There was a knock on the door that caught her attention as she began to use her pocket knife to open a box. Most likely it was neighbors probably curious about the various boxes outside in the hallway, but so far the building had been silent.
"Lane, it's meee!" A voice responded on the other side a bit to enthusiastically but she recognized it for sure. Without hesitating she opened the door to Wells Jones on the other side with a very attractive but very suspicious smirk that lit up his dark brown eyes.
"Did you just get here?" she asked leaning against the door.
"I made a side trip" he strode past her into the empty apartment.
"Please come in" she chided behind him as she shut the door and noticed how one hand was resting inside his jacket.
"Wow this is about as inconspicuous as you can get with this place" he pointed out the obvious at the very empty and a bit rugged space she would be staying in, what would hopefully be a couple months. As he stood by the window the late winter sunset's light seemed to make his tan skin glow and make the copper strands in his dark brown hair shine. Lane Harrison felt her stomach flutter at the sight of her handsome partner. The leather jacket he was wearing suited him.
"What'd they set you up with?" she asked him lightly kicking the box she had been opening, to the side with her boot so that they had walking space. He gave a casual shrug and turned towards her.
"Haven't seen it yet. Remember, side trip" he said looking down at his feet.
"You want me to ask you why your hand's in your jacket, don't you?" Lane smirked at him. He gave a comedic roll of his eye's as well as a toothy smile which increased the fluttering in Lane's stomach.
"Well since you asked?" he said pulling his hand out. It was not what Lane had been expecting, granted it wasn't bad, as a small smile crept across her pale heart shaped face at the sight but it was definitely strange.
"Ughh Wells, can I ask why you were hiding a puppy under your jacket this whole time?" she asked as she got down to eye level with the squirming little guy. It was a basset hound that was quite tiny despite being probably almost a year old with ears way to big for his body. He had white paws except for one little brown one on his front left foot. Wells and Lane made eye contact as he passed the little guy to her.
"I had this idea he could help with your cover. You know you could walk him around the city to keep an eye out, plus obviously he could provide protection" he joked.
"Oh yeah he has devious killer written all over him, look at those canines" she retorted back raising the puppy's upper lip in a mock growl to reveal some very harmless teeth.
"Did you get yourself one?" she asked snuggling the dog closer to her as they became acquainted with each other.
"Cat person, plus I thought you could have him for another reason" he told her giving her a look. Lane had to clear her mind for a minute to think about what he could be insinuating until it hit her.
"I'm so sorry" she gasped in realization. She had forgotten that today had meant that it had been officially 3 years now since she and Well's had began their work at SHIELD and two since they had started they're relationship.
Both had worked their way from the ground up as assistants to other agents. Running errands here and there as well as training their asses off to be in the field and now here they were on their first official mission as agents. It wasn't the most difficult of task but it was interesting. Ever since the battle of New York the urgency to find more enhanced subject was at its highest now more then ever to add new recruits to SHIELD and make the world a better place. They were sent to Hell's Kitchen from DC, meant to be on the lookout for a vigilante of sorts trying to take down mobsters one by one in the city as well as be a good Samaritan. Wells and Lane had both assumed that he was most likely skilled in the ways Romanoff or Barton were but the question was could they be an asset or a threat to keep an eye out for. Granted it was no spider kid in Midtown but it gave them the chance to finally be out in the field on their own as agents.
Now as for their two year anniversary that was a different story.
There was no secret that Wells was definitely attractive, hell it seemed to be a secret requirement almost that all SHIELD agents be somewhat attractive but there was more to it than that. They had begun their job on the same day and bonded as stranger's do when stuck in awkward situations together. Back then they had known each other as their real identities, Elizabeth Lane and Jonas Wells.
Every time they passed one another back then they would always make sure to smile or give a wave of politeness. There was nothing new about it, it was just like any other job and Lane knew in about a month or so they'd sort of forget each other but this time was different. About 2 months into their jobs the two were quietly sitting in a break room finding coffee to pass the time while they're mentor's were talking amongst each other in a meeting with Director Fury.
"Here you go, 2 hot cocoa packets and some dark caffeinated coffee" he had told her passing her a mug that she could feel the heat of the drink through, against the back of her hand.
"Yeah!" she agreed in surprise as she took the mug. He had actually guessed how she liked it correctly.
"That's definitely not healthy by the way" he commented as they both leaned against the counter taking sips every now and then.
"But it's delicious! Especially when this stuff just taste like colored water with only a little coffee flavoring on it's own"
"How's it going for you, here so far?" he asked her. She bit her lip in contemplation as she mulled it over.
"Not underwhelming but it's going slower than I thought it would. I still haven't finished reading my training manual. Mainly because my mind falls asleep with the whole vocabulary it uses. Half my job so far has been me successfully winging it" she admitted and heard him chuckle in response.
"What about you, I heard you got the cool mentor Phil?" she asked.
"He is definitely entertaining" he admitted. There was an awkward silence again.
"You're really good by the way" he said out of the blue catching Lane off guard.
"Sure" she agreed sarcastically knowing he was just being nice.
"I'm serious" he told the brunette woman nudging her with his shoulder. She got a strange little side smile at the statement and curiosity found the better of her.
"In what way?" she asked, not as if she was fishing for a compliment but she was genuinely curious to see if he was just being nice or not.
"Well I mean you're fighting could be a bit better and frankly it wouldn't hurt to proofread you're paperwork every now and then but you don't because you procrastinate" he joked but Lane knew that part was correct and wasn't offended by it.
"It's your people skills" Lane didn't hide her laughter as he caught her off guard with that statement.
"Yes because SHIELD is all about helping people with their feelings and because friendship is magic" she joked. It was no secret that Lane was one of the softies around SHIELD and it was definitely a weakness that had been pointed out to her by her mentor but she couldn't help it when it came to working out mock scenarios. She knew it was right to be cold and cut off from situations to get the job done and focus on the bigger picture but then her real personality would come out the more she thought about how what they were doing affected people. It was hard to point a gun at someone if you thought about how you were killing someone's son or a households main provider. Sure the person was terrible but what about the people you were making them leave behind. There wasn't time to discover back stories you had to hope for the best when it all came down to it and know you were saving other's no matter what.
"We can't all be robot's like they want us to be. There's a reason the agency began as a place for wanting to save the world somebody had to have had a heart" he reminded her. She blushed at the comment but knew not to have it boost her ego to much. She found herself becoming even more attracted to her fellow coworker and in a moment of bravery actually found herself flirting with him.
"You're like a hunkier version of Captain America with statements like that"
"Ooo Pshaw" he joked with her mocking embarrassment. There was a silence again but this time it was much more comfortable.
"Well since you are better at fighting than I am would you mind helping me out a bit, if you ever have a free moment?" she asked. It was Wells turn to give her a smile.
"I would not mind at all. Ellie" he told her and she blushed at the nickname. Normally most people called each other around the agency by their last name as a formality and both of them had also decided to have alias's the further they went in their career to protect their families, but the use of her real name sounded nice coming from him. Wells was captivated by the way her eye's showed her emotion's with their light brown color and little flecks of green here and there.
From there it seemed like time had flown by quicker than she had hoped. They had practiced when time had came and went, along with small moments around the agency of just talking with each other, there had definitely been a spark between them that was hard to ignore. Before she knew it, they were already shadowing their mentor's on a mission in New Mexico about some strange astrological reading's that had been spotted several days ago and were in fact happening at the moment they were driving through the desert.
"Wells" she had whispered from their seat in the back of a black SUV as dark storm clouds formed in the sky and a sedentary tornado seemed to appear out of nowhere. Their radio buzzed.
"Kid are you seeing this?" Lane's mentor had called. Their driver sped up to reach the other SUV's up ahead of them, seeing as they had been told to drive at the back of the pack.
"We are in pursuit sir" she had confirmed gripping onto Wells hand as well as the handle up above. By the time they had driven up there was a massive figure standing over Well's mentor, Phil Coulson. It was about the 8 feet tall and shined brightly in the sun with it's metallic covering. It was the first thing they had ever truly seen to prove that this whole Avenger's initiative talk they had heard around the agency was actually real. The sight had given Lane a massive adrenaline rush and clouded her fear at what exactly was going to happen next. Suddenly the head of the massive figure turned towards the car they were in. They had slowly been making their way out at first, wanting to enjoy the A/C as much as they could, but something had caught Wells attention. The figure began to glow an orange color that nearly blinded them and the temperature seemed to rise around the circle of SHIELD agent's crowding around it. Out of reflex Wells knew something bad was about to happen.
"Ellie" he had said nervously and quickly getting her attention. Before she could even have time to react arms had wrapped around her as she was pulled out of the car and the two had almost catapulted away from the vehicle as hot flames shot at the car making it flip over and burst into flames.
It took them both a moment to catch their breath as they had landed on the hard ground.
"You ok?" he asked her as they quickly got up guns at the ready.
"Half my vision is stars at the moment but I'll be fine" she told him more than ready to pull the trigger. Granted it wasn't successful and the stupid thing had ended up walking off like bullets were nothing to it.
"We need car's going off towards that town, their are civilians who need to be evacuated. Wells with me" Coulson assured the team as they began to pile back into the cars.
"Kid, I'm getting you to medical. You probably have a concussion" Lane's mentor informed her taking a look at her dilated pupil's. She made no complaint at the order considering that idea of vomiting was also probably about to become a reality. Most likely the concussion conclusion was correct. But she didn't want to go out so easily.
"I'll be fine" she snapped back at how easy her mentor thought it was for her to fall out. Her mentor smirked at her.
"Today is not the day to be stubborn and prove how tough you are" he said. They both had a stare down for a moment before her body made the decision for her. The more she was out in the sun the darker her vision seemed to get.
"Fine" she agreed climbing into the car. By the time they had hit the road she had blacked out. Luckily it hadn't been a concussion and when she had woken up she was back in her rinky dink motel room with Wells pacing at the end of her bed.
"Hey Ellie" he said softly. His cheek was swollen a bit and there was scrape on his arm but other than that he was fine. It was at that moment that Ellie decided what she wanted to do. Their lives could have nearly ended hours ago and yet here they both were. Wells got a concerned look on his face at her quick movements and looked ready to advise otherwise but was caught off guard as she stood on her toes to kiss him. She found one of his hands move towards the back of her head but quickly made a noise as he touched it right where she had hit it.
"Crap sorry didn't,I-uh-I" he just shut himself up as he kissed her again making her inwardly chuckle at his adorable nervousness.
"It's ok you had a head injury that day, I forgive you" he kissed her cheek.
"Well I will buy you a pizza and go with you to see your new place" she offered.
"Oh pizza definitely trumps the puppy on the romance scale" he assured her not at all bothered when she gave him a playful but slightly hard punch in the arm.
"I would've remembered if someone hadn't slam dunked my head into the ground" she joked back and laughed at the insulted face he made.
"Well next time an extra terrestrial object is attacking us I'll make sure to gladly step to the side and just say oh hey you should really watch out" he assured her.
"Shut your stupidface" she shook her head at him knowing he was kidding.
"Not in front of the child" he said covering the puppy's ears out of respect.
"Does he have a name?" Lane asked him.
"You could call him Wells" he suggested brushing a piece of dark hair behind her ear. She shrank away at the sensation of how ticklish that was, making him laugh.
"I'm going to go with Nemo, you know lucky paw and all" she pointed out. They stood there for a moment admiring the dog and then looked at each other. They almost seemed like a normal couple with their banter and talk of anniversary's and all.
"Tomorrow, we'll do something tomorrow" he assured her getting up from his spot on the window sill. She nodded in agreement, having the boxes just sitting there was going to bother her for the entire night. They heard the sound of a door closing out in the hallway.
"Neighbor's home I take it!" she guessed as the three of them looked up at the sound. Wells gave her a smile before leaning down to kiss her again.
"Bye" he said to her.
"Goodbye" she replied back watching him walk out the door. And with that she went back to work, granted there was no enthusiasm in it even with her phone playing music to help with motivation. After unpacking about two boxes she had lost quite a bit of motivation and called for a break as she tossed a left over meal she had from her road trip, into the microwave. There was a bright flash of light from the box, almost like lightening when it lights up the sky, and Lane began to smell something metallic.
"Shit!" she swore as she quickly swung open the door to the microwave having completely forgot the fact her sandwich was wrapped in tin foil inside it's brown paper bag. She went to remove the bag until it suddenly caught fire.
"Oh shit!" she repeated trying to blow it out but it only caused ashes to fly all over the microwave. She reached into the microwave and grabbed the plate putting it into the sink hoping water would solve the problem. Unfortunately the sink was not working as no water appeared out of the faucet. Nemo was running around the apartment barking at the sight as the fire seemed to grow.
"Yes Lassie I hear you!" she commented as she searched for a bowl and found one in a cabinet, that probably the previous owner had left behind. With that Lane ran out the front door with the small dog behind her at her heels still barking, and tripping over his enlarged ears as she made her way down the hallway.
This isn't how I planned our first meeting to go Lane thought as she started pounding on her neighbor's door. It was quickly opened and before she could even be invited in she ran into it taking a guess at where the sink would be.
"I'msorryIneedyoursink" she said quickly as she turned on the water not even taking notice of her environment. Once it was filled she ran back out leaving Nemo behind with her neighbor, still barking. She tossed the bowl full of water onto the plate and finally the fire went out.
Well if there's any way to prove you're a civilian and not a highly trained professional this was a good way to go she had realized and then strained her hearing at the silence. Lane stuck her head out into the hallway to find a man about several inches taller than her wearing sunglasses? looking very nicely dressed, with Nemo in his arms. He definitely had a rugged look about him with stubble covering his chin. In shorter terms kinda like a paler slimmer Indiana Jones in her opinion, minus the hat.
"He your's I take it?" the man asked walking towards her with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Literally as of today, yes" she stated proudly taking the dog from him and silently complimenting the little guy on his confidence in trying to save the day.
"Sorry, that was severely rude of me by the way. I would have brought cookies at first but I thought setting a fire in my new apartment might be more exciting and unexpected" she joked. Then it suddenly it hit her why he was wearing sunglasses indoors. He was blind.
"I was not expecting it" he assured her making her laugh.
"Lane Harrison, I'm your new neighbor and don't worry I don't often set fire to things"
"Matt Murdock" he nodded at her.
So yeah there that is I have no clue if I'm going to go anywhere at all with it, I've just kinda had this idea in my head and just wanted to put it out there, so I hope you enjoyed it!