Chapter Text
The mission was a bust. The inhuman they were sent to check in on wasn’t actually an inhuman at all. Just an awkward teen with special effects and a youtube channel. Melinda was annoyed that Mace had sent them there without doing his research first. He tried not to smile that she seemed frustrated with him. Relationships are hard.
Also, Mace is a moron.
On the bright side, they made it back to the Zephyr early; and they were waiting for Mace to get back to them with their next destination so he decided to take a chance.
“You want to go into town tonight….maybe grab some dinner and a movie?" He asked and tried to play it cool and act like he wasn’t about to throw up waiting for a response. “We could just hang out and get off the plane for a bit.” He added hoping it sounded less like a date that way.
She seemed surprised by his offer but nodded slowly before replying, “Yeah…that sounds good. Just umm…let me get changed and we can head out. Leave in an hour?”
He nodded as his stomach slowly started to unknot. “Yeah….sure. That sounds great.”
She smiled and then turned to head towards her bunk. He headed towards his own bunk to clean up a bit and at least lose the tie. An hour would give him time to research the area and find a good place to eat and see what movies were playing. He wondered if it counted as a date if she didn’t know it was a date. He found a local diner for them to eat at. He knew Melinda liked old local places as much as he did, and he thought it seemed more laid back and less ‘date-like’ than a nice restaurant. Plus he was pretty sure she didn’t pack for that kind of thing and felt weird asking if she had managed to bring date clothes with her. Especially since this wasn’t actually a date….to her.
“You folks in town for the festival?” The older waitress asked as she brought them their food.
“Umm…actually we’re in town for work. We didn’t know there was a festival.”
“It’s the annual Community Festival. We get people from all over that come into town just for this festival. There’s live music…food…local venders. You should check it out when you leave here. Don’t tell anyone I said this but you ought to skip dessert here and get some of the baked goods down at the festival instead.”
“Thanks for the heads up Miss….Carla….we’ll have to check it out. What do you say, Melinda? You want to skip the movie and check out the festival instead?”
“Sounds fun.” She agreed with a smirk as she took a sip of water.
“Good!” Carla beamed. “It makes for a great date, son.”
He tried to keep the blush from spreading across his face but the widening of Melinda’s smirk proved he was unsuccessful. “Thanks, Carla”.
“You didn’t want to tell her we’re just friends?” Melinda asked as she walked away.
His heart sank at the reminder but the playful glint in her eyes caused him to smile. Playful Melinda May was his favorite, and he wasn’t going to waste the chance to enjoy it tonight. He decided to just let her play and tease if it kept that smile on her face.
“Nah…there’s no way I’d ever be able to convince her that you could settle for just being friends with me.”
She laughed but made no attempts to deny it. He tried not to read into that, but he was clinging to any shard of hope that she could possibly want to be with him too so he tucked it away to examine later.
“We can still see the movie if you’d rather do that,” he suggested while they ate.
“Oh no,…..you’re going to get me a really big dessert at the festival; something with chocolate.”
“Deal,” he agreed with a smile.
They finished eating and got the directions to the festival from Carla. It wasn’t far, and the drive was filled with pleasant reminiscing about the last time that either of them had been to any type of festival. He was glad that they were doing this instead of seeing a movie. Movies were dark and quiet. It’s easier to convince a girl that you’d be perfect for them if you can actually see and talk to her. There were people everywhere and a live band playing could be heard as they arrived. His eyes scanned the area in search of a place to get the dessert he owed her, but she spotted something first and took his hand to lead him through the crowd. He grinned like the idiot he was as he followed her.
They found sliced apples covered in caramel and chocolate sauce and found an open bench not far from the stage the band was on. He smiled at the burst of nostalgia that washed over him as the band of local musicians covered old Billy Joel songs. Images of a young Melinda May humming along to the current song as they rode through town in Lola crossed his mind, and he indulged in the memory.
“This song was on my mix-tape.” She said pulling him back to the present. “I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be nostalgic or…” she trailed off as the lyrics of “For the Longest Time” swirled around them.
His heart was racing as he studied the band. He didn’t dare look at her. He was focused on keeping the blush from his face. He took a deep breath before prompting, “Or….?”
“Nothing.” She said after a beat. “Want some?” She asked and offered him the fork to share the apples.
He should feel relieved that she didn’t call him out on his intentions for including such a sappy and obvious song on the playlist he made her, but he only felt disappointment. He took the fork and dessert from her and took a bite to buy his brain a moment to think. The sound of the harmonica transitioned them to “Piano Man,” and he stole a glance at her. She looked deep in thought as she studied her hands and he worried for a moment that he had made her uncomfortable. She looked up and offered him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and he swallowed hard.
“Want to walk around for a bit before we head back?” She suggested and he stood and tossed the empty plate away in the bin a step away before returning and offering his hand to help her up. He kept her hand in his as they walked. If she called him on it, he’d simply say that it was to avoid being separated in the throng of people. He honestly just needed the connection with her and had a valid excuse for the contact and was loath to waste it. Her fingers threading through his a moment later made his heart race and when he looked at her the smile had finally reached her eyes. His own smile was soft and filled with cautious hope and optimism. The way she occasionally traced her thumb over the back of his made his heart feel achingly full and the two hours they spent weaving through the festival passed by much too quickly.
All the chances he never took before raced before his mind as they drove back to the plane. He looked over to see her smiling softly as she studied the passing scenery, and he determined not to waste any other opportunities that came his way. He loved her and tonight got him one step closer to winning her heart. No more steps back….only moving forward. It certainly felt like a date tonight and when they finished up this mission he was going to ask her on a date for real. He just needed a little more time to lay the groundwork so it didn’t all blow up in his face.
He pulled Lola into the hanger as they arrived at the large open field they had cloaked the Zephyr in. He shut the engine off and turned to face her. She was studying him carefully and he held his breath. There was something akin to anticipation in her eyes, and his heart rate sped up. She opened her mouth to express her thoughts but was cut off by the ringing of her phone. She stared at the screen for a moment as if she was deciding whether or not to ignore it but instead took a deep breath and answered, “Yes, Director?”
He deflated quickly and leaned his head back against the seat as he waited to see if the call was personal in nature or related to their next orders.
“Hold on, Sir, Agent Coulson is here. I’m going to put you on speaker so you can bring us up to speed.” She placed the phone on the console between them and gave Mace the go-ahead to continue.
“The Watch Dogs have several EMPs that they are threatening to set off if we don’t meet their demands. One of them is in your vicinity. I’d rather you not be trying to take off when they set it off. I’ve got Fitz-Simmons working on this and they're en route to Agent Rodriguez. We won’t be able to get to you until we’ve resolved this so I’m ordering you to stay grounded until further notice. We have your location and can have an extraction team to you but it won’t be until morning. If you get hit by the EMP just hang tight and we’ll send…” Anything left to say was cut off but the ominous sound of the power being cut to the plane and the shroud of darkness they were suddenly plunged into.
They were stuck on a dead plane with no power until Fitz could find a solve or the extraction team could get there in the morning.
All alone in the dark with Melinda May…..it was going to be a long night.