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Wanda had always been prone to nightmares. It started after her parents died, and became worse after Pietro. Things had improved, for a little while, when she was with Vision, but then Thanos had happened, and the Blip, and then Westview.. Her nightmares were back with a vengeance.
Even after retrieving her children, the original Vision returning to her, and their slow steps toward rebuilding a life together, Wanda’s nightmares hadn’t faded. She tried to keep her troubles hidden from her family, but this was slightly difficult when one of her children possessed the ability to read minds..
–
Vision needed to sleep, or at least his version of it, rather more often these days, most likely because he no longer had the endless power of the Mind Stone behind him. However, though he did have to sleep more often than he’d been used to, it was no more than a regular human needed.
One night, he had been in a rather deep sleep when he was suddenly jolted awake by a rapid knock at his bedroom door (He and Wanda still slept in separate rooms, due to their plan to take things slow).
“Da.. Vision! Wake up, we need your help..”
“Billy?” Vision got up, rubbing the back of his head, and opened the door to see a rather frantic Billy, with a bleary-eyed Tommy standing beside him, both in their pyjamas. “Boys, what’s wrong?”
“Billy thinks Mom’s having a bad dream” said Tommy, yawning.
“Will you go check on her for us?” asked Billy hopefully. “I would, but she’s worried she might accidentally hurt us if she’s having a nightmare.. But you’re, you know, big and strong and don’t get hurt so easy, so..”
Vision’s heart melted a little, and he ruffled each twin’s hair.
“I will check on your Mother. But it is late, so you two run along back to bed, okay?”
“Okay..” Billy nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome..” Vision watched the boys depart, making sure they made it back to their rooms, before he set about the task they had asked of him.
–
Vision moved quietly down the hall towards Wanda’s room. He thought he could hear her whimpering through the door, and his synthetic heart broke for her.
“Wanda?” Vision knocked lightly. When there was no reply, he stepped quietly into the room. “Wanda, I think you are having a nightmare..” He approached her bed, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Wanda woke with a start, her powers activating of their own accord. She very nearly threw Vision into a wall, but stopped herself just in time.
“Vision..” She gasped, “W-What are you doing in here?”
“The boys were worried. They asked me to check on you” His brow crinkled in concern. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, chase her bad dreams away as he had once been able to do, but wasn’t sure if he should. “I think you were having a nightmare.”
“Oh.. yes, I think I was.”
“Right..” Vision hovered awkwardly, turning to leave the room. “Well, if you’re alright, I can go..”
“No..”
“Hmm?”
“I..” Wanda took a shaky breath, tears swimming in the corners of her eyes. “I’m not alright. C-Can you.. w-will you..”
Somehow, Vision knew exactly what she was trying to ask. He sat on Wanda’s bed, drawing her into his arms.
“I can stay..”
Wanda immediately curled into him, as if nothing between them had changed. She still fit in his arms as perfectly as she always had, so much that Vision almost cried at how perfectly she still fit, but he was here for her now, not himself, and so he simply held her, remaining quiet until she was ready to speak.
“In Westview..” Wanda murmured, “I really didn’t realise how much everyone was hurting. I’d convinced myself that I really was helping them. But then Agatha broke the spell on them, and I was overwhelmed, and panicked, and I almost..” She shuddered. “I stopped. I stopped myself. But in my nightmares, sometimes I can’t.”
“It’s just a bad dream, Wanda” Vision whispered. “It isn’t real.”
“It feels real. It reminds me how dangerous I can be..”
“I know how real nightmares can feel. I have one similar to yours, I think, one where I wasn’t stopped from..” He trailed off, a little haunted, and shook his head, clearing a horrible image of Wanda’s shattered skull, his own bloodstained hands, from his mind. “Sometimes, reminding yourself that the dreams aren’t real is all you can do..”
“Yours is different” Even though Vision had trailed off, she knew exactly what event his nightmare was about, and knowing what she did about how Hayward’s programming had warped his mind, she didn’t blame him for it at all. She moved even closer, now more or less in his lap. “You were genuinely not in control of what you were doing.”
“Neither were you” Vision reminded her, toying gently with her hair. “Not entirely. Westview was an accident born of your grief.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. I know you, Wanda, and I know the woman I love would never hurt anyone on purpose.”
She turned in his arms then,, to face him.
“You love me?”
“Uh..” Vision blinked, suddenly panicked. Was it too soon to say that? They were supposed to be taking things slow.. “Well..”
“Yes?”
Her tone almost sounded teasing, and Vision might have noticed a sparkle in her eyes if his own eyes hadn’t started darting around the room, looking anywhere but at Wanda.
“Well, I.. yes. Of course I do. And I’m sorry if it’s too soon to say it, but..”
“I love you too.”
“I understand, I..” Vision froze, looking at her. “Did you just say..”
“I love you too” Wanda smiled softly, then kissed him. “I never stopped.”
“Neither did I..” Vision smiled, kissing her back.
There was still more rebuilding to be done, but for now, they could find peace and comfort in each other’s arms.