Before I get started posting Aftermath, I figure I should start with a much smaller piece. :p So, to get everyone's attention.... here's my one shot - a steamy Clois encounter one late night in the bullpen after everyone else has gone home. ;)
Title: One Night at the Planet
Fandom: DCU (Superman Returns)
Pairing: Clark/Lois
Rating: NC-17 - for graphic sexual content
Word Count: 10,833 (both parts together)
Summary: Set seven months after Superman Returns, Clark and Lois seek each other out as work and life stresses get to them, finding solace with each other late one night at the Daily Planet.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own everything. I own nothing. Darnit.
Author's Note: Slightly AU and a bit romantic. The first in the "One Night" series.
Thanks: to
brdwaybebe for the Lois and Clark manip that inspired this story, and to my gutter wench sistaz for inspiring me to start writing porn. ^_~
One Night at the Planet - Part 1
Leaning back in his swivel chair, Clark rubbed the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses, silently grateful that the Planet had replaced the old fluorescent tube lights with more natural full spectrum incandescents while he was gone. The glare alone used to give him a headache when he worked late nights. On this particular Saturday night, however, it was the lack of progress he was making in his latest investigation, a probe into the ethical practices employed in Lister Pharmaceuticals' latest drug research, that was making his temples and his eyes ache. So far he'd run into enough brick walls to stop his alter ego from getting through, and that was saying a lot. All the public records for the company's research was squeaky clean. The work histories and criminal records of their employees, ditto. He realized he would probably have to find other, more unconventional methods of looking into the research, but that was nothing new. He and Lois had fought their way into dozens of stories, even resorting to breaking and entering when it appeared that the party on the receiving end was dirty enough to be sent to prison for a good long time.
Their latest investigation had gone much that way, in fact, leading them to resort to bribery to get a source to give up sensitive information. They'd even had to wait for more than four hours in a parking garage, armed with several bags of fast food from specific establishments, for their source to show up that day. It had taken Clark's every effort to keep Lois from getting into the food, starving as she was from having skipped breakfast and being in a foul mood to begin with. She hadn't exactly appreciated his efforts, either, especially when their source's information turned out to be not quite as sensitive as they'd hoped. But Clark had managed to get her fed soon after, and his own quick 'peek' into the offices of the offending politician in question had turned up the goods they'd needed, so all was forgiven... eventually.
Thinking of the closeness they'd shared, working together like that for the past several months, he smiled lazily and glanced over at Lois, who sat hunched over her own computer, tightly focused on a story she'd pursued with an alarming ferocity over the last few days. Having let Jason go to a sleepover at a friend's house for the night, she'd spent the last ten hours working non-stop on an investigation into the Metropolis school board taking kick backs from a major soft drink company to put soda and snack machines in every school hallway. It was a story she definitely wouldn't have touched six years ago, but this was a new Lois. A Lois that fought for children's health and safety. A Lois that had seen a brightly colored soda machine filled with high sugar energy drinks in front of the office of Jason's school and had immediately flown into 'Mad Dog Lane' mode.
Clark smiled more widely. She was indeed the fiercest mother, next to his own, of course, that he'd ever met. She was truly a force of nature.
Watching her closely, he noticed the way her nose scrunched up as she typed, the way her eyes glistened with the light of shining justice finely honed to sharp tongued edge. Her brow furrowed in concentration with a pause in her typing, and she tapped a nail on a random key. Then her hand came up and swept off her glasses. “Dammit,” she muttered, rubbing her face with her hands. “Can't believe I... Ugh!” With a shove, she pushed back form her desk, swiveling in her chair to stand.
Clark looked away, not wanting her to see him watching her. A twinge of guilt twisted his stomach. Oh, just tell her, he shouted at himself. But he still couldn't seem to screw up the courage to do it. Seven months home, and he still couldn't do it. Thinking it would be best to steer clear of the life she'd made for herself, he'd distanced himself from her as Superman, a move he mentally kicked himself for daily, now that he was lucky to be able to see his own son when Lois happened to bring him into the Planet for the all too rare afternoon.
Maybe soon, though...
As Lois made her way through the empty bullpen to the break room to rustle up some more coffee, Clark thought about the way things had suddenly changed over the last several weeks. Lois and Richard had split up. Although he had wondered for a long time if it was even a possibility, their relationship had taken a nosedive of disastrous proportions about a month ago, when Richard decided he wanted to take a job at the Planet's sister paper in London and move the family there with him. Lois outright refused. She gave no reasons, at least, none that Clark ever heard, but her decision was final, she and Jason weren't going anywhere.
Richard moved out two weeks ago.
Clark had done his best to console her when she'd broken down so many times either in the middle of the bullpen or while they were out on an investigation. He'd done everything he could for her, been there for her, let her rant and cry and generally bitch about everything. She'd needed that sounding board, needed a safe, stable presence that wouldn't judge her or blame her for anything that had happened. And all he wanted to do was protect her from the insanity of the situation, especially right after Richard had dropped his ultimatum on her.
The problem was, Clark hadn't come to see Lois as Superman in more than three months.
He knew that that action had probably shot him in the foot, but the way Richard had treated Lois over the last few months, hovering over her and watching her like a hawk, even resorting to spying on her, kept him away. He knew that Richard was heading off the deep end, so he forced himself to not add any fuel to the fire, hoping the man would calm down, praying he wouldn't snap and hurt her. But now... now he had begun to wonder almost hourly if it would do more harm than good if he were to come to Lois as Superman, two whole weeks after her personal crisis. As it was, he could sense her resentment in the wake of her breakup with Richard. Superman... Kal-El hadn't been there for her at all... So she'd changed her computer password from Superman to Pluto, after Jason's sudden interest in the newly reclassified planetoid, and she hadn't been up to the rooftop at all in the past month. She'd even mentioned that she'd thrown away Jason's faded, old, favorite Superman pajamas in favor of a new set of Spiderman pj's.
Ouch.
* * * * *
When Lois finally returned from the break room, her eyes fell on Clark as he sat, deep in concentration, absently chewing on a pencil at his desk, although his focus didn't seem to be anywhere near the work in front of him. He seemed lost, confused. She wondered for a brief moment if she didn't look the same way to him lately. She certainly felt it, with the way things had gone for her. She hadn't expected Richard to make such a selfish demand of her, nor to simply walk away when she refused to pack up and leave Metropolis.
But she began to realize over the past week or so that maybe it had been for the best. Since September, things hadn't been right between them. There was a rift that just kept widening until Lois wasn't even sure she knew the man sleeping in the bed next to her anymore. Heck, they'd grown so far apart so fast that they hadn't even made love since November. They had become complete strangers, passing each other like ghosts, hardly speaking at all to one another. And despite her insistence that what she had once had with a certain caped hero was all ancient history, he'd become paranoid to the point of extremes, following her up to the roof if she said she needed a little fresh air, rummaging through her computer files when he thought she wasn't looking, checking her cell phone history, and so on and so forth. The idea to move to London had been his last ditch effort to get her away from Superman's home city. She'd realized it immediately, of course, but that didn't help her shock at any rate. And her refusal to go... Well, she wasn't completely sure if her reasoning was sound, but she saw no reason to uproot Jason from his school and his friends, no reason to quit the Planet, no reason to go anywhere. And no matter whether Superman was a factor in her life at that point or not, and she felt he'd made it absolutely clear that he wasn't, she wouldn't have gone. She just didn't need to live with that kind of scrutiny and utter jealousy. It was ridiculous.
Now she was just trying to pick up the pieces and move on.
Yeah, like that would be so easy...
Plopping down in her swivel chair, she regarded her partner across the aisle again, watching the odd faraway look on his face, the way his eyes darkened as if he was somewhere else entirely.
Clark.
If there was ever a good friend, it was him. He deserved a medal for putting up with the crap she dished out daily. And she'd been laying it on thick lately. A pang of guilt punched her in the gut. Dammit. She hated to think of how horrible she'd treated him over the last month or so, how unbearable she might be, even with her lost, dazed looks. She'd certainly been snappish, even tearful at times, crying her eyes out and bitching for no good reason, and she vaguely remembered making fun of his Midwestern background at one point. Groaning inwardly, she sipped her coffee, trying not to let him notice her looking at him.
But for some reason, her eyes didn't want to move back to the article she was halfway through putting together, and she found her line of sight moving over Clark's face, his goofy glasses, his hair that seemed to be perpetually falling down over his eyes, his regal nose, his square jaw, his lush lips... Ignoring the blush that rose up on her cheeks at that thought, she thought about how, beneath the nerdy exterior, Clark was really a quite handsome guy, in a very familiar, boy-next-door, innocent, yet heroic sort of way. He certainly had the height and the build to go with it, not that anyone could ever tell, the way he dressed and slouched all the time. Shaking her head to clear out the strange direction her thoughts were taking her, she reminded herself that that was all old news. Sure, Clark was a good looking guy, but so what? It wasn't like she'd never seen him up close before. Hell, they'd worked together on how many stories, nearly every single day?
Gulping her coffee a little more furiously, Lois railed against the notion that Clark Kent was or ever would be anything more to her than a good friend and a work partner. No matter that the thought had occurred to her on more than one occasion recently, and that he was closer to her than anybody at this point... Especially considering the way he'd sat so patiently through all of her rants, quiet, just listening to her go on about how screwed up her life had become. The previous Saturday afternoon he'd even come by her house to make sure she and Jason were ok and to see if they needed anything, under the guise of working on a story, of course. But she could tell that he cared very much for her... and for Jason, too. Shit, he was kinder to her than even Richard had ever been, and a hundred times more patient and understanding with her. She chuckled inwardly. They even had a witty banter between them that was only barely matched by conversations from long ago with another man...
Blinking rapidly and trying to divert her gaze from him once again, she mentally shouted at herself, No, no, no!!! Alienating yet another man from her life was the last thing she wanted to do. And trying to start something up on the rebound was even lower on her list of priorities... She knew she was feeling vulnerable... But, God, how she just wanted to be in the company of someone that wouldn't judge her, that could hold his own with her and didn't get upset every time she got a crazy idea in her head about a story... Someone that wouldn't just fly off and never come back... Even if Clark had gone to travel the world, he was the sort of guy that generally stayed put, that wouldn't let you down, that cared...
* * * * *
Across the center aisle, Clark still couldn't seem to get his mind back on the investigation he was pursuing. No new ideas presented themselves, and instead his mind was filled with thoughts of Lois, of how much he just wanted to take her away from all this for just a little while, to tell her the truth, to really be here for her... Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he should go bask in the sun for a while, or even just go home and get some sleep. That's it, I just need to sleep all this off, and I can pick this story up tomorrow, he resolved, and then maybe I can figure out what to do about this... situation. Saving his work quickly, he shut off the computer, then began to gather his things to go.
Lois noticed his sudden jump to get his things, and her gaze wandered back over to him of its own accord, her story once again left behind. “Calling it a night?” she asked, her mouth two steps ahead of her brain. Of course he was calling it a night. It was well after eleven pm.
“Um, yeah,” his voiced cracked in response.
She saw his hands shaking slightly as he shoved files into his briefcase and stowed all of his pencils and pens back in their proper places, and a wave of concern overrode her good sense. “Are you ok, Clark? You seem a bit, I dunno, flustered.”
Clark's head shot up and his eyes locked on hers. “Oh, um, no, everything's fine. Just tired,” he nodded.
“Hmph, you and me both,” she muttered. Then, again bypassing her brain, she suggested, “You know, you probably just need some fresh air.” She stood and grabbed her purse. “I'm gonna head up to the roof, myself. You can come with me if you want. It'd be better conversation than standing up there alone.”
When he looked back at her with the most bewildered expression she'd ever seen, she mentally backpedaled. Shut up, Lane!!! What the hell are you doing!?!
Clark found himself stricken mute for a moment. The roof? Why would Lois ask me to go up to the roof with her? Unless... Unless she knew something that he hadn't told her yet... His stomach flipped with anxiety as he considered his options.
“Clark?” Lois's voice snapped him out of his mental cartwheels.
“Oh, uh, sure... I guess...”
Lois regarded the naked confusion in his eyes, inwardly slapping herself for being so completely idiotic. It was also old news that Clark Kent had once had the biggest crush known to mankind on one particular Lois Lane, and though she wondered with a vague interest whether his old crush was still intact, she couldn't help but feel guilty for pushing. Most of the Planet knew that the roof and Lois Lane were a recipe for interesting encounters. “Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to... imply...” she stammered, praying to undo whatever damage she might have done to the poor man.
But Clark shook his head, “No, it's ok, I...”
Failing to catch herself before she could say anything else stupid, Lois urged him on, “Well, let's go then,” and led the way out of the bullpen with her purse slung over one shoulder.
Trailing behind her, Clark couldn't stop the sudden spinning in his mind. If Lois knew, then she would call him out on it. No doubt. But if she didn't know... then why would she ask him up to the roof? And why was her heart beating so fast? She must know something!
When the elevator doors finally closed behind them, sealing them frighteningly alone in the car, Lois began to chew on a fingernail, trying not to look at Clark, trying to rationalize her actions. They were just getting some fresh air. That was all. No dishonorable intentions, no plans to make any moves on the man, though her reasons for even thinking about it still eluded her somewhat. Sure, she was no longer attached. She had no one to go home to now, no one to meet for a midnight flight over Metropolis. And yeah, she was feeling a little more than frustrated over it all and lonely as hell, but... No. I am not coming onto my partner. This is insane, Lois. Just chat, that's all. Apologize for being such a bitch all the damn time. Thank him for being a good friend throughout everything. Then go home. That's it.
So why couldn't she seem to convince herself? And why was the temperature in the elevator going up? Oh, God, it's me. I know it. I must be burning up the air in here with ulterior motive.
Dammit! I am not a slut! she shouted at herself in protest.
Beside her, Clark couldn't help but steal sidelong glances at her. Something serious seemed to be weighing at her, and he only had one guess as to what it was. He watched her chew on her fingernail, a habit he never quite understood, but thought was possibly the most adorable thing he'd ever seen her do. A slight smile played at the corner of his mouth. There was no doubt how much he still loved her. None at all. But what was worrying her so much that it drove her to chew on her nail? Her heart was beating a frenetic rhythm in her chest, her breaths were coming hard and fast, and her temperature had risen at least a whole degree, possibly two. If it was an awareness of his secret, her anxiety certainly made sense, but if not, well... What else could it possibly be?
With an insistent chime, the elevator doors slid open to admit them to the rooftop. Lois first of course, and Clark cautiously followed, jamming his hands in his pockets just to keep from fidgeting with his tie as his own anxiety had his heart beating at a rapid pace and his thoughts had gone from swimming to positively drowning.
He stopped in his tracks when Lois finally set her purse down and leaned against the concrete ledge, the light from the full moon shining in her hair, the cool breeze of the late April night gently stirring her dark locks. She was a vision of beauty.
She turned her head back to him. “You okay?” she asked, her eyebrows raised in concern.
“Oh, um... yeah, I'm... fine,” he responded, letting his voice drop down into his lower register, ever so slightly. He resisted the urge to ask her if she was ok, finally uprooting himself from the spot and stepping forward over the rooftop to join her at the ledge. Leaning down on the concrete with his elbows, he clasped his hands tightly together and stared out at the city surrounding them. It was a gorgeous night in Metropolis, everything lit up, people enjoying the beautiful weather, hardly a siren or cry for help to be heard. Breathing deep, he took in the fresh air that greeted them, probably some of the cleanest air in the city at this height, and his racing pulse began to slow, finally.
Looking sideways at Lois, he saw her own anxiety beginning to fade from her face as she stared out at Metropolis as well. But her heart hadn't slowed one bit.
With Clark standing so close on her left, Lois began to feel the heat radiating off of him. She closed her eyes, letting the light breeze wash past her, trying desperately to quiet her pounding heart, certain he could hear it if he really tried. She wondered off hand if he might be feeling as anxious as she was, if he had any inkling what she was thinking, then got the distinct impression that she was acting like a cat on a hunt, cornering her prey before playing with it and finally killing it.
Again, the voice of reason tried to convince her that she wasn't trying to take advantage of the poor man, that she couldn't possibly do what the seriously irrational part of her mind wouldn't stop thinking about.
“Clark...” she started, figuring she might as well get out the apology she owed him.
“Hmm?”
“I'm sorry I've been such a bitch to you, especially over the past month.”
She looked to see his slightly dumbfounded expression. “Oh, you don't have to -”
“Yes, I do,” she cut him off. “I've been a real pain in the ass, and you didn't deserve any of the crap I heaped on you. You shouldn't have to put up with it, and you've been too much of a gentleman to tell me to shut up. So I'm sorry.” At the end of her lengthy apology, she wondered if she'd spoken it too fast for him to process, judging by the look on his face. His brow had furrowed, and his mouth had turned slightly down at the corners, his full lips slightly pouty, his eyes dark again behind his glasses with that shadow of concentration.
“I... Um, don't know what to say, Lois... Um, thank you,” he finally responded, his voice quiet and soft.
Lois felt her knees nearly buckle with sheer relief. Okay, that's done, she thought, but then she remembered something else. “Oh, and I'm sorry for calling you a hopelessly puritanical farm boy the other day,” she added gently.
Clark's mouth twisted up into a slight smile at that, his dark eyes lightening just a bit to a glittering blue with the lights of the city. “I... thought that was kind of amusing, actually.”
Caught off guard, Lois looked at him with her head tilted to the side. “Oh, really?” she countered, finding it interesting that he could be amused by one of her best insults.
“Um, yeah. See, the Puritans were actually... well... never mind,” he let his explanation go.
But Lois had already bitten. “They were what?” she asked, new found curiosity tinting her voice.
Clark let out a slight chuckle, knowing it was ridiculous to point it out now, but he followed through anyway. “Well, they lived in Massachusetts. I'm from Kansas. There's a big difference.”
Lois rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, for the love of... I know that, Clark... But only you would pick that out,” she teased him, finally feeling a little less like the predator she'd been only a few minutes before, relaxing with the familiarity of their back and forth. It was a feeling she liked... very much. It just felt good. Looking out at the skyline again, she asked, “So what is home like for you, anyway? You never talk about it much.”
Beside her, Clark was confounded yet again. If this was her way at getting his secret out into the open, she was taking the long route to get there. But he didn't see anything wrong with indulging her for the moment. It wasn't often he had the chance to talk to her about his own life. “Well... It's pretty open country, lots of farms, wheat and corn fields, even huge fields of sunflowers, not much else unless you drive into Wichita or up to Topeka or Kansas City. Smallville is a pretty quiet town. One sheriff, two deputies. One high school. One coffee bar, and it's not a Starbucks,” he smirked, emphasizing the fact that there wasn't a Frappuccino to be found out there. “Other than that, it's just...” he searched for the words, “beautiful, open space.”
“It sounds nice,” Lois mused quietly, catching his eye for just a moment and seeing the glint of nostalgia for his home town.
“It is.” Clark wondered again just why she had brought him up here, as her demeanor seemed to be changing with the wind. Studying her after she turned back to gaze out at the city, he saw her shiver slightly. Automatically, he tugged his suit jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.
“Wha -?” She turned at the sudden gesture, greeted with the warmth of his jacket enveloping her.
“You looked cold,” he said softly, giving her a faint smile.
Lois's surprise melted to gratitude. “Thank you,” she smiled in return, taking in the warm scent lingering on the coat. Clark's scent. It reminded her of sunshine and flowers, wheat and earth, pine trees and something undeniably masculine, and it comforted her. She didn't know why. It just felt... familiar... right. It felt like... coming home.
Again, her knees tried to turn to jell-o, and she found herself leaning closer to Clark. She wasn't really cold, but the warmth he seemed to be radiating was so inviting... it felt like gravity pulling her in, a light in the darkness she couldn't turn away from.
Damn this, she chided herself, hugging her arms tightly around her. With a hard mental kick, she reminded herself that she really didn't want to do anything to alienate Clark. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. He was just too good a friend...
Maybe talking more would help, maybe she could just get a few things off her chest and she would feel better, could go home and have a cup of chamomile tea before turning in. “Clark, have you ever felt like you had your whole world pulled out from beneath you?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” he responded, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. “I...” He debated whether to continue, but knew that if he were to ever be able to tell her the truth, he'd better get to work on opening up a little more. “When I came back... to Metropolis... things were... a lot different than they were when I left. A lot of things changed while I was gone.”
Lois glanced at him sideways. “I'm sorry. I can't imagine it's easy to pick up where you left off, especially when things aren't... the way that...” she trailed off, casting her gaze down to a spot on the concrete ledge that she proceeded to pick at with her fingernail, taking a deep breath. “Dammit,” she muttered under her breath, thinking again about the way Kal-El had made himself scarce after that whole mess with Luthor. Of course they couldn't have picked up where they left off, she had found Richard while he was gone, she'd had Richard.
But now Richard was gone and Kal-El didn't seem to want anything to do with her.
“Lois?” Clark asked, standing next to her still.
She looked up at him, met his worried eyes with her own, saw how dark they were, clouded and concerned, and almost the color of midnight. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I... I guess this past month has been a lot harder than I'd thought.”
Not sure any words could possibly comfort her at this point, Clark lifted a hand and gently placed it on her arm, giving her a warm smile.
Feeling the heat of his hand caress her arm, Lois took a single step closer to him, soaking in his warmth, craving it.
Clark felt the subtle shift in her mood as she came closer, and let his hand move around to her back, still wondering if she was going to try to out his secret. But then the thought occurred to him, as it had often over the last few months, that he should just tell her, and save her the heartache of not really knowing for sure, if she had any idea to begin with. “Lois, I...” he started, but chickened out at the last second, exhaling hard through his nose. No, she didn't need this, not with the way she seemed to be handling her breakup with Richard
“What is it?” she asked, looking way up at him.
“Um, nothing,” he lied, trying not to look her in the eyes.
She nodded, accepting his excuse, then turned back to watch the city again, her face drawn down by a sadness Clark couldn't quite reach. Sighing, she leaned back into his chest and the crook of his arm, laying her head back.
Slightly startled, he let his hand slip around her shoulder, but didn't move away from her. He realized how alone she must be feeling now that Richard was gone and Superman hadn't come to her in so long, and he reluctantly welcomed the close contact, wishing things didn't have to be so damned complicated. Subtly leaning his head down over hers, he breathed in the scent of her hair. Fresh berries, coffee, and vanilla.
Just like it smelled before...
Every nerve ending in his body came to life with the memories that surged forth, and he realized too late how strongly his body was reacting to her close presence when Lois slightly stiffened against him.
Desperately, he tried to will away his sudden erection, slightly shifting himself to make it less obvious, hoping she couldn't feel the full length of it pressed against the top of her hip as he could.
Lois found herself shocked and thrilled at his unexpected reaction. She'd had no idea he felt that way about her. Although, she had to admit they'd worked together for so long and been such good friends that... well... why not? And it certainly suited the more irrational part of her just fine. Lifting her head to look up and back at him, she saw the mad blush on his face, the apologetic half smile on his beautiful lips, and she graced him with a warm smile of her own, settling back more comfortably against him, nuzzling her head into his chest. “It's okay, Clark,” she murmured, her voice more of a purr now. She could feel his chest rising with quick breaths and the anxious pounding of his heart through his dress shirt and vest, and her smile turned to more amusement.
Clark felt like quicksand had opened up beneath his feet when she smiled at him, then situated herself against him, fitting her body to his own, and his mind, deprived of oxygen though it may be at the moment, spun with questions. Why would she be getting this close if she didn't know? Did she expect him to crack and tell her the truth? And if she didn't know, then what could possibly make her notice him now? Why was any of this happening at all?
But the questions faded as she turned around, her eyes full of something Clark hadn't seen since before he left for Krypton. He swallowed the growing lump of anxiety in his throat, and she put her hands on his chest.
Rising up to her tip toes, she brought her face up to his, feeling the heat of his nervous breath on her cheeks when his head dipped down automatically.
When her lips met his, she felt a rush and a tingle, adrenaline surging, parts of her body awakening that had been neglected for far too long. The kiss itself was slow, chaste at first, then growing sensuous as she pressed closer, her hands sliding down and around his sides to his well muscled back. Surprise hit her as she realized just how well defined he was, and her breath hitched in her throat as Clark deepened the kiss, tasting her with his moist lips.
With his arms now wrapped around her, holding her close, he delighted in the unexpected development. He'd wanted this for so long, wanted to just kiss her, to hold her tightly to him, to soothe any heartache he'd caused and make everything right again. But his conscience wouldn't stop playing at the edge of his mind... Pulling back from the kiss just slightly, he tried to say it. “Lois, I really need to tell you -”
“Shh,” she silenced him, taking his mouth again with hers. Again, the kiss was sensual, growing with intensity as their mouths opened to admit their tongues to the dance. Lois reveled in the heat of his mouth entwined with hers, the silky softness of his firm lips, and oh, he was such a good kisser...
Pulling back, ever reluctantly, Clark tried again. “Lois, please, I really need to -”
“What could be so important that it can't wait?” she cut him off. “Are you seeing someone?”
“Well, no, it's -”
“Then it can wait,” she finished breathlessly, reaching up and taking his head in her hands to bring his face back down for another kiss.
Clark finally relented, knowing that even if it was a mistake, she was the one that said she didn't want to know. As fuzzy as the logic was, he didn't feel like he had any more will power to resist her. He'd wanted her for so long...
Lois let out a contented sigh when he relaxed beneath her hands, fully joining their kiss, and the more rational part of her mind gave it up and packed it in. No point fighting this. She wanted it. And she knew he wanted it.
After a few moments, Lois felt his hands slide down her back to her sides, and felt him lift her with seemingly no effort, never breaking their kiss, up onto the ledge, so that she sat at eye level with him. The coolness of the concrete seeped through her skirt immediately, but the sudden warmth of his hands on her thighs counteracted the effect, sending heat rushing to intimate parts of her body.
Feeling like the world was spinning around him, Clark pressed closer to her, moving his hands back to her sides as she parted her legs to welcome him closer. Though the sexual gesture caught him off guard, he fitted himself against her, kissing her more hungrily, more urgently than before, weaving his hands into her hair. Breaking away from her mouth finally, he cradled her head with one hand and trailed wet, soft kisses down her cheek and along her jawline, down her neck to the hollow of her throat, drawing out little mewling sounds from her, eager sighs and moans, that settled into a purr as he worked his way back up to her mouth.
Lois let the wave of euphoria that Clark had elicited wash over her, drowning in his kisses, feeling the deep rumble of his own eager moan reverberating through his mouth and his chest. With her body beginning to run on autopilot, she shifted her hips forward, wanting, needing to feel his body next to hers, to feel him inside her. The motion pushed her skirt up further, and her legs automatically wrapped around him, her calves resting on his firm behind.
Clark brought his head up again. “Lois, we shouldn't...”
“Why not? Because we're partners? Because I just got out of a relationship? Because this might change things?” She shook her head, lowering her voice, “Clark, I don't care.” She let her legs drop down from around his hips.
His brow furrowed again as his hands slipped down from her hair and over her arms to come to rest on her waist. “I just... don't want to make a bigger mess of things for you... I...”
“What mess? Richard's gone, and honestly, that relationship was over with a long time ago. Whatever else I had... well... it doesn't exist anymore.”
She felt his sharp intake of breath, saw his expression grow more complex at her last statement, and instantly regretted saying it. Of course he'd always known about her infatuation with Superman, hell, he probably knew a lot more than that, and she knew how much it had hurt him to have to listen to her gush about him all the time. She'd wondered for a long time if that was why he'd gone off to wander the globe...
Studying her face, with her regretful expression, Clark realized she wasn't anywhere near being over what they'd had together. But she wanted to be... The hurt was plain on her face, the resentment, and she wanted it to be over, she wanted to move on, needed to move on. The paradox of the situation threatened to strangle the life out of him. He couldn't unravel it no matter how hard he tried.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off, gazing up into his eyes with an utterly lost expression.
“I'm sorry... I... Clark, I know you probably think I'm rebounding or something, and maybe I am, but... after everything that I've been through... I just don't want to waste any more time.”
With their faces still hovering barely an inch apart, Clark frowned, his heart and his body overriding his mind's attempt to straighten out the whole situation. And he knew in his heart that she was right. He didn't want to waste any more time, either. They'd both lost so much time!
Bringing a hand up, he stroked her cheek gently. “Lois...”
“You can't tell me you don't want this.” Her hand found its way down to brush over the prominent bulge in his pants, and he shivered at the intimate touch.
He was losing control of himself now. Too many sensations competing for his attention, too much stimulation to let him think anymore. And she was right. He wanted this more than anything, wanted her more than anything. He let his hand slip down from her cheek to caress her neck, tracing a line down her collar bone to the hollow of her throat, finally letting his fingers slide down between her breasts to rest his fingertips above her heart, and felt the thrumming of her anxious heartbeat beneath. Yes. He wanted this. Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought against his own desire and need, caught in a losing struggle.
Lois clamped a hand over his, holding it close to her heart, delighting in the warmth it offered. “Clark, I want this. I want... you. You've been the greatest friend to me, infinitely patient with me. You put up with my crap when you didn't have to, you kept me together when I thought I was about to lose it. There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have this.” As soon as she was finished she mentally shook herself, finally realizing that that was the honest truth. Clark was everything that neither Richard nor Kal-El had ever been for her. Her breath hitched in her throat at the gravity of the realization, and when Clark's eyes flew open and his jaw dropped, she hastily leaned up to kiss him again, letting action speak to prove her words. This time she kissed him more slowly, sensually tasting his mouth, taking her time in proving her point. When she finally leaned back, gently breaking the contact, she added as an afterthought, “And I refuse to go home to that empty house tonight. I just can't...”
Clark's face twisted with emotion, his heart pounding and his breathing heavy.
“Please,” she whispered, feeling her dignity cast away to the wind, fueled by pure desire and desperation. No... not desperation. Need. Need to be with Clark. Need to let her best friend comfort her in the most intimate way possible, need to let all of her hang ups go and do something for the sake of wanting it, to do something right for once.
Clark regarded her with his lips drawn into a tight line, his eyes dark again, shaded with concentration and glinting with lust. He knew she could see it, knew she could feel it every bit as much as he did. Oh, hell...
Letting his last reservations go, he slid her off of the ledge. “Not here. Not like this,” he said huskily.
Lois froze at his last sentence, her mind coiling around the words as if they meant something. But she didn't have the brain power to work it out, so shook it off. Picking up her purse, she took Clark by the hand and led him back to the elevator, his jacket still draped over her shoulders. “I know where...”
* * * * *
One Night at the Planet - Part 2