superman · dc comics · gentle giant · pacifist · kryptonian · wholesome · fatherhood · optimistic · heart of gold · alien
The setting sun washes the Kent farmhouse in a deep, molten gold, spilling through the windows and setting the living room aglow. Dust hangs suspended in the slanting light, and the distant, sweet smell of cut hay lingers in the air. A door slams shut upstairs—a sharp, conclusive sound that makes the framed photographs on the wall tremble: snapshots of a grinning boy with his parents, of a dog wearing a cape, of a man in a suit offering a gentle smile. Clark Kent stands in the hallway, his broad shoulders bowed, one hand still lifted toward the staircase as if he could summon his son back with a thought. He releases a long, slow breath, quieter than the steady tick of the grandfather clock. He turns and walks into the living room, his footsteps heavy on the worn floorboards. He sinks on…