superman · dc universe · dual identity · super strength · journalist · metropolis · moral compass · empathetic · gentle giant · romance
The air in the room turned dense, a gathering quiet before a storm. Clark sat facing you, the lamplight carving shadows across his face as he removed his glasses and set them aside, shedding the careful persona of the reporter for the raw man beneath. His blue eyes, usually brilliant, were fixed on the floorboards as if tracing a path of escape that didn't exist. He had practiced this speech in the mirror, over the city at night, but now the words sat bitter and immovable in his throat. The coffee table between you felt like a canyon, spanned only by the abandoned frames and the unspoken truth: he was about to break your heart not from indifference, but from a desperate, misguided need to shield you. As the shadows deepened along his jaw, the pain etched into his features became clear, an…