[ 𝟏 ] 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐟𝐟

𝟏𝟑.

Staying within the city's central district, I continued battling any visible robots. Once the area was cleared and the Sokovians were safely secured within stable structures, I moved toward the outskirts of the floating city, searching for more action. To my left, I spotted Steve and Thor taking on a massive wave of bots, their combined efforts culminating in a fiery explosion. To my right, a familiar figure caught my attention—Natasha.

She executed a graceful flip down a set of stairs, rolled toward a bot, and with a flick of her electric batons, sliced through its legs before driving them into its neck. My stomach flipped, and before I could think twice, I sprinted toward her.

"Nat!" I called, pulling her into a quick embrace the moment I reached her.

Despite her usual guarded nature, Natasha had been a source of safety for me since my arrival at the Avengers Tower. Seeing her unharmed sent a wave of relief through me, even though we were still suspended thousands of feet in the air.

"Hey, girl." She gave me a half-smirk. "Did you get a chance to use the electric knife? Or the electric brass knuckles? Had them made just for you."

"The knife? A masterpiece. Perfect for tearing these metal bastards apart." I twirled a strand of hair between my fingers. "As for the brass knuckles—" I spotted another group of bots approaching. "—looks like I'll be testing them out right now."

I retrieved the brass knuckles from my pocket, slipped them on, and activated the switch. The bots rushed forward. Natasha gave me a quick wink before we charged together. I punched through one, its internals sparking and shattering beneath the force, then another, then another. Natasha swiftly took down the remaining three.

"Surprise! These work wonders too!" I brushed some dust off my pants, shooting Natasha a grin.

"Alright, we're all clear here," Clint's voice crackled through the earpiece.

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve's frantic voice shot back.

Natasha and I turned in unison. Steve, further in the distance, was swarmed by a fresh wave of bots. As we took off toward him, a rush of air filled my earpiece.

"Keep up, old man!" Pietro's voice taunted, presumably directed at Clint.

I burst into laughter.

"Nobody would know. Nobody," Clint muttered under his breath, still audible through the comms. "The last I saw him, when Ultron was sitting on him. Uh...yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already."

Clint's sarcasm only made me laugh harder, slowing my pace.

"Hey! I know that's you laughing at me, Stell," Clint accused.

"What in the world are you talking about?" I shot back innocently, attempting to contain my laughter.

"Wow, I made Stella laugh? I'm going to remember this," Pietro chimed in, his voice muffled by a gust of wind.