Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I hope this isn’t the day we get to open that bottle of Haig,” Coulson commented as he sat on the plane. “We’re going to China, right?”

“Yep,” May said, looking out of the window. “Fun. I guess I could've asked for a worse assignment.”

“Wait, asked?” Coulson hid his grin. “So you asked for this assignment, huh?” He turned to look at his partner. “Busted. Didn't want the weekend free for quality time with random civilian number 14?”

May rolled her eyes. “Ugh.”

Coulson clambered up to the cockpit. “‘Ugh’? Wow. You must really like this guy.”

She chuckled. “Maybe I'm tired of dating civilians.” May flicked a few switches.

“Well... maybe if it doesn't work out with this one, you and I can talk about that... over a drink.” Coulson shrugged as May glanced at him.

She laughed. “Chances are high. This guy is really not my type.”

“Already start asking questions?” he sympathized.

“Oh, yeah,” May sighed. “He’s a shrink”

“Yeesh.” Coulson chuckled. “Well, tell me if it goes horribly.”

“Here’s hoping.” She stood up and offered him a hand. “It’s a long flight ahead of us. Want to play a round of Go Fish?”

“Always,” he replied, accepting a hand up.

After a few minutes of silence, May spoke up. “Why didn’t Fury send us with a full team?” she asked as she dealt the cards.

Coulson shrugged. “He said he didn’t think it was necessary.”

“We’re locating the source of small unexplained earthquakes. We at least need someone with a science background.”

“I have a bachelor’s in physics,” Coulson offered. He noticed May’s surprised look. “What? I’m not all air up there.”

“Physics? Really?” She chuckled. “You’re a communications kid.”

“That was after college. I wanted to be a science teacher. Well, Fury recruited me in high school but I did my bachelor's at the University.” He took a card. “What were your pre-SHIELD options?”

“I’ve always been fighting.” May put down a pair. “Though, being a teacher doesn’t sound half bad, if I didn’t know that the SHIELD recruits now are so…”

“Volatile?” Coulson guessed. May nodded, and he sighed. “I know. But then again, Garrett was pretty bad when we were students.”

“But that’s Garrett.”

“Good point.”

-

A couple of hours later, they landed discreetly in a handy forest as the sun shone down on them from clear blue skies.

“Cool mountain,” Coulson commented as he and May trudged down to where Fury said the disruption was.

“It’s fine,” May replied. “What do you think the 084’s going to be?”

“If we’re lucky? A cool piece of tech that doesn’t need any paperwork.” Coulson sighed. “If we aren’t lucky, it’s probably some out-of-control enhanced dude.”

They walked down to the village who felt and called in the seismic vibrations that had sent small landslides down the side of the mountain. A man was waiting for them there, probably around 50 or 60 years old.

“Hello there.” Coulson glanced at May, who nodded. “We’re with SHIELD. Do you speak English?”

The man thought for a moment. “Uh, I no speak English. Uh, you speak, uh, Putonghua? Mandarin?”

May nodded and they started talking. A few minutes later, she caught Coulson up.

“They think it’s coming from the abandoned house in the woods,” she informed him. “A couple lived there, but apparently they just disappeared one day.”

Coulson nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

They walked in silence to where May said the villager said to go.

“How’s Lola?” May said out of the blue.

Coulson laughed. “Nope.”

“Come on, I haven’t seen her in ages.”

“ You’re never driving her again.” He walked faster. “I think I see the house,” he deflected, like a pro. “Come on.”

May sighed and jogged to catch up.

The house was indeed there, looking devoid of life. A small noise came from inside and the two were instantly on guard. They glanced at each other and Coulson nodded.

They opened the unlocked door and crept in, looking around as they went. It seemed like the house life was just paused. Dishes were still out, chairs just sitting out, and there were things everywhere.

Just then, a small quake shook the house.

Trying not to lose his balance, Coulson motioned for May to look on one side of the house and he’d do the other. Amid the tremors, he walked into what seemed to be a nursery.

“Oh my god,” he breathed.

Though the floors were shaking, the baby girl seemed perfectly fine, eyes closed and unmoving. Coulson couldn’t breathe until she let out a small whimper and opened her eyes. He looked into the cradle at her as she stared curiously back, little quakes shaking the crib.

“Coulson!”

He didn’t answer, and a second later, May came running in. She stopped at the doorway.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked. “Is that—”

“It’s a baby,” he replied. “And I think she’s our 084.”

Chapter Text

Coulson picked up the baby, wondering why the villagers didn’t know she was there. How could she have survived alone? Who left her here? Head swirling with questions he couldn’t answer, he looked at the girl. She couldn’t have been more than a year old, probably less than. Coulson held her gently as he and May tried to find a baby basket or a carrier of some sort, but there was nothing. The baby giggled as he turned to look at May, clutching her little stuffed monkey.

“I think her diaper needs changing,” May said, wrinkling her nose. “There’s the table right there.”

“Oh, I’m doing it?” Coulson asked.

“You found her.”

He sighed and tried to do his best with the things left at the baby change station. “Can you find a clean blanket and a set of clothes?” he asked May.

She rummaged around and found some as he was putting the diaper back on. At this point, the baby was taking another nap as she was fitted into her clothes and wrapped in a blanket. May grabbed the crib’s mattress so she could have a comfortable place to rest if she needed to lie down.

“Do you think she’s hungry?” she asked, watching her sleep.

“Well, she was left alone for days, so I think so.” Coulson held the baby as they walked back out to the main living space. “Though I don’t think the food here is still good.”

The three of them made the walk back to the village after checking for possible disturbances.

“Go back to the jet. I’ll meet you back there,” May told him. “I’m just going to follow up with the villagers.”

Coulson nodded and headed back, the baby laughing at every bounce in his step.

“You seem very cheerful for a baby making quakes and tremors,” he said to the baby. “And we don’t know your name. Which do you like more: Quakes or Tremors?”

They got to the jet at this point, and the baby gently nibbled his finger.

“Thank you, but that doesn’t answer my question,” Coulson said, smiling. “Young lady, please inform me as to what we should call you.”

“Eeughr,” she seemed to say.

“‘Tremors’ it is!” Coulson declared triumphantly. “Do you want some soup?” He sat the girl down on the seat and dug out his thermos. “I was going to save this for the flight back but you seem like you’d be hungry.” He tried it to see if it was too hot, but the thermos did not work and it was barely warm. “Okay. Open wide, Tremors.” He fed her a bit of his soup.

She clapped after a taste and leaned towards the spoon.

“That’s a good sign, I guess,” he murmured. Coulson fed almost half to the girl before May came back. “You think babies can drink chicken noodle soup?” he asked her.

May shrugged. “Should be fine.” She took a seat next to the baby. “The villagers said the house was lived in by a couple named Jiaying and her American husband. Not sure why the American part was relevant. Anyway, they disappeared from the public last year other than for groceries and things. They didn’t even know they had a baby.” She brushed the girl’s cheek. “At least we’ve got her now.

Tremors began to refuse the soup so Coulson closed the thermos and put it back in his bag. “You want to hold her?” he asked.

May picked her up and the baby laughed again, delighted that she was being bounced around. She walked Tremors to the cockpit and sat there for a while, letting the baby absorb all the lights and switches while sitting on her lap. “Okay, that was fun,” May said, handing her back to Coulson. “I’m going to fly us back now. Triskelion?”

“Yep.” Coulson swung Tremors around as the baby shrieked happily. “Fury wanted an immediate update afterwards unless both of us were injured.”

“Okay then, settle in.”

Coulson put Tremors onto his lap and read her the first chapter of his book. She fell asleep quickly after hearing a bunch of stuff on physics from this doctor named Bruce Banner, who wrote a significant portion of the textbook.

“Come on, Tremors,” Coulson sighed, putting the book down. “Banner is a genius and you’re sleeping to his work.” He couldn’t figure out a way to put her down without waking her so he gently turned her so he could carry her easier. He sat down next to May in the cockpit.

“Did you just read her a physics textbook?” May whispered.

“It’s a very exciting read,” Coulson replied in the same tone. “And it was only one chapter.”

May rolled her eyes. “And still you managed to bore her to sleep. With your weird soothing voice. I almost fell asleep too.” She sighed. “Phil, can you be honest for a minute?”

“Of course.”

She hesitated. “What do you think the people that ask me out see in me?”

“A pretty face at first, I’m sure,” he replied. “But you’re so much more than that.”

May smiled slightly. “Like what?”

“Like… how you’re always so awesome,” he said truthfully. “You’re smart and resourceful, kind, and you can take me in a fight easily. You could kick my ass in less than three minutes.”

“Phil!” May whispered. “You swore while holding a baby!”

“She’s not awake,” he reasoned. “It’s probably fine.”

May sighed. “Thanks. This was kind of a help.”

“You mean I didn’t completely destroy that issue?”

She scoffed. “Of course not.” She smiled anyway.

There was a comfortable moment of silence where the two of them just appreciated each other’s existence.

Coulson yawned.

“Take a nap,” May snapped.

“Don’t be mean, May, I’m holding a baby,” he protested. “And I don’t want to walk back.”

“Just sleep here then, you lazy—” May caught herself.

Coulson chuckled as he closed his eyes. “Good night.”

“Sure.”

Chapter Text

Coulson, May, and Tremors waited outside the Director’s office. Two agents, Barton and his recruit, Romanoff, were there as well.

“Cute baby,” Barton said as he spotted the three. “Reminds me of my own.”

Coulson nodded. “How’s the bird?” he asked genially.

“She’s doing well at home,” the agent replied, grinning. He glanced to his right, to his recruit. “I don’t think I’ve introduced the two of you to the kid. Coulson, May, this is Natasha Romanoff. Nat, this is Agents Phil Coulson and Melinda May.”

“Pleasure,” Romanoff said with a smile, shaking their hands. “What’s her name?”

“We don’t really know,” May said, looking at the baby.

“I called her Tremors on the way home,” Coulson offered. “She’s our 084.”

Barton whistled low. “A whole baby?”

“We found her alone in a house,” Coulson replied. “With the stuffy.” Tremors looked around and he turned her to face the agents. She shook her monkey at Barton.

He chuckled. “I see.”

Agent Hill came out from the office. “The Director will see you now,” she said. She noticed the baby. “Aw. She the 084?”

“Yep.” Coulson bounced Tremors for the adorable giggles. “All four— five of us?”

Hill nodded and walked down the hallway.

May looked to Barton, who shrugged. “We were supposed to be here for Nat’s first mission debrief.”

“Exciting,” May said.

The five of them walked into the office to see Fury at his desk.

“What took so long that you had to wait two whole minutes to walk the twenty feet into my goddamn office?” He chuckled. “You kids. Phil!” Fury stood up. “The 084 baby. What’s her name?”

“We don’t know,” Coulson answered. “I called her Tremors on the flight back, but that won’t really look alright on legal documents.”

“Have you taken her to the science department?”

“Not yet.” Coulson lifted Tremors and handed her to Fury, who chuckled at the girl’s giggles.

“Good,” he said. “I have Banner coming in to examine her.”

“Isn’t he a physicist?” May interjected.

“He does biochemistry,” Fury replied. “And I want to strengthen some bonds with him. He could be a great asset for SHIELD in the future.”

“Sir?” Barton sounded sheepish. “Why are Romanoff and I here?”

“We’ll get to that,” Fury replied. He handed Tremors back to Coulson. “Okay. Since we have reason to believe this baby is enhanced, we need to keep her under watch. As the agents who found her, May, Coulson, you two need to take care of her until the doc is here to examine her. If she is enhanced, you two would have to keep her until we can enroll her into the kids academy—”

“— Excuse me, kids academy?” Romanoff interrupted, glaring.

“Yes, for enhanced children and the offspring or relatives of agents,” Fury replied. “It operates as a regular school, with grades and subjects. To the world, it’s a private boarding school for the elite. It’s from ages 7 to 18.” He sighed. “Anyway, if the girl is enhanced, she’ll stay with May and Coulson until she reaches the age requirements of the school. Barton and Romanoff will be the relief team, and if you all are unavailable, well, I’ll find someone.” Coulson and May glanced at each other apprehensively as the director continued. “If it turns out the girl isn’t enhanced, we’ll give her a new identity and move on and try to locate the real 084 that made those quakes.” Fury looked to Coulson. “So what’s her name, Phil?”

Coulson opened his mouth and then closed it. “Can it wait for a few minutes? I don’t want to ruin this girl’s life.”

Fury shrugged. “As long as you can tell Banner by the time he comes, I’m good. Now, Barton, Romanoff, here’s your actual debrief. Coulson, May, dismissed.”

So the three of them left the office, Coulson bouncing as they went.

“You know, this reminds me of that project you have to do for Health class, you carry around a sack of flour for a couple weeks as a baby, see how hard it is to become a parent,” he said off-handedly. “Except this one is real and probably has earthquake powers.”

May chuckled. “Right.” She offered to hold Tremors and Coulson handed her to her. “What are we naming this little one?” She asked, lifting the baby and going nose to nose, grinning as she giggled.

Coulson watched the two of them laughing and thought back to the weather a few hours ago. “What about Skye?” he suggested. “It’s a pretty name.”

“Skye Coulson?” May chuckled.

Coulson smiled, delighted. “Yeah. Or Skye May?”

The agent shook her head. “Your kid.”

“Ours,” he reminded her. “Fury said both of us.”

May held the baby out at arm's length. “She does look like a Skye,” she admitted.

“Yes!” Coulson cheered. “Skye Coulson.”

“If she’s enhanced.”

“Which she probably is.”

They chatted on their way down to the science lab just as Dr. Banner arrived.

“Agents May and Coulson?” the genius guessed. “I’m only guessing because you’re the only people here with a baby.”

May set the newly named Skye onto the counter. “Yep,” she sighed.

“She’s not yours, I presume?”

“Nope.” Coulson glanced at May and sighed internally.

“Any allergies that you know of?”

“We found her a couple hours ago, but there didn’t seem to be any precautions around her house,” May supplied.

“Alright.” Dr. Banner leaned down to look the baby in her eyes. “She’s adorable. I’ll order some blood work and have it ready for you in a few minutes. I was also called here to examine an agent named Romanoff?”

“That’s me,” the young agent’s voice spoke up behind the doctor. “I was ordered down here a few minutes ago. Plus, a chance to see a cute babe helped a lot.” She scooped Skye up. “Hi, малыш,” she said with a smile. She glanced over. “Have you guys decided on a name yet?”

“We were talking about calling her Skye,” Coulson said, watching the girl laugh.

“Cute,” Romanoff said, putting Skye back. “She reminds me of my sister.” She smiled at Dr. Banner. “You want me?”

The doctor blinked. “Yes. Um, over here. I was told to give you a, um, check-up,” he stammered.

Romanoff chuckled and followed the doctor.

May and Coulson entertained Skye for a few minutes before a lab tech delivered the bloodwork.

Dr. Banner came back flushed with a small smile curving the corners of his mouth and read the report. “Weird,” he muttered. “Your girl there’s got some different genes.”

“So what does that mean?” Coulson pressed.

Dr. Banner looked up. “That means it’s inconclusive. It’d be better if we could get her to do it.”

Everyone looked to the baby, who giggled and shook her monkey.

May reached for the stuffy and pulled back quickly, shocked. “It’s vibrating,” she said. “It’s weird.”

Dr. Banner reached over and felt the plush. Skye gave it to him and it went dead. “Ooh.” He handed it back to her and felt the movement again. “Okay, yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s her,” the doctor replied. “We can’t really tell until she does it on a larger scale but to have her do it on command will take some time, and to be honest, I’m fairly certain that she’s the cause.”

Coulson looked at Skye, who stared back at him with a beam. “Can you shake the water?” he whispered. He gave her a glass of water from the tap and put it in front of her.

Skye dropped the monkey carefully next to her and put both her hands on the side of the glass. She looked up at Coulson, who gave her an encouraging nod. Skye patted the glass and the water inside began to vibrate. She levitated a drop of water up before it dropped on her. Skye giggled and dipped her hands inside the glass.

Dr. Banner sighed. “It’s confirmed, then,” he said, smiling. “You get a kid. Congratulations. I was told to tell you that your next step now is to pick up any paperwork from your desk, tie up any loose ends here, pick up the baby seat, and take a two-month vacation.”

“Two months?!” May and Coulson chorused.

“Why two months? There are countless people out there—” May argued.

“— And there are cases and missions—” Coulson cut in, but Dr. Banner held up a hand.

“I’m not the one you should tell that to,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I— um, Agent Romanoff needs to hear that she’s all clear for her mission.”

Coulson sighed. “I’ll take Skye, meet in the hangar in half an hour?” he asked May.

“Yeah. I’ll get the baby seat.”

Chapter Text

A few hours later, they arrived at Coulson’s house.

“Haven’t been here in a hot minute, and you renovate the whole place?” May chuckled. “Completely changed the whole style.”

Coulson glanced back with a grin. “Well, I was nursing a few broken ribs, so I decided to change things up. You like it?” He put down the groceries and picked up a knife. “I had the guest room painted in your favourite colour.” He opened the few boxes that SHIELD sent here before their arrival.

“Oh, thank you,” May said. “I assume you don’t have a nursery?”

“Yeah.” Coulson poked his head up. “The guest room is Skye’s room now, I guess.” He began dragging the box to the guest room.

“Uh, Phil?” He looked up to see May walking over with an amused smile. “I can do it.”

“You’d do that?” Coulson watched with starry eyes as May picked up the box and carried it down the hallway. He sat down next to Skye. “She’s so awesome.” He sighed before beginning to open another box. “You sure are a lot of work, sweetheart.”

Skye babbled happily as she played with her monkey.

After some maneuvering, the two adults made the room work after dismantling the bed and replacing it with the crib. Coulson stuffed all of Skye’s new baby stuff in the dresser.

“We need to go clothes shopping tomorrow,” May said as she finished tucking the mattress into the crib. “Do you have a SHIELD credit card?”

“They pay it off, so I guess,” Coulson replied.

They stopped for a minute to watch the streets outside.

“I never noticed you lived so close to the kids academy,” May commented.

“When you’re a communications agent, you’re supposed to have a house or an apartment close by in case you gain a new case or a kid in there,” Coulson explained. “I house-shopped with Fury for this one. I liked it very much.”

“Is Lola here?”

“Yeah. Unless we’re getting a new car on SHIELD, we need to figure out how to put in a backseat.”

“Is it safe just to hold her?” May asked. “Or put her in the middle?”

Coulson sighed. “Probably not.”

“Holding her it is,” May chuckled. “You think we should feed her?”

“The baby book Fury sent tells us to feed her with every meal and also sometimes in the middle of the night.”

“Okay, I guess it’s dinner time then.” May walked out to the living room, where they had left Skye to play with some new toys on the carpeted floor.

She was babbling to the teddy bear with the name ‘Mack’ stitched on one foot as she held her monkey. Coulson came out to where May was and smiled as he watched the girl laugh.

“I’ll make dinner,” he said.

“Oh good, I’m not that good at cooking.”

“I know,” Coulson replied, chuckling. “That’s why I offered.”

May rolled her eyes and walked over to Skye, who spotted her and started directing her happy babble to May.

After dinner, Coulson finished up the nursery while May bathed Skye, and went to take a shower after a day of work and baby.

He got out of the shower to see May bouncing a worn-out Skye in her arms, staring lovingly at the child.

“Time to put her down, May,” he said quietly, touching her arm to bring her back to reality.

“But I don’t want to,” she replied, holding Skye tighter. “She’s so small and perfect.”

“I know, which is why you need to put her down before you die from her cuteness,” Coulson said. “Come on. She’ll be here in the morning.”

May placed the sleeping baby inside her crib, who fussed at not being held in her sleep. May sighed and she and Coulson walked out into the living room.

“So, sleeping situation,” he said. “We did get rid of your bed.”

“I can sleep on the couch, Phil,” May interjected.

“But I don’t want you to sleep on the couch when there’s a perfectly good bed.”

“It’s your bed.”

“And I’m giving it to you.”

“Oh my god, Phil,” May muttered. “Why don’t we just sleep in the same bed if you’re so intent on me sleeping in your bed? It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

Coulson flushed. “Right.”

“I’m going to take a shower. I trust that you still have my drawer?”

“I haven’t touched it,” he replied assuringly.

While May took a shower, Coulson went back to the new nursery to stare at his new daughter.

“She’s right though, you know,” he murmured. “You are perfect.”

After almost falling asleep with one arm dangling into Skye’s crib, he dragged himself back to his bed and crawled under the sheets.

A few minutes later, May came out in her pyjamas.

“Is that my tee shirt?” Coulson asked, amused.

“Yes, it’s very big and very comfortable,” May muttered. “Shut up.”

She got into the bed with him.

“So how do you think we did on our first day as parents?” he asked lightly.

“I think we were okay,” May replied. “But I’m really tired.”

“Me too,” Coulson admitted. “Sleep time.”

And while they fell asleep not touching each other, May, who woke first, found herself playing big spoon to her best friend.

“Not again,” she muttered, carefully extracting herself from the sleeping lump next to her. “This is happening too many times.” May decided to get up anyway, being careful not to make too much noise to wake up Coulson, and went to check up on Skye.

The baby was awake already and on her tummy staring at the door. When she spotted May, she started smiling and melting the agent’s heart.

“Hi, sweetheart,” May whispered, scooping Skye up, hearing the baby’s giggles and smiling too. “Did you sleep well? Why are you awake already, hmm?” She sat down on the floor and tried having Skye stand up by herself. “Bad dreams?”

Sky fell on her butt and started babbling and waving her little arms around like an Italian with no wrist capabilities.

May nodded like she understood a thing the baby said. “I see,” she said gravely. “Of course.”

Skye leaned forward like she wanted to be picked up again, so May did and she continued to babble. She bumped her head on the agent’s arm and laughed.

May looked around and sighed. “Can I trust you, Skye?” she asked quietly. “Not to tell Phil anything I tell you?”

Perhaps Skye heard the seriousness in her agent’s voice and nodded.

“I’m…” May sighed. “I think I’m in love with him. There were signs a long time ago when we first started working together, but then we’ve always been in relationships or flings or things when the other was single, so I never really acted on it. But now… I have a chance with him. Yeah, sure, I have that shrink waiting for me to call, but he’s a shrink, for god’s sake. So, what do you think I should do?”

Skye nuzzled into May’s arm and flopped over to be held tighter, which she was. She stared up at her agent’s eyes with a little twinkle in her eyes.

“I dreamt that I kissed him, you know,” May admitted quietly. “Just now. I had this dream that I kissed him in the cockpit of the plane we came home in.” She dipped her head and bumped foreheads with the baby and watched her giggle in delight. “I wanted it to be real so bad.”

Skye babbled and tugged on May’s hair gently.

The agent sighed. “Well, we’ll see.” She spotted the clock that struck eight and held Skye up. “Let’s go wake Phil.”

May padded down the hallway to where Coulson was still sleeping on his back and gently put Skye on his chest.

The baby looked at May, who nodded with a smile. Skye hit Coulson’s chest and started babbling loudly. She kicked him in the diaphragm.

Suffice to say, that woke him up, and he startled awake, almost knocking Skye off of him and onto the bed.

“May?” he asked blearily. “Skye?”

May picked the baby up and they both beamed down at him. “Good morning,” the agent said cheerfully. “It’s eight AM. We’ve been awake for half an hour. And we’re hungry.”

Coulson sighed and chuckled. “Okay, okay. At least let me get dressed first.” He groaned as he stood up. “You two are going to turn me into an old man before you—” he stared into Skye’s big, innocent eyes— “turn one. Which is in a few months.”

Laughing, May followed him into the bathroom, holding Skye facing out as she walked. “But we wanted to say good morning,” she insisted, holding the baby out to him.

Skye babbled in his face.

Coulson chuckled. “Okay, you said it, now get out of here.”

“We’re waiting for our breakfast,” May called as she carried Skye out of the room. She sniffed the air suspiciously. “You pooped, didn’t you?” she accused the baby. “You smell bad.”

Skye giggled.

May shook her head. “You’re a criminal, Miss Coulson. You should be locked up.”

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Phil mumbled as he was woken up with Skye on his chest for the fourth day in a row. “You’re getting predictable, May,” he said with a smile.

“That’s the point,” she replied, grinning. “Placate you into stability and a healthy lifestyle.”

Phil rolled his eyes and picked Skye up, lifting her above his head and letting her legs dangle in the air.

They had gone baby clothes shopping a few days previous, where a few people immediately assumed that Skye was their biological daughter and that the two agents were married. It was really fun but slightly awkward for both parties involved.

Skye was dressed in her new onesie that Barton had gifted them when he and Romanoff visited the day before. It was a light blue with little SHIELD logos printed all over and Phil loved it.

Every morning, May had been going into the nursery and venting about all her love for Phil to Skye and every night when she went to shower, Phil vented about his love for May, to Skye.

After breakfast that day, Phil got into the driver's seat and let Skye hold the steering wheel as May got into the car.

Skye, who had gripped the steering wheel, stood up with it as the crutch.

Phil cheered at the sight. “Soon enough she’s going to learn how to drive on her own,” he said dryly, brushing away an imaginary tear.

May chuckled. “In Lola?”

“Oh god no.” Phil shuddered at the thought. “Lola is not a learner’s car.”

“Right.” May buckled her seatbelt. “Where are we going?”

“A special place,” he promised, handing Skye over to her. “You’ll see when we get there.”

They drove down the quiet streets for a few minutes before they reached another SHIELD-operated facility.

May grinned as she realized where they were. “Is this—?”

“Mayson’s,” Phil said with a smile. “The place we hung out after our first mission together.”

They walked in and said hi to the bartender. They slid into the booth they sat in the first time they were here, May settling Skye in with her monkey while Phil went to get drinks.

“One latte and one iced americano,” he said, sliding the drinks over. “And a dish of crème fresh from Laura.”

May raised an eyebrow. “Barton?” She pushed the little plate closer to Skye, who was reaching for it. She took a sip of her latte. “Didn’t know she was here.”

“She’s in town while the other one’s back with their kid.” Phil watched Skye stick her whole face into the plate as she giggled. “Sweetheart,” he said, addressing the baby, of course. He didn’t have the nerve to ever call May that without prompting. “Are you purposefully making your whole face dirty so we have to clean it and therefore pay more attention to you?”

Skye made this “Ah!” noise and scrunched up her nose cutely. “Feee.”

May chuckled. “You think she’s learning to say ‘Phil’?”

“I’d be very happy if she was,” he replied, staring delightedly at the girl indulging in her treat. “Though I’d argue ‘May’ is easier to say.”

Skye looked up. “Ma!”

“‘May’,” he said, dragging out the ‘ay’ sound. “Maaaaaay.”

“Maaaaaa!”

Skye reached for May after finishing her treat. “Ma! Ma!”

Phil chuckled. “You think she’s learning to call you ‘May’ or acclimating to ‘Mama’?”

May shrugged and picked up the girl, though she clearly looked pleased. She sat Skye on the table and used a napkin to wipe off her face.

Skye reached onto her plate and got a glob of crème on her finger, wiping it on May’s nose as the agent leaned in.

May laughed and dabbed a little on the baby’s nose and a little on Phil’s.

“Hey!” He chuckled.

“Feeeee!” Skye squealed gleefully.

May wiped all of the crème off everybody’s faces and the two adults sat there in a nice sort of quiet as Skye babbled less coherent things.

Phil raised his mug, offering a toast. “For Skye?” he said.

May touched her cup to his. “Skye.”

-

A few weeks later, the three of them had truly settled into their routine and beds and behaviours.

May no longer woke Phil up by suffocating him with a baby in the morning, but she did gently shake him before going to check on Skye.

Phil didn’t really have that many late-night conversations with Skye anymore. He had them with May, who actually replied, though he never talked about his crush on her with her. It was getting harder to hide it day by day, though, and that irritated him.

“Just tell her,” Barton advised as a man with no stakes in their relationship and had a wife who clearly communicated everything. “She’ll probably be fine.”

“You two are going to end up boning anyway at some point,” was Garrett’s input.

Not very helpful.

But Phil didn’t really have that many friends he could confide in. At last, he turned to Fury, his boss.

“You and May would be a good couple,” he said. “Just make a clear move. Don’t make it ambiguous. Besides, you already have a baby together, so what’s the harm?”

“I’m going to have to raise Skye for the next six years with her!” Phil said in an annoyed whisper. “That’s the harm! It’ll be awkward if she decides we aren’t good together, but I don’t want to pressure her into anything.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line. “You are a motherfucking fool, Coulson.” And then Fury hung up.

So Phil decided to call his mom, as the very very last resort.

“Melinda is a very nice girl,” Julie Coulson replied. “To be honest, when you introduced me to her, I thought she was your girlfriend. But no, it was just mutual crushing that you never resolved, I guess.” She sighed.

Phil processed this. “Wait, what do you mean ‘mutual’?”

“You were in the washroom, and I asked about her intentions, that’s all. And it was quite a few years ago, though all the girls you’ve brought home loved you for a long time. I’ve made a very attractive young man.”

Phil sighed. “Thanks, Mom.”

“What’s your new assignment, anyhow? Nick, that charmer, called and said you had a low-stakes mission for the next six years.” Julie laughed. “All I knew was that your Melinda was on it with you.”

“She’s not mine, Mom,” Phil replied. “And the mission is to raise a little girl.”

“You mean I have a granddaughter? Why didn’t you tell me? And does this mean you and Melinda adopted the girl together? What’s her name? What does she look like? Oh, Phil, can I meet her?” Julie asked. “I want to meet my granddaughter before I die.”

“Mom, you’re not that old yet,” Phil chuckled. “And technically yes, May and I are her legal guardians. Her name is Skye, she’s about 10 months old, and she’s the most adorable thing ever. And I’ll talk with May and we might visit you soon.”

“Oh, I can’t wait! Well, Phil, I’ve got to run. I’m heading out to tea with the girls. And, Phil, darling?” Julie paused. “Do ask that poor Melinda out on a proper date before coming here. No excuses.”

And his mother then hung up on him without so much as an ‘I love you’.

Phil sighed. He had orders now, he guessed. No excuses.

May was out with Maria, who was in town and had brought Romanoff with her. They had gone to a sort of girls' night out while Phil stayed at home with Skye.

“What to do, Sunshine; what to do?” He plopped down on the couch and lifted his daughter up in the air, listening to her delighted giggles. “Do I ask May to a proper date and risk everything? Or do I not ask May to a proper date and risk everything? What do you think, sweetheart?”

Skye stared down at him and he lowered her to eye level. “Ma!” She reached out and grabbed his nose, tugging. “Ma,” she said insistently.

“Yes or no?” Phil bobbed Skye up and down for giggles. “If I should, say ‘May’. If I shouldn’t, say ‘Phil’.”

Skye wobbled as he bounced her. “Maaa,” she said convincingly, though she sort of sounded like a lamb. “Ma.”

“May?”

“Ma.”

“May it is,” Phil said with a smile, standing up. He put a Beatles record on and danced with Skye in his arms. “You know, May loves the Beatles. She wouldn’t let you know it, but she does. I once got her a signed record from John Lennon. It’s actually worth a lot more money now that he’s dead. She won’t let me touch it, but I saw it framed on her wall.”

He flipped the record and it started playing “Here Comes the Sun”.

“This is a classic, Skye,” Phil explained. “May and I once danced to this song when we were younger and much drunker. But you don’t need to know what drunk means just yet.”

He twirled Skye around and they danced the night away until it was mostly Phil swaying an exhausted baby to sleep on his shoulder. He sat on the couch and sighed.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to call Fury and have him send us another record player so we can put it in your room,” Phil promised her. “And we can play the Beatles all day.” He placed her into the crib gently. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

He had just walked back out to the living room when May came home.

“How was girl’s night?” he asked with a smile. “Want anything to drink?”

“Water,” she replied. “It was fun. We did a bar crawl and discussed our relationships.”

“You three have relationships?” Phil handed her a glass of water.

“Romanoff’s crushing on Banner,” May said with a wave of her hand. “Hill’s dating some poor guy from IT. I think his name is Randolph or Robert or something.”

“And you?”

May sighed. “I have a baby. She asleep?” she asked, nodding towards the nursery.

He smiled. “Yep. Got her down after an evening jamming to the Beatles.”

“You listened to the Beatles without me?” May scoffed. “How dare you.”

Phil held his hands up in a surrender position. “Hey, I’ll do it with you right now. Will you dance with me?” He extended a hand to her.

May begrudgingly took his hand as he turned on the record and let the melody pour out.

“Dusty record,” May noted.

“I’ll fix that.”

“The last time we did this…” she chuckled. “I remember a headache the next morning. Vividly.”

“Me too.” Phil wiped down the record. “It was a fun night.”

“We had a lot of drinks.”

“It wasn’t the drinks that made it fun.” He smiled innocently. “Oops. Did I say that out loud?”

May laughed. “Yeah, you did. You idiot.”

Phil wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air and spun around. He put her down quickly. “That was so much easier last time,” he managed. “I’m getting so old.”

“Relax, geezer, you’re not even thirty,” May replied dryly. “Now, where are we on that dance?”

The phone rang and they looked towards it before they remembered that they had a baby who would be woken up by it.

May answered. “Hello? Director. Good evening.” She paced around on the phone quietly responding to Fury’s calls while Phil watched her from the couch. “It’s not even been a month. You said two.”

Phil regained focus once she handed the receiver to him. “Sir?”

Fury was on the line. “I need May on a mission. I know it’s short notice, but she’s the best fighter we’ve got. I’m sending Romanoff, Barton, Hill; it’s a priority mission. I know I promised two months and a lot of time away but I need her on this. She’s one of five agents who could survive it. You’re another, and the rest of the team makes them. You have a baby. So… I need May to come in by tomorrow morning. She might not survive. I suggest you have your personal comms with you and if you’re up for the travel time, you can stay at the Triskelion and monitor the situation.”

Phil was at a loss for words. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. “What?”

“I’m sorry, Coulson. But I have to make the call. Please have a good evening, and I’ll see you. Tell her how you really feel before it’s too late. Good night.”

And then he just hung up.

Phil dropped the phone and stared at May. He blew out a breath and wrapped her into a hug. “I’ve known you since forever and I don’t want you to die,” he said, muffled. “You’re my best friend.”

May hugged him back fiercely. “I’m not going to die. I’m going to fight until I can’t and then I’ll kick death’s ass and come back. I promise.”

“Do you have to leave right now?” Phil asked in a small voice.

“I have to get there by morning.”

They stood there hugging for a few more minutes before they heard Skye crying. They went into her room and May held the baby in her arms.

“Maa,” Skye whimpered. “Feee.”

May kissed her forehead. “Can you say ‘May’, honey?”

“Mehh,” Skye tried. “Ma-ehh.”

“Close enough,” May chuckled. She sniffed lightly. “Do me a favour and don’t remember me, okay?”

Skye tilted her head, confused.

“Oh my god,” May sighed, holding her tighter.

Phil brushed a strand of hair off of Skye’s face. “I’ll prep the jet,” he said. “You… you know.”

A few minutes later, May came to the hangar and met Phil at the Quinjet.

“Say hi to the team for us,” he said quietly, trying to raise their spirits. “And you know, you still owe me a dance.”

“Yeah.” May kissed Skye again on the forehead and handed her daughter to Phil. “Take good care of her, Phil.”

“I will.”

“Keep your comms channel open. I’ll talk to you when I can.”

Phil nodded.

“I’ll be back, I promise!” May waved before closing the Quinjet door.

Phil looked to the girl on his arm. “You think we’ll see her again?” he sighed.

Skye babbled.

“Yeah.” Phil walked back inside before the jet took off. “I hope so too.”

Chapter Text

It was a few hours before Phil heard from May again, but when he did, he got the sinking feeling that it would be the last time before she went radio silent, and he was right.

“Hey,” he said, trying to sound light and casual. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanted to hear your voice and Skye’s babbling before I go and potentially die.” May chuckled. “Put her on, please?”

Phil lifted Skye to the telecom. “Say hi to May, sweetie,” he coached her. “You might never see her again.”

Skye’s eyes welled up in tears. “Ma… May!” she bawled.

“Oh my god, maybe we should stop saying really upsetting things to her,” Phil said.

“Nonsense. She needs to be ready for the world,” May replied. “But aww, she said my name right!”

“May.” Skye flopped onto Phil dramatically and started sobbing.

“Wow,” he said. “Anyway, I wanted to see how you were.”

“I’m good.” There was a pause. “Hey, we need to go now. I’ll call when I’m back.”

Phil sighed. It was now or potentially never. “May?” he asked. “Wait.”

“Yeah? What?”

He told his two conflicting sides to shut up mentally. “I love you!” he blurted out.

“I know.”

“Romantically.”

“Oh, same. We’ll talk about it when I get back. Stay safe!”

“You too—” Phil heard the telecom disconnect and sighed, slumping further into the couch. He played with his daughter’s dangling foot. “I guess now we wait,” he said.

Skye babbled and smacked his face with her tiny baby hands.

“I know; that was out of pocket,” Phil said. “But she might die!”

Skye smacked him again.

He sighed. “Yeah, alright.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right.” Phil lifted her off of his chest and up into the air. “Do you want to practice walking so you can run up to May when she gets back?”

“Mama!”

Phil smiled. “If only.” He set her down on the carpet and moved about five feet away. “Now come get me, sweetheart.”

Skye stumbled towards him in an effort to get to him and fell into his waiting arms.

“Can we go further?” Phil asked her.

Skye babbled and he set her down and moved away about ten feet this time. She looked at him and the stretch of carpet between them.

“Come on, Skye!” her father urged. “You can do it!”

She walked her way into a hug and they cheered. Phil put his arms up and Skye mimicked him, throwing her hands up in the air.

He chuckled. “Do you want to try some ice cream?” Phil asked the baby. “I’ve got some in the freezer. It’s May’s, but we can always get more.”

Skye wrapped her arms around his leg and rode it to the kitchen, where she was put on the counter as Phil pulled out the ice cream.

“This is called vanilla,” he explained, scooping a little into her baby spoon. “It’s cold and it makes people happy.”

Skye guided the spoon to her mouth and giggled as she tasted the cold ice cream.

“I like it too.” Phil ate a spoonful himself. “When you’re older, I’ll get you your own cone. It’ll be glorious.” Skye leaned forward to the carton and the agent laughed. “Wanting more. Of course.” He fed her another bite and sighed. “I hope May’s okay.”

Skye babbled and tried to take the spoon as Phil checked the clock. Two-thirty.

“God. You’re supposed to be asleep right now, sweetheart,” he said, closing the ice cream. “Let’s go to sleep.”

He put Skye back into her crib before going to take a shower. He heard her crying when he got out and made a dash to the nursery after putting on some pants.

“Skye?” he panted, worried that there was an intruder. But she was just lonely. “Aw.” He checked her crib. “Where’s Monkey?”

Skye shook her head and pulled herself up on the sides of the crib. She lifted her arms, clearly asking to be held.

Phil chuckled, picking her up. “Could’ve at least waited until I put on my shirt, kid.”

Skye nuzzled into his bare shoulder.

“Okay, I guess.” Phil walked them back to his bedroom. “Let’s go to sleep, sweetheart.” He carefully put her on May’s side of the bed and laid down. “Please don’t make me sing a song.”

“Ma.”

“I know.” Phil kissed her on the forehead before closing his eyes. For once, he wished he could have a dream with May in it, alive and well. Kissing optional. “Good night, Skye.”

-

A few days later, Phil was waking up again with his daughter trying to crawl onto his chest. He chuckled, picking the girl up. “Morning, Sunshine,” he sighed, carrying Skye to try and brush his teeth. Once he got that done, he made them breakfast.

He sat Skye down on her high chair and let her handle the bar of baby food by herself while he ate across from her. “So,” he said, swallowing his bite. “What do you want to do today?”

Skye stared at him with wide eyes as she gnawed on her breakfast.

Phil sighed. “Shopping? Meeting new people? Come on, give me a sign, sweetheart.” He took another bite. “Please.”

“Me.” Skye took the bar out of her mouth. “Meeng nuh po.”

He squinted, thinking. “That sounds like meeting new people, which is good enough for me. Okay. We’ll go visit Grandma Julie today. I wish May was here to do this.” Phil finished his bacon strips before washing his dishes. “I miss her.”

“Ma,” Skye agreed.

Phil packed a bag for her and tucked the baby seat into the passenger side of Lola. “I really need to start considering buying a car we can all fit into,” he sighed. “Come on, sweetie.” He put Skye into the seat and buckled her up before getting into the car and driving away from the house. “Time for a road trip. You excited?”

Skye threw up her hands and he laughed.

Phil turned on the radio and tuned it to the station that always played the Beatles. He noticed Skye staring at him. “This isn’t because I miss May,” he said, convincing no one.

A couple of hours later, they arrived at his mother’s house and Phil pulled into the driveway. He got out and took Skye as he walked up to the front door.

“Can you quake the doorbell, sweetie?” he asked his daughter.

Skye sent a tiny wave to the doorbell that surprisingly rang.

Phil smiled proudly, and the door opened. “Hey, Mom,” he grinned. “Nice to see you in such a long time.”

“Phil Coulson, why are you visiting me all of a sudden?” Julie demanded as she closed the door behind her son. “Where’s your Melinda?”

Phil sighed. “Again, Mom, not mine. She’s off on a high priority, high risk mission, and I don’t know how long she’ll be gone, so I’m visiting before catching a flight to DC tonight.”

Julie processed for a moment before sighing. “Okay. Sure.” She focused on the baby in his arms. “Is this my new granddaughter? She looks about eleven months old,” she noted.

“Yep.” Phil handed Skye over, who looked slightly troubled that she was leaving her father’s grasp, but deemed it safe anyway. “So, Mom, how’ve you been?”

“I’m alright, I suppose,” his mother replied, distracted by Skye. “Doctor said I was fine. Good for at least another year.”

“Mom,” Phil sighed. “Anyways, we’re here for a few minutes or an hour before I’ve got to start the drive to the Port.”

“Is that another one of your SHIELD hideouts?” she asked playing with her granddaughter’s feet. “My, she really looks like you and Melinda.”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Sure.” He sat down at the kitchen table.

Julie noticed her son’s face. “What’s wrong, Philly?” she asked. “Something’s got you down in the dumps.”

He shrugged. “May’s gone on a mission where she has a higher chance of dying than usual. This is the first time I’m handling Skye by myself. I told May I loved her, she said she felt the same, and then she had to hang up.” Phil sighed. “It feels like things aren’t really going right. I just kind of wished that we could have a redo. Maybe we could’ve had more time together before she left.”

Julie wrapped her free arm around her son. “Oh, Phil, honey, she ain’t dead yet,” she said softly. “She’ll come back. Melinda always does.”

Phil chuckled quietly. “Yeah, she does,” he mused. Skye reached for him and Julie deposited her to her father, who pressed his lips to her head. “She has to. To be honest—” he hesitated, smiling nervously— “I’m kind of lost without her. We’ve been partners since we were out of the Academy, Mom. She—” he swallowed. “ I love her.”

Julie smoothed down his tensed shoulders.

Skye bumped her head onto her father’s chest and sent tiny vibrations up the arm that wore his watch. She smacked it when she couldn’t get his attention.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked.

Skye smacked his watch and he glanced at it.

“Oh. Right. The plane.” Phil stood and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Sorry to cut this short, Mom. We’ll be back to visit when May’s back, I promise.” He took Skye back to the entrance as his mother followed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Julie replied. She waved off her son. “Catch your flight, honey. Safe travels! Bye, Skye, darling!” she called.

Phil quickly strapped Skye into her seat and left his childhood home.

Chapter Text

Phil and Skye got to the Triskelion by the evening and met with Fury in his office.

“Phil,” the director greeted. “Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

Phil nodded to a sleeping Skye on his arm. “I’m fine. Napped on the plane. Ate something. Fed her. Changed her. Got her to drink water and not accidentally vibrate anything on that plane enough to kill us. All in all, not bad.” He adjusted his daughter so he’d hold her more comfortably. “So how’s the team?”

“So far, they’ve reported in twice; the last time was an hour ago,” Fury replied. “I’ve called council on this mission, so you might get to meet the founder of SHIELD if you stick around.”

“You called council?” Phil asked worriedly. “That’s for…”

“Level eleven missions, yeah.” Fury sighed and sat back in his chair. “Like it or not, I’m still a junior director. Council is to be called. I’m lucky I haven’t been suspended yet.”

“What did you do?”

Fury chuckled. “I brought in a KGB operative, Howard Stark died six months ago, there is a level eleven threat that I’ve sent all my best agents on, I lost my left hand to fatherhood, and one of my old protégés are slowly going batshit crazy.” He sighed. “It’s a wild world out there, man.”

Someone knocked on the door and Fury jumped to open it. “Director Carter, you’re early, ma’am,” he said with a faint smile.

“Well, it would be worse if I was late, Nick, remember that,” the revered Peggy Carter replied with a smile. “If I was, I might be dead.” She noticed Phil. “Hello, agent…?”

“Director Carter, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Phil said, trying not to wake Skye with his sudden turning. “My name is Phil Coulson. I’m a senior agent under Junior Director Fury. This is my daughter, Skye.”

Skye woke up at her name, and blearily looked around the room.

Director Carter smiled and shook his hand. “Agent Coulson. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you. There’s speculation that Nick is grooming you to be the next Junior Director, which of course, will be his choice.” She looked at Skye, who managed a lazy smile. “That’s a cute one you’ve got there, Agent.”

“Thank you,” Phil replied. “I’m just here ‘cause I was supposed to be on this mission, but…” he nodded to his daughter. “Someone had to take care of this little one.”

“Is her mother…?”

“She’s on the mission too,” he explained. “Well, technically she’s not Skye’s mother, but technically I’m not Skye’s father. We found her as an 084 a few weeks ago and were placed in this mission to raise her until we can send her to the kids academy when she’s old enough.”

Director Carter nodded. “A good mission. Who’s on this case, the one that we’re here to observe?”

Fury walked up. “Agents Hill, Barton, May, and Romanoff.” He checked the paper. “The relief team is on standby, and they’re made up of Agents 19, 14, 45, and 33.”

Director Carter sighed. “I don’t like our number system as much as I did when we implemented them,” she said. “It feels off to use numbers to speak of humans.”

“We only use them in briefings and reports,” Fury assured her. “We—”

Skye erupted into a bout of laughter as she felt her father surreptitiously tickling her.

“Sorry,” Phil said lightly. “She does that sometimes.”

Director Carter waved it off. “I’ve raised a few children myself. It’s normal.”

Phil nodded slightly.

Skye then fell asleep, and he went over to the couch to sit down and hold her so that she’d be more comfortable. The night didn’t change much from there, and until Phil eventually fell asleep, nothing had been reported back.

-

Phil woke up without his daughter in his arms and scrambled up in a panic. He looked around, tense, until he saw Director Carter holding his baby.

“Ah, good morning, agent,” she greeted him, sitting in Fury’s chair. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“I kept dreaming of May dying, so not really, ma’am,” Phil replied, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair. “Is Skye okay?”

Director Carter glanced down. “She’s been a model baby,” she reassured him. “Better than any of my children at this age, to be completely honest.”

“Well, thanks,” Phil said, smiling proudly. He glanced around. “Where’s Fury?”

“The team reported back early in the morning and he had gone to receive them,” the director said. “Skye was awake, so I stayed behind to watch her. You’ve been without your partner for several days now, and as a first-time parent, I’m sure it’s been hard, so I let you get some rest.” She gently handed Phil his daughter. “That being said, now that you’re awake, you should go meet with the team.”

“They're okay?” Phil asked nervously. He played with Skye’s foot. “They aren’t dead?”

“No,” Director Carter replied. “Not that I’ve heard.”

Phil nodded his thanks and raced downstairs, holding his daughter slightly precariously, to the med bay.

“Where’s Agent May?” he asked the agent at the front desk, trying to sound dignified as he wheezed, holding a baby that looked like she was judging everyone.

“She’s in the recovery wing,” the agent replied. “Doctors said no visitors.”

“I’m her—” Phil caught himself. “I’m her partner.”

The agent squinted and probably saw the desperation wild in his eyes. “Okay, I guess,” he said, and let him through. “She’s the only one in there.”

Phil thanked him and half ran to the recovery wing and saw May lying on the bed, hooked up to wires and things, and Dr. Banner there with Fury. “Director?”

Fury looked at him. “Come here, Phil. We need to have a chat.”

Phil walked over and the director motioned for him to sit down, so he did. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Agent May has had some very traumatic injuries, including gunshots to her arm and shoulder. We also believe Agent May has a really bad concussion,” Dr. Banner said. “From her brain scans. We won’t be sure until she wakes up, and we won’t know how long it’ll last. Hopefully, it won’t be long, but…” he hesitated. “Prepare yourself for the worst, is what I’ll say. I’m sorry, sir.”

Phil stared at May, who hadn’t moved. She had bandages wrapped around her head and her arms and legs. She looked beautiful, but at the same time, Phil cried inside as he looked on.

In his arms, Skye whimpered.

“Agent May is still in recovery,” the doctor said after a long silence. “And afterwards, she won’t be on the field for a while yet, if she does. So what I recommend to you, Agent Coulson, is to go home, get some rest, and take care of your daughter. We’ll send you daily updates as it goes on. When she wakes up, I’ll personally make a call. Otherwise, we have her next of kin on file.”

Phil nodded absentmindedly at the doctor as he stared down at May. He distinctly heard Fury guiding Dr. Banner out, leaving him and Skye alone with May.

He sat down and held her hand and pressed his mouth to her knuckles, eyes closed.

He had done this a few times before, whenever May had big missions, but it was never like this. Not when he now knew that she somehow loved him in the way he did her.

“Wake up, May, please,” he mumbled imploringly into her hand. “Please be okay. Please. We have a daughter together that we need to raise, for god's sake. Melinda, please.”

Skye uttered a low whine as Phil tried to compose himself.

“I know, sweetheart,” he whispered to her. “It’s hard.” He kissed the top of his daughter’s head before squeezing May’s hand and getting up. “I love you, May. I need you to be awake to hear that again.”

May shifted in her sleep and mumbled something.

Phil leaned closer, hoping against hope that it wasn’t a death mumble. “May?”

“I hear you,” she said, barely making any noise. Her mouth curved up into the tiniest of smiles before her hand grazed his.

Phil took it gingerly and kissed it. “I love you,” he said firmly. “Please don’t die.”

May nodded slightly and Phil bent over her head. Her eyes moved from his hands to his face, drinking him in with a small satisfaction.

He kissed her forehead lightly. “I’ll see you soon,” Phil promised. “I will.”

An agent poked his head in. “Agent Coulson? Your car is here.”

Phil nodded. “Thanks. Tell the doctor that May needs attention, would you?” he asked.

“Of course, sir. Whatever you need.”

Phil turned back to May and gave a little wave by moving Skye’s arms as the father-daughter duo went to the hangar to go home.

Chapter Text

Phil and Skye had a little routine set up as he did some paperwork at home to pass the time. Phil would wake up with little Skye trying to suffocate him as she tried to show him affection, and then they'd have breakfast before going out to complete any errands to run for the day. Around five o'clock, Phil would get a call from Dr. Banner about how May was doing, and depending on the news, either they stared at the wall together in silence, or celebrated by putting the Beatles on and dancing.

Phil visited May many times over the next few weeks, staying overnight and playing cards while he told her about Skye's latest exploits as she lived with her grandmother.

"She's learning to walk really quickly," Phil told May one sunny afternoon. "She walks to me whenever I go and get her from my mom's."

May had smiled at the news. "They're getting along?"

"Are you kidding?" Phil chuckled. "My mom's been waiting for this since I got my first crush. She's ecstatic. Skye's happy because she gets to spend time with someone who just continually dotes on her all the time."

"That's good. But I feel like I'm missing all the big things." May sighed. "I don't really know why I feel like this. It's not like I'm her mother or anything."

"You technically are, legally," Phil said with a grin. "And to be honest, I think she thinks of you as her mom as well."

He saw a tiny smile return to May's face. "If you say so," she said, pretending not to be pleased. She shook her head, dismissing her other thoughts. "When do you have to go today?"

Phil checked his watch. "Well, I planned to get back by eight tonight, but I can always phone if you want me to stay," he offered.

"It's okay," May said. She turned her head to look at the window, and there was a moment of silence. She looked back. "Do you want to stay?" she asked in a strangely strained voice.

"Of course I want to stay," Phil replied, putting his hand on top of hers. He noticed her heartbeat rising, and realized suddenly that they haven't talked about their mutual confessions since, well, the day she woke up. "I always want to stay," he just said, and left it at that.

They spent the rest of the day together, sometimes talking or playing games, or drinking nutritional drinks, or even just sitting in silence. There were many naps taken, but never once did they touch on the subject of the requited love.

The morning afterwards, Phil was called home by his mother because Skye somehow got sick and needed attention from her father.

Phil glanced at May while he got the call, and she nodded for him to go. "Just tell me when she's alright, okay?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered. He lightly tapped her hand and considered kissing her, but he didn't dare do it without permission, and he didn't feel like asking because he was a wimp and he knew it. "I'll call you when I get home." Phil smiled at May and received a beam in return. His heart fluttered and he booked it out of there before it got too apparent that he fell for her again in that moment, the sunrise light making May glow. He could feel a blush heating his cheeks as he heard May laughing as he left.

Phil went to his mom's and found Skye bawling her eyes out as his mother held her

"Oh, Phil, you're here," she said with a smile. "Your daughter has a fever."

He got Skye from her grandmother's arms and held her out in front of him.

His daughter momentarily stopped crying to open her eyes and stare at him, whimper, and start crying again.

"Oh, sweetheart," Phil murmured, bouncing her the way she likes. "Are you missing May, honey?"

At 'May', Skye cried louder.

"I see." Phil kissed her temple. "Why don't we go visit May when your fever goes down, Tremors? You're doing very good. You haven't shaken anything or broken anything, and there haven't been any landslides. You're okay, Skye; you're with me. See? You're okay. We'll get to see May soon, I promise."

Skye's dramatic wails soften to soft sniffles until she was almost quite settled into her father's arms.

Julie shook her head. "You look like you're working a miracle, Phil," she said. "Skye is very hard to quiet."

He looked at his mom and smiled. "I'm learning," he replied lightly. He held Skye tighter. "Depending on how she is, May might be coming home in a few days," he told her.

Julie smiled. "And you want to go home and get things ready for her, I understand." She nodded, getting up and retrieving Skye's baby stuff. "Have you gotten a sensible car yet?"

Phil kept his smile, but it was cheekier than before. "I wouldn't say sensible, but it will definitely fit Skye's car seat and May and me, so it works."

His mother sighed. "Phil..."

He shrugged. "I got another Chevy. It's on SHIELD." His smile grew. "It's outside." Phil took Skye and his mother outside to see a navy and white 1956 Chevy Bel Air sitting prettily in the driveway. "It has SHIELD logos printed on the wheels. It flies too, like Lola."

Julie shook her head. "What are you naming this one?" she asked, sounding resigned.

"Flying, All Road Automobile," Phil replied, grinning. "Or Fara, for short."

She inspected the car. "You sure it's all-road?" his mother asked skeptically.

"If you try hard enough, any vehicle is an all-road vehicle," he said cheerfully. "Though I won't drive it as an all-road, the tires are actually very cool. They sense the ground and adapt as needed."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure." She put Skye's bag in the back next to her car seat and sighed, giving her son and her granddaughter both a kiss on the cheek. "Call if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Phil said gratefully. "I think May and I will visit once she gets settled in again."

"I'd love that."

Phil strapped his daughter in and drove home.

During the ride, he tuned the radio to the Beatles channel and they had just started playing 'Here Comes The Sun'. He chuckled. "This is our song," he said to Skye, looking at her in the rearview mirror, only to see her sleeping soundly. He laughed quietly and hummed along as they passed other cars on the road.

Eventually, after a few hours, they pulled into the garage of their house, Skye fast asleep despite having woken up seven times.

Phil grabbed the baby stuff, thankful he got it as a backpack, and gently carried Skye inside to her room and laid her down inside her crib. He watched her sleep, chest rising and falling easily, and a hint of a smile touching the corners of her mouth. That reminded Phil of May and her small smiles, and with a pang, he remembered that he missed her.

He went out to the living room and dialled May's room number, and smiled when she picked up. "You should be asleep," he said immediately, grinning wide as he heard her irritated sigh.

"Would you rather me be sleeping or talking to you, dumbass?"

"Hey, watch that language when you get home," Phil warned, chuckling. "We have a baby, you know."

"Shut up, Phil," May huffed. A pause, then— "How was she at your mom's? She okay?"

"Skye's okay. She had a fever, but the car ride got her sleepy and so she's sleeping it off now," he reported. "She misses you."

"What about you?"

Phil chuckled, a flush heating up the back of his neck. "I miss you too."

"Geez, Coulson, you just saw me a couple hours ago," May teased. "You're so clingy."

"This is not fair," he complained. "This isn't behavior expected of a level six operative, Agent May."

"You're one to talk," she scoffed.

"Anyway," Phil said, just to get off of the subject. "How are you feeling? You think they're going to let you go soon?"

There was another pause as he imagined May examining her healing wounds.

"The doc said I should be fine to come back at the end of the week," she replied. "I'm itching to get back on the field. Or home. Whichever's more convenient. I can walk, I can run, I can move my shoulders without blinding pain; I'm basically 100%."

Phil rolled his eyes. "The fact that you think that's a 100% is concerning, but not surprising." He sighed. "I might visit for a couple hours with Skye on Monday, but technically that's for a meeting with Fury."

"Sure," May said. "You want me to watch her while you're there?"

Phil paused. "Is this you trying to prove that you're okay?"

"I want to spend time with her," she replied. He could hear her smile through the phone. "Okay, it's a little bit about the proving my point thing but I miss her a lot too."

"Yeah, okay."

They stayed up talking to each other for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

The meeting went off without a hitch while May coddled Skye for the first time in a few weeks, but then the father-daughter duo had to leave to get the house ready for May when she came back a few days later.

"So you baby proof the house for me, not the baby?" May scoffed as Phil phoned her while he worked. "You realize I can see and walk perfectly fine?"

"Yep," he replied, trying not to grunt while he pushed the sofa back an inch. "Better to be safe than sorry, though."

"I got shot three times, Phil. I'm already sorry. I just want to go home and eat ice cream in bed."

Phil smiled as he heard her request, plaintive as a child. "I'll go and get the ice cream later," he promised. "Vanilla?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

He chuckled. "I guess I don't."

"Damn right," May said.

Phil could hear the smile in her voice, but also a small strain on it, almost undetectable. But he's known her since they were barely out of high school. He knows her. "You okay, Melinda?" he asked softly.

"Yep," she replied, though he thought he could hear her crack.

"You sure? Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, Phil," she said, sighing. "Just tired. And missing you two."

"Well, we'll see each other soon," he offered. "I'll get Skye to run up to you when you get back, and then we can celebrate your coming back and her birthday."

May chuckled. "If you insist."

"I do." Phil closed his eyes as his heart tried to implode. "Melinda."

"Yeah?"

He let out a quiet breath. "Nothing," he said, chuckling. "Just wanted to say your name." He heard a laugh and grinned. "Got you."

"You're a flirt," May muttered.

"Always have been," Phil said, walking into the nursery. "You want to talk to Skye?"

"Yeah."

Phil dropped the phone down into Skye's crib.

Their daughter picked it up and babbled.

Phil could distinctly make out May's laughter as she 'talked' to Skye. A few minutes later, he gently picked up the phone and said hi to May again.

"So, I'll see you soon?" he asked hopefully.

"Wednesday," May reassured him. "Promise that's what the doc said."

"Okay. See you then, May," Phil said. There was a long pause before he chuckled. "You gonna hang up?"

He heard May mutter an annoyed 'bye' before she hung up, and sighed. Maybe he couldn't say that he loved her again now that he knew she was fully conscious. Maybe it was a one time thing.

Phil shook his head. He'll find out.

-

On Wednesday, he and Skye puttered around the house as Phil put in the final touches on the small renovation he did while May was gone.

"I hope she likes it," he sighed, standing back to admire it. He glanced down at his daughter, who was clinging onto his calf. "What do you think?"

Skye looked up at him with big eyes. She stuck out her tongue to him.

Phil rolled his eyes and picked her up, ignoring her excited squeal as he walked back towards the front of the house. He checked the driveway and saw a SHIELD car drive up, Fury in the driver's seat. Phil smiled a little smile to himself and bounced Skye to her attention. "You ready to see May again?" he asked her.

Skye beamed. "Mama!"

Phil sighed and set her down, smile hopeful. "Yeah, I hope so," he said. "One day, kid." Phil knelt down and tugged down his daughter's new dress that she kept trying to hike up. He fixed her hair, the wispy strands falling just over her ears as he tried to put them in pigtails.

He heard the door unlock and Phil sighed and released his Skye to run to May. He stood up, leaning against the kitchen peninsula with a smile as he watched May get ambushed by their daughter, who ran to her clumsily with loud laughter.

May laughed too, scooping Skye up into a hug, and she swung her around in a circle as the baby giggled. May turned around as she spotted Fury in her peripheral vision and thanked him quietly for bringing her bag.

"Take care of yourself, May," the director said with a smile. He looked behind her. "Phil." He nodded to the agent inside, who nodded back, and then Fury disappeared back into his car and left.

May turned back to look at Phil.

He had his heart in his eyes as he walked towards her. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi." May smiled brightly, and Phil felt his heart squeeze painfully, like he was about to cry. She noticed and rolled her eyes. "Phil..."

"What?"

"You're not about to confess your undying love for me again, are you?"

Phil shrugged and smiled, guileless. "Would you punch me if I do? Cause then I won't." He tugged at Skye's ear and heard his daughter giggle.

"I won't punch you," May reassured him.

Phil squinted. "Who are you and what have you done to our May?"

Skye babbled in agreement.

May rolled her eyes and carried her daughter to the couch as Phil grabbed her bag. "Nothing happened," she sighed. "I just... don't feel like punching you."

Phil's eyes flicked up and down as he scrutinized her.

"Would you stop that?" May said, trying not to laugh. She grabbed Phil's hand and pulled him down onto the couch.

They sat there in silence for a moment while they both watched Skye get preoccupied with a spoon that Phil left there for ice cream later. Skye put it in her mouth.

"Melinda."

She looked up at him, beaming. "You know, I've never gotten used to you saying that," May noted. "You usually just call me May."

Phil smiled. "Well. Melinda May. I'm confessing my undying love to you."

"Right now?" May put her hand on top of Skye's head and heard her giggles. "Undying?"

"Those are the words I believe you used," Phil replied with a small grin. "Though I could be wrong." There was a very long pause and his grin faded a little. "So, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"My apparently undying love for you."

May shrugged. "It's neat."

Phil knit his brows, pouting. "Neat? I confess my love to you and you say—"

May grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. Then— "Shut up," she said, smiling against his lips. "Just. Shut up." She pulled away and studied his eyes.

Phil had the biggest, dumbest grin on his face and he leaned in to kiss her again. This time, his big dumb grin turned to a smaller smile. "I love you."

"You're an idiot," May sighed. She plopped Skye onto her father's lap and spoke to her. "Your dad's dumb. Don't listen to him. Listen to me only. Your mom. Got it?"

Skye nodded seriously.

Phil chuckled. "You've got her turning against me already?"

"Of course," May replied, smiling mischievously. "You can never be too prepared."

Chapter Text

Phil woke up in the middle of the night, a cold one in mid-November, having a weird feeling in his stomach-diaphragm area. The gut. The feeling like someone was in danger, or in danger of being in danger. He looked beside him, May sleeping lightly curled up against him. He knew she had a weapon concealed under that pillow. He had one too.

He woke her up with a light tap and he nodded towards the door. Even bleary-eyed and half awake, May knew what he meant. She got up and checked the bathroom while Phil crept out to the corridor. He heard noises coming from the nursery and followed silently.

Phil peeked into the slightly open door that he remembered he left exactly so, an inch and a half open. He heard Skye giggling and someone laughing with her. Suddenly, there was a bright blue flash, and then a voice.

"Calvin, your time is up. You can see her again tomorrow," the voice said calmly.

"Why can't I bring her with me?" another voice demanded quietly. "She's my daughter, not the kid of these— these kidnappers!"

Phil reeled from the door, but kept listening.

"Jiaying said she's safer here until her powers emerge," the first one said. "And you have no say in the matter. You left Daisy alone in the first place."

"Don't you dare blame me for any of this, Gordo. Whitehall had to go and cut up my wife's body and harvest all of her organs, and I had to stitch her up. You should've been there to take her to Afterlife. I don't trust any of these people to take care of my Daisy."

"Well, you've got to anyway. We'll get her when the job is done."

"When can we finish this, once and for all? I'm tired of waiting."

By then, May had caught on and was at the door as well. She exchanged worried glances with Phil.

"Jiaying'll fill you in when we get back. And in due time, we will destroy SHIELD, and take back what is ours."

"Fair enough. I just want my Daisy back."

"Soon."

There was another bright flash, and Phil burst into the room, not to find the intruders, but to get Skye. He found a note with her in the crib.

"May," he said, calling her into the room. "May, look at this."

She came over and let out a breath as she read it. May looked at him. "What does this mean?"

Phil studied the notecard and the room, and then stared down at the baby in the crib. "I don't know," he admitted, watching Skye pull herself up by the crib railing. "I guess we'll have to see."

Phil reached for May's hand and he took it, wondering if she could feel the shake in his hands and the terror crawling up this throat, threatening to burst out in pieces of blood and bone. He squeezed, and she squeezed back.

"You think it'll be okay?" she whispered.

"Nope." Phil sighed. "Time to move."