Not So Bad

[Spoo]

Once upon a time...Spoo and Teh Ninjin found Phil Coulson's admiration of Steve Rogers absolutely adorable. We both agreed how cute Coulson's fanboyish tendencies are when applied to his number one childhood hero, Captain America. AND SO, this little bout of nonsense came to be.

There's no slash. Just a casual encounter between fan and idol. Ninj had Cap and I took on Coulson.

Enjoy!

Not So Bad

by Spoo and Teh Ninjin

No one had said anything to him personally, but Agent Phil Coulson knew his coworkers were staring at him. Hell, they had a reason to. He was sniffling every three minutes, clearing his throat every two.

Coming down with a cold while working in his particular profession was alarmingly inconvenient. Not only did it compromise his work ethic, but it made him feel all around miserable. Coulson coughed once within the closed confines of his mouth before willing himself to remain silent for the remainder of the meeting.

The stares around him would eventually stop. Hopefully.

And alas, a member of the guilty party! Steve Rogers had been casting glances at the ill agent since the meeting had started. Everything about Coulson seemed off today. His gait, reaction time, posture, and attention span had all been warped.

What had started as distracted glances (even though he didn't mean to, he did tend to break focus) had evolved into concerned looks. Whether or not Coulson had caught these looks, or was even cognizant of them, he didn't know. All Steve knew was that the other was clearly not feeling well.

The Captain's brow creased in worry. Concern etched itself into his features more and more as the meeting progressed. In fact, his focus was on Coulson. Everything else had faded into the background as a disembodied mesh of voices.

At that point, the poor unwell man wasn't paying much attention to whatever Director Fury was saying. His ears were stuffy, impairing his hearing anyway, and the constant tickle in the back of his throat and nose were proving more than enough of a distraction.

Still, he fought on and focused on breathing, carefully, lest he make an unnecessary and embarrassing spectacle of himself. If he was lucky Fury would cut things short that afternoon.

If not, well…he had to hang in there.

It was obvious that Steve was worried. Not only obvious to him, but the people around him. He felt eyes gravitating towards him and his focus crumbled.

"…Hm?" He looked up, eyes briefly meeting the director's meticulous gaze.

He panned the room a moment, rather appalled with the looks of indifference that the other agents wore. Could they not see that one of their own was under the weather? Did they just not care? They obviously noticed, but...

Steve found himself shaking his head slowly. Times had changed way too much. It seemed care and courtesy were extinct.

When silence continued to dominate, Steve stopped and immediately looked up at Fury, donning a stern and attentive face. Well, he bought it. The briefing continued, and Steve looked back to the sickly Agent Coulson once more.

It was by chance (or maybe because he was secretly paranoid and on edge that his hero was in the same room as him) that Coulson's gaze met that of Steve Roger's.

It didn't last long, however, for the man was quickly averting his eyes elsewhere. Regarding your childhood idol when under the weather was a mortifying experience.

He was beyond relieved when Fury ended the meeting and dismissed everyone. Instantly, Phil exited the room, where he proceeded to cough into the crook of his elbow for a good five seconds.

Again, there was silence. The agents filed out orderly, with one exception. The exception Steve had his eyes on for the entire meeting. He rose from his seat, pushed his chair back in and quickly made his way out, tailing Coulson. It didn't take him very long to find him, considering he had stopped to cough.

Steve felt his heart drop. His brows knit and he approached the ailing man, planting a firm, warm hand on his back, between his shoulder blades. He didn't say a word, mostly because he wasn't sure what to say. No need to emasculate the poor fellow; he felt terrible enough. So in lieu of words, he gave his back a gentle rub and pat to soothe the fit as best he could.

In the midst of his crippling and congested lung spasms, Coulson felt a large and warm hand begin to rub his back. PDA wasn't exactly performed or encouraged amongst the agents; you just didn't touch someone. So, whoever was doing this…whoever was soothing his coughing fit…they couldn't have been another agent.

When he recovered, Phil turned around and found Steve standing behind him, confirming what he'd believed to be true. Swallowing down a mouthful of awkwardness (and a little mucus as well) he tried to croak out a word.

"Thanks," he said, clearing his throat.

Poor guy. Steve knew how he felt. Granted, it had been a long while since he'd felt that way, but sickness used to be a regular occurrence with him. Therefore, he liked to think he knew what to do to help someone feel better.

Though Steve frowned at the sound of Phil's voice, a small chuckle slipped past his lips. It was endearing really, his dedication to his job. He probably felt terrible, and here he was, doing his best to keep it hidden. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. He'd received quite a bit of attention.

"Now, if there's something I can't seem to wrap my head around here…it's why you aren't in bed right now?" he asked, sincere blue eyes falling to meet the glassy gaze of the sickly agent.

Bed. That was something that sounded heavenly at the moment.

"You can't take sick days around here," Coulson replied, sniffing. "Work piles up higher than Mt. Everest."

He coughed again, this time into a fist. At least Steve couldn't catch this from him. That was a plus.

"I just have to push through a few more hours," he continued.

Coulson's reply made Steve feel like a proper jackass. Surely though, since everyone noticed, they would understand. Perhaps they could find someone else to alleviate the work load? Maybe there was something he could say to Director Fury? Maybe.

"I understand. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" asked the Captain, a warm smile stretching across his lips.

"Not unless you can cure a cold, but I think we may have someone already working on that in the lab," the ill agent teased, smiling.

He appreciated Steve's concern and maybe, just maybe, a tiny part of him felt slightly unworthy of it. Then again, that was probably the eight-year-old in him, proudly boasting about his flawless Captain America trading card collection.

The beautiful memory was short-lived when Coulson felt an itch bloom in his nose. He brought up his wrist, nudging just beneath his septum, when the tickle decided to transform into a full-on sneeze. With two hitching breaths, he turned away from the larger man and set two steepled hands over his nose and mouth.

"Hh'ESKk'tchuh!"

Concern took over Steve once more, his hand having yet to leave Coulson's back. He felt the force of the sneeze coursing through the man's body. Regardless of the sudden explosive sound, Steve didn't shudder or flinch. The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly, but that was it.

Without hesitation, he uttered a soft "God bless you."

There was a time where he carried a handkerchief on him, but these days he didn't find himself needing it. Still, his free hand had moved to his pocket to instinctively fish it out, but- Oh. Wait. That's right.

Coulson recovered with a thick sniff. He could still feel another sneeze trapped somewhere high in his sinuses, but he knew it probably wouldn't come out for another half hour. Again, he offered Steve a sheepish smile, his already fever-flushed cheeks darkening just a shade redder.

"Thank you, Captain."

Alright, so maybe being sick wasn't the worst thing in the world.

END.

Edited June 4, 2012 by Spoo

[Teh Ninjin]

It's so cute I can't even....

I'm so happy I got to write this with you ;D

Also...Ninj. I'm Ninj now, and I'm okay with this.

[pinknose]

Oh this is just too cute! Coulson's fanboy-ness over Steve in the movie instantly won my heart. This little interaction between them was just adorable. :3 I love it.

[Dusty15]

A.DOR.ABLE.

[VividBubbles!]

Awwwwwww!!!! Okay, you have officially fangirled me! Coulson is just so cute! I seriously need more of these fics. Fantastic job! I hope more of these are soon to come!

BYE!

[Garnet]

OH GOD ;n; Coulson wrong! Be still my beating heart. I'd never considered it but now I love it AWWW AWW I love the idea of him and Cap just having awkwardly affectionate moments so much gjkhf. Precious. I give this Garnet's Stamp of Approval B| Yes.

[Dye]

kdfhjglkda Oh, Coulson. <3

This is just adorable.

_{"I watched you while you were sleeping."}

_XD

[ID2006]

Awwwww. Very cute. I know this has those dreaded words "the end" on it but a sequel perhaps *smile wink wink

[hiyou9]

This is so precious! Gahhhh, I love Coulson. Only the good die young, ya'll.

[ichixshiro14]

Awwwww, I loved it! I wish it wasn't just a one-parter because the plot is genius, but thanks for the share!