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Fitz curled his toes into the grit beneath his feet, feeling the small particles grind against his skin. A stiff breeze blew from the blue-grey ocean before him and he stared out at the vast expanse of water, eyes fixated on the point where the dark sea met the clouded sky. It had been a particularly difficult mission, this one, and as an after effect the team was given a few hours to themselves, to “enjoy the holidays” as Coulson claimed. And so, being in California, FitzSimmons had decided to go to the beach.
“Hey,” came a soft voice behind him. He turned to see Jemma walking to his side him, her footprints twining with his. The corners of his lips turned up in greeting and they turned together to watch the waves crash against the shore. Everything about the scene is muted, almost shaded. The sea is a mix of blues and greys with hints of green, edging on a darkened teal, while the sky casts greys that look like shine-less silver. The sand is not the pristine powdered white of tropical beaches but the darker, coarser stuff that grits between their toes and fingers. He’s bundled in a blue-black sweater, thick knit stitches of the cuffs rubbed thin between the fingers of an idle mind. She’s in a black boat-neck shirt that is so different from her usual cardigans and jumpers that he turns an inquisitive eye away from the scene before him. A whole swath of her skin usually covered by high necklines and neatly ironed collars is exposed and he can see a light shiver run up her body. He carefully reached out and wrapped an arm around her, pulling their sides flush and letting her steal a little of his warmth. Her head bent to the side and he could feel her lean into him gently.
Why couldn’t things always be this simple? He wasn’t asking for the world. Or am I?
“Leo.” Shaking himself a bit, the engineer wrenched his head from the clouds and turned to look at his partner, who shifted so they were standing face-to-face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” His words were soft, like little breaths on the air. “Are you cold?”
“I’ll be okay,” Simmons replied with a small smile. Gently, large calloused hands reached out and took her small ones, running his thumb over the tops of her fingers as they curled around his. An eyebrow raised at her as he slowly tried to massage warmth into the frozen appendages and she rolled her eyes a little at him. Then, a light, mischievous smile lifted the corners of Fitz’s lips.
“My sweater’s big enough for the two of us, isn’t it?” Jemma let out a small squeal of surprise as he lifted the bottom of the sweater up and over her head and after some wiggling, managed to pop out of the top.
“You dork,” she laughed, running her arms up the sweater to wrap around his neck. Fingers lightly teased the bottom curls and rubbed circles on his skin as she tucked her head to the side so she could press it against his chest. He smiled and kissed her on the hair, moving his own arms to hold her closer, until the sand shifted a bit. With cries of surprise, they fell in a heap, getting both completely coated in sand and tangled with each other trying to get out. Finally, they managed to wiggle out of the sweater, leaving it limp on the sand between them. Jemma smiled and leaned forward to press her lips to his, and as she pulled away he followed her, moving so that he was over her and pressing light kisses along her neck. His right hand was braced at her side, the left one tucked into the curve of her waist. “Mmm, Leo,” she hummed at him. “Leo, we should go.”
“Fine. ‘S too cold for you out here, anyways.” Reaching over, he grabbed the sweater and shook it off, scattering sand in the wind. Once it was reasonably clean, he turned to his partner and said, “Put your hands out.” She rolled her eyes and did as he said, letting him pull it over her so she was bundled in the warmth. She knew it was every cliché ever, but she couldn’t help but smile and bury her nose in the stiches. Solder and metal and something a little different that she couldn’t put her finger on. Every cliché ever, but it still felt warm. “Let’s go.” She let him take her hand and they walked back to the car, leaving the sand and sea behind them in beautiful stillness.