#i clearly don't have the stomach for non-team sports

[wimbledon2008]

tennis is an incredibly stressful sport to spectate like there's only one person out there and it's not karim benzema so i can't just blame him when things go wrong :/

[singeramg]

Midnight: Chapter 7

Pairing: Clark Kent- Superman/ Metahuman! Black! OFC

Warnings: Still angsty.

A/n: I was going to wait to post this until next week but naw lol Here is chapter 7!

CATCH UP HERE!

Midnight: Chapter 7

I felt the plane descending and soon I was grateful for the feeling of solid, non war torn ground underneath me. I had stopped crying a long time ago and resolved to go home on a high note. I conjured a brush and made sure my hair didn’t look like a rats nest as best I could without my coconut oil and my tried and true detangling comb. It went back into a high ponytail.  I came back out of the room as the hatch to the plane opened for us to get out. 

“Hey Gia the team is going out for a drink! Wanna come with us?”

Barry offers and I knew he was just glad to be included. I walked over to the team, noting Clark’s absence.

“Sorry guys but I can’t. I promised someone special ice cream and seeing as my lovely sitter hasn’t called me crying I think I’ll pass before it all goes bad. It’s been awesome to let Midnight out to play.”

I was surprised to feel disappointment from all of them. I was touched but I knew I had to stick to my original plan, besides I didn’t know if they invited Clark to their little outing and he just zipped home to get out of his get up or not. 

“Maybe you should let her out more often. Need more women like us in the field.” Diana says.

“ Maybe. For now though. I think it’s best if I lay low. Stay safe.”

I waved and shifted to become invisible because I wanted no one to see where I was going...

The train ride back to my apartment was long, with all the stops and whatnot it was twice as long as the chauffeured car I had to get to Metropolis. I made it home, grateful that Kalen was still down the hall because I had time to get out of my clothes and take a hot shower. All of the soreness hit me like a freight train, I quickly realized I had used muscles that hadn’t been worked out properly in a while. I laughed as I knew that if Clark knew how out of shape I was then he would have my ass in a sling. Working out would be an understatement if he thought I wasn’t prepared to defend myself. The laugh quickly turned into tears and I allowed only a few to fall before I shook my head to stop them and got out of my shower.

*Flashback* -5 years ago

    “You will end up exhausted and defeated if that is your fighting strategy.”

    “Excuse me mister ‘ I get my strength from the Sun’. All of us aren’t so lucky.”

Clark looks down at me from his spot hovering over me as I laid on the grass, panting from running up the side of a mountain that Clark had flown us to. I can tell he is highly amused at the state of my pain. His gym shorts and old t-shirt looks hardly disturbed, not even sweating, and he had long since put his baseball cap in my bag for safe keeping. He had only worn it while flying to avoid detection cameras seeing his face.

      “ Hey you asked for this. I already told you if you want out to the public to help them, you need to be ready.”

     “My powers are growing every day.”

   “Exactly but you still need your endurance and strength.” He says almost exasperated, or at least as much as he could sound. 

    “You see this is on that bullshit.” 

Clark smiles at me and offers me his hand. I let him pull me up. He was used to my foul language by now. I bent down and grabbed a bottle of water from my small book bag. I was ready to come out of the blue tank top and black yoga pants. It was hot as the sun shines down on the hill we had run up together to stand on top of. 

    “Gia you know as well as I do this is necessary.”

    “My power...”

    “ I don't want you to rely on it. Gia please don’t fight me on this. If I take you on the field with me I need you to keep yourself safe. You’ve come too far for you to endanger your life by not being prepared. Besides who else am I going to get my free coffee from in the mornings.”

I laughed while sitting the bottle down. 

   “I knew only kept me around for the free Coffee.” 

I was working as a barista at a local coffee shop around the corner from the Daily Planet. It had been a few months since Clark had rescued me and helped me get back on my feet. We rode into town together and he mostly always made sure I made it home again. I had been in a bad way once he saved me, but he hadn’t given up on me. Neither him or his mother had ever treated me badly. Even his girlfriend Lois had been nice to me and treated me with the dignity I felt I lost over the years. Some things still scared me, like Men walking too close, loud noises, etc.

I had gotten a job as soon as I could despite Clark and his mother Martha telling me to rest and get back on my feet. 

   “Gia I keep you around for a lot more than coffee. I hope you know that.”

He was looking at me and I felt the breeze flow over me, a slight relief from the hot sun that didn’t affect Clark in the slightest.

   “Sure you do. You don’t have to butter me up to get me to exercise.”

I laughed attempting to deflect the serious tone the conversation had taken but Clark didn’t let that happen. 

  “Really Gia I mean it. I think you underestimate how special you are.”

I ignored how tight my stomach felt, my heartbeat racing. 

For the last month or so I had begun developing feelings for Clark. I didn’t want to and I was sure this was some sort of transfer of emotions where I was bonding to my rescuer. Trauma bonds or some sort shit like that. I knew he loved Lois. The special smile he reserved for her wasn’t something I wanted to ruin for them. Clark deserves someone like Lois who had her shit together. Not some clusterfuck of a person who as of a handful of months ago didn’t even really know who she was. Besides, he was my best friend I couldn’t lose him, who else would I have?

  “If I could blush Clark I would be red. Now that you are done with the pep talk let’s finish this exercising-slash- murdering the trainee thing you’ve got me doing. I think Mrs. Kent promised to make her Meatloaf again and you know how I feel about her meatloaf.”

   “She hears you calling her Mrs. Kent instead of Martha she will have your head and there will be no Meatloaf for you. That and I will probably eat it all just to spite you.”

He jokes and starts running away from me as  I roll my eyes and go to hit his arm. Of course I can only catch him if he allows it but it’s good fun anyway.

Just like that Clark Kent was in my friend-zone again, exactly where I needed to keep him.

*End Flashback*

 I pulled on black yoga pants and a black sport bra, I was about to pull my shirt over my head when I felt the energy dynamics shift in my hallway. I flicked off my bathroom light as I heard the doorknob to my front door open to someone who clearly didn’t have a key. The ordered footsteps of trained and multiple men should have been silent but weren’t to me.

I shifted to be invisible, knowing my energy was low from a long day of fighting and tears worth of little to no practice, only fine tuning of my powers. I was for damn sure not about to be taken or killed by whomever this was. Fear gripped my heart as I realized my son was only down the hall. They could have been coming for him too. I thought I had the advantage of being invisible as I rounded the hallway to the living room. I didn’t count them having heat detection goggles. The force of 15 men in my apartment alone all aimed guns directly at me. An invisible shield that would ricochet any bullets went up but I held my hands up anyway. Stray bullets put my son in danger.

 “Property number 578. We are here to bring you back to where you belong, science has more work on you yet. Easy or hard way Ms. Smith.”

  “Nah I think I rather not. Tell whoever you work for to go fuck themselves.”

   “Hard way it is then.”

It was a quick hand motion but it was all I needed as a heads up. The guns went off loud and banging against the shield. Bouncing off and striking some of them down, the rounds ended and I wasn’t prepared for the rush of someone's body slamming into mine. The bodily force knocked me off my feet and we crashed into a wall, or better yet we went through it. They began punching whoever was on top of me, tossing them into the darkness of my apartment. I held my hand out, the electricity flying from the nearby light socket onto my hands. I shot it out tossing a few men back. I wasn’t going to  last very long even with borrowing energy from the building. I knew I had to get to my son, I could at least hold a force field for that long, maybe long enough to call for help. I blasted through the hallway, doing my best to toss up a field, but I knew it wasn’t as strong as it should have been. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and I yelled falling to the floor, not far from Ms. A’s door, my hand came away from my lower abdomen, blood staining it. With no time to think I tossed my hands up I held the strong field I could in front of us and the door. The lights flickering as I pulled power from the building. I was feeling faint but I couldn’t give up! I heard a growl of anger and started flying into walls and ceilings. 

   “All these men and one woman, bunch of pussies. Seems you are looking for a fight, I’m here to give it to y’all.”

Vision hazy, I saw Arthur minus his Atlantis uniform, fighting men like there was no tomorrow. A one man army of Alantian strength, the bullets and fists do not match against him. Quicker than I could see he had gotten rid of them and was hovering over me, knowing my son was safe I dropped my shield. 

   “Bruce get Barry over here NOW!”

   “K..Kalen. Protect Kalen”

Arthur held one hand against my bleeding abdomen, coughing and coughing.

  “Come on Gia relax for me. Stay calm Calvary is coming. You are losing a lot of blood. Where is Kalen?” He asked me to look around. The soft look on his face in direct contrast with the leather and long hair.

    “Apartment *cough* 2D *cough*”

Tears were streaming down my face as Barry came to a screeching halt in front of me.

  “Barry can you lift her? I need to get her boy.”

I started coughing more, wanting to yell for him to come out of the apartment but I didn’t have much of a voice. 

   “I can try. Not exactly the paragon of strength here.”

   “Bruce has everything she needs but if we don’t  stop the bleeding she doesn’t stand a chance.”

Barry presses his ear.

  “Bruce says he’s 10 minutes out.”

Barry leaves my side and comes back less than a second later with towels from my apartment. 

I felt him press down while Arthur goes to the Apartment I directed to him earlier, knocking. I was sure they wouldn’t open it for someone that looked like a shady looking biker. He waited a minute before he sighed and kicked it open. I heard yelling and a loud ding as apparently Ms. A hit him with something metal and kept hitting him.

  “Would you calm down your old bat?! Gia is right outside!!!!”

   “Who is Gia?! You won’t be taking us you damn heathen!”

  “Kalen’s mom. She’s hurt in the hallway, and would you stop hitting me with that damn pot! Clearly it’s not working.”

I tried to laugh but only succeeded in coughing up blood a little.

  “Arthur, she is not looking so hot out here.”

Ms. A’s head came around the door-frame, Kalen on her hip as his face was all red and covered with tears. 

  “Oh my god Tiffany!!!!” She came over to me, careful not to put her weight on me and not let Kalen do it either although he was screaming for me. 

  “Don’t let him see me like this. Get them out of here...”

I said with a raspy voice. Thankfully Bruce came down the hall, Diana in tow they heard my request.

  “I know you do not know us, but I promise we are here to help her. We will take you somewhere safe. Trust us.”

Ms. A gave my hand one last squeeze and let herself be led out by Diana. Bruce came hovering over me.

  “Gia I need you to stay conscious.” 

My side felt like it was on fire and I was confused as to how he knew I was sleepy.

  “Save Kalen.”

I was drifting out into even more confusion, but Bruce slaps me back into wakefulness.

  “We’ve got to get the bullet out. Barry and Arthur you are going to have to hold her still.”

He pulls out tools, I scream as they pierce the open wound in search of the bullet that was apparently still lodged in it.

   “Aghhhh!!!”

The scream caused several residents to open their doors in even more concern than the gunshots.

  “That was loud.” Barry says

  “That was just the tip of the iceberg. Last time I heard her yell, she shattered windows.” Bruce said.

 “We’ve got to get her to the plane and back to the compound.”

  “Gia?! What happened to her?” I didn’t have it in me to be frustrated with his arrival. It was comforting to me to hear his voice. He was dressed normally, which surprised me because he never shows any of his powers in street wear.

  “Cc..l..Clark.” 

  “Ssshhh. Gia it’s okay.” His voice was gentle and he wipes the tears off my face with one hand.

   “She is bleeding internally. She is already healing but not fast enough. I’ll have to cauterize the area. It will be enough to stabilize her.”

  “Gia hold on to my hand.”

I grabbed it with our fingers interlinking, some of his energy flowing into me from our direct contact. His eyes began to glow red and shot into my abdomen, I screamed bloody murder causing the doors the rattle on their frames, surprisingly I didn’t pass out. 

  “Let's get her out of here.” Bruce comes over to lift me but Clark just pulls me up into his arms.  I fall into the comfort of his smell and the warmth of his embrace. 

I was certain I would never experience this again, especially when all hell was about to break loose...

A/N: Now that Gia almost died, will she be more willing to give Clark a listen? 

Thank you for reading and support! As always my taglist is open for this story! 

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