I finished this chapter a bit early and was about to wait until Monday to post it but then I realized today was Fitz's birthday and I thought it'd be nice to post it now since it's kind of an ode to how perfect and adorable Fitz always is. And the next few chapters should focus not only on Jemma and Fitz's relationship (even there'll still be a loooot of this) but also on their relationship with Amy and all of them adjusting to their new life, etc ...

The two following months were probably the longest and loneliest Fitz has had to go through in a on long time. It's also during those two months that he realized how codependent him and Jemma had become. Since the summer break between their first and second year at the Academy, they never spent more than a few weeks apart. After that, even during the summer, they'd managed to meet up either in Sheffield or Glasgow, at first with the pretense of working on some project or another but soon they admitted that life was just not as interesting when they were apart.

So when Jemma suggested that he left to go to their graduation ceremony, at first he refused. They went through four years of Academy together and he couldn't imagine going there without her. But she reminded him how hard they worked to get there and insisted that at least one of them should be there to get all the honors and prove to all those who said they were too young and couldn't handle the pressure that not only they could but they were the best at it.

So he went and he was just as lonely and miserable as he thought he would be but Jemma was right and it was still nice to stand proud on the stage and receive the honors for Jemma and him. His mother also seemed immensely proud and when he thought back on it, he realized that Jemma probably knew how important it was for her and that's why she insisted and it made him even more grateful to have such a wonderful friend in his life. Also, he got to say goodbye to the few other people he managed to befriend while he was there and it gave him some sort of closure to help him move on to the next phase of his life under circumstances that were not as easy as he thought they would.

Strangely enough, if time seemed to pass terribly slowly at some points -especially on the few nights a week they usually spent together watching TV or going out for a drink- it also felt like he would never get enough of it to do everything that had to be done here in the US while Jemma was taking care of things back home in Sheffield.

Setting up into their new lab at SciOps was probably one of the hardest things he had to do. Not that he couldn't work without her, after all they had very different expertise and they still had to work separately on certain projects back at the academy. But Fitz knew that the reason they'd been offered a lab all to themselves, which was really rare for two young cadets, was because they worked so well together. And even though he'd already been praised for the first project he had achieved in the last few weeks, he still felt a bit lost without Jemma, not that he would admit it to her. He knew she was much more courageous when it came to affronting something new even if he knew -because she told him so during one of their many skype sessions since they were separated- how much she missed him. After all, one of the reasons they failed their field assessments -apart from their obvious lack of fighting skills- was because they were so co-dependant and could be a weakness to each other. And it had taken a talk with his mum asking him one more time if he made other friends to realize it probably wasn't completely untrue. Not that his mother didn't like Jemma, she loved her actually, she just felt like it'd be good for him to expand his circle of friends. He always said he was too shy and grumpy to make new friends, and to some extant it was true, but the truth was mostly that he just never could find someone that was half as interesting as Jemma.

But as hard as it was, he managed to do it and Jemma would be home with Amy in a few hours and at work with him on monday. And if he was incredibly happy at the idea of finally seeing her again, he was also equally impatient and anxious to see her reaction to their new home. With everything she's had to do in Sheffield, she had trusted him with finding an apartment. She only told him that she'd be fine as long as it had three bedrooms and wasn't too far from Sci-Ops and Amy high's school in a relatively safe neighborhood.

And on that front, Fitz was actually quite proud of himself. Because if she seemed to be quite enthusiastic with the pics he'd sent her of their new home, he hid a few things from her. They had agreed to lower their expectations for this apartment in order to be able to get something bigger but he knew the kind of features Jemma always dreamed of and he impressed himself when he managed to find a place with all those and make it fit within their budget. So he thought it'd be nice to surprise her and Amy. Give them both something to smile about when they'd get here.

But still, it would be the place they'd live together for years -well until one of them, probably Jemma, found someone else to live with- and he really hoped he made the right choice. With that in mind, Fitz took his wallet and car keys and left the apartment to pick Jemma and Amy up from the airport. She actually told him that he didn't have to but she wasn't too hard to persuade and Fitz had felt a warm flutter in his heart at the idea that she missed him enough to want to see him as soon as she got out of the plane. And even though he tried to convince her with notions of practicality, he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same.

-0-0-0-

Jemma felt like there was a lump in her throat as she took the plane to Boston with Amy. In the last few years, she didn't come home quite as much as she wanted to but at least, every time she left she made the promise to her parents, Amy and herself that she wouldn't wait so long to visit the next time. And even if she knew her parents never blamed her for it and were very proud of what she did in SHIELD -at least the part she could talk to them about- she would never stop feeling guilty for not making good on her promises. Because now that they were on their way to Boston and even though she still had family to visit and hopefully her Aunt Beth would be able to keep the house, going home would never be the same again. And now she couldn't help wondering if she would really ever consider herself at home.

She would always have fond memories of the Academy, most of them involving Fitz and the projects they had together. Or just them watching TV together with insane amounts of pop corn or working until the wee hours of the morning and waking up with their books sticking to their faces and Fitz's hair completely askew, which never failed to make her laugh. But she always knew that it would be temporary so all this time, she still always felt like home was her childhood house. And working with SHIELD, she knew she would probably never stay more than a few years in the same place. Actually, it was quite a privilege that she managed to get a written contract assuring her that her and Fitz could remain stationed together in Boston at least until Amy went to college.

"Jem? Jemma? Hey can you hear me?" She was interrupted in her thoughts by the voice of Amy and the feeling of her finger poking repeatedly and quite rudely into her shoulder.

"Hey stop that!" She cried out with a roll of her eyes as she swatted her hand away.

"Then stop ignoring me!"

"Oh ... sorry ... I was a bit lost in thoughts I guess ..." She replied a little more softly.

"You think?" Amy teased gently.

"So what did you want?"

"The plane has started its descent! We'll be arriving soon. Is it still long once we're at the airport?" She asked with a little desperation in her voice. "I'm completely knackered"

"I don't know ... hopefully customs shouldn't take too long, being in SHIELD has its privileges ... and then it should be a thirty minutes drive or so ... Fitz is coming to pick us up so ..." She let the sentence hang for a second, unable to hide the smile tugging her lips at the simple mention of his name. Fortunately, Amy was too relieved at the idea of having her personal driver to notice or comment on it.

"Oh yes ... that man is a gift from God I'm telling you!" She sighed and Jemma arched a teasing eyebrow at her. "Well not LITERALLY a gift from God 'cause we don't really believe in that but you know ... he's like ... really … cool or something ..." Amy finished a bit lamely.

"Yes he is ..." Jemma replied, smiling warmly. She would have to remember that and repeat it to Fitz because neither of them had been called "really cool » a lot growing up and he would probably like that a lot.

-0-0-0-

Just as planned, they went through customs quite rapidly and soon they found themselves in the arrivals area. Their plane was quite full and considering it was a Saturday afternoon, the hall was packed with people waiting for their loved ones. Fitz not exactly being a giant (he wasn't short though, it was just americans that were freakishly tall, they both insisted on it!), she couldn't spot him immediately. But after only a few seconds, she locked eyes with him and her smile grew wider than it probably had in weeks. They did make a few other friends at the Academy but nothing that was close to the kind of relationship they shared and they got so used to look out for each other everywhere they went that sometimes it felt like their eyes had some kind of magnetic way of attracting each other (however scientifically inaccurate and ridiculously romantic that sounded but she had been feeling more emotional than usual recently and she guessed it was okay to just think it!)

She tried to make her way to him but with the crowd of people carrying huge suitcases and bags, stoping and hugging without caring for the two small British girls trying to walk past them, it was just impossible. So after a simple exchange of looks they both turned sideways to meet outside of the crowd.

When they were only a meter away from each other, Fitz stopped, smiling shyly at her, putting his hands in his pockets then taking them out and scratching his neck in this very familiar nervous gesture. Silly Fitz ... Well if he suddenly didn't know how to act around her, she certainly did know how much she'd been missing her best friend in the last two months.

Letting her small suitcase and handbag fall to the ground, she closed the remaining gap between them and crashed into him, almost making him lose balance with the force of the impact. Encircling his torso, she nestled her face into his neck and he immediately responded by putting his arms around her shoulders, pulling her even closer with a small laugh. Letting out a small contented sigh, she relaxed into his embrace. It was true that he wasn't the biggest or tallest man she knew but he was always warm and the just perfect size to hold and be held by her and in this moment, nothing else mattered.

"I missed you!" She breathed into his neck and she could feel him smile more than she saw him as he answered.

"Missed you too Jemma ..."

-0-0-0-

"Huhum ... guys? Remember I'm here too? » Amy let out with an annoyed tone after a minute of them just standing in the middle of the airport, hugging. "My god ... get a room ... we're not even out of the airport and I already feel like a third wheel » She mumbled more to herself than for their benefit.

Fitz tried to disentangle himself from her, embarrassment evident on his face, but Jemma had another idea. Reaching out a little blindly behind her, she grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her into the hug, leaving her almost sandwiched between her and Fitz.

"Hu no gross! I don't want to be a part of this!" Amy cried out and Fitz and Jemma couldn't help laughing.

"Well it's just a hug and you better get used to it cause you're my two favorite people and I have an unlimited amount of hugs to give. And I will come and hug you a lot in front of your new high school friends if you keep suggesting Fitz and I are a couple!" Jemma chirped with a satisfied smile. Fitz's face was a mix of amusement and embarrassment and it was quite adorable actually.

Yes, they were really close and more than once, people had asked if they were a couple. Since he barely left her side for two weeks after her parent's death, most of her family assumed he was her boyfriend as well. Of course, it was to be expected, very few people understood what a real friendship like theirs could mean and honestly she didn't really care what most people thought. But Amy was her sister and she hoped that she would soon understand what made her relationship with Fitz so special. She was glad that she found him "cool or something" but she hoped she soon realized how truly wonderful and special he really was.

"Alright alright I won't! Now let go of me you big freak!" Amy cried out but there was no bite to it and it both actually made them giggle as they finally all took a step backwards.

"Wow the amount of sisterly love here is breathtaking!" He let out teasingly while looking at Amy.

"Get used to it Leo!" She grinned back.

"Jemma!" He whined. "I thought you said you talked to her about that!"

"I did and I'd like to tell you she's going to respect that but she really is an awful brat ..." Jemma teased, moving fast enough to mostly avoid Amy poking viciously into her shoulder.

"God ... what have I gotten myself into?" He sighed before picking up Jemma's and some of Amy's bags. "Shall we go then?"

Some other time or to some other people, she would have reminded him that she could carry her bag on her own. But this kind of gestures came so naturally to him, it was almost unconscious. And it was not like he thought she couldn't actually do it, he just genuinely liked to do nice things for her, always had been, and she'd always found it endearing.

"Yes Fitz ... thank you!" She said softly before pressing a soft peck to his cheek.

-0-0-0-

«Fitz you really did a nice job! This neighborhood looks lovely, the park will be perfect for my morning run and the building is really nice as well, all those flowers in the lobby ... » Jemma kept on talking as they were walking out of the elevator where their new apartment was situated. She felt at the same time immensely relieved and grateful for everything. Relieved because even though she would trust him with her own life, it was stressful to let him do everything on his own and not be in control at all for once. And grateful because well … he did do everything on his own and he'd apparently done a fantastic job.

« So here we are, apartment 384! » Fitz declared, cutting her off with an amused smile. « I've had keys made for you both and the janitor on the ground floor has another set just in case! » Fitz said as he opened the locks and Jemma smiled fondly. He'd already told them that on the way here so this was obviously nervous talking. How sweet of him to be worried over what they would think when he'd already done so much.

When he finally got the door opened, he moved aside to let them come in first and closed it once all of their bags and suitcases were inside. The first thing Jemma saw was how bigger the living room looked in reality compared to the pictures he'd send her and she smiled widely. Then she saw the big « Welcome Home Simmonses » sign actually moving towards her and she realized it was held by three dwarves and she burst out laughing.

« Oh Fitz that's so sweet … » She started as she moved closer to him to give him a side hug and that's when she saw it. On the opposite wall, between two small ordinary windows Fitz had sent her pictures of, laid a breakfast nook. Even though the rest of the flat was still a bit empty (she had wanted him to wait for her to arrive to go shopping for furniture he could do without while she was still in Sheffield), he had bought a lovely little round table that would be absolutely perfect for Sunday brunches together.

« Fitz! » She cried out once more, grabbing his hand to lead him towards it with her and he grinned happily. She'd been dreaming about it for so long but she'd abandoned the idea when they had to start looking for a three bedrooms apartment instead of two. « But what-why … how did you …? » She blurted out and he chuckled.

« If I knew a breakfast nook was all it took to render you silent … » He teased and she rolled her eyes fondly. «I might have left a few things out of the photos I sent you, thought you'd like the surprise! »

« A few things? » She asked, raising an eyebrow.

« JEMMAAAA! » They were interrupted by the screaming voice of Amy coming from the hallway leading to two of the three bedrooms and they both chuckled. Fitz didn't even realize she'd left the living room and went to visit the rest of the flat on her own.

« Ah yes … there's that as well … » He let out with his best rendition of a mysterious smile. « Just go see for yourself! » He added as he gestured for her to move first before following her. Entering the first room, she stumbled upon a beaming Amy. Jemma noticed how the bed was already assembled and made and gave Fitz's shoulder a small squeeze. The absolute sweetheart must have spent most of his free time assembling and buying furniture and she took a mental note to find some way to repay him for all of that. But other than that, the room looked exactly like the photos.

« Why did you scream like a banshee? » Jemma asked her sister who gave her the biggest eye roll.

« Open the door! » She let out excitedly, gesturing towards what Jemma assumed was a cupboard but was in fact a huge dressing, complete with full length mirrors and an ingenious lighting system she suspected Fitz had something to do with and which also opened to the other room.

« So hum … my room is actually a bit bigger but I figured the dressing would make up for it ... » He let out a little bashfully and she felt another rush of tenderness for her best friend. "So I arranged the furniture that way for now but we can still move things around if you don't … »

He was cut off by both Jemma and Amy engulfing him in another big group hug and he almost lost balance from the force of it." So I guess these rooms will do just fine, right? » He grinned through the small blush making its way on his cheeks at the unexpected display of affection.

« This flat's amazing! Thank you Fitz. » Amy let out with a soft smile before moving away from them and letting herself fall flat on the bed face first. « Oh god, fis ma'ress is ama'ing! » Her voice was muffled by the fluffy pillow her face was buried into but they both got the idea.

« She called you Fitz! » Jemma whispered in his ear as she still had her head on his shoulder and one arm around his waist. She would have to stop being so cuddly with him once they were back at work but they still had two months to make up for so she guessed it would still be okay for at least a few days.

« Yeah hopefully, it's going to last … » He grinned.

« So do you have anymore of those surprises? » Jemma asked.

« Oh yeah … just down the hall, there's a second bathroom with a bathtub in it! »

« 'id anyone fay fome'ing about a baftub? »

-0-0-0-

Once they've had a full tour of the apartment with Fitz grinning as he showed them every detail he'd kept a surprise and every little improvement he added himself and the sisters pestering him with questions, they ended up in the living room, enjoying their tea, seated on the big comfy couch and armchairs Fitz had already bought.

« So tell me Fitz … did you actually solve cold fission while I was gone? » Jemma asked with a mischievous smile.

« Uh? »

« Or sold one of your designs to the enemy? »

« Jemma what are you … »

« 'Cause there's no way we can afford this flat with what SHIELD pays us! » She let out and he chuckled, finally understanding what she was getting at.

« Oh no actually it's even fifty dollars less than we said we could pay for a month. » Fitz declared with a pleased smile and Jemma arched an eyebrow. She was already very pleasantly surprised that he could find an flat for three in such a nice neighborhood but now that she was seing all those nice features, there was no way it was this cheap … if you could call cheap a rent with four digits.

« Actually the lady from the agency insisted on showing me this flat even though it was obviously way too expensive for us but since it looked exactly like what we wanted, I couldn't resist giving a look. And well I'd like to say I used my power of seduction but … when I met the landlady, she kept telling me I reminded her of her son who was studying abroad and well … I'm not really proud of it but I might have shared a bit more personal things about me than was necessary and at the end, I think she was ready to adopt me and I might have used it to get her to lower the rent to something we could afford … We should probably send a thank you note to that apparently awfully snobbish couple who visited the flat before me or she wouldn't have been so intent on wanting me to have it!» He finished with a smile that was half sheepish and half proud and Jemma laughed in delight.

« Sneaky … » She let out and his grin widened. «See, you should never underestimate your delightful Scottish charm! » She added, bumping his shoulder with a wink and he rolled his eyes.

« Oh yeah I appeal to older women who want to adopt me … how flattering! » He let out and she giggled lightly. It was true that however hard he tried to fight it, Fitz always had something of a puppy that made people want to ruffle his hair and she supposed, when you were old enough, adopt him.

« Thank you for everything Fitz. » She told him once more and giving her a soft smile, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder.

As the tiredness of the day started falling upon her, they remained that way, sharing a quiet moment together, reminding Jemma of one of the few evenings a year at the academy when they didn't have any work to do and could just relax in one of their rooms and spend hours talking about any topic that crossed their mind.

After several minutes though, Fitz gently moved away from her and stood up. « So hum … I'm gonna start working on dinner and you ladies can start getting settled into your rooms or just take a bath or something … » He said and smiled fondly when Jemma's eyes sparkled at the mention of a bath. « Yeah thought so …bought a few bath thingies. Not sure they're the right kind but I guess it should be okay for the week-end at least and then … »

« I'm sure it's perfect Fitz! » Jemma beamed at him.

« Okay then … I'll call you when dinner's ready.» He said and made his way towards the attached kitchen.

Before she had the time to stand up, Amy, who'd been looking at her phone on one of the armchairs during the last few minutes, plopped down next to her.

« Marry him! » She let out, fortunately low enough for him not to hear.

« Amy, I told you … »

« Seriously come on, the flat, the rooms, the dressing, the bath products and now dinner, not to mention his cute little a-a …face ... » Amy grinned at Jemma's intense glaring. « Do you really think you could find someone more perfect? »

« He's not really-he's just ... but .. no but that's … that's just not the point Amy! »

« Urgh you're hopeless! »

-0-0-0-

A few moments later, Jemma walked from her room to the bathroom wearing only her big fluffy robe. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, she easily managed to adjust the water at a nice temperature, just shy of boiling hot, exactly how she liked it.

Turning around to see the selection of bath thingies Fitz had bought, Jemma smiled when she saw the lavender scented bath oil he'd chosen. Somehow he'd managed to find something that smelt exactly like the shampoo she'd been using for the past two years and it made her heart flutter funnily knowing her scent was somehow imprinted on his brain just like his was in hers.

Also, just next to it was a big flashy bottle of banana-strawberry shower gel. Grabbing it and opening the top to smell it, Jemma almost gagged at the much too sweet obviously synthetic smell of something that vaguely reminded her of banana and strawberries. It's only when she put it back, as far away from the bathtub as possible -to avoid any spilling accident- that she noticed the rather cute cartoon monkey drawn on it and she couldn't help the loud giggle that escaped her lips.

« Yep … a really perfect version of himself … » She whispered to herself with a fond smile.

-0-0-0-

Later that night, as Amy had succumbed to jet lag and went to bed early, Jemma and Fitz found themselves half seating, half lying down against each other on the couch under Fitz's old kilt blanket. Finally admitting her battle against sleep, Jemma nestled her head in the crook of Fitz's neck and closed her eyes. As everything except the sound of Fitz's steady heartbeat started fading away, she fell asleep feeling more at home than she had in months.