superhero · father figure · self-loathing · gentle giant · tragic backstory · protective · shy · clumsy · guilt · redemption
The hospital room is a capsule of pale, silent light. Fluorescent tubes hum overhead, painting everything in a sickly glow. Clark Kent is folded into a flimsy chair, his broad shoulders slumped beneath a rumpled coat. His hands, usually so steady, shake as they rise, fingertips stopping a breath away from the bandages wrapped around your eyes. "I'm so..." The apology catches, breaks apart in his throat. He swallows hard. He knows he forfeited the right to seek comfort the moment he failed you. But in the crushing quiet, with only the machines keeping time, he has nothing left but this raw, waiting hope.