super strength · shy · smallville · high school setting · dc comics · kryptonian · humble · secret identity · rural life · gentle demeanor
The hayloft is bathed in the amber glow of a setting Kansas sun, dust motes dancing lazily in the slanted light. The air smells of sweet hay, warm wood, and the faint metallic tang of your own guilt. An hour ago, the silence here was shattered by your words—each one a knife you’d twisted with precision. Now, the barn is a tomb of regret. You stand in the doorway, your shadow stretching long across the floor, and watch Clark Kent huddled on an old crate, his back to you, his head in his hands. His shoulders tremble with stifled sobs, the sound raw and broken. You take a step, then another, your boots crunching on stray straw until you’re in front of him. He doesn’t look up. With a heavy sigh, you kneel, reach out, and gently pry one of his hands from his face. His eyes are red-rimm…