Okay, time for a bit more FDK...
He didn't reply, but she could hear the shuffle of papers as he continued to read. He always read faster than her, a fact that continued to irk her. He had to be cheating, but she had yet to find a single thing he had missed when speed-reading.
Definitely irksome!!!! I'm posting the grumblie on Lois's behalf!
The paper sound stopped and she heard him take a sip of soda. That was followed by the soft clunk as he set the can back down.
The things you pick up when you don't look, just listen. (Anyone getting thirsty, by the way?)
She cracked one eye open in time to see him absent-mindedly lick his lips.
Wow, what a thing to see first thing in the morning (you know what I mean)... almost like having your mom wake you up during an erotic dream when you were a teen living at home.
Except here it's the other way round. The erotic waking reality is suddenly and unexpectedly sprung on Lois!
One week ago tonight, she reminded herself. It was one week ago tonight that you kissed him. It was hardly a kiss, really. It had been just a swift congratulatory buss after dancing with him.
Even I think I've heard "buss" somewhere. Wonder what weird stuff I've been reading.
She opened her eyes again to watch his lips. Her eye caught and held on the small freckle at the corner of his mouth, then wandered to the spot on his cheek that turned into a dimple when he smiled.
Do I quote this once again? Of course, who
doesn't want to look at that passage again?
I particularly like the way Lois is sort of helplessly caught by the sight of Clark's mouth (and the sight of the site of his dimple). She's caught like a fly in a spider's web, you know? (And if that didn't make sense, just forget it.)
That was an entirely different thing from kissing him deliberately. She had promised herself last week that she would do so - but she hadn't given herself a deadline. Tonight, she thought. What about tonight? She tried, but she couldn't think of a good reason to do it. And she had to have a good reason. Otherwise she would be kissing him solely to satisfy her curiosity.
Isn't satisfying your curiosity a good reason to kiss Clark?
"I know," she muttered. He was right. She should go home - preferably before she did anything stupid.
Oh, no, no, Lois. You should stay - preferably all night!
She walked over to his fridge and opened it, looking inside for another cream soda.
"I think I have the last one," he called out.
"What?" She shut the fridge and turned to look at him. "The last what?"
He held up the soda can and gave her an apologetic smile. "I think I took the last one."
Yeah, well - no need to apologize for drinking
your own cream soda, Clark!
"Where's your Kerth?" she asked.
Clark, still trying to concentrate on the papers before him, replied to her question without thinking. "In there," he said as he tilted his head in the direction of his bedroom but didn't look up.
Then his heart stuttered and his eyes went wide. He should stand up. He should call out to her. He should stop her.
I had totally forgotten what it was he didn't want her to see. But, Sue, I really like the fact that the revelation came this way, totally unintentionally. If Lois and Clark spend a lot of time together, and Clark is trying to uphold two different identities in front of her, he is bound to slip up sooner or later.
He waited instead, his head cocked in the direction of his bedroom, and listened intently as she stopped in front of his curio cabinet.
I like this, too. If Clark had really, really wanted to prevent Lois from seeing whatever it is that is going to give away his secret, he would of course have found a way to stop her. But he doesn't, because after all, he has been looking for a way to tell her. Suddenly things have been set in motion even though he hadn't intended it. But at least, he can choose not to stop what has begun to happen.
Then... nothing. Absolute silence. His heart seemed to slow down and he felt his entire body turn cold with panic. Had she seen it? Did she recognize it? Did she know what it meant?
And now, the moment of truth. The moment he has been so absolutely terrified of: Lois's reaction.
Through the award she could see a yellowish-brown blur. Curious, she moved the award to reveal a long-stemmed rose. It had been white but was now yellowed from having dried out.
What an odd thing for Clark to have, she thought. Where did he get it? Why did he keep it? It must have some kind of significance if he was keeping it here. These thoughts had flashed through her mind and then her brow furrowed.
Like the others already said... a rose by any other name....
"What's this?" Superman asked, taking the rose from her.
"It's a rose." Lois grinned, using all her willpower not to add the word "silly" at the end.
"What's this for?" he clarified with half a laugh in his voice.
She gave him a shy smile. "Do I have to have a reason?"
Their eyes had met and then he looked away, back at the rose in his hand. Feeling bold she had leaned closer and kissed his cheek.
Their eyes met again and he looked like he wanted to say something but settled for, "No, I guess not."
She remembers. That's how he got the rose. That's why he has kept it. That's why it was so important to him. To him, Clark Superman Kent.
What was it her journalism teacher in high school had drilled into their heads? Always go for the simplest explanation.
It's called Occam's razor. It's extremely popular in astronomy. If one simple and one complicated theory explain the same thing, choose the simple theory!
Clark had the rose because she had given it to him.
Exactly.
Clark Kent. Kal-El. Clark. Kal. One and the same.
That was the simplest explanation.
Yep.
He had said that he was in love with someone and she didn't know he was Superman. That he couldn't tell her because she'd be angry. That she was his best friend. That he would dance with her the next time he saw her at a social function. All those conversations with Superman - and it had been Clark.
We all wait for your reaction, Lois.
Her eyes caught and held on his hazy reflection in the Kerth award.
Her eyes get caught every time they stray to Clark. The mousetrap, you know?
She thought of everything else he had told her. That things were complicated between them. That he was afraid she would never understand. That the truth would hurt her. That he wanted her to notice him for who he was and not for Superman.
Yes, Lois, remember what he said.
"You should tell her," she finally whispered. "Just take a chance and tell her the truth."
YES!!! The prefect thing to say!!!
He took a deep breath, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. "Lois, it's me. Kal-El."
I like the fact that he is scared.
She closed her eyes, reaching out to steady herself against the cabinet. She had known she was right - knew it the same way she knew when a story was about to break.
Good comparison. Lois is a reporter. She must have felt this sensation before, this sudden recognition of a pattern that makes a story make sense.
For a moment she wavered on the brink of being really, truly angry.
Of course. She is Lois Lane.
Angry with him for lying, but mostly angry with herself for being so completely blind.
And what could make her more furious at
him than the realisation that he has forced her to admit that she has been galactically stupid, so that she has to be furious at
herself?
In the end, it was the need to prove him wrong that stopped her.
Yes!!!!
Just as quickly her emotions turned to hurt - not that he had lied, but that he had misjudged her as much as she had misjudged him.
Oh, damn. The pain of playing this twosome game.
When she finally spoke she couldn't hide the hurt in her voice. "Did you really think I would be angry?"
"Yes," he admitted softly.
I love how naked their feelings are here, and how deep their words cut. And I love his soft voice.
"I thought you were in love with a moron." She nodded to herself. "I was right."
"I never thought you were a moron." He took one step closer, encouraged by the fact that she was being so calm.
The cabinet swam out of focus in front of her and she had to swallow to find her voice. "I was so jealous. Of *her*." She shook her head ruefully. "Tell me that's not moronic." The words were tinged with bitterness.
And Lois wants to cry. She really has been so hurt.
Clark winced. He would have much rather she was upset with him than hurt. "I'm sorry. You should be angry with me."
And Clark absolutely, absolutely doesn't want her to be hurt.
She swallowed and blinked. "Am I really so scary that you thought you couldn't tell me?"
Clark hesitated. "No." That wasn't true, he couldn't lie to her anymore. "Yes." Then, quickly, he amended it to, "Sometimes."
This is perfect. So absolutely perfectly Clark. And the reason that he was so scared, of course, is that he didn't know how to face her fury, and he was terrified that she wouldn't be his friend any more.
She finally turned towards him but she couldn't bring herself to look at his face. It was too sudden, too intense, too crazy.
Interesting. His face has bewitched her before, but right now she can't afford to be put under a spell. And maybe she can't even bear to look at his face and see both of him there - Clark and Kal-El. Maybe the world does feel too crazy that way.
She could see the slow even lift and fall of his chest as he breathed.
But darn it, Sue, you make me feel that even his t-shirt-clad
chest bewitches her.
Her mind raced - he had kept his promise and danced with her. She had told him that she wanted Clark over Superman that night. At least she had done that much right. Had that been all he was waiting for? The thought struck her that maybe he had purposefully left the rose where she could find it.
Interesting question. Did he actually want her to find the rose? Perhaps his subconsciousness wanted her to find it, even though his conscious mind wasn't aware of why he chose to put the rose behind his his award.
"You said I was your best friend." Her gaze lifted to meet his.
"You are."
"You said you were in love with..."
Clark took another step towards her. "I am," he said firmly. Whatever else she might think, he didn't want her to doubt his feelings for her.
I like this.
"You didn't think I'd understand?" There was a little anger mixed in with the hurt now.
"That's the wrong way to say it. I was worried that you would think I had done all of it to deceive you."
"You did deceive me." The words were direct, but there was no anger in her voice.
"I deceived everyone. Can you understand why?"
But I don't think Clark is being honest here. Yes, he deceived everyone, but his deception of Lois was different from his deception of everyone else. Because Lois was the only one he was actively wooing, the only one he wanted to, ultimately, see and accept every aspect of him and share her life with all of him. He deceived her because he settled for lying and keeping her at arm's length, but also keeping her friendship, over telling her the truth and possibly winning her love, but also possibly losing her altogether.
"You don't have to hold onto me," he said with a shy smile, "but I wish you would."
Sheila has already pointed it out, but... yes, I agree, this is the key to everything Clark feels. Lois doesn't
have to hold on to Clark. He can't force her, and has no right to force her, but he would so, so appreciate it if she would. Correction: he would totally, totally love it, if she held on to him. Now and forever.
She felt the whisper of his breath first and then the touch of his mouth against her barely parted lips. His lips moved, settling over her upper lip. His broad hand slipped to the back of her head, holding her in place for the first airy touch of his tongue against her lip. Then his head tilted, a coaxing motion that persuaded her mouth to open. His tongue slid against hers and she could taste something faintly sweet. She tried to place it - was it the cream soda he had been drinking? His open mouth leaned down on hers, his tongue becoming more demanding in its slow search of her. The weight of his kiss tilted her head back into his palm.
Dizzy, my god, she was so dizzy now. It was too much, floating with him like this where he was the only solid thing in the world. It was too much and yet, somehow, it wasn't nearly enough.
Oh, Sue, this is incredibly erotic - how they are flying, and the only thing touching and holding her and preventing her from plunging to her death is him, and his amazing, dizzying, sweet-tasting kiss.
His eyes were dark and serious and she cursed herself again for pulling away. Only temporarily, she told herself. She couldn't kiss him again until she could feel more in control of the situation.
I can understand her - she would be
totally out of her depth when he was kissing her high in the air. The mile high club can wait, I guess.
As her feet touched onto the patio she tilted her head back to look closely at him. "You told me that if anyone could seduce Superman, it would be me."
"Did I?" He looked both amused and hopeful at the same time.
She reached up to touch his face, letting her thumb glide across that full lower lip that had been distracting her for days, weeks, months. "Prove it."
And so, Sue, we await the Final Proof. And yes, I saw you promised it to me:
The story can logically end here. But if you're Ann (or just share her sentiments), this story will continue in the nfic folder in a day or two.
Yes!!!!
Oh, and by the way, not that we have the party going.... Happy Birthday, Jojo and Laura!
Ann
P.S. Oh, and... Lara, you too, promise me a little nfic romp? Oh, wow! *happy dance*
This was so good I finally had to post a review (after years of lurking). The whole series was great and the (almost) ending was perfect - so tender and warm yet you could feel the tension in Lois and Clark as the truth is been revealed.
