AN: I own nothing I just like playing in this sandbox. I do not own the music or pop culture referenced in here. The shield things belong to Marvel, "Can't help falling in love" belongs to Elvis Presley and Elvis Presley Enterprises.
The story title is taken from song lyrics: She's Burning By The Treasures. I do not own it!
I changed Simmons and Ward's initial meeting for story purposes. I do not read the comics I'm an MCU fan. Also, Pyloria is not real I made it up.
This is my first foray into Shield Fic & this pairing please be gentle, reviews would be greatly appreciated! I got more in my head if people show interest! Thanks Again!-MM
His fascination with Jemma Simmons begins rather inauspiciously. She's bent over in a skirt that does nothing for her in fact it makes her look like a grandma but he's drawn in because she's talking to herself in twelve syllable words as her head is stuck into a huge storage bin.
Always the gentleman he offers assistance "Need a hand Agent? "He leaned on the glass doorway casually.
She popped up like a Pop Tart on meth "Oh, Oh, you aren't Fitz." She said flustered.
"Nope I'm not. Grant Ward OPS. Level Seven. " He said plainly.
"Jemma Simmons, Sciences…" She stammers just a bit and he's pretty sure she'd hadn't actually forgotten her clearance level but she'd caught herself staring at his chest or maybe his biceps as he'd just crossed his arms. Besides, he knows she's a five clearance wise. Scale wise under all that hound's-tooth wool and ugly sweater he'd bet she was at least an eight.
She must not be used to attention from men; his stare has got her blushing.
"What were you looking for?" He asked smirking at the pink creeping up her cheeks.
"My solar power centrifuge." She retorted with a resolute nod as her ponytail bounced.
His brows crunch down. "That's a thing? Like a real one?"
"Yes, Fitz and I created most of our machines to be powered off the plane itself. Wind power, sun and the like it was quite ingenious while being simple." She lit up when she talked science and he really liked it.
Fitz arrives breaking the moment is he took his leave giving her a little wink.
Sometime later she is explaining something to the group. To everyone else he seems distracted but he's truly not, he instead chooses to listen to the rapid fire way she speaks, the rat a tat- tat rhythm of it. It's a nice contrast to her silence when he's within five feet of her without Fitz.
-/-/-
He figures out she's attracted to him in the oddest of ways, she hardly ever speaks to him alone so when one late night as they're flying over Burma and he's cleaning his gun to the sound of his IPod playing a rocked up version of "Can't Help falling in love with you."
She stomps over to his bunk. Her hair a totally slept on mess a Taylor Swift sleep shirt hitting her thighs. Her socked feet barely encroaching on his space. "Please stop whatever that is; it's butchering my favorite song! It's awful and woke me up from a deep respite. I don't care how charming and classically handsome you are nothing excuses your absolute shit taste in music or the complete disregard for classic music." She stands with her hands on her hips.
He replied giving her a sly up down glance "Uh says the Taylor Swift fan!"
She justified sounding more miffed by the second. "This was a gift from Fitz."
He looks her in the eyes and replies. "Then thank him for me Jemma. You got nice legs."
She sputters and flushes and he honest to God smiles and has to fight a laugh. "You're a pretty lady Jem, get used to me speaking my mind where you're concerned."
"Why? Why would you having even so much as a lingering interest in me?" She inquired. Jemma's own beauty was seemingly lost to her.
He sighed leaning back in his seat. "My whole life has been one protracted battle as you might say and I've gotten used to it. I like a good fight, I like complications, and learning on the fly. You're right though women come easy to me. Something tells me you wouldn't know simple or easy if it bit your bum." He smiled. "I enjoy the challenge you present Jemma."
"I will not be some conquest." She retorted and scurried off before could form a reply.
-/-/-/-
Their first mission together is at The Pylorian Embassy, Pyloria is a tiny country incased within Europe itself. The fledgling country is in the throes of a money fueled and very bloody civil war. Somehow the countries politicos got their hands on A S.H.I.E.L.D. manufactured biological agent engineered to debilitate a rogue Avenger. Jemma must steal it back; Coulson had said she was the brains and Ward the brawn.
-/-
Jemma is not all comfortable or confident in her abilities in such unpredictable conditions so in preparation she sets up an entire backstory for both herself and Ward.
"Couldn't you have made me cooler?" He whined as seem to take over the very air in her lab.
"Activism is cool." She answered. "It seemed fitting considering your familial background." She extrapolated further as she hung up her lab coat.
He glared at her with a positively sour expression. "What are you my tree hugging Jackie O?"
"Go put on the suit Agent." She put her foot down firmly. Fitz hadn't even noticed he was too busy with his night, night gun but as Ward skulks off she is proud of herself.
-/-/-
When she steps off the bus he is bowled over. She wears a mini dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline. The skirt is turquoise organza. Her hair and makeup is masterfully done. Her lips are a deep wine red and her hair falls over one like Veronica Lake. He knows he has to be careful because the shy smile and long legs could definitely become a thing for him.
He wordlessly helps her into the car then they are delivered to a moderately fancy mansion, he makes small talk on the way. He just likes the way she talks and will give her any reason to do so.
"Any extra details I should know?" he asked.
"We were married April 1, 2004. We have two children. Maria and Nikola ages nine and seven. "She says then picks nervously at the edges of her dress.
He laughed shaking his head slightly. "Seriously, the kids are named after scientists?"
"Nice catch." She allowed only one corner of her mouth lifts in a smile.
"You married young only seventeen." He comments having done the mat of their fictional life wondering if it would trip her up.
"I was pregnant at the time quite the scandal in our tiny little North Dakota town." She retorted.
"This is very in depth Jemma." He said conversationally.
"Because I'm a very bad liar who has no in field experience." She said as the doors opened and she stands on shaky legs in front of Pyloria's press corps.
"Easy there Darlin'." Ward swoops and grabs her hand pulls her into him dodging every question. Once they're inside he kisses the back of Jemma's hand and speaks softly as though he is speaking lovingly to her. "We're in." he said into the comm device that doubled as a bracelet.
"Whoa!" he said having caught of the huge rock on her hand.
"It was my grandmother's."
"And what's the story there?"
"That is for you to decide you are the man after all." She smiled. "Darling could you help me find the loo?" he asked him.
And went with it. "We just left the house Laura!"
"Yes well you try birthing two monstrously sized children then you may comment on bladder control." She flounced off away from him. "Je-Damn it Laura." He starts after her ignoring the door man.
He finds her mounting the stairs. "Urine was the best you had Simmons?"
"It worked! The guard stopped looking and the party is in full swing. "They split off to search the floors.
"I can hear your Comm Jem, just relax and look around." He reminds her and picked a direction. Luckily f Fitz had outfitted them both with tiny receivers that looked like freckles nestled inside their ears.
After a bit of searching on the second floor he finds a false cabinet in the library that opened to show a huge refrigeration unit. "Honey I think I found the ladies room." He said still going with the ridiculous code at half volume in case they were being listened to by party goers.
"Where?" She said softly as though she is in his head.
"Second floor third door to the left."
She appears quite quickly, she pulls a tiny yellow square from her top and unfolds it to reveal a contamination prevention suit. He thinks to himself as she puts it on, women really can fit anything in a bra. He holds open the large fridge door as she walks in and hurries to remove the vials from the walk in fridge she puts them in her biohazard container disguised as a purse. She strips off the plain yellow suit and kicks it aside and walks out all proficiency and grace as he closed everything up as the cabinet clicked closed the library door knobs turned.
He beckons her over with a head nods and when she's within arm's reach he yanks her to him. Seconds before the doors open his mouth land on hers a little crookedly he doesn't give either of them time to think.
. She gets the message and kisses back. Her mouth opens and he dives into explore the softness of her mouth, the sharp edges of her teeth. The quick tease and retreat of her tongue. They're both forgetting all together they're trying to sell something. He just cradles her against his body and kisses her seeing no real reason to stop. She nipped at his bottom lip with a gentle bite that makes him chuckle softly into her smile. His hands are moving into her hair when he hears a drunken giggle as the lights flip on. He released her begrudgingly. "Come on Laur, we've been caught lets ditch this thing and go home."
"Okay." He tugs her along as she looks a bit hazy but those drunk and or stoned teenagers just think she's drunk herself.
In the darkness of the car he breaks the tense silence. "For someone who can't lie you're a damn fine actress."
"Who said it was an act. You can't fake attraction that real Grant. It's chemically impossible." She grins at him all smarts and sex appeal and knows as sure he knows the night night pistol is still off, she lit something inside him. She's racing through his veins and he wants to chase the high more than anything in the world.
Turns out Grant Ward really likes Jemma Simmons.