Finally, Kal-El was on his way home. He appreciated the fact that he'd been able to stay in Smallville an extra week, tidying up loose ends. But the downside of that was Lois having to go home first and keep the newspaper under control, both her department and his. He would've liked to have her by his side every waking moment while he tried to deal with the aftermath of Ma's passing. It just wasn't possible, given their work situation.
She'd been there for him while she was in Smallville, held him that first night, and she'd woken early enough the next morning to soothe him while he wept from the worst nightmare he'd ever had. He'd dreamed that the previous night had all been a dream, that Ma was alive and laughing at him for mourning her. And of course, then he'd woken up to find her truly gone.
Lois had been his rock then, the steady shoulder he could lean on. Few people understood just how much he relied on her, just how much of his strength was really hers. Lois had a poster hanging in her home office that read, 'Behind every good man is a great woman,' except he'd long ago covered the 'good' part with a sticky note that read 'super' and the 'great' part with a series of stacked notes that had things like 'fantastic', 'brilliant', and 'fierce' written on them. She teased him about it, but they both knew the sentiment was genuine. It was never easy to be a hero, but it was certainly easier if you could lift an island and let bullets bounce off your chest. Being heroic without powers was the real challenge, and that was his wife. She was his hero, he was hers, and they both knew just how lucky they were to have their happily-ever-after.
At least they were secure enough to handle a few days apart. Keeping in touch by phone helped—he'd called her every night for a long chat, and texted every day. Of course he could've flown home at any time, but Kal-El wanted to spend some extra time with Ben. And now that the older man knew the truth, he also knew his stepson was only a phone call away. If he ever needed a hand, Kal-El could be there in minutes.
Still, he was glad to be home. It was early in the afternoon when he touched down on the balcony, expecting Lois to be home. He'd texted her an hour ago just so she wouldn't be surprised when she got in … but it turned out he was the one surprised. There was a note stuck in the French doors leading into the living room that simply said, 'Find me'.
He located her heartbeat easily enough, and found his gorgeous wife submerged up to her chin in a steaming hot bath redolent of lavender and vanilla. "C'mere, hero, I've been keeping the water warm for you," she said with a grin.
"I'll just bet you have," he laughed. Kal-El got undressed without hesitation and climbed in with her, glad they'd installed the garden tub back when they got this place. Most regular bathtubs were too short for his long-legged frame, and Lois liked to soak in a generous amount of water. Having massaging jets in the side made the whole thing a ridiculous indulgence, but a welcome one.
This was just what he needed, the heat soothing the last of the tension from him, Lois' arms around him as he lay back against her. She kissed his temple and inhaled, breathing the scent of him. "I love you."
"I love you, too." No other words needed to be said. Later they'd talk, about losing their moms, about plans that had to be made for the future, about Ma and what an amazing woman she was. But for right now all the comfort he needed was in her arms around his chest, her knees under his hands, her breath ruffling his hair, and her heartbeat strong and steady against his back.
…
Richard's office chair squeaked. Normally that would aggravate him, but right now he was having too much fun irritating the guy in the next office. He'd rock back and rotate the chair so that it squeaked every few seconds, squeak-squeak-squeak, then stop, count to an odd number like seven or fifteen, and then do it again. The irregular intervals were driving the stuffed-shirt next door nuts. Maybe he had enough clout with management—which Richard referred to as manglement, given the state of this office—to get a new chair ordered. Squeak-squeak-squeak … squeaka-squeak.
"Are you actually doing anything productive, White?" That was the office busybody, a guy named Jerry. Richard had mistakenly assumed that anyone working for a flight magazine would be fairly cool, but this guy was apparently afraid of heights, hated airplanes, and thought all pilots were insane. Well, Richard would be the first to admit he wasn't the best example of a sane pilot.
"I'm having an idea," he replied calmly. "I'm thinking I should go home early. And then tomorrow morning I'll head down to Schreyeck Airfield and drink a couple cups of coffee with whoever's in. Maybe pick up the latest gossip, see what restored classics people are flying. I could've sworn I saw an old Bellanca out there last week. Looked pre-war."
Jerry sneered. "And that counts as productive."
Richard shrugged. "I meet all my deadlines."
"You'll never get ahead in this business by just meeting expectations," was the snide reply.
To that, Richard could only laugh. "C'mere. See this photo on my desk?" He turned around one of the framed photos on his desk. This one happened to show himself, Lana, and Kristin, taken on the deck of the cabin in North Carolina. "The gorgeous redhead here is my lovely wife, Lana. She happens to be the L in L. Lang. So given that you can't walk into any mall in this country and not fall over her stuff, and L. Lang is a privately held company, just how much do you think I need to get ahead around here?"
"Oh, charming," Jerry replied flatly.
"Furthermore…." Richard found another photo and turned it around for him. "See this crew? Editor in chief of the Daily Planet, Perry White—my uncle—his successor, Lois Lane—my ex-fiancée—and her husband, Clark Kent, head of the International department at the Planet, which job I convinced him to take when I left it. So yeah, when I decide to get ahead in this life, I'll just head right back home to the biggest newspaper in town. I'm sure one of them'll give me a desk. Knowing Lois, it'll be in Features because she's a vindictive bitch, but that's just her good side."
He leaned back, squeaking the chair, and then grinned evilly. "Or I'll just head over to the Daily Star and get hired there. I know the editor in chief for that paper, too. It'd serve Lo right if I decided to give her some real competition."
"So you married money and you're well-connected. Why are you here, White?"
Richard shrugged. "I love planes. I love journalism. It's kind of a dream job. Lemme tell you a secret: getting ahead is no fun if you're just doing it because you think you're supposed to. Getting to where you're comfortable and happy and can pursue your dreams, that's fun. I don't need the stress or the heartache of the whole rat race thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to skip out of work, go pick up my daughter and my wife, and take our dogs running in the park."
He promptly did exactly that. When he got to Lana's office, Kay met him just outside. "She's on a conference call with the Vancouver team. Give it a minute. And hey there, little K. Love the hair."
"It's so awesome! Kala dyed it for me." Kristin preened, showing off her purple streaks. Richard thought it was pretty cool-looking, but Lana had hit the roof after realizing the color was permanent. Future hair experiments were going to have to involve clip-ins or wash-out dyes, at least until Kristin got a little older.
They chatted for a few minutes, catching up on the office with Richard sharing his conversation with Jerry, and Kay updating him on herself, Laurel, and the joys of working with people in six time zones on two continents. Finally Lana strolled out to meet them.
Every single time they saw each other after an absence of more than ten minutes, Richard grinned to look at her, and Lana smiled warmly at him. It made their friends yell for insulin after a while, but to him, that was the secret of lasting love. Marry someone who made your heart lift every time you saw them. "Hey babe," he said, and kissed her.
"Not a babe anymore, with this much white in my hair," she laughed.
"That's just your hair trying to match your name—or we can blame it on putting up with Lois and Clark and the twins," Richard replied with a shrug.
Kristin pouted up at Kay. "How come parents always hafta kiss?"
"It's a parent thing. They like embarrassing their kids in public," Kay told her.
Lana ruffled her daughter's hair. "You're out early, Richard."
He smirked mischievously. "Yeah, well, they tried to hold me back, but I was like a wild animal, so eventually they just set me free."
"More like he snuck out when no one was looking," Kay added drolly.
"Hey, who's telling this story?" he complained, getting laughs from all three.
Lana managed to leave for the day; sometimes he had to cajole her into walking away from her work, but this wasn't one of those days. They took Kristin and both dogs to the park, holding hands as they walked. Cissa heeled beautifully with the end of her leash tucked into Lana's back pocket, and Kristin carried Dusty's leash.
"You're not the only one who left work early today," Lana said, as their daughter encouraged the beagle to chase pigeons.
"Oh yeah? What's the gossip?" Richard asked.
"Lois took an early afternoon. Clark's home from Smallville."
That news, and the reminder that came with it, didn't darken Richard's day. Instead he held Lana's hand a little tighter, grateful for all the sweetness in his life. "I love you. You know that, right?"
"I love you, too." She squeezed his hand right back with a soft smile.
…
Providing their own transportation for a nationwide multi-band tour sucked. Especially when said transportation consisted of a full-sized van Kala had bought used, and now Ned's and Robb's cars. Ned drove a restored hearse with the back fitted out almost like a camper, and Robb had an elderly Corolla that had just died horribly on the side of the freeway. Fortunately they weren't seeing much traffic.
Tossing a frustrated glare at Robb, Kala covered her face with her hands and sighed. "Dustin, I swear Sebast didn't invite you along as our personal mechanic."
"I know, but since I'm here…." He was elbow-deep in the engine, shaded by the hood of Robb's car. The rest of the caravan had pulled over in sympathy, and Kala figured that her band—all in various Goth and punk gear even at eleven in the morning—were causing quite the spectacle for the few cars that passed them.
Robb was practically wringing his hands. "I, um, don't really have that much money right now," he said apologetically. "It's not gonna be expensive, is it?"
"Nope," Dustin said cheerfully. "I think it's just your serpentine belt. Twenty bucks or so, and I can put it on for you if we can get a ratchet and a 3/8th socket. Has it been squealing when you start it up first thing in the morning?"
"Well, yeah, but it always goes away in like a block. Or two."
Dustin slid out from under the car and brushed his hands off. "That's a sign you've got a belt wearing out, Robb. As they warm up the squealing goes away, but eventually it'll break or slip out of place, and then you have a problem. I think you're okay here, because it just snapped clean and you pulled over right away."
"I guess I'm glad I didn't try driving to the next exit," Robb said sheepishly.
Kala chuckled. "Robb, the serpentine runs your A/C, your alternator, your oil pump, and your water pump. You really don't wanna drive without the last two."
"Yeah, that'd blow the engine as soon as it got hot," Dustin added. "So good decision. Now, how're we gonna tow it? I left my truck in Kansas."
Holding up her purse, Kala grinned. "Triple-A, baby. Doesn't matter whose car it is, I can get it towed." After some discussion and a call to AAA, Robb left in the van with Sebast and Morgan, Ned drove off behind them, and Kala and Dustin waited with the car keys. They would all meet up at the next tour destination.
"So, whatcha think of my wild crew?" Kala asked, once the dust settled.
"Robb needs a new car," Dustin said thoughtfully.
Kala tipped back her head and laughed. Trust Dustin not to comment on Ned's electric blue topknot, the safety pin Robb wore as an earring, or Morgan's new wingtips. He had cars on the brain. "Is it as bad as that Oldsmobile Jase and I had?" she teased.
"Nah, that was a solid car. Once we got everything fixed with it I bet it'd run for another twenty years. This thing, someone didn't take care of it. It's got about three slow leaks I can see, and the engine's filthy. He'd better get rid of it before it up and dies on him for good." Dustin kicked a tire lightly. "Needs new tires, too. Looks like he's got retreads on it."
"The life of a traveling musician. They tell you all about the romance of the road, they never tell you how much the mileage is gonna beat up your car," Kala said ruefully.
"Your van looks good though," Dustin offered.
"I baby it. It gets its oil changes right at 3,000 miles, I check the fluids and the tire pressure every time we head out, and I put new spark plugs and wires on it a month ago," Kala said absently.
Dustin laughed and looped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her in for a kiss. "And that's why I love you so much. Because you spend more time on makeup than I do shaving and getting dressed, but you know how to change your spark plugs."
"Well, yeah. I'm not paying some asshole at the quik-lube place ninety bucks for a tune-up just because he thinks girls don't know jack about cars." Kala ran that sentence back through her mind and winced. "Sorry."
Dustin shrugged. "I know you cuss. I can kinda guess where you get it from, too. I actually rode in a car with your mom once, you know."
"Most people only ride with her once," Kala chuckled, and leaned her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she went quiet and thoughtful. Then she asked softly, "So are we really making a go of this again? Take a second shot?"
Dustin kissed her hair. "Well, yeah. I never fell out of love with you. There've been other girls, but … you're kind of a tough act to follow."
"Same here, it turns out," she sighed, frowning and leaning into him. "Alan … huge mistake. Colossal. I know what I was thinking when we started up, but yeah. Dumb. And I can't really remember too many of the ones between you and him, as horrified as I am to admit it. Other than you and Nick, I've pretty much sucked at relationships." Kala pulled away slightly with watchful eyes, "If we're going to try this again, I really, really want to try to make it work, Dustin. Maybe this time it might be something we can work out. Not in big cities all the time, you know."
"So do I. And hey, maybe you should have a traveling mechanic on the team, if you're gonna hire people who drive heaps like this."
"Someday we'll be riding around in a custom tour bus instead of our own cars," Kala said dreamily.
He shrugged. "Won't surprise me. You're good, Kala. Really good."
Oh, the smile he got for that. It lit her up even more than the sunlight. "I had no idea you liked my music," she chuckled. "It's not like you or Lizardboy ever listened to it other than to mock me when we were growing up. I seem to remember someone mentioning cats and blenders when all of this first started."
"Yeah, well, I've always told you it's not really my style, but I can tell what you're doing now is good. And that was before you got training and were just singing loud to sing loud. Now you're actually singing. Doesn't sound anything like when you were playing around. You've got a voice with all kinds of power and emotion and stuff." Dustin paused, breathing in the candied-violet scent of her hair, and added, "The rest of the band is pretty good, too. Needs more cowbell though."
She elbowed him, smirking. "Yeah, right. I think cowbell might be a detour on my road to fame and fortune."
He grinned back at her then. "I don't think anything could detour you, Kala. Of course, by then you won't need your own mechanic."
She looked up at him, her heavily-lined hazel eyes solemn in the morning light. "I have this feeling like I'm always gonna need you in my life, Dustin. One way or another."
That got her a broad smile and a kiss on the lips. "Who knows, maybe I'll find a little gypsy in my blood, and we can live happily ever after on the road. If you get six or eight months of the year touring every big city on the continent, you think you could survive Smallville the rest of the time? Or at least someplace like North Carolina, where you don't have 24/7 traffic noise outside your window?"
"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "Could be a lot of fun finding out, huh?" If they were both making it a go, it could work, after all. Maybe if she was lucky the second time around with Dustin, now that they were both a little older and surer of themselves, would be the charm.
In any case, it was worth it to see the look on the tow truck driver's face when he pulled up. Only then did Kala realize how mismatched they looked: Dustin in jeans, a polo shirt, work boots, and that godforsaken cowboy hat, next to her in her velvet skirt, lace stockings, knee-high boots, and frilly peasant blouse, all in black and topped by her typical day makeup, which included more eyeliner than most people wore clubbing.
"You need some help?" the driver asked dubiously.
"Don't mind her, she doesn't bite," Dustin said with a grin. "Well, not much. You're okay as long as you're not O-positive."
She swatted his shoulder and laughed; it was the laugh that made the truck driver grin. Kala had never had a proper Goth laugh. She tended to tip her head back for a rollicking, infectious laugh that made everyone smile.
Ten minutes later Robb's Corolla was riding on the flatbed of the tow truck, and Kala and Dustin were sitting in the cab swapping worst-driver stories with the driver. "I have the best!" Kala proclaimed, and told them about the idiot her mom had cursed out for putting pantyhose on in Metropolis traffic.
…
Lois paid for her early Thursday by going into the office Saturday morning. She put the weekend editions together, terrorized the International department in her husband's absence, and then headed home. The dining schedule had gotten switched around over the years; Saturday night used to be dinner out for her and Kal-El, but it was now the most convenient time for either twin to visit, so Sunday had become date night and Saturday was the as-often-as-possible family dinner.
Her phone rang as soon as she got back, with the ringtone Kala had set last time she was home: the Godzilla roar from the Japanese films. "Hello, Jason," Lois answered, wondering what she should change it to. The last thing she needed was for her purse to start roaring during a board meeting at work. Her left brow raising a little, she smirked at the thought. Then again, it'd liven things up a little.
"Hi, Mom," he said, and as always, Lois grinned at the sound of her son's voice. She never would have suspected when she was younger just how much she would miss the sound of her kids' voices, most especially when they were teenagers. Most especially. "So, I was wondering if I could bring a friend to dinner."
"Sure," the answer was automatic. Now that was a new one, too. Both twins had been bringing friends home over the years, undeterred by their family legacy in the least. They obviously got that from her. "Who's coming down from college with you?"
"Oh, um, it's not a college friend. This is an … extracurricular friend. From the club." Jason sounded bashful; they hadn't quite worked out code for bringing home friends from the Titans. It wouldn't be a good idea to use their real names or their code names on an unencrypted line, either.
"Oh, okay. That's fine. Hope they can live with Italian. Your dad's making lasagna." Lois couldn't ask over the phone when Bruce had lifted the curfew on Gotham; it was probably Tim coming over to get some breathing room from that whole situation. No one was keeping Lois informed, probably because once they'd told her Tim had been attacked and had to be hospitalized, she was perfectly ready to put a couple bullets in the Red Hood. Oh, she wouldn't kill him, knowing who he was, but he could work out all his goddamn daddy issues from a hospital bed instead of running around killing off Gotham's gangsters.
The last she'd heard, Bruce still hadn't pulled his head out of his ass and was trying to keep everyone else—even Kal-El and Diana—out of his city. She shook her head; the Bat didn't want her going over there to read him the riot act. Lois liked Bruce, respected him, but if she was willing to tell Superman off then setting the Bat straight was no big thing. Especially over those boys. There were days….
Taking everything into consideration, she decided to bake a pie for dessert, not that she had any levels of domesticity to prove or any chance of competing with Alfred, but just because. Tim was known to have a little bit of a sweet tooth, especially when you got him and Jason together, and she knew a way to maybe make the visit a little more special. Lucy had put in a vegetable garden at the Riverside house, and she'd sent over some fresh rhubarb and some homemade strawberry jam. Lois figured between the two she could whip up a strawberry-rhubarb pie, another one of the Kansas recipes in her deck and one of Kal-El's favorites. Not something he was likely to get at home.
By the time the doorbell rang, Lois was prepared to delicately interview a traumatized Tim Drake and figure out exactly where things in Gotham stood. God knew that everything had to be off-kilter with the family dynamics warped all to hell. But when she opened the apartment door, she found herself facing Wonder Girl instead.
Lois blinked, and Cassie Sandsmark smiled rather nervously. Jason, of course, stepped in without hesitation and hugged his mom. Laughing as she always did when he picked her entirely, she didn't fight it and simply hugged him back. He'd first done it by accident when he was about fourteen, startling them both, and had been doing it ever since. By the time he put her down, she'd recovered her equilibrium. She knew perfectly well that the junior Trinity hung out together, and with Tim locked up in Gotham, of course these two would be hanging out. And of course her son would bring another metahuman appetite to freeload on their food. At least Kala wasn't there this week, or they'd have had to double the lasagna.
Poor girl looked a little off-kilter and kept glancing at her son, who was acting like nothing was up. Lois got the feeling that maybe this had to do with having had a death in the family and maybe that was why she was unsure. Looked like she was going to have to jump in here and even things out. "Hi, Cassie," Lois said, taking her hand and bringing her in with a smile. "Nice to see you. I hope you like lasagna; Clark's really proud of his recipe."
"Dad's lasagna is the awesome," Jason cut in.
"Even if I didn't like lasagna, I'd be happy. Who else gets Superman to cook for them?" Cassie said with a little laugh. Intimidated. That's what this is. Poor kid. I get this feeling this is why they've stuck to civilians. It's easier to play off famous reporter parents than someone knowing who your dad is. No wonder she's freaked; it's not like the older ones that see him all the time. The second generation is still in total awe.
Lois smirked. "Who gets Superman to cook for them? Me. Every chance I get, especially on my night to cook. But don't get it into your head that he's perfect. Clark's capable of burning a pot roast or two."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Mom. He got called away, that wasn't his fault."
"Doesn't matter, it still counts."
Kal-El himself wasn't in at the moment; he'd put the lasagna together and started baking it, but had heard an extreme amount of shots fired and sirens heading up to Magnus Labs about fifteen minutes ago. With his luck, it would be another ten or so before he made it back in. In the meantime, Lois was listening for the oven timer and trying to figure out exactly what seemed hinky about this situation. Couldn't just be feeling overwhelmed. Something else was up here.
Jason elbowed Cassie lightly. "Hey, relax. It's just my parents. You don't even have to deal with Elvira. They're just really goofy most of the time. Not like we're having dinner with your dad."
"Oh yeah, 'cause I have all kinda quality time with the high god of the Greek pantheon," Cassie muttered. Lois smiled slightly to herself, snagging chips and dip to occupy the two teens so they didn't start eyeing her fridge and the pie. What a world she lived in, that there was a demigoddess sitting on her couch snarking at her son.
Not that that impressed her or anything. She was, after all, Lois Lane. With all that she had seen over the years, that was pretty much a normal state of affairs. And from what she could tell, Cassie was a fairly normal girl in spite of all the weird shit in her life. Had to be a hell of a thing to deal with, too, only finding out that you're part of that kind of lineage in the midst of teenage storms. What a time to drop that kind of bomb on a kid.
Much the same thing could be said for her sister-in-arms Donna, although she had known what her deal was from the start. However, immortal witch hell-bent on driving you crazy? Diana's kid sister had a lot more bad shit happening to her than most, especially that horrible accident the other year. But she had gotten up, with a little help from her best friend, and had made herself keep going. In the last couple of years, she and Diana had finally gotten of all their issues straightened out. Lois had to admit, short of the fact that Diana had thrown in her lot with Bruce for the last little while, the Wonders pretty much had their heads screwed on right.
And then she walked back into the living room and right into a conversation she really hadn't expected to hear. "…and meeting the parents is so not third-date material, Jason," Cassie was saying.
Her sweet boy just looked perplexed, which Lois had to admit, he frequently did when dealing with girls. Oh God, how had she not known? "Huh? This isn't really a date, I mean, it's family dinner night and I brought you along as my friend. If it was a date we'd go to the movies after or something."
Lois set down the chips and dips and then stood up, looking at her son with her arms crossed. "Date? Really? This is news to me. Jason, you have something to tell me?"
"Oh my gods," Cassie groaned, sinking down in her corner of the sofa. "You didn't tell them?"
"I kinda didn't have a chance without using real names on an open phone line," he replied defensively, then rounded on his mother. "Before you start scolding, Mom, you kept telling me to see other girls. Repeatedly. And Cassie's a really good friend. Also ridiculously gorgeous."
The narrow-eyed look Jason was getting told her that that had been the puzzle piece she had been missing. "You're not saving this," Cassie whispered.
Lois sighed. Oh, for the love of…. "Jason, honey, if she's your girlfriend, this is a date. You know how all of this works. It's not like you never dated before. What was she supposed to think?"
"Yeah, but … I'm losing this argument no matter what, aren't I?" He looked sheepishly up at her.
Taking a seat across from them, Lois smirked. "I know. You dated your sister's friends, but never your friends, and that makes it different. You don't get to switch back to friend-mode unless you break up. God, no wonder Cassie's been a live-wire." Her gaze flicked over to the girl, who gave what looked like a relieved little laugh. "Sorry, Cassie, I swear I taught him better than this. He gets the gormy-around-girls gene from his father."
That at least got a sunny smile from the blonde. "Don't worry, I'll get him trained. And I like the adorable goofiness."
"Good, because it never goes away. Luckily it grows on you over time." Lois smiled at them. As much as it had startled her, she was genuinely happy to see her son actually dating someone he hadn't known from the age of fourteen, and everything she heard about Wonder Girl was positive. Nothing she should be really worried about with this one and it gave Jason a chance to see what being with another hero was like. It was also the end of an era.
If she was honest, she hated not having Elise around. Now that she knew the secret she'd always be part of the family, and for a few years she'd practically been another of Lois' kids. It had been nice to have an ally against the rest of this family of crazies. But the larger situation would work itself out. Elise could still come back into the fold as something else equally important. The kids were still only teenagers. They had plenty of time decide what they wanted with their lives.
She added with a chuckle, "Just be glad your sister's out in California. She'd give you hell."
Jason sighed. "She's gonna give me hell anyway, it's what she does. It's not like she can't hear anything if she wants to. If I know her, she knows already, has known for weeks." This was followed by his eyes raised to the ceiling. However, a though a moment later had one eyebrow up and his blue eyes shining. This was going to be a good one, from the looks of things. "Oh, speaking of which, she broke up with Alan."
Lois couldn't resist a sigh of relief. "Hallelujah," she said, and leaned across to high-five her son. "Your dad'll be thrilled." That one had been bad news from the start, she had known it. Having heard from Kala what the sniveling little creep had said when she had prepared to head out for Martha's funeral, it had only been a matter of time. That was another way Kala took after her: not so good with choosing relationships. She was young and having fun, but had yet to find anything but trouble in all but one of her relationships since high school, not that anyone had been comfortable with Kala's idea of a high-school boyfriend.
"Even better? Guess who's decided to go out there and join her on tour?" Jason said with a grin. "Dustin. Cassie, you've heard about Dustin, my best friend from Smallville. So yeah, Kala and Dustin are back together. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out this time."
That made Lois smile. Dustin and Kala were completely adorable. And he was the only one of her boyfriends that every one of the guys in her life—her father, Sebast, and Jason—approved of. It was an odd pairing to just look at, both of them from different worlds. That said, look how things had turned out for her and Kal-El. But she couldn't resist picking on her son a little. "Wait a sec, you're rooting for him now? I remember you picking him up by the coat and shaking him because he kissed her."
Jason scoffed. "Mom. That was when we were all sixteen. He wasn't ready to be kissing Kala yet."
Cassie chuckled, snagging a chip. "You're kind of an overprotective brother, aren't you?" she asked.
Lois cut in before Jason could deny it. "The worst kind. Then again, she chased off all his girlfriends except one, and he's loomed over all of her boyfriends."
Jason stuck his tongue out at her. "What she's not telling you is that at sixteen, Kala decided it'd be a good idea to date a college boy. She should have a warning label or something."
Grinning at Cassie, Lois added, "She's my daughter. Someone ought to make a public service announcement."
"I kinda got that," Cassie admitted. "I mean, we don't see her much, but she strikes me as a real firebrand."
"That's my baby," Lois said smugly.
…
At the latest venue, Sebast dropped his bag onto one of the beds and sighed heavily. Having Dustin here was great, and it did his heart good to see Kala happy again, but it messed up his life in all kinds of ways.
Most notably, his living arrangements. He and Kala had shared a bed for years, but right now Dustin was snuggling up to her next door. And Sebast was staring at a double bed that looked way too big for just him.
"Get over it," Morgan advised, flopping onto the other bed. Ned and Robb were in the next room over, and they could hear them sorting out who was going to sleep where and who got the first shower. When Sebast only looked miserable, Morgan sighed at him. "He's her boyfriend, Sebast. Of course he's sharing a room with her."
"I know, I just … I got used to having her with me. How am I gonna sleep without her trying to push me off the bed every fifteen minutes?" He dropped onto his own bed and stared up at the generic art print above it, some still life with flowers and fruit that looked like a Stalmaster student could've done it in their sleep. Only in their sleep, come to think of it. Stalmaster kids had more creativity.
"Look, you want me to come over there in the middle of the night and kick you a couple times just so you feel at home?" Morgan asked, trying not to laugh.
Sebast turned to him with his most pathetic, pleading expression. "Could you? I mean, Morgan, she's my best friend. You should really take advantage of me in my moment of weakness."
Morgan sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're a huge perv. Stay over there, Sebast. If I wake up with you cuddling up to me, I'm gonna punch you. Just so you know."
"You're no fun, you homophobe," Sebast grumbled.
"Yeah, whatever. It's not that I have issues with you being gay, I have issues with you trying to climb down my pants." They both laughed a little at that; Sebast's flirting had become more of a running joke than serious solicitation.
Sebast sighed again. All of a sudden he had too many empty hours in his day to go with the empty space in his bed. Maybe he'd let himself get a little too codependent on his bestie. And maybe Morgan was right, and he should just get over it already. It wasn't like she was gone or anything, she was right nearby, and he'd always have her in rehearsal and onstage.
Speaking of stage, they were on it tonight, and he'd better grab an afternoon nap while he could to rest from the long road trip. Thinking that, he let his eyes drift shut.