Can I open my eyes yet?
"Can I open my eyes yet?" Daisy asks, and Coulson chuckles.
"Almost," he says. He hears her sigh in a long-suffering way that he suspects is fake, then feels her relax a little more despite the fact she couldn't see where he was leading her, her body leaning back a little more against the arm he's got wrapped around her upper back as he guides her through the halls of the Playground.
"Stop here," he says quietly, and she does, then he shifts so he's standing beside her: he wants to see her expression when she sees the surprise he's arranged for her. "Now you can open your eyes."
She does, and the effect of his surprise is everything he'd hoped for, and more: her jaw drops, and she clutches at his right arm so tightly he suspects there'll be fingermarks on his skin, then she claps her hands over her mouth as tears come into her eyes.
"Phil," she gasps, and he grins, feeling tears pricking at his own eyes.
"Happy birthday, Daisy."
She hurries forward, toward the two waiting figures, and the younger of the pair rushes to meet her.
"Ace! Mike!" she exclaims, and hugs them both, one arm around each, and they hug her back, Ace already talking rapidly, and Coulson smiles in pleasure at their mutual delight in seeing each other.
He's just thinking of sneaking away and leaving them to it when Daisy turns and her eyes beckon him closer. He moves into her vicinity, and she lets go of Mike and Ace so she can wrap her arms around him instead.
"Thank you so much, Phil," she whispers against his ear, then he feels her lips brush the side of his face, and he bites the inside of his cheek, feeling guilty for wanting more.
"We've come to take you out to lunch," Mike tells her, and she slowly disentangles herself from Coulson.
"That'll be brilliant," she says happily. "Now?"
Mike nods, and Daisy grins, then slips her arm through Coulson's. "Let's go, then."
"Oh no, hang on," he says – he had no intention of going with them, but Daisy gives him a look, as if she can't believe he'd refuse her anything today, of all days, so he subsides and lets her lead them out of the Playground, her arm still casually looped through his, as if this is something she does every day.
DJ-PC-DJ-PC-DJ
They have a very enjoyable lunch, then go for a walk away from prying ears, so that they can talk with Mike in a bit more detail about the work they're currently doing, and Coulson, at Daisy's instigation, and backed up by Ace's curiosity, finds himself comparing his prosthetic arm to Mike's – of course, Mike's can fire missiles, which Coulson's cannot, for which he's devoutly grateful.
He and Daisy see Mike and Ace off around 7pm, then they head back to the Playground where Phil makes them a light supper that they eat in Daisy's office. It used to be his, of course, and was Jeffrey Mace's after that, but these days it's Daisy's, and he cannot pretend he doesn't enjoy spending time in there – although the truth is that anywhere Daisy is to be found is somewhere that he enjoys being.
"Thank you so much for today, Phil," she says when they finish eating and they're drinking coffee on the couch in the corner of her office.
"You're welcome," he tells her, giving her a sleepy, satisfied smile.
"You realise, of course, that you've set the bar very high for how I'm going surprise you in 6 days time?"
"What? No!" he says immediately. "Daisy, you know you don't have to do – "
She places her index across his lips. "Phil," she says, her tone almost stern. "Of course I don't have to, but you're my best friend, and the closest thing I've got to family, so I want to."
He sighs, and she removes her finger, then she leans in and kisses him lightly. "Daisy?"
"Oh sorry, was I supposed to wait for you to give the birthday girl a kiss?" she asks, her tone teasing, but her expression intense.
"Well, that is traditional," he says, wondering if she knows how much his heart is thumping in his chest out of fear and excitement.
She arches her eyebrows at him, and he chuckles softly, then reaches out and cups the back of her neck with his right hand. He draws her closer, then presses his lips to hers.
"Really, Phil?" she murmurs against his mouth. "I was so sure Agent Charm School could do better – "
He cuts off the rest of her sentence, and she kisses him back eagerly once he begins kissing her properly. He's not entirely sure this is the wisest move, but at the same time, he knows that they've been pretty much on the brink of this since they first met.
She moves to sit on his lap, without breaking the kiss, which is pretty impressive, he thinks – but then again, Daisy's always been impressive.
"You're thinking too much, Phil," she mutters, and slips her right hand between their bodies to cup his burgeoning erection through his pants.
"Shouldn't we take this somewhere else?" he suggests.
"Let's," she agrees immediately, and he tries not to whine as she slides off his lap, he likes the weight of her body on his a little too much, he thinks.
She holds out her hand, and he takes it, then lets her lead him the short distance along the hall to her quarters.
As she closes and locks the door behind them, he turns and smiles at her. "I know what I want to do for my birthday," he tells her, and she cocks an enquiring eyebrow. "A weekend away – just the two of us."
"Well, Agent Coulson, it just so happens I'm tight with the Director so I can probably fix that for you." Daisy's smirk is glorious, and he can't help pinning her to the door and kissing her until they're both breathless and desperately aroused.
"That's good, Daisy," he tells her when he finally pulls away and lets her lead him to her bed. "Very good."
"I'm glad you think so, Agent." She stops near the bed, then asks, in an entirely serious tone, "You want this?"
"God, Daisy, I've wanted you forever."
She nods. "Then why don't you wish me a happy birthday, Phil?"
He smirks, then quickly begins undressing her. "Happy birthday, Daisy."