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i.
Jemma tapped her toe to the tune of the Christmas carol that was playing in the coffee shop. She and Fitz had decided to refuel before heading back to the lab at the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Just a few months into their first year, they were putting in extra hours to end the year strong and set themselves apart.
Moving to the front of the line, Fitz placed their usual order with the barista, “Two English breakfast teas, please.”
“Actually, just the one tea. I’ll have a medium peppermint mocha,” Jemma corrected. She swiped her card to pay and moved over to wait for their drinks in front of the bar.
After a beat, Jemma noticed that Fitz hadn’t followed her. Spinning around, she saw Fitz frozen in place and gaping at her like she had two heads, “What?”
“Who are you and what have you done with Jemma Simmons? In the two months I’ve known you, I’ve only ever seen you drink tea and then today, you decide to get one of those sugar laden coffee drinks out of the blue?”
Jemma shrugged, “It’s Christmas time. If you can’t treat yourself at the holidays, when can you?”
Grabbing the drink off the bar, Jemma took a long sip, the taste of peppermint and chocolate dancing over her tongue.
Jemma and Fitz walked through the picturesque snow lined streets, excitedly chattering about their experiment as they headed back in the direction of the Academy, when they stumbled across a festively decorated park.
“Oh, Fitz, look-- a Christmas Village! We should check it out,” Jemma said, gesturing animatedly at the twinkling lights.
Fitz looked doubtful, “I don’t know, Simmons. We still have a ton of work to do. Seems like an inefficient use of our time.”
“Just for a little while. We’ve been cooped up in the lab all day -- we deserve a break, don’t you think?” Jemma said, “Unless there’s some other reason why you wouldn’t want to go-- like you secretly hate Christmas or something. I don’t know if I could be friends with a Grinch.”
Fitz raised his hands in protest, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about hating Christmas? I love it. If you feel that strongly about it, we can go.”
They wandered the stalls, stopping to look at the different homemade gifts for sale. It was all so festive, with tons of lights and decorations. And, at the center of it all was Santa Claus, surrounded by local children queuing up to tell him their Christmas wishes.
Jemma sniffed the air, “Mmm, those roasted pecans smell delicious. Reminds me of the Christmas market back home.”
“Yeah? I don’t think I’ve ever had them before. Not fresh, like that anyway.”
“Oh, we have to rectify this immediately ,” Jemma said, as she marched up to the stall. “Two pecans, please.“
Jemma went to reach into her purse to pay the vendor, but Fitz shook his head and fished out money from his pocket, “I got this one. Since you paid for our drinks at the coffee shop, it only seems fair.”
Fitz handed one of the warm bags of nuts to Jemma.
“Thank you,” she said, readily accepting the tiny package. Taking a bite, the pecans were crunchy, sweet and salty-- with a hint of cinnamon. Just like home.
“What do you think?” Jemma asked expectantly.
Fitz swallowed a mouthful of pecans, “They’re delicious, thank you. I don’t need to ask how you like them, you’re practically beaming over there.”
“It was nice to get a taste of home, that’s all,” Jemma blushed. “There’s just something about Christmas. The tastes, the smells, the music of the season-- they all can transport you to another time and place. There’s magic in it.”
Fitz smiled, “I would have never guessed that you of all people were a believer in Christmas magic.”
“Guess you still have a lot to learn about me,” Jemma said, popping another pecan into her mouth.
ii.
Over the next few years, Fitz learned just how much Jemma loved Christmas firsthand. Each December, she would decorate, bake cookies and watch an endless stream of Christmas movies-- and Fitz was typically right beside her.
This year was no different, despite the fact that they were now out in the field. Better yet, she had found a kindred spirit in Skye. The hacker was also a big fan of Christmas, so the Bus was full of holiday cheer. In between missions, Jemma and Skye had transformed the lounge into a Christmas wonderland, much to Agent May’s chagrin. The pair of them had even convinced Coulson to let them throw a Christmas party, under the guise of improving team morale. (Not that Coulson needed much convincing. He also loved the holidays.)
On the day of the party, the three agents spent hours in the galley, whipping up a variety of holiday treats. From gingerbread cookies to cheese balls, they had it all. Skye and Jemma also added even more decorations and lights in the already festive lounge.
“Here, I brought some of my famous eggnog,” Coulson said, presenting two large jugs of white, creamy liquid. “It’s Grandma Coulson’s secret recipe. All I can say is there is enough bourbon in there to tranquilize a bear.”
Jemma poured out glasses of eggnog and passed them out to everyone. With Coulson’s warning about the amount of alcohol in it, Fitz took a hesitant sip. He needn’t have worried, it was creamy and delicious, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
“This is wonderful, sir,” Jemma said, putting voice to what Fitz was thinking. “Thank you.”
Many glasses of eggnog later, the party was in full force. It was fun for the team to let their hair down for an evening of (not-so) well mannered frivolity. At one point, they broke out in song, belting out Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. May even joined in for a verse or two, a rare smile on her face.
Jemma and Fitz moved off to the side to grab a cookie and chat for a moment.
Fitz bumped Jemma’s shoulder, “You did good. All of this is amazing.”
Jemma blushed and ducked her head, “Thanks. It was a team effort.”
“No, it’s you. From the Academy to Sci Ops to here, you always make Christmas special. No matter where we are in the world, you’re the common denominator.”
“Oh, Fitz,” Jemma said, with a slight hitch in her voice. “I can’t tell you what that means to me. I haven’t been home for the holidays in years, but I realized that it doesn’t matter. After all these years together-- as your friend, as your lab partner, you’ve become my home.”
Fitz and Jemma shared a long look, filled with meaning and warmth.
Breaking eye contact, Jemma looked up at the archway they were standing in, “Oh look, mistletoe. How did that get up there?”
“Skye,” they said in unison.
Maybe it was the eggnog talking, but Fitz was feeling bold, “Well, I’m not one to break tradition…”
Jemma nodded, almost imperceptibly, giving
Fitz leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Jemma’s lips. Sparks flew, as over five years of repressed feelings bubbled to the surface.
“Wow,” Jemma whispered reverently.
“You can say that again.”
Jemma pulled Fitz in for another kiss, this one less tentative and more passionate. Her hand wound its way around Fitz’s neck, while his wandered down her side, before settling on her waist.
When they broke apart for the second time, they found the team gawking at them. Jemma grabbed Fitz’s hand reflexively.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Skye exclaimed, fist pumping in the air. “I knew it! May, you owe me $20.”
The pair both turned beet red and looked down at their feet.
“I’ll email you both the form you need to fill out for a Section 17 exemption in the morning. Merry Christmas!” Coulson said, clapping Fitz on the shoulder as he walked past.
iii.
Christmas morning dawned at the Playground. Fitz felt around on the bedside table for his phone to check the time. 6:01 am. Still early, he reached for Jemma to pull her closer, but came up with a fist full of fabric instead.
Padding down the hallways of their underground base, Fitz looked around for his girlfriend, when he smelled cinnamon and vanilla mingling in the air. Following his nose to the galley, he found her mixing up some icing in a bowl.
Snaking his arms around her waist from behind, Fitz pulled her into an embrace.
“Hey you,” Jemma said, “Happy Christmas.”
“Happy Christmas. It would have been happier if I woke up and you were there,” Fitz said, pressing a kiss on the exposed skin of her collarbone.
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to make some cinnamon rolls for the team to have when they wake up. Nothing like fresh homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Well, the rolls are in the oven and the icing is made. Would you like a cuppa while we wait?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
Fixing the teas and carrying their mugs over to the couch by the Christmas tree, the couple curled up together.
“It’s nice to enjoy the calm before the storm. Hunter is like a whirling dervish on Christmas morning and Daisy isn’t much better,” Fitz mused.
“That reminds me, I wanted to give you your gift while we were alone” Jemma said, handing Fitz a small wrapped package.
He unwrapped the gift to reveal a onesie with that read Future Scientist and a plastic pregnancy test with two unmistakably clear dark pink lines.
Fitz swallowed a lump in his throat and asked shakily, “Does this mean what I think it does?”
Jemma nodded excitedly, “I did a blood test, too. We’re going to be parents in about 7 and a half months. I know it’s not exactly the best timing, but-”
Fitz cut her off with a kiss. When they broke apart, he said with a grin, “We’ll figure it all out. Right now, I just want to enjoy this moment, because you’ve just given me the best Christmas gift ever.”
iv.
Years later, two families gathered for Christmas in a snow-covered cottage in Perthshire, as Jemma happily looked on.
Coulson and May were chatting animatedly with her parents by the Christmas tree.
Fitz’s mum was in the kitchen, mixing up a batch of cookies with help from Mack and Yo-yo.
Daisy was helping their daughter decorate gingerbread men, with Hunter and Bobbi playfully squabbling over the best way to build a gingerbread house nearby.
The house was filled with laughter and love. Leaning her head on Fitz’s shoulder, Jemma couldn’t help but think that this was the way Christmas was supposed to be. She could picture many more Christmases like this and in her opinion, the future looked very merry and bright.