As his suite had more than a couple of rooms, Sharon just took one room and both of them decided to sleep, but as Lex lay down there, staring at the ceiling of the dark room, he could not help but think about the Hellfire Club, Jason and everything else.
The city lights filtered faintly through the curtains while distant sirens echoed somewhere far below.
He had never thought himself as hero material, he wasn't someone who'd sacrifice his life for the good of the world or sacrifice his happiness even.
But today as he tried to sleep, he found that he might not know himself well enough. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept imagining that demon-like mutant already cutting up those girls somewhere.
Eating them.
Lex let out a frustrated breath and covered his face with one arm.
He could of course simply remove these feelings if he wanted, but he rarely changed any emotion permanently. Maybe temporarily he might, but nothing like this.
After another few minutes of tossing around, he finally gave up and got out of the bed.
The cold marble floor touched his bare feet as he walked out toward the balcony, only to find Sharon already there.
She leaned against the railing with her arms folded, blonde hair moving slightly with the wind as the lights of New York reflected in her blue eyes.
“Can't fall asleep?” she asked without turning around immediately.
“Yeah,” Lex admitted while walking beside her.
“Still thinking about the mutant girls?” she asked, glancing toward him briefly.
“Yeah.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Below them the city remained alive despite the hour. Cars moved through glowing streets while the sound of distant horns occasionally reached them.
“Don't worry,” Sharon finally said. “We've already sent them an email, left anonymous calls etc, it should be enough. Going directly might alert Hellfire Club.”
“I know…” Lex rubbed the back of his neck before leaning against the railing himself. “It's just… I don't think I was like this.”
Sharon raised an eyebrow slightly.
“I was usually the kind of person who'd look for personal gain rather than saving someone.” He laughed weakly. “So why do I care about them now?”
Sharon looked at him quietly for a few seconds before speaking.
“Because now you can…”
Lex looked toward her.
“You remind me of a friend I used to have,” Sharon continued, her voice calmer now. “She also suddenly gained powers one day, decided she'll only use them for herself. She made music videos, did shows, she'd use her powers for things like that.”
“Then?”
A faint smile appeared on Sharon's face, like she was remembering something old.
“Then a fire broke out during one of her concerts.” She looked back toward the city. “And she saved everyone… using her Cryo powers.”
Lex stayed silent and let her continue.
“She also used to think she's selfish and would never save anyone just because she has powers.” Sharon shrugged slightly. “She didn't think it was suddenly her responsibility.”
The wind blew past them quietly for a few seconds.
“But in the end she realised it's not about becoming a hero,” Sharon said as she placed a hand around his shoulder and pulled him slightly closer. “Rather doing what you can. You don't have to sacrifice your life or your happiness… just some time and effort sometimes.”
Lex stared at the city lights below.
“…Huh.”
“Come on,” Sharon suddenly said while stepping away from the railing. “Let's go train, since you don't know anything, the earlier we start the better.”
Lex blinked.
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
The abandoned building looked even creepier at night.
The broken windows allowed moonlight to spill into the empty hallways while rusted metal beams creaked softly every now and then.
Before entering, Lex took out the Compass like he had started doing recently and checked the surroundings.
No one nearby.
“Still weird seeing that thing work,” Sharon commented while walking past him.
“Trust me, it gets worse.”
They stepped inside.
Their footsteps echoed throughout the abandoned structure while dust shifted beneath their shoes.
“So let's see,” Sharon stretched her arms a little before rolling her shoulders. “You said you've been training in handling guns since your… template gives you insights in it?”
“Something like that.”
“Then we'll start with that.”
Sharon casually flexed her body a little while loosening up and Lex, despite the situation, found himself distracted for a second.
Sharon had an extremely fit body even without the serum, but with her genetics and years of training she looked genuinely unfair.
Especially in that sleeveless training outfit.
“Come on, don't stare at me, show me what you got.” she urged with an amused smirk after immediately noticing his eyes.
Lex coughed awkwardly before summoning Ebony and Ivory into his hands.
The black and white pistols appeared instantly.
Sharon's eyes flickered toward them with interest.
“Dramatic,” she commented.
Lex ignored that and pointed both guns toward two different objects sitting opposite each other across the room.
Bang! Bang!
Both objects shattered instantly.
“Good for stationary targets,” Sharon said while nodding lightly. “Let's try mobile targets.”
Without warning she suddenly threw her shield upward.
The vibranium shield spun rapidly through the air.
Lex however didn't fire.
Sharon caught it again before looking at him.
“Why didn't you fire?”
“Wouldn't your shield break? These are not normal guns,” he questioned while lowering Ebony slightly.
Sharon stared at him for a second before snorting.
“Don't worry, that's a vibranium shield.” She tapped the metal lightly. “Also once I save it in my uniform storage thingy which I got from the deal, it can even be repaired in a single night.”
“That sounds stupidly convenient.”
“It is.”
This time Lex obliged.
The moment Sharon threw the shield again, Lex's eyes sharpened.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each shot landed perfectly on the moving target.
Sharon caught the shield again and looked at the bullet marks before whistling softly.
“Okay yeah… I don't think I can teach you anything when it comes to shooting.”
Which honestly made sense since Sharon wasn't primarily a shooter.
“Now let's try physical fighting.” Sharon suggested while leaving her shield and spear behind.
Lex stored Ebony and Ivory back into his inventory.
The atmosphere shifted almost immediately.
Sharon rolled her neck once before taking stance and Lex subconsciously straightened himself too.
Unlike before, Sharon suddenly looked genuinely dangerous now.
Not just attractive.
Dangerous.
They both moved aggressively almost instantly.
Lex had almost digested the kickboxing experience of Bryan Fury as he was already at around 85%, but that was mostly theory until now because he had no one to properly fight.
But the moment the fight started, things began connecting rapidly inside his head.
Footwork.
Timing.
Weight shifts.
Counters.
Sharon's fist barely brushed past his cheek and Lex instinctively retaliated with a combination that forced even Sharon's expression to sharpen slightly.
“Oh?” she muttered before ducking beneath his kick and sweeping his leg.
Lex hit the concrete hard.
“Ow, what the hell—”
“Fake pain,” Sharon replied casually.
Lex groaned before immediately getting back up.
The abandoned building slowly filled with the sounds of impacts and cracking concrete.
Sharon fought with brutal efficiency.
Every movement was precise.
Every strike flowed naturally into the next.
And despite Lex improving at an absurd speed, Sharon still had the upper hand due to sheer experience alone.
At one point Lex managed to force Sharon backward with a flurry of kicks and punches only for her to suddenly trap his arm and slam him straight into a pillar.
Dust exploded around them.
“Too aggressive,” Sharon commented while stepping back.
Lex coughed while regenerating the bruising shoulder almost instantly.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Of course it is.”
As the hours passed, Lex could physically feel the Bryan Fury template settling deeper and deeper into him.
What was once instinctive knowledge was now becoming natural muscle memory.
By the time morning light slowly started entering through the broken windows, Lex realised the Bryan Fury Template had finally reached 100%.
Both of them were slightly sweaty by now, though Sharon looked far less exhausted than him.
“That was good,” Sharon admitted while catching her breath lightly. “Been a while since I actually fought against someone who used pure technique.”
Lex grinned slightly despite the bruises.
“But what about your powers?” Sharon asked while sitting down on a broken concrete slab nearby. “I know you've some but what exactly do you have?”
“Well I've regeneration, shapeshifting, telekinesis, cryokinesis also a bunch of other stuff like a ability which increases my strength 1.5 times every time I defeat my opponent but it can only stack 5 times for some reason.” Lex started listing casually. “I also have a bunch of items like that compass you saw, I also have an Invisibility Cloak. Also a sword made from the same metal as your shield.”
As he kept talking Sharon's expression slowly became more blank.
“…Wait then why didn't you use the Invisible Cloak to sneak into that farmhouse?” she suddenly asked while staring at him. “You could have confirmed if it was actually holding the girls or even just having a general outline of the mansion might help.”
Lex scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well one time I used it, it didn't work very well, like there's this guy called Daredevil who…”
He quickly told her the whole story.
By the end Sharon was looking at him like a disappointed teacher.
“Hmm… well it seems my summoner isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.” she sighed. “Just because an Invisibility Cloak didn't work well on a blind man… which it obviously would not work on, you just didn't use it again?”
“Well.. I… hey it's not my fault… well it's my fault but like it should have said there, doesn't work on blind people or something.” Lex tried to counter weakly.
Sharon just gave him a long side eye.
Lex awkwardly looked away before pulling out the cloak.
The moment he wore it, his body disappeared completely.
“Is it working?” he asked.
Sharon narrowed her eyes slightly while looking around.
“Yes, even though I know you're here, I can't pinpoint your location without your voice.” She slowly walked around the area. “But I can at least tell that something's around me since I can hear slight rustle of fabric here and there.”
Lex suddenly pulled just his head out of the cloak making it look like a floating head.
“Can I really use it to sneak inside?” he asked.
Sharon stared at the floating head silently for a second.
“…You look ridiculous.”
“That's not an answer.”
“That… depends.” Sharon leaned back against a pillar thoughtfully. “As long as they don't have any mutant with heightened senses it should be fine… or someone with psychic abilities, they might find the disturbance.”
“Then should I go or not?” Lex wondered out loud.
“No,” Sharon replied immediately. “Since we already informed the X-Men, they'll deal with it. We could of course help but since they don't know us, it might create problems.”
Lex clicked his tongue slightly.
“But I really do wanna beat them up…”
That actually made Sharon laugh quietly.
“I mean, you are already decent with fighting, have really good regeneration so if you really want then we can go.” She shrugged lightly. “Just keep an eye on that base using that Compass of yours and we'll know when X-Men enter the area.”
“I suppose…” Lex replied.
Even while agreeing, he still wasn't fully convinced about this whole using others to get the work done thing.
He would rather do it himself.
As they got back to the car, Sharon suddenly looked toward him and stretched her hand out.
“Can I drive?”
Lex looked at her for a second before immediately handing them.
“Honestly? Yeah.”
A couple minutes later Lex was gripping the handle above the door as the car practically flew through the streets.
The engine roared loudly while the lights of New York blurred past outside the windows. Sharon shifted gears aggressively before hitting the nitro without hesitation.
“Yeahh..” Sharon grinned as the speed climbed even higher. “This is fun… ohh man I haven't driven like this since years.”
Lex got pushed slightly sideways as she took a turn way faster than she probably should have.
“Damn you are good at this…” he laughed despite himself. “Never thought I'd have fun sitting shotgun in a car.”
“I know right?” Sharon said proudly while tapping the steering wheel lightly. “And this thing is good too.”
“Yup, always knew this thing had it in it.” Lex shook his head with a grin. “You know what, now I'm thinking of learning driving like you. This is just too fun.”
Of course once they reached heavier traffic, Sharon slowed down almost immediately.
The wild driving disappeared so naturally it almost felt strange.
Now she drove smoothly through the crowded streets while sunlight slowly spread across the city.
“So any good malls you know?” Sharon asked casually while resting one arm against the window. “Just for some casual wear… also undergarments, maybe some shoes too, then we can go somewhere where I can get a good phone. That should be it.”
“Definitely.” Lex nodded. “I'll show you the way, first let's go to…” He quickly told her the route toward one of the bigger malls he had heard people mention online.
“We should have some coffee before though,” Sharon suddenly decided.
“I mean there are definitely quite a few coffee shops around here, so why not.”
“Noo…” Sharon dragged the word out dramatically. “I want the best coffee.”
Lex glanced at her.
“You know how long it's been since I drank actual coffee?” she continued with an offended expression. “Not the instant shit. If I'm gonna drink it after so many years, I'm gonna drink good coffee.”
Lex snorted.
“Don't be like that… we'll find you a good coffee shop.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “To be honest I've just been drinking the coffee at my hotel all these days…”
Sharon looked at him with genuine disappointment.
“That's actually depressing.”
“Hey.”
“No seriously, rich people with no standards are terrifying.”
After around ten minutes of searching online while parked near a signal, they finally found a coffee shop that was supposedly one of the best in the city.
It took another half hour to actually get there.
Thankfully according to Sharon, it was worth it.
The moment she took a sip from her con panna, her shoulders visibly relaxed.
For a second she even closed her eyes.
“God…” she muttered. “It was worth it.”
Lex stared at the cup in her hands.
“That…?” he pointed toward it accusingly. “Should not be worth it. It's just whipped cream.”
Sharon immediately looked offended.
“Yeah like you're to talk, Mister Mocha.” she shot back. “If you wanted chocolate should have just gotten a chocolate milk.”
“What? Sometimes I like the mixture of chocolate and coffee.”
“Coward's coffee.”
“Says the woman drinking dessert.”
Sharon just smirked before taking another sip.
The café itself was warm and quiet, soft music playing in the background while morning sunlight filtered through the windows.
For a while neither of them talked much.
And strangely enough, the silence wasn't awkward.
After coffee, they crossed the street and grabbed a light breakfast from a small diner nearby.
Sharon seemed weirdly fascinated by how much food options there were.
At one point she spent nearly a full minute staring at the menu before muttering:
“How do normal people choose between this many things?”
Lex laughed.
“You're telling me apocalypse world didn't have pancake menus?”
“Apocalypse world barely had pancakes.”
That casual response made Lex pause slightly.
Sharon noticed immediately.
“…Sorry.”
“No no,” Lex shook his head quickly. “You don't have to apologize.”
For a moment Sharon stayed quiet while absentmindedly stirring her drink.
The cheerful expression she usually carried dimmed slightly.
“So… what exactly had happened to your world?” Lex asked carefully.
“I…” Sharon started before stopping herself.
The faint smile on her face disappeared completely.
For the first time since arriving here, she looked genuinely tired.
Not physically.
Just exhausted in a way that sat deep in her eyes.
Lex immediately regretted asking.
“It's okay if you don't want to talk about it,” he said quickly. “I just wanted to say if you ever need to… I'm here to listen.”
Sharon looked at him quietly for a few seconds.
Then she smiled slightly.
A smaller smile this time.
“I will…” she said softly. “I… we'll talk about it someday.”
Lex nodded and let the topic drop completely.
And Sharon seemed genuinely grateful for that.
As the day went on and Sharon shopped for clothes, Lex found himself carrying more and more bags.
Not that he minded.
Sharon meanwhile looked like she was genuinely enjoying herself now.
Though some habits still remained.
Lex noticed how she instinctively checked exits whenever they entered a store.
How she always picked practical clothing first before slowly branching into more casual stuff.
How she unconsciously checked durability by touching the fabric.
At one point Sharon held up a jacket thoughtfully.
“This would survive a knife fight.”
The shop employee nearby looked deeply concerned.
Lex meanwhile almost choked laughing.
“You know most people don't rate clothes like that right?”
“You should. Weak material.”
Still, slowly but surely, Sharon started relaxing more throughout the day.
She joked more.
Smiled more naturally.
Teased him constantly.
At one point she shoved three different shopping bags into his arms before walking ahead casually.
“You look natural carrying those.”
“Wow. Exploitation already.”
“Summoner duties.”
Lex rolled his eyes but followed after her anyway.
Every now and then however, he still pulled out the Compass to check the farmhouse.
Sharon noticed after the third time.
“Relax a little,” she said while browsing through clothes.
“I'm trying.”
“No you're not.”
“…Fair.”