[ I'm such a liar. It's not coming in July. It's coming now and I'll figure out how I can fit it into the movie later. that's Future Reanna's problem, and if Future Reanna can't figure it out, then she'll start a second Clark Kent book bc I also had an idea for a Luthor-related oc

and I'm about to start watching smallville for the first time to try and get some inspo for this ]

☆︎

YOU A SUPERMAN FAN?

CLARK KENT sat in a small, folding chair in the office of Eric Larkin, who was impatiently tapping his foot while eyeing the door. The reporter from the Daily Planet was shifting uncomfortably in the small chair, his imposing, 6'4" frame a little too big for it. He was on assignment in Central City where a Metahuman from Metropolis had traveled to S.T.A.R. Labs to try and seek revenge for what had been done to him after the particle accelerator exploded.

The stiff silence was due to the two men waiting for the reporter who would be teaming up with him to write the joint article. Her name was Millie McCall, and Clark did manage to read a few of her past articles on the long train ride to Central City despite never having heard of her.

She was a young reporter who was making a name for herself in the world of reporting by writing exclusively about Metahuman-related things. Clark noted quickly that she always painted their abilities in a good light — she never singled them out for being odd or attacked them because of their altered DNA. If it involved a crime committed, she only focused on the motivation, never blaming it on their powers as so many liked to.

Many people of the world still thought that Metahumans were unnatural freaks who were destined to be evil. But Millie McCall, through her writing, was trying to gently sway her readers to have a more open mind about the sensitive topic. The Flash couldn't be the only good one out there, after all.

And given that Clark had a unique perspective on what it was like to be an outsider amongst the average people of Earth, he appreciated the small difference that Millie McCall was trying to make with her writing.

He didn't appreciate, however, that she was late to their eleven-thirty meeting in Larkin's office. She was meant to meet Clark and show him around town before they got to work reporting. Apparently, Millie McCall had an in with the Flash as well as S.T.A.R. Labs, meaning they'd have prime sources for the attack that happened.

But they couldn't do that if she didn't show up.

It wasn't that Clark was an impatient man — really, he was fine. But Larkin kept huffing and puffing and glaring, and it made him uncomfortable. He wanted to flee from the office just to get away from the unpleasant man. But that wasn't an option until his fellow reporter showed up.

And, well, he was sort of starving. On behalf of Picture News, Millie McCall was meant to take him out to lunch, and a man of his particular... genetic makeup ate a lot and often. He could smell pizza all the way in Coast City, for god's sake. Couldn't she just hurry up?

It was another five minutes of his stomach shifting and Larkin grumbling under his breath about the tardy reporter before she finally made her great arrival.

Clark heard her before he saw her, his attuned ears picking up on a soft and alluring voice as she let herself into the building, rushing past people.

"Sorry! 'Scuse me. Sorry, my bad. Outta the way, please. Hey, Iris!"

"Late again, Millie?"

"It's totally Barry's fault!"

At hearing the name 'Millie', Clark realized it was thankfully the woman he was waiting for. He sighed in relief and looked toward the door just as it was pushed open forcefully, the other reporter rushing inside. Larkin stood, and Clark politely followed before settling his eyes on the young woman. And when Clark finally got a good look at her, he froze.

Flushed cheeks, pouty lips, and dark hair that was half pulled back with a blue claw clip. She wore a red sundress with thin straps and a pair of flats which did nothing to help the fact that she was over a foot shorter than he was. Her deep, brown eyes were fixed on her boss rather than him, and a quick explanation was leaving her lips covered in shining gloss that smelled minty.

"Mr. Larkin, I am so sorry," she breathed out. Millie's heart was racing from running there, and she wished more than anything that she didn't get winded like Barry. "I - I got caught up at the—"

Larkin waved his hand and cut her off rather rudely. "I don't care, McCall," he said, narrowing his eyes. "This is your charge from Metropolis, Clark Kent. And I want this story on time this time, understood?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded, swallowing thickly. Larkin had threatened to fire her countless times, but he'd known her mother growing up, so it wasn't likely. He just didn't like how she lacked punctuality.

Finally, Millie turned her head and looked at the other man standing in the room, only for her mouth to feel a bit dry all of a sudden. She couldn't help it. He was just so good to look at.

Tall — so impossibly tall — and in an ill-fitting suit that failed at hiding how broad his shoulders were. A messy mop of black curls were on his head, accompanied by thick-framed glasses that hid away bright blue eyes that were widely fixed on her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent," Millie managed to say to the older man, wanting to kick herself for being late now. She'd wasted precious time with the beautiful reporter that would be leaving for Metropolis come the next morning.

He blinked at her almost dumbly for a moment, making the corners of her lips turn up in confused amusement. Then he cleared his throat and awkwardly straightened his crooked tie before stepping forward, nearly tripping over his own feet. Millie giggled as he did so before shaking his outstretched hand that engulfed hers.

"You can - you can call me Clark," he told her in a deep voice — there was a slight southern twang too that reminded her of the kind of men that grew up on farms. "It's nice to meet you, Miss McCall. I've read some of your work, and I must say I'm intrigued by your personal piece about how the explosion of the particle accelerator, in some ways, improved lives instead of ruined them."

"Well, I'm glad you're intrigued," she said, nodding. She felt a little bad now — she hadn't bothered to read anything this Clark guy had written for the Daily Planet at all. "And if I'm calling you Clark, then you've gotta call me Millie. It's only fair, don't you think?"

"Sounds like a fair arrangement, Millie," he said with a soft and gentle smile that made Millie melt.

Really, she didn't think it was fair for men to be able to look so handsome. It was making it hard for her to focus on the conversation at hand.

"Well, I hope you can excuse my lateness," she said with an apologetic pout that instantly had him forgiving her. "But I hope you're hungry."

A bit of relief swarmed in Clark's stomach. "Starving, actually."

☆︎

Of all the places Millie could've taken Clark to eat lunch, he wasn't expecting a coffee house named 'CC Jitters', but she assured him that they served the best-tasting sandwiches — not to mention that the pasty selection was to die for. And Clark was a sucker for a cinnamon roll, or anything with cinnamon sugar and creme cheese icing on it. Millie had laughed at him when he ordered his dessert at the same time as his lunch, teasing him a bit as he did so.

Then the two found a corner booth to sit in by the window, where they began talking about the plan for the article. Millie, despite her being late, clearly knew what she was doing at her job. She'd already lined up interviews with the security guard on duty at S.T.A.R. Labs as well as with the chief scientists that were working there at the time, Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. Not only that, but she'd secured photos of the Metahuman that had been captured by the Flash.

"Wow, you are certainly prepared," Clark complimented, leaning forward a bit on the table with interest. "But how'd you secure those interviews? I've heard that S.T.A.R. Labs representatives are very strict with what they share with the media after the explosion."

"Oh, I thought Larkin would've mentioned that's why you're working with me, in particular, on this," she said before looking a bit shy. "I work part-time at S.T.A.R. Labs."

Millie didn't go into detail and explain that 'working there' actually meant she let Cisco and Caitlin do experiments on her. She figured the quickest way to scare off a cute guy was to let him know she was essentially a glowing lab rat.

"Y - you're quite accomplished for someone so young," he noted, pushing his glasses up his nose. Because Millie was young, he could tell, but he didn't want to offend her by asking her age.

"Well, just because I'm nineteen doesn't mean I can't be accomplished," she said, grinning. "And I was actually interning at the lab when I was still in high school. I started shortly after the particle accelerator explosion. Was kind of easy to get the job — not many people wanted anything to do with them."

"I could understand why."

"I don't," she shrugged, looking down at her chips. "So what if people gained powers from it? They're still people, aren't they?"

"Of course," he said quickly, his eyes wide, not wanting to offend her. "I didn't mean to imply I thought otherwise."

Seeing his tense, broad shoulders, Millie smiled comfortingly at him. "It's alright. I suppose I just... get defensive about Metahumans and S.T.A.R. Labs. People, especially those from Central City who were affected most, don't think very highly of them. I spend every article I write trying to undo the damage done that night."

Clark's blue eyes softened as he nodded gently in understanding. "That's quite admirable of you," he told her. "You're doing the hard-hitting journalism that matters. The kind that changes lives."

"Even if it doesn't feel like it is sometimes," she said before biting the inside of her cheek. Then she shook her head and smiled again — Clark adored her smile when it was fixed on him. "So, tell me more about yourself, Clark. We're gonna be quite close for the rest of the day, after all."

Her eyes bore curiously into his, and for a moment, heat rushed through him from having all her attention — it made him wonder if she was the one with x-ray vision. He quickly pushed the ridiculous thought away and awkwardly ran his hands through his messy curls.

"What's to tell?" he asked with a crooked smile. It was then that Millie finally noticed the dimples splitting his cheeks, and she nearly swooned. "I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet. I - I'm afraid I'm not very interesting. I'd rather hear about you."

Millie pouted and leaned forward. "Can't I have one fun fact?"

And how could he deny her so clearly wanting to get to know him?

"I have a dog," he said.

And clearly, that was the right thing to say as her face lit up. Millie reached for his wrist that was resting on the table, and every nerve in his body felt like it was awake and singing at the simple contact.

"Can I see pictures? Oh, please, Clark," she begged, teeth snagging her bottom lip as she stared up at him.

For a moment, Millie thought that Clark resembled a deer in headlights, his blue eyes wide and fixated on her hand touching him, his pink lips parted. He looked in awe almost, which made her giddy — Millie loved making pretty boys flustered by such simple things.

"O - Of course," Clark said after swallowing thickly.

With the hand she wasn't holding, he pulled his phone out. He was careful to avoid any incirminating photos of his dog wearing the recognizable red cape. After finding a video of the animal playing fetch with him, Lois, and Jimmy in the park, he showed Millie, who melted at the sight.

"Oh, he's perfect," she cooed, leaning closer. "What's his name?"

"Krypto," he told her.

"Like Krypton?" she asked, tilting her head, still watching the video. "You a Superman fan?"

"Um, you could say that," he nodded a bit nervously. "What about you?"

"Well, I'm always gonna be partial to the Flash," she said with a teasing smile. Then she nodded to the screen, already forgetting about his secret altar ego, much to his relief. "Who are they? Playing with you and Krypto?"

"Oh, that's Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. My friends from work," he explained. "Lois is actually dog-sitting for the day."

"That's nice of her," she commented, sounding as casual as possible. "She's gorgeous. Her boyfriend is a lucky guy."

Clark just grinned and nodded. "Her girlfriend considers herself pretty lucky."

"Right on," Millie grinned. Though she still didn't have any confirmation that Clark was single — there were thousands of people in Metropolis, after all. And surely a man as handsome as him wasn't single. "So, you're a reporter and you have a precious dog. Anything else I'm allowed to know?"

"Enough about me," he said, never one to talk about himself well. "You? Do you have any pets? Friends?"

"No, not pets, sadly," she hummed, shaking her head. "As for friends, if you finish up that cinnamon roll, you're gonna help me interview some of them."