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"Hey there, handsome."
Phil blinked, turning around to face the owner of the voice. The bar he was seated at was noisy, but not so much so that he couldn’t think straight. He could still hear the murmurs of the conversations around him, mixed with the unnecessarily seductive music that was playing. That was part of why he liked coming to The Golden Rose. It was probably as upscale a place as you could get around here with its red-tinged mood lighting, gold-accented walls, and plush seating areas. The bar was large, more like the centerpiece of the place since every other bar on this street was pretty basic. Choosing to come here was an easy choice over the alternatives, especially since no one here paid any attention to him or the very important woman he’d brought with him.
Daisy had practically shoved them out of the base after insisting they dress up for once, and May had rolled her eyes and reminded her that almost every undercover mission they had been on involved dressing up. That hadn’t stopped Daisy. She’d made sure Lola was gassed up, kept everyone else out of their business, and transferred funds from some unknown bank account into Coulson’s, promising that she and the rest of the team wouldn’t get into trouble while they were out.
Coulson had to admit, he was glad Daisy had insisted, because it was nice being out and about for once. They had been ‘together’ for months now, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance every other day, they hadn’t had much time to just...be together. Coulson didn’t know if Daisy actually knew about him and May, but he wasn’t about to ask.
He had a date to get back to.
If he could manage to lose his rather forward admirer before May caught wind of her.
"Sorry, I'm just grabbing a couple of drinks. I'll be out of your way in a second." He smiled politely, turning back to face the counter and hoping the woman would get the hint that he didn’t want to talk.
She didn't.
"Two drinks? That’s a lot for one person. Maybe we could share one of those…?" she purred, her finger trailing up and down his arm slowly as one strap of her alarmingly red dress slid down her shoulder.
Coulson bit his lip to keep from jerking away. She was attractive, and the skimpy dress she wore was flattering, but he wasn't even remotely interested. In fact, he was almost repulsed. A lesser man might’ve jumped at the prospect of a little flirting. He knew how exciting it could be, talking to someone who obviously found you attractive, knowing you wouldn’t see them ever again. But he had no intention of reliving his college days, not with May waiting in a booth for him.
Being the gentleman he was, he couldn't bring himself to rudely brush her off like he probably should have done already, and so he settled for ‘gentle rejection’ with his eyes locked on the drinks behind the bar.
"No, thank you, I'm-"
"You here alone?" The woman let the world 'alone' drag just a bit, shifting closer to him and pressing herself against his arm, her breath ghosting over his cheek. His suit jacket felt that much warmer where he felt her against him and he swallowed. "Because I am. Maybe we could be alone together."
Okay the tongue flicking against his earlobe was a giant leap in the wrong direction. He jolted away, putting his hands up and taking a step back. His tongue twisted as he tried to talk his way out of the situation, which he hoped would work before May hurried over and broke this woman’s jaw.
Several feet away, seated at their private booth, Melinda May was fuming. If she were in a cartoon, black smoke would be pouring from her ears and fire would be shooting from her eyes. Her teeth were grinding against each other, her jaw set so firmly that it had started to ache. How dare this woman try to take her man to bed?
May faltered for half a second, the idea of Coulson being "her man" sending a giddy chill down her spine. While they had been seeing each other for almost six months now, they had yet to call it anything official. Recruitment missions, various planetary catastrophes and issues with the U.S government had them so busy that six months of dating didn't involve many actual dates at all. It was more like two friends picking up takeout food for their team together and complaining about work.
But there was obviously something there, if the stolen kisses in abandoned storage closets and tender caresses in his office during ‘briefings’ were any indication.
Dragging herself back to the moment at hand, May practically growled as she watched this mystery woman closing in on her Phil, even though he had obviously backed away for a reason. May knew he was too nice of a guy to simply tell someone to go away, and sometimes she really hated that about him… like now. This woman was mistaking his kindness for interest.
And May was having none of it.
Phil couldn't have been more relieved when his drinks arrived. He thanked and tipped the bartender, holding his drinks carefully in his hands as if they were the most precious cargo.
"Well, I'm gonna go now." He said to the woman, a finality in his voice that he hoped she would pick up on. "Got my drinks."
"Aw, and here I was hoping one was for me… We were having such a good time." she hummed, dragging her index finger up his chest until her hand splayed out right next to his heart. "Thought we could spend the evening together."
Coulson swallowed hard, staring at her hand as if a snake had just crawled up his chest. He cleared his throat, taking a large step back and giving her a weak smile.
"I appreciate the offer, but I've already got a date."
The woman seemed unfazed. So Coulson took the opportunity to indulge for a moment. He would probably never run into this woman again, and it wasn’t often that he got to brag like this.
"You see that tiny, very angry Asian woman sitting in the most expensive booth in this restaurant? That's my girlfriend." He tried not to grin too hard as the word left his lips naturally. The woman glanced over, her eyes widening ever so slightly at the fire in May’s eyes. "I get the feeling that if I don't get these drinks back to her soon, I'll be going home alone. So excuse me."
The woman, who had turned away and was apparently trying to find a new target away from where May could see her, watched him walk off without any further comment. Phil sighed with relief as he crossed the restaurant, his brow furrowing at May who was glaring daggers at him.
"What?" He blinked, setting their drinks down and sliding into the booth. "What did I do?"
"I'm surprised you didn't invite your new friend over." She practically spat, crossing her arms over her chest.
Coulson tried not to look at the way her chest shifted upwards with the movement of her arms. In his opinion, she was even more stunning in her figure-hugging black ensemble than most women here were in their basically nonexistent attire. The neckline plunged low, but not so low that one movement would expose her to the world. It was enough to leave something to the imagination while still allowing said imagination to drive itself wild with wondering.
Somehow she was even more attractive when she looked like she wanted to give him a concussion.
"Who, the drunk woman hitting on me at the bar?” he chuckled. “Did you want me to recruit her? I think the team might have a problem with that.”
Melinda rolled her eyes, effectively ending the conversation for now when their food suddenly arrived and she set about eating without another word. The rest of the meal was tense, May refusing to actually speak to him. Every question was answered with a grunt or a shrug, and by the time he paid and they got up to leave, Coulson was more than a little irritated. She kept her hands out of his reach during the walk to Lola, and turned her body ever so slightly to the side in the car, facing away from him. They drove in silence for about three solid minutes until Coulson let out a huff and jerked the car to the side. May’s eyes widened, as she gripped the seat and asked him what in the world was wrong with him. He didn’t respond, just pushed a familiar button on Lola’s dashboard that made the wheels turn in a way that made Melinda’s heart pound. The next thing she knew, they were up in the air, above the city and away from any prying eyes.
Coulson unbuckled himself, letting out a long dramatic sigh as Lola’s roof came up to protect them from the wind. Coulson turned towards her, taking a deep breath before he spoke. May stared at him, her arms crossing as she waited for him to explain why they were up there.
“Did I do something wrong, Melinda?” he grunted, his eyes locking on her face with obvious concern hidden in his eyes behind all the frustration.
May let out a sigh of her own, finally allowing herself to relax. If she didn’t tell him what was wrong now, he would never stop trying desperately to figure it out, which would only add tension to their relationship.
“Phil, whatever this is between us… it’s serious, isn’t it?”
Coulson’s head tilted to the side, his eyes wide like a confused puppy. She just wanted to kiss him whenever he made that face, and had to look away from him to avoid doing so.
“Of course it is, Mel.” his hand twitched, the urge to cradle her cheek in his hand almost a little too strong. “Why, did I make you think it wasn’t?”
“...You didn’t have to entertain her, Phil.” May sighed, a look on her face that just screamed exasperation. “You’re too nice.”
“Too nice? I thought I was being pretty ruthless.” he huffed, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips, which eventually made itself fully visible for about a second before he saw how upset Melinda actually was. He sighed, reaching over and gently running his knuckle along her cheek. She shivered in response, still trying not to meet his eyes while leaning slightly into his touch. “You know I care about you, Melinda. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And sure she was easy on the eyes... and her dress was nice…”
“You’re not exactly helping your case right now.” May frowned, her expression going straight deadpan despite the tenderness still lingering in her eyes when she glanced over at him before moving her gaze back to the clouds in front of them. He chuckled in response, putting up his hands in mock surrender.
“What I’m saying is…” he took hold of her hand, squeezing gently when she still didn’t want to meet his gaze. “I am yours, Melinda.”
She blinked, her breath catching and releasing shakily. His words hit her like a brick, sending a wave of something warm and tingly through her that she wasn’t opposed to. Phil felt her reaction from her hand trembling briefly in his own, and used his free hand to tilt her chin so he could look at her properly.
“I’m yours, May.” he smiled tenderly at the tears in her eyes, wiping one away with his thumb. “All yours, for as long as you’ll have me. I’m not going anywhere because there’s no one I would rather be fighting through life with. And I promise I’ll let you break the arm of any woman who tries to flirt with me from now on.”
“We might just have to handcuff you to me when we go out from now on.” May rolled her eyes, her smile widening as she sighed and nuzzled his palm.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he smirked, his thumb brushing the corner of her lips.
“No, actually, I wouldn’t.” she snorted, fully aware that the space between them had lessened as she shifted over the small partition between them. “It’d be like a leash.”
“Not even a little bit?” he stuck out his bottom lip, his eyes wide giving her that puppy dog look all over again.
“...Maybe a little bit.” she grinned, grabbing his collar and yanking him into a kiss that left him breathing heavy when she pulled away. “I’m yours too, you know.”
Coulson’s pupils dilated instantly, and he grinned as he pulled her into his lap so quickly that she only had moments to catch up before she was drowning in the lovesick idiot that was her Phil Coulson.