Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Smallville, etc.
Summary: SPOILER ALERT. With the world's rejection fresh on his heart, would Clark Kent ever find his true home? One shot. Fluffy drabble. Based on some spoilers for Infamous.

Note: Oh, that my muse would let me sleep. Sigh. Hope you don't mind a very short detour from my other stories. This is my version of what would be the end of that episode if I were writing it. This one wouldn't let me rest till it was all out on paper. Hope you enjoy!

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Only Natural

It had been a rough few days.

Clark Kent had told her his secret. She, in turn, had told the world.

And the world spun with excitement…

…then shattered in fear.

Now, she was standing in his loft watching him stare up at the moon, the stars. And infinite black holes. The space where his home used to be.

It made sense now. The amount of time he'd spent through the years doing just that. The unexplained absences. The little oddities. The repressed emotions bundled deep inside of him. The lost restlessness in his eyes.

A lonely soul caught between two worlds, Clark Kent had always only been searching for one thing: his true home.

He knew she was there. He could sense her. Hear her. He didn't mind. In fact, he took comfort in her calm, unwavering presence. In the faint hum in the back of his mind. He recognized it now as the strong, steady beat of her heart.

His thoughts turned to the events of the last few days.

He was amazed. He'd done what he swore he never would. He exposed himself. Revealed the truth. Tasted the glory. And sustained the subsequent blows.

Now, he wasn't quite sure where to go from here.

That wasn't the only reason he was amazed. The girl that once annoyed the hell out of him was now the woman that had seen him through it all. And she was still there. Still strong. Still believing. Still seeing him through.

Finally, Lois Lane spoke. "Are you ok?"

"I will be." Clark answered into the evening before turning to face her. His weary sigh was full of pain. His eyes were dulled with sadness. Lois' heart broke for him. Clark settled himself against the window ledge in a casual pose and expanded on his answer. "I've always been afraid that people wouldn't accept me if they knew who I really am. That's partly why I've kept this secret for so long."

"And the other part?"

"People who know my secret, the ones closest to me, usually get hurt." Clark filled in the blanks before shrugging away his disappointment. "I guess…I just wasn't prepared for the intensity of the public's reaction."

"They were just scared, Clark." Lois reasoned. "People lash out at things they don't understand. But that doesn't mean they aren't good people or that they can't learn to accept. In time."

"I know." A bittersweet smile touched his lips.

Lois took a few steps closer. They were only a foot apart now. She could feel the heat of his body. It unnerved her. It made her feel safe. "Do you regret it? Telling me, I mean?"

"No." This time the smile was genuine. His eyes crinkled with satisfaction, pride. "That's the one thing in all of this I don't regret."

"Neither do I." Lois returned his sentiment and his smile.

"Are you sure?" Hesitant, Clark continued. Concern and doubt narrowed his eyes. "After all, you could be a target now."

"I say…" A nonchalant shrug was his answer. "…bring it."

No hesitation. No fear.

A long, penetrating stare. A gentling expression. A soft, amused smile.

"You know, I chose you." Clark supplied quietly, addressing an unspoken complaint, an unintended injury he'd seen in her eyes days before when she realized she wasn't the first woman in his life to know. "The others…they found out other ways. But you…" He pulled in a ragged breath. "…I wanted you to know. Trusted you to know it."

"Why?" Curiosity filtered through her whisper.

"I had to choose someone to stand with me." His eyes were like liquid fire. "That it was you…was only natural."

"Only natural." As she echoed his words, bouncing them around her head, sensing a deeper truth, the emotion in her eyes mirrored his.

The air between them grew thick. The stare lengthened. The silence layered with intensity.

They had shared a lot in the past few days. More than a lot. Secrets. Triumph. Glory. Pain. Anger. Fear. Relief. All of it rolled into a fiery ball of unsettled energy between them. An explosive collision of newly discovered emotions. An overwhelming restlessness.

Like chemicals reacting.

Lois was the first to break eye contact. "Guess I'd better go." She hesitated, her confident, admiring gaze meeting his. "No matter what people think or say, Clark Kent…" Her smile deepened. A hand of comfort on his shoulder. Understanding. Unity. "…you're still a hero in my eyes."

A wink of familiarity. Acceptance. Ownership.

She turned to go. Clark unexpectedly captured her hand. Lois stopped abruptly, her breath catching in the center of her chest. She slowly turned.

Crystal blue eyes were staring at her hand, now upturned, palm illuminated by the moonlight. With silent deliberation, Clark matched each of his fingers with hers. Then lightly, every so lightly, he brushed his fingers up her hand till his palm covered her own. His fingers gently closed over her wrist.

The feather light touch sent a tingling up her arm that was electric. The air in the room seemed to disappear. Her heart triple-hammered in her chest.

"Your pulse is racing." Clark whispered, his voice filled with awe. "Just like that night."

"What?"

"The night we danced." He gaze never left her hand. His brows furrowed in deep concentration. On something beyond anything she could see. Or hear. "When that couple pushed you into me. I heard your heartbeat stop. And then it shot into over-drive. Just like it is now." His breathing was shallow. His observation was barely breathed. "I've never had that happen before."

Lois swallowed hard. "You haven't? Not even with…"

Clark interrupted her with a sharp shake of his head. The gesture was enough. He didn't want her here. Not in this moment. Not sharing this revelation. "No. Not with anyone."

Her pulse stopped. Started. Then tried to pound its way out of her skin.

A flicker of acknowledgement. A slow, near-smug smile. "You like that. That you're the only one." An intense gaze slowly rose, stopping for a detour of her lips before connecting with her eyes. "I like that too."

She was drawn to him by some unseen force. Pulled into his embrace by the gentle tug of her hand. One arm slipped around her waist, slowly pulling her body into contact with his. The other traveled up her torso. Hovering. Barely touching. Radiating a heat that made her shiver.

Hand over heart, skin touched skin. He didn't need contact to hear it. But he needed to touch her just the same. Clark's eyes drifted closed, a smile of fascination hovered over his lips. "Oh, Lois." Her name was a murmured prayer. His voice, broken with unnamed emotion. "I wish…you could hear this."

"Tell me." The electricity zipping through her entire body shimmered through her prompt.

"Your heartbeats. They complete mine. Mine. Yours. Mine. Yours. Perfect rhythm. Perfect time." He swallowed. "Just…perfect."

There was a moment of silence. Neither of them breathed. His eyes slid opened. Awed. Mesmerized. Shining with unshed tears.

She was gazing up at him in speechless wonder. The world around her had melted away. All she could see…all she knew…was the man standing before her.

And for a moment, she thought she could hear his heartbeat too.

"All the waiting. All the searching. It's been right here in front of me." Clark whispered. His hand gravitated upward. To cup her face. To caress her skin. The pad of his thumb brushed her lips and parted them. "All this time."

"What has?" Her lips quivered. There was a tremor in her sigh.

"Home."

She shivered at the word. Her knees trembled with weakness. Her eyes filled with a sheen of unshed tears.

"To have finally found it here…in your heart…" His intense gaze roamed her face openly. Adoringly. The met her eyes. "…it was…"

"Only natural?" Lois supplied for him as a tear slipped down her cheek.

A slow, acknowledging smile took hold. Blue eyes sparkled with recognition. With passion. With love. "Only natural."

It had been a rough few days…

…that ended at the beginning of the rest of their lives.

The End