Thanks for the comments guys, hope you like the next chapter.
+++++
Lois and Clark were making their way over to the brightly lit up wheel when Clark noticeably stiffened. Jeff Denoso, his best friend Keith Manson and his girlfriend Lana Lang, were approaching him with remarkable likeness of falcons zooming in on their prey.
“Hey Kent! Who’s the lovely lady?” Keith called out as they approached.
Lois looked up at Clark to see a flash of fire in his eyes. She tightened her grip on his hand and he gave her a quick look of surprise before some of the tension drained from his shoulders.
Clark didn’t reply, but tried to avoid them altogether. The boys blocked the path, however, and though Clark could have muscled his way past easily, they wouldn’t let up until they had had their laugh at his expense. Lana stood a little off the side, her head tilted slightly as she surveyed Lois. He was so used to it, he could probably predict their words, but this time Lois was here to witness each excruciating detail.
Wonderful.
Jeff muscled his way in front of Keith, shooting the boy a dirty look for encroaching into his pick-up-ladies-and-torture-Clark-Kent territory.
“What’s a looker like you doing with Kent here?” Jeff started, shooting Clark a malicious grin.
Clark instinctively moved between Lois and Jeff.
“Leave her alone.”
“Who are you supposed to be? Her big brother?” Jeff looked him up and down. “Though you’d probably get more action from your sister than any other girl. If you even like action from girls.” He turned to Lois. “You had any idea that this guy here hasn’t been on a date in… why, have you ever gone out on a date, Kent? Word around here says he’s gay. If you dump the stiff, I can show you a real good time.”
Lana chose that moment to step between the two and run a perfectly filed fingernail down Clark’s shirt. “Speaking of good times…”
Clark started, blushing slightly. Lois shot him a curious glance as he scooted backwards at her touch. When Jeff roughly shoved Lana out of the way however, the blaze returned to his eyes. It was one thing to insult him, it was quite another to make any sort of advance toward Lois and another entirely to treat anyone with the contempt he had just shown Lana. Just as he was about to throw himself into the fight, Lois grabbed the back of his jacket and gently restrained him. She gave Jeff a catlike half smile and Lana a slightly more deadly one.
“Why, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. There’s been plenty of… action.” At Clark and Jeff’s identical owlish stares, she had to bite back a laugh. “Don’t be so modest Clark!” She slapped him lightly on the chest. “Last night was…” she trailed off deliberately, let out a satiated sigh, and grabbed Clark’s arm. “Well, you know how it is,” she finished apologetically to Jeff and Lana. “I’m sorry, but we have some things to do.”
Clark Kent, Keith Manson, Lana Lang and Jeff Denoso each experienced the shock of a lifetime when Lois grabbed Clark by the neck and forcefully kissed him, long and hard. Playing it up a little for her audience, Lois pushed the still shell shocked Clark past the crowd and against the wall, her tongue in his mouth. Once Clark had finally regained his wits enough to move his mouth against hers, Jeff and Lana had left in a sullen huff.
Lois pulled back a few moments later and watched as Clark dazedly tried to regain control. “I—you—oh wow.” He finally murmured out, reaching out to gently push a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
The tender moment was completely incongruous with the forceful kiss of a moment earlier and Lois was horrified to find the tears in her eyes. Clark noticed, however, and his gaze immediately turned from softness to concern. Lois had pushed them into an alleyway, and it was noticeably quieter than the bustle of the fair only a couple yards away.
“What’s wrong Lois? I’m so sorry about that, all of it. That you had to… pretend for them. And that they came onto you like they did! I never…” He hung his head for a moment, but then shook it. “This is about you, not me, what’s wrong Lois?” He lightly stroked her hair, their faces close together.
“Clark—I just. You just care. So much.” Lois broke off, aware that she wasn’t articulating well enough. “You… I just… well… okay we pretty much just made out like there was no tomorrow, and though it was partly to get those creeps to lay off of you… and for that hussy to stop coming on to you…” she had to stop herself in time to prevent her to from going on a tangent about them, “It also, well it meant a lot to me.”
Clark, who had been haltingly following this stilted explanation suddenly blanched. “And you think it wasn’t to me?” The words held no spite, only abject horror. “Did I give the impression that it didn’t mean a thing to me? Because it meant the world. You mean the world to me. I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about anyone.”
Lois smiled at the look on his face and covered his hand with her own. “No I didn’t mean that at all, you lunkhead. I could tell you enjoyed it,” she held his warm hand up to her cool cheek. “You… oh this will sound stupid,” She drifted off but Clark nudged her to continue.
But after that… admittedly raunchy display for the neighborhood boys,” Clark blushed at that, “Well, you just gently brushed my hair from my face. And you cared so much about my reaction. I’ve just never been with someone who… seemed to care so much. You’re a special guy, Clark Kent.”
He hesitantly closed the short distance between them with a tentative brush of his lips, so unlike the forcefulness of before. It was short and sweet and Lois found herself clutching the front of his shirt for support.
“I think you’re pretty special yourself, Lois Lane.” He managed a few seconds later, a little short of breath. “Now come on, this time we’re going to that Ferris wheel if I have to shove through everyone in the fair to do it.”
They walked through the crowds and Lois glanced sideways at him.
“So what was up with you and that girl?”
“Lana? Nothing, we’re friends.”
A laugh. “Yeah, right, which is why it looked like she wanted to eat you for lunch.”
Clark stared off into the distance, avoiding her gaze. “We dated for a while back.”
“Now, that wasn’t so hard!” Lois grinned at him. “So why’d you break up? I assume you did,” her smile turned into hard glare.
“Yes, of course we did Lois. Honestly, what kind of person do you take me for?” Clark snapped. Lois’ eyes widened at her normally laid back Clark’s tone. Clark noticed this and immediately regretted his words. “I’m sorry Lois, I really didn’t mean to yell at you. We dated a while back, as I said. I was really flattered that she seemed to chase after me, especially because she was one of the most popular and beautiful girls in school.”
Sensing something horrible, Lois touched his hand.
“It’s not as bad as you’re thinking, Lois,” Clark gave her a soft half smile. “She cheated on me with Jeff, that’s all.”
“Then she’s blind and dumb,” Lois said staunchly.
“She’s really not that bad of a person, Lois,” Clark said. “A few weeks later she apologized and asked if we could be friends,” He shrugged. “I told her yes.”
There was still a bit of half masked hurt in his eyes and Lois saw it immediately.
“You still really like her, don’t you?” Lois tried not to let her own hurt at the realization filter across her expression.
“No, Lois,” Clark stopped them and turned to her. “There’s only one girl in this world who I “really like” and it isn’t Lana Lang. She shares her initials though.”
Clark nudged her side with his elbow and the grin was back on his face. A slow smile blossomed on Lois’ as she walked a little closer, enjoying his solid presence.
By the time Lois and Clark made their way back to the truck, it was nearly midnight. Most of the fairgoers had gone home, and people were busy packing their wares. Lois was holding the stuffed bear Clark had won her and Clark was looking slightly chagrined at his larger stuffed lion. Clark had set down to winning Lois a prize, and it had taken more than a few tries, and a hefty battering of his wallet before he was able to win her that bear. And then, as he was about to present it to her with a flourish, she gave the lady a ticket she had snagged from his back pocket and on her first try won a grand prize.
Which left him with a large lion and a bruised ego.
Once Clark had opened the car door for her and then gotten in on his side, he started the truck, cranking up the heat. The lion occupied the seat between them and he stared for a moment in disbelief. He couldn’t even see Lois over the stupid mane. Pushing it back with one hand, he shot Lois a death glare.
“You had to undermine my masculinity and present me with an animal that’s nearly as big as the car?”
“Stop pretending you don’t love him already. Have you picked a name?”
Clark groaned. “Lois, I stopped naming my stuffed animals when I was seven.”
“Come on Clark! You have to name him, besides I won him for you! Doesn’t that make him special?”
She had a point. The lion was special. And a constant reminder that Lois Lane could kick his butt in just about anything she set her mind too. Except perhaps flying. That one he had down.
“All right, all right, I’ll name him. And I do love him, happy?”
Lois grinned and nodded, giving the lion an affectionate pat and then squeezing the bear.
“I’ve named my bear,” She said a few moments later, as he shifted out of park and started driving.
“Really? What’d you pick?” Clark narrowly avoided some teenagers and then relaxed as he steered the truck onto the road.
“Clarkie.”
Clark nearly crashed the car.
“Clarkie?”
“Yes.”
“Lois, I think there’s been enough battering of my sensitive masculine pride already. You save me from bullies, though I could have taken them!” he added a few moments later, chagrined. “You beat me in that squirt gun game and now you’re giving your bear a feminine version of my name. Oh God, it’s never going to end.”
Lois glanced sideways at him and noticed the sparkle in his brown eyes.
“Too bad, I’m still calling him Clarkie. Now what did you name Lion?”
Clark thought for a moment and then smiled. “Tornado.”
“Tornado? What kind of ridiculous name is that?”
“About as ridiculous as Clarkie,” he shot back, enjoying this sharp banter.
“But that’s not romantic!”
“You want to be named after a lion?”
“Well…” Lois sputtered for a second. “Well… no, but I mean, come on, tornado?”
Clark grinned inwardly. If she only knew he had named the lion for her. His little tornado as he had taken to calling her privately. Except if he told her that, she’d probably knee him.
He kept a Cheshire grin on his face. “Too bad, that’s what I named her.”
“It’s a her?”
“Yes, and don’t call her it, she’s very sensitive.” He moved one hand from the steering wheel, but instead of grasping Lois’ hand, as she had been expecting, he softly ran his fingers down the lion’s fluffy back.
Lois looked at the large, gentle hand and suddenly really, really wished she was the one holding it. He shouldn’t be petting that stupid lion, he should be holding her. But she had to stand firm. This was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone seventeen years of her life without holding Clark Kent’s hand.
But it looked so warm and inviting. She studied the smooth back and work roughened fingers. Stupid hand. She didn’t need it anyway. She let her gaze travel from the hand to the arm it was connected to and finally the broad chest.
Mmm…
No she didn’t need that either.
Shaking herself, she looked at his face, casually focused on the road. His firm set jaw was tempered by his warm, chocolate reminding-y eyes…
Giving up with an inward groan of exasperation, Lois grabbed the hand that was still petting the stuffed lion and intertwined her fingers with his.
There.
Clark was biting back a laugh and despite the urge to slap him, she had to laugh too. She had never pegged herself as the touchy feely type, but she couldn’t seem to get enough of this slightly strange, unbelievably loveable farmboy from Kansas.
He didn’t rib her, however, as he was apt to, and instead sighed contentedly. They pulled up in front of the farmhouse and he turned off the ignition.
“You cold?” He asked her quietly. His truck was pretty ancient and the heating wasn’t that great. He never needed it, but he had to start remembering how different he really was.
Lois tried to lean over for a kiss instead, but got a mouthful of mane.
She sputtered, as did Clark and suddenly they were both laughing again. Clark grabbed the lion by the scruff of its neck, yanked open his door and threw it into the bed of the truck. He returned a moment later, unbuckled Lois’ seatbelt and then curved his hand around her neck.
“Finally.”
