44. Conflicted Heart

"Eirikyr Anderson, the Eternal Ruler, the singular across the multiverse. You have been chosen," boomed the voice of the Watcher.

"Well, shit..." Erik sighed, "Wait a sec, Watcher. Before we go, I need to suit up."

The Watcher, ever stoic and unmoving, simply nodded. "Go on, but make it fast."

"What's happening, Erik, what is that thing? And where are you going?" Wanda asked with a shaken voice, she was scared of losing him - Again...

Her fingers tightened around his hand slightly, wanting nothing more than for them both to stay safe and together.

Sensing her apprehension, Erik gently patted her head, his touch reassuring. "I don't exactly know why I'm being called or chosen either. But I imagine it's related to the fate of our universe and many others. That guy doesn't meddle unless absolutely necessary."

"But don't worry, Wanda. I'll be back in a moment. Alive, of course," he reassured her before pressing a tender kiss to her lips. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the rhythmic thudding of his heart.

"Let me come too!" Wanda pleaded, her eyes brimming with desperation.

Erik could only smile seeing her like this, she truly loved him the most...

"Erik Anderson, time is ticking." The Watcher spoke as he couldn't wait any more.

"Yeah, yeah." Erik pecked Wanda's lips once again, "I'll come in a while, don't worry." he winked before he flew to the stealth ship.

Wanda's heart sank as she watched Erik fly towards the stealth ship, leaving her alone in the house.

Donning Ebony Maw's black robes and wielding the Sceptre, Erik called out to the Watcher.

The next moment, he found himself in a pub.

Party Thor was screaming his lungs out, and just like in the cannon, he shut up after realizing that he was in a pub.

Before coming here, Erik wasn't entirely sure that he was summoned by the Watcher to help handle Ultron but now he was.

As he scanned the room, he found most of the key players except Killmonger, instead, he found another person that was out of place, just like him - Cindy Moon.

Erik did not know her story or her past, he just knew that she was a variant of Spider-Man. And that the girls of his old world like to cosplay as her. That was it.

'The absence of Killmonger, Cindy and I's presence, must mean that the Watcher has another plan in mind than the one he should have originally thought of.' Erik mused as the group questioned Strange Supreme.

'From what I remember, when even Strange Supreme was in awe at the Watcher's wisdom. But more importantly, where is this sweet addictive smell coming from...?'

His gaze went toward Cindy and he realized that she was indeed releasing those pheromones that attracted him.

As she looked back at him, for a brief moment he found himself entranced by her presence, a primal urge stirring deep within his being. But he averted his eyes to observe the others.

He couldn't figure out what was up with him for that brief moment, but he knew that it wasn't just his male hormones acting up.

With a quick exhale, he cleared his mind and observed the situation, he needed to figure out the Watcher's new plan. But whatever his plan may be, for this just this time, Erik was ready to play his part in shaping the fate of the multiverse. But he did wanted to figure it out, so he could avoid it if Watcher had planned something like Killmonger for him.

Meanwhile, confusion overwhelmed the room, the others insisted on going back and pestered Strange for answers and then the Watcher appeared with a flicker of the lamps.

"It's you again," Peggy said.

"Come on, man. Get a new trick." Star-lord T'Challa quipped exasperatedly.

"You have been chosen..." The Watcher began without minding the comments, "For a mission that is both highly dangerous and absolutely necessary for the continuation of life as you know it. At first, I scoured eternity for one true hero. Then I saw the bigger picture."

The Watcher looked at everyone's eyes as he spoke, "This mission requires a team. The perfect combination of skills and experience that alone will triumph."

"Let me get this straight. You kidnapped us from across the galaxy so we could, what?" Peggy furrowed her brows.

"Save the universe?" Gamora shrugged.

Erik chose to just keep his mouth shut as the conversation went on and the Watcher labeled them the Guardians of the Multiverse.

Like, come on, Watcher. You have been seeing trillions of universes and you couldn't even come up with a bit more original name. He had this same thought when he watched "What If" in his previous life.

As Strange and Watcher explained to them about their mission of stopping the Ultron, they also explained to them about the infinity stones.

"Six stones of unfathomable power. Each controlling an essential aspect of our existence. And Ultron holds all of them."

"I've got one we could use too." Erik showed off as he made the Sceptre hum with life. He chose this moment to participate in the conversation and show his presence.

"Wow, can I touch it?" For whatever reason, Cindy came close to Erik.

"Uh, here," he handed the stick to her, there was no harm in letting her play with it, but due to her closeness, his heart was pounding with intensity again.

"We believe that the only way to stop Ultron is to separate the stones from his body." Strange continued.

"I might be able to help with that. I've stolen more from worse." T'Chaka smirked.

"But this Ultron could be hiding anywhere in the multiverse," Peggy said as she took a seat on the couch behind her.

"-Yes" The Watcher replied.

"Behind an army of killer robots?" T'Challa raised his brows.

"-Yes" The Watcher replied with the same curtness.

Erik also sat on a different couch listening to the convo, Cindy sat beside him as well.

Erik was feeling a bit conflicted, he felt a massive attraction towards Cindy, an attraction like never before. It didn't seem like just her smell, something else was pulling him towards her. But in his mind, he didn't want to cheat on Wanda.

'Is this what they call love at first sight? It's so troublesome..."

True, he wanted a become a playboy, wanted a massive harem, fuck every hot Marvel girl that he could get when he came into this universe.

But now, he felt like it was not okay to cheat on the only girl who loved him for who he was on the inside, who loved his soul more than anything...

"You smell good... what do you use?" Cindy asked him.

A strange question to ask a person you've just met, but she just asked what came to her mind.

"Well, just Nivea 3 in 1 body wash," he replied with a small chuckle, acutely aware of the rapid tempo of his breath.

"It seems more than just soap...um, can I?"

Before Erik could even respond, she pulled her web mask down and came closer to his neck, sniffing and taking in the addictive smell in her nose filling up her lungs. She felt weird, in all sorts of places. Something primal was awakening within her.

Erik was in the same state.

Her eyes locked onto Erik's, filled with a mixture of desire and need. As Erik's eyes met Cindy's, his senses were going haywire, his emotions, hormones, and everything were screaming at him to kiss her.

He let his feelings take over and connected their lips.

As their lips met in a hungry kiss, their tongues tangled, exploring every inch of each other's mouths. Their bodies pressed together tightly, fueled by the rush of endorphins and primal instincts.

Cindy's hands roamed over Erik's muscular chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath her fingers. In turn, he grasped her tightly, tracing down her waist and grabbing her ass.

"Oh, that could come in handy. I have a question though, why are those two making out in a situation like this?" T'Challa said, tilting his head.

"Hmm~" Cindy couldn't hear T'Challa's words as she continued to explore Erik's mouth with her tongue, tasting his mouth as her hands roamed over his arms.

But Erik did hear T'Challa and his voice brought him back to his senses and he gently pushed Cindy away. His eyes filled with regret and shame.

"I'm sorry," Erik murmured, his voice heavy with remorse as he met Cindy's eyes.

Cindy, who had been taken aback by the sudden intensity of their kiss, was surprised to see the regret etched on Erik's features. But before she could reassure him that everything was okay, his next words caught her off guard.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. You see, I already have someone I love..."

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