Soft rays of sunlight spilled through the curtains, warming the tangled sheets of Ethan's bed. Jean stirred first before blinking her eyes open to find herself lying on top of Ethan, their bare bodies comfortably wrapped in each other beneath the blankets.
Ethan who was already awake had a slow grin tugging at his lips as he looked up at her. "Morning, Sleep well?" he asked.
Jean yawned as her smile matching his. "I think I blacked out somewhere around the third round."
He laughed before brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You were amazing."
She leaned down to kiss him softly. "So were you... but don't let it go to your head."
"Oh, it already has," Ethan smirked.
Their moment was interrupted by the creak of the door opening. Jean instinctively pulled the blanket up around her shoulders just as Anna stepped into the room, yawning and stretching her arms overhead.
"Well, well. Look who finally woke up," Anna said in playful tone, "Morning, lovebirds."
Jean tensed. "Anna, a little warning next time?"
Anna gave her a mischievous grin. "Please, I've seen more of you two last night than I ever needed to." She smirked. "You might want to work on your soundproofing, by the way."
Jean's cheeks turned scarlet. "W-we weren't that loud…"
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because at one point I'm pretty sure I heard you yell, 'Don't stop, harder!' and begging for more."
Ethan burst out laughing as Jean buried her face in her hands, "I don't remember saying that," she muttered.
Ethan chuckled. "Actually, I do."
Jean groaned. "Not helping, Mr. Carter."
"Just being honest," he shrugged and is clearly enjoying her flustered reaction.
Anna sauntered over and gave Ethan a teasing kiss on the lips. "Breakfast's ready, by the way. Unless of course... you want dessert first."
Jean narrowed her eyes. "Out."
Anna winked. "Fine, fine. But don't take too long—pancakes don't wait."
She turned to leave, then paused at the door. "And Jean… props for the stamina. You've got moves."
"OUT!" Jean shouted, tossing a pillow at her. Anna laughed and vanished into the hallway.
Ethan couldn't hold it and laughed hard. "That was fun."
"You're enjoying this way too much," Jean said and still blushing but smiling despite herself.
"Well, I did have an amazing night... and morning." He leaned in and whispered, "And maybe I want a repeat performance tonight."
Jean raised an eyebrow. "Cocky, aren't you?"
"Only when I'm right," he teased.
Before she could reply, he scooped her up in his arms. She squeaked in surprise, "Ethan!"
"What? We've got to freshen up. You're not walking downstairs smelling like... us."
She huffed before resting her head on his shoulder. "You're impossible."
"And you love it," he said while carrying her to the bathroom.
What started as a simple shower quickly became another intimate moment, full of teasing kisses and stolen touches.
Two hours later, they finally made it downstairs, freshly dressed and glowing with that unmistakable post-bliss energy.
Anna was already seated at the table, casually munching on toast with a smug look on her face.
"Took you long enough," she said as they walked in. "Let me guess—'washing her back,' right?"
Ethan grabbed a slice of toast and sat down beside her. "You're not exactly innocent. Remember last week? You were the one saying you wanted to see if I could break the headboard."
Anna shrugged casually. "True. But I can still last longer than Jean."
He raised an eyebrow. "You just had to comment, huh?"
"Of course," Anna grinned. "Especially after last night's performance. By the way, I'd give it a solid nine out of ten. Just saying."
Jean groaned before grabbing a plate and sitting down. "Can we please not rate my sex life like it's a show?"
Ethan turned to her, "Actually, I'd argue it was more of a cinematic masterpiece."
Anna nodded. "With a sequel coming soon, I'm sure."
Jean shot both of them a death glare. "I hate you two."
They both laughed and leaned in toward her, "We love you too," they said together.
Jean sighed before shaking her head—but the small smile on her lips said otherwise, "You're both the worst."
"And yet, here you are—happily stuck in a three-way relationship," Anna said with a teasing smile.
Jean rolled her eyes and took a bite of her food. "Next time, I'm using magic on the room and soundproofing it."
Ethan leaned in with a smirk. "Don't forget tying me to the bed."
Jean choked on her orange juice as Anna burst out laughing.
Just like that, breakfast ended with a mix of laughter, teasing, and full stomachs.
As Jean opened a portal to Xavier's for her and Anna's classes, both Anna and Ethan paused when they heard a distant scream. Their enhanced senses immediately locked on the source.
"Did you hear that?" Anna asked before frowning.
Ethan nodded, "Yeah. Something's not right."
They both moved toward the window—Ethan from above while Anna leaned against the window frame from below. Their eyes scanned the street outside.
A large, rock-like figure darted through the neighborhood, moving fast despite its size, before disappearing behind some buildings.
"What the hell was that?" Anna asked.
'That looked like... Ben,' Ethan thought, 'Seems like they got their powers.'
"Is he a mutant?" Anna asked, "Maybe we can take him to Xavier's."
Ethan shook his head. "You and Jean go ahead. I'll check on him."
Anna pouted. "But I wanted to have some fun too."
Jean placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you'll thank me later."
Anna gave Jean a playful glare. "I better. And you," she pointed at Ethan, "owe me big time tonight."
Ethan grinned. "Deal."
Jean rolled her eyes affectionately. "You two are impossible."
"I know," Ethan said before wrapping his arms around them both briefly. "And you love it."
After kissing both of them on the lips—and Ethan giving Anna a playful smack on the ass which made her squeal—they stepped through the portal and vanished.
Ethan turned serious, leapt out of the window, and shot into the sky, scanning the area from above.
It didn't take long to find him. Ben who is now a hulking rock-covered figure, was wrapped in heavy clothing and moving slowly toward the bridge.
Using his telepathy, Ethan gently probed Ben's thoughts, 'I didn't mean to scare her… Debbie looked at me like I was a monster… Why the hell did I agree to go into space?'
Ben had scared his wife last night and, in his panic, remembered Johnny once mentioning where Ethan lived. He wandered the neighborhood all night, unable to find the house.
A woman on a jog had seen him and screamed, prompting him to flee again.
Ethan softened. Ben was lost—physically and emotionally. He was reliving the moment Debbie saw his new form and screamed in horror before running away.
And now, he wandered, hoping to find Ethan based on Johnny's vague directions but it was useless too.
Ethan mentally nudged the people nearby to ignore Ben and let him be. He didn't stop Ben earlier because his emotions were unstable, and now, with no one else around, they could finally talk.
Ben eventually settled at the top of the bridge. Ethan gently descended and landed beside him. "Morning," he said casually. "You look troubled, my friend."
Ben turned to him and is startled for a second, before exhaling a breath of relief. "Ethan…. Thank god. I was looking for you."
Ethan raised a brow, pretending not to recognize him. "Looking for me? I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"It's me… Ben. The guy you saved in the space station."
Ethan's eyes widened in fake realization. "Ben? Holy hell, man… What happened to you?"
Ben sighed and told him everything—how they went into space, how the cosmic storm changed them, how he woke up like this, how he terrified Debbie.
"She screamed like I was a damn monster," Ben muttered, his voice breaking slightly. "Didn't even give me a chance to explain."
Ethan placed a hand on his massive shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ben. That's rough. But you're not alone. Maybe I can help you."
Ben looked up with hope flickering in his eyes. "Can you fix this? Cure it?"
Ethan nodded slowly. "Maybe I can help you control it."
Ben looked down, "I don't want control. I want a cure."
"One step at a time," Ethan said. "First, we find the others. It's possible they're affected too."
Ben nodded slowly. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right."
Just then, a man approached the edge of the bridge, muttering to himself. His face was pale and drenched in sweat. He was trembling with tears in his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Ethan and Ben turned toward him.
"Hey, you alright?" Ethan called.
The man didn't respond. He stepped onto the ledge.
Ben jumped to his feet. "Whoa, buddy! Don't do it! If you think you're having a rough time, look at me, pal!"
The man turned, eyes wide, and screamed at the sight of Ben's rocky form. "AHHH! MONSTER!!"
He stumbled back, tripped, and fell onto the bridge road. A truck came hurtling toward him.
Ben didn't hesitate. With a roar, he leaped in front of the truck, slamming both arms into the pavement. The truck came to a crashing halt, metal crunching, horn blaring, but Ben stood firm, shielding the man.
Ethan slowly descended and looked at the terrified man. "Sorry, buddy. Looks like Truck-kun won't be claiming you today."
The man blinked rapidly. "W-What the hell was that thing?!"
Ethan raised a brow. "You mean your savior?"
The man scrambled up and ran off screaming.
Ethan turned to Ben. "Didn't he come here to die? Why is he running now?"
Ben shrugged. "Guess I scared the depression out of him."
They both chuckled lightly. Despite everything, there was a spark of hope in Ben's eyes now.
Ethan looked at him. "See? You're already doing good out here."
Ben gave a small smile. "Yeah… maybe."
After saving the man from the truck, Ben helped the driver who is stuck inside to get out of the wrecked vehicle.
But no sooner had they stepped away than a crowd of police officers surrounded them, guns drawn and orders barking through megaphones.
"Put the man down! Hands where we can see them!"
Ben raised his rocky arms in surprise. "Whoa, easy there! Sorry about the truck, man," he muttered as he gently placed the driver down.
"Back away! On your knees!" one of the officers shouted again, clearly on edge.
Ben glanced at Ethan, "This is what I get for saving someone?"
Before Ethan could respond, the sound of metal scraping against metal erupted behind them. A chain-reaction of crashes had started due to the truck's sudden stop, and an explosion burst in the distance—flames lighting up the sky.
Ben turned to Ethan. "This is our chance—come on!"
"Wait—why are you running?" Ethan asked, jogging after him.
"I don't need more cops up my ass right now!" Ben huffed.
"You know," Ethan said casually, "I could just make them forget this ever happened."
That made Ben stop mid-stride. "You can do that?"
Ethan shrugged. "Yeah."
Before they could continue the conversation, a voice rang out.
"BEN!"
They both turned.
Standing on top of a crushed car was a woman with long blonde hair and her expression filled with relief and disbelief. Susan Storm.
And she wasn't alone—Reed stood beside her, looking stunned along with Johnny.
"Whoa..." Ethan murmured. "Looks like the gang's all here."
Suddenly, another crash echoed nearby. A fire truck collided with a wrecked car and began tipping dangerously toward the edge of the bridge.
Johnny's eyes snapped to a little girl trapped under the bridge rail near the impact zone. The vehicle beside her was leaking gas—and sparking.
He didn't hesitate and he dashed forward. "Hang on!"
Johnny leapt over the wreckage and wrapped himself around the girl just as the car exploded. His flames flared in response, shielding the child from harm.
"JOHNNY!" Susan screamed and instinctively reaching out.
A shimmering force field burst from her hands, containing the shockwave of the explosion and shrinking it inward before it could harm bystanders. Her eyes widened at what she'd just done.
Reed didn't waste a second. As a firefighter slipped from the top of the leaning truck, Reed stretched his arms like rubber and caught the man mid-air before gently placing him on solid ground.
Ethan turned to Ben. "Can you stop that truck from going over?"
Ben nodded and rushed forward, planting his massive feet into the pavement. With a grunt, he grabbed the front of the fire truck and slowly began to pull it back inch by inch. Sparks flew as his feet dug in and ground cracked beneath his rocky form.
With a final heave, Ben stabilized the truck and lowered it to the road.
The crowd around them erupted into cheers. Even the cops hesitated, looking around at the destruction... and the heroes who had prevented a disaster.
Ethan smiled to himself. He didn't interfere—not because he couldn't, but because this was their moment. Their first test. And they'd passed.
He walked over to join them as the crowd dispersed.
Ben, however, didn't seem to notice the celebration. His gaze was fixed on someone in the crowd.
His wife. Debbie.
She stood frozen, her eyes filled with fear... and something else. Slowly, she removed her wedding ring, knelt down, and placed it on the pavement before backing away with tears in her eyes.
"Debbie..." Ben whispered before stepping forward. "Please..."
But she turned and ran without a word.
Ben stood there silently, looking at the small silver ring on the ground. His massive hand reached for it, trembling... but stopped just inches away.
He couldn't do it. Couldn't bring himself to pick it up.
Then a hand touched his shoulder.
Reed stood beside him, gently picking up the ring and pressing it into Ben's hand.
"I swear, Ben," Reed said quietly. "I'll do everything I can to fix this. I promise."
Ben closed his rocky hand around the ring and turned away.
Ethan placed a hand on Ben's other shoulder, offering silent support.
...
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