[Third Person POV]
"You know," Miku began, her voice carrying a playful lilt as she finally stopped pouting from Clark's earlier jab, "there is a bright side if you do agree to tutor us."
Clark raised an eyebrow, giving a skeptical little scoff as he leaned back against the stair. "Oh yeah? And what exactly would that be?" His tone was indifferent, but the faint twitch of curiosity in his eyes betrayed him.
Miku pressed her fingertips to her flushed cheeks in an overly dramatic gesture, pretending to be flustered. "Why, we'd get to spend more time together~" she teased, her singsong voice dripping with mock sweetness.
Clark blinked once, then pushed himself up from the stairs with a flat, unamused expression. "Alright, I'm leaving."
"No, wait! I was just kidding!" Miku yelped, immediately stepping forward. She placed her palms against his chest in a feeble attempt to push him back down.
It was a hopeless effort. Clark, with his sheer strength, didn't even budge. The sight was almost comical—her tiny frame straining against an immovable wall of muscle—until Clark let out a long, weary sigh and glanced down at her.
"Why don't you go ask second place instead?" he asked, his tone dry. "You had to know I'd say no."
Miku exhaled dramatically, her shoulders slumping as she looked up at him with a small pout. "Because the gap between you and second place is ridiculous. You got a perfect score across the board—literally every subject, Clark. It's… insane." Her voice softened, admiration slipping through despite her attempt to stay casual. "Besides… it's easier to ask you, even though I know you'll probably decline. We already know each other, so it just… feels less awkward."
Clark rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling through his nose as if the logic of her words irritated him. "Whatever…" he muttered.
Miku tilted her head, narrowing her eyes as she tried to decipher his tone. "Wait—'whatever' as in fine, I'll reluctantly help you? Or 'whatever' as in I don't care at all?" she asked carefully.
Clark almost snorted, his lips twitching with restrained amusement. "Definitely the latter."
"Oh…" Miku murmured, her voice dropping to a disappointed whisper. Her gaze drifted down toward the floor, her fingers curling into the hem of her skirt. "Is there any way I can change your mind?" she asked softly, almost pleading now. "It… it doesn't have to be every day. Just… whenever you feel like it. Only when you want to."
Clark looked at her for a long, silent moment. Her eyes, wide and shimmering with faint hope, met his. He could read everything in her posture—the nervous way she fidgeted, the slight tremor in her voice, the way she bit her lip as though bracing for rejection. Something tight twisted in his chest, a knot he couldn't quite name.
He exhaled sharply and dragged a hand through his hair, his expression hardening as if he were weighing options in his mind, he shifted his hands up and down as if he weighing his options before he snapped.
"Urghhh!!" Clark suddenly growled, throwing his head back in frustration.
Miku flinched, startled by the sudden outburst.
Clark turned to her, eyes narrowed in utter bewilderment. "Okay, seriously, what is up with you?!"
"Eh?" Miku blinked rapidly, confusion washing over her face.
"I mean it," Clark continued, gesturing wildly. "Answer me honestly—are you a witch? Because that is literally the only explanation that makes sense right now."
"Ehhhhh?!" Miku's jaw dropped, her eyes going wide. "A witch?!"
"That's right—a witch!" Clark shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You keep getting in my head! You make me do things without me even realizing it! First, you got me to open up to you, not once but twice! Twice! Something I haven't even done with my own family, mind you. And now you're making me feel bad for you, to the point where I'm actually considering helping you study. Me! I don't even help my own sister with her homework!" His voice rose with each word, his hands waving in pure exasperation.
Clark suddenly reached forward and clawed his large palm on the top of Miku's head, tilting it upward until her eyes were forced to meet his. His grip was firm, not rough, but enough to keep her from looking away.
"So answer me honestly," he said, his voice low but edged with frustration. "What is up with you—and why am I like this around you? What the hell are you doing to me?"
Miku's entire face went crimson. She could feel the heat rising all the way to her ears as she found herself staring straight into his piercing eyes. His hand was warm and steady on her head, and when he pushed his sliding glasses back up the bridge of his nose with his other hand, the moment felt almost unbearably intimate.
"I-I-I…" Miku stammered, her eyes darting wildly as if searching for an escape. The slight tilt of Clark's head, a subtle narrowing of his gaze, only made it worse. Her breath caught as an unexpected feeling fluttered in her chest, and she began waving her hands in frantic little circles.
Finally, she managed to squeak out, "P-Please don't look at me so intently!" She tried to push his face away with her palms, squirming and turning her face in every direction to avoid his burning stare.
Clark rolled his eyes with a quiet sigh and finally let his hand slide away from her head. "Whatever…" he muttered, grumbling under his breath as he leaned back slightly.
Lowering her trembling hands, Miku's shoulders slumped as a few loose strands of hair fell across her flushed face. She peeked up at him through her bangs, her cheeks still burning. "Uh… s-so is this one the latter or the former?" she asked timidly, her voice a soft, quivering murmur.
Clark studied her for a long beat. Without thinking, his fingers moved to gently brush the stray strands of hair away from her face, tucking them neatly behind her ear. "The former…" he said at last, his voice low and reluctant. Then, with a faint scowl, he added, "You witch."
The simple, unconscious action sent a surprising jolt through them both.
Time seemed to freeze. The realization of what he'd just done—the intimate touch, the way his words had softened—struck them simultaneously. Clark's eyes widened slightly, and Miku's breath hitched.
They both snapped their gazes away in an instant, as if the very air between them had become too heavy. Even Clark's usually composed face betrayed him; a faint, unmistakable flush crept across his cheeks. He covered his mouth with one hand, a finger pressing against the bridge of his glasses. "S-Sorry about that…" he muttered, his voice awkward and hushed.
"It's fine," Miku whispered, her own face aflame. "I… I didn't mind it…"
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Her eyes widened, and she quickly brought a hand to her mouth, realizing how it sounded.
Clark cleared his throat sharply, desperate to pierce through the charged silence. "Ahem. Anyway—back to the point." His tone was stiff, professional, as if he could will the heat out of the air. "I'll… reluctantly help you. But we're doing this my way."
He straightened, raising a single finger for each rule as he listed them out. "First, I'll only help you at school—during lunches or free periods. Second, the location is the library. I don't like crowded spaces, and it's quiet enough to get work done. Third, I expect to be paid for my time, since I'll be using my own breaks to help you. And fourth, I'm not your nanny. I'm here to help you study, not to babysit you or your sister. If either of you slack off or skip sessions, that's on you. I don't waste effort on people who don't want to help themselves."
He held up four fingers, ticking each one off as he spoke. "Accept those four conditions, and we have a deal."
Miku nodded quickly, her eyes bright despite the lingering pink on her cheeks. "First, school—lunch and free periods. Second, location—library. Third, expected pay. And fourth, not a nanny," she repeated carefully, summarizing each condition like a diligent student. Then her lips curled into a small, radiant smile. "That all sounds more than reasonable. Can we… start tomorrow?"
Clark gave a single approving nod and turned toward the door, his footsteps echoing faintly in the stairwell. "Just don't expect my time to come cheap," he said over his shoulder.
Miku stood there, watching his tall frame retreat. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, she dropped into a low crouch, covering her flaming face with both hands. "'It's fine, I didn't mind,'" she whispered, repeating her own reckless words under her breath. "How… how vulgar of me…"
…
Halfway down the hall, Clark paused mid-step. His ears burned as the memory replayed in his head, each detail sharper than he wanted. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan.
By his ear, Sol's teasing voice rang out with gleeful mischief. "I see a bright future ahead for the repopulation of Krypton. Excellent work, Kal-El."
Clark's jaw tightened. "Sol… I sincerely hope you know how to fight," he growled under his breath, his face twitching as he fought the warmth creeping up his neck. "Because I will build a portal into the digital world and mess you up…"
The school bell rang, breaking the moment, but Clark's ears stayed red all the way to class.
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