His kisses were warm and moist, sending waves of tingling heat through half of Soren's body, like a warm tide flowing within him. He hunched his shoulders, his face flushed, and bent one knee to cover the part of himself that was starting to react to the kisses. "…I want to know how we met. How did you even come to know me? I'm so ordinary, just a regular person without any superpowers, no real qualities. Why would you fall in love with someone like me?"
Clark's hand paused on Soren's shoulder.
"Everything about you is a quality," Clark grew serious. "You are the bravest, kindest, and strongest person in the world. Why wouldn't I love you for that?"
"Oh, oh…" Soren blinked and commented, "You're being way too cheesy… I just wanted to know how we met…"
Clark lowered his gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing. How could he tell Soren about their first meeting? Should he tell him that, at the time of their first encounter, Soren had been a little cat? Should he explain that their first real meeting had taken place on a planet thousands of years in the future?
In the end, Clark decided to say, "…It was a long, long time ago."
"Do you not want to tell me?" Soren could sense Clark's hesitation.
Clark kissed the corner of Soren's mouth and said painfully, "…The choice is yours, darling. When the day comes that you truly want to know, you'll learn everything."
"But I really want to know now. Doesn't that count as 'truly wanting to know'? Can't I be curious about us? I want to know how we fell in love too…" Soren was a little confused and said sullenly, "It can't be that you know everything and I know nothing. All I know about you is what's on Wikipedia—and a lot of that is fake. I don't know anything else. I don't even know what color your underwear is!"
Clark answered, "Gray."
"Alright, gray—wait, ahhh! Why did you tell me that?! Can't you leave a little mystery for me? Great, now I'm forced to know that Superman wears gray underwear underneath his costume. I don't even have to guess anymore…" Soren said, fuming.
"You said you wanted to know—sorry, that was my fault. Don't be mad, darling, don't be mad," Clark quickly smoothed out the furrow in Soren's brow, giving a wry smile. "Everything about me belongs to you. You can ask me anything—except about… our past."
Soren rolled over, muttering to himself that most things still seemed off-limits. He asked again, "I didn't know before—you have an Earth name. What's your full Earth name? Were you really adopted by humans? Where did you grow up? Have you ever seen <
Clark held him gently, stroking his back as he spoke, "One question at a time, don't rush, darling. You can ask me anything, one by one. My Earth name is Clark Kent. Over thirty years ago, the spacecraft I was on crashed into a farm field in Kansas. A kind-hearted couple found me as an infant and adopted me, naming me Clark Kent. They are my parents now… I've lived as Clark Kent in this country ever since, up until I started working. As for that movie you mentioned, darling, I haven't seen it, but it's definitely not based on a true story—because it was funded by LuthorCorp—"
He paused, swallowing the wave of pain that surged through him at the mention of that name.
Lex Luthor—the man who collaborated with the Joker in his quest to destroy him—was a self-proclaimed genius, believing himself to be the only one on Earth. Yet, he never anticipated that he would eventually fall at the hands of a madman. The Joker's nuke flattened Metropolis, killing Lex Luthor along with it. In that horrifying nightmare, not a single soul in Metropolis survived.
After the timeline reset, he and Bruce exiled the Joker to the Dark Multiverse at the first opportunity. Lex Luthor, however, continued to oppose him as always, but compared to the events that followed, Luthor's schemes were barely worth mentioning.
He had become the strongest being in the universe, having absorbed billions of years of sunlight from yellow stars. Even if Luthor gathered all the kryptonite on Earth, it could no longer pose a threat to him.
"I thought that movie had at least some truth to it... That's what they all say online. The little alien in it would use his heat vision to cruelly kill the chickens on their farm!" Soren said.
Clark replied, "…Luthor will do anything to smear my name."
Soren laughed, "You have to watch that movie. After I saw it, I couldn't stand hearing anything about Superman for at least a week."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "—And now?"
"Now," Soren tugged at his collar, wrapping his arms and legs around him, locking his legs around Clark's waist as he kissed his prominent nose, "Now, the only thing I know is that the person I like is you."
Clark held Soren close, kissing his eyelids tenderly.
They exchanged affectionate kisses, over and over, until Soren's face flushed a deep red. His head spun, overwhelmed by the warmth and comfort of Clark's embrace. The scent of Clark was everywhere—dry, warm, like sunlight mixed with a hint of wheat fields. Soren felt like he was drowning in that warmth, and instinctively, he pressed closer, burying himself completely into Clark's chest.
"More kisses..." Even when Clark finally let him go, Soren pouted, unwilling to pull away. He clung to him, rubbing his legs against Clark's waist, causing Clark to sharply inhale and furrow his brow as he quickly grabbed Soren's restless legs to hold them still. "Don't do that, Soren—"
Clark swallowed hard, not expecting Soren, who had lost all memory, to be so... intense and open with his feelings.
It was as if, after shedding the heavy burdens fate had placed on him, Soren had revealed his true nature—this bright, endearing, and irresistibly lovable little diamond.
With affection, Clark threaded his fingers through Soren's hair, stroking it softly as he asked, "Don't you need to go home? It's already late. If you don't head back soon, your parents will worry. Let me take you home."
Soren shook his head, "I'm not going back. I told them I'm on a trip to California. I won't be home for a whole week."
Clark sighed, "You shouldn't lie to your parents like that, Soren."
Soren let out a little "Oh," sounding just a bit rebellious. "You sound just like my dad. What, do you want to be my dad too?"
"I didn't—" Clark began to explain in a hurry, but Soren mischievously winked at him and, sticking out his tongue to press it against the roof of his mouth, called out, "Daddy!"
Clark froze. "...Where did you learn that?"
"It's trendy now," Soren replied with a cheeky grin. "For guys with chests as big as yours, we all call them—boy moms!"
Clark blinked, puzzled. "Boy... moms? What does that even mean?"
"You wouldn't get it even if I explained. You're too old to understand the world of Gen Z." Soren looked at Clark with an expression as if Windows 11 was staring down at Windows XP, a sly glint flashing in his Kryptonian-blue eyes.
Clark chuckled softly, "I suppose... I am pretty old."
Soren's heart immediately softened. He rushed to correct himself, "That's not what I meant! I was just saying, you don't really know what younger people are into these days..."
"I think I know enough," Clark said in a low voice, his gaze steady as he looked down at him. "Some young people like speeding and reckless driving. Others enjoy sitting on the back of motorcycles, courting danger for fun. Is that right? Young people always seem to enjoy putting themselves in risky situations."
Soren awkwardly cleared his throat, guilt creeping in. "That was just an accident... I didn't mean for it to happen! How was I supposed to know Red Hood would be speeding? I thought those cops were there to arrest him!"
Clark sighed softly, his head lowered. His large hand, gentle as a feather, brushed Soren's cheek with the lightest of touches. "It's too dangerous, Soren. Do you understand how dangerous that was? I could tell you right now how many people, at this exact moment, have died because of reckless driving—"
He paused, his expression shifting slightly as his eyes narrowed in focus. His face turned away for just a moment, his ears attuned to something far beyond the apartment. In the blink of an eye, Clark vanished before Soren's eyes. Mere seconds later, he returned, the faint scent of blood clinging to him as he stood back in the apartment, the weight of his swift actions still hanging in the air.
"I just saved four people from three overturned motorcycles," Clark said as he sat down at the edge of the bed, blood still on his fingertips. His face was cast in shadow, the soft light obscuring his handsome features as he looked at Soren. "Two of them were your age... by the time I got there, they weren't breathing anymore. If I had arrived even half a second later tonight, Soren, you might have been—"
He couldn't finish the sentence. His fist clenched, resting loosely on his thigh.
Soren recoiled slightly at the scent of blood on Clark, though he stiffened his resolve. "I'm sorry. I really didn't think it would turn out that way... I won't do it again."
Clark responded, "You're not allowed to ride with Red Hood anymore."
"That's not happening!" Soren quickly retorted, standing his ground with firm conviction. "I can make sure he doesn't speed, but he's my friend. I'm still going to see him."
"…You."
Clark was momentarily stunned, but then a wave of bittersweet emotion welled up inside him. This was Soren, his Soren. No matter the situation, he would always stand by his principles, and no one could change that.
Clark felt both frustrated and helpless, but that knot of fear and worry he'd been holding onto began to dissolve, softened by the love he felt for Soren.
With a sigh of resignation, he didn't argue further. Instead, he said quietly, "…You have to understand, though. Your life is so precious. Promise me you won't put yourself in danger, okay?"
"But isn't that why I have you?" Soren looked up, his voice a little shaky. He averted his gaze from Clark's blood-stained hands, searching instead for the familiar comfort of his clear blue eyes. "You're always there to protect me, right? Last time, you showed up right on time..."
Clark didn't nod. Silently, he brushed aside the hair on Soren's forehead, unsure of how to explain to him that no matter how strong he was, Soren's life was fragile, always walking the edge of an uncertain future.