Renegade Rising || Leo Fitz Book Two

Chapter Fifty

The flight to San Francisco didn't take too long, but to Asia it felt like it was never ending. She sat in the back of the Quinnjet, wringing her hands, focusing quite hard on not accidentally freezing the engines of the plane. Cause that would cause a whole world of other problems, if that were to happen. It was everything she could do to not think about the fact that Leo was probably being hunted down right this minute and she wanted to be there to protect him.

"Golden Gate, straight ahead," Mike called back to them, and Asia straightened her back, staring straight ahead. The plan was simple enough, land on a specific roof of a specific building, and Leo would meet them there. As long as he could outrun whoever was on his tail. And if he couldn't, Asia was going to obliterate them. She hadn't really....told anyone that portion of the plan. But she would do it. There was no part of Asia's plan that day where they weren't walking away with Leo by their side. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to rest as the plane touched down on the tall brick building.

They uncloaked, letting the ramp down, and Asia stood just inside the entrance, waiting, waiting, wondering what could be taking so long. The only seemingly logical option was he was caught. Caught and being interrogated at this very moment. She tried to not let herself think about it, but that in itself took a lot of energy. Now, if he got hurt, it truly was her fault. Completely her fault, because she let him in. He was her weakness, and she was his.

So when she saw his suited figure come sprinting out of the stairwell and onto the roof, racing towards their ship, Asia let out a sigh, tears threatening to shove out of her eyes. He ran across the flat space towards them, sprinting up the ramp and practically divining into her, his arms wrapping tightly around her, the two of them falling with the momentum to the ground. She hugged him back, tightly, afraid that if she were to open her tightly shut eyes, he would no longer be there with her.

After a moment, Hunter coughed awkwardly, and Asia finally opened her eyes, seeing her team staring down at the two of them. Leo stood, and extended a hand to her, which she graciously took, lacing her fingers through his and allowing him to effortlessly heave her up to stand beside him. She stand there beside him, feel his presence right next to her, feel his heart beat, she didn't want for anything else. The darker thoughts, the ideas of Coulson recruiting Ward, it all went away with Leo here now. She could finally breathe again. The clenching around her heart finally went away.

She just couldn't help feeling relieved. Relaxed. Someone wasn't in harms way specifically because of her any longer. And there was a secret part of her, deep in her recesses of her mind, that was a little sad. Natasha had taught her, over and over again, that romance can, and almost always in, compromising. She had never seen that first hand until now. But, when she looked at Leo out of the corner of her eye, any thoughts of what Natasha had told her about complicated relationships dissipated. She had no doubts when it came to Leo. She knew that he was absolutely worth the risk, and always would be. Instead, she chose to focus on one of the other life lessons her two mentors had left her with:

"Do not dwell on the monsters which hide in the dark. Focus instead, on the light which lies ahead."

A little mantra, which she had once tattooed on her outer right rib (hurt like a bitch, by the way. Clint held her hand the entire time). She forgot it was there, sometimes, until she would see herself and that little black ink. But it was an important thing to remember. She thought of it now, thought of looking for the light. They had saved Leo. She watched as Leo handed Coulson his tiny black box, Fury's Toolbox, the thing Bobbi had tried so hard to steal. And she smiled.

"Mike?" Leo asked, as they strapped into the seats on the side of the plane, a confused look crossing his face. Asia watched his eyes behind his glaces, smirking. Mike must have come across as a surprise to the Agent. If only he knew the surprise she and Hunter had experienced when Agent Peterson had arrived to save them.