MAN OF STEEL

@defendtheweak

✵ It was around mid-day when she saw a column of smoke rising in the distance. Knowing it couldn’t mean anything good, the hero flew over to investigate. As she had expected, there was a building burning to the ground and she could tell there were still people trapped inside. This was going to be harder without being able to do more than fly, but she wasn’t going to let fire scare her away. Carol looked down to see an unfamiliar man in a red cape hurriedly make his was over to the blazing building. Was he here to help? 

“Hey!” She called down to him. “You help everyone on the ground floor, I’ll take care of everyone up top and we’ll work our way to the middle. Got it?” The woman breathed a sigh of relief as the man complied. Good, he was one of the good guys.

Minutes went by, and they had successfully saved all of the civilians from a fiery death. Carol herself had gotten some first degree burns, but she’d live. She flew down to the ground to meet the man who had lent her a hand. Having another costumed hero jump in to help her wasn’t new, New York was a hotbed of hero activity and she was used to it, but it was so rare to meet a new one. He was a tall and handsome one, too.

“Sorry, in all the excitement I don’t think I caught your name. I’m Captain Marvel.” The Captain said as she extended her hand for a friendly handshake. 

He, too, saw the smoke rising in the distance. Something he normally would have been able to take  care of immediately and in seconds. If he’d had his freeze breath and his X-Ray vision, it would have been over for this building fire in moments. Instead, he had to approach cautiously. He  couldn’t just throw himself into a fire. He didn’t have his invulnerability and he didn’t know exactly where people were trapped. He felt so helpless and he didn’t like that feeling. Especially when innocent people’s lives were at stake.

His gaze flicked upward when he heard a voice from above. Another superhero? There was a brief moment of excitement, hoping to see a familiar face. But instead he...saw someone he didn’t know. Well, that didn’t matter! All that mattered was that he had help and that was all he needed right now. Superman smiled up at her brightly and flicked a quick salute to the woman. “Got it!”

He was almost  a blur as he darted through the front doors, using his flight to carry him faster and using his powerful physique to yank doors open and kick them down where it was necessary. After a while, he breathed  a sigh of relief...which was quickly taken over by a coughing fit. ...This was far more difficult without his powers at his disposal. And this was his first time dealing with something like this since he’d arrived. It had mostly been muggings and purse snatchers.

Fingers slid back through short black hair and blue eyes shifted to regard the woman, who took to introducing herself. He offered her a smile, bringing his own hand forth to give her hand a squeeze and a shake.

Clint took a glance at the paper on the table as he took a sip of coffee. Work ads? Then that face was looking up at him and he focused on the lips.

(- oh need for tanks – _ do it hall the time – though you __ look like __ need it so _ __ a win win s-_______[station]? for me)

Followed by a smile and a gesture to the empty seat across from him. Glancing at the seat, he shrugged a ‘why not’ before settling into the empty seat. He was taking another drink and setting his now nearly empty cup of coffee at the end of the table as he wiped his mouth with his arm. 

“Yeah well thanks anyway.” Sitting up now that he felt a little more awake, Clint offered a hand out to shake. “M’ name’s Clint by the way.” And with a greeting over he leaned his back against the seat and glanced at the paper again. “So what - you new or jus’ recently outta uh job?”

Clark could tell that his new friend was focusing on some specific part of his face. It looked like he may have even been straining a little to understand. Or maybe he was just imagining it. He wasn’t entirely sure.

Regardless, he brought the coffee to his lips and took a long drink of it before setting it down  with a refreshed sigh. When the other introduced himself as Clint, Clark smiled warmly. “Oh! I’m Clark. Clark Kent.” With Clint’s question, he also took a glance at the paper and gave an almost embarrassed laugh.

☽ = wandering alone at night .

“And here I was about to lecture you on the dangers of wandering alone at night, even on a seemingly peaceful island like this one. Then I saw who you are and my mind’s put at ease.”

He knew of the Teen Titans and its members. All of the Justice League did.  In fact, it was hard not to know them. It wasn’t often that he got to do his patrols as Superman because of the limits he was facing on his flight capacity. Now that he was able to, however, it was nice to see a familiar face. Even if they hadn’t gotten to interact much in the past. Or much at all, really. He only vaguely knew of the capabilities of the young woman before him but he knew that she wasn’t to be trifled with. So he had no need to warn her of the dangers that the night brought on. She knew quite well what they were.

{ ⚔ }: Anticipation infecting the residents over the new arrivals cause a yearning within Lightning for something else. As newcomers were welcomed to Spirale, a similar quantity disappeared. Seemingly random, the rose-haired woman long to be among the chosen ones taken from this place. Despite reuniting with her sister, she worried on the state of their world. Such dreaded thoughts twisted her expression into an irritated frown. 

As was her luck, she was approached by a somewhat hesitate greeting. His words split through her train of thought as her face shifted to surprise.

“Uh yes it is. Is it…really that unusual to see someone with pink hair?” she thoughtfully pulled a rosy hair strand to examine its color.

“Well, I suppose on my world it’s just more custom for people to dye their hair for the sake of changing their looks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with natural hair that was that rosy! It’s a nice color. I don’t think it’s unusual at all!  More like...unique.”

He supposed they were all aliens here in their own way and he’d seen...all kinds of alien species with all kinds of hair. He supposed pink wasn’t that unusual but on Earth? Well, it strayed from the norm a little. Not that that was a bad thing. He wasn’t exactly normal himself.

Clint honestly hadn’t been paying much attention to the guy in front of him. Last night didn’t treat the man very well and it showed in unkempt hair, an unshaven face, and the dirty shirt he should have left at home. Lack of sleep put him in a zombie-like state, at least until he got the coffee he had every intention of paying for - once this guy was done putting in his order. 

“Huh?” The polite tilt of a cup was met with a tired confused look. He didn’t catch what was said, and the expression lasted a second before Clint was stepping forward to place his order. “Cup ‘a coffee, black.” As if he’d order anything else. He pulled his wallet out and handed the money to the cashier - who shook their head and didn’t take it.  “What? Why?” This time he paid a little more attention to the lips that moved. A gesture was made to the man that had been ahead of him.

( ___ gentle man _____ aid [paid] four you )

Now he turned to give that man a more thoughtful look over, pushing money forward to the cashier anyway. “Uh… use this as a pay forward for someone else then. Or a tip. Whatever.” He took the hot cup of coffee and thanked the worker before walking over toward his new friend here. Standing beside him Clint brought the cup to his lips for a drink before attempting to talk again.

“Thanks for th’ coffee stranger, you do that often? Or do I look as bad as I feel?”

He wasn’t one to wait around to see how someone reacted to him buying them coffee. Usually he’d buy it and be out the door if he were back in Metropolis or Smallville. Buuuut unfortunately his thirty minutes for the day were up and he couldn’t just walk out the door and fly off to his next destination in a hurry. Clark was usually much busier...and having all the free time in the world in this city was making him go crazy.

Instead, he’d sat at a table, indulging in the want ads of a newspaper to see if he could find himself a job, at the very least. Something to keep himself busy with the craziness of the city. There was crime to stop...but not much and he’d heard that there were others who were capable of keeping it at bay. If he heard it, he’d stop it...but until he got at least some of his powers back, he truly needed something to do with his time.

❝ Well, saving the day isn’t all about flying. If you can jump high enough and if you’re flexible enough, you can stop people easily. Not that I’D know anything about that personally! I’ve just seen it on..TV. Yeah, that’s it. ❞ 

“Excuse me, I don’t suppose you’ve found any books about this...err...place, have you?”

Clark was trying to learn as much as he could about this city. Well...he supposed it was more like an...island. He could feel how different things were here. The atmosphere, the sun didn’t seem to give him...as much power as the one on Earth did...but yet he still did have powers. However limited...and he had to admit, at least to himself, that he was feeling more vulnerable than he ever had before. “I’d just like to know more about this place if I’m going to be stuck here. That’s all.”

“Oh, your hair is a very nice color! Is that natural? I admit I’ve never seen hair that color before that is natural, but there are lots of different people out there!”

Maybe a little awkward to just bring up suddenly but...this city was a lonely place and talking to someone tended to put his mind at ease. Especially in the current state he was in. Clark just wanted people to talk to, he didn’t know anyone in this city! But then again...she didn’t really seem the type to strike up a conversation...her face just looked a little...angry. Almost reminded him of someone.

He’d always been taught that a little act of kindness a day could always make someone’s day better. Granted, he was used to being able to dish out more than a little bit of kindness in the form of an S on his chest...but his powers were so suppressed that he was feeling particularly vulnerable and weak lately. Heck, he even had a hard time going out like this! But this city seemed...nice enough for now.

“Enjoy the cup of joe!” He tilted the cup that he’d been handed toward the man who’d been standing in line behind him.