One Flesh, Infinite Stars

Metro Man didn't sleep. Never needed to. Back in Metro City, he'd spent nights hovering over the skyline, listening to the hum of a world that leaned on him too much. Here, in this new universe, he stood on the Hall of Justice's roof, staring at a Metropolis that didn't know his name. Yet. The city glittered below, alive with lights and noise, but his ears caught something else distant tremors, faint cries, a rhythm of chaos beyond the horizon.

He cracked his neck, grinning. "Guess retirement's still on hold."

A shadow moved beside him Diana, stepping onto the roof with that silent grace. Her armor gleamed under the moon, and her eyes flicked to him, sharp and steady. "You don't rest," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Don't need to," he replied, leaning against the ledge. "Perks of being me. You?"

"Amazons train to endure," she said. "But I enjoy the quiet when it comes."

He nodded toward the city. "Quiet's overrated. Hear that?"

She tilted her head, listening. Her brow furrowed. "Earthquake?"

"Bigger." He tapped his ear. "Super-hearing's picking up something nasty. South America, maybe. Wanna check it out?"

Diana's hand rested on her lasso. "Lead the way."

They took off, Metro Man streaking through the sky like a comet, Diana riding the winds with her divine speed. He could've lapped her lapped the planet but he kept pace, glancing back to catch her expression. Focused, fierce, beautiful in a way that hit harder than Superman's punches. He shook off the thought. Focus, hotshot.

They reached the coast of Brazil in minutes, the Amazon rainforest sprawling beneath them. The ground buckled, rivers surging as a tsunami roared inland. Villages crumbled, people screamed, and Metro Man's grin faded. This wasn't Parasite's petty rampage this was nature gone rogue.

"Poseidon's wrath?" Diana asked, scanning the chaos.

"Nah," Metro Man said, squinting. "Plate tectonics on steroids. Something's pushing it."

He dove, landing knee-deep in floodwater. The earth shook harder, cracks splitting the jungle floor. With a grunt, he slammed his fists into the ground, force rippling outward. The tremors stilled, the cracks sealed, and the water sloshed back like a scolded dog. Villagers stared, awestruck, as he stood, brushing mud off his suit.

Diana landed beside him, her boots sinking into the mire. "You stopped it."

"Piece of cake," he said, but his eyes narrowed. "Too easy. Something's off."

A roar split the air deep, guttural, primal. The jungle parted, trees snapping like twigs as a colossal figure emerged. Giganta, fifty feet tall and pissed, her fists glowing with stolen energy. She swung at Metro Man, a blow that could've flattened a city block. He caught it with one hand, barely budging.

"Hi, gorgeous," he quipped. "Bad day?"

Giganta snarled, wrenching free. "You're in my way!"

"Lady, you're in everyone's way." He blurred forward, grabbing her ankle and yanking. She toppled, cratering the earth. Before she could recover, Diana's lasso snaked around Giganta's wrists, glowing gold as it tightened.

"Yield," Diana commanded, voice like steel.

Giganta thrashed, then slumped, the fight draining out of her. Metro Man dusted off his hands. "Teamwork makes the dream work."

Diana coiled her lasso, studying him. "You could've ended her alone."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" He winked, and this time, she almost smiled.

They secured Giganta Superman arrived with a containment unit from the League and Metro Man took to the skies again, scanning the globe. The tsunami wasn't a fluke. Earthquakes rattled Japan, storms battered Europe, and a volcano erupted in Iceland, all at once. He hovered over the Atlantic, arms crossed, piecing it together.

"Someone's playing puppet master," he muttered.

Diana joined him, her presence steadying. "Ares, perhaps. Or Brainiac. This reeks of manipulation."

"Big bads, huh?" He cracked his knuckles. "Let's break their toys."

They split up Diana to Europe, Metro Man to Japan. He hit Tokyo at Mach speed, the city trembling as skyscrapers swayed. A tidal wave loomed offshore, fifty feet high and closing fast. Metro Man grinned, then flew straight into it.

He punched the wave's crest, force exploding outward. Water parted like the Red Sea, crashing back into the ocean with a thunderous slap. Onlookers cheered, phones flashing, and Metro Man waved midair. "No charge, folks."

Next, the quake. He dove underground, senses pinpointing the fault line. With a shrug, he grabbed the tectonic plates literal slabs of earth and held them still. The shaking stopped, Tokyo sighing in relief. He surfaced, dirt-streaked but unbothered, and checked his watch. "Five minutes. Not bad."

Diana's voice crackled through a comms device Batman had shoved at him earlier. "Europe's secure. The storms were unnatural tech-driven. You?"

"Japan's good," he said. "Plates are behaving. Iceland next?"

"Meet me there."

Iceland's volcano spewed ash and lava, a red wound in the snow. Metro Man arrived as Diana deflected molten rock with her bracelets, shielding a research team. He landed beside her, the heat not even singeing his cape.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said, dodging a lava spray. "Plan?"

"Contain it," she replied, voice steady despite the chaos. "Can you?"

"Watch me." He flew into the crater, fists glowing as he punched the magma chamber. The eruption faltered, then reversed lava sucked back into the earth like a vacuumed spill. He emerged, grinning, as the volcano quieted.

Diana stared. "You're impossible."

"Impossibly awesome," he corrected, landing beside her. The researchers gaped, but Metro Man's eyes were on Diana. Sweat beaded her brow, and her armor bore scorch marks. She looked mortal, fierce, and it stirred something in him he couldn't name.

"You're hurt," he said, nodding at a burn on her arm.

She waved it off. "It's nothing."

"Not to me." He reached out, hesitated, then let his hand drop. "You're tougher than most."

"And you're stronger than all," she said, meeting his gaze. "But strength isn't everything."

He tilted his head. "What else you got in mind?"

"Purpose," she said simply. "You wield power like a god, but what drives you?"

He paused, the question cutting deeper than he'd expected. "Used to be duty. Then it was boredom. Now?" He glanced at her, then away. "Still figuring that out."

She nodded, as if she understood. "Come. The League will want a report."

Back at the Hall, the Justice League convened. Batman's hologram pinned the disasters to Brainiac some cosmic tech destabilizing the planet. Metro Man half-listened, his mind replaying Diana's words. Purpose. He'd had it once, lost it, and now… what? This world was bigger, messier, and somehow more alive than Metro City. And Diana her fire, her steel was part of it.

As the meeting broke, she found him by the window again, staring at the stars. "You did well today," she said. "The world owes you."

"Nah," he said, turning to her. "Just doing what I do. You, though you're something else."

Her brow arched. "Flattery?"

"Truth," he shot back. "You're not scared of me. Most are."

"I've faced gods," she said, stepping closer. "You're no threat. Not yet."

He laughed, soft and real. "Stick around, princess. I might surprise you."

She held his gaze, then turned to go. "Rest, Metro Man. Tomorrow's battles await."

He watched her leave, her silhouette sharp against the hall's glow. The stars outside burned bright, unfamiliar but calling. For the first time in years, Metro Man felt awake really awake and it wasn't just the fights. It was her.