Skimmons + Jemma's family
Jemma hates Christmas.
Well, it’s not that she hates it per se but she hates coming home for it. It’s such a chore because all her parents ever want to do is shop talk. Despite the rule that they’ve set up about no shop talk during the holidays.
It honestly was not a difficult concept to grasp but every time it involved Jemma, it was easy for her family of spies to turn it into shop talk.
“So Jemma, how are you doing at work?” Mrs. Simmons asks as she sets down the honeybaked ham. She hands her husband the carving knife as she moves to pour herself a glass of wine.
“Are you still working with that girl?” her brother, James, asks on top of that. He is sipping his scotch looking all smug.
Jemma shoots daggers at him. Her parents were unaware of her excursion at her last company that resulted in her termination there. Now, she was working with Daisy at 084 Investigations and maybe, they were becoming an item. Maybe.
“Work is fine, mum, very...excitable,” Jemma finally responds as she reaches for the bottle of wine herself.
Her father suddenly grunts. “What’s this about a girl?” he picks up where her brother leaves off. The carving knife seems to do its job too well under her father’s rule.
The scientist cringes. “Just--my boss, you know,” she tries her best to evade.
“Daisy Johnson?” her mother chimes in cheerfully. She has a teasing smile on her face. “Is that who you’ve been on about since that last job?”
“Mum…” Jemma whines through her glass trying not to grab the attention of her father.
“She’s definitely been on her,” James lewdly adds as he finishes his glass of scotch.
Her father actually laughs as he finishes carving through the ham. Her mother rolls her eyes as she holds out her plate for her father to place a slice. Jemma grumbles. Her parents were always enablers.
Come on, Jem, shoot the gun the bottle isn’t going to shoot itself. Her father.
Jemma, dear, you’ve got his attraction, now use it against him. Her mother.
Little sister, who cares about rules? There’s only a mission to accomplish. Even her brother.
Enablers in the worst way possible.
“Tell us about her, dear, you never tell us anything about your life,” her mother adds further as her father walks around the table to serve her brother and herself.
“It’s not like we won’t find out who she is eventually,” Mr. Simmons encourages with a smile. He leans down to kiss his daughter on the head. “Besides, it’s my duty to make sure you’re in good hands.”
Jemma rolls her eyes. “It’s nothing even significant. We haven’t even had a proper date.”
“Ah!” James exclaims suddenly. “Points off. Give us more, Jem, it’ll really give her a reason to run. Or...I can show mum and dad the dossier I found on her.” He smiles brightly as he pulls out a manila folder from his blazer.
“You can’t do this!” Jemma whines further, her cheeks turning red. She reaches over to grab the folder when he bats her hand away. “James, do not give that to mum and dad.”
“Is there something we shouldn’t see?” her mum asks curiously. She reaches for the folder.
Jemma tries to seize it once more when James grabs her wrist. She quickly brings out her fist to his face but his hand shoots up to block it. She pulls her wrist out of his grasp and quickly swings back to knock him in the throat. He coughs out in pain before letting her fist go and sliding back from the table with the chair and folder in hand.
“James,” her father’s voice calls sternly.
Jemma stops halfway out of her seat with her fists raised and the siblings turn to their father. Mr. Simmons holds out his hand for the folder. James slides his chair back towards the table and hands him the folder. Jemma sits down deflated.
“Jemma, you must work on your hand to hand combat, you’re getting a little rusty,” her mother says as she pours wine into her glass for her. “Maybe later tonight, we should spar.”
Jemma pouts. Sometimes, she hates coming from a family of spies. But otherwise, Christmas dinner wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.