Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just playing in someone else's universe.
Sight
by Tina N. Blair
He appears from a cloud of smoke and makes his way over to her, his calm approach in sharp contrast to the screams and panic that surrounds them.
Their eyes meet over the scared girl they've taken responsibility for. He checks over Bette, reassures her that she will be alright.
In all this chaos, he still sees her.
He's a paramedic, dedicated to helping others. He grew up in countless foster homes, has seen the absolute worst in people but still hopes for something better. Every day, he fights for humanity.
As far as first impressions go, Davis Bloome is everything Chloe Sullivan has always wanted.
Her engagement to Jimmy doesn't last for long. It was made under the wrong conditions, out of desperation and fear. Of the unknown. Of herself.
She was never herself with Jimmy. She didn't know how to be. She lived and breathed the role that she created for him almost seamlessly when their relationship began. But the constant mistrust and communication barriers between the two of them can only last for so long.
She doesn't know how to be stop lying to him.
For once, she tells him the truth.
Her future is not with Jimmy Olsen.
Davis was the first person she told of her engagement, it makes sense to tell him first about the breakup. He asks her why, she tells him the truth. This friendship of theirs is sudden but for some reason, it feels right. Everything is so easy between them.
She knows that he wants her, sees it in the way he looks at her. At night when no one is around, she can admit to herself that she is drawn to him in a way that scares her. She doesn't want to make another mistake where her heart is concerned. She is grateful that he seems to understand this somehow because he doesn't ask for more. Davis always seems to know her more than she knows herself.
They build their friendship over coffee.
When Clark comes by to tell him of his shared by-line with her cousin, a part of her hates him. Hates him for so easily slipping into the job she's coveted since her childhood. For not realizing the ache that comes when she walks past the Planet knowing she is forever barred from it. How can he be so blind to her?
Of course, he doesn't see. He's never seen her. Not like how Davis sees her.
Lately she's been having nightmares. She wakes up cold, shivering even though the temperature in her room is more than adequate. Why does she feel as if she's being watched? As if there's someone else in the room with her. Waiting for something, her.
She's about to shout for her best friend when she stops, a strange feeling at her core. No, not Clark, her mind whispers to her. Call Davis.
Before she knows it, he's on the line, asking about her, worry evident in his tone.
They spend the rest of the night talking. At first, she talks about trivial things just to continue the conversation. She's always been good at small talk. Davis, on the other hand, clearly sees through her front but continues with the meaningless topics. But as the hours drag on, she can hear his exhaustion in the sighs he tries to cover.
It isn't until she suggests for him to sleep that he asks her why she called, why she is upset. There are many things she wants to tell him but cannot. Her life is intertwined with too many secrets that she can never reveal.
But she has to tell him something, she just has to.
Davis brings her innermost feelings to the surface. As much as she tries to hide it, there are times when she wants to be taken care of by someone else. She's tired of looking after everyone; when is it her turn to lie back in someone's arms? When she is with Davis, she knows she is the only one he sees. Maybe he is the one to save her from her self-imposed martyrdom.
She wants so badly for someone to hear her. With a lot of editing, she is able to tell him one thing: she feels as if she doesn't belong anymore. Without the Daily Planet she is lost. Since her earliest memories, she's worked relentlessly to reach the caliber of the esteemed newspaper.
His answer is exactly what she needs to hear. The Planet she held in such high regard isn't the one she was fired from. The newspaper had fallen from its pedestal, only a slight notch above the Inquisitor. This Daily Planet is not worthy of her.
He encourages her to keep writing, despite her change in occupation. Reporters can write from anywhere.
She isn't surprised that his words strike a chord within her. She knows she can count on him to make everything right again.
It is early morning when they say good night reluctantly with loud grins.
When she wakes to the sound of knocking on the door, she is not surprised to find him there with coffee, bagels and a thick leather-bound journal.
She invites him in, of course. She relishes the time she gets to spend with him.
At the sight of him in her home, her breath catches. Suddenly all she can see is Davis – his dark eyes, his gentle demeanor, his smile. Just for her.
She knows she made the right choice.