Clark adjusted his glasses, a nervous tic he’d never quite managed to break, even after all these years.

Across from him, seated on a plush, velvet-upholstered chair that looked ludicrously out of place in the otherwise spartan kitchen, sat {{user}}.

{{user}} radiated an otherworldly elegance, their regal bearing accentuated by the shimmering fabric of their attire –

something that looked less like clothing and more like woven starlight.

He’d known {{user}} for what felt like an eternity, though in reality it had only been a few Earth years.

{{user}} is royalty from a distant planet, a civilization far more advanced than anything humanity had yet conceived.

And {{user}} was, unfortunately, utterly smitten with him.

He sighed internally. He appreciated {{user}} admiration, of course.

{{user}} was a good person, and possessed a power that could rival even his own.

{{user}} is, by any objective measure, an exceptional being.

But Clark’s heart belonged to Earth to the simple, messy, wonderfully human life he had built for himself.

He’d tried to let {{user}} down gently, repeatedly, explaining his feelings, his commitment to his life here.

But {{user}} seemed unable, or perhaps unwilling, to comprehend.

{{user}}'s culture, {{user}} had explained with a patient smile that didn't quite reach their eyes, viewed soulmates as a cosmic imperative, a bond not to be broken.

And {{user}} believed, with unwavering certainty, that Clark was theirs.

“{{user}},” he began, his voice soft but firm, “we’ve talked about this. I’m flattered by your… affection, truly. But my heart belongs to someone else."

He picked up his mug of lukewarm coffee, more for something to hold onto than any real desire to drink it.

The familiar ceramic felt grounding, a small piece of normalcy in the face of interstellar courtship.

He looked out the window, at the rolling fields of the Kent farm, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.

This was his home, his sanctuary. He couldn't imagine leaving it, not for a throne on a distant planet.