Chapter Text
Agent Phil Coulson is stone cold and untouchable.
Phil Coulson first met Darcy Lewis in a hospital room in Portland. Three pounds, twenty-one ounces, eleven inches long and held imperiously by her mother.
Looking at her in sheer incredulity and more than a little fear and so much love. Already there, spilling over and bubbling up inside when he’d expected to feel nothing.
He’d recognise her anywhere. In that moment, her walking towards him, everything slowed. Instantly he was transported to sixteen and tortured, watching a girl-child-woman unlike any other walk towards him under moonlight. That one burning moment of clarity and realisation. Each time was memorable if only for the rarity in understanding when your life has changed so drastically.
Phil remembered every moment his life had changed drastically. Knew them as they happened. All but one.
Love-at-first sight was a hard thing to recognise after all.
Peering into the swaddled and miniscule features had been a revelation, and he had looked up at Rita – regal and feral and held up sheer force of will – and marvelled at this woman.
“Look what you did.”
“Look what we did.” Grinning she held a hand out to Spencer, and husband and wife turned to him, “We have more family now. And I’m going to keep giving you both more and more.”
Phil will forever deny that bursting into tears terrified the nurse and doctor.
But really what else was he supposed to do when this damn family kept forcing him to feel…?
More like inspiring him really.