Invincible // Superman

Chapter Thirteen: Black And Blue

Silvia bit her lip. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror yet but she could only assume that she looked like a mess. "It's n-nothing, really. Debris from a building fell on me during the attack on Metropolis... I'm fine now." She watched as Clark's eyes filled with concern and had to look away from the softness they exhibited. Before he had a chance to vocalise his concerns Silvia had spoken again, almost hurriedly as if she meant to cut him off. "I was looking for you. That's when I ran into your boss."

"You were looking for me?" Clark said, the hint of amusement in his voice only succeeding in frustrating Silvia further. "Were you... worried about me, Miss Stone?"

Silvia froze, gulping down the lump that had lodged itself in her throat at his words. "O-Of course not! I just thought... I thought th-that..." She rattled her brain for excuses, face growing hot and body slumping against the kitchen counter. "I th-thought that I should get a second copy of that interview off of you... If you died then this whole thing would have been a massive waste of my time."

There was a silence that lingered through the small room. One that had Silvia glancing up at the reporter, only to instantly regret it when she saw his lips quirk upward. "Well, that's a real shame because I was definitely worried about you."

The shock registered on her face slowly. First her eyes widened and stared at him as if she didn't quite catch what he had said, then her mouth parted enough to suck in a few small gasps of air. Her mind was the last to react. It lit up like a UV light, invisible thoughts suddenly plastered on her face. No one had ever cared to acknowledge her existence until recently, let alone like her enough to worry whether she was still breathing. Well... at least not for a very long time.

Silvia pushed back the stuttered words that wanted to escape. She tried to compose herself though her surprise was still painfully obvious. Somehow the thought of him caring unlocked something in her, stripped another layer away. Silvia took a deep inhale, knowing that she would regret being so vulnerable later... she always did. Yet she still stepped over to the window next to her couch and waved Clark over.

The reporter wasted no time, almost tripping over a loose nail on his way over.

"The last time we met... I may have overreacted when you asked how long I've lived in Suicide Slum." It was almost physically nauseating to force each word out. It wasn't exactly an apology but it was as close as she could get to one. The blonde pointed at the unimpressive view from her window. "See that gutter across the road?"

Clark nodded and raised his eyebrow in succession. It was apparent that he was just as confused as he was interested in what she had to say.

"That's where I was born." Silvia leaned against the sill, forehead tapping lightly onto the glass and resting there. She appeared lost for a moment, memories clouding her mind that she had blocked out for years. "I came one week early. My mom had to rely on the help of strangers to deliver me, thankfully there were a few there that weren't too drugged up to help."

The gutter she had pointed to was filthy, riddled in gunk and appeared to have not been washed down in decades. Clark remained quiet but glanced in her direction. She was still lost on the curb outside, mind elsewhere. "My mom told me that story as if it were something to be proud of. She believed, like most parents I suppose, that I was destined to change things. To do some good in the world... but I never left the slums."

The hurt that riddled Silvia's face softened Clark's expression even further. As she pushed herself away from the window, feeling rather idiotic for sharing something so personal, Clark finally decided to speak. "Where you're from doesn't determine what you do with your life, Miss Stone. Trust me, I know."