Marvelous Mutations

Luke could already see it written all over Nick Fury's face.

No way he'd let Sharon go.

She was one of his most trusted agents, not someone he'd send off to be a grocery store assistant.

Not only was Sharon clearly unwilling, but Fury was just as resistant.

"You want an assistant?" Fury said, tone flat. "Fine. I'll arrange someone once I get back to HQ. But you can't have Sharon."

Luke just smiled.

And that smile, calm and confident, started to make Fury uneasy.

'Why's he still grinning?'

'Is Sharon not even his real target?'

'No, that can't be. It's not Romanoff, is it?!'

Fury's mind scrambled for answers.

Then Luke leaned forward, hands on the counter, and said slowly, with that same infuriating grin:

"If you don't give me Sharon, I'm not selling you the eyepatch."

…

Fury almost laughed out loud.

'Is this kid for real?'

'He really thinks I'd trade one of my top agents for a store-bought eyepatch?'

'What a joke.'

He turned to glance at Sharon, then down at the eyepatch in his hand.

His brows furrowed.

No one noticed that, beside the counter, the Lucky Cat's eyes suddenly glowed an eerie red, two sharp flashes like twin lasers.

The moment passed, and Fury's expression tightened.

The longer he held the eyepatch, the more his thoughts shifted.

'Actually… this isn't just any eyepatch.'

It was one of a kind.

He wouldn't find another like it. This piece had… weight.

Besides, Sharon wouldn't be gone permanently. She'd just assist Luke for a while. She'd still be under his command. If a mission came up, he could call her back anytime.

More than that, having Sharon here gave him eyes on Luke. A direct line of surveillance.

'Two birds, one stone'.

'Beautiful!'

A slow smile crept across Fury's normally stoic face.

He turned to Sharon and said, voice full of fake sincerity: "Sharon, assisting Mr. Yale is an important task. I believe only you are suited for it."

Sharon's expression fell.

What?

Just a moment ago, he was saying no.

Now he was handing her over like loose change?

For an eyepatch?

Her stomach turned, but she didn't say a word, just lowered her head silently.

As an agent, she knew how to follow orders. Fury was her superior, and like it or not, she was trained to obey.

So, without protest, she walked behind Luke.

But when she looked at his thin back, a strange thought stirred inside her.

'Maybe… this won't be so bad.'

…

[Ding~ Your assistant Sharon is extremely downhearted, looking for success by relying on goals, and has developed a sense of dependence on you…]

Luke flinched.

His eyes darted toward Sharon.

She was standing silently behind him, eyes downcast… and was that a faint blush on her cheek?

'What the hell?!'

He regretted everything instantly.

'Wanda already clings to me like emotional duct tape! And now another one?!'

'All I wanted was someone to run the counter!'

He sighed, rubbing his temples.

This wasn't part of the plan.

He just wanted a free worker, and okay, yes, maybe to wear his glasses now and then and enjoy the scenery, a little eye candy to sweeten his days, but not this.

Now she had mutated into someone emotionally dependent on him?

Was this going to be another Wanda situation?

Luke let out a deep, resigned sigh, the kind that only men with clingy little sisters and cursed magical cats would understand.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury slid the eyepatch into his pocket like it was treasure.

His entire demeanor changed, gleeful, triumphant, like someone who just hacked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget and got away with it. He would know about such feelings, after all, those secret bases don't build themselves for free.

"Mr. Yale… no, Consultant Yale," Fury said, clearly smug. "I'll be heading out, then?"

Luke barely looked at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Not keeping you for dinner."

Fury gave a satisfied chuckle and turned to leave.

Then Luke's voice rang out behind him:

"Oh, by the way... I'll drop by our headquarters sometime soon."

Fury almost tripped. 'Our?!'

…

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