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Unspoken Communication
This is one of my favorite shippy tropes. Characters who know each other so well that they can read each other’s minds and therefore act with unthinking synchronization. Extra points for when it’s displayed under extreme pressure.
Usually we see this in fight scenes. E.g. Huntingbird from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (with bonus bickering, hahahah):
Or Mako/Raleigh (Maleigh) from Pacific Rim (Mentally linked via machinery, although they had to demonstrate this kind of compatibility first.):
Or from The Incredibles (Helen and Bob Parr):
And then there are pairings who take this to a whole new level like Fitzsimmons (also from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Co-dependent to start, and now independent after being separated several times-- and yet still very much connected.
“You and Simmons are so tight. It’s like you’re psychically linked.” (Skye, 1x06)
From the beginning, they are expected to produce scientific solutions for the team as a unit and introduced as a team with ready-made portmanteau. They bicker like siblings, and know everything about each other, from sandwich preferences to embarrassing stories from their youth. And they have literally been inseparable for years: “every minute of every day you’ve been stuck in a lab right beside me. At the Academy, at Sci Ops, this plane. You’ve been beside me the whole damn time.” (Fitz, 1x06)
They are so mentally in tune that they finish each other’s sentences. And separating them for the first time in 1x07 leads both of them to “seriously unravel”—Fitz talks incessantly about Simmons and Jemma ends up shooting a superior officer in the chest while stealing classified information about Fitz's mission. (Oops.)
Even if their obvious codependence is unhealthy, everybody ignores it in S1 because the support team functions perfectly and will rarely be separated anyway, right?Ahahahahahaha
After Fitz realizes he’s developed romantic feelings for Jemma, he keeps a tight lid on them—until 1x22, when he believes one of them has to die for the other to survive. And to Jemma’s horrified regret, he sacrifices himself—only to survive with brain damage. The revelation of his feelings only make his subsequent impairment in S2 (and her guilt) more difficult for both of them, and she leaves on a mission within Hydra, creating both a physical and emotional rift between them.
And yet the best demonstration of their mental synchronization comes in 2x15 to 2x16. Prior to “the real Shield” storming their base, they'd been at odds ever since Jemma came back in 2x06. But after they both make ineffective efforts against the intruders/rebels, they sit without speaking for a long while. 
And then they look at each other:
And that’s it. It's literally ten seconds of silence and yet so much is communicated.
They know they are on each other’s side, no matter what, and don’t say another word about the water under the bridge until 2x22. They don't even speak directly to each other for the rest of the ep, communicating only via looks. And in the next ep, Jemma sets a plan in motion and Fitz understands immediately when he observes her actions—and acts to support her without question.
Fitz (to Mack): “She’s scanning the surface dimensions. Rooting that data through… Why would she do that? Unless…” (2x16)
The stunned comprehension on his face (that she wants him to make a replica of Coulson's Toolbox) is awesome. And then he lets her know via an antagonistic confrontation for the witnesses (including the incredibly astute Bobbi Morse and his close friend Mack) knowing they can communicate via subtext despite the angry nature of the words.
Fitz: “Is this how you wanted me to find out?”
Simmons: “Well I was hoping we could work together on this. Do you have any idea how valuable the information inside this could be? You need to help me get it out. Get things back to normal.”
Fitz picks up the Toolbox casually, and the guards draw guns on him while he continues to rant. “Normal? Things are never going back to normal around here. You’ve destroyed a man’s life, and for what?”
Mack: “Fitz. Put it down right now.”
Fitz: “’cause of fear? Fear of what’s inside a little black box? Well I don’t believe in fear.” *Looks directly at Jemma and slams the Toolbox on the table.* “I believe in trust. And I’m shocked that you would do this. You knew this would drive me away; you may as well have packed my bags yourself.” (Her lips purse but she says nothing.) “You want me to leave, don’t you Jemma?”
Simmons appears upset, but resigned. “If we work for SHIELD, we have a responsibility to carry out our duties. So perhaps it’s best if you do.”
He stalks off and the audience (and Bobbi and Mack) are led to believe that the rift between them has become impassable. And we watch them sadly send off Fitz after his debrief, with Jemma helping him get his backpack on.
And then the reveal: they’d made a switch, and Jemma had placed the real Toolbox in Fitz’s pack (along with Fitz’s favorite sandwich, and a note from Jemma to take care, even though she’s playing the role of double agent again. It’s such an effective ruse because of the way they don’t talk at all—they couldn’t because they were being monitored constantly. And yet their ability to understand each other prevailed despite opposition and expectations. <3
Usually we see this in fight scenes. E.g. Huntingbird from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (with bonus bickering, hahahah):
Or Mako/Raleigh (Maleigh) from Pacific Rim (Mentally linked via machinery, although they had to demonstrate this kind of compatibility first.):
Or from The Incredibles (Helen and Bob Parr):
And then there are pairings who take this to a whole new level like Fitzsimmons (also from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Co-dependent to start, and now independent after being separated several times-- and yet still very much connected.
“You and Simmons are so tight. It’s like you’re psychically linked.” (Skye, 1x06)
From the beginning, they are expected to produce scientific solutions for the team as a unit and introduced as a team with ready-made portmanteau. They bicker like siblings, and know everything about each other, from sandwich preferences to embarrassing stories from their youth. And they have literally been inseparable for years: “every minute of every day you’ve been stuck in a lab right beside me. At the Academy, at Sci Ops, this plane. You’ve been beside me the whole damn time.” (Fitz, 1x06)
They are so mentally in tune that they finish each other’s sentences. And separating them for the first time in 1x07 leads both of them to “seriously unravel”—Fitz talks incessantly about Simmons and Jemma ends up shooting a superior officer in the chest while stealing classified information about Fitz's mission. (Oops.)
Even if their obvious codependence is unhealthy, everybody ignores it in S1 because the support team functions perfectly and will rarely be separated anyway, right?
After Fitz realizes he’s developed romantic feelings for Jemma, he keeps a tight lid on them—until 1x22, when he believes one of them has to die for the other to survive. And to Jemma’s horrified regret, he sacrifices himself—only to survive with brain damage. The revelation of his feelings only make his subsequent impairment in S2 (and her guilt) more difficult for both of them, and she leaves on a mission within Hydra, creating both a physical and emotional rift between them.
And yet the best demonstration of their mental synchronization comes in 2x15 to 2x16. Prior to “the real Shield” storming their base, they'd been at odds ever since Jemma came back in 2x06. But after they both make ineffective efforts against the intruders/rebels, they sit without speaking for a long while.
And then they have a single silent exchange:
.
And that’s it. It's literally ten seconds of silence and yet so much is communicated.
They know they are on each other’s side, no matter what, and don’t say another word about the water under the bridge until 2x22. They don't even speak directly to each other for the rest of the ep, communicating only via looks. And in the next ep, Jemma sets a plan in motion and Fitz understands immediately when he observes her actions—and acts to support her without question.
Fitz (to Mack): “She’s scanning the surface dimensions. Rooting that data through… Why would she do that? Unless…” (2x16)
The stunned comprehension on his face (that she wants him to make a replica of Coulson's Toolbox) is awesome. And then he lets her know via an antagonistic confrontation for the witnesses (including the incredibly astute Bobbi Morse and his close friend Mack) knowing they can communicate via subtext despite the angry nature of the words.
Fitz: “Is this how you wanted me to find out?”
Simmons: “Well I was hoping we could work together on this. Do you have any idea how valuable the information inside this could be? You need to help me get it out. Get things back to normal.”
Fitz picks up the Toolbox casually, and the guards draw guns on him while he continues to rant. “Normal? Things are never going back to normal around here. You’ve destroyed a man’s life, and for what?”
Mack: “Fitz. Put it down right now.”
Fitz: “’cause of fear? Fear of what’s inside a little black box? Well I don’t believe in fear.” *Looks directly at Jemma and slams the Toolbox on the table.* “I believe in trust. And I’m shocked that you would do this. You knew this would drive me away; you may as well have packed my bags yourself.” (Her lips purse but she says nothing.) “You want me to leave, don’t you Jemma?”
Simmons appears upset, but resigned. “If we work for SHIELD, we have a responsibility to carry out our duties. So perhaps it’s best if you do.”
He stalks off and the audience (and Bobbi and Mack) are led to believe that the rift between them has become impassable. And we watch them sadly send off Fitz after his debrief, with Jemma helping him get his backpack on.
And then the reveal: they’d made a switch, and Jemma had placed the real Toolbox in Fitz’s pack (along with Fitz’s favorite sandwich, and a note from Jemma to take care, even though she’s playing the role of double agent again. It’s such an effective ruse because of the way they don’t talk at all—they couldn’t because they were being monitored constantly. And yet their ability to understand each other prevailed despite opposition and expectations. <3