Chapter 8

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Eventually, Tony, Rhodes, Natasha and myself signed, whereas Wanda remained uncertain. Sam was adamant on not signing, and branded Natasha and myself traitors before leaving with Steve.

Natasha took off to London as a last ditch attempt to convince Steve to sign. She planned to travel to Vienna after that, to represent the Avengers regarding the accords at the United Nations conference.

Mr. Stark eyed me meaningfully, subtly gesturing to Wanda as if to remind me of our previous conversation. I nodded, pressing my lips together at the unpleasant task, and wondering how long I could last without revealing to her that she's supposedly my prisoner. He left with Rhodes, leaving the entire compound to Wanda and myself.

We sat idly in the living room. Wanda stared through the windows in daydream, deep in thought.

"Shall we watch a film?" I suggested. "Matilda, perhaps?"

"Maybe later, Vis'" she replied, not unkindly. "I have a lot to think about." She gestured to the Sokovia Accords on the coffee table.

After a moment, she looked at me curiously. "What is your reason to sign the accords?"

I paused, trying to decide where to start. "When outsiders view our world, they see a soft fleshy thing, guarded by powerful creatures. Earth is perceived as a prize to be gained because we provide them with a fascinating challenge. The more battles we win, the more irresistible our planet grows. However, if it were known that these mighty beings were controlled, tamed even, our world would no longer hold that appeal. I want to protect life, and signing these accords could lead to a decrease of world catastrophes. If this means surrendering my freedom, so be it."

She didn't reply for a moment, but I could see her twirling my words around in her head, and observing the images of our vulnerable blue planet flashing through my mind. "You're speaking on a universal scale. What about within the world? Wouldn't murderers and terrorists fear us if we remained 'untamed'?" She rebut.

I shook my head. "We've caused enough fear, Wanda. And enough collateral damage. It is time the world started trusting us again."

She paused a few moments longer. "You have a point." She murmured. "But I want to hear Steve's side of this as well."

"Understandable"

She sighed in exasperation. "All this is giving me a headache. You know what? Let's watch the movie."

My lips twitched into a smile. "I shall get the popcorn."

***

The film ended, and the credits played. A question burned at the back of my mind. "So you remind Captain Rogers of Matilda, because she is able to move physical objects with her mind?"

"Probably, yes." She nodded distractedly.

I scoffed. "As lovable as Matilda may be, I do not see much of a resemblance. You are far more powerful."

"And dangerous." She murmured under her breath.

"Absolutely" I complimented her heartily. She responded with a skeptical glance from the corner of her eye, and I immediately realised the insensitivity of my comment. I changed topic.

"The woman. She was a teacher. But signing a document allowed her to become a maternal figure to Matilda."

"Mm-hmm" Wanda hummed. "It's called adoption."

I pondered that. "This means that the ability to create offspring is not required to develop a family."

She gave me a sideways look. "Is that what you want? A family?"

"I don't know" I answered honestly. "I think it's company I desire. The eradication of the solitude. I used to believe I like being alone, but spending time with you all has encouraged me to value friendship."

She smiled soppily. "You sound just like a Disney movie" she teased, reaching forward to nudge my shoulder in habit. I immediately adjusted my density to soften the impact on her hand.

"Disney. That is another film we'll have to watch one day." I suggested.

"Films" Wanda corrected. "Many, many films. And maybe we will."

We sat in a comfortable silence. I studied her features quietly. Her hair was a pitch black, contrasting sharply with paper white skin, from which I understood how the term 'Witch' had derived from. But there was a softness to her that I found admirable; warm hazel eyes filled with light, the dainty bow of pink lips, and hair that fell in silken waves. I imagined her smile and laughter from earlier today, and a blooming sensation unfolded within my chest.

I wondered why I was so taken by something so superficial as a physical appearance. According to this rationality, I should find Captain Roger's sky blue eyes and Natasha's swaying hips just as mesmerising. As beautiful as those features were however, they paled in comparison to the woman that sat beside me, munching on popcorn.

"Vision?" She intoned, like a teacher calling out a naughty child. "Your emotions... what are you thinking about?"

I opted for the frank truth. "Wanda, I believe I'm beginning to find you attractive."

She choked, hacking vigorously on a popcorn kernel. I considered assisting her with the Heimlich manoeuvre, but thought better of it when her coughing subsided.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes" she wheezed, eyes watering. "Just taken by surprise, that's all."

I backtracked. "Have I said something distressing? I apologise, if that is the ca-"

She shook her head. "No no -it's fine. Just be careful when you say that to people, they may not take it lightly."

Her advice confused me. "But my attraction does not seem to extend to others."

Wanda sighed in exasperation, but a hint of smile touched her face briefly. "You need to learn and understand your emotions Vis'."

She shuffled around so she faced me, her expression hesitant. "After Pietro died, I was in a dark place. I yelled at everyone to leave me alone and locked myself in my room. Eventually they did leave me, but you persisted everyday"

I justified her actions. "When humans are emotionally distressed, they tend to say things they don't truly mean."

Wanda smiled sadly. "You weren't very emotionally intelligent at the time, but I could read that in you. Your 'protocols' told you that it wasn't okay to leave someone to suffer, and you never gave up on helping me out of my dark place, no matter how badly I treated you." Her smile fell.

I quickly reached for a response. "I assure you, you need not feel bad. I did not have the ability to experience offence or hurt at the time."

She scoffed, indicating that she'd caught my lie. "You helped me, and I began to rely on you. I was nothing to you, simply a person among millions to protect. Yet I felt myself grow attached to you. You were the only one here that truly wasn't afraid of me, so I used your company to fill the hole Pietro had left me with. As you developed your emotional intelligence though, I realised that you'd eventually be able to experience affection one day, and I felt happy." Her lips twitched into a hopeful half-smile.

"I do feel affection." I urged, feeling a bubbly happiness in my abdomen. As an android, I never considered a situation where anyone else would be willing to form a deeper bond of friendship with me, let alone Wanda. Very few people even saw me as more than a mindless robot.

She sighed. "No Vis', you don't. What you feel is stronger. And it's beginning to frustrate me that you don't even understand what it is."

Before I could think of a response to that, she yawned and sprang up from the leather couch. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning." She gifted me a soft smile before retiring to her bedroom.

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