u/Clark__Kent_

Clark arrived early at Lucian’s Tea Shop, his arms loaded with bags of ingredients for the upcoming bake-off. Setting them heavily on the counter, he closed his eyes and mentally recalled the recipe for his mother’s classic apple pie.

Salt, flour, shortening, butter, apples, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, and water. He chuckled to himself. I didn't bring any water, but I think a tea shop can probably spare some.

He rolled up his sleeves. Perfect. Time to make up for the week I lost. But as he stared at the mound of apples, a thought gave him pause. Wait. What if we could turn this contest into something bigger? Something for a good cause?

I should run it by her first, he decided. Reaching into his pocket, Clark found his phone, selected the right contact, and brought the device to his ear.

Finally… Earth. It’s good to be home.

Superman cut through the exosphere, the familiar, comforting blue glow of the planet washing over him. One week. He had only been gone a week. In the grand scheme of the cosmos, it was nothing, but on a personal level? It meant his practice time for the bake-off was completely ruined.

Still, a forced detour to Apokolips wasn't exactly something he could politely decline. He rubbed his jaw, hoping it would be a very long time before he had to stare down another volley of Darkseid's Omega Beams.

As he descended toward the sprawling, neon grid of Tokyo, a single, nagging thought lingered in the back of his mind: I just hope nothing bad happened while I was away.