Need a Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners.

AN: So after the looks on Coulson and May's faces when Bobbi and Lance were arguing and the nod and wink between May and Bobbi I couldn't get over this idea I had of Coulson, Bobbi and May being old friends so I wrote this. SPOILERS FOR AGENTS OF SHIELD 2X05

Even though Skye has joined her for morning Tai-Chi May still finds herself doing evening or afternoon tai-chi alone. The quiet is nice but she does miss Skye talking but as she hears the sounds of heavy footsteps coming from hallway May realises her quite isn't going to last long. With a loud bang the door bursts opens and Bobbi walks in, over to her and sits on the nearby table.

"How do you do it?" Bobbi asks

"Do what?" May responds, though she has a pretty good idea of what Bobbi is asking.

"Work with your ex-husband." Bobbi asks and Melinda realise that any chance of finishing her Tai-Chi is done, her friend needs a drink and a friend.

"I know where Coulson hides the expensive alcohol, interested?" May asks curious.

"Very." Bobbi responds and May just gives an eyebrow raise which Bobbi learnt long ago to mean follow me, so that's what she does.

After leaving the kitchen May and Bobbi head up to Coulson's office where May enters without knocking.

"Out." May says as they enter.

"Excuse me?" Coulson asks surprised.

"Hunter's being Hunter so Bobbi needs a drink and you have the good stuff hidden in here." Melinda explains.

"I don't understand how that equals me being kicked out of my own office." Coulson responds though honestly it wouldn't be the first time as he remembers back pre Bahrain where he was kicked out of his apartment by May, Bobbi, Natasha Romanoff, Isabelle Hartley and Maria Hill.

"It equals you being kicked out because we're going to be talking about how to deal with working with our ex-husbands." Bobbi says as May grabs a bottle of scotch out of the back of the middle draw of the filing cabinet and she sits down on the table, "You can stay if you really want to." She tells Coulson.

"Let me know when I can have my office back." Coulson says before leaving his office, planning on going to have a few words with Lance Hunter.

As they watch Coulson hurry out both Melinda and Bobbi feel a sense of nostalgia as they remember the past, back when things were simpler.

After being forced from his office Coulson heads to the Bus where he knows Skye, Hunter, Mac, Fitz, Tripp and Simmons are celebrating Simmons return.

"HUNTER." Coulson yells as he walks into the upper level of the plane where all the younger agents are sitting on the couches talking, drinking beer, and throwing Hunters soccer ball around.

"Sir?" Lance asks concerned as every single other person the plane gives him a look which says 'what the hell did you do'.

"Thanks to your behaviour I have been kicked out of my own office by May and Bobbi." Coulson informs the younger man.

"Seriously?" Skye asks amused but Coulson ignores her comment for now.

"Agent Morse is here and she is here to stay and you will find a way to deal with that that doesn't result in me losing my office." Coulson tells Hunter.

"Why am I the one getting this lecture and not her?" Lance asks.

"Because I learnt long ago that if Melinda May and Bobbi Morse kick me out of my own place then neither of them are interested in talking and it's better to leave it at that." Coulson informs Hunter.

"They've kicked you out of your own office before sir?" Tripp asks curious.

"It wasn't my office and it wasn't just the two of them but yes." Coulson informs Tripp, "You need to handle this Hunter."

"Yes Sir."

"Here, you look like you could use this." Skye says passing Coulson one of the beers of the table.

"Thanks."

Back in Coulson's office both May and Bobbi are on their second glass of scotch. Bobbi is sitting on the table with her legs on one of the chairs while Melinda is sitting on one of the chairs with her feet on the table.

"Seriously how do you do it?" Bobbi asks, "I need some advice here Mel." Bobbi tells her friend knowing that it isn't the first time she's asked Melinda for advice as when she joined SHIELD Melinda had been a part of the organization for a long time and just like she did when Natasha and Maria joined Melinda took Bobbi under her wing so to speak, looked out for her, and she also knows that it won't be the last time she asks for advice either.

"It's different for Phil and I, our divorce was different, our marriage was different." Melinda tells her friend.

"True." Bobbi admits with a nod, "You two would still be married if it wasn't for Bahrain. Hunter and I on the other hand were never meant to last" she comments.

"A lot of things would be different if it wasn't for Bahrain." Melinda says in a quiet voice and the pair drift into silence, "Don't let him bait you." Melinda finally says about five minutes later.

"Huh?"

"Don't let him bait you Bobbi, don't rise, keep calm, that should irritate him enough to stop being himself until he can find another way to annoy you." Melinda explains.

"Huh, that just might work." Bobbi admits, "Have you heard from Nat or Maria lately?" she asks curious.

"I talked to Nat last week and Maria a few weeks ago."

"They okay?"

"Yeah." Melinda answers, "Nat's out of the country figuring a few thing out and Maria's trying not to kill Stark, they're good." She tells Bobbi who has to laugh at that.

"What about you? You okay?" Bobbi asks interested.

"You've been undercover with Hydra for months, shouldn't I be asking you that?" Melinda asks.

"You're avoiding the question. What's wrong?" Bobbi asks realising right away that there is something that her friend isn't saying, something that she needs to say.

"I'm glad you're here Bobbi, really, I've missed you, but don't ask that question." Melinda requests her voice completely serious.

"Mel." Bobbi starts to say but Melinda cuts her off.

"Bobbi please." She tells her voice a vulnerability to it that Bobbi has only heard in it less than a handful of times.

"Ok, I'll drop it." Bobbi says, though she is still very concerned, "But if you change your mind and want to talk I'm here. Phil did ask me to stick around after all." Bobbi says and Melinda takes a mouthful of her drink as even though she is pretty positive that he would never admit it Melinda suspects that one of the reasons why Coulson wants Bobbi on the team is to look out for her in case she has to keep the promise she made to him.

On the plane Coulson has joined in on the sitting, drinking and throwing the ball around and it almost feels like the old days, that things are back to the way they should be, that he doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulder.

"Sir if you don't mind me asking when and where did Agent Morse and Agent May kick you out off?" Simmons asks curious eager to know more about the older agent, and not the stories Hunter has been telling.

For about a minute Coulson debates whether or not answer, he is almost positive that he isn't then he sees the looks on not just Simmons face but Skye, Tripp, Fitz, Mac and even Hunter's and decides to, "It was a long time ago." Coulson reveals, "May and Bobbi along with Hartley, Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff kicked me out of my apartment." He explains, "The five of them are good friends, were very close back in the day." He reveals.

"Why did they kick you out of your place? Didn't one of them have an apartment of their own?" Skye asks curious

"They were all living in base bunks back then, I was the only one who had an apartment." Coulson explains, "They let themselves in and told me to go met up with some friends of mine." He explains.

"So they broke into your apartment and kicked you out?" Tripp asks, "That's cold." He comments.

"They didn't have to break in May had a key." Coulson explains the words out of his mouth before he realises what he said.

"Why did May have a key to your place?" Skye asks interested.

"Wait. May, Bobbi doesn't call her Mel does she?" Hunter asks curious saving Coulson from having to answer Skye's question.

"She does." Coulson confirms, "Why?" he asks curious.

"Because Bobbi was always talking about her friends Mel, Nat, Izzy, and Maria. Apart from Izzy I was never sure who they were." Hunter explains, "Huh, that answers a lot of questions." He realise.

"You still haven't answered mine." Skye says looking at Coulson, "Why did May have a key to your apartment?" she asks.

"I should go make sure Bobbi and May haven't destroyed my office." Coulson says standing up, "I'll see you later." He says before leaving the younger agents.

"Did he just totally avoid my question?" Skye asks the others and receives nods from all of them in response, "I thought so." Skye mutters to herself wondering why he wouldn't answer.

"That's very odd." Fitz comments, wondering why he wouldn't answer.

"It is." Mac says looking like he is pondering something, "Hunter what do you remember Bobbi saying about her friend Mel?" He asks curious and after about a minute of thinking Hunter starts to tell the others everything he remembers Bobbi saying about Mel.

When Coulson enters his office he finds Bobbi and May sitting in the same places they have been sitting since they started drinking, the only thing that has changed is that now over a quarter of the bottle is gone.

"What can we do for you Phil?" Bobbi asks when he walks into his office.

"My office Bobbi, I don't need a reason to be here." He tells her, "Though I thought I would make sure that you haven't destroyed anything yet." He tell them.

"We told you that was Izzy and Nat." Melinda informs Coulson.

"Yeah I know, thought I would come check though." Coulson responds.

"Want to join?" Bobbi asks curious, "We've stopped talking about working with our ex-husbands." She reveals, "Now we're talking about all the awful missions we've done." She says as she pours Coulson a glass.

"Have you talked about Lisbon yet?" Coulson asks curious as he loosens his tie and walks over to the table.

"That was first." Melinda answers.

"Five person team, undercover no backup, getting shot at, good times." Coulson says sitting down and Melinda snorts.

"Only you Phil." She tells him.

"Come on May you have to admit that mission was one you'll never forget." Coulson comments.

"How can I when you consistently bring it up." Melinda responds.

"He's right though Mel. It was pretty unforgettable." Bobbi comments.

"Weren't most of our missions back then?" Melinda asks as she downs the rest of her drink, "Hunter was meant to do innovatory on the armoury, I'm going to go make sure he's done it." Melinda says standing up and leaving the room.

"Okay, what's going on?" Bobbi asks Coulson once Mel has left.

"What do you mean?" Coulson asks

"With you and Mel, what's going on?" she asks.

"Nothing." Coulson lies.

"Phil I've known you both too long for either you to be able to lie to me. Something's bothering you and something bothering Mel, what is it?" she asks and Coulson is quite, "Phil you're my friends, let me help you." She says to her boss who is also her friend.

"In the coming months something might happen and if it does Melinda's going to need a friend." Coulson says to Bobbi.

"Something may happen. Can you be any less vague?" She asks interested.

"No." Coulson answers, "All I can say is that if it happens Melinda's going to need you, she's going to need her friend, need you to look out for her, even if she won't admit it." Coulson tells Bobbi leaving off the 'because I won't be there too' that he is thinking.

"She's got me, she's always got me." Bobbi tells Coulson, "She's practically my big sister I always look out for her and I always will."

"Thank you."

"Now are you going to tell me what the hell this is about?" Bobbi asks, "Phil please." Bobbi says using a similar tone to the one May used earlier.

"Put the scotch back when you're done." Coulson says getting up and walking out of the room leaving a very confused and concerned Bobbi.

THE END