JENNA COULDN'T EVEN remember the last time she had hung out with friends, but she figured that now that she was a part of S.H.I.E.L.D and that alone meant her life was changing, she could spend some time with someone she already considered her friend. Well, quite frankly, Jenna was a bit unsure of what was the definition of a friend — though, not because of the lack of knowledge, but the lack of experience — but after Fitz had saved her from mean pranksters and then asked her to the boiler room, she assumed they were, at the very least, working towards friendship. Then there was, of course, the flutter she felt in her heart around him. If that was what friendships felt like, then she quite enjoyed it.

That was what she tried to focus on whilst walking beside Fitz and descending down the concrete stairs leading them to their destination. There was an awkward silence in the air, one that not even Fitz's friend, Simmons, could break despite her one attempt to do so — luckily, once they reached the boiler room, the music blaring from behind the closed doors made up for the lack of chit chat between the three of them, and despite her usual attitude towards parties, Jenna quickly walked in and let the Britney Spears hit take her attention away from the ball of anxiety building up within her heart. She wasn't used to doing this kind of stuff, and both Fitz and Simmons could tell — but fair enough, they weren't the academy's biggest party animals, either.

But even if she wasn't one to enjoy these kind of situations, Jenna couldn't help but be impressed by what she was seeing whilst leaning on the railing and looking down. There was a disco ball lowered from the ceiling, and along with some neon lights, it was illuminating the club-like space as people danced, played pool or sat by the bar in the middle of the room. Overall, it seemed like a cozy place, and it caused even Jenna to smile slightly as she eyed the sea of people chatting and having fun with their friends.

"Would you like something to drink?", Fitz's voice snapped Jenna out of her thoughts as she leaned on the railing, and straightening her back, the girl then turned around to meet the boy's striking blue eyes, the lights in the room causing them to sparkle even more than she was used to. Her lips parting, Jenna ended up merely staring at Fitz, devoid of words and thoughts except the ones that revolved around him and his absolutely adorable face, especially when his pink lips nervously twitched into a shy smile.

"We would love some beverages, Fitz. Why don't you go fetch some, meanwhile we'll find somewhere to sit", Simmons suddenly spoke up, shooting her friend a dashing, convincing smile, only for Fitz to respond with a simple glare. Nonetheless, it was enough for the boy to step away and head to the bar, leaving Jenna alone with the other girl — just like she had feared. So far, Jenna had put together a very vivid image in her head, one that featured Fitz and Simmons as a couple, and she hated the idea of being a third wheel, or worse, becoming an enemy for the girl. That was kind of what the blonde was expecting as Simmons gestured towards an empty table on the other side of the room and began leading the way — a jealous talk from the seemingly harmless girl, who would show her claws after seeing the way Jenna stared at her boyfriend.

However, the conversation that Simmons was quick to ignite headed into a much different direction.

"So you're the infamous Jenna, huh?", she chuckled softly, and Jenna could already feel her palms sweat and her heart pound in her chest as she tried to mentally prepare herself for what she expected to follow. But surprisingly, when Simmons turned around, there was a wide, genuine smile on her lips. "I've heard so much about you. Fitz seems to truly like you already. Oh and, I'm Jemma Simmons — but you can call me just Simmons. Less confusion, right?", the British girl beamed at Jenna before taking a seat by the small table they had settled for.

Confused, Jenna knitted her eyebrows together whilst slowly landing on the seat opposite of Jemma's, but didn't let it stop her from shaking the latter's hand. "Yes, Jenna Rivers. It is nice to meet you, but I mean— you don't sound jealous at all. I don't mean to pry, but...", the blonde stammered awkwardly, her eyes eventually drifting away from the fellow student to Fitz, who was trying his very best to push through the crowd of people so he'd get to the bar.

"Jealous? Why would I be—", Jemma laughed, before the puzzle pieces collided in her mind and she gasped dramatically. "Oh my gosh, you don't think— oh, no, no, no! Fitz and I are just friends, nothing more. Trust me", the brunette smiled, her voice reassuring as she nodded her head at Jenna, who could feel a wave of relief wash over her. She wasn't sure why, but somehow, she had been hoping that Fitz and Simmons weren't actually dating, and now that it turned out to be the truth, a radiant smile tugged on her lips as she laughed — frankly, she kind of felt like an idiot, but luckily, Simmons seemed to be just as much of a dork as she was.

Before Jenna could say anything, the other girl had taken the turn to speak again, an enthusiastic smile shining on her lips as she leaned over the small table they were seated at. "Anyway, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jenna. Quite frankly, I think Fitz has been trying to keep me away from you", the brunette mumbled as she let her gaze wander over to their common friend, finally getting the drinks he had ordered for the three of them — it didn't seem like such an easy task, however, as the boy struggled to carry them all and on multiple occasions seemed to be on the verge of stumbling down or dropping them onto the floor. But despite the surge of sympathy that Jenna felt in her chest, she didn't rush to help, and instead turned over to Simmons with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Keep you away? Why's that?", she nervously chuckled, already considering the possibilities. Was it her? Had she done something wrong? Those were the biggest questions dancing around her mind whilst nervously twirling the hem of her shirt between her fingers and looking at Simmons, but luckily, the woman just chuckled and waved her hand in the air to confirm it was nothing worth her worry.

"He thinks I'll embarrass him. Say something about his cr— oh, here's Fitz now!", Jemma awkwardly coughed, cutting herself off by gesturing towards Fitz, who had indeed reached their table and was clumsily placing down the three drinks in his arms. Jenna couldn't help but give a curious look to Simmons, but knowing that she wasn't going to proceed, and that it wasn't really Jenna's business in the first place, the blonde then turned to Leo with a smile on her lips.

"I wasn't sure what to get, but I hope you like chocolate, because I got us all these alcohol-free iced cocoa drinks?", Fitz presented the glasses as the words came out of his mouth as more of a question than an announcement, a bit uncertain himself regarding what he had ordered, but Jenna was okay with what he had come with. Simmons seemed to agree, as she quickly grabbed one of the glasses and start to suck through the straw pushed between the ice crush cooling down the chocolate drink and the butterscotch syrup on the top.

"Yeah, this is perfect", Jenna confirmed reassuringly before taking one of the remaining glasses and took a sip, unable to hold back her curiosity. She had to admit, Fitz had made a great choice — it was absolutely delicious, and it took Jenna all her strength not to devour all of it at that instant. However, Simmons elected to do otherwise and stayed silent whilst poking at the ice and humming happily at the heavenly taste.

It became silent for a while, at least between them, although the music blasting from the speakers around the boiler room was keeping the awkwardness at bay, and the dancing, laughing people around them kept them feeling less lonely. But luckily, eventually, Fitz decided to speak up, for which Jenna was grateful — she was a bit unsure what to say, and small talk wasn't one of her strengths, but a part of her wanted to dive into the unknown and chat with Leo.

"So, uh, I'm guessing this isn't really your thing? It's not mine either, really, not so much at least", Fitz nervously licked his lips as he nodded towards Jenna and the straw she was awkwardly using to stir the ice, but really, it was only one of the things that gave away the truth. It was visible only in her rigid posture, how she was rather uncomfortable with such a social event, but she was trying her best. "But this place is nice, though", Leo then continued, and at last, Jenna nodded in agreement.

"It is nice. I just— haven't really had that many friends to spend time with like this. Or any friends", she chuckled, "it's a little out of my comfort-zone, but it's okay", smiling at Fitz before looking over to Jemma, only to realize the woman had strutted to the bar to get another delicious chocolate drink.

Nodding his head, Fitz seemed to know what Jenna was talking about. "I know how you feel. But, nonetheless, I'm glad you agreed to come", he pursed his lips into a small smile, which caused Jenna's own to widen. She was glad too — it was unusual for her, but perhaps it was time for her to be brave and make some friends. Luckily, it seemed Fitz and Simmons were just that, her new friends, and it made her heart fill with joy. Now she didn't have to be the lonely girl in the academy who spent every evening studying in her room whilst everyone else had fun and took a break from the work.

The rest of the evening went quite nicely, with the three of them just talking about their favorite classes and teachers so far, sipping on chocolate drinks and laughing together. They didn't really go into depth about each other, which Jenna liked, because she didn't want to share her life's story on the first night together — however, she did learn that they were all the same age, and where her two new friends where from. Whilst they were both from the United Kingdom, Jenna herself was from New York, which both Fitz and Simmons found interesting and worth some stories.

Eventually, when it was already so late Jenna was shocked she was still awake, the boiler room started to become devoid of people, and amongst them was the three of them. Whilst Simmons already headed to her room, Fitz agreed to walk Jenna to hers, like the gentleman he turned out to be — then again, she had realized that starting from their first meeting, when the aspiring engineer had come to her aid.

"Thank you for, uh, inviting me", Jenna shot the boy a grateful look when they reached her door, her fingers entwining with one another as she hid them behind her back and beamed at Leo. "To the party, I mean. It was... great", she added then, speaking only the truth, even if it had been a bit out of character for her. Nevertheless, she had had fun and getting to know Simmons and Fitz had been wonderful. That was the vibe she tried to give off as she smiled, causing him to do the same as he nodded.

"Yeah, of course. Any time, really. You're always welcome to join us, Jenna", he assured, and as she stared into his ocean eyes, she could feel her heartbeat picking up speed and thudding in her chest, whilst her stomach filled with butterflies. It was an effect no one had ever had on her, and it was strange, but kind of nice. However, at the same time, it felt like it was consuming Jenna and leaving behind only the part that felt like a mess in his company, yet somehow complete.

For a while, she then considered giving Fitz an innocent, soft kiss on the cheek, but decided not to. Still, the smile never left her lips as she then proceeded to open the door to her room, but before she stepped inside, she turned to Fitz one last time. The look in his eyes was almost magnetic, forcing her to stare into the beautiful shade of blue whilst her fingers played with the keys in her hand, her small frame almost through the doorway already.

"Good night, Jenna", Fitz then spoke up one more time, and nodding, Jenna gave him a small wave as a goodbye.

"Good night, Leo."

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writing this is so nice, they're so cute omg. i thought about making this chapter a little shorter but it turned out to be 2200 words anyway, oops.

in the next chapter i'll be bringing jenna's family to the academy! (: