Philophobia ➤ W.M.

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  Astrilde knew that following Steve to Bucharest wasn't the best idea, but she also knew she had nowhere else to go. What was left of the Avengers would never let her come back unless she signed the Accords, and that was never happening.

  Now, she stood near the building Steve said Bucky had taken up residence in, her foot bouncing. She sat on a motorcycle, something they had... borrowed for a bit. She wore her armor, but also wore a glamor that made it look like she had a leather jacket and shorts on. It was odd. She didn't feel like she wore shorts, but at the same time there they were, they looked as real as anything else around her.

  Astrilde looked up, noticing a man with a baseball cap rush into the building. She frowned, but didn't say anything. The Winter Soldier would know better than to be seen by someone, so it wouldn't make sense for the man to be the Winter Soldier. Boy, was she wrong.

  "Heads up, guys. German Special forces approaching from the south," Sam's voice was semi-quiet in the coms.

  "Understood," Steve said in an equally quiet voice.

  "I'm not engaging," Astrilde responded, watching the building. She glanced up at the top, where she could see Sam standing in his Falcon gear.

  "Then why are you here?" The question was simply that, a question. She paused, she didn't know herself.

  "You invited me," She reminded them, smirking a little bit.

  "They've set a perimeter," Sam finally said. Astrilde had noticed, as those guarding the perimeter were trying to convince her to drive far away from the building. Instead, she pretended she didn't understand what they were saying.

  "I don't speak... whatever it is you're saying." Lie. She did, but she needed a reason to be as close to the building as possible. The man who had been trying to convince her to leave, narrowed his eyes, before walking away, muttering curses aimed toward her under his breath. She suppressed a smile.

  "They're entering the building," Sam informed Steve and Astrilde. She turned on her engine. There was going to be a firefight, whether she liked it or not. "They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

  "Five seconds!" Sam warned after a moment. "Three seconds!" A pause. "Breach! Breach! Breach!"

  At those words, Astrilde sprung into action. She revved her engine, before speeding off. She had been on the opposite side of Bucky's apartment windows, but now she needed to be able to see what was going on. She could see Sam overhead, high enough that nobody would notice him unless they tried, but close enough that he could warn Steve of any danger.

  She noticed a bag be thrown to another roof, so she focused in on that. A man who had that much tactical training would know how to get out of the situation, and one trained like that only packs the absolute necessities. Low and behold, the man himself jumped off the balcony, landing on the building roof. A bit of black caught Astrilde's eye, but when she tried to find it, it was gone.

  "Sam, southwest rooftop," Steve spoke.

  "Who the hell's the other guy?" Sam asked.

  "About to find that out."

  "I swear to the gods Steve if you jump off that-" Astrilde started, but she was too late. The super soldier jumped off the balcony just like Barnes. She muttered under her breath a few choice words about the superhero turned vigilante. She was so close to engaging, but she couldn't. It would only end badly.