[Third Person Pov]
"I'm just wondering what the hell was going through your mind that possessed you to go ahead and pat me on the head," Clark said. His voice was flat and monotone, devoid of any real emotion as he stared down at Haruna, whose face had turned a deep, embarrassed red.
Haruna immediately began waving her hands around in a flustered panic, her movements uncoordinated as she desperately tried to explain herself. "I–I didn't mean anything bad by it! I swear!" she blurted out. "I just saw you kneeling down and tending to me, and I wanted to express my gratitude! I thought I should pay you back somehow!"
Clark raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a faint scoff as he leaned back slightly. "What am I," he asked dryly, "a dog now?"
"Ah—no! That's not what I meant at all!" Haruna exclaimed, her panic escalating as her voice climbed an octave. "Please don't demote me!"
In her frantic state, Haruna completely forgot how close Clark was standing. She bowed her head sharply in apology, far more forcefully than necessary.
Bonk.
The sound echoed awkwardly through the room.
Haruna recoiled with a small yelp as she ended up headbutting herself against Clark. Her body tilted backward, her balance instantly lost. Clark reacted on instinct, reaching out and grabbing her before she could topple off the stool. He steadied her just in time, but it was already too late—her forehead was rapidly turning red, faint wisps of steam practically rising from the point of impact as her eyes rolled back and she went limp in his arms.
At that exact moment, the door slid open.
Queen, one of the nurses on duty, stepped into the room—and immediately froze at the sight before her. Clark stood there holding an unconscious Haruna in his arms, her head lolling back slightly.
Silence filled the room.
Clark and Queen stared at each other for several long seconds. Neither spoke, neither moved. Finally, Queen raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable, and broke the silence.
"Aren't you going to say something to defend yourself?" she asked.
"Defend myself against what?" Clark replied calmly, his expression unchanged. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Queen snorted and shook her head, clearly unconvinced. "This is the second time she's ended up unconscious in your arms," she said flatly. "At the very least, you could explain how this happened."
Clark did exactly that, recounting the events in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner. The moment he finished, Queen burst out laughing, clutching her stomach as she bent forward.
"Honestly," she said between laughs, "if it weren't for the fact that her forehead is visibly red, I'd have called your story complete bullshit. Hahaha! Just how hard is that head of yours to knock someone out like that?"
"Was that last comment really necessary?" Clark asked, giving her a deadpan stare.
Queen waved him off dismissively. "Just place her on the bed. I'll look her over and make sure she doesn't have a concussion."
Clark complied, carefully laying Haruna down on the bed. As he finished, Queen glanced over her shoulder and asked, "Before you leave, can I get your name?"
Clark hesitated for a moment, eyeing her suspiciously, but answered anyway. "Clark Ayase. Why?"
Queen bowed her head slightly. "I wanted to properly apologize to you, Clark."
"Huh? What for?" Clark asked, genuinely puzzled as he looked at her.
"The last time you were here and brought her in," Queen said seriously, "I immediately assumed the worst about you. I accused you of something heinous without knowing you or the full story. It was incredibly unprofessional, and it's something I've been ashamed of ever since. I'm sorry for my actions."
Clark blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Are… are you being serious?" he asked, not bothering to hide his surprise. He understood exactly what she was referring to, but what shocked him most was that she had gone out of her way to apologize. If he wasn't who he was, he wouldn't have even known about it if she hadn't brought it up—and honestly, given how things must have looked, he never would have expected an apology in the first place.
Queen nodded solemnly. "Yes. It's been weighing on my conscience ever since. I wanted to apologize, but I didn't know your name, and I never had the chance."
"Uh… apology accepted, I guess," Clark said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Despite himself, he couldn't help but form a positive impression of her. "Not that I expected one—or that I would've cared—but I still appreciate it… I think."
Queen visibly relaxed, letting out a quiet breath of relief before thanking him. She then turned her attention back to Haruna, beginning her examination.
As Clark reached the door, he paused and glanced back. "Oh, and when she wakes up," he added casually, "can you tell her I was just messing with her? Tell her not to think too much about it."
Queen nodded in response.
Clark stepped out into the hallway, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he walked away, leaving the room behind him.
…
When Haruna finally woke up in the nurse's office, the first thing she saw was the ceiling above her—bland, white, and entirely unhelpful in grounding her thoughts. She stared at it with a blank, unfocused expression, her body stiff beneath the covers. Slowly, almost mechanically, she pulled the blanket higher, drawing it up to her chest… then over her face, as if hiding might somehow erase reality.
Beneath the sheets, her body began to tremble.
She bit down hard on her lip, desperately holding back the urge to scream at the top of her lungs as the memories came flooding back like a violent storm.
'Kill me. Kill me now. Please.'
The thought repeated over and over in her head, dramatic and frantic, as if sheer willpower alone could make her vanish from existence.
This reaction wasn't born from the simple humiliation of knocking herself unconscious with her own headbutt—though that alone would have been more than enough. No, the real culprit was something far worse.
When she bowed.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Just for a single, unforgivable moment—
Their lips had accidentally touched.
The sensation replayed endlessly in her mind, trapped on a cruel loop. The faint warmth. The soft pressure. The split second before everything had gone dark.
Haruna slowly raised a hand beneath the covers and gently touched her lips, her fingers trembling as a forbidden thought slipped through her panic.
'If I hadn't lost consciousness right away… maybe the feeling would've lasted longer.'
The realization hit her all at once.
Haruna let out a small, muffled whimper and buried herself even deeper into the bed, mortified beyond belief. Her face burned with shame as she curled in on herself.
'I sound like a complete pervert…'
The thought alone made her want to disappear all over again.
…
By the time Clark reached the rooftop and climbed the stairs, he could hear Lois quietly release a small sigh of relief, one she clearly hadn't intended for him to notice.
Clark vaulted up and leaned casually toward the edge, glancing in her direction. "What," he asked, "you think I wasn't going to show?"
"Yes," Lois replied immediately, staring straight at him with a deadpan expression. "Since you tend to do that."
"I already apologized for that," Clark grumbled as he finished climbing over the edge.
"Yeah," she scoffed, puffing out her chest slightly, "but it wasn't enough. Which is why, to make it up to me, you're going to sit right here while I tell you the story of how I met THE Superman for the first time."
"…Who?" Clark asked, genuinely confused.
Lois froze.
She stared at him for a long moment, utterly unamused. "I refuse to believe you haven't even heard of Superman," she said flatly. "So don't even try it."
Clark turned his head away and clicked his tongue audibly.
Lois ignored the gesture and continued, "I was going to tell you the day it happened. You know, share the news with you like a normal person would. But first, I don't have your phone number, and second, you started ignoring me—so I couldn't even show you the news article."
"This is your way of convincing me to give you my phone number?" Clark asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Because if it is, it's not happening. I don't want you in my contacts, and I definitely don't want you having a direct line just so you can annoy me."
This time it was Lois who turned away, clicking her tongue in annoyance. She then turned back toward him, blew him a kiss, and punctuated it with a wink. "I'll give you a prize if you comply."
Clark recoiled slightly, looking at her with pure disgust. "Just how easy do you think I am?"
…
Minutes later, Clark was on all fours, trembling with shame.
His fist was clenched tightly against the rooftop, knuckles white. His lips—faintly tainted with lip gloss—twitched as he stared at the ground in disbelief.
"What is wrong with me?" he muttered. "How could I have possibly folded?!"
Nearby, Lois hummed cheerfully as she reapplied her lipstick, utterly smug. Clark's phone rested comfortably in her hands as her thumb tapped the screen, saving her number into his contacts.
"Men are so easy~" she teased.
She pressed her lips together, making a soft popping sound when she finished, her smile victorious.
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