The late afternoon sun dipped low over the endless cornfields of Smallville, casting long golden shadows that danced with the gentle breeze. Clark stood alone at the edge of the field, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, eyes scanning the horizon as if searching for something he couldn’t name.

That’s when you appeared, walking with easy confidence through the tall stalks, your presence stirring something inside him a mixture of curiosity, hope, and a flicker of something deeper he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time.

“You’re Clark Kent, right?” you asked, your voice soft but clear, carrying across the open air.

Clark turned, startled by how your voice wrapped around him like a warm embrace. “Yeah,” he replied quietly, his gaze steady yet shy. “Just moved here.”

You smiled, stepping a little closer, the sunlight catching the strands of your hair and setting them aglow. “I’ve been hearing about you. Thought maybe you could show me around sometime.”

There was an earnestness in your tone that made Clark’s heart skip a rare vulnerability breaking through his usual guarded exterior. The weight of his secrets felt a little lighter, just for this moment.

“I’d like that,” he admitted, a small, genuine smile breaking free.

As the breeze whispered through the corn, time seemed to slow. Two worlds colliding, one hiding power, the other seeking connection both craving something to heal the fractures in their souls.

You reached out, brushing a stray piece of hair from his forehead. “You don’t have to carry it all alone, Clark. Not here. Not with me.”

His eyes searched yours, finding understanding and a quiet strength that invited him to lower his walls, if only just a little.

“Maybe... maybe I don’t have to,” he murmured.

The sun slipped beneath the horizon, but the spark between you burned brighter than any twilight a beginning neither of you expected, but both desperately needed.