Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of SHIELD. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
*
"Wow, you look amazing." Daisy smiled softly, after a few long seconds of staring.
"You too." Jemma smiled softly back, then quickly added, "I mean, you always do, but... like you said, wow."
"You too." Daisy parroted her girlfriend, the two of them sharing a smile for a few long seconds, before she gently pushed, "Shall we go?"
"Yes. Yes, absolutely. Let's, go." Jemma stammered.
Jemma Simmons felt ridiculous in that moment. She had been dating Daisy Johnson for months now, and they had been friends for years before that. And during that time they of course had been on lots of dates. It had just been the two of them, stranded on another planet, fighting for survival, and only being able to rely on each other. And of course, within that isolation they'd had sex.
Like, a lot of sex. In ways Jemma had never experienced before, but she loved it. Especially as it meant being more intimate with this woman than she had been ever with anyone. And really, compared to what they went through on a regular basis, this really shouldn't have been a big deal. Nothing scary. It was just their first official date out in public. That's all.
Back on the other world, where they had been stranded, every night was date night, so this wasn't even their first date. Not really. It was closer to their 100th, honestly. But they had always been tired and sweaty, and more often than not, in Daisy's case, dirty from wondering around in the rough terrain, keeping them safe.
Now Jemma was wearing her best dress, the most expensive one she owned, that she only used for special occasions, and she was left feeling inadequate, next to the far more curvaceous superhero. God, Jemma felt like the most popular girl in school was picking her up just because she was the nerdiest queer around, as some nasty practical joke on her.
The fact that Daisy seemed to be just as blown away by looking at her was baffling, but it was also very encouraging, as was the fact that the gentle-woman took her hand, and started leading her out of SHIELD HQ. Whenever the mighty Quake touched her like that it was reassuring. Of course, a part of Jemma wanted to forget about the date, and just pull Daisy back to her room for some more private fun.
But no, they had waited to do this long enough. Longer than Jemma would have liked. So, they would go through this, no matter what. Which was a thought that went through Jemma's mind as they turned the corner, and almost literally and comically bumped into Fitz.
"Hey." Fitz greeted awkwardly.
"Hey." Daisy said softly, unsure what to say.
"Hey..." Jemma said about the same time, also not sure what to say.
"You look good. Both of you." Fitz said softly and awkwardly, without really looking at them.
"Thanks... you too." Jemma returned the compliment, also without looking at him, and then beginning, "We were just... you know, going on a, a date."
"Right... well, I have things to do as well." Fitz said.
"Thank you." Jemma said softly.
The two old friends then passed each other, before Fitz stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes and sighed, "Jemma?"
Turning to look at him. Jemma cautiously asked, "Yes?"
"I really am happy for you, you know." Fitz said softly without turning around, before admitting, "Or at least, I'm trying to be."
"I know." Jemma said softly, unsure what else to say, but ultimately settling on, "Thanks."
Fitz then made his way down the corridor, and when Daisy was sure he was gone here she whispered softly, "Are you sure this is okay."
"Yes." Jemma said without hesitation, before pointing out, "We waited a whole week. That's more than enough under these circumstances. And, and his feelings aren't my priority. Yours are."
"Yeah?" Daisy grinned.
"You know that right?" Jemma questioned softly, closing the distance between them and taking Daisy's hand in hers, "Because I choose you. I will always choose you. Whatever anyone thinks, I never loved him. Not like that. Not like I love you. I just... I want to make this easier. On all of us. Including my best friend. But not just him. You too. And... me."
"I told you, I get it." Daisy reassured, squeezing Jemma's hand gently, and smiling softly, "You're a good person, Jemma Simmons. Too good for the rest of us."
She wasn't so sure about that, which she'd said before, but this time Jemma just smiled softly and kept walking. After all, it was already obvious that it bothered her hurting Fitz in this way, but the more she made a big deal out of it, the more paranoid she made Daisy, and Daisy didn't deserve that. Of course, hurting Fitz wasn't the only reason she was nervous right now, as even though times hav=d changed, many was still small minded when it came to same sex couples.
And the restaurant they were going too, dressed up as they were, it was less likely they would be mistaken as friends on a casual night out together. Which was kind of the point of the selection, as Jemma wanted to prove to the girl she loved, and maybe more importantly to herself, that she wasn't ashamed of their relationship.
Daisy also didn't want to hurt Fitz, but she knew that was inevitable. That was just the way love triangles went, and with the extra week would actually help him. God knows, if the roles were reversed, there was no amount of time which would make losing her shot with someone as amazing as Jemma Simmons better.