disclaimer: don't own anything...


2004

Lois Lane grunted as she typed on the computer in the room of The Torch inside Smallville High School. The place was becoming the bane of her existence, but she was forced to be there to make up for her lackluster grades from her previous school. She briefly looked beyond the monitor and across from her at the farm boy she was currently staying with. Clark Kent was preoccupied with his own work, thumbing through papers. They were racing to beat the deadline of the latest issue of the paper. She was easing into the environment, but resisted getting used to anything, especially her deskmate. It was all temporary. This was just a detour to the path wherever she was truly meant to be.

Returning back to the screen she narrowed her eyes, displeased with all the marks the word processor was making.

"Stupid red squiggly lines," she mumbled.

She was jolted when a thick red book dropped beside the keyboard. She looked up to see Clark Kent smirking at her.

From Clark's point of view Lois was doing her best, but his ears perked up to the noises she was making as she typed. She was struggling when it came to spelling-even some of the more simple words which he found to be a bit alarming.

"Maybe give that a try," he said as his eyes signaled to the cover.

She glanced down and saw the capitalized words of "DICTIONARY".

"Ha ha. Very funny, Smallville." she retorted to his teasing.

"You'll need it if you write more stories."

She rolled her eyes. "That's precisely why I won't. I'm only doing this as a favor to Chloe."

Clark grimaced as he watched Lois yet again poke the backspace harshly. He and Lois were working late on the next edition of The Torch since Chloe was preoccupied. It wasn't exactly the way he wanted to be spending his evening, but he owed it to Chloe and was going to help his best friend...even if it meant working across from her irritating cousin.

Lois suddenly shivered as she felt cold air hit her from the open window. She turned in her chair and quickly went over and closed it.

"How is it that the temperature dropped so much?" she complained.

"That happens out here."

"Someone needs to remind Mother Nature it's still fall."

"I'll get right on that, Lois."

She let out a sigh and started to rub hands on her upper arms for warmth.

Clark would have cracked another joke, he had one on the tip of his tongue, but instead he grabbed his letterman jacket from the back of his chair and walked over to Lois. In a thoughtful action, he draped it on her shoulders.

Lois' head turned to him slowly, her eyes wide. He had been expecting a thank you, and received a surprised and terrified look instead.

"What the hell are you doing?" she barked.

"You said you were cold!" he countered.

"So turn up the heat!"

Clark shook his head, "The heat isn't on, Lois."

"Then do something else!"

"What? Light a fire?"

If she only knew he had heat vision…

"I just-"

Clark went to take his jacket back but Lois moved away from him.

"What now?" he asked, aggravation seeping through.

"Nothing. I'm just not used to the whole chivalry thing. I feel like there's an ulterior motive."

This time his eyes grew wide. Was she insinuating that he was doing it because he had feelings for her?

He assured her, saying, "Believe me, Lois. There's no ulterior motive."

"Right. Of course there isn't." she said, shaking implausible thoughts from her head as she pulled the jacket over her more.

Clark returned to his seat and went back to looking at his story on the opposite screen. He briefly looked over at Lois wearing his jacket. She tentatively put her arms through the sleeves until it fully enveloped her. It was a fleeting thought but something stirred inside him. He couldn't identify it, or maybe he didn't want to. As quickly as it had come it was gone.

They worked in silence for a few minutes before Lois looked up and watched Clark. She felt bad for her knee jerk reaction, but she was truthful that she wasn't used to the farm boy's wholesomeness. She was constantly suspicious of people and their actions. She forgot there were genuine people in the world. Luckily, being amongst the Kent's was reminding her.

She piped up and said, "Thanks."

"What?"

"For the jacket," she clarified and repeated, "Thanks."

He nodded. "You're welcome, Lois."

There was a nonverbal understanding. They couldn't quite decipher how it was there, but it was. They had only met weeks before, yet it felt as if they had known each other longer somehow. They wouldn't dare utter that to the other, for fear it could be misunderstood.

"This article doesn't exactly scream High School Pulitzer, but I think it's enough to satisfy Chloe's standards."

Clark felt himself chuckle and put the finishing touches on his own work.

"I'm done, too."

Her mouth shifted in thought. She then voiced aloud, "So, is it always like this?"

"Like what?" he asked as he gathered papers and put them in his red knapsack.

"The pressure of having to meet a deadline."

He placed the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "Is that because you don't adhere to them?"

She smirked at his words. He wasn't wrong.

"I do work off my own timetable."

"Hence why you're here." he jabbed, reminding her of her need to repeat the semester.

She turned off her computer. "I'll have you know, Smallville, that I don't plan on being here for much longer."

"So, you keep saying," he retorted as he went and shut off the back lights.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "My plan is still in motion."

"Your plan is swimming in circles," he pointed out.

"This lame duck just needs to repair a wing and then I'll fly right out of your hair."

He flinched at the thought of flight, memories of Kal-El soaring through the sky still fresh and coming to the forefront of his mind.

Lois picked up on the change in his expression. "Uh oh, is Clarkie afraid to fly?"

"Not too fond of heights," he admitted.

"Says the six and a half foot beanstalk next to me."

He rolled his eyes as he closed the door to The Torch.

They walked down the hallway together, the lights dim in the afterhours. They weren't the only ones left in the building, however, as the dance committee was meeting in the gym as they passed.

"Hi, Clark!" a shy voice called out from the doors.

Both Lois and Clark stopped and turned. The girl with strawberry blonde hair gave a little wave and then glanced at Lois, zeroing in on the jacket over her upper body. A small scowl formed on her lips.

"You're not with Chloe tonight?" she questioned.

"No, she couldn't make it tonight."

Downcast, she said, "That's too bad." She glanced once again at Lois. "I guess Lana didn't keep you company, either?"

Clark shifted in his stance at the mention of his ex-girlfriend-if he could really even call her that. Since she returned from France there was a distance between them, even bigger than the one he normally created himself. He hadn't talked to her much and wasn't aware of what she was up to. Much of his time recently was occupied with Lois, to his chagrin.

"I don't know her plans."

Lois saw some broodiness clouding his eyes. She made a face and looked back over at the girl.

"I'm Chloe's cousin. Lois," she introduced herself.

"Oh. Right." the girl responded with distaste.

Before Lois could ask her what her problem was, Clark was quick to sense her already to pounce. He grabbed her upper arm and started to move them away.

"Night, Maddie."

Lois turned and followed Clark again reluctantly, her eyes lingering on Maddie as she felt the daggers piercing from the girl's eyes into her. She then shook off his grip as they exited the building.

"I can't wait to get out of this school."

Clark let his gaze drop back to her. "You say that now, but you might miss it, Lois."

"Save me a seat at the reunion," she mocked, as she rolled her eyes. "Just not near that girl. Unless someone wants a punch."

Lois pulled the jacket over her chest more as they entered the night air, walking to Clark's truck. Hugging herself, the sleeve on the right side caught the corner of her eye, Clark's printed name on it. She suddenly thought about the girls who wore their boyfriend's jackets like it was the 1950s and they were being asked to go steady. She couldn't imagine herself in such an old fashioned role.

Though, she guessed that out of all the guys in the small town, Clark wasn't the worst to get pinned by.

With an actual pin, not physically. Perish the thought of anything else.

Clark was waiting for an oncoming rant, but was met with silence. It seemed strange for Lois. She was rambling from the first moment he met her.

"You're quiet," he remarked.

"Yeah, so?"

"You're never quiet."

"I was thinking. Can't I have a thought or does Mayberry have a rule against women doing that?"

"What were you thinking?"

He looked genuinely curious and Lois swallowed back.

"About the colors of this jacket," she lied.

"They're the school's colors," he reminded her.

"Bright enough to scare the crows away. Just send this soaring through the sky and the corn will be safe on the vine."

Lois walked to the passenger side as Clark got into the driver's seat. He turned on the heat for Lois' sake and she made the decision to peel off his jacket before she got too comfortable in it. She folded it and held it on her lap as Clark started the engine.

She glanced down at it and lightly shook her head. This would be the last time she would ever wear anything with Clark's name on it or remotely connected to him.


2017

Lois leaned forward, her forearms resting on her desk as she stared at her computer screen proofreading her latest story.

"Stupid red squiggly lines," she muttered.

There was a chill in the air of the office and she grabbed her coffee to take a sip. Realizing it had cooled off she absentmindedly extended her arm and held it across to the next desk.

Clark looked up in that moment and the side of his mouth curved up into a smile. The action had become commonplace for them. Lowering the top of his glasses he let his heat vision warm up the liquid in the mug. Once Lois felt the heat radiating from the cup she brought back up to her lips. The little satisfactory moan she let out was his reward.

Lois placed the mug back down and felt better for the moment. However, as the minutes passed she started to grow cold once more.

She shifted in her seat, trying to create warmth from the movement.

"What is going on with this place today? Did Mr. Freeze break out of jail or something?"

"If he did, I doubt his first stop would be the Daily Planet," Clark replied. "And it would be more drastic than an annoying draft."

"Can you turn the heat on in here?"

"The building isn't turning it on until November 1st."

"Dumb rule," she grumbled.

As Clark was about to warm her up, utilizing his heat vision again, he glanced to the corner behind Lois and replaced the idea. Standing up he crossed the area to the coat rack and plucked the jacket his past self had recently left on his desk during his time in the future. It had been hanging there for a couple weeks and he had kept meaning to return it to the trunk in the loft of the barn. He walked back over to Lois and gently placed the jacket over her shoulders.

She looked down at the jacket and then up at him.

"What are you doing?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You said you were cold."

"So, you settled on giving me your high school letterman jacket instead?"

"I think it works."

She pulled the jacket on, slipping her arms through the sleeves. She moved her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders.

"I guess this is a better alternative than you etching your symbol on the wall."

He adjusted his glasses as he replied, "That was once and in my defense I was drunk off magical champagne, as were you."

"That old excuse?" she joked as she pushed her chair back and stood up in front of him.

Clark placed his hands on her shoulders then created friction on her upper arms to warm her up even more. There was something about her in his jacket that made his heart flutter and caused butterflies in his stomach. It was amazing how she still made him feel that way. The feelings had always been there, buried deep in the beginning. But as the years went on they gained strength and became undeniable, virtually unavoidable. He was glad he recognized them now and could explain their significance.

Before he could stop himself, he dipped his head down and captured her lips with his. She made another satisfied moan, again his reward.

"Now, that's more like what I had in mind about warming me up." she said against his lips.

"I do have that noted…" he trailed. His forehead touched hers and he continued, "Miss Lane."

Lois felt more heat rise up within her body.

"Well, now that's just hot." she breathed.

He smiled as her face flushed, the color of her cheeks beginning to match the red in the jacket.

"I'm just being professional."

She rolled her eyes. The tone in his voice was anything but that.

"Speaking of professional," her hands had inched up and played with his tie, "I unfortunately have a deadline."

"Then I shouldn't distract you."

She bit her bottom lip. "I don't mind. Deadlines can wait when it comes to you."

She watched as he smiled wider at her words. They were a team. Vocalizing it, though, made the other feel special knowing they had a companion that took account of their needs and feelings. They had both gone through a lot in their former years, and being high on the list of priorities meant great importance, that they were never alone. They were by each other's side, always.

She patted his chest. "And I'm used to your ways. I've been stuck with you for a while now."

"The plan is to be stuck with you for life."

"Quite the undertaking, even for the Man of Steel ."

"I don't mind the challenge."

Lois moved her hands briefly and lifted the lapels of the letterman jacket. "Your attitude has certainly changed from when you donned this senior year."

"You live and you learn." He held her closely and looked deep into her eyes. "And I learned how much I love you."

It was an amount that had no definition, infinite, and was tied to his entire being.

"I love you, too."

She glanced down at the jacket and softly shook her head, recalling how the notion of wearing it implied deeper meaning which had been a scary thought back in 2004. Her hands bounced on Clark's chest, the sparkle on her left hand catching her eye. She had lived and learned, too, accepting and displaying a lifetime of commitment, merging Clark's name with her own personally and professionally.

Though, rings and labels were merely symbols. Their names were forever tattooed on each other's souls. Their hearts burning and yearning, only ever complete when they were together.

A fire blazed inside them, ignited by sparks from the lightning strike of their first meeting, stretching in size as their affection increased and unable to be contained once their love was fully acknowledged. It had engulfed them, others bearing witness to the flames and watching in awe of the light.

The colors of red and yellow may have been the school's colors, but they were also Lois and Clark's colors-displaying passion and love and happiness and hope.

And they wore them proudly for the world to see.