"I hate to bow to stereotypes, but shouldn't you be ready before me?" Jemma leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom, a playful grin on her face. However, Fitz was too preoccupied to notice, fiddling with the half-done tie around his neck as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Aye, I was dressed ages ago." He huffed in frustration. "But I have been buggering around trying to do this fancy knot." He pointed at the laptop that sat on the dresser, displaying instructions on how to do an Eldredge knot.
"Wow, very swanky," Jemma said as she looked at the complicated loop of material on the screen.
He stared at the mirror and rubbed at his ear self-consciously before continuing. "It's just that, whenever we get the chance to go out, you always look so…" he turned towards her as he spoke, his face softening when he saw her silhouetted in the doorway, "…stunning."
Jemma felt her heart beat a little faster at the way he looked at her with such reverence, feeling undeserving of such praise. She felt so comfortable with Fitz that she had never felt the need to spend hours getting ready before they had any outings. She wore a pleated, dark purple cocktail dress and had barely put on any make-up. She had her hair tied up loosely, and had tried to contain some of the small curls that fell from the hairband with bobby pins, but some still managed to escape, framing her face.
His brow crinkled slightly, as though he was an unworthy peasant gazing at a goddess, and he looked back at the mirror despondently. "And I just look like I have finished a shift at work." He hastily grabbed at the tie, pulling until the loops came undone. "I just wanted to look…" he gesticulated aimlessly but it did little to help him find the right word, "…different."
He looked sideways at Jemma. "Sorry, you know science is my forte, not the English language. I just meant: I wanted to put in some effort, so you realise how important you are to me."
"Oh, Fitz." She pushed off the doorway and took a few steps into the room. "You know you look good to me wearing anything." Or not wearing anything she thought, but didn't verbalise. He scoffed in disbelief. "You do!" she said adamantly.
She walked over to the dresser, taking a closer look at the instructions. "This actually does look pretty complicated. And you are trying to do it looking in the mirror so it is all backwards." She turned to Fitz, giving him a sympathetic stare. "I can see why it is taking a while."
Fitz laughed at the stupidity of the situation. "I have bloody three semesters training in holographic engineering." He jerked his thumb at the offending material hanging from his neck. "I literally got tested on my visual-spatial ability, and I can't even tie a simple knot."
"I wouldn't call it a simple knot." She peered more closely at the screen. "I mean, it is fifteen steps."
"Wait, are you taking the piss?"
"No, honestly," Jemma said sincerely, "it looks difficult."
Fitz peered at her suspiciously, not entirely sure she wasn't mocking him.
"Give me a try." Jemma closed the gap between them, bending down slightly until she clasped each end of the tie.
She alternated between glancing at the laptop, and the silken material around Fitz's neck. Her fingers worked deftly, twisting and looping the tie as she tried to copy the pictures on the screen. Fitz tried watching her hands, but he got distracted by the way she bit her bottom lip in concentration, and at the small furrow that appeared at her brow each time she attempted the next step.
A small sigh escaped her mouth and she pulled the tie loose again. Fitz wanted to comment that her pout was adorable, but he didn't want to risk a scathing glare for being condescending. And he had to admit he was quite enjoying seeing her struggle as much as he had. She attempted several steps before halting.
"Bloody hell," Jemma said, standing back up and placing her hands on her hips. "That's still not right." She pinched at the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Back in a jiffy."
Fitz waited a few seconds after she had left the room before tugging at the loops and pulling the tie free again. A scientist and an engineer with an uncompleted task was not a good recipe to make it to a reservation on time.
He had managed the first two steps when Jemma returned with the glass of wine she had started earlier in the night, sipping the dark liquid as she walked closer to where he sat.
"I don't think alcohol is going to enhance your dexterity," he said dryly, then poked at one of the loops.
She took another gulp before placing the glass on the bedside table, then swatted his hand away. "Don't touch, I'll get it this time." She looked back at the picture, then leant over him and began the routine again. She managed the first few steps before pausing.
She sighed and placed her hands on her lower back as she straightened, stretching her muscles. "Argh, my weak back is not really amenable with standing at this angle. Shuffle back a bit."
Fitz hesitated for a few seconds, then complied, moving back several inches. Jemma tugged at her dress until the hem lifted, then placed her knees on either side of Fitz's hips, before settling down in his lap. The pleats gave her plenty of room to move.
Top marks for practicality, Jemma, Fitz thought, grinning at his girlfriend as she grabbed each end of the tie.
"Much more comfortable," Jemma surmised.
Fitz cleared his throat. "That's one word for it."
She smiled in response then returned her attention to the laptop, peering at it critically for a few moments. When she turned back to continue her task, her actions seemed to be more confident. Fitz had his hands braced on either side of him, alternating between watching Jemma, and the progress she was making.
This time, she didn't seem to miss a beat.
"I take it back. The alcohol seems to have improved your skill."
"Clearly that is the logical conclusion. Not the fact that I have learnt from my previous attempts." She gave him a playful wink. Fitz couldn't recall ever seeing Jemma wink. And certainly not at him. He committed it to memory, alongside the nose scrunch she used to tell him he'd be fine, or the worried brow that meant be careful.
He tried to ignore the feel of her lower body pressed so closely against his, fairly certain that if he dwelled on those sensations for too long, the way she affected him would become embarrassingly obvious very quickly. However, the slight shift each time she turned back to the computer was not helping the situation.
"Done." Jemma placed one arm on his shoulder so she could lean back slightly to inspect her handiwork. Fitz glanced down briefly.
Perfect.
Of course it was.
He looked back at Jemma, enamoured at how she still fussed slightly. She made tiny adjustments with her free hand, smoothing the tail out as her fingers ran down the length of his chest. "How does it feel?"
Fitz didn't look down again, his attention solely focused on the woman a few inches from him, and the warmth of her hand permeating through his shirt.
"Good, yeah. Fine." There was the slightest inflection in his voice. Fitz could feel the heat emanating from his collar. "Just…ahhh, maybe it is a bit tight?"
How was it that after all these years, she could still turn him into a bumbling fool? He hooked a finger under his collar, in a vain attempt at letting some of the heat escape. "I'm just a bit hot."
Her head remained tilted downwards, but she looked up at him through her lashes. "Yeah," she agreed, "you are."
A grin appeared on Jemma's face for the briefest moment, before her look merged into something more sincere. Fitz felt her hand slide up his shoulder until it caressed the back of his neck as her attention shifted focus from his eyes to his lips. His tongue ran over his bottom lip involuntarily as he gazed at her.
And then she was leaning towards him, torturously slowly as her fingers pulled them closer together. He tried memorising her features, his eyes darting from her inviting lips, to dusty pink cheeks, and her downcast eyelashes until, finally, her lips were against his; soft and warm and tasting of wine.
He closed his eyes, his body hyper-aware of each point of contact between their bodies. He could distinctly feel each finger that probed into the muscles at the back of his neck, her thighs encasing his and the nails that scraped against his chest where Jemma was pulling possessively at his tie, as though he would ever dare to pull back. But most of all, he felt her lips, pressing tenderly against his.
It took a moment for his brain to process his senses being bombarded, reminding him that he was actually an active member of this dalliance. He pushed off from where his hands were braced on the bed, snaking them behind Jemma's back until one supported her between her shoulder blades as the other came to rest at the small of her back.
The shift in position left Fitz leaning forward ever so slightly, and he could feel the trust in Jemma's demeanour, in the way she relaxed into the embrace. It was as though that minute change was enough to allow her to concentrate more thoroughly on kissing him, opening her mouth until her tongue grazed over his bottom lip. He mirrored her actions, opening his mouth more fully as desire flooded his senses.
Having faith that Fitz wouldn't let her fall, Jemma deepened the kiss, immersing herself in the moment. She toyed with the tie, savouring the feel of his lightly stubbled jaw grazing the back of her fingers as she loosened it slightly. When she shifted in his lap, she could feel the minute groan that tried to escape his mouth. A small grin of satisfaction appeared, and she wondered if he could feel the curl of her lips as he kissed her. The tension in his thighs indicated that his resolve was close to abandoning him, but that thought spurred her on even more. She became more insistent, her tongue rolling against Fitz's, and he returned the action with equal fervour, the intensity making her lightheaded. If he was her partner in a shared delirium, she was happy to partake.
Just when Fitz thought his body was going to explode from sheer overload of sensation, Jemma pulled back slightly, her breaths coming in short bursts. She let go of the tie and moved her hands until her fingers laced themselves at the nape of his neck.
"Okay, your turn," she said.
Fitz was still slightly dazed, his hormones in overdrive, hampering coherent thoughts.
"Huh?" he said, unable to come up with anything more eloquent.
"You're never going to learn if you let me do everything for you."
Fitz looked down to see the knot in disarray. He looked back up at Jemma in disbelief, as though she had just performed some outlandish trick. He had been so overwhelmed by the feel of her moving against him, that he hadn't even realised she had managed to undo the tie.
He shook his head slightly at her mirthful grin. "You do realise that we will be late for our reservation?"
"Hmm." Jemma looked thoughtful for a moment, and he thought she was about to see reason. But then she slid her hands down his shoulders, running her palms against his chest before gathering each end of the tie in her hands. She clenched the material, using it to pull Fitz closer until her lips just grazed his ear. "You know what?" she asked, her warm breath dancing over his earlobe. "I can think of other ways to celebrate our anniversary."