Chapter Text
A baby boy stretches his tiny hand toward the neon stars hanging from the ceiling. He smiles, bathed in their glow. “Keep reaching for them, Jon. One day you will fly among them and shine twice as bright.” Baby Jon stumbles to his knees. He looks at his mother and laughs loud and warm. “Come to me,” she says, spreading her arms. Jon stands up. He walks to her with a bright face and an unsteady waddle. They embrace. The mother kisses his tiny head many times and adjusts the small dark lock of hair.
Jon looks at her with his bright blue eyes and coos. “I think someone wants a bedtime story. Hmm?” Jon grabs her by the thumbs, his eyes wide and curious. She tickles his tiny nose with hers. Jon sits down, still holding her thumbs. “Once upon a time there was a mother named Lara and a father named Jor-El. They lived on a planet called Krypton. They had a beautiful baby boy whom they named Kal-El. The boy had eyes almost as beautiful and bright as yours. A smile that could light up the darkest corners of the world, and a heart that beat for everybody. They loved him more than their red sun. They loved him more than all the rivers and trees. They loved him more than life itself.” Baby Jon purses his lips. His eyes follow his mother’s. He releases her thumbs and plays with the locks of hair falling above him like a curtain. “…One day a monster came to Krypton. It did not know what love was. It did not care for it. It took the souls of the people.
It destroyed whatever it touched. The parents knew that the end was coming. Jor-El built a ship for Kal-El and Lara. But Lara refused to leave Jor-El. With a heart full of hope, they sent their boy to a tiny blue planet called Earth. Our home.” Jon releases the mother’s hair. He grabs the tips of his toes and looks at her without blinking. “Mama…” Jon whispers. The mother picks him up. He presses his head against her chest, drawn to her warmth. “The ship carrying the boy fell into a cornfield and was found by a loving Ma and loving Pa. The boy was not like any they had known. At three years old, he could lift a cow with ease, laughing at her confused moos. At four years old, he flew across the house. Ma and Pa ran after him. At five, he could outrun the fastest car.” The mother gently lowers Jon into his cradle. She rocks it softly. Jon looks at her, his eyes half lidded. “Ma and Pa did not know how to raise a super boy. But they did their best to raise a son. They gave him the name Clark and planted seeds in his heart. The seeds of kindness, mercy, hope and love. Clark grew into a good man. He was forged in the strength of his old world and tempered in the grace of his new one.” Jon drifts off to sleep, suckling on his thumb. The mother looks at him for a moment, studying his small face, serene in sleep. “Sleep, my beautiful baby boy. Mama Lois is watching over you. I love you.” Jon stirs in his sleep.
SUPERMAN: FOR THE MAN OF STEEL
Author's Note:
Welcome to SUPERMAN: FOR THE MAN OF STEEL!
This story has been a massive labor of love, and I am so excited to finally share this vision of the DC Universe with you all. I wanted to create a version of Metropolis and Smallville that feels cinematic, grounded, and deeply focused on the psychological and emotional weight these characters carry. Thank you for reading!
I will be leaving a specific music suggestion at the bottom of each chapter to pair with the reading!
For the Prologue: Listen to "For the Love of a Princess" by James Horner, It goes well with the title drop at the end.