— Clark was an average guy. Well, to anyone who never took time out of their day to actually notice him. Noticing Clark isn’t hard, he’s taller than everyone he stands near in a room, he’s too clumsy for his size, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind when necessary.

But, if you look closer, past the lines to the fine print, you’ll notice him. The way he pays extra attention to the tv’s in the news room when there’s a catastrophe downtown. How the minute things start to escalate, it’s time for a thirty-minute bathroom break, and as soon as he leaves, superman is on the scene. By the time superman handles the issue, Clark is suddenly back in his seat, like he never left. You always notice how his curls are frizzier, messier, his shirt is crumpled, and his breath is a little heavier like he’d just ran a marathon.

Clark also has a habit of getting extra defensive about the metropolis superhero, whether it’s something said in the news, or the hate comments on social media (which you’ve caught him reading one too many times). There’s a specific time, where you remember overhearing Lois and Jimmy talking about “#super-shit” and Clark spent the rest of the shift with a scowl on his face.

You’d stayed behind after everyone else went home to finish up a piece, and coincidentally, Clark had the same idea. Now would be the perfect time to get him to confess, no one else was around.

Clark got up to go print some copies out in the printing room a few minutes ago, it gave you time to work out the game plan before joining him. He gave that friendly, clark smile, when you entered the room, one you returned. When his piece spat out of the copier, that’s when the plan was a go. “Do you mind if I get a sneak peek?”

Clark, ever the pleaser, nosed and handed over the copy, crumpling it a little against your hand in his rush.

“Yeah of course, yeah. Don’t be shy to give your honest thoughts.”