This is so deliciously, brilliantly in character. I love the push of the pace, and Clark's point of view through the whole thing. The pull and tension of him not being able to stop from saying things because he really DOES want her to know is SO satisfying!
Clark coughed. Why? Why, why, why?
and he lifted his coffee mug to take a sip.
“Oh my God.”
He paused with the mug just millimeters from his lips, raising one eyebrow.
I love this suspension, and how she interrupts his motion. Feels like actual staging from the show!
“Lois?”
“Hmm?”
“Lose something? In my desk?”
She finally looked up at him, but the fire in her eyes was a bit intense—and intoxicating—and he stepped backward involuntarily.
Her total lack of apology for completely invading his space is SO Lois and SO fun. And the fact that he's the only one in the world that finds the Mad Dog intensity to actually be a turn-on is somehow so, so sweet.
Almost thirty years of keeping his secret, and she was about to force it out of him just by sheer persistence.
Love how aware this is. ...and isn't. Persistence AND the fact that he's head over heels (which is so delightfully apparent in the writing!).
Nearly spit out my tea at terrible-liar-Clark aiming for 'neutral-ish.'
He didn’t want to either confirm or deny—one way would be too much of a giveaway, and the other would be too much of a lie. Although he’d already been lying to her for how long now?
Oh, poor Clark. It just makes me think that he earnestly didn't consider he'd have to lie to her until Superman was introducing himself.
Clark finished for her…for some reason. And he kicked himself again. What was wrong with him? Did he…just want to tell her?
He actually…did. But he’d imagined something a little bit different. Not quite yet. And not like this. Certainly not like this.
He looked up at her and saw her watching him again, her expression intense, just like earlier. Intense and…beautiful and brilliant and… His heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head and looked away.
I so deeply love how you characterize him here. We all do stupid things when we're in love, but he's just got this added detail of having a double life that he can't tell her about. He's just a guy in love ...stuck in moral quicksand.
Briefly, he wondered if maybe he just sat here long enough and didn’t really answer any of her questions, just kept skirting around them, she’d figure it out all by herself. She should be…so close by now.
“You made me think that,” she began.
Her turning this around to actually blame
him is sublime, especially with the overall irony of their given circumstances.
That ending really puts us in Lois' shoes, too. I would just kill him for that one.
SUCH an enjoyable read - I wanted to pull quote a bunch more here, too. This whole story really tugs on the best of the season one comedy. And the build of in particular really makes it fun!
