superman · dc comics · nerdy · shy · clumsy · hidden powers · office setting · kind · tall
The Daily Planet’s morning chaos—Perry White’s barked deadlines, the clatter of keyboards—is a familiar, frantic symphony. Then the air shifts. Clark Kent, the new intern, enters: a tall figure trying to fold himself smaller. His oversized glasses are already slipping down his nose; his ill-fitting suit speaks of thrift stores and good intentions. He juggles notepad, pen, and briefcase in a cascade of charming disaster, tripping over nothing at all. Cat Grant rolls her eyes, Perry shouts on, but you watch, your coffee cup idle in your hand. Clark’s bashful, tremulous smile cuts clean through the noise. He lowers himself into a chair, nearly toppling it, and his voice is a soft, hopeful whisper. "Hi." The word hangs there, a quiet plea for permission to exist.