The journey back to Earth felt different. Every inch of space that passed between us and the unknown cosmic chaos I'd been wrapped in seemed to heighten the sense of impending shitshow.
The shuttle's hum was a constant presence in the background, but it didn't drown out the thoughts that swirled in my head like an ever-growing storm.
I wasn't just your friendly neighborhood David anymore. I wasn't just someone who had flown towards the sun, accidentally becoming a viral sensation.
No, now I was a symbol of strength, maybe hope, I don't know which dumbass started the trend , turning me into A global sensation. The media frenzy around me was inescapable, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I knew what was coming.
"Emma," I said, finally turning to face her as she sat beside me, her hand still resting in mine, warm and steady. "When we land, it's is going to be insane."
Emma looked at me, her eyes bright but filled with a quiet, knowing confidence. "You're not wrong," she said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "But you know what? We'll handle it. Together."
"I just..." I trailed off, running a hand through my hair. " I didn't ask for them to think I'm Superman or some savior for the whole world to care.
I was just trying to... I don't know, be normal and chill . But now, everyone's looking at me like I'm supposed to be something... bigger. And frankly, I don't feel like spending most of my time wiping their asses when I know they will turn on me eventually."
"You are yourself, honey," Emma replied softly. "You can just stay in my place and live in luxury forever without interference . Or We can just vanish together from their view. Whatever you do, you are here with me. And that's all I need."
I smiled at her, but it felt half-hearted. I couldn't shake the feeling that the weight of what we were about to face was too much to ignore. Not just the world's expectations, but the response I was about to give them that will definitely rub some folks the wrong way .
Suddenly, the shuttle's proximity alert went off, breaking my reverie. We were coming up on Earth's atmosphere. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for whatever was waiting on the other side.
As the shuttle descended through the clouds, I could already see the media helicopters circling, flashing lights visible in the distance. I knew they were already here. The world knew. And they weren't just waiting for some normal return. They were waiting for the Superman. The man who had defied their understanding of normal .
I could practically hear the paparazzi's cameras clicking in my head as we landed. The ground crew was all set, the noise of reporters shouting already spilling over the shuttle's landing bay as we disembarked.
The moment I stepped out of the shuttle, I was greeted with the flashing lights and the roar of cameras.
"David! Over here!"
"David, what's it like to be Earth's new hero?"
"Are you planning to destroy the world?"
"How big is your penis?"
The questions came fast and furious, and I felt the weight of every pair of eyes on me. I caught a glimpse of Emma beside me, standing just a little behind, as if the reality of what we were stepping into had finally hit her too.
I could see her trying not to smile too much at the chaos I was stepping into. I could feel her support, but I also felt how surreal it all was. Well, better show them I'm not some dude they can guilt trip.
As the media continued to shout questions, I finally raised my hand to silence them. It didn't entirely work, but the crowd quieted enough for me to speak. I kept my expression calm and lighthearted as I addressed them.
"So, I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" I began, gesturing to the crowd with a wry smile. "By the way, you guys shouldn't have gone to so much trouble to arrange this for little old me. But hey, it works, I guess." I took a pause to check how they were reacting, no panic or hostility yet, that's good.
"That day, I didn't fly towards the sun to be a hero," I began. "I did it because... well, because I was literally being chased by the whole of New York!" I let out a soft breath. People around me chuckle, remembering the incident.
"But I'm not the savior the world thinks I am. I'm not like Superman. I'm just a guy. A guy who wants to live his life. I don't plan to go out there and fight crimes every day, nor do I wish to be a hero.
I do live here, so if some alien invasion or world-ending crisis happens..." I looked around, judging their reactions.
" I will probably intervene, only to protect my house. I mean, have you guys seen the housing market lately!"
Some dudes chuckled at my joke while ladies just rolled their eyes. Heh, most of them are probably living in the house from their ex husbands.
I continued again, "But don't expect me to bend over for your corrupt little governments trying to use me for their greed. Specially when they are doing very questionable mutant and human experiments." a cacophony of exclamations rang out, as if they didn't know about this kinda shit.
A reporter raised a hand and shouted, "David, are you saying you won't work with governments at all?"
I nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Honestly, the world has enough to offer for everyone, if only everyone could coexist peacefully. The current state of the world is the result of everyone's actions, and it's not fair to demand a clean slate just because you suddenly have someone with powers to rely on.
Heroes could easily have become villains, they don't need to take your criticism and still continue saving your ass.
Imagine if Tony Stark decides to stop being Iron Man because you guys ran your mouth at him, knowing he won't kill you for it. One day, He gets just snaps after listening to your shit for years, and sends out thousands of his suits across the world, and explodes the arc reactors, sending us to the stone age.
Or maybe Hulk has had enough of the complaints and just snaps, deciding he didn't need to hold back to protect people like you? He could just smash the haters."
The crowd shifted uneasily as the weight of my words sunk in. Some reporters were nodding, others scribbling notes, and a few just looked annoyed.
"David, what about the government experiments you mentioned?" another reporter called out. "Can you elaborate on that claim?"
I sighed, leaning forward slightly. "Look, I don't want to make this a conspiracy hour, but let's just say The government's some departments—and no, I'm not naming names, but it rhymes with sanitary—has been dabbling in human experimentation. Some of them so horrible, you can't imagine them.
I can see even 10 miles below surface, so imagine the things I have seen. I don't want to start a global movement so I'll just avoid it. But I do have the location of every….single..bases that contain the evidence."
Another reporter raised his hand, " David, back to your previous statement, you mentioned about heroes not saving people. But isn't it a a heroes duty to save the people? Why else would we call them such?"
" What if they didn't want to save you anymore, or stay as a hero? Why should I risk my life for yours when you will go and trash talk and hate me? I get the fear, guys; I was just like you guys , powerless to protect myself." Releasing a truth bomb.
Everyone was now trying to ask how I got my powers, can it be replicated and some other shit, so I unleashed a little bit of my power, silencing them.
" This is one of the reasons why I won't ever be a hero. I hate press conferences and long-ass explanations.
I got my powers under very bad and questionable circumstances; let's just say the government has been doing human experiments to awaken and harvest mutant powers, and that's one of the reasons why I hate them ." I let out another truth bomb. They are gonna have a field day today with all the stuff.
"After I got my powers, my first thought was to be a hero, to make sure this kinda thing doesn't happen , but thenI realized heroes suck, and they never get a happy ending.
Look at Steve Rogers; he deserved a regular, peaceful life after all he's done. But dude was stuck in ice for 70 years, losing all he loved.
Yet he still fought to save your asses during the invasion. And then some of you have the audacity to criticize the poor guy. Seriously messed up, guys.
And don't even get me started about what your fuckin government did to the 2nd super soldier, Isaiah Bradley.
Anybody heard of him? No? yeah, thought so. A guy who could have been a symbol too, but he was black in a time when racism was more straight forward. So they just dumped him after using him . " I saw at least some of them had the decency to lower their heads in shame.
I sighed and concluded, " So yeah, you can call me selfish or whatever. But I prefer to live my own life rather than wasting it to save others. I have seen how you guys treat your heroes after all. If your government tried to control me , or make me obey their selfish orders ... I paused, letting the atmosphere get tense.
"I would have destroyed every single one of them, without any thought. I have the power to do so." I snapped my fingers and the surroundings became a desert , some of the reporters frightened while the others checked if it was real. I snapped again, and it was back to normal.That should be a small enough demonstration.
I spoke seriously "Guys, I won't be the superman, neither will I be an evil conqueror, but don't think for a second my powers are lower than his. And this universe does not have kryptonite.
So let me live in peace, and you will get a chill dude who might help out occasionally. That's all I have to say about this topic."
The murmurs in the crowd intensified, and cameras flashed incessantly. Another reporter shouted, "David, what about your personal life? Is it true you're in a relationship with Emma Frost?"
I turned to look at Emma, who was standing just behind me, her eyes widening slightly at the sudden attention. She glanced at me nervously, and I couldn't help but smile. Without hesitation, I stepped toward her, pulling her into my arms. The cameras went wild as I looked directly into the sea of lenses.
"Yes," I said firmly. "Emma Frost is my lover. She's my partner, my confidante, and the person I can trust. "
Emma's cheeks flushed a deep pink, and she bit her lip to hide a shy smile as the reporters' shouts grew even louder.
"David, how did you two meet?"
"Is Emma aware of the experiments you mentioned?"
"Does this mean she'll play a role in your future plans?"
I held up a hand to stop the flood of questions. "That's enough for now. Emma deserves her privacy, and our relationship isn't up for debate. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're done here."
And yet, as I said the words, I couldn't help but think about the weight of them. How it will change the world. The world wasn't going to let me be just a guy anymore.
I sighed as I pulled Emma into a hug and flew away to her mansion to find peace and quiet for now.
Later that evening, after the press chaos had died down, Emma and I found a quiet moment. We were sitting on the balcony of the penthouse that had been secured for us. Earth, with all its sprawling cities and noise, felt so far removed from the calm I had hoped to find.
I looked at Emma, the weight of everything pressing in on me, and then... something else. A quiet certainty. A clarity I hadn't expected to find.
"Emma," I began, my voice unsteady, "You've stood by me, looked for me even when the world was telling you not to. And I know we've been through a lot of weird stuff already, maybe more than most people ever will in their entire life. But... I want you to know something."
Emma turned to me, her expression soft, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes. "What is it?"
"I want you to be with me, always," I said, "Not just through the chaos, but through everything. Emma. I'm not one of those guys who takes too long to make up his mind, not anymore atleast." I chuckled.
"You know that I'm a scum who will probably attract a few women despite having you. So the least I can do is treat you well and make things official,you know. I don't plan to avoid responsibility from any woman I might love, I don't want to have any regrets."
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked utterly speechless.
"David..." she whispered, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Are you asking...?"
"Yeah, I'm asking you to marry me," I said, grinning. "Because no matter what the world thinks, no matter how crazy things get... I want you by my side. Always."
Emma's eyes were misty, but I could see the laughter bubbling up in her. "You know," she said, "it's not exactly traditional to propose in a penthouse surrounded by media buzz, neither is the casual mention of a harem of women." She retorted.
"Who needs traditional?" I said, laughing. "This is us, Emma. We're anything but traditional."
She stood up, throwing her arms around me, and for a moment, I forgot about the flashing cameras outside and the global sensation we'd become. There was only her. Only the woman who had stood by me through it all.
"I'll marry you, David," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "But just so you know... if you think I'm letting you off the hook with all the harem stuff, think again. I don't want you to be some emperor with a 1000 wives! At least not on this earth. "
I laughed, my heart lighter than it had been in days. "I wouldn't have it any other way." I materialized a ring of pure energy, Glowing golden, and put it on her finger as she admired it.
We kissed, the world outside forgotten for a moment. But I knew, deep down, that this was just the beginning.
The chaos, the responsibility, the attention—it was all part of the world we had to navigate now. But as long as I had Emma by my side, I knew we'd be able to handle anything that came our way.
Later that night, as we prepared to meet with SHIELD and the various organizations that were sure to come knocking on our door, Emma looked at me, her eyes filled with the same unshakable certainty that had anchored me throughout everything.
"You know," she said, "this engagement is going to make even more headlines."
"Yeah," I said, shaking my head with a grin. "At this point, I'm just hoping I can survive the media storm. But as long as we're in it together, I think I'll be fine."
"You better be," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Because I'm not going anywhere, my dear future husband"
And with that, I knew this was our future. Messy, complicated, and a little insane, but ours.