Fandom: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Grant Ward
Characters: Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e21 Ragtag, Season/Series 01
It’s all so loud, he can barely hear the real Fitz and Simmons, pleading for their lives less than three feet away. It’s all background noise compared to what’s going on in his head.
—Or at least, it is until one thing stands out.
“I’m pregnant and it’s yours!”
The words are Simmons’s. The subsequent squawking noise must be Fitz.
It’s not until she’s in the luggage box of the carriage that she feels she has a moment to think — like a fog has been lifted from her brain.
It’s so much easier to believe the worst of a situation — so much easier to believe that the most handsome and famous Grisha in the country has been manipulating her, instead of actually attracted to her.
And maybe he has been — but she’s not entirely sure Baghra isn’t as well. She feels like a toy that’s being passed around and traded and —
Enough, it’s been enough and too much and she wants to find out the truth. There are more than two sides to every story and she’s not even sure she’s heard a single full side yet so — so she has to ask him. She has to find out.
Which is slightly problematic because she’s on her way away from him and everyone and — she swears under her breath and tries to push open the box, but it must have locked after her and it doesn’t budge.
She’s still rattling along, feeling each bump of the carriage, when she manages to find the small glass in her purse. She closes her eyes and aims her light as best she can and — well that’s a little bit of fire, but she smacks it out and pushes open the lid and —
At least the horses are only walking. It’s awkward to climb out and drop to the dirt and then she darts into the bushes on the side of the road just in case, but the carriage doesn’t stop.
Letting out a breath she rubs her face. It’s night she doesn’t know her way, but she can see the lights of the Little Palace lightening the sky around it from here. So she straightens her shoulders and starts walking.
She’ll get answers and she’ll find out the truth and — and she hopes that the affection for her hasn’t been a complete lie. And if he is trying to use her to do something nefarious like his mother (maybe mother? probably mother.) said, well, she just won’t let him. They’re her powers and he cannot control her.
Alina is just starting to regret her choice in footwear, and also regretting not just waiting until the carriage stopped and then trying to find someone to take her back. She’s taking a short rest against a tree by the side of the road, rubbing at the arch of her foot, when the thundering sound of hoofbeats because audible and — a carriage and four riders thunder past and then halt abruptly and —
Aleksander is jumping out of the carriage and on her in an instant. HIs arms wrap around her and he presses his lips to her forehead and despite her not insignificant concern, she finds herself melting into him.
The whole time I was scrolling through your set on Thor's eyes I was thinking "but wait until Jane sees" and then I saw your tags. Obviously we both have the correct perspective on things.
Post being talked about - (x)
Uh, yes we do! <3
Jane would probably go in to touch his cheek similar to how Frigga did, and say, "your eye looks different..." And Thor would gently hold her hand, bring it down to his chest. "Really? I didn't notice," he'd try to smile.
"How'd this..." She'd try to question but he would just shrug and say, "don't worry about it, Jane." She'd still move her hand upwards while he holds it and warily, tenderly, touch his scar. And he'd close his eyes and lean into her...
I mean, whatever, I'm not emotional about them or anything.
I was tagged by @frivoloussuits who knows how long ago, sorry, I have so many old tag games that I’d need to get to... but well, this should be quick enough, so it’s a good start LOL. Thank you for tagging me!
slowburn or love at first sight // fake dating or secret dating // enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers (though there must be a friends-of-sorts stage in the middle) // there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence // hurt/comfort or amnesia // fantasy au or modern au // mutual pining or domestic bliss // smut or fluff // canon-compliant or fix-it // reincarnation or character death // one-shot or multi-chapter // kid fic or road trip fic // arranged marriage or accidental marriage // high school romance or middle-aged romance // time travel or isolated together // neighbours or roommates // sci-fi au or magic au // body swap or genderbent // angst or crack // apocalyptic or mundane
Tagging: @im-the-punk-who @sailorsally @rainbow-motors @misscrazyfangirl321 @ilosttrackofthings @mysteryandnonstopfun @mslyragw @frankiebleu (only if you want to/haven’t done it of course)
aos for the ask meme. or, if you've already gotten that (or you just wanna do both) the wider MCU.
the first character i ever fell in love with: Skye. Or Ward. I can’t really remember which came first. Probably Skye because she was so relatable and quirky and positive but I also loved grumpy pretending-not-to-care SO Ward.
a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: Skye… or Daisy I guess. I started losing interest around halfway through S2 with the whole Afterlife plot (and then just stopped watching the show altogether after the S2 finale lol) but S3 was the one that really left a bad taste in my mouth. And the start of S4 with emo vigilante Daisy. I don’t dislike her, but it’s a far cry from the love I had for her in the early days. Same with Jemma, actually. I really liked her in S1, this cute, quirky if slightly awkward scientist willing to bend the rules when she believes it’s the right thing to do. Afterwards things got… complicated. I like her more on her own, outside of FS scenes (which, when does that ever happen?) Can she/they ever have a storyline that doesn’t involve saving the other one? For science? No?
a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: Hmm… I don’t think I have one? Once I decide I like something, I fall for it pretty hard. lol. I guess Daisy/Lincoln. That’s a funny one, because when they sort of started flirting in S2 I liked the idea of them together, and I thought they had a lot of potential. But once it actually happened I wasn’t into it at all. It felt kinda rushed and I just didn’t really see any chemistry between them. It was an ‘expectations vs. reality’ sort of thing for me.
my ultimate favorite character™: Oh gosh… Fitz, I guess? I mean, obviously I’m trash for Ophelia but I actually wasn’t all that fond of the whole Aida arc at the beginning… I liked her more in the Framework, and all the potential she had as a human (or Inhuman, whatever.) It’s funny because he sort of grew on me. I admittedly didn’t pay much attention to him in S1 because I was so wrapped up in Skyeward, but once they killed that storyline and started developing his character from the nerdy sidekick/comic relief to an actual, fleshed-out character dealing with brain damage, then yes I became involved. Still mourned the untimely demise of Skyeward in S2 though.
prettiest character: Fitz or Ward if it’s more ‘handsome’ pretty. Out of the ladies… Daisy, I suppose? Also Stephanie Malick because personal bias - yes I’ve loved Bethany Joy Lenz since One Tree Hill and they totally should’ve let her stick around for longer than two episodes god damn it.
my most hated character: I’m not particularly fond of Jemma. Or what they’ve done with her, I suppose. But god damn it if there’s one character I hate it’s Ruby. Really glad that arc is over.
my OTP: This one’s pretty obvious. Skye/Ward and Fitz/Ophelia. Hehe.
my NOTP: Fitzsimmons sorry not sorry.
favorite episode: (In no particular order): 5.14, 4.16 and 1.17. Self Control and, frankly, all the Framework episodes, are strong contenders, but that’s my podium.
saddest death: I’ve got to say Fitz. Mostly because it was so sudden and I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all. I genuinely didn’t think they’d have the balls to kill off one half of FS, especially on-screen. I was literally expecting him to miraculously pull through and just have his legs amputated or something. It felt so surreal. Of course, then they brought CryoFitz back into play so really it was all just one big cop-out (figures) but the shock factor was definitely there. It was just the right amount of sad and downright distressing and even unsettling, with the way he didn’t fully comprehend what was happening and just…slipped away. I also really liked how they didn’t cheapen the moment by making it all about FS, which was… honestly such a nice surprise? I preferred the shocked and unaware approach they took, and how he spent his last moments with… kind of the two most unlikely people - May whom he hasn’t ever really bonded with, a relationship which is made especially awkward by their experience in the Framework and the ‘super villain interrogation’ in 5.15; and Mack, who literally told him days or even hours earlier that he needs ‘fixing.’ It was all very weird and bizarre and surprising, and definitely felt like a solid punch to the gut. At least, until they straight up announced they’re going to essentially retcon it… Eh. Also, Ophelia? Maybe less sad and more just downright disturbing and gratuitously violent and graphic.
favorite season: If Season 1 and 4.16-20 and 5.14 could somehow be merged into one season… that would be it. lol. Overall, I have to say S1. Most people hate it and call it the weakest season and, sure, it felt very formulaic and had this predictable ‘monster of the week’ format at first but it was genuinely enjoyable to watch. Every other season after that I just found myself getting angry at something. lol. I actually liked pretty much every character in S1 to some degree and because nothing was set in stone or made explicitly canon yet, there was a lot more freedom shipping-wise. There was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ship, or ‘no you can’t like this character because of X, Y, Z’ it was just whatever you were into. For a while it seemed like pretty much all combinations of the Bus Kids ships had a decent chance of sailing. That’s a pretty damn good feeling.
least favorite season: Hands down Season 5. I wasn’t a fan of Season 3 either (though admittedly I did like certain episodes/aspects of it) and Season 2 could’ve done without that whole ‘Real SHIELD’ plot but Season 5 takes the cake. I mean… seriously. It was a let down, especially after the hugely successful Framework arc (the show’s strongest point so far imo.) So naturally there was a lot of expectation and it kind of fell flat. They had maybe 2 or 3 strong episodes. The rest was riddled with plot holes, blatant fan service, lines that sounded like they pulled straight from fanfic, radical and often inexplicable shifts in character behaviour from one episode to the next that could be classified as borderline character assassination, frequent lack of continuity, too much time spent on characters that ultimately turned out to be irrelevant/got quickly killed off, writers seemingly forgetting what had happened in literally the previous episode, etc. There’s really no excuse for that mess. lol. Not to mention the at times pretty obvious budget cuts and the lack of decent lighting which made the space pod downright unwatchable at times. Really feels like the weakest, most disjointed and confused season of all. Which is a shame. Because it could’ve been great. But it just really… wasn’t.
character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: I don’t want to say Jemma but… Jemma? I guess part of the problem is that I feel there tends to be a discrepancy between the actual canonic on-screen representation of Jemma and fanon Jemma, at least in my experience. She (and Daisy) seem to get put on this imaginary pedestal a lot of the time and given leeway and all these concessions that other characters aren’t allowed. Sometimes I think I hate fandom’s approach to and treatment of certain characters more than I hate the actual character. Also, Mack and Bobbi? I feel like they’re pretty massive fandom faves as well and I never really got invested in them. I don’t hate them, they’re just… Meh.
my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: Leopold, the ultimate trash fave. Hehe. He’s just so deliciously messed up and complex and it’s so much fun to explore all of that. He’s like the one villain AOS completely unintentionally got right. Magnetic, charismatic, complicated. Sure, he only ever really shows up in about five episodes but in those five or six episodes they build a really solid character. We’re not told or shown everything, but that’s the point. Sometimes the implication is enough - and it’s super fun to fill in those gaps. And those suits. I mean, c’mon. lol
my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: Literally no one on this show is a cinnamon roll anymore. lol. I think Ophelia easily could’ve had a really satisfying redemption arc if the writers were actually willing to get into that instead of just shelving their more complex characters and turning to the safe option of ‘let’s kill the baddie.’ Ward could’ve possibly been redeemed too (up to a certain point at least) but I guess part of his appeal is that he didn’t want to be? Uh… and out of the still alive ones (kind of??), Fitz. He’s had a really tough time literally since S2. I also liked Mace and Radcliffe and I kind of wish they got to stick around for a bit longer.
my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: Fitz/Ophelia. Obviously. I guess one of the more weirder ones is Hive/Stephanie. That’s… not remotely canon (I mean, I guess they kissed? lol) but in my headcanon Framework verse it is. Let’s be honest, there’s probably tons more because I always latch on to the more obscure stuff, but I can’t really think of anything else at the moment.
my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: Philinda and Mackelena. I don’t ship either but I guess I can kind of see the appeal and I wish them all the best for the sake of the shippers because both of these pairings are frequently overshadowed by… well, the main ship. I can totally understand and sympathize with their frustration.
Twice a year, Hydra hosts this grand soirée for no particular reason other than to gloat and showcase their power and authority. A lot of shady stuff probably goes down, but it’s Hydra and they’re in command, so no one really questions it or puts up a fight.
Jemma Simmons is a cog in the Hydra machine. She was taken at a young age during her studies and forced to work for them under the Incentive Program, though her incentive—her parents—aren’t locked up in some random room in some random facility. Still, the threat is very real, so Jemma has been a good scientist for them despite growing increasingly opposed to Hydra’s goals, tactics, and misuse of her work.
Her one reprieve are the nights of the soirée that she is fortunate enough to be invited to. Why? It’s the one night she sees Grant.
Grant Ward was plucked out of juvie by Victoria Hand and given a second chance to do something good with his life. Hand brings him into the fold that is SHIELD, a small but fierce and growing resistance to Hydra. Grant is trained from the start to the highest standard and subsequently becomes a double agent, feeding intel he acquires at Hydra to SHIELD. He works his way up the ranks at Hydra and becomes well-respected, and that’s how he meets Jemma one night at the soirée.
Jemma has had enough for that night. She scurries around the mansion the party is held and finds an empty room upstairs where she takes a long moment on the attached balcony. Crouched down with her hands clutching the rail, she mutters and hisses to herself all the things she cannot say that she doesn’t even notice Grant walk in behind her.
“Are you okay?”
Jemma almost laughs but doesn’t turn around. “What do you think?”
It’s the wrong thing to say, though, and she knows that. She scrambles to stand and profusely apologizes only to see the slightest crack of a smile on a stern yet otherwise handsome face. And that’s it. That’s how it starts.
They never see each other outside of those parties—Jemma being stationed in London while Grant flies all over the world. But oh, those nights they meet. Those are the nights both of them live for. Where for a few hours in the glow of the moonlight they’re not a coerced scientist or a double agent but Jemma and Grant.
“Sometimes I think you’re the only one who understands.”
“Understands what?”
“This life… Me.”
Despite having only seen each other a number of times, they inevitably fall in love, and both are broken up about it. Jemma is terrified about the fact that she has actually fallen in love with a man who she believes to be a serious Hydra agent while Grant fears of all the horrible things that might happen to Jemma when he’s not there and if he can ever possibly get her—and her parents—safely out of Hydra and under SHIELD’s protection.
Of course, it doesn’t help that he keeps his relationship with Jemma a secret from his bosses. In fact, it’s probably one of the worst thing he’s done, especially when SHIELD finally gains enough manpower to bring the fight to Hydra and attack them the very night of one of their grand parties.
Naturally, when he’s forced to confess to Hand and co. about Jemma, most don’t take it well. Striking at the party will hit Hydra the hardest, and unfortunately, unintended casualties like Jemma will have to be made. So the plan is put to action, and Grant… Well, Grant goes into that party for the first time as a loyal SHIELD and kills any Hydra agent in his way so he can make it to Jemma and get her out of there no matter what anyone tells him.
Jemma is predictably shocked to find out that Grant is SHIELD, that he lied to her even though she is a bit relieved that he’s not truly loyal to Hydra. She is unsure how to feel about it all, but she doesn’t have time to contemplate her feelings…
“Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you! How do I know you won’t kill me like everyone else?”
“Sweetheart, listen to me. Right now. I will never, never hurt you. But if you stay here, if you stay here by yourself, someone is going to hurt you, use you, kill you even. Hydra, SHIELD, it doesn’t matter. I swear on my life I will protect you, okay? And if you want nothing to do with me after that, fine. But right now, I need you to come with me.”
Jemma follows. And Grant gets them out of there with SHIELD.
Much to Grant’s dismay, Hand briefly locks Jemma up if they’re not interrogating her. Jemma tells them everything—Hydra taking her when she was young, the things she’s worked on for Hydra, the Incentive Program, her supreme disillusionment with Hydra, her parents… SHIELD checks up on her parents for her but find them dead—the unintended casualty that Jemma was supposed to be. And oh, Jemma resents Grant for a long time for that.
Eventually, Jemma is granted restricted release on a SHIELD base with Grant. She’s permitted to work as a scientist for them, but she has little will to do so. She assists at times because there is nothing else for her to do, but sometimes, she can’t help but find similarities between her situation at SHIELD and her former position in Hydra. And fortunately or unfortunately, she takes all of her frustration out on Grant.
“You should have just left… You should have just left without me.”
“I couldn’t just leave you there.”
“Why? What did I matter? I was your mark. Your easy target.”
“You didn’t want to be there anymore than I did.”
“You should have just left.”
“I loved you. Still do. I wasn’t going to leave without you.”
SHIELD eventually wipes out Hydra. At that point, Hand and co. agree to let Jemma go. And despite wanting her to stay, Grant says nothing and lets her leave on her own.
Jemma returns to London and tries to piece a life together—a life that her parents would be proud of her for living. She continues her research but goes into academics so she can teach and pass on her knowledge to positively give back to the world despite it taking so much from her.
And one night during a charity benefit, Jemma steals some time away after dinner to take a breather. Standing on the terrace and taking in the cool night air, she lets herself reminisce about the past she has come to terms with. And it’s ridiculous, really, how different her life is now without a terrorist organization dictating her every move. Now, she does whatever she wants whenever she wants—well, within the confines of her busy teaching and research schedule—and she does so much good for the world that she starts laughing to herself because what a difference—
“Are you okay?”
Jemma turns around at the sound of his familiar voice. She stares, at first unbelieving of his presence, before smiling. “What do you think?”
“You came back to me,” he says, putting an emphasis she doesn’t like in the least on the words, “put yourself in danger, gave me your blood, for this? To bargain for a name that might, if you are very lucky, lead you to Skye?”
