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“Alright, everyone, assemble in the conference room. It’s time to pick our Secret Santas!”
Daisy’s announcement was met with a mixture of cheers and groans. Secret Santa was a long standing tradition at SHIELD Corp-- dating all the way back to when Peggy Carter ran the company. As such, everyone was expected to participate, so like it or not, they all trudged dutifully towards the conference room.
Even though it was two weeks until Christmas, the high spirited head of communications’ holiday cheer was already in full swing. Standing in the front of the room, wearing an elf hat and holding two dozen glittery red envelopes, Daisy was practically vibrating with excitement, as the rest of the office circled up around her.
Fitz was one of the last to file in. Scanning the room, he spotted Jemma Simmons, the brilliant head of the science division (and his best friend). Sliding in next to her, he whispered in greeting, “Ready for another year of forced frivolity?”
Jemma swatted his arm, “Hush you. This really is a lovely tradition.”
“You’re just saying that because your hero Peggy Carter started it,” Fitz muttered.
Jemma rolled her eyes, “Oh, stop being a Grinch. You’re just afraid you’re going to get May again.”
Fitz shuddered involuntarily. Last year, he had drawn SHIELD Corp’s no-nonsense head of security as his giftee and it had been terrible. What were you supposed to get a woman whose skills are so legendary she was known as The Cavalry anyway? After a week of agonizing, Fitz landed on a gift so generic that it couldn’t possibly offend anyone (or so he thought)-- a coffee scented candle and a giftcard to Starbucks. When May opened it, he could have sworn he saw her grimace before she schooled her face into her usual steely gaze and said a curt thank you. Later, he spotted both on Coulson’s desk. When he mentioned it to Jemma, she laughed, “Oh, Fitz. Everyone knows May hates coffee. Well, I guess not everyone…”
Fitz opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Daisy cleared her throat to get the team’s attention. “Okay, guys, most of you should know the drill by now, but I’m going to give a refresh of the rules for our newcomers,” Daisy paused and looked pointedly at their new CEO, Jeffrey Mace. Rumor was that SHIELD Corp was planning to go public, which is why Coulson took a step back to director of operations and ceded control to Mace, with his extensive experience with IPOs.
Daisy continued, “I’m going to go around the room and each of you will pick an envelope, inside of which is the name of your giftee. But, wait until you’re alone to open it-- we don’t want to have a repeat of last year and have the surprise ruined by prying eyes. Yes, Hunter, that means you. Anyway, bring a gift for your assigned person to the holiday party on December 23. Oh, and remember there’s a $25 limit on your gifts. Any questions?”
Hunter raised his hand. Next to him, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Bobbi rolled her eyes, used to his antics.
Daisy cocked an eyebrow and stared him down, “Let me rephrase that- any serious questions?” Hunter slowly lowered his hand. Shaking her head, she barreled on, “Good. Let’s get started.”
Making a show of shuffling up the envelopes, Daisy fanned them out and instructed Mace to choose one. One by one, she went around the room until finally, she stood in front of Fitz. Daisy smiled and held the last two envelopes out to him, “And last but not least, Fitz.” Fitz stared at the two envelopes for a second before plucking the one on his left from Daisy’s hand. She smiled back at him and pocketed the last envelope for herself, almost looking a little too pleased.
Before he could dwell on it, Daisy turned to the rest of the group and “Alright everyone. Now’s when the real fun begins-- go open your envelopes and remember, keep who you got to yourselves-- it is Secret Santa, after all. And if you don’t like who you got, tough-- don’t come crying to me. Happy shopping!”
“And then get back to work,” Coulson bellowed.
When Fitz got back to his desk, he eyed the envelope warily. What if he did get May again, or worse the new CEO? He was hoping for someone like Mack or Hunter-- they would be easy to shop for. Even Coulson wouldn’t be so bad. Shaking his head, he thought, Might as well get this over with.
Ripping open the envelope, he pulled out the index card to find the one name he hadn’t even considered. Staring back at him, in Daisy’s messy scrawl, was Jemma Simmons. As in his best friend in the entire world Jemma Simmons. He should have been relieved. This should have been the best case scenario. There was just one problem-- he was also in love with her.
It had happened so gradually over time, that he was in the middle before he even realized it. Until one day, he looked over and it hit him like a ton of bricks-- he was in love with his best friend. His match had been there, standing right next to him, for years.
At first, Fitz kept his feelings to himself because Jemma was dating Milton from Accounting. But she and that cabbagehead had broken up months ago, so he didn’t know what was holding him back now. Likely a mix of cowardice and fear of change. But this might be the perfect opportunity to tell her how he felt-- if he could get her the perfect present.
Which lead to problem number two-- he had actually never gotten her an actual Christmas present, so he had no idea what to get her. The first Christmas Fitz had spent with Simmons, they had only known each other a couple of months. But they had been two lonely ex-pats missing home at Christmas and to curb the homesickness, had made plans to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special together. Fitz brought proper Christmas crackers and a silly gag gift-- and stunningly, without any coordination, Jemma had done the same. And so a tradition was born. While over the years it had grown to include Christmas dinner and a Harry Potter marathon, they always kept their gift exchange to fun, lighthearted presents and Christmas crackers.
Fitz was so lost in thought, that he didn’t notice Jemma walking up to his desk, until almost the last minute. He quickly shoved the index card under a stack of paper.
Jemma sidled up to his desk, leaning over his cubicle partition with a smile, “Sooo, who did you get for Secret Santa?”
Fitz froze for a second, not sure how to respond. He never was a very good liar. Instead, he deflected, “Isn’t the whole point of Secret Santa, I don’t know, keeping it a secret?”
Jemma looked a little put out and huffed, “I suppose. But you’ve never cared before, I don’t see why you’re fussing over it this year. Oooh, did you get May again? Or worse, the new CEO? If you tell me, I can help.”
“Can we please talk about something else?” Fitz pleaded, looking at his feet.
Jemma raised her hands in defeat, “Fine, fine. Leaving it alone.”
Over the next week, Fitz searched for the perfect gift, but nothing he came up with felt right. It was either too personal or not personal enough. He didn’t know why this was so hard-- she was his best friend after all. He should be able to pick out a bloody present for her.
He had taken to spending even more time with Jemma, hoping that something she would say would spark a gift idea, to no avail (though the extra time with her was an added bonus!).
Fitz wasn’t particularly proud of it, but in his desperation, he had also rummaged through her desk and online search history. Neither gave him any gift ideas, but he did file away the fact that she loved a breakfast nook for future reference.
Jemma had almost caught him sneaking away from her desk. Later, he could have sworn he saw her eyeing him suspiciously. That was too close a call-- he had to up his stealth game.
One day, as Fitz headed towards the break room for his afternoon cuppa, he overheard Daisy and Jemma talking and stopped dead in his tracks.
“Do you think Fitz has been acting strange?” Jemma asked.
Daisy quipped, “You mean stranger than usual?”
Fitz could almost hear Jemma rolling her eyes, “Yes. If it was anybody but Fitz, I would say he’s stalking me. He’s hovering more than normal and I swear, one day I saw him heading away from desk and when I got back, everything was slightly rearranged. I thought I was going nuts at first, but now I’m worried about him.”
Daisy chuckled and reassured her, “I’m sure everything’s fine. The holidays can make people a little crazy. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
Fitz slinked away back to his desk, without drawing attention to himself. He was acting a little crazy. He just needed to buy a gift, so he could stop obsessing over it.
Friendship, love, loyalty-- that was what Jemma meant to him. All Fitz wanted was a gift that signified all three. On a whim, he googled those words. He clicked on the first result and as he read further, his face light up with a smile. That was perfect. A few clicks later, the gift was added to his cart and on its way. Go big or go home.
The rest of the week, Fitz seconded guessed himself and his gift choice. Was it too much? Half a dozen times he wondered if he should just go pick up a book or Doctor Who gift instead. But when the morning of the party dawned, he stared down the small wrapped gift and committed to his choice.
Walking into the office, Fitz saw that Daisy and the party planning committee had outdone themselves. There was a large tree in the middle of the lobby, covered in fairy lights and ornaments. Garland was wrapped around the pillars and stockings with each of their names lined the reception desk. It certainly was festive. The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Before he knew it, it was 5 o’clock and the party was about to begin.
To kick off the party, champagne flutes were passed around and Mace stood up to give a quick toast, “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. I’ll keep this brief since I know everyone is looking forward to the festivities. I just want to say thank you all for welcoming me into the SHIELD Corp family this year. As I always say, a team that trusts is a team that triumphs.” Mace paused for a smattering of applause. “In honor of the holidays and new beginnings, what do you say we put that trust to the test and turn Secret Santa into Yankee Swap?”
Fitz did not like the sound of that one bit. Ever the brown-noser, Nathanson piped up, “That sounds like an interesting idea, sir. What’s Yankee Swap?”
As Mr. Mace described the rules of Yankee Swap, specifically how people could steal gifts, Fitz grew panicked.
Daisy exclaimed, “No! That’ll ruin everythi-- I mean, that’ll ruin the tradition. People have put a lot of thought into selecting gifts. And after all, isn’t tradition a cornerstone of trust?”
“Well put, Ms. Johnson. Let’s carry on as planned then,” Mace agreed.
Fitz breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked Daisy’s quick thinking. That would have been disastrous.
The team circled up around the tree-- laughter and holiday music swirling around them. Everyone was in good spirits, meanwhile Fitz was just trying not to throw up from nerves.
The opening of presents around him barely registered. When it was his turn, he forced himself through the motions and tore into the wrapping paper to find a bottle of scotch from Bobbi. Fitz mumbled his thanks to her, while thinking At least I’ll be able to drown my sorrows, if this doesn’t go my way.
One by one, the rest of the company opened their presents, until there was only one present left under the tree-- Jemma’s.
“And last up is Jemma,” Daisy said, handing Jemma her present with a mischievous glint in her eye. If he wasn’t so nervous, Fitz would have wondered how she knew, but all he could focus on was how his heart was in his throat as he watched Jemma rip the wrapping paper gently. She lifted the lid of the box and gasped, “Oh, it’s beautiful.” Her eyes darted around the room looking for her Secret Santa.
Hunter peeked over Jemma’s shoulder, “Blimey, what idiot upped the ante and bought someone jewelry? No way is that under the $25 limit-- you’re going to ruin it for the rest of us.”
Fitz shuffled forward, “That idiot would be me.”
“Fitz? But what-- how… why?” Jemma sputtered.
“Don’t worry it’s not that kind of ring-- I’m not that big of an idiot. It’s a claddagh ring. The different parts are supposed to represent friendship, loyalty… and love,” Fitz explained. “The Irish may be a load of daft drunks, but they got this right. When I read that I realized it was the perfect gift for you. Especially when I learned the ring takes on additional meaning based on how it’s worn. Depending on which way the heart is facing, you’re telling the world if you have an open heart or if someone has captured it.”
Fitz took a deep steadying breath before continuing, “I’m in love with you, Jemma. You captured my heart a long time ago and I was too scared to admit it. I guess, I’m hoping I might have captured yours, as well,” Fitz paused for a moment, before rambling on. “I mean, if not I understand, this whole thing is ridiculous and stupid, two things you never are and--”
Jemma interrupted, eyes shining with emotion, “Fitz?”
“Yeah?” Fitz said, looking at his shoes, afraid of what he would see if he made eye contact with her.
“Shut up,” Jemma said impassionedly, crossing the distance between them and capturing his lips in a deep and meaningful kiss.
Catcalls and wolf whistles from their coworkers echoed around them, but Fitz couldn’t bring himself to care. When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead on hers and watched as a pretty blush creeped up her cheeks.
“So does this mean you love me too?” Fitz managed to eek out.
“Of course it does,” Jemma huffed, before her eyes softened and met his gaze. “If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve been in love with you for quite a while, too.”
“Alright, everyone-- I’d say that’s another successful year of Secret Santa in the books. Go eat, drink and be merry. Nothing more to see here,” Coulson announced, taking control of the situation and getting the crowd to disperse.
Fitz shot him a grateful look, and took the opportunity to grab Jemma’s hand and pull her to a quieter, more secluded part of the office.
“Expect a memo about our interoffice dating policy on your desks on Monday,” Coulson called out after them.
Before they got too much farther, Daisy descended upon them, pulling them both into a hug, “I’m so happy for you both! I love it when a plan comes together!”
Jemma looked at her friend skeptically, “Are you trying to say this was your doing?”
“No, no-- this was all Fitz. Let’s just say I might have had a hand in making sure Fitz was your Secret Santa. I thought you two needed a little push and I was right! You’re welcome, by the way,” Daisy teased. “Anyway, I’ll let you two lovebirds have your privacy-- I just wanted to tell you congratulations.”
Without another word, Daisy turned and headed back towards the party, leaving Fitz to gape at her retreating form, before breaking out into a grin, “I guess that means we owe her an extra special Christmas gift.”
Jemma laughed, “I guess we do. ‘We’-- I rather like the sound of that.”
“Me too. Speaking of presents, let’s put this where it belongs,” Fitz said, sliding the claddagh ring on her right finger. “Happy Christmas.”
“Yes, I think it will be,” Jemma smiled, spinning the ring so the heart was facing her.
Knowing the meaning behind the gesture, Fitz’s face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning, before he turned and pressed a fierce kiss to her lips. After all, Jemma’s heart was the best Christmas gift he could ever hope for.