A Week in the Life of Highly Respected SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson by boombangbing (Teen)

[beatrice_otter]

Title: A Week in the Life of Highly Respected SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson
Pairing: Gen
Author on LJ: boombangbing, boombangbing
Author Website: AO3, misfit_fandoms
Why this must be read:
I'm more of a DC girl than a Marvel girl, but apparently the two have been combined into one rec category, and what with all the great Marvel movies recently I've kind of been sucked in.  This is one of the fics that got me sucked in to reading the fanfic.

Phil Coulson is a long-suffering SHIElD agent.  It's his job to make sure that this collection of characters who make up the Avengers (but particularly that king of ADHD Tony Stark) toe the line and keep within reasonable limits and actually come together as a team.  This is often a very difficult, thankless job, but Phil does it with aplomb and good humor.  While still being a little bit of a badass himself.  This fic is a brief look at the man behind the curtain as he: tries to corral Tony Stark, helps retrieve the Hulk on a rampage, briefs Captain America about what the 21st century is like, and foils a bank robbery.  Among other sundry things.

Phil would just like to state for the record that this was all Tony Stark's fault. (Seven increasingly chaotic days in the life of Phil Coulson.)

Banner comes round several times on the trip back to New York. Thankfully he's in a ground transport and not the helicopter, because Phil imagines that the helicopter would not stand up very well to either the size nor the weight of an angry Dr Banner. By the time they've got him back to the facility, restraints have become necessary – specially designed metal straps keeping him flat to a gurney. The arm, leg, and chest straps do look rather barbaric, but Phil values the continued use of his limbs more than he's concerned about appearances.

It's unfortunate that Captain Rogers was scheduled for a check up in the infirmary at the same time, though. Fury looks, well, furious at the whole situation, and waves Phil over to him.

“Captain, how are you today?” he asks. Rogers looks concerned; Phil realised quickly from yesterday's briefing that Rogers is not good at hiding his feelings – all his emotions play out clearly on his face.

Rogers peers around the curtain at Banner. “Apparently they don't use little hammers to test reflexes any more. Is he okay?”

“He has... anger management issues. If you're done, I'll walk back to your quarters with you.”

Rogers shrugs on his jacket and stands. A wave of vertigo washes over Phil: Rogers just seems so damn tall, like he could just squash Phil. Which he could.

“I know that looked bad,” Phil says, as they step out into the hall, “but Dr Banner suffers from a... condition that makes him extremely strong when he's angry. It's not always possible to calm him down any other way.”

“I understand,” Rogers says, but his uncertainty is obvious. It wouldn't be the first time that someone's thought that S.H.I.E.L.D. is some kind of evil government organisation. People watch way too much TV.

A Week in the Life of Highly Respected SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson