The Cosplay
“Oh! Look at this!” Jemma exclaimed enthusiastically.
She had been staring intently at something on her computer screen. Her body leaning in towards the monitor, her interest was piqued. Fitz thought maybe Jemma had come across some prominent scientific discovery in one of her recent projects. The tone of voice she used was pure indication that she was excited, and 99% of the time it was over science.
Amused and intrigued, Fitz shuffled over from his lab station to crowd around Jemma’s computer. What he saw wasn’t a complex molecular structure or a new element that would need to find a place on the periodic table, no, it was people dressed up in costumes.
“Isn’t it marvelous, Fitz?” Jemma burst, giggling.
Fitz did not share her excitement or amusement. In fact, he was slightly disgusted.
“It is people dressed up for Halloween, four months early,” he said, beginning to turn away.
“No, no!” Jemma interjected, stopping to gaze at a Doctor Who picture and point at it.
“It is called cosplay- and you can do it anytime you want, specifically at something called a comic convention. And guess what? I just bought us two tickets to one that is in two months,” Jemma squeaked, pulling up a receipt in her email.
“Oh, Jemma, no, no, no, take Skye- she would much rather do something like that,” Fitz said, dampening Jemma’s excitement.
“Take Skye where?” Skye said, strolling into the lab and catching the tail end of their conversation. She plopped down on a stool next to Jemma and spun around, until after two 360 turns she was staring alongside Fitz and Simmons at Jemma’s computer monitor.
“Oh, Comic Con! I’m already going, permitting we don’t get hauled off o an assignment. I’m thinking about going as Captain America to get on Coulson’s good side,” Skye informed.
Jemma gave Fitz a look only to be described as ‘told you Comic Con is cool,’ as if Skye was the authority on cool. She topped her look by sticking out her tongue.
“Fitz is being cranky and does not want to go or to cosplay with me,” Jemma followed up, speaking to Skye.
Skye slipped off the stool, by choice, went over to Fitz and lightly smacked Fitz upside his head.
“Ow-!” Fitz exclaimed, clearly exaggerating.
“What is wrong with you? Comic Con is the best thing of the year,” Skye barked at him.
Fitz did not want to be on the receiving end of a Skye and Jemma team up. He would never hear the end of it.
“Well, I don’t fancy parading around in a sweaty costume all day to be gawked and mocked at,” Fitz said defensively.
“Ugh, Fitz!” Jemma threw her hands up in defeat and sprung from her chair. She excused herself to get a cup of tea and made it clear she wasn’t making one for Fitz. A clear sign she was annoyed with him.
Skye stood next to Fitz with her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot at him, impatiently.
“What?” he responded with an annoyed tone present in his voice.
“The convention is on Jemma’s birthday, Einstein. That is what she wants to do this year. She wants to go to comic con, and spend time, with you for her birthday this year!” Skye pointed out, heavily enunciating each phrase of her lecture.
Fitz returned to look at the screen, and sure enough Skye was right. He felt humiliation well up behind his cheeks as blush.
“Make it right, Fitz,” Skye said, moving behind him to exit the lab. Fitz followed after but instead of heading towards the entertainment room like Skye, Fitz made a beeline for the kitchen.
Standing in the doorway, Fitz announced he was down for the convention, and the costume wearing. Elated by the news, Jemma sat down her just made cup of tea on the table, ran over to Fitz, and enveloped him in a hug.
“You will not regret this Fitz!” She breathed into his ear. Jemma squeezed him tightly once more (Fitz couldn’t reciprocate, his arms were glued to his sides and pinned by Jemma’s arms).
Immediately after, all Fitz heard about was the convention. It made him lighten up to the idea since he saw how ecstatic it made her. Three days later from Fitz’ acceptance, they met in the recreation room with Skye to start making costumes. Skye was a pro at this, and even recalled the time she had first met Coulson and she admitted to being a sweaty cosplay girl outside of Stark tower. She promptly showed Fitz and Simmons those pictures.
“So, what have you guys decided on being?” Skye asked afterwards. Jemma was kneeling on the floor, scrounging through a tub of fabric. Fitz, although compliant, splayed out on the couch, more interested in Mack’s Halo campaign then the task at hand.
“Oh I’d love to be the Doctor! And Fitz could be… you could totally be Rory!” Jemma grabbed a brownish fabric and lifted it up to her chest.
“What? Rory? No, no, no, I’m more likely to be the Doctor then you are,” Fitz exclaimed.
Skye and Jemma both turned their heads to him, with an ‘are you serious’ look.
“You better run, Turbo,” Mack lacked, sensing the girls anger rising.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Fitz?” Jemma said, so delicately it was a cause for concern.
Fitz was in a sweat now. He didn’t mean it like he said he did, but, he knew he messed up.
“Oh no, no, no,” Fitz’ pride got in the way.
“I simply meant that I am more like the Doctor than you, and not because I am a guy and you’re a girl. You know I didn’t mean it like that,” Fitz continued.
“More like the Doctor? Than me?” Jemma said, getting up. She held the brown fabric in her hands as she walked over to Fitz. She threw the fabric on top of him.
Fitz struggled to find his way out of it. Mack, glancing over, laughed and was promptly killed by an enemy and tea bagged. His laughter stopped.
“Doctor Simmons!” Skye called Jemma back to the ground. Fitz finally found his way out of the fabric. He could of swore he heard Jemma making a remark about also being British under her breath and she went back to sit on the floor.
“Maybe steer away from Doctor Who if it’s going to cause this kind of behavior,” she continued to lecture.
“Fine,” both Fitz and Simmons said in unison.
“And we won’t even go in to Harry Potter either,” Skye added.