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Wanda felt something unmistakable. She spoke briefly into her comm. “I thought I saw something around the corner. I’m just gonna check it out.”
She hurried into the alley with her heart hammering. “Vizh!” She found him leaning casually against the wall. “What are you doing here?” The familiar red skin and subdued vibranium greeted her as she stepped into the deeper shadows, leaning toward him. The sight never failed to warm her, despite his unexpected appearance and the possibility of discovery.
“Tony sent me on a last-minute errand, and I knew that you would be here, according to your last text message. So, I took the liberty of making a stop.” Vision looked at her so hopefully that her heart caught in her chest. She hadn’t expected to see him for a month or more, and it thrilled her that he was right in front of her.
But there was a problem. “The others are just across the street.” She looked both directions over her shoulder before she turned back to him. “I can’t stay long.”
His smile collapsed into a frown. “Will you be able to get away again? Tony does not expect me until the beginning of next week.”
“Probably not until tomorrow afternoon.”
“I will look forward to our meeting tomorrow then.” Vision leaned forward and swept a strand of hair behind her ear. “I will send you directions to where I am staying.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but she could hear the voices of her teammates in her ear.
Wanda felt her lips tilt into a slight, wry smile. “We never have enough time,” she said ruefully. “I have to go before they come looking for me.” He nodded before leaning down to press a brief kiss to her lips. Pulling away, she murmured, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He raised a hand in farewell and phased away.
She returned to her teammates, trying to school her face into a serious expression suitable to a mission.
Wanda knocked softly on the door that Vision had identified in his email. He opened the door just a crack. “Wanda, come in, but please close your eyes.” She raised an eyebrow but complied. He took her hand to lead her inside. He brought her to the bed and encouraged her to sit. “I apologize; my tasks took longer than anticipated, and I am behind schedule. Wait here a few minutes, please.”
She sighed as she sank gratefully into the soft mattress and fluffy bedspread. “It’s okay, Vizh. It feels good to just sit. I was training with the others all morning.”
Vision asked, “Where did you tell them you would be?” His voice came from farther away. She wished she could watch him work, but she respected his wishes and kept her eyes firmly closed.
“We actually decided to go our separate ways early. I’m not expected anywhere for a few weeks.” Wanda felt a broad smile spread across her face at the thought that she was free to enjoy Vision’s presence for at least two full days. She could hear the clink of dishes as he worked in what was presumably the kitchen and wondered what he was making.
He finally returned to her. His fingers wrapped around hers. He pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist as he drew her toward the table. Wanda couldn’t help but bounce on her toes out of growing impatience. She shivered when Vision whispered in her ear, “Alright. Thank you for indulging me. You can open your eyes now.”
She did not speak for several moments, and time seemed to stretch out around them. When she turned her face up to him, she braced her hands against his chest and kissed his cheek. Her smile only grew wider. She felt the tension drain out of Vision, to be replaced by joy that he could make her look like that. “This is wonderful, Vizh, but you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
Wanda gestured to the Happy Birthday banner that was carefully hung on the wall with non-stick hooks and perfectly level. Her eyes traveled from the balloons to the red, white, and blue confetti to the small, tabletop Christmas tree.
“I wanted to. Our time together is unreliable and unpredictable. I thought it would be beneficial to simply celebrate a number of holidays for this year at once.” The words left him in a rush, as if he were nervous about her reaction. Wanda smiled at him again.
She was still a little flabbergasted at everything he’d done. “Did you have a plan in mind about how we would celebrate?”
“I had thought that we would celebrate in chronological order if that is amenable to you.”
“Absolutely,” Wanda assured him. Vision leaned down and kissed her cheek. He pulled out a chair for her and sat across from her at the small kitchen table. “Paprikash…” When she looked at her bowl, she felt her smile take on the fixed quality that it had when he had asked a particularly outlandish question shortly after his creation. “Thanks, Vizh.”
He smirked at her. “Don’t worry. It should be much better than the last time I attempted to make it. I have been practicing. And I triple checked that I was using paprika.” Wanda took a tentative bite, and her smile became real. He beamed as she took several more bites with evident enjoyment.
“How much have you been practicing?” Wanda teased. “I’d never believe you made this.”
“I will choose to take that as a compliment.”
She looked up, flushing slightly, but she relaxed when she saw that his expression had not shifted. “You should. This is excellent.” She finished the rest of her paprikash. “What’s next?”
“I prepared an Easter egg hunt similar to the one that Tony planned two years ago.” She felt a pang as she remembered the day when Clint’s family showed up at the compound, and they were all running and laughing and happy. “There are twenty eggs hidden throughout the room.” Vision handed her a basket. She began walking around the rented apartment. She searched in the kitchen cupboards, behind some picture frames that were standing on an end table, and even in the outer pocket of his duffel bag.
She pouted at him. “Are there really eggs hidden?” She could easily find out where Vision had hidden them, but that would take all the fun out of it. Besides her pride was at stake.
“I assure you that there are.” Wanda relished the amusement in his eyes. “You simply have not looked in the correct places yet.”
She redoubled her efforts. Despite her slight frustration, a carefree joy was growing in her as she found the first egg behind the cushions of the small couch in the corner of the room. She moved on to pull out the drawers from the nightstands.
Eventually Wanda found the eggs that Vision had hidden around the bed. Then the ones in the bathroom, on the windowsill behind the curtains, and those she had missed in the kitchen. She grinned in triumph when she found the final egg hidden in a large potted plant.
Vision smiled at her. “Well done. Are you ready to move on to the next holiday?” She nodded, and he handed her a box that he had set aside on the kitchen counter. “Here are sparklers in honor of the Fourth of July, or Captain Rogers’s birthday, whichever occasion you prefer.” She appreciated his accommodation. She was still not enthusiastic about celebrating the country that had turned on her or the large-scale fireworks that accompanied it, but she did greatly enjoy the festivities the team had for the holiday the year she was with them. Even while on the run the previous year, they had tried to copy the party for Steve’s birthday.
They walked out onto the patio that adjoined the studio. Vision brought out a lighter while she carried the sparklers. He placed the flame against her sparkler, which she waved with abandon. He lit his own, and Wanda smiled at his fascination with the paths of light that his sparkler created.
They burned through several more sparklers. Twirling around each other. Creating patterns in the air. Enjoying their freedom. This was true liberty and independence. Being alone with the man she loved and free to be completely herself, not worrying about the next hideout or mission. She started laughing out of sheer joy, and Vision’s rich chuckle mingled with hers.
The only slight pall over her joy was the fact that Vision had to remain disguised to maintain their anonymity, but it was necessary for the moment. She still dreamed of the day that such hiding would be optional.
After a few more minutes, Wanda let him lead her back inside. He settled her in an armchair and carried over a box that he had hidden in his bag. “Please open this next.” She pulled off the blue and white paper. She smiled as she removed the small silver menorah inlaid with blue and white stones that the team had given her the year she joined the Avengers. Vision gestured back to the box. “There are several more items in the bottom of the box.” She drew out the gold foil wrapped chocolate gelt and the dreidel she’d received with the menorah.
Wanda asked, “Are we going to play the game I showed everyone a couple years ago?” He nodded. It had been one of the first moments that she had truly embraced becoming part of the team in more than just Avenging, only a precious few months after her brother’s death. She divided the gelt between them, placing the dreidel in the middle of the coffee table. She spun the dreidel first. It landed so that she was forced to place half of her chocolate into the central pot.
When it was Vision’s turn, his spin granted him the entire pot. However, in the next few rounds, Wanda won so many pieces that Vision only had two pieces left. It took only a few more turns for Wanda to win the rest.
“Congratulations,” he conceded. He returned to his bag and took out the candles he had stored there. He handed some to Wanda, and they placed them in the menorah. The light from the candles matched the warm glow that was building in her chest.
She led him through the prayers that went along with the candle lighting. She recognized that her observance of the holiday was far from perfect, but it was nice to have a piece of her heritage back. They took a few moments to simply appreciate each other’s company and enjoy the silence.
As the candles burned lower, she looked up at Vision expectantly. “Now that we have completed the candle lighting, Christmas is next and last.” He led her back to the kitchen table to sit in front of the miniature tree. “Open your eggs please.”
Wanda opened the first egg, delighting in what she found inside. “Ooh, this is so pretty, Vizh!” She held up a tiny ornament in the shape of a snowflake. Vision’s smile, which had not left his face since they took out the sparklers, only grew wider as she pushed half of her eggs toward him.
Once they finished decorating the tree, Vision removed two boxes from his jacket pocket and handed them to her. “More?” Wanda felt a blush climbing up her cheeks.
“The celebration of Christmas could not be complete without gifts.”
She opened the box and pulled back the tissue paper to reveal a necklace with a silver chain and a black circular pendant, etched with a curlicue design. “I saw this at a market in Delhi, and I thought you would like it.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” He handed her the other box. The necklace inside was a black cord that bore a single gray pearl flanked by two smaller beads. “Where did you find this one?”
“I made it myself.” No one had ever done something like that for her. “I bought the pearl in French Polynesia when I was following a lead as to your whereabouts. It was lovely there.”
“I’ll try to convince the rest of the team that there are arms dealers to foil there some time.” Wanda stepped toward him. “And next time we meet, I’ll have some Christmas presents for you.” She could practically hear Vision’s protests as he opened his mouth to speak, but she put a finger to his lips. “I think there’s one more holiday we need to celebrate.”
She recognized the whir in his thoughts from something not going to plan. “Which one is that?”
“New Year’s Eve,” Wanda said. “Let’s pretend it’s 11:59 pm.” Vision looked confused for a moment, but she saw his realization as he remembered the New Year’s Eve party from the year they had both joined the Avengers. He placed his hands on her hips as she smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. They swayed against each other, counting down. “Ten, nine, eight…” She leaned her head against him. “Seven, six, five, four…” She raised up on her toes. “Three, two, one. Happy New Year, Vizh,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him soundly.
Imaginary or not, this was an excellent way to start the year.