On The Run

Love?

Chapter 12: Love?

He found Vision right where he thought he would-in Wanda's bedroom, sitting on her bed with her guitar in his hand, meticulously plucking out a C chord. "Having fun?"

"Not really. She made it look much easier than it really is," The android's fingers slipped on the guitar strings and he started over, practicing each individual note again and again until he got it right.

"She was giving you lessons?"

"Only a couple, in odd moments. Nothing substantial," He finished the chord correctly and began again, still giving the instrument his usual perfect concentration.

Tony cleared his throat, trying to be as obvious about it as he could. Deep personal chats had never exactly been his cup of tea, but there was no one else to do it and it had to get done. "Vision, we have to talk."

"About my behavior during the fight at Leipzig," the android replied, looking up at him curiously. He didn't take his hands off the guitar, still holding it protectively as if keeping it safe until its owner could come back for it. "Mr. Stark, I cannot apologize enough for becoming distracted at such an inopportune time. I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure it does not happen again-"

"Would you just listen? Please? I'm not here to give you another lecture," He sighed, wondering how best to proceed. This was far out of his league; he didn't have conversations like this. He didn't know the first thing about how to go about doing it. If Pepper was here, he could have asked her...but seeing as she wasn't, he had to do it himself. "Well, not really. I want to ask you a few questions." When he was sure he had Vision's attention he said, "When you said you got distracted in Leipzig...why exactly was that? I mean, usually you're so well put together-nothing ever fazes you. So what happened that day? What threw off your concentration?"

Vision was quiet for a long time, as if trying to find an answer Tony would accept. Before he could make something up-probably a lie-the billionaire continued with"I have a theory. Would you like to hear it," He didn't wait for the android's answer. "I think you were distracted because the girl you love was hurt. You wanted to take care of her and I told you to do something you weren't ready to do. So really, when you think about it, it wasn't your fault. And, if we're really going to follow this train of thought, maybe you shouldn't go around thinking that it is."

"I don't love-"

"Of course you do. Why else would you have agreed to stay at the compound with her? Why else would you feel such an instinctive need to protect her? Why else would you be in her bedroom right now instead of watching us eat pizza downstairs? You're acting exactly like a first time boyfriend. And I fully support that. I mean, it's a little bit strange-and it would certainly help matters if your girlfriend wasn't a fugitive from the law-but I support it, even if you don't. Yet."

"I feel a...connection to her because of the Mind Gem, which gave us both our powers."

"But that's not all there is to it, is there?"

Reluctantly, Vision shook his head,"She is a member of the team; of course, I would do whatever needed to be done to protect her...but there is something else instead. Something...hard to explain. Harder to identify. I don't exactly know what it means; I have never felt anything like it before. All I understand is that whenever I am around her, things like logic and loyalty don't seem to matter as much as they usually do and I sometimes find myself thinking in a way that is not completely rational. Hence Colonel Rhodes's injury."

Knew it. "Is that why you helped her escape?"

His eyes, when he turned to look at him, were completely expressionless, "I'm sorry? I don't believe I know what you're talking about."