The hug made Simmons want to cry, but she pushed those thoughts away and laughed slightly instead at Skye’s comments. “How were things around?” She wondered once they pulled away from the hug, walking towards the bed and taking a seat on the corner, shrugging her shoulders slightly and making her best effort to avoid bursting out into tears again. Jemma smiled as she shook her head. “Of course I didn’t have as much fun as you, I’m a boring person in comparison to you lot.” The brunette pressed her lips into a thin line as she looked down at the floor. “Fitz told me about it, the fun times.”
Skye couldn’t help but scoff hearing Fitz’s name strung in the same sentence as the words ‘fun’ and ‘times’, the sensation of nails involuntarily digging into her palm bringing her back from her thoughts. She brushed it off, smoothing out the creases in her bedsheets as a distraction. “Did he also tell you I did some science of my own? The ten minutes I spent roaming the internet to find out what kind of acid dissolves bodies the fastest were directly related to his escapades.” It was only then she really, properly looked at her, and Jemma’s body language immediately set off warning bells in her head. She inched close enough to rest a hand on Jemma’s, squeezing it gently. Physical contact was comforting, right? “Hey, you,” she started anew, hoping to get Jemma to really, properly look at her, too. “What’s wrong? Did he go into detail and scar you for life?”
Having just got back there were still many things Jemma needed to do and unpacking only seemed to be a terrible battle she’d soon enough have to face. First things first obviously, she had gone over to the lab and downloaded everything from the hardrive she had brought from the Hub. After getting down to work as she usually did, she had spent her time catching up with Fitz, it had been too long. And finally now, instead of heading to her room and settle down, Simmons needed to pay someone else a visit first.
Knocking on the door, the brunette waited until she heard Skye’s voice and a smile formed on her lips. They really couldn’t be any more different, but the girl had grown on her to the point she considered her family. When the door was finally pulled open, she nodded her for a single moment before pulling Skye into a tight hug. “Netflix or whatever, I missed you.”
“Thanks for showing up to remind me I’m not straight. I had a couple of crises about that, but it’s all good now. I missed you.” After a couple of moments of what seemed like the tightest hug she’s ever enveloped anyone in, she pulled away, surveying Jemma to locate any changes, tattoos, body piercings, the usual. Once she’d finished her look-over with a nod of approval, Skye motioned for her friend to claim any spot so she could follow the lead. “Bet you didn’t have as much fun as we did,” she remarked with a confident smile, landing on her bed as a result of a few backwards steps and a trust fall.
Jemma swatted at Skye though her assessment was in part true. There tended to be some hero worship going on at the academy. Not that Jemma minded it. “I’m fairly certain that one ‘hacktivist’…” Jemma poked Skye affectionately in the side as she used the term “Is popular in communication circles.” The movie was doing a poor job of holding their attention though Jemma was content with Skye and silence. Except it seemed Skye was not. “A little bit yes,” Jemma agreed. “My apologies. Did you have anything else in mind?” She shifted so she was looking back at her teammate but tried not to move so much in case Skye was comfortable leaning against her.
“Who, me? Yeah. People think I’m doing serious S.H.I.E.L.D. paperwork, but I’m actually sorting through the pile of love letters I get. It’s mostly people offering me firstborns. Replying to those gave me carpal tunnel,” she mentioned distractedly. Though her eyes were glued to the screen in attempt to make sense of the movie, she felt Jemma’s on her. “No, this is fine. It’s a disaster and I will complain about it, but I like it in a way.”
Jemma shifted so she could look down at Skye leaning against her. With her opposite arm she reached over and patted Skye lightly and chuckled with the new nickname. “I concur. It certainly makes being here more stressful. Last time we knew what we were up against. And this time it feels more like an unseen enemy. We’re lucky to have you checking up for us.” Jemma couldn’t help the weary sigh that escaped. “It different here. The team more spread out. But these students are so excited to be here. You should see their faces when I talk to them. It’s hard not to feel optimistic about Shield’s future.”
“It literally feels like we’re up against Waldo. Good thing he can be busted with a genetic algorithm,” she shrugged nonchalantly, though her smile conveyed pride at what Jemma’d said about being lucky. Being useful had always felt good, even if she didn’t particularly need that kind of validation. “I’m pretty sure their faces are like that because you’re talking to them, but it’s whatever. They’ll do great things. Blow up some stuff, build some stuff, leak some stuff. We’re in good hands.” Having reverted her attention back to the movie, Skye only lasted ten seconds before she turned to Jemma again. It wasn’t as if she was interrupting anything important by talking over the sound of explosions and badly delivered catchphrases, anyway. “This is underwhelming.”
Jemma took in Skye’s actually genuinely impressed. “It is. Though I shouldn’t have doubted. It’s different to have such a large space compared to what we did on the bus.” Their cubby holes could hardly have been considered rooms. “Nothing too gory. How about this? Suspense,” Jemma suggested, sliding the laptop to Skye. She knew the girl was validly protective of the computer as in many ways it was her life and Jemma didn’t ant to mess any thing up. She crawled up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, legs tucked up closer to her body. “So besides the teaching, how are things?” Jemma asked while the movie loaded. It was odd to not be in such close proximity to Skye all the time like they had on the bus and she felt the urge to catch up.
After she’d set the laptop down in front of them, Skye sank in next to Jemma with a small sigh of content, legs outstretched and head lightly resting on the girl’s upper arm. “Things?” she mused, looking up at her. “Suspenseful. Which I don’t think this movie is, judging by the awful CGI in the first ten seconds. But, yeah, those false alarms are really starting to piss me off, considering I have to check the entire database whenever they happen. The person sending messages to S.H.I.E.L.D. must really hate me. And how are things with you, English rose?”
Skye’s quip shouldn’t have had Jemma wondering how the other girl slept but the thought did flash in her head momentarily before she groaned. “I knew you’d bring that up about the mop,” she said as they made their way up to where her quarters were, conveniently right by Skye’s as they had been assigned at the same time. “Oh hush,” Jemma batted at Skye. “I know it still comes as a shock that I managed dates. I believe we’ve already been over this. Give me a second please?” Jemma asked with a touch to Skye’s arm as she crossed to the bedroom to strip out of her lab clothes, tossing them in a laundry basket before changing into a black tank and simple pair of grey cotton pajama pants. It wasn’t as though it mattered how she looked with Skye’s room literally a door over. She was taking her hair down as she reappeared. “All set. Shall we?”
With Jemma’s reappearance, Skye pushed herself away from the door she’d been leaning on and unlocked it without further ado. Waiting on her friend to enter first gave her an opportunity to take in the changes to her appearance, which, of course, didn’t reveal anything surprising - she already knew Jemma could look good in anything, that from months of co-existing on the plane. Skye made her way into the dimly lit room soon after, closing the door after her. “And this is where the magic should happen, but for some reason, doesn’t. Neater than you thought, huh?“ she said, pride in her voice and in her expression, idly making her way towards the bed. “Pick a movie, m’lady.”
Jemma’s face scrunched again. Skye could be so out there, always making a joke of things. “I don’t think I will be swayed that easily to get a tattoo. Though I did go out with a boy when I was a student here who had the golden ratio on his forearm that I found interesting.” Jemma stuck her bottom lip out at the idea of a movie riddle with science errors. “I thought you wanted to enjoy your evening with me not watch me suffer. I chose option two. Though considering what we’ve been through I hardly think either of us would be scared by horror.” Jemma said it lightly but it made her thoughts drift to what had scared her. Skye shot lying in that bed. She looked over at her friend and felt a swell of affection. “Come on, we either need to swing by my room or you need to let me borry a pair of pajama pants. Lab clothes are not good for movie night.” She bumped their shoulders and then stayed close.
“I’d rather not disclose what I sleep in, or rather what I don’t, so I think we should drop by yours. And, are you sure horror movies have no effect on you? I recall a situation involving you, that mop Fitz set up, and a horrified scream,” Skye teased, though the lighthearted remark served as a sugarcoat to her inner unease. She couldn’t tell what’d been the true catalyst for what Jemma’d said, which horrible incident the scientist was recalling at that moment, but, for Skye, it was always the day of the chitauri virus. She shrugged it off, however, sounding as exuberant as ever. “This is the second boyfriend I’ve heard about. Wow, Jem. I knew you were a pimp, but to this extent.”
Jemma laughed lightly. “Yes you do tend to live life quite spontaneously. I do much better with preparation. Practice always made me more comfortable.” The two of them couldn’t have been more different, Jemma found herself thinking again. But her life was better for Skye in it and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I am not getting a tattoo. Do you have a tattoo?” Jemma suddenly wondered aloud. “I mean… I think I could be convinced to watch a movie. It’s been ages since I’ve had down time like that. I think Fitz had us watch Interstellar. The physics was intriguing if a bit iffy.”
“Oh, I do, but I can’t showyou in public. Maybe once we’re in my office and you need convincing,” she beamed. Messing up over text was one thing, but, in person, Skye was used to delivering such unabashed remarks without lifting so much as an eyebrow, more often than not to Jemma. “Let’s go with something that has terrible scientific errors to see how long you last. Or a horror movie, so that I could play my signature move of putting an arm around the lady to soothe her. Works like a charm.”
Jemma glanced over to Skye at the nickname, not sure if she was being teased again or if Skye was being cute. Either way, it made her blush a little. “My Friday has been very productive thank you. I have several things going in lab. I had this idea about particle acceleration…” About to launch into a long explanation, Jemma kept it short instead. “It could be very exciting. And now I’m spending the evening with you. So excellent Friday indeed. I’m sorry yours was boring you.” There was a tiny frown that conveyed her sympathy.
The rose in Jemma’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed and Skye raised her eyebrows knowingly, allowing herself a proud half-smile. "I got you to hang out with me, so it wasn’t that bad,” she acknowledged. “Except I don’t really have a plan. I was hoping to make it up as we go, but, spoiler alert, that’s not happening. Should we watch a movie? Get matching tattoos? Send NASA fanmail?”
Jemma shook her head and laughed at her phone again. Who knew what had come over Skye. She could easily picture the other girl’s face as she spiraled over text. Shrugging off her lab coat and grabbing her cup of tea, Jemma made her way to where the Communications classes were held. It was different with the students much closer now, and she wondered if that made for more danger too. More influence, potential that could be swayed by someone will ill intent. But those worries faded when she saw Skye, who did look very bored. “Looks as though you managed to survive until I got here,” Jemma said a barely suppressed smirk forming on her lips. “Good news it’s Friday? I know we’re never technically off duty, but you won’t have to worry about teaching.” She came and leaned on the desk near Skye and looked down at her. There was an urge to tease her about the last set of texts but she knew outright acknowledgment would send her blushing, so instead she scooted the phone away from the agent and put the back of her hand to Skye’s forehead. “Just checking to make sure you hadn’t caught something.” The smile she wore made it clear she was speaking in jest.
Skye hadn’t noticed nor planned spacing out, and in most likelihood wouldn’t have snapped out of it if it weren’t for Jemma, suddenly leaning against her desk while the remainder of her students were most definitely checking her out. “I can do without incessant teasing, thank you,” she imitated in a futile attempt to distract the scientist from the unfortunate string of messages she’d received, yet let the girl go through with the mock check-up. “I don’t know why I thought it was an acceptable thing to say, but here’s another one: want to go somewhere private, maybe? I don’t know why these nerds,” she raised her voice enough for it to echo off the walls, “have stuck around after class ended twenty minutes ago, but I’m off duty and always ready to say some more things to you that’ll leave me absolutely mortified afterwards.”
