#talonsown

It was inevitable, really. Clark had been avoiding most of Smallville, but Lana specifically, for months. Ever since that fateful day he'd gone to find her and spotted that ring on her finger -- the ring that said she was promised to another. He couldn't blame her, of course. Kyle had been there for her. He hadn't. But the loss that filled his heart every time he thought of her... he just couldn't bring himself to face her. To admit how completely and utterly he'd failed her, the woman he loved.

But he could only visit his mother so many times before he was bound to run into her.

He could still recognize her footsteps, her heartbeat, just hearing them approach the front door. His heart leapt in his throat -- and again as he heard her soft voice, speaking with his mother at the door. Dropping off some paperwork for the bank. He listened, hung on every word, even as he stood tucked away in his old bedroom upstairs.

After a moment, Martha invited Lana inside, ushering her into the kitchen before slipping away upstairs, just to grab something to sign with she said -- though Clark knew she was heading straight for him. She knew her son far too well. He didn't look at his mother as she stood in the doorway. "Clark. You can't just stand here listening. You need to talk to her."

Immediately, Clark shook his head. "I wouldn't know what to say. How could I possibly explain? How could I ever try to justify abandoning her?"

With a soft sigh, Martha stepped closer and put her hand on Clark's back, stating so gently, "You can't hide from her forever, dear."

Clark's eyes drifted closed, glasses coming off momentarily so he could rub at the bridge of his nose. She was right. His mother was always right. Replacing his glasses, he finally relented and nodded. He could only delay the inevitable for so long.

Still, Clark found himself waiting in the kitchen doorway for almost thirty seconds, anxiously watching Lana's back, before he could find the strength to say a single, gentle word.

isn't that the million dollar question? Just Joe. new yorker, old boots, cares more for old books than people, general critic of the big apple's rotten core. or is it will betteIheim, LA alien, burning like a lobster in the californian heat, a dickensian orphan thrust into the rungs of angelenos whole food obscurity? two toes down, generally spending more time eating instant ramen than tending to one's own garden, so to speak. but hey, he managed to send a notorious moIester into an early grave and leave his own slurry of bodies strewn from one side of the golden coast to the other. and then there's jonathan. i've gone through names, id's, lives and passports like they're a child picking out his own favourite candy bars without much regard for fat content and other skeletons to bury.

to put it bluntly, identity is an object of obscurity for me now. i learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; i saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if i could rightly be said to be either, it was only because i was radically both.

"that's a bit of a loaded question." will nick spencer jonathan joe tyler adam daniel james — spin the fucking wheel and you'll churn out a different archetype each time.

@talonsown gets a starter

There was, he just had to pluck up the nerve to finally say it to her. "There's something I need to tell you." Secrets had driven wedges between them before. It was not a mistake he wanted to make again. Things might not be perfect when it came to their current status, but she deserved to know. He pulled up the sleeve of his plaid shirt, revealing a watch tightly strapped to his wrist. The face was a shade close to royal blue. "Blue kryptonite. Lana, I've decided to give up my powers."

"Not exactly." Whilst Clark didn't need his glasses to see, he was well aware of how humans needed to visit the optician at least once every three years to get their eyes checked, and how each check usually came with a new frame. Whilst the lenses would remain the same (sunstone from a krypton ship wasn't exactly easy to come by), he had made the choice to update the rest of the look a little. Others might find it weird that he had gone to Lana over this, but it felt nice to be able talk to others outside of his family and superhero circle about the seemingly small and normal things in life.

He pointed to the three different glasses frames he's had sent over, each of which was almost identical in shape and size, the only real distinguisher being the differing frame colours. One was black, one brown, and the last had just the smallest hint of silvery grey around the rim of the lenses. It wasn't vanity that drove the choice, in fact, it was the exact opposite. He wanted the most inconspicuous pair, the ones that didn't draw any unnecessary attention to his face. "What do you think?" Each pair was briefly held up against his face. "Which is the least eye-catching?"

"But what they're doing doesn't seem right," Clark folds the newspaper they had both been poring over. What they've been reading about borders unethical in many areas, regardless of the good endgame intentions, yet there don't seem to be any real laws being broken.

Superman always tries to be the light in the dark, to inspire people to make a brighter world for everyone, but he's called the Boy Scout for a reason; Superman largely operates within the system. However, whilst Superman might not be able to do anything, Clark Kent can.

"I can't turn away from something like this without at least trying to do something, you know that." And somewhere behind the Man of Steel lies a young Smallville farm-boy seeking the solidarity of his best friend.

botanical headcanons ( accepting )

The thing about Clark is that being indestructible means his bravery looks pretty different than most people's. He can charge right into a firefight knowing that he'll come out unscathed, and his main concerns are almost always for the innocent people around him, not for himself. Even against foes that can actually hurt him, he's usually not too terrified unless there are personal stakes (like his family) or if it's actual end-of-the-world territory.

how's my portrayal?