Once they reached the restaurant, Clark opened the door for Lois. The warm draft that blew from inside sent swirls of Lois's citrusy smell swirling around Clark's head, making him even more nervous.
"Thanks," Lois said quietly. Surprisingly, she was kind of…nervous. Most likely because she hasn't been on a date in a while and she's terrified of screwing up and embarrassing the crap out of herself. That would suck.
Lois and Clark were sent to a booth in the corner. Clark took a quick glance at her and thought he saw a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. Was she blushing? He smiled at the thought, but didn't count on it. He swiftly pulled Lois's black wool coat off her shoulders. When the thick fabric was pulled away to reveal her bare, beautiful shoulders, Clark's breath caught in his throat. It was like he went back in history to the night that Lois had no knowledge of but that Clark knew every millisecond of.
Lois turned to retrieve her jacket, hiding her face at the same time. She was…shy, a feeling she'd never experienced before except for when she was with a certain superhero. Still, Superman made her go crazy; Clark was much more subtle.
When Lois turned, Clark had to restrain himself from just grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to him and kiss her with all the passion he had. She had on a black, low cut, strapless dress that hugged curves Clark didn't even know Lois had! It stopped at about four inches above her knees, and her feet wore, at least, five inch red heels. Clark swallowed nervously and resisted the urge to use his x-ray vision. He handed Lois her jacket and pulled his off as well.
Lois was shocked to see Clark in something other than some of his awfully baggy clothes. This time, he had on what looked like a V- neck royal blue cashmere sweater that hugged his chest and arms tightly. Los had to hold all her surprise and sudden lust from showing on her face. Lois always had the idea that Clark was kind of on the chunky side…well, not chunky, just not built or muscular in any way. But now that he was out of his awful suit, she realized he was all muscle. Not in a body builder and steroids kind of way, but long, beautiful, natural looking muscles that she was sure were lethal in a fight. And his chest. Oh, God, it looked like it belonged on a carved statue of Zeus or something. When Lois finally peeled her gaze from his perfectly sculpted chest, she noticed he had on black jeans with black dress shoes. That…that couldn't be Clark. It was like…it was like he was…Superman. But when Lois looked at his face and saw his black rimmed glasses and dorky, toothy, sideways grin, she knew that wasn't possible. Clark was just a whole lot hotter than she ever dreamed he was. And, boy, were his eyes unnaturally blue.
Clark sat down quickly, trying to not notice Lois's eyes roaming his body. But, that was the reason he dressed like this. He was hoping to possibly clue her in a little on his secret identity, so when he did tell her, she wouldn't be taken completely off guard. But, honestly, it was going to take her off guard anyway, so what was the point?
The point was…he wanted her to be attracted to him, not just Superman.
"So, Lois, what have you been up to? Other than the Daily Planet," Clark tried to make conversation, but the sexual tension in the air was making everything awkward.
Lois laughed, "Not much. My life revolves around work, practically. If not work, I'm just with Jason."
Jason, his son. It was hard to believe the woman sitting across from him was a mother. But it was impossible to believe that he was a father. But he was. The proof was probably being baby sat by his grandmother or Richard right now. "Oh, how is the little guy?" Clark added a quirky grin.
Lois smiled at the thought of Jason, "He's doing fine. His physical education grades have gone all the way up to an A! I never thought I'd see the day." Lois really didn't. She didn't know how or when exactly she became pregnant with Jason. But, when she saw her five year old son chuck a concert grand across the room, she realized why her son's eyes were so unnaturally blue. She couldn't figure out why they were that color. They weren't hers. And they definitely weren't Richards. But now she knew. She had given birth to the Man of Steel's son.
Then a blonde, very pretty waitress walked up, "Hi, can I take your order?" Lois glared at her as she saw how her blue eyes trailed up and down Clark's body. Clark didn't seem to notice, though. Clark looked at her and motioned for her to go first.
Lois glared at her and said stiffly, "I'll have the linguini with clam sauce and a Coke." The waitress glared right back, jotted down her order, and then turned to Clark, batting her eyelashes at him.
He obliviously said, "And I'll go with the Baccala alla vicentina with a glass of Frizzante." The girl smiled flirtatiously at him as she wrote his order down and returned to the kitchen. Lois was surprised at how accurate Clark's French accent was.
As the two were ordering, Clark wondered if Richard realized that Jason was not his. Surely Lois had told him by now, but then again, if he was in her position, he wouldn't have had a clue on how to tell Richard. When the waitress was gone, he said, "Anyway, that's great! How is Richard? He's not at the Planet that often."
"Oh, he's just been on some trips. He was stressed; I don't blame him for wanting a vacation." Richard had taken the break up hard, but Lois couldn't keep the relationship going when she knew she still was in love with Superman and the real father of her child. She had kept this information to herself except for Superman himself, but she hadn't seen him alone in months. There was so much weighing on her shoulders, she didn't know if she could handle it anymore. Did she have someone she could really talk to other than Superman? The answer, and she didn't realize it until now, was yes. And he was sitting right in front of her. Lois knew Clark was watching Lois intently, most likely because of the expression on her face. She could feel his electric gaze on her face.
She looked into his eyes timidly. "Clark?" He looked at her curiously. "Can I tell you something?"
Clark instantly started to worry something was wrong. "Anything, Lois. You know you can tell me anything."
She sighed, "And this stays just between you and me, right?"
Clark nodded, "Of course." She was about to tell him when the waitress came out with their food. Clark told her thank you and then immediately turned his gaze back to Lois.
She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes as she said quietly, "Jason isn't Richard's." Oh. Clark immediately felt better, but he was extremely happy to know that Lois was confiding in him with something she wouldn't tell anyone else.
Clark acted shocked and slightly terrified. After all these years of acting as Clark Kent had made him very convincing. "What? Then…who is the father, Lois?" he stammered.
Lois was terrified that Clark might judge her, but knowing sweet hearted Clark Kent, he never would. He was her best friend, her partner. He would never hurt her like that. But, saying the father's name was almost too much. She wanted to tell him, she really did. And she trusted Clark with her life. But, she didn't want to know what he would think. Lois closed her eyes and breathed slowly. She felt a warm hand place itself on top of hers. It was like electricity racing through her arm. It gave a slight numbing feel, like Novocain, but much more pleasurable. "Lois, you know you can trust me. I will never judge you. You're my best friend." Lois's body went on alert when she heard Clark's voice. It was amazing: the powerful, sensual, deep timbre in his voice almost made her tremble. She had only heard it from one person before, and he was the complete opposite of Clark. But, they weren't as opposite as she thought. At least, not tonight. But, she shoved the thought away…now was not the time to be thinking about that.
Keeping her eyes closed, she whispered, "Superman." The immediate deep love Clark felt for her came rushing to the surface. He thanked God that her eyes were closed. She had smiled when she whispered the name of his alter ego, like she was glad that she had a son with him. Maybe she was.
Lois opened her eyes to make sure Clark's face wasn't distorted in disgust. What she saw almost knocked her over. Behind those awful glasses, his beautiful blue eyes were filled with such a powerful emotion; it almost made her burst into tears. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it looked like…it looked like…love? Did Clark…love her? No, that was impossible. Clark was like her brother. They loved each other, but they weren't in love. She noticed the corners of his mouth were turned up in a slight smile. But, when Clark realized Lois's gaze on him, he immediately turned into the ordinary awkward Clark, caring, but a huge dork. "You're not…mad?"
His eyebrows pulled together in surprise, "No! Of course not; why would I be?"
"You don't think I cheated on Richard?"
"No, I didn't think that all…but, did you?"
She tried to remember to that blank spot in her memory, but it came up dry. She couldn't remember having sex with the Man of Steel! Surely, she would have! "I…I don't know. I can't remember."
Clark looked seriously confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I can't remember sleeping with the guy!"
"How is that even possible? Are you sure he's the father?" he asked, unsure.
"Absolutely."
"How?"
"When Jason saved my life by chucking a concert grand into the guy about to kill me on Lex Luther's yacht."
Clark did a double take, "He what?"
"You heard me," Lois said.
Clark was quiet a long time. He hadn't even known that. The boy was stronger than he thought. "Does Richard know?"
Lois shook her head, "No. I haven't figured out a way to tell him yet."
Clark all of a sudden looked kind of sheepish, "Does…does he know?"
Knowing exactly who he was, she answered, "I believe so. I told him at the hospital. He hasn't visited yet, from what I know of. He's been constantly busy, but I know he's keeping an eye on Jason." Lois was right about that. Clark checked on the little tyke right then; from the sound of his breathing, he was fairly sure Jason was asleep by now.
"Oh," Clark said as he took his first bite of food. It was amazing. He hadn't had anything really decent to eat in a long time. "Is that why you broke it off with Richard?"
Lois stopped chewing. Richard and she had told everyone it was mutual. How did he know…? "Why do you think I broke it off with Richard?"
He looked at me intensely, fork still in his hand, "Because I know you, Lois." Oh, dang, he had that sexy voice thing going on again…Lois felt light headed all of a sudden.
She did her best to conceal it, "Okay, then. I did break it off. Are you asking if I broke it off with Richard because Jason is Superman's son?" He nodded. "Mostly…"
"Mostly?" he rose a black eyebrow. He looked at her hard and something like realization crossed his features. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" Clark wanted Lois to say yes, but he still wanted her to love him, not just the man in the suit and cape. Lois swallowed nervously.
She looked up at him and slowly whispered, "Yes." She knew it was true. But…what was this feeling she had around Clark? It definitely wasn't something she would feel towards a sibling…but, was it love? Lois wasn't sure. Clark showed no emotion at her answer, and Lois was scared she might have made him mad.
After a moment of silence, Clark spoke, "You made the right decision, Lois. There was no reason to stay with Richard if you love someone else."
But…I might just love two people at the same time, Lois thought.
After they had both finished their dinner, Clark put Lois's coat on for her as Lois asked, "What should we do now?" She was extremely curious to what Clark had in mind. Would he ask her to come to his apartment to have sex like any other guy would? Clark didn't seem like that type of guy. He was more…restrained.
"Let's go to the roof of the Planet." Clark was seriously considering it was time to reveal his identity. If not that, at least tell her his feelings for her. He could bear it no longer.
Lois's head reeled. Why on earth would he want to go there? Lois just smiled and said, "Okay."
Since the restaurant was not far from the Planet, they reached the roof quickly. Clark couldn't help but notice how Lois walked very close to him, her arm brushing his arm every so often. It was like a lightning bolt shooting up his arm each time. They both leaned up against the edge, looking down into the streets below. They were silent for a long time, both not knowing what to say.
Eventually, Clark couldn't stand it anymore. He had to come clean. About his love for her, that is. Revealing his alter ego might be too much right now. "Lois?" He stood straight and looked at that beautiful woman standing before him. Her hazel eyes looked up at him curiously, "Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something," Clark added the powerful tone to his voice to get her attention fully. He could hear her hear race when he used it.
Lois was frantically trying to figure out what it was. Was it good? Bad? She froze when he gently took one of her hands and put his other hand on the side of her neck. "Lois…I'm in love with you. I have been ever since I first laid eyes on you."
Lois's heart stopped beating. He was in love with her? Was she in love with him? It was true, she was in love with Superman. And, honestly, no one had ever made her feel so amazing as much as him, except Clark. Then, all of a sudden, realization hit her like she had been run over by a semi-truck. She loved Clark, too. She always had. The thought put tears to her eyes.
She looked up at Clark, into his deep, beautiful eyes and whispered, "I love you, too, Clark. I love you so much," she said breathily as she stood on her toes and kissed him.
Fire coursed through Clark's body; it was one of the most amazing things he'd ever felt before in his life. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her slender body to him, making her bend to his form. They kissed with a passion that could've set the entire city on fire. They're lips were hard on each other's and held an undeniable passion that confirmed their love for each other. Clark used his own lips to open Lois's and he grazed his tongue across her smooth bottom lip. Lois uttered a gasp and then explored Clark's mouth with her own tongue. The unbelievable love they felt for each other coursed through their bodies, making them respond even more to the kiss.
Lois tried to steady herself since she was going weak at the knees, but the buckles of her heels were caught together and she tripped. Clark caught her, but in the process, Lois accidentally knocked Clark's glasses off and onto the concrete. Immediately, Clark set Lois on her feet and went to retrieve his glasses before she noticed who she had just made out with. Before he could reach it, Lois's nimble fingers picked them up. They had snapped in half. "Oh, no! Clark, I'm so sorry, my heel got caught and…"
"It's okay, Lois," Clark said without looking at her fully in the face. "They're just some damn ugly glasses." Hiding his face, he turned her around by the waist and hugged her tightly to him. Lois chuckled at his remark. She had always thought those thick black glasses were horrendous, but she never said that to Clark.
She felt Clark's warm breath on her neck, and his scent wafted around her. It was a very distinct smell…a smell only one person could have. It was of aftershave and…fresh clean air, like he had hung his head out of an airplane in flight. A thought rocked through her body. Was it possible? Was Clark really…him? "Clark?" she whispered.
"Mm-hm?" he mumbled in my ear.
"Are you Superman?"
A deep, sexy, throaty chuckle rang through her head, "What would you do if I was, Lois?" He asked sarcastically.
Her sureness waned a little. He thought her question was humorous. "I…I don't know. I would feel that…all my questions would be answered. I wouldn't be wondering anymore."
He was quiet before answering, "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know," Lois said honestly. She had just accused her partner of being the Man of Steel. Lois was about to turn around to kiss Clark once again, but his strong arms restrained her. "Uh, Clark, can I kind of turn around?" His rock hard grip held her waist for a while until he exhaled and let her turn. To her surprise, his eyes were closed. "Clark? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he simply said, keeping his eyes closed. It looked like he was deep in thought.
"Then why are you hiding your eyes from me?" Lois wondered. His black hair was a little messy thanks to their hot n' heavy make out session and a few strands were hanging in his face. It was shiny from the damp rain that was more like mist than anything. "Clark? Look at me."
This is it, Clark thought. Clark sighed heavily and opened his eyes slowly.
Now without scratched glass in the way of it, inhumanly blue eyes stared back at Lois intently. His flawless face worried and scared. Lois stared back until it all came together. The voice, the muscles, his eyes, his understanding of her…it all made sense. Clark Kent was the father of her son. Clark Kent was Superman. Clark Kent was…Kal El. Without ever being told his real name before, she knew that Kal El was it. Without thinking, Lois traced Kal El's face with the tip of her index finger. She traced his jaw line to his eyebrows. Her finger grazed along his beautiful perfect lips and even touched his eyelids. "Kal El, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to get hurt," he still had that deep powerful timbre, but he sounded slightly vulnerable. "Are you angry?"
"No. I'm just surprised I was stupid enough to never realize it before." Kal El chuckled deeply and put his hands on both sides of my face.
He stared at Lois with the eyes she adored and loved, "I love you, Lois. I always have. And I always will." Lois smiled and kissed him gently on the lips. Then she buried her face in his chest and held on to him. She never wanted to let go.
Clark heard Lois mumble in his chest, "I can't believe I never realized Clark Kent was the father of my son. You think I would've noticed." Kal El laughed out loud. Lois released him so she could look into his eyes. He looked down at her curiously, wondering what was going on through her mind.
Lois timidly gripped the collar of his sweater and pulled it down to reveal the trademark blue suit underneath it. There was no doubt now. Clark Kent was Superman. She looked up at Kal El and asked, "Can you give me a lift to my apartment?" He laughed, his eyes amused.
"Sure," he said, still laughing.