Work Text:
“ That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree
Must be felled for to fight the cold
I fretted fire but that was long ago “
(Would that I - Hozier)
...
Lois Lane doesn't date.
She doesn't do boyfriends, or girlfriends.
She doesn't go out bowling with some lawyer guy she met at a bar.
She doesn't get a five course meal with a woman whose personality is like a bouquet of fragrant roses.
And she definitely doesn't go on a romantic picnic outing with dorky black haired, blue eyed coworkers.
Yet here she was, in Charlotte Hill Botanical Gardens sitting on an old blanket eating an obscene amount of pastries with Clark Kent.
He actually forgot to get food for their picnic. Not for any douche-y reasons, Superman actually had to fight a kaiju that morning. So they ended up with two boxes of freakishly good impromptu pastries from a new bakery near the Planet.
God, not only was Lois Lane dating, she was dating Superman. Lois from 4 years ago would be so angry.
Or sad.
Something along the lines of, 'You know this won't work out. It's too good to be true. Don't forget, you always make things worse.'
Betty would agree. So would Dan, and Julio, and Miyoung. She's messed up every relationship she's been in. The old Lois would say, 'It won't be long before you end this one too.' She would scold her for letting her guard down, for letting him buy her coffee that morning. For not ignoring his incredibly obvious crush on her, and going to that bowling alley with him.
For falling in love.
Contrary to popular belief amongst her cohorts, Lois Lane falls in love very easily. Or, at least she thinks she's in love. Until it turns out it was just a passing attraction, one she shouldn't have acted on. So, after her last relationship, she just- stopped.
She pushed people away, putting her life into her work. Years passed by, and she was doing well. Then Clark Kent started working at the Daily Planet, and here they are now. On a romantic picnic date in a garden.
'Did you forget your history? You're going to hurt him. Look at him, do you think he deserves that? Do you think you deserve him?'
No. Lois didn't think she deserved Clark. He was so genuine, so trusting. He saw the best in people and believed in their capacity for good. And Lois fell in love with him for that.
She fell in love with his sincerity, his severe lack of fashion sense, his slight Midwestern accent that he couldn't quite conceal as a civilian. She fell in love with his dedication to help people with the abilities he had. She fell in love with Clark Kent and Superman.
And that was ok.
Clark Kent showed Lois that it was alright to fall in love, that it was ok to be loved. He loved with his whole being.
Lois loved like she knew she would lose someone. She loved cautiously, not wanting to be hurt, or to hurt anyone.
One night, she worked up the courage to talk to him. To tell him how worried she was. And Clark Kent flashed that silly, dorky smile at her. The kind of smile that he gave her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. One filled with warmth and adoration.
He took her hand in his own with a practiced gentleness only a man of his strength could have.
"There's nothing wrong with being scared. It proves you're human. It tells me how much you care. Whatever happens in the future, let's face it head on, together."
Since then, Lois has been scared. But she also has Clark, the love of her life. The man who saves puppies out of trees and thinks 'The Mighty Crabjoys' is punkrock.
So she'll let her heart lead her where she needs to go.
And right now, it's here, beside Clark Kent, eating suspiciously good pastries in a garden on a Sunday afternoon.