The office was a bit hectic–people were getting up, clocking out for the day. Hands grabbed at briefcases and bags, feet pounding at the slick floor as they walked in, out, and around. You could feel the vibrations in the floor–the thumps and thuds beneath your feet, the breeze of the indoor fan blowing around into the air.

You watched with an amused smile as Clark studied his hands, curling his fingers into specific shapes before turning them back to you. He knew you could lip read, but he was still trying to learn sign language for you.

He was asking something about meeting after work with him, Jimmy, and Lois for coffee. It wasn’t the worst ASL he had seen, but it was still far from perfect. It was a strange thing really–how comfortable you felt around him. In the past others had done similar things–learned sign language to speak with you. But Clark was learning so that he could listen to you so he could know you better.

You never felt babied by his attempts or worries about you because he was heedful and worryful and caring towards everyone–especially within the group of four that had formed.

The three; Clark, Jimmy, and Lois had taken you into their little office group at the daily planet–in with the little gossips and rumors passed around in the office, there to celebrate when one of you got the front page story.

You watched his perfectly pink lips, mumbling the words under his breath as he finger spelled words he wasn’t completely sure of. When he messed up signs you could always figure out what he was saying by watching his mouth as he subconsciously mumbled out the words he was attempting to sign to you.

His blue eyes continued to dart from his hands to your face–watching to make sure he was doing this right; “Place. Coffee. After. Work. You. Me. Lois. Jimmy?” He managed to sign, putting his hands back on the desk and furrowing his dark brows.