He stared up at her - perched on the arm of the loft's comfy couch, her honey-coloured hair framing her face, draped over her shoulder - with a small smile. Her previous words had struck a chord and swirled around in his mind. She constantly amazed him.
'There are times when I think you don't know me at all. And others – where I think you know me better than anyone.'
'Well, that's what I'm here for, Smallville. One save at a time.' Lois replied with a grin.
'And speaking of saving things…' A friendly voice floated from the staircase.
'My cake!' Lois exclaimed excitedly, squeezing Chloe's elbow affectionately as she joined Lois and Clark in the loft.
'Hello. Clark, your mom thought we might wanna share some of the leftover birthday cake…' He looked doubtfully at Lois' wide grin. She cleared her throat, shooting a look at Chloe who smiled, wrinkling her nose with a giggle.
'Well, I'm sure there's a goat on this farm that will appreciate my knack or batter.' She said taking the cake from Chloe's hands with a small chuckle and with a flick of her long hair, she was gone.

Lois shouldered her way through the side-door, into the Kent kitchen, her bright blue rum-cake balanced awkwardly in one hand.
'I take it Clark and Chloe passed on the left-overs?' Martha asked with a smile. Lois nodded with a laugh, sliding the cake across the island, licking a blob of blue frosting off her thumb.
'I'm thinking it's a subtle hint at my culinary skills.'
'I see.' Martha chuckled, 'Well, I was just going to make some coffee and watch a movie… Want to join me?' Lois nodded with a wide smile.
'I'll get the pop-corn.' She added, sauntering over the kitchen cupboards. 'No movie-night is complete without it!'

'Hey, Mrs Kent I'm heading off!' Chloe's voice chirped from the kitchen doorway, later that night.
'Ok, sweetheart, drive safely.' Martha replied, hugging her tightly.
'I will. Lo, did you want a lift back to The Talon?'
'Nah, I'm gonna hang here for a little longer.' Lois replied shaking her head and hugging Chloe quickly.
'Ok, I'll call you tomorrow.'
'Bye Chloe.' Martha farewelled with a smile as Chloe waved and slipped out the front door, jogging towards her car parked in the drive.

'Do you want another coffee, Mrs K? Tea?' Lois asked, quietly closing the front door after watching Chloe's tail-lights disappear into the night.
'I think I'm going to turn in now, Lois.' Martha replied with a sigh, her eyes flicking to her son, who wandered into the kitchen, his shoulders slumped. Martha pulled him into her arms quickly.
'Goodnight. Happy Birthday, sweetheart.' She said softly, kissing his cheek as he perched on one of the kitchen stools. 'Night, Lois.'
'Night.' Lois answered, waving from the refrigerator. When she whirled around, she noted that she wasn't alone in the kitchen. She bit her lip as she raked her eyes over him; eyes downcast, elbows on the island, the tickets from his father sitting in his hands. Lois sighed.
'Hey, Broody!' She greeted him brightly, elbowing him gently. He rolled his eyes with a sigh.
'I'm not brooding.'
'Yeah, right.' Lois scoffed. 'I can spot your whole "carrying-the-world-on-your-shoulders-stance" from a mile away, Smallville.' She quipped from behind her steaming mug. She slid a fresh mug across the island towards him. He sighed with a smile and took a sip, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
'Well, whatever it is that's got your plaid in a pickle – cheer up Clarkie, it's gonna be okay! It'll all work out, you'll see… So shut-up and have some cake!' Lois said with a wink, pushing the lopsided mass of frosting towards Clark and leaning her elbows on the island beside him. He grinned. Somehow her words had filled him with comfort. Maybe it was going to be okay. He stared at the tickets in his hands, with a small smile, tucking them safely back into their envelope and into the pocket of his jeans.

'You knew about the tickets…' He said, looking at her sideways. Lois nodded.
'You knew about the bracelet.'
'I can't believe you didn't say anything. Not bad for someone who can't keep a secret to save her life!'
'Hey! I can keep the important ones!' Clark felt his lips twitch into a smile of realisation and felt his heart swell as he turned towards her, so they were now face to face. 'Besides, the fact that you still wear Bugs Bunny boxers – is pretty much general knowledge!' She retorted.
'I do not wear Bugs Bunny boxers!'
'Whatever, they go perfectly with your Elma-Fudd night-light!'
'Lo-is.' He chided, rolling his eyes with a grin.
'Shut-up, Smallville – Here, have some cake.' She said, handing him a fork.
'I'm not eating that.' He snickered as Lois dipped her finger into the blue frosting with a frown.
'Your loss…' Lois commented, eyeing her now blue digit. 'Or not!' She added, reaching over to him and wiping her frosting-covered-forefinger across Clark's cheek.

Lois snorted as Clark's eyes widened in surprise at the streak of blue frosting, his left cheek was now sporting. He wiped it away with his thumb, staring dumbly that the sugary sweetness colouring his hand. He glanced at Lois, who was rooted to the spot – her Cheshire grin never faltering. He looked up at her, a wicked gleam in his eye. Lois' grin faded as she registered the look. Oh crap.

She had nowhere to go. Calculating the layout of the kitchen, she assessed her escape options. There weren't many. Their eyes locked - smouldering blue meeting blazing hazel. Slowly, Lois' hand crept towards the cake - never once taking her eyes off Clark's. She felt her fingers collide with the soft, sticky sponge and swiped a handful from the mound. The General always said that the best defence was a good offense. Then, his eyes still on hers – oblivious to the ammo she had just collected, she made her move. Flinging her hand in Clark's direction, the frosting flew from her fingertips, landing with a soft thud on his broad chest.

Clark's eyes darted to the sweet, blue smear that now covered his plaid-shirt and then followed the blur of Lois' body as she sprinted around to the opposite side of the island. With a mischievous grin – his reflexes kicked in and he lobbed a hunk of frosting across the island, towards Lois.

It hit her shoulder, splaying into her long hair, coating the honey-brown with bright blue. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she sped towards the remainders of the cake – copping a handful and flinging it at him. It was so on.

Lois hit the hard-wood as Clark hurled a handful of sponge at her. Peeping across the counter, she tossed her own handful right back, hitting him squarely in the stomach. Crawling along the floor, Lois headed for the fridge in need of more frosting. He followed her movements, a wide grin plastered on his face, pelting her back with remnants of rum-cake. Using the door of the refrigerator as a shield, Lois scanned the shelves, grinning slyly, when her eyes locked on the large mixing-bowl – she knew she'd made too much frosting. With a grin, she began her assault. Clark's eyes widened at the new stash of frosting, Lois had just pulled from the depths of his refrigerator. She raised her eyebrows, silently indicating that he was in for it. He dived behind the island as she threw the cold mass of frosting in his direction.

Clark chuckled as he crept around the corner of the island, listening intently for Lois' footsteps, laughter, heartbeat – anything that would give away her location. Peeping around the corner, he noticed the toes of her boots on the opposite side of the counter. Grinning, he crawled forward on his knees, ready to make his attack.
'Gotcha!' He crowed loudly with a laugh. 'Oh no…' Clark muttered, staring down at Lois' abandoned boots. He heard a victorious giggle and felt the tell-tale splat of a handful of frosting hitting the crown of his skull.

Clark looked up at Lois, sitting cross-legged on top of the island counter. She smiled smugly at him and the blue frosting coating his dark locks. Her eyes widened as Clark grabbed her waist, covering her sides with blue ammunition. She writhed out of his grasp, laughing heartily as she smeared frosting across his chest in retaliation. Somehow, he let Lois tackle him to the kitchen floor. Straddling his waist, she held a frosting-covered hand high in the air.
'You give up, Farm-Boy?' She panted, laughingly. Smiling, Clark shook his head, wiping his own frosting-covered hands on her knees. Lois squirmed, attempting to avoid as much of the bright-blue substance as she could.

'Clark? Lois?'
Clark's eyes widened as he looked up at Lois, her expression of shock, matching his own. She flashed him a devilish grin, before sliding off him in one swift move and standing beside him, leaving Clark lying on the floor.
'Are you two alright?' Martha asked trailing off as her eyes scanned the kitchen, and the two young adults in front of her: one standing; smiling triumphantly, the other; lying on the floor, propped up on his elbows. 'What happened in here? Why is my kitchen… blue?'
'Uh…' Clark began, scrambling to his feet. 'Lois?'
'Well… Um…' Lois frowned, words of explanation failing her.
'We'll clean it up.' Clark said hurriedly with a guilty smile. Lois nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Martha nodded, smiling at Lois and Clark as they exchanged guilty grins.
'Ok, goodnight.' She said, suppressing her own laughter as she headed for the staircase. Martha glanced over her shoulder, chuckling to herself as she watched her son run his hand through his blue-frosting-covered hair, scowling at Lois, who snickered at him with a smug grin.

'Unbelievable.' Clark muttered as he mopped smudges of blue from the hard-wood floors. 'This is all your fault!'
'Excuse me? My fault? I don't think so Clarkie!' Lois retorted as she scrubbed frosting from the fridge-door.
'Are you serious? You started it!'
'I did not!'
'Did too!'
'Did not!'
'You did too!'

'Done!' Lois announced happily a few minutes later.
'What?'
'You got frosting in your ears, Smallville? I said, I'm done!' She continued, tossing him a delighted grin. 'Right, well I'm off to shower, it's been a long day – what with all the baking and your surprise-party. Besides, looks like you've got it all covered in here!' She said breathlessly, backing out of the kitchen and heading for the stairs, leaving little blue footprints as she went.
'Wait – Lois!' Clark called after her as she skipped up the stairs, leaving him standing in the middle of the kitchen, covered in blue-frosting, mop in hand. 'Unbelievable.' He mumbled to Shelby, who was now happily licking bright-blue frosting off the floor.

The Kent kitchen was now frosting-free. Clark trudged up the stairs, heading for the unoccupied shower. Scrubbing furiously under the hot spray, he was finally able to rid himself of any remnants of royal-blue rum-cake. He sighed, pulling his fluffy white towel around his waist and tip-toeing past his mother's room to his own – which, unbeknownst to Clark, was occupied.

Lois Lane was curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly on top of his blue-plaid bed-spread. Clark rolled his eyes, quietly changing quickly into clean boxers and pulling on a soft grey t-shirt. He switched on his bed-side lamp and frowned at Lois' sleeping attire. She was wearing one of his blue t-shirts, the sleeves draping to her elbows along with his - Clark chuckled – Bugs Bunny boxers. He rolled his eyes at her seemingly sleeping figure.
'Give it up, Lane. I know you're not asleep.' He whispered, smiling as he watched her body stiffen. 'Out.'
'Shut-up, Smallville.' She responded wriggling under the covers and pouting at him. She really did look quite good in his clothes… He mused to himself as she made herself comfortable beneath his bed-spread.
'Would you just get in here already?'
'I… uh… What?' He stammered unintentionally.
'You heard me.'
'Lois, I…'
'Oh my God! Seriously Clark, I am not sleeping on the couch! Forget it! Never gonna happen! Also, you finished cleaning up the kitchen, and you let me shower first! Plus it's your birthday, so – me being the gracious person I am: I am not going to kick you out of my bed and make you sleep on the couch! So shut-up and hop in!' She snapped matter-of-factly. Clark smiled down at her frowning expression before chuckling smugly.
'It's my bed.' He said, running his hand through his damp hair. 'And I didn't exactly let you shower first.' Clark muttered, crawling beneath the covers of his bed smiling at how warm and comfortable it was. His nostrils were greeted by the faint aroma of strawberries. Lying flat on his back, he looked sideways at her – her profile illuminated by the moonlight that flooded through his window as she studied his ceiling. 'You pretty much bailed.'
'Did not.'
'You did too!'
'Right, that's it. You're out.' She retorted, elbowing his arm forcefully, to no effect. Clark laughed softly, grabbing the assaulting elbow and squeezing it gently. He heard her breathing hitch as he released her. 'You'd better not snore.' Lois sighed. 'Or, birthday or not, you will be on that couch!' Clark grinned at the ceiling, an odd feeling of contentment settling over him as he lay beside Lois – her body, inches from his – wearing his t-shirt and boxers. Exhaustion and sleep finally began to overtake him and his eyes drifted closed.

Lois turned to look at him, the rhythm of his breathing in sync with her own. She grinned. He was kind of adorable while he was sleeping. Her arm bent at the elbow, as she raised the back of her hand to his chest, rubbing it gently over the steady beat of his heart.
'Happy birthday, Clark.' She whispered, letting her hand fall back to bedspread as her own eyes fluttered closed – completely oblivious to small smile that graced Clark's sleeping face.

His eyes flickered open as he felt her hand drop gently onto the bed - his bed – now, millimetres from his own. Gently Clark slid his hand across the bed-spread, brushing her hand with his. Clark's smile widened as he interlaced his fingers with hers. He heard her heartbeat accelerate slightly and felt his smile stretch into a grin. He squeezed it gently, enjoying how well her hand fit within his own. He cleared his throat, suddenly discovering that his mouth had gone dry.
'I… Uh, I think I still have frosting in my hair.' He whispered. Lois burst into hushed laughter. Her body shaking as she laughed quietly – in a futile attempt not to wake his mother down the hall. Clark couldn't help but laugh too, his eyes flashing sideways to look at her as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, her hand still in his.

Comfortable silence engulfed them as their laughter faded, settling in the peaceful atmosphere of his bedroom.
'Thanks for the cake, Lois.'
'Anytime, Smallville.'
The rhythm of their breathing re-harmonized, as sleep finally overtook them. Their hands, still entwined between them.