#so prepare yourselves

I can’t apologize enough for the amount of time it’s taken me to write more for this story. Please know that I do intend to continue writing for it though! 

The support for this story has truly been overwhelming. Thank you, thank you!! I’m so grateful for all your comments and kudos! =) And huge THANK YOU to @katrinacornwells, who continually encourages me. I love you so much!

Also, here’s to hoping for some good Philinda moments in this next episode!!

Also on AO3.

Phil flipped on the lights in his apartment before shutting and locking the door behind him. He made his way through his tiny kitchen, grabbing an orange as he went. He’d been awake since 4am to get some hours in at the bakery before hurrying back to his apartment, showering, and leaving to meet Dr. May. Melinda.His thoughts drifted to their  afternoon together. She was a captivating woman, that Dr. May.

He was about to settle down and watch some Food Network when the music to “The Star Spangled Man With A Plan”  broke through his cloud of exhaustion. He picked up his phone and answered it to stop the ringing.

“Hello?”

“Phil! How did the meeting go?” Tony’s voice filled his ear. “Ol’ grim-faced May didn’t scare you away, did she?”

Phil thought about the soft look on May’s face when she described her daughter, and the one time he’d made her laugh. “She was nice. Maybe she’s only ‘grim’ around you.”

“Nah, that can’t be it. Mel thinks I’m great. But that is interesting, because she usually hates meeting new people and–Pepper, no, I’m talking to Phil…" Phil heard rustling noises, like Tony was moving quickly. “Wellsomeone’s gotta warn him about May. Aw, come on, Pep! I’m just telling him-”

Phil shook his head in amusement and tuned out their argument. Naturally, Pepper eventually got the upper hand (with some threat no doubt, Phil mused) and, in her usual chipper voice, demanded he tell her everything.

“I thought the talk went well. I may have rambled a bit. They had this amazing quiche that I managed to get the recipe to! Definitely going to try that soon. I couldn’t figure out why I liked it so much, but then then Sif’s cook told me they used-”

“Phil. Focus.” Pepper interrupted him. “What did you think about May? ”

“Uh, shouldn’t you care what I think about Daisy more?” Phil replied, eyebrows drawing together.

“Of course, but you met May first. Let’s go in order.”

Phil sighed, but gave in to Pepper’s insistence. “She’s…” He paused and thought about the woman that had captured his attention so effortlessly. He’d known what she looked like before meeting her, thanks to the pictures Pepper had shown him, but they didn’t do her justice. She was stunning. And, despite her seemingly solemn air, every once in a while he would catch a glimpse of something intriguing in her dark eyes. Maybe it was interest? Or something more like mischief? Humor? He wasn’t able to decipher it before it disappeared behind a polite mask. The spark made him want to learn more about her, and he remembered his disappointment when she didn’t share anything about herself.

Phil cleared his throat, realizing he’d kept Pepper waiting. “She’s a good interrogator.” He grimaced as he recalled the intense gaze that had caused him to babble even more than usual.

Pepper huffed through the phone. “That’s all? ”

“Well, she was pleasant enough to talk to, even though she’s not very open about herself. And Daisy is just as cute as can be. I’ll have to work to keep up with her though.” Phil hoped she would accept the switch in topics and move on. He didn’t want to admit to himself how fascinated he was by Dr. May. Not if she was going to become his employer. In his (albeit limited) experience, acknowledging any attraction in that kind of a relationship would just be asking for trouble. It would be better to be professional, ignore it, and focus on Daisy, Phil was convinced.

“May said to come to the house early on Monday and she’ll show me around. Then I’ll pick up Daisy from school later and watch her until May gets back from the hospital.” He finished.

“Great! I really think you’ll fit right in with them, Phil.” Pepper sounded happy. “And I’ll want to hear all about the first day, so don’t you forget to call me.“

Phil chuckled tiredly. “I’ll try. Thanks, Pepper.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good night.”

“You too.” Phil hung up and leaned his head back against his couch, closing his eyes with a sigh.

His mind wandered back to the afternoon at The Tower—the gym Tony owned. May had asked him to meet her there after she picked up Daisy from school, which he happily agreed to. The four-year-old had been very energetic when they arrived, especially after being cooped up at school all morning. But she had shown a little interest in him when May first introduced them in the lobby of the huge building.

“You’re a babysitter?” She asked, a mixture of doubt and suspicion on her face as she looked up at him.

Phil bit back a smile at the adorable look of distrust she was giving him. He wanted her to know he would take her seriously, even if she was cute as a button. He squatted down to her level. “Well, sort of.” Phil decided to be frank with the girl. Children could see through lies more easily than some adults could, he’d learned over the years. “I’ve babysat a lot of kids, but I mainly work as a baker.”

At that, her brown eyes lit up, causing Phil to grin back without thinking. “You mean you know how to make cakes and cookies?”

Phil laughed. “Yeah, lots of other things too.”

“Cool!”

After their exchange, Jemma and Peggy came out from the back office to meet them and Daisy ran off to play with her friend. Peggy and Phil chatted for a bit before she excused herself to see to another matter. Although Tony owned the gym, Peggy, along with Maria Hill, were the ones who ran it. Without the children or Peggy, Phil and May were left alone again. Phil stood there a bit awkwardly before May brought up the possibility of him watching Daisy for her.

“It would still be a trial, just to make sure this is a good fit, but…how about starting as soon as Monday?”

Phil smiled reassuringly at her, sensing her hesitation and caution. “Absolutely. I’ve already mentioned the possibility to my boss at the shop. He’s not very happy about it, but he still needs me, no matter how few hours I’m able to work.”

May nodded, and Phil could see some relief on her face. “Till Monday then.” She reached out her hand and he took it, shaking it to seal the deal.

If he also took note of how nice her hand felt in his (strong, yet soft), that was neither here nor there.

A loud knock startled Phil from his daydreaming.

“Phil, it’s me.” Garrett’s voice came from the other side of the door as he knocked again.

Phil winced and, not for the first time, wondered why he ever decided that getting an apartment in the same complex as his friend and boss was a good idea. He’d known John Garrett since they were young, but something had changed over the years—and not for the better. Since Phil started working at the bakery Garrett owned, he’d begun questioning if he was really a man he wanted to continue claiming as a friend or not.

In spite of his negative feelings, Garrett was still one of his employers and it wouldn’t be a good idea to get on his bad side.

“Took you long enough.” Garrett snarked playfully when the door opened. “Getting harder to get those old muscles moving, huh?”

“You would know, with you being 2 years older and all.” Phil replied dryly.

Garrett scoffed with a grin. “I just came to check and make sure I’d have you working all day at the shop tomorrow. No snotty-nosed germ-carriers you’ve gotta abandon me for then?”

Phil chose to ignore his passive aggressive question. “I’ll be at the shop.” He confirmed.

“Good. We’ve got a big order for 9am pickup, so I’ll need you at 4:00 sharp.” Garrett clapped him on the shoulder before turning to leave. “Better get your beauty sleep while you can. Can’t have you scaring away the customers.” He called behind him.

Phil shut the door and made his way to his bedroom, already feeling the weariness settle on top of his shoulders.

May’s house was beautiful, Phil noticed as soon as he pulled into the driveway early Monday morning.

The house sat on a tall incline, and the front yard was green and freshly mowed. Its walls were painted white while all the accents were a dark, wooden brown. The cozy covered porch he stepped into as he walked up the front steps contained two wooden chairs and a porch swing, and was probably perfect for watching the sunset. The main characteristic that struck Phil was the simplicity of it. It was definitely larger than the average house, and looked very well-kept, but it wasn’t…excessive or elaborate. May was a specialist, and a very good one, according to Natasha and Pepper. She could probably afford an entire mansion if she wanted it. But perhaps he was just used to the overly-lavish, expensive look of Tony’s home.

As Phil knocked on the door, he had to admit he thought the elegance and style of the home was very pleasing, and he was even more intrigued by the owner than before.

The door opened after a moment, “You’re early.” were May’s first words.

“Oh, yes, sorry. It’s a tendency I have…” Phil rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying not to stare at May in her dark purple scrubs. “But,” He stuck out his other hand toward her to show off the brown paper bag he’d brought with him from the bakery. “I did bring muffins! I, uh, hope you two like blueberry though.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on May’s lips as she took the bag from his outstretched hand. “There are worse habits to have. And who doesn’t like blueberry?” Phil looked relieved as she tilted her head in a gesture for him to follow her through the house.

Despite Phil sensing that May herself was a fairly organized person, there was still a four-year-old living in the house, and the very first room Phil was introduced to made that rather obvious.

“That’s the library in there, which mainly acts as Daisy’s playroom now, as you can see,” May nodded at the French doors on the right as soon as they walked in. Through the glass Phil could see open toy bins, dolls, and books scattered across the carpet, as well as an upright, plastic easel with a half finished drawing still attached to it and a spilled crayon box on the ground.

Phil sent a charming smile to May. “Multi-purpose rooms are the best.”

The side of her mouth lifted slightly at that. After taking another couple steps forward, May pointed out the living room and dining room on the left, the latter containing an open archway that led to the kitchen. Before taking him in there, however, she walked him straight ahead and showed him a long hallway that contained several doors.

“The first one here is my bedroom,” May indicated the closed door on the left side of the hallway. “The second is the guest bathroom, the last one is Daisy’s room. The door at the very end of the hallway leads to the garage, and the one door on the right side leads to the basement floor.” May rattled off quickly, as if giving out orders. Phil nodded and tried to commit them all to memory.

He had to admit, the house was larger than he originally thought only a minute ago.

“Basement floor?” Phil questioned as May lead him back to the kitchen.

“Yes. This house used to be my parents. They built the bottom floor for me for…after I finished my residency.”

Phil noticed the hesitation in her voice, but didn’t pry, and instead chose to smile at the girl impatiently sitting at the breakfast table. She sat up immediately when they entered.

“Hi, Daisy. Remember me?”

“You’re the baker babysitter!”

Phil chuckled and glanced at May, seeing her shake her head affectionately.

“His name is Mr. Coulson, Daisy. Or Mr. Phil?” She looked at Phil with her question.

“Either is fine,” Phil nodded. “I’ve been called worse.” He thought he saw May’s lips quirk up again briefly before she turned away to add one of the blueberry muffins and what looked to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into Daisy’s lunch box.

“Does that mean we could make some cookies today?” Daisy asked after taking a bite of her cereal. Lucky Charms, Phil noted. “I made sugar cookies at school before.”

“Sure thing, Daisy. That sounds fun! When I pick you up from school, we can swing by the store and pick up a few groceries for my famous chocolate chip cookies.” Phil grinned at Daisy’s “Yay!“ of excitement.

He looked around the spacious, black and white kitchen to see what May could have eaten for breakfast, but the sink was empty and all he saw was a forgotten coffee mug on the island. That wouldn’t do. The best way to start the day is with a good breakfast, his mom always told him. Phil vowed right then and there to make sure Daisy and May had a hearty, home-cooked breakfast whenever he was here.

“Just keep those receipts and I’ll reimburse you for it.” May spoke to Phil, her voice didn’t leave any room for arguing. “Daisy, go find your backpack and shoes while I finish speaking to Mr. Coulson.”

Daisy hopped up and started to run out of the room.

“Daisy.” May spoke without so much as glancing her daughter’s way.

The little girl settled for skipping the rest of the way out the room, much to Phil’s amusement.

“Here’s the key for the front door.” Phil took the silver house key and put it in his pocket, while May continued without pause. “I made a few more notes about things you may need to know and left it on the fridge, as well as the hospital’s phone number in case you can’t reach me on my phone. You can also call Peggy with any questions. There’s an SUV in the garage that you’ll use when taking Daisy anywhere. It already has her car seat in it. Car keys are next to the door. I trust you’ll drive carefully in it.”

Phil began to assure her of his caution and vigilance, but she cut him off and started ushering him back towards the front door. “You can familiarize yourself with the house more later, I’m running a bit behind today.”

“Oh, I completely understand. Thank you, Dr. May. I will–”

“One last thing,” May interrupted again, glancing behind her as if to check that Daisy was out of earshot. She stepped close to him. Phil swallowed at her sudden proximity, as well as the the cold stare she fixed on him. All at once he knew exactlywhat Tony was trying to warn him about. Petite and beautiful as she was, he was 100% convinced that this look from Melinda May could bring the most deadly assassin to their knees.

She spoke slowly and carefully, voice low. “If you do anything that could even potentially hurt my daughter at any moment, I willfind out, and I promise I will make you regret it for the rest of your life. Understood?”

Phil felt like he couldn’t breathe for a solid moment, but shook himself and nodded vigorously. “I-I’ll take the very best care of her, I promise.” He stammered nervously.

May nodded once and slowly stepped back. “I’m looking forward to hearing all about your day. See you later tonight, Mr. Coulson.” She smiled at him politely before swinging  the door shut.

Phil blinked at the front door, unable to remember when he had physically stepped outside of the house. As he took in a deep breath and made his way back to his car, he couldn’t help but wonder if he knew exactly what he was getting into, and if he was prepared for it or not.

Despite his stunned thoughts, a small grin began to grow on his face as he drove. He’d rarely seen a woman so direct and fiercely protective of their child before. And he had definitely never been threatened so convincingly by anyone. He was certain she meant every word she said, unlike the complaints and empty threats he received from time to time as a high school teacher. It was fascinating, admirable, and more than a little bit frightening.

And it really brought a whole new level to the term “Mama Bear.”

Terrifying or not, Dr. May and her daughter had complete hold over his attention, and he was absolutely eager to embrace this new challenge they presented.

Even though it seemed like a very reasonable idea to attempt to prepare himself for being scared out of his wits the majority of the time.

someday soon. i will be making that post about the OST in s4 and how it parallels s1