In the Clouds

Clark Kent: Part 2

There was usually more to this, right? A reunion of the two halves of one's soul, accompanied by an explosion of color and great fanfare. That's how it had gone when he'd seen it happen to others - Hell, if he looked through the wall right then he could probably spot someone throwing their arms around someone else's neck. Was there some sort of mistake? Was she just not reacting? Had his eyes just... freaked out? Clark rubbed them quietly, as though trying to scrape the color off. Nope. Everything was still so vibrant. Beautiful. Including her. He took care to keep the handshake meek and light. All part of his disguise, but he also just didn't want to accidentally break the reporter's hand. That really would have been insult to injury. It was unmistakable, after all - no one else had been in his field of vision when he saw her. There was no mistaking who had brought color into Clark's world. She just... wasn't reacting to it, somehow. Maybe? He wasn't sure. Maybe he should just ask? No, that was stupid. How do you ask someone if they're you're soulmate, after all? That seemed to be a fairly significant question to just throw out there. His mind raced at literally superhuman speed in that instant, all the nervousness of an awkward farmboy replacing any Kryptonian confidence. Fortunately, he was interrupted by a barrage of information from Lois, herself. No matter how fast Clark could move, it took him a moment to process just how quickly the reporter was talking to him. Eventually, his supernaturally quick perception caught up, but something told Clark a lot of their interactions would be him trying to follow along.

"Lois. Alright." Lois was a nice name.

He laughed politely at her joke, even if it was at least a little funny. "Guess I'll need to get used to that, huh? Need my sleep, but I'll get by." He felt that twinge of guilt in his chest he always got when he lied. Lying by omission though it may have been, that didn't make him feel much better. He could go weeks without rest, after all. "Should I be writing this down?" Clark half-joked, pulling a notepad from his jacket pocket, along with a pen. Another volley of information made Clark increasingly grateful that he was a Kryptonian.

It was the farthest thing from annoying, despite what one might think. Overwhelming at first, maybe, but Lois was already strikingly quick-witted and driven. He didn't mind listening. Once she finished, Clark nodded.

"Coffee beforehand, alright. Jimmy's the photographer. I think I've met seen him around once or twice." Not as Clark, of course, but rather, as the 'big blue' the man was chasing. It took a conscious effort not to smile at the moniker. It made him sound like some white whale to be chased down and visually captured on the page. He still didn't like the attention, but at least it was funny. "Seems pretty hard to catch. Is he trying to avoid the cameras, maybe?" He definitely was.

Clark blinked when she snapped in his face. She must have read his resume. A bit sheepishly with a smile to match it, Clark rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I lived in Smallville my entire life. Only been in the city for about a month." Another lie. Another pang of remorse. It was necessary, though, and he knew it. "It's been really great, actually. I love it here! It's taken a bit of getting used to, sure, but it's kinda nice having... stuff. Restaurants and things, y'know?"

Hesitation settled in. He couldn't just ignore the color thing. That was way too important to brush past. Again, though, what was he even supposed to say about it? Carefully, he shifted his weight. The words left his mouth almost involuntarily.

"Man, it's super bright in here. Colorful, even." Real smooth, Clark. Real smooth.