How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You

4| The Second Glimpse

A few study-filled months later, it was April, and Phil and May were moving out of their dorms and into their standard SHIELD-issued apartment for pre-op agents, fresh out of the Academy. They had graduated a week before, and the two of them decided to take rooms next to each other.

"I can't believe we're agents now," Phil said one evening as he cooked dinner for the two of them.

May was lounging in her full daily uniform at the kitchen peninsula, watching him prep with a smile. "I know," she mused. "I remember getting into the Academy like it was yesterday."

"I remember that you got highlights the month before and you had to take them out since Academy regulations don't allow you to have them," Phil said, chuckling. "You were-"

"- Devastated, I remember." May rolled her eyes. "I got over it eventually."

They talked a bit more as he made pasta.

May had finished setting the table just as the phone rang. She picked up. "Coulson, 616."

Phil smiled inwardly.

"Yeah, um, hold on." May gestured to the phone, and he hustled over.

"Stir the sauce," he whispered as she handed him the receiver. "Hello?"

"There's a man in the lobby wanting to talk to you," the doorman's voice drawled. "A Calvin Johnson?"

"Oh. Sure, send him up. Thanks, Jack." Phil heard him acknowledge it before hanging up.

"What was that about?" May asked, not stirring the sauce. She licked the testing spoon she had taken out. She leaned against the counter as she looked at him. "Phil?"

He blinked. "Oh, Cal is here," he told her.

"Your cousin, Cal?" May scrunched up her nose adorably. "The one with the baby?"

"Yep." Phil grabbed her discarded jacket and hung it on a hook by the door. "Can you not eat our dinner before dinner time?"

"It's seven, it's dinnertime," May retorted. She chucked the spoon into the sink with a disappointed sigh. "And I'm hungry."

Phil shrugged. "Learn to cook, Lin." He grinned and ducked as she threw a bun at him, catching it in an outstretched hand.

The doorbell rang, and he went to answer it.

Calvin stood there, sopping wet in his raincoat. "Sorry to barge in on you like this, Phil," he said apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine," Phil replied. "Come in! May and I were just having dinner."

"Nice to see you again, Melinda," Cal said miserably. "Again, I'm sorry for interrupting-"

"It's okay, Cal," Phil said again. "What's up?"

The man sighed heavily, sitting down on the couch. "Jiaying- my wife, that's her name- we just found out that she has a little bit of a health issue and childbirth might kill her and we don't know what to do because it's too late to terminate the pregnancy but if she carries her to term, Jiay might die." Cal buried his face in his hands, muffling his voice. "We weren't ready for this, we weren't ready for a kid, and now she might not even be there after. We decided on adoption because we couldn't lead a life as med students and doctors with a baby. We just couldn't, the loans, the debt, the work hours... it wouldn't be good for any of us. Now she might not even survive..."

Phil patted his cousin's shoulder sympathetically. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked tentatively.

Cal looked up, bleary-eyed. "You got any bourbon?"

"Yeah." Phil walked over and grabbed the stuff from May, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"Thanks." Cal accepted the glass, taking a long sip. He cleared his throat as he put it down on the coffee table. "We're having a girl."

Phil nodded. "I'm sure she'll be a genius."

"I sure hope so," Cal said heavily. There was a moment in silence. "I'm intruding, I'm sorry, I've overstayed my welcome-"

"It's okay, Cal," Phil soothed. "Neither of us have class in the morning, we have the weekend off, we're practically free. Just stay for a while."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." The new agent patted his cousin's shoulder.

Another silent moment passed.

"Phil, I might have something impossible to ask of you."

He looked up. "What is it?" Phil asked.

"In the event that neither I nor my wife are able," Cal said hesitantly, "would you take care of our daughter for us? Just until we can. Or I can."

Phil glanced at May, who nodded. "Of course, Cal," he said softly. "She's family."

Calvin nodded with a sort of finality. "Thank you, Phil," he said wearily. "You've been good to me."

"It's nothing," Phil replied warmly. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"It was either you or Jiay's weird blind brother," Cal said, cracking a smile. "But yeah. You're my cousin. I grew up with you, you little weirdo." He got up, slapping his knee. "Well, I better get going. Wife's going to get worried. Thank you for having me, Phil. You too, Melinda."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" May asked.

"Nah, I'm alright. Thanks for the offer, though." Cal offered a wave before closing the door behind him.

Phil turned to May. "I was about to say don't drink and drive," he said dryly. He took note of her actions. "Why are you holding a bowl full of spaghetti?"

"The better question is, why aren't you holding a bowl of spaghetti?" May countered, holding out his bowl. "It's getting cold."

"That's because you turned off the stove," Phil said amusedly, serving himself.

"I was very hungry, remember that," she said defensively. "Hunger is a powerful motivator."

Phil chuckled. "Noted." He looked around. "We should invite the gang over some time."

"Once they graduate," May said, rolling her eyes. "We have the next two months to get settled before our last summer break starts."

Phil wrinkled his nose. "Please don't say it like that." He stuck his fork into her bowl to pierce a piece of meat. "You're making us sound old."

"Ha." She leaned forward and bit it off of his fork. "We are old."

"We're not even 24," Phil protested, going back to steal another piece.

"To high school us, we are so old."

Phil nodded. "Obviously, but to now us, we are the same age as the last time we called ourselves old."

"That was less than thirty seconds ago." May frowned at him, and for some weird reason, Phil smiled at that.

"Let's not dwell on that."