"So… family, meet the guests," Luke said, standing in the middle of the hall.
He turned slightly and gestured toward the sofa, where Jean and Clarice were sitting side by side. Both of them gave small, awkward waves, clearly unsure how this situation had escalated so quickly.
"This is Jean. And this is Clarice," Luke continued casually, as if introductions between interdimensional travelers were an everyday thing.
Then he shifted his hand toward the others.
"And this is my family," he said. "Selene—someone I met in a world full of vampires and werewolves."
Selene inclined her head slightly, calm and unreadable.
"Alice and Jill," Luke added, pointing toward them next, "who I met in a zombie apocalypse world."
Both of them nodded, already used to absurd situations like this.
"And Esdeath," Luke finished, gesturing last. "You already know her. She's from another world too."
Then he pointed to the woman standing nearby.
"And this is Wanda. She's from this world."
Before anyone could respond, a hand shot up.
"No need to introduce me—" Pietro started.
Luke didn't even look at him. "I left you out on purpose. You don't need an introduction," he said flatly. "That's Pietro. Wanda's brother. Adult body, questionable brain."
Pietro opened his mouth to protest. Closed it again.
Clarice looked around the room, her expression slowly shifting from confusion to disbelief. "So… all of you are from different worlds?"
She counted mentally. One. Two. Three. Four.
They had barely accepted the idea of one parallel world—now there were several standing in front of her.
"Umm," she continued carefully, eyes flicking between Luke and the women around him, "what exactly is the relationship here?"
No hesitation.
"Wife," all four women said at the same time, completely straight-faced.
Clarice froze.
"…Wow," Jean muttered beside her.
Clarice stared, then slowly turned toward Wanda, who looked away with an embarrassed expression, cheeks faintly red.
Five women.
One man.
Same house.
Clarice swallowed.
Did I walk into a different universe, she thought, or into a novel?
Either way, nothing about this situation was normal anymore.
Jean shared the same conclusion. She'd already heard Luke casually mention—far too casually—that he had four wives, but seeing it in front of her was different. What surprised her more wasn't the number, though. It was how… natural it felt between them.
Selene gave them a small, knowing smile.
"You might be confused about what's happening," she said calmly, her tone steady. "Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough."
Wanda nodded beside her. "Yeah. I was just as lost when I first came here." She glanced around the room, then added quietly, "You get used to it."
Jean and Clarice exchanged a look. Whatever this family was, it clearly wasn't new to the people living in it. If anything, it felt like it had simply… expanded.
Before either of them could say anything else, Luke's phone buzzed on the table.
He frowned. Who the hell is calling now?
He picked it up.
"Finally," a familiar voice snapped through the speaker. "Do you have any idea what's been happening while you were off… wherever you disappeared to?"
Luke leaned back against the counter. "Hi to you too, Natasha. Did something happen, or is this just your daily dose of drama? I was on a trip."
"A trip," Natasha repeated flatly. "Right. Well, while you were sightseeing, there've been bombings across the country. Tony Stark was attacked—he's missing. And 5 minutes ago?" She paused. "We lost all communications with the President's plane."
Luke blinked once. "…Okay."
That was it.
Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose on the other end. She'd expected disbelief. At least interest.
"That's your response?" she asked. "Okay?"
Luke shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "Natasha, be honest. What does any of that have to do with me? I'm not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I didn't sign up for this."
There it was—exactly what she'd been worried about. Luke had no obligation to help anyone.
But Fury always did this. Pushing. Pressuring. Forcing her to be the one who made him cooperate, no matter how unreasonable it was.
She hesitated. "We could… use your help."
Luke snorted. "Funny. You didn't seem to need my help when you skipped the date you promised."
Silence.
Then, "You're seriously bringing that up right now?"
"Absolutely," Luke said without missing a beat. "You disappear. No call. No message. And now you're asking for my help, so yeah—I'm going to ask."
He paused, just long enough to let it sink in.
"Should I also ask for you to be delivered to my door? Gift-wrapped. With a bow, maybe?"
His mouth curved slightly. "Early Christmas present."
Natasha stared at the phone.
For a long second, she genuinely considered it. Honestly, it sounded better than her current job—where Fury kept dumping one insane mission after another on her.
At this point, she might as well do what Luke asked.
"…You're unbelievable," she muttered.
Luke smiled.
"So?" Luke said into the phone, voice casual but confident. "Agree or not? If you do, I can wrap all of that up in a day."
Natasha went quiet.
For once, she let herself think about slacking off—stepping away from the endless work, the constant pressure. And this was a golden opportunity. She could ditch the agent life for a while and… maybe go on a date with Luke.
Honestly, even a single date with him sounded happier than anything her job had given her in years.
If Fury asked her to come back, she could tell him everything. Lay it all out. And if he truly wanted her back in the field, then he could convince Luke himself.
Until then, she wasn't moving.
And she was pretty sure Fury wouldn't agree to that—which meant a long, well-earned break.
The thought made her smile. Just a little.
"…Okay," Natasha said at last, and Luke could hear the smile in her voice.
He paused. "Okay what?" he asked. "Yes to the Christmas gift, or yes to the date?"
There was a brief, sharp exhale on the other end—half laugh, half sigh.
The line went dead.
Luke stared at his phone for a second, then slowly lowered it.
"…Rude."
When he turned around, he found Jean and Clarice staring at him.
*****
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