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Chapter Text

     “Sooo…this is your place?” Darcy asked as she walked into Agent Coulson’s apartment. It was tastefully decorated, but not much of anything show any kind of personality or individuality of the agent.

     Agent Coulson nodded and set his car keys down on the countertop. “Yep.” He said popping the ‘p’. He sighed and flicked open his phone, hoping there would be some sort of SHIELD emergency that he’d have to leave immediately for.

     No luck.

     So how did he end up bringing a 22-year-old college female back to his apartment? A Long story short. His assignment was to protect her from AIM. Why?  Because she had witnessed some stuff that she was not supposed to see, and now they were after her.

     “So why can’t I just go into protection at your SHIELD HQ?” Darcy asked as she tried to fix her messed up hair in the mirror. ”You look pissed I’m here. Sorry if I’m encroaching on your personal space.”

     “You’re…not. I just don’t usually bring anyone back to my place,” Coulson said flipping on the light in the living room. "And you’re to stay here until it’s safe to move you. You really don’t know anything about AIM. They’re not to messed with.” He sighed and flopped down on the couch. It wasn’t often he actually got to come home to his apartment, when he did it was a treat. Unfortunately, he couldn’t unwind like he would have liked to.

     She smirked. “Don’t bring many girls home with you? I’m shocked,” Darcy teased as she made her way to the living room and sat down on the other end of the couch. ”It feels empty in here. Like no little pieces of Coulson anywhere to be found. No pictures, no little knick-knacks, …nothing. Except for that half-dead houseplant over there. Poor thing, it needs some major TLC.”

     Coulson glanced over to the plant. Agent Knight had given that to him for his birthday. Honestly he thought it was a stupid gift, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to take care of it. With his lifestyle taking care of any living thing besides himself wasn’t going to happen. ”I don’t keep much here in case it’s infiltrated. There are a few things, personal touches, but you aren’t looking hard enough.”

     “Ooh a game. I love games,” Darcy grinned, then her stomach growled. ”But first I totally need some food. Running from AIM really makes a girl hungry.” She said as she jumped up and ran over to the refrigerator. She opened the door and found it completely bare. Absolutely nothing. It didn’t even look like it ever had any food in it. She opened the freezer, and the only thing in there was a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. When she took the lid off it was half empty and had a significant case of freezer burn. ”Ugh, how long has this been in here?” She asked, holding the container out for Phil to see.

     He shrugged, "Honestly, I don’t remember. Look in the top drawer of the counter, there are takeout menus in there. Pick whatever you want.”

Darcy grabbed the menus and carried them back to the couch with her. This time she sat a little closer to Coulson. "So let’s see what Agent Coulson likes to eat. Hey I think I found one of those personal touches.” She smirked as she fanned out the menus and shook them at his face.

     “Technically I told you where they were.” He replied, his lips curving up just slightly.

     Darcy rolled her eyes, “You’re no fun. Anyhow…lets see what we should get. Chinese. Indian. Pizza. Subs. Thai. BBQ. God Coulson, you got a bit of everything in here. You don’t keep food at your place at all?”

     “I can’t cook. Plus I’m not here long enough to actually do grocery shopping. I’m always on the move,” Coulson said with a slight yawn. ”So what’s it going to be?”

     “How do you feel about Thai?” Darcy asked, picking up the takeout menu from The Lotus Garden.

     “I love Thai,” Coulson replied as he scanned the menu with her. After they decided what they were going to get, Darcy stood up.

     “So um, I know this is an odd request but…can I use your shower? Because I feel gross. I mean; I’ve been on the run for the last two days. I don’t smell to pretty,” she grinned.

     For some reason, he knew this question was going to pop up. ”Yeah, sure that’s not a problem. I’ll let you know when the food gets here,” he nodded as Darcy headed towards the bathroom.

Chapter Text

     Darcy flipped on the bathroom light and closed the door gently behind her. Just like the rest of the apartment there wasn’t much in the decorating department. Just a small black bag on the counter. It was open, and Darcy couldn’t help up peek inside at the contents. A little bottle of shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, a razor, comb, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, and contact solution. Pretty much the bare minimum of essential things. She sighed and looked in the mirror, she really did look worse for wear. Her hair looked like a rat had built a nest in it and she had black dirty smudges on her face. ”Yeah I look totally cute,” she muttered and then walked over to the shower and turned the hot water on. She noticed that there was a huge separate tub, and she assumed the agent probably never used it a day in his life. If she had more time she’d definitely break it in.

     Maybe tomorrow.

     The bathroom was already filling up with steam, and she immediately started to feel better. ”Sorry agent but I have to use your things.” She said to herself quietly as she shuffled through his bag and grabbed the shampoo and body wash that was labeled ’Alpine Springs’. She also grabbed the razor and his shaving cream. The last two items were a bit personal, but she hadn’t had a shower in three days and there was no way that she was going to have the ‘Woolley Mammoth’ look. A few moments later she was feeling the hot water on her skin.

     After spending a lot more time than she should have in the shower, she finally managed to pull herself out. Darcy wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and grabbed the other one to towel dry her hair. Carefully she dried the items she borrowed from Coulson and tucked them back in the bag. She noticed a little glass bottle in the bottom on the bag and pulled it out. ”Fahrenheit by Dior.” She read the bottle and smiled, pulling the cap off and taking a whiff of it. She closed her eyes as she smelt the warm woody fragrance. For a moment, she let her mind wander off as she tried to imagine what the cologne would smell like on the agent’s skin. ”Mmmm I bet this smells so good on him. Girl, you have to calm down.” She thought with a shake of her head and put the bottle back in the bag.

     She sighed again as she looked down at her grubby clothes. ”There is no way I am putting those nasty things back on.” She said as she thought about having to put her grimy clothes back on her clean body. Instead, Darcy opened the bathroom door and marched down the hallway. ”Hey Coulson! You got any clothes, preferably in a size ten?” She said as she entered the living room in nothing but a towel.

     Before Darcy had paraded into the living room in nothing but his towel, Coulson had been reading the latest issue of his favorite comic book. All he could do now was stare at her as she stood before him asking about clothing. When his brain finally signaled to him that it was not right to ogle at the girl he quickly turned his head away from her. ”Ummm…I have some sweatpants and a t-shirt in the top drawer of the dresser in the bedroom.” He could feel his cheeks growing a bit warm and the collar around his neck getting a bit tighter.

     “Thanks! Seriously mine are so gross,” Darcy said as she started to walk down the hall. She stopped about half way and turned around with a little smirk. ”And are you reading a comic book?” She flashed him a smile again not waiting to hear his answer and headed into the bedroom.

     Coulson had to take a deep breath from the sight he just saw. She came out in a towel. Nothing but a towel. Obviously she wasn’t shy about flaunting herself. He kinda knew that before, but he really didn’t think she’d just walk out with a tiny towel wrapped around her flawless, creamy, pale skin. He shook that thought from his mind quickly. No way was he going to entertain that thought any longer. But the way her long dark wavy hair contrasted against her skin was breathtaking. ”Don’t go there, Phil.” He warned himself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Coulson was glad for it.

     “Darcy,” he shouted as he went to the door to get their takeout. "Food's here."

Chapter Text

     Darcy smiled to herself as she entered the bedroom; she had definitely made a little impression on Agent Coulson by walking out in a towel. But hey, she really needed to see if he had any clothes she could borrow. And walking out in a towel was better than walking out in nothing. She opened the top drawer and found a couple of t-shirts. She grabbed a grey one that had the SHIELD logo on it. There were a pair of black sweatpants in there also, so she grabbed those, as well. Darcy quickly changed and then smiled as she looked in the mirror. It was nice to have some clean clothes on finally.

     “Darcy, food’s here.” She heard Coulson shout from the living room.

     Quickly she twisted her hair up and pinned it on top of her head before she headed out of the room. Phil was already unpacking the takeout bag when she came into the kitchen area. He had everything laid out on the table along with plates, bowls, glasses, and napkins. Everything was neat and orderly. If it were Darcy she’d totally just eat the food right out of the carton. Why dirty a plate when you didn’t have too.

     “You know, I don’t mind eating out of the carton. No need to get all fancy.”

     Phil looked up and couldn’t help but looking her up and down. Twice. Darcy didn’t seem to notice though because she was already grabbing a carton of Pad Thai and heading out to the living room. ”Can I get you something to drink?” He asked.

     “Do you have any wine?” Darcy smiled between shoving a heaping chopstick full of noodles in her mouth.

     “Wine?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.

     “Yeah wine. Comes out of a bottle. Well I’ve only had it come out of a box, but I know it comes in bottles too. Red wine is my favorite, but I’ll drink anything you got,” she replied with a mouthful of food.

     Well at least she didn’t ask for a beer. Coulson didn’t know if he had wine in here anymore or not, but he’d check. He opened the top cupboard and moved a bottle of vegetable oil (why hell did he have that?) and sure enough he actually had a bottle of red wine. He didn’t know if he should he give her alcohol, she was loopy enough without it. But he guessed a small glass couldn’t hurt. He poured two glasses and grabbed the other box of Pad Tai with his other hand and carefully carried everything out to the living room.

     “Ah…wine….thanks!” Darcy said as she took the glasses and set them on the coffee table. Coulson sat down on the far edge of the couch and began to eat his food. Of course Darcy, being the way she was scooted closer to him. ”Thanks for the clothes. And sorry if your shirt is stretched out when you get it back. I got a lot going on up here.”

     Coulson looked over at her and then down at her hand waving in front of her chest. He quickly averted his eyes and choked on his food a little.

     “Little too spicy for you?” Darcy grinned. He might be a badass in whole black ops field, but in the social woman department he appeared to be rather shy. It was kinda cute.

     “It’s okay, you can keep the clothes,” he said after a moment.

     “Thanks. I feel like I’m a part of SHIELD now…ya know…wearing the clothes and everything. Who knows, maybe someday I can actually be an agent. I’ve got a good background in political science, not to mention I’ve already seen Gods. I’ve worked with Jane Foster. Yeah, I’ve seen a lot more than your average person. I might be a good fit.” She took a bite of her noodles, and he looked over her and smiled. Darcy how ever looked down and bit her lip.

     “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary,” Coulson observed, slowly chewing his food as he looked at her sudden change in expression.

     “Ummm yeah…You know how I used your shower. Welllll….since I didn’t have any of my own stuff….I sorta used yours. Just your shampoo and your Alpine Springs…” Her voice trailed off, and she nibbled on her bottom lip again.

     “And?” Coulson asked as he felt that maybe there was more to the story.

     She grinned sheepishly, ”and….your shaving cream and your razor. But my legs really were in need. Hey, I didn’t touch your toothbrush, I know that would be a little too personal,” she said quickly.

     A toothbrush too personal? How on earth was he going to shave his face now with the mental image of her shaving her legs with the same razor etched in mind forever?

     This girl was going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

     “You wanna try some of mine?” Darcy asked, sticking her chopsticks with noodles dangling off the end in Coulson’s face.

     “No thanks,” Coulson said with a shake of his head. Staying at his apartment, shaving her legs with his razor, wearing his clothes, and now her trying to feed him Thai noodles with her chopsticks. It was all too much for him to handle. A part of him knew she was just doing this to get a rise out of him but maybe she had other intentions as well. Maybe he was just reading into all of this way too much.

     “You have some aversion to shrimp?” Darcy asked as she shoveled the noodles into her mouth. ”It’s super yummy.” She added through a mouthful of food.

      “No, I love shrimp. Sushi and all that,” Coulson said as he poked around in his carton of food. He glanced up at Darcy just as she was shoving more noodles into her mouth. Graceful she was not but there was something kind of cute about it.

     “Hmm never tried sushi before. I mean raw fish,” Darcy scrunched her nose up a bit and shook her head. ”Sounds kinda ick.”

     “You just need to go to a good restaurant. There’s a place down the road that makes really good rolls,” he replied taking a sip of his wine.

     Darcy smiled. ”Maybe we could go some time? I mean that is if and when I’m allowed to leave here. I really hope I’m not on house arrest for weeks.”

     “You should be able to leave with in a couple of days. Weeks? No, that won’t happen.” He took another sip of wine and watched as Darcy practically guzzled all hers down in one gulp.

     “Wow! That’s good. Much better than box ‘o’ wine,” she said smacking her lips and holding out her empty glass towards Phil. “Refill please?”

     Phil wasn’t sure if giving her more wine was such a good idea he thought as he walked into the kitchen area and grabbed the bottle bringing it back to the living room. Yeah it probably was a stupid idea he thought again as he poured more into her glass and then topped his off. He sat down on the couch, and his thigh brushed against Darcy’s. He tried to scoot over, but the couch arm kept him from doing so.

     “Thanks, G-Man,” Darcy said with a sly smile on her face as she took another sip. She watched him intently as he took a sip and put his glass on the end table. Darcy thought he was attractive the first time she laid eyes on him, but now as she got to actually study all his features closely, she could honestly say he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Even his mannerisms were cute. He had that whole shy side to his sexy BAMF side. It was adorable. He was adorable. She couldn’t help herself as she leaned over and tried to plant a kiss on his cheek. He turned his head at the last moment, and she kissed his mouth instead. Darcy pulled away quickly and gave him a shy smile (it was her turn to be the shy one). ”Sorry…Honestly that was supposed to be on your cheek.”

     Honestly Phil didn’t know what to say. He just sat there motionless trying to get over the shock of what happened. ”Okay. It’s okay,” he finally said.

     “I just thought I’d give you a little kiss on the cheek, for saving me from those AIM dudes. Like…like a thank you kiss,” Darcy tried to explain, which was the truth. She had no idea what was running through Phil’s mind. Was he mad? Would he throw her out? Send her off to some SHIELD bunker? She really had no idea. He could probably kill someone with a bobby pin though, and that was not a comforting thought.

     Phil watched Darcy as she explained with her eyes wide; she even stuttered a bit, and her cheeks flushed which was the tipping point for him. Before he could stop himself he leaned forward and planted his lips on hers, kissing her softly. At first he got no response and began to pull away but then he felt her arms wrap around his neck and pull him close to her.

     Her lips softly kissed him back.

     Slowly and sweetly.

Chapter Text

     Darcy rolled over in bed and groaned as she looked at the clock. 6:43. “Way too fuckin’ early,” she grumbled as she flipped over on her back and turned her head to the side to look at the other side of the bed. She giggled a little and then groaned again as she slowly sat up and stumbled out of bed. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and headed into the bathroom.

     Darcy turned the water on in the shower and stepped inside. She spent a long while in there, just letting the hot water soothe her aching muscles before stepping out and wrapping a towel around her. After drying herself off she slipped back into her (or rather, his) clothes and began to mess around with her hair.

     “Darcy!” Phil’s voice called from the other side of the door. ”I need to get into my bathroom, please. I’m going to be late for work.”

     Darcy smirked and then opened to door a crack to see Phil standing with his back against the wall, wearing running shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. Damn he looked good like that. ”That’s where you were? Running?” She asked not offering to open the door more than she had.

     “Five miles every morning,” he said but was unable to meet her gaze. Instead, he looked down at the carpet and kicked at it awkwardly.

     “Five miles? Every morning? You are crazy man,” Darcy said as she finally opened the door all the way and walked out into the hallway. ”All yours. I didn’t use your razor.” She said with a smirk.

     Phil stepped inside the bathroom, still not looking at her. He was about to shut the door but stopped, finally looking up at her for the first time this morning. ”We…um…we can’t do that again,” he said quietly.

     Darcy couldn’t help but grin widely as she looked back at Phil. ”Can’t do what again? Kiss or have sex?”

     Those words out of her mouth made the situation even more awkward than it all ready was. He should have never let anything get that far last night. He was a level 7 SHIELD agent for gods sake. He was supposed to have a handle on situations, how the hell did he let them get so close last night? Phil shook his head as he looked at Darcy. ”Either. Both. Nothing like that…can happen again, Miss Lewis.” He said quickly and started to shut the door.

     Darcy laughed, ”Really? You’re going to start calling me Miss Lewis now? Last night you were calling me Darcy…among other things. You might as well-” Before she got the rest of her sentence out the door swung open.

     “Fine. Darcy. Look, we cannot do that again. I should have never kissed you. I wasn’t thinking.” And that was just it. He wasn’t thinking, and that made him furious. He was supposed to be protecting her from AIM, not giving her wine and taking her to his bed. She was half his age…Oh god he was one of those creepy old men. He didn’t want to be one of those creepy old men.

     “Well, I kissed you first. I started it,” Darcy said as she leaned up against the wall and crossed her arms.

     “And I gave you wine. I shouldn’t have done that. If SHIELD finds out…” If SHIELD found out about any of this, Phil shuddered to think of what would be come of him.

     “Oh my god! I’m not going to tell SHIELD that you gave me wine and then screwed me against your living room wall. Which, by the way, was Ah-Mazing! I don’t kiss and tell. My lips are sealed,” she said using her fingers to make an imaginary zipping motion across her lips. ”Don’t worry, you’ll still have your job. And, Phil, it’s not like I was drunk and you took advantage of me.”

     He sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 8:00 am. He better get to work fast, or he might not have a job. Phil had never been late for work a day in his life if anything he was always early. He comes in late and people would talk. Quick shower and then he’d be out the door. He looked back at Darcy who was still smiling at him. His thoughts momentarily drifted back to the night before, the wine, the kiss, the sex, he could feel his cheeks flush and his heart begin to race. Quickly he shut the door to the bathroom. He had planned on taking a hot shower but now he really just needed a cold one.

     Ice cold.

     Darcy chewed on her bottom lip as she grinned wider. That secret agent man had it bad for her. Just as bad as she had it for him. But it was going to take some work to get him to acknowledge it. She shook her head as she wandered down to the kitchen and spotted a plastic bag sitting on the table. She opened it and found a box of Coco Puffs cereal inside along with a carton of milk. He stopped and got her some breakfast food on his five-mile run. Darcy grabbed a bowl and dumped some cereal and milk in it just as Phil came into view. He was back in agent mode. Crisp suit and shiny shoes.

     Sexy man.

     “You got me Coco Puffs,” she said shoveling a spoonful in her mouth. “That’s so sweet.”

     “Yeah well, I knew you’d be hungry. Listen, I’ll be back by seven if my day goes as planned. Darcy, you can not leave this apartment. If you need me call the number I left on the nightstand. Whatever you do, do not leave.” Phil stressed as he headed towards the door. He stopped and turned around to look at her. ”I really am sorry about last night,” he added before heading out the door.

Chapter Text

     So much for being on time, Phil thought, as he walked into the SHIELD headquarters precisely twenty-three minutes after his shift was supposed to start.  He shook his head in disappointment as he slid his badge through the time clock, this was not going to go unnoticed by Fury.  That was a fact.  It’s not like agents had never been late to work before, and usually things weren’t said unless it became a habit.  However, since Phil had never been late more than a minute or two, he was sure it would be the talk of the office today.

       He walked down the hallway with his heels clicking quickly as he headed towards his office.  He was going to grab a cup of coffee at the cafeteria, but changed his mind when saw Clint Barton standing in there, eating a bagel with a big smirk on his face.  No need to be drilled by Barton this early in the morning.

       He finally got to his office, scanned his badge at the door and walked in tossing his briefcase on the chair.  He sat down in front of his computer and began his work for the day.  He had a stack of forms that needed to be signed as well as three reports to type out.  He’d be seriously lucky if he finished it all by the time he told Darcy that he’d be home tonight.  Phil picked up his pen and moved the papers in front on him to sign, at least this was something easy that could be taken care of quickly.  Then he’d move on to typing up reports and then finish debriefing Agent Miller.  And shit, he just remembered he had a four ‘o’ clock meeting with Sitwell and Morris.  This was going to be an extremely long day.

      A coffee would be really nice right now, especially since he was up a lot later than he was normally used to, the caffeine jolt would be the kickstart he needed.  He rubbed his shoulders that were aching slightly and rolled his head from side to side, god, he was more sore from last night than a training session had ever left him.  Phil yawned as he continued his mindless signing of paperwork, letting his thoughts drift off to the night before.

      “God, You kiss good... so good...”  Darcy said breathlessly in between the kisses Phil was giving her.

      “Mmmm... You too.”  He slipped his hands down off her shoulders, and rubbed her back softly as she nibbled on his neck.

      “Sexy secret agent man...”  She said in between nibbles.

      He chuckled softly and pulled her chin up so that their lips met again.  He deepened his kiss this time, his tongue slipping into her mouth.  Her tongue met his back almost instantly, kissing him with eagerness.  Her hands played with his neck tie for a few moments before moving down to the buttons on his shirt.  Slowly one by one she popped them open, and then ran her fingers over his undershirt.

     “Mmmm...”  She moaned into his mouth as his hands slipped up under the t-shirt she was wearing.  “Oohhh, that’s nice...  Mmmm...”

      More fiery kisses, several items of clothing removed, and soon they were both standing up moving towards his bedroom.  “Right here, baby.”  Darcy whispered, as he pushed her gently against the wall, and claimed her neck with his mouth.

     “...here?”  He questioned, looking up at her with an arched eyebrow.

     “Here.  I want you now.”  Darcy moaned.

     “The bedroom is only a few-”

     “Shut up.”  She whispered, clawing at his undershirt, pulling it up slightly.  Phil grabbed her hands away and then stripped the shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor.  Darcy tickled her fingers over the hair on his stomach and chest.  “Mmm...  Me likey...”  She grinned, nibbling on her lip seductively.  Her hands wandered down slowly, toying with the waistband of his boxers.  “I want you right here...”

     “Okay, little miss bossy.”  He whispered back with a smile playing on his lips, pressing her body firmly against the wall.  He took one of her legs and lifted it up even with his hip.  “Wrap your legs around me, sweetheart.” He said softly as he moved his head down to lick the curve of her collarbone.

     “Mmmm Phil.... That’s so good...”

     “Phil!  Phil!  Agent Coulson!”

     Phil’s hand jerked across his paperwork as he snapped out of his daydream, leaving a streak of black ink across half of the paper and onto the top of his desk.  He looked up to see Agent Sitwell, leaning up against the door frame with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.

    “Been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes.”  Sitwell said, taking a sip of his coffee.  “You okay?”

     “Yeah.  Yeah.  Just got caught up in work,” Coulson said as he rubbed vigorously at the ink on his desk.  “Meeting at four today, correct?”

     “Yeah.  Should be a blast, Agent Morris is leading it.  He’ll probably go off on a tangent like he usually does.  This meeting better not last as long as the last one he led.”  Sitwell shook his head.  “So how’s your mission going?”

    “Mission?”

    “That AIM thing.”  Sitwell clarified.

     “Oh.  I haven’t heard if they’ve been tracked down or not.  I suspect it shouldn’t take more than a couple of days.  Then Miss Lewis can get back to her normal life.”  Phil nodded.  And I can get back on with mine.  He added in thought.

     “Good. Well, see you at four for the meeting fun fest.”  Sitwell waved his hand slightly and then headed out.

     He glanced over at the clock on the wall after Sitwell had left.  11:45.  Where the hell did the time go?  How long was he sitting at his desk in a trance thinking about last night?  He groaned, and then stood up.  He needed to get something to eat if he were going to get anything done today.  Maybe then, he could forget about Darcy and get on with work. 

     Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but it seemed like everyone that he walked passed was giving him an odd look, like they knew what he did last night with Darcy.  “Morning.”  He said with a nod to an agent as he entered the cafeteria.

     “Good night last night, Agent Coulson?”  The agent asked.

     Phil gave him a puzzled look and then nodded.  “Same as usual.”  He knitted his brows together slightly and then gave the agent another nod as he walked towards the lunch line. Just as he grabbed a salad, his personal phone beeped with a text message.  He reached into his pocket and flicked his phone open:

     <<Hey where do u keep your laundry soap?>>

     He sighed, setting his salad back in the case and walked over to one of the tables that was in a less crowded part of the cafeteria and began to type a reply back.

     <<I don’t have any.>>

      A second later his phone buzzed again

     <<For real?  How do you wash your clothes?>>

     <<I send it out.>>  He typed back, sitting down at the table.

     <<Even your underwear?  Why do you have a washer/dryer then?>>

     <<Came with the place.  I’ll pick some up on my way home.>>  He typed.

     A second later the phone buzzed.

     <<I’m bored.>>

     Phil shook his head.  <<TV?>>  He typed, glancing over at the salad that he really should be eating instead of doing this.

     <<Nothing on.  When will u be home?>>

     <<Later.  Read?>>

     The phone buzzed almost immediately.

     <<Already read all your comics I could find.  U R a nerd! :-P>>

     Phil’s lip twitched, and he started to type.<<Maybe a lit

      “Agent Coulson.”

     Phil shut his phone quickly and stood up, turning to face the voice.  “Director Fury.”

     “My office in five.”  Fury said with a slight nod of his head.

     Shit.

     Phil didn’t even bother picking up his phone again to finish texting Darcy.  Director Fury wanted him in his office, and that was never a good sign.  Phil sighed, looking over at the food that he never got to eat.  He started to walk out, but decided to stop and grab a coffee quickly.  Nothing like filling up on coffee on an empty stomach.  It was at least something.

     “Sir?  You wanted to see me?”  Phil said as he poked his head into Fury’s office.  Fury nodded and waved him in.    

     “Have a seat agent.  I’ll be with you in a moment.”  Fury said as he went back to whatever it was that he was doing.

     Phil pulled out a chair and sat down, watching his coffee swirl around in the cup as he stirred it.  Fury sat at his desk intently typing something up on his computer, almost seeming to forget that Phil was sitting directly across from him.   He took a sip of his coffee and glanced over at the open packet of powdered donuts that sat on the desk. 

    God, he’d kill for one of those right now.

     “I need you to be a mediator between Sitwell and Morris today at the meeting.”  Fury finally said, turning to Coulson.  He placed his elbows on the desk and folded his fingers together.  “You know how they get.  I don’t need them locking horns again.  And with the subject matter of the mission, it’s going to heat up between the two of them.  Also, in addition to debriefing Agent Miller, I need you to debrief Agent McAllister as well.  She just came back from Iran this morning.  That’s all.”  Fury nodded.

     “Yessir.”  Phil stood up, scooted the chair back in and headed for the door.  He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Fury hadn’t mentioned-

     “Oh, and Phil, I noticed that you came in late this morning.”

     There it was. 

     Phil turned around, “Sorry sir.  It won’t-”

     Fury waved his hand.  “First time in twenty years.  I think I can let that slide.  I just assumed you were up late last night with Miss Lewis.”

     “Sir?”  Phil almost choked on his coffee.

      “Getting her settled in.  I know it’s a major change than what you’re used to.  She’ll probably be out of your hair in a day or two.”  Fury said as he turned back to his computer.

     The rest of the day seemed to drag on.  The two debriefings that Phil over saw seemed to take forever.  Agent Miller had a bit of a hard time remembering the details of his mission and Agent McAllister had been seriously injured in Iran, all she could do was nod ‘yes or no’ to Coulson’s questions.  He was so ready to go home.  Darcy had sent him three other text messages, but Phil hadn’t replied to any of them.  He needed to get as much work done today as he possibly could.  And now it was four ‘o’clock, and he had to sit here and play referee between Sitwell and Morris.  For the last twenty minutes, he had to endure their banter and arguing, and now they were just being silent, glaring at each other as they came to some sort of stand still. 

     Phil tipped his head back slightly, closing his eyes. He had slept good last night, really good, even though he didn’t get as many hours as he normally did.  The sex he had been extraordinary, but the cuddling afterwards... Darcy resting her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her waist, and their hands entwined together, it made him feel a sense of euphoria just thinking about it.  It had been a very, very long time since he had anything like that. 

     “What do you think, Agent Coulson?”

     “Huh?”  Phil asked snapping back into to reality.

     Morris and Sitwell both gave him an odd look.  “Should we move on HYDRA or do we wait until we have more info from Agent Conners?” Sitwell asked.

     “Oh, um...” Phil nodded, forgetting about Darcy as he started share his thoughts to Morris and Sitwell.   “We should make a move.  Here’s what I think we should do....” 

     Finally, the meeting was over.  It had taken a lot longer than normal to explain to Morris why moving in on the HYDRA camp would be better now than waiting.  Of course, Morris had to argue back, which led to Sitwell saying a few choice words, which led to Morris telling both Sitwell and Coulson to ‘go fuck themselves’.  Coulson finally got the two agents to cool down and agree, and the meeting was officially over.  He often wondered why Fury always chose him to play ‘Super Nanny’, whether it be with SHIELD agents or ‘super heroes’, he always seemed to be the go to guy.

     He just couldn’t believe it was ten-after-seven already.  The day had flown by, and he didn’t seem to get a damned thing accomplished.  The paperwork he started was still sitting there... under the new paperwork that was now piled up on it.  He really felt like the worst agent ever.  Phil grabbed his briefcase and shoved a pile of papers into it. He would be doing some homework tonight to try and get caught up for tomorrow.  It was probably a good thing though, now he’d have an excuse to lock himself away in his office until it was time to go to bed.  He flipped the light off and headed out of his office in a rush to the front door.

     “Hot date tonight?”  A voice called from the shadowy part of the foyer, just as Phil opened the door. 

     Barton.

      He managed to go all day without an encounter with him.  Almost.

     He stopped and turned back just as Clint came into view.  “Nope.  Just want to get home.  Why?”

     “Because you’ve been acting... a bit off today.  So I heard, anyways.  And, you’re blowing outta here like your car is on fire.  Just thought there was something...  someone you needed to get home to.  Darcy Lewis is staying with you, right?”  Clint asked as he leaned up against the wall.

     “You know she is, Barton.  You’re supposed to be on the detail team taking care of the AIM problem.  Or did you forget that already?”  Coulson asked coolly.

     Clint just grinned, “It’s probably weird for you, huh?  Having a teenage girl staying with you.”

     “She’s in college.”

     “You were late this morning.”

     “Traffic.”  Phil said as he looked up at the clock on the wall.  It was now 7:30, and he still had to stop at the store and get laundry soap and pick up something for dinner.  He didn’t have time to play twenty questions with nosey Barton right now.  “See you tomorrow morning for some drills.”

     Clint furrowed his brows together.  “That’s not on my itinerary.” 

     Phil gave him a wry smile.  “It is now.  See you tomorrow at oh-six-hundred sharp, Agent Barton.”  He said with a wave of his hand and walked out the door.

     Clint stood there shaking his head, mouth hanging slightly open, as he watched Coulson leave.

     Son of a Bitch.

Chapter Text

     Darcy had been bored the minute Phil left for work that morning.  She had finished her cereal, dumped the remaining milk down the sink, rinsed her bowl out and then sat back down on the couch.  She watched a rerun of the ‘X-files’ while trying to do a sudoku puzzle that was in the newspaper.  A newspaper she found in one of the kitchen drawers that dated all the way back to July 17th 2007.  She wasn’t trying to be nosey by snooping through his stuff, she just really needed something to do.  Besides the newspaper, she found very little: A half pack of gum, a book of matches with some German name on it, a button that looked like it came from a suit jacket, and a Post-It note with some random numbers written on it.  Nothing at all to exciting or thrilling.  She made her way into the bedroom and started to go through his closet, nothing in there except a few suits hanging on the rack and some dress shoes neatly lined up in a row on the floor.  She was beginning to think that Coulson was one of the most boring people on the planet, except then she remembered their little encounter they had the night before; Coulson was anything but boring.

     Darcy sat down on his bed, smoothing her hand over the sheets.  She sighed, tipped back until her head hit the pillow, and closed her eyes.  

     She could still feel his lips on hers, kissing her with such fervor and sweetness.  She had been a bit bolder, and nipped his bottom lip, which led him to moan softly.  His arms wrapped around her tighter as he whispered in her ear how beautiful she was.  Her lips moved down to his neck, and she kissed every inch of exposed skin she could reach without his collar getting in the way.  His hands stroked up and down her back with firm pressure, and he tilted her head to the side, kissing a little trail across her jaw and down her neck.  He moaned and called her a tease when she suddenly grabbed his neck tie, winding it in her hand and then yanking it playfully, bringing his lips close to hers, but not kissing him.  He had smiled as he watched her pop open the buttons on his blue dress shirt, and she ran her fingertips up and down his undershirt.  He tilted her face to his, letting his tongue slide across her lips until she opened up and allowed him deepen the kiss.  She pressed closer to him, feeling his heart pounding against her chest.  A chill ran up her spine when he slipped his hands under her t-shirt, his hands roamed freely across her back and slowly made their way around the front, gliding lightly over her delicate skin.  She made a soft noise as he gently tugged the t-shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, and they had both chuckled when it landed on top of the lampshade, before turning back to their kissing.  

      She started to lean back on the couch, pulling Phil on top of her, but he shook his head and pulled her to her feet instead.  He was trying to drag her into the bedroom, but stopped and pushed her against the wall kissing and nipping at her neck.  She told him that she wanted him here.  He seemed confused at first, like he wasn’t sure what she was asking, and when he finally got it, he tried to direct her towards the bedroom again.  She had been persistent and persuasive, and he called her ‘Little Miss Bossy’ then finally gave into her demands, pressing her firmly against the wall and taking her right there.

      And, oh god, it was so good.

      Afterwards, he had picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed and covering her up with the sheet.  He started to move away, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into bed with her.  She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her, and they both laced their fingers together, just before drifting off to sleep.  When she woke up in the morning, he was gone.

      Darcy sighed, wishing for another night like that, but knowing that it probably wasn’t ever going to happen again.  He had been moody and distance when he came back from his run, he told her he was sorry and that it couldn’t happen again.  She opened her eyes finally and rolled to her side, looking at the nightstand.  She wiggled over to the edge of the bed and pulled the drawer open, maybe there was something of interest in there.  Guys usually kept interesting things in their nightstand, right?  On second thought maybe she’d find something she’d rather not see.  

      Jackpot.

      The drawer had about twenty or so comic books inside it, and Darcy chuckled slightly as she pulled a stack of them out.  So Phil Coulson was a bit of a geek.  She wasn’t going to lie, that just amped his sexiness up to a whole other level.  For the next couple of hours she sat on his bed, reading all his comics, making sure she sealed them properly in their plastic bag after she was done reading each one.  These were definitely something that he took great pride in caring for, some of them were newer, but a few of them were older than Darcy was.  However, all of them looked as if they were in mint condition.  She neatly piled the comics up and placed them back in the drawer.

      Darcy glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it wasn’t even noon yet.  She was going to go absolutely stir crazy. Finally she decided that she should wash her clothes but found out after texting Phil that he didn’t have any laundry detergent, even though he had a washer and dryer.  The rest of the day she laid around on the couch channel surfing.  It wasn’t until the clock read 7:00 that her stomach started to knot up, and it wasn’t because she was starving.  Phil was supposed to be back around now, and although Darcy was excited to see him, she was also nervous on how he would act around her tonight.  

      At 8:20 Phil finally came home.

      “Darcy, I’m back,” he called out as he entered his apartment, setting the laundry detergent and a brown paper bag on the table.  He gave her a slight smile when she got up from the couch and walked over to him.

      “How was your day?”  Darcy asked as she picked up the bottle of detergent and inspected it.

      “Hellish,” he sighed, stripping off his suit jacket and hanging it over the back of the chair.  “I hope I got the right stuff.”  

      “Oh yeah, this is good.  Thanks.  I figure while, I’m here I might as well wear my own clothes.  But they really need a good washing first,” Darcy smiled and then her gaze shifted over to the brown bag.  “Dinner?”

      “Yeah.  I stopped at the sushi place I was telling you about.  I hope that’s alright with you?”

      “Raw fish?”  Darcy wrinkled her nose.  “Okay, I’m up to trying anything once...”

      “I grabbed you a California roll.  No raw fish.  No worries.”  He gave her a smile and picked up the bag, carrying it into the kitchen area.  He began to unpack it, and Darcy grabbed glasses from the cupboard.  “Were you able keep yourself occupied today?”  

      “Yeah.  I was bored as hell, but I managed,” Darcy chuckled, pouring Dr. Pepper into the glasses.  “You got some comic collection.  I mean, I saw you reading one yesterday, but I had no idea you were such a-”

      “Geek?”  Phil looked up at Darcy, and smiled a little bit.

      “Geek.  Nerd.  Yep... one of those.  I read them, but don’t worry I made sure that I didn’t wrinkle the pages and put them back in their little bags.  You a big Captain America fan then?”  She asked as she carried their drinks out to the living room.

      “He’s iconic.  A real hero,” he said as followed Darcy, carrying their plates.

      Darcy looked back at him and giggled.  “That’s cute.”  She said as she sat down on one end of the couch, and watched him as he took his seat on the other end, making sure he was as far as he could get from her.  “So how do I do this?”  She grabbed her chopsticks and poked at the rolls a little bit.  “What’s this funky green stuff?”

      “Wasabi.  It’s pretty hot, so try just a little bit first,”  Phil explained before picking up a piece of sushi and putting it in his mouth.

      Darcy watched him intently, and then looked down at her food.  “So I just put the whole thing in?”  Darcy asked as she picked a piece up.  “Good thing I gotta big mouth, huh?”  

      Phil could feel the heat rushing to his face and he looked down at his plate before Darcy noticed.  

      Except she did notice.  Then she realized what she said and how she had said it.

      “Ooops.  That sounded really bad, didn’t it?”  She apologized.  Was that the first thing he thought of?  Oh, Phil, you dirty boy.  “The sushi is good.” 

      They didn’t speak anymore after that, they just sat there at and ate in silence, both not really looking at each other, except for little glances now and again.  It was driving Darcy mad.  “So, do you want to talk about it?  Last night.  ‘Cause I feel like if we don’t, it’s just going to make this situation worse.”

      “There’s really nothing to say.  I’m sorry, that I... Let things get like that last night.”  Phil placed his plate on the table and leaned back on the couch.  “I’m supposed to be watching over you, and I feel like I took advantage of you instead.  It was rather poor judgement on my part.  I don’t know why...”

      “I can give you at least three reasons,” she grinned.  “You’re a man, I’m a smart sexy girl, and you haven’t gotten laid in a while.”  She ticked them off on her fingers.

      “I thought we were going to have a serious conversation?”  Phil kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

      “I am being serious.  Those are all valid reasons, right?”  She grabbed a pillow off the couch and hugged it in her lap.  “I mean, I know the first two are...  Not sure about the last one...”

      She was fishing for an answer.

      “I don’t feel real comfortable about talking about-”

      Darcy rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she smiled at him.  “Honesty Phil, stop beating yourself up over this.  These things happen.  People get caught up in the heat of the moment.  It’s not a big deal.  You didn’t take advantage of me, I was totally willing.  If anything I took advantage of you,” she shrugged.  Darcy was no angel, she had her fair share of one night stands and hookups in the past.  One night of fun and the next day she could totally forget about the guy.  Phil was different though, she wanted more.  She craved to be close to him, not just in a sexual way, but to actually get to know the real him and not just his agent side. 

      Darcy squeezed the pillow tighter, before looking up at Phil.  “If it makes any difference, I had a wonderful evening with you last night.  Yeah, things escalated quickly, but it didn’t make it any less special.  Not for me anyway.  Was... I not,”  her voice choked up as she searched for the right word.  “...Good?”

      Phil leaned forward on the couch and furrowed his brows together.  She was asking him if she wasn’t good?  She had been the best he ever had.  She had been hot and sexy; sweet and demanding.  He had never been with anyone like that before.  She was incredible.   “Darcy,” he spoke quietly, not looking up at her.  “You were... perfect... amazing.  That’s not the issue though, it’s the fact that I’m assigned to protect you-”

      “I felt pretty protected in your arms last night.”

      Phil gave her a tiny smile.  “I really enjoyed last night, but Darcy, we just can’t...  Even if we could...  I’m twice your age.”

      “Isn’t that every man’s fantasy?  Being with a way younger girl?”  Darcy asked with a little smile playing at her lips again.  “You’d be livin’ the dream.”

      That caused Phil to chuckle, and he smiled at Darcy.  “I don’t want to known as the dirty, creepy old man around SHIELD.”

      “You’re not that old.”

      “I’m 44.”

      “That’s not old.”

      “Darcy, when you were born, I had already been working for SHIELD.”  Phil looked up at the clock.  It was almost 10:30 already.  So much for getting some work done tonight.  He looked back at Darcy, who was just staring at him with that little smile still on her lips.  He would do anything right now just to kiss those lips again.  

      “Wow really?”  Darcy scooted a little closer to the edge of the couch.  “You’ve been there a long time.  You must like it.”  

      “I believe in the work they do,” Phil nodded.  “I feel satisfied that I can contribute to their cause. And-”

      “It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it,” Darcy said in a voice trying to imitate Coulson.

      He smirked.  “Something like that.” She was sitting there, looking all pretty, and he wanted to do nothing more than just scoot close to her and put his arm around her.  She could snuggle up to him, and they could watch some stupid comedy on T.V, it would the perfect finish to the crappy day he had.  He sighed knowing that it couldn’t happen, he wouldn’t let it; instead he picked up his plate and then Darcy’s.  “I’ll take these out.  You can take the bed tonight, I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said as he walked into the kitchen and began to wash up the dishes.

      “I can sleep on the couch.  You’re the one who has to go to a job in the morning.  You need to sleep on something comfy so you can get a good rest,” Darcy got up and carried their glasses out the kitchen.  “I’ll dry,” she said picking up a dish towel and started to dry the silverware he just washed up.

      “Trust me, I’ve slept in worse places.”

      “I bet.  SHIELD seems like a tough-ass job,” Darcy said, as she wiped a plate dry and then stuck it in the cupboard.  “Did you ever want anything else in life?  Like just a normal 9 to 5 job? Or like, a wife and kids?  Anything like that?”

      Phil turned off the water and turned away from Darcy as he wiped up the kitchen counter.  “I was almost married once.”

      “Oh...”  Darcy hadn’t really expected him to say that.  “What happened?”  She asked, figuring Phil wouldn’t go into any kind of detail, so she was surprised when he actually did.

      “We got engaged in a rush.  We only dated about six months.  It might have been me pushing to get married or it might have been her, I don’t really remember.  Our relationship wasn’t solid though, mostly because of me having to lie about my job constantly.”

     “So she didn’t know you were in SHIELD?”  Darcy asked.

      “Darcy, you have to understand that SHIELD isn’t a mainstream organization yet, we try to keep our existence pretty low key.  Have you ever heard of us before the incident with Thor?”  He asked.

      Darcy shook her head no.

      “I wasn’t allowed to let her into the SHIELD part of my life.  Even if I could, I wouldn’t have wanted to tell her.  She was safer without that knowledge.  But, things started getting bad when I’d leave in the middle of the night and wouldn’t return for days... weeks.  I couldn’t take any of her calls or even let her know my whereabouts while I was on a mission.  She started to get jealous of my job.  Finally she was fed up and gave me an ultimatum-”

      “The job or her,” Darcy finished.

      Phil nodded.  “Guess you can tell which one I chose.  I haven’t really dated since then,” he flipped off the kitchen light, and they both headed into the living room again.  “Darcy, I’m married to SHIELD.  It’s my job; it’s my life.”

      “Maybe...”  Darcy reached over and placed her hand on his.  “You just need to find the right girl.  Someone that already understands that super-secretive side of you.”

      He wanted to kiss her.

      “Maybe,” he said softly, looking intently into her eyes.

      “Phil, if its the age difference-”

      He put his finger up to her lips to stop her from speaking.  “It’s getting late, Darce, and I still need to get a few things done for work before tomorrow morning.  Go ahead and take the bed tonight,” he whispered, dropping his finger from her lips, it caught one of the soft curls of her hair, and he played with it for a second before dropping his hand completely.

      She just wanted to be his everything at that point.  She wanted to tell him how much of a crush she had on him.  A crush that went all the way back to the time when he and his thugs stole all of Jane’s equipment (not to mention her iPod).  She had only seen him a few times in New Mexico, but it was enough to make an impression on her heart.  When she found out he was the agent to protect her, she took it as a sign.  It was dumb, but she believed in that kind of stuff.  If she told him all this now, would it change anything thing between them?  “Phil...”  She started to but her voice cracked.  

      “See you in the morning,” she said giving him once last look before heading into the bedroom and closing the door softly behind her.

Chapter Text

     Phil wished he hadn’t told Clint to meet him for drills this morning because he could have used the extra hour to sleep in.  He had stayed up until two-thirty typing up a report, it shouldn’t have taken that long, but his thoughts kept back to Darcy.  At one point, he had thought about taking a break from his work and to see if she was still up, but when he saw that it was after midnight he decided that she was probably fast asleep.  He wasn’t sure what he would have even said to her if he did go to her.  Instead, he continued to muddle on through typing his report, pushing all other thoughts to the back of his mind.  When he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, he crashed on the couch still dressed in his suit.  At five a.m, his watch beeped, and he pulled himself up off the couch and crept into his room carefully not to wake Darcy up.

      Quietly he grabbed one of his suits from the closet and started to head back out of the room.  He stopped at the doorway and looked back at Darcy, he contemplated whether or not to wake her up to let her know he was leaving.  She looked so comfortable wrapped up in the blankets, that he decided that he just leave her be.  He took a quick shower and was out the door by 5:30 a.m.

      He stopped at the cafeteria and got a coffee when he arrived at work, he was certainly going to need it this morning.  Functioning on two and a half hours of sleep was not going to be enough to get him through the day.  He walked down to the gym and switched from his suit into a t-shirt, track pants, and sneakers.  Since he didn’t get to go for his usual morning run, so he decided that he’d get some exercise with Barton today.  Phil reached up with his hand and tried to massage his neck, it ached like a bitch from sleeping on the couch in such an odd position.  Darcy had offered to sleep there so he could have the bed, but there was no way that he make her sleep on the couch.  He was a gentleman after all.

      “Morning!  So are you shocked to see that I actually showed up?”  Clint called out as he entered the gym.  He was wearing his standard uniform and had his gear bag slung over his shoulder.  He walked over to Coulson and smirked. “So what’s my punishment?”

      “I had thought about firing projectiles at you to dodge, but how about a little one-on-one basketball, instead?” Phil asked.

      “I wondered why you weren’t in a suit.  Sounds good,” Clint said as he tossed his gear over to the side.  “You look like hell, if you don’t mind me saying, sir.” 

      “I ended up going to bed around 2:30.  I had to finish up a few reports to hand into Fury, stayed up way later than I intended.”  Phil walked over to bench and grabbed the basketball.  He dribbled it and then passed it to Barton.

      “It’s going to be a helluva long day for you,” Clint dribbled the ball a couple of times and then shot it.  It swished through the hoop, and he grinned.  “You sure you wanna do this?  My aim is pretty good.  You know ... ‘cause I’m Hawkeye.”

      “Just play the game, Barton,” Phil shook his head and grabbed the ball.  “Before I change my mind about the projectiles.”

      “Got it.  Game on, then!”

      Clint had won the game in the end but only by a few points.  Surprisingly, Phil had given him a run for his money. “Okay, you almost kicked my ass, Coulson,” Clint said wiping the sweat from his forehead.  “I didn’t know that you were that good at basketball.”

      “I’m good at a lot of things you don’t know about.”  Phil said nonchalantly.  They both walked over to the benches and sat down.  He reached over and grabbed a water bottle and tossed it to Barton, before taking a sip of his own.

      “Thanks,” Clint said, catching the water and then taking the cap off to take a drink.  There was a moment of silence between the two of them.  Clint liked Coulson a lot, but he always had a hard time talking about anything other than work related stuff.  He wasn’t sure if they really had anything else in common.  Coulson was so by the book, the perfect SHIELD agent.  “We still haven’t found that AIM goon yet.  No leads, nothing.  It could be a good thing though, maybe he just gave up on trying to get to Miss Lewis.  How is she holding up?”  He asked looking over at Phil.

      “She’s good.  Doesn’t seem to be too scared or worried.  She’s getting a bit stir crazy though, so the sooner she can get out of my apartment the better.”  Phil reached over grabbing a towel and wiped the sweat from his brow.

      “She’s hot,” Clint said without really thinking.  He quickly took a sip of water.  “I mean, from the picture I saw of her.  She looked pretty hot.  I certainly wouldn’t mind sharing my place with her for a few days, if you know what I mean.  A total cutie.”  He chuckled.

      Phil put the towel down and arched his eyebrow.  “Really?”

      Clint laughed.  “Seriously?  You don’t think so?  You can admit it, Coulson.”

      He nodded.  “She’s... easy on the eyes.”  He wasn’t sure if he liked where this conversation was heading.  Barton was getting nosey again.

      Clint smirked.  “See that wasn’t hard.  Admitting a girl is attractive isn’t a sin.  SHIELD isn’t going to punish you for that.  It’s not like you slept with her.”

      Phil felt his heart pound rapidly in his chest and he glanced away quickly from Clint, looking down at the floor.  His cheeks were growing warm but at least he could blame it on the basketball game.  It was complete silence between the two of them for a moment until Clint choked on his water.

      “Ho-ly.  Shit!  You slept with her!  Oh, I know that guilty look all too well, Coulson.”  Clint’s eyes were wide and he was grinning, shaking his head slightly.  “I have to say, I’m impressed.  Maybe you and I are more alike than I thought!”

      “I’m not you, Barton.”

      “Well, that is true,” Clint agreed.  “You did slept with her, right?  You didn’t deny it.  You got guilty written all over you.  I thought I smelled girl on you!” he teased.

      Phil just looked at Barton not saying anything, but his eyes held the truth.

      “Wow ... So how did that exactly happen?”  Clint asked. 

      “I’m not going into details,” Phil said, and shook his head.

      Damn it.

       “It’s bad enough that you know that much already.” Phil said as he twisted the cap of his water bottle on and off nervously.

       “Oh, I’m not going to tell anyone, not even Tasha.  This knowledge is too good to go sharing with everyone.  I wanna keep it to myself,” Clint promised.  He could always use it as blackmail if he needed to.  Nah, he wouldn’t do that to Phil.  Or would he?  “So was this why you were so pissy with me yesterday?  Of course it was ... Oh, and I called her a teenager.  Yeah ... Sorry about that.”  Clint knew the age difference between Phil and Darcy was significant, so making reference to her as an underaged girl probably made him feel like a creep.

      “It’s fine,” Phil said with a soft sigh.  “We just got caught up in a moment.  It was a mistake, and it won’t happen again.”

      “Damn, I hope I can still bag girls like that when I’m-”

      “Don’t push it, Barton.”

      “It was going to be a compliment,” Clint said shrugging his shoulders.  “So you like her right?  She likes you?”  He watched as Phil nodded his head slightly.  He looked really uncomfortable talking about this.  “Sooo, I guess I’m not seeing what the big problem is?  If it’s the age gap, then that’s a dumb reason.  She obviously has no problem with it, so why should you?  You know how many middle-aged guys dream of having a younger girlfriend?”

      “Middle-aged?”  Barton was really pushing it now.

      “Hey, I could have called you an old man,” Clint said as he bounced the basketball a couple of times.  “Now, I know it’s against policy to bang ... Err, I mean ‘get involved’ with her while you’re on assignment.  So, wait until we catch the son of bitch who’s after her, then you’ll be in the clear.  Then you can go public and show her off.  Sitwell will shit himself with jealousy.”

      “I don’t know,” Phil said quietly.  Never in a million years did he ever think he’d be sitting here, chatting with Clint Barton about girl troubles.  It made him feel like he was in middle school, and not a high ranking SHIELD agent.  “I don’t know why this conversation is happening between us,” he said looking over at Clint.

     “Well, it is.  Not my fault that you gave your dirty little secret away,” He grinned.  “Look, it’s hard to find love in our line of work, so when you get a chance at it, take it.”  

      “I took a chance before and it didn’t work out so well.”

      “Oh, are you talking about her?  She was a bitch.  Nobody around here knew why you were with that woman.  Tasha said it was because her name was Sheila and it sounded a lot like SHIELD.  I said it was because you must have been getting some real good bedroom action because why else would you be with that ... Woman.  Choosing your job over her was probably the best decision you’ve ever made.”  

      Phil chuckled slightly.  “She was kind of a ... bitch, wasn’t she?”  He glanced down at his watch, it was almost time for him to start work.  He had a feeling it was going to be another crappy day.  It had already started off awkwardly chatting with Barton.

      “Listen, I know I’m not the best at relationship advice,” Clint said as he stood up and stretched.  “But if you really want to be with Darcy, go for it.  Don’t let your age or your work stop you from bringing a little happiness to your life.”

      Clint’s words really struck a chord with Phil.  He had felt happy and content when he had been with her the other night.  That could be a feeling he could have all the time.  He knew that they wouldn’t have a normal relationship, it would take a lot of work from both of them, but he was willing to give it a try.  Assuming that Darcy still wanted anything to do with him. 

      “You’ve liked her for a long time, haven’t you?”  Clint said as he looked at the other agent.  “You volunteered for mission.  Why would a Level 7 agent even bother with taking on such a small inferior case that any Level 2 agent could do?”

      Phil could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest.  People had a lot of opinions about Clint Barton; most of them being that he was a jokester that had authority issues, which was true.  However, being his former handler, he got to know Clint more on a personal level.  He had a kind heart, he was strong willed, and very perceptive.  There was very little that got past Barton without him taking notice to it.  “It was when we were in Puente Antiguo.  She came to me a couple of times trying to get her iPod back, and I started to kind of fall for her there.  So when this mission came about I volunteered so I could have an excuse to be close to her.  I really think the only reason Fury let me take it was because I was already familiar with her dossier.  I’m sure he would have given it to a lower level agent otherwise.”

      “Aw that’s cute!  All the more reason not to pass this chance up.  When you get home tonight, let her know how you feel.  At least take her out on a few dates and see if that attraction to her is still strong.” Clint said and then he walked over to Phil and patted him on the shoulder.  “Good talk today, Coulson.  Really felt like we bonded.”

      Phil rolled his eyes and shook his head as he picked up his bag off the floor.  “Next time it won’t be basketball.  Watch your mouth, Agent Barton.” He said as he started to walk away.

      “Hey, Phil!  Find out if Darcy has any older sisters,” Clint called out before Phil walked into the locker room.   “I’d say younger, but I don’t want to date a ten year old,” he teased.

       Barton.

      Phil stopped just before he walked into the locker room and turned around to face Clint.  He gave a disapproving shake of the head and stuck up his middle finger, but he did it with a smirk on his face. Clint chuckled to himself as he watched Phil disappear through the doorway.  He stooped down and picked up the basketball, dribbling it a few times, Phil Coulson just got a whole lot cooler in his book.  So he wasn’t just a one dimensional stuffy agent after all.  Clint tossed the ball in the air and watched it fall through the hoop.  He might not be the best at advice when it came to the opposite sex but he hoped he said something today that helped Coulson out.

 ********************************************

     It had been another long and boring day for Darcy, but at least she got her clothes washed.  Most of the day she spent in front of the television, watching stupid morning talk shows and old reruns of ‘Supernatural’.  She didn’t text Phil at all, she wasn’t sure that would be the best idea, especially since things had gotten a little weird between them yesterday.  Who knew how he was going to act when he came home tonight.  “I fucked everything up,” she muttered to herself, and buried her face in one of the couch pillows.  It smelled like his cologne.  She sighed deeply, imagining herself nuzzling close his neck, and sucking on his sweet skin.

      “Darcy?”

      She jumped up when she heard her name.  “Phil! God, I didn’t even hear you come in!  Sorry...”  Darcy said, her heart pounding deep in her chest.  He looked really tired.

      “No, I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have been so quiet,” he smiled.

      “That’s because you’re a super sneaky agent,” Darcy smiled back.

      He walked over to the table and set his car keys down, took his jacket off, and placed it on the chair.  He spent the entire drive home planning out what he was going to say to her, but now that he was here; he had forgotten everything.  “Darcy-”

      “Phil-”

      They both spoke at the same time.

      “You go first,” Phil said making a gesture to Darcy.  He walked over to the arm chair across from her and sat down.

      Darcy took a deep breath.  This had to be the truth.   “Look, I know it can’t happen again.  I’d be lying though if I said that I didn’t want to happen again.  I do... I mean, ...I wouldn’t mind it.”  She looked down and chewed on her lip for a moment before she met his gaze again.  “And while I’m confessing that, I might as well also confess that I’ve had a bit of a crush on you.  All the way back from when you and thugs raided Jane’s lab.  That was a shitty thing to do, and the fact that you took my iPod was not cool either.  Especially when that was the only thing that wasn’t returned with all her equipment.  I’m getting off track here, aren’t I?”

      Phil’s lip twitched with a tiny smile, and he nodded.

      “The point is, I have a crush on you.  I’ve had one for a long time.  I know there is a big age difference between us, but honestly, I think it’s hot.  I’ve always had a thing for older men.  I know, I’m young and you might not be into that.  You probably want some closer to your age, but I’m not a little immature girl.  I just think you’re damn sexy, and you’re sweet.  I’m not asking for us to jump into some kind of relationship or have another wild sex fest.  I just want you to know that I like you and I would like to get to know you more, even if it’s just on that friend level.”  Darcy took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.  She had no idea what his response would be now that she poured her heart out to him, but she hoped that he’d at least say something because this just staring at her thing that he was doing was starting to creep her out a little bit.  “Okay confession over.  Please say something.”

      Phil studied Darcy’s face for a short moment.  She was definitely being sincere in all that she confessed; he could tell by the way voice quivered, and the faint pinkness that crept along her cheeks.  She had told him everything and was waiting a response, good or bad, from him.  He nodded as he searched for the right words.  “Darcy, you’re a very pretty girl.  You’re extremely smart,” Phil smirked.  “You're a bit impetuous...”  Darcy opened her mouth to argue, but Phil put his hand up before she could speak.  “But I like that about you.”

      “You do?”

      “I do.  Darcy, I haven’t been in a relationship in a while.  A very long while.  It’s not something that generally works with job,” he started to say, “it just doesn’t seem to work out.”

      “Okay,” Darcy said softly and tried to give him a faint smile.  She figured that would be his answer. “Well, at least we know where we stand now.  Thanks for-”

      Phil held up his hand again to stop her.  “Even with all that said, I would like to get to know you better.  See where things go.  Warning though, I could potentially be a really bad boyfriend.  I disappear a lot for work and I can’t tell you where I’m going or how long I’ll be.  I’m in a very dangerous field, and there may be a time where I don’t return.  Ever.”  He knew he was being a bit morbid, but he needed to be upfront with Darcy.  She needed to understand that it was a possibility before he would even consider getting into any kind of relationship with her.

      “I understand,” she said. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour inside her chest.  Did he really just say that he wanted to get to know her better?  Or was she dreaming all this?

      He exhaled a deep breath.  “And, while we’re confessing things...”  Phil smiled nervously at Darcy.  “I’ve had a bit of a crush on you since New Mexico as well.”

      “For real?”  Darcy was shocked.  BAMF Phil Coulson had a crush on her also?

      “How could I not develop feelings for the beautiful girl that came to me everyday demanding to get her iPod back?  Darcy, I took this assignment so that I could be close to you again.  Also ... I certainly didn’t trust your safety with any other agents.  I needed to be the one protecting you,” he said as he got up and moved next to her.  He reached up and played with a strand of her hair, twisting in his fingers playfully.  “I’ll protect you forever.”

      “Can I kiss you?”  She asked, placing her hand on his knee.  “I really, really need to kiss you.”

      “Oh, yes, sweetheart,” he whispered, pulling her close to him.  Their lips met and they kissed slowly and passionately for several moments before Phil pulled away slightly.  There was something he thought of on the drive into work this morning, and it was kind of bothering him.  “Darcy, the other night when we ... were together, we didn’t use-”

      “I’m on birth control,” she said quickly, before placing a couple of chaste kisses on his jaw.

      “Oh, Really?” 

      “Have been for a while,” Darcy replied.  

      “Mmm ...  Good,” he smirked, and then placed a kiss on her lips.  Phil reached over and switched the lamp on the end table off, surrounding them in complete darkness. 

Chapter Text

     “Mmm, baby ...” Darcy said as she stretched her arms over her head and flexed her toes.  She giggled and shifted in bed, feeling a tickling sensation go up her legs, thighs, across her hips, and then stop right at her stomach.  “Phil!”  She giggled again, placing her hands on the lump under the sheet.  It was dark in the room except for the little bit of light poking through the curtains, shining across the bed.  It was definitely morning now.  She turned her head over to look at the clock; it read 9:04 a.m. 

      “Oh my god!  Phil, you’re late,” Darcy said tapping the lump.  “It’s after nine!”  The tickling sensation started again as it continued its way up her body, but by the time it got to her breasts it changed into soft little butterfly kisses.

      “Mmmm,” she moaned softly, closing her eyes.

      Phil poked his head out of the sheet, looking down at Darcy.  “It’s my off day,” he grinned as he steadied himself over her body.

      “You get a day off?”  Darcy sounded surprised.

      He chuckled.  “You don’t actually think that I work every single day of the week do you?”  He rolled off Darcy, on to his back, and turned his head to look at her.  “I get a day off, unless I’m called in for some reason.”

      “Oh, I like the sound that, Darcy smiled as she ran her hand lightly down his bare shoulder.  “So ... Does that mean we get to do whatever we want to do today?” She arched her eyebrow playfully and then shifted her body so that she was straddling over him.

     He placed his hands at her hips, pushing away the sheet.  She was just in the right angle where the sunlight streaked across her naked body, making her pale skin look silvery.  “Whatever we want,” he grinned, looking up at her.

      “Mmmm, sooo ...” She smiled and then bit her lip playfully.  “A whole day of uninhibited sexy times?”  Darcy raked her fingers playfully through the hair on his chest.

      Phil gave Darcy another smile, as he stroked the top of her legs.  “We could do that.”  He took her hands in his and then kissed the top of it.  “But I was thinking maybe I could take you on a proper date?”

     “I thought I’m not allowed to leave your apartment?”

      “You are as long as you’re with a S.H.I.E.L.D escort,” Phil smirked, then kissed her hand again.  “Darcy, I want to date you properly.”

      “You don’t like the sex?”

      “Of course I do.  It’s amazing,” he said as he sat up a little and placed his hands around her, stroking her back gently.  “I just think maybe ... We’re moving a bit ... fast.  I just don’t want this thing we have going on ... to be just a sexual thing.  Darcy, I really like you a lot, and I don’t want to ruin anything by moving too quickly.  I want to take you out and treat you like the beauty that you are.”

      Darcy leaned down and kissed Phil’s cheek.  “That sounds wonderful,” she whispered in his ear.  Darcy had several guys in the past, but none of them had never been as kind and sweet as Phil was to her.  She wanted this to work just as much as he did, so if that meant to start slowly and build up to being intimate again, then she was perfectly okay with it.  She looked into his blue eyes, and smiled.  “So what do you have planned?”

      “I was thinking a romantic dinner and maybe an evening stroll?”  He shrugged.  “I’m not great with planning dates but-”

      “It sounds perfect.  I haven’t been on a romantic date in a long time,” she said, getting off of him and wrapping the sheet around her body.  “I wish I had something pretty to wear.”  She wrinkled her nose as she looked down at the blue t-shirt and ripped jeans that she had worn almost everyday.

      “We could stop someplace before we go to dinner and I could buy you something?”  He offered.

      “Mmm, my Sugar Daddy,” Darcy joked.

      Phil shook his head.  “Please don’t call me that, Darcy.”  He was smiling but his eyes told that he was serious.  The age thing was going to be a real hurdle for him to get over.

      “Sorry,” she apologized as she grabbed her clothes off the floor and headed towards the bathroom.  “I’m going to take a quick shower.  Care to join me?”

     “You go ahead,” he said as he made a gesture towards her.  “I need to check my email and send a couple of files over to work.”

     Darcy raised her eyebrows.  “I thought you just said it was your off day?”

     “An off day means, I’m still working.  I just don’t have to go into work.”  Phil motioned his hand towards the bathroom.  “That shower is waiting for you.”

     “Alright ... But you’ll be missing out...”  She threw a little grin over shoulder towards Phil as she wiggled her backside.  He laughed as she disappeared through the door.

     After Darcy finished her shower and got dressed, she headed out to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal.  She yawned sleepily and sat down at the counter, shoveling a spoonful of Coco Puffs into her mouth.  She heard the water turn on in the bathroom, and she smiled thinking about Phil getting into the shower.  He may have not wanted to get in with her today, but he would soon.  

     That she was sure of.  

     Just as she was about to take another bite, she heard footsteps outside of the apartment.  She stood up quietly and took a few steps towards the door.  Phil was still in the shower, and she debated whether or not she should go and get him.  She could see a shadow moving from the crack under the door.  A large manila envelop slid under the door with Phil’s name on it.  Darcy took a step forward when she heard the footsteps begin to move away.  Crouching down, she looked at the envelope but dared not to touch it.  She had heard of way too many stories about envelopes laced with lethal powders, there was no way she was going to touch it.  Her boyfriend was a super spy after all, he probably had dozens of people after him.  

    “What’s that?”  She heard Phil’s voice call out from behind her, and she turned to face him.

    Fuck.

    He looked good.

     He was wearing a white button up shirt, sleeves rolled up three-quarters of the way, the three buttons were undone, showing off just a peek of chest hair.  He had jeans on, and they looked good on him.  Damn good.  Darcy had tried to imagine him in jeans before, and it made her laugh every time she thought about it.  For some reason, she could not picture him in anything but dress pants, but now that she saw him wearing jeans she never wanted to see him in his work pants again.  Her eyes travelled back up to his face.  He had a little scruff going on, like he didn’t bother with shaving this morning.  That was perfectly fine with Darcy though, he looked absolutely yummy with little whiskers on the side of his face.  However, it was the thick framed black glasses that he was wearing that really sent her over the edge.  She had known he must have worn glasses because she found contact solution in his bag during the first night she stayed over.  Those glasses though ...  Yeah, she definitely had a new kink for him in those glasses.

     “Darcy are you okay?”  Phil asked as he walked towards her.  She just kept staring at him with her mouth slightly hanging open.

     “Ugh,” she could barely find coherent words to speak. Darcy stood up and pointed down at the envelope.  “Somebody slid this under your door.  I didn’t touch it though, I know someone might be trying to kill you.”

     “Oh, I don’t know about that,” he said as he looked down at the envelope, and then walked over, and picked it up.  He knew immediately what it was by the handwriting.  “I’ve been wondering when this was going to show up.”  He smiled as he walked over to the counter and started to open it up very carefully.

     “So not a poison letter?”  Darcy asked as she came up besides him.  She could smell his cologne now.  “Damn, can I just say that you smell and look freaking amazing.  I mean, holy hell ...”

     “I wasn’t sure if I should shave today or not.  I usually don’t on my off day,” he said pulling a small white envelope out of the large manila one.

     “Please don’t.  I’m totally loving the scruff.  In fact, I want to feel it all over my body later tonight,” she winked at him, watching his cheeks go slightly pink.  “So what’s in the envelope?”

     “This,” he said as he gently pulled out a vintage looking Captain America trading card.  He studied it carefully, making sure to only touch the edges, even though it had a plastic protector around it.  He looked over at Darcy.  “I’ve been collecting the set for the last year now.  They’re first edition from the 1940’s.  I have a contact from an antiques shop and he’s been tracking them down for me.  That’s probably who slipped it under the door,” he said as he continued to inspect the card.

     “Wow, you are such a geek.  I mean, that’s totally cool, Phil.” Darcy smirked as she looked at the card and then to Phil and then back to the card.  “So do you have them all now?”

     “Just missing card six.  It seems to be the hardest to find.”

     “Darcy smiled.  “Really? Card six?”  She grinned wider.  “What if I said I knew where you might be able to get that card?”

     Phil looked up.  “Seriously? Where?”

     “Well, my grandfather was also a huge Captain America fan.  He fought with him in the war.  Not with him, but he saw a couple of his morale boosting shows or whatever they were.  I remember him telling me that most of the soldiers went to see the dancing girls but he went to see Captain America.  Said he was a real hero that got him through some tough times during the war.  He had all the cards.  I remember seeing them in the basement of his house when I was little.  When he died he willed each of his grandchildren one.  I got card eight but traded it for card six with my cousin.  I wanted that particular card because Cap looked really hot on it,” she laughed.  

     “Now, I will have to tell you that I think all my cousins either threw theirs away or pawned them off, so don’t ask if I can get you a second set.  I can get you card six though.  It’s at my grandmothers house, unless she sold it,” Darcy explained.  She liked watching Phil’s face as it intently followed along with her story.

     “Are you messing with me, Darcy?  Because if you are that is a very cruel-”

     “I swear, I’m not!”  Darcy held up her hands in front of her.  “I really have the card.” 

     “That’s amazing.  You’d give it to me?” He asked, placing his hand on hers.

     “I didn’t say I’d give it to you,” she grinned.  “You may have to pay with some very hot sex.”  She stopped and laughed.  “Of course, I’d give it to you, Phil.  I can see that these cards really must mean something to you.”

     “Your grandfather gave it to you though...”

     “And it’s at my grandmother’s house collecting dust.  Honestly, I never knew what do with it, it’s just sitting in a box over there.  I’ll call her tomorrow, and see if she can send it out.”

     Phil nodded slowly.  “Thank you very much, Darcy,” he said as he looked down at the card again.  “It seems hard to believe that my new girlfriend would happen to have the last Captain America card that I need-”

     Darcy crossed her arms and smirked.  “More impossible than finding out that the Norse god, Thor, is for real?”

     “Okay you have a point there,” Phil said as he kissed the top of her head.  He looked at the clock, it was getting close to afternoon now, and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Darcy before he had to head back to work tomorrow.  Plus, she probably couldn’t wait to get out of the apartment.  “What do you say we get out of here and start our day?” He asked.  

     “I can’t wait.”

 *********************************

     The first stop was to a clothing boutique, so that Darcy could find something appropriate to wear on their date.  Phil sat in one of the chairs, while Darcy looked around the small shop.  She wanted to find something pretty but not too revealing, but yet, she wanted Phil to take notice to her.  The women that were working in the shop kept glancing over at Darcy and then to Phil, whispering something to each other, and Darcy could only guess that they were gossiping about their age difference.  Phil took notice too, because instead of staring intently at Darcy as she wandered about the store, he started to check his email on his phone.

     “How do you like this?”  Darcy asked as she stepped out of the dressing room, wearing a light purple t-shirt dress with a black belt.  It wasn’t much but it showed off her curves.

     “You look amazing,” Phil smiled and stood up, walking over to Darcy.  He grabbed her hands in his and looked her up and down.  “Beautiful.”  There was some whispering behind them and he stopped talking, cocking his head over to the side slightly trying to listen in on the sales women.

     “Let them talk,” Darcy whispered to Phil, squeezing his hands.  The women were being annoying and rude as hell.  If Phil wasn’t standing here, Darcy would certainly give the bitches a piece of her mind.  She rolled her eyes, and smirked.  “They’re just jealous they don’t have a man as incredibly sexy as mine.”  She ripped the tags off the dress and belt and walked over to the counter.

     “I guess you’ll be wearing it out?”  One of the women said as she scanned the tags.

     “Yeah, on our date tonight,” Darcy stressed the word ‘date’ as she looked at Phil, who handed the woman his credit card.

     The woman ran his card and gave him a slight smile.  “Of course,” she smirked giving him another odd glance, handing it back to him.  “Have a good evening.”  

     Darcy took Phil’s hand in hers and they walked out of the shop, leaving the women to gossip or joke about their relationship.  Whatever.  Darcy didn’t care.  She was just happy that she was with him.

     They spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know each other better.  They browsed a few of the local shops; shared an ice cream in the park; and visited the bookstore where Phil gravitated towards the comics and graphic novels.  Darcy smiled as she pretended to skim through a book on Japanese pop culture, while she watched Phil and his love of all things geeky.  She almost started to forget that he was a badass-super-secret-agent-man.  After they left the bookstore they headed to an Italian restaurant that Phil had raved about all day. 

     “This place looks beautiful.  Nice choice, babe.” Darcy said as she walked through the door that Phil was holding open for her.  They chose to sit outside on the terrace with the stars twinkling above them.  Darcy picked up the menu and looked it over, while Phil ordered a bottle of wine for them.

     “You sure the wine is a good idea?” Darcy teased, picking up a piece of bread from the basket on the table.  “You know what happened last time.”

     “I think we’ll be fine.  Besides, nothing goes better with Italian food than a good bottle of red wine,” he said picking up his menu and looking it over.  He remembered that wine had got them in a bit of trouble the other night, but it just wasn’t the wine; it had also been the intoxicating presence of Darcy that made him lose his mind and give into passion.  Phil felt his work phone vibrate in his pocket; if they were calling him in; he was not going to be happy.  He pulled it out and flipped open the screen to read the text.  

    <<Did you tell her?>>  

     Barton.

     Phil glanced over at Darcy, she was still looking at the menu, chewing on a piece of warm buttery bread.  He looked down at his phone and started to reply quickly.  He knew if he didn’t, Barton would be hounding him all night.

     <<We r on a date.>>  He hit the send button and not more than five seconds later, his phone buzzed again.

     <<U r welcome.>>  Was all it said. 

     Phil wanted to roll his eyes, of course Barton was now going to take credit for getting him and Darcy together.  Which wasn’t entirely untrue.  If it hadn’t been for him, Phil may have never acted on trying to start a relationship with her.

     “The office?”  Darcy asked.  “You don’t have to go in do you?  I’ll be so pissed if you have to go in.”  There was no way that this perfect date was going to get ruined.

     “Everything is fine, sweetheart,” Phil said just as the waiter came over and took their order.  Darcy had decided on the extra cheesy ravioli, while Phil went with the homemade lasagna.  

     Phil poured them each a glass of wine while they waited for their food to arrive.  He watched as she picked it up and took a sip.  “Is it good?” he asked.

     “Yummy,” she smiled and then her smile grew bigger.   “Are you sure you don’t want to get wasted and have wild drunken sex when we get back to your place?  It could be fun.”

     “I have no doubt that it would be, but come morning neither of us would remember any of it.  So where would be the fun in that?” he asked, with a little smirk playing on his lips.

    Darcy sighed.  “That’s true,” she said thoughtfully.  Then she smiled again.  “Maybe you could get really wasted and I could take advantage of you.  That would be fun.”  She knew that there was no way Phil would agree to that idea, but she had to suggest it anyway.

     Phil chuckled.  “Hmm... I haven’t been drunk in a really, really long time.  The last time I was, I had my nose broken by a big burly Russian.”

     “You’ve had your nose broke?”

     “Twice,” he said as he tapped the bridge of his nose.  “That’s why it’s crooked.”

     “Well, I adore your crooked nose.  It’s sexy as hell.”  Darcy said as she slid her foot under the table and ran it up the backside of his leg.  She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows.  Phil’s lip twitched and he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.

     “Well, I have a very sexy girl-” Phil started to say just as the waiter came around and placed their plates in front of them.

     “Oh my god, that looks yummy,” Darcy said looking down at the huge plate of food. “Mmmm, it is good.” She said talking a little bite, knowing that she totally got food on her face.  Her and Italian food was not a good combination.  

     “You have a little bit of sauce-” he reached over and wiped his thumb gently across her lips.  She watched him intently, kissing his thumb just before he pulled away.    “Right there ...”  He still couldn’t believe that this gorgeous girl was into him as much as he was into her.  He thought back to New Mexico, and how she would storm up to him and demand that he give her back her iPod, saying that they had no right to take it.  She had even tried to flirt with him at one point to get it back.  She had been a terrible flirt, but Coulson found it quite adorable.

     “What are you smiling about?”  Darcy asked, taking another bite of her ravioli.

     “The time you tried to flirt with me to get your iPod back,” he said taking a bit of bread from the basket.

     Darcy giggled.  “That was pretty bad, wasn’t it?  I really wanted my iPod, though.”  She shook her head.  “Here I was trying to be all sexy, and I blew it, by tripping over that wire on the ground.  Fell on my ass right in front of you.  You must have thought I was-”

     “I thought it was cute,” he said through a mouth full of food.  He watched as her cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head away as she gave him a small smile.  She looked so damn adorable when she blushed.  Phil smiled back and then reached for his glass.  Just as he brought it up to his lips, he was bumped hard in the back, spilling red wine all over his white shirt.

     “Oh! I am so, so sorry, sir.” The waiter apologized, as he set his tray down and started to dab a rag at Phil’s shirt.

     “Oh that sucks!  Here,” Darcy said as she reached for a clean napkin, handing it to Phil.

     “It’s fine, it’s fine,” Phil said looking up at the waiter.  Figures that the date had been going wonderful, and now the moment was ruined by some clumsy waiter.  Phil stood up and looked at Darcy.  “I’m going to see if I can get some of this out.  I’ll be back in a second.”

     “I am so sorry, sir.  I’ll talk to my manager and see if I can do something for you,” the waiter apologized again.

     “It’s okay,” Phil nodded to the waiter.  “Darce, I’ll be right back.”

     “I’ll be here,” she said as she poked around at her salad.

     Phil walked into the restroom and turned the water from the faucet on.  Was it supposed to be hot water or cold water?  Maybe it was club soda?  He couldn’t remember what they said got wine out of clothing.  Did you treat it the same way as blood stains?  He grumbled as he looked at his ruined shirt in mirror.  He had wanted to look nice for Darcy, even though he knew she wouldn’t care if he had a huge stain on his shirt.  He rubbed a paper towel at his shirt and shook his head.  There was no way in hell that water was going get the stain out.  

     Oh well.

 ******************

     Darcy sighed as she waited for Phil to return from the restroom.  She took a bite of food and then a sip of wine.  “He’s probably in there trying to scrub it clean,” she thought.  She didn’t care if he had a huge red stain on his shirt though, he could have been in totally grubby, grungy clothes and she’d still be into him just as much.  Darcy wasn’t superficial or materialistic in any way shape or form.  She looked around the terrace, it was nice that there was no one else out here, it made it feel like she and Phil had the whole place to themselves.  Maybe when he got back and sat down, she give him a few nibbles on his neck.  Yeah, that sounded like a perfect idea, she thought smiling to herself.  She allowed herself to play out in her mind what she’d do to him when he got back.  Darcy jumped slightly, snapping out of her daydream, when a hand was gently placed on her shoulder.

     “There’s my sexy man,” she said turning her head a little and placing a kiss on the hand on her shoulder.  Darcy’s eyes flicked up to look at Phil, except it wasn’t him. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could get any sound out, a rag clamped over her mouth.

 *******************

     Soon as Phil exited the restroom, he felt that something wasn’t right.  It was the same feeling he got when he was on a top secret mission.  That weird sensation in the pit of his stomach that made his heart begin to beat faster.  He picked up his pace as he walked down the hall and out to the terrace.  Darcy was no longer sitting at the table.  She was gone.  He moved to the center of the terrace and turned in a circle as he scanned the area.  Then he moved to the table to look for any clues, it looked completely fine.  No sign of a struggle what so ever.  If he still didn’t have that feeling in his stomach, he may have thought that Darcy had just got up to use the restroom.  He began to curse himself for being so careless; he should have never left her side.  Not even for the two minutes that he was gone.  AIM had followed them, most likely all day.  Now Darcy was gone and it was all his fault.  He swore to god, that if they hurt her in any way, that there would be hell to pay.

     Phil reached for his phone and flipped it open.  He pressed a code into the screen and it brought up a map with a blinking red dot.  S.H.I.E.L.D had injected Darcy with a microscopic tracking device just in case something like this happened.  He was so thankful that they did; he could now get to her quickly without wasting too much time.  He switched screens on his phone and dialed a number; it rang twice and then a voice picked up.

     “Coulson?”

     “Barton, I need you to get down to the Old Mill warehouse ASAP,”  Phil spoke quickly as he jumped the terrace gate and headed towards his car.

     “Whoa, what’s up?”  Barton asked over the phone.  He was already shoving some of his gear into a duffle bag and heading out the door.  He knew when Phil said ASAP, he meant it.

     “Darcy is missing,” Phil said as he popped the trunk of his car.  He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket.  There was a little compartment under the floor of the trunk and he opened it up, pulling a shiny metal case out.  Quickly he punched in a code and the case popped open revealing several weapons.  Phil grabbed is favorite semi-automatic pistol and slammed the trunk shut.  He jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car up, and it squealed out of the parking lot towards the warehouse.  

     It was time to get his Darcy back.

Chapter Text

Phil had followed the GPS tracker to the Old Mill Warehouse. It was a shabby burnt out building that should have been condemned years ago. Somewhere in there, Darcy was being held against her will. He needed to get to her before something really bad happened to her. She had to alright; he couldn't allow him to think otherwise. He needed to focus; Darcy's safety depended it on it. Phil turned off his headlights and pulled his car off to the side of the warehouse. Right away he spotted Barton's motorcycle parked in the alley. He got out of the car and shut the door softly, his eyes searched the area looking for Clint or any possible threat.

"Psst." A hiss came from the alleyway.

Phil looked in the direction of the noise just as Barton stepped out of the shadows and waved him over. "How long have you been here?" Phil whispered as he came over to Barton and turned to look at the warehouse.

"About five minutes," Barton replied. He was wearing street clothes but had his bow and arrows slung over his back. His eyes darted down to Coulson's shirt. "Shit, that's not-"

"No, it's wine," Coulson replied in a rush. He had a feeling that the waiter who bumped into him was in on the act as well. He felt really stupid for getting up and leaving Darcy alone when he knew that AIM were after her.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Phil. It could have happened at anytime, anywhere." Clint tried to reassure Coulson. He knew him well enough to know that he was blaming himself for Darcy's disappearance. Clint pulled a communication device out of his bag and handed it to Coulson.

"Have you heard any noises coming from the building?" Phil asked quickly as he placed the device in his ear, he really didn't need Barton's reassuring talk right now. There was no time for it. Darcy needed him and he needed to get to her. His brain was going in a hundred different directions all at once.

"No voices, but I did pick up on a few noises that sounded like glass shattering. There is definitely people in there." Clint replied, looking up at the warehouse. "How many? No fucking clue."

Glass shattering was never a good sound, especially where there was a victim involved. "We, need to go in." Coulson whispered, flipping the safety off his gun.

"Not calling for back up?" Clint whispered back as he began to follow Coulson's lead. His eyes darted from side to side, sweeping for anything out of the ordinary.

"We will if we can't handle it," he replied as he came around to the backside of the warehouse. The door was padlocked shut, but there was a window with the glass broken out of it. "We can get in through here. We'll split up once we get inside to look for Darcy. Turn your communicator on." Coulson was already climbing on the wooden crate underneath the window and hoisting himself inside the building.

Clint nodded as he watched Coulson disappear through the window before he climbed the crate. He slid his bow and arrows through first and then himself. He dropped down off the ledge and landed without a sound next to Coulson. "It's dark in here," he whispered, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside the warehouse.

Coulson pointed to the ladder that led to the upper deck of the warehouse and Clint nodded. He would take the top and Coulson would stay on the ground floor. It was going to be really hard to look for clues considering how dark it actually was, so they'd have to rely mostly on sound. He watched as Clint climbed the ladder and disappear into the darkness. He kept his gun close as he practically floated across the metal floor tiles without making a sound. His S.H.I.E.L.D training taught him to be light on his feet; almost ghostlike. Clint was a master at it, but Coulson was pretty good himself.

Now he just had to pinpoint exactly where Darcy was being kept.

Darcy groaned as she tried to pull herself up from the hard cold floor. Her vision was blurry and her head groggy. The last thing she could really remember was wine being spilt on Phil's shirt and then him leaving to clean up. She was sitting at the table waiting for him to return when-

Her eyes went wide and she tried to scream out, except there was something prohibiting her doing so. She choked on the gag in her mouth. A strange metallic taste was on her tongue and she knew it had to be blood. Darcy struggled to get up again, but realized that she had been bound with zip ties and chained to a large pipe. She twisted and turned, but was unable to stand up. She made her eyes as wide as they could go, hoping that they'd adjust to the tiny bit of light that was flickering in the corner of the room. Her heart was racing a hundred miles a second as she thought about Phil. Had he been captured also? Was he looking for her? Had he been - killed? Tears formed in her eyes. Darcy had always thought herself to be a strong woman, she rarely cried or got over emotional about stuff, but thinking about anything that had to do with Phil brought out all kinds of emotions within her. She might have only really knew him for a short time, but she knew that she was falling in love with him. She needed to see his face again.

A door creaked open and Darcy sucked in a deep breath, praying that it would be Phil walking through that door.

"Ah, you're awake, Miss Lewis. Good, now we can get on with business," a low voice called from the darkness.

She couldn't see his face, he wouldn't step into the dim light, but what she did see was large serrated blade that he held in his hand. The sight of it made her heart stop.

"Talk to me, Barton." Phil whispered into his communicator as he leaned up against a wall.

"Sweet talk or dirty talk?" Barton's voice chirped in Coulson's earpiece.

"Not the time or place, Agent." Coulson replied in a warning tone. Usually he could take a little witty banter from Barton while on a mission. In fact, they had often relied on it to pass time while on away missions. But this mission was extremely sensitive to him, and he wouldn't risk it by goofing around.

"Sorry. Force of habit," Clint apologized over the comm. "Nothing up here so far. You?"

"I don't-"

Creak.

There was a noise coming from an area over from across the area Coulson was in. He squinted his eyes looking in the direction it came from.

"Coulson? Phil?" Clint said over the comm. There was dead silence on the line and Clint began to worry just a little bit. Just as he was about to speak again, he heard a beep. It was telling him that Coulson was okay, but he couldn't communicate by speaking at the moment. Barton waited for a second to see if Phil came back on the line. When he didn't; he started to move along the top deck again.

Phil turned his communicator off for the moment, he couldn't risk Barton squawking in his ear. Carefully, he moved among the shadows being as silent as a ghost. He paused for a moment, when he heard the creaking noise again. He held his gun pointed downward but took his finger off the trigger. If there was someone over there, he wouldn't risk firing his gun and making a commotion. He moved up to the corner of the wall and cautiously peered around the side. An AIM soldier stood with his back to Phil with an assault rifle in hand. There was a hallway just ahead of the soldier with a dim light shining under the door. That was the where Darcy was being kept; Phil could feel it in his gut. He flipped his comm back on. "Barton? Anything?" Phil whispered over the comm.

"The entire top floor is empty. Nobody up here,"

"Good, get down to the lower level, take the right corridor. I know where Darcy is," Phil whispered back, never taking his eyes off the solider.

Darcy couldn't breathe, her eyes locked on the shadowy figure with the large blade. He was going to kill her. No one carried a weapon like that without the intention to kill. She tried to scoot back as far as she could go as the man stepped closer.

"How can a girl know so much but so little at the same time?" The man finally stepped into the dim light, showing his face for the first time. His face was disfigured by a large scar that ran from one corner of his forehead to the opposite corner of his jaw. He was blind in one eye, or at least it looked like he was. One eye bright blue; the other a milky pale white. "You really messed up AIM's plans, my dear," he said, his lips curling up in a snarl.

It was true, Darcy, was the one that found out about AIM's secret experiment that they were doing in the labs of Culver University. Darcy alerted S.H.I.E.L.D, and S.H.I.E.L.D came in and cleaned up the problem before things got out of hand. She went back to her usual college routine until she started getting threatening notes and felt that she was being watched all the time. That's when S.H.I.E.L.D took her into their protection. Darcy tried to say something, but it came out in a mutter due to the gag in her mouth.

"What's that my dear?" the man said, his lips curling up in a twisted smile. "Ah, it will be fun to kill you, my dear. I'm going to take your gag out, only so that I can hear you scream as I plunge the blade into you. Then I'm going to hack you up in little pieces and leave you here for your S.H.I.E.L.D agent boyfriend to find you..." He flipped the blade around in his hands a couple of times, all the while coming closer and closer to Darcy.

Phil began to make his move on the AIM soldier. He stayed closely to the walls, making sure he kept himself hidden in the shadows. He had to take down the soldier as quickly and quietly as possible, so as not to attract any attention. He crept up behind the soldier, smacking him hard in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The soldier slumped to the floor; out cold.

He could hear a voice on the other side of the door, as he dropped his ear next to it. He'd have to be very careful going in. He wasn't sure how many AIM soldiers were inside, and he could put Darcy in anymore danger than she already were. Hopefully, Barton would show up any at second so that they could go in together. However, it only took him a split second to decide that he was going in full force on his own once he heard the voice say 'kill you slowly and painfully'.

This was it. This is how she was going to die. At the blade of a psychotic madman. A couple of tears welled up Darcy's eyes, she wanted more than anything to see Phil one last time. She hoped that he was alive and safe; she couldn't imagine him going through anything like this. The thought of it made her sick.

"Now, now, my dear... It'll all be over soon," the madman said as he reached down to pull the gag away from her mouth. "I want you to scream for me, my darling..." His lips curled into a fanged snarl.

BAM!

The metal door burst open as it was kicked in and Phil rushed inside the room. His fists were balled up and his face contorted with anger. His eyes immediately fell on Darcy; she was alive, thank the gods for that; then they shifted to the son of a bitch standing in front of him, and the menacing blade he held in his hands.

Darcy's heart started beating again. Her Phil was alive and well, and he had come to save her. More tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Ah, Agent Coulson... I didn't expect to see you so soon," the madman grinned as he flipped the blade around in his hand again. "I wanted to kill your girl first, but I guess it's a change of plans."

Phil raised his gun and pointed it at the madman's face. "I order you-" Before Phil could finish his sentence the madman snapped his fingers and the gun flew out of Phil's hand. It hurled across the room until it hit the wall and fell to the floor.

"No one orders me to do anything," the madman snarled.

Okay, Phil tried things the S.H.I.E.L.D way first; now he was going to do them his way. This wasn't just some regular crazy madman; this was a crazy madman with superpowers. He moved quickly, just as the madman sliced his blade through the air. Phil ducked just in time, otherwise it would have taken his head clear off. He rolled to the floor, grabbing a heavy chain and springing back up to his feet again. "One last chance, son of a bitch!" It was Phil that snarled this time.

Darcy backed against the wall as tightly as she could as she watched the events unfold. She had never seen Phil so angry; so determined. She didn't know he could even get that way. She knew she shouldn't be thinking inappropriate thoughts right now given the circumstance, but damn, he was fucking hot like that.

The madman came at Phil again with his blade, he moved like a ninja, but so did Phil. He was able to counter each of the madman's attacks swiftly. The blade swiped through the air again, this time Phil stretched the chain out to stop it midair. Quickly, he twisted his hands so the chain wrapped around the blade; then will all his strength he yanked the chain back, make the blade fall out of the madman's hands. The blade skittered across the floor to the other side of the room. "I underestimated you, Coulson," the madman said as he raised his hand. The blade began to vibrate on the floor; levitating slowly.

Phil saw it out of the corner of his eye, and knew he had to act quickly. He charged at the madman and threw a punch at his chest, knocking him back. The blade dropped to the floor as madman lost his concentration. Phil put his hands up to block as the madman took the opportunity to attack him. He grabbed him by his AIM suit and shoved him back against the wall. "Give up or I will KILL YOU!" Phil voice bellowed.

"I'd rather die..." the madman spat. He used his hand to shove Phil back and then elbowed him in the throat. With a gagging noise Phil stumbled back. Darcy shrieked, as the madman threw another elbow this time it cracked across the side of Phil's face; there was a sickening popping noise; a low groan from Phil as he fell to the floor. Blood poured out of his nose as he lay there lifelessly.

Darcy held her breath and rocked back and forth; never taking her eyes off of Phil. She just keep telling herself that he was okay, that he wasn't really injured badly. She needed him to get up.

"Now to finish you off," the madman laughed, snapping his fingers and the blade was back in his hand. He looked over at Darcy. "I'm sorry you have to see this, my dear..." he laughed as he pointed the blade down at Phil's chest. Before he had the chance to plunge the blade into Phil's chest; Phil jumped to his feet and gave the madman a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him flying backwards, and crashing into the wall.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Phil growled. He grabbed his gun off the floor and pointed placed it at the madman's temple.

"I'm here!" Clint Barton said, breathing heavily as he finally rushed into the room. He had a few scratches on him and his eye was already starting to purple.

"Where the hell were you?" Phil barked.

"Ran into some goons on my way here. Shit, Coulson-" he said looking at Phil's bloodied face. Darcy made another squeaking nose and, Clint looked over at her. "Thank god, she's okay. You want me to-"

"No," Coulson said quickly as he looked over at Darcy. "You come here and keep this bastard down. Watch him closely, he's some sort of telekinetic. Inform S.H.I.E.L.D of our location." He said, not taking his eyes off of the madman. His lip curled up and his eyes narrowed; just looking at the guy was making him furious.

Clint nodded and walked over to the madman who was slumped on the floor, half out of it. He placed the tip of an arrow to his temple and pulled the bow string back. "You move, and I will- Fuck. Your. Shit. Up. You tracking with me?" Clint glared.

Phil wiped tried to wipe the blood off his face with the sleeve of his shirt, though, it just ended up smearing on his cheek. He slowly walked over to Darcy and crouched down next to her. "Hey sweetheart..." he said softly. It was the complete opposite from 'Angry Phil'. This was the Phil that Darcy was used to; Kind and Gentle Phil. He wiped his bloodied hands on his pants and gently pulled the gag away from Darcy's mouth.

Darcy was thankful to finally have that disgusting rag out of her mouth. She tried to swallow but her throat was so dry. "...Ph-Phil..." she whispered hoarsely.

"I'm here..." he said as he tried to smile. He hated that she had to witness all of everything that happened. He hated himself for letting her get into this mess in the first place. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Are you hurt badly? I never wanted-" His voice choked up a little it when he saw that she had been crying.

"It's not your fault," Darcy said softly. She could tell that he was blaming himself. This wasn't his fault, she wanted him to know that. "I'm okay, just shaken up. You saved me. My hero. My Badass Phil," she whispered and smirked.

His lip twitched a little bit, and he chuckled softly. "I think I broke my nose again." He looked down at her restraints. "Clint, throw me your knife," he said as Clint, slid his pocket blade across the floor towards him. Phil reached down and picked it up, gently cutting the zip ties off of Darcy's wrists. He looked down at the deep red marks that bit into her skin. It took everything that he had to hold himself back from killing that bastard for what he did to her.

"Thank you," she said rubbing her wrists.

"S.H.I.E.L.D is on their way. ETA fifteen minutes and they're sending a high security transport for this little fucker." Clint said as he kicked at the madman, making him groan.

Phil glanced over and nodded. He looked back at Darcy and reached up to move a strand of hair off of her face. "Some first date, huh?" he smirked. He said it jokingly, but in the back of his head he knew that this is what it would be like dating him. Danger around every corner. He didn't know if he wanted Darcy to be subjected to his lifestyle.

He cared about her too much.

Darcy smiled looking deeply into his eyes; placing her hands in his. Her head was swimming with so many emotions right now. There was so much she wanted to tell him. But one thing that stuck to the front of her mind, something she knew that she shouldn't say, but was aching to. "Phil, I know it's-"

There was a loud crashing noise from outside and then trampling of boots; Lights flashing; squawks from walkie-talkies. It sounded like an army out there.

"S.H.I.E.L.D's here," Clint said with a nod as several uniformed agents came into the room with their weapons drawn.