Chapter Text
Hunter wasn’t stupid, on contrary to popular belief. He knew that the moment he saw the wonder that is Leo Fitz he was gone. Because god , that man was a national treasure. No scratch that, international treasure, if that even is a thing. He was so good and smart and kind and cute and attractive and... Hunter could go on for hours but than it wouldn’t really be much of a story. So, long story short, Hunter was enthralled. He flirted with Fitz, obviously, but when he didn’t get anything back he figured the attraction must have been one-sided. He stopped, but couldn’t really cut it back, the scientist just had that effect on him. They grew closer, Hunter not afraid to show occasional affection to Fitz, who looked like he kind of needed it. Some of the others were a little bit careful around him, like Fitz was going to break at any given moment. Hunter, noticing that that approach only made Fitz shut off more, treated him like he would anybody. (lie. he didn’t bring just anybody food when they were working too hard. he didn’t hide in the bathroom with just anybody when they were having a small break down, because they couldn’t hold on to the coffee cup again that day. he didn’t feel his heart in his throat when talking to just anybody. he didn’t feel whole with just anybody) .
Since the romantic feelings were one-sided, Hunter did his best to be the absolute greatest friend in the history of friendships. Which truth be told, wasn’t that difficult for him, loving Fitz came rather natural to him. Wait, love? Hunter shook his head. Having Fitz as his friend was great. It meant listening to science talk without understanding half of it, just to see that little glimmer in Fitz’ eyes when he did. It meant food and beer while having a movie or show marathon. It meant teaching Fitz some basic training and self defense while Fitz taught him some basic sciencey stuff in return. It meant seeing that beautiful laugh that became less rare everytime. It meant- okay, wait. Yes, Hunter knew that that kind of sounded a little bit like a relationship possibly, but it wasn’t like that, okay? It was friendship ( because Fitz didn’t feel that way and Hunter would rather die than lose Fitz in his life ). On that dramatic note, Hunter made his way to the lab to find aforementioned friend. He was getting rather bored, he hasn’t gone on the latest mission and he kind of missed Fitz. ( You just saw him this morning, needy much? a little voice in Hunters head said. Hunter has gotten quite good at ignoring that one.) Hunter was too preoccupied with thinking about his friend Fitz in a very friendly manner, when he bumped into someone. “Steady there, mate. Lost in your head?” Hypocrite . He heard Fitz take a breath.
“Uhh- yeah, sorry.” Fitz said before glancing at Hunters chest and taking a step back. He gave a small smile. “Sorry for bumping into you, should have watched were I was going.” Before Hunter could tell him that it was no problem at all and do you want to hang out? Fitz had already walked around Hunter and walked away. Eh… I’m feeling selfish , Hunter thought before turning back and catching up with Fitz.
“So where are you headed then?” He asked. Fitz was silent for a moment and Hunter opened his mouth to apologize and leave him alone. But he was stopped when Fitz started talking.
“Uhh, well, going to my room. I think I might have some…” Fitz stopped a moment, that familiar expression when he forgot a word making its way onto his face. Hunter waited for him to find it. “... shortage. Shortage of sleep.” Fitz finished. Hunter hummed. He knew Fitz had trouble sleeping, just like almost everybody in this place. If he would go and sleep now, he would wake up in an hour, not being able to sleep for the rest of the night. That won’t do.
“Ah, well then I won’t bother you with my invite of sitting in bed with beer and pizza, and watching the new Real Housewives episode.” he said, full well knowing that Fitz couldn’t say no to that. He pat Fitz on the shoulder and squeezed a little. “Sleep well then.” Hunter let go and turned to walk away. And 3, 2, 1...
“Wait- Hunter wait.” Hunter turned back around just as Fitz did.
“I might fall asleep on you, but Real Housewives sounds very good right now. If that isn’t a problem, o- of course.”
Hunter grinned, happy the first step in his let-Fitz-sleep-plan worked. “No problem at all, love.” Fitz smiled back and Hunter hoped he would ignore the term of endearment that slipped out. Yes, he said it to many people, but when he said it to Fitz? It was with feeling. (it scared Hunter just the tiniest bit).
***
Kelly Dodd just called someone a little twerp, a little bitch and so much more and Hunter is in love. “Bloody hell, I will never love any woman more than Kelly Dodd.” Hunter said, little breathless from laughing. Hunter was sitting under the covers, back against the wall, slightly slumped down. Fitz was sitting- well, more like lying, next to him. Fitz chuckled softly. Hunter glanced at Fitz. The poor scientist was very clearly struggling to keep his eyes open.
“Well, it’ll be hard for your future girlfriend then.” Fitz mumbled. Hunter stopped himself from saying that he really wasn’t planning on a future girlfriend, but a future boyfriend. (preferably one named Leopold James Fitz with the cute hair, good sense of humor and amazing brain and bod). Instead Hunter made a noncommittal noise. He looked at Fitz again.
“You falling asleep on me?” he asked, trying not to sound too smitten. He hoped it worked. When all Fitz did was hum in response, Hunter knew he was close to sleep. He couldn’t help the fond smile that came onto his face. He tucked the blanket better around Fitz and turned down the volume.
“Alright then, goodnight. I’ll tell you what happened when you wake up.” he whispered, eyes never leaving his friends almost sleeping form. He heard Fitz mumble a soft “G’night”. Soon after he was sleeping. Hunter turned off the laptop and slowly stood up, careful not to wake Fitz up. He quickly changed into some pyjama pants and a shirt and brushed his teeth. He then slipped back under the covers. He couldn’t help it when he adjusted the blanket around Fitz once again. When his head met the pillow he promptly fell asleep. But not before thinking the next, I’m going to tell him .
***
Hunter was so not going to tell him. He didn’t know what was wrong with last night Hunter, but he was a dumbass. Fitz was great. Telling Fitz about unrequited feelings however, wouldn’t be great. It would make things awkward and the last thing he wanted was for their relationship to become bad. He would have Fitz in his life in whatever way he can. If that means squashing down his feelings, so be it. (he could just complain about it later to Bobbi and Mack. Yes, they knew. Of course they had figured out his feelings even before he did)
Now Hunters idea was to absolutely forget about all of his feelings by binge watching Dog Cops. An old friend of his used to watch it and talked about it all the bloody time.
Hunter watched about two and a half episodes before his laptop died on him. Grumbling, he stood up to get his charger. It wasn’t there though. Huh . He looked on his bedside table, his closet, his getaway bag (old habits die hard), the bathroom, the communal living area and the kitchen. He was left there, standing in the kitchen, desperately trying to think were he had last seen it. Simmons then decided to walk into the kitchen. She was looking at a tablet, muttering to herself. She glanced at Hunter and muttered an hello.
“Hey, love” he absentmindedly said back, still digging into his memory. God, my forget-about-Fitz-plan is really working out, huh? Hunter looked up, clapping his hands. He saw Simmons jump slightly from the corner of his eyes.
“Of course! It’s in Fitz’ room,” Hunter looked at Simmons. She was looking at him, eyebrow raised. “Owh sorry, I just remembered where my charger was,” he added sheepishly. It almost looked like there was a small grin forming on Simmons’ face.
“Your charger... “ Okay, yeah she was definitely grinning a bit, “... is in Fitz’ room, because?” she finished, the implication of the question very clear in her words.
“Well his laptop didn’t want to start, so we just used mine,” Simmons still didn’t really look convinced, “We were watching Derry Girls.” he added, not wanting Simmons to think he was doing things with her best friend. I mean he certainly wanted to, but he didn’t. She looked at him a little longer and nodded her head.
“Okay then,” with that she turned back to her tablet, continuing whatever it was that she was doing. Hunter nodded once too and made his way out of the kitchen and directed his path to Fitz’ room. He didn’t really know what just happened, but the thought of possibly seeing Fitz was more on the forefront of his mind. He really hoped that Fitz wasn’t there, or that if he was, he was asleep. At least then he could sneak in, grab the charger and sneak back out again. He had reached his destination and put his ear against the door. It sounded quiet. He figured Fitz would be asleep or gone. He slowly opened the door and glanced inside. His eyes widened at the display in front of him. Because Fitz was there, standing beside the bed hugging Daisy. The hug looked tight, but comfortable. He felt a spike of jealousy and his mouth slightly turned into a scowl. He opened the door further, but this didn’t alert the couple. No, it took Hunter very loudly clearing his throat for them to break apart. They turned to the door, synchronized. Hunter bit his tongue. He saw Fitz squint his eyes a bit, the way he does when he’s trying to figure something out. Hunter cleared his throat again.
“Didn’t mean to disturb, just wanted to borrow a charger. Mine’s gone all of the sudden.” Hunter said. His voice sounded clipped, but he didn’t really have the power to stop that. Not right now. He didn’t know why he lied about wanting to borrow his charger, instead of asking his own back. Something about not wanting Daisy to think the same thing Simmons probably thought. Because if all of this was what he thought it was, he didn’t want to stand in the way of his friends happiness because of some misconceptions.
“Yeah, of course,” he heard Fitz say. Fitz went to grab the charger and Hunter took a step into the room, not looking at Daisy who was staring at him, or at Fitz who was bending over to grab the charger oh so beautifully. Fitz found it and walked back to Hunter, handing it over. He took it, still not meeting any eyes.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, before turning around and all but running out of the door. He left the door open. He fell on his bed the moment he was in his room. Ah there it is, the crisis is coming. He knew that Fitz used to have a crush on Daisy in the beginning. He had admitted that when they were talking one evening, slightly drunk about crushes and sexualities and (awkward, on Hunters part) awakenings. Hunter had thought though, that Fitz was passed that. I guess I was wrong . And yes, Hunter knew that there was a possibility that they were just hugging, not in couple-y way. But even that didn’t soothe Hunters jealousy. Hunter knew that of himself though. He knew that he was very good at being jealous, but most of the time he didn’t anything with it, because he trusted his partner. You know, ‘good relationships are built on trust’ and all that stuff. Didn’t mean he didn’t feel the white hot anger and jealousy slither through his body though. He groaned, burrowing his face in his pillow. He took out his phone and pulled up Bobbi. He sent her a quick text and fell back into the bed. He heard a buzz after a few minutes but didn’t bother to look.
Bob
Hunter: Code red, initiate BJ protocol.
Bob: On my way!
***
Hunter woke up when a figure plopped down on his bed.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Bobbi said, “I thought we initiated BJ protocol.” He turned on his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. When he groaned he heard Bobbi softly chuckle. “That bad, huh?” He felt her get comfortable on the bed. “Come on, I brought one of your favorites.” Hunter turned around and sat up. Bobbi handed him a carton of Cookie Dough Ben & Jerry’s and a spoon. Hunter grumbled a thanks, because being heartbroken didn’t mean he didn’t have manners anymore. Geez, heartbroken? Calm down, Lance . They ate in silence for a bit, Hunter occasionally stealing some of Bobbi’s Strawberry Swirled.
Bobbi broke the silence, “So, what caused code red?” Hunter sighed.
“Unrequited feelings suck, Bobbers,” Bobbi made an affirming noise. “He’s just so…” Hunter sighed again. And no, he did not feel melodramatic at all. “Do you think Fitz and Daisy are together?” he asked instead of finishing his thought. Bobbi looked at him.
“No, I don’t. It looks more like a sibling relationship to be honest,” she answered. “Why?”
“I saw them hugging, but like really hugging. Embracing? I don’t know.” Hunter took another bite to fight off the jealous feeling that was reappearing. “It looked… intimate. And I hated it.” Bobbi stole a bite from Hunter, but he knew she was listening. “And you know how I get, so I didn’t react in the best way, practically ran away once I got my charger.”
“Yeah, your jealousy streak isn’t the best,” Bobbi agreed. “But I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you think. Besides, Fitz loves you, it’s hard for him to get mad at you,” she added. “If he even knows you were upset.” Hunter slid further down, until he was almost lying flat on his back.
“I just don’t know what to do! I thought I could handle it, happy to be his friend, yadie-yadie-ya, etcetera. But it’s a lot harder than I thought” he trailed off.
“So are you going to tell him then?” Bobbi asked.
“No” Hunter quickly said. “... yes? I don’t know!” Bobbi had to refrain from laughing. She doesn’t remember the last time Hunter was looking this conflicted over anyone.
“Well, you gotta think of something, cause we’re going on a mission in a few days for an unknown time,” Bobbi saw the realization dawn in Hunters eyes, “And letting this sit won’t make things better.”
“Right- uhh” Hunter dropped his spoon in the pint of ice cream, “I- I’ll think of something.” Hunter tilted his head sideways, “Probably.”
Bobbi snorted and took the almost empty pint of ice cream out of Hunters hands, “Atta boy” she stood up and made her way to the door. “Now are you going to sulk in your room or are you coming down to play Mario Kart with Mack and I?”
Hunter sat up, “Owh, you’re going down, Morse.”
***
Two days later, Hunter had a plan. Well, not really plan, more of a thought that he couldn’t shake, so he decided to go with it. Hunter was just done packing his bag.
“Damn Hunter, never seen you pack so fast in my life!” Mack said, surprised.
“Anything to get to his man as fast as he can,” Bobbi teased. Hunter flipped them off .
He was making his way down to lab. To go to Fitz who is not his man, thank you very much. (but God, wouldn’t it be great if he was?) He was just going to thank Fitz for the new and improved earpieces, that were absolutely amazing. Christ, that man was a genius! When he arrived at the lab, he was relieved to see Simmons wasn’t there.
“Back so soo-” He heard Fitz stop when he saw it was Hunter who entered the lab. “Sorry, thought you were someone else.” Fitz smiled a little sheepishly at him and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling back.
“Don’t worry about it, mate.” Hunter glanced at the full worktable behind Fitz, afraid he might have interrupted some scientific breakthrough or something. “Is this a bad time?”
“No, it’s fine. What’s up?” And didn’t that just stir up the butterflies in Hunters stomach and chest. No, more like bees, or an angry nest of hornets or something. He took a step further into the room, closer to Fitz. (always wanted to be closer, he couldn’t help himself) ((god, that sounded stalker-y, get out of your head and answer Fitz, it’s taking too long))
“I-uhh… well I just wanted to see you before I leave,” Hunter stuttered out, slightly cringing at his stumbling. Fitz got this cute little frown between his eyes.
“I was going to be there when you all leave. I wasn’t just going to let you guys go without a goodbye and good luck.”
“I know” Hunter quickly said, reassuring Fitz. He took a breath and looked up at Fitz. “I just wanted to say goodbye with only you there.”
“Okay, that’s- that’s good.” Fitz smiled and Hunter breathed out, relieved. He tried to grin at Fitz, trying to keep some of the vulnerability away, but he felt it morphing into a soft smile.
“Well, I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone for and I just wanted to tell you that you can definitely continue watching Real Housewives without me. But take notes! I want you to give me a recap when I get back.” Fitz softly laughed and Hunter felt like he could fly.
“Yeah, I will. I’ll tell you all about Kelly when you get back,” came the reply. Hunter felt his feet take another step closer.
“Good.” Hunter couldn’t keep his eyes away from Fitz. After a moment he saw Fitz’ ears turning slightly red and Fitz cleared his throat.
“So, was that all… or?” Fitz asked, uncertain. Hunter took another deep breath and affirmed his plan to himself. You can do this, Lance , a voice sounding eerily like Bobbi told him. Hunter stepped further, closing the space left between them and cupped Fitz’ neck. Hunter saw a confused look coming onto Fitz his face. He leaned in and gave Fitz a short but soft kiss on his cheek, his eyes closing. The smell of everything Fitz hit him and he didn’t want to leave. He stepped back.
“Wish me luck! See ya.” He got out, trying to sound cheerful, but he heard how rough his voice was. He turned around and hightailed out of there as fast as he could. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shi- Before he knew it, he was in the jet, ready to be taken away. He could feel the others saying goodbye behind him. ??He did it the moment the others were there, very fast, hoping that he would miss Fitz. He did.?? He could feel eyes on him and saw it was Fitz out of the corner of his eyes. He didn’t meet them. Bobbi, May and Mack entered the jet and they took off. He had kissed Fitz on the cheek and it was the best feeling ever. But he had left very quickly. And he wouldn’t meet Fitz’ eyes before they left. Owh shit, Fitz is going to be pissed, isn’t he? Shit shit shit shit shit shit sh-
***
After Bobbi hit him on the back of his head, May looked at him like he was an idiot and Mack shook his head at him, Hunter knew he could have handled that better. But he didn’t regret doing it. He’ll just talk to Fitz when he gets back and he’s going to lay it all out. Finally.
After a few weeks they were heading back again. They had kicked ass and blew those Nazi motherfuckers up, so it was safe to say the mission went well. Hunter was happy to go back. He had an appointment with his pillow, after all. However, every second the jet came closer to home, Hunter got more nervous. Going home meant seeing Fitz again. He felt jittery. It didn’t help that his head came up with all these doom day situations. How he could ruin everything he has. How he would have to leave SHIELD, leave his newfound family, because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. He startled out of his thoughts when Macks hand came to rest on his shoulder.
“We’ll be there in five. You okay?” Hunter just nodded in response. Mack squeezed his shoulder and moved back to May and Bobbi in the cockpit. It was clear his friend didn’t believe him. And judging by the looks they were not-so-discreetly throwing at him, they were gossiping about him again. The five minutes passed way too fast and way too slow at the same time. Hunter stood up the moment the jet landed. When they made their way out, they were met with Coulson, Daisy, Simmons and Fitz as their welcome committee.
“Welcome back, guys.” Hunter heard Coulson say.
“Good to be back. Killing nazi’s is fun and all, but my bed is calling me.” May responded, giving Coulson a quick hug. Hunter couldn’t help but smile at them all. It was nice to see all of them again. After he had hugged Daisy he felt Fitz’ eyes on him.
“Hey Fitz,” Hunter said, sounding (and probably looking) a bit sheepish. Fitz crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrow at him. Hunter cringed. Fuck . He made an attempt to apologize, when Fitz rolled his eyes and grabbed his arm before he could properly start. His grip was tight but Hunter could twist out of it if he wanted to. He was an ex-mercenary turned SHIELD-agent after all. He didn’t want to. He felt himself make a surprised noise, but let Fitz drag him away. The last thing he saw was May shooting him a thumbs up. All of the sudden he was in the lab, standing in front of Fitz who was standing at his desk.
“You’re a real dick, you know that?” Fitz said, he crossed his arms again and glared. Hunter flinched at the look and scratched his head. God, say something!
“I- well, I…” Hunter started, but Fitz didn’t let him speak.
“You come in here, kiss me and then leave! And not just leave to go to your room or something. No! You left on a dangerous mission, that ended up being three weeks!” Fitz hissed the last part and Hunter suddenly found the floor very interesting. “You can’t just do that to me, Hunter!” Well done Hunter, you did it now!
“I-” He cleared his throat and looked off to the side. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.” Even though it was the best feeling ever . He let out a humorless laugh and crossed his arms, hugging himself tight. “I kinda ruined our friendship, didn’t I?” He sniffed, willing the upcoming headache and tears away. Later is the time to break down. He looked at Fitz before deciding to look over his shoulder instead. It was safer that way. “I’m sorry, I really am.”
Fitz was silent for a few seconds and Hunter felt him looking at him. Fitz then promptly burst into laughter. He snapped his head to look at Fitz, surprised. However a hurt feeling quickly made his way into his stomach. It felt like his heart was stuttering and he felt his expression change. He was mad. Mad at the fact he let himself be so stupid, stupid enough that he fell so hard. Stupid that he sort of acted on his feelings. He was stupid and mad. Mad at getting hurt.
“Alright, I get it. Didn’t think you’d be such a asshole about it.” He spat out before turning to walk away. Before he could move though, he heard Fitz laughter stop and hands grabbing his shoulders, turning him back around. The hands stayed.
“Wait! Please— I’m sorry, just— wait.” Fitz looked Hunter in the eyes. It felt way too intimate. It felt like Fitz could read his mind, his soul. “I think you misunderstand,” Fitz started. “I don’t like that you kissed me and then left,” Hunter looked at the ground, but Fitz took his chin and nudged his gaze back up. “Because I didn’t have the time to pull you back and properly kiss you.” W-what?
Surprise and hope filled his body. “What?” He managed to get out. He saw Fitz smile, holding back a laugh. Fitz stepped closer and closer and closer, until there was almost no space between them. Hunter couldn’t breathe. Fitz’ eyes roamed over his face and he smiled. Damn, did he love that smile.
“This... I mean this,” Fitz whispered but Hunter wasn’t able to focus. Fitz was closing the gap between their mouths and he couldn’t move. He felt Fitz’ soft lips press against his. After a moment a voice in his head screamed at him to kiss back. It sounded like a mix of Bobbi, Mack and May. He really spend too much time with them lately. He felt his hands move to Fitz’ waist and finally pressed his lips back. Their lips slotted together perfectly. His hands squeezed Fitz’ waist, holding tight. Fitz’ right hand slid over his shoulder to the back of his neck, pushing into his short hair. It felt like heaven, the smell and feel of Fitz the only thing he could focus on. After a moment Fitz pulled back. No, too soon. He followed Fitz’ mouth and quickly pressed another kiss to Fitz’ mouth. Fitz chuckled and kissed back once, before really pulling back. Hunter didn’t want to open his eyes.
“I like you, Hunter. A lot,” Hunter blinked his eyes open and saw Fitz grinning at him. He grinned back.
“I like you too, Fitz. A lot,” he swallowed. “I like you so much, that my gut does the weirdest things around you— acrobatic things.”
“Owh, really?” Fitz mumbled back, smile evident in his voice.
Hunter nodded and looked at Fitz’ lips. “Yeah, they’re doing a lot of those right now.” He pulled Fitz even closer, one hand moving to his back. His thumb snaked under Fitz’ shirt and was drawing half circles on his skin. “You know, half twists and quadruple full and stuff.” He pulled a face. I should look up more acrobat stuff . “I don’t know a lot of acrobatic move names, sorry,” Fitz chuckled, his hand twisting in Hunters hair. Hunter almost busted a nut right there.
“It’s okay, you’re forgiven.”
“Yeah? ‘m glad” Fitz looked at his mouth and kissed him again. Their kiss started softly, but less tentive than before. Hunter licked the seam of Fitz’ mouth and Fitz wasted no time in opening up. Fitz pushed him back lightly and Hunter bumped into the high desk behind him. He took this opportunity to pull Fitz as close as possible. Sadly, they were human and needed air to breathe. They pulled their heads back but stayed close. They regained their breath for a few moments. Fitz (sadly) stepped back and caught Hunters hand. Hunter made a noise that he will deny making for the rest of his days, but let Fitz step back. Fitz tugged at his hand and gestured to the door with his head.
“Come on, my room is closest.” And if that wasn’t the best sentence in the history of words, Hunter didn’t know what would be. Arousal coiled low in his stomach. He quickly moved to the door, dragging Fitz away instead of the other way around.
“Yes please!” He managed to get out, Fitz chuckling at him. He reveled in the feel of Fitz’ hand in his. He walked fast to Fitz’ room and the moment they were inside, he pressed Fitz against the door. They kissed again. Hunters hands fumbling with the buttons on Fitz’ shirt while Fitz’ hands were pushing his jacket of his shoulders. Fitz pushed him back until the back of his knees met the bed and they fell on the bed. Fitz moved his mouth to his neck and Hunter couldn’t bite back the moan that came out of his throat. Long story short, Hunter missed the appointment he had with his pillow.
***
Hunter woke up in a bed that wasn’t his and for a moment he was confused. Last night came back to him and a smile came to his face. His hand touched the space next to him, but there was no one there. Hunter opened his eyes and saw that the bed, was in fact empty, except for a note.
I’m at breakfast. Take a shower, you need it.
- Fitz
Hunter smiled and did as he was ordered. When he stepped out of the shower, he saw himself in the mirror. And more importantly, the fucking hickeys on his neck and chest. “Jesus Christ, Fitz” Hunter breathed out. He quickly moved back into the room and was glad that he had put some spare clothes in Fitz’ room after he fell asleep in here one too many times. He put on sweatpants, a shirt and a vest. If he would just make sure they would stay put, no one would see the marks. It would have to do. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep this a secret, it was just that he didn’t want people to find out like this. And let’s be honest here, Hunter could be a selfish man. It was nice having this, having Fitz, for himself a little bit. He should have known that that would never happen.
Fitz was making coffee in the kitchen while Daisy was preparing her tea next to him. Bobbi, Mack and Simmons were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Coulson and May were softly talking at the counter. Hunter entered, sat down next to Bobbi and stole a piece of toast from Mack. A chorus of ‘morning’s’ sounded through the room.
“Hey, that’s mine!” Mack said and Hunter stuck his tongue out, because yes, he was a grown adult. He saw Fitz at the kitchen island, giving a cup of coffee to May. He went back to his toast, occasionally glancing at Fitz who was presumably making his own coffee now. All of the sudden, he heard a gasp coming from his right. Hunter looked up and saw Bobbi looking at him a little shocked.
“Wha’?” Hunter asked around his stolen toast.
Bobbi blinked at him, before a smirk came onto her face. Well, that isn’t good . “Maybe wear a turtleneck next time?” She suggested, faking innocence. Simmons opened her mouth to most likely ask what she was talking about before she stopped and stared at Hunters collarbone.
“Damn, Hunter,” Mack said to his left, mirth in his eyes, as he looked at his friend. Hunter was confused and looked down. He saw that his shirt pulled down a little, revealing a hickey on his collarbone and at the juncture between his shoulder and neck. Understanding dawned on him and he cursed himself.
“Owh…” he said softly. He looked up and saw everyone looking at him, bemused. He cleared his throat, racking his brain to come up with a explanation. “Umh- yes, well…” Before he could come up with anything though, he heard Daisy pipe up at the kitchen island.
“Damn, Fitz. How many did you leave?” Daisy grinned at them. Fitz was standing next to her, ears red. Hunter wanted to kiss them. The others chuckled at their obvious discomfort. He heard Fitz groan and saw him leaning against the counter, hands coming up to his face. Hunter quickly tried to cover up the hickeys again.
“Well, I for one, am happy you two figured out," Simmons said from the table, smiling at Fitz. Bobbi hummed in agreement. Hunter kicked her shin under the table. May looked at them, amused and… almost proud? She nodded her head and turned to walk out of the kitchen, probably going back to special spy business.
Hunter saw Coulson do his little I’m-going-to-be-embarrassing-smirk and wished for a hole to open up and swallow him.
“Well, I’m sure I don’t have to talk to you about the importance of being safe-” Coulson started.
“No! No, really not necessary, sir!” Fitz quickly interjected. Daisy cackled next to Coulson, very clearly enjoying the situation. When Hunter turned his attention back to the table, he heard Mack and Bobbi talking to Simmons about the relentless mooning about Fitz they had to endure from Hunter. Simmons sharing her own experiences too. Hunter catched Fitz’ gaze and gave him a small smile with a shrug. Well, I guess they know now? stayed unsaid but it seemed like Fitz understood. He saw Daisy say something to Fitz that earned her an eye roll and a half assed fistbump. Fitz grabbed his coffee and moved away from the coffee machine.
“You’re the worst, all of you," he grumbled. He moved to the door, but Hunter wasn’t just going to let that happen. Not now that he could. He quickly stood up and snaked his arm around Fitz’ waist with surprising ease. Fitz moved back to him and leaned into the embrace a bit. Fitz’ hand went to the back of Hunters neck and Hunter felt like he could fly.
“Do you mind it that they know?” He whispered, so only Fitz could hear it. Fitz smiled and shook his head.
“No… kinda glad actually. That way we don’t have to have a big announcement.”
Hunter grinned at him. “Good,” he said before leaning in and finally doing the thing he wanted to do the moment he saw Fitz in the kitchen. When he pressed a soft kiss to Fitz’ lips, he heard Mack wolf-whistle behind him. He quickly gave Mack the finger, before pressing another kiss to Fitz’ lips. They moved away from each other, but Fitz kissed his cheek quickly before they did. Fitz turned and walked out of the door and Hunter made sure to keep his hands on Fitz’ waist for as long as he could. When Fitz was out of the door, Hunter turned around and sat back down. He then was faced with five highly amused faces.
“Owh, shut up,” he said without real bite, since he was still smiling. He couldn’t stop, it seemed. He resumed eating his stolen toast and the others went back to their breakfast, occasionally making a few quips. Hunter was happy. He had kissed the guy he had liked for months and was now in an actual relationship with him. He almost didn’t believe it. He stole Bobbi’s tea with only slight protest on the latters part. He took a sip from his (stolen) tea and then promptly almost choked.
“Fuck” he breathed out. Bobbi turned to him, raising her eyebrow questionly. He just shook his head, keeping his inner turmoil to himself.
It isn’t just ‘like’, is it? Bloody hell, I’m in love with Leo Fitz… already. And wasn’t that just the fucking realization of the year. God, you’re a mess, Hunter .