So this was supposed to be posted around Valentine's day but as always it took me much longer than expected to finish it! People have been asking me for a sequel to that story a few times and I thought Valentine's day was the perfect moment to do it! Anyway here it is and it is 100 % fluff! It is set directly after my story Blind dates and even though you can probably read this without having read the first one, I highly recommend you do or you might miss a lot of the jokes.
Her phone was buzzing. Again. Honestly, didn't people have any respect for other people's need for sleep anymore? Okay, maybe it was almost noon on a week day but still, she was supposed to be sick enough to stay at home and her other friends wouldn't call her in the middle of the day when she was supposed to be working. Also, where were all these annoying people last night when she needed an excuse to get out of her hellish date with Milton? She wasn't proud of it but she wouldn't have been above using one of those calls to fake an emergency and go home sooner. Although if she did, she would have taken an earlier train and never have met the adorable human radiator currently sleeping against her back with one arm possessively resting on her stomach and that really would have been a shame. He'd been so sweet the previous night, not even trying to get further than their glorious kissing and make out session when she told him she was exhausted even though they were already basically naked save for their underwear. He'd cuddled up to her and he was asleep before she could even say "good night".
She was about to turn around to ask him if he was awake and up for lunch -or something else, she was open to all the possibilities-, when her phone buzzed again. Sighing, she grabbed it from her bedside table and wasn't really surprised to see more text messages from Daisy. The two missed calls were pretty surprising though. Daisy hated speaking on the phone, she only called if she really didn't have a choice or if it was very important. Getting a little worried, she carefully moved Fitz's hand away from her and very slowly pulled away from him, wincing at the loss of warmth, until she could sit up against the head board. Looking down at him, she realized she took all those precautions for nothing. He had that same small smile on his face and he was not exactly snoring, more like breathing heavily and really slowly and apparently the lucky man was in a deep imperturbable sleep. He looked so cute she was tempted to stroke his face but she didn't want to risk waking him up. It had been a really long night, he deserved to sleep a little longer if he could.
Opening her text messaging app, she couldn't help sighing both in relief that it was nothing important and in slight annoyance that after fixing her up on the worst blind date ever, Daisy couldn't help but being extra nosy.
(From Daisy to Jemma: Hey ! I'm really sorry babe but I talked to Milton and he didn't seem to think it went all that well)
(From Daisy to Jemma: He said you looked bored out of your skull and even offered to give him his chocolates back (and wow savage btw!))
(From Daisy to Jemma: So how can it have gone better than expected?)
(From Daisy to Jemma: Unless it's code … Jemma are you alright?)
(From Daisy to Jemma: Seriously it's been two hours and I'm freaking out!)
(From Daisy to Jemma: Please call me or I'm gonna have to send the cops to your place!)
"Urgh!" Jemma let out quietly. And now she was being dramatic on top of being nosy.
Deciding that calling her would probably be the quickest way of getting rid of her friend so she could get back to enjoying her first time ever missing work under a false pretense. She already knew she'd feel guilty at some point and make up for it by working all week-end to catch up but right now, she had Fitz in her bed and she was planning on taking advantage of that fact to its fullest.
Slowly sliding off of bed to get up and leave the room as silently as she could, she found Daisy's contact in her phone and pressed call once she was seated on the living room's couch where some of hers and Fitz's clothes were still thrown haphazardly and she grinned at the memory. Daisy picked up almost immediately and Jemma had to move the phone away from her ear to avoid permanent damage.
"Jemma! Oh thank god! Are you alright? Are you going to tell me what's happening? Did something happen to you? Should I call the cops?" Daisy screamed into the phone, the words flowing so quickly from her mouth that Jemma didn't have any choice but to wait until she was done to finally answer her.
"I'm fine Daisy, don't call the police" Jemma finally replied, her voice much lower than her friend's to avoid waking Fitz up.
"Oh … are you sure? Why are you whispering? Are you alone? Is someone telling you to say that?" Daisy insisted and Jemma rolled her eyes.
"No I'm not alone and I'm whispering because there's a man asleep in my bed and I can assure you he's not holding me against my will!"
Here. A declaration like that should surprise Daisy enough to calm her down for a moment at least.
"What? But but … Milton? And he said … hu … Seriously what?" Daisy repeated and Jemma couldn't help laughing. It was extremely rare for her to be able to stun her friend like that and she had to admit it was quite amusing.
"Milton …" She started, taking a pause for emphasis. "… is the most boring man I've ever met and I'm a little vexed that you thought we'd get along. That said, it's a long story but I met another man on my way home and one thing led to another and I brought him home. And since I probably wouldn't have met him without you, I also owe you a thank you so that even things out …" Jemma finished, hoping it would be enough to satisfy Daisy's curiosity until she had a moment alone to tell her more.
"Whaaaaaat?! Seriously Jemma, you can't tell me you met someone and go straight from there to saying he's waiting in your bed without saying anything else in between. I mean there has to be a middle ground between the long version and your very confusing short version!"
Apparently, she'd underestimated Daisy's curiosity once more.
"Fine …" Jemma sighed, sitting more comfortably in the couch as she realized this phone call was going to take longer than she thought. Then taking a deep breath, she started talking: "I took the wrong train home, it didn't stop where I usually get out and apparently Fitz - that's his name- did the same mistake. So as we waited for the train to stop somewhere, we started talking. He was just getting out of a disastrous date as well … he was quite funny and nice and really cute -Scottish too- so when …"
"And that's enough for you to get into his pants? Not that I disapprove, on the contrary it's nice to see you're loosening up a bit but that doesn't sound like you!" Daisy cut her off and Jemma gasped.
"Daisy! We didn't have sex!"
"What? you're telling me you literally just slept together in that bed?"
"No we did … other … stuff, he really is a fantastic kisser just … we were really tired so …"
"Then why bring a stranger home if you didn't want to bang him? That's a really confusing story Jem …"
"It wouldn't be if you let me talk!"
"Sorry …"
"So the train got us to a neighborhood I didn't even knew existed and because of the snow, there were no more trains and no cab available so we had to wait in that small coffee shop for several hours. And we got to talking some more and he's also super smart on top of everything else -he's an engineer- and then a few hours later we finally got a cab home and since he lives in my neighborhood I invited him in for coffee and we kissed and then we slept and we're going on a real date tonight and that's it!" Jemma finished, feeling a little breathless from speaking so fast.
"Wow …" Daisy let out. "You never speak so fast unless it's really exciting or you want to end the conversation so which is it?"
"Both …" Jemma replied after a moment of hesitation and they both laughed.
"So you're really into this guy, aren't you?" Daisy asked, her tone a little teasing but mostly fond by now.
"Wait …" Jemma said before starting to browse her phone for a picture. Once she found it, she hesitated for a moment. She took this picture of Fitz earlier in the morning. His face was bathed in the light of the sunrise, his neck, shoulders and chest were showing where the sheets didn't cover him and he looked like an angel, so lovely and peaceful. Sure it was showing a little skin but nothing you wouldn't see if he wore a deep V t-shirt or a tank top (but god, she hoped he wasn't the kind of guys to wear those though) and sure it probably was way too soon since she didn't even know if this would become an actual relationship but she kind of wanted to brag about her potential new boyfriend because she had a really good feeling about it.
"… and sent!" She said as she waited for Daisy to open the picture.
"Awwwwww"
Ah obviously she'd just seen it.
"oh my god he's adorable, can I adopt him?"
"Yeah … I know right?" Jemma answered as she laid back in the couch with a contented smile.
"Okay well … I think I know enough … for now, I'm going to let you enjoy your cheat day so have fun, be safe and brunch on Sunday so you can tell me everything!"
"Yes alright, see you ..."
"Oh just one last thing, he's really cute just ... make sure he's legal ..."
"Okay goodbye Daisy" Jemma cut her off.
"No cause he looks really young on that ..."
"Goodbye!"
And with that she ended the call, shaking her head in slight annoyance even though she had to admit his pretty face and curly blondish hair made him look younger than he really was. Well, who cared? He definitely kissed like a man and she wouldn't change a thing about him.
Sighing contentedly, she thought about what her day would be like. Of course she didn't even try to fool herself and she knew that between the moment Fitz would leave and the moment they'd meet up for their date, she would spend some time cleaning up her apartment. On a normal day off, it was hard enough for her to stay on the couch to just read or watch TV but on a day like this she would feel both too guilty for missing work and too excited for her date not to keep herself busy.
So as she was busy making a mental list of things to do later in the afternoon, she didn't notice the footsteps coming behind her.
"Jemma I think thieves came during the night I can't find my shirt anywhere …" He whispered in her ear, probably not to startle her too much but she still jumped and he chuckled as he wound his arms around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Oh sorry did I wake you up?" She asked, twisting her neck so she could see him and he shook his head before laying a light kiss to her lips and released his embrace to walk around the couch and flop down next to her.
"No the sun must have woken me up, at least it's not snowing anymore ..." He said in a soft sleepy voice that made her smile despite herself. "oh wait never mind, I think I found the thief …" He added as he grazed his fingers down her shirt covered arm and she grinned at him.
"And what are you going to do about it?" She asked with a mischievous smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Well I would fight you for it but I'm still way too tired so …"
Scooting closer to her on the couch, he wound his arms around her waist and she supposed she could have fought him but she really didn't want to so she ended up sitting across his lap with her back against the armrest and her face in the crook of his neck. He was only wearing his boxer shorts but his skin was still so warm from sleep she could already feel herself relaxing in his embrace.
"… I'm going to have to distract you to get it back!" He finished, whispering in her ear and sending delighted shivers running down her spine. Then he started kissing her cheek, then her jaw and her neck, his lips warm and gentle on her skin until he ended up capturing her lips in a kiss that was still sleepy but also had a definitely more sensual feel to it. Her own hand went to his neck and up into his soft curls as their lips met and separated and then met again, their tongues only lightly brushing against each other.
When they broke apart, his hand had slid under the shirt and on her waist but it didn't seem like he tried to take the shirt off her. Which, if she was being honest, she was a little bit disappointed about.
"You know, this would have been a perfect moment to try and take the shirt from me …" She said surprising herself by the breathy quality of her voice.
"Oh … well I suppose that kiss distracted me as well …" He answered before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
Before she could retort anything, he had her pressed back against his chest, his arms possessively wound low around her waist and his head lightly resting on top of hers and she sighed. He was apparently more the morning cuddles than the morning sex type. Which of course was completely adorable if just a bit frustrating. But that was alright, she thought. He was warm, he smelt amazing and she still had the soft and very sensitive skin of his neck at her disposal so she supposed there were really worst ways of spending a day at home.
-0-0-0-
Fitz knew it didn't make sense to be nervous for this date. First of all, it wasn't exactly an ordinary first date, if it could only be called that considering all the time they spent at the coffee shop together and at breakfast, but most importantly, the fact that they already spent quite a big amount of time kissing and almost had sex should tell him that she was quite interested in him. Not to mention the delicious morning cuddles that confirmed she was still interested in him in the light of day.
Still, as he rang Jemma's doorbell at seven pm on the dot only a few hours after having left her apartment, he couldn't help the restless taping of his fingers against his leg. It all seemed too good to be true and there was still the possibility that those few hours alone were just what she needed to realize what a big mistake she was making.
Fortunately, she didn't leave him alone with his thoughts for too long because soon he heard footsteps coming towards the door and a second later, here she was, smiling at him brightly and he couldn't help grinning a little. Her hair was curled prettily, she was wearing a bright red lipstick, black tights and a big fluffy robe on top of that.
"Come on in" She said, not hesitating to take his hand to pull him inside before closing the door. "I just have to put my dress and shoes on and we can go" She said before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and walking away towards her bedroom.
His lips pulled into a wide smile when he saw her come back wearing a black and white polka dots dress that, with the way her hair was styled and her red lipstick, made her look like Betty Boop, and flat boots in her hand.
"I honestly thought about wearing the red Converse but I wanted to wear that dress and they really didn't go well together!" She said when she noticed his smile. "So I thought the boots were a reasonable compromise."
The poor thing had to suffer over having to wear very high heeled shoes all night when she'd thought she'd only be wearing them for a few hours and he'd been the one to tell her men didn't care about shoes. Or at least, he didn't. And he stood by it, he'd be happy to see her in any kind of shoes as long as she was with him and happy to be.
When he saw that she was putting her coat on, he remembered the box of chocolates he was hiding behind his back.
"Oh Fitz … You didn't have to get me anything, you're already planning this whole … Oh my god!" She interrupted herself and for a second he wondered if it was good or bad but then she let out a cute squealing noise and he grinned. "Are those anatomically correct heart shaped chocolates?" She asked, beaming up at him.
"Yeah … I ate half of yours last night so … I thought you'd appreciate the relatively accurate heart shape of those … and they're supposed to be really good too according to the sales lady!"
They'd seemed like a good idea when he bought those but he'd been questioning himself since then, wondering if it wasn't too nerdy or quirky even thought it had seemed like she was herself quite nerdy, in the most endearing way possible. But as she went on her tiptoes and placed her hands on his shoulders before kissing him whole heartedly, he came to the conclusion that he shouldn't have been doubting himself once more. His arms went around her waist to keep her steady and he kissed her back in earnest, feeling his heartbeat quicken as she let her whole body rest against his.
When she pulled back, he felt a little dazed by the heat of her kiss but it soon passed when she burst out laughing.
"What?" He asked, a little vexed. It had felt like a really good kiss, why was she laughing about?
"Come with me …" She grinned, taking his hand to lead him towards the bathroom.
"What …" He started before he saw his reflexion in the bathroom mirror. "Oh …"
"Yeah … the red lipstick was a bad idea!" She said, handing him a cotton ball with a bit of lotion on it as she proceeded to take off her own lipstick that had been smudged all around her lips. Obviously she couldn't stay like that but he was still disappointed to see it go, it was a nice look on her.
"So no lipstick?" He asked and his disappointment must have shown because she smiled fondly.
"Well I could put it back on but … I would have to forego all the kissing I had planned for tonight so …" She trailed off, giving him a wicked smile that was incredibly enticing, lipstick or not.
"Let me help you with these …" He finally replied, grabbing more cotton balls and she kept on giggling all the time, apparently quite liking his enthusiasm. They ended up leaving the apartment fifteen minutes later than what he'd planned. After all he had to make sure, repeatedly, that they could safely kiss without any lipstick being smudged around their lips before they go out or they could have ended up with a serious Joker situation on their hands. Fitz wouldn't have minded doing that for the rest of the evening but Jemma finally pulled back from his embrace and insisted that she really wanted to see what he had thought of for their date.
-0-0-0-
"Fitz that was amazing!" Jemma cried out as they came out of the exhibition hall, quickly tying her scarf around her neck, the temperature having dropped a few degrees since they came in an hour earlier.
"Yeah it was really nice wasn't it?" He replied, smiling softly.
"I can't believe I didn't know this was in town though … Maybe Daisy's right after all, I need to get out more!" She said and he chuckled.
"You stayed a really long time in front of that window …" He teased. "How badly did you want to bring back that dress?"
"Not the dress Fitz, Luna's glasses! I mean they'd be kind of hard to pull off but they're just so fabulous!" She grinned.
"I bet you could …" He grinned.
As he was finally done buttoning up his coat, she moved a little closer to him, enjoying how his body heat radiated from him even through his clothes. And they were really nice clothes too. The James Bond suit was gone but the grey suit fitted him just as nicely and with the light blue shirt bringing out his eyes, he looked really handsome. The lighter colors made him look younger and with that big wooly coat, he looked so soft and cuddly that she couldn't resist lacing her arm through his, hoping he'd take the hint and pull her closer, ideally putting his arm around her shoulders, but he didn't. Instead he seemed to stiffen a bit. And now that she thought about it, it felt like she was the only one initiating physical contact during the exhibition. Not that he was cold in any way, he seemed to be over the moon that she liked his idea of going to that Harry Potter exhibition and he was just as enthusiastic about it than she was but he seemed so nervous, it was like they were on an actual first date and the previous night and morning hadn't happened already.
"Fitz is everything alright?" She asked softly, turning around to look at him as they stopped at a crosswalk.
"Yes of course!" He replied, confusion etched on his face. "Why-why are you asking?"
"Nothing it's just … it feels like you're afraid to touch me … Or am I doing it too much? Is this going too fast?"
It was just now occurring to her that maybe he was just shy and uncomfortable with public physical displays of affection. Although he didn't seem to have a problem with it the previous night when they were still strangers to each other.
"Oh no Jemma I'm sorry …" He said, grabbing her freezing hands between his. He didn't even wear gloves, how could his hands be so warm? "I just … I felt like I was too much … with all the kissing earlier. I didn't want to push too much, just you know … letting you go at your own pace." He finished, shrugging sheepishly.
"Awww …" She let out. He really was too sweet. "Is that because I pushed you away earlier?" She asked and he nodded shyly. "Fitz, I just genuinely wanted to know what you had in mind for tonight … If we didn't have a schedule, we'd probably still be kissing now." She said with a seductive grin, knowing perfectly well that they would most likely be doing a lot more than kissing by now.
"Oh … alright then …" He answered before bringing her hands up and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I'm sorry it still feels like it's too good to be true, took me several minutes to realize I really was in your bed when I woke up this morning and it wasn't all a very nice dream. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if i woke up alone in that restaurant, having fallen asleep during one of Emily's boring tirades about her adorable nieces and nephews." He said and she burst out laughing.
"Don't say that! It'd mean I'd still be with Milton right now!"
"Oh interesting … So does that mean we'd be meeting in our dreams or that we'd both have a very similar one? You know I read an article about that Scottish scientist who's testing a prototype that could supposedly connect people in their sleep and make them share their dreams. I mean the idea is fascinating on its own but imagine all the other applications it could …"
"Fitz?" She cut him off with a wide smile. He was even more attractive when he talked about science, his blue eyes and smile lighting up his whole face.
"Yeah?"
"I really really want to hear about this but … could we talk about it over dinner? I'm freezing!"
"Oh …" He chuckled. "Yeah of course … sorry I can get carried away sometimes …"
"That's perfectly alright …" She replied softly.
Then, letting go of her hands, he pulled her close to him, his arm resting over her shoulders as she naturally wound hers around his waist. As they waited until it was their time to cross the street, he turned his head to press small kisses to her temple and hairline like it was the most natural thing in the world.
-0-0-0-
"Oh Fitz that place looks lovely!" Jemma exclaimed softly as they stopped in front of a tiny red door a few minutes later. The entrance looked barely big enough for them to walk in but from the window, she could see the soft lighting and cosy little alcoves all around the room, not to mention the delicious smell of freshly baked pizza coming out even through the closed door that made her mouth water.
"Yeah? Well it's nothing fancy but the atmosphere sounded nice, quite romantic, at least from what I read on Yelp, and the food's supposed to be good too so …"
"That's a really good choice Fitz …" She said, beaming up at him and he nodded happily before opening the door for her and following just behind. The place looked even nicer from the inside with a decoration that was Italian enough to set the atmosphere but not too much so it was cheap. And apparently most people had spent it all on Valentine's day because the place wasn't even half full, which would have been really strange on any other Friday night in New York in this lively neighborhood. There were two small families, what was apparently a group of friends, one couple next to the entrance and another one all the way to the back. And it was funny too because from behind, the man looked a little like …
"Oh no no no …" Jemma whispered to herself as she grabbed Fitz's hand and pulled him towards the small space between the two set of doors that probably assured a nice warm inside temperature.
"What is it?" Fitz asked with a tiny grin as he looked down at where she had basically pushed him against a wall and molded herself against him. The idea was to hide from the person who didn't just look like but was definitely Milton but she could see how it could have looked like to him. Not that it was out the range of possibilities some time during the night but that was not exactly the right moment so she gently rolled her eyes at him.
"That's Milton over there …" She whispered with an exasperated tone. She couldn't believe he was there out of all the places he could have chosen.
"Oh really?" He exclaimed, pushing her back to pass his head through the door to try and see him.
"Don't look!" She cried out, pulling him back to her.
"He doesn't know me Jemma!" Fitz retorted as he slowly looked back inside once more.
"Oh yeah … well that's the one completely in the back with his back to us …" She whispered in Fitz's ear before he moved back to join her in the relative safety of the small area. "I can't believe he's here with another woman, just one day after our date … it's really quite vexing!" She said and Fitz snorted. "Hey!" She swatted his arm.
"To be fair to him Jemma, you are here with me tonight, and acting pretty … affectionate on top of that!" He grinned, wounding his arms around her waist where she was still standing pretty close to him and she rolled her eyes once more. "But maybe she's his sister or cousin or something …" He proposed, looking just as unconvinced by the idea as she was herself.
"Sure I often dress like that when I meet my brother for dinner …"
"Oh I didn't know you had a brother!"
"I don't it's just … if I had one I wouldn't dress like that is all I meant …" She said, rolling her eyes fondly. It was kind of endearing the way he took things so literally sometimes.
"Oh yeah … of course" He let out, smiling sheepishly. "Well … do you want me to go talk to him and hum … I was gonna say defend your honor but I don't think it would apply in this situation so hum … I don't know … maybe thank him for being so dull that you lowered your expectations and found me interesting enough?" He finished and she smiled fondly.
"Hey no Fitz! I didn't lower my expectations at all. You would have been a totally unexpected and delightful surprise on any day and you did make my date with Milton completely worth it, which is honestly quite a miracle ..." She said before stepping up on her tiptoes and capturing his lips for a soft kiss, smiling when she felt the sugary taste on the tip of his tongue. Somehow he'd apparently managed to eat some kind of sweet since they left her apartment without her even noticing it. It had only been a day but she already felt like she would always associate any sugary taste to his kisses.
"So …" He started when they broke apart. "Maybe you should go and thank him …" He grinned and she swat his arm once more.
"Do you want to leave this place Jemma?" He asked after a small moment of silence.
"Oh no …" She answered, her tone probably contradicting her words. "You put so much effort into organizing this date in so little time and this place looks so nice …"
"No it's alright, I had a plan B anyway in case you didn't like Italian. You won't appreciate dinner if you spend the whole meal trying to hide from Milton." He said and they both chuckled.
"Really? You don't mind?" She asked in a softer tone.
"No I'm sure we'll easily get a table in any restaurant tonight and I guess we'll have to come back here for our second date …"
He had a small seductive grin tucking at his lips as he said it and she found that she liked it a lot. Confidence looked good on him. Also, it was rather sweet that he thought he'd have to find some kind of ruse to get her to agree to a second date.
"Alright …" She said before pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "Then let's get out before the restaurant staff thinks we only came inside to make out in their lobby!" She said, taking his hand to lead him out.
"Wait!" He said, pulling the other way. "I want to thank him for the chocolates, they were really delicious …"
"Fitz!"
-0-0-0-
"Oh you've got to be bloody kidding me!" Fitz grumbled through his teeth as they took a few steps inside the restaurant.
His plan B was a nice Indian restaurant he'd already been to with friends. It wasn't quite as cute and romantic as his first choice but he knew the food was good and it was still quite fancy with those nice comfortable plush chairs and quiet atmosphere despite it being a pretty big restaurant. From the outside, Fitz had spotted at least four free tables for two so he thought it was probably safe to expect a table immediately.
But as his stomach was starting to growl louder and louder and Fitz hoped they'd be seated soon enough so he could stop it with a little bit of bread or anything the restaurant would offer as they waited for their food, he spotted her, apparently with a group of friends, on the biggest table right in the middle of the room.
"What is it?" Jemma asked with a slightly worried expression.
"That's Emily over there with a red sweater, around the bid round table …" He replied in a low tone, although he doubted she could hear him over the voices of the other patrons. But he still pulled Jemma to the side a bit so they could hide behind a big stone pillar.
"You mean Emily your date from last night?" Jemma asked while obviously trying not to smile.
"Yeah …"
"Wow … she's really quite beautiful …" Jemma let out matter of factly and Fitz chuckled. Most people he knew would have tried to find a flaw or some way to put themselves in a better light instead of pointing out something like that. But Jemma wasn't like that apparently, she was a scientist and she wasn't scared of saying things just as they were. And obviously she was pretty confident about their budding relationship and he found that he liked that. For a pessimist like him who's always had doubts about every relationship he's ever had, being with someone like her was incredibly reassuring.
"Well you date her, find out if you still find her so pretty after the tenth boring story about babies … I mean don't get me wrong I love my baby godson but I know a one year old child is boring to anyone who's not his close family!" Fitz replied and she laughed out loud and it sounded so pretty that in this specific moment, he didn't even care if it attracted attention on them.
"Well at least, she's not here with another man …" Jemma offered, her laugh turning to a soft slightly teasing smile.
"Yeah probably complaining to her girlfriends about the awful blind date she'd been on last night with a nerdy Scot!"
"Do you want me to go eavesdrop on her?"
"Nope no no no … not sure my small ego could take it … and also you're way too friendly, I'm sure they'd end up inviting you at their table and I want you all to myself!" He said pulling her closer to him and looking towards Emily's table to make sure they were still hidden from her line of sight.
When he looked back at Jemma, she had a mischievous glint in her eyes and she was biting her lip to stop herself from smiling too wide.
"You know … we really have to stop doing that or people are going to start thinking we're only looking for a warm place to make out." She finally said and he felt himself blush under her positively indecent gaze. "Not that it's a bad way of spending the evening …" She added and he let out an all out groan. She'd be the death of him.
"So … plan C?" She asked after a moment of silence as they enjoyed each other's closeness despite what Jemma just said.
"Well I don't know if you could exactly call that a plan C but I have an idea …"
"Honestly I'm so famished right now, if I was home in Sheffield I'd go to old Mike Connoway's shop for a fish and chips!"
"Funny you should say that …" He grinned as he took her hand once more to lead her out of the restaurant.
-0-0-0-
"So hum … it's not exactly the romantic setting I had in mind but it's a secret known mostly by British expatriates so logically we shouldn't run into anyone we ever dated unless you …"
"No I think we're good, you're my first boyfriend from home since I moved to New York!" Jemma replied without really thinking about it as she was too busy admiring the delightfully familiar and quite vintage entrance to the pub they were now facing. It's only when he didn't say anything else for a moment that she turned around and realized he was looking at her with a funny look on his face she couldn't quite yet decipher if it was positive or not.
"What?" She asked, feeling herself blush a little under his insistant gaze.
"You called me your boyfriend …"
"Oh … sorry … it's probably way too soon to …"
"NO! no …" He started, a shy smile making its way on his face. "Well maybe it is but … I quite like the sound of that actually."
It was logically too soon, Jemma told herself. They didn't even have a proper first date and didn't even properly sleep together yet but still, it just felt right. She felt like she had a stronger connexion with Fitz after only a day than she had with her last few boyfriends after weeks of being together. And as she noticed earlier, just being in his presence made her smile to the point where her jaw was seriously starting to hurt. And after all, Daisy always told her how she wasn't spontaneous enough, always thinking about every single decision for days before acting on it so maybe for once, she could follow her instinct. And it wasn't like they'd done things the traditional way from the beginning so it probably made sense to keep going that way.
"Yeah?" She replied and he nodded softly. "I think I do to … boyfriend …" She repeated and his smile got bigger.
"Say that again …" He asked, getting closer and pulling her to him, his arms loosely wound around her waist.
"Boyfriend" She repeated, her voice barely more than a whisper as she said it only a few centimeters from his mouth before closing the distance and softly gliding her lips against his. Pulling back after a few seconds, she let out a contented sigh. She couldn't remember being so openly affectionate in public with anyone before and it was like, after all these years, she finally truly understood what it was like to be a normal sixteen years old girl, driven more by her hormones than her love for science and she had to admit that after all it felt nice to lose control once in a while.
When her eyes fluttered back open, he had a dopey grin on his face she couldn't help reciprocating.
"So … girlfriend …" He started and she smiled even wider. "I know that place doesn't look like much from the outside but they really have the best beer in town and the food's good too, the fish and chips really feels like home … in a good way! But if you don't feel like …"
"Fitz that place looks great!" She cut him off just as he was already starting to take his phone out of his pocket, quite probably to look up for another place to eat. "I told you I felt a little homesick lately so it should be perfect …"
"Alright then … after you!" Fitz said before reaching for the heavy brass door handle and pulling on it to let Jemma in with a slightly ridiculous but quite endearing little bow that made her shake her head in amusement.
-0-0-0-
The place was still relatively calm for a Friday night. Most people would start coming in after dinner in an hour or so and Fitz could already spot several empty booths the moment they came in. When he turned towards her, she gave him a small but apparently sincere nod of approval since her head was already starting to bob up and down to the beat of the slightly familiar ninety's rock song playing in the background.
Smiling amusedly, he gently grabbed her hand to lead her towards a booth in the corner of the room where they'd manage to have a little quiet and intimacy even once the bar started to fill up later in the he barely walked a few meters before a very familiar masculine and British voice sounded from the other side of the bar.
"FITZ? Is that you mate?"
"Oh come on!" Fitz cried out, sighing loudly as he stopped walking.
"Fitz?" Jemma asked with an arched eyebrow and a slightly amused smile. Nothing seemed to surprise her anymore apparently and nothing seemed to be able to temper her good mood. Hopefully it'd still be the case in a few minutes.
But before he's had the time answer or consider pulling on Jemma's hand and running back home (He couldn't possibly stumble upon someone he knew in his own apartment, could he? Unless his mother had decided to pay him an unexpected visit … which would be unlikely if the cosmos hadn't apparently decided he'd stumble upon everyone he knew tonight), Hunter had managed to make his way towards them and it was definitely too late to pretend he hadn't seen or heard him.
"Hi Hunter I thought ..." Fitz started, turning around but his friend ignored him.
"Hey Bob I thought you said Emily told you things didn't go well last night ..." He said turning around towards the tall blond woman following him before nodding towards Jemma with a grin that made Fitz want to hit him.
"That's not Emily ..." She started at the same time Fitz cried out:
"That's not Emily you idiot ..."
"... That's ... Jemma?"
"Bobbi?"
Fitz's head turned from left to right several times between the two women in a way that was apparently comical considering how they both grinned at him.
"Ooooh ..." Jemma let out, her eyes lighting up in understanding. "So that's your friend Bobbi ... You really think she's scary?" She asked, scrunching her nose in a way he would have found adorable if he didn't know this last sentence would cost him months of teasing from his friends.
"Oh so you're scared of me now? Interesting ..."
"Of course I am, not as much as Hunter though ..."
"Hey mate! Low blow!" Hunter groaned all while still taking a step away from his wife.
"...but that's not the subject ... how do you two know each other?" Fitz finished, choosing to look at Jemma rather than up at Bobbi's smirking face.
"Oh Bobbi and I met a few years ago at a conference. It was my first time as a speaker and she was really supportive, pretty awesome actually!" Jemma replied with a big smile on her face that Bobbi reciprocated and it made Fitz wonder if her new girlfriend didn't have a small crush on one of his best friends but he chose to ignore it. Instead he turned back towards Bobbi.
"Okay … then how come you didn't set me up on a date with her when we have so much in common instead of the most boring woman I've ever met?"
"Hey! Emily's a great person, she has a lot of qualities …"
"Yeah looks like it turned out alright for you anyway mate …" Hunter added, nodding his head towards where Fitz was still holding Jemma's hand without even realizing it. "Oh by the way, hi I'm Hunter, nice to …" He started, extending his hand towards Jemma for her to shake it but Fitz cut him off.
"Oh yeah sorry I didn't make the introductions, Hunter this is Jemma, Jemma this is Hunter, the idiot who insisted Emily was perfect for me without even knowing what she looked like …"
"Hey I know what she looks like 's just really dark in here and I'll have you know …"
"GUYS STOP!" Bobbi said with a voice that wasn't even very loud but with that tone that brood no discussion possible and explained why most people were a little scared of her, except, apparently, for Jemma. "Listen Fitz, we only see each other at conferences once or twice a year, I didn't even know if she had a boyfriend or not, it would have been weird to call her out of the blue and set her up on a date, even with you … although I can definitely see it now …" She said with a softer tone as she gestured between the two of them with her finger. Which made them both blush a little, which of course made her smile even wider.
"Now I'm really curious to know how you went from going home from a horrible date to acting all lovey dovey with Jemma in less than a day …"
"Yeah mate ... for you two dates in a month would already be kind of a miracle but in two … oooowww!"
"So how about we ask Hunter to grab us all a drink and you can tell us what happened, give me time to catch up on Jemma's life since last I saw her and then we'll leave you to … whatever you had planned for tonight?" Bobbi finished as Hunter rubbed his shoulder -probably- exaggeratedly where Bobbi had hit him.
Looking at her for confirmation, Jemma gave Fitz an enthusiastic nod and a wide smile and Fitz sighed in defeat. It was probably too late to make this date romantic anyway.
"Alright then …" He said, gesturing for Bobbi to lead the way.
"Okay well I guess I'll go get the drinks then …" Hunter sighed in resignation. "Beer for everyone?"
"Yes! Thank you Hunter!" Both women answered in unison while Fitz let out a vague groan.
As she passed by, Bobbi affectionately ruffled Fitz's hair and quickly walked away before he could swat her hand away like he always did.
"I swear if you keep doing that I'll …" He started but then Jemma moved closer, wounding her arm around his waist before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, effectively shutting him up.
"For her defense Fitz, your curls are pretty irresistible …" She whispered in his ear and he couldn't help smiling, the annoyance about the whole situation quickly being replaced by affection for the woman who was, against all odds, still happily standing next to him.
"Oh now you defend her … maybe you want me to set YOU up a date with HER …" He replied, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly and she pretended to give it a thought.
"Naaah … I don't think Hunter would like that …"
"Clearly you don't know him!"
"Hu?"
"Never mind … let's go have that drink!"
-0-0-0-
In the end, one drink turned into two and two drinks turned into dinner and as they went from the unlikely circumstances of their meeting to the way Jemma met Bobbi and how they were the talk of the conference for two years in a row, the hours turned and when the barman announced the last call, the four of them were still together.
When they got out, after a quick goodbye and the promise to see each other soon, Bobbi quickly pushed the two young Brits into the same cab but not without giving Fitz a small wink and approving nod. Fitz pretended to roll his eyes and act like he didn't care but he knew his friend usually had a really good instinct and it strangely reassured him to know that Bobbi liked his girlfriend (the term still sounded strange but really nice to his ears). And actually Bobbi looked so pleased to see them together that he almost wondered if it wasn't all a setup, the awful date with Emily only there to make Jemma appear even more amazing in comparison. Of course Bobbi wouldn't do something so cruel but still ...
"So … that was an … interesting night …" Fitz finally let out after several minutes of rather comfortable silence, Jemma all snuggled up to him, her head sleepily falling on his shoulder.
"I think it was really nice … obviously I already liked Bobbi but Hunter is quite a lot of fun to be around as well and I had quite a lot of fun making out with you in various restaurant lobbies ..." She grinned and he chuckled.
"I'm sorry it wasn't exactly the romantic evening I had planned but I'll make it up to you next time … if you're still willing to go out with me after tonight …"
"Fitz!" She chuckled. "I swear I had a really good time … Mind you it's not the most traditional first date I've been to but considering how we met, I suppose we should have expected it."
"Yeah … do you feel like maybe the cosmos doesn't want us to go on a real date together?"
"Fitz! The cosmos doesn't want anything!" She gently chastised him.
"I don't know Jemma, what were the chances of us stumbling upon your date, then my date and then my … well our stupid friends?"
"We can do the maths if you like …" She replied and they both burst out laughing.
"No …" He answered after a moment, before pulling her even closer and pressing a kiss to the crown of her hair. "I'm still too tired for that!"
"And I don't know Fitz … we already took several steps in our relationship in just one day: spending the night together, meeting your friends, defining what our relationship is … If anything I feel like the cosmos apparently wants us to move pretty fast ..." She said turning around to look him in the eyes with a warm smile, slightly hooded eyes and her hand possessively resting on his thigh that made him wish the cab didn't drive so slowly. Apparently now that they were alone, her own mind didn't have any problem going back to more … romantic territories.
"Mmmhh yeah that's … that's a … good point ..." He replied and he could swear her hand moved slightly up when she heard the low tone of his voice and if anything her innocent smile made heat pool even faster low in his belly.
-0-0-0-
Even if her life depended on it, Jemma would have been pretty incapable of saying what Fitz's building looked like. The exterior was mostly red brick, she thought, and he probably lived somewhere between the second and sixth or seventh floor because they had to take the elevator -that she remembered very clearly- and the building didn't seem much higher than her own six stories building. Other than that, she could vaguely remember a red door and the nice fresh smell of an apartment that's been fully cleaned not long ago despite Fitz's apologies about the place being a total mess.
By the time they got out of the cab, they'd exchanged so many heated looks and relatively chaste but strangely arousing touches that she had to refrain herself from pushing him against the door to his building to kiss him senseless. Once they got inside the elevator though, nothing stopped them anymore and they fell into each other's arms immediately, his kisses and wandering hands turning her into a bumbling mess of lust and pleasure and leaving her to function only on instinct as she followed him down the corridor and inside his apartment. She was also pretty satisfied by the deep arousing groans that came out of his throats when she let her own hands wander down his chest and then lower below his waist. The adorable cuddly Fitz from this morning had been incredibly endearing but now she wanted more and from the way he pushed her against the opposite wall the moment they were inside, it looked like Fitz agreed with her.
The last thing she registered before he carried her to his bedroom with her legs around his hips and his hands on her bum - both of them laughing in both amusement and almost delirious pleasure- was his laptop and internet browser open on the last article she wrote and which they talked about for an hour the previous night. And even in her lust induced daze, she couldn't help swooning at how adorable it was that he took the time to read it in the few hours he was alone.
-0-0-0-
Jemma woke up the next morning to a delicious smell of pancakes and the heavenly feeling of a warm and fluffy bed. She still felt a little sleepy and sore in the best way possible and she would have considered allowing herself a little more time to go back to the lovely dream she was having a minute ago if she didn't hear quiet footsteps followed soon after by something -or rather someone- weighing on the bed behind her.
She didn't move at first, too curious to discover the probably deliciously tender way Fitz would find to wake her up. She wasn't disappointed when he started pressing soft kisses on her bare shoulder, pushing her hair out of the way as he went up towards her neck until he reached her ear and whispered: "I know you're awake Jemma I saw you move …" before playfully biting her earlobe and she couldn't help giggling, turning around on her back to look up at him.
It looked like he didn't have a shave since before they met and he was wearing an old faded t-shirt he'd probably decided to use as pyjamas not only because it was faded but also because it looked to be a size too small, which only served to outline the nice solid structure of his shoulders and chest. All put together, he was a very nice sight to wake up to.
"Good morning" She said, her voice still a little rough from sleep.
"Good morning to you" He replied before moving forward to kiss her on the lips softly.
"It's still quite dark outside" She said, looking back towards the small crack between the still closed curtains. "must be awfully early … I thought you weren't a morning person …" She added with a playful smile and he chuckled.
"Oh no Sleeping beauty … it's actually ten thirty already!" He replied, nodding towards the small clock on his bedside table to prove that he wasn't lying and her eyes went wide. It was so rare for her to stay in bed so late, even in the week-ends or when she went to sleep really late. Although she supposed the previous night had been rather more … tiring than the usual Friday night.
Standing up, Fitz took a few steps towards the window and drew the curtains open.
"Oh …" Jemma let out as Fitz was hurrying back to join her under the covers once more. The sun was technically up outside but with such thick dark clouds taking the whole visible sky, it could easily have passed as early light of dawn through a simple crack between the curtains. Lazy snowflakes were falling regularly but from the already thick layer of snow that had accumulated on the roofs, it had obviously been snowing for quite some time and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.
Irrationally, seeing this rather beautiful but quite hostile spectacle made Jemma feel much colder than she was a moment ago, still fully naked under the covers, and she couldn't help hissing softly as a shiver ran down her spine. Of course, Fitz didn't need more to move closer and press her to his side, one of her arms naturally coming to rest on his chest and one leg tangling between his, sighing contentedly as his warmth was already radiating through his pyjamas and deliciously enveloping her.
"So …" She started with a slightly mischievous smile. "What do you think the cosmos means when it makes it snow almost every time we're together?" She asked and he chuckled.
"Well … clearly it wants us to have breakfast in bed and not leave the apartment until it's safe to go outside …" he replied, trailing his hand up and down her arm under the covers.
"Oh yeah? And what do you think we should do?"
"I don't know but … it's the cosmos Jemma! Do you think it'd be wise to go against its will?"
"Mmmh I guess you're right … " She replied as she slowly let her arm and leg slide all the way to the opposite side until she was straddling his lap, reveling in the way his eyes turned almost instantly darker and she could feel his heart start to beat faster against her chest. "And what do you think the cosmos has to say about how we're supposed to spend all this free time together?" She added, grinning wolfishly down at him.
"I don't know about the cosmos but I have several ideas of my own …" He grinned back, wounding his arms around her waist to pull her even closer.
"Well …" She simply said before finally succumbing to the irresistible attraction of his soft full lips. She thought the cosmos had done quite a good job these past few days concerning her and Fitz so if it wanted them to stay in bed, who was she to contradict it? And as Fitz pushed her back against the pillows, lavishing her skin with kisses and soft caresses, she found she was quite impatient to see what the cosmos had in store for them in the future.