#electromaniac

To say it was a rainy day would've been an understatement. The water pelted my skin, making even me, Superman, wince every now and then. It had been dull and dark, morning to evening. I couldn't recall a previous day quite like this one, with the streets flooded and lampposts swaying. But this drastic weather wasn't the strangest thing to happen to me this day.

The city centre was hit the worst, with the rain rapidly reaching eight inches. The rest of Metropolis? It was a safe haven in comparison. There had been numerous reports of people stranded in the city, and the police were struggling to drive their vehicles through the water, so my day was spent helping distressed citizens into buses and flying them to safety. Three hours later, the centre was almost completely evacuated.

Almost.

My role as Superman was to protect the people of Metropolis, whether it be from alien invasions, torrential rain, or criminals. I had made a silent promise to this city, told myself that everyone deserved a chance. Even those delinquents that used the flood as a golden opportunity to burgle stores. So, whilst I tried to rescue the stranded citizens, not all of them wanted to leave.

I landed outside a small bakery in the city centre. A strange place to target, I thought. But, then again, people were desperate these days. They'd settle for even a couple of dollars. I splashed through the water, which must've been way over eight inches deep now, and was grateful for my knee-high boots. The blue neon sign above the door flickered, with half of it's bulbs hanging from its frayed wiring. The glass cracked more and more with each pounding of a raindrop.

"Alright," I whispered to myself. It was time to tackle my third burglary of the day. The people of Metropolis were relentless.

Pushing through the door, one of the lower hinges snapped off, but that must've been the water damage. Inside was a ground easier to navigate. Though, now with a broken door, more rain water trickled in, pushing the bakery's pastel chairs and tables toward the back wall. The lights above flickered a soft white, but at least they were still attached to the ceiling.

My eyes darted over to the cash register sitting atop a marble counter. I expected to see some hooded figure, possibly armed, shoving money into a bag, like I had the previous two times. I had dealt with many criminals, confronted men and women, old and young. But never had I seen one huddled in the corner of a bakery, sitting on the countertop opposite the register. Sniffling. Weeping.

Then I realized this wasn't a criminal at all. Or, at least, she wasn't the typical burglar. She was a youthful girl, her dark locks covering most of her face. Her head snapped up as she heard me kick through the water. My movements slowed but never stilled. Not until I approached the glass display cases, which were smashed and the baked goods inside strewn about. Beside the girl were multiple trays of bread rolls, pastries and cakes. Empty trays floated in the water below her. My eyes began to sting a little as I glanced back at the girl - the kid - with a slice of cake half shoved in her mouth, and, by the icing covering the bottom half of her face, it wasn't her first one. Her eyes were wide and glossy, like she had been caught.

"You're Superman," she mumbled, her voice weak.

"I am," I shouted over the sound of rain hammering the roof. "How about I get you out of here? I'm sure your family's very worried about you."

Slowly rounding the counter, I extended my hand, allowing her to take it if is she so desired, but the girl didn't move.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and nibbled on the rest of the cake that was crumbling in her small hands. I noticed then - really noticed - her sunken cheeks and slim figure. She was trembling, lips quivering, tear marks visible in her dirt streaked face. The city had been flooded for a quarter of the day, but that was not enough time for someone to get in such a state. No, this poor girl had been like this for a while. Cold. Alone.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, my voice wavering a little.

The girl nodded shyly, shrinking further into herself as she finished off the dessert. Instinctively, I inched closer, my hand still held out towards her. I gave a single nod of my head, showing I wasn't there to hurt her, but she only pulled a paper bag of food closer. My heart sank, and I refused to leave this bakery without her.

I glanced around. Building flooded, litter scattered, glass smashed. Plus, the door hinge that had broken off due to the water, of course, and the dodgy lighting. Besides all of that, the bakery didn't appear awfully damaged. Nothing that couldn't be fixed. Either way, my priority was the girl. And, if she was hungry, there was no way I was going to refuse her food, even if she had not paid for it.

"You can bring the food," I reluctantly told her. "But just this bag, okay? I'll get you somewhere safe." Her gaze lingered on me but she still didn't move. I was trying so hard to get her to trust me, to see that staying in the bakery was dangerous. It had taken five hours for the water levels outside to reach eight inches. Given a few more hours, the whole building would've probably been filled to the ceiling. Though, considering how the light fixtures aggressively swayed with each drop of rain, it wasn't completely ridiculous to believe the roof might've caved in first.

"You're not in trouble. Let me help you," I pleaded.

I still remember the way her face softened at those words. I remember most things that happened to me, better than the average human, but this moment was different. It reminded me why I took up the role of Superman in the first place: to help people. With so much cruelty and violence in the world, it was easy to turn on one another. It was even easier to fall into the abyss of hatred and apathy, disrespect and disregard. Such darkness poisoning society, and the cure was just one simple act of kindness. A smile, a wave, something to show people that there was still some light in this world. Something to give them hope. And when I looked at that girl, huddled in the corner of a flooded bakery, that was what I saw in her. Hope.

I had come to save her, so that was exactly what I did.

I nodded once more, thankful we were making progress. Her knees had separated from her chest, and she grabbed the bag of goods. Placing one arm behind her back and another under her legs, I carried her through the waters and out of the bakery. The rain had slowed quite significantly, now a normal pace as opposed to the lethal blows minutes ago, but the contact was still enough to make the kid flinch.

"You're gonna be okay."

I flew her to safety, keeping a grip on her bag of food. Even at the hospital, one I had taken the other stranded citizens to, I couldn't help but remain nearby. It was a rather strange feeling. I had rescued kids before, returned them to their parents, but I sensed this girl was alone and had been for some time. My parents had always told me that I cared with every fibre of my being. Which wasn't a bad thing, they reassured me. It just meant I had a big heart and a tendency to care for people in the way I'd like my family to be cared for.

This girl may not have had any parents, but she was still someone's daughter. I felt the urge to patch her up myself, provide her with so much food that she'd never go hungry again, to hold her so tight that even the wind wouldn't dare touch her. But she was not mine. So I sat beside her and waited, only bringing myself to leave once I saw her be escorted by a nurse.

I had no idea I'd be seeing her again so soon.

The next time I bumped into the girl, only two days had passed since the flood. It had mostly cleared up and the streets were back open. I returned to the bakery and took accountability for the missing goods. It had been eating away at me, no pun intended, since I rescued that kid.

I thought it a coincidence but, looking back, I realized just how desperate she was.

I found her sitting on a sewage drain, being jolted up and down as something banged from the inside. She finally had color in her face, and any dirt had been cleared away. With a new set of clothing on her, I suspected she was also provided with some shelter. I couldn't deny that I was rather glad to see her in this improved condition.

"Oh, hey," she said, as I approached. Her tone was disarmingly casual, all signs of distress from a few days ago gone. "There's something in here."

I put my foot on the drain cover and the jolting stopped but the banging from inside continued. Strangely, the cover had a thick ring of ice around it, slightly cracking at the edges. "I'm gonna need you to step back, miss," I had told her.

She looked up at me with an expression of betrayal, her dark eyes large and glistening. "No, I can help," she pleaded. Her brows were furrowed, her mouth slightly downturned. This was going to be a problem.

I sighed. I didn't have to know this girl personally to understand that she had already been through a lot - seeing her in that bakery was enough. And, even if she could somehow help, it would've been beneficial to the both of us if she was kept out of danger. Not exactly willing to debate, I reached down for the girl and flew her to the other side of the street. But, by letting my foot off the drain cover, the creature sprung free, sending the cover flying into the sky and eventually crash landing on the roof of a nearby bank. I sped back over to it - a slim, reptile looking thing that managed to reach a height of fifty feet, even with a portion of its body still in the sewers. How such a thing had gone unnoticed for so long I had no idea.

The citizens below screamed and dispersed, attracting the attention of this snake like being. It hissed before spurting green gunk at the ground from its mouth. Luckily, it missed any citizens, but had caused the tarmac to bubble and dissolve.

"Golly," I muttered to myself. This was going to be more difficult than I expected. From up in the air, I took a quick survey of the ground, releasing a sigh of either relief or annoyance upon sighting the kid and her mop of dark curls. In a dangerous situation, yet again, but still alive. Why had she not ran like the others?

I turned my attention back to the snake. There had to be some way to get it away from the people, I had thought. But before I could even fully consider my options, the air crackled. A noise so strange I searched for its source, though I found nothing. Not until a second later, when a large bolt of lightning struck the reptile, causing it to violently spasm. My head snapped up toward the blue sky, only to see that there was not a cloud in sight. Down on the ground, the girl was standing there, still safe, with a small smile.

"I told you I could help!" she shouted up at me.

Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. The snake had stopped seizing and instead was falling toward the ground, toward the numerous, no doubt occupied, buildings. I had caught it with ease, curled it in on itself, and placed it down with only a little thud that caused the entire street's lampposts to shake. I patted the creature's grey-green scales, ignoring the thin layer of slime that coated my hands. There were worse ways to go, I supposed.

"Sick," the girl jogged up to me, a grin on her tanned face. It slowly disappeared as she analyzed the giant reptile barricading the streets. "What do we do now?"

"No idea," I admitted.

We both stared at the snake for some time, though I couldn't help but keep glancing back at my company. She was almost half my size and, in the daylight, it was much easier to notice her youthfulness. This teen - I guessed she must've been no older than eighteen - had summoned lightning, and stood beside me as if I wouldn't have questions.

Of course I had met my fair share of superpowered folk, or metahumans some called them, but none were quite like her. They were adults, acting on their own desires. They had bases or headquarters, or if they didn't exactly have good intentions then a lair and an army. This girl was stranded in a flooded building, hording food and balling her eyes out. She was cold and alone, with some sort of tremendous power. From her accent alone, I could tell she wasn't a Metropolitan. And, sure, plenty of people had moved to Metropolis for a handful of reasons, despite the awfully high rent prices, but none of them were lone children. This city wasn't in such a state that the youth stole from food suppliers and slept on the streets. Adults? Definitely. Kids, however, were supposed to be protected.

Luckily, this girl was fine now, I had thought. A clean face, combed hair. She was still skinny, of course - it had only been two days.

Two days and I had come to care for her quite significantly. Even if she had all the goods in the world and nothing to fear, I would've still looked out for her the same, as, from this moment onwards, I had another silent promise to hold myself to.

I turned to fully face the girl. "What's your name?"

"Evelyn," she replied quickly.

I smiled at the kid. "Good work, Evelyn."

She was there again the next day, standing back and observing whilst I dealt with the threat. I was grateful she didn't try and involve herself. Though, with the increasing amount of attacks, I could've done with some help. It was mentally exhausting.

"Hi, again," she waved, once it was handled.

"Hello, Evelyn."

She gave a small smile. "Thank you for saving me the other day. In the bakery. I was having a really bad day. Like, a really bad day," she grimaced.

"It's okay," I nodded. "You look a little better today. Just stay out of trouble."

"Yeah! Of course," she grinned, as if more than happy to comply. I gathered she wasn't about to leave any time soon. Not that I had wanted her to leave, but Evelyn appeared to have grown quite attached to me. As someone who combats danger every week, I wasn't in any position to adopt a teenager as my sidekick. Besides, I had made a promise.

I glanced around the street. An audience had formed earlier, watching and recording me work, and some still remained. No doubt eager for an interview, but, unfortunately, I had recently introduced a very strict policy. No interviews. The only exception being the talented Clark Kent, which just so happened to be my alter ego. No one had caught on so I considered it completely foolproof.

"Listen, Evelyn," I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. "I'm a little busy right now, but no doubt I'll see you at the next disaster."

Her smile faltered slightly. "Yeah, okay. I'll be there," she said, sticking her thumbs up.

The corners of my mouth twitched. "That wasn't exactly an invitation," I told her, softly. "Don't keep throwing yourself into every fight. Stay safe, okay?"

Evelyn nodded eagerly. "I will."

The next time I saw Evelyn, it wasn't fighting extraterrestrial beings or attempting to save the city. In fact, she didn't even show up to help me capture this alien. I didn't let myself become too concerned. She was a teenager who probably had school or some sort of social life. Besides, she was safer this way. Hopefully.

I had decided to sit on the roof of a skyscraper, admiring the vastness of the city. Metropolis, from this height, looked like an average city. Cars beeped one another, crowds formed on the sidewalks with the occasional civilian pushing past, probably trying to make the most of their lunch break. The breeze was gentle, barely even nudging the curl that had broken free from the rest of my hair. It was rather relaxing.

Until I heard a familiar crackle, and lightning struck a few blocks over. I was headed over there before I knew it, cape flapping vigorously behind me. My eyes darted around the ground, and there she was.

Evelyn sprinted down the street, a man in pursuit of her. Within a second, I had landed in between them, causing the man to halt and Evelyn to whip around, wearing the same caught expression she had in the bakery.

"Superman," the guy spoke, breathless. "you must stop this thief!"

"Thief?" I asked, looking at Evelyn. In her hands were two large shopping bags, both filled to the brim with clothing.

"Oh, yes," he placed his hands on his waist and took a deep breath. "We've been trying to catch her for days. She's stolen from almost every store on this block. She needs to be locked up!"

Evelyn took a defensive step back. "Don't go anywhere," I told her, hoping she would listen, then turned back to the man. His cheeks were flushed and his hair askew. "I'm guessing you want your items back."

"Of course!" he shoved his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Give the bags to him," I spoke softly. Evelyn only clutched the bags closer to her, her frown deepening. "Come on," I had held my hand out, which gave me a strong sense of deja vu. Reluctantly, Evelyn passed the bags over to me, and I nodded at her, thankful for her compliance. "I'm so sorry about this, sir. She won't steal from you again. Isn't that right?"

Her gaze was fixed to the sidewalk, but she timidly muttered, "Yes."

Great, I had thought. The problem had been solved but I stilled planned on having a private conversation about it to Evelyn.

"No offense, Superman," the man spoke up, his voice tight. "but she has stolen large quantities of stock from numerous stores. Being banned is simply not good enough."

I swallowed. This was not how I expected it to go. "Of course," I nodded my head repeatedly, as if it was some hypnotic ritual that would make the worker forget about the theft. "I understand, sir. I'll take care of this."

"Thank you, Superman. I trust you'll do the right thing," he said, before rushing back to his store, his returned stock in hand.

I scratched my head. Gee whiz. What a day!

I glanced at Evelyn, searching for ideas on what exactly to do with her. She was already observing me with her eyes narrowed. "Did you just say 'gee whiz'?"

"Uh- Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes." She had just stared at me. Here, I discovered that her gaze could be rather intense. After what felt like minutes of being judged by a teenage girl, Evelyn's face softened and she, once again, looked lost.

"You're not gonna send me to prison, are you?" she asked.

I couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. How naive I had been to believe she had just been treated at the hospital and then miraculously saved. She was still struggling, and all the clothes she had been wearing and food she had been eating was likely stolen. I kicked myself.

Days she had been like this. If I had just been more attentive, I could've helped her. But, no. Because of me, Evelyn had spent even longer in desperation - she had just gotten better at hiding it.

I checked the street. A few civilians excitedly glanced my way, pointing and waving, but the majority just sauntered past. They had more important places to be, I was sure.

"Let's get out of here, Evelyn."

We sat on the roof of a bed and breakfast. Not too high up for Evelyn, but enough that we wouldn't be easily sighted. I asked her what was going on, but she had just shrugged, and so we sat in silence for a while. I trusted her to open up once she was comfortable. Until then, I wasn't going to push her.

Instead, I told her about myself. "My birth name is Kal-El," I started. "I'm from a planet called Krypton." Her eyes had widened at that. At this point, I had only been Superman for a year, but my name was gradually expanding beyond Delaware. Where Evelyn was from, very few had heard of me. I informed her about the destruction of my home planet, and, after her asking if that essentially made me an alien, I went on to talk about my 'alien' abilities. Minutes later, I found myself explaining my morals to Evelyn and the reasoning behind me becoming Superman. She listened to all of it.

Another silence washed over us, as Evelyn fiddled with some gravel upon the roof. "So I'm not going to prison?" she asked, sheepishly.

I sighed, thinking back to the theft. I had planned to sort something out with the manager. "No," I told her. "But you can't do that again. If there's anything you need, you let me know and I'll help."

Her eyes shot up to meet mine, analyzing my face as if she didn't completely believe me. "Really?"

"Of course." She gave me a small smile, her hands going back to trace shapes in the gravel. Despite having my suspicions of what the answer may be, I gently asked, "Have you got any family, Evelyn?"

She shook her head, her attention still fixated on the roofing. "My parents are still in Gotham. They don't want me."

My chest tightened at the words. "They don't want you?"

Evelyn finally looked up. I thought she was going to say more, and perhaps she was, but she had only ended screwing up her face and shaking her head. Not something she was ready to talk about, I noted.

In a different city with no parents. She must've been terrified. "So you don't have any place to stay?" I inquired.

She shrugged so casually. "I mean, I find places. It's not that bad." I could've believed her if I didn't already know the truth.

I inhaled deeply, rubbing a hand on my thigh. "You shouldn't have to live like that," I had tried to tell her, but my voice came out low and weak. "How long has it been like this?"

"Well," she released a half amused breath. "In Metropolis? Only a few days."

"And in Gotham?"

Evelyn uncrossed her legs and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I don't know. I was sort of... around. Like I said, my parents didn't want me, so I stopped going back. I just made the most of whatever I could get. That's like everyone in Gotham."

I was about to reply, tell her that it didn't matter if everyone in Gotham was like that. It wouldn't matter if everyone in the country was like that. No one, especially not a kid, should have had to go through such stuff. But Evelyn beat me to it.

"Do you know Batman?"

I was a little thrown off by the question but I had quickly regained my composure. Of course I had heard of Batman, the mysterious, dark hero of Gotham city. His actions even reached the papers of Metropolis. Though, unfortunately, he had never visited the city. I recalled a reporter at the Daily Planet who had been assigned to write a paper regarding something in Gotham. Some silly investigation. Their travel expenses paid for. They had said they even saw Batman whilst they were there, which I refused to believe. Not out of jealousy, of course, but because they had claimed Batman shot someone. Batman didn't use guns! And he sure as gosh wouldn't backflip whilst emptying his clip into someone, no matter how evil they were!!

I cleared my throat. "Batman? I know of him, yes."

"You've never met him?" Evelyn asked.

"Uhm." A random memory fronted in my mind. A dream I had a while ago of fighting crime with Batman. Gotham was his city and I respected that, but the idea of a collaboration made my heart flutter and blood rush. "Well, uh... not as Superman, no." Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows and I realized I had slipped up. Gosh darn Batman.

"What I meant was that, uh, before I became Superman, I had visited Gotham. I saw him around, that's all." I hated to lie to Evelyn, but I couldn't exactly have admitted that I had taken a trip to Gotham as Clark Kent with the intention of sighting its superhero. That was ridiculous.

And also didn't happen.

"Ohhh," Evelyn slowly nodded. "He knows of you too. He's the one that told me to come here, to Metropolis." I couldn't help the warmth that flushed my cheeks, totally caused by the fact I had to bite back a smile. "He said if I help you then I can redeem myself," Evelyn concluded.

I shook my head, attempting to clear the thoughts away, and focused on my girl. "You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, Evelyn. You know that, right?"

She half shrugged once more. "Yeah, but I haven't exactly made the best decisions."

I shuffled closer to Evelyn and turned to face her head on. "Everyone makes mistakes. Even me. And you're still just a kid. You've got plenty of time to decide who you want to be and what you want to do." I glanced at the sun which had begun to set, the sky now turning a faint pink. "If you want to become a better person, you don't need to rush into heroics. You're allowed to start small. My job isn't just fighting aliens and beating criminals. I help people. I help them find their lost pets, carry their grocery shopping, and, if I have a bit of free time, I even play a round of soccer with the kids at the park. It's not about the action, but the intention."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "You know how to play soccer?"

Of course that was the only thing she took away from my monologue.

I was slightly taken aback by her tone. Like she didn't expect me to know how to play. I may have been born on a different planet but I had been raised on Earth for over thirty years. And I wasn't exactly into sports but... I scoffed. "Of course. All you do is kick a ball," I chuckled.

"Don't you have super strength though?" she asked quietly, resting her head on her knees.

"Well, yeah. But I try to be gentle. I let the kids win anyway. It'd be mean not to," I said, as if the multiple missed goals were intentional.

Evelyn just yawned, and slouched even further down. The corner of my mouth tugged. "How about we call it a night?" I had suggested. "You can stay at mine tonight, Evelyn. I'll keep you safe."

I had taken her back to my apartment. A huge risk, as I hadn't told her everything about me, but I trusted her completely, and there was no way I was going to allow her to sleep on the streets or in some run down building. I let her take the bed, whilst I slept on the sofa. I had considered, in this moment, converting the spare room into a bedroom for her. However, I discarded the thought almost instantly. I didn't even know if she was wanting to stay.

When Evelyn woke up, it was the middle of the day. I had called in sick to work, and Perry, though he probably didn't believe a word, permitted me to take the day off. Breakfast was already made - I had expected her to wake earlier - but it tasted better reheated anyway. I encouraged Evelyn to make herself at home. Watch TV, help herself to my books organized in alphabetical order on my shelf, play a few games of chess. Whatever teenagers did these days.

"Thank you, Superman," she said, taking a seat on the sofa. My heart swelled, and I began to hope that she would stay.

"Call me Clark," I smiled, sitting beside her. "That's what I go by when I'm not Superman."

"Thank you, Clark."

𐙚⋆.˚ Clark Kent/Superman:

⋆ supermans.cape - daily planet worker who may or may not have a very successful superman fan account.

⋆ date night - clark kent is determined to make up for his frequent absences.

⋆ bad day at work - clark x introvert!reader.

⋆ electromaniac - the city of metropolis has been hit by its worst storm yet. when superman takes it upon himself to rescue the stranded citizens, he has an unlikely encounter which changes his entire life.

⋆ being in love with clark kent - there's a loser at your workplace and he has unfortunately captured your attention.