The biting wind chastised her for moving too far from his body heat...
This is such a great use of a trope that would be used for a romantic relationship anyway, but it's such a perfect fit here that it heightens the stakes. It's like you're getting double the use out of it every time you allude to this. So clever.
“So, were you ever going to tell me that my best friend is really Superman, or were you too busy laughing at me?!”
The mist from his sigh obscured him for a moment. “Your best friend is really Clark Kent.
There's something really touching about this. Maybe it's that they both name the relationship so easily.
Lois gasped. “You were never going to tell me.”
Oooof.
“No, if anything, that's the exact—you know what? Never mind.” He shook his head, and a deep sigh bloomed white in front of him. “It doesn't even matter anymore.”
Oh no!!
He scratched his neck again, looking everywhere but at her. “I'm not sure,” he finally mumbled.
Oh dang. He's right though, lol. If Lois is in on the secret, she has to play along now. This is brutal, though.
If her glare could have ignited him, he would have been a cinder.
Good. You're doing such a good job of painting them both that I'm on her side now.
“Do you think I've never buried a story in my life?!”
He blinked at her in genuine surprise.
I think that I forget how damaging Lex is to his and Lois' relationship. I keep thinking that he knows her better than this, but you're totally right that at this point in the series, she's pulled the rug out from under them. I really wonder what the beginning of season 2 would have been like if Deborah Joy Levine was still show-runner; I feel like it would have been much more emotionally resonant. Really nice to see that consequence in this story.
Lois rolled her eyes and rubbed her upper arms as the cold seeped into her skin again. “What, are you afraid that Lex—”
“Yes.”
She blinked, not expecting his abrupt answer. Her mouth snapped shut.
This is SO SATISFYING!
“You know me. And you didn't believe me. And you're dating him.”
OMG, this is so deeply BRUTAL. (And wholly justified, but dang, girl.)
“I don't want to marry Ralph.”
“Nobody wants that, Lois.”
The comedy interlaced here is just so exactly the right note. Also love how Clark says a lot without saying a lot in this response.
For some reason, Clark-Kent wanted him to carry the woman, and he also wanted to hold onto Kal-El's arm as they flew.
Genius, Clark.
The wealthy man's eyes widened, and he copied Kal-El's motion. “Eustace Diggory.”
Comically wonderful and right on the nose.
Her own stomach roiled at the visible reminder of everything she'd failed to see.
You write them so empathically.
Clark looked up into the sky. “I don't think so...”
LOL. HE would know!
Jimmy stood close behind Clark, his head craning upward. “Is that a bird?”
Lois snorted. “It better not be a terror bird.”
Dr. Lewis shook his head. “No, they're mostly flightless.”
Dr. Carroll squinted up, still clinging to the can of peaches. “Well, it's definitely not a plane.”
This is like a 1-2-3-4 punch of hilarity. The classic set-up that goes awry and then builds is SO good.
Jimmy grinned up at Lex. “So, Luthortopia has its own Superman! Is that cool or what?”
This has so be so secretly funny to Lois and Clark when he does it to anyone but them.
I know there are more already posted, but this still gave me a heartbroken panic attack when I read it.
SO good! I can't read more now, but I'm really looking forward to the next chapters! Thank you for posting this bizarre, delightful fic.
