Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time Mack sees Fitz, he’s enjoying the fact that he’s talked Koeing into sharing the Xbox. Billy usually prefers to play with one of his brothers, so Mack is savoring the moment of having someone to play with when Billy pauses the game. Mack frowns at Koeing’s too bright face as he turns towards the door. Mack follows his gaze and stills as he takes in the young man standing there. He feels his jaw drop, but wets his lips and closes his mouth quickly. He hasn’t felt an instant attraction to someone in a long time, but the man standing there is bristling, eyes narrowing at Koeing.

“Help you with something Fitz?” Koeing grins.

Fitz’s nose wrinkles as he presses his lips together. He’s wearing a loose grey sweater and a green button up, that isn’t buttoned correctly at the top. Mack is wondering what it’d feel like to run his fingers into Fitz’s curly hair, when the other man asks, “Trip?”

“Ah, he’s on a mission,” Koeing answers.

Fitz blows out a frustrated breath and begins rubbing his right hand with his left thumb. “Skye?”

“Went with. Your shirt’s…”

Fitz’s glare says he knows his shirt is misbuttoned five from the top as he starts undoing the buttons one-handed.

“I think May is still here,” Koeing offers.

Fitz raises his eyebrows, face clearly questioning Koeing’s intelligence.

“Do you need something?” Koeing asks.

Fitz shakes his head.

Standing Mack asks, “Do you need help with your shirt?”

Fitz nods tightly, hands dropping to his sides as he opens and closes them slowly. “Hand bad today.”

Fitz winces and Mack isn’t sure if he’s wincing at his own words or if he’s in pain.

“Did you take…”

“Yes,” Fitz cuts Koeing off. Koeing goes back to their game muttering about how he was only trying to help as Mack rounds the couch. Mack approaches him slowly, arms loose and body open. He reaches for Fitz’s shirt slowly, they’ve all been jumpy since HYDRA revealed themselves.

Mack frowns at the buttons, “These are really small.”

Fitz nods and shrugs.

“Stubborn?” Mack teases as he buttons up Fitz’s shirt.

Fitz blinks up at him, eyes darting over his face, finally taking him in.

“Sweater too?” Mack asks.

“Yes.”

Mack makes quick work with the larger thinner buttons on the sweater, “Better?”

Fitz nods opens his mouth, then closes it, wrinkling his nose for a moment before he says, “Grateful.”

“Thank you,” Koeing supplies.

Fitz frowns and shakes his head slightly.

“Appreciate it?” Mack asks trying to catch his eyes again.

Fitz gives him the ghost of what’s almost a smile. “Yes.”

“You’re welcome,” Mack smiles back.

Fitz nods and heads off in the direction of the lab and Mack finds himself standing there watching him until Fitz rounds a corner.

“Were you just checking out his…” Koeing starts to ask.

“What’s his name?” Mack asks even as disappoint runs through him. He here to keep an eye on Coulson for Gonzalez, to help find Fury’s toolbox, and anyone here is going to see that as a betrayal. He can’t start a relationship, but maybe he can try for friendship? He turns to frown when Koeing doesn't answer, “I heard you call him Fitz, what’s his first name?”

Koeing considers this for a moment. “I could tell you, but we all call him Fitz.”

“Figure it out for myself?” Mack asks as he drops back onto the couch and picks up his controller.

“I’m not so sure I would go there,” Koeing says slowly. “Fitz has been through a lot.”

“Just because I enjoy the view doesn’t mean I’m going to pursue him.”

Koeing makes a disbelieving noise and they go back to their game.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Hunter pulls down one of the seats in the back of the Bus and flops down onto it. Idaho hands out beers and shakes his head, “I can’t believe we turned this around in a day.”

“Many hands,” Hartley comments.

Hunter tilts his head back and rests his beer against his forehead. “We cleared out all the tech stuff to the lab this morning and turned this into a garage this afternoon, we should get a reward or a raise.”

“I’ll give you a gold star,” Hartley concedes. Hunter smirks in response.

Mack smiles fondly at them as he looks around his new work space. He raises his eyebrows when he realizes Hunter is giving him a lazy, teasing grin. “Though maybe the next time you want to impress a guy don’t involve me and a lot of work.”

Hartley turns towards Mack with a sharp look. Idaho frowns for a moment before smirking, “Which techie caught your eye?”

Mack shakes his head, “This wasn’t me. This was all a request from the lab.”

“Yeah, but you have a type,” Hartley calls as she pulls down a seat next to Hunter and takes a swig of her beer.

“They requested all their things be moved to the lab this morning,” Mack reminds.

Hunter scoffs. “We still didn’t have to do everything today.”

“I appreciate the help though,” Mack smiles. “It’s good to have a workspace again.”

Hartley tilts her chin towards the ramp and Mack turns to take in Fitz standing there looking confused.

“Need something?” Hunter asks.

Fitz doesn’t respond, his eyes are taking in what used to be his lab. He looks stunned and unprepared. Mack has a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, they’d started moving things on request from the lab and yet Fitz doesn’t look like someone who made the request.

“We put all your things in the main lab, just like requested,” Hunter prompts when Fitz doesn’t answer. Hartley elbows him and Hunter turns to glare at her.

“Requested?” Fitz asks.

“This morning,” Mack confirms.

Fitz brow furrows and he shakes his head.

“I’m sure your lab minions have it all put away,” Idaho reassures.

Fitz’s eyes widen in horror at the words before he’s spinning on his heels and heading off in the direction of the lab.

Mack swears.

“Him?” Hunter asks. Mack ignores him.

Hartley swears as Idaho points out slowly, “Wasn’t he out at therapy all day?”

“Still his lab to run,” Hartley grumbles.

“And not their decision to make for him,” Mack concludes.

Hunter groans, “So let’s go apologize so you don’t ruin your chances with him.”

“I’m not…” Mack protests.

“Yes, you are,” Idaho cuts off.

“I’m trying not to agree with Hunter on this one,” Hartley teases. “but he really is your type.”

Mack starts to protest, but cuts off when Idaho points out, “He’s shorter than you.”

“Intelligent,” Hartley adds.

“And cute,” Hunter concludes.

“You think he’s cute?” Idaho asks.

“I think Mack thinks he’s cute,” Hunter replies.

Hartley makes a considering noise.

Hunter laughs and stretches, “Come on now, if I was into guys Mack would be more my type. Willing to put up with my shit, but calls me on it and a hell of a kisser.”

Hartley laughs, “I can agree with you on that last point.”

Idaho protests, “You’ve both kissed him and I haven’t?”

“Mission,” Hartley smirks.

“Mistletoe,” Hunter reveals.

Idaho smirks, “Mack, know that next Christmas I expect a kiss.”

“You don’t even celebrate Christmas,” Mack laughs.

“Yeah, but some fool will probably put mistletoe everywhere,” Idaho reminds.

“You expect to be here in December?” Hunter asks.

Idaho shrugs, “Where else would I be?”

“Or he could just kiss you now,” Hunter teases.

Idaho shakes his head, “Nah, I can wait.”

Mack smiles around his beer. He hopes they’re all still friends in December. He eyes the door Fitz disappeared to, “I’m going to make sure he’s not upset with us.”

“I’ll help,” Hartley offers.

“Hey,” Hunter protests. “Maybe he wants to go make up?”

“We’re not even friends yet,” Mack points out.

“Careful,” Idaho advises. “Some bad shit went down for him when Hydra took over.”

“I’m not…I’d like to try and be his friend,” Mack concedes.

“We’ll go with you,” Hartley decides, “Hard to just be mad at you if we’re all explaining.”

They find Fitz in the lab leaning back in a chair as he stares at the boxes they’d stacked into the lab that morning. Mack stills in the doorway when he realizes none of the boxes have been emptied and all the other lab techs are working on shutting down their stations for the night. Hartley scowls as she watches them. Idaho frowns. Hunter takes another swig of his beer.

Fitz doesn’t seem to notice. He’s working pennies out of a large glob of pale, peach putty. He drops a penny onto the table next to him, eyes never leaving the boxes.

“We were only trying to help,” Mack starts.

“Order came down this morning,” Hartley tries. “Seemed to be the consensus that it’d be easier to have all of the lab in one place.”

“We can help unpack,” Idaho offers.

“Just tell us where you want things,” Mack agrees.

Fitz takes a slow breath in and out before he tilts his head towards them and says, “I don’t like change.”

He drops the putty on the counter and crosses his arms.

“Have dinner with us then,” Idaho offers, “We’ll come back and help you in the morning.”

“Mack here offered to make us all burgers for dinner,” Hunter adds.

Fitz glances back at the boxes then towards them. He shrugs.

“You can have the first burger,” Mack tries.

Fitz presses his palm against his forehead and sighs before he concedes, “Okay. I won’t stay long, I’m tired.”

“Then let’s get some food in you before you head to bed,” Hartley tries. “We’ll help tomorrow.”

Fitz nods his agreement and follows them to the kitchen. Mack makes sure Fitz gets the first burger. He eats his food quickly, watching them quietly and slips off with an excuse of heading to bed just as Mack is sitting down with his own burger. They quickly finalize a time in the morning and tell him goodnight.

The four of them finish their burgers and settle in for a movie before bed. Hartley makes it clear she wants to talk to Mack before turning in so Mack isn’t all that surprised when she follows him to his room.

“What are you doing?” she asks as soon as the door is shut.

“Nothing, I know better.”

She crosses her arms and glares. “With what we’re doing friendships will be tested. Starting a relationship would…”

Mack waits a moment for her to continue, when she doesn’t he shakes his head, “I know. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to do what’s right.”

“He’s…I’d say he’s one of Coulson’s, but I’m not sure he’s seen anything but the inside of that lab and therapy for the last few months. I’ve watched them all walk on eggshells around him,” Hartley pauses, sighs and continues. “We could hope that he’d be understanding if we have to make a move to get rid of Coulson, but I wouldn’t hedge my bets on that and I wouldn’t be getting into a relationship.”

“I don’t even think he sees me,” Mack attempts to deflect.

“You’re a hard guy to miss,” Hartley points out. “He’s been hurt enough Mack.”

“I’m getting that,” Mack agrees.

“You know what happened?” she asks.

“I’ve heard rumors, which mean nothing.”

Hartley leans against the wall and frowns, “I read the report. He and his lab partner were dropped out of the Bus after the guy who’d been their specialist turned out to be HYDRA. They ended up at the bottom of the ocean in a medical pod. Fitz put a distress signal together out of an AED. They figured out how to get out of the pod, but there was only enough oxygen for one of them and he made sure she had it.”

Mack sits down on his bed, not sure what to say. “You’re telling me he got hurt, but more than that he was betrayed.”

“By someone he thought was a teammate and friend. He’s probably going to see anyone who is less than genuine as betraying him. I know how you are Mack, you fall hard and you fall fast. When they love you back you’re all in. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Hell, I don’t know Fitz, but I don’t want to see him get hurt either.”

Mack agrees then tells her, “I don’t even know if he’ll want to be friends, but I won’t offer anything more than that.”

Hartley regards him quietly for a moment, “We’re here to gather intel on Coulson. Making friends could help with that and people are going to get their feelings hurt, don’t fool yourself into thinking that won’t happen.”

“I know,” Mack acknowledges. “I’m not going to try and woo the guy.”

“See that you don’t,” Hartley orders before she tells him that she’ll see him in the morning.

Mack isn’t surprised when only Hartley and Idaho meet him in the kitchen for breakfast, Hunter tends to sleep in. What does surprise him is when they walk into the lab to see Fitz asleep draped across a workstation, all the boxes already emptied.

Hartley swears before she glares at Mack. He shrugs helplessly.

“Stubborn,” Idaho comments, before shaking his head and giving Mack a smirk. “Think Hunter was right.”

“You’re screwed,” Hartley tells him.

“I know,” Mack agrees. He sighs. He really is. “I know.”

Between the three of them they managed to wake Fitz and bundle him off to bed. It helps that he’s sleep fuzzy and adorable. He doesn’t protest too much and is soon hugging his pillow under his blankets.

The look on Harley’s face after they close the door behind them has Idaho and Mack sharing a cautious look.

“So,” Idaho ventures. “Whose heads are we knocking in?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Hartley tells them, before she shakes her head and gives Mack a serious look. “I was wrong, keep an eye on that one or he might work himself into an early grave. I don’t think he’s one we can afford to lose.”

Mack nods his understanding determined more than ever to befriend Fitz.

It’s a slow process. Mack isn’t really sure Fitz is registering him as more than another person in the background of his lab until the first time he calls Fitz Turbo. Mack gets blinked at owlishly for a brief moment before he gets a small smile and a request to use his hands for wiring something together that Fitz isn’t ready to trust his hands to do.

“I don’t know how you put up with that,” George, one of the lab techs comments later, at lunch.

“Put up with what?” Mack frowns.

“I have two PhD’s,” he continues. “I didn’t join SHIELD for someone to go ‘put this here’ and ‘put that there’.”

Mack vainly wishes Hartley were here to make a scathing comment, he misses her scathing comments. Instead he gives the man a wane smile, “I’ve got pieces of paper I worked hard for too, but if helping out the guy in charge of the lab, who's going to make our ships undetectable, will help I’m all for that.”

“It took multiple scientists to figure out cloaking,” George scoffs. “And he’s just supposed to figure it out himself?”

“With help,” Mack points out.

George shakes his head and goes back to his lunch. Mack opts to eat on the Bus and asks Fitz later why he’s got assholes working for him.

Fitz shrugs. “Scientists. We’re…”

Fitz breaks off with a frustrated look that says his mouth isn’t meeting up with his brain and giving him the word he wants.

“Arrogant?” Mack supplies. “Too smart for you own good. I’ve got a dozen more, tell me when I’m getting close.”

“Socially inept?” Fitz teases.

Mack smiles. He’s pretty sure Fitz sees him now, that they’re building a friendship. He’s more sure when Fitz comes down to the garage, standing out of the way and watches him work. He gives Fitz space to approach, but after watching him stand there hugging himself for half an hour Mack heads over and asks for help. “Be my second set of eyes?”

From then on they spend the morning in the labs and the evenings in the garage, except when Fitz has a project that can’t wait. There are missions too and Hunter prodding. Mack thinks half the reason Hunter brings up his ex’s around Fitz is so that Fitz will talk about his. Later over beers when Fitz reveals he doesn’t have any Mack worries.

“Not one?” Mack asks later, once Hunter had gone to bed and the two of them are comfortable on the couch a movie playing in the background. “You haven’t dated anyone?”

“I’ve gone on dates,” Fitz shrugs, “but I was also younger than most when I joined SHIELD.”

“So have…” Mack pauses when Fitz fixes him with big wide innocent looking eyes. He laughs, “Sorry, I haven’t forgotten where you went to school.”

Fitz nods. “The science was always first, didn’t mean we didn’t have fun. I just take awhile to fall for someone or realize I’m inclined towards them that way, by then they’ve moved on.”

“Then they didn’t deserve you.”

Fitz laughs and shakes his head, “No, that’s not. No.”

“You’re worth waiting for, don’t let anyone make you feel like you aren’t. Okay?”

Fitz gives him a smile, glances at the TV and asks, “Would you be interested in helping Trip and I out with a special project?”

Mack grins “What kind of special project?”

“Special request from Coulson,” Fitz shrugs. “Let me check with Trip first, but I think a third set of eyes might help.”

Mack’s just finished checking in with everyone working in the garage when he gets a text from Trip asking if he had time to come down to the lab. He finds Fitz and Trip with an open suitcase of antique spy gear between them.

“You’re working on modernizing this?” he asks.

“It came in handy after HYDRA took over.” Trip nods. “So we’re going to rework some of it, anything that might give us an edge.”

Fitz nods. “I managed to get a tracker disguised as a quarter on the Bus and…”

Fitz breaks off to frown and shake his head, but not in a way that looks like he’s searching for words, more like he’s found a sour taste in his mouth he doesn’t want to think about. They all have bad memories.

“I so want in on this,” Mack smiles. “How did you find all this?”

“Belonged to my grandpa,” Trip shrugs.

Mack looks in the suitcase and then over the inventory they’ve made of everything. “This is at least World War II era spy gear, some of it I’ve read only the Howling Commando’s had.”

Trip nods and Mack’s eyes widen. Trip shrugs. “I don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Can I at least ask who?” Mack ventures.

Trip smiles, “Most people assume. Dernier. My grandma was Gabe Jones’ sister.”

“So you’re related to two?”

“They all treated each other like family, was never a big deal. You should meet some of the people I consider cousins.”

“Nice, what’s our first project?”

Fitz holds up a pack of what look like cigarettes. “Ever hear of a mouse trap?”

“I’ve seen one in action, once.” Mack nods. “So we’re looking to make it smaller and hide it.”

Fitz nods. “I designed it to be small and portable to begin with, but this will take some finesse.”

“Wait, you…You know you’re brilliant right?” Mack grins at Fitz. For one brief moment Fitz look as though he’s about to protests so Mack insists, “Are. You are.”

They hole up in the lab for a few days, only leave for necessities like sleep and food. Eventually they have several successful products and more projects on the backburner that they’ll work on more idly. Mack’s grateful Trip waits till they’re all going back to their respective routines to ask him if he’s trying to date Fitz.

“I think he only sees me as a friend,” Mack answers neutrally.

“So I don’t need to give you the shovel speech?” Trip teases.

“Believe me, I’ve given it to myself.”

“Mostly I’m relieved he’s connecting again, it was rough there for awhile. We tried, but with him pushing us away and us gone on missions more often than not. I’m glad he has you.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Simmons comes back. She and Fitz are awkward. It doesn’t take Mack much to put their story together and he may be a bit harsher with Simmons than he needs to be. He tells himself he’s not jealous, he tries not to be. He asks anyway. “You still love her?”

Fitz laughs helplessly from where he’s leaning against Mack on the couch. Nothing is working right for him today and rather than watch him spiral the two of them are taking a break to watch old movies. Fitz sighs. “I take awhile. I told you that. She was my best friend. Everything was changing and I don’t like change. I didn’t want us to stop being the most important person to each other. I wanted to take it back when I woke up, she looked so hurt, but I couldn’t talk, not yet. I didn’t regret saying it when I thought I was dying. I didn’t want to die and not say it to her. I…”

Fitz breaks off with a shrugs, leans a bit more into Mack, who wraps an arm around him.

“I’m glad I said it, I’m sorry I hurt her. I’ve changed so much. I wouldn’t go back. I’d like to be her friend again. I’m not even sure we can find that again.”

“Nothing more than that?” Mack asks carefully, regretting the words as they leave his mouth. He wants to know, but Fitz will figure him out and Mack knows he can’t say yes to a date.

Fitz tilts his head, smiles slightly, and snuggles back down against him before suggesting, “Relax and watch the movie."

Two days later he and Fitz are working in the lab when Fitz pauses and looks at him. Before Mack can ask why Fitz asks him if he wants to get coffee. Mack stares, feeling as lost as the moment he first saw Fitz. Mack opens his mouth, not sure what to say, knowing he has to decline and wishing he didn’t have to. Fitz starts to blush. Mack bites his lip. Fitz presses his lips together to keep the laughter in.

“You’re going to say no, but you want to say yes,” Fitz manages before laughing.

“Yeah,” Mack agrees, shaking his head. “I…A lot of bad things happened when HYDRA tried to take over and I’m just not ready to date yet. I wish I was, believe me, but I’m just not.”

Fitz considers him a moment. “Let me know if you are?”

Mack promises.

“Hug?” Fitz asks.

Mack closes his eyes as they embrace. He wants this and so much more.

“No kisses,” Fitz declares with a playful glare.

Mack laughs, “Believe me, we start kissing and we probably won’t stop.”

Fitz agrees and nothing really changes. They’re still friends, they may touch a bit more, but they didn’t exactly keep to themselves before.

Then Trip nearly dies protecting Fitz and Mack knows he shouldn’t hover, but he’s having trouble talking himself out of it. Fitz is practically vibrating with tension and worry. Fitz spends the night curled up with him in bed, both of them taking comfort from each other’s presence.

Then he gets lowered down a hole and gets taken over by an alien artifact that almost has him killing his friends. The thing kills Trip. Jemma comes back hard and angry. Skye seems scared. Mack just feels lost, except at night when Fitz is there sleeping next to him.

Mack doesn’t sleep well during his whole drag Hunter to see Gonzalez fiasco. He’s mostly sure he and Hunter will be able to repair their friendship in the resulting fallout. He believes Hunter will forgive him, he’ll have to grovel for it a bit, but they’ve patched each other up from worse.

Fitz he isn’t so sure about when they take over. He can’t get the terrified look on Fitz’s face out his mind. Mack knows he’s safe, he managed to get him under him before the wall blew, but he still can’t forget the betrayal on Fitz’s face when he went to confront him. Mack thinks he might have broken their friendship for good.

Fitz hovers in his doorway that night, pajamas already on. “I’m…this is why you said no.”

Mack sinks onto his bed and stares at his hands, “It hurts enough with us being friends.”

“It does,” Fitz agrees. “I’m angry, but you saved my life. I want…I…I’m not joining.”

“Spend the night?” Mack asks.

“I don’t want them to give you a hard time when I leave.”

Mack nods. “Can we…coffee?”

Fitz’s eyes are sad when he says, “I’m not planning on staying in the area.”

“May I kiss you goodbye?”

Fitz makes a soft noise of want before he’s crossing the room. Mack considers standing for a moment, but opens his legs instead, lets Fitz slot between them as their lips meet. They take time exploring each other’s mouths. There are several slow languid kisses and Mack very carefully keeps his hands on Fitz’s hips, fingers squeezing occasionally. Fitz’s hands squeeze his shoulders before he pulls away. “I…I should go.”

Mack keeps his eyes closes, squeezes Fitz’s hips again and pulls his hands away. “I really don’t want you to.”

“I’m not joining. If I kiss you again, then they’ll wonder why you couldn’t get me to stay.”

“They might,” Mack agrees opening his eyes and resting his hands on his knees to keep himself from reaching out for Fitz.

They stare at each other for a long moment of indecision before Fitz takes his hands and squeezes. Mack squeezes back. Their foreheads touch and they breathe each other in for several breaths before Fitz says, “I want to say I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry.” Mack manages. Fitz presses a kiss to his forehead and pulls away. Mack glances upwards, takes in the way Fitz looks as though he’s going to close the distance between them. Mack shakes his head, “If you kiss me again…

Fitz waits. Mack wets his lips.

“We’re both going to get naked in your bed?” Fitz supplies.

“Yeah,” Mack agrees.

Fitz nods. “I’ll miss you.”

Mack manages to nod. He doesn’t trust his words at the moment. Fitz pulls away slowly, leaves and Mack thinks that’s it for the two of them until their situations are reversed. Both SHIELDs have joined forces only this time it’s him who’s leaving and Fitz who’s staying.

“If I get a job nearby can I take you out for coffee?” Mack ventures before he goes.

“I’d like that.”

Nothing in their lives is that simple and he gets trapped on the Iliad trying to keep a teleporter from releasing the crystals that kill people or turn them into Inhumans into the ventilation system. Mack thinks he’s going to die until Fitz and Coulson show up. The fight is desperate, but not hopeless once Fitz traps the teleporter.

Gordon dies. Coulson loses his hand.

When the two of them have been released from medical and told to rest they find his old room and collapse into bed. Mack wraps himself firmly around Fitz, who sets an alarm and then intertwines their fingers.

“We’re hunting down coffee when we wake up,” Fitz decides.

“And when we finally get a free moment I’m taking you to dinner.”

Fitz laughs, “I can think of a better way for us to spend our free time.”

“That so?” Mack teases before pressing a kiss to Fitz’s neck.

Fitz hums his agreement as the two of them find sleep.