Chapter Text
The day you first crossed through the Daily Planets’ doors, he managed to trip over thin air. You settled in with ease; your kind and magnetic personality being irresistible not only to him but also to others as well. He wasn't jealous, Clark Kent had no reason to be, he was only one of your friends, but that didn't stop the low simmering of something foul when you laughed too loudly at Jimmys antics. Jimmy was one of his closest friends; he had no reason to feel that way about him; he knew Jimmy was infatuated with the girl at the front desk. But he couldn't stop himself from feeling the need to stomp over to you, sitting in the corner of Jimmy’s desk, and taking you to his own and making a permanent place for you on it. Lois had been the first to notice the way in which he seemed to try to become a puddle on the floor at the smallest smile you’d send his way. The way he seemed to follow you around like a stray puppy who imprinted on the girl kind enough to give him some kibble. Clark tried to hide it; he really did, but even Perry had to bring him to his office after the nth time of finding him staring at the back of your head during meetings. Nothing could make him forget the shame he felt when his boss had told him to “man up and tell her that you want to take her out on a date and stop wasting everyone's time by being a lovesick puppy for her.” Perry had a reason for his words; not only had Clark's pieces become sloppy, but he had also stopped listening whenever you were in his vicinity. Especially throughout the past few months were his love for you had only seemed to grow.
Monday morning clark stumbles into the planet with a tray of coffees in hand and looking like he’d wrestled a tornado and lost. Jimmy had stormed by him while grabbing his cup; he was carrying his equipment and murmuring about a new shot idea that seemed to be capable of vanishing if he didn't take it immediately. Clark looked over to your desk, and he’d felt his heart sink when you weren't there to give him that heart-swooning smile that you kept only for him– or at least that's what he had allowed himself to believe. “You know that staring at her chair like it personally betrayed you won’t make her suddenly appear right?” Clark turned around half startled half embarrassed that he’d once again been caught by Lois. He let out a sound so quiet it was barely audible, yet he had managed to sound as petulant as a small child who’d been told that it was time to go home from the playground. “Good morning, Lois. How’s that piece on Gotham’s mayor being assassinated coming along?” To his credit, he tried to take away her attention from his obvious infatuation with you by handing her coffee to her– if it can even be considered coffee at all, given it's nothing more than milk and sugar with a splash of caffeine. “Thanks for the coffee, Smallville. She had a doctor's appointment; she should be here in a few hours.” He felt both relief and an overwhelming fear overcome him– were you okay? Had something happened to you in the few hours that he hadn’t heard from you? Was it just a routine check-up? He wished it were the latter because he knew his heart would stop if anything had happened to you. Lois shook her head and smiled in a gentle manner at the way his emotions could be seen on his face, “Clark, you should tell her how you feel, put as all out of our misery of seeing you follow her around like she pays you to be her guard dog. I promise there’s no way it will end badly” said Lois before leaving and heading to Perry’s office. He knew this, of course, he did; he knew you were too kind to reject him and stomp all over his heart which he’d given to you with shaking hands and eyes full of love. But he also knew that if you didnt feel the same, everything would change. He couldn’t hover near you when you seemed especially overwhelmed. He couldn't have movie nights with you anymore– you wouldn’t doze off on his shoulder or, seemingly, your favorite place to rest your head, his lap. No matter how many times you fell asleep on his thighs, he couldn’t seem to get used to it; by the end of the night, he’d be sporting a semi while trying to carefully move your head further away from his groin while he tried to regain his composure; he never can, trust him, he's tried. He’s tried erasing the soft little noises you let out when his hands come to cradle your head. He's tried not to imagine what noises you would let out if he could finally lap at your cunt– Clark halted his train of thoughts before he had a noticeable issue in the middle of the bullpen in front of all his coworkers. He couldnt risk the friendship the two of you had built throughout the years. Reluctantly, he left your coffee on your desk, not before leaving a little note saying “Brought you your favorite. Hope all is going good :) – C.K.”
He was waiting painfully for a trace of your scent or the sound of your heartbeat– something to tell him that you were okay, a sign you were near, but it never showed. At the end of the day, when you hadn’t shown up, Clark was so antsy that even Barbara, the lady at the printing station, had asked him what was wrong. He could barely sleep that night. He knew it was wrong, but he needed to make sure you were safe, and so he did something he had told himself he would never do– he used his powers to see through your apartment walls. The immediate relief he felt when he saw you peacefully sleeping was able to put a stop to the pain in his chest, but the guilt, the guilt of knowing he was intruding into your personal space and that he’d let his emotions make him act like a stalker. Clark wasn’t ready to see you in the morning, not knowing he had violated the privacy of the girl he loves.
The next morning, he brought not only your coffee but also brought you your favorite muffin from the bakery near his apartment. His heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest as soon as he saw what you were wearing: that skirt that was perfectly molded to your hips like a second skin, and a dress shirt with a neckline that revealed just the smallest amount of cleavage from the top. Your clothes highlighted your body most seductively while being modest enough to wear to work. You noticed him as soon as he had neared your desk with a coffee and muffin in hand. “Good morning, Clark.” You said while giving him that heart-swooning smile as you turned around in your chair to face him completely. “Brought you some coffee and an apology muffin for not being able to bring one to you yesterday.” You giggled, and Clark swore he would do anything to keep hearing that sound. “It’s not your fault, pretty boy. I had some errands to run, and it ended up taking the whole day.” The effect of your words was immediate; he felt his face begin to warm up, and he looked down while bringing a hand to scratch at the back of his neck to try and hide his blush. “I-I mean, I know how much you like coffee and I l-like being able to bring it to you.” If he wasn't blushing hard enough before, he felt himself heat up more at the way he was stuttering just because you called him a pretty boy. You stood up abruptly when Perry called you to his office and gave him a little panicked expression. “See you in a minute, Clark, and if I never come back out, tell Jimmy he can keep my vinyl collection.” You gave a small chuckle and practically ran away, leaving him standing there, a blushing and stuttering mess. When he finally returned to his desk jimmy was giving a shit eating grin and wiggling his eyebrows at him. “Dude, that was hard to watch. All she did was call you pretty, and you turned into a schoolboy with a crush.” Clark groaned at the way Jimmy pointed out his reaction and tried to pretend he didn't hear the cackle Jimmy let out when he told Lois about your interaction. “You’ve got it real bad for her, huh, Kent?” Said Lois while chuckling at the way he seemed to turn red again at being called out.
You came out of Perry’s office a few minutes later, 20 to be exact, but it's not like Clark had counted the minutes. You were practically glowing as you walked to where Lois was and let out a delighted squeal as you hugged her. Clark didn't know he could be jealous of Lois; she’s a brilliant, sharp, and kind woman, but in that moment, he wished he could take her place. You came over to him and Jimmy while talking so fast about how you were covering a major story about a collab between superhero teams, and as soon as he understood what you were talking about, he felt his heart drop. You were speaking of the collaboration that Mr. Terrific had told him about after the whole butterfly fiasco. You were going to be interviewing Checkmate– you were going to be near dangerous people, and he couldn't stop you. He felt somewhat relieved when he remembered you wouldn't be alone. Lois was working with you to write this piece since it would be such a large project, but the anguish he felt couldnt be completely extinguished. “I'm so proud of you! I’m sure its going to be a lot of work but I know youre more than capable– J-just please be careful, we dont know how they might react by being interviewed by the media.” he tried to sound excited, and to an extent he was– he could finally speak with you as superman; you’d finally know both of his lives. “Aww, Clarkie, are you worried about me?” The teasing sound of your voice wasnt lost on him. “Of course I am, were friends and friends care about each other.” You let out a soft giggle, and he’d never felt so proud of himself– he’d managed to make you laugh twice within an hour. “You’re adorable,” and to his dismay or delight, he's still not so sure. You lean over and pinch his cheek; he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face at your antics. He’s just a guy, cut him some slack!