Author's Notes

JaneDoh7 graciously allowed me to beta test her dazzling fic "A Static Relationship". (Which you can read on A03). While reading Chapter 3, I was so taken in that I wanted to write my own spin-off. I asked JaneDoh7 for permission, she said that would be great, I wrote it, she beta-ed it, and here it is.

I wrote this story without having read beyond Chapter 3 of "A Static Relationship", so don't worry – there are no spoilers here. This is just my alternate twist on what could have happened that night.

So, if you haven't read "A Static Relationship", please treat yourself and do it! If you're reading this first, the bare-bones summary is that SciOps-era FitzSimmons go for a night of star-gazing, but things suddenly get intense when their hands touch.

Thank you again to JaneDoh7 for inspiring this story, letting me write a spin-off, and for beta-testing it!

Friction

Fitz's head swam. Here he was, lying outside on a blanket with Jemma next to him. Darkness surrounded them except for the views of the heavens, the bright stars dazzling above them. And then there was Simmons's voice as she talked about the constellations, her love for them shining through. In the chilly evening air, her voice was crisp and yet soothing. He knew that she would be the anchor in his life as they left SciOps to go into the field and begin the adventure of a lifetime.

And she had said that her favorite constellation was Leo. His heart had skipped a beat at hearing her say his first name, even though it was a name he had no love for. And now his heart wouldn't stop throbbing as they held each other's hands. Had she really said – a second ago – "just don't let me go" – or had he dreamed that? His mind felt foggy and excited at the same time.

"Feeling a little warmer now?" Fitz asked. He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. If she answered yes, would she take her hands away and end this blissful contact? The thought was wrenching.

"A little," she breathed. "This is helping."

"I – uh – I'm so glad you had the idea for us to do this," Fitz said. "It's really nice out here. It's – it's awe-inspiring, looking at the stars and being here with you." Fitz closed his eyes with embarrassment. Why did I say that? He berated himself for the awkwardness of his words. Well, maybe talking will steady my heart rate. Maybe I can get Simmons to keep talking – why does her voice suddenly sound mesmerizing?

"Fitz," Jemma began quietly, almost hesitantly. "Would you kiss me?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could employ any rational thought to stop them: "I would do anything you asked now."

He reached for her and pressed his lips to hers. If he hadn't just seen a meteor streak in the sky, he was seeing one now behind his eyelids. Touching his lips to hers was like nothing else he had ever experienced. A thousand bright stars exploded in the velvety night darkness.

Fitz had kissed more than a few girls before. It was so different right now though. It felt simultaneously like coming home and like launching himself into space. How could it be both calming and electrifying at the same time?

He tried to focus his mind on logic. There was calculating how much pressure to use when pressing lips, trying to determine when to insert his tongue into her mouth, and once it was inserted he had to decide how much to move it around. Fitz loved the wet and gentle feel of her mouth.

After a few moments, Jemma lay back on the blanket. The awkward half-sitting, facing each other position had been a bit difficult to maintain (though Fitz thought fleetingly that he would kiss her no matter what position they were in, even if they were tied up, upside down together). For a split second, when she moved to lie on her back, Fitz felt alarmed, the sensation of her warmth slipping away from him.

But Jemma gestured at him to come back to her. He slowly lowered himself on top of her, so they could resume kissing. He hungrily placed his mouth against hers again, this time tracing her lips first with his tongue. He supported himself on his arms, as he felt her reaching her hands around. The warmth of her body against his own once again sent him into orbit while also making him feel cozy.

Her hands! On him. One of them was touching the back of his head, stroking his curls. The other was somewhere on his back, against his cardigan. Just as he had felt simultaneously calm and electrified, he now somehow also felt both cold from the night air and burning up on the inside.

"Kiss my neck," Jemma whispered.

Fitz happily complied. How was her skin so soft? How was it that all he wanted to do was lose himself in her, be surrounded by her? He slowly placed a trail of kisses from her lips to her neck. He kissed the hollow of her throat. She made a few noises which Fitz could only interpret as sighs of contentment.

A small part of his brain nagged at him. Should he stop and have a discussion with her? Should they talk about their friendship and how they could never risk losing it? Should he ask her what all of this meant? But he could not. His brain simply was failing him now and he wasn't sure he could even begin the conversation if he attempted it.

Once he had kissed her neck, he returned to her mouth. Their tongues again played together, exploring.

"Do you like to have your ears kissed?" Jemma whispered.

Fitz made a sound that he hoped resembled an affirmative answer. Jemma took it as such. She reached her tongue to his ear and licked it. He groaned. His groan suddenly sounded too loud against the quiet night, but there was nothing to be done about it. When she playfully started nibbling on his ear, he knew he was beyond being able to restrain any other sounds he might make.

"Touch me," she said breathlessly. And then, apparently, she realized she might need to be more specific. "Here." With that, Jemma deftly unbuttoned her shirt and unhooked her bra. As Fitz rested on one elbow, Jemma reached for his other hand and brought it under her bra.

"Am I being too bossy?" Jemma whispered.

"No," Fitz managed. Was she really inviting him to touch her breasts? Or was this just some cosmic dream brought on by sitting under the stars together? "Uh – aren't my fingers too cold now?"

"No. Your hands are warm."

"Oh. Yeah, right, they are."

He slid his hand to cup one of her breasts, letting the thumb gently touch the nipple. The nipple was hard and firm. Jemma sighed, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back. Fitz continued to caress her soft breast. He dipped his head back down to taste her lips again. She enthusiastically returned the kiss. Then, wondering if her other breast might like some attention, he shifted his position so he could begin to caress it. He did the same as before – cupping the round flesh and then taking his fingertips and running them against the hard nub.

"Lay back for a second," Jemma commanded.

Fitz did as he was told, although it felt almost painful to break away from her. Of course the hardness in his pants was almost reaching a painful point as well. He repositioned himself to lie on his back, Jemma moving along with him so she was now on top. He marveled at her gracefulness as she discarded her shirt and bra, and then reached for the side of the blanket to place over herself to provide warmth.

Then she lowered her mouth back onto his. As one of her hands touched the side of his face, they again kissed passionately. Fitz's hands meanwhile roamed where they had never been before, all along her bare back, the smooth sides of her waist.

Fitz found that for a second, he was breaking away from the kiss and words were coming out of his mouth. "May I…" he began. Then his mind seemed to switch off and words failed him. So instead he reached to grasp her breasts, dangling before him like tempting fruit, and began to suck on a nipple.

"Yes," Jemma groaned. "Yes, yes, yes."

He lavished attention on her breasts, kissing them all over, licking the nipples, sucking on them. His cock was so hard. But Fitz remained focused on what was in front of him, enjoying every second of this. He thought he might have, at some point, moaned out the word 'gorgeous' but he wasn't sure.

Suddenly a sound could be heard in the distance. They both turned their heads at the same time. "A car," Jemma said. They froze and listened.

And then fortunately, fate seemed to smile on them. The car drove right on by; no one was stopping at the park and getting out. Jemma reached again for Fitz's hands and put them back on her breasts. Again he tenderly explored them. After one of his fingers encircled her nipple again, she reached for the digit, placed it inside her mouth, and sucked.

"Can we do more?" Jemma asked.

Again Fitz felt like he would say yes to whatever she suggested. But his brain was not going to cooperate now, now matter how brilliant it normally was. There was so much to say and ask. Would tonight damage their friendship? Or wait, wasn't it too late to worry about that? What did she mean when she said 'do more?' He didn't have a condom, and had no idea if she had one or not. Best friends though they were, he didn't know if she was on hormonal birth control or not. Of course 'do more' didn't necessarily translate to intercourse. He wasn't a virgin and knew she wasn't either, which should have made some of this easier. But not when the stakes were so high, when your best friend was on top of you and disrobed to the waist, when the sight of her like this made you want to cry, when your arousal was a persistent ache pounding against you.

His brain got its act together enough to say, "Whatever you like, please just tell me."

"How about this?" She reached for his trousers and began to undo them. She touched his hardness. "Is this okay?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes. I- I mean it, yes to anything!" he said.

She grasped his cock and began to stroke it. As she did so, she reached her lips back to his and kissed him again. He ran his hands up and down her back, reveling in her kisses. Meanwhile her hands stroked him faster and faster. The persistent ache was giving way to nothing but abject pleasure. Her hand felt so damn good on him.

But Fitz had something to communicate, and he attempted to do so. "Should – uh, we stop and switch? I mean I thought – not that there's been that many. But – um, the women I've been with before have said….you know, isn't the girl supposed to come first?"

"Unless you plan to fall asleep afterwards, I have no objection to going second," Jemma said. And she was smiling. That crazy beautiful smile that he had fallen for, had always fallen for.

"Right. Of course. And n-no, I won't fall asleep after this." He silently added that his mind was so blown up that he might not ever fall asleep again.

So Fitz surrendered to the work of her hands. He throbbed. Jemma continued to pump and stroke him, and he reached up for one of her breasts and again sucked on the nipple. Had that car they heard a few moments ago been full of people heading their way, Fitz would not have cared at this point. Desperate for relief, he at last came in her hand. He closed his eyes and saw white-hot stars behind them.

True to what he said a few moments ago, Fitz was now eager to ensure that she enjoyed this night every bit as much as he had. "You- your turn now," he managed. They shifted position, and she unzipped her trousers and pulled them down along with her knickers.

Fitz lowered himself on top of Jemma and began to kiss areas of her body that he hadn't gotten to before. He planted kisses on her abdomen and spent quite some time there, just enjoying her soft but firm flesh. Now that his urgent need had been sated, it felt good, like he could take as much time as he needed to do whatever Jemma wanted. The cool air on his bare backside didn't bother him as he was so absorbed in touching her. His mind seemed to work better now too. He wondered if Jemma was expecting him to use his fingers on her, and if it would be a surprise if he instead used his mouth. He knew she was always fastidious about cleanliness and she might want to have showered right before allowing this, but he also recalled that she had visited the gym and bathed before the party. Thus he decided that he was going to lick her, unless she stopped him and told him she wanted his fingers instead.

"Oh!" Jemma exclaimed in surprise when she realized where Fitz was going with this. He kissed his way down from her stomach, making his way to her inner thighs and gracing them with more kisses. "Oh, are you going to…?" she began, her voice high.

"Is this ok?" he asked, looking up.

"Yes," she replied. He detected a twinge of hesitation in her voice but decided to continue unless she changed her mind.

And then he was there, right at her core. He breathed in her musky scent. His head started to swim again from sheer pleasure and joy. He then planted wet kisses all along her labia. Fitz knew from his experience that there was always some mystery with this part; each woman was different and for a moment he panicked, since he didn't know what specific touches Jemma liked and didn't like. But then he remembered that she had done a nice job giving some direction tonight and she would likely continued to do so. He reached out his tongue and started to lap at her. He avoided her clit, thinking it might need some time before it craved direct stimulation, so he continued to experience the rest of her as he just lost himself in the sensations. It was exquisite, and he wished he could tell her so. He was in between her legs, her gorgeous thighs surrounding him; he felt he had reached paradise.

"You can move up just a bit," Jemma quietly guided him. "That's it, and then just a bit to the side. Either side, just not right on the clit. She's too sensitive sometimes." As Fitz followed her instructions, he heard her moan and sigh. "Oh Fitz," she murmured. "Perfect. Right there." And then a few moments, she encouraged him on, "Just a bit harder and a bit faster. Right there."

Fitz worked his tongue and followed her directions. Her cries were getting louder. Listening to her obvious enjoyment and experiencing her like this, it was almost too much for Fitz. He knew he was starting to harden a bit again. With one final, loud cry she gently nudged his head away and whispered, "That's good, that's good."

He gradually brought himself back up next to her, bringing the blanket with him to ensure they were ensconced in its warmth. They placed their arms around each other and slowly, slowly kissed once more. They stayed that way for a long time, just pressing lips together.

Fitz knew there was so much to go over, so much to talk about. What would this mean? Was there any possibility that this was – to Jemma – just a one-time fling before they went off into the field? Or did this mean what he hoped it meant, that they would be more than friends? How difficult would it be to make that type of relationship work when they lived in the field day in and day out?

"It's getting cold," Jemma whispered.

"Yes," he agreed dejectedly. His thoughts continued to spin. Maybe this was it. A moment brought on by their awe at the vastness of space and their fear over the turn their lives and careers were about to take. Maybe this was just the release of the pressure valve they needed, and would be forgotten in the days to come. Perhaps over the years they would glance at each other and remember this night when they had loved each other under the stars, they would share a smile, and then once more put it out of their heads and just be grateful for their friendship.

She turned to look at him. "I have an idea. Can we go to a hotel? Check into a room together, maybe take a bubble bath if we want, make love all night long? And –" she added with a twinkle in her eye – "eat the crisps and the chocolates from the minibar."

Fitz's eyes grew wide. "That sounds like a dream. A decadent dream, and one we should definitely make come true. Plus we'd be indoors, out of this cold."

"I know we have to work tomorrow but – but I just can't bear for this night to end! Even if it means we're exhausted tomorrow."

Did she not want the night to end just because she was loving it so much or because when the sun came up they would go back to being just friends? Fitz wanted desperately to ask her, but he felt he couldn't handle it if the answer he received was not the one he wanted. The one he needed.

"I have a feeling," he began, "that when we begin our assignment, we're going to be routinely exhausted. So we may as well get used to it. Let's go."

Hours later, they were snuggled together under plush bed sheets inside their cozy hotel room. Their bodies were exhausted and sated.

When the sun rose, Jemma asked if she could order mimosas from room service. "You weren't kidding about being decadent," Fitz replied sleepily. Their clothes were strewn about the floor along with the wrappers from some of the treats from the minibar. "Aren't mimosas used for celebrations and toasts?"

"Exactly. I would like us to toast this new chapter in our lives. Leaving SciOps and going into the field. And – " Jemma stopped, her voice losing some of the bravado it had had a second ago.

"And….?" Fitz prompted, leaning forward.

"And going from best friends to….more than friends?" Jemma asked. "I mean, that is…if I'm reading your signals properly? Of course if I'm not then I under—"

"Yes!" Fitz said. "Going from best friends to more than friends. That is worth a toast for sure." He pulled her into another kiss.

THE END