Poor Lois? You may be right about that. Happy Ficlet Friday everyone. This is another story in the MagiKal AU. Hope you'll enjoy.Emotions UnveiledLois woke to a dry throat, a sandpaper feeling in her mouth and a pounding headache. She groaned and rolled over, hitting her head on something hard. Startled, Lois blinked her eyes open and rubbed the aching spot on her head.
She was not in her own bed.
Her surroundings looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t immediately place them. A comforting scent of soap and aftershave clung to the sheets. It reminded her of Clark.
Clark! She sat up straight and looked around, recognizing his trailer. Why was she lying in his bed? And why was she… Lois did a double take as the sheets slid lower… why was she naked? Her heart raced as she lifted the sheets further, having a more thorough look.
The result was the same.
She swallowed hard and sank back into the pillows, racking her mind to find an explanation for her state of undress.
Her memories were foggy at best. The last thing she remembered clearly was running after Clark to apologize for dragging him into the Daily Planet. But as she saw the morning light filter through the curtains, she realized that must have happened many hours ago.
Lois wrapped Clark’s sheets around herself and stood up, rubbing her neck. Her gaze darted back and forth between the door and the ground, where she spotted several pieces of very flimsy clothing.
“What the…”
She bent down to pick up a veil. An image flashed through her mind.
She was wrapping the veil around Clark's body, pulling him closer. Lois swallowed. What had happened here?
Had she and Clark - her heart skipped a beat - had they made love? If so, she had no memory of it. Her stomach curled into a knot. Though she couldn’t believe Clark was ready to share himself in that way, her first time with him was something she would want to remember. If it had somehow happened without her knowing –
Lois squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the unwanted thought aside. Instead she focused on the trail of clothing that led toward the door. None of it seemed like it was suitable for her to wear. What had possessed her to turn up here dressed in a harem's costume?
Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.
And where was Clark? Was he outside dealing with a hiccup? Lois’ gaze drifted back to the door, hoping that he wouldn’t choose this very moment to come back. She couldn't face Clark in this flimsy attire.
Knowing him, he wouldn’t mind if she borrowed some of his clothes.
In the small space of the trailer it didn’t take her long to find the cupboard where he stored shirts and pants. Lois felt a rush of guilt as she rummaged through Clark's belongings, but she willed it down. After a few moments of fruitless search, Lois picked a t-shirt that was entirely too large for her and a pair of boxers that looked small enough to accommodate her.
Once she was dressed, Lois heaved a small sigh of relief.
She made her way back to the door, picked up the rest of the offending dress and wrapped everything into one of the veils. Then she took a deep breath and opened the door with a trembling hand.
As she stepped out, Lois spotted Clark lying on the ground in front of his trailer. He had one arm wrapped around Houdini and was fast asleep. Her stomach dropped. What had happened that had forced him to sleep outside? Another hiccup?
“Oh, Clark,” she muttered.
Before Lois could make up her mind about how to approach him, Clark stirred.
His eyes fluttered open and he sat up. “Lois?”
The wary look on his face painted a picture of what might have transpired between them. His eyes widened for a moment as his gaze drifted across her. He licked his lips, swallowed hard and looked down at Houdini as if he hoped for advice. But the dog was still sound asleep, occasionally whimpering and moving his paws.
Clark stared down into his lap. His cheeks had adopted a deep shade of red. He didn't seem to know what to say, if the tightening of his jaw was any indication, or the clenching and unclenching of his fists.
Lois could relate, because how could she put into words what she didn't even understand? What could have turned her into a person who showed up at her best friend's place, dressed to seduce him?
Lois felt helpless as she watched Clark scramble to his feet. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, still not quite able to meet her gaze.
She squirmed and then blurted, “Did we… have we…?”
Her own cheeks burned up and she waved her hand between them, hoping that she wouldn't have to spell it out for him.
"No, we didn't." Clark’s guarded expression dissolved into a smile and he relaxed. “You…you're back to…uh… normal, aren’t you?”
Lois' breath caught. “I…uh… I guess so.”
Once again, she had a flash of dancing before Clark, swaying her hips, similar position, different veil. She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Did I really do the Dance of the Seven Veils?”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck “Uh huh.”
Lois groaned. “I hardly remember any of it. What else happened between us?”
“Some kissing,” Clark conceded. “But that was it."
He blushed furiously and averted his eyes for a moment. When he looked back at her, he'd plastered a smile on his face, so cheerful that it had to hurt his facial muscles.
"How about some breakfast? I believe you skipped dinner yesterday.”
As if on cue, her stomach growled. Breakfast sounded wonderful. But how could she just eat with him without talking about the elephant in the room? Somehow she’d attacked Clark and knowing him, he’d probably fled out of his trailer and had spent the night sleeping on concrete instead of in a soft bed. And that wasn’t okay, no matter how unperturbed Clark tried to act.
"Clark…"
With one last look at his sleeping dog, he opened the door to his trailer. "Let's go inside. I believe I still have some eggs in the fridge and I might have bacon, too. Though if you'd like something more fancy, like perhaps a croissant right out of Paris, I could get that, too and –"
Lois couldn't stand the mounting tension. "Clark, you're babbling."
"Guess I am." He smiled at her sheepishly. "To be honest, I could really use a distraction because you…" His voice took on a husky tone. "You look pretty darn sexy in my clothes. Coming to think of it, I'm also in desperate need of a very cold shower."
He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and shifted his weight.
Then he let out a small sigh. "I'm glad nothing happened between us, particularly since you weren't in your right mind. I'd hate it if I had somehow taken advantage of your drugged state, or whatever it was that made you act like…"
He looked so flustered that her heart went out to him. A terrible thought crossed her mind. Could he think that she wouldn’t want to be with him because of his problems controlling his powers? Could he be afraid that she’d have been put off if he hadn’t seen through her strange behavior and escaped her advances? Her gut clenched. She couldn’t have him think like that.
She laid her hand on his arm and gave him a soft squeeze that made him flinch a bit. A rush of sympathy filled her, but she couldn’t bring herself to withdraw her hand.
"I'm also glad nothing happened.” She held his gaze, hoping that her love for him would shine through, conveying how much he meant to her. “But only because when we're going to take that step, I want to remember it."
He stared back at her, swallowing hard. For a moment, she hoped he'd say something, that he'd tell her again how he felt about her and that they were going to make love someday soon.
But Clark remained quiet.
She took a step toward him, reached for his hand and ran her thumb along the back of it. "If you'd made love to me last night, I'd have wanted it, too. Even if I wasn't in my right mind. You know that, don’t you?"
He nodded meekly and looked down at their entwined hands. She could see his pain. "You're not making this any easier."
Lois hung her head. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "No, it's okay. I get what you're trying to tell me. And I appreciate it, really I do. Just give me a few minutes to compose myself."
A gust of wind hit Lois as he darted off. She felt somewhat lost without him and wrapped her arms around herself. Wondering what she was supposed to do now, Lois looked around. The soft tapping of paws announced that Houdini had woken up.
The dog sat and tilted his head, looking at her for a moment. Then he closed the distance between them and gave her a gentle nudge with his snout.
Lois smiled at the Irish Setter and ran her hand through his soft fur. It was soothing after her rather emotional encounter with Clark. But at the same time, Lois felt some of the tension ease, her gut clenched with renewed guilt. Houdini should be comforting his master, not her.
She gave the dog a teary smile. "He should be back in a few minutes."
The dog barked, and wagging his tail he gave her another nudge with his snout.
"Are you hungry?"
Houdini barked again and trudged toward his food bowl, looking at her expectantly.
Lois couldn't help but smile. “That probably means yes.”
She joined Houdini and started rummaging through the cupboard until she found what she needed. After filling the bowl, she sat down at Clark's table and watched Houdini dig in. Then she buried her face in her hands. Part of her wished she could at least remember the kisses. Another part regretted that she'd put Clark into such an awkward position.
If only she could take Clark into her arms and kiss him senseless. So many of her nights were filled with dreams revolving around kissing him, exploring his body and finding out what it was like to make love to him. And now she couldn’t remember what might have been the most intimate moment of their relationship so far.
A sob escaped her throat and a tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away and forced down the lump in her throat. She wouldn’t dissolve into tears. There were more pressing matters, like finding out what had happened to her to cause all this awkwardness between her and Clark.
Lois spotted a magazine on Clark’s table and pulled it toward her, glad about the distraction it would provide. Like Clark, she needed to compose herself before she could even think about facing him again.
Blinking away another tear, Lois started leafing through the magazine. She found it hard to focus on anything but the headlines and they also blurred before her eyes. Her hand mechanically turned the pages. She’d almost made it to the end when something struck her as odd.
She turned the page back and stared at the advertisement for a perfume shop called Miranda’s. The woman in the picture had sprayed her in the Daily Planet.
Lois inhaled sharply. Could she have something to do with her strange behavior?
She wanted to ask Clark, but he still wasn't there. Houdini had already emptied his bowl and sat down next to Lois. She scratched his head.
"What do you think, how long will he be gone?" she asked the dog.
The Irish Setter just looked at her and let out a whimper. Was she imagining this, or did Houdini sound worried? Her own gut clenched with unease.
Feeling restless all of a sudden, Lois got up and left the trailer. Houdini followed directly behind her.
Lois looked up and studied the sky, but Clark was nowhere to be seen. The sense of dread intensified, though she didn't know why. Clark had told her that he wanted to get breakfast and needed to compose himself. Surely that would take a while, considering how she'd shown up at his place yesterday.
A chill went down her spine and Lois wasn't sure whether that was due to the cool weather or the worry that had taken hold of her. She spotted her coat that she must have dropped outside the trailer the evening before.
She picked it up and wrapped the coat around herself and had another look at the sky. Houdini whimpered again.
Lois stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat and froze as she realized that one key was missing.
The key to her car was still in the left pocket. But the keys to her apartment were gone.
A rush of dizziness hit Lois. What if chivalrous Clark had taken her keys to get her something more appropriate to wear?
With any other man, she wouldn't even consider the possibility. But Clark wasn't any other man. She'd never met anyone as thoughtful as him. Unfortunately, he was also the only person vulnerable to the crystals she kept in her apartment. A deep sense of foreboding filled her and suddenly she couldn't stay at his trailer another moment. She needed to find Clark, no matter how slim her chances. Most of all, she needed to see that he wasn't at her apartment. Her gut clenched with dread.
Biting her lip, Lois looked down at Houdini. She hoped the dog would have no problems riding in a car.
"Come on, boy, we might need to save your master."
God, never in her life had she wished more to be wrong about something. With Houdini by her side, she rushed toward her car.
Comments
