Welcome to the 2025 Kerth Quiz: Revelation Story
SPIFFY DISCLAIMER THINGY!: All the stories featured in this quiz qualify for the Best Revelation Story, but this quiz is not a stamp of recommendation for nomination. There are more fantastic stories which qualify for this category, but this quiz only covers 7 randomly chosen ones.
(Instructions are blatantly copied/linked from previous Kerth Quizzes.)RECOMMENDATIONS: Don't forget that recommendations for other favorite eligible stories are *very* welcome and encouraged! So don't forget to add these in a section after your guesses!
QUIZ RULES: One point each for getting the story and author from the quote. Plus, shiny gold stars for those who recognize their own stories. Please don't forget to mention which number you're answering. Rule recap: Open hard drive and open boards (+AO3!), *don't* forget to snip out the excerpts in your replies, and don't forget the spoiler tag when you post in the replies thread.
CATEGORY: Clark Kent is….Superman?! No matter how many revelations we read, the readers always want more. This category honors the best of them – whether that means shocking, hilarious, or tear-jerking. Although Lois is most often the one to discover Clark’s secret, any fic that reveals Clark’s secret to any character is eligible in this category.
The DEADLINE for entries for this quiz is SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2025, by 11:59 p.m (Eastern Time Zone).
Here’s the full list of
Eligible Stories.
Here are the full quiz instructions:
Countdown to Kerth Quizzes Extended Instructions and Disclaimers.
Please post your answers
HERE.
Good luck!
Evie
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EXCERPT #1:Heart hammering in her chest, she managed to conclude that, somehow, Superman must have heard her initial scream and rushed to her aid just before stopping the explosion she had somehow created.
And his arms were still around her.
Her eyes remained on her obliterated dinner, spotting the pot of now frozen vegetables behind the remains of the once perfectly seasoned chicken, as she became aware of Superman’s heart thumping hard in his chest which was pressed firmly against her back.
Doing her best to collect herself and wondering where Clark was – because surely he had heard her from the bathroom? – she allowed herself to relax against Superman and be reassured by his presence.
She blinked, realizing something else.
She wasn’t the only one breathing heavily.
Had this been scary for Superman too?
What would have happened if he hadn’t gotten there in time?
She would have been covered in burning oil. . . .
Perhaps that was why she could feel his heart hammering and why he was breathing the way he was.
“Thank you, I don’t know how you got here in time, but–” She glanced down, expecting to see blue fabric on well toned arms.
But she didn’t.
The arms around her had . . . normal sleeves.
She immediately whipped around, her mind a total blank. She didn’t know what to think.
She found Clark.
Just Clark.
EXCERPT #2:“There's no need to go looking for Superman,” I mutter. “He's here.”
Kind of.
I slip off my glasses and rub my face before I dare look at her.
She's frozen somewhere between sitting down and jumping up. “He came to you? Where is he? Can I see –” Her gaze flickers back and forth between my bedroom and the cut above my brow; then she drops down next to me. “Come on, don't be ridiculo –”
She's cut off by her jaw dropping.
I can almost see the wheels in her mind turn as the pieces of the puzzle slip into place and add up to a picture that shows one man instead of two.
Silence stretches between us for awkward seconds that could well be hours.
Now that the secret’s out, I don't know what to say or how to feel. I guess I should be worried about her reaction. But everything aches and I feel hot, cold and sweaty with the remnants of a fever.
“Oh my gosh!” Lois opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water. “You're Superman.”
“Yeah.” Not so super right now. But there's really nothing else to say, except maybe, “I'm sorry. About so many things.”
I take a deep breath and knead my hands.
Her expression is hard to read as she studies me intently, almost as if she’s seeing me for the first time.
With a wave at my face she asks. “How did I not see it?”
I bite my lower lip. “People only see what they want to see. And I didn’t want anyone to know about that side of me.”
She nods, slowly, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face until she schools her features back into an impenetrable mask.
“Not even me?”
EXCERPT #3:Are we having two completely different conversations about opposite topics?
“Look, Lois. Superman-”
“What are you talking about? Superman has nothing to do with this.”
Once again, it’s his turn to be bewildered.
“If anything it was dancing with you both that made me realize something. Clark, my crush on Superman was just that, a crush. What I feel for you is real.”
Bewilderment is replaced by wide eyes and relief, before he smiles at me. I laugh and kiss him again, only this time he returns the kiss.
My mind can’t focus while our lips are connected, and as soon as we break for air, the questions flood in. Why did he look so worried, and then relieved? What was it about Superman that had him so concerned?
I frown as I think, and once again Clark looks uncomfortable, nervously fiddling with his glasses. The memory of Clark dipping me in my apartment morphs into the memory of Superman dipping me unexpectedly tonight and it dawns on me. This is how Superman rehearsed, and why we seemed so in sync.
I know I’ve come to the right thoughts as Clark immediately begins to apologize again. It’s too much at this moment to hash out: all the coincidences, the lies, and the times Clark has saved me.
“Can you take me home? I think this conversation is probably best somewhere where we won't be overheard and it’s getting cold.”
This time I see hope, accompanied by a smile, as Clark nods before pulling me into an alley. As he spins into the Suit, scoops me into his arms and we fly towards my apartment, I remind myself that there are two fragile hearts involved, even if one is made of steel, and our conversation tonight could break either one. Despite the unanswered questions and betrayal I feel, we will tread lightly, and hopefully find a way to move forward together.
EXCERPT #4:“Did you see that?”
“He just jumped on top of it!”
“He saved us all…”
“Oh, man. CK.”
“Clark!”
It was Lois’ cry that jostled him from his thoughts. He had to move – to let her know he was alright – even though a part of him wanted to savor just a few more moments of anonymity.
He heaved a heavy breath and moved his arms in preparation to raise himself up. Startled gasps surrounded him.
“He’s still alive?”
“No way!”
“Not for long.”
“Oh, Clark! No – don’t try to move.” A shaky hand came to rest on his shoulder, stilling his motion.
Clark sighed. “Lois, I – I’m fine.”
Lois choked back a sob. “That’s right. You’re gonna be fine. I’m right here. I’ll stay with you.”
Clark’s heart broke at the hopeless sound of her voice. He eased himself up farther, despite her protests. “No, Lois. Really. I’m fine.”
She sucked in a sharp breath as he sat up fully and turned to face her. Through his shredded shirt front, she could clearly see the red and yellow of the shield on his blue suit. Clark watched the pieces fall into place behind her eyes. Shock warred with relief as her mouth moved but no sound came out.
Other voices had no such difficulty.
“It’s Superman!”
EXCERPT #5:“I love you, Lois, and–”
He was interrupted by a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder as the heavens opened and they were instantly drenched.
“Oh, come on, give me a break!” he called up, torn between exasperation and amusement, because really, what else should he have expected?
“Do you want to go back?” Lois asked with a smile.
“If the earth opened up at my feet, I wouldn’t move till I’d finished saying this,” he said, taking her hand with both of his.
There was a cracking sound and the sidewalk collapsed beneath him into the storm drain below.
Lois looked down into the ten foot deep hole. Then she looked at Clark--hanging over nothing.
The earth had opened at his feet. He hadn’t moved.
EXCERPT #6:“How’s the septic system?” She asks while focusing on the fire.
I wonder if I’ve left the door open as it has suddenly become a little frosty in the tiny cabin.
As I flounder for a second, fumbling for a response, Lois sticks something on the fire and the flames begin to curl around it.
It’s not wood. It’s paper.
I see her notepad on top of the coffee table, the top page blank, and a ridge of torn sheets indicating she’s ripped out her notes. I spot the rolled up papers in the fire and stare at her in shock.
Her eyes are cold.
She’s not rosy from the fire, and her heartbeat isn’t racing from cracking open another Kerth-worthy investigation.
She knows. And she’s angry.
I hesitate. Do I react, or let the papers burn? Flames from the fire are licking eagerly around the rolled paper, testing the edges and finding them easy to burn. It’ll take seconds for all of Lois’ meticulous notes to turn into ashes.
I’m quick, but I feel like I’m wading through sand instead of moving at super-speed as I blow gently on the fire, encasing it with ice. I hope I haven’t misread Lois, as she’s turned pale, saying nothing.
EXCERPT #7:She reached up to remove his glasses, and he made no move to stop her. “All this time...”
He swallowed. “I uh—I understand this might be a bit of a shock—”
“No kidding!” She stepped away from him, as though he were a magic-eye puzzle that needed to be viewed from a distance in order to make any sense. The biting wind chastised her for moving too far from his body heat, and she hugged herself in a feeble attempt to warm up. Paltry as the LexLabs blanket had seemed, she already regretted leaving it behind.
He swept his gaze over her from head to toe, and Lois suddenly felt warmer. She stared at him, her jaw slack.
“Better?” When she failed to answer, he quietly reached for the glasses still in her hand. Her grip loosened immediately, and he slipped them back on. Even though he didn't really need them. Even though she knew the truth.
Hot blood began racing through her veins, and she found her voice again. “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. Superman is—”
“Don't lie to me!”
Good luck, everyone!
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🏆TOC for Kerth Awards 2025 Posts🏆.
The Kerth Committee
(KSaraSara, Michael, lovetvfan, and Evie)
