AN: Enjoy!


Though Vision told her she didn't have to rush off, Wanda hadn't stayed long after eating her juice pop and drinking the tea he had remade for her.

She didn't want to cross anymore lines. Though they had laughed it off together, she knew she had embarrassed him. The pink hadn't quite faded from his cheeks for the rest of her visit (it wasn't until a much, much later point in time that Vision told her this had nothing to do with Wanda's cleavage question, and everything to do with watching her eat a juice pop).

Still, he had kissed her on the cheek again as she left, and Wanda found herself trying very hard not to skip back to her car. She had no reason to skip. Friends kissed each other on the cheek all the time, right?

Still.. She was happy. She'd found some sort of confidence in the Scarlet Witch.


Wanda didn't change out of the outfit until she went to bed that night. And when October rolled around, and she got to become the Scarlet Witch every time she had a shift at the store, Wanda found herself almost enjoying going to work.. Almost.

Because in her job she still had to deal with her fair share of idiots.. For example, the men who came into the store trying to hit on her because she was wearing a slightly sexy costume. But.. not every man who came into the store was an idiot.

She may have been imagining it, but it seemed like Vision was visiting her at work more often. Usually with Viv, but a few times he had come by himself.. passing through, on his way to do other errands, he said. Just stopping by for a quick 'hello'. Reminding her, rather often, how nice her costume was.

This wasn't anything unusual, right? Just a by-product of their becoming closer.. As friends. Good friends. Maybe even best friends. But friends was all they were.


On the day before Halloween, when Mantis had arrived to relieve her after working the Morning shift, Wanda left the store, crashing right into Vision as he was coming in.

"Oof! Sorry.. oh, Hey Vizh."

"Hello, Wanda.. I was just coming to.."

"Say Hello?" Wanda chuckled. "I've just finished.."

"Oh.." Vision looked a little lost, like he wasn't sure what to do next.

For a moment, Wanda found herself wondering whether his 'other errands' had ever actually existed, and he'd just been making excuses to see her more often.. But that couldn't be it. Whatever the reason for his slightly odd behavior, she felt the need to remedy it.

"I was going to drop by the Food Court and grab a bite to eat before I left" She told him. "You could come with me, if you like.. If you have time, between all your errands."

"Errands?" Vision stared blankly for a moment, then jumped. "Right, errands! I've uh.. already finished my errands for Today."

"Come on, then" Wanda chuckled and turned in the direction of the Mall's food court, gesturing for him to follow her. "I'll buy you Lunch, I owe you."

"You don't have to.." Vision frowned.

"I know, but I want to."


Soon after, Wanda and Vision sat together at a table for two, eating burgers in the Food Court, sharing an order of fries. This close to Halloween, other employees were also in costume, so Wanda's outfit did not stand out too much.

Though they were in a crowded Mall, this was the most alone together that they had ever been, and there was something strangely intimate about sharing food. They both blushed slightly as their fingers brushed against each other in the fry packet, although both also tried to ignore this.

"Viv wants to give you a drawing she made at Pre-School" said Vision, by way of distraction. "Of you as the Scarlet Witch."

"Really?" Wanda found herself smiling. Viv was so sweet.

"Mmhm" Vision swallowed another mouthful. "I offered to bring it to you, but she said she would rather give it to you herself next time you come over."

"Well, I will make sure to visit again soon" Wanda smiled.

"She.. We would like that.." Vision smiled back, then seemed to become slightly nervous. "Wanda, I've been meaning to.. um.. I've been meaning to.. maybe.. ask you something.."

He paused hesitating, and Wanda was about to say that he could ask her anything, when she was jolted by a pair of hands suddenly leaning on the table, just missing the remaining half of her burger.

"Hey, Babe.. Nice costume" The owner of the hands crooned, a slimy quality to the voice. Wanda looked up to see a man around her age with dark, messy hair, showing of a set of slightly yellow teeth in an unpleasant grin. Just the type of sleezeball she might have let take her home when she went out drinking her troubles away, a habit she had almost entirely abandoned.

"Um.. Hello.." Wanda cringed away from the man.

"How about you ditch the loser and come eat with me instead?" The man continued, undaunted.

Vision's cheeks flared red, and he suddenly became very interested in his shoes. Wanda glared at the intruder.

"He's worth ten of you."

Vision's eyes flickered back to Wanda, and he was now blushing for an entirely different reason.

The man frowned for a moment, then his eyes glinted with malice, wicked grin widening.

"Oh, come on.. I know what kind of girl you are."

"What?" Wanda frowned.

"A buddy of mine took you home from a bar a few months ago" The intruder continued, smirking. "And he wasn't the only one. You're always shit-faced enough that you go home with just about any guy who tries it on.."

Shame washed over Wanda, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. To her, her days of drunk, meaningless sex were beginning to feel far away, but this was a painful reminder that they were not so long ago.

"Don't talk to her like that" suddenly Vision was standing, and for a moment, he reminded Wanda of Pietro, defending her from playground bullies when they were children. But where Pietro had burned with white-hot rage, Vision simmered, a more tranquil Fury.

"Why?" The other man had sneered. "It's true, she knows it is. Or are you just jealous because the little slut won't open her legs for you?"

CRACK!

The simmering fury boiling over, Vision had punched the man in the face.

Without thinking, Wanda stood and grabbed Vision's hand. The incident was beginning to draw the attention of other customers in the Food Court.

"Run."

"What?" Vision blinked, a little shocked by what he had just done.

The idiot was getting up, and he looked pissed. Wanda knew he was the type of man who wouldn't appreciate a bruised ego.

"Vizh, run!"

When Vision still didn't move, Wanda ran, dragging him with her, and within a few moments, Vision's feet instinctively moved to run with her.

"You'll pay for that!" came a gurgling yell, followed by the sound of feet behind them.

Wanda looked back at their pursuer. Blood was spilling from the man's mouth.. it appeared as though Vision had knocked one of his teeth out. She sped up, shouting for customers to get out of the way, still dragging Vision. Though he was running, he seemed slightly stunned.

They passed by Double B, just as Bucky was carrying a pre-ordered cake to the woman working in the store across from him. Though the baker dodged Wanda and Vision as they passed by, he 'accidentally' blocked the path of their pursuer.

"Oops, so sorry sir!" Bucky tried not to smirk.

Wanda gave him a thumbs-up over her shoulder.

"Out of the way, idiot!" The man shrieked.

They kept running to the Mall's exit, and out into the light of day.

"Vizh, where's your car?" Wanda asked him.

"Hmm?"

"Your car, Vizh, quickly!"

"Oh.. This way!" Vision snapped out of it long enough to pull Wanda to his car, unlocking it so they could both get in.

Wanda dived into the passenger side and put on her seat belt, her chest heaving from the effort of running so far. Vision managed to buckle his own seat belt before shock seemed to overtake him once again. Unfortunately, they were still being followed.

"Vizh!" Wanda yelled, as the furious man sped towards the car, "Drive!"

"Oh, right!" Vision snapped out of it again, finally started the car and pealed out of the mall parking lot, leaving their shrieking pursuer behind (Once again, it wasn't until a much later point in time that he told Wanda that his second trance had nothing to do with shock, and everything to do with the minor distraction of Wanda's heaving busom in a corset).