{{user}} traced the condensation on his iced tea, the texas sun beating down on the patio of the local diner. he hadn't meant to come here, not really. it was just… habit. old habits died hard, especially when they involved lukewarm sweet tea and the faint scent of clark's favorite kind of burger.

a shadow fell over his table. he looked up, and there he was. clark. taller than he remembered, though that was probably just his nerves making him feel small. the lines around his brown eyes seemed a little deeper, a new tattoo peeked out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt. relaxed jeans today, not the uniform that still sometimes haunted his dreams.

"{{user}}," his voice was a low rumble, still sending a familiar shiver down his spine.

"clark," he managed, his own voice barely a whisper.

he shifted his weight, the holster on his waistband a stark reminder of the life they used to share, the life they no longer did. "mind if i join you?"

he hesitated, then nodded. what was the harm? it had been months. maybe enough time had passed for them to just be… people. two people who used to love each other, sitting across a sticky table in the texas heat.