Boy oh boy this thing has been in the works since January! You can check old fics where I teased "a wedding that wasn't Philinda's". It's Fitzsimmons! Surprise! I figured we all needed a little fluff during this hiatus, FS especially. However I stay true to my colors hence why this is all in Phil's POV. I hope you guys enjoy because this was so much fun to write. I may just post some aesthetics befitting this tomorrow but for now it's nearly 3:30 a.m. and I am passing the fuck out.
Phil's heart pounds harder than any over his missions he's even been on. The ceremony will begin soon but he can already feel his heart stuttering in his chest already. None of them thought they'd ever make it to see this day. Today Jemma and Fitz would be married.
"Phil?" Melinda's voice pulls him to the present. He's been fumbling with his tie for god knows how long now. He hadn't even heard her come in. She smiles softly walking up to him. She ties the damned thing with graceful ease, something her fingers over the floral pattern. All of the guys were issued the same outfit: black suits and floral ties with a flower tucked into the pocket matching the shade of their partner's dress. His was glaringly white reminding him of who he was to walk down the aisle. "Relax." Melinda smiles. "This is a good thing."
Phil lets out a breath smiling slightly. He takes the time to absorb her own appearance. Melinda's dress is a light cream color draping all the way to her feet. Ribbons cross her spine tying together the front elegantly while subtly showing off her physique. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't thankful for the dress. Her hair loosely drapes her shoulders, curling around her chin to frame her face. The flowers balanced on her hair create a softness that directly contrasts her attitude. She's beautiful...
"You're staring." Melinda jokes.
"Can you blame me?" He grins.
"Dork." She scoffs.
"I'm your dork." His cheeks are beginning to feel sore but he can't help it. Melinda and him had been together for a year now. It'd take months after the LMD scenario before he could even look her in the eye, much less talk to her. Suddenly, one day she'd seized him by the tie and pressed her lips to his. He leans closer intending to brush his lips against hers when he heard the tell tale snap of a camera. "You know we hired a photographer for a reason."
He lifts his head and sure enough Daisy is smiling widely, Kodak in hand. "Photographers don't catch these moments do they?" Her hair was loose as well, cut in her now signature style at her chin. Purple and pink flowers hold back wayward curls from falling into her vision. Her dress was a soft pink loosely draping on her chest before fitting at her waist and dropping to hide her feet.
"Why do I have a feeling those dresses are meant to hide the fact that you two aren't wearing heels?" Phil wonders aloud.
"A secret that we will never tell." Daisy's face grows solemn as she hands Melinda a single flower. A look of understanding falls on her face as she nods. The pink petals of the daffodil in Melinda's fingers were meant to be symbolic. As were the soft pink hydrangea in Daisy's. The whole idea had been Fitz's after discovering he didn't have many men to have as groomsmen. He remarked remembering a study on flowers. A daffodil means chivalry and new beginnings. Where Trip had died, life had taken place. The hydrangea meant heartfelt emotions and expressed gratitude, nothing could be more fitting in Lincoln's place.
"It's time." Elena pops her head into the door before zipping off to tell the next person. Each of them line up with their respective partner. Elena and Mack, Melinda and Daisy each holding their single flower, so on and so forth until they reached Piper who stood place as flower girl. Through the crowd he spies Melinda and Daisy once more. Each of them incredibly solemn in their task. Melinda leans over pressing a kiss to the side of the younger girl's head. The girl trembles slightly and he can just barely see as the lace their fingers together as a sign of support.
"Hey Coulson." Jemma's voice pulls him out this time. Her hair is done up in a braided updo complimented by a single purple carnation. The top of her dress is lace, extending all the way to be her arms. The bottom slides down to her feet.
"Don't tell me you wore a long dress so you could avoid heels too." Jemma's eyes sparkle with hidden mirth.
"Nice try." She jokes. She loops one arm in his, her hands coming together to a bouquet of pink and white carnations, the only exception being the two flowers in the center: a hydrangea and daffodil curled together in harmony. Each airing their own sign of respect towards the men who'd affected their lives.
"Ready?" He smiles.
"Ready."
The wedding march croons throughout the church, curling around every crevice filling hearts normally so filled with dread with happiness instead. Jemma's hand tightens on his arm. He sees her entire body tense out of the corner of his eye. He rests his hand over hers offering a gentle smile. She mouths a quick thank you and before they know it, it's their turn. Soft pink petals decorate the floor beneath their feet. He takes in every detail trying to remember this serene day. Days like this were rare to come by. He locks eyes with Melinda and offers her a wide smile. His heart swells a bit as she smiles back. Not a small tight lipped smile, a true smile. He swears his heart stops for several beats. Elena has her arm linked with Daisy's, whose tears run freely down her cheeks. As Phil reaches the end of the aisle he presses a kiss to the side of Jemma's head.
"Thank you." She whispers before he takes his place next to Mack. Even the large man himself is beginning to tear up. This was something none of them really thought that they could have. Nobody any thought they'd make it this far. In their line of work this was a luxury.
"We gathered you on this peaceful day to join this man and woman in matrimony." Phil smiles slightly. Not a lot of them were religious believers in God. The priest had been respectable to Jemma and Fitz's wishes and changed his speech to adjust so. Phil takes the time to look out to the crowd. There were empty spots there as well where people were meant to be. His gaze falls upon Melinda. God what he wouldn't give to have this same moment with her. They'd waited long enough hadn't they? Maybe they'd have a very small ceremony. Just their kids and a minister. His heart jumps at the thought of sliding a ring onto her finger. He knows she'd end up looping the thing onto a necklace and tucking it into her vest for safe keeping. All he needs to know is it's there. That she is his. That he is hers. "If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace."
The church is eerily silent. Good. Phil didn't want to have to hurt anyone today if they were to interrupt.
"Do you Leopold Fitz, take Jemma Simmons to be your partner in love and life; will you honor and cherish him as long as you both shall live?"
His voice catches in the back of his throat for a second, "I do." He whispers so quietly that Phil almost misses it.
"Do you Jemma Simmons, take Leopold Fitz to be your partner in love and life; will you honor and cherish him as long as you both shall live?"
"I will."
The minister smiles at the two of them. "The bride and groom have prepared some quick vows for each other." He nods to Jemma first.
"Fitz," she breathes, "I never thought we'd make it this far. It seems that merely yesterday I was hassling you into going onto the bus in the first place. I wanted adventure and all you wanted was to be by my side. It took me a while to realize I was in love with you. You persisted though. Through trauma, other dimensions, and even killer robots you never gave up on me. When I realized you were missing I had no idea what to do. I couldn't think straight without you by my side to complete my sentences. Daisy…" Another deep breath. "She calmed me down. She told me out of everything she knew we were meant to be together. She's so very right. You're my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you."
Fitz swallows heavily taking Jemma's hand in his for support. "Jemma, I still remember the first time I saw you. You argued every single point I made in biophysics class. We argued the most efficient equations to solve problems…" He laughs lightly. "I realized I loved you when you jumped out of the plane to save the rest of the team. I realized I couldn't live without you when we were stuck in the bottom of the ocean. When you were trapped on the other planet I knew I didn't want to spend another day without you by my side. Then in the Framework… You were dead. I had hardly even known you. It was a nightmare. I was an egotistical maniac. You prevented me from becoming that. You keep me grounded."
The minister nods to Joey who'd been waiting idly to the side. He carries over the simple golden rings on a soft pillow offering a small smile to the two. He'd returned shortly after the LMD scenario. Now here he was, as the ring bearer of this wedding. Fitz takes Jemma's ring first, his other hand catching her fingers gently.
"Report after me. I, say your name."
"I, Leopold Fitz."
"Take thee Jemma Simmons."
"Takes thee Jemma Simmons." The minister's voice fades in Phil's mind until it's almost as if Fitz is speaking on his own. "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part." With that he slides the ring onto her finger.
"I, Jemma Simmons take thee Leopold Fitz to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part." Another ring slides onto another finger and just like that it was official.
"With that I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Fitz leans in placing a soft kiss to her lips. Phil feels Mack nudge him with a soft laugh. He wipes his cheeks not realizing he'd shed a tear.
It was perfect.
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A tapping of a spoon on the glass pulls him from Melinda's shoulder. Her fingers are laced in his beneath the table.
"I've always wanted to do that." Daisy laughs placing her glass down. "A toast to the bride and groom. I've known you guys since I was a hacker who lived in the back of her bus who thought SHIELD was nothing but a couple of guys in suits and sunglasses who wiped your mind Men in Black style. You two gave me a chance though. Many actually. Fitz, you helped me through learning about my powers and how to deal with them. Jemma, you helped me after Lincoln passed away. She patched me up in the middle of an apartment I lured her to. The one they live in now actually." She laughs. "Point is, I knew from the first day that you two were perfect together. For crying out loud we called you by a ship name!" A few younger agents laugh. Phil turns to Melinda and sure enough she looks just as confused as he is. What the hell does ships have to do with this? "Here's to a happy life together. I can't wait to be Aunt Daisy and spoil baby Fitzsimmons rotten."
Mack is up next with his arm draped around Elena's shoulders. "I remember when I was helping Fitz through his rehab after the incident. The first thing he was able to say without stuttering was Simmons. We'd bonded over engineering and I'd listen to stories from your guys's Academy years. You'd have to be blind not to see the love between you two. I swear it was like ops with Bobbi and Hunter all over again with you two." His eyes fall on the blonde couple hiding in the back of the reception hall. He knew they were there but they still had to be careful. "Couldn't fool me for a second. A toast." They all raise their glasses to the couple now taking a sip of the champagne.
"I do believe it's your turn." Melinda bumps shoulders with him lightly as the music starts up once more.
"What?"
"Father daughter dance."
"I can't." Phil blushes. "I'm not-"
"Go." Melinda's unamused look forces him to move now. He makes his way over to the couple's table offering a hand to Jemma. She smiles shyly taking his hand as he leads her into the middle of the floor. Her dress is shorter than the one she wore for the wedding, now barely draping past her knees. Stevie Wonder echoes through the room as they swirl around quietly. He swears at one point he can hear the snap of Daisy's camera once again.
"I'm proud of both of you." He mutters kissing the top of her hair.
"Coulson." She whispers looking up at him.
"I am." He smiles. "You were just kids when I brought you two in. Now look where we are."
"Thank you." She whispers as the song fades from Stevie Wonder to Elvis. He passes her to Fitz for their first dance as husband and wife. Melinda slides into her place in front of him.
"I thought you hated dancing." Phil teases lightly as she wraps her arms around his neck.
"Shut up." Melinda mutters laying her head on his shoulder.
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"I don't think my feet can take one more dance." Phil groans walking over to where Melinda sat. A camera is placed in the middle of the table. "Don't tell me she ran out of storage on that one."
"Nope. That's mine." Melinda smirks shooting Phil's eyebrows to his hairline. "You think I'd miss a shot of Mack doing the Hokey Pokey?"
"Fair enough." He takes a spot beside her lacing their hands together. He watches the group of women from afar as Jemma tosses the bouquet into the crowd of women. "Shouldn't you be out there." Melinda shrugs laying her head on his shoulder.
"I think I'm good." She smiles.
"I never thought we'd make it this far." He whispers so only she can hear.
"Neither did I." She sighs. "We've both died and now here we are watching…"
"Our kids." He laughs. "Crazy."
"Marry me." She picks up her head with her sudden command.
"What?"
"I don't want to wait another moment and take the chance that it might be our last." She says. "I love you and you love me-"
"We're a happy family?" Phil jokes earning him a punch in the arm. "Good thing you asked." He says seriously pulling a ring from his pocket. "I'm no good at planning."
"You're an idiot."
"Your idiot." He grins stealing a kiss from her lips. "Will you marry me Lin?"
"Of course." He slides his mother's ring onto her finger. Now he knows his heart has stopped. Melinda has stolen the air from his lungs as she kisses him once again.
"So, when will we tell the team?"
"Later." She promises. "Now, I just want this for you and me." Her fingers trace the back of his hand their eyes falling on each of their kids. Fitzsimmons dance in the center, their foreheads pressed together so absolved in each other it was like the rest of the world didn't exist. Daisy was dancing with a familiar looking man in a leather jacket. Elena and Mack were dancing with a little boy who looked suspiciously like Bobbi. "Let's enjoy this moment."
"Deal."