It was a rainy autumn night in Edinburgh when Wanda Maximoff had a nightmare.
She sat up with a scream, her breaths were rapid.
Vision sat up beside her immediately and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. He wiped tears away from her cheeks before he kissed her hand and coaxed her to lie back down beside him and relax.
Wanda curled into Vision on the bed, her head rested against his shoulder. Vision rubbed her arms for comfort. A small sob escaped Wanda's lips and Vision kissed her forehead before he pulled her tighter.
"There was so much death, Vizh," Wanda explained, shakily. "Our friends, random strangers… all dead. Children were parentless, friends were lost, siblings were separated, lovers were devastated. It was terrible." Her tears began again at the thought.
Vision tightened his embrace around her even more. "Shh, Wanda. It's all right. It was only a nightmare: an awful, vivid nightmare."
Wanda's eyes were wide and full of pain. "Vision, the sadness, the pain was all so palpable, I could practically taste it. It didn't feel like a dream, it all felt real. Even the animals and plant life were gone." She buried her head into Vision's shoulder as if to hide from the memory.
Vision comforted still, "you are safe in our apartment, with me. Nothing has happened, we are warm and safe here in our bed."
Wanda looked up at Vision, her voice shook as she spoke, "I know we are, but…" Her voice trailed off.
She threw the covers off of herself and jumped out of bed. She padded her way across the floor to the window. She pulled back one of the curtains to survey her surroundings. The city was quiet, but very much alive. The vines on the side of their building were still thriving. A loan car passed their building, and a young man walked his rather large dog on the sidewalk. There were lights on inside buildings and curtains drawn in windows. Signs that everything was right with the world.
Wanda let out a sigh and let go of the curtain. She knew her nightmare was just that, but reassurance was always nice.
Vision stepped beside her and put a hand on the small of her back. He was her favorite piece of reassurance. "Just a nightmare, Wanda," he whispered.
She spun around and wrapped her arms around Vision. Her arms twisted around his back so quickly he stumbled backward. Vision caught his balance and happily returned her hug. There was nowhere else either of them would rather be.
Wanda closed her eyes and buried her face in Vision's "sleep" shirt. He didn't need to sleep, but insisted of having pajamas to wear when laying beside Wanda at night. She inhaled his scent, never having been more grateful for his presence.
Vision glanced out the window through a slit in the curtains to see what Wanda saw. He saw another car, he saw the same young man and his dog, and he saw the vines growing up their building. He noticed the vines were beginning to cover parts of their window.
They were so intricate crawling up the building, the leaves weaved in and out and grew strong together. The very edges of the leaves were beginning to redden with the cooler weather of the season. They were lovely.
Vision squeezed Wanda and gently picked her up and placed her in bed. He slipped in beside her and they gravitated toward each other as they always did. His arms wrapped around her again, she wrapped an arm around him and placed her other hand on his cheek. She wrapped her leg around his, trying to be as close as possible to him. She was finally relaxed and at peace after that nightmare, and she fell fast asleep.
Vision watched her as she slept. Her breathing was deep and steady, and her hair fell lightly over her face. He turned his head and kissed the hand she had on his cheek. He removed one of his arms from her torso and entwined his fingers with hers. She made sure she was as close to him as possible before she fell asleep. Vision smiled, he made her feel safe.
That feeling was mutual.
Knowing Wanda was all right beside him, Vision looked through the crack in the curtains again. From his position on the bed he couldn't see the vines well, but he knew they were there. Each vine intertwined together to grow higher, to grow stronger.
The vines reminded him of his relationship with Wanda. He looked down at her beside him, she was literally intertwined with him right now. Vision chuckled at the realization. Yes, intertwined and together. Together the could accomplish more.
Together they were stronger.
My first time participating in SVAD. I was having a tough time deciding on what to write with such a beautiful and specific theme. I went with a simile approach, literal and figurative set BEFORE Infinity War, because I am still in pain. I can't wait to see what every one else has created!