A/N: Every time I think I will never jump onboard another ship and write for it, I do. These two are too hard to resist.

Steve looked down at his watch before he slowly locked gazes with each of his friends sitting around the kitchen table. It was guys' poker night and they had everything that they needed - beer, chips, cards - except that they were missing one very important person. Out of the six men sitting at the table, not all of them knew the probable location of their missing person.

"He's late."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Of course he is."

Sam and Rhodey, sitting on the opposite side of the table, exchanged confused glances. "But Vision is never late," Rhodey stated matter-of-factly.

Tony and Steve exchanged a pointed look before Tony rolled his eyes again. "You haven't hung out with him since he's met Wanda."

"Woah," Sam chuckled as he leaned his elbows on the table excitedly. "Vision's got a girl?"

Sam had known Vision since college, and while the guy had certainly been a late bloomer, with a little help from his friends he had never had a shortage of girls interested in him. He had, however, had a problem finding girls that he found interesting. He was a different kind of guy, so he definitely needed a different kind of girl.

"Uhhh." Tony dragged out the word with a tilt of his head. "I don't know if we can say that," he answered cryptically.

Now Sam was even more confused. "I don't get it."

Scott explained the situation calmly. "Tony thinks that Vision is in denial about his place in the friend zone."

Sam and Rhodey winced simultaneously.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door swung open and Vision entered with a sigh and a wide smile.

"Sorry for my tardiness," he apologized in his polite British accent as he hung up his coat.

Tony grabbed the deck of cards on the table and idly shuffled them as he asked, "With her again?"

Vision frowned as he took the empty seat next to the man that was supposed to be his best friend. He knew that Tony wasn't very fond of Wanda, but it still hurt to hear him refer to her with such disdain. "I was spending time with Wanda, yes," he replied evenly. "She is meeting Natasha and some of her other friends for drinks tonight so I dropped her off before coming here."

He courteously greeted each of his friends, and ignored Tony's glower as he handed out the cards for the first game.

"So tell us about the lucky lady," Sam requested with an inviting smile as he picked up his cards.

Vision sat up a little straighter in his chair and grinned. "Wanda is a stockbroker."

"Smart is the new sexy," Scott quipped.

Tony quickly corrected him. "Money is the new sexy."

"She grew up really poor," Vision continued, "so she has really interesting views on wealth. She's from Sokovia and moved here for business school. She works in my building, so that's how we met and," he paused and shrugged bashfully, "We have a connection. She's beautiful, smart, kind, fiery, quick witted—"

Tony cut him off before he could gush anymore. "And how long have you been seeing this girl exactly?"

"Almost four weeks now."

"Almost four weeks," Tony repeated. He pursed his lips trying to contain himself but ultimately failed. "Almost four weeks and no sex!"

Vision shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he felt everyone in the room stare at him. He even heard Bucky choke on his drink. He wasn't sure what had compelled Tony to blurt that out to the entire room but it made him the center of attention in a way that he did not want. Tony may be under the impression that sex was the only significant part of a relationship, but he didn't think like that. For him, sex was nothing without intimacy.

He was thankful when Steve clapped him on the shoulder and kindly murmured, "I'll get you a beer."

"As we've discussed on multiple occasions," Vision began a tad angrily, "sex is not the be all, end all for me like it is for you."

Sam tried to jump to his defence. "Yeah, Vision's game is all in the anticipation."

Tony slowly shook his head before gulping down his drink. "That's not my problem. My problem is not with you. It's with this chick that has so obviously put you in the friend zone and you're too nice of a guy to notice."

A hushed silence fell over the table once again, and most of the guys distracted themselves by drinking or needlessly staring at their cards. The look on Vision's face made it so that none of them wanted to help prove Tony's theory correct.

After a long drink from his beer, he spoke in a dejected voice. "The friend zone?"

Simultaneously, Sam, Rhodey, Scott and Bucky rushed to reassure him.

"You're playing the long game."

"A month isn't that bad."

"You're right, sex isn't everything."

"It's great to have female friends."

Sam turned to Bucky with a raised eyebrow and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Don't know if that's helpful right now, Buck."

Tony sighed before he turned to Vision with an apologetic expression. "I just know that you like her and I don't want to watch you pine for the next three years. I'm not actually trying to be an asshole, this time."

"How do I…how do I know if I'm in the "friend zone"?" He asked tentatively as he nervously drummed his fingers on the table.

Scott practically jumped out of his seat to answer the question. "I read this in a magazine the other day! It's a simple checklist." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly googled what he was looking for.

The game of cards was quickly pushed to the side as Steve retrieved more beers from the fridge and Rhodey grabbed a nearby notepad so that they could keep a tally.

"Okay, number one, does she laugh at your jokes?"

"What jokes?" Tony teased. Vision turned to him with a look of disbelief and he quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry."

"Yes, she does," Vision answered calmly.

"Has she tried to set you up with any of her friends or talk to you about other women?"

He shook his head. "No."

Things were looking good for Vision for a while, according to this magazine checklist that he didn't entirely believe in. Wanda didn't avoid being seen with him in the public; they had been out to the movies and the theatre, and they had gone shopping and for walks in the park. She never brought a friend or a co-worker with her when they arranged to meet up and do something. The only other man that he ever heard her talk about was her brother. She made physical contact with him frequently, but he believed that she was a physically expressive person. Her family expressed care and affection in physical contact so she did the same.

Then Vision could see his friends' faces slowly fall as he answered the next series of questions. He explained that he had seen her at her most casual several times, no makeup, sweat pants or pajamas with her hair in a mess, and apparently that was a bad sign. He liked seeing her look comfortable and at ease around him, and it wasn't as if her pajamas weren't sexy. Or at least he thought they were. They always finished movies with her cuddled up against his chest, apparently that was also a bad sign, even though it was something he very much enjoyed. He had been over to her apartment at lunch to let out her dog and she had asked if he could fix her computer, and these favours, without sex in the equation, were also a red flag.

But the nail in the coffin, according to this magazine, came when Scott asked the following question: "Have you ever shared a bed and not partaken in any physical activity?"

Vision answered quickly, "Yes." He promptly felt six pairs of eyes on him and it caused him to flush. "What?" He asked fearfully.

"That is not good," Rhodey told him honestly.

"Like nothing?" Bucky questioned curiously. "Not even a little groping?"

The blonde shrugged. "We cuddle. It's nice."

Sam chuckled as he tried to uplift the room. "Come on guys, relax. It's not like they sit around braiding each other's hair." His joke got the desired reaction as everyone around the table laughed, except Vision, who had gone eerily quiet. "Oh, Vis, no, please don't tell me."

"I offered! And I think she actually found it very arousing," he responded defensively.

His friends patiently took the time to explain to him that in the new, early stages of a relationship it wasn't always such a good thing to be relaxed and comfortable. It should be painful to share a bed with someone you're attracted to and not do anything. New relationships were supposed to be exciting, full of fire and fun, sexual chemistry and nervous tension.

He and Wanda didn't seem to have any of that…

Four beers later and he had accepted that he was indeed just a friend. All of his patience and good intentions about wanting to be polite and respectful, and really get to know her before he did anything overt or aggressive, had worked entirely against him. He had never made a move and had never initiated a conversation about exclusivity or relationship status, and maybe she didn't even want him to. So now he was the guy that took her to the theatre, and brought her coffee during their walks in the park, and fixed her computer, and braided her hair.

How could he have been such an idiot? He liked this woman, a lot, and he had not sent her any of the right signals.

He groaned loudly as he rested his forehead on the table. "I'm a friend."

Tony placed a hand between his shoulders and rubbed soothingly. "Sorry buddy."

"I am such an idiot," he repeated, this time out loud.

As if she could feel his distress, his phone suddenly went off and her name appeared on his screen. He looked down at the phone, and then around the table in alarm.

"Take the call," Rhodey encouraged.

Sam added, "And whatever she asks, say no."

Vision nodded in understanding before he stood up and walked towards the other side of the room with phone in hand. He took a deep breath before he swiped his thumb across the screen and brought the device to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Vizh."

Her lovely accent washed over him and he had to actively stop himself from smiling. "Wanda, hi."

"Hi," she giggled. "So I'm leaving the bar now."

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to that so he awkwardly shuffled his feet.

The silence didn't faze her and she quickly filled it with a question. "Do you want to come over?"

"I don't think so, not tonight, I'm rather tired," he lied.

"Oh." He could hear the disappointment in her voice but he didn't know what to make of it. "I could come over to your place if you rather?"

Vision looked over his shoulder to see all of his friends pretend that they weren't watching him. "Actually, I'm still at Steve's. I had a few more drinks than I intended. Do you need me for something?" He grimaced after hearing himself bend to her will yet again.

She giggled, and if he was still in a place of denial he would have taken it as flirtatious. "Yeah, I do. I do need you for something."

"Well I could come over tomorrow," he caved after a moment of debate.

"Great." And he could hear the smile in her voice. "I'll make you breakfast. Is ten okay?"

"I will see you then," he confirmed.

He ended the call after wishing her a good night and turned around to face the judgemental expressions of his friends.

He had several more beers to drown his sorrows so when he awoke the next morning he definitely had a hangover. As he sat up he was reminded why he didn't overindulge often. He managed to pull himself out of bed and take a quick shower before he left his apartment and grabbed coffee on the way to Wanda's.

He took a deep breath before he knocked on her door.

She greeted him in her sleepwear with that big beautiful smile on her face.

"Hi," she whispered.

He forced a returning smile as she pulled him into a hug. He wrapped one arm around her as he held the tray that held their coffees in the other. "Sorry, I can't…uh…" He awkwardly tried to explain.

She pressed her face against his chest with a pleased hum. "It's okay," she answered. "You still give the best hugs." She eventually pulled away with a sigh and patted his chest with both hands. "And you smell really good."

"Oh thank you."

He closed the door behind him before he followed her into the apartment. He carried their coffee to the small island in the middle of the kitchen as he watched her gracefully move across the space. This was perhaps the most casual that he had ever seen her. Her hair was pulled up, her shorts were quite short, and it appeared as if she wasn't wearing a bra beneath her tank top. She had definitely just rolled out of bed to cook for him and he couldn't believe that he hadn't put all of these puzzle pieces together sooner. Pair this with "You give the best hugs" and it was like a giant, flashing neon sign.

There was no doubt in his mind now that he was just a friend.

"I'm making your favourite," she declared with a grin after spinning to face him.

He looked at the stove and smiled. She was making his favourite: blueberry pancakes. "That's very kind of you. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for everything," she giggled.

He pushed her coffee towards her with a small smile. "So how was your night?"

"It was fun. Or it was fun until this guy wouldn't leave me alone. He was very smug and very obnoxious. Not even a threat from Natasha deterred him. Eventually I took his number just to get him to go away."

Now she decided to talk about other guys with him.

"Maybe you should give him a shot," he replied in a monotone voice. "Perhaps his attitude was all an act."

She turned towards him again and looked at him with a curious tilt of her head before she burst out laughing.

He furrowed his brow in confusion when she faced the stove again. He wasn't sure what she found so funny, but he wasn't about to question it.

She finished preparing breakfast and took a seat next to him at the island. She sipped on the coffee he brought her with a smile and they lapsed into easy conversation, like they always did.

"These are delicious," he complimented as he finished his last bite.

"Thanks," she replied with a bright smile. "I'm glad you like them. I don't get to cook for other people very often."

"Well you can cook for me whenever you want," he responded automatically.

And immediately regretted it, until she smiled. God she had a beautiful smile.

"What are you doing today?" She asked as she brought their dishes to the sink.

He racked his brain for an excuse, but ultimately drew a blank. He hadn't planned out his day at all. Last night had weighed on him enough that his ideal way of spending the rest of the day was in his bed, watching TV and being pathetic. "Umm nothing," he finally spoke. "I don't have any plans."

"Well I have a rare day off," she announced as she began to fill the sink with water. "Would you like to go for a walk? Spend the day together?"

He really wanted to say no. He really did. He didn't want to spend time with her and fall for her even more than he already had. But…the thought of spending an entire day with her, from breakfast until evening, made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

"Uhh, Wanda, I don't," he began shakily. He sighed and gritted his teeth before he gave her a coherent answer. "That sounds wonderful."

She smiled again, that bright eyed, dimpled smile, and he audibly sighed.

"I wanna take a shower first though!"

He nodded in understanding and then she disappeared down the hallway. He slowly stood up and cursed himself as he moved towards the sink. At least he could do the dishes to occupy his mind. Another chore he could do as her platonic man servant.

"Maybe you should offer to braid her hair when it's wet," he murmured to himself angrily.

The giggle from behind him startled him enough that he dropped the plate he was holding.

"Are you talking to yourself?" She asked with a laugh.

He chuckled in embarrassment as he stayed firmly rooted to the sink with his eyes facing forward. He really didn't want her to see the crimson shade that his skin had turned. "Just conversing with the dishes," he joked.

"Why don't you let the dishes converse amongst themselves?" She retorted quickly.

He could tell by the volume of her voice that she was drawing closer to him, but he froze in shock when he felt her arms wrap around his waist. His breath hitched as she placed a kiss on his clothed shoulder. "Wanda?"

"I'm tired of playing hard to get," she sighed. "I'm getting in the shower and I want you to join me."

Although she couldn't see him, his eyes widened dramatically. Playing hard to get? She wanted him to join her in the shower? He slowly spun around and faced her with a furrowed brow. Her hands were still resting on his abdomen and playing with his sweater. "Pardon?"

She giggled as she looked down at her choice of outfit for this morning. "I'm barely wearing clothes and I'm not even sure if you noticed."

"I noticed!" He admitted quickly. "I just, uh, wasn't sure if you wanted me to notice?"

"I did," she whispered, "very much." She ran her hands up his chest and over his shoulders as she continued to speak. "I know that we're taking things slow, and I love getting to know you, but I'm ready to get a little closer." She grinned as she started to tug him away from the sink. "Say something," she giggled.

He was actually finding it hard to form thoughts as she pulled him further into her apartment. "This is decidedly not a friend thing to do," he stated in bewilderment.

She nodded in agreement as she laughed. "I called you last night because I'm a horny drunk," she admitted with a guilty facial expression.

"Oh." He had gotten booty called and he hadn't even realized. "Oh."

She laughed infectiously and when they finally reached her bathroom, she pulled him into her with a mischievous grin. "I haven't stopped thinking about this."

She pulled her tank top over her head with a flourish and all that he could think about was that he really was an idiot.

A/N: Be kind, review.