[3] Odyssey of Shadows | Leo Fitz

2

"No deal."

"A man with nothing to lose," Yusef laughed. 

Fitz didn't agree with that, he had a lot to lose and he was sure just being here was pushing him close to losing it all. 

"Okay, listen, because I'm only gonna say this once. I've already lost a friend, and it may sound strange, but to get her back, I need to understand the properties of an ancient monolith. Now, I've learned it was buried in the Yucatan after being dragged around the earth for a few hundred years. And originally found with it, were artifacts. Mostly worthless, except one. A scroll casing, over 1000 years old. The casing holds a parchment which reportedly describes exactly what this monolith is, which is what I want to know. And I tracked the scroll casing, not easy, through history, to Mosul's Central Museum in Iraq. But it was taken by your extremist buddies when they ransacked the place this year. So you can either hand it over in exchange for what's in there, or you could spill my guts in the sand and use the briefcase as a booster seat. Now choose quickly because I have a really pissed off knife wielding woman without a doubt on her way and when she gets here she'll kill me but only after cutting your head off."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Warning you," Fitz corrected with a shrug. Nina may be incredibly pissed at him but she would never allow someone who threatened or laid hands on him live, especially without Coulson ordering her to stand down "now what's your choice."

"I admire your... stupidity," Yusef just chuckled before pushing the case over to him, "now, open the case."

Fitz did just that and once it displayed the very things Simmons had once used in an attempt to kill Ward, he pushed it back to Yusef. 

"Are these splinter bombs?"

"The very same used in the UN Attack and used to kill Sunil Bakshi," Fitz responded, "that name should mean something to you."

"One of these killed him?"

"Yeah, separated his atoms, leaving no remains," he responded, not voicing that his best friend had been the one to do that.

"This woman you went to all this trouble for," Yusef started, "you love her, yeah?"

Fitz didn't respond for a beat as he thought. Yes, he loved Simmons but he was pretty sure it wasn't in the way that Yusef so obviously implied. 

He cherished Simmons, not in the fiery passion of romance, but in the steadfast bond of friendship. She was his safe harbour and he was hers in return. Their connection ran deep, weaving through shared experiences and whispered confidences while being spared the weight of misunderstanding. He treasured the evolution of their relationship, from the initial spark of something more to the enduring embrace of brother and sister. 

No, Nina was the only one he loved that way. 

He loved her so much that his thoughts were consumed by her, day and night. He loved her so much that her smile had an uncanny ability to bring out his own, and her laugh had quickly become one of his favourite sounds. His love for her transcended infatuation, it was a profound devotion that knew no bounds.

He cherished her to the extent that he would willingly endure a shattered heart if it meant hers remained untouched, full of love and joy. He would sacrifice everything, even his own life, if it gave her peace. The mere thought of being separated from her caused him physical pain.

In Nina, he found not just a girlfriend, but a home, a place where he could be his truest self without fear or reservation. He prayed she found the same sanctuary within him. In loving her, he had discovered a love that was profound, enduring, and utterly irreplaceable.