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[Luckily, he'd been expecting this to some extent. Perhaps not this strongly, but the possibility had been there.

He sits up in bed and gathers her to him, murmuring into her ears and projecting love as strongly as he can.]

I am here, Wanda. I know this cannot be easy for you. But I am here.

[It's her first birthday without Pietro, and after he'd come up so often in calibrations, he's been on her mind more than usual. Wanda thinks of him every day, of course, but for the most part she'd settled into her new normal.

But there are still times, like now, when she needs to cry. She buries her face in Vision's chest and clings to him both physically and psychically. Vision, at least, is still here with her: not only did he save her life and help her learn to live again, he helped her want to live again.

Eventually her tears subside and Wanda shifts to look up at Vision and cup his cheek. Words are still beyond her, so instead she guides him down for a deep kiss.]

[A little surprised by the kiss, he nonetheless responds in kind and holds her tightly. She'll always be sad on this day, he thinks, no matter how much time passes. but there can be joy as well--he knows this from his own timeline, and he wants to show it to her here, too. But maybe not too much, too quickly.

He strokes her hair, knowing that's a surefire path to calming her down.]

Ah, love. I am sorry to spring it on you like that, but better to know in private first.

[And he follows it up with an apology kiss, and then one more.]

[As always, his hands in her hair send pleasant, calming tingles down her spine, and she will never stop wanting his kisses. But--]

'In private?' Vizh, how many people know?

[He arches a brow.]

Captain Rogers mentioned something about needing ice cream for a party.

[...little does he realize it's also Bucky's birthday. Look, he likes the man, but the last time he knew Bucky the guy couldn't exactly remember his own name most of the time.]

...oh.

[This is probably the most horrified anyone has ever looked about ice cream, of all things.]

I might still be sick, [she says quickly.] It might not be a good idea.

[help]

[Oh no, he can't help a short laugh at that, and he kisses the crown of her head.]

We needn't go if you don't want to. But it was meant with good intent, I think.

[She settles against him like she can somehow pull the covers over them and hide all day. That sounds like a much better plan.]

If Natasha has to come find me, she'll be upset.

[And Vision's right, no one's doing this to be mean...they just don't understand. But above all, now that she knows what day it is, she absolutely does not want to be left alone for any significant length of time.]

Can I stay with you today? [How quickly she goes from sounding almost grumpy to very vulnerable. She doesn't care if she has to tag along while he does Important Engineering Things...even that would be enough to help.]

[He blinks, surprised by the question, but then relaxes and exhales with a smile.] I'd be happy to spend the day with you, Wanda. Does that mean you'd like to go with me to retrieve your gift?

[Because he hasn't forgotten about that.]

[Of course he hasn't.]

Give me a minute to get dressed, love.

[She doesn't want to get out of bed but she wants to be left alone even less, and so Wanda steals one last kiss before rolling off him. She dresses quickly, but she takes time to apply her usual makeup.

She just doesn't feel like herself without her eyeliner, okay?

That done, Wanda comes back to him for another kiss.]

Should I close my eyes?

That won't be necessary. [He takes her hand with a soft squeeze and leads her out of their room. The gift is stashed - surprise! - in the Engineering section where Wanda is unlikely to have stumbled across it by accident, and it's about the size of a coffee-table book, wrapped up in a nicely patterned cloth clearly picked up on Libuscha IV. He hands it to her with a smile, and it's lighter than a book would be.]

I couldn't count on having anywhere to shop before now, you see, and I wanted to be certain I had something for you. I hope you like it.

[Inside is an unframed canvas painting. Looks like all that practice he's been doing since taking over the mural is paying off: it's pretty good, if a bit more realistic and less stylized than a lot of art tends to be. The subject? A large red dragon made of wispy red energy curled protectively around one Wanda Maximoff, dressed in a fantastic princess outfit. She's smiling and at ease, and the dragon has an expression very much like a sleepy cat.]

I'm not certain all the details are correct, but I wanted to capture the spirit of it.

[Indeed, the dragon looks dangerous and could be very frightening, but from the way her hands rest on it in the picture, it seems to be totally under the woman's control. And the way the artist painted it? The whole scene is beautiful.]

Of course I will, [she says, taking the wrapped package with a kind of reverence. Vision could give her nothing more than a kiss and she'd be thrilled. But this-- her eyes widen and she lets out a soft gasp as she unwraps the painting.]

Oh, Vision...it's beautiful.

[Unlike some of the others, she has very clear memories of what happened in her own calibration room. She remembers the dragon, and Nat's forgiveness, and the horrible Koschei conglomerate, and Vision's gentle coaxing to make peace with her powers. She could feel that Vision saw beauty where she saw something terrifying, but at the time it hadn't made it any easier to understand.

This painting really drives the point home. The dragon is obviously not harmless, but under the princess's - under Wanda's - control it poses no threat to anyone who doesn't deserve it. They're in harmony, like the battle of Novi Grad had never happened.

She traces a finger lightly over the dragon where it's curled around the princess.]

You really do see me best.

[Her hands are full and so Wanda rises on her tiptoes to kiss him, fully trusting Vision to steady her if necessary.]

Thank you. I love it.

[He does reach out a hand to steady her as he kisses her back - and then smiles, pleased beyond words that she likes his gift. It's difficult for him sometimes to put his feelings into words, and he'd felt very powerfully indeed about what he'd seen in her Calibrations room. But it's also something that can be strange to discuss under the best of circumstances - while I was inside your head, I remembered a dragon might come off strangely, especially if someone didn't remember it well.

A painting doesn't have that same difficulty about it. It simply is, and the viewer sees what they want to see in it.]

To remind you what I see when I look at you. [And his tone lightens.] Not that you've much difficulty with that, when I am here to remind you how very much I love you.

[She smiles up at Vision lovingly. Wanda hadn't thought it was possible to love him more than she already did, but it feels like Calibrations brought them even closer. She has loved him with her whole heart since the beginning, but it's only recently that she's allowed everything that makes her the Scarlet Witch to join in.]

I feel it in your mind, in your touch, when I fall asleep in your arms. [She leans close to whisper in his ear, wondering if it will have the same effect on him as his voice has on her.] I feel it when you're deep inside me.

[She grins and settles back on her heels, a flicker of scarlet in her gaze.]

And I love you with everything I am.

Edited 2019-03-19 14:24 (UTC)

[It has the desired effect, all right. He shivers at Wanda's words, and when she's done talking he presses her slowly but inexorably up against the wall and leans in for a languid kiss. That this is his workspace adds a little extra spice to the encounter; it's not that he forbids her from coming here (why) but more that Wanda is really only interested in such things as they relate to him. When he breaks the kiss, it takes him a moment to catch his breath.]

As for that, I am yours in any way you should like me today. I reserve only a short time to make the ice cream this afternoon.

[Wanda moans softly into the kiss, making no secret of her desire. There are far worse ways to spend an unwanted birthday than hiding in bed with her lover.]

Any way I want? Then I think you should take me back to bed.

[She grins, and a thousand different scenarios come to mind. Vision is very good at keeping her distracted, and she can probably manage to keep herself occupied getting ready while he's away. Wanda knows she's going to cry again later, of course, but at least she has a path to getting through the day.]

[He grins and gives her another, quicker, kiss.] As you wish.

[Okay, yes, he did just watch that movie while stuck on the Marsiva, but it still applies. And it's not like he objects to the idea in the least.

Off they go.]

[They arrive in a new system the next day and Wanda's glad for a chance to get off the ships, get away from the Marsiva, and stretch her legs. But B'lire quickly proves to be not as nice as she had hoped, and she stays protectively close to Vision just in case any of these creatures who could 'rip you apart as soon as look at you' are real. Or in case of any 'misunderstandings' on the way to their cabin.

And okay, she likes walking hand in hand with Vision or with an arm wrapped around his. Who could blame her?

Eventually she sighs softly and rests her head on Vision's shoulder.]

You know, this forest could feel peaceful if we hadn't heard all of those stories.

[It's still perfectly nice to him, but then, the Vision isn't exactly afraid of things that go bump in the night. They're subjects for research, right? Right.

Also, if anything tries to rip them apart, they're in for a nasty surprise.]

Surely you aren't concerned about a 'cow licker'? Though the stories did seem to be united in that if we keep the area brightly lit and under surveillance, we're unlikely to be bothered by anything mysterious. They seem to be united in their aversion to cameras.

Or a pines demon. Or a lightningbeak.

[She shudders. It's hard to shrug it off as just stories or someone's overactive imagination when she can feel how sincerely everyone believes in them. The people who had been so concerned about the two of them setting off unarmed had honestly been afraid for them.]

I don't think they could hurt us...much, if they really do exist. But I have had enough looking over my shoulder.

[The paranoia and fear from seeing that thing in Kitty's memories had hit her especially hard, and even if she knew it was illogical, she had no way of stopping her racing heartbeat or other involuntary fear responses. Being human is remarkably inconvenient sometimes.]

[In return, he drapes his arm securely over her shoulder and squeezes. Not having to deal with fear responses really does keep him calm and collected most of the time, and he knows she can sense it and take heart from it. (On the other hand, it means he might not expect it when something does happen, but his reactions are generally quick enough that it doesn't make a difference.)]

We'll be there shortly, I think, and then we can focus on more important things.

[She grins.]

Like making sure there are no monsters under the bed?

[Being able to go intangible on a whim is a useful skill, as far as superpowers go.

So is being able to conjure a little ball of energy. It casts their immediate surroundings in an eerie red glow, but it does provide a little more light to see and maybe, if something is out there, it will change its mind and decide that Wanda's scarier.

There's also the thinnest tendril of power beginning to weave around their joined hands. Since Calibrations, Wanda's felt better about trying to experiment with letting her powers show more when they're alone. If Vision loves all of her - and he's certainly proven that he does - maybe she shouldn't be keeping part of herself hidden away.

(And look, okay, she keeps thinking that she hears something and she's not entirely convinced it's just the wind or normal forest sounds.)]

Fortunately for us, the mysterious beings seem to be the wilderness type rather than the household type. I'll do a full sweep regardless.

[He smiles at the display of her power, though, and squeezes her hand in response.]

You've completely bewitched me, I think. What is there to protect me from the Scarlet Witch?

[There's some shuffling in the bushes at that, but as he glances over he sees nothing. Well, it's likely the noise they're making will keep anything away, and surely any natural predators will be dissuaded by the red light. Still, he hardens his skin on that side, just in case.]

[Wanda flinches and half-turns, raising the hand controlling the ball of power protectively...but there's no monster. She doesn't mean for her eyes to flash red, they just do.]

Did you hear that?

[It simply doesn't occur to her to reach out psychically - Vision and his inhuman senses have a much better chance of actually picking up on anything that goes bump in the night, and she's not looking for humans, if anyone has dared to venture out at this hour.]

Edited 2019-03-21 17:18 (UTC)

Yes, I think it--

[But he doesn't get time to think of what it might be, because before he can react appropriately there's a tiny dart that zips out and hits Wanda right in the neck, and she's down for the count.

There's the impression of panic, anger, shouting. Some hazy impressions of being picked up into the Vision's arms and the scenery changing, but none of it is particularly comprehensible to Wanda.

Instead, later, she's on a soft bed in a small cabin that matches the description of the one they'd rented; her shoes are off and she's tucked in, and there's the smell of cooking soup coming from the corner with the wood-burning stove. He's standing by it and stirring it, though as soon as he hears any indication that she's moving he'll let it sit and rush over to her.]

Wanda, dearest, I'm so sorry. There was a mistake from one of the natives and you were hit by a tranquilizer dart.

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