Chapter Sixteen: Frost Bite

In the wasteland of white there was nothing for Silvia's mind to hang on to. There was no familiar sight, no sound other than the howling of wind, even her enhanced durability was no match for cold this severe. Only her hearts rapid beating stopped her from becoming as frozen as the ground she walked on.

When Silvia whirled around to at least see the tracks she had made, there were none. The only way to navigate was by the sun and it was already sinking below the horizon, leaving her shivering under the stars.

She was starting to regret leaving the little camp they had set up, but she had to get away. She was becoming too involved in these matters... She should have never opened her mouth.

The snow she was trudging through kept getting thicker the longer she walked until it clung around her kneecaps and left her practically dragging her legs through it. The moment she reached the edge of the mountain Silvia took the opportunity to sit down.

The freezing cold stuck to her skin and her clothes but she tried desperately to ignore it. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she'd die out there and not have to deal with the awkward plane ride home. The girl trembled, teeth chattering and arms wrapping around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

The last thing she expected was for someone to appear from beneath the mountain, floating over the gaping hole with a broad smile and their arms crossed. Silvia jumped at the sudden sight, almost tilting off the edge in the process.

"What the fuck?!" Silvia yelled in a panicked tone, hand grasping the fabric over her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Superman's smile widened. "I'm glad I didn't, then."

"Yeah? Well maybe next time you can announce yourself." Silvia took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart. Her lungs wheezed in her chest, rattling against the vicious cold. "What are you still doing here anyway?"

"I had to make sure the probe was properly installed and that nobody had any...accidents out here. This environment can be harsh."

Silvia tried to concentrate on the man but with him hovering over such a steep drop, it was hard to look anywhere but over the mountains edge. "That still doesn't explain why you followed me."

"It does. By this stage you'll be an icicle before you get the chance to head back." Superman didn't look the least bit bothered by the temperature, even in his unbelievably thin costume. Silvia wasn't even surprised anymore. "I know that we've never been introduced but I'm here to help."

"Yeah... If you don't count locking me in jail as an introduction." Silvia rolled her eyes when Superman feigned confusion. "Don't play dumb. I knew you could see through my mask when you met me."

For a moment Superman didn't look entirely sure if to be surprised or not. Eventually he seemed to accept it though, giving a shrug all too casual for someone in midair. "Well, for future reference, I can't see through lead."

"A little too late to be telling me that." Silvia's lips struggled to move now without quivering. "Unless you're planning on looking through the rest of my clothes. I wouldn't suggest it though - you may be made out of steel or whatever but I will find a way to kick your crotch from your body."

Usually, this would elicit a rather horrified reaction from a man... Sometimes they'd even make a sound in their throat as if they were choking at the thought of it. Superman, however, simply laughed off the threat as if he were growing use to her remarks.

"I do have some morals to uphold." He said just as the winds were worsening. It still didn't phase him; he was the only stable thing in the sky. "You don't have to worry, I have no interest in that."

Silvia's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure whether to be offended or not."

Before Superman could reply Silvia gave a small sneeze. The cold was finally getting to her. It felt like small fragments of snow had been breathed into her nostrils and travelled into her lungs; even her insides were beginning to feel the chill.

"I should take you back, you're not looking well." Superman finally said, previous amusement boiling down to concern.

Silvia snickered as she got to her feet. "You?... No thanks. I can get there myself." She turned and begun struggling through the snow. "If that's the only reason you came up here then you wasted your time. I do have legs, ya know?"

"It's not the only reason." He replied quickly, stopping Silvia in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder curiously and Superman flew closer to the mountains edge. "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Silvia sounded genuinely confused now. She had no idea what she had done to warrant his gratitude.

His red boots finally touched the ground, sinking at least a few centre metres into the snow. "I heard what you said back there."

Silvia's expression turned to one of instant regret and horror. "Of course you fucking did... I can't do anything without you sticking your nose in."

"It's not like I listened on purpose." Superman was smirking now, previous worry seeming to disappear for a second. "Typically, whenever I hear your voice I try my best to zone out."

"With how often you end up in the exact same place as me, I seriously doubt that." Silvia muttered, but it was impossible to say anything without that overpowered jerk hearing it.

Superman chose to ignore her words and continued what he was trying to say. "But this time you were right. It shouldn't have taken Lois so long to realise that I'm more than just this suit... and it shouldn't have been you that had to tell her."

Despite their differences, Silvia could tell that he was hurting. She sighed, starting to feel guilty about the whole thing. "Look, for what it's worth, I hope things work out between you two. M-Maybe now she'll be i-interested in talking to you about something other than 'Superman'."

"Only problem is I'm not sure if it'll mean as much now. She'll only be doing it because you told her to." He crossed his arms, still not feeling the increasing blizzard. "It's... unfortunate, but I'm glad it happened now rather than later."

"Y-You mean... you're b-breaking things off with h-her?" Silvia's teeth were starting to chatter, forcing her to stumble over words. She was more focused on Superman though... She'd seen pictures of him and Lois kissing floating around the internet - which was disgusting by the way. Still, she couldn't help but feel bad for getting between that.

"I'm not sure yet. It isn't a decision to be taken lightly." Superman's gaze was stuck on the girl, more in concentration than simple staring. He was probably assessing how badly the cold was affecting her; all things considered she was handling it fairly well. "But thank you for bringing it up anyway. Maybe I've been misjudging you."

Silvia's shivering barely left room for the scoffing sound she tried to make. It came out sounding more like a snort. "D-Don't start getting all s-sappy. You've 'judged' me just f-fine, I only brought it u-up because I hate owing people sh-shit." Her jaw tensed to try and stop the unsanctioned shaking but it only made it louder. She held out her hand; colour had all but vanished from her skin. "I guess th-this makes us even, r-right?"

Superman stared at her outstretched hand and smiled. "You never owed me anything."

She wasn't sure how to feel about his words. This made the whole situation incredibly awkward. Silvia gave a heavy sigh that trembled in her throat and produced a large gust of mist from her mouth. "J-Just shake my damn hand."

"How about I take you back instead?" He said with a smirk. He wasn't going to let her brush off his gratitude like she did with everything else.

"Did you not hear me before? I said n-" before she could finish her sentence she felt something tug her in the opposite direction. There was an almighty blast of wind that almost suffocated her but it barely lasted a second.

The moment it ceased her surroundings had changed. Granted, it was hard to make out any differences in such a place, but the fire that now burned brightly in front of her was enough. Jimmy was flicking through more of his photos, taking brief notes on each one. Lois was just sitting there, head in her hands and eyes to the ground.

The cold was still thawing from her throat along with the shock, but after a brief look of annoyance in Superman's direction, she asked "Where's Clark?"

"I don't know, I went back to the research station to use their bathroom and when I got back he was gone." Jimmy replied, the wrinkle on his forehead deepening in worry.

"Lois?" Silvia asked but there was no answer. "You're not seriously still sulking about what I said to you, right? Clark is missing!"

"He probably went looking for you." Superman spoke up and it instantly grabbed Lois' attention. "I'll go out and find him."

Silvia felt conflicted at the idea of Clark going after her. On one hand she was panicked, but on the other she was grateful. No one had ever been that concerned about her... For someone to show even the slightest hint of care made her chest tighten. "No, you've done enough." Silvia mumbled. "It's my fault, I'll go look for him."

"You're still recovering from the cold." Superman reasoned. "And I can find him a lot faster."

Though she didn't want to take anymore of Superman's help, her concern for Clark appeared to outweigh that. She sighed in defeat and nodded then the man was gone. Lois stared at the spot that he was once stood in, glazed over with a look so sad that Silvia started feeling guilty all over again.

"Silvia." A voice came from behind her. It was higher and shakier than Superman's, but much more welcome.

Relief washed through her as she turned around. The moment she saw Clark a small distance away she started running towards him. Her legs were moving on their own and her mind was so focused on him being okay that she didn't have time to think about her actions.

Clark was near tackled by her but he somehow stayed firmly upright. His whole body tensed in surprise.

"Clark..." Silvia mumbled absent-mindedly. All she could concentrate on was how warm he was... impossibly so. Though compared to her even an iceberg would probably be warm.

It took a few moments, but eventually Clark relaxed in her arms... which is exactly what brought her back to reality. She jumped off of him fast enough to make The Flash jealous, then averted her eyes away from him completely. Her whole face turned red despite the cold that tried to flush it out. "...I'm glad you're not dead." She said bluntly though there was embarrassment in her tone.

Clark chuckled. "You too."

They had barely made it closer to the fire before Jimmy yelled. "C.K! Glad you're alright, man. Did you get to see Superman this time?"

That did raise the question of where he had gone. Silvia quirked an eyebrow and looked up at Clark as if asking the question without words.

"O-Oh, yeah.. He's alright, I guess. He had to head back to Metropolis. It was a little last minute but that's all he told me."

Jimmy suddenly looked absolutely appalled. "Just alright? Dude, he punched through solid ice like it was nothing! Lois, tell 'em..." His voice trailed off when he saw how miserable she looked. "... Sorry."

Lois didn't even spare him a glance, and the moment she got to her feet the atmosphere darkened around them. "I'm going to bed."

She grabbed a large sleeping bag and multiple blankets before making a place by the fire. Jimmy had managed to seperate some of the snow at their camp so they at least didn't have to lay on too much of it. Lois gave Silvia a sharp glare before turning her back on the group.

Lois' sour attitude had affected all of them. Jimmy wasn't sure whether it was wise to speak to Silvia while Lois was still within earshot, Clark looked devastated at Lois' heartbreak, and Silvia was halfway between feeling bad about what she had said and punching Lois in the face. Whether she was right or wrong for speaking out, Lois would have to suck it up eventually... Silvia was just too impatient to wait for that to happen. So, it made her just as miserable as everyone else.

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