Even his fingertips felt a bit weak with nervousness.
Superman carried him back to his apartment.
They didn't even enter through the door—in his haste, Superman simply opened his apartment window and flew inside, holding Soren in his arms.
He seemed to have no reservations about letting Soren see his true living space.
The single apartment was pitifully small.
The bedroom and living room were crammed together, and the furniture was sparse and simple—so plain it was hard to believe this was the home of the most powerful superhero on Earth.
But strangely, Soren had this peculiar feeling, as though he'd always known this is what Superman's place would look like—like it was meant to be this way.
He even felt a sense of familiar closeness, as if the sofa and bed looked oddly recognizable, as if he'd rolled around on them countless times before.
Superman gently placed him down on the sofa, crouching in front of him and softly grasping his ankle.
He carefully removed Soren's shoes and rolled up his pant leg, his eyes full of concern. "It's my fault…I should've checked more thoroughly."
Soren's foot, encased in a clean white sock, shrank back slightly.
His calf, smooth and pale, was now marred by a long, purplish bruise swelling along the left side, making the injury all the more striking.
—But Superman's hand on his ankle was way too warm.
Superman's palm felt like a searing iron brand, burning into Soren's skin.
His waist softened under the heat, and his entire body sank deeply into the old curved sofa, a wave of warmth rising from his fingertips, spreading through his body like lightning.
"I-I-It doesn't hurt!" Soren blurted out, his mouth moving faster than his brain, the words spilling out reflexively.
He tried to pull his left foot back, but he quickly realized he couldn't extract it from Superman's grasp.
Those five rough, iron-like fingers seemed ready to burn five imprints into his ankle.
—Superman stood utterly still, gazing deeply at him.
Soren licked his lips nervously.
He felt at a complete loss, his ears burning, unable to maintain eye contact with those pale blue eyes for more than a second.
It was as if Superman's gaze pierced through his outer façade, softly stirring something deep in his soul.
A sharp wave of emotion flooded his chest, like his entire heart had been squeezed tight, forcing out every drop of feeling, so intense that he could almost taste its bitterness at the back of his tongue.
Yet beneath that, there was something tender—a warm, homeward pull, like a fledgling returning to the nest.
Soren couldn't meet Superman's gaze.
His eyes darted around, flitting across Superman's veined hands and muscular arms like a dragonfly skimming over water.
Superman's overwhelming presence, those inexplicably magnetic features that would attract someone Soren's age—the deep voice, the world-weary gaze, the tall, powerful frame, the broad shoulders, the lean waist, the defined obliques, and the sturdy legs—captivated him entirely.
He was... becoming fascinated with this older, white-haired Superman.
The realization nearly made Soren jump out of his skin.
His eyes went wide, unaware that the look of uncertainty and vulnerability in his gaze, like that of a startled young deer, was sending Clark's heart racing.
Clark's eyes lingered on Soren's rose-petal lips.
He had to fight—desperately—to restrain himself from leaning in and kissing those delicate lips.
God knows how badly he wanted to pull Soren into his arms, kiss him senseless, or cradle him like a gentle, tamed colt, lifting him onto his waist, pressing him into the sofa, kissing him until Soren made those soft, contented murmurs, melting into his embrace like a cloud of tender white fluff.
But his reason told him no.
He no longer had the right to kiss Soren.
All he had brought to Soren was suffering and tears.
His possessiveness, selfishness, stubbornness, and cruelty had already left deep scars on Soren's precious soul.
How could he dare, in the name of misguided love, to approach him again?
Clark tore his gaze away from Soren's lips, lowering his eyes as he suppressed the overwhelming urge to draw near. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I'll get you an ice pack."
Soren curled his toes slightly, feeling a strange sense of loss well up inside him.
He replied mechanically, "...Thank you."
Clark glanced back at him once more.
He noticed Soren's delicate eyelids trembling slightly, his golden lashes fluttering like dandelions caught in a breeze.
It made Clark want to kiss those lashes tenderly, to kiss away every tear that had ever fallen from those eyes, to swallow down all the hot tears that had once spilled from them.
Clark pressed his lips together, holding his breath as he carefully withdrew his fingers from Soren's ankle.
His thumb accidentally brushed against a small patch of smooth, pale skin, causing Soren's foot to twitch suddenly.
"Sorry," Clark immediately apologized.
Soren quickly pulled his left foot back, clasping his knees with his hands, feeling a bit flustered.
He tried to ignore the strange sensations stirring inside him, mumbling softly, "It's fine."
Clark clenched his fists, feeling as if his fingertips had been coated in dried glue, leaving them tense and oddly numb.
Without a word, he stood up and headed to the kitchen.
He filled several plastic bags with water and used his freezing breath to turn them into ice, crushing the ice inside each bag to create makeshift ice packs.
When Clark returned to the living room, he saw Soren curiously inspecting a small, pyramid-shaped metallic object from the coffee table.
"That's the Memory Cube," Clark explained as he walked in, "It holds all the knowledge of Kryptonian civilization."
Soren quickly put the object down, mumbling, "Oh… the whole world knows you're from another planet."
"My father wanted me to be a bridge between Krypton and Earth," Clark said softly. "But I… I failed."
Soren looked at him in confusion, not fully understanding what Clark was referring to.
Still, he offered reassurance, saying, "Why would you say that? I think you've done an amazing job. You protect Earth every day! You've driven away so many alien criminals who tried to invade, and you've saved countless lives. You're our guardian."