Dangerous Love

Chapter 6: Hi again

A few hours later the Quinjet landed near the abandoned salvage yard, and the team stepped out onto African soil. Aaron was nowhere to be found. Rose hoped he hadn't actually been stupid enough to come. But part of her knew her hopes were in vain. He never left her alone when he thought she could be in danger. Even on her missions, he had always stayed nearby as a sniper in case someone tried to attack her from behind. During the ride, Steve had tried to speak with Rose more than a few times, but she continuously brushed him off, needing to remain focus.

Rose stood up from her spot on the Quinjet, checking that her guns were fully loaded, and her daggers were all razor sharp. And they should as she spent half the ride sharpening them. Taking out a piece of banana-flavored bubble gum stick from the pack in her pocket, she shoved it in her mouth, and started chewing. From the moment, she took the pack out, the scent of bananas enveloped her. Somehow, it was her favorite. In a way, it reminded her of how her mother's kitchen used to smell like.

Those were the small things she remembered. After all, Rose was only a toddler back then, so any memories of her mother were faint. Anything that she could use to bring back even a flicker of Lydia Hathaway-Rogers was a part of her everyday life in some way.

"You know, I've never been to Wakanda," she mentioned aloud.

"It's big in industrialism. Mainly for the metal that Steve's shield is made up of," Clint told her from the cockpit.

"Ah, yes, the Vibranium. Everyone wants to use that these days, don't they?" snorted Rose, rolling her eyes as she braided her hair into a tight french braid. "Bet you they're all making quite a pretty penny off of mining it. And like I said before, if Ultron's after the strongest metal on earth, with all the things he might plan to do with it, we're all screwed."

"Agreed," a familiar face said from behind her. Rose turned around to see Aaron standing there, a smug smirk on his face. His black wings retracted into his spine as he leaned against the wall. As usual, he was dressed in his black uniform, his mask in his hands. "Don't mind if I join the party, do you?"

"How the hell did you even get on?" Tony demanded.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Aaron grinned. He looked at Steve, a knowing glint entering his eyes. Steve groaned, knowing what he was about to bring up. "Oh, and also, you should know better than to curse in front of Cap here. You know he doesn't like that kind of language."

"Who wants me to push him out the window the next time we take off?" Rose asked, raising her arm in the air. Tony and Steve raised their hands high. Aaron's eyes widened, and he put his hands to his chest in mock hurt.

"Ouch, and just when I thought we were all getting along," he said.

Rose shrugged, a small smirk on her face. "Warning, get in my way, you'll regret it," she threatened, jabbing a finger at his chest. "So you're gonna have to take care of yourself." Once she finished braiding her hair, she walked over to the door. Any and all emotions went into lockdown as she stepped out into the hot sun.

"I'm not some little kid, I can hold my own!" Aaron called after her, staying on her heels. As he followed her, he put on his mask.

"Fly ahead. Keep out of sight, and only come in when I give you the signal," Rose ordered without looking back. Aaron rolled his eyes, and gave her a mock salute before sprouting his wings and taking off. Rose exhaled loudly through her nose, and smoothed down her black curls. "Let's do this," she mumbled.

She could sense the Maximoff twins the moment she set foot off the Quinjet, and from the instant she entered the dilapidated ship that housed Klaue's smuggling operation she could tell this was where they'd been hiding. Their energy was so strong, she could pick them out from a crowd miles away.