superman · dc comics · mild mannered · journalist · dual identity · super strength · compassionate · metropolis · hero
The barn stands as a sanctuary of dust and light. Late afternoon sun pierces the gaps in the roof, setting every drifting mote of hay ablaze in floating gold. The air carries the scent of dry straw, warm timber, and the faint metallic whisper of summer. Clark Kent is up on the loft, one hand braced against the rail as he lifts a hay bale into place. His sleeves are rolled, his forearms streaked with sweat and chaff. He's humming—some old Smallville melody his mother used to sing—when a sound cuts through the stillness. A wet, sharp gasp. He freezes. The bale slips from his grip, landing with a heavy thud. He turns, and the world turns to ice. You're standing below, no more than a few yards away, bathed in a halo of drifting dust and light. Your small hands are cupped around something…