driftfleet | video;

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video;

Who: The Vision
Broadcast: Video from the planet's surface
Action: Locked to Wanda
When: Now

[This video opens up with a view of a sea of dunes stretching out as far as the eye can see, lit only by the stars above. Some of those stars are moving about in a lively fashion - space traffic, though even the large stations are no more than points of light from this distance. Then the camera pans over to view some shadowy but dramatic rock formations - sandstone or a similar sedimentary rock, though it's hard to tell without more light. The voice narrating the scene has a gentle tone and a British accent, almost like a nature documentary. It's only very slightly muffled by the helmet he's wearing.]

A desert planet is hardly unusual. It's the most common type of rocky exoplanet according to the science in my time. Yet here we see several signs that this was not - and need not always be - the case. Look at the gentle curves in the rocks and the way the sand forms dunes. These are signs of more wind and water than the planet has. Did it have a stronger gravitational pull when it was younger? Did its atmosphere bleed off over time? Are these problems that could be fixed, with the right resources and engineering?

And would that effort destroy the view of the stars above? [He focuses the video a little more on the sky. Granted, they can see the stars any time from their own ships, but there's something about being on a planet that makes it different. The perspective, perhaps? A field of infinite stars is enough that the mind loses its focus unless there's something to compare it to, something to give it context.]

It might. Or it might allow even more people to see their beauty.

It's worth a look if you, like me, find the walls and ceilings too enclosing at times. But do wear your protective gear or you won't make it far outside a shuttle. This planet isn't for the unprepared.

[The view sweeps back to the dunes again, where it rests for a few moments before blinking out.]

[The Vision clicks off the communicator feed and smiles over at Wanda. He's in a full exosuit - he wouldn't need it if he decided to stay intangible throughout the trip, but then he wouldn't be able to grab a couple rocks as souvenirs. Or hold her hand through the gloves as they fly, because here is a space meant for such things.

And he really has missed flying.]

Shall we go to the top of that spire? It looks broad enough for the both of us.

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[As Wanda massages his back, the Vision lets our appropriate sighs and even a few groans when she finds a particularly tough knot to work on. Her hair's light touch and the gentle kisses serve to let him relax even more, until he's one big, warm lump of person-shaped bliss.

Once she's done, he rolls up onto his side so he can gather her close and give her one more kiss, long and deep.]

I will. Though if you don't object to my spending the night regularly, it won't get this bad again.

[How much of that stress buildup had been from the guilt of keeping a secret from someone he wanted to be completely open with? More than he wants to admit.]

[Wanda melted into the kiss and sighed happily when they parted...only to realize that she could be a lot more comfortable with a wardrobe adjustment.]

Just a minute, [she murmured around a quick kiss, sitting up to ditch her long-sleeved overshirt and, with practiced ease, the bra under her tank top. Tossing them carelessly off the bed, she laid back down and curled into Vision's side.] Mm, much better.

[She's not ready to bare herself as completely as Vision has yet, but more skin-to-skin contact can only be a good thing. And Wanda can't stop herself from resting a hand on his chest over his heart.]

You're always welcome here, Vizh, especially at night. I like having you close like this.

[On the one hand, he's had far more time to adjust to the idea of being in love and all the physical comfort attached to it, so it's not a surprise he's able to strip down to his truest form with little hesitation. On the other hand, he's technically always naked anyway.]

I love being close to you.

[And under her hand, his heartbeat is strong and his chest warm; over the psychic link his love for her shines clear and strong. He is so glad today's events unfolded in the way they did, because going back alone to his own room after flying around on the planet like that would have been--

Well, it certainly wouldn't have been as satisfying as the bone-deep contentment he's feeling right now.

He begins stroking her hair, not quite ready to offer up a full massage in turn but knowing she's probably somewhat worn out by this point, between the physical activity earlier and the somewhat abrupt emotional exercise since then.]

I see no reason not to stay every night.

Please.

[Wanda can feel him warm under her hand and bright in her mind and it's all so good that she's overcome. Her arm slides around him and she buries her face in Vision's chest and lets him surround her, fighting the tears that have come to her eyes again. She didn't think she'd feel this ease of psychic connection with anyone after Pietro died and never this level of love after her powers awoke. It's just too much happiness for her body to hold.

Wanda allows herself to get lost in the feel of him and the sensation of his hands stroking her hair. It produces as strong of an urge to rest and relax in her as it does in her older self and she can feel herself beginning to drift off.

She murmurs something that sounds like "love you," as if there's any way Vision can have missed the emotions flowing through their link.]

[The Vision holds Wanda close, and if his eyes don't tear up it has more to do with slight differences in anatomy than any lack of emotion. He whispers back that he loves her, too, as she drifts off.

When she does finally fall asleep, the psychic link breaks, but with Wanda right there in his arms he can't exactly complain about the situation. Instead he slips into his own resting phase and lets his mind wander, and tonight's not-dreams are about flying and warmth and finding joy, and always Wanda by his side.

He wakes up well before she does, and is glad to find that the ship's bed hasn't given him any muscle strains, but as it's still somewhat smaller than the hotel beds he's used to sharing with Wanda, they should probably pick up some more pillows while they're in a system with commerce.

--That he can buy pillows for their bed together, that he's allowed to do this and can keep them, has his mood already soaring. Maybe he's planning ahead a little much, but a guy can dream.

Once Wanda starts stirring, the Vision squeezes her shoulder lightly and kisses her on the crown of her head.] Good morning. I trust you slept well?

[She didn't wake him up, anyway.]

[Wanda drifts off into peace and warmth, and even though she doesn't remember her dreams in the morning, they've left her in a surprisingly relaxed state when she wakes. She can't remember the last time she slept this well. Every muscle in her body just wants to sink back into the bed for a little longer just to enjoy this feeling. Were she to fall back asleep, it wouldn't be from exhaustion.]

Mmmm...

[She smiles up at him sleepily, shifting to gently cup his face. He's warm and solid under her touch - this isn't a dream.]

Very well, because of you.

I'm glad.

[His smile is gentle, sweet, and just for her to see. In a way this had been the ultimate test for him: had Wanda sensed anything in his mind or his demeanor that she'd been uncomfortable with, she wouldn't have slept well at all. (Yes, he knows his intentions are pure, but confirmation from an outside source is still good. Her instincts about these things are far more reliable than his own.)

He tucks Wanda's hair behind her ear and kisses her on the forehead. She's so beautiful when she's just awakened like this, full of trust and relaxed, only looking for warmth and the last bit of comfort before she needs to get up for the day.

Not that they really need to get up, if they don't want to, but she's going to want food at some point. Maybe some day he can plan to just stash some food supplies in here so they can spend all day in bed.]

Then it's settled. I'll stay with you from now on, unless you need a break at some point. [He hesitates a short moment.] And--there is a mechanism in place for combining two quarters into one, if we both find this arrangement agreeable after perhaps a month?

[Her heart melts for that smile. She could definitely get used to waking up like this every day, warm and safe in Vision's arms. Getting up, however, is an entirely different story. While she could definitely eat, Wanda's not ready to leave the warmth of her bed just yet.

She answers the kiss to her forehead with a soft one on Vision's lips. The urge to touch him is as present as the night before, although it softened with sleep. She craves more of these gentle moments, and for the first time the fantasy of surrender occurs to her. Wouldn't it be nice to guide Vision atop her and hold him close while he takes his turn exploring her body?

Either way, she's not moving any time soon. Not until her muscles remember how to be muscles again.]

You...soothe me. But I don't want to take your privacy, Vizh.

[Her thumb rubs a light arc over his cheek. Wanda's used to looking out for Vision like this, to making sure he gets the opportunity to experience certain things, like privacy, before anyone else decides that it's not necessary. He's a person, and she'll fight anyone who tries to treat him as anything less.]

I want you to be comfortable. We can see, in a month. But if we need more time it's all right.

[That's--a good point, actually. Granted that for most of his life, the urge for privacy had been connected in one way or another with Wanda, either being with her or in the direct pursuit of being with her.] I cannot say I've had a problem finding privacy if I've needed it, but that is something to keep in mind.

[See, this is why he suggested a month instead of right away - there's more room to figure out what all it might entail. He's never really lived with anyone before, not like this. Everyone having their own separate rooms at the Avengers facility is...really not all that different from everyone having their own rooms on a ship. Sharing quarters is something else entirely.]

Ah, and it is reversible should we try it and decide it doesn't work.

[He kisses Wanda back, this time with a little more heat; he's in no hurry to get out of bed either. By the time he breaks it, she'll no doubt be able to tell his pulse is heightened, and when he talks his voice is rough.]

I do prefer the idea that it would work.

[She melts even further into the kiss with a low moan. This early in the morning Wanda has no defense or filter against her own feelings. She doesn't need a reason to want him close...or to want a little more than this. It just is.

That tender longing is reflected in her eyes when they part. His voice, she's learning, makes something in her go weak and when he sounds like that--

Oh, she could deny him nothing right now.]

I want it to work. I want to stay close to you. [Vision doesn't get far before she descends on his lips again. And in these soft, defenseless moments Wanda can admit to something that she wasn't ready to say last night.] I want to be yours.

[Soft kisses on waking up and that lowered wall, where they both feel safe and warm in each others' arms - the Vision is more glad than ever that he decided to admit to his feelings. This is perfect.]

Then we'll try together. And I've no doubt you'll need your privacy as well at times - I'm more than happy to go pursue my own interests for a while when you need time alone.

[But this? This is not one of those times they need to be alone. He runs a hand through Wanda's hair so he can cup the back of her head and hold her close.]

Do you? [He kisses her again, still languid.] What does it say about me, that I've fallen in love with the same woman three times now?

We'll learn together, then.

[She hikes a leg over Vision's in her own bid for closeness, arching very easily into another kiss with a soft moan. How fortunate that they have nowhere to be this morning.

Wanda's definitely blushing when they part, but there's no awareness of it in her expression. She's utterly enchanted with him, with this.]

I think this is what we call fate. That we have fallen in love so many times... [She kisses him again, slowly and deeply, savoring the way he feels against her.] We belong together, love.

[Oh good, because he was thinking about doing the same to her leg, so he easily twines them together. There's an odd disconnect in his mind between missing something and doing it for the first time, and once again he has to keep the timelines firmly in place. He's coming from a place of more experience, which will make things significantly less awkward once they get to that stage--

--but this is all new to her. Oh, she has a good theoretical background, but unless things are wildly different than he remembered, she's never had a lover before.

The Vision is suddenly very glad he's not driven by human hormones, because this could so easily escalate into something Wanda is not ready for yet.]

Yes. [He breathes it out as almost a moan.] You deserve to be loved, Wanda. I want to show you how much you mean to me. [His next kiss is a little shorter, though not by much.] But I also want to go at your pace. I will be as patient as you desire me to be.

[For now Wanda's intentions are wholly innocent - she just wants to hold him closer. She's seen them be quite a bit more involved in Vision's memories, but she has no experience in melding the pleasures of mind and body to miss them. The sudden intensity of her feelings would frighten her more if she didn't trust Vision so completely. As it is, it's only reason to take their time, to ensure anything they do is something they both definitely want.

Her hand seeks out his as they kiss, lacing her fingers with his the way he'd showed her last night.]

Is this all right? I want you to see. [Punctuated with a quick, soft kiss.] You deserve that.

[She flicks a finger on her free hand and her top shifts to very deliberately reveal a hand's breadth of skin around her waist. An offering, if he wishes to indulge, but it's well within her comfort zone.]

I'd like that.

[It's a tremendous boost to his confidence, actually, to know that his presence and simple touches can give Wanda the comfort and happiness she craves. Even better is knowing that she really does love him, not because he's inhuman or in spite of it but as part of the whole that makes him who he is. So many people are distracted by what he is that they don't bother to learn who he is, or if they do it's an afterthought.

Not Wanda.

He kisses her again and moves his hand down to the offered skin, delightfully smooth and a natural place to rest his hand when he holds her close. It's so warm and comfortable, laying here with her. He could get used to this so easily.]

[Wanda sighs happily as Vision pulls her closer, carefully reaching for his mind. Although it's at once apparent how warm, safe, and close to sleep she feels, the affection and love beneath that run deep. It's an all-encompassing love and Wanda reaches out to wrap it around Vision's mind like a blanket.]

I love you, Vision.

[All of him, always. And when she kisses him again, it flares brighter in her mind, so brightly that she's laughing when they part.]

Do we have to get up? I want to stay with you a little longer.

[She's so beautiful when she laughs like that. He can't help feeling a matching surge of love and happiness, and he twists their fingers together again so she'll see it when she looks.]

I love you, Wanda. And, er, no. We do not have to get up yet.

[He curls up into her a little more.]

I'll stay with you as long as you like.

[Today, yes. And beyond that--he means it. It's not quite the promise he wanted to make to her back in Edinburgh, but it might very well become that in time. For now, this is more than enough.]

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