In the Clouds

Clark Kent: Part 7

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Clark took the medicine without water, fully knowing he didn't have a headache and that, even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Still, to some extent, it was almost nice to have someone worry about his wellbeing. The only people that generally knew him well enough to care were his parents. Sure, it was a little thing, but it still caused a bit of warmth in his chest.

The Kryptonian almost felt himself shrink under her mock-baleful gaze, like someone caught in a lie. "Hey, look," His hands came up defensively. "I knew of your work at least in passing going in. Planet's reputation had to come from somewhere, right? Touched my life, though..." Clark tilted his head to the side. Well, apparently, she might be the single most important person on the planet to him, but that didn't seem good to lead with. "We'll see. Maybe." He smiled faintly. Almost sadly, despite his best efforts.

Her assessment of Superman was, once again, not too far from the mark. A little harder to pin down than her previous one, but it was still close. Clark was dreading those first conversations with the public more than a little, the inevitable call to explain himself, what he was doing, and why hanging over him every time he donned the outfit. He frowned slightly, looking down at the table. She was probably right that getting out ahead of it was the best move, but what did that look like? Was Superman supposed to just stroll into the Planet and sit down?

-

"Your origins and ambitions, huh?" Clark cocked an eyebrow at that, that sort of lightly teasing tone returning to his voice as he skirted around the previous topic. "Okay, Lois. I'll try, but I make no promises. Force of habit and all."

He didn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation this easy, or complex. The last time someone just looked at him and spoke intelligently, without any pretense. People tended to write him off, one way or another - be it for being an alien freak or a boring stick in the mud. There they were, though. They'd barely had time to eat their food for how much they'd talked, and he found himself wishing they had more time.

His expression became more serious at her softer tone, looking down at the empty table for a moment. It was a complex question, and one he didn't think anyone actually knew the answer to, at that. Still, he'd do his best. "Well, when you find it, you stop searching, right? You hold onto it for dear life and do your best to make something with it. At least, that's how I like to think about it." Had Clark found himself? He couldn't say. Probably not. Maybe he never would - or if he did, maybe he'd never know.

-

The serious topic shifted to lighter things, her drawing out a warm laugh with the quip. "Okay, fine. Coffee. Keep the change anyway." He nodded to the waiter, a more than generous tip now in hand. The man probably needed it more than Clark did.

Maybe the way she almost seemed to wait for bated breath after he spoke reassured him. Maybe it terrified him. Maybe it was both. Clark wasn't sure. All he knew is that it furthered his confusion, muddying what the right move was all the more. He forced a self-deprecating laugh as he took the pen. "I won't lose it, promise. I'll buy a whole thing of pens for tomorrow, too."

The sound of tires screeching, then a vehicle hitting something, caught Clark's ear. Not audible to the average person within the restaurant, but that wasn't very far away either. Looking back at Lois, he motioned back in the direction of the Planet. "Sorry, I've gotta run. I'll catch up, okay? Bye!" Without waiting for her to ask any questions, he quickly walked out the door, rounding the corner to go... well, do what he did.

Did he feel bad about ditching her? Yes. Absolutely. Hopefully, she'd forgive him.

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"Where the Hell is Lane!?"

 Perry's deafening voice rattle around in Clark's skull like a pinball, threatening to split the unprepared Kryptonian's head right open. His mouth opened dumbly for a moment, blue eyes shifting to his boss in stunned silence for a moment. It wasn't hard to figure out why he was the target of Perry's ire in that particular instance. In his first couple weeks at the Planet, he'd been working pretty closely behind Lois while the more experienced reporter showed him the ropes. He did know where Lois was - at least, where she told him he was going.

Unfortunately, that information had come with a request for secrecy. He hadn't been entirely honest with Lois, of course - Clark was a decent (or at least practiced) liar, as much as he disliked doing it. It wasn't like he was going to throw her under the bus regardless, but what she expected him to say, he wasn't sure. Oh, well. He might as well give it his best shot. "I don't know, Mister White," Clark's meek voice barely carried over the din of keyboards and people speaking on the phone.

That clearly didn't sit well with the editor, who shouted once again. "Speak up! Use your damn voice, Kent! The man was practically red as a tomato, spit projectiles arcing into Clark's face. His blue eyes scanned Perry in silence for a brief instant, as though gauging the man - in truth, he was looking through him. Trying to figure out where that address was. It had been a little while since he'd heard from Lois, and if Perry hadn't heard anything either, it wouldn't hurt to at least check-in.