Hey guys. I'm going on vacation for a little while, so I won't be able to post anything during that time. I've been working on some old and new pieces since my last update and I know it's been such a long time, it seems my last work was on stone tablets. Anyway, I wanted to post a few stories together to give you an abundance to read all at once, but it looks like that will not be happening. My sincerest apologies. I just become so challenged and then my inspiration likes to escape me. Good news is that I always come back, though.
To hopefully hold you over for the next couple of weeks, I'm posting this piece. Woohoo! AU; what's new? This could've been placed between Rabid and Echo. Enjoy.
DISCLAIMER: No ownership, my fellow readers.
It had been rattling around in his head for some time now. Matter of fact, ever since the city of Metropolis had undergone a type of zombie apocalypse threat a couple days ago, Clark had to seriously come to terms with his emotions. The first step to discovering his feelings was to let go of old ones that were weighing on his heart. When he put the wallet photo of Lana in his scrapbook, he didn't feel pain or sadness. He didn't feel heartbroken. He felt relief and a certain fondness from the good memories they'd shared. It was amazing to lift some of the weight off his shoulders.
The next thing to do was realize his blossoming feelings for a very feisty brunette. It seemed those feelings had snuck up on him when he least expected it, but if he was honest with himself, it had begun years ago when the army brat barreled into his life during his senior year of high school. When he thought about it, no one had ever made him feel the way Lois Lane did. He mused about this as he worked on the tractor in the barn. She seemed to understand him better than anyone and she didn't even know his secret. That alone made him think so highly of her. She was an enigma, but he loved it. He loved her. It was as simple as that. He just loved her.
Now, the only problem with that revelation was telling the woman in question. To Lois, Clark was just a farm boy, the king of plaid, the bane of her existence; he once thought of her the same way, but that wasn't the case anymore. He already knew what it was like not having her in his life and he never wanted to feel that way ever again.
Through his musings, the silence in the barn was broken by the shrill of his cell phone. He wiped his hands one the overused rag that was sitting on the nearby table and grabbed his phone.
"Speak of the devil," Clark mumbled before answering. "Hey, Lois. What's up?"
"What do you say to making me dinner tonight? Chloe's gonna be working late and I'm need of a good home-cooked meal."
"Since when do you ask?" he chuckled.
"I'm capable of some manners, Smallville," Lois snorted through the phone and he was pretty sure she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'll be over around seven."
"Whoa, hold up, Lois. I never agreed."
"Tough, Clark. Seven o'clock. And dessert better contain chocolate." She hung up before he could even reply.
Clark shook his head with a smile. He placed his phone back on the table and turned back to the tractor. "That woman will be the death of me," he sighed happily.
(((o)))
By 6:45pm, Clark had cleaned up the house, taken a shower, and began making dinner. It was almost seven when the kitchen door opened.
"Hope you're in your Iron Chef mode, because I'm starving, Smallville."
Clark turned to look at her and his heart thudded a little harder in his chest. Dressed in only jeans and a yellow t-shirt with her dark hair flowing around her shoulders, she took his breath away. "Uh, Lois. You're early."
"That's because if I have to wait another minute for food, I'll pass out," Lois smirked and placed a box on the kitchen island before moving toward the fridge. "So what is for dinner?"
"Chicken parmesan," he answered. He noticed the box on the counter. "What's that?"
Lois turned around with a pudding cup in hand and shut the fridge door. "Oh, I found that on your porch with no name. Don't know what's inside, but I hope it's not another paperweight that transports us on an acid trip."
Clark moved over to the box and hesitantly opened it. There was a folded note on top of a little white box. He picked up the note and unfolded it. Only one word stood out on the white piece of paper: Enjoy. Curious, Clark opened the lid of the little box and found chocolates sitting neatly inside. Lois came to look around his bicep. "Yum, who sent these?" she asked, moving to take one.
"Don't eat it," he said when he saw her raise the chocolate to her lips. "We don't know what's in it."
"Relax, Smallville. What's the worst that can happen?" She took a bite and closed her eyes in pleasure. "Damn, these are good. Try one."
Clark looked at her skeptically. It didn't look like it harmed her. She motioned for him to try the candy before moving over to the sink to rinse off her chocolate coated fingers. She didn't notice Clark bite into the candy or catch his eyes glow red. She was, however, aware of him coming up behind her.
"Good, huh, Smallville?" she asked, still turned to the sink.
"Very," came his husky reply and she felt his hands slide up her sides. Surprised, she turned to look at him. He was a lot closer than she realized.
"Uh, a little personal space breech," she said before gulping nervously.
Clark smirked confidently at her as he placed his hands on the sink behind her at either side of her. "I don't think you mind too much," he murmured, leaning in closer.
"Oh, is that what you think?" She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. "Come on, Smallville. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm not up for it."
Clark brought his hands to her hips and pinned her to the sink. Lois's eyes widened at their proximity. Her heart pounded harder in her chest as she saw his eyes wander to her lips. "I'm not playing around anymore," he growled before swooping in and taking her lips with his.
Lois stopped breathing as his lips moved against hers. Only in her wildest fantasies did Clark become so assertive and make his move. His lips were so soft and pliant, she couldn't help but give in and kiss him back with full force. Clark smiled and gripped her hips harder as his tongue pushed through her lips and played with hers. Lois moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the feel of Clark surrounding her.
All of sudden, she wasn't pressed against the sink. Clark had lifted her and turned to deposit her onto the kitchen island all without breaking the kiss. He didn't want to wait another second. His hands slipped up the back of her shirt.
"Mmm…wait, Clark," she mumbled against his lips. He didn't stop, though. His lips trailed along her jaw and down her neck. She moaned again, getting lost in the passion. When he began to pull her shirt up, Lois's hands covered his. "Wait, stop. Don't you think this is going too fast?"
He looked at her, lust clouding his eyes. "We've been dancing around each other for years. I'm done denying my feelings for you." He leaned in again.
She leaned away and pressed a hand to his shoulder. "What exactly are your feelings for me?" He could see the insecurity in her eyes.
"You have to ask?" he smirked and pulled her hips in closer to his where his erection poked her. He could see her eyes turn lusty as she bit her lip. When he leaned in to kiss her, she didn't stop him. His tongue swirled around hers again and he pulled her legs up to wrap around his waist. Their make out session continued on until a growling stomach made its presence known.
Lois pulled away from his sweet lips. "I would love to continue this, but a girl's gotta eat," she said breathlessly.
He smiled lazily. "Well, it's lucky for you dinner won't take too long." He moved away from her and continued cooking. Usually, when he was on Red K, he would have easily blown off any plans that weren't any fun; but when it came to Lois, he would do anything to make her happy.
Lois closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't believe she was just making out with Clark Kent. She had been dreaming of what it would be like to kiss him since Chloe's wedding the previous year and every time, she chastised herself for doing so. That was a bad place for her mind to venture because she knew if she fell for Clark, she would only end up hurt. Sighing again, Lois looked over at Clark, whose back was turned to her. She couldn't help it, though. She was already so deep it was impossible to turn back now.
Shaking her head, she hopped off the counter just as Clark turned off the stove. He turned to see her standing and quickly walked back to her. "I'm not done with you yet," he said, trapping her in his arms again.
She looked up at him inquisitively. "Listen, Clark. I don't know what's gotten into you today, and that make out session was something else, but this isn't you. You're different."
"How am I different?" he asked. "Because I finally grew some balls to tell you that I want you?"
"That's my point exactly! Since when do you want me?" she asked incredulously.
Clark grabbed her face so she looked right into his eyes. "I've wanted you for a very long time. Ever since you caught me in the elevator with Maxima. And that wedding, you looked at me like I was the only man in the world and I knew I wanted you to be mine."
Lois's heart melted, but other worries crept into her mind. She pushed his hands away. "And that's why you shacked up with Lana while I was in Star City?" she spat at him.
His eyes glowered at her and he leaned into her, their noses barely brushing. "I needed to know if there was anything left between us. I was trying to live in a fantasy world. If I really wanted her as much I always thought I did, then why didn't I go after her? Hmm? Why is it that each time Lana left me, I never broke? But as soon as you disappeared for those three weeks, I couldn't even be in my own life without you in it. What do you call that?" Clark gripped her body and pulled her tight against him. "I could have any woman in the world, but I just want you."
Lois stared at him. There were no lies in his words, she could see it in his eyes. But something was still off. He wasn't Smallville, he was being sexy and smug; something she could get used to, but she wanted Smallville.
Taking her silence as rejection, Clark sighed in frustration and annoyance. He let his hands drop to his sides and turned back to the stove. "If you wanna leave, I'm not going to stop you. But I'm not going to chase you, either. I've got better things to do." Suddenly, he was being turned around and Lois's lips were pressed hard against his. Her hands fisted his hair and her tongue speared through his lips. Clark slid his palms up and down her back, keeping her against him as their kiss deepened. He groped her down to her ass where he gripped her roughly and lifted her up against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he turned to sit her on the counter by the stove. He pulled away from her to pick up a morsel of chicken from the pan with a fork. He brought it up to Lois's lips and she parted her lips to welcome the food. As she chewed, her eyes closed and she let out a moan of pleasure; both from the delicious food and from Clark licking along her neck. He brought another piece to her mouth and she eagerly accepted it as his other hand slid up the back of her shirt.
"This is one way to eat," she murmured breathlessly. "Aren't you hungry?"
"The only thing I'm hungry for is you," he replied, then nibbled on her ear lobe. Lois's head lolled to the side. "You eat your food, I'll devour mine."
Her breath grew ragged and she no longer had a desire for food. The only thing she craved was the man ravishing her. She pulled his head back and attacked his lips. Hot, heavy kisses were exchanged as she clawed down his back to reach the hem of his shirt. She pulled it off and his chiseled torso was bared for her eyes to drink up. She bit her lip and ran her hands down his soft skin. Clark wasn't having gentle and easily discarded her own shirt before pulling her off the counter.
"Bedroom now," he muttered as he made his way to the stairs with Lois wrapped around him. A knock at the back door stopped his stride. Lois looked at him and unwrapped her legs from his waist, but he held her tighter. "It's not important," he said.
"Maybe it is," she pushed against his chest. "Just go answer it."
Clark stared at her and she tried to move past him. He pulled her into him and kissed her hard before leaving to answer the door.
Lois placed a hand over her racing heart and leaned against the wall for support. She silently thanked whoever was at the door and went to retrieve her shirt from the kitchen. It would be a bad idea to sleep with Clark when they just revealed their feelings to each other. It was easier to think when he wasn't touching her or kissing her and she knew she needed to get off the farm.
"Lois."
She jumped and spun around to see Chloe standing in front of her, with a still shirtless Clark coming up behind her. Lois could clearly see the shock on her cousin's face.
"Hey, Chloe," she smiled embarrassedly and fumbled with her t-shirt.
"What's going on here?" she asked with a slight smile.
"N-nothing," Lois stammered and pulled her shirt over her head. "Smallville and I were having dinner."
"Actually, we were skipping right to desert," Clark grinned and walked over to Lois. He stood behind her and pulled her hair out of her shirt and to the side so he could place a kiss on her neck.
Lois blushed, cleared her throat nervously, and put some distance between them, walking over to Chloe. "Why don't you join us for dinner?"
"I don't think Chloe would like to. You have other things to do, don't you?" Clark looked expectedly at the blonde and Lois looked curiously at him.
"Uh, yeah. I actually still have some work to do and I just stopped by to see Clark for a moment," Chloe replied. "I'll see you at home later?"
"Maybe not," Clark grinned. "If all goes well."
"Don't listen to him, Chlo. I'll probably be home around 9:30, maybe ten," Lois answered.
"Okay then. I guess I'll go now," Chloe nodded. "Oh, and Clark? You sure you're alright?"
"Never better," he smirked then glanced at Lois. "Now that I have what I want."
Lois chanced a glance and saw Clark look her up and down while grinning. "Okay, you sure you can't stay?" she turned to her cousin, pleading with her eyes.
"I'm sure," Chloe laughed. "See you later."
Chloe exited through the kitchen door without another word. Lois closed her eyes as her nerves began to get to her again.
"Problem with being alone with me, Lois?"
She could hear the teasing tone in his voice. She turned to face him; he was leaning against the fridge with his hands in his pockets, clad only in jeans. He was the sight of perfection and there was nothing she wanted more than to jump his bones, but she couldn't. It would ruin everything between them.
"No," she replied stubbornly. "I'm just hungry."
"So am I," he said huskily and walked over to her.
She took a few steps back. "So, let's eat." She moved over to the cupboard and pulled out two plates.
Clark watched Lois take them to the stove and deposit food onto each. She turned to him when she was finished while holding both plates. She smiled at him cheekily. "Get the wine?"
He smiled devilishly at her and did what she asked. "Normally I wouldn't take orders. Be happy I actually listen to you," he said as he collected the wine from the fridge.
Lois snorted from the dining room. "First, you always take orders. Second, you never listen to me."
He arrived in the dining room with the wine and two glasses, smirking at her. "I'm a new man."
"Since when?" she laughed incredulously.
Clark placed the glasses on the table and poured them both a drink. "You underestimate the influence you have in my life."
"You know, you're talking a whole lot of bull tonight," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
"It's not bull. I am finally telling you the truth and you don't believe me," Clark grinned and shook his head.
"Why should I?" she asked, raising her chin and staring him down as if to challenge him. "All night you've been this macho, assertive, sexy, confident guy and I have yet to figure out why."
"It's you, Lois. I'm always more confident when you're around. No matter what's going on in my life, you always seem to make things right. I never feel freer than when I'm with you," he spoke with sincerity, moving closer to her. "Although, you can blame tonight's 'heavy dosage cocky Clark' on red K. This is how I am whenever I'm near that crap: free."
"Red K? What is that? Like alcohol?" Lois asked confused.
"More like a drug, but who cares?" he smiled, reaching a hand up to play with her hair.
She tried to ignore the feel of him touching her in any way and forced her sentence out. "Didn't know farm boy was into drugs. What would your mother say?"
"First, I'm not a boy, much less a shitty farm boy anymore." Lois was shocked to hear him say that. "Second, mommy dearest has seen me like this before and let's just say I make all kinds of impressions," He growled, his annoyance coming up forthright.
"Whoa, easy on the anger there, Smallville," she defended, raising a hand in surrender. "I was just joking. Obviously, you are not one to dabble in drugs, so what is this red K?"
"Red meteor rock," he answered, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her into him. "It's handy in lowering inhibitions."
"So that's why you're so free of spirit," she responded, mostly speaking to herself.
"Bingo," he chuckled huskily and kissed her slowly.
Lois couldn't help but respond to his delectable lips. It took plenty of willpower to pull away from him. "Isn't meteor rock supposed to be a big no-no? I know from experience that we should steer clear from the stuff."
"You wanna steer clear of me?" he asked.
"Well, no…" she answered somewhat shyly. "But shouldn't we get rid of it?"
"You don't seem to mind my assertive flare," he said, leaning in closer to run his nose along her jawline.
Lois exhaled a deep breath and held onto his belt loops. "Well, now that I know what's got you so un-Smallville like, can we eat? Possibly before I starve?"
"This hold you have on me," he began, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "It better not fade."
"Something tells me you might change your mind about that soon," Lois grinned and pulled him in for a chaste kiss before sitting down at the table.
He followed suit and they dug into their plates. Dinner was a bit on the quiet side, but neither seemed to mind too much. Every so often, Lois would glance up at Clark and catch him staring at her, lust filling his eyes. She was certain she saw a glimpse of something else there, but didn't want to delve into what it might be.
Once they'd finished eating, Lois cleared the table. Clark followed, still shirtless, and trapped her against the sink again. She turned to face him and smiled. "So, any chance I can get Smallville back?"
He eyed her skeptically. "Why would you want him back when you have me?"
"Because I…Well, because Smallville is my best friend and I need to know if this red rock changes how you feel about me when under its influence. Maybe there's a reason you didn't tell me how you felt before."
"Yeah, it's because Clark is too scared to admit how he feels about you, but I'm not. I want you and I'm sure by now you know that," he replied.
"Yes, I definitely know," she smiled and placed her hands on either side of his face, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "But you are Clark, just not Smallville. I'm guessing these are both two sides of you that make you Clark Kent. You just suppress this sexy, take charge side."
"God, it turns me on when you talk like that," Clark grinned and kissed her. He fisted one hand in her hair and the other molded to her ass, pressing her intimately into him.
Lois moaned into his mouth and gripped his hair, keeping his lips against hers for as long as possible. Her tongue swirled around his in her mouth passionately before she pushed them into his mouth. She moaned when his right hand ran from her bottom up to the side of her breast.
"Do you know how much I want you?" he mumbled against her lips, kissing down her neck.
"Clark," she moaned, her head lolling back and her eyes closed in ecstasy. Her fingers slid through his silky locks of their accord.
"You're so perfect for me," he whispered by her ear, lifting the hem of her top. "So beautiful…" He looked at her through lidded eyes and was taken with the sensual look on her face. He could see what he wanted to see in the way her eyes fluttered, the way she bit her lip, the way her breathing sped up; he could feel the love. "Look at me." His rough command snapped her eyes open to look at him. He stared at her with such an intense look, her insides began to tremble. She slid her hands up his sculpted chest to his face, mesmerizing each sign of pleasure that radiated from him, reveling in the knowledge that she caused it. "I love you," came his whisper across her face, his eyes looking deep into hers.
Her breath caught in her throat at those three little words. Did she hear right? Was it said in the heat of the moment? She searched his eyes for some kind of answer, but all she could see was truth. He really did love her.
Lois pushed against his chest, suddenly afraid of what that phrase entitle. "I just remembered…I, um, I have this story I need to follow. The deadline…it's getting closer than I'm ready for, so I need to go back to the Planet and-"
"You're not running away," he said, holding her around her waist. "I didn't say it to scare you. I didn't say it just to say it. I said I love you because I mean it."
"But you're not really you right now. How do you know you mean it and not just to-"
He grabbed her chin in his hand and forced her to look him in the eye. "I don't need to say anything for you to be with me. I know you feel the same way about me. I can see it clearly on your face. So don't try to back out now."
"Clark," she started, the fear evident in her voice.
He cupped her cheek. "I love you," he said softly, and she could see a little bit of Smallville peeking through and her heart melted.
"I love you, too," she whispered and watched as a beautiful smile appeared on his face. Then she spoke a little more confidently. "I love you, Smallville."
"I love hearing you say that," he grinned. "Say it again."
Lois laughed and kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He kissed her again and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her off the ground and molding her body to his.
The kiss didn't last as long as either would have liked because out of nowhere, Clark stumbled, pulling his lips away from hers, and his hold on her lessened, causing her to touch the ground again. Lois looked at him curiously. He looked to be in pain. "Smallville?" He groaned and fell to the floor in front of her. "Clark!" She was suddenly afraid for him. She fell beside him and held his face between her hands.
"He's okay, Lois."
She looked up to see Chloe and Oliver standing by the back door; Chloe was holding a green rock in her hand, pointing it straight at Clark. "How can you say he's okay when he's obviously not?" Lois asked, mildly angry to see them hurting Clark.
"It's…okay," he panted through clenched teeth.
Chloe immediately shielded the rock from him and Clark relaxed, taking a deep breath. He leaned against the kitchen island, Lois still kneeling beside him.
"What in the hell was that?" she asked irately.
"Clark was exposed to meteor rock," Oliver answered.
"How?" Lois asked.
"It was in the candy," Clark supplied.
"The chocolate?" She looked at him in disbelief and curiosity. "I didn't know meteor rock can be eaten."
"That stuff can be everywhere," Chloe said, then turned her gaze toward the topless Kryptonian. "But it seems it was a low dosage. You didn't appear too pompous."
"I was mellowed out," Clark managed to crack a smile. "It felt like I was Clark and Kal at the same time."
"Who's Kal?" Lois asked, not enjoying the feeling of being left out.
"The other side of Clark Kent," the raven-haired man replied.
"Oh," she said. "So you're Smallville again?"
"The one and only," he smiled at her. Lois smiled back.
"Alright then. I guess our work here is done," Chloe spoke up. "Time to go."
"Hold on, I see food," Oliver said, eyeing the leftovers on the stove. He began moving toward the stove when Chloe pulled him back by his jacket collar.
"Let's go, Ollie. How about I buy you dinner on the way back?" she said, dragging him out the door.
"Thai?" His excited reply lingered as the two left the farm.
Lois gazed at the door for a moment before realizing Clark was looking at her. She turned to him and couldn't quell the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "So, do you remember…"
"I remember everything," he answered right away.
She nodded in understanding. "Well, you weren't yourself. Guess you get a free pass on the evening. Chock it up to meteor rock poisoning." She forced a laugh and began to get up.
Clark pulled on her arm, bringing her to sit in his lap. "You're not about to ramble your way out of this," he said, trapping her in his hold. "Everything tonight was real. I don't regret a moment."
She bit her lip, feeling her cheeks warm under his gaze. "Really?" she squeaked.
"Really. I'm glad that red rock got me. I don't think I would have been able to tell you how I felt otherwise. I was a coward."
"Hmm, I won't go so far as to call you a coward, and you seem to like show more than tell," she joked, placing her hands cautiously on his bare shoulders.
"Hard to keep my hands off such a beautiful woman," he replied softly, his own cheeks glowing red.
She felt his hands glide gently up her back. She shivered at his touch. "Apparently," she breathed with a grin. "I'll admit, I like the attention."
"Of course you would," he chuckled.
She wanted to kiss him, but something was tickling her mind. "Smallville…you said you loved me."
"I know." He looked at her expectantly. "You said you loved me."
"Yeah," she said nervously. "Can we chock that up to being under the influence?"
"Did you not mean it?"
"Did you?"
They stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Finally, Clark spoke, "I love you."
A huge smile broke out on Lois's face. She gripped the back of his head and pulled him in closer. Their lips were barely touching. "I love you, too," she whispered and kissed him passionately.
His arms tightened around her, pressing her firmly into him as they explored each other's mouths. They broke apart and came together countless times, sitting there on the kitchen floor, wrapped around each other. Unknown time passed by before Lois pulled away to look at him.
"You know what this means, right?" she asked, nearly breathless.
"What?" he asked, almost fearing the answer.
"It means you get Lois Lane's Rules of Dating," she grinned cheekily at him. "And there will be serious repercussions if you don't follow them."
"You can't follow rules yourself and you want to reprimand me about following them," Clark rolled his eyes.
"I'm already rubbing off on you," she laughed. "Well, rule number one: I am always right."
"I feel like that one will get me into a lot of trouble," he sighed dramatically.
She punched him in the shoulder. "You'll learn to love my rules, you'll see."
"There's nothing about you I don't love," he smiled.
"Ah, you're so sappy," she rolled her eyes.
"Hey! You just don't know how to take a compliment," he retorted.
"You're too soft!"
"You're too mean!"
Again, they just stared at each other. Then the two burst into laughter. "Doesn't matter if we're friends or dating, we'll never stop arguing," Lois said, shaking her head playfully.
"Keeps things lively," he leaned forward.
"I don't think we'll have a problem with that," she said, leaning forward in return.
Clark captured her lips in a soft kiss. "Not if you keep kissing me like that," he mumbled dreamily.
She smiled and bumped his nose with hers gently. "Sap."
Done. Done. Done! Whew! Glad to be finished with this! Now onto the next one. Review!