#seriously you guys

You guys. Humans. PEOPLES.

This blog is just 5 days old. But between all of you–the writing prompts blogs, the writers sharing with your friends, and a little touch of help from the lovely @neil-gaiman, in just five days we’ve racked up:

• Over600 followers (and I love each and every one of you!!)
  
• Over 1800 notes (!!!)
  
• OVER 100 AWESOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED!!!!
  

I am so psyched! Look at what we’ve done together!!

But I need your help.

I’m trying to get to 1,000 followers before this week is done! That’s right, I’m going for the big banana!

So I’m sending you all on a mission! If I’ve helped you, if you think I will help you, if you think this blog is a valuable resource… tell someone!

Tell your writer friends. Tell that prompts blog you follow. Tell your writing workshop group. Tell people you think I can help.

And the way I want you to do that is:

1) Go to the “I’m Here for a Consult” post. Maybe you’ve seen it. Maybe you never have! It’s a post telling Tumblr that I’m here to help them with their writing when it comes to medical stuff, and it’s the post that got the ball rolling.

2) Reblog it, even if you already have, and tag 3 people you think would enjoy the blog. (Got more? Tag them too!)  Even if you think someone might know someone who could use a consult, reblog it! Tell your fanfic circles, that LGBT group you hang with, your fellow students, your bae, and that cat who’s always batting pencils around. Go tell it on the mountain to that crazy looking hiker chick with sunsets in her eyes.

And even if you choose not to reblog, I just want to say thank you, from the bottom of my ventricles. The support and love and friends I’ve already made here mean the world to me. Thank you for helping get this blog off the ground.

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

I am completelyoverwhelmed by everyone’s amazing and encouraging responses to my first chapter. It’s hard to explain just how much your comments mean to me! You guys are just the best. I hope you enjoy everything to come!

Special thanks to Corinna, my amazing Mandarin translator!! And always Kaiya and Liz. Love yall. =)

Also on AO3.

“Do I haveto go to school today?” Daisy looked up at Melinda imploringly from behind her bowl of cereal.

“Eat another bite, Daisy, and yes.” Melinda answered, glancing at her daughter from the island where she was assembling a turkey and cheese sandwich for Daisy’s lunchbox. The disappointment on Daisy’s little face made her want to change her mind, but her shift started in an hour. She couldn’t call out now unless there was some kind of emergency.

“But-but I wanna go to work with you.” Daisy sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

Melinda set down the sandwich and immediately went to crouch beside her little girl. She was used to Daisy’s reluctance to part from her. Especially when she was a baby, her separation anxiety had made it difficult for Melinda to go anywhere alone. But this was something different. She usually wasn’t this clingy anymore unless she was sick…or something was upsetting her.

“Daisy,xiǎo huā,” Melinda had given Daisy the Mandarin nickname when she was still just a baby: little flower. Melinda put a hand on her back and switched to Mandarin, as she frequently did at the house with Daisy. “What’s wrong?” She probed.

Daisy put her spoon down and threw her arms around Melinda’s neck for a hug. “I don’t wanna go to school. And I don’t like aftercare. I wanna stay with you.” Daisy’s voice was muffled by Melinda’s shirt.

Melinda held onto her and stood up, rubbing her back soothingly as Daisy straddled her waist. “I know you don’t like aftercare, xiǎo huā, but Mama has to go to work.”

She was loathe to leave Daisy in the daycare program after school. Her previous nanny, who moved away in January, usually picked her up right after her class ended. The past couple of months without a nanny meant that most days, Daisy had to stay in aftercare until she (or Peggy or Maria) were able to pick her up. Even though the school was good and the teachers were kind, Daisy expressed how much she disliked it. On particularly long or bad days, she would cry in class about having to go. Ms. Anne Weaver, Daisy’s VPK teacher, explained to her that Daisy played by herself most of the time in aftercare. She thought it had to do with the fact that many of the other students in aftercare were older, and none of her classmates stayed after school. Melinda hated that her daughter had to be in a place where she felt she didn’t fit in, but without a nanny there was just no way for her to make sure Daisy was taken care of for those few hours without being at the school. Part of the burden of being a single mother, she supposed.

Melinda could feel Daisy relaxing in her arms the longer she held her, and finally Melinda pulled back to look into her daughter’s face.

“Hey,” Melinda moved the brown strands of hair away from Daisy’s face. “Guess what tomorrow is? My day off! You know what that means.” She saw the beginnings of a smile start to creep up. “We can do Tai Chi in the morning, and after school we’ll go to Aunt Peggy and Aunt Maria’s classes at the gym. Then at night we’ll eat ice cream. How’s that sound?”

“And play Chutes ‘n’ Ladders?”

Melinda groaned, causing Daisy to let out a giggle. “Okay, Chutes and Ladders too.”

Daisy hugged her once more. “Wǒ ài nǐ, Mommy.”

I love you. The phrase warmed her soul. “Wǒ ài nǐ,xiǎo huā.” Melinda set her down. “Now, finish your cereal.”

Daisy peered into her bowl and wrinkled her nose. “But it’s all squishynow.”

Melinda sighed and quickly began packing Daisy’s lunch away. Their little heart to heart (though she cherished every second of it) had left them with little time to linger. Looked like it was going to be another protein bar breakfast kind of morning.

“Okay, go get your shoes and backpack on, I’ll be right there.”

Melinda was sitting at her desk, reading through a few patient files and filling out paperwork when Natasha barged through her doorway, knocking once as if that was all the warning she needed.

“What are you waiting for?” Natasha demanded, hand on her hip.

“This mother’s latest report from her OB/GYN.” Melinda replied without looking up.

“I’m talking about Phil. You haven’t called him yet.”

Melinda finally lifted her head to roll her eyes. “I’ve been a little busy. And how did you even know about that?”

“Pepper told me.” Natasha sat on her desk, which she knewMelinda hated, and leaned on some of her papers. “Phil was one of Clint’s teachers in high school, so when he moved back here, Clint introduced us. I think you and Daisy would like him.”

“Good to know. Now get off my desk and go find someone to patch up.” Melinda knew what Natasha was doing. She was trying to annoy her into contacting the man.

“Are you going to call him?”

Melinda sighed. “Nat, you’re more of a four year old than Daisy is sometimes.”

Natasha folded her arms. “Well where do you think she gets it from?”

Melinda shook her head, concealing her smile. “For your information, I was going to call him today.”

“Hmm, well let me help you with that.” Nat swiped up her phone from her desk faster than she could blink and, moving just out of reach, began dialing Phil’s number.

“Natasha!” Melinda lunged and grabbed the phone back, but it had already started ringing. The glare Melinda sent the redhead would have caused every intern (and some doctors, for that matter) to apologize profusely and run the opposite way, but her friend just grinned back.

“You’re welcome!” Natasha called out as she left, shutting the door behind her.

Melinda huffed in annoyance, but quickly turned her attention to the phone…which had just stopped ringing.

“Hello?”

“Dr. May? Hi.” The man stuck his hand out, his blue eyes betraying some nervousness despite his easy smile. “Phil Coulson.”

“Most people just call me ‘May,’” Melinda stood briefly to shake his hand. “Thanks for agreeing to meet on such short notice.” She gestured for him to sit in the chair across from her before sitting back down.

Melinda chose her favorite breakfast cafe as a meeting spot for her interview with the renowned-yet-surprisingly-ordinary-looking Phil Coulson. The mid-morning sun peeking through a few clouds and the gentle breeze made for a very pleasant day for an outdoor brunch.

Phil thanked her as he seated himself, looking around the quaint patio and the rest of the cafe and nodding in appreciation. “I’ve never been here before, but I find that those little, lesser-known restaurants are usually the best ones, don’t you think?”

Melinda nodded in agreement, gazing at the property fondly. “I’ve been coming here for years. The owner, Sif, and her husband are good people.”

“How long have you lived here?” Phil asked, leaning forward with eager eyes.

Melinda cocked an eyebrow. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking questions here?”

“Oh-geez, yeah you’re right. Sorry.” Phil seemed to deflate slightly as he looked away from her to study his menu instead.

Melinda suppressed a smile at Phil’s obvious embarrassment. It was healthy to be a little nervous at an interview-it meant that he cared about what she thought about him.

All the same, Melinda could almost hear her mother’s voice in her head, chiding her for speaking without thinking first.

“It was just a joke, Mr. Coulson.” Melinda’s voice broke the silence. No need for him to already think the worst of her.

“Phil,” he responded immediately, looking back up at her. A slightly more cautious smile tugged one side of his mouth back up. “You can call me Phil.”

“Well, Phil, Pepper said you work at a bakery and substitute teach at a high school?” Melinda picked up her menu. “After we decide on what to eat, I’d like to hear about how you got into that.”

Melinda’s first observation was discovered less than a minute after ordering their food: Phil Coulson was a talker.

She listened, making internal notes of his appearance while he spoke: he had brown hair (thinning at the top), blue eyes (the blue button down he wore really made them stand out), average height (still a good amount of inches taller than her), nice smile and voice (sincere and pleasing), he wore a suit jacket over his dress shirt (disguising what appeared to be a strong set of arms). Hmm. Perhaps he wasn’t as ordinary as she thought he’d been when he walked up.

In fact, she mused to herself, he’s actually kind of attractive…

Was all of this information she needed to know about a nanny?

Probably not.

Melinda mentally shook herself and forced herself to tune back into Phil’s story. As his bacon and spinach quiche cooled on its plate, he told her about his difficulty in choosing a subject in college to focus on. He’d bounced around for a while until he’d finally graduated as the only history major with an excess amount of culinary electives. It was there, apparently, that he’d met and roomed with Tony Stark.

“Which was just as fun as you can imagine, if you know Tony at all.” Phil stated dryly. Melinda snorted in understanding before swallowing a forkful of her own ham and cheese quiche.

“Has he changed at all since then?” Melinda inquired.

Phil chewed a bite of his (nearly forgotten) food thoughtfully. “He likes to act the same as he did in college, but it’s more of a front now. He’s grown up a bit since then, thanks to Pepper and Fitz.”

Melinda scoffed again and muttered. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Phil grinned at her, and Melinda was surprised at how easy it was to smile back at him.

Sif chose that moment to swing by, refilling their drinks with expert precision. The brunette raised her eyebrows, glancing between her and Phil as she poured. “Enjoying everything?”

Melinda sent her a look, knowing exactly what she was hinting at.

The double meaning seemed to go right over Phil’s head as he nodded enthusiastically. “This quiche is delicious. Is there any way I could convince you to give me the recipe?”

Sif smiled. “I’ll speak to the cook.” She walked away to serve another guest, but not before throwing another smirk over her shoulder in Melinda’s direction.

She pretended not to notice.

“And after college?” Melinda prodded him.

“Oh, right. I taught history at a local high school here for a while. That was interesting since I was only a few years older than some of them. Then my father passed away suddenly and I moved back to my childhood home to be with my mom.” Phil’s eyes looked distant. “She helped me rediscover my love for baking, and she’s also the reason I came back here.” His smile was back, though it held a bit of embarrassment. “She basically kicked me out and forced me to pursue my idea of opening my own bakery.”

“She sounds like a great mom.”

“She is. She taught me a lot. She’s also the reason I love kids.” Phil fiddled with his fork. “She taught me to take care of them when I was still young myself. With a bunch of younger cousins, I was basically the family babysitter. Until, unfortunately, college forced me to retire from my budding career.”

Melinda let out a surprised chuckle at the joke. At the sound, Phil’s blue eyes snapped quickly to hers and he beamed back, looking delighted with himself for causing her to laugh.

“I’ve been rambling. I’m sorry, I’ve been told I do that a lot.” Phil tilted his head as he looked at her. “What about yourself? And Daisy?”

“Daisy’s four, she’ll be five this July.” Melinda subtly ignored the prompt to speak about herself. It didn’t matter what Phil thought or knew about her personally, as long as he took good care of her daughter. This isn’t a date, it’s an interview, Melinda told herself firmly. She pulled out her phone as she spoke. “She loves dressing up, Chutes and Ladders, ice cream, and playing outside. Here’s a picture of her, in case you haven’t seen one yet.”

Phil studied the photo with a smile. “Yeah, I have seen some of you before, actually.” Melinda glanced at him quickly and watched his ears turned pink. “I mean you as in plural, like the two of you. Y’all, as some might say. Pepper and Natasha have shown me a few of you and Daisy.”

Melinda bit back a smile at his stammering. With anyone else, the admission might have sounded creepy, but with Phil it was almost…cute. In a dorky, kind of endearing sort of way.

Phil cleared his throat to break up the awkwardness. “She looks sweet.” He finally stated.

Melinda squashed down the urge to tease him, deciding it would be more professional to just ignore the exchange. “She is.” A little, affectionate smile crossed her lips as she looked at the picture. “She can also be a bit of a handful. Many of the other nannies found her difficult to keep up with.”

Melinda’s eyes suddenly focused above the picture to see the clock in bold letters. She nearly groaned aloud. When did it get so late? “I’m sorry, I need to go pick up Daisy from school now or she’ll be waiting on me.”

She stood up and grabbed her purse, then hesitated and considered Phil in front of her. He was now on his feet as well and he looked at her with slight concern in his eyes. “Would you…like to meet her?”

Phil’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly grinned and nodded. “I’d love to.”

Don’t go on a working holiday to Iceland and think you’ll have any semblance of free time. Sometimes this colossal ego I cart around makes me overestimate my abilities, but at least now I know I can’t write smut and soak in silicone hot springs at the same time. 

On the plus side, after three coats of three different muds, my face has never been so sinisterly smooth. I’m like a big stern teacherly baby. 

Just when it comes to softness, mind. 

Anyway,

C

Who’s paying you to write these comments?! Y'all are too sweet!