(no subject)

[whenindoubt]

"Oh, I don't know," Jemma said over her shoulder as she and Clint walked through the grocery store. "There's quite a bit to be said for a proper fry-up, although some people do think of them as bland." She's got a basket full of food already since she's decided that she's cooking dinner for them, and she's been justifying some British food to him this whole time even though he's not protested.

"Alright, I think this is enough." It was a normal day, normal dinner plans- until... Well.

"Isn't that sweet?" Jemma looked up at the old woman who was running the register.

"Hm? Pardon?"

"Oh, what I was saying, dear, is that it's so sweet that you're making dinner for your boyfriend."

Oh.

Oh dear.

Comments

[whenindoubt]

It's the snippiness that gets the old woman to leave Jemma behind and start talking to Clint, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Jemma is about five steps from exploding any moment now.

"Sometimes women just get like this, dear. It's good that you're buying her chocolate." She nods knowingly, ignoring the way that Jemma is fuming.

"I said I would like to pay for my purchase." The words were stiff and final in a way that she'd never talked to Clint -- honestly, he's never seen her this annoyed in the year and some that they'd known each other.

"That would be thirty-seven fourteen," says the sweet old lady who Jemma personally now thinks is one of the most terrible people that she's had the misfortune to meet, and even as she swipes her card she's gathering up the bags.

Out of here. She just wants to get out of here, sooner than later. Clint -- and his reactions and Jemma's own responses to them-- were definitely tertiary at this point.

[okay_thislooksbad]

Crap. Crap, crap, crap.

Helping to gather up the bags, I give her a wide birth until we're far away from the checkout counter. If I make things worse, I'm kind of afraid for this lady's safety. I already knew that Jemma's mind was scary as hell, but right now, she's also kind of physically terrifying.

"Take a breath, Jem," I say, as we near the door.

[whenindoubt]

"Take a breath?!" It tips her over whatever precipice she'd been teetering on. "What in the world- Why don't you take a breath? It's not any of her business what we do with our lives, and for her to act like she knows anything better-- and to act like you just needed to feed me chocolate like I'm some sort of irate toddler--"

She's fuming while walking because she's not going to change her plans because of some old biddy, no matter what's been said, but even she doesn't know precisely what to think of it, just that she's furious.

[okay_thislooksbad]

"I'm breathing, Jemma. You're freaking out, and yeah, I'm kind of freaking out because you're freaking out, but--" I shrug helplessly. "She was old. Isn't that kind of the consolation prize for getting to a certain age? You get to say really uncomfortable stuff and everyone else knows they're supposed to give you a free pass?"

I hurry to keep up with her, happy to be a step or two behind so she can't see me fidget, even though it's making it kind of hard for me to know exactly what she's saying.

"She was wrong, so what? I'm... I'm not sure why you're so upset? Sorry, but... I don't know, you've got to help me out here."

[whenindoubt]

"I'm also breathing, as I'm sure you're aware." The words were snapped, before she actually pulled herself up short as she listened to what he was actually saying. "You're.... correct." Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, she turned around and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, you're right. She's old, she clearly didn't know what she was talking about. Obviously." Jemma nodded once to herself, like this abruptly meant that the case was closed, although it clearly was not.

The why of her upset is something she staunchly wished to avoid, so she was doing the very British way of dealing with it -- to firmly and promptly ignore that there was ever an issue in the first place.

"Also, no. Being old, as you put it, doesn't give anyone a pass to be rude."