"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark." — Rabindranath Tagore
It took Aphrodite nearly five entire seconds to remember why she was upset with Steve in the first place, they were already on the clock as it was, but after following him into an empty room and being stared down by his determined 'Captain' look complete with the furrowed brow that had no business being as arousing as it was. Well, there were a lot of was this 'conversation' could end, the most preferred would be if one or both of them ended up without clothes on. But alas they were on a ticking clock and it looked like Steve actually did want to talk.
"I don't want to fight with you Aphrodite," Steve sighed dropping his hands from his belt.
"I don't want to fight you either." She responded crossing her arms over her chest.
But Steve wouldn't let her close herself off from him like that, he stepped closer uncrossing her arms and taking her hands in his. "If you let me explain what happened in that dream-"
"Steve I know what I saw." She whispered.
Steve blew out a breath through his nose and reached into his pocket, no not for the ring but for the compass. This wasn't going to be how he asked her to marry him, he had to get her to understand this first before she looked into his head again. "Are you sure?" he asked her voice just as low withdrawing the compass and opening it up.
She heard the click on looked down at the compass in his hand, he watched as what she was seeing registered in her mind. "Look again, please?" he whispered and she blinked before nodding and brining her hand up to the front of his head.
She didn't really need to touch him for this to work but it felt better that way. Then she was suddenly seeing his dream from his point of view, the 1940's style ballroom filled with a party, but she could also see and feel his subconscious fear every time a camera flashed or a champagne bottle was uncorked. All that though wasn't surprising, she knew full well about his PTSD and how it affected him. What was surprising though was the sight of herself in a wedding dress. Being danced around by Bucky Barnes. Then Peggy was there, offering a dance with the groom.
A second later she and Steve were dancing together, Peggy was off dancing with Bucky and they were left alone despite the party still going on. What happened next, was both shocking and heart-breaking at the same time.
"You know what my biggest fear is?" Steve asked in a low voice, and she shook her head. "Losing you. That part of my life is over, and I'm okay with it. I can live without it, but I cannot live without you." He emphasizes repeating what he's said to her moments ago.
"I can't live without either," she told him a little misty. "I love you."
"I love you too." He responded relieved that their short dispute was over, as he kissed her then hugged her to him and whispered into her ear. "Let's not fight again."
"I don't know if I'd call that a real fight," she agreed laughing slighting at thought that they couldn't go a day without each other because of a confusing disagreement. Boy they needed to work on communication. "And we don't even get to have makeup sex."
It was his turn to laugh pulling back slightly to look her in the eye. "Oh don't worry, we'll get to that." He smirked kissing her again before pulling away completely, "Now c'mon we've got work to do." He said while opening the door and gesturing for her to leave before him, as she passed by he reached out with his other hand to land a smack on her ass cheek. She jumped and looked at him in shock before continuing on her way to find her brother and the Vision, while he joined Bruce and Tony outside the quinjet.
In the lounge, Tony murmured softly to the other two men present, "No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor."
"I've got no plans tomorrow night," Steve said cheekily looking up at the billionaire, at the same time Aphrodite happened to walk past making her way onto the jet and Steve had zero shame in watching the way her hips swayed, "The night after though," he let the comment hang. They could make of it whatever they wished.
"Well I get first crack at the big guy," Stark butt in bringing back his attention from his girlfriend. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."
"That's true he hates you the most." Vision said casually walking into the jet, Tony pausing staring after the android in disbelief, then at the amused faces in Bruce and Steve. When the Maximoff twins boarded the jet and everyone was accounted for, Clint started the jet and set the course for Sokovia.
"Ultron knows we're coming," Steve said suddenly standing, cutting through the silence that had settled in the jet bringing everyone from their thoughts and turning their attention to him. "Odds are we'll be running into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for, but the people of Sokovia they didn't. That's why our priority is getting them out." He looked towards the Maximoffs, as the least experienced in battle and with the best knowledge of the city they'd start the evacuation, Wanda looked down while Pietro nodded.
"All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them and get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building," Tony nodded and Thor straightened up.
"We find Romanoff," He looked to Bruce then followed up with a look to Aphrodite and Clint. "We clear the field and keep the fight between us."
Steve paused and stared at the ground for a few beats, "Ultron thinks we're monsters," Tony looked down and Bruce gave little reaction, "and that we're what's wrong with the world, but this isn't just about beating him, it's about whether he's right."
The jet landed in Sokovia early that morning, the city had barley even began to wake up when suddenly they were being ushered out of their homes. Thor and Bruce went underground to Strucker's base to find Natasha and the vibranium, Tony and Vision went off to locate where Ultron was and confront him so that Vision could do his part.
Clint was perched somewhere on a rooftop overlooking the evacuations, and Steve was on one side of the bridge urging the cars out of the city. For some reason Aphrodite was with Wanda, it felt a bit like babysitting to her and she could feel the younger girl's panic even though she did well to try and hide it. Wanda used her powers to get the citizens of Sokovia moving and Aphrodite helped her by amplifying her range to that it reached the rest of the city.
The sun had just risen over the horizon when the sound of clanging metal was heard, robots began to appear climbing over the edge of the bridge and immediately being to fire repulsor beams. They fell dead when Clint began to fire his arrows at them from his perch, but for every one he killed it was like ten more took its place.
"C'mon," Aphrodite urged the citizens in a slightly more panicked voice them before blocking the robots repulsor beams with a force field as she led them off the bridge. "Move!" she yelled again using the force field to wrap around the congregation of robots in front of her crushing them together and tossing the ball of metal back over the bridge.
"Get off the bridge," Wanda shouted at her group creating a force field of her own, "Run."
Aphrodite turned at Wanda's following shout of pain, but she was alright. Not being well versed in sustaining force fields, all it took as a few hits from the repulsors to take it down, luckily though it absorbed the impact before she could get seriously hurt.
Aphrodite took up the space she'd just abandoned while the girl caught her breath and took out the remaining few robots while Clint left her perch to join them in the city during the small lull. Wanda looked up at Aphrodite confused, still a little fearful but grateful that the older woman helped her.
"You alright little witch?" Aphrodite questioned as soothingly as she could while in the middle of a battle extending her hand to help her up. Wanda nodded taking her hand and letting her pull her up. "Don't focus the shield itself, focus on your energy. That's what's keeping it together." Aphrodite advised and Wanda nodded no less surprised but nodded encouraged by the advice.
"Friday?" Tony's voice suddenly through the comms. "The Vision?"
"Boss it's working," The new UI responded. "He's burning Ultron out of the net, he won't escape through there." How is it that Tony was able to make it seem as though his machine's had emotions, Friday almost sounded excited.
While everyone else in the streets were fighting, Thor still in the underground, waiting to get Bruce and Natasha out safely while fighting off the robots down there that he could, when he came upon the epicentre of the vibranium he stopped to stare at it in shock not sure where to begin destroying it. That was when the earth around him began to shake and he covered his head as debris and large pieces of rock started to rain down on him.
When the ground began to split Aphrodite pushed the last of the citizens off the bridge.
"Back up." She urged both Clint and Wanda standing in front of them watching the edge begin to crumble and fall about as the city rose.
Tony flew around the land that was slowly rising and stared at the city more than confused. "Friday?"
"Sokovia is going for a ride." She sounded terrified as she confirmed what exactly was happening.
"Do you see...the beauty of it?" Everyone still on the city began to look around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. All the Avengers stopping what they were doing. "The inevitability. You rise, only to fall." Without thinking much about it Wanda reached out a shaking hand to grasp onto the back of Aphrodite's cape near her shoulder, Aphrodite said nothing of it reaching her arm out in front of the little witch protectively.
Tony flew to the land that kept rising high and was clueless as to how to stop it. "You, Avengers, you meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing."
Clint appeared saying nothing of Aphrodite's new found protectiveness, firing an arrow at the red eyed robot. Only for another to take it's place. "When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world, will be metal."
"The vibranium core's got a magnetic field. That's what's keeping the rock together." Friday explained analysing the structure.
"If it drops?" Tony urged already dreading the answer?
"Right now," Friday started out, sounding nervous for the whole team. "The impact can kill thousands. Once it gets high enough? Global extinction."
"Clint," Aphrodite huffed getting the archer's attention, "Take care of her." She nodded to Wanda who had let her go when more robots appeared to take them down who looked terrified once again when she heard the older woman was about to leave her. "You've got this." She encouraged before disappearing with a crack leaving dust in her wake.
Across the city Steve grunted as he was slammed into a windshield after a robot tackled him sending him flying back.
"Cap you've got incoming." Tony warned a second too late.
"Incoming already came in." Steve groaned as he pulled himself from the windshield then jumped at the sound of shattering glass as the next wave of robots hit. "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job," Steve continued on once he was standing up. "Tear these things apart, you get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed...walk it off."
Pietro stood leaning against a building for support as he caught his breath the Captain's message, but he then shrugged, figuring it was good enough. He let out a huff before hurrying through the streets again.
As the fight continued on in another part of the city, Wanda was being to panic, she was trying to be brave like Aphrodite but she was failing miserably. She ducked behind a car as one of the robots hurried towards her, and Clint flipped over the car to shoot an arrow in its head.
Wanda had started to hyperventilate as more robots came their way and Clint was quick to grab her diving through the window of one of the abandoned houses. Clint poked his head out the window as Wanda crawled on her hands and knees like the little child she suddenly felt like to hide underneath the window.
"How could I let this happen?" She whispered to herself. Clint turned around to look at her.
"Hey, hey, you okay?" Clint questioned doing what Aphrodite had hoped he would and what he seemed to be so good at
"This is all our fault." She whimpered. Clint gave her a frown leaning down to meet hr eye.
"Hey, look at me. It's your fault, it's everyone's fault. Who cares? Are you up for this?" She just continued to look up at him with panic in her eyes. "Are you? Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying." Once Clint said that, he realized that nothing could really surprise him anymore. "Okay. Look, the city's flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." One of the robots shot through the wall, and Clint shot right back with an arrow not missing a single beat before turning back to her. "But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay?
Wanda just watched him talk, taking what he was saying very seriously. "And I can't do my job and babysit. It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good. I'll tell your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger."
Wanda sat there, letting everything he said truly sink in. He was right. She had to make a decision. "All right. Good chat." Clint said as he pat her leg then stood up and moved to the door, leaving Wanda to think. "Yeah, the city is flying." He muttered before kicking the door open and continuing fighting.
Steve ran to edge of the bridge, hurrying to a car that was about to fall off. He grabbed hold of the bumper and grit his teeth trying to pull it up but the bumper separated from the car and it fell over the edge. He stared at the bumped in his hands in shock but was relieved when he saw a familiar red cape.
Thor was flying up to the city and dodged the falling cars before realizing that there were people in them and changing his course. He landed on the convertible first, grabbing the woman's arm and then glancing back up at the bridge where Steve was waiting before giving her a bright smile and tossing her up in the air.
She screamed absolute bloody murder before Steve jumped down, grabbed onto the road of the bridge for support and gripped the woman's hand tight. "You're alright." He promised the woman as she screamed urging her to look up at him and not at the long way down. "Just look at me."
Once they were on the bridge again, a robot began to hurry towards them. "You can't save them all You'll never–" Ultron spoke just before Steve threw his shield into its chest, then called it back to him using the magnets on his arm and threw the robot off the bridge.
"Never what?" Steve quipped at the falling remains. "You didn't finish!"
Then an SUV landed next to him and Thor climbed off the top. Then the two of them began to make their way back into the city where the largest congregation of robots was gathered. "What?" Steve scoffed to Thor. "Were you napping?"
Natasha and the Hulk had just joined the fight, the Hulk smashing and tearing apart everything he could, and Natasha electrocuting the robots with her batons.
Thor threw his hammer, and called it back to him after it took out a line of robots. Steve kicked his shield in the air, and Thor hit it with his hammer and take out more of the robots.
Thor then flew in the air, throwing one of the robots into a nearby gas truck making it explode Aphrodite took control of the fire, a skill she hadn't executed in quite some time, and doubled its size using it to torch a significant amount of the robots present.
Ultron looked around as he flew through the city, noticing how much damage the pair of them were causing to his bots and deciding he had to separate them. "Thor," he spoke before flying in his direction. "You're bothering me." He then grabbed Thor and flew away fighting him.
"Thor!" his sister exclaimed panicked and flew to go after them but a new bunch of robots ascended on her. "Dammit." She groaned and began fending them off
Clint was getting surrounded, he was shooting off as many arrows as he could but wasn't hardly making a dent. He flipped over the side of a car to avoid of the blasts and landed hard.
"Ow." He groaned as the robots blasts rocked the car he was hiding behind. He sighed and was about to continue on when a noise stopped him.
Wanda threw the doors to the house open, taking out all the robots she could with her red energy. She was crushing them with her power and throwing them into the ground giving Clint a chance to get up and take out the remaining few. Once they had gotten all the robots in their area, Clint gave her a little smile and a nod and she responded with a shy smile of her own.
"Alright," Clint spoke into the com as they walked, making sure to look around to make sure there were no straggling robots. "We're all clear here."
"We are not clear!" Steve snapped. "We a very not clear!" He shoved his shield into one of the robots, and jumped up, kicking it all the way through it, severing its head.
"Alright." Clint picked up into a jog. "Coming to you!" He said calmly.
That's when Pietro sped past him, letting the wind blow up Clint's jacket as he picked up Wanda. "Keep up, old man!" Then in a flash, they were gone, sending debris in Clint's face as he brought up his bow, keeping Pietro's blur in his sight while letting out an angry sigh.
"Nobody would know. Nobody." With another angry sigh, Clint tucked his arrow back into his quiver before jogging after them. "'Where's the kid? Last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.'"
"The anti-gravs are rigged to flip," Friday informed and Tony cursed under his breath figuring out what was coming next. "Touch em' they'll go full reverse thrust. The city's not coming down slow."
"Well the spire's vibranium. If I get Thor to hit it-"
"It'll crack that's not enough."
"If Aphrodite caps the other ends, we could keep the atomic action doubling back."
"That could vaporize the city, and everyone on it."
There was another short lull in the robots so the Avengers focused their attention on getting the civilians into the buildings that weren't completely destroyed.
"The next wave is gonna hit any minute." Steve announced as he guiding another group. "What do you got, Stark?"
"Nothing great." Tony sighed. "Maybe a way to blow up the city." He said quietly. "That'll keep it from impacting the surface, if you guys can get clear."
"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan." Steve said firmly.
"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're gonna have to make a choice."
"Cap, these people are going nowhere." Natasha said knowing that it was the only option that might work. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock,"
"Not till everyone's safe." Steve insisted.
"Everyone up here versus everyone down there?" Aphrodite interjected "There's no math here, love."
Steve turned to her. "I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."
"We didn't say we should leave." Natasha said softly, and Aphrodite nodded agreeing with her. Slipping her hand into Steve's and slotting their fingers together.
"There's worse ways to go." She said responding to his silent question.
"Besides," Natasha shrugged before looking out at the morning sky. "At least we've got a good view." Both women looked out at the endless clouds in the sky, but Steve didn't take his eyes off the woman by his side.
"Glad you like the view, Romanoff." Everyone started at the very familiar voice that came through the coms. "It's about to get better."
That's when the helicarrier came right into their view and they all smiled for the first time in a while.
"Nice, right? Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty," Nick Fury said nonchalantly. "But she'll do." Slowly, Wanda and Pietro came out of the store in awe while all the citizens went to the windows to watch.
"Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve spoke in almost a whisper while shaking his head.
Fury let out a whistle before responded to Steve teasingly. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
The helicarrier's lifeboats then came out, going towards the land. Pietro had a little smile on his face as he watched.
"This is Shield?"
"This is what Shield's supposed to be." Aphrodite told him feeling the same encouragement to see him succeed as she'd felt with Wanda.
His smile got just a little wider. "This is not so bad."
As the people began exiting their hiding places heading for the life boats, the second wave of bots hit but before they could do any damage War Machine came out of nowhere firing down every single one of them.
"Yes!" Rhodey cheered. "Now this is gonna be a good story!"
"Yeah, if you live to tell it." Tony mocked flying up beside his best friend.
"You think I can't hold my own?"
"If we make it through this, I'll hold your own."
"You had to make it weird." Rhodey sighed.
"You think you're saving anyone?" Ultron asked wrapping his hand around Thor's throat. "I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it's still billions dead. Even you can't stop that."
"I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast..." His voice was getting hoarse as he was running out of air. "I am running out of things to say!" He looked to Vision behind Ultron, giving him a little smile and a nod. "Are you ready?"
Right when Ultron turned around in confusion, Vision hit him with Thor's hammer, sending him flying back a few hundred feet before tossing the hammer back to Thor.
"It's terribly well-balanced." Vision complimented.
"Well," Thor spoke while moving to a swinging motion. "If there's too much weight, you lose power on the swing, so..." he shrugged.
"I got it!" Tony suddenly spoke while continuing to take out robots. "Create a heat seal. I could supercharge the spire from below."
"Running numbers!" Friday yelled just as the first boat made it into the helicarrier. "A heat seal could work with enough power."
"Thor! I've got a plan! Aphrodite, I gonna need you too!"
"On my way!" the woman in question responded.
"We're out of time!" Thor yelled back. "They're coming for the core."
"Rhodey," Tony commanded while switching gears to fly toward the church. "Get the rest of the people on board that carrier."
"On it." He reported before flying off.
"Avengers!" Tony called out, "Time to work for a living."
Pietro and Tony meet Thor at the church first having their own speed advantages. They worked to out as many robots as they could. When the robots that escaped were trying to make it out, Aphrodite and Steve arrived there just in time to take them out with his shield. Wanda then showed up, Pietro going to her immediately to check on her.
Tony looked around, knowing there were only two people missing. "Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini'."
"Relax, shellhead." Natasha responded dryly mowing down robots and cars alike in the truck she'd commandeered. "Not all of us can fly." When she got to the church she got out and quickly jogged to the rest of the group. "What's the drill?"
"This is the drill." Tony spoke while pointing to the core before looking back to Natasha. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."
Hulk finally joined the group just as Ultron flew down, across from them, near the church. Thor moved forward. "Is that best you can do?!" he yelled at the android.
Ultron was unbothered as picked his hand up, and what seemed like a million robots began to advance towards them.
Everyone's jaw dropped at the swarm Steve turned to look at Thor, annoyance all over his face. "You had to ask." He deadpanned and Thor at least had the decency to look sheepish.
"This is the best I can do." Ultron continued on. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"
"Well, like the old man said," They all turned to Tony, and he smirked looking at Steve. "Together." Hulk then let out a loud roar and the swarm of robots attacked.
BrittStar1199: Now that you mention it I have been watching that show a lot lately, I guess that snuck in there without me even realizing it, oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Don't we all love when Steve takes charge? Lol.
Babyi.G: Lol, don't think I didn't consider it.
crimson. blood. witch: Thank you, thank you.
Lumpy's chickin: Welcome back bitch! Lmao, such a cute nickname.
Love. Fiction. 2018: Thanks a million.
LadyGely92: Thanks for the support. Hope you enjoyed.
UnknownReaderHasJoined: No sexy times just yet. They've got a world to save. Hope you enjoyed her interactions with Wanda.
Ivana Bocanegra: Well hello there and welcome back. I know the exact scene you're talking about. I'm glad you brought up Harry Potter because whenever I imagine Aphrodite teleporting from place to place I imagine it as looking and sounding like Apparition from the movies. You know for some reason I hadn't even thought about Aphrodite appearing in Doctor Strange what an awesome suggestion. Still undecided about whether or not our girl is gonna be in Civil War but as of recently I've been leaning towards yes.
As always let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future. Leave me a review too, as you can see I'll be answering/responding to the ones can. So feel free to say or ask me anything.
