The Proposal

I get it

Saying that Artemis's first mission was a rounding success was an understatement. They'd gone in and had Tony out of there in less time than they'd originally planned for. Aside from the few casualties on the opposition's side no one had gotten hurt. Steve and the others couldn't be prouder of their newest Avenger. Granted this mission was nothing in comparison to what they usually took on. Meaning it wasn't a save the world type but that didn't mean this particular one was any less important. The Crimson Sparrows were a rising problem that had apparently always been there lurking in the shadows just like Hydra. Only now that his former enemy was dismantled the mutant led organization didn't have anyone to keep them in line. They had shifted in the last year from assassinations more towards purely espionage and he wanted to know why.

The whole reason for this mission was to see what exactly they were up to and brainstorm how to put a stop to them. Permanently. As someone who'd railed against people just like them for nearly a hundred years, Steve couldn't let the Crimson Sparrows go on for one day longer than necessary. Luckily they had gotten intel yesterday afternoon that the hidden in plain sight base would be mostly unguarded. It's why they'd needed to leave as quickly as they had. In the time it took for Artemis, Thor and Peter to get back to the Compound he and Tony had planned down to the last detail how to infiltrate and get the information they needed. At first he hadn't wanted to send for her wanting Artemis to have this break. But Tony had insisted, telling him that while this was a mission for any regular SHIELD agent, it was perfect for her to get her toes wet.

Glancing over at the sleeping woman strapped into the copilot's seat to his left, Steve was a little worried. She'd done amazingly but there was still something about the way she'd acted while out there in the field. No. Not acted. It was the way her demeanor had completely shifted while they were in Saarlouis. The tiny town sat on the border of Germany and France. And as far as anyone knew, including Artemis, she had no connection to it or its people. Still there was something that was..off. Her usual kind and sweet nature became more agitated the longer they were there. And while she'd completed the mission flawlessly she should have been proud about that fact. Artemis couldn't seem to get out of there fast enough. It was almost like she was running away. He had shared a concerned glance with Tony and Thor who'd also noticed the change in her as they followed her back to the quinjet but they were unwilling to discuss it until they'd talked to her about it. The sound of Artemis groaning and then whimpering pulled him from his deep thoughts.

She twitched and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Double checking the navigation system he saw they had another two hours before they'd be back in New York. Tapping at the controls he set the quinjet into autopilot and got up. Carefully so as to not wake her, Steve unbuckled Artemis and gently scooped her up into his arms. His steps faltered for a second when she tucked her face into his chest and let out what sounded like a moan as she inhaled his scent. Choosing to ignore it he jerked his chin at Tony for him to clear his suit that stood in sleep mode from out of the way of the bunks so he could lay her down. Stark told him how to fold away her own suit by tapping her left wrist twice. He watched in facination as the nanites flowed along her body to collect back into the watch-like container. Smoothing back her hair Steve grabbed a blanket and tucked it in around her small body and because he couldn't help himself he stood there for a moment just watching her.

Feeling like this might be treading into a slightly different territory of the creepy kind Steve went to turn away. But the second he did his enhanced hearing picked up something that the others wouldn't have been able to. The ever so slight hitch in Artemis's breathing had him narrowing in on the way her body shifted under the blankets and how her thighs rubbed together as if seeking relief. He might not have been in many relationships, or any really, but he'd slept with his fair share of women and knew their subtle and not so subtle signs of arousal. Definitely feeling like he was invading on something private he backed away. Should she wake up he definitely didn't want to be seen hovering like some kind of pervert.