Chapter 4
The next day Mack had a bit of a sore head as he worked. Fitz seemed lost in thought, he hadn’t said much during the day, probably missing his girlfriend. Hunter walked in singing to himself, clearly in a much better mood.
‘Chaps! How are we today?’ Hunter said, clearly picking up on the subdued mood and dialling up his cheerfulness.
Mack groaned and Fitz just scowled.
‘I have just the thing to perk you up. Tomorrow night, games night, but this time at my apartment.’
‘Hunter,’ said Mack, ‘is this just an excuse to annoy your ex-wife?’
‘Mack!’ Hunter threw his hands up in mock horror, ‘I am wounded. Actually, Bobbi had the idea. Beer, snacks, a proper couch that doesn’t smell like engine grease. I will see you there,’ and he left before they could agree or disagree.
Fitz walked over to Mack, he looked a bit nervous. ‘Are you going to go? To the games night I mean?’
‘Yeah, I guess so. Trust me, it’s easier to give in now than have him going on about it for the next five years.’
Fitz put a hand on Mack’s arm, only for a second before he seemed to realise what he’d done and took it away and blushed. ‘Oh, me too. I mean, I’ll go too then.’
Mack felt glad that his presence reassured Fitz enough that he would join the night at Hunter’s, it left a warmth in his chest and he smiled inadvertently. They went back to work, and Mack tried not to think about the brief touch on his arm. Maybe Fitz was a tactile person once he got to know you.
The following day as they finished up Mack said ‘Hey Turbo, do you want to share a ride to Hunter’s? I can pick you up?’
‘Sure, thanks Mack. I actually live about five minutes away, so I can just meet you back here?’
That arranged, Mack went to shower, change, and tidy himself up. His head freshly shaved he put on dark blue jeans, a tight white t-shirt and his black leather jacket. He hadn’t really spent time with Fitz outside of work and felt a bit self-conscious as he dressed. He grabbed a bottle of wine and a pack of beer, so all options were covered and sat on the couch in the garage to wait for Fitz.
Fitz arrived on time but a little flustered and holding a carrier bag. He wore tight blue jeans and a plaid shirt over a black band t-shirt, converse on his feet. He was much less formal than usual, and it suited him. It really suited him, Mack thought.
They shared the backseat of the car on the way to Hunters. It was a small car and Mack was a large man, so their legs and bodies touched every time they went around a corner. Mack looked over at Fitz, but he didn’t seem to mind.
When they arrived, Hunter was there to greet them acting as the perfect host. He took the drinks from them and gestured them inside. Bobbi was in a black dress at the back of a large sitting room putting the finishing touches to a nicely laid dining table, and there was a heavenly smell of food.
‘Bobbi?’, Mack said, ‘Hunter said Xbox night, I didn’t release we were having dinner.’ Fitz looked down as his clothes, they both felt underdressed.
‘Hunter!’, Bobbi yelled, ‘did you tell Mack and Fitz they were coming over to play videogames?’
He called back from the kitchen, ‘well, I thought maybe after dinner…’
Bobbi frowned then turned back to face her guests and smiled. ‘ I apologise for my idiot of an ex-husband. Can I get you a drink? I have some wine open, or some beer?’
They both took a beer and sat together on the sofa. Bobbi and Hunter sat on a sofa opposite, grinning at them. Bobbi was giving them a calculating look.‘So Fitz, it seems you are Mack are getting on well together.’
Fitz looked up as if he was under interrogation, ‘Y-yes we do. Mack’s great,’ and he smiled at Mack and made his heart flutter in his chest. Mack automatically smiled back, a great big goofy grin, before he remembered himself and toned it down a little.
Bobbi’s smile widened. ‘I knew the two of you would hit it off. I am always right about these things.’
‘Yeah, I guess we work well together,’ admitted Mack.
The meal was lovely, Bobbi and Hunter were as happy and together as Mack had seen them in years. The talk seemed to fall a lot on relationships, falling in love, finding that special person. It had taken Mack half the night to realise that Bobbi was hinting at romance between Mack and Fitz. The realisation hit him, Bobbi thought this was a double date. Bobbi clearly didn’t know that Fitz was with Jemma, maybe Fitz hadn’t told Bobbi. Jemma said they used to work together, that was probably it, they probably had to keep their relationship a secret. Quite why they hadn’t said anything since, Mack wasn’t sure, and Hunter had seen Jemma with Fitz.
It was confusing. It was also torture. He was on a date with the guy he had a teenage sized crush on, only it wasn’t really a date. He went back to drinking his wine, maybe things would feel clearer after another glass.
Dinner finished, they went back to the sofas to relax with the rest of the wine. Everyone was merry and in good spirits. Fitz got more talkative after drinking and was currently explaining to Bobbi and Hunter how the latest version of his pocket-sized device to cut through steel, which he called the Limited Intensity Light Laser, or Lil’ Laser, was getting on. Fitz was a genius, but he had terrible taste when naming his inventions. As Fitz spoke, his face lit up, he was so enthusiastic about his work. Bobbi and Hunter were fascinated too, no doubt thinking of how to use it in the field, but all Mack could focus on was the small hand that Fitz had unthinkingly just laid on Mack’s thigh. From the quick glance Bobbi shot him, she had noticed too.
Wine finished, they called a cab and Fitz and Mack sat in comfortable silence. As they approached the garage, Mack asked, ‘where shall I drop you Fitz?’
‘Oh, just drop me at the garage and I can walk back.’
They got out and fought over who would pay the cab, Mack being a little faster with his wallet and winning the battle. ‘Thanks Mack,’ Fitz said, ‘it’s been a really good night.’
He was looking into Mack’s eyes with his shining blue ones. It felt like a date again even though Mack knew that it wasn’t. If it had been a date, Mack would have been leaning in for a goodnight kiss. As it was, he settled with answering, ‘yeah, it was. Who’d have thought Bobbi and Hunter could put on a domesticated front like that? I haven’t seen them like that since they were married.’
‘Well, um, I’ll be off,’ said Fitz, but didn’t actually move. There was a moment of silence and then Fitz turned to leave.
Mack thought for a moment then followed him, ‘I’ll walk you back. It’s not the best neighbourhood, I’ll feel better if I do.’
Fitz nodded and they walked out of the garage close together. Mack didn’t know why his heart was beating this hard, surely Fitz would be able to hear it. They walked half a block and down a small side street before Fitz stopped in front of an apartment block.
‘Well, this is me. Um, do you want to come in for a c-coffee?’ Fitz looked up at him with wide serious eyes.
No, thought Mack, best not. ‘Yeah sure,’ he heard himself answering. They took the stairs up to the second floor, Fitz apologising for the lift being out of order. The flat was small, it was tidy apart from the table at the back of the living room which was covered with blueprints, papers and various bits of oddly shaped metal. It seemed even at home Fitz couldn’t stop working. Fitz motioned to Mack to take a seat on the soft grey sofa, he kept fidgeting with his hands and looked nervous.
‘Um, beer? Or coffee?’ Fitz asked.
‘Beer’, said Mack, and Fitz brought two bottles over and sat close to Mack on the sofa. They both drank and there was silence. Mack wasn’t sure why, but it felt awkward, as if there was tension between them. Fitz was close enough that their sides were pressed together, and the heat was comforting. Fitz downed his beer and looked at Mack with a determined look in his eyes. He raised a hand to Mack’s shoulder and pushed him so that they were turned to face each other.
Mack put his beer down and couldn’t stop himself gazing into those blue eyes. They stayed like that for a second, then Fitz leaned slightly forward. He used pressure on Mack’s shoulder to encourage him to lean in, and then Fitz’s lips met Mack’s. His lips felt soft and he liked the fuzz of Fitz’s stubble on his face. Mack placed a hand behind Fitz’s head to pull them more firmly together. As their lips moved together Mack felt Fitz’s tongue lick at his mouth and he opened his lips so their tongues could meet. The kiss deepened and he moved his hands to so one was on Fitz’s back and the other was stroking down his side. Mack felt Fitz grab his t-shirt and start to pull it up without breaking the kiss.
God this felt good thought Mack. Why hadn’t they always been doing this? Well, he thought Fitz was straight, but that theory was well and truly blown. The way Fitz was kissing him was definitely not the way a straight man would. He pulled Fitz towards him, so he was almost in his lap, yes, that bulge in Fitz’s jeans definitely showed a mutual interest. Why would he have assumed Fitz was straight? Oh. Oh, Jemma. Mack pulled back and froze. Shit. How had he forgotten that Fitz had a girlfriend?
‘Fitz, we can’t,’ said Mack. It was hard to stop, it felt so good, but they were drunk, and it was a terrible idea. Fitz was probably missing his girlfriend and feeling confused.
Fitz looked so disappointed, almost tearful, but climbed off Mack and sank back into the sofa. He closed his eyes and sighed.
‘I’m sorry Fitz, I just can’t,’ and before he could change his mind, Mack turned and left. His head was all over the place and he only realised he’d used the broken lift once he was inside, but to his relief it worked fine.