DISCLAIMER: I don't own.

It was a nice evening. It was wonderful, in fact. It was always wonderful when she had the chance to hang out with her cousin, her cousin's boyfriend, and her best friend. Nothing ever felt more perfect than when the four of them got together. Well, maybe except when she had some one-on-one time with her best friend. Those moments were her happiest. He knew her every mood, every expression, every flaw, and yet he was always by her side, making her feel like nothing could ever hurt her. Those moments truly were the best.

But this wasn't one of those moments. Her mind was wandering. No, this moment was one filled with drinks, laughs, and occasional flirty banter. She was with her closest friends thinking nothing could change her mood when he walked in.

She was just finishing up her cranberry vodka when Chloe grabbed her forearm. "Whoa, Lo. Is that who I think it is?"

Lois's head turned in the direction of her cousin's gaze and was immensely grateful she'd just finished swallowing the last of her drink, otherwise Clark would be in direct line of her spit take. "No," she breathed in disbelief.

Clark swiveled around towards the entrance of the bar and caught sight of what – or rather who – everyone was staring at. There, just inside the doorway, stood a tall, dark-haired man in a leather jacket, dark jeans, and black boots.

All eyes turned back to Lois as she stood up from her seat. "Will?"

The dark-haired man turned and spotted her, his face breaking out into a huge grin. He moved through the throng of people, practically gliding across the floor, toward her. Lois was zipping past strangers in her rush to get to him and when she finally reached him, he caught her around the waist and hauled her off the floor, spinning her in a tight circle.

"Will!" she grinned, her arms tight around his neck.

Clark watched the scene take place. Something odd was swirling in his gut, something unpleasant pulling his heart into his stomach. The sensation baffled him, having never felt anything like it before, and he just couldn't place why. His eyes were rooted to Lois. The two finally broke apart and Lois grabbed the man's hand and pulled him towards the group. "Will, you remember Chloe."

"Sure. Lovely to see you again." He spoke with a deep, husky English accent. Figures.

Chloe smiled brightly and Lois motioned to the blonde beside her. "And this is her boyfriend and one of my closest friends, Oliver Queen."

"Nice to meet you," Oliver said, reaching over to shake Will's hand.

"Likewise."

"And this, Will, is my best friend, Clark Kent."

Clark stood from his seat and pinned Will with a steely gaze, though he held out his hand for the English man to take. Will was a few inches shorter than he, but still taller than Lois.

"Nice to meet you," Will said, grasping Clark's hand.

"Lois never mentioned you before," was Clark's reply.

"Eh, she's always kept me close to the vest," Will smiled at the leggy brunette.

While Lois grinned at her friend, Clark did not take that comment like it was meant to be taken, and in the irritation, squeezed Will's hand a little too tightly.

"Ah, mighty grip you've got there," Will chuckled and flexed his hand once Clark let go.

Lois eyed Clark's hand, then her gaze moved up to his face, silently questioning whether he used his super strength on Will. Her eyes narrowed, shooting a small glare at the taller man, whom of which shrunk under her gaze before sitting back down. Lois reclaimed her seat beside him while Oliver grabbed a chair for Will.

Clark couldn't pull his stare away from the newcomer. Why hadn't Lois mention this guy before? Why did they seem so close? What exactly is he to her?

All these questions were running through his head as he watched Lois and Will interact; the way they were always somehow touching—a hand on Will's shoulder, fingers brushing Lois's thigh, the way they spoke to each other—soft spoken words, wide smiles, quiet chuckles just between the two of them.

Every little action between them grated on Clark's nerves, made him grind his teeth and clench his fists. He couldn't stand it, watching them. He just couldn't stand it. So, he decided to leave.

Standing from his seat, he snatched up his keys and phone from the table. "Um, I think it's time to head out."

"What?" Lois's brow furrowed. "Smallville, it's only nine."

"Yeah, I know, but I have an early start tomorrow. I should turn in soon." Clark grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on. He clapped Oliver on the back and pecked Chloe on the cheek. Then he turned to Lois. Normally, they would be leaving together. He would see her safely home before heading to the farm. Or, if they were parting ways beforehand, he would give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek—which always ended up landing quite close to the mouth—in parting. He didn't feel that was appropriate tonight, however, not with Mr. England's arm around her shoulders.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow, Lois," he, instead, said with a quick flash of a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Will." He shook the man's hand and was on his way out when a hand closed around his forearm before he could cross the threshold onto the street. He turned to see Lois, her gaze narrowed and her lips pursed.

"Were you really going to leave without giving me a proper goodbye?"

"Wha-uh…" He glanced back at their table, his eyes quickly finding Will before turning back to Lois. "I didn't want to give Will the wrong impression about us."

"And what impression would that be? That we're best friends?" she said incredulously.

"I just thought you might think I was being overprotective or something," he deadpanned.

"Right, because that makes total sense. It's just a hug and kiss between friends, something we've done a million times before. Will knows where you and I stand, so come here before I sock you in the jaw." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous."

"Jealous?" he scoffed, "Of what?"

Lois leaned away from him to peer at his face, her arms still around him. "You know what. Will was my best friend once upon a time and he's still a good friend, but you are my best friend now. No need to prove your title." She caught the confusion flashing across his features. "I saw the way you shook his hand and the way you were shooting daggers at him. Will even noticed."

Clark shook his head, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I know I'm your best friend, Lois. That will never change." For some reason, that sentence seemed to sink his heart rather than fill it with warmth like it usually did. And he didn't know why.

"Good. Now," She kissed the corner of his mouth, lingering for a few moments before pulling away. "Go get your beauty sleep. God knows you need it."

"Ha ha," he gave her a sarcastic smile. He kissed her on the cheek and finally exited the bar. Lois waved at him from the doorway and then he turned the corner, speeding away when he was sure no one would see him.

(((o)))

"Was it just me, or did Smallville seem off to you guys?" Lois reoccupied her seat beside Will and took a sip of her fourth glass of cranberry vodka.

"He did seem tense," Oliver answered.

"And we all know why," Chloe murmured behind her drink.

"What was that?" Lois asked.

"I think what Chloe is trying to say is that Clark may have felt a little threatened by me," Will said, his lips curving up into a smile.

"Threatened by you? What makes you say that?"

"Lois, come on. The moment you saw Will come through the door, you practically pounced on him," Oliver said.

"And Clark's never heard of Will, so he doesn't know exactly who he is to you," Chloe said.

"And I just met the guy and even I can tell he has the hots for you," Will added.

"What?" Lois's head was spinning. "Clark does not have the "hots" for me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "For an intrepid reporter, you're not really seeing the truth here. Clark's had feelings for you since, like, the 1930's."

"And he doesn't like seeing you with any other guy, hence the tension in him tonight," Oliver said.

"But Will is just a friend!" Lois protested.

"Lo, you two were acting pretty smitten together."

"I do admit I did that on purpose," Will grinned.

"I didn't even realize," Lois sighed. "But this doesn't mean Clark's into me."

"Lois, the reason I was pretty much invading your space all evening was because you are always gushing about Clark whenever we get a chance to catch up. I wanted to see if he's as crazy about you as you are about him."

"I'm not crazy about Smallville!"

"Yeah, and Chloe and I don't screw like rabbits," Oliver retorted, to which Chloe slapped him upside the head.

"Okay," Will drawled. "Disregarding that unnecessary analogy, the point is that Clark is into you. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

I have no idea where this idea came from and I'm not sure where it's going. All I know is that I wanted to write something. Hope you liked it and there will be some more chapters to this.

As usual, reviews are Clois love.