"I'm back!" Jemma yelled as she entered her apartment, a huge bag of folders in her hand to go through that evening on Melinda's behalf. She never ceased to be amazed by the view offered by living on the twelfth floor of an apartment building; London never failed to look interesting whatever the weather.

She also loved the look of her apartment, with baby blue walls, laminate flooring and matching furniture (she redecorated within weeks of starting to work for Melinda May). What she didn't love, however, was the mess it was currently in. There were paper scraps on the floor, used plates in every nook and cranny and discarded clothes thrown about and beginning to smell.

"Daisy!" Jemma shouted again. The bathroom door on the opposite end of the apartment opened and Jemma's roommate Daisy Johnson walked out, somehow still looking presentable with no make-up, scruffy hair and floral pyjamas.

"How was work?" Daisy asked. Jemma sighed.

"When I left this morning, the apartment was a little dirty and you promised to clean it. It looks even worse!" Jemma stated.

"I was cleaning my room, which I also promised to do so you can't be mad at me." Daisy argued.

"Picking up all the used paper, plates and clothes from your room and dumping them in another room is not cleaning, Daisy!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Come on Jem, it's my only day off this week! I don't want to spend the whole day cleaning!" Daisy said.

"But it's okay for me to do it even though I haven't had a proper day off in a month?" Jemma asked sarcastically. Daisy grinned cheekily.

"There's the Jemma I love. I'm gonna have a shower." Daisy said.

"Fine, but when you get out you're helping me clean up this mess!" Jemma announced, dumping the bag of folders on the kitchen table with a smile, something Daisy picked up on and rushed up to her.

"What's that on your face?" Daisy asked.

"What?" Jemma wondered, touching her cheeks.

"That's…that's a smile!" Daisy joked.

"Shut up." Jemma laughed, unpacking the folders.

"Staring at your workload and smiling is a very new sight. Good day?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, if you must know." Jemma said.

"Whhyyyyyyyy?" Daisy teased like a prying child, leaning forward onto the table towards Jemma.

"What's that?" Jemma asked, pointing at Daisy.

"What?"

"Oh, I know what it is – none of your business." Jemma smirked, moving over to the couch and stretching out her legs so Daisy couldn't sit next to her. Daisy chuckled and she lifted Jemma's legs up and managed to sit down, Jemma's legs resting on her lap.

"First a smile and now decent comebacks? What's happened to you today?" Daisy wondered.

"…Don't make a fuss, alright?" Jemma begged, secretly desperate to tell Daisy all about it.

"Cross my heart." Daisy swore.

"…So, uh…so there was this guy…" Jemma blushed. Daisy's head nearly flew off her neck at the speed in which she faced Jemma with a huge look of shock and joy on her face.

"Shut. Up. Office sex?!" Daisy asked.

"No! Nothing like that! Don't be so crude." Jemma said.

"Okay, okay, whatever. A guy walks into a modelling firm. Sounds kinda gay to me." Daisy teased.

"He's not gay, shut up."

"Until you have office sex with him, you can't be sure."

"Daisy, I swear…"

"Right, sorry! Go on. There was a guy…" Daisy prompted.

"…Yeah. He came to see Melinda, obviously, but we had a few minutes alone and…I don't know, I guess I just haven't been able to talk to a guy so naturally like that in a long time. There was just something about him. I'm probably overthinking it; we didn't really talk for that long." Jemma explained.

"That doesn't matter, Jem! This is a big step for you! It's been almost a year since you and Milton broke up; it's about time you got yourself back out there. Attractive, I take it?" Daisy asked.

"Very." Jemma blushed.

"What else?"

"It turns out he's the photographer I pitched to Melinda May for my interview. Leo Fitz." Jemma revealed.

"Shut your ass up! This is, like, destiny!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Let's not go that far just yet." Jemma chuckled.

"Are you gonna see him again?"

"He spent a few hours taking shots for Melinda, and when she came back she said she was really impressed so fingers crossed." Jemma smiled.

"Jem, this is HUGE. You're smoking hot and if you're talking to me about this guy like this, I can guarantee he's gushing about you to someone." Daisy said excitedly.

"That's very wishful thinking." Jemma sighed.

Leo flew into his apartment and looked around. The cream walls, brownish carpet and elegant décor were all there, but his roommate was not.

"Lance? I'm back!" Leo shouted. Suddenly, Lance appeared from the hallway at the end of the apartment, rushing out from his bedroom.

"How did it go? Did you meet some hot models? Did you make out with any?" Lance asked rapidly.

"…Which of those do I answer first?" Leo asked.

"You really think I care how it went? Tell me about the models! Did you have to take pictures of any?" Lance wondered.

"That is my job, Lance." Leo chuckled.

"I know that! I mean, what kind of things did you have to do with them? How many were there?"

"Three."

"You got paid to take photos of THREE models? You lucky bastard." Lance sighed.

"Melinda May was super happy with the shots, too. I'm going back tomorrow to help her choose which three to use for the official promo shots they'll send out to other companies." Leo explained happily.

"Great, great. Were they hot? I bet they were hot." Lance demanded, sitting down on the couch excitedly as Leo placed his camera bag on the dinner table.

"Uh, I guess." Leo said. Lance stood up and looked at him in confusion.

"You…you guess?"

"Well…they're models. They were all pretty." Leo said.

"I won't lie, mate; I was expecting a bit more detail." Lance said.

"…If I'm honest, there was this really cute girl working at the desk and I was thinking about her more than the models." Leo admitted. Lance stared at him blankly for a few moments.

"Women are utterly wasted on you." Lance sighed eventually.

"Oh, come on."

"You're actually telling me that you entered a building full of beautiful models and you were most attracted to the receptionist?" Lance asked.

"She's actually a personal assistant to Melinda May, but…yeah, I suppose." Leo said.

"Bloody hell! She's a personal assistant – that changes everything, I take all of that mockery back!" Lance exclaimed sarcastically.

"Well, I'm so sorry for actually taking a genuine interest in a woman on an emotional level. And for the record, she hopes to be a model one day and she's extremely attractive, so hush! She was really nice to me. There were lots of smiles." Leo explained happily.

"Have you considered she was, I don't know, doing her job? No one likes a bitchy receptionist." Lance said.

"…Personal assistant." Leo corrected.

"Don't make me punch that stubble off your chin."

"Do you have to be such an arse about this? I went to do a job, not hook up with models! I'm here having a career breakthrough and having just met a really nice girl and all you care about is the sex side of things!" Leo shouted, annoyed.

"…You're right, I'm a knob. I'm sorry. And I am glad things are going well for you. Tell me about this girl." Lance prompted.

"Her name's Jemma, and she was the one who put me on Melinda May's radar in the first place. I owe her this job." Leo explained. Lance put his head in his hands and started chuckling.

"Well why the hell didn't you start with that?! That's fate, that is!" Lance exclaimed.

"…Are you mocking me again?" Leo frowned.

"No, mate! I've been a big believer in fate ever since my ex who dumped me for another bloke got hit by a car the next day." Lance smiled.

"Lance, that's awful."

"She survived, calm down. I sent her flowers."

"Well, that's nice." Leo nodded.

"Only because I knew she was allergic to them."

"Lance!"

"I'm joking! I sent her chocolates. Only because she's diabetic." Lance sneered.

"You're a horrible person." Leo chuckled.

"Tell me something I don't know. Well, are you gonna see this Jemma again when you go in tomorrow?" Lance asked.

"I hope so."

"You gonna ask her out?"

"I…I don't know. We didn't actually talk for all that long – I'm probably just being overenthusiastic about it." Leo admitted solemnly.

"Like the time you thought that girl was blowing kisses at you but she was choking on her food." Lance remembered, desperately holding in laughter.

"You're a prick." Leo said. Lance placed a comforting hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Look mate, all I can say is if you're this into her after a brief conversation you should ask her out. If she says yes, you're gonna be super happy. If she says no, find out what she's allergic to."

"NO WAY! JEMMA! JEMMA!" Daisy exclaimed that night as she sat on the couch with a laptop. Jemma hurried in from her bedroom in a panic.

"What? Is everything okay?" Jemma asked.

"Melinda May just emailed you her schedule for tomorrow!" Daisy revealed.

"…You hacked into my emails?!"

"Come on Jem, I know you have your passwords written on a piece of paper under the mat in your bedroom." Daisy chuckled.

"Why would you even do that, Daisy? That's a huge invasion of privacy!" Jemma shouted.

"I was just checking to see if my Amazon delivery had been dispatched yet, calm down." Daisy mumbled.

"Why don't you order them with your own details then?!" Jemma asked.

"I've told you this time after time; that's how my crazy stalker ex-boyfriend found out my address when I moved! Never again, Jemma!" Daisy said.

"You found him crazy because he hacked into your emails to get your address? Are you not seeing the irony here?" Jemma asked, arms folded.

"Will you stop being all confrontational for a minute and come and see this email?" Daisy asked. Jemma sighed and sat next to Daisy on the couch, looking at the laptop screen.

"Melinda always emails me her schedule the night before, what's the big deal?" Jemma asked.

"THAT is the big deal. She's scheduled in a 10am meeting with -"

"- Leo Fitz. Oh Christ." Jemma read, her eyes widening and heart thumping.

"If you end up having office sex, text me as soon as you can."

"Good morning, Jemma." Melinda smiled as she entered the office the next day. Jemma smiled back from her desk.

"Good morning, Melinda. You're 9am appointment said they'd be here in approximately five minutes." Jemma revealed and Melinda nodded understandingly.

"Thank you. I like your dress, by the way." Melinda said, observing Jemma dressed in a rather tight fitting red dress that cut off just above the knees.

"Oh, thank you very much. Just fancied wearing it today; it's been a while since I wore this one." Jemma said.

"I've never seen you wear anything so short." Melinda noted with a knowing smirk.

"…Well, like I say, it's been a while since I wore this." Jemma nodded, her cheeks growing red.

"Is that why the price tag is still sticking out of the top?" Melinda smiled. Jemma's eyes widened as she felt for the tag, found it and pulled it off.

"Thank goodness for that; I thought I was coming down with a rash from dinner last night! I thought salmon had never made me itch before!" Jemma revealed, discarding the tag in the bin as Melinda laughed quietly.

"So, a brand new, tightly fitting short dress…any particular reason for it?" Melinda enquired.

"…No."

"So, you didn't go out and buy it this morning when you saw who I have a meeting with at 10am today?" Melinda wondered.

"Definitely not! No way! Ew! For Leo Fitz?! Nope. Never. No. Not at all." Jemma blabbed and Melinda laughed.

"Never go into acting, Jemma." Melinda smiled as she headed into her office. As the door closed, Jemma smiled herself.

Leo took a few deep breaths as he headed up the stairs towards Melinda's office (and more importantly, Jemma's desk). He'd gotten the earlier tube so he had managed to be a whole half hour early for his appointment, meaning he had more time to speak to Jemma. Well, if Jemma wanted to talk to him, that is. For all he knew, she could think he was a complete prat.

His heart beating out of his chest, he pushed open the door and walked in, instantly turning to Jemma's desk and putting on his most mysterious and sexy expression.

No one was at the desk.

Leo took a few moments and cautiously walked up to the desk anyway, looking around for any signs of life. Suddenly, the door to the room behind the desk opened and Leo's eyes met Jemma's once again.

"Holy shit." Leo muttered under his breath the second he saw Jemma in that dress. She looked better than any of the models did the day before. Jemma couldn't help but smile as she saw Leo was holding a now folded up umbrella in his hand. Well, that and the fact that he looked extremely handsome in his blue and green tartan shirt.

"…Hello again." Jemma mustered eventually as she sat back at her desk.

"Hi." Leo smiled.

"You're rather early." Jemma noted, hardly able to look him in the eye without blushing.

"Yeah, I, uh…I guess I must be keen." Leo said.

"Nothing wrong with that." Jemma smiled. Leo smiled back.

"Oh! I, uh…I came prepared today." Leo chuckled, holding up his umbrella.

"You're learning." Jemma giggled.

"So, you uh…you don't mind me waiting here until my meeting, do you? I mean, I could always come back if -"

"-NO, no…it's fine! There's plenty of room for you. I'm, uh…I'm sure I can put up with you for a little bit." Jemma smirked. Leo smiled at her and Jemma knew that if she'd have been standing the look he was giving her would have sent her crashing to her knees.

Not in a dirty way, though. Well, unless he was up for it.

"You're here very early." Melinda said before even stepping out of her office.

"…You saw me on the CCTV, right?" Leo asked and Melinda smiled.

"Fast learner." She said.

"I'm happy to uh, to wait…if you're still occupied." Leo said, sneaking a look at Jemma, who was trying her best not to smile and blush.

"…Oh, no! You know what I've just remembered?" Melinda exclaimed.

"What?" Jemma asked.

"I have to go to a parent-teacher meeting for my son at 10am. It completely slipped my mind!" Melinda said, shaking her head.

"…You…you don't have a son." Jemma noted.

"…Yes I do. I have to go right now if I'm going to make it. You know what? Leo, Jemma can help you narrow down the photos we'll use for the official promotional shots. I trust you both to make the right choices. I should be back in time for my 12 o' clock. If that's okay?" Melinda asked.

"Uh…yeah, of course." Leo said, blushing as he looked at Jemma, who was staring at Melinda in confusion.

"I'm sorry about that. I'll see you both later. Feel free to discuss in my office; we're not expecting anyone for hours anyway. Don't let me down!" Melinda said, heading out towards the exit. Just before leaving, she turned and gave Jemma a wink and walked out with a satisfied smirk.

Now left alone, Leo and Jemma shared an awkward laugh through the tension in the air.

"…You don't need to stay, really. I'm sure I could reschedule something." Jemma smiled.

"…No, no, it's uh…it's fine. I'm here now anyway. I-I mean, i-if you don't mind helping me?" Leo wondered.

"…Okay. Sure." Jemma nodded and Leo grinned.

"Great. Uh, shall we?" Leo asked, gesturing towards Melinda's office with a smile. Jemma smiled back, standing up and walking around her desk to join Leo.

"We shall."