Smallville Fic: The Story of Us #12 - Future of the Past
Title: Future of the Past
Author: emerald_night
Claim: Smallville - Lois and Clark
Table: Buffet #1
Rating: PG
Prompt: #291 / Future of the past.
Word Count: 1,453
Summary: A conversation between 2017 Clark and Lois following the events of earlier in the day when 2010 Clark wound up in his own future. (Homecoming).
A/N: Written for the fc_smorgasbord challenge.
“So, I realize you’re Superman and all, and capable of many unbelievable things…”
“Right,” he responded slowly, his voice slightly lilting into a question.
“Care to explain to me how I was making out with you on the roof of the Planet while you were apparently helping to contain a nuclear blast?” she finished, tossing down the Planet’s late edition on his desk.
“Oh,” he said, lips slowly forming into a grin. “That.”
“Yes, that. Because, it was you. I mean, after all these years, Smallville, I know you. And I sure as hell know your kiss. It’s how I found out about your super skills in the first place, remember?”
“I do. But it wasn’t me. Well, it was me, just not,” he paused, gesturing to himself, “this me.”
She narrowed her eyes, staring at him silently for a moment, before whirling around and opening a door in one of the small cabinets behind her.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for vodka. I think I’m going to need it.”
“Lois…”
She stopped, turning back toward him. “I don’t even understand what you just said. And that’s saying a lot, considering all of the things we’ve been through that I have managed to wrap my mind around. Is there yet another color of Kryptonite that you’ve discovered? Is that what this is about?”
“No. It’s a little more complicated than that.”
Tilting her head, she crossed her arms and planted herself on the edge of his desk.
“Okay, then. Start talking.”
Taking his cue from her, he sat down in his chair, allowing his eyes a moment to enjoy the view of her long, shapely legs before starting in on his story.
“You remember the five year reunion at Smallville High?”
She paused for a second, mentally jumping back in time before nodding. “The one where no one remembered me and the punch bowl chick seemed to think you belonged with anyone else? Vividly.”
“Right, then you also remember that I went MIA during part of it?”
“Yeah, I seem to remember you disappearing mid-coronation, Mr. Homecoming King.”
“I did,” he nodded, “but it wasn’t because of an emergency. Brainiac showed up. Or, at least at the time, I thought it was Brainiac. It turned out it was Brainiac-5.”
“The good one, right?”
“Yeah. And he had a Legion ring.”
She nodded slowly, quirking an eyebrow. “That came up today.”
“That’s because I ended up here that day, the day of the reunion.”
“Okay,” she said, “Well that would explain the letterman jacket and no glasses. Not to mention the general cluelessness.”
He chuckled lightly. “It was definitely an interesting experience. And an eye-opening one,” he paused, reaching out to take her hand. “Seeing you, knowing you knew everything about me, and you were more than okay with it? I remember thinking it was too good to be true.”
She smiled in return. “I am pretty awesome, Smallville,” she teased, wrapping her fingers tightly around his. “Though I have to say I’m surprised Brainiac-5 brought you here. Isn’t there like time travel rules and regulations that say you shouldn’t know too much about your own future?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly. I think he was going to and just show me things he had control over, but I sort of grabbed the Legion ring and ended up here on my own. Which, I guess could have had pretty disastrous consequences but, as it turned out, I think it was exactly what I needed. But because of that, you saw me. And, well, I saw me.”
“Wait, the younger you ran into …you?” Her shocked expression rumbled into laughter. “Oh I think I would have paid good money to witness that little interaction.”
“You couldn’t. Because your helicopter was plunging toward the ground,” he said with a smirk. “So I sent him to save you…”
“While you took care of the nuclear reactor. Pretty smart, Smallville.”
“Well, it wasn’t that much of a choice. Given the time he came from, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the reactor.”
“You weren’t flying yet,” she nodded in agreement.
“But I knew he could handle you,” he said with a smirk.
“Oh, he did Clark,” she said, leaning forward. “Of course, now, I have this burning question I just can’t decide the answer to.”
“Which is?”
“Which one of you is the better kisser?” she answered, hopping off his desk and moving around to sit in her own chair.
“Very cute, Lois,” he said.
“Seriously, the younger you was pretty damn good, Clark.”
“Well obviously, there wasn’t much difference between us since you didn’t figure it out until you saw the paper,” he said, inwardly cringing at the defensiveness that had cropped up on his voice. Because really, was he jealous of himself? He’d played that game a bit years ago with her and it wasn’t something he was anxious to go through again, but somehow, he found he couldn’t quite help the tiny feeling that had flared up at her teasing words.
She giggled, and he rolled his eyes at himself, knowing she was amused at having gotten him, even if just a little bit.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous of yourself, Smallville.”
He shook his head slightly before moving over to her side of their desks and, mimicking her earlier actions, perching himself on the edge.
“I’m not jealous. Actually, I’m pretty grateful.”
“Grateful the younger you made out with me? Okay,” she said, a disbelieving note in her voice.
“Lois, that time in my life, I was having so many doubts about what I could do, what I could be. Was I really the hero I thought I was? Would the public ever really trust me? I was even thinking about giving it all up.”
“Yeah, I remember,” she said quietly.
“But seeing what I could do, and seeing you, I…,” he paused, as if trying to find the words to express himself correctly. “I lost so many people in my life because of my secret. But seeing that not only did you know, but you were still you and still here? It made me realize what Brainiac-5 was trying to get through my head that day was the truth. I had to stop holding onto the past and living my life based on fear and doubt. I was keeping you, and everyone else, so protected that I was missing out on my life.”
She nodded, understanding. “But even then, you didn’t tell me right away when you got back.”
“No. Though I thought about it. A lot.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I saw a future that, up to then, I’d only dreamed was possible. And I knew that I told you but I didn’t know how or when. I kept thinking that if I did it wrong, it would change the future.”
“So you put it off?”
“More like avoided it. Which ended up being the best thing?”
“Why?”
He reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“The day I told you, Lois. It wasn’t because I saw the future and knew you’d be okay. It was because I wanted to tell you. It was for the right reason.”
She smiled. “Good answer, Smallville.”
He grinned in return, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. “You hungry?”
“As if that’s a question that will ever get answered with a no.”
“Right,” he chuckled, tugging her toward the door. “Let’s grab some dinner before we finish up.”
“So,” Lois said as they walked toward the elevator. “The sudden desire to have our rings cleaned this morning? Did that have anything to do with our time traveling friend?”
Clark pushed the down button. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
He tightened his fingers around hers. “Because the moment you said yes to me by our phone booth was one of the best moments of my life. I didn’t want to take that away from him.”
She placed her hands on his chest, leaning into him. “It was one of the best of mine, too.”
The elevator door opened, and Lois closed her fingers in his jacket, tugging him into the empty space.
“You know,” she said, pulling him back so she was pressed against the back wall. “He seemed pretty disappointed that I wasn’t getting in here with him earlier. Think he wanted some action.”
“Hmm,” he responded, a bit distractedly as his eyes settled on her lips. “Funny, I just had the same idea.”
She giggled, moving one hand to tangle in his thick dark hair.
“I guess some things don’t change, Smallville,” she teased lightly, managing to just get the last words out before his lips descended on hers as the elevator door slipped closed.
Author: emerald_night
Claim: Smallville - Lois and Clark
Table: Buffet #1
Rating: PG
Prompt: #291 / Future of the past.
Word Count: 1,453
Summary: A conversation between 2017 Clark and Lois following the events of earlier in the day when 2010 Clark wound up in his own future. (Homecoming).
A/N: Written for the fc_smorgasbord challenge.
“So, I realize you’re Superman and all, and capable of many unbelievable things…”
“Right,” he responded slowly, his voice slightly lilting into a question.
“Care to explain to me how I was making out with you on the roof of the Planet while you were apparently helping to contain a nuclear blast?” she finished, tossing down the Planet’s late edition on his desk.
“Oh,” he said, lips slowly forming into a grin. “That.”
“Yes, that. Because, it was you. I mean, after all these years, Smallville, I know you. And I sure as hell know your kiss. It’s how I found out about your super skills in the first place, remember?”
“I do. But it wasn’t me. Well, it was me, just not,” he paused, gesturing to himself, “this me.”
She narrowed her eyes, staring at him silently for a moment, before whirling around and opening a door in one of the small cabinets behind her.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for vodka. I think I’m going to need it.”
“Lois…”
She stopped, turning back toward him. “I don’t even understand what you just said. And that’s saying a lot, considering all of the things we’ve been through that I have managed to wrap my mind around. Is there yet another color of Kryptonite that you’ve discovered? Is that what this is about?”
“No. It’s a little more complicated than that.”
Tilting her head, she crossed her arms and planted herself on the edge of his desk.
“Okay, then. Start talking.”
Taking his cue from her, he sat down in his chair, allowing his eyes a moment to enjoy the view of her long, shapely legs before starting in on his story.
“You remember the five year reunion at Smallville High?”
She paused for a second, mentally jumping back in time before nodding. “The one where no one remembered me and the punch bowl chick seemed to think you belonged with anyone else? Vividly.”
“Right, then you also remember that I went MIA during part of it?”
“Yeah, I seem to remember you disappearing mid-coronation, Mr. Homecoming King.”
“I did,” he nodded, “but it wasn’t because of an emergency. Brainiac showed up. Or, at least at the time, I thought it was Brainiac. It turned out it was Brainiac-5.”
“The good one, right?”
“Yeah. And he had a Legion ring.”
She nodded slowly, quirking an eyebrow. “That came up today.”
“That’s because I ended up here that day, the day of the reunion.”
“Okay,” she said, “Well that would explain the letterman jacket and no glasses. Not to mention the general cluelessness.”
He chuckled lightly. “It was definitely an interesting experience. And an eye-opening one,” he paused, reaching out to take her hand. “Seeing you, knowing you knew everything about me, and you were more than okay with it? I remember thinking it was too good to be true.”
She smiled in return. “I am pretty awesome, Smallville,” she teased, wrapping her fingers tightly around his. “Though I have to say I’m surprised Brainiac-5 brought you here. Isn’t there like time travel rules and regulations that say you shouldn’t know too much about your own future?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly. I think he was going to and just show me things he had control over, but I sort of grabbed the Legion ring and ended up here on my own. Which, I guess could have had pretty disastrous consequences but, as it turned out, I think it was exactly what I needed. But because of that, you saw me. And, well, I saw me.”
“Wait, the younger you ran into …you?” Her shocked expression rumbled into laughter. “Oh I think I would have paid good money to witness that little interaction.”
“You couldn’t. Because your helicopter was plunging toward the ground,” he said with a smirk. “So I sent him to save you…”
“While you took care of the nuclear reactor. Pretty smart, Smallville.”
“Well, it wasn’t that much of a choice. Given the time he came from, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the reactor.”
“You weren’t flying yet,” she nodded in agreement.
“But I knew he could handle you,” he said with a smirk.
“Oh, he did Clark,” she said, leaning forward. “Of course, now, I have this burning question I just can’t decide the answer to.”
“Which is?”
“Which one of you is the better kisser?” she answered, hopping off his desk and moving around to sit in her own chair.
“Very cute, Lois,” he said.
“Seriously, the younger you was pretty damn good, Clark.”
“Well obviously, there wasn’t much difference between us since you didn’t figure it out until you saw the paper,” he said, inwardly cringing at the defensiveness that had cropped up on his voice. Because really, was he jealous of himself? He’d played that game a bit years ago with her and it wasn’t something he was anxious to go through again, but somehow, he found he couldn’t quite help the tiny feeling that had flared up at her teasing words.
She giggled, and he rolled his eyes at himself, knowing she was amused at having gotten him, even if just a little bit.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous of yourself, Smallville.”
He shook his head slightly before moving over to her side of their desks and, mimicking her earlier actions, perching himself on the edge.
“I’m not jealous. Actually, I’m pretty grateful.”
“Grateful the younger you made out with me? Okay,” she said, a disbelieving note in her voice.
“Lois, that time in my life, I was having so many doubts about what I could do, what I could be. Was I really the hero I thought I was? Would the public ever really trust me? I was even thinking about giving it all up.”
“Yeah, I remember,” she said quietly.
“But seeing what I could do, and seeing you, I…,” he paused, as if trying to find the words to express himself correctly. “I lost so many people in my life because of my secret. But seeing that not only did you know, but you were still you and still here? It made me realize what Brainiac-5 was trying to get through my head that day was the truth. I had to stop holding onto the past and living my life based on fear and doubt. I was keeping you, and everyone else, so protected that I was missing out on my life.”
She nodded, understanding. “But even then, you didn’t tell me right away when you got back.”
“No. Though I thought about it. A lot.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I saw a future that, up to then, I’d only dreamed was possible. And I knew that I told you but I didn’t know how or when. I kept thinking that if I did it wrong, it would change the future.”
“So you put it off?”
“More like avoided it. Which ended up being the best thing?”
“Why?”
He reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“The day I told you, Lois. It wasn’t because I saw the future and knew you’d be okay. It was because I wanted to tell you. It was for the right reason.”
She smiled. “Good answer, Smallville.”
He grinned in return, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. “You hungry?”
“As if that’s a question that will ever get answered with a no.”
“Right,” he chuckled, tugging her toward the door. “Let’s grab some dinner before we finish up.”
“So,” Lois said as they walked toward the elevator. “The sudden desire to have our rings cleaned this morning? Did that have anything to do with our time traveling friend?”
Clark pushed the down button. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
He tightened his fingers around hers. “Because the moment you said yes to me by our phone booth was one of the best moments of my life. I didn’t want to take that away from him.”
She placed her hands on his chest, leaning into him. “It was one of the best of mine, too.”
The elevator door opened, and Lois closed her fingers in his jacket, tugging him into the empty space.
“You know,” she said, pulling him back so she was pressed against the back wall. “He seemed pretty disappointed that I wasn’t getting in here with him earlier. Think he wanted some action.”
“Hmm,” he responded, a bit distractedly as his eyes settled on her lips. “Funny, I just had the same idea.”
She giggled, moving one hand to tangle in his thick dark hair.
“I guess some things don’t change, Smallville,” she teased lightly, managing to just get the last words out before his lips descended on hers as the elevator door slipped closed.