Commencement
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Disclaimer: I wish.
Rating: T
Note: Umm… yeah. One-shot, post-Doomsday.
Dedication: For Angela.
Genres: Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
Pairings: Clark/Lois, Jimmy-Lois-Clark friendship
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.
He finds out she's moving from Jimmy. He drives to her apartment, and knocks loudly five times.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" she shouts from inside, and yanks open the door.
Lois is dressed in her work clothes, and her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail.
"Clark! What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving, Lois? What were you going to do? Just leave without telling me and hope I figured it out?" he demands, a little angrily.
Lois sighs, and runs a hand through her hair, glancing over her shoulder.
"Look, Clark, I really don't have time for this. I still have to finish packing, I don't have a ride to the airport, and my flight's in a few hours, okay?"
Clark stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"I can drive you if you want," he offers.
Lois glances over her shoulder again.
"Alright, I'm too busy to argue. But I'm not done packing yet, so…"
"I can wait," he says softly.
Lois nods.
"Yeah, sure. My couch is your couch."
She hurries back inside, and he sits down awkwardly on her small sofa. Lois busies herself with stuffing clothes into an overflowing suitcase.
"So… where are you going, anyway?" he asks.
Lois glances up.
"Umm, just outside Star City. Oliver's set me up with a job and an apartment," she explains.
Clark just nods, not sure what to say.
Lois finishes packing some fifteen minutes later, and he helps her carry her suitcases and bags out to his truck. She buckles herself into the passenger seat, and he sits down behind the wheel.
Lois bites her lip and stares out the window as Clark starts driving, and he searches around for something to say to break the silence.
"Why are you leaving?" he finally whispers quietly.
Lois swallows.
"Can we please not talk about this?" she asks.
Only he's sort of sick of her not telling him anything, so he pulls over to the side of the rode, and parks.
"Clark, what are you doing?" she demands.
"Lois, did I do something?"
She shakes her head.
"Then what the Hell?" he says exasperatedly.
Lois swallows again.
"Can we please just drive?"
Clark takes his hands off the steering wheel.
"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."
Lois won't meet his gaze.
"There's just nothing for me here anymore," she says softly.
"What do you mean?"
Lois runs a shaky hand through her hair.
"Clark, I work in a basement. My cousin's dead, my apartment has a leak in the ceiling, I mean… there's just nothing for me here. Jimmy and I'll keep in touch, and I already know Star City pretty well, and… It just makes sense."
Clark reaches out and touches her cheek.
"What about you and I?" he whispers.
Lois turns her face away.
"There's nothing between us, Clark," she says, two parts bitter and one part tired.
"Lois," he says, "I care about you."
She shakes her head, tears in her eyes.
"Please just take me to the airport," she pleads.
He nods sadly, and puts his hands back to the steering wheel.
--
..
Clark helps carry her suitcases into the airport, and stands beside her in line. When they get to the boarding gates, Lois hands the attendant her ticket, and turns to Clark.
She clears her throat.
"So I…" her voice trails off uselessly, and she swallows again.
He just nods.
"Maybe I'll see you around?" he says gently.
Lois looks down.
"I doubt it," she responds.
Clark leans down and kisses her forehead. Lois gives him a weak smile, and (carrying her heavy suitcases) walks through the glass divider and disappears into the crowd.
--
...
Clark sinks easily into depression.
Jimmy takes to trying to cheer him up. He fails miserably, because really, he's not all that cheery either.
--
....
After two weeks of moping around, Jimmy loses his patience with Clark.
"You know what?" he exclaims.
Clark looks up tiredly.
"What?" he asks.
"If you love her so damn much, why don't you go to Star City and get her!"
Clark sighs.
"It's not that easy, Jimmy," he says.
"Yes it damn well is!" the photographer responds. "She loves you Clark! If you love her too, why don't you go tell her?"
Clark doesn't respond (still – he's up all night thinking about it, and sort of decides Jimmy's right).
--
.....
A few nights later, he's mulling around the old farm house, and – impulsively – decides, screw this, he's going to Star City.
It takes him a while to find her place, but he tracks her down around quarter after one in the morning. He knocks a few times, and waits until she opens the door.
She's wearing one of his old plaid shirts and a pair of shorts, and her hair falls messily around her shoulders. She looks at him groggily, and frowns.
"Clark? What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time –"
He cuts her off by kissing her, cupping her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers.
He pulls back after a second or two, and looks down at her. Lois blinks lazily, and holds his stare for the first time in ages.
Before Clark can say a word, she reaches up and grabs the collar of his shirt, crushing her mouth to his. His hands slip down her sides languidly, and gently grasp her waist. Lois tilts her head to the side, and gently tugs on his lower lip, her hands sliding up his chest and wrapping around his neck.
She pulls back after a moment or two, and gazes sleepily up at him.
Clark presses his forehead gently against hers, and smiles.
Lois smiles back, then seems to remember where they are, and just what time it is, and the fact that, you know, the last few weeks actually did happen.
She bites her lower lip, and slips out of their embrace, to his great disappointment.
"Clark I… I can't do this."
Clark blinks.
"What do you mean? Lois –"
She shakes her head.
"We aren't good for each other, Clark. I just want you to be happy, and you're… you're not going to find that with me, alright?"
"Lois, lately the only time I've been happy is when I've been with you! I've always been happiest around you, Lo. Ever since you stormed your way into my life, you've always made me smile. You're amazing, and smart, and funny, and beautiful, and I just…"
He steps forward and takes her hands in his.
"I need you," he says softly.
Lois blinks back tears, and he leans down to kiss her. She lets him pull her close, and he kisses her slowly and tenderly. He pulls back after a few seconds and presses slow, warm kisses to her cheeks, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and the corners of her mouth.
She sighs softly, and snuggles closer into his arms.
--
......
They stand there for a while, until it occurs to him that it's, you know, around quarter to two in the morning.
"Are you tired?" he asks, brushing his lips against hers.
Lois smiles a little.
"Yeah. I was sleeping before you barged in here, you know."
Clark grins in response.
"Fair enough. So how comfortable is your new bed?" he inquires.
Lois considers this.
"Pretty comfortable," she concedes.
He bends down, and scoops her up into his arms.
"I," he says, "will be the judge of that."
Lois wraps her arms around his neck and beams up at him.
"What a very good idea," she agrees, as he makes his way down the hall to her bedroom.
He pushes the door open, and she snuggles closer, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He sets her down on the small bed, and slides under the covers beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair.
Lois cuddles closer to him, and rests her head against his chest.
She falls asleep in seconds, and he smiles down at her, pressing a warm kiss to her forehead.
When he's absolutely sure she's fast asleep, he whispers:
"I love you."
--
.......
He decides she's coming back to Metropolis.
Lois doesn't put up much of a fight. She sort of doesn't mind the idea of going back to her old job (which Oliver helps arrange, but mostly, Tess is happy to have her back). The only problem is the fact that her old apartment has no vacancies.
Clark suggests she stay at the farm. And Lois would argue that it's not the best idea, but what the Hell, why not.
--
........
Jimmy is exuberant.
"Lois! It's so great to have you back!"
And of course, he has to hug her.
But all in all, it really is nice to be back. The weather in Star City is far too muggy, and the streets are too crowded, and even though it sounds all cheesy and chick-flicky, Lois can't help but think that this is home, here at the Daily Planet with Jimmy and Clark and the coffee machine that keeps breaking down.
(Not that she's going to admit that, or anything.)
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fin