Trust Me (Phil Coulson Love Story)

Trust Me

Charlotte sneezed, causing her head to throb. She bit back a moan as she let her head fall back down to the pillow. Her eyes snapped open as she realized something. This was not her flat pillow she had gone to sleep with. This was soft and fluffy and warm. A comforter that was a lot larger and thicker and warmer than her small blanket had been placed over her and it was soft and warm. Charlotte decided not to question their presence for the moment. She snuggled down into them and fell back asleep. 
        When she woke up again, her head was still throbbing, except now it was stuffed up and ached as well. She was obviously sick from her little run in the rain. She sneezed and gripped her head as it protested loudly. She was just about to snuggle back in and sleep again, but two sounds stopped her from doing so. 
        The first was her hungry stomach, demanding food. The second was the sound of someone in her kitchen. Who was in her kitchen? 
        Charlotte got up on unsteady feet and looked down at herself. She was in a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt. How had she gotten into those? Charlotte walked slowly to her bedroom door. Grabbing the baseball bat she kept for such an occasion as this. Opening the door to her bed room slowly, she winced as the hinges let out a loud squeak. Her head still hurt and whatever she had from her romp in the rain was making it hard to concentrate on anything. The room looked far off in her eyes and she felt light headed. She was sure she had the flu. 
        The sound in the kitchen stopped and Charlotte froze. She just wanted to go back to sleep and go to bed. She took a hesitant step forward into the living room, her baseball bat in front of her. A startled little scream escaped her lips as a hand grabbed her baseball bat and twisted it out of her hands. 
        Charlotte peaked around the corner to see Phil standing there, her baseball bat hanging from his left hand. He had an amused look on his face. 
        “I knew I should have removed that, but for some crazy reason I decided to trust that you wouldn’t try to bash my head in.” He chuckled quietly. Charlotte didn’t even crack a smile. She felt miserable and just wanted to crawl into a corner and just die, she felt so miserable. Leaning sideways out of the door to her bedroom wasn’t helping things. She was losing her balance and stumbled out of the bedroom. Phil let the bat drop and reached forward to catch her before she fell too far. Her head spun as his arms wrapped around her waist. She laid her head on his chest as he lifted her gingerly into his arms and carried her back into her bedroom. 
        “You should not be out of bed.” He scolded her as he lay her down in her bed and covered her up again with the comforter. “You are far too sick and need to rest.” he placed a hand to her head and she was surprised at how cool he felt. 
        “You are cold” she stated as she snuggled down into the warm softness. Phil chuckled as he placed his hand on her cheek. She shivered in delight and the cool feeling. It felt so good on her skin she wanted more. 
        “That is because you have a fever and your skin is too warm. Now stay there and I will be back with something for you to eat.” He turned and left the room. Charlotte snuggled into her bed and waiting for Phil to return. She must have fallen asleep she realized, as the next thing she remembered was being woken up gently by Phil. In his hand was a bowl of what looked like some kind of broth with a soup spoon sitting in it. He sat it down on the nightstand and reached forward to help Charlotte sit up more, so she could eat. 
        She reached for the bowl and spoon with a shaky hand, only to have it brushed aside by Phil’s hand. 
        “I would rather this get into your stomach where it belongs, instead of all over your clothes.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. He spooned the soup up and began to feed her slowly. She allowed it only because she was too weak to argue and her head hurt too much to care. The silence between them was surprisingly comfortable as they sat in the room together, him feeding her and her letting him. 
        When Charlotte was done eating, Phil gave her some pain pills and cough syrup and helped her lay back down in the bed. She was asleep before he even left the room.
        Phil stood there for a few minutes, looking down at her. What could Marcus possibly want with such a small, helpless woman? It was time to find out. He walked out into the kitchen and picked up his phone. Hitting a button on it, he called his boss. 
        The next few days went by in much the same manner. Charlotte was getting better bit by bit under Phil’s care and at the end of a week, finally felt like getting out of bed. Phil had gone for the day, something to do with work and had promised to be back later. 
        Walking through the door to her apartment, he was greeted by the smell of something cooking and the sight of a comforter lump, sitting on the couch. A pair of hands holding a book, were poking out from one end of it. He walked into the kitchen and found fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn waiting for him. 
        Walking up to the couch, Phil peered over the top of the book to see Charlotte with her eyes drooping in exhaustion. Phil grinned in amusement at the innocent look on her face. He knelt down in front of her and reached up to lower the book. 
        “You could finish it later you know.” He chuckled as she noticed him and looked startled. 
        “How did you get in here without making a sound?” she asked her eyes wide in amazement. Phil laughed at her expression and stood up. Picking her up and sitting down in her spot on the couch, he placed her on his lap. 
        “You were so absorbed in your book and half asleep you probably didn’t notice much of anything most of the day.” Phil pointed out. Charlotte opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when she saw the tired look on his face. He looked exhausted, so she just snuggled down into his lap and laid her head on his chest. She felt his arms close tighter around her and she relaxed. 
        They had grown closer together in the time he had been taking care of her and both were familiar with the other that not much bothered them about each other anymore. Charlotte lay there with her head on his chest, just listening to the sound of his heartbeat. It was strong and soothing. She slowly fell asleep in his arms, with his arms wrapped tightly around her. She had not felt this safe in a very long time. 
        Waking up the next morning, Charlotte was startled to find herself in her own bed, wrapped up in the comforter. Phil must have put her there after she fell asleep. She got up and walked into the kitchen. The soft sound of music played throughout the apartment coming from the kitchen. 
        The smell of breakfast wafted to her nose and she smiled. Phil was amazing. She never could understand how he could go to bed late and get up so early completely rested. She tip toed into the kitchen and looked around in confusion. The room was empty of people. A small chill up her spine alerted her that someone was walking softly up behind her. She giggled as strong, gentle arms wrapped around her waist and hugged her tight. 
        “Don’t try to sneak up on me.” She scolded Phil as she turned around in his arms so she was facing him. He chuckled down at her and she inhaled the minty freshness of his breath. 
        “Good morning to you to.” He whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes. 
        She was surprised and a little hesitant at the feelings that were swirling up inside her. His face was inches from hers and she knew he was feeling the same thing she was. 
        Charlotte wondered when she had started to fall in love with him. Phil wondered how he had allowed her to creep into his heart and turn it upside down. He saw the hesitation and fear in her eyes and smiled lovingly down at her. 
        “Trust me” he whispered softly to her as he smiled lovingly down at her. Her eyes widened for a moment in surprise that he knew what she was thinking. 
        “I love you” he murmured, bringing his face down so it was an inch away from hers. A smile brightened her face and Phil found himself dazzled by her beauty. She closed the space between them and her lips met his. Their kiss left both of them stunned and they stood there for minutes afterwards just holding each other, unable to do or say anything. Charlotte’s head tucked in the crook of his neck and his chin resting on the top of her head. 
        “I think I should try to sneak up on you more often if this is the consequence.” Phil mumbled, causing Charlotte to burst out laughing. She had never felt so safe or happy in her entire life and she hoped it would stay that way for the rest of her life.