Frost International Tower – Penthouse, Night
Emma Frost leaned in close, breath trembling as her lips neared Lance's. Her body pressed against his as her hands cradled his face. His breath hitched slightly—not out of surprise, but the kind of acceptance that meant this moment had been waiting to happen for years.
Then—
Click.
The elevator doors opened with a chime.
Kayla Silverfox, dark-haired and fierce in leather pants and a sleeveless tactical shirt, stepped out holding a folder. She froze mid-step. Her eyes locked onto the sight of Emma straddling Lance.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kayla (deadpan): "Well. I see you're keeping your work-life balance... warm."
Emma straightened instantly, color flushing her usually-icy cheeks. She gracefully slid off Lance's lap, smoothing her robe, attempting casual composure.
Emma (coolly): "You could knock, Kayla."
Kayla (smirking): "I live here too. Or have you conveniently forgotten the penthouse is in our name?"
Lance exhaled, adjusting his collar like a man who just avoided stepping on a landmine.
Lance: "This is why I don't keep a calendar. You both keep walking in on each other trying to murder or seduce me."
Emma (flat): "You say that like the two are mutually exclusive."
Kayla (mock serious): "You're not helping."
Lance (playfully sighs): "I'm gonna need a second penthouse... in orbit."
Emma folded her arms. Kayla crossed hers. Neither backed down. The unspoken tension between the Frost-Silverfox sisters was more than sibling rivalry—it was a cold war of affections with Lance at the center.
He rose to his feet, planted a kiss on Emma's forehead, then turned and did the same for Kayla.
Lance (softly): "Thank you. Both of you. For everything."
And with that, he turned, walked toward the balcony doors—and stepped into the open air.
FWOOOOOOM!
With a sonic boom that shattered the sound barrier, he launched into the sky—trailing a glowing, golden comet-tail behind him.
Scene: Frost-Silverfox Penthouse – Sister Talk
Emma took a sip of her wine, trying to regain composure.
Kayla (softly): "You were really going to kiss him this time."
Emma (quiet): "I almost did."
Kayla: "And then I walked in."
Emma looked at her sister. "You always walk in at the worst moments."
Kayla leaned against the window, gazing up at the golden streak still fading in the sky.
Kayla (faint smile): "Maybe I do it on purpose."
They shared a long silence.
Emma (whispers): "You love him too."
Kayla (quiet): "And so do you."
Neither said anything more.
But they didn't have to.
Scene: Outer Atmosphere – Lance's POV
High above Earth, where gravity no longer pressed against him, Lance hovered alone in the vacuum of space. His body drank in the sun's radiation, golden streams pulsing across his skin like a living solar panel.
The Template System flickered in his HUD:
[ TEMPLATE: KRYPTONIAN – MAN OF STEEL | 71% ]
[ STATUS: X-GEN INTEGRATED. ENERGY ABSORPTION: ADVANCED ]
He spoke aloud, the sound only for himself.
Lance: "Seventy-one percent. Mastering energy absorption is one thing… but I still can't predict how deep this well goes. How much power can one man hold before he stops being one?"
His fists clenched. Golden electricity sparked off his skin.
Lance (softly): "I won't become what they fear. I'll become what they need."
He turned, re-entering Earth's atmosphere with a thunderous boom.
Scene: White House Lawn – Night
Two guards stood post, sipping coffee, calm and tired.
Guard #1: "Did you hear that sonic boom again? That's like the fourth one this week."
Guard #2: "Yeah, that's just the President commuting."
Guard #1: "God, I miss when Air Force One was a plane."
Scene: Rogue's Room – White House
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Rogue blinked. Outside her window, Lance hovered mid-air, arms crossed.
She slid the pane open.
Rogue (awkward): "You know, most dads knock on doors."
Lance (grinning): "Most daughters don't fly across rooftops in their sleep."
Before she could respond, he reached out.
Lance: "Come with me."
She hesitated. Then nodded.
He lifted her easily into a princess carry and flew upward.
Scene: White House Rooftop – Starry Night
They landed gently on the flat roof, the stars above shimmering like cosmic witnesses.
Rogue (quietly): "This is beautiful…"
Lance nodded but said nothing for a moment. Then:
Lance: "Anna Marie. I need to talk to you."
She froze slightly at her full name. Her fingers clenched his shirt.
Flashback – 3 Years Ago (2005)
Rogue wandered the woods of Tennessee, her clothes ragged, hands gloved. She hadn't touched another soul in over a year.
She was a curse.
Every hand that reached out was met with pain. Every embrace, stolen life.
Until one night, she collapsed on the roadside.
And someone stopped.
A military vehicle. A man with blond hair and blue eyes stepped out.
He took one look at her and didn't flinch.
Lance: "You hungry?"
She nodded silently.
He extended a hand.
Rogue: "Don't touch me. I'll hurt you."
Lance (soft): "Try me."
She reached out, her glove slipping.
And for the first time—
Nothing happened.
He smiled.
Lance: "I've seen enough broken things to know how to hold them."
Back to Present – White House Roof
Rogue: "You were the first person I ever touched. Ever."
Lance nodded.
Rogue (eyes watering): "I didn't mean to say it. That I love you... not like a father. I just thought I was going to die."
Lance: "Anna…"
She turned away.
Rogue: "It's wrong. I know it is. I don't want it to ruin us."
He gently turned her chin back toward him.
Lance: "It didn't ruin anything. You gave me your truth. That takes more strength than most people ever find in a lifetime."
She blinked rapidly.
Rogue (whispering): "But what now?"
Lance (soft smile): "Now we watch the stars. And take one night where the world doesn't ask anything of us."
She looked into his eyes, vulnerable, trembling.
He leaned in.
And kissed her—gentle, warm, like summer rain.
Her hands curled into his chest.
They stood there, framed by moonlight and silence.