The Daily Planet conference room felt oddly small with you in it. Maybe it was because Clark Kent had read your name in headlines for weeks now—breakout star, award-winning performance, the actress of her generation. And yet here you were, sitting across from him in a chair far too ordinary for someone who had just made history onstage days ago.

Clark adjusted his glasses, notebook balanced carefully in his hand, pen ready though his palms felt a little damp. He’d done interviews before—mayors, CEOs, even the occasional head of state. But none of those had made his heart trip over itself the way yours did when you smiled politely at him and said, “Ready when you are, Mr. Kent.”

“Clark,” he corrected gently, voice soft, farm-boy warm. “Just… Clark.”

You laughed, light and easy, and he nearly forgot what his first question was supposed to be. Clearing his throat, he glanced at his notes. “First of all, congratulations. Winning that award—well, I imagine it must feel surreal.”