Archive of Our Own

Fitz saved his document and finally closed the tab for good as he laid back into his armchair. Looking at his phone, he grimaced when he realized it was almost 9 pm. Again. So much for trying to work more reasonable hours.

It was worth it though. This paper on the inspiration from insects and plants on human technology was the first article he was publishing ever since he'd created his own company three years ago. He loved innovating and creating objects and machines that helped save lives but it was nice to get back to theorizing and research for the sake of research.

Just as he was mustering the courage to stand up, his phone bipped.

A Facebook notification.

"Ugh!" He frowned as he clicked on it to see what it was about.

The only reason he still had the app was because his mum wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't share her posts about the charity events she organized several times a year. This notification wasn't from her though but from the Facebook group of his former secondary school. Half the people there probably didn't remember him and the other half, he'd rather forget about. He'd only accepted the invitation into the group two years ago out of curiosity. It was back when his company was just starting to be successful and a part of him secretly hoped the people who used to bully him had terrible lives. Turned out most of them had rather boring jobs but seemed overall okay. So he hadn't bothered checking out any of the posts on the group ever since.

"Class of 2004, join our ten years reunion!
Let's all gather one more time for a fun night of dancing and gossiping on the 10th of June."

"Well, I know what I won't be doing in a month," Fitz mumbled as he started standing up for good. That was definitely not worth staying at the office later than he already had. But just as he was about to close the app, a comment popped up right under the announcement.

Sounds fun! And I just got back to the UK a few months ago!

Jemma Simmons. He had thought of her more than once over the years. She had gone to Oxford and he'd gone to MIT on a scholarship. After graduation, he'd come back to the UK as soon as he could to be close to his mother but Jemma had found a job at SHIELD in Boston. They'd almost crossed paths several times over the years but never seemed to be at the same place at the same time. So, even though she was the only real friend he ever had during his three years spent in secondary school, they'd ended up losing contact after a time. She was the nicest person he had ever met —still was unless his brain had greatly exaggerated his memory of her— and she was very smart too. They had both graduated from secondary school at sixteen, although she insisted that since she was 19 days younger, it technically made her the smartest of the two. Fitz smiled at the memory. They were always teasing each other about that. She'd always been funny and just as nerdy as he was. But since she was also more outgoing and impossibly pretty, she was more popular than he'd ever been.

Obviously, he had a huge, unrequited crush on her but he had always considered himself lucky that she had befriended him at all.

Without thinking too much about it, he pressed the little blue thumbs up to like her comment and closed the app.

It wasn't until he was home, having changed into sweats and an old t-shirt while eating leftover Chinese food, that he saw the new Facebook notification.

Jemma Simmons had sent him a friend request along with a private message.

Jemma: Hi Fitz! It's so nice to see you here! How have you been? I mean I know you've been doing really good for yourself these past few years but I hope you're happy. Anyway, I'd love to hear from you again. I've missed you. Love, Jemma.

It had been ten years since he last saw her. He'd gone out with a few people —not a lot but still more than he had during secondary school— and he was about forty to fifty percent less socially awkward now. He'd even given interviews for magazines. Prestigious ones with a photoshoot and everything.

And yet, when the first girl—well, woman now— he'd fallen in love with told him she'd missed him and signed with "love", it was like he was sixteen again. He thought his heart might beat out of his chest.

And she knew he was doing well. Did that mean she had followed his career? Had she just stumbled upon an article by accident?

He took a deep breath and accepted her invitation before he started typing back his reply.

Hi Jemma

Half an hour later, his food was cold again and he was still undecided on whether he should put a comma or an exclamation point after her name.

"Bloody hell!" he groaned, throwing his phone towards the other side of the couch. It shouldn't be so difficult to answer a simple catching up message. I'm doing alright. Working a lot these days. Hope you're doing well too. But wouldn't she think he was bragging if he talked about how much he was working? And was it too cold? Maybe she hoped for something more personal given that she'd asked if he was happy.

He bet Jemma hadn't spent an hour overthinking this. Knowing her, it had probably come naturally to her. Sighing, he stood up and started towards the kitchen. Maybe a little alcohol would loosen his brain a bit and he'd manage to send a reply before it was too late and she thought he wasn't interested in talking to her.

This kitchen —hell, this whole flat— was too big for him alone. When his best friend had realized a year ago how much Fitz was making with FitzTech, he'd practically forced him to look up real estate websites to move out of his former, much smaller flat. And then, he had insisted that he did need the extra bedrooms to give his friends a place to crash in central London when they needed it. Fitz knew that deep down, Hunter was just trying to help Fitz not feel so guilty about making so much money and it had worked a little bit. Knowing that his mum could visit whenever she wanted without having to book a hotel because his flat was so tiny was what had convinced him. And he liked the place too. He liked the large balcony and the view over the park. Bobbi had helped him choose some of his furniture but for the most of it, he'd gotten to decorate it as nerdily as he wanted to. It just felt a little empty sometimes.

Grabbing a beer from his state of the art fridge, he opened it and took a few gulps as he moved back to the couch. He'd better reply to Jemma before he'd gotten all sappy and melancholic and spilled his gut to her about being a poor little rich man with too little time to spend with the people he loved.

Fitz: Hi Jemma! I'm doing alright and I hope you are too. So you're back in the UK? What are you up to these days? Something brilliant, I bet. So nice to hear from the only person that made it worth it going to Milburry Academy. Hope we can talk again soon.

Fitz only checked for eventual typos once and, with a deep breath, finally pressed send before flopping back into the couch, his heart beating as if he'd just been for a run. His heart didn't have much time to slow down though because barely a minute later, he got another notification from Jemma.

Jemma: Well, as the smartest person to ever graduate from Milburry, of course I'm doing alright.

Fitz's lips pulled into a wide grin as he felt the tension leave his body. He could still picture the cheeky little smile she always gave him when she said something like that.

Fitz: Youngest. Jury's still out on who was the smartest.

Jemma: Could it be the one who graduated with top marks?

Fitz: Or the one who founded his own company before 30?

Fitz pressed send before realizing how that might have sounded to her. They always used to tease each other like that and Fitz had always known Jemma was probably a little smarter than he was. Whatever she was doing now, he was sure it was exactly what she wanted to do.

The three dots in the writing window kept appearing and disappearing and panic started to set in. Bloody hell. He'd already messed things up.

Fitz: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like an arse. I was just teasing like we used to do. Like I said, I'm sure you're doing something incredible and it's not like founding your own company proves anything, really.

His heart was beating like crazy as he waited for the bloody dots to disappear and for her to say something. Anything really.

Jemma: I know. I was just trying to save my dinner from burning up entirely.

Jemma: But I've also missed seeing you ramble like that. I bet your face is bright red right now.

Fitz sighed as he rolled his eyes.

Fitz: I will not dignify that with an answer.

Jemma: :(

Fitz: But I have missed talking to you too.

Jemma: <3

Jemma: So are you coming to the reunion? It sounds awfully cheesy but if you're there, I think it'll be worth making the trip from London.

Well. Now he didn't have a choice anymore, did he?

Fitz parked his car just outside of Jemma's building and fired her a quick text to tell her he was waiting for her and she should take her time. Knowing her, she had probably been ready for half an hour anyway but he was early and didn't want to pressure her.

After their initial exchange, they'd started talking more and more often —almost every day in fact— and Fitz had caught himself smiling for no reason more than once. To say that his crush on her was back would be an understatement. She was just as funny and sweet and smart as he remembered —maybe even more so now— but he was also delighted to discover that ten years hadn't turned her into a boring adult. One night, she'd texted him about the Doctor Who reruns she had stumbled upon and they spent the next three hours watching together and commenting through text. If he'd been a bolder man, he would have invited her to come over so that they could watch together. But they had just rekindled their friendship and he didn't want to scare her off.

So that was why he was over the moon when she was the one to offer to go to the reunion together. The little town they grew up in was an hour and a half away from the city so Fitz had offered to take his car to avoid having to leave early to catch the last train back. Texting her came as easily to him as it did before but seeing her after all this time, that was something else.

Fitz didn't have much time to think about it though as Jemma walked out of the building barely a minute later. She was wearing a red jacket over a black dress and black heeled shoes. Her hair was a little darker than it used to be and prettily curled, looking like she was going on a date. She beamed the moment she met his eyes through the windshield and Fitz was momentarily stunned. She used to be a very pretty teenager but now she was downright gorgeous. Not that he expected anything else but that still made his throat bob as she walked towards him looking like that.

Shaking his head so he didn't look like an idiot, Fitz remembered his manners and got out to greet her just as she was stopping in front of the car.

"Wow!" she let out when they found themselves much closer than Fitz had anticipated. Frowning, he looked around to catch what she must have seen.

"Talking about you, silly. You're tall!"

Fitz's gaze shot back to her just in time to catch the fondness in her eyes.

"I wouldn't say that, no."

She grinned. "Taller then."

Fitz shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up under her scrutiny. "Ah...yeah, I still grew an inch or two after Millbury." At the slight grin pulling at her lips, he felt his cheeks heat up some more and tried to focus on something about her that didn't make it even worse. "Your hair is longer."

She burst out laughing. "It's a weird conversation to have with someone you hadn't seen in ten years."

"You started it!"

"I've missed this, Fitz," she said, her smile turning fonder. Just as Fitz was reaching for her arm to squeeze it the way he always did back then —because he was too awkward to be more affectionate than that— she moved closer to hug him.

As she wrapped her arms around him, his remained stuck between them.

"Fitz, were you going for a handshake?"

"Of course I wasn't! I was going for an arm—"

"A handshake honestly! I know it's been a while but we're not quite strangers, are we?"

"Of course we're not! I was just reaching for your arm." To prove his point, he pulled his arms from between them and wrapped them around her shoulders with only a moment's hesitation. She smelled very nice and wonderfully familiar. After all these years, she still wore that lavender perfume that made her smell like summer. Of course, even when it came to finding her signature scent, Jemma had been precocious.

She tightened her hug for a moment and sighed happily, making Fitz feel all warm inside.

"It is lovely to see you," she said when they broke apart.

"You too," he replied with a more relaxed smile. "Shall we? This party's not gonna start until we get there, you know."

She grinned at that and started towards the passenger door. Fitz contemplated getting the door for her but it would feel too much like a date and possibly make things awkward. They didn't talk much as they were getting out of the city —Fitz wasn't used to driving inside London— but Jemma kept stealing glances.

"Is there something on my face?" Fitz asked after a while, enjoying seeing her blush a little for once.

"Yes, this," she said, poking at his stubbled jaw. "It's new."

"You mean new as in I didn't have it ten years ago, the last time we saw each other."

She huffed. "It's just that I've read all the articles about you and seen the pictures."

"Creepy."

She elbowed him and he grinned.

"It's just...you look good. You're gonna blow everyone's mind."

Fitz huffed. "I bet most of them won't even remember me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Fitz raised his eyebrows at her and she just gave him a small knowing smile.

Reminding himself that Jemma likely didn't think of him that way and she was just being nice and not flirting at all, he decided to try and change the subject.

"So um...how did your presentation go today? Did Nathanson behave?"

As expected, Jemma was doing splendidly as head of the biochem department at SciTech but some guy from her department didn't like it very much that she was the one who got the job when he'd been expecting a promotion for years.

"Ugh! You'll never guess what he said!"

"Last chance to turn back!"

Jemma burst out laughing and bumped his shoulders as they walked up the stairs towards Millbury Academy's main entrance. He didn't feel the dread that used to fill him some mornings back when he was sixteen but really, the only reason he came was Jemma and he thought there were much nicer things they could instead of going to the reunion —including several that didn't make him blush just thinking about it.

"Come on, Fitz! Don't be such a grump. It'll be fun."

"Cause I've heard Fratellis is still open. If you believe the Yelp reviews, it's still just as disgusting as it was but it still sounds like a better evening than—"

"Wow, you've really learned how to talk to girls in the past ten years."

Fitz groaned as he stopped on top of the stairs. "I'm just saying I'd have a better time anywhere alone with you than with all these people."

Jemma didn't even have to raise her eyebrows all the way up for him to realize what he'd just said. And the more he could feel his cheeks heat up, the more her smile was growing.

"Does that kind of line work when you're filthy rich like you?"

"That wasn't— Never mind, let's go."

She stopped him, looping her arm in his as she pulled him closer.

"I'm just teasing," she said, close enough to his ear to make him blush even more. "But I'll keep Fratellis in mind in case it gets really boring."

"That's all I'm asking," he replied as he pulled the door open with his free hand and they started on their way to the gymnasium. "Or you know...since I'm filthy rich, I could take us directly to Italy in my private jet."

She laughed, squeezing his arm lightly as she shook her head in amusement.

"And I thought you'd managed to remain simple."

"It's alright though, it's an electric plane."

He didn't even need to look at her to see the wide grin on her face. That was an old joke they used to make, that somehow, someday, he would invent an electric plane and she would find a cure for stupidity.

P.E. classes had never been his favorite and he didn't remember ever making his way there with a smile on his face. But with Jemma on his arm, close enough that he could smell her perfume, he felt rather confident.

They stopped right in front of the gymnasium doors one last time and Fitz turned to Jemma raising her eyebrows questioningly. She smiled and shook her head before planting a light kiss on his cheek. "It's gonna be fun," she said and turned back around before pushing the doors open.

"Oh!" Fitz let out as they walked in. He had to admit it wasn't as bad as he'd imagined. At least decoration wise. Some sort of fabric was covering part of the ceiling and walls and fairy lights were hanging from the ceiling so it almost hid the fact that it was a gymnasium. He didn't recognize the music that was blasting through the speaker but the sound quality wasn't half bad. If it wasn't for the place being way too big for the number of people present, you wouldn't know they were in a school.

"Yeah. It's alright, isn't it?"

Fitz reluctantly hummed his assent and Jemma walked them towards a table with name tags and a too enthusiastic blonde woman who was waving at them to get closer. Fitz vaguely recognized her for being one of the many people who used to act as if he didn't exist but was somewhat friendly with Jemma.

"Jemma! So nice to see you again, you look great!" the woman —Mary apparently— said.

"It's nice to see you too!" Jemma exclaimed, not quite as enthusiastically but Fitz bet she was actually sincere.

"Oh, and I see you brought a plus one," she added, turning to Fitz and letting her eyes linger on him longer than she ever did despite sharing two classes for a whole year. "It says on the list you were coming alone but I see why you didn't want to leave this one at home. Let's get him a name tag," she added with a wink.

What. The. Hell?!

Mary turned around to get more name tags and Fitz took this opportunity to whisper in Jemma's ear. "Told you."

"No Mary. Fitz is on the list. He was in school with us." Mary frowned as her eyes traveled back to him and he gave her the fakest smile he could muster. "He and I used to always compete for top marks."

A light seemed to turn on inside her and her eyes widened comically.

"Oh…oh my god, Fitz! Wow." In the corner of his field of vision, he could see Jemma biting her lip not to laugh.

"Told you" she whispered through her smile.

Oh that was ridiculous. He hadn't changed that much. It wasn't like he'd grown a new head. He'd just grown a couple inches, gained a few pounds and a better taste in clothes.

"I didn't even know you'd remained in contact after school. You make such a lovely couple."

"Oh no Mary, we just came to—"

"Milton!" Mary cut Jemma off as she grabbed the arm of some big guy passing by. Jemma stiffened at Fitz's side and he remembered who Milton was. Jemma had gone on one date with him that had been incredibly boring. When she'd said no to a second date, he'd become insistent to the point of making Jemma uncomfortable in his presence for months.

"Look who's here, it's our little genius! And do you remember Fitz? Aren't they adorable together?"

Obviously Mary had been completely unaware of Milton being a creep back then but Fitz could see the flash of jealousy on Milton's face as he met his gaze. Part of him understood because he'd never forgotten Jemma or his crush on her, even after ten years, but Milton had only ever been on one date with her and apparently still needed to learn to take no for an answer. And there was something in his eyes that made him just as uncomfortable as it did back then.

"Hi Jemma. Doing alright?" Milton asked, completely ignoring Fitz.

At his side, Jemma tightened her hold on his arm and let her head fall on his shoulder.

"We're doing really great, actually," she replied.

Fitz frowned for a second and looked down at Jemma to find her widening her eyes at him. She squeezed her arm and Fitz finally got the message.

Okay, so they were doing that now. Pressing a light kiss on her forehead, he turned back to Milton with a smile he didn't need to fake this time.

For the next half-hour, the only people who remembered him without Jemma having to remind them who he was were the few teachers who decided to show up to this little reunion. Mrs King, Fitz, was actually happy to see again. When she'd realized he'd gone through the whole physics program in a few months, she'd given him access to much more advanced books so he wouldn't be bored out of his mind. Headmaster McAllister gave himself way too much credit for Fitz's success but it was still nice to be remembered at least.

By the time they finally made it to the punch bowl, everyone suddenly remembered who he was and not only were he and Jemma together but they were somehow married. Gossip seemed to travel just as fast at 26 than it did at 16.

"So what kind of car did you drive here? Do you have the new Tesla?"

Because there was that too. People had apparently been googling him or they had actually read articles about him. But either way, they were grossly overestimating how rich he was. Which he didn't mind at all. Since Jemma had been dragged away from him by a few old friends, he had to find a way to have a little bit of fun.

"Oh I didn't drive here. Didn't you hear some noise coming from the roof earlier?"

Liam and Allison, two people he wasn't even sure he'd ever exchanged a single word with before, just looked at each other with confused expressions before they turned back to him.

"Ah yeah, now that you say it—"

"Maybe a bit, hard to say with the volume of the music..."

Fitz nodded, waiting for them to get where he was going.

"Oh you mean," Allison started, pointing at the sky.

"Best way to avoid traffic!"

"Wow...but isn't that, you know, polluting?"

"Oh no, it's electric."

"Really? You can do that?"

“It's our first prototype."

"Wow," Allison said, taking a few steps closer and putting her hand on his arm. "I always knew you'd become someone important."

"Did you now?" he asked with what had to be the fakest smile he could muster but that still didn't send the message across given that she moved her hand up his arm.

"Of course. Always top of the class, always—"

"Actually Jemma was top of the class most times."

"But she doesn't have her own company, does she?"

When he was sixteen, Fitz would have killed for this kind of smile and attention from anyone. Now, he was trying very hard not to grimace and needed all the self control he could muster to take his arm away from her not too harshly before excusing himself to go to the loo.

This was a very, very strange evening.

Once he was certain Allison wasn't following, he veered towards Jemma instead of the loo and tried his best to casually insert himself into the conversation. She turned around and smiled at him when she felt his presence beside her. He lightly wrapped his arm around her waist and she gravitated towards him. He wouldn't usually be so bold but she'd been the one initiating contact most times all evening. In fact, a small, hopeful part of him was starting to believe there was something more than pretense there. Looks, smiles and how strangely natural it actually was to be so close to her.

"You don't mind me joining?"

Fitz's heart jumped in his chest when Jemma's hand came to rest on the one he had on her waist. He wasn't prepared for the sensation of her skin on his and he was even less prepared for the intimacy of her lightly threading her fingers through his. He looked down at her and she gave him a soft, fond smile Fitz couldn't help but reciprocate all while sending his brain into overdrive. What part of this intimate gesture was for show? What part of it was sincere? And was any part of it more than friendly affection?

Jennifer, one of Jemma's old friends, seemed to notice Fitz's reaction but she smiled fondly, taking it simply for a husband very much in love with his wife.

"Not at all, Jemma was just telling us about your proposal."

"Was she really?"

Jemma nodded and gave him a little side smile that could have passed as, again, a wife very much in love with her husband but that he recognized as something else. It was the kind of smile she'd given him on the few occasions she'd gotten them in trouble with her explosive science experiments, and one he'd never been able to resist.

"Let's hear it then," he said with the same daring smile. Jemma was notoriously bad at improvising and this could prove to be a very entertaining disaster.

"Well, like I said, we reconnected through the Facebook group and we'd been together a year so I thought we were going out to celebrate our anniversary," she started, turning to him to give him an adoring smile. He knew it was for show but his heart didn't and without thinking, he tightened his hold on her hand. It made her cheeks turn pink and her smile widen.

"I expected a nice restaurant in the city but instead, we got into the car and drove to Surrey. For a moment, I even thought he was taking me to Fratellis of all places. For a date night, imagine that!"

Fitz snorted at that and Jemma's friends laughed politely. He wondered where she was going with that, especially since he'd been expecting her to tease him for being "filthy rich" again and invent a ridiculous story involving private jets and expensive diamonds and whatnot.

"But instead he continued to drive up to Grover's Park." Fitz's heart started beating faster at that. The first few months he'd spent in school had been awfully lonely. He knew he would get along with Jemma but she seemed much more at ease with people than he was and he'd never managed to find a way to finally talk to her. That was until he went to Grover's Park to watch the meteor shower and she was there too, except much better prepared with blankets, trail mix and a large thermos of tea.

"That's where we first met, while watching the stars, you see."

There was a synchronized "awww" from her friends and Fitz had to admit it he loved the idea. Deep down, he was a romantic and it was frustrating to have so very few occasions to prove it.

"So he got his telescope from the car, installed it and then told me to look into it. It was aimed at a rather shiny star I didn't know the name of. Do you want to know what it was called?"

Her friends nodded and Fitz found himself nodding along.

"MarryMeJemmaSimmons."

Bloody hell, she'd managed to over-romance him.

"You bought a star for her? Just to propose?!" Jennifer was practically swooning and Fitz just smiled and nodded happily.

Of course, both he and Jemma knew that naming a star didn't cost a lot and that those that were free for naming were too far away to be as shiny as Jemma described, not to mention almost impossible to find without a professional telescope. But Jemma's friends didn't need to know that.

"So of course I said yes and we did end up having Italian food. In Rome."

"Oh! You went there in the electric jet?"

Fitz looked at Jemma to find her biting her lip not to laugh. He'd missed this way they had always been able to communicate with a simple smile or a pointed look but now he wished he knew what her hand in his or her head on his shoulder really meant.

"If you're looking for your star, it's not visible to the naked eye."

Jemma startled but looked back at him with a soft smile before patting the patch of grass next to her invitingly. When he'd finally managed to get rid of Justin Grant, he went looking for her and had found her exactly where he thought she'd be, in their old spot in the quad, under the old oak tree.

Fitz didn't need to be asked twice. Even though he had his fun telling all these lies, all the attention was making him uncomfortable. Back when he was a lonely teenager, he would have done anything to have girls, or anyone really, so interested in him and what he was doing. To be fair, not all of these people were bad, even back then, but after he'd faced rejection and been ignored several times, he'd stopped trying to befriend anyone. Until Jemma came along. He had other, real friends now and he didn't feel the need to connect to these people anymore. The only person he'd wanted to spend time with when he decided to come to the reunion was Jemma and it still was. After a few hours of shared laughs and smiles and touches that seemed to linger a little too long to be simply friendly, he wanted the opportunity to be alone with her, even for just a moment.

"So what are you doing out here?" he asked, once he'd lowered himself next to her.

"Needed some fresh air. I'm impressed by how they managed to decorate everything but it's still a gymnasium and it does smell like a gymnasium."

Fitz chuckled as he looked at her. She was so pretty with just the light of the full moon lighting the contours of her face.

"Still, it was a fun night," she said, brown eyes sparkling.

"Jemma. That was the worst party I've ever been to."

She scoffed as she nudged his shoulder.

"Going to a lot of those now, party boy?"

"Well I get invited more. And it helps that my mum doesn't have to drive me there anymore."

She laughed. Even Jemma, as popular as she was, didn't go to a lot of parties back then, what with still only being fifteen all through their last year. "Yeah, well look at us now. Married with a baby on the way."

"What?!" She burst out laughing at his reaction. It was just another lie after all but he didn't know she'd used that one. Hopefully, their classmates didn't start comparing the different stories they were told or there would be questions.

"Don't worry, I'm keeping this one as a last resort in case Jason insists on making me try his awful craft beer once more."

"Noted."

They turned their faces towards the stars for a moment, not that they could see many of them with the light pollution coming from the building, but it was still nice being out here with her. It reminded him of the excitement of finally talking to her all these years ago.

"You know, that time in the park wasn't the first time we met," he practically whispered, not wanting to break the spell.

She turned to him with a soft smile and a look in her eyes he couldn't quite decipher, before leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Oh I know, I'd seen you in school before."

"I mean I'd tried to talk to you before but I was just too nervous to come out with anything interesting."

"Oh, Fitz." she shifted even closer to him, wrapping her arm around his like she'd done earlier. "You've gotten better at this too though. Socializing. I've seen you talking to all these people tonight."

"Ugh yeah…"

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't like all the popular girls gushing over you."

Was there jealousy in her voice? Fitz's lips pulled up slightly at the thought. The idea that Jemma might be even the tiniest bit possessive was ridiculously thrilling.

"I liked Justin Pemberley gushing over me." She looked up at him with raised eyebrows and he chuckled nervously. "Not that I'm interested —in any of these people— but at least that was unexpected."

She raised her eyebrows even higher and he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Not that I expected anyone to gush over me." He grimaced. "God, that sounded awfully pretentious. What I meant is that it's just so predictable that they suddenly find me interesting now that I have my company and money. Although I don't know what they read but it's not as much as they—"

"Fitz," she cut him off with that tone she used when they'd been bickering about science and she was getting annoyed with him, which he really didn't understand in the context. "You know it's not just that, right?"

It wasn't getting any clearer.

"I mean look at you."

He frowned as he looked down and shrugged. He knew he looked better than he did at sixteen —it would be hard not to— but he wasn't exactly tall, dark and handsome.

"God, you really don't see it, do you?"

He really didn't know what to say or do when Jemma Simmons was telling him she found him handsome. After a moment, she shook her head but there was no annoyance on her face anymore, just fondness and a little something in her eyes that sent a shiver of excitement down his spine. She resumed her earlier position with her head on his shoulder and her arm looped around his. After a moment, she started moving her hand up and down his arm absent-mindedly and Fitz wished he wasn't wearing a bloody jacket so he could feel her fingers on his skin.

"I'm sorry I made you my pretend boyfriend by the way."

"Oh no, I didn't mind. In fact I thought it was fun to—"

"I just couldn't risk Milton being creepy again but he truth is—"

"Really, I don't mind. It's not like I'm interested in any of these people anyway. I just-I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Oh good." She said, sliding her hand down until it was lighty on top of his. He wanted to do something, return the gesture, even maybe kiss her forehead like he'd done earlier but it felt like that time he was hiking and came across a fawn. He'd frozen and even held his breath, afraid to break the spell of this magical encounter.

"Fitz?" she asked after a long moment, just as Fitz was finally considering maybe turning his hand around and threading their fingers together.

"Hmmm?"

"You know I already had a huge crush on you, back then, right?"

Fitz turned to look at her, forcing her to stop touching his hand and regretting it immediately. "W-what?"

She gave him that fond but slightly impatient look she had when, for once, he was a little slow to understand something.

"You were so cute with your curly hair and your little ties. And you were so sweet and smart."

Fitz sighed, not believing his own ears. He could have asked her out back then if he'd been a little more confident. "God, I thought it was a new thing." She raised her eyebrows at him, a cheeky smile pulling at her lips, and he realized what he'd just said. All the touching and now this made it quite clear, even to him, but she hadn't actually said. "Not that I think that now you—I mean I don't want to be presumptuous but— Anyway. I had a crush on you too. Obviously."

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side. "I mean I thought so at first but then... Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well you said it. I was the nerd wearing ties, outside of school, and had unfortunate hair. I didn't even know how to ask out a girl."

"And now?" she asked, sliding her hand back onto his arm.

"Still surprisingly bad."

She burst out laughing. He could have tried to say something smooth but he'd always loved to make her laugh more than anything. Her laugh felt like the clouds lifting after a rainy day.

"But that's alright. I usually pay someone for that."

"Really? How does that go? Do they pass notes for you or…"

"That depends. But I always take over at the end of the first date at the very least." She shook her head at his antics but her smile was still practically splitting her face in two. "First dates are always so awkward but, you know, I don't want them to get too attached."

"Of course. Smart."

"But I've been told I'm an excellent kisser so that usually makes them forget about the awkwardness."

"Fitz!" she gasped. He blamed his boldness on the new knowledge that Jemma Simmons had a crush on him even when he was a tiny nerd. She looked a little bit shocked but there was also a spark in her eyes that made his heart do a little backflip in his chest.

"Just to make it a hundred percent clear," she said, shifting to face him better. "You do know I still have a crush on you, yeah?"

He nodded as he bit his lip. "I like the confidence and the suit and the…shoulders in it," she said, sliding her hand up his arm. "And the sexy stubble. But mostly, I like that, to your core, you're still that adorable little nerd I shared my tea with as we were watching the stars."

Fitz thought his heart might explode if she kept saying such lovely things with that smile and her eyes sparkling with the light of the full moon. "So hum…in the interest of saving you from the awkwardness of a first date, I think, if that's alright with you, that I might just—"

"Okay," she cut him off and before he had the time to react, her lips were on his. Her other hand slid up his chest to end up on the side of his neck and he gasped, not ready for the explosion that happened in his brain at the dual sensation of her lips and cold fingers on his skin. He must have been stunned longer than he thought because she was starting to move back when he recovered from the shock of it. Not wanting them to have a less than memorable first kiss, he wrapped his arm around her, placing a hand firmly on her waist while he captured her mouth again. He moved his lips against hers and the little moan she let out emboldened him. He pulled her closer, pressing the soft curves of her body against his chest as his other hand slid up into her soft curls. She parted her lips and deepened the kiss then, her hand gripping the lapel of his jacket as it became hotter and more urgent. It was nothing like he'd imagined it would happen when he was teenager —he was a silly boy who didn't realize yet that Jemma Simmons liked to take control in everything she did— and it was so much better.

When they finally came out for air, they were breathless and Jemma was pressed against the trunk of the tree —he didn't even know when that had happened— her hair wild and her lips kiss swollen.

"Well…we should have done that years ago," she practically whispered against his lips. "Want to get out of here?"

The breathlessness in her voice when she said the words sent a thrill all through his body.

"Do you wanna go to Fratellis?"

She let out a low, throaty laugh as she let her head fall on his shoulder for a second. Now that was his new favorite sound.

"Isn't there a better option? I really want to see you electric jet."

"I'm afraid I've lent it to another billionaire friend."

She shook her head in faux disappointment.

"I have plenty of other electric devices at my place if you want."

She snorted. "Are you trying to lure me to your place with a blender or something?"

"It's a really sophisticated kitchen appliance, Jemma. It does smoothies, soups, slices veggies and everything."

She raised her eyebrows.

"You're right. Let me call my assistant, he'll seduce you for me and I'll take over in a few days. He can wear a mask of my face if you want. It's a little creepy but if that's—"

She grabbed him by the lapel, making him forget about his next words instantly. "Take me home, you nerd," she said and kissed him again, long enough to make him forget about every other word in the English language.

But that was alright, he'd happily learn a thousand new languages for Jemma Simmons to make him forget about with kisses.