The Fan Has Landed

March 09, 2017:

Darcy Lewis welcomes Agent Phil Coulson back to the Triskelion after a long absence.

The Triskelion, Manhattan

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Peggy Carter, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

10AM - Triskelion, Manhattan.

Darcy is walking through the main looby headed toward the elevators that will take her to her office. She looks like any other administrative SHIELD agent: men-in-black pencil-skirt suit, name badge, tablet in hand. What's not typical SHIELD are the bright red galsses that sit on her nose, glasses that match the red of her lips to the hue. The shoes are highly impractical also, six inch heels that push the normally almost petite woman toward six feet. Her waves of brown is pinned up in red chopsticks and she walks with the easy swagger of being engrossed with what's she's reading while being completely comfortable moving in these halls.

Agent Lewis, Clearance Level 5. Administrative Agent: Office Supply Logistics; Field Agent: Liason XMen & Thor, Light Combat Approved. Far cry from the astrophysist's intern that she was a hand full of years ago. Although what a political science major was doing working for a science geek is likely still a mystery.

—-

Agents, of course, come and go all the time. Usually their whereabouts are on a need-to-know basis, as are their arrival times. But this particular face hasn't been seen around the Triskelion for some time. Still, Phil Coulson swipes his badge at the door and makes his way down the hall, a mild but genuine smile on his face, walking with a light step that conveys contentment, even full-on-happiness.

He is home.

He reaches the elevator a few steps behind Agent Lewis, Clearance Level 5, and his mild smile quirks one notch upward.

"I see your training on blending in is beginning to stick," he comments in his low, gentle tones. "Now anyone who wants to identify you can only spot you if you're in the room, rather than on the same block. Progress is good."

—-

That's a distinctive voice. Very distinctive. And hadn't been heard in so long. Darcy starts up, and turns to look.

"Well, sonuvabitch," she blurts out. Because while she LOOKS the part of a SHIELD agent, her mouth is something else altogether.

"Coulson, you dog. Good to see you," Darcy quips, lips kicking up into a grin that's equal parts guarded and mischievous.

—-

Coulson's mouth quirks again. "Good to see you too, Agent Lewis. 9th floor, please. How are things?" If her mouth has bothered him doesn't let it show; indeed, there might be just the slightest hint of a twinkle in his eye. "Anything interesting I should know about?"

Because he has, after all, just gotten back. There will be reports to read and debriefings to attend…but he'll get perspective from anyone and everyone wherever and whenever he can, to get the fuller, deeper picture of what's going on, to understand what's on the minds of the people feels such responsibility for.

—-

Darcy reaches out to push the UP button, fully intending to push '9' for Coulson when the elevator arrives.

"Things are as fucked in the head as usual. Beachcombers getting turned into giant rock lobsters, ROUSes in Central Park, Thor learning to text, exboyfriend's murderer's stupid gas attack giving headaches to pretty much everyone, and the coffee in the lobby is still horrible," Darcy quips as the elevator dings. If she's said anything that's too high clearance for this area, she either doesn't know, doesn't care, or is pretty sure that it's hidden in enough of the rest of hte random bullshit that comes out of her mouth that it's going to be hell decyphering what's what.

"Oh, and Carter gave me back my iPOD," says adds just at the elevator doors close to carry them to level 9.

—-

He nods to each of these things as if it's nothing more than the expected.

'Oh, and Carter gave me back my iPod,' she says, and his mouth quirks again. He appreciates sass in others, after all.

"Clearly the most important part of the report," he says. "We have a new Agent then? One named Carter? One with enough authority to return borrowed iPods, even?" Yeah, he's missed some things.

A lot. Of. Things.

Which indicates he's been in deep cover, with little to no access to any communications, for a great good deal of time. He's watching her with interest, since everything she's said so far is interesting.

—-

"New?" Darcy scoffs, lips kicking up in a wide smirk.

"Oh sure. New in that she founded the place. I think. She seems really young, but something… time-displacement? I don't know. She wasn't found on ice, that's for sure," Darcy replies. Because. It's Coulson. He's got like… GOD clearance. Or something.

"And damn straight it's the most important part of my report. ONly reason I said 'yes' in the first place." Darcy replies, rolling a shoulder.

"Well, and getting clearance to get Jane's research back to her. You are a Science-Grinch; I swear to Jesus."

—-

"Fortunately when I met you my small heart grew three sizes," Coulson returns right back, but it's clear he's way back at the beginning of her report.

He presses the stop button on the elevator, and turns to face her, some cross between boyish wonder and incredulity writing themselves into the lines on his unassuming face. "Are you telling me that Agent Peggy Carter, young and thriving, is here, on active duty, right now? That she not only traveled through time, but then, upon doing so, powdered her nose, adjusted her curls and then just basically came right back to work?"

Hopeful boyish wonder and incredulity, for his next words are, "That is so cool."

Yeah, guess who has just rearranged his priorities for the day?

—-

See? If Coulson had been like THIS when they met, she probably would have LIKED him. Now? Well, it's hard NOT to like him, but it wouldn't have taken so much to get there.

"Call me Cindy-Lu and I will knee you in the jimmies," Darcy quips as Coulson stops the elevator on the.

"Whoa there cowboy," she's starting, head tilting as Phil's face crosses that line toward boyish wonder.

"Basically… yeah. And she kicked a ROUS's ass in Central Park, and berates me about my tea-making on nearly a weekly basis," Darcy confirms into Coulson's wonder. The slight confusion shifts to a wide smile and a chuckle, nodding.

"Oh yeah. It's fucking badass. I'm totally cornering her into giving me those pin-up curl secrets so that I can give them to my Jane. She's dating Sergent Barnes, Steve's best buddy from The War. I'm pretty sure that I can manuveaur the three of them into a double date with Jane and I all dolled up 40s style just to see which one of their noses bleeds first."

And this is why Darcy survived shooting Apocalypse in the face. Chutzpah and mischief.

—-

Normally he might at least express a preference for not being called 'cowboy,' but Agent Phil Coulson is thoroughly distracted now.

"Um. What? Sargent Barnes? Did he step into a time machine too?" And he's dating Foster?

It really is a good thing that they stopped the elevator. "I know who Sargent Barnes is, but…wait. All three of them? Captain America got recovered from the ice?" The boyish wonder deepens. "And they're all right here, in New York?"

Darcy's just la la la talking about making noses bleed and going on double dates, and incredulity flashes briefly over his features again, just tightening lines here and there. The markers of any expression are very subtle but…readable, especially right now.

—-

"I don't know. I didn't ask. I was too busy trying to Jane to shower and eat. He might be nice to look at but he suck at keeping scientists from over working themselves," Darcy replies with a tone that hints that she does NOT suck at any suck things.

"Yes. All three. Steve's been working with SHIELD and Avengers for a while now. He hates my fucking language," Darcy adds, head tilting as she spies the disbelief and the wonder.

"You don't believe me? You've… been out of touch for a bit. Things have gotten… weirder."

—-

"No, I believe you." Coulson says, recovering quickly, at the very least. The unexpected has always been the name of the game. He quirks another one of those smiles and starts the elevator up again. "Just…looking forward to seeing for myself." He reaches over to start the elevator again, adding, "I have," when she mentions how he's been out of pocket for awhile.

He says nothing more than that of course, not interested in spilling any details in particular about what he was up to. That one is above her paygrade, or…he's just keeping it close, because that's what he does.

"I appreciate you doing your part to bring me into the loop, Agent Lewis."

—-

"Hey. Any time. I owe you for the iPOD," Darcy retorts, peering at him from the corner of her eyes while smirking that impure smirk of hers.

"I don't mind setting up a meeting for you. If you need it. I'm pretty sure by now May's realized that I can keep her day planner better than she can."

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