Chapitre 14: The Turning Point
It had been weeks since Clark started spending more time with Natasha. At first, their dates were casual—coffee, walks through the city, long conversations that lasted late into the night. But over time, it became clear: what they had was real. Something deeper.
They'd kissed—Clark had kissed her. He couldn't remember the last time a kiss had felt so easy, so right. Natasha was everything he had been looking for. Smart, independent, beautiful, and always able to make him laugh. She made him feel human again.
They spent nights at a café by the park, afternoons at bookstores and art galleries. He even got used to the way she seemed to understand him, like she could see right through the walls he'd built around himself.
It felt easy. And for Clark, easy was something he hadn't felt in a long time. Every time Natasha looked at him with those warm, understanding eyes, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he was falling for her.
But there was always that nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
That *itch* he couldn't scratch.
One evening, Clark sat at his desk, the city lights casting shadows on the wall as he worked. His laptop was open, but he couldn't focus. He had just come back from a walk with Natasha. They'd stopped at the park, shared ice cream, and watched the kids play. Everything had felt perfect. But now, sitting in his apartment, the feeling of unease started creeping in again.
It wasn't about Natasha—not directly. It was about the world he was in. How everything was so different from the one he knew. Even with Natasha, he wasn't sure if he really belonged here.
But that wasn't it either.
It was his powers. The ones he couldn't seem to shake. They'd grown stronger since arriving here. His senses were sharper, his strength almost overwhelming. It wasn't just the physical side of things. It was his hearing—how he could pick up every conversation, every whisper, from miles away.
Tonight, it was his hearing that pulled him out of his thoughts.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He never did. But when Natasha spoke on the phone, her voice drifted through the thin walls. At first, he didn't think much of it. But then something made him pause. He couldn't explain it, but *something* about her tone made him listen harder.
"Yeah, everything's going well," Natasha said, her voice low but light, like she was teasing someone. "He's completely oblivious. I think he's falling for me, which is good. We're in deep now."
Clark froze, his heart pounding in his chest.
*Oblivious?* She was talking about him.
He tried to shake it off. Maybe he was overthinking it. But then she kept talking, and the next words hit him like a punch.
"...Just need a little more time. Then we can wrap things up. It'll be easier once he trusts me completely. And then I'll—"
The conversation cut off abruptly. Clark sat still, his body tense, his mind racing. His pulse hammered in his ears, and the room felt smaller.
*What did she mean by that?*
He wanted to dismiss it. He didn't want to believe it. Natasha had been kind, warm, and real with him. But that voice, that tone—it didn't sit right.
Was it all a lie? Was he just part of some plan? He had trusted her, opened up to her in ways he hadn't with anyone in a long time. And now... now everything felt different.
Clark stood up, his hands shaking slightly. He couldn't stay in his apartment. He needed answers, needed to know if what he heard was real or if he had misunderstood it.
He paced around the apartment, trying to calm himself. Finally, he grabbed his jacket, threw it on, and walked out. He didn't know where he was going, but he couldn't stay inside, lost in his head.
---
Clark found himself outside Natasha's apartment building not long later. The night air was cool against his skin, but it didn't calm him. He stood there for a while, debating whether to go upstairs and confront her.
His mind raced. *What if she's lying? What if it's all part of some game?*
He wanted to push those thoughts away, but the doubt wouldn't leave. Was he just a pawn in whatever she was planning?
He looked up at the building. It seemed so ordinary. But now it felt like a trap.
He had fought bigger battles before—villains, danger, impossible odds. But this... this was different. This was a fight he wasn't ready for. One that went straight to his heart.
Clark stood there, frozen, unsure what to do. His thoughts felt jumbled, torn in two directions.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone