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“And if you think, even for a minute– Hey, where do you think you’re going? Oh, you motherfu–”
Clark stormed into the kitchen, slamming the backdoor behind him and cutting off another expletive from Lois. Well, it muffled it really, as Clark willed his super hearing to focus on something else.
Anything else.
He was grateful for the momentary reprieve. In the few short weeks she had been living with his family at the farm, he’d forgotten what life had been like when he wasn’t constantly hearing Lois’s voice.
The way her voice lifted with a wry grin as she made another dig at him from across the dining room table.
The sarcastic lilt in her voice as she watched him pretend to bumble through what would have been a seconds-long chore if he didn’t have an audience.
The way her voice carried across the hall and down the stairs during her late night phone calls to her old friends from the base, as he tried to sleep on the couch.
Worst of all: the mocking edge to her voice as her fist drew back to punch his arm, punctuating her sentences with a teasing “Smallville.”
It wasn’t that he wasn’t glad to have offered her help. He was glad he did, really. She needed a place to stay. At least that’s what he kept telling himself in moments like these, when he questioned how he got himself into this situation.
Clark sighed and leaned up against the backdoor, knowing he put himself in this situation.
Clark had gone to the cemetery, meaning to pay his respects to Chloe. His best friend for years. His best friend who he couldn’t save, thanks to Jor-El sending him off on some crusade that he still didn’t quite understand.
But Lois had been there. And he and Lois, evidently, had gotten off on the wrong foot. Not that he could exactly remember why. It wasn’t like he could explain it to her anyway or try to justify whatever offense he had caused.
“You’re not the only one that misses her.” Clark told her, trying to offer some small piece of comfort and convey the depth of his grief for his best friend.
“I’m just the only one doing something about it.” Lois accused.
Clark whirled around to face her. He hadn’t been expecting to be met with such annoyance and anger. His own response shocked him more.
“I get the feeling you like to do things yourself.” He fired back.
He almost had a moment to regret the words as they passed his lips. Wasn’t he meant to be playing nice? Offering words of comfort to Chloe’s cousin? Certainly not arguing with Lois as they stood over Chloe’s grave.
But Lois just smiled coyly at him.
“My dad raised me to be independent and self-sufficient.” She said.
“That would be one way to describe you.” He retorted. Rude. Annoying. Stuck up. Clark listed off his preferred alternatives in his head.
Lois’s mouth fell open for a moment.
“You know, the only thing I like about you at the moment is your mom.” Lois said. Clark offered a small, questioning smile.
Everyone loved his mom, Lois didn’t get points just for noticing how great Martha Kent was.
“You can’t possibly be as weird as I think you are with a mom that cool.” She finished.
Clark’s smile grew, despite himself. He shook his head. Completely and unexpectedly disarmed, by a compliment to his mother and an insult to himself, all wrapped up in a single sentence and a smile.
“Look, why don’t you let me help you find out who did this to Chloe?” He felt Lois’s curious eyes scan his face. He hadn’t meant to offer, it just slipped out. “C’mon, you can stay at our house while you’re in town.”
Bad idea, Clark. Bad idea. He pushed the thought aside. It was already too late to remind himself of that.
Lois tilted her head forward, in a silent question. But Clark was no less baffled by his words than she was. He just invited a girl he barely knew and barely tolerated to stay at the house. He hadn’t even asked his parents.
Still, Lois’s non-answer irritated him.
“It beats living out of your car.” He added, incredulous that she hadn’t immediately taken him up on the offer. Lois stuck her tongue in the side of her cheek, mulling over the offer.
“Thanks.” she said finally, and Clark’s smile returned, betraying him again. “But you should know, I don’t pay attention to curfews and I never make my bed.”
Lois offered a teasing smile of her own, sparking something in Clark that he didn’t want to examine right now.
His initial relief she had taken him up on his offer faded quickly. Mom and Dad are going to kill me, he thought.
He began mentally preparing then for how to tell his parents that he had just asked this girl to move in with them. They would understand, he was sure, but they wouldn’t appreciate not being asked in advance. They would never turn her away and leave her to stay in her car, alone in a town she didn’t know. Jonathan and Martha Kent had developed a thing for strays. He was proof of that.
He lost control of the afternoon before he could plan any further.
It was all a whirlwind: x-raying the empty grave, investigating the safehouse, the armed men, taking down the helicopter, and Lois grabbing his hand to run back to their vehicles in the cemetery parking lot. He’d forgotten his offer, the predicament he put himself in, until Lois said she’d follow behind his truck back to the farm, insisting that she needed a shower stat.
This was fine, he told himself on the drive back.
He’d help her bring in her stuff and once she was in the shower, he could use the time to finish the last of his chores and maybe some extra work, too. If he had to tell his parents he’d invited a girl to stay with them indefinitely without their permission, he wanted to do it on the best terms possible.
He just hadn’t anticipated his parents coming home while he was in the shower. He certainly hadn’t anticipated being caught with Lois in the bathroom behind him.
But he’d since learned he couldn’t anticipate anything when it came to Lois Lane.
Now, Clark groaned and hit his head back on the door, running an exasperated hand down his face.
“You okay, son?” Jonathan asked from the kitchen counter, a smile playing on one corner of his mouth.
Clark removed his hands from his face and looked at his father, stupified. In his frustration, he hadn’t even noticed him there. Clark never didn’t notice someone in the room. It was like Lois was infecting his senses. Like he was missing other sensory inputs to make room for her. Just as she had shoved him out of his own room, he was slowly being pushed out of his own mind.
“She’s just so– she so–” Clark struggled to find a word that wouldn’t offend his good, Kansan upbringing.
“So Lois?” Jonathan supplied, lifting his mug to his mouth to hide his smile. Clark saw it anyway.
“Extremely Lois.” Clark corrected.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes.” Clark answered instinctively, but it felt wrong leaving his mouth. “No. I don’t know.”
Clark shook his head, moving from the door over to his father by the kitchen counter.
“She’s just everywhere, all the time. Even when she’s not around. Her voice carries.” Clark supplied with a grimace.
Jonathan nodded and turned to rinse his mug in the sink.
“Well, son, you’re the one who wanted her here.” Jonathan said. Clark balked at this.
“I wouldn’t put it like that.” he stated defensively. Jonathan shook his head, sighing.
“Tell that to your mother.” He clapped his hand on Clark’s shoulder, before exiting through the kitchen and up the stairs without another word. Clark was left dumbstruck in the kitchen.
Was that what it looked like?
She needed a place to stay, he reminded himself.
His father or his mother would’ve offered her to stay at the farm just the same, had either of them run into her at the cemetery that day.
But his parents hadn’t invited her to stay. He had.
Thinking back on it he wasn’t sure his parents would’ve let her stay, without his insistence.
They certainly hadn’t been keen on it after finding the two emerging from the bathroom together. Even though Clark had insisted they took very much separate showers that afternoon, it didn’t seem to fully quell their suspicions.
Things only got worse after Lois let it slip Clark had taken down the chopper in the field, before bounding up the stairs, escaping the detonation of the bomb she just let drop. She had a certain recklessness Clark knew he should be running far away from. He’d already gotten in so much trouble with her in one afternoon.
“Anything else?” His father had asked, still angry but mildly less so now knowing that Clark was only trying to protect them from the onslaught of armed, masked men.
Clark glanced nervously between his parents, water from his wet hair still dripping onto his forehead.
“Um, yeah.” He said, unnerved.
His parents looked at him expectantly as he took in a deep breath.
“I sort of invited Lois to stay. With us. On the farm. And I know before you say anything, I should have asked you first and I’m really sorry. But she doesn’t have anywhere to stay. She’s been sleeping in her car for days. I meant to bring it up better than this.” Clark exhaled, having rambled out his apology to his parents. “I just wanted to do right by Chloe.”
Again, Clark looked between his parents, waiting. Jonathan stood with his arms crossed absorbing this, while Martha gaped, awestruck. The passing minutes felt like hours.
Clark was sure they would let her stay, it was just the kind of people his parents were. The only question was how much more trouble could he possibly be in, in just one afternoon.
“No.” Jonathan said finally. Martha turned and grabbed his arm lightly.
“Jonathan?” She asked incredulously. “She’s just a girl that doesn’t have a place to stay.”
“A girl you just caught coming out of the bathroom with our son.” He refuted. Martha sighed. Clark had to bite his tongue from once again insisting it wasn’t like that. “There’s plenty of other families in town with daughters her age that I’m sure can take her in.”
The smart thing to do would have been to stay quiet.
But his parents were already pissed. He was already grounded. What could it hurt?
Clark already hadn’t been doing the smart thing all day.
“She’s safest here. Whoever those guys were in the helicopter were after both of us. It might be the same guys who have Chloe.” Clark interjected. “We can keep her safe. I owe it to Chloe.”
His parents turned toward each other. A silent conversation danced in their eyes.
“Fine. But you’re going to be a gracious host and give that girl your room. You take the couch.” Jonathan finally sighed, relenting.
Clark smiled, sighing in relief.
“I’m sorry again. You won’t regret this.” He said.
He was pretty sure he heard his father say something along the lines of that he already was regretting it, but it was drowned out by the sound of Lois humming something from Clark’s room.
He ran up the stairs then, going to grab things from his room and make space for Lois. Clark was grabbing a spare blue blanket and his pillow for the couch when he heard his parents downstairs.
“He is right, you know.” His mother said. “If whoever was after them today comes back, he’s the only one that could protect her. Especially after what happened to Chloe.”
“I know he’s right.” His father grunted out. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“We’ll just keep a close eye.”
“We can’t be home all the time, Martha. The boy has superspeed.” His father finished the last part in a whisper.
Clark furrowed his brows at that, unsure what his father meant by that. He had superhearing too, that didn’t stop his parents from discussing whatever this was in earshot of him anyway.
“I trust him. He’s always been a good kid.” His mother insisted.
“I am glad she’s here.” Jonathan admitted. “Is no one looking out for that girl?”
“We are now.” Martha said firmly. “And Clark. I think he really likes her.”
Clark had balked. He understood why his parents were suspicious. He’d invited this girl to stay with them abruptly and without asking, then had been caught in a compromising situation.
But It had only been a few hours but he’d already decided he couldn’t stand Lois. His parents would see that, with time. Clark was sure of it.
You’re the one that wanted her here.
Standing in the kitchen now, his head spun. He knew after hearing that conversation between his parents, that had been their original assumption. But he was sure he had dispelled that notion quickly. If he and Lois’s constant bickering at each other hadn’t convinced his parents of that, he wasn’t sure what would.
A new bout of annoyance bubbled up inside him.
He didn’t want her here.
She was in trouble with no place to stay.
He wanted to keep her safe.
That was all.
“Smallville!” Lois called before finally storming in through the backdoor, breaking Clark out of his stupor. Arms on her hips, she stood in front of him now, close enough to touch–but whether she was going to punch him or pull him in, he wasn’t sure.
He groaned, having forgotten what they were arguing about in the first place.
His eyes flicked from her face, down her body taking in the ruined state of her clothes. Her white tank top and jeans splattered in paint.
Oh, right.
Lois woke up this morning, having decided overnight she wasn’t properly carrying her weight around the farm. And now she was making it Clark’s problem, insisting on participating in his morning chores.
Clark knew her heart was in the right place but he really couldn’t help being frustrated. It would go by so much faster without her around, preventing him from using his abilities.
She was covered in red paint, a result of her insisting he let her help him with repainting the barn.
“Lois,” Clark chastised, “you can’t be in the house like that. You’re going to get paint everywhere.” He said pointing to her stained shoes.
“Oh, yeah,” Lois challenged, “didn’t stop you.”
Lois punctuated her sentence by jabbing him in the center of his chest, right where the red, zagged paint splatter had landed on his blue t-shirt.
“You know, you could probably save that shirt for Halloween. It’d make for a pretty good slasher costume. Kansas Chainsaw Massacre?” Lois laughed.
“Very funny, Lois.” Clark said with no humor in his tone. “I seem to remember someone flinging their paint brush at me.”
“You were hogging the paint bucket.” Lois said, crossing her arms across her chest. She seemed to immediately regret this, paint from her clothes getting on her forearms and making the smears worse. “Shit.”
“C’mon, outside.” Clark grabbed her arm, tugging her to the backdoor.
Clark threw open the back door and pulled her outside and off the back porch, just onto the dirt path and sparse dying grass leading.
He’d clean up the paint drops before his parents saw. He didn’t want either of them to be in trouble for the mess.
The sun was fully overhead now. They’d been attempting to finish painting the barn all morning.
“Easy, Smallville. This isn’t how you treat a lady.” Lois said in a grating tone. She tugged arm free and stopped in her tracks.
“Let me know when you find one. I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior then.” Clark turned towards her, now halfway to the barn from the house.
Lois just smirked, and he braced slightly, knowing he had set her up for whatever retort she was about to say. Her now-free arm crossed over her chest as she leaned to one side, putting her weight on one hip. Clark’s eyes followed the movement, in spite of himself.
“Are you saying I bring out your worst behavior?” Lois teased. Clark’s jaw tensed.
“Maybe your delinquency is just contagious.” Clark retorted.
“Maybe I just have more of an influence on you than you’d like to admit.” Lois replied.
“Yeah, not for the better.”
“Am I corrupting you, Smallville?” Lois’s smirk grew into a full grin.
“Corrupting,” Clark said, tasting the word, “that’s certainly one word to describe you.”
Clark turned back toward the house, unraveling the house. He turned the knob and started working on spraying the first step up to the porch, where the worst of Lois’s red footprints was.
“Yeah,” Lois quipped from where he’d left her, “what other words would you use.”
“I don’t know, Lois. Irritating. Rude. Reckless.” Clark said, not turning away from his task to face her.
He rattled off the similar denials he had given Lana – stuck up, rude, can’t stand her. At the time, he’d come up with the list in the moment. He’d since given it a bit more thought.
He’d since decided he could in fact stand Lois Lane. Clark had been enduring life with Lois for weeks, he surely deserved some credit for that.
“Wow, sounds like you’ve really put some thought into it.” Lois snarked back at him. “You’re a real charmer, you know. You’d really think some of that farm boy chivalry would’ve rubbed off on you more, but no. Instead you’re a total brute.”
Lois ranted at him, now only a few feet behind him, coming closer during her rant. Clark moved onto the next of her red footprints with the hose, not dignifying her insults with another response.
“Personally, I would’ve gone for brilliant and independent, but we both know you’re far too shy to compliment a woman to her face.” Lois continued. “I mean, look at you now. Nothing to say? Poor, farmboy. Totally speechless and can’t keep up with a big city girl afterall.”
“Hey, Lois?” Clark said, suddenly getting an idea. He started spraying down the last of her footsteps with the hose.
“What?” Lois snapped.
“I thought of another word.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” She asked.
“Soaked.” He said with a smirk. Lois guffawed behind him in shock, in a way he didn’t quite understand or anticipate. He heard her squirm a little bit behind him.
“What the fuck is that supposed to m–”
Lois’s words caught Clark turned, spraying across her body with the hose for a long second, turning into a yelp. She held her hands out in front of herself protectively, but it was futile. Clark shook the hose back and forth to thoroughly soak her, before letting go of the hose’s trigger.
Lois spat a mouthful of water out and stood with arms out from her wet clothes and body. The frigid cold of the tap water against the warm Kansas heat was shocking.
Clark laughed thunderously. A real, true laugh from deep in his chest.
It occurred to him, briefly, that he hadn’t felt himself laugh like that in years. Maybe since even before his father told him the truth about his adoption.
He was nearly still doubled over in laughter by the time Lois had collected herself enough to respond.
“Oh, you’re so dead.” Lois said, menacingly, after a minute.
“Oh yeah?” Clark challenged.
“Yup, dead.”
“I’m still the one holding the hose.” Clark said, smiling ear to ear.
He sprayed her again once, experimentally. Lois shrieked again, holding her hands out.
“You want it?” Clark teased. “Come take it.”
She then lunged for the hose, trying to wrestle it from his grasp. Clark laughed as he moved the nozzle out of her reach, finding humor in knowing she could never take the hose from him, no matter how hard she’d tried.
“Cute.” Lois said, angrily.
Clark then turned the hose on her, relentlessly this time.
Lois screamed running away from him, back toward the barn, but Clark chased after her, spraying down her back and hair as she ran away. He followed her around the side of the barn, as far as the hose would go.
He watched as Lois disappeared around the back of the barn to its back entrance, taking refuge inside.
Clark heaved, laughing to himself, before walking back to the house to finish with the footprints on the porch steps.
Just as Clark neared the front entrance of the barn he heard Lois’s footsteps.
“Hey, Smallville.”
He turned with enough time to register Lois holding the half-full 5-gallon bucket water they’d been using earlier to clean their paint brushes. Clark didn’t have enough time to move out of the way, not without using his abilities. He flinched as Lois tossed the water at him.
“Oh you’re so going to regret that.” He threatened.
“It seemed worth it to me.” Lois said with a shrug before taking off again, in search of one of the many other hose lines around the farm.
Clark followed Lois as she darted out of the barn and around the side, grabbing the hose from the side of the barn, near the irrigation lines, spraying her with his hose the whole way.
Suddenly armed, Lois’s screams turned to laughter as she began soaking him back.
Water went flying everywhere. The ground underneath their feet turned to mud as they ran around. They chased each other back and forth and in circles around the front of the barn, staying in the range of both of their hoses, an unspoken rule of their duel.
He heard his parents from the porch, at the backdoor.
“I told you this was going to be trouble.” Jonathan said quietly to Martha, a smile obvious in his tone.
“Yeah,” Martha agreed with a wistful sigh, “look at him, though.”
“We’ll just keep an eye out, like you said.”
“Not right now though, c’mon let's leave them be.” Martha said. Clark heard his parents turn and head back to the kitchen, the sound of his mother digging for cleaning supplies under the sink, probably to get the little drops of red paint left in the kitchen by him and Lois.
Clark was suddenly sobered by another shot from Lois’s hose, straight in his face.
“Giving up, Smallville?” Lois challenged.
“Something like that.” Clark ran a hand through his soaked hair, shaking it out like a dog. Lois shrieked and laughed as the water splattered her.
“Hey, at least I got the paint off your shirt.” Lois said with a laugh pointing at his chest.
Clark looked down to find his shirt completely soaked, but clean.
He looked back up at Lois, taking in her appearance for the first time in minutes. Clark looked up at her through his soaked lashes, water droplets visible on the edges of his vision.
Her bleached hair was completely soaked, looking darker than it was. It occurred to him he liked the look of her darker hair, filing that away as another observation he’d unpack later.
Lois’s white tank top had completely soaked through, clinging to her body tightly and revealing the red bra she’d had on underneath. Her jeans, thoroughly wet, hung more heavily from her hips, weighed down by the water.
Clark felt his eyes roam up and down multiple times, beyond his will, before occurring to him he never responded to Lois. That he hadn’t said anything in what felt like at least a minute.
“Um,” his voice caught in his throat roughly, “yeah, yours too.”
Clark looked away sheepishly, prompting Lois to glance down at herself, taking in her appearance and the state of her shirt. She crossed her arms over her chest, protectively.
Clark fixed his vision on the mud puddle under her feet, cheeks burning.
“Let me get towels.” Clark said, dismissing himself and dropping his hose before hurrying back to the house.
Clark kicked off his soaking wet shoes at the back door and wringing out the hem of his shirt before stepping inside. His parents sat at the dining room table, half eaten sandwiches in front of them.
His mother nodded her head towards the kitchen counter and his eyes caught on the two folded towels stacked on top of each other at the corner of the counter, closest to him.
“Thanks, Mom.” Clark said, still shaking off his earlier embarrassment.
“Have fun out there?” His father asked, a smirk pulling at the corner of Jonathan’s lips.
Great.
✩✩✩
Clark shoved his notebook in his bag as the bell rang, following Lana out the classroom door.
“So,” Lana started, “how’s life on the farm?”
“Good.” Clark said, glad for the smalltalk. Lois’s discomfort with prolonged awkward silences was seemingly contagious. Another lovely result of her stay on the farm. “I had to start waking up earlier to help out, though. Football practice takes up too much of my time after school.”
“I have to say I was surprised to see you try out for the team.” Lana laughed.
“Yeah, well, I’ve wanted to since freshman year. My parents were never too crazy about it and it didn’t seem worth the argument.” Clark said with a shrug.
“So why now?” Lana asked.
“I don’t know.” Clark said honestly. “Senior year was my last shot, I guess. Lois said I shouldn’t let the opportunity pass me by and I guess she convinced me.”
“Lois.” Lana said, testingly but with a coy smile. “And how is the Kent farm’s newest guest?”
“Opinionated.” Clark said bitterly.
Lana smiled knowingly. Clark decided in that instant he didn’t like that look. Or where this conversation was going.
“Your opinion of her seems to have softened.” Lana said. Clark scoffed.
“Maybe I’m just getting used to her.” Clark deflected.
“Maybe you don’t mind her being around as much as you thought you did.” She said.
Clark didn’t really have an answer for that. He didn’t mind having her around as much as he thought he would. Sure, he didn’t love that she had completely taken over his room, but he had been the one to invite her to stay at the farm. He wished she wouldn’t take all of his clothes, but he couldn’t say he entirely minded putting on a T-shirt to find it smelled like her Cherry Musk body spray.
“I mind.” Clark said stubbornly. “I just . . . don’t mind that I mind . . . does that make sense?”
“Perfectly.” Lana said, smiling sweetly at him.
They rounded a corner and stopped at her locker. She unlocked it and swapped out her books as Clark glanced around the hallway. He didn’t like having this conversation out in the open.
“It’s like I don’t have any time to myself anymore, she’s always there. It was so annoying a few weeks ago, but all of a sudden it’s not so bad. She’s not so bad, you know.” Clark shrugged.
Lana, who just kept on smiling no matter what he seemed to say, let out a giggle.
“What?” Clark asked.
“It’s just . . .” Lana’s voice drifted off and her smile fell a bit. “I told you so.”
Clark’s brow furrowed as he turned to look at her straight on.
“‘Told me’ what?” He asked, confused.
“You’ll figure it out.” She said with a shake of her head. “I’m glad Lois is growing on you.”
“Growing like a tumor.” Clark huffed. Lana shook her head again.
“What do you have next?” She asked.
“Meeting Chloe at the Torch.” He gestured to the door behind him.
Then, a voice carried down the hallway, ranting as the click of her heeled boots punctuated each sentence.
“I don’t know, Chlo. He’s just so annoying. You’d think for a meek farm boy he’d be much more polite and have less to say. But it 's always ‘Good going, Lois.’ or ‘This food is terrible, Lois’ or ‘I’m pretty sure that’s a felony, Lois.’ I mean God, would it kill the guy to live a little. All the effort he’s put into killing my fun is actually wild. Maybe he’s actually allergic to fun. That would explain his near anaphylaxis anytime I suggest something even a little fun.”
“Lo, you just told me he attacked you with a hose the other day.”
“Ugh, that so doesn’t count! I pushed him to do it. After weeks I finally got a rise out of him beyond his little snide comments back to me. I mean finally something with some fire. I know he thinks he’s some tough guy, but his attempts at sarcasm are just adorable. He can’t keep up with this city girl.”
“Adorable, huh? I don’t know, Lo. You seem to be having plenty of fun.”
“That’s so not what I meant and you know it. He’s just so Smallville, you know.”
“Clark?” Lana asked. “Clark.”
“Huh?”
Lana laughed at him.
“Are you okay? Your ears are turning red.” She said.
Clark reached up and touched his ear, finding the skin warm.
“Oh. Nothing.” He said, slightly shaking his head.
“You know this doesn’t have to be awkward between us.” Lana said gesturing between them with the hand not holding her history textbook. “We never actually were together and I think it’s fair to say we’ve both moved past it, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Totally.” Clark coughed out, not entirely sure what he missed in the last couple minutes. Lana reached out and touched his arm.
“I mean it, Clark.” She said with a small smile. “If you want to talk about it, I know it could get a little awkward for Chloe.”
Clark raised his eyebrow at that.
“You lost me.” He said sheepishly.
“Lois!” Lana said with a bright smile.
“Lois?” Clark asked.
His eyes followed Lana’s over his shoulder and behind him. Lois and Chloe were approaching from the other side of the hallway to the Torch door.
“Lois.” Clark grunted more quietly. Lana gave him a disapproving look.
“Well aren’t you just happy to see me?” Lois cooed, a wry smile on her face.
“More of a ‘speak of the devil’ situation.” Clark said curtly.
“Aww you were talking about me, Smallville? That’s sweet.” She said, tilting her head to one side. Clark noted the irony, knowing she had just been talking about him to Chloe.
“Did you miss the part where I called you the devil?” Clark asked.
“You small town boys are all the same. A girl speaks her mind and she’s a regular Jezebel, huh?” Lois retorted.
“You talk to a lot of small town boys, do you?”
“Why?” Lois said with a grin. “You jealous?”
“No, I just feel bad for them if I’m not your only victim.”
“Don’t worry, you’re still my least favorite.”
“Right.” Chloe cut in. “I hate to cut in, but I do have a paper to run and it’s a little easier without my only two reporters at each other’s throats.”
“Only two reporters?” Clark asked, turning to Chloe.
“Yeah, didn’t I mention it?” She said as she ducked into the Torch.
“No, Chloe, I think I would’ve remembered that.” Clark said, following her in.
“Yeah, Chlo, of course he would. More time with me, he’s clearly thrilled.” Lois drawled as she trailed them inside.
“Ecstatic,” Clark said dryly.
“Look, Clark, Lois wrote a great couple of articles already and with you on the football team now – which I’m totally proud of you, by the way – we could use a little extra help around here.” Chloe said, sitting down at her editor’s desk.
“C’mon, Smallville, a little competition might be healthy for you.” Lois said. “Unless you’re worried my articles will completely outshine yours.”
“Actually . . .” Chloe’s voice trailed off.
“‘Actually,’ what?” Lois and Clark asked at the same time. They sent each other withering glares, turning to scowl at each other.
“I was thinking about an article on Luthorcorp’s new donation to the Smallville high ROTC program and how it connects to their Department of Defense contracts and weapons research and development.” Chloe said.
“Sounds great.” Clark said at the same time Lois said “I’m on it.”
Clark sent Lois another glare and Lois rolled her eyes.
“This is the ‘actually.’ I was thinking, with Clark’s connection to Lex and Lois’s military background . . .”
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You guys, it's the perfect angle. And maybe it's an opportunity to work through some of your differences.”
“Chloe, isn’t this a bit much for a high school newspaper?” Clark asked with a sigh.
“And Murdering Meteor-freak Monday isn’t?” Lois snorted. “Dream big, Smallville.”
“Thank you, Lois.” Chloe said, giving Clark a pointed look. He sighed, acquiescing.
“I guess I could give Lex a call. See if we could interview him at the Talon?” Clark said, turning to Lois.
“Perfect.” She said, giving him a bright smile unlike the teasing smirks she had given him earlier. His chest tightened slightly, surely a sign of the trap he now found himself in.
“Perfect.” Clark repeated. He had to find a way to get her out of this school.
Two days later, Lex, Clark, and Lois sat at a table at the Talon. It was busy for a Friday afternoon and the only table left open was a smaller, round one. Clark watched Lois out of the corner of her eye as she pulled her chair as far away from Clark’s as possible, while still keeping Lex across from her. Lex glanced between the two of them as she sat down. Clark just gave him a small shrug.
But Lex kept glancing between the two of them as the interview wore on.
“Yes, well Luthorcorp is interested in the professional development of Smallville’s youth in a whole host of different sectors. If one of our donations happens to benefit an industry that Luthorcorp is involved in, then that’s just good business.” Lex said, coolly.
“But, isn’t it interesting that you’ve chosen to donate to the program in Smallville, instead of Metropolis where Luthorcorp is based anyway? Was the large meteor infected population at Smallville High a factor in the decision?” Lois inquired.
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at, Ms. Lane.” Lex said.
“Is Luthorcorp hoping to train an army of meteor infected students?” She asked abruptly.
“I think what Lois is trying to say is, what drew Luthorcorp to donate to Smallville High in particular?” Clark cut in.
Lois glared at him but Clark didn’t meet her menacing look. Instead, he watched as Lex’s eyes flicked between them curiously.
“It’s fine, Clark.” Lex said. “Honestly, I hadn’t considered that possibility. Obviously, we would want to avoid arming and training potentially dangerous students at all costs. I’ve just come to like this little town and I have friends here, so why not donate to the program? We’ve donated more to the football team, the science program, and your little newspaper.”
“See, my question was fine.” Lois snarked at Clark.
Lois sat with an obnoxiously large latte mug in front of her, which she kept taking massive sips of between questions. Clark was sure he’d seen her with a different color mug before he went to the bathroom.
“I think the caffeine is making you irritable, Lois.” Clark said, scooting the mug to his side of the table. “Maybe it’s time for some food.”
“Fine,” Lois said, standing up. “Chocolate muffins for the table?”
Clark fished out his wallet with a sigh, handing her a $10 bill.
“Thank you.” Lois said, snatching the dollar from his hand. Lex raised an eyebrow at Clark, as if to question him unquestioningly funding her clear sugar addiction.
She walked around to his side of the table and placed a hand on his chest as she grabbed her mug. Clark’s skin burned under her hand as he made an incredulous noise.
Lois tilted her head back and chugged the latte. Clark knew she had to be burning her tongue, but there was no length Lois Lane would not go to simply to prove a point.
She slammed the mug back down on the table and wiped her mouth.
“And don’t ever come between me and my coffee ever again.” Lois said threateningly, narrowing her eyes.
Clark held up his hands in mock surrender. Lois laughed, patting his shoulder as she walked over to the counter.
“So,” Lex started once Lois was sufficiently far away, “how long have you to been sleeping together?”
“What?” Clark balked, sitting back in his chair.
“C’mon, Clark. She’s attractive, loud mouthed, and sleeping in your bed.” Lex said matter of factly. “You’re trying to tell me you’re not sleeping with her?”
“I’m not. We’re not.” Clark shook his head in horror. How the fuck could Lex even be suggesting that?
“But you want to be.” Lex said. It wasn’t a question. The sureness in his tone made Clark’s stomach drop.
“No.” Clark said, shaking his head. “I just want her out of my house. Out of my school. Out of the Torch.”
Lex’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.
“Didn’t you invite her to stay at the house?” Lex asked, already knowing the answer.
“Well, yeah.” Clark fidgeted in his seat. “She had nowhere else to stay and Met U won’t accept her until she makes up this last semester.”
“Well, if that’s all it takes, I can help with that.” Lex said.
“What do you mean?” Clark asked, not following.
“I’m in a poker club with the Dean of Admissions. He owes me from a few hands last week, I’d be more than happy to call in the favor.” Lex suggested with a shrug.
“Oh.” Clark said, his face falling a bit.
“Oh, what the matter, Clark? I thought you wanted her out of your house, school, newspaper.” Lex said, eyes narrowing again as he tilted his head.
“I do.” Clark said, voice a little unsure. “I do. I just . . .”
“You want her around.”
“No, I don’t.”
“But you don’t want her to leave.”
Clark hesitated. He could hear Lois laughing with the barista behind the counter, a senior boy in their English class. Surely, it didn’t take this long to grab a few muffins.
He turned to glance at her over his shoulder, his stomach dropping again at her bright smile. Clark decided he hated that smile more than her sarcastic smirks, hating to see her smile at the barista like that.
“I gotta hand it to you, Clark.” Lex said. “I’ve never seen anyone so worked up over someone they claim not to even like.”
“Do it.” Clark said, turning back around to Lex. “Get her into Met U.”
“Are you sure?” Lex asked, finally leaning back off the table.
“It’s not about me. It’s what she wants.” Clark said.
Besides, Clark thought, I need to put some distance between me and Lois Lane.
✩✩✩
“Smallville!” Lois whisper-shouted into the phone as soon as he answered.
“Lois?” Clark asked groggily as he sat up in his bed. He looked over at his alarm clock. 12:53 AM.
Lois had moved out two weeks ago. The flannel sheets still smelled of cherry body spray. Clark didn’t mind as much as he knew he should.
“Look alive. I need an evac.” She whispered.
“What? Lois, where are you? Are you okay?” He asked, suddenly alarmed.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Lois whispered, shutting him up. “I just need a ride. And for you to break me out of here.”
“What? Lois, tell me where you are.” He said, jumping out of bed and slipping his shoes on, not bothering to change out of his pajama pants.
“Luthorcorp. Locked in a walk-in safe.”
Clark sighed, running a hand down his face. Metropolis. He wouldn’t be able to speed over there, without her questioning how he got to her so quickly.
“Lois–”
“I know, I know.” She said. “I just couldn't stop thinking about that article I wrote for the Torch.”
“The article we wrote.” Clark corrected as he pulled a blue T-shirt over his head.
“Right,” Lois said, “anyway I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I figured there had to be more to the donation they made, right. So I took a tour of the place earlier today and snuck past the guard into Lionel Luthor’s office. He’s out of town for the next week so it was perfect, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I’ve been scouring through these files for hours. They pulled the roster of the Smallville High ROTC and highlighted the known meteor infected students in green and suspected meteor infected in yellow. There’s a file on each student. Suspected abilities, date of infection, method of infection, potential defense implications. They are trying to build a meteor infected army! I knew it!” Lois rambled on, excitedly whispering through the phone.
“Lois–”
“I got so caught up in my recon, I didn’t realize the door shut behind me in the vault. But my intel is so good it was totally worth it. I just need you to come spring me loose.” Lois said.
Clark crept quietly down the stairs, shaking his head.
“What was your plan?” Clark asked, roughly.
“It was fine. I knew you’d come get me.” She whispered.
“Lois, I was asleep. What were you going to do if you couldn’t reach me?” Clark chastised.
“You always sleep with your phone next to you.” Lois reminded.
Clark was careful with the front door, slowly opening it so it wouldn’t creak.
“You got lucky, Lois.”
“Save the lecture for once I’m out of here.” Lois whispered, not masking her annoyance. “This safe is starting to give me the creeps.”
Clark hopped in the truck, firing up the engine. He couldn’t believe she got herself into this mess. Well, he could believe it. He just wished she wouldn’t do shit like this.
“Yeah, yeah.” Clark sighed. “Hang tight, Lo. I’m coming to get you.”
“Thanks, Smallville.”
God, he was going to kill her, if she wasn’t the death of him first.
Clark made it to Metropolis in an hour. He sped the whole way there. He only slowed down at the known speed traps, where a patrol car was bound to be pulled over on the side of the road, waiting for a speeding car.
It didn’t stop Lois from asking him what took so long.
“Geez, Grandma, you drive here in the slowlane?” Lois asked, once the safe door was open. “Oh wait I forgot, Smallville is a one lane highway kind of town.”
“How about a thank you, Lois?”
“You got a thank you earlier.”
“Right, I didn’t drive out here at two in the morning to come get you or anything.” He said checking his watch.
“You put on your watch?” Lois scoffed incredulously.
“What?” Clark asked bitterly.
“You put on your watch but kept the flannel PJs? God, Smallville glad to know you had spare time to accessorize for this rescue mission.” Lois snarked, stepping past him into the hallway.
Clark followed her out the door and rounded the hallway. She was walking away from him? She was huffing mad at him?
Oh fuck that . . .
“So you admit you needed a rescue?” He whispered.
“No, I was perfectly in control of the situation.” Lois said as she stalked down the hall.
“Right? Because the midnight phone call from a locked safe really means full control of the situation.” Clark replied, keeping step with her, occasionally tossing a look back over his shoulder for the security guard.
He’d sped in earlier, frying the wires on the security cameras on the top floor, elevator, and lobby. Getting to Lois was easy, but he knew getting her out and into his truck would be trickier.
“I’m not some damsel.” She growled at him.
“I never said you were, Lois.”
“Then stop trying to rub it in! Yes, I called you! Yes, I needed help! No, I couldn’t have gotten out on my own! Happy now? Lois Lane needed a rescue–”
Clark pulled her to face him and clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Shhh.”
He listened as the guards footsteps echoed from two hallways over. From the look of panic in her hazel eyes, Lois heard it too.
“Go, go, go.” Clark whispered, whirling her around and ushering her to the elevator.
Lois clicked the call elevator button repeatedly, as if doing so would make it appear any faster.
“C’mon, c’mon.” She whispered.
The elevator doors opened and Clark shoved her in roughly with a hand on her lower back and the other on her hip. He reached around her and clicked the lobby button.
He sighed as the elevator doors closed and they started their descent. Lois batted his hands away from her.
“Get off of me.” Lois said, slapping the hand on her hip.
He sank back into the wall away from her with another sigh. He tilted his head up to the ceiling and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. His heart was racing in his chest. He told himself it was just at the prospect of being caught.
It had to be.
“Of course, Lois. Whatever you want.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just typical Lois Lane. I save your ass, your welcome, by the way and you’re ready to bite my head off.” He said, pressing his hands to his eyes.
“Someone’s cranky.”
“Its two AM, Lois.” Clark snapped, uncovering his eyes and looking straight at her. “You called me to come get you in the middle of the night. I drove all the way from Smallville to Metropolis because you decided to be reckless. Again. God, Lois, what if you got caught. You broke into Lionel Luthor’s office with no escape plan.”
“I had an escape plan.” Lois retorted.
“Oh really? It worked out really well.”
“Yeah, it did.”
“What?”
“I knew you’d come get me, dumbass!” Lois shouted.
Clark stared at her for a minute, dumbfounded, both of their chests heaving.
“You always come get me.” She said more quietly.
She had been relying on him. Clark hadn’t realized it. How long had she come to rely on him like that?
He wasn’t dependable. It was dangerous for her to be counting on him like this.
This was more dangerous than he thought.
She was more reckless than he thought.
“You always put yourself in dangerous, stupid situations.” Clark replied.
“I’m not stupid.” Lois growled again, turning away from him.
Clark spun her back around, hand on her shoulder.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?” She asked.
“You can’t just always expect that I’m going to be there.”
“I don’t.” Lois denied, crossing her arms indignantly. “I don't expect anything from you. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I’m just saying I can’t be the backup plan. You can’t rely on me like this.” Clark insisted.
“God, Lana is totally right about you! You’re flaky. And panic at the first sign of someone trusting you.” Lois shouted again.
The elevator opened again. Lois walked out in big confident strides. Clark’s arm reached out and grabbed hers. He pulled her back into the elevator, her back to the wall with the floor buttons.
“What?” She asked, angrily.
“Lois, you can’t just walk out into the lobby. What if there’s a guard?” He asked, incredulously. Did the woman have no self preservation instincts at all?
“There isn’t.” Lois spat. “I had Chloe hack into their security schedules. They only have a guard near the front entrance. No one mans the back exit from the lobby. There’s just one camera and as long as we don’t give them a reason to review the footage, we’re golden.”
Clark nodded, not releasing her from where he had her pinned. His eyes flicked down to her lips, where they were arranged in a stubborn purse with the sharp set of her jaw. Her eyes followed the movement of his, mere inches away.
The elevator door had closed again, but with no one in the building to call it to another floor, they remained on the lobby floor.
“Were you planning to let me go this century?” Lois snapped.
Wasn’t that a loaded question.
“I don’t mind it.” Clark said, Lois raised an eyebrow. “No. You trusting me, I mean. I want you to trust me. To call me when you get stuck.”
“Then why the major freak out?” She asked, tilting her head.
Clark laughed. He’d been freaking out since he met her.
“I’m not the most reliable person. I don’t want something to happen to you because I didn’t pick up and you were counting on me.” Clark grit out. “You’re reckless and irresponsible when you’re following a lead.”
“And you’re overly self-important and have a major unchecked hero complex.” Lois snapped.
She shoved his hands off of him, turning around and hitting the door open button on the elevator. She sauntered out and to the backdoor. Clark followed behind her to the truck.
“Why do you have to turn everything into a fight?” Clark asked.
“Oh I turn everything into a fight? You’re the one who burst in here all high and mighty, wagging your finger at me like you’ve never broken into a Luthorcorp facility.” Lois said as she opened the red door on the truck and hopped in.
She went to shut the truck cab door but Clark’s hand shot out and held it.
“You’re impossible!” Clark shouted. “Why can’t you just understand what I’m trying to say?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to say that this was really stupid and I’m worried next time I won’t be there to get you out in time!” Clark shouted.
“Fine, then don’t worry about it! I won’t call you next time!” Lois shouted from the passenger seat.
Clark froze for a moment, staring at her sitting there in the truck. Fire flashing in her hazel eyes and something else he couldn’t quite name. Hurt, maybe?
“Lois, no . . . That’s not what–” He shook his head. “I don’t want that.”
“No, it’s fine.” Lois sniffed. “I’m not your problem anymore. I’m sorry I called you out here.”
“Lois–”
“Can we just go home?”
Clark nodded and shut the truck door, walking around the back to the driver’s side. Lois shrunk away to put herself all the way against the passenger door, head leaning up against it.
“Lois.”
“Let’s just drive, Clark.”
Clark nodded again and turned the ignition, sighing deeply as he pulled onto the main road.
Lois wouldn’t hold a grudge forever, he knew that. They fought all the time. It was their thing.
But she didn’t forgive easily either.
He’d hurt her feelings this time in a way he couldn’t remember ever doing before. Clark would have to make it up to her. Maybe he’d grovel for a while before she forgave him. Even if he didn’t mean it. Even if she misinterpreted his words. Although, Clark wasn’t entirely sure what he’d meant.
As Clark pulled onto the eastbound highway, Lois looked over at him from the passenger seat, finally speaking for the first time in 10 minutes.
“Where are we going? Met U is that way.” Lois said, pointing behind them out the rearview to where the westbound on ramp was.
“Smallville.” Clark said, glancing over at her. “You said you just wanted to go home, right?”
“Yeah.” Lois said, the earlier edge to her voice suddenly gone.
“So, I’m taking you home.” Clark said. “I’ll take the couch again.”
You’re the one that wanted her here. Jonathan’s voice from weeks earlier was ringing in his ears. Clark blinked hard trying to push it out of his head. Because he did, he really did.
Lois didn’t say anything for a long minute. The bright city lights that never turned off, even in the wee hours of the morning, blurred past them and the highrises of the Metropolis skyline faded away as they left the city’s limits. Clark could feel her eyes remaining on him as he kept his eyes trained forward on the road, even though they were alone on the country-bound highway.
“Okay.” Lois said quietly after a minute.
Clark looked over at her, his green eyes meeting her hazel ones in the dim light of the truck. There was a softness there he had only ever seen reserved for Chloe before. She’d never looked at him the way she did in that moment. His heart twisted in his chest.
If it wasn’t for his heightened reflexes and senses, Clark swore he would’ve accidentally spun the car off the road if he were a human man.
“Thanks, Smallville.”
“Of course, Lois.”
The rest of the ride home was completely silent. Clark snuck fleeting glances to the passenger seat, careful to look when he was sure she wasn’t looking at him. She slowly moved away from the passenger door, where she had retreated to earlier after their outburst, now sat more comfortably in the passenger seat.
The drive home took longer than the drive there, now pushing 3:30 in the morning, as he had no reason to push the speed capabilities of the old rusted truck. He watched as she kept checking the time, surely figuring he had in fact rushed to her aid.
Clark sighed as he pulled the truck onto the long dirt driveway of the Kent farm and turned off the ignition. They sat in silence for a minute, Lois seemingly half asleep next to him.
Clark jumped out of the car and went around to the passenger side to open the door for her. Lois just balked at him as she hopped out of the truck cab and slammed the door behind her.
“I’m more than capable of getting into the house by myself, thank you very much.” Lois quipped, seemingly catching a second wind at the prospect of badgering Clark.
“I know that,” Clark said defensively, “it wouldn’t kill you to just accept someone helping you out, you know.”
“I didn’t ask for it and I don’t need it.”
“I was just trying to be nice.”
“Yeah? Well, try harder.”
Great, Clark thought, she is still pissed. God, could nothing ever be simple with her.
“I thought you took offense to the farm boy charm.” Clark said.
“Only when it's some schtick that doesn’t actually hold up.” Lois said. “You want to be the great savior of Smallville when some delicate little damsel needs you, but when I’m actually trying to get something on the Luthors and make it stick, suddenly what? You’re too good to be bothered?”
“That’s not true.” Clark denied shaking his head.
“Which part?” Lois scoffed, crossing her arms.
“All of it.” Clark said indignantly.
“Oh please.” Lois said. “You’ve never given Lana or Chloe this same lecture and you know it.”
“They don’t knowingly break into secure office buildings of the richest man in the state and steal his files, Lois!” Clark shouted, quiet enough that it wouldn’t wake his parents in the house.
“Well, sorry I guess I’ll try to be more like them.” Lois snapped sarcastically, pulling her arms closer to her chest.
“You’re right you’re not like them! You’re like no other girl alive.” Clark seethed. “They actually think before tossing themselves into life threatening situations.”
“I’m exactly like other girls, Clark!” Lois shouted. “Your sample size is just too small. If you could pull your own head out of your ass for two seconds you’d see that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked.
“Nothing.” Lois said, running her hands up and down her arms. “Look, message received; you don’t want me to bother you with my problems anymore. Got it.”
Clark's eyes drifted down following the movement of her hands moving back and forth on her arms. His brow furrowed.
“You’re cold.” He said. It wasn’t a question.
“I’m fine.” She said stubbornly.
“Let’s just get inside, we can finish this in the morning.” He said.
“No, I want to finish this now.”
Clark bit his lip, considering for a minute as he looked down at her defiant face.
“You can never make things easy, can you?” He asked before bending down to scoop her up.
Clark hoisted her over his shoulder and started toward the back door of the barn house. Lois elbowed his back a couple times before clearly deciding it would get her nowhere. She was quiet as he opened the backdoor and walked over to the stairs. Clark was glad they both silently decided that continuing their spat wasn’t worth risking waking Martha and Jonathan.
Clark set her down in front of the stairs.
“God, you’re such an ape.” Lois whispered, mere inches from him.
“Go to bed, Lois,” Clark whispered back, “It's late.”
“Actually, it's early.” She corrected.
Clark rolled his eyes before focusing his attention back on the way her hazel eyes sparkled with delight at her latest jab.
“Don’t make me regret bringing you here.” He warned.
“Tonight?” Lois asked, tilting her head to one side. “Or ever?”
Clark breathed out a shaky laugh.
“No, Lois. I’ve never regretted that.” He told her honestly. It struck him then how true it was. As much as she annoyed him, he was glad he had invited her to stay all those weeks ago.
“Of course not,” she smiled, “best decision of your life.”
She punctuated her quip with a quick punch to his arm. He let it hit him and moved with the jab. Clark shook his head with a smile. It didn’t feel right to correct her.
“Goodnight, Lois.”
“Goodnight, Smallville.” She said turning to walk softly up the stairs.
Clark only let her get two steps up before his hand shot out and caught her wrist. She turned, now eye level with him on the steps.
“I didn’t mean it, earlier.” Clark whispered. “I mean it was reckless and dangerous. But I always want you to call me when you need me. I just worry one day it won’t be enough. You seem eager to test the limits of what I can bail you out of.”
Lois tilted her head to one side, with a small smile playing on her lips.
“You were worried about me.” She said, not quite a question.
“Lois, I’m always worried about you.” He admitted.
“You know Smallville, if it wasn’t coming from you that just might be the most romantic thing a guy has ever said to me.” Lois whispered with a breathy laugh.
“What if it was?” Clark asked, surprising even himself.
“Smallville,” Lois sighed, “you don’t mean that.”
She pulled her arm free and turned to move up the stairs. Clark followed her up the stairs, reaching her just as she made it to his bedroom door.
“What if I do?”
“You don’t.” She insisted, opening the door. He followed her in and shut it behind him softly. When he turned around she was already digging in his closet for a shirt to wear to bed.
“Lois.” He called.
“You don’t mean it.” She said, as she riffled through the drawers.
“Lois.” Clark repeated, coming up behind her. “Lo, look at me please.”
Lois sighed and turned around but didn’t raise her head to face him, a red flannel shirt from the drawer still in her hands. He took it from her and reached behind her to place it on the top of the dresser behind her. Clark’s hand came up under her chin to guide her face up to meet his, his eyes locking on her hazel ones in the dim light of the Elmer Fudd nightlight in the corner. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of the way her pupils dilated in the low light, the amber flecks of her eyes shining enough for the whole room.
“Why can’t you ever make anything easy?” He repeated, whispering to her as his hand traced her chin.
“I know you don’t mean it.” She whispered, her warm breath hitting his face.
“Lo, I think everyone around us knows I mean it.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before moving his hand to cup her cheek. “My parents, Chloe, Lana, even Lex . . . everyone but you.”
He felt Lois shiver slightly under his hand.
“Still cold?” He asked lightly.
“No.” Lois breathed.
Her gaze dropped to his lips before flickering back up to his eyes. It was like the look she gave him in the truck but so much more. There was something else underneath it, rendering it less unfamiliar than it was earlier. Something challenging or appraising in her heavy lidded gaze. Want.
He realized that undercurrent to her glares had been there all along, since the first moment in the cemetery.
His lips crashed into hers, no hesitation or unsureness left in him, eagerly devouring. Lois responded in kind. He felt her eyes flutter shut, her lashes ghosting on his cheek before her lips started moving on his with equal fervor. Her hands found his chest, as his hand that had been on her cheek dropped lower, trailing down her body to her waist.
His fingers ghosted around her hips under the hem of her shirt. His lips left hers and he began trailing soft kisses down her neck and collarbone. Lois gasped as he hoisted her up onto the dresser, stepping between her thighs as his lips never left her neck.
“Clark.” She moaned softly, tangling her fingers in his dark hair. He rutted against her as she arched against his touch.
“I mean it.” Clark said softly as he trailed kisses back up her neck and jaw, finding her lips again. “I mean it, I mean it, I mean it.”
Clark’s fingers found purchase under her shirt, digging into her soft skin at her waist, just along the bottom of her ribs.
“I believe you.” Lois gasped between kisses as Clark’s hips leaned further forward into hers.
He rucked her skirt up her thighs, hands dancing lightly at the warm skin of her mid thighs. Clark pulled his mouth away from hers resting his forehead on hers, searching her hazel eyes. Lois nodded once before pulling his mouth back to hers.
Clark’s fingers trailed firmly now, confident and sure to the warmth between her thighs. Lois gasped once, running her hand down his chest and sliding her hands under his shirt. Her fingers were still cold from the morning Kansas air and made him shudder.
“I was right.” Clark whispered against her lips.
“Hmm.” Lois moaned as his fingers moved.
“Soaked.” He laughed, referencing his joke from weeks ago with the hose.
Lois dug her nails into his chest.
“Oh– shut up.” She groaned against his lips. “I just really like arguing with you.”
Clark kissed her firmly, his tongue dancing along hers. His free hand snaked up her body to her breasts as the hand beneath her skirt continued working her over her underwear.
“God, we could’ve been doing this weeks ago.” She moaned.
Lois’s hand dropped to his pants, massaging at the growing bulge there before reaching for the button. Clark shuddered into her touch. He kissed her lips hard before looking her dead in the eye.
He was just glad they were doing this now.
He wanted to always be doing this with her.
“Lo, I really like arguing with you, too.”