Chapter Text
“Leo! Leo, hurry up, we’re going to be late!” Jemma called from the bathroom, running a comb through her loose curls.
“Jem, we’ve got three whole hours before the flight!”
“Yes, and it’s nearly 40 minutes to get to the airport, and we need to be there at least two hours early! You know how security gets at Logan this time of year!”
“Ugh, fine!” she could practically hear him roll his eyes as he shouted from the next room of their apartment.
Their apartment. Jemma smiled, gathering her last few toiletries from the bathroom and taking them to her impeccably organized suitcase. It had been over a year and that phrase still thrilled and delighted her. Her and Leo had lived in the dorms until they were of age, and then with the help of their few side jobs — a published paper here, a patent there— they’d rented a small apartment not too far from MIT’s main campus. And between school and extra activities they were both involved in, clubs and the like, this was the first time since the move they had time to fly home and visit Fiona, and both were absolutely ecstatic about it.
“Oh Leo, I’m so excited!” Jemma was tugging her roller suitcase out to the living room, her messenger bag swinging on her hip. Leo grinned up from his own bag, and nodded.
“I am too. it’ll be nice to see Mum, we haven’t since the last time we went home for the winter hols.”
“I know! And I’m so excited to tell her about the surprise!”
“She’s going to go mental, it’ll be amazing.”
“You do have the card with the tickets, yes? I’m trusting you, Leopold Fitz.” she stuck her tongue out, playful, and saw him roll his eyes this time.
“I promise.” he dug around in his own bag a moment “See?” he held out a dark red envelope with ‘Mum’ written on it in Jemma’s impeccable cursive.
“Excellent.”
“I’ll admit, I know it’s mostly for her benefit but… I’m pretty excited too.”
“Me too.”
“It’ll be good to be across the pond. I know it’s not quite the same as Sheffield but..”
“It’s better, Leo. It’s where you’re from. I don’t need to remember how awful and lonely everything was with my parents before you and your mum, and now our uni friends. I’d honestly rather see somewhere new, and somewhere that’s important to you.”
Jemma’s smile as she spoke was bashful, and Leo was lit up like a Christmas tree as he carefully pulled her face to his, stroking her cheeks and pressing his lips to hers in a long and firm but gentle kiss. She sighed happily, pressing herself closer to him for a moment before pulling away and ruffling his curls.
“Almost ready? I should call a car, if you are.”
“Yeah, just one last thing from the bedroom. Go ahead and call.”
After she nodded at him, Leo swung past her to the room they shared and surreptitiously pulled something from a shoebox beneath the bed, and stashed it in a balled up pair of clean dress socks before shoving it in the bag at his hip. He smiled to himself, patted it once, and double checked the card for his mum once more, then nodded at the empty room. He checked all the light switches and electrical plugs, so Jemma wouldn’t have to, and then reentered the living area just as she was hanging up with the taxi company.
“All clear.” he said with a grin.
“Good. And the cab’s on it’s way, so let’s check the living room and kitchen and head downstairs! We’ll be back home before we know it.”
The plane ride back was far from long, and certainly not as long as the one they’d all be taking in a few days, but both were relieved regardless when their feet hit the tile floor of the baggage claim.
“There you are!” Fiona called, distant but growing rapidly closer. Leo and Jemma both beamed and rushed her, and she embraced both of them at the same time.
“Oh! My darlings are all grown up! Look at the two of you. I think Leopold here has finally grown into these ears.” Fiona smiled affectionately and gently tugged at said ears, and Fitz stuck out his tongue.
“Actually, Fiona, the ears never stop growing.” Jemma smirked in Leo’s direction.
“Well, then I guess our boy is just plum out of luck then! Come now, let’s get you both home.”
The sights and smells of the Fitz house completely overwhelmed Jemma the moment they passed through the threshhold. When she’d been younger, she’d never imagined coming home from uni being so sad and nostalgic and wonderful. To be frank, she’d never imagined coming home from uni at all, rather having preferred entertaining the fantasy that once she had moved out, she would never have to go back. And, she reminded herself softly, watching Leo carry both their bags to his room, she didn’t have to. This was home now. This had been home for years. She teared up, just a little, and turned to Fiona, wrapping her in another hug.
“It’s so good to see you.” she said quietly, smiling at the older woman.
“It’s good to see you too, love. I’m glad university has been so good to you and our Leo.”
“Jemma!” Leo called suddenly, still on the other side of the house “Do we have to wait, or do you think we can just give it to her now?”
“We can do it now, if you like!” Jemma called back, positively beaming at Fiona.
“What mischief have the two of you gotten into?”
“No mischief, I promise! Just a surprise, from both Leo and I, from the proceeds of our first joint patent.”
A patent, she failed to mention, they had sold to Stark Industries, for a very, very pretty sum indeed. They would tell her, of course, but Jemma wanted Leo to do it, and they wanted to wait until afterwards. Her parents knew, because Leo, being more petty than Jemma would allow herself to be, had mailed them a photocopy of the patent and the sum they got for it in an unmarked envelope. Just to rub their faces in it. She’d chided him at first, but eventually she’d come to think it was quite sweet.
Leo came bounding into the room, red envelope in hand, and pressed it towards his mum. Fiona raised one eyebrow and opened it expertly, smiling softly as she read the outside of the card, Jemma had picked it of course, and then as she opened it her jaw dropped.
Nestled in the ‘just because’ card were three plane tickets— One for each of them, of course— to fly first class into Glasgow Airport, in a few days. The return trip was for a week later. Jemma and Leo were both grinning ear to ear, and Fiona teared up, pulling them both into a strong hug.
“Thank you. Both of you. You’re both lovely, wonderful, brilliant children, you know that? And you’re mine. You’re both mine.” she stressed the both and fixed Jemma was a strong glare, as if daring the young woman to challenge her. Jemma simply nodded tearfully and hugged both of them.
Unlike the flight to Fiona’s, the flight to Glasgow was long. But their first class seats were room, and there was champagne and free movies, so they made do. Somehow. Then after the flight was a 2 hour drive, which Leo drove all of with Jemma asleep in the passenger seat, because this was his surprise to both of them.
“Here we are.” he said smoothly as he pulled the rental car into a small driveway. Fiona was smiling cheekily in the backseat as Jemma rubbed her eyes, pulling out of sleep.
“Leo?”
“It’s my surprise to both of you. Some time away for mum in Scotland, and the most fairytale looking cottage in Scotland for you.” he smiled at her, adoring and sheepish, and Jemma beamed, throwing the door open.
“It’s lovely!” she shouted, throwing her arms out. And it was. All stone and wood and ivy and flowers along the cobbled walk, and a red, round topped door, and plenty of windows, including a rather impressive round bay window with a window seat on the other side of the cottage, looking over the lake. He patted his bag again, ignoring a rather knowing look from his mother, and walked over to Jemma, looping his arms around her waist and leaning his chin on her shoulder.
“You’re a darling.” she whispered.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, you silly fool.” she spun herself around and kissed him, until it seemed improper to continue, and then simply watched and held her things as Leo opened the door.
The cottage was, if possible, even lovelier on the inside. The rooms alternated between rich hardwood and plush dark red carpeting, the furniture was well kept but lovingly warm and all warm reds and neutrals. Light from over the water twinkled through the wide windowed doors of the open air kitchen that lead out to a small stone patio with wicker furniture and even more flowers.
Leo had even had the forethought to have the kitchen stocked beforehand, so that night the three of them made a wonderful and elaborate dinner together, complete with home baked desserts, just like old times. Not even the growing jetlag could stop them from a lengthy meal on the patio, sipping coffee and then tea and eating slowly and luxuriously, until finally Fiona was the first to call it a night. She winked at Leo and Jemma, patting her son on the back before she left. This puzzled Jemma slightly, but she let it pass, choosing to simply tug Leo over to a padded chaise lounge and cuddle into him while she watched the water.
It was so peaceful. Maybe the most peaceful she had ever felt. The stars shone bright and numerous in the dark purple sky, reflecting their light and the moon’s on the slowly rolling waters of the lake. In turn, the lake lapped at the shore, rhythmic and quiet. Behind her back, Leo’s chest rose and fell, warm and sturdy as ever, and his arms lay around her middle, his fingers tangled with hers. Just as she was starting to doze off, lulled into a pleasant haze by the idyllic circumstances, Leo tapped her shoulder gently.
“Jemma love. Sit up for a moment, will you?”
“Mmm?” she mumbled sleepily, even as she pulled herself upright and crossed her legs. For a moment, Leo forgot how to breathe, and not for the first time. Her eyes were heavy lidded with sleep, and her hair was falling out of a messy, curly bun. She’d pulled his jumper on against the evening chill, and it slipped just barely off one shoulder. The moonlight was just bright enough for him to see her freckles and the honey color of her eyes, and the pink of her lips in that sleepy little half smile he loved so dearly he wished he could bottle it.
Snapping out of it, he pulled himself into the same position, scooting forward until their knees and foreheads touched. It was a familiar position, one they’d sat in countless times in all the many years they’d known each other.
“I love you.” Jemma murmured, voice soft and dreamy. “I love you so much.” and she did, and he looked especially loveable, curls glowing golden with the light from the kitchen seeping out behind him, long lashes making spidery shadows on his cheeks.
“I love you too, Jemma.”
“Why’d you make me sit up?”
“I have something for you.” he smiled shyly, and ducked down a moment, pulling something from underneath the chaise.
“But Leo… it’s not even a holiday, and you’ve already done so much. This is lovely.”
“I know but…. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a bit now, and while this trip is for my mum, it’s for us too, and I chose this place mostly because it was right for… this.”
Jemma sat up slightly, feeling more awake. Being the alert and detail oriented person she was, she had a distinct feeling she knew where this conversation was headed. Because well, they’d talked about it of course. Sure, they were young, but it was something they knew they were likely to do eventually. And, admittedly, Jemma did like the idea of being an official part of a family again, although Fiona would have had a fit if she’d heard her say that. For a moment, she panicked internally, thinking it was too soon, but after a split second, she realized it really wasn’t. This didn’t mean they had to walk down the aisle the next day. It was just… a promise. And Leo had never made Jemma a promise he didn’t keep or that she didn’t treasure.
“My mum slipped this into my bags when we left last time we were here for Christmas. I didn’t actually notice it for about a month, because well, it took me that long to actually unpack.” Leo looked sheepish again, and Jemma rolled her eyes. “Now now, I’m trying to make a speech Jems, don’t roll your eyes at me.”
“You were saying?”
“Anyway, yeah, so mum slipped something into my bag. And so when I found it and called her about it, she said it had been my grandmother’s, but she thought I might need it more than she did. Now, you never met my grandparents, which is a tragedy, because they were wonderful people. And they were married for nearly seventy years. They met when they were kids.”
“Just like us.” Jemma breathed with a small smile.
“Yeah, about the same age, actually. Funny how things happen. But anyway, they were married for nearly seventy years, and I figure that must mean this is pretty good luck.”
Leo pulled the box he’d been fiddling with open, and Jemma let out a small gasp. Inside, nestled in white satin, was a white gold ring set with diamonds and rubies, in custom engraved settings that looked like roses.
“Oh, Leo…”
“I want you to know that… that I don’t mean we have to do this soon. Or at all, if you don’t want to. But I love you, Jemma Simmons, more than anything in the whole world, and I very much plan to spend the rest of my life with you, married or not, if you’ll have me.” he pulled the ring from the box, holding it out carefully, and Jemma nodded, tearful, and held out her hand.
“Yes, Leo. Yes to everything.” she whispered, all her strength on the last word, before pulling him in for a searing kiss.
In the kitchen, Fiona smirked to herself, glad she thought to leave the porchlight on, or she wouldn’t have been able to sneak any photos without the flash on.
When Leo and Jemma came down to the kitchen for breakfast in the morning, Fiona was already awake with coffee and an elaborate breakfast spread complete with strawberry Belgian waffles, and Jemma and Leo were positively glowing.
“So.” Fiona said with a grin, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.
“So.” Leo repeated, just as Jemma held her hand out and let out a quiet but exuberant
“We’re engaged!”
“I saw.” Fiona said matter of factly. Jemma and Fitz balked.
“Oh please you two, Leo has been patting his bag for days now, and I’m the one who let him have the ring, and somebody had to document the love story of the century.” Her grin softened after that, and she opened her arms. “I’m so happy for you two. Really.”
“I’m happy for us too.” Jemma said quietly, eyes tearing for what felt like the millionth time in the past three days. “All of us.”
“One big happy family.” Leo nodded in reply, looking from his mum to his best friend turned girlfriend turned fiance, the person for whom none of those words would ever really, truly be enough.
“Come on, lovebirds. Let’s eat.”
And they did. They had breakfast on the patio, the sun sparkling over the water, while the day slowly warmed and the world around them came alive. Jemma pulled her chair as close as she could to Leo’s leaning her head on his shoulder and letting the pure warmth and contentment she felt fill her chest to bursting.
One big happy family, she thought to herself, watching the sunlight make the gems in her ring dance on the tabletop as she reached for Leo’s hand, the most perfect family she could ever ask for.