Author's Note:

This story has been bouncing around in my brain for about a year now and I finally succumbed and wrote it. I have serious commitment issues because I really shouldn't be starting a new multi-chapter but what the hell! The more Philinda the merrier. Please enjoy :)


Looking down at the text message on his screen he sighs heavily before glancing at the two tickets in his other hand. Bailed out on or stood up, it feels the same. It's the third time that his same date has been unable to actually show up for their date and he's getting sick of being left alone and awkward. He's not an idiot, he can take a hint. Clearly the woman is not interested in meeting him. Which is fine. Really, it is… He just wishes she'd be upfront about it and say it to him outright. Stop wasting both of their time. Checking his watch he's got about five minutes until the competition is about to start so he needs to decide what he's going to do. Is he going to go home and be the sad loner and hermit that he could be, or is he going to hand in his ticket and be a confident single heterosexual male with no self esteem issues whatsoever? What would Captain America do he asks himself seriously? Stuffing one of the tickets into his pocket he walks up to the gate and passes his ticket to the guy there who scans the barcode before allowing him to enter. The tickets are for front row seats so he'll be damned if he's going to let them go to waste. Plus it's time that he started doing things for himself. Hurrying through to find his seat he can feel the chill of the air as well as the bubbling excitement of the crowd. Claiming his seat he sits forward eagerly as the lights dim and the competition begins. He's never been to an ice skating competition before but he finds himself enjoying it as he watches the skaters pull off moves that most people would only dream of being able to do. The crowd is mostly quiet as the music plays and the skaters perform their routines and it truly is an experience. Who would have thought that his non-date would turn out to be so exciting. The audience claps and cheers as the competitors make their entrances to perform after being announced but he notices how the crowd particularly erupts with applause and cries of excitement as one particular skater makes her entrance onto the ice. Melinda May. She's a beautiful young Chinese woman and he find himself in awe just as much as the rest of the audience. The way she moves on the ice is spectacular, flawless and with such grace and elegance he feels like the other girls don't stand a chance. There's more to it though he thinks as she quite literally flies past him, a small smirk playing at her lips as she moves in time to the music, a confidence and aura about her that just seems to draw people in. She's captivating and absolutely gorgeous and probably half the crowd is drooling over her. When she finishes her routine the crowd erupts once again in applause and he can feel the general atmosphere of disappointment as she skates off the rink and leaves them all with a dazzling smile. After she disappears the flowers and gifts from the crowd begin to hit the ice. Her gifts from the crowd are then collected up as they prepare the rink for the next competitor, but every performance after hers just doesn't compare in his eyes. Not even close. It's no surprise to anyone really when at the end of the day she is presented with the championship trophy, accepting it all with a gracious smile and short but sincere speech. The crowd is crazy for her and he doesn't blame them one bit. He can feel the sting in his cold hands as he claps loudly along with everyone else and he's grinning widely. Usually he's not really one to watch live sports other than the occasional basketball or baseball game, but this, he could get used to this.

The wind gusts heavily as she slams the door shut behind her before shrugging off her coat and removing her hat, gloves and scarf.

"Hey Mel!" Her friend and workmate Bobbi calls from where she's serving a customer at the till.

Bobbi is tall and blonde and stands out amongst the sea of people lined up at the counter. It's great when they ever go out to clubs because it's practically impossible to lose her friend in a crowd.

"Hey Bobbi," she replies as she slips in behind the counter to go around to the back to stash her things and put on her apron.

Making sure her apron is tied snugly ready for her shift she walks back out to the front behind the counter over to the coffee machine and drinks station. On her way she says hello to Trip who's in the kitchen whistling away happily. She smiles as she reaches the drinks station where Hunter is wiping down the counter.

"I got this covered, you can clock off," she tells him as she looks at the orders required and starts making the drinks.

"Thanks Mel," he says wearily and she gives him a sympathetic smile.

"Go," she says to him firmly as he lingers around a little, eyeing up the large crowd of people waiting for their orders making her roll her eyes.

"I can handle rush hour, now go!"

He throws her another thankful look before heading around to the back to drop of his apron and get his things before he leaves.

Moving through the familiar process of making up the drinks she thrives off the thrumming energy of the little coffee shop enjoying the frantic bustle a little and the fast paced environment. When rush hour is over though she does breathe a breath of relief as she can finally slow down and take a breather. Bobbi slides over to her as she serves the last waiting customer at the till and hands Melinda the order.

"So?" She asks with keen interest. "How did the competition go?"

A smirk tugs at Melinda's lips as she pours the milk in with the coffee before answering Bobbi. Placing it at the front of the counter she passes it off to Natasha who works as a waitress there and is also their friend.

"It went well," Melinda finally replies with a deliberately vague answer just to irritate her friend a little.

"Ugh! Mel!" Her friend groans punching her in the arm.

Unable to help herself Melinda lets out a short laugh at her friend's expense.

"What's going on?" Natasha asks as she brushes her short red hair back from her forehead leaning against the other side of the counter.

"Melinda's being deliberately ambiguous," Bobbi whines as Natasha and Melinda high five over her. "You guys suck!" She grumbles as Melinda bumps her hip against hers.

"Cheer up buttercup," she says teasingly "don't worry. I won."

The blonde's head shoots up at her word and she laughs at her stunned expression.

"You won!" She cries happily as she hugs Melinda almost picking her up of the ground since she is so tiny in comparison.

"I knew you could do it," Natasha says with a proud smile on her face.

It's nothing new really, she's won lots of skating competitions over the years but winning this competition means that she now has the chance to earn a spot for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

"We need to celebrate," Bobbi says squeezing her tightly before finally releasing her and placing her firmly back on her own two feet.

"Agreed," Natasha confirms with a nod of her head. "Nine o'clock tonight at The Playground. My treat," she winks at them before she is pulled away to clean up a freshly vacated table.

The Playground is an exclusive and high profile club that people line up for hours to get into. Knowing Natasha she probably knows someone who will let them in upon sight. Her theory is proven correct as they meet up and Natasha drags them over to the front of the line.

"God bless America," she tells the man at the door who barely bats an eyelid at them before stamping their hands and allowing them in.

Melinda glances down at the little Captain America shield on the back of her hand as she follows her friends. The place is blaring with music and the dancefloor is packed. Heading over to the bar they order drinks before going over to claim themselves a table.

"Tony," Natasha greets a suave looking man in a suit as he comes up to them.

"Ah, Natasha! Fancy seeing you here," he smiles as the redhead.

"This is Tony Stark," Natasha turns to her friends, "he owns this club."

Both women look a little surprised as they turn towards the man who can't possibly be more than thirty.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely friends?" He asks winking at Melinda and Bobbi.

"Tony, this is Melinda and Bobbi," she gestures to each of her friends in turn, "be nice."

The glare she levels at him is half playful and half threatening though Tony seems completely unphased by it.

"A pleasure ladies," he says smoothly as he kisses the back of each of their hands.

Melinda raises her eyebrows questioningly at her friend and Natasha just mouths 'later' at her over Tony's head.

"What is the occasion for tonight?" He asks looking at them intently.

"We're celebrating," Bobbi answers slinging an arm around Melinda's shoulders.

"Melinda won Regionals for figure skating," Natasha elaborates as Tony gives Melinda an appraising look.

"Well," he claps his hands together, "since you are celebrating. All drinks for you ladies are on the house. Just tell my man Clint over at the bar that what happens in Budapest stays in Budapest."

He grins as if not so secretly pleased with himself.

"You got a thing about code phrases huh?" Melinda asks him with an amused twist of her lips.

"Can't help myself," he shrugs looking over his shoulder as someone calls out to him. "Well please enjoy yourselves tonight ladies, maybe I'll see you around," he smiles before leaving them to go deal with the person calling out to him.

Both Bobbi and Melinda give Natasha curious looks as the walk over to the bar after finishing their first drink.

"I knew him back in school," the redhead explains, "kept in touch so to speak, and so he considers me a friend."

Her friends continue to look at her astounded.

"And being the friend of an incredibly rich Tony Stark means that I get some perks," she adds with a cheeky smile.

They both raise an eyebrow at her as she plays it off cool.

"I'll say," Melinda mutters as they settle at the bar.

"Three shots please," Natasha says to the barman ordering for the three of them.

He smiles at her with a look that clearly signs him as trouble as he whips a tea towel over his shoulder.

"Oh and… what happens in Budapest stays in Budapest," she adds making it sound as if it were an afterthought.

A curious look from him is thrown at the three of them before he grabs a few shot glasses and a bottle of tequila.

"Comin' right up," he winks at Natasha.

"Oooh!" Both Bobbi and Melinda tease their friend.

"Flirting with the barman hey?" Bobbi grins at Natasha nudging her with her shoulder.

"You do know that we already have guaranteed free drinks for the night right?" Melinda asks her mock seriously.

"You guys are the worst wing women ever," the red head deadpans dryly with a sour look at her friends either side of her.

"Trust me, you don't need us as your wing women," Bobbi says with a pointed look at her friend whilst the attractive blonde barman places their shots in front of them."Melinda is the one that needs us as her wing women."

The comment earns the blonde a grin from the grizzly red head and an indignant 'hey' from Melinda on the other side of Natasha.

"I don't have a problem with guys," Melinda states giving them both a false wounded expression.

"Pft, when was the last time you got laid?" Natasha looked at her with a tilt of her head looking far too smug for Melinda's liking.

"I-"

"You're always too busy," Bobbi cuts in like she already knows what Melinda's answer was going to be.

"Yeah, between training and work and doing your last year of college," she pauses as if waiting for Melinda to deny that she's right, "we know how hard you work and how hectic your life is. Which is why we should all let off a little steam tonight."

Natasha places a hand on Melinda's shoulder squeezing it gently in reassurance.

"We're young, we're supposed to have fun," she smirks pushing a shot towards each of her friends on either side.

Rolling her eyes Melinda takes the shot with them, but inside she is touched that her friends actually care so much about her well being.

They do several more rounds of shots to loosen their inhibitions a bit before Natasha drags them all out onto the dancefloor. Clint watches them leave with an amused smile as he wipes down the bar and places a glass of scotch in front of his slightly downtrodden friend.

"Cheer up Phil," he tells him, "I'm sure next time will be for real."

His friend stares up at him in disbelief.

"Next time?" he raises an eyebrow, "Clint, she's bailed out on me three times already. There isn't going to be a next time."

Clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder Clint tries to be understanding. He's never had such terrible lady troubles like his poor mate Phil, fella just can't quite seem to catch a break.

"Hey, I'm sure there are plenty of great girls out there who would love to date you." he says trying to make him feel better.

He's not even lying though because Phil is a great guy, he just happens to have terrible luck when it comes to relationships.

"That's easy for you to say," his friend glances towards the dancefloor where the three young women from earlier had disappeared. "You don't have any trouble with women."

Clint can feel a slight flush creep up his neck at that, so his friend had seen him eying up the lovely redhead earlier.

"Just take a chance Phil," Clint shrugs not really knowing what other sort of advice he could give to his friend. "You gotta risk it for the biscuit."

He earns himself a strange look from his friend with that line, but it's true. Phil is definitely not going to be winning any hearts if he keeps his sorry ass on that bar stool looking like a sad sack.

"Get out there," Clint lifts his chin towards the dancefloor, "go find a nice girl or something."

Phil raises his eyebrows at him.

"Something?" he questions.

"What?" his friend responds like he is being unreasonable, "you need to get laid mate."

Phil sighs rubbing a hand over his eyes, he's not really a one night stand sort of a guy but… it has been a while since he last… Yeah. So maybe Clint's advice may not be as terrible, though he certainly should not be paying attention.

"Go!" Clint hits him with a tea towel tilting his head towards the dancefloor, "go!" he hits him again.

"Ah! I'm going" he waves an arm at his friend to stop his assault as he gets up from his seat.

Throwing one last dirty look at his all too smug friend, Phil disappears into the crowd of people on the dancefloor.

The ground seems to shake with the vibrations of the music as everyone crowds the dancefloor. It's awkward as he tries to find his own rhythm and space away from rubbing up against a total stranger. Dancing on his own though doesn't really make him feel any better, if anything it makes him feel worse seeing couples dancing together whilst he's on his lonesome trying not to look like a weirdo. After a song or two he gives up and tries to make his escape from the dancefloor, politely squishing through people grinding on one another. Trying not to touch anyone, he stumbles as a lady steps back into him as he passes and he trips towards the edge of the floor. His feet propel him forward as he struggles to keep his balance and he collides with another person much to his embarrassment. An endless stream of apologies flows from his lips as he rights himself and checks over the young woman to make sure that he didn't cause her any serious harm.

"Are you alright?" he asks worriedly as his eyes quickly take stock of her body checking for any damage before drifting up to her face.

Suddenly his mouth is dry and he feels at a loss for words as he looks at her. She's absolutely beautiful, breathtakingly so and he can't help himself from staring.

"I'm fine," she smiles at him and it lights up her face and his mind blanks for a moment.

"Uhh…" he can feel his cheeks reddening as he struggles to form intelligible words.

There is an amused sparkle in her warm brown eyes and her red painted lips are quirked up in a smirk. Still staring at her he feels like he's seen her before.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he suddenly blurts out and can hear his heart pounding in his chest.

She smiles at him again as she nods her head in agreement, long dark hair with soft waves spilling over her shoulders.

"I'd like that," she replies and he can feel relief surging through him.

They walk together over to the bar and he can't help but feel like it's all some sort of wonderful dream that he's about to wake up from any minute now, Her steps are even and graceful beside him despite the fact that she is wearing heels and a tight little black dress. It's a nice dress though, classy and stylish without being cheap. It's simple, backless with a halter neck and tight skirt, nothing over the top or showy. He orders a scotch for himself and is surprised when she asks for the same thing. Not many girls he's ever met have been into the same drinks he is. Clint serves them up their drinks with a not so subtle wink and Phil's not quite sure what to do now. They both take a sip of their drinks and she smiles at him again when she catches him staring.

"Melinda," she says tilting her head at him and it takes a minute for his brain to process what she's saying.

Melinda… her name! Gosh yes.

"Phil," replies trying to be smooth.

He doesn't pull it off though and he can tell by the raise of her eyebrow,

"Uhh… sorry for crashing into you back there," he rubs the back of his neck a little embarrassedly.

He's making such a hash of this, he should just shut up and let her get on with her night. She lets out a soft laugh though and he feels his heart skip a beat at the sound.

"It's fine," she reassures him, "no harm no foul."

"Oh thank God," he says and realises he's said it aloud when he hears the sound of her laughter again.

His eyes lift up to hers and for a moment he has the intense feeling of deja vu.

"I feel like I know you," he tells her quite honestly and she raises her eyebrows at him in surprise.

She definitely has no recollection of ever meeting him. Watching as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear it suddenly clicks into place and he knows exactly where he knows her from.

"Melinda May?" he asks and she looks at him surprised with a hint of wariness in her eyes as he says her full name without her telling him.

"How do you know?" she asks him a little suspicious.

He flushes when he realises how weird and creepy he must sound.

"I'm sorry," he apologises for his strange behaviour, "I was at the figure skating regional championship on Saturday."

"Oh…" she responds, quite honestly surprised that someone would recognise her from her figure skating.

"I saw you, you were amazing, by far the best," he gushes and she can feel a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Thank you," she tells him, touched by his enthusiasm.

It's not often that somebody recognises her as a figure skater.

"You're a big figure skating fan?" She asks because clearly why else would he remember her.

He shakes his head no and that surprises her further. She doesn't really know what to say or how to respond other than with a soft 'oh' and an almost awkward silence falls over them as they both sip at their drinks. As he focused intently on his drink she takes the time to study him. His eyes are a soft blue and he has a firm muscled back which she can see by the way his shirt pulls taut over his broad shoulders. He is definitely attractive and maybe, just maybe… Her cheeks flush red as he turns towards her and catches her checking him out. She's worried he might've picked up on the path her thoughts were taking and she bites her bottom lip a little nervously. There is an adorable little half smile on his lips as he looks at her and he can't help his eyes from drifting to her lips as she nibbles at her bottom lip in the sexiest way. He can hear Clint in his head telling him to make the move, risk it for the biscuit or in this case the heart of the most beautiful woman he's ever met. Twenty seconds he says to himself, twenty seconds of insane courage is all he needs.

"Melinda would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?" He finally asks, tension now coiling in his stomach as he awaits her answer.

Her tongue peeks out to wet her lips as she smiles at him eyes sparkling.

"I would like that very much," she replies in a low voice.


A/N

So that was a pretty long first chapter for me but I'm really excited about writing this AU. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought or if you have any ideas or theories. I love hearing from you guys so please type me a little something in that box (you know the one). Comments are like sqee-worthy Philinda scenes without an LMD in the shot- long awaited and hard to come by.