Title:
Comfort After the
End: Veritas Missing
Moment
Prompt:
Veritas Last Scene
Pairing: Clois
Rating: T
Disclaimer:
Smallville is written by people with more power, and most stomach for
Clana, than me.
Warnings: DON'T read if you haven't seen
Vertias. Wet Clark stripped to his undies… Strong Clois shipping.
Summary: Clark is upset about Lana. He doesn't know why he's there but he has a better question for Lois: When did you acquire my underwear?
Comfort After the End
Veritas Missing Moment
She sat in her apartment, wearing her favourite flannel PJ's, illuminated only by the street lights listening to the rain pour. She sat in her apartment, wearing her heart on her sleeve as she thought alone of him, holding a long cold cup of coffee in an oversized mug. She sat in her apartment, wearing an expression of concern her silently praying for him to be alright.
The silence was broken by her phone next to her. She breathed in deeply to calm the emotions that she only let bubble to the surface during the dark lonely night.
'Chloe's at mine. She's finally asleep. Can't believe this! How's CK? Jimmy'
Lois sat in her apartment still shocked. Lana… Lana was… Lana was gone. She was trapped within her own body in a catatonic state. She hadn't gone to see her yet but Chloe had told her.
Told her how Clark had found her at home with a saucepan on and letting her flesh burn. Her brown doe eyes now pools of silver; unseeing the one's around her. Lois knew that Chloe had unexpressed theories. However, at this point, Lois wasn't worried about how it had happened; just on what effects it would have on those Lana had left behind.
The most surprising reaction was Kara. Instead of staying at the Kent farm, she'd gone back home to wherever it is her home before Smallville was.
After explaining the Lana goings on, Chloe had gone for a drive to clear her head and ended up at Jimmy's. Lois had been waiting up for her, she realised that there was no real need for her to keep her dark visual.
'How's CK?' echoed the question that Lois had been consumed by. Chloe had said that he'd got home to the farm and didn't want to be disturbed. Lois wasn't going to let him brood all alone for ever, but she knew he needed a little space.
She looked over at her clock and was surprised that it was three a.m. already. Stiffly she stood up and made her way to bed. Praying more that knowing sleep would find her. As she pasted the front door she heard a knock.
It was unnaturally soft, but she knew it was him.
Breathing in, to gain her composer, she opened the door cautiously.
"Hi" she said quietly. He looked awful. His hair was so wet; it stuck to his skull like it had been jelled; whipped back by his running. It was all whipped back except the one curl that proudly displayed itself in the middle of his forehead. She knew he always hid.
His clothes were drenched. His eyes had gone from blue surrounded by white to being surrounded red. The red had turned usually welcoming blue pools of light to a stormy colour that he knew echoed the despair he felt.
"I don't know why I'm here." He confessed not looking at her. He heart went out to him and she knew that this would be one of those rare occasions between the two that neither of them would be concealing their emotions. She breathed in and was surprised to find that she wasn't dreading being open with him.
"Would you like to come in? Or are you going home?" she enquired kindly.
"I don't know." He said dumbfounded.
"Ok, Smallville. I'll leave the door open and make a warm drink" she said leaving him in the threshold. She grabbed their favourite cups, got the milk from the fridge and poured it before placing them in the microwave for four minutes. All the time she felt like he was watching her.
She left the kitchen and passed him on her way to the bathroom. Nothing but his eyes had moved. He looked as confused and upset as ever. Lois knew Clark was a man of action so knew this statue state wouldn't last long. She grabbed the largest bath towel she had and still, she felt like he was watching her through the walls. Almost, as if he was afraid that she'd disappear or get hurt if he didn't keep watching her.
Carrying the big soft towel, she headed for her wardrobe and sighed heavily. She took out of a bag to the side her secret guilty stash; a plaid shirt, a white t-shirt, some men's boxers, some socks and Clarks signature jeans. Even though they were laundered, and therefore no longer smelt like him, having Clarks clothes in her wardrobe had given her an indescribable feeling.
"Why have you got my clothes, Lo?" Clark asked when he saw her walk towards him. She only smiled, uncharacteristically shyly in response as she continued towards the sofa. Then, as she'd expected, she heard him follow her.
He hadn't gotten two steps in when she said.
"Close the door Smallville. Were you born in a barn?"
"No, Lo. I was born in a crystal fortress on a planet called Krypton before it blew up and I was sent here to rule of people like you…" he said humourlessly.
"What..?" she said turning round after placing the clothes on the sofa. He opened his mouth then closed it again.
A nonverbal moment past between them: in which her eyes dared him to say what he had said again. But he didn't. Lois sighed and mumbled. "Smallville, you really pick the strangest times to be at your strangest."
"Why have you got my clothes Lo?" He walked toward her and stood with his arms folded, inches away from her.
They appeared to engage in a battle of wills; both daring the other to make the next move. He wanted to know and she wasn't sure she wanted to tell.
The microwave pinged, saving them from their stubbornness as she headed towards it. From the movement behind her, she could tell that he was looking between her and the clothes.
When she came back a moment later, after adding cinnamon syrup to the milk, she noticed unease had returned his eyes again.
"It's only warm milk and syrup in the microwave… It's safe. See it isn't burnt or anything th…"
Then, it struck her that before this had been Chloe and her apartment, it had been Lana's. It had been Lana's apartment when Clark's father was alive and they'd first gotten 'serious'.
Her heart went out to him. He looked… more than sad… she searched for the right adjective and came to melancholy. She hated that that was a word that could be used to describe him; but melancholy was certainly what he was.
He was melancholy and wet. She knew she couldn't stop his melancholy mournful brooding. But she could do something about him being soaked to the bone.
'Soaked to his Adonis like frame' she thought before internally reprimanding herself.
She placed the drinks down and took a deep breath. Reaching up, she grabbed his jacket and slid it off; hoping that he'd get the general idea. This movement surprised him. He looked down at her and caught her eye.
"Kick off your shoes and socks" she said calmly.
Her eyes, asked him to trust her, they stilled him: Stilled him for the first time since this awful day began. He nodded and did as she asked, placing his wet shoes and socks next to his jacket.
He then stood and let her begin to unbutton his shirt.
"If you must know" she said in a low voice trying to distract herself from her hormones that now raged. "The socks are yours from that night you stayed over after Ollie and I broke up… again... for good. How did you lose them here anyway?"
"Don't know" he emotionlessly said. "I slept on the couch and couldn't find them in the morning."
Her fingers accidentally lighting brushed his skin. There was an electricity surge between them before a pregnant pause.
"The shirt you… er… left when you repaired my cable." He didn't need to monitor her heart beat to realise she wasn't being truthful.
"Left?" he questioned. "I looked for this" he said as his long muscled arms reached around her to get the shirt. Though she remained in place, she moved her body so he could get what he wanted without making contact with her. "For twenty minutes!" He heatedly started as he brandished the shirt in front of her. "Hey, this smells like you…" he stated in a totally different tone. They stood up straight as she grabbed the shirt and quickly returned it to the pile.
"Well, being a proper journalist means that sometimes I run out of clothes before laundry day." She said as she finished unbuttoning him. "maybe if you ever left the farm for a proper city job you'd find the same was true. He was warm however he shivered as her hands unpeeled the shirt from his steel hard torso. She was surprised at how his body had found even more definition since she's last seen him topless.
Lois quickly picked up the towel and threw it around his shoulders not wanting to look at Clark like he was a piece of eye candy. Then her gaze shifted to his belt buckle.
He heard her gulp. He gulped too…
Then, her heart rate increased as her hands went for the buckle and undid it with ease. It was his turn to gulp and he look uncomfortable so started to pat his toned torso down.
"The t-shirt and jeans I 'borrowed'…" she carefully said as she started undoing his trousers. She didn't look up at him as he helped his trousers fall to the ground. He didn't say anything and she could feel that he was looking for her to continue.
"Fine, about a week before you fixed my satellite, I was heading out on assignment – I had to go undercover and needed your clothes to pull it off. I came to your house and I was going to call up but…" she edited herself there because he had sounded 'busy' with Lana and she knew that would be a bittersweet memory for him. "You were busy. So I took them out of the hamper and left."
She heard his breath catch and his felt his demeanour change.
"Step" she said in a small uncomfortable voice.
"What?" He asked in a daze.
"Step out of your trousers, Clark!" she said pointing. As he did as he was said she asked. "Can you please, take these wet clothes to the bathroom? Just put them in the bath. When you're there you'll find another towel, can you bring that through too"
"Lo… Why am I now in my underwear?" he asked as he picked up the clothes.
"Didn't want you to get sick…" she said plainly, picking up her cup and slipping its warm comforting content.
He headed for the bathroom door but stopped as he entered on hearing her leapt forward off the sofa quickly following in his wake.
"Smallville!" she said in a tone that he knew was semi-playful "I'm not in the mood for Clark Jr tonight so it might be best if you put these on in there." She stated placing his underwear and t-shirt on his shoulder. He turned round and looked her straight in the eye. She smiled and he rolled his eyes.
He lowered his head to her ears to say in a hushed tone millimetres from her skin.
"Lois is there ever going to be a time when you're in the mood for Clark Jr..?"
She tilled her head up to whisper into his ear.
"Why are asking? You should know the answer to that by now?" there was a sultry smile to her voice that made his heartbeat faster, while the world slowed down.
There was a minute when neither of them could bear to move. There breathing became united as they felt the heat rise between them. Then a question occurred to him.
"Lo… One other thing… When did you acquire my underwear?"
She stepped away and gave him one of those all knowing Lois Lane smiles.
"That's for me to know Smallville…" she said punching his arm and heading back to the sofa with a spring in her step.
It was then that Clark wished that mind reading was a Kryptonian ability.
TBC