Lana always had an intense aversion to being woken up, and therefore did not appreciate rousing to a window full of sunlight and an apartment full of noise. Both her blinds and her door were open, which was odd, and she still wore last night's clothes. Her legs led her out of bed and she immediately marched toward the source of the sound in preparation to give it a piece of her mind. She found Chloe using the blender amid a small mess in the kitchen. She was always so functional early in the day. Lana, on the other hand, rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn.

The night before, she'd gone out with Chloe and a few other friends to a house party and danced for hours. Self-control and thoughts of the following day led to only moderate drinking, and she was thankful for the clear-ish head in the morning - aside from the ruckus-induced headache that was forming.

"Oh good, you're finally up. I'm making smoothies," called Chloe over the noise. "How much do you want? It's strawberry and banana."

Lana's face was expressionless. "I appreciate the offer, but do you really need to do this so early in the morning?"

Chloe gave her an incredulous look, stopping the blender. "Early? It's 12:30."

Lana's eyes doubled in size as her head whipped around to look at the time on the microwave. It was exactly as Chloe had said. Her jaw dropped. "Shit!" Lana bolted back into her room and grabbed her phone. She'd received a text from Clark about an hour ago, asking for her address. "Shit shit shit shit shit !"

"What the hell?" she heard Chloe call from the kitchen. Lana made her way back to her friend and roommate at breakneck speed.

"Clark's coming!" she huffed, stopping in the open space between the kitchen and the hallway leading to the bathroom. Her stance was frantic. "He's gonna be here in half an hour and I don't have enough time to get ready!"

"Your hot friend from last night?" Chloe asked with a lilt. She waved her hand nonchalantly, moving to put her dirty dishes in the sink. "Don't worry, nobody ever makes it anywhere exactly when they say they will. Besides, you shaved your legs last night. Just shower and get dressed."

Lana had turned to high-tail it to the bathroom but stopped at Chloe's answer. It was true, she'd known Clark forever and she'd never been strung out like this, not that Chloe would know. Regardless, she whipped back around impatiently. "Clark Kent has never been late to anything in his life, and I still smell like a Friday night."

"Dude, why are you freaking out so hard? Y'all are buddies," said Chloe, now doing the dishes. She looked at Lana with a confused look that turned into a look of epiphany. "Unless...you want to be more than buddies…"

Lana blinked, feeling like she'd been gut-punched.

"I-that's not-he never…I don't have time for this." Lana jogged to the bathroom and tore her clothes off to the sound of Chloe laughing across the apartment. She texted Clark her address while brushing her teeth, and then immediately took a scalding hot shower in an attempt to relax. She scrubbed her whole body at top speed - twice, just to be safe - and made sure to condition her hair. Even while wet it fell only to between her shoulder blades, and not for the first time she felt grateful for having straight hair. After showering, she dashed back to her room in her towel, passing Chloe who was now on the couch watching a movie on her laptop.

"Get it, girl," Chloe offered with barely a tone but loud enough so her roommate would hear.

Lana locked her door, dumped her dirty clothes in her laundry bag, and tossed her towel on the back of her desk chair. Lana whirled like a storm around her room, looking for the essentials.

"Lotion, lotion, lotion. Where the fuck did I put my - oh thank God."

Lana got dressed and applied a little mascara. A spritz or three of light perfume. Ogling herself in the mirror, she shook out her damp hair before heading back to the living room with her heart pounding in her chest.

Clark couldn't hide his excitement. He'd gotten up early and helped the three Ross boys with the Kent Farm's chores as they did on the weekends for Martha. In exchange, she made the four boys and herself a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon before going into town to get groceries.

Clark let her know he was going to see Lana later that day, much to her delight. She practically shooed him off when he did, giving him the standard lecture of how to be a gentleman and how not to be an asshole. He reminded her that he and Lana were friends and this was a friendly visit, but she'd hear none of it. So when Martha had left and the boys were on their way back home, Clark left for Central City.

On the way, Clark found the heaviness of the previous day's events weigh on him again. He'd eventually have to go back to that crystal monument, and soon, but he decided that he'd deal with that later. Today was about Lana. He'd asked for her address when he left, and was a little worried when he didn't get an answer for a while. She always texted back quickly. It wasn't until he was coming up on the outskirts of Central City that she did, a little after 12:30.

Clark got there early, so he dipped into the pizzeria around the corner and got a couple of pies to go. Lana wasn't a morning person, so he doubted she'd eaten anything so far. Clark didn't know much about Chloe, but who doesn't like pizza?

The food was ready pretty quickly, and he tossed a couple of bucks into the tip jar on the way out. Making his way back to her building and up the stairs to the apartment number Lana had given him, he looked at his watch to see if he was still on time. A small smile slid onto his face. 12:59.

Clark rang the doorbell once and knocked twice. The door was flung open several seconds later by his favorite redheaded female. Lana stared up at him in the doorway with wide eyes and an even wider smile on her face. Clark could hear her heart hammering in her chest from where he stood, and he knew his must have been the same. Instead of focusing on that, he returned her smile.

"Hey," he said. In place of an answer, he saw Lana lurch forward and bring her arms up to hug him. She apparently hadn't seen the two pizza boxes he was holding, because she bumped right into them.

"Shit," Lana muttered, an uncharacteristically uneasy laugh escaping her lips. "I'm still the smoothest woman you've ever met."

"Obviously," Clark replied. He looked around the hall, which was deserted except for them. "May I come in?"

"You'd better. Is that pizza?"

"Mm-hmm. One plain cheese and the other is half sausage, half pepperoni."

Lana's eyes went wide with excitement. Upon hearing that news she grabbed his upper arm and tugged, pulling him inside with the pizza. "Okay, get in here so I can hug the crap out of you."

She took the boxes from him and put them on the counter before proceeding to fling herself into Clark's arms. She felt his chest vibrate with laughter as she hooked her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. He held her easily, and she buried her face in his neck.

"You spoil me, you know," she whispered, squeezing tightly.

"So what?" he chuckled casually. "You know you deserve it."

Lana could hear her blood pumping in her ears and feel the warmth coming from his body.

"Do y'all need a room?" said Chloe from the couch. She was stretched out like a cat, lying luxuriously in blue leggings and a black t-shirt. Lana brought her head up to look at her roommate, who was smirking at them over her laptop.

"No, the kitchen is fine," Lana said challengingly. Clark let her back down onto the floor.

"Kinky," Chloe replied, focusing on her movie. Lana rolled her eyes.

"Clark brought pizza. You're welcome to have some."

Chloe took out her headphones and looked back up at them. "He did?" She got up and walked over to the kitchen, stopping next to them to look at the boxes. "Can I marry him?"

Clark chuckled. "I feel like we're missing a few steps in between, Chloe," he said, opening both boxes.

"It's all part of the fun."

Lana immediately grabbed a pepperoni slice and took a large bite while leaning over the other side of the box. Her eyes rolled back in her head and the sound that came from her throat was downright lascivious. "Fuck yeah. That hits all the spots."

Clark took the opportunity to get his first good look at Lana. She was leaning over the counter, weight on one leg and the other bent. She was wearing a white sleeveless crop top and white short shorts that didn't even stop mid-thigh. The shirt was snug around her ribcage and the shorts ended with a frayed hem that hugged the muscle of her thighs. A red flannel shirt was tied around her waist and partly obscuring her legs, but from where Clark was standing he could see them easily. They were thicker than one would normally expect from one of her slim frame, the muscles rippling as she leaned on one side. His eyes followed the curve of her hamstrings down to the slope of her calves and saw that she was barefoot, standing partly on her toes. Her nails, like the ones on her fingers, were painted a vibrant green. Clark went back to eating his pizza, oblivious to the fact that Lana was staring at him too, albeit less noticeably.

Lana finished her pepperoni slice and grabbed a sausage one. The silence was mildly uncomfortable, and she couldn't seem to stop her eyes from darting back to him every few seconds. She caught his eyes on her too, but couldn't tell what he was thinking. It was one of the very few things about Clark that frustrated her. He had the most impressive poker face she'd ever seen, so when it was devoid of expression (like now), she figured he could be thinking about anything from Star Wars lightsaber battles to weird fetishes he might have accidentally come across on the internet. Yeah, right, she thought with a smirk. As if pure and innocent Clark Kent would ever be so depraved.

Clark was engrossed in his food now. He usually ate more than this, if Lana's memory served. Maybe he was watching his figure. He certainly looked like he took care of himself. He'd always been very lean but had a wide frame, with broad shoulders and a waist smaller than one would expect on a guy that tall. Lana remembered seeing him at Smallville High's post-graduation barbecue at the lake and being floored by how he looked wearing only swimming trunks. Most guys with a body like that would go out of their way to show it off, but she'd never even seen him remove his shirt when playing basketball in gym class like most of the others did. And he seemed even bigger now. His wine red Henley shirt and dark blue jeans hugged his legs in ways they hadn't before. Or had they, and I just didn't notice, thought Lana.

Clark's hair was shorter and thicker than she remembered too. He'd styled it differently so that less of his wavy locks flopped down the sides of his head and instead stayed on top. If one wasn't paying attention it would look like it was meticulously styled, but Lana noticed that even though his hair was collectively shaped a certain way, the individual hairs were sticking up in different directions. She decided she liked the look – styled enough to be presentable but messy enough to have some character. Her fingers twitched with the urge to touch him. Instead, Lana reached for a plain slice this time to round out her meal and noticed there was only half a pie left. She looked at Clark, who was finishing a slice. He'd only eaten plains so far.

"I know this seems redundant since you bought it, but you know there's pepperoni and sausage over here, right?" Lana said, taking a bite of her last slice. He looked at her a little too quickly, as if broken out of a reverie. Chloe murmured a token of thanks and slipped away to return to her movie. Clark took a second to swallow and answer.

"Yeah, but I know you prefer the toppings so I figured I'd let you and Chloe have at them first and I'll have whatever was left if I was still hungry." He eyed the plain pie a bit and then shrugged, taking a fourth slice and deciding it would be his last. "And if not, you'll have them for leftovers."

Lana hadn't expected her heart to jolt the way it did at his answer. Ew, why am I being so sappy today? she thought. Clark always said and did stuff like this. Maybe it was the distance and time between them. She'd missed him terribly, and seeing him now was like drinking water after a long day in the sun, when just a sip is intensified into a feeling of bliss.

How could somebody be so effortlessly considerate? It was a small gesture, sure, but she knew that if in his position she never would've thought of it. And he did things like that all the time, especially for her and his mother. But why? His mom, she understood. Clark was definitely a mama's boy, but if anybody deserved it, it was Martha Kent. That woman was a saint. But for Lana? She couldn't think of a reason. Why would Clark continue to go out of his way for her at no prompting whatsoever? She didn't do things like that for him. He was way too good for her.

"Why the fuck are you so nice?" Lana asked with a tilt of her head.

Clark's brow furrowed in confusion as he finished chewing. "Is that a trick question?"

Lana snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Never mind," she said.

Clark could tell something switched in her mood. Her face was more serious than it had been, and there was tension in her shoulders. When she looked at him, the normal levity in her eyes was absent. She was uneasy, but he couldn't tell why. It worried him.

"So, what is there to do in Central City?" he asked, consolidating the slices into one box now that they'd finished eating. Lana's expression changed to a pensive one.

"A lot, actually. There's so much going on all the time, and since campus is right in the middle of the city, you've got college students everywhere. I, uh…actually have something planned for us later."

"Really?" Clark responded, taken aback. He hadn't expected that. "What is it?"

"It is a surprise," she said with her signature smirk back on her face, albeit with redder cheeks. "So no more asking. And it's not a party. I know you're not exactly a fan of those."

Lana put the pizza box in the refrigerator. There was nothing on the bottom shelf, so it fit just fine. "Want to take a walk? I wholeheartedly appreciate the pizza but I'm gonna have to burn some calories after all that. Especially if I'm going to be walking next to a body like yours. All muscle-y and what-not."

Clark snorted. "Do you own a mirror? Your body's fine."

"I know," she said, exaggerating a hair flip and walking toward her room. "I'll get my shoes."

"Sure."

"Or maybe you can just carry me everywhere?"

"Of course. That's the only acceptable course of action."

Clark took in every detail of the apartment he could see from where he was standing, but as always, Lana immediately had his attention when she came back wearing bright red sneakers and carrying a small clutch. Long strides carried her past him and to the front door as she untied her shirt from her waist and put it on. His eyes flickered over her legs. His speed screwed with him sometimes; he had a hard time figuring out if he was staring long enough for her to notice. Clark forced himself to get a handle on his eyes. He almost never ogled anyone openly since he hated the possibility of making anyone uncomfortable, especially in that context. He looked and appreciated, but hardly ever outright stared. Lana was making it difficult to adhere to that.

Clark followed Lana and after giving Chloe a quick goodbye they were off. It was a sunny day in Central City, and as they stepped outside they were hit by a warm breeze that dreamt of spring. Falling into her role as host, Lana became her normal chatterbox self and talked Clark's ear off about all the sights Central City had to offer.

There were three museums and a couple of small parks, but Lana had always been more interested in the more fast-paced settings. She told him about the different neighborhoods and which ones she liked best. Chloe and Lana lived in what was called "University Town" since it was close to Central City University. Not far from that was Westminster, where the new S.T.A.R. Labs facility was located. Downtown was the City Center, which held most of the office buildings and upscale business. East of University Town was Leawood, with the main attraction of Diamonds Stadium (though Lana couldn't care less about baseball but mentioned it anyway since she knew Clark loved it). Lawrence Hills was a pretty dodgy area on the northwest edge of the city, full of old warehouses and dark alleys. Most of the cool places to see were toward the center of the city, with the suburban residential areas like Danville and Englewood sitting on the outer rim. Central City wasn't an expensive place to live (certainly not by San Francisco or Coast City standards), but neighborhoods like Windsor Heights and Brookfield were ritzy enough to make it seem so. Lana didn't frequent these places much. Usually, she spent her time in either University Town, Westminster or the City Center.

Lana pulled Clark by the hand into a coffee shop called Jitters eight blocks away from where they'd started. It wasn't terribly packed, but they did have to wait in line for a bit. She ordered a latte and Clark got a bottle of orange juice.

"Okay, now you talk," ordered Lana, pulling him off to the side to wait for her coffee at the pick-up station. "You've been quiet way too long and my mouth is tired."

"Well you didn't exactly stop long enough for me to get a word in anyway." Lana gave him a look. "Seems like you've done quite a bit of exploring. Do you still know everybody, like in high school?"

He remembered walking through the crowded hallways of Smallville High many a time with Lana, and every few seconds someone would wave or greet her when they walked by. In the present, Lana rolled her eyes at him.

"Not everybody. It's kind of hard to be super popular in a city this big. Though obviously anybody who's met me here so far has fallen madly in love with me."

"Obviously."

Lana looked around the café. "Actually, I do know a few people in here. See that girl on her laptop? No, the one with the blue hair. She and her girlfriend volunteer at the animal shelter with me on Thursdays. And the barista at the counter was in one of my lectures last year."

Clark nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "Guess it's not called 'University Town' for nothing."

"Oh, and see him over there?" Lana put a hand on Clark's arm and pointed covertly at a slim young man with dirty blond hair and eyes as blue as Clark's. He was sitting at a table by the door, typing away at his laptop. "He tutored me in Forensics when I took it for shits and giggles after transferring in senior year. Not my finest moment but he was great. Moves a little slow but dude's a genius. Got a full ride with the Wayne Foundation scholarship and everything."

The barista called Lana's name and she picked up her latte. Clark thought the man by the door was rather young looking. He couldn't have been as old as they were, but he was sure he was older than he looked. Lana waved at the blond to get his attention.

"Hi, Barry!" she said brightly on their way out. He smiled amiably.

"Oh, hey, Lana," he said with an absentminded wave before going back to his laptop.

Lana pushed through the door, and they were back out in the Central City sun.

Clark and Lana spent most of their time out walking in the park by the Railroad Museum that sat on the border between Westminster and Lawrence Hills. Eventually they found a couple of benches and decided to take a break from walking. Lana would never say it out loud, but her feet and legs were already sore from trekking around town. She worked out at the gym a couple times a week, but she was not an endurance person. Clark seemed so at ease to her then, and she wondered how he maintained his figure while traveling for the past few months. She chuckled inwardly. Lana wasn't exactly jealous. It was mere curiosity, and more than a little appreciation, of course.

The wind picked up, so Clark gave Lana his jacket. She wrapped it around her shoulders appreciatively, and sat down sideways on the opposite end of the bench so she could rest her legs in his lap. Lana felt herself shiver and watched the skin on her legs break out into goosebumps. Clark's hand moved back and forth over them almost lazily, warming them up. Her chest seized for a moment.

The two of them sitting in this position was nothing new, and they leaned into it comfortably. Yet, in their silence, Lana was now acutely aware of her own heartbeat. She watched as Clark examined the clear sky in deep thought, eventually relaxing into his touch. Lana appreciated that there was never anything weird about the physicality of their relationship. She remembered how, in high school, everyone would obsess over the simplest brush of a shoulder or nudge of an arm. Meanwhile, she'd never hesitated to climb on Clark's back just for the hell of it. Granted, they'd known each other since they were nine years old, so they were bound to have been pretty comfortable with each other on some level. Lana was naturally a very openly affectionate person, but too many boys would misconstrue that as romantic or sexual interest and eventually she taught herself to dial it back to avoid the hassle. It was nice that she'd never had to with Clark.

Clark had never made any advances toward her either. It confused her at first, when they were younger. Practically every guy she knew in high school made at least some sort of pass at her, and it had only slightly lessened in college. Now, she was appreciative of Clark's deviation from the norm. She knew he was into girls at least, since his participation in their friend Pete's embarrassing escapades concerning female classmates did not go unnoticed, but she never heard Clark express those sentiments when she was around.

Lana thought it was better that way. Expecting and even wanting objectification for validation wasn't healthy, and she'd put too much effort into herself to entertain that notion. In this regard, Clark was perfect, because he and his mother were literally the only two people in her life who had ever given her support and positive reinforcement without there ever being a time they took it away. Lana smiled to herself. Even if over the last six years they'd spent less time talking than not, Clark was her best friend. That was something that had been proven time and time again, and it didn't seem likely to change.

Clark continued to stare at the sky. He'd been ruminating over his friendship with Lana for the last few minutes, but now he was listening to her heartbeat. It was powerful, steady, and a little fast. Over the years he'd learned to identify hers and his mother's heartbeat with different moods and emotions, but every now and then he'd stop and listen to hers just to enjoy knowing that she was there next to him. He'd come to terms with his feelings for Lana early on, but after going to college, working, and travelling, he'd gotten used to not having her around. It was an odd feeling. Being off on his own away from home brought peace and liberation, yet they came with an intense loneliness he hadn't been prepared to experience. But every time he saw and talked to Lana those feelings would go away, and his affection for her would show up again to take their place.

"What about that sky is so interesting, Clark?"

Lana's voice shattered his silent reflection. He blinked, looking around like he was lost. There weren't many people around in their section of the park, which provided a certain intimacy despite being in public.

"Huh?"

Lana smiled as wide as Clark had ever seen her and giggled. "You're looking at it like it's holding the secrets of the universe. What's on your mind?"

Clark studied her face, wondering what he should say. He didn't want to bombard her with his issues, but didn't want to lie either.

"I missed you," he decided to tell her. Lana's smile shrank but didn't disappear, only covered by the unconscious biting of her lip.

"Well, of course you did," she replied. Clark laughed.

Lana wiggled her feet a bit in his lap and tapped her hands against her thighs. Clark tuned back in to her heartbeat, fast and a little irregular. She was anxious. Before he could ask what was wrong, she spoke again.

"I have a game," she blurted, pulling her hands up to undo her ponytail and let her hair fall back down. Clark's face told her he was more than confused. She wasn't sure why she'd decided on this course of action, but she was pretty certain that her brain and mouth were no longer working together.

"Okay, what is it?" Clark asked warily.

"We're, uh, going to ask each other questions and the other has to answer truthfully, no matter what. We can't repeat each other's questions and the first to decline to answer is paying for dinner."

Lana eyed him uneasily, as if she were unsure of her decision. Clark found that weird. She usually seemed so confident and self-assured when taking action. "Hmm. Alrighty, ladies first."

"What was the craziest thing to happen to you on this last trip?" she asked, inwardly thanking Clark for his easygoing nature.

"A jaguar pooped in my hat once," he answered.

Lana's expression instantly switched to one of joy as she threw her head back in a peal of laughter. The sound made his heart jolt in his chest.

"No fucking way!" she exclaimed, barely able to breathe. "How?"

Clark turned his body diagonally to face her with her legs still in his lap. "I was in Peru and I stumbled upon this organization that tries to protect jaguars from poachers and ranchers. They're endangered over there. This guy, Joaquin, was on duty to study them and learn more about their habitats and behavioral patterns so I tagged along. I'd never seen a jaguar in person before! It was really cool."

Lana listened, enraptured by Clark's sudden spike in excited energy. She loved when he got like this. It didn't happen enough.

"So we were out close to the edge of the forest," he continued, "and we saw a couple. They're actually really beautiful. We had binoculars since we didn't want to get too close, but that ended up not working out. We missed one and had to high-tail it out of there before it got close enough to attack us. They're not particularly friendly. Joaquin drove so we were fine, but I'd realized I'd forgotten my hat in the rush. I look back with my binoculars as he's driving to see the little guy leaving a steaming pile on my hat while looking right at us."

Lana was in a fit of giggles for so long that by the time she calmed down, her cheeks hurt. "What a power move! I wonder if jaguars normally go out of their way to shit on things."

"I don't know, I didn't get to ask," Clark laughed. "Okay, my turn. If you could have any mythical creature as a pet, what would it be?"

"Hmm. A Pegasus. Riding horses was one of Smallville's few highlights and flying would be cool." Clark filed that in the back of his mind. Lana spoke again. "If you were in medieval times and you could choose your place in society, who would you be? What job would you take?"

"Blacksmith."

"What?" said Lana, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seriously, a blacksmith?

"Why is that so surprising?" Clark was giving her his own playful look.

"I don't know. You've always seemed more like a knight to me. Quite the example of chivalry."

"Preposterous. I know nothing of medieval battle etiquette." Lana slapped his arm. His expression turned serious. "There's honor in the simplicity of building things. Blacksmiths built the essential tools for day-to-day living, not just the weapons and armor. They helped people live. I wouldn't want to be a knight. I'd never want to just fight and serve."

Lana understood. She felt similarly, but knew it wasn't for the same reasons. Clark was probably the most upstanding person she would ever meet, and she was certain that any action he took was done to make something better no matter how big or small it was. If Clark was given no other choice, he absolutely would fight. But he'd hate it. Lana would never "serve," purely out of stubbornness. She knew that if she did fight, it would be because she was angry (even if it was rightfully so), and she would probably enjoy it until it was over. A wave of sadness and inferiority washed over Lana. The difference between her and Clark was that Lana's choices stemmed from hurt, and his came from loneliness. It was times like now when Lana would notice, see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. She always wondered about, and hated, whatever made him feel like that. He didn't deserve it for a second. Clark loved the world and everyone in it. Lana cast her eyes down in the shame of her self-reflection. Lana hated the world and how it treated the majority of its people. Clark wanted to make it better. She wanted to make it pay.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, stop it," said Clark. His voice was soft yet rough, like a whisper or a breeze. "You've got 'the melancholy face.'"

She couldn't help but smile at his tone. "Melancholy face? This isn't English class, buddy."

"Yep. It's the 'lost in thought and kinda sad' face. You don't exactly hide your emotions well."

"Oh, fuck you."

"How incredibly forward of you, Miss Lang. I'm scandalized. At least buy me dinner first."

Lana blinked. Clark was always quick with a response, but never quite like that. It was her brand of teasing though, so she recovered quickly. "I haven't lost the game yet, Mr. Kent. You could very well be buying me dinner."

"We'll see," he said, looking out at the sky again. "But come on, what is it?"

Lana slid her hand into his and squeezed gently, sighing. He reciprocated reflexively.

"You're the best friend anyone could ever have, Clark. Do you know that? It's like you radiate goodness."

Clark chuckled timidly. He didn't know what to say. Coming from Lana this was a bit out of the ordinary. If Lana gave anyone a compliment, it was almost always accompanied by a mild insult to balance it out. He was never exempt from that treatment, so he found it strange that she sounded so sincere now.

Lana folded her arms and stared pensively ahead. "It's not in me to be like that. Effortlessly good, I mean."

Clark's concern grew. A minute ago they were laughing together and now there was this tension between them. "It's not effortless. It's just choosing the right thing in the moment. Of course you can do it. Anyone can."

She gave an exasperated, almost impatient sigh. "That's what I mean. You see people...you see me as better than I am, and you almost make me believe it too. It's kinda frustrating, feeling better and worse about myself when you're around."

He hadn't expected that. Clark had known that Lana had had a hard childhood. Eventually she told him the specifics, but long before then he'd decided that he would do everything in his power to make sure she felt loved and appreciated. But apparently he hadn't done as great a job as he'd wanted. "I'm sorry."

Lana pulled her legs back and brought herself forward, landing to sit on her knees at Clark's side. A playful punch on his shoulder grabbed his attention, and Lana leaned forward to hold his face in her hands.

"Hey...I promise I didn't mean that how it sounded. You've never been anything less than great to me – never ever. I promise. It's just…you know me. You know why I had to leave Smallville. But once I did, it was like nothing changed." Lana looked up indignantly at the sky. Her face took on a fierceness people didn't usually see. "Everywhere you look, people get treated like dirt. Sometimes it's more subtle, but it's there and I hate it. I hate it so much, Clark. I hate that everything around us is set up to make us feel like my parents made me feel."

Clark didn't respond. He knew when Lana had more to say, and this was one of those times. He understood the sentiment. Even if he'd only listened to the news or read articles online, he would've felt the same. He hadn't needed to trek around the world to see she was right. If people weren't discriminated for their race, they were judged by their gender. If people weren't dismissed for having disabilities, they were persecuted for their sexuality. If people weren't exploited for being poor and desperate, they were having their insecurities used against them. No matter what, billions of people around the world faced society's ruthlessness, and it seemed like nobody could do a damn thing about it. But Clark was lucky. So far he'd had a life spared of many of the horrible things people had to go through every day. He'd never been abused the way Lana had been. And though the two of them were both emotional people and felt everything strongly, her hurt turned into rage, and his empathy turned into sorrow. Now she thought less of herself because of it.

"I'm just so angry all the time," she continued. "Maybe you haven't gone through it all but I know you've seen horrible things firsthand. How can you see what I see, feel what I feel…and be so hopeful?"

Lana's eyes trailed over his face, searching. Partly in shadow due to the trees, his eyes were now a darker blue than she'd gotten used to. The lower edge of his face was still illuminated, and the pursing of his lips drew her attention. She'd forgotten it was there, but now took notice again of the small blemish at the left side of his mouth - the faintest of scars. Clark had never said how he'd gotten it. She hadn't asked either. For some reason, she didn't want to know. There was something about it that felt private, maybe insignificant on the surface but indicative of something deeper. Her hands slipped from his face as she sat back on her heels, suddenly exhausted but still desperate for his answer. Lana couldn't remember feeling this exposed in front of him. It was torturous.

Clark stared out at the park. They were completely alone now, and the shadows of the trees stretched out long over the paved paths in the light of the late afternoon sun. It would be setting soon. As much as he loved being out during the day, it was at night when he felt most hopeful. Hope wasn't something you always carried with you. It was a friend you could count on to always show up when needed.

"Because if I didn't," Clark said, "I wouldn't have made it home."

Lana's eyebrows creased. That was uncharacteristically enigmatic and ominous coming from Clark. It worried her. "What do you mean?"

Clark looked her in the eyes and held his gaze there for a few seconds. The sunlight illuminated her irises and he could see a faint shade of green in the brown. "I guess I am paying for dinner."