Hi, I am seriously in love with all of your AUs they are wonderful! Can you do a sequel for the train seat one you just did? Thank you for all you write!
Read the original drabble here!
“Tickets!” They both look up at the voice from the other side of the train, and Melinda swallows.
“So are you gonna move now?” Phil asks, and she firmly shakes her head.
“Nope. I’m in my assigned seat,” she answers, feeling him huff beneath her, shifting again and eliciting a gasp from her that she fights hard to stifle. “Are you going to move?”
“I’m quite comfortable, thank you,” he replies, though she can tell he’s speaking through his teeth, and she can’t help the triumph she feels at the strain in his voice.
The conductor makes his way down the aisle, and Melinda doesn’t quite know what to think when he simply takes both their tickets, scans them, and hands them back without even batting an eyelash at their rather compromising position before moving on to the next car.
“Why do I get the feeling he’s seen this before?” she snorts at Phil’s statement, shrugging.
“Guess he’s encountered other stubborn asses with hot women in their lap,” she replies, and Phil lets out a full-bodied laugh at that, drawing a genuine smile onto her face.
“Or he’s seen plenty of impossible women perched on bookstore-owner’s laps,” she turns a little at that, curiosity on her face.
“You own a bookstore?” she asks, and he nods.
“Coulson’s Corner,” he informs her, and her lips part in surprise.
“I love that bookstore!” she exclaims. “I meet my friend Natasha there for tea every Saturday.”
“Natasha…Romanoff?” Phil asks, and Melinda nodded. “I’ve been friends with her for years- she works the odd hours at the store for me when I need coverage.”
“What a small world,” she muses, shaking her head. “You’d have thought we’d have met before now at this rate.”
“Funny how things work out,” Phil murmurs, and she turns her head to find him lost in thought. When he looks up, his eyes are bright and blue, and her breath stutters in her chest for a moment.
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Okay, so I know this might not fit your HC but can you do a fic where Effie is actually a virgin and Haymitch is her first time?
It’s not really even a matter of hc for me, it’s a matter of: it’s absolutely not possible to me.
I’ve adressed this before actually… While I think there might be some slight chances that Haymitch was a virgin when he started sleeping with Effie (or at least, that there are ways to explain why he would be), I absolutely cannot see the reverse. At all. It’s the Capitol and she’s famous. Sex is pratically a hobby there… It’s a decadent society…
The only way it would work is if we’re back in time before she’s even an escort, when she’s still around 17/18 and truly at that point, Haymitch would be in such a state of mind, it wouldn’t be at all pleasant for her simply because he would not care. He wouldn’t ask if she’s experienced or not. He wouldn’t care for her pleasure. He would take what he wants and leave. It would hurt her and be a terrible horrible first experience. I don’t want to write that. As unhealthy as they can be as adults, young adult not mature fragile Effie having terrible sex, probably too rough and brutal for a first time, isn’t something I’m really comfortable writing because we’re a bit past toxic and wandering into douchmanship if not abuse of power. Plus, he’s 5 years older than her so it would be a bit predatory for him to go for a 17 years old and he simply wouldn’t because he doesn’t go for kids, he’s still decent. And if you wait for her to mature a bit, then there’s no way she’s still a virgin. And if you go with a different age hc that they’re of the same age, it’s not happening at all because there’s no way he’s going to sleep with her right after his girl dies and we’re back to, she will be too old and would have already done the deeds.
I wrote the only way I saw that working and it was here, which is a pirate AU. You can check it out if you want but there is no virging Effie losing it to Haymitch in a canon universe for me. No way to make it IC in my opinion. Sorry! =)
I ADORED the Secret Summer fic!! It was amazing and definitely one of my favorite Philinda fics to date :) Would you mind if I prompt you again? How about one where Skye finds out they are in a relationship :3
First of all, sorry for the delay in writing this! Real life got in the way, as usual, but I finally found some time to get this done. So I hope you enjoy it! And I apologize about my total lack of any medical knowledge.
Also, thank you so much for your kind comments about the Secret Summer fic! I’m SO glad you liked it, really. =)
It was completely by accident that Skye stumbled upon it,though in the end she realized she couldn’t be bothered to care. It was theirfault for keeping things from her.
It all started while she was on a mission with May. Standardretrieval op turned into a not-so-friendly fire fight that resulted in May andSkye being holed up in a worn-down safe house for several hours. During theirescape, Skye’s side had been grazed by an enemy bullet, and she’d lost asubstantial amount of blood. Not enough to kill her, but enough to worry herS.O.
May had wrapped the wound up as best she could with thelimited supplies found in the safe house and gave Skye strict instructions tostay awake no matter what. When she noticed Skye shivering, she wrapped herleather jacket around Skye’s shoulders. Skye burrowed into the material,grateful for the extra warmth.
After a while, Skye was having more and more difficultykeeping her eyes open. She tried counting as high as she could, but lostconcentration around sixty-three. She tried describing every object in the room,but there wasn’t enough to keep her occupied for more than ten minutes.
Her fingers were growing numb, so she slipped them into thepockets of May’s jacket to protect them from the chilly air. That was when shefelt something solid graze her skin, like a metal of some sort. It wascircular, and if she ran the pad of her thumb over it, she felt a mostly smoothsurface, except for a rough material embedded in the circle.
Skye didn’t think much of it at the time. Instead, sheclutched it tightly in her palm, the icy metal shocking her awake. Even afterit warmed up, she pressed it against her skin as hard as she could, using thepain to keep her alert.
They were extracted two hours after that and returned to thePlayground safely. May refused to leave Skye’s side while Simmons patched herup properly. It was only when Simmons insisted Skye would be fine and justneeded some rest that May left, promising to check back in later.
Skye dozed for a while after, sleep coming easily to her. Whenshe woke up, she was disoriented for a few moments before memories came rushingback. She had been shot, and the dull ache in her side was proof of it.SHIELD’s medical tech worked wonders though, and she was able to sit up withminor difficulties.
When she pressed her right palm to the mattress to pushherself up, she felt something hard and small beneath it. She recalled Maygiving her the jacket, and the tiny object Skye found inside the pocket.
I must’vebeen holding onto it when Simmons worked on me, Skyerealized. The jacket had been taken off so the biochemist could access thewound, but Skye’s hand had remained enclosed around what she found.
Now she inspected it closely and discovered that it was aring. Oh my god, I’m like Bilbo Baggins. Smirking,Skye slipped it onto her ring finger, half-praying she would turn invisible.She pouted when nothing of the sort happened.
It was a simple silver ring, smooth around the outer edge. Therough section she had felt embedded in the metal was a sapphire, cut in aperfect circle. Squinting, Skye could make out an inscription on the inside ofthe band.
From thevery beginning.
Skye frowned. What did that mean?
As she considered the ring, a sinking realization crept intoher mind. This was in May’s pocket. Therefore, this was most likely May’s ring.She had stolen May’s ring. Inadvertently, of course, but when dealing withsomeone as private as May, it was best to stay out of her personal matters. Andtaking her ring was definitely the opposite of that.
“Shit,” Skye breathed, guilt spreading from her toes up. Whatif May had noticed it was missing? Was she freaking out? Skye rejected thatnotion immediately. Melinda May never freaked out. At least not outwardly. Andif this ring meant a great deal to her - which it certainly seemed like thekind of thing that would - she was probably very concerned.
Taking great care not to disturb her wounds, Skye climbed outof bed and walked as quickly as she could out of the med bay, desperate toavoid Simmons’ watchful gaze. She halted once she was in the common area. Itoccurred to her that she had no idea as to where May might be.
Glancing at the stairs, Skye decided Coulson’s office was herbest bet. At the very least, he could provide her with a better sense of whereher S.O. might be.
The stairs proved to be a difficult challenge, as every steptugged at her wrappings and made her wince. She took each step one at a time, relaxingwhen she finally reached the landing.
“Hey, DC?” Skye called, knocking on the door.
“Come in.”
Skye passed through the door and was pleased to see bothCoulson and May inside. May was standing beside Coulson, who was sitting in hisdesk chair. They regarded Skye with concerned looks.
“What are you doing out of bed?” May asked. “You should beresting.”
“I know, I know,” Skye insisted, holding her hands updefensively. “Though for the record, it doesn’t hurt that bad. But I, uh,wanted to… Um…” She suddenly felt very nervous under May’s gaze.
“What, Skye?” Coulson prompted.
She turned to May. “I wanted to, um, return this to you.” Sheheld up the ring.
May’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”
Skye’s anxiety spiked. “Your-your jacket. It was in thepocket, and I must’ve held onto it, and I’m reallysorry, I didn’t mean to.”
May softened. She walked over to Skye and took the ring,sliding it onto the ring finger on her right hand.
“Thank you,” she said gently.
“It’s beautiful,” Skye commented. May hummed thoughtfully.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“I never really pegged you as the type, though,” Skye added,feeling emboldened now that she saw May wasn’t mad.
“What type?”
“To wear jewelry. I mean, maybe some necklaces, but rings? Notso much.”
“I was married once,you know,” May pointed out. Skye’s mouth fell open.
“Wait, is that your wedding ring? Or engagement ring?”
“No,” May answered. “This isn’t from Andrew.”
“Oh.” Skye frowned. “But, what do the words on the insidemean?” When May raised an eyebrow Skye shrugged. “What, are you surprised Iread it?”
May smirked. “This ring was given to me by someone veryspecial.”
“Your mom?”
“No.”
“Your dad?”
“No.”
Skye let out a sigh of frustration. “Do you have any siblings?”
“No.”
“Then who?” Skye whined, sounding like a child. May’s smirkgrew.
“Me.”
Skye’s head snapped to face Coulson, who was still sittingbehind his desk. His eyes were sparkling, clearly enjoying Skye’s distress.
“Wait…” Skye looked at May, then back at Coulson. She did thisseveral times, like she was watching a tennis match.
“I gave May that ring,” Coulson said simply.
“But… but… why?”
“Just because?” Coulson asked, shrugging. Skye shook her head.
“Oh, no, don’t pull that with me,” Skye sputtered. You don’tjust give someone a ring without areason, especially not one as nice as that. And especially not one with something written inside.”
“She has a point, you know,” May said, turning to Coulson.Coulson grinned.
“Oh, I know. This is just so much fun.”
“Can someone just tell me what the hell is going on?” Skyecried, trying to keep herself from sounding hysterical. The mystery of thatstupid ring was getting to her, and she just wanted to know.
May and Coulson exchanged a look. Skye was bubbling withexcitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“You got her all riled up,” May said finally. “You can tellher.”
“Seems fair.” Coulson turned and addressed Skye. “Forstarters, May and I are in a relationship.”
For a second, it was like Skye’s brain short-circuited.
“What?”
“May and I-”
“No, I heard you. I’m just… I’m just trying to process it.”Skye stumbled over to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sank onto it.
“Be honest,” Coulson said. “Are you really that surprised?”
“I’m surprised I’m surprised,” Skye muttered. “Like, inhindsight, it’s really not that shocking. When did it happen?”
“When we first came to the Playground,” May spoke up, movingover to the desk. She perched on the front so she was facing Skye.
“How did it happen?” Skye asked.
They were both silent for a moment.
“I don’t think you really want to know,” Coulson answered.Skye’s face screwed up in disgust.
“Oh, ewww!”
“Phil,” May said in a warning tone, though her eyes werealight with mischief.
“What? Don’t you think she would prefer to remain unware ofher parents’ sex-”
“Stop!” Skye screeched. “Just stop. I get it, you love eachother, blah blah blah.”
“The fall of SHIELD,” May said, raising her voice to get Skyeto calm down, “made us reevaluate some things. We decided we were tired ofavoiding our feelings, and-”
“We just became,” Coulson looked at May, smiling, “us.”
Skye took in the loving look between the two senior agents andfelt a warm, happy glow settle over her.
“That’s so sweet,” she said quietly. “I’m really happy for youguys.”
“Thank you, Skye” May said, turning back to her protégé.
“Where does the ring come into play?” Skye could feel theexcitement rising up in her again, and she grinned.
“Well, in our line of work,” Coulson said, “and with currentcircumstances being what they are, getting married isn’t really an option.”
“I’m not saying it won’t ever happen, but with all these newcases of Inhumans and the development of a new HYDRA, it’s not safe toestablish ourselves as anything more than Director and Deputy.”
“So…”
“So the ring is my promise to her,” Coulson said, looking atMay. “My promise that I will always love her, and that someday we will getmarried, and we will live the rest of our lives together.”
“He’s very cheesy, isn’t he?” May asked, though the happysmile on her face suggested she didn’t find it all that repulsive.
Skye blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes.“That’s so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Coulson looked very proud of himself. “See,Melinda? Some people appreciate my cheesiness.”
“You’re lucky I tolerate it.”
“You just don’t want to admit you like it.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Maybe a little?”
May didn’t respond, but she was smiling, and Skye was struckat how beautiful May was when she smiled. Sure, she had seen it before, butsomehow this instance seemed more radiant to Skye.
“And you guys are happy together?” Skye asked, though she wascertain she already knew the answer. The expressions on both May and Coulson’sfaces told her more than enough.
“We are,” Coulson said.
“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you,” May said.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Skye replied. And it was. She understood whythey kept it from her, and she wasn’t mad. If anything, she was happy they weresorry they felt bad about it. No one had ever apologized for keeping her out ofthe loop. It made her feel special.
“Eventually we’ll tell the others,” Coulson said. “But fornow, we’re just going to keep it to ourselves.”
Skye mimicked zipping her lips. “You got it.” Her gaze slippedback to the ring sitting on May’s finger, and she was reminded of another pieceof business that hadn’t been cleared up. “Wait, what about the inscription?”
“You just want to know everything, don’t you?” Coulson teased.“‘From the very beginning.’ Melinda and I have been in this from the verystart. SHIELD, I mean. We met on our first day at the Academy, and-”
“The rest is history,” May finished.
“Wow. That’s intense.” Skye smirked. “You guys are such saps.”
“Only he is,” May said, pointing at Coulson.
“No, I think you are too, you’re just shyer about it,” Skyeinsisted.
“Oh, she totally is,” Coulson said.
May rolled her eyes. “Just don’t go spreading it around.”
“Whatever you say, May,” Skye sing-songed.
A comfortable silence settled over the three of them, and Skyecouldn’t keep the giddy smile off her face. Her pseudo-parents were together,and they were happy, and that was really all a girl could ask for. Especiallywhen it came to two people like May and Coulson. After everything they had beenthrough, they deserved to be happy.
“Okay,” Skye said after a while. “You guys probably want somealone time. I’ll go.” She stood up and started to make her way over to thedoor. She paused in the doorway and turned back.
“One more thing though,” she said, putting on the mostintimidating glare she could muster opposite May and Coulson. “If either of youhurt the other, you answer to me. Got it?”
They seemed taken aback, but no less impressed. May evencracked a tiny smile.
“Got it,” Coulson said. May nodded.
“Good.” Skye exited the room, nearly breaking out into a skipbefore the pain in her side flared up and made her walk.
“Did she just ‘Dad Speech’ the both of us?” Coulson asked. “Atthe same time?”
“I think she did,” May remarked, moving around the side of thedesk. She leaned down and kissed his temple. “Our girl has grown up.”
Coulson turned his head and kissed her. “We raised her well,didn’t we?”
jessvicman, I am your secret agent! I really hope you like this, I certainly enjoyed writing it =) I’ve really loved chatting with you, and I’m excited for you to read this! Enjoy!
Five times people thought Melinda May and Phil Coulson were dating, and one time they actually were.
1.
“Name?”
“Phil Coulson,” Phil reported, just barely stopping himself from rocking back and forth on his feet. The counselor rifled through her large stack of folders slowly, going one by one. Phil subconsciously leaned forward. He couldn’t be that far down the stack.
“There you are,” she finally said, extracting a packet with his name in the corner. “Coulson, Phillip.” She gave him a smile. “Welcome to SHIELD Academy.”
“Thanks,” Phil said breathlessly, grabbing the packet and exiting the administration building. He stared down at the SHIELD insignia emblazoned on the cover. After months of waiting, he was here. He was at SHIELD Academy, ready to begin his training. This was the first step to the rest of his life, which was both thrilling and frightening. Phil could feel the excitement bubbling within him. Truly nothing could ruin this monumental day.
That is, until he found himself sprawled on the ground.
“Oh my god! I’m so, so sorry!”
Lifting his head, he caught sight of a girl with long, dark hair scrambling to gather all the papers from his packet. He pushed himself up and copied her movements.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”
The girl looked up, and Phil literally felt the air leave his lungs. She had the most beautiful brown eyes.
“You’re not hurt, are you? Please don’t be hurt.”
Phil laughed at that. “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine.” He cocked his head. “Why were you moving so fast anyway?”
The girl bit her lip, and Phil couldn’t help but think of how adorable she looked right then. “I might’ve… done something that I needed to distance myself from.”
Phil furrowed his eyebrows. “And that would be…?”
The girl opened her mouth to respond, but before she could a loud BOOM sounded from behind Phil. Spinning around, Phil saw a group of seniors running in all directions. At the center of where they had been previously standing was a large column of smoke.
He whipped back around to the girl, only to discover she was halfway across the quad. Leaping up, he sprinted after her, wishing he knew her name so he could get her to stop.
He had to hand it to her: She was fast. Really fast. Phil’s legs were burning as he struggled to keep up with her, and his breaths were coming out in irregular puffs.
Congratulations, girl, you’re in the right place, he thought.
She finally came to a stop behind a residence hall, collapsing against its side. As he approached, Phil thought she was winded and needed to catch her breath. Once he got closer, he realized it was something else entirely.
She was laughing.
“Was that you?” he panted. The girl shoved herself away from the wall and whirled around, her eyes wide. Once she realized it was just Phil, she relaxed.
“Did you follow me here?”
“No, I just decided to run to the residence halls for fun.”
The girl, looking impressed by his answer, smirked. “Yeah, that was me. Those assholes were picking on a freshman, and I had a spare firecracker in my bag. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to use it.” She frowned. “You’re not going to turn me in, are you?”
“Oh, no way,” Phil said immediately. “That was amazing. Totally inspired.” He paused. “Wait, why did you have a firecracker in your bag?”
The girl merely smirked again and held out her hand. “Melinda May.”
Phil shook the proffered hand and smiled. “Phil Coulson.”
“Nice to meet you, Phil.” She resumed her position against the wall, and Phil joined her.
“Likewise, Melinda.”
At that moment, two students rounded the corner of the building and spotted Phil and Melinda. One of them screwed her face up in disgust.
“Great,” she said to her friend, not bothering to keep her voice down. “Not even a day into the new semester, and this area is already Make-out Central once more.”
“Oh, we’re not-” Phil started. The girls just shook their heads and ran off. Beside him, Melinda snorted.
“Well, now we know what place to avoid.”
It was small, but her use of “we” made Phil’s whole body tingle. The thought of having someone by his side to start off his Academy years was comforting to say the least.
“Do you wanna get some food?” he asked.
“You sure you don’t want to make-out first? I hear this spot is good for it.”
Phil laughed and decided right then that Melinda May was going to be very, very special.
2.
“Oh, no.”
Melinda closed her eyes in frustration. “What now?”
“I think I left my pajamas in my room.”
Melinda took a deep breath, channeling what her father taught her when she was younger. “You did not. I saw you pack them, they were the first things you put in your bag.”
Phil frowned for a moment before relaxing. “Oh. Yeah, you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” She turned in her seat to face him. “That’s the millionth thing you think you’ve forgotten. What’s up?”
Phil gave her a sidelong glance. “It’s not the millionth thing.”
Melinda smacked his arm. “You get my point! What’s wrong with you?”
Phil sighed and turned forward again. Melinda waited, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hold anything from her for long.
“You could say I’m a little nervous.”
Melinda raised her eyebrows. “About what?”
“You know what,” Phil huffed.
“Please don’t tell me you’re afraid of meeting my mother.”
When Phil said nothing, Melinda’s mouth dropped open. She let out a singular “ha,” which made Phil glare at her.
“It’s not funny.”
“You’re right, it’s not. It’s hilarious.”
“I just want to make a good impression, okay?”
“It’ll be fine, Phil, she’ll love you.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
Melinda opened and closed her mouth before leaning back in her seat.
“Okay, I’m ninety percent sure she’ll love you.”
“Ninety?”
“…Eighty-five.”
“Melinda!”
It was spring break for the Academy, and Melinda and Phil were staying with her mother. Melinda tried to avoid it, but her mother had gotten into contact with Nick Fury (how, she would never know) and arranged a visit for the two cadets.
After another hour, their train arrived at the proper station, and the two best friends disembarked. Melinda smiled as she took in the familiar area. This had been the station she departed from on her way to the Academy, and she had often come through here as a child with her father. She had so many memories of the place, and now, as she looked at Phil, she was happy to be adding another one.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Mom usually waits for me outside.”
Phil followed Melinda dutifully as she dragged him out of the bustling station. She paused just outside, scanning the crowd.
“Care to give me any more advice?” Phil asked. Melinda rolled her eyes.
“Nope.”
“Why do you want me to fail?”
“It’s fun.”
At that moment, Melinda spotted her mother loitering by her car. Yanking Phil forward, she hurried over.
“Néih hóu, mama.”
She gave her mother a hug. Lian May returned the greeting and fixed her gaze on Phil, who looked like a deer in headlights.
“And this is your friend?”
“Yes, mama, this is Phil.” Melinda nodded towards her mother. “Phil, meet my mom.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Phil blurted, sticking his hand out jerkily. Melinda pressed her lips together tightly to stop herself from laughing. It was kind of precious, how nervous he was.
“Mmm…” Lian accepted the handshake as she sized Phil up. “So you’re the one my daughter has talked so much about.”
Melinda’s eyes widened as she felt her cheeks grow hot. “Mom!”
“What? You’ve mentioned him every time you actually do call me.”
“Let’s just go to the house, shall we?” Melinda cut in, feeling the familiar urge to strangle her mother. That certainly didn’t take long. She snatched her and Phil’s bags and stuck them in the trunk of the car, sneaking a peek at Phil as she did.
Phil had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “So you’ve been talking about me, huh?” he asked in a low voice as they climbed in the backseat.
“In your dreams, Coulson,” she muttered back, even though it was too late. The damage had already been done, thanks to her mom.
It really shouldn’t rattle her that Phil knew she talked about him often. He was her best friend, of course he would come up frequently. Melinda knew for a fact that Phil had described her in great length to his own mother.
So why was she so freaked?
“That was a wonderful dinner, Mrs. May,” Phil said, throwing his napkin on the table. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Phillip,” she said formally. “It has been a while since I’ve had reason to cook a full meal.”
“What she means,” Melinda whispered to Phil, “is that I don’t visit enough.”
Phil laughed, though he quickly stifled it when he saw Lian glare at her daughter. All throughout dinner, he had been treading on eggshells as Lian put him through the wringer. She asked about his family, his childhood, why he opted to join SHIELD, even what his future aspirations were. She learned more about him in an hour than Melinda had in the first six months of their friendship.
Melinda had watched it all with her fingernails digging into her palm. Phil had sent her many looks pleading for her intervention, but Melinda knew that once her mother was on the attack, no one would be able to call her off. They just needed to wait it out.
“Uh, why don’t I do the dishes?” Phil asked, standing to gather all their plates.
“Nonsense, Phillip,” Lian said. That was the other thing: She refused to call him Phil, for whatever reason. “You’re our guest. Qiaolian will clean up.”
Melinda suppressed a moan. She had been hoping for some alone time with Phil to do damage control after her mother’s interrogation. Shooting an apologetic look at Phil, she rose and collected all the plates before retreating into the kitchen.
She had been in there for about five minutes (worrying the whole time about what was going on in the dining room) before Lian entered.
“He’s a nice boy.”
Melinda almost dropped the plate she was holding. “Wait, really? You think so?”
Lian looked indignant. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
“No, you’re right, he’s very nice. It’s just, with all those questions, I was afraid you didn’t like him.”
Lian sniffed. “Well, of course I had to ask him all that. If he’s going to date my daughter, he needs to be worthy.”
This time, Melinda did drop the plate. “What? Mama, no, Phil and I aren’t-”
“Do you really think you can fool me, Qiaolian? I became a spy before you were even an idea.”
“But we’re really not-”
“He’s still staying in the guest room.” Lian gave her daughter a pointed look before leaving. Melinda stared at the doorway, her mouth hanging open.
“Careful,” Phil said as he came into the room. “Your face might stay that way.”
“My mother thinks we’re dating.”
Phil blinked. “Is that why she asked me all those questions?”
“You know, that’s not the reaction I was expecting. But yes.” Melinda turned sheepish. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.”
Phil waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Did I at least pass?”
“You did, actually. Congratulations, you can be my boyfriend now.”
Phil snorted. “Good. I was so worried about that.”
Melinda laughed, though there was something niggling in the back of her mind. What would it have been like if she and Phil really were dating? If she had brought her boyfriend home instead of her best friend?
She pushed the thought away as soon as it had come. The two of them as a couple was just too weird to consider.
Though, if she had to admit it, it was a nice kind of weird.
3.
When Phil pictured his Thanksgiving, he really hadn’t considered being held captive. But then again, life always did enjoy throwing lots of curveballs.
“We know you have all the codes for SHIELD’s files,” the Russian mercenary said, circling Phil like a hungry wolf. “Give them to us, and we will let you live.”
It took a great deal of strength to keep his head held high, or at least as high as he could manage. The mercenary’s friend had spent well over fifteen minutes treating Phil like his personal punching bag, and that had only been round one. Shallow stab wounds littered his torso and arms, and his hair was soaked from the waterboarding.
He was finding it quite difficult to think of things to be grateful for.
“If you want the codes,” he said, his tongue heavy in his mouth. “You’re gonna have to find someone else.”
The mercenary bared his teeth, displeasure radiating off of him in waves. He stepped forward and raised his hand to strike. Phil forced himself to maintain eye contact.
“Босс.” Boss. The door had opened, and a soldier stood in the doorway. He looked nervous, most likely because he had just interrupted an interrogation. Everyone knew that was rule number one, do not interfere in an interrogation. Whatever had prompted him to do so must be important. Phil tried not to let his curiosity show.
“Что?” What? he spat. The soldier flinched, though he still stood tall.
“Существует еще один агент. Женщина.” There is another agent. A woman.
It took all of Phil’s training not to visibly react. Damnit, Melinda, I told you to stay away.
This seemed to pique the mercenary’s interest, for he turned to Phil with a smirk.
“A woman is coming for you,” he said. “And alone, by the sound of it. That does not seem like proper protocol to me.”
Phil said nothing.
“She must care for you. Do you feel the same, Agent Coulson? Is she your lover?”
There was a perverted glint in the mercenary’s eyes that made Phil’s heartrate spike.
“No,” he said. “We’re just partners.”
“But she must want more, no? All women do, in the end. They cannot stay objective.”
Phil prayed he would get the opportunity to see Melinda kick his ass.
“She might,” Phil said, slowly getting an idea. “But it doesn’t matter, because I don’t see her in that way.”
The mercenary clicked his tongue. “You do not love her?”
“Not at all,” Phil said, ignoring the odd twisting in his gut. “What makes you think I do?”
The mercenary shrugged. “It seems to me like she cares a great deal about you. Risking her life to come and save you.”
Phil scoffed. “It’s what SHIELD agents do. We have each other’s backs, we protect our own.”
“Even in the face of certain death?” The mercenary raised his gun, aiming it squarely at Phil’s forehead. Phil smirked.
“Who said anything about certain death?”
The mercenary only had a few seconds to ponder that before he was jerked back. Melinda ripped the gun from his hands and wrapped her legs around his neck, flinging him to the ground in one swift move. He was out like a light, either dead or simply knocked out. Phil couldn’t tell from where he was sitting.
“You’re crazy,” he declared. Melinda rolled her eyes and set about undoing his bonds.
“I’m not the one who got themselves captured.”
“It was the only way.”
“I could’ve been the one who got taken.”
“Yeah, but you know I would never let that happen.”
Phil thought he could detect a ghost of a smile on her face before she hoisted him out of the chair. He let out a loud groan and winced. Melinda paled.
“You don’t look too good. Let’s get you out of here.”
With his arm around her shoulders, they began to make their way out of the compound. Scattered along the hallways were unconscious soldiers. Phil raised his eyebrows.
“Did you take them all out on your own?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
A short distance away from the compound was a SHIELD SUV. Melinda strapped Phil into the passenger’s seat before hopping in front of the wheel and driving away. As the car jerked forward, a fresh wave of pain shook Phil, and he clenched his eyes shut.
“You know, I was expecting a bigger rescue effort,” he ground out. “As in, a jet, more agents, that kind of stuff.”
Melinda’s fingers tightened around the wheel. “They were taking too long. I had to get you out.”
Phil stared at her, dumbfounded. “You went against protocol? Why?”
“To save you, you idiot.” She spared him a quick glance. “I’m going to get in enough trouble for it, I could do without you lecturing me too.”
Phil was quiet for a moment. It was dark out, the middle of the night according to the clock on the dash. Too dark to properly read Melinda’s expression.
“Thank you.”
A pause. “You’re welcome.”
Silence descended on the pair for a few moments, and Phil began to drift off. Before he let himself sleep, however, he spoke again.
“He thought you were my girlfriend.”
“I was wondering why he asked you if you loved ‘her.’”
“You heard that?”
“I was waiting for the right moment. You were stalling well enough.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was going for.”
“You sure convinced him.”
There was something in Melinda’s voice that seemed off to Phil. She seemed… disappointed. Maybe a little sad. But why would she feel that way?
Is she worried about the punishment she’s gonna get? he wondered. That seemed like the most plausible option.
“If it weren’t for you, I would probably be dead right now.”
He said it quietly, softly. Melinda stiffened.
“You would definitely be dead right now.”
“Yes. I just wanted to say thank you. Again.”
Melinda have a small nod. “You’re welcome. Again.”
They were both quiet again until Phil let out a little laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just realized that I do have something to be grateful for.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“You.”
4.
One by one, everyone had left the pool and retreated into their own rooms. Fitz and Simmons left together, of course, and Trip had followed soon after. For a while, it was just Melinda, Phil, and Skye sitting out. Eventually Melinda took her leave, which didn’t surprise Phil. It made him sad, sure, but it didn’t surprise him.
“AC? Can I ask you something?”
Phil turned to Skye, who was curled up on one of the deck chairs. She was nursing a can of soda, and Phil was struck at how young she looked. He felt a wave of compassion for the hacker. Barely named a SHIELD agent before it was all taken away.
“Of course, Skye. What’s up?”
Skye bit her lip, clearly trying to choose her words carefully. Phil waited patiently. After a moment Skye exhaled and blurted out her question.
“Does May like me?”
Phil blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that.
“Of course she does.”
Skye shot him a dubious look. “You sure about that?”
“You don’t think so?”
Skye sighed. “No, I mean – I guess she – Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn’t. I just want to know which one is more frequent.”
“May is like that with a lot of people. Actually, I think everyone is.” He smiled gently. “May is a tough person to read, but trust me. She likes you.”
Skye fiddled with the tab on her can. “You know, tonight was kinda nice. It almost felt… normal. All of us out here, hanging out.”
Phil nodded. “It was, wasn’t it? Once this is all over, we’ll have to do it again.”
Skye smiled weakly at his optimism. “Right.” She suddenly looked a bit nervous. “And sitting out here with you and May…”
“Yeah?” Phil probed when Skye trailed off. She shrugged, though she still seemed on edge.
“That was the best part. Spending time with Mom and Dad.” Skye’s voice turned wistful. “I’ve never had that before.”
Phil’s heart broke at her admission. He reached out and placed his hand over hers.
“You have a family now, Skye,” he reminded her. “Things may be a bit rough now, but as long as I am alive, you will always have me.”
Skye’s eyes were shiny with tears. “Thanks,” she mumbled, squeezing his fingers. She gave a tiny grin in an attempt to inject some levity to the moment. “What about May?” She was clearly trying to pass it off as some sort of joke, but Phil could hear the real fear underneath it.
“She’ll always be there for you,” he promised. “I know she will.”
Skye bit her lip. “Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Definitely.”
“How can you be so sure?” she burst out. “How do you know?”
Phil thought it over for a moment. How did he know?
“I guess I just know her better than most people.”
Skye considered it. “Yeah. I guess being a thing would do that.”
Phil nodded back for a second before freezing. “Come again?”
“Oh, come on. You and May? I called that from like, day one. All the secretive looks and knowing what the other is thinking.” She lifted her can in salute. “You’re not fooling anyone. What you guys have… it’s really nice. I’m glad you have each other.”
“Skye…” he started, but the younger agent had already stood up.
“I’m really tired, so I’m gonna go to bed.” She smiled shyly. “Thank you, Coulson.”
“For what?” he asked, dazed. He was still hung up on what she had said before about him and Melinda.
“Everything,” Skye replied before disappearing into the room she was sharing with Simmons. Fitz was shacked up with Trip, which left Phil to room with Melinda.
Phil couldn’t face her right now. Skye’s words were bouncing around in his head, and they only increased in volume with each passing second.
“All the secretive looks and knowing what the other is thinking. I’m glad you have each other.”
It was true that he and Melinda had developed a very strong bond stemming from their first day at the Academy. She was his partner, his best friend. He would go to the end of the earth for her, and deep down he knew she would do the same for him. When she had fallen apart after Bahrain, a part of him had been lost too. It was almost symbiotic, the way they operated.
But did that mean he loved her? Skye clearly seemed to think so, and many others had expressed the same sentiment over the years. Fury had even dragged them into his office to lecture them about it once.
Phil ran through every moment he had shared with Melinda since the day they met. All the laughs, all the tears, everything. He could still remember the clothes she wore when they collided at the Academy. Did that mean something?
Suddenly feeling incredibly tired, Phil got up and stumbled to his room. Melinda had left a lamp on for him, and it cast a dim glow over the space. She was curled up on one of the beds, but Phil knew she wasn’t sleeping. Even if she actually decided to get some sleep tonight, she would wait for him to be in the room before she did. She would wait to make sure he was safe.
Was that love? Always looking out for the other person at the expense of yourself? Skye seemed to think so.
And Phil wondered if he thought so too.
5.
A crash sounded throughout the Playground. Melinda raised her eyes to meet Phil’s.
“It’s your turn,” they both said at the same time. Melinda scowled.
“Oh, no,” she said. “I dealt with it last time. And the time before that.”
“I think they respond better to you.”
Melinda threw her pen down and sat back in her chair. “You’re the Director, Phil, they should respond to you.”
Another crash. “Not when they’re acting like children.”
Melinda stared at him for a long time. There was a third crash. Phil sighed.
“Alright, fine. But if I’m not back in ten minutes, send back-up.”
He was halfway to the door when his phone rang. Melinda groaned, and Phil smiled sheepishly.
“I should get that,” he said, practically running back into his office. “I wish you luck.”
Cursing Phil the whole way, Melinda walked downstairs and stopped at the bottom, taking in the sight before her.
On one side of the room stood Bobbi, flanked by Skye, Simmons, and Mack. On the other, Hunter and Fitz. Ceramic shards littered the floor, and Melinda realized they used to be their plates. It didn’t take a genius to see that Bobbi and Hunter were fighting again. Bobbi looked positively venomous.
“What is going on here?” Melinda said in her best Agent May voice. The younger agents all froze and turned with wide eyes. She raised her eyebrows, wordlessly commanding them to tell her.
Everyone began speaking at once, and Melinda resisted the urge to rub her temple. She was going to kill Phil for this.
“Stop,” she said. Silence immediately fell. “One at a time.”
“She started it!” Hunter burst out, pointing at Bobbi. Bobbi stared at him incredulously. “She threw a bloody plate at me!”
“Only because you were being an ass.”
“You were being unreasonable.”
“How was I unreasonable? Please, tell me.”
“I’ve tried! You just don’t-”
“Enough,” Melinda said forcefully. The bickering agents had the decency to look ashamed. “You’re telling me we now have three broken plates because you two couldn’t work out your issues?”
Their silence said it all.
“Clear out, everyone,” Melinda said. Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and Mack all scurried from the room. “Hunter, clean this mess up.”
“But, May, I didn’t-”
“I don’t care. I want to talk to Bobbi, and we can’t have broken things lying on the ground like that.” She looked at Bobbi, who had schooled her face into a perfect expressionless mask. Melinda could see the turmoil in her eyes though. She nodded to the door, and Bobbi walked out, throwing one last glare at Hunter as she did.
Melinda followed Bobbi out and led her to the gym. She shut the door behind them and leaned up against it, crossing her arms as she did.
“Want to talk about it?”
Bobbi shook her head and paced restlessly. “There’s nothing to talk about. He can’t get out of his own way, and I can’t deal with it. It’s just like when we were married. I don’t-” She took a shaky breath. “I don’t know why I thought this time would be any different.”
She was putting up a good front, but Melinda could see right through it.
“Because you love him,” she said softly. Bobbi stiffened and ceased her pacing. “You can say it out loud, Bobbi. It’s alright.”
“Feelings get people killed in this line of work,” Bobbi ground out. “That’s why we were fighting, you know. We were almost considering a family. I had suggested that he take less dangerous missions, and he seemed offended by that. He asked if I would do the same, and when I didn’t answer…” She sighed. “Plates flew.”
“Bobbi. Do you love him?”
Bobbi closed her eyes. Melinda watched as she warred with herself before she hung her head.
“Yes.” She looked back up at Melinda. “Yes, I do love him.”
Melinda gave a tiny smile. “Then you should tell him.”
Bobbi scoffed. “I have, but half the time he doesn’t believe me.”
“Then make him believe.” Melinda pushed herself off the door and walked over to Bobbi. “You two need to talk. Really talk. Lay it all out, everything you two are feeling. Then he’ll understand.”
Bobbi thought this over for a moment. She glanced at Melinda and narrowed her eyes.
“You’re not going to lecture me about protocol?”
Melinda shrugged. “Technically there is no protocol. And I think that in our line of work,” she said, purposely calling back Bobbi’s previous words, “we all need someone to help us with the darkness.” She turned stern. “But it can’t interfere with that work.”
Bobbi let out a laugh. “Right.” She tilted her head to the side. “How do you and Coulson do it?”
“Do what?”
“You know, keep your emotions in check.”
Melinda pondered it. “We’ve had a lot of training. We’ve worked together for years. It just became second nature, I guess.”
“But what about when he gets hurt on a mission? Or he does something stupid? Don’t you get mad at him?”
“Oh, I’m usually furious,” Melinda admitted. “But in the end, he’s my partner, and I have his back. There’s nothing more to it.”
Bobbi smiled wistfully. “You two make it look so easy. I wish Hunter and I could be that way.”
Melinda finally began to process what Bobbi meant. She frowned.
“Bobbi, you do know that Coulson and I aren’t in a relationship, right?”
Bobbi smirked. “Sure, May. And I don’t love Hunter.” She leaned closer to Melinda. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, the way you protect him. I know that’s how I look around Hunter. You two deserve to have each other.” She shrugged. “Like you said. In this line of work, we all need someone.”
Bobbi turned and walked to the door, leaving Melinda standing in shock. She paused, looking back at Melinda.
“Thanks, May. For the advice.”
She slipped out of the room. Melinda felt her breathing grow short, and she lowered herself onto the floor.
What?
She didn’t… She couldn’t…. Loving Phil was never part of the plan. Yes, they were close, and she would always care for him. But that didn’t mean she loved him.
Right?
Suddenly all she could think about was him. His blue eyes. His goofy grin. His Captain America obsession. The way he gave her space when she needed it, and the way he gave her the right amount of comfort when she asked for it. Late nights at the Academy, late nights on missions. All of it.
Words from nearly a year ago floated back to her. “You mean a lot to me. A lot.”
Melinda sucked in a breath. Those words still rang true, but they were tainted with something else. They pulled – no, yanked – at her heartstrings, screaming at her to see reason. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her knees.
It made more sense now. Those words had been a cover for what she really meant. A safer proclamation to keep her heart protected. But now it was too late.
I love you, is what she meant. I love you, is what she should’ve said.
+1.
The only sound in the room was the repetitive beeping of the heart monitor. Its constant presence both soothed and killed Phil. He closed his eyes and stretched back in the hard chair. It’s a good thing, it’s a good thing.
One of these days, Phil was going to put a bullet through Grant Ward’s skull. The line of people itching to do that was quite long, but Phil wanted to be at the very front. If it wasn’t for Ward, he wouldn’t be in this mess. If it wasn’t for Ward, Melinda would be awake.
But instead, she was lying on the bed before him, unresponsive. She was in a medically induced coma, with the odds of her waking up uncertain. Several gunshot wounds would do that to a person.
Phil grasped her hand, hating how cold it was. It was not supposed to be this way. She was not supposed to be lying there like she was already gone.
Phil thought nothing could hurt more than Loki’s scepter, but he had been wrong. So very wrong. The ache in his chest surpassed that in every single way. It felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest, like there was a black hole in the center consuming everything.
If his feelings toward Melinda weren’t certain before, they were abundantly clear now.
Her smile flashed through his mind every second he looked at her still face. The moment he followed her across campus on their first day. The time she agreed to dress up as Peggy Carter so he could have a partner for the Halloween costume contest. Their first mission together, when Melinda had been stuck in the bay and cursed him out the whole flight home.
Seeing her again for the first time after New York. Feeling a distance between them that he worked painstakingly to erase.
Everyone had seen it before him. Half the world already assumed they were a couple, and each time someone brought it up, Phil had laughed it off. She’s my best friend, he would always say. Nothing more.
Turns out, she was everything more.
She was his light, his reason to keep fighting the madness. She was his rock, the only thing that kept him from falling apart. She was his partner, always protecting him, always having her back.
She was the love of his life.
“I love you, Melinda,” he whispered. He moved closer, placing his mouth by her ear. “You hear me? I love you. So you need to come back so I can tell you properly. Come back to me. I love you.”
A knock at the door caused him to slide back, though he kept their hands connected. Simmons entered the room, a devastated look crossing her face when her gaze fell upon Melinda.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir.”
“It’s fine, Jemma,” he said hoarsely, his eyes never leaving Melinda.
“It’s time to reverse the coma.”
He swallowed. “Will she wake up?”
A pause. “I don’t know. Ideally, yes, but…”
“There’s always a chance she won’t,” Phil finished. Simmons’ silence was enough to tell him he was right.
For three more days, Melinda slept. For three more days, Phil remained by her side. Different team members cycled through, Skye and Bobbi being the most prominent. Skye brought Phil files to work on, which he was grateful for. She had really stepped up in his and Melinda’s absences. Melinda would be proud.
With each passing day, the hole in Phil’s chest grew. The odds of her waking were shrinking.
He couldn’t live without her. He refused to. A world without Melinda May was hell, and he didn’t want to consider it. But he was terrified that he might have to.
“I love you,” he said. That was all he said now. There was nothing left to say, really. Just that, and “Come back.”
He settled his head on the mattress, right beside her ribs. His left hand was permanently entwined with her right, and his arm stretched across her hips, careful not to disturb any of the wounds.
“I love you. Come back.”
“I love you too.”
It was barely audible, but it was there. Phil’s head flew up. Melinda’s eyes were open, and she had a small smile on her face. Phil clutched her hand with both of his and pressed a kiss to her knuckle.
“God, you’re awake. You’re awake.”
Melinda tried to speak again, but her throat was too sore. As quickly as he could, since he was unwilling to leave her side, he snagged a cup of ice chips Simmons had left out of optimism and fed some to Melinda. After a moment, she finally spoke.
“As if I was going to let Ward kill me.” Phil laughed, happy to see that fire back. A few tears escaped his eyes. Melinda smiled gently. “And I wasn’t done with you.”
Phil sat back down, for his legs could barely hold his weight. “You’re awake.”
Weakly, Melinda raised her free hand and cupped Phil’s cheek.
“I’m awake. I’m here.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Inching forward, Phil did the one thing everyone thought he had already done: He kissed Melinda. And it was perfect.
“Well, it’s about time,” she breathed once they parted. Phil chuckled.
“How long have you known?” he asked. “Because I just figured it out about a week ago.”
“I’ve known for a couple of months,” she admitted. “The day Bobbi and Hunter had their big fight.”
“Which one?”
She rolled her eyes. Just like old times. “You know the one.”
They were quiet for a while, simply reveling in being together.
“So, where do we stand, exactly?” Phil probed. Melinda squeezed his hand.
“I think we’re in a relationship.”
“Oh, good. That’s what I was hoping.”
Melinda giggled, something Phil hadn’t heard in a very long time. It repaired the last remnants of the hole, instead filling him with immense joy.
“Should we tell the others?” he asked.
“Bobbi already thinks we’re dating.”
“Skye too. She’s thought that from the very beginning.”
Melinda shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement. “Makes it easier for us then.”
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jessvicman said: OMG you posted it!!!!!! :D I’m so excited!!!! Thanks you!! 😍💜 Yes I did :D !!! I'm so excited to hear what you've got to say !!! sillyjane said: omg, can’t wait to read the rest (: Well thank you :D .. The next chapter might take a tiny bit longer but should be up next week :D
CYou can tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to. Hit shuffle on your iPod, iPhone, iTunes, media player, etc and write down the first 10 songs. Then pass this onto 10 people. I was tagged by jessvicman and a nonnie <3
1. Gonna Get Caught - Demi Lovato
2. Wonderland - Taylor Swift
3. All Of Me - The Piano Guys
4. You Know I’m No Good - Amy Winehouse
5. Wir Waren Hier - Cro
6. I Don’t Believe You - Pink
7. House Of Wolves - My Chemical Romance
8. La Fee - Zaz
9. Bailos De Los Pobres - Calle 13
10. Nikdy Nebolo Lepšie - Hex
What am I even listening to? Obviosly all the genres in all the languages...
I’m not tagging anyone but feel free to consider yourself tagged if you want :)
