Agents of Shield Gift Exchange

"Hydra seems to have taken time off for Christmas," Skye shrugged. "It’s not like we left the monitors unattended, the Koenigs are watching them and there’s always been a few people guarding the entrances,"

May still looked suspicious but Coulson nodded and they made their way along the corridors. Skye went off with Fitz, Mack and Hunter who passed pushing a trolley of Christmas decorations.

They walked by the kitchen, glancing inside to see Bobbi and Jemma arguing over a stack of paper, their table filled with ingredients.

"But, if we cook the turkey with this catalyst," Bobbi said, pointing to a vial of blue chemical while Jemma nervously shook her head. Coulson smiled good naturedly at Trip who was standing on a chair and attaching baubles to the ceiling and rolling his eyes at the conversation of the two biochemists.

They reached the office and opened the door.

Billy Koenig looked up from the monitors and his tablet, by the sounds of it he was playing COD.

"We have some after mission details to discuss," Coulson told him. "Thanks for running the base but I need my office back now,"

"Oh, sure," Koenig replied gathering up the tablet and his coffee. "Happy Christmas sir," he said whilst checking their lanyards as he passed.

Coulson sighed as he dropped the heavy rucksacks to the floor, casually draping his suit jacket over the back of his chair and clicking his back and neck, rolling his shoulders with an exhausted expression.

May smiled fondly at him and dropped her bags down next to his.

"Wine?" Coulson offered, going over to a safe and pulling out a bottle and two glasses.

May raised her eyebrows but accepted, taking a sip and placing her glass on the desk, before heaving a rucksack onto the desk. “What are we starting with?” she questioned then turned around in surprise as Christmas music began to play. “Slade?”

Coulson nodded. “Come on Melinda, get into the spirit!”

"No," she replied, a hint of a smile on her lips. "What are we going to wrap first?"

"I’m thinking we should start with Mack’s, it’s a tricky shape and we’ll need a lot of paper," Coulson replied, taking out a roll of sparkly gold paper from his rucksack and laying it out on the table.

Coulson and May looked around the room, feeling a sense of achievement seeing the piles of brightly decorated presents.

"Another?" he questioned and she held out her glass. After refilling his own he waited for May to take a sip of the deep red liquid and place her glass back down.

Then he reached out to grab her arms and swing her around the room.

"You know I don’t like dancing," she protested trying to pull away half-heartedly as Coulson led her swirling round the room to ‘have yourself a merry little Christmas’. Over the course of the song May loosened her stiff posture and relaxed into his touch, the dance flowing more easily as the steps memorised so many years ago flew back into their minds.

After a few minutes the song ended, changing into ‘Band Aid’ and the mood was broken, but May was smiling merrily at him, her icy demeanour practically gone and Coulson was ecstatic.

"Mince pie?" he enquired.

"Okay," May agreed and took one out of the box. They munched in companionable silence.

"This is nice," Coulson commented.

"Yes," she remarked happily, glancing at her watch. "But we still need a few more hours to finish this,"

They spent the next hours talking and laughing, reminiscing about old times, and, in the end it really did feel like old times. They even danced some more, their flowing movements soon becoming more riotous as they jumped to the more energetic ones, ‘il duce jubilo’ leaving them collapsed on the floor and giggling like teenagers, their heads spinning, something they later would both pretend was due to the wine.

Melinda glanced over at Phil, who was practically lying on her after the last dance, still sprawled out over the floor and against the wall as the clock slowly chimed three.

"Do you think they’ll be asleep yet?" she asked.

Phil nodded, heaving himself up and offering her a hand, which she accepted after a moment’s thought.

When Melinda woke the next morning it was to the weight of Phil’s head resting on her shoulder, the Santa hat he was wearing dropping down sideways in front of her face and tickling her nose. Phil had nodded off on the sofa last night at around 4am and he’d looked so exhausted she hadn’t the heart to wake him when his head had slipped sideways onto her.

She glanced at her watch, 9am - she hadn’t slept in so late for ages, and wondered if she should wake Phil when she heard voices outside. On instinct she threw his hat behind the sofa and jumped up, allowing Phil to fall face first onto the sofa and started doing tai-chi.

Skye burst into the room, carrying a chocolate snowman in one hand and trailing a stocking over her shoulder with the other. “Which one of you pretended to be Santa, AC, it was you, wasn’t it?”

Phil sat up and rubbed his nose. “What are you talking about Skye, Santa exists, neither of us pretended to be him,”

“Oh, I see, so it was both of you then?” she demanded.

Phil shook his head and Melinda continued doing Tai-chi, appearing to ignore the proceedings.

“Thank you!” she screamed, running up to Melinda and hugging her, the embrace was returned awkwardly, then she rushed over to Phil who wrapped his arms around her sleepily.

“My stocking is filled with monkeys!” Leo exclaimed happily as he walked into the room with Jemma, about to start eating a chocolate monkey.

Skye sat on the desk and opened her chocolate snowman.

“Oh but Fitz, you know chocolate for breakfast is bad for you!” Jemma said reproachfully.

“It’s Christmas Jemma!” Bobbi protested before Leo could say anything, strolling into the room with Mack and Trip, none of them carrying stockings but all of them eating the chocolate from it. Mack looked very happy with the detailed model car he was examining.

“Yes, but…”

“Who put coal in my stocking?” Lance demanded, striding into the room and looking furious.

Melinda and Phil exchanged a confused look.

“It was to get revenge for me saying all that ex-wife stuff wasn’t it?” he said frustratedly to Bobbi, who stared at him blankly. “You’re going to poison me too trying to use science to make Christmas dinner taste nicer,”

“Hunter, I had chloroform with me two weeks ago, if I wanted to poison you…”

“Where did you hide his presents?” Phil hissed to Melinda.

“I’ll give it back to him later,” she replied as the argument wound down to a friendly exchange of insults.

“Look, it’s a monkey!” Leo pointed out to interrupt their amicable, but still heated dispute. “And may I point out that this has Velcro on its hands, so theoretically it could go around your neck,” he fitted it around his neck and let it hang there, a pleased expression on his face. Jemma flicked its multicolour spotty tail.

“I love it. Adorable.”

He grinned sheepishly, “…It’s - um. It’s…nice to meet you miss…”

“Bobbi. Bobbi please. “she sipped her coffee.

She leaned close, “…Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. Shy but fine.”

Bobbi scratched her chin, “I gotcha.”

Breakfast was interrupted by a storm of eagles, Bobbi reaching up to catch a package.

“Bald eagles? Isn’t that a bitch much?” She frowned, “…I-” Bobbi smirked as a golden eagle landed in front of her, “Oh he’s beautiful!”

“She. Say hello to Hera.”

“…Does Mr. Ward and Tripp-are those- “ Fitz blinked, “Bald eagles?”

Tripp was opening his package with a grin on his face. Ward just opened his letter, crumpled it up and threw it over his shoulder.

“Tripp’s dad is military. Grant’s dad is a US senator. Most of them use eagles.”

Simmons watched Tripp pass Ward some cookies just in time for him to push them away, wrapping his arms around his chest as Garrett put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“My dad’s a cop.” She offered Simmons a cookie, “Chocolate chip?”

Smart, beautiful, the way the sunlight caught her hair. Out of every new exchange student Bobbi was officially her favorite. She broke a cookie and passed it to Fitz with a grin. ——

So it was perfect, and new, and the more time she spent showing her the grounds the more Jemma realized she was reliving everything beautiful about the school. Seeing it through a fresh pair of eyes filled her heart with warmth. Rolling green hills and the squid, classrooms and the portraits. Apart from the initial creep factor (according to Bobbi, living in a castle and all that) they were settling in.

And she was coming to enjoy Bobbi’s company. Walking with her she had people asking her out for the first time since arriving at school. She turned them all down, sheepishly, tugging on her hair just in time for Bobbi to sling an arm around her shoulders.

She had to chose someone however. Bobbi’s demure denial of everyone from Lance Hunter (and how did that happen?!) to Mack was on Jemma’s mind as she finished up her charms homework. Conjure a rabbit and have it hop across the floor. Simple enough. Never mind trying for three hours, sitting in front of a crackling fire.

“This is hopeless. I’m giving up for the night-” she closed the book and started the walk toward her common room just in time to see Bobbi on the stairs to the great hall oblivious to her presence.

“Bobbi what-” Jemma would later deny she squeaked.

Bobbi didn’t say anything. Instead she slid out her wand and waved it over herself in time to fade from sight.

Maybe Americans did things differently. Maybe she didn’t really understand how house points worked. Jemma grimaced and bolted after her into the darkness. —-

She had to admire her spirit however. She followed her all the way to the forbidden forest and stopped, hesitating amid the gloom.

“Bobbi stop.” her voice was soft, “Bobbi- Bobbi!”

The last word was shouted as the vague shape turned to look at her, “…Jemma?”

She ran back toward her, waving her wand again, “Oh god what the hell are you doing out here? You’re a freakin’ idiot you-” she glanced back at her, checking something on her wrist, “…You’re gonna get busted.”

“You’re going to get busted! There’s a curfew and you’ll lose points for your house you- I don’t want you to get in trouble Bobbi. “

“…I’m not gonna get in trouble.”

“Sure of that are you?” her eyes went wide, “Because there’s something behind you…”

Bobbi blinked, “Big? Scary?”

It’s shape was vaguely humanoid, looming large through the forest. Jemma managed a nod, pulling out her wand, “There are spiders in there.”

“Stay behind me, you-” she checked her watch, “Damn it. Ward!”

The shape resolved itself into a teenage boy carrying a package under his arm with blood dripping from a cut into his eye, “…There’s gotta be an easier way to get into the village.”

“You went to the village!” “I told you to apparate.”

“You can apparate?!”

The two Americans looked back at her, “…Don’t tell Coulson. Garrett taught all of us to do it. We just had to get off the grounds and there’s a barrier line apparently in the forest.”

“That’s after I fell into a brook and nearly broke my ankle.” He groaned.

“You’re trying to sneak out, breaking all of our rules, and for what- a trip to Hogsmeade?! what could you possibly be out there doing?”

“Look lady, calm down…”

“No I will not calm down! I want to- oh Bobbi you’re so perfect I knew, I just knew you had a darkside and now that I see it…”

Bobbi and Grant exchanged glances, looking angry and sad and ashamed all at once. Ward scratched the back of his neck.

“So there goes all of our secret plans.” Bobbi sighed, “So I guess you’ll say no to the fudge right?”

Simmons blinked, “w-what?”

“How the hell else do you get candy? You did pay didn’t you Ward?”

“I’m not stupid. British money too.”

“…What is this?” Ward removed fudge from the sack, offering it to Bobbi who shrugged and looked ashamed, “…I was going to ask you to the Yule ball Simmons.”

“Wh-you ask me?”

“don’t you guys do that here?”

“Lollipops for Tripp, Fudge for you, and for me - every flavored beans and a stuffed Hippogriff. My brother sent it to me.”

“…You have a stuffed hippogriff? You-”

“It’s not for me!”

Jemma put a hand to her head, “…Skye.”

“He was going to ask her. Tripp’s asking some girl your pal Fitz introduced him to. And I was…going to ask you.” Bobbi held out the fudge, “…Although I understand if you have morals and scruples. Or if…your morals and scruples differ from ours.”

“Not a lot of people like us.” Grant lowered his head, “I ended up sorted into Slytherin and I’m-used to being disliked. Just not…that much.”

Jemma frowned, “…I just didn’t want you to get in trouble Bobbi. You move about with such freedom, the thought of people…placing restrictions on you…” She twisted her hands, glaring at them before stalking back towards the castle. ——

Bobbi ignored her for two days, just in time for her to come upon Grant and Skye. Skye was hugging the Hippogriff, which she promptly abandoned in favor of hugging Ward who looked happy for the first time since she’d seen him. The two held each other in the sunlight.

“…Guess he did it.”

Jemma blinked, “Where’d you come from?” she’d just appeared, “Did you use that invisibility spell?”

“My dad taught it to me. It’s taught to all cops by our AMA. American Magical Agency? Same people Professor Coulson worked for.”

She lowered her head, “…You still mad at me?”

“I can’t stand the thought of you in trouble Bobbi.” Jemma crossed her arms, “That’s all there is to it. You have to promise to never do anything like that again or at least-” she shrugged, “at least tell me.”

“In case there’s a next time?”

“In case there’s a next time.”

“Because there’s a chance there’ll be a next time?”

Bobbi grinned broadly and Jemma grinned right back, “So…what color will you be wearing to the Yule ball? So we can match?”

“ I have a black and white dress. “

“I think that’d look great. I wear blue. Usually. This is my first year with a date though.”

“I can’t wait to see it. I think you’ll look beautiful.” ——