Citizen Kent
Clark Kent wakes up one day to find that he's…Clark Kent. No Kal-El. No Superman. What's worse, nobody believes he was ever The Man of Steel in the first place. Could it be he's had it wrong all along? How does a crazy person know they're crazy?
A/N: This isn't the most original idea but it's my take on it. Honestly the only thing I truly love about this fic is the title. I also would like to apologise for turning Clark into a mushy lovesick romantic but better him than Bruce, right?
Aside from that, even though I've written a bit more than I have actually posted, I have NO IDEA where this story is going. Please give me suggestions as to why Clark might not have his powers but still remembers being Superman. I haven't read the comics, most of what I know about Supes is from his animated series and the Justice League. Keep that in mind.
Finally, disclaimer: I own nothing. Even this laptop is borrowed.
Clark Kent watched his colleague, Lois Lane from across the table. She was on possibly her tenth phone call since they had sat down to lunch. In fact, she had barely touched her food, whereas Clark's steak and peas were a long forgotten memory.
Lois hung up the phone. "Sorry," she told her companion for the umpteenth time, laying the phone on the table. She picked up her fork and knife and cut into what had to be by now cold chicken breast.
"It's fine," Clark shrugged. He didn't mind so much that they hadn't really been able to talk. Sometimes, he preferred to just look at her. Lois was an incredibly beautiful woman but she never acted like it. Her violet eyes were rounded by long dark lashes and her raven hair contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. She had a light sprinkling of freckles on her cheeks, which she covered up with make-up because she "didn't want to look like Pippi Longstocking". Clark smiled inwardly. Hardly. Even in the middle of a hurricane with wind-swept hair and soaked clothes, she still looked gorgeous. And he wasn't just saying that. He'd actually seen her in the middle of hurricane.
That was Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for The Daily Planet. No story was too difficult, too dangerous for her to pursue. She was fearless, tenacious, immovable. And trouble seemed to follow her everywhere she went.
It was a good thing she had her own personal bodyguard, Clark mused. The thought of Superman made Clark a little sad. Lois was madly in love with the Man of Steel, but she barely noticed Clark. He wished that one day she might be in love with him – all of him – just as he was in love with her.
"Are you listening to me, Smallville?" Lois questioned.
Clark snapped out of his musings and focused on her. "Sorry," he said ruefully.
"Forget it," she said, and dropped another piece of chicken into her mouth.
"How can you eat cold food?" he asked her with mild disgust.
Lois swallowed. "Please. Once, on a story in Vietnam, I had to eat live grubs," she told him.
Clark grimaced. She was certainly no ordinary woman. His eye traveled to the corner of her lip.
"You have a little something," he told her.
"Where?"
He pointed at his own mouth, then decided to seize the moment and dabbed the spot of gravy off with his napkin. He did it slowly and gently, as if afraid that he might hurt her. Her gaze locked on his and she got very still. The other customers in the sidewalk café, the traffic, everything else seemed to recede into the distance.
Clark's heartbeat climbed to about the speed of an express train. How was it that he was able to face Darkseid without flinching, but the thought of telling Lois how he felt scared him spitless?
The corner of Lois' mouth turned up in a subtle smile. He smiled back lopsidedly, the charmingly shy farm boy in him peeking out.
"You got it?" she asked in a silky whisper, which, despite the ambient noise Clark heard loudly and clearly.
His smile grew. "Not yet," he thought about answering and then ditching the napkin and using his thumb to wipe away the non-existent spot off Lois' smooth skin. But then
Rrrrrrrrrrrr!
Lois' phone rang and her gaze dropped to it immediately. She read the caller's name off the display and furrowed her brow. Clark knew the moment was over and backed away.
"Sorry," she apologized again.
"No, it's—" He didn't get a chance to finish. He sat back in his chair and sighed.
"Lois Lane," she said into the phone.
Clark studied her face. She seemed perturbed but something else, too. Excited, maybe. She kept her tone clipped during the conversation and it consisted of a lot of "rights" and "uh-huhs". Soon enough, she hung up and placed the cell phone on the table face-down, her eyes holding a faraway expression.
"Who was it?" he asked her. He didn't normally ask but he was curious to know why she was so affected.
"Bruce," she replied distractedly. "He's going to be in town next week and he wants us to get together."
Clark bristled. Bruce Wayne. He and Lois had had a brief relationship. A flirtation, Clark would call it. Then he left town and it was Lois who? Now he'd called and Lois was actually in turmoil over that jerk. She clearly wasn't over him. But then who wouldn't want a man who made the covers of Forbes and GQ in the same week?
Bruce was an arrogant prick and a rival for Lois affections and that was enough reason for Clark to dislike him. But he knew something about the billionaire from Gotham that few did. Bruce Wayne was also Batman, a fellow crimefighter. And while Superman wasn't exactly fond of the Bat either, they had collaborated on several missions and he had a lot of respect for him.
A sudden commotion caused Clark to whirl around. There was the strident sound of metal against metal as an old pick-up barreled into the car in front of it, causing a devastating chain reaction. The car at the front was pushed into the intersection, directly into the path on oncoming traffic. A sports car swerved and narrowly missed the sedan only to end up plowing into another car head-on. About half a dozen more cars joined the fray.
All this happened within a matter of seconds. Lois was already on her phone, reporting the accident to emergency services. With everyone distracted by the horror before them Clark knew he could transition into Superman and prevent any more damage. He pulled his shirt open as he had done countless times, ready to spring into action but something stopped him. He glanced down at his chest and started.
There was no Superman insignia winking out. Just a plain white T-shirt. Clark knit his eyebrows. He quickly threw off his tie and shirt and pulled up the T-shirt, just to check if maybe his costume was beneath it.
It wasn't.
Clark's mind was spinning but he didn't have time to worry about it. The crashes had stopped but now there was a pyramid of metal and rubber smack in the middle of the intersection, entombing desperate and injured victims. Costume or no costume, he had to act or people would die.
He thought to himself, fly. Nothing happened.
He tried again. Nope.
Clark began to feel desperate. What was wrong with him today?
There was utter bedlam around him. People were running and screaming hysterically. The pile of cars was steaming. In the distance, he could hear sirens.
"Superman! Help!" a voice cried.
That was all the impetus Clark needed. He didn't even know if he could help but he had to try.
"Clark!" Lois called behind him. He didn't turn. He just ran towards the scene. Most people were groggily climbing out of their vehicles. But right in the centre of the pyramid was a lady. Her car had overturned and been crushed and she was being pushed against the roof of her car. Clark did a quick sweep and decided hers was the most urgent case. It became all the more urgent when he spotted clear gasoline pooling on the asphalt. One spark was all they needed for this to become "The Crater formerly known as East and 15th".
Clark crouched. "Ma'am," he called. She whimpered. "I'm here to help, Ma'am. You're going to be okay."
She rasped, "Get me out."
"I will," Clark promised. Clark asked her name. Doris. He asked her what she did. She was a schoolteacher. He kept her talking so she could keep her spirits up. Meanwhile, Clark was working out how to get her out. The driver's window had shattered on impact, but because of the weight on top of the car, Clark could barely fit through it. He tried to get his hands underneath her arms and tugged. She didn't budge.
Seatbelt, he realized. He slid in further, grunting as he was pressed against the woman. He extended his arm so that his fingers touched the buckle of the belt. He pressed the release and heaved. The woman finally slid out of the car.
"Can you stand?" Clark asked, kneeling beside her.
She nodded. Clark helped her to her feet. She was unsteady, but determined. He helped her hobble away from the wreck. On-lookers clapped and cheered.
Clark took Doris until the end of the street where the crowd was gathered. A couple of men rushed forward and took her. People were congratulating Clark, but he had no time to bask in their praises. Once he made sure Doris was okay, he turned back to the wreck.
A hand clutched his forearm, stopping him. It was Lois. Her face was white as a sheet.
"Where do you think you're going, Smallville?" she demanded. Her tone was harsh but he could read the concern in her face.
"I have to check if there's anyone still trapped in there." He motioned to the pile of cars.
Lois shook her head. "The Fire Department's almost here, Clark," she argued. "Listen." Sure enough, the volume of the siren testified to the truck's propinquity. It would be here in a less than a minute.
But even that might be too late.
Clark firmly extracted his arm from Lois' frantic grip. "I have to check," he said, with Superman-like authority. "Stay here."
Lois let him go. Clark meant to jog back to the intersection but fatigue was bearing down on him. He walked as fast as he could and was already two-thirds of the way there when he saw a flame shoot up then spread. Where had the spark come from? He didn't really care at that moment. In the split-second it took him to turn around, an explosion occurred that shook the city. The blast propelled Clark several feet and he landed heavily on the road. Flaming debris rained down around him. Clark braced himself for more explosions but none came. He tried to stand but weariness pinned him to the ground. His whole body ached. Still, he didn't give up.
If someone had died in that explosion, he would never forgive himself.
God, please…no, he prayed.
Heavy footsteps were coming towards him. Someone was asking him questions. Clark couldn't focus. His eyes wouldn't open. He was just so tired.
So tired…
No…
Just before he blacked out, he thought he heard Lois scream his name.
