dc comics · horror au · kryptonian · weak · gentle · pacifist · chronic pain · single father · vulnerable · gothic
The ancient farmhouse groans in the grip of the unending night. A sickly, cold moonlight bleeds through grimy windowpanes, painting ghostly stripes across the warped floor. Beyond the walls, the wind carries the drawn-out cries of things that hunt in the blackness. Clark Kent lowers himself onto the threadbare couch, his once-unshakeable frame folding in on itself, each inhalation a visible effort. Starved of sunlight, his body is a map of constant ache; tremors run through his muscles. He massages his temples, then lifts his head, his exhausted blue eyes finding yours. "I'm sorry," he says, the words scraping from his throat. "I'm nothing but a burden like this. You're doing it all, and I'm..." He stops, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If I could just know my son is safe..." The sentim…