Author's note: Hello all! Thanks so much for all your reviews and kind words! A longer update from Clark's perspective, as promised!
Clark stood off to the side of the bustling engagement party, his gaze fixed not on the happy couple being celebrated, but rather on the gorgeous maid of honor across the room. He knew he should be focused on celebrating his friends' engagement and making sure the night went smoothly, but instead all he could think about was a copy room and the cousin of the bride-to-be. Clark felt his cheeks redden slightly at the memory. He never would have expected what had happened between them that night. Weeks later, he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that it hadn't all been a dream. Of course, from the way Lois was acting, it very well could have been.
It had been just over two weeks since their encounter in the basement of the Daily Planet, and though he'd made several attempts to talk to her about it, she had managed to evade him nearly every time. He would barely get the words 'we need to talk' out of his mouth before she would cut him off with some sudden errand—usually some maid of honor duties or a lead for a story. A few days prior, he had finally managed to corner her in the elevator in an attempt to discuss what had happened. He remembered the way her eyes had widened when he had darted into the elevator just before the doors closed.
Her surprised expression quickly morphed into a forced cheerful smile. "Hey Smallville, calling it a day?"
Clark didn't reply, instead he gave her a determined look, and reached out to hit the emergency stop button. He saw her tense as he turned back towards her, his arms crossing over his chest. "You're avoiding me."
"I'm not avoiding you, I've been busy," she argued stubbornly. "The news waits for no one, remember? You're imagining things."
"I didn't imagine us making out in the copy room."
Lois looked momentarily thrown by the bluntness of his words.
"Lois," he began again awkwardly, rapidly losing his steely resolve, "we have to talk about it."
"No, we don't," she said firmly.
Frustrated, he demanded, "Why are you so determined to pretend it never happened?"
"Because it shouldn't have happened," she blurted out, looking exasperated. "Look Smallville, you were flying high on endorphins and I'd just barely avoided becoming a smear on Main street. I don't think either of us were in our right minds."
As she spoke, she reached out and pressed the panel for the elevator to continue. She turned back to him, her face resolute. "Let's just chalk it up as another 'c' for crazy meteor freak encounter and call it a day."
The doors to the elevator slid open and gave him a bright—and fake, he noted—smile. "See you around, Smallville."
That was the last time they had had anything close to a discussion on the matter. For a while, he had thought that maybe she was right after all—maybe their encounter really had been an endorphin charged accident better put behind them. Despite their bickering and insistences to the otherwise, he and Lois actually were good friends, and truthfully, there was a part of him that would have been relieved to pretend it had never happened. Lois had long been the one uncomplicated part of his life. No matter what he did, she was always there to set him straight, to tell him to get over himself, and to make him laugh. Lois made him feel normal in a confusing, messy world filled with aliens, meteor freaks, and a murky destiny. There was a part of him that was very much afraid to ever venture beyond that reassuring comfort zone for fear of losing the friendship he had come to depend on.
However, Clark couldn't deny that after watching guy after guy approach her at Chloe's engagement party, he was feeling less platonic friendship and a bit territorial. He watched as, for the fourth time that night, one of Jimmy's friends tapped her on the shoulder. Clark watched intently as she smiled and gently rebuffed the man's advances. The man smiled good naturedly in response as Lois patted his arm and moved past him.
Clark noticed her slight stumble as she moved to walk away from the bar and was at her side almost instantly, his hand at her elbow.
"Smallville," Lois said in surprise, whirling around suddenly. Her mouth formed a goofy grin, and he couldn't help but smile back...it was the first time she had really smiled at him in two weeks. He'd missed that, despite it being prompted by an overindulgence in wine.
"Lois," he said, grabbing her arm to steady her. "I think it's time to go home."
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry," the blond guy said, his eyes darting between the two of them. He gave Clark an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to be that guy."
Clark's eyebrows knit together in confusion before he realized what the other man meant. He was beginning to realize how often people made that same mistake about the two of them. He opened his mouth to correct him, but he had already turned and disappeared back into the crowd.
"I know Smallville shuts down by 9," Lois said with arched eyebrows, a teasing smile on her lips, "but here in the big city the party's just getting started."
"Somehow I don't think Chloe and Jimmy are going to turn their engagement party into an all-night event," he pointed out. "Besides Lois, half the guests have already started to leave."
"Oh." She looked around in surprise and then sighed. "Well let's go then. The Talon isn't that far of a drive and I'd like to be asleep before the happy couple comes home to...celebrate."
Clark wasn't sure whether to laugh at the exaggeratedly disturbed face she'd made at the term 'celebrate' or cringe with her at the mental image. "Actually, you're going to come back to the farm with me, that way Chloe and Jimmy can have some time alone."
She looked up at him through squinted eyes, suspicion in her gaze. "You're not trying to get me into bed or something, are you?"
Clark choked on his spit at her direct question and glanced around to make sure no one else had heard her. Thankfully, both Chloe and Jimmy were well out of earshot, thanking guests by the doors as they left. When he turned back to Lois, she was still rambling away.
"I mean sure, we just made out last time but I remember what you were doing with your tongue and with something like that it's easy for one thing to lead to another..." she was saying, looking thoughtful as she swayed in place.
"Lois!" he interrupted her, his voice coming out an octave higher than normal. "Look, let's get your stuff and head to the farm. You can take my old bedroom."
The slight redirection seemed to do the trick. She brightened up and patted his arm. "Glad you're finally on board with our old sleeping arrangements. And I think you mean my bedroom. Come on, Smallville, first one to the car gets to pick the music!"
Clark shook his head, following her unsteady footsteps towards the exit. This was going to be a long drive.
One hour, 12 country songs, and countless protests from Lois later—"Clark I can't listen to another song about trucks, I'll throw up."—Clark pulled to a stop in front of the Kent farm. He opened the passenger door of the truck, catching Lois just before she tumbled out onto the ground.
"Oh!" she made a tiny noise of surprise, looking at the ground just a foot away. When Clark straightened up with her in his arms, Lois' look of surprise turned into a drunken grin. "Nice catch, Smallville."
He couldn't help but smile back, unconsciously pulling her closer to him. He set her down gently on her feet, suppressing another smile when, rather than pull away like he expected. she looped her arm through his. She tilted her head back, staring up at the stars as he began to lead her towards the house. She was humming a familiar song under her breath, swaying a little as her eyes tracked the sky overhead. He wondered what she was thinking, but she quickly snapped back to reality the minute they walked in the door to the kitchen.
"Time to get out of these torture devices," Lois said suddenly, kicking her heels across the kitchen floor.
"What are you doing?" Clark asked, watching one shoe slide towards the fridge.
"I know you wouldn't know this, because you specialize mostly in flannel, but the best part of wearing formal clothes is being able to take them off at the end of the night," she said matter-of-factly. Without warning, she suddenly reached down the hem of her dress and began trying to pull it over her head.
"Lois!' Clark yelped. He quickly thrust his old championship jersey into her hands, halting her attempt to undress.
Lois squinted at him in confusion, then down at the jersey. "Did you have this with you a minute ago?"
"Yeah of course," he lied. Truthfully, he had sped upstairs to grab something for her to wear in a panic. Drunk Lois was one thing to handle—half naked drunk Lois would be quite another.
"I'll uh, give you some privacy," he said, ducking around the corner into the living room. He leaned his back against the wall, feeling hot around the collar. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else, he didn't know. Instead of examining it too closely, he set about making up his old bedroom for her, replacing the sheets with fresh linens.
When some time had passed without hearing from her, he made his way back downstairs to the living room. He began to hear the familiar opening strains of one of Lois' favourite songs coming from the kitchen. Clark poked his head into the room cautiously. Lois was standing by the kitchen counter in his championship jersey, poking at her cell phone. Being a good friend, he chose to dutifully ignore the way his jersey ended mid-thigh on her long legs, and instead addressed her sudden need for 80s hair metal. "Lois, why are we listening to Whitesnake?"
"I'm trying to get that god awful country music out of my head," Lois said cheerfully. "I know you're a farmboy and all, but you really need to start appreciating someone other than George Strait."
"Lois," he began, but whatever he was about to say died in his throat as she began to sway side to side to the beat, eyes closed as she listened to the music. He watched, equal parts amused and fascinated.
"I don't know where I'm going," she sang, sliding from one end of the kitchen to the other, whipping her hair back and forth. "But I sure know where I've been."
She grabbed his hand and twirled around, her chocolate colored hair hitting him square in the face. Clark felt laughter bubbling up in his chest at her antics, allowing himself to be pulled around the kitchen with her as she danced. Her face was carefree in a way he couldn't remember having before, and her giddiness was starting to become contagious. She closed her eyes and bobbed to the music, but he didn't take his eyes off her face.
"Here I go again on my oowwwnnn," she sang. "Goin' down the only road I've ever known! C'mon Smallville," she said with a nudge.
Clark sighed, unable to resist her enthusiasm, before half-heartedly singing along, "Like a drifter I was born to walk alone."
"Clark!" she punched him in the shoulder, looking delighted. "You know the words!"
"Yeah well, how could I not?" he said with a laugh. "You once gave me a whole CD dedicated Whitesnake."
Lois looked momentarily confused before realization dawned on her face. She stopped dancing and looked at him curiously. "You listened to that?"
"Yes, well," he shrugged. "I mean, you made it for me..."
"When I was high on love potion and stalking you," she pointed out.
"You weren't so bad," he said absently, semi-hoping she'd continue her sing-along. "You were sort of sweet."
His statement seemed to sober her somewhat, her look of drunken giddiness fading. He paused, wondering exactly what he had said to change her mood. She took a small step towards him, her eyes never leaving his. She was staring at him intently, her expression unreadable, and he watched her, curious. Her lips parted slowly, but whatever she was about to say to him was lost when she suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth.
"Lois?" he said in confusion.
With speed that impressed even him, Lois went running up the stairs and into the bathroom. Clark grimaced when he heard the sounds of her retching. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs and into the bathroom to find her hovering over the toilet, her head in her hands. Clark grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cool water. She moaned when he touched her shoulder.
"Why did you let me have that many glasses of wine?" she mumbled.
Clark smoothed some of her hair back off her sweaty forehead and chuckled quietly, applying the cool cloth to her skin. "Lois, you and I both know that there's no way I could ever make you do anything."
"True," she grunted, gently pushing his hand away as she dove for the toilet once more. He grabbed her hair and prepared for a long night, wincing in sympathy as she was sick. About an hour later, after she had been sick several more times and he had cleaned up the bathroom, he found her laying on the couch, hugging the couch cushions.
"Lois," he said, gently waking her. "I'm going put you to bed."
He leaned down and began to lift her, freezing when she let out a distressed moan.
"Don't," she groaned, clenching her eyes shut. "World's spinning."
Clark acquiesced, laying her on the couch rather than heading up the stairs. Lois gave a small sigh of relief once she was horizontal, immediately burying her face back into the couch cushion. Clark smiled softly at the sounds of quiet snores and sped upstairs to the linen closet, grabbing the warmest quilt he could find before returning to the living room and covering her with it.
He pulled the blanket up a little higher around her shoulders, and sat for a minute across from where she slept, taking her in. She looked younger curled up on the couch, her hair messy and her face relaxed. It was the most peaceful he had seen her in weeks, and he found himself somewhat inexplicably missing her. He had spent the last two weeks with a distant, awkward version of her, and he sorely missed the Lois who spent her mornings stealing his coffee, who teased him and dragged him around to various leads, imparting her own experience and rules along the way. He missed her, and everything about her.
After a few more moments, he stood to leave. He was surprised when he suddenly felt Lois' hand grab his.
"'M sorry," Lois mumbled, snuggling further into her pillow.
Clark paused, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "What are you sorry for?" he asked softly.
"Sorry that you had to deal with me tonight," was all she said. He shook his head, unsurprised. Lois was always uncomfortable with being taken care of, even when she needed it. Especially when she needed it.
"Lois, there's no other way I would have wanted to spend the night," he told her. He realized with a jolt that though he had meant it as a light joke, in a way he was being quite genuine. They had finally spent time together without it being awkward, and despite the fact that most of their night had been spent in a bathroom, it was the most fun he'd had in weeks. He heard her laugh quietly.
"'M sorry for the other thing too," she sighed.
Before he had the chance to ask her exactly what that meant, he heard her soft snores once more. Pulling the quilt up around her shoulders once more, he turned out the lights and left her to sleep. He stepped into his room and hesitated briefly, speeding downstairs just long enough to lay out several bowls around the living room before climbing into bed. He smiled to himself as he heard Lois mumble in her sleep downstairs.
Just in case.
I hope you enjoyed, more to come soon!
Fun fact: Here I Go Again by Whitesnake was released exactly 33 years ago today.