Chapter Text
“I cannot believe you let me stay there for five hours!” May fumed as Phil gave her a hand up from the dock. She glared at him when he offered her a towel. “Thanks,” she grumbled.
Phil carefully draped the towel around her shoulders so she wouldn’t need to open up her arms, which she held close to herself for warmth. “Sorry, Lin,” he said, a half smile appearing as he brushed the damp hair out of her eyes. “CO didn’t want to let me get you alone.”
“Where’s the rest of the team now?” May sat down on the bench, criss-crossing to keep her body heat. “Halfway back to HQ?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Phil replied, scooting closer so he could wrap his arms around her. “CO made me give back my comms and told me to find our way home if I was gonna come get you.”
May groaned. “You should’ve left me.”
“And let you swim around and get sick? And when you come back, that means no Daisy until you’re better. I would never wish that upon anyone.” Phil moved his hands up and down her shoulders. “I called a cab. There’s a hotel about a ten-minute drive away. You can get dry, we’ll spend the night, and get Kate to fly us back in the morning.”
“What about—”
“Daisy’s with her and she’ll pass her off to the Bartons,” Phil reassured her. “I called them already.”
May nodded as he continued to lean on her. “It’s kind of weird to call Laura a Barton,” she commented off-handedly. “Do you think Fury paired them up? It’s a little funny that both of their codenames are bird-related.”
Phil smiled. “I think so.”
A cab arrived in front of them and they got in.
The receptionist at the hotel was sympathetic when they came in. “Do you have a reservation?” she asked, taking note of May’s towel. “Took a little swim, I see?”
“Yes to both of those,” Phil said apologetically. “I called a while ago.”
“Under…?”
“Coulson.” He accepted the key. “Do you do room service?”
“Yes, of course. We’ll throw in a bottle of champagne.” The receptionist smiled. “Are you on your honeymoon?”
Phil glanced at May, who certainly looked like she needed alcohol. “Yeah,” he fibbed, leaning into the arm curled around May’s shoulder. “Just a few days ago.”
“A Valentine’s Day wedding? How romantic!” The receptionist picked up the receiver. “I’ll send some things up to your room. You can go on up.”
“Thank you,” Phil replied with a smile. He guided May up the stairs to the room detailed on the key’s tag. “You should take a shower.”
May chuckled dryly. “I know. Can you dry out my things?”
“Yep. Hand me the hair dryer.” Phil undid his tie slowly, setting it down on the bed.
May got the hair dryer and plugged it into the outlet, unbuttoning her soaked blouse just as someone knocked on the door. She opened it to see a hotel employee with a wine bucket and champagne flutes, looking flustered as he took in their positions.
Phil glanced between the two of them and offered the employee an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, kid.” He tipped the guy and May took the stuff from him. He noticed that she was stifling a smile. Phil closed the door, barely hiding one himself.
“Where was I?” May handed him her damp blouse and began the process of peeling off her leggings. “Oh, you didn’t happen to bring me a change of clothes, did you?”
Phil paused. “Would you be mad at me if I said no? Because then I won’t say no.”
“And what would you give me if you didn’t say no?” May’s amused voice echoed from the bathroom. She poked her head out of the doorway, a grin on her face as she tossed him her bra. “Would you make a shirt from the bedsheets?”
“If there’s a sewing kit around here— no, you can just wear my shirt,” Phil grumbled. He made to unbutton his shirt, but he had one hand holding her bra and the other holding her pants. He paused, unsure where to put them.
May rolled her eyes and walked over, taking her clothes from him and throwing them on the armchair. She unbuttoned his shirt for him gently, rolling her eyes as she leaned down to finish.
Phil grabbed the edges of his shirt and pulled it off, handing it to her mutely as he processed what just happened.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes!” May called.
Phil blinked a few times before turning on the hair dryer and drying out her clothes.
She came out a little while later, hair slicked back as she grabbed the hair dryer from him. “Can you braid my hair?” May asked, sitting down on the bed.
Phil shifted and handed her her clothes as he moved to sit behind her, twisting her hair into a quick braid as she aired out her clothes.
“I still can’t believe you left me there for so long.”
“I’m sorry!” Phil went to open the bottle of champagne. “I’ll make it up to you when we get home, I promise.” He offered her a flute with a small smile as she took it in a huff. “You thought that our first mission would be cool. Sucker.”
“Excuse me for having hopes and dreams,” May huffed. “Mom said her first mission was exciting.”
“Your mom wasn’t a SHIELD agent,” Phil reminded her, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “She started in CID and then went over to KGB for a couple years before going over to SHIELD.” He chuckled. “She’s one tough lady.”
“I’ll say. She survived me as a teenager.” May downed the flute and handed it back to him. “And now she has tea with Peggy Carter every other weekend.”
“Why don’t you go with her? You get to meet the Peggy Carter!”
“I’ve met ‘the Peggy Carter’,” she replied wryly. “She’s my godmother.”
Phil blinked. “What— then why couldn’t we prank call her?”
“Because she was working and I didn’t want to interrupt,” May said. “It’s rude. Besides, she’s the godmother of a bunch of other people as well. Anthony Stark, for example. Chester Phillips Junior. Margaret Martinelli.”
“Martinelli doesn’t count, everyone knows she’s basically Director Carter’s adopted daughter,” Phil replied with a snort. “She basically raised her.”
“Still.” May sighed. “Point is, I’m one of many people who she sends cards to on birthdays. It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s a very big deal, and I’m offended that you didn’t tell me before.” Phil handed back a full flute for her. “It’s okay though. Can I have my shirt back yet?”
“At this rate, you won’t have it back until morning.” May flicked the on and off switch for the hair dryer. “I think I broke it.”
Phil chuckled and pulled off the cover of the bed. “Well, I guess now’s a good time to go to sleep.”
“What time is Kate coming by to pick us up tomorrow?” May asked, padding over to the mirror to inspect her hair. “And are we going to the airport?”
“9. We have to drive to the Sausalito Office and she’ll pick us up from there.” He opened the cover for her to crawl in, turning off the lights. “I hope Daisy’s okay. What if she catches a cold?”
“Relax.” May chuckled as she pressed her cold feet to Phil’s bare legs, feeling him shrink away. “Daisy’s fine. She’ll be fine with Laura and Clint. They're still coming by for dinner when we get back, right?”
“Yes.” Phil sank under the covers. “I miss her. I can’t believe we’ve had her for so long now.”
“Time flies by.” May shuffled a little before pulling up the covers. “Night?”
“Goodnight, Lin.”