Chapter Text
“Now, Lois, you know how I feel about you putting yourself in danger.” The broad man scolded nervously, his eyes darting back and forth behind his thick-rimmed glasses. “Superman won’t always be there to save you.”
“Hog wash!” The raven haired woman laughed, pulling her purse tight to her body. They were both obviously in a rush, so you picked up your step. “No matter what sort of a mess I’ve gotten myself into, he's never let me down once.”
“You can’t expect him to know everything. Surely he must take vacations from time to time?” He gave a nervous huff of a laugh, his shoulders hunched as he helped Lois put her jacket on.
She just shook her head. “Not Superman.”
Lois Lane was the best reporter working at the Daily Planet. You’d known about her before you’d even applied to intern here for the summer.
She was sharp witted, determined, and had a special interest in interviewing superheroes. She was everything you aspired to be.
The man beside her seemed to be her partner. You had gotten the names of everyone in rapid fire succession when you’d first started two days ago, but his had seemed to have slipped your mind. He didn’t really stand out in a way which made you want to remember him.
“Excuse me, before you go—“
Apparently you had been in a bit too much of a rush to get to them before they left. Just as you approached the pair Lane’s partner suddenly twisted on his heel, a yelp of surprise escaping your lips before you slammed into his solid chest, your small yelp quickly turning into a hiss of pain as the coffees in your hands exploded in a liquid mess of boiling black.
“Oh! Clark are you alright?” Lois exclaimed.
“Miss, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there I didn’t mean—“ Clark rambled.
“Oh no, no. Please don’t apologize to me, what about you? Did I hurt you bad?” You worried.
All three of you spoke over each other for a moment as you attempted to regather yourself, before a large pit formed in your stomach as you stared at the damage you had caused.
His entire chest was stained dark, you could only imagine the sort of pain he must be in. If the burning sting of your hands was any indication you were shocked he wasn’t writhing on the floor in agony.
Panickedly you grabbed at what used to be his white sweater, scanning him for any injuries as your breath sped into a horrible cacophony of gasps. “Oh, sir! I must’ve hurt you so badly. Please tell me if you’re in any pain, don’t try to spare my feelings. I’ll get you some ice, or I’ll run down to the store and get you some aloe! You’re not allergic are you?”
Suddenly two very large hands were wrapped around your wrists, pulling your hands off himself and freezing your nervous rantings as he stooped a bit lower to catch your eyes with his own.
“Miss, I promise I am alright. I’m more concerned about your injuries.” He spoke softly, one of his thumbs brushing against the inner part of your wrist in a soothing manner.
His eyes were very blue.
“Clark, there you go again, always concerned about other people when you need to be worried for yourself!” Lois scolded, stepping in between the two of you as she now grabbed at his sweater, shaking her head forlornly. “Look at this mess! You must be burnt to a crisp under there!”
He grabbed her hands just the same as yours, pushing her away in a hurried manner.
“I promise I am fine. One hundred percent cotton, remind me to thank my Mom the next time I see her.” He smiled goofily at his own joke, pulling on the sweater as if it were some kind of great treasure. “Absorbed all the coffee before it even got to me.”
“I’m so glad.” You sighed in relief, hoping the tears you had felt building in the corner of your eyes weren’t obvious.
“I’ve never seen you around here before.” Lois’s attention suddenly turned on you, her eyes narrowed as she took you in for the first time. “You go around spilling hot coffee on people often?”
“Lois!” Clark admonished, his eyes glancing at yours once again in slight shock at his partner’s words, before grabbing her shoulders and pushing her towards the elevators despite her protests. “Didn’t you have a story to write?”
“You’re not coming with me anymore?” Lois rounded on him, her fists clenched at her side. “What happened to it’s too dangerous?”
“I’ll catch right up with you, I promise.” He took one of his fingers and actually crossed over his heart. You think you would’ve smiled at that if your hands weren’t pulsing in agony. “If there’s any trouble Superman will find you anyway, right?”
She rolled her eyes at that, holding him to his promise with a pointed look as the elevator doors closed between them.
“I’m sorry about her, she’s always just a little suspicious of new people.” He approached you once more, his steps slightly nervous as if he were afraid of scaring you off. “Might I see your hands again, miss?”
You flushed at his request, laughing awkwardly, having hoped he would let the matter drop. You’d been hiding your hands behind your back as soon as he’d let go of your wrists.
“Please.” He spoke softly, his blue eyes imploring.
Your chest tightened and you found you lacked the strength to deny him. Shyly you placed your hands before you, trying not to enjoy the feeling of his big hands wrapped around yours once more as he pulled you closer for examination.
“Looks bad.” He whispered, before his brows crumpled and he cursed beneath his breath. “I’m always so clumsy, and now I’ve gone and hurt a nice girl like you because of it.”
You felt your face heat once more at his words. You couldn’t remember a time someone had called you a ‘nice girl’.
“It’s my fault, I ran up to two people obviously in a rush with a handful of scalding coffee.” You tried to laugh at yourself, hoping he would join in. He didn’t. “Silly me.”
Those blue eyes pinned your heart to your throat once more, silently analyzing your features, as if he were able to read your mind, before he gently replaced your hands at your sides.
“I’ll be right back, miss. Only take a moment.” He promised, bowing slightly as he took a step back. You swore you could see a little smile curl at his lip as he turned away.
The way your heart beat against your chest you would have thought he’d asked you to dinner. Or at least asked for your number. Or promised you undying loyalty and love for the rest of your days…
Get a grip, girl! You scolded yourself, releasing a long sigh as you rubbed at your forehead. I really have got to start getting out more.
“This should help with the swelling.” He suddenly reappeared, silently asking for your hands as he held his own in the air between you. Hesitantly you placed your hands in his, praying he didn’t comment on how clammy they must have been.
Relief filled you as he pressed an ice pack against the worst of the burns, a slight hiss escaping your mouth as he pressed hard against the aching flesh.
“Sorry.” He said a bit sheepishly, before pulling your hand just below his chin. With a deep breath he gently blew where the ice pack had just been.
Somehow his breath was even more cooling than the ice. Almost instantly the pain in that hand was gone, a low moan escaping your lips as your pain finally stopped.
His blue eyes snapped to yours.
You swallowed shakily in response.
Then he simply pulled your other hand to his mouth, blowing softly against your skin until all your irritation ceased and you were left with nothing but a cool tingling.
“You must have magic breath.” You attempted a lame joke, unable to resist swiping your fingers against his. His eyes suddenly widened, glancing around the room nervously.
“What makes you say that?” His voice wavered, his hands still clenched around yours. You could see his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat with each of his nervous swallows.
“I was only kidding, sir.”
A short, false chuckle fell from his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck, his amusement obviously forced as he finally released your hands. It felt like a knife to the gut, knowing you’d gone and embarrassed yourself once again.
“Of course, how silly of me.” He cleared his throat, rushing to back away from you. Like you were some sort of disease.
No doubt you must have made an ugly face, or your shirt must have some unknown stain, or your joke really had been that horrible. Either way, it came as no shock to you that just by being yourself you had managed to completely disgust yet another person. It was your superpower at this point.
“Well I better go catch up with Lois—“
“Of course.” You quickly cut him off, gathering the coffee trash without so much as glancing at him. You’d show him a little mercy and let him make a quick escape. “Don’t let me hold you up any longer.”
“Oh, uhm.” You heard him mutter a bit hesitantly beneath his breath as he watched you work quickly. “Not that I couldn’t—“
“Please.” You smiled mechanically, holding the bits of ripped paper and spilled liquid against yourself as if they could protect you from the mountain of embarrassment you had caused yourself. “You have a job to do, sir.”
With that it was your turn to spin on your heel, rushing to get away from him and those damnable blue eyes. You were an unattractive, sloppy, clumsy, intrusive failure of a woman. Sure he seemed a tad shy and nerdy, but you both knew he was worth much better than anything you could offer.
The mind plays tricks, you reminded yourself as you dumped your makeshift protection in the garbage. Especially when it wanted something, and without a doubt you wanted him.
His hands were warm, impossibly large. You could only imagine how they might feel in other places. Pulling you in by the waist, tugging on your hair, holding you by the back of the neck while he took his time with you, careful to thrust—
“Watch where you’re going!” A reporter shouted as they rushed past you, casting you a harsh glare before continuing their race forward.
Your face burned with shame as you slipped into the maintenance room, happy to spend the rest of eternity there if it meant you could stop being such a bother to everyone else.
God you were such a fucking loser.