kryptonian senses
ship: clark kent x f! reader (reader insert) (established relationship)
cw: (mature audience nsfw 18+) suggestive content, sexual tension, mild smut, kissing, touching, and implied escalation
wc: 2.3k
now playing: underneath the tree by kelly clarkson
(coloring and edits done by me, pic creds to pinterest)
the apartment looked different at night. not because anything had changed the furniture was the same. the windows still framed the same city, but because december softened everything. lights blurred the sharp edges. shadows lingered longer.
the world outside felt quieter, like it had agreed to give you this moment. the christmas tree stood in the corner, tall and full, branches heavy with ornaments you’d collected over the years. some were mismatched.
some sentimental. some a little tacky. all of them yours. and beneath it stood clark. he’d rolled his sleeves up without thinking, sweater pushed back just enough to reveal his forearms, and you watched the way his hands moved as he adjusted one of the lower ornaments.
careful and deliberate. like he understood how easily things could break. he always did.you leaned against the doorway for a moment, arms folded loosely, just watching him exist in your space.
the sight of him there, so solid, so real, made something warm bloom in your chest. "you know i can hear you staring." he said, voice gentle, amused. you smiled. "i’m not being loud."
he turned then, smile already there, eyes catching the light from the tree. "you don’t have to be." that did something to you. it always did the reminder that he noticed everything. not in a way that felt invasive, but attentive.
like you mattered enough to be observed. you crossed the room, socks brushing softly against the rug. "you look like you belong under a tree." he laughed quietly. "is that a compliment?" your smile tugged across your lips, "very much so."
he reached for you when you got close, fingers curling around your wrist with easy familiarity. he tugged you in until you were flush against him, your back to his chest, his arms settling around your waist like muscle memory.
warmth radiated from him. steady. grounding. the tree lights framed you both, reflecting in the windows, casting soft gold across the room. his chin rested near your temple, breath warm against your hair.
for a while, neither of you spoke. it wasn’t awkward. it never was. silence with clark felt intentional, like a shared understanding instead of an absence. his thumb moved first, tracing slow circles against your side.
the touch was absentminded at first, soothing until it wasn’t. until awareness crept in, sharp and electric, threading itself through your nerves.
you shifted slightly, leaning back into him without thinking. his breath changed. you felt it before you heard it, the subtle inhale, the way his chest expanded behind you. his arm tightened just a little, not to pull you closer but to anchor himself.
"comfortable?" he asked softly. "yeah..." you said. "just warm." he smiled against your hair. "me too." except you both knew it wasn’t just warmth. your heart began to pick up, betraying you.
you could feel it in your chest, your throat, a fluttering urgency that had nothing to do with the temperature. clark stilled. it was barely noticeable, but you knew him well enough to feel the pause.
his thumb stopped moving. his breath evened out, too deliberately. "hey." he murmured. "you okay?" you nodded, though your pulse only quickened. "yeah. i’m fine." his arm tightened again, protective rather than possessive.
his hand slid from your waist to rest flat against your stomach, fingers splayed like he was grounding both of you at once. "your heart’s racing." he said quietly. heat pooled low in your belly. "it does that..." you replied, trying for casual and failing just a little.
he huffed a soft laugh. "only around me, apparently." you turned in his arms then, slow and deliberate, until you were facing him. his hands settled naturally at your hips, thumbs pressing lightly like he needed the contact as much as you did.
the tree loomed behind him, lights haloing his hair, casting his features in something almost reverent. it made him look unreal, like a memory instead of a man. you smoothed a hand over his chest, feeling the steady beat beneath the sweater.
"you’re trouble." his brows lifted. "i thought i was well-behaved?" you smirked. "you are." you said. "that’s the problem."something darkened in his eyes then, not sharp, not aggressive, just deep. focused. devoted in a way that always made your knees feel weak. he leaned in until your foreheads touched, breath mingling.
"i’ve been trying very hard not to rush anything tonight." you blinked. "why?" you asked softly. "because i like this." he said. "the quiet. the build-up. the way you look at me when you think i’m not paying attention."
your heart betrayed you again. his lips brushed your temple. once, barely there, before trailing down to your cheek. every nerve ending seemed to light up where he touched you. "clark." you whispered. he hummed in response, mouth lingering near yours.
"tell me if you want me to stop." you didn’t, you couldn't. so when his lips finally met yours, it was unhurried. a slow, testing kiss that deepened gradually, like he was savoring the moment rather than chasing it. his hands stayed firm at your hips, grounding, steady. like he was holding himself back even as he leaned into you.
you sighed softly into the kiss, fingers curling into his sweater. he responded immediately, pulling you closer, the kiss growing warmer, fuller, until the world narrowed to the two of you and the soft glow of christmas lights.
when he pulled back, it was only to rest his forehead against yours again. "merry christmas." he murmured. you smiled, breathless. "merry christmas, clark." his hands guided you down gently, lowering both of you to the floor beneath the tree. the rug was warm beneath your knees, the lights above you flickering softly as you settled back against the couch.
he hovered for a moment, giving you time, always giving you time before following you down.one arm braced beside your head, the other still at your waist. "you look beautiful like this." he said quietly.
you reached up, brushing your thumb along his jaw. "you always say that." he smiles, it's soft and gentle."because it’s always true." he kissed you again, slower this time, deeper. like he had all night and nowhere else to be.
his hand slid from your waist to your thigh, squeezing gently, a silent question. you answered by pulling him closer. his breath hitched. just once, before he pressed a kiss to your neck, then another, lingering like he was memorizing you.
his restraint was palpable, the kind that only made the tension sweeter. outside, the city continued on, unaware. inside, time seemed to fold in on itself. when his forehead rested against yours again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "we can stay here as long as you want."
you smiled, threading your fingers through his hair. "i don’t think i’m going anywhere." his answering grin was soft, content, like that was all he needed to hear. beneath the tree, wrapped in warmth and light and the promise of the night stretching ahead of you.
clark held you like you were exactly where you belonged and for the first time all evening, the world felt perfectly still.
the stillness didn’t last long, clark’s thumb began to move again. slow at first, tracing the curve of your hip like he was testing his own restraint. his other hand followed, warm and solid, settling at your lower back. the touch was grounding and undoing all at once.
you tilted your head up, inviting him without words. he didn’t hesitate this time. his mouth found yours with a quiet urgency that hadn’t been there before. not rushed, but hungry in a way that made your breath stutter. the kiss deepened immediately, his lips moving against yours like he’d been thinking about this all night.
you made a soft sound without meaning to. clark froze for half a second, like the noise had gone straight through him. then his hand tightened at your waist, pulling you closer until there was no space left to wonder about.
"okay..." he breathed against your mouth, voice low. "okay." his kisses turned slower but heavier, lingering just long enough to make your knees feel weak before shifting again. his thumb brushed under your jaw, tilting your face just right, like he needed to feel every angle of you.
your fingers slid into his hair, tugging gently. he groaned. quiet, controlled, but unmistakable, and the sound sent a spark straight through you. his forehead dropped to yours for a moment, eyes closed, breath uneven.
"you’re making this very hard." he murmured. you smiled, breathless. "i thought you liked a challenge?" his answering smile was crooked, dangerous. "i like you." that was all the warning you got before his mouth found your neck.
he kissed you there slowly, deliberately, like he was savoring the way your breath caught, the way your pulse jumped beneath his lips. his hand slid down your side, fingers pressing in just enough to make you arch into him without thinking.
"clark." you whispered, half plea, half his name falling apart in your mouth. he pulled back just enough to look at you, eyes dark, focused entirely on you. "tell me if i need to stop." you shook your head, fingers tightening in his sweater. "don’t."
something in his expression shifted. not control breaking, but choosing to let go. his mouth crashed back into yours, deeper now, the kiss turning heated and messy in the best way. his hand slid to your thigh, squeezing, anchoring you as he kissed you like he’d been holding himself back for far too long.
the christmas lights flickered above you, the ornaments chiming softly as his knee nudged between yours. the closeness was dizzying, the tension sharp and unmistakable. his breathing was uneven now, chest rising and falling beneath your palms.
he rested his forehead against yours again, eyes closed, like he was steadying himself.
"if we stay here..." he said quietly, voice rough, "i’m not sure i’ll keep being good." your heart raced, loud enough you knew he could hear it. you smiled up at him, thumb brushing along his jaw. "then maybe we shouldn’t stay here." you dared, fingers gentle on his skin.
his eyes opened slowly, meeting yours. a beat passed. then he leaned in, pressing one last lingering kiss to your lips. slow, promising, full of intent, before murmuring the words that made your stomach flip.
"let’s go to the bedroom." he insisted, his lips hungry and his hands along your back, pushing off your own clothes. your teeth clashing at the hunger of need and want. "clark, please." you whispered, his arms stretched out and lifted you with ease down the hallway. the door clicking shut before it was a silent night of heavy pants and pleas.
an: this was supposed to be posted earlier, but i had to rewrite it ✨ happy day 16 of kinkmas, loves! hope you enjoy this cozy, festive mess of feelings under the tree 💖