2024 Story Collection

Superman FF (Because why not?)

Her eyes open slowly. Her whole body feels so heavy. She blinks, trying to clear the blurriness from her eyes.

"Miss, are you okay?" a deep voice says from somewhere. She groans in response, her eyes finally beginning to adjust. She feels a gentle touch on her shoulder. "Miss?"

"Shit," she groans, holds her head in pain. "God, I hate migraines."

Was the tight party dress her sister loaned her cutting off circulation to her brain?

"Miss, are you okay?"

She turns to her left, she sees the silhouette of a man kneeling beside her. She blinks again, squinting enough to get a better look at the man. He looked incredibly strong. He had a wide muscular build that he tried to hide under ill-fitting clothes. He was extremely handsome but wore glasses that fit his face oddly, as if trying to hide his electric blue eyes, and a single curl on the center of his forehead escaped his neat, slicked back black hair.

"You're exactly what I'd imagine Clark Kent to look like in real life," she jokes, giggling. Her head was still pounding, and she felt delirious. What was wrong with her?

She expects the man to laugh along with her, only when she looks back at him. He doesn't seem to get the joke. He's just sitting there with his eyes wide in shock.

"How do you know my name?" He asks seriously. She laughs hysterically.

"Funny joke," she finally says after a minute, wiping back tears before trying to sit up.

"I'm not joking," he says, repeating his question. "How do you know my name?"

"You're not Clark Kent," she says. "That's-" she begins to say but as she speaks she looks around. She doesn't recognize the alley she's in. She snaps her head back to him. "Where am I?"

"You don't remember?" he asks, concerned.

"Do I look like I know where I am?" she asks, deadpan. He looks her up and down a few times, then around the alley before looking back at her. After assessing the situation, he sighs.

"We are in Metropolis," he points to the theater across from the alley. The sign reads Metropolis Theater.

The world spins, her heart pounding. How did she miss that earlier?

"How is that possible?" she asks herself.

"What is it?" the man beside her asks.

"Kal-El?" she asks, under her breath. "Is it really you? Is this all real?"

"How do you know that name?" he asks again, this time fear is lacing his voice.

"You work at the Daily Planet," she says, distracted.

"Who are you?" He asks. "How do you know so much about me? No one is supposed to know that."

"Either this is a dream or somehow I ended up in a parallel universe where Superman is real," she gestures to him.

"What are you talking about?" His brows furrow as he looks at her, concerned, curious and scared.

"Use your fancy powers if you don't believe me," she says as she tries to stand. Her knees give out on her, but he catches her. "You'll see I'm not from this world."

"I think you're telling the truth." He mumbles.

She snorts, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks for believing in me, big boy," she says with a wink, pushing away from him. She tries to walk but stumbles, falling face first into the ground. But of course good old Clark wouldn't let that happen and catches her just in time.

He helps her get her balance.

"I'm guessing you don't have anywhere to stay?" he asks, his grip on her waist tight, but not painful, more protective than anything.

Her hand slips into the pocket unconsciously, fishing for something, anything.

"Yeah, you could say that," she says, looking away, trying to make sense of everything going on. 

"I don't even have a birth certificate for this world." She says, her words slurred. "And unlike your parents, I can't just make a deal with a millionaire to-" she stops for a moment, "actually maybe I can-"

Bruce Wayne, if anyone can help me get an ID, it's probably him.

"Is there, perhaps, a billionaire named Bruce Wayne that lives in Gotham?" she asks innocently.

"For claiming to be from another world, you sure know a lot about this one," he says, making it clear he doesn't completely trust her.

"The same could me said about you. At least I'm human," she says, touching a hand to her chest. 

"Unlike you." She pokes his chest before looking up into his eyes. "You alien," she says flirtatiously as she pokes his chest again, a bit harder with her finger. It doesn't give at all.

She looks back down at his chest and pokes him again, hypnotized by his muscular body.

"I see why they call you the man of steel," she mumbles, distracted. A thought suddenly comes to her mind. She smirks looking back up at him. "I wonder what else is as hard as steel," she says, inching her fingers down his chest, over his stomach while glancing down, then back up with a wink.

Her eyes meet his, and bites her lip. His face flushes, his ears turning bright red. She giggles.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself," she says, pulling her hand back. "Your just so handsome and-"

He clears his throat and looks away. "Please refrain from such talk in the future."

"I'll do my darndest," she says, fake saluting him, knowing she'll do no such thing. Not when she could get such a reaction out of him. Besides this is likely all a dream, anyway.

"Who are you?" he asks again.

She reaches out her hand for him to shake.

"Alma Lewis. Nice to meet you." He shakes her hand, his hand almost twice the size of her own. She was quite a small woman, so that wasn't surprising. Almost everyone was taller than her. That's one reason she always wore platform heels.

"Clark Kent," he says, "but somehow, you already knew that."

To be continued...

March 4, 2024