You made me a cake?
"You want to what?"
"Bake a cake, for Skye!"
Fitz raised a puzzled eyebrow as he fiddled with a jammed icer in his hands whilst Jemma bounced excitedly on her toes in front of him, an expectant smile shining on her face.
"You hate baking" Fitz recalled without taking his eyes off the gun.
"No, I hate cooking. There's a difference"
"Is there?"
"Come on Fitz! Skye will love it. By the sounds of it she might never have had a homemade cake before, and that's-"
"unacceptable" finished Fitz and he finally raised his gaze to lock on Jemma's. She could tell he was wavering and she sweetened her voice in preparation for the final blow.
"Exactly! And, you're way better at baking than I am" she simpered, placing her hand on the gun that still rested in Fitz's grasp.
"Oh, alright then. But only because Skye can't go any longer without trying my mum's recipe"
"I was hoping you'd say that" Jemma beamed as she dragged him away from his workstation by the hand, leading him to the kitchen area. They began to set up, with Fitz taking the lead as he ordered Jemma to collect various ingredients from the cupboards on the Bus. Thankfully, it hadn't been too long since they had last stocked up on supplies, so the designated baking cupboard (which Jemma had insisted on a couple stops before, with Fitz's mum's cake specifically in mind) was still filled to the brim.
"Okay, I'll get started with the cake, and you go and make sure Skye is busy somewhere else-"
"So she doesn't walk in on us, good thinking" Jemma agreed, oblivious to the way Fitz's cheeks tinted pink at her words.
"Ah, uh- yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, you go do that then" he fumbled clumsily before awkwardly clearing his throat. Jemma, despite being more intelligent than most, remained unaware of Fitz's apparent abashed state. With a curt nod, she skipped round the counter and out of the door, trying (and failing, miserably) to act nonchalant in her search for Skye. It didn't take long for the biochemist to locate her in one of her favourite spots, squeezed into the back of a S.H.I.E.L.D. van with a half-empty coffee mug by her side and a laptop cushioned snugly on her lap.
"Simmons, what brings you to my humble abode?" she greeted brightly, politely closing her computer so she could chat with her friend.
Jemma, completely unprepared for the question, blanked, her mouth hanging open as she scoured her brain for a lie that wouldn't be too far from the truth that she wouldn't be able to convincingly tell it. In the end, she settled for, "nothing much, really. Just...girl talk!". The words tumbled from her mouth before she could fully comprehend them, and Jemma internally cringed at the poor excuse, absolutely certain that Skye would see right through her. To her utter astonishment, Skye visibly perked up at her words, placing her laptop down on the other seat with wide eyes.
"Oh my God, you have drama? Is it boy drama? Or girl drama? I never did ask what way you swung" Skye rambled gleefully. Her reaction had thrown Jemma completely off, but without an escape in sight, she reluctantly climbed into the car and perched on the seat in front of Daisy.
"I wouldn't call it drama as such" she started hesitantly. She prayed Skye couldn't see the gears whirring desperately in her head as she tried to come up with some sort of captivating cover story on the spot. Not for the first time Jemma wished that she had thought to ask May for training in bluffing, seeing as it was becoming a regular occurrence within this particular team. They should really include that in the application form Jemma grumbled silently to herself.
"Well come on, spill. I promise that everything that is discussed in the van, stays in the van" Skye vowed as she placed one hand on her chest and one hovering by her head like you would see in court. Jemma chuckled nervously, her heart beating a little too quickly in her chest.
It's fine, it's fine. Just girl talk, right? What do girls talk about?
"I suppose, it is sort of to do with a boy" she burst out after a brief pause, causing Skye's eyes to nearly pop out their sockets. Jemma inwardly winced, cursing her inability to think well on this particular spot.
"Wait, wait, wait. Which boy? Because I had my suspicions but I never wanted to meddle too much you know"
"I- wait, meddle? You've meddled in my love life?" cried Jemma, her face the perfect picture of shock. Skye squirmed a little in her seat, looking suitably contrite.
"Well, maybe meddle isn't the right word-"
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Jemma indignantly and Skye hurried to explain herself.
"Well, I mean, you two are just so close and honestly I really do think he likes you back and you would be perfect together so on some movie nights I bail out last minute because of you know 'migraines' and-"
"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down...who are you talking about?"
Blinking, Skye narrowed her eyes suspiciously, studying the woman next to her.
"Who were you talking about?"
"I asked you first" argued Jemma, her eyes contrasting Skye's greatly, remaining unblinking and wider than saucers. If there was ever to be a human equivalent to a deer caught in headlights, Skye reckoned it would be Simmons.
"'I asked you first', where are we, kindergarten?" Skye teased, voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Nursery"
"What?"
"It's called nursery, Skye"
"Um, no, it isn't and stop using your Britishness to try and get out of this!"
"I was doing no such thing" denied Jemma, her face earnest and her smile genuine, but her eyes darted briefly to the car door every other second, like she was planning an escape.
"Ah, ah, ah. No way. You are not leaving this van until I get a straight answer from you!"
Deciding to try her luck, Jemma whipped around and dived towards the door, squealing when Skye, too, launched herself forwards and grabbed Jemma by the waist, tugging them both back until they collapsed into the seats once more, Simmons practically in Skye's lap. Not that Skye minded because it at least ensured the smaller girl stayed in place. Jemma tried and failed to wriggle out of Skye's hold, which only made Skye tighten her grip.
"Struggling will only make things worse Agent Simmons!" Skye warned, doing her best to sound authoritative, however her laughter lessened the effect somewhat.
"I'll never give up my intel!" Jemma declared valiantly, still writhing away in Skye's arms. She, too, was giggling helplessly as her struggle made the van rock precariously back and forth. Seeming to notice this at the same time, Skye's eyes lit up mischievously before she mused aloud, "you know, from the outside people would think we were-"
"SKYE!" Jemma guffawed, scandalised, doubling her efforts to break away. Dissolving once more into a fit of giggles, Skye couldn't help but loosen her grasp and suddenly the scientist had pushed away from Skye and without looking back, bolted out of the car like her hair was on fire.
"Hey! Simmons! Get back here!" screamed Skye, racing after her. Laughter bounced off the walls as the two girls sprinted down the halls, Jemma just barely in the lead as Skye followed hot on her heels. Knowing she could lock it from the inside, Jemma made a beeline for her bunk, but Skye had always been quicker than her and before she could comprehend what was happening Skye was yanking her into her bunk so forcefully she tripped onto the bed, and when she twisted around to face her captor, she realised with a surge of horror that Skye had locked them both in. She stood in front of the door, her arms crossed, and she wore a smug smirk on her face, which was red from the exertion of chasing Jemma through the Bus.
"Caught you" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows impishly.
"Bloody hell" Jemma wheezed finally. Her brows creased anxiously as it dawned on her that she was well and truly trapped. Skye giggled manically before sliding down the door and plopping onto the floor. She faced Jemma expectantly, like a student awaiting a teacher's lesson. Not an inaccurate comparison, given how juvenile Skye is acting Jemma considered, though she wasn't truly annoyed at her friend. After all, she was still fighting to keep her laughter at bay.
"You wouldn't know him" she blurted out eventually, trying to shrug her shoulders in an attempt to act blasé. The attempt fell flat at Skye's unimpressed look.
"Well, you might know him, but it's very unlikely" Jemma tried again, praying that for once in her life she was able to pull of an air of indifference.
"Try me" Skye answered.
"Why should I be the one to say first?"
"Are we really back to this again? Just tell me who the drama is about!"
"There isn't any drama, I made it all up!" she confessed finally, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Nice try, now spill"
"No, really Skye. It was all a ruse to keep you busy"
"Simmons, I'm waiting" she said in a sing-song voice, her resolve unwavering. Jemma groaned in frustration, realising now that Skye would think she was lying to save her skin. Of course she doesn't believe me now Jemma thought irritably.
"If you just let me speak to Fitz-"
"Fitz? What about Fitz?" Skye asked eagerly, leaping up from her position on the floor onto the bed beside Jemma. She eyed the unguarded door hopefully, but Skye grabbed her hands and said "nuh uh, eyes on me Jem. What's this about Fitz?"
"He's...ugh, he's baking you a cake and he is going to kill me for telling you and spoiling the surprise" Jemma moaned in dismay. Skye's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Jemma's genuine distress, a million questions landing on her tongue.
"What?" was the only one that successfully made it past her lips.
"We wanted to surprise you with a homemade cake, we thought you'd like to have something baked by a friend, and with you becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and everything-"
"Wait, you-you guys baked me a cake?" Skye asked, awe-struck, her eyes shining with a sudden pool of unshed tears. Jemma nodded, face glum as she picked at the cuff of her sleeve, not noticing Skye's reaction.
"It was supposed to be a surprise" she sighed regretfully, clearly disappointed with herself for ruining that aspect of the plan.
"It is a surprise, Simmons, I- I don't know what to say" Skye managed to choke out and Jemma's head snapped up at the sheer volume of emotion colouring her tone.
"Thank you, Jemma, seriously. Nobody's ever done anything like this for me before"
She threw her arms around the scientist and hugged her tightly, hoping to convey her gratitude in the strength of her hold. Jemma happily returned the gesture, thoroughly pleased that Skye appreciated their little gift to her. She had set out to make Skye feel not only welcomed, but wanted, and she was happy that her plan was working.
"Don't think I'm going to forget about our conversation" Skye joked wetly into Jemma's hair.
"I thought the whole 'I baked you a cake' thing would earn me a pass"
"By the sounds of it Fitz was the one who baked me a cake, you just tricked me into chasing you halfway around the Bus" laughed Skye, pulling away from Jemma but still maintaining contact by holding her hands in her lap.
"Well, it was my idea and Fitz has used his mum's recipe for red velvet which is heavenly"
"No way, red velvet is my favourite" Skye exclaimed, beaming in excitement. Jemma grinned at the coincidence and she tugged on Daisy's hands, urging her to follow.
"Come on, let's go and see if he's finished"
They found Fitz perfecting the last touches to the cake, which was slightly lopsided and had some multi-coloured candles stuck haphazardly in for good measure, even though they weren't technically celebrating anything in particular, but Skye thought it was the most amazing cake she had ever laid eyes on. To her credit, she played the role of 'surprised receiver' to perfection, and it was well worth it to see Fitz's delighted smile. She blew the candles out (twice, because Jemma remembered at the last second that she had wanted to take pictures) and she took great pleasure in being the one to cut the cake. She was practically glowing as she served them each a huge slice, and Fitzsimmons mirrored her merriment.
A few minutes later, whilst Fitzsimmons giggled and shrieked as they tried to smudge buttercream on each others faces, Skye watched them through glassy eyes. Throughout her whole life all she had longed for, more than anything, was a family. To finally feel like she belonged, to finally feel like she had found people that she could one day (hopefully soon) call family, meant more to her than the pair of scientists could ever know. And as Fitz landed a blob on Jemma's nose, eyes full of adoration as her face scrunched adorably, Skye shook her head at the two dumbest geniuses on the planet. If this was to be her family, then she would have to do some serious meddling to make sure her lovesick idiots realised just how stupidly lovesick they were. Because even though Jemma claimed her earlier conversation had all been part of an elaborate plot, Skye knew in her blood that Jemma was hopelessly in love with Leo Fitz, and that he, too, was hopelessly in love with Jemma Simmons.
Now, I just need to figure out how to open their eyes Skye thought to herself, plans already forming in her mind. Deciding to delay those plans for another time, Skye joined in on the food fight, revelling in the joy that coursed through her veins as she cackled and yelped exuberantly along with Fitzsimmons, each one of them quite literally caked in icing within minutes.
Least to say, Coulson was (outwardly) less than amused when he discovered them some time later, curled up on the couch with empty plates at their feet and cake crumbs littered across the floor and staining their faces, which were slack with sleep. Inwardly, however, he warmed at the sight, and made sure to throw a few blankets over them and dim the lights before leaving (and if he snuck a couple pictures to show May, the sleeping trio were none the wiser).