My ficathon assignment was for Bakasi. The requests were:
Wants -
Superman gets hurt (can be either emotional or physical)
Lois comforts him as Clark
A kiss
Does not want -
Married Life, A plot, Jimmy interruptus
Enjoy!
****
He hovered outside her open window uneasily. It was rush hour; plenty of foot traffic below and darkness wouldn’t cover him for an hour or so. Anyone walking by would wonder why Superman was hovering mid-air at Lois Lane’s apartment.
She’d told him to stop by, he reasoned. She’d said she’d meet him here, and had reminded him of the unlocked window so he could wait indoors. Lois regularly reminded him the window was unlocked and he could just wait for her anytime, but he’d never taken her up on that offer. The sound of two cars honking at each other pushed him into a decision, and he opened the window, and flew inside.
Immediately he felt like he was intruding, which was absurd as he’d been there alone many times before, albeit as Clark and never as Superman. It wasn’t long before he found himself pacing, being drawn to the bookshelf. He’d glanced at the titles before but now he had some time, perhaps he could read one or two while he waited. He reached for one of Lois’ favourite authors, one he hadn’t read before, sliding a little jewelry box out of the way.
He turned as he heard a horn honking obnoxiously, followed by Lois’ voice as she directed a tirade at someone who had just stolen the parking space she’d been about to pull into. He smirked and pulled the book off the shelf, feeling stunned when a wave of nausea then pain, flooded through him.
Superman dropped the book to the floor, doubled over, and fell to all fours, gasping.
Kryptonite! What was it doing here? Where was it?
Groaning, Clark began to crawl around, looking for the piece. It must have fallen out of the little jewelry box that he’d knocked off the shelf with the book, so the chunk of Kryptonite couldn’t be larger than it. Spotting the green glow under the television stand, he crawled over to it and used the lid of the jewelry box to scoop it back inside. As soon as the lid was closed he sighed in relief as the pain and nausea faded, a little perplexed why Lois hadn’t disposed of the Kryptonite bullet.
He didn’t need his super hearing to hear the honking and raised voices outside, but couldn’t decipher what was being yelled. The brief contact with Kryptonite had stripped him of his powers, though hopefully not for long.
Realizing the shouting had stopped, he froze, thinking as quickly as he could. Lois would be coming up the stairs at any moment expecting to see Superman. While Superman was here, he didn’t want to have to explain why he suddenly had to use the stairs and call a cab to leave, plus he wanted to get as far away from the Kryptonite as he could. Fumbling around with the cape, he began to change out of the Suit, into the clothes he’d been wearing before he’d rushed off to an emergency, several hours earlier.
He looked around for a place to hide the Suit. After briefly considering hiding it in the rarely used oven, he settled for putting it behind the bag of rice in the kitchen corner cupboard, which he was sure Lois hadn’t moved in the last year. It would be safe there until he regained his powers and could collect it.
With a quick glance at the jewelry box that he’d placed back on the shelf, he let himself out of the apartment. He ran down the stairs as quickly as he could, ducking into the laundry room as Lois entered the building. As he peered through the slightly open door, watching her ascend the stairs, he slipped out and walked the short distance to the entrance. He held the door open for another resident before stepping outside and taking a quick glance around. The snow was falling heavily now and without his powers he was feeling the cool air. Digging around in his pockets for his gloves, he began to walk down the icy steps to the sidewalk.
“Clark!” Lois exclaimed, making him turn suddenly.
He flailed around as he slipped on the step, groping for the handrail, before inelegantly falling down the remaining stairs. Another burst of pain flooded his body and he curled up instinctively while trying to spot the green glow of Kryptonite. He was vaguely aware Lois was calling his name as she walked down the remaining steps.
“Clark! Are you ok?”
He slowly uncurled himself and began to sit up, still feeling pain but not the kind from Kryptonite exposure.
“Don’t move; You could have broken something. That was quite the fall!” Lois said as she gently pushed on his shoulder to prevent him from getting up.
Still feeling waves of pain emanating from his ankle, Clark ignored Lois’ attempts to get him to stay where he was, and reached for his shoe.
“Is it your ankle? Is it broken? You’ve gone awfully pale.”
It didn’t feel as bad as it had a few seconds ago, but his ankle was the cause of all this pain.
“Clark! Are you ok?”
“I slipped,” he said, noticing her expression of concern.
“I saw that,” she said while rolling her eyes. “Did you hit your head on the way down?”
Had he not been shocked by the continuing pain he would have laughed at her dry comment. “I don’t think so. It’s just my ankle.”
“Is it broken? Can you stand?” Lois asked as she stretched out a hand to assist him.
“I don’t think it’s broken,” Clark responded hoping that was true, accepting her hand. Once upright, he gingerly tried to step on his injured foot, gasping as a wave of pain hit him and his ankle collapsed beneath him.
“Here,” Lois said as she wrapped an arm around his waist, nudging her shoulder under his arm so he was leaning on her. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“No,” Clark insisted as firmly as he could.
“Clark, it could be broken! At the very least, you need an x-ray.”
“It’s not broken. I just need to rest for a bit,” he objected, wondering if he should attempt to use transit to get home or just hail a cab.
“Ok, lets get you upstairs then,” Lois said as she turned him around. “Grab the handrail.”
“Lois, that’s ok. I should go home. If you could call a cab -”
“Nonsense. You’ll never get up those stairs to your apartment. C’mon.”
Clark could tell Lois wasn’t going to take no for an answer and reluctantly hopped up the steps using the handrail as much as he could, trying to avoid putting too much of his weight on her. Once inside the building they headed to the elevator and took the short ride up to her floor in silence.
At her door, Lois put her key in the first lock and turned. “That’s strange,” she commented.
“What?”
“I must have forgotten to lock this lock. It turned with no resistance.”
When she put the key in the next lock, Clark took an awkward step onto his ankle and moaned in pain. Immediately, Lois forgot about the unlocked lock and hastily opened the door, helping him inside. He hobbled to the couch and took a seat, Lois dropping her purse down beside him and crouching down to remove his shoe. He sat back as she unlaced and carefully slipped his shoe off, closing his eyes as she removed his sock. As her hands touched his skin he groaned at the sensation.
“I’m sorry, Clark. I’m hurting you.”
“No, it’s ok,” he managed to stammer out.
“I’ve got something for the swelling,” Lois announced as she gently placed his foot down before heading to the kitchen.
Clark watched warily as Lois took a bag of peas from the freezer, smiling at him as she returned to the living room.
“Don’t give me that look,” she admonished. “I may not have much use for these as food but it helps with my own injuries.”
“You fall down the stairs regularly?” he attempted to joke.
“Haha. Not quite. Years of taekwondo and having to learn to take a fall or a hit. I was black and blue all over until someone suggested a bag of peas.”
He jumped as she placed the cold bag on his ankle. “Cold,” he responded to her inquiring look. “I wasn’t expecting it.” Which was true, he reasoned. As he usually didn’t feel the cold in the same way, having a frozen bag of peas land on his skin had been a bit of a shock.
“Leave that on for twenty minutes,” instructed Lois as she wandered into the bedroom.
Clark tried to relax while his ankle throbbed away, wondering how he could get himself and the hidden Suit back home. Spotting the jewelry box glinting in the light of the setting sun he grimaced. What was the piece of Kryptonite still doing here after she’d told him she’d disposed of it?
Or had she?
They’d joked about her taking a cruise, but he’d heard nothing upon her supposed return. Why hadn’t he thought to follow up on it, he berated himself. And was he not recovering from the exposure quickly because of the proximity to the jewelry box?
He’d been in her apartment as Clark and Superman on several occasions while the Kryptonite had been here and hadn’t had any negative reactions to it, meaning the jewelry box must be made of lead and he hadn’t felt it then. It was unlikely it was affecting him now. He could take the jewelry box with him now, dispose of the Kryptonite somehow, and bring the box back, all without Lois noticing it was missing.
“Why did you stop by?” Lois asked as she reentered the living room changed out of her work attire, breaking Clark’s train of thought.
“Uh…”
“I’m expecting Superman to drop by. Maybe he could stop by your apartment and grab you some clothes.”
“Clothes?” Clark repeated, thoroughly confused.
“You can’t go home! You can barely walk. And don’t think about asking him to fly you home. You’ll need help until you can stand.” Lois walked over to the window and looked outside as she spoke. “You can stay here tonight, and if that ankle isn’t better tomorrow, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Clark sighed in defeat; there would be no reasoning with her in her current mood. It would be best to agree to stay, and hopefully his powers would return in a few hours and he could go home.
“Are you hungry?” she asked while opening and closing cupboards before turning to the fridge. “How about I make something? I’ve got rice, and more frozen veggies. I’m sure, with some instruction from you, I can make something edible.” As she spoke she pulled a bag of frozen stir fry mix from the freezer and reached towards the corner cupboard. Realizing what she would be reaching for next, Clark sat up.
“No!” he said, a little too forcefully.
“I’m sure I can manage rice without killing both of us,” Lois responded tartly.
“I’m sorry. I think I bumped my ankle.” He hated the lie but it worked. Lois closed the cupboard door where the rice, and the Suit, were hidden, and hurried to his side, removing the bag of peas from his ankle.
“It is looking a little worse,” she remarked as she grabbed her purse. “I don’t have any anti-inflammatory drugs here but I can run out to the pharmacy and pick up dinner while I’m out.”
“Sounds good,” Clark said, relieved the Suit was safe for now. If she brought dinner home it would be unlikely she’d reach for the rice for another day or two, and having her out of the apartment would give him some time to find a better hiding spot.
Lois picked up the bag of no longer frozen peas, and tossed them back into the freezer. “I’ll be back by the time these are frozen again. Stay put,” she ordered as she slipped some shoes on and opened the door. “If Superman shows up, ask him to wait. I’ll get enough dinner for all of us.”
Before Clark could object, Lois slammed the door behind her. “Great,” he muttered to himself as shifted his position on the couch. “Now I have to come up with another excuse.”
After a few painful attempts to get into the kitchen to hide the Suit in a better spot, he gave up and tried to distract himself by digging around in the couch cushions for the remote. Flipping the television on, he surfed the channels until he found one not showing the evening news. It was depressing and gut-wrenching to watch the news when he couldn’t help and he settled on something that passed itself off as a comedy.
By the time Lois returned, his foot had stopped throbbing though it was still swollen and tender, and he didn’t want to chance putting his weight on it just yet.
“There was a Thai place next to the pharmacy and I got a few different dishes. There’s a curry, along with a chicken, vegetarian dish and… Where’s Superman? Did he stop by?”
“No, he hasn’t -” Clark stopped when Lois reached over the back of the couch and took the remote from him.
“He must be busy,” she mumbled as she flipped through the news channels, now well into their sports coverage.
“I’m sure he’ll stop by when he can. Dinner smells great.” As he spoke, Clark shifted on the couch and experimentally placed one foot on the ground wondering if it could hold his weight enough to hobble to the bathroom. He managed to stand up on one foot before Lois noticed.
“Clark! I can bring dinner to you.”
“I, uh…” he stammered as he gestured to the bathroom. While he could put his foot on the ground, putting his full weight on it wasn’t possible quite yet.
“Oh,” Lois responded as she placed plates on the table. “Here, let me help.” She walked over to him and placed her arm around his waist, once again helping him to walk.
Once at the bathroom, Lois left him in peace, instructing him to call out when he was done and she’d help him back to the living room. After washing his hands, he reached for the towel when a wave of gut-wrenching pain flooded him again. He staggered against the wall, hearing something clatter to the ground as he fell. The pain vanished as he heard Lois’ muffled call of concern.
“Clark! Are you ok?” she called between frantic knocks on the bathroom door. “Can I come in? It sounded like you fell.”
He rolled over so he was on his hands and knees and tried to pull himself up using the counter, grunting as stabs of pain shot through his ankle, spotting the soap dish on the floor. It hadn’t broken but had made enough noise to alert Lois.
Had he not been recovering from the shock of another exposure to Kryptonite, as that was the only explanation to how he felt, he would have laughed at Lois entering the bathroom with her hand over her eyes. Instead he tried to bite back the momentary anger he felt.
“It’s ok, Lois. You can open your eyes,” he said as calmly as he could, reminding himself that she couldn’t have known the consequences of opening the jewelry box to him. Once again he found himself leaning on Lois as she helped him into the living room. Feeling much weaker than he had a few minutes prior, he sank onto the couch, relieved when Lois produced the refrozen bag of peas and handed it to him.
“Sit; I’ll bring you a plate,” she ordered. “You want a little bit of everything?”
“Sure,” Clark answered as his stomach grumbled, something he wasn’t familiar with.
When Lois brought him a heaping plate of dinner, she handed him two pills. “Here. Take those now. I purchased a box of each if you need more later.”
“What are they?”
“One is an anti-inflammatory, the other is a painkiller. Don’t worry, I asked the pharmacist.”
Clark swallowed the pills with a mouthful of water from the glass Lois handed him. Hopefully his powers would be back in the next few hours, providing Lois didn’t open that jewelry box again. Thinking of which… where was it now? He spotted it back on the shelf, displayed predominantly. He tried to remember if he’d seen the metallic jewelry box before today but was sure this was the first time.
He was too hungry to talk between bites, and it seemed Lois was lost in her own thoughts as she wasn’t talking much either, instead staring frequently at the unlatched window. As he ate, he felt a burning sensation spread from his mouth into his throat, his face began to feel warmer and his eyes watered. Coughing, he asked Lois for a glass of water.
She looked at him in surprise before heading to the kitchen. “They must have made the curry spicier for you. Usually you have no problems eating it, mocking me because I won’t have any.”
He gratefully accepted the water and finished his plate, avoiding the rest of the curry. As Lois cleaned up the dishes and put the leftover food in the fridge, Clark sat back on the couch feeling sleepy, trying to think of a way he could excuse himself and head home. He wasn’t ungrateful for Lois’ offer to stay the night, but it meant one of them would be on the couch and he didn’t want to sleep on the floor, which is inevitably where he’d end up because those couches weren’t long enough for any adult to sleep on. Despite the medication Lois had given him, his ankle still hurt and he was irritated by the feeling of helplessness that had settled upon him. He did not like feeling weak and exhausted, and had not enjoyed the sensation of his mouth on fire from the curry. There was something about Lois’ frequent glances at the window that was irking him but he couldn’t pinpoint why.
“You look like you’re about to fall asleep,” Lois remarked. “I’ll help you to the bathroom and you can get ready for bed. There’s a pack of toothbrushes under the sink and I’ll grab a towel for you.”
Clark watched as Lois walked over to the window and looked outside before she came to help him up. “What were you doing?”
“I told you. Superman said he’d stop by.”
“Maybe he’s busy,” Clark mumbled partly out of irritation, but mostly out of tiredness.
“What is your problem?” Lois demanded as she backed away from him. “You bristle every time I talk about Superman.”
“Lois, you’re looking out of the window every few minutes hoping he’ll stop by. If he does stop by, wouldn’t he knock? He wouldn’t hang in mid-air waiting to see if you’re available.” Clark responded crankily as he became more agitated, realizing he had done just that, especially during Superman’s first few months. It had been the only way she’d talk to him and he hadn’t been able to help himself he was so drawn to her in either guise.
“There,” she said as she latched the window closed, firmly. “Happy?”
Realizing he’d upset her, he tried to apologize for his behaviour. “Lois…”
“You don’t get it do you? He’s got nothing on you, but you can’t see past your jealousy.”
“My what?”
“You and I, we have meals together, we hang out. You know what makes me laugh, and how to push my buttons. I know you fake innocence at times, but you are aware of what you’re doing,” she glared at him. “You let me take care of you even though I have no idea what I’m doing. I boss you around, and you let me be me. You know what I do with him? I interview him, get some quotes. We might share a joke, he’ll even tease me at times, but that’s it.”
She paused, picking up the jewelry box. “Do you know what I wanted to see him for tonight?” she asked as she set the jewelry box firmly on the coffee table in front of him making him flinch in nervous anticipation of the lid coming off. “This. Remember that cruise I was supposed to go on a few months ago? The flight was delayed and I missed the connection, which made me miss the cruise. I’ve been holding onto this ‘thing’ for months, terrified to admit to him that I screwed up. Tonight I was going to tell him and give him this box. Want to know what’s in it?”
Clark reached for the box as Lois’ hand settled on the lid. He engulfed her hand in his, hoping he could prevent her from opening the jewelry box.
“Kryptonite,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what to do with it so I put it in one of my Grandmother’s old trinkets and hid it. I’ve been meaning to give it back to him… You don’t think he’s stayed away because he knows it’s here? Maybe he can’t come by…?”
Lois’ grip on the jewelry box relaxed and Clark removed both of their hands, his irritation evaporating. “I think this is made of lead, so he’s probably safe. However, we shouldn’t open it in the event he’s nearby.” As he spoke, her eyes widened.
“Oh! I almost opened it to show you. I even opened it earlier to check it was still in there.”
That explained his exposure while he was in the bathroom, he thought. “Why don’t you put it on the shelf again, just not near the edge where it can be knocked over. I can take it with me, or I’m sure Superman will stop by as soon as he can.”
Lois crouched down by his side and moved the jewelry box away from his reach. He could see the intensity in her eyes and wondered what she was thinking, when she focused her gaze on him. Of their own volition, his hands reached up to capture her face as she leaned closer to him. He felt his brain short circuit as their lips met, becoming vaguely aware that Lois had half crawled across the coffee table and now joined him on the couch. As the kiss intensified, thoughts flitted through his head; how amazing Lois tasted, wondering what had suddenly changed her mind about him to the point she was kissing him with a passion he had only dreamed of, and…
Pain flooded him again and he groaned, trying not to curl up in a ball.
“Clark! I’m so sorry, did I knock your ankle?”
As Lois sat up, Clark rolled forwards, hazily aware the jewelry box was no longer on the coffee table.
“Kryptonite,” he stammered. “The box fell.”
Lois launched into action, picking up the box and placing the small bullet inside. The moment the lid was replaced, Clark heaved a sigh of relief and sat back on the couch, exhausted. Lois carefully placed the jewelry box on an empty part of the shelf, pushing it all the way back to the wall.
“I’m sorry, Clark. I think I got a little carried away.”
He laughed. “That was a good kind of carried away.”
“Really?”
The shy delight on her face made him want to reach for her again. He was disappointed when she stepped away from his reach and walked into the kitchen. She returned with water and another painkiller.
“Even though I knocked your ankle?” she asked as she handed him the glass and pill.
He hesitated. He had hoped his powers would return quickly but the multiple short exposures might take a little longer to recover from and in the meantime, his ankle was throbbing again. As he swallowed the pill with a gulp of water, Lois sat next to him on the couch.
“I am sorry, Clark.”
“I know,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder drawing her closer to him, grateful when she didn’t resist. “But you don’t have to beat me up to spend time with me; you could just ask.”
She raised her head enough that he could see her roll her eyes while he grinned at her.
“Why don’t we see if there’s anything to watch,” Lois suggested as she picked up the remote.
Clark agreed as Lois sank back into his embrace. They sat together, Clark not daring to say a word and break the magic of the moment. Lois Lane was in his arms, and he was gently running his fingers through her hair after they’d shared one amazing kiss. He wasn’t going to ruin it by talking about, or analyzing it, instead living in the moment, but it wasn’t long before he began to struggle to keep his eyes open. He found himself fidgeting to stay awake, trying to think about how to get home but reluctant to leave this spot on Lois’ couch. As he shifted in his seat, Lois looked up at him.
“You’re falling asleep,” she stated.
“I need to go home,” he heard himself mumble.
“Nonsense. You’re staying here.”
“I’m so tired,” Clark admitted reluctantly.
Her eyes narrowed and she stood abruptly, Clark immediately noticing the loss of body heat. He heard her fussing in the kitchen before returning to the couch.
Lois handed him the box of painkillers she’d purchased. “I gave you the wrong pills.”
He tried to look at the box but couldn’t focus his eyes on the fine print.
“There’s a daytime and nighttime pill; I gave you two of the nighttime ones by mistake. You’ll be fine, but you won’t be able to head home. You’ll be fast asleep before you get there.”
He yawned widely as Lois stretched a hand out to him. “You can stay in my bed.”
Clark didn’t argue. At this point she could have told him he was sleeping on the fire escape and he would have agreed. As long as he could get a good night kiss, it didn’t matter where he slept.
“Excuse me?”
His heart skipped a beat as he realized he’d said the last thought aloud. About to apologize he realized she was smiling, and blushing.
“I think I can manage that,” she whispered as she wrapped her arm around his waist to help him hobble to the bedroom. Once there, he sank onto the bed while she grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. She returned wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweater.
“There’s a toothbrush on the counter for you, and a towel on the rack. If you need anything, just shout.” She gently pressed her lips to his. “Goodnight, Clark.”
“’Night, Lois,” he mumbled as he made himself comfortable on the bed. Within minutes he was fast asleep.
****
A distant siren woke him with a start. He threw back the sheets and floated a few feet above the bed, delighting in the return of his powers. He hesitated before placing his feet on the ground, and gingerly allowed his ankle to fully support his weight. Not feeling any pain, he sighed in relief before heading to the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth he wondered what he should do next. It was the early hours of the morning, still several hours before morning. He needed to get the Suit out of the cupboard in the kitchen, and destroy the Kryptonite, but could he do that with Lois sleeping in the living room?
He likely could, he reasoned, but should he was the bigger conundrum. Risking Lois waking up and finding him gone would not only raise a whole host of questions about how he recovered so quickly, but the greater concern was how Lois would react to him vanishing overnight.
No. He couldn’t do that to her. He also couldn’t continue to sleep in her bed knowing she was likely uncomfortable in the living room. He quietly opened the bedroom door and flew over to her, as he suspected, sleeping soundly on the floor. Tenderly he scooped her into his arms and flew back into the bedroom, placing her on the bed and covering her with the sheets. Unable to resist running his hands through her hair, he held his breath when she opened her eyes briefly.
“Stay,” she mumbled before closing her eyes again. He paused for a fraction of a second to consider and in that time, Lois wrapped her hand around his, pulling him towards her.
“As long as you like,” he whispered back to her as he settled onto the bed, listening as her breathing fell back into the steady, slow rhythm of sleep. He’d tell her everything in the morning.
****
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