Second Chances (Life Is Full of Them): An Introduction
Hi guys! While my other Kidheart series stalled out for a while, I decided to try my hand at something a little different for another shot at a series for Kidhearts about Kidhearts. I’m writing AU fanfic, in an attempt to have some fun while writing and actually finish a story to share with you guys! Story will be below the cut!
So...I’m taking the characters from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and putting them in my own little universe, so you don’t have to watch the series to know what’s going on. I’ll list the cast at the beginning (with pictures) and then the story will start. Ready? Let’s go!
Cast:
Phil Coulson
Melinda May
Leopold Fitz
Jemma Simmons
Skye (Legally Daisy Johnson)
Phil Coulson had been through a long day. There had been the not-so small issue of a hack archeologist trying to pass off fake dinosaur bones to the museum downtown and threatening him when he backed up the branch’s curator and said they didn’t want any fakes. And the issue of the kindergarten field trip which had nearly destroyed an interactive exhibit. And he didn’t even want to think about all the paper work that had landed on his desk. All he really wanted was to go home, maybe take a nap, maybe make some tea, and then have dinner with his housemates and fall asleep at a relatively normal hour. Of course, fate had other plans.
The second Coulson walked into the bright yellow house everyone in the neighborhood affectionately called “The Bus,” he was smacked in the face with a throw pillow from the couch and the sound of three screaming individuals having the time of their lives.
He closed the door and sighed as said three individuals ran through the foyer, each armed with at least one pillow and battling the others. Skye, Leo, and Jemma looked like they could run around the house forever until Coulson cleared his throat softly. Skye slid to a stop in front of Coulson on the wood flooring, still glowing from the exercise, but now very much nervous at being caught.
Jemma nearly slammed into her after her sudden stop. The girl’s ponytail was coming loose and she took the break to tie it up back into its usual severe position.
Leo was the last in line, slipping onto the floor trying to backtrack in his socks.
“You okay, Leo?” Coulson asked.
Leo rubbed at his head and nodded.
Coulson sighed. While three of his housemates were adult on paper, they frequently age regressed after work, and it seemed like today was no different. He quickly looked over the three kids he was a Caringheart to when needed.
Skye seemed how she normally did in her heartspace, which meant she was hovering around two years old. Jemma looked a little sheepish at being caught, but otherwise fine as well, so she would be six. Leo was rubbing his head where he knocked it, but wasn’t crying or swearing. That was normal behavior for him hurt and regressed, so he must be nine.
“All three of you are going to put the pillows back where you found them and follow me to the kitchen, then, since none of you are hurt,” Coulson said.
The kids nodded and went to return the pillows, so Coulson went to the kitchen, walking past the stairs to the first floor on the right of him, and the living room on his left. On the other side of the wall of the living room furthest from the entrance, was the kitchen. Coulson grabbed three glasses from the cabinet above the sink, and filled them with grape juice.
Skye walked in first, hugging him. “Hi, Papa.”
Coulson chuckled. “Hi, Skye.”
“Sorry for running in the house,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“Thank you for apologizing, Skye, though that isn’t what I’m most worried about.”
“What’re you worried about, then?” Skye asked.
“We’ll talk when Leo and Jemma are here too,” Coulson said.
Leo walked into the kitchen, still rubbing his head. “Jemma had to use the loo quickly, she’ll be here in a minute,” he mumbled.
Coulson nodded. “Good to know, thanks.”
Leo tilted his head forward and made his way to the juice resting on the counter.
Jemma walked into the kitchen and waved at Coulson. He took a step back from Skye. “Skye, Jemma, help yourself to some juice. You need to stay hydrated.”
Once everyone who needed something to drink had a few sips, Coulson cleared his throat again. “Kids, what have Momma and I told you about being in heartspace when we’re not here?”
“To call you immediately when we know what’s going on no matter what,” Skye recited.
“Good. And why is that?” Coulson asked.
“So that if there’s an emergency, you’ll have someone here to help fix it, whether it’s you, Momma, or someone both of you trust,” Leo explained.
Coulson nodded. “And yet no one was here to look after you when I got home, and Momma didn’t call me letting me know you were feeling like this, meaning you didn’t call her. And I know you didn’t try my cell. So how long did you stay here without supervision while in heartspace?”
The three kids looked at each other guiltily. “I tried to be an adult,” Leo said. “I don’t know when I changed, I just sorta...did. I made sure no one got hurt, though!”
“And that’s good, Leo,” Coulson assured. “But you’re not an adult who’s responsible for your sisters in heartspace.”
Leo nodded. “I’m sorry. I should’ve called when I noticed.”
“Yes, you should have. And I don’t doubt that next time, you will.” Coulson smiled, showing the kids he wasn’t mad. “I’m glad you three are okay. But as punishment, there will be no more cartoons tonight, okay? Don’t pretend you weren’t watching them before your pillow fight.”
His kids nodded, and Skye giggled a little at the mention of watching cartoons.
“Okay. Then what would you like to do now?” Coulson asked.
At that question, his kids burst out talking over each other, eager to have their ideas heard. Coulson raised his hands. “One at a time, please,” he pleaded.
“Color!” SKye said.
“Board games?” Jemma asked hopefully.
“Or we could go on an adventure outside!” Leo added.
Coulson looked to a corner of the room, deep in thought. “Jemma, bring a board game you want to play outside, Skye, bring a coloring book and crayons. We’re going to have an outside afternoon with games and adventures.”
So they went outside into their backyard, complete with large fence for privacy, and Skye colored and Leo went on adventures from his mind and Jemma played board games with Coulson until May came back from her work as an MMA instructor.
She walked out to the patio in the back and sat down next to Coulson. “Afternoon,” she said benignly.
“Momm!” Skye squealed, waving madly at her from where she was sitting on the steps leading into the yard.
“Hi, Momma!” Jemma said after making a move on the chess board which was between her and Coulson.
Leo bounded in from the backyard. “Momma, I’ve been on an adventure! Want to join me?”
May smiled slightly at all of them. “I’d rather sit right now, Leo, thank you. But I’m glad to see you three chose this over cartoons.”
“Oh, their viewing of cartoons has been revoked for the night. I came home to them having a pillow fight throughout the house, alone.”
“Ah,” May said knowingly. “I would have done more than just taken away their cartoons.”
“They were feeling guilty, though,” Coulson defended simply.
May smiled fully. “It’s almost time for dinner, and since it’s Friday, it’s order-in night. Anyone want pizza?”
“Pizza?! Yes!” all three kids exclaimed.
May nodded. “I figured as much, so I swung by the pizza parlor on the way home.”
“Is it in the oven?” Coulson asked.
May nodded again. “Ready when we are.”
Coulson stood. “Then let’s get everything inside and get ready to eat.”
Clean-up was quick enough and soom everyone was sitting at the table, a slice of pizza on everybody’s plate. “How was work?” Jemma asked everyone.
“Awful, thanks for asking,” Coulson laughed.
“It was all right,” May said.
“They didn’t need an engineer in the think tank as much today. I mostly played games on my computer,” Leo said noncommittally.
“Codin was same-old same -old,” Skye shrugged.
“Well, teaching was fantastic!” Jemma gushed. “One of my biochem students, quick as a whip, asked me the greatest question...”
Coulson dutifully listened and nodded along to Jemma’s story, even if most of the science of it went over his head. Leo interjected at one point when even he was lost, but aside from that, Jemma held most of the dinner conversation.
After dinner, May kept the kids entertained while Coulson checked his work e-mail to ensure the museum was okay, and when he was done with that all of them started a game of Pictionary.”
“A dog!” Skye called out. “A cat! A zebra!”
“Zebra?” Leo asked skeptically. “Are you sure?”
“Knowing Kemma it’s some kind of molecule...” May muttered in thought.
Coulson glanced at Skye and noticed she was yawning. “I think it’s time for bed,” he announced.
Jemma groaned. “It was a groundhog,” she said. “You were really close that time, Skye.”
“I’m always close!” Skye declared.
“Then how come you never win?” Leo asked.
Skye stuck her tongue out at him in response.
“None of that tonight, kids,” May warned.
With minimal arguing, everyone got upstairs and completed their nightly routines. Coulson got Skye settled in her room, all baby blues and baby dolls. “Have a good night’s sleep, baby,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.
Next, he moved to Jemma’s room, done in yellow with purple accents. She was already asleep, cuddling her stuffed Eeyore, so he just pulled her sheets back over her shoulders and kissed her temple.
In Leo’s room, the boy was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. Coulson smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Did you bring the monster spray?” Leo asked.
Coulson chuckled. “I put it in your nightstand drawer, remember?”
“Oh, right,” Leo mumbled, pulling the bottle out.
Coulson took it off his hands with a small thank you and sprayed the “Monster-B-Gone” (water) under the bed, in the closet, and out in the hallway. “No monsters here tonight,” Leo and Coulson said at the same time.
Leo nodded solemnly at Coulson’s good night, and Coulson went downstairs, where May was waiting with two glasses filled with sparkling cider. “One hour,” she told him. “Then I have to get to bed if I want to wake up on time.”
“One hour is all I need with my best friend,” Coulson said. “TV? Or books?”
“TV,” May said. “I just need to sit and rest.”
“That’s doable,” Coulson responded.
“Just remember: this isn’t a date,” May warned.
“Of course not,” Coulson assured. “Just two friends watching TV.”
May nodded, and the two got settled in the living room, with the TV droning in the background of their thoughts. “Tomorrow is Saturday,” May said eventually. “Got any plans for the kids?”
fun fact: when Y/N gives Lando shit for his aggressive driving style in chapter fourteen, he defends himself by saying that “If there’s a gap, m’gonna go for it, of course.”
this is a reference to the infamous Ayrton Senna quote where he says, "If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver." this is also a subtle nod to racer!lando.
fun fact: chapter sixteen is the first time it is hinted that second chances!lando has difficulty reading, or dyslexia. while there is no official source that says he does in real life, his father Adam Norris does. i've also connected my experiences with dyslexia with things i've noticed with Lando, hence why second chances!lando is portrayed as having dyslexia.
also because of that one quadrant skribbl.io video where lando couldn’t spell of his life depended on it.
trivia: the man responsible for the shooting at brews & books in chapter twenty-seven is the same figure in the stairwell that Logan tries to inform Lando about at the end of chapter twenty-six, before he is effectively taken off the job.
trivia: when lando thinks to himself about “—for all the 11 hours and 39 minutes it took for him to be standing here.”
the specific number is for the exact amount of time it took for him to get from the private airport in interlagos to her apartment, because he subconsciously considers her apartment as the place where his journey ends — home.
trivia: chapter twenty-three mentions that lando has been making a recent effort to quite smoking, despite the fact that he's been doing it since childhood. while even Lando himself may not be fully aware of this, Y/N's reaction to the scent of smoke in his car in chapter fifteen is almost singlehandedly responsible for this life change.
