Aww, poor Coulson. He's such a nice character, it's sad to read these thoughts of his, feeling like he doesn't matter. I thought this story was simple, but very meaningful. Having Coulson's direct thoughts in the story added lots of emotion to the story.

[A soft beep echoed in the otherwise silent room. He heaved a sigh as he gazed at the pristine white ceiling. His finger tapped against his thigh. A few moments passed before he glanced about the small sterile room. Apart from him, it was devoid of life. And very boring.] Great job setting the scene of a hospital. You really made it sound like a boring, lonely, miserable place.

[he didn't quite qualify for special treatment.] If only he knew they'd used T.A.H.I.T.I, the treatment supposed to be used only for the fall of an Avenger. Then, he would feel much more valued.

[I'm basically cellophane.] This reminded me of the song "Mr Cellophane" from the musical Chicago. I thought that fitted perfectly with the story, since the song is all about being unnoticed and feeling unimportant.

I didn't come across any spelling, grammar or punctuation errors, so well done for that.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this piece of writing.

Well done! Keep up the excellent writing!

Jaz

This was a nifty short piece. I'm glad to see that Phil survived that awful attack because I always believed that was the end of him. Those thoughts of worthless were depicted clearly in this piece. Also, he risked his life for the team. The team does appreciate him, but they aren't good at showing it.

Thanks for this lovely piece.

Hiya Blue!

I really enjoyed this story. Very short, but there was so much in this emotionally that many (including myself) wouldn't be able to include. I love this small look at a scene in the life of Phil Coulson. I like that you didn't make this extremely angsty but rather wrote a story about appreciation, and poor Coulson gets the film of dust in the bucket of respect and appreciation.

Something that I really appreciate is how you degenerate his thoughts, and how you can see how he's trying to stay positive about the situation he's in... -So glad that Fury thinks this is best. - This line is the beginning of hat logic especially with the hints of his mindset prior when you say :Apart from him, it was devoid of life. - An interesting line considering he's supposed to be dead. _...

So, so glad…- I love how seamlessly you show his next thoughts and show that this positivity is becoming sarcastic and his ability to think best of Fury's actions are fading.

It had been two weeks so far... he was trapped in the quiet room while recovering... several weeks before he could even consider light work - I love this paragraph... I didn't highlight everything, just points that stood out. I know it would have to suck to be stuck somewhere and the only glimmer of hope was the time when he could even consider doing light work. It's a messed up situation because like him, I'd be wondering if keeping him there was also keep the Avengers at bay.

Is a simple thank you that hard? - I feel him here. Sometimes, all we want is a thank you. I like the the sarcastic tone in the line.

he was invisible... He wasn't anything more than a peon - In the workplace, there's always that 'Phil Coulson' person who is only visible when people need him and in that way, I empathize with him. He's been locked up into this place, without so much a thought, anything to keep him sane and with his positive outlook fading: reality hits him. He is just the invisible man. _ Poor guy.

The real issue, and the reason he stewed, had been when Fury brought him his collector Captain America cards—now stained in blood. His most prized possessions had been destroyed so that the boss could fool a bunch of heroes into fighting off an invasion. Sure, they needed to fight, but why did the cards have to be destroyed in the process? - I chuckled at this line. And this here, it really epitomizes who Coulson is. lol. I just love this line. This would totally be me.

Does Fury even care? Does he even realize I'm a human being with feelings? - Lmao... poor Coulson... not respected and now he's alone with his ruined cards. A constant reminder of all that he does for his job.

I'm basically cellophane. - And this story is amazing! I really loved it! )

Good job on another story,
Until Next Time,
Neo

Hellur! Somewhat canon-blind...it's been an extremely long time since I saw the Avengers, but I shall be brave nonetheless. ONWARD!

First off, I give you buckets and buckets of kudos for writing a piece about a minor character (at least, from what I sort of remember). Of course I've never ventured into the Avengers fandom to see how often minor characters are given the spotlight, but still; when I see pieces giving them some lovin', it gives me hope and a new level of respect for a writer. So far, you're cool with me :)

In just a few words, I was able to vividly envision the isolation that Agent Phil was feeling; just describing his room with its 'pristine white ceiling' and the fact that it's 'small' and 'sterile' really set the stage for the rest of his internal monologue. Poor Agent Phil :( I work in a hospital in the dietary department where I take meal orders from patients via telephone, and it always breaks my heart when a patient tells me that they haven't had anyone to talk to and that they feel so alone. Throughout this entire piece, I wanted to pick up the phone and try to call his room!

And you know, as much as I wanted to say "No, Agent Phil, that's not true", he really is right about the Avengers would be treated if one of them were in the hospital (or wherever they go to recover from injuries...). It took me a second to remember who Fury was, but after I brought the mental picture up, I was like "oh, yeah, he would so make sure they were taken care of". And it would make sense for him to ignore the care of one of his 'peons', as Agent Phil so delicately calls himself in order to focus on the heroes.

"Does he even realize that I'm a human being with feelings?" OH MY GOSH, THE FEELS! ;_; I see that you're a human being, Agent Phil! Fury's just a big ol' blockhead, you just ignore him...

Not sure what cellophane is as I'm writing this...I'll have to go Google it. For something as short as this, it was a wonderful read! Thanks so much for writing it! See you around!

Aww. *sniff* I love this. You definitely pegged the feeling of not mattering. Poor Phil.

This is such a sweet oneshot. It isn't long, but there's clearly a lot of work put into it. Every phrase fits to the next one perfectly, and they all work together, and it ends in just the right spot.

I tried to choose a specific part that I liked. I really did. But in reality, I liked all of it. I liked how he was sad about his trading cards being ruined, how you described the hospital room, just... everything. You are an amazing writer.

I love how I find out at the end of the piece that the cards are actually of Captain America. I imagined that they were playing cards or a metaphor in some way for people being like cards—easily discarded. Fantastic twist at having them be something that was more personal for Phil.

This section: ((The real issue, and the reason he stewed, had been when Fury brought him his collector Captain America cards—now stained in blood. His most prized possessions had been destroyed so that the box could fool a bunch of heroes into fighting off an invasion.))—it does goes to show my theory about humans being expendable. In this case it was Phil’s feelings, his private possessions that became expendable for the sake of fighting off an invasion. He wasn’t asked about his opinion or whether or not he minded that the cards be used to rally together the Avengers and get them to fight. They were just used and then returned to him in a condition less than when he’d last seen them. It paints his boss as being a thoughtless jerk, one who only cares about the end game more than he cares about individual feelings.

This piece was wonderfully written I feel even though I am not as familiar with Phil as I am with Tony at this point. You represent the complication that arises when you are someone that is “part of the team” but yet “not.” It’s clear that Phil is feeling the strain of being kept isolated. That touch of isolation—no family, no friends, nothing while he recuperates just strikes a hard note in the heart because humans are a social species. That Phil was grievously injured and has virtually been left to his own devices is playing a serious chord within me because of how lonely and empty I expect that he must feel. Absolutely fantastic job!

to be fair. asgard isn't really alien. unless you use alien in the sense of being strange and mysterious as opposed to extraterrestrial.

like how you characterized coulson in this story, and compared him to amos or whomever the guy in chicago was.

Well, not what I was expecting here, but in a very good way. I kept having flashes to Agents of Shield, so imagine my surprise at this, but I like surprises.

I like how this story is about bitterness. Coulson, who was the eager fanboy in all of us at the sight of his heroes, now realizes how alone he really is in being one. Of course it's good he survived but Fury took advantage of his loss as a way to manipulate the world. No matter how high he gets in pursuit of being someone powerful and helpful in SHIELD, in the end, he's stuck as Fury's pawn.

Like the Avengers.

He probably doesn't realize that, but the big heroes are just as much pawns as him, useful only for saving the world when Fury can't. They're only given shinier treatment so their egos don't get deflated too much and they can't fight. Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side.

I was really amused by his disdain for Tony and Thor though. They both are rather meatheaded in their own ways.

His poor cards. That really sticks because in the movie it was a tearjerker for an entirely different reason. They were really used here and knowing that hurts the most. because Fury would do it and did, because he believed in doing what was right over doing what was easy.

It doesn't make it any nicer of a pill to swallow though.

Great little piece you did here Blue! Catch you later!

Oh wow. I really liked this. And yet the fact that Fury was right and his "death" did mean something to the Avengers proves that he's not as invisible as he thinks he is. Fury should have been more sensitive about the cards though. A "Sorry" or a "Thank you" would go a long way. I'd like to think Steve would find a way to replace them, autographed, when he finds out Coulson isn't really dead.

The character in Chicago is even sadder, I think, because he is correct in his perception. People don't know his name because he's an idiot (his wife is having his baby, yet he hasn't had sex with her) and a doormat (he lets the lawyer walk all over him and pays him to do it). Phil is NOT an idiot or a doormat and people don't really think he is; he just misinterprets their preoccupation with other crap as some fault of his.

If Fury had any kind of heart, he'd tell Pepper, swear her to secrecy, and let her come visit. Maybe she could find the cellist who moved away. Just because she had to move doesn't mean she didn't care about Phil. Pepper would at least bring a balloon and a card, pat his hand, and commiserate with him about how it feels to be unappreciated for putting up with dirty jobs with no recognition or thanks. But that would require Fury having a heart and I'm not sure Fury has time for that.

Very nice little vignette. YAY for Phil!

This was seriously awesome! I always wished someone would do a story about the cards, and about Coulson. It's only too bad he felt like he wasn't appreciated, even after taking one for the team, so to speak. Also, I like that Coulson didn't die because I had always assumed that was the end of him. So that was pretty refreshing. And I love that Coulson is a little bitter about the fact that he's reduced to jobs that he feels do not play on his skills and demean him a bit. I don't blame him for that. LOL...but why the cards? It's too bad he felt stepped on by Fury. I wonder if he ever will hear that thank you. I quite enjoyed this, especially the last line. Awesome job, dear. I loved it and I love you! :)