Author's Note: I do not own the characters.
THE TROUBLE WITH UNLOCKED DOORS.
Clark was stood in the kitchen of the Kent farmhouse, looking at the back door as it remained slightly ajar following Bart Allen's lightning quick exit. He'd just confronted Bart about a theft at one of LuthorCorp's processing plants in Mexico, an accusation which Bart initially denied before sidestepping and finally stonewalling before he took off. What was he stealing from LuthorCorp and why? Who was he working for?
Earlier that morning outside Lionel Luthor's office at LuthorCorp, he'd been left to digest what Lionel had told him, visualising the photograph taken from a security camera which captured a red blur at the Mexican plant. Despite Clark's insistence that this blur wasn't him, Lionel had remained sceptical. After all, the Luthor patriarch knew of only one person with the ability to move at lightning speed, and that person tended to wear red jackets an awful lot. Lionel's intention was to keep Clark away from Lex's crosshairs since the matter had been brought to his attention by Lex himself, but it would be remiss of him to not want to know what had happened at one of his own company's processing plants.
Clark had fully intended to visit Lionel to question why a certain Dr Caselli, formerly of Belle Reve and supposedly currently in jail, was now a free man. Lionel had insisted that anything regarding himself and Belle Reve was very much locked away in the past. Instead of the discussion focussing on Dr Caselli, it had been turned into a quasi-interrogation of Clark by Lionel with regards to the theft.
Now as he stood in his own home, he had to make a decision. He was fully aware of the hypocrisy of outing someone else's secret so readily, but he really needed Chloe's help now and didn't feel he had a choice. Bart was being used by somebody against his better judgement, and it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. There was nothing for it - next stop, the Talon.
Chloe could only sit there in amusement while watching her cousin. Though it seemed as though every available space in the living room of their shared apartment was taken up with all manner of skimpy clothing, leaving Chloe with the tiniest corner of the couch on which to sit, she didn't care. Her cousin was beaming from ear to ear as she regaled her about her forthcoming romantic weekend getaway to Monte Carlo. Lois Lane was not somebody who wore her emotions on the surface but she simply could not hide the fact that she was in love with the billionaire Oliver Queen.
Chloe had met Lois' boyfriend a number of times, and was wowed every time. Tall, athletic, ridiculously charming and with looks that made even Chloe go weak at the knees, Lois had obviously fallen off a tall building and landed on her feet when she nabbed herself the prince of Star City. They looked so happy together and were about as photogenic a couple as you could wish to see. The twin megawatt smiles could blind you if you were not careful.
Still, Lois currently had the largest suitcase she could find sitting open in the middle of the living room on the coffee table. She'd already slung a few items in there as she packed for her trip, but the reason every available space was currently occupied was because she was still undecided on exactly what to take. As the General always said, it was better to over-pack than to under-pack.
"I know it's just a vacation, but…"
"Vacation? Yeah, the five star hotels, the exclusive casinos, the fancy restaurants, the multi-million dollar yachts, the jet-setters, the sun and the sea all scream 'vacation'," opined Chloe, rolling her eyes. "Monte Carlo is a fairytale!"
Lois couldn't help but beam even wider at that assessment. It really was a fairytale for her, and a possible hint that Oliver was ready to take the next step in their relationship. There was just one tiny little snag though - Oliver's propensity to pull a disappearing act on her whenever things were getting hot and heavy. In her words, "all interruptus and no coitus". She really couldn't be sure if Oliver genuinely loved her or whether he saw her as just another in the long line of girls who were little more than arm candy to be tantalised with sweet nothings, showered with expensive gifts and then dispensed with once he got bored. She had to mean more to him than that, right? Just in case, Lois had a few tricks up her sleeve.
"Yeah, hopefully without Prince Charming doing his usual Houdini act every five minutes."
"C'mon Lo, even Oliver has to know when he's onto a sure thing. I doubt he'll be able to keep his eyes off you," offered Chloe in all earnest, picking up on the doubts Lois had and trying to wash them away.
"I know I know, if he doesn't know what he's got with me, yada yada…but I have a surprise for him that is sure to keep him from running out."
Chloe was intrigued as Lois picked up a bag from over by the window before heading to the bathroom.
"I just want your honest opinion Chlo."
Upon receiving Chloe's imperceptible nod of agreement, she closed the door. Chloe chuckled as she began to tidy up some of the clutter in the living room, if only to make the place look less like it had just been robbed.
It was then that Clark charged into the apartment without knocking, wearing his usual flannel shirt and jeans and carrying his blue jacket. He looked a little anxious. Was it something about zoners? Did it have anything to do with Dr Caselli or 33.1?
"Hey Chloe, you got a minute?"
He then noticed the clutter in the living room.
"Chloe, what happened here?"
"Lois is jetting off to Monte Carlo with Oliver," replied Chloe, taking a quick glance at the bathroom door. Clark hadn't noticed since he'd stepped towards the living room and was still looking at the clutter.
He turned on his heels in surprise. "Oliver?"
Lois stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a very short, very skimpy and very lacy green number from Victoria's Secret. She'd wanted Chloe's opinion on whether green worked or if black would look better. She wasn't even looking up as she began to speak.
"So Chlo, whaddaya think? Should I have gone with the bla…" Lois never finished that sentence as she spotted Clark looking, nay, staring, nay, ogling her.
If asked about it later, he would deny ogling her but in all honesty, that was what he'd been doing. The garment perfectly accentuated her curvy figure, emphasising her cleavage and revealing her long tanned legs, and all set off against her flowing sandy blonde hair. If that outfit was for Oliver's benefit, he was in for a treat. Clark could not bring himself to blink or close his jaw. His memory recalled the time he'd seen her stepping out of that same bathroom dripping wet and as naked as the day she was born. He could feel his face turning red.
With the naked surprise, the unexpected - and surprisingly good - kiss in the alley and now this, were the gods of fate trying to tell Clark something? Throwing him together with somebody else's girl? After all, he was currently single since Lana had hooked up with Lex, even going so far as to get engaged and then become pregnant. He simply could not accept that he and Lana were not meant to be, and never in a million years could he accept the notion that he and Lois could possibly be destined to become something beyond friends who bickered a lot. They went together about as well as…well…two things that did not go well together.
Anyway, back to the here and now.
Lois gasped, one hand covering her cleavage and the other covering her groin. Though she was not naked, she suddenly felt as though she was. She began to turn red with embarrassment too. Of all people, Clark was not meant to see her wearing the skimpiest of lacy things. Before Clark could break out of his daze, she spoke.
"God Clark, couldn't you learn how to knock or something? I could have been naked." As she dashed back into the bathroom, she let out a disgusted "Eww!"
Of course, Clark was now visualising precisely that. The green lingerie simply disappeared in his mind. He didn't register the bathroom door being slammed shut in irritation.
Chloe walked over to Clark grinning, putting her finger beneath his chin to close his still open mouth. Calling out to Lois, she proffered her opinion while suppressing the urge to giggle.
"Stick with the green, Lo. Something tells me that is definitely his colour."
Clark finally shook off his daze, turning his eyes towards Chloe and seeing the same knowing grin she'd used when she got Lois to tell Clark about her best kiss ever from the 'Green Arrow'.
"You're gonna say things to me now, aren't you?" It was not so much a question as a statement. Chloe shrugged, the knowing grin remaining plastered on her face.
FIN.