InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Juuuuuust a bit outside!"

şçąŗɭęţ (witchiest) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2019-05-11 08:10:00

Entry tags:

-complete, vision, wanda maximoff

Who: Vision & Wanda
What: A walk along the Brooklyn Bridge at night, ice cream, and Vision helps Wanda finish the baby blanket for Morgan (much helpful for sure)
When: After this happened
Where: Out and about
Rating: Green
Status: Complete

Vision spent the majority of the day attempting to make his living space at 30 Warren seem more inviting to someone without his particularly physiology. Technically he could have been comfortable in a windowless room with zero furniture and nothing else. He didn’t need to eat, sleep or rest. It was an advantage, but it also made him feel somewhat alienated from the others. And given that most of his companions did eat sleep and rest, he wanted to make the apartment feel welcoming in case he had visitors.

He wanted Wanda to feel welcome there, primarily. He remembered the teas and food she’d liked when they had shared space together in Scotland, and he did his best at stocking up on the essentials.

At exactly eight o'clock in the evening, he arrived at the Sanctum, once again in his human appearance - he would draw too much attention on the streets of New York otherwise. He stood outside and stared for a moment. He should knock shouldn’t he? He barely knew the others who resided here, for all that he knew Wanda well; he couldn’t just let himself in. Proper rules of etiquette were failing him, and as he stood there debating, one of the residents must have sensed or saw him standing there, as the next thing he knew the door was opened and he was wordlessly gestured to come in.

“Thank you,” he offered to their retreating figure. He received a vague wave in response.

Working as a waitress (granted, ever since she started studying culinary arts her employers were good about giving her more time in the kitchen - especially to make vegan pies and cakes) meant that every shift was sweaty. As soon as she got back to the Sanctum, all Wanda wanted to do was take a shower - which she did this time too, and blowdried her hair, putting on a rust-colored shirt dress that tied in the front. And sandals that didn’t hurt her feet - the last thing she needed was to walk around in heels after an endless shift.

She heard that Vision had arrived downstairs so she hurried down to meet him. In fact, she not only heard his arrival she felt it too - now that he was in this world, the connection to him, and the mind stone, was ever-present to her. Wanda was so intertwined with him, thanks to that stone, she remembered how it felt when he died - because she felt it too. Not only her pain, but his as well.

It made her shudder to think of. But the benefit to having that connection was also being able to sense his presence - if he disappeared, she’d know immediately. Still, she was going to hang onto that, to keep tabs on him.

When she saw him, she went to him wearing a big smile and took his hands in hers - she must have looked like a giddy schoolgirl, but she didn’t care. “Hi,” she greeted. “You’re ready to go? It’s not a long walk to the bridge - we can take our time.” That way Vision could also get a lay of the land, and they didn’t have to grab a cab or Uber.

Fortunately, he wasn’t left standing there awkwardly in the entrance for very long before Wanda arrived - looking beautiful and with a brilliant smile on her face. She was happy, and that made him happy; as it always had.

His first few months of being in this new form were rough when it came to relating to the others, particularly in regards to interpreting the emotional nuances his companions used with each other with ease and frequency. But with Wanda, even from the very beginning, he felt a particular kinship with her. She made sense to him, even with all their differences. Perhaps it was the stone, and that shared power that created a bridge between them that even Vision didn’t entirely understand.

But it wasn’t just the stone. When Thanos had ripped it from him and he found himself drifting in the dark; he was still aware of a singular motivation - to find his way back to her.

“Yes, I’m ready,” he greeted her with a genuine smile, squeezing her hands. “You look lovely,” he said honestly, without hesitation, because she really did. He took one of her hands and placed it in the crook of his elbow as they headed for the door.

As they walked down the street, his focus was split. His original purpose was to familiarize himself with the city and the territory; but instead he found himself distracted by her presence, and where as he should be looking at their surroundings, he kept glancing down at her instead. There were quite a lot of thoughts circulating in his head and wasn’t sure which of them to say and which to keep to himself, so he kept silent for the moment, convinced if he opened his mouth too soon he’d just start stammering.

It was only about a mile walk to their destination, and then the stretch of actual bridge walkway was also about a mile - with ice cream shops at the end, which was what Wanda was looking forward to. New York City, this whole area in general, was dubbed ‘the city that never sleeps.’ No doubt there would be something open late to satisfy her craving.

She’d been holding onto Vision’s arm, her hand nestled in the crook there, but as they meandered further along she slid that hand down and laced her fingers with his, palm pressed to his own. “Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking of?” she asked - the companionable silence was comfortable between them, but she also sensed something on his mind. Not that she’d pry any deeper. It would be rude.

She was perceptive, even without the abilities she possessed when it came to other people’s minds; and Vision knew he could likely only get away with a certain amount of silence before she prompted him. Comfortable silence was something they did share often, but she could always seem to tell the moment that silence shifted to something different. “Yes,” he answered initially, “But I don’t know if it is entirely appropriate.” There were a few beats that passed before he realized the potential implication of that particular statement. “Which is not to say that—I did not mean to imply—” No, he hadn’t been entertaining those type of inappropriate thoughts about her, at least not right at this moment.

It was best to just start over. “All I want is to be around you, yet I am uncertain how to be around you,” he confessed. “I am very aware of the differences in our experiences, and I find that I am… unprepared in how to deal with… what this feels like,” he gently brought them both to a stop just before they were about to reach the bridge, wanting to be face to face with her. He clasped both her hands in his, another small detail that reminded him of Scotland yet again. “I don’t think I can even describe the feeling, that is how unfamiliar I am,” he admitted, somewhat disappointed that he could not communicate it better. He was adept at many things, but human emotion and relating were still fairly new territories. He wanted to do things right with her, he just wasn’t sure what that looked like exactly.

“What does it feel like for you?” he asked then, searching her gaze.

There were many reasons why Vision was a better person than her (and to Wanda, he was a person) - the adorable stammering about how he wasn’t thinking inappropriate things about her was one of them, due to the fact that she was most certainly entertaining inappropriate thoughts about him.

But she couldn’t help it. She didn’t know what it was like to be with him - she didn’t, another version of her did. He could shift and change his density though, that made her curious.

They weren’t discussing that, however. She stepped closer, curling her fingers around his as she lifted her eyes to take in his face. “It feels like...how it felt when I fell in love with you before,” she said. “I want to be with you but I’m also scared. In this case, scared you will disappear. This universe is very unstable.”

The moon was glowing and the sky was crystal clear - the lights of the city reflected in the river below. It was a beautiful scene, and quiet, and despite all her worries and fears she was happy. Wanda wanted to assure him of that - her eyes sparked crimson, briefly, as she lifted her hand to let the scarlet wisps travel from the tips of her fingers to the mind stone in Vision. Her happiness was an emotional response, a warm tingle that tickled in her toes all the way to the tip of her nose, spiraling in each strand of hair. But love always came with some fear too, one that you had to dive in and conquer.

“I’m afraid of that as well,” Vision admitted, lowering his gaze for a moment. This universe was highly unstable, and yet it had still given him the second chance he so deeply desired. When he looked at her again, his eyes traveled her face, appreciating each small detail - the fan of her lashes, the curve of her lower lip; trying to memorize her as if she would disappear at any moment. He knew he could not allow that fear to fester, he didn’t want it to ruin the chance they had been given.

“I also fear that Thanos will find his way into this universe again, and because I possess the mind stone—” he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud again. They both knew what he was talking about - even if this version of her had only dreamed it. They both knew the pain of that cruel separation all too intimately.

But then she was reaching out - her power and her emotion mingled with the mind stone, and his eyes fell shut as that wave of happiness began to drift through his awareness. He felt it in his body and in his thoughts - it was bright and warm and her, all he could do was smile broadly in response as he opened his eyes and gazed down at her. It was true, the views surrounding them were beautiful, but he hardly noticed right now.

Vision drew her into his arms then, holding her close against his chest, his head resting near the top of hers. She was quite a bit shorter than him, but she had never mentioned that their height difference bothered her. If it did, he’d simply shift his form to accommodate. That innocent, errant thought suddenly connected to other less chaste thoughts from their nights together in Scotland, and then he was doing the thing he’d just told her he wasn’t doing - thinking inappropriately about her. This felt like a very human dilemma, and he was slightly amused by it, for that it was confusing.

Best to keep walking, so he took her hand in his again as they made their way further down the bridge.

It was comfortable in his arms - Wanda felt safe there. She wound her own arms around Vision's waist, cheek pressed to his chest. "It doesn't matter if Thanos returns, he won't get the mind stone," she insisted. "Because he does not have the other stones." No time stone to casually use to take everything from her yet again. "I will kill him before he touches you."

She meant that too. The anger she felt for the mad titan would never dissipate, not when Wanda was the sort to burn like embers did long after the fire had gone out. When she did love she loved so deeply, so much, yet was dangerous in the hate. And it was hate she had for that purple genocidal maniac.

But when Vision started walking again she did too, keeping that hold on his hand. A few deep breaths were taken, as she gazed at the twinkling lights. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

“It is,” he agreed, tilting his head up to take in the stars and the city surrounding them. The lights were beautiful - both natural and artificial; and he thought that if they weren’t surrounded by other people walking on the bridge, he would have offered to take them up even higher to get a better look at everything.

The fact that Thanos did not have the other stones offered some relief, but did not cause his concerns to abate entirely. He had felt Wanda’s anger prickle through the air between them when she spoke, as if it was a living thing. And given her powers, such a statement wasn’t far from the truth. Vision had no doubt that she could deal tremendous damage upon Thanos if given the chance, and he understood her rage - he felt it himself as well, though it wasn’t quite the same; she had watched him twice twice. He could not imagine what he would have done had their roles been reversed somehow.

“If ever it comes to that, if Thanos does find a way here I won’t stand in the way of your vengeance,” he began, “But Wanda, I… cannot lose you again,” he said emphatically, squeezing her hand in his tightly as he glanced down at her while they walked.

“You won’t,” Wanda promised softly, but there was conviction behind it. “Because I can’t lose you either, Viz.” She was honestly more worried about him just disappearing one day, with the universe spitting him back out to where he’d return to being dead - compared to that, Thanos didn’t seem like much of a threat at all. Besides, the rage that bubbled within her would be sufficient to telekinetically tear him limb from limb.

The end of the pedestrian walkway on the bridge led to more streets - busy ones, even during the somewhat late hour. Wanda knew where she was going though; otherwise, it was just a matter of deciding what flavor she wanted. She excitedly dragged Vision into the ice cream shop at the park - black-and-white tiled floor, candy stripes and spirals and fresh waffle cones. They weren’t the only ones in there, because there were parents with their children too, goblins putting their sticky starfish fingers on the glass.

She turned toward Vision suddenly. “Kiss me,” she requested with a grin. “You are supposed to do that before you eat ice cream.” Not really, she just made it up two seconds ago, but who cared?

He hoped that would be enough - the two of them, pledging to one another in this unofficial way; for the universe to be kind enough to allow them to live out this second chance together. He had hope for that, and he would hold onto that and to her. There was no use wondering what if, given what was standing right in front of him. He didn’t want to waste a moment of this time with her, no matter what happened.

Vision chuckled at the way she eagerly pulled him into the ice cream shop, wishing that he could experience that same enjoyment along with her. But he didn’t have a digestive system, so that meant food and drink were not really an option. Back in Scotland, he’d ask endless questions about what she ate and drank - what it tasted like, why she liked it so much, what it reminded her of. It was enough that he’d gotten a sense of what that enjoyment might be like, as if experiencing it vicariously.

When she asked him to kiss her, he was floored for a moment and just sort of blinked at her. He absolutely wasn’t expecting that; but managed to recover quickly because this was Wanda and frankly, these were words he’d been wanting to hear since the moment they had reunited.

“I don’t believe that is a custom or a rule in any culture or any time period,” he said with utter certainty, smiling softly at her as he leaned down, cupping her face gently in his hands as he kissed her.

Wanda laughed, though then it turned into a sigh, nose nudging his as heat flowed through her. After she had caught his mouth with hers she stilled, hands lifting to wrap her fingers around Vision’s wrists - like she was holding him in place. Maybe she was. Maybe she simply didn’t want him to go anywhere. She kissed him in return and just looked at him with a starry gaze - a mix of desire and something else entirely; it was probably love. However, her reverie was broken by one simple phrase.

“EeeeeeeWwwwWw!!!”

Oh, right, there were children here - children who were giggling and whispering as they watched two grownups kiss in an ice cream shop. Their parents were obviously mortified.

She chuckled again, stepping back so she could get her own ice cream. A waffle cone full of it, dark chocolate mixed with brownie, white chocolate, orange, and Grand Marnier. Kind of a weird combination but it worked for her - she pretended not to notice the section that was ‘Avengers Ice Cream.’ Black Widow’s Bite, Captain Americone, and more - even one called Scarlet Strawberry Swirl, which was red velvet cake, strawberry pieces, strawberry ice cream, and graham cracker crumbles.

“Hey, aren’t you - “ Said the guy behind the counter, handing Wanda her cone. She shook her head and then bolted out of the store, grabbing Vision’s hand in her hasty exit.

That eeeeeeWwwwWw didn’t immediately break Vision out of his particular trance, he was still gazing down at her with devotion and adoration, it took her moving first to jog him out of it. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the reaction from both children and parents alike. Apparently this was not exactly the most appropriate location to engage in affection, though he didn’t understand why children would find such a display to be upsetting.

“Why do they have ice cream named after the Avengers?” he asked, after they had successfully made their escape. Of course he had noticed it, he’d read every single flavor within half a second as she was ordering. “I’m fairly certain Scarlet Strawberry Swirl is you,” he said with a grin.

How surreal. Then again, from what he had observed of humans, they seemed eager to celebrate the archetype of a ‘hero’, and he could see how the Avengers easily represented that to them, especially as their actions became more and more known to the public. Some of that had begun in the other universe, though Vision had never really paid much attention to it. “Should I be offended that they have not named an ice cream after myself?” he asked, amused but attempting to sound put off by this.

“Do not be offended, they have one after you,” Wanda assured with a giggle, around licks to her cone. Vision had been part of the Avengers, after all, before everything went to hell - and it wasn’t as if that was a secret, the whole world knew. “It probably just sold out at that shop because you’re so sexy.” Stark Raving Hazelnuts had been sold out too, though she didn’t understand why - Stephen was right, it tasted like chalk. Hulka Hulka Burning Fudge was a lot better.

As for why that ice cream existed, who even could say. At least her flavor wasn’t disgusting. “I suppose it’s better than being persecuted? The Accords were taken care of a long time ago, in this universe,” she added, pink tongue darting out to catch more of that rapidly melting ice cream as they walked. It wasn’t an overly hot night, but obviously warm enough to where ice cream would be the perfect treat - no wonder that shop had been so crowded, even this late.

“I’d prefer to lick you rather than ice cream though.” Ha. Vision didn’t really blush, but she liked his ‘cannot compute’ moments in place of that, however.

“I sincerely doubt that is the reason,” Vision replied with a chuckle, after actually considering the validity of her statement, then realizing she was teasing him, or possibly it was blatant flirtation. Which he didn’t mind in the slightest, for all that it left him stumbling for a response. Either way, he was fairly certain she was the only one who found him sexy, and that was perfectly alright by him.

And as he was contemplating what she had said about the Accords, without warning she threw that into the conversation and all appropriate responses just sort of evaporated. System error. He was left staring at her blankly for a few moments before an I see what you did there grin appeared. “You know—there is—Wanda Maximoff, that is entirely—” and now he was back to stammering, so things were looking great. Very smooth, very suave.

He just laughed at himself and wrapped his arm around her, giving her a quick squeeze while they walked, then taking her hand again so she was free to keep eating her ice cream.

A few beats passed and he shifted the conversation back to what she’d said earlier, “I’m glad to hear the Accords are not an issue here. That is another positive difference in this universe and the one I came from. I still feel great remorse about what happened, and how you and the others were negatively affected by it, particularly Colonel Rhodes.” He remembered how much she’d rightfully hated being locked up at the Avengers compound, and he remembered that moment of distraction at the airport (brought about by his concern over her) that resulted in a horrendous and unacceptable mistake on his part. Initially he’d thought he had chosen the right decision by supporting the Accords, but it turned out things were far more complex than he originally estimated. So much had changed since then.

“They were declared unconstitutional, I think.” Wanda wasn’t entirely certain how - the only thing she was sure of was that it was likely in part to Tony Stark’s money and influence. One of the few times where it seemed like he did something good with all of that. But even since then, he seemed to have turned himself around - they had made amends right about when Wanda arrived in this world, and she no longer held any ill will toward him. Maybe they were even friends?

She stroked Vision’s palm with her fingertips, a reassuring gesture as she held his hand. “Given everything that happened with Thanos, we had other things to worry about,” she replied grimly. “At least now it seems like...we can all come together again? Everyone was in Wakanda fighting him, everyone. And we did it, we fought him off by working as one big team.”

That gave her hope for the future, somewhat.

She had just taken the last chomping bite (not very ladylike, but ice cream was a messy food) of her waffle cone when the pedestrian walkway for the bridge ended, and they were back near Greenwich Village where the Sanctum was. “You can come up with me?” she asked, glancing up at Vision. “I have Netflix.”

It was good to hear that at least in this universe, they had come together and succeeded in both defeating Thanos (though Vision would have felt far more at ease if the Mad Titan were truly and fully dead) and declaring the Accords unconstitutional. What he remembered of the battle of Wakanda, it seemed as if the odds had been stacked against them, there hadn’t been enough time or preparation to properly gain the advantage. And there had been so many losses, so many sacrifices. It made this universe, even though it was highly unstable, seem like a utopia in comparison - for all that there were still losses. At least here they were both alive and together.

“I’d love to,” he responded with a warm smile, his hand still in hers as he followed her up to the Sanctum. Having only been there twice before, he wasn’t familiar with it like she was, but it was an interesting place, to say the least. There was so much magic permeating every corner. He could understand why she liked being there, it suited her.

“What have you been watching?” he asked, “I vaguely recall a reality show about baking,” he added, thinking back to their nights at the hotel. Though really, those memories had less to do with what they were watching on Netflix and far more to do with her, usually in various states of undress. Not that that was what he was expecting now, but that was where his thoughts went seemingly without his control. So that was helpful.

Contrary to what some may think about Wanda, her room wasn’t decked out in shades of scarlet. More like ivory, grays, blues, some greens - soft colors, sweet ones. Her guitar was on a stand in the corner, and there were various knickknacks she’d picked up - a glass globe, candles, a rack she’d fashioned herself that held her earrings and necklaces (she loved jewelry, evidenced by the shinies she seemed to always wear). Her photo collection was precious to her, especially the one of Pietro as a baby that was old and weathered but she wouldn’t ever give up.

“Yes. The Great British Bake-Off,” she grinned, settling on her bed and patting beside her so Vision would join her. “And also Nailed It - which reminds me of you, because you would win on that show.” The thought made her laugh. Vision couldn’t cook - at all. But since he didn’t eat, or taste, that was probably to be expected.

As soon as he was close to her, she draped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. She kissed his chin too, sweet as grenadine syrup - then varnished the gesture with a trail left by the tip of her tongue, from his ear to his neck (see, much better than ice cream). “Will you do me a favor?” she asked coyly. It wasn’t going to be what he likely expected - even though Wanda was thinking of that too. What one might call ‘fornication’ had been one of her few pleasures before she joined the Avengers - so she liked it, liked the act, and while she cared about Bucky a lot, they really weren’t on the same page there during the course of their relationship. He just wasn’t as interested as she was - not that she could blame him, given his past. But with Vision, it was a little more...compatible.

Still, she enjoyed the idea of making him wait a bit longer. Tease.

“I absolutely would, that is correct,” he said with a chuckle, settling down beside her on the bed. “I could handle crafting something intricate and elaborate. Provided the judges never actually tasted it, of course.” It would probably be atrocious, or inedible. They’d run off stage to avoid heaving on camera. This was assuming anyone would actually allow him anywhere near a baking competition show. Probably not, but he liked watching it anyway. He understood the concept of cooking, and found it interesting; but without the ability to enjoy (or taste) the final product, it was best he left that skill set to others.

When Wanda kissed him, his hands went to her waist, fingers pressing gently into the softness of her skin and the curve of her hip. He’d have been perfectly content to spend the rest of the night just like that - kissing her and feeling the warmth of her body against his. He had missed her so much, even though he couldn’t register how long they had been apart after he’d died, he could just feel it.

He may not be able to taste, but he could touch, and be touched; and if she kept doing that thing with her tongue near his ear and neck, he was going to be utterly useless for civilized conversation.

“Anything,” he responded, his voice a bit husky. What was the term humans used? Wrapped around their finger? That was the case with Wanda. She typically asked for so little, but whatever it was, he wanted to make her happy.

The tone of his voice gave Wanda a pleased little shiver. Surely anyone with sense thought Vision to be sexy - but she also wasn’t too keen on sharing him, so it didn’t matter what others thought. She angled to kiss him again, slender fingers cupping his cheek and the other hand went to his shoulder, because she needed to touch something besides air, to ground her somehow - kissing him was dizzying, everything was slow. Like liquid warmth.

Another kiss was pressed to his cheek, then she scooted back to pick up the crocheting project she was working on - a deep red, soft blanket for Pepper and Tony’s daughter. The balls of yarn were given to Vision for him to hold, one end of the blanket draped over his hands - and she planned to finish the opposite end, her own hands talented with those crocheting needles.

With Nailed It! on in the background, of course. “I’m almost finished,” she promised with another grin. “And...you’ll stay?” Overnight, with her, while she slept. She craved the strength and security his arms provided.

It took him a moment for his focus to adjust from the impact of kissing her, but then she was suddenly handing him yarn and a blanket to hold. His expression went from confusion to amusement as he realized this was the favor she spoke of. “Take your time,” he said with a chuckle. Not like his arms could get tired anyway. “What is this for?” he asked curiously.

Having never knitted or crocheted anything before, Vision spent a few moments just watching her hands as they deftly wove and twisted the yarn and needles. It reminded him a bit of the way her hands moved when she was directing her telekinesis - fluid, languid; like a dance. She was so different from him in many ways, yet she was the only person that truly understood and saw him for more than what most saw him as. He loved her for that, and many other reasons.

“Of course,” he answered with a smile, pleased that she had asked him to stay. He had missed holding her, and watching over her while she slept. He didn’t really sleep, not like humans did at least. His systems went into a sort of conservation mode for a couple hours at most, but it was a dreamless, halfway conscious state. Not like the dreams she had often described to him that she’d had - some sounded beautiful and vibrant, while others were just haunting memories of the pain she had lived through. He hoped tonight she would have the former, rather than the latter.

“It’s a blanket for Tony and Pepper’s baby daughter,” Wanda replied, working carefully, a loop and a swoop. “I somehow ended up in their wedding as one of Pepper’s bridesmaids?” So she thought it was only fitting to make Morgan a gift, and not just pluck something off whatever registry they had (if they even had one at all, considering they could afford basically anything they wanted regardless). “But I plan to give them this as soon as it’s done.”

And she’d finish tonight for sure, only having a little bit to go - and with Vision here to helpfully hold yarn balls (he was very cute, her guarded and barbed-wire heart grew three sizes when he willingly did silly things like this), it would go even faster.

She was happy, thanks to him. Now if only the universe would let them stay this way, that would be perfect.