This is my piece for TAG Mini Bang 2023! This is for soniabigcheese/followthepaintbrush on tumblr, and it is based on their art of Penelope and Gordon looking into each other's eyes. Something about this piece and the way they are looking at each other so desperately reminded me so strongly of that one Fitzsimmons scene in Agents of Shield at the end of season one, so this is partially based on that as well. I wish I could link both the art and scene here, but FF doesn't like links :( You can find the art at followthepaintbrush on tumblr!
Hope you all enjoy!
"Hey, Pen?"
Penelope lifted her head towards the man who occupied the small space with her.
His face was illuminated by the small amount of light that came from his torch and her compact, and Penelope could see the harsh bruising that covered his left temple.
"Yeah?" Her voice sounded scratchy to her ears, which was a result of all the dust that had kicked up around them, and the coughing fit that had followed.
"When Virgil gets here, he'll only be able to take one of us up at a time," Gordon explained, though she already expected as much. "You should go up first."
"What? No, it should be you." Penelope couldn't believe her ears, and she walked across the small space to stand across from him. She had already resigned herself to the fact she would go up second, and for good reason. "You're hurt!"
Aside from the bruising on his face from a possible concussion, plus the broken arm that he had fished out a sling from his sash for, he probably had other injuries that they hadn't realised yet. He was the one who protected her from the rocks when the cave began to collapse, so he was the one who should be saved first.
"You're hurt too." With his good arm, he pointed to her fingers that were crudely held together with the best splint Gordon could make with his limited supplies.
They hurt like hell and were probably broken, but it paled in comparison to Gordon's injuries.
"Besides, I'm used to situations like this," Gordon continued. "This is my job, which is to save people. I wouldn't be doing my job if I saved myself before you."
"This is my job too," she argued back. "I may not find myself trapped in caves as much as you do, but I can handle myself."
"I know that, but… I couldn't take it if something happened to you." Gordon's voice lowered and his eyes briefly flickered away.
Penelope felt her cheeks heat up. She didn't know why those words made her feel like she suddenly had butterflies in her stomach, especially as they came from Gordon. However, this was not the time to dwell on it, so she shook off whatever those feelings were.
"Well, I also don't want anything to happen to you."
They both knew what they were really arguing for here. The cave surrounding them was precariously held together. One shift of a rock, a small quake, it could all send the rest of it tumbling down on top of them. It was a miracle they still had this small, safe pocket.
Every second that passed was another moment closer to them not making it out of this cave, so the chances of them both making it out of there was slim. Penelope had trust in Gordon's brothers to do everything it took, but even they couldn't stop a cave from falling on their heads.
And Penelope couldn't live with herself if she made it out of there and Gordon didn't.
She was stubborn, and was determined to keep fighting the other man until he listened to her.
However, before Penelope could argue further, Gordon continued.
"Pen-" He hesitated, and his voice shifted. With his good hand, he rubbed the back of his neck as he cast his eyes to the floor.
It made Penelope pause. Gordon never seemed shy, not like he did at that moment. Despite her thoughts and the pressing time limit they had, she waited for him to continue.
"You mean so much to me. So much more than anyone else," he eventually said as he dropped his hand and lifted his eyes to meet hers. There was a vulnerability in them that she had never seen in the other man. "I was too scared to tell you sooner, but now I'm afraid I'll never get another chance."
He took a step closer and she didn't move, either because she was stunned by the words, or because she didn't want to move away from him.
"I really like you, Penelope. Since the day I met you, I knew how I felt about you."
He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb against her cheek, like he was wiping away a bit of dirt, before he tucked back a piece of her hair.
"You don't have to feel the same way. I just wanted you to know."
Penelope's heart was thumping rapidly in her chest as she stood unable to move. They were standing so close to each other now, their faces only inches apart. He held her gaze, and she couldn't look away from his eyes.
The trance was broken by a loud noise above them, and small rocks started to fall around them, landing in their hair. They both quickly glanced up, but things thankfully seemed to settle. Hopefully, it was just a result of Virgil getting close to them.
When she looked back at the other man, Gordon was already stepping away.
"We're not fighting about this. You're going first." Gordon's tone left no room for argument.
"Gordon…" She finally found her voice, not that she knew what to say.
What was she meant to say?
"I'm almost there, coming in from the west," Virgil's voice cut through, ending any further words between the two of them.
She didn't know what direction west was, but Gordon appeared to, as he grasped her wrist and pulled her to one side of their small space.
"FAB," Gordon replied to his brother as he tapped his sash.
Penelope couldn't look away from Gordon, but the man seemed to ignore her, as he stared at a spot in the ceiling. She could still feel the touch of his glove on her cheek.
Anything that could have been said between them was swallowed by the loud noises of machinery and crumbling rocks as more dust was kicked about.
When it settled and things grew quiet again, a hole was revealed in the ceiling, along with Virgil, who was lowering himself to the ground by a rope attached to his harness.
"How are you both doing?" He placed the tool he had been using to cut the hole by his feet as he reached the ground. He had already been informed of their injuries after he demanded a status report when the cave first collapsed, but he still looked them over.
"We're fine." Gordon replied before she could. Then, he gave her a gentle push towards the other man. "Take Penelope up first. I can wait."
Penelope went to protest, but when she looked at him, he gave her a watery smile, and she found she couldn't.
Before she knew it, she was wearing a harness and Virgil had an arm around her as he prepared for their ascent.
"You'll be alright, yeah? I'll only be a few minutes."
Penelope realised he was talking to Gordon, to which the man replied with a smile she could see through and a thumbs up.
"I'll be waiting."
As they started to make their way out of the cave, Penelope caught sight of Gordon one last time. He was waving at her, but she caught something in his eyes, something that was shared only between the two of them. Then, he was gone from her sight as her vision was replaced with the walls of the hole Virgil had created, and then a much bigger cavern.
The air felt fresher and cooler, and she no longer felt so claustrophobic. Virgil lowered them both onto the ground, and then got to detaching her harness from his rope.
His movements were swift and it was clear he wanted to get back down to Gordon as quickly as he could, but it was too late.
Suddenly, the ground began to shift, and Penelope was reminded of the first quake that had trapped them in the first place.
Her heart plummeted.
Gordon.
Her mind was yelling his name, and it took her a moment to realise Virgil was yelling it too. He rushed over to the hole he had created, to find it had been blocked once more.
No.