[She lets him feel her peaceful satisfaction through the Ring of Honor even after she finally emerges from the crook of his neck. There's still tea to be had, but first she reaches for his hand and raises it to her lips.]
We will explore this together, my Prince.
[Again, the midnight voice and flash of red in her eyes...and then it's gone, with only the warm glow of her happiness remaining as she turns back to the tea.
She has been much better since setting up her Court and better still since Vision crashed into the garden. She was once prone to 'going away,' zoning out and drifting so deeply into the Darkness that no one else could even sense her. Something had happened before the rest of the First Circle had come to know the twins, and it was more than the trauma of their Offerings - she'd seen something just before and it had hurt her in ways she was only now starting to recover from.
They have to part ways to change - Wanda's certainly not in anything formal enough to go out in, and when she meets him by the carriage she's wearing a lovely black and gold brocade dress. The neckline, while still decent for daytime, is lower than what she'd been wearing before, and the back features a nice cutout between her shoulders. It's a quiet invitation for him to put his hand there rather than on her waist or shoulder to guide her.
Either way, Vision's getting a quick kiss on the cheek.]
[For him it's not much of a change - even at home, the Steward has to be ready to greet visitors at any time - but the addition of walking boots and a vest makes him look even more polished and professional, and his Sapphire Jewel catches the sun from his armband. He takes Wanda's hand with a smile that's half grin, already wondering how some poor unsuspecting merchants will react to having their Queen drop in on them. And if he can spend the time traveling between them in relaxed silence with his lady, well, all the better.]
I am. Do tell me if you become terribly bored on the rounds.
[He doesn't think she will, though. As much as he enjoys what Pietro calls "boring bureaucratic bullshit", these visits are more a chance to touch base with people in person and see if he can sniff out anything that feels off.
But, to their credit, the surprise and nervousness he picks up from them today is far more about the unexpected honor of a Queen's visit than about any discrepancies in their logbooks, and Vision's easy manner with her is seen and noted. More than one of them has a thoughtful look when he leaves, and the wicked grin the woman who runs the local Coach station has when she waves to them makes him downright nervous. Once they're safely back in the carriage he turns to Wanda, looking concerned.]
Er, what was that all about? Does it truly make a difference if the Coach is longer or wider than the standard model?
[Yeah, there was some innuendo there that went straight over his head.]
[How could she possibly be bored? She could very happily listen to Vision talk for hours - the cadence of his voice is just so soothing, even if she gets lost on the finer details of trade. He's certainly just as easy on the eyes as ever in that outfit, and while it's not quite the soft sweaters that give her even more incentive to curl up against his chest, it suits him.
It's hard to keep a formal distance between them - she can take his arm as they wander between shops, and he can touch her shoulders or back if he wishes without raising any eyebrows. But what Wanda really wants is to rest her head on Vision's shoulder and stop trying to pretend there's a distance between them that she doesn't feel. It's slight - as a member of the Queen's Triangle, Vision is expected to have a certain closeness to her - but the line still chafes.
So maybe it's not surprising that despite all of her best efforts to be good, people notice the closeness between them. She pretends to ignore it...until the woman running the coach station makes it impossible. Wanda's face is beet red as she hurries into the carriage and she busies herself fiddling with the ends of her scarf. Anything, anything, to avoid having to meet his gaze.
Is it better or worse that he doesn't get it? She can't tell.]
It...it doesn't matter. It matters who you travel with. [help, her cheeks are absolutely burning right now] She was just making a bad joke.
[He's concerned for a hot moment before he identifies it as embarrassment linked to the "bad joke", but perceiving it as harmless, he relaxes. That blush on Wanda is surprisingly attractive, though, and he sits next to her and drapes an arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head. Carefully. It looks like she might start laughing soon, and he doesn't want to get bonked.]
And here I had believed it was whether the coach reached its destination--are you quite all right, Wanda?
[On second thought, Vision not understanding is much, much worse. If only she could be allowed the small mercy of being able to sink through the carriage and into the ground so that she doesn't have to face this.
She turns her head to bury her face in his chest (he smells nice) so he can't see how red her cheeks are and tries very hard not to think about Vision's, ahem, coach. It's not working. Before Vision, she never really cared about anything like this, but he's made her care and all of this innuendo is not helping.]
[If he were a Warlord Prince, he'd probably do something humiliating like rise to the killing edge over causing his Queen distress. As it is, he can clearly see that she's not been harmed, and it's just some cultural thing he has yet to pick up on. But it's just as clear that she needs some kind of comfort, so he squeezes her shoulder and runs the other hand down the length of her gorgeous hair to try to calm her down.]
There, now, I'm sure it's not as bad as all that. Do I even want to know what she was implying?
[Probably not, but he feels like he should ask anyway. (This is why he sometimes prefers talking to Zoran. At least the kindred only say what they mean.)]
[It's precisely because Vision doesn't overreact that he's able to calm her. His hand in her hair gently redirects her focus, and as she breathes in his scent the edge begins to come off her embarrassment. But Wanda's still not coming out.
Mother Night. She is Witch. The Darkness itself sings at the core of her being. But trying to explain a bad sex joke to the man she's courting is just not something she can say.]
**Do you? I will tell you if you want to know.**
[She loves him, and she would protect Vision from any true danger. But Wanda isn't going to shelter him unnecessarily - she knows what that feels like all too well.]
[At that he freezes completely, masking his reaction enough that it's not transmitted through the Ring of Honor (of which he is suddenly hyperaware). And after a long moment, he begins trembling against her, glad he has his face buried in her hair. So those questions about whether she should be on the lookout for a new Coach for the Lady's exclusive use were...?
Unable to contain it any longer, he clutches helplessly at Wanda and laughs aloud, very glad they're not looking directly at one another right now.]
I said it should be decorated.
[Nope, can't get to anything more coherent than that for a bit. But once his laughter dies down, he finds Wanda's chin with his hand and tilts it up to him so he can kiss her firmly on the mouth.]
My dear, I am terribly sorry that my obliviousness caused you distress. Can you forgive me?
[She can feel him freeze and start to tremble but it's only the lack of answering distress through the Ring that keeps Wanda's protective instincts quiet. It would have been even more embarrassing for her to get upset only to find out that he's holding in laughter of all things.
Eventually she joins him because Vision's laughter is so contagious and...well, it's quite the mental image.
The kiss is the final touch that calms her and Wanda's finally able to look at him again.]
Of course. [She's still braced against his shoulder but her free hand comes up to tenderly stroke his cheek.] You have nothing to be sorry for, love. She wasn't reading us very well, but she didn't mean any harm.
[But if they wanted to keep their feelings for each other a secret, this trip has blown that right open. It won't be long until rumors of the blossoming relationship between the Queen and her Steward are the talk of the town.]
[When she finally meets his eyes, they're still dancing with laughter, and he kisses her once again for good measure. If this is the start of a rumor, appearing together at the play in matching outfits will fuel the flame.
He doesn't mind at all, he finds.]
I cannot hide what is in my eyes when I look at you, Wanda. How can I blame others if they see it, too? Even if she is getting rather ahead of herself with her assumptions.
[He's not sure what's holding him back from approaching Wanda sexually except for the very important feeling that neither of them is ready for it. Many males are already sexually active when they're much younger-looking than he is, but--
--but his memories begin only a short time ago with his arrival in Sokovia, and Wanda is the only one he's been interested in at all since that time. Even kisses that use tongue are exciting new territory for him, and thank the Darkness he doesn't have the appetites of a Warlord Prince to push him to want more, faster. That would hurt her, and he would rather destroy himself than hurt her.]
[She kisses him back happily - really, she'll take any excuse whatsoever for more kisses.]
I meant it, Vizh. I don't care about the carriage or the destination, just who I travel with. And I don't care what anyone else thinks that this should look like. I just want you.
[Once again, she's glad Vision lacks a Warlord Prince's instincts...and sex drive. Most witches have already had their Virgin Night by Wanda's age, but first there was never anyone around her she could trust, and when there was, she'd already fallen hard for Vision. It's supposed to be an experienced male, because even Witch could be seriously hurt, but in her heart she only wants it to be him. And so she waits, dodging the topic any time her First Circle brings it up as a safety issue. There's no one who can overpower her under normal circumstances, and she trusts them to protect her from the abnormal ones.]
There are many kinds of closeness, not just...that. If there is something else, something more, that you want to try, please tell me.
[Oh, but that gives him such a stab of feelings, and Vision holds Wanda tightly and speaks in her ear, voice raw with longing.]
When that time comes, you will be the first to know. That is a promise.
[He has a bone-deep conviction that it is a when and not an if; he's felt the stirrings of desire, as he does now, but it's still nebulous. There is another feeling he has, though, and this one he'd approached their Court's Black Widow about. His suspicion had been that he needed to wait to pursue their relationship further until he made the Offering to the Darkness, and Natasha had agreed. There was no law saying the Blood had to take lovers of a certain Jewel strength - it made little difference to the people involved - but the Black was different, Witch was different. He could become lost in her without a second thought. If he wanted to meet her on her own ground, he will have to descend further into the Abyss first to even have a dream of it.
Not something he's talked to Wanda about, but it's a part of what holds him back. That and the lack of experience he'd need to safely bring her through her Virgin Night, and he had absolutely no desire to be with anyone else. So...it would probably have to be another man, when she decided she was ready.]
[She shivers at the change in his tone and snuggles back into his chest. It's more relaxed this time - she's basking in their closeness now, not hiding from him.]
Then for now...stay, [she murmurs softly.] I just want to hold you a little more.
[As the afternoon has ticked by, Wanda can't help but feel a faint, growing sense of dread. Dinner will follow their little outing, and after dinner bedtime, and with sleep come more nightmares. But here, tucked safely against Vision's side, they feel so far away and she can try to pretend that everything's fine a little longer.
The nightmares haven't bothered her the times she's fallen asleep on Vision accidentally, but Wanda can't just ask him to stay the night with her...can she?]
[He obliges happily, and they manage to work in a few more kisses before the carriage ride comes to and end and they have to resume their public personas once more. Or, well, as public as one gets around the Queen's residence, but it still means a bank on the physical affection for now.
He doesn't miss the slight anxiousness in Wanda's expression as the evening progresses, but neither does her brother, and at one point the First Escort pulls her aside for a chat and Wanda comes back looking somewhat more at ease. Vision isn't sure if it's something he needs to be concerned about - the First Circle is well aware that their Queen is prone to nightmares, but whether she can feel one coming on or it's something different isn't clear.
But because of it he has difficulty falling asleep, so he hasn't quite drifted off yet when he feels the tug of someone with darker Jewels than him cross the wards he's set along his room. Without bringing up a light or moving, he quickly forms a Sapphire shield and waits.]
[There's a soft brush of familiar dark power against his mind, just enough to confirm that he's awake, before a quavering voice breaks the silence.]
Vizh?
[Everyone helps where they can, but what can she do at this hour when anyone in their right mind ought to be asleep? She might have gone to Pietro, if she couldn't sense Crystal in his room too. And after what she'd seen happen to Vision...she needed to see him for herself to make sure he was really all right. The Rings of Honor don't lie, but it had been a particularly brutal nightmare.
She hasn't even bothered to find a shawl or slippers and has wandered the distance to the Steward's room in nothing but her black lacey shift. It's meant to be soft and cute, for Wanda's eyes and comfort rather than anyone else's, so even if it wasn't for the tear tracks on her cheeks, it's obvious that her reasons for coming here are perfectly innocent.
That and how small her voice sounds. She's crept towards him on Craft-muffled feet but has stopped within arm's reach of the foot of the bed, pale and trembling. There's an invisible line here that she won't cross without direct invitation, even in her distress.]
[At the brush of familiar power, he immediately extends his Sapphire shield over so she's included in it, and only then does he push back his covers and sit up. He calls in a soft light and hisses as he inhales, patting the bed next to him to invite her to sit. He knows about the nightmares - he has to, as a member of the Triangle - although he's not aware of the details behind them, and it's not something he'll pry about. If she tells him, she tells him; if not, all he has to know is that she's distressed by them.]
Sit down, Wanda. Do you need anything?
[And if she does sit down, she's immediately getting a tight hug. She shouldn't have t suffer like this. She shouldn't. But she does, and if she's come to him he'll do everything he can to help.]
[She comes to a stop right in front of him, silent, pale, and trembling. He's here, he's alive, she can sense him and see him, but it's not enough. She traces fingers lightly over the stone on his forehead, lightly cups his cheeks, and lets her fingers trail down to his chest. Her hands pause for a long moment over each place where she can still see those awful wounds in her mind, but Vision is warm and healthy under her touch.
Maybe that dream was a warning, but Wanda's finally satisfied that he's all right. She sighs, deflates a little, and finally sits beside him, clinging to him just as tightly as he holds her.
She's still shivering from a combination of cold and the force of holding back her tears, and finally she buries her face in his shoulder and breaks down in tears.]
[He--oh. Oh, no. He hadn't understood the significance of her fingers tracing along his chest before, but once she admits the contents of the nightmare to him he's quick to reassure her.]
**I am here, Wanda. I'm quite all right. See?**
[And he holds her, knowing the physical presence will do more to chase away those terrors more than words or Craft. Again he strokes her hair and presses a kiss lightly to her forehead, while deep in his gut he feels a keen sense of anger toward whoever hurt her so much that she has dreams like this.
Or, well, he hopes it's a symptom of past trauma and not a vision of things to come. It's one thing if she sees it in a tangled web. This, hopefully, is just a mind trying to heal itself.
His next words are aloud, and he keeps the light soft.]
I am here, always. You may stay as long as you like.
[It could be anything. Strucker had walked a fine line - he needed Wanda to secure his legitimacy, so he couldn't keep her completely hidden away. But even when there had only been whispers that she might have been the next Witch, the hope that a strong young Queen could save Sokovia had led people to take terrible risks trying to help the twins escape.
Each time, they had been caught. Each time, they had been killed. And Strucker would always bring her to see the bodies later and make her look. The poor young woman who had been her maid for a time had been the worst, but she is far from the only sight that haunts Wanda's nightmares. It's not hard to imagine what Strucker might have done to Vision if he'd crashed into another garden a few years earlier...
But they really are safe (for now) and slowly Vision's gentle ministrations pull Wanda back to the present. She likes to feel his mind, but right now she prefers to hear his voice. Her sobbing eventually quiets, and while she doesn't loosen her hold on him, he'll feel the tense muscles in her shoulders and back start to relax the longer he strokes her hair. She has a weakness and the entire First Circle knows it.
Her voice is a little muffled:] I was scared. It felt so real...
[For his part, Vision just likes her hair. It's fascinating to him, because he doesn't have his own; it's a gesture between them both intimate and full of trust. And it's soft, and it smells good, and it's part of her beauty.
He pulls the Sapphire shield closer and then, once he's determined the threat was only a dream, drops it entirely.]
Yes, they do, don't they? But it helps to ground yourself in the waking world. I am here, and I am unharmed; you are here, and you are safe.
[He finds her hand in the dim light and gives it a squeeze.]
Would you like something to drink? I keep a tea set in my room for late nights.
[Which says something, doesn't it? But he has an herbal mix to calm himself he'd learned from a Healer, and this wouldn't be the first time he's had some after one of Wanda's nightmares. (Usually he has to go to her room to deal with them, though, and then only when they're so bad the entire Triangle is called in to help. Pietro generally deals with the less strenuous ones, but even he needs a night off now and then, so Vision forgives him.)]
[She relaxes a little more when the Sapphire shield drops. Wanda doesn't fully trust her own perception right now, but she does trust his. If Vision is satisfied that they're safe, then they must be.]
And I love you.
[She kisses his cheek slowly and softly. Wanda also doesn't trust herself not to kiss Vision properly without letting her desperation slip through, but if he chooses to invite that...well, she won't complain.
Wanda settles her cheek on his shoulder for comfort, still needing whatever contact she can get, but she's not hiding her face from him anymore.]
Tea sounds wonderful. [Her hold on him loosens enough for her to run fingers lightly up his spine.] Do you have trouble sleeping too, Vizh?
[Half awake and not subject to his usual scrutiny in social situation, Vision grins at the kiss and holds Wanda tight. It's an easy enough matter to add a sachet of leaves and water from the pitcher from across the room, then heat up the water using Craft, all without letting go of her.]
I love you as well, my dear. [He presses a light kiss to her forehead.]
At times, yes, though I think it's for a different reason. There are times when my mind becomes hyperfocused on figures or a particularly intricate problem, and I have difficulty getting to sleep. [He finds one of her hands and squeezes it.] Other times I worry for you because you do not sleep well, and it keeps me up later than I'd like.
[The tea will be a few minutes still, so before it's done he has time to ask something in a hesitant voice.]
Would you--that is, if you think you'd be more comfortable here than in your own chambers, I could sleep on top of the covers. I'm up early enough most days the only one likely to notice is Zoran, and if I ask him nicely he will keep a secret.
[She rewards him with a smile and a gentle nuzzle. Her free hand keeps stroking his back and Wanda can't help but feel a small stab of guilt - has Vision just hidden it well, or has she been so wrapped up in her own problems that she never noticed? She'll have to keep a closer eye on him. It's simple enough to ease someone else into peaceful sleep even if Wanda can't do that for herself.
It makes his suggestion all the more absurd, but not for the reason he'd likely expect. Wanda pulls away just enough to cup his cheek and look him in the eyes.]
If you really don't mind if I stay...but you'll get cold, love. I have fallen asleep on you before. Why is this different?
[Okay, so those were accidental naps on a couch, not proper sleep in a bed, but still.]
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We will explore this together, my Prince.
[Again, the midnight voice and flash of red in her eyes...and then it's gone, with only the warm glow of her happiness remaining as she turns back to the tea.
She has been much better since setting up her Court and better still since Vision crashed into the garden. She was once prone to 'going away,' zoning out and drifting so deeply into the Darkness that no one else could even sense her. Something had happened before the rest of the First Circle had come to know the twins, and it was more than the trauma of their Offerings - she'd seen something just before and it had hurt her in ways she was only now starting to recover from.
They have to part ways to change - Wanda's certainly not in anything formal enough to go out in, and when she meets him by the carriage she's wearing a lovely black and gold brocade dress. The neckline, while still decent for daytime, is lower than what she'd been wearing before, and the back features a nice cutout between her shoulders. It's a quiet invitation for him to put his hand there rather than on her waist or shoulder to guide her.
Either way, Vision's getting a quick kiss on the cheek.]
Are you ready to go?
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I am. Do tell me if you become terribly bored on the rounds.
[He doesn't think she will, though. As much as he enjoys what Pietro calls "boring bureaucratic bullshit", these visits are more a chance to touch base with people in person and see if he can sniff out anything that feels off.
But, to their credit, the surprise and nervousness he picks up from them today is far more about the unexpected honor of a Queen's visit than about any discrepancies in their logbooks, and Vision's easy manner with her is seen and noted. More than one of them has a thoughtful look when he leaves, and the wicked grin the woman who runs the local Coach station has when she waves to them makes him downright nervous. Once they're safely back in the carriage he turns to Wanda, looking concerned.]
Er, what was that all about? Does it truly make a difference if the Coach is longer or wider than the standard model?
[Yeah, there was some innuendo there that went straight over his head.]
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It's hard to keep a formal distance between them - she can take his arm as they wander between shops, and he can touch her shoulders or back if he wishes without raising any eyebrows. But what Wanda really wants is to rest her head on Vision's shoulder and stop trying to pretend there's a distance between them that she doesn't feel. It's slight - as a member of the Queen's Triangle, Vision is expected to have a certain closeness to her - but the line still chafes.
So maybe it's not surprising that despite all of her best efforts to be good, people notice the closeness between them. She pretends to ignore it...until the woman running the coach station makes it impossible. Wanda's face is beet red as she hurries into the carriage and she busies herself fiddling with the ends of her scarf. Anything, anything, to avoid having to meet his gaze.
Is it better or worse that he doesn't get it? She can't tell.]
It...it doesn't matter. It matters who you travel with. [help, her cheeks are absolutely burning right now] She was just making a bad joke.
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And here I had believed it was whether the coach reached its destination--are you quite all right, Wanda?
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this is the story of how she dies]Vizh--! Yes, but...it's not...
[On second thought, Vision not understanding is much, much worse. If only she could be allowed the small mercy of being able to sink through the carriage and into the ground so that she doesn't have to face this.
She turns her head to bury her face in his chest (he smells nice) so he can't see how red her cheeks are and tries very hard not to think about Vision's, ahem, coach. It's not working. Before Vision, she never really cared about anything like this, but he's made her care and all of this innuendo is not helping.]
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There, now, I'm sure it's not as bad as all that. Do I even want to know what she was implying?
[Probably not, but he feels like he should ask anyway. (This is why he sometimes prefers talking to Zoran. At least the kindred only say what they mean.)]
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Mother Night. She is Witch. The Darkness itself sings at the core of her being. But trying to explain a bad sex joke to the man she's courting is just not something she can say.]
**Do you? I will tell you if you want to know.**
[She loves him, and she would protect Vision from any true danger. But Wanda isn't going to shelter him unnecessarily - she knows what that feels like all too well.]
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[It cannot, he reasons with himself, be all that bad if it has resulted in an armful of very warm, snuggly Wanda. Can it?]
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**The 'carriage' she was teasing us about...she meant your cock, Vision. And the 'destination' was an orgasm.**
[If it was possible to die from embarrassment, Wanda wouldn't survive this trip.]
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Unable to contain it any longer, he clutches helplessly at Wanda and laughs aloud, very glad they're not looking directly at one another right now.]
I said it should be decorated.
[Nope, can't get to anything more coherent than that for a bit. But once his laughter dies down, he finds Wanda's chin with his hand and tilts it up to him so he can kiss her firmly on the mouth.]
My dear, I am terribly sorry that my obliviousness caused you distress. Can you forgive me?
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Eventually she joins him because Vision's laughter is so contagious and...well, it's quite the mental image.
The kiss is the final touch that calms her and Wanda's finally able to look at him again.]
Of course. [She's still braced against his shoulder but her free hand comes up to tenderly stroke his cheek.] You have nothing to be sorry for, love. She wasn't reading us very well, but she didn't mean any harm.
[But if they wanted to keep their feelings for each other a secret, this trip has blown that right open. It won't be long until rumors of the blossoming relationship between the Queen and her Steward are the talk of the town.]
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He doesn't mind at all, he finds.]
I cannot hide what is in my eyes when I look at you, Wanda. How can I blame others if they see it, too? Even if she is getting rather ahead of herself with her assumptions.
[He's not sure what's holding him back from approaching Wanda sexually except for the very important feeling that neither of them is ready for it. Many males are already sexually active when they're much younger-looking than he is, but--
--but his memories begin only a short time ago with his arrival in Sokovia, and Wanda is the only one he's been interested in at all since that time. Even kisses that use tongue are exciting new territory for him, and thank the Darkness he doesn't have the appetites of a Warlord Prince to push him to want more, faster. That would hurt her, and he would rather destroy himself than hurt her.]
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I meant it, Vizh. I don't care about the carriage or the destination, just who I travel with. And I don't care what anyone else thinks that this should look like. I just want you.
[Once again, she's glad Vision lacks a Warlord Prince's instincts...and sex drive. Most witches have already had their Virgin Night by Wanda's age, but first there was never anyone around her she could trust, and when there was, she'd already fallen hard for Vision. It's supposed to be an experienced male, because even Witch could be seriously hurt, but in her heart she only wants it to be him. And so she waits, dodging the topic any time her First Circle brings it up as a safety issue. There's no one who can overpower her under normal circumstances, and she trusts them to protect her from the abnormal ones.]
There are many kinds of closeness, not just...that. If there is something else, something more, that you want to try, please tell me.
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When that time comes, you will be the first to know. That is a promise.
[He has a bone-deep conviction that it is a when and not an if; he's felt the stirrings of desire, as he does now, but it's still nebulous. There is another feeling he has, though, and this one he'd approached their Court's Black Widow about. His suspicion had been that he needed to wait to pursue their relationship further until he made the Offering to the Darkness, and Natasha had agreed. There was no law saying the Blood had to take lovers of a certain Jewel strength - it made little difference to the people involved - but the Black was different, Witch was different. He could become lost in her without a second thought. If he wanted to meet her on her own ground, he will have to descend further into the Abyss first to even have a dream of it.
Not something he's talked to Wanda about, but it's a part of what holds him back. That and the lack of experience he'd need to safely bring her through her Virgin Night, and he had absolutely no desire to be with anyone else. So...it would probably have to be another man, when she decided she was ready.]
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Then for now...stay, [she murmurs softly.] I just want to hold you a little more.
[As the afternoon has ticked by, Wanda can't help but feel a faint, growing sense of dread. Dinner will follow their little outing, and after dinner bedtime, and with sleep come more nightmares. But here, tucked safely against Vision's side, they feel so far away and she can try to pretend that everything's fine a little longer.
The nightmares haven't bothered her the times she's fallen asleep on Vision accidentally, but Wanda can't just ask him to stay the night with her...can she?]
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He doesn't miss the slight anxiousness in Wanda's expression as the evening progresses, but neither does her brother, and at one point the First Escort pulls her aside for a chat and Wanda comes back looking somewhat more at ease. Vision isn't sure if it's something he needs to be concerned about - the First Circle is well aware that their Queen is prone to nightmares, but whether she can feel one coming on or it's something different isn't clear.
But because of it he has difficulty falling asleep, so he hasn't quite drifted off yet when he feels the tug of someone with darker Jewels than him cross the wards he's set along his room. Without bringing up a light or moving, he quickly forms a Sapphire shield and waits.]
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Vizh?
[Everyone helps where they can, but what can she do at this hour when anyone in their right mind ought to be asleep? She might have gone to Pietro, if she couldn't sense Crystal in his room too. And after what she'd seen happen to Vision...she needed to see him for herself to make sure he was really all right. The Rings of Honor don't lie, but it had been a particularly brutal nightmare.
She hasn't even bothered to find a shawl or slippers and has wandered the distance to the Steward's room in nothing but her black lacey shift. It's meant to be soft and cute, for Wanda's eyes and comfort rather than anyone else's, so even if it wasn't for the tear tracks on her cheeks, it's obvious that her reasons for coming here are perfectly innocent.
That and how small her voice sounds. She's crept towards him on Craft-muffled feet but has stopped within arm's reach of the foot of the bed, pale and trembling. There's an invisible line here that she won't cross without direct invitation, even in her distress.]
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Sit down, Wanda. Do you need anything?
[And if she does sit down, she's immediately getting a tight hug. She shouldn't have t suffer like this. She shouldn't. But she does, and if she's come to him he'll do everything he can to help.]
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Maybe that dream was a warning, but Wanda's finally satisfied that he's all right. She sighs, deflates a little, and finally sits beside him, clinging to him just as tightly as he holds her.
She's still shivering from a combination of cold and the force of holding back her tears, and finally she buries her face in his shoulder and breaks down in tears.]
**You were dead.**
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**I am here, Wanda. I'm quite all right. See?**
[And he holds her, knowing the physical presence will do more to chase away those terrors more than words or Craft. Again he strokes her hair and presses a kiss lightly to her forehead, while deep in his gut he feels a keen sense of anger toward whoever hurt her so much that she has dreams like this.
Or, well, he hopes it's a symptom of past trauma and not a vision of things to come. It's one thing if she sees it in a tangled web. This, hopefully, is just a mind trying to heal itself.
His next words are aloud, and he keeps the light soft.]
I am here, always. You may stay as long as you like.
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Each time, they had been caught. Each time, they had been killed. And Strucker would always bring her to see the bodies later and make her look. The poor young woman who had been her maid for a time had been the worst, but she is far from the only sight that haunts Wanda's nightmares. It's not hard to imagine what Strucker might have done to Vision if he'd crashed into another garden a few years earlier...
But they really are safe (for now) and slowly Vision's gentle ministrations pull Wanda back to the present. She likes to feel his mind, but right now she prefers to hear his voice. Her sobbing eventually quiets, and while she doesn't loosen her hold on him, he'll feel the tense muscles in her shoulders and back start to relax the longer he strokes her hair. She has a weakness and the entire First Circle knows it.
Her voice is a little muffled:] I was scared. It felt so real...
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He pulls the Sapphire shield closer and then, once he's determined the threat was only a dream, drops it entirely.]
Yes, they do, don't they? But it helps to ground yourself in the waking world. I am here, and I am unharmed; you are here, and you are safe.
[He finds her hand in the dim light and gives it a squeeze.]
Would you like something to drink? I keep a tea set in my room for late nights.
[Which says something, doesn't it? But he has an herbal mix to calm himself he'd learned from a Healer, and this wouldn't be the first time he's had some after one of Wanda's nightmares. (Usually he has to go to her room to deal with them, though, and then only when they're so bad the entire Triangle is called in to help. Pietro generally deals with the less strenuous ones, but even he needs a night off now and then, so Vision forgives him.)]
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And I love you.
[She kisses his cheek slowly and softly. Wanda also doesn't trust herself not to kiss Vision properly without letting her desperation slip through, but if he chooses to invite that...well, she won't complain.
Wanda settles her cheek on his shoulder for comfort, still needing whatever contact she can get, but she's not hiding her face from him anymore.]
Tea sounds wonderful. [Her hold on him loosens enough for her to run fingers lightly up his spine.] Do you have trouble sleeping too, Vizh?
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I love you as well, my dear. [He presses a light kiss to her forehead.]
At times, yes, though I think it's for a different reason. There are times when my mind becomes hyperfocused on figures or a particularly intricate problem, and I have difficulty getting to sleep. [He finds one of her hands and squeezes it.] Other times I worry for you because you do not sleep well, and it keeps me up later than I'd like.
[The tea will be a few minutes still, so before it's done he has time to ask something in a hesitant voice.]
Would you--that is, if you think you'd be more comfortable here than in your own chambers, I could sleep on top of the covers. I'm up early enough most days the only one likely to notice is Zoran, and if I ask him nicely he will keep a secret.
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It makes his suggestion all the more absurd, but not for the reason he'd likely expect. Wanda pulls away just enough to cup his cheek and look him in the eyes.]
If you really don't mind if I stay...but you'll get cold, love. I have fallen asleep on you before. Why is this different?
[Okay, so those were accidental naps on a couch, not proper sleep in a bed, but still.]
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