***
The Prankster: Clark Kent
***
Wait…what? Why was Perry looking at him? Why was Jimmy giving him a conspiratorial look while biting back a grin--and clearing his throat! And Lois…oh no. Lois was looking at him too, all amused and…expectant?
How embarrassing! Humiliating even! He and Lois were just friends--she’d made that abundantly clear to him, and after the disaster a couple months ago, he knew he was very lucky to even get to be that. And he only was because he’d told her that he didn’t really love her. They were partners. Friends. That was all.
And partners did not send elaborate gifts in front of the elite of the art world.
Friends did not write flowery--stupid, really, if he was honest--poetry that hinted at feelings a whole lot deeper than mere friendship.
So, again, why was Perry biting back a laugh? Why was Jimmy bouncing on his feet like this was the best thing to happen to him since Christmas? And why was Lois still looking at him?
Wait…she was looking at him…and she wasn’t frowning. Or glaring. Or ranting. Or getting flustered and awkward and running out on him. So…did that mean she wanted Clark to send her something like this? She’d be okay with him telling her he wanted a whole lot more than friendship?
But then, she did look awfully amused. Maybe she just thought it was a joke. And yes, he did like to tease her, but come on--did she have any idea how painful it had been to confess that he loved her and have her tell him that she ‘didn’t feel that way about him’? Well, no, of course she didn’t, because he’d told her it was just a ruse. But still, didn’t she know him at all? It was fun to get a rise out of her, but it was awfully soon after her almost-wedding and the death of her fiancé to try something like this just for a joke. He was a little more sensitive than that!
Not to mention scared out of his mind to lose her again.
So, no, this wasn’t him. There was no reason for Perry to look pleased, as if he’d been waiting for this moment as long as Clark. No reason for Jimmy to be waiting for a scene he probably thought would be straight out of a movie since he wasn’t aware of just what label Lois had given Clark. And no reason for Lois to look so…so…so accepting! Really, couldn’t she be a bit more sensitive to his feelings?
And anyway, if he were going to try to…to…to court her, he’d know better than to do it in a place like this, where he was a bit out of his element and Lois was aware of all the eyes on them. He’d certainly do a better job on the card, too--he was a writer, for goodness’ sake! He’d have a lot more to say than some cheesy rhyme that sounded as if it was written by a child! And…and…
And who was he kidding? He would never be brave enough to risk having his heart trampled by Lois Lane again.
He met Perry’s eyes, met Jimmy’s eyes, but couldn’t meet Lois’s. “Don’t look at me!” he exclaimed. After all, no reason to.
It was someone else. It was always someone else. And he knew why it always would be, didn’t he? He knew why it would never be him.
No, don’t look at him. He was just a coward.
***
