You’re Still Not Getting Snuggles 20: MVM Ch 20: Sorry, Pietro.
You’re Still Not Getting Snuggles “Pietro, Wanda, are you two ready?” Luca sat on the living room sofa, addressing the twins before him.
Nearly half a month had passed since the missile attack.
Gradually, the children had emerged from the shadow of their parents’ deaths.
Compared to their original timeline counterparts, these two were extraordinarily fortunate.
They hadn’t endured two days and nights trapped with dying parents.
They hadn’t suffered the physical and psychological trauma that followed.
Orphanages, even in developed nations, harbored countless secrets.
In a chaotic country like Sokovia?
The horrors multiplied exponentially.
Bullying, humiliation, abuse… these were daily certainties.
And beneath it all lurked Baron Strucker’s ever-present threat, any orphan might vanish into his laboratory, never to return.
“Brother Luca, are we really leaving here?” Wanda asked timidly.
“Just call me Luca.
” Luca tapped the sofa armrest gently in reminder.
The past two weeks had been exhausting.
First, he’d claimed his predecessor’s inheritance.
Then he’d found buyers for all the real estate.
With nearly a million dollars in inherited assets, what was a little paperwork expense?
Not to mention the authentic Picasso hidden in his safe.
Conservatively valued?
Eight figures at minimum.
“I’m sorry, Brot~Luca!” Wanda apologized quickly.
She understood perfectly, she and her brother survived on this man’s charity.
Their position left no room for error.
“Relax.
Just remember next time.” Luca smiled warmly, reaching out to ruffle her hair and perhaps sneak a quick cheek rub.
He had to admit, the texture was remarkably squishy.
“Sokovia’s constant war makes it no place to build a life.
Our parents died here, that alone is reason enough to leave.” “I think relocating to another country would be best for all of us.” He could simply inform the twins they were leaving, but Luca preferred transparency.
Despite their age, these two possessed adult-level awareness.
Pietro in particular watched him like a hawk every night, as if expecting something nefarious.
Disappointing, really.
A decent person like himself would never commit such atrocities.
He’d need to raise them for several more years first.
“But if we leave…
can we ever come back?” Pietro raised his hand hesitantly.
The first few days after the funeral, he’d suspected Luca might harbor improper intentions toward his sister.
He’d maintained constant vigilance.
Call it precocious if you wished, but such things weren’t uncommon in Sokovia.
In this lawless land, anything could happen.
Luca had no prior connection to these children.
Yet he’d not only saved them but volunteered to adopt them, a generosity that left Pietro deeply conflicted.
Gratitude warred with suspicion… what exactly did this man want?
When Pietro noticed Luca’s tendency to fondle Wanda’s hair and cheeks, he became convinced he’d uncovered the truth.
Those days had been terrifying.
He feared Luca might harm his sister.
Simultaneously, he dreaded being wrong, if his accusations proved false, they might be thrown out entirely.
Two ten-year-olds surviving alone in Sokovia?
Nearly impossible.
After a week of constant anxiety, Pietro finally realized he’d been measuring a gentleman by villain’s standards.
Luca genuinely liked Wanda… purely, innocently.
Nothing like what Pietro had imagined.
“Of course, we can return.
Once Sokovia stabilizes.” Luca nodded.
Apart from the constant warfare, Sokovia’s environment was actually quite pleasant.
Decent vacation spot, even.
“Where are we moving to?” Emboldened by Luca’s lack of anger over his earlier suspicions, Pietro ventured further.
“New York.
World’s greatest metropolis.
You’ve seen it on TV.” Luca tapped the New York travel guide resting on the coffee table.
“New York?” Both children’s eyes lit up simultaneously.
The first genuine excitement they’d shown in two months.
Children’s minds worked simply.
They knew New York as Earth’s largest city, books and television portrayed it as paradise on earth.
All lingering worry washed away in the thrill of relocation.
They packed frantically and followed Luca Quinn to the coast.
Sokovia maintained strict emigration controls due to years of conflict.
Without such restrictions, every wealthy citizen would flee.
Luca’s predecessor’s parents would certainly have left legally if possible.
But strict controls meant nothing without enforcement.
Chaotic nations always bred loopholes.
Luca had contacted smugglers days ago, arranging illegal passage for himself and the twins.
“Just you three?” The ferry boat’s captain stared dumbfounded at the children before him.
Phone conversations with Luca hadn’t included this detail, Sokovia’s primitive network meant most business transacted by voice alone.
“Just us.” Luca understood the captain’s calculation.
People in this line of work weren’t philanthropists.
They robbed, killed, and disposed of bodies at sea.
He remained utterly unconcerned.
Did they really think he’d spent two weeks doing nothing?
“Three passengers means triple the price.” The captain’s expression turned predatory.
Wanda gripped Luca’s hand, trembling.
The ferry crew looked like horror movie villains, the kind used to traumatize children permanently.
Pietro’s legs shook like sieves.
He desperately wanted to press close to Luca like his sister.
Unfortunately, Luca showed no inclination to accommodate him.
Wanda snuggling against him was one thing.
Pietro joining?
Absolutely not.