Set during Season 5 when they're in space
Out of everything they've been through, none of them could've predicted where they would end up now; however, none of them were really surprised. Space and time travel were just a couple of the things that they haven't done yet. At this point, they wouldn't even be surprised if their next threat happened underwater or something.
Unfortunately, at the moment, they had no idea how to get back to Earth in their own time period.
It was also unfortunate that, given the time they left Earth, today was Christmas Eve. It was times like this that they wished they could contact their family members back in 2017. The one good thing was that, opposed to last year, they were all together.
All of them were put to work in order to blend in with the population of the Lighthouse. It was the only way they could ensure any kind of survival. Well, Fitz, Jemma, and Daisy were hiding out in a room that they were all sharing due to the fact that Kasius and the other higher-ups knew their faces and would bring them into custody if they had the chance.
May, Coulson, Elena, and Mack returned to the room after a very long day of working in processing. Somehow, Daisy snuck out earlier and got her hands on some of the good food that was very hard to find within the Lighthouse.
It wasn't the Christmas Eve that included hot chocolate, gingerbread houses, Christmas movies, and ugly sweaters, but it was one that they were glad they could spend together, not just as a tight-knit team, but as a found family.
They invited Deke, Tess, and Flint to join them as well. It turns out, they did, sort of, had Christmas in the Lighthouse, but it wasn't commonly celebrated.
"Wait, so a bearded-man dressed in red doesn't actually break into your house to drop off presents and eat cookies on Christmas Eve?" Tess asked.
'Sorry to break your spirits, Tess," Coulson said.
She shook her head in response. "No," she admitted. "You actually relieved some fears."
"So, eating together as a family is abnormal for you," May began, "but Santa Claus and sharknadoes seem to make sense?"
Tess raised her hands in defense. "Hey, they don't really tell us what's fact and what's fiction around here. We don't even know what the truth about the Earth breaking really is."
Daisy looked down at her bowl, trying not to think about how she was probably the one responsible for the Earth breaking apart. The inhibitor connected deep in her neck was turned on, stopping her from using her powers. If it was still on or in her neck by the time they got back to their time, she wouldn't be able to use her powers. Even if they found a way around it, she wasn't that powerful or strong, was she?
Fitz noticed Daisy's uneasiness around the subject. He turned back to the Lighthouse kids. "Even though you don't really celebrate here, did you guys ever have Christmas traditions?"
All three of them shook their heads. Well, Deke began to before something else came to mind.
"My mom would always save up her tokens to buy me an orange," Deke said. "They were kind of hard to get, so it was the best present I'd receive as a kid. My mom would also do that for my birthday."
"My parents were always working," Flint said.
"And my dad died when I was a toddler, and my mom was taken from me when I was six," Tess added. "So I didn't really have much of a Christmas either."
"What about you guys?" Flint asked. "What's Christmas like on Earth in 2017?"
The team all looked at each other and smiled. "It's beautiful," Jemma said. "Everyone town center is decorated with lights and music is playing and just everything is full of joy and happiness."
"Back when I lived in Colombia," Elena started, "family was the most important thing during Christmas time. I remember running around the house and in the streets with my cousins. Also, the food was always so good."
"When I was a kid, my family always decorated our house with paper lanterns," May added.
"But Christmas with this team is the best," Daisy finally spoke up. "They made my first real Christmas one that I will never forget."
"What do you guys usually do together?" Deke asked.
"Well, two years ago, we had a gingerbread house building competition," Mack said. He noticed the three's confused look. "Oh, they're not real houses. They are smaller. Trust me, we don't have life-size houses actually made out of cookies."
"Well, that's nice to know."
"Yeah, May isn't allowed in the kitchen during Christmas," Daisy added. "Actually, she's not really allowed in the kitchen period." May lovingly nudged Daisy's arm as she made jokes about her cooking skills.
"One year, we all went outside of our base to build snowmen," Jemma said. "Things were pretty dark back then since we were working on rebuilding SHIELD, but it was really nice to get that break."
"Also, Christmas movies," Coulson said. "Elf and The Grinch are the best ones."
"Mmm, The Polar Express is pretty good too," Fitz added.
Daisy shook her head. "I can't watch that movie without crying during that one song. You know, just foster kid things."
"The Santa Clause with Tim Allen is really good too," Mack suggested. The others all nodded.
"I don't care what anyone says, The Nightmare Before Christmas is so a Christmas movie," Elena said.
Fitz shook his head. "Um, no. It's definitely a Halloween movie."
The other team members all argued whether that film was a Halloween or Christmas movie. In doing so, they explained the plot to the three Lighthouse kids.
"Wouldn't it count as both?" Flint asked. "Because it includes both Halloween and Christmas?"
May shrugged. "That's what I always say, but they never listen. You'd think it would make sense since the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is transformed to be themed that movie during both Halloween and Christmas."
"If you say so," Coulson said.
The rest of the night, they all discussed Christmas traditions and memories. Sure, their current situation wasn't exactly ideal for Christmas Eve, but they were able to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.
Family, enjoying each other's company, and celebrating together.
