I have been absolutely glued to my screen in every spare moment for days now, I love this writing and I love the more grown up version of Lois, and this AU version of Clark's life is just so fitting to him. Also, I will absolutely admit to shamelessly loving all the "Clark charms and amazes everyone" parts in particular.
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much. This story is very much my love letter to Clark Kent. I had just finished writing Come to Me (which was my love letter to the show -- reimagining the arc of their relationship later in life) which specifically dealt with the long-term results of the trauma they went through on the show. And when I was done with that story, I really just wanted to write a world where Clark got everything he ever wanted without having to go through years of trauma. So I gave him a life that was simpler and quieter, but also full of so much love. And a world where he got to meet Lois not as an adversary but as an equal.
This AU is so incredibly rich in detail, too. I wouldn't say that it "bugged" me in the show because I'm sure there were budget and time reasons and we got such an amazing show so I'm not complaining. But my headcanon was always that Clark/Superman did a lot more stuff like.. hero-ing in other countries, traveling, assisting scientists in deep sea exploration, help finding endangered species, fundraise and raise awareness for everything imaginable, just.. there's such an incredible breath of things to do. And I think in this story we got to see the Clark version of this- the way he helps his students, his football team, his friends, his family.. you know, not in the big-heroic-feat ways but in all the little and big ways that make a difference.
Is it me, or is there foreshadowing for the development of the Superman persona happening, if there's a next part? hm? hmmmm?
That is absolutely the plan for the final installment in this series. It will be much shorter than either of these sections. More of an extended epilogue. It centers around the creation of Superman, and how differently Clark might approach his creation in world where he is older, more mature, and in an established relationship with Lois, who is an active participant in his creation. I spent a lot of time thinking about that when I was writing this, even though it wasn't part of this story. It's definitely a story I want to tell. But I'm honestly not sure when I'll be able to do that. I've been focused on writing original fiction this year, and fanfic has taken a backseat. I'm sure I'll be back eventually. After all, I reappeared after a sixteen year break to write Come to Me.
Thanks again for reading and leaving feedback. It makes me so happy that people are still finding this and enjoying it!
