Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They had wandered really far.

Ollie had been the one to suggest going into the forest, mostly to lay low after the Lantern encounter. Too many patrols in the city. Too many close calls. A change of scenery would do them good, and besides, cities were exhausting .

They weren’t worried about survival—they’d done just fine on the streets, after all. A forest was just a different kind of jungle. And they had done it many times before

But they hadn't accounted for the bear.

It had come out of nowhere, massive and hulking, fur bristling as it lumbered forward with a guttural growl.

Barry had frozen. Hal had immediately reached for his ring but caught himself before using it. Bruce and Ollie had gone full cryptid mode—teeth bared, eyes glowing, ears pointed. Arthur had instinctively reached for the water nearby, but a forest didn't offer much in that department.

Ollie growled low, trying to communicate that they weren’t a threat, but the bear roared and lumbered closer, clearly enraged by something and trying to take it out on the boys. If Ollie’s ose was anything to go by, the bear smelled like it had somehow escaped hunters, with gun oil, bullet scent, and blood in the air. 

"Nobody move ," Arthur hissed, slowly stepping back. "Maybe it'll back off—"

The bear did not back off.

It reared up with a deafening roar, claws flashing—

Then, a blur.

A gust of wind that wasn’t Barry.

And suddenly, a boy stood between them and the bear.

He was tall, broad for his age, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and somehow looked both incredibly non-threatening and completely unshakable at the same time. He made some bear-like sounds. 

The bear paused . Lowered itself onto all-fours. Sniffed. Whuffed softly. 

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it turned and lumbered away , as if deciding this wasn’t worth the effort.

The five stared, still tensed to fight or flee.

The boy turned to them, blinking. "You guys okay?"

A long beat of silence.

Then—

"Who the hell are you ?" Ollie blurted, still halfway crouched like he was ready to pounce.

The boy hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh. Clark. Clark Kent. AKA Kal-El."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "How did you—?"

" What did you—?" Barry started, before realizing he didn’t actually know what he was asking.

Clark shifted awkwardly. "...I just kinda talked to it. I have this… understanding? With animals sometimes."

Bruce, who had yet to say anything, stared at him with the intensity of someone mentally dissecting every movement Clark made. "...Talked to it."

Clark nodded, a little sheepish. "Yeah. Bears don't usually attack unless they're scared or protecting something. I just... let it know we weren't a threat. I know their noises, so I imitate them to commune sometimes…"

Ollie crossed his arms. "Huh. And it just listened ?"

Clark shrugged. "Guess so."

A pause.

Then Hal, ever the smooth talker, blurted, "Are you a cryptid?"

Clark blinked. "...Am I a what ?"

Barry, despite everything, snorted .

Arthur squinted. "...You're not from around here, are you?"

Clark hesitated. "...Kinda? I live in Smallville. Not too far from here."

The five exchanged glances, instantly communicating in the way only they could. Smallville. Small town. Not much security. Probably safe for a bit.

Ollie tilted his head. "...You got a place?"

Clark blinked again, then nodded. "Yeah. My folks have a farm. Why?"

Arthur sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Okay, so—hypothetically—how would they feel about five possibly feral kids crashing the barn for a while?"

Clark just grinned.

"Well," he said, "I think they'd be real glad you found me first, 'cause if Ma saw you out here by yourselves, she'd drag you home herself ."