[Third Person Pov]
Clark was lying on his side, one arm bent as he propped his head up with his fist, his gaze never leaving Lois as she paced back and forth in front of him. She was talking with her whole body—hands moving, shoulders shifting, eyes bright with excitement—and he found himself quietly captivated despite himself.
"And then I took the egg right off the pedestal and just booked it," Lois said, her voice rising with the memory. "I don't think I've ever run that fast in my entire life. My dad didn't even have a chance to say anything and didn't have any other choice than to follow after me." She burst out laughing and held her hands far apart, exaggerating the size. "And the egg was like this big! Huge. And ridiculously heavy. It was like trying to sprint while carrying a full water jug in my arms."
Clark's lips slowly—almost unconsciously—curved into a faint smile as he watched her animated retelling of how she had first met Superman. When she'd started the story, he'd honestly expected to be bored out of his mind. After all, he had been there. But it quickly became clear that someone who dreamed of becoming a journalist knew exactly how to keep an audience engaged. She had a natural rhythm to her words, an instinct for pacing and emphasis that pulled him in despite his best efforts.
"My dad started swerving through traffic," Lois continued, gripping an imaginary steering wheel and jerking it left and right for dramatic effect. "I can't even begin to count how many times we almost crashed. I swear, it felt like we were smack in the middle of some over-the-top action movie." She laughed again, clearly reliving every second. "It was terrifying—and amazing."
Clark quickly hid his chuckle, turning his face just enough to keep her from seeing it. There was no way he was giving her the satisfaction of knowing he was genuinely enjoying her storytelling.
"Thankfully, we made it through in one piece…" Lois said with a relieved sigh as she finally stopped pacing and dropped down to sit directly in front of him. Her tone softened as she finished recounting her encounter with Superman, the excitement settling into something more thoughtful.
Clark had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He'd lived the entire experience firsthand, so listening to it secondhand didn't exactly thrill him. Still, he stayed quiet, half-listening out of politeness.
After a moment, he raised an eyebrow and asked casually, "So what was your first impression of the guy? Good? Bad? Or secretly evil but pretending to be good?"
Lois hummed thoughtfully, her brows knitting together. "I'm not really sure how to articulate it," she admitted, then shrugged slowly. "He seemed… I don't know. Like a normal person?"
Clark stared at her, completely blank for a second. "A normal person?" he repeated incredulously. "He's an alien. What part of him is normal?"
Lois rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, I'm not explaining myself right. Yeah, he's an alien, but he didn't feel like one. Not to me at least." She leaned forward slightly, her voice more sincere now. "He just seemed like… someone trying his best. Someone doing what he thinks is the right thing, even when it's hard. And honestly? There's nothing alien about that whatsoever."
Clark could only stare at her in disbelief, his mind effectively short-circuiting as her words sank in.
Lois continued without missing a beat, her hands already moving again as she launched into the next part of the story. "So after that, I somehow managed to convince him to actually sit down for an interview with us. I still don't know how I pulled that off," she admitted with a small laugh. "And when we finally got to my dad's workplace, you could tell everyone was completely losing their minds—"
She never finished the sentence.
Clark suddenly leaned forward and pressed a quick, impulsive peck to her lips. It was over almost as soon as it began, but it was more than enough to stop her cold. Lois froze, eyes wide, just as stunned as Clark himself, who pulled back like he hadn't quite processed what he'd just done.
Lois blinked once… then again. She licked her lips slowly, a hint of amusement creeping into her expression as she studied him. "Okay," she said lightly, "what was that for?"
"I—I don't know," Clark muttered, more to himself than to her. His brows furrowed as he tried and failed to come up with a reason that made any sense. He looked genuinely baffled, like his own actions had betrayed him.
Clearly frustrated, he lowered himself back down onto the ground, interlocking his fingers and resting his hands behind his head. After a moment, he added dryly, "Maybe I was just getting tired of hearing your voice and wanted you to stop talking."
Lois let out a dramatic groan. "Ugh, you're so annoying," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let me tell my story in peace, geez." She waved him off and, without waiting for a response, continued on anyway, completely unfazed.
By the time she reached the end, Lois wore a wry, crooked grin. "Let me tell you—if it weren't for my dad stepping in and talking her down, my mom would've grounded me for life," she said. "As it stands, the only real casualty was my dad getting shoved straight into the doghouse."
Clark snorted at the mental image. "Poor man."
"Poor me, more like," Lois shot back. "I got chewed out like there was no tomorrow." She visibly shivered at the memory. "I still have nightmares."
Clark saw his opening and couldn't resist. "Wait," he said, sitting up slightly, a teasing edge creeping into his voice, "you're telling me you met a famous, real-life superhero… and you didn't even ask for his autograph?"
Lois stared at him in silence, processing the words. Her eyes slowly widened.
Then her mouth fell open, and a string of curses spilled out like she'd been born speaking sailor. "—Son of a bitch! How could I forget to ask for an autograph?! What was I thinking? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
Clark looked openly pleased with himself, thoroughly satisfied that he'd managed to bait that reaction out of her.
Lois huffed, then suddenly perked up. "Do you think if I call him over, he'd come?" she asked, cupping her hands around her mouth. "I mean, from what I know, he can hear things from across the world."
"Please don't," Clark said quickly, rolling his eyes. "He's probably busy saving a third-world country from oppression or something—"
"I certainly hope not," Lois interrupted sharply.
Clark blinked and stared at her. "What?"
She shook her head, her expression turning serious. "I just don't think he should be involving himself in political matters like that," she said firmly. "That kind of thing would only lead to disaster. I can't even begin to imagine the repercussions."
Clark studied her for a moment, surprised by the sudden gravity in her tone. Then he sat up fully. "Elaborate," he said curiously.
"Well for starters," Lois said, lowering her hands and fixing Clark with a serious look, "the moment he steps into something like that, he stops being a symbol and starts being a weapon."
Clark frowned slightly. "A weapon?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "Politics isn't just good guys and bad guys tied up with a bow. It's power, influence, history, and people who all think they're justified. If Superman takes a side—any side—he's not just helping. He's deciding."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Who gets to govern. Who doesn't. Which borders matter and which don't. That's not rescuing people from a burning building—that's rewriting the world by force, even if his intentions are good."
"But if people are suffering—" Clark started.
"They always are," Lois cut in gently but firmly. "Everywhere. All the time. If he intervenes in one country, why not another? And if he doesn't, then who decides which lives are worth his attention?"
She shook her head. "And let's be real—governments wouldn't see him as a savior. They'd see him as a foreign power with no accountability. No vote. No oversight. Just a man who can't be stopped."
Clark was quiet.
"Today he topples a dictator," Lois continued. "Tomorrow another nation arms itself because they're afraid he'll be next. Alliances collapse. Wars start because of him, not despite him. All because one man decided he knew better than the entire world."
She exhaled slowly. "Superman works because he helps people, not systems. He saves lives without telling them how to live those lives afterward. The moment he starts shaping politics, he becomes something else entirely—and there's no coming back from that."
Lois glanced at Clark, her expression softening just a bit.
"And honestly? The world doesn't need a god making decisions for it. It needs hope. Accountability. And the chance to fix itself—even when it's messy."
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