That's good enough

She wears two shirts laid on top of each other, Y2K style, with the design of the top layer featuring a silly green alien head. She tucked her long, dark navy and pink stockings under her brown shorts—silly and peculiar little trinkets on her belt, and the long knee-high boots she had on. 

“Are you just gonna stare at me all day?” Her tone was sharp enough to snap me out of my train of thought. A flush brushed against my cheeks, making me scratch at the back of my neck out of embarrassment. 

“Oh uh, sorry I just, never seen anyone like you before.” Seconds ticked in my mind like a time bomb as I could see her face morph into anger as I started the backtrack, throwing my hands up in defense.

“Wait, I didn't mean it like that. I meant clothing-wise! Its just i never never seen someone dressed like you before I was just curious” I said quickly trying to defend myself as I close my eyes not wanting to brace the humans anger internally dreading the fact that I possibly made an enemy in less than a second in this new territory only to hear her snort making me look at her.

“You're weird, I like weird.” The tone in her voice was defensive as she slowly got off the ground, still rubbing her tailbone for the last time, before looking at me with a lopsided smirk and shooting her hand out for a shake.

“My name's Miko Nakadai.” 

Looking down to see her hand slowly put my hand out to grasp her’s, trying for the life of me not to squeeze her hand dead on accident. But it looks like I succeeded in not crushing it, as she vigorously shook my arm up and down.

“Well, uh, my name is (y/n). (y/n) Danvers,” Danvers, it sounds so weird to have some random family's name connected to mine. I should be saying Zor-el, but instead, it feels like I'm stripping away who I truly am—hiding behind some stupid fake human shield to 'protect' my identity. But at least I made a friend in this town, I think. A smile crept onto my face as she pulled out a small, old-style phone, one similar to what Mrs. Kent uses. I reached into my back pocket.

“Let's exchange numbers- woah”

She stopped her sentence as she looked at the iPhone in my hand.

“You have an iPhone, lucky my parents don't trust me with any smartphone, and this town is stuck in the 2000s, so smartphones are non-existent here. Your family must be wealthy. And you look new, are you new? And you must be wicked strong. It was like hitting into a brick wall when I smashed into you. We're gonna be the best of friends!“

She spouted out, everything she said was rapid fire back and forth with herself. I barely had a moment to speak but when she paused i finally was able to add my own comments

“Yes, I'm new. I'm just staying at the Danvers farm, it's a uh, foster kinda thing. My cousin was the one to get me the phone." I replied, choosing not to acknowledge how ‘strong’ I was.

The only response I got was a hum as she nodded as if making little scenarios in her head about what he could work as. When a loud honk of a car jolted both of us out of what looked to be a staring contest, we whipped around to face a bulky, military style green SUV, making Miko Huff at the sudden interruption.

“Ah man, I have to go. QUICK! Give me your number!” 

My thumbs tapped on my phone screen, and I quickly showed her my number as I watched her fingers fly across the keys of her phone before she clapped it shut. 

“Got it, I'll text ya soon!” She busted out before running to the SUV's passenger seat. Wave a final goodbye before hopping inside the car as the vehicle drove away. A sense of calm washed over me as I stood there, slowly pulling out the crisp blue credit card with a gleam in my eye, and started to walk to the shops.

   •☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

(y/n) black vans scraped across the pavement and kicked small rocks or pebbles in her path. All she could find were clothes that were either tacky or bland. She left town with nothing but disappointment in not finding anything she thought was cute. Looks like she's stuck to ordering online and wearing stereotypical country outfits for a while. A sigh left her lips, and the glasses on her face started to slide down the bridge of her nose for the 5th time that day. Her eyebrows pinched together, agitated at the dumb glasses, she ripped them off her face and stuffed them in her front pocket.

A ping vibrated from her back pocket, a text message. She reached around to grab the phone, not even bothering to unlock it to read the message thoroughly. Almost hoping it was that girl she met not that long ago.

Clark Left something in the woods on the Danvers property, you'll love it :)

(y/n) lips worked into a smile as she turned the phone off and placed it back in her back pocket. It wasn't the message she expected, but she was also a little giddy. However, she does expect that it was her pod; the idea made her question the excitement. She turned her head over her left shoulder, checking for civilians, even when she was already a reasonable distance away from town. Before leaping up into the air, she flew above the tree lines, but not too high that she would be spotted. Gliding ever closer to the farm, she waved at any animal that happened to be there, gazing up at her.

She was going to pass the house altogether, but came to a complete stop when a blob of yellow clouded her peripheral vision. Gliding slowly near the Attic Window, only for (y/n) jaw to hang. The entire room, from the walls to the floor, was decorated in a bright yellow color with some splashes of brown and white. Slowly, (y/n) pushed the window open, stepping inside. The floors creaked with each step as she approached the bed. A well-made white quilt featuring yellow Polka dots lay on the mattress, a crocheted cow plushy sat on a note, and her backpack sat on top of a pillow. 

"So bright," she muttered. It was either an attempt to make the girl more comfortable in the new environment, or Mrs. Danvers just saw an opportunity to decorate a room with what was probably her favorite. (y/n) pulled the glasses out of her front pocket and dropped them on the nightstand without a care before picking up the note from under the cow.

I hope you love it, honey. We want to make you feel better now that you have relocated here. Ask if you need or want anything. We are here for you. - Eliza (ma) Danvers

"I'm not calling you ma." The thought was nice, yet she disliked the added word as if trying to reinforce something she wasn't too pleased about having at the moment. But the thought left her mind when she reached over to yank it closer. 

Fingers fidget with the small front pocket. As the fingers zipped open the pocket, peeking inside at the abundance of small handheld things, but only one caught her eye. A small, thick metal octagon disc. Her pod's key, (y/n) dragged a thumb across the tiny Kryptonian inscription that was engraved on it. She stood there for only a second more before turning away from the bed, key in hand, flying out the window.

Facing towards the wooded land, she takes a deep breath and concentrates. Eyes dilated and moving like camera lenses, trying to find the pod. With her telescopic vision activated, she kicks her legs back in the air, propelling herself towards the woods.

 •☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

“Where the hell did he put it?” The words were sharp and frustrated. Even with telescopic vision, she was having trouble finding it. Was she not concentrating hard enough? Was the pod being mentally blocked somehow unconsciously? Who knows, all (y/n) knew was that it was aggravating her. Venturing deeper into the woods, not knowing if the pod was close enough, made her want to laser the trees around her. The need to commit massive deforestation out of anger was intense.

But before she could give in to the rage, the key vibrated and glowed, halting all emotions she was witnessing as she waved the key around to see where it was. Only to find out that the fool buried the pod underground.

(y/n) let out a noise of annoyance, 'Of course he would do this, it's like he's testing my abilities without even being here,' she thought. Pushing the key in her pocket and landing on the dirt, squatting down, digging her hands in the rubble of mud. Fingers wiggling around, trying to find a grippable piece of metal, once she had the proper grip. She started pulling and lifting with her legs as the pod erupted from the earth. 

Clapping her hands clean, she walked back, all she could do was stare. There it was, her pod. The same pod that she slept in, unchanged and untouched by time, has been stuck in orbit around the sun for over 20 long years. The same rich silver that seemed always abundant in Father's and Uncle Jor-EL's lab. Right hand rubbing the smooth, cool silver, remembering how they spent hours building it, making the triangular craft, considerable yet somehow so compact. Right hand sliding closer to the key port.

 Eyes locked onto the octagonal dip in the smooth silver planting. Hesitation oozed from her body, as she was not expecting to feel so many complex emotions at once. After reading that text message, after staying on earth for 2 months, she just assumed that it wouldn't be so hard to revisit the pod.

Yet, there she was, glaring at the key dip as it was tempting her, verbally harassing her to open it and relive those last moments of home. Yes, (y/n) was grateful to Kal for giving her the pod back, but at that moment, she regretted even searching for it. Minutes tick by as she contemplates opening it. 

Ultimately, she pulled her hand away, stepping back. Keeping a reasonable distance from the pod, I glanced up at the sky. What was once blue was now  bright orange, night right around the corner. 'Maybe I shouldn't open it,' she thought, as she tried to fight back any more conflicting thoughts.

Leaving the pod above ground, not bothering to hide it properly, as she flew back to her attic room. Hopefully, if she went now, and no longer had to see the pod, then her mind would be more at ease. 

 •☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

Later that night, (y/n) tucked into bed, staring up at the white ceiling, watching the brown ceiling fan spin as the sound of crickets surrounded the windows, the talk of wilderness whispering in her ears. It's almost midnight, and she still can't close her eyes; they're tired, heavy, and burning. Yet they refuse to close, as if they were holding back something more than sleep behind her eyelids. 

Pulling off the bed sheets that cover her, hanging over the bed, reaching for the backpack, setting it on the bed beside her, giving easy access to open the bigger pocket of the bag. Hand digging around, pulling out the gift box that Mrs. Kent gave me.

"I need to open that tomorrow," (y/n) whispered before setting it on her nightstand. Only to return to digging around for what she wanted. A hard, cubular object pressed into her palm as she pulled it out. Exactly what (y/n) wanted, needed at that very moment for some source of relief. One of her many memory crystals. 

Cradling it gently in her Palms, her thumbs rubbed against the dull corners of the cube before she sat down on the side of the cushions, curling her legs inside and leaning against the bed's wooden headboard and plush pillows, mimicking a hug that couldn't get warm enough.

It was silent, as if she were contemplating what to do, whether to do it, or to save her tears and save face, rather than embracing something she dreaded. But the yearning for more tipped its edge. (y/n) thumb pushed into the front side of the cube and watched as a small, slightly dull light appeared from it. To an outsider, it looked like she was sitting there with glowing blue eyes, staring into nothing.

Yet for (y/n), it was as if she were reliving the past. She can feel everything; she hears and smells. The best way to describe the experience would be to liken it to being in a simulation or a dream. The whole attic room was replaced with her living room back on Krypton, parents standing in front of our media pad as the news played. Their voices were so loud and clear that they brought tears to her eyes. Eyes prickling with tears, teeth biting her bottom lip. With a sniffle from her nose, she walked closer to them.

With shaking limbs, (y/n) wrapped both her parents in a hug. Lips trembling, her nose burned as she hated this feeling, hated it to her heart's core. She grew to be strong, not to cry. To not have such an emotion torment her, but the tears streaming down her face were too strong, the yearning, the need for her home. Her parents. We're too strong.

“Ieiu, Ukr.” She sniffled in their embrace, not daring to pull away as she let the tears stain her cheeks and burn her eyes. Whimpering in a cracked, Broken Voice.

“Khap sem rrosh zehdh”

All that could be heard in the attic were soft cries as the night drew on.

Ieiu, Ukr - Mom, Dad

“(y/n)!” 

“Huh?!” My head whipped around to see Kal standing on the ground, arms crossed against his broad chest as he pushed up his fake glasses.

“Come on, we do not want to keep them waiting.” 

“Oh yeah, right,” I muttered, floating away from the cows to the dirt road as I jogged after him on the driveway. Taking the time to enjoy the scenery a bit more before checking out what the house looked like from inside. I only caught up to him and stepped onto their wooden porch. I watched as he knocked on the door, and we waited. 

I fidget with my hands, looking at everything that wasn't the door, giving me time to inspect the house I will live in for a while. It was nice. It was painted a bright lemon yellow with a warm beige roof and white trim on the doors and windows. The two-story house could be three, depending on how big the attic looks on the outside.

Just as I was about to wander to the side, the front door opened to reveal a light olive-skinned woman in her mid-50s, probably 57. She had mostly grey hair that overtook her blond strands, and blue eyes. She was a little chubbier, but not as much as Mrs. Kent, and was wearing a cute old fashion farm dress.

“Oh, you made it—” she gasped dramatically, walking towards me, grabbing my face and squishing my cheeks together. “Oh, just look at you! So precious! We are so excited to have you here. I hope you can see us as your next Ma and Pa because we already see you as a daughter.”

 I side-eyed Kal before I looked back at her again. “Uh, yeah,” was the best I could say as I felt her take her hands off my face and start to guide us into her house. She came off a little too strong for my liking and way too eager to be called ‘ma and pa.’ A title I'm not even close to ready to give out for free.

The house is cute, though, with floral wallpaper and cluttered walls. But the furniture and appliances look top-of-the-line. Yeah, they definitely have money to spend. It's just those two; I see no pictures of grandkids or even kids in general. So that's why she desperately wants me to be her daughter.

“With your cousin's help, we made up your room in the attic. He said you would have loved the 'vibe' of it.” Her words seemed to knock me out of my thoughts. I nodded in acknowledgement and hummed, looking up at the staircase as Mrs. Eliza and Kal returned to talking before clearing my throat a little, breaking the small talk between them. 

“Well, actually, I was thinking of exploring the town a little bit, you know, seeing how far I need to get from here to the school,” I spoke up, awkward but confident, as I looked between Kal and my new guardian, Eliza. Kal looked at me with a straight face as if in deep thought, only to hear Eliza's hands clapping for the smile brimming on her face.

“Oh, that's a great idea. You'll need to know how to get around the area. Oh, why don't you go with her, Clark? At least to the town. A few more moments of cousin bonding before you return to the metropolis!” Eliza exclaimed, almost excited for me to explore. “And while you're gone, I can clean up your room a little bit more and make you something to eat,” she started to spew on as I gently set my backpack down next to a coat rack, taking my phone out. When I stood up, I was suddenly pushed out of the front door with Kal in a hurry.

Looking back at her, she waved goodbye like we were leaving for school and closed the door behind us. Kal and I side-eyed each other before he rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaling with the tiniest of smiles. 

“Well, we better start walking,” he said with a cheery voice as if he wasn't going through a tired dad meltdown a second ago. I watched him walk away as I stared at the back of his head with a perplexed face before rolling my eyes and jogging behind him.

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

“Ugh.” That was the 10th groan I let out on a 30-minute walk, and we still haven't reached the town. I can tell that all my moaning and whining were getting on his nerves. The fact that made me smile like a kid, wanting him to give in so we could just fly or run to town. I returned to throwing my head to the side as I was about to grow again, only to be stopped by his voice.

“I know what you're doing, and it's a no.”

"That's not fair. We flew all the way here. It's going to take a century to get into this town!"

"Actually, it will take two hours and thirty minutes,” He said as if it was nothing.

Immediately, I stopped in my tracks and stared at the back of his head, eyes almost blown out of their sockets as my hands went through my hair. He probably could hear that I had stopped walking as he turned around and raised an eyebrow at me, the wind running between us.

“You're joking about that time, right? Why can't we just run or fly to town? It's the best Time Saver!”  My voice danced through the trees that were fewer and fewer with each step we took, starting to transform from a luscious Greenery to an Orange sandy desert. I hear him sigh through his nose, his hand running through his hair before he turns to look at me.

“I don't know why you're acting like I didn't automatically unlock all of my Powers at once when I got out of my pod.”

“That's not the point (y/n), it's not what you have that can handle the power of it. Now tell me exactly what you can control, and then I'll think about it.”

“flight, super speed, X-ray vision, and super hearing," I said with a smirk, only to falter when Kal made an error buzzer noise from his mouth.

“EEEH! Wrong, your hearing will go haywire when you go to school.”

“Okay, so three.” I puff out my chest as my shoulders slump over, tired of this conversation. "It's still enough to get to the town.”

“That's not the point-”

“Then what is and don't say to keep my powers in line because Ms Kent said that you use your powers all the time to get to school.”

His mouth opened to counterattack, but closed again, checkmate. He was right where I wanted him. I watched his shoulders slump down in defeat before he gave me a gentle smile. “Okay, you got me there. It doesn't hurt to use your abilities, and they get to places.”

“Race you there!” he quickly said as he turned around and started running towards the town, at light speed, sending sand in the air.

 “No fair!” I said, running after him, leaving behind my own sandstorm.

 •☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

The Run couldn't have lasted longer than 10 seconds as my vans scraped on the sandy, hard ground. I could have run past the town and into a new state if it wasn't for Kal's arm stretched out, hitting against my chest like a parent scared of a child flying out the car window.

“Ugh!” grunting as I doubled over on his arm, hair flailing about and covering my face like a veil, the impact knocking the wind out of my lungs. 

“You need to pay more attention, you could have revealed yourself” I rolled my eyes as I pushed The hair out of my face and pulling away from his arm fixing my clothes I can hear him in the background trying to lecture me as I just block out the noise looking around the town barely trees uncomfortably warm but it's kind of cute almost cozy.

My eyes scanned around, seeing that we were behind a building, convenient that running this way sent us to some form of privacy. My feet moved without any thought about walking onto the sidewalk, hands behind my back, ready to use his credit card, waiting patiently in his wallet. Wandering off to explore just to get yanked back.

Kal’s slightly stern gaze locked into my bored, annoyed eyes. No matter how tired I was of this need to lecture and teach me, I didn't cause a scene when he yanked me closer to him as if making sure we couldn't be heard from behind the building.

“Remember, in public don't-” 

“Yes, yes, I know. Don't use my powers; I'm not a kid, Kal,” I interrupted his sentence with a twang of annoyance.

”And call me Clark in public.” The silence between us was intense and tense. If one wrong word was said between us, it could start an argument. Yet somehow, the air slowly eased into a comforting, reassuring feeling as his eyes softened and his body relaxed. Like he was proud, I watched him dig into his pocket to pull out his wallet, and out came a credit card. His lips curved in a slight smirk as he handed me the card.

“This is your card. I got it made and filled with," he paused, an action that caused me to raise a brow, "help from a good friend." He made a hand motion at my back pocket, making me pull my phone out from the back pocket of my shorts and hand it to him. I leaned in to see him download a bank app, add my account, and then gave it back to me.

"holy shit, 50,000?! Who did you rob?!" 

"I didn't rob anybody; it's an allowance from a good friend of mine. To keep getting this big of an allowance, you need to get good grades, and these are his words: 'Don't do anything to make him come after you.'" I did not like how his 'friend' practically thinks im some criminal struggling to reform, but I did love the money. It must be some rich dude cuz Kal could never with his reporter job. The thought banged in my mind as I stuffed the card in my front pocket.

"Sounds easy enough," I said while searching through the bank app to find my username and password. Thumbs rush on the screen to change them. My response made him roll his eyes and chuckle softly before patting my head, my eyes looking up at him. 

“Well, I'd better get going; I have work tomorrow. I trust that you can find yourself around," removing his hand from my head, leaving my hair ruffled and messy, much to my chagrin. He was about to return to the Danvers, only to stop and turn back to me after digging into his pocket. "Oh, almost forgot, you have to keep these on; your eyes are still sensitive," he rushed out. My vision blurred for a millisecond as he pushed glasses on my face. 

I hated these glasses, but I understand why I had to keep them on. My eyesight was too strong and overstimulating until it was controlled. It was one of the many things Kal drilled into my head when I first arrived. I pushed up my glasses as my facial muscles softened at him.

"I'll miss you, Kal," I whispered to him, making him pull me into a hug.

"Be strong for me, (y/n). I'll visit when I can, okay?"

"Okay, I will." The hug lasted a little bit longer before we both pulled away, and I stood there, watching him walk back down the dirt road to the farm. No doubt, going to give a prep talk to my new guardians. I waited till he was out of sight before I turned to walk around the building to face the not-so-busy street. 

The sun sitting on my skin made me smile and close my eyes, just soaking in the rays, the best feeling in the world, from the snuggling warmth to the energizing feeling that was so addictive. My awareness deteriorated as I was frozen in the moment. Eyes slowly peel open, staring at the sky, finally prepared to navigate this adventure alone. Abruptly turning away from the sun to walk down the sidewalk, only to bump into some stranger. The force of our bodies colliding made the person fall to the concrete ground with a painful grunt.