Blue Beetle looked at Null as though he were insane, "This entire tower is 700 meters high and 250 around!" After taking a moment to think of their options, he tried to reason with himself possible scenarios where things could work, "Hmm... it is metal. I suppose you could do it, if piece by piece."
But did they have the time for that? Blue Beetle didn't think so. Neither did Null.
"I've got another idea," Null limped his way across the battlefield in search of the only person that could help him now, "Adam!"
It didn't take long for him to locate Black Adam. The magical antihero violently crash-landed in the midst of his struggle against Alexander Luthor. Other heroes were still attempting to stop the inter-dimensional megalomaniac, but Adam had no intention of letting others fight his battle for him.
With a snarl, Adam prepared to reengage, only for Null's call to stop him, "What do you want, boy?"
Time was of the essence, so Null tried to get his point across as quickly as possible, "Okay, remember that one time when you hit me with a bunch of your lightning bolts, and it gave me enough power to kick your ass?"
"You did no such-!"
"-I want you to do that same thing, right now. But, like, turned up to a thousand."
Adam stared at Null, trying to find some sign of insincerity in him, "Surely, you jest."
"No, seriously," Null said, beckoning Adam to do his worst, "Everything you've got. Right now."
"..." Adam momentarily hesitated, "This is the power of the gods, child. Are you certain you can handle it?"
Truthfully, no. The most power Null had ever absorbed at one time was from a lightning strike in nature. He couldn't drain the tower of its power, it was self-sustaining, and he couldn't pull enough for it to matter. Thus, he had to look for another option. Even if this killed him, the alternative was to die anyway.
"Do you really care if I can't?" Null responded.
Black Adam's eyebrows raised. Indeed, what did he care for the life of this whelp? "A fair point. Very well then," Black Adam sized Null up, channeling the focus of his magic into him, "Are you ready?"
Null closed his eyes and opened his channels, "Hit me, chief."
"SHAZAM!"
Null heard the crack of lightning splitting the air, and then nothing. Everything went dark. His entire body lost all feeling.
This was it. He had finally flown too close to the sun. His own hare-brained, half-cocked idea to give himself a boost had resulted in his death. But then... why could he still have these thoughts in the first place? Dead people didn't think. His hearing slowly returned, though with a vibrating hum in his ears.
"What the hell did you do?" The muffled voice of Nightwing echoed in Null's mind.
"Only what he asked of me," Black Adam curtly replied.
…
Oh, he was still alive. That explained everything. But did it work?
Null slowly opened his eyes to see Black Adam, looking at him in a combination of horror and awe, "...You live?" He asked, knowing the answer as he could see the boy still standing before him.
"Null..." Nightwing said tentatively, "Are you okay?"
Null wasn't sure how to answer that question at first. This version of overcharge was different than the one he had gotten earlier from the tower itself. He didn't feel the wound from Superboy-Prime's heat vision anymore, so that was a plus. And he had discovered the source of the humming sound – it was him. More specifically, the speed of his heartbeat.
Reaching up to touch his hair that was now standing up on end, electricity flickered off of Null's body with every move he made, independent of his own will or thought. Black Adam and Nightwing had to take great care to avoid not being stricken by it themselves. Experimentally, Null reached out to magnetically grab hold of a portion of the tower. Upon doing so, his eyes went wide and a vicious grin slowly spread across his face, "Get away from the tower..." He directed, "Now."
"Why?"
"Because you don't want to be here when I chuck this thing into the face of the sun."
"Are you serious?"
Right as Nightwing finished his query, he heard the entire tower creak and metal screech. It was a bone-chilling feeling, hearing such a mammoth construct make such a structurally unsound noise.
"Does it sound like I'm joking?" Null asked in return.
'No. No, he does not,' Nightwing decided, turning to run back to the others, "Clear out!" He shouted to the others, "Off the tower! Right now!"
With Batman's complete trust in his first apprentice, when he heard Nightwing call for everyone to vacate the premises, he didn't ask questions. He seconded the order to the other heroes that were still fighting against Alexander Luthor, "Break away! Regroup away from the tower!"
The Bug swept in to provide transport for the heroes who were incapable of flight. Alex watched the retreat in confusion until realizing that he wasn't quite alone just yet. Null remained at the top of the tower with him, "You?" He asked amusedly, "You're the one who decided to stay behind? So greedy that you aren't willing to part with the Earth itself, aren't you?"
By now, Null had bent down to get a better 'grip' on the tower, as if he were about to perform a power clean at the gym, "Of course not," He said through the strain of trying to lift, "It's...mine."
Alex floated over to Null, not registering him as a threat. But even then, just like the rest of them, struggling so mightily, all in vain, "You're a mistake, you know. You shouldn't exist," He remarked, "On every other Earth, in every other universe, there is no other version of you. You really are the perfect encapsulation of how tainted this Earth is. How far it is from how things are supposed to be."
Above an inattentive Alexander Luthor, in the projection of the universe overhead, a cosmic storm began to form near Earth-One.
"And you know how the universe is supposed to be?" Null asked.
"Of course. I've seen it," Alex said, as though it were obvious, "Like my father before me, I am the only hero in a world full of villains."
"Then you must really suck at being a hero..." Null said, grinning victoriously despite the sweat pouring down his face, "...If you let someone like me get this far."
Distracted by combat when Null had first taken hold of the tower, it was only then that Alex felt the tower quiver. His face paled in horror, "No..." He slowly shook his head in denial, "It's impossible. You can't. You can't!"
Null let out a guttural yell as he forcefully stood upright and swung his arms into the air. The entire universal tower ripped its way out of the ground, shooting straight up into the sky like a rocket.
The moment the tower was ripped free from Earth, it finally stopped generating its own power. Alex immediately felt a significant amount of his power leave him, frightening him, "No! Make it stop!" He cried out, "You've damned this Earth! I was going to do it! I was going to make the perfect universe!"
Null could feel the air thinning the higher they went. Supergirl's life support device activated once it was needed, just as Null started cackling at Alex, "A perfect universe? Nothing's perfect."
Seeing red with anger, Alex attempted to blast Null, "What would you know about it!?" He asked as Null easily dodged the clumsy, enraged attack. Supercharged as Null was, his speed and reflexes were on an entirely different level, "You're a small-minded criminal! A child rubbing elbows with gods! And now you've ruined everything!"
"You're supposed to be a genius, but you sound like a smooth-brained crybaby right now," Null taunted, "There is no perfect Earth, and if there was, you wouldn't be the one that could make it. Look at what you did to my Earth."
"I did what I had to!" Alex roared, the tower that served as their vehicle rattled uncontrollably as its inner workings seemed to be set to detonate, "Half-measures are what made your Earth the cesspool it is! I was going to create an all-new paradise!"
Null stopped dodging and pretended that he was contemplating the idea, "...Nah, I don't see it," He eventually said, "Let me tell you something, smart guy. There's no paradise. Not on this plane. Life is hard. Life is pain, and you have scrape the joy out of it every chance you get."
By this time, the tower was floating close to outer space, at the very exterior of Earth's effective atmosphere. There was a moment where the tower floated peacefully with the backdrop of the universe's endless blackness, littered with hundreds of separate Earths that all seemed to be flickering in and out of existence. In an instant, they all collapsed into the planet that had been designated as Earth-One, forming a new kind of Earth.
The sight of all of his grand plans literally collapsing before his eyes drew a tear from Alexander Luthor's eye, "No," He whispered.
"It doesn't matter how smart or strong you are. You can't control or change everything," Null said, marveling at the sight of Earth, his Earth. Once he'd gotten his fill, he closed his eyes and opened his arms, "Yeah, there's nothing wrong with doing everything you can. But sometimes, you've just gotta sit back and try to enjoy the ride."
Opening his channels, he turned himself into a lightning rod for the cosmic storm he had summoned close to Earth-One. Several bolts of electricity lashed out, aiming at Null.
"Come on, universe, you mostly empty wuss," Null whispered as cosmic lightning hit all around him, "Give me all the juice you've got."
*BOOM!*
In that same instant, the golden tower exploded.
XxX
Even when the fight with Superboy-Prime had carried Supergirl past Earth's atmosphere and into space it didn't seem to slow. Driven by anger as she was, he was still more powerful than her. But salvation seemed to come in the form of the contemptable golden tower that had been their target flying up and then exploding.
Out of the corner of Supergirl's eye, she had been watching the entire time. She knew what had happened with the tower, who had been on it. She wanted nothing more than to fly to Null, to make sure he was okay. But the moment she turned her back or took her attention off of Prime, he would make her pay for it.
With the loss of the tower, that should have been the end. For all intents and purposes, it was the end. And yet, Superboy-Prime still continued on fighting. He wouldn't let it end.
Bruised and bloodied, Supergirl managed to break away from Superboy-Prime, momentarily disengaging, "Why are you still fighting!" She screamed, "It's over!"
In similar shape himself, Superboy-Prime screamed back, "No! It's not over! Nothing is over until I bring back Earth-Prime!"
Supergirl was at a loss, "Bring back..." She repeated under her breath before yelling again, "The tower is gone! Earth-Prime is gone! This Earth is the only one left again."
Superboy-Prime held his head, shaking it 'no', "I don't want this Earth. It's disgusting. Everything on it is second-rate. All of the heroes are second-rate. It was so much better when I was the only hero in the universe!"
His words prompted thoughts back to just a day earlier. Supergirl recalled something Superboy-Prime had said during their first meeting,
"There aren't any other superheroes on Earth-Prime. Just me."
At the time he had said it so proudly, so eagerly. Only then did it really sink in just how depraved Superboy-Prime's every action leading to this point was.
"Is that what this is all about?" Supergirl asked, "You're willing to destroy everything and everyone to feel special? Needed?"
"I am special!" Superboy-Prime spat, gesturing to the Earth and the mostly darkness of space around them, "I'm the only one who can rescue this messed up universe! I'm the only one who knows how to make it right! I will be its greatest hero! I will be Superman!"
"Not as long as you have no idea what being Superman really means."
Supergirl and Superboy-Prime stopped arguing amongst themselves when they were approached by others. Superman, Superman-2, and Power Girl. But it wasn't just them. It was Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart-
Almost every space-capable superhero the planet had to offer, many of whom had been out dealing with the issue of the multiple Earths that were now gone, was there.
Superman floated forward to Supergirl. Upon singling him out among the crowd, Supergirl felt wetness form in her eyes. She didn't know why, but the sight of her 'younger' cousin filled her with relief, "Kal..."
"Hey, Kara," Superman didn't comment on the tears, instead opening his arms invitingly, "Come here," That she didn't hesitate to do so, sniffling quietly against his chest, showed the level of despair she had felt in the moment, "It's alright."
"I wasn't going to win," Supergirl cried, "I didn't know what to do."
"You did great," Superman insisted, "It's our fault it got this far. It should have been us. We should have been there."
Superboy-Prime sneered at the sight of Superman hugging and consoling his sobbing cousin. Just like that, she could ignore him? Not a chance. They weren't finished. As he made to move in for an attack, his way was barred by Earth-Two's Superman; his would-be cohort.
"Superboy... stop," Kal-L insisted, trying to talk the younger man down, "It's over."
"You too," Superboy-Prime couldn't believe what he was hearing at first. But then, it made sense. The sentimental, old-fashioned, fool. They had gotten to him, "You're with them now. You've lost your nerve, haven't you? Even after we've come all this way? You're weak!"
Kal-L flinched at Superboy-Prime's venomous remark. He was right, Kal-L had been weak. But not for the reason he thought, "Alex tricked us. He tricked the both of us. He preyed on our desires, exploited our insecurities, and look at what we've done. So many have died, been hurt. We almost destroyed everything."
"You said the Earth was dark and corrupted! You saw it all happen!" Superboy-Prime shouted at his elder from an alternate dimension, "You saw our sacrifice become pointless! Lois died because of them! My Earth died because of them!" He pointed past Kal-L to Superman and Supergirl.
"You and I have strayed so far from what Superman is meant to be..." Kal-L said, trying to appeal to whatever hero there was inside of Superboy-Prime, "But it's not too late to end this madness."
Superboy-Prime's mouth worked with no sound coming out. He was at a loss for words. Alex's scheme had failed at the 11th hour. And now, the only ally he had left was throwing in the towel.
All of the subterfuge. All of the maneuvering and plotting. It had taken so much time and effort; so much of Superboy-Prime's time and effort. But the carrot that had been dangled in front of him had been worth it the entire time. It had been there, had come back into existence. Somewhere out amongst the infinite Earths had been Earth-Prime, if only for a few hours.
It was possible. But even though Alex had preached the mantra of 'no half measures' he hadn't gone far enough to make absolute certain that everything would change. There was still a way to wipe this universe from existence, and he knew that Alex had always been aware of it, but was unwilling to take that step. That was understandable though. After all, there was no way he would have had the heart to go through with a measure that would have resulted in his death.
Superboy-Prime could survive it though. He was the real hero here. And the hero never died.
Superboy-Prime's posture became less hostile, "You're right, Superman. I know you're right. This has gone too far," He said, "...I should have taken this into my own hands a long time ago."
Martian Manhunter was clearly able to read the unstable Superboy-Prime's mind, and what he saw as his future plans caused him to shout in warning, "No!"
Before anyone could stop him, Superboy-Prime shot off into the blackness of outer space. The others were quick to pursue, but he had a head start. That aside, he was faster than the lot of them to begin with.
Martian Manhunter projected his thoughts to every hero nearby in pursuit, "He is heading for Oa, the home base of the Green Lanterns. He plans to fly through the planet at light speed..."
"Going through Oa like that would cause the central power battery to blow!" Hal Jordan replied, "Nothing would be left."
"That is what this Superboy wants," Martian Manhunter relayed, "He aims to cause a new big bang, to restart everything."
"When I say everything, I mean him too!" Hal continued, "I don't care how strong he is, even he won't fucking survive!"
Meanwhile, John Stewart was getting in contact with as many of his comrades as he could, "Guy, It's Stewart. We've got a big problem."
XxX
There wasn't a single one of them that could keep up. The farther Superboy-Prime flew, the more distance he put between himself and his pursuers, and the more speed he built up, the closer he got to reaching light speed.
Looking behind himself at the welcome sight of nothing, Superboy-Prime's smug sense of superiority took over, "Heh. I knew they weren't faster than m-." It quickly dissipated when he turned forward to see an imposing green wall blocking his path to Oa, "What the hell?"
As he could see Oa from his proximity to the barrier, he couldn't turn or alter his trajectory, otherwise he risked missing his target. To that end, stopping also wasn't an option. Regardless, his pride would never have allowed him to admit that anything in this inferior universe could stop him; even the amassed might of the Green Lantern Corps.
Superboy-Prime plowed into the wall with all the force of a drill boring into the earth. And much like a drill, though it slowed him, it didn't stop him.
Guy Gardner watched with a grin expression of determination. It was only a matter of time before the target got through, but then, it was never meant to stop him by itself, "A three-hundred-mile-thick wall of pure damn willpower sure slowed his ass down. But the thin green line will stop him cold!"
Superboy-Prime seemed to take offense to that use of terminology. The moment he was through, the Green Lanterns were on him, but it mattered little, "Cold? You don't know cold."
Despite the Green Lanterns' coordinated assault, a blast of Superboy-Prime's super-breath froze three of them solid when they tried to block his path.
"Cold is being the only survivor of an Earth that was erased from history," Superboy-Prime flew right through the frozen Lanterns. They shattered into pieces.
"Ring status report. Green Lantern 885: deceased. Space sector scan 885 for replacement sentient initiated."
"Ring status report. Green Lantern 3544: deceased. Space sector scan 3544 for replacement sentient initiated."
"Ring status report. Green Lantern 34: deceased. Space sector scan 34 for replacement sentient initiated."
Superboy-Prime was remorseless, continuing on without a second glance, "Cold is having to fight the entire universe because you tried to do the right thing. Cold is what this universe has made me."
Guy Gardner blasted Prime with as much direct force as he could muster, "Code 54, Lanterns! Excessive force has been approved, and encouraged, for this crybaby!"
Upon hearing Guy Gardner's insult, Superboy-Prime targeted him specifically, cutting a swath through the Green Lanterns and their constructs until he was able to wrap his hand around Gardner's throat. A defensive field provided by his ring was the only thing that kept it from being instantly crushed.
"You're rude and offensive, Guy Gardner," He said as he continued to squeeze, beginning to feel the man in his grasp's will fade, "I wonder who your ring is going to go to..." He mused aloud before a barrage of green blasts from responding Green Lanterns forced him away.
"His ring stays with him," Hal Jordan remarked as he and his comrades did their best to slow Superboy-Prime down. His presence marked the arrival of the other space-faring heroes that had followed from Earth.
Kal-L was impressed by the resolve of the Green Lanterns. Then again, willpower and courage was their thing, "They managed to hold him up after all."
There had never been a doubt in Superman's mind, "Hal knows the plan," Now he needed to do his part on his end. He simply would have preferred if their troupe was one lighter, "Kara, you don't have to do this."
From the moment the plan of action was decided upon, Supergirl had figured herself in, and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary. After everything that had happened, this was just as much her fight to finish as anyone else's.
"I have to see this through," Supergirl said, "Besides, this is too big to take chances with."
"Alright then," Superman accepted his cousin's decision, "This is it! Take him, now!"
As Superboy-Prime had slowed, Superman, Superman-2, and Supergirl all collided with him together, driving him off-course entirely. The Supermen focused on restraining his movement as much as possible while Supergirl kept them moving in the intended direction.
Superboy-Prime couldn't break their grasp, no matter which one of them he hit, no matter how hard he hit them. Still, he was trapped, and he began to panic.
"Where?" He demanded to know, continuing to pummel his captors, "Just where do you idiots think you're taking me? I've broken out of whole other dimensions! There's nowhere in the universe you can put me that'll hold me!"
No one wasted their concentration to so much as address him. They stoically endured his abuse, all the while pushing him through the depths of space. Eventually, they began passing through a field of green rocks. Supergirl did her best to dodge as many as she could, but a good number still collided with them. Every time they did, she and Superman visibly winced.
"Oh, I see," Superboy-Prime said, "You brought me to where this Krypton exploded. But this Krypton isn't from my universe. It won't hurt me. All you're going to do is kill these two."
No response was given. There was still a job to do, after all.
Superboy-Prime cackled insanely, "I mean, did you think these rocks would stop me? HAHAHAHAHA! Did you really!? HAHAHA-, huh?" He stopped laughing upon feeling the draining sensation that accompanied a red glow.
At that, Supergirl finally said something, "You really never shut up."
Together, they all crashed through the heart of Krypton's red sun. It provided no resistance, but still did what was needed. Superboy-Prime screamed the entire way through, until they finally crashed onto a strategically placed planet. Once they broke through the atmosphere, they split apart and hit the surface separately, creating their own craters in the ground.
Bathed in the light of the red sun, as opposed to the yellow sun that gave them their powers, those same powers started to fade. For once, the notorious Kryptonian invulnerability failed them.
"Nnngh…" Superman was the first to pull himself to his feet. Looking around at his surroundings, he allowed himself a small smile, "I need to make sure the Green Lanterns thank Modo for me."
The planet itself was alive, and a Green Lantern. It seemed like the best possible place for a controlled ending.
Superman limped around until he found a crater with red and blue inside, "Superman?" As he reached down to try and help him up, a beam of heat vision blasted him from behind, "ARRGH!"
The invulnerability was definitely gone.
Superboy-Prime stalked Superman from behind, his eyes burning red as he tried to laser a hole through his prey, "Die! Die and leave this universe to me!"
He managed to bring Superman to his knees, a hole burned through the back of his uniform, badly marring the skin underneath. Before he could finish him off, the heat vision faded.
"…My heat vision…" Superboy-Prime whispered, "What's happening?"
From behind, Superman-2 put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around before punching him in the face, "You're losing!"
Superboy-Prime landed on the ground and touched at his face. That hurt. A lot, "You… you took my superpowers?" He could feel his strength fading, but still had enough left to make the ones responsible pay.
He launched himself forward and tackled Kal-L to ground. From there, he began savagely beating him with his bare hands.
"Look at what you've done!" Superboy-Prime yelled, delivering frantic, uncontrolled punches to Kal-L's unprotected face. He couldn't even muster the strength to defend himself, "We lost everything just to make this evil, garbage universe! You of all people should understand why I'm doing this!"
Before another punch could land, his fist was caught from behind. Superboy-Prime turned his head only to be smashed across the face with a stray chunk of Kryptonite, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Supergirl cringed, her hand burning from touching Kryptonite with her bare skin. With her powers fading, it had been the hardest thing within arm's reach she could arm herself with.
"Understand?" Supergirl huffed, looking the worse for wear after her own fall from space, "I'm done trying to understand. I just flew through the ruins of my dead home planet. My boyfriend might have blown himself into a million pieces trying to save the world. And I never thought about hitting the reset button on the goddamn universe!"
Superboy-Prime lay face down on the ground until Supergirl got close enough for his liking to stop playing possum. He lunged at her with another chunk of Kryptonite he had kept concealed and swung at her head. The swing was wide, however. Supergirl avoided it and grabbed Superboy-Prime by the back of the head, slamming his face into the ground. Bending one arm behind his back and pinning the other to the ground with her foot, she kept him restrained.
"Get off of me!" Superboy-Prime snarled hatefully, "I'll kill you! I'll flush this whole universe down the toilet where it belongs!" Covered in blood that was both his own and Kal-L's, he thrashed violently underneath her. But his powers were gone. Without them, and with no leverage whatsoever, he wasn't going anywhere, "You're all just fakes! I'm gonna be Superman! I'm gonna be-!"
*WHACK!*
Supergirl was tired of Superboy-Prime's egotistical lunatic ravings. She punched him once, then a second time. Even with the pain in her hands, the feeling of her fist striking its target felt good. Every sentence she uttered was punctuated with another blow, "You're not Superman," she said coldly.
*WHACK!*
"You're not even Superboy. You're just some sick parody."
*WHACK!*
"You're an overpowered, whiny little brat that never had to learn what it really means to have your kind of power."
*WHACK!*
"You'll never be Superman. Because you have no idea what it means to be Superman."
Even thoroughly wrangled and battered, Superboy-Prime refused to concede; neither his point of view, or the fight itself, "Yes, I do. I'm from Krypton! A better Krypton than yours ever was!" Even straining to properly breathe he continued, "I'm stronger! Stronger than you or him could ever be!"
Supergirl lifted her own bloodstained fist to hit him again when Superman gently grabbed her wrist from behind. When she turned to look up at him, she saw her injured, weary cousin shake his head at her.
"That's enough, Kara," Superman said, "It's done."
Supergirl looked down at Superboy-Prime. Bloody, uniform in tatters, nose shattered, lips and eyes swollen, unable to fly, unable to so much as remove her from his back or defend himself. Yes, he was beaten. Finally, it was done.
...Still, she could see the monster behind his eyes.
"Kal-El..." Supergirl started to say before her own fatigue hit her. She felt herself sway and steadied herself against Superman before getting up and leaving the scene to him, "Yeah... sure."
Superman squeezed her shoulder, regarding her fondly as she unsteadily wobbled past him. Once she was out of his field of vision, he looked down at a prone Superboy-Prime, "Being Superman... it's not about where you were born, or what powers you have, or what you wear on your chest-."
Suddenly springing back to life, Superboy-Prime leapt at Superman once more, "SHUT UP!"
The surprise attack lacked the surprise aspect, as Superman didn't even have to react. Supergirl returned around Superman's other side and hit Superboy-Prime with one more haymaker that put him flat on his back. He didn't stir again.
Somehow it served as the perfect punctuation to the conclusion of Superman's lecture, "-It's about what you do. It's about action," It was almost unfortunate that Superboy-Prime wasn't awake to hear it.
"Now it's done," Supergirl said, both she and Superman leaning against each other for support. From above, the Green Lantern Corps swept in to restrain Superboy-Prime with the power of their rings.
They could handle him from there.
XxX
(With Null – Earth)
Null had expected to die in the explosion. That hadn't happened. Apparently, absorbing the very lightning strike that gave Black Adam his power from the gods gave him durability to spare.
Then, he had expected to die from the falling debris of the tower. That also hadn't happened.
Finally, he had expected that a drop from the stratosphere would have resulted in an inevitable 'splat', whether he hit solid ice, solid ground, or even the ocean. But things never got that far.
Once he had drifted close to the ground, Null rolled over and gratefully kissed the Gravboard underneath him. He had first called for it the moment Lex Luthor had left him behind at the North Pole. Seeing as how he had left it back in Gotham City, he didn't know when or if it would ever get to him, but then again, heroes always arrived at the last second.
"Daddy loves you, baby. Never forget that," Null said to the inanimate object, giving it a fond pat, "Jeez. You're more reliable than my parents were. I bet you wouldn't have forgotten to pick me up from practice."
It was quiet, which in Null's opinion was good, because he was finished. He felt completely and utterly spent, physically and mentally. His body ached all over, not mentioning where he knew Superboy-Prime had broken a few of his ribs earlier. He hadn't slept, had hardly even sat down, in days. Holding up a hand, he smirked when he found he could still generate a charge.
"Do you realize what you've done?"
Null abruptly fell off of his Gravboard in shock when Alexander Luthor's voice reached him. Scrambling back to his feet, he saw the golden-clad mastermind glaring heatedly at him. Null doubted anyone had ever looked at him as hatefully as Alex did, which, to be far, was appropriate.
He was missing fingers on both hands. His golden bodysuit was still intact, but was far from unmarked and pristine. Quite the opposite, in fact, covered in blood and severe burns down to his skin, most of his red hair had even been burned off.
"...How in the hell are you still alive?" Null asked. The only reason he figured he himself was survived was because he had borrowed the energy of the gods.
Alex staggered through the wreckage of the tower, the destroyed proof of his broken hopes all around him, "How could you have been the one that ruined everything!?" He spat, "I accounted for everything! I accounted for everyone that could have possibly mattered, that should have been able to stop me! On this world, and every other! And YOU? You're the one that's standing in the ruins of my dream?"
It was insulting. Alex was a genius. He had coerced the help of the mightiest beings in the universe to his side in Kal-L and Superboy-Prime. He had fooled most of the planet's supervillains into forming The Society and fighting on the frontlines for his cause. He was a being with knowledge of countless realities that had seen the very genesis of the universe they were in as a whole. He had saved all of existence, and it should have made him the most qualified to dictate how existence played out.
Yet, here he stood, laid low by what he could only see as the lowest of the low.
While Null was relatively clever for a teenager, he didn't possess anything approaching a genius intellect. He had extraordinary abilities, but wasn't a powerhouse with the ability to ruin planets with simply his will alone. He didn't possess the connections or charisma that could bring together the most powerful and influential in the world to stand against his manipulations and machinations.
Null did little to provide an explanation to satisfy Alex or massage his ego, "A butterfly flaps its wings in Tokyo, a tornado happens in Oklahoma. You squash a fly in the past and a sentient ham sandwich becomes emperor of the world in the future. You walked under a ladder, broke a mirror, and stepped on a black cat's tail," Tired of listing ridiculous examples, he eventually scoffed, "I don't know. Come up with your own excuse as to why you blew it. Or maybe, you didn't. Maybe, it's not that you lost. Maybe, it's that I fucking won."
Alex clenched his teeth so hard, a molar cracked, "DIE!" He screamed as he fired a blast of pure anti-matter.
Null magnetically shifted a large, golden shard of the tower's wreckage in front of him to block the attack, casting it aside once it had served its purpose.
"Is that all you've got left?" Null asked, shaking his head, "That's a real shame."
Alex stared at his shaking hands in astonishment, "My power... I need more power," No matter how he tried to will it forth, nothing else would come out.
Alexander Luthor, Jr. had been born with extraordinary power that transcended dimensions, and intellect unsurpassed. Almost from the moment he was spawned, he'd had the power to serve as a human bridge between universes. He had helped merge universes and alter history. Over the course of his entire existence, he had never been anything approaching powerless.
...Until now, anyway.
As Alex continued with his crisis of confidence, Null shook his head and formed a small ironsand bullet. With a flick of his finger, the bullet launched forward. Alex's eyes went wide as he gagged and started to choke, a neat round hole punched clean through his throat and out the back.
For a moment, Alex remained upright, his lifeless eyes open in shock as blood began to pour from the wound. Eventually, his vertebrae destroyed from the bullet, his body dropped to the ground. He convulsed as he continued to choke on his own blood. Null just stood and watched until Alex gave off one last death rattle, and his body went motionless.
It was almost enough to warrant some pity. Almost.
He took back every bit of his ironsand that he could find before limping back to the Gravboard, "Yeah... you're 100% Lex Luthor," He said, mostly to himself, as the only other person present was a corpse, "...We definitely don't need more than one of those running around."
For the entire walk back, Null expected something else to happen. There had been a giant alien corpse in the now destroyed tower that he'd expected to somehow come back to life and threaten all of existence anew the moment he turned around, but that never happened. Nothing else happened, at all.
So, it was over. Upon re-mounting his board, Null stood around and took a moment to bask in the atmosphere of the situation.
If it really was over, he had helped save the world. Maybe the universe. When he thought about it, he couldn't even wrap his mind around the concept. It all seemed so much bigger than he was able to process. In his head, at the very least, he had expected that sort of thing to come with some kind of fanfare. To the contrary, however, it was quiet, calm, and lonely, as opposed to the chaos and noise that the world had been subjected to for so long.
After the greatest threat to existence that Null had lived to see, there he stood, alone at the northern edge of the world, with nothing but the frigid cold blowing in his face.
"...This hero stuff is for the birds," He muttered to himself as he started flying south, "I don't know why anyone would go out of their way to bother with this shit most of the time."
At the very least, he could scavenge some of the metal from the golden tower. There had to be something useful there he could make personal use of or profit off of. He would be damned if he saved the world at a loss.
"Hey, how far away did you guys get in the Bug, Lonnie?" Null said over comms. as he flew away in search of a ride, "Get your asses back here. There's no way I'm taking the board all the way home."
Sometime after Null had departed the scene in search of the others, Lex Luthor appeared, teleporting in.
He walked around taking in the aftermath of one of the greatest calamities to ever befall the planet, but didn't dawdle for too long. Once the heroes took stock of the situation, they would be back to take inventory all their own. Luthor hadn't come as an interested observer. There was only one thing he cared about – himself.
It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for. The dead body of his alternate self. It really did look just like him, a likeness he could recognize that much more with a good portion of Alex's hair burned off. He could find some use for this pretender. After all, a lot of trouble had been caused in Luthor's name? Who better to serve as a scapegoat than himself?
Luthor's smirk only grew as he looked down at the dumbstruck expression frozen on the dead man's face, "You made a lot of mistakes. You underestimated Superman both mine and yours. You underestimated your own Superboy. You underestimated me," He crowed victoriously.
No response. Dead men couldn't openly converse, after all. That he couldn't defend himself only boosted Luthor's ego further.
"Your biggest mistake? That you couldn't possibly comprehend that such a complex plan, with so much manpower behind it could be undone by a 'bottom-feeder'."
In the end, the monolith that Alexander Luthor, Jr. of Earth-Three managed to put together with all the resources of this universe and beyond was undone by Lex Luthor, now of New Earth, with nothing more than a box of scraps. No calculation was perfect. For any machine, no matter how finely engineered, even the smallest stray part thrown into the works could cause the entire thing to break down.
Luthor's stray had a name, however. Maximillian Gabriel. After everything that had happened, it would likely behoove him to keep an eye on that boy. Though he was but a boy of no discernable stock or background, there was the potential for great ability there. And ability was meant to be exploited.
Gathering up the lifeless body of Alexander Luthor over his shoulder, Lex didn't flinch as the weight shifted and Alex's head leaned against his, eyes still wide open. Lex merely scoffed, "Now who's stupid?"
XxX
(A Few Days Later – Gotham City)
Kal-L, the Superman of Earth-Two, died as a result of the injuries he received from stopping Superboy-Prime. He was far from the only casualty. Between Prime tearing through 32 Green Lanterns', all the deaths of heroes and civilians from The Society's actions on Earth, the O.M.A.C.s before that, and more… the final toll had been drastic in the end.
Major cities all over the world had been devastated. In the days and weeks that followed, vigils were held around the globe for the missing and dead. Similarly, there were also celebrations from Earth's grateful population. Only in the aftermath of everything did people realize just how much had really been at stake.
Very little of this mattered to Max.
It had been everywhere he looked from the moment he returned to standard civilization, and it had gotten old by the second day. He had lived it! He didn't need to hear wall-to-wall coverage in the aftermath of the same incident from yet another angle. He didn't need to be celebrated by the general public, or get a pat on the back from the hero community. Not unless the celebration and kudos came with a massive cash grant in his honor. But it wouldn't, so he didn't care.
Things were still too hot to resort to thievery to occupy himself. And as he didn't necessarily need the money, it also seemed like a real jerk thing to do for his own amusement and profit, even if he only exclusively stole from bad guys. A lot of them had gone underground for the time being in the wake of The Society's command structure collapsing, even in Gotham City. There wasn't a need to risk kicking the never-ending war between good and evil back into gear prematurely over petty profit. He'd have plenty of chances to suit up, no question about it.
There were only supposed to be a few days until high school started back up for Max, but worldwide catastrophes had a tendency to move start dates back for public classes. Given a little extra time to recuperate and take some time for himself, he jumped all over the opportunity to take some quality time with his favorite girl.
With the click of a few locks, Max hurriedly opened the door to a large, unfurnished penthouse at the top of a twelve-story high rise. Kara calmly followed him in, though she couldn't help but smile at how excited he was. After spending much of the day together, he had been showing her the building, with this being the grand finale.
"And this is gonna be my suite," Max said, walking to the middle of the floor and gesturing around, "I mean, I liked my townhouse, but that's not an option anymore. And the way Selina was living in that penthouse of hers when I stayed with her was too sweet to let go of. I needed to get one for myself. Mine doesn't have a view quite as good as hers, but this is pretty great too. So, what do you think?"
Kara walked around and took everything in. It was an open floor plan for the living room and kitchen. There wasn't a lot of furniture around, but the suite was refurbished and the appliances were all in, "This is a nice place. And you've been fixing this place up for a while?"
"Remember how you asked me before where I keep my money?" Max asked, "I took a note from Selina and her club, set up some accounts, and bought up some property."
Kara's mouth fell open in surprise, "You invested in real estate? Like, for real? How much?"
"Eh, some here, some there. It's a diverse portfolio," Max said, "Some places are pretty nice, like this. Others, not so much. They're works in progress."
"Wow," Kara felt oddly warm at hearing that. It was good to see that Max was capable of looking beyond thievery and could find other ways to apply himself, "That's so... on the up-and-up for you. It's weird. Definitely good! But, yeah, weird."
Yes. More of that. Max had a bigger brain and a quicker wit than people thought. He could use that brain to do more than steal things and hoodwink his enemies.
Upon being praised by his girlfriend, Max couldn't help but preen further, "Yeah, I have some in Gotham. Some in Metropolis. Some in Star City... Central City... ooh, San Francisco..."
It was there that Kara began to see a pattern, "You bought property in cities with lots of hero battles."
Realizing that Kara was catching on to what he was doing, Max smile sheepishly, "Yeah. I did research on spots in those towns that saw a lot of action. I took out big insurance policies on places that needed some TLC when I got 'em," He paid for the work to raise the value with a plan to make more than he put in back quickly, "Let's just say in the aftermath of this Society stuff, I'm kinda cleaning up right now."
Kara tried to give him a stern look that was ruined by the smile she still wore, "...I was totally about to say I was proud of you for making an honest living," she said dryly.
"Hey, this was totally honest," Max said, "I was totally planning on doing this the right way. I just also expected, like, for example, the Flash to eventually run through some little storefront I'd have rented out downtown and ruin the place," He had simply been covering his bases. Honestly, it would have been irresponsible of him to not take out hero insurance on his properties, "I wasn't expecting a world-ending cataclysm to almost happen. But since it did..."
A sigh escaped Kara's lips as she shook her head, "You never cease to amaze me, you know that?"
"That's my line," Max said as his tour took them out onto a balcony with a view of the ocean, "You got your win back. And you helped saved the universe."
Kara raised an eyebrow, "You also helped save the universe."
"All I did was throw some megalomaniacal egghead's overblown science project into orbit."
"All I did was give some hopped-up brat a spanking and sit him in permanent red sun timeout with the Green Lanterns," Kara responded, "And I didn't do it alone."
"I didn't either," Max said, leaning forward against the railing. Kara joined him. For a moment the two stood together in silence until Max reached out to stroke Kara's cheek, "Are you sure you're okay? He beat you pretty bad again."
Kara shut her eyes and leaned into Max's touch before answering the question, "I feel much better now that I'm back under Earth's sunlight."
In the bid to drain Superboy-Prime of his powers, Earth's Kryptonian heroes had lost their own, all except Power Girl, "Do you know when you're going to get your powers back?"
Kara stretched her arms over her head, basking in the welcoming glow of the setting sun, "Kal-El has no idea. Could be a week, could be a month... could be a year," She let out an exasperated sigh, "I wish I knew how long it was going to take to fly again. I miss it already."
Max could only imagine how weird it was. It had taken her over a year to get used to having powers in the first place, "As someone who also grew up without powers and then suddenly got them, I'm sorry. I know it would suck if I lost mine."
"You know what really sucks about it?" Kara asked, "Just when I think I'm finally starting to figure out who I'm supposed to be, I go and lose a really important part of who I've become. But it was worth it."
Besides, there were plenty of heroes to pick up the slack in the interim. Though the hero community hadn't entirely rebounded to the way it had been at its peak, it was healing. After all, they had seen how close things had come to the brink when they weren't on the same page. What had happened before could never be allowed again.
The good guys would do their work, the way they were supposed to. Kara shouldn't have had to rush to get back to form. It would come in time. In the meantime, it could have served as a golden opportunity to take care of herself.
"Eh, maybe Supergirl could use a vacation," Max suggested, "It might give Kara some free time to do some of the other things she wants to do."
"Like what?" Kara asked, an inquisitive look on her face.
Max found himself at a loss, "I dunno. Anything you want," Such a decision was not the sort of thing he could make for another person, "Just take your time and think about it. If you don't know now, something will come to you."
Kara did take a moment to think about it, pacing around the balcony, her fingers laced behind her back. It didn't take long at all for her to come up with an idea, "...You know, I've always wanted to try and study engineering. I used to think about doing something with science and technology back when I lived on Krypton."
"Yeah. There you go, smartypants. Stuff like that," Max reacted supportively, "I'm in good with Blue Beetle now. I'm sure I can get him to hook you up with some apprenticing or something."
Kara gifted Max with a beatific smile before a stray thought turned that smile into a more mischievous one. Hands still behind her back, she slowly paced over to Max, gently swaying side to side as she approached, "But now that you mention it, there's something else I really want to do. Like, right now," Standing well within Max's personal space, she looked up into his face, "I've actually been waiting for a really long time."
"Oh," Max hummed, trying to play dumb, "Is it something I can help with?"
Blue eyes sparkling with mirth, Kara was more than willing to play along, "In fact, sir, you are an integral part of it," She informed him as she pat him on the chest.
"Fantastic," Max chirped, "And, pray tell, is there anywhere in particular we need to be for this... thing that you want to do? Or can we start here?"
Kara blinked and looked around, her face slowly turning a tad red, "Well, in theory, we could do it right out here, I guess... but..."
"-I've got new giant couches that are pretty comfortable," Max suggested.
Max took mercy on her attempts to flirt. She had done very well before he had outright put her on the spot. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Kara calmed down and eased into the kiss until she decided to grab Max up and carry him off. Being little more than a normal girl now, she found herself barely able to budge him, "Uh, I guess I didn't think that one throu-oop!" Max wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her, pressing her back against the wall as they continued to make out.
Kara wasn't used to being the physically weaker one in any interaction she had, especially in this relationship, but as Max snaked his hands under her top and starting kissing on her neck and collarbone, she felt she could get used to it – for however long as it lasted. She wrapped her legs around his waist and mewled contently.
"Hah... where is your room?" She asked as the two hormone-driven teenagers continued to paw relentlessly at one another, "C-can't see through walls anymore."
Max tore only the bare minimum of attention away from Kara, continuing to lavish her with affection and freeing only one hand to fumble around for the door handle to take them back inside, "Come with me."
"That's the idea," Kara remarked breathily, "You have a bed here, right?"
"Just put it up today," Max confirmed.
Kara hummed in satisfaction as Max set her down on the aforementioned bed. It was brand new. It definitely felt like it, "So, was this all part of your master plan?"
"No plan," Max popped his shirt off only to fix Kara with a 'who me?' expression once it was thrown aside, "Do I look like a guy with a plan?" He asked, belt sliding out of his pants with a little magnetic manipulation of the buckle. The pants fell moments after.
"Oh, no you don't," Kara laughed. She kicked her shoes off as she took in the show Max provided for her. Returning the favor, she quickly removed her shorts leaving her in underwear, "You can't pull that 'babe in the woods' garbage on me. I'm the last person you're going to get to underestimate you ever again."
"Please keep all expectations low in the future, dear," Max requested, "It would probably be best for all of us."
Kara rose up on her elbows and raised a brow at him, "All expectations?"
Lemon Start
Max chuckled and lowered his boxers, revealing his erect cock for Kara's viewing pleasure. As Kara made no secret of gawking at his manhood, he himself took a moment to appreciate the sight of a topless Kara in his bed. Seeing her out and usually in her uniform, she seemed downright majestic. Clad in blue and red as Supergirl, she seemed to be a wholesome symbol of untainted power; an ideal to strive after, much like her cousin. But there, alone with him, she seemed so human, and it had nothing to do with the loss of her powers. That was how she always was.
Max stepped forward and slowly maneuvered himself between Kara's legs. Gently, he pushed her knees apart and crawled up to her until the only thing separating their privates was a thin layer of fabric, "Well, maybe not all of 'em."
Kara's heart thudded inside of her chest as her nerves finally kicked in. She had been so confident up until this point, but reality was staring her in the face with the most calming brown eyes. It was almost as if he were the one with x-ray vision, the way he saw through her.
Max offered a gentle smile, leaning forward to the point where he hovered just out of her reach, "This is the time to worry about what you want. So, you tell me. Right now, more than anything else, what does Kara Zor-El want?"
She didn't even have to consider the question, "You," She whispered.
Max kissed her briefly, moving his hands to her hips to remove the last barrier between him and his girlfriend's womanhood. He could see she was still a tad nervous, so tried to keep things as casual as he could for as long as he could, "How long have you been on Earth, babe?" He asked, trying to somewhat distract Kara as he slid her panties down past her knees.
It took Kara a moment to register that Max was speaking to her, "Huh? Oh, uh, fifteen months, I think."
At that, Null paused and looked up at her face curiously, "You'd have only started being Supergirl like a month or two before I started stealing," Which meant that she had been just as new to heroing as he had been to thievery when they met, "Damn, you've seriously been Supergirl the whole time you've been here," And he knew for a fact that such a role wasn't the kind of thing that you got to choose your own hours for.
"Yeah, I kinda hit the ground running, didn't I?" Kara said proudly.
In Max's mind, that just meant that Kara was far overdue for some 'me time', "This whole time, you've been running around trying to take care of everybody else," He clicked his tongue as he slipped Kara's panties past her feet and set them aside, "Well, that just means it's my turn to take care of you. I'm gonna teach you how to be more selfish, girl."
Kara slowly spread her legs for him. Even though she had long since made the decision to give herself to him, she found herself unable to look him in the face out of embarrassment, "Y-you want me to be greedy like you?" Kara tried to tease, though its effect was diminished by the color in her cheeks.
"Why not?" Max asked as he started to kiss the insides of Kara's thighs, slowly working his way to her core, "Greed may not be good, but it's not so bad either."
Max saw his sense of greed the same way many other people saw things like anger, joy, fear, or other emotions. It was something he could latch on to that he could use to push him. But just like any proper emotion, you could lose yourself to it and be controlled by it. Greed was a motivating tool for him, not something to be controlled by.
"Everybody thinks greed is just for money and power," Max absently said, more focused instead on gently slipping his fingers into Kara's sweet spot, "But that's just a really obtuse way of looking at it. Everybody wants something they don't have."
"Oh, my God..." Kara breathed out. Flat on her back, she found it hard to remain still. The girl squirmed underneath the touch of her lover, "It feels so different when someone else does it."
Max found Kara to be extremely wet, simply from the use of two fingers alone. The poor thing. He had to go easy with her or she'd be overwhelmed. Still, if the bare minimum of this level of intimacy was enough to get a comment out of her...
Kara tried and failed to suppress a delighted squeal when Max pressed his mouth to her pussy. Fingers holding open Kara's sensitive folds, the tip of Max's tongue danced about inside. She grabbed Max's hair and pulled him to her. Whatever she had to do to bring herself closer to this source of pleasure. The deeper he probed, the more her body trembled.
'This is so easy, it's kind of unfair,' Max amusedly thought to himself as he spun his tongue about Kara's insides. Her outright newness to sex, combined with what was likely a new level of sensitivity for her Kryptonian body made for oral on easy mode. Each motion he made was met with a new sound of approval from his audience of one, 'Alright, time to go for the kill.'
The instant Max's tongue brushed the fleshy little nub that was Kara's clit, her legs wrapped tightly around his head, "Maaaax!" She cried out, "Max, don't stop! Please!"
Had Kara not been temporarily relieved of her powers, Max felt there could have been a good chance he would have been nursing a broken neck by now. Still, the lady's wish was his command. Max forced Kara's legs back apart, spreading her as wide as possible so that he could devour her properly. Unable to contain herself, Kara bucked wildly against his tongue.
She could feel a warmth in her build greater and greater, until finally she could take no more. The orgasm hit her like a tidal wave. Her entire body shuddered, her toes curled, her fingernails dug painfully into Max's scalp. When Max finally pulled his head up to look over his handiwork, he found Kara splayed out, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, "Wow."
Taking that as a sign of a job well done, Max savored the taste of Kara's juices and continued his ministrations, kissed her from her pubic area, up to her stomach, up to her breasts, stopping to fondle the gorgeous mounds and suck on her perky nipples. The girl cooed underneath him and wrapped her arms around his head and neck, encouraging him to continue.
Before either of them knew it, night had settled. Moonlight beamed in through the window. Max pulled away to gaze at Kara's naked frame bathed in white light, "You're beautiful, Kara," It felt like stating the obvious, but she really was to him. And it wasn't just physical.
Partially wrapped up in the sheets, Kara simply smiled up at him, her previous nerves a thing of the past once the edge had been taken off, "Show me."
Only clad in his boxers, it was clear to Kara that Max was painfully hard from the outline alone, and had still been as patient and giving as he had been. Odd, for someone who claimed to be greedy.
Max looked into her eyes and momentarily got up from the bed. Kara watched with rapt attention as he obtained a condom from the nightstand. She bit her lip in anticipation when Max shifted and reassumed their previous position; this time though, with his cockhead pressed against the entrance to her pussy. Kara's tunnel vision was interrupted with a splash of lubrication.
"Cold!" Kara exclaimed.
Max quickly apologized and set the small bottle aside, "Sorry," Though the grin on his face showed he knew what he'd been doing.
Kara pouted up at him, but once she felt Max's dick slowly press inside of her, her breath hitched. Finally. No excuses, no interruptions.
"Do it," Kara whispered repeatedly, each time getting more desperate, almost to the point of begging.
Max slowly inserted himself into Kara, pushing past the slight resistance he met along the way. At that, Kara bit her lip and closed her eyes tight. Once fully inside of the girl, Max took a moment to let Kara adjust. Internally, he thanked his lucky stars. He hadn't considered it until it was done, but trying to pop Kara's cherry if she had her powers may have had the potential to be an ordeal for both of them.
Kara eventually reached up to wrap her arms around Max's neck, bringing him down for an embrace. Face full of Kara's breasts, Max took that as his cue to begin slowly thrusting. Kara moaned and arched her back underneath Max as he picked up the pace. Grabbing both of Kara's hands with one of his own, he pinned them to the bed above her head and kissed his way up her neck, continuing to pound into her all the while.
Max felt Kara's ankles hook together behind his back and switched to long, deep strokes. Kara wanted him deeper, needed him there, "You're amazing," Max said to her, directly in her ear before nipping at the lobe, "You deserve anything you want."
"You're mine," Kara fitfully moaned.
"I'm yours," Max agreed.
"Max..." Kara desperately panted, "I want... I want... can I please...?" Kara gazed up at him pleadingly, yet unable to get a full thought out, "Mmmm..." Max pacified her with a caress of the cheek, his thumb brushing the edge of her mouth. Kara mewled shamelessly.
"Use your words like a big girl," Max teased.
"I want to be on top," Kara eventually managed to say, "Can I try?"
As if he would have a problem with anything Kara wanted to do. Max's only regret was that he had to pull out, if only momentarily. When he laid down on his back, cock sticking straight up into the air, Kara bolted upright and swung a leg over Max's stomach. Oh, so she was going reverse cowgirl. How bold, "Was this one on your list or something?"
"Right at the top," Kara admitted with no hesitation, "Little help, please?"
Max gripped the base of his cock as Kara pushed herself up, giving him a brilliant view of her dripping wet pussy and tight little asshole. Ideas filled his head when she wiggled her backside at him, 'Later,' he told himself, 'Let's put a pin in that grenade for when it isn't her first time.'
Kara carefully lowered herself, taking Max's full length from underneath. From where she sat on her knees, she felt Max give the soles of her feet a quick tickle, eliciting a laughing yelp from her. His hands grabbed onto Kara's posterior, fingers digging into the supple flesh, "Giddyup."
Kara giggled, "Yah," She began to bounce in place, the bed creaking with every motion she made.
From where he lay, Max's mouth flew open as involuntary moans and groans were drawn from him, "Fuck, Kara..." He had severely underestimated Kara's spirit and eagerness to ride, "You're a fucking natural."
"Mmm-hmm," Kara hummed, placing her hands atop Max's as he helped her go up and down. She had managed to find her own sweet spot, and was intent on milking her boyfriend for all he was worth.
Amid the sound of the bed rocking and the wet slapping of flesh on flesh, Max had a moment of conflict. In the beginning, he had been content to go at Kara's pace, having expected her to be more hesitant and restrained, what with her inexperience. As it turned out, she had the potential to be a little dynamo in the sack, and he found less reason to restrain himself.
A sharp thrust upward as Kara was descending elicited a low, shuddering groan from the girl, and Max's decision was made. He began matching her rhythm and pumping up into her, again and again. Before long, Max grabbed underneath Kara's thighs and pulled her legs forward. Her balance compromised, she fell back onto his chest, but this did nothing to stop Max. It had been exactly what he had intended.
"Max..." Kara softly murmured as she was shifted onto her side. From behind, Max kept a grip on the inside of one thigh, pointing her leg into the sky as he went to town from behind. She reached back and wrapped her arm around his head, pulling his cheek to the side of her jiggling chest.
"You like this, Kara?" Max growled possessively, hardly able to keep his lips off of her, any part of her he could kiss or nip at, "You see what you get? You see what you get when you're my fucking girl?"
"Yes!" Kara yelled out loudly. She was at Max's mercy, putty in his hands as he slid in and out of her velvet tunnel, "All the time! I want this all the time!"
With the single-minded focus of a man intent on making a goddess feel mortal, Max forced Kara fully onto her belly and spread her legs apart. Palms planted on both sides of her, his hips dropped down on her from above like a piledriver. Kara cried out in delight, her fingers digging into the sheets underneath her. Every time Max sheathed himself inside her to the hilt, she squirmed desperately.
Every time Max filled her up, Kara whimpered in response. Her pussy clamped down on his dick, and her entire body tensed up. Words failed her in the moment, "Aaaah! Buh! Mmm!" Kara eventually screamed face down into a pillow.
The feeling was mutual on Max's part. He could feel himself drawing close to his own climax, and kept ramming into her cunny furiously. Kara shook and moaned as Max drilled her as fast and as hard as he could.
He couldn't hold back. He didn't want to. The inevitable finally came to pass, "Kara! Cumming!"
It was the last intelligible sound Max found himself capable of making until he finally shot his load into the condom. His mind was in a fog, his muscles felt momentarily devoid of strength. Chest heaving as he basked in the afterglow, he kept himself poised above Kara, still inside of her.
Lemon End
In a matter of seconds, Max started to catch his breath, simultaneously feeling himself soften. He gently ran a finger up and down Kara's bare back. She was beautiful, glistening with sweat as she lay there peacefully, coming down from her second orgasm of the night.
Arms underneath her, Kara looked over her shoulder and smiled tiredly. She had lost her virginity, and it had been a blast. It was a milestone, and she couldn't help but be pleased with herself, "Yaaaay..." She cheered weakly.
Max chuckled and rolled off of Kara to sit against the headboard, "I can honestly say, I didn't think you had that in you," He remarked, pulling the spent condom off of himself to flick into a nearby trash can.
"I'm adaptable," Kara replied, crawling over to curl up against Max. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing a content sigh from the girl, "Thank you," She eventually said.
"Thank me?" Max said in confusion, "Kara, you were amazing."
She always was; she always had been. So kind, patient, understanding; dare he say, loving. But she had fire. There was an anger in her that others would have told her to keep suppressed, that she herself tried to keep down, but it was a part of her, just as much as the good. In fact, Kara was too good for him – that had always been the case. But it didn't matter, because he wanted her. She was worth it. She was worth anything.
'Mine,' Max thought to himself, eyes closed. He gave Kara a squeeze and a kiss on the brow. In return, she nuzzled her head underneath his jaw. Max took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Kara's kiwi shampoo, 'All mine.'
-For as long as she wanted to be. For as long as she would have him.
In the dark and quiet of the now still bedroom, Max eventually came to a decision. One that had been a long time coming.
Max prompted the girl in his arms with a gentle shake, "Kara?"
"Hmm?" Kara hummed sleepily.
There was only a second of thought. A pregnant pause before three important words left his mouth, "I love you."
Three words, three syllables, yet once they passed through Kara's brain, they hit like a truck. The naked girl pushed herself up off of his chest to look straight into his eyes, "What?"
"I love you," Max repeated, more resolutely this time.
They had been together for months. Even though they should have in theory been on opposite sides of the line that stood between good and bad, they had risked their lives together, fought together, watched the entire universe nearly brought to the brink together. They knew one another intimately, and now biblically. It shouldn't have been a surprise to her to hear Max say such a thing, but it was... because it was him.
"Do you really mean that?" Kara asked tried to find a hint of deceit or uncertainty in his face.
There was none. Max didn't lie. He may have omitted details when it suited him, but outright lying was not his forte. His poker face was horrible.
"Yes."
Kara found herself at a loss for a moment, before her eyes narrowed accusingly, "...You're not just saying that because I gave it up to you, are you?"
"I'd like to think it's not that easy," Max deadpanned before smiling. He reached out and cupped Kara's chin gently, "You earned this shit... whatever that's worth to you."
What was it worth? More than Max assumed it would have meant, judging by Kara's reaction.
Tears pricked at Kryptonian girl's blue eyes; happy ones. Kara nodded in acceptance, smiling wide before pouncing on Max. She smothered him with kisses, sweet and innocent. There was no lust to it, despite their state of undress, just sheer joy – a stark contrast to their previous activities, "I! Love! You! Too!" Kara said between smooches.
He loved her – Him, a human boy, unafraid of the last girl from Krypton, who had never put her on a pedestal because of her powers and her family. He, who had treated her as an equal and cared for her as a person, not for the symbol she represented, but for who she was; the woman underneath the red and blue. He was rough around the edges, maybe a little tarnished, but to her, he was beautiful, and more importantly, he was hers.
And she loved him – Her, a budding hero with all the potential in the world, and the world itself watching her, unconcerned about cavorting with a known thief. She, who never tried to change him, but still saw all the good in him that he was capable of and believed in him. She, who was one of only a handful of people in the world Max could say truly cared for him to her core, who would give of him her trust and her body, unconditionally.
Max was over the moon. Wrapping his arms around Kara's waist, he returned her energy, rolling around in the bed with her, kissing her with all the vigor she gave to him. A triumphant feeling rushed through him, greater than pulling off any heist or success in combat. Was this what winning felt like?
Why not? He had saved the world. Standard heroic clichés would have then dictated that he also then get the girl.
Only... he wasn't a hero.
Yes, he was friends with heroes, was in a relationship with a hero, was on good terms (for now) with many heroes, and his actions had helped lots of people.
...But he was also friends with villains, had been in a relationship with a villain, was on good terms (or at least not on bad terms) with many villains, and had done things that had hurt people and caused no shortage of trouble.
He had friends and enemies, supporters and detractors, in both camps alike. Where he stood in the grand scheme of things was a mystery, because even he didn't know. On any given day, he had just as much chance of rubbing the good guys or the bad guys the wrong way, or winning them over. Where he resided on the spectrum of heroes and villains all depended on what he wanted at whatever particular moment.
No, Maximillian Gabriel was not a superhero. He never was. He never wanted to be. He probably never would be. But that wasn't so bad. After all, he had everything he could think of wanting... for now, anyway. And whenever that changed?
Well, consequences be damned, he could probably just find a way to take it.
THE END
The Author said a sequel is a possibility