Hi Sara!
This one snuck past in the scroll
This one’s all Bek’s fault—she asked for it, literally
Thanks to SuperBek for the idea and for helping me struggle through those last lines until the right one finally appeared!
/Imagines Bek lending Sara a sentence generator/
News is slow, and Clark is off visiting his parents in Smallville. With too much downtime, Lois starts to realize some truths about her life—things are definitely better with Clark.
Ooooooh! Idle hands and all such…
Lois had to admit it. Things were worse when Clark wasn’t here.
Is this before or after TOGoM?
Yep, whether she liked it or not, Clark made her a better journalist.
LOIS: Shush. It’s not like I’m saying it aloud to anyone.
Complemented her in every way.
And what was more…
Complimented her, too.
And life was just lousy without her partner and best friend.
Nobody to bring ice cream, chocolate, and Chinese.
Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t be missing Clark so much while he was off visiting his parents for a long weekend if it wasn’t also a really, really slow news day. Slow news week.
Oh, she’s bored!
that he’d sent Clark off early to get packed and…then what?
Wait at the airport for an extra three hours?
PERRY: don’t worry.
CLARK:
God, it must have been an exciting prospect for Clark because he was cleaning up his desk and jogging to the elevator in no time flat. Barely a quick goodbye for his best friend.
Oops?
Okay, that was a lie. He’d said more than a quick goodbye, giving her arm a gentle squeeze and making her entire body tingle from just his touch.
Maybe if she considering more…intensive touching?
Especially today, on his fifth day of being gone when it just seemed like everything was worse because Clark wasn’t here.
He should start coming back or he’ll have a seriously disturbed Lois on his hands.
Even her coffee was worse, she realized, wincing as she took a sip of cold coffee that just wasn’t made right.
God, what had become of the great Lois Lane? A reporter at the top of her game, best in the city, maybe the world, and now…she was sharpening an entire box of pencils while being all mopey and maudlin about having had to work without her partner and best friend for four and a half days.
Maybe she should check out if she can commiserate with Mayson? Let’s hope she not taking a long weekend, too?
She could go pick him up at the airport or something.
Uuuuhhhh …
But she sighed. It wasn’t like Clark had ever let her pick him up from the airport—he’d always insisted it was just easier on everyone if he took a cab.
Uhhhh-huh.
In any case, she had story notes she’d been putting off typing up in favor of moping and staring at her computer to update with breaking news.
Important tasks!
She turned to look and see who it was, only to have her heart leap at the sight of her partner walking through the elevator doors, looking ridiculously handsome in a pair of well-fitted jeans and a snug navy blue T-shirt.
Awwwww
saying that he’d come in to type up some story ideas he wanted to run by Perry before Monday morning’s staff meeting.
The secret of the CCCC of the Midwest?
st the fact that Clark had come back to the office straight from the airport to work, bringing her cookies from his mother and that 1000-watt smile, it showed that they were better together. Partners. Best friends.
Maybe someday, she’d be brave enough to risk trying that ever-tempting “something more” that she knew Clark wanted to offer but was holding back, waiting for her cue this time.
Awwwww
She’d swear they tasted straight from the oven, but maybe that was just because everything seemed that much better when Clark was around.
Yes.
The chocolate was rich and warm and begged to be complemented by a swallow of coffee, and when she took a long sip, the heat and the flavor of her coffee blended perfectly with the decadent treat. She was in heaven, and might have even let a quiet moan escape her.
Hey, when did that cup get reheated and prepared?
It wasn’t until she reached for another bite of cookie and a second sip of coffee to wash it down with that she realized…
Her coffee had been cold.
See?
Her coffee had been cold. The cookies had been warm. Clark’s flight had been…early.
He’s a lucky charm, that guy.
She kept her eyes trained on him as she whispered, “They’re just…super, Clark.”
His head shot up, his eyes found hers, and for a moment, he was frozen still.
Ooops?
Yep, everything was definitely better with Clark.
The End
Awwwwwww… totally unexpected that you’d sneak a revelation into a one-pager.
End Note: The other day, Bek randomly asked me, “Can you write a fic where Lois realizes Clark is Superman because she catches him reheating her coffee? Not like SEES him staring at it, reheating it, but…notices that her coffee is warm when it shouldn’t be, but only when he’s around… Or… something.” So… that is this fic.
Bek has a very naughty influence on you!
Michael
I did NOT see that this was driving to this ending, and this was such a fun jolt! She's SO delightfully cat with the canary. And I love that you let Clark just be himself for this moment, instead of dragging him torturously down, his awash with guilt.
