#minor but its still there under all the layers of plaid and smarm

[3hobbitsinatrenchcoat]

A graveyard snip from my Superbat WIP

I cut this whole scene because it wasn't working but I want to preserve it somewhere because I like the Lois and Clark friendship dynamic.

For some context this is a fic where Clark started dating Matches Malone before he met Bruce Wayne or Batman. Matches has just shot down Clark's request to go to a work function as his plus one. Again.

Under a cut because minor spoilers for my fic XD

Clark’s halfway through throwing on his least terrible suit when his phone pinged three times in rapid succession and he finally decided he’d had enough. He picked it up, expecting to see Matches name splashed across the lockscreen, but felt the blood drain from his face when he’s met with increasingly furious texts from Lois instead.

Lois Lane: [one hour ago] Just a reminder that you signed up to help me organize decorations, so get here asap so we can start setup. Lois Lane: [twenty minutes ago] We have less than two hours before this shindig starts, get your ass over here. Lois Lane: [five minutes ago] Where are you? Lois Lane: [three minutes ago] I swear you better have a good reason for leaving me high and dry with these stupid streamers. Someone better be dying. Lois Lane: [now] That came out wrong. I hope you’re ok, wherever you are. But you owe me big time if you don’t show up in the next ten minutes.

Clark dropped his phone back onto his bed and scrubbed at his face with his hands. In his excitement to ask Matches to come with him he’d forgotten that he’d promised Lois his help. 

She knew him well enough that she’d take one look at his face and know something was wrong. Waiting would only make it worse.

“Damnit,” hissed Clark, snatching his phone up and pressing a few buttons before jamming it between his head and shoulder as he struggled with his tie.

It only rang once before Lois’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Clark! I’ve been texting you for an hour! Are you ok?”

“I..” his voice cracked and he knew trying to lie to Lois would end badly. “Physically, yeah. But… I think I fucked up.”

He could hear the odd stereo of Lois both over the speaker and in the distance as she pushed open a door, probably the one into the alley stairwell. A moment later her heels clicked down concrete stairs, confirming his suspicion. When she spoke, her voice was filled with concern. “What do you mean you fucked up?”

Clark let a bark of humorless laughter fill his voice as he slid open his bedroom window and climbed out onto the fire escape. “You know how I wanted to ask Matches to come to this as my plus one?”

“You’ve only been dithering all week,” Lois said. “Don’t tell me you waited until today to ask.”

Clark’s silence seemed to speak for itself and Lois made an exasperated noise. Even over the phone Clark could tell she was pinching the bridge of her nose. “Clark. That is not the kind of thing you spring on your partner.”

“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” Clark bit out, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. No one ever was, but it didn’t hurt to check. “I’ll be there in a minute, Lo’.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered? Clark, what…” Clark hung up before Lois could finish asking. He didn’t think he’d be able to get to the Planet office safely if he had to answer over the phone.

Though… he’d hung up on Lois. He’d probably just traded one dangerous situation for another.

The flight across Metropolis was unmercifully quick, with no interruptions to delay the inevitable. Clark winced as he touched down in the usual alleyway, right in front of Lois and her thunderous, toe-tapping fury.

Fury that melted into frank concern as soon as she caught a glimpse of his face. 

“Oh Clark,” she sighed, stepping forward and cupping a hand to the side of his face, thumbing away the damp he knew still clung to his cheek. Her mouth thinned into a grim line. “I’m not above killing him for you.”

Despite himself, Clark chuckled. “I’d rather you not kill my partner.”

She relaxed a fraction, patting his cheek before stepping back and fussing with his lapels. “I’ll stick to some light maiming then. You’re still together? Over the phone it sounded like…”

“No!” Clark said a bit too loudly, then winced and dialed his volume back a notch. “No, he just said something stupid and I had to go cool off.” He ducked his head sheepishly. “I was out of cell range for a while there. That’s why I didn’t see your messages.”

“Out of cell… where the fuck did you go?” Lois followed his gaze as his eyes flicked upward and snorted. “Only you, Smallville.”

Clark quirked a lopsided smile and shrugged, shimmying past her to get to the stairs. Lois let him get as far as the door before she reached out and snagged his wrist, spinning him to face her. He could have stood firm, but instead he turned into her touch with amused resignation.

Her face had gone back to thin-lipped worry. “You aren’t getting away that easily. What did you mean ‘it wouldn’t have mattered’?” 

“He…” Clark sighed and slumped against the doorframe, staring away and into the dim stairwell. “Matches was never going to come with me to this. He said that putting a man like him in a room full of reporters was ‘throwing chum to sharks’. So I left before I could start yelling.”

#superbat #minor but its still there under all the layers of plaid and smarm #lois and clark friendship #clark kent: disaster man #clark kent #my writing #wip #lois lane #matches malone