"So, I didn't put this on the questionnaire, but I'd like an answer. Why do you have this need to watch Phil and John dominate me?"
Her mouth dropped open. Felix's smile was brittle and his eyes were an icy blue.
"Do you really dislike me that much that you want to watch me have a panic attack? Seriously, what the fuck have I ever done to you?"
Jemma Simmons said nothing, but she stepped away from a rather annoyed Felix Blake. Her retreat surprised him, and he stepped back.
"Why are you doing that? Do you think I'll hit you? I'm trying to figure out what I ever did to you was so bad that you'd enjoy witnessing me having a meltdown? It must have been pretty bad, whatever I did," Blake admitted. "What did I do? I don't think I've ever talked to you before this? I mean, there was that one project, but I rechecked my correspondence, and notes, and I never talked to you directly. So, it must have been something. I can't remember anything so I don't know what I did. I truly don't know what I did."
"You didn't do anything to me, I was being… mean," Jemma Simmons slowly admitted.
"Oh," Felix Blake rumbled. To Jemma's horror, he seemed to relax and his face softened into the slightest smile, or something less frightening than his usual grim face. "It wasn't something I had done then."
He hadn't been angry at her, he had been angry at himself, because he thought he had done something to deserve her comment.
"I'm sorry," Simmons insisted. "It was quite cruel of me."
"No need to apologize, I worried, needlessly it seems, that I had done something to you. Unintentionally. I was quite concerned." Then in a very soft tone, with a heaping amount of self-mockery, "I worry a lot about many things. You've probably noticed that."
"Please accept my apology," she requested. "I was being quite cross and spiteful. You've been nothing but quite polite to me. A perfect gentleman."
"You don't need to apologize. I have a very thick skin as I deal with significantly worse daily," Blake said. Then he leaned towards her, "Just don't make any jokes about Coulson. He tries to laugh when they make comments about him being one of the Living unDead, but it bothers him, ok? So please don't. He doesn't have the thick skin that I do. Now, let's see if we can get you on the back of Garrett's Harley."
Jemma Simmons realized anew how utterly damaged Felix Blake was, and she looked at her Harem with new eyes. John Garrett, wincing, when he thought no one was looking, his loud joviality aimed at keeping Blake calm and amused, or disgusted and calm, or just calm. Phil Coulson and his jokes about his Tahiti vacation and how he rubbed his chest and grimaced when the old wound twinged. How he kept Garrett just on the side of being cheeky and Blake a shade less abrasive.
And how they acted towards her. Felix never touched her skin, only her shirt (dancing) or if he was wearing gloves (to get off Garrett's hog). Garrett and Phil were more comfortable touching her, though Phil was a bit more restrained than Garrett's effusiveness.
Really, it was no surprise that Jemma Simmons was unable to enjoy the Japanese Film Fest because she was overwhelmed by the very real possibility of further hurting the three men. Garrett noticed her reticence and commented. Blake blamed it on the selection. "Really, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemumis a classic, but the heroine dies from TB. Why don't you take us to La bohème, next?" while Phil futively protested it was a classic film.
"Actually, Tuesday is Garrett, which is…" Phil prompted.
"Bowling." Garrett announced.
"Bowling," mouthed Blake and Coulson. "Bowling?"
"I haven't bowled before. It sounds interesting," Simmons offered.
"Phil will show you have to bowl. And for dinner…. Italian. I know a really good place. It's real Italian."
"What's the information so I can update the invite?" Blake asked as he took out his smart phone.
"Make sure you invite Fitz and your new assistant. She was pretty annoyed that we took Simmons out tonight without her tagging along, and I had to listen to her for hours," Garrett explained. "She didn't come out and say it, but I think she was worried that we'd get Simmons drunk and take advantage of her. So Simmons, do you think you could handle a foursome?
Simmons hadn't even had a chance to formulate an answer when both Blake and Coulson elbowed Garrett hard.
"Can you behave?" Blake asked.
"Do I need to tazer you?" Phil added.
"So we need to invite Agent Skye, as she was quite irked," Garrett continued.
"She didn't say anything to me," Blake protested. "Phil, what is it with that look? Just come out and say it."
"She's terrified of you," Phil explained. "Maybe you could smile once in a while."
"Like this?" Blake smiled brightly, added a wink for added enhancement and Garrett shivered.
"Please don't." Garrett said with great sincerity. "For the love of God, man. Don't ever do that again. I'll have nightmares!"
"You didn't like my Sitwell Smile?" a confused Blake asked. "Grinning and winking like a loon?"
"I felt this almost uncontrollable urge to run down the street, screaming like a little girl," Phil admitted.
"Considering he went mano y dios with Loki, that's saying so very, very much," inserted Garrett.
"Fuck you," Blake growled. Then he repeated it a few more times while Garrett laughed.
"I think I'm quite capable of handling the three of you at the same time," Jemma finally announced.
Silence fell as all three men turned to face her. Coulson's mouth was open as he was stunned, Garrett was openly grinning and Blake was blushing…. Blushing…..
"Do we take a number and wait to be called into your boudoir?" Garrett asked. This time, Coulson and Blake didn't even bother to pull their blows as Garrett exhaled loudly when their elbows hit him.
"At the very same time," she repeated. "I'm quite skilled at multi-tasking. I hope you can keep up with me, gentleman."
Coulson and Blake appeared close to swooning, and Garrett looked disappointed.
"I'll have to pass, as I think Mutt and Jeff just broke ribs," Garrett quipped while Phil and Felix said nothing.
Jemma Simmons returned back to her apartment and she wasn't surprised that Fitz and Skye were waiting for her.
"Details?" Skye asked.
"Forget that, snogging. Was there snogging? Who's the better kisser? Coulson," Fitz decided. "He's a gourmet. Reminds me of Alex, I had such a jolly time with him as he was experienced in the better things in life and wanted me to share in the experience."
"Please, Garrett," Skye protested as she voted for the most exuberant of the various bachelors.
"No vote for Blake?" Jemma asked.
Their jaws dropped.
"Mr. Grouchy Bear?" Skye asked.
"He's not a grouchy bear, he's just very reserved." Jemma felt the instinctive need to protect Felix Blake.
"With a very intimidating pair of eyebrows," quipped Fitz which Jemma chose to ignore.
"Can we have lunch tomorrow, Skye? We can talk about tonight then. I'm just tired," Jemma requested.
"Sure," she agreed and they reserved a time and place.
After Skye left, Fitz sat down next to her. "You, ok?"
She shook her head.
"I'm over my head with them. They're just so much older than I am, and they….. they're damaged, Fitz. All three of them are damaged in different ways, and … I don't know… why I was chosen. I mean, I had made a very not nice comment to Skye and Blake overheard it and instead of thinking oh, Jemma Elizabeth Simmons is stroppy cow, he thought he had done something…. And he had worked himself into an absolute state…. And…. Phil and John…. I…. I…. They're damaged…. And I'm scared that I'll break them."
Fitz grabbed her hands and squeezed them.
"You are a healer of souls, Simmons. You're peace and understanding, and joy and innocence all wrapped up in you. Do you think Skye, Agent of No Known Last Name, would be able to handle them?"
Simmons shook her head.
"I have absolute faith in you," Fitz assured her. "You saved me from myself, didn't you, love?"
"You give me far more credit than I deserve," Simmons protested.
"I disagree."
