bakerstreet | Denny's

[Voicetesting, could do this as Clark by himself or him as Superman]

[ Hernan hated Denny’s.

The food was shit and the service not that much better. But Waffle House was closed for construction or something. Maybe it was that giant hole he left in the roof weeks prior.

But after a night of crime fighting, he often craved an omelette and who else was open at this ungodly hour?

He floats by Clark (or Superman if you’re feeling inclined) and sits at the counter, snapping the menu.]

Is the service here still slow?

[said in Clark’s direction. Hernan peers at him from over the top of his menu, curious.]

[Denny's isn't exactly Clark Kent's first choice but it does have some benefits such as: one, it's open 24 hours and two...okay, so maybe he doesn't have a two or a three, but being open 24 hours is pretty good! Nevermind that the menus are consistently and unsettlingly sticky to the touch, the eggs are ~~a little~~ a lot sad and he learned a long time ago under no circumstances not to get the steak, which will come in shades of either Gray or Well-Well Done. The important thing is he can catch up on work and, if needed, he can step out to help someone in need and he won't wake up Jimmy constantly coming in and out.

Weirdly enough, it's quiet tonight. Really, really quiet. He helped lift a car out of a ditch and that had been two hours ago. It's so quiet that Clark can sip his refill-of-a-refill of coffee and make actual, solid progress on his article even accounting for writer's block.

The last thing he's expecting is for someone to quite literally float past him.

Clark's so surprised that he almost disintegrates the poor, defenseless tablet clutched in his hands.]

W-what? [His glasses slip down the bridge of his nose, coming to a stop at a slight tilt] Uh..yeah, I, uh, guess?

[Don't stare don't stare - too late, Clark's openly staring and he's staring as if he's never seen a man fly before and technically he hasn't, because as far as he knows, the only ones on Earth who can fly like that are Kara and him. He might even be gaping a little, his lips parted in shock]

Edited (typo fixing) 2024-09-26 01:13 (UTC)

[For someone like Hernan, secret identities seemed a little. Silly. He didn't care if people knew what he could do. In fact, he preferred it. Let the public associate his dubious acts of heroism with his face. It was an effective enough deterrent for anyone foolish enough to cross him. And when it wasn't? Well, they'd find out just how super Superman could be first hand.

He smiles at Clark, amused that he seems startled. If it's any consolation, Hernan doesn't go out of his way to scare people. But it's always a little funny when he does.

He flags a server and orders a coffee of his own. Raising the mug, he matches Clark's gaze.]

You should probably close your mouth. Unless you're trying to catch the flies in here.

[Clark's mouth snaps shut with an almost inaudible click of his teeth.]

I - no, of course I'm not doing that, I -

[And it's around then that Clark registers something breaking apart into pieces in his hands. Hernan's entrance was flashy enough that Clark had indeed snapped his tablet in half and with it, any work that hadn't been saved to the cloud is now floating away to the invisible ether and forcing him to start over.

Oh jeez.

Clark hurriedly folds out his menu to cover the corpse of his tablet, which truly didn't stand a chance, and belatedly tries to figure out something - anything - to say now that he's staring up at a man who looks far more at ease than he ever did flying around like that in public.]

Sorry, it's just late. Wasn't expecting someone to make an entrance like you did.

[Almost inaudible is still loud enough to be heard and Hernan seems quite pleased with himself. Smug even. He waves a dismissive hand at Clark's observation.]

That was hardly an entrance.

[Hernan is absorbed in his sticky menu so he does not see the tablet crumble, but he hears it and he ticks an eyebrow upward. Any other time, Hernan wouldn't have given it a second thought. Kirk was strong. Bekka too. They crushed a variety of things on a regular basis. But this rando? He's an unknown and it piques Hernan's curiosity further.

He eyes the menu hiding the evidence and can see the pieces of the tablet perfectly.]

Nice trick. Mind telling me how you did that?

[...why is this stranger - self-assured, able to fly just like he can - looking at him like that? More importantly, why is he looking at the shattered tablet like he can see the evidence that Clark's pretty sure he covered with the Denny's menu?]

Trick? [Clark's not helping his case by stammering a little, feeling off-guard like he's on the wrong foot and wondering if it's as obvious on his face as it feels. He manages a feeble, nervous smile to go with a nervous little laugh] What, get endless coffee refills for hours?

[Lying with any skill at all is clearly not one of his superpowers.]

[It's obvious on his face. But Hernan isn't amused this time. He leans over and with a dramatic flick of his wrist, he uncovers the broken tablet and gestures toward it.]

You're pretty strong to be so jumpy. Who are you?

[The stranger neatly knocks away the menu before Clark can stop him. At the tone in the other man's voice, Clark stiffens. How much does he know? Is this another Kryptonian? A different species? An enhanced human from Task Force X?]

Just Clark. No one important. [Clark's voice levels out, though, and his hands have balled unconsciously in his lap, his shoulders squaring as he braces them almost defensively.] Were you here for just coffee or...?

[Or are you here for me? goes unsaid. Now that he's really looking at this guy, Clark realizes with a sinking feeling that the stranger's big, maybe even bigger than he is. What if he's as strong as he is too?]

[Hernan withdraws his hand without a word and sips his coffee thoughtfully.]

I was here for an omelette. But, the service is slow.

[He notes Clark's defensive posture and thinks he must have struck a nerve. Thankfully, he's not all brute strength nor terribly unreasonable. He knows when to change tactics to get what he wants.]

Relax, Clark. I'm not here to arrest you. I'm Hernan, though most people call me Superman.

[Not always a comforting name, especially if you've ever found yourself on the wrong side of his heat vision. But he has his fans as well. Might as well see if this Clark could be one of them.]

[ Oh whew, that's great he's still a free man, he -

Wait, what? ]

S-Superman?

[ Clark blurts it out without thinking, eyes round as plates, and he's gaping all over again. So much for relaxing. It takes him a second to close his mouth and realize that so far Hernan does fit the Superman bill: flies, big guy, and for all he knows, maybe he can do more. Instead of coming up with a better lie than his last pathetic attempt, Clark instead manages to squeak out: ]

...How?

[ Honestly, Hernan doesn’t know what to make of Clark’s reaction. He’s used to being stared at when he’s recognized. But no one has ever asked him how he was Superman. Not in a very long time.]

That’s a long story. So let’s just say I wanted to change the world and needed a name that fit.

[Whatishappeninghere is the gist of Clark's thought process]

I've, uh, never met - [ - don't say "another Superman", don't do it -] a Superman before. What made you know you wanted to become Superman?

[ A Superman? Did that imply there’s more than one? Hernan is curious. In all his time here, he had never met anyone like him. For all his similarities with the other members of the Justice League, he was still unique among them. The uh most important head of the hydra, as it were.

If there were other Kryptonians, he wanted to know them. Maybe he could finally have the answers he’d been denied.

He doesn’t answer right away - his order’s finally being taken you see. But when the waiter is gone, he turns his full attention on Clark.]

My sister. She thought I could be something more than I was. So for her, I became Superman. [and he thoroughly enjoyed putting these lowlives in their place. Or their grave.]

What about you? [he says it casually. Hopes Clark will be comfortable enough to take the bait.]

Edited (Fixing typos!) 2024-09-29 16:32 (UTC)

Denny's

Clark Kent | My Adventures with Superman | ota

How about an AU Supes?

lets go with Clark for now!

Clark it is!

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