Work Text:
It had been 37 days, 4 hours and 26 minutes since her lips had been against his and she was missing it. She knew that they shouldn't rush into things but this seemed like the complete opposite. She wasn't even sure how it'd happened, she'd imagined that after one kiss everything would click into place and they'd be back on track, on a new tack. It hadn't worked out like that though, work had taken over and next thing she knew Fitz was jumping into a portal for her yet again, she needed to talk to him about that knight in shining armour routine that he had going on. She had been so relieved to see him that she almost hadn't noticed the guy stood beside him, the one he'd gone back to get, for her. Of course Fitz being Fitz he'd gallantly stepped back, leaving her and Will to rekindle whatever they had had on the other planet but Jemma knew that wasn't going to happen, her heart had only ever belonged to one person, it had just taken her a while to realise it.
She focused on getting Will re-established on earth, so much had changed and she felt like it was her responsibility to make sure he was comfortable and that he felt safe. Fitz's distance only pushed her further into her work, investigating the inhuman that had been on the planet with them and trying to work out how it had affected Will, and herself. They'd decided early on that their romance was nothing more than situational comfort but Jemma still cared for him so she spent time with him, teaching him about culture and what he'd missed in the last fourteen years, which was a lot. Sometimes others would come and visit, fill Will in on some of the things that they felt were necessary, Bobbi schooled him in scientific breakthroughs, Mack taught him about video games and Hunter attempted to explain over ten years of football in the space of half an hour. They were a team and no matter the circumstances, Will was part of that too now.
Now she was back on English soil, spending the holidays with her family was a tradition that she never wanted to break and luckily so far Coulson hadn't made her. Christmas was a big deal in the Simmons household, all of the extended family turned up to the small house in Sheffield and crammed around the old dining room table. They pulled crackers and told jokes and took turns to open presents, but none of those came close to being Jemma's favourite tradition. Christmas growing up had been the same every year, that was until Jemma was eighteen and then she added one more thing to her holidays, the most important thing, Fitz. After just over a year together it became obvious that the two were inseparable and it seemed wrong to spend such an important holiday apart, which was why they'd come to an agreement. On Christmas Eve they met at The Mango Tree, a small restaurant in Kirkby Stephen, exactly half way between Glasgow and Sheffield.
She wasn't sure if he'd come, they'd fallen back into the awkwardness of before, him avoiding her because of Will, her just scared of playing with his feelings even more than she already had. Jemma knew how deep his feelings went for her and she knew that she'd spent years walking all over him without even realising it. She'd played with his emotions, using him as an emotional crutch, always expected him to be there when she needed but leaving when he needed her the most. They'd only missed this meeting once and Jemma was sure that Fitz would have turned up anyway, she'd thought about it as she sat on her bunk on the planet called death, yet another time she'd let him down. She knew she was being ridiculous, she hadn't exactly asked to be flung to a brand new planet in a completely different solar system but it had just caused even more problems for them, as Fitz would say, the bloody cosmos.
So Jemma found herself waving goodbye to her parents and getting on the 9.21 to Kirkby Stephen, not even knowing if he was going to be there when she arrived but the three hour train journey would certainly give her time to map out all of the possibilities. Usually these journeys filled her with excitement for the day, they traded gifts and chatted about their holidays and everything that usually didn't get mentioned because work took precedent. Christmas Eve was their chance to go back to their Academy days, where they'd sit on her bed and watch back to back Doctor Who Episodes, never worrying that a siren would go off and they'd be called to action, they didn't have to be doctors or agents, they could just be Fitz and Simmons.
He always knew that he lacked strength but he hadn't expected to be so easily overpowered by a woman almost half his size. She hadn't stopped talking since he'd told her that he might not be going, in the ten minutes that had passed since his outburst she had packed him a bag and was now attempting to push boots onto his feet, calling him every ridiculous name under the sun. If someone walked in now they would probably think he was being attacked by a crazy woman but the truth was that that crazy woman was just his mother, a woman who cared almost too much for her own good and a woman who'd been dreaming off the day Leo Fitz walked into her kitchen with his hand clasped with a certain brunette's.
Before he could even really stop and think about what was happening he was being pushed into the car and told to get on, it was a relatively long drive and he would need to stop for petrol and some snacks, she knew him a little too well. Arguing would be fruitless, when Rebecca Fitz got an idea into her head it was impossible to shake it and he couldn't lie convincingly enough to just hide out for the day and then pretend he'd been, she'd see right through him. As well as making sure he had everything he needed, including the present he'd wrapped for Jemma a month ago that he'd hidden under a loose floorboard in his room, she'd thrown in a box of homemade biscuits with a card that he had to hand over, Jemma and Fitz were best friends but their mothers often attempted to rival them for closest Fitz/Simmons pairing. Jemma always thought it was hilarious, for Fitz it was just embarrassing.
Driving kept him distracted, he'd only been cleared to drive recently and it was nice to finally be able to get behind the wheel and just escape, watch the world pass by. He couldn't help his mind drifting to Jemma, the main question being whether she'd even turn up. He knew she'd felt guilty about not being there the year before but he couldn't exactly blame her given that she had been on another planet, train links to the middle of the country weren't so convenient from Maveth. Now of course there was Will, he thought of them cuddled up on her mum's couch, watching the trashy Christmas TV that Jemma had always complained about, her filling him in on everything he'd missed. Leo Fitz was officially jealous of a man who had spent more than a decade on another planet alone, something was really wrong with him.
Of course the meeting point had been Jemma's idea, though as always it seemed like she'd read his mind, he'd been worried about being apart from her for a whole month, he didn't want to spend Christmas without her and then suddenly she'd had the solution before he'd even had to announce the problem. Fitz had added that it should be a restaurant, most of his decisions were made by his stomach and this one was no different, so they'd looked online and picked one almost at random, it didn't matter what the food tasted like as long as they were together. At first it had taken his mother a while to really understand, she'd never met Jemma and Christmas Eve was a special day to the Fitz family but soon she understood, she'd never heard Fitz talk about someone the way he spoke about Jemma, she wasn't going to get in the way of something as powerful as that.
The watch read 12.48 just like it had the last five times she'd glanced down at it, she was sure that people around her were looking at her strange, her leg was bouncing up and down with nerves and her fingers drummed on the table with no reliable rhythm. Fitz had never been one for being timely and he usually got stuck in traffic but he always arrived between 12.30 and 1, he wasn't late yet. They always booked their table for 12.30, Jemma's trains were more reliable than Fitz's driving so she arrived first and ordered them both a drink, non-alcoholic for the both of them given that Fitz was driving and Jemma didn't like to drink alone. She knew she could have just texted him this morning asking him if he was coming and then this whole thing would be packed with a lot less anxiety but she hadn't, instead she'd gotten on a train and just headed to the middle of nowhere as if she was in some crazy romance film. Maybe that was what they'd become, some storyline in a twisted romantic drama, every time it started to get better another obstacle was thrust into their way, Jemma put it down to bad timing whereas Fitz seemed to think it was some higher power.
When she'd entered, the soft violin music had felt calming and serene, now it just made her want to smash the wooden instrument into as many little pieces as she could manage. The comforting smell of lavender now made her feel sickly and the polite waitress who was offering her extras was now infuriating, the wait was beginning to get to her. 13.14, he was officially late. She drummed her phone on the table, rotating it and banging it in the way that Fitz did when he was nervous, it seemed like even his nervous ticks were wearing off on her. Six more minutes and she was going to leave, six more minutes and she'd be heading back to the train station and she'd have to explain why she was home early, most likely breaking the heart of her mother who cared more for Fitz than Jemma actually though possible, she'd always wanted a son, now she felt like she had one.
She could no longer deny that it was time, she'd told herself that she'd leave at twenty past and that had been thirty minutes ago, it seemed that it was harder to give up on Leo Fitz than she'd first imagined. Finally she placed the money onto the bill and stood up dramatically, picking up her things and thanking the staff who had all been very courteous. Until suddenly she was almost knocked down by a young girl, the same waitress that had seated her almost an hour ago, "he's here, he's here!" she seemed to be exclaiming as she shepherded Jemma back to the original table. She had no idea what was going on but the girl's face flushed with excitement was enough for Jemma to obey and soon enough she was sat back down in her seat, just in time to see Leo Fitz walk through the door.
Being late was a big part of his personality but he wasn't usually this late, because he usually left earlier with a full tank of petrol and snacks already, he was usually prepared. Of course usually he hadn't kissed her out of anger and passion in the middle of the lab and then continued to avoid her, usually he hadn't just rescued her space boyfriend from a planet called Death, this trip anything but usual. Everyone on the base had been working together to get Will acclimatised to Earth once again, that was what they did, they looked after the underdog. Even Hunter had been spending some time with him, though he did report back to Fitz and hadn't yet dropped the nickname which made Fitz smile, he knew it was petty but sometimes it was nice to know that someone was on his side. It didn't matter though because all that mattered was Jemma's happiness and it seemed that she'd found it with Will, he had to learn to respect that. Was this the opposite of that though, he was driving over three hours to see her for an afternoon, was that an act of someone who was letting the other person live their life, it sure didn't seem like it.
If only he'd had more confidence, maybe if he'd made his declaration earlier, hadn't waited until he was sure he was going to die. Timing had always been their weakness, what if he'd come out with it sooner, maybe they would have been more before she was taken by the monolith, the promise of a date wasn't enough to keep her from Will but maybe a real relationship would have been. It wasn't worth thinking about though, the past was the past and Jemma was with Will, he couldn't change that no matter how much he wanted it, he just needed to stop wanting it. He could still have a best friend though, it had taken him a little while to realise it but he needn't lose Jemma entirely, they'd been best friends for years and that needn't end just because he had feelings for her, hell he'd been in love with her for years and she hadn't even noticed.
Parking was a nightmare and it began to stress the young Scot out, time was ticking and he knew she'd only wait so long, if she even turned up at all. He finally made it and he ran towards the restaurant as fast as he could, his cardigan flying out behind him, he hadn't made it far before he had to stop and walk, fitness had never been his strong point. As soon as he reached the place and said Jemma's name for the booking a small blonde smiled brightly and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards a table that was apparently his. She was shouting over and over again and Fitz just remained confused until Jemma came into focus, it seemed that they had inadvertently become Kirkby Stephen's biggest story, everyone was waiting with baited breath.
Leo suddenly found her eyes locked with his, "you came, you actually came," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper, as if she was telling herself more than anyone else. She couldn't believe it, it didn't seem real, everything was in slow motion and she almost wanted to pinch herself. She saw him about to speak but she wasn't about to let him ruin this moment with his fears and his excuses, maybe she couldn't tell him how she felt, she had to show him. She moved towards him and watched him question her with his expression but then suddenly their faces were too close for her to be able to read him. She paused just short of a connection, almost waiting for consent and when he didn't move away she finally closed the gap, bringing her hands up to grasp his face pulling him as close to her as possible. He was caught off guard but when he suddenly realised what was happening and his arms wrapped around her waist, grasping lightly at her t-shirt. Everything else disappeared, this was all they needed, they could stay like this forever.
They finally pulled apart, her hand absentmindedly stroking his stubble as she stared into his vibrant blue eyes, why had it taken her so long to realise that this was all she wanted. She knew she had to do something, say something before he ran off talking about a curse once again so she said the only thing that seemed to matter, "I love you." He wasn't expecting it, she could tell by the way his eyes seemed to double in size and his grip on her tightened but it didn't last long before he let out a breath that he hadn't even realised he was holding, "I love you too Jemma Simmons, always have, always will." That was all the conversation they needed, she leaned into him again, harder this time, it was less cautious, it was the kiss of two people who had known each other for years, who were the focal point in each other's narrative, they were one. Suddenly Fitz realised that they were in a public place and he stepped back, his face flushed with colour as he looked around the room to see quite a few people suddenly avert their gaze, "maybe we should have lunch?" he asked, his stomach growling in response to the mere suggestion of food, "maybe we should," Jemma agreed, sitting down opposite him ready to begin their first real date.