Hello. I'm back with a new story.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Thanks to NeverNik. Who helped me with this chapter and was kind to me.
Disclaimer: This fanfiction is not written for profit and no infringement of copyright is intended. Disclaimer: I don´t own Marvel.
A hug, have a good day
F.R.I.D.A.Y I'm in love!
Summary
If anyone could say that Vision's face was flushed, Pepper could say it's happening right now.
"I'm afraid I've been experiencing flaws in my systems that prevent me from working in an optimal manner. I have experienced failures in my systems in the presence of Ms. Maximoff."
Pepper can almost see the light bulb appear over Tony's head. She waits for him to tell her his brilliant idea.
"This is the part where I give him the talk about the birds and the bees, right?" Tony smirks at his own comment.
How to Conquer Wanda and Not Die Trying. Or, How to Fall in Love for Dummies; aka Tony´s plan.
One: Failure of systems
He's young for those who count the days in which he has fully existed in this world: forty-seven days, two hours, twenty-six minutes and three seconds.
Innocent, he manages to marvel at every little thing, every little gesture. His eyes flutter with each new thing he learns, and his smile is easy, kind.
He's naive, oh so naive in the face of his new companions' jokes; in the face of Sam's antics.
He doesn't know much about interaction between people, but he strives for it every day. He wants to understand the world in which he has been so intrinsically incorporated. He wants to be a complete participant in the phenomenon that humans call life.
He wants to do it; however, understanding the complexity of emotions is quite difficult. It poses an arduous task, a task he doesn't know if he is capable of perfectly mastering.
Vision really thinks he can't. At least not without the help of others.
The complex is silent, so he takes the opportunity to read the encyclopedia that Captain Rogers gave him a few days ago. The perfect gift to understand the current world, the Captain commented with a simple smile and a sparkle in his eyes.
Vision smiles, delighting in turning and reading each page.
The first time it happens, the steps resonate, accompanied by the most melodious sound he's heard in his short life - the melody of an angel. His chest contracts abruptly at the sound, his synthetic heart beats strongly against his chest, and his hands instantly close around the white pages.
He quickly closes his eyes and imitates a movement learned from his peers - he takes a deep breath, which he knows he doesn't need - to try and calm the pressure that has drastically affected his body.
"Vision!" The voice is soft, gentle, bringing with it a balm for his chest. "Are you okay?"
He opens his eyes to see young Maximoff's anguished expression in front of him.
Her green eyes look at him with an emotion that he isn't able to decipher, but they make his mouth feel dry and his words cling to his lips.
"Are you okay?" she asks again. This time, her pale fingers touch his skin, creating a beautiful contrast that has his skin tingling at the contact.
He swallows and nods.
She nods too, still looking at him, then smiles. She takes a step back in order to continue her conversation with Sam.
Minutes later, Vision understands that the emotion in his chest was produced by the sound of Ms Maximoff's laughter.
How odd.
Time passes slowly, healing the physical and mental wounds that the Sokovia battle tragically invoked.
Vision's days are full of learning, reading, and chess games with Colonel James Rhodes - who he particularly considers a worthy opponent - while his nights are based on the logical search for an explanation to his past experience.
He rejects most theories for their lack of validity.
Secretly, he finds himself wanting to hear her laughter again. For entirely scientific reasons.
Or feel her fingertips against his skin; for reasons that he can't define, but considered totally unscientific.
It's seventeen days, twelve hours, four minutes and six seconds later when it happens again.
Vision's mind raises a series of hypotheses when he hears the first sob.
His senses are sharpened, looking for the source of such anguish. His feet are automatically directed to Ms Maximoff's room. He goes through the wall with ease, to find her sitting in the center of the bed sobbing, her hands clinging to the purple covers while tears wet her cheeks. Her hair falls with simplicity onto her shoulders, and he finds himself swallowing the lump in his throat.
This must be what should be felt as 'concern.' Vision will make sure to confirm it later. Maybe he can ask Mr. Stark.
Another sob escapes her lips, and this time he takes a step toward her, wanting to ease her pain.
"Ms Maximoff," he calls softly, not wanting to surprise her.
Her lips tremble when her penetrating gaze meets his. "What? Didn't they teach you to knock on the door?" she screams. She hides her face in her hands.
Vision lowers his head. His heart contracts heavily. "I'm sorry."
In the absence of an answer, he looks up and continues. "I should read the cohabitation protocols again. There are many implicit norms and..."
She sits up without looking at him; however, he can see the tears soaking her shirt. The pain in his chest intensifies unpleasantly. "I heard you cry and... I do not want to generate more anguish. I'll retire immediately."
He turns around without daring to steal another look. The beat of his heart has stabilized, but he still feels the heaviness in his chest when he hears her cry.
"Wait!" Her cut voice stops him at the door frame. "I'm sorry! It's not your fault," Wanda says, and he can hear the sincerity in her voice.
He nods and leaves the room.
Three seconds later, he's knocking on her door.
Ms Maximoff opens it, with a look full of confusion. She inclines her head to one side, and his heart jumps at the outline of a faint smile marking her lips. She's about to speak when he excuses himself timidly.
"They told me to knock on the door before entering a room."
She nods, moving to allow him entry.
The room remains dark, but he can dazzle the brightness of the lamp on her nightstand. Somehow the ethereal light surrounds her body, making her look smaller, much more fragile.
Vision's hands tremble at the feeling of protection he wants to offer, but he rejects the feeling. It's not logical, much less sensible.
Not if he compares her reaction to his past intrusion.
"I miss him." Her voice brings him back to reality. She regains her place in the center of the bed, while he looks at her motionless, not knowing how to proceed. "I miss him a lot, and I don't know how to erase the pain that I feel in my chest."
Her voice has an echo of sadness that sinks into him when she looks at him. Her cheeks remain suspiciously wet, but he doesn't comment. It's well known in the complex that Ms Maximoff doesn't like to be perceived as someone who cries easily.
"Have you ever felt pain in your chest, Vision?" she asks with such an intense look that he's sure that if he could breathe, that would have stopped it.
His heart contracts again, fiercely. Is his pain similar to that of the beautiful young woman with beautiful green eyes?
No. He has never lost anyone, has never experienced the range of emotions that an average human being would experience. He will never do it.
That knowledge makes his heart contract heavily again.
"No," he admits. "However, my data source indicates that memories are stored for prolonged periods in a person's life."
She looks at him with confusion.
"In no way will they replace your brother's loss, but they can help you invoke happier times and calm the pain."
Her lips curve into a smile. "Do you have a psychological alliance database inside?"
He hastens to shake his head, slightly confused. "No, but if you prefer, I can look for specialized books in..."
And it happens again. A warm sensation begins under his feet and extends to every cell of his body when he hears her laugh.
It's a much softer melody, but somehow more natural.
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
His heart feels like it's going to explode.
"Thanks, Vision."
"To serve, Ms..."
She protests with a wave of her hand.
"Wanda." She smiles warmly, like a thin strand of her light hair that falls over her forehead. Her forehead wrinkles a second later. "Ms Maximoff is too formal."
"Wanda." Vision proves her name on his lips. He likes the sound.
Later, after she has fallen asleep, his mind resonates with the sound of her angelic voice taking root in each of his programs.
It's disconcerting, to tell the truth.
The training begins again, three weeks later under the tutelage of Captain Rogers and Ms Romanoff.
His gaze lingers on each of his companions. Sam and Colonel Rhodes compete high in the heavens for who is the fastest; Clint tries to hit every one of his targets, the arrow hitting the center of each target, even those, that by distance, are almost invisible.
But his attention is taken by Ms Max... Wanda, Vision corrects mentally.
Her movements are aesthetically pleasing. Her hands paint a scarlet canvas with each of the sparks that frame her fingers.
He can't help but marvel at the ease with which her hands conjure up simple abstract forms, how she creates patterns of shapes with her delicate hands. And - the most disconcerting part for him - her laughter as it takes hold over every sound in the place.
His heart responds to the sound, squeezing as usual. That same feeling increases when she sees him and smiles. He feels dizzy, but as the orders escape the Captain's lips, the sensation becomes bearable. He closes his eyes and breathes.
It's only when she stops laughing that the sensation disappears. And he's able to open his eyes.
"Yeah, one, two, three, calling Vision, we need you on earth!" exclaims Sam, laughing. The Captain gives him a curious look and the Colonel laughs.
His lips join in a thin line and he shakes his head in dismay.
He should consider a solid theory to explain what is happening to his body.
At this point it is already worrying.
Today's training continues; exhausting for each of his companions. Wanda is no exception. Her body is lying face down on the cozy sofa in neutral colors. Her head rests on her new red cardigan; thin strands cover her angelic face. Her breathing is light, while her hand has fallen to the side.
"It's rude to stare at a person while she's sleeping," she says with a sleepy smile. Her eyes are still closed, and Vision jumps.
"I... he starts." I did not want to, I..."
Her answer comes in the form of a giggle. "I like the way you get all nervous. It's adorable, almost like your shows are going to short circuit."
His heart jumps.
His mouth dries.
And his mind runs.
Wanda opens her eyes and jumps up.
"You're not short-circuiting, are you?" she asks tentatively, placing her right hand directly on his chest, at the height of his synthetic heart.
His heart resounds, feeling the heat coming from her hand. A tingling forms in his stomach and spreads throughout his body, like an electric current about to finish with everything that is within his reach.
Maybe he should consider whether his body is malfunctioning.
Maybe she isn't far from the truth.
The way his body acts, every sound that comes from her, while still disconcerting, is music to his mind.
"Vision," she calls, and concern shows in her features.
He swallows. Her green eyes shine when they look at him. They greet him with a language he can't understand.
His heart beats fast. He purses his lips, wanting to avoid the sensation.
Then, she does the unthinkable. She brings her pale fingers to his face, caressing with a tenderness that his cheek has never felt.
And his world moves from one place to another.
He is hit with one of the strongest sensations he has felt in his short existence. His heart beats at a disconcertingly high rate, his hands sweat and his stomach twists. He is sure that his pupils dilate before his beautiful smile, but it's a fact that is erased instantly.
He takes a step back, leaving an incredulous and disconcerted Wanda behind.
Tony's fingers move with precision, working on the last update of his suit when the sound of footsteps echoes on the floor.
He turns to focus all his attention on Pepper, casually dressed in one of his black T-shirts and a pair of shorts. Her red hair falls over her shoulders.
Tony looks at her, wide-eyed, his pupils completely dilated. He swallows as he feels his heart beat fast and tries to climb up his throat as his eyes slowly travel over the vision of her. She looks lovely.
When she gets closer, her eyes shine like her creamy skin does. Her lips curve with an air of smugness as she realizes the reaction he is having.
"What?" She blinks innocently, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"You look like an angel that's descended from heaven," he manages to articulate eloquently, giving her one of those gallant smiles. She feels her cheeks burn. Her heart skipped a couple ofbeats.
She chuckles. "Stop trying to make me blush."
He smiles, bending so his lips are very close to her. "No."
She smiles, amused at him and his particular act of gallantry, which resonates dangerously in him tonight. His eyes are as she details, his hair slightly disheveled, bare torso (his flannel MIT is discarded at the bottom of the sofa) and charming smile make him worthy of attention.
"Now, who's watching?" he jokes.
"Don't gloat about it." She teases by following his game.
"So, you don't find me attractive?" His captivating gaze is on her, trying to get a reaction .
The blush intensifies on her face. She smiles again, making him weak with that dazzling smile only she possesses. Now she looks at him with wide eyes, so her smile becomes wider with every second that passes. "I mean... you don't look so bad."
"It's okay... I'll take what I can get," Tony nods, knowing that the first answer was the honest one.
His loquacious response dies on his lips when there's a tap on his glass door.
"Ah! There's my boy! Welcome back!"
Pepper looks up at the door and smiles.
"Why did you knock on the door?" Tony looks a little bewildered.
Vision lowers his head in embarrassment. "It has come to my knowledge that it is polite to knock before entering a room."
Tony lets out a laugh. "Why do you want to knock on the door if you can go through the walls? It's much cooler to go through them as if you were a ghost."
Vision nods, looking at the couple. Pepper smiles, taking a step back, understanding how the situation can be seen from his point of view.
She collected Tony's discarded shirt for him to put on.
Tony's response is a suggestive movement of eyebrows and a naughty smile.
Pepper's cheeks color to match her hair. She turns to Vision and hugs him. "It's been a while, honey, we miss you."
He silently agrees.
She takes him by the hand so that he sits next to her on the sofa. Tony sits in the opposite chair, giving her a look that she thinks is questioning.
"How are you, darling?"
Vision is quick to respond, denying the torrent of emotions that runs through his system. "Everything is fine, I..."
"Ri-ight," Tony drawls. "Something is definitely wrong with you. Come on, tell your understanding and kind father everything."
"I'm fine!" Vision says, sighing.
That has Pepper's attention. She settles herself in her seat and eyes the man curiously. "Is everything alright?"
He bits his lip, considering her words. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something... It's just that... I do not know who else I could talk to."
Her face clears. Her hand rests comfortably on his shoulder in support. "Of course! You can talk to either of us about the issue that is bothering you."
"Is it one of the new recruits who's making you feel bad, or is it Capsicle who's bothering you with his orders and his perfect hair?" Tony asks, earning an eyeroll from his redheaded girlfriend.
Vision shakes his head. "I'm afraid I've been experiencing flaws in my systems that prevent me from working in an optimal way."
"FRIDAY!" Tony calls in a raised voice. "Perform an exhaustive analysis of the programs and component of the Vision body."
Pepper smiles warmly while the seconds pass.
"There are no anomalies in any circuits, programs or component fibers, Mr. Stark. Would you like me to run another analysis?" Friday's robotic voice responds.
"No," Vision responds. He has already analyzed his own body on multiple occasions; reaching the same conclusion.
Pepper places her hands in her lap with a fine movement. "Do you want to tell us what you mean by 'experiencing faults'?"
Vision's gaze falls to a point on the ground. His hands play with the threads of his navy blue cardigan.
"On four different occasions my chest has contracted involuntarily, making my synthetic heart beat at a hurried pace. My stomach has experienced jumps that do not match their own movements, my mouth feels dry, my palms sweat and I have been unable to give an answer after several attempts to induce an answer in me. "
Tony's eyebrows form a furrow on his face, but it is Pepper who continues the conversation.
"Does this happen in the presence of a known person?" she asks knowingly.
If anyone could say that Vision's face is flushed, Pepper could say it's happening right now. His blue eyes flicker with a new glow, his nostrils open like his mouth and a dark tone takes over his face.
She smiles fondly. Clearly, he's blushing.
The strange heat twists in Vision's chest when he responds. "Ms. Maximoff."
"Come again?"
Vision's voice is shy when he speaks, very different from the voice to which they are accustomed. "I have experienced failures in my systems in the presence of Ms. Maximoff."
"The witch?" Tony whispers, not low enought, by the look that his robot son is giving him. "Wanda?" he tries again.
Vision nods. "I am inevitably anguished in her constant presence."
And this is how he explains what he's experienced in the time he's been in the complex. What the sound of her laughter achieves in each of his systems; as her minimal and slight smile makes his heart flutter so fast that it really hurts; as her touches send electricity to his fibers and how she has the ability to make him feel incoherent.
"She's definitely a witch," Tony jokes, getting up to pat him on the shoulder.
Vision gives him a puzzled look. "Is there something wrong with me, Mr. Stark? Is Ms Maximoff using her mental abilities on me?"
Tony laughs, wiping a tear that spills from his eyes.
"I'm afraid so, my dear boy." He stops, and when he speaks again, his voice has a overly-dramatic tone. "She's used one of the worst and most effective tricks to play with you. She has bewitched you."
Vision gasps in horror, which only makes his creator laugh even more.
"Tony!" Pepper punches him in the shoulder, scolding him for his childish behavior, joking about Vision's obvious anguish.
The chestnut-haired man prepares for another ingenious retort, but the look of his girlfriend silences him. "I'm serious, Tony."
Vision looks at Pepper with confusion, then at Tony. "I'm afraid I do not understand."
Pepper sighs, bites her lips nervously, wishing she could explain herself naturally.
Vision's glance is expectant, with a mixture of curiosity and something of fear. Pepper believes that he may be hyperventilating, if that could happen, so she takes pity on him. Her hand traces soothing circles on his back, just as she does with Tony when he is upset, terrified or just being him.
"Don't worry, Vision," the redhead starts, sending a warm smile in his direction. "She hasn't bewitched you as Tony has implied." Another smile is thrown as she continues the soothing movements, bringing some comfort. Vision automatically relaxes. "What you're experiencing is something normal. It happens a lot and it's called attraction, or falling in love."
His mouth opens, but he doesn't speak.
Tony laughs without stopping, looking at him. He shrugs with simplicity. "Yes, we didn't think you could feel completely either, but look at yourself, you're a complete casanova!"
"Falling." Vision repeats the word again and again, wanting to understand the concept. He searches various references, within which one highlights.
Falling in love: emotional state of product of joy, in which one person feels powerfully attracted to another, giving the satisfaction of someone who can understand and share as many things as life brings. From the biochemical point of view, it is a process that begins in the cerebral cortex, passes to the endocrine system and transforms into physiological responses and chemical changes caused in the hypothalamus by the segregation of dopamine.
The infatuation is based on gestures and emotional, motor, sexual, intellectual and instinctive communication. Gestures are physically-based as well, and are carried out by moving, looking, caressing and talking.
Pepper seems to read the surprise in his eyes. "It's okay, honey." Her voice is sweet and soft. "It's one of the best stages of life."
Tony watches the situation with a new light of pride inflating his chest. He smiles openly, getting up to look for his most expensive whiskey so he can toast with it.
"My son is becoming a man! I'm so proud," Tony declares pouring the liquor into the glass.
"Oh!" She shrugs a little; she wasn't sure that Tony would react like that.
His reaction becomes much more enthusiastic when he stops to Vision over. Pepper can almost see the light bulb appear over his head. She waits for him to tell her his brilliant idea.
He doesn't disappoint her.
"This is the part where I give him the talk about the birds and the bees , right?" Tony smiles at his own comment. Vision blinks and narrows his eyes. "My son was born yesterday, and today he is growing..."
"I was born th..." Vision interrupts him.
"No, it's important." Tony dismisses it with a wave of his hands, continuing his monologue. "Yeah, you inherited Bruce's dork side," Tony frowns. However, the smile returns to his lips as he speaks. "But the intelligence and amazing good looks come from me," Tony declares proudly, strutting like a peacock. "You'll drive her crazy, she'll fall so fast for you that she won't know what hit her!"
Vision sighs audibly at such a perspective and shakes his head. "In no way would I like Ms Maximoff to lose her sanity or be hurt because of me."
Tony laughs, clearly amused.
Pepper comes to his defense. "Tony means he's sure you'll get to win her affections if that's what you really want."
"That means... "
"The sensation you experience may be reciprocal or one-sided, Vision." Pepper says.
Vision exhales. Maybe she doesn't feel this way. Maybe he doesn't either, and it's only temporary.
He's taken out of his trance by the movement of his creator through the workshop to refill his glass.
Tony takes a sip of his drink, winks at his girlfriend and speaks as if understood in the matter. "For example, Pepper really couldn't resist my charms."
"Resist," she teases with an amused smile playing on her lips as she looks him. "Ignore."
Tony looks at her indignantly. "She rejected me a total of 108 times."
Pepper smiles at him, totally in love. "But in the end it was completely worth it."
Tony shakes his head slowly, a lazy smirk curling one corner of his mouth. "I'd be rejected another 108 times if it meant being with you forever," He declares, with love floating in each of his words.
She can't help but smile broadly at him.
The android observes their intriguing exchange, his memories of Jarvis allowing him to see first-hand the full development of the relationship between them. And, by detailing the dynamics of everything, he can't help thinking that what he is seeing is what the books describe as love.
Is that what he's feeling; even like that?
He doesn't know.
Maybe not.
Probably not.
His chest contracts. She can't be in love with him.
She'll never fall in love with an android, a synthetic being.
But hope leaps into his mind. Could it happen?
It's hours later when Vision lies in a world of dreams (induced by an extroverted mind and a great help on FRIDAY'S part) on the big bed in one of the main rooms of the Stark Tower when the chestnut-haired man begins to sketch his ideas on paper.
Pepper, at his side, gives him a questioning look.
"Easy peasy." Tony clicks his tongue. "He just has to conquer the girl."
Pepper looks at his strangely as he passes. "What do you mean?"
"People who were born to be together end up together at the end," he assures her with total naturalness.
"In what way?" she ventures to ask, knowing that the answers Tony is giving are as ambiguous as any bad romance novel.
"I have a plan for Vision to conquer the witch; a couple of tips."
"Tony's plan, right?"
"Exactly! All my ideas are infallible, Pep."
"Whatever you say. This could probably end up being a mess, a lot of bad ideas put together."
"So, you're signing up?" Tony smiles amusedly.
"Of course." She kisses him on the cheek. "Count on me. "
"Robo Son, we're going to help you... do you agree with the plan?" asks Tony as soon as he approaches Vision's bed.
"You know, he can't answer," Pepper laughs.
Tony shrugs, the word 'prank' reading in his expression. "All the more reason why he can't refuse later."
The beginning of the plan. How to Conquer Wanda and Not Die Trying.
TBC..
I hope you are with me in this story. There is a fun trip to tell.
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Feel free to let me know what you think. Questions, suggestions, opinions, anything goes.
Kisses and hugs.