Does One Kiss Change Everything?

CHAPTER FIVE

There were moments when Clark Kent wondered if everything in his life was meant to be a struggle.

It was bad enough that he came from Krypton, a dead world with more last survivors than he knew what to do with, a father who kept throwing him curve balls from a crystal fortress in the Alaskan tundra and an ex-girlfriend who was now pregnant to his former best friend. Now he had to contend with the fact that he might …Clark couldn’t even say it without wincing…be falling for the most irritating female in creation.

As he stood in the shower, letting warm water try and convince him that today was going to be better than the last, Clark wondered whether or not if it would have been better if the space ship carrying little Kal-El had taken a left turn at Albuquerque. So far, Smallville had proven to be one heartache after another. No sooner than the thought had coalesced in his head, Clark knew he was being petulant. His mother and father were here and he could not have imagined his life without then, despite the heartache.

Still, Clark knew the source of his guilt and he had no idea how to rectify the situation. Technically, he had nothing to be guilty of. Lois had decided to break up with Ollie of her own volition. He had done nothing to encourage it, he had not taken advantage of the situation nor given her any hint that the kiss she shared with the Green Arrow was actually with him.

Nope, on paper, Clark Kent had been pretty much innocent.

However, if he was being judged by what was going on in his head, Clark had a feeling he’d facing the firing squad at sunup.

How could he face Oliver, who was his friend, who had no idea that the reason Lois had broken up with him was due to the kiss they had shared while Clark had been helping Oliver by impersonating the Green Arrow? The first time they had met, Oliver had inferred more going on between him and Lois although at the time, Clark had balked at the idea. Even Lana had made statements to this effect when she had first met Lois years ago.

Was there a memo that everyone but he and Lois didn’t get?

When Lois had shown up last night, Clark hadn’t known what to think. All he knew was the way was clear and yet, it wasn’t. She still had no idea that he was the amazing kisser she kept going on about. An involuntary smirk crossed Clark lips as that thought flashed in his head. How did he tell her without blowing Oliver’s cover and worst yet, his? Because knowing mad dog Lane, no explanation but the truth would satisfy the woman.

Jeez, it was like being in love with a bulldog.

And as that thought surface in his head, Clark found himself stopping short in the shower. Steady there Smallville, Clark imagined Lois’ voice snort. Who said anything about love?

“For crying out loud Smallville! How long you going to hog the shower?”

“Lois!” Clark exclaimed, soap slipping out of his startled hand to fall on the porcelain floor just as he made a grab for the shower curtain to peek through. His foot landed on the said bar and he went flying and not Kryptonian style either.

Cheap plastic hooks were no match for 6ft 3 farm boy as the shower curtain Clark had grabbed hold of to break his fall and the curtain rail it was attached to came crashing down in the tub. Lois Lane who had been in the process of squeezing toothpaste onto a brush she had left here sometime ago, clenched the tube in shock and sent a stream of white through the air.

“What on Earth?” Martha Kent demanded as she opened the door and gaped at the sight of her son in the tub, the demolished shower curtain and accompanying rail on top of him, Lois wearing Clark’s shirt with toothpaste all over the floor.

“Mom!” Clark managed to clamber to his feet in the slippery tub only to find Lois smirking and Martha clearing her throat as she tried not to look. Blank at first, Clark suddenly realized that he wasn’t dressed and grabbed the shower curtain for cover. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

“No, not all,” Lois was smirking, tilting her head slightly as she took in the view. “Actually it sort of looks like you’ve been working out since I last saw Clark Junior.”

Clark’s face turned red and he growled at her. “Next time you can sleep on the couch.”

“Really?” Martha eyed her son, starting to see this whole situation as the usual farce that anything to do with Clark and Lois in a shower tended to be.

“No!” Clark realized what he said. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Its okay Smallville,” Lois started to laugh as she decided to leave this scene. “You don't have to hide how wonderful. you were last night.”

Clark could only glare.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Stop smiling,” Clark grumbled as they sat at the breakfast table a short time later. “How many times do I have to tell you that we take turns in the shower?”

“Hey, is it natural for men to have hour long showers?” Lois retorted over her cup of coffee.

“I was not in there for an hour,” he stabbed at the piece of egg on his plate. “You were asleep when I left you.”

“Yeah about that,” Lois set down the cup and looked at him. “How did that happen? I could have sworn I was on your sofa.”

Clark dropped his gaze from hers. “I put you in there last night.” He replied. “You were a bit upset and I didn’t want you to sleep on the sofa…”

Lois’ expression softened. “You carried me to bed?”

Clark rolled his eyes. “Well I was going hit you over the head with my club and carry you back to the cave but I thought that might be a little extreme.”

“Very funny,” she made a face at him before her adding. “Thank you Smallville, for last night.”

”What are friends for Lois?” he gave a little as well, reaching that rare place in their relationship when both withdrew to the 39th parallel and regarded each other as something remotely resembling friends. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, reminded now of what she had done to bring her to the Kent Farm weeping like a schoolgirl. “As okay as one who has broken up with a gorgeous billionaire over a kiss from arrow shooting, hooded leather freak with a taste for theatrics, can be.” Lois frowned.

Clark tried not to chuckle since he was privy to the inside joke that she wasn’t. “So what are you going to do? Try and find this guy?” Clark asked innocently.

“Yeah Clark,” Lois snorted. “I’m going to hang around rooftops in the middle of the night, hoping he’ll just drop by and plant one on me again. I don’t think so. If this guy felt the same thing I did, he’ll find me.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Clark asked, unable to think of any opportunity where he could meet up with her as the Green Arrow without her requiring an explanation.

Lois’ expression fell and that look came across her lovely face again, the one he couldn’t read.

“I don’t know.” She said sipping her coffee, looking thoughtful as she considered the possibility. “I mean what would happen if he does show up? Do we date? Does he pick me up in the Arrow Car and meet the General for Sunday dinner? I can just picture it, the General will ask what he does for a living and he’ll say ‘I rob from the rich and give to the poor’.” Lois laughed self depreciatingly before she met Clark’s eyes and her expression softened. “I don’t know what I’m going to do Clark.”

“You’ll think of something Lois,” Clark said gently but inside, he was just as much at a loss as she.

Where did they go from here?