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pullmecloseman · 4 days ago

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just one ; clark kent

fandom: superman 2025 (dc)

pairing: clark x reader

summary: you and clark have been best friends since college, and you know everything about each other—including his superhero identity—but tensions have risen since you started working with him at the daily planet, and after superman is exposed to a 'truth telling toxin' you decide to take a little advantage of the fact that he can't lie

notes: a little late to the party, but have a clark kent fic! sorry this is late (and i've been m.i.a.) i've been busy watching the film eight times, crying about the film, and having an existential crisis about the fact that i'll never love another man the way i love david corenswet... but anyway! i struggled a little with this, hence it taking so long, so i'm sorry if it sucks? but regardless, i always love to hear what y'all think, so please let me know!

warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, it has some corny moments, some jealousy, brief mention of a dating app, lots of tension, very minor miscommunication, clark jokes about eating kryptonite, jimmy is a well-meaning meddler, italics, clark says 'gosh' a lot, and SMUT (making out, f oral receiving, fingering, unprotected p in v, dirty-ish talk, also it's a few thousand words of smut oops) 18+ ONLY MDNI!!!

word count: 21621

- Clark -

“It’s kind of pathetic if you think about it,” Jimmy says.

Lois rolls her eyes. “Don’t start, Jimmy.”

“I’m not starting anything,” he says, gesturing toward Clark with his coffee mug. “Just look at him. He’s like a golden retriever waiting for someone to throw the ball.”

Lois tries not to laugh, but a soft snort slips out before she can hide it behind a sip of coffee.

“I think it’s sweet,” Cat says, perching on the edge of Jimmy’s desk. “Being in love with your best friend is so… early-two-thousands romcom coded.”

Lois swivels in her chair to give Cat an incredulous look. “What does that even mean?”

“It means Clark is a nerd who’s hopelessly in love with a girl way out of his league, and it’s adorable in a tragic, pathetic kind of way,” Jimmy says.

“Jimmy!” Cat smacks his arm. “Stop calling Clark pathetic.”

“I’m not calling him pathetic,” Jimmy insists, still grinning. “The pining is pathetic. There’s a difference.”

“You’re still being a jerk,” Lois mutters into her coffee.

Their teasing continues, but Clark barely registers it. He hasn’t heard a word since the moment you walked through the door—hair mussed from the wind, a binder hugged tight to your chest. Perry intercepted you immediately, stopping you at the front desk to talk about the article you submitted late last night. Clark only knows this because he can hear every word from across the newsroom—the warmth in your voice, every shift and cadence he’s memorised over the years.

It’s not an accent or a twang. It’s just you.

The voice that lingers in his dreams, that echoes in the back of his mind whenever he’s flying through the sky, wondering if you’re thinking about him too.

It’s always you.

“Morning, team!” you greet cheerfully, dropping your bag and binder onto the desk opposite Clark’s.

Jimmy smirks, his gaze flicking toward Clark before settling on you. “Good morning, hot shot. What was all that with the boss about?”

Clark is staring—he knows he is—but he can’t help it. You’re just so goddamn beautiful. You have been since the day he first met you, and no amount of superhuman restraint has ever dulled the way you affect him. If kryptonite is his greatest weakness, you’re a very close second.

“Didn’t you hear?” you tease Jimmy. “I’m the new headliner.”

“Front page?” Jimmy’s brows shoot up. “Already? Wow. I’m impressed.”

You grin, pretending to flick your hair off your shoulder with mock dramatics—and that’s when Clark notices it. The change. The subtle way your body reacts.

Your heartbeat picks up, quick and sharp against his ears. He can see it now—literally see the steady thump of your heart beneath your ribs, see the way the muscles in your chest tighten and your breath catches ever so slightly.

But why?

The question lodges in his mind like a splinter. Is it Jimmy? Is it something Jimmy said? Does he make you nervous? Does he make you excited?

Do you... like him?

Clark’s brow furrows. He tracks the heat rising under your skin, the almost imperceptible tremor in your hand as you lower it to lean on your desk—and then he freezes.

Oh, God. He’s staring directly at your chest. Through it, technically, but from the outside no one else would know the difference. His face heats, and he blinks hard, forcing himself to stop—to look away before someone notices.

“Better watch out, Kent,” Lois says, smirking over the rim of her coffee cup. “You might’ve just convinced Perry to hire your biggest competition yet.”

Clark clears his throat, pulling his gaze up to your face where it belongs. “Yeah, I think I did.”

You give him that cheesy little smile—the one where your nose scrunches up, your cheeks flush pink, and his heart stops—the one that slips into his dreams every damn night. He loves that smile. He loves your face. He loves you—and God, he hates that he’s too much of a coward to say it out loud.

He wishes he wasn’t.

He wishes—of all the powers in the universe—that he had the ability to rewind time. Then, he’d go back to college, back to the late-night study sessions and coffee runs and the years of friendship and banter. Back to that night, right before graduation, when he told you the truth about who he really is.

If he’d been half as brave as everyone thinks he is, he would’ve said—

I’m Superman. And by the way, I’m in love with you. Wanna make out?

Maybe then things would’ve been different. Maybe if he tacked it on to the big reveal, you would’ve fallen for him too—charmed by the whole ‘superhero’ thing.

And maybe by now you’d be doing everything and more than just making out. Because yeah, he wants to do a lot more than that. A lot more. Which is a real problem, because just thinking about having you—really having you—makes him dizzy enough to fly straight into a building.

He isn’t joking when he says you affect him like kryptonite. He doesn’t know why, but when it comes to you, he’s helpless. Powerless. He’s always felt things more deeply than most—because he isn’t like most—but with you? It's something else entirely.

He knows for a fact he couldn’t live without you. That’s why he convinced you to stay in Metropolis after college. Why he’s never stopped being your best friend. Why he got you the job at the Daily Planet—because weekends with you weren’t enough. He needs you every single day.

And that’s also why he’s never told you how he really feels. Because the way he loves you scares him—and if it scares him, what would it do to you? Probably terrify you. Maybe even drive you away. And he can’t risk that.

He can’t risk losing you.

So here he stays, hopelessly stuck in the friendzone, listening to you chat animatedly with Cat about some loser you met on Hinge who you’re going out with tomorrow night.

“His profile says he’s into hot yoga and smoking meats,” you say, holding your phone up for Cat to see.

It takes every ounce of—superhuman—self-control for Clark not to scoff.

“Baby girl, it also says he collects limited edition knives,” Cat points out, her brows drawn. “Are you sure you want to go on a date with this guy?”

You roll your eyes. “I appreciate the concern, but he’s the only half-decent match I’ve had in weeks.”

Cat blinks at you. “Seriously? But your profile is perfect. I made sure of that myself.”

“I know,” you sigh, your gaze sliding toward Clark—who’s very conspicuously looking anywhere but at you. “But I left my phone unattended on my desk a couple weeks ago, and someone thought it’d be funny to change everything so the only matches I got were Arkham escapees.”

Jimmy snorts at his desk, but his eyes stay glued to his screen like he isn’t blatantly eavesdropping.

“Clark,” Cat says, her glare narrowing at him. “Messing with her dating profile? Really?”

Clark’s head snaps up—blue eyes wide and full of faux-innocence. “It was Jimmy’s idea.”

“Dude,” Jimmy says, swivelling in his chair, “you really don’t want to start pointing fingers. Because I won’t hesitate to—”

“Okay!” Lois cuts in, standing from her desk with her empty mug in hand. “I’m going to need you all to shut up and get some actual work done before I lose my mind.”

Jimmy chuckles and turns back to his desk. Cat sighs, handing your phone back with a dramatic shake of her head. Clark glances toward Lois, mouths a quiet thank you, then lets his gaze drifts back to you—only to find you already watching him.

You’re wearing a that half-scowl, half-smirk look that makes his stomach flip like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. He feels seen. Exposed. Almost like you’re the one with x-ray vision. Or worse, maybe you can read his mind.

He raises a brow. “What?”

“No snide comment about my hot-yoga-loving, knife-collecting, entrepreneurial date?”

His lips twitch. “Oh, he’s an entrepreneur? That’s impressive. Really sounds like you found a winner.”

“Entrepreneur is just code for broke,” Jimmy mutters.

You ignore him, your eyes staying locked on Clark. “So, you’re not going to warn me against going on this date?”

Clark shrugs, leaning back in his chair like he’s not affected. “Why would I? He sounds great.”

“He collects knives, Clark,” you say, tilting your head just enough to make it feel like a challenge. “Doesn’t that seem a little… murder-y?”

Clark smiles, leaning forward again until his elbows rest on the desk. “For your sake, I hope he’s not.”

“But if he is...” you press, voice dropping low. “You think there’ll be anyone around to save me?”

The way your lips curl, the glint in your eyes, that soft, sly note in your voice—it’s enough to make Clark feel uncomfortably warm. He always runs hot, but looking at you now? Teasing him like this? It feels like you’re daring him to lose control.

God, the things he’d do if you weren’t looking at him like that in the middle of the goddamn newsroom.

“You mean Superman?” he asks, his voice low now, matching yours. “I’m sure he’s got better things to do on a Friday night.”

Your brows shoot up. “Better things?”

“Maybe,” he says with a nonchalant shrug, but his throat feels tight.

“Well,” you murmur, leaning back in your chair, “you’d know. Considering how close you and Superman are. All those exclusive interviews…”

Jimmy snickers quietly, but neither of you spare him a glance.

“I hope he doesn’t, though,” you add, tone light but loaded, your smile lingering as your gaze slides toward your computer screen. “I hope he’s got nothing better to do. I hope he’s hanging around, just in case my date is a psycho and I need saving.”

Clark opens his mouth to reply when Steve walks by, cutting in like a brick through glass.

“Haven’t you been saved by Superman, like, five times already?”

Your cheeks heat, and Clark hears your heart pick up—a sound so sweet it nearly undoes him. Because he knows it's for him. Well, Superman technically, but Clark Kent is taking this win.

“It was once—maybe twice,” you say quickly.

“Actually,” Jimmy chimes in, “I think it was more—”

“Oh my God,” you cut him off, flustered. “Why is everyone so chatty this morning? Can we please just work?"

Steve rolls his eyes and keeps walking.

Jimmy frowns. “You and Clark were the ones—”

“Jimmy,” Clark says, his voice clipped in a way that makes Jimmy blink. “Seriously. Work.”

Jimmy throws his hands up in surrender and spins back to his screen. Clark waits a beat, then glances up over the low partition between your desks. The second your eyes meet his, he can’t help the small, smug curve of his mouth. You roll your eyes but can’t hide your own grin, and suddenly it feels like the whole newsroom has faded into background noise.

Because you’re looking at him like that—with those eyes—and lousy date or not, you still know exactly who’s going to show up if you need saving.

The rest of the day goes by like any other. Everyone gets lost in their work, debates flare and die out, coffee is chugged like it’s oxygen, and Perry yells at someone for a misspelled headline at least once. It’s fair, though—journalists should at least know how to spell. At least.

By three p.m., Clark can tell you’re deep into that afternoon slump—when the sunlight pouring through the big glass windows feels too warm, your last coffee was too long ago, and you’re one sigh away from curling up at your desk for a nap.

Clark secretly loves this time of day. He doesn’t get the same crash as everyone else, so it’s the perfect time to spoil you without you—or anyone else—raising an eyebrow. He lives for the way you give him that sleepy, dopey smile whenever he drops a chocolate bar on your desk, grabs something from the front desk for you, or—his favourite—when he walks down the block to get you a real coffee from your favourite café instead of the sludge in the breakroom that Perry insists on calling coffee.

He’s just about to do exactly that when he sees you drag your tired feet into the printer room and start stacking cartons of paper reams like some kind of reckless architect.

He stops at the doorway, brows furrowed. “What are you doing?”

You glance over your shoulder as you drop a third box onto the wobbly stack. “Building. What does it look like?”

“It looks like you’re five seconds from filing for workers’ comp,” he says, stepping into the small room.

The space is cramped, mostly taken up by the oversized printer and a few sad piles of paper—some blank, some the casualties of misprints. The back wall is lined with floor-to-ceiling shelving crammed with office supplies and random junk that no one has bothered to sort since, well, ever.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” you say with a small smirk. “I can still type with a broken neck.”

Clark is about to argue when you bend over and press your palms flat against the top box to test its stability. His words die in his throat. His eyes—traitorous, shameless—drop to the curve of your ass, barely two feet in front of him. He’s staring—again. He knows he’s staring, but he can’t stop—because apparently, all it takes to unravel Superman is you in a pair of fitted grey office pants.

Then you plant one foot on the unsteady tower like you’re about to climb Everest, and something in him snaps.

“Woah, no way,” he says, stepping forward in a blur.

Before he can think better of it, his hands are on your waist—warm, firm, and holding you steady as he pulls you back down to the floor like you weigh nothing.

The heat of you bleeds through the thin fabric of your shirt, and it’s dizzying. You’re too soft, too precious, and he has no business touching you like this. His breath snags in his chest, sharp and unsteady. He’s hugged you before—plenty of times—but this? This is different. This feels dangerous.

Then, of course—

“What’s going on in here?” Jimmy asks, grinning like an idiot as he leans against the doorframe.

“I was just trying to—” you start.

“She was just—” Clark says at the same time.

And then he hears it—your heartbeat, skipping once before it kicks into overdrive. Your body grows even warmer beneath his hands, and you step away quickly, like his touch was too much. His stomach twists.

You’re flushed. Flustered. Because of Jimmy?

The thought hits him like a punch to the gut. It has to be. What else could it be? You’ve never looked at him like that. Not Clark. Not the way you look—the way your body reacts—when Jimmy appears, always wearing that lazy grin, the one that apparently drives women wild.

“Hey, I’m not judging,” Jimmy says, raising his coffee cup in a mock toast. “The printer room is a classic. Just don’t let Perry catch you—he almost had a coronary when he found me in here with someone.”

Then he winks and walks away, strolling across the newsroom toward his desk.

For a second, Clark just stands there, jaw tight, the faint sound of your too-quick heartbeat still humming in his ears like static. He wants to say something—ask why you get all warm and pink every time Jimmy walks into a room—but he swallows it down. This isn’t the time. He doesn’t have the right.

Instead, he clears his throat and turns back to the shelf, reaching easily for the toner cartridge on the top shelf.

“This what you were risking your life for?” he asks, holding it out to you.

You sigh dramatically as you take it. “Yes, that. Don’t look so smug just because you’re freakishly tall.”

“Sorry,” he says, tone dry, “next time I’ll let you make the ER trip.”

You scowl up at him, lips twitching like you’re trying not to smile. “Well, not all of us can be eight feet tall and built like a Greek god.”

A slow smile tugs at his mouth. “Seven and a half, tops.”

You roll your eyes, but your cheeks are still pink. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re reckless,” he fires back, soft but certain.

There’s a beat—a pause thick enough to feel. Your eyes hold his, that half-challenging, half-teasing look that makes his pulse thud a little harder. Clark’s not sure if you know what you’re doing to him or if you’re just being you, but it’s suddenly too much. Too warm.

Jimmy’s stupid grin flashes in his mind. He can still hear the way your heart had jumped when he appeared, the way you’d flushed—warm and flustered in his hands, but not because of him.

Clark clears his throat and steps back, shoving his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for you again. “Try not to give yourself a concussion while I’m gone,” he says, trying for light, but it comes out a little too clipped.

You blink. “Gone?”

“Coffee run,” he mutters. “You look like you could use it.”

“Oh. Thanks,” you reply, with that soft, tired smile—like it’s just another small kindness between friends.

And it kills him. Because he doesn’t want to be just friends—not when Jimmy’s grin gets that kind of reaction out of you. He wants that reaction. He wants to be the one who makes you smile, who sets your cheeks on fire, whose presence throws your heartbeat off balance.

By the time he’s back out in the newsroom, his chest is tight and his jaw aches from clenching so hard. Jimmy is laughing with Cat at his desk, and Clark can’t help but picture you grinning at him like that. Laughing like that.

He swallows hard, grabs his jacket, and heads for the elevator before he does something stupid. Like break the sound barrier just to get to your favourite café and back, because apparently, that’s the only way he knows how to compete.

The walk helps. A little. At least enough for him to stop replaying the printer room in his head like it’s a crime scene and he’s looking for evidence of when, exactly, he lost his mind. He forces himself not to rush, because it’s not like you’re going anywhere. Most of the Planet’s staff will be chained to their desks until well after sunset—you included. Then he’ll walk you home like he always does, listening to you rant about something dumb Perry said or the latest atrocity the breakroom coffee has committed. God, he loves your voice when you’re like that—sharp, alive, unfiltered.

It’s pathetic, he knows—just as Jimmy had so graciously pointed out this morning—but Clark couldn’t deny it even if he wanted to. Because aside from saving the planet and doing as much good as one man—one Kryptonian—possibly can, he lives for you.

He hasn’t thought much about what he’ll do when you inevitably find someone. Someone who isn’t him. Maybe he’ll move to a red sun planet and sulk until he withers away. Or move to the moon and mope for all eternity. Or, hell, maybe he’ll just swallow a chunk of kryptonite and be done with it.

Because the truth is, he doesn’t think he’d survive it. Losing you to someone else would tear him apart in ways nothing else could. It’s the second-most painful thought in his head—the first being losing you in the other sense. The permanent, irreversible sense. Which is exactly why he should be trying to keep his distance. Why he shouldn’t need you like this, so badly it scares him.

But every time he’s tried to warn you, every time he’s told you that being close to him is too dangerous, you’ve just looked him in the eye and said you don’t care. That you need him.

And God help him, because hearing you say those four little words—I need you, Clark—is enough to bring Superman to his knees. In more ways than one.

“Uh, Clark?” Lois asks, head tilted, one arm holding the elevator doors open. “Plan on moving any time soon?”

Clark blinks, hard, and realises he’s back at the office. In the elevator. Holding your coffee in one hand and a paper bag with two warm pastries in the other.

“Sorry,” he mutters, shaking his head. “Daydreaming.”

Lois smirks as she steps aside. “Wonder what about.”

Clark steps out of the elevator and—of course—his eyes go straight to you, all the way across the bullpen. You’re at your desk, typing away with that little furrow between your brows, the one he could sketch from memory.

“I swear you’ve got a sixth sense just for her,” Lois says as she steps into the elevator. “Doesn’t matter where she is—you always know. Like your compass doesn’t point north. It points to her.”

Lois is a journalist, Clark knows that. Words are her weapon. But the truth of them still hits him square in the chest. He doesn’t mind the teasing, but he hates how transparent he is—how anyone can look at him and just see.

“You should just ask her out,” Lois adds lightly. “Put us all out of our misery.”

Before he can find an answer, the elevator doors slide shut and she’s gone—taking her sharp words and knowing smirk with her.

Clark waits a moment, draws a deep, steadying breath, then crosses the newsroom toward you. He can see the exposé you’re working on, the one you’ve ranted about a hundred times, and he can practically feel the focus radiating off you. It almost makes him hesitate—almost.

“Coffee,” he says, placing the cup on your desk. “And pick a pastry. Or we can split them both.”

You flinch slightly before glancing up at him with that dopey, tired grin. Your bottom lip is swollen and raw from chewing on it, and the sight alone makes something stir in his chest—and lower.

“Where’s my coffee?” Jimmy calls, spinning lazily in his chair.

Clark hears it again—your heartbeat, stuttering once before racing fast—and his chest tightens. He doesn’t want to regret getting you this job, but he’s starting to think he might have been better off leaving you at Metropolis Mail. You hated it there, but at least you didn’t have a crush on any of the old, sleazy men you worked with.

“Clark doesn’t like you like he likes me,” you tease, eyes narrowing at Jimmy.

Jimmy snorts. “And you know what? I’m grateful that he doesn’t. Otherwise, we’d have to—”

“Jimmy,” Cat interrupts from across the bullpen, “don’t finish that sentence unless you want me to staple your mouth shut.”

Clark settles at his desk, watching as you reach for the bag of pastries. Your cheeks are still pink—flustered, again—and he can hear your pulse humming too fast.

“Okay, we’re halving these,” you declare. “I’m not choosing between a chocolate croissant and a cinnamon roll.”

He smiles softly as you tear open the bag and flatten it on your desk. You split the croissant, then the cinnamon roll, eyes flicking between the halves before—like always—you pick the smaller pieces for yourself. He knows you do this every time you share food, even when it’s something you love. He’s only asked you about it once, and you’d just shrugged, saying he’s bigger so he gets the bigger piece.

But no matter how many times you do it, it still makes him feel special.

Then—before Clark can even think about standing up to grab his halves of the pastries—you lick your fingers. Slowly. A low hum vibrates from your chest, the sound unexpectedly loud in the unusually quiet newsroom.

Clark’s breath catches. His eyes flick up, locking on to the way you drag your fingers between your lips. It’s a simple gesture—intimate but mundane—except somehow, it’s not. It’s you, and suddenly the air feels charged—thick with something electric, something that has Clark’s body reacting before his brain can catch up.

He shifts in his chair, suddenly aware of how uncomfortably tight his trousers have become.

Jimmy snorts quietly at his desk, barely suppressing a giggle. Even Cat, a little further away, throws Clark a knowing smirk, eyebrows raised like she’s watching a sitcom.

Clark clears his throat, trying to focus on his screen but failing spectacularly. This—this slow, deliberate lick of your fingers—is a distraction he doesn’t want but absolutely can’t resist.

And today is the longest Thursday ever.

- You -

It’s not often you’re at work early, especially on a Friday, but this morning you woke up at six a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. No matter how many times you tossed and turned or fluffed your pillow. So here you are, chewing on the cap of your pen and glaring at the empty desk across from you—Clark’s desk.

He’s not always on time—extracurricular activities and all—which is something you should be used to by now. But you’re not. You still worry every time he’s not where he’s supposed to be, and you know it’s ridiculous, but you just can’t help it.

“Relax,” Jimmy says, startling you as he drops his bag onto his desk. “He’s just late, not dead.”

You shoot him a glare. You want to say you don’t know that, but you also don’t want to put that kind of energy into the universe. So you settle for sticking your tongue out like the mature, well-adjusted adult you are.

Jimmy chuckles. “Seriously, I don’t know how you two keep this up. It’s exhausting.”

You roll your eyes and turn back to your computer, not yet caffeinated enough to have this argument. Again.

“Why won’t you believe me?” he presses. “He’s into you. I know he is. Why would I lie—”

“Would you keep your voice down?” you hiss, brows pulling together. “I don’t need the entire bullpen hearing about my pathetic crush on my best friend slash coworker.”

Jimmy snorts. “But you’re fine with the entire bullpen seeing it?”

Your chair squeaks as you whip around to face him. “What do you mean, see it?”

“The way you two are constantly falling all over each other,” he says, eyebrows raised as he drops into his chair. “I mean, come on. The man brings you coffee—good coffee—twice a day, gets you snacks, picks up your mail, walks you home every night, gives you his jacket when it’s cold or rainy. And newsflash—most friends don’t hold each other by the waist in the printer room.”

Your cheeks go hot, your pulse skipping once before slamming into a frantic rhythm. The memory of Clark’s hands—big, warm, wrapped around your waist like they belonged there—flashes through your mind. The press of his fingers, the solid weight of him so close, the ghost of his breath against your neck. It’s enough to make you squirm, thighs squeezing together as you hope to hell that Jimmy doesn’t notice the way you shift in your seat.

“That’s just… Clark,” you argue. “He’s nice. He was raised well. He’s a gentleman, Jimmy. More than anyone can say about you.”

Jimmy’s brows shoot up. “Okay, I’m ignoring that insult because I know you’re just deflecting, and you know I’m right.”

“I know you’re delusional.”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“Because,” you say, sitting up straighter, “Clark knows I have a crush on him. Okay? He knows. So if he liked me as anything more than a friend, he’d ask me out. But he doesn’t. Obviously. And I’m fine with that.”

Jimmy frowns, leaning back in his chair with his legs stretched out. “He knows?”

You nod. “He knows.”

“How do you know he knows?”

Well, that’s… complicated.

You can’t exactly say oh, because I’m pretty sure Superman can hear my heart go feral whenever he so much as looks at me. Or that he can probably see it pounding and feel the heat rushing through your veins. Or—hell—you wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s picked up on other… reactions. Like that first time you saw him in the suit up close. Or the time he came over to help you move furniture wearing just a tank top and shorts, and—okay, you need to stop thinking about that before you pass out in the middle of the newsroom.

“I just know,” you mutter. “Intuition. Or whatever.”

Jimmy groans and tips his head back like he’s talking to the ceiling. “You know, for journalists, the two of you are really bad at using your words.”

You glare at him—eyes narrowed, jaw tight—wishing you could come up with something snarky to snap back with. But you can’t. Your brain is a mess of Clark’s big hands, his broad shoulders in a tank top, and the way that goddamn suit hugs his thick thighs.

So, with a frustrated huff, you turn back to your computer and try to focus on work. You finish your first cup of the Planet’s signature sludge by the time Cat breezes in, giving you a wink and a smile before settling at her desk. Lois is next, muttering to herself as she drops into her chair and starts furiously typing whatever it is she’s afraid she’ll forget.

Your eyes flick up to Clark’s desk every few minutes, and occasionally, you make the mistake of glancing at Jimmy, who is watching you with a very amused grin. He raises his brows, smirking, like he’s daring you to admit that he’s right. You try to ignore him, but after the third look, you can’t stop yourself from scowling and mouthing at him to fuck off, when—

“You’re very late this morning,” Lois says.

Your head whips back toward Clark’s desk—eyes wide, heart thudding—and there he is.

You think you’d be used to him by now. Those bright blue eyes, the unruly curls, the dimples framing those full, stupidly pretty lips. But somehow, every time you see him—which, by the way, is a lot—you feel like you can finally breathe again. Like you’ve been holding your breath without realising it, and now that he’s here, smiling sheepishly and looking perfectly dishevelled, your lungs remember how to work.

“Yeah, I overslept,” he says, voice low and still a little rough with sleep.

Your heart stutters when his gaze lands on you, and it’s moments like this that make you wish you could control your own damn body—because how could he not know? Your entire nervous system launches into full red alert whenever he’s within fifty feet of you. And you know he can see, hear, feel everything.

“Overslept but still had time to pick up coffee?” Jimmy asks, grinning as he swivels in his chair.

Clark’s eyes flick to him, his brows drawing just slightly, but he doesn’t answer. Instead, he grabs one of the two coffees he’d set down and steps toward you, holding it out.

Your fingers brush his as you take it—just for a second—but it’s enough to make your breath hitch. His skin is warm, steady, and now yours feels like it’s buzzing. You pull back quickly, your traitorous heart hammering like it’s trying to tell on you.

“Thanks, Kent,” you mutter.

He smiles—soft and quiet, blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses—and you try not to melt. Or stare. Or do anything suspicious, like sigh wistfully and start fanning yourself with a stack of misprints.

“So,” Jimmy says, still grinning and clearly unperturbed, “excited for your date tonight?”

You take a sip of coffee—good coffee—and sigh. “Nope. Cancelled.”

“What?” Cat pops up at her desk, frowning. “Why?”

You shrug. “Apparently something came up.”

Clark raises his brows, but his eyes stay glued to his screen. “Like a prior conviction?”

You give him a flat look. “Funny.”

His gaze flicks up, lips twitching. “I’m just saying. Your taste in men is—”

“Very inconsistent,” Jimmy cuts in, smirking at you.

Your cheeks heat—you know what he’s trying to say—but you ignore him. Your eyes stay locked on Clark. “What’s wrong with a guy who sells hand-forged artisanal blades?”

“Where? From the back of his van?” Clark asks, the corner of his mouth curling. “Nothing wrong with that. Sounds very entrepreneurial.”

You narrow your eyes, running your tongue across your top teeth as you fight back a smile. Because how is it fair that he looks this goddamn cute while mocking you? While teasing you for getting dumped by some knife-collecting ex-con you met on Hinge.

“At least you’re giving Superman the night off,” Steve mutters, appearing beside your desk with a half-eaten bagel and a mug that says World’s Best Grandma.

You turn to him, brows drawn. “Okay, for the last time, I have not been saved by Superman that many times.”

“Um,” Jimmy says, “yeah you have. You’re Metropolis’ most high-maintenance citizen.”

Lois spins around in her chair. “Yeah, what are we up to now—like, five or six?”

“I thought it was five,” Steve says around a mouthful of bagel.

“Actually,” Cat pipes up, “I think it’s more than that.”

“It’s not that many!” you argue. “I counted last night—it’s only been four.”

Everyone stops, eyes flicking toward you.

There’s a beat of silence.

Lois frowns. Jimmy raises a brow. Cat giggles. And Clark looks... smug.

You blink. “What? What’s everyone looking at?”

“You counted?” Lois asks.

Clark smirks—he actually smirks. “You keep track?”

Your eyes go wide. Your whole face catches fire.

“Oh God,” Jimmy sighs. “Don’t tell me you’ve got some weird crush on Superman.”

“No,” you reply, too fast. “What? No, I—obviously not. Why would I—?”

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckles. “That’s real convincing.”

You groan and drop your face into your hands. “I do not have a crush on Superman.”

“Oh, come on,” Cat says brightly. “There’s no shame in it. The guy’s built like a Greek statue and has the jawline of a god.”

“And the thighs,” Steve adds. “Don’t forget the thighs.”

“I’ve never even looked at his thighs,” you lie, still mumbling into your palms.

There are a few snickers. Jimmy mutters something to Steve about, “Thighs? Really, man?” And then—

Clark coughs. Once. Loudly.

You swallow hard and peek through your fingers, just in time to see him lift his coffee to hide a smile.

“Wait,” Lois pipes up, her tone light but undeniably playful, “didn’t you say the other day when we were watching that live feed of him saving those puppies that you needed to go home and take a cold shower?”

Clark chokes. Your heart stops.

He coughs into his fist, turning away slightly like that’ll help disguise the pink creeping up his neck—and the ridiculous grin stretching across his lips.

Jimmy bursts out laughing. “Oh my god, that’s right. I heard that.”

“It was a joke,” you say quickly. “I was joking. And I only said it to Lois—”

Lois grins. “You also said, and I quote, ‘he could break your back and you’d say thank you’.”

Your eyes go wide. Your pulse spikes. You feel like you might faint.

And across from you, Clark is coughing harder.

“Oh no,” Cat gasps, rushing toward him. “Clark, are you okay?”

He’s hunched over now, still trying to hide his face. “I—I’m fine,” he manages. “Just... swallowed wrong.”

“Wow,” Jimmy sighs, leaning back in his chair with a wicked grin. “I guess you don’t really have a type then.”

God. If only he knew.

“It was a joke,” you say again, sharper now. “It was late, we were all mad about staying back, the breaking news started playing and I made a joke to lighten the mood, okay?”

Steve snorts. “Then why are you so defensive?”

Your eyes snap toward him. “Why are you still here?”

He holds his bagel up like a white flag and turns back to his desk.

Then Perry’s voice booms across the newsroom, calling Jimmy into his office, and the buzz of conversation quickly dies. Lois spins back to her desk, Cat returns to her phone, and the bullpen slips back into its usual rhythm—paper rustling, keys tapping, the occasional frustrated sigh from someone fighting a deadline.

With a deep breath, you sit up straighter and try to focus on your inbox. But it’s hard. Because across from you, Clark—apparently recovered from his dramatic coughing fit—is sipping his coffee like nothing happened, eyes fixed on his screen... but there’s something suspiciously smug about the set of his mouth.

When his gaze flicks up to meet yours, you lift an eyebrow. “You good?”

His lips twitch. “Didn’t realise Superman made that kind of impression on you.”

Your breath catches. There’s a spark behind his glasses, barely-there but undeniably real. A little teasing. A little warm. A little dangerous.

You clear your throat and look back to your screen. “I really was joking.”

“I know,” he says softly, but you’re not convinced he means it.

Because for the rest of the morning, his eyes keep finding you. And you can feel it. The weight of his gaze is heavy—too deliberate to ignore—and you can’t help but meet it. Every time. Even when you’re halfway across the newsroom chatting with one of the copy editors, or heading to the breakroom for your third—or fourth—cup of coffee.

By lunchtime, you feel wired. Not from caffeine or overtiredness, but from the way Clark Kent hasn’t let your heart settle all goddamn morning. And if he smirks at you one more time, you’re pretty sure you’re going to go into cardiac arrest.

“You busy?” Perry asks, startling you as he appears beside your desk.

You clear your throat and glance up at him. “Always.”

“Good. Then you’ve got time to help me.”

You want to roll your eyes, but you don’t. You haven’t been here as long as the others, but you’ve pretty much clocked Perry—and when he’s in one of these moods, it’s best not to argue.

“City Council’s pulling the same shit they tried back in ’07, and I need ammo,” he says. “Go find Mick Reynolds’ notes from the Wallace campaign exposé. Should be in the election coverage boxes—second shelf, far back. Try not to get lost in there.”

Then he’s gone, and you’re left staring blankly across at Jimmy—who is chuckling and shaking his head.

“Right,” you mutter, pushing up from your chair. “And I’m assuming he means second shelf, far back... in the archives room?”

Jimmy nods. “Yeah. Down the hall, past the printer room, last door on the right.”

“Great. Thanks.”

You tuck your phone into your pocket—just in case you do get lost—and head toward the archives room, without looking back at Clark.

You reach the end of the hall, just as Jimmy had instructed, and push open the last door on the right with a loud creak. It’s dim inside, with no windows and only half of the overhead fluorescents working—some of them flickering ominously. Metal shelving units packed with labelled boxes line the room, everything smelling faintly like dust and yellowed paper.

You take a deep breath—then immediately regret it, coughing softly as you start down the first aisle. Your eyes skim the labels on the boxes, your brain trying to decode whatever terrible filing system is in place. It’s not alphabetical, not by date, not even by section. You can’t make any sense of it—

“It’s chronological.”

You yelp, spinning around just as you reach the end of the aisle.

“Jesus Christ, farm boy,” you gasp, pressing a hand to your chest. “Why would you sneak up on someone in a creepy room like this?”

Clark chuckles quietly. “I wasn’t sneaking.”

“You didn’t knock.”

“I figured you’d hear me.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

He tilts his head, lips curling, dimples creasing. “Probably because you were muttering to yourself.”

You roll your eyes and turn back to the shelves, trying to ignore the way your pulse is still climbing. “Whatever. It’s not chronological, though. These dates don’t make—”

“Based on when the reporter started the investigation, not publication date,” he says.

Your jaw drops. “You’re kidding?”

He shakes his head, chuckling again. “Nope.”

“Oh my God,” you sigh. “Whoever decided that is evil. Why doesn’t Perry fix it?”

Clark turns toward the shelves and shrugs, his arm brushing yours—just barely—and it takes everything in you not to flinch, or lean in, or breathe weird.

“I think he secretly enjoys torturing us,” he says, glancing sideways. “Plus, who has the time to reorganise the entire archives room?”

Your traitorous eyes drop straight to his mouth, watching his tongue drag across his bottom lip. Your breath stutters. You’re not even standing that close—it’s just too quiet in here. Too dim. And he’s far too pretty to be looking at you like that.

You clear your throat. “Yeah—uh, I guess. I mean, we could volunteer Steve. Not like he does much anyway.”

Clark huffs a laugh. “Hey. Steve does an excellent job of eating other people’s lunches and leaving greasy fingerprints on things.”

“That’s true,” you say with a soft laugh. “I mean, he’s kind of a catch. Don’t you think?”

You turn and continue around the shelves into the next aisle.

Clark follows. “So, Steve is your type then?”

You give him a flat look. “Don’t.”

He presses his lips together to contain whatever smug grin is threatening to break free. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t bring up the goddamn Superman thing,” you say, turning back to the shelves in the hopes that he can’t see the colour crawling into your cheeks. “It was a joke. And Lois… ad-libbed. She made it sound way hornier than what I actually said.”

He lifts a brow, leaning his shoulder against the shelf. “What did you actually say?”

You pull out a box and blow the dust away to read whatever’s scrawled across the top. Not that you’re really paying attention. Your brain is fried—too aware of the huge man standing beside you, watching you with such intensity you feel like his stare could brand your skin.

And, well, it could—technically.

“I said that half of Metropolis is going to need a cold shower after seeing Superman save some puppies,” you lie—through your teeth. “You know, the female half—and gays. I mean, anyone who is attracted to men, really. Because Superman is a man. A big man. And he was saving puppies, so… yeah.”

You peek out the corner of your eye as you pull out another box. He’s full-on grinning now—that cheeky grin he gets when he thinks he’s said something hilarious, or knows he’s winning one of your petty arguments.

“What about the back breaking?” he asks.

You fumble the box in your hands and it falls to the floor, papers scattering everywhere.

That is not something you ever thought you’d hear Clark Kent ask you. And those words—in that voice—have completely short-circuited the connection between your brain and your motor function.

“Shit,” you mutter, dropping to your knees.

Clark crouches beside you and starts gathering the papers just out of your reach.

“I meant—” you start quickly, keeping your eyes on the scattered pages. “The back-breaking thing wasn’t, like... literal. I meant emotionally. You know, like... he could ruin me—anyone, he could ruin anyone… metaphorically.”

He pauses, then glances at you. “Metaphorically?”

“Yeah. Like, Superman, the idea of him, this gorgeous—” you hesitate, almost choking on your words, “objectively gorgeous guy who’s too good to be true. I mean, he could ruin anyone, right?”

Clark frowns. “Right.”

“Besides,” you add quickly, “I have to try and say things that make it seem like I don’t really know Superman because he’s saved me so many goddamn times.”

He chuckles quietly. “That’s just because you’re near him all the time, and he has to get you to safety before all hell breaks loose.”

“Okay,” you mutter, stacking the pages with unnecessary focus, “but you don’t need to mention it in every article you write.”

He shrugs, handing you the papers he’d collected. “Superman likes talking about the people he’s saved.”

“Clark,” you sigh, reaching for the stack of pages.

Your hand brushes his, and your breath catches. You both freeze.

You swear you feel a pulse of heat where your fingers touch—and you know it’s ridiculous, but it doesn’t stop your heart from thudding, or your skin from flushing. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.

And then—

“Hey guys,” Jimmy’s voice cuts through the tension. “I hate to break up whatever’s going on in here, but Perry’s about ready to rip heads off if he doesn’t have those notes soon.”

You jump up so fast you nearly knock another box off the shelf. “Shit, I—um—”

“Mick Reynolds’ notes from the Wallace campaign, right?” Clark asks, his eyes scanning the room.

You know what he’s doing, and it’s at times like this that you’re incredibly grateful for his superhuman abilities.

You nod. “Yep. Perry said they should be in the election coverage boxes—second shelf, far back.”

He steps away, walking along the back of the room before disappearing down a far aisle.

Jimmy grins and wriggles his eyebrows like an idiot. “The archives room, huh? Pretty cozy in here. Tall stacks to hide in.”

“Shut up,” you mutter, shoving the box you dropped back onto the shelf.

Clark returns a few seconds later, holding up a file. “Reynolds’ notes, ’07.”

“I don’t know how you do it, man,” Jimmy says, shaking his head. “No one can find anything in here except this guy.”

Clark just smiles, and you roll your eyes. Jimmy takes the file, shoots you a cheeky wink—as if he has any clue about what’s going on—and heads back out the door.

You turn to Clark, brows raised, lips twitching. “How do you do it, Clark? How do you find things in this terribly organised filing system?”

The corner of his mouth quirks. “Dumb luck?”

“Hm,” you narrow your eyes playfully. “I think you’ve got a secret, Kent.”

You can almost swear you see him blush, but the room is too dark to tell—and you have to look away from his stupidly gorgeous face before you forget how to act like a normal human being.

He doesn’t reply, he just follows you out of the archives room—flicking off the barely-working lights on the way—and up the hall toward the newsroom. You’re just passing the printer room, trying very hard not to think about the way his hands had felt on your waist, when he finally speaks.

“I was thinking,” he says, “movie night tonight, at my place? You know, since your date bailed.”

You glance over your shoulder at him. “Sure you don’t have better things to do on a Friday night?”

“Nah,” he replies with that small smirk—the one that makes your heart stutter. “Metropolis’ most high-maintenance citizen is giving me the night off.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay, for that comment, you’re paying for takeout.”

He chuckles. “I always pay for takeout.”

“Yeah?” You stop just outside the breakroom door. “Well, I’m ordering extra this time.”

“Extra food that I’ll end up eating because you always order too much,” he teases. “Of course. It’s tradition.”

You shake your head, biting the inside of your cheek to keep from grinning. “Whatever. I’m still ordering it.”

And then—before he can see just how much he’s affecting you—you slip into the breakroom and let the door fall shut behind you.

You turn, grip the edge of the counter, and exhale like you’ve been holding your breath for ten straight minutes. Because what the fuck is going on? His voice, his smile, his face, his everything—he’s not even trying, and you’re already halfway to a heart attack.

You’ve known Clark for years—you’ve been best friends for years. And yeah, he’s always had… an effect on you. But this? This is something else entirely. Being around him this much is starting to feel dangerous. Like the longer you stay in his orbit, the closer you are to coming undone. Every glance that lingers. Every touch that means too much. Every smile that knocks the air clean out of your lungs. You keep pretending it’s fine—but something has shifted. And whatever it is, it’s getting harder to ignore.

Jimmy’s words echo in your head, and for one traitorous second, you almost believe them. Almost believe that there might be something real behind the way Clark looks at you.

But no. Surely not, right? That’s not how this works. He’s Superman. He saves cities before breakfast. He could have any woman he wanted.

And you? You’re just the friend. The one who gets takeout with him on Friday nights because he feels bad that your date bailed. The one he teases in the bullpen. The one trying not to fall apart every time he gets too close.

You press your palms harder into the counter, as if you can steady yourself with pressure alone. But your heart’s still racing, and your lungs won’t quite fill.

You cannot keep doing this. Not like this.

Because one of these days, you’re going to look at him and forget how to pretend.

You never thought you’d be happy about a hectic Friday afternoon, but today, the distractions are doing a better job than your self-control ever could.

Perry is hell-bent on nailing this latest City Council scandal, and he’s got the entire bullpen scrambling to publish before the end of the day. Cat is helping Jimmy track down incriminating photos, sift through old campaign trail shots, and monitor social media for real-time fallout. Clark’s stuck on the phone with whistleblowers and trying to pin down a statement from any councilmember who’ll take his call. Steve’s out on the street gathering public reaction—loudly complaining the whole time that his Knicks column is getting bumped. And you’re at Lois’s side, helping her fact-check quotes and comb through timelines while she tears through the main exposé like a woman possessed.

It’s chaos—in the best way. Because everyone here does their best work under pressure, with ten empty coffee cups on their desk. And the best part? You’re too busy to risk another lingering moment with Clark. Too distracted to spiral. Too occupied to feel anything.

It’s perfect.

Right up until five p.m., when Perry signs off, Lois hits publish, and everyone starts packing up for the weekend.

“Coming straight over, or are you going home first?” Clark asks, shrugging into his jacket.

From the corner of your eye, you see Jimmy’s head snap toward you—and your cheeks heat immediately.

“I’ll head home first,” you say, trying to keep your voice quiet. “Change into something comfortable before I come over.”

It’s no use though—Jimmy hears everything.

“You know I’ve got a whole drawer of your clothes at my place, right?” Clark says, blue eyes flicking—just briefly—toward Jimmy, who is inching closer on the wheels of his chair.

You let out a small, nervous laugh. “It’s not a whole drawer. Is it?”

“Oh, it is,” Clark replies. “Though I think half of it’s just my old college stuff. Pretty sure you stole more than Ma ever got the chance to donate.”

Jimmy gasps—he actually gasps—like a dramatic little asshole watching his favourite soap opera play out live.

Both you and Clark turn toward him. He’s still sitting in his chair, halfway between his desk and yours, glancing between the two of you with wide eyes. You’re scowling. Clark just looks mildly sceptical.

Then, after a beat, Clark shakes his head and turns back to you. “Anyway. You want me to walk you home?”

“No,” you say—way too fast. “I mean, I’m good. I’ll catch a cab.”

He nods. “Okay. Let me know when you’re on your way?”

“Okay,” you echo, giving him a tight smile.

He tucks his chair under his desk, gives Jimmy a polite—but vaguely curious—goodbye as he steps around him, and walks off through the newsroom toward the elevator. You watch after him until the doors slide shut and the numbers above begin to light up as the lift descends.

Then you turn back to Jimmy, who has now scooted right up to your desk. Arms crossed. Eyes narrowed like a man who’s just connected the final thread on a conspiracy board.

“You’re pranking me,” he says flatly.

You close your eyes, breathing deeply. “Jimmy, just… don’t.”

“You have a drawer. Of clothes. At his apartment.”

You open your mouth, but he holds up a hand.

“No—no. Don’t talk. I need to process. I’m having, like, a full-on event.”

You frown. “An event?”

“You wear his clothes!” he hisses, loud enough to make your pulse spike. “You hang out at his place constantly. You’re going over tonight, after your date bailed—on a Friday—and you just casually told him you were gonna ‘change into something comfortable’ like that’s not the sexiest sentence ever uttered in this newsroom!”

Your face burns even hotter. “It’s not—I didn’t mean it like—”

He gasps again—loudly. “Do you have a drawer of his clothes at your place? If you say yes, I’m pitching Cat a column on office romance and you two are going to be my lead sources.”

“Well—I mean, yes, but—”

“Oh my God. You’re basically a couple without the sex!”

You scowl. “Jimmy—”

“I’m just saying!” He throws his hands up, wheeling backward like he needs a full-body reset. “You’re over there more than his landlord. You do Friday night takeout. You have drawer rights. He gives you heart-eyes every time you speak. And you’re both still pretending this is all just… platonic?”

You stare at him, mouth dry.

“Please,” Jimmy says, softer now, scooting forward again and leaning his forearms on your desk. “Don’t make me live through an unnecessary slow burn. I’m too young to suffer like this. Just jump him.”

You groan and cover your face with both hands. “Oh my God.”

“You don’t even deny that you want to,” he says, grinning now. “You’re just too scared to actually do it.”

You peek at him through your fingers. “Can you please shut up?”

“Nope,” he says brightly. “I’m way too invested now. I’m not going to shut up until I have proof that you two have finally boned.”

You drop your hands from your face with a sigh and push back from your desk. “Okay,” you mutter. “I’m leaving now.”

Jimmy just watches you—arms crossed, smug as hell, like he knows something you don’t. You pull your jacket on, pack your bag, and sling it over your shoulder.

“Just do yourself a favour,” he says. “Stop pretending this isn’t exactly what it looks like.”

You give him a look. “Jimmy—”

“Trust me,” he says, rolling back toward his desk. “You don’t end up with a drawer at someone’s place and standing Friday night plans by accident.”

You roll your eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“Sure it’s not,” he chuckles.

You huff and hitch your bag higher. “I’m leaving now.”

He turns to face his screen, still grinning. “Have fun, and don’t be shy. You might be… surprised.”

You stand frozen for a second—heart pounding, thoughts tripping over themselves—then spin on your heel and walk away before you can say something you’ll regret. Before Jimmy’s cryptic nonsense makes your brain explode.

He’s just messing with you, obviously—he’s teasing, making things up. Because there’s no way a drawer and some clothes and a Friday night movie night means anything more than friendship.

Right?

It’s just takeout. Just TV. Just Clark.

You jab the elevator button harder than necessary, tapping your foot impatiently while you wait for the doors to open. The second they do, you slip inside and start digging through your bag for your headphones. You need distraction—a podcast, an audiobook, something. Anything to stop thinking about Clark fucking Kent before you’re sitting beside him on the couch.

A breath apart. Bodies warm. Pulse thrumming.

God. You are so monumentally screwed.

As soon as you get home, you head straight for the shower, hoping the hot water might help rinse away all your spiralling thoughts. You take your time washing your hair—twice—and exfoliating everything before simply standing under the spray, trying to remember how to breathe. How to be human. How to stop over-analysing every little thing Clark has ever done for you.

Curse Jimmy Olsen and his stupidly smug words and overly supportive encouragements.

By the time you step out, you smell like coconut, vanilla, and just a hint of panic. You quickly dry off before picking out a soft pair of sweats and your favourite movie night hoodie. Then you open your underwear drawer—and pause.

You stare at the unorganised mess of cotton and lace for almost two full minutes.

It’d be ridiculous to put on something cute. Right? This is just movie night. With Clark. The same Clark who’s seen you eat popcorn off your hoodie while ugly crying over Marley & Me. There is absolutely no reason to wear something small or uncomfortable or even remotely pretty.

Tonight isn’t special. Nothing is going to happen.

But then Jimmy’s stupid voice echoes through your head, making everything feel a little less certain.

“Ugh. Fine,” you mutter, grabbing a pair that could generously be described as a little nicer than usual.

They’re not scandalous—or over the top—just better than the ones you wouldn’t want found on your body if you got hit by a bus. Which, honestly, is a pretty low bar, but whatever.

After getting dressed, you quickly pack your bag—keys, wallet, snacks—and slip on the first pair of shoes you can find before heading out the door.

You’re halfway across the lobby when your phone buzzes with a text—from Clark:

Something came up. Spare key is under the mat. Won’t be late.

Before you can question it, a breaking news alert flashes across your screen:

BREAKING: Robot Attack in Downtown Metropolis

Authorities are responding to a violent incident involving an unidentified mechanical threat near the 6th & Hadley tech district. Witnesses report strange gas emissions and widespread damage. Superman has been spotted at the scene. Officials urge residents to avoid the area until further notice. More to come.

You quickly hail a cab, fall into the backseat, and bring up the live feed of the attack downtown. There’s not much to see from the helicopter camera—just the blur of scattered civilians, crumbling storefronts, and a distant flash of red and blue cutting through the smoke.

Your chest tightens. Your heart starts pounding harder. You know he’s Superman, and he literally does this kind of thing at least twice a week—but still, every single time, you worry.

What if this is the one time things go wrong?

What if this is the time he doesn’t get back up?

What if you lose him before you ever get the chance to tell him how you feel?

Thankfully, you don’t live far from Clark, and it isn’t long before the cab pulls up just outside his apartment building. You pay the driver, slip out, and hitch your bag higher on your shoulder as you approach the front door.

You’re here so often that the lobby staff don’t even bat an eye as you walk past. You slip into the elevator, ride it up, and walk the hallway like you know this building better than your own. Then you stop at his door, lift the welcome mat, and spot the little silver key that had been tucked beneath it.

Of course Clark Kent is naive enough to leave a key under the mat—like that’s not the first place a burglar would look. He’s lucky he doesn’t live in Gotham. You know for a fact he’d have been robbed at least once by now—probably more.

You step inside and try not to breathe in too deeply like a total creep, but it’s hard not to when the whole place smells like him—familiar and clean, with the faint, crisp edge of cold air from his frequent trips to the Antarctic.

You kick your shoes off, drop your bag on the kitchen counter, and head into the lounge room to flick on the TV. You settle on the couch and flip through channels until live news coverage of the attack pops up.

“We’re receiving confirmation that the area has now been cleared of civilians, and that Superman has successfully neutralised the mechanical threat responsible for tonight's attack,” the female news anchor reports.

You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding.

“Authorities remain on the scene, working to identify the strange gas released during the incident. While it appears to be non-lethal, several sources—including a spokesperson from the fire department—have confirmed that individuals exposed to the gas are experiencing some unusual side effects.”

You lean forward, the curious journalist in you coming to life.

“In what can only be described as one of the stranger developments this year, witnesses and responders alike seem to be... unable to lie. More than that, they’re being compelled to speak—blurt out personal details, opinions, even long-held secrets.”

You frown. “Like... a truth serum?”

“We now go live to Darren McMillan, reporting live from the scene. Darren—what more can you tell us?”

The feed cuts to a man in a plain surgical mask—which you doubt is doing anything—standing outside a half-burnt bakery.

“Thanks, Elsie. I’m just outside the perimeter, where hazmat teams and emergency services are still assessing the area. The good news is, no major injuries have been reported. And while the gas remains unidentified, officials say there’s currently no evidence of toxicity or long-term danger.”

The camera pans out slightly.

“That said, the psychological effects are harder to pin down. One first responder told me he hasn’t been able to stop talking about his childhood hamster for twenty straight minutes. Another admitted—without prompting—that he once embezzled over four thousand dollars from his mother-in-law. And personally, I—uh—”

The reporter freezes, eyes wide as he makes uncomfortably direct eye contact with the camera.

“—I think I might be in love with my barista. Also, I’ve been cheating on my girlfriend with someone from accounting.”

There's a split-second of stunned silence, then the camera wobbles—and the feed cuts back to the studio.

“We... seem to have lost Darren for the moment,” the anchor says awkwardly. “We’ll continue following this story as it develops. In the meantime, residents are advised to avoid the area until the all-clear has been given.”

You snort a laugh as you push off the couch and wander back into the kitchen. You reach for a wine glass from one of the higher cupboards, then spot a bottle of red sitting by the stove—Clark might be immune to alcohol, but he always keeps a bottle around just for you.

You crack the lid and start to pour—only to somehow misjudge the angle and splash red wine all over your hoodie and down the front of your sweats.

“Shit,” you mutter, quickly setting the bottle back down on the bench.

With a sigh, you peel off your hoodie and make your way toward Clark’s bedroom, ignoring the way your heart does that annoying little flutter when you step inside—even though you’ve been in here a hundred times before.

You go straight to the second-top drawer of his dresser, where he keeps the clothes you usually wear, and grab a pair of old sleep shorts and a threadbare Metropolis University shirt—both clearly his. He wasn’t kidding when he said you’d stolen most of his college wardrobe.

You change quickly and throw your wine-stained clothes into the hamper by the door on your way out. You know he won’t mind. He never does. Then back in the kitchen, you mop up the spilt wine before pouring yourself a generous glass and leaning back against the counter to scroll through your phone.

You’re mid-sip when you hear the soft thud of feet on the balcony.

You glance up, heart hammering, and see Clark step inside. His face and suit are streaked with ash, hair wind-tousled, eyes dark and unreadable. He’s looked better, but he’s definitely looked worse—and for the first time since that breaking news alert popped up on your phone, you feel like you can breathe again.

“Clark,” you say, stepping forward. “Are you—”

“Wait,” he says—not loud, but firm.

You freeze.

He takes a breath, jaw tense. “You shouldn’t be here.”

You blink. “What? But you told me to—”

“I mean,” he says quickly, “it’s not that I don’t want you—” He cuts himself off, mouth twitching like the words are fighting their way out. “It’s... not advisable.”

“Clark,” you say slowly, “are you okay?”

He nods—then immediately shakes his head.

“Are you hurt?” you ask, setting your wine down on the counter.

“No,” he replies. “But the gas—the stuff from the attack—it has... some kind of neurological effect. I don’t know how long it’ll last.”

Your brows lift. “Wait... it affected you too? But you’re—”

“I know,” he says with a small, strained smile. “I’m trying to fight it.”

“Oh. So,” you step forward, lips twitching, “you’re telling me you can’t lie right now?”

He nods again. “Yes, but it—it’s more than that. I—” His voice catches, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I want to say things. I want to just blurt everything out.”

Any trace of amusement falls from your face, and your eyes go wide. “Oh, shit. Like—you feel like you’re just going to fly out there and tell the world that Clark Kent is Superman?”

He huffs a soft laugh. “Not exactly what I’m worried about—”

“Wait,” you cut him off. “Okay, first, we need to lock the doors. I know you’re you, so it doesn’t make much of a difference, but I’ll still feel better if they’re locked, okay?”

You don’t wait for him to reply—you just start moving through the apartment, slamming shut every window, locking the balcony door, then the front door, and double-checking each one. Twice.

When you return, he’s still standing exactly where you left him—caught between the lounge room and the kitchen, jaw tight, shoulders stiff.

“I swear I’m going to do everything I can to help you,” you say, your hands starting to tremble. “I know I can’t actually stop you from flying through the window, but—I’ll try.”

He lets out another soft laugh, low and a little tense. “I’m not going to—”

“How do we get this out of your system?” you ask, stepping in close and crossing your arms over your chest.

Clark opens his mouth—then hesitates. His eyes flick down, and his brow furrows, like he’s only just noticed what you’re wearing.

“That’s—um. That’s my shirt.”

You glance down. “Oh. Yeah. I spilled wine on mine.”

He nods, slowly, jaw clenched like he’s physically holding back the rest of the words—but then his eyes drop lower, and his voice slips out before he can stop it. “You look good in my clothes.”

Your heart stutters. “What?”

He visibly winces, because he definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “I mean—you always wear my stuff, I know that, I just—” He stops and takes a deep breath. “Forget I said anything.”

You take a step back, flustered, hoping he’s too distracted to notice the heat creeping up your neck. “Okay. Um. What do you need? Should you eat something? Try to sweat it out? Or—I don’t know, take a cold shower?”

He doesn’t answer. He just keeps standing there, stiff and quiet, like if he says even one word, the rest might follow whether he wants them to or not.

Your arms fall to your sides as you let out a soft, breathless laugh. “Well... at least we don’t have any secrets.”

Clark huffs—one breath, sharp and low. “Just one,” he mutters.

You blink. “What?”

But he’s already turning away, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I’m gonna take that shower.”

And then he disappears into his room without another word, leaving you dazed, confused, and—yeah—a little horny after seeing him in that goddamn suit.

As soon as you hear the shower start running, you turn and scull the rest of your wine—wincing as it burns your throat. You set the glass back down on the counter with a soft clink, then brace your palms against the cool marble and draw a few deep breaths, trying to stop your thoughts from spiralling.

Just one.

Just... one?

What does that even mean? What kind of secret? Something big? Something small? Something life-ruining? Oh God—what if it’s something serious? What if he’s dying? Or secretly married? Or, like, used to be evil?

You groan and drop your forehead to the counter.

No. You need to stop. This is ridiculous.

It’s normal to have secrets. Everyone has things they keep to themselves. That doesn’t make it shady—or bad—or dangerous. It’s probably just something awkward. Or embarrassing. Or, knowing Clark, so deeply uncool that it makes him cringe to even think about it.

Yeah, that’s it. That’s definitely it.

He’s not dying or secretly married or evil—he’s just Clark.

And he doesn’t owe you everything. He doesn’t even owe you anything.

You’re lucky to have as much of him as you do. You don’t need to know every little thing. Besides—he’s got a secret. So do you. And despite Jimmy’s encouragement, you’re pretty damn sure you’re never going to tell him.

Okay. You need to stop freaking out.

You need to focus on helping Clark through whatever this is before he accidentally tells all of Metropolis that he’s Superman. You need to find a way to flush this toxin—or whatever it is—out of his system.

And if you can’t do that?

Then you need to distract him until it wears off.

By the time Clark’s bedroom door cracks open, you’re back on the couch. The news is still playing, volume low now. The anchor is saying something about clean-up efforts and eyewitness accounts—but you’re not listening. You can’t. Not when Clark Kent is walking toward you in a pair of low-slung dark blue sweats while he’s halfway to pulling a shirt over his head.

It’s not like you’ve never seen him shirtless before—you have, occasionally. When you went to the beach together. During that horrible June heatwave. That time he spilled hot soup on himself.

But still. Seeing him like this, fresh from the shower, curls damp and clinging to his forehead—it hits different. It makes your breath hitch, your skin flush, and that spot behind your hipbones ache.

“Hey,” you say quietly. “Feeling better?”

“I feel cleaner,” he mutters, dropping onto the opposite end of the couch—as far from you as it’ll allow.

You swallow hard and shift a little, turning more toward him than the TV.

“Okay,” you start, “first—I just want to say, I totally respect you having secrets. It’s normal. I mean, Lois and Jimmy are always joking that we’re too close, but we still have things we keep to ourselves. Not full-on secrets, but—like—it’d be weird if we knew every single thing about each other, right? No—wait, that’s not a question.” You let out an awkward laugh. “I swear I’m going to respect your privacy. I’m not going to ask any questions you don’t want to answer. And I’m sorry—I know I’m rambling. But—” you take a breath “—I was thinking, if you can’t just sweat it out or whatever, then we need to keep you distracted. Stop you from flying out there and announcing your secret identity to half the city. So… what if we just talk? Anything. Everything. No secrets. Just... stuff I might not know. Like—I don’t know—when did you first figure out you could fly?”

Clark just stares at you for a moment—unblinking, brows raised, the slightest twitch pulling at the corner of his lips. He looks a little less wrecked than he did earlier, a little amused, and there’s something else in his eyes you can’t quite place. A look you only catch sometimes—fleeting, private—one he’s usually quick to hide.

But not tonight.

“Uh,” he says eventually, voice a little hoarse. “Okay. Flying was… weird. At first.”

You tilt your head. “So, you just—what? Floated off the ground one day?”

“Pretty much,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was in high school. Fourteen, maybe fifteen. Hard to say—everything was happening at once.”

You snort softly. “Puberty was a little rougher on you, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “It was.”

“Do you know what triggered it?”

“The microwave,” he mutters.

Your brows rise. “The microwave?”

“It kept burning my popcorn.” His expression turns sheepish. “I yelled at it and then, next thing I knew, I was on the ceiling. Ma screamed so loud I thought I’d broken something. Which—I did. I crashed into the dining room light trying to get down.”

You bite your lip to hide your grin. “That’s actually adorable.”

He shrugs, gaze dropping to the floor. “I’m pretty sure I cried. I, uh… cried a lot back then.”

Your throat tightens and that soft ache in your chest sharpens. “Clark.”

“No, really. I was a very emotional child. Also, kind of flammable,” he says with a tight smile. “The heat vision was a nightmare. Powers come first, control comes later.”

“Oh my God.”

“There’s a reason I was homeschooled for two years.” He pauses, his smile softening. “Well. That, and I had a crush on my tenth-grade teacher and Ma said I was dangerously distracted.”

You laugh again—quietly—and drop your eyes to your lap, hoping Clark doesn’t notice the way your body flushes with heat. Because seriously, who gets jealous of their best friend admitting he had a crush on his teacher over a decade ago?

“Okay,” you say, eyes flicking back up. “This is good. Is it working?”

“Yeah,” he says. “A little.”

“Good. Next question, then.”

He lets out a low, quiet laugh and leans back, eyes fluttering closed for a second. “Alright. Hit me.”

You clear your throat, shifting to face him more fully. “What do you think about when you’re flying? Just flying—not in the middle of a fight or racing back to your fortress to heal. Just... in the air.”

He opens his mouth. Pauses. Closes it. Opens it again. His expression twists, jaw tightening like he’s trying to hold it in—like whatever he’s trying not to say is fighting its way out.

You open your mouth to tell him he doesn’t have to answer when—

“You,” he says, voice strained.

You blink. “What?”

“And—and my parents,” he adds quickly. “When I can see Kansas. I think about work, too. A lot of things. But I think about you a—” He cuts himself off, hands curling into fists in his lap, brows furrowing. “I think about you a lot.”

Your breath catches. The room feels suddenly very, very still. Your pulse is loud in your ears—too loud—drowning out the sound of the TV and your own uneven breathing.

He thinks about you. A lot.

What does that even mean—and what the hell are you supposed to do with it?

“Ask me another question,” he says abruptly, almost desperate. “Please.”

You blink at him. “What?”

“Just—change the subject. Anything else.”

You panic. Your thoughts scatter. Your mouth opens, closes—opens again, and then—God help you—you blurt out the first thing that hits your tongue.

“Are you a virgin?”

Clark makes a sound halfway between a cough and a gasp. “What?”

“I don’t know!” you exclaim, throwing your hands up. “I panicked! And—and I’m just curious because... you’re Clark. I mean, you’re so kind, and sweet, and polite—and you’ve never even had a real girlfriend the whole time we’ve been friends, so I just—”

“Yeah,” he mutters, tone dry. “Funny, that.”

You frown, heat creeping up your neck. You want to ask what the hell he means by that—but you know you can't. Not right now.

“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” you say instead, softer now. “I’m sorry. It’s just—it’s a thought I’ve had for a while, and it sort of just... slipped out.”

“No,” he says, voice steady. “I’m not a virgin.”

You nod, lips parting like you might say something—maybe to apologise again, maybe to change the subject—but nothing comes out. Your brain short-circuits. You feel warm all over. Too warm.

Clark clears his throat. “Still trying to distract me?”

“Yeah—” you reply, blinking fast. “Yes. Of course.”

He gives you a lopsided smile—shy, but trying. “Then ask another question.”

You hesitate, voice catching as your conscience flares to life. He seems almost normal now—still a little flushed, a little off—but mostly back to himself. Maybe his metabolism is quickly burning off the effects of the gas. Maybe he’s not feeling so compelled anymore.

Maybe you should take advantage of this while you still can.

No secrets. Just one question. The one that’s been burning a hole in your chest for years.

“Okay,” you say quietly. “Have you ever been in love?”

The second the words leave your mouth, you want to take them back. Clark stiffens—not in a sharp, startled way, but more like someone trying to hold back a shiver.

“Yes,” he says, immediately—because he couldn’t stop himself if he tried.

Your mouth goes dry. You want to ask who, but you’re not sure you could survive the answer.

“What about you?” he asks.

Your breath catches. “Me?”

He nods.

“I—I’m not the one in the hot seat right now, I—”

“Is it Jimmy?”

Your eyes go wide. “What?”

“Are you in love with Jimmy?” he presses, brows pulling tight.

You just stare at him, stunned, voice caught somewhere in your chest as your brain struggles to catch up.

“It’s fine,” he says, gaze dropping to his lap. “I get it. You spend a lot of time with him. You’re always talking about him. He makes you laugh. Your pulse goes crazy whenever—”

“Clark,” you cut in, sharper than you mean to be. “I’m not—what? No. I’m not in love with Jimmy.”

Clark blinks at your denial like he doesn’t quite believe you. Like maybe he wants to—but can’t.

“Wait,” you say suddenly, narrowing your eyes. “You said—my pulse. You listen to my pulse?”

He tilts his head. “I can’t really help—”

You frown. “I know you can hear it, Clark, but I’m asking if you actively listen to it.”

“Yes,” he mutters—even though it’s obvious he didn’t want to say it.

Your cheeks burn. “How often?”

“I don’t know.” He shifts awkwardly in his seat. “Some—most of the time.”

You blink. “What? So you just... tune in? Like I’m a podcast or something?”

He groans, dragging a hand over his face. “Please stop.”

“No,” you fire back. “I’m not stopping. Because you just accused me of being in love with Jimmy fucking Olsen. And then you admitted you listen to my pulse like it’s your own personal metronome. And before—” You stop, heart pounding so hard it feels like it might crack a rib. “Before, you told me I looked good in your clothes. Clark, I’ve been wearing your clothes since college, and you’ve never said that to me.”

He meets your stare—eyes wild, jaw tight, brows drawn. He looks like he’s on the verge of saying something he’s not sure he’s allowed to say. And maybe that’s exactly what you need him to do.

“I know we’ve always been close, but—but working together—” Your voice shakes. “It’s different now. We’re too close. Something’s shifted, and I don’t know what. Yesterday in the printer room. Today in the archives. You’re acting weird. I’m acting weird. Everything is weird. And now, somehow, you think I’m in love with Jimmy?”

“Your heart beats like crazy whenever he’s around,” he says, the words falling out fast, like he’s been holding them in for too long. “You—your whole body flushes. Your hands start trembling. I can see it, hear it, feel every reaction you have when he’s around and it—it—” He cuts himself off, raking a hand through his still-damp curls.

You watch him for a beat—heart racing, skin burning. The silence stretches between you, taut and heavy. It feels like the same tension that clung to the air in the printer room. And in the archives. Palpable. Suffocating.

“Jimmy?” you say softly. “Whenever I’m around... Jimmy?”

He nods, stiff and careful. Like opening his mouth might let too much out again.

You take a deep breath, shifting a little closer on the couch. “Then tell me, Clark…” Your voice drops, quieter now. “What am I feeling right now?”

His eyes flit over your face, searching. You watch him track your expression, the set of your mouth, the line of your shoulders. Like he’s trying to solve you. Like he already knows—but doesn’t understand.

“You’re... flushed,” he says first, voice low. “Your skin’s hot. Your pupils are huge. You’re... you’re breathing hard.”

He swallows, brow furrowing in concentration.

“You shifted closer, too. You do that when you’re comfortable, or—or trying to be comforting, but—” His gaze flickers downward. “Your hands are shaking.”

You don’t answer. You just watch him. Let him keep going.

“I can hear your pulse in your throat,” he says, eyes there now. “It jumped the second I started talking. And it hasn’t slowed down. Not even now.”

He shifts, clearly flustered, and you swear his gaze flicks to your mouth before he catches himself and looks away—back to your lap, your hands, your shoulders. Anywhere but your eyes.

“I—I don’t know what you’re feeling,” he says finally, and he sounds so lost—so completely confused—you almost feel bad. “I know what your body’s doing, but I don’t know what it means.”

You blink at him. “You really don’t?”

He exhales, voice dropping low. “I don’t want to get it wrong.”

That’s it. That’s all it takes for your last thread of patience to snap. Your pulse is a drumbeat in your ears—your whole body humming, trembling—and still, he just sits there blinking at you like he’s never once considered the most obvious thing in the world.

“God,” you mutter, pushing to your feet with a frustrated huff. “Clark—it’s you. It’s not Jimmy, it’s not even Superman. It’s you. I react like this around you.”

His eyes widen—just slightly. He blinks up at you—once, twice—like his brain is buffering, trying to reboot.

You let out a breathless, incredulous laugh. “I cannot believe after all these years, you’ve only just figured it out. And you thought it was because of Jimmy?” You tip your head back, squeezing your eyes shut to keep the emotion from spilling over. “I thought you fucking knew.”

“You thought I knew?” he asks, his voice low, rough—a little wrecked.

You look at him again, expression tight. “Yes, Clark. I thought you knew. I thought it was obvious—because every time you look at me, my heart races and my whole body gets hot and—Jesus Christ. It doesn’t even matter, okay? You’re you, and I’m me, and none of this makes sense, so just forget it.”

You move past him—but his hand catches yours before you can get too far. It’s gentle, but there’s tension in it.

You freeze.

“Wait,” he breathes. “Please.”

You take a breath—but before you can fully turn around, he tugs. Hard.

Suddenly you’re off balance—caught, pulled, guided down into his lap like gravity made the decision for you. Your knees hit the couch on either side of his thighs, your hands braced against his chest, and the space between you disappears.

Your breath catches. His does too.

You’re so close you can feel the shape of his next exhale against your lips. His hands hover at your waist like he’s not sure he’s allowed to hold you.

“I’m not lying,” he says quietly, eyes locked on yours like you’re the only thing that matters. “I mean—I can’t. I just… I never thought you could feel that way about me. Never even considered it. Not after all these years. Not until thirty seconds ago when you told me—because I’m an idiot.”

For a moment, he just stares at you—like he can’t quite believe that you’re real. That you’re here, straddling his lap, flushed and breathless and saying all the things he never let himself hope to hear.

And then—

He grins.

Not the awkward, bashful one you’ve seen a hundred times before. Not the polite press of lips he gives strangers on the street or the sheepish half-smile he shoots you across the bullpen when you catch him watching you.

This one is brighter. Slower. Wider. It blooms across his face like a sunrise—like he’s seeing you clearly for the first time and can’t quite handle it. His eyes crinkle at the corners, blue as heaven, and the dimples in cheeks deepen in a way that makes your stomach flip. It’s the kind of smile that punches you in the gut. The kind that says you are everything.

It steals the breath from your lungs.

You don’t even realise you’re leaning in until his hands finally cradle your waist—steady, warm, reverent.

“Can I—?” he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper.

But you’re already nodding. Already closing the gap.

And then he kisses you.

It starts soft—tentative, like he’s afraid he’ll break you. But it only takes a second for instinct to take over. His hands slide down to your hips, pulling you in closer, tighter. His mouth moves with yours like he’s learning, adjusting, finding his confidence with every brush of lips, every quiet breath shared between you.

You feel him exhale through his nose—shaky, relieved—like he’s never been this close to peace before. Then his hands glide up your sides and back down again, broad and warm and possessive. The kiss deepens. The tension that’s been wound tight between you for years finally begins to unravel.

His tongue flicks against your bottom lip, and you open for him without hesitation. A soft moan breaks from you—and a ragged one answers from him. He kisses you harder, needier. His fingers flex at your hips, anchoring you, dragging you impossibly closer.

“I used to dream about this,” he breathes against your mouth. “Every night. You. This. Just… you.”

You whimper—actually whimper—and grind down against him before you can stop yourself, chasing the pressure, his voice, his hands, him.

He groans—loud and helpless—his grip tightening until you gasp.

He pulls back, just barely, his lips parted and kiss-bruised. His eyes scan yours like he’s checking for damage, guilt flooding in.

“I’m sorry,” he says hoarsely, breath hot against your cheek. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Clark.” You cup his jaw. “Tell me what you want.”

He stills beneath you, swallowing hard.

Your voice drops. “The truth. Say it.”

His breath catches—your thighs tight around him, your chest rising and falling against his. His fingers dig in again.

“I want…” His voice cracks. “I want you to stay right here. I want to kiss you. I want to feel you—all of you. I want you to keep grinding on me just like—”

You do—grinding down, slow and precise.

He groans—chokes on it—his head tipping back, eyes fluttering shut. “Gosh.”

You lean in, lips brushing the line of his jaw. “What else?”

“I want to touch you,” he breathes, helpless. “I want to hear all the sounds you make. I want—”

You press your hips down again.

“Please,” he whispers.

“Tell me.”

He looks at you—eyes blown wide, voice nothing but want. “I want to fuck you.”

You gasp, your mouth falling open in stunned silence.

Clark Kent just said a bad word.

Your brain stalls. It short-circuits. You blink down at him, lips parted, heartbeat pounding somewhere in your throat. In all your years of friendship, you’ve never heard him swear. You’ve barely heard him curse—maybe the odd Jesus Christ or damn it—but a full-on fuck just fell from those perfect, full lips.

“Did you just say… fuck?”

His cheeks turn pink—he actually blushes—and he ducks his head with a low groan, hiding his face against your neck like he might disappear into your skin. You feel the grin spreading slowly across your throat before his lips press there—soft and reverent, trailing heat as he speaks again.

“I—” He lets out a breathless, choked laugh. “I can’t lie right now. It’s not fair.”

You bite back a grin, drunk on the heat of him. “Are you accusing me of taking advantage of you, Kent?”

His mouth finds your neck again—slow and sure, like a secret—and he hums against your skin. “You’re absolutely taking advantage.”

You laugh—quiet and shaky—and curl your fingers into his hair, gently tugging until he looks up at you again. His eyes are blown wide, dark with need, but still soft around the edges—Clark, always Clark.

And you love him for it.

You want him for it.

You need him.

“Come on, then,” you murmur, brushing your thumb along his cheek. “Show me what you’ve been holding back, farm boy.”

His breath catches. His hands tighten at your hips.

“You sure?”

You barely have time to answer before his hands slip lower—and then he’s moving. Effortless. Strong. He rises to his feet with you in his arms like it’s nothing, like you weigh nothing at all.

You yelp, startled, arms flying around his shoulders. “Clark!”

He grins again—that Clark Kent grin—bright and wide and unfairly charming, even with kiss-swollen lips and pupils so blown you can barely see the blue. “I thought you liked being carried by Superman.”

You narrow your eyes. “Do not start.”

His smile only widens as he carries you toward his bedroom like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “What? I think it’s cute that you have a crush.”

Your mouth drops open in mock outrage. “I told you that was a joke.”

“Oh, come on.” He’s laughing now—full and warm—and you hate how much you love it. “What was it you said? That he could break your back and you’d say thank you?”

You slap his shoulder. “I cannot believe you’re bringing that up right now.”

He just shrugs, eyes sparkling. “You said it. In front of several witnesses.”

“You’re the worst.”

“And you,” he murmurs, voice dipping low as he nudges the bedroom door open with one foot, “have been in love with me this whole time.”

You open your mouth, but no words come out. He’s still grinning—but it softens the second he lays you down, slow and careful, like you’re something priceless. Then he settles between your legs.

Your breath catches at the sight of him. On top of you. And then—

“Favourite colour?” you blurt, just to feel steady again—just to see if he still can’t lie.

He blinks. “Blue.”

“First thing you ever noticed about me?”

“Your laugh.”

“What’s your biggest fantasy?”

He groans. “You. In this bed. Right now. Can you—can you not?”

You smirk. “Ever jerk off thinking about me?”

He flushes scarlet. “Yes. Obviously.”

“Say something filthy.”

He makes a strangled sound, then mutters, “I want to come with your thighs around my head.”

You blink, stunned—and a little breathless.

He groans again and buries his face in your neck. “Stop taking advantage of me,” he mumbles against your skin.

You laugh—helpless, delighted. “I literally can’t. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

His mouth finds the curve of your throat again—hot, open-mouthed, worshipful—and his hands tighten where they’re splayed across your hips. The teasing slips, melts away, becomes something quieter. Something serious.

“I mean it,” he whispers, lifting his head, his gaze burning into yours. “I want you. Not just right now. I want you. Forever.”

The words hang in the air between you, soft and searing, and for a moment, all you can do is stare at him—this man, this impossibly good man—whose weight is pressed heavy and solid between your thighs like he belongs there.

Because he does. He always has.

Your fingers slide up his neck, into his hair, pulling him down again until his mouth finds yours—hot and slow, like he means to burn the shape of it into his memory. His body moves with yours, a slow, rolling grind of heat and muscle and want. There’s no rush in it. Just need.

He kisses you like he’s waited a lifetime. Like he’s going to spend the rest of it making up for lost time.

When he breaks away, it’s only to press his lips to your cheek, your jaw, the hinge of it, then lower—trailing kisses to your throat like he’s tasting every inch, like he’s been starving for it. For you.

“I used to lie right here and imagine this,” he breathes, voice cracked and close, hot against your skin. “You. Under me. Wanting me.”

You gasp when his teeth graze your pulse, when he suckles gently at the spot. Then he soothes it with his tongue and lifts his head—eyes dark, full of heat and something more dangerous now. Something utterly undone.

“I have to get you ready for me,” he says softly, almost apologetic—but his hands are already moving, slow and sure, slipping beneath the hem of your shirt. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Your breath stutters. Your thighs squeeze tighter around his hips.

God, Clark Kent is going to ruin you.

“Take your time,” you whisper, voice barely there. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He smiles—something small, crooked, adoring. And then he leans down, kissing you again, deeper this time, while his hands begin to explore.

He pushes your shirt up inch by inch, his palms dragging over your ribs, your sides—careful and reverent, like he’s learning, memorising, all of it. Like this is something sacred. His breath hitches when he bares your chest—and the lacy, nothing bra you’re wearing—and for a second he just stares, like he just can't believe you’re real.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “Gosh, you’re—”

You pull him back down to kiss you, fingers fisting in his hair, and he moans into your mouth as your hips rock up, seeking friction. His hands bracket your ribs, firm and warm, steadying you—grounding you—and when he pulls back again, it’s just far enough to press his lips to the centre of your chest.

“I want to make you feel so good,” he says, kissing lower. “I want to hear all the sounds you make. I want to watch your face when you come.”

You shudder, eyes fluttering closed.

“And I want—” He kisses your sternum. “To take my time.” Another kiss, lower. “So slow you beg.” One more, right above the waistband of your underwear. “So deep you scream.”

You gasp, your whole body arching up into his mouth—and he smiles against your skin, sweet and filthy and so, so in love it makes your head spin.

One of his hands slides under your thigh, lifting it gently, while the other tugs your shorts—his shorts—and panties down with aching care. He kisses the inside of your knee. Then the top of your thigh. Then a little higher.

You can barely breathe.

When he finally settles between your legs, he looks up—blue eyes blown dark but still so brilliantly, impossibly Clark—and the heat in them nearly knocks the wind out of you. He looks at you like you’re the only thing that’s ever mattered. The only thing he’s ever needed.

“Okay?” he murmurs, voice wrecked and low.

You nod—frantic. “Yes. God, yes.”

And then he lowers his mouth to you.

You cry out, fingers flying to his hair, hips jerking before you can stop yourself. His tongue moves slow at first, like he’s savouring the taste, mapping you out, learning every reaction. You feel his groan vibrate against you—feel the subtle roll of his hips into the mattress, like he’s not even aware he’s doing it.

Holy shit.

Clark Kent is between your legs. Clark Kent is making you feel like this. You can barely comprehend it. You’d laugh if you weren’t already half-shaking.

He hums again when you tug at his hair. His hands tighten on your hips like he’s grounding himself, like he needs you to stay still so he doesn’t lose control. You can feel it now—just beneath the surface—something wild and aching in him, restrained only by the thinnest, fraying thread.

And when you look down again, his eyes are still on you—bright blue, locked with yours, so full of hunger and wonder and want that you can’t breathe around it.

“Clark,” you whisper, almost a prayer.

His eyes flutter shut. He groans into you like the sound of his name on your lips might be his ultimate undoing.

And then he starts to really eat.

There’s no other word for it—he devours you. All soft lips and filthy tongue and low, guttural sounds that vibrate straight through you. His hands are everywhere—steadying you, spreading you open, holding you down like he’s afraid you’ll disappear.

You feel like you might pass out. Like your whole body has been waiting years for this—desperate, unsatisfied, quietly starving—and suddenly it’s too much. He’s too much. Too strong, too good, too fucking Clark.

You’re gasping his name on a loop, tugging at his hair, barely holding on—and then you feel it—the sharp, sudden snap of your bra giving way.

You startle. “Did you—?”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters against your cunt, voice rough with need. “I’ll buy you a new one.”

And then he’s back at it, moaning into you like he needs this more than the goddamn sun. Like he might die without it.

Your head tips back, a choked sound leaving your throat. You’ve pictured this. A thousand times. In a hundred different ways. But your imagination was subpar at best—because nothing, nothing, could’ve prepared you for the reality of Clark Kent between your legs.

Those bright blue eyes flicker up at you—needy, glassy, reverent—and the second your gaze locks, he groans again, fucking into you with his tongue like he’s trying to ruin you. The sight of him like this—desperate and devout—makes you shudder.

And then he gives you more.

One of those impossibly large hands curves up over your chest, thumb brushing your nipple, and the other slides between your legs—slow and careful, but sure. His fingers are thick, coaxing, stretching you open with gentle precision, and the pressure of them alongside his tongue makes you keen, hips lifting helplessly into the rhythm he sets.

“You feel…” he breaks off, voice muffled against you, breath ragged. “You feel so good. You’re so perfect.”

You can barely think. His mouth is relentless, his fingers maddening, and he’s everywhere—too much and not enough all at once. He groans again, this time deeper, more desperate, like he’s unravelling by the second.

“You’re so tight, sweetheart,” he murmurs, the words slipping out like he couldn’t stop them if he tried. “I need you to be ready for me. I—I’m trying to take my time, I swear—”

He’s losing it. You can feel it in the way his hand tightens on your breast, in the way his hips grind slowly down against the mattress, seeking friction. Superman, falling apart. Big, strong, godlike Clark Kent on his knees for you, coming more and more undone with every breathless moan you make.

You thread your fingers through his dark curls, tugging, trembling. “Clark—oh, fuck—please—”

“I’ve got you,” he breathes, voice wrecked. “I’ve got you. Just let go for me.”

And with his fingers curling just right, his mouth wet and hot and hungry, you do.

You come with a gasp and a full-body jolt, your hands in his hair, your thighs clamped around his head—but Clark doesn’t stop. Not even a little. His tongue keeps moving, slow and thick and dizzying, and his fingers never falter. You're writhing under him, trembling, oversensitive—but he’s got you. One hand bruises into your hip, fingers curling, holding you down like you weigh nothing at all, and his other forearm braces across your pelvis, anchoring you to the mattress as your body bucks helplessly against his mouth.

“Clark—please—” you gasp, too gone to string anything else together.

He’s whimpering into you now, low and desperate, hips grinding down against the bed like he needs something—anything—to keep from falling apart completely.

“Gotta get you ready,” he mumbles, voice deep, breath hot against you. “Need you open for me. You taste so good, sweetheart—so good—”

Another breathless moan spills from your throat. You’re shaking under him, thighs trembling, vision going a little white around the edges—but his mouth is still on you, relentless, adoring, starved.

You twist a fist in his hair and pull—hard—and he groans at the sting, finally lifting his head.

“Clark.” Your voice breaks—your whole body is flushed and ruined, but still you want more. “You said you wanted to fuck me.”

His eyes flicker—wide and dark and frantic.

“So fuck me.” You tug again, urging his face up toward yours. “I’m begging you. Fuck me.”

His restraint snaps with a full-body shudder, and suddenly he’s surging up over you, mouth crashing into yours, and it’s wild. Nothing soft about it. It’s teeth and tongue and groaning, desperate need, like he’s been holding this back for as long as he could—and now there’s no going slow.

He pulls back just enough to look at you—barely—but his hands are already moving. You can see them tremble as he pushes his sweats down his hips and kicks them off, like he’s barely holding on to enough control to get undressed. You glance down and instantly gasp.

“Oh my God.”

He chokes on a laugh—flustered, flushed scarlet—but it doesn’t slow him down. His chest heaves as he settles between your thighs again, mouth brushing yours with a shaky sort of reverence.

“You—you okay?”

“Take your shirt off,” you whisper, dizzy with need. “Please.”

He fumbles it over his head, tossing it aside in one swift movement—and you’re left blinking up at him, dazed and desperate, with nothing but his bare skin and broad chest and huge arms above you. He’s gorgeous. Flushed and beautiful and too damn much, and he’s yours.

“You’re staring,” he murmurs, a little breathless.

“You’re massive.”

His breath stutters at that, and he grins—but it’s helpless, strained, the kind of grin that says he’s one second from losing all control. “Yeah, I—should’ve warned you.”

“You kind of did,” you murmur, legs wrapping around his waist. “You said you had to get me ready for you.”

“I did.” His voice drops to a rasp as the head of his cock drags against your slick. “You feel—gosh, you feel like a dream.”

You blink. “Gosh?”

He groans, forehead dropping softly against yours. “Sorry. I’m—”

“Say it dirtier, Clark.”

“What?”

You grin, wild and breathless. “Come on. Tell me something filthy. I know you can do it. Just let go.”

He hesitates, clearly fighting every instinct in his wholesome Kansas-raised body—but then he curses under his breath and mutters, “You’re so fucking tight, I’m gonna lose my mind. I want to fuck you so deep you forget your own name.”

Your breath catches. “See?” you whisper. “That’s more like it.”

“I blacked out a little,” he mutters, still flustered.

“Say something else,” you breathe.

He groans again—almost a whine—his whole body practically trembling with restraint. “You’ve tortured me for years. Every time you smiled at me. Every time you touched me. Every time you fell asleep on my shoulder—I wanted this. You. All of you.”

And then he’s reaching between you, holding himself against your entrance with shaking fingers. You both gasp when the tip pushes in—just that—and it’s already too much.

“Oh my God,” you whisper again, clinging to his shoulders, the stretch impossibly intense even before he’s really in. “You’re not gonna fit.”

“I—I can stop—”

“No.” You’re shaking your head, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare. I want you. I want all of you.”

He lets out a soft, strangled moan, almost losing it then and there. “I’ll go slow. Just—just breathe.”

And then he starts to push in. Inch by slow, burning inch. His hands firm where they cradle your hips, his breath ragged against your cheek as your body tries to take him—tries to stretch around something impossibly thick, impossibly deep, impossibly Clark. Because of course this gorgeous, sweet nerd has an enormous cock.

You keen, nails digging into his back. “Jesus Christ—”

“Tell me if it’s too much,” he pants, voice cracking. “Tell me to stop and I will. Just—ugh, you feel so good. So perfect. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not,” you whisper, eyes glassy. “You’re ruining me, but you’re not hurting me.”

He lets out a shuddering groan and kisses you—soft and aching and full of so much love you could cry. “I don’t want to ruin you.”

“Too late.”

You both laugh—helpless, breathless—and then he slides in just that little bit deeper, and the sound turns to a moan. You’re gasping, trembling, stuffed full, but you don’t want him to stop. Not for anything.

He kisses you through it—your mouth, your jaw, your throat—whispering apologies between every shuddering breath. His hands roam your body like he’s trying to worship it, like he’s trying to ground himself in the feel of your skin, your warmth, your everything. One hand splays across your ribs, thumb brushing the curve of your breast, the other grips your thigh, gently coaxing you open as he sinks deeper.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs again, wrecked. “You feel so good, I can’t—I’m trying—gosh, I’m trying—”

You can tell. Every inch he gives you is slow, reverent, but barely leashed—like his self-control is hanging by a thread and the only thing keeping it intact is you, trembling beneath him, arms locked around his neck, whispering please into the shell of his ear.

His nose nuzzles your cheek, your temple, his breath hot and uneven. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

“You’re not,” you gasp, even as you clench around him, every muscle taut and trembling. “You’re perfect. Just—just keep going.”

He kisses you again, deeper this time, a soft groan rising from his chest as he finally presses all the way in.

Your body tries to adjust around him, stretched and aching and overwhelmed, but all you can feel is him. Every solid inch. Every trembling breath. Every whisper of your name like a prayer. And then—he stills.

Buried to the hilt. Inside you.

Clark Kent, inside you.

You can feel his heartbeat against your chest. Feel him shaking, still trying not to move.

And then, in the quiet between two shared, ragged breaths, you realise—he’s crying.

Just a little. Just barely. But it’s there, glittering at the corners of his impossibly blue eyes as he looks down at you like you’re something he never thought he’d be allowed to touch.

“I love you,” he breathes. “I’ve always loved you.”

Your heart cracks open at the sight of him—this incredibly strong, impossibly good man trembling above you, full to bursting with love. You reach up, fingers brushing the corner of his eye, wiping the tear before it can fall.

“Clark,” you whisper, your own vision blurring. “I love you too.”

His breath hitches again, and for a second it feels like the whole world stills—just the two of you, wrapped in each other, like everything is finally aligned.

You cradle his face in your hands and press a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. Then another. Then you press your forehead against his and whisper, “Now fuck me like you promised, Kent.”

His eyes flutter closed, and a groan tears from his chest.

“I can take it,” you murmur, arching into him, your body already pulsing around the impossible stretch of him. “You’re not going to hurt me, so stop holding back.”

He pulls back just far enough to look at you, gaze wild and reverent all at once. “You—you’re sure?”

You nod, fingers threading through his hair, grinning now. “Fuck me.”

And just like that, whatever thread of control he was clinging to snaps.

He moves—finally, fully—and the sound he makes is feral, low and broken in the back of his throat. His hips snap forward once, then again, rough and barely restrained, and your whole body jolts beneath the force of it. He’s huge, maddeningly deep, the stretch still toeing the edge of unbearable—but you don’t want him to stop. You want more.

You rake your nails down his back, gasping as he fucks you with slow, jolting thrusts, like each one is him trying not to break—but the way his breath catches says he’s not going to last much longer. He’s flushed and wrecked and shaking, sweat collecting at his temples, strands of dark hair clinging to his forehead.

And he’s so fucking pretty.

That face—those big, blue eyes gone half-lidded and dazed, those kiss-bruised lips parted with every gasping moan he tries to bury in your neck. The muscles of his back flex beneath your hands, corded with tension. His shoulders shake. His grip bruises—literally—where he holds you.

He’s trying. Trying so hard to be careful.

But you don’t want careful.

“Clark,” you gasp—and his head lifts instantly, eyes locking with yours like he needs you to ground him, to steady him, to keep him from flying apart.

Your hands slide down his chest, nails dragging lightly over sweat-slicked muscle, and the sound he makes is barely human. The stretch still burns—you’re trembling, gasping—but you love it. You love him. You dig your heels into the backs of his thighs, pull him deeper. But it’s still not enough.

You lean up, mouth brushing his ear.

“Stop being careful,” you whisper. “Stop pretending you haven’t been dying to fuck me since the day we met.”

That’s all it takes.

He shudders—like the breath has been ripped from his lungs—and then he really snaps. Gone. Whatever shred of control he had left disintegrates, and he drives into you like it’s instinct, like it’s prayer, like he’s been holding this back for too long and can’t any longer.

“Sweetheart—” he chokes, forehead falling to yours as his hips pound into you, rough now, relentless. “You have no idea. I’ve wanted this—I’ve wanted you—for so long I thought I might lose my mind.”

His voice is thick, shaking. And his hands don’t stop moving—sliding up your ribs, cradling your breast, gripping your hip tight enough to leave marks like he still can’t believe this is real.

And all you can do is take it. Take him. Let him love you like this—with every shattered breath, every desperate thrust, every reverent inch of him finally, finally letting go.

He’s everywhere. Surrounding you, filling you, pressing you so deep into the mattress you don’t know where you end and he begins.

His mouth finds yours again—hungry, open, all tongue and teeth and need—but there’s nothing rushed about the way he kisses you. Even now, even like this, he still tastes you like you’re precious. Like you’re some kind of miracle.

And he won’t stop touching you. His hands roam your body like they’re mapping it, like he’s waited a thousand lifetimes to commit every inch to memory. One cups your breast, thumb circling your nipple until your whole body arches into him. The other drifts down your side, over your thigh, then back up again, everywhere at once, like he can’t bear not to be touching you.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his voice low, wrecked—soaked in worship and disbelief. “You always have been.”

He thrusts deep, a little slower, and your breath catches. His name tumbles from your lips again, desperate.

“I’ve thought about this so many times,” he confesses, hips rocking into you with aching precision. “But nothing… nothing ever came close to this. You—” he groans, kisses the corner of your mouth, your jaw, your throat “—you feel like heaven.”

You cling to him, your fingers tangled in his hair, your legs wrapped around his hips. “Clark,” you breathe. “You’re gonna make me—”

“I know,” he whispers, kissing the tear that slips from the corner of your eye. “Me too. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

And then he changes the angle—just barely, just enough—and you both feel it. You cry out, clutching at him as your whole body starts to shake. His rhythm falters for a second, stutters with the force of how much he’s holding back.

“I—I’m not gonna last,” he pants, burying his face in your neck. “You feel too good. You feel too good.”

“Don’t,” you whisper, heart pounding. “Don’t hold back.”

He lifts his head to look at you—his face so full of love it hurts—and then he kisses you like he’s saying goodbye to every year he had to pretend that he didn’t want this. That he didn’t want you.

And then he starts to move again—harder, rougher, deeper—and the heat builds sharp and fast, curling low in your belly as the whole world narrows to him. His body. His mouth. His voice rasping your name like it’s a holy thing.

You’re close. So is he. And you can both feel it.

But then he shifts—sits up on his knees, never slipping out of you—and the new angle punches a gasp from your throat, your back arching hard against the mattress.

“Clark—”

His hands find your waist, and his breath catches. For a second, he just stares—like he’s not sure he’s seeing right. Then one of his palms flattens against your lower belly, fingers trembling.

He can see himself—a thick, impossible bulge stretching you from the inside out.

“F—fuck, sweetheart,” he groans, voice wrecked, “I—I didn’t think…” He trails off, too far gone to finish. Too undone by the sight of what he’s doing to you.

The thrusts are deeper now, angled just right, and every drag of him against your walls you makes your vision go white. You’re a mess beneath him—head thrown back, hands tangled in your hair, then palming at your own breasts, too overwhelmed to know what to do with yourself.

And he’s watching all of it.

“You’re gonna break me,” you gasp, almost sobbing on a moan. “You’re gonna—Clark, I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he pants, dragging his thumb over your nipple, thrusting harder, faster, like he’s chasing something just out of reach. “You’re perfect. You’re so perfect—look at you—look at you.”

Your body starts to lock up, the orgasm barrelling toward you like it’s being pulled from your soul. You try to fight it—try to hold on for him—but he hits that perfect spot again and it breaks you.

You shatter around him with a scream, legs shaking, fingers digging into your thighs to ground yourself, and he feels it. Feels the way your body clamps around him, fluttering and pulsing, and it sends him reeling.

His thrusts lose rhythm. His hands clamp down hard—one gripping your hip, the other braced behind him—and he’s trying to hold back, trying so hard.

You force your eyes open just in time to see it happen.

His mouth falls open. A breathless moan rips from his chest. And his eyes—his bright blue eyes flare molten red for a half-second before he squeezes them shut and throws his head back, like he’s afraid of what’ll happen if he keeps looking at you.

A raw, animal sound tears out of him as he comes—deep inside you, again and again, his whole body shaking with it.

He’s trying not to break the bed. Trying not to break you.

And the heat of it—him, all of him—it feels endless.

Then finally, he stills.

You don’t know how long the silence lasts.

Long enough for your pulse to slow, your body to stop trembling, for your senses to crawl their way back into place—though you still feel wrecked, in the best possible way.

Clark leans over you, his body a trembling wall of heat. His arms are braced on either side of your head, eyes still squeezed shut, and his jaw is slack, like he’s still riding the aftershocks.

Then he exhales a shaky breath, nuzzles into your cheek, and whispers, “Are you okay?”

You hum, blinking up at him. “I think I saw God.”

That makes him laugh—soft, breathless, a little stunned. He presses a kiss to your temple, then your cheek, then the corner of your mouth.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, still catching his breath. “I was trying really hard not to… you know. Lose control. Burn a hole through the ceiling.”

You smile, boneless and glowing beneath him. “I think you did great.”

He kisses you again, then slowly, carefully, pulls out—and you both gasp. The stretch, the ache, the sudden emptiness—it makes your hips jolt, your fingers curl, and Clark wince in concern.

“Sorry—sorry—” he breathes, already reaching to cradle your waist, pulling you gently into his arms. He shifts you both onto your sides, wrapping around you protectively, like he’s trying to shield you from the whole world.

You melt into him, sighing as your limbs tangle together, his bare chest warm against your back, his hand stroking lazy circles over your belly.

After a minute, he presses a soft kiss behind your ear. “I think the gas has worn off,” he says quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean—” he trails off, then grins against your skin. “I still want to say filthy things, but I'm not being compelled to.”

You giggle, turning in his arms to face him. His cheeks are flushed pink, his hair a mess, his blue eyes so soft you could cry. Again.

“You’d say them anyway?” you tease.

He brushes your hair back from your face, thumb tracing the curve of your cheek. “If you asked nicely.”

You pretend to consider it. “What if I get on my knees and beg?”

A groan vibrates in his chest. “You're a dangerous woman,” he murmurs. “I’m in so much trouble.”

You lean in and kiss him—slow and lingering, tasting the smile he can’t seem to get rid of. And then you whisper against his mouth, “I’ve been in love with you since the day we met.”

He pulls back just enough to look at you—eyes wide, like he still can't believe what you’re saying.

He cups your face, forehead resting against yours, and whispers, “Good. Because I’ve been in love with you for years.”

You blink up at him, smiling. “Years?”

“I told you,” he breathes. “You’ve been torturing me.”

You kiss him again, a little giddy now, your whole body aching and your heart so full it might burst.

And then, nestled against him, sleep starts to pull at you, but you fight it long enough to mumble, “Clark?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it’s too late for pancakes?”

He chuckles softly, tugging you closer. “You really are perfect.”

You spend the entire weekend at Clark’s apartment. Mostly in his bed—sometimes on the couch, or the kitchen counter, or in the shower. And once in the hallway, because you simply couldn’t make it any further without having him inside you.

By Sunday night, you finally tear yourself away—because you know you can’t show up to work Monday morning wearing a pair of his old boxers and a threadbare Metropolis U shirt.

You make it exactly twelve minutes at home, by yourself, before you’re packing a bag and heading right back to his place—relieved to find he’s just as desperate to have you back in his arms.

On Monday morning, you both wake up with every intention of being on time for work—but it doesn’t quite happen. Because when Clark steps out of the shower, fresh and steamy and completely naked, you can’t help yourself. And you’re starting to realise that he has a very hard time resisting you too.

So, after yet another mind-blowing, back-breaking orgasm, you both finally force yourselves to get dressed and head into the office.

“They’re going to know,” Clark mutters as the elevator doors slide shut.

There’s only one other person inside—an intern whose name you’ve forgotten.

You glance up at him. “How will they know?”

His lips twitch. “Well, for one, you’re limping.”

You bite your cheek to keep from grinning. “I can’t help that. Blame your Kryptonian physiology.”

“Now you’re blushing,” he murmurs, voice low enough for only you to hear. “Your heart’s racing. Your pupils are blown.” His eyes flicker down. “Your hands are trembling, and you’re—oh.”

His breath hitches slightly. You’re not sure if he can see it, feel it, maybe even smell it—but he knows. He knows exactly what you’re feeling right now. And if this poor intern weren’t in here, you’d probably both be halfway to naked already.

Your eyes lock—those ridiculous glasses framing that stupidly gorgeous face, blue eyes dark with want—and the moment stretches taut between you. You’re staring so hard, so heavy, that the soft ding of the elevator startles you.

Clark chuckles, stepping aside to let you exit first.

You try not to limp through the newsroom—but it’s hard. Your thighs are shaking. Everything aches. And you can feel every single bruise his mouth and hands seared into your skin.

“Well, well, well,” Jimmy says, scooting back from his desk with that stupidly wide grin. “Look who finally decided to show up—together.”

You roll your eyes. “We live in the same neighbourhood.”

Jimmy snorts. “Right. And I’m Superman.”

Clark coughs into his fist, clearly trying not to laugh. You shoot him a warning glance.

“I’m serious,” you add, dropping your bag beside your desk. “Same subway line. Total coincidence.”

“Mmhmm.” Jimmy swivels to follow your path, eyes tracking you like a hawk. “And the coincidence wore off on both your faces.”

You frown. “What does that even mean?”

You wince as your ass hits the chair—too fast, too sore. You try to cover it with a cough, but it’s too late. Clark is biting back a smile, and Jimmy’s eyebrows are practically in his hairline.

“You’re blushing,” he says. “Kent is glowing. And unless my hearing’s gone, you just whimpered when you sat down.” He leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Please tell me I don’t have to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“You didn’t hear anything,” you mutter, shifting awkwardly in your seat.

He’s about to respond when he pauses—squinting at something. His grin widens, eyes locking on to something near the collar of your shirt.

“Oh my God. Is—is that a hickey?”

You slap a hand over your neck. “No.”

Clark chokes on nothing.

“It is!” Jimmy exclaims, jumping up from his chair to get a better look.

“No,” you say again, firmer. “It isn’t. It—it’s a burn. I burnt myself.”

Cat pops up from her desk, squinting. “Looks like a hickey to me.”

Lois spins around in her chair, smirking, arms crossed. “You burnt your neck?”

“It happens,” you mutter, fumbling for your phone to check the damage.

Clark gives you a helpless look over the top of his glasses, mouth twitching with a suppressed smile, cheeks red. And if he didn’t look so goddamn cute, you’d probably hurl a pen at him for leaving a mark so high.

“You’re seriously denying this?” Jimmy asks.

“I’m not denying anything,” you say. “I don’t have to deny it, because it isn’t anything. It’s just a bruise.”

Lois tilts her head. “You mean burn?”

“Yes—burn,” you say quickly. “Whatever. It’s still nothing. Now can we please—”

“Kent!” Perry’s voice booms across the bullpen. “My office. Two minutes. Bring your notepad.”

Clark nods once and scrambles to grab a pen and paper. Jimmy sighs—giving up for now—and collapses back into his chair. Cat drops down at her desk. Lois flicks her gaze from you to Clark, then slowly spins back around.

You sink lower into your chair as your monitor wakes up. You can see Clark collecting his things, tucking in his chair. He starts toward Perry’s office—then stops beside right your desk, and leans in.

You glance up just in time to catch the soft smile on his pretty mouth, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. Then he reaches out—one hand gently cupping the back of your head—and presses a kiss to the top of your forehead.

It’s so sweet, so simple, it makes your chest ache. You almost—almost—forget where you are.

Until—

“I knew it!” Jimmy shouts.

Cat’s head pops up again. Lois spins around. Even Steve cranes his neck from across the bullpen.

“I was right,” Jimmy goes on triumphantly. “You two finally boned!”

“Olsen!” Perry shouts. “Watch your language.”

“Sorry, Chief,” Jimmy says—though still grinning like the smug little shit he is.

Your face burns as the bullpen erupts around you—laughter, gasps, even a slow clap from Steve. You sink deeper into your chair, wishing it would swallow you whole. And Clark—that traitor—just gives a soft chuckle, his shoulders shaking as he walks off toward Perry’s office, not even trying to hide the smug little smirk on his face.

You glare daggers into his back. He doesn’t turn around, but you swear he knows—you can feel it in the satisfied roll of his stride.

“I knew it,” Jimmy says again, practically vibrating with glee. “I called this weeks ago. Honestly, I feel vindicated.”

You groan, covering your face with your hands. “Jimmy, please.”

“I’m just saying!” he says, unrepentant. “You two have been doing the will-they-won’t-they tango since the Reagan administration. It was painful.”

You peek at him through your fingers. “You're being dramatic.”

“You weren’t even alive during the Reagan administration,” Lois states dryly.

“Exactly,” he says, grinning. “It’s been that long.”

You drop your hands, lips twitching despite yourself. “You’re impossible.”

He shrugs. “It’s a gift. Besides, I had a bet going with Cat, and this definitely means I win.”

“You didn’t win,” Cat calls. “You bet that we’d catch them making out in the office, and that was a forehead kiss.”

You groan again. “You’re the worst.”

“And yet,” Jimmy leans forward, cocking a brow, “I’m still your favourite.”

You open your mouth to argue—but hesitate.

His grin softens. “Seriously, though? I'm happy for you. Both of you.”

You blink.

“Clark’s a good guy, and you…” He nods at you meaningfully. “You deserve someone who looks at you like he does.”

Your throat goes tight, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. You swallow.

“Thanks, Jimmy.”

He gives you a mock salute, then leans back in his chair with a dramatic sigh. “Superman’s gonna be crushed, though. His favourite civilian, officially off the market.”

You snort. “I think he’ll survive.”

“Will he?” Jimmy muses, hands clasped behind his head, feet up on the desk. “I don’t know. He always seemed very invested in your wellbeing.”

You shake your head, cheeks still pink as you turn back to your monitor, heart thudding a little too fast in your chest.

Across the bullpen, just before Perry’s office door swings shut, Clark glances back at you.

And smiles.

© 2025 geminiwritten. this work is protected by copyright. unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, or training of artificial intelligence models with this content is strictly prohibited. all original elements of this fanfiction belong to geminiwritten. characters and settings derived from original works belong to their respective creators.

#clark kent x reader #superman x reader #superman 2025 #ri’s fav reads

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pullmecloseman · 4 days ago

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Kismet : ̗̀➛ Robert "Bob" Floyd x Reader

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Reader

Summary: A chance encounter on a cross-country train ride might turn out to be the greatest happy-accident of your life, and Bob's too.

Warnings: SO MUCH fluff, meet-cute, strangers to lovers, language, female reader but no physical descriptions, possibly some incorrect descriptions of the Navy, possibly some inaccurate descriptions of a train (I have ridden Amtrak only twice lol), lightly edited, please bear with me

Word Count: 11,513 words

Requests are open! : ̗̀➛ Find my masterlist here

A/N: do I like this? kind of, idk, I can't tell lmao I feel like I spent so much time writing it I can't tell if I like it

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: ✧

There was something peaceful about train travel.

Sure, the trips always took longer than by car, and certainly longer than by plane, but it was almost…relaxing, in a way you couldn’t entirely describe. Plenty of leg room, peaceful, and full of beautiful sights to look at the entire trip–so long as you didn’t get a seat near the bathrooms, you learned that the hard way the first time you ever rode the train.

Thankfully, your group had been the first to board the train at the station just outside of Los Angeles, meaning you got prime pick on seats in your designated cars. Window seats were always your preference, they allowed you to truly admire the views while you were reading or writing. Tossing your luggage into the overhead compartment, you claimed your coveted window seat as the rest of the passengers filtered into the car to take their own seats. You didn’t hesitate to throw your backpack onto the seat directly next to you, hoping that it could live there for the entirety of your cross-country trip so that you didn’t have to share with someone you didn’t know.

“Good evening, passengers! We are expecting a sold-out train for this trip, so please ensure that you are not taking up any empty seats that you do not need. We will need every seat for the duration of our trip,”

Well…maybe you couldn’t have the seat to yourself, but maybe you could be selective on who you would be forced to sit with for the upcoming almost 45 hour train ride.

After the first round of passengers were seated, the next group boarded onto the train. Duos quickly grabbed up any empty seats that they could find next to each other, while larger groups tried to find seats that were all semi-close together (though, it usually didn’t work out in their favor). You watched each passenger filter through the car with a skeptical glance, one hand already on your backpack as you waited for just the right passenger to come past.

There was a young woman, maybe somewhere in her late teens to early twenties. You could hear her music blaring through her headphones from here: absolutely not. You didn’t want to be subjected to someone else’s music blaring next to you for a ride that would last almost two entire days.

The next passenger that was looking for a single seat was an older gentleman. You thought about moving your backpack for a moment, until you heard him grumbling about everything already. It wasn’t quiet grumbling, either, but loud complaints about everything on the train. The size of the aisle, how these seats were sure to be uncomfortable, how the food in the cafe car was never good enough for his taste.

Yeah, no. Next.

You were pretty sure your brain short-circuited when the next passenger entered the train.

He had to be somewhere around your age. Sandy blonde hair that was almost perfectly swooped back across his head. The shade complimented his sun-kissed skin perfectly. You watched as he pushed his aviator framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, and that’s when you got your first look at those bright blue eyes hiding behind the lenses.

Fuck. You didn’t think you’d be riding a cross-country train with a man who looked like that today.

He adjusted the straps of his backpack, hoisting his duffel bag over his shoulder. It pulled at the fabric of his sweatshirt that read “US NAVY” across the front. The handsome stranger glanced around the train, eyes wide, as he attempted to find himself a seat while more people piled into the car behind him.

The second his eyes happened to lock with yours, you were sure your heart skipped a beat, as you moved your backpack to the floor without hesitation. A hint of a smile stretched across his lips as he quickly made his way to your row of two seats, tossing his duffel into the overhead storage, before sliding into the seat beside you. His gaze locked with yours again as he shot you a sheepish grin, a faint hint of red dusting his cheeks.

“Thanks,”

Even his voice was pretty to listen to, the slight hint of some kind of southern twang accenting his words. You weren’t sure if you were going to survive this trip seated right beside him at this rate.

“N-No problem,”

It took everything in you to look away, knowing that a dusting of red was slowly crawling its way across your cheeks as well. Maybe letting this handsome stranger sit with you wasn’t the best of options for this trip, especially if you were going to get this flustered just by simply looking in his direction.

Neither of you spoke another word to one another as the rest of the passengers got seated within the train. Small conversations between family and friends could be heard as the train lurched slightly, pulling out of the station and beginning its journey across the United States.

43 hours you would now be stuck next to this handsome stranger before you hit Chicago, in small but spacious Coach seats where you couldn’t escape from the handsome man even if you wanted to. Yeah, maybe letting him sit next to you was a bad idea.

For the first half an hour or so of the trip, you did your best to ignore his presence. The most important thing to do first was take out your laptop to check through a few work emails. Even on vacation, it always sucked when you became ‘important at work’ and were the only one capable of doing your job at all times. They were surely already scrambling without you.

Opening your emails, it was true. You couldn’t help but laugh a little bit after scrolling through just two emails alone, both flagged important with questions about responding to inquiries that you had received. You easily directed them back to the document you had written up specifically for their trip with instructions on how to do every aspect of your job, hoping that would be enough to satisfy them and help them out for the next week or so.

With work taken care of, it was impossible not to let your eyes trail back to that random stranger beside you as you reached into your backpack to grab the latest Emily Henry book you had been reading through.

It was really unfair how pretty he was. As dorky as the glasses seemed at first glance, they suited him perfectly. His head was resting on one hand, perfectly framing that sharp jawline that you struggled not to stare at for a moment. In his other hand, resting against the fold down tray in front of him, sat the book he was currently reading: The President is Missing, a book by James Patterson.

Using every ounce of strength in you, you tore your gaze away, flipping your book back open to the page you had left off on the previous day, knowing you were saving the book for the train. There was no way you could spend this entire trip staring at this man, you would look like an absolute creep. The sun was setting over the horizon just outside the windows as night quickly crept in on your late evening train ride.

“Enjoying that book?”

Hearing his voice again startled you slightly. You had only heard him mumble that quick ‘thanks’ in your direction an hour ago, and other than that it had been silent. Glancing back up, your gaze met with his. He had turned just slightly, a tiny smile on his lips as he looked at you, pointing toward your book with a single finger still wrapped around his own book.

“Yeah, she’s one of my favorite authors,” you managed to respond after a moment, sighing as you glanced back down at the book in your hands. “I just wish Daphne and Miles would figure their shit out and get together already.”

Fuck, even his laugh was adorable you thought to yourself as he chuckled at the comment that poured from you without even really thinking. It took everything to keep the blush away from your cheeks once again.

“O-Oh yeah, they’re kind of oblivious to their own feelings. Makes sense, though, given what they’ve both been through,”

You quirked a brow at that, turning to look at him again with the hint of a smirk on your lips.

“Are you telling me that you have read Emily Henry books?”

His blush was back in full force immediately, crawling up his neck and peeking past the edge of his sweatshirt. The red hue crawled into his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he marked his place in his book, placing it down in front of him before rubbing at the back of his neck.

“W-Well, my sister is a big fan of hers, so she got me to read them too,” he tried to explain himself, looking back at you with that sheepish smile back on his lips. “I may…also j-just enjoy romance books.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” you quickly reassured him, that teasing tone dropped from your voice. “A man who reads romance novels is kind of the dream for most women. Most real men could learn a thing or two from these fictional men.”

He laughed again, and this time you joined in, laughing at the absurdity that you just randomly started shit talking men and their romance skills to this complete stranger beside you.

The man didn’t seem to mind, though, just holding out his hand in your direction with a little grin of his own.

“I’m Bob, Bob Floyd,”

You took his hand without hesitation, trying to ignore the flutter of little butterflies deep within the pit of your stomach, and gave him your name in return. “What’s sending you across the country on a train, Bob?”

“On leave for a little bit, and decided to take a trip,” it took everything in you not to smile as he fully closed his book, giving you his full attention now. “I haven’t been to Washington D.C. since I was a kid, so I thought I’d take a little vacation for myself. The train seemed fun, too, plenty of scenery to look at along the way.”

With a bookmark back in place in your book, all thoughts of wanting to spend the next two days reading gone, you gave him your full attention too.

“Leave? So the sweatshirt is right, you’re in the Navy?”

“Yes ma’am,” he shot back easily.

Bob turned just slightly in the seat to face you more, and you followed his movements, allowing your back to rest against the window behind you. The train still thundered along down the tracks as your attention was fully taken up by Bob Floyd.

“So what is it you do in the Navy?”

“H-How about a trade?” Bob offered up with a smile. “I’ll tell you after you tell me what’s sending you across the country on a train.”

The conductor came by the seats then, calling out to everyone for their tickets. Both you and Bob were quick to flash him your cellphones, confirming that you did indeed have tickets, before he marked you both off and was on his way to the next set of seats behind you.

“Not going quite as far as you, I’ll be getting off in Chicago instead of switching over trains,” you explained. “I have family there I’m visiting for my little cousin’s birthday. Train has always been my preferred method of getting there, gives me time to usually relax, look at the scenery, and write or read.”

“You’re a writer?”

“Eh, kind of. I’ll tell you about that once you tell me more about the Navy,”

Bob laughed again, taking a swig from his water bottle sitting next to his now abandoned book on the tray table. You tried desperately not to stare directly at his neck, or the small line of water that managed to fall from his lips down his chin.

“I’m a WSO, a Weapons Systems Officer,”

“Wait, so you’re a Naval Aviator then?” that piqued your interest, sitting up just slightly with a wider grin on your lips.”My father was an air traffic controller in the Marines years ago!”

“Well, tell him thank you for his service,” Bob said sincerely. “And to the Naval Aviator part…sort of. I-I’m not the one flying the plane, my partner Phoenix is, and she’s a damn good pilot. I’m in charge of our communications systems and our weapons systems.”

You gave him a slight whack on the shoulder playfully with a bright smile.

“Don’t sell yourself short there, Bob. You might not be the one flying the plane, but you’re operating a crucial aspect of it,” he glanced away from you for a moment, but you could see that smile still on his lips even when he wasn’t looking directly at you. “I like writing on the side, but it’s not what pays the bills, though I hope that it does one day. No, I just work for a marketing firm outside of Los Angeles.”

“Not too far from me, then,” Bob threw in, still smiling down at his tray table. “I’m stationed in San Diego, at Miramar.”

“Let me take a shot in the dark then,” he glanced back at you then as you pretended to wave your fingers in his direction, drawing a laugh out of him. “Are you a Top Gun graduate?”

“Right again, ma’am,” Bob gave a little nod toward you. “Graduated the program a few years ago. I’m part of a special detachment, now we're permanently stationed in San Diego.”

The train rolled into a quick stop at one of your first stops along the trip, allowing another round of passengers onto the train. After just a few minutes, the train rolled off down the tracks once more, on pace for the next stop before you reached your end destination.

Bob had pulled out his phone, quickly checking something on it, and you found your teeth digging into your bottom lip for a moment. Cute, respectful, and so incredibly easy to talk to…you wouldn’t mind spending the entirety of the next two days talking this man’s ear off.

“I was thinking of stopping by the cafe car to grab some dinner,” he glanced back at you when you spoke again, quickly shoving his phone back into his pocket. “Want to join me?”

“Absolutely,”

Bob’s answer came quickly, and so did the smile on his face. Like the gentleman you were quickly realizing he was, Bob was up and out of his seat in seconds to stand in the aisle, holding out a hand to you to help you up as well.

You weren’t sure how this perfect, handsome gentleman fell into your life, but you were prepared to thank whatever God you needed to because of it.

Hand in his for the second time, you let him hoist you out of your seats and into the aisle. Turning to face him, you cocked your head, both of you just standing there for a quiet moment, before you pointed down the aisle behind him.

“Cafe car is that way,”

“Right!” Bob’s eyes shot wide, nodding his head as he started moving down the aisle in the direction you pointed. “Sorry, I-I’ve literally never been on a train before today.”

“Your first train trip and you’re heading across the country?” you commented as you both moved through the aisles, holding onto the heads of seats as you went as the train thundered down the tracks. “Bold of you, Floyd.”

He laughed again, before you both stopped in front of the door to the next car. Bob hesitated, just staring at the door for a moment, before you laughed and reached around him with your foot, kicking in the button at the bottom of the door to slide it open.

“I…feel stupid for not seeing that,”

Laughter flowed through you both easily again as you patted him lightly on the shoulder, showing him how to kick or push the next door open.

“It’s your first time on a train, don’t worry. I fucked it up the first time, too,”

“I swear, I’m not usually this useless,”

“You work weapons in fighter jets, Bob, I believe you. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you all you need to know about train travel,”

As usual, especially at this time for dinner, there was a long line for food leading into the snack car, but not many people were actually eating within the car itself.

You and Bob leaned against opposite sides of the car, placing yourself in line for food as other passengers moved about between you both.

“So, how often have you taken this trip before?” Bob asked, moving up another step in line as it slowly moved forward.

“I think about four other times,” you replied, trying to do the mental math in your head. “Cheaper than getting a plane ticket, most of the time. Living in Los Angeles is expensive enough, I can’t spend a fortune on a plane ticket.”

A few more passengers moved past you both, leaving you and Bob just barely at the entrance to the cafe car. The menu was hung on the wall before you, and you just watched Bob with a tiny smile as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, leaning forward to read through the menu.

The worker in the cafe car called you both forward in the line, moving quickly in her spot in order to get through the line of guests as quickly as she could. Bob quickly gave his order to the woman, and you gave your typical order quickly after. Before your hand could even reach into your pocket to grab your wallet, Bob was already passing his card across the counter toward the worker.

“I’ve got her food, too,”

“Bob-” you tried to interject, but he only waved you off with a smile that sent that group of butterflies beating around your stomach again.

“Have to repay you somehow for sharing your seat with me,”

It had barely been an entire hour on the train, and even less time since you had started talking to Bob Floyd, the Navy WSO you chose to share your seat with…but you decided already that this man was too good to be real.

It didn’t help when he rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt as the cafe worker handed him the two cardboard trays of food. It was impossible for your eyes to not drop to his forearms, the flex in them and the prominent veins that ran down both arms. He was in the Navy, there was no way that he wasn’t a properly fit man, but even seeing a peak of it had a blush crawling into your cheeks once more.

Bob, like the gentleman he clearly was, carried both of your trays over to one of the little dining tables just outside of the cafe car. You thanked him, sliding into one side of the booth as he slid into the other, tossing his phone down beside his drink. His legs were long, given his height, stretching out to your side of the booth and essentially encasing you between them so that he could sit comfortably.

You tried not to think about that too much, or your mind was going to wander somewhere it did not need to be wandering right now.

“So, you said you write,” Bob threw in, taking a bite out of his sandwich while still maintaining eye contact with you. God, they were really a gorgeous shade of blue. “Novels, or something else?”

“Stories, just whatever I enjoy writing, really,” you answered easily, taking a bite out of your own sandwich. “Romance comes easily, given how many romance novels I read.”

“A-Any…real world influence on those stories?”

Now that wasn’t something you expected.

Judging by the way his gaze avoided yours and the blush that shone through his ears and cheeks, it was definitely a thinly veiled attempt at flirting–Bob’s attempt to test the waters. You weren’t complaining, even as it brought a matching red hue to your own skin.

With how much you were already blushing around this man, you weren’t sure you were going to make it to Chicago.

“Nope, just me and my endless love of fictional characters and fantasies to inspire me,”

It didn’t go unnoticed to you the quirk of a smile on his lips at your answer, right as he took a bite of his sandwich. A similar question was dancing on the edge of your lips, too–surely if he was interested in if you were single it was okay for you to be interested in the same thing.

Before you got the chance to broach the topic to him, his phone buzzed incessantly on the table top between you, the tell-tale sound of a phone call. Bob clumsily picked up his phone, dropping his sandwich down, and sighed the second he caught sight of the screen.

“It’s my squad, probably checking in…you don’t mind if I-?”

“By all means, go ahead,” you waved him off with a smile, one he reciprocated easily.

“Aye, guys! Baby-on-Board is alive!”

Bob left his phone on the table top, answering the FaceTime call. It gave you just enough space to see the screen, the tan man around your age calling out to who you could only assume was the rest of their squad around him. Your eyes locked with Bob’s a moment later as you mouthed a teasing question in his direction: Baby-on-Board?

He only shook his head, his response clear–please don’t ask.

“Holy shit, Floyd, thought you’d died on us,” a woman popped onto the screen with dark hair, one who you could only assume was the Phoenix he had spoken of just a bit ago. “We sent you, like, thirty texts and you stopped answering.”

“Didn’t know I-I had to report back where I was at all times, mom,” Bob shot back as you tried to conceal the laugh that tried to claw its way out of your throat.

Two more men popped into the background of the screen, both so tan you wondered if they were ever not in the sun. Even upside down and through a screen, you could tell the one with a mustache was a heartbreaker, and the blonde’s smile was one of those dangerous ones that definitely had gotten many women in trouble over the years.

“Hey, Bob! Nice to see the train ride is going well-”

“Still don’t get why you didn’t fly, Baby-on-Board,” the blonde chimed in, cutting off the one with the mustache beside him who could only roll his eyes in return. “So much easier, gets you there faster–ugh, I’m sure even the smell is different.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Bagman,”

Now that nickname was enough to finally let you laughter escape past your lips. Bob’s head shot up to you, still grinning, as you covered your mouth to try and cover the sound.

Too late. Every single head crammed into the screen on Bob’s phone was suddenly locked in, trying to get a peak of whoever had just made that sound.

“Floyd, are you with someone right now?”

“Maybe Baby-on-Board has some game-”

“On a train? I don’t think so, it’s probably some little old grandma,”

“Oh my god, Bob, just turn the phone around!”

Even in the short amount of time you’d been talking to him, it was becoming increasingly easier to spot Bob’s emotions. He didn’t hide them well at all, or he at least wasn’t trying to. The nervousness that creeped into his features was clear as day right after they all realized he wasn’t sitting alone.

More passengers flitted by you to the cafe car to grab something to eat, but you paid them no mind. Bob glanced at you, biting his bottom lip with the question written clear across his face again–do you mind?

You simply shrugged, letting Bob pick his phone up and turn the camera so that it faced you. The second you were on screen, you gave his face a small wave.

“Well, hot damn,” that blonde man muttered, letting out a short whistle as he adjusted the collar of his uniform. “You’re no little old grandma, that’s for sure.”

“Wait,” the boy who had answered the phone cut in, snapping with a bright smile as he pointed toward the phone. “Are you the girl that he’s sitting with?”

You let your gaze drift back to Bob momentarily, eyebrow raised in a teasing question. He muttered something under his breath, shaking his head as his hand rubbed at the back of his neck. Sparing him, you simply laughed it off.

“That would be me, yes,”

The girl, the one you were pretty confident was Phoenix, grew a smirk as she silenced the boys, throwing you a wink through the camera before she spoke.

“Bob was right, you are definitely very, very cute-”

“A-Alright! I will let you guys know when I hit Chicago!” Bob stammered, spinning his phone around quickly as the collective laughter of the group rang out, his finger fumbling across the screen to end the call.

Silence hung between you both for a moment, before Bob finally managed to look up at you. He sighed, running a hand down his reddened face as he tried to hold in his laughter, dropping his phone back onto the table.

“Well, Bob-”

“Please don’t,” he quickly cut in as laughter spilled from you quietly, even as you held a hand to your mouth to try and conceal it the best that you could. “I-I already want to die of embarrassment."

“No need, it kind of helped me answer the question I hadn’t gotten to ask yet,” readjusting his glasses, Bob peaked at you just as you took a sip of your drink, grin spreading around the rim of the bottle. “I assume if you’re calling me very, very cute that means you are, also, single.”

The blush on his cheeks never calmed down, but you could almost see any last bits of tension in his shoulders roll off of him as he joined you in your laughter.

“Yes, very single,”

“Well, since we’ve gotten that out of the way,” leaning forward on the table, you rested your head against your hand, giving Bob your undivided attention. Though, from the moment he had stepped on the train, he had already held it. “Now, I’m dying to know more about Bob Floyd.”

And boy, was there a ton more to know about Bob Floyd.

Over the course of an hour and a half sitting at that little cafe car table, Bob had told you everything he could about himself, and you ate up every second of his words. He’d grown up in Montana, on his parent’s ranch, a thought you tried not to dwell on too hard because if you imagined this man in a cowboy hat you might combust. The military ran deep in his family, so he already knew he was going to join up when he was old enough, but he fell in love with planes as a young kid and his path was set from there, leading him to college close to home before off to Rhode Island for Officer Development Training.

In turn, you’d given him the same stories: you had grown up in a more Northern position of California, but moved to Los Angeles for college and then stayed permanently for work a few years ago. Chicago trips were a usual for you growing up and into adult hood, a large portion of your father’s side of the family residing there.

Somewhere in the midst of the easy stuff, the typical ‘get to know you’ questions and answers, you’d found your way into the deeper stories. The stories that you didn’t typically divulge to someone you had just met barely a few hours ago, much less on a moving train heading across the country.

Bob laughed through every wild story you had for each of the four Homecoming dances you attended in high school: from your friend almost getting thrown out by the metal detector because of how many bobby pins were holding her hair together, to senior year when your best friends’ had attempted to spike the punch bowl and then led security on a chase through the hotel ballroom.

Your smile never left your face with every story of Bob’s. He had participated in a science fair back in middle school where he blew every other student out of the water, creating his own wind turbine to demonstrate how efficient it could be at producing electricity. You weren’t shocked at all that he took home the top prize during that competition. The stories you really hung on were those of his squad, the people he stressed were his best friends, his family.

Natasha, who was on the call earlier and you were correct in naming as Phoenix, was like another sister to him, even though he already had two of his own. Strong, independent, and one hell of a pilot. Bradley, known as Rooster, and Mickey, known as Fanboy, were his best friends. They were always good at pulling him into social situations, helping him overcome those bouts of shyness that peaked through in crowded rooms, and making him feel included. Then there was Jake, who you were informed had the callsign of Hangman and not Bagman, who had a bit more of a complicated relationship with Bob. He could be a bit of a dick at times, even if everyone knew it wasn’t coming from an actual place of malice, but Bob still raved about him as someone he’d gladly lay down his life to protect.

When the announcement that the cafe car was closing for the night rang through the speakers, just as Bob was in the middle of telling you a story from one of their infamous nights out at the Hard Deck, you hadn’t realized how much time had actually passed.

Neither of you had run out of a single thing to talk about. Conversation was easy, in a way that you had never experienced before. And that group of butterflies, hammering away at the walls of your stomach and even against your ribcage, never stopped beating away. Drilling it into your body how much you enjoyed being in this man’s company, his presence, and how much you never wanted it to stop.

The few other people still sitting in the cafe car made their way back to their seats, leaving you both the last people left as the train roared down the tracks toward its next stop. You watched Bob, as he glanced out the window and smiled at the passing scenery as the sun just barely began to set on the day, before he looked back at you with that same little grin.

“T-This…this was nice,” he managed to find his words after a moment, his fingers interlaced together on the table top as his thumbs twirled around one another. “I…like talking to you. It’s easy–too easy, given that I barely know you.”

“I’ve told you so many embarrassing childhood stories at this point, Bob, that I think you can confidently say you do know me,” there was shared laughter once more between you both at your comment. You let your eyes drift to that setting sun, when an idea struck you. Bob’s eyes never left you as he rose to your feet, nodding your head toward the doorway behind you. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

Bob followed you without hesitation.

Leading him through the cars, past loads of sleeping passengers and ones still engaged in conversation as the night quickly approached, it didn’t take long to arrive at your favorite part of the train.

“Whoa…”

A smile lit up your face at the little exclamation you could hear Bob let out behind you. The viewing car was your favorite part of train travel, especially when writing or reading. The large windows, the smaller ones right above you on the curve of the walls that allowed you to look straight up to the sky, and just the overall feel that came from the car. Somehow, not many people were in the car just as sunset was reaching its peak, most probably ready to get some sleep on the beginning stages of the journey.

“I know,” you called back to Bob, moved toward the further end of the car and plopping yourself down in one of the double seats furthest from others. You flashed your smile back at him as he quickly rounded the corner to sit with you. “Isn’t it pretty?”

The train was still somewhere in California, making its main stops along the beginning of the route to pick up passengers all over the lower portion of California. Come morning, you would probably be in Arizona, potentially New Mexico depending on delays, but the sight of the setting sun and the brilliant oranges and reds of the sunset painting the sky over the California skyline was still a beautiful sight to see.

“It really is,” Bob said after a moment, settling onto the opposite side of the double-seater seat you’d sat on. You found yourself watching him inside of the sunset, the way that the colors illuminated his face, the way the setting sun’s rays bounced off his glasses. Your stomach was, once again, doing somersaults you couldn’t stop. “You should see it from an F-18, the sunset is beautiful that high up.”

Tucking your legs up under you on the seat, fully facing Bob with your head resting on your arm, you gave him a soft smile as he turned to look at you once more.

“Tell me about it,”

“I-It’s…otherworldly,” Bob settled on explaining, smile warm as he pointed out the windows above your head toward the clouds. “You’re soaring just above the clouds, right within them, and you can see the colors reflecting off the clouds. Can see them blending in the sky, a full unobstructed view. The purples are really bright when you’re that high up, too, but really all the colors are brighter. Nothing for miles that could block the view. The first time I ever saw it, I-I’m pretty sure I cried.”

Low laughter left you then as Bob turned back to look at you, that grin still etched to his face, and you swore for a second your heart stopped.

The way the colors of the sunset fell across his face, that boyish smile that had nerves laced through it, the endearing awkwardness…Bob Floyd, this mere stranger that you let share your seat with you on the train, was gorgeous, both inside and out.

“No shame in that,” when you finally found the means to speak again, your voice was almost a whisper, your mind lost somewhere in those brilliant blue eyes hiding behind those glasses. “The first time I ever went truly stargazing while camping I cried, so I get it.”

He let out a little chuckle at that. At that moment, the air conditioning system in the train seemed to kick itself up just a notch, a shiver running straight down your spine. It was impossible not to shake slightly at the feeling as goosebumps rose up and down your arms. Bob’s head cocked just slightly to the side.

“Cold?”

“Yeah, but I’m used to it,” you shrugged it off with a wave of your hand. “It usually kicks up a little higher at night, it can get really cold at times. My sweatshirts are all buried somewhere in my suitcase.”

You were barely halfway through your sentence before Bob was tugging that US Navy sweatshirt up and over his head.

It was impossible not to let your eyes flicker to his arms, now exposed fully to you in that white t-shirt he wore under that sweatshirt. The subtle flex in his forearms, to his biceps, the vein that bulged just slightly in the toned muscle. It took everything in you to look away, just as Bob was holding out the bunch up fabric toward you.

“Bob-”

“I have another in my backpack, come on,”

It was something in the way he said it, so genuine, so sweet, with an undercurrent of nerves still present. Like he was scared he was stepping over a line. You took the warm fabric from him without hesitation then, tugging it down over your body.

The sweatshirt hung loose around your frame, baggier on you then it was on him. The warmth embedded into the fabric from his own body heat was a welcome feeling, but it was the smell that took over your senses: woodsy, but not overpowering, with an underlying hint of sweetness, almost a bit of a citrus scent. It was dizzying, how the smell invaded your senses and had your heartbeat stuttering.

“I m-might never give it back,” you managed to stumble your way through your words, as subtly as possible taking in another deep breath of the scent that clung to the fabric. “It’s comfortable, and warm.”

You didn’t miss the way his eyes trailed down your frame, now engulfed in the sweatshirt he’d been wearing just moments before. That flutter in your chest was back in full force as you watched the adam’s apple of his throat bob for a second, a red flush crawling up his neck once more. His teeth bit into his bottom lip as he forced himself to look away, peering back out the window at the moving landscape once more.

“T-That’s okay. It…it looks good on you. Really good…”

If there was one thing you were sure of, it was that you would never have another train ride like this one. Maybe you needed to call Emily Henry up, get her to turn this entire trip so far into another hit romance novel.

“You might regret giving this up once we get back to the seats,” you forced yourself to move on in the conversation, resting one hand tucked within the sleeves of the sweatshirt against your cheek to hopefully mask the blush the Navy man had brought about. “I wasn’t kidding about it getting cold at night.”

“Is it a bad thing that I…didn’t think to bring a blanket?”

Bob’s comment bubbled up another laugh from you. The goosebumps were already clear on the skin of his arms, now exposed to the cold.

“I brought quite a big one. I’d happily share since, you know, you let me borrow this hoodie,”

Even in the cold of the train car as night set in, Bob’s smile was still warm.

“I’ll take you up on that,”

Arriving back at your seats in the train car, Bob was subjected to the endless wait that was the line for the bathroom heading into the night, everyone trying to brush their teeth and get changed as quickly as possible without causing much of a fuss. Already having dressed in preparation to sleep on the train, a quick two minutes to brush your teeth was all you needed in the bathroom, holding it open for Bob as you settled back into your seats, pillow and blanket from your bag up top brought down with you.

It was hard not to stare at Bob when he arrived back at your seats: grey sweatpants that you were cursing the world for inventing because of how good men, particularly Bob, looked in them, and a long sleeve top that read ‘Coronado Volleyball’ across the front. Bob tucked his glasses into their case in his backpack at his feet, settling back into his seat beside you. You couldn’t help your smile at the small squint in his eyes without his glasses, your heart soaring once more with just how cute that simple action was on this man.

“Footrest is this button,” you showed him on your own seat, before pushing on the second button. “This one reclines the seat.”

Bob followed along with your instructions, accidently throwing the reclining function in his seat back so hard he flailed about for a second to catch himself. The snort that made its way out of you was impossible to stop as you covered your mouth with one hand, your other coming to rest on his bicep, gripping it to control yourself. The glance Bob threw your way screamed that he was begging you not to laugh, but his chest was clearly rumbling and his smile was faltering as he tried to keep from laughing and waking up the entire train car himself.

Phone plugged in and resting in the seat pocket beside you, pillows laid as comfortably as possible on the reclined seats, you threw out the other side of your blanket toward Bob before settling in.

There were quiet murmurs a few rows back from a group of teenagers, still awake, but the train car had gone mostly silent other than them. Turning just slightly to face Bob, buried under your blanket and taking in the warmth mixed with the lingering smell of cologne from Bob’s sweatshirt, you found him already looking at you. Smile soft, relaxed, and eyes still slightly squinted without those adorable glasses.

“T-Thanks…for letting me sit with you. You’ve made this trip better than I thought it would be, so far,”

You were thankful for the lack of light throughout the train car as night settled in, as it hid the flush in your cheeks for the nine thousandth time in the last few hours.

Closing your eyes and turning just slightly away from Bob, your own smile didn’t leave your lips.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Goodnight, Bob,”

❤︎

Waking up on an overnight, cross country train ride toward Chicago was always your least favorite part of these trips.

You always bought Coach seats, the cheapest you could, and never sprang for the slightly more comfortable bedrooms. That meant it always felt like you were waking up on a couch: neck slightly tweaked to the side, muscles sore, and overall feeling as if you’d just rolled out of the wrong side of your bed in the morning.

The conductor of the train made an announcement just then: you had just pulled into the station for Albuquerque, New Mexico. Your eyes shot wide: you had ridden this exact train enough in the past to know this route, the Albuquerque was usually around 11 in the morning. It was always impossible for you to sleep that long on these rides, given how uncomfortable you were in these seats.

But why, when you woke up this time, were you not uncomfortable? There was no weird tension in your neck, or your back. You weren’t freezing, as you typically were when waking up, but you were warm. That faint woodsy smell was still prevalent, and the pillow you were resting on felt odd compared to how your pillow usually felt–

Oh God.

That wasn’t a pillow your head was resting on, it was Bob’s shoulder.

Okay, if you weren’t awake fully before, now you were.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, your pillow had been shoved off to the side by the window, and your head had slotted itself into the open space of Bob’s shoulder. Worse? You had an arm wrapped around his arm, practically cradling it to your body like it was some childhood stuffed animal that you used to sleep with.

But in that moment, you also became hyper aware of the heated touch that rested against your thigh. By shifting your leg just slightly, it became clear that it was Bob’s large hand resting on top of your thigh, splayed out across the fabric covered skin, but the warmth that radiated off of him was ever present. His head, too, was laid right against the top of yours.

An intimate position to be in with the handsome gentleman you had just met hours prior and already, definitely, had a stupid school-girl crush on.

There was no time to dwell or panic over the situation, though, when you felt Bob stirring awake. The only logical decision you could come to was to lie as still as possible and pretend you were still asleep.

Bob shifted slightly, and you could feel him stretch himself out. In the midst of doing so, he froze, probably coming to the same realization that you had. And in that moment, neither of you moved, as if Bob was running through the exact same scenario that you had been. With you still ‘asleep’ though, it seemed he took the initiative to finally untangle yourselves from each other.

With absolute care, as if you were a fragile piece of China to be delicately handled, Bob slid out of his seat and took his body heat with him. It took every ounce of strength in you to hold your breath as that same large hand that had been splayed across your thigh, the heat of his touch still seared into the fabric like a memory, now cupped the back of your head as you ‘slept’. With the utmost care, Bob gently lifted your head from the seat, before a shuffle could be heard and your head was rested back against the pillow he’d placed behind your head again.

Your heart was already hammering out of your chest when he tucked the blankets back up around you, keeping you warm in the chilly morning.

Frozen in place, still pretending to sleep, was how you spent the next few minutes. You were too afraid to ‘wake up’ and have to look at him, sure you would melt in place given all that had occurred. You listened as he unzipped his duffle, disappeared no doubt to change, before you finally heard him leave your seats once more, only opening your eyes to the familiar sound of the train car door being kicked open down the aisle. Only, then, did you open your eyes.

Finally alone, or alone as you could be on a train car, you let out the breath you didn’t realize you were holding, even as your stomach did an entire gymnastics routine within your abdomen. Bob Floyd was going to be the damn death of you at this rate, and it simply wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair to feel this way about a man you barely knew, but felt like you’d known for years. No when he cared about you in ways like that, treated you so delicately, as if you were something precious to him.

Those thoughts never left your mind as you changed into a new set of clothes for the day, brushing your teeth and packing away your clothing into your own suitcase all while Bob was gone. You left his Navy sweatshirt on top of his duffel bag, even if part of you didn’t want to part with it at all.

Already reclined back in your chair, laptop plugged in and sitting on the fold out tray in front of you, Bob returned moments later. A smile lit up his face the second he locked eyes with you, sliding back into his seat beside you and passing over one of the little cardboard take-out trays from the cafe car.

“Was hoping you’d be up, I grabbed you breakfast. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I just got something basic…”

If Bob Floyd wasn’t careful, you were going to fall in love with him on this damn train.

“Lucky for you, I’m not picky with breakfast,” you shot back with a grin of your own, intrusive thoughts taking over as you reached over, lightly sliding his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, before tugging your hand back to you as if you had been scorched. “T-Thank you, though. This was really sweet.”

Wearing matching smiles, you ate your breakfast/lunch in mainly silence. Every now and then, he’d scroll through his texts with his squad, showing you a new video of Rooster singing drunkenly at their favorite bar, or Hangman striking out with a woman when they tried out a different bar in the city one night. You grinned and hung off every word of his stories, content to just listen to him talk for hours on end.

“So,” Bob began a bit later, already having thrown the remnants of food away in the train car’s trash can up ahead, settling back into his seat beside you. “How do you usually spend the longest day on these rides?”

After knowing him for the short time that you had, you could catch the underlying question in Bob’s voice. The hope that was laced in his words. His book was long forgotten, as was yours, and this was an open invitation: he wanted to know how you spent your time, because he wanted to spend it with you, talking to you, just being with you.

“Well” he watched and listened as you spoke, taking out your wireless earbuds and already offering one in his direction. “I have a ton of my favorite movies downloaded, that’s usually how I make the time go by faster. Care to watch along with me?”

If it was possible, Bob’s smile brightened at your clear acceptance of his underlying question, taking the headphone from you without hesitation as you navigated to your downloaded movies.

“Not sure what movies you’re a fan of, but please tell me you have Badlands in those downloads,”

It was your smile’s turn to brighten as you quickly found said movie from 1973, shooting Bob a look as you loaded the movie.

“Lucky for you, my dad was a big Martin Sheen fan, which in turn made me a Martin Sheen fan,”

“...not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, b-but you’re more than very, very cute. I think you might be perfect,”

Yup, it was time to file that comment away to unpack at a later time. Maybe use it for fantasy fuel surrounding the absolute perfect man that was Bob Floyd sitting next to you.

The entire train car probably found you two obnoxious, they way you talked through every movie you watched for hours on end together. Badlands was almost entirely ignored, as you instead told Bob stories about every time you watched it growing up with your father, who then subjected you to various tidbits and facts surrounding every actor that appeared in the movie together.

Bob gave you the next pick of movies, saying Badlands was his suggestion and it was only fair that you got the next choice. It was no surprise to either of you that a romance movie was next on the list: 10 Things I Hate About You, a classic.

That brought about the hilarious story of Fanboy and Payback, who had chosen to subject Hangman to this movie one night after a bar trip (as he claimed to hate romance movies). Apparently, those two knew this movie by heart, and acted out every single scene by heart with voices and all. Bob promised to ask Phoenix for the video later, swearing that it was still one of the funniest nights he’d ever had with his friends.

It was right around the time when Patrick’s grand gesture happened: his dance across the stairs, his serenade to Kat with Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, when it happened.

Bob’s hand just barely brushed your thigh under the blanket. A simple movement that could’ve been ignored as nothing and just an accident. Except, his hand lingers, fingers tips lingering in the space between you and just barely brushing over the fabric of your pants. A shot of what felt like pure electricity shot up your body, fueling you to make a daring move. Your own hand, resting on that same thing, shifted just slightly, allowing your fingers to brush over his own.

Somewhere in those little movements, the ones that were clearly no longer accidental, if they ever were to begin with, Bob’s hand engulfed yours in a single, definitive move. Fingers intertwining, his thumb brushing just barely across the back of your hand, you swore your heart was going to soar straight from your chest.

You both locked eyes, wearing matching flushed cheeks and smiles, before you directed your attention back to the movie at hand. Neither of you brought it up, but your hand never left his, and Bob’s thumb never stopped tracing little shapes into the skin of your hand.

A comedy, an action/thriller, and a stop for dinner somewhere in the midst of it all, you knew your heart was surely fucked every second that you spent with Bob Floyd as the day turned into the night and the train continued on toward it’s final destination.

Every new little story had your heart fluttering: the comedy movie he’d picked was one that was actually Maverick’s favorite, and reminded him of the first few nights he’d spent after being relocated to San Diego, getting to know his new team. The action/thriller you had picked, your favorite one? It happened to be his dad’s favorite, too.

“He’d love you,” Bob had said in response to that. Such a simple thing to say, and yet it had your skin on fire and your head feeling like it was in a daze.

Or when the conversation surrounding action/thriller movies turned into the topic of current movies. Sitting in the cafe car once again, caged between his impossibly large legs, discussing the newest Marvel movie that was dropping soon and how excited you were for it, having been raised off of those movies.

He’d said it so casually, half taking a bite of his sandwich for dinner as he did. “You’ll have to get me caught up before we go see it.”

So definitive, leaving no room for questions. It was a statement, a promise that you were going together. That when this train ride was over, when you both made it back to California, this wasn’t the last he wanted to see of you. It felt like you were living your own personal romance novel every second you were around him.

And when you had stood, deciding after sitting in the cafe car together talking until the late hours of the night when it shut down until the morning, his hand had found yours again with a confidence you hadn’t seen him truly show yet.

Night had almost become morning, the train somewhere in the state of Kansas, as you and Bob walked hand in hand into the viewing car once more. There was a man in the furthest corner, sprawled out across two single seats to sleep–as uncomfortable as it looked–and a woman slumped over in her chair on the other end of the car asleep, too.

Besides the pair, the car was quiet. Dark, illuminated just by select lights at the ends of the car to indicate the doors, and the glow of the moon in the sky as it and the stars shone down through the windows.

In that same double seat you had been in just the night before, you and Bob found yourselves side by side once again, but closer than you had been just 24 hours before. His hand left yours, but it didn’t stray far, curling around the back of the chair behind your head. His fingertips just barely ghosted over your sweatshirt clad shoulder as you sat together, staring out the window at the passing night scenery.

“This…” Bob broke the silence after a moment, eyes trained on the scenery out the train window, voice low as to not wake the others sleeping around the car. “I-Is not what I expected from my first train trip.”

“What, how nice and peaceful it is?”

“That, but…I meant you,”

His words brought your gaze to him, his eyes already locked on you. You let out a short huff, glancing down at the floor beneath your feet for a second to escape the weightless feelings rising in your stomach.

“I’m nothing special. You’re the handsome, absolute gentleman who also happens to fly around in F-18s for the Navy. I’m still trying to decide if meeting you was a dream or not,”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Bob was quick to throw in, bringing your eyes back to his face, flashing you a sheepish smile. “It’s weird. I-I just feel so…comfortable with you. I’m not like this with people–easy going and comfortable with them so quickly. Even Phoenix would tell you, i-it took weeks of training with them before I was sassing Hangman back the way he deserved. You just make it easy. I…I like being around you, as insane as that sounds for how long I’ve known you.”

His words were melting you, inside and out. Shifting your body just the tiniest bit closer to his, your side pressed against his, you gave him a tiny smile of your own, trying to ignore the feelings clawing at your chest.

“You, sassing Hangman? I can’t picture you being sassy at all, I’d pay to see this,”

He laughed, trying to keep his voice low still in the quiet of the night.

“When you meet the others, trust me, you’ll see it. Especially if Jake decides to make any comments, which he always does,”

There it was again: that definitive. Not a question of whether or not you want to meet his friends, but a statement, a promise that you will meet them.

Bob seemed to sense it, too, the way he said his words. The way the air of tension hanging between you both shifted in that moment, with those words alone. Both wide eyed, stumbling, just staring at one another as you tried to assess where this whirlwind of a trip and a chance meeting would take you from here.

“Bob-”

“Can I do something k-kind of stupid?”

You cocked your head at his comment, lips quirking up again.

“Depends. Is it stupid, or is it brave?”

“...can it be both?”

Quirked lips turning into a full smile, you took the lead, resting one gentle hand on his chest as you looked up at him.

“If you’re going to ask to kiss me…it’s not stupid, not at all,”

That little bit of confirmation was all Bob needed.

His first kiss was gentle. Unsure, still testing the waters, scared that you’d back away and change your mind. His lips just barely brushed over yours, like a phantom in the night, before he pulled back, never truly leaving your personal space though. You caught it, the faint hint of mint still lingering in his breath, before you surged forward to steal a real kiss from him, the kiss you had been thinking of since he’d walked onto the train as if he’d stepped right out of a rom-com.

Bob’s hand didn’t hesitate then, curling around your neck to hold you to him. His head titled as if on instinct, lips slanting against yours as electricity seemed to shoot through your body from every point in which his skin touched yours. Your hand curled into his sweatshirt, holding him as if you were afraid letting go meant this all wouldn’t be real.

You sighed into the feel of his lips, the warmth that was present in his skin and transferred through yours. The feel of them, soft and yet slightly chapped against your own, but perfect in a way you couldn’t describe. Bob’s tongue just barely poked past his lips, grazing over your own on accident, but enough to fuel the fantasies in your head, to drive you to want–to need–more from this perfect man you still couldn’t believe wanted to kiss you.

He pulled away for just a moment, taking in a deep breath, and you followed suit. Eyes finally fluttering open, meeting with the dilated blue pupils behind those golden frames, you smiled giddily up at the man still cradling you in his hand so tenderly.

“Are you always this charming with the ladies? Do you go around kissing all the ladies you barely know?”

He let out a breathless laugh, fingers twitching against the back of your neck. “I’m hopeless with the women, just ask Rooster. So, no, I don’t go around kissing just anyone…j-just this really pretty girl I met on the train who I think might be on her way to ruining my life.”

You pulled him into the kiss this time. It was messy, uncoordinated, the smile unable to be wiped from either of your lips as you both smiled into the kiss, soft laughter flowing through both of you. Lost in your own little world as the train roared down the tracks in the night, lost in your own little cloud nine.

And when you fell asleep that night, curled up on those uncomfortable reclining chairs under your blanket, it was no accident this time when you slotted yourself into Bob’s side. When his arm wrapped around your shoulders, tugging you into his side and resting his head against your own, lulling you into the most comfortable sleep of your life.

But all good things must come to an end.

By the early afternoon the next day, the train had rolled into your destination: Chicago. Your part of the trip was over, and Bob was onto the next part of his own, your paths forging down two different roads.

Stopping at the bathroom one last time, you met Bob in the waiting area right outside the steps off the train. He stood, with both his bags and your own, smiling as he waited for you to join him.

“Thank you for grabbing these,” your voice was quiet as you approached, slinging your backpack up around your shoulders, before grabbing your suitcase with one hand. Bob only smiled, taking your free hand in his own, squeezing it just enough to send those butterflies on a mission in your chest.

“Of course…”

The intercom overhead went off, announcing that the connecting train to Washington D.C. was departing soon. Your phone went off at the same time, a text from your Aunt to say they had arrived to pick you up. Bob looked to you, as you looked to him, as it settled on both of you that the whirlwind that was the last 48 hours was coming to an end.

“When we both get back to California,” Bob started, eyes never leaving yours, even as people moved past him to board his next train, like he should’ve been doing. “I-I want to take you on a date.”

“Four meals together on a train doesn’t count?” you teased, even though your grin stretched from ear to ear.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Call it a trial run. I want to take you on a proper date…because I like you way too much for just having met you two days ago.”

You gave his hand a tight squeeze, laughing with him.

“Good, because I feel the same way and I thought I was going insane,”

With a boost of confidence, clearly spurred by your agreement to a date, Bob tugged you in, leaving one last kiss to your lips. And, god, were you seconds away from asking him to forgo the rest of his trip and just stay in Chicago with you, stay in this little bubble forever with you.

But his lips left yours after a moment, taking their warmth with them, as did his hand. All you could do was take a deep breath, nodding as Bob took a hesitant step away, as if he didn’t want to leave either.

“Have a safe trip,”

He gave you one last smile, nodding to you. “I’ll see you back in Cali.”

And for ten minutes, you couldn’t force yourself to leave that train platform. All you could do was stand there, soak in the last 48 hours that had occurred since the moments that Bob Floyd had walked onto that train, lost and clueless, until he’d stepped off right now and walked away from you.

This perfect gentleman had swooped in, dirty blonde hair, tanned skin, and the cutest glasses in the world and swept you off your feet and upended your expectations for love. And he had barely had to try in order to do it.

It wasn’t until the train to Washington D.C. finally pulled out of the station, barrelling down the tracks, that it hit you: you never got his phone number.

That revelation alone was like having the wind knocked out of you. Through everything that had occurred, that had been said, you had somehow let Prince Charming himself get onto a train and leave you there at the station without getting his damn phone number.

For seven days in Chicago, that oversight on your part haunted you. No amount of family, birthday parties, or anything else for seven days could possibly get Bob Floyd off your mind.

A Navy WSO, a Top Gun graduate, living in San Diego, and you had his full name–yet still–you couldn’t find a single thing about this man online. He didn’t have any social media by the looks of it, besides a Facebook that looked as if it hadn’t been updated since Middle School. You didn’t know any of his Squadmate’s last names, just their first names and their callsigns, so finding them was just as impossible.

Your fairytale, rom-com meet-cute on a train with the most perfect man was slowly turning into the one that got away. And you had no one to blame but yourself for overlooking something as stupid as a phone number.

It didn’t help that your first night in your aunt’s home, opening your duffel bag to change for the night, there was an unexpected surprise sitting on top of your luggage: Bob’s Navy sweatshirt. He must have tucked it away in there before you had gotten off the train, intent on giving it to you. This time, you shamelessly held it up to your nose, inhaling that familiar woodsy and sweet scent you’d come to know as his, already dreading the near future when that smell would fade away in the wash.

Bob Floyd was all you could think of when, a week later, you were dropped back off at that very same train station in the early hours of the afternoon, prepared to do your trip all over again. This time, without your handsome WSO at your side.

Clad in that Navy sweatshirt, unable to convince yourself not to wear it, you boarded the train just as you had done a thousand times before, familiar with the process. Unsurprisingly, the train was packed, and you recognized many of the faces that had gotten off in Chicago with you just a week ago.

The rowdy group of teenagers, already conversing across the aisle at a volume they shouldn’t be. The young woman with the music blaring through her headphones, and you still wondering how her hearing was intact. Even that elderly gentleman who complained about everything he could see and touch was seated.

Your breath caught, though, when you caught the briefest sight of those aviator frames you knew so well. Your feet were moving before your head had caught up with what you were seeing, hoping you were seeing things right.

There he sat: Bob Floyd, just as you’d left him a week ago. His backpack sat on the empty seat next to him, just as your’s had. He stared out the window, paying no attention to those who boarded the train. You couldn’t help the way your smile grew, just seeing him, or the way your heart hammered in your chest, as you cleared your throat.

“Excuse me…is this seat taken?”

A flurry of emotions passed over Bob’s face the second his head turned, those baby blue eyes locking with yours. Shock, morphed into happiness, soon mixed with what you could only call relief. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he shoved his backpack to the floor, opening up the empty seat beside him to you, just as you had for him.

Bags placed in the overhead bin, you took that seat beside him without hesitation, eyes never leaving him.

“H-Hi,”

“Hi,” you shot right back at him as he stumbled over the simple word. Digging into your pocket, you held your phone out in his direction with a teasing wink. “I think we forgot an important step last week.”

Bob laughed, a sound you had missed hearing desperately. He took your phone from your hand, but still cradled your hand in his palm. Bringing it to his lips, he left a kiss across your knuckles, and you could feel the smile on his face as his lips pressed to your skin.

“Better late than never,”

#bob floyd x reader #robert bob floyd #robert floyd #ri’s fav reads

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