Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in here, which makes me feel sad, but it's true.
Spoilers: None? But you should probably have watched season 8.
Author's Note: This was written in under an hour which means that it's really not that thought through. The plot just stuck to my head, I always did love Jimmy and I wanted to write him together with Lois, they're such good friends (at least in my head).
Also, this takes place in the same "universe" as my other recent fic "The Eraser Thief". Which doesn't mean that you need to read that one first, but one thing in here kinda references TET. (I think this takes place somewhere between "Infamous" and "Turbulence" according to Smallville episodes… No spoilers though.)
Summary: Lois spends a Sunday watching a movie with Jimmy, at least it's better than her empty apartment and unpacked banana boxes, right? Lois/Jimmy friendship, hints of CLOIS and CHIMMY
The Winner Takes It All
She tossed the set of keys she'd just used to open the door to the Talon apartment in the blue bowl filled with spare change, next to the coat hanger. There was something soothing in the familiar gesture, sure, she didn't live there anymore, but habits are habits. She'd started putting her keys in the bowl shortly after she'd been locked out for the third time, switching bags while keeping the house keys in a pocket never was a good idea. The great thing about the bowl was that while grabbing her set of keys on the way out she could also grab some change for parking tickets and – if lucky – some gum left by Chloe.
"Chloe? Jimmy? Anybody here?" As always the apartment smelled of coffee (and… popcorn?) and it had that homey feeling her new place hadn't yet acquired, banana boxes all over had a tendency to drive that feeling away.
Jimmy stumbled out of the bedroom, looking not exactly like health itself but at least more like the Jimmy everyone was used to, "Hi Lois, what are you doing here, come to steal some more of the kitchen supplies?"
Lois narrowed her eyes "You know very well that I have no need for any type of kitchen supplies, Olsen, my new place is take out only. The only things you'll find in my kitchen cabinets are books, newspapers and source material… Not that you should be snooping around in my cupboards."
"Hey, I saw you take that potato peeler! Deny it all you want, but ours is gone and you are the prime suspect…. What would you want with it anyway? You know what, on second thought – I don't wanna know." Smug, smug Jimmy Olsen, to bad you can't punch someone while they're still healing – it's against code.
"Funny guy. Actually I did come over for some of my stuff, but also I needed to talk to Chloe about… something." Her eyes did a quick sweep over the apartment.
"Chloe's not here right now." He seemed grumpy. Which was strange, even with the unusual circumstances Jimmy had been the ultimate ray of sunshine during the whole stay in Star City, it was weird that he would crack once he got home.
"Yeah, I could tell, want me to leave you alone?"
"No. No, I'm sorry Lois. I'm just having a bad healing day. My ribs started hurting again and this morning I woke up to a note from Chloe saying she had to do some work at Isis. I just don't get it, it's Sunday. We should be together here, feeding each other pancakes in bed… Maybe taking advantage of the finally empty apartment. Uh, not that I didn't enjoy living with you or anything Lois, but you know, there's more fun to be had alone…"
"Yeah! Ok, I get it, no need to describe any further thank you. Coming home to you in only a 'Kiss the Chef' apron holding that whipped cream… Why did we start talking about this?" Jimmy cringed a little. God, she loved having her own apartment, love, love, loved it!
"Uhm, yeah… So, anyway! Chloe is in Metropolis and I think she mentioned stopping by the Kent farm on her way home – apparently Clark hasn't been all happy-go-lucky lately… You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Lois found the change in the blue bowl very interesting "I thought so… Anyway, I was just about to start a movie when you walked in, wanna stay and keep me company?"
"A movie, huh? Well it's not like I had anything really important to do" Except unpacking what felt like a few hundred boxes of her life, but hey, why bother? "But it better not be 'Fried Green Tomatoes' again! How you love that movie so much is unexplainable…"
"You know Lois, I saw you crying at two different times during that movie."
"Did not! Or maybe I did, but it was May and my pollen allergy was acting up, my eyes can seem teary that way." Jimmy rolled his eyes but decided to let it go.
"Well, 'Tomatoes' isn't on the playlist today, actually Lucy gave me this DVD just before she left for Gotham Uni., she said it was her way of saying 'Welcome to the family, get well soon'."
"Lucy, my sister Lucy, bought you a DVD?"
"Between you and me, I think she kinda likes me, no woman ever could resist the Olsen-charm" Lois huffed "Well, maybe you Lane, but you always were the odd one out…" He moved around her and headed for the TV. "What I have here in my hand," he waved the DVD at her "is a romantic drama starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, the lovely Julie Walters and of course – Colin Firth."
"That's quite the cast right there, I never could resist Meryl Streep – hey, I never knew she made a movie with Colin Firth?" She parked herself on the couch, legs pulled up under her. "Do you have any popcorn?"
"Sure do." He hobbled over to the kitchen and grabbed a huge bowl of popcorn, apparently made right before she got there… "Shouldn't you be the one grabbing stuff? I'm the cripple here."
"It's part of your rehab, I shouldn't enable you, you know." With a last groan Jimmy sat down next to Lois and hit the play button.
"Get ready for some great music!"
"Music? I don't get it… Jimmy, why is ABBA playing during the intro?"
"Oh, I don't know… Want some popcorn?" He thrust the bowl at her "Isn't this great? Hanging out with my cousin-in-law, watching a movie. We should do this more often!"
MAMMA MIA
"I pick the movie next time, hotshot."
~*~
The scene Chloe walked in on was not at all what she'd expected.
Jimmy sat on the floor with his back against the couch, happily belching out the lyrics to "I Have a Dream" while her cousin sat, with her back almost rigid, holding on for dear life to a empty looking red plastic bowl. Looking closer, her knuckles were almost white from the grip and her eyes shone dangerously, probably from holding back tears that threatened to fall.
Jimmy stopped in the middle of "I believe in angels", head snapped up and a huge grin on his face.
"Chloe! You missed the movie, but if you hurry and get those shoes off you can catch the hilarious montage, they're doing 'Waterloo' in costumes!"
Chloe approached with great caution and slid down next to Lois.
"This was the crappiest movie I've ever had the misfortune of watching, I mean, not even Pierce, Colin and Stellan bare-chested could save it!" Lois seemed to be in a mild state of shock but Chloe couldn't help but think that her statement probably wasn't the whole truth. Leaning over to pick at what was left of the popcorn she jabbed,
"Then why did you watch the whole thing?"
"It's like a train-wreck! You can't look away, you're drawn in! And Jimmy wouldn't shut up, he knows every single song, you married an ABBA-maniac!" At the outburst Jimmy turned around,
"Hey! At least I moved from the couch, like you asked me to. And you have tears in your eyes, again. You've enjoyed yourself and you cried at 'The Winner Takes It All'." Skipping the subtitles a very pleased Jimmy moved on to "the Making of Mamma Mia". "Are you staying or leaving?" Two sets of eyes landed on Lois who in one movement handed Chloe the plastic bowl and stood from the couch.
"I think I've had enough of ABBA for the day – more like for life – I'll leave the rest to the newlyweds" Chloe's mouth opened to protest but Lois beat her to it "after all, I did already spend the afternoon with the cripple, while some were working…" Chloe at least had the decency to look a little ashamed at that. Lois had no idea what was going on in this marriage, but she would not stick around to try and find out either.
"I'm just gonna grab my hairdryer from the bathroom and then I'll be on my way. Back to Metropolis and my lovely, empty apartment." She hurried away and slipped into the bathroom, in the bottom of the laundry basket she found what she'd really come all the way from Metropolis for. Quickly nimble fingers turned the plaid fabric into a small ball of flannel that she pressed down in the box with her old hairdryer. She took a deep breath and left the room.
Jimmy had joined Chloe on the couch and had one arm thrown around her as she leaned against his chest, they looked ridiculously comfortable.
"You know Lois, you could always visit Clark at the farm before going home, he was just starting on the Sunday dinner as I drove away, he really wanted some company though. Wouldn't stop asking me about you either…"
And her stomach chose that exact second to growl, empty and hungry. "Well… Since I'm in Smallville I guess I could grace him with my presence, he has been insisting that I should come by…" She threw one last look at the TV where Pierce Brosnan looked silly dancing around in old 70's spandex. Grumbling under her breath Lois grabbed her keys from the blue bowl (and managed to get a hold of some Juicy Fruit as well) "If that's the kind of tights my fly-guy is supposed to wear I'm gonna seriously injure someone…"
She left the apartment with "The Winner Takes It All" stuck firmly in her head.
AN2: I'm a Swede, I get to make fun of ABBA ;) Please leave a review!