ten cents' worth of compassion.

"It's home," Kal says, as simple as always. He purses his lips together, then continues: "I owe a lot to the people on it."

There're Ma and Pa, of course, but he thinks about the friends he made in Smallville, and the ones he has in Metropolis, and the ones that even Superman has managed to make in this joint quest to protect. Chest warm with affection, he smiles.

Truthfully, Reed had never thought physical intimacy was something that could make him feel so incredible. He loved Sue and he knew Sue loved him, but she had been right that their marriage wasn't right for either of them. And, fortunately, it had been incredibly amicable in the end, to the point that not much had changed in their relationship.

Sue had seen how Reed was with Kal- it was her pointing out that he'd never been so visibly happy as he was when he was spending time with him that made Reed realize perhaps there was more than scientific curiosity there- and he was grateful he could explore this with the Kryptonian.

He had opened his mouth to elaborate on his morning events- all of which were tower maintenance and inventory of his work station. As Kal continued, though, Reed raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Oh... right, breakfast." Reed paused momentarily as his brain attempted to catch up with the conversation. "Do you have any favorites? I could have H.E.R.B.I.E. make it for us..."

"I can make us something, Reed."

He floated easily towards the kitchen, and with a soft sigh watched the sky as it began to change colour. The sun was in the process of rising-- this early in the morning, he was confident they could go through a whole breakfast routine without Clark Kent being late for work later.

Kal's feet met the floor by the stool in the kitchen island. After setting Reed down, he made his way to the fridge, humming as he pulled out a carton of eggs and some meat and vegetables from past dinners.

For all his size and strength, Clark has a gentleness so foreign to her she cannot even find something to firmly compare it to. Flower petals, maybe, or the soft pages of well-aged and well-loved books. His touch alone could reign destruction over all it rested upon, but instead, he keeps it feather light over her hips, keeping her in place but not pinning her. It would take little effort to melt out of his grip if she wanted to. She's not used to that, either.

If she were any smarter, she would. She would move away, turn her head, rip from him and tell him this is a bad idea. That something as cold and long hardened as she is undeserving of this attention, of being granted the chance to sink her teeth into his soft heart like ripe fruit. Almost — she almost does what is right but then his lips are trailing the sensitive expanse of her neck and she is lost to the sensation. He handles her with such care, she could cry.

She maintains enough sense to keep those emotions to herself. Getting all misty eyed and having to inform him as to why would be an immediate mood killer. So — she distracts herself. Wraps her arms around him, one hand snaking to entangle her fingers in his dark hair. She can enjoy this, can't she? Grant herself just a night of being handled with care?

Violet grins quietly, but the longer he kisses her, the more exploratory it gets, the more it fades. Rising whines are muffled by how hard she bites down on her lower lip, but there's no disguising how her breath grows heavy with want.

Reed let out a soft gasp as he felt lips press to his lower back. Perhaps he hadn't thought about just how much he had stretched himself out in order to change the lightbulb and how little of his back his shirt managed to cover. Though, as he saw the playful glint in the younger man's eyes as he moved to find the culprit, he couldn't help but chuckle himself.

"What is it people say about good sleep and exercise..." Dipping his head lower, Kal kissed the corner of Reed's jaw. Having had a taste of his skin only moments earlier, however, he allowed his hands to creep up the hem of his shirt and fit over Reed's waist.

Kisses were trailed down Reed's neck, and then back up to his mouth. "After last night's workout" -- of sorts -- "I slept like a baby.

Jake was throwing a football back and forth with a friend when Clark showed up, saying he needed his help. "Who actually needs help, Clark or Superman? Because if it's Superman, I doubt the world is ready for a third Kryptonian out there, you know, when your cousin ever decides to come back,"

The football met Clark's hands with ease. He moved it to his right hand, wound up, and tossed it back, as cognisant as ever of the strength he had to resist.

"You really have to stop saying things like that in front of other people." Frankly the only reason he wasn't more upset that Jake just called him Superman in public was because the other person, at least, was a stranger to Clark Kent himself. He turned his head away from their gaze and fiddled with the collar of his shirt, uncertainty swimming in his gut.

The assignment had mostly been surveillance. And while it hadn't exactly been dangerous, it had been... Tedious. Amity had been away from home, and away from Clark for over a week; so when she received the okay to wrap up the mission and head home? She was ecstatic.

The second she stepped through her apartment door, the blonde was immediately typing out a message to her boyfriend. Using one hand to push the door shut behind her, the other put together the quick text:

✉ [ TEXT: Clark ♡ ] ⟶ Okay, I'm home, FINALLY! Just gimme a few minutes to shower?

After hitting send, she kicked her combat boots off and gently tossed her phone onto the couch cushions.

Making her way down the hallway, she found she couldn't wait to wash away the grime of the assignment. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she was swiftly removing every article of clothing, letting it all fall to a pile at her feet before pushing the shower curtain aside.

Stepping into the tub, she turned the shower on, hand reaching out to make sure the water was hot enough. There hadn't been much opportunity to shower while she was on the surveillance mission, and honestly, she hadn't realized just how badly she'd missed it... Until she stepped into the water, that is.

As soon as she stepped under the spray, she gave an audible groan, head tilting back to soak her long blonde hair. She was definitely taking a moment to just let the water trail over her completely, eyes closed as she focused on the warmth as it gently caressed along her naked skin.

After a few seconds, she supposed she should probably actually shower before Clark arrived. Grabbing her loofah, Amity poured a good helping of her strawberry lemonade body wash onto it, and quickly began lathering it up.

And, well. Needless to say, when she texted him she was finally home maybe he was little too excited.

In his defence, he did a few responsible things first, like taking Krypto out to pee and scheduling a couple of e-mails. But when he was fast by nature, all his chores were done quick, and by the time he got to Amity's place he could clearly hear her shower was still running.

The polite thing to do would be to wait until she was decent. After a week long operation, Amity deserved this time to make herself feel human again. But as he locked her front door behind him and took in a breath-- there was her scent, and there was that strawberry lemonade body wash, and God he could hear her heart pounding just standing in her living room-- Clark only missed her all the more.

Amity was here. Amity was home. They were alone, and nobody had any obligations, and Amity was naked in the shower...

So Clark, eager and just this side of needy, steeled himself and made his way to the bathroom. If he couldn't be near her he might just explode, and if Amity didn't want him around he was sure she'd say so.

He was swift as much as he was silent, moving through her home, opening the door, and stepping in. The steam from the shower made the air heavy and damp, but Clark's heart fluttered all the same at the sight of Amity's silhouette behind the curtain. His glasses were set aside, his shirt tugged up over his head, and his pants undone to pool onto the floor. He thought, however briefly, that maybe he ought to announce himself, but figured the sound of the shower rings sliding over the rod as he pulled the curtain would be enough to get Amity to look at him.

At least Clark had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry. I couldn't wait."

Then he moved in to stand behind her. With a hand curving over Amity's throat and an arm looping over her waist, Clark tilted her head up so he could bend down for a slow, simple kiss.

(Not one of his false identities or made-up personas - but Charles; the hollow shell of a man who somehow had done good enough to impress the one they called Superman.)

There was a sheepish chuckle of his when Kal lovingly berated his lover for causing distractions, but Charlie's hand over the erection was firm enough. Blue eyes went wider with surprise, but there was no fear there while the raven-haired one added more context - Charlie's grip merely lingered even when he could have moved, tracing the slightly different shape with a mix of innocent curiosity and debauchery. After all, it was hard to stop when Kal sighed like that, looking so dreamy and perfect - like a painting, a god sculpted out of marble or something equally holy and good that the grifter didn't have the words for.

"Damn, Kal," he murmured, sounding as fascinated as he felt. Insisting on that path, however, had Charlie twisting his wrist, seeking to overcome the barrier presented by underwear and slipping his digits inside, feeling the other man's skin instead of the mere promise of it. The only thing stopping the conman from yanking the boxers was Kal's own reaction to it - if he was the first one to do it... He didn't want to startle or make the other male uncomfortable.

"Does this mean that I get to call you a 'good boy' when you're fucking me?" he murmured out of nowhere, looking up at the Kryptonian with a toothy grin that translated the absolute peace of mind he felt now. Charlie almost laughed with relief - if that extra size was all that there was to it, he would be fine; sore, unable to walk properly if Kal fucked him like the conman hoped he would, but nothing more.

"Is this part more sensitive than the rest?" the grifter wondered, digits circling, rubbing and stroking Kal's knot with the care that he would apply to a con, trying to memorize it by touch. He realized his own body responded positively to it, producing an increased heart rate, shallower breathing and allowing for sweat beads to form at the back of his neck, not to mention making his own clothes uncomfortably tight.

"You can call me whatever you want," he admitted quietly, "as long as you stay with me."

Charlie knew by now that Kal had never been touched before. Even on his own there wasn't much of an urge for it, and besides rushed trysts in the shower he never stopped to take his time and explore. As Charlie stroked his length, however, Kal was certain that he could never replicate this intimacy alone. On his own it would be impossible to press a kiss to Charlie's temple and ear, and there would be no waist to fit a hand over to squeeze in appreciation. On his own he wouldn't hear Charlie's heart racing in his chest, nor would he feel those shorter huffs of air as Charlie's breathing changed.

He wouldn't scent the delightful spike of Charlie's arousal, either, timed so perfectly to the softly moaned "yes" Kal let out as he stroked the thick bulge of his knot.

Ridiculous, he thought, kissing Charlie once more on the mouth and slipping his tongue between them. In the heat of it he used his free hand to tug the garter of his underwear down, then floated slightly off the bed to get both his legs out of it. Shameless with trust, when Kal's knees landed on the mattress once more his body was fully bared-- including the hardening length curving proudly between his thighs. Impatient hands found Charlie's own underwear and very nearly tore them off, and Kal shivered when the scent of his sex permeated the air around them with nary a barrier in-between.

A thin string of spit connected their lips when Kal pulled away, blue eyes dark as he admired the sight of Charlie beneath him. As he straightened, kneeling tall on the bed and gripping the base of his sizeable cock, his gaze roamed the length of Charlie's body, going from his flushed face to his growing arousal.

"Lie down for me?" he asked, sounding almost shy. "On your belly. I want to see all of you while I..."

Kal swallowed.

"While I feed you."

"Superman works best as a character, not when he’s punching through walls, but when he’s gentle. Empathetic. Caring. In 'All-Star Superman' (by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely) there’s a moment where Clark saves a girl from ending her life on the edge of a building. That moment sticks out to me as a clear example of what the character is and should always be.

"In this piece I tried to capture that moment from a more intimate perspective. A part of me wanted to polish the piece, but I feel it works best slightly unfinished. I think the underlying strokes and evidence of human error reflects a needed sort of truth I can’t quite describe. I hope you like the artwork." - JAXSONDERR