Chapter Text
Jemma turns around in a fluid motion. "Me? No, I just think it's fascinating the connection between pain and pleasure. Did you know the area of our cerebral cortex associated with pain is activated during sex? It makes me wonder what other chemical reactions are similar concerning these opposite sensations, perhaps adrenaline..." she rambles on about things Skye doesn't understand, gesturing her hands excitedly.
Skye blinks a few times. "Right."
Jemma shrugs coyly. "Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away over these matters. I'm a biochemist," she explains.
Skye waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine, you looked pretty cute going all science-y," the words escape her.
A sweet smile crosses Jemma's lips and the faintest red tints her cheeks. In other circumstances, Skye would be mentally berating herself for saying something impulsively, but she can't really bring herself to care now, not when she has Jemma blushing and it's adorable to watch. Nevertheless, she makes a mental note about learning how to keep her mouth shut; it has only brought her trouble and more than a few embarrassing situations. Like that time she mused out loud about Carl Creel's physical attributes in front of Coulson. That was an awkward lunch.
She motions to the other room. "Wanna check the last stop of our tour?"
"Of course."
Again, Skye pulls the curtain open, but this time she steps into the room and turns to Jemma, who comes to a halt in the doorway. The room is filled with shelves and more shelves displaying dildos of all colors and shapes in a semi-circle fashion. Skye scans the place with her eyes and smiles proudly; she was the one who came up with the idea for that room, planned every detail and organized all the toys. She set up everything in a way that would stun the customers, and the reactions never disappoint.
"Quite impressive, huh?"
Jemma nods, and after one last glance around, her gaze is back on Skye. "Judging by the smug look on your face, I suppose you're responsible for this."
"Yup," Skye confirms, popping the p. "Ask me about any of those, I've tried all of them."
It's Jemma's turn to choke, causing Skye to burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding! Gosh, you should've seen your face now."
Jemma shakes her head, albeit smiling, and crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes sweeping the toys. "So, how do you usually sell these? Do you let your customers choose by themselves or do you give them tips?"
"Oh, neither way. You see, they don't choose the dildo, the dildo chooses them."
Jemma gapes at her. "Did you just... Compare this to the process of picking a wand in Harry Potter?"
Skye nods, smiling cheekily. "If only you knew the magic some of these are capable of... I've seen all types of women leave the shop cranky and come back giggly. Don't underestimate the power of the dildos, Jemma."
Jemma laughs, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh, Skye, you're really something."
"Something good, I hope."
"Definitely good," Jemma reassures.
They stare at each other for a moment and this time it's Skye's face that grows bright red. Jemma looks away with a little smile on her lips and Skye thinks to herself that maybe Jemma isn't out of her league. Maybe she has a shot, if she doesn't ruin it by talking too much or being too forward. Or maybe this is just wishful thinking and she's seeing too much into it, but a girl can dream, right?
Skye steps out of the room, closely followed by Jemma, and takes her spot back behind the counter. "Well, our tour's definitely over. Now that you've seen all of it, did you find anything you'd like to buy?"
Jemma opens her mouth to answer but she is cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps quickly approaching. Trip suddenly appears in front of them, wearing nothing more than a thong. A leopard print thong. Skye throws her head back and laughs until tears well up in her eyes and her abdomen aches.
"What the fuck is that?" she manages to say after a minute of calming herself down.
"A Tarzan costume. It came in the new load that Coulson ordered after the costumes we had were sold out in Halloween," Trip explains nonchalantly, his smile never faltering.
"Oh, yeah, the holiday everyone decides to dress in minimal clothing, so they come buy our slutty versions," Skye muses. "Is that the entire costume though? That's ridiculous."
Trip's smile turns into his trademark charming grin. "C'mon, girl, you know I look good. Besides, what else did you expect Tarzan to wear?"
Skye shakes her head and sees Jemma out of the corner of her eye. She has to fight back the urge to smack her forehead with her palm for forgetting Jemma is still there; Trip's unexpected clothing choice caught her full attention.
"Trip, we have customers!" she scolds him, motioning her head to Jemma, who is still silent, and he only directs his grin to the girl. "Sorry you had to see this, Jemma. This is Trip, my best friend. He works here too and, as you must've noticed, he's a huge, huge dork."
"Hey, you love it when I try on the costumes," he protests.
"Only because you look stupid. Like now."
"I think he looks really good," Jemma suddenly counters, and Trip shoots a triumphant smile at Skye, who rolls her eyes in response. "I actually came here looking for the roleplaying costumes, but I was so caught up in the tour that I forgot to mention it."
Skye can’t help but think about Jemma and roleplaying. She starts picturing Jemma in her personal favorite outfits from the inventory and after some debating with herself, she reckons that Jemma would make the perfect slutty doctor. Or nurse. Skye can't really decide which one, but she knows she would love to be the patient.
"Do you want me to bring the rack of costumes from the storeroom? I just organized it," Trip's voice pulls Skye out of her reverie.
"No, in fact, the one you're currently wearing is perfect. Tarzan is all about monkeys and they're Fitz's favorite animals, he'll love it."
Oh. There's a guy, then. Fitz. Nice. Skye feels herself deflate at that, but she tries to cover it with a smile. "I'm sure your boyfriend will look great in that, if he's as ripped as Trip."
Jemma bursts into a laughing fit. "Fitz? My boyfriend? Oh no, no, no, no, he's just my best friend! I owed him a favor – which is debatable because I did nothing wrong and it's not my fault he has such a weak stomach for organs – and this is what he asked me to do. Plus, he is everything but ripped."
"He told you to come to a sex shop and buy him a costume?" Skye questions, eyebrows furrowing.
"Yeah, well, for him and his boyfriend."
He is gay. Muuuch better.
"Ah, I see. You're taking that Tarzan thong, then?"
"Definitely. One day I overheard," Skye raises her eyebrows at that and Jemma only rolls her eyes, "Ward calling him 'little monkey' in a sort of secretive way, like nobody was supposed to know about that nickname. I can't miss this opportunity. I can picture Fitz going “oh, Grant, we have to learn how to keep our voices down near her” in sheer embarrassment. It's gonna be wonderful," Jemma muses with a smirk.
"I like the way you think," Trip says with a smile.
Skye freezes at that. She obviously doesn't know every single person that lives in their town but she's sure there aren't many guys named Grant Ward around. It would be a hell of a coincidence and maybe she is wrong, but she figures asking can't do any harm.
"Did you say Grant Ward?"
Jemma quirks one eyebrow up. "Yes. That's Fitz's boyfriend."
"Tall, dark, handsome Ward? Sharp cheekbones, dog enthusiast, I-suck-at-battleship Ward?"
Jemma nods slowly. "I gather that you know him."
"He's a sort of long time customer that became a good friend of ours," Trip clarifies with a shrug.
"That explains why Fitz knew about this shop, since he's never been here before," Jemma concludes and another thought occurs to Skye.
"Wait, is Fitz the Leo that Ward is always talking about?"
"Yes, Fitz's first name is Leopold, but he doesn't like being called that. Only his parents are allowed to do so."
"Well, well, it looks like little monkey in the streets becomes King Kong in the sheets," Skye remarks, snickering. "A very drunk Ward once told me he is a total bottom. Means your bestie is the alpha dog."
Trip sneers along with Skye, while Jemma only stares at them with widened eyes, surprised by the new piece of information. "Fitz is indeed very bossy, but I never pictured him topping Ward. Ugh, that's a mental image that will haunt me from now on," she closes her eyes, pressing her fingers to her temples.
"My bad," Skye says in a sympathetic tone.
A loud ringing echoes around the shop and Jemma fishes for her cellphone in her purse. She reads the name on the screen and smiles. "Speaking of the devil... Hi, Fitz! – yes, I'm on my way home – no, I don't know who ate the last slices of prosciutto – well, it wasn't me! Have you thought about asking Ward before throwing accusations at me? – I thought so – Chinese takeout sounds lovely, I'll have the usual – see you in a few."
She hangs up and turns to Skye and Trip with a smile that almost seems apologetic. "Curfew?" Trip asks.
"Almost that. My overprotective best friend is wondering why I'm not home yet. Well, he's about to know I did what he asked. He's gonna suck that smirk of his."
"I'll go get your purchase," Trip says, already disappearing into the corridor.
"You paying in cash or credit card?"
Jemma approaches the counter, opening her wallet. "Cash."
She hands out the even amount and as Skye tucks the bills in the cash register, Trip comes back with a packed Tarzan costume in his hands (Skye thinks calling it a costume is stupid, given it's just a thong, but she will go with it).
"There you go," she reaches out and Jemma grabs the bag.
"Thank you."
Skye rounds the counter and steps ahead of Jemma so she can open the door before the girl can do it. "They say you have to open the door for someone if you want them to come back, so..."
Jemma chuckles. "I believe it only applies to when someone visits your home, not your store."
"It's the thought that counts, right?" Skye smiles, tucking a strand of her behind her ear.
"I guess so," Jemma smiles back.
She glances over her shoulder and notices Trip is watching them, so she lowers her voice. "Um, I'm gonna give you this card with my number, in case you wanna call and see what's new in the shop or..." she trails off, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She really doesn't want to push Jemma.
"Or in case I'd like to know if you want to go out?" Jemma finishes for her, her smile widening.
Skye locks eyes with her and can't help but beam broadly, relieved that Jemma is into her too and it wasn't all in her head. "Yeah, that too. Especially that."
Jemma nods and strides to her car, turning around as she opens the door to wave goodbye. Skye playfully salutes and watches the car disappear on a left turn. She goes back into the store and finds Trip staring at her with folded arms and raised eyebrows.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Skye retorts in the sweetest tone she can muster.
"Alright, lemme know when nothing becomes a date. I'll go change back into my clothes."
Skye goes back to playing on her phone, only this time there's a huge smile plastered on her face.
•••
Twenty minutes later, she's alone in the main part of the shop, listening to music after game apps were no longer a good distraction. Trip still hasn't come back and Skye would go searching for him if she wasn't really enjoying the song that is on, shaking her head to some lyrics that sing about God helping some girl.
She hears footsteps and throws her hands up, huffing. "For fuck's sake, finally, Trip! I thought you had died in ther–" she cuts herself off when she sees Coulson standing in front of her. "Oh, it's you, AC. Hi."
"Yeah, I came in through the back door."
"I thought you were taking the day off," she says, crossing her arms and leaning back on the chair, tipping it until the front legs are off the floor.
"I was, but I remembered some loads were to arrive today and I wanted to check if everything was okay."
Skye nods her head and gives him a once over, finally noticing his outfit. "Suit and tie. Were you on a date?"
"Irrelevant," Coulson says in a non-committal tone, but she knows him better than that.
Skye jumps from the chair, making it connect back with the floor with a loud noise, and grins widely. "Oh my God, you finally asked Audrey out!"
She holds out her hand and he reluctantly high-fives it, shaking his head. He clasps his hands behind him and peers at her with sudden interest. "Speaking of dates, when I came in through the storeroom, I walked past the restroom and overheard Trip on the phone with Raina talking about you and... a girl?"
Well, it looks like Skye isn't the only one who has trouble keeping their mouth shut. She's definitely gonna have a little chat with Trip about his telling every detail of her life to his girlfriend. And they say women love gossip.
"Are you trying to dad out on me now?" she asks, holding back a snort.
Coulson has been the fatherly figure she never had ever since he rescued her from living off of her van. He gave her a job, a real home, a good and decent life. Skye likes to say they are the perfect duo of lone wolves, which makes Coulson shake his head as if she's being silly, but his tiny grin always gives him away; she knows he rejoices in the fact that she sees him as family. How could she not?
"No, I'm not doing that," he retorts in a calm voice.
"Oh, I know, it's because she's a customer! Look, I never flirt with the clients, if that's what you're worried about, okay? But this girl was just so different and she was giving me signals and you can't really blame me for–"
"Skye," he interrupts her babbling. "I'm just curious. Is she cute?"
Skye exhales, relaxing. "Hella," she answers, unable to contain the smile that spreads across her face when she remembers Jemma.
He nods and gives her his typical tight-lipped smile, the one she kinda hates because she can't read what's going on in his mind. He's heading back to the storeroom when he stops midway and turns back to her. "I didn't know you were into ladies too."
There it is, the dad act. Skye chuckles lightly and shrugs at him. "I don't define myself."
•••
Jemma is driving with a huge smile on her face, a few minutes away from home, when a song she loves comes on the radio.
"There is no way I'm looking for a boyfriend," she sings along, turning the volume up. "A girlfriend, though, would be just fine," she adds, laughing to herself.
She can't help the giddiness that seeps into her when she thinks back on the evening she just had. When Jemma left work and headed to A Magical Place, she dreaded every second of her way to the shop. She would never have guessed she'd meet someone as interesting as Skye, a person who would peak her interest and become a potential date, if she found the guts to ask her out. A very probable date that depends only on her calling, now that she has Skye's number. Jemma feels a surge of gratitude for Fitz for asking her to go there in the first place.
She will die before she admits it to him, though.
•••
As soon as Jemma steps out of the elevator, she hears the faint voices coming from the TV and Fitz's and Ward's laughter on the other side of the door. She isn't even surprised that Ward is there – he spends so much time in the apartment she shares with Fitz that, more than once, she has asked her best friend why he doesn't just invite Ward to move in with them. He always mutters they are not ready yet, to which Jemma rolls her eyes and bites her tongue not to snap “rubbish” to his face; Ward is barely out of their home and she's pretty sure she's been seeing extra pieces of clothing in the laundry basket.
When she opens the door, a beige ball of fur strides in her direction, putting its front paws on her thigh and looking up at her in excitement. "Hey, Buddy," she greets, scratching behind the dog's ears.
Even Ward's dog is there. Jemma shoots a pointed look at Fitz, who makes a face that clearly says “we are not discussing it now”. She shakes her head at him and turns back to the animal that is now draped across her feet with his abdomen up, silently asking for a belly rub. She crouches down and plays with Buddy for a while, eventually losing his attention as the dog hears a sound outside and chases after it, putting his paws on the window just like he had done to Jemma's legs.
"There you go," Jemma announces, dropping the bag on the coffee table with a tad more force than necessary for dramatic effect.
Fitz stares at her with a quizzical look and Ward turns the TV's volume down, steering his attention to the conversation as well. Jemma gestures to the coffee table and Fitz grabs the bag, widening his eyes as he spots the name of the shop on it. Ward looks at Jemma bemused and drops his gaze back to Fitz, who opens the bag and pulls out its content. He holds up the leopard print thong and scrunches up his face in confusion, Ward's face doing a similar thing.
"What's this?"
She crosses her arms. "Well, it's a thong. A Tarzan costume to be more precise, didn't you ask me to buy a roleplaying outfit?"
Fitz is still eyeing it when he nods slowly. "Yeah."
"The funny thing is," Jemma starts, and she can feel herself smirking, "I chose it because you love the simian species and I initially thought Ward would be the one wearing it, but given that I happened to find out you're the top between you two, maybe you should roleplay the king of the forest yourself, little monkey."
Jemma wishes she could record how Fitz's face goes through all the shades of red until it settles for a bright crimson. Her best friend buries his face in his hands while Ward just shakes his head, muttering something that sounds a lot like “I can't believe Skye”, and Jemma sighs with utter contentment. Payback is really rewarding.
"Oh, come on now, boys, don't be embarrassed. If you didn't want me to find that out, you shouldn't have sent me to a shop where one of Ward's close friend works at."
"Yeah, well, I didn't know she would blab about our private stuff to my best friend. I didn't even know she was aware of that, how did that happen, Grant?"
Ward shrugs. "I was wasted once and she took advantage of that to get some truths out of me."
"Some friend, she is," Fitz mumbles bitterly.
"Oh, Fitz, you might as well get used to the idea of Skye, because I got her number and I plan to go out with her as soon as possible. I'd say she has a good chance of becoming a part of our group, should everything go fine."
Fitz looks up at her with his mouth hanging open and she raises her eyebrows at him before strutting to her bedroom with the biggest of smiles on her face. Buddy follows her and barks to get her to play with him, as if sensing her state of happiness.
•••
"Can you believe her?" Fitz asks as soon as he hears Jemma's bedroom door closing.
"Sooner or later she would know, and it's not like we have to be ashamed of it or anything," Ward counters, placing his hand on Fitz's thigh. "Relax."
Fitz lets out a deep breath. "You're right. I'm overreacting," he puts his hand above Ward's and Jemma's comment about his being the top comes to the front of his mind, bringing a blush back to his face.
"What are you all flustered over now?" Ward asks, noticing the color on his cheeks.
Fitz clears his throat. "I just pictured us... and you in that thong... Ugh, I hate Jemma."
Ward chuckles. "Instead of scowling at her purchase, we should put it to good use."
"We should. But not now. I can't even bear to think about doing it with Jemma in the apartment," he confesses.
"It's okay. Why don't I prepare you a prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich with just a hint of pesto aioli while we wait for the Chinese takeout to arrive?"
Ward gets up and heads to the kitchen, opening the fridge and bending over to inspect the shelves inside. Fitz goes after him and leans against the counter, a pout on his lips.
"Don't bother, we're out of prosciutto," he informs, then furrows his eyebrows. "Hey, was it you who ate the last slices of prosciutto? It was neither Jemma nor me."
Ward straightens his body and turns to Fitz with apologetic puppy eyes. "Buddy was hungry and I couldn't exactly feed him pizza."
Fitz has a protest on the tip of his tongue but softens at his boyfriend's guilty expression. "It's fine, Grant. But you do have to buy some more now."
Ward grabs a bottle of beer and closes the fridge, a slightly triumphant smile crossing his lips. "Not really. You owe me money."
Fitz crosses his arms defensively. "Excuse me?"
"I told you Skye would make a move on Jemma and I was right. A bet is a bet, little monkey."
Fitz huffs and strides back to the living room, slumping himself on the couch with a sulky expression. "I'm beginning to suspect this was all a plot against me."