[He still wants to go over to her, but he keeps still again, holds back enough to lift his shoulder at her.
I'm okay.
And then he carefully lets down his guard, and maybe it's like opening a door but it feels more like letting his walls collapse under their own weight; one minute he was sitting across the room, buttoned-up and pure Agent Coulson, the next he's laid bare for her to pick across.
There's confusion, worry for her, worry for him, an ache in his chest that will never go away, that deep-seated roiling uncertainty of what this all will mean in the long run for them, whether or not it's permanent and how it will affect them later on down the road. But underneath all that, Phil is an ocean of calm, clear water. He's centered, he's happy, his mind rejoices at being so close to her even though they're on opposite sides of the room. Beneath all the worry of today is a deep, quiet hum of love, and if he feels it bubbling up in his chest whenever he looks at her, surely she can feel it now too.]
my job suuuuuucks.
I'm okay.
And then he carefully lets down his guard, and maybe it's like opening a door but it feels more like letting his walls collapse under their own weight; one minute he was sitting across the room, buttoned-up and pure Agent Coulson, the next he's laid bare for her to pick across.
There's confusion, worry for her, worry for him, an ache in his chest that will never go away, that deep-seated roiling uncertainty of what this all will mean in the long run for them, whether or not it's permanent and how it will affect them later on down the road. But underneath all that, Phil is an ocean of calm, clear water. He's centered, he's happy, his mind rejoices at being so close to her even though they're on opposite sides of the room. Beneath all the worry of today is a deep, quiet hum of love, and if he feels it bubbling up in his chest whenever he looks at her, surely she can feel it now too.]