And Then I Wrote Marvel

Prompt 23

23. "Do I look like I want to dance?"
Coulson x Hill
M_from_Marvelous

Maria walked into Agent Coulson's office, prepared to give him the file for their upcoming undercover mission. They were assigned to act as a married couple for a couple of months, supervising a company that was coming out with technology exactly identical to SHIELD's.

What Maria found was Coulson straightening up his office with some classic Louis Armstrong jazz playing in the background. His dancing was so terrible that it was wonderful. His attempts at shaking his hips and moving his feet at the same time were disastrous, in sharp contrast to his skills in slow dancing.

The agent almost wanted to go find Coulson's daughter, (Y/N), so that they could laugh together, but the girl's personality grated on her sometimes. Today was an especially bad day, as she had been informed that her father and Maria were assigned to the mission that they were. The teasing was constant.

She preferred to enjoy this by herself. Coulson was kind of an awkward guy to begin with, but this bad dancing made the whole thing even better. He was usually very restrained around other people, but this was pure Phil Coulson at his finest. Maria made sure not to make any noise so as to be able to watch longer. He would notice eventually, but for now, ignorance was bliss.

The music changed to a waltz, something that Phil could actually do very well. It still looked funny without a partner, and it was actually while he was spinning his pretend partner that he noticed Maria standing in the doorway of his office.

He froze immediately, arm still in the air. "How...how long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Long enough," she replied, grinning.

"Ah." He dropped his arms from their positions, stuffing them in his pockets. "Um, want to dance?" he offered, smiling awkwardly.

"Does it look like I want to dance?" she questioned him.

He shrugged. "Maybe? Yes?"

She sighed, walking towards him. "Fine, as long as we choose a swing dance. That's all I know how to do."

"I learned a few moves at high school dances," Phil remarked. He went to change the song to Footloose. She stepped out of her heels and set them by the wall. They began the fast-paced steps required to swing. "Hey, this might help us get into character," he pointed out."

"Shut up, would you? Just because I know how to do it does not mean that I can do it without paying attention," she said.

They continued dancing together in silence for the rest of the song. Phil's Spotify playlist chose an 80's slow song, and he changed positions to accommodate the switch in music style. Reluctantly, Maria changed as well.

You walked into the room with the intention of sharing the lunch you had just bought with your father. You paused in the doorway, admiring the sort-of couple dancing together.

"Aren't you two just precious?" you gushed.

Maria jumped away from your father. "We were just getting into character," she claimed, stepping back into her heels. "Nothing else."

"Sure," you grinned. "Whatever you say, 'Ria, if it helps you feel better." The smile you had plastered on your face wouldn't drop. "I'm gonna ask Fury for clearance to go with you two. A boring couple like you needs an eccentric daughter. See ya in a few, Mom."

"No, there is no need to do that, and definitely do not call me 'Mom'," Maria tried to dissuade you, but you were already gone.

"Did she just call me boring?" your father tried to process.

"No, she called us boring. There's a big difference."

"She's 18. She does fit with us, I guess, and it makes us that more believable," he theorized. "She is actually my daughter, after all, and her mother would be about your age, were she still alive."

"Yeah, she's our embarrassing teenage daughter," Maria grumbled.

"You came along later. She can certainly just be my embarrassing daughter, if that helps."

"Fury's going to clear it, just to test me, I know it," she complained, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The intercom system crackled, and Fury's voice came over it. "(Y/N) is definitely going with you."