8:25:
"Can we lock them in a closet?"
Jemma looks up from her work — a pile of papers scattered across three or so tables — to see Skye in the doorway, hands on her hips and eyebrows raised like she's expecting an answer. Which would be fine in most circumstances, given that Jemma is aware that most questions require answers and that Skye of all people is not particularly patient in waiting for them. Only, well, Jemma has no idea what Skye's talking about.
"What?"
"Closet, lock. Can we lock Fitz and Ward in a closet?" Skye says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and truthfully Jemma knows it was probably meant to enlighten her in some way. It doesn't. Rather than expressing this with another perplexed question, she gives the other girl a look of pure confusion, and Skye continues to talk.
"Have you not noticed?" Skye asks, and Jemma shakes her head. "You really haven't noticed? They've been staring at each other like the other's made of chocolate fudge and butterflies, but neither's man enough to make a move. So. Closet. You game?"
Through her speech, Skye moves closer to Jemma, and by the end she is standing close enough that Jemma would barely have to move to touch her. It's exciting, somehow. Electrifying, if she's feeling cheesy. She can't say no.
"Sure."
8:32:
And that's how Jemma finds herself standing beside Skye, smiling innocently and hoping that Ward would fall for their plot. Or, she edits, Skye's plot, for her own idea had been something along the lines of "well, why don't we simply… push them in there?"
The better plan was to catch each of the men alone, convince them somehow that the storage closet was in need of some urgent maintenance. And as Skye put it, "boom, they're making out."
Jemma's more than a little lost in her her own thoughts, but she tunes back in to the conversation just in time to hear the line "c'mon Obi-Ward Kenobi, you're my only hope," and she immediately decides this is going to fail miserably. It's time to plan her funeral, confess all of her sins, because when Fitz finds out that they've been trying to set him up with Ward, she's surely going to die.
Except Ward rolls his eyes and nods. "Why do you need me to go into the storage closet again?"
"Spiders, dork," Skye answers immediately. "There are more spiders in that closet than there are black and grey shirts in your closet, and it's getting ridiculous. You need to save us, Ward. Save us from the spiders."
He looks only half incredulous — and half amused, really — so Jemma chimes, "Spiders, yeah!" Skye hits her on the shoulder subtly, and she goes back to smiling.
There's a moment of silence and then "fine." Skye makes a high-pitched squeal and turns, suddenly hugging her companion. Jemma's not sure what to do, so it takes her a second to remember to wrap her arms around Skye as well. The girl is warm in her arms, and her purple sweater leaves behind flecks of cotton when she pulls away. And if Ward thinks it odd that they're this excited about the fixing of the supposed spider problem, he doesn't comment.
8:36:
Fitz is easier: Jemma only has to go, "Oh, Fitz, will you grab me a flask or two from the supply closet?" and he's on his way.
It's the perfect plan.
Skye and Jemma creep behind him, eager to slide the door shut and witness the fruits of their labor. Jemma bites her lip and grins, and Skye offers back a thumbs up and a wink. Jemma feels rather giddy about the whole thing; it's much more fun than it should be, and she's rather concerned about the sudden appearance of a legion of butterflies in her stomach. It's because of the rule breaking, surely. Not because of Skye.
And then they realize they've lost Fitz. And Ward. And that the lights in the hallway are dimmer than they were before, and then that the lights have gone out completely.
Skye barely has time to mutter "Dude, this plane is so haunted" before the sound of a door closing clangs through the corridor. They stand in silence for a moment and another, and Jemma slowly looks at the other girl.
"Skye?" she starts. "I think we're locked in."
Skye breathes out a laugh and turns to Jemma in the darkness. "Yep. I think you're right." She pauses, and faint laughter echoes toward them. "I'm going to kill Ward."
They're locked in for an hour and then two, and by the third hour Skye has given up her taunts and insults — "I will bleach hearts into your shirts and cut holes in the crotch of all of your pants" being Jemma's personal favorite — and instead taken up pacing back and forth through the hallway.
"Skye," Jemma says. "Come sit with me. You're not going to be able to pace your way out of here."
Skye huffs and crosses her arms, but she followed the advice all the same. "So, how are you?"
Jemma shrugs before remembering that it's hard to see. "I'm okay."
"That's a lame answer."
"It's true, really. I'm okay."
Skye nudges her shoulder against Jemma's, and the smile on her face is audible when she adds, "Why just okay, then? Why not good?"
There's a lot Jemma could say, but none of it is stuff she wants to tell Skye. At least not there, in the darkened hallway with two absurdly giggly men outside the door and Skye's side nearly pressed against hers. "Well, I'm rather hungry."
"Here," Skye offers, and there's the crinkle of a plastic wrapper before something is pressed into her hand. "It's a granola bar. Or it was. Might be crumbs at this point."
"Thanks," Jemma grins.
1:42:
By hour four they're sick of this nonsense, and it's only when Jemma goes to the door and threatens to smash all of Fitz's lab equipment that the door opens. Fitz and Ward stand there, looking equal parts guilty and joyous, and Skye scampers out with a scowl that drains any touch of humor from their faces.
"You," she asserts. "Both of you. You're dead meat."
She pokes Ward in the chest, and he can't hold back a short laugh. "It's only fair, Skye."
Jemma watches the whole thing with something like amusement, and her eyes widen when Skye suddenly grabs her hand and pulls her into the conversation. "We were there for four hours, Ward. Jemma, tell him. Four hours."
She's too busy thinking about Skye's hand in her own to answer.
"Four hours," Skye repeats. "Four." And she walks away and tugs Jemma with her.
2:02:
So their day returns to normal, and Jemma makes her way back to the lab. She can't truly be mad at Fitz, especially not when they had been planning to do the same to him.
But her curiosity gets the better of her, and she asks, "Fitz, why'd you do it?"
"Simmons, come on," he retorts. "I know you think I need to be with Ward — which is frankly rather ridiculous — but you really need to get with Skye."
Jemma makes a surprised noise, and he rolls his eyes. "All you do is talk about her. 'Skye this' and 'Skye that' and 'Skye looks amazing in yoga pants,' which I will say isn't false, and 'Skye is so good at hacking.' Simmons. Please go ask her out."
There's another noise of surprise, only this time it comes from the door. The scientists spin to find Skye there, the folder she had come to deliver sliding out of her grasp and down to the floor. She looks shocked, and her gaze frantically darts from Jemma to Fitz and back.
"Oh," Jemma manages. "Hi."
Somewhere in the awkward silence Fitz makes himself scarce, and it's just the two of them again. Only this time they can see each other, and Jemma wonders if that's actually a good thing.
2:04:
They're still standing there, not truly looking at each other but unable to fully look away.
2:06:
"You like me," Skye finally speaks. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
Jemma busies her hands with the stack of papers that she still hasn't tidied and doesn't answer Skye's question until she asks it again.
"Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I don't know," she admits.
Skye looks like she's going to ask again, looks like there's a question struggling past her lips, but instead she blurts, "I like you too."
And they're back to awkward silence.
2:09:
"You didn't say anything either," Jemma starts.
"I was still half convinced you were dating Fitz," Skye admits with a shrug. "S'why I asked you to help me set him up with Ward: if you agreed, I'd know you two weren't together."
Jemma looks at Skye like she's gone insane, but the girl is sheepishly grinning back. "Guess you're not dating Fitz." All Jemma can do is nod, and neither of them is willing to break the eye contact.
It's like she's drawn toward Skye, except all that magnetism in romance is nonsense and she's having none of it. But if it's not magnetism that makes her take one halting step after another toward the other girl, she's not sure what it could be. All she knows is that Skye is there, and she's much too far away.
And though Jemma takes the first steps, Skye makes the first move, murmuring "I'm glad you're not dating Fitz" as she leans in to slowly, finally kiss Jemma.
2:10:
From the hanger, Fitz watches grumpily. He hands Ward the ten dollar bill and pouts.
"When are we going to tell them that we're already together?" Ward asks.
Fitz laughs. "Give them a day or two to figure it out."