Love Life of Clark Kent
Thanks Kymmi for the help.
ooo
When it happened for the first time, she didn't give it much thought.
The sight of Lois Lane sitting at her desk, typing furiously, not bothering with spelling nuances, had become as characteristic for the Daily Planet as the globe on the top of the building. Things could have been crazy recently, but this, at least, stayed the same; about two months after Superman's return, her life was finally going back to normal. She felt the time to set a wedding date had finally come. Richard was a good man, and the one she wanted. Maybe all she needed was something of a real ending to her previous relationship. If nothing else, his return gave her that.
"Hi, Lois, can I ask you something?"
Lois didn't look up, but she recognized the voice. It was Suzanne, Perry's new secretary and a grey mouse of the office - meaning the same specimen as Clark. Even if Suzanne's boringness lacked what Lois secretly called Clark's artists touch. No one could possibly be as awkward and meek as Clark from the nature! However, with a nearing deadline Smallville was the last of her worries.
"Mmhmm?"
"Do you know if Clark is seeing someone?"
"Hmm," she answered, focus again on the unfinished article, mouth half full of the doughnut she borrowed from one of nearby desks.
"I was thinking about asking him out."
Lois wasn't thinking about anything besides a connection between three recent murders, she discovered during the morning talk with M.E.
"Mmhmm."
"Can I talk with you for a moment?" interrupted Richard, who had suddenly appeared, ignoring the other woman still standing there.
"Mmh-" started Lois, but then decided her soon to be husband deserved a more coherent answer – especially if she wanted to discuss the wedding after they'd returned home. So she tried - as much as Lois Lane deep in work was able to.
"Later, working now."
She heard him sigh and leave. Suzanne had to leave too. At least, when Lois ended her work about hour later, there was no one standing by her desk anymore.
ooo
The second time she was in no state to discuss relationships.
It had been two days since Richard had left after a rather painful and unexpected fight. She found herself in a bar near the Planet, Jason sound asleep in her sister's house.
Apparently, Lois had somehow overlooked that her relationship with Richard included Richard, too. The same Richard, she now had to admit, she'd unintentionally ignored for at least two months and to whom she'd somehow forgotten to mention the not so trivial truth about Jason parentage. Of course, he had found out in the end.
Ironically, the day he'd revealed he knew Jason wasn't his and they had broken up, was the same day she wanted to tell him that she was finally ready to get married. That evening, when they had arrived home, both of them had an important issue to discuss. She'd let him talk first. She was glad now; it would have been awkward otherwise. Or maybe, we wouldn't have broken up at all. Who knows?
"Lois, girl, I so need to have a word with you!"
Lois's sight was a little fuzzy, but with some effort she recognized the smiling face as Angela Stone. Not drunk enough. Lois searched in her mind for facts about the woman. Stone was a successful TV reporter known for her cageyness. Her career had started in a strip club somewhere in Texas and she came up trough beds and corpses. It didn't seem that she was about to change that tactic now. Lois knew for sure, that she was sleeping with her rival's boyfriend to get her scoop. They've met before, but they were hardly drinking buddies. They sure as hell had never even agreed on a first name basis.
"What do you want, Stone?" barked Lois, wondering if her recent break-up with Richard had prematurely reached public ears until she realized that it would more likely be something concerning Superman. Not that it would be so much better option.
"It's about Clark Kent."
Lois almost choked, though her glass had been empty for some time. What does an ant have in common with a cup of coffee? Lois didn't know; but surely more than Clark Kent and Angela Stone, or Clark Kent and any gossip for that matter.
"What about Sma – Clark?" She didn't want to waste her nickname on a woman like this.
"What's his thing? He's not married or engaged, doesn't have a girlfriend and I asked our guy from a fashion, and he swears Kent isn't that way either. Tyler is never wrong about this. I have tried everything, but with no result. So, between us women, I'm asking you for help."
More like between us heartless bitches. Lois really hoped that wasn't the case. However, her rising self-disgust had nothing on the red-hot rage.
Recently, Clark's work started to by recognized again after his five year hiatus and that no doubt had led Stone straight to him. An easy prey. One didn't have to be a genius to figure that Smallville didn't get a lot of attention from girls; even if Stone was a lot of things, hard on eyes wasn't one of them. And she clearly thought that Lois was without a backbone or least drunk enough to help her with her schemes.
"Two more," called Stone after a bartender.
I suppose it's the latter, Lois mused. She couldn't help but be glad. Guilt about her failure in relationship with Richard was still too fresh.
With a celluloid smile, the former striper handed her another drink.
Lois took her first sip.
"We are not partners anymore, but I can give you one piece of advice."
Stone flashed even more of her teeth. Lois mirrored her expression.
"Stay hell away from Clark or me; before I end up in police cell and you in hospital," she ended with fake smile firm on her face.
ooo
The third time she answered.
Lois was sitting beside her desk and waiting. It was relief that things had become quiet again.
When her break-up with Richard had come out, people started to whisper Superman's name. Tabloid reporters and people with nothing better to do were asking her at least once a day if they were having an affair again. She was really considering going that way now that Richard was out of the question, but she wasn't sure.
Not that she would tell that to those hyenas. A few even repeated the question that was bugging her after he returned: did he find someone else when he returned and saw she was with another man and had a kid? Fortunately, the wild – and true – theory about her son's parentage only appeared in one or two worst rags. Lois had noticed it somewhere between the shocking news about a woman in Minnesota turning out to be Elvis's identical twin and the long and in-depth analysis of the impact global warming has on the emigration of leprechauns to Greenland. In truth, the last one was quite good on its own terms, but Lois wouldn't waste her time commenting the quality of the other two.
As quickly as the buzz had come, it was gone. It wasn't half as intense as when her first interview had been published or when he had disappeared.
Lois smiled when Clark finally handed her a cup of coffee.
It became a ritual quickly; the best way to start a day. Not even two weeks after her break up with Richard and they were partners again. Without unnecessary words, Clark sat at his desk and Lois returned to her notes. An interview with the Mayor was two hours away.
The most surprising product of the break-up rumor mill had been a theory that never become even half as popular as the one including Superman. It was almost the same story, but the name of the man was Clark Kent.
To her utter shock, the people closest to her and Smallville, including Jimmy and Perry had thought it could gather some tiny part of truth. Well, at least till the source of it all had been revealed as Angela Stone. The woman recently lost her job, when some of her not so ethical practices were brought to light. And even if that revelation came from the Planet, the person responsible wasn't Lois, but rather Perry White. Lois thought she was one of few that knew about Stone's misadventures, but it wouldn't be the first time their editor-in-chief had surprised her. Apparently, Perry wasn't above dirty tricks while protecting his employees. From a janitor to a star reporter, their poor IT security expert (Stone's next target) including. Not that she disagreed, thought Lois, before finally giving her full attention to making last minute notes.
The bullpen had to be unusually quiet or the Mayor's plan for more greenery near senior houses too boring, because after a moment she became aware of a conversation happening near her.
"Don't know; he's not my type."
Lois wasn't sure why she tuned to this conversation. Even if the speaker was a man, it could be meant as a joke and even if not, it hardly counted as interesting these days.
"Maybe…" second male voice let the sentence unfinished.
Lois involuntarily looked up. Two men were looking straight at her. So much for unseen eavesdropping. In one of them, she recognized one of the interns; the second about same age was a blonde dressed in a courier uniform.
"Clark Kent," mouthed the intern with a smirk, clearly knowing she had been listening in.
Lois looked towards her partner's desk. The man in question was nowhere in the sight.
"Nope," she shook her head. Before returning to her notes, she briefly caught blonde's disappointed look.
She was about to underline an incorrect number in the Mayor's official statement, when she became still. How could I be so sure? Because of what some barracuda of a woman had told her? And even that was second hand information.
Considering their long shared past and how much time they had spent together, she knew nothing about Smallville's personal life. Suddenly it became one of the biggest wrongs in the world.
She had to change it immediately.
As if answering her thoughts Clark reappeared. She stood up and with the typical Lois Lane determination headed towards him.
Clark, spotting her, smiled but his relaxed pose quickly disappeared when he recognized the gleam in her eyes. He was no doubt expecting another half-baked suicidal mission to get the story.Not this time.
"Do you have any plans for the evening?"
"Uh, no?" he answered a little hesitant.
"Great. I and Jason have this great furniture hunt planned for today and after that you are invited for dinner. However, I won't accept no for an answer. Be at my new apartment at 8 pm."
Her partner's face became a battlefield of emotions. Surprise, joy, suspicion, fear, confusion, excitement. Even an investigative reporter as Lois would need more time to sort it out.
"Do you have my new address?" Did you have the old one, for that matter?
"Yes."
"Good," Lois smiled. She could be really ignorant when it come to people, but for now on it will end. At least where Clark Kent was concerned.
ooo
The fourth time she figured something out.
Someone screamed. After quick look around, Lois localized the reason for panic. A driver had lost control and now a car was hurtling in the full speed on the sidewalk across Lois, pedestrians running away to save their lives. Nevertheless, judging by the trajectory it was about to end soon as the car was going to crash to one of the buildings. Maybe not quickly enough for everyone.
However, just when it seemed one older man wouldn't be able to swerve, something not more recognizable than a blur of colors swooped from the sky.
It put itself between the man and the car, carefully diverted the vehicle before stopping it completely. Another huddle of colors and the unconscious driver was put out. Just then, the city hero slowed enough to be clearly seen, even if probably everyone had guessed what was happening by now.
Lois now looking at the scene trough a display of her cell phone took the one last shot of the abandoned car and smiled to herself. Even after all this time, the wonder of watching him work never worn out. That couldn't be told about everything.
Any romantic relationship with Superman was clearly past. If Lois hoped it would be because of some drastic confrontation, she would be disappointed. Not that there hadn't been any yelling after he'd finally told her why she didn't remember conception of their son, but what in the end finished any possible romance off, were months of mundane nothing that followed.
With Richard things weren't much different. Her two former love interests seemed to act as if reading the same guide. She privately called it, "How to be a good father to your son, without being anything more or less than a polite acquaintance to his mother." Surprisingly, it was Richard who at least had given his life a little spice, getting on the wild side and eloping in Vegas with woman he'd met hours before. Considering how he had already spent a big part of his life engaged, Lois could hardly blame him.
"Stop by when you will have time. I need your statement," Lois whispered to the only person that could hear her.
She didn't immediately run to the Planet to write the article, as she surely would have some years ago, just sent the pictures (she was no Jimmy Olsen, but they were still pretty good) and called in what she had, continuing towards her original direction.
Someone else would write it, but she wasn't jealous. Even someone fresh out of school could put it together. Nowadays, she was after more sneaky fishes. As the suspicion that one of the biggest telecommunication companies was recording all their customers calls and selling sensitive information to anyone who was willing to pay. Now that one would take some hard work to get. Besides, Lois had an important lunch to attend. The one including her, Clark and a homey restaurant near their work.
Clark was the most surprising change of her recent personal life. He stayed the same old shy, a little awkward and very dependable Smallville. At the same time, she discovered that he was one of the most surprising and deep personalities she ever met. He was a Kansas farm boy through and through but his knowledge about different cultures could probably compete with ananthropologist's any day. When she started watching she was shocked how many languages he seemed to understand at least partly. She knew he had almost eidetic memory from before, but really pay attention was something completely else. He was very open and honest in his affection towards most people, yet she was starting to suspect he was able to keep secrets quite well. He wasn't a confronting type, often overlooking behavior from people around him that no one else would tolerate, but with his almost inhuman patience and a determination that matched hers, he was worthy opponent once he put his mind and heart into something.
He was adopted, something she had discovered just recently and as she suspected strongly family based. Considering how he interacted with Jason, she knew he would make a magnificent father. She'd seen his high school photos, learned who his first crush was. And today was their six months anniversary of when they had become partners again. Clark was on vacation planning to fly to Kansas later that evening, but it didn't stop them to agree meeting during Lois's lunch break.
She quickened her pace. Smallville, more than anyone, would understand that journalist's work sometimes take your time unexpectedly, but she still didn't want to be late.
However, suddenly she was taken for the spot. Before she really knew what was happening, Superman had put her down, both of them now standing on some rooftop.
"Hi, so what's the news?" started Lois not needing much time to gather herself.
"The car air conditioner was broken down. The loss of consciousness was result of dehydration and heat. Nothing really surprising considering the weather. Just a little fluids and driver will be all right. The other man wasn't hurt, just shaken."
"Any names, age etc?"
"Sorry. As usual, it wouldn't be appropriate to tell you even if I knew."
"Well, even we journalists have to do something ourselves to deserve a salary."
Superman smiled a little and then none of them had anything to say. Lois broke it in the end.
"Would you stop by tonight?"
It was a rather unnecessary question; the terms of father-son visits were agreed upon long time ago. She even knew what his answer is going to be word from word.
"If nothing happens."
"He'll be happy."
"I know."
Another silence, not really uncomfortable, just vast.
"Do you need to be taken somewhere?" asked the Man of Steel after a moment.
Lois checked the time at her cell phone. Luckily, she still had enough left. For some unfathomable reason it seemed wrong to come to lunch with Clark via Superman express. "Nah, just return me from where we have took off."
He nodded, and in moment Lois was standing there alone, her previous companion probably already miles away. There were many people around, but no one seemed to notice her reappearance. Lois chuckled at the complete unawareness of the world. Despite the flashing colors of his uniform, the hero of Metropolis could be rather obscure when he decided to.
Coming to park it took her some time to find Clark. She was just walking through the area she called "overprotective hens and chickens spot" (not that unfamiliar from the times when Jason had been younger), when she spotted him sitting on a bench with papers put in his lap – probably leftover from work.
It was an unusually warm day and instead of a typical suit for work, he was clad in a t-shirt and jeans. His posture was relaxed, but his eyebrows frowned in concentration. This wasn't the first time she saw him like this, nevertheless, it again stuck her how different he appeared.
Just recently she'd come across two shocking facts. Firstly Clark Kent was an extremely handsome man. No matter how un-objectively or objectively you looked at it, it was a universal truth. The reason almost no one knew about it was shocking fact number two. He was the owner of a highly developed talent to hide it. Even if at the moment, it wasn't quite working. And she wasn't the only one who noticed. Some stunning redhead chose that instant to approach him.
She looked like Lana Lang's cousin. Lois had seen Lana's picture during one of her frequent visits in Clark's apartment. Red hair, pretty face, sweet smile, even the summer dress fitted.
Only closer look at face revealed the difference. However, at the moment Lois rather would be wrong, at least Lana was married.
The redhead smiled widely put a pen and paper out of her purse, wrote something and handed it to Clark.
"Do you think there's any chance, she's not his type?" asked one of the mothers staying nearby watching the same scene.
Maybe she was too forward but she still looked like a homey type, any family-man dream wife type, exactly Smallville's type. That was just facts, not expected or unexpected, what shocked Lois was her own reaction to it. She desperately wished the answer to the earlier question was yes.
Her relationship with Clark was even better than before he had left. Still, it had never even occurred to her that there could be anything romantic between them. It wasn't something she had considered and then deemed ridiculous, it had never even crossed her mind; absolutely nothing like some psychic block. There had been Richard and Superman in the past, even three or four one date experiments with the other men after her break-up with her fiancé, but never Clark. She'd had months to consider it, and now when she wanted more than a friendship, she was five minutes late.
She was halfway to be choosing the flavor of ice-cream for the evening, when something even more fantastic than meeting an alien able to fly happened. Clark noticed her presence, waved towards her and smiled.
It was full joyful smile that lit his whole face. Nothing like a mere politeness he had uttered towards that other woman, realized Lois. Even the busybody near her saw it.
"Uh-huh, so you are his girlfriend?"
Ask me again tomorrow.
ooo
Fifth time she knew, she had counted wrong.
Sitting in Pete's Lois was glad the night had spent all her tears. She didn't like to cry in public. Yesterday at this time she'd thought her life was where it was supposed to be. Maybe not perfect, considering Luthor was still out and her relationship with Richard was even more strained then when they had broke up, but damn close to it.
Earlier that week had been her third date with Smallville. As the two before, it was great. Everything about their relationship seemed right; she couldn't help warm feeling that spread through her every time she thought about it. Well, at least till the breaking moment at 10:00 p.m. yesterday.
It had been bad news from the beginning. Not long before their work was supposed to end, Clark had stopped by her desk, his face serious and informed her that they needed to talk. They had agreed he would stop by after she put Jason to bed. She had been proud of herself that her voice wasn't shaking. Really, a similar prelude could continue only in two ways: I'm pregnant or something on meaning we need a break. Considering Smallville was a male it hadn't been hard to choose the more probable one.
She didn't know if it was good thinking that he'd spared it till the evening but if he didn't she wouldn't done any work that day. She surely didn't after he had left her desk.
That night, Clark had appeared precisely on time, looking even more nervous, than she'd felt. The door barely had time to shut when he'd started to reveal to her the uncensored version of his life story. Lois could be just thankful there had been no one to take photos of this significant event as she had listened the whole time with mouth agape like a fish.
Expected heavy silence had followed after his last word. At least until Lois's brain had proceeded the basic of the information she'd been given. After that she had un-ceremonially threw him out of the door.
So much for the order in life.
She was probably the most self-centered and blind person in the universe. First with Superman, she hadn't seen Clark in the picture, later with Richard she had overlooked their relationship practically ended thinking they were finally moving forward and now even with Clark it never even occurred to her to suspect Superman thing. No matter, how many chances she got, she always missed some vital part.
Well, at least this time it was Clark's fault too. It wasn't helping much.
Not even the whole sleepless night had helped her to sort it out. If it wasn't already her free day she would have given Perry a heart attack asking for a last minute vacation.
As it was, she just took Jason to Richard like had been planned weeks ago. Not even this time she had been able to avoid their recent argument from repeating, as she had reminded Richard not to let Jason alone with his new wife even for short time. Richard trusted his new wife, Lois still didn't. The woman was former Miss Illinois finalist working as wedding planner for God's sake!
Of course, the time Jason was spending with Clark just two of them wasn't helping her case any. But Clark is Clark! And after yesterday that argument even made sense.
In the end, Richard gave in for today and with nothing better on work she ended as only customer in Pete's, cheap bistro with coffee so horrible that even Henderson wouldn't drink it and question What now? in the mind.
She didn't want her relationship with Clark to end, but how could she continue with Superman also in package, now, when she knew the first time she wasn't strong enough.
"Would you mind?" asked the waitress suddenly pointing towards the television.
"Go ahead."
Her boss probably wouldn't be thrilled, but Lois felt sympathy for the woman despite the coffee that let a little wonder why there was just two of them. It couldn't be much fun being slowly bored to death with nothing better on work than wait for some stranger to drink her coffee and sort out her thoughts.
The waitress turned up the sound. It was a repeating of some silly gossip show.
After some time Lois recognized the waitress had asked her something.
"Do you think he has someone?" she repeated.
Lois looked towards television to understand what the woman was talking about. When she saw the footage of recent Superman videos she started to laugh uncontrollably.