Superman A.S: First Date

Summary: A follow up to my After Smallville story. Two years after Clark's return he and Lois are having their first official date. Nothing can go wrong now. Right?

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Clark is getting ready for his first date with Lois. Two years its taken to get to this point. Two years. Why? In a word Superman. It's unbelievable he got into a love triangle with himself. For most of the last two years Lois has been practically throwing herself at him when he's Superman. Clark has just been her dependable friend. Truth of the matter is though he enjoyed himself more as Clark. Lois and he would just hang out, eat take away, watch movies. He would get her coffee every morning at work. Then something happened one night a few weeks back when they were hanging out in his apartment. They were wrestling for the popcorn, not unusual since Lois is always stealing it. One moment they're wrestling, the next they're kissing. Oh god what a kiss. Before that moment he hadn't kissed Lois in 9 years, 5 months and 24 days. Not that he's counting or anything. He didn't want this kiss to end but Lois broke it, babbled an apology and left.

After that she barely spoke to him for days. It was during that time he realised something. How lonely he felt without Lois around. Then it hit him, the blindingly obvious. He, Clark Kent, was madly, deeply, insanely in love with Lois Lane. He couldn't take not being around her anymore and had decided to ask her out on a date but then this morning out of the blue she asked him out first which brings him back to here. Damn tie. He wishes Lois was here. She always fixes this thing.

"Hot date Clark" Clark looked to his balcony at the source of the voice.

"Hey Kara" he greets his cousin.

Kara had reappeared about a year ago. He had believed her dead but was elated when she turned up. She landed on the balcony in her 'Supergirl' outfit. Clark had never had the heart to point out to Jimmy who came up with the name that technically Kara was older than him.

"So who's the lucky girl?" she asks him.

"Lois" Clark answers while continuing to fiddle with his tie.

"I knew you had a thing for her and come here with that tie." Clark walks over and Kara fixes his tie. "Honestly Clark you've been living here since you were 3 and you still can't tie a simple knot."

"Is there any particular reason you're here or is it just because Chloe told you about my date with Lois"

Kara glares at him.

"Super hearing." Honestly she should know better.

"I thought you didn't eavesdrop"

"I don't normally but I saw the two of you conspiring in the corner at the Planet"

"She just wants you to be happy like I do"

"And what about you?" he asks concerned at her happiness.

"Clark, I'm fine. When the time's right I'll find someone". Kara finishes fixing his tie.

"Thank you" Clark looks in the mirror. "Breathe Clark. It's just dinner, you can do this."

"Clark you're talking to yourself" Kara points out to him.

"Oh right." he realises. Now if the world will give Superman the night off he might just pull this off. Clark gets his jacket and leaves his apartment.

Kara shakes her head in mild amusement. She really hopes one day she can find someone who will her that nervous before a date. Kara decides to patrol the city. Maybe she can make sure Clark isn't disturbed.

Meanwhile Lois is in her bedroom trying to find an outfit. She holds one up in front of the mirror "No." She throws it on the bed, just missing Chloe who is trying to help her.

"Watch it Lois" Chloe tells her.

"Sorry." Oh god, she is so nervous. Get a grip Lois, it's just dinner.

Chloe had watched Lois go through a dozen outfits. She had been trying to get her to go out for Clark for weeks, ever since she came banging on her door after her movie night with Clark.

Flashback to few weeks ago

Chloe's night with Jimmy is interrupted by knocking or more correctly banging on the door. She had got back together with Jimmy about 6 months ago on Clark's advice. She didn't know why she listened to him after all his relationships hadn't exactly been a roaring success. She was glad she did though. She got up off the couch where they had been cuddled together and opened the door. She found Lois standing there, chewing her thumb nail. She only did that when she nervous. "Lois, what's wrong?"

Lois barges in "Oh god Chloe, oh god, oh god, oh god"

"Lois calm down, what's wrong?"

Lois spots Jimmy "Oh you're busy, I'll come back"

Chloe could see this was important. "Jimmy I hate to do this..."

Jimmy understood "I'll see you tomorrow" They kiss and he leaves.

"I'm sorry Chloe"

"Lois what's wrong? What happened?"

Lois is pacing around "I did something bad, very, very bad"

"You have to tell me or I can't help you"

"I,..,I kissed Clark"

"Finally"

Lois looks at Chloe and stops pacing "What do you mean finally?"

Chloe smirks "It's been rather obvious you like him"

"No it's not and I don't like him, not that way, we're friends that's all"

"And Denial is a river in Eygpt" Chloe says sarcastically.

"Chloe I need help here" Lois almost pleads.

Chloe sighs "Come sit down and tell me what happened"

Lois sits on the couch "Well it was just like any other of our movie nights. Clark as usual was hogging the popcorn.."

Chloe snorts "That's not how he tells it"

Lois glares at Chloe.

"Sorry, you were saying"

"I was saying that I tried to get some and Clark being the jerk he is tried to hold it out of reach"

"So you tried to wrestle it from him"

"Hey, who's telling this story." Chloe just rolls her eyes. "Anyway so I pinned him down and well our faces ended up close together and somehow, probably his fault, we kissed"

"So?"

"So? What do you mean so?"

"Well was it a bad kiss?"

"No" Lois tried not to think about it.

"So it was a good kiss"

Lois didn't answer.

"Lois answer me"

"Ok it was a great kiss. Are you happy? It was an unbelievable, breathtaking kiss that made me tingle all over. There I said it" Lois folds her arms in a huff.

"So what's the problem?"

"It was Clark!" Lois exclaims.

"What's wrong with Clark?"

"There's nothing wrong with him. I mean he's sweet. He sits with me, hangs out, listens to my problems. I mean we have fun. Despite his geekiness and those glasses, I think he's great. I mean I lov…" Lois bites her tongue.

Chloe raises her eyebrows "You mean..."

"Oh god Chloe." Lois holds her head in her hands. Oh god she's in love with Clark.

"Lois?"

"I love him Chloe. I, Lois Lane, am in love with Clark Kent"

"Now that wasn't so hard to admit was it" Chloe had seen they were in love with each other months ago.

Lois raises her head back up "But how can I be? I mean he's so different to the other men I dated"

"Lois most of them were jerks"

Lois sighs "I know"

"So are you going to ask Clark out?"

"What? No"

"Why not? This doesn't have anything to do with Superman does it. I remember your feelings for him"

"No. Superman was an infatuation. I mean he's like the perfect man. Lets face it, I'm a screw up. He wouldn't want me anyway"

Except as Chloe knows, Superman AKA Clark does want her. "Lois, I know for a fact Clark likes you"

"What? How?"

"He told me"

"When?"

"Two years ago next week"

"What! You could have told me" Oh dear god. She had practically ignored him after Superman turned up.

"It was a secret Lois. Clark told me in confidence. So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing"

"Lois..." Chloe begins to say but Lois cuts her off.

"No Chloe, Clark's my friend and I am not ruining it." Lois then gets up and walks out.

Chloe shakes her head. This is going to take work.

Back to present. It had taken over 2 weeks to convince Lois to ask Clark out. Honestly Lois had looked miserable. She stopped talking to him, stopped hanging out with him until Chloe thinks she couldn't take it anymore and decided to do something.

Lois tries on another outfit. This one will do. It's not too, well to put it bluntly slutty. She can't look like that on their first date. She had practically gone insane these last few weeks. She hadn't realised how much of her life revolved around Clark till she tried to cut him out of it. That damn kiss had plagued her dreams for weeks now. How did he do that to her? It was in Lois' opinion about the best damn kiss of her life. She turns round to face Chloe "Well?"

"Lois you look fine."

"Only fine?" she says with some panic in her voice.

Oh great. Chloe speaks up before Lois tries on another 10 outfits "You look great Lois. You know Clark won't care what you look like, he's seen you in your sweatpants, you remember the one's you wore after you broke up with that guy a few months ago. What was his name?"

"Chris" Hey Lois had thought he was nice, he just wasn't well Clark. Oh dear God she had been comparing men to Clark. "Well Chloe we weren't dating then. I just want to look nice."

"Lois you look fin...great, like I said"

Lois turns back to the mirror. She can do this. She wants to do this. She wants to be able to get to a place where Clark and she can kiss and he can hold her and even though he hides it under those suits he still has that great body and whoa getting way ahead of yourself Lane. She turns back to Chloe "Tell me this is going to go ok"

"It will be fine Lois. Oh great, I mean great" Encourage her Chloe. Dear God Lois has stared gunmen down, yet she's falling apart over a date with Clark.

In the restaurant Clark is waiting nervously. He is almost having to consciously tell himself to breathe. After a few minutes he hears Lois approach. He is now so attuned to her heartbeat he can hear her almost anywhere within Metropolis. He sees her enter and his jaw drops. She's wearing this black, knee length dress that shows off every curve of her body. In one word WOW.

Lois' heart is doing somersaults as she nears the restaurant. She hasn't been this nervous since she did that first interview with Superman. She walks in and spots Clark. For once he's not wearing those ridiculous over sized suits he wears to the Planet or the plaid he still wears when he's not working. This time the suit fits perfectly to him yet still manages to hide his physique. Lois doesn't understand his need to hide it frankly. He looks in a word WOW. She walks over to the table. "Evening Clark"

Clark stands up "Evening Lois, you look great"

She blushes slightly "Thank you. So do you"

Clark stutters "T-Thanks" and pushes his glasses back up his nose.

Lois smiles as he pulls the chair back for her. She still finds that little gesture with his glasses adorable. Clark sits down and they look through the menu. Clark is trying to focus on it and not Lois. He swears he can feel the heat build up behind his eyes. He has just about decided what to order when he hears a voice call out to him "Clark?"

Clark turns round and his eyes open wide at the sight before him. "Lana?"