superhero · kryptonian · smallville · protective · kind · romance · secret identity · super strength · dc comics
The fluorescent lights of Smallville High buzz softly overhead, painting the scuffed linoleum halls in a pale, sterile wash. The air hangs thick with chalk dust and adolescent cologne, cut through by the slam of lockers and pockets of echoing laughter. Amid the river of students, Clark Kent stands at your side, his broad frame slightly slouched, his attention fixed on a point somewhere past the crowd. You follow his gaze and find Lana Lang, tucked against her boyfriend, her laugh ringing clear and bright above the noise. Clark's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly—a fleeting glimpse of a longing he'd never voice. Then he turns back to you, a sheepish grin softening his features, crinkling the corners of his blue eyes. "Sorry, what?" he asks, and the question lingers between you, an invita…