Philophobia ➤ W.M.

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  Astrilde stuck to the edges of the fights, not attempting to intervene in any unless they were complete, or someone was injured. There was a close case with Wanda sending Natasha into a metal shipping container, but the latter ended unscathed. That had put Astrilde on her toes, and caused her to watch everything sharper than she had been.

  The sound of metal crashing had Astrilde whipping around, and she was just in time to see Spider-Man catch a collapsing jetway. Steve stood in front of the kid, shield in his hands. Soon, the hero-turned-vigilante ran off, leaving a struggling boy in his wake.

  The goddess ran over to the hero, ducking underneath the jetway to help Spider-Man lift the metal before he was crushed like a bug. She pushed the metal up and behind them, and the kid flinched at the boom the metal created as it hit the concrete. "Hey, you good?" She asked, letting her worry slip into her voice.

  "Oh, I'm great!" The boy responded enthusiastically. "You're really strong though, Miss Goddess of Love! Are you related to Thor? He's my favourite superhero, don't tell Mr. Stark that, and I really want to meet him some day-" Astrilde interrupted him with a soft laugh.

  "I'm his younger sister. Just call me Astrilde."

  "Oh, okay Miss Astrilde!"

  "Are you sure you're ok?" Spider-Man nodded excitedly, a motion which made Astrilde think of a puppy. "Well, stay safe kid. I'm afraid some may be underestimating their strength in this... disagreement."

  "I-I'm not a kid," Spider-Man protested as Astrilde left in a sprint.

  "And I'm not the Goddess of Love," She laughed under her breath.

  What happened next would have shocked even the most intimidating Asgardian warrior. Scott, aka. Ant-Man, had turned maybe ten times taller than his normal size. He was 80 feet tall at least, which was probably the most shocking part. For someone who was named Ant-Man, it was shocking that he could also turn giant.

  She was so awestruck that she couldn't do much as she saw Scott destroy boxes, and bat at Rhodey and Spider-Man. What had jolted Astrilde into action was the kid being hit by Scott's hand, which sent him flying. Then, Astrilde was off in a blur of gold and pink.

  Astrilde arrived just in time to see Spider-Man startle due to Tony, his mask half off. A noise escaped her mouth as she saw just how young the kid was. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized him from somewhere, but didn't have time to remember before Tony addressed her.

  "Could you watch him for me?" Astrilde almost denied Tony's request, before she saw his hardened eyes. If she was afraid of that expression, she couldn't say.

  "Of course."

  That's how Astrilde was stuck babysitting. Happy had eventually arrived and dragged the kid away, wishing Astrilde luck. However, she had been too focused on the battle raging in the skies. Horror shot through her body when a beam from Vision hit Rhodey's chest, sending War Machine down.

  "Get him far away from here!" Astrilde told Happy when she saw Rhodey hit the ground before Tony or Sam could reach him. "Now!" Spider-Man tried to look past Astrilde, but Happy was already forcing him to walk the other direction. "Don't stop. Not even if you see the police. I fear they will not be civil."

---

  It was not even ten minutes later when the federal agents arrived. Rhodey had been carried off by medics five minutes earlier, but Tony had stayed back. Everybody who had been in the battle were there, aside from Spider-Man, Steve, and Bucky. Vibranium cuffs were thrown around Wanda's hands, but they were the only pair that their captors seemed to have.

  Normal cuffs were about to be put on Astrilde's own wrists, but Tony intervened. "She's on my side. I'll deal with her accordingly." Astrilde looked at her friend, who looked like a wreck. Rhodey's fall had put a toll on Tony already, which was worrying. The guards begrudgingly stepped away from Astrilde.

  "Tony," Astrilde stated, drawing the billionaire's gaze toward her. Tony looked at her in question. Clearly, it was something in her eyes because he suddenly became frantic. She glanced at Wanda, who was flanked by four guards. Vision stood next to her, holding her up. She was clearly in pain, which worried Astrilde. Astrilde had made up her mind. She turned back to Tony.

  "Don't," He warned. She didn't listen. Astrilde winked, before throwing a punch that would definitely crack a rib at the nearest guard. Horrified noises came from her friends, all except Tony, who knew exactly what she was going to do.

  Her position standing did not last long afterward. A sharp electrical zap that could knock a mortal out dug into her side, and she cried out as she hit the ground. Her eyes were shut in pain as she rolled onto her back. She knew that she would be struck, but she couldn't prepare for pain that could kill somebody if turned to the frequency that it had been at.

  "Shit," She breathed out, opening one of her eyes to see Wanda's terrified expression. "I... mean. Hitting.. One of the... guards... calls for a killing blow?" Astrilde coughed out. She could see the intake of breath from her friends. They hadn't realized just how strong the stick she had been hit with was. "S-sorry, Tony."

  "Why did you do that?" Astrilde knew Tony already knew the answer, but he asked anyway. Astrilde coughed, feeling blood trickle down the side of her mouth. That hit a bit dangerously. Internal bleeding is not something I am skilled at healing. She looked Wanda straight in the eyes.

  "I couldn't live with her being the only one trapped.

  "I love her."

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