My Life A Strange Stream

Pain sits in your hips like a pointy,little rock. Not so sharp that it has stabbing corners, but with edges only rounded enough that it still rolls in a consistent, obnoxious poke that likes to pretend it’s in your stomach, then remind you that it’s in your pelvis.

“Hah.” You pause the stilted clicking sound of your keyboard to take a deep breath. Why was nothing working today? Not the magnesium or the ibuprofen pills. Not even the little shapewear panties you like because of the pressure it puts on your stomach, is having any effect. With one more silent wince and a squeeze at your sides, you're about to get back to work on your article starring the craft festival that went on yesterday, when Perry's voice startles you out of your thoughts.

“Let's finish strong folks! We will make up for the time we lost during that kaiju attack yesterday morning! I want this paper posted on time tomorrow!” Your chief editor barks from the front of the bullpen, cigarette in mouth. You still have no idea how he manages that. The office erupts in responses with varied levels of energy, while you just sigh as another wave of pain runs over your bottom half.

“And where's Kent!? He went out to get the coffee over half an hour ago!” Perry suddenly remembers while looking up from the paragraph Cat was showing him. You take a second to look around, only just now noticing Clark Kent’s empty desk. Lois rolls her seat in the Isle, closer to yours before nodding.

“Yeah, I need my caffeine fix,and sugar can only do so much for the sludge we have here.” She comments tiredly, and your eyes drop to the mug she's currently filling at least halfway up with sugar. Jimmy rolls next to you, his grimace matching yours as he watches the same scene.

“I seriously don't know how you've evaded diabetes at this point Lois.” He mumbles but Lois, as usual, just rolls her eyes and scoots back to her desk.

“Watch it with that sugar Lane! We're not spending money on it so you can use half a jar on one mug-!” Perry starts before hurried steps and flustered apologies cut him off. In barrels Clark Kent, hands and arms filled with bags and drink trays from the mom and pop coffee shop down the street. From what you know, Clark always gets the coffee from that place. Something about supporting small businesses he says, and because it tastes good, no one else in the office seems to care. You glance at the sheer amount of cups and bags he’s managing to hold while he hands one to Perry and Steve snatches one that Clark was not at all holding out for him.

“Why does he have so many?” You accidentally wonder outloud. Clark was technically only supposed to buy some for the journalism division(plus Jimmy because ofcourse.), but he looked like the only reason he didn't have enough for the entire bullpen was because he dropped a few dozen on the way here. Jimmy peeks over your desk , then at Clark.

“Becuase of that.” He says and points, drawing your attention back to Clark. In front of you, you see the same awkward giant, but now surrounded by the little old maintenance ladies that work in the building. You’d think he was getting jumped if it weren’t for all the smiles and cute cackles as he handed a coffee to each of them. Jimmy nods when he sees you compute what's going on.

“Yup, Clark likes to buy coffee for the extra staff. Maintenance, janitors, even the old security guard that watches the door. He’s been doing that since he first started working here.” Jimmy finally voices before turning back to his camera, and you just hum, gaze still on your coworker. You actually manage to forget your cramps for a moment, unconsciously noting the dimples in his smile, until Clark suddenly looks up at you, blue eyes locking onto your brown ones. You blink and look back to your computer, clearing your throat quietly. You hear the clumsy footsteps approaching your guy’s cluster of desks.

“Here you go Lois, a- caramel frappe with an extra espresso shot.” Clark says with his eyebrows scrunched in concentration as he approaches your group. Said reporter simply takes her choice of drink with an appreciative hum, not looking away from her monitor as she plops it next to the sweet sludge she’d created a minute ago. She very likely plans to drink both of them throughout the reminder of this shift. Clark then makes his way to Jimmy, who is happily waiting with his hands outstretched, only flinching a little when Clark’s huge feet accidentally hit the bottom of his desk.

“You might be the sole reason that place is still in business, man.” Jimmy laughs a little while holding the, now dripping, cup at arms length and simultaneously straightening the things on his desk. Clark looks up from where he’s fussing with napkins to shake his head.

“ Oh no, they're very popular. They’re kind, they hire college students, and they put those little cookies in the bag when you-!” He immediately starts to ramble before Lois groans and Jimmy winces. He went and set him off. Clark is still mid appreciation rant when his friend puts his hands up in surrender.

“Okay okay. I’m just saying that they get a lot of their business from you.” He sighs with an amused shake of his head.

“They deserve it.” Clark just pouts quietly, slightly embarrassed. He hands Jimmy a few more napkins before turning back to the holder in his hands and realizing there's only one left.

Back at your desk, you’ve got your head in one hand, massaging your temples as you try to breathe through a specifically intense bout of pain. You’re busy dragging a hand down your face when you hear a deep voice clear their throat quietly. Quickly looking up, and you have to look way up, you see Clark Kent has finally made his way over to your little cubicle.

“Looks like you’re the only one who hasn’t gotten your drink.” He says before flashing you a cute smile, those dimples on display again. You blink your mind away from them for the second time today.

“Chamomile tea, like you requested.” Clark suddenly tells you, belatedly remembering to actually give you your drink. You take the cup from his hand with a grateful nod.

“Thanks for going through all the trouble.” You thank him politely but Clark just shakes his head.

“No trouble at all.” He says and the two of you look at one another for a moment, this being the first time you’ve said more than a polite ‘ Hello, how are you doing?’, when a booming voice startles both of you. Clark glances back before giving you a tiny wave and another smile, before lumbering back to his desk. No sooner does he get there does Perry start giving him shit for being gone for so long. Clark just scratches his head and apologizes, the spitting image of a scolded puppy. A huge puppy but a puppy nonetheless. You turn back to your computer with a smile and look at the small,cardboard cup in your hand. You don’t know if the heat radiating from the cup is actually comforting or not, but the tiny “Y/n (: ” scribbled in blocky handwriting on the side of the cup, definitely is.

***

It’s hours later and the cup of tea sits cooled and barely touched. The last of your coworkers have already started chatting, packing their bags, and logging off their computers. You, on the other hand, stare at your half-finished article, barely containing a pathetic groan. You knew you should have called off today. It’s not like you had gotten any work done anyway. Between frequent trips to the bathroom to make sure you weren't about to ruin your pencil skirt, and feeling like a little gremlin was punching you in the lady parts, your article was far from done. It didn't help that the last of your ibuprofen was wearing off too.

“Maybe I can-.” You think out loud before scooting away from your desk and standing up. Lois, Cat, and Jimmy stand in a group by the front desk, chatting about something you can't hear. You’re about to walk past them when Cat looks up and notices you.

“Y/n! Are you coming? We're thinking of stopping by that new bar that opened up around here.” Cat invites you cheerily while checking her reflection in a compact mirror. You really barely have the energy to stop your stride right now, but the last thing you wanted to do was accidentally snub one of the most popular people in the office, so you slow down slightly.

“Sorry. I've got to talk to Perry. You guys go on ahead.” You answer quietly,stilted,while rubbing at your temple. Your coworker just hums a quick “maybe next time!” Before running off to meet up with everyone else. Lois looks at you as you walk away then frowns and continues towards the door with the rest of the gang. You trudge the rest of the way to Perry’s separate office, tempted to take the heels on your feet and chuck them out the nearest window,before gently tapping on the door.

“Come on in!” Perry responds. He must be tired too, because the base in his voice didn’t even make your shoulders jump like it always does. When you step inside, your boss is busy packing up the last of his things in a suitcase, ready to leave for the night too.

“You finished your article yet L/n?” he asks without even looking up. Another skill of his that makes you scratch your head. You falter and your eyes drop to the floor, another pang running through your sides.

“Well no- but- I really-” You start to explain but Perry just snaps his briefcase closed, cutting you off. You step to the side as he makes his way to the door. Perry opens it and looks at you. You just stare back, trying your best not to turn your eyebrows up.

“After you.” He finally says, and you gasp in a silent ‘oh’ before stepping back out of the room. The bullpen is completely empty now, except for the few security guards by the door or walking the floor. Perry rummages with his keys for a second before finding a match and locking up.

“Stay late to finish it then. Let security know when you're leaving so he can lock back up.” He informs in his typical, straight arrow way, not leaving any room for anyone else to cut in. Another wave of nausea slithers over you and for a second even standing feels like too much.

“That’s the thing Perry, I don’t think I can-. This morning-.” You try to explain, your thoughts tumbling together and coming out your mouth in an annoying, unfocused mush. Finally Perry takes a deep breath, forcing you to glance up at him, and he looked like he’d, well like he’d rather be at home. You finally stop and rub your forehead. Yes, you felt like garbage and yes all you wanted to do now was plop into your bed. Somehow though, the thought of admitting you were careless, explaining yourself, and looking irresponsible in front of your boss, actually outweighed the pain you’re in.

“Uh- yes sir.” You answer with a small sigh, not meeting his eyes. Perry pauses before nodding firmly.

“I want that article submitted before tomorrow morning L/n! Goodnight!” He calls out and you just listen as his heeled shoes clack out of the building.

The sound echoes quieter and quieter until the click of the side door shutting sounds in the empty space. Tired, you head back to your desk, glancing at the organized notes,scattered paper, and full cup of chamomile tea covering the surface. Another cramp hits you and you cringe before crouching down, using one hand to brace yourself against the desk. You should’ve just called off today. You wanted to, but you just kept thinking. Thinking about the kaiju attack. Thinking about how Perry said he’d need all hands on deck. Thinking about how’d you’d be the only one to call off and how it’d make you stand out. How it’d make you look irresponsible and unreliable. You just kept thinking and now here you are, hurting. What’s worse is your work might not get done anyway, and all the things you were worried about will still happen.

“I’m here! I’m here!” Clark calls out as he jogs back down the sidewalk to the entrance of the daily planet, where his friends were waiting. Lois, Jimmy, and Cat stand as a trio in front of the building, each of them shivering in their coats. Clark creates a fake huff as he approaches them.

“Sorry, on the way back from the bathroom I got caught up-!” He starts but Lois cuts him off with a groan and Jimmy laughs with a shake of his head. When their huge friend just looks at them with confused blue eyes, Lois rolls hers into her head.

“We know, we know. An old lady fell in front of you so you had to make sure she got home safe.” She recites like she's reading from a script. Cat giggles and joins in.

“ Or a cat got stuck in a tree and you had trouble getting him down!” She adds and Clark feels himself start to blush. Lois just nods.

“It's always something with you Clark.” She sighs. Jimmy walks over to slap a hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah dude it's like people can smell the good samaritan on you or something.” He laughs, having been present for more than one of Clark’s neighborly deeds. Clark just rubs his neck and smiles while everyone chats around him, preparing to leave for the bar, when he suddenly counts the faces in the group.

“Wait, where’s y/n? I thought you invited her to come with us, Cat.” the kryptonian asks while looking around, his lip jutting out just a tiny bit like it always does when he’s confused. Cat, ready to leave, just waves a hand in the air, the rest of the group already turning to walk down the street.

“Oh I did, but she turned us down.” she answers coolly. Everyone starts to walk but Clark’s feet stay planted, his head turning towards the, now still,rotating doors. Even with his enhanced eyesight it looks pretty dark inside. There's probably only the overhead lamps on at this point.

“She’s still in the building?” He asks and points, his gaze shifting back to his friends who, shamefully, just want to leave and get a drink after a long day of work. Lois shrugs and looks at Clark with pitying eyes, already knowing what's probably running through his mind.

“She probably just didn't finish her article, Clark. She was on a different planet all day.” She tries to assure him, and Jimmy nods quickly.

“Yeah! Perry probably just made her stay late to finish.” He adds with an easygoing shrug. When Clark just continues to hesitate, eyes drifting towards the floor in thought, Jimmy throws an arm around his shoulders and drags him down to his height with a cheery shake.

“Don’t worry about it man! Let’s go get drunk!” He tries to persuade his giant friend one last time. Clark just frowns and looks toward the dim light shining through the window. Cat,Lois,and Jimmy walk away down the street but Clark can’t bring himself to move. You had to be all alone in there, aside from the few security guards left on the premises. His mind drifts to the small sighs he kept hearing all day.

“You know what? You guys go on ahead! I think I left my wallet on my desk!” Clarks calls out before johging back into the Daily Planet.

Clark walks into the lobby with a polite nod to the night security, before turning to look into the bullpen,his neck craning just slightly. Like he thought, it’s dark inside with only a few warm, overhead lights being on above every few desks. Clark walks into the quiet space, noting the lack of typing sounds. Maybe you really had gone home for the night and he’d just missed you leaving. He steps in a little further and he hears it. There’s soft puffs of air coming from your desk, strained, short breaths. Clark walks over, his eyes darting around before they drop. There you sit, crouched into a ball next to your chair.

“Hey there. Are you alright?” A soft voice comes from above you, and when you look up, it's Clark of all people standing there. You just watch, tiredly, as he crouches down beside you. His blue eyes settle directly on yours and there’s an understanding in them, like he already knows, so there’s no need to lie. Something about it makes your own start to water.

“No.” Your voice wobbles as you drop your head, letting the tears you’ve been saving up all day, spill down your cheeks.

***

Ten minutes later and you're sitting at Clark’s desk, having just cried in front of a coworker, face tear stained, and your nose stuffed, and yet somehow still feeling better than you’ve felt all day. You sniff and shuffle a little further into the suit jacket covering your shoulders. After you managed to explain what was going on Clark helped you into his chair,offered you tissues, handed you his jacket to put on,and told you he’d be right back. You take another deep breath and notice how nice Clark's cologne is. You hadn't even known he wore any until now.

“I’m back!” You look up when you hear Clark’s pleasant voice enter the bullpen. Whatever embarrassment you hadn’t had the time to feel earlier, definitely starts to creep up on you now. You’re just glad it isn’t visible. You look at your lap as Clark walks up to his desk in comfortable strides.

“Here we go!” Clark sighs as he sets a flimsy gas station bag on the table. Cheerfully, he starts to pull out the contents and place them in front of you, and you blink after a second.

“That was fast.” You mention absentmindedly and Clark flinches. When he’d told you that he was gonna run to the store real quick, he must’ve meant it, because the nearest convenience store is at least a fifteen minute walk from the Planet. Clark clears his throat and avoids your eyes, suddenly making himself even busier with the bag.

“Oh, I’m a uh-pretty fast runner. And there was no line! I wanted to get back as fast as possible too, so-.” Clark rambles quickly until he hears you laugh quietly. He glances over at you nervously, only to relax when he sees you smiling.

“I believe you. You’re pretty tall, so it’d make sense.” You say softly, a small yawn interrupting you,and Clark can’t help but smile to himself. He’d noticed you looked short of miserable all day, but he hadn't known how to approach you, so he was glad when he had an opportunity with your coffee order. Only, Perry had interrupted that, so all Clark could do was steal glances at you whenever you got up to leave the room.

“Believe it or not, I never tried out for sports when I was in school. Really-!” he adds and the two of you burst out into laughter. Clark can't help but smile at the way your shoulders jump under his jacket, the way you hide your laugh behind your hand.

“You're laughing. Does that mean you're feeling better?” Clark asks hopefully, letting your eyes meet up until you nod your head.

“I am feeling a little better, thank you.” You say softly, that earlier embarrassment about crying like a baby in front of him creeping up on you again. You're messing with a seam in your sleeve so you don’t notice the breath Clark takes, his posture relaxing just a little. Clark doesn't realize he’s still gazing at you until you glance up, making him quickly look away. If you notice his ears start to burn, you don’t say anything.

“I’m glad! Here, I got you a few things that should help you through your overtime.” Clark answers now that he’s got his confirmation. You watch as he starts taking things out of the bag and placing them on his desk.

“Some gatorade for electrolytes. A heat pack. More tylenol. A twix bar. And…?” He stops and you pause running your eyes over the contents of the bag to look up at him. With a cheeky whistle, Clark holds up a clear, plastic container, and inside is quite possibly the best choice of food in the world.

“A chipotle chicken wrap!” You gasp and Clark smiles so big his dimples are back on display. You take it from his hand and look at the tortilla wrapped piece of heaven and wonder why you didn't think to buy this sooner. It would’ve been an instant pick-me up. A spicy,refreshing, crunchy pick-me up. You look back up at your giant coworker and note the proud smirk on his face.

“Thank you! How did you know I love these?” You coo before you let out another gasp when he hands you a bag of your favorite chips. Clark just shrugs bashfully.

“I've seen you buy them for lunch a few times. You always look excited to have it, so I thought it would cheer you up.” He answers as if it's no big deal, but the way you're looking at him is making it a little difficult to shrug it all off. You just look at him in disbelief.

“Thanks Clark.” You say softly, eyes shining in a way Clark’s not sure he’s ever been lucky enough to see before. Your huge coworker just stutters for a moment, eyes lost in yours until a very prominent cough breaks through the silence, making his shoulders jump. You both look over to see the old night guard patrolling past the front desk, whistling. He looks inconspicuous but the side eye he shoots at you guys lets you know he’d likely seen your and Clark’s little moment there.

“Ahem- well. Thank you so much for everything Clark! I should be able to finish my article now so-!” You rush to say, not wanting to take up any more of his time, only to pause when, instead of leaving, Clark circles around to your desk.

“Are these your notes here?” He asks, eyeing the neatly placed sticky notes and papers stacked beside your keyboard. You had jotted down everything you needed at the craft fair, it was really just typing it up in order at this point. You stutter as you roll your, well his seat, over to your desk.

“Uh yes. I finished the notes and the rough draft earlier this week.” you answer. You'd basically finished everything, that's why this would have been a normal shift. If things hadn't crashed and burned of course. Clark makes a small, but deep hum, his big hands just slightly pushing one of the pages aside.

“If you want? I could type the article for you while you eat.” He then suggests casually, lip poked out in that way that you've always thought was funny. You blink before computing what he's offering.

“No! Clark, I can't ask you to do that-!” you jump to say, but Clark is already gently rolling your, his, chair to the side, so he can take a seat in front of your PC.

“It's no problem. We're all in this together right? Besides, 30% of our readers really love your column. It'd be a bummer if they missed it tomorrow morning.” Clark answers with a shrug as he sets the things he bought in front of you. Stunned, you just look at him, surprised he even cared about your column, let alone knew what percentage of readers liked it.

“Eat. You've done most of the work anyway. I'll just be tapping the keys, that's all.” He encourages you again, directing his blue eyes at you before turning back to the screen. You just blink before finally nodding. What's the point in arguing with him, really?

The sound of clicking and rustling pages fills the space as a few minutes pass. That, and Clark's overtime playlist. He says it helps him work faster, and with how fast the words are appearing on the screen, you think he's right. You watch ,distracted, as Clark quite literally types faster than you thought was humanly possible, when he clears his throat quietly.

“Um- if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you call off work today? I assume you have the sick hours considering the fact that I've never seen you call off before now. Not even on holidays.” He asks carefully, noting the way your heart jumps a little. You pause and blink a few times before shrugging lightly.

“I um- didn't want to-.” You start, grappling at the words, instinctively trying to minimize how you felt. You're about to just brush it off as an irresponsible mistake on your part, but you make the bigger mistake of glancing up at Clark. Instead of looking at the screen like he's supposed to be, his crystal blue attention is focused on you, eyes peeking out over his thick frames. The sparkling reflection catches you so off guard that you answer honestly.

“I thought Perry would get upset- on a day like today, if I-. I didn't want to-. It was just bad timing! I couldn't call off today, not after the kaiju attack.” You stutter until you manage to utter a complete sentence like a functioning adult. You sigh quietly. Saying it outloud just made you feel even more like a punk. Clark just nods silently, eyebrows pinched together.

“Well, I don't think there's really a right ‘time’ to not feel well.” Clark responds slowly, a confused frown on his face so genuine, a short laugh punches its way out of you, and for some reason it keeps coming. Clark is about to ask what's got you so tickled, but then he feels something nudge his shoulder. He looks over to see the top of your head. Your shoulders jump with the small giggles that tumble out of you and unknowingly, you lean into Clark's shoulder. Clark just starts to feel a smile begin to tug at his lips, off your amusement alone, when you take a deep breath.

“Sorry, I don't know where that came from.” You sigh while lifting away from him, your laughter still subsiding. Clark just watches with a strange sense of pride. He doesn't know what he said, but he wouldn't mind saying it again if it got you to laugh like that. Your large coworker just waits patiently as you take a second longer to settle. Finally you sigh deeply, and Clark immediately notices the shift in atmosphere.

“I just- I really hate being-.” You start and stop, not able to say the rest. That you worry so much about what other people think, about being a bother, that you'd rather suffer through an entire shift of work then call off like anyone else would. Clark doesn't make you finish though. He just types quietly and listens, letting his playlist fill the silence for a minute.

“I get that. Although, if you don't mind me saying, I don't think Perry would've minded as much as you think he would've.” Clark finally adds quietly, glancing at you through his peripheral. When he sees your shoulders drop and your gaze fall to the desk though, he panics. He had to have made you feel worse just now.

“Uh-! Gosh I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-!” Clark jumps to say but stops when you shake your head.

“No it's no problem. I get what you're saying.” You reassure him softly and Clark feels his chest ache. Things are quiet for a second after that, nothing but his playlist and keyboard clacking, the city lights outside doing most of the work for lighting now that most of the bulbs above you two have reached their automatic timer. Clark glances at you again, and it's obvious you're stuck in your head, the solemn look on your face making him sweat.

“You know, Steve once called off because his cat has anxiety, and he didn't want to leave the poor thing at home without a sitter.” Clark suddenly says, making you blink out of your thoughts. You turn to look at him while he tries to look busy.

“Steve? Really?” You ask as your nose scrunches up in surprise. You hadn't even known that he had a cat. Clark just nods quickly.

“Yup he's a pretty hardcore cat dad. He takes breaks sometimes just to check in on her.” he continues, not a hint of judgement in his voice, just telling you what he knows. It's sweet, but you definitely lock the information away for the next time Steve bothers you. Clark then goes on to tell you about how he himself called off for two days because he caught a cold. He tells you about some of Jimmy's wild reasons for calling off, loving the way you laugh at one particular story. Even Perry sent everyone home early once because his daughter had gone into labor, and he just couldn't bear to miss it. Your laughter is dying down when Clark smiles and finally pulls his eyes away from you.

“See? Everyone calls off sometimes. As long as you know that you're doing it because you have to, everyone else will too. Besides, no one would think you of all people were skipping out on work, trust me.” Clark tells you with an easygoing shrug, soft eyes trained back onto the words on your screen. You just gaze at his side profile for a moment, before nodding.

“Yeah.” You respond. You hadn't even noticed but, your cramps had subsided a while ago.

***

“I'm telling you, it really happened! It flew right off!” Your voice bounces off the street while Clark's polite laughter hides behind his fist. The two of you walk down the still slightly busy sidewalks of metropolis, standing just close enough to brush shoulders whenever you take a step. You let your laughter subside as you continue to leisurely stride, neither one of you really rushing to get to your front door.

“You know you didn't have to walk me home Clark, I live nearby.” you sigh as you look up from the sidewalk and over at him. Clark startles as if the thought had never even crossed his mind. It made sense though. Clark walks everyone home. He’d walk Jimmy home if he'd let him. The giant next to you just shakes his head.

“It's no problem, really. It's late, and I'd feel much better knowing you got home safely.” He says with a determined frown that makes you laugh into your hand. The two of you cross the few more streets it takes to get to your apartment, chatting comfortably right up until you get to your stoop.

“Well, this is me.” You huff as you both approach the steps of your apartment. Clark just nods silently and looks up at the towering building.

“Guess it is.” He sighs and both your footsteps slow. You walk up a few steps while Clark sits quietly with his hand in his pockets. A moment passes with neither of you saying anything, which should've been comfortable, considering the fact that tonight is the first time you've spoken more than two words to one another. There's a disappointed air hanging over the two of you though. Walking up your steps a little slower than necessary, You finally turn to say goodbye but startle when you end up face to face with two big, blue eyes. The stairs leave you eye level with your tall coworker.

“Uh-” you mutter,watching Clark's eyes widen just like yours, not expecting you to turn so suddenly. The toes of his shoes touch the last step, and the heels that have been tormenting you all day stand just a few inches higher. You blink before randomly remembering his coat around your shoulders.

“Oh, here take your-!” You start to say until you feel warm hands brush against yours. You freeze and Clark gently adjusts his jacket back around your frame, tucking you back inside the fabric you've been swimming in. You just watch him silently as he needlessly dusts off your shoulders.

“That's alright, just give it to me tomorrow.” He offers instead, his hands lingering against your sleeves. You wait until he finally looks up and meets your eyes.

“That way, I'll have a new excuse to talk to you.” Clark says deeply and looks you right in the face, those dimples knocking you off balance for the nth time today.

You step into your dark apartment and shut the door behind you. Standing there in the dark, you let his cologne brush your nose then sit back, letting the day sink in. After another second, you walk to your bathroom and start a shower. A little while later and you're clean and moisturized.

“ Finally.” You sigh as you trudge over to your faithful bed, you'd been separated for much too long. Tiredly, you plop down and reach to flick on your bedside lamp, light other than the ones provided by the city outside your window, quickly filling a small space. Lazily you manage to tie your hair up for the night, deciding that you don't want to deal with touching up your edges for work in the morning.

“Time to sleep this day off.” You whine and click off the light, not having the energy to turn on any tv. The noise of the city will have to do for tonight. You sigh deeply once you're under the covers, like your body has just been waiting for this day to be over. It started off so badly. Then your mind drifts back to Clark. You've never gotten a chance to speak so much to him before today. That's why some part of you wanted the walk home to last longer, and for there to be more steps leading to your door. What if things go back to normal after tonight? That was what you were thinking until Clark told you to keep his jacket. The thought of going back to work tomorrow is exhausting, yeah, but you've got to give him his jacket back. So he'll have an excuse to talk to you.

A/n: Guess who had to call off work over her period and genuinely felt guilty even though her job doesn't give af about her??? Me. Anyway I started this a few months ago, glad I finally finished it, thanks for reading!📰📰📰