"So, how'd it feel?"
Chloe grinned. "Like it's where I'm meant to be."
"Good," Oliver responded with a smile of his own. Accepting the steaming mug of coffee from Chloe, he sat down. "Then I guess it all worked out for the best, even with the crazy hexes."
"I have to say," Chloe responded, "it definitely opened my eyes. To more than just my own situation."
"What do you mean?"
Taking a sip from her own mug, Chloe's eyes brightened. "Let's just say a certain Boy Scout has a serious case of denial."
Oliver was about to inquire further when the door to the Isis Foundation flew open, revealing the man in question.
"Speak of the devil," Oliver quipped, earning him a confused look from Clark. Chloe giggled in response.
"What?" Clark asked, his eyes moving back and forth between them.
"Oh, nothing," Chloe waved off. Clark narrowed his eyes momentarily, then shrugged slightly and closed the door. "You're just in time to hear my good news, though."
"Good news, huh? Don't you wanna tell Lois first? Since you apparently told her about everything else," Clark said petulantly.
Chloe bit her lip to keep from bursting out laughing. "Oh come on Clark, you framing her reporting rules was sweet!"
"Wait, wait, wait," Oliver said, his amusement evident as Clark began to turn a familiar shade of red. "I need to hear this."
Clark fervently shook his head "no" at Chloe, who simply ignored him before turning to Oliver. "On Clark's first day at the Planet, Lois took it upon herself to mentor him, so to speak, and she wrote down a list of rules for him, which she refers to as her own personal rules of reporting."
"And you framed them?" Oliver asked, chuckling and turning to Clark, who looked like he'd rather be eating Kryptonite than having to deal with this particular conversation.
"He did. And he keeps them in his desk drawer at the Planet. Even quotes them. Isn't that adorable?"
"They make a lot of sense," Clark defended, though his voice was a bit weak as he shoved his hands in his pockets self-consciously.
"I'm sure they do," Oliver said, nodding his head knowingly, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Lois is a very smart woman, and a hell of a reporter."
"Right," Clark said, nodding.
"I'm sure that's the only reason you keep them. Framed. In your desk," Oliver said dryly.
"It is!" Clark said insistently, though his eyes began shifting anywhere in the room that Chloe and Oliver weren't. They exchanged a knowing glance before Chloe shook her head with a smirk. She walked over to the counter, getting Clark a cup of coffee.
"Here," she said, holding it out to him. "Peace offering. For the teasing. And the telling," she said lightly. Clark's lips ticked up into a grin, recognizing the role reversal from earlier that morning.
"Thanks," he said, taking the mug from her and bringing it to his lips.
"So, my good news….I…"
"Know this guy your cousin's out with?" Clark interrupted.
Chloe and Oliver exchanged confused glances.
"Huh?"
"I assume she told you about him."
Chloe's brow furrowed for a moment. "You mean the guy she met on the plane?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"What about him?"
"Do you know anything about him?"
She shrugged. "Not really."
"Well, what did Lois say about him?"
"Just that she met him on the plane."
Clark stepped forward, his voice rising slightly in frustration. "And you didn't ask any questions about him?"
"Why would I?"
"She's your cousin, Chloe! I mean, this complete stranger she talks to on a plane asks her out and you're alright with that? We don't know anything about him!"
Oliver, unable to be anything but entertained at Clark's all-too-obvious motive, chimed in, "Lois is a big girl, Clark."
Clark whirled to face him. "Need I remind you about some of the guys she's dated in the past?"
"I think A.C. and I were alright," Oliver said, shrugging innocently.
"I'm not talking about the two of you," Clark snapped.
"So, who are you talking about?" Chloe asked, her teeth gnawing slightly at her bottom lip in an effort to contain her amusement.
"I'm talking about some of the psychos she's gotten involved with! And you know what I'm talking about Chloe," he said, turning back to face her, "So why didn't you get some information on this guy?"
"Me? Did you lose your ability to form a question, Clark?"
"What does that mean?"
"Well she obviously told you about her date, so why didn't you find out about him?"
Clark opened his mouth, ready to fire back a response, when he suddenly snapped it shut.
"That's a good question, Boy Scout. Why didn't dig for a little info? You are a reporter now, right?"
"Yeah," Clark muttered, his eyes finding the floor suddenly fascinating.
"I'd think that would have been a perfect opportunity to practice those questioning skills," Oliver said, smirking.
"I just…," he began, before faltering a bit. Then, as if the proverbial light bulb had been turned on, Clark's head snapped up, meeting Oliver's gaze directly. "I didn't want her to think I didn't trust her judgment."
"And you think I want her to think that?" Chloe asked incredulously.
"It's different! You're her cousin, she'd just think you were concerned about her."
"But she'd think you were jealous," Oliver pointed out, arms folded as he leaned back in the chair, a knowing tilt to his lips.
Clark visibly gulped at that, the flush that had lessened in recent minutes now creeping back up his neck full force.
"Which, clearly you are," Chloe said. "And please, don't insult my intelligence by trying to deny it. Don't forget, I was witness to the practically constant puppy dog eyes from you directed at who you thought was Lois."
"Really, man, you're not fooling anyone," Oliver added.
"I only wanna make sure she's safe," Clark mumbled weakly, in no way helping his case.
"Right," Chloe snorted. "Look Clark, you can live in denial all you want. And you can pretend that you coming here and interrogating me about Lois' date tonight is about her safety. But here's the deal. You can't have it both ways. You wanna pretend that your feelings for Lois are strictly platonic? Fine. But don't be surprised when she goes out on a date with another guy. Since you certainly don't seem to be stepping up to the plate," Chloe said, holding a hand up when Clark opened his mouth to protest. "I warned you, Clark, not to slam her in the door. I know you didn't mean to, you were dealing with a lot and things were kinda crazy, no doubt. But Lois is not the type to sit around and mope while you try to kid yourself that you aren't falling for her. She'll go out on a date, and she'll throw herself into her work, which, ironically, now seems to be more focused on your alter ego than anything else. And you'll have to deal with it, especially if you refuse to make a move of your own."
Clark just stood, silently, a bit stunned from Chloe's rant. After a moment, he turned to Oliver, who simply gestured to Chloe.
"What she said," he stated with an affirmative nod.
Closing his eyes briefly, Clark sighed. "You're right," he muttered, a bit defeatedly. A sad smile formed on his lips. "I guess Lois has been coaching you on the tough love approach."
"I learned from the best," Chloe said, grinning.
"Yeah, well, thanks. I needed that, I guess," Clark responded. "I should probably go. Can I take a raincheck on your news? I promise, tomorrow, I'll bring some take-out and you can tell me all about it."
With sympathetic eyes, Chloe nodded. "Sure, Clark."
"Okay," he said, and with a slight wave at Oliver, he turned and left, closing the door gently behind him.
"Think he got it? I mean, I know he said he did, but you think he really did?"
Chloe just chuckled lightly. "No way."
**
Breathing in the cool early spring air, Clark leaned back against the wall of the Isis Foundation building, his eyes as always looking up and finding the stars.
But tonight, unlike other nights, the beauty of the cosmos did nothing to quell the nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach.
It wasn't fair. He knew Chloe was right. His jealousy, and yeah he knew exactly that's what that was, was not fair to her. She'd given him several openings, and each time, he'd been too scared or too in denial to walk through them.
Now, she was out with another guy. Some random guy she'd met on the airplane ride home. Totally screwing up his plans too. He'd thought they'd hang out at the Planet tonight, she'd tell him about her trip, they'd order some Chinese take-out, and see if anything broke on the wire they could chase down.
So much for best laid plans. And what if something big broke? Lois would certainly be upset she'd missed out on it.
Or so he thought. He'd tried that line of reasoning, only to get called out on standing her up, leading into her new rule about tabling whatever had been going on between them.
He knew her though. Well enough to know if something really big broke, she'd ditch Mr. I-Pick-Women-Up-On-Airplanes faster than he could superspeed to Smallville in back.
Just his luck, of course, that Metropolis was quiet tonight. Ordinarily, he'd be relieved about that, considering his other job. But tonight? Not so much.
It wasn't like he wanted anyone in mortal danger or anything. But a good corruption story breaking wasn't too much to ask for, was it?
He didn't get time to answer his own question, since at that moment, he picked up a distress call. Looking around to make sure he was alone before doing the quick-change he'd nearly perfected, he sped across town, quickly coming across a terrified young woman being attacked by two men in the alley behind the Ace of Clubs. In an instant, he'd hurled one thug into the nearby brick wall, while the other landed in a half filled dumpster. He then flashed around the corner, watching to make sure the young woman got away safely, before pulling out his phone and hitting 911, intending to notify the cops of the two semi-conscious muggers' whereabouts.
He'd learned to disguise his voice rather well, speaking in low tones, and just above a whisper. He waited around for a few minutes, hearing the sirens in the distance. As two cop cars spun into the alley, Clark couldn't help but smile proudly.
Two more criminals off the street.
He watched the cops shove the two straggly looking men into one of the cars. After they drove off, he looked around once more, before quick-changing back into his other clothes. He could hear the beat of the music wafting out from the Ace of Clubs, the night still young for the up-and-coming professionals of Metropolis.
Without thinking, his eyes wandered up toward the stylish club.
The thought crashed into him suddenly.
It was the hottest spot in town right now.
Dark, sexy, and frequently listed as one of Metropolis' best date spots.
Certainly a place where a guy would take a girl, perhaps for a post-dinner drink.
He closed his eyes.
He shouldn't. He really shouldn't.
You'd just be checking to make sure she's alright. Besides, she's probably not even there. It's not like there aren't any other clubs in Metropolis. So, it's not technically spying, since the odds of her even being there are so slim.
With that justification, he opened his eyes, immediately scanning the inside of the club. The bar, several tables of girls laughing, a table of an older couple chatting over a glass of wine…
And there she was. Smiling, laughing at something airplane guy had said. His fists tightened as he took in the man sitting across from Lois. Sandy brown hair, a smile that looked like it belonged on a toothpaste box, his hands gesturing emphatically as he was probably telling her some stupid story that Lois was only being polite in laughing at.
Because really, Clark could tell, this guy was so not her type. He watched as Lois took a sip from her wineglass, then rested her chin in her hand.
Oh yeah, she was totally bored.
Really, it was his duty as her friend to save her.
He tuned his ears in to the scene playing out in front of his x-ray vision, only to hear the laughter he'd seen moments before continuing as toothpaste smile guy continued to ramble on about some stupid trip he'd taken.
This guy didn't know Lois at all. That was obviously her fake "I'm just humoring you" laugh. And how she watched him intently as he spoke? She was just being polite, not wanting to tear the guy down after he'd just sprung for dinner.
Yeah, that was it.
He really should get her out of this. She'd thank him for it. He could hear it now, the tales of horror she'd spin to Chloe about the jerk who'd thought it was a good idea to ask her out on a plane, of all places, and how her Smallville had come to her rescue before her eyes fell shut from being utterly bored by his mundane stories.
"She'll go out on a date … you'll have to deal with it…"
Chloe's words buzzed unwelcomingly into his brain at that point, startling him to the point that his vision and hearing tore themselves away from the torturous scene that'd been playing out in front of him.
But…Chloe would want him to help her, right? She wanted her cousin to be happy, and Lois was clearly not happy on this date. He didn't care how much she smiled and laughed. He knew better.
Yes, Chloe would agree. She would. So now…the only question was…how?
It was then that Chloe's voice rang through his head again.
"… she'll throw herself into her work, which, ironically, now seems to be more focused on your alter ego than anything else…"
His eyes widened.
That was it.
It wouldn't be a complete lie. The Blur had made a save tonight. And Lois would want to know, since she basically considered it her mission in life to track down the Blur and get an interview.
In the next instant, he'd whipped open his cell phone, taking advantage of his superspeed to type his message.
"RBB spotted outside AoC. Stopped a mugging."
Reading it over quickly, he nodded resolutely, then hit send.
And then he focused his eyes back on the spot he'd seen Lois. He chewed his lip anxiously, watching her take out her phone and read the text. Her lips pursed to the side, as they always did when she was weighing something. He noticed her begin typing, and within a few seconds, his phone began to buzz.
"Witnesses?"
His shoulders slumped slightly at that. The woman he'd saved was long gone, and Lois probably wouldn't be allowed in to see the two thugs the police had carted off tonight.
Unless…
He shook his head no, admonishing himself for the very thought. He shouldn't. As if his subconscious agreed with him, he saw Chloe and Oliver glaring at him in his mind's eye. It wouldn't be right.
He really shouldn't.
Clark's eyes focused back on her, noticing her phone next to her, waiting for his response. And then he noticed airplane guy reach over and cover her hand with his.
Within a split second, he'd made his decision. He looked down at his phone and typed only two letters.
"Me."
He hit send, then leaned back against the wall of the dark alley.
He was so going to hell.