Chapter 22
"Here, let me," Clark said as he took the towel from her hand and crouched. He had his towel wrapped firmly around his waste, but Lois was having trouble drying her backside. Gently rubbing the large white fabric down the back of her legs and to her feet, he tickled the back of her knee.
"Hey! What are you doing?" she asked suddenly, almost giggling.
"Nothing,' replied as he got back up and finished drying her shoulders.
Lois could tell he was playing the role of innocent, but she knew better. "You better not do that again."
Clark draped the towel over her eyes and put his hands on her hips and turning her around to face him. She was still naked, and it aroused him, but once again he wasn't a selfish lover. She lifted her towel off her face as she stared at him. "Do you need me to dry the front?" he asked with devilish grin.
Lois rolled her eyes and wrapped the large towel around her naked body, tucking a piece in to hold it upright just above her chest. "I think I can dry myself. Well, when I'm alone that is." She leaned close to him and tugged on his towel, the knot holding it up not giving way. "Don't worry. I'll let you dry my front next time."
Clark nodded sheepishly and went in for a kiss, but was greeted with nothing as she stepped aside and walked out the door, allowing the sudden cool air to rush into the foggy and hot bathroom. He could hear Lois's sharp inhale at the temperature and he quickly turned and followed her out, making sure to shut the door behind so that the smoke detector wouldn't go off.
"Lois?"
She turned around at the sudden seriousness in his voice. As much as could play the cute boyfriend, she still enjoyed the sound of his voice when he was serious. It had a deeper tone to it, a tone of authority and leadership. "Yes?"
Clark walked up close to her and put his right hand on her neck. She smiled warmly and placed her hand overtop of his. Her eyes went from his hand and lifted to his, the look she gave him almost melting his heart. "I know that we play around and bug each other all the time, but I just want you to know that no matter how much we'll get on each other's nerves, there will never be a moment where I stop loving you."
Lois didn't know where the sudden seriousness had come from, but she figured it had something to do with their vicinity to the last escaped Phantom Zone criminal. "Why are you talking so serious? It's not that I don't appreciate the reassuring words, because I do, in fact I love it when you talk this, but what's brought it on." She took his hand from her neck and held it in both of her hands at her chest.
He looked into her eyes and he told her the truth. There wasn't anything less he could think of doing. "I guess I'm feeling a little vulnerable and scared knowing that there is a Zoner loose and I don't know the best way to protect you since I don't know what powers it possesses."
Smiling at him, she pressed her closer to him until both her hands and his one were touching his bare chest. "I know that you're scared, Clark. It's okay and I don't think you'd be the person you are if you weren't, but you really should stop worrying so much. I know that these criminals in the past have been rather predictable, but this one, like you said, is different. What if it's only plan is to live among us?"
Clark smiled weakly. "I wish I could have as much hope as you do, but the Phantom Zone was created to hold the most vial of being from hurting others. I can't wish or hope that the last criminal is simply happy to be out his or her prison. As far as I know, my ancestors put them there for a reason, and I have little faith that any of these creatures are capable of rehabilitation or morality. Sooner or later it'll show itself, but I just wish I knew where. That way I could make sure everyone is safe."
The concern echoing in his words caused her to drop his hand and wrap her arms around him. She hugged him tightly, his hands and arms only taking a few seconds to return the sentiment. "It'll be okay, I know it will." She didn't like talking to him as if he was a child, but she didn't know what else to say. He cared deeply for every living thing, and she didn't know how to put his worry to rest. She had resigned to the fact that just being near him and giving him support with simply her touch would have to be enough.
Clark smiled a little and rested his chin on her forehead, having to crane his neck up slightly. "Sometimes when you say that, I actually believe it might be."
Lois chuckled against his neck. "That's because you know me, Smallville. I usually spew out the truth. Everything will be okay because I have faith in you, faith that you will do what is necessary to keep everyone safe. I will be there to support and help you every step of the way, no matter what happens."
He didn't want to bring down the tender moment, but he didn't know if he'd get a better time to bring it up. "What about when I have to leave for my training? What will you do then? You'll be all by yourself."
She pulled back and smiled, letting its infectious nature seep into his features. It took a few seconds, but it wasn't long before he smiled back. It was weak, but it was something. "Believe it or not I've done a pretty good job fending for myself. I won't die without you." When he looked hurt, she frowned and leaned up to kiss him. She quickly pulled back after the tender touch of their lips and smiled again. "Don't think for a second I won't miss you. No matter how long you might be away, I'll think of you all the time. You don't simply forget about the one you love."
Nodding slowly, he kissed her forehead and said. "I just want you to be happy."
"I will be, Smallville. As long as I have my friends, your mom, and the knowledge that the man I love loves me back, I'll be fine. Sure, I'll miss your arms around me when I sleep, your warm touch on a cold day, and even your flannel, but all that seems bearable as long as I know that one day you'll be back."
Clark smiled and leaned his cheek against her forehead. "I'll come back, I promise."
"Don't make promises."
"What?" he asked, pulling back and looking at her. Her eyes didn't drop from his gaze for a second.
"I don't need a promise Clark. I know you will come back."
His sudden feeling of pain washed away into the room walls as he smiled and hugged her again.
Lois almost let out a tear, the emotion of the moment getting the best of her as she wiped the moisture out of her eyes. "Why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?" she asked with an uneven voice.
"I don't know," Clark responded as he looked past her and to the door that opened up into the hallway, "but with all the uncertainty that surrounds us, It never hurts tell one another how much our love means. I know I will have to leave for my training someday, but I plan on spending the rest of my days leading up to it, with you. No one can stop me from doing that."
She grinned and wiped away a fresh batch of tears that had formed in her eyes. She used humor to relieve the sudden weight of the moment. "Just remember, if you don't come back in ten years, I'll track my father down and we'll hunt you for sport."
"Ten years? You're more patient than I thought."
"Ten years is nothing Smallville. I'd wait twenty years if I had to." Her words brought out a large smile from him. She reciprocated one for his pleasure. "Never worry Smallville, my love is forever. You can't just toss me aside for the next piece of tail to pass by you. You're stuck with me."
Clark howled in laughter and kissed her, putting his hand on the back of her neck and hardening it. He pulled away, her eyes closed as she let out a small cry. "I think I could spend my life being stuck to you and still finding a way to have more fun than saving lives could ever give me."
She got over her daze and slapped him on the chest, turning from his body and wandering to the closet. Sliding the door aside, she took out a pair of fresh underwear, a small, yellow cotton pair. She slid them on underneath the towel and wiggled her hips to make sure they were on all the way. A smile cracked her lips as she watched Clark out the corner of her eye. He was staring, a goofy grin spread across his face like a kid meeting Santa for second or third time after realizing that the man gave out presents on Christmas. Turning her back to him, she grabbed a yellow bra out of the closet and dropped the towel to the floor. She could have sworn she heard him gulp, but she laughed at herself for thinking it. Snapping the clasp in place, she turned back around and put her hands on her hips. "Like?" she asked simply.
He nodded his head dumbly as he continued to stare. "I think I know what your favorite color is."
"How ever could you have found that out?" she asked sarcastically as she turned from him and bent over into the closet, dragging a pair of jeans out of the bottom of the small rolling cupboard.
Walking up to her as she wiggled herself into her tight jeans, he grazed her bra with a knuckle. "I tend to remember seeing you wear a lot of yellow."
"It beats pink," she replied as she did up zipperless jeans, instead doing up the five buttons on the front. He was still only in a towel. A soft chuckle came from his throat as she reached into the closet and withdrew a tight yellow shirt that showed an ample amount of cleavage. It was cut short on the arms, just below the shoulders in fact. She quickly put it on. It was something she liked to wear on a hot date, but she was more than pleased by the reaction Clark gave her.
"Wow," he said, his eyes fawning over her ample bosom and flat stomach.
"You like it?" she asked as she modeled it for him, turning left and right with her hands on her hips. He didn't respond though, only his nodding and gawking signaling he was indeed pleased. "Good," she said suddenly, stopping and yanking the towel off him, leaving him standing naked in front of her. Her eyes grew wide as she looked from below and up to his eyes, her mischievous smile causing his cheeks to redden in embarrassment. "As much as I like to see that you're quite quick at rising to attention, I just got dressed."
Clark looked down at his naked self and turned around quickly, trying hard to hide his embarrassment and erection. "Sorry," he said with a mumble, reaching in the closest and trying to find a pair of boxers with his left hand. He fumbled around for them as he didn't want to have to look. He would have to face her if he looked for them, and he was still feeling incredibly embarrassed.
Lois smiled and grabbed pair of his underpants out of the closet and stepped up right behind him. She went to her tip toes and put her mouth close to his left ear. "Here you go," she said in a sultry tone, pulling back as she draped his boxers over his shoulder.
He almost fell to the floor, his knees locking and his back going rigid. If it hadn't been for the ever present heat in his face, he might have lost consciousness from her torture. "Cruel," he whispered as he slowly took the cotton shorts off his shoulder and slipped them on. He almost tripped a couple times as he tried to get his feet through both holes. It proved a much more difficult task than it should have.
"Left leg, right leg," Lois said with a laugh, teasing him about his sudden awkwardness.
Grunting in displeasure and finally getting his boxers on, he reached into the closet and withdrew a pair of his good old blue jeans, making sure not to look at her as the crimson in his cheeks grew darker. He slipped them on more fluidly, making sure to take his time and not make a fool of himself.
Lois shook her head in amazement as he finally did up the zipper and button. She wandered right up to him and put her arms around him from behind, her palms pressed flat against his chest as she kissed his smooth back. He lifted his arms slightly so that she could continue upward and touch the base of his neck. "I love that you still feel embarrassed, even after we've had sex."
Clark smiled and spun, letting her arms drop from his chest and tangle miserably in his. With a clumsy grin, he undid the knot and took her by the elbows in each hand. "It's not that I'm embarrassed, I just feel inadequate being around such a fine specimen." He looked from her eyes and down to her breasts, only to look back up and stare at her convincingly.
She grinned and slipped her hand into his back pockets, making sure to give him a squeeze for good measure. He didn't seem to register her action as he continued to grin. "I think you're the one with the great body. You don't have worry about staying in shape. You could eat a whole buffet and not gain an ounce."
Clark shrugged and gave her a sheepish look. "I can't help it that I'm blessed with a fast metabolism."
"Blessed? I think it's a curse." She grinned at him.
He knew she was making fun of the fact that he used to treat his powers as a curse, but he had moved past that, Lois making him believe he might actually be special. "I used to think it was a curse, but ever since I met you I think to myself that they must have helped in seducing the woman in front of me."
"Seduced me?" Lois shook her head in disbelief. "There was no seducing on your behalf and you know it. I didn't fall in love with your abilities, although you are beast in the bathtub." She lifted her right hand out of his left rear pocket and trailed it down his chest lightly. "I fell in love with Clark Kent the man. A man who stole my heart by getting under my skin and showing me that nature works in mysterious ways. Love is a fickle mistress, but with you it all makes sense."
"It's too bad I never truly got the chance to seduce you, it would have been fun."
"Not fun, Smallville, comical." She leaned up and kissed him, placing her hand flat on his chest. She could feel his heart quicken as he responded to her lips, his tongue almost poking for entrance. He didn't push himself that far though, but pulled back and stared longingly into her eyes.
"Everything about us is comical. And I'm sure both Jimmy and Chloe would agree."
Lois rubbed her palm around his smooth chest, warming his already tempered skin. "I like to believe we're not funny, just unique."
Clark nodded with her and continued to rest his hand on the small of her back, the fabric of her tight shirt only wrinkling slightly between his fingers. "Somehow I get the feeling that you'd let both Chloe and Jimmy have it if they said something about us being a comical couple."
"You're right; I would probably slap them both around."
"Slap? I'm betting you could tear them apart by simply using that big mouth of yours." He dangerously played on the line between mirth and offensiveness, but by her smile he could tell she had recieved his meaning.
"I'm happy I have a big mouth. Plus, it looks like there's another reason why it is the size it is." She looked to his crotch and tugged on his jeans just a little.
Clark gulped again as she looked back up, her eyes glinting dangerously as she continued to tug at his jeans. "I-uh-I-uh-need a shirt," he stammered as pulled himself away from her and dug through the closet furiously. No matter how much he wanted to play her little game, he knew he would always lose in the end. She had the gumption to put everything on the line, having no shame. He on the other hand had so much shame he had to fight the urge to blush every time she smiled at him. And now that they had been intimate, her giving him her special smirk in public was going to be even harder to handle.
Lois laughed softly as he finally found a blue t-shirt and slipped it on. "There's not one minute I'm not reminded that I'm in love with a boy scout."
Clark drew his lips in and gave her an awkward stare.
She tilted her head to the side and gave him her best condescending, yet cute, gaze. "You're still a boy scout, aren't you?"
"I was never actually in the scouts, same as I never played sports growing up."
Hearing his tone she realized she had hit a sore spot. "I'm sorry, I just-."
Clark cut her off by putting a finger to her lips and shaking his head. "It's in the past Lois. All I care about it the future. I would gladly suffer the letdowns of not being able to participate in sports and groups if it meant I could still fall in love with you. I would let someone punch me in the face with kryptonite over and over again if that was the price for your love. I'd suffer through anything as long as I knew you were there at the end of the tunnel."
Lois, feeling her emotions starting to get the best of her again, removed his finger from her lips and held it in one hand. She was still surprised as the size of his hands and fingers. They dwarfed hers considerably, making her feel weak in his presence. Even though he was physically stronger than her, she knew it only took a few minutes to wiggle past his exterior and turn him into mush.
"I'm starving," she proclaimed as she slipped away from his hands and left him standing all alone by the closet. She found her pair of heeled boots by the edge of the bed on the floor. She th,anked herself for leaving her white socks sticking out the top of them as she sat on the bed and put them on. The heat that had been coming off Clark's body and radiating onto her had almost been too much. She loved him, but she wasn't sure if she could go another round. She had freshly bathed and dressed, not wanting to get rid of the refreshingly clean feel. If she had lingered with his finger in her hand, his touch warming her to no end, she would have eventually lost herself. There was no reason to start sweating after just recently cleaning themselves. Well, cleaning each other was more like it.
Clark nodded somewhat in displeasure from her leaving his touch, but got quickly past it and found a pair of socks. He slipped them on quickly and walked to the bedroom doors that led into the living room. Lois got up just as he walked through, her individually toed bright socks shining in the sunlight as she walked into the main room. "Those things give off a wicked glare," he said as he stared at her feet.
Catching where his eyes were pointed, she fought back. "They may be pink, but they're comfortable."
"I guess that's what matters, right?" He opened the fridge and removed the jug of orange juice again. It was almost noon, but he hadn't actually had breakfast yet.
"Right," she replied in her most mocking tone. He hadn't noticed that she had both her boots in her hands and was slipping them on as he drank from the jug. She quickly wiggled her ankles into the small boots and ripped the jug from his mouth. He had done it to her earlier. "Did you grow up on a farm or something?"
Clark frowned at her glare, giving her the most lopsided stare she could have ever possibly seen.
Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Lois closed the jug and slipped it back into the fridge. "I'm sure Jimmy and Chloe are still down at the buffet. We could join them?"
"A sound plan," Clark chimed in as he shut the door to the refrigerator and turned to Lois. "It's been an hour, but I would expect them to still be there. That's if Chloe hasn't dragged Jimmy off shopping again." He gave Lois a wink.
"They left without their coats, Smallville. Think."
He chuckled at her pointing out his sudden lack of information. "I didn't think about that," he admitted.
"And that's why I'm here," Lois continued for him. She glided gracefully into the bedroom as he followed after, his feet slapping loudly on the floor. "Well, put your boots on and let's go." She stood by the door and slipped the card for the door into the back right pocket of her jeans.
Clark nodded, putting on his black riding boots and taking his wallet off the table by the door. He put it in his back pocket and opened the door for her.
Lois looked to his feet and scrunched her nose. "Those pants do go with those boots," she said.
"My other ones are in the rental car."
"Make sure to get them later. That light blue and dark black doesn't blend well."
"I didn't think fashion mattered. It certainly doesn't to me."
Lois shrugged as Clark pulled the door closed behind them. "Being my boyfriend means having me nitpick over the smallest of details." She turned and walked backwards, facing him and grinning wildly as she clasped her hands together behind her back.
"I can deal with it," he replied, speeding behind her and quickly scooping her up in his arms. He walked with her in his arms until they reached the elevator.
"Put me down, please?"
Her whimpering tone melted his brain, making him bend to her will. He set her down and she straightened out her shirt as he pushed the button. He tapped the toe of his right boot on the ground as he looked to the ceiling, waiting for the elevator to get to them.
"What are you doing?" Lois asked as she looked at him. She was standing beside him, her head turned slightly towards him.
"Hmm?"
Lois rolled her eyes for the hundredth time and let it drop. He had some weird habits, having especially noticed them when he was in a seemingly good mood. As the elevator took a few for moments to get to the top floor, she spoke out the side of her mouth. "Aren't you going to start whistling?"
"What, and put my hands in my pockets and rock back and forth on my heels?" He smiled as he turned his head to her. "I thought you said you didn't want anyone thinking we're a comical couple?"
"I'm beginning to see the lack of foresight on my part," Lois replied as she bent across his towering frame and pushed the button again for good measure. "Any woman who dates you is going to look silly, especially with all those damn quirks."
"Quirks?" he asked as he stopped glancing to the ceiling and put his eyes on her. The doors to the elevator opened and they entered.
Lois hit the button for the first floor and responded. "You know, the constant yet subtle glances to the roof or to the side. The awkward shuffling and constant hands in the pockets, they're all little quirks that will make people wonder why a woman like me would date such a seemingly awkward guy."
By the pitch of her voice he could tell she was just playing with him again. "I guess I should get used to people asking me how I snagged a woman like you?"
"Yep." She smiled smugly as the doors closed.
Clark leaned closer to her, towering over her smaller frame as her back hit the side of the elevator with a thud. He saw her gulp as he leaned down dangerously. "You want to play with me Miss Lane, you'll see that I can give back just as good."
"You told me before," She challenged, bringing her knees straight and bumping her nose against his. "I think you're all talk." She smiled ruefully as he scowled at her. Backing down was not an option. A Lane never gave in.
He leaned even closer, his lips a few scant millimeters from her. "You think so?" he asked, once again challenging her. She nodded, but gave him the cutest look he had ever seen, as if she was hung up on a wonderful narration of a children's nursery rhyme. He smiled suddenly and closed the distance between their lips.
Lois puckered softly, greeting him and closing her eyes just a little. It had ended before it had really even started, the bell from the elevator dinging loudly as they reached the first floor. The mix of emotions and the butterflies in her stomach at going down the elevator was quite unique. She suddenly began to understand the attraction of the 'Mile-High' Club.
Clark cleared his throat loudly and stepped back just as the doors began to slide open.
"You're evil," Lois said quietly so that only he could hear.
Clark turned his head to her and grinned. "I learned from the best." She grabbed his hand and he led them out of the elevator, towards the restaurant.