I Oppose This Marriage

"We’re rich!"

On the way home, Pietro shouted excitedly, swinging his arms with force. The energetic young man was smartly dressed, his hair neatly slicked back. In just an hour, he had been completely transformed, looking like one of the elite professionals commonly seen on Wall Street.

He slung an arm around Sean’s shoulders, his manner exceedingly warm and his face full of smiles. None of his previous wariness remained; he acted as though they were long-lost brothers.

Why had there been such a dramatic change?

The reason was another check in his hand. Like the pale yellow slip Pietro had received, the only difference was the amount written on it. This one could be exchanged for a five-figure sum of cash at any time.

In Pietro’s eyes, that was practically an astronomical fortune, enough for him and Wanda to live comfortably. Starting a small business or leaving Sokovia to get away from war and poverty were both good options.

Even more astonishingly, Sean had handed it over without the slightest concern, as though tossing away a scrap of waste paper. There was not a trace of reluctance on his face. Pietro began to realize that perhaps the guy Wanda had brought home was not trouble, but a massive gold mine.

"…So that doctor recognized you as some rich guy, then wanted to hire you as senior management?"

Even after repeating it many times, Pietro still found it unreal. He held the check over his head, planning to cash it at the bank later, afraid this was like last night’s beautiful dream and that he would wake up to find it had all been an illusion.

"Let me correct you. He recognized me as a scholar from the State University of New York, engaged in biological research. Apparently, I was even featured on the cover of Time Magazine—I saw the issue, and the person on it really was me."

Sean shrugged and spoke with a perfectly serious expression. He had decided to take part in Baron Strucker’s enhanced-human experiments and contribute to Hydra’s great cause.

The power of the Mind Stone needed to be thoroughly understood. With no test subjects available, borrowing Hydra’s resources seemed reasonable enough. Surely they would not mind.

"It’s all the same. You’re rich either way."

Pietro did not care much. In his limited vocabulary, there were probably only two simple concepts: the rich and the poor. Sean, whose true identity was a scientist from the United States, undoubtedly belonged to the former.

They returned to the shabby old house. Pietro, newly transformed from head to toe, casually kicked aside a loose brick with his gleaming new dress shoes, revealing a key underneath.

The apartment building near the abandoned factory reeked of decay. Built from red bricks, its walls had long been mottled and faded by wind and rain. Much of the paint on the iron railings had peeled away under years of sunlight. The damp corner beneath the building had been neglected, covered in slick moss, and everything carried the air of old, crumbling ruin.

"Maybe we can move somewhere better," Pietro said, filled with boundless anticipation.

They could find a nicer apartment and move in, instead of crowding into this tiny old place. Maybe they could even buy a Cadillac. That had been his dream when he was young.

When Wanda came home from work and learned the news, Pietro’s dream, which had lasted six hours, came to an end. Wanda dragged her brother into the room and gave him a long, thorough lecture.

"You didn’t have to do this."

Sean smiled as he stood on the rooftop, looking at Wanda as she handed the check back to him. Living amid poverty and hardship yet still retaining kindness and self-respect was truly rare.

She reminded the young man of Captain America, the man named Steve Rogers. He had not been born tall and strong. On the contrary, he had been thin and small, unable even to pass the military physical.

Yet that little man had become the one and only Super Soldier. He had not let ambition devour his reason like Red Skull, nor had he gone down the Green Goblin’s path, letting slaughter rule his body and mind and using violence to solve everything. Captain America had always been unique, true to himself and steadfast in his principles.

"We shouldn’t accept your charity… Pietro was just carried away. I brought you in from outside, but if it had been someone else…" Wanda said haltingly.

"They would have emptied my wallet and thrown me out onto the street. Wanda, I’m very grateful to you. This money means nothing, because what you did was far beyond anything money could repay."

Sean cut off the girl’s words. He wanted to give the siblings something in return, at least to keep them from becoming Baron Strucker’s test subjects and turning into monsters born of hatred.

In the original timeline, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch had suffered difficult fates. Because of their parents’ tragic deaths, the siblings deeply hated Tony Stark and voluntarily joined Baron Strucker’s enhanced-human experiments, becoming two of the few successful survivors.

Later, when the Ultron crisis broke out, they stood against the Avengers. Yet because of Ultron’s evil plan to destroy humanity, they chose to set aside their hatred for the time being and resolutely helped the Avengers. Quicksilver died saving Hawkeye Barton, while the Scarlet Witch nearly ended up in prison during the Civil War.

Sean’s arrival was like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing what should have happened. The Mind Stone had fallen into his hands, and the Ultron crisis had been strangled in its cradle. Since he had encountered these siblings who depended on each other, lending them a hand was no big deal.

After all, in the future landscape, whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, both would ultimately be eliminated by the new era.

"If you feel bad about it, you can join the research team. Data from twins is hard to come by."

Sean looked at Wanda, who stood frozen in place, while the phantom gem in his mind flickered.

He was very curious about how the Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch born from his own hands would differ from the originals.

Wanda’s large eyes blinked as she met the young man’s deep gaze. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, her mind and consciousness abruptly falling into confusion as inexplicable emotions surged like a tide.

Involuntarily, she thought of last night’s fairy-tale dream. Perhaps it had been an omen.

Sean’s eyes seemed filled with magic, swirling with endless illusions of birth and destruction, life and death. Most people would instinctively want to avoid them, but Wanda found them exceptionally alluring.

The night breeze drifted past, carrying fresh air. The two remained on the rooftop, chatting about amusing things they had seen and experienced. Their happy laughter carried far into the distance.

"If that guy dares lay a hand on her, I’ll beat him flat! Don’t think some lousy check can buy me off!"

Pietro pressed his ear to the rooftop’s iron door, muttering nonstop under his breath.

A young wealthy man from America had met an innocent girl from the backwoods. That was not the beginning of a good story.

As Wanda’s brother, Pietro had already imagined a whole series of tragic scenes in which Sean abandoned her after having his way, leaving his sister to raise their child alone.

"Too terrifying… I oppose this marriage." He shook his head hard, throwing away the jumble of thoughts.