A/N: I had most of this chapter written and then of course it got deleted, so here we go again.

This was a request chapter:

Chili Cookoff with May as the Judge.

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He had been searching for nearly an hour.

The halls of the base were bustling with activity, and maneuvering through the frantic atmosphere took time. Time that Phil didn't really have.

He had been to the gym, the kitchen, the storage lockers, her personal bunk and even his own office, but Melinda May was nowhere to be found. Jemma said she hadn't seen her all morning, Daisy had last spotted her doing meditation, Fitz swore he saw her leave the base and Mack was just as clueless as he was. So he stalked, rather frustrated, through the hallways, peering for any sign of her.

As he was nearing the med bay, he got the distinct gut feeling that he should also check the hangar. Zephyr One was parked in its normal spot, but the cargo bay was open. He snickered to himself and ascended into the plane.

May was curled up in the pilot seat with a book, and he didn't feel bad when he accidentally startled her.

"Melind-"

"Dammit Phil." She closed her book rather harshly and slumped against the seat.

"You need a better hiding spot." He teased climbing into the co-pilot's seat.

"I shouldn't have to hide from you." She grumbled.

"Melinda-"

"I said no."

"It's for a good cause." He pleaded. "Medical bills aren't cheap and someone in remission shouldn't have to pay them."

"You want me to judge a chili cookoff." She glared.

It wasn't like she hated the idea. It was a nice gesture, an idea created by a few members of Agent Brook's ops team to raise money for his medical bills. When Daisy got wind of it, she blew it up all over the base. It was now an agency-wide challenge.

Melinda didn't mind that they did it. Her cooking was less-than-par but she had already made a hefty financial donation. No, it wasn't the idea itself, but the fact that it was an almost-unanimous decision to have her judge. Coulson thought it was hysterical. May, not so much.

"Please? It'll be fun." When she didn't respond, he had the nerve to pull out the puppy dog eyes, even trying to seal the deal by taking her hand in his. "Please?"

"Dammit." She puled her hand away and he smiled victoriously.

He let her stalk off of the plane and followed at a distance, knowing she could very easily turn around and kick his ass to the floor. Surprisingly, she continued on towards the kitchen, not even looking at him.

When they entered, there were ten pots of chili sitting there waiting for her. Two agents had pulled extra tables out of the storage closets and covered them with plastic table cloths. Each team had four people, and there were ten teams total. Each group crowded behind their bowls, eagerly waiting for her to stop by. Each group had to donate to play.

Fitz and Simmons, being both of mild-taste-buds and not knowledgeable on the subject of chili cookoffs, had established the rules. One taste test from each pot. The winner had to be both the spiciest, and the best-tasting.

The pair waited all-too eagerly for May to enter and when she did, eventually began chattering her ear off.

"There's milk in the fridge, should help with the spice." Jemma gestured with her head.

"And we told each team that their chili had to have a good flavor and not just be spicy." Fitz finished.

"You should definitely try ours first." Daisy shrugged. "Just saying."

"Will you stop?" Another Agent, Howard, cried indignantly. "There's an order to these things."

"You're just afraid we'll beat you, Howard." Yoyo folded her arms, coming to stand by her friend. Mack followed her silently, but with a smug smile on his face.

"No, he's afraid of the bet-" Agent Pierce spoke up, but he was forcibly shut up by Daisy's harsh elbow to his ribs.

"Bet?" Melinda hissed under her breath at Phil, who fought a snicker.

"They have a bet going on which chili will make you cry." Jemma murmured to her under her breath as the argument rose in volume. "We told them not to."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Phil straightened, stuffing his hands in his pockets with a knowing smile. Jemma just looked briefly between the pair, confused. She didn't reply though, she just took a step forward.

"Alright folks. The first annual chili cookoff has begun! Please make your way to the side of the room so Agent May can judge."

The crowd skittered to the opposite side of the room and a hushed, tense silence fell on the room. Phil remained by the doorway, as he didn't have an entry in this contest, but was very keen to see what would go down. Of course, he knew what the outcome would be. He had watched all ten groups make their chilis, but he had also known Melinda May for most of his life. This would probably be funny.

Fitz, Melinda, and Jemma slowly moved down the table, and stopped at each pot so that she could taste test each.

Melinda found herself pleasantly surprised. Aside from one bowl (which literally looked and tasted like sewer sludge), nine of the chili pots were actually really good. Each had a slightly different taste, which was a relief. None of them were really spicy though.

Daisy's, or what she assumed was Daisy's because the young agent got a little over excited when she reached it, was pretty spicy. In fact, until May reached the second-to-last pot from the end, Daisy's was the contender for number one. When she taste-tested that pot, though, she was very mistaken.

It was very spicy, although not nearly the spiciest thing she'd ever eaten, and actually tasted pretty good. It briefly burned the back of her throat and tongue, but she somehow managed to keep her composure. She could not let them win the bet, after all.

Once the taste testing was finished, Jemma looked to her expectantly. May pointed to the pot, affirming her choice with a smirk.

"Number nine!" Jemma got excited, and there was a whooping cheer from behind her. Agent Pierce and his group were clapping each other on the back.

"Aww, don't look so down, sweetheart." Howard slung his arm playfully around Daisy's shoulder.

Daisy, still pouting from her loss, grabbed his hand from around her shoulder and twisted it very uncomfortably, casing him to cry out. Several people laughed, including Phil, who came over to the chili pots and helped himself to the chili that had caught May off guard. After taking a bite, he coughed and could see why she had picked it.

The crowd of agents began intermingling around the pots of chili, and May retreated to the fridge to grab a glass of water. The spice still lingered in the back of her mouth, but it wasn't too uncomfortable.

The rest of the cookoff passed with conversation and a football game on the flatscreen until late afternoon, and then the agents returned to their homes and families. Those who resided in the base, namely the small Bus family, remained behind to clear up the mess.

"The milder stuff we can send home with Brook's family." Yoyo suggested, while the spicier stuff was stored in the fridge, although odds are, not many people would eat it.

Once the tables were stored away and the food cleared, Mack finally asked the question they were all thinking.

"Okay, out with it." The group turned their attention to Mack, who leaned against the counter and looked at May expectantly. "How did that not affect you at all?"

"I don't know-"

Phil snickered behind his hand, the other holding a bowl of the number nine chili.

"I watched Pierce's group make their chili. They put 7 pot reds in their's."

"What's that?"

"One of the hottest peppers in the world." Mack explained to Jemma, and then turned his attention back to May, "You didn't even flinch."

May shrugged. "It wasn't spicy."

"May, come on." Daisy urged.

"Melinda spent a month undercover in Mexico." Phil explained for her around a mouthful of chili. "Spicy food doesn't affect her much."

"Really, Phil-"

"Well you should have said something!" Fitz cried out indignantly.

"I tried to." May muttered, shooting Coulson a dirty glare.

"It really wasn't that bad," Yoyo folded her arms on the island. "I didn't think it was very spicy either."

"Shut up." Mack shook his head at her good-naturedly.

Daisy ignored the conversation. She was busy looking at Phil suspiciously with her eyes narrowed. Even as the group dispersed and went to their respective bunks for the night, she still eyed Phil and Melinda. Eventually, even Melinda left to retrieve her book from the cockpit of the plane. She bid them goodnight, and left the pair alone in the kitchen.

"Okay, out with it." Phill finally said, having noticed Daisy's looks for most of the afternoon.

"Hmm?"

"You've been looking at me funny all night."

"Oh nothing." She was nonchalant, which usually meant she was hiding something.

"Daisy-"

"You ate a whole bowl of that chili and didn't react either." It wasn't even a question. She folded her arms across her chest and waited expectantly for him to say something.

"Yeah, I did." Phil put his hands in his pockets." He passed her, a smug smirk on his face, and made to leave the kitchen. Before he did, he paused in the doorway. "I also spent a month in Mexico. Goodnight."

He left her there, and she just chuckled and leaned against the counter.

"Good game, AC. Good game."

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A/N: Spicyyyyyyy