first name, agent.

“It feels like the old academy days.”  Val used to enjoy those pranks, until they were directed towards her.  At least this time she’d had somewhat of a choice.  Leaning against the edge of the table and then towards him, she tipped her glass towards the corner of the room.  

“One of my recent recruits is here and she’s been matched with Barton’s protégée.  I gave her an assignment to track down a lead on Fisk’s network and it turned out to be someone related to her match.  Talk about a small city.”  Is she bluffing the details on that, sure, but it still made for an entertaining story.  

“Do you know who they are over there?  I’ve never seen them before.”  She moved her glass to another pair in the opposite corner.  More people who came through the portal, perhaps.

“ well , everyone loves the concrete jungle . it was bound to happen . “ one of the reasons why he found it both entertaining and challenging to go undercover in big cities like new york . either they’ll clock you right away or they’ll forget five minutes after you meet ; lost in a sea of faces amidst the countless boroughs , streets , & alleys .  “ is your recruit and the protégée getting along ? or do i have to call some guys to break it up ? “  he was mostly kidding ; he’d sooner read up on those files before he even calls in a single agent . 

“coulson…” steve can hardly help the smile that grows seeing the agent, unable to put into words just how relieved he is. he’d had the image of those bloody cards in his mind for far too long now, the guilt weighing down heavily on his shoulders for what they couldn’t have stopped. now, with everyone seemingly being brought back, it was like another chance to right that specific wrong. “you know you can call me steve, please. you choose the pose – i’d just be happy to draw you however you’d like.”

❝ that’s the BEAUTY of tabloids - they don’t need proof to start a rumor. ❞ the blonde pauses. ❝ but they may or may not have pictures of you staring romantically at a captain america poster. ❞

“  w-well , i .. “  how was he , phillip j. coulson , agent extraordinaire , supposed to explain that he was indeed , romantically staring at a poster of captain america ?   “  unless they have access to my mind , they’re reaching . you can’t tell if a person is staring romantically at something . what are we , cartoons ? “

“People use their bodies to celebrate…?” Brainy let that sentence trail off, their eyes widening as they gathered what Coulson meant by the sentiment. That certainly cleared up some confusion in Querl’s mind, “That seems rather lonely for single humans. Rather exclusionary.”

he’d let a slight laugh out , “ sorry for the visual that you didn’t ask for . can’t be helped . “ coulson could only shrug . for the most part of his life , he’d been unattached . the few times he was proved to be challenging . “ well , romance isn’t a prerequisite . some just do it to .. well , do it . single humans make do . or they’ll find a way to . “

“If you want it enough, you pave it yourself,” Niko agreed. There was a small tilt to his head, a curiosity but the notion was more mimicked than genuine. Curiosity was humbled, something that always remained meek in the beginning of its manifestation. For him, it was never so simple. A curiosity came with an assessment, a lean forward that left Niko enveloping those who took his interest and not caring if his shadow wrapped around them. Some, from afar, had recollected his work as a child inspecting a creature’s crawl on a leaf. The sun would flicker away, replaced by the bewildered gaze of a child stuck up close. No one would suspect a thing until the sun returned, but with it, came a burn as that child’s fixation not only withered away, but it’s target as well. 

“Which you seem to have done,” He pointed out. “What do you want, Coulson? Am I finally getting a job offer from you?”

“ already itching to get back into the field . can’t say i envy you . “ he’d read upon files and files , from his first day right up to the last time he’d swear he’d read one with intention .. the last time before he retired for good . but the universe had other plans , as it made itself clear every day he remained on this realm , and coulson found himself flipping through similar stacks of manila folders . faces upon faces , details often blurring every so often , though it’d straighten itself soon enough . niko’s was one that he’d become just a little interested in , even if coulson still situated himself on the sidelines . for now . 

“ what’s a job offer mean to you ? a badge or just something to do ? ‘cause there’s a difference between the two . “ especially if he’d be putting his name to it . reputations and what - not .

             “  a  few  times  .   turns  out  eating  burned  food  is  safer  than  raw  food  sometimes  ,   so  ,   there’s  that  to  consider  .  ”    and  sometimes  she’s  forgotten  how  many  times  SURVIVAL  is  the  primal  mode  of  her  brain  ,   even  if  all  she  wants  is  to  be  …  normal  for  once  .     “   …  and  i’ve  burnt  frozen  dinners  before  as  well  .  ”  

“   i   must   admit   i   do   prefer   nature   settings.   does   it   not   drive   you   mad…..   that   this   city   is   never   quiet?   not   a   moment   of   peace.   ”

“   you….   prefer   this?   over   other   settings?   ”   *   

          “  OH  IT’S  ALL  GOOD  ,  ”  jubilee  nods  in  understanding  .  eyes  shift  to  the  display  in  an  attempt  to  find  a  good  angle  for  the  photo  to  be  taken  .  hey  ,  if  he’s  offering  to  take  the  pic  ,  they’re  not  gonna  say  no  to  that  !  “  oh  seriously  ?  yeah  ,  i’m  down  .  actually  ––  ”  pauses  to  hand  him  the  camera  .  “  the  settings  are  set  and  everything  so  all  you  need  to  do  is  point  and  click  this  button  .  ”  walks  over  to  their  designated  spot  and  poses  .  “  i  take  it  you’re  not  a  fan  of  having  your  picture  taken  ?  ”

          SHE  PONDERS  AT  HIS  QUESTION  .  melina  is  a  woman  of  science  that  much  is  obvious  .  had  coulson  asked  her  this  question  years  ago  ,  she  would’ve  never  accepted  magic  as  an  answer  .  but  now  ?  her  mindset  has  changed  .  slightly  .  “  i  would  say  no  ,  ”  she  starts  .  “  but  unfortunately  ,  i  don’t  think  science  can  explain  this  phenomenon  .  magic  is  …  a  possibility  .  but  i’d  rather  not  label  it  for  now  .  do  you  have  any  theories  ?  ”

         it  had  been  weird  ,   waking  up  in  space  and  then  waking  coulson  up  ,   only  to  find  it  was  only  a  robot  -  so  he  had  only  remembered   things  from  before  dying  .   she  gets  it  .  it's  confusing  .   she  wouldn't  wish  it  on  anyone  .    “  at  least  …  two  times  ,  "  daisy  admits  ,   scratching  at  the  side  of  her  neck  for  an  awkward  moment  .    "  but  those  two  times  you  were  a  chromicon  …  so  it  was  easy  to  bring  you  back  .   still  …  it  was  pretty  weird  ,   a.c.  "  she  informs  her  only  father  figure  ,   lips  curling  up  a  bit  .    "  honestly  ,   i  haven't  talked  to  them  about  you  .   it's  up  to  you  if  you  wanted  to  reveal  yourself  to  them  .   though  i  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  some  of  them  already  knew  you  were  alive  .   you  were  never  exactly  subtle  ,   especially  after  2013  .  ”