The sidewalk was hot enough to fry her breakfast on. It was high noon and the sun beat down with unrestrained brutality, a few withering trees cast patches of pathetic shade onto the baked tarmac but even that provided no relief. The last thing that Silvia felt like doing was patrol the streets but the area she lived in was always being attacked. She may have initially arrived there to avoid Clark but she needed to fight crime no matter where she was. It was in her blood.
Luckily, it seemed like she was the only one stupid enough to be walking around in such unbearable weather. Even some of the soldiers had taken cover in nearby sources of shade or in their houses. She could endure more than most people, but even she was starting to feel it effecting her stamina.
The lack of activity in the area gave her time to think, which was something she usually tried to avoid. Her mind had wandered back to her conversation with Diana, and worst of all, to Clark.
She missed him so much... She missed the way his smile could brighten up the world, she missed his eyes that were so impossibly blue that even glasses couldn't completely hide their colour, and she missed how he always seemed to know what she was thinking.
More than any of that though, it was the little things that had her heart aching to see him. Like the way he crossed his arms with his right arm on top when he was serious, and with his left when he was joking. How he disliked action movies, and despite pointing out the unrealistic scenes, he'd watch them for her anyway. She even missed the way he looked at her when she said something stupid; like he couldn't believe that she had said it out loud.
Every step on the sidewalk would bring a new memory, things she didn't even realise she knew about Clark. On her way home it got worse. She passed numerous broken down houses, and she remembered that Clark use to double-knot his shoelaces. A kid stepped outside to pour cold water over his face, and Silvia recalled that Clark always put his pants on before his shirt.
Silvia saw her small shack come into view.
Though Clark didn't need to sleep, he liked to anyway, and he always snored. Surprisingly lightly for someone so powerful, but still audible to Silvia. It use to keep her up but now she found it hard to sleep without the sound.
She took out the rusty keys from her pocket and struggled to fit them into the lock.
Whenever they watched a movie with animals in it he would start randomly stating facts that he learnt on the farm.
The door was pushed open and she stepped inside with a sigh, throwing the keys on a nearby bench and leaning against the wooden surface. She didn't even bother shutting the door, any ventilation from outside was an improvement on the breathless heat inside her new home.
Clark always walked a step ahead of her, as if he was always prepared to protect her despite knowing that she was one of the last people that needed protecting. Silvia would always try and jump ahead, annoyed at being treated like a weakling. Now she understood that he was just doing it because he cared.
Silvia pushed herself back up straight and walked into the kitchen. She gave a breathy exhale and looked into the almost empty fridge. Ketchup... An apple... Yogurt... and that was it. She pulled out the yogurt and apple, placing them on the counter and starting to cut up he fruit.
"Sil." That's what he always called her. She could swear that even now she could hear his voice. The soft tone that came with the name still ring in her head.
"Sil." The word was repeated and Silvia whirled around. She wasn't sure what she expected, but seeing Superman standing in her doorway wasn't it.
The blonde dashed over to the front of her house, eyes wide in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!" She whispered with an attempt to tug him inside and out of the public's eye.
She failed, of course. Her pulling barely made him budge but he took the hint and paced a few steps forward for her. Silvia glanced outside quickly to make sure no one had seen Superman entering her house, then swiftly slammed the door closed.
She turned on her heels, stopping when her eyes met that of the deepest blue she had ever known. The sight relaxed her but she tried to avoid showing physical signs of that. Clark was in his costume, black hair slicked back and hands behind him.
"What... What are you doing here?" Silvia finally managed to stammer out, breath hitching in her lungs.
Clark gulped, something that he rarely did. It was uncommon that he ever felt nervous, and if he ever was he hid it well. His hands were brought into view and he held a bouquet of flowers Silvia had never seen before. They were green and seemed to glow with their own supernatural light. They didn't have leaves, just vines that waved through the air as if they were alive.
Silvia stared at them completely speechless. She wasn't sure whether to poke them curiously or run away screaming.
Superman took a deep breath and then flashed that charming smile of his, pushing down the anxiety that came with it. "They're flowers from a planet I recently visited. On our world, baking soda seems to sustain them fairly well."
"You mean... I have to 'water' them with baking soda?"
Clark chuckled. "You're the first person to ever see them besides me, there's probably other things you could use but I wouldn't risk it. They're pretty fussy."
Superman extended the gift a little farther out towards her, urging the girl to take them. She bit her lip with uncertainty, but regardless, she still reached out to grab hold of the bouquet. "Couldn't have just gotten me roses, Dorothy?"
Clark's expression softened even more at the nickname. "Roses die, these don't... besides, you never really liked flowers."
"So, you got me alien flowers instead?" Silvia asked, tilting her head to the side oddly. It wasn't that she hadn't been grateful for the gesture, she just didn't understand how that worked in his mind.
"No." Clark said, stepping closer to her. "I got you something that no one else could."
Silvia could smell him now. A scent that had missed with all of her being. One that reminded her of sunlight and fresh air in Autumn. She shivered, bringing the flowers closer to her chest as she felt her throat start to dry. She tried to push away the warm feeling that seeped through her body... It was already hot enough without him making her chest set aflame.
"Yeah... alien flowers." Silvia forced out, quirking her lips to a playful smirk. "Still count as flowers."
Clark returned the smile, shaking his head in defeat. "You just had to ruin the mood, didn't you? I'm trying to be romantic."
"Too bad. You know that romance isn't my thing either, kind of like flowers." Silvia teased, gesturing to the alien plant. "But thank you. This was... very sweet."
Clark could hear her struggling to use the word 'sweet'. It just wasn't something that was usually in her vocabulary. Nor were things like 'cute', or even 'love'. He knew that she was actively trying to use them despite this though, but he could always tell that it almost choked in her throat every time.
"You're welcome, Sil." Clark said softly, voice full of affection.
The sound made the girl's heart sink. What was happening? It was like they had both forgotten that they were no longer together, or at least she had. He had that effect on her, like the world could be falling apart and it'd still feel right if he was there with her... as fucked up as that sounds.
Silvia turned her back to the man and went back into the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but is there a reason you decided to visit me?"
She sensed Superman appear next to her and she glanced down to see him holding up a brand new vase for her. He always did think of everything...
"I needed to speak to you." Was his answer as she took the glass from his hand with a grateful nod.
"Why? Is something wrong?" She asked, placing the flowers inside and putting them on a table close by. Though she wasn't much into anything floral, she had to admit that they were beautiful.
"I suppose you could say that." He extended a hand out to touch her shoulder. Silvia froze at the feeling. "I know it took me a lot longer than it should have, but I want to discuss our relationship now."
"There's nothing to discuss." Silvia shrugged off his hand and turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm here and you're in Metropolis. It shouldn't be too hard to avoid each other this way."
Clark frowned, his eyes dimming of their light for a moment. "I don't want to keep avoiding you though, Sil."
The world around her seemed to halt for a second. Her mouth opened then closed again, as if she couldn't decide whether she had an appropriate reply or not. When she did speak her voice trailed slowly, like her words were unwilling to take flight. There was a sadness in her eyes, the silver too glossy. "There's no other way... I can't run into you every time I leave the house, whether it be in person or on a billboard... I just can't."
"And I can't live in a city that reminds me of you if you're not there, Sil." Clark answered, and now he was too close for her to walk away. "Nothing feels right now that you're gone... Look, I thought we were doing the right thing by staying apart but now I'm certain that we're doing the exact opposite."
Silvia's head snapped up, eyes wide and pupils dilating. He couldn't possibly be implying what she thought he was... "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I should never have let you leave." Clark's voice was immediately lower than before, full of undeniable emotion. "I'm saying that I want you to come back... to come home."
The glossiness in Silvia's almost sprung forth but she blinked any tears that threatened to build in her eyes. She bit her lip. She'd dreamed about hearing him say that for almost two months now... but that's all it could ever be, a dream. "B-But... you saw what might happen if we're together. I won't risk destroying you and everything you stand for."
The air around her felt hollow, rejecting the idea was so painful that she could barely feel the heat anymore. Clark, however, didn't back down. "It doesn't matter how far away you are, my feelings for you won't just disappear. Whether you're dating me or someone else, if you died I'd grieve in the same way. Staying away doesn't help anything, we're just torturing ourselves over something that hasn't happened."
For the first time in months Silvia felt her heart skip and the pain of losing him dull down. Still, she shook her head with a shaky exhale. "Over something that might happen..."
"I spoke to the League... and to my father." Clark started, watching Silvia's face twist into confusion. "My real father, a hologram in the Fortress of solitude." She still didn't seem to understand the concept but he simply brushed it off. "I'll explain later. Anyway I've realised that if we let slip the things that we care about most then we'll eventually forget what we're fighting for. I won't turn into the Superman that we saw... I know that now because you wouldn't want me to. The thought of you being scared of me, Sil... That will stop me even if you're gone."
She felt her chest swell with affection for him, and now it was harder than ever to turn him away.
"I won't let that happen though." Clark continued, hands lightly gripping her arms. "I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you."
Silvia bit her lip, fingers twitching to touch him. Any walls she had started to reconstruct around her heart came tumbling down. She loved him too much to stay away, deep down she knew that her selfishness would prevail. A watery smile edged on her lips.
"I think it's you that needs protecting, Man of Steel. I can handle myself." Her voice cracked with emotion, eyes finally meeting his once more like the moon reflecting off of the ocean's blue surface. "You may be invincible but I've seen you hurting more than most."
Clark felt the whisper of a laugh leave his throat. It was small, and abrupt, but it left him grinning from ear to ear. "I should have known you wouldn't accept me wanting to take care of you... but you're right. You don't need protecting, but I'm going to anyway because I need you. Physically I can demolish almost anything or anyone, but mentally... I'm not as strong as people think I am. You're the only one that can take care of me in that way, Sil. I need you more than you need me."
There was no stopping her tears now despite her best efforts. They fluttered onto her eyelashes in small drops, and no matter how many times she blinked they wouldn't disappear. "I wouldn't exactly say that, Dorothy." She shivered, letting go of any restraint she had and wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're the only person I need in this world."
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