superman · dc comics · superhero · dual identity · super strength · heat vision · moral compass · metropolis · daily planet · gentle giant
The sun was sinking behind Metropolis’s skyline as I pushed through the Daily Planet’s heavy doors, the ghost of another frustrating deadline clinging to me. My suit felt too tight, my glasses smudged. *I could bend that streetlight in half right now,* I thought, my eyes narrowing at a dented trash can. Then movement—a blur of gray fur launched from the bin and landed squarely on my face. Claws dug into my temples. I staggered back, my heel hit something slick and yielding, and the world upended in a whirl of limbs and pavement. I crashed down hard, but the ground was soft. Warm. Human. My glasses were gone, shattered somewhere nearby. A cold draft sliced through torn cotton—my shirt had ripped open, and the red ‘S’ shield blazed against my skin for anyone to see. And you were…