Can I request a sexy Keller fic? Maybe where reader is his secret wife, all his friends think he’s shy, but not with her. Also can she be a badass!
I love your work! Keller is under appreciated thank you
Hope this is okay for you Anon! You're right Keller is underappreciated!
Mrs Keller
Director Keller x Reader
Word Count: 7603
Keller never thought much about the way people spoke about him. He was an observant man, he needed to be in his role as Director, but at no point did he think people spoke about him behind his back in any other regard than a boring, mundane, professional one.
It was his assistant who had alerted him to the fact that he was wrong, and she did so in the most surprising way.
‘Gemma?’ He called from inside his office.
She came scurrying in, pushing her glasses up her nose. ‘Sir?’
‘Can we cancel the meeting with Miss Clare? I don’t want to see her in this building again.’ Keller sighed, annoyed.
‘Of course.’ Gemma nodded, frowning but half smiling in confusion. ‘Any reason you don’t want to see her again, sir?’
Keller liked Gemma a lot, she was a great assistant, she didn’t take crap from anyone and always made sure he got to where he needed to be on time. She had become a great friend of his, especially during the Skrull incident.
‘She’s a pain in my ass.’ Keller breathed harshly through his nose. ‘Wildly inappropriate and not the kind of person I want wandering around this agency.’
Gemma stood up straight and frowned. ‘Oh, I thought you and her were… getting along?’
‘What do you mean?’ It was Keller’s turn to frown.
Gemma just smiled. ‘Sir, it’s evident she likes you and we just presumed with all the time you were spending together…’ she rolled her hand to indicate something more, but Keller just didn’t understand.
‘We were talking about a potential client.’ He explained.
‘Sir, you know, it’s okay to admit you’ve been out of the game a while.’ She gently closed the door behind her, making sure no one could hear the conversation. ‘But you really should give Miss Clare a chance. She is lovely when you get to know her, single, very well regarded and would be in complete understanding of the demands of your job.’
Keller almost laughed. ‘Gemma, I do not need dating advice.’
‘I’m not offering advice, I’m just saying, it’s okay to relieve a little stress every now and again.’
Keller came around his desk, mostly to stop Gemma speaking.
‘I promise, I’m fine.’ Keller smiled.
Gemma let a breath go. ‘Okay, well, if you change your mind, let me know. We all worry that you’re a bit lonely these days.’
Keller nodded. He knew Gemma meant well and he always appreciated it, but he really didn’t need to be set up on a date with anyone.
‘I’m not.’ Keller shook his head, feeling a lot less stressed than he did before his assistant's concern. ‘Out of interest, who’s ‘we’?’
Gemma suddenly looked a little sheepish, making Keller chuckle as he grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. ‘It just slipped out.’ She sighed.
‘It’s been a long day,’ Keller nodded. ‘But you do need to work on your poker face.’
Gemma just rolled her eyes about to leave his office. ‘By the way, you’ve got three profiles to go over and seven operational reports to read before tomorrow. You got time tonight?’ She teased, making him laugh.
‘I’m sure I’ll find time.’ He nodded, opening the door for her and turning the lights off before leaving for the day. Fury was waiting outside, holding a file, he liked the young man a lot, he had a lot of potential. ‘Fury, what can I do for you this evening?’
‘Actually sir, I was just dropping my team reports off to Gemma.’ He gave a polite smile to Keller’s assistant, who took his thick file and began to sort it into tomorrow’s work.
‘Actually, just put it in the case.’ He said, taking his long coat from the coat rack next to Gemma’s desk. ‘I’ll get it read before tomorrow. Start a new day with a clean slate.’
‘Are you sure? You’ve got quite a lot to get through as it is.’ Gemma said, hesitating before putting it in the briefcase Keller would take home with him.
Keller just smiled and whipped his dark scarf over his head. Gemma shook her head sighing, before putting the files away and standing the brief case up.
‘Goodnight everyone. As always, good work today, let’s continue to raise the bar tomorrow.’
‘Yes sir.’ Fury said, stepping to one side.
Gemma watched her boss leave the office, sitting back with her arms folded and sighing.
They waited until Keller was well out of ear shot before speaking about anything.
‘He doesn’t want to see Miss Clare anymore.’ Gemma said, immediately.
‘What? Why not?’ Fury whined. ‘She was great for him.’
‘He said she was a pain in the ass and inappropriate.’ Gemma shrugged. ‘I guess he doesn’t want to date anyone.’
‘Damn.’ Fury shook his head. ‘Well, he needs to do something, he’s been different.’
‘I think he’s lonely.’ Gemma agreed. ‘Maybe he just needs to get laid.’
Fury snorted, chuckling as he began wandering away. There was no way he was talking about his boss’s sex life, getting him a date was one thing, laid was another thing entirely.
Gemma looked down the corridor where Keller had disappeared and wondered why her boss was so reluctant to meet anyone. It was clear he lived a rather solitary life, some company wouldn’t do any harm and maybe he would unwind when at work.
Fury was right though, in the recent weeks, Keller just wasn’t himself.
Keller took a breath as he got into his car, he didn’t realise the extent to which his assistant was concerned for him.
He could tell from the way Fury spoke, he was the other one who talked about his personal life. Keller couldn’t deny he was slightly annoyed that he was talked about in such a way, but at the same time, he couldn’t let it bother him.
Keller pulled out of the parking lot and began driving in the opposite direction to his home. He wasn’t stupid, he knew he was always being watched, but he was keeping a promise.
Keller pulled up outside the airport and pulled out the first file in his briefcase. Almost twenty minutes had gone by before he spotted the person he was waiting for.
As per his promise, Keller put the file away and stepped out of the car, striding towards you.
You walked towards him, dragging two cases and carrying a duffel bag over your shoulder. He wished you’d picked up a trolley, but it just wasn’t your style.
‘Hello darling.’ Keller smiled, placing a soft kiss to your lips and taking a case. ‘Good flight?’
‘It was okay.’ You shrugged, smiling widely. ‘I mostly slept.’
Keller opened the back of the car and carefully put your luggage away.
‘I hope you haven’t been working too hard.’ You raised an eyebrow seeing his briefcase in the back seat of his big black car. Keller gave a small smile like he’d been found out. ‘Richard, I knew you couldn’t be trusted.’
‘You were away for too long.’ Keller chuckled, taking your duffel bag to place next to your cases and opened the front door to get in.
‘So, now it’s my fault you’re a workaholic?’ You teased.
‘I wouldn’t never blame you for that.’ Keller shook his head, knowing would never say a bad word against his wife.
He drove you both home, listening to your stories about your adventures in Europe. Keller was a little sad he couldn’t come with you, but he had other duties and no one actually knew he was married.
You made it home and Keller told you to go inside, make some tea and wait for him to bring your things in. Keller was like that, he didn’t like it when you got overtired, you always got a little moody and it wouldn’t make anyone happy.
When he finished taking your cases up to the bedroom, Keller came back down, removing his jacket and tie so that he was left in just his shirt and trousers. He saw you sitting on the sofa opposite the fire you had already started. You were reading through a book with some fascination.
‘What you got there?’ Keller said, grabbing the brief case and settling down next to you, one arm on the back of the sofa behind you.
You smiled, pushing your glasses up your nose a little. ‘It’s a Greek tragedy.’
‘In original Greek?’ Keller nodded, impressed. ‘You learn that while you were away?’
‘I did.’ You smiled, gently biting your lip. You knew how much he loved when you mastered new skills like that.
Keller smiled warmly. ‘I missed you.’ He said, his voice much lower than it had been, grabbing your full attention.
You turned to look at him fully. ‘I missed you too.’ You tilted your head, observing his beautiful blue eyes. ‘I really hope you haven’t been overworking yourself.’ On a much more serious note.
Keller bowed his head. ‘You know how I am when you take your trips. I do okay for the first week and then I just get a little restless.’
‘Well, I’m back now.’ You shuffled closer and ran your fingers gently through his hair above his ear. Keller inhaled a little deeper, he really did miss you.
Keller gently grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles, he smiled cheekily.
‘I have the best story for you.’ He said, excitedly.
You just laughed knowing it would be good from his smile.
‘So,’ he quickly pushed his glasses up. ‘I call Gemma in just as I’m about to leave and tell her not to let Miss Clare back into my office-‘
‘Who’s Miss Clare?’ You frowned, worried she’d been mentioned before and you’d forgotten.
‘Uh, she was a potential client, but it doesn’t really matter.’
‘Okay.’ You nodded, getting reinvested in the story.
‘So, I don’t want her back in my office, I don’t even want her in the building again, and Gemma asks why. I said, she was just a pain in the ass, a little inappropriate and I actually have a feeling she was cooking books in her previous employment.’ Keller swallowed watching your face reacting to his story. ‘Anyway, Gemma then starts to say she’s concerned that I’m lonely and give me dating advice.’ That made you laugh. ‘I told her I was fine, obviously I didn’t tell her the real reason to back off, but I did think you’d find that funny.’
‘It is.’ You said, calming down. ‘What are you going to do if she tries to set you up with someone else?’
‘I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far ahead.’ Keller shook his head. ‘I mean, I could tell her the truth?’
You tilted your head, as if to say you’d already had this conversation.
‘You’re right,’ Keller nodded. ‘It’s too dangerous.’
‘Speaking of dangerous, I still could’ve gotten a taxi home. You didn’t need to pick me up.’ You repeated the same thing from a previous argument you’d had.
‘I know.’ Keller bowed his head, still dragging his fingers over your knuckles. ‘I just…’
‘What is it?’ You frowned, getting your husband to look at you.
Keller sighed, wondering wether he should’ve said anything else. ‘I don’t feel like I get to do a lot of that stuff.’
‘What stuff?’
‘Just… small stuff, like… picking you up from airports, taking you for coffee or dinner, I don’t get to come home early and surprise you with a clean house.’ Keller inhaled deeply and let his head rest back on the sofa. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be ungrateful for what we have.’
‘No, you’re not.’ You assured him. ‘And none of that stuff is small, it’s all relevant and I’m sorry you can’t do any of it.’ You stroked through his hair, relaxing him. ‘Maybe when you retire?’
‘Can I retire tomorrow?’
You breathed a laugh. You knew he wouldn’t retire for a long time, you knew his job was too important to him, you knew life would always be a little different, you fell in love anyway.
Eventually you were both able to settle into work. You read your new books, Keller read his reports. Occasionally, your husband would ask you if you were okay, if you needed anything, sometimes he would apologise for all the work he had to do, you would laugh and shake your head and wait for him to finish.
It was well into the morning hours when a noise caught both of your attention.
‘The bins?’ You frowned.
‘Sounded like something falling.’ Keller was on his feet immediately to check it out, you following close behind.
Keller went out to the front of the house and saw a bin had fallen over. He looked at it suspiciously before lifting it back into position.
‘Something wrong?’ You asked.
‘I don’t think so.’ Keller shook his head, more reassuring himself. ‘Must’ve been a cat or something.’
You breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Probably Mrs Denton’s from down the road, it gets everywhere it shouldn’t. Maybe we should get a dog.’
You made Keller laugh as he locked up once again. At least you were able to help him relax a little.
‘You wanna go to bed?’ He asked just as you picked up your book, ready to settle down again.
‘You’re finished working?’ You frowned, looking down at the files that you were certain he should not have left lying around for you to read.
‘Basically.’ He shrugged. ‘I only have one more report to sign off on. I can do it in the morning.’
You smiled warmly. ‘Okay.’
Truthfully, you had lied about sleeping on the plane, you maybe got a couple of hours, but you found it difficult to get anymore. Keller knew that, he always knew that, but he never said anything.
You went upstairs first while your husband went around the house, turning off lights, checking locks and making sure your home was secure. It was one of his ticks, a compulsion he had to always keep you safe no matter what.
While you waited for him to finish, you went through your nightly routine, taking off any makeup you still had on, slipping into your soft pyjamas and thinking about the following day.
Soon, Keller came up the stairs to find you in the en-suite, cleaning your face, hair pulled up into a loose bun, out of the way.
‘I’ll have to do a couple of washes tomorrow,’ you said, thinking about the two cases you had to unpack. ‘Is there anything you need for the week?’
‘No.’ He said, his voice a little hoarse, when you properly looked at him through the mirror, you could see his expression had softened completely, his beautiful blue eyes grazing over your body.
‘Something I can help you with?’ You chuckled, knowing exactly what was going through his mind.
‘One or two things wouldn’t go amiss.’ He flirted, stepping towards you and gently sliding his hands around your waist. ‘I’ve missed you.’ He whispered below your ear, making a small chill run down your side.
‘I can tell.’ You closed your eyes, leaning back into his warm body.
‘You tired?’ He asked, more unsure of how far he could go than anything.
You just laughed, turning around to face him, sliding your arms around his shoulders. ‘I confess I’m a little worn out from all the Italian boys that kept me company for the last couple months.’
Keller laughed, kissing you. ‘I forgot, you were left unsupervised,’ he kissed you again. ‘I may have to remind you who the boss is.’
You sucked in a harsh breath, this was your favourite game, the one where your husband would pretend to get jealous of something that never happened and show you his feral side.
‘Yes please.’ You breathed against his mouth.
Keller sank into a passionate kiss against the bathroom counter, his hands running over your body, reminding his body of how much he loved you.
He lifted you around his waist, wrapping your legs around him. Keller carried you back into the bedroom and lay you down on the soft, freshly made bed.
‘You made the bed?’ You frowned, noticing the smell of the white sheets.
‘I did.’ Keller nodded, taking his glasses off and throwing them on the side table. ‘I even mowed the lawn,’ he kissed your jaw. ‘I tidied the shed,’ he kissed your neck. ‘And I made sure your art supplies are well stocked.’ Keller lifted his head after making you dizzy, his darkened eyes scanning your features. ‘I love you.’
You smiled up at your husband. He really had been out of sorts while you were away, restless and unsure of what he should have been doing.
‘I love you, Richard.’ You whispered back.
Keller smiled, running the back of his fingers over your cheek, moving stray hair out of your face.
He kissed you softly, but soon that softness turned into passion and desperation. He needed you naked, open to him, displayed against the white sheets for him. You needed to feel his hot skin against yours, you missed his body, you missed the way he held you and made love to you.
Keller looked down at you, slowly sliding himself inside you, and it was a moment of pure bliss for both of you. He held himself there for a moment, just allowing his body to remember yours for a moment.
‘Don’t go away again.’ He whispered against your lips. You smiled, almost laughing. ‘I don’t think I can handle you leaving again.’
‘I won’t go.’ You promised. ‘I’ll stay here with you for as long as you need me.’
Keller kissed you passionately. ‘I always need you.’
You loved him. Everything about him, his passion, his attention to detail, everything about him, you loved. He calmed you when your mind was a mess, he cared for your needs like it was the only thing that made him happy, he received your love with gratitude like no other man ever had. You had no idea what you had done to deserve him.
He made you come, crying out his name, he allowed himself to be lost in you for a moment or two, and it was always beautiful to watch him lose control.
When you first met Keller you were unsure he was the one for you, he was always so calm and in control, never allowing his emotions to fluctuate too much. You wondered if there was anything more to him than that. Eventually, he asked you for a chance to get to know the real him, it intrigued you enough to give him that chance and you never looked back.
Your husband gently pulled the sheets up and encircled you in his embrace.
‘Goodnight, darling.’ He whispered, kissing your neck one last time as you fell asleep.
When the morning came, you were surprised to find Keller was already up and getting dressed. You gently whined seeing him do his tie.
‘What is it?’ He smiled, knowing exactly why you were upset.
‘You’re dressed.’ You mumbled.
‘Generally, my office appreciates its employees to be clothed.’ He chuckled, coming over to sit on the edge of the bed, stroking through your hair. ‘You hungry?’
‘Always.’ You inhaled deeply, just trying to wake up.
‘Well, if you’re downstairs in the next five minutes, you’ll get some pancakes.’ He kissed your temple and stood up to finish getting ready for work.
Your husband left you alone to get yourself up, and eventually you were able to drag your sore body into your black silk dressing gown and down to your kitchen where Keller was reading through a report on the counter.
A plate was already sitting for you on the island and you could only smile, settling into one of the stools. Keller poured some coffee, bringing it around to place next to your plate.
‘Thank you, Richard.’ You smiled, moving your legs to face him. ‘You know you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.’
‘It was no trouble, at all.’ He shook his head, leaning in to give you a soft kiss. He gently put the pot of coffee down, sliding his hand into your hair. His lips were so soft and inviting. ‘I love you.’
You chuckled. ‘You’ve already said that.’
‘And I’ll say it every second you need to hear it.’ He countered, kissing you again.
You felt one hand drift to your calf, pulling it around his waist once again. It, again, made you chuckle into him.
‘You know I love the way you look first thing in the morning?’ He said, moving down your neck once again.
‘You mean a mess?’ You let your hands slide into his hair, gently grasping it as he continued his sensual attack on your neck.
‘A hot mess of my doing.’ He growled, dragging his teeth over your earlobe. This man just had a way of igniting you. You laughed while he continued to pepper kisses down your throat, before finally needing him to stop. ‘Okay, I’ll let you go.’ He said smiling into another kiss. ‘But just this once.’
You giggled watching him go about finishing his coffee and reading his report.
‘I gotta go.’ Keller came up behind you, once again kissing your neck and breathing you in. ‘What if I call in sick?’ He inhaled.
‘Then you’ll be fielding calls all day instead of indulging in what you really want.’ You shot back, sliding your hands over his arms around your waist.
‘Wanna bet?’
‘Go to work, darling.’ You twisted your head to kiss his temple, knowing he wouldn’t call in sick or be late. ‘Call me if you get lonely.’
‘Hmm.’ He hummed into one last kiss. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too.’ You chuckled. ‘Now go, or you’ll be late.’
Keller reluctantly pulled away, grabbing the report and leaving you alone to get on with your day.
Keller arrived at work, handing the briefcase to Gemma who just sighed, shaking her head.
‘You work too hard, sir.’ She called as he entered his office to begin his day.
Gemma got him to a couple of meetings in good time, and finished the morning with an operational briefing.
‘Sir?’ A lower level agent entered the room, unsure of himself. ‘Sorry to interrupt.’
‘We’re in the middle of a briefing,’ Keller sighed, annoyed. ‘What is it?’
‘Sorry, it’s just that there’s someone here to see you.’
‘Tell them to make an appointment with Gemma, I don’t have time right now.’ Keller dismissed him, indicating for Fury to continue, but he didn’t, instead, Fury just watched the agent behind Keller. ‘What now?’
Keller only noticed then that the agent was almost shaking. ‘I’m sorry sir, but she said you’d say that and if you did, I was to say…’
‘What?’ Keller frowned.
‘I was to say that she wouldn’t expect your wife to need an appointment.’
Keller’s heart dropped, he caught a brief exchange of looks between Gemma and Fury, but ignored it as he flew out of the briefing room.
You stood in the corridor, arms folded over your leather jacket and not in the least bit pleased.
‘Richard.’ You frowned, clearly riled up by something.
‘Are you okay? What are you doing here?’ Keller asked, he suddenly saw blood on your arms and a little on your neck and face. ‘Are you bleeding?’
‘It’s not my blood.’ You stated plainly, you moved your jacket to reveal more bloodstains on your grey vest and Keller’s head was filling with rage. ‘Three men broke in and tried to kill me, I’ve dealt with it, but I wasn’t sure where else to go, so I came here.’
Keller observed your face and body, you had clearly put up a decent fight, your knuckles and arms looked cut up like you’d been using them to defend yourself and quite suddenly, Keller felt a rage beginning to boil beneath the skin.
‘You need to keep your head, Richard.’ You almost commanded him, knowing how he could be. ‘I’ve got the security footage, I expected you’d like to go through it as soon as possible.’
Keller couldn’t focus. Gemma had manoeuvred herself into view, probably curious about what she’d heard.
‘You must be Gemma.’ You said, still slightly riled up, but more capable than your husband to focus. ‘Would you mind going over the footage? I think Richard and I might need a moment.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Gemma’s tone was what brought Keller back to the present.
‘I don’t need a moment.’ He said, strangely calmly, taking the tape from you. ‘Are you injured at all?’
There was almost a look of disappointment in your eye. You knew that despite his outer shell, your husband was on the brink of losing control.
‘Richard, I’m fine.’ You said, steadily. ‘I’m a little sore, but I just want you to deal with this as quickly as possible.’
‘Okay.’ He whispered. He hadn’t stopped looking at you since stepping outside the briefing, you were his primary focus now, the rest of the world could burn for all he cared, as long as you were safe.
Keller opened the door to the briefing room, indicating for you and Gemma to step inside.
‘Okay, new target.’ Keller announced as he entered the room, he put the tape into the player and began working. ‘Someone has broken into my home and attempted to harm my wife-‘
‘Attempted being the operative word.’ You said, catching his attention.
Keller turned to look at you. His gaze piercing yours.
‘Richard, the bodies are still there tied up in the kitchen. Perhaps a team could pick them up?’ You suggested.
He nodded. ‘Fury.’
Fury immediately organised a team to do as they were ordered. Keller still watched you, still concerned that you were hurt, but unsure of how to handle both your well-being and the safety of his home.
The security footage took his attention away, and Keller found it much easier to focus.
He watched you cleaning up after breakfast, smiling, going about your day as you should have done. Three bulky men entered the house and Keller almost smiled at how little back up they had, it was no wonder you weren’t hurt, three was hardly a challenge for you.
The three men creeped around the house, you had already moved into your art studio, smiling at the restocked supplies that Keller had sourced for you. It swelled his heart.
Eventually the footage showed you having dressed and made your way back downstairs. You paused for a moment, wrapping your fingers around a nearby mug that you’d forgotten from breakfast.
‘Woah.’ Gemma breathed behind him as the footage showed you easily dispensing with the three men, kicking the last in the face to knock him out. ‘So, you’re a badass then?’
Keller listened to you breathing a laugh. ‘No, not really. I just know basic self-defence that Richard taught me a while back. Nothing more.’
Keller stopped the video and ordered a nearby agent to run facial recognition to find out who they were, before turning to you and sighing.
‘Are you okay?’ He asked, quietly stepping towards you.
‘I’m fine.’ You tried to assure him.
Keller nodded, he felt restrained in a way, he wanted to be himself for your sake, but he was surrounded by the people he worked with and didn’t know where to draw the line.
‘Sir, I can take her to get cleaned up? Maybe see a doctor?’ Gemma said, tentatively.
Keller just watched you, trying to make a decision.
‘You know,’ you decided to help him out. ‘It really is good that you’ve surrounded yourself with friends, Richard. I feel I’m in very safe hands here.’
‘You are.’ Keller nodded, gently taking your hand, looking down at the scrapes made from defending yourself.
‘Richard.’ You whispered, taking his attention back to your face.
Keller sighed and gently pulled you in close to his body, stroking his hand through your hair and making sure he could feel you in tact. Somehow it helped his focus. He placed a soft kiss to the side of your head and pulled back.
‘Go with Gemma.’ He told you, despite knowing you’d already made your mind up over what you were going to do next. ‘I’ll be along soon.’
‘I know.’ You nodded and eventually followed Gemma out of the briefing room.
You knew Gemma would have a lot of questions, but she was doing well to keep them to herself.
She took you to the infirmary to get checked, finding that most of the blood really was from someone else. Apart from a few scrapes you were fine, you knew you were, but it made your husband happy to make sure you were taken care of, so you were happy to comply.
You smiled a little at Gemma who would occasionally stare at you like some exotic creature. You knew perfectly well why.
‘We met at an art gallery.’ You said, once the doctor left the private room you were being seen in. Gemma sat forward listening. ‘He was quiet, shy, never really one for being the centre of attention. Truthfully, I thought he was a bit of a bore. But, eventually, I got to know him, we went on a few dates, he told me he was some secret agent and I didn’t believe it at the time, but then some idiot tried to steal a painting and… Richard barely did anything, he was so calm and collected, he stopped the thief and helped keep everyone calm.’ You remembered the night well. ‘Suffice to say, I was intrigued after that.’
‘And then you married him?’ Gemma asked, listening to every word of the story.
‘Well, not without reluctance,’ you confessed. ‘The wife of the Director of SHIELD. Some title. It gave me pause for thought, Richard made clear it wouldn’t be the safest choice I’d ever make, but he promised he’d make it work no matter what I chose. We both had to make sacrifices for our marriage. He gave a lot more than I did, but still…’ you trailed off thinking on all the things you could never do because of the man you loved. Every day you believed it was worth it though.
‘All this time, we just thought he was lonely.’ Gemma shook her head. ‘Sorry, it’s just so weird to find out Director Keller has a wife.’
‘That’s okay.’ You chuckled. ‘The loneliness is my fault unfortunately. I travel a lot and Richard does get a little out of sorts. He does okay for the first week or two, but gets increasingly restless the longer I’m away.’
‘You travel for work?’
‘Kind of.’ You bobbed your head from side to side. ‘I’m a painter so the travelling is voluntary really, but I always wanted to see the world.’
Suddenly the door burst open and Keller, looking slightly more panicked than he had done, came rushing in.
‘Are you okay?’ He demanded.
‘Darling, I’m fine.’ You sighed once again. ‘Clean bill of health, just some scrapes. Nothing to worry about.’
‘You promise?’ Keller needed to be sure.
‘I promise.’ You nodded, assuring him. ‘Are you okay?’
‘No.’ He let a steady breath go through his nose. ‘My wife was attacked and all I can think about is how I should’ve have gotten her the dog she wanted.’
‘If I’d known all I needed to do was get myself into a life threatening situation-‘
‘Don’t.’ He suddenly begged, stepping towards you, entering your personal space. ‘Please don’t say that.’
‘Okay.’ You breathed, realising he wasn’t ready to joke around just yet. ‘You need me?’
‘Darling, I always need you.’ Keller breathed, once again sliding his arms around you and holding you close.
Gemma indicated that she would leave quietly, allowing you both to have a moment alone and you smiled appreciatively.
‘If you can wait a little longer,’ Keller spoke into your hair. ‘Fury is still picking the culprits up, you can stay in my office until I can take you home.’
‘Oh don’t worry about me, I can get back okay.’
‘It’s not really a question.’ He said, catching your attention. ‘The noise we heard last night, when you thought it was Mrs Denton’s cat? It was one of the suspects disabling a camera, clearly they didn’t know about the others.’ Keller pulled back, his eyes filling with water. ‘I’m sorry this is all my fault, they followed me to the airport when I picked you up yesterday. I’m so sorry my darling.’
‘Richard.’ You half laughed. ‘Never apologise for caring for me. Never apologise for that. I knew the life I was signing up for when I married you and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.’
Keller just watched you for a moment, trying to decide something behind his eyes, it made you smile. Keller gently stroked your cheek before pressing his warm lips to yours. He was finally relaxing.
You spent the rest of the day in his office, feeling mostly bored and unsure of what to do, but Keller took care of you. He took all his meetings in his office while you sketched at his desk, keeping yourself occupied. People would come in and sort of glance at you as if to ask ‘who the hell is she?’
‘This is my wife, she has security clearance.’ He would say in a commanding voice that you’d never heard before, and get whoever it was to get to the point quicker.
Occasionally Gemma would pop to ask if there was anything you needed and your husband took pride in asking for the coffee you like the most. You would just smile at nod to Gemma, knowing Keller needed to feel he had control over every situation.
‘You need to relax, Richard.’ You said quietly once you were left alone. ‘You’re getting far too tightly wound and you’re snapping a lot. From the look on Gemma’s face, it seems to be out of the ordinary behaviour.’
‘Well, what do you expect after hearing my wife was nearly killed this morning?’ He snapped, making you raise your eyebrow.
Keller could get away with snapping at junior colleagues, he could pass it off as being too busy or working to hard to engage, he could even get away with ignoring things completely if he so chose. But not with you.
‘I’m sorry.’ He sighed, taking his glasses off and closing his eyes for a moment. ‘I’m just angry.’
‘I can tell.’ You agreed, standing up to wander over to him. You gave him a moment, before gently moving his arm away so you could slide onto his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his temple, running your fingers through his hair. ‘How’s that?’
Keller wrapped his arms around you, inhaling deeply. ‘Much better.’
You stayed like that for another moment or two, until you felt him freeze beneath you.
‘What is it?’ You immediately asked in a sleepy voice. You were far too relaxed as well.
‘You’re shaking.’ He noticed, taking your hand to find you were in fact shaking.
You almost laughed. ‘Well, the shock had to wear off some time, didn’t it?’
Without warning, whatever delayed reaction you’d had to everything suddenly stopped and all emotion began flooding your system. Keller just held you, whispering how it would be okay, you would be okay.
You believed him, but it was difficult nonetheless. You couldn’t hold back the tears forever, but it seemed you would get so little time to feel it. Another knock came to Keller’s door, you felt him sighing beneath you.
‘It’s okay-‘ you whispered.
‘It’s not.’ He countered, leaning up to kiss you. ‘But I appreciate you saying it is.’
You smiled at your husband, slowly untangling yourself from his embrace and moving to look out of the large window in his office.
You heard him going to the door and talk quietly to someone you vaguely recognised. The door closed behind you and you let a deep soothing breath go. You knew the emotions would catch up to you, you’d spent all afternoon trying to stop them, hoping you could hold on until you were back home for your husband's sake. But sometimes there was no holding back the tide.
‘Mrs Keller?’ Gemma called from the door, you sucked in a deep breath and turned to see the interesting young woman. ‘Do you need anything?’
‘I’m fine, Gemma.’ You smiled as best you could, moving to sit on top of Keller’s desk the way you always did when you were at home. It almost startled Gemma, no one sat on the Director’s desk. ‘I hope he hasn’t been too hard on you.’
‘Oh no, don’t worry about us,’ she said, tidying away a few files Keller had left on his coffee table. ‘The Director is usually a little snappy when he’s stressed.’
‘Well, I confess it’s not a side of him I’ve really seen.’ You frowned.
‘Really?’ She seemed shocked, making you chuckle. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant we all get stressed.’
‘True, but Richard doesn’t really bring the stress home.’ You shook your head, thinking about your husband. ‘It’s quite unusual seeing him in this light.’
‘I know what you mean.’ Gemma chuckled. ‘Honestly, the Director is great, we get along very well and I always feel like I can tell him if somethings wrong, he’s usually quite kind about things, but I’ve never seen him like this before.’
‘Like what?’ You tilted your head, intrigued.
Gemma took a moment to find the right word. ‘Warm?’ She scrunched her face like it wasn’t right. ‘I don’t know, just… he’s very professional I suppose, so seeing him with you and being so…’
You frowned in questioning.
‘Oh, I don’t know, he’s just behaving the way someone would behave when they’re in love, but seeing him do it… it’s very weird.’ She chuckled, making you smile as well. ‘I hope that’s okay to say.’
‘Gemma, I’m not your boss,’ you laughed. ‘You can say anything you like.’
Gemma nodded, still collecting up files. ‘Well, in that case, I’m really happy he has you. I mean none of us thought in a million years that the Director would have a secret wife, especially not one so badass.’
That made you laugh a lot more, but it did highlight the sore parts of your body.
‘Trust me, I’m not as badass as you think.’ You calmed down. ‘And I’m afraid the secrecy is necessary, I’m sure you can understand.’
‘Of course.’ Gemma nodded. She was probably one of the only people who could understand the demands of Keller’s job.
After a moment, the man himself entered, carrying a file in his hand, he stopped when he saw you, observing you for a minute.
‘So, we know who it was,’ he started, slowly taking the last few steps towards you. ‘A team has been sent to neutralise the threat.’
‘Neutralise? That’s a very professional word.’ You smiled.
‘It is.’ Keller breathed a laugh. ‘But to put a dampener on things, I will be stationing a two man team outside the house every day for the next month. Just to make sure.’
You sighed, not happy, but knowing it was necessary.
Keller gently placed the file down and stroked your thighs, being careful with you.
‘I knew you’d hate that, so I am going to make up for it.’ He promised, you saw that glint in his eye that belonged only to your husband. ‘Tonight, I’m going to take you home, make you dinner, run a bath and I will not take a single piece of work home with me.’
‘Really?’ You frowned, suspiciously. ‘That does not sound like you at all.’
‘I promise, tonight I’m yours and that you are my only priority.’ Keller gently slid his hands up your jaw and placed a finely, soft kiss to your lips. ‘I’m so sorry this happened, darling. I’ll do everything I can to make sure it never happens again.’ He whispered against your mouth, placing another kiss.
You were enjoying the moment, but a noise from where Gemma was still tidying broke the quiet. Keller’s head whipped around, clearly having no idea she was still in the room.
‘Sorry, I’m so sorry!’ Gemma was trying not to smile, but also trying to gather up the files. ‘It’s just you came in, I didn’t know when to leave, I’m sorry.’
You placed your hand on your husband's chest, making sure he understood that none of it was a big deal and you felt him inhale calmly.
‘It’s okay.’ He sighed, you could tell he wasn’t angry, just a little embarrassed. ‘Don’t worry about it, just… could you make sure there’s a car outside for me? I think it’s time I took my wife home.’ Keller pierced your gaze with his. Those beautiful blue eyes that belonged to the man you loved.
‘Yes, sir.’ Gemma said, leaving immediately to call for a car.
‘She’s going to give me hell for that.’ Keller chuckled.
‘Good.’ You smiled. ‘Someone has to.’
Keller gently stroked your hands, being careful to avoid the scrapes, but it was now the skin around the injuries that was sore as well.
‘That hurt?’ Keller frowned.
‘A little.’ You shrugged. ‘It’s just sensitive.’
Your husband nodded and gently smiled. ‘Am I an awful person for being grateful for another opportunity to show you how much I love you?’
You just chuckled, shaking your head. ‘Of course not.’
He bowed his head slightly, before placing a kiss to your cheek, breathing you in. ‘You have a few decisions to make.’ His voice was low, the way it is when he knows you’ll love what he’s about to say.
You frowned, pulling back to see him.
‘Whatever you want for dinner,’ he smiled, again stroking through your hair. ‘And… what kind of dog do you want?’
You suddenly started laughing. ‘Richard, we can’t get a dog, what’s going to happen when I go away? Who’s going to look after it?’
‘In case this has passed you by, I am the Director of SHIELD, I can look after it here.’
‘Richard.’ You shook your head. ‘I am fine, we don’t need to get a dog.’
Keller let his breath go, still smiling. ‘Okay.’ He said. ‘Are you ready to go home?’
‘I am.’ You nodded. ‘But seriously, if you’ve got work, please don’t hesitate to bring it with you. I know I’ve kind of set you back for the day.’
‘Darling, I know this is the first time you’ve seen me at work, but trust me, there is nothing this place can throw at me that will take priority over you.’ Keller placed another soft kiss to your lips. Somehow it grounded you, you believed every word he said.
Your husband picked up his jacket, giving you his coat, despite knowing you didn’t need it, and you said good night to Gemma.
There was a whole team waiting outside and Keller began speaking to them in a very professional tone, you gave Gemma a look almost mocking his other personality, making her stifle a laugh. Much to everyone’s surprise, including yours, Keller slid his hand down your arm, kissed your cheek and led you out of his office.
Gemma watched her boss leave, she had never seen him like that before. Usually a relatively cold and commanding man, it was a pleasant surprise to see his softer and gentler side.
Fury creeped out from a corridor just after Keller left, eager to talk about what had happened.
‘Oh my god.’ Gemma mouthed, while Fury whistled.
‘Who saw that coming?’ Fury chuckled.
‘How the hell did he manage to keep her a secret all this time?’ Gemma just laughed, baffled by her boss.
‘No idea, but kudus to him.’
‘And she’s lovely. She’s a painter.’
‘A hell of a fighter. Keller must’ve taught her a thing or two.’
‘And they’re so sweet together.’ Gemma continued gushing. ‘Did you see the way he was around her? God, I could never have imagined him like that.’
‘What did you imagine him like?’ Fury frowned, making Gemma scowl at him.
‘Did you manage to track the guys who did this?’ Gemma sat up, moving a few things around in her desk.
‘Yeah, some gang that’s been watching Keller for a while now, we’ve been tracking them for a few months.’ Fury nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. ‘I’m kinda surprised Keller went to the airport himself to pick her up. It’s a huge risk just being seen with her.’
‘He promised her this time he would.’ Gemma told him. ‘It’s funny, the way she was talking about him, feels like there’s a lot of promises he wasn’t able to keep.’
‘The price of the job.’ Fury nodded.
It dawned on the both of them just how difficult the marriage must have been, how in love you and Keller must be to continue down this path together, regardless of consequence.
A couple of months later, Keller had come into the office with a white German Shepherd barely six months old on a lead. He went about his day as usual and when Gemma entered his office to help him with a few meetings, she greeted the dog and asked how long you were going to be away for.
Keller just smiled and scratched the dog’s head affectionately.
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