when he walks in, I am loved
“So, when are you leaving?” Tony asked around a mouthful of egg and bacon. They were sat at the dining table, Tony eating his hastily prepared breakfast while Vision perused the news on the tablet in front of him. Many a morning was spent this way, just the two of them. Occasionally they were joined by Happy and other times it was just Vision on his own.
“Leaving? To go where?” Vision asked looking up in surprise.
Tony raised his eyebrows but finished chewing before he spoke again. “To rendezvous with your lover?”
“Oh,” Vision said setting the tablet down, they usually didn’t speak about the weeks he disappeared from the compound to see Wanda. It had become something of a taboo, out of sight out of mind, which he supposed helped Tony cope with the risk Vision put himself in every few weeks. “We don’t have plans to meet up until the end of February.”
“You’re missing Valentine’s day?” Tony asked, surprised.
“Oh yes, that is today isn’t it?” Vision murmured folding his hands before him in contemplation. “Well, we didn’t speak about needing to spend the day together, it never really came up…”
Tony looked aghast.
“I mean I don’t think it’s important,” Vision continued hesitantly but Tony had begun to shake his head.
“No, no, no that’s not gonna cut it,” he said wiping his mouth on a napkin and standing up. “C’mon you’re going to Canada.”
“Canada? Why?”
“Because I am not going to let you stand her up on the most romantic night of the year.”
That was how Vision ended up taking the quinjet up to Canada, arriving in the late afternoon. Tony had given him obscure coordinates taking him somewhere north of Calgary. With the jet safely cloaked and hidden off the main road he began to short walk towards the nearby converted barn that the rest of the team were reportedly residing in. In the afternoon light the fields turned a golden green and seemed to stretch on for miles.
The barn was fairly unassuming from the outside, the only evidence it was lived in being the wide windows on the second floor and what appeared to be a recent coat of paint. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to move on for a while, that this would be isolated enough they could spend some time not running for their lives.
A thin path had been carved out through what would usually be a wild assortment of plants in the front garden, though it was now scarce thanks to winter’s frosts. Set in the middle of the front of the barn was a Dutch door and Vision stepped up to it, rapping the door knocker sharply. The house was silent inside and the only sign that anyone was home was the car sat dormant in the driveway. A distorted head shape edged into view through the frosted glass, and it floated there for a moment before the door swung open to reveal Sam Wilson.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked in disbelief.
“Very nice to see you as well, Sam,” Vision said smiling, “is Wanda in?”
“Is Wanda in?” Sam shook his head and looked over his shoulder. “Can’t think of anywhere else she would be, we are fugitives you know.”
“I am well aware.”
Sam sighed when the sarcasm didn’t hit. “Yeah sure, c’mon in. You weren’t followed here?”
“I cloaked the quinjet through the Air Defence Identification Zone and used a secure flight path,” Vision assured him as he stepped inside, immediately noting how warm it was.
“The others are through in the living room and I think Nat is out shopping,” Sam said shutting and locking the door behind him. “Why are you here though? Anything we need to be aware of?”
“Of course not,” Vision said trying to be assuring, suddenly realising how his presence could be misleading, “I’m just here for—”
He was cut off by the welcome sound of Wanda’s voice. “Vis!” she cried in excitement running around the corner, her sock clad feet slipping on the floor and sending her careening into his arms.
Vision laughed and dipped to catch her in a tight hug. She was wrapped up in a woollen sweater that he was quite sure had once been his, but that she must have commandeered on one of their trips in the last year. She had to stand on the tip of her toes to reach but pressed several kisses on his cheeks.
“What are you doing here?” Wanda demanded, leaning back to take him in, her eyes glowing happily.
“I thought I might surprise you,” Vision said quite conscious that Sam was staring open mouthed at them.
At that precise moment Steve walked in to join the group coalescing in front of the door. He was about to bite into an apple but paused when he saw who had joined them, disbelief colouring his newly bearded face.
“Captain,” Vision nodded, “sorry for dropping in unannounced.”
“Vision,” said a dumbstruck Steve, “you’re here… not in America…”
“Yes,” he said holding his arms out to demonstrate he was indeed, physically present.
“I thought we agreed to end of the month in Venice?” Wanda asked turning to him suspiciously.
“Well, you can’t expect me to not show up on Valentine’s day,” Vision said as though it were obvious, though it had not been obvious to him mere hours ago. The other three stared at him blankly.
“Huh, 14thof February already?” Steve said to himself.
Wanda looked surprised and laughed in disbelief. “You’re right I had no idea you’d show up for Valentine’s day.”
Vision suddenly felt a little out of place. He always met Wanda alone, never with company. They hadn’t been around the other Avengers as anything more than friends, and by now they were much more than that. It had made so much sense to come for Valentine’s day when Tony had been explaining its significance, but perhaps he had overstated the day’s importance. Feeling like a bit of a fool Vision fished around in his pockets for an apt distraction his hand landing on a bar of chocolate. “I suppose you wouldn’t be wanting any of this chocolate then?”
“Not that I need bribery to have you near me,” she said more quietly taking his hand even as Vision withdrew the Sokovian chocolate she was so fond of. It was challenging to get a hold of thanks to limited imports since the Sokovia incident. Vision made sure to buy it at any opportunity and had since amassed a small collection back at the compound for times like this. She grinned as she accepted the chocolate bar and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“Well chocolate and Valentine’s day wishes delivered, I suppose I should leave,” Vision said looking around to see that Sam and Steve were having a silent conversation that was mostly raised eyebrows and shrugged shoulders.
“What are you talking about?” Wanda asked. “You’ve come all the way here you’re at least spending the night. Come on, I’ll show you the house.”
Secretly glad, he let her lead him around. She started at the floor they were currently on, showing him the quaint kitchen at the back of the house and the interconnected living room complete with cosy armchairs and a crackling fireplace. Upstairs were several bedrooms, not particularly large but it meant that they could each have their own spaces. Her bedroom was cast in a warm orange glow as she led him in around a small bed and pointed out the view that she had come to love over the last few weeks. It comforted him to know that she was able to have a space in this way, where she could keep things on a bedside table and put her clothes in a closet instead of the living out of a bag she did when they travelled together.
Back downstairs Natasha had returned, and Sam and Steve were unpacking the shopping in the kitchen as she unwound a scarf and removed her beanie, which had apparently been in the interest of protecting her identity.
“Good to see you Vision,” Nat said grinning at him, and he found comfort in her reaction. It wasn’t that Sam and Steve hadn’t been friendly, but it was as though they didn’t know why he was here and that made him nervous, it made him doubt.
But Wanda was his grounding force and she continued to act as though nothing were different. And so, Vision chose to follow her lead, focusing on his most important person instead of his worries.
They didn’t leave each other’s side for the remainder of the afternoon and he helped Wanda prepare the dinner when she explained it was her turn to cook for her fugitive housemates. She’d decided on a stir fry and he diligently set about slicing up the vegetables for her.
“You travelled here ok?” She said leaning her head against his shoulder as she cooked the noodles and Vision slid a responding arm around her waist.
“Of course,” he said kissing the top of her forehead.
“There was no trouble with Stark even though this wasn’t in the calendar?”
“It wouldn’t matter even if there was,” he replied and knew it was true. He was glad that Tony was so supportive of his relationship with Wanda but equally understood that nothing would have stopped him continuing to see her.
Steve and Sam came bustling through the kitchen collecting plates and cutlery for the dining table. Vision made to draw back but Wanda grabbed his arm and kept it pressed to her side, giving him a reassuring smile that said all he needed to hear, he ducked his head to kiss her once more. On the way out Vision heard Steve loudly whisper “I think they’re really cute”. Sam’s exasperated response was, “Of course you do”.
“Who would have thought Captain America was such a sap when he isn’t working,” Wanda said quietly to Vision as he drowned out the bickering now taking place in the other room. “He watches more rom-coms movies than all of us put together.”
It was nice to share a meal with the teammates he had grown so close to but hadn’t seen in so long, even if Vision wasn’t actually eating. They told him stories of their travels in the last eighteen months, mostly sticking to the good times though he was aware there were difficult sides to every anecdote they shared. Vision had heard stories from Wanda of the early days on the run where they took turns sleeping and keeping watch, no matter where they were or how strong the locks might be. It was a time of constant strife from what he understood. It was a relief, then, to see them in a place like this and though he knew it would be hard to stay here for ever, he was glad to hear they had plans to stay until Wanda returned from the Venice trip in March.
Afterwards he hung behind with Steve in the kitchen and helped wash up.
“It’s good you’re here,” Steve said handing him a clean plate to dry up, “it’s nice to see her so happy.”
Vision smiled at the acknowledgment, wiping the plate dry with a tea towel and setting it on the counter. “She is the strongest person I know.” Then, softer, “but I wish I could be here more often to help shoulder her burden.”
Steve hummed in agreement. “It sort of came as a surprise to all of us when she told us she’d started seeing you. Sure, we assumed things, but I don’t think it was really clear until tonight. I’m happy for you both.”
Vision was aware that Wanda had never really sat the rest of her teammates down to hash out the specifics of what she was doing with Vision when they were away. She was content in knowing that they supported her in pursuing the relationship they now had and had never seen reason to share more than she needed to. She’d confided that there were times when she wanted to boast about their relationship, taking pride in the bond they shared which made him happy. But they both shared the feeling that the intimacy they had couldn’t be explained simply, it was uniquely theirs and he was content to not share it with anyone else if Wanda was as well.
“It’s a relief for me, knowing that she has you,” Steve went on, “the loneliness is hard on all of us, all this moving around. Wanda had only just begun calling the compound home when we had to leave, so I’m glad she has you to come back to.”
It warmed Vision’s heart to hear how highly Wanda was appreciated in Steve’s mind, and it reassured him that she had a strong friendship with her team that could keep her afloat when they couldn’t be together.
The evening was growing late by the time they reconvened in the living room with the rest of the house’s inhabitants. Sam had stretched himself out on the couch and was starting to nod off. Nat sat in raptures over the program on television, which, by the sound of the narration, was a David Attenborough wildlife documentary.
Wanda rose from where she had been curled up in a comfy armchair and took Vision’s hand, pulling him over. Her eyes glowed with such open happiness that he couldn’t help the feeling that he was falling more and more every time they were near. It had been happening for months now, or years more likely, but at times like this it hit him just how in love he was.
He sat down in the chair, sinking into its comfy embrace and held his arms out for Wanda who didn’t hesitate in climbing into his lap, settling against his chest and dangling her feet over the arms of the chair. He closed his eyes sighing in content, if only every night could be this way. They didn’t need a fancy dinner out, and the chocolates he gave her had been more than those little heart shaped ones he saw on tv, they’d shared a dinner with her closest friends and now settled down in a space she felt comfortable and safe in. It was his perfect evening, and he did his best to capture it in his mind, saving it to pour over and relive in the moments when they were separated, and he missed her most.
As he opened his eyes, he found her gazing at him and she scrunched her nose up happily when their eyes met. She kissed him once quickly, but he managed to tease one more longer kiss out of her before she settled into his arms fully and closed her eyes.
Vision had expected some sort of sarcastic comment regarding their affection, but the living room was comfortably quiet aside from the calming voice over of David Attenborough on the tv. A quick look over his shoulder showed that Natasha was the only one paying them real attention, she smiled at Vision and gave him a slight nod. He smiled back, a moment of gratitude for each other for being such constants in Wanda’s life.
One by one Steve, Sam and Nat trickled off upstairs, Steve pausing to whisper that he’d checked all the locks and the security system and to just turn the lights off when they went to bed. Wanda was asleep against Vision’s chest and had been for a while now, but she was so peaceful that he couldn’t bear to move her.
So, she slept on and Vision peered outside the windows into the desolate fields that spanned out from the property. He could just see the rising moon peeking out from behind the clouds, casting a strong milky glow on the fields. The fire popped and crackled more quietly now, nearly out, its last embers of warmth keeping the room nice and toasty against the February chill outside.
It was sat there in the old leather armchair with his lover gathered in his arms, miles away from any of the problems they faced in the real world that Vision stole a few breaths to let his thoughts wonder. Thinking of all the time they had been together, all that they had been through and what challenges the future held. How he had, against all odds, fallen in love with the remarkable woman asleep in his lap, and that she had returned his affection so fervently. He often thought about the different kinds of love, wondering what he had with Wanda. Initially, when they’d lived at the compound together, he had been sure it was just curiosity, that he was only responding to how she treated him. As someone normal, a friend, a companion. Then, as time went on, he thought it might be infatuation, the desire he’d felt to be near her, to be the reason she smiled but ultimately, a short term attachment. That had all changed in the polarising events of the Accords which he had been sure would tear them apart, but here they were, over a year later and he was still very much in love. Perhaps it was as the Greeks said, six different kinds of love for different relationships. Of all the renditions, Vision supposed Pragma was closest to how he felt, the love that was not only about falling but learning to stand up and keep walking. Beyond this, Vision felt a strange certainty that they’d always be together, in some shape or form and that, when separated, they’d always find their way back to each other.
The fire finally seemed to have given all it could, and so Vision shifted slightly, rubbing Wanda’s arm to rouse her. “I’m going to take you upstairs, Wanda,” he said quietly.
“Alright,” she smiled raising her arms up sleepily which he laughed at, winding them around his neck before he lifted her up.
Upstairs he pulled the covers aside and lay her down, brushing her hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Get in bed,” she hissed covering her eyes against the overhead light which he quickly switched out.
“So demanding,” he chuckled but relented, going around the other side and changing into lighter clothes for sleeping in.
“Is there anything else you need?” Wanda said absentmindedly, still playing the host. “Another pillow? Blankets?”
Vision sighed and instead pulled her closer so that he might press his chest to her back and wrap his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek and felt her smile into the cosy room. “I have you, my love, what else could I possible need?”