Chapter Text
It didn’t happen very often, but sometimes Clark wished he had been the only living being to make it off Krypton. Like right now, as Krypto crouched in the corner of his bedroom, backing himself up against the ceiling.
“Krypto, please,” Clark begged. “I need to brush you. You’re shedding everywhere .”
Krypto barked at him in a way that definitely meant no and scrambled further back into the corner.
“Please, Krypto!” Clark pleaded.
“Clark! Do you need some help in there?” Lois’ voice came through the door.
“No! Lois, don’t come in!” Clark shouted. “Krypto, get down from there!” He said through gritted teeth. Krypto tilted his head to the side. “I’ll take you to the park later. You can chase squirrels. But only if you come down right now. ”
Krypto barked and flew down onto the floor.
“Clark, what is going on?” Lois asked through the wall.
“Uh, come in!” Clark called.
Lois came in and shut the door behind her. “What have you been doing in here? I could hear you crashing around from all the way down the hall,” she said incredulously, looking around the room. Clark’s bed covers were all over the place, and ripped in some places. Everything on his desk had been knocked over. The wires for his bedside lamp had been ambitiously chewed through.
Clark stood in the middle of the chaos and sighed. “I hate my dog.”
Lois laughed and knelt down to pet Krypto. “But he’s just a little baby!”
“There’s evil in his heart, Lois,” Clark insisted as Krypto panted happily while Lois scratched between his ears. He sat down on the edge of his bed, defeated.
“Why the long face? It won’t take too long to tidy this up,” Lois protested, getting up and surveying the damage with her hands on her hips. She walked over to Clark’s desk. “Clark… why do you have so many cuttings with Superman on them?” She raised an eyebrow as she leafed through the hefty pile. Every one of them had a picture of Clark as Superman. Krypto curled up at Lois’ feet and looked at Clark accusingly.
“Uh… I can explain that…”
“Also, last night, I was sitting in the living room, doing some late-night writing, and who do I see in the corridor but Clark Kent sneaking about in his underwear?” Crap. “You’re gonna have to explain that to me, too,” Lois said, raising an eyebrow.
“What?!” Clark sputtered. “No I don’t. Must have been someone else.” In his haste to get into the Superman suit yesterday evening, and because he then had to fly off to stop an active bomb threat, Clark had forgotten where he’d left his clothes. And he obviously couldn’t go back into his apartment wearing his supersuit. So he’d flown onto the roof, got undressed, and snuck down the fire escape to their floor in his pants.
“We don’t live with any other guys, Clark. And no one else has any reason to sneak around like that.” Lois pulled Clark’s desk chair out and sat down. He felt like he was being interrogated.
“What do you mean by that?” Clark asked cautiously. He didn’t like Lois’ conspiratorial tone.
“I know your secret, Clark,” Lois said simply. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t feel like you could tell me.”
Oh God. “Look, Lois, I… I haven’t told anyone except my parents. And Diana. It’s all pretty new to me. I was just worried that you would see me differently. It’s hard to admit… that I’m…”
“Into guys,” Lois said, just as Clark said “Superman.”
“What?” They both said at the same time.
“I’m not into guys!” Clark protested.
“You’re Superman? ” Lois asked. They stared at each other for a moment.
“Lois, I’m - I’m not into dudes!”
“We’ll get to that in a minute,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Start talking, Smallville.”
Clark sighed and pulled the case with the suit out from under his bed. He rested it on his lap and opened it, swinging it around for Lois to see the supersuit folded up inside. Lois gasped softly and reached out to run her fingers over the material.
“You really are,” she whispered. She looked back up at him. “I just thought you guys looked really similar, or he was maybe a distant relative or something. I mean… you’re so… normal ,” she protested.
Clark shrugged. “It’s me. You’d be surprised how much of a difference a pair of glasses, a different hairstyle and different body language can make.”
“Clearly,” Lois said. “How am I ever going to be a good reporter if I didn’t even realise my own roommate is Superman? ”
“I mean, it’s reassuring for me,” Clark admitted.
“So… you have superpowers?” Lois asked. Clark nodded. “Show me one.”
Clark put the suit down on the bed next to him and stood up. He started floating a few inches off the ground. Lois looked up at him, then down at the space between his feet and the floor, then back up at him okay.
“Oh my God, Clark!” She exclaimed.
He shushed her quickly. “Please, Lois. This is a secret.”
“So, what, are you a metahuman?”
Clark shook his head. “I’m an alien.”
“No way,” Lois said, her eyes wide. “How did I not know this?”
“I hide it well,” Clark shrugged.
“What planet are you from?”
“Not one you’d know. It was called Krypton,” Clark said heavily.
“Was?” Lois asked softly.
“It, uh… it was destroyed. The whole planet is gone. I’m the only one left. And my stupid, badly behaved dog who I still love to pieces,” Clark said as Krypto attempted to pull his sock off his foot.
“ Krypto…” Lois said in realisation. “Of course. What, does the dog have powers too?” She joked.
Clark smirked. “Krypto, up!”
Krypto actually obeyed for once and rose into the air. He launched himself at Lois. She caught him and sputtered as he started licking her face.
“Oh my God, Clark, your dog has super powers,” she said, once she’d manoeuvred Krypto safely onto her lap. “I… I never knew. I mean, obviously, but still. I’m sorry. About your… your planet. ”
“I mean, I don’t even know what I’m missing,” Clark admitted. “But… I do wonder. What my parents were like. What it would have been like to grow up there, instead of here. But I couldn’t have asked for better people to take me in.”
Lois nodded. “That’s quite a big thing to have to hide for your whole life.”
“It’s not been easy,” Clark agreed. “I have to watch myself all the time, and make sure I don’t give myself away.”
“Which brings us onto our next topic,” Lois said smoothly, with the air of a reporter finally moving on to the centrepiece of their story.
“Lois,” Clark said disapprovingly.
“Clark,” she said firmly. “You can’t keep ignoring this.”
“I’m not ignoring anything,” Clark insisted. “There’s nothing to ignore. The Superman magazines, sneaking out all the time… it’s because I’m Superman!”
Lois raised an eyebrow. “And coming home from Bruce’s looking like a lovesick puppy once or twice a week?”
“What? That’s not - I don’t - we’re just friends!”
“Clark.” She looked at him sternly. It was her tell the truth face. It was one of the many reasons Clark knew she would make such a good reporter.
Clark sighed. “I… I don’t know what I feel. He… I… I don’t know what to do, Lois,” Clark said, and he could hear the desperation in his voice.
“You like him,” she said softly. “A lot.”
“I think so,” Clark admitted, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. “I think I do. Is it really obvious?”
“No, because you care so much about everyone all of the time,” Lois laughed. “But you seem different when you’re talking about him. I mean, you literally told me and Ivy that you couldn’t stop thinking about him. And you’ve been quieter recently. You tore yourself apart worrying about him when he went back to Gotham. You dropped everything to help him last weekend. And I know you would do that for everyone, but… when you do it for him it’s different. You come home after being with him and you barely speak. That’s not like you. I could tell there was something going on with you. I just didn’t realise it was… so much,” Lois said, gesturing to the end of the bed where Clark’s Superman suit sat.
“Lois, I don’t know what to do with this,” Clark said desperately. “I… I’ve felt so different my whole life. I thought it was just because I was an alien…”
“Well, that would do it,” Lois cracked.
Clark laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, it would. I just… I never even thought about it. Or I made myself not think about it. I always knew I liked girls, so I never really looked outside of that. But I guess there were times… locker rooms, and sleepovers… but with Bruce, it’s the first time I’ve really felt it. I want to be with him all the time. I want to be next to him, listening to him talk, hearing his heartbeat. I… I want to kiss him,” Clark admitted quietly, like it was something that should be said softly or not at all.
“Look, Clark… you really like him. That’s a beautiful thing. Focus on that. Nothing else matters as much as that does,” Lois said. “It’s scary, realising you’re not what you thought you were. It’s even scarier realising you’re not what other people still think you are. But you will be okay, and people will still love you. I know I do. And you have so much love in your heart. It’s no surprise that there aren’t any limits on that.”
Clark’s chest felt tight. He cleared his throat. “Thanks, Lois.”
She smiled at him gently. “Don’t rush to tell people. Take your time. Sit with it for a bit.”
Clark nodded. She stood up, and Clark followed. She hugged him tightly. Krypto jumped up at them both and barked. They pulled apart and Clark bent down to pet him.
“I guess we should take you out for a walk, huh, buddy?” Clark asked him. Krypto tilted his head to the side and stuck his tongue out, panting. He floated into the air and flew around Clark’s head excitedly.
Lois grinned and shook her head. “I can’t believe your dog has superpowers, dude. And I can’t believe that I know Superman’s identity and I can’t write about it for the Planet! Would you let me do an interview?”
“Never gonna happen.”
The next day, Clark was on his way to boxing with Diana. He was kind of relieved Bruce wasn’t going to be there. He wasn’t ready to face him just yet after Lois had forced him to come to terms with what he’d been pushing down and making himself ignore for months.
“Superman seems to be doing well,” Diana said lightly. “Very positive reception from the media, and the people.” They walked past a tourist stall that was already selling Superman t-shirts.
Clark nodded proudly. “Yeah, he seems to be doing alright.” He glanced at Diana out of the corner of his eye and they started laughing.
“You’re doing a good job, Clark. I’m proud of you,” she said.
“Thanks, Diana. That means a lot. Do you ever… think about getting out there yourself? Batman, Superman… would be nice to diversify the group a little,” Clark suggested.
Diana chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know, Clark. I… this world took my greatest love from me. I came back because I wanted to love it again. Because he loved it. And I know now that that’s what he wanted… but it’s still hard for me. It’s going to take time. I feel like a stranger here, and I see him everywhere.”
Clark knew the feeling. He’d always felt different, and seen reminders everywhere that he wasn’t the same as everyone else. Small things like his parents never letting him do any sport in high school, and bigger things like not knowing when his real birthday was. His parents had just decided to celebrate on the day that they found him, instead.
“It’s hard for me too. But I think it’s worth it.”
“Hey, a bunch of us are going to the beach on Saturday. You should come,” Clark said through a mouthful of crisps. He was sitting on Lex’s sofa playing video games, because it was a Thursday.
“Who’s going?” Lex frowned.
“Uh, my whole flat, I think… Bruce and Selina… and I think Diana’s invited Arthur,” Clark groaned.
“What’s your problem with Arthur? He seems like a nice guy.”
“He cornered me at Diana’s party and talked to me about fish for ten minutes. Dude, he said he could talk to them,” Clark explained, wide-eyed.
Lex laughed. “See? Why would you not want him around? That’s brilliant.”
“Not when you’re the only person there,” Clark assured him.
“You and Bruce seem to be getting close,” Lex said, as though he’d tried to say it casually and failed.
“Yeah,” Clark shrugged. Should he tell him what he’d talked to Lois about? Or would telling an old friend make it too real? He thought he wanted Lex to know. He wanted to be honest with him about one thing, at least. “He’s a good guy. We get on well.”
“You just can’t get enough billionaire friends, can you?” Clark could tell he meant it to come off as a joke, but there was an undercurrent of bitterness to it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clark paused the game and turned to face Lex.
“Well, I just… I don’t know, man, this sounds stupid, but I’m supposed to be your best friend. Have been since we were twelve. I just… you spend so much time with Bruce now, and I barely even know the guy,” Lex said angrily. “And when we actually do hang out, you’re way too quiet, like there’s something on your mind. I didn’t ask because I thought you’d tell me if you wanted to. But Clark, it just always feels like you’re keeping secrets from me! I mean, these last few weeks, we’ve made plans and then you’ve cancelled them, or run out halfway through for whatever reason. I just… I feel like I’m barely even part of your life anymore.”
“Lex,” Clark said softly. He had no idea Lex was feeling that way, which made him feel even worse. Clark sighed. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t realise.”
“No. I’m sure you didn’t. That’s just classic Clark Kent, isn’t it. Act first, apologise later,” Lex muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing, man. Just… nothing. Forget about it. You clearly don’t want to talk about anything in your life, so… just forget about it.”
“Lex, come on, man, let’s just talk about this-”
“Do you know what, I’m not in the mood for this anymore.” Lex turned the console off.
Clark stood up cautiously. “Lex, I-”
“I think you should just go, Clark.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday?”
Lex scoffed.
Clark left his apartment feeling like he’d really, really fucked up.
BRUCE. Hey. What time is our train tomorrow morning?
CLARK. The girls and I are getting on the 10 o’clock. Still not sure if Lex is coming or not.
BRUCE. Everything okay?
CLARK. I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.
BRUCE. Well, I’ve got someone here who is very excited to go to the beach.
BRUCE. [image]
Clark smiled at his phone as a photo of Dick wearing a snorkel and grinning around the mouthpiece filled the screen.
The argument with Lex was playing on his mind, but knowing that he was going to see Bruce tomorrow was taking up most of his thoughts. And maybe that was the problem. But either way, it promised to be an interesting trip.
Clark sighed and started getting ready for bed. He was almost regretting his suggestion. But when he thought of Dick’s excited face smiling at him from his phone screen, he knew it would be worth it.