Ficlet: He Does Things Like That | SR/STM | Lois, Kitty (Past Kitty/Superman) | PG | 1/1
Title: With Fortune's Hand III: Four Relationships That No One Else Knew About: He Does Things Like That
Fandom: SR/STM
Characters/Pairing: Lois Lane(/Clark Kent), Catherine Kowalski, (past Kitty/Superman, sort of), (mention of past Superman/Miss Tessmacher)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 526
Prompt: For the Superman Movieverse Pairings Challenge: (Clark/Kitty), Rescue, Panic, Friendship, Kiss
Summary: Lois really wasn't expecting what Catherine had to tell her.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own everything. I own nothing. Darnit!!
Author's Notes: MAJOR SPOILERS for Aftermath. If you've read this header, you see what I mean. First of 4 in this part of the With Fortune's Hand series. Around 10 more ficlets remain in the series. (OT: I can't believe I don't have any bingo squares this could fit! Bah! Challenge multitasking fail.)
He Does Things Like That
“There's more.”
Lois couldn't help the knot of anxiety that crept into her chest at those words, watching Kitty-Catherine now, she had to keep reminding herself-across the little table of the open air cafe. Taking a sip of her coffee, she nodded, not so sure she wanted to know what else had happened aboard The Heracles. Learning the full extent of what Luthor had planned for them was bad enough, despite the knowledge that the madman was good and dead. “Okay,” she said, the knot rising almost to her throat.
Catherine took a deep breath, swallowed hard, blinked, and started, “When Superman came back for me, he... he kissed me.”
For a moment, the admission didn't quite register, all that dread evaporating in the way of her confusion. “Um, what?”
A small, unsure smile, and the other woman ran a hand through her close-cropped dark hair. “I dunno, he just... I guess he remembered the way I acted the first time he rescued me,” she shrugged helplessly. “And I was in such bad shape....”
And it all clicked in Lois's head. She'd known about what happened with Miss Tessmacher, way back before Clark had ever left for Krypton, remembered now when he'd told her later how surprised he was by the way she'd kissed him, how sad the woman had seemed at the admission that he wouldn't have kissed her otherwise. It just made sense that he'd have been reminded of that.
Laughing despite herself, Lois smiled. “He does surprising things like that occasionally. Just wants to show that he cares.” The droves of online testaments to how sweet Superman was in person was evidence enough of that. Lois didn't even mind the occasional story that claimed he was more than friendly; those were generally either untrue or were assuming more than really happened.
Catherine looked confused for a second. “You mean... you're not... jealous?” she asked tentatively, cradling her own coffee cup in her hands.
“Of course not!” Reaching across the little table, Lois laid a hand on the younger woman's. “Why would I be?”
“Well, you know,” the other woman floundered. “Because you and him, well, you know.”
Lois felt a tiny jolt of panic run down her spine, cold and just a little bit terrifying, but she squashed that feeling quick as she withdrew her hand, knowing full well that Catherine knew about Jason, and she could trust her with that knowledge, all things considered. “What, because of our history?” she asked, testing the waters.
Catherine shrugged again, looking terribly unsure of herself. “Well, yeah.”
Huffing a breath of mild relief, she relaxed, took another sip of her coffee, and shook her head. “That was a long time ago. I think I'm beyond jealousy at this point. Besides, I'm married now.”
The other woman looked relieved in return then, and she let out a breathy laugh. “Thank you. And will you thank Superman for me, if you see him?”
“For what?” Lois asked, raising an eyebrow.
Catherine smiled. “Everything.”
And Lois was suddenly glad she'd decided to get coffee with the woman she'd once dismissed as a hooker and thought the worst of. Who knew? Maybe they could even be friends after this.
“Sure.”
~*~*~*~
Fandom: SR/STM
Characters/Pairing: Lois Lane(/Clark Kent), Catherine Kowalski, (past Kitty/Superman, sort of), (mention of past Superman/Miss Tessmacher)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 526
Prompt: For the Superman Movieverse Pairings Challenge: (Clark/Kitty), Rescue, Panic, Friendship, Kiss
Summary: Lois really wasn't expecting what Catherine had to tell her.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own everything. I own nothing. Darnit!!
Author's Notes: MAJOR SPOILERS for Aftermath. If you've read this header, you see what I mean. First of 4 in this part of the With Fortune's Hand series. Around 10 more ficlets remain in the series. (OT: I can't believe I don't have any bingo squares this could fit! Bah! Challenge multitasking fail.)
He Does Things Like That
“There's more.”
Lois couldn't help the knot of anxiety that crept into her chest at those words, watching Kitty-Catherine now, she had to keep reminding herself-across the little table of the open air cafe. Taking a sip of her coffee, she nodded, not so sure she wanted to know what else had happened aboard The Heracles. Learning the full extent of what Luthor had planned for them was bad enough, despite the knowledge that the madman was good and dead. “Okay,” she said, the knot rising almost to her throat.
Catherine took a deep breath, swallowed hard, blinked, and started, “When Superman came back for me, he... he kissed me.”
For a moment, the admission didn't quite register, all that dread evaporating in the way of her confusion. “Um, what?”
A small, unsure smile, and the other woman ran a hand through her close-cropped dark hair. “I dunno, he just... I guess he remembered the way I acted the first time he rescued me,” she shrugged helplessly. “And I was in such bad shape....”
And it all clicked in Lois's head. She'd known about what happened with Miss Tessmacher, way back before Clark had ever left for Krypton, remembered now when he'd told her later how surprised he was by the way she'd kissed him, how sad the woman had seemed at the admission that he wouldn't have kissed her otherwise. It just made sense that he'd have been reminded of that.
Laughing despite herself, Lois smiled. “He does surprising things like that occasionally. Just wants to show that he cares.” The droves of online testaments to how sweet Superman was in person was evidence enough of that. Lois didn't even mind the occasional story that claimed he was more than friendly; those were generally either untrue or were assuming more than really happened.
Catherine looked confused for a second. “You mean... you're not... jealous?” she asked tentatively, cradling her own coffee cup in her hands.
“Of course not!” Reaching across the little table, Lois laid a hand on the younger woman's. “Why would I be?”
“Well, you know,” the other woman floundered. “Because you and him, well, you know.”
Lois felt a tiny jolt of panic run down her spine, cold and just a little bit terrifying, but she squashed that feeling quick as she withdrew her hand, knowing full well that Catherine knew about Jason, and she could trust her with that knowledge, all things considered. “What, because of our history?” she asked, testing the waters.
Catherine shrugged again, looking terribly unsure of herself. “Well, yeah.”
Huffing a breath of mild relief, she relaxed, took another sip of her coffee, and shook her head. “That was a long time ago. I think I'm beyond jealousy at this point. Besides, I'm married now.”
The other woman looked relieved in return then, and she let out a breathy laugh. “Thank you. And will you thank Superman for me, if you see him?”
“For what?” Lois asked, raising an eyebrow.
Catherine smiled. “Everything.”
And Lois was suddenly glad she'd decided to get coffee with the woman she'd once dismissed as a hooker and thought the worst of. Who knew? Maybe they could even be friends after this.
“Sure.”
~*~*~*~