Pepper tensed and bit her lip; her voice softening. “Oh Phil, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have brought her up.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and relaxed a bit. “See, this is why we need to talk more. Would you like to tell me a little bit about your family? Or would you rather talk about other things?”
This time when he laughs, it’s much more warmly.
“I don’t mind. We parted on amicable terms. We’re still friends. She just couldn’t handle the job, that’s all—she wanted to find someone she could have a more stable relationship with, someone who could be home with our daugher. And I don’t blame her. This job isn’t easy on anyone, let alone our families.”
They get caught at a light, and a wry smile crosses Coulson’s face.
“Though if you want to make Stark feel guilty about it, be my guest. Maybe he’ll stop bugging me for information.”
She laughed and nodded. “I might just do that. He shouldn’t be in your files anyways, or anyone’s for that matter. Though, it’s a habit he’s had for so long I doubt even guilt could break it —and don’t ever think that anyone or anything will make him stop asking for information, you’ll be disappointed.”
She shook her head with and smiled and then looked to Phil’s face once again. “So you have a daughter? How old, what’s her name? Does she look like you?”
She thanked him with a smile and climbed into the passengers seat.
“There’s a lovely little cafe not to far from here, I can give directions or plug it into the GPS, whichever is easier for you.” They settle on the GPS leaving them free to talk as Phil pulled out of the lot.
“Tony and I have been doing very well actually.” She answers, a smile lighting up her face. It’s rather funny how the simple mention of Tony as her boyfriend makes her glow, when it’s just Tony it normally just gives her a headache.
“He’s really trying which I’m very grateful for. We’ve still had some bumps, but nothing extreme. What about you? Is the cellist from Portland still a thing? I’ve noticed a few e-mails Tony has set you offering the jet so you can visit.”
Coulson laughs, short and a little self-deprecating.
“The cellist is my ex-wife,” he says. ”I don’t know where Stark dug up her existence, but I don’t think his information was complete. It’s amusing, mostly.”
Amusing in the way that makes him inwardly cringe, because he tries to keep his professional life and his personal life as separate as possible, and with good reason. Still, he should have known better than to reply to her emails on company time. Anything on any computer Stark has access to is fair game, no matter how locked down or how deeply protected.
“If I get the time to visit, I might take him up on the offer, at that.”
Pepper tensed and bit her lip; her voice softening. “Oh Phil, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have brought her up.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and relaxed a bit. “See, this is why we need to talk more. Would you like to tell me a little bit about your family? Or would you rather talk about other things?”
Pepper nodded. “Well after the Christmas fiasco I think we all could use a little quiet.” She groaned inwardly thinking about to the freak blizzard and elf battles.
“But!” She grinned and started to walk back towards the exit. “No work talk today! Today is just time for us to catch up. It’s been forever since we’ve had a chance to talk face-to-face. E-mails are hardly sufficing anymore.”
“Have you eaten yet? I thought we could grab a coffee on the strip and then maybe head to the pier?” She offered pulling her sunglasses down. It wasn’t even noon yet and the L.A. sun was glaring down.
“Would you like to drive, or shall I?”
“I’m happy to drive if you want,” Coulson says, taking his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket and putting them on. ”I haven’t had a chance to eat, no. Did you have someplace in mind?”
He leads her back to his car, indistinguishable from SHIELD’s government vehicles save for the lack of the emblem on the side. He opens the passenger door for her.
“How have you and Stark been doing?”
She thanked him with a smile and climbed into the passengers seat.
“There’s a lovely little cafe not to far from here, I can give directions or plug it into the GPS, whichever is easier for you.” They settle on the GPS leaving them free to talk as Phil pulled out of the lot.
“Tony and I have been doing very well actually.” She answers, a smile lighting up her face. It’s rather funny how the simple mention of Tony as her boyfriend makes her glow, when it’s just Tony it normally just gives her a headache.
“He’s really trying which I’m very grateful for. We’ve still had some bumps, but nothing extreme. What about you? Is the cellist from Portland still a thing? I’ve noticed a few e-mails Tony has set you offering the jet so you can visit.”
Pepper is precisely on time, as always. Well, always meaning when Tony isn’t trying to blow up something in the lab or coming in and trying to lure her into the bedroom; a rather normal occurrence to which she almost always declines. When’s he’s not doing anything at home causing her to run late to meetings, he’s causing trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D, which she then has to go take the time to sort out; once again, making her late for whatever plans she happens to have.
But no, today Tony’s mind is elsewhere allowing Pepper to enter the building at exactly eleven am.
Since they had no plans set in concrete, she’s dressed rather casually, a pair of jeans, a simple light blue tank top with a cream colored cardigan over it, sunglasses sitting atop her head.
She spots Phil rather quickly and waves with a smile, hurrying over to him.
“Phil! How are you?” She leans in for a quick hug. “I was surprised you didn’t have to pencil me in a month ahead. What’s going on at S.H.I.E.L.D. that’s giving you so much free time?”
One might get the impression that Coulson actually owns no other clothes than those he’s seen in at work. At the current moment, “casual” means he’s not wearing a tie. (If he were out with his daughter, he might fit the rest of the world’s definition of “casual”, but at the moment, he’s still anxious that he’s going to get called back in. Better safe than sorry.)
He’s hardly got time to put the magazine down before Pepper’s hugging him, and soon as she pulls away, he gets to his feet.
“Things have just been unusually quiet. It’s equally as unnerving as it is relieving, if you want the truth.”
His ex once told him that if he ever figured out how to relax, the apocalypse would hit.
He’s keenly aware of this and is not sure she was exaggerating.
Again, better safe than sorry.
Pepper nodded. “Well after the Christmas fiasco I think we all could use a little quiet.” She groaned inwardly thinking about to the freak blizzard and elf battles.
“But!” She grinned and started to walk back towards the exit. “No work talk today! Today is just time for us to catch up. It’s been forever since we’ve had a chance to talk face-to-face. E-mails are hardly sufficing anymore.”
“Have you eaten yet? I thought we could grab a coffee on the strip and then maybe head to the pier?” She offered pulling her sunglasses down. It wasn’t even noon yet and the L.A. sun was glaring down.
“Would you like to drive, or shall I?”
Coulson can’t honestly remember the last time he had any completely free days on his calendar, let alone in the middle of the week. Somehow, it’s putting him on edge, as though the sheer oddity of having a free day will cause a rift in the universe. (Or at the least, as if it might cause his phone to go off at any second with an urgent detail or pressing mission from SHIELD.)
On his way into the lobby of Stark to meet with Pepper, he has thus far fiddled with his phone to turn the volume down from max to minimum, and then to change it from ring to vibrate, and finally to put it on silent.
And then, thinking better of it, he put it back on vibrate, because even a blessed day off could be interrupted by an alien invasion, and the planet was not going to turn into War of the Worlds on his watch.
He’s fifteen minutes early, so he sits down in the lobby and thumbs idly through a magazine left out for those waiting on appointments, a copy of Popular Science.
Pepper is precisely on time, as always. Well, always meaning when Tony isn’t trying to blow up something in the lab or coming in and trying to lure her into the bedroom; a rather normal occurrence to which she almost always declines. When’s he’s not doing anything at home causing her to run late to meetings, he’s causing trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D, which she then has to go take the time to sort out; once again, making her late for whatever plans she happens to have.
But no, today Tony’s mind is elsewhere allowing Pepper to enter the building at exactly eleven am.
Since they had no plans set in concrete, she’s dressed rather casually, a pair of jeans, a simple light blue tank top with a cream colored cardigan over it, sunglasses sitting atop her head.
She spots Phil rather quickly and waves with a smile, hurrying over to him.
“Phil! How are you?” She leans in for a quick hug. “I was surprised you didn’t have to pencil me in a month ahead. What’s going on at S.H.I.E.L.D. that’s giving you so much free time?”
last-best-hope replied to your post: last-best-hope replied to your post:…
I see there’s a healthy number of rumors still flying around SHIELD about me…
When Tony and Clint are involved there are rumors about everyone. I guess I’ll have to tell you all of them when we meet up.
last-best-hope replied to your post: last-best-hope replied to your post: If you can…
Sounds great.
I’ll see you then! I can’t wait to hear about the cellist.
last-best-hope replied to your post: If you can find the time in the future, would you like to go for coffee? I think we could both use the break.
I’ve come up on a very strange moment in my life in which I have nothing pressing on my calendar for the next two days. Barring an earth-shattering emergency, I’m free whenever you are.
Tomorrow then? I’ll meet you in the lobby of Stark Tower around eleven?
last-best-hope asked: If you can find the time in the future, would you like to go for coffee? I think we could both use the break.
Phil!
Yes, please, that sounds fantastic. It’s been crazy around here with the whole Howard/ Tony situation. I think an outing with you might be just what I need.
When works best for you? I’ll clear anything I have.
~ Pepper
I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires.
I am making cream puff pastries and get some ice cream.
Because seriously I love ice...
Favorite Movies of All Time: The Breakfast Club (1985)
We...
WHY DON’T I LIVE IN...
