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You collapsed in a heap on the cold metal floor the moment you made it on to the Quinjet. Rolling on to your back, you managed to shimmy out of your uniform jacket and throw it to the side, before removing the heavy belt that you kept your weapons on.
“God Damnit, (Y/LN)! What the hell was that shit show back there?” Your unit leader, Jack Rollins was towering over you, glaring down at the easily noticeable red stain that was blossoming across your right bicep.
“What part would that be, Sir? The part where I shot two of the kidnappers and rescued three hostages, or when I saved your ass from the third kidnapper that somebody else missed?” You managed to pull yourself to a sitting position and lifted the sleeve of the tight black shirt that you wore under your uniform. Blood was oozing out of a wound where a bullet had grazed you.
“You could have gotten both of us killed! Why do we train search scenarios, (Y/N)? So you can blow it off whenever you feel like it?”
“I made a call, Sir. The hostile had his gun trained on the group and could begin opening fire at any moment.”
“How’d that call work out for you? You got shot.”
“It’s just a graze, and no one in our team is dead. I’d say it worked out just fine.”
“Did you think to signal before you opened fire? You know, like we trained to do?”
You glanced up into the angry eyes of your team leader. “I didn’t feel that there was time, Sir.”
“Then I guess you won’t object to us drilling it over and over this week, will you, (Y/N)?”
“Sir, no Sir!” Your voice was dangerously on the verge of mockery so you turned your attention back to your wound and away from the man who would make your life hell in training for the next week. You heard a loud huff and the stomping of feet, and knew that he was gone.
“Shit, (Y/N),” one of your fellow S.T.R.I.K.E. team members called over to you as the rest of the team loaded the plane. “That was some mighty fine work back there. If you hadn’t seen that guy in the rafters, a few of us might have been going back home in a box. I bet Rollins still reamed you for it, though, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. He isn’t too happy with me right now,” you grumbled in response. “I reacted instead of acted and even though it saved lives in this case, in any other situation, I could have gotten myself or one of you killed.” With every fiber of your being, you hated to admit that Rollins was correct, but you knew he was. “He was right.”
“You’re damn right he was.” Brock Rumlow, the Commander of your S.T.R.I.K.E. team, took a seat beside you, setting the first aid kit down in front of him. “Excellent marksmanship, but while what you did ended up being successful, it could have easily gone the other way, (Y/N).”
“Yes, Sir,” you groaned, as he began to gently clean away the blood from your arm. You glanced over to Rollins who was already working on his after action report and still looking pissed. “I’m in for a shit storm of training when we get back, aren’t I?”
“Oh I think so. If Rollins doesn’t drill proper procedure into your head, I sure as hell will.” He examined the newly cleaned wound. “Luckily, this doesn’t look too bad. Probably won’t even need stitches.” Seeing the relieved look in your eyes, he grinned. “That doesn’t get you out of getting this checked out. You will still report to Medical when we land, (Y/N). Do you hear me? I ain’t no doctor.”
“Yes, Sir,” you sighed.
You did as you were told. Not that you had a choice. Commander Rumlow escorted you to Medical himself the moment the plane landed, before taking your equipment to secure it for you.
He was right. The doctor examined you and declared that you didn’t need stitches, instead sealing the wound with butterfly bandages. You tried to argue when she announced that she was taking you off active duty for the next ten days, but it did no good. She bandaged your arm and sent you on your way after you completed more paperwork than should be allowed.
After checking to make sure that all of your gear was secure, you headed to your car and made the short drive to your apartment in Arlington. Dumping your tactical bag on the floor by the couch, you wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a cold bottle of water.
As you closed the refrigerator door, two arms curved around your waist and warm lips began trailing kisses along your neck and shoulders. You relaxed and leaned back against the familiar hard muscled body that those lips belonged to, before turning and wrapping your arms around your boyfriend of almost a year, Jack Rollins.
You and Jack met when you were assigned to the lead S.T.R.I.K.E team almost a year and a half ago. The attraction between you was strong and almost instantaneous, but you tried to resist it for as long as you could. That all changed one night when the team went out drinking after a mission and you both gave in, waking up the next morning to find yourselves together in his bed.
You hid your relationship from the rest of the team, knowing that you’d be separated immediately if they found out, especially when Rollins was promoted to second in command. You also compartmentalized your work and personal lives as much as you possibly could.
Jack glanced at your bandaged arm. “What did the doc say?”
“No stitches, but she took me off duty for ten days.”
Jack shrugged. “Could have been worse. Unless something comes up, we are off the next two days anyway.”
“Does that mean that I have you all to myself for the next 48 hours?” You leaned up on the balls of your feet and pressed your lips against his, before running your tongue teasingly across his bottom lip. A groan escaped from him and he pulled you tighter against him.
“46 hours now, but yes, I’m all yours, Beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed you hard, practically taking your breath away, before pulling back and looking down at you. “You scared the shit out of me, (Y/N). When I saw you go down, I thought for sure I was going to lose you.”
“Oh you aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” you replied. “I’ve got an excellent team leader.”
“Yes you do, and he’s going to kick your ass up and down the gym this week so you remember not to pull shit like that again,” he grumbled.
“I figured as much.” You ran your hands under his shirt and lifted it up over his head before discarding it on the counter, revealing an impressively muscled chest. “I’ve got 45 hours and 50 minutes until I have to worry about that, though. What I want to know is what does the man I love have planned for me until then?”
“First a shower. You smell terrible,” he teased as he carefully lifted your own shirt, making sure to gently remove your injured arm. “Then I’m going to take you to bed and not let you leave until I’ve shown you how much I love you. Get in that bathroom quickly, (Y/N). I’m gonna have to help wash you so that you keep this arm dry.” He swatted you playfully on the ass.
“Yes, Sir,” you replied with a cheeky salute, earning another groan from him as you turned to head toward the bathroom.
Hours later, you lay together in the bed, limbs entwined, feeling thoroughly exhausted in the best possible way.
“Do you ever think that we should just stop doing this?” Jack leaned up on one elbow next to you.
“You mean stop seeing each other or sneaking around?”
“I mean that I think we should come clean with Rumlow. I’m sure he suspects it anyway.”
“I think about that a lot actually. I’d love to stop keeping secrets. They’ll move one of us if we do, though. Really, they’ll move me. Rumlow won’t let you go,” you replied with a shrug.
“That’s true, but you know if we were official, S.H.I.E.L.D would do their best to keep us together at the same location, at least. Besides, you know Jenkins has been trying to get you moved to his team for a while. I don’t want to hide anymore, Sweetheart.”
“That doesn’t apply to us just being a couple, Jack. You know that. S.H.I.E.L.D. would only keep us together if we were…….” Realization hit you like a ton of bricks and you looked up into Jack’s green eyes. He smiled at you nervously.
“I perfectly understand the rules, (Y/N), and there is a hell of a lot that we need to talk about, but I’m suggesting that we do something about that. I love you, I’m pretty damn sure that you feel the same and I want you to be my wife. Don’t say anything yet. Hold on. I should do this right.” You watched with shock as he rolled off of the bed and came around to your side, going down on one knee beside you.
“Jack……” You sat up on the side of the bed in front of him.
He silenced you with one finger to your lips. “(Y/N), I’m standing here a lot more naked than I thought I would be when the time came, but also as a man who loves you with every fiber of my being. Will you please make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
“Yes,” you replied with a laugh. “100% yes.” You wanted to say something more, but his lips were on yours almost immediately as he lowered you back to the bed.
The sun was streaming through the window when you woke the next morning with your head resting comfortably on your future husband’s chest. You stretched happily in his arms.
“What do you say we get dressed, get some breakfast and go shopping for a ring,” Jack suggested, holding out your left hand in front of you. “I want everyone to know that you are taken.”
“Yeah? I can’t wear it to work, you know.”
“Well, once word gets out, I suspect people will leave you alone if my reputation does me any good,” he grinned.
The sound of Jack’s phone going off made you jump a little. He groaned as he grabbed it off of the bedside table and answered.
“Yeah, boss? Sure. I can be there within the hour. What? How would I know?” Jack shook his head and grinned over at you. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell her. See you soon.” He hung up the phone and collapsed back down on the bed. “Looks like I was right about Rumlow knowing about us. The team is getting called back in, and he wants me to tell you that since you are not cleared for duty, you can stay at home.”
“This sucks! I don’t want to sit around doing nothing while the team is working,” you grumbled, as you grabbed some clothes out of your drawer for yourself and threw his pants to him.
“It’s nothing super exciting. Just a simple rescue in the middle of the Indian Ocean with Captain America,” Rollins smirked. “It’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship called the Lemurian Star. Pirates took her and are demanding a ransom.”
“Damnit. I can’t believe I have to miss this. Especially the chance to work with Captain freaking America!”
“Well, I’m glad you’ll miss that part, my little fangirl. I might get jealous. Instead, you can do some research into rings you might like, and start thinking about the wedding. If things work out with Project Insight in the next few weeks, we won’t have so many of these missions to go on, and we can focus on our future. Besides, you need all the rest you can get. When they let you come back to work, you are gonna wish that you were still off duty based on that little stunt that you pulled yesterday.” He grabbed you and pulled you toward him.
“Jackass,” you mumbled playfully as he peppered your face with kisses. “You’ll be careful, right Jack?”
“I always am, my love. I’ll be back in just a couple of days.”
Jack returned from the mission in the Indian Ocean just long enough for you to spend a couple of days together and purchase the shiny diamond ring that now rested on your finger. He was right. Commander Rumlow wasn’t surprised in the least when Jack told him of your plans, and your transfer to Jenkins’ team was already in the works with his blessing.
You still had a couple more day left before you could be cleared to be back with the team when Nick Fury was shot and killed in a surprise attack at Steve Roger’s apartment. Once again you had to watch Jack leave while you stayed at home.
You were surfing the internet, looking at wedding websites when the TV program you had going on in the background was interrupted with news about a problem at S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters. You watched in horror as the three Insight helicarriers crashed into the building and your calls to Jack’s cell phone would forever go unanswered.