did twice already and he thinks that's it's his turn now. He's just less lucky about the consequences it has on him. (And ironically, Ward provoked it instead of being here to save the day… but I digress). I love Fitz's reaction after Jemma falls. He doesn't run to her because he's stunned and frozen at the idea that she might be dead. His sigh of relief when Skye tells him she's alive is everything. And also the line about her little face is adorable, especially since I only learned recently that it was ad libed by Iain! I didn't remember how heartbreaking Skye was when she tries to call for help and has no voice left at all. For a moment, she must have thought she was going to die all alone in that scary dark room. I mean, I never was really worried because they weren't going to kill her off but still, that's gut wrenching :s But Jemma for the win though! She's not even a medical doctor and so many people are alive thanks to her! And well, of course, THAT HUG! I mean all of FitzSimmons hugs are wonderful but this one is just… I love how it parallels the one from 4x21 where they don't talk and he just has to reach for her shoulder for her to finally let go and cry in his arms. At first, she doesn't fully hug him because she's afraid of putting blood on him (which is very Jemma-like of her) but then she lets go and he doesn't need to say a thing because it's his presence that comforts her the most. Also, FZZT was the moment he realized his feelings had changed for the first time but this feels important too. This is the first of many hugs and the moment their relationship becomes more physical (not in the sexual sense of the word, just physical). As much as I like to imagine they spent their Academy days falling asleep in the same bed every week, I feel like until now, their friendship was very intellectual with only quick very tame physical displays of affection like the touch of a hand or shoulder. Even that kiss on the cheek seemed something wild in the way he reacted and she hesitated before doing it. After that, we'll see more hugs and more daring touches, culminating into the pod scene. (and then regressing and slowly progressing again in season two B and and three) Because being on the field had taught them how hard things could be and they're like each other comfort blanket for a time, thus the need to be physically closer. T.A.H.I.T.I I love how FitzSimmons are sitting so close together on that couch. I think they both need the comfort of each other's presence because they are the only constant in their ever changing world. They really should have let Ward blame himself here. The way May beat the crap out of Iain Quinn was very satisfying. Love Coulson's progression about Tahiti. "Turned out not so magical" and in the next episode it'll be "It sucked". Well, at least he got to see the real, beautiful Tahiti 😞 Awww Trip. I didn't like him all that much the first time. I mean I found him okay and all but only on the second rewatch that I grew to like him. Other than the fact that he could actually get "Witches weekly's most charming award", he really is just a genuine nice, easy going, good guy. Too bad it made him the perfect candidate for shock value death 😞 Love, love, love that scene with FitzSimmons looking through the files. It's stunning and blue light definitely suits Fitz. I also love him during the mission. We know he's kind of scared and he still doesn't like being on the field but he's brave and funny and adorable. "Not afraid, not yet…" "To certain horrible death? Absolutely" Classical sassy Fitz! One thing that had always bothered me during this mission: Couldn't they use non lethal weaponry to "attack" the base. I mean they're protecting a shady secret but they're still (mostly) agents of SHIELD. And they'd been left to die and be buried under all that rock. I get that Coulson wanted the truth and to save Skye but still … I absolutely love the way they decided to handle the Kree reveal. Make Coulson look terrified and let us imagine all the most horrible things and then only in the end the horrible mutilated corpse. Feels a lot like what Hydra did to Skye's mother by the way and very, very evil :s Yes Men I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would despite it not being the strongest episode and it has a lot to do with Sif being a badass. So, first of all, with all the super advanced technology they have, would an Asgardian really be impressed by a bike?!! Skye saying: "I must look awful". Honestly, makeup department guys? They did a really good job when she was close to death but now she doesn't even look a little pale. She doesn't a little circle under eyes and doesn't even look tired at all. And look at her hair! That's not the hair of someone who had been forbidden to leave her bed for days! Fury is already missing, it's getting serious! Sif is so freaking badass and really aces the super hero landing! Also, she's so extra, like she casually throws a car to provide cover. I love her connection with May and I would totally watch a spin off of them kicking ass together. I like the phrase about people being dangerous when they are controlled and how it's another hint at May's backstory. Okay, so I love Sif throwing a car during the fight scene and I love Coulson calling Sif "your ladyship" but seriously, didn't SHIELD have enough women fighters? Honestly! Jemma is totally right about being mad at Coulson about wanting to know more about GH325. Coulson has a good reason for keeping it in house but he should just tell them for god's sake! At this point, we can see that he's still struggling between the whole following the rules and doing things his way because he no longer trusts SHIELD completely. "Ward is not the man you knew. He will not hesitate to kill you." "He might try but he wont." Yep, yep, yep, you don't know how right you were, May! "Because yes, I am that good!" Fitz was cocky and cute there but really not that wasn't a smart move telling Coulson about Lorelei without knowing if he'd been swayed as well. Libido does take a bit of his genius away :p "He's always getting knocked out, isn't he?" Mmmhhh … okay but how freakishly strong is Coulson if he can knock him out with only one punch? "You were saying?" Honestly, they should have copied that collar to use for all the villains and their long boring speeches. And finally dun, dun, dun! They really did a good job making us paranoid and making us think May could be the villain.

[bunnykaye]

Agents of SHIELD 1x12 Rewatch Recap:

“crystalline nucleation process she designed“ “and a delivery mechanism he invented” — just one of the many FitzSimmons projects/plans/concepts that can be abused if it got in the wrong hands, as we’ll see until the later seasons....

You can see the “rivalry” between SciTech and Ops graduates when they brag about being “harder to get into” than the other. lol

“Is this where you got all your PHDs?” “Oh, no, you need at least one to get through the door.” — Jemma not-so-subtly bragging hahah!

Fitzsimmons — the popular kids! I mean with their record, as Professor Weaver will point out a bit later, they’re STILL the youngest graduates to ever enroll.

Skye and the Wall of Valor — and name dropping Bucky Barnes hmmmmmmm 

Also, one of the very few truths that came out of Ward’s mouth — “All you need to join is a dedication to the greater good. Coulson saw that in you the moment he met you.”

FitzSimmons talk…. then name drops HYDRA (and Centipede.. and AIM). They really dropped hints DIDN’T THEY?

.... aaaannnnndddddd then Donnie gets iced. LITERALLY.

May and Coulson with a mission of their own to find the missing agent paired with the agent who dropped Skye off on the orphanage...

Skye making fun of Fitz’s young looks — which IRL also parallels Iain’s, LOL (he/Iain looks younger than his age, at least imo)

“My room was just like this, except umm, there was a lot more laundry…. on the floor” FITZ, YOU LIARRRRRR!!!!! Your Academy dorm room was huuuuuuge. and there were things.... but just mostly papers!

“....but I’m tired of secrets, so I’m glad we’re here” LOOK. AT. MAY’S. FACE. She looked so guilty because she herself was hiding something from Coulson :(

AND THEN THE BOMB.

“Agent Ward and I have been having sex”

...and then LITERALLY a second after that they manage to track the agent lmao

“Oh thank God. It’s about the baby girl isn’t it?” -- dude just smashed wood and threw punches at May then realizes they were a “friendly”. Poor May!

“The baby? The girl was the 084?” 

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN

“We’re not sure SHIELD is the safest place for you right now” SO TRUE, and it also shows how amazing Coulson is. May was about to hand the agent over to SHIELD but he made a different call. :)

.... ALTHOUGH NGL, up until the last few mins I thought the male agent was a baddie!

“Wherever she goes, death follows” errrrrrrr

Skye is getting real good with the spy stuff!!! 

Fitz and Donnie at the dorm room — GOSH, the way Fitz talks about Jemma is just…… DUDE. You’re AT LEAST half in love already AND YOU DONT EVEN KNOW IT :333333

OH NO! Well that was an ELABORATE plan to get Fitz to solve Donnie and Seth’s problem. Lots of red herrings!

“How could I have been so stupid?” “Fitz, will you stop?” — MY HEART. Such a little line BUT throughout the seasons we’ll be able to see and follow how Fitz thinks too little of himself at times. MY POOR SON :(((((

I SWEAR Fitz was about to swear THE F WORD when he realized Donnie and Seth had a backer.. which is a-hole Ian Quinn, btw

When Coulson confessed what he found out during his side mission with May to Skye… MY HEART BROKE!!!!!

Donnie and Seth didn’t even realize that the device worked… A LITTLE TOO MUCH.

poor Seth :((

when Coulson told May how Skye reacted to the news… :((((((((

“That's what she took away from the story. Not the family she'll never have, but the one she's always had.”

BRB I’M CRYING

the tag!!!!!!!

“The clairvoyant says hello”

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN

[shineyma]

*barrels in at well last midnight because what is a healthy sleep schedule or reality even* It's been 84 years, Amy, but apparently in Canada there's a site where college students can sign up to be "sugar babies" throughout college so they can pay off tuition and just live? Like, that's an actual article I just read? And my dumpster brain could only chant "Jemma and Ward. Jemma and Ward." But like, SOMETHING Jemma and Ward, not this necessarily, I mean I don't even know how this would (1/2)

work. Just SOMETHING, a leap I can't even comprehend, where a new SHIELD mandate assigns one SciTech student/recent graduate to one Ops specialist for training and whatever. And S1 Jemma just walks up to Grant (Hydra, not Hydra, IDK) with that "Pilot" smile and confirms her placement with official papers that match his and it's reAL and he's short-circuiting because cute but so effing tiny and what kind of a joke and Bobbi and Trip are a few feet away laughing hysterically-YA FEEL, AMY??? (2/2)

Okay nonnie, picture this: I’ve long headcanoned that there are honeypot classes at the Academy--a whole series of courses where specialists learn to seduce marks (and/or trick marks into seducing them). And you can test on things as much as you like, but when it comes down to it, for interpersonal stuff, you need practice.

And Jemma is so ensconced in SHIELD that she doesn’t get out much--there’s the Academy and all her classes and her focus on graduating early, then there’s Science! and her partnership with Fitz and somehow she just never finds time for more than, at best, a shared meal in the cafeteria with a potential date.

So when she hears that the latest crop of Academy specialists are looking for volunteers to practice their honeypot skills on--volunteers who will be treated to a variety of seduction techniques from a variety of specialists, and whose job it will be to resist those techniques for as long as possible....sure. Why not?

On the other end of things, Grant, Bobbi, and Trip are all assigned to the same adorable genius scientist. They’re all a little older than her and a lot more experienced, so...honestly, they feel kind of bad. This is gonna be like taking candy from a baby--the only question is gonna be who gets to her first.

But then she resists them! Because Jemma has never met a test she didn’t ace, and while the specialists are the ones actually being tested here....well, she’s been told to resist for as long as possible! She can’t just give in right away!

(No matter how nice Agent Triplett’s smile and Agent Morse’s hair and Agent Ward’s everything are.)

So then there is a long, drawn-out seduction, and eventually Trip and Bobbi get bored (and/or just bow out because Grant is starting to get intense about Simmons) and step back, at which point it’s just Grant vs Jemma and NOBODY IS WINNING because they BOTH want sex but Jemma just refuses to let it happen.

Months and months of UST later, Grant will finally surrender~ and say fine, she wins, his honeypot skills have failed him, can they please have sex now?

And Jemma will gloat about her victory for a good five minutes before agreeing. 

(Grant gets his payback by absolutely destroying the shirt she’s wearing. He is very pleased when she has to wear one of his shirts back to her quarters---a full day later, because they have months of tension to work through and part one (there will be many many more parts) took a good sixteen hours.)

And I know that has very little in common with sugar babies or whatever but it is where my mind went. Sorry?

[captainsophiestark]

Lack of Awareness

Grant Ward x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2022! Requested by Anon :)

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: “Who said this was a good idea?”

Summary: When a fellow agent is rude to Y/N, their boyfriend Grant is determined to get some revenge on his partner's behalf. Y/N managed to talk him out of a physical fight and into a ridiculous prank instead, but it might be more effective than either of them could've thought when another member of SHIELD accidentally gets involved.

Word Count: 1,260

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Okay, I'm gonna go now- oh shit! Freeze!" I hissed, hoping the sound carried just far enough to reach Grant, my boyfriend, in the vent a few inches behind me and no one else. We were in the middle of one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever done at SHIELD, which was really saying something.

Last week in training, I'd been minding my own business when Agent Heary came up to me and started insulting my form, strength, intelligence, and everything in between. It honestly hadn't bothered me; the guy had been a dick since our academy days, mostly out of jealousy, and he was way too confident in himself for abilities he simply didn't have. I could've laid him out in two seconds, but it just wasn't worth my time. Grant, on the other hand, had been furious when I'd told him about it later. He'd insisted that we had to get some kind of revenge on Heary, and I'd barely managed to talk him down from a physical fight to a prank.

Hence our current situation. We were hiding in the vents above one of SHIELD's busier hallways, laying in wait to dump a vat of some weird shit we'd found in a SciTech lab on his head. He'd come into my line of sight and stopped walking in the perfect position for Grant and I to strike, but just as I'd been about to tip the bucket I held over onto his head, none other than Director Fury himself had walked into the line of fire as Heary engaged him in conversation.

"What's happening?" Grant hissed from behind me. He started moving forward to come shoulder to shoulder with me, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"You have to be deadly quiet right now," I whispered. "Fury's walking right under us. I don't think I have to tell you're we're completely fucked if we accidentally get him."

Grant sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who said this was a good idea?"

"You, remember! I would've been perfectly fine ignoring Heary and his stupid nonsense, but no, we just had to get revenge."

Grant made a face at me, and I made one right back. Slowly, silently, he scooted forward in the vents until he was right next to me and we could both watch Fury and Heary. The noise of the hallway made it a little hard to hear their conversation, but after a second, I managed to tune in.

"-time for a promotion, sir." I barely held in a snort of disgust at the words. Heary was pitching Fury for a promotion, because of course he was. He absolutely did not deserve it, but obviously there was nothing Grant or I could do about that now. "I'm at a point in my training and experience where I know I'm ready to take on more. I could be a real asset to you at a higher level, sir. I just want to do my duty to the best of my ability."

Fury's expression was completely unreadable as he stared down Heary. After a few beats, Fury's gaze lifted up and away from Heary and, to my horror, landed on Grant and I in the vents. I froze, and I felt Grant stiffen beside me. Of course Fury had noticed us, despite our best efforts. He was the spy.

And now we were totally dead.

Fury made eye contact with me, then his eyes slid to Grant and held my boyfriend's stare for a few moments. Then, finally, his gaze drifted back down to Heary. I reached out in the dark of the vent and took Grant's hand, squeezing it tight. He squeezed right back, and I swear I was on the verge of a heart attack when Fury finally spoke again.

"Agent Heary, you think you're at a point in your training where you're ready to take on the next level of missions, challenges, secrets, and dangers SHIELD deals with?" he demanded. Heary nodded, snapping to attention.

"Yes sir!"

Fury snorted. "Then you have a dangerous misconception of your own skill set. You need to be a hell of a lot more aware of your environment before you get sent into high level espionage missions."

Heary looked shocked, but Fury didn't spare him another second as he moved past him to continue on his way. He spared one last glance up at me and Grant and gave us a nod before he disappeared out of sight.

I looked to Grant in shock, finding the same expression on his face. We held each other's stares for a few beats, then looked back down at where Heary still stood in the hallway, apparently just as shocked as we were.

"I mean... that feels like a green light, right?" I asked, keeping my voice down as I looked back at Grant. He took a deep breath in, and I swear I could see him rethinking every decision in his life that had led him to this exact moment. Finally, as he let the breath out, he looked back at me with an expression that told me he'd accepted his fate.

"I guess so. Let's do it."

I grinned as Grant popped the grate on the vent then helped me gradually tip over the vat of lab stuff. Heary still hadn't moved, and it didn't take us long to empty all the contents onto his head. He shrieked and jumped backwards, but it was too late. He was completely covered.

"You!" he shouted, practically shaking in rage as his eyes landed on Grant and I in our hiding spot. I grinned at him before moving to close the vent, but Grant leaned out of it and flipped Heary the bird before I could.

"That's what you get for being a dick to my- to Agent Y/L/N," he said. "If you weren't such a shitty agent, you would've seen us ten minutes ago."

With that, Grant ducked back into the vent with me, pulling it shut behind him. Everyone in the hallway stared between us and the scene that was Heary, shocked and often delighted expressions on their faces. Grant and I ignored them all as we moved back through the vents the way we'd come.

"That was awesome!" I cried, laughing as we army-crawled together. Grant tried to hide a grin, but I still saw it.

"I thought you didn't want to get revenge," he said. I shrugged.

"I mean, I don't think it was necessary, no. But that was an epic prank, and it's not like Heary didn't deserve it. We just got Director approval!"

Grant snorted a laugh at that, and I grinned. My normally straight-laced, uptight boyfriend had been getting more and more wild and crazy since he'd started dating me, and I had to admit, I absolutely loved it. After pulling off an insane stunt like this, it was time for us to celebrate. I knew Heary would probably be coming to settle the score with us later, but Grant and I would be more than ready to meet him when he came.

And until then, we were going to have some serious fun celebrating Heary getting what he deserved at the hands of SHIELD's unofficial power couple.

[ilosttrackofthings]

Awww!! Coulson having romance radar and May knowing just how worried Grant is!! I miss the Bus family😭😭. I also have questions for the fic "showing up at my door". Did the whole SHIELD think that Grant was the bad guy in the love triangle? Nobody knew that Fitz was the one who essentially tried to ruin Jemma and Grant's relationship on their wedding day? And does Fitz eventually confess to his sins and apologize for it? Would SciOps eventually find out the truth and apologize to Ward?

Not all of SHIELD thinks Grant was the bad guy here. But definitely SciTech. FS’ inevitability was just part of their fame not just at the Academy but throughout SHIELD’s SciTech divisions. Of course there are a few people who think there’s gotta be more to the story, but there are a lot more of those in Ops and Comms.

In Fitz’s defense, he did think he was being romantic up until the moment he saw Jemma’s face and realized his feelings were not returned in the slightest. He will apologize to both Grant and Jemma once he’s sobered up and, even after Jemma’s gone, make a real effort to make things right with Grant. He doesn’t always succeed - there are definitely days where he’s more heartbroken and angry than self-reflective - but he tries and in the end the gains outweigh the losses. 

The whole story never comes out - none of them would want it to though. It’s just too embarrassing for everyone and it’s not like any of the people who are determined to hate Grant for Fitz’s sake are going to believe it, but they will treat Grant better when they see Fitz’s change in behavior. (And the few that don’t are likely the type to treat any ops agent as a neanderthal with a single digit IQ anyway.) So it all gets better regardless.

SHIELD does try to use this to partner Jemma and Fitz again, but she refuses. She’ll work with him on occasion and she’ll even, after a lot of effort on all sides, return to friendly terms with him, but she won’t be assigned with him.

[smallblueandloud]

frankenmeme!

created and tagged by the inimitable @megabadbunny, this meme (surprisingly) has nothing to do with halloween! instead it’s a mashing of let’s-see-what-you’re-working-on-atm and also let’s-peek-at-your-wips-folder, i believe. sounds like fun! (and please be warned that my wip folder is definitely way... emptier than probably anyone else’s is, lol.) 

the rules, i think, are to post the titles/descriptions of everything in your wip folder, along with the last sentence you wrote of each, but i fudged that part a little bit. ah, well, such is life, i guess!

so without further ado, i present to you: essbie’s wip folder! in order of distance to completion, more or less)

tramps like us; baby we were born to run this fic was written a few days after i watched ocean’s 8, because i had many feelings about debbie/lou and also danny/rusty/tess. (it’s really only missing a few edits, at this point, and i don’t really intent to publish it, but if there’s interest i can definitely put it up here/on my ao3 - just tell me if you want to read the whole thing)

fine, Lou replies, meaning it. Debbie was the one who didn’t have the sense to stay away from men who weren’t used to working on the wrong side of the law, and now she has to pay for it. There isn’t anything Lou can do for her by feeling upset.

dimension hopping rose aka the fic that has been in the works for all of twenty-four hours, basically a disjointed set of past-present scenes in the life of rose as a companion/defender of the universe, because her world still revolves around this daft alien that she calls the doctor no matter where she is (with cameos from thirteen, nine’s jacket, and possibly others that i haven’t decided on yet)

She meets the blonde woman for herself, one day. It’s her third jump in a row - Mickey and Pete and Jackie all hate it when she does them in sequence, but they’re running out of time and they don’t have time for unnecessary precautions or precautions in general, really - and she’s tired enough that she has to rub her eyes and make sure that she’s really seeing the sight in front of her.

“The famed Singing Towers of Darillium,” proclaims a guide a few meters away from her, to his motley group of assorted beings. He’d told her about them several times, said it was on his list of places he was saving for a special occasion.

tale as old as time the fitzdaisy beauty and the beast au! thought this one up while stuck in a car for several hours a day, several days in a row, and it is not working out. no, it’ll be fine, once i actually start working on it because all i have now is a couple of paragraphs and a page or so of plot. (starring the people we all hate from s4 in the place of various villains from the disney movie)

"What right do you have to ask us for compassion?" says Radcliffe, sneering down at him. Fitz sighs.

"I don't. But she- she taught me the importance of it. She showed me why you should be kind. If anyone's a monster it's me, and you aren't-" his voice broke. "I don't see a mob knocking down my door." A pause. “She doesn’t mean any harm. Please- please, you have to believe me.”

the blood in my veins this document is the one full of i-have-so-many-feelings-about-royai rambling, in which every part is only a couple hundred words long. ‘nuff said.

But it’s not just those encounters that make it difficult. It’s the fact that he can count the number of times he’s held her on his fingers and have plenty left over. It’s the fact that every day he goes home to an empty apartment that doesn’t smell like her perfume and doesn’t have dog fur on the cushions.

It’s the fact that he goes on ‘dates’ with three women a week and none of them ever measure up to her.

fitzskimmons ‘verse and i think everyone knows what this one’s about, but just in case you’ve missed my near-weekly posting about something related to this, this is a rewrite of agents of shield seasons 1-4 in which fsk becomes canon instead of just fs, written in the style of my other season rewrite (based on doctor who season 5, which is eleven/rose-centric and you can find here if that’s your cup of tea). it is... longer than i was ever expecting when i started it, and it is in no way close to being finished, but here’s a snippet (of the main fic; it’s going to be a series that extend past the end of seasons 1-4 canon) anyway, set during 1x05:

Anyway, she’s got some interesting biological samples to go over that were sent to her by a professor from the SciTech campus of the Academy. Watching Skye argue with Agent Coulson and her... boyfriend and listening to Fitz angrily polish wire cutters is a waste of her time.

At least, that’s what she thinks, but then for some reason, she can’t quite seem to tear herself away from the sight of Skye’s trite face on the screen.

These feelings might mean more that I thought they did, she thinks, and gulps.

Uh oh.

thank you so much for tagging me! in return, i tag @misstylersmith, @thewolfsdoctor, @theclaravoyant, @florchis, @agentcalliope, and @hedgehog-o-brien. go wild, but of course no pressure to anyone!

[ao3feed-fitzsimmons]

a complete man

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MRqkW4C

by EnchantingWriting

“PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression,” his advisor reads off. “And you still want to be an agent, Fitz?”

“I’m smart, and I want to help people,” Leo says.

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to do anything else.” He swallows.

--------

After getting his Bachelors at Columbia University, Leo Fitzpatrick is off to get his doctorate from SHIELD’s SciTech academy and manage his codependency issues. He makes a few friends, a couple enemies, and accidentally reawakens an eighty-year romance between two supersoldiers.

Words: 2916, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of a chuisle mo chroí - the pulse of my heart

Fandoms: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

Categories: Gen

Characters: Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Grant Ward, Phil Coulson, Skye | Daisy Johnson, Steve Rogers, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Bobbi Morse, Lance Hunter, James "Bucky" Barnes, Holden Radcliffe, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Will Parker (OC), Deke Shaw, Peni Parker (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Teresa Parker, Harley Keener, Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons

Additional Tags: Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Assault, Alternate Universe - College/University, SHIELD Academy (Marvel), SHIELD Academy Era (Marvel), Peter Parker Has Siblings, Adorable FitzSimmons (Agents of SHIELD), POV Leo Fitz, POV Jemma Simmons, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/MRqkW4C

[meanderings0ul]

Philinda & Timelines

I wrote most of this in a more disorganized form a few months back, but now I’ve fleshed it out and done some more calculations. I hope it might be interesting to fans of these characters or useful for those who write fic for them. I personally like to have some dates and characterization timelines to look at when writing fics set in a “real world” type show, so I generally keep some notes for myself in word docs. Here I just kinda dove into it. 

I don’t go into plot timeline details here because I just don’t care. Marvel does an incredibly shit job of taking travel time and medical times into account. They can try and convince me something happened in two weeks, but I’m always going to ignore it. This uses info from the show itself and from an online date calculator. I am mostly not pulling from the various wikis. The wikis are great for trivia, but they are massively self-contradictory due to tie-in comics, stuff said in various interviews, etc. It’s Marvel. [Edited 03/20 to finally include workable theories for Captain Marvel]

*

Phil Coulson was born July 8, 1964. This makes his sun sign Cancer and his Chinese zodiac year the Dragon. He was an active and outgoing kid who wished he had a brother to play with. His dad died or was killed in 1973. Coulson was only 9 years old. They’d either finished restoring Lola together earlier that year or in 1972. It is implied in season 2 that he and his mother moved after the death, either to a different part of the town or somewhere else entirely as he did not attend the high school his father worked at. Coulson finished high school and went to college to study history, both because that was the subject his dad taught and because he was always a giant history nerd. He worked as a lifeguard as a teenager. We do not know anything about his mother’s work or their relationship when she was alive. A research project into the S.S.R. brought him to Shield’s attention. He was recruited from college by Nick Fury, an agent at the time.

Melinda May was born November 20, 1965 (a reference from the scanned back-page of a tie-in comic I cannot find again - Fury’s Secret Files from somewhere I think). Obviously, they’ve just used Ming’s birthday with a different year to parallel the actors. Her birth location is always listed as classified, so it’s possible her mother was involved with something for the CIA at the time. Her sun sign is Scorpio and her birth year in the Chinese zodiac is the snake. May always picked up new physical activities quickly according to her dad in S3. She started ice-skating at 7 and quickly began skating competitively. At 12 she switched from skating to martial arts. May has a trusting relationship with both her parents. We don’t know anything about when they seemingly separated, decided to live separately for Reasons, or got divorced. There is around a year unaccounted for between when she most likely graduated high school and when she likely joined Shield. She might have joined against her mother’s wishes. We know nothing of how she was recruited.

Star Wars Episode IV came out in May of 1977. Coulson was 12 and May was 10. This is totally relevant information.

These dates mean May is just shy of two years younger than Coulson. More precisely, Coulson is 17 months older.

We know they were at the Academy together (Comms and Ops shared some classes and electives) and graduated at the same time because of 2x4. Comms and Ops would have been in different facilities, though reasonably close together for logistics purposes. There would be a significant amount of overlap for field agent hopefulls. They probably wouldn’t have seen each other every day. They probably usually saw each other multiple times a week, depending on their classes.

They also shared classes with future Agent Blake and Agent Garrett. (It’s important to remember that Agents Hand, Hartley, Sitwell, and Hill are younger in the MCU and did not attend the Academy until the previous four Agents had already left.)

From common practices in American educational law, Coulson very likely started school (kindergarten) in the fall of 1969 (at 5). He would have graduated in 1982 and started college that fall. It is also possible he started school in 1970 (at 6) and graduated in 1983. May likely started school in 1971 at 5 and would have graduated in spring 1984 at 18 or she possibly started school at 1970 at 4 and graduated in 1983 at 17. (At the time, starting kindergarten at 4 years old was common if you would be turning 5 soon. Start ages were lower in the 70s.)

Here’s where a couple different things could have happened.

I’m going to move forward here with the (imo) more likely graduation ages for them both. These aren’t official. These events could have happened a year earlier or a year later, but anything more than that would be very unlikely.

It’s spring 1984. Coulson just finished his sophomore year of college and is about to turn 21. May just graduated high school at 18.

We know the Shield Academies at this point were legitimate in the eyes of the U.S. Government, though mostly under the radar. There was enough of a structured curriculum schedule in place we know they had a yearbook (as of season 5). Taking on recruits under 18 generally requires parental permission, as Shield is still paramilitary.

Option 1 - Coulson’s research has already drawn Shield’s attention and he is approached by Fury. Someone recruits May or she becomes aware of Shield some other way. They start at the Shield academies fall of 1984. They are 21 and 18 when they join.

Option 2 - Coulson continues through his junior year of college. His research into the S.S.R. draws Shield’s attention. Fury goes to recruit him. May spends a year doing any number of things. Her mother might want her to pursue the CIA. May picks Shield. They start at the Shield academies fall of 1985. They are 22 and 19 when they join.

Option 3 - Coulson is about to finish college when he draws the attention of Shield and is recruited by Fury. May is an unknown for two years. They start at the Shield academies fall of 1986. They are 23 and 20 when they join.

Star Trek IV (the whale movie) came out in November of 1986. Coulson was 23 and May was just 21. This is also totally relevant information.

Let’s say MCU Shield’s training program lasted 3-4 years. (Fitzsimmons strongly implied in season 1 Seeds that Scitech usually took about four years.)

The absolute earliest (3 years) May and Coulson (and Garrett) should have been in the field was 1987/1988/1989. Their most likely brand-new Level 1 Agent year was 1988/1989/1990.

Coulson and May were most likely Level 1 agents at 23 and 21/24 and 22/25 and 23.  

The Sausalito mission mentioned in episode 2x4 probably happened later in 1988/1989/1990.

John Garrett, who they were trained with, was injured in Sarajevo and became a Project Deathlok subject in 1990. He probably was only Level 2. He’d only been an agent 2-3 years maximum.

We knew from season 1 that Coulson’s mom Julie was long gone. The wiki puts her death as September 22, 1992, exactly 19 years after her husband’s death. Coulson was only 28.  

This is where I take issue with one of the semi-official dates. Big issue.

We got a flashback to a younger Agent Coulson and Agent May in season 4. May was a Level 3 specialist and Coulson was recently Level 4. We know they knew each other pretty well at that point, enjoyed each other’s company, and also frequently went weeks or months without seeing each other. They worked on missions separately and together and kept track of each other through company gossip. It’s at this point in their lives that a little, badly-kept-secret, mutual crush is going on that is ultimately not pursued for multiple reasons. They stay close friends and work partners for the next 10-15 ish years.

Parts of the wiki claims this flashback was to 2003. However, this is basically a retcon and in my oh so professional and classy-sounding opinion is just dumber than fuck. (Also, that date was never used in the episode.)

The absolute latest Coulson and May started as field agents was 1990. So *13 years* later they’re still Level 3? I don’t think so. Level 1 is your entry level. Anyone who is performing well is only going to stay there 1-3 years max. Level 2 is your no longer a noob level. If you’re doing great work let’s say people stay there 2-5 years. Agents would stay longer in Levels 3/4/5 than Levels 1 and 2.

Let’s be generous and give them 5 years at Levels 1 and 2. It could have easily been 4, maybe even 3 depending on how fast they got their groove after the whole “in the bay for five hours” thing. Coulson and May logically made it to Level 3 anywhere around 1993/1994/1995.

The Captain Marvel movie makes dubious use of existing aos canon, but if we use the perspective that Phil is a brand new Level 3 field agent instead of one fresh out of the Academy (which is completely incompatible with aos’s timeline) than we can say Phil and May were new level 3 agents sometime early in 1995. 

A sensible placement for the Russian 0-8-4 mission would be anywhere from late 1995-1997. With Phil having recently made Level 4 (strongly implied the the flashback), I would suggest 1996 or 1997 as the most likely placement. 

From the tie-in comics, MCU Agent Barton is recruited by Nick Fury around this same time, Agent Romanoff “recruited’ by him a few years later.

By 2003, both Coulson and May should have advanced a Level again and be taking on more complex missions. Strike Team Delta is part of Shield now. Fury is Director.

The Bahrain mission happened in 2008. Coulson was likely a Level 6 operative and May would be Level 5. Coulson took a lot of orders from a lot of people in episode 2x17. I highly doubt he was Level 7 at that point. The agent in charge of the operation, Agent Hart, was one of the ones Katya took over. Big Shield headquarters forbade Coulson from sending May into the building. He gave her the clear to go anyway and covered for her. May was 42. Coulson was 43 or 44.

May worked on administration for mostly Level 3s in the basement of the Triskelion for the next 4.5 years. This does not mean she became a lower ranking agent; you would likely want a higher-than-3 managing your level 3s.

Coulson is sent to make contact with Tony Stark later in 2008. At some point he advances to Level 7 then 8. Given Shield viewed the Bahrain rescue as a legendary success, not knowing how it unfolded, it is reasonable to think Coulson was promoted to 7 shortly afterwards. 

Coulson died on the Helicarrier on May 4th, 2012 during The Incident. He was 47. May was 46 when she found out he was dead.

When we met them in season 1, Coulson was recently 49 (technically…) and May was 47. May is a Level 7 agent and Coulson remains Level 8.

After season 5 they are on a beach in Tahiti. Coulson is 54 and May is 52. They’ve known each other 34/33/32 years.

*

Now, I’ve tried to structure this whole thing in a way that should you want to change their school-dates and use any of the three options you should be able to go through and add/subtract from the existing numbers pretty easily. So I hope that’s useful if you’ve been trying to math and write fic or if there’s just been general confusion.

I greatly prefer to write from the Option 2 set, with adjustments made for Captain Marvel. That just makes the most sense to me as far as events we know about from season one and the other life events for these characters. So if you’ve read any of my stuff, this is generally where I’m coming from.

I really hope this was useful and interesting. I spent far too much time on it.

[theclaravoyant]

Trip x Simmons + “My hands are shaking.” ?

AN ~ For those of you who don’t remember, this was for a platonic prompt (ages ago) but if you’d like to read the ship into it that’s cool too :D I decided to go with late S1; a shaken Trip and Simmons talk about the fall of Shield.

Rated T for some mentions of violence. Just a little bit of hurt/comfort. Hope you like it!

Read on AO3 (~1300wd)

-

Trip rubbed his hands together, absently brushing out an anxious rhythm he couldn’t place, and didn’t dare to. He danced between his feet as if the air was much colder than it was, his whole body thrumming with adrenaline. Flight instinct. It had been a while since he’d got it this bad. He braced an arm on the side of the vending machine instead, and found his fingers tapping. How long did it take to spit out a bag of Cheetos?

It was his third, actually, but he needed something to do. Something to chew. Something that wasn’t bolting from this place, like he desperately wanted to, and going for a walk to clear his head: aside from the danger of that, there was the skittishness. Everybody on the team was on edge, and now was not the time to disappear.

Even he jumped when a figure rounded the corner.

Jemma jumped too.

“Oh. Trip. Sorry,” she bumbled, the words falling out into a stammering heap. “I was just – I mean –“

She tucked her hair behind her ear, unsure how to proceed. Trip realised he was standing in the way of the vending machine, which was the only thing down here, and stepped back. She slipped herself in between and made her selections.

“It’s Fitz, you know,” she babbled, speaking more than anything to fill the silence. “I wanted to get him some comfort food. He’s really quite shaken by this whole thing I’m afraid, and I don’t- I don’t know what to say. He and Ward were quite close. It’s a tragedy, really.”

She turned with her bundle of selections and expected to see Trip smirking at her, with that easy, calming way he usually has about him. The one on the top of the pile is a packet of GrainWaves chips, and there’s a pecan cookie falling out from under her arm – both of which Fitz has actively protested in the past. No doubt, she thought, Trip would notice this and tease her. “Oh, right, and who’s this for then?”

Instead he simply nodded, and looked down at his packet of Cheetos.

His third. Which was unlike him. Jemma frowned.

“Are you alright, Agent Triplett?” she asked, a little softer now. He hesitated, blinking down at the chips.

“Huh. Would you look at that,” he remarked, in a detached sort of way. “My hands are shaking.”

“Perhaps you should come sit down,” Jemma suggested. She wasn’t sure if it was a panic attack, or something much more simple than that, but she couldn’t resist the urge to reach out.

She led him, still a little dazed, to the nearest seats – the lounges by the pool - and they sat side-on so they could face each other. Trip sighed and ran his hands over his face, leaning over his knees.

“This is heavy,” he confessed. “I thought I was dealing with it but… maybe not. It’s just so out of the blue, you know? I don’t know. I shoulda seen it.”

“Garrett was your Supervising Officer too,” Jemma recalled. Trip nodded.

“He was always an intense dude,” he explained. “Very, you know, ‘hoo-rah’ with the whole Ops thing. All about resourcefulness and independence. Never rely on anyone or anything.” He snorted, and shook his head, dismissing whatever thought had next come to his head.

“I’m sorry,” Jemma said, in sympathy. “I can’t imagine…”

But when she thought on it, even just for that moment, fear once again clutched at her heart. She remembered Agent Weaver’s video message, about the attack on the Academy. She remembered the nightmares she’d been having about it, in vivid but confusing detail. It was not just Ward, after all, but all of Shield that was collapsing around them. At least her closest friends seemed mostly to be the victims, rather than the perpetrators of these atrocities, but that was a shallow comfort if ever there was one.

“I’m sorry too,” Trip said. “I hope your friends get out okay.”

After that, they sat in miserable silence for a stretch. Cicadas chirped. The pool lapped gently at the will of its pump. A gentle breeze and the deepening night slowly turned the air cold. Still, there was more to say to each other.

“For what it’s worth, Agent Triplett,” Jemma offered eventually. “I think you did your grandfather’s legacy much prouder than Garrett’s, the way you’ve been acting lately. I don’t think I could have done that without you.”

“Ah, come on, Simmons,” Trip replied. “You told Coulson to shove it when he wanted you to back off on Skye’s medical care, and you told Hand where to stick it when you thought she was Hydra. Just a few things, without me.”

“I meant,” Jemma corrected, “I don’t think I could have done it without being killed instantly.”

“Some of the bravest people in this world get killed instantly.”

“Still. Best not.”

“I know, I know what you mean,” Trip assured her, a smile that was pride and amusement at once, creeping onto his lips. “And all I meant was, that’s powerful stuff, for a SciTech kid. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Don’t you either,” Simmons warned. “Just because Garrett was a right tosser, doesn’t make you any less of a Shield agent.”

Trip laughed. “A what?”

“A Shield agent?” Jemma frowned. “Oh, a tosser. It’s British. It means he’s an asshole.”

“I know,” Trip assured her. “I’ve met British people before. Just none with your accent that have used that word. A ‘tosserrr’.” He overpronounced it to make a point, but Jemma’s expression was not quite as well-humoured as all that.

“Well,” she pointed out. “I can’t exactly call him what he deserves to be called, now can I?”

Thoughts brought crashing down to earth and all the poisoned memories, Trip quickly sobered up as well.

“No,” he agreed. “I don’t think I’ve even thought of those words yet.”

“Me neither.”

There was another beat of silence; still heavy, still palpable, but not quite as miserable as the last. Trip took a deep breath and sighed it out, and offered Jemma the opening of his bag.

“Cheeto?”

Air, fat, and cheese flavouring wasn’t her usual fare, but there was nothing usual about this situation so Jemma took a Cheeto and chewed it as Trip continued.

“Don’t bother,” he suggested. “Don’t bother trying to think of the words. Garrett was a bad man, he’s a dangerous man, he’s a lot of things. But what he isn’t, is worth your time. I’m stuck with him in my head; don’t let him drag you down too, okay? Promise me?”

“…I’ll try,” she promised.

“I can take that,” Trip agreed. “Now, it’s getting late. Don’t you have some ducklings you’ve taken under your wing to order to bed?”

“Quite right.” Jemma puffed her chest with pride, then deflated a little when she glanced back at the pile of snacks she had to scoop back into her arms. Chances were, most of this would disappear tonight and little rest would be had, but little rest would be had anyway, and – at least as far as Fitz and Skye were concerned – misery, fear, and snack foods was better than just plain fear and misery. She gathered the food into her arms, prepared to part ways until Trip called her back for a moment.

“You know,” he said, “I know some guys in the field. They’ve gone underground for now but if I can get in touch, I’ll get ‘em to check in on the Academy for you. Weaver’s good people. I’m sure she’ll have friends left on our side.”

Jemma nodded. It was still so hard to face, but there it was, that encouraging smile.

“Thanks,” she said. “And – you get some rest too. That’s a Doctor’s orders, Agent.”Trip nodded back. “Yes ma’am, I will. Good night.”

“Night.”

And they went their separate ways without another word.