𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋, leo fitz

vii. Looks Are Deceiving

    Coulson sent Roy a thankful nod for her work, and she said, "The Hub? Really?" she pulled her gloves and glasses off. "How exciting! Oh, it's been ages."

    Rushing up the stairs to the main level, she saw Simmons, Fitz and Skye sitting down with cups of tea and coffee, waiting for them. As soon as the door opened, Fitz stood up, "Ah. Good, you're done with that paranasal extraction nonsense," Skye and Simmons followed. "Do you need me to analyse the data?" he held his hand out to take it, but Coulson brushed right past him.

    "That won't be necessary."

    "If it's encrypted, I can mine the chip for him," offered Skye.

    Coulson shook his head, "I'm afraid this mission's classified," he told the group. "Clearance Level Eight."

    Skye frowned, confused while Fitz-Roy-Simmons shared an understanding nod, not bothered at all. They were used to it. It was how the system works. Ready to head back to the lab, Roy was going to whine to Fitz and ask him to get her a tea, but Skye stopped them. "Wait, what? He can just shut us out of the process like that?"

    "Well, he did say the mission is Level Eight," Fitz told her.

    Simmons nodded, "And we're not. So we can't know about it."

    "Right," said Skye, "but this is normally the part where we all stand around the Holocom and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team?"

    "No need to get started on one of your socialist riffs," said Fitz, and Skye narrowed her eyes slightly as a few of them chuckled.

    "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whole infrastructre is based on the hierarchy and compartmentalisation of intelligence," explained Roy. Skye just arched a brow.

    "Every agent can't have the intel on every mission," added Ward, and seeing him Roy went a bright red. Turning around quickly, she forgot about her tea and rushed back down to the lab with Simmons and Fitz in tow. "Makes the entire organisation vulnerable."

    Seeing the tinted rosy cheeks on Roy's face, Simmons arched a brow. "What's got you all flustered?"

    Being caught red-handed, Roy gaped, "Ah━um━uh━well━um━" she just left it there, continuing on and down the stairs.

    Fitz watched her, frowning. He knew that reaction. It was the reaction she had when she first met Milton━ugh, Milton (he was the absolute worst). "Who does she fancy now?" he tried to hide the bubbling jealousy in his stomach. Who cares if she likes someone? If it's someone on this plane, that was a problem. It was against protocol━he was just looking out for her, that's all. "She's doing her bug-eyed-bright-red-caught-stealing-sweets-from-the-jar face."

    Simmons wanted to tease him a little bit, noticing that glare on his face he had whenever Roy had even gotten close to a boy that wasn't him. He was a little jealous green monster and didn't even admit it. "Why you so bothered about it, hmm?"

    As if slapped in the face, Fitz stared at her. "Uh━what? I'm not bothered. Why would I be bothered? She can like whoever she wants, I don't care. I just think that if it's someone on the Bus, she's just looking for trouble. And can she make it any less obvious?" he scoffed and the two of them followed where she had skuttled off to. "It's a little sad, to be honest. I'm getting second-hand embarrassment."

    Sure, thought Simmons, but didn't say anything.

    ━━After spending so long on a plane with only a few members of a team, it was a fresh feeling to see other agents hustling and walking through the halls of the Hub. Agent Roy had a great big grin plastered on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement as the group of them shuffled through the bustle━out and up from the hangar and to the ground floor. The Hub was over twenty stories, and both magnificent and intimidating.