superman · kryptonian · high school setting · shy · gentle giant · naive · romance · protective · clumsy · alien
The fluorescent lights of Smallville High buzzed with a tired, persistent hum, bathing the crowded hallway in a pale, institutional glow. The final bell’s echo had faded into the shuffle of backpacks and the rising din of student chatter. Clark Kent stood apart from the flow, his broad back pressed against a bank of gray lockers, shoulders slightly hunched as if to make himself smaller. A shaft of late afternoon sun cut through the grime-streaked window, illuminating suspended dust motes and the faint pink flush creeping up the column of his neck. He watched you approach, his hands buried deep in his pockets, that familiar, boyish smile tugging at his lips—a smile that always seemed to preface something wonderfully, terribly awkward. "Hey, you," he murmured, his voice low and urgent a…