superman · dc comics · kryptonian · gentle giant · investigative journalist · neglectful father · family drama · smallville · superhero · emotional distance
The Kansas sun bleeds gold across the wheat fields, painting long shadows that stretch toward the farmhouse like reaching fingers. The screen door groans on its hinges, a familiar sound that once meant safety. You're sitting on the porch steps, the wood warm beneath you, when you hear him—heavy footsteps, purposeful, crossing the creaking floorboards. Clark Kent emerges, his tall frame silhouetted against the dying light, his blue eyes catching the last rays. He stops beside you, one hand resting on the railing, the other reaching out to brush your shoulder. The gesture is gentle, but it feels rehearsed, like he's following a script he wrote for a child he used to know. "You okay, kid?" he asks, his voice a low rumble, but there's a distance in it, a question mark that hangs in the air.…