"No really Hunter except for the annoying habit of reading into people's mind, I think she's quite lovely actually" Jemma said as they were turning around a corner and into another hallway.

"Lovely? Please don't be so ... British!" He said with a big sigh.

"What? I don't even know what that's supposed to mean!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"I mean, she can be a lot of things but Bobbi's not ... lovely" He said in a very bad imitation of Jemma's voice.

"Well I don't know about Bobbi but right now, you're being quite annoying Hunter" She said scanning the hallway for a sign of Fitz's presence.

"That's it, she managed to get into your head and make you think I'm the bad one ..." He answered, trying to keep up with her fast pace.

"She didn't make me think anything, actually she doesn't even talk about you at all ... and you two certainly seemed quite friendly the other day. Did she get into your head as well?" She said with a side grin.

"Well that's a different ... that's not ... so where's Fitz?" He said and she chuckled at his very badly conceiled attempt at changing subject.

"Well if I knew, I wouldn't be looking for him, would I?" She said, rolling her eyes again. Deep down she knew Hunter actually was a really good person but sometimes he could be such a pain in the ass.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found, you should give the man some space!" He said and she stopped in her tracks for a moment.

"Well I'm looking for him because we were supposed to work on something together and anyway, if you thought we shouldn't look for him, why did you tag along?" She said and he looked a little sheepish. That's a look she didn't often see on his face ... except when he was with Bobbi. Maybe she did have an influence on her after all.

"I guess I ... didn't have anything better to do ..." He said and she couldn't help grinning a bit at that.

"That's what I thought ..." She said. "So he's left his lanyard in the lab but he's not there, he's not in his room either ... or in the kitchen ... do you think he could have ..." She started but she was interrupted by the sound a very loud angry voice with a very distinctive Scottish accent.

"Speak of the devil ..." Hunter said and they both made their way towards said voice. They found him just in front of the elevator leading outside and literally screaming at Agent Koenig.

"What does it matter? I'm not taking anything with me and I'm not trying to get in with a bloody bomb or anything so just LET. ME. OUT" He said, his accent getting thicker by the second. If he kept going like this, even she would have trouble understanding him soon.

"Hey hey. What's going on here?" She said, getting closer to him. When he turned around and saw her, his features softened a bit for a moment but she could see how troubled he looked.

"I just need to get out-I need some fresh air ... There's not a single bloody window I can open on that base, I'm suffocating in here and that bloody idiot JUST WON'T LET ME OUT!" He said, turning towards agent Koenig who just made a disapproving wince.

"Well that's the thing with secret underground bases mate ... not many windows" Hunter said to try and lighten the mood but it didn't seem to work on Fitz who still looked just as tense.

"I have no problem with letting people out, I just need to see his lanyard for that. No one gets in or out without a lanyard and he doesn't have one. If he keeps insisting I'm going to have to report to Director Coulson" Koenig said, keeping his tone relatively neutral considering he'd just been called an idiot.

"Yes please do that, at least if he fires me, I will finally get out of here and get some fresh air ..." Fitz started but Jemma interrupted him.

"Everybody please calm down, there'll be no need for that. Fitz, I have your lanyard, you left it in the lab" She started with a soft tone, hoping it would help calm him down. "See, he has his lanyard, you can let him go now" She added, turning to Agent Koenig.

"Well, it's still a strange behavior, maybe I should talk about it to director Coulson before letting him out" He answered.

"Please, he just needs some fresh air ... who doesn't get a little claustrophobic on this base from time to time?" She said and he looked to be hesitating. "Please agent Koenig, you know me well, you trust me, right? I can vouch for him if necessary" She added with a reassuring smile and after a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded and let them through.

"Come on Fitz, let's get some fresh air ... we could all use a break" She said, gently pulling him towards the elevator as Hunter followed close behind. He still looked pretty angry so it was probably safer to keep him away from Koenig as fast as possible. Even before he had a little combat training, Fitz always had a quick temper when provoked. Sometimes you just couldn't escape the clichés of your origins.

"Bloody robot ..." He said under his breath but Jemma still heard him.

"Oh not you too ..."

"It's a valid theory ..."

-0-0-0-

"Feeling better?" She asked in a soft voice once they were out of the elevator and into the small side alley where the main entrance was.

"Yeah ..." He said, taking big gulps of air to try and slow down his heart rate.

"We were supposed to work on ..."

"I know I know Jemma, I'm sorry ..." He cut her off, his voice a little harsher than he meant it to be and immediately felt guilty. She was just obviously worried about him. " ...I'm sorry" He said again, his voice a little softer now. "like you said, sometimes I just get a little claustrophobic in here ..." He added and she smiled sympathetically, encouraging him to keep talking. "Sometimes I think back about those weeks in Sci-Ops and I just need to see the outside ... and sometimes it's not enough and I need to be outside, which is usually no problem unless there's a frigging robot trying to stop me!" He finished and she couldn't help smiling a bit at his last words.

"Agent Koenig is really nice actually, he's just ... a bit obsessed with rules is all" She said and he chuckled.

"This coming from you ..." He said and she bumped his shoulder hard when both him and Hunter laughed even louder.

"Hey ..." He started but stopped what he was about to say when he saw her look of mock offense. "Sorry, sorry, you're not obsessed with rules, you just ... like them a lot ... and thanks for keeping track of my blessed lanyard by the way" He said, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah ..." She said and they remained silent for a moment.

"So ... are we gonna stay in that crappy alley like a bunch of losers or are we going to go home to get a beer or two?" Hunter asked.

"Home sounds nice ... it's kind of late anyway, we could take the night off" Jemma said, surprising Fitz. She was never the one offering to take a break from work so he thought he should take this opportunity while he could.

"Yeah why not ..." He said. "... but I'd just like to stay here a few more minutes before going back down" He added and both Hunter and Jemma chuckled.

"When I said home, I didn't mean the base mate ..." Hunter said with a knowing smile.

"Come on Fitz, you'll like it there" Jemma said, taking his arm to lead him away from the door and around the corner of the street. He didn't understand what they meant but Jemma seemed enthusiastic so it was probably okay to follow them. After walking for a minute or two, Jemma talked again. "You don't really want to get fired and leave the base, do you?" She asked casually but he could sense there was a little worry in her voice.

"No Jemma, of course no! I didn't mean that, I was just really tense ... You know I love working here ... with you" He said in a soft voice as he gently bumped her shoulder.

"Yeah?" She said, smiling tentatively.

"Yeah ..." He answered with a big tender smile as he put his arm around her shoulder to keep walking and she didn't seem to mind at all. On the contrary, she even leaned into him a bit more so they were more comfortable.

"Get a room ..." Hunter said under his breath after watching them for a minute and even though they both acted like they didn't hear it, Fitz could see Jemma's cheeks getting a little pink.

-0-0-0-

"Oh this is ridiculous Fitz, just because he's a little uptight when it comes to security doesn't mean he's a robot, it's his job after all!" Jemma said, rolling her eyes.

"But it's not just that. You know I think I've never seen him eat and there's all the brothers of course." Fitz answered grinning.

"Of course he eats ... have you seen him?" Jemma answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I have ... but the point is have you seen him eat?" He answered back and when she hesitated, he took it as a proof of his point. "Ah see? If he looks like this but doesn't eat maybe that's because he's been created that way!" Fitz said with a triumphant grin.

"Oh Fitz ..." She started but she was interrupted by Hunter coming back with three new beers. "Home" was in fact the name of the British pub Jemma and Hunter had found just after they settled at the Playground. It was owned by two English brothers and most of the staff was either English, Irish or Scottish. The beer and food were good, it was cosy and simple with a soft lighting, the music was nice so overall it really did have a feeling of home. Jemma was right, it was just what Fitz needed. For the first time since he'd been rescued from Sci-Ops, he felt completely relaxed. He hadn't even realized it but he was always either outside on a mission or at the base. And even if he did have plenty of free time, especially at the beginning, always being on base made it hard to completely release all tensions because there was always the risk of being attacked or being needed for an emergency in the middle of the night.

As Hunter sat opposite them on their booth, he pushed two pints of beer towards them and lifted his own.

"Cheers" He said before taking a few gulps.

Cheers" Jemma and Fitz answered in unison and started drinking as well.

"So Hunter ..." Jemma started with a small grin as she put down her glass. "Will you please tell Fitz that agent Koenig is not a robot" She added and he chuckled.

"Of course he's not a robot ..." He said and Jemma turned to Fitz with a triumphant grin before he continued. "... he's an android! Robots don't look so human, you should know about that Simmons, you're the scientist!" He added and Fitz almost chocked on his beer, laughing when he saw Jemma's face fall so comically at Hunter's words.

"Oh come on ... So Trip managed to contaminate all of you guys?" She asked, sitting back in the booth, feeling a little defeated.

"No but think about it, at least three brothers who look exactly the same and who all end up working the exact same job within SHIELD. Does that sound believable to you?" Hunter asked and Fitz nodded enthusiastically.

"More than robots ..." She answered and cut them off before they could correct her. "Well identical triplets are quite rare but it's possible and it is a known fact that identical twins, or triplets in this case, have the same interests so it's not crazy to imagine that they would all want to work in the same field. And since their brains work the same, it's not ..." Her speech felt a little automatic, having been repeated to Trip and Fitz several times already but she was cut off before she could finish it.

"Did someone say my name?" The voice of Antoine Triplett came from behind them and Hunter immediately waved at him to get him come and seat with them. Skye was with him as well and Jemma gave Hunter a surprised look.

"Did you invite them? I thought you said it was our secret British lair?" She said, with a small grin.

"Yeah yeah but I didn't feel like being the third wheel all night so ..." He said grinning and she blushed a bit.

"What? That's ridicu ..."

"Yeah sure whatever!" He cut her off and she looked at Fitz with an awkward little smile he was quick to reciprocate. They didn't talk about their relationship since that conversation they had a few weeks ago but they did do like they decided. They let their relationship evolve naturally and even though nothing concrete really changed since then, now that their confusing feelings were out in the open, it all felt a little different. They had more and more trouble hiding their growing affection for each other but there was also an obvious physical attraction now, which seemed to make them gravitate towards each other almost unconsciously every time they were in the same room. And as good as they thought they were hiding it, they didn't fool anyone. They were openly flirting and every time it happened, it made Fitz's heart beat a little faster. It was a delicious sensation and he didn't want it to stop but he wondered where it would stop or if it would lead them somewhere else in the end.

"Come on guys, scoot, give me some room" Skye said, interrupting him in his musings. He blushed when he realized that Skye had been waiting for them to move to give her some space for at least twenty seconds and they had been too busy smiling at each other to notice.

"Sorry, sorry" He said, moving to rest his back against the wall as Jemma moved closer to him to leave room for Skye. He couldn't help noticing that she seemed to get much closer to him than it was necessary and since he had his arm over the backrest, she ended up having his arm almost around her shoulder once more. And of course they were both too busy acting casual about it to notice the smirk Skye and Hunter exchanged.

-0-0-0-

Ten minutes later, Skye and Trip came back to the table with beers for everyone. For once, he had agreed to forget his very strict healthy diet to enjoy a night of bonding with his teammates, so of course Skye took this rare occasion to make him buy his round.

"So Fitz" Skye started with a big smile as she put his beer in front of him. "Are we going to see if you really are such a legend tonight?" She finished and he looked at her with a look of total confusion before a grin managed to make its way on his face.

"Well sure but you're going to have to be more specific, I'm a legend in so many domains ..." He said and as both Jemma and Skye rolled their eyes, Hunter and Trip gave an approving chuckle. Fitz had never spent much time in the company of other men. He didn't really have any other real friend before he met Jemma, and since he met her he never felt like he had to. This new group of people was different though, they seemed to genuinely appreciate him for what he was, with all his quirks and his flaws. But he had to admit that being around other and mostly older and more confident men made him act a lot cockier than he really felt. It might have had something to do with the shift in his relationship with Jemma as well but he wasn't sure if she really liked it considering the looks she gave him every time he acted that way.

"I was talking about that legendary alcohol intake of yours! Jemma told us it's even bigger than hers" Skye said and Fitz almost chocked on his beer at her words, to the point where Jemma had to give him a tap on the back but couldn't help laughing at his comically exaggerated reaction.

"Are you serious?" He said when he finally managed to catch his breath and Skye nodded, a little confused. "Jemma's a bloody light weight !" He said grinning widely.

"Told you he'd say that!" Jemma said with a sigh to a wide eyed Skye.

"I mean do you know how many times I've had to carry her back to her room back at the academy?" He said and Jemma gave him a nudge on the shoulder.

"Fiiitz!" She said, a little outraged. "I may have had to lean on you slightly a few times but you only carried me once and you were the one who insisted on it because it was snowing and I had very high heels and you were afraid I would break my ankles ..." She said and he grinned even wider.

"... and because you were so sloshed you looked like a drunk new born girafe!" He said and everyone at the table burst out laughing, which made her look even more outraged.

"But you said I looked just barely tipsy ..." She started but when she saw the fondness hiding behind his amusement, she hesitated for a moment.

"And the fact that you believed me proves my point ... Jemma, you were sad and you had just been through a bad breakup so I just went with it, didn't matter as long as you got home safe " He said with a warm smile she was quick to reciprocate. Fortunately, it seemed that the others were still too busy laughing their ass off to notice what passed between them for a second. "I mean you didn't even remember where your room was!" He added with a grin and this time, there was also a bit of fondness when she rolled her eyes.

"Fine fine ... you might have a slightly better alcohol intake than I have ... but it's only because you're taller and heavier than me ... and Scottish" She said and he grinned as he gently squeezed her shoulder. And even though, she rolled her eyes once more, he couldn't help noticing how she somehow leaned into him a bit more. Wether Jemma remembered it or not, he was careful enough not to mention that she actually never found the key to her room and ended up sleeping on his bed. They woke up in each other's arms feeling a little awkward and never talked about it ever since. He was pretty sure they had just slept that night but with their relationship being so blurry right now they didn't need to bring up another confusing memory in front of everyone.

"Oh my god! I'm loving this!" Skye said with a delighted giggle. "Jemma actually getting into some bad girls shenanigans ... Fitz, please drink some more so you can tell us more stories like this one!" She said and Fitz shook his head with an amused smirk.

"Oh Skye ... you'll be passed out drunk long before I'm drunk enough to tell you stories I wouldn't tell you when I'm sober" He said and Trip let out a wolf whistle.

"Girl ... that sounds like a challenge to me!" He said with a big smile on his face.

-0-0-0-

An hour and several rounds of shots later, Fitz's legend was starting to prove true as even Jemma and Hunter were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and he remained visibly unfazed. But one thing was sure, Skye would clearly be fast asleep before he was even slightly drunk enough for it to show.

"And how we do-do we know you're not so-sob ... not drunk but just really reallyyyyyy good at hiding it?"

"Well first of all, I can say complete sentences without sounding like my drunk uncle Hamish!" He said and she burst out laughing at his last word, which made him roll his eyes in amusement. "And second of all, I don't laugh like an eight years old at the mention of a slightly funny name!" He added.

"For her defense, she also does it when she's sober!" Trip said and she laughed even louder.

"No no no, I need a better proof than that ..." She said, her eyes shining with childish amusement and he seemed to give it a thought before turning slightly towards Jemma. Which forced her to realize how much more she had leaned into Fitz during the last hour and she reluctantely sat up a little straighter.

"Fine, would I be able to do ..." He started as he brought his hand to Jemma's face, gently took a stray lock of hair and brought it behind her ear. She did her best not to blush. She always loved it when he did that. It was a simple gesture but there was something so sweet and delicate about it, it showed Fitz's true nature and it always made her heart flutter, even before ... When he took his hand away from her hair though, he had a playing card in his hands, a queen of hearts. "...that?" He finished and turned to Skye with a triumphant grin.

She tried her best not to look impressed. "Oh come on, it's a basic trick Fitz, anyone could do it with a little practice" She said, with a mocking grin.

"Oh yeah?" He said with a mischievous grin and Jemma rolled her eyes fondly. She'd seen him do that trick many times and even though she knew how he did it, she still found it impressive because it did require a certain amount of dexterity. Also, it wasn't like him to be so cocky and confident about anything other than science. For some reason, he did it a little more often lately and to her own surprise, she found it kind of charming. "Then you might want to take a look in the mirror, I think you've got something in your hair ..."

"What ..." She started, checking her hair until she came out with another card, a king of hearts, and she couldn't hide her surprise this time. "How did you do that? Why did you even have playing cards on you to begin with?" She asked, showing every one else the card and he smiled even wider.

"It's magic!" He said and she rolled her eyes. "And now you have to admit that I'm not drunk and therefore a proper legend!" He added with another triumphant grin.

"Fine your head and and your hands are working fine but you have to take the balance test for me to officially declare you a drunk legend" She said with a mischievous grin.

"Your mom's gonna be so proud!" Jemma said, turning to him with a raised eyebrow and they all chuckled.

"Well my uncle Hamish might be ..." He answered with a grin. "Okay Skye, I'll do this but it's the last one, you're not gonna keep inventing new tests, right?" He added, turning to her.

"Promise!"

-0-0-0-

Five minutes later, a very confused Bobbi walked into the bar with Mack. Fitz was standing up on one leg, his head tilted upwards and strangely gesticulating with his arms. As they got closer to the group, an amused smile made its way on their faces as they saw that Skye was trying to do the same. It was obviously much more difficult for her.

"So what's happening here?" Mack said with a disapproving if slightly amused shake of his head. "Are we back in college or what?" He added and Bobbi chuckled.

"Looks like Skye challenged Fitz to a drinking game ... which is a very bad idea!" Bobbi said and Fitz grinned at her, remembering the one time they went for a drink together and she under estimated him.

"Okay that's it ..." He started as he put his foot down and resumed a normal position. "... Skye I win, you have to say it now!" He added and turned to her expectantly.

"Fine, you are a drinking legend and your Scottish ancestors must be so proud of you right now!" She said, also going back to a normal position, somewhat less gracefully than Fitz, as buzzed as she was.

After bowing down to an amused crowd, Fitz resumed his sit against the wall and Jemma resumed her sit next to him, closely followed by Skye who leaned into her a bit in a bid to steady herself and Jemma rolled her eyes gently.

"Told you it was a bad idea to try and outdrink him" She told her friend with a disapproving shake of her head. "Can someone get a glass of water for Skye, I think she's had enough alcohol for tonight" She said and Trip stood up to get one from the bar.

"So Hunter, did you really invite everyone on the base?" Jemma said, turning to the British man who'd been watching the whole scene with a big smile on his face. "Should we expect agents May and Coulson anytime soon?" She added and he chuckled.

"Yeah I did invite May but for some reason she never answers my texts!" He said and they all laughed.

"Well at least you could have invited Koenig, with a few drinks we could have learned more about him" She said with a smirk and was surprised to hear Bobbi answer her.

"No that wouldn't work ... androids can't get drunk ..." She said and Jemma's face fell to Fitz and Trip's delight. The two exchanged a loud high five and Jemma let out a big sigh.

"Come on Bobbi not you too ..." She said and the tall woman smiled mischievously.

"I have to admit these guys make a few good points" She said with a small grin just as Mack was coming back from the bar with their drinks. Jemma knew she was most likely just humoring Fitz to make him smile and even though she didn't feel like encouraging him in his crazy ideas, her best friend's joy was contagious and she was grateful to Bobbi for that. She knew these past few months had been harder on him than he liked to admit and it was good to finally see him so relaxed.

As Mack sat next to Trip on the other side of the booth, Bobbi found herself a bit stuck as there clearly wasn't enough room for a seventh person.

"Come on guys scoot" She said, turning to Jemma and Fitz's side of the booth and as bad as they tried, there still wasn't enough room for one more person.

"Can't you seat next to Mack?" Fitz asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mack's already taking the space of at least two like you ..." She said, chuckling and the big man looked at her with an expression of mock offense.

"Well can't we find a bigger booth then?" He asked before looking around and seeing that the bar was actually pretty full. It was friday night after all, they could already consider themselves lucky for finding one in the first place. "...never mind that" He said when he turned back to Bobbi who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay then ..." Jemma said after a moment's hesitation. "... Fitz sit back properly!" She said and he obeyed almost automatically even though he clearly wasn't getting what she was planning on doing. Then she got up, turned sideways and sat back on his lap, her back to the wall and her arm lightly resting on his shoulder to keep herself steady.

As she did so, she was faced with several raised eyebrows, knowing grins and a deeply blushing Fitz. Gone was the cocky confident man from only a few moments ago, back was the usual Fitz, a bit shy and clearly not comfortable with physical contact. And even though she had to admit she felt like she was going a bit far by doing this, she acted as casually as she could about it.

"What? We're not gonna let Bobbi sit on the floor so unless someone else feels like sitting on someone else's lap ..." She said raising her own eyebrows and no one seemed to have a thing to say to contradict her ... until Hunter spoke.

"Actually I wouldn't mind having one of you ..." He started but Bobbi cut him off.

"Shut up Hunter!" She said as Skye finally moved closer to Jemma and Fitz, living room for her to sit at the table. "Jemma, Fitz, thank you for your sacrifice ..." Bobbi added with only the ghost of a smirk after a moment.

"You're very welcome ..." Fitz said, still blushing but visibly trying to regain a modicum of confidence.

Soon enough, everyone started talking again, going on about how rare it was for them to have a night off, especially all of them at the same time. Once she felt like the attention was definitely not on them anymore, Jemma got her face closer to Fitz's ear.

"Is this alright?" She asked, almost whispering to make sure no one else would hear her.

"Yeah yeah of course" He said, smiling softly.

"Cause if you feel uncomfortable or I'm too heavy I can ..." She started but he cut her off.

"No it's fine really, I told you you're a light weight anyway ..."He started, grinning slightly. "... yeah ...is completely fine" He added a minute later, his voice much lower, probably thinking she wouldn't hear him but she still did.

"Okay ..." She just said with a small smile and turned her head back towards the others. After a few minutes of being back into the conversation, she felt him take her hand tentatively under the table. For a second she was a little startled but then, she gently intertwined her fingers with his to show him that the gesture was completely and totally welcome. She didn't feel like turning to him though. Her eyes might have betrayed the fluttering in her chest way too easily at the moment.

-0-0-0-

As the evening advanced, Fitz eased into the conversation. It probably helped having Bobbi there as well as her but Jemma still felt happy to see him fit in so well in her new group of friends. He might have told her a hundred times how perfectly content he was and that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else, there was always a little worry deep down that he wouldn't adjust to this new non official version of SHIELD and decide to leave. The fact that he came back from every mission all excited about having actually used one of the technologies he designed was slowly helping take that worry away and she felt like tonight would do a lot to help as well.

They all got to share funny stories and anecdotes about their time in SHIELD. Of course Bobbi, Mack and Trip were the ones who had the most to share, having been on the field for much longer than everyone else. Bobbi especially had quite a few fun stories to tell about Coulson but somehow no one had anything on May. Everyone had their own version about the whole cavalry thing but since they didn't match even a little bit, they had to come to the conclusion that the truth would probably remain a secret for much longer.

Skye had a big success when she told the story of how Jemma tried to flirt her way out of a potentially problematic situation with agent Sitwell. Everyone had a good laugh but Fitz laughed so hard that he almost chocked on his beer again when Skye said how she complimented the man on his elbows and bald head. Jemma almost had a mind to let him suffocate but still reluctantly tapped on his back to help him while muttering that he hadn't always been the smoothest man when it came to flirting. Even if she had to admit that he was definitely getting better at it recently.

Jemma and Fitz also had some funny stories to share about their time at the academy where they were always the youngest. They told about the system they found to be able to drink alcohol with the other students even though they weren't legal in the US. Skye was especially surprised to learn that Jemma, of all people, was willing to break the rules.

"Well we were legal back home so we were following the rules ... just not the ones from this country!" Jemma said feeling a little uncomfortable.

"I can't believe this is coming from you Simmons!" Skye said grinning.

"Yeah ... took a lot of convincing believe me. Especially back then, she was even worse than she is now!" Fitz said and she swatted his arm.

"Hey ... I know how to have fun!" She said, looking a bit offended.

"I never said you didn't" He answered with an amused smile. "just that you really like following the rules!" He added and she rolled her eyes.

"Well nothing wrong with that ..." She said. "And I did find many of our ideas for our legendary pranks" She added with a triumphant smile he could only reciprocate.

"Yeah you did ... hey remember that time when professor ..." He started but he was cut off by the sudden change of music and volume.

Up until now, the music had been a pretty wide but quite good selection of British pop/rock music and the volume had been high enough that they could hear it but not so high that they needed to speak too loud. But as it faded from "Wonderwall" to a piece of traditional high paced Irish music, not only the volume of the music rose up but it also became much louder in general as most people in the bar cheered as soon as it started. It seemed that this bar did attract many people from the other side of the pond.

"Oh my god Fitz do you recognize what song this is?" Jemma cried out with a very enthusiastic smile.

"Of course I do" He said, obviously less enthusiast. "I have a very good memory ... unfortunately"

"Oh come on don't be so grumpy, even you had fun that time!" She said and he shook his head in denial, knowing perfectly well what was coming.

"Hu guys ... care to explain?" Skye asked with an amused smile.

"This song was at our graduation party and it was the first time I managed to make him dance!" Jemma said beaming and Skye smiled at her friend's contagious smile.

"First and only time and it will remain that way ..." He said as he looked like he was trying to blend with the leather of their seat.

"No there was also this other time when we" She started but he cut her off.

"No no no this time doesn't count, you'd just been through another bad break up and you used it against me to make me do as you pleased and you know it" He said and she blushed a little. She did tend to do that sometimes.

"Oh come on grumpy, you have to dance, this is the music of your ancestors!" Skye said with a grin and even Jemma rolled her eyes a bit at that.

"Skye this is Irish music ..." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah so?"

"I'm Scottish!"

"Well it's pretty much the same, isn't it?" She asked tentatively.

"Oh Skye ..." Fitz and Simmons said at the same time.

"If you want to use clichés, at least use them correctly" Fitz started with an exasperated tone. "For Scotland it's Loch Ness monsters, haunted castles, men wearing kilts and bagpipe, for Ireland it's leprechauns, four leaves cloves and silly people dancing to silly music" He said, his accent getting much stronger by the end of his sentence and it made Jemma smile. It reminded her of how he used to speak when they first met and he'd only been in the US for a few months. Sometimes, even her had trouble understanding him back then.

"Fine fine, but it doesn't mean you cannot dance on it, there's no law against it you know!" She answered with an eye roll of her own.

"I could ... I just don't want to!" He answered with a smirk.

"Well I'm going to! Who's with me?" Skye said looking over at the three men facing her with a seductive smile. Hunter and Mack did an admirable job avoiding her eyes but it wasn't necessary anyway since Trip actually seemed quite enthusiastic about it.

As their friends stood up and started walking towards the centre of the bar, Jemma turned back towards Fitz with a warm if slightly flirtatious smile. "Please Fitz, just this song I promise ..." She said, her face really close to him to make herself heard over the loud music.

"No, you know I hate dancing and we're going to look ridiculous anyway, it's not a night club, it's a bar, people are not ..." He started but as he looked in the direction of Skye and Trip, he saw that quite a few other people were dancing as well and more were coming. Was that song magic or something? When he turned back, she was looking at him with pleading eyes and she could see the exact moment he gave in. There was a bit of exasperation in his eyes but there was mostly tenderness. She felt a bit guilty using whatever his feelings for her were at her advantage but she knew that whatever he said, he would really have fun with her once he loosened up a bit. "Fine but just this song!" He said.

"Yeah I promise! Thank you Fitz!" She said beaming at him as she engulfed him in a quick hug then stood up from his lap as Bobbi stood up once more to let them through with a fond smile.

"And you'll ask Coulson about the monkey" He added as she was taking his hand to lead him towards the temporary dance floor.

"Sure, no problem, first thing in the morning!" She said with a big happy smile and he stopped walking for a moment.

"You always say that every time I do you a favor but then you never do it ..." He said in a slightly accusing tone and she looked at him with an amused smile.

"But you know it and yet somehow you always end up doing what I ask of you ..." She said and his eyes seemed to lose focus for a second as he processed what she just said.

"Yeah I guess ..."

"Why is that?" She asked, getting a little closer to him and he just looked at her with a warm knowing smile. And if that wasn't enough for her to understand, the tenderness in his eyes as well as the flicker of something else made it perfectly clear.

"Oh ..." She said, gently squeezing the hand that was still in hers and she had to literally bite her lip to stave off the wave of warm feelings that was threatening to overwhelm her at this moment.

-0-0-0-

Of course, they didn't stop at only one song. Jemma argued that she wasted half the song trying to convince him to dance, which was true, so he agreed to a second one. After that Bobbi joined them as well and even though he would probably deny it afterwards, Fitz actually started to have fun. He tended to be a little self conscious about his lack of grace but everyone else's total inability to dance properly on that specific music finally rid him of his apprehensions. He even took turns dancing with Skye and Bobbi as well. It seemed that he finally understood what Jemma had been telling him for years, that it was not about being a good dancer, it was just about letting go and have fun.

They kind of lost track of time as they started talking again and it's only when the music changed again for something slower that they realized that their friends had left the dance floor and they were the only two left in a crowd of what was mostly couples. Jemma was about to ask him if he wanted to get back to the table when he let go of her hand to bring his arms around her waist with a tentative smile. She had a moment of hesitation as she tried to ignore Skye and Bobbi looking at them from their booth, but then she told herself that a dancing Fitz was such a rare occurence, she had to enjoy it while it lasted. So she locked her hands behind his neck and gave him a soft smile as they started swaying to what probably was the most romantic song she ever heard.

As it seemed that Skye and Bobbi finally found another source of distraction, Jemma let herself relax in Fitz's arms for a minute or so. But then, after he repositioned his hands on her waist and hips a few times, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking back to what those girls had implied about Fitz during that conversation she overheard in the kitchen weeks ago. His hands did feel nice, warm through the thin fabric of her blouse, soft and firm at the same time and she felt like she had to talk again before she completely lost herself in the sensation.

She lifted her face up from where it was nestled on his chest and asked him the first thing that popped into her head. "So do you have news of all the people you were locked up with at Sci-Ops?" She said and winced a bit at how low her voice sounded. She had clearly overestimated her own ability to hide how she felt. "I don't think I've seen them around much ..." She added.

"Yeah ... from what I know, they're all doing alright. I think Johnson talked about leaving SHIELD for a time but he changed his mind" He said and made a pause before continuing. "Honestly, I haven't talked to them much since then ... I spent every waking second with them for three weeks ... and it really is enough!" He said and she chuckled.

"Didn't see eye to eye with your roommates, did you?" She asked with a small grin.

"Yeah you could say that ... anyway you're the only person i've ever wanted to live with ... and the only one that could handle me!" He answered without a flicker of hesitation.

From the genuinely amused smile he had on his face as he said that, she could say that he didn't even realize the double meaning there was behind his sentence. But she obviously did and she had to make a conscious effort not to swoon at how absolutely adorable and kind of romantic of him it was. He obviously meant living together as roommates like they did for several years while working at Sci-Ops but with the recent developments in their relationship, she couldn't help thinking about how it could sound like living together as ... definitely more than friends.

And that's when the memory hit her. She was thinking back about all the times they acted like an actual couple except for the few little physical parts of this type of relationships and that was what brought her back to that time Fitz had to carry her after she's had a little too much to drink. She was grateful to him for failing to mention the both of them sleeping in his bed because she couldn't find the key to her room. She really didn't feel like seeing another one of Skye's smug knowing grins. She had spent the good part of that evening cursing most men and saying how utterly useless they were, especially those called Milton, and Fitz had patiently listened, telling her how he just wasn't deserving of the wonderful person she was anyway. She had woken up in his bed a few hours later, her brain still not completely clear from the alcoholic fog and realized how amazing this one man next to her was. After carrying her all the way from the bar, he had gently deposited her on his bed and since she fell asleep within seconds, he apparently took it on him to divest her of her coat and highly uncomfortable shoes and put a big fluffy blanket on her so she wouldn't be cold. Not to mention the fact that he let her take two thirds of his already small student bed and fell asleep trapped between her and the wall. But it didn't even seem to bother him because when she opened her eyes, he was lying on his back with the ghost of a smile on his angelic features. The soft light of the rising sun hitting his face had reminded her how handsome he was and that fact coupled with his sweet, caring and gentlemanly attitude of the previous night, and really every day since they met, had pulled her irresistibly towards him. Her state of half sleepiness probably helping, she had moved closer to him and delicately laid a kiss on his soft lips. Wether it was a coincidence or his reaction at the the contact of her skin on his, that's when she felt him start to move. As a reflex, she had taken her lips away from his and rested her head on his shoulder and her arm on his chest, pretending to still be asleep. And it's only when she heard him clear his throat that she opened her eyes again and smiled at him a little shyly.

And even though it only lasted a few seconds, the warmth that spread through her body at the time had confused her greatly. She couldn't let herself feel that way about the best friend she ever had, which is why she had done such a good job forgetting about it ... until now.

"Yeah, that was really nice ..." It's only when she heard Fitz's voice that she realized she had actually just said that out loud instead of just thinking it.

"What was nice?" He asked, his brows adorably frowning in confusion. "Jemma?" he added when she just looked at him, her mouth opening and closing again a few times as she was searching for a plausible answer. She couldn't talk to him about a kiss they shared that he didn't know about.

"Living together ..." She finally said. "Sorry I was lost in thoughts but it was nice, wasn't it? Our apartment in Boston ..." She added with a soft smile, actually starting to remember that as well.

"Yeah it really was ..." He answered beaming. "I think I missed living with you even more than I missed working with you ... and I missed your cooking a lot too!" He added with another blinding smile and a playful gleam in his eyes.

"I could kiss him right now" She thought as she looked into his amazing blue eyes, standing out even in the dimness of the bar. And as the moment lingered and his gaze became even more intense than it usually was, she thought that it was time, that was she was going to kiss him, while he was awake this time, and face the consequences, see what they could become ... but it seemed that the universe had decided otherwise. And more specifically to stop her through her two, still slightly drunk, annoying friends. Just as she was about to lean in, she caught sight of Skye and Bobbi from the corner of her eye, looking at them with the biggest smile on their faces. It was enough to distract her and even though she broke eye contact for only a second, it felt like the charm was broken and her courage from only a few seconds ago had flown away.

He too looked down for a moment and cleared his throat with a little embarrassed smile. "it's getting kind of late, right?" He said, trying to gain back a little composure.

"Yeah I guess ... do you wanna ... go back to the base?" She said, trying to hide her disappointment at the idea of seing this evening end like this and it made her smile internally to see how disappointed he looked as well.

"Yeah, we should go soon ... but let's finish this song first, yeah?" He said with a tentative smile, slightly retightening his arms around her waist.

"Okay ..." She said, beaming back as she tried to ignore the rush of warmth his hands and smile had sent all through her body again. As they started swaying to the music once more, she crossed eyes with Skye and Bobbi again. They were looking at her with another tender smile and she rolled her eyes at them. But then Fitz laid a kiss on her hairline and his lips lingered there long enough that she was physically incapable to stop the delighted smile that made its way on her face. When she saw her friends swoon even more, she decided that she'd had enough so she buried her face into Fitz's shoulder and closed her eyes. Surely Skye and Bobbi would have much to say about this later and she would need to speak with Fitz really soon but for now she just wanted to enjoy the few minutes of dancing with him she had left.

Turned out she had two more minutes until the end of the song ... and twenty more after that.