— — — — — —
Tia blushed furiously and quickly stepped away from Renzo, clearly embarrassed by everyone's teasing. Her pretty face was bright red, and she didn't even dare to lift her head.
Renzo shot a playful scolding at Oris and the others. "If you're jealous, just say it already! Now get your butts moving and gather up!"
"Yes, yes!
"We're going, we're going!"
"So, girls before brothers now?"
"..."
— — —
DC Universe
Inside a luxury seaside villa in Manhattan, Superman slowly opened his eyes.
"Hmm… Marvel, huh? Interesting. Come to think of it, these two universes might actually be more connected than we think—maybe even close to each other dimensionally. Wouldn't hurt to check it out sometime."
He was genuinely curious about what might happen if the versions of himself from the two worlds ever met.
Would something exciting happen?
…Or absolutely nothing?
"Babe! You're up? Come eat!"
Just as Renzo got up, he heard Diana calling from downstairs.
"Coming!" he replied loudly.
DC + Marvel? Maybe more?
All worlds become one?
With those thoughts still floating in his head, he washed his face and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
There, he saw Diana cooking, graceful and domestic. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek.
"I'm so lucky to have you."
Diana rolled her eyes and playfully shrugged out of his hug. "Then how about flirting with fewer women when you're out? That would make me even happier."
"Alright, alright," Renzo chuckled sheepishly. "I'll help with the dishes."
He grabbed the plates and chopsticks to set the table, then sat down with her to eat.
As they ate, Diana suddenly asked, a little troubled, "We've been married for years now… How come I've never gotten pregnant? You're not… defective, are you?"
"What?! Of course not!" Renzo nearly jumped out of his seat. "I'm perfectly fine!"
"So, you're saying I have a problem then?" Diana narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"No no no!" Renzo shook his head quickly. "Don't even joke about that—I'd never say that."
He cleared his throat and added, "I think… maybe it's because both our genes are too advanced. That might actually make it harder to conceive. I've been thinking of studying genetics more seriously. I'm sure we'll figure it out."
"Hmm, I hope so."
Diana nodded, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. Truthfully, she had already guessed something like that—it wasn't that either of them had a problem, just that their biology was too extraordinary.
"What made you suddenly bring this up?" Renzo asked curiously. She'd never talked about wanting kids before.
Diana sighed and said with a slightly envious look, "I've been seeing Lois and Kara with their kids lately, and it made me feel kind of… left behind. Plus, my mother's been asking about it more and more."
It was clear—she really wanted a child of her own now. Maybe seeing Lois and Kara so happy as moms had stirred something in her.
"Then let's make it happen," Renzo said seriously. "I'll take care of it."
Diana smiled, reassured by his tone.
"Oh right—after breakfast, I'm heading over to Lois's place. We made plans earlier. Want to come?"
She changed the topic casually, not wanting to push the baby talk too hard now that he'd agreed.
"Oh?" Renzo replied as he stuffed another bite of food into his mouth. "Sure, I'll come. I actually needed to talk to Clark about something too."
"Oh?" Diana tilted her head. "What about?"
"Well, his dad left a Kryptonian ship hidden on Earth. I'm thinking of studying its tech to help build and upgrade a proper spaceship for us."
Renzo wasn't just interested in the tech—he also knew that Jor-El's AI was stored on that ship. There were questions he had about Kryptonian lore and information about General Zod he wanted to ask the AI.
He'd read the original works, sure, but there wasn't much detail on Zod's movements. And with his presence possibly altering things, he figured it was best to be prepared.
"A spaceship?" Diana raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. "Didn't we already have one? Why the sudden interest in building a new one? You planning to leave Earth?"
"Sort of," Renzo nodded, then quickly added, "But don't worry—I'd take you with me. It's just… Earth gets a little dull sometimes, you know? I figured we could travel, explore the stars, maybe even go on some cosmic adventures."
"There's a ton of advanced civilizations out there waiting to be discovered."
"Hmm. I see… well, don't forget what you just said," Diana replied with a soft smile.
Honestly, she was curious about those civilizations too.
And truth be told… she was getting kind of tired of Earth herself.
---
After they finished eating and cleaned up, Renzo climbed into his personal aircraft and headed toward Clark's house.
It was a decent trip—Clark lived all the way out in Kansas.
Thankfully, ever since Renzo awakened his consciousness space and started sharing power with his other selves across dimensions, he'd built this compact little craft. Travel had become a breeze.
In just over ten minutes, he touched down gently on the big lawn beside Clark's farmhouse.
Hearing the sound, Clark's family quickly came out to see what was going on.
"Hey! Clark! Lois! Long time no see!" Renzo waved from a distance, grinning.
"Lois! I'm here!" Diana called out warmly, jogging up and giving her a quick hug.
Renzo, on the other hand, leaned in with a cheerful grin and gently poked the cheek of Clark's daughter. "Look at you, little one—you're getting cuter by the day! Growing so fast too!"
Lois laughed, clearly proud. "You won't believe it—Willa's already starting to talk! Isn't that crazy?"
Only three months old, and already forming words.
To her, it was mind-blowing.
Clark, though? He didn't think it was strange at all.
After all, she was his daughter—half Kryptonian. Compared to regular humans, her learning speed and development were naturally way above average.
Especially since Clark had Lois make sure Willa got plenty of sunlight. With that much solar energy, there was no way her growth wouldn't be accelerated.
Thankfully, the enhancements didn't affect her physical appearance or age.
At most, little Willa was just slightly stronger and smarter than the average baby. Just a bit.
"Long time no see! What brings you both out here today?" Clark asked with a smile. He knew Renzo well enough—this guy was basically a homebody. If he was showing up in person, it had to be something important.
"Yup, I've got business with you," Renzo said with a grin.
"I figured," Clark laughed, bumping fists with him. "Alright, spill it. What's up? If it's not too crazy, I'll help out."
Renzo didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "What's the status on your dad's Kryptonian ship? Still in the Arctic?"
"Yeah, it's still sitting under the polar ice," Clark nodded. "Why? This about the ship? Or do you want to talk to my father's AI?"
He looked surprised. After all, he wouldn't have even known the ship existed if Renzo hadn't told him years ago.
"Both, actually," Renzo replied. "I want to study the ship's tech—might help me build my own spacecraft. And I also have a few questions about the Kryptonian Codex I'd like to ask Jor-El."
"…Also, there's something more urgent—I need information on General Zod."
He didn't see any point in hiding it.
"Yeah, sure. I can take you there later," Clark said with a nod. Then, after a brief pause, he frowned slightly. "Wait a sec… Zod? That name sounds familiar…"
"You've probably heard your dad mention him before," Renzo said with a knowing smile. "He used to be your father's friend—then became his mortal enemy. A general on Krypton, and a hardcore military extremist."
"He got exiled into the Phantom Zone for his crimes. But I recently picked up word that he's escaped—with an entire Kryptonian fleet, no less."
"They've found out about you… and now they're headed for Earth."
Thanks to the collective power and knowledge Renzo had gained from his alternate selves, he hadn't been slacking off. He'd built plenty of advanced probes and scattered them across space, constantly gathering intel.
Clark's eyes widened in surprise. "What? I thought we were the last Kryptonians… and now you're telling me there's a whole fleet out there?"
"That's wild."
"Don't get too excited," Renzo warned, shaking his head. "They're not here for a family reunion. And they definitely don't have good intentions—especially not for Earth."
.
.
.