AN: So I posted this on Tumblr and didn't think much of it but my friend really liked it and suggested I put it one here. I might turn this into a collection of one-shots but I haven't decided. I know this is short but I hope you like it anyway.

Goodbye - Part One

Despite the fire in front of him, Vision was shivering and he had never felt colder in his life. His heart was pounding in his chest and the breaths he took were too fast and too shallow, as if he were drowning. The Avengers had received a message from Thanos that night, carved into the body of a young woman who had helped them find the location of the Titan's gauntlet a mere two days ago. Her face had been so unrecognizable that the only way to identify her had been from her dental records.

But Vision's fear had nothing to do with the woman they had unconsciously sent to her death, and more to do with the message etched down her back, promising they wouldn't suffer the same fate if the Mind stone was handed over; the same stone that had sat in the centre of Vision's forehead since the day he had been born.

Out of the new allies and old, only few had even considered handing him over to Thanos, but the thought of his friends – no – family, suffering to protect him for a few days longer, sent Vision into a blind panic. Almost unintentionally, he floated out the cave that provided their makeshift shelter, and sat watching the sun die for what he guessed would be the last time.

His breath stalled slightly when he realised someone had joined him, and was wrapping their arms around him protectively. When he recognised the wedding ring fixed securely around a delicate finger, he forced his breath to come in even breaths, before turning to face his wife.

The corners of Wanda's lips turned up in a weak attempt at a smile, before she pulled her husband into her arms, holding him tightly, "We'll figure something out," she whispered, "I swear I won't let him have you."

Incapable of words, Vision merely pulled closer, resting his head on Wanda's shoulder, keeping her from seeing the tortured expression on his face. He had known what he had to do as soon as he had seen the message, but his selfish side had convinced him to spend a few more hours with the people he loved before he left. And it had been worth it – to hear Wanda's rich accent when she called out his name, to see the way her chocolate eyes lit up whenever she saw him, to smell the sweet, familiar scent of the strawberry shampoo she used in her hair, to feel the cool of her wedding ring against his skin when she reached out to him.

But that particular embrace, Vision tried to memorise.

Eventually, Wanda had to pull away and the spell was broken. Reality crushed down on the android mercilessly and he stepped back, regretting staying because it would make it all the harder for him to leave.

"What would I do without you?" he asked her honestly, mapping her every feature out in his mind to keep forever.

She really did smile then, and no matter how small it was, it still managed to make his heart flutter knowing it was he who could make her smile like that, "Probably find another pretty girl to moon over," she joked, unknowingly making his heart sink.

"There could never be anyone else for me," he told her, deadly serious, "I can't live without you," which is why I have to do this, he thought bitterly.

She moved back towards him then, so they were standing with their toes touching, "I know," she murmured, placing her hands on his shoulders, her breath tickling his cheek, "You're mine, and I'm yours," she said, before she pressed her lips to his softly, kissing him gently, trying to show her support, knowing he's struggling with recent events.

Vision could have stayed with her until the sun rose and he had to leave, but his wife shivered in his arms and pulled back, "I'm cold," she admitted, "Come inside soon?" she asked, and when she received a nod, he got one final peck before he had to watch her go back into the cave, taking his security and strength with her.

He hadn't cried many times in his life, but as his light disappeared just like the glow behind him, his eyes began to sting. Steeling his shoulders, he then launched himself into the air and blamed the tears that streamed down his face on the harsh winds that tore at his eyes.

Luckily for him, Thanos hadn't tried to hide and the whole world was watching the large throne he had built in the remains of New York tensely, waiting for him to make a move and destroy the planet, like so many others had tried to.

On his journey to the once beautiful city (which had originally convinced him of life's importance) Vision retreated into the memory of one summer's afternoon when Wanda had taken him on a picnic in a small park, far from prying eyes. Her hair had shone in the sunlight and her eyes had sparkled – he remembered being left breathless by her beauty. As they ate their various favourite foods, he had suggested they get married. He hadn't planned to propose that day, but the grin that broke out on her face had made all his doubts disappear.

It was that smile that kept him moving forward, and was all he could think about when he touched down on the rubble that covered the city like a blanket. Towering before him was the figure of the Titan Thanos.

"I didn't think you would be foolish enough to come here," he told Vision, surprise with a mixture of smugness in his eyes.

Vision rose up towards Thanos' face slowly, "That's love," he simply replied, closing his eyes, the image of Wanda floating before him in the darkness becoming all that he could see. He had never removed the Mind stone, but he knew what would happen if it were no longer a part of him.

The chuckle that escaped the Titan's lips disgusted the android but he remained silent, letting the memory of Wanda humming in the shower fill his ears. Through the calm he had created to surround himself, he felt a blinding pain as the Mind stone was removed, and he fell to the ground. As the life drained from him, he smiled at his wife, who in his mind was embracing him tightly.

Miles away, Wanda fell to her knees with a scream as the mind of her husband was ripped away from hers. She staggered outside to where she had left him, and under the stars a golden wedding band lay in the dirt. She knew what Vision had done and the thought that brought her most pain was that no matter what she did, she would never see him again.