Here's Chapter 2! I'm a sucker for adorable meet-cutes, so I hope you enjoy!
It had taken him nearly a week to get his apartment just the way he desired, with all of his belongings placed carefully into their rightful places, with his photos hung neatly among his Captain America artwork and figurines, and his kitchen in the perfect working order that he'd become so accustomed to over his years as a chef.
The day before had been long, his entire afternoon ruined by a rogue, dysfunctional mixer that he'd nicknamed Ultron, and all afternoon he'd looked forward to curling up with an unread novel, grilling up a nice, cheesy panini, and heading to bed early to make up for the lack of sleep that came with the new, unfamiliar surroundings. However, his two-bedroom condo, with it's rustic brick walls and it's antique fixtures, had slowly begun to feel like home and he'd finally begun to sleep well again.
Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for Cap, who had remained jumpy and anxious for the entirety of those seven days. The poor thing had always been a nervous animal, though Phil chalked that up to his beginning life as a stray at such a vulnerable age, as Cap had always been uncomfortable around strangers and unfamiliar places; even Phil's girlfriend Audrey couldn't pet him and they'd been dating for nearly four months now.
Phil yawned as he walked to his door slowly with the mail in hand, his steps unconsciously taken, as the path was already drilled into his currently distracted mind despite his short stay there. He had just managed to unlock the door when he was wrenched from his thoughts as he pushed the door open, the sound of a viciously jingling bell putting him on instant alert—for as soon as the door was opened wide enough, his poor tabby wriggled through the gap between the door and the frame and then bolted down the hall in a blur of fur and fretfulness.
"Damn it! Come back here!" he yelled, today's post falling from his fingers without conscious thought to land on the carpet at his feet.
He took the stairs two at a time, bounding across the landing and nearly crashing into an elderly woman, his momentum sending him painfully into the wall in an effort to avoid her; he apologized profusely to her annoyed grumblings as he went, but he didn't stop.
Cap was a ghost and Phil lost sight of him more than once on his way down the thankfully uncrowded stairwell as they made their way down passed the third and second floors.
It was four floors down, in the lobby of his building that the chase finally ended, the cat's progress halted just a few feet from the revolving door that led straight to the busy street beyond.
"Stop him, please!"
His raised, panicked voice managed to catch the attention of a small girl, around the age of five or so, and as if realizing what and whom he meant, she frantically reached for the escaping cat and scooped him up into her tiny hands, holding tight to the struggling bundle of fluff.
"Oh god, thank you," he breathed as he came to a relieved stop in front of the little girl. Phil was incredibly concerned that she might get scratched, but as he panted, he watched as his normally frightened cat calmed before his eyes and relaxed, his confusion at such a sight merely growing as Cap licked the little girl's chin, causing her to giggle. There was no sign of discomfort, no hair standing on end as if he'd been struck by lightning, and Phil took note of the way his cat had stopped in his effort to get away.
As his heart slowed back to a normal rate, he suddenly became aware of the state he was in, as the general sounds of a normal afternoon started to drift into his ears, and he could only guess at what a sight he made with his bed-head, his Captain American t-shirt, and his heavy panting from the unexpected, early morning run he'd just been forced to take, but it was the woman that entered just after that made him feel truly embarrassed.
She was beautiful, extremely so, but in such an unassuming way, that it made him wonder if she truly knew just how exquisite she was with her dark brown, nearly black hair and a pair of dark eyes to match. This woman was tiny and yet, somehow he was perfectly aware that her looks were meant to be deceiving as there was a quiet strength about her presence that was unmistakeable, even to a stranger like him. She fixed her eyes upon him, a playful, amused glint shining through as she looked at him in all his disheveled, patriotic glory and he was suddenly filled with regret at his decision to leave his apartment in his old, beloved pajamas and in an effort to preserve some shred of his dignity, he smoothed his hair down quickly and pushed his glasses back onto his nose from where they'd slipped.
"Skye, who do you have there?"
The little girl—Skye—looked confused for a moment, before her attention returned to the strangely calm animal in her arms. "I don't know his name, mommy, but he's fat."
Phil couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's blunt, but accurate assessment as she adjusted the cat in her arms."I'm afraid Cap's a bit of a pig."
There was an abrupt, snort of laughter that, to her credit, the older woman tried to tamp down, but he couldn't stop the heat that rushed to his cheeks as his head snapped in her direction.
"Is Cap's last name Rogers?" the woman asked, smiling at him in a way that he couldn't help but return as her gaze flickered down to the large red, white, and blue shield adorning his t-shirt.
'Oh god, I'm such an idiot. Why did I name him that?'
To his surprise, the little girl piped up excitedly, "Like Captain America, mommy?"
"No, unfortunately it's not," he replied, smiling at them both in embarrassed amusement, but he took the hint and introduced himself, extending his hand out to her in greeting. "Phil Coulson."
"Melinda May," she answered, before motioning towards her daughter. "And this is Skye."
"Hi! I like your kitty."
He knelt down to her level, shaking the tiny hand she offered and grasping it gently between his much larger fingers, smiling as she shook it with all the seriousness she could muster while balancing a fluffy feline in her arms. "Do you now? He seems to like you too," he told her, reaching out to stroke the cat that was still happily purring away in the little girls arms. "He doesn't take too well to strangers, but it seems he's made an exception. I suppose the next time he escapes, I'll know just who to get to help me catch him."
Skye giggled adorably before passing him the cat and once the purring bundle was transferred successfully, he stood, only to meet the soft, warm gaze of her mother. She glanced away quickly and clearing her throat, she motioned Skye towards the elevators and he watched as the girl skipped happily up to the control pad to hit the top-most arrow.
"You're the new guy in 402, right?"
"Yeah, I just moved in this past Monday. I finally managed to save up enough to afford a bigger place, but I'm afraid that this one here," he expressed fondly, referring to the purring cat in his arms, "is still a bit uncomfortable with the move. I probably should have kept an empty box or two that he could hide out in until he got used to the place, but I guess a runaway feline is good way to meet your neighbors."
Melinda smirked, the corner of her lips curving upwards slightly. "Well, I suppose it's better than the usual 'can I borrow some sugar?'. I never would have used the method myself, but it certainly leaves an impression."
"A good one, I hope."
He wasn't exactly sure what had made him ask, the banter between them almost familiar despite having just met, but he had this sudden need to impress her. The glint in her eyes turned delightfully devious, her smirk only growing larger as she turned towards the opening elevator door. "Well, Cap is definitely a character."
Phil grinned, surprise flooding his features at her good-natured teasing.
He followed them inside, pleased to find that the only button lit up was four, the same floor he lived on.
"What do you do?"
He was momentarily thrown off at the realization that the question had come from Skye and not her mother as the girl eyed his pajamas quizzically, but he shouldn't have been, as he could see the spark of curiosity and intelligence swirling in her bright, happy eyes as she stared up at him.
"I actually own a bakery on the North End of town. I work with sweets like cakes and cookies."
"With sprinkles?" Skye asked excitedly, and at his nod her grin grew wide, causing him to laugh. "Yummy."
"You're a chef?" Melinda inquired, her hand reaching out to pet the animal in his arms, the fur just above the bridge of Cap's nose her target, and the cat let out a satisfied purr as she kneaded it firmly.
"Pastry chef, yeah," he admitted with a shrug, watching as his cat softened to the two women in the elevator—faster than he ever had to anyone else. "I did my fair share of rounds as a restaurant line-cook, but it lacked the sort of creative freedom I was looking for. And I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth, so I said, 'why not?' and so I opened a little store on Hanover."
Much to his cat's displeasure, her fingers fell from his fur as her gaze returned to Phil's. "Hanover? You own Sweetie's?"
He nodded. "You know of it?"
"Know of it?" she asked, chuckling."On a regular basis, I spend a small fortune on your lemon-creme cupcakes and I ordered Skye's birthday cake from there last year."
"Oh really?" Phil grinned, briefly wondering if that was why Melinda May looked so familiar. Turning to the little girl who was now watching the two of them intently, he asked, "And what kind do you like?"
"Chocolate!" she exclaimed, in the enthusiastic way only a child could master, which caused both of the adults to grin as the door dinged once again, signaling that they'd arrived on their floor.
"With sprinkles?" he asked, delighted by such an innocent, beautiful show of child-like anticipation, smiling at her as she nodded enthusiastically, her mouth set wide in a toothy grin. "I'll have to keep that in mind then," he answered, watching the little girl as she hopped in place in her excitement, her curls bouncing right along with her.
They walked in silence to their apartments, which just happened to be across from each other and as Melinda unlocked her door, he got just a glimpse of her mint green wallpaper as it swung open, but his attention to her was diverted by the tiny bundle of energy masquerading as the child in front of him.
"Bye, Cap!" she yelled happily, stroking the cats chin, before bounding towards her mother, calling over her shoulder as she went. "Bye, Phil!"
And just like that, before he could even call out a goodbye, she disappeared behind the door in a rush of displaced air and child-like frenzy, her mother watching her go with a fond smile.
"Sorry, she can be a bit of a handful."
"It's alright," he chuckled, "She's rather adorable. I only wish I had as much energy as she does."
"You and me both," Melinda chuckled, holding out her hand for him to take. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Coul-"
"Please, call me Phil," he interrupted gently, soft smile upon his lips which she returned. "I like to think I'm still too young for titles that remind me of my father."
"Only if you call me Melinda," she suggested before a wicked gleam sprung into her eyes as she considered his previous comment. "Is that why you're still in your pajamas at noon? To recapture your youth?"
He might have been offended had it not been for the sly grin on her face, but even so, he knew he was blushing.
"Don't worry, Phil. I won't tell a soul. Besides, the shield...?" she mumbled as she slipped inside her apartment, pointing to his t-shirt as he continued to stare at her "It suits you."
Her amused grin was the last thing he saw before the door shut behind her and for a moment, he just stared at it, a light, happy sort of warmth growing in his chest, but before he could analyze it, he was brought out of his thoughts by the feline in his arms, as Cap proceeded to tap at his chin for attention. For a moment, Phil simply smiled, fingers toying with the fur at the crown of his head before his eyes drifted back across the hall.
"Well, buddy, maybe moving isn't the worst thing after all," he mumbled, blue eyes fixed on the dark green door numbered 403. "I think we just made some friends."
Cap meowed in agreement.
Let me know what you guys think! I hope you enjoyed it!