The wind trailed in their wake as Tatsumaki soared through the skyline, dragging Metal Bat along behind her like a misbehaving balloon.
His body was limp in midair, arms crossed, bat hanging over his back.
He didn't struggle, there was no point. Not when she was in one of those moods.
"This how it's gonna be, huh?" he muttered as they cut through the clouds. "You floatin' me around like a freakin' Macy's parade balloon?"
"Shut it," Tatsumaki snapped, her eyes glowing faintly green with effort. "I'd let you walk, but you'd get lost. You're like a homing missile for chaos."
"Can't argue with that," Metal Bat replied casually. "You always this bossy in other universes?"
"Only when surrounded by morons."
They dipped lower as the city gave way to a more open, industrial area, abandoned warehouses along the waterfront.
One of them, unassuming and half-covered by creeping ivy, had subtle metallic plating woven into its walls.
A thin hum resonated in the air, too faint for most to notice.
Tatsumaki slowed her descent, then dropped Metal Bat unceremoniously onto the roof with a thud.
"Welcome to the tech-boy's nest," she said.
"Wait... Genos is here?" Metal Bat stood up, brushing dust off his jacket. "I thought he went missin' after that portal incident."
"He showed up three days ago. Somehow managed to cobble together a lab out of scrap tech and Stark garbage. He's been analyzing the multiverse rift ever since."
The rooftop door hissed open before she even knocked.
Steam spilled out briefly, and the unmistakable sound of servo motors echoed behind it.
Genos emerged, tall, pristine, glowing golden eyes locking immediately onto the new presence.
He had his sleeves rolled up, both arms detached from the elbows down and resting in a metal tray he held at his hip.
Diagnostic wires trailed from open ports in his biceps.
"Sensei is not with you?" Genos asked immediately, voice calm but expectant.
Tatsumaki floated past him without answering. "Relax. He's fine. Out doing whatever it is bald weirdos do when they're bored. I brought someone who might help."
Metal Bat stepped forward and gave a small upward nod. "Yo."
Genos froze. His eyes scanned the bat-wielding man up and down.
"...Metal Bat," he said at last. "I am... relieved to see you survived."
"Survived?" Metal Bat scratched his head. "Hell, I'm just confused. Where are we? This ain't home turf, that's for damn sure."
"You are currently in Earth-199999," Genos explained, leading them inside.
"A universe parallel to our own. The atmospheric readings, physics constants, and power distribution all match known Marvel Universe parameters."
Metal Bat stared at him blankly. "You sound like you swallowed a physics textbook."
Tatsumaki sighed. "He's been like that since he got here. Obsessing over readings, frequencies, dimensional tears. He hasn't recharged properly in days."
"I can manage," Genos said automatically. "I have located at least eight unique anomalies tied to our arrival. One of them, I believe, is near a location called Wakanda—"
"Slow down, nerd," Metal Bat said, holding up a hand. "All I need to know is: is there a way back?"
Genos turned to a whiteboard cluttered with equations and star maps.
"That is... uncertain. The dimensional barrier has undergone recursive flux since Saitama-sensei's arrival. Each new entrant, like yourself, causes ripples. But I am working on a stabilizer."
Tatsumaki hovered beside the board, eyes narrowing at a specific corner.
"You still think someone pulled us here?" she asked.
"I am confident it was intentional," Genos replied. "This many convergences from the same universe is not coincidence."
Metal Bat exhaled through his nose. "So someone's fishin' for monsters and weirdos... and they're usin' Saitama as bait?"
Genos nodded slowly. "That's one possibility."
"Great," Tatsumaki muttered. "So what do we do now?"
"For now..." Genos gestured to a workbench.
"I need more samples. Your energy signature, Metal Bat, may hold further clues. I believe your resistance to psi-variance may explain why you're here fully intact."
"You want my blood?"
"A few cells will suffice."
"You're lucky I like robots."
...
It was a hot day.
The kind of heat that made air shimmer above sidewalks and turned New York's usual concrete jungle into a slow-cooking skillet.
Which is exactly why Saitama, Gwen, Cindy, and Gwenpool had decided to go somewhere with sand, ocean, and the vague promise of overpriced ice cream.
The beach.
"Okay, hear me out," Gwenpool said, spinning her parasol like a deadly prop. "We all deserve a break. The multiverse isn't ending this week. Probably. And if it is, Deadpool can handle it."
"Oh yeah?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, adjusting her hoodie under the sun. "What's he doing again? Something about Wolverine?"
"Saving the multiverse with him!" Gwenpool grinned. "Like in that Deadpool 3 trailer. Or commercial. Or fan-cam edit. Who knows anymore!"
"I don't think that's how time works" Cindy mumbled, adjusting her sunglasses.
Saitama trudged along in flip-flops, a small cooler under one arm. He'd been promised there would be snacks. The others promised fun. He wasn't convinced either existed yet.
When they finally reached the beach, Gwen stopped short and blinked. "Uh... is that Tony Stark?"
Sure enough, near one of the private lounge setups along the boardwalk, Iron Man himself was reclined in a Hawaiian shirt, holographic sunglasses over his eyes, drink in hand.
And sitting beside him under a shaded umbrella was a familiar figure, dressed in stylish beachwear with her silver-tinted hair tied up and a light shimmer to her skin even in the sun.
"Wait, Luna?" Cindy's voice hit three octaves higher.
The pop idol turned part-time superhero looked up, and recognized them instantly. A bright smile crossed her face.
"Hey!" Luna waved. "Look who it is."
Cindy froze. "I'm not ready. I'm emotionally unprepared. Abort."
"You already met her," Gwen said dryly. "You cried. She hugged you. We've moved past this."
"I didn't cry, I was overcome with admiration—"
But Luna was already approaching, her expression lighting up more when she spotted Saitama in the back, munching on a rice ball he must've brought from home.
"Well," Luna said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "didn't expect to see you again at the beach, Mr. Not-a-Fan."
Saitama gave a lazy nod. "Yo."
Tony glanced over his sunglasses. "Wait, you know Caped Baldy? That guy was a big help in the New York battle"
Luna smirked. "He ghosted me after I gave him my number."
"I didn't ghost you," Saitama said. "I left it on the table."
Tony let out a low whistle. "Damn. Cold."
"You were cool though," Luna said, folding her arms with amused pride. "Honest. Like a rock in a sea of screaming fans."
"More like a guy looking for takoyaki," Gwen whispered.
Tony leaned over toward Luna. "So, should I be jealous, or is this just your type now?"
"Oh please," Luna rolled her eyes. "He barely remembers my name."
"I remember," Saitama said between bites. "Snow something."
"Close enough," she replied, shaking her head with a small laugh.
The breeze picked up. Waves rolled gently onto the sand, and Gwenpool was already dragging Gwen and Cindy toward the water with chaotic energy.
Luna gave Saitama a sideways glance. "You here to swim?"
He looked down at his plain swim trunks. "I'm here for whatever's in the cooler."
"...Let me guess. Not sunscreen."
"Nope. Egg sandwiches."
She chuckled again. "You're impossible."
"And you're loud," he said, then added, "but nice. So... it evens out."
Luna blinked, surprised for half a second, then smiled genuinely.
"Come join us later," she said, turning to head back toward the lounge. "If you're done being mysterious."
Saitama watched her go, finishing the last bite of his snack. "Huh," he muttered. "at least i got something to eat."
...
Later that afternoon, the chaos had mostly calmed down.
Gwen was reading under an umbrella with her headphones in, Cindy was building an aggressively engineered sandcastle fortress, and Gwenpool was floating on a pink inflatable shark, pretending it was a space cruiser.
Saitama had found himself sitting near the edge of the water, letting the surf roll gently over his feet.
He looked entirely at peace, unbothered by the sun, the people, or even the fact that a crab had just tried to fight him and lost.
Luna approached, holding two bottles of cold tea. She offered one without saying anything, sitting down beside him in the sand. He took it with a nod of thanks and cracked the cap open.
For a few quiet moments, they just listened to the waves.
"You know," Luna said eventually, "it's kind of strange."
Saitama looked over. "What is?"
"That you didn't care."
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"When we first met," she continued, smiling faintly
"you didn't ask for a selfie. Didn't get flustered. Didn't try to impress me. You barely even looked up from your food. That... doesn't happen to me very often."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Saitama asked, sipping his tea. "No screaming fans?"
"It is," Luna said, turning her face toward the sun. "It's refreshing. Most people just see the stage persona. The ice, the powers, the glitter. You didn't even blink."
"I thought you were a singer, not an assassin," he said flatly. "Why would I blink?"
Luna laughed. "That right there. You treat me like a person. A kind of clueless, snack-obsessed person, sure, but still."
He didn't respond right away. Just nodded a little, like he understood.
"I think I needed that," Luna said quietly. "Some reminder that I don't always have to perform to matter. That maybe, somewhere out there, I can be just Seol Hee again."
Saitama tilted his head. "Seol Hee, huh? So that's your real name?"
"Yep."
"Cool." He went back to watching the horizon. "I'm Saitama."
She smiled at that. "Yeah. I know."
Then, before the moment could get too heartfelt—
WHUMP!
Something small, fast, and pink launched through the air like a human beach ball and landed squarely on Saitama's back, knocking him forward with a startled grunt.
"GAH! Found you!" Gwenpool clung to him like a backpack, grinning ear to ear. "Come on, you two! We're not doing moody indie drama today, we're doing panel-worthy bonding!"
"Get off" Saitama grumbled, not moving.
"Nope! I haven't had enough screen time lately and I demand attention! Preferably while yelling and clinging on the protagonist!!"
"Is she always like this?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, brain damage i think, hope Genos can help her." Saitama said.
"Only when the plot forgets about me!" Gwenpool declared.
"Besides, this is the beach arc although it's kinda random! Where's the fanservice? The water gun fights? The tragic backstories under starlight? The musical montage of self-discovery?"
"What?" Saitama mumbled.
"Exactly! Which means it's time to transition scenes!"
Luna couldn't help it, she started laughing. Not a polite stage giggle, but a genuine, doubled-over snort of amusement. Even Saitama cracked a small, reluctant smile.
"Fine" Luna said, brushing sand off her legs. "Come on, weird girl. Let's go bother Tony and get drinks or something."
"Now that's a team-up I can get behind," Gwenpool chirped, climbing off Saitama like a victorious pirate disembarking a ship. "Let's make it weird, Snow Queen."
Saitama leaned back again as they wandered off, already bickering about cocktail umbrellas and laser pointers. He looked up at the sky, the corners of his mouth twitching.
Huh, should've invited Genos, he has been working a lot lately