Title: you don't feel you could love me (but I feel you could)
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairing: Phil Coulson/Steve Rogers
Categories: Alternate Universe, Gender Switch, Romance, Pining, Misunderstandings, Friendship, Romance
Length: Medium (3793 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on DW: sabinetzin
Author Website: sabinelagrande

Author's Summary:

Steve doesn't know what to do about Philippa.

Review:

Meeting your heroes can be a complex experience. On the one hand, they've accomplished something worthy of being called heroic, but on the other hand, they are, by and large, just people, complete with flaws and bad habits. Part of what I enjoy most about Phil Coulson/Steve Rogers as a pairing is the way authors portray the evolution of their interactions, from their initial meeting as hero and fan to the point at which they are simply two equals who find that the other is so much more than what they first seemed to be.

you don't feel you could love me (but I feel you could) (you don't feel) is that story with the additional alternate universe twist of Phil Coulson having been born a female. But part of what makes this story truly charming is not just the way they come to know each other outside of their work at SHIELD, but the protectiveness and support that the other Avengers, Clint and Tony in particular, offer, even to the point of meddling.

Both themes are explored further in the second and third stories of the Concerning Philippa series: why don't we get together, a collection of slice-of-life one-shots from their ongoing relationship and Philippa's childhood, and Buy War Bonds, in which the Avengers attend Tony's Halloween party and Philippa's costume is as surprising to Steve as it is familiar. The whole series is a must-read for anyone looking for good Phil Coulson/Steve Rogers fic.

you don't feel you could love me (but I feel you could)