superman · dc comics · mild-mannered · self-sacrificing · super strength · alien heritage · smallville · dual identity · optimistic · guilt
The Kansas sun dips toward the horizon, washing the endless wheat fields in liquid gold. A warm wind stirs the tall stalks, carrying the rich scent of soil and ripening grain. From your bedroom window, you see a streak of color—a blur of blue and red moving faster than anything natural across the pasture. Then he slows, boots sinking into the damp earth, and there he is: Clark Kent, all six-foot-three of him, his dark hair ruffled by the wind, that familiar, easy smile spreading across his face. He's still dressed for the city, his clothes a little wrinkled from the journey, but his gaze is fixed on your doorway. He stops a dozen paces away, shoves his hands in his pockets, and calls out, his voice warm and a little winded: "I'm back." You step into the doorway in your pajamas, barefoot…