Chloe was sitting at her table at the Daily Planet's office, trying to focus on the computer screen in front of her. But it was quite hard, with her best friend and her cousin having a go at each other right on the other side of the desk.
"---hadn't been so calamitous if YOU hadn't tried to play the superhero again!" Lois was shouting.
"Oooh, yes, it's all my fault, because I was the one who got myself in danger in the first place!!" replied Clark, sharply.
"Oh, don't even start with that, Mr. Blaming!! You were the one who tried to be the knight in shining armor AGAIN!
"I wouldn't have done it if YOU hadn't gone after that crazy-pervert-man!! What was on your mind, huh? Some kind of kinky-lovely conversation?"
Lois narrowed her eyes. "No!! I was trying to help Chloe to get a story!!"
"Ohh, and of course, you were willing to take a little advantage of it, weren't you?"
"I was not!!!"
"I thought you didn't even like journalism in the first place!" teased Clark.
"I don't! I was just trying to help MY cousin!!! Chloe was really glad I tried to help her and went after that man!!" shouted Lois.
"Chloe was worried sick, that's what she was!!" replied Clark, sternly. "Going after a crazy-pervert murderer, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking about MY cousin! Now, thanks to me, Chloe got her story!!" said Lois, superior.
"Yeah, and thanks to you, she was also almost killed!"
"Oh, for Heaven's sake, stop being such a martyr, she's okay now---"
"Yes, she's okay, but she's also still here, and she would appreciate if you two stopped talking about her as if she was a ghost." said Chloe, looking up at them, tired.
Lois glared at Clark. "See? She's tired of you!" she said.
"Me?" replied Clark, incredulous. "She is tired of YOU, because YOU are the stupid annoying one---"
"HEY, you WATCH that mouth of yours, Kent, or I'll give a kick right in the middle of your---"
"ENOUGH!!!" exploded Chloe. "I just can't understand you two!! You both tried to help me, right??"
"Yes!" they said together.
"And I'm okay now, aren't I?" Chloe added.
"Yes." Both Lois and Clark were looking at her with identical expressions of shock.
"And if I quite understood, you two saved each other back there, didn't you?"
"Yes." they answered once again. Chloe looked at the ceiling.
"Then WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU FIGHTING ABOUT??? Goood!" Clark and Lois exchanged a worried look. "Look, I have work to do here and it's kinda hard to do it with two people shouting at each other in front of me." She stood up and started to push them out of the office. "I don't mean to be rude, but I just HAVE to focus on my work, so please, continue your nice discussion..." She put them outside the door. "... out here. Allright?"
Chloe closed the door on their stunned faces.
Oh, the silence...
She leaned against the door, relieved.
"See what you have done now, Farmboy? Now she's mad at us! And it's all your fault!"
"My fault? MY fault?? You're the one who started with this in the first place---"
Chloe rolled her eyes as she listened them arguing once again, while they walked away. But she couldn't help but smile a bit.
They were a lost case. Both of them.
She sighed and walked back to her computer, sitting at her chair and focusing all of her attention on the screen now. Chloe started typing.
9 pm.
9:30.
10 pm.
11 pm.
11:59.
Chloe sighed and looked around.
It was late, but there were a few people there.
She looked back at her computer.
Her article was almost done.
She started to type the final line.
Metropolis, March 31
She stopped and looked at the clock.
12:01.
Chloe erased the last words and typed again.
Metropolis, April 1st ---
April 1st.
The day of the fools.
Chloe felt a smirk playing across her lips while a very strange idea passed by her mind.
She had passed all day trying to get away from the little jokes and games her colleagues had been playing.
Maybe it was time for her to do a trick on her own.
Chloe looked unconsciously toward the door, where Clark and Lois had been earlier that night.
Maybe it was time to mess with their head little bit.
In the best of the possibilities, they would stop bickering for a moment. And in the worse... Chloe grinned. Well, she wouldn't think about that right now.
She would just play.
After all, it was April, wasn't it?
The morning after was Saturday; Chloe stood up and drove right away to Smallville, thinking about to which way she would attack first.
Chloe decided to start for the Kent Farm.
While she droved toward there, she mentally checked her plan. It was simple, actually.
She smiled.
So ridiculously simple it might work.
Chloe parked her car in the Kent's entrance and knocked on the kitchen's door.
"Hello? Clark? Anybody home?"
She heard footsteps and Clark walked into the kitchen.
"Chloe! You know, you've gotta start using the front door." Chloe smiled as she entered. "What are you doing here? I thought you would spend the weekend in Metropolis."
"Yeah, well," she started, a bit embarrassed. Clark frowned.
"Chloe, are you allright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just... look, Clark, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday." she spilled, carefully speaking fast. "I think I just... well, I've been working too much, and I think it kinda... stressed me out..."
"No, it's okay." said Clark, apologetically. "I know me and Lois can be a bit... uh... stormy sometimes."
Chloe bit her own tongue to stop herself from saying the other word that came into her mind.
"Yeah." she agreed. "And hey, I also came here to say this weekend will the boring as heck, so I thought we could just, I dunno, hang out or something."
"I think that's a great idea. We haven't done that for a long time now." he said.
"Yeah." she said.
"What are your plans?"
Oh, Clark, you wouldn't even imagine..., she thought, holding back a smirk.
"Oh, I was just thinking about eating some pizza, watching some movies... what do you think?"
Clark smiled. "Sounds good." he said.
"So you agree?" asked Chloe, trying not to sound too excited.
"Of course."
"Good! So let's say, my place there, in Metropolis, tonight at... uh... eight p.m.?"
"Isn't that a bit late?" he asked, uncertain.
"Oh, come on, Clark, it's not like if you have to take a bus back or something."
Clark laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." he said. Chloe seemed relieved.
"Well, I'll see you tonight then!" she said, walking out of the door.
"Right." he said. "Oh, wait, Chloe, do you want me to bring some movies?"
She grinned. "No, no, that won't be necessary. I have some there."
"'Kay." he said.
Chloe smiled once more and turned around, walking toward her car. She turned it on, headed to the Talon, now.
Part A – completed successfully., she thought, with a smirk.
Now it was time to the Part B.
The most resistant one.
Chloe parked in front of the Talon and entered for the back door. The front one was closed.
Lois was at the counter alone, with her back turned to Chloe, her head down, and she seemed to be reading something.
When Chloe approached, Lois raised her head, without turning around.
Then with a "Yaaa!!" she promptly jumped up and gave a spin kick which barely hit Chloe, who shrieked a bit.
"Geez, Lois!!" said Chloe, with a hand on her heart, taken aback. "Let your guard down, 'cuz!!"
"Oh my God, sorry sorry sorry, Chloe, did I hit you?" said Lois, walking toward Chloe.
"Almost!" she answered.
"I'm sorry! I just thought it might be some robber... I didn't expect to see Mrs. Work-Hard around here in a Saturday morning!" said Lois. Chloe focused her mind on her plan again. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a girl visit her cousin?" asked Chloe, smiling now.
"Sure you can. I'm just surprised that you're not at the Daily Planet typing your brain out." Chloe sat at the counter and looked around.
"I thought this place would be full today."
"Kidding me? Opened at April Fools day? This would be turned into a complete tricky-mess." answered Lois, rolling her eyes. "Want some coffee?"
"Sure. A cappuccino would be good."
"A cappuccino that's what it is." said Lois, pressing the right button on the coffee machine and putting a cup under it.
"Thanks," said Chloe, when Lois handed her the drink.
"No problem."
"So... Lois?" started Chloe. She would have to be careful. "Do you have plans for tonight?"
"Nope. Why?"
"Oh, I have nothing to do tonight, and I was just thinking maybe I could rent some movies, and we could just sit and watch it on my place. Hmm... let's say... 8 o'clock?" answered Chloe suggestively.
"Bit late, don't you think? I mean, you live in Metropolis, and I would have to drive all the way back toward here---"
"I thought about that. You could sleep there!! Like old times, huh?" Chloe hesitated.
"Do I smell a slumber party?" asked Lois, smirking. Chloe smiled too, relieved. That was going well.
"So what do you say?" asked Chloe, drinking her coffee.
"Sure!!" agreed Lois. "Like old times."
"Great!" said Chloe, excited. "You have one key, don't you?"
"Yeah. Why?" asked Lois, frowning.
"I just have to stop by the Daily Planet and finish some stuff. So you can arrive a little early and open the door yourself without waiting for me."
"Allright." said Lois, though Chloe noticed she looked at her a bit strangely.
"I better get going," she said, finishing her cappuccino. "See you tonight!"
She gave her cousin a hug and left, thanking her for the coffee.
In her way back to Metropolis, Chloe was thinking that was going very well. Lois looked at her a bit strangely, sure, but she didn't suspect of anything. Neither did Clark.
She still had some things to do before going to the Daily Planet, and she would take a very good care of what she called "The Part C".
She turned on the radio right on time to listen the chorus of the song "Are You Ready Now", from Gary Barlow.
Chloe smirked.
Lois turned the key into the keyhole.
She entered at Chloe's apartment and turned on the light, closing the door.
As she expected, Chloe wasn't there yet. That girl worked just too much.
Lois put the keys above the table and walked toward Chloe's bedroom, dropping her suitcase there.
She turned the TV on and walked to the kitchen to fill a glass of water, while she waited for Chloe. This might be fun, she thought while she drank the water.
It had been a long time since they hadn't gone in a girls night out, or just hang out, just the two of them.
Or maybe three., she thought, when she heard a noise right behind her.
Lois quickly turned to kick the face of the unfortunate who had dared to invade her cousin's apartment with herself inside it.
She wasn't able to hit anything, though, because the "unfortunate" one had held her foot in the middle of the act, and the guy was none else than Clark Kent, a.k.a. "The Farmboy".
"Good Lord, Lois, calm yourself down." he said, wide-eyed. Lois looked at him surprised and annoyed at the same time.
"Smallville, how the hell did you get in?" she asked.
"You were really really smart and let the door unlocked." he replied, smiling.
"Allright, so you just think you hae the right to invade my cousin's space like this?"
Clark continued as if he hadn't heard her. "What would you have done if a real robber had entered here?"
"I would have kicked his damn face, as I was about to do it with you." she answered, rolling her eyes. "About that, can I have my leg back? I'm in an unconfortable position here."
"Only when I'm sure you won't hit me again." he said. Lois narrowed her eyes.
"You let me go right now or I'll give a spin kick with my other leg on this pretty face of yours, Kent."
Clark let go of her leg, smirking. "So you think I have a pretty face?"
"I was being IRONIC." answered Lois, while they walked back to Chloe's small living room. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Clark looked at her strangely. "I'm here to hang out with Chloe." he said.
"Oh, what a happy coincidence, so am I." she said, sarcastic. Clark rolled his eyes.
Then, he frowned. Had Chloe mentioned Lois would be there too?
No, he was pretty sure of that.
She hadn't denied... because he hadn't asked.
He faced Lois, who was looking at her watch.
"8:15 already. I think I'll call her---"
But right then, the phone rang.
Clark reached over to answer it, but Lois tapped his hand and ansnwered herself.
"Chloe's place, Lois speaking."
"Hey, Lois!"
"Chloe!" said Lois, turning to Clark. "Are you still on the Daily Planet?"
"Yeah, yeah, is Clark there already?"
"Yes..." said Lois, making sure she made a disgusted face to Clark.
"Put me on the speakerphone." she said.
"'Kay, just a second." Lois pressed a button. "Done."
"Hey, Clark!" said Chloe.
"Hey, Chloe." said Clark, talking directly to the phone. Lois rolled her eyes.
"Clark it's called a speakerphone. You can speak without talking into the phone." Clark rolled his eyes too. "By the way, Chloe, you didn't mention the Mild-Mannered boy would be here too."
"You didn't ask." said Chloe, the laugh evident on her voice.
"Well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for you guys have to wait for me. I promise I be there soon."
"It won't take much long, will it?" pleaded Clark. "I'm not sure I'll survive your dear cousin here."
Lois punched him.
"Oh, I'm sure you will." said Chloe. They couldn't actually see her, but Lois could tell she was smiling. "Well, seriously, I'll be there as soon as I can. Go watching the movies without me, there's popcorn on the kitchen and soda on the fridge. I've gotta go now, boss's waiting. Bye, love you both!"
And with that, Chloe hang up the phone, with a smile on her face.
Let the game begin.
"Allright, Smallville, let's just make things clear." Lois was saying, while she came back from the kichen with two pails of popcorn and some soda. Clark rolled his eyes. "I came here to hang out with Chloe and apparently I'll have to spend some time with you until she gets here. So let's just watch this movies and see if time goes by faster."
"Gladly." said Clark, taking one popcorn from her hands and bending down in front of the TV to see which DVDs Chloe had while Lois sat down on the couch. Clark examined them carefully and finally picked one.
Lois looked at him suspiciously. "Which movie did you pick?"
"A movie." said Clark. Lois stood up, walked toward him and grabbed the DVD from his hands. He mouth opened in shock.
"Harry Potter?" she asked, shaking the DVD in front of him. "HARRY POTTER? What the hell do you think this place is, some kindergarten??"
"Lois, is a movie for all ages." replied Clark, matter-of-factly.
"For all ages?? It talks about witchcraft, for Heaven's sake!"
"I thought you would understand quite well, since you have been possessed by one once!!" he teased.
"You pervert, I haven't forgotten that you were there to watch while that sluts did whathever the hell they did! You don't have to rememind me of that!" she shouted back.
"Fine!!"
"FINE!"
"Look, it was that or romance movies!" he said, exasperated.
"Oh, come on..." Lois walked toward the television and examined the DVDs.
Moulin Rouge, Love Actually, The Notebook, Titanic, City Of Angels...
Lois turned to Clark strangely.
"Harry Potter it is." she said, and opening the DVD box. Clark shrugged. When she did that, a piece of paper fell from inside. "What the hell is this?" she asked. Clark stood up and kneeled next to her, reading the note. It was from Chloe.
"Heh, I knew you'd pick this one. You couldn't stand to watch a romance movie, could you? Just a little note: pay attention to the other two main characters.
Love, Chloe."
Clark and Lois exchanged a look. They shrugged and Clark put the DVD in, while Lois sat on the couch and started to eat her popcorn.
"Don't you think it's better to save the popcorn to eat during the movie?" suggested Clark, raising one eyebrow.
"Shut up, Smallville, and press play." said Lois, her mouth full of popcorn. Clark rolled his eyes and sat on the couch beside her.
"Allright, here we go." he said, pressing play. Lois sighed while the background song started to play.
"Which one is this, anyway?"
"It's the third one, and now shush." said Clark, without looking at her.
Lois smirked. "Hmm, interested, Clarkie, aren't you?" Clark glared at her. "Allright, allright, I'll stop---"
"Shush!!"
Although, Clark's 'shushes' didn't work very well. He was tired of Lois's comments, and they were at the first minutes of the movie. When Harry turned his ant into a baloon, Lois roared with laughter and said "Imagine for a second this happening with you!!"
"Not funny." he said, annoyed.
And by the time they hit the part where they were at the Leaky Cauldron, Lois let slip a snort of laughter when she saw Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, following a rat.
"For Heaven's sake, is that really a cat? Looks like an orange bulldog that has just bumped with his face in a wall!!"
Clark chose to ignore this for the next minutes as he payed attention on the movie. He just hadn't understood why Chloe had told him to pay attention in the other main characters.
That would be the red-haired-freckled boy and the fluffy-haired girl, but he just didn't understand--- allright, they were certainly having a go at each other. But still---
"You know, Egyptians used to worship cats." was saying Hermione, the fluffy-haired girl on the movie.
"Yeah, along with the dung beetle." answered Ron, the red-haired boy.
Lois laughed.
"I like this boy. He has sense of humor." she said. Clark rolled his eyes.
"A very dark one." he replied.
"What did you expect? Her cat was chasing his rat."
"Which, by the way, is a gross animal to have as a pet." said Clark. Lois narrowed her eyes at him.
"It's better than the I-have-just-smashed-my-face-in-a-wall-cat."
"It is not."
"Yes it is."
"It's not."
"Oh, shut up."
They turned their attention to the movie, annoyed.
It was passing quite fastly. And Lois's comments didn't stop. But he had to admit it, they were quite constructive sometimes.
By that time they were watching the Care of Magical Creatures's class, the scene where the girl grabbed the red-haired's hand and they just looked at each other strangely and she let go of him, both looking anywhere but each other.
"Wow, major awkward moment here." said Lois, raising her eyebrows. She put one hand to her chin, thoughtfully. "I would say that besides their bickering and teasing, they are just crazy about each other, but they are just too embarrassed to admit it."
Clark looked at her strangely.
In another scene of Ron and Hermione major bickering, the girl was saying "Beautiful day."
"GORGEOUS. Unless, of course, that you've been ripped to pieces." said Ron.
"Ronald has lost his hat." explained Hermione, to Harry.
"I haven't lost anything! Your cat killed him!" protested Ron, angrily.
"Rubbish!" said Hermione.
"Harry, you've seen the way that blood thirsty beast of hers is always lurking about." Lois let slip a snort. "Scabbers is gone!"
"Well then maybe you should learn to take better care of your pets!"
"Your cat killed him!"
"Did not!"
"Did!"
"Did not!"
"Oh my God, stop bickering and get a room." commented Lois, rolling her eyes. And Clark noticed that for the expression on Harry's smiling face, that was exactly what he was thinking. "The girl is so annoying sometimes."
"Of course she is! He teases her all the time!!" said Clark, raising his eyebrows for her.
"You know what?" said Lois, pretending to think. "She actually remembers me of you. Thinking she knows everything, all stuck-up---"
"Hey, you're the stuck-up around here, you remind yourself of that!" replied Clark. Lois narrowed her eyes.
"I am not!"
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"Besides, the annoying boy reminds me of you too! Always doing sarcastic comments and teasing the poor girl that has nothing to do---"
"Woa, he only teases her because she teases him too!"
"She does not."
"She does."
"No she doesn't."
They looked at each other for a second.
Now they were starting to figure out why Chloe had told them to pay attention on the other main characters.
Lois straightened herself in the couch sitting on her knees and looked at Clark, who was sitting like two feet away from her.
"Watch out, Kent. I have a popcorn pail here and I'm not afraid to use it."
Clark grinned. "I would like to see you try."
"Trust me, you wouldn't." she said, threateningly. Clark merely smiled, challenging her. "I didn't want to do this--- oh, what the hell, it's a lie, but you asked for this."
Clark raised his eyebrows as Lois moved slowly toward him. When their faces were close enough, she merely smiled with the corner of her mouth.
What on Earth is she doing?, he thought, as he looked down at Lois's eyes.
This time, she grinned and knocked the popcorn pail in Clark's head.
"LOIS!!" he yelled. She laughed. Clark removed the pail of his head, and he was facing her determined. "You'll pay for that, Lane."
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, Farmboy?" she asked, seeming not to care.
"I hope you're hungry." he grabbed the other popcorn and threw it at Lois's head, the popcorns all over her hair.
"How very creative of you, Smallville." she said, narrowing her eyes and walking toward him. "You must now feel the Lane wrath." She held the soda.
"Ohh noo, not that!" mocked Clark. "It's not even opened, Lois."
"I know." she said. Lois looked at Clark while she shook the bottle. He widened his eyes.
"Lois, what are you---"
Too late. She already had opened it and turned the hole to Clark, covering him with Coke. She laughed loudly.
"That was a very low play, do you know that, Lane?" he asked, reaching over for the other bottle, but Lois grabbed it before him.
"Yes. And I assure you, you'll not do the same to me." she said, smirking.
"Give me the bottle, Lois."
"No."
"Give me."
"No way." she walked behind.
"Allright then." Clark walked toward her. She was holding the bottle with her both hands behind her back, and Clark put his arms around hers, trying to grab the soda. Lois struggled, but couldn't manage herself away from Clark's... uh... embrace.
Their faces were very close, and their hands were moving so quickly, Lois trying to protect the bottle and Clark trying to grab it. Their eyes were locked into each other's.
Soon enough, the fight for the soda was forgotten, and they just stood there frozen for a long, long time, looking at each other's bright eyes.
Clark had no idea of what the hell he was doing when he slowly slipped his hands from Lois's arms to her waist, carefully pulling her closer, almost as asking for a permission. For what exactly, he didn't know. Neither did she. Only one thing was sure. She was giving it.
Their minds were absolutely dizzy and filled with... well, nothing, actually. They couldn't think of anything coherent, while their lips were getting closer and closer. They didn't even hear the movie anymore.
They noticed they could feel each other's breaths now. Only one thing they didn't notice was that Lois was still holding the soda.
It had been so shaken that the cork actually jumped of the bottle, spreading soda all over them.
"JEEZ!"
They jumped apart quickly, and when the soda was all on the outside, the bottle just laid innocently on the floor.
Clark and Lois looked from the (empty) bottle to each other, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. They were soaking wet with soda.
Lois suddenly looked around and got a view of the apartment.
"Oh my God. Look what we have done to this place."
Clark looked around too. It was a mess.
"Oh oh. Chloe's going to kill us."
Lois looked to the screen. The movie had already ended. Not wanting to think about how much time they spent on that eye-lock, she then looked to the DVDs on the floor. Then, to the telephone.
Suddenly, Lois's eyes widened as a rush of thoughts passed by her mind.
"I don't think she will." she said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.
"What? What do you mean?" asked Clark, laughing. "This place is a mess---"
"I can't believe this!" Lois cut him off. Clark frowned. "Oh my God!"
"Wh-what? What's going on--?"
"She totally set us up!!!" said Lois, turning to face him, her eyebrows clenched.
Clark frowned too. "What?"
"Oh, come on, Smallville! Our coincident meet here practically at the same time, after CHLOE asked us to hang out with her "separately"?? The romance movies?" Clark felt himself blush a little bit. "And another DVD which contained two characters that COINCIDENTLY looked a lot like us bickering, and we were told by her to pay attention on them? Her 'sudden' call saying she wouldn't be able to make it for a while? It's eleven o'clo by now!"
"But... why would she---" Clark suddenly stopped talking as realization hit him. They stared at each other.
"Bam-bam! Surprise, Smallville!" she mocked, irritated.
"You don't seriously think---"
"Why else would she set us up to a freakin' movie session??" Lois said. Clark shrugged a bit and looked down at the floor.
"Well, if it helps, I think her plan worked very well." he said. Lois's irritated expression changed to an hesitated one. It was quite a new expression of her. But soon, her Lois's face was back.
"Almost, Skippy! Thankfully, almost! I don't know what the bloody hell we were thinking."
Clark looked at her strangely. "Me neither. Maybe it was the movie."
Lois snorted quite forcingly. "If that almost happened while we watched Harry Potter, imagine what would have happened if we had watched Moulin Rouge."
Clark joined her laughing, but they suddenly stopped and looked at each other.
"Yeah."
"Well, uhum," coughed Lois. "I don't know about you, but I'm certainly going to have a word with my dear little cousin!"
"Only after I have a talk with my old dear friend." said Clark. They were ready to open the door when they both stopped and examined each other.
"You smell like crap." said Lois.
"You smell like soda." replied Clark, smirking.
"We can't go to the Daily Planet like this, can we?" asked Lois.
"No, I guess we'll just have to---"
"No need to go to the Daily Planet, I'm right here." said Chloe's voice. They both looked at the door. She was standing there, with a huge smile on her face, watching her cousin and her best friend soaking wet and smelling like cra---soda. "Holy cow, what happened to you?" Then, she looked at her 'popcorned' apartment. "And what happened to my apartment? Looks like Josh-From-The-Popcorn-Waggon stopped by."
"What happened to us?" started Lois. "I'll tell you what happened to us. We were SET UP by a dear crazy friend of ours!"
Chloe's smile faded.
Oh oh., she thought. Dangerous zone.
"Seriously, Chloe, what the hell were you thinking?" asked Clark, exasperated.
"I don't know what are you two talking about." she entered at the house, closing the door and trying to walk without stepping on the popcorns on the living room floor.
"Ohh, hell you don't." said Lois. "I have some investigative reporter veins too, I'm not stupid, Chloe. Now you come back here right now and tell us what the hell possessed you to possibly think and Clark and I---" she stopped in the middle of the sentence and glanced at Clark. Chloe turned, smiling now.
"Nothing. I just wanted to make you two get along. Better." she answered. "Why? Did something happened?" It wasn't a smile anymore. It was a smirk.
She clearly saw Clark exchange a quick look with Lois before turning to her and saying "Look, it doesn't matter, allright? What matters is---"
"What matters is that you're nuts, because nothing would – or will – ever happen between me and Clark. Ne-ver." said Lois. Chloe thought she saw Clark glance at Lois.
"Hey, you never can say 'never'." he said. And Chloe smirked again.
"Excuse me?" Lois said quickly, facing him. He looked embarrassed.
"Well, I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying you can never say 'never'---
"You just did!" she replied. Clark continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"---because you never know what might happen---"
"Hey, hey, hey, hold on there, Smarty. I'm trying to make a point here." Lois turned to Chloe once more. "My point is, you don't have to set us up to anything. If we wanted something to happen, we would have done it ourselves." Clark opened his mouth to remind her that they had almost kissed, but Lois turned to him pointing a finger. "Shush." Then turned back to Chloe, then seemed to think about something and turned back to Clark. "You're not being very supportive, will you please help me a bit here?" she asked, annoyed.
"I'm sorry for the mess we've done to your apartment, Chloe..." said Clark. Lois let an "Oh God," slip. "We'll clean all up, but ONLY if you promise you will never set us up again."
"Why, because it worked?" Chloe asked, grinning. She saw both Clark and Lois blush a bit.
"It DIDN'T work, damn it, will you just drop it?" said Lois.
"Allright, allright, I'm sorry. And never mind about my apartment, I'll clean up it all alone, I guess I deserve it." said Chloe. They rolled their eyes. "You guys can go, I'll clean up this mess and then watch the rest of the movies all by myself."
Lois frowned. Why was she being so easy? That did not sound like Chloe.
"No we're not going. We'll stay right here and help you to clean up."
"We will?" asked Clark.
"Yes."
"Fine, but first of all, I think you two should take one hell of a shower." suggested Chloe. Noticing the strange way they stared at her, she laughed and added. "I have two bathrooms, you know. But it's up to you." They rolled their eyes. "The towels are already there. And Lois, you can use the bathroom of my room and borrow some clothes. And Clark... well..." They exchanged a look. He would surely wash his clothes and dry them with his heat vision. "Well, you can arrange yourself."
They went one to each bathroom.
Lois, surprisingly, was the first to finish. She walked back to the living room, that was almost back to normal, except for one or two popcorns.
Chloe looked at her cousin, who was standing against the wall facing her.
She knew her cousin. She would give her a speech.
"Don't give me that look, Lois. I did it for your own good."
"Good? GOOD?" she protested. "How could you ever think that Clark and I---" She stopped, frowning. Chloe shook her head.
"Oh, come on, Lois. It's April Fools day." she said.
"So that's what this was all about?? April Fools day?" Lois faced her cousin as if she was a maniac or something.
"Of course not." disagreed Chloe. "I also wanted to make you get along better." Chloe smirked. "And maybe more."
"See, see? That's what I'm talking about, you're crazy, craZY."
Chloe looked at Lois strangely. She was almost... hysterical. Chloe raised one eyebrow suspiciously. Something had happened.
"Lois? Did something happen while I wasn't here?"
"THE BLOODY HELL NOT!!" denied Lois, quickly. Too quickly.
Chloe grinned.
"Lois, I know you. You're close to hysterical. You can tell me. Did something happen?"
Lois opened her mouth then closed it, giving in.
"Almost."
Chloe shrieked happily. "Ohhh! Tell me, tell me, come on!!!!"
"It was NOTHING." Chloe made a disbelieving face. "We just started with the Popcorn/Soda World War I and then well I hid the soda behind my back and Clark tried to grab it and then we kinda forgotten what we were fighting about and we were just too close and we just leaned in and we almost kissed," Lois took a breath. "But thankfully we were saved by the gong. Well, by the soda, actually, we had shaken it too much and it kind of exploded."
Chloe bit her lip, trying to hold back the laughter.
"What a lovely love story." she said. Lois narrowed her eyes at her cousin.
"Not funny, Chlo."
"So? How was it?"
"Nothing was..." answered Lois. Chloe smiled.
"But..."
"How did you know there's a but?" she asked, shocked. Chloe smiled even more.
"It always has." she answered.
"Allright... but..."
"But..." Chloe repeated.
"I... I didn't know what I was doing, Chloe, I couldn't think of anything, and if it wasn't that soda, I guess..." Lois frowned. "I guess it wouldn't have been that bad."
Chloe grinned.
"It's freaking you out, isn't it." she said. It wasn't a question.
"Well, what do you think? I almost kissed Farmboy and I don't think it would have been bad! Of course it's freaking me out, I don't know what the hell possessed us to do---almost do such a thing---"
"Lois, calm yourself down." said Chloe. "It's okay. It really is, you don't have to freak out about it. I know how much you two have been bickering, arguing and flirting---" Lois opened her mouth to protest but Chloe didn't let her. "--flirting around. It's natural that this all led you two to this way."
"No it's not, I cannot fall for anybody, specially him." Lois said.
"Whoa, hold on, 'cuz, I wasn't talking about falling in love, I was talking about some kisses here and there." said Chloe, smirking. Lois looked at Chloe looking tired. And, once in a life, defeated. Chloe faced her with simpathy. "I know." she merely said.
Clark had always enjoyed his super-hearing. But tonight, he was so confused about the words he had just heard that he didn't know if he liked it or not.
"Um... hey." said Clark, walking into the living room, clean, smelling good and interrupting the conversation.
He and Lois faced each other for a second.
"Good, now that we're all washed and clean – except for me, maybe," said Chloe. "We could just watch the other movies." she suggested. "Or, if you want, we can watch Harry Potter again."
"No for me, I had enough of Hocus Pocus for one night." said Lois. Chloe laughed.
"Me too, and I kinda have to... uh... drive back to Metropolis. Mom must be worried." said Clark.
"Allright then." said Chloe, shrugging. "Lo, will you stay?"
"Yes." she said, promptly.
"Okay." Chloe said, happy.
"That's it then. Bye, Chloe. Bye... uh... Lois." said Clark, a bit awkwardly. Well, VERY awkwardly, actually.
"Bye." the two girls said.
Clark walked through the door, closing it behind him.
Lois turned to Chloe.
"See? See? Did you feel the damn awkwardness thing in the air? It has already started, and nothing actually HAPPENED."
"Almost." added Chloe.
"Yeah, but well, imagine how would it be if something happen!" pointed Lois.
"Happen?" asked Chloe, smirking. "You are seriously considering this possibility, aren't you?"
"If something did happen. DID-happen." she corrected, shaking her head quickly. Chloe just laughed. Lois sat on the couch, with one hand on her forehead. "Chloe...must..help...losing...mind---" Was all she could say. Chloe laughed even more. "I'm serious here. What the hell do I do?"
Chloe smiled and said simply "Do what you want to do."
Lois faced her cousin for a second. "Are you..."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Over Clark? For ages. Please, Lois, don't use this as an excuse."
"What time is it?" she asked after a moment.
Chloe looked at her watch. "11:50. Why?"
Lois faced her again with an unreadable expression. Then, her lips curved into a smile. "Think I can reach the bastard?"
Chloe smiled happily.
"Worth a try."
Clark was sitting at the step of the building. He was alone, and he just couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he heard. Did that mean that Lois actually... had feelings for him?
He laughed sadly at himself, finding it hard to believe.
Nooo, she was probably just as confused as he was.
Because as she said, it wouldn't have been that bad.
Clark remembered of Lois's face right in front of his, and gulped.
It wouldn't have been that bad. It would have been great.
They flirting exchanges had been growing, he had noticed that, yes – he had to be blind not to notice, he thought. But nothing as big – or intense – as what had happened between them moments ago.
He sighed and looked at his watch.
11:55.
Clark should go home.
As soon as his legs started to work again.
He rolled his eyes, confused and mad with himself.
It was Lois. LOIS, for Heaven's sake, what the hell was happening to him?
His heard fell three steps towards his stomach as he heard her voice behind him.
"Hey!!"
To the hell with his legs. He stood up.
"Wha---"
"If you think..." She was walking towards him. "If only passed by your mind... that you can almost kiss me and run away from here, you're so damn wrong, Farmboy."
Clark's heart accelerated as he noticed the beautiful smile that played with her lips.
"Lois, what---"
"Shut the hell up, Kent."
And with that, she jumped up and put her hands on his neck, pulling his face toward hers, and kissing him firmly.
Strongly.
At first, Clark's hands just played around her body, without knowing exactly where to hold. But when she deepened the kiss, however, he held her waist tightly and kissed her back, even more deeply.
They broke apart, completely breathless.
"What the heck was that for?" he asked. But he was grinning. Lois grabbed his hand and looked at his watch.
11:59.
Right on time.
"Happy April Fools day, Smallville." she said, smiling widely.
"Oh, so that was a joke?" Clark asked.
"Well, if it was, it was a hell of a good one." she said. Clark laughed.
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then, Clark suddenly closed his lips into hers, kissing her tenderly. Her hands automatically moved to his neck, and his went to her face.
When they broke apart again, Clark just said "Call it even."
"Okay." she said, grinning.
Silence again.
"Look, Lois, I don't know why exactly we did this, but... I can't say I didn't enjoyed it." She smiled smugly. "I don't... I don't want to rush or spoil anything, so let's just..."
"See wherever it goes." completed Lois. Clark smiled.
"Yeah."
She punched him in the arm. "Allright, I think we have a deal."
"Good."
"Good."
They smiled to each other.
"I guess you should go. Your mom must be worried by now." said Lois.
"Yeah." He leaned in to kiss her again and she put one hand on her shoulders. On his already dry shirt.
"Hey, one question though." she said to his lips. "How did you dried your clothes?"
"Chloe's hair dryer." he answered promptly.
"Oh. THAT's what took you so long." she said, smirking.
"Yes, you pervert."
Lois laughed.
"Allright, I really should go now."
"Careful not to hit any dogs." added Lois, teasing. Clark smiled.
"I don't think that will be a problem." he said. "Besides, the one who ever hits dogs is you."
"Hey that was just once. And you forgot about the naked guy part." she said.
"Oh, yes, I had forgotten about that." he answered.
"How convenient."
They smiled at each other.
Clark closed the distance between them once more, in an even deeper and meaningful kiss, holding her tightly.
"Bye." he said, against her lips. Then, he pulled away and grinned at her, turning around.
"Hey Kent!" she called.
He turned to her. She smirked.
"I can see we'll spend a lot of time on that loft of yours."
"I see. Interesting." he said, laughing and waving.
She crossed her arms and turned around, walking back to Chloe's apartment.
Well, who would have guessed, that WAS NOT so bad at all.