User:~Silverstream/Fanfiction Beside Me The Whole Damn Time

So, I've actually had this for a while, but in celebration of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s return, I thought I'd post it here. I hope to extend it into a continued telling of FitzSimmon's origin story. Please enjoy!

Beside Me The Whole Damn Time

Young Leopold Fitz groaned in his bed as his alarm clock buzzed him awake. His hand fumbled for the snooze button, until his brain woke up and realized the day. It was his first full day at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology. Bolting upright, he threw his covers away and dashed up to get dressed. What a day, he thought. What an opportunity. What a chance, a chance to prove himself. His mind raced with the possibilities of his day, from new ideas to new peers. How would he get along with new peers? It couldn't get any worse than his high school peers, so that much was positive. He took one last glance in his mirror, observing his baby blue button-up and sweater vest. Giving a nod of approval, he ventured out of his dorm to begin. No matter what lay ahead of him. Nice dorms, he thought. The lighting system looked quite efficient and developed. He nodded at other students passing by, none of whom paid him any mind. They must be focused, he figured. There was nothing that could possibly happen that could phase him, not today.

"Room two fifty-eight, two fifty-nine, twoooo sixty..." He grinned as he located his first class, which was labeled "Chemical Kinetics". He eagerly sat down at a desk at the front, opening his satchel for his blank papers.

"Ahem, excuse me," a feminine, British voice behind him uttered.

Fitz turned, and was slightly stunned to see a rather attractive girl dressed in a tidy white blouse and clean-cut overcoat. Her amber hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she carried a very capable air. "Erm... Uh, yes?" He stuttered.

"I need this seat... All the others are taken." She gestured to his bag, which he'd set in the seat beside him. "Y-You... You need to..."

The girl's arched eyebrows raised in question. "...I need the seat," she repeated.

Fitz finally grabbed his bag and set it on the floor. "Yeah! Yeah, of course, sorry 'bout that..."

She gave a nod of thanks and sat down, pulling out her own notebook, which was already scribbled in with equations and instructions. Fitz wanted to say something, anything. Yet every time he opened his mouth, he found himself turning his focus back on his paper and remaining silent.

A moment later, an older man with round black glasses marched into the room, up to the vast white markerboard. "STUDENTS," he bellowed, making every voice fall silent, and all eyes settle on him. "My name is Professor Franklin Hall. You may call me Professor, Mr. Hall, but MOST CERTAINLY, you may not call me President Franklin. Am I clear?"

A wave a murmured "yes professor's" rippled through the students. Fitz jotted the name preference down in his notebook.

Just in case.

Professor Hall continued, "For those of you who are here as Freshmen, this is your first step into a much vaster world. Our world is science, it's chemistry, physics." He slowly paced back and forth, gesticulating with his hands. "To live in this world, you must first understand it. And understanding takes basic intelligence, or, in my case... Extreme intelligence..." With a smirk, this sent a few chuckles through the students. "...and knowledge, and commitment. Before I even begin a class with you, I have to ask... Are you ready to contract this knowledge? Are you ready to commit to hours of homework, likely sleepless nights, and assignments that will push you to and beyond your limits?"

"Yes," Fitz whispered, awestruck of the Professor's vigorous words.

Hall caught Fitz's eye, and gave him a small nod. "Good."

A good full hour later, Fitz and the young lady beside him had more than proven their worth. They asked questions even the Professor occasionally stumbled over, and basically ended up taking turns in getting answered. Fitz was seeing stars by the end. However, when he turned to the girl, he found she had slipped away, before he could say a word to her. "...a name, would've been good..." He murmured. He shrugged on his satchel and began the trek to his next class.

As the day passed, Fitz kept his eyes peeled for the girl with the brain clearly comparable to his own. She interested him. More so than anybody else he'd come across. Once he reached his dorm building, he noticed a group of young men chattering in the front lawn. He drew nearer to them, taking a listen.

"No man, you don't understand", a boy with pale blonde hair urged. "They had 20 of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s men inside the building, and no extraction. She goes in with two semi-automatics, one in each hand. And they didn't have any working vehicles, so she stole a horse from the nearby market, and rode right into the scene on it. Took out every assassin, got out every agent... And THAT is why they call her The Cavalry."

A wide-eyed freshman nodded in amazement. "Damn... So she's seriously a legend, huh?"

Fitz stepped back, figuring he'd heard enough for one day. As he made his way back up to his room, a recollection of all the day's events came rushing into the forefront of his mind. Strangely, no matter how much he tried to focus on one subject or another, his attention was consistently drawn back to the girl in the chem room. He decided in that moment, that he wouldn't be shy the next day, he'd ask her for her name, give him own, even propose that they be partners come the first project. "No awkwardness... Noooo regrets." He tiredly dropped his bag to the floor and flopped into his bed. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he dialed his Mum.

"Hello? Leopold?" Her voice rang out from the other end.

"Hey, Mum..."

"Hiiiii, how was your first day, sweetie? Did you get a lot done? Make some new friends? Did you get lost on your way to class?"

Fitz chuckled at his mother's rapid-fire questioning. "My day was really good, Mum. And no, I didn't get lost, I got a map this time specifically so that wouldn't happen..."

"Ahh, smart lad. Well go on, tell me everything."

He rested a hand behind his head and continued. "I got a lot done, the work is challenging, but one professor in particular really knows how to rivet and inspire his students."

"Those are always the best kind," his Mum remarked. "What about your classmates? How are they?"

Fitz mused for a moment. "They're fine... There's this one girl I sat with at my first class, and she was so... Different, from anyone else I've met. Sad thing is, I couldn't even catch her name, she left class like it was on fire."

"....You know, I met your father at college."

The young scientist cringed. "MUM, NO... It's not like that. She just intrigues me, that's all. And she's smart, clearly above and beyond everyone else here..."

"Uh-huh. Well, just me me know when the wedding is," his mother teased.

He rolled his eyes and smirked to himself. "Goodbye Mum, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"

"OH, yes, of course. No problem, you get a good night's sleep now, you hear? You've got things to do! I love you, goodbye now!* In typical fashion for her, she hung up before he could answer. Setting his phone down on the table beside him, Fitz took a deep breath. "I do have things to do tomorrow," he said aloud. "And I can't wait to get started."