So glad I managed to finish this on time for Christmas! :) And I think it's the first time I succeeded in keeping the story relatively short. Hope you all enjoy it. Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating it and a great day to every one whatever you're celebrating or not celebrating!
Jemma Simmons always prided herself in being a good hostess. She knew it was kind of an outdated notion that didn't exactly fit with her otherwise modern and independent personality, but she rather liked to think of it as a will to do the best for the people that mattered to her. She liked to make them happy with a good meal in a relaxing atmosphere and she liked to see their pleased smile. Because seing loved ones happy made her feel good even when life wasn't that great for her.
She'd just finished icing her cake when the door bell rang and it put a big smile on her face. That night, she was hosting her small but growing group of friends' Christmas dinner for the third time and she was getting better at it every time, quite close to perfection if she said so herself. Since that morning, she's had the time to catch up on a whole week of cleaning up (and anyway like Daisy would say, Jemma's notion of "I didn't have the time to clean up it's such a mess" was most people's notion of "I've never seen my apartment so clean and tidy"), cook a full traditional Christmas dinner and put on fairy lights all around the living room for a festive atmosphere.
"Coming!" She shouted as she covered the cake and quickly put it back in the fridge. Then divesting herself of her apron, she went to answer the door.
"Daisy hi!" Jemma chirped, surprised to see that, out of all her friends, she was the first one there. Daisy was more the type to arrive last with an improbable but at least often entertaining excuse.
"Hi Jem!" the young woman replied with a slightly mischievous grin that usually meant trouble. "No one else arrived yet?" She asked as she came in and immediately brought her bag loaded with presents wrapped in bright colored paper under the small Christmas tree. Then she proceeded to take off her coat and scarf and threw them unceremoniously on the back of the couch. Jemma winced but said nothing. After all it was Christmas, she could scold her friend another day, so she just took the offending items and brought them back to the coat hanger next to the door with Daisy in her tail.
"No you're the first one, you're even a bit early actually!" Jemma teased as she lead Daisy back to the living room.
"Good 'cause I have to talk to you before they all get here!" Daisy said with a secretive tone as she pulled her to the side, which really made no sense since she'd just been assured they were all alone anyway.
"A-alright …"
And here comes trouble.
"Okay so I have to give you your present now … well not right this instant but it should be here in a few minutes …"
"So you're having it … delivered? Maybe?" Jemma asked, frowning with a bit of a smile tucking at her lips. Daisy did like to make a mystery out of everything.
"Not exactly but I can't wait till the end of the evening to give it to you, it would really be …"
"Oh no!" Jemma cut her off. "Is it alive? Is it a cat? I told you I love cats but I just don't have the time for a pet …"
"It's definitely not a cat …" Daisy trailed off.
"Oh no I hope it's not a dog, they're even more demanding than cats and living creatures are not gifts anyway Daisy!"
"Don't worry this one can take care of himself, I hear he can even fix things around the house …" Daisy added with a wide grin when she saw the look of complete confusion on her friend's face.
"Listen Jemma, it's a lot of fun when it's me confusing you and not the other way around but I don't have much time 'cause they left home just after I did so ... it's not a dog, it's a man!"
"Daisy!" Jemma cried out with an affronted look as she swatted her friend's arm. "A human being is not a gift!"
They'd all decided on a price limit so the ones with a more modest income wouldn't feel bad and after last year's gifts from Daisy to all the women in the group, they added the "gifts should be something you're not embarrassed to show your mom" rule. Jemma had nothing against sex toys really but their place was in the privacy of the bedroom and most certainly not on her tastefully decorated table. But she never thought they would actually have to add a "no living creature and certainly no human being" rule.
"Just listen to me for a minute before he knocks on the door alright?"
"Fine …" Jemma sighed.
"Okay so he's Trip's new roommate. He just came in from Scotland like a month ago -so super sexy accent- and he doesn't know anyone yet. He's super smart, and I mean you smart, really funny in a dorky way and like really really super cute, too cute for me but I'm pretty sure YOU could marry him, like on the spot!"
"How can a guy be too cute?" Jemma asked, focusing on that weird declaration because as ridiculous as the situation was, she had to admit he sounded pretty interesting.
"Oh you know, I think he's your age but he actually looks younger with blondish brown curly hair and big blue eyes and from what I gathered, he doesn't have any family left and I kind of want to adopt him now." Daisy answered and Jemma couldn't help chuckling. Daisy always had a soft spot for misfits and strays so she wasn't really surprised and she couldn't really be mad at her.
"Listen I should probably have told you I invited one more person but I'm sure you have enough food for twice as much as we are anyway and worst case scenario, you just make a nice gesture welcoming someone who's alone for Christmas BUT, honestly, he's perfect so ... just talk to him, okay?" Daisy finished and Jemma rolled her eyes fondly.
"Fine … I guess if I met him first, and knowing he was alone for Christmas, I probably would have invited him anyway." Jemma finally gave in.
"Yay! That's the spirit!" Daisy squealed in excitement as she gave her friend a quick hug.
"Yeah yeah alright … Now quick come help me move everything on the table so I can add a plate before he comes in!"
She couldn't have her perfect party ruined because one guest felt like he wasn't completely welcome. Just because Daisy wasn't big on social conventions didn't mean the poor man had to suffer for it.
-0-0-0-
To Jemma's opinion, Daisy had greatly understimated Fitz. He was just as cute as she said with his strikingly blue eyes and curly hair but with his nicely symmetrical facial features and his blue shirt and grey waist coat, she failed to mention he was also downright handsome.
He also brought two very good bottles of wine (one white, one red) and flowers (her favorite somehow) for Jemma so at the very least he had a good education and good taste. But as for his intelligence, sense of humor or anything else, it was hard to tell because he'd been there for almost half an hour and he barely spoke a few words. In fact, if they didn't have to introduce themselves (since Daisy strangely had to go the bathroom the moment he rung the doorbell), she couldn't even have confirmed that he indeed had an (admittedly very charming) Scottish accent.
So in her opinion, there were three possibilities to explain his silence. The first one was that he didn't even want to come to a party where he only really knew one person and the other was the too friendly woman who wouldn't take no for an answer. The second one was that he did want to come but was somehow disappointed by what he saw. Which honestly wasn't very believable considering how she outdid herself, not to mention how (admittedly adorably) his eyes lit up when she brought the appetizers on the coffee table. Which brought her to the third and hopefully most likely possibility: he was just really shy.
Which was understandable. She loved her friends and they were the best when you got to know them well but at first sight they were not necessarily the easiest bunch to get along with. Trip was probably the nicest, more easy going one but he already knew him anyway. Daisy was adorable but her bumbling energy and tendency to meddle into people's business could be a bit too much sometimes. Being a mechanic, Mack would probably get along with him just fine if he wasn't too busy fawning over his new girlfriend Elena, who was very nice as well but considering her english wasn't perfect and she already had trouble understanding Jemma's accent, a conversation with Fitz, although probably quite amusing, would be quite complicated. And to finish, they were Hunter and Bobbi who, taken separately, were great -Hunter was friend with anyone willing to offer him a beer and Bobbi had this sweet big sisterly vibe to her although she was sometimes freakishly observant about people- but together had the potential of being a nightmare. And Jemma honestly couldn't tell if they were worse when arguing all the time or all over each other and kind of gross and not at all behaving in accord with her extremely elegant decoration, like they were tonight.
So she supposed that if she wanted the mysterious Fitz to come out of his shell, she would have to be the one taking the first step. Not that she actually considered this poor man to be a gift but as the hostess, she considered it a duty to make sure every one had a good time tonight. And well … if Fitz revealed himself to be as smart and funny and all kinds of wonderful things as Daisy had said, it would really be a shame not to take the opportunity to get to know him.
As it happened, she found the perfect opportunity just five minutes later when she came back from the kitchen after she made sure nothing was burning, and found him next to her book shelves, looking fascinated by what looked like her first edition of From The Earth To The Moon by Jules Verne, one of the objects she treasured above all. His face was as close to it as he possibly could without touching it and he was tilting his head from one side to the other, his hands shooting up and going back to his pockets like he couldn't decide if he wanted or most likely was allowed to touch it, having apparently noticed that it wasn't just any ordinary copy of the book. She could have watched him do that funny little dance for even longer because it was (again) rather adorable but she was also tempted to see if those hands of his really were as well formed up close. She couldn't believe Daisy failed to mention he had such nice hands, she should have known by now that Jemma had a thing for men with really nice hands!
"You can touch it if you want!" Jemma chirped as she approached him.
Urg! That sounded better in her head. Thankfully except for Fitz, Daisy was the only one to hear her, too busy that they all were deciding who was more nauseating between Hunter and Bobbi and Mack and Elena, and she disguised her snorting under a relatively believable cough.
Apparently, it wasn't exactly the right way to approach Fitz either because his hands shoot straight back to his pockets once more and his face looked redder by the second like he'd been caught doing something really shameful.
"Oh I-I'm sorry, I wasn't snooping around I was just … I saw your books and this one … and I mean I love Jules Verne and I …"
"Fitz it's alright really!" She cut him off, feeling like this could go on a while. "They're just books and they're on display in my living room, it's not like I caught you rummaging through my underwear drawer!" She teased with a wide grin.
"Oh no God I wouldn't do that, I-I …"
Once again she cut him off. What was wrong with her tonight? She was usually good at engaging conversation.
"Fitz really I was just teasing, I swear I … Let's start over alright?" She asked and he nodded his head, looking a little relieved.
"So you said you love Jules Verne right?"
"Yeah I really do!"
"Well me too and this is actually one of my favorite books and I'm very proud of it so you can take it out of the shelf and look at it … if you want." She finished, feeling herself blush ridiculously under his attentive gaze. His blue eyes were shining in an almost unnatural way even in the dim light of the living room and it really shouldn't be allowed to be this distracting.
"Oh no I wouldn't ... it looks really old and fragile and …"
"Yeah it's a first edition actually, more than 150 years old if you can believe it but it's fine, you just need to mind the binding …"
"No my hands are probably still a bit greasy from earlier, it might stain …"
Oh. A man who gave books the respect they deserved was a man after her own heart and she couldn't help giving him a wide smile he reciprocated shyly. It was a really nice smile.
"Oh … yeah of course … That's very thoughtful of you actually. But I hum … I just washed my hands so I could show you if you want?" She proposed and he grinned slightly.
"You're really proud of it aren't you?"
"Who wouldn't?" She retorted and his grin widened. "So?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yes please!"
It was sweet how his good manners seemed to come to him automatically in a sweet child like way. Jemma was starting to understand what Daisy meant.
As she delicately took the book out the shelf, he came to stand next to her so they could watch it together. For a moment, she felt him hesitate as to what to do with the arm closer to hers until he finally settled for putting it behind his back. She honestly wouldn't have minded him putting it around her shoulder -because it was practical not because he smelt really nice- but he seemed quite shy and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable by being too forward.
"Hu by the way I'm sorry for the whole hum …" He started, making a vague gesture with his other hand and she looked at him with a confused smile. "hum you know … the … being awkward and hiding in a corner and all … I'm not really good with people, I'm better with books and hum … technology … anything not alive really …" He finished sheepishly and she chuckled, which made him gave her a mock affronted look, which only made her laugh even more.
"Don't worry, you're not doing so bad really. It's not easy blending in a group of people where everyone knows everyone else already. And at least you dressed up ... unless that's how you usually dress in case …"
"Oh no trust me I dressed up!" He chuckled.
"Yeah thought so … well that's a good look on you … Not that your usual look is bad, just I don't know how you usually dress and this one just suits your body type and hum …" Please someone stop me before I start describing his whole outfit or worse! Am I usually this bad at flirting? Wait is that what I'm doing? Do I really want to flirt with him when I barely know him yet? "and the blue of your shirt really brings out your eyes and hum …" Apparently I do.
"Thank you Jemma" He cut her off, grinning. She never realized how nice her name sounded in a Scottish accent.
"Thank you for stopping me!" She replied, rolling her eyes at herself and he grinned even wider before his smile actually turned a little bashful once more. "And that's a really nice hum … I mean you look really nice too …"
Was he flirting back or was he just being polite? As she let a small moment of silence set in, his eyes trailed down to her very elegant but slightly revealing neckline and he blushed before they went back up. Yep, he was flirting. Some other time, she might have felt annoyed or offended but considering it only lasted a second and he felt obviously shameful about it, it actually felt like a compliment. And maybe-maybe she didn't him looking at her that way. She gave him a small mischievous smile. That way he would definitely know she noticed his look but he would also know she didn't really mind.
Jemma was surprising herself with her way of thinking. She was now openly flirting and she still didn't a thing about him except his good taste in books. Well apparently that was enough.
"So hum … did Daisy prank us? Is that why we're the only ones all dressed up? I mean I thought maybe it was a cultural thing and Americans had a different notion of dressing up but then … Hunter …" He trailed off and Jemma chuckled.
"Oh no, I'm the one insisting that everyone should dress up and every year, it seems like they make even less of an effort!" She sighed. "And Hunter's actually the only who tried!" She added and Fitz's eyes widened comically.
"But that's the ugliest shirt I've ever seen and it's at least three sizes too big, we could probably both fit in it …" Fitz whispered conspiratorially as he moved even closer to her and that really shouldn't have such an effect on her.
"I know!" She replied on the same tone with a barely contained grin. "But you should see what he usually wears!"
"Really?" He asked with a slightly disbelieving frown and she nodded. "Wow"
"Oh look at that …" Jemma let out enthusiastically, bringing his attention back to the book. "There's been hundreds of illustrations of the book but the first ones are still my favorites!"
Apparently Fitz liked it a lot too because he had to refrain once more from touching it. She wondered what his mind set was like for him to always feel the need to touch things to understand them better.
She wouldn't mind him trying to understand her better. Urgh god! Daisy get out of my head!
"Oh yeah I remember that one. Used to watch those all the time -in my very ordinary copy of the book- before I was even old enough to actually read the book. I think it's one of the reasons I became an engineer … so I could build machines like that …" He trailed off, his eyes lighting up at the memory. In Jemma's opinion, there was nothing more attractive than a man talking passionately about what he loved.
"Oh so you're a scientist as well?" Jemma almost cried out enthusiastically and Fitz chuckled.
"Daisy really didn't tell you much about me? Did she?"
"Well she said you were Scottish … and smart … which makes sense if you're an engineer but no, not much!" She answered and he rolled his eyes but there was a bit of fondness in it.
"Well at least she told you I was coming!" He grinned and Jemma let out the most awkward high pitched laugh and winced immediately. "She did tell you I was coming right?" Fitz insisted, worry etched on his face.
"Yeah of course …" She said, not meeting his eyes but she could feel his gaze on her. Stupid intense blue eyes. She already had a hard time lying to people she was used to but to someone new and so distracting, it wasn't even worth trying. "Just ten minutes before you came in …"
"Oh noooo, I'm so sorry!" He said taking his head in his hands. "I feel like such a party crasher, God …"
"No Fitz it's fine really, if I knew Trip's new roommate was alone for Christmas, I would have invited you as well … and knowing Daisy I guess you didn't have much of a choice anyway …" She said and he groaned rather comically through his hands.
"I feel so embarrassed … I should have asked your contact before to make sure you knew but I've been so busy and …" he started, his voice muffled by his hands since he still didn't want to look at her.
Jemma hesitated for a second before she gently pulled one of his (deliciously warm and slightly calloused) hands away from his face to force him to look at her.
"It's alright I swear. There's enough food for twenty people anyway and I'm hum … glad you came. It's not every day that I get to meet a fellow scientist and Jules Verne enthusiast …" She said in a soft tone that seemed to get his attention because he took his other hand away from his face. His hands had gotten in his hair as well and he managed to mess it up a bit. She was really starting to get Daisy's meaning about him being too cute. He really was as cute as one can be without being a puppy.
"Yeah?" He just asked.
"Yeah!"
"Okay then … So … you're a scientist as well?"
"Yes, biochemist. I actually work … just over … there!" She said, taking a few steps towards the window to show him the SciTech tower visible from her living room.
"Oh ... We might actually have crossed paths already, I literally work across the street from you at Stark's tower!"
"Oh wow that's the dream for an engineer! Are you in mechanical engineering?" She asked.
"Yeah … how do you …"
"Jules Verne's machine, mechanical engineering's the logical thing to do if you ever want to build a machine to …"
"go to the moon! Yeah, that was the idea!" He grinned.
"Well then, we might do more than cross paths, we actually sometimes consult for Stark and vice versa …" Jemma grinned back.
"Well that's …"
"nice, yeah …"
-0-0-0
By the time the oven's timer rang, signaling that it was time for every one to come sit around the table, Jemma and Fitz were so deep in conversation about Jemma's current project she was now more than enthusiastic to ask consult from Stark about, that they didn't even notice all the knowing glances not only from Daisy but everyone else. After all the times Daisy had tried to set her up with every single guy she could find and didn't want for herself, she couldn't believe she actually found someone like Fitz. He really seemed too good to be true, especially compared to all the meat heads and boring men from the past.
As she came back from the kitchen, her arms loaded with food, Jemma was starting to regret placing Fitz between Daisy and Trip -they were the only persons he knew, that seemed only logical at the time- when she noticed that Daisy had apparently traded places with her and was waggling her eyebrows ridiculously as her eyes travelled between Fitz and the empty seat next to him. Hopefully Fitz was too focused on what he was talking about with Mack to notice that. He did notice when she came to sit next to him and the smile he gave her then did a much better job of warming her up than all the delicious food she prepared.
As the hours passed, Fitz started to relax with everyone else as well. He was indeed quite funny and Daisy never missed an opportunity to give her an awfully pleased little grin every time she laughed at one of his jokes. She was really going to be insufferable if Fitz continued to be this sweet, cute, smart and funny for the rest of the evening and it would be no use reminding her of her huge lack of judgement concerning pretty much all the other men she ever introduced to Jemma.
-0-0-0-
Later, Jemma was watching Fitz help Mack build the lego car Daisy got him for Christmas and was getting all engineer about it, pointing out all the ways they could make it more solid or more efficient. Mack had laughed out loud when he unwrapped it, reminding Daisy he wasn't a child, but as soon as Fitz said they could build it now and that it wouldn't take too much time, they got to it with an adorable child like enthusiasm. They made such a funny picture those two overgrown (extremely overgrown in Mack's case) toddlers that Jemma didn't even hear Daisy come to sit next to her until she spoke.
"Already imagining what your actual children will look like?" She asked with that same knowing grin that's been attached to her face pretty much all evening whenever their eyes met.
"Urgh Daisy not so loud!" Jemma hissed and Daisy only waggled her eyebrows.
"So you do think about having babies with him? Are at least practice the "making babies" part if you know what I mean …"
"Okay I'll admit he's pretty amazing and I would definitely go out on a date with him if he asks me out. Are you happy?"
"Yeah I am. But what happened to being a modern young woman who takes what she wants without waiting for a man to do it for her?" Daisy asked, raising a defiant eyebrow and Jemma rolled her eyes.
"First of all Fitz is not a thing to be taken or given …" She said with a pointed look. "And he's new here and he's really shy, I don't want to scare him off. If he doesn't ask, maybe I'll propose something less pressuring than a date like a lunch or a coffee after work to get to know him better and then if he still doesn't ask me out then I will do it myself!"
"Urgh boring … you've been giving each other heart eyes all evening, stop being such a chicken …"
"I'm not being a chicken I'm just trying to be …"
"Anyway if you don't make a move I will do it for you …" Daisy cut her off.
"No no no, listen I'm actually really glad you invited him but don't …"
"AND DONE! Eleven minutes and twenty seconds! Don't want to brag but I'm prrrretty sure it's a record!"
It seemed that with a bit of alcohol in his system and a toy, Fitz was able to overcome most of his shyness. High-fiving with Mack then turning towards Jemma, he gave her a wide happy smile. It was so filled with a child-like uninhibited mirth that Jemma couldn't help smiling back as a delicious warmth invaded her body. She liked the way he's been looking at her all evening with a mix of awe that must have been reflecting her own as they discovered each other's passion for science and intelligence, bashfulness, tenderness and something else that made his eyes sparkle and her stomach do funny little flips. God, was it even possible to crush on someone so hard after only a few hours spent together?
"Urgh! I take it all back ..." Daisy sighed, interrupting her in her very pleasant reverie and Jemma huffed in annoyance as she forced herself to break eye contact with Fitz. Hopefully Daisy's voice was low enough that he didn't hear a word of that conversation. "You two are going to be way too nauseatingly cute together, I don't think I can handle that."
"But we'd never be worse than Hunter and Bobbi, would we?" Jemma asked, nodding towards her friends who'd stopped arguing and were now behaving totally not in accord with the supposed level of sophistication of this evening.
"Fair point …" Daisy conceded.
-0-0-0-
Jemma knew something was wrong the moment she got out of the bathroom. She heard some kind of commotion the moment she got in but she didn't give it much thought. But now it was all much too quiet, actually except for the low humming of the music, she couldn't hear a sound coming from the living room.
As she walked in and saw that all of their gifts were gone and that the coat hanger was free from their coats and scarves, she had to come to the conclusion that her friends had actually left without even saying goodbye while she was in the loo.
"I can't believe those guys …" Jemma mumbled to herself. Why would her friends leave without even saying goodbye when she put so much effort into this whole evening. What could have been so urgent that they couldn't wait a few minutes? Not to mention the clench of her heart at the realization that even Fitz didn't wait for her. Maybe she read him all wrong after all and he wasn't interested in her at all. Or at least not romantically.
Still, at the very least it seemed like she and Fitz could become good friends and he seemed so well mannered, it really didn't make any sense.
Well, she wouldn't let them get away with it, she would get an explanation! Scanning the room, she spotted her phone on the kitchen counter and walked straight to it. But just as she started looking for Daisy's contact to call her, she noticed that she had several new text messages: one from Daisy, one from Trip, one from Bobbi and even one from Mack with whom she didn't often exchange messages except on birthdays and a few special occasions. The messages all said the same thing with a variable amount of accompanying emoticons: Merry Christmas Jemma and enjoy your gift!
Furrowing her brows in confusion, Jemma was about to actually call Daisy to demand an explanation when she noticed something or rather someone in the corner of her field of vision. Fitz did mention earlier that he was really tired and barely had a moment to rest since he came to New York so considering it was almost two in the morning, she shouldn't have been surprised to find him like that.
Half sitting, half lying down in a corner of her couch with his head on the armrest, Fitz seemed to be blissfully asleep with a ghost of a smile on his lips. And oh my god, Daisy actually had the nerves to put one of the little plastic bows from one of her gifts on Fitz's forehead. And damnit, she hated herself for thinking like that and objectifying a man that had so much more to offer than a very pretty face and pert little bum but it made him look even more delicious.
This was such a soft and lovely scene that for just a moment, she actually considered snuggling up to him and pretend they just both fell asleep like that by accident, but she decided against it. Instead, she went to get a blanket so he wouldn't get cold and delicately laid it over him. He didn't even flinch, his breathing remaining deep and regular. Poor thing must have really been exhausted.
Then she went about the apartment, clearing the table of all remaining glasses and dishes, filling the dishwasher and hoping Fitz would wake up on his own at some point and she could just call him a cab considering Trip was the one who drove him there and he left without him. God, she hoped the "you looked too peaceful sleeping, they didn't want to wake you up so they left you here on your own" excuse would be believable enough for Fitz.
Twenty minutes later though, once her apartment was once again spotless, Fitz was still asleep and showed no sign of waking up soon. As she wondered if she should wake him up after all, she almost unconsciously reached for the bow on his forehead so that, at least, she wouldn't have to explain that. Maybe it was Jemma's close proximity or the light touch of her cold hand on his forehead or maybe he wasn't so deeply asleep as she thought he was but the movement was enough to wake him up. His eyes shooting open as her hand was still only centimeters away from his forehead and his brows furrowed in confusion immediately.
"Jemma?" He asked, his voice still rough from sleep sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.
"I didn't put it there!" Jemma cried out immediately, which only seemed to confuse him even more.
Taking a quick look around, his eyes locked back on her. "Where's everybody?"
"Hum … gone … they hum … thought you looked peaceful sleeping and hum …" She trailed off when he saw the still really confused and slightly disbelieving look in his eyes.
"Jemma?"
God, if he kept saying her name in that low sleepy and heavily accented voice, she couldn't be held responsible for her actions for much longer.
Letting out a big sigh, she moved to sit next to him, she'd never been good at lying anyway.
"So hum … here's the thing …" She started, already feeling the blush attacking her cheeks. "When Daisy met you the other day, she apparently decided that you were hum … perfect for me …" She said and his eyes went a little wide but she tried not to interpret it as a positive or negative reaction. "… and so Daisy being who she is, she decided to bring you tonight as a … gift …for me" Fitz's eyebrows were now up to his hairline but it was too late to stop anyway. "Obviously I found the idea completely ridiculous and outraging and I welcomed you as someone who's new in town and would appreciate to get to know new people, not as a gift or anything, I would never …"
Jemma trailed off when Fitz suddenly burst out laughing as he rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of the last remains of sleep.
"Fitz, I swear that's the truth …"
"Yeah no no I completely believe you …" Fitz cut her off once he stopped laughing, a big smile still lighting up his face. "When I came in earlier, Daisy told me she had a gift for me but I'd have to get it myself. That didn't seem to make much sense so I didn't give it much thought but now …"
"Oh god … why am I even friends with these people?" Jemma groaned as she buried her face in her hands and she could hear Fitz's fond laugh.
"That said …" He added. "Now I definitely understand why Daisy went through all this trouble to get us to meet each other …"
Looking up, Jemma saw his slightly shy but adorably hopeful smile. He'd also turned around a bit so that he was facing her more fully now.
"Yeah?" Was all she could answer.
"Yeah …"
"Well … me too … I think"
"I think …" Jemma said to herself as she internally rolled her eyes. "Understatement of the century".
But Fitz didn't seem to mind as he gave her another one of those blinding adorable smiles she couldn't help but reciprocate. His hands in his lap seemed restless like he was itching to touch her in one way or another. She was about to make the first step and take his hand when he spoke again.
"So where's everyone?"
"Oh … hum … they-they left, so we could be hum … together, alone together I mean … I didn't ask them, they left while I was in the bathroom those idiots ..." She answered, feeling herself blush a deep shade of red at the implication.
"Oh … well … to be honest I kinda hoped I'd be the last one to leave, not to hum you know … just to have the opportunity to talk some more, get to know you better and maybe ask-you-out-on-a-date-or-something but I swear it wasn't my idea. I know how convenient it must look. Me falling asleep on your couch to stay alone with you and I …"
"I know Fitz, I believe you. It really does sound like something Daisy would do! I just didn't think the others would agree to it but I suppose she'd …"
Jemma trailed off when it finally hit her that Fitz had mentioned asking her out and it finally gave her the courage to reach for his hand, his deliciously warm palm enveloping hers without hesitation as his long delicate fingers intertwined with hers. Looking down at how perfectly they fit together, she looked back up and gave him a mischievous grin.
"Fitz, would you like to get a coffee or tea sometime tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yeah-yeah ... I would love that Jemma …" He grinned back as he added his other hand, trapping hers between both of his. The gesture felt so sweet and intimate and yet surprisingly natural when it came from a man she'd known for only a few hours.
"Well, that's a good thing because …" Jemma started before she reluctantly disentangled her hand from his and stood up to go towards the kitchen. She grinned a little wider when he couldn't hold back a slight whimper at the loss of contact. It was like he was being this cute on purpose.
Opening the cupboard above the sink, she took two cups out then poured the water that just finished boiling on the tea leaves she'd already prepared for herself in the kettle, grabbed some milk and sugar and put it all on a tray she deposited on the coffee table before sitting back on the couch as close to Fitz as possible without actually sitting on his lap.
Fitz was now looking at her with an amused but slightly confused smile.
"because…" She picked out where she left off. "… we're already tomorrow so … tea?" She finished, smiling at him with an apparent boldness she didn't really feel.
"Yeah … two spoons of sugar and a splash of milk please."
"Sooo … you said you wanted to know me better … what do you want to know?" She asked as she proceeded to serve tea just like he asked for but he didn't answer and kept looking at her with a growing smile. "What?" She insisted, feeling at the same time a little exposed and excited under his properly indecent smile and mischievous gaze.
"That was really smooth …" He declared in that same low voice except he definitely didn't look sleepy anymore.
"Oh well … and what about …"
For once, Jemma didn't overthink and slowly bent forward, giving him ample time to move back if this wasn't what he wanted. But soon enough, her lips were pressed against his and he tasted like cinnamon and peppermint. His hands on her cheek and shoulder were warm and comforting and she thought he might be a Christmas present in human form after all. She kept the kiss soft and tender, her tongue barely grazing his upper lip before pulling away. Still, she was a little breathless when she finished her sentence.
"...that?"
"Definitely very smooth …" He answered, his slightly parted lips incredibly tempting as he tried to catch his breath.
"Oh God … Please don't tell Daisy I did that without even waiting for a first date, she'll be uncontrollable!" She asked, letting her head fall against his shoulder and he chuckled while letting the hand that's been on her cheek slide down to her neck.
"Of course …" He whispered against her ear. " I don't want her to offer you another man next Christmas!"
"Mmmmh yeah?"
He answered by pressing gentle kisses on her temple, making her skin tingle deliciously. "Well I'm definitely not interested in her offering me another man …"
With his other hand, he reached under her chin and gently tilted it up until their faces were only an inch from each other. Maybe it was because her eyes immediately drifted to his lips or maybe he just really wanted it because this time, he was the one who dove in and kissed her. This time, it gained in intensity much faster, his arms going around her waist to pull her closer and his lips parting when she nibbled on his lower lip. She could feel him reciprocating her smile when they both gasped in synchrony as their tongue made contact.
"Happy Christmas Jemma" he mumbled against her lips as they broke apart for air for a moment.
Threading her hands into his soft curls, she pulled him against her once more.
"Happy Christmas to me indeed …" She breathed out before succumbing to the attraction of his lips once more.
-0-0-0-
That night, the tea she'd prepared so carefully for him remained forgotten and untouched. But Jemma Simmons always prided herself in being a good hostess. She knew it was kind of an outdated notion that didn't exactly fit with her otherwise modern and independent personality, but she rather liked to think of it as a will to do the best for the people that mattered to her. She liked to make them happy with a good meal in a relaxing atmosphere and she liked to see their pleased smile. Because seing loved ones happy made her feel good even when life wasn't that great for her. And that was why she woke up what most people would have considered insanely early considering how late she fell asleep, and went to the kitchen to prepare more tea and a light breakfast.
When she went back to her room with her breakfast tray, the way the mattress dipped under her weight seemed to finally stir Fitz from sleep. When he lazily turned around and looked at her with a very pleased and adoring smile, she was pretty sure it didn't have much to do with her being such a good hostess but she was really fine with it. There were other delicious ways to keep that smile on his face and lots of them would make her feel very very good. And she had a feeling her life was only going to get even greater from now on.
-0-0-0-
The following Christmas, Daisy didn't have to bring Jemma another man as a present but there were still two new guests at the table. Well, one of them was at the table: Trip's new roommate Lincoln was new in town and from the heart eyes Daisy sent his way all evening, Jemma felt like she'd finally have the opportunity to tease her back. But as much as Fitz insisted on it being an even bigger occasion than their usual Christmas dinner, Monkey wasn't allowed at the table. She was completely unable to resist both Fitz's and the small dog's pleading eyes when her live in boyfriend brought it home one evening after finding it abandoned in the park, but at least she was able to draw the line at "no dog at the dinner table".
After all, she couldn't have a dog stealing the thunder of their engagement by his cuteness. After all, Fitz was known for being ridiculously adorable and when they were together, they were just twice as adorable.
Was it a bit exaggerated that we went from first time meeting each other to first kiss to moving in together to getting engaged and adopting a dog? Maybe. Do I regret it? No.
After Friday's episode, I'm feeling super optimistic that we're finally going to get a super romantic FS reunion in the next one and maybe that's where this story came from !