It’s been almost a year since I’ve posted. Wow. Let’s just say that this hiatus has been brutal, especially for us Philinda fans, and it hasn’t been easy to write fluff, even for me! But since it seems like AU is all we can cling to in this depressing time, here’s a new chapter to one of my favorite fics I’ve written. My plans for this fic always make me happy, even when canon is hurting us beyond belief. I really hope you enjoy this and are able to feel a little bit of happiness from reading it!

THANK YOU to my unfailing beta, Liz. I love you so much, girl. And thank you to all of you SO SO MUCH for all of your absolutely wonderful comments you’ve already left on this fic!!

This chapter is dedicated to my favorite Mama Bear, Melinda May, and the person who no doubt is a huge reason why I love Phil Coulson so much, Julie Coulson. Happy Mother’s Day to these mothers, and to all you wonderful mothers as well!

Also on AO3.

“What are you drawing, Mr. Phil?” Daisy peeked over his shoulder curiously.

“Hang on, you’ll know in one…second…there.” Phil looked at her and grinned proudly. “It’s been a while since I’ve tried to draw it, but I think I did pretty well!”

It was late, the setting sun spilled golden light into the playroom as they sat together in comfortable silence. Daisy had been restless and missing her mom more acutely today, so Phil suggested she try and make a drawing for her before they got ready for dinner. She agreed and immediately pulled out her art supplies. Phil had been working on a list of needs for a cupcake order for a bit before he decided he may as well try his hand with the markers as well.

Daisy’s head tilted to the side as she examined his drawing. “You made a plate with a star?”

Phil’s mouth dropped open, offended. “That’s Captain America’s shield. The best superhero mankind has ever known! Are you telling me you’ve never seen Captain America?”

Daisy shook her head and giggled at Phil’s obvious shock.

“Well,” Phil finally said, “we’re gonna need to fix that for sure. Hmph!” He stood up and stretched. “I’m going to go see if our lasagna is ready yet. Do you want to come or stay and finish your drawing?”

“I wanna stay. I have to finish this for Mommy.” Daisy answered, her concentration already back on her artwork.

“Okay,” Phil smiled softly at her before he stood and made his way to the kitchen. It had only been a few weeks since he’d started watching Daisy, but he already felt a strong attachment to her. He hated to see her sad and would do just about anything to make her smile. Children are the easiest people to love, his mother always said.

Since he was thinking about it…Phil pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and hit “Mom” from his speed dial. It rang as he opened the oven.

“Phil, honey, aren’t you still supposed to be working?”

Phil smiled at his mother’s worried voice. “I am, Daisy’s just in the other room while I check on the lasagna I made.”

“Oh, is that what you’ve called for? I’ve told you if you want to make it less soupy you need to -”

“Undercook the noodles, I know, Mom. Thanks.” He took out the pan and set it on the counter, checking it on all sides.

“And don’t forget to-”

“Let it stand for a while, I remember.”

Phil heard her huff slightly. “Well…I suppose you did learn from the best.”

He laughed in amusement. “I know I did.”

As Phil decided he was satisfied with the lasagna, he explained to his mom about his discussion with Daisy.

“You still have my Captain America comics and videos, right?”

“As if you’d ever let me throw those old things away,” Julie responded affectionately. “Should I mail them to you?”

“That would be great. Thanks, Mom. You know I’d love to come see you, but between working at the shop and watching Daisy…” Phil leaned against the kitchen counter and sighed.

“You’re exhausted.” She finished for him. “Please make sure you rest, Phil. I can tell you’re happy with what you’re doing, but don’t let it kill you. Or I’ll have to march over there and and force you to rest myself.”

Phil laughed and felt some of the weariness lift off his shoulders. His mother always had a gift for that.

“Oh yes, and how is, ah, Dr. May doing these days?” Phil rolled his eyes at her obviously teasing question and was about to sass back when he heard a noise from behind him.

“Mr. Phil?”

He turned and smiled at Daisy in the doorway, looking at him curiously. “Who’re you talking to?”

“I’m talking to my mom. Would you like to say ‘hi’?”

Daisy looked hesitant, but she nodded and moved closer to him.

“Mom, I’m going to put you on speaker, Daisy wanted to say ‘hello.’”

“Oh, Daisy! I’ve heard so much about you!” Julie’s voice came through the phone, her excitement causing the little girl to smile shyly.

“Hi, Mr. Phil’s mom.” Daisy said cautiously.

“Aren’t you just the most precious. Phil tells me you like playing soccer, is that true?”

“Uh huh.” Daisy looked at Phil, who smiled reassuringly.

“Tell me, who usually wins when you two play together?”

A grin crept up on Daisy’s face at the question, “Me! I get goals on Mr. Phil all the time.” She leaned closer to the phone and said in a stage whisper, “He’s not very good.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Hey!” Phil protested while Julie and Daisy giggled together. He huffed in mock offense. “Okay, time to say goodbye, we have dinner to get ready for.”

“Goodbye, Daisy, it was so nice to speak with you.”

“Bye!”

Phil held the phone back up to his ear. “Bye, Mom. Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon, dear. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Phil hung up and faced Daisy once more. “So, you think I’m a bad soccer player, huh?”

Daisy nodded, her eyes sparkling with confidence.

“Well, then. I call a rematch tomorrow after school.”

“You’re on!” Daisy responded with her hands on her hips.

“All right, now let’s set this table for dinner.”

Melinda stepped into the house and hung up her keys that night, sniffing the air.

Italian? She thought.

It had become somewhat of a game to her, guessing what amazing meal Coulson had cooked up for that night. In her own realistic (or pessimistic, as Maria and Pepper would say) mind, she’d told herself not to get used to Coulson’s cooking, as surely he would get tired of trying to impress them and the delicious dinners would become more and more infrequent, but it had been weeks now and he was just as hard working. And obliging. And so good with Daisy. And-

Melinda cut herself off from that train of thought.

“Right on time.” Coulson’s smile was ready and waiting for her as she stepped into the kitchen, along with a plate full of lasagna and vegetables in his hand.

“Mama!” Daisy’s excited greeting was the only warning she had before her daughter slammed into her arms.

“Hello to you too, Daisy.” Melinda lifted Daisy and kissed her cheek, relishing the feel of her two little arms hugging her neck. She sighed and felt herself relax. This was all the therapy she needed after a long day.

“I missed you, Mama.” Daisy said, her voice wobbling.

“I missed you too, xiǎo huā .” Melinda held her tighter and ran a comforting hand through her daughter’s long hair. She waited until Daisy’s grip on her loosened before asking, “Did you have another good day at school?”

Daisy nodded and finally slid out of her mother’s embrace to return to her food sitting on their breakfast table. “I finished all my work and Mrs. Weaver gave me time on the computer today!” Melinda smiled briefly as her daughter picked up a half-eaten piece of bread from her plate.

“Daisy, I told you earlier that you can’t just fill up on the garlic toast. Eat some of those vegetables too.” Coulson spoke to the girl firmly as he set the other plate down on the table. Melinda was pleased, although she kept her face unreadable, that Coulson was encouraging healthy habits. Too many babysitters took the easy way out and let children eat whatever they wanted while they watched them. Melinda liked knowing she wasn’t the only “bad guy” when it came to eating better.

The little girl pouted Melinda’s way, as if asking for her to overrule what Coulson said. She merely raised an eyebrow back in response. Daisy sighed, but set the bread down and took her fork to the cooked food.

“We had a great day too, by the way,” Coulson motioned for Melinda to take a seat at the table, which she did without protest, eagerly anticipating the tasty-looking meal. “But there is one issue I have to bring up.”

Melinda paused and looked up at him. He wiped his hands on a towel before throwing it back over his shoulder, his tone and facial expressions serious. She turned her body toward him and nodded to show she was listening.

Coulson folded his arms and leaned back on the kitchen counter. “How does your daughter not know who Captain America is?”

Melinda blinked. “…Excuse me?” She let out a short, confused laugh. “You mean, that one superhero from those comics?”

“He’s not just one of those superheroes, he’s Captain America! And there’s more than comics, he has his own action figures, trading cards, TV show…how could you let this poor girl grow up without knowing one of the greatest men in history? It’s a huge oversight, Dr. May.” Coulson’s indignant speech amused Melinda to no end. She had sensed some nerdiness in him since their first meeting, now she knew where it stemmed from…superheroes, evidently.

“Infictional history, you mean.” Melinda couldn’t stop herself from teasing him, just a little.

He opened his mouth to retort, but Daisy piped up from her chair excitedly. “Mr. Phil says Captain America has a shield! And he uses it to protect himself from bullets, and he can hit bad guys on the head with it!” Melinda smiled at her enthusiasm. “His mommy is going to send some movies and comic books to us so we can read them!”

“With your permission first, of course.” Coulson interjected quickly, looking slightly embarrassed at the mention of his mother.

Melinda thought about it for a moment. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d watched or cared about a superhero franchise, but she had a few fond memories from her younger days of Peggy telling her about the different comics and shows, and she had actually enjoyed reading about the secret agents who worked alongside the powered characters. Melinda couldn’t remember any negatives about Captain America off the top of her head, and at this point, she knew and trusted Coulson enough to have good judgement about what to show her daughter.

“Please, Mommy?” Daisy’s big brown eyes begged her to say yes, and Melinda couldn’t stop a laugh from escaping as Coulson crouched behind Daisy’s chair and raised his eyebrows, mimicking her sad puppy dog look.

“Please?” He echoed.

Melinda held up her hand in surrender. “Fine.”

Daisy squealed and high-fived Coulson, whose blue eyes then beamed her way.

Melinda shook her head to fight a smile and broke their eye contact in favor of looking at her plate. “Can I eat my dinner now?”

“Of course!” Coulson stood back up and moved to check on the oven. “I have a fresh batch of garlic bread that will be done in just a few minutes.”

“Enough time for you to eat some too then,” Melinda stated. Her tone didn’t allow for protest. “Sit and eat.”

Coulson had begun resisting less and less when it came to eating with them, Melinda was pleased to note. She didn’t think it was fair for him to prepare the whole meal and not enjoy it along with them.

“Yes, ma’am.” Coulson served a plate and set it down on the other side of Daisy, across from Melinda.

“So, what’s so great about Captain America?” Melinda asked as she took a bite of lasagna.

And thus opened the floodgates.

If she didn’t already know how talkative Coulson could be, she sure knew now, she mused to herself.

Somehow, the stream of conversation didn’t bother her as much as it usually would with other people. Melinda sat and listened to his passionate views (in between interjections from her 4-year-old), saw the enthusiastic way his hands gestured and his eyes lit up even brighter than before, and found herself weighing in and becoming engaged in a conversation about supernatural powers, responsibility, morals, character, history, right and wrong, and more. They were so engrossed in their debate that Phil nearly burned the garlic bread before she reminded him. Their conversation continued long after Daisy had lost interest and went to play by herself, and went on as they finished their food and cleaned the kitchen together.

“Oh wow.” Coulson winced as he finished hanging the kitchen towel in its place on the stove, and catching a glimpse at the clock in the process. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you so long talking about, well-”

“Your obsession.” Melinda cut him off with a smirk as she slid the container of extra lasagna into the fridge.

Coulson grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. Melinda noticed his face looked more pink than it had a minute ago. “Yeah…not my most selling characteristic, I’ve been told. I usually start losing people after the first sentence.” He laughed self-consciously.

“It’s fine, Coulson. If I didn’t think it was interesting, I would’ve made it clear.” Melinda leaned back on the counter, chuckling internally at his embarrassment. Just to reassure him, she added, “I didn’t mind. And I’m a good listener.”

“Yeah, you are. And a great debater.” Coulson grinned at her.

Melinda cleared her throat to stop herself from smiling back too long. “Plus, I should know what kind of values they depict Captain America having anyway, since Daisy will be watching and reading about him.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.” Coulson nodded seriously. “I know how impressionable children are at this age and I wouldn’t show her anything that could potentially be a bad influence on her.”

“I believe you.” Melinda answered simply.

They stood there for another moment before Coulson excused himself to go say goodnight to Daisy.

As he walked away, Melinda mulled over the decision she’d been trying to make for a week now—whether or not she trusted Coulson to take care of Daisy more full time, which would include watching her at the house during Melinda’s night shift.

It was a big step for her—allowing someone else to be in charge of her daughter’s safety throughout the night—but she had a gut feeling about him. That he would be good for Daisy, and by extension, good for her as well. And her instincts were almost always right. Plus, she didn’t want to depend on Peggy’s good graces forever. Melinda knew her friend loved Daisy like another daughter, but she didn’t need to have her sleeping at her house at least once a week, every week. No, as hard as it was for her, Melinda knew it was time to take a leap of faith with Phi–Coulson, she corrected herself firmly–and see if this arrangement would work out or not.

Decision made, Melinda joined Coulson and walked out the front door to speak with him.

“I have something to ask you.” She hesitated, but then continued when he turned toward her. “It’s been close to a month since you’ve started watching Daisy and she’s clearly taken with you. I don’t think she was even this happy with Hannah watching her. And I have been happy with your service as well.”

Coulson half-smiled and looked down humbly. “Thank you. She’s an incredible kid, and she makes it easy.” He looked up at her, blue eyes sincere. “You’ve raised her extremely well.”

Melinda’s lips quirked up. “Thank you. I was wondering…what would you think about staying the night here? That is,” Melinda hurriedly finished as Coulson’s eyes widened a fraction. “For Daisy, I mean, to watch her during my overnight shift tomorrow?” Who’s the awkward conversationalist now? Melinda thought grimly to herself. “And instead of babysitter, I’d officially hire you as her nanny, which of course would come with a pay increase. I know you have your other job too, but…”

Thankfully, Coulson was already nodding with the close-lipped smile that somehow still managed to make his eyes crinkle at the corners. “Absolutely. I’d be honored.”

“Great.” Melinda smiled back in relief. “Would you be able to come tomorrow around 2:30 and we can discuss more details?”

“Deal.” Coulson held out his hand to shake.

She took it. “Deal.”

“Goodnight, Dr. May.” Coulson sent her one last grin before he walked away.

“Bye, Mr. Phil!” Daisy ran up behind Melinda to wave one last time. He waved back and disappeared into his car.

Melinda shut the door with a slight smile and then turned and spoke in Mandarin. “Time for bed, Daisy.” She said seriously.

“First come see the picture I made for you!” Daisy pulled on Melinda’s hand until they reached her bedroom. “Mr. Phil only helped me with the words a little bit! Here’s you and me and our house, and I’m giving you a flower, and this says ‘I love you.’ Mr. Phil said he didn’t know how to help me write it in Mandarin though.”

“Ohh, little flower, this is beautiful.” Melinda felt a slight sting of tears at Daisy’s shy, but proud smile and the stick figures on the page. Melinda took Daisy into her lap and wrapped her arms around her, soaking up this sweet moment with her baby. All the secret thoughts and doubts that plagued her every day about what a terrible mother she was became insignificant here, snuggled with the most important person in the world to her.

Melinda looked at the picture again. “Who is this right here?” She pointed to another figure on the page that had several circles drawn next to it.

“That’s Mr. Phil. He’s making us cookies to eat.”

Melinda laughed and pressed several kisses onto Daisy’s smiling cheeks. “Of course he is. How about we put this on our fridge and then get ready for storytime?”

Daisy nodded obligingly (even though Melinda knew it wouldn’t be that easy to put her to bed, it never was with her and her active little body. But at least she would be less likely to lose her mind about it tonight thanks to this precious moment), and they held hands all the way to the kitchen.

You all are so amazing for being patient with this story. Slowly but surely it’s being written and posted! I so hope you all are enjoying this fluff piece. I know I love writing it, and I am so encouraged by all your comments! Thank you so, SO much!!

Thank you, of course, to @philinda​, for always being there to read my drafts! I love you.

Also on AO3.

“I have an SUV, you really think it’s a good idea to whip right in front of me, lady in the tiny car?” Phil muttered darkly to himself, finger tapping on the steering wheel in frustration as he applied the brakes…again.

Phil had been a full time history teacher for a few years after college, and still worked as a substitute every now and then when he could. He had many fond memories of his students and the content he taught, but pretty much everyone could agree that public school teaching wasn’t for the faint of heart. He’d dealt with many challenges as a teacher that helped him grow and mature over the years.

However, nothing he’d learned during his teaching career prepared him for the utter vexation of a primary school car loop.

Phil decided to just park where he was and grumble a few more complaints about the competency of the other drivers until he spotted Daisy and her teacher walking down the sidewalk beside the line of cars. He smiled and stepped out of the vehicle, annoyance forgotten, reaching out to shake the teacher’s hand.

“Hi, there. Phil Coulson.”

“Anne Weaver.” She returned his greeting. “Ms. May told us you’d be picking up Daisy today, and security told me you were cleared with them earlier.” The teacher looked down at Daisy, smiling. “She mentioned something about chocolate chip cookies?”

“That’s right! We’re going to make some this afternoon.” Phil grinned and squatted down in front of the little girl. “You ready to go?”

Daisy nodded bashfully before letting go of Ms. Weaver’s hand. Phil stood, opened the door, and helped her into her car seat, taking her backpack and ooh-ing over her art project. She waved goodbye to her teacher and, through some maneuvering, Phil was finally able to pull out of the exasperating line of cars.

Daisy seemed to be a bit more shy without May around, Phil noticed quickly. But with some patience, soon enough her answers became less “yes” and “no”’s, and more full length stories about school.

“So Wanda and Pietro are brother and sister?” Phil continued their conversation as they picked a shopping cart.

“Uh huh, they’re twins. But they don’t look the same. Ms. Weaver says it’s because they’re fur-furturner twins.”

Phil couldn’t completely stop his smile from emerging as he hoisted Daisy up onto the seat of the cart. She butchered the word, but she looked so proud of herself for using it that he swallowed his laugh down. “Oh, that’s a big word! So they’re fraternal twins?”

“Yep.” Daisy confirmed.

“Are they good friends with you?” Phil asked as they made their way into the store.

“Mhmm. But not as good as Jemma and Fitz, and Trip.” Daisy looked at him seriously. “They’re my bestfriends.”

Phil nodded solemnly. “It’s great to have a lot of good friends too.”

Daisy nodded with him, but then her eyes quickly darted to the bakery section of the store. “Can I get a cookie?”

Phil chuckled. “Isn’t that why we’re here? We’re going to get ingredients to make our own cookies. Homemade is always better, trust me.”

“Okay.” She was silent for a minute. “How long do homemade cookies take?”

Phil let out another quiet laugh. “Don’t worry, Daisy. We’ll have fun making them, I promise. Do you think you can hold this bag of flour? It’s pretty heavy.”

He managed to keep the four-year-old entertained through the store and on the way home. Once they got back to the house and took out all their ingredients, Daisy was more than ready to begin the cookie making process.

Phil looked at their assembled ingredients. “Perfect. Now we need measuring cups and a mixing bowl.”

“I know where the bowls are!” Daisy chirped happily, opening up one of the lower cabinets.

The two of them set to work. After finding the measuring cups, Phil gave Daisy instructions on amounts and she followed them perfectly—even if she did end up with a little bit of flour on herself and the counter…and the floor.

He was surprised at how much he enjoyed conversing with Daisy. She was bright and enthusiastic, and very willing to help. Truth be told, Phil usually preferred to be by himself in the kitchen, but Daisy was a perfect little assistant, and he told her just as much as they slid the last tray into the oven.

Daisy’s face blossomed into one of her infectious smiles as she beamed at him.

“I like to help bake things. Mommy doesn’t do it a lot.” Her tone became very matter-of-fact. “She’s not a very good cook. Aunt Nat said she made the oven get on fire one time.”

Phil laughed out loud. “Oh, really?”

“Yep. But that was when I was a really little baby.”

Now that was intriguing. May seemed like the kind of person who could do anything and everything. It was interesting to find out she wasn’t completelyperfect.

“That sounds like a fascinating story I’d like to hear sometime.” Phil said as he checked the timer. “Hey, since we’ve got a few minutes till the cookies are ready, why don’t you show me around your house a little more?”

“Okay!”

Naturally, Daisy wanted to show Phil her room first. It was fairly spacious, with toys scattered around. A large dollhouse was in one corner, a child-sized kitchen against the wall near it, and a dress up clothes bin near her closet. Two bean bags sat on the floor by a bookshelf bursting (literally, as there were several books on the floor as well) with all kinds of different children’s books, and several other fun play things that Daisy showed him.

Taking note of the recurring color Phil noticed on her bedspread, walls, and other decor, he came to a quick conclusion. “Your favorite color isn’t blue, is it?” He asked, teasingly.

Daisy nodded and grinned. “Yes! Like the sky!”

Phil laughed. “Speaking of, do you want to show me what your backyard looks like? Then I think the cookies will be ready.”

Daisy agreed and led him back to the kitchen where two glass, French-styled doors opened up to reveal a fenced, wooden back porch with a grill, picnic table shaded by an umbrella, and some comfortable-looking brown wicker seats. The porch had one wide set of stairs leading to the ground that was visible from the kitchen, and once Phil stepped out, he also spotted a smaller, spiral staircase on the far side of the long porch as well.

“Wow,” He murmured to himself as he looked around. “What a set up.” He realized quickly that the hill that led up to the front of May’s house cleverly disguised how spacious the back was. The landscaping was very well kept, there were a few trees that gave nice shade in different spots on the yard, and he spotted a garden on the side with the spiral staircase. Phil was impressed by the sheer amount of thinking and planning this beautiful house must have taken.

“We have a pool too!” Daisy pointed down at a path that led to an above ground pool off to the side of their yard. “Mama says in summer I have to take swimming lessons, so I can go in without my floaties.”

“Are you excited to learn how to swim?” Phil questioned. Her tone made him think she wasn’t too thrilled with the idea.

Daisy shrugged her little shoulders. “I like my floaties.”

Phil smiled and was about to answer when he heard the beepof the timer. Daisy jerked and locked eyes with him.

“Cookies!” She squealed and dashed back inside.

After taking them out and letting them cool for a few minutes, Phil gave Daisy the OK to take a bite.

“MMMMM.” She said, mouth full of chocolate.

“Agreed.” Phil answered, swallowing a bite of his own cookie. “Thanks to my good helper, we made the perfect chocolate chip cookies! Now what we need is a glass of milk to go with it. Here, I’ll show you how to dunk it without letting it fall in…”

Melinda clicked the button to open her garage door and sighed with exhaustion. It had been a long day at the hospital with various different emergencies that required her attention. As one of the more experienced neonatologists at Providence Hospital, her judgement had been needed several times throughout the day. But that was normal, everyday stress. However, Daisy–and Coulson–had also been on her mind all day, and that worry was enough to keep her on edge throughout the majority of her shift. As she parked the car, she wondered for the thousandth time what she would walk in to when she got inside.

Almost every time Melinda had left Daisy with a trial nanny before, all it would take was stepping back into the house on the first day to know whether it would work out or not. The house had either been a mess, Daisy still hadn’t eaten dinner and was watching her third movie that day, Daisy disliked the person and wouldn’t let go of Melinda as soon as she saw her (the most frequent reaction), or one time Melinda found out later that the babysitter allowed Daisy to do and eat whatever she wanted around the house while she had looked at her phone and watched TV the whole day.

Hannah, her previous nanny, had been the only successful babysitter so far. And she had been an easy find because they were introduced at one of Maria’s self defense classes. Both Maria and Hannah’s previous employers spoke highly of her, and she got along well with Daisy and Melinda until she decided to move out of state to be closer to her family and fiancé. Since then, Melinda had been trying desperately to find someone else to fill her shoes, but the candidates were all woefully inadequate.

Melinda had never been very trusting of new people in the first place, but through her various bad experiences, she was now even more wary of new sitters. What if Coulson turned out to be no better than them?

Or, potentially worse, what if he would make a great nanny, but she ruined it with how she spoke to him this morning? Melinda hated second-guessing herself, but her words to Coulson had replayed in her mind all day. She hadn’t lied to him, of course. The safety and well-being of her child was her top priority and she wasn’t afraid to say so. And there wasn’t anything wrongwith Coulson having a bit of healthy fear of her, but she hadn’t meant to sound so cold or harsh. Melinda was well aware of what people thought of her–especially the interns and residents at the hospital. They worked well together professionally, but most thought of her as icy and intimidating, and probably heartless as well. It hurt sometimes, but she’d learned to ignore their hushed whispers and gossip, and how they usually found a way to excuse themselves when she was around.

For some reason though, she didn’t want this man to have that same opinion of her.

After all, she reasoned to herself, it could affect the way he treated Daisy, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Melinda hesitated as she put a hand on the door knob, then rolled her eyes at herself for being so dramatic and pushed the door open.

The first thing that hit her was the smell. Sweet and syrupy.

The second thing she heard was giggles and clapping. Melinda peeked into Daisy’s room as she passed by, doing a double take when she saw the clean carpet. The toys and books were all lined up and put away where they belonged. It had been a while since her daughter’s room had been that orderly without Melinda’s help.

Melinda hung up her car keys and made her way through the hallway and to the kitchen quietly, beginning to make out some of the conversation.

“It’s all in the wrist action. Watch.” A slapping sound came next. “Ta-da!”

“Do it again!”

“Okay, last time. Then we need to eat.” Coulson’s voice became louder as Melinda neared the kitchen. She stopped in the archway and watched as Coulson flipped a pancake into the air, his position and concentration making him oblivious to her presence. He and Daisy had matching grins as he tossed it up a few times, the pancake gaining altitude with every turn in the air. Melinda waited one more moment before clearing her throat.

Startled by the sudden noise, Coulson lost his focus and flicked the pan a bit too hard.

The result was a full-sized pancake landing right on his face.

Daisy burst into laughter, and Melinda couldn’t help but laugh along at Coulson’s red face and Daisy’s mirth. “I see you two have been having fun.”

“Mommy!” Daisy hopped off the bar stool she had been sitting in and ran to hug her. “Mama, Mr. Phil and I made cookies and pancakes! And he let me walk next to him at the store and then hold the chocolate because I was being a good helper. And we played with my soccer ball outside!” As Daisy began rattling off more activities they’d done that day, Melinda picked her up and smiled warmly at Coulson, who was still blushing and wiping butter off his face.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t hear the door open. I, uh, I was on a roll and everything.” He joked after gaining some composure.

“I saw that. All in the wrist, you said?” The teasing words left her mouth before she could stop them.

“Oh, yeah. It takes talent andpractice, you know.” Coulson smiled, but Melinda could see a blush creeping back up his face. He turned back toward the stove. “I’m sorry she hasn’t eaten yet, but we were just about to sit down.”

“Mr. Phil says I have to eat the eggs.” Daisy made a face at Melinda.

“Mr. Phil is right,” Melinda confirmed, stroking Daisy’s hair away from her face. “And I see he put out some strawberries and blueberries for you too. You like those.”

“These are good scrambled eggs, Daisy. You’ll like them.” Coulson promised, showing her a plate with one small pancake, eggs, and fruit. “I forgot bacon while we were at the store, otherwise we’d have that too.”

“This looks great. Here, Daisy. Let’s have you eat at the table.” Melinda took the plate from Coulson and ushered her to a chair, then supervised her as she poured a small amount of syrup on her pancake. A moment later, Coulson set a full plate down in front of Melinda. She nearly protested before she saw how delicious it all looked.

“I wasn’t sure how you liked your eggs, so I figured scrambled was pretty safe. And they’re pretty good, if I do say so myself.” He grinned and turned away before she could answer.

Melinda stared down at the plate and thought about the protein bar and sandwich from lunch that had digested long ago. The sight of real food immediately sent her stomach into a ravenous state. It didn’t take her long to give in, taking one bite of the eggs and letting out a quiet, happy sigh.

“Aren’t you going to sit down and eat too?” Melinda asked Coulson, who was moving between the stove and sink, cleaning up.

He shook his head, “Oh no, I ate a few pancakes already. Thanks. Being the cook has perks.”

“And you ate three chocolate chip cookies!” Daisy piped up.

“Wow, ratted out by a four-year-old.” Coulson put his hand on his heart as if he’d been wounded, causing Daisy to grin.

“Almost five!” Daisy clarified.

“Analmost five-year-old.” Coulson amended, a smile tugging at his lips.

Melinda smiled at her daughter and asked her about school while they ate. After Melinda had eaten about half her plate and her hunger abated, she stood up and insisted that Coulson didn’t have to clean.

“I don’t mind,” he protested.

“Really,” Melinda interrupted. “You cooked, I can clean. We have a dishwasher anyway. You should go home, it’s already later than we agreed to. I apologize for that.”

“No need. It was a pleasure.” Coulson assured her, finally surrendering the kitchen towel from his shoulder. Daisy smiled and waved goodbye from her seat as Melinda led him out of the kitchen.

“She really is a lot of fun, no trouble at all,” Coulson babbled as they walked to the front door. “And I promise I don’t only make sweet things. I’ll make sure she eats healthy too.”

“And here I thought you were only a baker.”

“Well, yes. But I enjoy both cooking and baking. My mom taught me both, plus I, uh,” Coulson rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m one of Food Network’s most dedicated viewers. It’ll be fun to try new recipes for someone other than myself.”

Melinda let out a small huff of amusement. “Well, it seems like Daisy enjoyed being with you. So…same time tomorrow?”

“Absolutely.” Coulson looked pleased. “Have a good night.”

“You too. And Coulson?” He turned back toward her. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”

“You’re welcome. Leftover cookies are in the fridge.” He grinned one last time and left.

Melinda had worked with people of all kinds long enough to have pretty good instincts about them, and her gut feelings almost always proved to be correct one way or another. Coulson seemed like a good man, and he hadn’t acted afraid or hostile toward her after her stern words this morning, which was a bonus. She was still cautious, but she had to admit she was impressed by him.

Melinda shut and locked the door behind Coulson, deep in thought. She made her way back to Daisy and kissed her on the cheek, speaking in Mandarin. “ You like Mr. Phil, little flower? ”

Daisy nodded and ate a strawberry. “ He’s fun, and he plays dolls with me! ”

Melinda half-smiled and thoughtfully took another bite of her pancake.

Pepper looked up from her tablet as Tony entered their bedroom. She smiled at her husband and set her device down on her lap, “That didn’t take long. How boring wasyour bedtime story?”

“I tell the best stories, thank you very much.” Tony slid into bed next to her and poked her side, eliciting a small laugh from her. “He was just extra tired from school today. They’re exploring friction with race cars this week for science. He and Jemma probably questioned their poor teacher to death about it.”

“He knows they’re gifted, he must be used to it by now.” Pepper shrugged and turned to set her tablet down on the nightstand.

Tony circled his arms around her quickly, trapping her arms at her side and pulling her close to him. He rained kisses onto the top of her head as he spoke. “I love when you don’t have to work the night shift. Have I mentioned that? I can’t remember.”

“Only every chance you get.” Pepper squirmed in his arms until she was facing him, an affectionate smile on her face as she kissed him gently. “I like it too.”

Their kisses grew more heated and Tony was in the middle of pressing his lips to her neck when Pepper’s cell phone rang.

“Oh, that must be Phil!” Pepper immediately pulled away, leaving a confused and pouty Tony leaning on his elbow.

“‘Phil?’ I thought we agreed to call him ‘Mr. Coulson’ as an example to Fitz. And what’s he calling you for anyway? It’s late.”

Pepper shushed him and answered the phone. “Phil, hey! How did it go today?”

“Hey Pepper, I think I might be in love.”

Pepper’s mouth fell open and she hit Tony’s chest so hard he grunted. She gripped his shirt to steady herself, a grin starting to form on her lips. “In love? Already?” She repeated breathlessly. Oh man, wait till I tell Natasha. We both knew it was going to happen, but this soon? We’re better matchmakers than we even thou—

“Yes. May’s house is incredible . I couldn’t have designed it better myself! Her backyard is amazing and the kitchen has everything you could want!” He gushed.

Pepper deflated instantly. What a jerk, playing with her emotions like that. “Oh. Wow. Well, I’m glad you like it so much.” She shook herself, adopting a more cheerful tone. “How was Daisy? And May?”

“Good! Daisy and I had a great time. I think we get along really well. May seemed pleased enough…tonight anyway. Made me kinda nervous this morning.”

“Oh?”

“Yup. She threatened me… very convincingly. I think I know what Tony was trying to warn me about. But don’t tell him I said that.”

Pepper shot Tony an annoyed look. He was still rubbing his chest, but he smiled back innocently.

“But I think it’s a good quality–the protectiveness, I mean. And Daisy is a sweetheart.”

Pepper smiled again in victory before she heard Phil yawn through the phone. “Well, I’m glad to hear it went so well! Get some rest. It sounds like you’ll need it.”

Phil chuckled. “Yeah, for sure. Thanks again, Pepper. Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams, Phil!” She hung up and set her phone down before turning back towards Tony.

“I can’t believe you hit me.” Her husband complained. “I bruise easily, you know.”

Pepper suppressed a smile and slid her hand under his shirt to stroke the skin at his chest. “Sorry, honey. I got a little excited.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You’re not seriously trying to set May up with Phil are you? She’s not his type. Plus, he’s a big talker, and May hatesthat. I would know.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “She might hate it when youtalk, Tony. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I try to set anyone up? Also, what do you know about Phil’s type?” Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Pepper interrupted him. “Actually, nevermind. I’m up to nothing, so you don’t need to worry about it.” If Tony knew all the schemes she and Natasha had cooked up, he’d ruin all their plans before they could work. It’d be much better if he knew nothing.

Tony still looked suspicious, but Pepper’s lips on his distracted his questioning thoughts, and soon his protests were rendered insignificant.

letdidier:

About the “I Love You” scene

Okay, so. There’s some things that I’d like to comment and if I don’t write it somewhere I’m probably gonna explode.

First of all, I really appreciate the fact that before May talked about herself, she said “people that love you”. She didn’t say names in here, but she was talking mostly about Daisy. Don’t @ me. The philindaisy fam is real. This whole discussion was basically mom and dad fighting and we all know that.

Second:Phil kept trying to interrupt. May was 100% right in this whole conversation, and Phil insisted on trying to defend himself, to the point where Melinda had to practically tell him to shut up. Even so, he did not give up… and I’m kind of curious to know what he was going to say the last time she interrupted him (it certainly wasn’t better than her CONFESSION, but I’m still curious about it).

Third: The way she said it. Damn, I love that she was so angry and so emotional at the same time. She didn’t break. She didn’t seem vulnerable, at all. She is so damn sure about her feelings, you could see it all over her face. It’s one of the most solid love confessions I have ever seen, and the fact that it came from Melinda May, who suppressed her feelings for years is even more awesome. She didn’t need Radcliffe telling her to forget about honor or duty this time, she did it all by herself and there was not an inch of doubt about saying it out loud. No hesitation, not at all. She went straing on point, looking him in the eye. I loved that certainty in a way that I don’t think I can express with words.

Fourth: She actually shut him up. And I do have a lot to say about this. Startinh with: WHAT AN ICONIC PHRASE. Damn it. I actually screamed when she said it, but, anyway, moving on: I love that she didn’t expect to hear it back. It’s that old thing: she didn’t say it to hear it back, she said it to make sure that he knew. And she actually knew that he was oblivious to it. Well, maybe not 100% oblivious, but his reaction showed that he wasn’t even close as being sure about it. And she knows him so well that she was aware he would be shocked. Better: she knew that it was the only way to make him shut up and actually question his actions and decisions. Maybe that’s why she didn’t have a doubt about putting there out in the open like that.

Also, can we please talk about the fact that Phil FROZE? Like, he literally just stood there, frozen still, facing her like an idiot. He was so shocked he wasn’t able to say that he loved her back. He wasn’t able to kiss her. HELL, he wasn’t able to MOVE. The man is so in love with her that I bet his brain fried and his heart melt right there. I love Clark Gregg, from the bottom of my heart, but sometimes I get frustrated with some of his reactions while playing Coulson, and let me tell you: that wasn’t the case. It was far from it. Clark’s acting was perfect, the amout of emotion his eyes carried? Damn it, I’m still admiring the gifsets. And don’t even get me started on Ming’s acting because it was simply flawless. Nothing to say besides that.

I read somewhere (I think it was here in this very website) that the fact that we didn’t see Coulson after that scene probably meant that he was still there, frozen, looking at the same spot Melinda had preciously been. And I have to say, I’m all here for it.

That’s it, guys. If anyone took their time to read this, thank you a lot for keeping up with my freak outs! Love ya <3