Characters: Agent Phil Coulson, Agent Melinda May, Skye, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts
Setting: There is no special plot besides Coulson's team going to a safe house when Hydra is revealed, which is Tony's famous tower. If living with Tony, even if just for a few days, can be safe.
Plot: Safe is not an adjective I would describe Tony Stark with. Or when Coulson's team went to a safe house which turned out to be Avenger tower.
Author's note: This story will be a few chapters long, but still not very lengthy. Thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you enjoy reading it and leave some feedback :)
''Alright, team! We are going to a safe house. Get your things together! You have five minutes or you stay here,'' Agent Phil Coulson commanded his team.
''Safe house? What-'' Skye couldn't finish her sentence.
''Less talking, more packing, Skye,'' Phil cut her off.
Jemma leaned over to Skye to explain what was happening. ''It's an establishment where we'll be safe until we decide how to continue.''
''Oh, now this has cleared it up!'' Skye sarcastically answered, rolled her eyes and walked away to pack her things for their trip to wherever the safe house was.
Phil sighed. ''Don't mind her, Coulson,'' May said. ''She's just stressed out.'' And she walked away.
''Sir, for how long are we packing?'' Leo Fitz asked tentatively. His boss, in return, raised a brow and dared him to continue. ''It's just that, ah, you know, I don't know how much to pack,'' Fitz stumbled through his words awkwardly. ''Sir,'' he added as an afterthought.
''Indefinite.'' Phil answered. Fitz nodded and went his way.
''We look like freaking tourists,'' Skye complained. They were walking through the New York streets, their outfits complete with hats, sunglasses and their backpacks. To any civilian they looked like normal tourists going on a crazy sightseeing tour. Well, normalish. If May dressed in leather from head to toe, Phil looking like a businessman and three kids in their twenties looked normal. ''A weird family of tourists that can't decide whether they want to go to a committee meeting, martial arts tournament or straight back to uni.''
''We kind of are,'' Phil smirked. ''Or more like to a primary school.''
''What?'' the three younger members asked confused.
''He's a lot to handle,'' he answered cryptically.
''He? So, it's a he,'' Sky nodded. ''How much further till we meet him?''
''Not that much. Besides, you can already see it.'' Phil chuckled. ''In fact, you could see it the whole time.''
''Come on, A.C.,'' Skye complained. ''Let's not play a game of I spy with my little eye and just tell us already. I bet May knows.''
''She does,'' May nodded and shared her lesson on How to be an agent 101. ''If you were more perceptive you would've noticed that we have been walking towards it for the past 10 minutes.''
Skye furrowed her eyebrows. ''What?'' she turned to Fitzsimmons to see if they understood it.
''Don't look at us,'' Jemma answered. ''We are not that kind of agents,'' Fitz added.
''Whatever.''
''Shops. Fast food. More shops. A creepy alley… How more creepy alleys till we get there?'' Skye complained.
''With this attitude, you're going to get along with him splendidly,'' Phil said.
''And there you go again with the personal pronouns. Why can't you just tell us?''
''I would but we are here,'' Phil answered and stopped.
''Where?'' Skye asked. ''All I see is a big building, many security guards and business people.'' She turned to Fitz and Simmons again, but this time their eyes were huge with anticipation.
''Do you know where we are?'' Skye asked. They nodded eagerly.
''Well?'' she questioned.
''How can you be so blind?'' Fitz asked incredulously.
''I thought you are his groupie,'' Jemma laughed.
''Just once, give me a break!'' she complained. ''Wait-''
''I think she finally gets it,'' May smirked to Phil.
''I think she does.''
''Big building. Tower. Groupie. Once.'' Skye counted on her fingers as the realization dawned on her. ''Ironman,'' she breathed out.
Fitzsimmons nodded in a manner that almost seemed possessed. ''Ironman,'' they confirmed.
Skye finally realized what was happening and squealed in an unladylike manner. ''What!'' Phil smiled, now a gentle one as if he has just given his only daughter the one gift she has always wanted and now he couldn't be happier that his said daughter was so happy. ''Believe it.''
''So, how are we going to get in?'' Skye asked. ''Unless we're going to walk past all the bodyguards, through the metal detector, ask the receptionist where Ironman is and demand we see him all while being undercover with zillion weapons on us, and I'm pointing specifically at May, and-'' Phil cut her babbling off.
''Actually,'' he responded in a way that suggested he took in account her suggestions seriously, but he actually doesn't agree because he can't for it's a stupid plan for a bunch of fugitives who are better armed than the army. ''we can't do that. But, as fun as going undercover sound fun, we can go in the easier way.''
''The easier way, Sir?'' Simmons asked.
''What do you mean, Sir? Are we going to just walk in or is Mr. Stark meeting us?'' Fitz added.
Phil shared an amused smile with May. ''No, he is not expecting us,'' he answered. ''However, we are, indeed, just walking in.''
''Huh?'' the younger agents asked confused.
''Seriously, Coulson?'' Skye asked. ''He doesn't know we are coming, much less who we are and we are just walking straight into his tower, bypassing all security.''
''Just put them out of the misery,'' May finalized with a straight, unamused face.
''You are no fun,'' Phil smiled, that smile of his which says he is amused and wants to chuckle or something but he actually doesn't want to show his emotions so he better put on some kind of a grimace and pretend he is enjoying himself.
''Well, neither are you!'' Skye rolled her eyes.
''Sir,'' Jemma cautiously asked. ''can you tell us what our next step is?''
''Yes. When I said we are walking straight in, that's what I actually meant. I have the security code for his back entrance.
''You have what?''
''Sir, how can you own his password?'' Fitz asked.
''It was given to me by a friend.''
''A friend?'' Jemma wondered.
''Who was it? Dreamy Thor? Muscular Captain America? -'' no other than Skye questioned excitedly.
''No, it's much less exciting than that,'' Phil admitted. ''Although, to have Captain America giving me the codes or anything really would be –''
''Focus,'' may said.
''Right,'' he nodded. ''Pepper gave it to me.''
''Who is Pepper?'' Fitz asked at the same time Skye wondered out loud whether he actually meant pepper as in a spice.
''Yes. Pepper. Well, her name is actually Virginia but friends call her Pepper.''
''Virginia?''
''Potts. Virginia Potts,'' Phil clarified.
''Wait, Potts?'' Skye asked. It's no wonder that the name rang the bells to her firstly, as she once was Stark's groupie.
''Yes,'' he confirmed again. ''Stark's personal assistant turned CEO of Stark industries.''
''Wow,'' Fitz's eyes grew big. ''How do you know her?''
''And why would she give you the password to a back entrance?'' Simmons asked. ''Not that you're not worthy of it, Sir,'' she added quickly, as an afterthought.
''Let's just say I've met her under special circumstances.''
''Can you believe it?'' Skye said excitedly. ''We are actually about to meet the Ironman.''
''Yes and the genius behind the –'' Fitz agreed.
''Don't expect too much out of the genius,'' Phil warned. ''He's a bit too much. Don't get your engineering hopes too high.''
''Let's just go!'' Skye said impatiently.
''Seriously, Coulson, let's go,'' May agreed. ''Let's get it over with.''
''Fine. Let me just put in the code,'' he said. They were standing in front of the back elevator which apparently led straight to the living quarters of the tower, where the famous Tony Stark lived.
''Prepare,'' he breathed once he had put in the 12 or 15 numbers long code and the elevator had started to go up to the chosen floor.
Once the elevator finally arrived to the living quarters, the electric door slid open silently, so they could just about see the quarrel between the before mentioned man and the air. At least that's how it seemed, since he was talking to the ceiling.
Tony Stark was standing behind his bar, which stood on one end of what seemed like a way too spacious living room. He was pouring himself an alcoholic drink despite being sooner that noon.
''Grow a spine, JARVIS. Seriously,'' he said exasperated. ''The last time you let my protocols be overridden, you ruined a date, for which, by the way, I had to wait a whole fucking week.''
''My apologies, Sir,'' JARVIS answered. ''Perhaps, if you hadn't enraged Miss Potts the previous week, you would have had your date sooner,'' he added.
Tony looked bewildered at the ceiling. Still lost in his quarrel with the air, he hadn't yet seen his visitors. Basically, he would already be dead if they had been terrorists or something. ''Did you seriously just – you know what,'' he shook his head. ''It's too early for this and I will seriously reprogram you if you allude at me being a bad boyfriend ever again,'' he threatened.
''Very well, Sir,'' JARVIS answered. ''May I remind you that it's her birthday tomorrow,'' he added.
''WHAT?'' he yelled. ''I told you to remind me about it a week before now one day!'' he said outraged. ''Wait-'' he shook his head. ''It was last month, you electronic s-'' he growled.
''Did you forget about her birthday again?'' Phil asked, finally having decided to cut in and stop the monologue with air.
''Actually,'' Tony lifted his finger in a threatening but lazy way. ''I will have you know that I remembered this year and arranged for a cruise to Hawaii. I even banned all electronic devices. This, of course, came with a price, if you know what I mean, since we had to waste time the other, much more fun way,'' he grinned wickedly.
''Besides,'' he continued his monologue, because he still hasn't caught on that he was talking to a supposedly dead agent. ''I didn't see you wishing her a happy birthday, Agent,'' he emphasized the last part, because he was still touchy with Pepper calling him by his first name.
Phil smirked. So, he does know who he is talking to. ''Wait, what the fuck?'' he asked. He finally looked up from his drink, which he had been stirring all along and filling it with ice cubes. He had to do a double take. ''Agent?'' he asked again.
''JARVIS,'' he quickly said. ''I swear to god this is my first drink today!''
''It is indeed sir,'' JARVIS answered.
''Then what kind of drugs to the put in it? I'm pretty sure I'm seeing and talking to a dead agent.''
''Sir, the agent is very much alive,'' JARVIS clarified the situation. ''His heartbeat is stable and very much alive.''
''Then I'm dead,'' Tony deadpanned.
''Mr. Stark,'' Phil grinned. ''How have you been?'' he asked.
''You have no right to ask me that. What are you doing here Mr. Dead?'' he asked.
''I've come here with my team to ask for a safe place to stay just for a few days,'' he admitted.
''Well,'' Tony grumbled. ''I have a few precautionary questions first.''
''Such as?'' Phil asked.
''You know, on second thought,'' he waved his hand in a ''whatever'' way. ''Just tell me your real name,'' he said.
''Seriously?'' Skye asked. ''Is this guy for real?''
''I'll get to you people later,'' Tony answered annoyed. ''Tell me your name,'' he repeated again in a threatening way.
''Agent Coulson,'' Phil answered automatically.
''Damn it!'' Tony raised his voice and slammed down his drink on the counter. ''Let me ask you again. What is your real name?''
''Oh,'' Phil grinned. ''That's what you mean.'' Internally, he laughed at his ridiculous question and inability to forget.
''My name is Agent,'' he finally answered.
Tony stared at him for a few seconds in an intimidating way. Then, slowly, his mouth stretched into a smile and he full out grinned.
''Welcome back, Agent.''
Author's note: I have always imagined that if Tony ever saw Coulson again, he would have asked him for his real name.
Next time: Tony meets the rest of the team and the appearance of Pepper.
