After that night spent watching Doctor Who in Jemma's room, it becomes an habit in the following weeks. Both have let go of the idea of spending a good night's sleep and since Doctor Who is usually on just before their day off, they both agreed that it's a lot funnier to spend the night together. But it doesn't stop at that. As days and weeks go by, they find themselves spending more and more time together. Strangely enough, it is still mostly at nights. Of course, they do see each other a lot during the day but mostly for work and due to their tight schedule and increasing work load on Fitz's side (Phil Coulson never stops having new ideas and Fitz never backs away from a challenge) the only real free time they have is at night. But they have come to appreciate it, there's almost never anyone else up and it feels like they're alone in the world which doesn't bother them one bit, on the contrary. Jemma has always been quite a social person but being with him is so comfortable and effortless that she finds herself spending less and less time with other people. On more than one occasion, she found an excuse to leave early after a drink with the cast because there was a good movie to watch on TV with Fitz. She doesn't like lying because a lie usually comes back to bite you, but Fitz and her are just friends, really good friends even, and if people knew they're spending so many nights together, they would start talking and she doesn't want things to get complicated between them.

At least that's what Jemma tells herself as she's leaving the hotel bar to join Fitz in front of the hotel lobby.

"Come on, let's go before Milton sees us." She tells him as she approaches and he makes a disgusted face.

"Ugh Milton!" He says as he starts walking pretty fast into the desert towards the same spot where they watched the stars a few weeks earlier.

"Don't be mean Fitz! He's a nice guy. It's just that if he knows we're gonna be watching the meteor shower, he's gonna follow us and keep asking stupid questions and I'm not in the mood to answer them!" She says as she starts walking even faster.

"And I'm the one being mean! At least I don't pretend to be interested in what he says when he starts talking." He says grinning.

"I'm just being polite!" She answers, rolling her eyes.

"Polite, hypocrite ... that's a fine line..." He says, grinning even more and she pushes him playfully, almost making him lose balance.

"Hey, I'm not a hypocrite!"

"Ouch ... Maybe not but for such a small person, you're kind of a brute!" He says as he pushes her back and she does completely lose balance and falls not at all gracefully on the sand. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you fall ..." He says with a panicked voice as he starts picking her up but she just pulls on his hand really hard, making him fall flat on his face on the sand next to her as she bursts out laughing.

"Okay, that's how you wanna play it then, uh?" He says as he's trying to get up, the sand making its movements a bit complicated. She grins widely at him as she's trying to get up too, so he pushes her again and this time she falls on her back, laughing even louder. Her laughter is contagious and soon enough, he starts laughing too making its movements even more complicated. After losing his balance one more time, he gives up and lays on his back next to her.

"That's it, I'll never be able to get up again. I'm gonna die here!" He says in an over dramatic tone which makes her chuckle.

"At least, that's quite a pretty spot to die. Don't you think? Anyway, I think we're far enough from the hotel, we can watch the meteors from here!" She says, her voice still breathless from all the laughing.

"So when will it start?" He asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Soon!"

"How soon?" He asks and she rolls her eyes.

"Like really soon!" She says, emphasizing the word really and pointing to the sky. As he looks up and away from her, he sees the first meteor crossing the night sky.

"Oh wow!" He says, a big smile on his face.

They remain silent for a long moment, just enjoying the amazing show unfolding in front of their eyes. There's no moon tonight and there's not a cloud in view. Which means the sky is as dark as can be and the stars and meteors that much more visible. Jemma had always loved watching the stars, especially on a night like this because the infinite number of them surrounding her on all sides almost makes her feel dizzy, like being on a rollercoaster and she has always loved the sensation. When she was younger, she used to watch them on her own because no one really understood how it made her feel. Looking at Fitz, it seems like he feels the same way and she is surprised by how it makes her heart flutter. He's been making her feel that way more and more but she keeps telling herself she just really appreciates spending time with someone she has so much in common with.

When he turns to her with a raised eyebrow, she realizes that she must have been staring for quite some time so she just gives him a small smile. She's grateful for the darkness that doesn't let her blush show.

"What?" He asks, returning her smile.

"Nothing, I'm just glad I found someone who likes the stars as much as I do" She says, her smile stretching her lips a bit more.

"Oh ... me too." He says, his smile getting warmer as their faces are now only inches from each other. This makes her heart beat a lot faster for a moment and she almost gets lost in his beautiful blue eyes reflecting the stars. How did she not notice before how beautiful his eyes are? She tells herself that it's only the ridiculously romantic setting blurring her mind so, before she does something she might regret later, she pushes herself up to get back to a seating position. But as she does so, she winces as a flash of pain shots through her back and Fitz doesn't fail to notice it.

"Everything's alright?" He asks, a soft tone in his voice.

"Yeah, I just hurt my back a bit when ..."

"Oh my god, was it me? Did you hurt your back when I pushed you earlier?" He asks, now seating up too.

"Oh no no no, don't worry, you're not that strong!" She says, reassuring.

"Nice..." He says, pouting.

"Oh Fitz, i didn't mean it that way, I'm sure you can be really strong." She says, playfully punching his shoulder. "I just meant that wouldn't push hard enough to hurt me."

"That's better!" He says, grinning.

"Anyway, no I hurt myself while training with May this morning!" She says as she tries to rub her own back.

"Oh yeah, I've heard terrifying things about her. She's not going easy on you. Isn't she?" He says, with a sympathetic smile.

"Well, she's actually nice when you get to know her and training with her will look good on my resume but ... yeah she's quite merciless!" She says, now trying to stretch a bit to release some of the pain and tension.

"I can give you a massage if you want. I'm quite good at it." He says with a tentative smile.

"Oh no, I'll be okay, you don't have to do that." She says, thinking that him touching her might not be the best way to shake those confusing thoughts she's had on her mind about him.

"I know I don't but I don't mind, really. And you're the lead actress, if you're too hurt to finish shooting, I'll never get paid." He says, grinning.

"Oh wow you really only like me for my money." She says, pouting.

"You know I don't." He answers with a warm smile and their eyes lock for a moment. Then he adds: "I also like you for your TV!", grinning again and she playfully punches him in the shoulder.

"Come on, turn around, give it a try at least." He says with a soft smile. And even though, she knows it might be a bad idea, she's been hurting all day and it's too tempting to refuse, so she turns her back to him and lets him put his legs around her. Even though he does get close enough to be able to massage her properly, he stills lets a reasonable distance between them and she's thankful for it.

"So where does it hurt?" He asks as he's breathing into his hands to warm them.

"Uh ... pretty much everywhere." She says, wincing. "But mostly, right in the middle and around the shoulders too."

"Okay, let's get started then." He says as he's also suddenly feeling a little nervous. He knows he's good at it so when Jemma told him her back hurt, he didn't even think before proposing to massage her. But now that she has her back to him and he is about to lay his hands all over it, he feels a little awkward. He's never had this level of intimacy with a woman that wasn't his girlfriend and Jemma is far from that. And it's not like it's even a possibility, is it?

When he puts his hands on her shoulders, she tenses slightly and lets out a small gasp. "Sorry, my hands are still a bit cold, they should warm up soon enough!"

"That's alright, that just surprised me is all." She says, relaxing as his hands are already starting to warm up. He starts by gently kneading the flesh of her shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension in there. After a few minutes, she realizes that saying he was quite good is an understatement. She already noticed how delicate his hands were with his long pianist fingers but they're obviously also quite strong and surprisingly soft for someone working with machines all day. And he's using them with the same dexterity she'd seen him use them to work on tiny electronic devices. As he starts going down, he manages to detect the knots in her nerves and muscles using his thumbs and then slowly but firmly applies pressure on it to relieve the pain. As he does so, he's also gently tracing patterns with the tips of his other fingers, avoiding her sides so it wouldn't tickle her and tense her up again. At some point, Jemma closes her eyes to enjoy the sensation and she can't keep her mind from wandering to more than friendly places where his hands wouldn't stop at her back. At some point he reaches the seam of her top so he starts massaging her through the fabric. She's glad to have chosen a top with such a low cut back but she has still to swallow a frustrated whine when his hands stop being in contact with her skin. For a second, she considers taking it off but that would probably be crossing a line. When he reaches the middle of her back, she lets out a loud moan and he stops immediately.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He says, with worry in his voice.

"Oh no no, don't worry. You just hit the spot that hurts the most." She says, turning her head to look at him with a small smile. "This is actually really nice, please continue." She adds and he smiles back, grinning slightly.

As she turns back, he starts massaging her again, concentrating on that specific spot. It's not as easy to massage her through her top but he's a little relieved to have reached the part of her back that's covered by her top. It's not that he minds touching her, it's actually that he appreciates it a little too much. Her skin is perfectly smooth and soft and being so close, he can't help noticing that delicious smell of lavender again. How can someone always smell so good when it's always so hot is a mystery to him. After a few minutes of massaging this spot and the (really firm) muscles of her waist, he can feel her relax under his hands and he can't help smiling, feeling proud of his good work. When she lets out a few little moans of contentment, his smile turns to a grin. But when his hands travel back up and make contact with her skin, her moans become a little louder. He can't help noticing how they went from something close to a purring cat to something that sounds a lot more ... sexual. A part of him is kind of proud, but another is starting to be a little embarrassed. Jemma is his friend and he shouldn't follow his mind where it's trying to take him. That's the moment Jemma decides to break the silence and he's grateful for it.

"So you really didn't lie when you said you were good!" She says and he could swear she's a little out of breath.

"Oh ... thank you." He answers a little shyly. "I hope it's helping a bit."

"Oh it does really. You know people pay quite a lot of money for such massages." She says, her tone playful.

"Well I'll know what to do if I ever get tired of engineering."

"Or you could do both. Like program a robot to learn to detect knots in nerves and muscles and give massages." She says, still playful but she can feel him stop moving for a moment before resuming his massage. "You're seriously thinking about it now. Aren't you?" She asks, grinning.

"Well, that's actually quite a good idea. I had designs for a prosthetic hand that would have been remarkably sensitive, more than a human hand actually and it wouldn't be too hard to program them to do massages." He answers with a sigh.

"And what happened to that design?" She asks.

"They said it was brillant but they didn't have the budget for such a project. It would be too expensive to produce and that there just wasn't a big enough market for it. I guess they're not wrong but still ... I guess that's one of the reasons I quit." He says with a slightly bitter smile.

"And are you glad you did? Quit, I mean." She asks with a soft voice.

"I'm happier about it everyday." He says and she can hear the smile in his voice.

After a few minutes of silence, she can feel herself drown in the delicious sensations of his hands on her, the meteors somehow long forgotten, so she breaks the silence again.

"But seriously when did you learn to give such good massages?"

"Ah! Well I had a girlfriend who was really into sports. Met her during the only few months in my life where I went to the gym." He starts and she chuckles. "She was a coach there and I guess I was a change from all those bulky guys who spent too much time looking at themselves in the mirror instead of her." He adds as his hands start going down again. "Anyway, she did a lot of sport and after a race or a match, she would often need back rubs so as I like to do things properly, I looked up techniques on the internet and since I had a lot of practice, I managed to get quite good." He says timidly.

"Mmmhmm." She says as she lets out a small contented moan when he starts massaging the middle of her back again. "And what happened between you too? Because I know i wouldn't let go of a man who gives such good massages ... on a regular basis." She says and he's glad she has her back to him and doesn't see him blush furiously when he remembers to what these massages would usually lead back then.

"Actually, I'm the one who ended it. After a few months I realized that we had nothing in common. I mean, she was a very nice girl but it was mostly physical between us and I knew I wouldn't spend the rest of my life with her. So I thought it was better to end it sooner rather than later. And since she worked at the gym, that was the end of my motivation to work out and get in shape!" He says chuckling.

"Ah! If you want I can use my connections to get you a training session with Melinda May." She says, her tone playful.

"No thank you, she really scares me. The only time I had to work with her to know how to position the dwarves during a specific fight scene, she kept looking at me all weird. I swear if I could sleep, that would give me nightmares." He says and she chuckles.

"Maybe she likes you ..."

"No she doesn't!"

"I could ask her for you if you want ..."

"Stop that!" He says with an annoyed tone and she starts giggling even louder.

"She could probably use a good ... massage after all that training ..."

"Jemma, stop that or I swear I'll tell Milton you want to hear that fascinating story about tax deductions he told me last week." He says and he grins at her shocked gasp.

"You wouldn't!"

"I won't if you stop putting horrible images of Melinda May in my head."

"Okay, fine. But you might be missing out on a beautiful love story." She says grinning and they stay silent for a few minutes.

"Funny, you're so smart, I didn't picture you as the type of guy who would have a relationship that's mostly physical." She says, more to herself than to him.

"Well I'm not. That obviously didn't work out for me and that's why I ended it. I need to be someone who shares my interests and with who I can spend hours without running out of things to talk about." He says with an absent smile on his face.

"Yeah, I think I can relate to that." She answers and they both get lost in their own minds for a moment before Fitz notices the pebbled skin on her back and shoulders.

"Are you cold?" He asks with a soft voice.

"I'm sorry what?" She says, still a little lost in thoughts.

"You're shivering. Are you cold?"

"Oh. Yeah a bit." She says, blushing slightly as she knows perfectly well that the shivers are due to his delicate hands on her skin and not the cold.

So he takes the blanket they had brought with them and puts it on her shoulders before coming back to sit next to her.

"Feeling better?" He asks, his accent thicker as he's clearly getting tired and not controlling it anymore, which makes her smile.

"Yeah, I really am. Thank you Fitz. I'll owe you one." She answers as she does feel a lot better. She also feels a little disappointed by the loss of contact so even though she wasn't even cold to begin with, she gathers her knees in her arms and pretends to tremble, which gets her the expected reaction from him. He gets closer to her, pulls the blanket so it rests on both their shoulders and puts his arm around her, pulling her closer into him. She smiles contentedly as her head comes to naturally rest on his shoulder.

"Better?" He asks softly.

"Yeah." She answers, and though she knows she's already walking a fine line, she lifts her head and deposits a light kiss on his jaw. "Thank you Fitz."

"You're very welcome." He answers, his voice barely a whisper and he knows perfectly well that the shiver that runs down his spine has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with Jemma.