Birds of a Feather | | Leo Fitz Book One

Chapter 20

Bam! Asia's fist slammed against the punching bag, followed by another blow, and another. Over and over, the force sending ripples through her still injured body, causing her to wince, gritting her teeth through the pain. With each punctuated punch, a little bit of Asia's anger and frustration echoed out of her body and into the bag. If only it didn't hurt so fucking badly. If only she hadn't been injured in the last mission, she might have been there today. She could have helped. And maybe then it would have been a success. She punched and punched with each pointed thought.

"Woah woah woah, what are you doing?" A concerned voice, one she recognized and was usually only too happy to hear, came from behind her.

Shoulders heaving and breath coming in quick, shallow breaths, she stopped, leaning against the bag. Her bruises were pulsing brightly, angry at her overexertion. "Nothing Leo, I was just practicing a little."

"I don't know a lot about your crazy martial arts stuff, but I do know that didn't look like normal practicing," Leo said in a soft voice, coming towards her and grabbing her hands, slowly unwrapping the tape around them and rubbing her the soft backs of her worn out hands. "You need to go easier on yourself." He said, looking her in the eyes. It wasn't really a suggestion, more so of an order.

Asia shook her head, frustrated. "I just...I can't do that again. I can't just sit there-"

"Can't just sit in the van doing being useless?" Leo asked with a frown.

"Oh Leo, you know that's not what I meant," She replied with a groan, pushing back her bangs. "You and Jemma and Skye...you do important stuff in that van. Me? I just sit there. I've got training. I shouldn't just be sitting in a van doing nothing." A hopeless look crossed her face, and it made Leo incredibly sad to see her so upset.

"You do have bloody good training, you're an amazing agent," He said, still holding her hands and rubbing her fingers lightly, massaging them, taking some of the pain away. "But we can't have you going out there hurt. I can't have you going out there hurt. If you go out when you're all injured, you might never come back. And I don't know if any of us could handle that."

Asia looked up at Leo, increasingly aware of how close to each other they were standing. For a moment, she thought he might kiss her. But that would be crazy, right?

From above, a door opened, and the two practically leaped apart. Skye leaned over the railing, a concerned look on her face. "Coulson needs us in the meeting room. Now."