(Untitled)

[theboyscout]

Clark hates days like this. Days where the power of nature defeats anything and everything humans throw at it, snuffing out lives like nothing so much as a timid little match against the darkness. The flooding in the Northeast is crazy, day after day of rain with too few breaks inbetween to get a handle on things. Especially since he has to be

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[presspasskey]

Lois pretends very hard to be surprised to see him come in, and actively forces herself not to run up and hug him. She's got CNN on TV, and she reaches for the remote to mute it as she stands to, at the least, drag him into the kitchen for food.

"The occasion," she says with deliberately exaggerated exasperation, "is that someone left their partner with half the notes gone at the Planet today. And so long as I'm going to be working overtime on this, I'm doing it comfortably."

At the last minute she opts against being quite so obvious with dragging him to the kitchen and grabs her plate. "If you want any sesame chicken, you'd better hurry," she adds. "This is the last call before it's mine."

[presspasskey]

She almost misses it entirely, as she's too busy relaxing against him and trying to ignore how his fingers feel along her skin. "Any time, Clark," she says warmly, letting her eyes drift closed.

Her heart's even almost calmed down (mostly) by the time he speaks again, and at first she only instinctively hums slightly in acknowledgment. Then her eyes snap open and her heart rate rockets up again.

"You-- how did--" Oh. Wait. Superhero. Omniscient ass, she thinks with aggravated fondness, trying to force herself to stop flushing slightly. To cover, she buries her face against his chest. When she gets herself together again, her now-muffled voice is almost practical. Almost. "...Well, I wasn't about to lose you like that."

[theboyscout]

One corner of his mouth tilts up, although she won't see it with her face mashed against his chest. "You didn't have to get involved, but you did. Thank you."

It's heart-fate, she can tell by the sincere quality of his voice, and the way his arms tighten around her a little.

"Why haven't you said anything?" Clark is honestly puzzled at her apparent silence. "I've been wondering when you would, but..."

No ACME sized anvils, no sly glances, nothing he has any experience dealing with.

[presspasskey]

Lois is happy to settle a little more closely against him when his arms tighten, although she's not really cognizant of the way she does. "You were lying in the street with a knife in your chest, Clark," she says bluntly. "Of course I had to get involved."

She's frowning a little again, now, remembering that day with painful clarity.

"Eh, long enough and I might have dropped a hint or two more than I have," she admits, "but you had to be okay with telling me. I mean, even when there aren't, you know, superpowers involved, that's not exactly a conversation you just-- hell, last time I had one of those, Oliver and I broke up. Not that we can, of course," she adds somewhat hastily, her face heating up again, "but that's not the point here anyway."

Just in case anyone had forgotten that Lois sucks at these conversations.

[theboyscout]

"Yeah, well, let's just say I'd win the award for worst boyfriend on the planet, so it's probably a good thing we've never dated." Not that he hasn't occasionally thought about it, but after the fiasco with Lana, and the apparent crush Chloe had on him for years (something he never completely noticed or understood), he thinks it's better not to ruin another woman's life.

He's been alone so long now it's habit.

"Anyway, no you didn't. You could have left me there. And before you argue that no, we're friends and that's not the way these things roll, it's still a conscious choice. So thanks."

He pauses, reaching over to brush some hair out of her face. "From both Clark and the Blur." Lopsided smile.

[presspasskey]

For an instant Lois stiffens slightly, before she forces herself to relax and pretend like absolutely nothing in what he just said could possibly have any serious importance to her whatsoever. "You don't even hit the bottom one thousand for 'worst boyfriend material.' Trust me--and let's not even go into dating history. You don't get to go playing 'my track record is worse than yours' with me, Smallville."

That lopsided smile warms her heart a little, and she smiles back ruefully, even if she still can't quite meet his eyes.

"Hey, what are friends for? One save at a time. Besides, I figure I owe you a couple after all these years." Actually, she figures the entire world owes him at least a weekend off, but the chances of that happening are functionally non-existent.

[theboyscout]

Clark sighs, assuming the stiffening is because he didn't tell her about his extracurricular activities. "I'm sorry I hurt you by not mentioning my side job."

And now she won't let at him. Great. He shifts, lowering his chin to plant a kiss against the top of her head, and gently rubs her arm in what appears to be a non-verbal apology.

"My track record would win, though."

[presspasskey]

That's it, Lois decides suddenly with a scowl at the universe. This is an attempt by Murphy to turn my head inside out and then blow it up. There is no other rational explanation.

"Um. You didn't? I mean, sure, some--six years, I'd like to think I've proved I have some sense of discretion by now--but... this is pretty big. I mean." She actually laughs a little, partially in delight and partially in continuing disbelief. "You're a superhero. You don't exactly walk up to people, shake their hand, and say 'Hi, nice to meet you, my name's Clark Kent and by the way here's my phone number if you're in need of saving from imminent death.'"

She rolls her eyes and smacks him lightly. "Do not start that one-upping contest with me. You don't even know about the disasters from before I got to Smallville, and the Oliver mess was spectacular enough. Seriously, this is one pissing contest you do not want to start with me--if only because I am not spending the rest of this evening crying into my beer to your horrendous music."

[theboyscout]

There's a small huff of laughter, echoing in his chest, and another kiss against her hair in what appears to be an automatic reaction. "No, I'd be locked up in a science lab faster than you could eat a donut. I don't normally tell anyone, but things happen and people find out anyway."

And then they tend to worship or hate me. He only wishes it could be different with someone and not derail their life, but that's now an admitted pipe dream on his part.

"Careful, champ. Don't punch me too hard or you'll have bruised knuckles. Besides, I know about most of yours."

[presspasskey]

Lois closes her eyes and contents herself with listening to that rumble in his chest, musing that cheating apparently comes with its own price: endless frustration. "Yeah, well. That's why I wasn't saying anything. You'd tell me when you wanted to."

Lois snorts, rolls her eyes, and eyes him, before starting to count off on her fingers. "Lana, Alicia, Lana, Lana, my cousin had a crush on you that thank god she got over."

For a moment there's a flash of grief in her eyes--she misses Jim still. And oh yeah, now I'm in love with you and I refuse to do the cheap knockoff version of my cousin's years of whining and pining, which by the way I was privy to. "And, right, Lana. Like I said, whatever you know about my series of federally-certifiable disasters? So doesn't touch the pre-Smallville years. You ain't seen nuthin yet--and we are still not having this discussion."

[theboyscout]

"I know you genuinely loved Wes, and went to your prom with a tank. I know that some nameless jerk hurt you so much that you withdrew from loving anyone for a long time, because you thought they'd put country ahead of heart, like the General did after your mom died. I know I want to find that someone and punch him into a cloud of dust for doing that to you. I know Oliver didn't deserve you."

He shifts underneath her, taking a deep breath and pressing his cheek against the top of her head. "You forgot Simone, Zee, and Kyla. She was before your time.

And I married Alicia."

[presspasskey]

Lois doesn't really say anything, being too stunned that he actually knows her well enough to see some things she's never talked about, and decides to avoid that whole subject.

"Okay, Zee doesn't count. Crazy magician girl hitting on you and spelling you to get a kiss seriously isn't a bad relationship. It's a crazy magician girl hitting on you and spelling you to get a kiss. And I was there for the Alicia thing, remember?"

She gives him a quick squeeze, to remind him she was the one who was there when he got to Alicia's killer. "...I never heard about Kyla. Was Simone that crazy blonde bitch that one time? With the hypnotist dad?"

[theboyscout]

Surprise, Lois. The boy scout does pay attention to things, it's just that the information is then internalized until he thinks he needs it. Which is rarely.

"Can we refrain from using that language please? I don't like it." Sigh. "Yes, Simone was the crazy hypnotist who wanted me to sleep with her and kill Lex."

His tone softens. "Kyla was around when I first found the caves, her people, the Kawatche, supposedly descended from the being they call Naman, a man who came from the stars about five centuries ago, and fathered children with one of the tribe."

Except it's just a legend, and Clark is fairly certain even if he was able to be a father, the gestation period or birth would probably kill the mother.

[presspasskey]

Oh, Lois knows that much about him--but she doesn't think that she's one of the things that he might actually pay attention to.

She bites her lip, hating it when he's uncomfortable like that, but then says bluntly, "You can, and I won't actually say quite as much of what I think of her." But she'll think it--and frankly, she is still a bitch and nothing is going to change Lois' opinion on that score. And, this being Lois, she will not entirely check her mouth.

Lois blinks a few times, and remembers what Zod said yet again. Not the first of you to be here, are you? "The Indian tribe... thinks they're descended from a human and, uh, an intergalactic traveller in the dark ages?"

She sounds only intensely curious, and she tries to shy away from the absolutely adorable mental image of what Clark would look like playing with a teeny little kid who could, say, toss a car.

[theboyscout]

He shrugs, keeping his voice light and mentally asking for their forgiveness if he screws up even this brief explanation. "The visitor was said to have the strength of ten men and shoot fire from his eyes. The Kawatche people are said to have some unusual talents, and I think it was a way to explain why."

Clark glances away, towards the fireplace, and absently licks his lips. It's better than chewing on them or otherwise displaying his nerves.

"Before he left, the stranger promised another one of his kind would arrive, and be the protector and savior of the world. The tribe gave this protector the name Naman." And there are those who believe Clark is that person, Kyla being one of them.

[presspasskey]

Lois tilts her head up to blink at him, her forehead crinkling a little. She's tempted, for a moment, to point out gently that they're coming to this discussion from a starting point of him being the Blur, and, well, he's caught commuter trains, tends to leave a burned signature in walls...

She's kind of not sure how to approach that whole question, though, and decides to stick to the basics. "What sorts of unusual talents? And are they right, about the whole E.T. thing? We don't exactly hear about a tribe of people who can bench press a few tons or have laser vision, so... guessing that if there really is some E.T. in them, they didn't exactly get the glowy finger traits passed on."

God, this is really hard to do without letting on that Zod told her a lot more than Clark probably realizes.