[ as always, connor sharpens truths, sinking deeper into more than he knows. to be trapped in your own mind — a passenger in this life — isn't a fear but a former reality for them both. and so it's with a nod that fitz takes the coin again, slipped back into his palm and tucked into his pocket for safekeeping. never know when he'll need it next. understanding passes through his fingertips, acknowledged with a lingering look and a curt nod. ]

Yeah. [ he bites the inside of his cheek. ] Peggy's been helping a lot. She's good at, um, pinning down what I've got rattling about. [ in his head, he means. a rotating gesture at his skull is used to complete that meaning. ] Markus, too. And, y'know, this towering tin man. [ his mouth tugs to one side, smile sly. ] Very persistent. [ nose scrunching. ] Total pain in the arse, but.

[ welcome back loser 😘

then his tone shifts, voice firm. ]

Wanted you to hear this from me, by the way, not via telephone — Gaby passed me and Peggy the keys. [ a beat, as he catches Connor's eye. ] To everything, I mean.

[ Fitz hasn't said it in so many words to anyone other than Bobbi and Markus. Many of their agents have an understanding of the new order, with some already expressing a deference Fitz doesn't know what to do with, but Fitz is wary of clarifying his position with the Displaced at large, when it doesn't necessarily concern them.

He'd rather adjust to the shifting terrain. ]