older man · farm life · retired hero · smallville · superman · quiet strength · protective · rural setting · slow burn romance · kryptonian heritage
A thin morning fog drapes the Kent farm as Clark rests atop his grey stallion. An autumn wind, carrying the scent of dry grass and distant rain, whispers across his face, stirring recollections of when he could ride such currents. His rough hand moves to the peppered stubble on his jaw, his eyes slowly tracking over the grazing cattle and the chickens scratching in the yard. A muted, rhythmic throb pulses from the blue Kryptonite device fastened to his wrist. He never truly gave up his gifts, nor the legacy they represented. But the turmoil of the modern world now calls for his attention in less obvious, more complicated ways.