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trascendenza for the Five Things Challenge and posted here because LJ comment fields continue to fail me and I continue to write too much.
1) Scrutinising the article on his monitor, Clark straightened in his chair when a pair of soft, warm hands covered his eyes.
"Guess who?"
He gasped, then grinned as he whipped around in his chair and almost crushed his mother in a hug. "Mom! Oh, Mom, what are you doing here?"
Martha chuckled against the shoulder of her son and returned the hug tightly. "I missed you, too, Clark. We thought we'd surprise you!"
Clark pulled out of her warm arms with a shock. "'We'?" He finally noticed his mother wasn't alone and offered his hand, embarrassed. "Oh, hi, Ben."
Ben's eyes twinkled as they exchanged a firm handshake. He took no offence at being initially unnoticed.
Clark took his mother's hand and glanced between the two of them. "So, uh... what are you doing here? Is there a regional bingo competition I didn't hear about?"
Martha patted the back of his hand. "We'd like to speak to you, Clark. Will you be free for lunch?"
Clark's eyebrows shot up. "Lunch? Sure. Where are you staying?"
"Oh, don't worry, dear, we'll come back at noon." Martha waved her free hand and winked at him. "It'll give me time to do some sight-seeing. Nice meeting you, Lois."
Clark whirled to look across the office as Ben and Martha made their exit. Lois waved after them, smiling kindly as she lounged in her desk chair. Clark was almost blinded as she turned that rare smile on him. "I bumped into her on the lift. She's nice."
2) "Saved your life!"
Richard and Lois looked up sharply from their combined notes for the source of noise. Over at the water cooler they saw Clark recovering himself as some leggy blonde had pounced on his back. Clark dropped his plastic cup and water spilled everywhere as he craned to get a glimpse of the perpetrator who was grinning against his ear.
Lois raised an eyebrow. "Do we know her?"
"New girl, maybe," Richard mused, unable to stop himself appraising her. "Looks like you're wrong, Lois, Clark Kent has fans after all."
They watched as Clark finally got the woman back on her feet and caught his first proper look at her. A slow, incredulous smile stole Clark's features and his eyes brightened in a way Lois and Richard had seldom witnessed. "Kara!"
Kara, thus named, welcomed the hug from Clark that nearly lifted her off her feet. Her laugh was light and clear across the entire bull pen, Richard heard Lois hum disinterestedly under her breath and turn back to their work.
"Hey, guys!"
Lois pursed her lips as Clark and his new friend approached her desk. Richard returned Clark's bright smile and noticed he was holding the new girl's hand. Clark motioned between the three of them. "Kara, this is Richard White and Lois Lane. This is my cousin, Kara, she's just in for the morning so I'm going to catch an early lunch. I'll be back by one."
Lois' smile was smug as the two swept away and she threw Richard a look. "Cousin," she drawled.
3) Tap tap tap.
Clark looked up from the urinal and glanced over his shoulder at the bathroom's window with incredulity. Oh, not now.
In the breath of less than a moment he'd flushed the urinal, washed his hands and done a check of the bathroom to ensure he was alone before he pulled the window open. A blast of cold air blew his hair back and nearly knocked the glasses from his face, but Wonder Woman seemed unaffected as she hovered before him, winding her lasso round her wrist.
Diana arched a dark, slender eyebrow at his attire. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?"
"Diana." Superman came to the fore in smooth, deep tones although Clark was still in work mode and mentally railing about the rule of never visiting their alter egos in their place of work. He had to present to Perry for that night's issue in five minutes!
She would only break the rules if it were a dire matter.
Diana must have seen something in his expression because she nodded and extended a hand toward the horizon. "We must be quick. I'll meet you on the roof."
4) "Running for congress... amazing. Well, good luck, Pete! You have my vote."
Pete laughed as perched on the edge of Clark's desk and surveyed the chaos of the bull pen. "I guess it's gonna be a lot like this," Pete mused, "Only with less televisions and more yelling between states."
Clark grinned. "And how's Lana these days?"
At his wife's mention, Pete rolled his eyes heavenward before he could stop himself. "Lana? Well, she, uh... things are interesting, Clark."
Interesting. It may have been years since they'd last spoken face-to-face, but there were some signs were still discernable. "Listen, are you free sometime this week in your campaign schedule? We should catch up properly - away from work."
Pete glanced away for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Thursday. I'll have my assistant get in contact with you."
Clark chuckled. "You have an assistant?"
"Up-n-comin' men need assistants, Clark. And I know this future Senator can count on you."
Clark stood and shook Pete's hand firmly. "Then we can all expect to see great things from you, Senator Ross."
"Who knows?" Pete mused as he drew himself up proudly. "You might even see me in the White House one day."
Both men laughed.
5) Clark had been so engrossed in skimming the paper's section on the rental market that he didn't discern that voice until he was in view of Lois' desk. The paper abruptly dropped as Clark saw Lois laugh and lean in her chain to murmur conspiratorially to the man crouched beside her.
Clark considered taking off his glasses lest they were deceiving him and that really was billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne typing one-handedly on Lois' computer. Clark listened in and caught Lois' giggle of "Bruce, don't change my password."
Bruce? Before Clark could stop himself he'd grabbed his notepad and was beside Lois' desk tapping it in a professional, non-committal manner. Lois and Bruce looked up at their newcomer in surprise.
"Lois, Perry just wanted to remind you not to diverge onto the power plant project, Charlie's got it covered. Also, Jimmy - "
Lois went from flirtatious to livid in a heartbeat. "Hey, Charlie isn't the one who did all legwork on the power plant, that's my project and I'm sick of Perry handing out my work like fairy floss at a festival, so you can tell him - "
Sometime around the point she uttered 'fairy' Bruce had shot to his feet and thrust his hand out to Clark. "Hi, I'm Bruce Wayne!"
Clark eyed Bruce's bright, unwavering smile and proffered hand. Looking at him this close, Clark couldn't detect a line of the Dark Knight in his expression; oh, he was good. Clark avoided Bruce's eye as he quickly shook his hand. "Clark Kent."
"Well, I'm just doing a tour of my newest asset. You see, I just bought the 'Planet. So, I guess that means I own you!" Bruce laughed hands sliding into his jacket pockets.
Oh, he didn't.
Clark fervently hoped he wasn't glaring.
trascendenza for the Five Things Challenge and posted here because LJ comment fields continue to fail me and I continue to write too much. 1) Scrutinising the article on his monitor, Clark straightened in his chair when a pair of soft, warm hands covered his eyes.
"Guess who?"
He gasped, then grinned as he whipped around in his chair and almost crushed his mother in a hug. "Mom! Oh, Mom, what are you doing here?"
Martha chuckled against the shoulder of her son and returned the hug tightly. "I missed you, too, Clark. We thought we'd surprise you!"
Clark pulled out of her warm arms with a shock. "'We'?" He finally noticed his mother wasn't alone and offered his hand, embarrassed. "Oh, hi, Ben."
Ben's eyes twinkled as they exchanged a firm handshake. He took no offence at being initially unnoticed.
Clark took his mother's hand and glanced between the two of them. "So, uh... what are you doing here? Is there a regional bingo competition I didn't hear about?"
Martha patted the back of his hand. "We'd like to speak to you, Clark. Will you be free for lunch?"
Clark's eyebrows shot up. "Lunch? Sure. Where are you staying?"
"Oh, don't worry, dear, we'll come back at noon." Martha waved her free hand and winked at him. "It'll give me time to do some sight-seeing. Nice meeting you, Lois."
Clark whirled to look across the office as Ben and Martha made their exit. Lois waved after them, smiling kindly as she lounged in her desk chair. Clark was almost blinded as she turned that rare smile on him. "I bumped into her on the lift. She's nice."
2) "Saved your life!"
Richard and Lois looked up sharply from their combined notes for the source of noise. Over at the water cooler they saw Clark recovering himself as some leggy blonde had pounced on his back. Clark dropped his plastic cup and water spilled everywhere as he craned to get a glimpse of the perpetrator who was grinning against his ear.
Lois raised an eyebrow. "Do we know her?"
"New girl, maybe," Richard mused, unable to stop himself appraising her. "Looks like you're wrong, Lois, Clark Kent has fans after all."
They watched as Clark finally got the woman back on her feet and caught his first proper look at her. A slow, incredulous smile stole Clark's features and his eyes brightened in a way Lois and Richard had seldom witnessed. "Kara!"
Kara, thus named, welcomed the hug from Clark that nearly lifted her off her feet. Her laugh was light and clear across the entire bull pen, Richard heard Lois hum disinterestedly under her breath and turn back to their work.
"Hey, guys!"
Lois pursed her lips as Clark and his new friend approached her desk. Richard returned Clark's bright smile and noticed he was holding the new girl's hand. Clark motioned between the three of them. "Kara, this is Richard White and Lois Lane. This is my cousin, Kara, she's just in for the morning so I'm going to catch an early lunch. I'll be back by one."
Lois' smile was smug as the two swept away and she threw Richard a look. "Cousin," she drawled.
3) Tap tap tap.
Clark looked up from the urinal and glanced over his shoulder at the bathroom's window with incredulity. Oh, not now.
In the breath of less than a moment he'd flushed the urinal, washed his hands and done a check of the bathroom to ensure he was alone before he pulled the window open. A blast of cold air blew his hair back and nearly knocked the glasses from his face, but Wonder Woman seemed unaffected as she hovered before him, winding her lasso round her wrist.
Diana arched a dark, slender eyebrow at his attire. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?"
"Diana." Superman came to the fore in smooth, deep tones although Clark was still in work mode and mentally railing about the rule of never visiting their alter egos in their place of work. He had to present to Perry for that night's issue in five minutes!
She would only break the rules if it were a dire matter.
Diana must have seen something in his expression because she nodded and extended a hand toward the horizon. "We must be quick. I'll meet you on the roof."
4) "Running for congress... amazing. Well, good luck, Pete! You have my vote."
Pete laughed as perched on the edge of Clark's desk and surveyed the chaos of the bull pen. "I guess it's gonna be a lot like this," Pete mused, "Only with less televisions and more yelling between states."
Clark grinned. "And how's Lana these days?"
At his wife's mention, Pete rolled his eyes heavenward before he could stop himself. "Lana? Well, she, uh... things are interesting, Clark."
Interesting. It may have been years since they'd last spoken face-to-face, but there were some signs were still discernable. "Listen, are you free sometime this week in your campaign schedule? We should catch up properly - away from work."
Pete glanced away for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Thursday. I'll have my assistant get in contact with you."
Clark chuckled. "You have an assistant?"
"Up-n-comin' men need assistants, Clark. And I know this future Senator can count on you."
Clark stood and shook Pete's hand firmly. "Then we can all expect to see great things from you, Senator Ross."
"Who knows?" Pete mused as he drew himself up proudly. "You might even see me in the White House one day."
Both men laughed.
5) Clark had been so engrossed in skimming the paper's section on the rental market that he didn't discern that voice until he was in view of Lois' desk. The paper abruptly dropped as Clark saw Lois laugh and lean in her chain to murmur conspiratorially to the man crouched beside her.
Clark considered taking off his glasses lest they were deceiving him and that really was billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne typing one-handedly on Lois' computer. Clark listened in and caught Lois' giggle of "Bruce, don't change my password."
Bruce? Before Clark could stop himself he'd grabbed his notepad and was beside Lois' desk tapping it in a professional, non-committal manner. Lois and Bruce looked up at their newcomer in surprise.
"Lois, Perry just wanted to remind you not to diverge onto the power plant project, Charlie's got it covered. Also, Jimmy - "
Lois went from flirtatious to livid in a heartbeat. "Hey, Charlie isn't the one who did all legwork on the power plant, that's my project and I'm sick of Perry handing out my work like fairy floss at a festival, so you can tell him - "
Sometime around the point she uttered 'fairy' Bruce had shot to his feet and thrust his hand out to Clark. "Hi, I'm Bruce Wayne!"
Clark eyed Bruce's bright, unwavering smile and proffered hand. Looking at him this close, Clark couldn't detect a line of the Dark Knight in his expression; oh, he was good. Clark avoided Bruce's eye as he quickly shook his hand. "Clark Kent."
"Well, I'm just doing a tour of my newest asset. You see, I just bought the 'Planet. So, I guess that means I own you!" Bruce laughed hands sliding into his jacket pockets.
Oh, he didn't.
Clark fervently hoped he wasn't glaring.
