The whole damn time

Time

A red-faced Fitz walked unnecessarily quickly out of Coulson's office, closing the door behind him with a loud bang. He had just been subjected to the most embarrassing lecture he had ever had and never wanted to think about it again.

He almost ran to his bunk and opened the door to see Simmons standing right behind it.

"Leo, I-"

"Oh, Jemma-"

"I just wanted to say-"

"It's not your fault-"

"Please, just listen-"

"I need to tell you-"

"I miss you." They said at the same time. An awkward silence fell like a blanket over the pair of them and they just stood in the doorway looking at each other.

Fitz could see tears springing in the corners of Simmons' eyes and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Then she was in his arms, clinging to him tightly and he held her, one hand on her back and the other tangled in her soft brown hair.

"I'm sorry, Jemma. I truly am." He said as she pulled away from him.

She smiled weakly. "I know you are. Can we please just talk this one out?"

He was glad she had suggested it, as he also had some things he desperately needed to say to her. "Sure. In here?"

She nodded and they both sat down on his bed. She was nervously twisting her fingers together in her lap. Her hair flopped over her eyes and he tucked it behind her ear, a gesture both of them were familiar with and she smiled at him, leaning into his side.

"My feelings for you haven't changed, you know." He said. "I'm always going to love you."

"I know," she said sadly, "and I don't want them to. I just still need time."

He grinned. "And I thought that I was the one that hated change. You always jump at the opportunity of something new." Fitz gently nudged her in the side with his elbow.

"But this, Fitz, this just... scares me. In fact, it scares me to death."

"More than our daily lives? Dying? Losing our friends?" He said, speaking a bit more seriously now.

She bit her lip. "I guess what scares me the most is not me dying, but losing you."

"I'm not going to let go that easily. Don' you worry about me, I'll be fine. We'll be fine." He rubbed her back and she sniffed quietly.

"I hope that's not just dramatic irony." She smiled.

"Me too."

"So we'll just stay friends for the meantime? All I want is for us to stay  together, and this just looks like the easiest way for that to happen." She said, her brown eyes gazing up into his crystal blue ones.

"Friends. But if we make it out of this-"

"When, not if." She said sternly.

"When - maybe we should take a step forward?"

"You're the only person I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with. I would love to live out the rest of my days by your side." And those words made Fitz's heart melt in his chest.

"I feel the same way. Oh, but the other way 'round, of course."

Simmons giggled. "Of course."