Chapter 13
Clark shifted on the bed, his knees bending slightly as he snaked a hand under his pillow and opened his eyes. He knew it would be indescribable waking up next to Lois, but what he saw sent his love radiating out of his body like a leak from a reactor. It encompassed the room, infusing itself into everything. A smile adorned his lips as he stared at her. She had the covers pulled up to her chin, the comforter pulled back to her shoulders as the thin sheet clung to her body. The morning light was glowing through the blinds, but it wasn't enough to wake her up. It was still dark in the room, but there was enough light so that he could see. She had fallen asleep against him, but through each of their turning through the night they had fallen apart. He felt the incredible need to pull her to him, but he didn't dare wake her.
He continued to watch her sleep, his eyes never leaving her closed lids. Wanting to be there the moment she woke up, being the first thing she saw, drove his love even deeper. It amazed him how easy it had been. All he had to say was that he loved her, yet they both knew there were more layers to those three words than anyone else could ever understand. He had shared everything with her and she accepted it without hesitation. Something told him she knew he was different, but knowing her like he did, she would have never brought it up unless she had significant proof. Much like she had done with Oliver. She had had her suspicions about the Green Arrow's identity, but she hadn't come forward until she was entirely sure. He smiled a second later; Lois would never have guessed he was from another planet though. A meteor freak maybe, but an alien? No. By her expression the night before, he knew she had been shocked.
He chanced a glance at the alarm clock as he rolled his head back and craned to see it. It was almost nine, and despite the time he had fallen asleep, he was incredibly well rested. Stretching his legs out to the end of the bed, he positioned himself more readily so that when she woke up she would be staring right at him. His hearing went to her heart on instinct, its beating providing a soothing rhythmic beat that caused his grin to go even wider. She looked beautiful in the morning, her heart only adding to her brilliance. Her hair danced over her eyes, the ends blowing away from her nose with every breath. This was what love was supposed to be like, and he knew it. Lana never had a glow about her in the morning, and it was hard remembering waking up beside her. He would remember Lois like she was now for the rest of his life.
He desperately wanted to kiss her, but again he didn't want to wake her. His happiness was as such a level he couldn't think of doing anything else but lie beside her. Not being able to hold it in anymore, he shoved closer to her and wrapped his arms tenderly around her, trying as hard as he could not to wake her. He softly pulled her into his chest, her moans filling his ears as he almost cried. Being a man meant not shedding tears, his father had shown him that from experience, but he couldn't help himself. A faint wet trickle fell down and deposited itself on her cotton pajamas.
"Smallville?"
"Shh." He hugged her warm body to his more tightly as she mumbled a few incoherent words. He didn't regret waking her; he wanted to hold her so badly that he would take any verbal abuse she would give him.
Lazily lifting her head from his warm chest, she glanced up to his face. It was just in time to watch a tear trickle down and disappear into the bottom sheet. "You okay?" She asked, slowly taking a hand from below the sheets and wiping away the remaining liquid that had settled in the bridge of his nose.
"Perfect." He replied, bending his head down and setting his nose into her hair. Even in the early morning he could still smell the lingering effects of her shampoo. When she wrapped her right arm around him, he closed his eyes and said. "I'm happy Lois."
She smiled to herself and moaned lovingly into his neck and chest. "I didn't think it took happiness to make the man of steel cry."
Clark chuckled softly, her body bouncing a little against his chest as it moved in and out suddenly. "I wasn't crying."
"Liar." She said with a lazy voice, her head snuggling into his chest even deeper. "You're such a sap."
"That's your fault." He replied, his eyes opening and staring at the window. He just wanted to hold her for eternity, to not let her go, to love her with all he had. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"That's okay. I don't mind being woke when it's in the arms of the man I love." She closed her eyes as she fought off her sleepiness. It wasn't working though, his warmth was making her drift off into the dream world again.
Still smiling, he kissed the top of her head. Seconds seemed like an eternity until she fell back to sleep. By her soft breathing and faint heartbeat, he could tell she was once again gone from reality. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to sleep with her, but a knock at the bedroom door brought his eyes wide open. Lois moaned in his embrace, but he soothed her by rubbing a hand over her hair repeatedly. "Go away." He said softly to the person on the other side of the door.
"Breakfast is ready." Chloe said.
He groaned and looked down to Lois, who had awoken again and was staring up at him. "Are you hungry?" He asked.
"A little, but I don't know if I want to leave this bed. I feel much fulfilled at the moment."
Clark smiled at her comment and kissed her for the first time. It would be the first of many kisses today; he would make sure of that. "We'll be right there." He answered Chloe.
"Hey." Lois said suddenly, pulling back from his embrace and staring pointedly at him. "When did you get to speak for me?" Her eyes squinted tightly as she glared at him.
He laughed. "I figured I'd get one in now since you're more than likely going to be speaking for me all week." His remark brought about her special smirk.
"You're right, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with it." She pushed closer and kissed him tenderly, her hair falling across her eyes as she tasted his surprisingly fresh breath. Pulling back, she grinned. "Let me fix myself up a little first."
Clark nodded, but said. "I like you in your P.J's."
"I know, but we're not alone Smallville." When he pouted, she thought he looked even sexier than the night before. "Don't worry; we get to do all this over again tonight."
"You mean it wasn't just a one night thing?" He asked sarcastically, his eyebrows wiggling up and down.
Gently slapping his chest, she rolled herself over and off the bed, her legs weakly holding her up as she struggled to stand. "Good thing I didn't drink. I feel weaker than a newborn kitten." She put a hand to her forehead to steady the sudden rush of blood.
Seeing that she was wobbling, her sped out of the bed and went around to her, his hands going instantly around her stomach. He could feel her clutch his entwined hand with hers as she held to him. Kissing her on the neck, he breathed softly until he felt her skin produce bumps from shivering. "I can help you to the bathroom if you want." His voice was low as he whispered into her ear.
"No, I can manage." She replied, letting go of his hand and turning around in his embrace. Pressing her lips against his briefly, she quickly broke free from him and headed for the bathroom. "You start eating while I shower." She said, hanging onto the door frame for leverage.
"Okay." He said weakly, his senses still filled with her smell. He didn't want her shower, her smell was so sweet, but he knew that once she came back out she would smell even better. She once again smirked, and disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking lightly behind her. With a deep sigh of longing, he went to the bedroom door and opened it. The morning light blinded his eyes suddenly as he put up a hand in defense.
"Good morning." Chloe said cheerfully.
Clark rubbed his eyes into focus as he glanced to the kitchen area. At the counter was Chloe, her hair still damp from her shower as she wore a white bathrobe. Jimmy was sitting at the dining table with a plate full of food, still in his pajamas. There were massive quantities of breakfast food surrounding him.
"You sure no how to make a guy feel like a child, C.K" Jimmy remarked, looking at his large friend and then staring to his own scrawny arms. He glanced back up and laughed with Clark.
Laughing at Jimmy's remark, he wandered over to the sofa and found his luggage. He hastily picked out a blue t-shirt and slipped it on. He was still in his jeans from the night before, but he didn't care. With his bare feet slapping heavily on the floor, his eyes still focusing to the light of the room, he made his way towards the dining table. As he sat himself down in a large wooden chair, he let the smell of the food fill his nostrils and create havoc inside his stomach.
"How was your night?" Chloe asked devilishly as she handed him a plate. He ignored her though; his focus only on the food in front of him.
Jimmy looked at Clark and then to Chloe. "I think he's a little occupied." He said with a grin.
Chloe nodded as she sat herself down, handing the picture of orange juice over to Jimmy. She waited patiently until Clark had filled his plate up with eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast. She had ordered only scrambled eggs, but she knew Clark would eat whatever was put in front of him. As he stuck a piece of toast in his mouth, she took the opportunity to speak. "Clark, how was your night?"
He was broken from his little world by her voice. With a full mouth and half a piece of toast sticking out of his mouth, he mumbled. "Fine."
"What was that?" Chloe asked with tight smile, laughing at his silly visage.
Clark hastily chewed his food and swallowed. "It was fine." He said, pausing only a second to speak before he shoveled more food into himself.
"Can I assume you're hungry for more than one reason?"
His eyes snapped up suddenly, his neck going a deep shade of red as she choked on the food in his mouth. "No." He almost shouted, food spitting out onto his plate as he coughed violently. Chloe's evil grin wasn't helping as he fought through the pain and managed to swallow his food. "No." He said again. "We didn't-you know." His eyes went back down to his plate so that he could occupy himself with the food in front of him once again. He didn't need to be talking to his best friend about that sort of thing.
"You're no fun." Chloe replied, her eyes going to Jimmy, who even seemed to blush a bit. Her boyfriend was a softy like Clark. He was a gentleman in all respects too, and that's what drew her to him. In a lot of ways he was like Clark, but had a better sense of humor. "Sorry." She said sheepishly, her fork digging into her eggs and bringing them to her mouth.
Clark grunted and asked Jimmy to pass the orange juice. Pouring a cup, he hastily brought it to his lips for a deep guzzle. Normally he wouldn't have acted so ravenously, but he was incredibly hungry and the situation was awkward. He really should have waited for Lois.
"Did you talk to Lois?" Chloe asked, pestering him some more.
"Chloe." He warned her, his voice low as he almost growled at her.
"Hey." She said heatedly, pointing her fork at him in a suggestively painful manner. "I spent all night worrying about you two. I need some details or I'm going to go mad with anticipation."
Clark stared at her weakly and looked over to Jimmy for help. The smaller man gave him a sideways glance as he stuffed his mouth and tilted his head down to his plant. Groaning, Clark lifted his eyes back to Chloe. "Yes, I talked to Lois." He adverted her mirthful eyes as he blocked them with his juice glass. Her stare was almost as penetrating as Lois's.
"And?" She asked, urging him.
"And what?" He asked, playing along. He really didn't feel comfortable about talking to her about it without Lois.
"Come on Clark, do I have to stab it out of you?" She asked, poking her fork towards him a couple times. She smiled ridiculously wide as he gave her a sloppy grin in return.
"Wait until Lois gets out of the shower." She didn't seem that patient, but she surprisingly nodded and put her eyes back to her plate. Sighing in relief, he glanced back to Jimmy, who was smiling and chuckling at him. He thought about saying something, but he would have just made an ass of himself. The minutes ticked away painfully as he could feel Chloe's eyes on him. Lois couldn't get out of the shower quick enough.
When Lois did finally enter the main room, he almost leapt to his feet, but banged his knees on the table. He feigned pain as he reluctantly sat back down.
"Oh, don't get up just for me, Smallville." Lois laughed, her hand going to her hair and tussling out a few wet knots. She had brushed it, but she still felt the need to run her fingers through it. In a pair of fresh jeans and a black tank tee, she wandered over to the other end of the table across from Jimmy. Seating herself down, she shared a special look with Clark and picked up her fork. Reaching out to grab a platter of eggs, she was interrupted with her cousin's hand on her wrist.
"Tell us what we want to know." Chloe said in excitement.
Lois shook her hand free and grabbed the platter. "Let me get some food in me first." She said with an annoyed grunt, forking a grand size of poultry related food onto her plate. Clark handed her the other food and she graciously smiled, accepting it without hesitation. With a smile in return, she watched as he poured her glass full of juice. "Thank you." She said curtly, her eyes never leaving him.
Chloe's anger and frustration was hitting a new level as she almost flipped. "Please, tell me you guys worked things out?" She asked as Lois stuffed her mouth full of sausage. Something told her they had, but she still needed verbal confirmation or she was liable to go off the deep end in anticipation.
"Hold you horses." Lois said through a mouthful of food. She quickly swallowed. Looking to Clark, she winked at him. When he frowned, she inaudibly whispered. "Play along." When he grinned back, she turned to her cousin. "Yes, we worked things out."
"Finally." Chloe said with exasperation. "I thought it would take forever for you two to get together."
"Together?" Clark asked, faking shock. He played the role well though. He could tell by Chloe's frown that he was a good liar. Well, he should have been, he had been lying about himself his whole life. Usually he felt bad about lying and playing games with people, but he couldn't deny Lois. "We're not together." Clark laughed.
"What?" Chloe shrieked, almost stabbing her fork through her plate and into table. "What about last night? I tried to come in and you told me to go away. Lois was in the bed with you." She stared right at Clark as he shrugged.
"We just talked Chloe. That doesn't mean there is anything between us." He glanced to Lois and gave her a weird frown, one she reciprocated for Chloe's anguish.
"No." Chloe said in pain, slumping in her chair. "It was supposed to be different." She held her head in her hands.
Jimmy began to laugh softly, but hid it from his girlfriend as he shook her on the shoulder gently. "Chloe, they're just messing with you." He said as she brought her eyes up to his. He smiled at her as he looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Lois and Clark smiling and glancing at one another lovingly. "I don't think friends look at each other like that." He whispered to his girlfriend, his eyes motioning to the couple at the table.
Chloe's vision drifted over to Lois and Clark. Her eyes went wide as she saw the look on both their faces. Jimmy was right, they were just being cruel. "That was mean. I never expected something like that from you Clark." She said heatedly.
Clark broke his stare with Lois and looked to his best friend. "I can't deny her anything. It's her fault." He said, tilting his head in Lois's direction.
"Hey!" Lois said loudly, bending over the corner of the table and slugging him in the shoulder. "I'm not a bad influence."
"Prove it." Clark shot back, his grin wider than ever. When she smirked back, he melted. Putting a piece of bacon in his mouth, he motioned to Chloe. "I'm sorry."
Chloe sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. "You bet you are. If I wasn't so happy that you two finally worked things out, I would likely storm out of here; that was just downright cruel."
"Get over it." Lois remarked, taking a large gulp of her juice.
Shaking her head in wonder, Chloe slowly began to eat, her shaky hands only slightly able to hold onto her fork. What they did was evil, but her happiness with the situation trumped any anger that had previously gripped her. "I asked Clark already, but did you guys actually-you know?"
Lois broke out into laughter as Clark went even redder than before.
"I'll take that as a no then?" Chloe asked with a laugh.
Lois nodded as she almost spit juice out onto the table. Chloe knew her better than that. She knew her cousin knew they didn't do anything. She was just trying to get them back for their evil deception earlier. "We didn't, but I heard the two of you last night." She replied, pointing her middle and index finger to both Chloe and Jimmy. It was a lie of course, but if her cousin wanted to play games, she would keep up the awkwardness. The reaction on her cousin's face was priceless.
Clark, incredibly uncomfortable with where the conversation was going, stood up and proclaimed. "I've lost my appetite." He quickly darted from the room to the shower.
Jimmy followed suit and headed for Chloe and his room, but unlike Clark he couldn't manage to say anything.
Chloe looked at the Lois. "See what you've done." She said with a tight smile, her lips going to her glass as she brought it up for a refreshing taste.
"It worked didn't it?" Lois smiled back, her heart in a wonderful place.
"That it did." Chloe conceded. "So," she began, her arms crossing in front of her as she leaned her elbows on the table and stared pointedly at her cousin. "I can assume things went well?"
Lois sighed happily as she set her fork down on her half empty plate. "Better than I could have ever imagined."
"How so?" Chloe asked with a sly grin.
Laughing at her cousin, she admitted the truth. Her cousin was a sucker for details, and there were certainly enough of them to go around. "He told me he loved me, and I almost let him go."
"Really?"
"Yes. He was in the hallway when he said it, and I almost let him walk away."
Chloe didn't blink. "What made you keep him from going?"
Lois smiled warmly and leaned back in the chair with a satisfied sigh. "I realized that I had been so stubborn and thick headed that I would be losing him forever. I loved him too, but I have been so scared that I couldn't admit it to myself, but when I heard him walk away, I knew that I could be losing him forever. I could never let that happen Chloe, he means too much to me."
"And?"
"And!" Lois said with annoyance, her eyes glancing at her cousin slyly. "I opened the door and called him back from the elevator. I was lucky; if he was angry he would have likely sped down the stairs before I got the chance to tell him I loved him too."
Chloe's eyes went wide at what she just heard. "Clark told you everything?" She asked with a squeaky voice. When her cousin nodded, she smiled widely. "Good."
"That's what I think too." Lois replied to her cousin's offhanded comment. "I don't think I could put up with his lying if we were together. Knowing the truth really makes things all lot more special." She picked up her fork and slipped a piece of sausage in her mouth. "Why didn't it surprise me to find out that you knew his secret?" She asked, her eyes falling on the blond woman.
Chloe laughed and shrugged. "We've been good friends for a long time Lois. Clark trusts me with things."
"Liar." Lois said suddenly. When her cousin stared at his with a frowned, she explained. "He told me you found out by accident. He didn't tell you."
Chloe grinned sheepishly as she shoveled a piece of bacon into her mouth. "Well, he did catch a car in mid air."
Lois rolled her eyes and continued to eat. She was content on eating until Clark came back out, but her cousin still had some questions.
"What else did you talk about?"
Sighing, she set her fork down on her plate again. "He told me why he broods, but I think you know the answer to that one." When Chloe nodded, she elaborated some more. "Then we fell asleep."
"What, no kissing or fondling?" Chloe asked.
"Kissing yes, but fondling? No." She finished her glass and set it on the table.
Chloe could tell her cousin was being vague for a reason. Some things stayed private, and she wouldn't pester. There were things about her and Jimmy's relationship that she would never tell Lois. "What's it like waking up beside him?" She asked, knowing it would bring a smile to her cousin's lips.
"The best feeling in the world. I wish someday you know that feeling Chloe."
"I do." Chloe said softly, looking to her plate in embarrassment.
Lois's eyes went wide as she stared at her cousin. "You mean you feel that deeply for Jimmy?"
"Yes." Chloe replied as she continued to stare at her plate.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You love Jimmy, I love Smallville, and it's pretty simple I think." It was simple; she had just made it complicated by being incredibly stubborn. "I know its simple Chloe. I've been on that end."
Chloe laughed as she relaxed at her cousin's tender words. "Jimmy and I are pretty serious." She said suddenly, out of no where.
"You've said that already." Lois shot back with a grin as she finished a piece of toast.
"I know, but I've been talking about you and Clark for the last two days and I just want to brag about my relationship for a while."
Lois laughed and said. "Well, go ahead. It's been a while since I've heard how much you love that man." She continued to smile as Chloe began a wonderful narrative on the night before and just how much she loved the geeky photographer. It made her incredibly overjoyed that each one of them had found someone who they could see themselves spending the rest of their lives with.
-
Clark exited the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed. He had a new pair of blue jeans on as he closed the bedroom door behind him. Turning around, he went to the table and began to clear it. Lois gave him a warm smile and he hastily reciprocated it. Chloe was speaking furiously about Jimmy, and Lois seemed to be listening, but the moment he came into view her eyes had gone straight to him. He liked that. When she rolled her eyes in her cousin's direction, he shrugged sheepishly and walked back to the sink and dumped the dishes in. Turning on the water, he found some soap and squirted it into the water.
"You know C.K, the hotel staff does that downstairs." Jimmy said as he walked from his own room as he slipped a dark green sweater over a white t-shirt.
"I'm bored." Clark said suddenly. It was a lie. It was in his nature to do dishes, his mother making sure he did his share of work around the house when he was younger.
"Well, we should be on the slopes in about twenty minutes." Jimmy said with a big grin. "I can't wait to learn how to ski." He was boisterous and excited.
Clark dropped the dishtowel in his hand into the sink. His eyes drifted from Jimmy to Lois, who was staring at him evilly with Chloe.
"That's right Smallville. I'm going to be your ski instructor for the day."
Clark groaned heavily and rubbed his face with his free hand, not aware that he had put suds all over his eyebrows.
"See, I knew he was related to Santa Claus." Lois said. Her words directed to her cousin, who was laughing hysterically.