Wanda suppressed a groan and clutched her stomach. Her toes curled into the sheets as a wave of pain filled her entire body. Soon enough, the agony that filled her stiffened limbs ebbed back into the pit of her stomach and Wanda released a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.
That morning could not have gone worse. Wanda was surprised at the ripe hour of three in the morning with her monthly "friend" and had been awake ever since. She was convinced that her uterus was determined to kill her as slowly and painfully as possible. She tried to take some painkillers, only to throw them up immediately. So, now, she sat on the bed, silently suffering and desperately trying not to disturb the sleeping shape beside her.
In the past, Wanda would wake Pietro on nights like this and let him pamper her, as he would be angry in the morning if she hadn't. However, now was different. She had had nights like this since her brother's passing, but none of them with Vision around. On any normal occasion, if you could call this normal, Wanda would've woken him after she had thrown up. However, tonight she hesitated.
Vision's sleep pattern couldn't, even by the most devoted night owls, be called remotely normal. Whereas a human needed to sleep every night, Vision only needed one night of sleep every week or so. In fact, he was able to stay awake and functioning for multiple weeks without sleeping if he had to, but when the time finally came for him to sleep, he went out hard. This was one of those times.
Tony had the synthetic running harder than usual, sending him on mission after mission and leaving little to no down time. Wanda hated it, because, knowing Vision as she did, she knew he was purposefully avoiding sleep in that down time to spend more time with her. That night, however, he just couldn't.
As soon as he had walked in the door to her apartment that night, he nearly collapsed. Wanda had caught him just in time and ushered him into bed, where he promptly passed out and had been asleep ever since.
Wanda gasped as another wave of pain rocketed through her body. As it passed, she glanced over at his sleeping form, watching his chest rise as fall steadily. The thought of waking him briefly crossed her mind again, but she shot it down quickly. He needed the sleep more than she needed him awake right now.
Next, she glanced at the clock. 4:30. It had been an hour since she threw up. Deciding that was enough time passed and that she was brave enough to try painkillers again, Wanda rose and began to make her way to the bathroom. However, she was halted as another wave of crushing agony rocketed from her stomach through her legs.
She hadn't realised she'd fallen until the pain subsided. A slight movement caught her eye. It was Vision, he was beginning to stir. Only then did she realise that, much to her dismay, she had brought a small lamp down with her when she had fallen.
"Wanda?" Vision murmured, beginning to sit up. Wanda made to stand like nothing had happened, but failed when another wave hit her. A groan slipped from her mouth, bringing the synthetic's attention to her. The soft glow of his blue eyes was drowned by a sudden golden burst as he turned on the lamp next to their bed.
"Wanda, are you ok?" He asked, quickly leaving the bed to kneel by her side. Wanda rubbed her stinging eyes, letting them adjust to the sudden light before responding.
"Sorry to wake you, I just…" She trailed off, realising that she had no excuse other than the truth for being on the floor.
"Are you alright?" Vision repeated. She felt the gentle brush of his mind against hers, undoubtedly picking up the pain she was trying to hide from him. "You're hurt."
"I'm really fine," Wanda insisted, making an effort to stand again before deciding against it. Her stomach seemed very touchy on the whole "standing" concept right now.
"No, you aren't," Vision argued, his hand finding hers. "Please, don't try to lie to me."
Wanda sighed. How could she argue with those eyes, that pleading tone, the way his thumb ran over the back of her hand ever so gently? She stood no chance.
"Do you know what a period is?" She asked.
"...You may have to be more specific," Vision said after a moment of hesitation. "There are a lot of different definitions for 'period.'"
Wanda smiled. "Oh, yeah. Well, it happens monthly for women, it's when we bleed from-"
"Oh, yes, that one," Vision interrupted, looking as if a lightbulb over his head had just turned on. "Yes, I know it. Why?"
Wanda paused for a second, waiting for him to connect the dots. The enlightened look came back to his face.
"Oh, I see…" He said, placing his free hand gently on her stomach. His expression changed to one of immense sympathy. "Is there any way I can help?"
"Well, I was on my for painkillers when I fell," Wanda explained.
"Then I shall retrieve them for you," Vision decided. Then, he scooped Wanda up in his arms, moving gently as to not agitate her core.
"You don't need to-"
"I do not believe your body will approve of you standing," Vision stated simply. "You already tried, remember?"
"You saw that, huh?" Wanda sighed. She gave up any hint of argument that had begun to rise and just snuggled into his chest, letting him carry her to the bed and lay her down as if she was a princess. He then vanished into the bathroom for a moment before returning with painkillers. He handed her a couple tablets and a glass of water and watched as she took them.
"What do you usually do to help with the cramps?" He asked once she was done.
"Honestly, just having something to distract me helps a lot," Wanda said, placing the glass and pill bottle on the nightstand beside the bed. Vision nodded, seating himself next to her and wrapping his arm around her. Wanda gladly leaned again his chest, her hand finding his. "Tell me more about the missions Tony has been sending you on."
"Well, they are actually quite interesting," Vision started, going into the details of each of his assignments and how be began to see how they were connected. Wanda smiled as she listened to him talk, letting the gentle tone of his voice wash over her and the presence of his mind near hers calm her. Her pain ebbing and her eyes getting heavier, Wanda listened for as long as she could until sleep claimed her.
