#philinda are soulmates

“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.” -Maya Angelou

A collection of four different soulmate stories from different soulmate au prompts.

A/N:  This fic is officially three days late, but it was written in honor of my dear philinda’s birthday. I love you.

Also on AO3.

I. Your tattoo is only half complete and it completes itself the moment you meet your soulmate.

Melinda May’s curiosity about the soulmate tattoo on her wrist had faded long ago.

She was in her thirties, already a successful lawyer, and had no free time to sit and ponder about a soulmate she would likely never meet anyway.

Of course, Melinda had her fair share of fantasies about her soulmate when she was younger-what her tattoo would look like when it was complete (now it just looked like the outline of a raindrop about to trickle off her wrist), if her soulmate would be thrilled or disappointed when they found out she was their other half, if shewould be excited or disappointed…Melinda had wondered all these things in her youth, but it was time to face reality. And reality, at this present moment, was staring at her rather rudely in the face.

“You want me to do what?”

“You heard me, May. These kind of opportunities don’t come often, and we’d be fools not to take him up on his offer. He’s been very successful.” Fury leaned back in his chair, staring one of the top lawyers in his firm, daring her to disagree.

Melinda’s voice was stiff and her posture was tense. “I work alone, Nick. It’s what I’ve always done, and I think I’ve succeeded just as well as he has by doing so.” Her arms were crossed, and she had the intimidating stare that had won her several cases in the past at full heat, but Fury seemed unfazed. Melinda shook her head angrily. “What do we even know about this ‘Phil Coulson’?”

“I’ve known him since he was in high school. Had him as an intern for a while. A good man and a good lawyer. He wanted to branch out, find his own niche, so he went to work for Gonzalez’s company. He’s done well there, but now he wants back in with us. And,” Fury pierced her with his gaze. “He wants to work with you. I think you two would make a great team. One that could potentially bring this firm more success than before. Any other questions or concerns?”

Melinda could tell from her boss’s tone that his question was rhetorical. His explanation had provided her more answers than she thought he’d give. Much as she wanted to protest further, it would have to wait. She was still recovering from the sudden proposition of taking on a partner. She’d do research on this, come back with all the reasons why it was a bad idea, and convince Fury of it then. Melinda forced herself to be calm. “Just one, sir. When do I meet him?”

At Fury’s smirk, Melinda felt her dread grow. “I’m glad you asked. He’s waiting in your office now.”

Melinda’s mouth gaped open for a moment before she clenched her jaw and turned on her heel to leave. Fury’s voice stopped her at the threshold of his door. “May,” Melinda turned her head back towards her boss. “I believe you’ll warm up to him. Just make sure you don’t kill him on sight, okay?”

Melinda sent him one last look before stalking out of his office and making her way toward her own. She knew Fury had a sixth sense when it came to business ventures-it was what made him so successful. But she did notneed a partner. And she was going to prove her and Phil Coulson’s incompatibility the first chance she got.

Melinda paused briefly outside her door to straighten her spine and smooth her hair back into its bun before she entered her office.

She immediately spotted the man that was turning her professional life into disarray, looking…not at all like she expected him to. Her mind had conjured up several images of handsome, tall, arrogant-looking man. The lawyer was certainly handsome, but in a very honest way. His suit was a navy blue and his tie had different shades of blue lines striped across. He was several inches taller than she was, but not above average. And the blue eyes that shot her way as she shut her office door were open and genuine, as was his smile.

“Melinda May? I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet-” Coulson started to reach his hand out to her, but Melinda maneuvered around him to stand behind her desk, subtly rubbing the sudden itch she felt on her wrist against her black pencil skirt. “-you.” He finished, studying her closely.

Melinda cleared her throat and reminded herself that she wanted nothing to do with this man, charming smile or no. “Find anything worthy of note during your investigation of my office?”

The smile vanished, replaced with concern and confusion at her cold tone. “Oh, I didn’t…um, I apologize. Fury seemed to think there wouldn’t be a problem if I waited in here.”

Melinda didn’t appreciate the immediate regret she felt. She didn’t care about Phil Coulson or his feelings, and yet…something inside her wanted to reassure him. “There isn’t.” She stated, but she still crossed her arms in front of her body for good measure.

Phil cocked his head to the side as if he didn’t quite believe her, but he conceded. “I…did see a few books that I thought were interesting. You read Mandarin?”

Melinda nodded once. “I speak it too.”

“That’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to become proficient in another language. I mean, not to brag, but I have been told that my Spanish is mucho bueno .”

Melinda couldn’t help the smile that flickered on her face at his awful accent. The grin Phil sent back to her was delighted, as if it pleased him that he was able to make her smile.

Melinda could already feel the anger draining out of her, so she quickly reasoned with herself. She didn’t necessarily have to be rude to him to convince Fury that they would be a terrible team. They could be friendly and still be ill-suited for each other.

Melinda sighed and relaxed her arms. “I apologize for my unprofessional behavior. I’m still a bit shocked at the notion of us being partners.”

Phil frowned. “You don’t like the idea?”

“I work alone. I always have, and it’s how I work best.” Melinda stated firmly.

It was Phil’s turn to cross his arms. “Have you ever had a partner?”

Melinda raised an eyebrow. “Why would that matter to you?”

“Well how do you know you work best alone if you’ve never tried anything else?”

Melinda felt a spark of anger at his question and opened her mouth to retort, but Phil didn’t give her a chance to answer. He immediately held up his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I’m just, ah. Let’s start over. Hi, I’m Phil Coulson.”

Phil held his hand out over Melinda’s desk for her to take, and something about the intense way his eyes searched hers caused her to relent and meet him in the middle.

Their hands met in a firm handshake. Instead of retracting his hand back immediately, Phil lingered, and Melinda let him…until a sudden burning sensation forced her to withdraw. Melinda gasped and gripped her wrist tightly, squeezing the skin right over her soulmark to try and relieve the pain.

Melinda glanced up at Phil, shocked to see him clawing at his chest. She looked back down at her wrist and her world spun all over again when she saw an addition to her tattoo.

It had completed itself.

What she used to think of as some sort of teardrop had transformed into a very clear infinity sign. And the man, her soulmate, who’d caused it was currently unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the same marking on his chest.

Phil looked up at her, wonder lighting up his blue eyes. “I knew it was you.” He breathed.

Melinda rounded her desk to stand in front of him, unable to tear her gaze from Phil’s black soulmark standing out against his skin in the center of his chest. She didn’t care about the inappropriate position they appeared to be in, right in her own workplace. She held up her wrist beside his chest-a perfect match.

“You…youknew?How?” Melinda blinked rapidly, her thoughts going a mile a minute.

“I followed one of your cases. Watched you in the courtroom.” Phil’s ears turned slightly pink and he began stuttering. “I-I mean, I was presentduring a case that, you know, you happened to be a part of.” He gestured awkwardly and cleared his throat. “You were brilliant. You had the whole audience transfixed on your every word. And the way you presented all your information left no room for an argument. I’ve rarely seen anyone with that kind of powerful presence and…wow, I sound like a stalker.”

A tiny smile crept up Melinda’s face as she shook her head, unable to speak but feeling surprisingly flattered by his rambling.

“Anyway, one time you reached for something and I noticed a marking on your wrist, and it was so familiar.” He reached out cautiously and gently took her wrist in his hand. Melinda let him trace the black tattoo with his fingers, completely captivated by this moment-entranced by his tender touch. “Then I realized what it was and…I had to meet you. Just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming it all up. I already knew I would love to work with you, but this just sealed the deal.” Phil sighed as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “An infinity sign. I always wondered.”

Phil turned his gaze away from her wrist and into her eyes, looking positively elated. “It’s beautiful.” He whispered reverently. He leaned his head down just a bit…

The spell was broken by a knock on Melinda’s door.

“Ms. May? Mr. Fury would like to see you and Mr. Coulson in his office, please.”

“Yes, thank you, Bobbi. We’ll be there shortly.” Melinda said, tearing her eyes away from Phil’s.

Phil dropped her hand and buttoned his shirt back up quickly. “Well, ah, shouldn’t keep the boss waiting, I suppose.”

Melinda nodded and signaled for Phil to walk in front of her. Internally, Melinda reeled from all the revelations from the past 30 minutes. How was she supposed to prove her and Phil’s incompatibility when he was apparently the most compatible person in the world for her?

One thing was for sure: this was definitelygoing to complicate her plan.

II. After meeting your soulmate, you’re able to feel their pain as if their injuries happened to you too, whether it’s a paper cut or a broken leg.

“Coulson?” A female’s voice broke through the fog of pain caused by his two broken ribs. And his sore wrist. And knee, ouch. He didn’t even remember getting hit there.

Phil turned his head and was both delighted and embarrassed to see Melinda May leaning against the door to his hospital room. He was battered and bruised and probably looked like he’d been run over by a truck and-oh no. He was in a lousy hospital gown . Ugh. Not how he wanted to look when he met up with his cru…colleague…again.

“Agent May,” Phil straightened up in the bed and winced at his ribs, not noticing Melinda’s own grimace. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“What’d you do?” Melinda crossed her arms and gestured toward Phil with her chin.

“The usual, you know,” Phil breathed deeply and attempted a smile. “Talked myself out of a couple of bad situations, then the bad situations caught up to me and I had to get my hands dirty a little bit.”

Melinda smirked. “Didn’t have me there to save your-”

Phil interrupted her. “I did pretty well on my own, thanks.” Melinda just smiled at him, and he cursed his heart for beating a little faster because of it. “And you look like you were a little busy anyway.” He raised his eyebrows at bruises on her face.

The woman shrugged and moved into Phil’s room stiffly, closing the door behind her. “One of them got a good kick to my knee. And I landed badly on my hand, may have sprained my wrist.”

Phil nodded, secretly glad she seemed to be settling in for a visit. They’d been on separate missions for the past several months. It felt like ages since their mission together in Sausalito. Figures they would meet back up at a hospital, both with their own injuries.

Phil watched Melinda as she moved to sit in the chair beside him. She looked great, as usual. Even with a cut lip and bruises. Her hair was longer than the last time he’d seen her. Maybe now he’d have the courage to ask her out for that drink…

Melinda tried to steady herself as she sat carefully in the chair, but accidentally reached out with her injured hand and hissed at the sudden pain. She plopped the rest of the way into the chair and bit her lip at the jarring of her knee.

Phil’s immediate reaction was to reach for her. “Are you oka-uhh.” He groaned suddenly, feeling his wrist and knee flare up in pain again. He didn’t even hardly move, what the he-

Phil recoiled back at a sudden suspicion, the movement causing his ribs to protest, but he ignored it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Melinda grip her stomach as if feeling the same pain he was.

Wait.

What.

It couldn’t be.

The two agents looked at each other in confusion.

“Phil…”

“May,” Phil’s throat was dry. “Which wrist did you hurt?”

“Left.”

“Knee?”

“Right.”

He breathed in. “And-and your ribs, have they been bothering you since approximately 10 hours ago? Even though you never took a hard blow to them?”

Melinda nodded slowly, her eyes wide with the realization.

Stories about soulmates had been around for millennia. Everyone had heard tales about strangers who would meet and realize afterward that they suddenly possessed a unique bond with that person-one that allowed them to experience each other’s pain. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, they could feel it as if the injury had occurred on their own body. Some people dismissed the stories as old fables, including Phil. But now… 

If Melinda was truly feeling her ribs ache without having broken any as he had…and if hewas feeling his left wrist and right knee act up even though none of his enemies had caused it, then…

He was literally looking into the dark eyes of his soulmate.

“Wow,” Phil breathed out.

“Do you really believe in those stories about…soulmates?” Just hearing Melinda say the word made Phil’s chest feel warm.

“I didn’t, but now…” Could she really be his other half? He’d always felt a connection with her, but he’d never been so bold as to consider this.

Melinda stood. “Only one way to find out. Relax.” She sat herself on the side of his bed and gently pushed him back into a reclined position. “Close your eyes. Don’t move a muscle.” Phil obeyed, immediately understanding her plan. Melinda’s hand stroked his arm lightly. Phil barely controlled himself from shivering.

“If you’re just messing with me, May, I will-”

Phil’s eyes flew open and he sat up at the sudden jolt of pain in his knee, causing his ribs to spasm. Both he and Melinda gasped and gripped their stomach in unison.

“What a pair we make.” Melinda groaned, but laughter was evident in her voice. “This is just sad.”

Phil panted with pain, but he grinned back at her, internally crowing with excitement. Melinda May was his soulmate. Would she be as ecstatic about this development as he was? Or would she completely reject their bond and their budding partnership would be ruined?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind that Melinda’s hand found his on the bed. She squeezed it and gazed back at him. Her dark eyes held a glow he remembered from their undercover op in Sausalito where they acted as a couple on vacation.

His heart had skipped a beat then, too.

Phil leaned toward her, but she stopped him quickly. “Please don’t. We both know what happens when you do that.”

Phil looked away from her and opened his mouth to apologize, thinking he must have misunderstood, but Melinda just scooted herself forward until she had closed the rest of the gap between them herself, resting a hand on top of his chest gently. 

“I’ll lean foryou, because I’d rather not feel any pain when I do this.”

The last thing Phil saw was her grin, then Melinda’s lips were on his and pain felt like a distant memory.

III. You have an emotional bond that begins once you meet your soulmate, in which you can feel their strong emotions and even share/transfer feelings between each other.

The pain was blinding.

He felt the physical pain first. She must have gotten a bullet to the leg, and her whole body ached with bruises. The kicks, the punches-the hits just kept coming. Phil was doing his best to transfer the agony of some of her wounds to himself while focusing on negotiating with Bahrain’s authorities, but he could barely restrain himself from either falling over from the pain or running inside to enter the brawl alongside his partner, his wife, who he was sure couldn’t keep this fight up for much longer.

At the sudden noise of a loud gunshot, Phil spun around in horror, feeling like his heart was breaking inside his chest. No,he realized, not his heart… hers.

He ran.

When he found her in that room, bodies of men scattered along the floor, cradling that little girl in her arms, he understood why there seemed to be an endless amount of grief emanating from her. It wasn’t a physical pain-it was worse. Whatever happened here had wounded Melinda’s very soul, and the resulting sense of despair wasexcruciating.

Phil did the only thing he could think to do. He got her out, murmuring about how she’d saved so many lives, how she did good, how she needed to let the girl go . But the pain didn’t dull. And like a dam whose barriers had taken too much stress, Melinda broke down in his arms, tears flowing down her face as she gripped his jacket, anchoring herself to him.

Phil muttered into her hair and kissed her head all the way back to the plane. He helped her inside and stood by her as she was patched up. He held her to his chest again in his bed later that night as they flew home, struggling not to sob with her as he desperately tried to draw the pain out of her and into himself instead.

“Stop.” Melinda whispered suddenly, feeling a tremor run through her husband from the weight of her sorrow. Her voice was harsh from her tears. “Stop trying to take it, it’s too much. There’s too much.” Her broken voice cut deeper than a stab wound.

“You’re my partner, Melinda. My wife, and my soulmate.” Phil replied, his determination was strong even though his breath was uneven. “You mean everything to me. I won’t let you go through this alone.”

Melinda took in a shuddering breath and slowly let go of him, hands visibly shaking. Phil touched her face tenderly, brushed a few tears from her cheek, then frowned when he felt her retreat.

“Melinda,” Phil started, panicking. She was blocking him. Denying his help. He could no longer transfer any of her pain to himself. He couldn’t even feel her anymore. “No.”

With difficulty, Melinda turned her back on him, literally and emotionally. She was with him, next to him in his own bed, but he couldn’t reach her. He was cut off, and his grief over the loss of their connection nearly overwhelmed him.

“Please, Lin,” Phil begged as he stretched out his hand to touch her, but he only felt her withdraw further into herself.

Phil closed his eyes and brought his hands to his face, anguished tears leaking out of his eyelids. He felt completely helpless. Like he’d utterly failed the most important person in his life. He knew the weight of her pain had to be crushing her, but no matter how badly he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to lift any of her burden until she let him back in.

Ifshe let him back in.

No, he refused to think that way. She would. He just had to keep trying.

“I’m still here. I’m not giving up.” He whispered into the dark.

“I love you.”

He woke up to whimpering days later.

It was the first time in almost a week Phil had been able to convince her to sleep in their bed, desperately hoping the familiarity of it would comfort her enough to let her sleep. But the nightmares still came.

Nightmares were no strangers to Phil or Melinda, but as soulmates who had been together for years already, they were able to sense each other’s distress and draw it out of the other, replacing misery with comfort and love. They were each other’s guardians, and they faithfully kept each other’s nightmares at bay.

Phil listened to her quiet cries, his heart breaking all over again when he thought about the fact that his wife would deny his help in an attempt to spare him. If he could take every bit of pain from her, he would. His love for Melinda was so great that he knew he would never be able to express it out loud to her. It was one of the reasons he was so grateful for their unique connection, she wouldn’t have to hear him try to stutter aloud about how much she meant to him, she could feelit.

Wait.

Maybe that was it. Phil had been trying so hard to put all Melinda’s pain onto his shoulders that he forgot to give her something in its place-love.

With a renewed sense of purpose, he tried reaching out to her again, hoping he could at least help enough to let her rest peacefully. Melinda’s barrier on her emotions was still there, but weakened by her fitful sleep.

Phil shut his eyes and began sharing his love for her through their link. He played memory after memory of them being together-the first time they met, the first time they realized they were soulmates, the one time Melinda forced him to feel what her period cramps felt like (Phil was still traumatized), the first time Melinda trusted him enough to confide in him, the first time he felt affection coming from her and the giddiness he was sure she felt coming from him, their first kiss, their first mission, the first time he knewshe loved him as deeply as he loved her, their wedding, the time he discovered she secretly loved cuddling and how she tried to keep her warm feelings away from him so he wouldn’t find out, the pure sense of happiness he felt every time he woke up with her in his arms…their story went on and on.

Phil focused on their life together, keeping those thoughts and feelings flowing between them as he attempted to take away her torment little by little.

He nearly sighed aloud in relief when he felt Melinda relax by his side.

Phil didn’t sleep the rest of that night, holding in her pain and trying to dispel it with his love for her. It was one of the most difficult things he’d ever attempted, but knowing she got a moment’s peace from her terror made it worth it.

When she turned over in her sleep, unconsciously moving closer to him, Phil’s smile could have lit up the room.

The next time Melinda stirred was at dawn.

Phil’s eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep, but he immediately turned to his wife and lightly rested his hand on her hip.

“Good morning,” he murmured when he saw her eyes open.

Melinda blinked slowly a few times, her brows knitting together as she looked up at him.

Hesitantly, Melinda reached up and touched Phil’s cheek for the first time since their trip to Bahrain. “Your eyes are red.”

Phil blinked. Out of all the things she could have said…

“You didn’t sleep.” She accused him gently, searching him with her gaze.

Phil slowly shook his head. He hadn’t seen so much life in her eyes in what felt like an eternity.

His heart squeezed in his chest when she gave him a watery smile. It trembled on her lips and her eyes filled with tears, but it was there.

“I saw you.” Melinda whispered, her voice was shaky. “Last night. Like you were speaking to me in my dreams, saying-” Her voice broke and Phil felt a tear slip down the side of his face. She wiped it away with her thumb and finished, “Saying how much you love me.”

“It wasn’t a dream.” Phil’s voice was raw with emotion.

Melinda nodded and bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She let out a sob and buried her face in his chest, clinging to him.

“No, no, no.” Phil drew her as close to himself as he could. “You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing, Melinda. You hear me?”

After a few moments, he felt her nod against him, and he pulled away to look into her face. The face he loved more than anything in the world.

“There’s nothing for you to to be sorry for. Just please. Please, Lin. Let me love you. Don’t ever try to stop me from loving you.”

All of a sudden, the hollowness in Phil’s chest was filled. Where he’d previously felt empty, lost without the bond between himself and his soulmate, he now felt her. Their link was reestablished. He was aware of the pain she still felt deeply, her fear of herself and the future was still present, but for the time being, all he felt was her love overwhelming his senses.

He crashed his lips to her and she responded, matching his desire and desperation.

“I love you.” She whispered.

Melinda’s lips were salty from her tears, but Phil was sure nothing would ever taste sweeter than her kiss.

Nine months later, the two soulmates shared another great pain, but also experienced the greatest joy of their lives in the form of a little baby girl: Daisy Skye Coulson.

IV. The only way for your scars to disappear is when your soulmate kisses them goodbye.

He’s home. He’s home.

It was all Melinda could think as she laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She and Daisy had been the first to run into his arms when he came through the portal that morning. He’d gripped them both weakly and they held him up all the way to the lab. Before Jemma shooed them away for some privacy, Phil squeezed Melinda’s hand and sent her a smile that had brought tears to her eyes. She missed him more than she could express.

Jemma had looked him over and performed as many tests as she could, but the man was about to fall asleep standing up. Once she deemed him stable enough to stay in the lab’s side room for overnight monitoring, Melinda interjected for the first time.

“He can stay in my room.”

Jemma opened her mouth to protest, but she looked between the two senior agents and relented after a moment, understanding clear in her eyes.

Melinda sat up suddenly at the sound of her bathroom light turning off. Phil leaned against the doorframe, a slight smile on his face as he looked at her.

“What.” Melinda stated, trying not to give in to his infectious grin.

“That’s my t-shirt.”

Melinda looked down at her clothes and felt her cheeks heat up slightly. “It’s possible.” She wasn’t going to tell him how often she wore it while he was gone, how comforting it had been during their endless search. Or how she had more than one of his shirts saved in her drawer. That was a conversation for another time. She looked back up at him and stood up. “Want some help?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. That shower did me in.” Phil replied, wincing and wrapping an arm around Melinda’s shoulder as she held him up around his waist.

“Are you sure you don’t min-”

Melinda’s look stopped him before he could ask the gentlemanly question.

“Good,” he said, relieved that he didn’t have to offer to sleep on the couch.

She walked him to her bed, lips curving upwards when he flopped face down onto the mattress, groaning contentedly. When she settled in on the other side and turned to face him, she was taken aback at the sight of Phil’s blue eyes shining with unshed tears from the pillow next to her.

“Phil? What is it?” Melinda reached to touch his face without even thinking, concern filling her body.

“It smells like you.”

Melinda raised an eyebrow. “The bed?”

Phil nodded and breathed in deeply. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see you again.” He whispered.

Melinda’s smile wobbled, and she traced his face with her finger. “I’m right here now, Phil.” Impulsively, as if to prove her statement, she leaned closer and kissed an old scar on his forehead, right above his brow.

Phil’s sighed at her touch, then brought his hand up to cover her own, which still lingered on his cheek. “Melinda, about what I said all those months ago, about taking steps back-”

“No.” Melinda’s tone left no room for argument. “Taking a trip to space was more than enough steps backward. I’m tired of waiting for the right moment-the ‘perfect’ moment. It’s never going to happen, and I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Phil’s lips parted slightly at her fierceness, but a smile soon began to grow on his face. “Are you sure?” He asked, leaning further into her touch. “This moment seems pretty perfect to me.”

Melinda tried not to smile. “Sap.”

“Closet romantic.” He taunted back.

Melinda shook her head and decided to throw all caution to the wind. She closed the gap between them kissed him full on the mouth, feeling a moment of giddiness when he groaned against her lips. Their kiss was slow and tender with an undercurrent of fire that they knew they would need to explore later, sometime when they weren’t exhausted from extraterrestrial journeys.

Melinda slowly pulled away, giving Phil one last gentle kiss before opening her eyes. She nearly laughed when she saw Phil’s own eyes were still closed, as if in a trance. Her gaze then caught on the scar-or what used to be a scar-on his forehead. Melinda frowned. She’d just kissed it, she was sure. She knew Phil’s face better than her own, and he definitely had a scar there…

A suspicion began to take root in her mind. A story she’d heard long ago from her mother, one about soulmates and scars and healing.

“Wow,” Phil finally opened his eyes, wide smile fading when he noticed Melinda’s furrowed brow. “Melinda? What’s wrong?”

Melinda brushed over the spot on his face with her finger. “It’s gone.”

Phil paused in confusion, but Melinda just took his arm in her hand and found two old faint knife scars she remembered seeing after Phil came back from an op in Rome. She sat up on her elbow and kissed the lines gently, then lifted her face to watch them closely.

“Uhh, not that I’m complaining, but what are you-oh. Oh.” Phil’s eyes went wide and alert as he realized what his partner was trying to figure out. Good, so he knew the stories too. It might sound ridiculous if she tried to explain it out loud.

Melinda inhaled sharply when the scars vanished into his skin, as if they’d never been there.

Phil gaped with her, then quickly took her wrist in his hand and, without a word, closed his eyes and touched his lips to a faint white line that she’d sustained from fighting around broken glass.

They both stared and held their breath. After a moment, they witnessed the line fade seamlessly into her tanned skin.

“I’ve only ever heard about this in stories.” Melinda blinked a few times, not believing her own eyes.

“You know, I’m really not surprised.” Melinda’s gaze shot toward him. He smiled back fondly and started to take off his shirt. “What about-”

“No.” Melinda declared, smoothing his shirt back down and putting her palm directly over the wound on his chest. “That scar means too much.”

Phil’s eyes were soft as he looked at her. After a beat, he spoke, “I love you.”

Melinda’s mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. “Phil…”

“It’s okay.” His special half smile warmed her body from her head down to her toes. “I just want you to know. I should have told you before I, you know, got sucked up into space. Even if we weren’t soulmates, I love you. Although…” Phil took her hand in his. “Being soulmates makes sense, considering how we always seem to find our way back to each other.”

Melinda couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Phil, I-” Melinda breathed in deeply. “I love you too.”

Phil’s grin turned goofy. “Really?”

Melinda rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yeah.”

It was his turn to lean in for a kiss, which Melinda happily obliged him to. He let go of her hand and ran it to the small of her back, dragging her closer to him.

“I thought you were tired,” Melinda asked breathlessly. She sighed when he nuzzled her neck.

“I’m not really-” A yawn interrupted his denial, causing Melinda to let out a little laugh. Phil grinned at the sound.

“Sleep.” Melinda kissed his cheek, marveling at how easy and natural the little kisses and touches felt. “We’ll have more time for that later.” She ran her hand through his short hair, relaxing him instantly, then slid it down to rest around his waist protectively. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” He murmured, eyes already closing.

“Promise.”

Phil let out a contented sigh and fell asleep almost instantly, leaving one arm draped over her, as if to reassure himself of her presence.

Melinda nestled closer and pressed her ear to his chest, letting the soothing sound of her soulmate’s heartbeat lull her into sleep.

alexromero:

We are all gathered here today for a quick yet thorough elaboration on one of my previous hot takes:  You honestly don’t want me to write an entire essay on how these two have been “platonically” married for the past four seasons. No vows or rings may have been exchanged between the two but they sure as hell have been acting like the most married set of individuals I know. So here I am, writing this small meta on how this has been coming for a long time. 

Where to begin… I would say with respect. All well written relationships that I personally enjoy begin with a level of trust and respect and this exactly what they have given the audience. Melinda and Phil have gravitated towards each time and again, like they’re each other’s constant you know? It’s this layer of their relationship that gets them to where they are now. All those times where they’ve had each other’s back and been at their most vulnerable has led for them to quickly prioritize each other and raise each other to a level of importance that is hard to tear down. I mean, THEY HAVE HISTORY to prove it. They have endured so much together (and not just everything they have shown us but also all the implied past missions.) If it begins with this kind of emotional connection, it is easy to see where it might lead to a deeper emotional connotation. It is not a huge leap. 

Second of all, I’ve always felt that with Melinda she has always been very clear with regards to her feelings. The fact that she had to make it clear to her husband at the time that she “works” with Phil and is “married” to him speaks volumes. If we were to ever have a confession of love back in season 3, that was it for me. At least on Melinda’s behalf. To me, Melinda’s feelings towards Phil have always been extremely transparent yet never fully divulged where you go “yes, she LOVES him” if that make sense. Melinda was always more of type to demonstrate how actions are louder than words (since she too is also a woman of few words.) It was all in the subtleties with her. I always go back to that scene where Phil is injured in a desert (I think it was the desert) and Melinda rushes off a helicopter and checks his pulse and right there, ever so swiftly, we see a soft and relief smile play upon her lips. See right there? That’s the kind of subtleties this show has been playing with since the earlier seasons. I could listen several but we all know that “You mean a lot to me. A lot.” takes it all. We have Melinda “I Can’t Show Vulnerability At Any Cost” May confess what’s probably already been demonstrated but never articulated to Phil. She was so adamant about it as well, like she had to make him understand how much she cared and how much she valued his trust and that she would never betray him. Never. 

As for Phil, a character I enjoy in every scene, this has been the seasons of realization for him. His storyline and the way he has brought himself to this particular phase in his life has been some form of awakening. I think because Melinda May has put barriers all throughout her life, including with Phil, it’s never really been an option to go there for him. I think unconsciously he’s loved her all his life but has shut that particular part away because he never really thought it would happen. He tried finding love elsewhere and it didn’t pan out. It was like he was always drawn back to her or life would draw them together again. Yet, he’s always known how important she is to me. There’s never been anything else to imply the contrary. He’s fallen down some major crisis whenever May leaves him or is emotionally cut off (yes, the “left hand” reference goes nicely right there.) Also, why else would Edward James Olmos’s character take Melinda? Yeah, pretty self explanatory. Anyways, aside from all the side jabs from other characters who reference the closeness and familiarity between the two, there’s the concept of time. They are two grown adults in their prime who have literally died and have quickly reassessed what’s really important in their lives. Nothing quite like death to make you realize what’s really important. This is exactly what’s happened to Phil. He is no longer waiting. There is nothing left to hold them both back. No husband. No past commitments. No emotional baggage. Phil has finally “woken up” to what has laid dormant within him, as cliched as it sounds. 

All in all, the sheer level of intimacy between these two throughout all the seasons should make it apparent where the writers were going. I think they have laid a nice framework and are now executing it to perfection because these two were never a huge leap, in terms of narrative. They were going there one way or another. 

p.s. Phil Coulson pulling Melinda May as close as possible during that kiss should tell you everything and how long he’s waited to do that. Also, it’s true love if he knows you like tea instead of coffee.

Meta for @marcuskaen

This is Perfection. Also, alternatively titled, Meta Showing How Philinda Have Been Soulmates From the Very Beginning.