Author's note: can't believe I've reached the end 0.o For now, anyway, since I don't have more snapshots under my elbow (as the French saying goes). Not a bad way to end the collection, though, because it's a scene I've always expected at some point in the DCAU. Didn't come, so I wrote my own version of it – thus foraying into fluffy romance. With a bit of snark, because, c'mon – it's Lois 'Snark-Is-My-Middle-Name' Lane :D

Disclaimer: I own the pie crust I'm using for my quiche (mhmm … uncooked crust …) and a list of increasingly lame disclaimers that I don't own DC comics, but I don't. Own. DC. Comics. I want to own a one-volume copy of The New Frontier, but that's another thing entirely. All characters belong to DC, and Clark's non-eyesight-correcting glasses belong to Clark :P

Snapshot Collection

27. Glasses

Lois was working late. This in itself was not surprising.

What was surprising was that Clark Kent was still hovering in the background, looking like a schoolboy too shy to ask a girl to the prom.

This she saw in the reflection of her computer screen, because when she turned around, he bustled about, opening and closing drawers as though searching for something.

She finally took pity on him and asked – quietly, because the big empty editorial office room of the Daily Planet, when absolutely devoid of human activities, caused anyone to whisper like in a library, "Hey, Smallville – what're you doing still here?"

He stood up, awkwardly straightening his glasses on his nose in a gesture she had come to find endearing over the years – not that she'd tell him that, of course – and gave a sheepish smile, burying his hands in his pockets.

"Oh. Er … I'm just looking for my glasses case. Stupid, really, I – I was so sure I'd left it somewhere …"

"Uh-huh." Lois continued to type in the oblivious manner that she hoped would entice him to spill the beans.

But she had been waiting for years. A girl could lose the best years of her life that way. Fortunately, the fact that she seemed to have no personal life wasn't the main gossip-worthy thing about her. It was widely known that she was (sort of) Superman's girlfriend.

This explained why she and Clark were the two most dedicated and hard-nosed reporters on board. Lois Lane was Superman's prerogative, and Clark Kent had no life. This status quo had proven more than solid.

"Did you look under your desk? It could have fallen and rolled."

"I am, but … no such luck."

Lois didn't miss a blink. "Why don't you use your X-ray vision?"

"Good idea, thank –"

She bit her lip to hide a grin and slowly swivelled around in her chair as Clark's head came up from behind his desk, the dim light glinting off his glasses and his mouth hanging open.

"Did … did you just …"

She crossed her arms and stared at him straight in the eye. Or rather, where she knew his eyes were behind those glasses of his.

"Yes, I rather think I just did."

He stood still for a while, looking thunderstruck. Then he gave a shaky smile.

"Your timing is impeccable."

"I know." I figured you wanted to come clean about something, anyway. "Just wanted to put you out of your misery. Watching you squirm got old after ten years."

"Yes, I can only imagine."

He seemed to shake himself out of it, and walked round his desk to lean on it, watching her intently. His posture was a fascinating mix between the Clark Kent slouch and the Superman confidence, and Lois found herself looking for every single little detail between the two personae.

"So … Are you going to get another Pulitzer out of this?" he asked, uncertainty tingeing his voice.

She kept her arms crossed and her gaze stern. "Honestly, Clark, do you think for a second I wouldn't already have if I really wanted to? I haven't said anything about Bruce Wayne being Batman, for God's sake!" She stopped, realising she was inches from shouting. "Don't you know me well enough by now?"

"I think I know you pretty well," he said, and it was weird to see Clark Kent suddenly as calm and unflappable as his caped alter-ego. "I figured I could trust you. I just … I was just waiting for the opportune moment."

She raised an eyebrow quizzically. "For ten years?"

His eyes bore into hers. She wasn't used to such a steely gaze – not while its owner wore a three-piece suit.

"Look, I know you love Superman. I just …" He took his glasses off and cleaned them, a classic when he was feeling squirmish. "I wasn't sure you could ever love Clark Kent as well."

Now her mouth went slack, and she was torn between rushing to him and embrace him, and slapping him silly.

"Is that it? That's why you never said anything?!"

He put his glasses back on his nose, silently waiting, his posture not changing one bit. Lois rose to her feet and slowly closed the gap between them, her heart in her throat.

"All these years, I was waiting for you to tell me, you big dope! I was waiting for you to show that you trusted me enough to tell me your big secret! And now look at us – we're having such a soap opera conversation about love and trust and whatnot and it's so ridiculous –"

Clark took her in his arms and kissed her. Not just any kiss, either – the full dramatic thing, with him tipping her back slightly and his arms strong and warm around her. The sheer shock shut her up, then she mellowed and leaned into the kiss, closing her eyes in bliss.

It was, as far as she was concerned, the most fantastic kiss ever.

When she opened her eyes, she looked right into the foggy glasses of Clark Kent. A very undignified giggle barely escaped her lips before she kept it in check. Lois Lane did not giggle. Ever.

"Wow, Smallville," she breathed, and as a result his glasses got steamed up on the outside as well as the inside. "Who knew you were such an amazing kisser?" When he opened his mouth to reply, she pinned him with a lovingly sarcastic look and added, "Oh, yeah. I did."

"Well," he said with a pointed look, his face still a couple of inches from hers, "you always did like to be swept off your feet, right?"

"Damn ri – oh."

Their feet had left the ground, and the two of them were floating gently a foot or so above the floor.

"Show-off."

"Sorry about that."

"I'm not saying 'Put me down'. C'mere."

This time she kissed him, and he certainly didn't seem to mind. When they broke away, their feet gently touched the ground again, and he had a big silly smile on his face that turned into a grin.

"Ha. John owns Wally twenty bucks. Kid's got a good sense of timing."

Lois frowned slightly, her curiosity picked.

"'Wally'? Who's 'Wally'?"

Clark suddenly looked a lot more like Clark when Lois came up with a particularly alarming suggestion.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no. You're gonna have to figure that out."

Lois gave her best evil grin.

"It's the Flash, is it? I bet I'm right."

"Not saying anything."

"Come on, it's not like I'd tell anyone."

"Lois, I'm not telling!"

"You can be such a boy sc –"

For the second time in only a couple of minutes, Lois found herself reduced to silence with a kiss. When they both came up for air, she gave a crooked smile and stared into Clark's eyes. The glasses were all fogged up again.

"That won't work forever, you know."

"Won't keep me from trying."

"Gosh, Kent, I damn well hope so."

They both grinned at each other, and it was cheesy, and corny, and really it shouldn't have worked in a million years on a woman like Lois prided herself on being …

But it did anyway.

As Lois Lane turned off her computer, leaving her unfinished article to a more appropriate time tomorrow, she couldn't help grinning like an idiot.

Things are certainly going to get very interesting now.

Yay for snarky romance – which I hope was snarky enough to qualify. I usually avoid writing fluff like I avoid writing violence and fighting – I'm no good at both :S

The goggles/glasses, they do do something! They make a good excuse for conversations and big reveals :D

Next up: … New story. Everybody Goes to Harry's – "Harry's" being that pub in Central City where Flash's Rogues hang out (I had so much fun with them in Wife and especially Villains that I couldn't let go of them just yet – plus I wanted to stay in that pub :P) Every chapter (five written, three more planned) features that pub in some way or other. And a little Casablanca line just for fun ;o)

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing, all. I can't begin to tell you just how darn fun this has been. Hopefully this isn't the VERY!LAST!SNAPSHOT!, but I wanted to tell you just how awesome you've been :o]