wanda and vision's mixtape

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.

“I’m holding you to that promise.” Wanda scrunched her nose up in a smile as she kissed Vision’s cheek, his arms circling her waist in a hug.