Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lois Lane was a hard, tough woman. That’s who her father raised her to be. And it made her one hell of a reporter. It also meant she didn’t have many close friends; because part of making close friends was being vulnerable with them, and that—that wasn’t something she knew how to do… her father essentially trained it out of her for survival purposes. Showing vulnerability was the fastest way to let the enemy defeat you. And Lois Lane was the best damn reporter on this side of America, if not the entire country. So, she was absolutely not going to let anyone of her enemies coworkers see her vulnerable in any way beyond appropriate politeness, if that even counts.

Part of how she was able to do this was to always, always appear confident. Regardless of how she was feeling on the inside, she was going to tell other people that she had everything under control, and everything was going exactly as she wanted or expected.

But for some reason, that didn’t include Clark Kent. Which was ironic, because despite all the times he had seen her in all different forms of vulnerability, he was the cause of her current anxious predicament.

The day before, they had ended the night on a very positive note. Clark had finally! asked her out. They were going to dinner. Where? Lois didn’t know. It couldn’t be anywhere super fancy, as they had made their plans the night before. That left absolutely no room to make reservations anywhere.

That honestly allowed Lois to breathe easier, though. She was panicking enough about what to wear, having to worry about an extremely high dining dress code would have been too much. Clark would probably pick a more moderate finer-dining place, where a reservation meant nothing more than avoiding the wait.

She finally decided on a black dress that she had bought for a Kerth Awards Ceremony but hadn’t actually worn. She thought she looked amazing in it, and it wasn’t anything too over the top. She did her hair and makeup quickly, tugged on a pair of heels, and stood in front of the mirror to make a final decision about her outfit.

She turned this way and that to try and get every angle. She took a deep breath and admitted that she looked amazing. Clark would certainly appreciate this. Lois breathed a laugh when she had the thought that Clark probably appreciated how she looked when she was wearing an old pair of sweatpants and one of his ridiculously large hoodies. That thought lightened the pressure on her chest and she was able to relax her shoulders into a confident posture.

Just in the nick of time, too, because one glance at her phone showed that it was 7:19. Clark said he would pick her up at 7:30, which meant he would be here any minute. She suspected he would be early to pick her up. The only thing that would hold him up would be urgent Superman business.

Just as she was preparing her purse for the night, a little red clutch that complimented her dress, there was a knock at her door.

And just as she suspected, Clark was on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers for her. Ever the gentleman. She smiled and kissed his cheek as she accepted the flowers, a beautiful arrangement of her favorites, and let him in. She dug out a vase for the flowers, filled it with water, dumped the little packet into it, and placed the bouquet in it. She brought the vase to what passed as her dining room table, which was essentially at the center of her apartment, thanks to her open floor plan.

“You look beautiful,” Clark stated with a smile when she finished placing her flowers where she liked them best.

She blushed, but didn’t look away. She knew he’d think that, and guessed he would probably say it, too. “You don’t look so bad yourself, handsome.”

His smile turned a little shy at her response. “You know,” his smile sharpened with mischief, “I believe, if I am remembering correctly, I asked you a question last week that you never did answer for me…”

Lois was suspicious, but he asked a lot of questions throughout the workweek that were rhetorical and usually ignored by her, so she wasn’t quite sure where he was going with this. So, she sprang the trap. “What was your question?”

“You think I’m hot?” he asked, color on his cheeks, but mischievous smile wide.

A laugh burst out of her. “How do you remember that? You were burning with a fever!”

“I said ‘if I am remembering correctly!’” Clark insisted, the color on his cheeks turning brighter. “And I don’t recall an answer.”

“That’s because I told you that you took what I said out of context and then you passed out from your fever,” Lois told him, laughing harder.

Clark laughed. “Okay, but that’s not answering the question. That’s dodging it.” He cheekily cocked an eyebrow.

Lois rolled her eyes. Clark maintained eye contact. “I think you already know that answer to that,” she huffed as she rolled her eyes again.

“Do I?” Clark asked, expression changing from shy mischief to faux deliberation.

“I think you’ve heard many a ramble about my thoughts about your alter-ego. They haven’t really changed that much…” Lois admitted, referring to the many times she had gone on and on to anyone who would listen (Read: Clark) about how hot and handsome and sexy Superman was…. is.

Clark laughed, glancing down at his feet briefly before meeting her gaze with a confident expression, very Superman-like. “But maybe I want to hear you say it again. Do you think I’m hot, yes or no?” A beat passed. “I’ll make it easy for you. I think you’re hot.”

Lois had no idea how they ended up so close to each other, but there they were, nearly pressed together. Lois pressed a hand to Clark’s chest and looked up at him through her lashes and gave him what he wanted, “Yes, I think you’re hot.”

And wow, if they kept this up, dinner probably wouldn’t be what they did on their first date. And that would be very un-Clark-like. So, Lois very pointedly pushed away from him and went to finish putting her things in her purse.

She went into her bathroom under the guise of checking her makeup to give Clark some extra time to cool off. After applying just a touch more bronzer, she decided Clark should have had enough time and rejoined him in the main room.

“Ready?” he asked, holding her coat for her.

“Where are we going?” she asked in lieu of answering as she allowed Clark to help her into the coat.

“How’s The Capital Grille sound?” Clark answered her question with a question.

“Ooh, fancy,” Lois commented. “You know how to treat a girl.”

Clark huffed a laugh. “I’m glad you think so.”

Lois didn’t want to ask, but she almost thought Clark was a little insecure about his choice of restaurant. That would be ridiculous, right? The Capital Grille was an excellent choice for a number of reasons. It was a nicer place without being too pricy, he probably made a reservation to avoid a wait, and she perfectly fit the assumed dress code. He did too, in his dress pants and suit coat. Surely he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t want anything fancier than what he had chosen. No, she knew he knew her well enough. If he was feeling a little insecure, it was because he was as nervous as she was. She almost forgot she knew him as well as he knew her.

Coming to that conclusion, and grabbing her purse, she repeated his question, “Ready?” to tell him she was now ready to walk out her door.

He smiled at her, nodded, and offered his arm. She returned his smile and slid her arm through his. They made sure her lights were off and her door was locked before they made their way through the city on foot.

It was a little bit of a walk, but the way was through Centennial Park, which had its winter decorations up, and was so much better than taking a cab. Of course, Lois enjoyed the relaxed time with Clark. That was the best part, in her opinion. Something she was sure he reciprocated, if the twinkle in his eyes and the smile on his face were anything to go by. They talked about everything and nothing on their way and it almost seemed like they arrived at The Capital Grille too soon.

As she guessed, Clark had made a reservation, and they were immediately led to their table. It was a booth for two that was nearly in a corner. Not secluded but still private. Since it was a booth, there wasn’t a chair for Clark to pull out for her, and the idea that he might get put-out by that nearly made her giggle; as it was, it did bring a smile to her face.

Clark noticed and immediately asked, “What?” in a light tone that almost had a laugh in it.

“Oh, nothing,” Lois answered as Clark, once again being quite the gentleman, helped her out of her coat. She slid into the seat and waited for him to do the same before she continued, “Just that there’s no chair for you to pull out for me, Mr. Gentleman.”

Clark laughed. “What can I say? My Ma taught me right.”

Lois’ smile widened. “Absolutely she did. I should send her flowers for doing such a good job with you.” Clark grinned before picking up his menu. Lois copied him. After looking at the menu for all of two seconds, she knocked her menu against his, gaining his attention. “How hungry are you?”

Clark raised an eyebrow, curious, no doubt seeing the plotting in her eyes. “I can eat?” he answered, unsure of what exactly she was asking.

“Wanna split two very different dishes to expand our experience?”

Clark laughed. “And how does my hunger level have anything to do with sharing our food?”

Lois shrugged. “I dunno. Just figured it was a good starter?” Clark gave her a look. “Okay! I know, I steal your food all the time. I get it.” She laughed, returning back to the menu for a beat before looking back at him. He was still looking at her. “Well? What do you say?”

He shook his head, laughing. “What do you want?”

She shrugged again. “I don’t know yet. What were you planning on?”

“Some juicy piece of cow,” he answered.

“Okay, so I’ll get some seafood then.” She nodded, making up her mind on that and flipped to the seafood section of the menu. She heard his chuckle and imagined he was also shaking his head in amusement. The thought made her smile wider.

The food was great. But Lois and Clark both thought the company was way more amazing. Lois didn’t think she could eat anything else and was content sipping her wine and talking with Clark. She pointedly pushed her plate to his side of the table. He, of course, picked up on what she was telling him, and finished the rest of her food.

“No room for dessert?” he asked, taking a sip of his own wine.

Lois groaned. “Ohhh, no. I don’t think I could do a cheesecake, or whatever they serve here. If we get dessert, it should be from that ice cream place on the other side of the park.”

Clark laughed. “The Super Scoop?” he asked.

“Yep. That’s the one!” Lois licked her lips. “Mmm, I do love their Kryptonian Krunch.”

Clark’s expression was of wry amusement. “Are you trying to tell me something other than we should go get ice cream?”

Lois laughed. “No, seriously. That’s the actual name of the flavor. It’s a vanilla ice cream with frozen blackberries and raspberries, making it look red and blue… and then chocolate chunks.”

“Frozen blackberries and raspberries?” Clark asked, not quite making a face.

“Don’t hate! It’s actually very good.”

“I’m not hating,” Clark insisted, raising his hands, “I’ve just never heard of those things together in an ice cream. As toppings, sure…”

“Okay, I get it. I have to admit, I really only tried it because of the name… but! It is a good flavor. You should try it.” She was expecting Clark to look reluctantly amused, but he actually looked extremely interested. It took her off guard a little.

She must have given him a look because he was laughing as he quietly admitted that he loved trolling people when it came to his secret identity. Her jaw dropped when he asked, “How funny would it be for the resident Kryptonian to order an ice cream named ‘Kryptonian Krunch’ that was literally made with him as inspiration?”

“You’re so bad!” she whisper-exclaimed, whacking the table slightly to emphasize her statement.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Oh, just you wait. I can’t wait to let you in on all my jokes.”

“Clark!” she wheezed, barely able to believe him. The whole situation was hilarious because she knew, deep down, that he had a wicked sense of humor. She couldn’t wait to get to see this other, very private, part of Clark Kent.

He explained some of his trolling bits to her as he paid for their dinner. And she plotted other ways he could troll people as they wandered through the park to The Super Scoop.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here. You saw a place called ‘The Super Scoop’ and didn’t decide it was prime trolling opportunity?”

He shrugged, smile lighting up his face. “Guess I just never found the right motivation to try it out.”

He started looking at all the different flavors as they waited in line. Some of the flavor names made him giggle. Lois loved this playful side of him. He was so very precious to her.

She briefly struggled with the idea of him being considered precious. To her, precious implied delicate and fragile. Things Clark definitely wasn’t. But then Lois considered that diamonds were considered precious jewels, and then she didn’t have any qualms of calling Clark precious.

He might be invulnerable and seemingly all-powerful, but she wanted to protect and care for him in whatever capacity she could. And she knew Clark thought of her the same way; he had acted on that desire on way more occasions than Lois would care to recall, let alone admit.

These thoughts were turning very mushy, so Lois slid her arm through Clark’s, squeezed, and pressed herself against him. He leaned against her and flexed his arm slightly, squeezing back.

She looked up at him and met his gaze. The soft smile on his face was gorgeous.

He shifted, removing his arm from her grasp to wrap it around her waist, hugging her to him. She copied the motion.

Normally, she wasn’t a fan of PDA. But here, in this moment, with him, she couldn’t care less. Besides, it was just two people who were starting a romantic relationship leaning on each other. It wasn’t like they were kissing or anything.

That got her thinking.

“So,” she started, not whispering, but still keeping her voice low, “are you my boyfriend now?”

Clark hugged her tighter. “I’d like that,” he answered, pressing his cheek against her hair.

She leaned further into him in response. “I’d like that, too,” she confirmed, sealing their defined relationship-with-titles. He kissed her crown to signal his agreement to these terms.

And that led her to, when they got to the register, tell the ice cream scooper person that, “My boyfriend wants to try the Kryptonian Krunch. And I want… the Metallo Mint.”

“Metallo Mint?” Clark whispered, apparently bamboozled. “I hope that doesn’t have Kryptonite in it…” he mumbled.

Lois was trying so hard to not laugh. And she was sure it was showing on her face. She elbowed him in the stomach. He, of course, was completely unaffected. But it got him to stop as he was interrupted by a laugh.

Since she was the one at the register, doing the ordering, she reached for her purse to pay. But Clark, damn superpowers, whipped out his wallet faster than she could blink and paid for their ice cream before she knew what was happening.

When they walked away from the register, Clark insisted that he hadn’t used any superpowers. How could he? He was in full view in public and had a secret identity to protect, after all.

He looked so innocent.

Lois squinted at him in disbelief and mentioned how he used superspeed to have the fastest typing speed like ever known to man. He had the gall to look sheepish. She raised her chin in victory at that.

They walked through the park, enjoying their ice cream. It was winter, and therefore, cold outside, but Lois was walking pressed against Clark, who was insanely warm, so she was fine.

“So, I’m guessing there’s no Kryptonite in there?” Clark asked, entirely joking, but with a semi-serious tone of voice.

Lois hummed. “No, I don’t think so.” She turned slightly, further into him, and held up her cone, offering it to him. “Want some?”

He shot her a smile and leaned down to try it. She pressed it into his face to smear it against his lips, making them both laugh.

He straightened away from her assault and began licking his lips to clean the ice cream off. Then the smile suddenly fell from his face and his eyes drooped half closed and he seemed to falter, almost curling into himself slightly. His mouth dropped open as if he was struggling to breathe and he took a few gasping breaths.

Her eyes widened, at first, not understanding what was wrong. But then, after exactly three seconds, she caught on. And she whacked him firmly on the chest with her free hand. That smacked the smile right back onto his face.

“You got me,” she breathed, almost harshly, grudgingly admitting to having fallen for his act.

He chuckled deep in his chest. “I was worried I’d scare you. Glad I didn’t… much.”

She shook her head and took a bite of his ice cream as revenge. Of course, he was fast enough to see it coming and stop her if he really wanted, but he let her have it. And she really should have expected him to capitalize on the opportunity to smear ice cream on her face, too. She clicked her tongue as he burst into laughter.

“Ugh. I walked into that one,” Lois grumbled the complaint. She couldn’t keep her smile hidden for any significant amount of time, though.

Clark wheezed. Nodding, he managed through chuckles, “You did.”

Lois didn’t quite know when Clark managed to calm his chuckles, but they fell into this intimate moment. They were both smiling and very close to each other. It really was to be expected that they slowly leaned toward each other and met in a kiss.

Suddenly, Lois wished they hadn’t gone to get ice cream, because now she couldn’t really wrap her arms around him while she was holding her cone. But she didn’t want to just waste the ice cream and just… drop it.

Fortunately for her, Clark solved her problems by breaking the kiss, but not the moment. He leaned back, more straightening up than backing away, and smiled at her, love plain on his face.

And she was once again completely enthralled by him. Here he was, a kind-hearted gentleman with the powers of a sun-god, and he was in love with her, a simple reporter. Now, she knew that Clark thought the world of her and would protest vehemently the idea that she was simple anything. But that thought kind of ruined the complete romanticism of the moment for her; so, she ignored it for the time being.

He pulled away from the kiss, straightening up ever so slightly.

He loved her so much. Time flew when he was with her, and yet it also moved so slowly, moments feeling like they were lasting forever. He never wanted them to end. A sentiment he had been feeling repeatedly over the past few days… weeks… well, months, really. Ever since she’d admitted—to herself, that he had overheard—that she was falling in love with him.

She was smiling up at him; it was a warm and soft smile, very romantic. And he smiled back. It was only natural, as the way she was looking at him was only making him fall deeper in love with her.

That was ridiculous. She didn’t have to give him any type of look at all for him to fall in love with her more and more… and wow, he was so very gone for her.

He looked up at the stars, then. Needing to cool his thoughts before he did something to make a fool of himself. He also remembered his ice cream at that moment, taking full advantage of its temperature to assist his endeavor.

And that’s when he saw how beautiful the stars were that night. And then he thought about how he could fly. And how he’d love to show Lois some of his favorite views, now that he could.

So, with ice cream still coating his lips, he looked back down to Lois and smiled wider. “Wanna fly?”

Lois was also enjoying her ice cream when she made eye contact with him. At his question, she paused with her cone in front of her face. Then, she dropped her arm slightly as she grinned in response. “I was hoping we could.”

Clark felt his smile turn to more of a wry grin. “Why didn’t you ask?”

Lois laughed, eyes bright. “Well, I was going to if you didn’t offer soon.”

Clark shook his head, now convinced his smile would never leave his face. “Alright. Let’s go.”

They worked on their dessert as they meandered through the park, enjoying the lights. Eventually, they crossed over to a small alley that was just dark enough for Clark to safely wrap his arm around Lois’ waist and lift them into the air, high above the skyscrapers of Metropolis.  It was dark enough that they weren’t worried about being spotted, but they were still careful.

They ended up on the roof of the Daily Planet. Clark declared it a great place to see the city while they finished their ice cream. And it was. They sat on the edge, legs swinging thousands of feet above the sidewalk below, eating their dessert. Lois was pressed into Clark, resting her head on his shoulder. He had an arm around her waist. And maybe it was more than the spot that was great. 

It was peaceful up there. They had the full view of the city. And it was vibrant, with the constant traffic and the well-lit billboards. It was really no wonder Metropolis was considered such a beautiful city.

And it was quiet. Sure, there was the constant buzz of traffic, but to a city girl, that was never-ending background noise. With that thought, she tilted her head, looking up at Clark. He was just finishing off the rest of his cone. She laughed softly.

“What?” he asked, laugh evident in his voice.

Lois shook her head against him. “Nothing,” she answered, not quite ready to admit how cute she thought he was. “Just… the city is so quiet. And,” she paused, considering, “I guess I wondered how loud it is for you?”

Clark tilted his head, gazing at her fondly for a moment, as if he was processing what she was asking. Then, he lifted his eyes skyward, considering his answer.

“Quiet,” he answered. “But not like how you said. I don’t hear anything happening. No sirens, and nothing that might require them. Rare, for nothing to happen.”

“No emergencies?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing. It’s nice.” He paused. “Well, there are a few calls being made to the non-emergency numbers, but I don’t hear sirens. I only hear the noise of a lively city at night.” He turned his head completely to the right, looking at something Lois knew she definitely wouldn’t be able to see. “Wow, that is one heck of a rager happening in that club three miles away.” He turned back to her. “Remember what I said about sirens? The police are probably going to shut that down here in a few,” he informed her, laugh bubbling out of him.

“It’s that wild?” Lois asked, laughing softly.

Clark hummed. “A lot of obvious underage.” He shook his head, as if in gentle disappointment. “Kids these days.”

“Hey, watch it, Smallville.” Lois swatted his chest lightly. “I was one of those ‘kids these days’ back in my day.”

Clark raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Oh, were you?” And he was definitely making fun of how she phrased that. No matter. He always made fun of her words. She ignored the part of herself that admitted it was well deserved.

“Well,” Clark started to change the subject. “Now that we’re done with dessert, let me show you things I get to see.” He offered his hand to her.

She smiled at him and didn’t think for even a second before she took it. And then they were off, soaring into the clouds. She gasped at the sudden change, but it was in pleasant surprise.

Clark flew her around the city, allowing her to see Metropolis in all its vibrant Art Deco-ness. The Daily Planet was, as she already knew, a shining icon in the heart of the city. It was enchanting. This moment, with her newly minted boyfriend, was so enriched in love. She loved him, he loved her, they both loved their city, and the view… it was incredible.

But like all good things, it did have to end. Clark promised to show her more, but it was getting late, and they were responsible adults with jobs they had to be at in the morning. She grumbled about it all the way back to the alley that had started at, though.  

He gently set their feet back on solid ground. Unlike how they started their journey, now they were facing each other. Clark had both his hands on Lois’ hips and Lois had her arms around his waist.

“Had fun, I hope?” Clark asked, smiling softly.

Lois’ gaze inadvertently flicked to his lips. She didn’t even try to stop herself from leaning in and kissing him softly. And it deepened when he nearly melted into her.

When they finally pulled away, Lois answered, “Yeah.” She pulled her gaze from his lips and brought her eyes up to meet his. And God, his eyes were gorgeous, even from behind those color-dampening glasses of his.

“Good,” Clark smiled again. “I’m glad.”

They stood like that for another moment, before realizing a dingy alley wasn’t the best place to stay, for a number of reasons. So, they smiled at each other and turned to head back to the sidewalk.

Arm-in-arm, they made their way back to Lois’ apartment. Clark, a gentleman to the tee, of course obeyed every single one of the sidewalk rules. And yes, Lois was sure there was more than one. Puddles were a danger, too. And Clark definitely saved her heels some water damage, without even thinking about it, at least twice on the way back to her place.

They weren’t moving at a fast pace, but it didn’t take long before they were at Lois’ front door. She pretended she was struggling to fish her keys out of her purse just to have a few more moments with Clark. He, of course, wasn’t going to say anything and played along.

They were joking softly with each other as Lois finally unlocked her door. And they were so caught up in their own little world that they didn’t notice that Lois’ lights were on, even though they had made sure they were off when they left.

So, they were both shocked when a gruff, “Hello, Lois,” interrupted them.

Eyes wide, they both turned to see a man in a classic military uniform seated on the armchair that faced the entryway. Clark didn’t recognize him. But Lois did. And she didn’t seem very pleased at the unexpected visit, if the way she tensed up at Clark’s side was any indication.

But whatever Clark thought would happen, whatever he thought Lois was going to say, it definitely wasn’t the ghastly whispered, “General?”

Chapter Text

Samuel Lane did not usually stop by his daughters’ respective apartments entirely unannounced, especially as it pertained to Lois. With his luck, the time he randomly swung in would be while she was away at some out-of-town conference or other journalistic opportunity.

This was a rare exception. And judging by the state of her apartment—clean in the sense it wasn’t messy, but very lived-in—she was not out of town… probably.

Sam seated himself in the armchair that had the best view of the entire apartment. It was toward the later dinner hours, so that is likely where Lois was, especially since it was a workday. Sam smiled as he thought of his daughter’s work ethic. He was proud of her.

He hadn’t been waiting for too long, perhaps fifteen minutes, before he heard voices just outside Lois’ front door. He was expecting Lois and the partner she talked about sometimes… Kent was it?

What he wasn’t expecting was for them to both be dressed up, like they went on a date. He narrowed his eyes.

They were so distracted by each other that they failed to notice him, sitting directly in their line of sight. He automatically did not like this… boy, as he was too young and baby faced, in Sam’s opinion, to be considered a man.

“Hello, Lois,” Sam greeted gruffly, pointedly ignoring the man-child.

It was almost comical how the two turned, in sync, to face him, eyes wide. It seemed the boy had an idea of who he was but wasn’t quite sure. And Lois seemed less than pleased to see him.

And when Lois whispered, “General?” the boy straightened up ever-so-slightly, suspicions confirmed, apparently.

Sam really didn’t like him.

Lois was livid. What a way to end her amazing date! A little heads up would have been nice. Too bad General Sam Lane didn’t get the memo.

She couldn’t have sweetly made out with Clark before saying goodnight? Or stayed up watching a movie on the couch with Clark?

That’s what she wanted to do, and would have done, if her father hadn’t spontaneously materialized in her living room.

Maybe things could still be salvaged. She could kick the General out before he scared Clark away and she and Clark could still cuddle watch a movie.

And she firmly believed she could do this. That is, until the General ruined everything again when he asked, “Who’s this?”

Lois grit her teeth. “General, this is Clark. Clark, this is my father.”

Clark, for his part, didn’t look too intimidated. “Hello, sir,” he greeted. Lois loved his attempt; it showed maturity on his part. She didn’t expect her father to give Clark the same courtesy.

She wasn’t disappointed. “Clark Kent, I presume. Lois’ occasional partner at the newspaper.” They jumped straight into interrogation, it seemed. At least Clark was made of steel.

“Yes, sir, we do share the by-line a lot.”

“He also pre-edits all of my work for me,” Lois added, trying to make Clark look like a hard worker. He was a hard worker, of course, but the General was ruthless and so she needed to give Clark a hand wherever she could. “And he has saved my life more times than I would care to admit,” she continued. This was also true, and she would have said those same words even before she knew he was Superman. And now that she did know that tidbit of information about Clark, it made it ten times as true.

The General just hummed negatively in response.

Lois moved in front of Clark and leaned against his chest, needing his solidness as a form of nonverbal comfort. She also hoped it told him that she was sorry about this mess and said mess had no impact on her feelings about him as her boyfriend.

She could have collapsed in relief when he reached both of his hands up and gripped her arms, clearly showing her father that he was going to stand by her while also confirming to her that he was fine.

In the recesses of her mind, she knew that the General had… worked with? That wasn’t quite the correct term, but it was close enough… the General had worked with Superman before, so Clark more or less knew what to expect from him.

But she also worried. Sure, Clark had some experience with General Lane through Superman stuff. But Clark was also used to people not being huge fans of Superman. Clark wasn’t so used to people hating Clark Kent, the regular person. And that could make quite the difference.

She had to trust Clark. She had to trust that his thick skin and mental toughness carried over without the cape. This was, of course, slightly ridiculous. She knew Clark had a spine. She knew he could take it. But she really loved him and that made her worry about his ability to withstand the General, regardless of the fact that he was more than capable of doing so.

Clark, in a display that proved how much he knew her, squeezed her arms slightly, trying to offer comfort and reassurance that he was going to be okay. It also told her that he loved her. Because she was just now realizing that she had zoned out while the General grilled her boyfriend about his habits and hobbies and life inside and outside of work.

Tuning back in, she wanted to applaud Clark for giving all the right answers. Not only that, he was completely truthful and earnest in every single one of his responses.

Then, she made the mistake of looking at the General. He didn’t seem to be liking Clark’s answers. Oh God, this was a disaster. She just wanted Clark. He made her so unbelievably happy. She was twenty-seven years old, she did not need her father to approve of her choice of man! Especially since this one was entirely decent!

Sam grudgingly respected the boy a little bit when he placed his hands on Lois’ arms. It was a small but blatant display that spoke volumes about this boy’s intentions for Lois. It also meant this boy was not intimidated by Sam’s presence.

Well, they’d have to see about that, wouldn’t they.

So, Sam didn’t feel the least bit remorseful when he launched question after question, interrogating this boy on his life, his interests, and what he did in a day. They boy answered quickly, confidently, and honestly.

But all of his answers seemed too perfect. There was no way this young man could possibly be so perfect. Sam didn’t trust him. He also didn’t want him near his daughter, but there wasn’t much he could do about that, since the two worked together. He would never admit it aloud, but they did work very well together. Sam thought the pieces his daughter wrote alongside Clark Kent were the best ones.

His questions started getting somewhat invasive. The boy seemed marginally surprised by some of them, knowing they weren’t normal questions, but answered them anyway. Once again, Sam grudgingly respected the boy.

Lois, apparently, thought enough was enough and interrupted. “Clark, go to my room.”

Both Sam and the boy were surprised by this. “What? Why?” Kent asked, looking down at Lois with raised brows.

Lois pulled away from him and turned slightly to look him in the eye. “Because I need to speak to my father privately and don’t want to send you away, yet.”

The boy accepted this answer at face value, apparently, because he nodded and replied, “Okay.” He then squeezed her shoulder, as he still had one hand on her arm, before walking into Lois’ bedroom and shutting the door.

“We could have gone to your room,” Sam commented, not happy with his daughter’s decision.

“I don’t care,” Lois replied. “Clark won’t do anything in there. The only thing he might stick his nose into is my bookshelf.”

Sam still didn’t like the idea of a boy in his daughter’s bedroom, but after having grilled the man for about five minutes, he silently agreed that he probably wouldn’t paw through his daughter’s underwear drawer. At least, not when Sam was standing in the living room of Lois’ apartment.

“I don’t like him,” Sam said.

“You don’t like anybody,” Lois countered. “And honestly, I don’t care what you think. Not when it comes to Clark, because he is the most respectable person, by far, that I have ever dated.”

Sam hated that she was right on that one. Clark Kent had a job, he paid his bills on time, he swore he didn’t do drugs and wasn’t addicted to anything. And, more importantly, Clark Kent made his daughter better. Her work was better with him, she apparently behaved better when she was with him, and she certainly wanted to lookbetter when she was with him. Sam would never forget the one boyfriend she had dated that had her dressing all grunge and emo… this well-dressed Lois was a significant improvement. But most importantly, Clark Kent seemed to make Lois Lane happy. And he kept her safe. All things Sam should appreciate in a man his daughter was seeing.

But Sam knew his daughter’s taste in men left much to be desired. All of her exes had something fundamentally fucked up about them. No less than three of them had tried to kill her at least twice. Granted, those three had never once protected her or saved her life, ever. But still. And the rest of her exes had all been after one thing, their own pleasure. And to suddenly see a boy who was completely different from all of those others… Sam didn’t believe it.

He wanted to, somewhere deep down inside, but he didn’t.

Clark was sitting on Lois’ bed reading his emails when she opened her door and stepped inside.

“Hi,” she greeted, shutting the door. “I kicked my dad out.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Clark replied, shutting his phone off.

Lois shook her head. “I didn’t want him here, and he didn’t say he would be stopping by. I also wanted to spend the rest of my night with you, so I definitely needed to send him away.”

Clark smiled softly at her. “I don’t think he likes me.”

Lois smiled back, stepping close and running a hand through his hair. “He doesn’t like anyone.” Her smile fell as she continued. “He’s going to be watching you closely while he stays in Metropolis. I would be extra careful about being Superman until he’s gone.”

Clark hummed in response, eyes closing in delight as she continued to play with his hair. “That’s fine. I can have Kara and J’onn fill in for me.”

“J’onn?” Lois asked, unfamiliar with that name.

Clark opened his eyes. “Oh, yeah, that’s Martian Manhunter’s name. J’onn. Figured he can do most of the work, since he can shapeshift. And whatever he can’t do, Kara can.”

Lois nodded. “That’s a good plan. I’m sorry about all this.”

Clark shook his head and placed his hands on her hips, drawing her closer to him. They both ignored how intimate their positions were. “It’s okay. I want to pass your dad’s silly tests.”

Lois sighed. “You’re probably going to fail for being too good.”

Clark grinned. “Then I’ll make sure to drop my groceries at least twice to be slightly less than perfect.”

Lois threw her head back in a surprised laugh. “Yes, be extra clumsy. That’ll do it,” Lois giggled, knowing it would be something, at least, that would make Clark look more realistic in the General’s books.

Clark had color on his cheeks. “You know, me being clumsy isn’t an act…”

“Well, I hope you won’t drop 747s,” Lois laughed.

Clark’s cheeks deepened in color. “No, no, that isn’t what I meant. It’s just… sometimes I don’t really know how much strength is required for something and underestimate and end up dropping something because I don’t have an appropriate grip on it…” He trailed off slightly. “Oh, and I trip a lot because I am much better in the air… which is ironic, because I have powers on Earth and wouldn’t on Krypton…”

“What?” Lois asked, surprised by that. “Kryptonians don’t naturally have superpowers?”

Clark shook his head. “You didn’t know that? I thought I’ve mentioned that…” He trailed off again, clearly wracking his brain. Shrugging, he explained, “The yellow sun is what gives me my powers. It’s more nourishing than the red sun Krypton orbited. The atmosphere and gravity of Earth also plays a part. So, if I went to a planet that had a yellow sun but a weaker atmosphere and greater gravity, my powers would be very different. I would probably be less invulnerable and unable to fly, but would still have laser vision, for example.”

“Huh,” Lois started, cataloguing that information. “I knew the sun was your source of power, but I didn’t realize how particular that information was.”

Clark shrugged again. “There’s probably a lot of other information I’ve glossed over, now that you mention it.”

Lois started playing with his hair again. “Well, I look forward to learning more as we go.”

Clark hummed, smiling softly, and closed his eyes once more. Lois bit back a giggle, trying not to ruin the moment. He looked blissed out just with her playing with his hair. She wasn’t complaining; his hair was so silky and soft. And him not having bedhead meant there were no tangles for her fingers to get stuck in.

She played with his hair for a moment longer before asking if he wanted to watch a movie. When he finally managed to open his eyes—was he tired? —they were bright with happiness.

Much like the last time she selected something to watch, it was random and from the recommended movies list. And it was really just something to make their cuddling seem less intimate. As it was, they both were barely paying the movie any mind, both consumed with thoughts of each other.

Lois found herself realizing that her favorite place to be was pressed against Clark’s chest. He was an excellent… well, he was excellent. His strong breathing and heartbeat were incredibly soothing, his well-muscled chest was an excellent pillow, and his chest was well-muscled. Lois couldn’t pretend she didn’t totally dig that part. She was pretty sure Clark’s biceps were larger than her head—they weren’t… but they were still massive and incredibly stress relieving to squish.

And she was really, incredibly grateful Clark didn’t possess mind-reading.

Clark was in dangerous territory. He could have fallen asleep sitting upright when Lois was playing with his hair. Something about her and her affection both wired him and soothed him so deeply. He wanted to show her the world but could also take the best nap of his life in her presence.

Curled up on the couch as they were, though, with her body acting as a pleasant weight against his, he resigned himself to once again sleeping on her couch. And although it wasn’t the most comfortable sleeping situation, he was invulnerable, and he wanted to spend every possible second he could with her.

And, shoot, she was playing with his hair again. He was cooked.

Instead of running her hands through his hair as she had before, this time her hand played with the hair at the nape of his neck. It tickled… or at least that’s what Clark imagined tickles felt like.

Clark pressed his cheek against the top of her head, pulling her closer against him. This was contentment. He never wanted to leave. If it was possible, he would never move ever again.

He remembered closing his eyes, because he had wanted to focus on Lois and what she was doing to him rather than the tv. He didn’t remember falling asleep.

Lois missed it, at first.

But after the next couple of times, she registered the sound as something unusual.

She fought her natural urge to lift her head and search with her eyes for the source of the noise. And she was very grateful for that decision because she quickly realized Clark was what was making it. And moving her head would have shifted his and would have probably stopped the noise.

She carefully started processing things. Firstly, whatever this noise was—it was somewhere between a snore and a purr—it was adorable, and she loved it. Secondly, she was ninety-nine percent sure that Clark was asleep. Thirdly, the noise got softer when she stopped playing with his hair. It also took her a moment to clock the fourth thing, but the noise he was making was definitely not human; she couldn’t really explain it, but it was definitely something that was distinctly Kryptonian.

She turned the tv off. She wasn’t watching it, Clark was asleep, and she wanted to listen to this strange noise he was making. As she laid there, her fingers got tired and so she stopped playing with his hair. This, of course, caused the sound to die down and eventually stop. When he finally quieted, she gently shook him awake.

“Huh?” he asked, blinking blearily. “Was I asleep?”

Lois giggled softly. “Yeah, and you made this really cute noise.”

He groaned quietly and dropped his head back against the arm of the couch. “Don’t tell me, it sounded like a purr?”

“That’s the one,” Lois confirmed with a smile. “I like it, though.”

Clark hummed and pressed his cheek against her crown again. They stayed like that for a moment before Clark asked, “Why did you wake me?”

That made the smile fade from Lois’ face. “It’s late. You should get back.”

“I’ve slept on the couch before,” Clark argued, sleep still evident in his voice.

“Yeah, and if my dad wasn’t in town, I would have left you here.”

Clark stiffened slightly when that registered. “Oh,” he paused, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Sorry,” Lois offered. She really did not want him to leave.

“No, it’s okay. At least I know you’re not kicking me out,” he joked. He was successful in bringing a smile to her face.

She tilted her head up so she could press a kiss to his jaw. “No, I’m definitely not doing that. Just trying to save you for a change.”

He hummed and shifted into her so he could press his cheek against her own this time. “I appreciate that, thanks.”

After another long moment of comfortable silence between them, Lois finally pushed herself up and off of Clark. He stuck his bottom lip out in protest. And really, he had no right to look so pathetically adorable. She really did want to plop right back down on top of him for more snuggles. But she persisted in her endeavor and sat up.

He dropped the look as he realized it wouldn’t work—this time, at least. Once she was off him, he sat up, too. “I had fun tonight,” he started.

“Despite the General’s surprise visit and impromptu interrogation?” Lois asked, a dry laugh in her voice.

“Yeah, despite that,” Clark replied; the laugh in his voice was genuine.

Lois looked at him. He was looking at her, smile on his face and love in his eyes. She smiled back. “I had fun, too.”

And she was leaning into him, so it only made sense that he lean forward, too, and capture her lips in a kiss.

Lois was slightly taken aback. Not in a bad way. Definitely not in a bad way. She was just surprised by the passion behind his kiss. But she couldn’t complain because she kissed back just as hard.

She melted when she felt his hand slide across her cheek and slightly into her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear before coming to rest against the angle of her jaw. It was automatic when she responded by carding a hand up the back of his head into his hair. That seemed to be a thing for him, because as she tugged on his curls, he nearly growled against her lips. And that turned her on. She wrapped her free arm around his neck and tugged him down further into her. Logically, she knew she couldn’t move him if he didn’t want to be moved, but she was going to try anyway. And she was glad she did, because he eagerly followed her down, letting her guide him.

He moved to brace a hand against the couch, and they briefly pulled away. “I thought you were sending me home?” he asked huskily, eyes locked on her lips. He didn’t wait for a response before he resealed their mouths hungrily.

She pulled away, placing a hand on his chest to stay him for a moment. “I am, but I have to say goodbye somehow, don’t I?”

He smiled widely against her lips. “This isn’t a goodbye. This is telling me to stay.”

She grinned into him and kissed him sweetly before pulling back, further this time. “Sorry, sorry,” she said, very obviously not sorry at all. “I couldn’t help myself. Besides, it just gives you a reason to take me out again.”

He rolled his eyes with a smile. “As if I need a reason,” he huffed, before quickly adding, “Not that I’m complaining. Because I’m definitely not.”

She risked another quick kiss. If he wasn’t such a gentleman, she’d say he looked starved. “Good. Because that was really nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “Now, c’mon, big guy. You have to get home before my father breaks my door down to skin you alive for daring to stay so late at my apartment,” she said sarcastically.

He huffed a laugh and stood up. “Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked.

“For such a good night,” he shrugged, looking sheepish, as if he didn’t even know why he said that.

She threaded her arms through one of his and they started toward the door. “Well, I should be the one thanking you, since you paid for everything.”

“You should have expected that. You were the one who mentioned that I was raised to be the perfect gentleman,” he replied, messing with her, while being honest and serious at the same time.

She swatted him softly on the chest. He really was fantastic. She couldn’t wait to see more of this side of Clark. She already loved him.

It took them forever to say goodbye. But when they finally did, they parted after a sweet kiss. And Clark could swear he would be tasting her for the rest of the night. If he had a little extra energy in his step, that was why. He was simply a man in love. And he was hopelessly gone for his woman. His girlfriend.

He had to tell Ma. And Pa. And Bruce and Diana. They’d have to wait. He’d call his Ma when he got home. Then, he’d have to contact J’onn and Kara about filling in for him for a bit. He could spill tea with Bruce and Diana at a later date. But not too late, or they’d be upset with him for withholding information.

Clark hadn’t walked a full block from Lois’ apartment when he felt eyes on him. Coming out of la-la-land and returning to the real world, he could easily identify General Lane trailing him.

He hoped the pep in his step wasn’t too obvious. He didn’t want the General thinking he’d slept with his daughter. They’d just made out. Wow, his bar was low. But it was too late now. It would be too obvious if Clark suddenly stopped floating on cloud nine; that would tell the General that Clark was aware of his presence behind him.

So, Clark tried to ever-so-slightly ease his way into a normal gait. He was pretty sure he succeeded. But just in case, he stopped watching his feet and let himself fall face-first onto the concrete. And when he got up, and the excitement was ‘all gone,’ it couldn’t be suspicious since he’d just literally bit the dust.

He tried to not laugh at his own shenanigans. But it was really hard not too when he could hear General Lane harshly criticizing Clark for his clumsiness under his breath. Fortunately, the General was behind Clark, and superhearing confirmed that the General had not called in reinforcements for Operation: Spy on the Boyfriend.

Once he was in the safety of his own apartment, though, he let himself laugh himself silly.

Then he called his Ma, who was over the moon that they had finally made things official. Of course, Pa was also on the line, as his parents were attached at the hip.

Once he finally got off the line with them, he called J’onn, who was happy to help once Clark had explained the situation. He glossed over the details, just explaining that Lois’ father, who was military, was watching him closely and Clark couldn’t afford risking his identity.

When he called Kara, though, he gave the in-depth explanation. She quickly agreed to help out but then she made fun of him. So much. But he couldn’t blame her, because the situation was a bit ridiculous. Oh well. He was really determined to win this woman’s hand in marriage. And dealing with her father was part of it.

Clark Kent went to bed with a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Clark knew Lois hadn’t been joking when she warned him that her father was going to watch him like a hawk. He knew that. But he was completely unprepared for just how closely Sam Lane was watching him. For example, was it really necessary to set up camp on the skyscraper across from Clark’s apartment with binoculars? Clark was grateful he’d gone to bed with a shirt on. He didn’t exactly want to advertise all the muscle he was packing, especially to someone as suspicious as the General. He was aiming for something around the lines of “fit but clumsy farmboy.” Looking like a gym rat wouldn’t really work for him, especially since he wasn’t a chronic weightlifter… technically.

Clark exited his bathroom fully dressed for work, minus his shoes, which he slipped on before he entered his small kitchen. He danced around his kitchen a little extra today, wanting the General to think that he was a naturally upbeat person, which he was, but he was laying it on a little thicker than usual in the hopes of scoring bonus points, or something. He quickly ate his small breakfast, cleaned his mess, and put away his dishes. Then, he shrugged his coat on, grabbed his keys, and headed to work.

It took the General a little longer than Clark had expected to start trailing him. But then again, Clark hadn’t peeked into what little camp the General had set up across from Clark’s apartment, so who knew what tidying the General had thought necessary before following Clark down the street.

Clark stopped by the usual small coffee shop that was about a block from the Planet. He smiled hello at the barista, paid with his card, and politely said ‘thank you’ when he grabbed both coffees. All things he usually did. The baristas usually responded in kind because he was a regular and consistently polite; the thought of the General observing that made Clark smile a little wider, if he was being completely honest. It also didn’t hurt things that the barista already had Clark’s order ready to go by the time he walked in. He was very consistent.

Clark’s next destination was clearly the Daily Planet. And so, he wasn’t surprised to see that General Lane had already set up shop across from the building. He ducked his head to laugh softly at the utter ridiculousness of this situation as he walked into the building.

By the time Clark got to the correct floor, General Lane was already at his self-appointed station, watching from across the street. Clark greeted Lois with a smile as he handed her the coffee he’d gotten for her, as he usually did every day.

She smiled back, took her coffee, and thanked him.

“Good morning,” he started, dragging his desk chair over to Lois’ desk. “Your dad has been watching since before I woke up.”

Lois’ smile dampened only a little. “Really? I’m so sorry.”

Clark shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I already talked with Kara and John. They’ve got everything handled. I’m fine.” Clark laughed slightly. “I’ve already planned my day. Of course, work. But then, I’m going to get some groceries, help Miss Walters with her groceries, and do my laundry. So, basically, the General is going to be watching a very exciting day.”

“Right,” Lois nodded, smile returning in force, “You do help Miss Walters every Tuesday. I hope he eats that up.”

“I hope he appreciated the coffee house. I didn’t even have to order my coffee today.”

“Really?” Lois laughed.

“Really,” Clark nodded, chuckling. “I get the same thing every day at about the same time. The kind barista saved me trouble and time by having everything ready by the time I walked through the door. It was a nice surprise, especially since I’m being observed.”

“What a perfect day for that to happen,” Lois huffed a laugh. “And to coincide with Miss Walters Assistance Day, too… almost too perfect, Clark.”

“Well, I’ll have to drop my keys and fumble with my groceries and visibly concentrate on handling Miss Walters’ with care, then,” Clark stated, only partially joking.

Lois swatted Clark’s chest, causing him to chuckle once more. “I can literally see it now,” Lois grumbled, Clark’s chuckles growing louder. “Okay, Smallville, time to lock in. We’ve got a story to cover.”

Clark took a deep breath before leaning closer, looking at the notes on her desk. “Did Perry just assign this?”

“Yep. He emailed it to both of us this morning. We’ve got about an hour to do some background research, so…” she paused as she flipped through some of the papers before she pulled out three, “here is what I don’t want to do; so, you have to do it.” She handed the papers to him.

“Sounds about right,” Clark responded as he glossed over the papers. “Anything else? There’s a lot of papers left for you, still.”

Lois shook her head. “This is largely the work I’ve already done, or tasked Jimmy with. Don’t worry, hot shot, I gave you the more time-intensive stuff.”

Clark nodded. “Makes sense as to why you don’t wanna do it, then.”

“You know me so well, handsome,” she joked. They both knew that while yes, Lois did paw off the time-heavy research to Clark because she didn’t want to do it, but also Clark would complete the research faster than anyone else in part because of his superspeed but also because he seemed to have a knack for finding answers.

Putting the assigned papers aside, Clark looked back to the stack Lois had on her desk. “Anything else I need?”

Lois once more shuffled through the papers. Humming, she responded, “No, I think that’s it. I’ll let you know if I find something that you might need.”

“Okay,” Clark said, standing up, “Sounds good. An hour, you said?” He started pushing his chair back to his desk, all of five feet away.

“Yes, we have to be at,” Lois paused, scribbling something onto a sticky note, “this address at 8:30 on the dot.” She slapped the sticky onto his chest, ignoring his outstretched hand, and took a large sip of her coffee. She raised her brows as if to ask, “anything else?”

He shook his head, more at her shenanigans than to answer her nonverbal question. “Alright, I’ll come back to bother you in an hour, Ma’am.”

“Ew,” she grumbled, “I know I like to remind you that I am the more experienced reporter, and therefore technically your superior, but never call me ‘ma’am.’ I am your girlfriend, not ten years your senior.”

“Aha,” Clark laughed, “And being ten years my senior automatically means you can’t be my girlfriend.”

Lois turned bright red. “That is… that is not what I meant, and you know it!” she huffed, angrily pointed a pencil at him, because that helps get the point across.

Clark just grinned cheekily and finally sat down at his desk to get to work.

Sam Lane was not a happy camper. This boy his daughter was seeing was… different. It was almost inhuman how human this kid was. So far, Sam had observed that the boy got up the first time his alarm went off. Then he disappeared into what looked to be a small walk-in closet before quickly reappearing with a neatly folded stack of clothes. He hid himself in the bathroom for seven minutes and thirty-four seconds before he exited fully dressed for the day, the only exception being his shoes, which he quickly toed on before leaving the bedroom for the kitchen.

He seemed to be a morning person, something Lois definitely was not. This Kent boy jovially bustled around his kitchen, making a small breakfast. He ate quickly before cleaning the small mess he’d created. Sam wouldn’t be surprised if the boy had been humming a tune as he went through this routine of his.

Sam watched the boy shrug a coat on, struggling a bit with one of the arms, before grabbing—and immediately almost dropping—his keys. The kid was a bit clumsy, and that just made him more human to Sam, too perfect. There had to be a catch, something he was missing.

After everything Sam had watched in the apartment, he had predicted the kid would maybe stumble down the stairs or stop to have a quick chat with a neighbor, so he was marginally surprised to find the tall, dark-haired boy a bit further down the road than anticipated. Sam chastised himself for underestimating the kid and quickly got within a better following range.

He watched from across the street, pretending to browse through some street vendor’s flower selection, as Kent entered a local coffee shop that was close to the Daily Planet office building. Sam was once again slightly taken aback as he watched Kent greet the barista before immediately paying for two drinks that were already prepared. Seems Kent was a regular and the employees liked him. Sam had to grudgingly admit that was a good sign for the kid. Maybe he wasn’t too perfect, after all, and just very well raised. He made a mental note to look into the kid’s background and family.

When it became clear the boy wasn’t going to stop anywhere else before work, Sam diverged from the kid’s path and headed for his setup opposite of the Daily Planet. He made sure to get there quickly, since it seemed Kent moved faster than Sam would have thought.

By the time Kent exited the elevator, Sam was comfortably settled in to watch the day unfold. The boy smiled and greeted at least three of his coworkers as he made his way through the office. Sam wouldn’t be surprised if he had greeted others in passing that Sam couldn’t quite see from his position.

When he’d watched the kid in the coffee shop, Sam had wondered why the boy had two coffees, but as he watched the kid greet Lois, Sam should have guessed. The extra coffee was for her. Sam had to give the boy credit again, it seems. The barista knew Kent would order two coffees, which meant he had had this habit for quite a while, now. And based on Lois’ reaction, or lack thereof, the coffee was exactly as she preferred it and exactly as she expected it to be upon being handed it. Seems Kent really did take care of his girl.

Sam frowned as he watched Lois and Kent laugh and joke some. They should be working. But just as he was about to really get ticked off, Kent found his way to his own desk and appeared to get to work. Lois also got to work, or back to work, since she had already been at the office before Sam started observing.

Sam sat there and watched the two reporters work at their own desks, occasionally looking up from their computers and papers to compare notes, for about an hour. That’s when they both got up to leave. Kent helped Lois into her coat before he shrugged on his own. Sam couldn’t help but notice the boy struggled a little less with his sleeve this time, but one of the sides of the coat was briefly stuck rolled up the inside. Lois didn’t seem to be thinking about her actions as she reached over and tugged the corner out. The entire scenario seemed practiced, like it was a regular occurrence. And from what Sam had seen so far, he believed Kent to be a man of routine. The boy had his habits, and he stuck to them. Maybe that was something that had drawn Lois in.

Sam hated, for multiple reasons, the idea that his daughter could be growing up and actually looking for a man who could be a life partner. The reasons he hated the thought? One, it would be admitting his daughter really was growing up; two, she was looking for a man who was capable of supporting her—Sam refused to admit to even himself that that stung because he always wanted to be that type of figure for his girls—but would let her be independent; three, he had no real reason to hate this guy if her reasons for choosing him were so good, especially since the guy seemed so genuine, honest, and kind.

Sam stewed over these thoughts for the rest of the day as he trailed the reporters through Metropolis as they chased stories and returned to the Planet to write them.

“Well,” Lois huffed, sitting up from her computer and stretching her back and legs. “I think that’s a good stopping point.” She looked over at Clark, who was bent over his own computer and typing up a storm.

“Mhm,” he hummed in response, clearly having heard her without hearing her. He typed for a few more seconds, fingers blurring slightly—and wasn’t that something to watch? —before sitting back into his chair and turning to face her slightly. “What was that?”

Lois huffed a laugh. “I said that I found a good place to stop. How often do you do that?”

Clark tilted his head, eyebrow raising, giving her a look of complete innocence. “Do what?”

“You know,” Lois prodded, bringing her hands up and wiggling her fingers really fast as if she was typing.

Clark blinked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lois.”

Lois left her hands suspended in the air for three whole seconds while she examined Clark closely. He met her gaze and kept his wide-eyed, innocent, quizzical look. She narrowed her eyes and held a mean stare. And if she hadn’t known Clark, and known him well, for that matter, she would have missed it, but barely, just barely, the corner of his lip twitched. She dropped her hands and dramatically rolled her eyes.

Clark immediately broke into a wide grin. He looked strangely proud of himself. He almost had her. “I do it simultaneously more and less than you might think.”

“Thanks,” she replied sarcastically, turning back to face him again, “That cleared everything up.”

He laughed softly and shrugged. “Maybe four times a week?” he estimated. “It’s usually when I’m trying to finish a thought and want to be done done.”

“Wouldn’t that be useful,” Lois grumbled, only slightly jealous. She cheered herself up with the thought that she could just pawn off extra work on Clark, who had the abilities.

She turned back to her computer to save her file and missed Clark doing the same, standing up, and coming over to her desk. But his presence was comforting and regular, so she didn’t jump when she was surprised to find him so close. She was briefly amazed by that novel concept. Normally, such unexpected and unrealized proximity would startle her, but with Clark, it was different. His proximity naturally soothed her, it seemed, regardless of if she consciously knew he was there or not. The surprise at his previously unrealized presence was more of a pleasant, warm surprise than anything else. That brought a smile to her face as she glanced up to meet his face.

He held his hand out and she graciously accepted it, letting him help her to her feet. He squeezed her hand softly and smiled warmly at her. She suddenly had the desire to hug him. She didn’t have to look around the office to know it was late, and most people had gone home, so she didn’t feel bad at all when she let herself fall the short distance into Clark. She just... leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. He chuckled softly, almost under his breath, and he copied her actions.

“You’re so great,” she breathed, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. “I’m sorry about my dad.”

Clark started rubbing a hand in circles on her back. “It’s all good. You’re worth it.”

And Lois was very glad he was already supporting her weight because that statement melted her entirely. She knew her cheeks were crimson, too, which made even more glad that her face was pressed into his shoulder. “Can you stop being so perfect for like two seconds so my feelings can catch up?”

He hummed. “Sorry, bad timing. I’m trying to prove myself to the General… maybe try again next week?” he joked.

She pulled away from him and swatted his chest. “You!” She made the mistake at looking directly at Clark’s brilliant sun-smile. She loved him so much, bad jokes and all. “Ugh!” she groaned in defeat.

She moved away to grab her coat. Which was a futile gesture, because of course, Clark would beat her to it. She huffed a laugh as she let Clark help her into her coat for the fourth time that day. She fixed her hair as he moved to grab his own coat.

“Got your keys?” she asked, purposely facing where her dad was doubtlessly watching them, hoping he was reading her lips. Let him think Clark was a silly, clumsy, but kind man.

Clark, in the middle of tugging on his coat, brought his keys into sight, briefly twirling the ring around a finger before slapping the keys still into his palm.

“Good,” she stated, nodding once. She tried not to laugh as he appeared to struggle with the sleeve and side of his coat, again. He did that so frequently, Lois wondered if it was an act, after all. “Here, silly man. Why is this so hard for you?” she asked, moving to help tug the jacket through like she had twice earlier.

“I don’t want to rip it,” Clark answered, somewhat sheepishly.

Ah. It seems this was a genuine struggle for him. Lois understood. That was a very valid reason; he was just being careful. It was endearing, actually. He was kind, even to his well-worn clothes. Lois had stolen enough of his sweatshirts to appreciate the care he put into maintaining his things.

She smiled as she pretended to straighten his lapels and brush lint off his shoulder. He was fine, but she wanted to go through the motions. Plus, it gave her the excuse to touch him some more.

He leaned in to place a quick kiss on her forehead. She glanced up at him, which seemed to be the desired reaction. “Wanna grab a bite?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Sure,” she smiled. “Have anything in mind?”

He shook his head. “Not really. Though, I was wanting something fast. I do have to help Miss Walters later, after all.”

“How late does that woman get her groceries?” Lois asked, stepping back from Clark so they could start heading out.

“She used to get them around one. But since I started making the habit of helping her, she started going later, toward the later rush hours, so that I wouldn’t have to miss work. She insisted that if I was going to habitually help her, then she would at least not make it wildly inconvenient for me. Which is ridiculous, of course, but whatever makes her feel better. I’m not complaining.”

Lois truly couldn’t have thought she could love this man any more than she did, but every day she spent more time with him, she found herself falling deeper and deeper. His bleeding heart was so precious. And Lois fiercely vowed to protect it however she could, even though she knew that he knew how to protect himself. But whatever trouble she could spare him, she would.

By the time they wandered into one of their favorite sandwich shops, Lois and Clark had both completely forgotten about Sam Lane watching them.

Lois and Clark didn’t linger in the sandwich shop for too long, since Clark was on a schedule. They placed their trash in the bin and their trays on the stack before Clark backed into the door and held it as Lois exited.

They took probably two steps before Clark offered, “Let me walk you home.”

Lois snaked her arm through his and tugged him closer to her, or, more accurately, she tried to tug him to her and ended up tugging herself toward him. She took that in stride, though, and hummed at Clark. “No, that’s okay. Thanks for offering, though.”

Clark shot her a quizzical look, an eyebrow raising in question. Predictably, he insisted, “Really, Lois, I’ll walk you home.”

“No, really, Clark,” Lois mirrored, “I want to stay with you a little longer, if that’s okay.”

Clark blinked a few times in rapid succession, apparently not having thought about a third option. He’d been concerned with the second option of: Lois walking home alone. The third option of: Lois comes to his home… maybe it wasn’t so silly of an idea since they were dating. So, Clark shrugged jovially and beamed at her with a sunny, “Okay!”

They walked for about a block before Clark realized, “You’ll be meeting Miss Walters, though.”

Lois leaned into him a little bit. “And that’s not allowed?” she countered.

Clark’s cheeks were tinted pink. “That’s not—I didn’t—I was just making sure you’re okay with helping her with her groceries. I mean, I probably can handle everything she has, but you never know, and—”

“Clark,” Lois called. He immediately shut his mouth and gave her his full, undivided attention. It startled Lois a little bit, the suddenness of his response. But she was quickly distracted by the thought that he looked awfully like a puppy with his big, innocent eyes and the way he had his head tilted just so. “Really, I don’t mind. I was well aware of what your schedule looked like before I said anything.”

Clark smiled, eyes squinting just slightly. Lois couldn’t believe how many little things she had been noticing about Clark ever since she started actually giving him the time of day. She felt a little bad about that; Clark deserved far better than she’d treated him in the three years they’d been working together. But she steeled herself with the promise that she would do better, that she had already been doing better. For now, she’d start with holding him close as best she could as they walked down the crowded sidewalk toward his apartment.

Anne Walters was a city girl through and through, never mind the fact she was well beyond her girlhood years. She never expected anyone to help her do her own chores, not since her husband passed many years before, at least. So, it really was quite a shock when a young, very handsome man—who she’d noticed moved in across the hall from her—took time out of his day to help her with her groceries one horrible, unlucky, rainy day. And he helped her the next time she got her groceries, and the time after that, and the next week, too, despite all three of those occasions being perfectly sunny and actually quite nice days.

On the first occasion, she had immediately noticed that not only was he new to the apartment complex, but also to the city—and not the city as in Metropolis, but as in any big city ever… this kid was a small-town boy as much as she was a city girl. That certainly explained why he stopped to help her the first time. The second, third, and fourth times led Anne to the belief that he didn’t have many friends yet and was desperate for some normalcy, or maybe even something that reminded him of home.

So, on the fifth time he helped her with her groceries, she told him she was going to change her schedule to later in the day. By that point, she’d gotten that his name was Clark, he was from Smallville, Kansas, and he was an investigative journalist at the Daily Planet. Of course, after learning that, she quickly became a subscriber; the kid was smart and good at what he did, and she loved reading his work. She knew the new time for her routine would better fit his schedule. And it was the second time he helped her at the new hour when he asked her why she changed her schedule around. And he blushed such an adorable crimson when she told him the truth, rather bluntly, at that.

She never regretted changing her routine, especially when she quickly found a good friend in her young neighbor. She didn’t have very many of those left, and he was a good one. So, as friends do, they started telling each other about themselves. He knew about her late husband, their two kids, her five grandchildren, and her social bingo night on Thursdays. She knew about his Ma and Pa—who she had gotten to meet twice since Clark moved in three years ago—and about his massive crush on his partner, Lois, at the newspaper. (She also knew-without-knowing that he was Superman, but she would keep that so very close to her chest).

The girl, Lois, though… she reminded Anne so much of herself, based on everything she had heard Clark say. She very much seemed just like the do-it-herself, fiercely independent city girl Anne had been once. The girl who believed she could and would do the job well and didn’t need anyone to do life with her. But could and would doesn’t mean should. And if the increased sightings of a young, dark-haired woman at Clark’s door was any indication, this Lois was quickly finding out that just because she could, didn’t mean she should or even had to do anything by herself. And wasn’t Clark just the best helper there was to choose from. The girl would be foolish to let him go.

Anne was rooting for Clark and Lois, even though she’d never met one half of this ship. It seemed Lois made Clark happy, even when he was annoyed at her.

So, all that to say, Anne nearly dropped her groceries when she saw Clark walking arm-in-arm with the same young, dark-haired lady Anne had been seeing more and more at Clark’s front door. They were engrossed in each other, so obviously completely in love. It was precious. And Anne didn’t think she’d ever get over the look of young love. She remembered seeing her kids this way, and Clark might as well have been her third kid, so this repeated experience but with him was special to Anne’s old heart.

And about two minutes later, when Clark and his lady stopped just in front of Anne, her suspicions where confirmed.

“Miss Walters,” Clark greeted, kind smile plastered on his face, “this is my girlfriend, Lois.”

And Anne was glad Clark had already taken the bag of groceries from her because she surely would have dropped them. He’d said girlfriend! Oh! Her day was made.

“Hello, Lois, it’s my pleasure to meet you,” Miss Walters replied, reaching out to shake Lois’ hand, and patting their joined hands with her left. “My name is Anne, but this country boy insists on being overly polite.”

Lois’ smile widened. “That sounds about right, Miss Anne,” Lois responded, subtly compromising on the title and name. This seemed to satisfy the old woman as she nodded her head kindly.

Kent hefted the grocery bag further into his arms before reaching into the woman’s car to retrieve another brown bag.

Lois, seeing what he was doing, maneuvered around him and also reached into the car with a soft, “Here, let me help, too.”

Miss Walters cooed, “Oh, you don’t have to, sweetheart.”

Lois straightened out of the car, brown bag in hand. “Really, it’s no trouble. And this is the last bag, I think.”

Miss Walters shook her head, seemingly pleasantly exasperated. “You kids.” She shook her head again before confirming, “That is the last one.”

And Sam couldn’t be upset about the Kent boy. Everything he’d seen, both passively over the years and throughout the day, suggested that Clark Kent was exactly what he seemed to be. He was a hard-working, kind-hearted young man who genuinely wanted to help the people he cared about whether they be the young woman he wanted to start a life with, the old woman who lived in his apartment complex, or a random passerby who’d dropped his wallet. Kent was ever the gentleman, kind and loving in the most normal of ways. It was a little mind-boggling to see that the Hallmark love interests do actually exist in real life. And that thought was a little too accurate to the situation for Sam’s comfort.

He was still going to run an in-depth background check on the kid, though. But he wouldn’t be surprised if nothing came up. Sam would have to grudgingly admit that this farmboy was actually worthy to date Lois. Even if he only admitted that explicitly to himself.

Clark and Lois stood outside Miss Anne’s apartment talking for quite a while after they’d helped her with the groceries. She was fun to talk to. She reminded Lois of herself, in a strange way.

Lois got the sense that Miss Anne knew more than she let on but was going to respectively keep her nose out of other people’s business. It was only a little unnerving. Then Lois wondered if people felt that way around her.

She quickly forgot those thoughts as they said their goodbyes, though. She was too content to spend time with Clark to worry about what other people thought of her. She really only cared what Clark, his folks, and a select few at the Planet thought of her, anyway.

She’d been in her work clothes for far too long, so she excused herself “to the bathroom” and disappeared briefly into Clark’s closet to steal some clothes before finding her way to her announced destination.

When she reappeared in the kitchen, she noticed that Clark had likely used his closet as a location to change out of his own work clothes, seeing as they were now more or less twinning. He was just turning around from rummaging through the freezer, when he caught sight of what she was wearing.

“I was wondering why you went to my bathroom and not the guest one,” he mentioned, looking entirely unamused—but in an amused way—and as if he expected her to do something like that.

“What?” she asked, stretching her arms apart, her hands hidden because of the excess sleeve that flopped toward the ground. “Don’t act like you didn’t know I don’t have half of your closet at my apartment.”

“That sounds suspiciously like we’ve moved in together, not like you’ve just stolen all my clothes,” Clark grumbling, feigning annoyance, making Lois giggle.

“Is that ice cream?”

“Are those my shorts?”

Lois blinked. “So, that is ice cream?”

Clark looked up from where he’d been questioning her choice of garments. “What does it look like? Answer my question.”

“What does it look like?” she parroted, sassily, putting her hands on her hips and cocking a hip.

“Not even my underwear is safe,” Clark groaned, looking to the ceiling as if it would offer guidance on the matter.

Lois giggled again and sashayed forward, grabbing at the ice cream. She couldn’t manage to move it out from under Clark’s hand, though, so she crashed forward into him, knowing he would roll with her impact so as to not hurt her. And he did, but not without wrapping a strong arm around her to secure her close to him.

The entire scene was so soft and normal. And Lois wished briefly she’d stolen some of his fuzzy socks, too. That would really have made the whole scene perfect. That and maybe snow outside.

“Ie ceem nnd mvee?” Lois asked, faced smushed into Clark’s—firm yet soft—chest.

“I’m sorry what?” Clark asked, almost sarcastically.

Lois peeled her head back so she could look Clark in the eyes, but in doing so she leaned her entire body backward, so only the arm Clark had braced around her was keeping her from falling backwards onto the floor. She dramatically cleared her throat and repeated, “Ice cream and a movie?”

Clark had a nearly smug look on his face that was almost juxtaposed entirely by the love shining in his eyes. She raised her a brow, jokingly impatient. Clark laughed at that, breaking the bit they had going on. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Great!” She jumped slightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She quickly leaned in, kissed his cheek, then shifted out of his hold. She plopped herself on the couch, grabbed the remote, and selected a fun looking dramedy she’d been wanting to see.

Clark laughed when he saw what she selected. She craned her neck so see him as he came up behind the couch with two bowls. She accepted the one he handed her and immediately dug in. “I’ve heard about this one. Diana thought it was good.”

“Diana?” Lois questioned, through a mouthful of ice cream.

“Hm? Oh, uh… Wonder Woman,” Clark answered, suddenly sheepish. “I, uh… don’t, don’t tell anyone I told you that. She… actually, I don’t really know if she really has a secret identity… um, well, I guess just don’t call her that. I should probably talk to her…” Lois didn’t say anything as Clark seemed to have a mini-crisis. He shrugged and eventually decided upon, “It’s not like I told you Batman’s secret identity on accident, and I think Diana would like to meet you, anyway.”

Lois blinked. “There is… so much to unpack in that sentence.” She paused briefly. “First, Wonder Woman wants to meet me?”

Clark, who had finally settled on the couch beside her, reddened and nodded, gaze averted. “I, uh, I do talk about you, sometimes.” Clark sat up sharply. “But not like, to just anyone. Just B and Diana…”

“B?”

“Batman.”

“You talk about me to Batman.” It was not a question.

“…yeah.”

“The same Batman who you know the identity of?”

“…also yeah.”

“How many people know that?”

“Uhhhh, excluding his family? Like two. Maybe three. Well, actually probably five.”

“What?” Lois asked, not knowing what else to say. There was so much in that blurb of information.

“Yeah, so there’s me, obviously, and Diana, we’re all pretty tight. And then there’s Ma and Pa—yes, they know. B’s been over for thanksgiving before—and I think the government agent who ran the suicide squad, Waller, knows his identity. Oh, and some Middle Eastern assassins know his name, and Diana’s mom, Queen Hippolyta, might also know, since I think they met for a holiday? I think that’s it.”

“Wow.” Lois took a deep breath. “I guess I didn’t think about how you being Superman also meant you are friends with the Justice League.”

Clark laughed softly, taking a bite of ice cream. “Yeah, I’d say I’m friends with all of them, but like, in the same way I’m friends with Jimmy. Like yeah, friends, see each other all the time, I would go for drinks with. But like, I don’t really tell Jimmy about my parents or anything like that. With B and Di, they’re basically my siblings, you know? That kind of friend. They’ve met my parents, Di somewhat regularly hangs out with my Ma, B’s parent figure swaps recipes with Ma and talks shop with Pa…” Clark trailed off before shrugging. “I guess, other than you, B and Diana are my best friends. We really are a trinity.”

And Lois sat back to consider, briefly, the absurdity of the situation she was in. Superman, clad in fuzzy socks, loose-fitting gray sweatpants, and an oversized hoodie that had seen better days, sat cross-legged on a modest couch, eating ice cream, and talking about how he is best friends with Batman and Wonder Woman and how they literally do life with each other like they were all siblings, despite one being an alien, another an immortal goddess, and the third being… whatever Batman was.

And then, the idea that Clark Kent was friends with Batman and Wonder Woman to the point he knew their secret identities, had met their respective families, and had them over during the holidays at his parents’ house, and not only that, but Clark Kent was also the single most powerful being on the face of the Earth, because he was Superman. And that was even more absurd to think about.

So, Lois thought about how her boyfriend, an adopted alien with superpowers, had friends. And those friends were interesting and unique and powerful and really cool, actually. And that somehow made it a little bit less absurd.

And then she remembered to ask about something else Clark said. “Batman has a family?”

Clark laughed. And he laughed hard. “Yeah,” he managed through wheezes. “B has an adoption problem. Di and I make fun of him, since he says he works alone.” Clark took a few deeps breaths to calm down. Speaking through giggles made it hard for others to understand. “He, well, his kids, he sees himself in them and wants to help them turn out better than he did, so he guides them. Some of them are actually his kids, but some of them are just kind of there. Adopted in the emotional sense, but not legally? If that makes sense.”

“Like how your parents adopted me?” Lois offered.

Clark laughed and nodded. “Yeah, kind of like that. Of course, that happened because I love you.”

Lois blushed and leaned into Clark. He leaned against her. “I know you’ve heard of Batman and Robin. It’s not a myth. Robin actually exists. There’s been two versions actually. The first Robin is Nightwing now, he works in Blüdhaven mostly but sometimes visits Gotham. And then the current Robin is still very new to it. B still keeps him at home, mostly, training. But he has a soft spot for his kids and will let Robin out on nights B expects things to be a little tamer. And then there is Batgirl. She’s not actually B’s but might as well be. She, I think, is an on and off girlfriend of Nightwing’s but is always around. I think she and N are trying to decide if they are something more than friends or not, and they can’t quite make up their minds. But they both also have unusual home lives, so they might not really know what they want things to look like because of that… and wow, this conversation turned in a different direction. Ummm, B’s kids call me Uncle C?” Clark ended with.

“Uncle C,” Lois repeated, surprised laughter in her voice.

“Yeah, or Uncle Clark, it depends on the situation, I guess, who is present.”

“That is actually adorable.”

“It’s all fun and games until a Robin spawns in my apartment at the foot of my bed in the middle of the night while I’m trying to sleep. Scared me five feet into the air.”

“What?” Lois exclaimed, needing to know more.

“Yeah, that’s a funny story, actually. So, it was before Robin had really become known, right? And I thought it was just a story someone had made up that gained popularity or whatever. I didn’t think Batman, Mr. I-work-alone, would let anyone, let alone a kid out in the streets of Gotham with him. And then said kid appears in my room one night because Batman had told him that if anything happened that I was the person to go to. Batman made me his kid’s emergency contact and didn’t tell me.” Clark rolled his eyes with a huff and dragged a hand through his hair, causing some curls to fall across his face.

“So, one, there is this gremlin-looking child I have never seen before perched on my bed frame, how he got there without me hearing it? I will never know. But two, first thing he does is say ‘Mr. Clark, sir, Batman’s missing—stop screaming—Batman’s missing and I need your help.’ That’s the first thing this kid tells me, Lois. I didn’t know what was happening. I thought it was a dream. Nope. It was not. He was like nine. I have no idea how he got all the way to Metropolis, but I took him back to Gotham so fast and then laid into Batman about everything. And then B told me that he essentially got bullied into having a sidekick because, and I quote, ‘I couldn’t stop him from going out. Don’t give me that look, I would love to see you try. I will legitimately give you a million dollars if you can.’”

Clark paused and gave Lois a look. “I, obviously, never suddenly became a million dollars richer. I tried and failed to prevent a nine-year-old kid from sneaking out to go patrolling in a traffic light colored costume. If there’s one thing that can be said about a Batkid, it would be that all three of them are incredibly resourceful and should never be underestimated. It should also be said that Batman is an incredibly paranoid and overprotective parent, so all three of the kids are fine. They’ve each got like nine trackers hidden in their equipment. Not to mention a superpowered aunt and uncle.”

Clark was a really good storyteller; Lois already knew this. He had won Kerth awards for his ability to write a story, to really convey the importance and significance of all sorts of events. But watching him tell a story, that was different. He was so animated, and he had truly fantastic impressions. She didn’t care if they never got around to watching the movie, this was so fun. And she was learning insider details about the Justice League, and its Trinity, not that she’d ever do anything with the information, but it was really cool to hear about.

Lois asked questions, of course. Clark answered as best he could without giving too much away, respecting his friends’ wishes to remain behind masks. Eventually, after Clark promised to talk to Diana about maybe meeting Lois, they did settle back to watch the dramedy Diana had enjoyed and Lois had selected.

It was probably really good, but Lois fell asleep in Clark’s arms well before the movie came to an end. Clark actually paused the movie just before he too fell asleep. This seemed to be a pattern for them, falling asleep on couches. Maybe they should know better by now. At least Clark was invulnerable and wouldn’t feel it in the morning. And Lois definitely thought Clark made an excellent pillow.

Chapter Text

Sam didn’t know how to feel when he watched his daughter fall asleep on her boyfriend while watching a movie on the boy’s couch. They were completely innocent, and the boyfriend fell asleep shortly after, as well.

Sam wasn’t feeling tired, however, so he devoted some time to researching Clark Kent. He didn’t want to contact anyone about the kid, so he was stuck doing this all himself. Which was fine, except that he must be very rusty because the kid was completely clean.

Sam reviewed what he had so far. The Kents, Jonathan and Martha, had been married for about five years before trying to have a baby. They seemed to have great difficulty and were pursuing adoption. However, the farm they owned and worked was not doing so well at the time, so adoption was not looking very likely due to their finances. Then, a large blizzard snowed all of Smallville in, which was not good for a number of reasons. It took nearly a year for the small town to get back up and running. That caused money to be tight all around, and a lot of people were sick because they had gone months without access to medicines and fresh food. But after the blizzard, Jonathan and Martha surfaced with a child. The only thing somewhat shady about that was no one was really sure if Martha had miraculously gotten pregnant right when the blizzard first hit and then managed to deliver the baby at home or if an anonymous third party had a child they couldn’t support and left him with the Kents because they knew he’d be taken care of.

Sam had dug into that one. Seems most residents in Smallville were either convinced the child was Martha’s and Jonathan had helped deliver their son. It wouldn’t be too far out of the realm of possibilities because Jonathan did have experience delivering calves and such, and the man seemed intelligent. It is possible they could have figured things out. But other Smallville residents swore Clark Kent had been left of the Kent’s doorstep with nothing but a blanket. And Jonathan and Martha had been entirely vague with their standard response of “Well, Clark is our son.” And no one seemed to think anything other than that mattered. The howClark Kent was their son didn’t seem to be very important to anyone in Smallville, Kansas.

And that infuriated Sam Lane. Why? Because this was the only sketchy thing about Clark Kent and the kid really couldn’t even help it. But Sam wanted so badly for this man-child to be imperfect.

Everything else about him was squeaky clean. The kid struggled a bit in school in Kindergarten and first grade before his parents discovered he needed glasses. Then, his grades shot up to top of the class. He was an incredibly intelligent child, like both of his parents, it seemed. And he was incredibly kind-hearted, also just like his folks. Apparently, in middle school and high school, the kid had been bullied. It seems, though, that Clark Kent just took everything in stride. He didn’t seem to care what the bullies did to him. And Sam had the thought that the kid’s attitude was because he seemed like such a loser and an outcast in school. Despite his intelligence and kind heart, the kid had all of three friends and they really only spent time together at school. Clark Kent was a homebody; he didn’t leave the farm much and didn’t often have people over. And if there were folks at the farm, the never stayed for more than six hours, and never overnight.

Kent’s middle and high school habits completely changed, however, when the kid left home to go to Metropolis University. There, he was undecided for two months, before declaring an English major. Seven months after that, he declared a focus in journalism and a minor in communications. The kid graduated with honors, top of his class. After graduation, he scored a desk in the Daily Planet bullpen, where he stayed for three years. And now, he is up for promotion, which would grant him a private office. But apparently the kid didn’t know that last part yet. 

Sam had to grudgingly admit that Lois finally picked a good one. And from what Sam had seen so far, the man-child was very serious about Lois Lane and a future with her. Somewhere, in the recesses of his heart, Sam appreciated that greatly. He was just not ready to see that his baby girl was all grown up.

Clark woke with the sun. He was hyper aware of Lois still asleep on top of him, so he made sure to not move. It was Wednesday, sure, but Perry had given them the morning off after they worked late to nail that story. His exact words were, “Be here by noon, ya hear me? Noon!” Which meant Perry would kill them both if they were at work earlier than twelve and might actually give them a paid vacation if they didn’t show up at all. And laying there on the couch, the woman he loves on his chest, and the sun warming his skin, Clark wondered if he could possibly convince Lois to take a day off. And when she moaned sleepily and cuddled closer to him, Clark knew his chances of success were higher than they typically would be.

It didn’t seem like Lois was going to wake up anytime soon, though. So, for the time it took for the sun to rise, he let himself just be content. And it was much needed.

He put one arm under his head, so he could better watch the sunrise without awkwardly twisting his neck. His other arm was holding Lois; he just tightened his hold, bringing her ever-so-slightly closer to him. She made a cute noise when he did that, which drew his attention to her. She was adorable, pressed against him. She had some hair falling in front of her face, so he carefully lifted the hand that was behind his head and brought it to her face to gently brush the hair back. He couldn’t help but brush his thumb across her cheek and down her jaw. Her skin was so soft and smooth. She had one cheek smushed against his chest, peeling her lips open just fractionally. This caused the creation of soft snores, which, and Clark might have been a total dork for this, he thought was completely precious.

Clark replaced his arm behind his head and relaxed into the couch. He enjoyed the sunrise, but not in the way he would while at the farm. Granted, it was different at the farm; there weren’t skyscrapers blocking his view of the sun, and all. But Clark always appreciated a good sunrise, especially if he was walking through or flying above Metropolis. His apartment didn’t have as great a view, but it did have good views of the reflections off the neighboring buildings, which was beautiful in its own way. And as he lived in the city, he’d begun to appreciate that city-view magic even more. It definitely didn’t beat the farm, or even the Fortress in the Arctic, but it was still beautiful.

But in this moment, Clark couldn’t help but adore the way the morning sun, reflected off the skyscrapers across the street or naturally penetrating the apartment, illuminated Lois’ face. The soft pinks and oranges of the rising sun highlighted her beauty in an incredibly soft way. It was terribly domestic, and Clark couldn’t believe he’d found himself in this situation, with the woman he loved, who knew his secrets, and still wanted to call him hers.

He was entirely content. Two things he loved, the sun and Lois, brought together. Add a peaceful morning to that combination, and things were pretty darn perfect, if you asked him. He might be the most powerful person on the planet, but he was a simple man, and it didn’t take much to please him. This was it. This quiet morning with the love of his life. He would take any chance he could get to appreciate her—her presence, her brilliance, her beauty—and what a good chance this was, with her sleeping peacefully on his chest, completely comfortable with him, with the early sun caressing her features.

Oh, he was so gone for her.

It was almost pathetic, in the hopelessly romantic way. But he was also hopelessly romantic anyway. Lois had made fun of him for that many a time. So, maybe it was just pathetic… but like the good kind of pathetic, not the bad, kicked puppy kind of pathetic. Obviously. Though, now that he thought about it. The seemingly unrequited love torch he had carried for years leading up to this point probably could have been considered the kicked puppy kind… But it wasn’t unrequited anymore, so this puppy had to have seen the vet and been adopted, or something.

This puppy needed to go back to appreciating his girlfriend and the sunrise before he embarrassed himself further, even if it was his own unspoken and unshared thoughts and feelings… that would remain in his own mind.

So, this puppy was content. And as the sun had finally risen, Clark dared to peek into General Lane’s camp across the way. He checked carefully and saw that the General didn’t have any surveillance cameras or anything and was currently focused on something else, facing away from Clark’s apartment. So, Clark took the chance and delicately lifted himself off the couch, twisted midair oh-so-slowly, and gently deposited Lois on the couch. He brought himself down to the ground, quickly checked to make sure the General hadn’t been watching, and finally made sure that Lois would be comfortable.

Clark fought the urge to simply float along to his bathroom—not wanting to risk being caught by the General if his attention sudden shifted—and forced his feet to stay on the ground as he shuffled through his small apartment. Upon making it to the bathroom, and after shutting the door, he allowed himself to float as he so pleased, apparently needing to get it out of his system. And if he took a little longer in the bathroom than he usually did in order to float a little longer, so what? It was good for him. Lois would probably also have found it funny. But he didn’t want to tell her about it because he didn’t want her to feel even worse about the constant surveillance thing her dad was putting him through. Clark could imagine she would smile big, briefly turn her head away in laughter, before swatting him on the chest and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before telling him he was such a dork sometimes.

He made sure his feet were grounded before he opened the door. He decided to forgo an outfit change because what he was wearing technically weren’t his pajamas and therefore presentable enough, especially for a slow morning. With that, he shuffled back into his small kitchen. He started with coffee, prepping the machine and starting it to brew. Then, he rummaged through his cabinets for something for breakfast. He pulled some things out and pondered a bit on what to do when he heard Lois shifting on the couch. She had probably sensed his lack of presence and started waking and then smelled the coffee.

“Ugh, I hate it when my pillow and space warmer isn’t there when I wake up,” she mumbled as she sat up, placing her feet on the floor, and brushing her hair out of her face.

“Sorry, I wanted to make breakfast,” Clark replied from his spot in the kitchen.

Lois twisted to face him, as if not realizing he could hear her. She blinked a few times, trying to wake up, before she responded. “For some reason, I didn’t think you’d be here.”

Clark tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Lois shrugged and hid a yawn behind a fist. “I guess I thought you’d be out Supermanning, or something.”

Clark smiled softly. “No Supermanning for me. I don’t hear anything happening right now that would need my help, and even if I did, J’onn or Kara would be taking care of it.”

“Oh, right,” Lois breathed. “I forgot about that. Ugh, I’m tired.” She rubbed her eyes some before continuing. “So, I guess that begs the question, what the hell was my space heater doing not with me when I woke up?”

Clark’s smile widened. “I told you; I wanted to make breakfast. Now, pancakes or biscuits?”

“Mmm,” Lois tilted her head, thinking. She stood up and made her way over to him, hugging herself, apparently cold. “Do you have jam? Because that will completely determine my answer.”

Clark shifted his gaze to his fridge, trying to look like he was in thought while subtly using his X-ray vision. “Yeah, I have jam and apple butter.”

Lois finally found her way to him and pressed herself against him, leaving her arms dangling by her sides, apparently not having woken up enough to remember how hugs work. “What kind?”

Clark tore his gaze from the fridge and demonstrated how to properly hug someone. “Strawberry, grape, and blackberry. Also,” Clark glanced back at the fridge, “yeah, and a little bit of cherry.”

“Cherry jam?” Lois peeled her face out of Clark’s chest to look up at him while also, finally, wrapping her arms around Clark’s waist. “That’s a thing?”

“Uh, yeah,” Clark laughed. “I’m pretty sure there’s a jam for every type of fruit out there. Fair warning, some might be unholy. But that could just be my opinion.”

At some point during Clark’s response, Lois had buried her face back into Clark’s front. Clark just hummed and brought a hand up to run through her hair.

“So, biscuits or pancakes?” Clark repeated. “Also, the biscuits will take longer than the pancakes, so keep that in mind.”

“How long till the coffee’s done?” Lois asked, voice muffled due to the placement of her face. Good thing Clark had good ears.

“Like thirty more seconds.”

“Biscuits. Coffee can hold me.”

“I think I’m doing that, actually.”

Lois groaned into his chest. “Spare me the bad jokes, Smallville. I haven’t had my coffee, yet.”

“Well, I can fix that for you,” Clark offered sweetly right as the coffee machine signaled it was done brewing.

Lois dropped her arms back to her sides and groaned into his chest. Clark didn’t budge and just let Lois lean on him dramatically. It took Lois a whole two minutes to squeak out: “Coffee’d be nice, thanks.”

Clark chuckled and moved his arms from around her waist to where he was gripping her arms gently to pull her off of him. He looked down at her softly, with a matching smile. She returned his gaze sleepily. “Oh, honey, it really does take a while for you to wake up in the morning, doesn’t it?” Clark asked, his thicker-than-usual midwestern accent softening the blow of his jokes at her expense.

Lois mumbled a yes while nodding pathetically, trying to lean back into his chest, really trying to sell the not-awake-yet act, not that she really needed to play into it at all. She even reached her arms out in the universal gesture for a hug. He breathed a laugh, not fooled for a minute, and pulled her back into a tight hug before quickly extracting himself so that he could fix her coffee.

She decided that she wasn’t done with him yet and followed him to the coffee machine where she wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his—very muscular—backside. She was reminded of how attractive and impressive it was to feel his muscles move underneath her. She could swear she could feel the sheer power contained under his skin. She refused to think about what that thought did to her—she’d unpack that at a later date and time… preferably without the object of her fascination present.

She was a bit distracted by her thoughts, so she was a little surprised when she felt Clark once again pulling away from her. She was in the middle of grumbling about his unexcused absence when he pressed a warm mug of coffee into her hands. She accepted his excuse for his absence with a decisive nod and a long sip of the warm wake-up juice. He knew how to make the perfect cup of coffee. God, she loved this man.

And she found she quite enjoyed the sight of him bustling around the kitchen to make biscuits for breakfast. His simple love for life was breathtaking and inspiring. And it made her fall a little bit deeper in love with him.

As it turned out, Clark was successful in his mission to convince Lois to take a day off. And all it took was some home-made biscuits and some puppy-dog eyes. But Lois was so tired with her dad being around and all that he was pretty sure he hadn’t actually needed the puppy-dog eyes. Sometimes even ace reporters needed a good random day off. And it seemed Clark Kent did have a calming and focusing effect on Lois Lane, just as Perry White hoped and prayed for.

Said calming and focusing effect was brought out in full force when Clark decided he desperately needed to do laundry. And Lois, being the workhorse she was known to be, barely let the word ‘laundry’ leave Clark’s lips before she was grabbing his hamper and detergent and dragging it down the hall to the elevator. Clark watched her round up the required items from his laundry corner and stood more than mildly flabbergasted as she impatiently waited for the elevator.

He shook himself out of his brief reverie and grabbed some slippers for Lois as he slipped a pair for himself on. As he moved toward her, he started to chuckle. This caught her attention, naturally, and quickly led to her flushing slightly when she noticed Clark had brought her some shoes, since she had forgotten them in her haste to start some chores.

He didn’t say anything when he dropped the slippers in front of her, but his chuckles did increase slightly in volume and cadence. She pretended to swat him on the shoulder but left her hand against him to support her balance as she toed the shoes on.  

The elevator dinged and opened just as she got the second shoe on. Seeing this, she pushed off of Clark, grabbed the hamper, and marched into the elevator. Clark positioned himself just behind her and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. Tugging her back into him, he leaned down and pressed a kiss into her cheek. She could feel his smile. “You’re pretty cute, you know.” He kissed her cheek again before continuing, “I love you.”

They both paused when that sunk in. Sure, they’d been obvious that they loved each other, and even casually and jokingly tossed the phrase around some, but they’d never said those words, not like this. Not in such a meaningful and domestic way. And butterflies where flying through Lois’ belly. This was real, and it terrified her. And her fear told her to tell the elevator to stop at the next floor and hightail it out of the building, leaving Clark in the dust. But her fear wasn’t the strongest thing in this situation. So, instead of pressing any buttons, she turned around, took Clark’s face in her hands, looked him dead in the eye with a wide smile on her face and replied, “I love you, too.”

And the sun-smile that lit up Clark’s face was otherworldly. Heh. He’d probably appreciate that pun, unintentional as it had been when Lois thought it.

It was a good thing the elevator was not popular at about 10:30am on a Wednesday, otherwise someone would have witnessed Lois Lane and Clark Kent act like middle schoolers in love the way they were smiling like idiots and trying to kiss each other through their joyous giggles.

For them, time seemed to simultaneously pause yet fly by. Because they’d been in the elevator, basking in their love for about all day but it had really been less than a minute before the elevator dinged to indicate it had reached the basement floor.

Lois, had she really been paying attention, would have rolled her eyes at the cheesy-romcomness of the moment she and Clark had where they were blissfully ignorant of the elevator doors opening while they were romantically lip locked.

Lois was the first to come to her senses and slowly pulled back from Clark. She smiled up at him in an almost bashful way as she reached down to grab the laundry basket. Clark brushed her hands away and grabbed it for himself before she could get any semblance of a decent grip.

When she started to protest his actions, he simply shrugged and said, “It is my laundry.”

Lois conceded the point with a shrug before verbalizing, “That’s a fair point. I don’t think we’re at the stage where I should be touching your underoos.”

Lois marched on toward the laundry area for about three steps before realizing Clark had stopped walking entirely. Turning back to see what had stopped him, she saw that he was standing perfectly still just staring at her with an expression on his face that screamed ‘Really? Are you kidding me right now?’

“What?” Lois asked, not understanding why he would be giving her such an unimpressed look.

“You don’t think we are at a stage where you should be touching my,” he paused, clearing his throat, “underoos…?”

Lois made a face that expressed exactly the words she spoke: “Uh, yeah. Don’t you?”

Clark dropped his chin to his chest. He seemed disappointed. Upon closer inspection, Lois determined he was desperately trying to hold back laughter. But before she could repeat any questions, Clark lifted his head to face her and asked a question of his own, “Lois… do you see yourself right now?”

Lois took a step back toward him, starting to get a little defensive. “Do I see myself—” Clark glanced down at her legs briefly before returning his gaze to match hers, which threw her off enough to get her to cut herself off. She was slightly taken aback by such a seemingly suggestive gesture from him and immediately followed the path his gaze had taken before quickly turning away from him in mild embarrassment and disappointment as she recognized and remembered that she had confiscated a pair of his underwear as her pajamas the night before… and was still wearing them. “I stand corrected,” Lois mumbled, “It seems we are well past that stage of our relationship.”

That tore a laugh right out of Clark’s chest and Lois whipped around in time to see him throw his head back, wrap an arm around his midsection, and laugh with his belly, complete with pre-laugh wheezing and reddened cheeks. And she couldn’t help but join him.

If he had been anyone else, Lois’ embarrassment would have deepened, her insecurities would have darkened, and she would have hated being laughed at. But with Clark, she knew he was laughing with her, not at her. And that made a world of a difference. Her embarrassment and insecurities were completely burned away and happiness and love shone in their absence.

Clark stumbled toward her, laughs dying down to chuckles, then to exaggerated exhales. He pulled her into a side hug and kissed the crown of her head. “You meant my dirty underoos, didn’t you, hun?” he pretended to clarify for himself.

“Yeah, you stinky man. I am not touching those,” Lois responded, pretending to be tiffed while leaning further against him as they started moving toward the laundry room again, still pressed against each other’s sides.

“Man, if you wouldn’t use all my soaps I wouldn’t be stinky,” Clark muttered, shaking his head.

Lois elbowed him, knowing it wouldn’t have any effect but to make him laugh some more. She loved their relationship, their ability to ruthlessly jest with each other without taking any offense whatsoever. She loved him.

Lois had been so quick to agree to taking a day off for the reasons Clark had suspected, but also because she had a hair appointment scheduled for 3:30pm and would have had to miss a large section of the afternoon anyway. Clark was happy to realize she didn’t feel the need to go into work for two hours to accomplish almost nothing like she would have not even a year ago. She was learning the value of rest, it seemed.

Clark insisted on walking with Lois to her hair appointment, wanting to spend time with her and act like a normal couple, now that they were a thing. Obviously, he couldn’t stay with her at the hair appointment, as he would just be in the way, so he wandered over to the nearest coffee shop, ordered a coffee, and relaxed into a nice, large leather chair in a quiet corner.

He was relaxing into the chair to enjoy his coffee when he realized he had yet to update Bruce and Diana on his new relationship status. He gasped at his unrealized negligence as he fished his phone and earbuds out of his pocket. He quickly connected his Bluetooth to his phone and initiated a group call with his best friends.

“Hello, my darlings!” Diana greeted as she answered. Of course, she and Bruce would connect at the same time. It seemed almost as if they were waiting on a call from him.

“Good morning,” Bruce greeted, overly politely for him, as he wasn’t in Brucie mode.

“Yes, I suppose it is morning for you,” Clark poked, making fun of the man who was essentially his brother. “I have some tea for you guys!” Clark continued, cheery tone making it clear this was good news, not gossip or anything else.

“Is this line secure?” Bruce asked immediately.

Clark knew for certain Diana was rolling her eyes just as he was rolling his at Bruce’s paranoia. “Yes, B. I use the stuff you have so graciously provided me with,” Clark soothed, knowing Bruce had not only provided high-quality equipment, but also fantastic device security.

“Then what’s all that background noise?” Bruce asked next.

“Oh,” Clark hadn’t thought of that. “That is the coffeehouse I am sitting in. But don’t worry. This isn’t about work; it’s about my love-life.”

“Oooohhh,” Diana cooed, now thoroughly invested—not that she wasn’t before.

“Oh?” Bruce prompted, interest apparently piqued as well.

“Yeah,” Clark started, settling in for a nice tea-spilling session. “So, I don’t really remember what I have told you guys, so I’m gonna start from the beginning.”

Lois’ appointment was an hour and a half. Clark spent every minute of it giving his siblings the juiciest life update he’s ever had to give. Diana was there for it, loving the progression of her brother’s relationship with his crush-turned-girlfriend. And Bruce… well, his Brucie was showing, though he’d deny it vehemently to anyone who might ask.

Chapter Text

Clark was careful to watch the time. He left the coffeehouse with enough time to be at the hair salon early to collect Lois. But as he went, he kept his headphones in as he talked to his siblings about everyday things. He’d completed his life update a while ago. They were now onto Diana’s love-life. She and Steve were getting pretty serious, apparently. Serious enough that she wanted them to meet Steve. Clark was so down. Bruce was unsure if Diana meant Brucie or Batman.

“Both,” Clark suggested. “I’ll—” he almost said come as Superman and the reporter before he remembered the General might be around and in lip-reading range. “—do both, too,” he finished. Almost flawlessly.

“Is there a reason you didn’t say what you wanted to just now?” Bruce, ever the paranoid man, asked.

“Yeah. Not a bad one, really. Ask John about it. Or my cousin. She might give you a better answer, actually. She will probably make fun of me behind my back about it, too,” Clark sniffed, pretending to be upset about it. “In sum, I just have to be a little careful right now. Nothing bad, though.” And just in case, he added, “Gotta avoid dairy is all… ‘cept that I had some cream in my coffee. Darn.”

“…Did you just make a metaphor to help throw off someone who might be listening in…?” Bruce asked.

“…No,” Clark answered.

“Reading lips?” Diana tried, correcting Bruce, since they all knew the software was uncrackable. And if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be Clark who’d figure it out first.

“Yes,” he answered with a laugh. “Seriously, ask Kara about it. She’ll make so much fun of me, but so will you guys, so that’s fair.” Shrugging, even though they wouldn’t see it, he added, “Or ask John. He’d give you the medical prognosis version of it, though.”

“Are you continuing the metaphor?” Diana asked.

“Yes, but also, consider how J’onn speaks, Diana,” Bruce answered for Clark.

“Oh! J’onn,” Diana gasped, things clearly clicking for her. “I was wondering which John we were talking about.”

“I believe that’s why Clark added context clues,” Bruce theorized. “Clark, am I correct in assuming Lois’ father is… inspecting you?”

“Bull’s eye!” Clark made a celebratory ding ding ding! noise to accompany his response. He wasn’t surprised Bruce had pieced that together with what he knew about Clark’s romantic life now and what he already knew about Lois’ family.

“And you told J’onn and Kara in case they needed to cover for you?” Diana asked.

“Made the most sense to me,” Clark confirmed.

“Please tell me you aren’t doing anything Super while he’s watching you,” Bruce asked.

“Of course,” Clark soothed. “I’m not the brightest bulb in the box but I’m not stupid. Besides, Lois and I have a lot of work to do with the stories we’re running. Although, we did take a day off today. But that was mostly because Perry forced us to take a half day and then Lois had a hair appointment anyway, so we both just decided it wasn’t worth the effort to get started on something only to not come anywhere close to getting even to the meat of the story, sooo…” Clark trailed off, letting his friends come to the conclusion without him needing to explicitly say it.

“And you’re busy establishing your relationship,” Diana added, laugh evident in her voice.

“And there’s that, too,” Clark agreed, smile spreading on his face. “That’s probably the most important and time-consuming thing in my life, right now.”

He strolled up to the front door just in time to see Lois waving bye to the lady at the front desk. “Oh, there she is.”

“Oh! Put her on!” Diana suggested.

“Should I? Can I?” Clark asked.

“Sure,” Bruce allowed. “I’ll make sure I sound like Batman.”

“You always sound like that,” Clark poked. “Except when you’re actively trying not to.”

“He’s right,” Diana jested.

“Hrm.”

Lois smiled when she saw Clark. “Hello, beautiful,” he greeted, ignoring the way Diana cooed in his ears. “Your hair looks great.”

“Did your Ma raise you to always compliment a girl when she get her hair done?” Lois asked instead of saying thanks, though the blush across her cheeks spoke volumes.

“Yes,” Clark shamelessly admitted, “But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

Clark wasn’t sure how much of what Lois had said had been picked up by the speakers in his earpieces, but the fake retching sound Bruce made as Clark finished talking told him they’d heard her.

“Oh, cut it out, Bruce,” Diana scolded. “I think it’s adorable.”

“It’s cheesy,” Bruce complained.

“Course it is,” Clark scoffed, gesturing to his ear with his free hand and waving his phone with his other to show Lois he was on the phone. “It’s me.”

Lois looked amused. “Who’s that?”

“My emotionally adopted siblings,” he answered.

She looked starstruck. “Can I join? Please?”

Clark laughed and took out an earpiece before handing it to her. She stuffed it in place as quickly as she could. “Di asked for me to put you on, actually. B gave his permission, too. It’s why I didn’t hang up when you came out.”

“Is this working?” Lois asked, tapping the little piece. “Why don’t I hear feedback from you talking to me and into the mic?”

“Because that’s the most expensive earpiece you’ve ever used, Ms. Lane,” Bruce answered.

“Oh my God!” Lois slapped a hand over her mouth so her lips couldn’t be read. Also, maybe out of surprise. “Batman?!” And she must have sounded appropriately muffled since Bruce didn’t bother asking if she’d prevented her lips from being read. Or he assumed Clark was taking care of it, or was the center of attention.

“And me!” Diana added, excitedly. “Wonder Woman! Though I’d much prefer if you called me Diana!” There was a brief pause. “Or Di, under the circumstances, I suppose.”

“Oh my God. Clark, hold me. I might pass out.”

“Did you mean to say that out loud?” Clark asked, moving to support her. He pulled her to his side and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“No, I did not.”

“Wonder Woman is so much cooler than Superman,” Bruce deadpanned. “You’re not swoon-worthy, Clark.”

That ripped a laugh right out of Lois’ throat. And Diana’s.

“I might try to protest, but that’s probably true,” Clark sighed.

“The first part,” Diana said through laughs. “Though I have definitely seen several people swoon over Superman.”

“It’s the cape,” Batman said seriously. “People swoon over the cape.”

“Really? I think it’s the boots,” Diana argued. “I don’t have a cape.”

“You’re Wonder Woman,” Bruce and Clark, who had ducked his head to kiss Lois’ crown, said at the same time.

“I think it’s the shorts,” Lois said through her giggles, slightly giddy at talking to Batman and Wonder Woman. And Superman, but that was normal for her. Hell, Superman still had his lips pressed against her hairline.

Nobody believed her for even a second. But that wasn’t the point. The shorts were the least swoon-worthy part of Superman’s costume. They were meant to make him look less all-powerful and more silly, so kids particularly wouldn’t be scared of him. If someone was swooning while looking in that area, it wasn’t the shorts they were seeing.

“I think I need better friends,” Clark grumbled, making everyone laugh. Even Bruce chuckled softly.

“Oh my God, B laughed,” Lois mouthed to Clark.

Clark nodded. “He does that quite a lot and no one ever believes me,” he mouthed back. “Well,” he spoke to his adopted siblings, “unless anyone else has more tea to share with the class, I don’t want to kill my phone battery.”

“Please let me get you a new phone,” Bruce almost demanded. “You’ve been complaining about your battery for a year now.”

“It still works! I’m not your charity case.”

“You can get me a new phone and he can take my current one,” Lois offered jokingly. “It’s better than Clark’s.”

“Lois,” Clark hissed. “You can’t say things like that around him! He’ll actually—”

“Too late. I shipped a new phone to Ms. Lane’s apartment.”

“Oh!” Lois exclaimed, having learned her lesson.

Clark just sighed in defeat.

“Kal, I will be seeing Ms. Lane’s old phone and doing the transfer myself. You’ve got some… delicate stuff on your current one.”

“I am aware,” Clark grumbled, pretending to be upset about a phone upgrade. Lois’ old one was actually the preferred option to him. It was actually the most recent one, with the exception of the newest model, of course. His was… it only had one camera.

“Lois!” Diana called. “Is it alright if I call you Lois?”

“Yes, please,” Lois answered.

“We have to have lunch or something,” Diana suggested.

“Oh! That would be fantastic,” Lois agreed quickly.

“Yay!” Diana cheered. “I’ll have Kal send you my number and me your number.”

“Perfect,” Lois said. And only Clark noticed the slight confusion.

“Kal-El is his Kryptonian name,” Bruce supplied. Well, Clark had thought he was the only one who noticed. But Bruce was the World’s Greatest Detective or whatever.

“Oh, yes, I knew that.”

“Is it weird that we call him that?” Diana asked, confused on Bruce’s sudden topic change.

“No, I just… hadn’t connected those dots,” Lois answered honestly. Marking that mentally to be something she talked to Clark about later.

“He is Clark to you,” Diana concluded.

“Which is what he prefers,” Clark spoke up.

“You don’t like Kal?” she asked.

“I don’t mind it,” Clark admitted. “Just…”

“Not how you call yourself?” Diana inferred. “Like Batman and his non-cape name.”

Clark laughed, more at Lois’ confused expression than anything. “Yes.”

“I have to go,” Bruce stated, suddenly. “One of the boys is calling.”

“No rest for the father,” Diana joked, or tried to. She was getting there.

“Alright, I need to go to the grocery store, anyway,” Clark informed them, showing he was over the call as well.

Diana sighed. “Very well. I can find something to busy myself with.”

“Like planning our lunch date,” Lois suggested.

Diana audibly brightened. “Oh, yes! I will do that. I shall see you soon, Lois.”

“Can’t wait!”

Lois gave Clark the earpiece back after that. Clark said his farewell to Diana and Bruce after that before shutting off the earpieces and replacing his phone in his pocket.

“Want me to take you home?” he asked her.

“No,” she shook her head, “I can stand to get some things at the store, anyway.”

Clark nodded, offering his arm to her. “Very well, off we go.”

It was a basic necessities kind of trip for Clark. As in, grooming necessities. He didn’t really go to the grocery store for anything else. And usually, he went to the convenience store on the corner by his apartment. But Lois had said she needed things, so he decided to go to the supermarket. Besides, he needed deodorant, and the convenience store didn’t carry his favorite one.

“Okay, where are we starting?” Lois asked, separating herself from him to grab a cart.

“How much are you planning to get?” Clark asked.

“Huh?”

“We don’t need a cart.”

“You don’t call it a buggy, or whatever?” Lois jested, ignoring his statement.

Clark laughed. “That’s the South. I’m Midwestern.”

“Oh, shit. I didn’t realize that,” Lois said.

“Huh?” Clark prompted, wordlessly pushing the cart toward the hygiene section of the store.

“Okay, Kansas. Shut up.” She stopped briefly to snag a bottle of lotion. Lavender scented.

“I didn’t say any—”

She cut him off, not that he didn’t expect that. “I meant I didn’t know that was a Southern saying. I thought it was country.”

“Well,” Clark huffed. “There’s Midwestern country and then there’s Southern country. And I could be convinced that Southern country has subdivisions.”

“Oh?”

“There’s Southern country and then there’s redneck country. And then Deep South country and Deep South redneck.”

Lois stared at him.

“I had a Southern roommate sophomore year.”

“Ah.”

“I’m not sure those are actual subdivisions,” Clark continued, clarifying his story. “But, based off the stories he told me, those are the conclusions I’ve come to.”

Lois snorted. Clark gave her a look. She ignored him in favor of selecting replacement razor heads.

He meandered over to the next aisle, where he collected his shampoo and conditioner.

“You use conditioner?”

“You’ve tried to comb my curls with your fingers.”

“Smart move, Kansas. Conditioner probably saves the lives of your combs. At least a little.”

Clark nodded smartly. “I’m running out of those.”

“I’m guessing you can’t just get them at the store?”

Clark shook his head. “B has been volunteering to make me some with,” Clark ducked his head and whispered into her ear, “some blue K in the handle.” He straightened up. “Just a small amount. Enough to weaken my hair and let the comb work more efficiently.”

“Blue’s the one that doesn’t hurt, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. That makes me less nervous.”

“Yeah. I’ve vetoed it so far because I don’t know what radiation it leaks. That might not be good long-term.”

“He hasn’t studied it?”

“Kinda hard to study the long-term effects with any significant amount of surety since there aren’t a whole lot of me, ya know?”

She nodded, briefly walking away to get her own shampoo and conditioner, as well as a hair spray of some sort. “Rice water,” she explained. “Helps with frizz and shine and stuff.”

“And growth and strength, right?” he asked.

She read the bottle. “Yep.”

“Definitely don’t give me that,” he joked. She laughed, not having expected that.

He had commandeered driving the cart while she had gone to get her hair care products. So he steered the cart toward the oral hygiene aisle and selected a two-pack of toothpaste and a multi-pack of toothbrushes.

“One of those is mine,” Lois declared.

“Pardon?”

“One of those is mine,” she repeated. “For your place.” She grabbed a hot pink toothbrush and put it in the cart. “And that one is yours for my place.”

“…Hot pink?”

“Mhm.” Lois nodded. “So that I won’t ever confuse it with mine.”

“Isn’t yours purple?”

“Yeah. Hot pink is very different.”

“So is blue,” Clark suggested. “Or green.”

“Are you hating on pink?”

Clark felt it wise to stop complaining. Continued evidence of his dislike of hot pink would probably come back to bite him in the butt. “No. Just wanted to make sure you had the right color in mind.”

Lois didn’t look convinced. He didn’t expect her to. “Right. Anyway, I need laundry detergent, if we’re done here.”

“You go ahead,” he relinquished control of the cart. “I’ll grab my deo and meet you back there.”

“Deo?” she repeated, puzzled expression on her face.

Clark wheezed. “Deodorant,” he answered. “You’ve never heard it called that before?”

She just rolled her eyes and muttered, “Whatever, Smallville,” before pushing the cart toward the back of the store.

Clark chuckled and walked two aisles over. For a moment, he worried they might be out of his usual scent, since he didn’t see any in their typical row at first. He breathed a sigh of relief when, upon closer inspection, he saw that there were two packs left at the back of the shelf. He grabbed them both.

Lois was thirteen inches shorter than him. He wasn’t really sure how that translated to their proportions, but what mattered was his legs were a lot longer than hers. Which was why he caught up to her in no time at all, without having to increase his speed any.

“I think you’re looking for this one,” he mentioned, grabbing the jug from the top shelf.

Lois turned, surprised at his sudden appearance. “Oh, yes. Thanks.” She gestured for him to put it in the cart. “Need anything in this area?”

“Yeah, some countertop cleaner, but that’s on the way to the food.”

“Perfect.” She turned the cart around and headed back out the way she had come.

He patiently waited for her to pass him before he traced her steps. She hummed a soft tune as they made their way to the other side of the store. He ducked down an aisle to grab the cleaner he’d mentioned. It was the type of cleaner that could be used on all surfaces, but he mostly just used it for countertops. Since he’d told her to go ahead to the laundry section, she assumed he’d catch up to her again. She’d gotten all of two aisles away before he rejoined her side, setting the cleaner in the cart.

“What else do you need?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Snacks.” There was a brief pause. “And meat.”

“No veggies?” she laughed.

He shook his head, serious. “No, I get those from the farmer’s market uptown. Or I bring them from home.”

Lois straightened ever-so-slightly. “Take the farmboy off the farm…”

Clark tutted. “But you can’t take the farm outta the farmboy.”

As they walked, Clark shifted everything they’d gotten so far to the back of the cart. Which made plenty of room to load up on soda and sparkling water. And the chips and crackers and cookies they added after that wouldn’t hurt the cans.

They’d kept the little baby-seat part of the cart empty so far. And that’s where Clark put his assortment of sausages as well as the bacon and ground turkey he’d decided on.

“No chicken or beef?” Lois asked.

Clark made a face. “This is not the place to buy either of those.”

“…You’re kidding.”

Clark’s head spun around to face her so fast she almost thought he’d used superspeed. “You’re kidding me, right? Lois,” he pointed to some of the chicken they were passing, “does that look edible?”

“It’s uncooked,” she stated immediately, not pausing for a second.

“Lois,” he stressed, the strain in his voice made it seem she was killing him, “does that look edible?” he repeated.

She didn’t buy any meat except bacon. Because she was a terrible cook. Bacon was very hard to mess up. She’d learned to love it crispy and charred. So she was being completely honest when she said, “I dunno, I’ve never really looked.”

And then she did look. The chicken was pale and blotchy. Wrinkled in places and bloody in others. It did not look good. During her inspection, they had just slowed their pace and hadn’t stopped walking. This let her get a good look at the beef, too. It looked brown and nasty. And she didn’t believe it was as fresh as the label claimed.

“I see your point, Clark,” she admitted, shuddering.

Clark clicked his tongue, and the expression on his face definitely said, I know I’m right.

She had seen him cook chicken before. And she knew he loved steak too much to have never cooked beef. “Where…?” she started to ask but failed to find the words, so she just gestured wildly with her hand some, motioning toward the meat they’d walked past.

“I’ll sometimes bring it from the farm,” Clark admitted, lowly. “But there’s also a pretty decent butcher five blocks away from my apartment. Though, the one closer to the Planet is a little better, I think. That one is closer to your apartment. You should try it sometime.”

“I don’t cook meat.”

“Steak isn’t hard. Just brown the outsides.”

“That can’t be how it works.”

“Actually, it is. The way steak is cut keeps the bacteria only on the outside, which is why that’s the only parts you really need to cook for safety reasons. I typically cook it just a tad longer than that because I don’t eat my steak rare, usually. But steak is also really forgiving because if you cut it open and don’t think it’s done enough, you just throw it back on the heat. Definitely is the beginner’s meat, but everyone thinks its fancy because it’s usually more expensive.” Clark tutted. “Chicken is cheaper, sure, but so much more difficult and intimidating to cook right.”

“Oh my God, you’re geeking about meat,” Lois giggled.

Clark gave her an exaggerated wounded gasp. “Excuse me?! I am geeking about cooking. I can move onto potatoes, if you’d like. They’re incredibly versatile.”

She shoved her palm over Clark’s mouth, wheezing profusely.

She bit back a scream when Clark licked her hand.  “Why would you do that?!” she hissed, desperately wiping her hand on his shirt.

“So you’d remove your hand.”

“There are so many other ways you could have escaped me!”

Clark snickered. “Maybe. But that was definitely the funniest.”

She smacked him on the ass for that.

The dumbass bought her groceries.

“What?” he asked as they walked out of the store. “It’s not like I’m not going to eat half of your snacks anyway. And you always eat most of mine. It’s fair.”

“I’m going to the butcher without you. And you’re going to cook everything I get because I definitely won’t.”

Clark hummed. “I guess.”

“You’re plotting of how you can always be there with me.” He didn’t answer. “Clark, seriously, don’t. Let me do something, for once.”

Clark walked into her path more, pressing his bicep against her shoulder. “Okay.”

And he was genuine. He didn’t need any more explanation or continued reasoning on her end. He understood she wanted to pay for something and was willing to relent being the perfect gentleman to letting her have her independence. Which… kind of made him even more of the perfect gentleman if she thought about it. Her perfect gentleman.

She knew he thought it was unnecessary, her want to pay for things. Since he really didn’t mind. He loved her and wanted to take care of her. That was fine.

But he loved her. And a large part of her was her independence. And he never wanted to dampen that.

He was made to fly. So he intimately understood her desire to be free. They balanced each other that way. They would never cage the other, could never. That could only weaken who they were as individuals. And loving someone, truly loving someone, meant strengthening that person.

Lois knew she had a strong personality. And Clark was definitely very strong, and more than just physically.

She couldn’t wait to see how they grew together.

Chapter Text

Clark still needed vegetables. But the farmer’s market was across town, and he had cold items that shouldn’t wait that long before being stored away in the refrigerator. So he decided he could wait to get his greens in favor of getting home.

Lois had her face angled up toward the sky. Her eyes were closed, and she straightened up as they walked. This made him think she was greatly enjoying the rare day off, especially since it was beautiful outside.

It was overcast, so he wasn’t feeling as much sun, but he still copied her. Because he didn’t have to have full sun to enjoy a nice day.

He heard Lois sigh in satisfaction just before she grabbed his attention with a soft, “Hey.”

He met her gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Didn’t you want to go to the farmer’s market?”

“Yeah, but I need to get the sausage and stuff home, first. I can get the vegetables later.”

“Well, it’s still pretty early in the day, why don’t we drop the groceries off and then go. Unless you had something better to do,” she suggested.

Clark shrugged. “Nope. I’m down if you are.”

It was a relatively short walk back to his apartment. They didn’t fill the silence; it was comfortable, just like the weather.

Clark did awkwardly juggle the bags he was holding when he moved to hold the door open for her. Just like he joked he would yesterday. Lois sniggered.

Once in his apartment, they sorted their things. Lois picked the only purple toothbrush out of the multi-pack he’d gotten and triumphantly placed it in the toothbrush holder on Clark’s small vanity.

Clark’s face had pinched considerably. When he made eye contact with her in the mirror, he burst out laughing.

“What?!” Lois demanded.

“You—” Clark was struggling to breathe. “looked s-s-so-o-oh proud of th-th-thatttt.”

He took several deep breaths to calm the laughter as he opened the mirror to put his deodorant inside the medicine cabinet. He put the extra toothbrushes there, too.

“I don’t think that warranted that reaction,” Lois huffed, pretending to be peeved.

“I was doing fine until you looked at me!” Clark insisted.

“You looked like you’d eaten an entire lemon.”

Clark wheezed, “A lemon.” He had to brace himself on the counter lest he topple over.

This also meant he was effectively pinning Lois to the sink. If she was turned the other way, he was braced on a wall, and he was less smiley and more serious, this would be a scene directly out of one of those BookTok romances.

As it was, she was a little turned on. And Clark wasn’t helping with the way he ducked his head into the crook of her neck in a further attempt to catch his breath.

“Ok, big guy,” Lois breathed, trying to hide everything she was feeling. She reached across herself to run a hand through his hair. She didn’t think she’d ever get over the way he reacted to that. It’s like higher brain function ceased when she did it. He melted into her and sighed contentedly. “We were going to go to the farmer’s market?”

Clark nodded into her shoulder. “Mhmmm.”

Since Clark made no effort to move, Lois took in their reflection. She was squished into the counter by Clark’s bodyweight. His hips were pressed flush against hers and his hands were bracing him up on either side of her. She had one hand braced on the counter beside his and the other playing with his curls. He hadn’t gelled his hair back that day because of the day off. He hadn’t wanted to wrangle his hair. And she was appreciating it because his curls were all floppy, making him look younger, even with the way his face was buried in her shoulder.

But what was funny to her was how, although Clark was bent over into her, he was still swallowing her entirely. As Clark Kent, he always made himself smaller, never felt as big as he was. As Superman, he definitely had a presence about him that seemed larger than life, but he was usually always flying, making his size seem difficult to gauge. So this position they were in was somewhat strange. Because he wasn’t in the cape, he didn’t have that presence. But his posture was relaxed in a way it never was at work. He wasn’t shrinking into himself in an attempt to take up less space. And this allowed her to truly appreciate how much larger than her he was.

Which she had done before, while snugging or hugging or whatever, but this was her seeing it. And this was cracking her up. Especially since he was dazed by how she was playing with his hair.

 She slowly, reluctantly pulled her hand away, letting him come back to his senses. He moaned in protest, making her giggle.

“Straighten up for me,” she whispered into his hair.

He nuzzled her cheek some before complying. He straightened to his full height, looking more Superman in that moment than he ever did outside the cape.

And he positively dwarfed her. She loved it. And maybe, secretly, she loved how secure he made her feel, and she was using his size as the subject of her fascination so she wouldn’t have to think about those squishy thoughts.

“Okay, farmer’s market?” she repeated, looking into his eyes through the mirror.

“Yep!” He reached up and patted her arms before leaving the bathroom.

Lois followed Clark into the kitchen to find him sorting through her things.

“What all do you want to leave here?” he asked, putting her hygiene products in the bag first, since those were obviously coming home with her.

“Is it okay if I leave all my food stuff here?”

Clark didn’t even blink. “Sure, that’s fine. I’ll find a place for them.”

She walked up and put a hand on his bicep to get him to still. She stretched up to kiss his cheek when he did. “Thanks.”

And he blushed a beautiful pink, the tips of his ears turning a nice crimson. He cleared his throat before motioning toward the bag. “Is that everything, then?”

She pulled it toward her so she could see its contents. “Yeah, I think so. If not, I know where you live.”

Clark chuckled, brushing a hand down her arm before grabbing the bag. “Ready?”

She walked around to the door to toe her shoes on. That done, she looked up at him. “Yep.”

When they made their way out to the sidewalk in front of Clark’s apartment building, Clark decided to hail a cab to take them there. She wasn’t going to complain. It was all the way on the other side of the city, after all. And Metropolis was a big city.

They made a split-second decision to have the taxi take them to Lois’ apartment first, so they wouldn’t have to tote hygiene products around the farmer’s market. Clark stayed in the car while Lois ran to drop her things off in her apartment. It was initially her plan to go up to her apartment, but she ultimately decided to throw the bag into her mailbox, since the bag was small enough to fit. And it was a whole lot faster.

Sliding back into the cab, Clark having opened the door for her from the inside when he saw her coming, they resumed their journey to the farmer’s market.

“That was fast,” he mentioned.

“I didn’t wanna go all the way upstairs. Threw the bag in my box.”

Clark kissed her temple. “Smart.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “I woulda superspeeded up to the apartment like an idiot.”

That made her laugh. She hadn’t been expecting him to say something like that, so her laugh was loud and sudden, shocking the poor driver. “Sorry, sorry,” she apologized to the cabbie, “my boyfriend made a joke I wasn’t expecting.” She elbowed aforementioned boyfriend to get him to stop chortling.

The cabbie shrugged and otherwise ignored her.

“Hey, look,” Clark directed suddenly, pointing across her to a shop. “That’s the butcher shop I mentioned earlier. The good one.”

“Oh, that’s not far from my apartment at all,” Lois noticed. “I was thinking it was further away.”

“Yeah,” Clark agreed, “I did, too, not gonna lie.”

“Not surprising, knowing how you get turned around in the city.”

“Directions are hard. I grew up on a farm. Where’s the school? Down past the field. Where’s the store? Oh, that’s on past the other field.”

Lois snickered. “See, I would struggle with that. Which field?”

“Directions are hard. Very dependent on the culture of the area. Rural makes sense to me. Urban makes sense to you.”

“I suppose rural would be easier to figure out, though,” Lois hypothesized. “Everything is open. Just gotta figure out which field is ‘the field’ and which one is ‘the other field.’”

Clark sniggered. “Yeah, exactly. Very… bird’s eye, in the farming towns,” Clark joked.

And wasn’t that the truth. Clark knew Metropolis, but from the sky, not the ground. In the air, he could be places lickety-split; on the ground, he got hopelessly turned around. The pocket gps was his best friend when he couldn’t disappear down an alley and take to the skies.

They were maybe three minutes away from the butcher’s when they arrived at the farmer’s market. Clark hopped out, offered his hand to Lois, and paid the cabbie.

“Hey, since we’re so close to your place, what if we picked up things for dinner here and at the butcher shop?” Clark suggested.

“You’ll cook for me?” Lois teased.

Clark didn’t rise to the bait. “Haven’t I before?”

“Yeah, like soup and sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong,” Lois put a hand on his arm, “the soup was excellent, and I would like to find someone who could mess up a sandwich.”

“Right, but those are lunches or snacks, not a true dinner,” Clark concluded. “Alright, so that settles it, I’m cooking. My Ma didn’t teach me how for me to not impress the lady with my abilities.”

“The lady, not ladies?” Lois chaffed.

Clark gave her an offended look. “I am a loyal man. There is only one lady.”

Lois threaded her arm through his and pulled herself closer to him. “You’re so polite, though, I thought I might need to have my baseball bat ready, or something.”

Clark sniggered. “Don’t worry, hon. If I ever feel the need to politely cook for some other woman, I’ll be sure to let you know in advance. Unless it’s Diana. Sometimes that just spontaneously happens. But it’s Diana, so you definitely don’t have to worry.”

“Speaking of Diana,” Lois let herself get sidetracked. “You need to send me her number.”

“Okay,” Clark acquiesced, rummaging in his pocket to find his phone. He tapped the screen a few times and she felt her phone buzz from where it was in her back pocket. Pulling her phone out, she read the screen.

Text message from Clark Kent

Contact: Diana Prince ❤️💙💛

“I love the hearts, Kansas,” Lois teased.

“B has a black one and a yellow one and a bat,” Clark added, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

“You’re not subtle.”

“Nope.”

“You’re allowed to do that? B isn’t stricter?”

Clark laughed. “He tries. I think it’s part of why he has such tough firewalls.”

By that point, they’d made it to the first of the tents. Lois stopped asking cape questions but made a note to ask some more later.

“Okay, so I wanted corn, tomatoes, lettuce, maybe some green beans, and some strawberries if they have them. But I also do want to look around because some things pop up randomly.”

“Okay, got it.” She was glad he wanted to wander a bit, because she had no idea Metropolis even had a farmer’s market, let alone what it had to offer. And she was very curious.

She’d gone to a farmer’s market before, in a suburban little town where it was a church parking lot full of tents and booths packed like sardines.

This was not that.

Truthfully, she had expected something small, since the heart of the city obviously didn’t have any farmland.

But the market was huge. There were rows and rows of booths. And they were semi-permanent setups, too, which suggested this was a market that did very well for itself.

She had no idea how she’d never noticed this existed, especially since she’d walked past it dozens and dozens of times.

The market took up the top two floors of a parking garage—Lois told herself that was why she hadn’t ever seen it, because it was up high. She also wondered if that’s how Clark had found it; maybe he found it as Superman during a patrol, but it was just as likely he found it when he researched if there was a market in the city—and the two floors allowed for each booth to have a bit more space than the sardine-packed market Lois remembered. She was also faintly aware that tightly packed stalls were how most markets were, by nature.

Basically, Metropolis had a bougie farmer’s market. Maybe she’d make more of a habit out of this, especially since Clark swore it was better. And as they walked past the booths, Lois couldn’t help but agree. The produce looked better and fresher than it did in the grocery store. But she was also an untrained eye. So she would trust Clark on this, since he’d grown up in the dirt.

…She meant that in a good way. That kinda sounded like he’d grown up homeless and flat broke. Which wasn’t true! He’d had a lovely childhood! She’d been to his home and got to see that for herself. He’d just literally grown up in the dirt because he’d been raised on a farm… Lois was very glad Clark was incapable of mind-reading.

“Oh, Clark!” someone called from a nearby booth, gaining both Clark’s and her attention.

Clark’s face brightened as he turned toward the squat old lady that had called his name. “Mrs. Lory!” Clark gently pulled Lois along to Mrs. Lory’s booth. “How’s Bill doing?”

“Oh, he’s making a fine recovery, thank you. Now, I’ve got some fresh lettuce for you, if you’re interested.”

“Glad to hear that about Bill. He’s a real trooper. And yes, lettuce was on my list.”

Mrs. Lory smiled and bent to reach into a cooler she had behind the tables. After a moment of rummaging and sorting, she straightened up with two heads of lettuce that looked greener and firmer than the ones she had sitting on the table. “Here’s my best heads.”

“Oh, that’s so kind of you,” Clark nearly cooed. “These look great.”

“They do, don’t they. My grandson, Sean, actually picked them both himself.”

“Well, he has a good eye,” Clark complimented. “Now, do you know where I can get some green beans?”

“Oh, yes, Janey usually has some. And Paul Johnson has some fine-looking tomatoes today. I think he’s finally branching out some.”

“Well, that’s another thing I was going to be lookin’ for. Thank you. How much?”

“Five even, sweetie.”

“For these? Only five?”

“For you, only five,” Mrs. Lory answered.

“Mrs. Lory—”

“Now, don’t you start. I can give discounts to my friends. D’you know how many people ask me about Bill?”

Clark ducked his head. “Alright. Fair point.” He handed her a five. “Have a nice rest of your day.”

“You, too, sugar.”

“Who’s Bill?” Lois asked when they were an appropriate distance away from Mrs. Lory’s table.

“Her husband. He’s got cancer. He just had surgery to cut out a large portion of it. I hope they got it all.”

“Oh, yeah, me too.”

And that was about all Lois could get out before they were standing at two booths.

“Miss Janey, Mr. Paul, how are you both today?”

“Oh, don’t worry about us, son,” Mr. Paul started. “We’re maintaining our usual friendly competition.”

“I’m whoopin’ his shiny hiney,” Miss Janey suggested, sassily.

“Well, I’m gonna haveta keep that score where it’s at, because I’m buying from both of you. Miss Janey, I need maybe three pounds of green beans. Mr. Paul, I heard you’re selling tomatoes? And I’ll need some strawberries, of course.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Miss Janey replied.

“Lilly,” Mr. Paul called over his shoulder. “Clark’s here for some strawberries!”

“Got it, Dad!” what was presumably Lilly’s voice answered.

“Yeah!” Mr. Paul told Clark. “We decided to finally plant some other things and got a good result in the tomatoes. The cucumbers and peppers haven’t turned out quite so well. But we’ve been eating those at home, and they taste just fine. But presentation isn’t ready for market. “

“I know what you mean,” Clark nodded. “We used to have that problem with squash back at home. Just one of those things where you have to have some really good seeds.”

“Alright, Clark,” Miss Janey dropped a bag of green beans at the front of the table, “That’ll be $17 flat.” Clark handed her a twenty. She shuffled through her money box and handed him three ones and the bag. “Pleasure doing business, as always.”

“Hi, Clark,” a new voice greeted, almost shyly. That must be Lilly, Lois assumed. She was holding a bucket of strawberries and had a blush nearly the same color as the fruit.

“Hi, Lilly,” Clark returned before nodding his thanks to Miss Janey, who just smiled and busied herself with her stand to pretend she wasn’t watching Lilly.

“Lilly, do you want to show Clark the tomatoes?” Mr. Paul asked, clearly amused at the crush his daughter very obviously had on an extremely oblivious Clark Kent. Lois found the whole thing hilarious, especially since Lilly was probably sixteen.

“S-Sure, Dad,” Lilly stuttered, handing Mr. Paul the strawberries.

“This is $20, Clark,” Mr. Paul informed. “But I’ll wait ‘till you get your tomatoes.”

Clark nodded his understanding and turned his attention to the girl. “Whaddaya have?”

Lilly walked across the tent to another table off to the side. Clark followed her. Lois, still attached to Clark’s side, naturally went with.

“So, we don’t have many, but here’s what we do have,” Lilly began. She pointed to the different types of tomatoes they had as she explained each one.

“Well, that’s quite the spread for just starting these,” Clark commented.

“Yeah, we figured we should plant a variety so we would have a better chance of having something to sell, ya know?”

Clark nodded wisely. “Yes, that’s a very good idea. Never know how something will grow in your soil until after you’ve tried.”

Lilly blushed a deeper red. “So, anyway, what’d you like?”

“That beefsteak looks good,” Lois piped up, drawing attention to herself for the first time.

Lilly clearly hadn’t realized Lois was even there. Which was fair considering Lois had been tucked slightly behind Clark’s much larger frame, and Lilly had clearly only been looking at Clark’s face. Poor kid looked simultaneously like she’d been caught red handed and like she’d been stabbed. Stabbed because clearly her childish crush on Clark was going to be entirely unrealized even more than it already was since Clark was off the market. Caught red handed because clearly Clark’s girlfriend knew how Lilly was ogling him.

Clark, entirely unaware of the situation, turned his head to Lois. “You trying to tell me you want burgers?”

Lois couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Lilly; the poor kid didn’t deserve to have it rubbed in her face that Clark had a girlfriend. It was just a little crush. Lois certainly couldn’t blame her; Clark was excellent eye-candy. “I’m just trying to tell you they look like good tomatoes.”

Clark seemed to understand there was something Lois wasn’t telling him. Fortunately for Lilly, he decided to ask about it later. “Okay, Lilly, could I have… hmmm… three of those beefsteaks and one of the boxes of cherry tomatoes?”

“Yes, of course!” Lilly readily agreed, scrambling over to the end of the table to get the cherry tomatoes and a bag for the beefsteak tomatoes.

Lois arched up onto her tiptoes to get closer to Clark’s ear. He bent down some to help her. “Burgers sound fine, but I really don’t care.”

Clark turned his head to her again. “Why didn’t you say that? Why are we whispering?”

“Because Lilly has a crush on you, and I feel a little bad discussing date plans in front of her.”

Clark looked taken aback. “No, she doesn’t,” he denied.

Lois gave him a look. “Clark, she definitely does. Or just thinks you’re cute and nice, which you are. So she has a crush.”

“She’s fifteen!”

“And? That doesn’t stop a girl from admiring a guy,” Lois stated. She swatted his chest. “She’s coming back; we’ll take about this later.” She kissed him on the cheek sweetly in an attempt to hide that they were talking about Lilly.

“Alright, three beefsteaks and a box of cherry tomatoes,” Lilly rattled off, showing them the bag.

“Awesome,” Clark confirmed. “Those look really good,” he commented on the beefsteaks.

Lilly nodded shyly and brought the bag around to Mr. Paul.

“Aright, $32, Clark,” Mr. Paul said after peeking into the bag. “Do you want a bigger bag to help carry all the things?”

“That would be great,” Clark admitted. “Thank you.”

“’Course, kiddo,” Mr. Paul acknowledged. “Lilly, if you’d like to handle the payment, I’ll go find a bag.”

“Sure, Dad,” Lilly assented, coming around to the cashbox.

“Here you are.” Clark handed her a twenty, a ten, and two of the ones Miss Janey had handed him.

Lilly put everything away in the correct slots. “Thank you.”

“Alright, hopefully this will be big enough,” Mr. Paul remarked, holding up a reusable plastic bag. Lilly helped him organize the produce Clark had purchased.

As they were sorting out the bag situation, Lois detached herself from Clark’s side and wandered over to Miss Janey’s booth. The woman had long since stopped pretending to not be watching Lilly interact with Clark.

“She does have a crush on him, right?” Lois asked, cutting straight to the point, as always.

“Oh, yes, big time,” Miss Janey laughed. “Are you his girlfriend?”

“Yes, but don’t let that stop her crush. He’s a good one to admire.”

“I think that’s why Paul throws Lilly at Clark every chance he can get,” Miss Janey laughed. “He’s created some interesting situations just to get Lilly to spend more time with Clark.”

“Like what?” Lois was beyond curious.

“Oh, there was this one time when Paul put so many strawberries in this cooler and then asked Lilly to put it in the back of the truck. Then he wandered off under the guise of taking one of the other vendor’s their strawberry order, leaving Lilly to do this all by herself. All this happened when Clark was two booths down, checking out some peppers at this booth that used to be there. Of course, Lilly tries to put it in the truck but obviously can’t. Clark notices, since he was headed this way. Naturally, Clark offered to help, which Paul knew would happen. He orchestrated this whole thing to teach Lilly that good men are actually out there. It was cute. Clark probably could have lifted the cooler alone, but he let Lilly do it with him. He’s precious.”

Lois thought the story was adorable. “Yeah,” she agreed, “he’s definitely a keeper.”

“So how long have you two been together?” Miss Janey asked.

Lois laughed slightly. “Well, we work together, so we’ve been good friends for years. I’ve kinda been unconsciously treating him like my boyfriend for a long time now, but we’ve only made it official a few days ago. But it really feels like it’s been longer than that.”

“Aw, that’s so cute.” There was a brief pause. “You wouldn’t be Lois, would you?”

“Oh, he talks about me?” Lois asked.

Miss Janey smiled. “Well, we are nosy sometimes, and he’s dropped your name in a few answers to some questions. Sort of like Lilly, it was obvious he had a crush.”

Lois huffed another laugh. “He was never subtle about it. I don’t really think he cared if I knew or not. I really don’t know how I was so oblivious to it for so long.”

The conversation came to a lull right as Clark was grabbing the bag handles.

“Well, it was nice putting a face to a name,” Miss Janey said in farewell.

Lois smiled and returned, “It was nice to meet you.”

Clark waved goodbye to Miss Janey and then said his farewells to Mr. Paul and Lilly. Lois waved goodbye to Lilly and Mr. Paul as she caught up with Clark. Just as she dropped her hand, Clark slid his into hers and intertwined their fingers. Lois decided she very much liked holding his hand.

When they were a good distance away, Lois asked, “So obviously, you know Janey. So why did you ask Lory where to find green beans?”

Clark hummed. “Sometimes Janey doesn’t have green beans. She always has something.” Clark shrugged. “Besides, Mrs. Lory tends to have some insider tea on everyone. She hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

“In Lory we trust?”

“In Lory we trust,” Clark confirmed, nodding his head.

“What else are we looking for?” she questioned.

“Well, I definitely want corn. And I do want to see if Carly has any jam today.”

“Okay. Lead the way, Kansas.”

Clark did. He led her all the way to the second floor and opposite side of the farmer’s market. They were slowly browsing through the different booths. Clark told her to stop if something caught her eye, but nothing really did. And then they reached corn.

“Clark!” the squat man behind the table greeted cheerfully. “How ya been, boy?”

“Hi, Lee. I’ve been pretty great. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’m swell, kiddo.”

‘My God,’ Lois thought, ‘He’s more farmboy than Clark.’

Clark, as if sensing her thoughts, turned to give her a cheeky smile and a wink. “Lee, this is my girlfriend, Lois,” he introduced. “Lois, this is Lee. He went to school with Pa.”

“Agricultural studies. Jon was top o’ the class,” Pete laughed. “Nice t’ meet ya, darlin.’” Lee extended his hand to shake Lois’ hand.

Shaking it, Lois replied, “Nice to meet you, too.” Dropping her hand, she asked, “Are you how Clark found this place?”

Lee laughed with his belly. “Oh, I wish I could take credit. But no, dear. Clark found this place all by himself, I think.”

“Yeah, just noticed it one day,” Clark said, giving Lois a knowing look, letting her know her earlier assumption that Clark might have noticed it while flying around the city was correct.

“How much corn do ya want, son?” Lee asked, cutting straight to the point.

“Oh, I dunno, maybe seven ears?”

“Seven ears, coming right up,” Lee confirmed. “That’ll be five, kiddo.”

“What is it with you people giving me discounts?” Clark grumbled, lacking any real animosity.

Lee laughed, his complexion turning cherry red. “That’s because yer so polite. And you know what yer talking about. Farmers give other farmers better deals.”

“I’m not a farmer,” Clark reminded. “I’m a journalist.”

“But yer Pa’s a farmer. And you grew up on a farm.”

Lois wacked Clark softly with the hand that wasn’t entwined with his. “What did we say earlier? About taking farmboys off farms?”

Clark sighed in defeat.

“’Sides,” Lee continued, “Five dollars means I don’t haveta deal with change.”

“I have ones.”

“Eh, five is fine. Easier on me.” Lee accepted the five dollar note Clark handed him and finished sorting the corn in a bag for Clark. “Oh, by the way Carly is selling cherries t’day.”

Clark’s eyes widened. “No way! Are they good?”

“They look good! But I haven’t tried any.”

“No?” Clark asked, humor in his tone.

“Oh, hush you. I dunno what stories yer Pa’s been fillin’ yer head with. But! I’m not that bad. And even if I was, I’ve been too busy and had no help from the chilluns today to meander on over there.”

“Sure,” Clark continued to tease. “Well, I’ll do the investigating for you, then.”

“You do that, boy. Lemme know. Bye now.”

Clark and Lois said bye at the same time. Clark immediately jinxed her. And Lee, getting back at Clark a little, immediately said Lois’ name three times to un-jinx her.

Clark stuck his tongue out at him. Lois didn’t think she’d ever seen someone get so red while laughing.

“He’s a character,” Lois giggled to Clark.

“Oh, yes,” Clark chuckled. “Never a dull moment with Lee. I think it’s why Pa had fun in college. They were roommates their last two years.”

“Now, he’s southern country?”

“Yes,” Clark nodded wisely. “You’ve learned well, apprentice.”

“Is that a Star Wars reference?”

Clark twisted to kiss her full on the mouth. “I’m so proud of you for recognizing that.”

“So you kissed me?”

“Ever heard the phrase, ‘I could kiss you?’ Well, I can, so I did.”

Lois laughed. “Well, if I’d known that, I would have paid more attention to your references.”

“Never too late to start paying attention,” Clark soothed her faux distress.

“Oh, whew.” Lois pretended to wipe sweat off her forehead. “So where is Carly?”

“She’s back the way we came, but on the other side.”

“So we’re making a big U?”

“Yep.” Clark nodded. “Carly is also the most likely to have jam. If she doesn’t, we can just go. I still have some.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I’m starting to get hungry,” Clark admitted, making Lois laugh.

She started browsing again, eyes flitting through the booths. “Oh, look! Cherries!” Lois pointed them out, using her and Clark’s hand to gesture to them.

Clark huffed an amused sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Yeah, that’s Carly. I didn’t know she moved. I think I like this location better.”

Carly was finishing up with a customer when Clark and Lois walked up to the table. “Have a nice day,” Carly bid the other customers farewell. Turning to her new customers, she greeted, “Hi there! What can I—Oh! Clark, I didn’t recognize you there for a second!”

Clark smiled, “That’s alright, Carly,” he assured. “I’m a little backlit, aren’t I?”

Carly laughed. “Yeah, sun’s in my eyes a bit.” She pushed her sunglass off their perch on the top of her head to the bridge of her nose. “There, that’s better. Did Lee tell ya ‘bout my cherries?”

“Yep. And he wants some, I think.”

“Well, I’ll send Daryl over there with some when he gets back from touring the other booths.” Carly rummaged through her cherries and found a box that seemed to her to be the best ones. “Here, nice and ripe. Anything else ya wanted?”

“Yeah, do you have any jams?”

“Oh, good. I have some in the cooler back there. I was hoping I could get rid of them today. They’re fine, I promise, just there’s only three jars, I think. Didn’t want to bring any home.”

“I know how that is,” Clark chuckled.

When Carly went to the cooler to get the jam jars, Lois leaned closer to Clark. “Daryl?”

“Her brother,” Clark answered. Lois nodded in satisfaction.

“Okay, I have strawberry, peach, and plain ol’ grape,” Carly announced.

“Awesome. Can I polish off your selection?”

“I might pay you to,” Carly admitted. “Please, just take them. I’m only gonna charge for the cherries. You’re doing me a favor, I promise.”

Lois tried and failed to not laugh at the expression on Clark’s face. And because she’d tried to keep it in, it came out as a snort. He looked so done. Never in her life had she met someone who got upset about getting a discount or free things.

“You sure I can’t buy them?” Clark asked, intonation suggesting he wanted to hear a price.

Carly, having observed the whole situation, had a smirk on her face. “No.”

Clark offered a ten dollar bill.

Carly didn’t budge. “No.”

Clark narrowed his eyes.

“I won’t give you the goods until you give me a five. Not a ten. A five.”

Clark grudgingly put the ten back in his wallet and pulled out a five instead. “Fine.”

Carly accepted the bill this time and handed Clark the bag that she’d put the jam and cherries in. “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Tell Daryl I said hello,” Clark requested.

“I will. He probably sends his regards, as well. Have a nice rest of your night.”

“You, too,” Clark replied. Lois took the cherry and jam bag from him, so there was less a risk of one tearing and them losing the produce.

They continued to browse as they made their way to the exit. As with the other side of the market, nothing caught her eye. She was content to just walk along with Clark, though, hand in hand.

“Okay, since we have our hands full,” Lois began, squeezing Clark’s hand pointedly, “I say we take a cab back to my apartment, drop these things off, and then walk back to the butcher’s.”

“I’m cool with that. The butcher’s is much closer to your apartment.”

“Yeah. six minutes in a cab isn’t bad, but we went during the less busy time of day, so I’m sure that translates to a twenty-minute walk. Not a fan of that.”

“What? Don’t want the humidity to ruin your hair?” Clark teased.

“Ha ha,” Lois laughed sarcastically. “No, honestly, I don’t want my dad following us around that long.”

“Oh, I forgot about that,” Clark admitted. “That’s very fair.”

They flagged a cab, and the ride back was thirteen minutes thanks to the influx of cars toting people from work to restaurants or apartments.

“Wanna grab the things from your mailbox?” Clark reminded.

“Oh, yes, I forgot,” Lois muttered, finally releasing Clark’s hand so that she could get into her mailbox. She didn’t expect how much she missed his hand.

They couldn’t hold hands after she’d grabbed the bag from her mailbox because she had her hands completely full. Clark tried to take one of the bags from her, but Lois insisted she was going to carry them herself.

When they made it to her apartment, they quickly put the things where they belonged. It was a little longer than a pit stop but they didn’t linger longer than necessary.

And before Lois knew it, her hand was back in Clark’s, and they were strolling through the city toward the butcher shop. Lois didn’t think she could ever be content doing mundane, everyday activities, but there she was. Or maybe it was the company she was enjoying. That sounded much more correct to her.

The butcher shop was about as utilitarian as she expected. It wasn’t a place one wanted to linger. Fortunately, the butcher, a kind man in his mid-forties, was very good as his job. He quickly sliced and measured and packaged the meats Clark requested. Clark asked for different types of chicken, some different cuts of steak, two pounds of ground beef, and some pork chops.

The whole shebang took maybe twenty minutes; the butcher was very fast. It was no surprise though, when they left, that it was peak rush hour traffic. It was surprising that the sidewalks were more or less empty. Lois and Clark weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. They appreciated the space it allowed.

And it did mean they were the only ones in danger when a car suddenly veered off the road and was on a collision course with them.

It was odd for Clark. He knew there was no threat to him. And the driver wasn’t going fast enough to cause any great danger to himself upon the inevitable collision, he’d probably get a few bruises and scrapes at most. Clark could very easily grab Lois and subtly speed them to safety. And he would have done just that if he hadn’t been under the eagle eyes of General Lane. So he did the next best thing he could think of, he grabbed Lois, tucked her close to his chest, and faced his back to the oncoming car. If he angled this right, he could realistically use the car as a shield from sight and speed them to safety in a different, less than ideal direction so that he would still get hit by the car, but not badly enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.

Clark misjudged how close they were to the building, though. So he squeezed Lois tighter to his chest and turned just enough to where he’d scrape against the brick while still keeping Lois away from the oncoming car. This meant he was stuck, though, so he’d better come up with a good excuse for not being badly injured after impact with the car. He fervently hoped the driver was slamming his brakes as that would aid his reasoning significantly.

He braced for impact and felt Lois do the same. He felt the brick hit his arm and squeezed even tighter to Lois, waiting for the car. But it never came. Taking a chance, desperately wishing he hadn’t tapped into his superspeed on accident, he looked up and saw the car had stopped three feet from Clark and Lois.

And if Clark had thought everything had been odd so far, it was even more odd to see himself pressing a hand against the car’s hood to stop it. And then Superman smiled at Clark. Clark just stood their stupidly, his brain lagging.

And Lois’ squirming to escape his grasp snapped his brain back into action. He smiled back at J’onn. “Thanks for the save, Superman,” he managed.

Clark’s smile widened when he heard Lois mumble, “What?” He let her go completely then, and she marched out from behind him, eyes wide. Seeing Superman, Lois twisted back to face Clark, who turned and gave her a big smile.

J’onn quickly grasped Lois’ confusion, finding it especially amusing after having witnessed Clark’s own befuddlement. The Martian quickly established a mental bond, where Clark hastily informed Lois, “J’onn’s a shapeshifter!”

Lois had never heard voices in her head before. She was entirely unprepared for the connection, and it caused a bit of a headache. She put her hand to her head and took a deep breath. Looking up, she smiled at J’onn. “Thanks, Superman. I really should buy you dinner or something to make up for all the times you’ve saved my skin.”

“It’s no problem at all, Miss Lane,” J’onn replied, in Clark’s voice. “I’m here to help.”

“Thank you, Superman!” the driver of the car said, having finally untangled himself from his seatbelt. “My car’s steering locked up. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Are you alright?” J’onn asked. Noticing the lacerations from the seatbelt jerking the man when the car came to a sudden stop, J’onn prompted, “Maybe you should see a doctor. The whiplash could have caused a concussion.”

While J’onn talked further to the driver, Clark turned to Lois and gave her a side hug. “Are you okay? I had a bit of a grip there.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think the biggest shock was seeing two of you,” she mumbled.

Clark smiled softly. “Yeah, that took me by surprise, too, not gonna lie.” He straightened up some. “So, now that you’ve seen us basically side-by-side, be honest,” he was talking at a normal volume and was definitely letting his lips be read by Lois’ father, “do you think I could do well in a Superman look-alike contest?”

Lois busted out laughing. It didn’t take Clark long to join her.

“I think you might finish third,” J’onn answered, rejoining them.

“Is it the glasses?” Clark asked. Before anyone could say anything, Clark answered his question, “It’s the glasses.”

J’onn came to a stop beside them, which highlighted how Clark’s slouch made him noticeably shorter than Superman. “No, I think it’s the height,” J’onn stated. Clark stared at him over the rims of his glasses. “The glasses don’t help, though,” J’onn amended before asking, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Lois nodded. “You saved us just in time. Thanks again, Superman.” Clark nodded along.

“Good, I’m glad. I suppose I’ll be seeing you both around, then. I should get this man to the hospital.”

“See ya, Superman,” Clark bid adieu. Lois waved her farewell.

Sam had read their lips when they made their plan. So he found a good rooftop to observe from. Saved him a lot of trouble and helped prevent him from missing key details. It was fortunate that the butcher shop and Lois’ apartment were in a straight line from each other. It was easy for him to find a good observation post.

Lois was more relaxed and happy with this Kent boy than Sam had seen in, well, probably ever. Which made Same happy, deep down. The more he watched, the more okay he was with this reporter Lois’ fancied. But he still wasn’t convinced Kent didn’t have an ulterior motive.

Until the car incident.

Sam had watched in what felt like slow motion as a car set on a collision course with Lois and Kent. And Lois had barely reacted to the sight before Kent had wrapped himself around her and began directing her away from the oncoming car using himself as a shield for her. They wouldn’t get completely clear in time, that was clear to Sam. But the boy was making sure Lois would be okay. And the route the boy had chosen in the split second he’d had to choose had put them toward the nearest building. Lois wouldn’t be hit. Kent would probably break his leg when the car hit him. Unless the car miraculously stopped.

Which it did, thanks to Superman.

Kent was the first to react. Seemed the kid had known he should have been hit but hadn’t been. And he seemed a little shocked to see Superman, which Sam thought was dumb until Lois had the same reaction. Perhaps it wasn’t Superman’s presence—both reporters should have been used to seeing the alien—but the shock of the whole situation setting in. They both recovered quickly. Sam saw them cracking jokes. Superman even joined in for a second, before duty called him away.

Sam saw as Lois and Clark—he could call the kid by his name, now, he’d earned it—decide they’d cook tomorrow after work instead, apparently abandoning their plans for dinner that night. The kids made sure they had everything before the ducked into a Thai shop for dinner to go.

Sam had seen enough. Clark Kent was a good man, he was good for Lois, and Lois was happy. And Clark Kent had risked his own safety to make sure Lois would be fine. Sam certainly hoped this judgement was correct. He’d hate to see his baby girl heartbroken again.

Chapter Text

After a long day of work, Lois and Clark had made good on their plan for Clark to cook them dinner at Lois’ apartment. Just as they were arriving at her apartment, before Clark could even hope to start getting things out to make dinner, there was a knock at Lois’ door.

“Get started on dinner,” Lois requested. “I’ll get the door.”

Clark nodded, agreeing to this plan of action.

Lois did not recognize the face on the other side of the door. He was dressed in a well-fitted track suit and had a ballcap and dark sunglasses that obscured his features. He looked like he was trying to be sneaky. She was worried he was going to rob her.

“Miss Lane,” he greeted, his voice silky and surprisingly familiar.

“Wait, B?!” Lois guessed, gasping in surprise.

His lips quirked up ever-so-slightly. “Right in one. I’m impressed.”

“Oh,” she scooted sideways to make room for him to come inside, “please, come in.”

He glided past her so smoothly she wondered if he was actually a cryptid or something. “Thank you.”

“Hey, B,” Clark greeted from the kitchen where he was chopping an onion. Lois was only a little jealous that the onion was not making him cry even a little bit.

“Clark,” B returned.

Clark looked up in surprise. “You must be in a good mood. You usually ignore me.”

“Keep that up and I’ll revert back to those habits,” B snarled without any heat in his voice.

Clark shrugged and looked back down to the cutting board. “Aw, okay. But seriously…”

“I finally am upgrading that archaic phone of yours. I am in a good mood.”

“You guys are so fun to watch,” Lois sniggered from her position behind B in the small hallway that led to the front door.

“You should just wait to see us at his place,” Clark snickered, pointing with the knife at B. “In his natural habitat, it’s even more fun to mess with him.”

“Yes,” B snarked, “because all my kids join in.”

“That’s your fault for raising them to be merciless,” Clark deadpanned, once again returning to the cutting board.

“I don’t know if I should be surprised that you have several kids, or if it fits,” Lois stated, pondering the idea.

“It fits,” Clark declared. B just grumbled. “Wait, B, why are you here? The General—”

“Left town, don’t worry. I had surveillance on him since you confirmed he had eyes on you. He left early this morning. And I decided it was time I come bring the goods.”

“Is your tech illegal or something?” Lois inquired.

Clark barked a laugh; B just smiled slyly. “Not quite, though it is extremely advanced.”

“And you normally stalk people?” she questioned.

Clark’s laugh turned into a wheeze. B’s smile widened. “It’s how I figured out who Superman is.”

Lois’ jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Afraid not,” B responded. “Though that required tracking flight patterns. It’s much easier to stalk a general than it is a superman.”

“Aw, c’mon, B,” Clark chided, “You’re freaking her out.”

“I am not freaked out!” Lois disagreed passionately.

“It’s alright. It’s kind of my thing,” B quipped.

Lois wasn’t quite sure what to think about Batman’s sense of humor. She supposed, in the end, that his humor was awfully similar to hers.

It was clear Lois and Clark were on a date, of sorts. Bruce didn’t want to linger. He was intruding enough as it was.

Clark seemed to pick up on this and graciously asked for Lois’ help cutting vegetables. This allowed Bruce to do what he had come for.

Clark was under the impression that he was getting Lois’ previous phone. And Bruce was going to let him think that for now. It would be obvious when Clark got his new phone that Bruce had supplied both of the reporters with the newest WayneTech devices. He just wanted to make sure they would be as safe as possible; he had the means, after all.

It worked to Bruce’s advantage that Lois was apparently a disaster in the kitchen. So Clark was way too busy keeping an eye on her that he wasn’t watching what Bruce was doing. Which made his little sneaky upgrade go way smoother than he ever expected.

“Alright,” he announced the completion of his project, “that should be everything. Ms. Lane, you’re going to have to create a longer passcode to your phone. Clark, you’re already familiar with the process.” Clark nodded in confirmation. “I trust you can help Ms. Lane if anything gets confusing.” Clark nodded again. “Good.”

Lois had slipped out of the kitchen to investigate her new phone. “Nice color,” she commented, loving the pastel purple he’d selected for her.

He’d given Clark the red one. Hopefully it being his favorite color would make him less upset about Bruce pulling a fast one on him.

“I made an educated guess,” Bruce replied.

“Right, because you’re Batman,” Lois snarked. “How did you do the transfer and set up so fast?”

Bruce shrugged. He knew his technology. “Because I’m Batman.”

“You set him up for that one, Lo,” Clark snickered from the kitchen.

“Ms. Lane,” Bruce called for her attention, “I’ll give you a quick crash course. This phone is very secure. Only the best hackers in the world could stand a chance against these firewalls. I promise you, this phone is more secure than anything your father might be able to give you.” That got an impressed look from Lois. “I added Diana’s contact information as well as my own onto it. Of course, Clark already has those. If you have questions that Clark can’t answer, you can text or call anytime.”

“Thank you,” Lois replied, looking a little overwhelmed with the knowledge she could contact all three of the Justice League’s most notable members.

“You hungry, B?” Clark asked, noticeably close to finishing dinner.

“A’s cooking,” Bruce answered. Not that he would want to intrude on their date night, anyway.

“A’s always cooking,” Clark grumbled.

Lois turned to Clark to ask who A was, already knowing Bruce wouldn’t give her much of an answer at all. Bruce used this moment to make his escape.

“Who’s A?” Lois asked, turning to Clark. She knew he’d give her a better answer.

“The guy who raised Batman,” he supplied.

“He’s called A? Not some variation of ‘dad’?”

“Yeah, because B’s dad was killed in front of him as a child. A’s the guy who raised him after that.”

“Oh.” Lois was reasonably horrified. And also, Clark said that so bluntly. Did he not care that the man was standing right… there? “Where did he go?”

Clark shrugged, not bothering to look. “He vanishes the second you turn your back. I don’t know how he does it. He outsneaks my ears. It’s normal.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to think.

“He gave you his personal number,” Clark mentioned. “He doesn’t just hand that out.”

“No?”

“No. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but…” Clark finished what he was doing and turned to face her. “His secret identity is actually famous. It’s why his mask and disguises are so important to him. So you have no idea how valuable that phone number is. If he’s already given it to you, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll let me tell you who he is soon.”

“He’s famous?”

“You’re actually probably gonna be so pissed you won’t be able to write that story. It’s a Pulitzer and a half, for sure.”

“Now I don’t think I want to know,” Lois pouted.

“Maybe not,” Clark chuckled. “But I’m too close to him and his family for you to stay in the dark forever.”

“Damn,” Lois muttered. “Wait. Does he have a job? Because he seems to pull weird hours…”

“He’s famous.”

“Right, so… oh. He’s rich. Meaning he can pull weird hours. Because he can afford it.”

“Right.”

“You have a rich best friend, and you don’t abuse that privilege?”

“I think he’d like me to,” Clark grumbled. “But we’re not really good friends outside of the capes, so it would be weird if I had a whole bunch of stuff outside of what I can afford.”

“So you work two jobs,” she suggested a good solution. It was based on the truth after all, even if his second job was entirely on a voluntary basis.

“Right, but then people ask about the second job and I’m not a great liar,” Clark reminded her.

“Damn. You’re ruining this for me, Kansas,” Lois lamented.

“What? How?” Lois nearly broke when she saw genuine, incredulous confusion on Clark’s face.

“My boyfriend has a rich best friend. That means I have a second-hand rich best friend. But I can’t capitalize on this if you don’t.”

Clark laughed. “Oh, that’s too bad, Lois.”

The very obviously fake sympathy was not helping her attempt to not laugh with him.

“Okay, so what powers does he have?” Lois asked, changing the subject a little.

Clark blinked. “He doesn’t have any.”

“But he can ‘outsneak’ your ears,” Lois prompted. Not to mention how graceful and effortless his movements seemed.

“Right.”

“But he doesn’t have any powers.”

“Right.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she stated.

“So does everybody. I’ve given up trying to figure out how he does it. He can actually vanish while you’re talking to him.”

“Wait, actually?” Now it was Lois’ turn to reflect incredulous confusion.

“It’s the most introverted thing I’ve ever seen,” Clark said, not even joking.

“And you’re jealous,” she deduced.

“Well, no. Because technically I could just… run away at superspeed. But—”

“That’s incredibly rude. And a blatant use of your powers,” Lois finished for him.

“Right. But honestly, the amount of times I’ve contemplated doing it anyway because Batman can do something similar—and who’s gonna know the difference? —and he doesn’t have any superpowers… frankly, I’m disappointed I haven’t done it as well as disappointed I’ve thought about doing it so many times.”

“Well, if you ever wanna give in, do it while I’m there. That way I can see what anyone else thinks about it. Also, to run interference, of course… ‘oh, he does that sometimes. It’s the introvert in him…’”

Clark snorted. “Right. Dinner’s ready.”

“Fantastic timing!” she cheered. She set her new phone down on the end table next to where B had left Clark’s. “I’m starved.”

Clark had decided to use some of the steak he’d bought. And boy did he know how to cook a cut of meat. It was way more tender and juicy than Lois would have thought possible in her crappy kitchen.

He’d paired it with some of the green beans from the farmer’s market and some mashed potatoes—don’t ask Lois where he got the potatoes from, she wouldn’t be able to say. For all she knew, they’d spawned into her apartment.

“I have to confess,” Lois mentioned, cutting a second bite of steak, “I usually like my steak more done than this.”

“Absolutely not.” Clark’s voice didn’t have an edge to it, but this was clearly a topic he wouldn’t budge on.

Lois giggled. “But this is excellent.”

Clark beamed. And then promptly remembered he was meaning to be stern, so he shifted his expression into more of a pleased ‘I told you so’ or an ‘I do know best’ sort of look. But Clark just had such a nice face, so it came off as more of a ‘See? I knew you’d like it!’

“I hope you know this means I’m going to force you to cook more often,” Lois informed him.

Clark pretended to look annoyed. “Oh, no, that’s going to be such an issue.” Lois giggled again and Clark immediately grinned back at her. “I guess it’s good that I love to cook, and my Ma taught me right.”

“You don’t need to guess; I can confirm those are good things.”

Clark’s smile widened, letting Lois get a better look at his sharp canines.

She was constantly intrigued by the subtle differences she was starting to notice between humans and Kryptonians. She burned with curiosity, but she absolutely did not want to make Clark feel like she was studying him, so she would just have to notice with time. And hopefully, he wouldn’t mind sharing with her. She knew he trusted her, but she wanted desperately to ensure he felt entirely comfortable with her, too. She knew she felt that way with him. And she wanted more than anything to return it.

It was after dinner when Lois finally asked, since Clark had apparently forgotten his promise to tell her later. “So,” she started, making sure she had his attention before continuing, “Clark vs Kal?”

“Right,” Clark almost sighed, dropping his plate and silverware into the sink where he’d placed hers just seconds before. “It’s a little complicated.”

“Alright.”

Clark nodded. “So, I guess, to start… my parents—the biological ones—named me Kal-El, right? Kal of the house of El. And then I got shipped to Planet Earth. And my parents—Ma and Pa, I mean—didn’t exactly read Kryptonian data crystal—can’t fathom why not—and so they didn’t know my name was Kal. So, obviously, they named me Clark. And I was raised as Clark. And then I learned my name is also Kal. And then Kal sort of became the name that belongs to Superman.” Clark sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, when I’m Clark, I try to be as human as I possibly can, right? Then, when I’m Superman, everyone knows I’m an alien, so I don’t have to hide that part of me. And Kal is my Kryptonian name, and I literally where the crest of El on my chest, so it made sense for Superman’s name to be Kal-El, because it is. So that’s the name I started giving people when they asked me what my name was. It allowed Superman to be a person while ensuring that I could still have my normal life.”

“As Clark.”

“Yeah. I haven’t lost you?” he asked, wanting to know if he needed to go back and reexplain something.

“Nope. I’m following. You’re Kal in the cape and Clark when you’re not,” she summarized, proving she was still with him.

“Yeah. But I’m always Clark, too,” he corrected, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck almost bashfully.

“Right, because that’s the name you grew up under. It is how you identify yourself.”

“Yes. But I also identify myself as Kal, too. Which is kinda odd, because I call myself Clark, you know.”

“Okay…” Lois started, wanting to break things down before she started getting lost.

“Okay, okay, I said it was complicated.” And Clark was going to break it down for her, already knowing what she wanted to do. “So Diana and B and I used the lasso of truth. As kind of a show of trust. We introduced ourselves, and of course the lasso draws out the complete, honest truth. Diana went first, and introduced herself as, ‘Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Queen Hippolyta.’” Clark made air quotes with his hands when he quoted Diana. Lois always loved how expressive Clark’s whole body was when he talked. “And I introduced myself first as Clark Kent, because that’s primarily who I am, you know. But I immediately added ‘Kal-El,’ because that’s also my name, and the name I want Superman to go by, I guess. And they are both my name.”

It spoke volumes to Lois that he’d called himself Clark Kent before he’d called himself Kal-El. That completed the picture for her. So she diverted to ask, “And what did B say?”

Clark laughed. “He said, ‘Batman.’”

“No, he didn’t.” Lois was holding back her laughter, waiting to hear Clark’s explanation.

“Yes, he did,” Clark insisted. “I even said something about it.”

“You did?” she prompted.

“Yeah, I said, ‘Seriously? That’s your name?’ And he just told me to shut up before changing the subject. So…”

Lois laughed until her sides started hurting. “He truly sees himself as Batman.”

Clark nodded. “Uh huh. It’s a little weird if you think about it too much. I try not to.”

“Is that your own complicated name thing talking, though?”

“Well, I don’t really think of myself as ‘Superman,’ but also yeah, that could play a part.”

“You respond to Superman, though,” she pointed out.

“Well sure, it’s what people call me. But I don’t call myself Superman… unless I’m like, introducing myself to someone in a crisis situation or… well, you know what I mean.”

“You’re not like, ‘c’mon, Superman, get your crap together,’” Lois provided.

“Right. In that situation I call myself ‘Kent.’”

“What about Clark?” Lois asked, wanting to see where this would go.

“Yeah, sometimes Clark.” He shrugged. “I don’t really know why I use ‘Kent’ more.”

“And what about Kal?”

He shook his head. “Not unless someone is watching me and I’m in the cape.”

“So no, but with exceptions,” Lois concluded.

Clark laughed. “I guess so. It really is a whole mess.”

“Long as it makes sense to you,” Lois placated, shrugging.

“I confused you somewhere?” Clark asked.

Lois chuckled a little, Clark’s slightly confused, slightly worried expression was adorably akin to a puppy. “No, no, just…”

“Oh. It can be messy as long as I know what the mess is,” Clark reconcluded.

“Yeah, something like that,” Lois confirmed. She got the sense they should leave this topic behind so that she didn’t push Clark into having an identity crisis. “Wanna watch a movie?”

Clark laughed at the sudden change but didn’t comment on it. “Sure. But I wanna get out of these clothes first. I don’t suppose you’ve stolen enough of my sweats for me to have something to wear?”

Lois wasn’t willing to feel the least bit embarrassed by his question. “I have not stolen enough underwear, so you’re gonna have to be okay with what you already have.”

“Glad to know you haven’t made off with that.”

“Go, change!” Lois demanded, trying to be as dismissive as possible with the way she waved her hand.

Clark chuckled, deep in his chest. Lois adored that sound. “If you insist.”

“I think you’ll manage by yourself.”

“Oh, yes. Don’t you worry about me,” Clark huffed, tease evident in his voice as he wandered into her bedroom.

“Don’t go x-raying my underwear drawer!” she called, mostly joking.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have to do that to see them,” he answered, voice raised slightly.

“What?!” Lois asked rhetorically. She hustled into her room after him. Ah shit, that was embarrassing. She had no less than three pairs of—more embarrassingly, dirty—panties that had missed her hamper.

Lois hastily threw the panties in the hamper, where they belonged; she also tossed the seven loose socks and two shirts in with them.

“Sorry, that joke was in poor taste,” Clark murmured from her closet.

Lois looked up at him, about to say something witty in response. Whatever she’d been about to say was lost forever when she saw him, loose-fitting gray sweats tugged barely over his hips. And there was something about this sight: socked feet, gray sweats, and shirtless. She could plainly see his hip bones peaking past the waistband that was resting low. And paired with the defined musculature of his abdomen… wow.

Shirtless Clark was incredibly gorgeous. And now that he wasn’t horribly ill—as he’d been a little over a week ago, which was the last time she’d seen him shirtless—she didn’t feel the least bit sorry admiring how extremely well built and muscular Clark was. And since he was definitely healthy now, she let her eyes trail up to his face so she could admire his sharp jawline, chiseled features, and gorgeous eyes. But his silky curls weren’t nearly as adorable as she knew they could be when they were slicked back like that.

“Lois,” Clark’s voice broke her reverie, “I really am sorry.”

She must be red faced. He was thinking she was embarrassed. She had been, definitely. But she had quickly forgotten that thanks to the view he was giving her.

“No, it’s fine, Clark, really.” Lois very obviously stared at his chest.

Now it was Clark’s turn to blush a little. Lois only noticed because Clark raised an arm to rub the back of his neck. She followed the hand up and noticed the tips of his ears where bright red, but his cheeks were only a little pink.

“O-oh, okay,” he managed shyly, “if you say so.”

He disappeared back in her closet for a moment and reappeared with a sweatshirt he was tugging on. Lois already missed the sight of him shirtless. She wondered why he was so modest; he definitely didn’t need to be.

She wouldn’t push. They were still new in their relationship. And Clark had always been a bit old fashioned. If he needed to take certain things slow, she wasn’t going to make him uncomfortable. Or maybe he didn’t like being fully aware of her ogling him. She made a mental note to be more liberal with complimenting his looks; hopefully the more he heard her mention how she found him very attractive, the faster he’d become comfortable with the idea.

Clark once again distracted her from her thoughts when he moved to put his glasses back on. She hadn’t even realized he’d taken them off. But then she wondered why he was putting them back on. She already knew he didn’t need them. Did he feel more comfortable wearing them? Did it help him separate between cape and no cape? Did he fear someone would see into her apartment?

This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him put his glasses on when he didn’t necessarily need to. The day she’d found out he’s Superman, when he was suffering from Kryptonite poisoning, he’d put his glasses on after he’d finally gotten out of bed. When they’d gone to the Kent family farm, he’d worn his glasses the whole weekend. And every time they’d been alone together since, he was wearing his glasses.

She remembered wanting to ask back when he’d put them on when he was sick. Now she finally had a good time to. “Why are you putting your glasses back on?”

Clark paused, hand freezing from where he’d been dropping it after pushing his glasses in place. He looked like he hadn’t even realized what he’d been doing. “I need them?” he answered in a question, like he wasn’t sure why she was asking.

“No, you don’t. You don’t wear them as Superman,” Lois argued. “Unless they’re one of the ways you keep Superman separate from regular life.”

Clark shook his head. “No, I actually need them. As in: I’m legally blind.”

Lois was silent for a moment. “But you don’t wear them as Superman.”

“Right.”

“Contacts?” she asked.

Clark shook his head. “Laser vision would rip them right to pieces. Besides, I don’t like the feeling of something touching my eyes. It’s strangely itchy but without being itchy. It makes no sense trying to explain it.”

“A lot of people don’t like contacts,” Lois offered, wanting to get to the bottom of this. “If you’re legally blind…”

“I can adjust with my powers.” Clark shrugged. “But it isn’t a great idea to do it all the time. I wear my glasses when I don’t have to use my powers.”

“Break that down for me.”

Clark nodded. “My eyes would be great on Krypton. They are not great on Earth. But I can correct with my different types of vision. But correcting manually for too long strains my eyes, which then makes it harder to correct and also eventually leads to a migraine. And a migraine typically has me out for the day. So I wear my glasses to avoid the migraines.”

“How long does it take for a migraine to happen?” Lois asked.

“Well, the longest I’ve lasted was three days. Granted, that was seventy-two hours, give or take a few, completely without rest. I was helping with a major natural disaster in Asia; I didn’t take any breaks, since so many people needed help. I don’t even think I really stopped to even eat.” He paused, as if making sure he had remembered that correctly. Shrugging, he continued, “Sleep usually helps stave off a migraine… I think I could probably go a week, if I accounted for sleep.”

“A migraine every seven days or so sounds miserable, though,” Lois sympathized.

“Yep. So, glasses,” Clark concluded.

Lois nodded. “That makes sense. But I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the part that you’re legally blind.”

“Yeah. Krypton had a different atmosphere,” Clark explained.

“Which is also why you can fly while on Earth,” Lois connected, remembering the conversation they’d had about his powers previously.

“Yeah, basically,” Clark confirmed.

“That is so interesting.” Lois saw Clark squirm a little. She hated the thought that he was uncomfortable. And maybe she should have phrased things a little differently. She didn’t want Clark to think she was studying him for xenoscience purposes. “But a movie will also be interesting,” she attempted, trying to amend the mood a little.

It worked. Clark brightened up a little and met her by the door. “Can I pick this time?”

“What do you wanna show me?” Lois asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I haven’t decided yet. I wanna explore the options a little, but I might wanna show you a favorite.”

“Star Wars?” Lois hypothesized.

Clark hummed. “I was thinking about it.” The tone of his voice shifted to blatant mischief. “You’re in trouble now, since you mentioned it.”

“Oh, God,” Lois moaned in faux resignation.

Clark sniggered. “You’ve resigned yourself to your fate?”

Lois let herself fall into his shoulder as they walked to the couch. “Something like that.”

They got comfy on the couch. In the back of her mind, Lois realized they’d been doing this a lot lately. It was nice. But she knew they couldn’t afford this time off all the time. But then again, she might not be above abusing Clark’s superspeed and x-ray vision and superhearing to make investigations and story writing go faster so that they could block time out for movie nights and whatnot somewhat regularly.

Regardless, they were here now. And she was going to take full advantage of it. She should go ahead and start her Appreciate Clark Verbally More Often project.

“You’re very comfortable,” she murmured, snuggling into Clark’s chest some more.

He chuckled, the rumble in his chest making her feel all fuzzy and warm inside. He wrapped a strong arm around her. And truly, Lois had never felt more safe and comfortable in her life.

“I’m glad you approve,” he hummed, pressing his face into her hairline. A kiss followed shortly after he went silent.

Clark shifted to press his cheek on the top of her head so he could also see the tv as he flipped through the options.

“Wait, okay,” Clark sounded slightly embarrassed as he stopped on one of the options. “I’ve heard really good things about this one. And the music is so good; it’s on Spotify.”

Lois shifted so she could see the tv too. “K-pop Demon Hunters?”

“I normally wouldn’t watch something like this, but—”

“The music is good,” Lois finished. “I’ve added a few of the songs onto my playlist.”

Clark huffed a laugh at her admission. “So…?”

Lois shrugged. “Sure. It’s broken records and whatnot. I have to admit, I’m curious.”

Clark reached for the phones resting on the side table. He grabbed them both. “Hang on, let’s set this up real fast.”

Lois took the purple one, not realizing Clark was staring hard at the red one. “Long password. Okay…” Lois inserted one and the screen changed to something she didn’t recognize. Clark must have been watching her because he snagged the phone out of her hands and finished setting the software up.

“I don’t know why he didn’t stick around for this,” Clark huffed, a little more peeved than strictly necessary.

“What’s got you all upset?”

“He got me a new phone too. And took our old ones.” He handed her phone back to her.

Lois rolled her eyes. “Because having a new device is so terrible,” she mocked.

Clark didn’t rise to the bait; he just completed setting up his new phone. “Okay, so… the movie.” He tapped the screen a few times, apparently opening the reviews for the movie. “96% on rotten tomatoes,” he mentioned. “7.8/10 on IMDb…”

“Let’s go for it,” Lois decided, unbothered by the sudden change of topic. “At the very least, the music is good.”

“I feel so silly watching this,” Clark disclosed, making an effort to push aside his chagrin about B’s sneaky little upgrade.

“So what? You’ve never shied away from being silly before.”

“You’re right,” Clark declared, finally selecting the movie. “Let’s see what this is all about. I’ll turn on Star Wars if we don’t like this.”

The movie ended up being good. And they successfully stayed awake for the ending this time. Lois almost wished they hadn’t. She really loved waking up with Clark.

When they untangled themselves from the couch, Clark didn’t bother changing back to his work clothes before he left. He just neatly folded them and tucked them under an arm. Lois made sure to remember to steal the comfy clothes back the next time she had the opportunity. She’d forgive his re-theft, though, since he sweetly kissed her goodnight.

Lois had just changed into her pajamas—another one of Clark’s sweatshirts paired with the single pair of his boxers he didn’t know she had—when her phone rang. It was her dad.

Strangely, the first thought that came to her mind was that she’d gotten to keep her number.

Then she realized her dad was probably calling to talk about Clark.

She supposed this was better than an in-person conversation.

“Hello,” she greeted, voice flat. She wanted him to know this was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

“Lois,” the General returned. “You obviously know what I am calling about.”

“I’m surprised you’re calling,” she admitted, “and not here telling me off to my face.”

The General sighed. “I’m not going to tell you off.” That took Lois by surprise. But it didn’t compare to what he said next. “I was calling to tell you that I don’t quite approve of Kent, but he’s significantly better than the trash you’ve brought home before.”

Lois was silent for a while. This was probably as close to permission as she was going to get from her father. Not that she needed it. She knew, deep down, that Clark was the one. And she would marry him with or without her father’s blessing. But it was nice to have it.

“Thanks,” she managed, voice rougher than she liked. She cleared her throat. “He’s gonna be around for a while. I really think he’s the one,” she informed her father. “I hope you warm up to him. But I really don’t need you to.”

“You’d marry him without my blessing,” her father stated.

“I would. And honestly, Dad, Clark would have more of a problem with that than I would. And if that doesn’t clue you into his character, I don’t really know what will.” She paused, letting that sink in. “He’s the best man I’ve ever met. And I’m not going to let him out of my life. Hear this from me: he treats me like a queen. He’s constantly doing little things to take care of me and make me happy. He does the big things too, but he understands the importance of the little things. He’s seen my entire spectrum, and he still wants me. I always feel safe and loved and… and valued with him. When I’m unsure or scared, he’s the first person I call. He doesn’t judge, but he also doesn’t just tell me what I want to hear; he speaks truth to me, but in a loving way. And no matter how much that pisses me off sometimes, I love that about him. He’s so kind, Dad. He genuinely is a good man. He messes up plenty, but he always does his best to fix his mistakes and learn from what he can’t. We’re so different but also so similar, it’s a little strange sometimes. But Dad, I honestly think we were made for each other. And you know I’ve never really believed in that stuff before.” She took a deep breath, finally finishing her monologue. She couldn’t believe she’d offloaded all of that onto her father.

Now it was his turn to be silent. She waited for him to say something.

“That’s good to hear, Pumpkin,” her father finally spoke.

He’d called her pumpkin. That meant he really believed what she said. And Lois didn’t realize she was crying. She pinched her lips together in an effort to not make a sound. She didn’t want to ruin any of the progress she’d just made with the General.

“Good,” she finally responded. “I hope you see all that. And soon.”

“I do, too, Pumpkin,” her dad whispered. “Have a good night.”

She didn’t get a chance to react before the General ended the call. And that wasn’t totally a bad thing, because she couldn’t believe he’d admitted that. She sat on her bed, frozen, for some time, just absorbing that information.

Clark had actually passed her dad’s tests. And wasn’t that something.

She’d tell Clark about it tomorrow. For now, though, she set her alarm, plugged up her phone, and went to bed with a smile on her face.