Philinda

"Her name is Melinda May. And she means everything to me."

- Phil referring to Melinda

Philinda is the het ship between Phil Coulson and Melinda May from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fandom.

Canon
Phil and Melinda are both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who have known each other for an unknown amount of time - they were friends as young S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but no date was given. They are assumed to have known each other approximately 20-30 years.

Season 1
The season starts out with Coulson recruiting people to join his team of agents, and he has May join the team. She doesn't want to do combat work after the events of Bahrain, but he claims to only want her to drive the plane. Within three episodes, she goes back into combat in order to protect him and the team. When he is stressing about whether or not he'd changed after his death, May comforts him and helps. He is taken as a prisoner by Raina and tortured, and May works to get him back, entirely determined to do so. In the episode T.R.A.C.K.S., Coulson is unconscious and May rushes forward, concerned, thinking he's died again. Upon feeling his pulse, she relaxes and even smiles.

During the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., it is revealed that May was actually working under Fury directly, keeping an eye on Coulson to be sure that the alien DNA used to revive him doesn't cause him harm. He's upset that she was keeping secrets from him, but she defends herself. Seeing his anger with her, May leaves the base to stay with her mother and find out more about Coulson's resurrection, returning when she discovers more and working with him to defeat John Garrett.

Season 4
Coulson and May have been kept apart from each other, as well as the team, under the leadership of Jeffrey Mace. Coulson, returning to the base, remarks that he's excited to see May again. May, off on a mission that infects her with a psychological fear response, reacts violently, trying to attack Coulson and anyone else who came near her. She is brought to Holden Radcliffe's home, where he and Simmons attempt to bring May back, through the process of killing her and restarting her heart. During this time, Coulson worries about her and refuses to back down on knowing she's given care. Upon returning to duty, Coulson starts to ask May what she saw when she died, as he has no memories of his own death or what he might have seen. She eventually admits that she saw him when she died.

After a blast puts Coulson, as well as Fitz and Robbie Reyes, between dimensions, he watches as a ghost-like figure as May deals with the possibility that he's dead, and attempts to figure out a way to get her back. This is the first time the 'Haig' is referenced - an alcoholic drink that they promised they would have after a hard mission. May works with Radcliffe, using a demonic book known as the Darkhold, to get Coulson back and is successful, but corrupts the mental capacity of Aida, the LMD Radcliffe created that was used to bring back Coulson, Fitz, and Reyes. Once he's brought back, Coulson says that they should have the drink. In the following episode, they share the bottle of Haig, only for it to be discovered that Aida kidnapped May and replaced her with a robot version of herself.

Coulson and LMD May get closer, with remarks from Daisy and Elena thinking that they should be together or are interested in each other. They kiss while at the library recovering the Darkhold, only for Coulson to learn that it's truly an LMD, and have no idea where the real May is. He searches for her and confronts the human that Aida was based upon, only for her to work with Radcliffe but Radcliffe to reveal that May is alive.

During a flashback episode, it's revealed how May and Coulson were before the current show, and how they acted together, flirting back and forth. At the end of the episode, May mentions Andrew, her future husband, and how she doesn't expect the date to go well. They plan that, if it doesn't, they will go for a drink.

Season 5
After finding out Coulson was dying May told Coulson that she loved him in “The Honeymoon” While under attack on Quavos ship in “The One that will Save is all” Coulson saves himself and May from being shot at with his Sheild and while under attack they kiss with Daisy and Deke present. After Daisy has to use the cure they have for Coulson on herself to defeat Graviton, Coulson and May decide to retire to Tahiti to spend Coulsons last days as a couple.

Fandom
AO3