CH 20: Sharon or Captain America

“Okay guys, I'm off for the interview. You two have fun.”

Donna waved as she headed toward the elevator. She was on her way to an interview at a newspaper called the Daily Bugle. According to her, it simply didn't feel right to keep living entirely off Lex's money, no matter how many times he pointed out that he effectively possessed unlimited wealth.

Not that Donna denied it.

In fact, she openly admitted that she had every intention of continuing to enjoy the benefits that came with being friends with someone absurdly rich. She wasn't planning to move out, become independent, or refuse help when it was offered. She simply wanted something of her own. A source of income she had earned herself, something connected to her photography rather than Lex's bank account.

It wasn't about necessity.

It was about identity.

Today was also an important day for Sharon.

In fact, it was probably the biggest day she had experienced since arriving in this world.

Today, Sharon Rogers was going on a date.

With Lex.

The entire thing had started about a week ago when Sharon had suddenly appeared outside his room shortly after midnight and, with surprising directness, asked him if he wanted to have sex.

Looking back on it, the conversation had been equally awkward for both of them.

Rather than immediately accepting, Lex had naturally asked why she was suddenly making such a request and whether something had happened.

That question ended up leading to a much longer conversation.

Sharon eventually admitted that she was lonely.

Even after arriving in this world, she had never truly felt like she belonged. Other than Lex, almost nobody felt real to her. Donna had adapted remarkably well, making friends, exploring New York, meeting new people, and gradually building a life for herself. Sharon, meanwhile, had done the exact opposite.

She either stayed inside the penthouse or went out acting as a hero.

Nothing else.

At some point she had begun to realize that she was slowly losing herself.

Years of surviving alone in an apocalyptic wasteland had changed her more than she wanted to admit. Every day had been a fight for survival. Every day had been about responsibility. Every day had required vigilance because a single mistake could get someone killed.

Somewhere along the way, Sharon Rogers had gradually disappeared beneath the weight of Captain America.

Only after arriving in this comparatively peaceful world had she started noticing the difference.

Captain America fought battles.

Captain America saved people.

Captain America carried responsibilities.

But Sharon wanted more than that.

She wanted friends.

She wanted relationships.

She wanted a life.

Most of all, she wanted something that could anchor her to the present and remind her that she was still a person rather than just a symbol.

At first, her instinct had been to seek that connection physically. Perhaps if she allowed herself to enjoy something normal for once, she could start feeling like Sharon again instead of Captain America.

Of course, Lex had been perfectly willing to agree.

Unfortunately, by asking why in the first place, he had completely ruined the mood.

The conversation had continued, the awkwardness had multiplied, and by the end of it Sharon had settled on something considerably less impulsive.

A date.

The reason it had taken an entire week for that date to finally happen was surprisingly simple.

It was entirely Raphael's fault.

<.......>

… Nope it was actually Lex’s fault for not doing it before.

<...>

Over the past seven days, Raphael had practically buried Lex beneath an endless mountain of work. Between acquiring companies, purchasing properties, reviewing investment opportunities, hiring personnel, attending meetings, and establishing connections outside of the social circles he had already cultivated, Lex had barely found enough time to sleep.

As it turned out, relationships built through parties and social gatherings could only take him so far. If he wanted to build something substantial, he needed actual infrastructure behind him.

The end result was the creation of a parent organization known as the Titan Foundation.

The name itself had been chosen by Donna after an extremely serious and completely professional decision-making process involving drawing the longest stick.

Under the Foundation, Lex had already acquired two companies.

The first was U-GIN Genetics Infinite R&D. According to Raphael, the company currently possessed some of the most advanced biotechnology available and represented the ideal starting point for future research into the X-Gene. Naturally, this acquisition had coincided with Raphael convincing him to claim Essex's Gene Modification Tech Tree from the Gacha.

One of Raphael's long-term goals was studying the Registration Serum and determining whether it could be recreated or improved.

The second acquisition was considerably simpler.

Bishop Security was, on paper, a completely ordinary security company. Its actual purpose, however, was not providing protection against serious threats. People like Azazel, Magneto, or Juggernaut would never be stopped by private security guards.

Instead, the company existed to deal with smaller annoyances and prevent ordinary problems from constantly demanding Lex's attention.

Because complete control was necessary for Raphael's plans, Lex had simply purchased the entire company outright.

Looking back on the week, Lex was honestly amazed that Sharon hadn't strangled Raphael already.

Of course, one reason was that Raphael didn't actually possess a body, while the other was that Sharon didn't even know Raphael existed.

The morning air was pleasantly cool as Sharon started her motorcycle and Lex climbed on behind her. For a moment neither spoke. Then the engine roared to life and they pulled into New York's endless traffic, weaving between cars and buses while the city gradually woke around them. The streets were crowded, horns sounded constantly, and people hurried toward work completely unaware that a former Captain America and a reality-warping billionaire were currently on their way to a date.

Their first destination was the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The moment Sharon saw the building, Lex noticed a subtle change in her expression. It wasn't excitement exactly. It was something quieter.

Relief.

This museum had existed in her world too.

At least for a while.

Eventually it had been destroyed like countless other things.

Today, for the first time in years, she would get to see it again.

“You know,” Lex said as they entered the building together, “I've never met a woman who enjoys motorcycles, loud engines, and supercars but also likes spending hours staring at old paintings.”

Sharon laughed.

“What can I say? I'm a paradox.”

The museum wasn't particularly crowded, allowing them to move at a relaxed pace through the exhibits. Sharon seemed to know exactly where she was going, navigating hallways and galleries with enough confidence that Lex eventually became suspicious.

When they reached a particular room, Sharon sat down on a nearby bench and simply stared at one of the paintings for several moments.

“Okay,” Lex said. “You've definitely been here before.”

“Oh yeah.” A small smile appeared on her face. “A lot, actually.”

“You used to come here?”

“Whenever I could.” She leaned back slightly while looking at the painting. “Back when I was learning how to paint, I'd spend entire afternoons here. Sometimes I'd just sit and study how they used color, how they layered things, how they guided your eyes through the painting.”

Lex blinked.

“Wait. You paint?”

“Painted,” Sharon corrected with a chuckle. “Past tense.”

“Since when?”

“Since I was a teenager.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Lex stared at her.

“You keep casually revealing skills that somehow never come up.”

“That's because the apocalypse tends to kill conversations about hobbies.”

That earned a laugh from both of them before her smile gradually softened.

“Honestly, I haven't painted in years. Even before the apocalypse I barely had time. There was always another mission, another crisis, another responsibility. Then the world ended and... well...” She gestured vaguely. “Finding paint wasn't exactly a priority anymore.”

There was regret in her voice.

Not overwhelming regret.

Just the quiet sadness that came from realizing how much of herself she had abandoned over the years.

“You should start again.”

Sharon looked toward him.

“Start painting again?”

“Yeah.”

She laughed.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Lex, I haven't touched a brush in years.”

“And?”

“And I'd probably be terrible.”

“So?”

The answer was so immediate that Sharon found herself laughing again.

Lex simply shrugged.

“Not everything has to be about saving the world. You're allowed to be bad at things.”

For a few seconds she just stared at him before shaking her head.

“You know, this world really is strange.”

“Because of me?”

“Because people here actually think like that.”

Her smile faded slightly as her gaze drifted away.

“Sometimes I close my eyes and all I can see are those damn insects.”

The words came quietly.

There was no fear in her voice.

Only anger.

Pure, lingering anger.

Lex didn't try to answer.

Instead, he simply reached over and took her hand.

Sharon stiffened for a brief moment before relaxing.

Neither spoke.

The museum around them continued as normal while they sat there together, surrounded by paintings and centuries of history. Eventually the tension left her shoulders and she squeezed his hand once before letting go.

“So,” Lex said after a while, intentionally changing the subject, “what's your favorite thing you've ever painted?”

A genuine smile appeared on Sharon's face.

“My parents.”

“Your parents?”

“It was their twenty-fifth anniversary. I'd just watched a movie about my father's life and got inspired. So I painted both of them flying over New York in a helicopter.”

Lex laughed.

“That sounds extremely specific.”

“It was.”

“Was it any good?”

“It was amazing.”

“The confidence.”

“Someone has to be confident.”

“What happened to it?”

“No idea.”

That answer surprised even her.

She hadn't thought about the painting in years.

For the next several hours they wandered through the museum while Sharon pointed out paintings she loved, artists she had once tried copying, and techniques she had spent months trying to understand. The more she talked, the more animated she became. Lex found himself learning things he never would have associated with Sharon Rogers.

She liked impressionist landscapes.

She hated modern art.

She had once spent three weeks trying to paint a butterfly properly.

And apparently she possessed extremely strong opinions regarding trees.

By the time the museum finally announced its closing hours, Sharon looked noticeably lighter than she had that morning.

Of course, the date wasn't over yet.

The museum had been Sharon's choice.

The evening belonged to Lex.

As the sun began setting, a yacht waited for them at the harbor.

Sharon stopped walking.

“You bought a yacht.”

“Technically, yes.”

“You bought a yacht for a date.”

“In my defense, I also bought several companies this week. A yacht felt relatively reasonable.”

Sharon laughed hard enough that several nearby people turned to look at her.

For some reason, that made Lex feel oddly proud.

The yacht carried them away from the city as New York slowly transformed into a sea of lights behind them. Dinner had been prepared by some of the best chefs in the city, but neither paid much attention to the food after the first few courses.

Instead, they talked.

Not about heroes.

Not about saving people.

Not about apocalypse worlds, invasions, conspiracies, mutants, gods, or monsters.

They talked about favorite movies.

Embarrassing childhood memories.

Places they wanted to visit.

Books they never finished reading.

Music.

Art.

Life.

Normal things.

For perhaps the first time since arriving in this world, Sharon spent an entire evening simply being Sharon.

As darkness settled fully over the ocean and the stars emerged overhead, the conversation gradually faded into comfortable silence. The wine helped, though neither drank enough to lose control of themselves. Instead they found themselves sitting together near the bow of the yacht, watching moonlight dance across the water.

At some point Sharon rested her head against his shoulder.

Neither commented on it.

Later, Lex wrapped an arm around her.

Neither commented on that either.

The city skyline remained visible in the distance while the yacht drifted quietly across the water, and for the first time in a very long while Sharon felt something she had almost forgotten was possible.

Peace.

Not temporary safety.

Not a pause between disasters.

Actual peace.

Eventually she intertwined her fingers with Lex's and simply sat there enjoying his presence.

No promises were exchanged.

No dramatic confessions were made.

Nothing needed to be said.

By the time they finally returned to the city the following morning, both of them understood that something had changed.

Neither was quite ready to put a name to it yet.

But neither wanted to go back to how things had been before, either.

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