Chapter Text
A siren tore its way through Lois Lane’s reverie, and she rose in alarm. After the reading that she’d been doing, as well as the perils of being associated with Superman and the Justice League, no one could blame her if she were occasionally startled by loud noises and emergency vehicles. The twinge in her neck as she looked around the office reminded her that she hadn’t looked away from crime scene reports she’d been reading for a long time. Maybe an hour, maybe longer, judging from how she hadn’t noticed the sky outside turning dark.
In Metropolis, the light pollution kept the night sky from being any darker than navy blue, and Lois missed the stars. She missed stepping outside late at night and looking up and out, finding clarity in the precision of pinpoints of light. Constellations were clear in the Smallville sky, especially at the Kent family farm. But, Lois was unsure if she would be welcome back to the farm for a while, especially after the turn her relationship with Clark had taken. A more downwards turn, one would say.
Okay, so Lois had broken up with Clark, and he had looked so devastated that she was certain that she had flown to the top of his Mama’s hit list. Even the thought of that made her glance around again. Lois realized that she’d never been alone in the journalist’s pen before. The desks in the pen, covered in pencils and slumped piles of papers and books, were empty of the people who usually sat there. The room was silent except for the quiet whirring of her computer and the retreating siren outside.
The elevator dinged. Although Lois knew it was likely the custodial staff, she reached behind her for a pair of scissors for self-defense anyways. They wouldn’t be terribly effective against the people who usually came after her, but at least she’d go down swinging.
It wasn’t the janitor who stepped out of the elevator, nor was it one of Superman’s enemies. here to take revenge on who Metropolis believed to be the big man’s biggest fan. Diana Prince stepped out of the elevator, carrying a couple of brown paper bags. She didn’t look like Wonder Woman. She just looked like a friend that Lois might have, dressed down in a red tank top and jeans, hair pulled back. When she saw Lois, Diana smiled. “Delivery for a Miss Lane?”
“Wond- uh, Diana? What’re you doing here?” Past events had taught Lois that she needed to be discreet about Justice League identities when she was anywhere but in Clark’s home, or in Wayne Manor. She never knew if some yet-unknown threat could be listening. She chalked her misstep up to her tiredness. “Clark’s not here.”
Unlike her alter ego, Diana didn’t vault over the low wall by the elevators (intended to block off the journalists from a visitors reception area.) Instead, Diana waited for Lois to come over and open the gate. “I knew that you’d be here late. Clark expressed worry about you after a… club meeting today, but he didn’t think that his care would be received well.”
From the lack of curiosity in Diana’s voice, Lois knew that she had heard about the break-up. That meant so had some of the most dangerous people on Earth, and even beyond Earth, in worlds Lois had never heard of. Aliens were probably mad at her. “Does the club hate me now?”
Diana’s brow furrowed, and she set down the bags – which smelled deliciously like grease and potatoes – to cross her arms across her chest. “Why would any of us hate you?”
“I broke up with Clark. I hurt a man who rescues kittens from trees in his spare time. I hate me.”
Diana shook her head. “Clark isn’t angry with you about that.”
“Of course he isn’t,” Lois said, sitting back into her chair. It swiveled with her momentum, but she turned herself back to look up at Diana. From this angle, she was reminded that this woman was a goddess, especially with her biceps firm and her chin held slightly higher than an average mortal. “Clark wouldn’t be angry with a bee that tried to sting him, but that attitude of his usually serves to make people who care about him angry on his behalf.”
Diana laughed at that, full-bodied and throaty. “You are not wrong, Lois. However, that is not the case here. We cannot know the thought process of a bee, but we know you and know that you had reasons for what you did.”
“Right,” Lois said. “Should I still be expecting a visit in the night from a certain man with a dark cape and stubble?”
“No,” Diana said, in her Wonder Woman voice, warm and strong as good, fresh coffee. “He understands as well. And besides, he’s been keeping Clark company.”
“That’s good,” Lois said, letting a breath out with the intention of soothing herself and her anxieties. Diana had that effect on a woman. “Good.” She looked at the bags on top of her filing cabinet. “What’s in that?”
“I read a restaurant review that raved about these burgers,” Diana said. “I don’t personally eat meat, but I know that you do. Also, Damian has been scouring the world for the best veggie burger, so I’m considering this a contribution to his quest.”
Lois smiled at the expression on Diana’s face, solemn and stately with a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. Most of the Justice League members had the same expression when speaking about the newest Robin, outside of discussing logistics and battle strategies.
“I understand,” Lois said. “Well, I really do appreciate this, Diana. I’m supposed to be writing this piece on the newest crime statistics put out by the Metropolis PD and I’m not sure exactly what I think about them. I mean, on one hand, syndicates have been-“ Diana put up one hand to stop Lois, who obeyed, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t really care-“
Diana pulled over Clark’s chair – back covered in a brown cardigan – and sat down, pulling a foil-wrapped lump out of one of the brown bags, opened it, then turned her eyes back to Lois. “I’m going to eat. You talk. Tell me all about the syndicates.”
Lois stared at Diana, the burger in her hands and ketchup dripping to the foil below. “You want to listen?”
“Yes, of course,” Diana said, as if this response was something that Lois could have seen coming.
Lois thought for a moment, then she remembered. “Oh, right, your second job,” she said. Wonder Woman would obviously know about crime.
Diana shrugged, and a pickle fell down as well. “That too.” She raised an eyebrow at Lois. “Is that fine by you?”
Of course, Lois wanted to say, and I need this like you won’t believe, and this used to be Clark’s job, and I can’t believe you’re staring at me like I’m someone with something to say, like the goddamn editor or mayor or… or like I’m Superman. But with Diana’s eyes on her, Lois nodded and picked up where she had been stopped. “So anyways, the crime syndicates that Metropolis PD has been tracking have increased presence in the areas on the map right here-”
“-ly shit this burger is fucking incredible,” Lois said immediately after swallowing. “Your source is right, Diana.”
“My source is the Daily Planet restaurant reviews,” Diana said, lips twisted into the most dignified smirk Lois had ever seen outside of the Wayne Manor. “So…”
Lois nudged Diana’s foot with her own, making sure that she saw the roll of her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Diana looked back at her, expression steady until Lois had to look away. She was hyperfocused on the solid pressure of Diana’s foot against her own.
“You seem to have a firm grip on what you want to say in the article,” Diana said. “I look forward to reading it.”
Lois looked back up at her, wiping her mouth clean with a napkin. “You really don’t have to. You just heard the gist of it but without me having to edit what I think.”
“I always enjoy reading what you’ve written,” Diana said, and there was that earnest expression again, and Lois felt her chest squirming like a swarm of butterflies she’d seen in a picture before, all nestled together on a redwood tree.
“I… Thank you,” Lois said. “Really, thank you. For everything. Dinner, and listening, and-”
Diana shook her head, leaned over and rested her hand on Lois’s. Lois swallowed when she felt Diana’s thumb brush gently across her skin. “I don’t need thanks. I’m glad I could make your evening even slightly better.” After a gentle squeeze, Diana rose, gathering together much of the trash. “Now, it’s almost midnight, and I have it on good authority that you have to be back here early tomorrow morning.”
Lois checked her phone for the time and Diana was right. There were also no messages, which wasn’t surprising. “Right, right,” she said, wrapping up the rest of the burger to eat in the car. Lois pushed the rest of her files into a vague stack by her computer and joined Diana by the elevators. They rode the elevator down in the kind of companionable silence that came after a long conversation late at night. There was no music, so Lois paid attention to the rhythm of Diana’s breathing.
Diana walked Lois to her car, a sleek black motorcycle that Lois had never seen before parked next to it.
“Christ, that’s beautiful,” Lois said, letting herself run a finger over the buttery leather seat. “Is this yours?”
“It’s a little flashy, I know,” Diana said. What she said conveyed shame, but she stared at the motorcycle with affection and her voice was filled with pride.
“I always wanted a motorcycle,” Lois said.
“I’ll give you a ride sometime,” Diana said, teeth gleaming white.
Oh. A couple more butterflies took off in Lois’s chest, wings rustling against her ribcage.
Diana reached into her back pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Lois. It was still warm from Diana’s body heat. “Call me if you ever decide you’d like me to drive you around. Or perhaps if you need another person to help you figure out articles. Or…someone to get dinner with.”
Oh. Lois nodded, still holding the business card in both hands. “Okay,” she said, then looked down at the card. ‘Detective Diana Prince.’ “I’m- you’re a cop?”
Diana straddled the bike. “Yes,” she said.
“So you probably knew everything about what I was taking about. Oh, Jesus, Diana, you really didn’t have to listen to me.”
“No, I didn’t,” Diana said. “But I wanted to.”
As Diana drove away, Lois felt like she could see the stars again, from where she stood in downtown Metropolis. She could see constellations, and there was clarity.
OH.