(Trip is 25, Lance is 22, Grant is 21, Leo is 19, Jemma is 19), Skye is 17, Avalyn is 11 and Liam & Juliet are 4. + Avri is 7.
"Keep on chewing gums while you're in the Quinjet or else your ears will pop.
"Never, ever leave your father's side.
"Do everything he tells you.
"Don't strip off clothes, hearing me? Not even if you're feeling hot.
"Mom!" Avalyn whined, throwing her head back in complete despair.
Melinda May hardly showed her mother hen side but she had one. She had a big mother hen side.
"I'm serious, Avalyn," May claimed, staring her down.
Skye quietly chuckled, looking down her hand as she twirled a few strands of spaghetti around the tines of the fork.
"Mommy," Liam wailed for the fourth time, waving his plastic cup in front of her, swinging his legs under the table. "Juice!"
"Sorry bao bei," the woman said, filling her son's cup with orange juice. "Here you go," her gaze fell over the older girl again. "Promise me you'll behave. A trip to the Arctic is not a regular trip."
"I know," she heaved a sigh, "Dad has told me everything. He even took me to see the Quinjet already. It's gonna be okay, I have dad."
"Even more concerning," May rolled her eyes. "Your father searching for Captain America and keeping an eye on you? Something will go south."
"I want more," Juliet chirped, pushing her plate to her mother. She then offered a big, toothy smile, adding, "please."
"My God," Skye's eyes widened, "I still don't know where you keep that much food."
"In my tummy," the little girl answered, taking a forkful of spaghetti to her mouth. "Mom, when dad's back?"
"He went to take Avri to Lance but it shouldn't take long."
"Uhm," Skye hummed, quickly chewing the food she had in her mouth, "Is he staying in New York?"
May shook her head, "He's going back to London at the end of the week. He just came here to apply for an agency, see if he can get in. If he does, then he'll stay permanently."
May was brushing her teeth in the washbasin, watching her husband packing his duffel bag. She couldn't help but to smile. She loved his smile and happiness; it made him look youthful. After rinsing her mouth, she put the toothbrush away and walked into the bedroom, tugging her sweater over her head to change into her sleeping clothes.
"You're probably the only person on Earth that is excited to go to the Arctic and freeze your ass out there."
"It's Captain America we're talking about, Mel," he stated. "He's iconic, and a hero, and -"
"Contain your inner fanboy. I won't be there to hold people down if you get too excited. And I'd really hate if someone would punch you and ruin your face."
"I'm a professional agent. You think I can't handle my job with seriousness?" he furrowed his brows, looking back at her.
"You drooling all over him will sure help the ice melting."
Coulson suppressed a small chuckle and tried to sound upset, "Are you done poking fun of me?"
May said mischievously, "Not yet."
"Then let me know when you're done," he grinned, focusing again on packing.
Slipping under the covers, May warned, "Be careful with Avalyn, please."
Coulson sighed, taking a seat next to her, "I've thought about it over and over again. I think it'd be best if she'd stay but she's so excited about this. I can't bear to break her heart."
"You're a soft-hearted man," she claimed, lying down on her side.
"Soft-hearted man," he repeated with a mischievous tone, crawling into bed.
He kissed her deeply, gently capturing May's lower lip between his teeth. She smiled, big, and lightly pinching his thigh. Something poked her in response.
"Uhm," he hummed, "I liked that."
"I can tell," her lips drew into a teasing smile. "I might elaborate on it later."
"Why not now?"
"Your bag won't pack itself. And the twins are waiting for you to tuck them in to bed."
"Damn," he let out a quiet chuckle, resting his forehead on her chest. Scrambling off the bed quickly, he ran the few steps to the door and looked back, holding the doorknob, "Don't fall asleep."
(He returned finding his wife sleeping already; he smiled and lied down next to her. She had had a rough day, training cadets, and he needed to be fully energized for the following day's voyage.)
"Dad," Avalyn whined, stripping off the jacket and the scarf, "it's too hot."
"AJ," Coulson started putting on her clothes again, even though she tried to resist, "I know it's too hot now but you'll need all of these clothes later."
"All seven layers?" she rose her brow.
"You're not wearing seven layers of clothes."
"'right, 'kay, but these coats are still collapsing my lungs."
An agent that was sitting next to Avalyn chuckled quietly and then added, "She sounds just like Agent May."
"I know," Coulson sighed. "Avalyn, I'm serious now," he continued, trying to fit her arm in the coat armhole. "This is not New-York-winter-cold; this is -40°F-Arctic-cold. If you don't bundle up, I'll leave you locked in this Quinjet."
"Will you?"
"You wanted to come with me to the Arctic and said you'd do everything I say, didn't you?" he asked – rhetorically – while tying, again, her scarf around her neck. "If I'm telling you that you have to wear these many clothes, then you have to trust me."
Avalyn held her father's hand and the two stepped out of the Quinjet, following the other agents. The arctic was a barren wasteland of brilliant white that sparkled like a fresh page in the wintry sun. The ground and the sky seemed to have melted into one and there was no horizon. Their breath raised in visible puffs to join the sky. Avalyn had rosy cheeks as she stamped through the snow to keep warm, tugging the coat against her body and tightening the scarf over our blue-tinged lips.
"You're alright, sweetie?" Coulson asked.
The girl nodded and snugged closer to her father's side. They walked over to the spot where the Russian oil tanker was stuck. The ship had collided against a buried wreckage of a large, wing shaped aircraft, and requested help. SHIELD was dispatched to the scene, as they had been looking for Captain America's aircraft for years now. This could be his jet, according to Howard Stark's reports. Everyone took a step back while two agents cut a hole in the aircraft's metal surface. Coulson spared a quick glance at the Russian's ship crew and wished he had brought Natasha along, so that they could interact with them.
(Sure Natasha punched him in the face after Clint recruited her to join SHIELD, but that was water under the bridge; they were good now. Coulson had no idea that she was being placed in the Black Widow's training program. He genuinely thought she was being sent to an all-girls orphanage in Russia.)
"All set, boss," one of the agents said, waving at Coulson.
They had already thrown a rope down the hole and most of the ten agents were already in the interior the aircraft. Coulson scooped Avalyn up under her arms and asked her to tightly wrap her arms and legs around him; he'd have to slide down the rope whilst carrying her. Once inside, Coulson gave Avalyn a flashlight and a GPS tracker, as he'd let her wander around on her own. At first, he wouldn't do it, mostly because she could find Captain America and be frightened, but then he remembered that the man would be preserved in ice, so she wouldn't find anything or anyone scary.
"Dad!" Avalyn screamed at the top of her lungs, running through the halls of the aircraft.
Coulson's heart jumped in his chest; maybe it had been a bad idea to let wander alone. He ran as well, following her voice, "What is it? What's wrong, AJ?"
"The shield," she whispered. "I found Cap's shield."
His eyes widened, "Where?" Coulson was already signaling two other agents to follow him.
Avalyn ran all the way to the cockpit and pointed the flashlight to the spot where she saw the shield.
"My God," Coulson mumbled, wiping the snow off the shield. He looked back at the agents, "This is it, this is the aircraft. Search through, we might find him."
When Coulson looked at his daughter, she was holding the shield in her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "I found it, dad."
He leaned over and pressed a kiss on Avalyn's forehead, "Yes, you did."
Trip walked through the halls of the retirement home as if it was his house. He frequently visited his faux aunt Peggy Carter in there. She had many visitors, such as her niece – and Trip's dear friend – Sharon, her children, Michael and Amanda, her old SSR colleague Jack Thompson – whose son and grandchildren were neighbors of the Coulson's –, and yet her other faux-nephew Tony Stark. Today Trip was delivering Peggy important news: Steve Rogers had been found alive, frozen in the Arctic; she had waited over 70 years for a resolute answer on Steve's status. Today she was getting the answer.
"Hey there," Victoria – Jack Thompson's granddaughter – greeted Trip with a big grin.
"Visiting Marge too?" the man asked, holding tightly to Victoria's arm.
Trip nodded, "Yes. I have great news for her."
"Rogers, isn't it?"
"Yes. They found him alive," Trip said.
Victoria tugged on her grandfather's hand, "Let's get going, gramps?"
"Sure. Nice seeing you, Tony."
Trip offered a smile, "T-thanks," he said as he walked to Peggy's room. He could hear Victoria telling her grandfather that he wasn't Stark.
"Can I come in?" Trip asked, easing the door open just enough to poke his head in.
"Antoine," Peggy smiled. "Come on in."
"Sharon was coming too but she got caught up at work."
"It's alright," she pointed to the chair next to her bed. "Take a seat. How are you?"
"I'm doing well," Trip answered while taking a seat. "I actually came here to tell you something. SHIELD found him."
Peggy seemed clueless, "Who?"
"Steve."
The woman's eyes welled up with tears, "After all these years."
Trip grinned and held her hand on his, "Yes, after these years. He's alive and they're doing their best to bring him back."
"I thought he had been found –"
"Dead? No," he shook his head. "The ice preserved him. And I guess the serum helped keeping him alive too."
"He'll be so shocked when he wakes up. The world has changed so much."
"I'm sure he'll adapt just fine, Auntie. What matters now is that he's alive."
Peggy was going to say something but there was a knock on the door. Mikey, her son, walked in still wearing his NYPD uniform. He didn't even take the time to change into his casual clothes. He had received a call informing him about Steve's reappearance. Having no other family alive, or any other known friends, Peggy was on the contact info, in case there were news.
"Mother, I just ran here –"
"Steve?" she smiled.
Mikey took a moment to breathe, walking over to her bed. "How do you – Trip?" he casted a glance at the other man.
"Yes, I told her. First thing I did once I learned about it was coming to tell Auntie Peg."
"How does it feel mother, knowing that he's alive?"
Peggy pursed her lips and offered a small smile, "I don't know. It's… strange. But I'm glad he's alive."
Ok, so there's a lot going on in this last bit with Trip and Peggy. Let's break it down in small parts.
1 – Peggy isn't suffering from Alzheimer yet – or at least experiencing it on its full force –, so that's why she can recall people and things. Also, my take on the MCU events is different, so any change would be plausible.
2 – Remember the Coulson's neighbors, the Thompson's? They were the snobby parents (who I didn't bother to name) who had three kids: Victoria, Abraham and Franklin. Well, AgentMaryMargaretSkitz once asked me that if this Thompson family had any relation with Jack Thompson (Agent Carter rings a bell?). It was an unfortunate last name to pick, but once she mentioned it, I really, really wanted make this family be Jack Thompson's family, so there it is. In this chapter Jack went to visit Peggy and he was being aided by his granddaughter Victoria.
3 – Regarding to Peggy's family life: in this fanfiction she's married to Daniel Sousa and they had two children: Amanda and Michael (Mikey). Sharon Carter, and now this is following canon, is Peggy's niece.
4 – Enver Gjokaj played a NYPD cop in The Avengers (rewatch it if you didn't notice; he's in the battle scene when Cap asks the policemen to set up a perimeter) so, let's accept this fantasy of mine that Peggy and Daniel's son is a NYPD officer who looks like a carbon copy of his father. (This explains why Mikey walked in his mother's room still wearing his police uniform).
Now talking about the next chapter: also includes more MCU characters, these ones of the Netflix shows. Excited? :)