Prompt: Phil is totally jealous of Steve, gets so mad he even put his cards in the trash and that's how Darcy knows he has feelings for her.
-UsedKarma-
Coulson had been in a particularly good mood today, because today was his assistant, Darcy Lewis', last day. No, he wasn't happy because she was leaving S.H.I.E.L.D to live at the Avengers Tower and work along side Dr. Foster; he was actually quite sad about that. She had been the best personal assistant that he had ever had; it would definitely be near impossible to replace her. When she first came to S.H.I.E.L.D, he wasn't exactly pleased; Darcy Lewis didn't seem like the right kind of person for the job. She was sassy; had a foul mouth; she seemed lazy; and had a crazy filing system that involved all sorts of different color sticky notes. However, as the more he worked with Darcy he found everything that he had thought about her to be wrong.
She was an amazing assistant as well as incredible person, and after working together for a little over a year he had fallen in love with her. He kept it to himself though, making sure that he never slipped up and said anything or did anything to make his feelings known to her. They were coworkers and friends, and he made sure he kept it that way. But now that she was leaving S.H.I.E.L.D he could finally tell her how he felt without getting either of them in trouble. He was nervous as hell but this might be his last chance.
He carried a cup of coffee as he walked down the hallway towards his office, while he played out different scenarios and things he would say to her in his head. Trying to find the perfect one that wouldn't make him sound desperate, but make her know that he was complete serious about her. He rounded the corner of the hallway and stopped when he heard her voice talking to someone else.
"So ... last day! Yay!" she giggled.
Phil peered around the corner of the wall to get a look at who she was with.
Steve Rogers.
"And I cannot wait. It'll be so nice having you at the Tower with us ... with me," Steve smiled.
Darcy grinned up at him, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him against the wall playfully. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah," he grinned back. "I didn't like having my girlfriend living so far away. Not that you're really far, but being under the same roof is better."
Darcy's grin grew wider and she went up on her tippy toes to give him a little kiss on the cheek. "Well, two more hours and then I'll be on my way. You got the rest of my boxes loaded up from my apartment, right?" she asked as she and Steve continued down the hall with their hands entwined.
Phil watched them until they disappeared through the doors, before he continued on his way; his heart heavy and his throat so tight that he felt like he was gasping for air.
How long had Darcy been seeing Captain America?
He ducked back into his office, sitting down at his chair, drumming his fingers on his desk rapidly. There had been no indications that she was seeing anyone; she had never brought it up in conversations, never even made the slightest allusions.
And of all the men if could have been, it had to be Steve Rogers.
Phil could feel the jealously begin to bubble up inside him, just thinking about his boyhood hero with the woman he was irrevocably in love with. So jealous, in fact, that he picked up his vintage Captain America cards that were sitting on his desk and tossed them in the trash can.
"Hey bossman!" Darcy said poking her head in his office with a big smile on her face. Phil quickly glanced up at her with a pained look on his face."Aww what's wrong? Missing me already?" she asked as she walked in his office and shut the door behind her.
"Yeah." He forced a smile.
"Aww, I'll make sure I come to visit you. And it's not like we're that far from each other, we can get a cup of coffee sometime and you can complain to me how crappy your new assistant is!" she said, stacking files on top of the desk.
"I'd like that." His voice was strained.
Darcy moved around his office like she always did, making sure everything was neat and orderly just like he liked them to be. "So, you going to meet up at the bar tonight? I guess Clint is throwing me a last day party."
He had planned on going; not so much anymore. Especially now that he knew that Steve would be there too. "I have to work late. Fury wants me to get through these reports before tomorrow. I'm sorry," he apologized.
It was a lie, but at least it was a believable lie.
"Oh." Darcy looked disappointed. "I was really hoping you'd be able to be there."
"I'm really sorry, Agent Lewis." One of the scenes in his head was him telling her that he was in love with her and her telling him that she felt the same way. They'd both show up at the party hand in hand and announce to everyone that they were together.
Darcy sighed and reached for his trash can. "I'm going to empty this out."
"No!" he said a bit more abruptly than planned.
Darcy stopped and arched her eyebrow. "It's okay, I got it. Let me have the pleasure of dumping your trash one last time." she giggled and shook her head. "Just go back to whatever report you're working on. Do it quick so you can come to the party!"
Phil could feel his forehead begin to prickle with perspiration as he watched her walk out of his office with the trash can in her hand. Those damn cards were in there. He was already trying to think up the perfect reason why, if she asked about them. He sat there staring at the door waiting for her to return; his heart was pounding so hard.
It seemed like an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes when Darcy walked back in the office. Trash can in one hand and the cards in her other. He swallowed the thickly; if he came up with an excuse to why there were in there, it was gone now. His mind went completely blank.
"So," Darcy said quietly setting the trash can down on the floor and walking over to Phil. She pulled a chair over next to him and sat down, looking at the cards in her hands. "At first I thought maybe somehow these got knocked into the trash by accident, but I know how anal-retentive you are about having them in their perfect little spot. Also, they couldn't have fell into the trash because the can was under your desk. You would have noticed them missing and you wouldn't sitting here so calmly like you are. But, you're not calm, are you? You're nervous."
Phil could barely meet her gaze when she looked up at him. "I put them there ..." he said quietly.
"I know," she whispered back. "I would ask you why, but I think there might only be one logical reason. So when did you find out about Steve and I?" She set the cards on his desk and smiled softly when he finally looked into her eyes.
"Today. In the hallway."
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything. We haven't really told anyone yet. Well, Jane and Thor know. I'm sure Tony has his suspicions, you know how he is," Darcy grinned. "I just didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if it was going to effect our relationship or not."
Phil chuckled a bit. "I don't have a crush on Steve. You could have told me."
Darcy looked down at her hands. "I know you don't have a crush on Steve." She began to wring her hands nervously before looking back up at him. "But, you have a crush on me ... I had no idea."
He shook his head no. "Not a crush. I'm in love with you," he confessed.
Darcy blinked a couple of times, her mouth hanging slightly open. "In love?" She could barely squeak the words out. "... For how long?"
"It's been a little over a year now."
She didn't say anything for a few minutes, she just kept staring down at her lap; smoothing at the folds of her suit jacket. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"You know why I couldn't," he said lightly. He sighed deeply and picked up the cards. "How long have you and him been together?"
"Six months," she shrugged. "Five months, seriously, though."
He was hoping that they had just started dating, but five months was a pretty serious relationship. He nodded. "I would ask if he's good to you, but I already know he is." He gave her a smile, trying not to make it look forced. "I'm happy for you, Darcy."
"Phil, I wish you would have told me this a long time ago, because I used to-"
He put his hand up to stop her. He knew what she was going to say that she used to feel the same about him before she met Steve, and he didn't want to hear her say it. Her saying it would make this situation all the harder. "Please don't."
"Okay," she whispered, then wiped at a tear that was running down her cheek. She looked at the clock and then back to Phil. "...Well, it's almost five now,"
He nodded.
"And I have to go turn in my clearance badge, clean out my locker ... you know ... all of that ..." Darcy stood up slowly. "Phil ..." She stopped when she wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him.
He gave her one of his trademarked tight lipped smiles. "It's been a real pleasure working with you ... Agent Lewis." He wanted to call her by her first name, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "I know you'll be a perfect fit over at the Avengers Tower." He stuck his hand out for her to shake. He was being a bit too formal now.
Darcy looked down at his hand and shook her head 'no.' Then she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as he sat motionless in his chair. "Thank you. For everything," she whispered and then kissed the top of his head.
He closed his eyes, relaxed in her arms, and savored the moment between them; knowing that this was as close as they would probably ever be. He wanted the moment to last forever, even as sad as it was. He stiffened up as soon as she let go of him, and watched her gather the few belongings that she kept in his office and head to the door.
"Good-bye, Phil," she said quietly, tears still glistening in her eyes. She waited for a moment for him to say something, and when he didn't she walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her.
"Good-bye, Darcy," he whispered.
