Work Text:
"No! No! No! No!”
The constant cry was followed by the sound of rocks being shifted around as the Kryptonian dug through the debris. He barely noticed as Wonder Woman landed nearby, her eyes shining with worry as she surveyed the damage.
“Superman?” The Amazonian called out. “Is sh-“ She was instantly cut off by the man.
“She’s buried under there!” He grunted as he lifted a particularly heavy piece of debris and flung it aside. “I have to get her out!”
Flash skidded to a halt next to the black haired woman. His heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of the destruction. “C-could she have even survived….?” His words trailed off as Wonder Woman shot him a look of warning. Superman had indeed heard him but he chose to ignore the words.
“We need to get her out! She’s probably hurt.”
His teammates glanced at one another before starting to help him as well. Wonder Woman was beside Superman, pushing aside concrete and debris, while Flash made quick work of running around the parameter, keeping an eye out for any movement.
“Bats is gonna kill us.” The speedster mumbled over their still connected comms. “He is actually going to kill us then do something worse then death to our bodies.” Wonder Woman was quick to scold him.
“Focus on finding her Flash. She knew the consequences of her actions. She is a warrior who knew the risks.” Pulling back an arm she punched through a wall of concrete that was stuck, watching it crumble away. A heaviness seemed to settle in her chest when she did not find anything underneath. Diana had no desire to loose a friend and comrade in arms. She simply kept digging.
Flash came to a stop next to her picking up dust as he did. “If anything I hope shes alive for his sake.” He whispered to the Amazonian. The two Leaguers stopped what they’d been doing to watch their friend still digging desperately through the debris. His uniform was covered in dust and his normally neat appearance was unkempt. But his eyes were the worst of all. Even from the few feet of distance between them, Diana could make out the sheer desperation in them. Flying next to him, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Superman? Maybe you should step away. Call for reinforcements while Flash and I-” She was cut off when the Man of Steel suddenly went completely still. He stood, his eyes unfocused and his hands trembling.
“I-I didn’t even get to tell her.” He spoke in a low tone. Diana’s heart grew heavy at the sheer amount of heartbreak and sadness in his voice. Flash, as oblivious as ever, frowned.
“Tell her what?” He asked, pushing aside a relatively smaller piece of rock.
“That I love her.”
The proclamation caused the speedster to drop the heavy rock he’d been lifting, kicking up a lot of dirt and making him cough.
“Wh-coughcough-what?!”
Silence followed. The man in blue dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands. Both Flash and Wonder Woman were at a loss. They had never seen him react the way he was. Superman was their leader. The man who stood as a symbol of peace and hope for the people of Earth. The apparent death of their team member seemed to have taken the fight out of him.
“Sh-she can’t be gone.” The Flash whispered, his shoulders drooping as a dark cloud began to form over his normally upbeat persona. Wonder Woman bit her lower lip, her mind flashing to how Batman would react to the death of the woman he considered his closest family.
Clark’s mind was racing a mile a minute. Memories of her. Of every moment they had shared, just flashing before his eyes. His heart thumped wildly in his chest. So loud he barely registered the heartbeats of those around him. Sorrow and dread began to creep in his veins. Ice cold and flashing hot at the same time. For once in his life his knees had trembled and he’d been forced to kneel. He felt empty. Completely and utterly devoid of any feeling. He hadn’t felt this way since his father died.
“You know? If my nearly dying was all it would’ve taken for you to admit you loved me, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
The voice came through their comms, slightly distorted and warbling. All three heroes began to look around frantically. Flash, never one to stand still, made a dash around the crash site. Only a second later a happy cry echoed through the comms.
“Lucky! Man am I glad you’re alive.” Wonder Woman floated over to the sound of Flash celebrating, leaving Superman to follow after her. As she crested a rather large piece of fallen building, she was met with the sight of her presumably dead team member.
Her uniform was torn in places, the mask covering her eyes ripped at the seams, her body covered in scratches, hair in disarray, a wide cut across her cheek. Flash seemed to be supporting her as she stood. A quick glance showed her keeping her left foot off the ground. She must’ve hurt it. Yet despite the fact that Lucky Penny looked half dead, the brightness that was unique to her eyes still shone through. The woman offered the Amazonian a smile, though it came out as more of grimace as the pain at her side flared.
“I am glad you are alive Lucky.” Wonder Woman stated warmly, reaching out to grasp her friend’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Lucky Penny laughed softly as Flash nodded.
“Yeah! Imagine having to tell Bats that you had died on our watch. Phew! We wouldn’t have been safe anywhere in the galaxy. Although,” He smirked as he spied Superman approach them, walking towards them instead of flying. “I think Supes would’ve handed himself over to Bats of his own free will.”
For being the fastest man alive, Flash could be a little slow when the situation called for it. He didn’t notice her swaying on her feet, and nearly didn’t catch her when she fainted. He almost didn’t catch her in his arms, supporting her body as it went limp. Both Wonder Woman and Superman called out her name in worry.
“Seems she hit her head pretty hard there.” Flash muttered, carefully zipping over to the still approaching Superman and depositing the dark haired woman into his arms. “She’s all yours Supes.” So saying, the red clad man ran off to deal with the civilians gathering nearby. Wonder Woman, with a knowing smile directed at her two friends, followed after him.
Clark looked down at the woman in his arms. She had always seemed so fragile and delicate, but now, with the way she was hurt and unconscious, she seemed even more so. Oh, he knew just how tough she was. Penny could give Bruce a run for his money when it came to being stubborn and pushing yourself to the limit. Sighing deeply, the uneasiness in his heart lifting a little now that he knew she was safe, Clark simply rose to the sky to get her the help she needed.
It took awhile, but she finally woke from her near comatose state.
According to Martian Manhunter the injuries were quite severe, and recovery would be long. Penny had asked him not to go into too much detail when it came to telling Batman about her condition, but she knew it was a futile attempt. Still can’t blame a girl for trying.
Green Lantern and Hawkgirl had already been in to see her and ask about her well-being. Hawkgirl had praised her for her bravery. Green Lantern, on the other hand, had been downright furious, saying she had no right to risk her life like that. Penny found his reaction sweet, and had teased him about it. Saying how she always knew he had a soft spot for her. The two of them had never seen eye-to-eye ever since the formation of the Justice League. Green Lantern didn’t think they needed someone to boss them around over comms during fights and various other skirmishes. Lucky Penny had taken that as an insult and had been just as cold towards him as he had been to her. But their relationship had thawed overtime. And the way he had reacted just now, proved that she had managed to worm her way into his heart. Despite his various protests that it wasn’t so.
As Hawkgirl dragged him away so that their companion could rest, Penny leaned back against the fluffy pillows on her bed. Batman had been to visit her too. Though it had just included him simply standing and staring at her. She had stared right back, offering him a slight smile. That seemed to be enough for the man in black as he had exited the room without another word. Penny had relaxed after he left. Bruce would tell Alfred she was fine and on the mend. The worry she had detected in his posture had disappeared once he had made sure she was fine.
Now the only person left to reassure was a certain man clad in blue.
Apparently he had not left her side since J’onn had begun to treat her. Simply sitting there on the couch and keeping an eye on her vitals. Penny had a sneaking suspicion he was monitoring her heartbeat via x-ray vision. He had also been the one to inform J’onn of ever single injury, cut or bruise she had in excruciating detail. And when she had tried to tell him that she was alright, Clark had simply given her a dark look. She had kept her mouth shut after that. Normally, she would test his patience, but for the time being she didn’t think it wise to do so.
And so here they were. Sitting and staring awkwardly at each other.
Well awkward on her part. He was perfectly content with the tension in the room.
After a few minutes of simply fiddling and squirming where she sat, Penny turned her gaze to Clark, smiling nervously at the look of sheer vexation on his face. She cleared her throat. “Well destroying the building was the only way to make sure the technology and blueprints could never be used.” The woman tried to reason. Silence followed her words as Clark continued to stare at her. Finally, she sighed and fixed him with an exasperated look. “What now you’re not gonna talk to me?”
Silence.
An aggravated sigh fell from her lips. “Kent, I had to do what I thought was right.”
Instantly his entire body language changed. The words probably acted as a trigger for him as he stood up, marching to stand next to her on the bed, nearly looming over her.
“And that included sacrificing yourself?” Penny stared up at him in absolute defiance. “If dying for a greater good is the way to go then I will take it.” She spoke with absolute conviction in her voice. “You should know. How many times have you nearly sacrificed yourself for all of us?”
Clark frowned, crossing his arms over the symbol on his chest. “Thats different?” The injured woman frowned in response, mirroring his arms. “Why? Because you’re seemingly indestructible?” There was no way she would be letting this go.
Who in the hell was he to say whether she could sacrifice her life or not? Sure he was the leader of the Team she worked with, but they were all free to do whatever they wanted. So long as it was legal and didn’t cause anyone harm. His eyes blazed, and for a moment Penny caught sight of the Kryptonian underneath that dealt with villains.
“Yes! Because I can take a chance with a plan as stupid as detonating a building. Because I can walk away from a falling building. I can dust off and get back up again. You can’t.” His voice was full of frustration as he spoke, running a hand down his face as he did.
Penny seemed to shrink where she sat, propped up against several pillows. “Way to make a girl feel weak Kent.” She muttered. There was no malice in her words, and certainly no anger. Penny knew out of everyone in the Justice League, she was the least equipped in terms of strength and speed. She didn’t hold it against anyone though. They all had powers while she didn’t. Minus Bruce, but he was stronger then her because of his training, so still the weakest of the Team.
Catching the dejected way she looked at him, Clark sighed. He moved to stand next to her. “You know what I mean Penny.” He said softly. Her brown gaze lifted to meet his, a pout pulling at her lips as she did. “Now you know its not fair. I can’t stay mad at you when you’re looking at me like that.” She joked, reaching up to gently bump the side of his arm with her bandaged hand. The gauze was wrapped around her fingers mostly, so when he suddenly took her hand, she could feel the warmth of his skin through the bandage.
Slowly he lowered himself so he could be in her direct line of sight, instead of where she had to crane her head back to look up at him. He was on his knees now, just as he had been when he thought he had lost her.
“That was just a lucky break for you Penelope. What if the next time you aren’t so lucky? What then? What will I tell Alfred? How do you think Bruce will handle you dying? Or the rest of the Team?”
Guilt crept along her body, bubbling deep within her gut as she broke away from his intense, imploring gaze and directed it towards the white sheets that covered her body. “I - I suppose I wasn’t thinking about everyone. I just wanted to do what was right.” She finally said. Clark shook his head. “I’m not telling you off for doing the right thing Pen. I just want you to see that you getting hurt, or worse, will result in a lot of people hurting in the process as well.”
She glanced up at him. “People, Kent?”
He gave a deep chuckle, raising her injured hand to his lips and giving it a small kiss. “Yes Pen, People.” A beat of silence before he spoke again. “But to be honest, I’m asking you to be more careful because I don’t want you to get hurt.” He admitted. “And I know its selfish of me to ask something like this of you, especially when I tend to run into danger head on as well, but I’m saying this because I love you.”
Even though she had heard him say those words before, they hadn’t been directed towards her. Not really anyway. So for him to say it directly to her? An entirely new range of emotions welled within her, emotions that had her wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. Which was ridiculous, and yet it made perfect sense.
A long stretch of silence followed his words, where she simply looked at him. Clark was content on looking back, as if he were still reassuring himself that she was alive and safe.
Which was why when he blinked and found her face only a few meters from his, he nearly jumped back in surprise. She didn’t give him any time to do so, as her lips found the very corner of his mouth and lingered there for a good few seconds before pulling back.
Clark was a little too stunned to do anything. He hadn’t been expecting her to kiss him. Mostly because Penny was rather reserved when it came to her emotions. Just like her brother. As she shifted to lean back against her pillows once more, the blush on her bronze skin was prominent.
“You are the bane of my existence Clark Kent.” She was referring to the multiple occasions, she had given a set of instructions or orders during a mission and he had gone in a completely different direction. He had pissed her off on more then one occasion, and she had annoyed him so many times by telling him off about ignoring her that they didn’t even have a tally to keep score.
Yet somewhere along the way of shouting matches and snide comments, he had begun to listen to her suggestions. And she, in turn, began to take his strength and brute force into consideration when coming up with tactical solutions. It was slow going, and they still go on one another’s nerves. Still fought and argued. Yet it held an intensity that had never been there before.
And intensity that had culminated in feelings neither of them had planned on developing when it came to the other party.
And yet, here they were.
“But, I love you too.”
The expression on his face that followed her confession was as bright as any star she had ever seen.
He moved forward, and she knew he was about to kiss her, but she held up her other hand, pressing her fingers to his lips and laughing softly at the look on his face.
“And I would prefer to be kissed when I don’t look like I’ve been used as a punching bag.” She referred to her injured state. “Also I’m really hopped up on pain medication, so there is a chance you might need to confess to me again.”
The answering laugh that followed the words made her fall in love with the Kryptonian even more.