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Lost in her novel, Jemma paid very little attention to her surroundings, other than to adjust the pillow beneath her neck or angle the lamp on her bedside table so she could see better. She felt her ribs lift, preparing to sigh as she read about the heroine reuniting with her long-lost lover, only to have it give way to a small shout as her window jerked fully open. Struggling against the heavy quilt - a necessity even in the late spring - the book thumped against the worn floorboards as she forced herself off the mattress. Even though she only wore a pair of knickers and a t-shirt, she felt better on her feet.
The anxiety that had jolted her from her bed leeched away as she watched the lanky frame unfold. It was only Fitz. It wasn’t as though he’d never been in her room before - although coming through her window was a first - and Jemma focused on regaining her composure while he got his feet back under him.
“H-Hi, Jemma,” he mumbled, his fingers gripping the window frame while he cast an uncertain smile in her direction. Taking a deep breath, Fitz released the wood a finger at a time and straightened to his full height. He paused, seeming to wait to see if he could maintain his balance on his own, and his smile grew steadier as he realized he could indeed keep his feet.
Leo Fitz, genius and certified mischief maker, was buzzed. And standing in her bedroom to boot.
“Hi, Fitz,” Jemma replied, keeping her voice low so as not to wake her parents. Her father was strict on his best day; finding the boy he’d been threatening to expel all term standing in his daughter’s bedroom in the wee hours of the morning wouldn’t do either of them any favors.
“Your window is quite high. D’you know tha’?”
“It is. The better to keep out unexpected guests.”
“Well then,” Fitz snorted, “they really need t’ reconsider the trellis placemen’ then. Migh’ as well leave a ladder agains’ the wall.”
Jemma arched a brow in response to his assessment and placed her hands on her hips, causing her shirt to ride up. As slight as the movement had been, though, it had been enough to catch Fitz’ eye; Jemma could see his gaze linger on the curve of her hips before darting up to her chest. She could practically see the moment he realized she was braless, his tongue darting across his lower lip before his jaw went slack. Despite the absurdity of the situation, Jemma could feel her body react to his attention: her cheeks flushed and her nipples pebbled beneath the thin cotton material, something that didn’t escape Fitz’ notice if the look in his eye was any indication.
“I’ll be sure to mention it to the gardener in the morning,” Jemma quipped, causing Fitz to jerk his eyes upwards once more. “Fitz, why are you here?”
“Well, I climbed-”
“Yes, yes, I know. You climbed the trellis. Why did you climb the trellis?”
“Oh. I- Y’ see, I wanted t’...” Fitz struggled to find his words. Suddenly, his toes were the most interesting thing in her room.
“Fitz?” Jemma prompted, taking a half step toward him.
“Y’ broke up wit’ him.”
Jemma crossed her arms and considered the boy in front of her. The move pulled the cotton more tightly across her breasts and exposed more of her knickers Although Jemma found she’d gladly exchange her modesty for that slight-stunned look on Fitz’ face any day of the week.
“Who told you?”
“He did,” Fitz replied, finally looking up at her. With his eyes trained on her now, Jemma could see the slightest purpling on his left cheekbone. His fingers ghosted over the area and his mouth curled up in the beginnings of a smirk. “Seems he was a bi’ upset when he found out tha’ someone else had been kissin’ his girlfriend. Know anythin’ about tha’?”
“I might.” Jemma felt her brow arch in an unspoken challenge. He’d been just as eager a participant as she, and she wasn’t going to bother pretending she was entirely sorry with what had resulted.
Fitz’ blue eyes shot up to hers, his confidence fully returned as his smirk strengthened. Jemma remembered the last time she’d seen him wear that look, and her heart rate picked up in response. Fitz had been hungry and desperate as he backed her up against the stacks in the library. They had spent months dancing around each other as they studied, until finally it’d been too much. Jemma could still remember the feel of his mouth against hers, the way Fitz’ hand had tugged at her crisp white uniform blouse to pull it out of her skirt so he could touch her bare skin.
The memories left Jemma shivering where she stood, her breath coming shallow as the vivid images looped through her brain. Fitz stepped toward her, hand halfway extended as though he wanted to touch her but wasn’t sure he should.
“He was mad, lass. Spitin’ mad.” Fitz chuckled and blew out a breath, shaking his head slowly side to side. “Cannae imagine wha’ he’d have t’ say if he saw this, or knew I had such a… detailed idea of how y’ look like in naugh’ but your knickers.”
Jemma could imagine exactly what her ex would say, and Fitz was right. He’d undoubtedly fly into a rage to see his girlfriend - ex-girlfriend - standing nearly naked in front of one of their classmates, particularly one who’d always been shunted to the side by their school’s elite.
But the fact of the matter was that Fitz was worth it. The understanding that passed between them so easily, the shared intellectual pursuits, the tenderness… she wouldn’t give that up for anything. Even social exile at 17.
Mind decided, Jemma turned away from Fitz and locked her bedroom door. Once she heard it snick softly in to place, she pressed her back to the wood and brought one hand up, crooking her finger in a come-hither gesture. Fitz moved instantly, crowding her up against her bedroom door, his nose just brushing against hers as his heart pounded away in his chest.
“I think,” Jemma murmured, purposefully letting her lips brush against his as she moved one of his hands to her hip, “that it’d be much more entertaining if you could tell him what I look like with them off.”
Thankfully Fitz didn’t require more instruction than that, and before Jemma could realize he’d moved, her knickers were on the floor while the two of them bounced against her mattress.