Rapid Love | P. MAXIMOFF

[9] seventeen

Beatrix pulled the suit on quickly, tapping the chest so that it tightened around her body. She slipped on her shoes before she made her way out to where everyone was meeting up on the ship.

"The outfit suits you well," someone spoke up from behind her and she didn't have to turn around to know it was Pietro. His breath tickled her neck as he spoke, "Think I could get another good luck kiss?"

"In your dreams," she replied, hoping the burning in her cheeks wasn't visible to anyone around her.

"More often than you know," he mused, standing up straight. He walked away from her and she shivered slightly, making sure she kept her sight trained ahead of her so she wasn't tempted to watch him walk away.

"What was that about?" Steve inquired and Beatrix jumped.

"What was what about?"

"You and-" he began but stopped himself, shaking his head. "Never mind."

'Incoming call' popped up in her line of sight before her phone started ringing. She grew confused before she pulled her phone out, answering it upon seeing no caller ID. "Hello?" she greeted, confusion laced in her tone.

"It's Beatrix, right?" they asked and her eyebrows furrowed. She scanned her memories for the voice when it registered. "It's Marcus. We went out the other night."

"Hmm," she replied and she was fully aware of the fact that not only Steve but the others were watching her as well. "Who did win that basketball game?"

He laughed, "Sorry about that." She could hear scuffling on the other line before he cleared his throat and continued, "I had forgotten that there was a game that night. I'm normally much better company."

"Oh, I'm sure you are Marcus," she agreed. She did a quick scan around the room and everyone looked away upon seeing that she had caught them. Everyone except for Pietro who was still watching her. "Now really isn't a good time. I'm busy."

"Too busy for me?"

"Pretty much always."

"Feisty," he mused and she rolled her eyes. "I'll be quick." There was more sound on the other line and Beatrix listened carefully, hearing another voice. "I was hoping for a redo."

"We're you?" she inquired. "Who is that you're talking to?" she asked curiously. "Is it your mom or girlfriend?"

"What?"

"I'm not an idiot, Marcus," she informed him. "Under the assumption that you're not a complete ass, I highly recommend you tell her that you think you should be seeing other people because I'm sure she could do much better."

"Is that a yes to a second date?"

"No," she laughed. "That's a, call me again and I'll have you wishing that you were still capable of baring children." She didn't wait for a response before she hung up the phone and placed it on a bench in the ship.

Everyone was openly watching her and she rolled her eyes, "What?"

"Was that the guy who was too focused on basketball to pay attention to you?" Tony asked curiously. He still sat at the cockpit but the Quinjet was in autopilot.

"Have I had time to go on another date since then?" she inquired.

"I haven't tracked you since you were nineteen," he reminded her. "I don't know what you do in your free time."

She narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing in response as Tony's FRIDAY finally hooked up to his suit. "Aha!" he exclaimed victoriously. He turned to the group, "No way we all get through this," he announced. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans tomorrow night," Steve stated.

"I get first crack at the big guy," Tony informed them. "Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true," Vision agreed. "He hates you the most."

"Ultron knows we're coming," Steve pointed out. "Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out."

"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 we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building," he went on. "We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

Beatrix braced herself before she hopped off the ship and made her way toward where the citizens were. She hijacked the interface of the televisions and spoke to those at home, "Your city is under attack, you need to leave. Find your family and get out." She set it so the message played on a loop before she started directing people in the direction in which they should leave.

The robots appeared within seconds, flooding the streets and attacking the citizens. Beatrix helped people out of their cars quickly, slicing any oncoming attacks in half. She directed them off the bridge.

"Get off the bridge!" Wanda shouted. She moved to send some of the robots over the edge when the bridge split in the middle. She fell to the ground from the shaking and Beatrix latched on to the bridge ledge.

"Beatrix!" Wanda shouted and she moved to get up to help her.

"No, you'll just get hurt too," she said pointedly, her voice strained. She braced herself as she tried to pull herself up. Someone latched onto her arm and pulled her up with ease. She let out a breath of relief as Steve helped her to her feet, "Hey, Cap."

"Hanging in there?" he inquired and she rolled her eyes, fighting down an amused smile.

Beatrix glanced down as they slowly rose up, "How the hell are we going to get them all out of here before we're too high up that no one can breathe?"