Jemma Simmons is a terrible liar (needanewplan) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-23 22:48:00 |
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There was not a word to describe what Jemma was feeling about this dinner. She knew that as Skye’s best friend, she really did need to meet Ward. As he was engaged to said best friend. But she also was a horrible liar who was getting better at it. But if Bobbi Morse had barely been able to keep a straight face when Agent Palamas had been singing the jerk’s praises, someone who was basically a superspy, there was no known universe where Jemma would be able to keep a straight face. Especially when she had no qualms with showing her disdain for her former team member and supposed friend.
Yes. He was new to the network and hadn’t started dreaming yet. Yes, there was the fact that there was no definitive proof that people were bound to become their dreamselves. But that didn’t do anything to make Jemma feel any better about the situation. No. Instead he was a potential threat, and she needed to play nice.
Thank goodness for Cosima. While she had her go-bag in the car in case Natasha’s assignment needed them to leave that evening along with Icer in the bag, Jemma kept the bone shiv on her person and easy to get to, as well as Trip’s knife from the dreams. Both were a poor man’s substitute for making her feel remotely comfortable, but at least she had something. So Cosima being there was definitely a good thing. Her girlfriend managed to keep her (relatively) calm and knew Jemma’s feelings about Ward and her guilt associated with the man. She would keep her from doing something drastic.
In theory.
Either way, she just knocked on the door and grasped said girlfriend’s hand. She could get through this. She could get through this…
To say that this was going to be an incredibly awkward experience was an understatement. It would probably be way less awkward if Delphine and Shay showed up in Orange County and met Jemma. But when she’d seen that conversation on Jemma’s post, she’d instantly suggested to Jemma that she could go with her to keep her from, well, killing Ward before he even knew what he would be killed for.
Cosima wasn’t exactly strong or tall, but she felt she could at least slow Jemma down if nothing else. And Felix and Sarah were on standby if bond money was needed that night. Cosima had to say, she totally laughed that she’d give Felix nightmares with the comparison of Ward being Delphine and Rachel combined into one with a lot more psychopath thrown in.
So it was going to dinner with Jemma. Cosima wasn’t the best liar ever, but she could bullshit her way through babbling about various things. So if things got tense? She’d totally pick some random topic and just babble about it and try to not let things go too pear-shaped. Because while Cosima was biased against Ward because of knowing what Jemma and her friends had suffered because of him in the dreams, she could at least put on a smile and be her usual perky self. Though she might look quite the sight upon arrival with her long dreadlocks, nose rings and way too many bracelets on both wrists. Not to mention the two tattoos on her forearms.
She looked over at Jemma, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze and she smiled. “We can do this.”
Skye was more than a little excited that Jemma was coming over with her girlfriend for dinner, and to finally meet Grant. She’d been practically bouncing about it all day and given that she’d been over the top happy lately this was a whole new level she’d reached. Honestly she didn’t know how she hadn’t driven Grant crazy with the way she was acting. It probably spoke volumes about how much he loved her because she didn’t once hear him tell her to relax or calm down, he just left her to her own devices, probably for the best given that any attempt to get her to settle would have just resulted in her getting restless and maybe a little bit grumpy.
Her excitement at the idea of her best friend coming over to meet her fiancé had been fairly high ever since talking to Jemma about it on the network. They’d all been fairly busy up until now but once she’d realized that Jemma hadn’t met the man she loved she knew she had to fix this gigantic error. She’d been so focused on doing so that she hadn’t picked up on any hesitation or reluctance on Jemma’s end or she’d just ignored it like she ignored people talking about their dreams, either way she had no idea that Jemma wasn’t as excited as she was about this dinner.
There was just one problem with hosting a dinner, Skye was not the best cook in the world, far from it. She never had really managed to pick up that skill. She could manage basic things but anything complicated tended to end up ruined. Not wanting to make a mess of things she’d decided they were going to have something fairly simple and just hope that Jemma and Cosima didn’t mind basic good. She’d spent all her time after work making sure everything was perfect, even going so far as to tidy the small living room of their apartment.
The sound of the knock on the door had her running, a noise that was half excitement and half nerves escaped her as she pulled Grant towards the door with her, a final check over to make sure the apartment looked presentable before she smiled up at Grant, “I hope you’re ready to be your most charming self.”
As excited as Skye was, Grant would have easily described himself as just as anxious. He’d heard a lot about Jemma over the years, and there was a lot of pressure in his own mind to make a good impression. There was one thing that he knew all too well. Best friends were far more stable than relationships were, and if he failed to make a good impression, the likelihood that there wouldn’t be issues that would arise in their relationship down the line because of Jemma’s disapproval of him was very slim.
So he’d let Skye bounce around in her excitement, allowing her energy to wash over him, as he tried not to let just how nervous he was become too obvious. It had been a trial, but Grant knew how to conceal his emotions when necessary even as difficult as it could be. The first real inkling had probably been how he’d jumped at the knock on the door, but he’d recovered swiftly at Skye’s words, flashing her an affectionate smile.
“When am I not?” He asked, allowing Skye to pull him with a little laugh before he reached out and pulled open the door, offering the two women on the stoop a soft smile. “Jemma and Cosima, I presume. If you’re not, we’re going to have to get out more plates. Either way, come on in. The more, the merrier.”
Was it normal to feel physically sick just by looking at someone’s face? Because the second she saw Ward, smiling and trying to be all charming or whatever? She felt bile rise, though she managed to suppress any wince that might have crossed her features even if she did tighten her grip on Cosima’s hand as she needed that sense of grounding. Her nerves were already frayed thanks to the dreams, the fact she wasn’t working because of said nerves getting the best of her and just all around stress.
Or the fact that she knew that he’d been taking charge of Hydra in the dreams, building it back up or whatever it was he wanted. Part of her seriously needed a drink but she also was refusing to let her senses be dulled even remotely.
Overreacting? Perhaps. But she would not let her guard be down and she would be prepared. If she wasn’t, then the eventual blood would be on her hands. Instead she just nodded some with a tight smile.
“You would be correct. You must be Wa-Grant.” Even saying the name as if it were so normal and casual made her want to scream. But she was managing. So far.
Cosima knew Jemma was stressed and anxious and really not wanting to be in the same place as Ward, but feeling Jemma’s grip on her hand tighten further caught her a bit by surprise, but she quickly covered it up as her jaw dropped. And instead of saying ‘ow’ like she sort of wanted to, she instead introduced herself.
“Hi, yeah I’m Cosima. I mean, I have a twin sister here, but Sarah could never pull off these dreads,” she joked, putting on her trademark, slightly lop-sided grin. It was just easier to tell people she hadn’t met before that Sarah was her twin sister. The clone thing would only be revealed if she felt Skye could be trusted. She’d never tell Ward just based off the fact she’d already built an image of what the dream version of him was like in her mind. And she seriously wasn’t going to give anyone that was a combination of Rachel and Delphine that sort of information about her and Sarah.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Because she could say that and mostly mean it. And hopefully it would help Ward and Skye not notice Jemma’s dislike of him as much if she kept things light.
Skye was so excited that she didn't even pick up on any unease from her best friend, she knew Grant was a little worried about Jemma not liking him but she'd told him that it was impossible for her not to. In her mind there was no reason for anyone not to like him, she thought he was perfect and anyone who thought different was just wrong in her opinion. She was definitely more than a little bias when it came to him.
“Come in, come in both of you don't just stand out here,” Skye said, stepping back into Grant’s personal space to make room to allow Jemma and Cosima into the apartment. “Nice to meet you, Cosima. Your hair is cool, I don't think many people could pull off dreads but you do,” she continued, starting to ramble a little in her excitement. She couldn't help it. She wasn't one to make snap judgements, she much preferred to give people the chance to be themselves before she formed an opinion but so far she liked Cosima and the fact that Jemma did only earned the woman more points in Skye’s book.
“I hope you're not expecting five star dining. Jemma can attest to my lack of cooking skills. I'm better than I used to be but definitely no master chef. We went fairly simple, so hopefully it'll be edible.” She needed Grant to stop her talking or else she was just going to yammer on all night and that probably wasn't what anyone wanted, least of all Skye, she didn't want to come across as an idiot to her best friends girlfriend.
“There's not a lot of ways to ruin spaghetti, after all,” Grant said with a playful smile. He'd noticed Jemma’s slip with his name, but it didn't seem like anything to be concerned about. He was used to being called by his last name. It was pretty standard practice in the military, and being from a family who often traded on their name, Ward tended to mean more than Grant in the long run. But still…
“It really seems like we should have done this sooner,” Grant said, motioning for all of them to follow him towards the dining room. “As much as I've heard Skye rave about you. Her brilliant best friend. If I was a more insecure man, I'd almost think she was ashamed of me.” It was teasing, a nudge to Skye's shoulder punctuating the statement. “But I can promise you that you've definitely not got that problem.”
It was a moment, Grant letting that statement settle as they reached the dining room before he paused to pull out two chairs for their guests. “So, what have the two of you been up to lately?”
Following her girlfriend into the apartment, the biochemist nodded some at Skye’s comment on her lack of culinary skill before speaking, “It would take a special sort of cooking fail to mess up spaghetti.” The comment was more directed towards Skye as it was easier for Jemma to focus on her best friend in the moment. She picked up on what they were having so it wasn’t like she was ignoring Ward. No. Far from it. She was going to be hyperaware of his presence and she was just going to have to deal with it. Even if that meant letting Cosima handle the talking bit. She was good at it, especially as of late.
Still, she couldn’t really defer answers or comments to Skye or Cosima when comments were directed more towards her and so she just nodded some.
“Well you know, life gets in the way.” That was the simple way of putting it. “And she is quite fond of you.” Understatement, but Jemma had a feeling that blinded by love and not being able to see anything but the good would not go over well. She had some self control. A tight smile of thanks as he pulled the chairs out for them, Jemma resisted the urge to remain standing and instead sat rigidly, hands on her knees. “Work.”
She’d let Cosima talk about her school work. Afterall, it was easier than the back and forth of Cosima’s health issues and Jemma’s PTSD issues thanks to the dreams. Never a dull moment, and certainly no rest for the weary.
Cosima had to laugh at Skye’s comment about dinner. “Oh don’t worry about it, I’m not the best cook either so I’m totally not going to judge. When I feel ambitious, I’ll make lasagna, and half the time I screw that up!” She grinned and pushed her glasses back up her nose a bit. “Thanks! I totally started the dreads on a whim, liked them and I’ve kept them ever since. Though let me tell you, they are a bitch to maintain, but it’s totally worth it.” A lot of work went into dreadlocks, and Cosima was one who liked keeping hers nice. Or as nice as dreadlocks could get. But they also just went with her West coast hipster vibe.
And she could say she already liked Skye. From what she’d heard Jemma say of her, and the previous comments they’d exchanged when Cosima had posted the infamous Jemma vs. The Duvet pictures, she liked her. And Ward. Well. Cosima tried not to snap-judge people, but she would be wary of him.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile to Ward as he pulled the chair out for her and she took a seat. Very gentleman-like. So he got a point there from Cosima. She glanced at Jemma, knowing she would need to do the bulk of the talking. Which she was fine with, but she was also going to keep an eye on girlfriend. If it seemed like this was getting to be too much for her to handle, Cosima would totally come up with an excuse so the two of them could leave.
“School, actually. Currently going for my doctorate in Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Some days I swear the professors want to kill us with projects and homework. And that’s without getting into my dissertation.” Cosima rambled. Now with admitting what field of science she was in, it was probably little wonder how she and Jemma had caught each other’s eye. Science geeks who liked to talk science and could follow each other’s science babble.
“There might not be many ways to ruin spaghetti but let's face it I could do it,” Skye said, laughing at herself and her inability to cook. She didn't mind joking about things like that, she knew she'd never win chef of the year or anything. She smiled at her guests, stupidly happy that they'd finally found time to actually get together. “I don't think I'd have the patience for all that maintenance plus it would cut into my sleeping time,” she said with another chuckle. She didn't mind admitting that she liked sleep a lot.
So far things seemed to be going really well, at least Skye thought they were. She knew Grant was nervous about meeting Jemma, they talked briefly about it and she thought it was sweet he was so worried. She didn't see any reason why he should be. As for her own thoughts on Cosima, she liked her and she could see why Jemma was with her, she was just the type of person Jemma needed in her life to keep her from getting too wrapped up in her work.
Skye hesitated before sitting down, tempted to take a seat on Grant but deciding it was probably rude to do that when they had company. Instead she sat next to him, moving her chair a little closer to him so she could easily reach over and take his hand in hers, she knew he'd need the reassurance that he wasn't messing up.
“Yikes, that sounds very impressive. I mean I don't think I've even heard of that as an area of study before now. Jemma, trust you to find someone just as into science as you.” Skye smiled towards Jemma, happy for her friend. “I mean they usually say opposites attract but I guess that's not always the case,” she added, squeezing Grant's hand and giving him a soft smile as she looked his way.
It was a sharp, cut response that Grant tried to push out of his mind from Jemma, though the anxiety rose in him. Had he asked the wrong question? Said the wrong thing? Or was it just that there wasn’t anything to talk about? His attention was pulled, though, when Cosima carried through, filling the void in a way that calmed him a bit. Maybe this was just how things were? Jemma wasn’t particularly chatty or maybe even more comfortable with being overly social, and Cosima filled the silences. Maybe he shouldn’t dwell on it.
“I guess I’m just surrounded by geniuses,” Grant said with a bit of a laugh as he pushed in each of their chairs just a bit before moving around the table to where Skye had sat down. “I suppose I should apologize in advance if the conversation migrates in that direction. It’s all fascinating, but I’m a bit of a dullard when it comes to… well, most things academic. I understand maybe every other word when Skye talks about her work.”
Settling himself down at the table, Grant glanced over at Skye as she scooted her chair closer, not able to help but smile as he took her hand, squeezing back before he turned his attention back to their guests as he pulled the covers off the dishes in the center of the table one at a time, “We weren’t sure about dietary regulations or preferences or anything like that, so we kept everything separate,” He said, motioning to the pot of spaghetti, the pot of marinara sauce, the platter of meatballs, bowl of pesto, and the plate of shredded chicken. “I hope there’s something here that works for everyone.”
Once upon a time, Jemma would be far more talkative, though it was easily could be explained away as just her not knowing what to say and being tired. No need to go into the specificities of it all. Besides, Cosima really was the more talkative of the two so that wasn’t strange. She did smile at Skye’s comment on how she of course found herself drawn to someone who could keep up with her when it came to science.
“Yes, well I suppose it isn’t that shocking. A sixth sense most likely.” Ideas of magic and the like remained suspicious at best though she was far more open to it now than she’d been a year ago before she had moved to the area. Before the network and dreams and everything that had come from them. Though once again, she fell quiet, content to let Cosima talk about her school work.
A slight nod was given to Ward’s apology for if conversation drifted to ‘genius’ things but she said nothing in response, instead just clenching her fingers under the table to keep herself a semblance of calm. She could get through this. And oh look. Food. Which was why there were there.
“That seems a logical choice.”
Cosima definitely didn’t mind being the more talkative one. She was outgoing and just generally liked people. Of course, when she got onto the topic of science, she tended to actually ramble on and on in a way only other scientists would actually understand. But she was a geek, a very large one, with various interests outside of science that she could also talk about.
“Hey, sleeping is totally important, so I definitely don’t blame you there.” Cosima said with a grin. Sleep was definitely something Cosima would like more of currently, but it was simply just going to have to be a dream more often than not for the time being. The curse of being a doctorate student.
She smiled at Ward. “I’ll try to not science babble too much. Though I’ll apologize right now for any science babbling that I might do. I can babble a lot.” She laughed. And she also talked with her hands. She then looked at Skye. “It’s not one many know the name of, but it’s basically the branch of biology where we compare the developmental processes of various organisms and determine the ancestral relationship between them, and discover how the processes evolved. So it’s kind of really awesome and cool to study it.” And there was some babble.
Looking at the food that was laid out, she grinned. “That’s actually really awesomely conscientious of you! It definitely smells good.”
Skye was used to being the talkative one in a situation, she had always been a big talker even with new people so she didn’t find it strange at all that Cosima was talking more than Jemma. In social situations as a couple Skye tended to do most of the talking, it was just how things worked with them, it made sense that the same was true in other couples with one being more forward than the other.
“Try telling that to him, he tells me off for sleeping in sometimes,” Skye said with a smile, teasing Grant over their almost constant debate over what was an acceptable time to get up on a day off. Skye knew she could be lazy but that’s what the weekends were for if you asked her, she just needed to make Grant see that more.
“He’s used to me rambling on about computer coding but I do feel sorry for him when I start getting too in-depth. Maybe I’ll understand what that’s like if you start science babbling,” she said with a laugh. Things seemed to be going well so far, better than she’d hoped for actually and she didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t continue like that. “That sounds really hardcore, I actually feel like I’d be lost if you went into detail about what you study. I could never keep up with Jemma when she used to talk science at me.”
Skye smiled at Cosima. “I forgot to ask if there was anything you didn’t like so we thought this would make sure everyone came out a winner. The meatballs are handmade, don’t worry I didn’t make them so they’re actually edible.”
“I really don’t mind the babble,” Grant said, chuckling to himself. After all, Skye had the habit of getting wrapped up in a topic that she found particularly interesting and telling him every last possible detail that she could think of in an over excited tone. While there were a lot of people that something like that would annoy, they were just missing out on how informative it was. There were a handful of things that Grant could talk about now without necessarily understanding all of the nuances because of the detail Skye went into. “If you listen, you learn a lot that way. Even if you can’t pick up on the details.”
Grant was trying his best to put Jemma’s apparent detachment out of his mind, trying not to let it get to him, but that didn’t really change the underlying desire that he had to try and get her engaged in the conversation. How was he supposed to get to know her otherwise?
“So, basically what it says on the package?” Grant asked, attention still focused on Cosima. “Science is handy like that, being straightforward. What about you, Jemma?” Grant asked, hoping that maybe, maybe, he could coax some engagement out of her. “Is ‘work’ offering you anything particularly interesting… Out of the ordinary…? Or is that classified?” He followed up, the laugh that punctuated the statement marked a little of his growing anxiety, as much as he was trying to hide it. “I still have cue clearance, if that helps.”
The plan to remain sober was probably a poor one in Jemma’s opinion at this very moment. But she wanted to keep her wits about her and so here she was, sitting in what very well was close a personal hell for her. Even though in this moment, especially as Ward tried to get her to talk would have been a marvelous time to just finish a glass of wine. But she would just have to find a way to handle it. Without allowing her absolute hatred shine through since neither he nor Skye would understand and Skye was her best friend and…
Bloody hell, she was definitely going to need a drink after this. That much was certain.
“Oh. It’s…” How to put it. Because she was using work as a reason for why she’d been busy. And well, right now she was on leave, which was currently being explained as her own decision. So it wasn’t like any of the classified work she normally was working on would be at her flat as it wasn’t secure.
“Usually classified I’m afraid. Even with your clearance.” Which was true. Only a handful of people were aware of the classified work she did, and she was the one running the Science Division. “I run the science division where I am, so that also takes up time.”
Always with specifically worded truths. But whatever works.
“At least no one minds the science babble!” Cosima said with a grin. Jemma would be the only one who could actually follow it if Cosima did fall into science babble, but at least Skye and Ward wouldn’t mind it. It was definitely odd sitting at the same table as Ward, after knowing the things he’d done in Jemma’s dreams, but she was trying to not let that get the best of her. “And hey, sleeping in is a luxury some of us would love to have. I know I could use it some days lately.”
“And yeah, definitely what it says on the package. That’s actually one of the reasons I love science, you get straightforward answers once you understand what you’re looking at.” Because of course it sometimes took time to understand results, especially if they were unexpected. But that was the beauty of science, you kept testing things over and over and if the results were the same, then they became fact.
As Ward tried to pull Jemma into conversation more, Cosima looked at her, already definitely planning to either take her out for a drink after, or picking something up on the way home. Because of course Cosima wasn’t going to leave Jemma alone tonight after this. Under the table, she reached over and set her hand on Jemma’s leg, giving it a squeeze of encouragement. She then left her hand there, hoping it had some sort of calming effect for Jemma.
“There’s every chance that between us both we’ll babble plenty,” Skye said with a grin towards Cosima. She definitely had a habit of talking a lot if she got wrapped up in a topic, honestly she didn’t know how Grant put up with her talking about random things as much as she did. The fact that he never seemed to stop her only made her do it more. She hoped she wouldn’t do that tonight, this was about Grant and Jemma getting to know each other or at least that was what Skye had wanted it to be about. “Maybe Grant will realize it’s a luxury he should indulge in more and then I’ll be able to as well without being told I’m being lazy.”
“Science is a lot like computer coding that way, once you know what you’re looking at it’s really straightforward, not saying that what I do is anywhere near as complicated as what you two do, god please don’t think I’m doing that,” Skye said, realizing what she’d said could sound like that. She definitely didn’t think that, she thought computer coding was easy but then it had always come naturally to her.
Skye was still fairly oblivious to the way Jemma was being, she had just put it down to her friend being tired. Sometimes Skye could be unaware of any social awkwardness, she was so open that she often didn’t noticed when others weren’t, and usually she just talked over any uncomfortable silences. Right now she was more worried about making sure the food didn’t go cold. “Don’t be afraid to help yourself to food, there’s probably way too much and that’s my fault, I might have insisted on doing extra because I didn’t want anyone to go hungry.”
“Oh, come on, Skye,” Grant said, making a face at her comment about being called ‘lazy’ for not wanting to wake up early. “That was one time, and I was joking. But really. It wouldn't hurt. Morning exercise can help wake you up.”
Grant tried to calm the worry rising in him at Jemma’s subdued response before glancing down at the food as Skye said there might be too much. “Leftovers never hurt anyone, Skye. You guys could even take some with you if you do end up with a ton left. But we really should dig in before it gets cold. Pass your plates, and I can dish everyone up.”