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"It's not that I don't want to keep my promise!" He tries to reason with you as you lock the chicken coop's door, newly repaired after you lied to your parents about a strong wind bursting through the coop's old infrastructure. "I just don't think it's a good idea for me to let you fly."

"Hey, I'm stronger than I look." You huff. "Do you think cool stuff like 'flying' is something only boys can do?"

"No, that's not it." He grimaces, all anxious and pitiful. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

You give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, a big naive grin on your face. "Don't worry, I can handle anything. Now, come on. Quit stalling and let's fly already."

Tracing the scar absent-mindedly on your elbow, it's really shrunk since all those years ago- you could say flying really wasn't your forte.

At least one permanent benefit was that you get to wiggle the scar in his face whenever you needed him to do something for you that required more coercing. It was rare that he’d ever say no to you, but on the rare occasions, you could still pull out this bad boy.

"We go a long way back." You answer, the heavy, warm weight of nostalgia sitting comfortably in your chest. "I was his neighbour back in Kansas."

Jimmy's eyes widen. "Oh, you're the Kansas girl!"

"The Kansas girl?" Your brows furrow, glancing over at Clark. "Now, what did you say about me?"

"Nothing bad!" Clark exclaims, giving a pointed look to Jimmy. "Tell her, Jimmy."

"Oh, trust me. He said many good things." Jimmy muses, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "He talked about you a lot."

"Really?" Your grin is practically wicked as you lean in. "What did he say?"

"Wait, that was not what I meant." Clark's growing panic in realisation at where the topic was heading was adorable to witness, and it only added on to your curiousity. It's not everyday you get to hear Clark's perspective on you.

"Oh, where do I start?" You both ignore Clark's repeated refusal for this topic to continue, using your chair to hit him at the torso, blocking him from trying to shut Jimmy up. Jimmy, who you realise has an amazing impression of Clark's mannerisms, puts his head in his hands as if in agony. "I have this friend back in Kansas." He wails. "I wonder how she's doing. Did she read my latest article? Why hasn't she called me? Does she have new friends? Should I call her?"

"Jimmy, that's enough." Clark's face is in a deep wince, and his ears are his signature red.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Clark." You cooed, craning your neck to look back up at him.

He gives you with an unimpressed frown. "Are you done tormenting me at my workplace? I have articles to write."

"Articles that you wonder if I read, apparently." You tease further and he groans. "I can have a look right now if you want. You can have my expert opinion."

"No, I really rather not."

Stepping out of the revolving door, the bright sunlight coats Metropolis with golden rays across the shimmering glass of skyscrapers, and you find yourself smiling more than you have in months with Clark by your side.

"So, why did you stop Jimmy from coming along for lunch?"

"It's not like I get to see you much anymore." He mutters. "Your last visit was months ago, so I'd like it to be just the two of us. Why? Did you want him to tag along?"

"Nope, I just wanted to hear you say you wanted my undivided attention." You tease, and dodge his aggressive head ruffing antics just in time. "Easy, it took me forever to comb out the tangles this morning."

Falling back into step, you add on. "Jimmy's a nice guy." You commented, with a nod of agreement from Clark. "But I didn't drive three hours to spend time with your colleagues."

"So you came all the way here to spend time with little ol' me?" His grin is crooked and bright, and you resist the urge to pull at his cheeks. He's so easy to please, you wonder if its only you who gets to see him like this or if all that distance has increased that list of people who got to see that uncovered smile of his.

"Yes, you big buffoon." You push him at his arm, but he doesn't even bother to pretend it budges him. "I came to stinkin' Metropolis to see my best friend."

"It's not that bad here." There he goes again. You know that pleading look. "I mean, ever since I became 'you-know-who', the crime rates have been the lowest ever in years."

"Easy on the flex there, Big Blue."

He rolls his eyes but continues on anyway. "I could connect you with Perry, he would love to have your writing talents on board."

"And how would he know about my talents?"

"I may have mentioned you once.. or twice."

"Clark, how many people know about me at your workplace?"

"There's well, Perry." He mutters, holding up his fingers to count. "Jimmy. Lois. Cat. Steve. Ron.."

You push down his dwindling fingers, shaking your head to hide your stifled laugh. "So, pretty much everyone." A weakened 'yeah' is his response. "Still, I like where I'm working at right now. You're going to have to do better than the Daily Planet if you want to convince me to move here."

"Well, there's amazing Chinese takeout here." He points out. "You always complain about the ones back home."

You give a non-committal shrug, and he purses his lips, telling you that he's obviously not going to give up soon.

"You could stay for free at my place till you find somewhere you'd like to rent."

"What if want to stay at your place forever just cause I don't want to pay rent?"

"I won't mind." He admits it so quickly, you could only stare at him before he realised it was probably a little strange that he was offering you a free place indefinitely, or possibly forever.

"I mean, you could help out with chores while I'm at work."

"Right." You mutter. "I'm so stoked to be your future cleaning maid."

"Well-" He flails his hands, something he only does when he's close to his breaking point. "There's me."

"You?"

"I want you here." He confesses, a rare serious expression on his face when he stops in his tracks to look at you. "It's not the same through our calls or weekly photo updates."

"Hey, I put a lot of effort in those." You stammer, not knowing how to respond to his vulnerable admission.

"I know you do." He answers so sincerely, you wonder just how in detail he looks through the photos you send him. "But I want to hear about your life through your voice, not some speaker. I want to be in your life, not to be updated about it once every few weeks."

You swallow dryly, and you resist the urge to give in just from that look he gives you, like he can't live without you near.

"It's hard for me too, Clark." You admit. "We always stuck together back in Smallvile, and when you decided to move all the way here, I just felt like you wanted to move on to something bigger- newer with your life, and I wasn't sure if I was ready."

"I don't want anything bigger or newer." He rushes to say. "I want-"

"Hey, lovebirds!" A sausage vendor snaps, causing the both of you to turn your necks in fright. "Continue your quarrel somewhere else, you're blocking my line!"

Looking around, you realise you had both stopped right in front of the stall, blocking potential customers from buying. Feeling something hot on your cheeks for being insinuated that you have something romantic going on, your hand reaches out to grab on hold of Clark. "Sorry!" You apologise, grabbing Clark by his tie and dragging him away.

"I'll consider it." You mutter once you were far away enough for you to loosen your grip on his tie, taking ahold of his hand instead so you wouldn't lose each other in the crowd. "Moving here."

You'd think you had ignited the freaking sun when you said it, because you've never seen his eyes shine as bright as they did now.

"Really? He grins, almost breathless. You know he has been trying to convince you since the moment he came here nearly three years ago, but you never realised just how much he wanted you to be here too.

"I said I'll consider it, Clark. It's not a yes, so don't look at me like that!"

"Okay." He murmurs, but that stupid grin won't leave his face.

"Oh, you always get what you want, don't you?" You groan.

"No, I think that's you."

"Untrue."

"Who's the one who uses her scar to guilt-trip me into doing whatever she wants?"

"Wow, making fun of the scar." You shake your head in mock disappointment. “Ah, I guess leaving this permanent affliction on me didn’t mean that much to you..”

“That was nearly twenty years ago.” He deadpans.

“Oh, but I remember a certain someone promising that he’d give me unlimited favours to stop me from crying-“

“Fine, fine." He laments. "See what I mean? You always find a way to make me agree with you."

"That's because I'm usually the right one."

He rolls his eyes, before quieting down, and you notice that lip thing he does, biting down at the corner when there's something he's pondering about and can't let go of. "Also.. you didn't deny it earlier."

"Deny what?" Yet, your averting gaze says otherwise.

"When that man called us lovebirds." Ah, there's that hot flush at the back of your neck again. What an insistent man, bringing up the elephant in the streets. "You used to go crazy back in high school and those kids picked on us- saying we were together."

"Well, that's cause they knew we weren't, and still did it on purpose to piss me off." You defended. "That sausage man was innocent, he probably thought we were a normal bickering couple."

"So it doesn't piss you off anymore?" He asks.

"No, why?"

"Oh." He's grinning again, there must be something silly going on in that head of his. "No reason."

"I swear, you're weirder than usual." You grumble. "It wasn't that long since our last phone call, was it? Did your alien side wake up a little more dominant this morning?"

"I don't think I'm being weird." He shrugs. "I'm just really happy that you're here."

Gosh, he's saying all the heart-skippers today. Maybe you missed him too much, but hearing him say that made you smile too, despite your best attempts to push it down.

"You're not saying that to make me move here, are you?"

"No." He affirms. "But if you move here, I think I'll be the happiest man in the whole world."

Staring at you, his gaze feels hotter than the warmth building up between your binding hands.

"If you throw one more cheesy line at me, I'm leaving you for the streets."

He laughs with his whole chest, those blinding dimples rising beneath his glasses when he does so. "You won't even know your way around, you can't abandon me like that."

"Oh, is that a dare, Clark?" He realises his mistakes two seconds too late, for you had already broken off your hold, getting a head start through the crowd.

You remember these chases back in Smallvile, when you'd challenge him to an actual race without the use of his powers. It was mostly to make him feel normal, and you knew he loved it. To just run without feeling his legs kick up into the air to fly, but across the dirt through the fields you always played in together. He loved being on the ground with you, without a care in the world. To be human, like he was raised to be.

That hasn't changed now.

Running through the streets like lunatics, you hear his voice calling your name as you round an alley, away from the crowds to somewhere more desolate. You stop for a moment to catch a break, only to be caught and turned around by large hands holding your waist in a vice grip.

Your eyes meet baby blue, crinkled by the slight wrinkles that appear whenever he smiles, so vivid and bright just like today's sky.

"Guess you caught me." You whisper, chest heaving to catch your breath.

He didn't break a sweat, but there's that adorable red flush in his cheeks you loved to see. "Like always." He murmurs.

"Like always." You repeated. "I missed this."

"Me too." He hums, eyeing you with that glimmer in his eyes.

There are things that have changed between the two of you. The distance between your cities, your jobs, your lives. Yet, there's one thing you'll always want to remain the same. It's that shine in his eyes when he looks at you, and only you.

His gaze softens as he leans into his hold, his entire back bent to engulf you into a hug. "Please consider moving here. For me."

"I regretted not telling you earlier, but you're the only person I feel like myself around." He admits, unable to face you as he says this, his face pressed into the crook of your neck. "I know it's selfish, but I think if I let you go off again this time without saying it, I'll really regret it."

Your hands reach out to return the embrace, leaning into his chest and feeling his abnormal heartbeat, beating so quickly against his buttoned shirt.

"I thought I told you I'd consider it." You whispered.

"I know, I just wanted- no, needed to say it." He mutters. "You can think of it as an added bonus. The cost of my humiliation to persuade you to stay here with me."

Your mind ticks of all the possible scenarios, of the pros and cons- but it all fades to the feeling of his erratic heart and the love you have for the boy who stole it the moment he crashed into your chicken coop all those years ago. The boy with dazzling eyes and the biggest heart you know. Your best friend. How could you ever say no to him, to your Clark?

"..Fine, Big Blue. Consider me persuaded."

He possessed a certain charm that made your quiet nature break just slightly. You weren't a person of many words, a quiet force thanks to the ring on your finger.

Flying cleared your head, set yourself back right after missions or hard days surviving as a civilian. You started to suspect Superman felt similar. From stolen glances during your races, you noticed his relaxed features, like the breeze washed away the worry of day-to-day existence.

Through slightly narrowed eyes, you couldn't help but question him. You were powerful in your own right, but it was well-known that Superman exceeded the power of many metahumans.

"Another tie," you said, fingers adjusting your suit out of nervous habit.

Superman cocked his head to the side. Even without using his laser vision, his gaze was intense. He was observant, maybe too observant in your opinion.

"You sound skeptical."

A laugh fell from your lips, light and quiet as you met his gaze. Your chest fluttered, something between the constant fizzle of your nerves that not even superpowers could cure, and something else.

"A bit," you said.

"Why?"

"You're faster; I know that you are." You had seen in action, cape billowing in a red blur as he raced from threat to threat. When a creature found its way into the city and started attacking people left and right, you watched as he saved a bus full of school children from being crushed before racing clear to the other side of town to save a dog that had gotten loose in the chaos. In the blink of an eye, he moved, saving everything from children to animals before jumping back into the fight.

Though you were in the midst of your own duty to protect the city, you knew how quickly Superman could ping-pong between threats. And yet, every time you raced, it always ended in a tie.

"If I were faster, then I'd win," he said simply. "I think you're selling yourself short. You and I? We're evenly matched."

"It won't hurt my feelings, you know?" You didn't need to be the strongest or the fastest. That wasn't why you took the oath of the Blue Lantern. You wanted to help people, to bring hope, even if only to one person.

Superman didn't budge, broad shoulders shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about." His gaze flickered off of you, something else catching his attention. "Duty calls," he said. "But we'll rematch. We can't have a tie without a rematch."

You couldn't help but smile. It started to sound like an excuse to see you again, a reason for the two of you to be together.

"You're on," you replied.