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The sun had mostly set beyond the horizon as Clark took his walk through Centennial Park.
Despite what the news crews might've portrayed, The Daily Planet included, Metropolis wasn't a constant hotbed for criminal masterminds and alien invasions. On the contrary, at times like this, it could feel like a paradise city. Sure, Clark was more aware than anyone of the looming dangers in this city. If Lex Luthor found himself in a rotten mood, or more aliens decided to come for Krypton's last son, or anyone had the bright idea to make everyone's day worse, he would be the one to spring into action and prevent everything from spiraling into an even worse chaos.
But in these moments, alone at the park as the pink and orange sky faded to velvet purple, Clark could forget about all of that. He could let Superman rest and simply exist, as if it was what he was always meant to do.
The fresh air swirled around him as a light breeze flitted among the trees. All around, in different directions, Clark could hear a smattering of people, couples going on romantic walks, parents taking their children out for a fun night, or people like himself who just wanted to be alone. Songbirds and their chicks had all started tucking in for the night, settling into their nests. Nights like this were much needed for Clark. When he couldn't get to the Fortress of Solitude to be alone, it was here Clark could find peace.
As Clark admired the color shifting sky above him, something caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little blinking light flicker, then vanish. For a moment, Clark wondered if it was a passing satellite far off in the distance. Then, the light blinked again, this time closer. Soon, there were two, then three, hovering around Clark with a sort of curiosity.
It took Clark a moment to realize that these weren't satellites in the distance, but fireflies, ready to join the nocturnal dance. Clark felt himself start to smile as he lifted his hand up to them. One of them landed on the back of his hand, and Clark moved his hand to get a closer look, watching it blink its little light up at him.
The sight of the firefly's blinking light sent Clark back through time into a memory, something he'd thought he'd lost forever...
"Mama! Mama, look out there!"
Clark eagerly bounced on his toes to try and peek his little head over the windowsill, pointing outside at the flickering lights outside. Martha, sensing her son's excitement, paused doing the dishes to see what Clark was looking at.
"Oh, look at that!" she said happily. "The fireflies are out!"
"Fireflies?" Clark asked. "What are those?"
"They're little bugs that can light up," Martha explained. "They come out at the end of May, it's a beautiful thing to see."
Clark "oooh"ed softly as he went back to watching the fireflies. He didn't even notice Martha going back to doing the dishes, laser focused on the blinking lights. He had to get a closer look.
Toddling over to the door, Clark managed to fiddle open the handle and eagerly ran outside, off of the porch, and into the grassy yard around him. He spun around in circles as he watched the fireflies, trying to watch all of them at once, but even this wasn't enough. He needed to get even closer.
Clark knew Mama and Papa had always told him to be careful about his powers, but no one else was around. He could do this just once, right?
Calling upon his powers, Clark jumped as high as his tiny legs would allow him and began to hover above the ground. He smiled as brightly as the light the fireflies produced around him as he began to float, chasing the fireflies over the grass and through the air. The fireflies almost appeared to be playing with him, fluttering close to Clark before darting away, back and forth over and over.
Reassured by his mother's kindness, Clark giggled and waved at her before returning to flying around, following the fireflies through the air, chasing the little flickering stars through the night...
Clark felt the small smile on his face grow as he remembered his childhood. His childhood felt more and more distant as he grew up, but here, it was like the universe had blessed him with one single moment where he could reach backwards in time and pull his memories into the present.
The firefly flitted off of Clark's hand to rejoin its insect kin. Clark lowered his hand back to his side, his eyes wistful as he watched them blinking in and out all around him.
He made a mental note to reach out to Martha when he got back to his apartment, both for a wellness check and a chance to reminisce on his childhood. For now, though, Clark took a seat on a park bench to watch the fireflies, grateful for this one moment of peace.