Agent Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

As sweet as the kiss on her head was, that was not what Darcy was looking for. She wanted something a little more substantial than that. Considering she was the one who started the whole thing, Darcy was nervous about pushing Phil any further than he was comfortable with. Of course, the arms around her were tight, comforting, and they had long since stopped worrying about personal space. Not to mention she was practically sitting in Phil’s lap.

“Clint only complains because you expect it,” Darcy said with a smile and small shake of her head. “As for the newer agents? Do you really want to be friends with those guys anyway? Besides, it’s kinda hot that you’ve got a reputation. True or false,” Darcy asked, her smile turning slightly mischievous, “You took down two armed robbers with a bag of flour.”

Phil chuckled again. "Maybe so, but Clint's a big boy and can choose to stop complaining at any point that he wants. He just doesn't want to. He likes whining about things, not matter how childish it makes him seem."

He shifted, shaking his head at her with a smile still playing across his lips. "They were certainly pitiful specimens of robbers," he assured, "It wasn't that hard. You probably could've taken them down without a problem."

#LipstickLightning

Until We Bleed || Loki & Coulson

Loki was silent, studying the man through the glass, his brows furrowed slightly. “I am what I am because it is what I must be. Were I to be as Thor, golden and loved and behave as though I were your friend, you and yours would distrust my every action. Not because of what I have done, but because I am Loki. It is how I have been, and likely always shall be. Stagnant. Predictable. Loathe as I am to be such, there is very little that can be changed about ones true nature.”

His lips curled into a half smile. “Should I go against my grain and spew pleasantries at those who so obviously are disgusted by me? You think yourself my better, and yet you are not. You, like so many before you, consider yourself on the side of that which is good and right, yet who are you to determine this? There is always another aspect to a story. There is always the chance there is something you might have missed.”

His eyes hardened. “You know what you know, yet you know nothing. You are a child. Young and full of your own thoughts of what should be. Yet tell me this, human. If the sky were to fall around you, and the very earth become your sky; if down became up, and up became down, and all that you knew to be right and true became that which you believed to be wrong and utterly loathsome, what action would you take? Can you truly tell me that you would remain calm and collected? That you would simply accept this change and move forward?” He let out a sharp laugh. “You cannot lie to a liar.”

“You hurt a friend.”

Loki stiffened, remembering the way Barton’s body had crumpled to the floor, the satisfying feeling of having torn into that flesh, and the flicker of fear and disgust that followed. He hadn’t meant to hurt Barton. Not like that.

His lips tightened into a thin line as his thoughts turned to Thor, and a cold, dangerous gleam settled in his eyes. “Of all those I have harmed,” he said quietly. “I have hurt Thor the most. I have few regrets that last past one span of your human life, and of those, only some are centered upon human life. The rest…are none of your concern.” His tone was tired-sounding, soft, almost sad. “Is your curiosity satisfied, Agent?”

#i am laufeyson #[awww loki bb]

Phil raised an eyebrow. "One's nature is defined by their actions, Loki. It can be changed, but only if you take the care required; if you focus hard on making that change. If I recall correctly, Loki's title is of a mischief-maker and a trickster, not of something evil and malicious. And while we would certainly question your motives, that does not mean you couldn't prove that distrust wrong. But you don't want to, do you?"

He shifted, hand running along the surface of a nearby table. "No one expects pleasantries from you, Loki," he replied, "And I never claimed to be better than you. And as much as you try to support your actions by claiming that no one can define good and evil, I am quite certain you are wrong. As much as we may not be able to claim that we are good, I can say with certainty that mass genocide is wrong. It wasn't the right course of action to take, Loki. Not now, not ever. No matter what aspect of the story you're looking at.

"Compared to you and yours, humanity's lifespan might be short, but that does not mean that I am wrong here." Phil's eyes narrowed slightly. "If the world turned upside down, we would find out how to live in it. We would move on, and hopefully not destroy life in the process. Life is about choice, Loki. And the nature of choice is that there's always one answer that's better than the others. And mass destruction of life will always, always be the worse answer."

He watched Loki stiffen, possibly in memory if the look on his face was any indication. He let the words stay the way they were. He didn't need to expand upon them.

"And do you not wish to make it up to your brother somehow? Thor cares for you, Loki, but there is enough bitterness already that if you're not careful, that care could turn sour." He brushed off the table slightly before sliding to sit on it, hands folding in his lap. Loki's demeanor had changed once Thor was brought up, and he felt like he needed to see that too. "My curiosity is almost never satisfied, I assure you."

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

Darcy shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Phil’s neck, and shook out her hair for him to touch. She curled in, nuzzling her nose into his neck, smile nearly hidden by his shirt. “It did make me happy. It was fun, trying to guess things for the apartment.”

Tracing shapes along his chest, Darcy was quiet for a few minutes, thinking. It might not have been easy, peeling back the layers that made Phil Coulson, and Darcy was sure she still had a long way to go, but she enjoyed the parts she’d seen so far. Even just the glimpses from before, they were enough to intrigue her. “You’re more than your job,” she said, finally. “SHIELD is important, sure, and of course it’s a part of you, but it’s not that hard to see there’s more to you than just the black suit. Being your friend is easy.”

She tilted her head up, lips curving into a smirk. “But that’s not really what this is anymore, is it?”

"You did an excellent job," Phil complimented, arm tightening slightly around her as she moved closer. "It's more homey than the last place I lived in, definitely. I'm not a fan of decorating, even if I like the end results."

Phil chuckled slightly, turning his head to press a kiss against her hair. "You're the first person that's ever said that. Barton complains more often than not, the newer agents believe too many of the stories told about me, and I don't really have time to get to know people outside of work." He wasn't complaining, by any means. He was happy with his life, even if it was missing a more social element.

He chuckled again, sound muffled against her hair. "I suppose not, no. But I don't know what I'd call it."

#LipstickLightning

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

Darcy curled in, resting her head on Phil’s chest. She made a contented noise, as his fingers ran through her hair. Mental note, she thought, always wear hair down around Phil. Darcy reached up, tracing Phil’s smile with her finger tips, before sliding her hand down to his shoulder, smoothing out the t-shirt under her hand before shifting down to rest on his bicep. There was a certain thrill, being allowed to touch his skin. It has been noticeable in his chest, but Darcy could really feel the strength in Phil’s arms. She enjoyed it.

“I’m amusing, huh? I’ll take that.” Her smile was soft, and even resting against him, Darcy’s head was tilted up, looking at his face.

“I like you, Phil. I like that you listen to me, and you don’t judge me. I like that I can make you smile, even laugh. Your whole face changes when you smile, and I wish you’d do it more often. I love that you trust me enough to decorate your whole apartment… I don’t even think Jane trusts me that much.” Darcy rubbed her thumb over Phil’s arm, shrugged with the shoulder not pressed against him. “You just seem to understand me.”

#notclockedout #LipstickLightning

He chuckled again as she reached up to trace his lips, brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek lightly before his hand cupped around her neck, thumb settling against her jaw. "It's a good trait," he assured, smile seemingly etched permanently at this point, corners of his lips tilted up and eyes crinkling every once in a while when he smiled wider.

"Smiling is unprofessional," Phil replied, although the deadpan was ruined by the fact his smile wouldn't fade. "And you're the one that offered to decorate. I just let you. I thought it would make you happy." He shrugged a shoulder, moving his hand back to run his fingers through her hair again.

"People don't really take the time to get to know me. I think they're under the impression that I'm not any fun. They only ever see me at work. Of course that's the only place I ever am since I have no real personal life to speak of. SHIELD has always come first." He shrugged again. "You're one of the only people that's ever bothered to befriend me."

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

A slow grin lit up Darcy’s face. She twisted around a little, moving from curled up against Phil’s side facing away, to a position where she was almost sitting on his lap. Phil’s hand on her waist slide with her movement, resting mostly on her stomach, while his other arm came up to wrap around Darcy’s shoulders, supporting her against his chest. She would have fallen backwards without him there but she used it as an excuse to curl into him.

Sitting the way she was, Darcy couldn’t see the tv much, but she had the perfect view of the curve of Phil’s smile, looking down at her. “Hm, let me check,” she said, searching his face. Phil Coulson might be a Super Secret Agent Man, and stoic in the face of danger, but there was no way he wasn’t telling the truth to Darcy, at the very moment. “You seem pretty serious to me.”

She certainly hadn’t planned on making a move on Phil, but she was just so comfortable around him, it just sort of happened. Darcy couldn’t remember the last time she felt this secure with a person, even if she was surprised he seemed to share those same feelings. “I can be a little annoying sometimes, I know.”

Phil smiled wider as she turned to face him, shifting as she did so her new position was stabilized. He brushed her hair out of her face absently as she looked up at him, obviously studying his expression. "That's because I'm quite serious," he replied quietly, reaching around her to turn off the TV and toss the remote away, to get rid of the noise they didn't need in the background.

He chuckled slightly, fingers running through the ends of her hair. "I don't find you annoying," he replied, "I find you...amusing, if anything. And I do miss you're jabbering when you're not around." Darcy did tend to talk a lot, but Phil was used to that from Barton and Darcy's was usually more insightful and entertaining, so he didn't mind it at all, and in fact enjoyed it.

He leaned back against the couch, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "I'm more perplexed about what you see in me, to tell the truth."

Until We Bleed || Loki & Coulson

Loki paused in his steps, tilting his head as he studied Coulson, the anger dimming slightly in his eyes, his lips tightening into a thin line. “The thought had occurred to me,” he said coldly. “And then it passed. I am what I am, Agent Coulson.”

His shoulders straightened, and he folded his hands neatly behind his back, a single brow raising at the man who sat opposite of him. “You are alive, yes. Perhaps you should be grateful to your doctors. They’re better than I had given them credit for. Or perhaps the Norns like you, and had decided it wasn’t your time to die. They can be so picky.” His lips twitched into a half smile that seemed far less than enthusiastic.

The smile faded at the man’s next words, and his expression was carefully blank. “I am certain you’ve already been told my purpose here,” he said quietly. “To reiterate the words would serve no function. No purpose. It was a mistake to come here, after all. A miscalculation on my part.”

Loki turned away, beginning to slowly pace. “I do not seek redemption, Agent Coulson. Such a thing is well outside of my reach.”

He paused, glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye. ”Why have you come here? Why seek me out? Merely to satisfy your own curiosity? Your need to know?” His hands clenched into fists. “Or perhaps to gloat over my captivity?” Loki’s lips pulled into a wry smile. “If you’ve come to gloat, I’ll not give you satisfaction.”

"You're this way only because of your own actions," Phil pointed out, "So the logic extends that you could unmake your position." His eyes followed Loki's movements, cataloging his expressions and ticks as he went, storing them away for future reference. He didn't know much about Loki yet; hopefully this conversation could, at the very least, provide him with information that would be useful for reading Loki at a later date. Tricky, since most of his expressions were made with the express purpose of covering up another one.

"I am not sure that thankful is what I am," Phil said honestly; frankly. "I was only in a coma for 5 months, but already so much has changed. I'm not sure I like the ways it has changed, either. After all, here you are; and from what I can tell you've been allowed free reign until Stark came to his senses." His eyes narrowed then, "You hurt a friend."

He glanced away as Loki spoke, speaking his next words into the distance more than at the man, "Yes, it was a mistake. A large one. And if I had my way, you would be taken care of once and for all." He paused, looking back at Loki. "But I am not in charge here. And I do believe that getting rid of you would only hurt Thor."

His eyes followed Loki as he paced, working off a nervous energy that came with being cooped up, he was sure. "Redemption is a tricky thing, Loki. Most who seek it never achieve it and most who do not want it come across it anyway."

Phil stood, moving closer to the cage, so he was only a few feet away from the glass holding the god at bay. He took in Loki's stance; the clenched fists and the wry smile; he looked angry, disenchanted even. Phil wondered what was wrong. "I am not here to gloat, Loki. Merely understand the workings of a mind that seems far removed from what it should be. You could say I was curious and not be all that wrong."

#i am laufeyson

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

His arm tightened minutely around her as she curled closer. He wasn’t sure what it was Darcy saw in him, but he didn’t want to let her down. He didn’t know what she expected out of him. He had known that his affection for her wasn’t purely platonic, but the fact that she would return that in any way was astonishing and confusing.

Phil chuckled slightly as she spoke. “Barton’s not all bad. And I slept most of the time anyway. You would have been bored, I believe,” he replied, thumb running lightly back and forth over the hem of her shirt. He sighed again, looking down at where her head rested against his chest. “This is not how I was expecting the night to go,” he admitted quietly.

“This… this is good, though, right?” Darcy asked, her voice just slightly quiet. She knew she didn’t sound as confident as usual, but she was more unsure of herself with Phil and what they were doing than she had ever been, with any other guy. Usually, it was easy. Wear a low cut top, throw out a few sexual innuendoes, and watch at how badly the eyes strayed. It was almost guaranteed a fun night, even if it didn’t go much past that. Darcy had standards for actual dating, standards that most guys didn’t meet, a date or two in.

Phil’s eyes didn’t stray, and his hands didn’t wander much beyond the socially acceptable, and she knew she was taking a chance on something different from almost her entire history but Phil had a way of looking at her, like he knew everything there was, and didn’t mind any of it. He laughed at her when she was hyper, listened when she babbled, comforted when she needed it, and trusted her more than most people ever did.

“You’re the only one who knows me,” she said, keeping her voice at the same small level. Darcy bit her lip, hiding her face in Phil’s shirt, even though he couldn’t really see it, anyway. “You know most of my quirks, and somehow, you still seem to like me.”

He smiled, surprised by the unusual quietness to her voice. She was usually so confident in herself, and he wondered what it was that was making her nervous. He didn't think that there was anything all that special about him to make her nervous. "This is good," he agreed with a nod, thumb still running gently over the hem of her shirt and the small sliver of skin between its end and the waist of her pants.

Darcy had snuck up on him; their friendship hadn't been something he'd expected; they were so different and upon first meeting he thought they would never get along. But she was intelligent and fun, and out of everyone he knew was one of the only people that could actually tell when he was joking and understood his sense of humor. Most importantly, she was sweet; despite the outer projection, she was kind to everyone.

"Of course I like you," he replied, "Anyone who doesn't is insane." He looked down at the top of her head. "If you were looking at my face instead of my t-shirt, you could even see how serious I'm being," he joked.

Until We Bleed || Loki & Coulson

Loki’s smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, the green flickering with an angry sort of fire. “Oh yes,” he said softly, the tone icy cold as he stood, taking half a step towards the glass that separated him from the human. “I do hurt people. I hurt them with words. With actions. With my very existence.” His thoughts turned to Thor. Frigga. Odin.

His lips curled into a cold smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “If you were to stand between me and something I wanted, something I needed, I would not hesitate to kill you.” His tone was quiet, and dripped with anger. “You stood between me and a goal once before, and I left your life in the hands of the Norns.” He let out a sharp laugh. “I do not envy you their attention.”

He sat calmly as Loki moved closer, not letting the man scare him, even with the angry set to his face and the tint in his eyes that spelled danger. "And you've never considered that you could at least attempt to not hurt them? That you could rise above what everyone, including yourself, expects of you? You're simply fulfilling your own fears."

"I don't believe there's anything to envy, Loki. For as you see, I'm alive and well," Phil replied, leaning back in his chair with his hands spread slightly before they fell back into his lap. "What was the point of coming here, Loki? To the Tower? What are you playing at, if you still believe yourself so beyond any redemption?"

#i am laufeyson

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

Phil shook his head. “I’ve been alone since I woke up, save the four times I had visitors. Being alone is the last thing I need right now,” he replied, tucking the strand of hair he’d been playing with back behind her ear as he shifted slightly, settling back into the couch more.

He smiled as her hands ran across his chest, dropping his hand to rest on her waist with a slight sigh, eyes falling closed slightly as he relaxed more under her hands. He hummed lightly, letting himself relax more completely than he usually did in the presence of other people. “This is nice,” he commented quietly.

Darcy could feel his hum vibrate through Phil’s chest, quiet and soothing. She curled in a little closer, letting gravity pull her down into the couch. Phil’s hand on her waist was warm, covering the smallest bit of skin where her shirt met her jeans. The tv was still playing softly in the background, though Darcy wasn’t really paying attention anymore. She suspected neither was Phil, even without looking up to check. Instead, she rubbed her cheek against his shirt, nodding. She was pleasantly surprised at how the night was turning out. There might have been day dreams about this very thing.

“I should have visited more,” she said softly. “Instead of leaving you all alone with nobody to keep you company except Clint.” It was a joke, one she knew would make him smile, and that thought was almost enough for her to move to catch a glimpse of it. Next time, she thought, she was much too comfortable to move that much.

His arm tightened minutely around her as she curled closer. He wasn't sure what it was Darcy saw in him, but he didn't want to let her down. He didn't know what she expected out of him. He had known that his affection for her wasn't purely platonic, but the fact that she would return that in any way was astonishing and confusing.

Phil chuckled slightly as she spoke. "Barton's not all bad. And I slept most of the time anyway. You would have been bored, I believe," he replied, thumb running lightly back and forth over the hem of her shirt. He sighed again, looking down at where her head rested against his chest. "This is not how I was expecting the night to go," he admitted quietly.

Until We Bleed || Loki & Coulson

A short, sharp laugh poured from his lips at the question. Unbelievable. Well…not unbelievable. The man was, after all, only human. Such questions were inevitable, really. A flicker of blue crossed his thoughts and he pushed it aside. Later. He would deal with that later.

His tongue flickered out, wetting his lips as he grinned, a toothy smile, his shoulders raising in a half shrug. “Now why would I care to do do such a thing? The reason is irrelevant. I think you’ve come to reassure yourself that I cannot hurt you again.”

Pale green eyes watched intently for any sort of reaction that phrase may have gained him. Oh but this was more entertaining than he’d thought it could be. Coulson’s curiosity was predictable. Understandable, even. Loki had known this conversation would occur at some point, even though this was far sooner than he’d anticipated.

He waved a hand dismissively, and turned, moving to sit on the cot he’d been using as a bed. “It does not matter. You live, and much as it would amuse me to rectify that, there is no point in killing you now.”

Phil raised an eyebrow at the man, the grin disconcerting to say the least. "I don't need such reassurances. I won't underestimate you, nor do I believe that you will not hurt me again should the chance arrive. That's what you do, after all, is it not? Hurt people?"

It was phrased as a question, but Phil said it flatly, not needing an answer to it. He knew the answer, after all. Loki wouldn't let someone like Phil get in his way if he wanted to do something. He wouldn't give Loki the satisfaction of getting under his skin, simply because he wouldn't let it happen.

"What was the point in killing me then?" he asked instead, stepping closer to the cell and sliding into a chair that was situated there, crossing his ankle over his knee and letting his hands rest on his leg.

"Clearly you had a reason, correct?"

#i am laufeyson

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

He nodded, even though her head was still tucked into his shirt and she couldn’t see it, a little surprised that Darcy was sitting still; it was highly unusual for her and he wasn’t quite sure how to take it. “I am. But this is good. It gives me time to relax without actually sleeping, in a room that’s more than just one color,” he replied, smiling softly as he lifted his hand to tuck hair behind her ear.

Phil honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this comfortable doing…well, nothing. He couldn’t remember the last person he’d been this comfortable with in general, though he supposed that’s what happened when your dating life fell apart because of your work life.

“If you wanted, we can pick this back up tomorrow and you can catch some sleep,” he offered, fingers playing with a strand of her hair absently.

Darcy tilted her head up, giving Phil a small smile. “I’m okay for now, unless you want to be alone?” She said the last bit uncertainly, as if unsure if that was a hint to leave or not. His fingers brushed against her cheek and she could feel them in her hair. It was nice, the way Phil’s soft smile seemed to transform his whole face. She was comfortable and relaxed, and for the first time in weeks, not worried about anything. Darcy wasn’t quite ready to leave yet, all things considered.

Her hands, first tucked against her body, slowly settled oh his chest, smoothing the wrinkles in his tee shirt. Even after months in a hospital bed, Darcy could feel the quiet strength in Phil’s frame. Idly, she wondered how he would feel after the required physical therapy.

Phil shook his head. "I've been alone since I woke up, save the four times I had visitors. Being alone is the last thing I need right now," he replied, tucking the strand of hair he'd been playing with back behind her ear as he shifted slightly, settling back into the couch more.

Moving In || Phil & Darcy

“Hm, a little,” Darcy answered, humming happily. She had been worried she made the wrong call, curling in close, when Phil didn’t move at first, but the warm arm around her shoulders was exactly what she was looking for. If Darcy took a moment to think about it, she was sure she’d be able to make an interesting comparison between her last boyfriend, and the various boys she’d jumped around with. Phil was older, older than even Clint, and Darcy remembered thinking about that crush and the rather large age gap. And now that she’s thinking about it, Darcy remembers that her last real boyfriend, Andrew, had been 8 years older than her, anyway, and that has been the most successful relationship she’d been in, to date.

Maybe this was what Darcy needed. She hadn’t been this still in ages, even when she was alone, she was always moving, fingers tapping to the music, reorganizing her bookshelf, or texting frantic messages across cell towers. It was nice to just relax with somebody who didn’t want anything more than company for some tv.

And that was the part about Phil that Darcy liked so much. Even back in New Mexico, while Jane or Erik were muttering about her lack of knowledge, Phil always treated her like she had just as much right to be there as they did. He assumed she knew what was going on, deferred any office issues to her, and always spoke on the same level. He made Darcy feel smart and just as important as the scientists in the room, even when she was in a hyper active moment, speaking at a mile or complaining about her iPod. Phil never seemed annoyed by her, like so many others in the past.

“If I’m tired, you must be exhausted,” she said into his shirt.

#avengersroleplay #lipsticklightning #moving in #notclockedout

He nodded, even though her head was still tucked into his shirt and she couldn't see it, a little surprised that Darcy was sitting still; it was highly unusual for her and he wasn't quite sure how to take it. "I am. But this is good. It gives me time to relax without actually sleeping, in a room that's more than just one color," he replied, smiling softly as he lifted his hand to tuck hair behind her ear.

Phil honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been this comfortable doing...well, nothing. He couldn't remember the last person he'd been this comfortable with in general, though he supposed that's what happened when your dating life fell apart because of your work life.

"If you wanted, we can pick this back up tomorrow and you can catch some sleep," he offered, fingers playing with a strand of her hair absently.

Until We Bleed || Loki & Coulson

Loki had wondered, in some small part of his mind, when the man would come to see him. When the door opened, he pulled himself to his feet with liquid grace, pale green eyes taking in the slightly thinned appearance of the human who now stood before him. Loki’s lips pulled into a half smile that didn’t touch his eyes, and he tilted his head slightly.

“You’re looking well, for a dead man,” he purred, raising one brow. His tone held a note of amusement, even though it was icy cold.

The bland tone of the agent’s voice hadn’t gone unnoticed. Perhaps Coulson was still afraid of him. Hah. And well he should be. His fingers nearly itched with the remembered feeling of sinking the tip of his staff into the man’s back, watching his body stiffen and then collapse…and the look of pure rage that had crossed Thor’s face.

Disgust filtered through his thoughts and he nearly grimaced. Murderous. Vile. Monstrous. Unsurprising, really. Then again that was the point of him being in this gilded cage. Oh, he had a place to sleep, and was given food. Like a pet. Thor visited, giving him those sad, longing frowns, and much as Loki hated him for it…he also loved him for it.

The solitude had been a relief. Something he needed to clear his mind. He’d asked for this, in his own way, and had gotten exactly what he wished for.

He let a slow smile pull at his lips before he spread his hands out to the side. “And for what reason have I the pleasure of your company, Agent Coulson?”