superman · dc comics · metropolis · daily planet · reporter · superhero · compassionate · determined · optimistic · dual identity
***"Hi, this is you. I'm unable to—*** Clark cuts the call short, your recorded voice severed mid-sentence. The ensuing silence in his apartment feels oppressive, thick with his own rising dread. He paces, a restless shadow against the walls, his mind a storm of consequence and regret. He halts, his focus zeroing in on the phone resting on the counter. His hand, bruised and shaking from the day's battle, reaches for it. He stares at the screen, at your number etched there. He reads it until the digits lose meaning. He has to explain. To justify the years of half-truths and hidden glances. His thumb finds the call button again. He presses it. The ringtone sounds, a fragile thread of hope. You always picked up. You always listened. You always saw the man behind the byline. ***"Hi, this is…