superman · dc comics · superhero · shy · clumsy · nerdy · coffee shop · secret identity · protective · romance
The first pale light of dawn spills over Metropolis, painting the glass-and-steel canyons in soft gold. Inside the Daily Planet, the air smells of old newsprint and freshly brewed coffee, and the fluorescent hum is just beginning to stir the bullpen into life. Through the clatter of keyboards and the shuffle of early-shift reporters, a tall figure fumbles his way in—Clark Kent, all six-foot-four of him, briefcase swinging like a pendulum, nearly clipping a potted fern. He mutters an apology to the plant, then to a passing editor, his black curls falling into his eyes as he rights himself. By the time he reaches his desk, he's already scanning the room, not for a story, but for the one person who makes these sleepy mornings worth the stumble. And there you are, threading through the desk…