Ch.1

Clark walked down the stairs, dropping his feat heavily on each step as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It wasn't like him to be so tired, but a long night of listing to Lana whine on the phone was something that even he couldn't endure.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs he had his mind on only one thing, Coffee. In only a white t-shirt and jeans, he sloshed his heavy feet along the floor towards the pot of steaming coffee that seemed to be calling out his name seductively. He went to grab a cup from the shelf, his hand lazy and clumsy. Knocking it around a few times, and finally getting a hold of the handle, he poured a cup of the rich caffeine.

He inhaled its aroma and closed his eyes in delight. Reaching over, he grabbed a spoonful of sugar and dumped it into the cup. Stirring it around slowly, he wiped the rest of the sleep off his eyes with his left hand. He had never been this tired. Stopping his stirring, he moved to put the spoon on the counter, but it fell from his hand as he began to yawn.

Squeezing in a mouthful of coffee, he set down the mug and bent over to get the spoon.

"Nice butt!"

"What?" He yelped, turning around to see who it was. With a half sneer he looked at his complimentary visitor. He didn't need to look; he knew that voice, but the look on her face when his gaze settled upon her was priceless. "Lois." He grumbled, picking up the spoon and placing it on the counter.

"Hey Smallville. Wow, you look tired. Spend all night awake, pining for Lana?"

Clark only responded with a grunt as he took another sip of coffee. He really wasn't in the mood for her usual chop busting so he pulled out the bread and dropped two slices into the toaster. Closing his eyes slightly, he nodded off a little.

"Smallville."

"I don't feel like talking right now." He mumbled, half asleep.

"No. I…"

"What!" He seethed, clinching his eyes tightly shut. "What's so important Lois?"

Lois snorted a little. "Your right hand, farm boy."

"What about my right hand?" He asked, his anger beginning to show. He opened his eyes and looked at his hand. "Oh." He replied, yanking his hand of the top of the glowing red toaster. "That hurt." He said sleepily, to tired too make a big scene in front of her to convince her he was actually hurt.

"Did that not hurt? I mean, didn't you feel that? The toaster was red hot."

Clark really didn't want to come up with a long stupid lie so he just shrugged it off. "My fingers weren't over the elements." He replied turning around to her, coffee in hand.

Lois stared at him strangely, a quizzical look on her face. With a slight shake of her head and a smirk, she took a long sip from her own mug. Swallowing her mouthful, she peeked at him from behind her mug. "So, like I asked before, why are you so tired denim boy?" She added another one of her trademark smirks and took another gulp of coffee. She was wearing one of his flannel shirts again.

Clark groaned a little as he indulged in his own drink. She wasn't giving up. Leaning back on the counter, his right hand with the coffee, his left holding onto the counter, he took another long swallow. That stupid grin, he just wanted to slap it off her. "Lana." He said, bobbing his head down as if he had done something wrong.

"Come on mopes, It's been three months since you ended it, what are still pining over her for?" Lois asked, with a disapproving note in her voice.

"I'm not." He said with another groan. "But, she keeps calling me at midnight to talk my ear off. God knows how I ever put up with that." With a little "hmph" of laughter, he smiled a little. Looking down at his mug, he laughed out loud for a second.

Lois, surprised by his sudden laughter put her drink down the wrong pipe. Coughing, she pounded her chest a little. "What's so funny Smallville, first you're all tired and grumpy, and then you're laughing. This isn't your normal man of emotional steel routine. Are you on drugs?" She asked, her stupid smirk ever the more present. She also had one eye closed, and the other was staring right at him searching for an answer.

"You look better with one eye open. Maybe you should start wearing a patch, sailor." He said with a grin.

"Watch your mouth pal, I told you never to use that word again or-

"Or what Lois, you'll feel the uncontrollable need to put on that outfit and dance for me again?" That last comment made his grin even larger.

Lois just looked at his boyish grin with great distain clearly etched on her face. "Keep it shut Smallville." She said, shooting daggers from her eyes. She brightened up a little as he continued to smile. "So, why were you laughing, what's gotten to that steel armor of yours?"

Clark couldn't help but tell her, he thought it too funny not to share. "Well, I was talking to Lana for about twenty minutes, when I just fell asleep. She was doing all the talking and I was putting in the obligatory "uh-huh" so I couldn't help myself from dozing off. I was almost completely gone into a deep slumber when I heard my name screamed into my ear."

"How long were you out?" Lois asked, interrupting, a sly smile picking up the corners of her mouth.

"Almost a half hour I think." He replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"I always knew that girl was a talker, but thirty minutes without a word from you and she was still talking. That makes even me look good." A throaty laugh escaped her as she finished her coffee and set down on the island counter. "Maybe next time you should just make a pre-recording of your responses and lay the phone down next it. You'd get your sleep without worrying."

Clark finished his coffee, took Lois's cup from the counter and rinsed both of them out in the sink. "Thanks for advice."

"What the hell is wrong with you Kent? First you're taking my cup and washing it for me, and then you're thanking me for my advice. Are you getting soft on me?"

Clark turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "I would never dream of it….Sailor." His grin was back, but this time his eyes showed a hint of laughter.

Lois came around the island and punched him in the shoulder. The toast popped and she grabbed both slices before he could. "Too slow, Elmer." She barked laughing, her smirk once again making an appearance.

"Hey, you have to give me at least one. I put them in the toaster."

"You snooze you loose Smallville. Better gain some quicker reflexes; I've seen cows move faster than you."

"Hmph, At least a cow listens when you tell her to shut up." He shot back his grin still present.

"Oh, Clarkie, are you gaining a backbone?" She quickly asked, poking his spine with her finger.

Clark jumped slightly at her touch, feeling something sticky back there. He looked at Lois; she was putting jam on her toast. "Noooo." He moaned lightly under his breath. Tucking his arms into his shirt, he turned it around to look at it. Right in the middle of the shirt was a fingerprint made out of raspberry jam. "Lois." He breathed angrily. She was screwing the jam top back on, her back to him, but he knew that she had that stupid grin on her face. Removing his shirt, he turned on the tap to try and scrub out the stain.

Lois finished putting the jam back in the fridge and turned back around to grab her toast. When she turned around she saw Clark with his shirt off, trying desperately trying to remove the stain. She couldn't help but look as his upper body. She stood there for a few seconds her eyes staring lustfully at him. "He is so hard." she said to herself softly, eyes still transfixed on his torso.

"What was that Lois?" Clark asked, his head turning towards her slowly.

"Oh, nothing." She replied. She was lucky enough to get her eyes ripped away from him before he saw her staring at him. "You know that stain won't come out without a good wash."

"I know, but I just put it on and I didn't want to go and change again." He put the shirt down on the counter, slightly frustrated.

"Come on Kent, I'm sure there are some flannel shirts around here you can wear."

"Oh I know there is Ms. Lane." He said sarcastically. "It's just too hot to be wearing flannel right now."

Lois could only agree. The summer mornings were hotter than in Metropolis, something she hated. Luckily the Kents had finally broken down and bought an air conditioner. Something she didn't know she could have ever lived without. Much to Clark's distain though, the air conditioner was just another reason why she wouldn't move out and he couldn't get his room back.

Clark made a move for one of slices of toast. With a quick hand she grabbed his arm just as he picked it up. "They're both mine Smallville, no touch, bad Boy." She said slapping his hand like a child's.

"Stop me." He replied, his voice obviously daring her.

She tried to, but he was too strong. With one good swift movement he lifted his arm up to his mouth and took a healthy bite. Lois still had her hand on his arm, and closed her eyes slowly, feeling his muscles tense as he lifted the toast to take another bite.

"Lois, what in the world is that look?" Clark asked her, snapping her out over her reverie.

"Oh, just me enjoying he air conditioner Smallville." She removed her hand from his arm and pick up her piece of toast. She took a few nibbles, but had a hard time swallowing as she couldn't help but glance over every now and then to gaze at Clark. Regaining her demeanor, she put the toast in the compost pail under the sink and opened the fridge.

Grabbing the Orange Juice, she closed the fridge and put it on the counter. She walked around to the other side of Clark to fetch a glass, but Clark had already grabbed two glasses and was pouring the orange juice in each cup. Lois just turned back around him to grab her glass. "Thank you Smallville." She said.

"For what?" He asked, his grin appearing once again.

"For the gla-." She stopped when she didn't see the glass on the counter. "Where did you put my glass farm boy?" Demanding to know where it was.

"On my left, Lane. You were over there weren't you?"

"Well I guess so." She went behind him to his left side to get her glass. "Hey, where'd you put it?" She yelled, demanding an answer.

"Well, over here of course Lois." He pointed to the right side of him, the glass sitting on the counter. "You were over here weren't you?" His grin broadened as he toyed with her.

Lois stood her ground on the left side of him. "Give that to me now Smallville. I won't ask again." She demanded he give her the glass back, but he denied her.

Without even thinking, he set down his empty glass and picked up hers. He put it to his lips and began to guzzle.

"No!" Lois shrieked, trying to grab it. But he moved it away from his mouth to the right. Quick as cat, she shot around to his right to try and grab it, but he moved it back over to his left.

"Now who's not fast enough?" He barked out in laughter. With a quick movement, he put the glass back to his lips.

Lois shrieked again and rapped her arms around his neck from behind to try and grab the glass. She felt drained of all her energy as he finished the glass. She limply let her arms fall onto his shoulders, exhausted. She could feel his smooth skinned back as she leaned up against him, tired.

"Snooze you loose." He laughed, his grin even wider than before.

She punched him in the back fairly hard, but he didn't even flinch. "What, you made of oak Smallville?"

"What, are you tickling me?" He replied, making fun of her.

"Grrr Smallville, stop it. We need to get to the Talon."

"What, I didn't know we were going anywhere. Why do we need to be there?" He glanced at the clock above the sink. "It's only nine. Plus I have chores to do."

Lois grabbed the juice container and took a good swallow. Putting the top back on the jug, she slid it in the fridge. "Your father did them earlier." She took off across the kitchen floor on the balls of her feet, scooting her way over to the stairs.

Clark watched her scoot off, his shirt flying around on her lithe body. He could hear her yelling at him as she moved up the stairs to her room.

"Move it Smallville, I promised we'd be there by nine."

Clark grumbled loudly as he went in the laundry room. Grabbing a pair of socks, he tossed his soiled shirt in the hamper. The door opened behind him and Lois peeked in.

"You got a shirt in there?"

"No, I don't, but I have one in the loft." He turned around and went through the laundry room door. He watched as Lois went through the door porch first, hair in her trademark morning ponytail. She had her regular jeans on with her light blue tank top, something she always wore when going somewhere casual.

Clark followed suit and jogged through the front door and towards the barn.

Lois started up her car and backed up to the barn, setting parallel to the laneway. "Hurry up Smallville!" She yelled. Her patience was up. She watched as he came running down the loft stairs, dark blue shirt in hand. "Get in farm boy, we're late." She was met with an icy stare.

Clark snorted as he plunged himself into the passenger seat. He looked over at Lois. "What are you staring at?" He badgered her.

"I can't believe you Smallville, you're always making late." Feigning anger, she grumbled, but was glad she was wearing her sunglasses. Clark would squirm uncontrollably if he knew the way she was looking at him.