I wonder how many times I have said 'SHIT' in the last five minutes.

Phil couldn't help but smirk at that thought.

"What are you smiling about?!" Fitz yelped, ducking behind the table they were currently using as a shield. Bullets roared around them, hitting the wall around the edges of the table.

It was supposed to be a routine mission, but as the SHIELD team could have guessed, it went horribly wrong. Now Fitz and Coulson were currently hiding behind a table, getting shot at by a machine gun situated across the street. Daisy was nowhere to be seen, and Simmons, May, and Mack were still an hour out. Comms had gone out five minutes ago, blocked out by a device somewhere in the god-forsaken town they were in.

What had started out as a three-man mission to retrieve an 0-8-4 led them to an abandoned mining town in the middle- of-nowhere Michigan. It should have been suspicious, but it wasn't until the local police had been gunned down by Hydra that Coulson realized it was a trap.

They barely made it to cover before a stream of bullets began peppering the building.

So much had happened in the last few minutes that Coulson was still reeling from the events. He tried focusing, trying to find a plan, but they were still being shot at. They were pinned down.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped.

Phil risked a glance over the edge of the table and sighed in relief when he saw Daisy across the street, waving through the windows of where the machine gun had been situated. Coulson nudged Fitz and the two stood up from their hiding place.

Daisy moved away from the window and a moment later, their comms opened up.

"Phil!"

Coulson sighed in relief and smiled at May's familiar tone. "We're okay."

"Good. We are five minutes out. Stay low till we can get you out of there."

"Yes ma'am." He replied with a smile, knowing it would drive her nuts. "Come on." He directed towards Fitz. They left the building and moved out into the street to meet up with Daisy.

"Sorry," she shrugged, "I was outnumbered. Took some time."

The roaring of the plane could be heard in the distance. They found themselves smiling in relief as it touched down on the edge of the town, and ran to meet the others as the hydraulic door opened.

Simmons and Fitz collided in a hug, Daisy moved in to meet Mack with a fist bump. The only person missing was May, who was most likely still in the cockpit. His theory was proven correct when the doors began to close and the plane began its takeoff procedure.

They had a thing, him and Melinda. He knew she would be waiting in his office.

It was the same after every hardcore mission-when they were being shot at, or when they were kidnapped.

He made his way to his office slowly, feeling an ache in his arm from a bullet that had grazed his left bicep. Once he entered, he took a breath and shut the door, sighing in relief at the quiet.

"You look like hell."

Lo and behold, he was right. She was waiting for him, leaning against his desk. The plane must have been on autopilot.

He smiled and moved into the center of the room. They were only a few feet apart now.

She closed the distance, wrapping her arms around his midsection. He responded in kind, enveloping her in a hug.

This was their tradition. Whenever they got shot at, whenever things got hairy, this was their grounding moment. This was what anchored them back to reality. It calmed their nerves, their worries. It was without words, just silence. Proof that they were alive and okay.

"You're bleeding." May had pulled away and frowned at the hole in his jacket. "Sit." She gestured with her head to his chair and he knew better than to object.

While she grabbed the first aid kit in his desk, he removed his jacket and silk shirt, so the only thing left was his white undershirt.

There was silence while she worked, her face emotionless. He watched her, the little furrow in her brow telling him just how hard she was thinking. When she was done, she put the first aid kit away.

"May," he called her back before she could leave, "I'm okay."

"You better be." Her gaze softened, and she gave him the tiniest of smiles before leaving him alone in his office. She paused in the hallway, however. "Oh and Phil," his head jerked up with a smile, "don't ever call me 'ma'am' again."

OoOoOoO

It came to my attention that this chapter had wonky formatting. I hope it's fixed now. I own nothing. Boomie out.