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For the past three months, Lois Lane had learned that lying naked in bed with Clark was soothing and relaxing. She wasn’t sure if it was the good sex or the warmth of his embrace; but ever since she started sleeping with him, she went to bed with a smile and a content heart.
Clark had once told her that it was the same for him: before they started dating, he would spend the night awake, feeling his loneliness heavy in his chest. It was a reassuring sensation to know that she could reciprocate in him what he meant to her.
He was handsome and she sometimes caught herself staring; his curls drove her crazy and his dimples melted her. But it was when they snuggled under bedsheets that she allowed herself a moment. Lois liked to quietly observe him, give a minute to herself as she studied his face. She liked to rest high on the pillow, over her folded arm as her other hand brushed his cheek or twirled his curl.
Clark was on his back, hugging her from her waist. Her hair long enough that his fingers reached to the ends of it and he could play with them. His head was leaned toward her touch, he kept his eyes closed and his breathing low.
Lois knew him well. Superman might not get physically tired, but she could sense exhaustion in his body language. She adjusted, bending her legs as she rested on her side. Her thumb caressed his lips as she let out a breath. Lois leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on him.
“Mm.” Clark reacted with a smile as he slowly opened his eyes. His hand moved to her knee as his kept soft contact with her.
“Hey…” Lois barely murmured, aware he could make up her words. “I can hear your mind turning, is everything okay?” Even if her tone was gentle, her forehead still frowned.
His hand caressed her knee. His gestures were calmed as he shakily let out a breath: “It-this has had to be the worst week of my life.” Admitting that, he shifted and hugged her tight, hiding his face in her cleavage over the bedsheet.
“Mine too.” Lois whimpered as she rested her chin over his head and brushed his messy curls. Feeling him lift his head up, she tilted hers back and smiled at him.
With a light pout, Clark confessed; “I thought I’ve lost you.”
“It felt like I would never see you again…” She wanted to reassured him that it had been bad for her too; terrifying even.
Clark shook his head. “I knew you’d find a way to get me out of this one; no doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t.”
Lois chuckled lightly as she kept brushing her knuckles over his cheek and caressing his lips with her thumb. “I would jump into an antiproton river for you.”
With a snort he commented; “Crazy lady.” They shared a chuckle. Clark’s smile then vanished again; “I regretted walking out of our fight all night.” They had fought early in the week, everything had gone down hill for him from there.
She was the one pouting now, her heart had also picked up and was beating slightly faster. In an attempt to light up the mood, Lois leaned over and narrowed her eyes at him; “Coward.” Her voice was soft and playful as she spoke through a smirk and pecked him.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.” He blinked upon feeling her lips pressed on his forehead now. “…And don’t say I didn’t, I checked on you all night.”
“Mm. More like you eavesdropped on me all night.”
Looking up, he found her eyes; “You don’t mind, do you?”
She held tears back. Releasing a shaky breath, Lois shook her head. “Monday night SUCKED.” She admitted, Tuesday worse.”
“I’m sorry I said it like that, too.” Clark had told her that he loved her just a minute before he left and turned himself in. “I wanted it to be special. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time, but was waiting for you to be ready to hear them.”
Lois took his hands on hers and brought them to her heart. They were both facing each other, resting on their sides with their legs intertwined. “I’m sorry I couldn’t say them back to you that night, though.” She reassured, “I-it didn’t mean that I didn’t—“
“—I just needed you to know in case I wouldn’t get to hear your beautiful heart beating again.”
Sniffing, she tried to smile, “I thought you said you never doubted that I’d go after you…”
“…Even if it’d kill you, yeah.”
Lois gasped. She didn’t have time for more; Clark had closed the space between them and softly kissed her. It had never crossed her mind that she had put herself in a life or death situation — all she wanted was to find him and hoped once she did, it hadn’t been too late for him.
Letting go of that thought, she reached and cupped his cheeks, returning the kiss and gently deepening it. As they broke it, she noticed the light flush across his cheeks. The way he savored the lingering sensation of the kiss made her giggle.
She adjusted on his embrace, closing her eyes as she felt his big strong arms around her now that she had cuddled into him. Her fingers brushed his chest hair, feeling his touch caressing her shoulder up and down.
They kissed again, a light moan following the sound of the smooch of the peck they shared upon breaking the deep kiss. Lois briefly turned to fetch the box of colorful macarons that she had on her nightstand. The box was half empty; they had already shared some after making love.
“A bite for your thoughts?” She held a purple one up and wiggled her eyebrows at the face he was giving her.
If he didn’t know better, Clark would believe she had telepathy powers. He chuckled, “A bite, huh? Where exactly?” Licking his lips he added; “I’m very sensible in some areas—”
“—Of the cookie, Smallville.” Lois rolled her eyes. She still chuckled and pressing a loud kiss on his cheek, she also nibbled on it. Her teeth were gentle with his flesh, even if she couldn’t possibly cause him any harm.
After a cackle, Clark let her keep the macaron in her hand and reached for a different one, “You called dibs on the purple ones, I’ll get an orange one.”
Once they had a cookie each, they clicked them together: “Cheers!” Lois tangled her arm around his and still let him bite her purple macaron as she took a bite from the orange one.
“Mm.” Nibbling on the bite, Clark brushed the bedsheet that covered their bodies. “You know Ultraman?”
“The guy with the fake Boravian accent?” She commented as she gave him a look, that’s the last thing he has told her about him.
“Mhmm. I think you’d find him hot.” Clark tried to joke, but failed to make eye contact. They were both sitting on the bed, against the head board, sharing the cookies.
Lois shook her head, she was not following. All she knew was that Ultraman was someone that had worked for Luthor and was as strong as Superman. Even if Clark looked perplexed, he had joked about it so she used the same humorous tone; “Nothing hot about some loser guy in spandex beating my man up. When it’s me the one doing it though…”
“He’s got romantic blue eyes and playful dimples.” Clark wiggled his lips, still not looking up from his hands, “Not that I ever saw the guy smiling.”
Lois was worried and it read in the way her eyebrows frowned and her eyes begged to find his. Her fingers were tender as she poked his dimple, “Hey…look at me, please.”
Doing as requested, Clark found her and shrugged; “The guy looked exactly like me.” Quivering lips continued, “He managed to break into my fortress.”
“I thought only you were able to open it; your DNA.” Her mind was quick to put two and two together; “—Oh, babe…” Lois set the box of cookies to side and hugged him, offering the only comfort she knew.
Clark nibbled his lip. “I’ve been getting my butt kicked by myself all week long.” He genuinely wondered; “How do you navigate that? I learned that my parents—“ He couldn’t even finish that thought, “…and now this? Everything I’ve ever fought for…who am I really?”
“You are Kal-El.” Lois sat straight as she kept her voice firm. “The El and whatever it stood for does not define you; your actions do.” Her eyes were gentle on his as she continued, “The legacy of it is now what YOU stand for and now it means what you lead by example. Being an El now means to be for hope, justice, truth, and compassion.” She briefly paused to bring his hands to her lips and press a soft kiss on them. “You are a good man and what runs in your DNA will never change that; but your values and your upbringing are a reflection of your kind nature.”
Clark was quiet but she had managed to erase the pout and now a shy smirk was forming. “What about—“
“Ultraman was programmed to try bring you down, possibly never had free will to begin with.” Lois tilted her head as she lastly added, “There’s something very unique and special about you, Clark — the things that I fell in love with, the combination of everything that makes you you, and no one will ever be able to take that away from you; let alone duplicate it.”
Clark pressed a kiss on her lips. “We fell into the crack when fighting. I saw him fall down into it. My head keeps turning, I should go find him.”
Lois frowned. Clark was a man who had turned himself in for a dog; one she had met and wasn’t even that cute to begin with. She knew he had gone out of his way to save squirrels and any living creature that needed him, for that matter. She loved him for that, even if sometimes she couldn’t logic herself into his decisions. “I’m sure it was in self-defense.”
“I should have gone after him.”
“You were still recovering.” Lois insisted, “Still are.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay?”
Trying to help him feel better, Lois lightly joked; “Maybe he has a crazy girlfriend that would jump in there to get him.”
“He’s all alone.” Clark lamented, “I feel like I could have done more.”
With her fingers keeping his face still and his eyes on her, Lois insisted; “Hey, I almost lost you to that antiproton river.” Her gesture saddened; “I’ve never seen you so weak and sick. I was worried sick. I needed you to come home to me.”
Superman was the most selfless being in the cosmos. He would sacrifice his life for anyone; but he would also jeopardize anything for Lois Lane. She was his person and the reason why Superman stayed the symbol of hope. He would be nothing without her. Clark closed his eyes and nodded, poking his lips as he felt the kiss she offered.
“Your heart had never beaten so erratically, I came back to you as soon as I could.” He smiled at that.
“I had something very important to tell you.” She giggled, hoping the conversation had shifted its focus to what mattered now. Lois genuinely believed that Clark hadn’t done anything wrong and was being too harsh on himself.
“Oh?” God, did she have the power to ease his mind and comfort his heart. “What was that…?”
His eyes had recouped some of its light as he found hers sparkling due to the tears that she was holding back. Clark knew she cared and maybe she was right: sometimes sacrifices needed to be made and the most important person in the universe to him needed him alive.
Her cheeks grew pink, she could feel them warm. Between giggles, she managed to rest her forehead against his and to caress his cheek with her knuckles. “I love you…”
Clark kept his eyes closed, letting out a breath, taking in her words. He was loved, he had found someone in life who made him feel seen and understood. The way she cared so deeply for him mended his heart and lightened up the loneliness he felt.
He was aware that he meant the same to her and it was that mutual feeling of belonging what made their love even more special and unique.
Clark knew that just like he did; she’d be lost without him.