"Brother? Isn't my brother you?" Wanda asked, her brows furrowing slightly.
She tilted her head, eyes searching Luke's face. There was something off about him, his usual calm and aloof mask had slipped. His expression carried a weight, a hesitation that she rarely ever saw.
Luke gave a helpless smile and exhaled slowly. "Yes, I am your brother… but I'm talking about your other brother. Your twin."
The words struck her like a hammer.
Wanda blinked, stunned, her lips parting in disbelief. She had grown up with the constant ache of being an orphan; no family, no roots, nothing. And now he's saying she has a twin? Impossible. She reached out, placing the back of her cool hand against Luke's forehead.
"Do you have a fever?" she asked seriously. "Since when do I have a twin brother? I grew up in an orphanage. I'm an orphan."
Luke didn't bother continuing the argument. He didn't know what twists of fate had put Wanda in that orphanage. He didn't even know what truly happened in his own childhood. He wasn't the original Luke after all, he was a transmigrator, someone who had only woken up in this world as a teenager.
Instead of trying to explain the inexplicable, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I'll take you to see him."
Not immediately, though. Pietro was still lying in recovery, unconscious. Luke wanted to wait until he woke, to make sure there was no damage to his mind.
Later that night, he called Fury, instructing him to take special care of Pietro. "Not normal care," Luke warned. "Precautions. If he bolts, you'll have a hell of a time catching him."
Fury promised arrangements, though Luke also added a pointed reminder: "And don't let him near Stark. He doesn't like him. That'll only make things harder."
…
Three Days Later
Dr. Cho finally reported that Pietro's head trauma had healed well and his ankle was fully mended.
Luke took Wanda to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters himself.
By now Wanda had had time to digest the news, and outwardly she was calm. But when she finally stepped into Pietro's ward, the fragile calm shattered.
Her chest tightened. Her eyes stung.
Pietro, sitting up in bed, froze when he saw her. And though they had never truly met, though more than ten years separated them, the connection was instant.
Twins.
Not ordinary twins, twins whose very blood carried special powers.
Wanda's Chaos Magic resonated faintly, as though whispering confirmation. This young man was definitely connected to her, her brother, her family.
And Pietro… he felt it too. Long ago, before the orphanage, before the pain, he remembered his parents mentioning a sister. A twin he had lost. And now, here she was, her face a reflection of his, her presence filling the gap in his heart he had never understood.
Their eyes met and tears welled. Neither spoke at first, they didn't need words. The recognition was instinctual, soul-deep.
Luke quietly caught Fury's gaze and gave a small nod. Together, they stepped outside, leaving the siblings the privacy they deserved.
Wanda turned slightly, catching Luke's retreating back. Her vision blurred with tears, but through them she smiled, a smile full of gratitude and happiness.
'He found him for me. He found my brother.'
…
Luke, however, felt an unease creep into his chest.
He had always told himself Wanda was his little sister, and he believed it. He prided himself on his restraint. If he hadn't, their lives under one roof would have taken a very different turn long ago. He'd even avoided using his x-ray glasses on her, a temptation he never resisted with anyone else.
But now… now that she had her blood brother back, he realized something troubling.
Vision.
According to the timeline, it wouldn't be long before Tony and Banner created Ultron. Ultron would lead to Vibranium. Vibranium would lead to the body. And that body would become Vision.
And Vision… Vision would be linked to Wanda.
Luke's face darkened.
He clenched his jaw. No. Absolutely not.
He could lie to himself all he wanted about being the protective older brother, but the thought of Wanda ending up with someone else, and even worse, with a machine, made his blood boil.
He had just found her brother, he wasn't willing to find her a boyfriend.
The idea that he would stand by and let another man, let alone an android, step into her life was laughable.
Fuck that.
His decision was instant. Ruthless.
He would strangle Vision in the womb if he had to.
And he definitely wasn't jealous, he would never admit it!
…
Fury, who had been quietly watching Luke's expression shift from satisfaction to simmering anger, felt his stomach twist. He prided himself on reading people, but Luke Yale was unreadable at the best of times. Right now, however, the look in his eyes was downright terrifying, like staring into an abyss.
"Luke… Consultant Yale," Fury ventured carefully. "What else do you want?"
For the first time in a long while, real fear coiled in Fury's chest. Luke might be his ally, but he felt less like a man and more like a god, an unpredictable god who could bless or destroy with a whim.
Luke's voice was cold, sharp as steel. "Director Fury, what are Stark and Banner doing right now?"
Fury hesitated, confused. "They're, ah… celebrating. With the other Avengers. A victory party." He shifted awkwardly. "I was going to attend myself, but-well, you asked me to stay."
Luke's eyes narrowed dangerously. Fury thought at first he was angry about not being invited. But no, this was something else entirely.
The calculation in Luke's gaze sharpened. If the party was tonight, then so was Ultron's birth.
Which meant the countdown to Vision had already begun.
Normally, Luke would welcome it. He could milk the chaos, rack up plot points. But this time was different.
"To hell with the plot," Luke muttered under his breath. "To hell with the points."
He wasn't about to hand Wanda over to a rival. Not even a hypothetical one.
He turned, his decision absolute. "Take me to Stark and Banner's lab."
Fury blinked, caught off guard. "Now? But they're not even there."
Luke's head snapped toward him, and Fury froze. The air grew heavy, as if a storm had entered the room. Luke's eyes locked onto his, and Fury felt a chill run down his spine.
"Take me there," Luke said softly, each word edged in steel, "or I will destroy S.H.I.E.L.D."
The silence that followed was suffocating. It wasn't an empty threat. This was the first time Luke had spoken with such naked hostility, and Fury knew he meant every word.
His throat went dry. Sweat beaded at his temple. He forced a nod, his voice strained. "O-Okay. I'll take you."
And for the first time in a long career of staring down monsters, gods, and madmen, Nick Fury felt small, very small.
…