- - - Chapter Three
Clark Kent sat at his desk, watching the tiny digital clock in the bottom corner of his computer screen tick away the minutes. It was now 8:30pm, and he, Lois Lane, and her, their, son Jason were the only ones left in the Daily Planet newsroom. In fact, they had been the only ones left in the newsroom for going on three hours; it was Friday night and most people had slipped out early to get a head start on their weekends.
Lois typed furiously, but Clark, being who he was, knew she wasn't working on anything important. She was stalling, pretending to work and hoping that he'd leave soon so that she could pick Jason up from the chair he'd been sleeping in for the better part of the hour, and bring him into the back room where there was a lumpy cot that they'd been sharing for almost three weeks.
Clark sat quietly, wanting to reach out to her but not sure how she'd respond.
The relationship between Lois and Richard hadn't been the same since the incident with Lex Luthor on the Gertrude and the following events. Richard had realized that Lois's heart still belonged to Superman. Not long after the night Clark had woken from his coma, Richard had forced Lois to talk to him about Jason's true parentage. Contrary to her belief that Richard would be able to see past that and continue to raise Jason as his own, he had blown up on her and their conversation had turned into an all-out shouting match. It had woken Jason and things had only gotten worse. They fought for less than a week before Richard told Lois that she should leave and take her "bastard alien son" with her. Jason had been confused; why would Daddy want him and his Mommy to leave?
Lois had smoothed things over as best as she could, moving the pair of them into a cheap, but not too cheap, hotel while she searched for a new apartment. After a month without luck, the manager of the hotel had begun dropping hints that he wasn't a landlord and that she should clear out. So, Lois and Jason Lane were living at the Daily Planet. Lois kept their things packed away in discreet suitcases under the cot in the storage room during the day, only taking them out after everybody else had gone home. The pair of them would rise early and go to a local gym where they'd shower and change clothes; Lois would put a load of laundry in at the laundromat next-door before taking Jason to school. She'd get the laundry and pack it back in their suitcases by the time her coworkers began filtering in for another day. She would sneak out of the storage room and get a cheap coffee before coming back up the elevator for her official arrival. At least it wasn't so bad going to work now that Richard had transferred to a California paper.
It had been working, so far as she was aware. Of course, she wasn't aware that Superman was watching her and getting more and more worried about her. Clark had visited her a few times after Richard had made her leave. He stopped by the hotel room and checked on them, and she'd noticed him flying above her on her way to and from the Planet. She'd seen only worry in his eyes when they'd met, but she was too proud to ask for help. Clark couldn't think of a way to help her as Superman without revealing his second identity to her, and he wasn't ready for that yet.
Clark looked through his monitor again, watching Lois's fingers tap the keys and mimicking her strokes. She was writing "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." again and again and again. She had thirty-four pages of it and similar phrases in all manner of fonts and sizes. It was time to put a stop to it.
Sighing loudly, Clark leaned back and stretched, stifling an exaggerated yawn. He leaned in and went through the motions of closing his computer down for the night and packing his slightly weathered briefcase.
"Heading home?" Lois asked quietly. Clark didn't fail to notice the hopefulness in her voice, nor the barely masked exhaustion.
"Yeah," he paused. "What about you?"
"Not quite yet, I've got a few pages to go on this, and Jason looks comfortable enough for the moment…" she trailed off, looking at her son. Jason had always been able to sleep just about anywhere, lucky for him. He didn't look comfortable at all, however, curled up in a tight ball on the swivel seat, his cheek resting on the armrest. Clark could see the muscles cramping with his x-ray vision, solidifying his decision to bring the pair of them home with him, secrets be damned.
"What're you working on?" He asked, moving around to see. Lois clicked a few things quickly to bring up an actual article.
"It's the follow-up Perry asked me to do on Lex Luthor's latest life sentence," she said, pointing out the title on her screen. "I've almost finished."
"D'you think it'll make the front page?" He asked in his usual soft tone, not stuttering this time, but still sounding a bit nervous.
"Hopefully," she smiled, I need the money that comes with a front page article right now, she thought. Richard had gotten everything: they'd lived in his house, he'd paid for all the furniture, and his salary had paid the rent; now Lois was stuck with what he'd "generously" let her take from their joint savings account, the clothes that belonged to her and Jason, and her car. She'd secretly been hoping Superman would see fit to swoop in and take her away to wherever it was he lived, but, of course, her pride got in the way of voicing that hope.
Behind her, Clark scanned the article and decided it was definitely worth the front page, though Perry might not agree, Richard was his nephew, after all. "H-have you found an apartment yet?" He asked, wondering belatedly if Clark had any right to ask her that. Lois's heart sped up briefly; she was uncomfortable with the subject.
"Not just yet," at least she didn't lie to him, he could see the suitcases plain as day through the wall and the blankets hiding them.
"Where've you been staying then?" He asked, his face written with concern.
"Well, we had a hotel for a couple of weeks, but…" she shrugged. "Nothings open right now, and hotels aren't apartments…"
"Lois, do you need a place to stay?" He asked, letting his voice come dangerously close to the timbre it took on when he was Superman. She seemed startled at the change in his voice, shifting in her chair and glancing at Jason, who was stirring.
"I, um," she mumbled.
"I have a guest bedroom," he offered, "with a bed that's, um, big enough for both of you, or-or I could sleep on the couch and one of you could use my bed…" he finished, going back to his usual tone and stutter.
"Clark, you don't have to… I don't want to be a bother…"
"Don't worry, you won't be," he assured her. Jason was truly stirring now, his muscles finally cramping enough to bring him around with their complaints. "You can stay for as long as you need to."
"Are you sure, I mean… Clark…"
"You're my friend, Lois, and, well, you, um, deserve better than the cot in the storage room," he said the last part softly, knowing she'd hear anyway. She was looking at him with a slightly embarrassed, mostly thankful look.
"Thank you, Clark," she smiled at him, something he hadn't seen her do since before she and Richard had broken up.
- - -
"How can you afford this?" Lois blurted out when they entered his apartment. She had driven, Clark didn't exactly have use for a car when he could fly; he'd claimed he preferred the bus anyway. Clark just smiled at her question and explained while he walked around turning on lights.
"When I left, um, on my trip I sold most of my belongings and invested the, uh, money. I made good interest off of what I kept in savings because I wasn't making daily withdrawals for coffee, and I got lucky with the companies I invested in," he shrugged, smiling his goofy smile. "This place was open when I got back and so I, you know, moved in, I guess."
"You never told me where you went," Lois remarked, continuing to look around the apartment.
"Mommy?" Jason asked quietly from the doorway before Clark could even start to tell them about the trip.
"Yes, honey?"
"When are we going to go back to work? I'm sleepy," he said, looking from one adult to the other. Lois smiled gently and picked up her son.
"Clark is letting us sleep here," she explained. "He has an extra bedroom he's letting us use while we keep looking for our own apartment."
"Thank you, Mr. Clark," Jason said sleepily.
"Let's go find your pajamas," Lois said, Jason nodded sleepily, resting his head on his mother's shoulder. They followed Clark, who was carrying the suitcases, into the small second bedroom. It was simple, didn't look like it was used very often; the bed had red sheets and blankets that matched the curtains, which Lois pulled closed, blocking out the lovely view of the brick wall of the adjacent building.
Clark put the suitcases down on the bed and let them go through their bedtime routine, retreating to the small living area. The apartment was officially four rooms, not including the bathroom, but it was more like three and a half rooms anyways. There were the two bedrooms, the one Clark slept in was slightly larger than the one he'd made up for his guests. The kitchenette had all the basics, a refrigerator, oven, microwave, sink, and was located against the far wall; the table, just big enough for the three of them, was pressed against the half wall made by the countertops across from the appliances. The rest of the main room was set up with an overstuffed couch, a coffee table with bachelor-worthy ring stains, and a moderate sized TV. The bathroom was pushed in the corner between the door and Clark's bedroom. Everybody could hear everything if all the doors were open, but the doors made remarkable sound barriers.
Clark locked up the outside door and pulled an apple from the fridge while listening to mother and son brush teeth and read a very short bedtime story, the condensed version of The Little Engine That Could. Lois came out a few minutes later, shutting the door softly behind her, and smiling at Clark.
"Thank you so much for letting us stay with you," she said, standing across from him. She looked like she wanted to hug him, but decided against it.
"Anytime, Lois," he said meekly, turning towards the fridge. "Are you hungry, at all?" She looked uncomfortable so he gave her options. "I've got apples, and cheese… and milk… nevermind about the milk," he pulled the empty half gallon of milk out of the fridge and tossed the bottle, pushing things around in the fridge in search of something Lois-worthy. "Um… there's some leftover macaroni and cheese too, if you want," he turned around shrugging.
"An apple sounds good," she said awkwardly. Clark pulled another apple out and handed it to her with a smile.
The pair of them sat down at opposite ends of the couch and Clark turned on the news after finding the remote and then finding batteries for said piece of technology. The newscasters were just finishing with the weather and moving on to a recap of all the big stories. Lex Luthor was the first on the list; the anchor reminded them that Superman had turned him and Kitty Kowalski in to Metropolis authorities less than a week after he'd disappeared from the hospital. The pair of them were sitting in jail waiting for their days in court; this time Superman had promised to stick around to testify.
"That's not a story!" Lois complained when the anchor moved on after that summary, not giving any new information. "You're just telling us the same thing you've been saying for a month …" she trailed off when she remembered where she was. "Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly at Clark, who was smiling back.
"So… had any interviews with Superman lately?" Clark asked after about another half an hour.
"I haven't seen him for awhile," she said, shrugging. "He says he's always around, but… I think he's avoiding me," she said, a little sadly. Clark scrunched up his eyebrows when he responded.
"He's a busy guy, I'm sure he's just keeping his distance, you know, with, um, everything that's been going on," he said, not really looking at her.
"I don't know," Lois said, before muttering so softly that Clark had to use his super-hearing to catch it, "It's all his fault anyways… coward." Clark plastered a goofy smile on his face and checked his watch.
"Golly, how can it only be nine thirty?" He asked overdramatically. "I can't believe I'm this tired… getting old," he chuckled. Lois smiled with him, but her thoughts were elsewhere. "I think I'm going to say goodnight, Lois," he said after another minute, handing her the remote. "There's that, um, if you just want to turn out the lights and make sure the balcony's locked before you turn in…" he smiled shyly.
"There's a balcony?" Lois asked, looking around before finally spotting the door tucked awkwardly between the refrigerator and the wall to the bedroom she and Jason were sharing. Clark just nodded.
"It's not very big, but it looks out over something of a backyard… there's a tree and some greenish yellow grass in the, uh, summertime," he smiled. Metropolis was now experiencing one of its coldest, windiest falls yet, and expecting snow at any time. The yard below was yellowish brown more than greenish yellow, and the tree was completely bare of leaves. Lois smiled back, standing to look out through the glass door.
"You have a nice skyline from this side," she said, looking across the courtyard and seeing the buildings outlined in the dim moonlight.
"Yep," Clark said, coming up behind her to look out the small door as well. The balcony it led to was only about four feet wide and barely much longer; the railing tall railing took away even more floor space, but it was a nice place to stand on nice evenings. It also made an easy entrance for air-bound travelers.
They stood like that for another minute, Clark taking the time to enjoy his view for the first time in months, and Lois lost in her own thoughts. She was still stuck on Superman's apparent abandonment. It didn't help that Clark was standing so close that she could feel the heat radiating from him. Clark's warm aura reminded her of a certain superhero's heat, making her spin around rather quickly.
"What?" Clark asked, looking down at her with confusion. Lois dismissed her thoughts; if Clark was Superman he certainly wouldn't have invited her, of all people, to use his spare bedroom, Superman was ignoring her… and his son.
"Nevermind," she said, shrugging.
"Oh, um, okay," he said, smiling charmingly. "Goodnight then, Lois," he smiled. He paused just long enough before turning around that Lois decided to hug him, and did.
"Thank you," she said again, hugging him tightly. Clark's arms responded before he was even aware what exactly was happening. He pulled her close in his own hug before he could stop himself. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been this close to her, but it was the first time Clark had been. He hoped the awkwardness he was feeling about that part would transfer to her as the awkwardness that he personified as Clark Kent.
To the contrary, Lois was focused on the familiarity of his embrace. His arms wrapped around her in the way that only one other man ever seemed to be able to hold her; the heat coming from his body made her feel like she might melt into his chest, not an entirely unpleasant thing.
"Anything I can do to help, Lois," Clark said, finally getting his emotions under control well enough to speak evenly. He didn't want to pull away, but he did anyway. "I'll see you in the morning," he promised, and then we've got a whole weekend to figure this out, he thought to himself. Lois just nodded, watching him walk back through the kitchen and to his bedroom door, knocking over a stack of old issues of the Daily Planet on his way; he made another amazing save, catching all but one issue and stacking them back where they'd rested. Then he was gone, with a smile, into his bedroom.
Lois shook her head, turning off lights and changing into her pajamas and robe before walking out onto the balcony, closing the door firmly behind her to keep out the chill.
"You know, it's not really healthy for a person to be out in just a bathrobe in this kind of weather," Superman said from the vicinity of Jason's closed window. Lois shrugged.
"I though you were ignoring us," she said after a beat.
"I'm always around," he said suavely, landing on the small cement platform next to her, quite close because of its size. "I haven't meant to be distant," he said, looking her right in the eye. "I wasn't sure what to say to you… thought you might like some space," he admitted, his closeness and the honesty in his eyes made Lois shiver. He misinterpreted the reaction and moved closer, and she could feel his heat seeping into her core. Now she was sure; Clark was just as warm, if not warmer.
"Well, there's a few things I'd like to say to you," she said quietly, angrily, before realizing that she really didn't want to say them to him so much as simmer about the fact that he wasn't there for her to say them to him. He seemed to know this, and raised an amused eyebrow. "Where've you been?"
"I've been around," he said, backing up a small step. "Keeping my distance."
"I've been sleeping at the Daily Planet," she admitted.
"I know," she half glared at him. "You wanted me to sweep in and take you someplace nice?" He asked a little skeptically.
"I don't know what I wanted," she said after a moment.
"I know," he said again, this time she really glared at him. "So, who's this man you're staying with?"
"Clark Kent."
"The Clark you talked about before… the one from the Daily Planet?" He asked.
"That's the one."
"And why are you with him?"
"I'm not with him with him," she clarified quickly. "He noticed that we were staying at the Planet and offered up his spare room."
"I'm glad you have friends that you can count on," he said, she didn't catch the awkwardness in his voice.
"I wanted to count on you," she accused. He sighed.
"I… I can't always be where I want to be," he sighed. Lois narrowed her eyes at him, but she understood what he meant; he was Superman, he had to save everybody else before he could do something for himself.
"I know," she said softly, not liking it. "Clark's a good guy, though," she said to fill the silence a moment later. "He's kind a geek—really clumsy—but a friend. He's good with Jason, too."
Their conversation was interrupted when Superman's head jerked toward the sound of a shuttle attempting reentry. It was going poorly. The poor shuttle had had enough trouble getting into space, and now they were having more issues. He frowned, looking down at Lois, but she already knew what was coming. "I'm sorry, Lois, but I have to go." She nodded. "I'll try and come around more often."
"Well, you're always around," she said, almost sarcastically. He gave her a worried smile and was gone, racing across the sky faster than a speeding bullet to come to the aid of the struggling astronauts.
Lois closed her eyes, breathing in the sharp night air and pulling her robe closer. She considered lighting a cigarette, but she was cold, tired, and those were as good of reasons as any to hold off. She slipped back inside and locked the balcony doors as she'd been instructed before settling in bed next to her son.
- - -
The three of them slept in the next morning. Lois and Jason were reveling in the lack of lumps in their mattress and the fact that they didn't have to be up at a certain time so that they could fool their coworkers, and Clark was just plain tired from all the superhero business he'd been out on last night. After the shuttle had safely made it home, he'd flown to London to save a double-decker bus when it plunged into a lake, and then to California to stop a man from ending his life off the Golden Gate Bridge. It had been like that all night, everything was on the opposite side of the planet. He didn't mind the flying; it was a beautiful, if brisk night for it, but even Superman needs to sleep.
The sound of a door closing tightly outside his room brought him into full consciousness about an hour before he would've preferred. He lay there considering what the noise could've been for almost a full minute before he realized that the heartbeats that had been in his apartment all night weren't there anymore; he grabbed his robe and rushed out into the living room. Why would they leave?
The question was answered when he saw the fridge. Lois had left him a note, held up by a cheerful magnet his mother had bought for him for Christmas just before he left for Krypton. The note let him know that they'd gone to the grocery store because he was a hopeless bachelor. He smiled to himself and got into the shower, hoping he'd be out by the time his guests returned, and feeling a little guilty about the lack of appropriate food.
Lois returned just as Clark was getting out of the shower. He didn't even think about it, really, wrapping a towel around himself, popping his glasses onto his face, and answering the door; he'd forgotten to give Lois a key. Jason walked in, ignoring Clark's strange appearance, heading strait for the TV. Clark found himself blushing deep crimson, and Lois turned a similar shade.
"Sorry, I should've given you a key," Clark stammered, making sure to keep his arms down and turn in such a way that she wouldn't notice the faint white scar left over by the kryptonite Luthor had stabbed him with.
"I, um, yeah," Lois managed to say, almost dropping one of the huge bag of groceries she was carrying.
"Here," Clark said, taking the heavier bag and using it to cover the scar on his side. Lois couldn't take her eyes off of his abs, let alone even think of walking when something so hot was so close. Clark walked into the kitchen as though he hadn't noticed her distraction, and she came to her senses. She watched the muscles of his back ripple as he walked, getting a nice view of his biceps when he put the bag down. Luckily, she was too distracted by his magnificent arms to notice the uneven scar on his back. "I'll just, um, I'll just be a minute… clothes," he said, gesturing awkwardly towards the bathroom. He was flattered that Lois would take such interest in Clark Kent's build, but then, she had certainly liked Superman's build…He shook his head, making sure to keep his side out of view until the bathroom door was closed.
Lois set the bag down, breathing hard. Who would've guessed that under Clark's geeky old-fashioned three piece suits he had one of the hottest bodies she'd ever had the privilege to look upon. She caught herself fanning her face with her hand and turned even redder, glad that Clark didn't have x-ray vision to watch her through the door. She quickly turned to put the groceries in the fridge, thankful for the cool air.
"You didn't have to…" Clark started when he got out of the bathroom, now fully dressed and ready to be Clark Kent all day. He stopped his words when he saw the look he got from Lois, who was pouring her son a bowl of Cheerios. It was somewhere in between You needed food no matter what you say and Where the hell did your muscles go?
"It's the least I could do, Clark, and besides…" she glanced around the apartment and at the fridge, "you needed something besides cheese and apples." Clark smiled and nodded sheepishly at that.
Breakfast was a bit awkward, Clark worried about whether or not she'd noticed the scar, and Lois worried about her sudden inability to concentrate on anything but trying to see a shadow of those muscles again through his blue button-up shirt. At least he had the sense to wear jeans at home and not go for some sort of dress pant on the weekend, Lois thought. Even she had traded her skirt and blouse for jeans and a t-shirt.
After they made it through the awkward breakfast, the rest of the day went smoothly. There were no disasters that needed Superman's attention in the middle of social situations with his guests; there was only one incident where he had to disappear to save a little old lady crossing the street from an oncoming taxi in a hurry. Luckily, it happened on the corner where the three of them had been eating their hotdogs, and the other two had been distracted enough not to notice his absence.
- - -
The three of them ended the perfect day by laughing over Chinese food for dinner. Jason was enjoying the fact that he could eat whatever he wanted out of the selection; his allergies had faded into the past after his exposure to kryptonite.
"That was great," Lois said quietly a few hours later, having finished putting an exhausted Jason to bed.
"I'm-um glad you had fun," Clark said, lounging on the couch comfortably and channel surfing. The news wasn't due to start for another half an hour, and there was nothing much to be expected until then. Lois regarded him from her vantage in the kitchen, a few steps away from the balcony door. She had rarely seen him relaxed, in fact, she'd always had trouble imagining Clark relaxing, he was always so nervous; it was part of what made him such a klutz. The sight was only made stranger by his lack of a suit-coat and his rolled up sleeves, revealing some of those muscles she'd seen that morning and making it had for her to breath. "What?" He asked, noticing her look and becoming a bit self-conscious, he promptly dropped the remote on the floor, sending the battery flying away from him and its case went skittering under the couch.
"Nevermind," she said, chuckling and going after the battery while Clark got down on his hands and knees to retrieve the elusive piece of plastic.
Clark spent the next minute and a half fumbling with the remote control, stuffing the battery in properly and then fussing with the little piece of plastic that didn't seem to want to fit.
"Wait, go back!" Lois said, pulling Clark from his focus on the remote. He'd been pushing buttons in his attempt to make the piece fit. He pushed the "previous channel" button, popping the rogue plastic back in place with ease now that it wasn't his first priority.
"… to Cairo for an update on the situation," the newswoman said seriously. The image flashed and there was a reporter standing on a high balcony, getting a nice shot of the skyline, and shouting into his microphone.
"Thank you Metropolis: this is Dick Newman reporting from Cairo, where the first serious event of the day has occurred, and we're yet to see Superman," Dick said, glancing over his shoulder, around over the balcony at whatever it was that was happening.
Clark sat there, stunned, straining his super hearing for any sign of anything, any sound that shouldn't be there, but got nothing. He turned up the volume on the TV and paid close attention.
The view shifted, but Dick continued to dictate. The sight on the screen wasn't a pleasant one. The streets of Cairo were completely flooded, the water coming from nowhere and rising rapidly. Clark glanced at Lois, trying to find a way to slip past her.
"Less than ten minutes ago, these streets were just as dry as they have been for the past few weeks," Dick told them, coming back into view. "A huge rock, most likely a meteorite, burst through the atmosphere and had blocked up a portion of the Nile River, our sources tell us that the meteor landed just right, and is large enough so that it has re-routed a flow of the great river; sending it directly into the capital city," he looked concerned, the view wobbled slightly and he glanced down over his shoulder again.
"What was that, Dick?" The anchorwoman asked, sounding more concerned for a coworker than about getting the whole story.
"The water's pushing on the buildings," Dick said, nervously. "It appears that… ohmygod!" He cried out, the camera view soared up awkwardly, finally focusing on a building across the street that was falling into the re-routed river. "Where's Superman!?" Dick shouted before the screen went blue and was quickly transferred back to the anchorwoman, looking horrified.
"We'll be back with more on Cairo, right after this," she said before the station began playing a commercial for some lotion or another.
"Where's Superman?" Lois asked, spinning around to look out the balcony window.
Why didn't I hear it? Clark asked himself, still trying to figure out a way to slip away from Lois. Just then, his head felt as though it might split in two; the super hearing he'd been tuning in to the Cairo area finally sent him the shock waves of the giant rock's impact. He winced, glad he was laying down.
"Mommy?" Jason's voice came from his doorway, distracting both adults.
"What's wrong, honey?" Lois asked kindly, the boy looked like he might be sick.
"My head hurts," he said, squinting his eyes against the light and walking unsteadily towards the couch. Clark understood where he was coming from; the sound of the impact was still ringing in his ears, making his eyes water.
"Do you want a glass of water?" Lois suggested sympathetically. Clark fought off the headache, making it to his feet, still without a proper excuse to leave.
"Okay," Jason said, shrugging. Not gonna help, Clark thought sadly.
"I'll be right back," he said vaguely before disappearing through the door, leaving his shoes and jacket behind.
"Clark, where's your Tylenol… Clark?" Lois said, looking around the now empty living room.
"He said he'll be right back," Jason said, taking the offered glass of water and taking a sip while his mother went to search the bathroom for Tylenol.
Clark flew over Cairo, barely believing what he was seeing. The water had already risen partway up the ground floor level, pouring through the doors of buildings and out the windows. People were rushing to the topmost levels, and screaming with terror as the water shook the buildings they were in, and brought down the buildings in which their neighbors had sought refuge.
First thing was first; he had to get rid of the mysterious meteor.
Clark approached the huge rock from above, attempting to see what it was made of using his x-ray vision and having no luck. Lead, he thought to himself, circling around and looking for the best place to grip it. The thing was pear-shaped, the rounder end resting in the water and the pointier end sticking up; it was lumpy and uneven but there was no good place to hold onto it. He grabbed the nearest rough edge and pulled it up; the "soft" lump of metal rose into the sky with him easily. Well, that could explain the delayed sound…he thought to himself, not really believing the excuse.
After the huge lump of lead was safely out of orbit and drifting in the direction of Mars, Superman returned his attention to the struggling Egyptian city.
Clark returned to his apartment near midnight. Lois was asleep on the couch, her son, their son, tucked comfortably under her chin. The news was still on; Dick Newman was now standing in a muddy Cairo road elaborating on the wonders of Superman for the anchorwoman in the States.
Clark looked at the pair of them, smiling to himself. Jason stirred, "Daddy?" He asked, talking more to the people in his dream than to the man looking over him. Clark let himself pretend that Jason had recognized him, and scooped the boy up, careful not to disturb either of the slumbering people. Lois curled up into herself slightly when Jason's warmth moved away, but didn't wake. Jason snuggled into Clark's chest, and Clark couldn't help but smile.
After tucking Jason in, Clark walked back out into the living room. Lois was still sleeping soundly. Clark debated whether to put a blanket on her or carry her into the next room. Unable to pass up the opportunity to hold her close, Clark bent down and picked her up effortlessly. Lois stirred more than her son when she left the couch; she was much less accustomed to being picked up than the young boy.
"Superman?" Lois asked, opening her eyes slightly just before they reached the doorway.
"No," Clark chuckled, "just me."
"Clark?" Lois asked, waking up completely. She looked up at his face; from her vantage near his shoulder she could see most of his face clearly with no glasses blocking any of his features. "Are you… carrying me?"
"Well, um," Clark stuttered, glancing around the room as though he might find a reasonable explanation written on one of his walls. "You were asleep, and, well, I know better than anybody how hard that couch is on the spine…" he shrugged, letting her down.
Lois stayed close, watching Clark intently. He glanced nervously around the room, pulling the door to the room where Jason was now sleeping shut. "What?" He asked her after another second, wanting to take a step back, but, at the same time, wanting to get closer. As close as she used to let Superman come.
"I never thought of you as the type to," she paused, smiling, "carry a person to bed." Never thought of you as the type to have big enough muscles to carry a person to bed, she smiled to herself.
"I, well… I," he shrugged lamely, blushing deep red. She still just stood there, smiling up at him. "Lois, I…"
"Can I ask you a question, Clark?"
"Well, sure," he shrugged, relaxing slightly.
"Where did you go?"
"I went to see if I could find some Tylenol for Jason's headache," he started.
"There was some in your medicine cabinet."
"In my… really?"
"Yup," she said, cocking her head to the side.
"Well shucks, Lois, I wish I'd known that," he smiled foolishly. "Was he alright?"
"He said that it was gone by the time I brought the medicine out to him," she shrugged.
"Why was he…?" He held his thumb up over his shoulder to indicate the couch.
"He was worried about you."
"What?"
"Well, he saw what was happening in Cairo when he came into the living room, and he wanted to stay out and make sure you got back alright," she shrugged, her suspicions confirmed by his reaction.
"Wh-What?"
"Clark," Lois said softly. She reached up, trailing her hands up his chest and neck as she went. Clark wanted to pull away, to slip deep into his Clark Kent personality and stutter his way into the privacy of his own room, but there was that little part of his brain that wanted Lois to know. To remember.
"Lois, I don't…" but she pressed a finger to his lips, glancing up almost seductively as she reached for the top button on his shirt. It was a plain shirt, blue with a normal collar, just like all of the other simple shirts that he wore to blend in with the rest of the population. She smiled up at him, undoing the second button.
Even though she was expecting it, hoping for it even, Lois gasped slightly when she saw the bright blue neckline appear. "Superman!" She breathed, looking up at him. This time he was looking down at her so she was looking at Clark Kent, the bespectacled man she worked with every day. Her hands moved on their own as she stared into his face, unbuttoning the shirt down to his belt before moving up to trace the "S," her fingers barely brushing the fabric.
"Lois, I…" he wasn't sure what he had been planning to say so he just stopped.
"So you didn't abandon us," she said softly.
"Lois I could never… never again… I wish I could…" he stopped again; it wasn't often that he was at such a loss as Superman that he would stutter like Clark Kent. "I never want to make that mistake again," he finished quietly, looking away from her eyes and staring through the door at their sleeping son in the next room.
Lois looked up at him, her lips sealed and her eyes clouded. She reached up and pulled his glasses off his face, tipping her head slightly to the side as she did so. "I can't believe I never noticed…" Clark smiled at her, reaching out for her shoulders and resisting the urge to sigh with relief when she didn't recoil.
"I love you, Lois," he admitted self-consciously. They just stood there. She stared at him, and he waited for her response. She didn't say anything, but she didn't look away. Clark was feeling very exposed, both verbally and physically, halfway between Superman and Clark as he was.
Lois bit her lip before going up on her tiptoes and kissing him full on the mouth.
Clark relaxed, pulling her close and kissing her back. The pair of them stood together like that for awhile, enjoying forgiveness.
"I'm sorry," Clark whispered in her ear when they came up for air. He kissed her neck gently while Lois silently tried to figure out what he was apologizing for, running her hands along the smooth blue fabric across his back under the button-up that had come untucked. He never had to explain it because he was so good at distracting her.
They settled on the couch, Lois lay on top of him breathing in his scent and enjoying the warmth that could only come from him. Clark was just about to drift into a peaceful sleep when Lois whispered, "I love you too," thinking he was asleep. He waited until he felt her head settle down onto his chest before smiling.