#visionsofusfics

It was the middle of the week for the Avengers and that apparently meant a friendly game of capture the flag.

It was for training, supposedly, but Wanda was pretty sure it was just to make sure they didn’t go stir crazy during their time off. Capture the flag was a less-destructive option compared with some of the other extracurriculars her teammates had tried to pursue during their holiday.

The time off was a new initiative. For 2 weeks out of every six months they were required to take time off and recuperate. The new rule was a result of a psychological evaluation that had been conducted two months earlier, finding that everyone was under an exorbitant amount of stress. It had been decided that in order for everyone to look after themselves properly there needed to be enforced holiday time.

As Wanda trod through the grass, her training boots softening the blow of her stomping, she couldn’t help thinking of the warm bed that she had been dragged from. Time off was supposed to mean lots of risk and relaxation, right?

Apparently not for a team of stressed-out superheroes with nothing to do.

The rest of the team had assembled on the back lawn facing the mass of woods that backed onto the compound’s south side. It was the view that Wanda saw from her bedroom, which was where she was supposed to be.

She shook her head no use complaining, she’d never live it down if she didn’t participate. Plus, she was a bit excited at the opportunity of hitting something that wasn’t going to try and kill her in return. Hopefully. She had finished the last of Sam’s peanut butter the previous evening so maybe her life was in a little bit of danger.

“Hurry up!” Natasha called from the circle she had assembled for their team, comprised of Steve, herself and a reluctant Clint who was still lacing up his boots and looked as if he too had been dragged from slumber. “I picked you for our team.”

Wanda surveyed their opponents – Tony, Rhodey, Sam and Vision. She grinned, her typical competitive spirit sparking at that. The last time they’d done a training exercise like this she and Vision had been on the same side; it would be interesting to actually try fighting him in a real time exercise. She grinned at Vision, a daring glint in her eyes and relished the way he stared, his eyes tracking up her body. Yes, this was going to be very fun.

There was a map set out on a plastic table, indicating where their flags were and how the forest was to be divided, with the river that ran through it the midline. The two teams took a moment to strategies. It was always a pain to pick who would be the one guarding the flag because everyone was competitive enough that they wanted to be part of the action. Thankfully, Clint volunteered, and Wanda was left to lead their attack, with Steve and Nat set on being the decoys.

“Usual rules, first person to get the opposing team’s flag wins, only one person guarding the flag at a time and please try not to destroy the forest?” Steve said pulling out one blue flag and one yellow flag, handing the latter to Sam.

Everyone made noises of agreement, but they were already shifting up to the starting line, bodies tensed and muscles tight, ready to launch themselves into the trees.

All it took was the clap of a starting gun and they jumped into motion. Each team set off in opposite directions while Vision disappeared in a blink. Wanda knew he would be at their flag, the last line of defence. A wise choice and one that would make her job all the more fun.

Wanda wasn’t as fast, but she was light on her feet and easily snuck through into the yellow team’s territory with no one noticing. It appeared Steve and Nat were taking their distraction role seriously.

Her powers made it easy to move about in confined spaces and so she darted between the branches of towering trees, using her powers to push herself off of thick boughs. Her boots ring off branches as she used the foliage for cover. Below her there was the sound of heavy footfalls and she saw Rhodey appear, sneaking off towards their territory. A few moments later Nat appeared hot on his toes, silent as ever. She glanced up at Wanda and grinned. Her thumbs up let Wanda know that the coast was clear.

Reinvigorated, Wanda launched herself over roots and onto the rough forest floor, her feet bounding. As her legs burned, she felt Vision. Technically it might have been cheating in some ways – but Steve didn’t specify if there were any restrictions on her power and based on the sound of explosions at her back no one else was holding back. Vision was nearby, she could feel like calling to like.

Nevermind that Wanda had warned Vision about how open he let his mind be, making it easy for anyone like her to slip inside. He was blasting his presence loud and clear for her.

Wanda thundered to a stop next to the wide river whose waters filled the lake near the compound. It rushes, the swell strong from the previous week’s rain and on the other side of the misting water was Vision. His arms were set confidently on his hips and behind him she caught the yellow glimmer of his flag tied around a tree branch.

Vision shrugged casually when he saw her, but Wanda didn’t let his nonchalance hold her back. She launched herself across the rushing water, her powers propelling her forcefully into the air. She barely made it halfway across, Vision reached her too quickly.

They collided remarkably softly, and Wanda smirked at how Vision’s hand reached around her waist to steady her. In a moment she was returned to the banks and Vision was where he was moments earlier. Damn super speed. She thought. Wanda can still feel the warmth of his bare hand on her back. Damn feelings.

“That’s not fair!” She called across the water. As she spoke, she darted to the left and Vision easily mirrored her movement, ready to stop her.

“It’s all part of the game Wanda, darling,” Vision teased. Wanda’s eyes narrowed at the term of endearment, surely antagonising the enemy should have been against the rules.

She feinted, moving one way before spinning in the opposite direction. As predicted, Vision wasn’t fooled, and he followed her motions easily. As Wanda jumped again Vision moved to meet her in the middle, hovering easily above the water. Instead, Wanda let her power go and dropped rapidly, almost hitting the water below. She recovered just in time to push her powers off the water and land on the bank. She hit the ground with a thud, her knees stinging a little on impact but wasted no time getting up again, eyes searching for the bright yellow flag she had been put in charge of retrieving.

Vision recovered quickly and in moments he was in front of her. Wanda stepped sideways and he moved. She threw a punch and he blocked, he feinted, and she easily saw through his manoeuvre. Neither of them could get past each other’s guard but they like the challenge.

There was a reason she was rarely paired with Vision during training. For one, their powers were too well matched to hurt each other so they tended to end up damaging the space around them. And then there was the fact that it could never just be fighting with them. There always had to be teasing, flirting, names, exploiting each other’s well-known weaknesses.

Wanda backed up, relishing in how Vision strode after her, the world blurred at the edges. She tilted her head with a cocky smile and raised her hands, red balls of energy forming. One after another she hurled them in his direction, but Vision was too quick. He actually laughed as he spun and dodged her carefully aimed strikes, instead they ricocheted off the trees around them. Frustrated, Wanda changed strategies.

With great effort she sent a bubble of power and encased Vision. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough for Wanda to launch herself up onto the nearest tree bough. Vision struggled as he waded out of her energy field, his head snapping around to figure out where she had disappeared to.

Wanda’s breathless laugh was all it took for him to figure out where she was. His head tilted upwards at the same time Wanda launched herself from the tree, hurtling straight for his chest. She hoped that the force of her power and gravity would sending him careening to the ground, but Vision, with all his strength and infuriating grace, simply caught her around the waist. He pulled her close, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.

“Hi there,” Wanda breathed, blinking at the sudden closeness.

“Darling, you’re blushing,” Vision said softly, and heat raced up Wanda’s neck. He wasn’t playing fair, but she was more annoyed with herself for caving to such simple tactics. With one push he reluctantly let her go and her feet hit the ground.

“Maybe,” Wanda punched as Vision blocked, “if you didn’t keep calling me pet names – I wouldn’t be blushing.” In a moment she thought she had him, with her leg hooked around Vision’s knee and using her power to pull him to the ground. But Vision’s speed put him at an advantage, and he caught her off guard by grabbing her hands and holding them tightly.

“That can be fixed,” Vision whispered close to her ear, and she shivered. Despite the situation and how close their bodies were there was a hesitancy to his behaviour that made her legs feel shaky. “Is dear more suitable?” he asked, and Wanda jumped when he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Or my love,” he whispered, his lips trailing down her jaw.

“Wanda,” he murmured against her lips, and it was question and a confession all at once. Nobody said her name like he did. So, Wanda gave in. she pulled him to a standing position, pulling his arms around her waist as she kissed him breathlessly.

“We probably should focus on the game,” Vision whispered, his hand pushing her hair back from her face so he could layer kisses across her cheek and down her neck.

“Yeah, you’re making a great argument for that...” Wanda hissed.

Frustrated, she caught his chin in her hand and relished the way he looked at her. The adoration, the longing. She’d never get sick of those eyes.

“Kiss me, please,” Wanda murmured, trailing her fingers up his neck. In moments they were pressed up against the very tree that held the flag Vision had forgotten he was supposed to be guarding.

She reached up, masking the movement by running her hand through his hair. With him sufficiently distracted she reached further, her fingers brushing against the silky fabric of the flag.

With one hand pressed against Vision’s abdomen and his mouth distracted by her kisses she was able to send the flag flying over to a waiting Natasha who was waiting casually on the riverbank.

A sharp whistle pierced the air as Nat grasped the fabric and holding it above her head in triumph.

Vision froze and broke away from Wanda, looking slightly dazed.

“That’s really not fair.”

“Nothing’s fair in love and war, darling,” Wanda grinned, biting her lip.

“Gee thanks for the help lovebird!” Rhodey called and Vision hung his head in embarrassment.

“Vision you’re supposed to protect the flag, not fraternise with the enemy!” Tony called, arriving at the riverbank with a blue flag in his grip, he’d apparently grabbed it moments after Wanda had gotten their flag to Natasha.

“I wasn’t fraternising!”

“What do you call that then?”

Vision was stumped at that, and he let Wanda lead him back to the others, his hand a constant presence at her back, their fingers woven together. The others began to recollect their favourite moments, the game well and truly over.

“I’ll get you next time,” Vision said confidently, looking down at Wanda.

It was supposed to be a nice Saturday, a celebration of the public holiday that blessed the team with four days off work, and yet Vision had been feeling strange all afternoon. It was difficult to place what was rubbing him the wrong way – it was even more challenging to process the feelings he had. Of course, he understood it logically, how his synthetic limbic system was able to replicate emotions based on feedback the outside world presented to his brain. But actually putting his feelings into words was far more difficult.

He had discussed this aspect of his development with Helen Cho two months earlier, as he so often did when he had challenges in adapting to a world that saw him as a simple robot. Her hypothesis, she had explained over lunch, was that Vision was bombarded with emotions in a way that any regular adult might be, except he had not had the years to develop ways to cope with them. Vision could feel all the feelings that he wanted, and he knew how they informed his decisions, but it didn’t make it much easier when it came to accepting those feelings. But Helen had explained there wasn’t a way to speed that process up without extensive surgery and the potential altering of his personality.

So, he read and read and read, consuming as much knowledge as he could to make up for all the years of emotional development that a being of his maturity was expected to have.

They were outside on the grassy lawn spanning out the front of the Avengers Compound. The immaculate lawns were at present occupied by two long couches that he had help carry outside, a barbeque and a long banquet table that was gradually filling up with food. Vision was surrounded by the teammates who had become his friends in the less than a year he had been living with them. It was a nice evening, so what was it that had him all hot and bothered?

“You all right there, buddy?” Clint said, slapping Vision on the back in a way he had seen the others do.

“I am well thank you, Clint,” Vision said managing a smile that satisfied the archer enough that he returned to his conversation with Thor and Natasha. The three of them were starting another round of beers as Vision awkwardly sat nearby.

“You want one, Vision?” Thor asked, holding one of the drinks out to him.

Vision opened his mouth in hesitation, wondering if he might be able to, just this once. “I can’t,” he said finally, knowing his systems wouldn’t be able to absorb the alcohol, or any liquid for that matter. The others didn’t question it, but Vision couldn’t help thinking that they still found him rather… odd.

As they returned to their conversation, sitting in an open enough group that Vision was included and welcomed into the conversation, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Everyone around him was engaging in the social act of consumption, and he couldn’t. It hadn’t really bothered him before, but now that he saw them all engaging in this normal practice together, Vision couldn’t help feeling a bit left out. What other countless things did he miss out on simply by not being a human?

Looking for a distraction Vision directed his gaze away from the conversation happening around him and instead looked to the rest of his companions. His eyes immediately found Wanda, he couldn’t help it. There was a pull between them that couldn’t but denied. The connection scared him, despite the synthetic nature of his amygdala. Even as he gazed at her from a distance now, there was a part of him that wanted to get up and go to her side. He’d grown used to the feeling and relished the time they shared together and all that she made him feel. The rush of dopamine when she smiled, the spike in serotonin when he was the source of that smile, the spark of adrenaline when her hand accidentally brushed his skin. None of these reactions scared him, not really. The attraction was too pleasant to truly fear. No, the scary part was that once he was at her side he never wanted to leave.

As he mulled this over Wanda felt his gaze and glanced over her shoulder, pausing her monitoring of the barbecue to give him a quick smirk. Vision, distracted as he was, panicked and quickly looked away in embarrassment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her frown and turn back to Steve who was helping her with flipping the burger patties.

Frustrated at himself he returned his gaze to the pair at the barbecue. He watched as Wanda’s arm slipped trying to flip a particularly stubborn patty and Steve quickly grabbed her elbow lest it hit the hot surface of the grill. Even as Vision’s fear spiked a moment at the prospect of Wanda being injured, his irritation grew exponentially.

In reaction to Wanda’s near accident he had half risen from the couch and realised it would now look odd if he didn’t commit to standing up. Reluctantly he left the chattering trio he’d been beside and made his rounds to the other teammates. Tony was helping Pepper set out the cutlery down the long table and Vision decided this was a safe enough space to place himself until they sat down for food.

He absentmindedly made small talk with the pair and helped in gathering glasses from inside and bringing them out to be filled with beer and various other refreshments he couldn’t consume. As he did, he kept half an eye on Wanda and Steve, hating the irritation that grew as they laughed and joked. It was entirely irrational. Vision admired Steve a great deal and had only ever had respect for him in their training. He was proud to have established a good enough relationship with the Captain that he was able to be called a friend. But seeing the pair enjoying themselves made him upset, a little bit angry and…

And jealous.

Whether it was the shock or not he couldn’t be sure, but the feelings died immediately as he reprimanded himself for his own presumptuousness. What right did he have to feel jealousy of all things, watching Wanda getting along with the Captain. It was not his place to feel this way. They certainly weren’t at a point in their relationship where such a thing might be acceptable, or even desired by her. What are the chances that a human would fall for a synthezoid?

None. He replied to himself. Zero, nada, zilch. It was so impossible it didn’t deserve his attention and so he gloomily turned his mind to the table before him and continued setting out glasses.

The dinner itself was rather uneventful. Or as uneventful as things could get with the Avengers. Thor had challenged Steve to a drinking competition, a dangerous prospect given Thor’s immeasurable tolerance for alcohol and Steve’s high metabolism.

The rest of the team were content to behold the competition without intervening, instead chattering in small groups around the table.

As always, there was an ease to the conversation and Vision found it welcoming, occasionally joining in here and there. But he mostly listened, content to absorb that which was said around him without offering his input. If anyone noticed he was more quiet than normal, they said nothing. And if Wanda thought it was strange that he had placed himself at the opposite end of the table to her, she did not acknowledge it, save for a hesitant glance his way every few minutes.

Thor and Steve were well into their 15th drinks when the team wrapped up dinner.

“Can you give me a hand with the movie, Vision?” Tony asked, heading over to the large projector that had been set up on the lawn ready for the movie night that had been planned to end the evening. Vision tilted his head in surprise but followed anyway.

“What do you need me for?” Vision asked joining Tony at the projector.

“Oh no reason, actually.”

Vision frowned as Tony made a few quick touches on his tablet and the night’s selected movie appeared on the screen. Nat had chosen a comedy flic Vision didn’t recognise.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Tony said nonchalantly and handed Vision the end of a beanbag to drag over to the couches which were slowly becoming occupied as the rest of the team milled over. “You seem quiet tonight.”

“There is nothing wrong with being quiet.”

“No, there’s not,” Tony agreed, “but there is something wrong with feeling like you have to be quiet to satisfy others.”

Vision averted his gaze from Tony’s piercing eyes. He was uncomfortably perceptive when he wanted to be.

“I assure you, that’s not what is happening.”

There was silence but Vision refused to meet Tony’s intent look, afraid of what he might see reflected there. Tony gave a mighty sigh and then Vision was left alone once more.  

Vision had perched himself on the end of the couch next to Clint, who had tried to insist on returning to his room on the grounds that he hated comedy films, but Nat had made him stay.

Beside Clint was Steve, still going strong on his drinking bet, with Thor beside him. The rest of his teammates were assembled on the other couch or occupying chairs and beanbags before the projector upon which the movie was just beginning.  

Lounging on a blue beanbag in front of the couch sat Wanda. Her legs curled up underneath her and with her already short stature she was practically absorbed by the enormous beanbag.

“Hey, Wanda,” Steve called over the sound of the movie, “chuck me some popcorn, will you?”

Wanda did indeed chuck some popcorn, throwing three pieces over her shoulder, one of them landing in Steve’s cup.

“No what I meant,” Steve said, and Wanda laughed. The sound made Vision smile, as it so often did.

Wanda turned around in her chair and met Vision’s gaze, the popcorn bowl extended to him before she caught herself and turned to Clint instead. Vision’s smile fell.

“Would you like some, Clint?” She asked sweetly and Steve grumbled something under his breath.

“Shut up old man,” Clint joked and took the bowl she offered.

Wanda’s attention was back on the screen as Clint held the popcorn out to Vision absentmindedly.

“Oops sorry,” he said pulling away, “I forgot.”

“It’s ok,” Vision sighed. As Clint turned away, he made his decision. “Actually, you know I will have some.”

“Uh okay,” Clint said hesitantly, and Vision plucked a single piece of popped corn from the overflowing bowl before it was handed down to the rest of the couch.

Eating was a strange experience and even as he chewed his body sounded off warnings and Vision knew then and there that he had made a mistake. But he so desperately wanted to fit in that he ignored it all, swallowing finally and shuddering slightly at the unwelcome feeling of the food going down his throat.

Within half an hour Vision was feeling as light and airy as the popcorn had been. His movements a little sluggish, his eyes seeming to slow down as he watched the movie. Distracted, he found it harder to not think about Wanda. The popcorn had somehow made it more difficult to fend off the challenging thoughts he was often so good at pushing off. Now, however, the little voice in his head telling him she’d never want him, was back. It was followed up by a second voice that made him feel stupid for even feeling this way for her in the first place.

In an effort to escape the cycle his brain had worked itself up into Vision decided to take a walk. This was challenging apparently, as he managed to bump into several chairs and the table before he made his way away from the noise of the screen. The movie was too loud, and he needed to get some more air.

“More air,” Vision giggled to himself, despite the fact he had never giggled in his life, “I am surrounded by air why could I possibly need more of it?”

“Vision?” Tony called, evidently having seen the way the synthezoid had stumbled away from the screen and followed him.

“Yessir,” Vision said standing to attention and then dissolving into laughter.

Tony stopped in his tracks with his mouth open in disbelief.

“’Scuse the language, but what the fuck?”

“You are excused,” Vision bowed but that made him feel dizzy and so he staggered over to the wall of the compound so he could lean against something solid.

“Yep you’re not okay,” Tony said coming closer and peering into Vision’s eyes. “Look at me, buddy.” He reached out and tried to hold one of Vision’s eyes open.

“What’re you doin?” Vision said, now aware that he had started slurring for some reason.

“Are you drunk?” Tony asked indignantly at this and pulled his hands away from Vision’s face  

“Don’t be absurd,” Vision said waving a hand, “I can’t drink.”

Tony looked sceptical.

“I can’t,” Vision insisted. “I can’t drink, I can’t eat, I can’t do anything!”

Tony looked more concerned at this, taking the synthezoid by the shoulders and leading him further away from the group at their back, all still very much preoccupied by the movie. Save for Wanda who had noticed Vision’s absence, as keenly aware of him as he was of her, and had followed at a concerned distance.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you,” Tony said patting Vision’s shoulder, “but you need to fix it.”

“Oh yes I can fix it,” Vision rambled, “I can do anything and everything, I am a superhuman except I’m not human am I?”

Tony sighed sadly. “Is that what this is about? You know no one here cares what you are, Vision. Half of us aren’t full humans anyway.”

“Yes, but most of you are at least a little bit human,” Vision said raising a hand to correct him. He then pointed at himself. “I am not human enough to be human, but not artificial enough to be treated like a robot. I am something else, not quite enough of either.”

Tony didn’t know what to say to this and so Vision took a few steps away, turning his head skyward and sadly admiring the twilight sky above them. The sun had set enough now that the evening had turned chilly, not the Vision minded it, not that he even felt the cold.

As the synthezoid stood gazing at the sky and the stars slowly coming to life, his brain supplied him with a piece of media to help process the strange feelings running through his mind. The movie Pinocchio.

“I wish I may, I wish I might.” Vision’s voice was barely audible as he quoted the story, certainly too quiet for Tony to hear. “Have this wish, I wish tonight.”

“I wish that I were more.”

Tony heard this last part. “Is that all this is about?” His voice was hesitant and both of them appeared apprehensive of the answer.

But Vision didn’t want to hide the truth, not anymore. “I wish that I could be more,” Vision said, “for her.”

Vision’s hand came to his mouth as the words left it, as though he could somehow capture the truth and hold it close once more. He didn’t need to specify that Wanda was the subject of his aching heart as he turned back to see Tony’s knowing gaze.

His gaze was a little hazy now, a little frayed at the edges as he tried to look at Tony properly. Instead, he found his eyes locking on the shadowed figure over his shoulder, Wanda.

“If you don’t mind,” Vision said, slurring his words again, “I will be seeing myself to bed now.”

He started forward, away from the concerned pair who both reached for him at the same time. Vision waved off their worry, “I am perfectly fine I assure you.”

He reached the back door of the compound and went to phase through the steel, startling himself when his forehead collided with cold metal. Vision tried again and shook his head painfully as it thudded against the door once more. He hesitated the third time, instead extending his hand and trying to phase. He managed to get his hand through but then lost control of his power and his fist became trapped. He sighed grumpily, yanking the door off its hinges and cracking it in half in order to free his hand. The discarded pieces of steel thudded to the ground at his back.

Vision stomped up the stairs, doing his best to hold onto the balustrade when the ground started to sway beneath his feet. He could hear the footsteps of someone hurrying after him.

“I assure you, Mr Stark,” Vision said shaking his head, “I am perfectly fine, I just need some rest.

“You’re not fine.”

Wanda’s voice made Vision stop in his tracks.

“Please don’t lie to me,” she said sounding slightly miffed. Vision hung his head shamefully as she took his arm, not even able to relish in the physical contact as she guided him down to his room at the end of the corridor.

Wordlessly, he let her sit him down upon the bed.

Perching next to him, she raised her hands. “May I?”

Vision nodded and Wanda’s hands glowed a soft red in the darkness of his room.

“Well that definitely shouldn’t be there,” she muttered, and Vision felt a repulsive feeling as what was left of the popcorn started to resurface.

“I’ll just be one tickety-boo—” He managed before running from the room. He thought he heard Wanda laugh as he left.

After getting rid of the single piece of popcorn that had managed to cause such damage in one evening Vision felt infinitely better. Or at least, much more himself. A little more in control, a little calmer and thankful that the room had stopped spinning for the time being. He swished water in his mouth and spat it into the bathroom sink – an activity he had only ever seen done on the television, never having reason to do so himself.

He was dismayed to find that Wanda was still in his room when he returned. Vision looked away from her even as she extended a hand that he reluctantly took.

She guided him to the bed and pulled the covers back, waiting for him to get in. He didn’t really feel like explaining that the bed was mostly an illusion and that he didn’t need it to sleep, that his sleep wasn’t the same kind of sleep she needed. Just a cheap rip off that his artificial brain demanded.

Sat against the headboard with the covers pulled up around his waist and Wanda sat on the edge of the bed next to him, Vision still refused to look at her. “Forgive me for my unseemly behaviour tonight,” he managed, hoping that she would take this as invitation to leave him to his humiliation.

“Now that I know there was nothing seriously wrong, it was actually kind of endearing.” Wanda shrugged. Vision felt a little better at this.

“Why did you try to eat popcorn?” She asked dipping her head so she could meet his downturned gaze. “I know you don’t eat.”

They sat in silence as he stoically refused to answer. He was quite sure that Wanda had heard at least part of his blabbering down on the lawn. There was no need to reiterate the deep dark secret he’d managed to keep hidden for the last year.

“You know I’d never ask you to change right, Vis?” Wanda said quietly.

“If I could be human though,” Vision murmured not sure where the sentence was going.

“It doesn’t matter, because you can’t.”

His brows drew together in consideration. But he knew she was right, no amount of wishing on stars would change that.

“And I wouldn’t want you to either,” she said quietly.

Vision met her eyes at this, and she smiled warmly.

“You’re perfect just as you are.” Wanda hesitated a moment but then leant forward quickly and gave him a hug. It only lasted a moment, but Vision felt as though every nerve lit up along his skin at the points she touched. Her hand lingered a little longer on his shoulder and he almost reached out to hold it there, to confess something much more serious than that which he had already admitted to. But there was no amount of malfunctioning he’d be able to blame that revelation on. Instead, Wanda took his hesitation as her cue to leave and rose before he could say anything more.

“Well, I’ll let you rest.”

Vision managed a small smile. “Thank you, Wanda.”

“Don’t feel like you have to change for any of us,” she reminded him as she hesitated at the door. “You’d never need to change for me, Vis, I like you just as you are.”

He dipped his head once more, worried that the intensity of his affection would come across in his gaze. He remained that way until the last slither of light from the corridor disappeared and the door was shut softly at her back.

Vision sat up in bed for hours, turning over the events of the evening in his mind again and again. And every time he came back to her words, holding them close to his heart in reassurance. He didn’t need the stars or fairy tales to be there for her. He didn’t need to act like something else, to become someone else for her. And he was gradually realising that she’d never asked him to anyway, that anxiety was a product of his own overthinking. As he realised all of this, her words repeated again and again in his ears, a comforting mantra as the night passed on.

There was a ringing coming from Vision’s bedroom.

It took a few shrill rings for him to realise that the noise wasn’t coming from inside his own head. Vision had been so wrapped up in his research that he hadn’t resurfaced for hours. It was a jarring thing to do all at once, to leave the carefully regulated interior of his mind and appear back in the physical world once more.

The ringing continued and Vision glanced around, his eyes adjusting quickly. Morning had quickly turned to evening and the pale walls of his room were lit up amber by the sunset.

The source of the sound was quickly discovered in the depths of his wardrobe, hidden within a pocket of a jacket he rarely wore. Vision fished the small flip phone out, anxiously. It had been a gift and the only person who knew its number hadn’t spoken to him in months.

Recalling that telephones only rang for a set time Vision hurriedly answered, lest it run through to the voicemail he’d never had cause to set up.

“Hello?” He said hesitantly, straining his ears to hear the person on the other line. The environment behind sounded busy, he could hear many voices piling on top of one another in chorus.

“Monsieur Maximoff?” The voice on the other side of the phone sounded stern, but unfamiliar. She was also speaking French. Vision did not know anyone who spoke French.

“I’m sorry, who am I speaking to?” Vision asked, fumbling for what to say and desperately grasping at the internet for a French translator. Mr Maximoff? He thought, who on earth was he talking to and how had they come across his number.

“Ah, Anglais.” The voice sounded more distant, as though she were talking to someone else. She returned, this time speaking in English with a heavy French accent. “Am I speaking to Mr Maximoff?”

Vision wasn’t sure what else he could say. “Yes, yes, you are. I’m so sorry, who is this?”

He was just about to trace the caller’s IMEI but the woman at the other end provided him with all the information he needed.

“Bonjour, Mr Maximoff. I am calling from the Toulouse University Hospital,” she said.

“Toulouse,” Vision repeated in astonishment. “Toulouse, France?”

“Yes, Monsieur,” she replied, sounding slightly vexed. “We had a patient brought in earlier tonight and you were listed as her emergency contact. Her condition is stable, but she had a hit to the head. We’ve observed her for a few hours, and she seems fine, but we wanted to advise you of the incident so you might pick her up.”

Vision breath caught in his throat as fear gripped his heart.

“To clarify,” Vision said shakily, “you are speaking of Wanda.”

“Yes.”

“Is she okay?”

He must have sounded rather strangled in his panic for when the woman spoke again her words were measuredly more soothing. “She is perfectly fine, Mr Maximoff. Just a bit shaken up with some light bruising and an abrasion on her forehead. We would like to monitor her overnight and if everything is okay, we can discharge her in the morning. Can you come to the hospital for then?”

“Of course!” Vision said frantically. “I can be there soon.”

She ended the call with a pleasantry in French that he didn’t recognise, but he was already on the move. He thought about leaving the phone behind, but decided it was better to have it near him in case the hospital called again.

Vision’s form blurred as he darted about the room grabbing at bits and pieces, he thought he might need. He wanted to travel light but also didn’t want to be caught unawares. He withdrew the travel bag he kept in his nightstand which contained any identification he needed to appear human. Vision had gotten his driver’s license once he had started making more solo trops and Tony had thought it useful. Vision obviously hadn’t taken the test itself; he was a better driver than any human and a test wasn’t needed to prove that.

He also retrieved his passport and the credit card he seldom needed to use. None of these listed his real identity, mind you. Instead, they displayed his human glamour with his pale skin and a head of sandy blond hair.

There was no way he could travel under his true identity without being clocked by the authorities as operating without the Accords’ instruction. Vision doubted that visiting your ex in hospital counted as noble activities that the United Nations would look favourably upon in the event he was caught. Especially when that ex happened to be an international fugitive.

With his ID secured and slipped safely into the pocket of his jacket, Vision made for the door. He was out of the compound before the building’s AI had the chance to trigger the system and notify Tony that someone had crossed the property line.

Vision had never had cause to test his super speed over such extensive distances. There had always been easier alternatives for travel.

Thankfully, progress went fast. Though it was frustrating having to stop at ever major border or airspace to disappear offline so he couldn’t be identified as a hostile flying object. When he did have secure connection, Vision kept an eye on the news in Toulouse, terrified that Wanda might be discovered. So far, the feed was quiet, and Vision had to rest on the assurance that the woman he had spoken with on the phone had said nothing to indicate she was suspicious of Wanda.

In the end, Vision managed to make it to France in just over two hours, having had to detour over the North Atlantic to avoid some nasty weather. Staying low to the ground and mostly hidden under the cover of night, he risked getting within two miles of the hospital before returning to the ground.

Vision ducked down an alley and took a moment to hide in the shadows. Taking a deep breath, he focused his energy on putting on the shimmer that made him appear human. It slipped into place easily. Straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair, Vision ensured he looked relatively presentable before heading back out onto the streets of Toulouse.

It was an excruciatingly slow walk, but Vision knew he couldn’t risk drawing attention by walking any quicker than a human. Even in the early hours of the morning, Toulouse still had life to it. There were a few too many watchful eyes than he could be comfortable with. Even knowing that no one on this side of the world had seen his human form, it was still difficult to put the fear to rest.

Vision quickened his pace marginally as he reached the hospital’s entrance, figuring it might seem normal enough to hurry given where he was. In his head he reminded himself over and over that this was normal. He was here because he had received a call about his ‘partner’ who had been hospitalised. Vision felt sick even as he thought it.

Inside the brightly lit ground floor was a round desk with bright green letters hanging above that said la réception.Sitting behind the desk were three nurses. Vision caught the attention of the nearest and smiled politely.

“Bonjour,” Vision said, the language sounding strange in his mouth, “je suis ici pour Ms Maximoff.”

The nurse leant forward to catch Vision’s quiet tone. He was hesitant about using the last name ‘Maximoff’ and wondered why on earth Wanda hadn’t given them a false name.

“Ah,” the nurse’s eyes lit up in recognition and she turned to call over her shoulder, “Louise?”

Another nurse came around to the reception and as she rattled off something in French Vision recognised her as the stern woman who had spoken with him on the phone.

“Mr Maximoff?” She said with a welcoming smile.

“Yes,” Vision said hesitantly, “oui.”

“I though you would come by in the morning—”

Vision opened his mouth to provide reasoning for coming so quickly. He had forgotten how difficult it was, having to lie all the time when he was with Wanda.

“—but I understand you must have been very worried. If you would please follow me.”

Vision shut his mouth tightly, perhaps it was better to say less and let them assume more. The nurse turned away and walked down a long corridor to a set of lifts. She called one down and the doors opened with a chime, before gesturing for Vision to get in. As he stepped in, Vision let his hands brush against the control panel and shuddered slightly as he was absorbed into the hospital’s security system. It felt wrong, but it was better than risking someone having recognised Wanda already. Vision scrubbed through the security, uploaded a match of Wanda’s face and proceeded to edit all visual of her from the camera’s history. The system was too limited to even realise what was happening, let alone retaliate.

“Could you please explain what happened?” Vision asked politely as they reached the fourth floor and the elevator doors opened once more.

“I’m afraid I do not know much more than what I told you over the phone,” Louise said. “She was brought in about seven hours ago with a few other patients from a car accident. A vehicle lost control on the motorway and took out several other cars with it. A bit of a mess I am afraid.”

Lousie caught sight of Vision’s horrified face. “Not that Ms Maximoff was badly hurt,” she said hurriedly, “she is perfectly fine, and we will be able to let her out in the morning.”

Vision breathed out shakily as he was led down a brightly lit corridor. “Thank you.”

“Do not worry,” Louise gave Vision a comforting smile and stopped in front of a nondescript door. “You’re welcome to stay until morning though don’t tell anyone that I let you in out of visitor hours. There is a canteen on the ground floor, but it does not open until 7 I am afraid.”

“That’s alright, it won’t be a problem,” Vision said with a smile, eager to get inside the room and out of view of prying eyes. “Thank you for all your help.”

“D’accord,” Louise said her eyes crinkling in another smile and waving her hand, dismissing his thanks genially.

Vision managed to wait until she had retreated down the corridor before steeling himself and letting his human glamour fall. He did not want to see Wanda as anyone but himself.

As Vision erased himself from the corridor, he took the first step into Wanda’s cramped hospital room. The space smelt sterile, even to him and it was so wholly unwelcoming that Vision’s heart seized at the idea of Wanda spending hours here alone.

It seemed she wasn’t as troubled, instead lying sound asleep in the hospital bed. With the bed propped as it was, Wanda’s face was bathed in the light peeking through the blinds as car headlights flew past. Vision peered at her face intently, surveying the damage.

There was a graze across her forehead and a couple of stitches in her chin, but otherwise no other outwards injuries. There was a clipboard attached to the end of the hospital bed and Vision picked it up quietly to assess the doctor’s notes. It was in French, and shorthand at that, but he managed to decipher the words with the aid of his translator. MTBI. A mild traumatic brain injury, Vision thought. He knew it sounded much worse than it was and was comforted by the doctor’s following notes: no further cognitive symptoms, keep overnight, review in morning before discharge.

So there really was nothing else wrong. It was reassuring and he felt much better now that he was standing before Wanda’s sleeping form, her chest rising and falling steadily.

It was only then that Vision realised precisely how long it had been since he had last seen her. 8 months. Three seasons had passed since she had pushed him out of her life for good and he had let her. Wanda had sworn she didn’t want to see him again, and Vision had let it happen. He’d regretted the argument ever since it had happened

Now here he was, her unassuming emergency contact after a car accident. What if it had been something more final, what if that call had been made to deliver more devastating news, what would he have done?

Vision didn’t waste time pursuing such guilty thoughts further, instead going to Wanda’s side and sitting in the chair beside the bed. As he reached out for her hand, laying still atop the scratchy hospital blanket, he knew it was where he was supposed to be. As he took her hand her fingers twitched, registering the contact.

When Vision looked up, Wanda’s eyes were open, if slightly bleary. She blinked slowly in the darkness.

“Vis?” She whispered, her voice thick with sleep and exhaustion.

“Yes,” Vision replied, desperately wishing he could reach out and take her into his arms but knowing it was not his place to do so. Not unless she invited him to.

“It feels like you,” Wanda smiled and closed her eyes again, squeezing his hand. “I wish you were here.”

Vision frowned and wrapped both hands around hers. “I am here.”

Wanda stilled and Vision felt his hands grow warm and the familiar feeling of Wanda’s power. Perhaps just confirming it was him, or maybe it was a more involuntary reaction.

She sat up abruptly. “You shouldn’t be here!” The movement had apparently been too quick for her as Wanda winced and raised a hand to her forehead in pain. Vision jumped to his feet once more and helped her lie back down on her pillows.

“How did you get here?” Wanda asked, now wide awake and staring up at him.

“They called me,” Vision said slowly, trying his best not to distress her further. He thought about moving away from the bed to give her space, but she had grabbed a hold of his wrist and didn’t seem keen on releasing it. After so long without hearing her voice, Vision was content to stay as close as she would allow.

“The accident, was it bad?” He asked.

“Honestly,” Wanda said slowly, “I don’t really remember. It happened so quickly, nothing like a real fight. Just a flash of metal and I was lying on the curb. It barely touched me, but the paramedics insisted I come to the hospital.”

“As they should,” Vision said, unable to keep the distress from his voice. “What if something worse had happened? You really never know with head injuries…”

“Well, I feel fine now,” Wanda said relaxing somewhat amongst the cushions. “Did they tell you when I can leave?”

“In the morning,” Vision replied, “as long as the doctor checks you one last time before you leave.”

Wanda didn’t seem happy at the prospect of having to stay any longer than necessary but at least she didn’t push him to break her out of the hospital.

“I didn’t realise I was still your emergency contact,” Vision said quietly, looking intently at the mattress.

Wanda sighed quietly. “If you’re asking if there’s anyone else, there’s not.”

Vision stiffened. “I wasn’t prying.”

A few moments of silence passed by. “That doesn’t explain why I was listed as Vision Maximoff in your contacts.”

Wanda groaned and finally released his wrist, using her hand to instead cover her face in embarrassment. She sighed heavily and looked at the ceiling. “Let’s just say I was young, hopeful and in love.”

“That wasn’t that long ago,” Vision smiled, half-heartedly trying to joke past the growing discomfort in his chest. He hated that she used the past tense when talking about them.

“Yeah,” Wanda shrugged, “well a lot has changed. Being a fugitive changes things.”

Vision nodded, though he knew he’d never really understand what the last year had been for Wanda. “I hope it does not change everything.” He spoke slowly, afraid of saying something that might make her ask him to leave. “My feelings have not changed.”

Wanda bit her lip but seemed to be fighting off something like a smile. “Mine haven’t either.”

Hearing this made Vision breathe easily for what felt like the first time in months. Despite the circumstances, he was here beside her. Wanda was safe, light bruising aside, and through it all she somehow still loved him.

“I know things will always be complicated, but I hope you’ll think about letting me back into your life again,” Vision said softly, taking Wanda’s hand in his again. “It does not matter in what way or form, as long as I can be near you.”

“I’d like that,” Wanda said, her words barely above a whisper. Her chest shuddered as she yawned, wincing again as she shifted her head.

“You should rest. We can talk in the morning.”

Wanda nodded and let her eyes flutter close.

Vision stayed up for the last few hours of the night, a loyal shadow at Wanda’s side. All the while he counted down the minutes until they could leave and he could see Wanda safely to her house, wherever it was she was staying in Toulouse. It concerned him that Steve and the others probably hadn’t heard about Wanda’s accident, and he hoped they weren’t losing their minds with worry. There was another part of him that thought Wanda might be alone in France, she had always preferred staying in Europe when her small band of fugitives went their separate ways. But maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

It was foolish for Vision to hope, but he was starting to think the best way for this day to end was with him in Wanda’s bed. Of course, logically he knew they weren’t there yet. Even Wanda’s admission the night before to allow him back in her life felt like enough. But it was difficult to curb 8 months of longing.

As the clock ticked past 6am and the sky began to lighten behind the blinds Vision waited patiently, not wanting to disturb the rest Wanda so clearly needed. She had never been a quiet sleeper, always tossing and turning and mumbling in dreams. Vision was well accustomed with her habits, so it was unnerving to observe her stillness. But her breathing remained steady through until dawn. The only time Wanda had shifted was to roll onto her side, pulling their hands, which had found each other in the night, closer towards her.

Wanda finally woke around 7 and Vision busied himself by pretending to peer out the blinds and observe the street below.

“How are you feeling?” He asked over his shoulder, hearing the sheets rustle as Wanda sat up.

“Better now,” she mumbled. “But ready to get out of this place, I’d rather not risk it with the authorities in France again.”

Vision hated the way that Wanda said again. What had really happened in the months he hadn’t heard from her?

“No need to worry, I’ve removed you from security camera footage and before we leave, I’ll scrub us from the system again.”

Wanda rubbed at her eyes as she slipped out of the hospital bed. “Give me a chance to splash my face and change and we can get going.”

“No rush,” Vision murmured but it felt untrue. There was a rush. Even if he did remove them from the records there was no saying that a member of staff wouldn’t eventually recognise the name Maximoff and tell the authorities. Yes, the sooner they were out of the hospital, the better.

While Wanda was freshening up, Vision gathered her meagre belongings. Her necklaces, rings and phone had been left in a plastic tray on the bedside table. With everything safely in his pockets Vision slipped back into the hospital’s security system. From what he could tell, no alerts had been tripped but then again he didn’t know if the hospital had a specific code for ‘there’s an international fugitive on premises call the police’. Vision knew the hospital was nearly at capacity based on the records he had looked at, so the chances that their faces would stick out of everyone felt unlikely.

Nevertheless, it was better safe than sorry and there was no way they wouldn’t draw attention with him looking as he was. Once again, Vision closed his eyes and visualised his human shimmer, shivering as it fell into place. His skin tickled as his hair fell onto his forehead and Vision reached up to run a hand through it, a mannerism he had never had reason to practice but had seen others perform.

The bathroom door creaked as Wanda closed it behind her. It was a relief to see her out of the hospital gown and in something more Wanda.

“Vis how are you going to—” As she turned and caught sight of him, Wanda’s voice caught in her throat. She brought both hands to her mouth in astonishment.

Vision suddenly grew shy. Of course, Wanda had never seen him like this, of course it would be a shock. Did she even recognise him?

“It’s still me,” Vision said hurriedly, whether for her sake or his he couldn’t be sure. He rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck as Wanda’s eyes continued to search his face in disbelief.

“I know,” she finally said, approaching him slowly. “I can tell it’s you.”

Just as she reached him the door to the hospital room slid open and a young woman entered.

“Bonjour,” Vision said hurriedly, taking a few steps back from Wanda and turning his attention to the doctor. Wanda’s eyes remained on Vision right up until the doctor approached her and asked her to do a few simply exercises. When she was sure that motor function was normal, they were told they were free to leave and to go down to the reception to begin the process of checking out. The doctor made Wanda promise to return to the hospital if she began experiencing anything like memory loss or migraines.

With the doctor gone once more, Wanda spun on Vision, getting far closer to him than she had yet. She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, frowning.

“This is new.”

Vision nodded against her hand, relishing this one touch that he had spent months dreaming about. “I started working on this as soon as I left…”

He didn’t need to explain more and saw Wanda’s gaze grow shadowed as she presumably recalled their fight. It had been about their safety around each other, it always was. Wanda had been angry about Vision being put at risk around her, and he had been annoyed about the same thing for her. It had been so difficult to hide and meet up every few weeks back then, especially when Vision was so recognisable, and Wanda was being broadcasted around the globe. When Wanda had finally insisted on breaking things off, Vision had agreed. He’d returned to the compound and spent a week perfecting his new human mirage. It was all in the hopes that when she next called him things would be easier. But she hadn’t called.

“Do you have a—” Vision swallowed nervously, “—a preference?”

Wanda tilted her head curiously, “I don’t mind this new glamour, either way it’s you. But I prefer the you you.”

Vision tried to hide his relief as he raised his hand to Wanda’s which was still pressed to his cheek. Her thumb was running curiously circles over his skin. Carefully, cautiously, he took her hand and pressed his mouth to the back of her knuckles. The gesture’s effect was immediate, and Wanda closed her eyes.

“I miss being close to you,” she whispered, as they gravitated closer together. “I could imagine you; I could see you were safe on the news but nothings the same as having you here under my hands.”

Well, she’d had one more assurance than him at least.

It didn’t take much for Vision to pull her closer, hooking an arm around her waist and letting his human glamour fall. She sunk into his embrace, as he had imagined her doing for months and Vision wrapped his arms securely around her.

“Please don’t ask me to leave,” he said, strained.

“Alright,” Wanda said, her voice muffled as she pressed her head into the crook of his neck.

She drew back and took his face in her hands and kissed him. Vision’s legs nearly gave out from underneath him as her mouth moved softly against his own, something he hadn’t let himself dream of doing ever again.

“Vision, look at me,” Tony said waving a hand in front of Vision’s eyes in an attempt to get his attention. “You can’t go. You understand that right?”

Vision dipped his chin in acknowledgement even as his brain ran furious probability equations through and through again. But they came back low again, and again, and again. There was only going to be one option.  

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Rhodey said from his seat before the flatscreen occupying half the wall of the strategy room they had gathered in. “Tony, this looks pretty bad.”

Vision turned his head and his gaze to the lights flashing across the screen, a live news report of everything that was going down in New York.

Tony swore at the sight before them, and Vision put a pause to his maths in shock. The camera was tracking a hooded redhead through a crowded street, suddenly zooming in on the individual’s face as she turned her head to look over her shoulder.

“Wanda Maximoff has been a fugitive since 2016 when she was decreed an international criminal by the United Nations,” the news reporter said over more footage of Wanda blending in as best she could with the crowds of the city. “While Maximoff has evaded capture for over a year, authorities now believe they are close to apprehending her.”

At this Vision had to quickly let go of the chair he was sitting in, lest he split the arm rests in two.

“We go live now to New York. Please be aware the next clip could be distressing to some viewers”

Tony scrambled to turn the news off even as Vision overrode his authority, ordering the compound AI to keep the report running.

The scene changed once more, and Vision watched as the crowd parted around Wanda as she engaged in a close combat fight with a man clad all in black. Her red magic had him restrained immediately as she spun around, a clear attempt to identify her best exit route. From that moment Vision knew her chances of getting out unharmed were dismal. In those precious seconds another agent was at her back, smartly keeping his distance and instead engaging her with his taser. Wanda’s head snapped up as her body jerked, but she somehow managed to twist around and send the man flying away. All around her agents emerged from the throngs of people trying to get off the main street. They began to close in like a pack of predators.

“Vision—” Tony said reaching out, but he was too late. Vision had risen without thinking when he saw the first taser, his legs moving of their own accord so that he had phased through the wall and was flying out away from the compound in moments. He’d never pushed himself to see how fast he could really travel and now he’d need every ounce of power to get to Wanda’s side in time.

The world was a blur, even to him. The only thing that kept his worries at bay was her in his head, the closer he got the louder her cries grew. He didn’t know how she was doing it; she’d always needed direct physical contact for her voice to be this loud in his head. He reached the streets of New York with her voice as his guiding light.  

‘I need you.’ She was weaker now. ‘Hurry.’

He was close now, all she had to do was keep talking.

‘I hear you, I’m coming for you,’Vision thought back, but he couldn’t say for certain if his voice reached her.

It didn’t matter though, he had arrived.

Vision managed to slow himself down enough to land, though his feet shredded the asphalt beneath him. Bullets flew his way immediately but he sidestepped easily and used the mind stone to blast two agent’s guns to pieces in their hands. The few bystanders left at the edge of the arena now before them, realised this was their indication to leave. They were quickly replaced by what must have been a hundred soldiers.  

Another agent took a run at Vision, electrified baton raised but all it took was a well-placed foot to send him to the ground. Vision continued walking forward, reading for the next onslaught even as Wanda’s voice echoed in his head again. ‘You shouldn’t have come’.

That made him angrier. He didn’t blink as he took out the next three agents before disarming two soldiers who’d mistakenly decided to try their luck against his inhuman body and the power inlaid in his forehead. They’d had enough difficulty restraining Wanda with carefully directed electrified pulses that had her incapacitated, on her knees in pain. They tried the same, turning the pulsing weapons his way but the energy passed harmlessly over him as he phased, carefully avoiding it. He was almost at her now, if he could just get to her side and get her out of the square, away, safe, alive. It was all he could think about.

Someone must have figured that out because next thing Vision knew, all weapons were trained on Wanda.

“Stay right where you are,” a voice crackled over a loudspeaker from a waiting cop car.

Vision didn’t stop until someone took a carefully aimed warning shot and he heard Wanda cry out in pain as she was hit by something. He didn’t know if it was just another pulse or if it was something more final.

The loudspeaker crackled again. “You take one more step and we won’t be taking her into custody, she’ll be going somewhere much more final.”

Vision had been learning a lot about feelings in the last year with Wanda. He’d experienced joy, love, lust, longing. He’d discovered these were warm emotions. Now he knew what rage tasted like.

Rage was cold, so cold. Rage made him irrational. And he was about to discover what happened when he turned that rage against others.

Wanda was on the ground again, clutching at her knee. So, it had been a bullet then. Vision’s shoulders trembled with unrestrained rage as she locked eyes with him, and a bloody, desperate hand reaching out.

And Vision exploded.

Eye-witness accounts would later say it was like the street had come to life. Others would say they thought a Chitarui ship had broken free from beneath the city, that the street had risen from the ground like a huge snake. Others still, would describe the red man, who had supposedly faced down two hundred members of the defence force, as impossibly fast, the yellow energy crackling around him like lighting. They’d say it felt dangerous, it was an ancient power that made the hairs at the back of your neck rise and your gut scream at you to run in the opposite direction. Those testimonies would never reach the news because no one could believe them.

Vision himself couldn’t be entirely sure what happened. He only recalled that he acted without thinking, his movements entirely guided by the immensity of rage crackling through his blood, calling to the stone at his forehead.

The stone, which so often sat dormant at his forehead, acted without his control. The power spread throughout his body and in his anger, he raised his hands, the golden light phasing and crackling about his arms, and thrust them towards the ground with a cry.

The soldiers didn’t have time to use Wanda as bargaining tool as he did this. As the power hit the tarmac the street shuddered and cracked. It didn’t reach the surrounding buildings, restrained only to the street and those who tried to weaponize Vision’s lover. She’d already been used that way once; he’d never let her be trapped again.

With the armed forces in varying levels of disarray, some injured while others just stunned at what they had seen, Vision darted towards Wanda.

The news would later say that an unidentified man and woman arrived on the scene some point into the chaos, but they would never be able to identify the individuals. Something about their cameras conveniently cutting out just in time.

Steve and Natasha raced for Wanda, lying prone and vulnerable in the middle of the street. They’d sent her out for the regular grocery run but hadn’t anticipated her getting caught. Afterall, they’d been in New York often in the last year and had never had problems like this. Vision was quicker and again it was as though the stone acted on his emotions. It took him a moment to recognise Nat and Steve past the caps pulled low over their heads and the masks taking up lower half of their faces, but by then the stone had already done what he must have deemed necessary, at least subconsciously.

As he reached Wanda’s side, throwing himself to his knees beside her and desperately surveying her body for injuries, a barrier appeared crackling in the air around them. Whatever irrational part of him that had seen his old teammates as a risk, wasn’t going to quieten down until he was sure Wanda was safe.

Steve didn’t manage to stop in time and went flying off the barrier. Nat helped him to his feet even as they both hesitated behind the crackling ring of gold energy. Vision didn’t know how to lower the barrier, but at that moment it was the least of his concerns.

“Wanda,” he whispered lifting her carefully and drawing her into his lap. He supported her shoulders and laid a hand against her cheek even as her eyes cracked open. Her lip trembled even as she winced, trying to sit up.

“You weren’t supposed to come,” she said, coughing slightly. “I had it covered.”

“Evidently,” he murmured absentmindedly looking over her knee, glad it had only been grazed by the bullet. The rest of her was fairly scratched up from hitting the ground so many times, but she was remarkably okay. “You know I couldn’t stay away.”

“We promised,” she said, and Vision saw the tears welling in her eyes. “We promised we wouldn’t put each other at risk.”

Vision sighed, if she had the time to worry about him in her state then she really had to be okay. His relief was immeasurable as he dropped his shoulders and pressed his forehead to hers lightly, taking comfort in their shared breaths, evidence they were both still alive. He had thought the worst for a moment.

As he closed his eyes the barrier around them dropped and Steve and Nat were finally able to get to the pair.

“We need to leave, now,” Steve said with all the authority of the leader he had once been. “They’ve called for reinforcements and with the guns their bringing in, we won’t stand a chance like this.”

Vision helped Wanda stand but when she staggered on her injured knee, he immediately scooped her up.

“You understand the decision you’re making her, Vision,” Nat said as they started away from the scene they had caused. “There’s no going back now, are you staying or coming?”

“Staying is not an option anymore,” Vision said without hesitation. His decision had been made the moment he left the compound.

Wanda sighed sadly but rested her head against the crook of his neck in defeat. “You’ll lose everything.”

Vision frowned at himself in the mirror.

There was nothing wrong, in fact the suit he had on had been perfectly tailored. Vision had been excited at the premise of having a piece of clothing that was made specially for him, and real at that. Tony had presented the options and given how significant the event was, Vision thought it might be worthwhile to have a proper suit that wasn’t just one of his constructs. He enjoyed being able to create whatever he wanted to wear, but he wanted tonight to be normal, as normal as he could be.

Now that he had it on it was underwhelming. Not to say he didn't appreciate the gift. It was a piece of art. A three piece of different shades of something similar to charcoal. The jacket glittered; its fabric featured iridescent silver threads that shifted when he moved under the light. The trousers matched the double-breasted vest, though they were a lighter shade of grey.

No, no it wasn’t the suit that was the problem.

It was the prospect of the event itself, the idea that all eyes would be on the Avengers, expecting a certain level of behaviour. Vision much preferred the days he spent with his friends at the compound, secure in the fact that they knew the real him. And more than anyone else, Wanda knew the real him, knew the face that he showed to the public and the press wasn’t.

Plus, Vision would be expected to dance – he had never had reason to dance or move in such a way before and he was dreading it. But then there was also the prospect that he might dance with Wanda and that raised his spirits marginally. Though, whether or not she would wand to dance with him was another question.

Things had been changing between them and Vision felt as though Wanda was even more hesitant to confront those changes than he was. All it had taken was one fateful night together. He hadn’t stayed by her side since Wanda’s first month at the compound, when her rest was so riddled with nightmares that she couldn’t bear to be alone. In the year since it had become a growing rarity for Vision to stick out the night by her side.

But then a week earlier Vision had been preparing to sleep, even if it just meant lying in his bed and doing nothing for eight hours. His body had been in need of a little downtime after several missions in quick succession. He’d been settling in to rest when there had come a knock at his door, of course he said come in, less phased than his teammates by the prospect of unannounced guests.

It was Wanda, who else would be knocking at his door so late at night. She’d walked in hesitantly but there had been a hard set to her jaw. Vision hadn’t asked for her reasons, had just shuffled over in the double bed to make space. So, it was not common, this behaviour, but what had come next was worse. Vision winced recalling the memory with the vividness enabled by his high functioning mind. But he entertained his brain and let the memory play out, hopeless to prevent it. If anything, he wanted to relive it.

Vision woke slowly, relishing in the well-rested feeling that spread throughout his body as his awareness increased. For the first time it felt as though he had really slept.

As he became aware of his body he frowned and opened his eyes. In the memory he blinked a few times, as though trying to clear a dream from his eyes. There was Wanda, her face relaxed in slumber, one side of her mouth turned up at the corner as though she were in the middle of a good dream.

One of her hands was wrapped up in the cotton of his t-shirt, gripping it tightly like she was afraid he might float away. At that moment Vision had felt so light it was at risk of actually happening.

He stayed totally still as he gradually became conscious of where their bodies were in relation to each other. Their legs were tangled, one of Wanda’s knees hooked around his, the bare skin warm against his. One of his hands was tucked under his cheek and the other had apparently possessed a mind of its own and gravitated down to rest on Wanda’s hip.

Slowly he removed his hand, wincing as Wanda registered the movement and opened her eyes. The blue of her eyes was bright in the dimness of the room, but her pupils still turned to pin pricks as they adapted to the light difference. And then she caught sight of him, centimetres from her own face. Vision watched long enough to see her pupils dilate.

Vision shook his head and returned to reality, pressing both hands to his cheeks and feeling them as warm as they had been on that fateful morning. Wanda had mumbled something about training and practically fled his bed, her ears an alarming shade of red. And Vision had been left to sit there for a further half hour trying to absorb exactly what had happened.

Wanda was running late. She hadn’t meant to take so long to get ready, but it was just so difficult to figure out what she wanted to do with her hair. Ten minutes before they were due to leave for the function, she decided on leaving it down, curled loosely so it settled about her shoulders.

Heels in one hand and holding the edge of her dress in the other she hurried down the stairs for the front door. There were three cars waiting outside, not the usual SUVs they traveled in but sleek BMWs.

A couple of smart cars held nothing to her dress. It had been a gift from Nat a few months earlier, but Wanda hadn’t had the opportunity to attend anything fancy enough that merited putting on the gown. Earlier she’d struggle to make it to the bodice through the pleats of rich red fabric that made up the skirt. Now that it was on it was a perfect fit, flowing off her hips in waves of fabric that shifted with every move. It was the most elegant thing she had ever worn, Wanda only hoped she would do it justice as the evening went on.

The doors on the front two cars were shut so she hurriedly made her way round to the backseat of the third.

Steve sat in the passenger seat with Natasha and Vision taking two of the spots in the back. As Wanda went to step in Natasha caught her gaze and smiled mischievously.

“Hang on, Vision do you mind swapping with me? It’s hard to sit in the middle with my heels and the console.”

Wanda’s stomach dropped as she settled into her seat and Vision and Nat got out of the car to trade spots. And here she had been worried about holding them up. Frustrated, Wanda huffed her hair out of her face, pushing the waves off her shoulder as Vision settled himself into the middle. The backseat was spacious enough, there was no way Nat had been that uncomfortable. No, it had been for Wanda’s benefit. She had confided in Nat on some of the changes occurring between her and the synthezoid now at her side but never had Wanda thought Nat would pull something so obvious and foolish.

It sent her cheeks turning a shade of red not so different from her dress.

The drive felt painfully long. Steve had kept it going with some small talk but that had died out into a stagnant silence. She was being dramatic; the others were probably fine with the silence but for Wanda it felt suffocating. Any other time and she and Vision would have been talking. They could talk for hours about anything, and he always knew what to say to put her at ease. Even their silent moments together felt comfortable. It was never like this.

In the end, she spent most of the drive focusing on moving with the car when it turned so she didn’t accidentally brush Vision. How had they gone from the casual intimacy of friends to this strange tension? It annoyed her, though she felt powerless to change things. Wanda didn’t know a whole lot about chemistry, but she knew whatever she and Vision had would blow up in their faces if they weren’t careful.

Finally, the glowing street lamps turned into the staticky light of cameras. For the first time, Wanda felt relieved by the assault of flashes on her eyes.

They approached a line of similar vehicles, all likely full of celebrities who had managed to scrape together enough of a network to score an invite to the Stark Industries charity event. Hurriedly, Wanda bent over and set about lacing her shoes up. The thick platform heels were chunkier than what would go with her dress but they made up for it in their steadiness. There had been talk of dancing and Wanda figured she was best off in comfortable and stable shoes than trying to balance on stilettos.

Busy fiddling with her shoes, Wanda didn’t feel the car turn until she was sent sliding across the leather seat. Vision’s reflexes were fast as always, his hands quickly steadying her, one at her back the other coming to rest at her hip. They both froze and Wanda looked up, hating how easy it was to lean into his touch. Vision’s eyes glittered in the dim light of the car, their brightness shifting as he took in her face. Suddenly she was taken back to that fateful morning the week before. She’d known it was a bad idea before she’d even made it to his room. Had known she should have run before he woke up instead of pretending to keep sleeping in the warmth of his presence, relishing in the familiarity of his hands on her body. What she would give to wake up to that every morning. But no – no this wasn’t happening, it couldn’t, it wasn’t in her cards.

“Alright, here we go,” Steve said unaware of what was unfolding in the backseat. He swung open the passenger door and they were immediately met with the clicking of cameras and shouting of the crowd.

Wanda moved away and Vision’s hands disappeared from her body so quickly she felt sure he had used his superhuman speed. She quickly finished tightening the strap of her shoe and threw her door open, taking Steve’s arm as he came to help her up.

Vision was left to scramble out of the car on his own as Nat hurried after Wanda who had practically stormed away from the car. He hung his head sadly, trying to pull himself together in time for the cameras.

At the front of the glamorous hall that was the location for the evening, Vision managed to skip the questions from the reporters outside. He didn’t often get questions, with the Tony and Steve taking the blow for the rest of them. Wanda had disappeared in a flash of red, heading up the stairs and into the hall before he could catch her. Tony caught Vision’s elbow and pulled him over for a photo. They smiled genially at the cameras which were entirely unaware of the underhanded question Tony asked.

“Everything alright, bud?” Tony whispered through his smile. “Wanda looked a little frazzled.”

“Everything’s fine, we’re fine,” Vision lied, doing his best to smile in the direction of the cameras. He was yet to master Tony’s people pleasing smile.

A break in the flashing allowed them to speak a little more candidly. “Anything you need to tell me about?”

“Nope,” Vision said confidently, backtracking towards the stairs. “Everything’s peachy!”

The inside of the hall was larger and more confusing that Vision was prepared for. The dancing was in full swing. It surprised him, he didn’t know that humans still danced this way, it didn’t match up with what he had seen on television or the internet. It made him grateful for the simulations he’d been running in the back of his mind all afternoon in the hopes that he wouldn’t be caught unawares. He must have included a waltz or two in there somewhere.

The building itself was grand, its ceiling arcing high above not unlike the interior of a church. Enormous windows lined the walls, curtains shifting as couples span around the dance floor. The architecture felt old, the whole building felt old to him. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling felt out of place, overly modern compared with their surroundings. He was momentarily distracted by curiosity, reaching into the power source of the building the electricity surging through its walls to power the bright lights. Interesting, he thought. It was all authentic wiring but he couldn’t understand how such old powerlines could power the sheer amount of light sockets the room held. He reached further and felt the familiar warmth of an arc reactor, hiding in the basement of the building. It made sense, this was a heritage building that Tony had received patronage of from his parents. This tangent came to a quick end as Vision made his way around the edge of the crowded middle of the hall. He ignored the looks he was getting, the general curiosity of the humans for once felt unimportant.

Vision bit his lip as his eyes search for Wanda. What he would say when he found her, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure if she wanted an apology or if he even wished to give one. Vision couldn’t feel sorry for the emotions that thrummed through his heart when he saw her. He didn’t feel sorry for wanting to be more than a friend to Wanda. And it was difficult to see such feelings as one sided, not when the tension between them had become so tangible in recent days.

He caught sight of Wanda near the centre of the dancing pairs, Sam Wilson was twirling her around and around. It was a wonder she didn’t get dizzy. Even from here, and over the sound of the string quartet, Vision could hear her peal of laughter as they goofed around. Vision was about to start making his way through the crowd when Natasha grabbed his elbow. It was the second time he had been forcibly stopped from going to Wanda’s side and he was beginning to get frustrated.

“Are you about to cause a scene?” Natasha asked, her grip tight on his arm.

Vision didn’t reply.

“Because I am all for making scenes,” Nat smirked, “but maybe not at a charity event?”

Vision looked sideways at Natasha, wondering precisely how much he should tell her. He trusted her, but also knew she was usually Wanda’s confidant.

“I just want to talk to her,” Vision said quietly. Natasha smiled fondly at him, her eyes shining with understanding.

“I’ll get you close enough.”

Vision was about to ask how she planned to do this when she grabbed both his hands and pulled him out into the swirling mass of couples. Vision thanked his lucky stars that he had taken the time to pick up some basics before tonight.

Natasha led, using her hands to weave around dancing couples. Vision smiled. He was nervous but Natasha’s ease as they danced made him feel more relaxed. Her grace on the battlefield had never been in doubt, but he had never seen her properly dance before. This Natasha was something else.

She smiled brightly as they spun around and around, getting closer and closer to Wanda and Sam who were still dancing on the other side of the room.

As they neared Natasha had Vision spin her around once before extending her out towards Sam and Wanda.

Nat tapped Wanda’s shoulder and held her hand out to Sam. “Mind if I steal your partner for a bit?”

Wanda grinned and scrunched her nose, “be my guest, I’m sure he’d appreciate someone who actually knows how to dance.”

“Yeah, but not someone’s who’s better than me!” Sam said indignantly but smiled at Nat and took her hand. Nat sent a meaningful look at Vision over Wanda’s shoulder.

Wanda turned around to leave the dance floor only to come face to face with Vision’s outstretched hand, and the barely restrained nerves on his face. To Vision’s surprise she didn’t hesitate in taking his invitation. Slowly they eased themselves back into the crowd for a waltz. Her hand slid onto his shoulder, as Vision rested his hand on her waist. This time Wanda didn’t pull away.

“You look beautiful, Wanda.” It was something of an understatement, but Vision didn’t quite know how to put into words exactly the reaction Wanda was giving him.

“Thank you, Vision,” she smiled her eyes looking everywhere except his face. “You look nice too.”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Vision began hesitantly.

“Yes,” Wanda sighed, not unhappily, “we do need to talk.”

They were quiet a few more moments, swaying with the violins echoing to the ceiling high above them. Wanda’s dress swirled about her legs, and Vision had to take care to note step on her hem. He’d never forgive himself if he stepped on her toes. The music shifted and the dancers began to change directions. Wanda and Vision did their best to follow suit. Vision pulled her closer to avoid the clumsiness of another couple.

Wanda shivered under his touch, her hand had shifted to brace herself against his colour bone, her thumb brushing his neck. He gazed down at her, wondering if she could feel how quickly his pulse was thrumming.

They must have looked strange, standing still that and so Wanda broke the spell by taking a step back. Vision pulled his arm back around, finding her waist again and began to dance slowly.

Wanda was looking at him fully now, and it took all of Vision’s periphery senses to make sure they didn’t get too lost in each other’s eyes and start crashing into other couples.

“You know I want you,” Vision said, hating how the words caught in his throat, a last attempt to stop himself from crossing their self-imposed line.

“No,” Wanda murmured, her eyes darting around apprehensively. “There are too many people.”

“Are you ashamed?” Vision pushed. He needed answers and if he had to be let down, he’d rather it be now.

Wanda frowned, her brows pulling together. She shook her head, looking down from him to gather her thoughts.

Vision started a little as she spoke within his head, she glanced up at him, her eyes glowing a dark red that matched her dress. ‘Of course, I am not ashamed of you, I would never, ever want you to think that.’

“Then—” Vision said out loud, but Wanda continued.

‘But there are doors we can’t go through.’

Vision did his best to think clearly so that she would hear his thoughts. His words were becoming too personal to speak aloud. ‘You say that, but the only thing that matters here is us, what we think and what we want.’

When Wanda didn’t reply for a moment, he repeated himself. ‘I want you.’

His meaning couldn’t be lost with her in his head. He knew she saw it, saw his feelings.

‘I know,’ her voice whispered somewhere between his ears. ‘It’s hard for me too—’

Vision waited for her to continue, barely conscious that they were still spinning across the marbled floor of the grand hall.

‘But I’m afraid – how can you be sure this will work. How do you know we won’t break each other?’

Her words said one thing, but his mind heard another. Wanda wasn’t worrying about herself, no, she was consumed by the fear that she would hurt him, break his newly fragile heart.

‘You underestimate my strength,’ Vision replied, smiling. ‘You couldn’t break my heart; it is what it is because of you. Will you not let us even try?’

When Wanda didn’t reply Vision spoke aloud. “No one gets to decide who we are without our permission.”

“This is bigger than us,” Wanda whispered, leaning closer to him.

“It shouldn’t be.”

“I know.”

Vision dipped his head down, to reach Wanda’s cheek and press a tender kiss to it. “I want to decide my own destiny, with you. I would rewrite the stars if it meant a lifetime by your side.”

Wanda didn’t say anything, and he wasn’t able to see her expression before she sent herself off twirling away. When she reached the end of his grip, he pulled her back in. For a second Vision thought his bold words would all be in vain, that his confession wouldn’t trump Wanda’s fears. But then she was right before him, nose to nose, sharing the same air. He gazed into her eyes, slowing their dancing until they had come to a stop in the centre of the dance floor.

“Okay,” Wanda said, her eyes bright and a smile on her face. “Let’s rewrite the stars then.”

Vision was starstruck, both hands on her waist and totally lost in what she had just said. He was equally as shocked when Wanda slid her hands up over his shoulders and pulled him down to her mouth.

Vision stopped breathing, lost in the sensation of her lips moving against his own. It felt right, as right as anything could feel.

Vision felt Wanda jump before there was a harsh ringing above them and a fizzling pop. When he opened his eyes, sparks were flying down from above and the room sank into darkness. There was a commotion of cries of shock from the patrons. Vision pulled back to look around, trying to figure out what had gone wrong and then he felt it, the absence of a connection he had forgotten he had even forged. Vision laughed, feeling giddy. Slightly embarrassed that all it had taken was Wanda's kiss for him to overload a building's power source and blow every fixture.

“I, um,” Vision bit his lip, “I might have had something to do with that.”

Vision had travelled around the world. In two years, he had been to Germany and Canada, had travelled from France to Geneva to Japan. But he’d never travelled via a commercial flight before. It had only been an hour since they left the Compound and Vision was already missing the familiarity of the quinjet.

At least he had Wanda.

“Passport, please,” the worker at the check in desk prompted and together Wanda and Vision slid their thin books under the perspex window. He did his best to stay still, hating the feeling of the man’s gaze as he held up the falsified passport to check Vision’s identity.

Vision could see the faint reflection of his human glamour in the plastic panel, but it didn’t stop the nervous flutter in his chest. His hand twitched nervously at his side as he tried to stay still. He let the breath of relief go slowly as the man moved onto Wanda’s. With both of their identities in the clear they were waved through to the security check.

This was the part Tony had warned him about. But Vision was ready.

Wanda cast a hesitant look at him over her shoulder as she set her belongings on the conveyer belt and then walked through the metal detector. The machine blinked green as she did. The woman on the other side in a stern security uniform gestured for Vision to come through. He walked slowly, but not too slowly, and passed under the metal archway. Vibranium couldn’t be detected through metal detectors as far as Vision knew, but he’d never seen this tested on a full body of such composite. So, as he walked, he slipped into the airport’s security system, ready to block any alerts if they picked up his body’s unnatural composition.

But the machine remained quiet and the woman on the other said flashed Vision a curt smile and gestured for him to get his things from the x-ray belt. Wanda was waiting and handed him his belt, watch and the small satchel he’d brought with some books. They’d remained quiet up until that point but Wanda’s whooshing breath of relief made Vision smile.

“We did it,” Vision said quietly as they started following the arrows to their departure gate.

“I think the difficult part is over,” Wanda said hopefully and smiled widely at Vision.

They had timed it so that they didn’t have to spend long at the gate and so within 15 minutes their plane was announced as boarding. Wanda led the way down a long corridor towards the door of the aircraft.

Vision paused at the entrance to the cabin of the plane. It was loud; he hadn’t expected that. The whirring of the mechanics of the plane, the connection that had been established between control and the pilots, it’s waves of communication hovering in the air around him. He felt overwhelmed by the noise and commotion.

Sensing his nervousness, Wanda slipped her hand into his and led him onto the plane. He lifted his feet carefully, adjusting to the strange rumbling that echoed throughout the giant metal frame. It was so entirely different to the quinjet.

Vision smiled at her, squeezing her hand carefully. It was the most physical connection they’d had recently.

The air host smiled encouragingly, “Nervous flyer?”

Wanda smiled in return and handed over their tickets. “A little.”

“Head on down the aisle and your just on the left, have a nice flight,” the attendant said cheerfully, returning their tickets.

Wanda kept hold of Vision’s hand and led the way down the narrow path between the seats, searching for their row. Wanda thought she ought to let go, but his hand was a warm comfort in hers.

Vision reluctantly let go of his hand to stow their hand luggage in the hold above and Wanda smiled.

“Someone’s being doing their research,” she whispered.

“Does it look natural?” He asked, smiling shyly and moving in to take his seat.

He watched Wanda smile, but she didn’t respond, her cheeks going a little pink but perhaps it was just the unnatural fluorescents above them.

Vision wasn’t used to doing nothing for hours, especially while strapped into a cramped airplane seat. Two hours in and his book had become more and more difficult to pay attention to. More than anything all he wanted to do was to get up and move his legs.

He had started tapping his hand on the armrest next to Wanda as he looked vaguely past the man next to them and to the sky beyond the window. Vision had read somewhere that plane etiquette meant it was polite to let the middle seat passenger have the armrests, not that his seatmate paid this any attention. Perhaps seeing his attention drifting aimlessly, Wanda held out one of her headphones to him. Vision tilted his head curiously but took the small ear bud, pressing it into his ear as he had seen her do countless times before. Soft tones began to echo in his ears. Vision didn’t recognise the song and without his access to the internet there was no way to search it up. Despite the rushing of the air outside the plane, the general rumble of the cabin and the sound of a child crying 6 rows behind him, Vision’s head still felt too quiet. Too disconnected. He took comfort in the music and the closeness he felt to Wanda as they listened together.

For half an hour Wanda tracked through songs with her eyes closed and head resting against the seat. She only moved to skip a song she didn’t like. Vision had abandoned his book entirely in favour of her music, doing his best to figure out where her taste lay. All of the songs playing had minimal lyrics and included anything from calming instrumentals to soft ballads. He found himself picking apart the lyrics of love songs as he absentmindedly breathed in time with the slow rise and fall of Wanda’s chest. As his mind wondered he came back again and again to the prospect of three days alone with Wanda at a resort near the beach. It sounded too good to be true putting it that way and Vision had to remind himself they were working, this was all part of the job.

But it was difficult to stay focused when he finally had a reasonable excuse to be at her side. Vision felt like he had become hyperaware of Wanda in the months that lead up to him sitting next to her on the aeroplane.

Vision wasn’t sure when he started falling, could not place it to a date or a time.

Maybe it began when he stopped learning and started understanding. Suddenly he could look at Wanda and see through what she was doing. He knew she avoided bees because she’d never been stung and thought she might be allergic. He knew how she liked her coffee in the morning and could separate a bag of sweets into the ones she liked and the ones she didn’t. He could tell when she had a bad day because she would train in the evening, pushing herself harder as the sun set, so she’d be too exhausted to dream.

He still asked and learned and listened. But somehow, he had become the person in the room who knew her best and Vision found himself guarding this new status. He was gratified that in some way or another, Wanda had chosen him.

Vision wondered if she paid attention to him, if he had such small things worth knowing.

He was dragged from his thoughts by the shuddering of the aircraft as they dipped in and out of wind flows outside. Wanda jerked awake with a slight gasp and latched her hand onto Vision’s wrist.

He looked at her in concern wondering if it was a nightmare. But her eyes were flickering around the aircraft in panic as the turbulence sent the plane jolting up and down.

“It’s alright,” Vision said soothingly and placed a hand atop Wanda’s vice of a grip. “It’s the wind and pressure outside, the plane is just adapting.”

Wanda let loose a breath and nodded. “Of course, sorry for panicking.”

“It’s okay, I was surprised as well,” Vision said squeezing her hand. “It’s different when it’s an aircraft this big.”

“It’s very different from the quinjet,” Wanda said, her voice was still shaky, but she managed a smile at Vision.

He chuckled and Wanda tilted her head curiously. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It’s just a bit funny that with all your power you’d still be nervous about a plane.”

“But we’re kind of useless outside this cabin. We can’t breathe the air outside this high up, can we?” The passenger on Vision’s side had caught heard of their conversation and was frowning in distaste. Vision wandered if it was inappropriate to talk about the numerous ways a commercial flight might end badly.

“Then you’ll just have to rely on me.”

“I have no problem with that, but I’d still like to be able to breathe. And what if the plane blew up or something?” Wanda asked, motioning with her free hand, the other still holding Vision’s hand atop the armrest.

“Darling, I’m indestructible,” Vision said with a charming smile.

“Lucky me,” Wanda grinned, scrunching her nose in response.

Wanda was glad to be able to stretch her legs through LAX even if it was just to get in a car. She handled the driving with Vision sat in the passenger seat giving her directions. It was a shock to both of them when they arrived at the hotel Tony had booked for them.

“Oh,” Wanda said softly as she turned off the main road and the car started down the long driveway. It ended at a large fountain, and she drove around slowly, coming to a stop at a set of pale pillars at the entrance to one of the grandest buildings that Wanda had ever seen.

A butler appeared at their window.

“Do you have a reservation, ma’am?” He looked doubtfully at the basic honda civic they had rented from the airport. Given the Ferrari they had passed driving in, Wanda thought they probably appeared a little out of the average demographic of the hotel.

“Yes, it should be under Maximoff,” Wanda supplied confidently.

They sat tight for a minute until the same man returned, this time looking a little apologetic. “If you’d like to leave the keys with me, I’ll take your vehicle to the car bay, and someone will take your bags up to your room.”

As the car left them behind with their limited luggage Wanda took a moment to truly take in the hotel. The expendable income it would take to afford a night in such a place. She felt a little queasy at the thought of how the Avengers budget would be handling the fee. But it was necessary for the mission, so she did her best to divert her attention.

Inside there were several people eagerly waiting to help them. Vision hesitantly handed over their luggage and the bags were swept away as Wanda provided the reception desk with her ID. In return she was given a pair of small gold embossed cards. As they were directed to the elevator, she showed them to Vision in awe.

“I’d offer to take them, but I might interfere with the magnetism,” Vision whispered secretively as they stepped into the elevator.

“Why?” Wanda asked in genuine confusion.

“Well,” Vision stumbled over his words. “I was trying to make a joke, about the key and how some people put it next to their phone and it breaks it...”

“Oh,” Wanda said nodding and feeling silly that she didn’t totally understand. “How’d you learn that?”

Vision averted his gaze to the elevator screen which showed they were still four floors away from their destination. “I was watching online videos about hotels to prepare.”

Wanda tried to fight a small smile. He was too endearing.

The suite they had rented felt too spacious and luxurious to be real.

They opened the door into a small living room with a long chaise sofa that overlooked the terrace they had out to the poolside. Wanda and Vision both took a moment to admire the view and the sparkling blue of the beach in the distance.

Then Wanda caught sight of the giant bed that occupied the centre of the connecting room. A little breathy giggle left her chest as she thought back to all the dreams of her childhood, all the stories she saw on television and was reminded of characters running at a bed like the one before her and throwing themselves onto it. Wanda couldn’t help it. With another laugh she took a running leap and threw herself into the cushy bed, sinking deep into the dusty rose duvet, her head disappearing amongst the pillows. With her hair fanned out around her she laughed so hard that tears crept into the corner of her eyes. Looking up there was a chandelier above the bed – in a hotel room – an actual chandelier?

When she managed to push herself up onto her elbows it was to see Vision standing shocked, still in the doorway with his eyes wide in awe. Wanda grinned and patted the covers beneath her. “Try it, it’s fun.”

Vision shook his head doubtfully.

“Come on,” Wanda pushed insistently.

He relented, though his little skipping run was a bit hesitant. He used some of his magic to hover higher than she had, and the breath left his chest as he thumped onto the bed. A laugh forced itself from Vision’s mouth and Wanda grinned giddy.

It’s so comfortable” Wanda said lowering herself and nestling back amongst the pillows once more. “I could just sleep now.”

“I’ve never laid in a bed so soft,” Vision said with a sigh and a happy smile.

Wanda hesitated nervously. “Is this the only bed?” She whipped her head sideways to see Vision’s eyes widen.

“I think so,” he murmured.

They were both silent for a moment.

“But it’s okay,” Vision said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “I can sleep on the sofa next door.”

“Oh—there’s no need, we can sleep together,” Wanda said quickly and then blushed as Vision stared at her.

“That’s not what I meant, I um—”

Mercifully her phone range at that exact moment.

Rolling off the bed in a flash, Wanda scurried into the connecting living room, cheeks blazing and answered her phone.

“Just checking in on how you’re going,” Natasha’s voice spoke from the other end. Wanda pressed a palm to her chest, trying to breath slowly and calm her stupid, thundering heart.

“We’re both doing well,” Wanda said as casually as possible, “we’ve just arrived at the hotel.”

“Oh yeah, what’s it like? Tony said it was huge.”

Wanda turned about to face the balcony and the view that extended beyond their sea facing suite. “That’s certainly one way of putting it.”

“What’s the room like? Must be heavenly, huh.”

“Uh, it’s not bad.” Wanda spoke quietly, afraid that Vision might overhear her.

“Uh oh, why do you sound like that, what’s happened?” Natasha’s voice was much too eager for Wanda to manage.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Nothing. Of course. But the bedroom only has,” she glanced over her shoulder and then raised her hand to whisper into the receiver, “it only has one bed.”

“So?” Natasha asked.

“Well, are we supposed to just sleep together?”

“You say that like it’s a problem? Hasn’t Vision stayed in your room before?”

Wanda scowled and rubbed a hand over her face. “That’s entirely different and you’re not helping here. Couldn’t Tony get us a different room instead?”

“Oh, so the team should cut more money out of funding so you can have a separate bed? Think of the mission Wanda!” Natasha’s voice was joking but Wanda couldn’t help agreeing. This place had to be cutting a serious chunk out of their yearly funding from Stark Industries and various government bodies. She couldn’t ask for more to be dished out because of something as silly as sleeping arrangements.

“You’re right, we can both be mature and just—”

“Sleep together?”

“I’m hanging up now,” Wanda said and ended the call to the sound of Natasha laughing.

After unpacking their modest belongings for the two day stay, Vision suggested they scope out the hotel. Anything to keep his mind on the mission even if all he really wanted to do was spend a sleepy afternoon tangled up in the sheets of the bed Wanda had so gracefully thrown herself onto. He’d been stumped for a moment there, the air had left his chest and he’d watched in adoration. If he hadn’t managed to school his expression by the time she had raised herself from the mess of covers, she would have seen just how enthralled he was. But he did not have time to whine about his unacknowledged feelings, so Vision focused on work.

Judging from their balcony they could see that the pool area was busy and decided this was the best place to scope out their target. Vision had taken a couple of tiny microphones they’d brought with them to place on Vern if the opportunity came along.

“I’ll go by the poolside, and you stick to the bar, and we can see if we can find any good informants,” Wanda suggested once they were downstairs, gesturing to a line of pool chairs on the far side of the sparkling blue water.

Vision agreed and sidled off to order a drink at the quiet bar. Most of the hotel-goers were out enjoying the sunshine and water. With something called a ‘summer blitz’ in hand, Vision walked to sit an appropriate table away from a crowded group of people enjoying lunch under white sun umbrellas. He placed a book atop the table, so he didn’t look too suspicious even as he set about taking in the sights around him. A first survey of the spacious pool and dining area showed that there couldn’t be more than 50 people outside, though he was sure that couldn’t be the hotel’s full capacity. There were families of all ages, old couples and young couples and people in-between. It certainly seemed like most were there for the wedding as he watched individuals walking past each other and call out greetings.

It all made Vision feel very much out of place as he sat alone at his table, with a worn book on philosophy and a cocktail he couldn’t drink.

But he listened and he watched, determined for the mission to go well. Vision even allowed himself to think of a version of events where they found out what they needed early, and he could spend the rest of the trip alone with Wanda. An excuse to spend time with her that didn’t require the cover of work. All he wanted was to be near her without needing such excuses.

Feeling worse and worse about the direction his thoughts were going, Vision instead turned his eyes to the task at hand. He opened his book up, pretended to take a sip of his drink and set about listening to the sounds around him. It wasn’t that he had better hearing than humans, he was simply better at filtering out unwanted sounds. He caught the conversation of a couple walking behind his table and heard a man’s voice saying how he hoped his partner caught the bouquet the following afternoon. Vision laughed under his breath at the awkward laugh the woman gave as she abruptly changed the topic of conversation. The family near him were eagerly discussing the following morning’s plan, beginning with a smart buffet style brunch before the ceremony would begin in the early afternoon down on the beach. As he listened, he made tallies of everyone talking about the wedding and the rare few who weren’t.

“Excuse me, hon,” a woman’s voice said, and Vision felt a hand settle on his shoulder. He froze, immediately on guard. “Is there anything else your drink needs? I’ve just noticed you haven’t’ been drinking it.”

Vision looked around at the bartender, her cropped hair falling into her eyes a little as she looked down at him.

“I’m fine, thank you.” He smiled, despite the nerves that sparked upon finding that someone had been watching close enough to notice his drink remained untouched.

“No ice, nothing?”

“No, it’s perfect thank you,” Vision said firmly and watched the bartender smile and return to her place behind the bar. He breathed a sigh of relief but at the next available opportunity, discreetly tipped half of his drink into a nearby potted plant.

After half an hour of listening to the gossip of two older women and coming to the conclusion that their underhanded conversation was only related to the appropriateness of the groom, Vision grew tired. It wasn’t the task or the mission, it was the fact that it would be made better by being next to Wanda. A glance her way had Vision’s stomach dropping. There was a half-naked man sat opposite Wanda and the two were chattering away like they had known each other for years. Vision frowned and tried to hear anything, but the sound of the pool and children shrieking was too much. So, he resigned himself to glancing their way every few seconds, hating the way jealousy rose in his heart so easily.

Wanda’s mind was drifting as she gazed around at the sunny poolside, watching milling families and their young children. She was so distracted that she didn’t note when someone approached her.

The man was young, perhaps late twenties and had dusty blond hair that was falling attractively into his eyes. Wanda looked up to come face to face with his chiselled jaw and even more defined chest. But when she caught sight of the stranger’s serious expression her heart jumped to her throat in fear.

“Hey,” the guy said, his voice soft, “I don’t mean to sound weird, but I felt like I should let you know that there’s a guy who has been watching you pretty intensly from the bar.”

Wanda glanced over her shoulder and caught Vision’s gaze over at the bar, just in time for his eyes to dart back down to his book.

She laughed in relief. “Oh, it’s okay he’s a friend.”

“Ah,” the guy looked embarrassed, rubbing at the back of his head awkwardly.

“But thanks, it’s nice that you’d come up and let someone know.”

The guy smiled and made to leave but Wanda saw it as an opportunity to hear more about the supposed wedding and their target, Stevie Vern’s role in it all.

“How come you’re so perceptive?”

He hesitated and Wanda gestured for him to sit in the free lounge chair next to her. “Believe it or not I was just really into Where’s Wally as a kid, so I guess I’m pretty good at taking in a crowd and picking up the outliers.”

Wanda smiled. “That’s a handy skill to have. What’s your name?”

“Marco,” he said and extended his hand as he sat.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Wanda,” she grinned in return. “Anything else interesting you’ve noticed so far?”

He smirked and leaned in conspiratorially. “See the woman over next to that umbrella?”

Wanda nodded leaning in to get a better view, she was so close she could see the droplets of water shimmering on Marco’s dark skin. “She’s not happy about the Verns marrying into her family, she’s been circling her nephew like a shark trying to keep his fiancé away.”

“Seems a bit late for that,” Wanda laughed.

“And over there,” Marco pointed discreetly over his own shoulder and looking into Wanda’s eyes as he spoke, “that’s Vern’s brother, word is he’s been involved in some shady back alley deals recently and the family has had to pay his bail twice, that’s why –”

“His father has such a tight grip on his shoulder right now,” Wanda nodded.

“I’m not the only one who’s observant then,” Marco grinned.

Wanda laughed. Such an observation could be passed off for novice, it was an easy guess given the in-depth training she’d had from Natasha.

“So, are you here for the wedding?” Wanda asked, eager for the conversation to continue and hear more about the Vern brother who was causing the family such trouble. Marco seemed a reliable enough informant.

He tilted his head in interest at her question. “You’re not?”

Just as she was about to supply their cover story of holiday or honeymoon, a shadow fell across her face, blocking the setting sun from her eyes. As she adjusted, she saw the familiar figure of Vision standing before her.

“Could I talk to you, please?” His voice sounded strained, and his expression looked even more tense. Wanda bit her lip, concerned. Had he heard something? were they compromised?

“Sure,” she tried to be casual but her voice was tight. “It was nice to meet you Marco, hopefully I’ll see you around this weekend.” She tugged on her top over her bikini, regretfully letting the warmth of the evening sun leave her skin.

Marco waved a goodbye as Wanda followed Vision aware from the crowded pool side to the grassy lawn that was deserted nearby. He came to a stop near a section of manicured hedging that looked too perfect to be real. Wanda stopped opposite him, folding her arms across her chest.

“What’s wrong?”

Vision opened and closed his mouth, trying to find his words.

“Did you get any information?” He asked finally.

“Yes. And if you hadn’t interrupted, I could have gotten more,” Wanda said, not sure if she was reading into Vision’s irritated expression too much. He was acting strange.

“You seemed like you were getting very cosy, I thought I should remind you about our mission,” Vision said, the words rushing out all at once. He closed his mouth immediately afterwards, his lips forming a thin line.

Wanda huffed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. “You’re one to talk, I saw you chatting up the bartender.”

“What?” Vision sputtered indignantly. “Why would I –”

Wanda shook her head, not interested in hearing more. “Look I think you should go back up to our room. Try checking over our file for any information about the target’s brother being involved. I’m going to get some food.”

“Wanda, wait—" Vision called after her but she had already walked away.

Wanda purposefully took two hours to return to the hotel room. She would have waited longer if she hadn’t looked so suspicious as she loitered in the foyer after eating.

When she pulled herself into the hotel room it was to find most of the lights out, save those on the balcony where she could see Vision sitting in a reclining chair, his book propped on his chest. He wasn’t reading but was gazing at the sky which was dissolving into a deep blue as stars began twinkling to light. Wanda wasn’t ready to talk to him yet and didn’t have anything good to say, so she made her way to the luxurious bathroom to wash off the sunscreen and the lingering grime of the aeroplane.

Most of her shower was spent split between marvelling at the golden faucets and giant mirror and mulling over what she could have done differently to stop their argument. Perhaps she had reacted too harshly, she definitely shouldn’t have thrown the waitress comment in his face that way. But she’d... well she’d been a little bit defensive seeing the woman press a hand to Vision’s shoulder and lean down to him that way. No, not defensive.

Jealous, Wanda admitted to herself as she wiped her hand over the mirror to see herself clearly. If only Tony had sent some kind of buffer for them, none of this would be happening.

Outside the bathroom the bedroom was empty and dark, and Vision’s figure could no longer be seen on the balcony. Her moment of mildly frantic searching was rewarded by the sight of him lying propped up on the spacious couch in the living room. His legs were folded at the ankle and his hands were propped on his chest; fingers laced. He looked peaceful, asleep even, but Wanda could tell he wasn’t.

She watched him a moment longer, taking in the sight of his human façade that was familiar in some ways and unfamiliar in others. Maybe he felt her presence or her gaze or simply heard her sigh of disappointment because Vision opened his eyes and turned his head in Wanda’s direction.

His mouth turned up softly, an olive branch extending towards her. “I’m sorry for arguing with you about something so small. Can we please start afresh tomorrow? I know how important this mission is to you.”

Wanda tried to stop her mouth from falling open in surprise. She’d never really fought with Vision before, but she hadn’t expected an apology so quickly, she almost felt bad that she hadn’t been the one to give it. With him smiling softly at her she couldn’t stay angry, though it embarrassed her a little that he could pick up on her feelings so easily. Of course, she wanted the mission to succeed, but it was more than that. She needed to prove that she could handle a semi-solo mission and not cause any trouble.

“I’m sorry too,” Wanda said quietly, finally breaking their gaze and walking over to the balcony to see the moon rise.

They remained quiet for a few minutes, no sound except the distant swell of waves on the sand and each other’s slow breathing. Finally, feeling that tiredness was pulling at her bones and begging her to go to bed, Wanda turned back towards the couch.

As she passed him, Vision’s eyes followed, and she slowed to a stop. She couldn’t help reaching out to brush his hair off his forehead. The simple gesture felt too intimate, and Wanda tried not to notice how he turned his head into her palm. His hair was soft and his skin warm and somewhere not far below it all she felt the thrum of the stone. As her fingers trailed down his cheek reluctantly, Vision looked up at her his eyes confused.

“You don’t have to hide in here.” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Vision looked sad, turned away from her so that she couldn’t see his eyes and tell what he was thinking.

Wanda kept walking, reaching the bedroom and allowing one last look over her shoulder.

“Good night, Vis.”

Vision was sitting at the kitchen counter, a novel before him when Steve hurried into the kitchen and began rooting through cabinets. Vision placed a finger to mark his page and glanced up in confusion.

“Is there something you need help with, Captain?” He asked, curious at Steve’s haste. The captain jumped visibly, and Vision looked down sheepishly. The team was yet to grow accustomed to his presence in the Compound and he was still learning to be something like human. It was a slow process.

“Vision,” Steve said, a hand pressed to his chest in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Vision nodded. “What are you looking for?”

“Cold and flu medicine,” Steve replied, turning back to the cabinets and pushing aside two different bags of coffee beans and a pot of sugar. His hand scraped around the back of the shelf to no avail. “I know we had some here somewhere.”

Vision tilted his head curiously. There weren’t many at the compound who could fall ill, Steve and himself included. Tony was away with Rhodey in New York for the weekend, Clint was with his family, and from what Vision knew of Natasha, she didn’t seem the kind of person to accept medicine.

That only left one other person in the enormous building he now called home.

“Is Wanda okay?” Vision asked his voice sound slightly strained, even to his own ears. He hadn’t quite mastered control over tone yet but was getting better at identifying such markers in other’s speech.

“She’s okay,” Steve mulled as he moved things around, moving to another cupboard. Vision heard the concern in his voice. Forgetting his page, he shut his book all thoughts now directed to Wanda. Where could she have contracted an illness? Perhaps it was overworking, of all of them, Wanda pushed herself the hardest. The last few weeks had been particularly rough with training every day, minor missions interstate, and relentless press appearances.

“Aha!” Steve cried in triumph, holding up a packet of cold and flu tablets.

“I can take them to her,” Vision said jumping to his feet and moving swiftly to Steve’s side, a glass in his hand ready to fill with water for Wanda. Steve jerked back a little, evidently, he was still not adjusted to the synthezoid’s super speed.

“Okay,” Steve sounded hesitant as he passed over the thin package. “Don’t smother her, alright? She’s not in a very good mood.”

“I won’t,” Vision said pleased as he filled up the glass with water and headed off down the corridor. As he walked, he quickly had a look at what ‘smothering’ meant – why Steve thought he might cover Wanda’s head with a pillow, Vision couldn’t understand. A little more looking revealed it could also mean overwhelm. Vision shook his head, he would make every effort to not overwhelm her, he just wanted to make sure she was comfortable and provide anything that might make her feel better.

Out of Steve’s sight, he hurried quickly down the corridor that led to Wanda’s bedroom. Once he was close enough to her bedroom he phased effortlessly through the wall, bringing the water and pills with him.

He arrived in her room to find that the lights were out and the curtains drawn despite it being mid-morning.

“Vision?” Wanda exclaimed, or tried to. Her voice cracked and she coughed most of the way through his name.

He hurried to the other side of her bed, concerned to see her covers pulled up to her chin even as sweat made her forehead shine.

“What did I saw about knocking?” Wanda said, her voice hoarse, her eyes struggling to stay open.

“That I should?” Vision said hesitantly.

Wanda murmured something in affirmation, and he felt guilty.

“Sorry, I will next time. I brought you some medicine.” He set the glass of water on her bedside table which was cluttered with tissues, empty glasses and unfinished books.

“Don’t need it, thanks,” Wanda murmured, turning onto her side.

Vision sighed. She looked dreadful, which was saying something as he rarely found her anything but beautiful. Concerned, he slowly reached out to press his hand to her forehead. Wanda shivered, feverish.

“You have a high temperature; the medicine will make you feel better.”

Wanda opened her eyes blearily and huffed in frustration. She heaved herself up to lean against the headboard and held a hand out for the pills. Vision popped two of the night pills into her palm before extending the water glass. She swallowed the medicine and shivered again.

“When did you start feeling bad?” Vision asked, trying to make conversation as he hovered about her room, not yet ready to leave her in such a state.

“Last night, but woke up feeling like the plague this morning,” Wanda mumbled, slipping back down onto the pillow. He moved forward to pull her pillow up so she was more comfortable.

“Okay, well we’ll keep an eye on your fever,” he said nervously more to himself, feeling the need to speak the instructions he had read about online aloud. But Wanda’s eyes were already closed, and it seemed she was relenting to an exhausted slumber.

Vision bit his lip, unsure if he were allowed to stay in her room while she was asleep. Glancing at her bedside table he decided to at least clean up on his way out. With the empty glasses stacked and the tissues in the bin he set about opening up a window a little bit to allow for some circulation. Even if Wanda felt cold, her fever needed to come down. Finally, unable to see a reason to stay Vision went over to adjust her blankets. Seeing that she was peacefully asleep he pressed his palm to her forehead, glad to feel that she felt a little bit less warm. She murmured something sleepily but didn’t wake.

Vision returned to her wall with the glasses in hand and phased through it once more, leaving Wanda to her fever dreams. For the remainder of the day, he kept a keen eye on Wanda, phasing through her wall each hour to take her temperature and replace her water glass. She remained asleep or at least didn’t acknowledge his care, though each time he left her mouth twitched up at the corners.

“Wanda!” Vision’s voice was a singsong as he phased through her bedroom wall, eager for their promised game of chess. He had taken up teaching her the game not long after he had learnt it himself. There was no one at the compound who could play that well but he always had fun with Wanda. Even when Vision knew all the tricks, she still surprised him. In exchange they had been following up each game with a few episodes of the Dick Van Dyke show. It was their Saturday night ritual now, though they had only known each other 6 months. Wanda had only just returned from the mission she had been on with Steve and Nat. Perhaps chess was off the table, but he hoped she would let him keep her company and watch some television. Vision struggled to understand how keenly he had felt her absence in the past week.

He phased through the wall and for a moment his sight was clouded. He emerged into the bedroom that he had slowly been acquainted with. Vision knew the view from her windows, the books on her desk, her guitar in the corner and the pattern of her bedsheets. His eyes checked off each of these features before looking to the bed. His heart dropped sickeningly when he caught sight of the figure laying atop the covers.

Wanda had propped herself against the headboard, her mouth twisted in pain as she nursed a gash that was bleeding all down her left arm.

“Wanda?” Vision whispered. Her eyes opened weakly, and she grimaced a smile.

“Hi.”

Vision was at her side instantly. “Hi? What do you mean hi? Are you okay what happened—”

“Shhh,” Wanda whispered, reaching out to grab his arm and squeeze. “Don’t want the others to know.”

“What do you mean?” Vision asked furiously. “You’re hurt, why didn’t you go the med bay when you got back?”

“Please,” she turned her eyes on him and he registered the pain behind her gaze. “Help me and I’ll answer any questions you want. I tried,” she gestured to the trail of thread she’d been using to stitch herself up with, “but my hands are too shaky.”

He ignored that she was half undressed, more focused on how her blood had soaked through the left side of her top and was dripping onto her bed. Vision spared less than a second before he was speeding away from her side. He trusted Wanda, if she said that she didn’t want the others knowing then he would wait to hear her reasoning. For now, he just wanted to alleviate her pain.

He thanked the gods for his super speed as he dashed down the corridor, down the stairs through two walls and into the empty med bay. He dipped in and out of the internet finding a reputable source for stitching up a wound even as he lectured himself for not understanding such an important procedure sooner. He grabbed more supplies, gauze and bandages, antiseptic and a fresh needle and tweezers. He sped back upstairs and arrived in Wanda’s room just as she was swiping tears away from her eyes.

“Sorry,” she winced, trying to sit up better as he set his supplies on her bedside table.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Vision said soothingly. “Let’s get you fixed up.”

“You weren’t supposed to see,” Wanda sighed, her eyes closed as he set about propping her arm up with a pillow and a fresh towel to mop up the blood.

“Lucky I entered without announcing myself then,” Vision murmured perching himself next to her tense body. He wasn’t usually squeamish and managed to maintain a distance when it came to gore. But seeing Wanda’s blood trickling down her arm had his heart thumping far too quickly. He took a few calming breaths.

Vision straightened her arm and watched her forehead contort in pain, sweat beading. Silently he took the medical scissors and cut off the thread and the mess Wanda had made of her wound. On closer inspection he was relieved to see it wasn’t too deep and that the blood had stopped flowing. He cleaned and numbed the area.

“It’s not as bad as I thought,” Vision murmured as he helped her sit up taller, so she was at a better angle for the stitches.

“Feels bad enough,” Wanda winced.

He frowned at her pain. “Tell me about your favourite episode of Dick Van Dyke,” Vision prompted as he set about threading the needle. Wisely, Wanda decided to turn her attention to her sweeping windows and the clouds drifting across the amber sky.

“Season 2, episode 20,” Wanda said. “It’s not necessarily my favourite but it’s the episode I’ve seen the most. Rob watches this movie with aliens and monsters, it was scary for me as a kid, but I found it funny how out of control it became—” Wanda broke off with a pained groan as Vision began the first stitch.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Now it doesn’t scare me but it’s still eerie...” she trailed off to prepare for the next stitch. Moments later it was done, and she breathed out slowly as Vision tugged the thread gently, closing the wound.

“— it’s interesting to look back on the episode and –” She thumped her other first on her thigh as the needle dug in once more.

“—and see how far my life has changed since I first watched it – oh fuck that!”

Vision startled, not used to hearing her swear. “Two more and it’ll be done,” Vision replied, conscious that he was leaning over her torso and that there might have been easier ways to sit for stitching up the gash.

“Two more?” Wanda sighed her right shoulder slumping in defeat.

“Almost there, almost there,” he murmured soothingly, starting on the next stitch. Wanda cried out, biting her fist. His heart twinged painfully in sympathy.

“You’re okay,” Vision said, doing his best to be comfortingly. “One more and then it’s done, one more and it’ll be over.”

He continued to murmur small comforts, hoping his voice would distract her from the thin metal dipping in and out of her skin. Despite her pain he had successfully kept the stitches neat and hoped that they’d be suitable enough for healing. At least he had used the thread that dissolved as the wound healed and she could avoid the new pain of having them taken out once more.

As he pushed the needle in for the final stitch Wanda’s head lolled against his neck. He froze in fear.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, “just, keep going.”

Her head remained pressed into the crook of his neck, her breath warming his skin in slow, controlled breaths. Vision did his best to focus on finishing off his work. He completed the final stitch, tied it up and cut the needle free. As he moved his materials to her bedside table and picked up the gauze, he became conscious of Wanda’s shoulders shaking slowly.

“Sorry,” she said quietly, her voice thick with tears.

“It’s alright, Wanda,” Vision said with a comforting smile, though she didn’t raise her head. He raised a hand and gently stroked the back of her head in what he hoped was a soothing manner. “I’ll wrap your arm up and give you something for the pain.”

Wanda sniffled against his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re the only one who can phase through physical walls.”

Vision smiled happily; glad Wanda couldn’t see his reaction.

Vision hovered; his hand raised to knock on Wanda’s bedroom door. He’d been standing there for a few moments debating on whether or not to disturb her when he’d heard the soft noises of Wanda’s cries. Vision knew how she sounded when she was upset. In the year they had been living together there had been a few nights he had spent sitting outside her door, listening to her cry and waiting for her to fall asleep. Often, all she’d allow him to do was bring her food or a cup of tea, insisting she be left to her sorrows. But Vision was struggling to bear it tonight. He worried that she thought herself a burden, that she locked herself up in her room on her bad days as a way to save the rest of the team from her anguish. But Vision hated seeing, or hearing, her pain.

Unable to wait any longer Vision side stepped the door and phased right through the wood. The room was dark, and the air was still, Wanda hadn’t left her bed all day. Quietly, Vision walked slowly to her bedside and crouched beside her curled up form. The covers were pulled up over her head, her arms wrapped around one of her cushions. His throat grew tight with emotion as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Wanda?” He whispered. The covers shifted and her head emerged, tear tracks looked as though they had made permanent lines down her face, dark circles hung under her eyes.

She didn’t say anything, just rolled over so that her back was to him.

“Is there anything that you need?” Vision asked removing his hand, hesitant to take her rejection, he’d wait until she explicitly asked him to leave. Wanda didn’t reply, her breath catching in her throat, and she shook her head slowly.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” Vision said quietly.

“I don’t want to bother anyone,” Wanda whispered, her voice hoarse from not speaking. Vision raised to stand, hovering next to her bed. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, to banish all her sadness and protect her from fear.

“You could never be a burden to me, it is a privilege to be a part of your life.” His words sounded raw, even to his own ears and he heard Wanda hiccup emotionally.

It didn’t take much, just her hand emerging from beneath the covers to tug at the hem of his woollen sweater. It was all he needed to know she wanted him to say.

She shifted to make room and Vision settled onto the bed next to her. Almost reluctantly, Wanda slid closer though her face was still hidden. When he was close enough, he pulled a blanket from the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. She leant in, sniffling tearily. When he held his arms open, she hesitated for a few moments, her body stiff with tension. Finally, she relented, pressing her forehead into his shoulder and allowing him to wrap her in his warm arms. The tears started again, and he rocked them back and forth as she trembled.

“It’s alright,” Vision whispered over and over. He rubbed a hand in circles on her back, holding her close.

They remained that way for a while, Vision let her cry as much as she needed, not feeling the need to ask what was causing her such anguish. She would tell him when she was ready.

“When you’re feeling up for it, we can go for a walk,” Vision said soothingly, “there are wildflowers out by the woods, I even saw some bluebells the other morning. Maybe you can point out some other flowers you recognise to me. I think the birds miss you out there.” He talked slowly about small things, none of them important but gradually her sobs slowed into hiccups.

“Thank you,” Wanda whispered into his shoulders, her hands tangled up in his jumper.