Philinda Forever - One Shots

Tour Guide AU - Part 1

This is a prompt that i came up with a while ago, and gave to the amazing P.H.I.L.I.N.D.A. Prompts tumblr account. But it started nagging me in the back of my head, and I knew a fic was comin', so I wrote it. Enjoy!   

   -nightsisterkaris

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     Exhaustedly stepping off the plane, Travel Magazine reporter Phil Coulson moved through the enormous airport. The signs were thankfully in both Chinese and English, and Phil did his best to navigate his way around. Presenting his passport for entry into China, he waited patiently as the security officials cleared him, letting him in. 

    Once he had his suitcase, Phil hailed a taxi, and stumbled through the few words in Chinese that he had learned prior to the trip as he requested transportation to his hotel. Beijing was crowded, the afternoon sun beating down on his jet-lagged mind and body. It was the middle of the night at home! 

    Hastily making a few notes for his planned article, Phil paid the taxi fee and lugged his suitcase onto the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the packed slabs of concrete, and entered into the freezing air conditioning. Glancing around for the tour guide that he had made arrangements with online, Phil remembered her picture. The woman had seemed no- nonsense, and like she knew her job. (Her resume/description thingy was impressive too, speaking seven languages and promising a well given tour) 

     His suitcase jumped as it rolled over the grouted tile floors, and he quickly checked in with an English speaking desk worker. Receiving his room key, he made one more glance to the lobby where he and his guide had agreed to meet and get acquainted before going out to see some of the city.

    Taking the elevator up, Phil quickly found his room, and set his luggage on the couch before flopping back against the bed. He was soooo tired. He'd been awake for over twenty hours....

    WHAT THIME WAS IT?!?!?! Taking a deep breath, Phil opened his eyes. How long have he been dozing?!?! The curtains to his hotel room had lost their midday glow, and he jumped up to part them. 

    Only to be greeted by the lovely view of nighttime Beijing.

     Phil muttered several words under his breath that his mother would have slapped him for. 

     Glancing at the clock, he was supposed to meet his guide FOUR HOURS AGO.

    Phil desperately tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his shirt, and grab his key card and notepad before racing from his room and down to the lobby.

    A lone woman sat on one of the the couch, one hand holding up a paper sign with 'Phil Coulson' scrawled on it with quick -yet neat- handwriting, the other holding her phone in her lap, where she scrolled the screen.

   "Uh, hi, I'm sorry... I'm Phil." He stuttered, walking over. 

    She looked up, lowered the sign, and he could tell raised an eyebrow. "It's nine o'clock."

     "Yeah." He sighed, and she looked up.

    She was gorgeous.

    Like, wow. Dark hair swirled around her face, and settled just below her shoulders. Her eyes made him freeze, like they could change in a instant, light up with laughter, shine with passion, or stare him down. He wanted to be her friend, get to know her. He wanted to be able to hug her whenever he wanted. He also wanted to stop sounding like a late night romance novel.

   She forced a smile, and Phil went tongue-tied. He hopes that he really did say "My name's Phil" instead of nonsense.

    The woman kept the forced smile, and nodded, before offering her hand. "Call me Melinda. May works too." She said coldly.