"Movies?" He was curious now. "Which ones? I have to admit, I haven't actually been to a movie theater in a few years. I hear from time to time about a few good ones, however." He shrugged a shoulder. "There was always work and assignments to keep me from taking a night off."
Phil went immediately quiet as she explained about her brother, and he finally gave her hand a squeeze, again trying for comfort. "I'm very sorry, Virginia," he said, speaking quietly, leading them to sit on a park bench. "Death is never easy." He considered his words a long time before speaking next.
"Sometimes ... it takes you a little by surprise and you can blame the shock of it. There was nothing you could do, it was one of those thing you can't prepare for. There was a lot of that in the army. We were stationed in ..." again the struggle trying to figure out how to explain this, "...war camps. Africa. Recovering nations or ones between despots or under new ones or without completely. Almost ten years, and yes, quite soon after I joined SHIELD." He gave her the same sympathetic look as before.
"What I'm trying to get at is that ... being prepared for death makes it harder, I think. In my group, we all knew that death could come, there was just always that chance. But we weren't encouraged to dwell on it much, there was too much else to focus on. Maybe that's how we learned to deal with it." Another squeeze of her hand, maybe this time for himself.
"... Cactus." He pondered that, giving it the careful consideration he gave all things. "That might be perfect, actually." His small smile came forwards again, spotting her blush, and then the frown. He also frowned a little, inwardly groaning at his mistake. Never point out a point of contention that the other party is trying to avoid in a social situation.
He had to right the wrong now and give her something else to think about. Preferably not about houseplants or death. Phil hesitate a few seconds before leaning in, going to brush a small kiss against her cheek.