Chapter Text
Jemma is so going to kill Fitz.
Of all the favors he could have asked, he chose this. Of course he did. He never misses a chance of pestering her. Oh, if only she hadn't left that liver near his lunch, he wouldn't have thrown a tantrum (after waking up from fainting) about how she owed him something for almost making him ruin his work of weeks. Back then, she had rolled her eyes and agreed to it, thinking he would ask her to drive him to work for a week or buy him lunch in a fancy restaurant; his requests were usually along these lines. Were.
Jemma rests her head back against her seat, ignoring the bright light from the neon sign above the shop shining in through her car's windows. She has been sitting there for fifteen minutes now, and nothing indicates she's gonna change that any soon. She pulls her cellphone out of her purse and dials Fitz's number, determined to tell him she isn't going to do it, but something stops her from pressing the call button.
I need you to buy some stuff for me... In a sex shop, his words echo in her head again. When they had reached her ears she had been shocked for an instant, waiting for him to dismiss it and explain it was a joke, but that moment never came. He only smirked at her in a way that clearly showed he didn't believe for a second she could do it. Remembering it makes her annoyed all at once and she leaves her car before she can talk herself out of it.
Jemma looks around, taking in her whereabouts; the neighborhood isn't a particularly nice one, and she doesn't know whether it is a good sign that the street is completely empty. Ignoring the small voice in her head telling her to turn around and get back in the car, she clutches her purse more tightly and walks faster. As she takes each step, her heart starts stammering in her ribcage, and she can feel herself regretting her decision.
She is going through with it, though. She's gonna wipe that smirk off of Fitz's face the next time they meet by handing him the bag with his new purchases. With this thought in mind, her hand pushes the worn out door open and she enters A Magical Place.
•••
When the little bell that lets her know when a person enters the shop rings, Skye doesn't bother looking up from her phone. The day has been a calm one, causing her to assume it's probably one of their usual customers – they know the place all too well, which means she doesn't have to stop playing Flappy Bird to help them. She is leaning back on a chair behind the counter, while Trip is organizing the storeroom.
When silence is all that follows the customer's entrance, Skye glances up with a frown, and the sight that meets her eyes surprises her.
The girl that is awkwardly standing there, eyeing her surroundings with naked apprehension on her face, is the type of person Skye never expects to see in the shop. She is prim and proper, wears a button up shirt and a sweater that give her the A-student look, and has a perfect posture. If they were in high school, Skye is sure she would be one of the front-row kids. Something about her instantly sparks Skye's interest.
Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that the girl is really pretty.
Skye gets up from the chair, tucks her phone into her pocket and rests her arms on the counter. "Good evening," she greets in a light tone, smiling.
The girl jumps, startled, a hand clutching her chest. She looks at Skye wide-eyed, and after inhaling deeply, lets out a shaky chuckle. "Um, hello, I didn't see you there."
Skye absently thinks to herself that the girl's English accent is hot. "Yeah, I could tell from the way you almost had a heart attack. I'm Skye."
The girl offers her a nervous smile. "Jemma."
"Jemma," Skye repeats, dragging each syllable. "Nice name. How can I help you, Jemma?"
Jemma fidgets with her hands. "I, uh..." she glances around once more and the lost look on her face is just adorable. "To be quite honest, it's my first time in a sex shop, so I don't really know how this works."
Skye chuckles, amused. Like she couldn't tell that by just looking at her. "We're your first? Aw, that's sweet."
Jemma blushes slightly at the innuendo. "Could you–"
"Give you the complete tour around the shop? Of course," Skye cuts in as she approaches Jemma, who closes her mouth at the interruption. She clears her throat exaggeratedly. "Fasten your seatbelt, ma'am, for I, your guide tonight, am about to take you on a ride through the amazing world of sexual entertainment!"
Jemma laughs and the sound is one Skye could easily get used to.
•••
Skye gestures to the shelf right next to them. "Here we have sexy games: a kama sutra-themed set of cards, a pair of dices that tells you what to do and where to do, such as..." she throws both dices and reads them, "lick inner thighs, there's also this board game that involves stripping down and doing shots – bonus if they are body shots – and oh, that one over there is one of my favorites, it's a naughty truth or dare game, great for parties, I mean, if people are willing to go far in front of a crowd."
"How far?" Jemma asks curiously.
"Far like dry humping another player up against a wall, getting naked and sitting on someone's lap for a few rounds, using hands and mouth to turn someone on in less than 30 seconds and stuff like that, you know," Skye says with a shrug, and when she sees Jemma's slightly astonished expression, she chuckles, "it's fun, especially when you're drunk. Makes a good story."
Jemma nods and lets Skye guide her to another set of shelves. She examines the products with a mix of interest and shock, quietly waiting for Skye's explanation.
"This section is what I call Anal Panel. All kinds of anal stuff, very popular among our gay customers. Anal plugs, anal massagers, anal soothing gel, prostate stimulators, anal fantasy kits, and, of course, people's favorite, anal beads," Skye holds one up.
"I think I've never heard the word “anal” being repeated so many times in a span of seconds," Jemma comments, and then her attention is on the toy Skye is showing her. "How does anyone use these?"
"Basically, you shove 'em all up your ass."
"Oh, the name's self-explanatory," Jemma mumbles flustered, much to Skye's amusement. She looks down and her eyes linger on a low shelf. "What about those?"
Skye tilts her head to see what she is pointing to. "Those are... Cock rings. Which I prefer to call “ego boosters”. They help guys make their boners last longer. Men," she says in a pitiful tone, shaking her head. "They put all their pride in their junk and become insecure little boys when their dicks don't work as well as they wanted."
Jemma grins, nodding her head in agreement. "I thought Viagra was their only help in that department, but clearly I was wrong."
"Oh, the blue pills are just the tip of the iceberg," Skye comments with a disdainful smile. "You know, we have a story about those rings around here... One time a man named John Garrett came into the shop looking for them, but Coulson still didn't sell those, he didn't even know they existed, and then Garrett started a very graphic explanation about it. Best part: he had brought his own cock ring with him and he told Coulson he could show him how it was used. I think the dude had his pants around his knees when Coulson finally snapped back to life and kicked him out of the shop."
Jemma looks flabbergasted before a frown takes over her features. "Sorry, who is Coulson?"
"He owns the place."
"Oh," her brows furrow even further. "I thought you did."
Skye snorts. "I wish. He's the boss, I'm just a mere clerk," she says dramatically, earning a smile. "After that thing with Garrett, Coulson decided to stop making the sales himself and hire people. I guess I owe my job to a total creep with a cock ring obsession."
Laughter fills the room once again and Skye likes how comfortable Jemma already seems to be around her. She knows it's stupid to be into someone that quickly, but she can't help it; the girl is just so different from the people she knew – and from her, if she is being totally honest – that she finds herself drawn to Jemma.
She taps her chin with her index finger. "Now that I think of it, I practically saved this shop."
Jemma tilts her head to the side. "How is that?"
"Well, after AC hired me, I realized he still didn't have much of a variety of products on sale here, so I helped him update the stock. Also, I did a little research on suppliers and now we have some of the best deals in the business, which is why our prices are the hottest around town. I turned a small sad shop into a very profitable undertaking."
"You're a true hero," Jemma says, her lips curving up in a smirk.
"Hey, don't mock me, I'm really proud of what I did here!"
By instinct, Skye bumps her shoulder playfully against Jemma's, grimacing after she realizes she just invaded the personal space of a customer. As she searches for a way to apologize without sounding as stupid as she does in her head, Jemma bumps her shoulder back, and Skye glances at her with surprise etched on her face.
"Forgive me for hurting your feelings, Captain America," Jemma apologizes, although her lingering smirk gives away she isn't sorry in the slightest. "Shall we continue the tour?"
"Right!" Skye clasps her hands together, barely containing her relieved smile. "Well, the shop isn't that big, I'm sure you've noticed, so much to your displeasure, the tour is nearing its end. On that last set of shelves we have a few more toys, including fluffy handcuffs, strap-ons, nipple erectors, pleasure pumps and Venus balls."
Jemma's head snaps in her direction. "Venus balls?"
"Also known as Burmese bells, orgasm balls, rin-no-tama, Ben Wa balls or Geisha balls. Highly advised not to use them in your butt. You interested?"
Jemma's eyes widen for a moment. "Oh, no, I only asked because I remembered hearing that name in the restroom at my job one of these days."
Skye grins amusedly. "It's common bathroom talk, I guess?"
"I wouldn't have payed attention to it if the voices weren't coming from the same stall... Hand and Hartley seemed to forget the fact that the closed door does not prevent sound from escaping to the adjacent stalls."
Skye feels a smirk forming on her lips. "Eavesdropping on your co-workers? I didn't take you for that kind of person, Jemma."
Jemma crosses her arms defensively. "Well, it's not like I could go deaf right then and there just to provide them some privacy! Especially when they weren't being exactly careful to tone down their talking and... occasional moaning."
"Your job sounds very interesting," Skye remarks, raising her eyebrows.
"If working for a multinational pharmaceutical company suits your definition of interesting, then yes, it is. I'm afraid occurrences like the one I just told you about are very sporadic."
"Well, that's a pity, but hey, at least they happen from times to times."
Skye heads to the small corridor next to the counter that leads to the storeroom and stops between two rooms closed with curtains instead of doors. Jemma steps closer to her with a confused look. "I thought the tour was over."
"Oh, no, not yet. I gotta show you these rooms," Skye says as she pulls open the curtain of the one to their left and leans against the doorframe. "This is the BDSM room. I had named it “Red Room” because of Fifty Shades Of Grey, but the customers who are into BDSM said the book is actually very offensive to their community and doesn't represent them. Crazy, huh?"
Jemma walks past her and into the room. "Not really, I mean, what could anyone expect of a book that started as Twilight fanfiction?"
"Touché."
Skye watches from the door as Jemma inspects the objects in display. There are chains, collars, handcuffs, ass hooks, chastity belts, ball gags, bondage mittens, blindfolds, spanking paddles and several other equipments that always give Skye the impression of being in a medieval torture chamber. Jemma takes a closer look at a rack full of leather attire.
"There's a customer of ours that loves these outfits, not that I would know that for sure since in all the years I've worked here she's never said a single word, but I assume she does cause she usually buys one when she drops by," Skye comments in one breath. "I bet all my money that Asian lady is some kind of dominatrix."
"Fascinating," Jemma mutters, not seeming to have heard Skye, her eyes still scanning the products.
Skye chokes and manages to croak out, "you are into BDSM?"