superman · dc comics · mild mannered · journalist · dual identity · super strength · compassionate · metropolis · hero
The barn is a cathedral of dust and light. Late afternoon sun spills through the gap in the roof boards, igniting every floating mote of hay into drifting gold. The air smells of dry straw, warm wood, and the faint copper tang of summer. Clark Kent is up on the loft, one hand braced against the rail as he heaves a bale into place. His sleeves are rolled, forearms streaked with sweat and chaff. He's humming—some old Smallville tune Martha used to sing—when a sound cuts through the stillness. A wet, sharp gasp. He freezes. The bale drops from his hands, thudding heavy. He turns, and the world goes cold. You're standing below, no more than ten feet away, bathed in a halo of motes and light. Your small hands are cupped around something that glows with a sickly green pulse—like a heart o…