[Third Person Pov]
Clark didn't bother to show it, but he was genuinely impressed by Lois's answer. He kept his expression carefully neutral, though something thoughtful flickered behind his eyes.
"Your question actually got me curious," he said after a moment. "If you suddenly woke up one day with Superman's powers… what would you do?"
Based on everything she had said so far, Clark found himself unusually eager to hear her response.
"Oooh, that's a really good question," Lois replied, visibly brightening as she leaned into the discussion. "Hmm, let's see. If I had Superman's powers, what would I do…"
She brought a finger to her chin, eyes unfocused as she sank deep into thought. After a few seconds, she nodded to herself. "I think… initially, I'd be a reporter."
"Huh?" Clark asked, turning to her with a puzzled look.
Lois nodded again, still half-lost in her reasoning. "At the start, yeah. I'd stay a reporter. That way, I'd be one of the first people to know about any major crime or disaster happening. I could get the information immediately, act fast, and still do my job—reporting the truth. With super speed, I could do both before anyone even realized I was gone."
Clark stared at her in open disbelief for a heartbeat—then he burst out laughing. He leaned to the side, one hand bracing himself as he tried and failed to hold it in.
"What?" Lois protested, her face heating up as she crossed her arms. "It's not that funny."
"I don't think you'll ever understand why I found that answer so funny," Clark said, shaking his head as he covered his face, still suppressing a chuckle.
After a moment, he straightened and composed himself. "Why did you say initially?"
Lois's expression softened, her earlier playfulness giving way to something more serious. "Because that's how it would start," she said quietly. "I'd be naïve. Idealistic. I'd believe I could save everyone just by being a superhero. I'd fly in, rescue people, stop disasters, and think that was enough. That the world was saved."
She paused, her gaze dropping to the floor as her legs crossed. "But reality would catch up to me. I'd realize that the people in immediate danger aren't the only ones who need saving."
Her voice didn't waver as she continued. "The people who need the most help don't always have the voice—or the power—to cry out for Superman. Or… Superwoman, in my case. And no matter how sharp your hearing is, you still wouldn't hear them."
Lois slowly lifted her gaze toward the clouds overhead. "So then I'd use the connections I built as Superman—or the ones I already have. I'd create organizations. Fundraisers. Charities. I'd help people on a global scale, in ways that punching villains or stopping runaway trains never could."
She exhaled softly. "That kind of help would reach everyone."
When she finally looked back down, she froze.
Clark was staring at her—really staring—with a smile so gentle and sincere that it caught her completely off guard. It was unlike anything she had ever seen from him before, and for a split second, it actually unnerved her.
"What?" Lois asked suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? Like what?" Clark replied, his smile instantly dropping as his face snapped back into its usual neutral expression.
"You were smiling at me all weird," Lois said, recoiling slightly. "It was unsettling."
"No, I wasn't."
"Yes, you were."
"No, I wasn't."
"Yes, you totally were."
"Totally wasn't."
"Totally were."
With a groan, Lois leaned forward and slapped her hands over his mouth. "Okay, okay—enough. I was just messing with you," she said, smirking. "You've got a cute smile, alright? So it was weird seeing it out in the wild."
Clark leaned back, trying to escape her hands on him. "Do you honestly have no shame? Who just says that?"
Lois shrugged casually before turning the question back on him. "Alright then," she said, tilting her head. "How about you? What would you do if you had Superman's powers?"
Clark didn't hesitate.
"I'd take over the world," he replied flatly. "I'd force people to follow what I say. I'd have all the power in existence, after all. I'd be undefeatable. My words would be law. I'd unify the world under a single power—my power."
Lois blinked once.
Then she started laughing.
She brought her fist up to her mouth, trying—and failing—to contain it. A soft chuckle escaped her, followed by a full laugh, and then, embarrassingly, a tiny snort that made her laugh even harder.
"What's so funny?" Clark asked, his face completely blank. "I'm being dead serious."
"Oh, please," Lois said between laughs. "Do you honestly think you can fool me?" She straightened, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I might not have known you long, Ayase, but I've practically got you figured out already."
Clark gave her a skeptical look.
"You like to act all grumpy and intimidating," she continued, pointing at him. "Like some serious, brooding bastard. But that's not the whole picture." She pinched her fingers together with a smirk. "Only a tiny part of you is actually a bastard."
Clark opened his mouth to fire back, but Lois's smirk widened into something mischievous. She leaned in close, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Not to mention," she said conspiratorially, "I know your secret."
"Oh yeah?" Clark scoffed, raising a brow. "And what secret would that be?"
"Yeah," Lois said confidently. "I know you're Superman—"
Clark's heart dropped.
For a fraction of a second, the world seemed to stall. His chest tightened, his thoughts raced, and every muscle in his body went rigid as those words left her mouth.
"—Superman's fan," Lois finished triumphantly, pulling back with a wide, victorious grin.
"Huh?" Clark said, genuinely caught off guard as he stared at her.
"Despite how hard you try to deny it, I know your secret," Lois said, puffing out her chest proudly. "I've never seen you so invested in a conversation before. You've never been this engaged with any topic."
She began ticking points off on her fingers. "You ask follow up questions. You smile. You laugh. You actually care. And the only time I actually see this side of you come out is when we're talking about Superman." She leaned back, hands on her hips. "Face it, Ayase. You're a fan."
Clark had to physically force his facial muscles not to twitch.
Lois leaned closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, flashing him a sly, knowing smile. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."
"I swear," Clark said evenly, "one of these days I'm going to toss you off this rooftop and be apprehended for murder."
Lois burst into full, unrestrained laughter, nearly doubling over.
Unfortunately, the moment didn't last.
The school bell rang loudly, echoing across the rooftop and cutting their lunch break short—much to her disappointment.
"Ugh," Lois groaned. She stood and began gathering her things. Before leaving, she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Later," she said brightly. "I had fun today. We're definitely continuing this conversation."
She grinned at him. "And next time, I want your honest answer to the Superman question."
With that, she headed down the stairs, the door to the rooftop closing behind her with a hollow echo.
Clark let out a long, heavy breath and lay back against the concrete, staring up at the sky for a few seconds.
Then Sol's voice echoed softly in his ears.
"Ms. Lane is… remarkable," Sol said with genuine sincerity.
Clark merely hummed in response, a small smile tugging at his lips. He already knew where this was going.
"She articulated the exact philosophy you've been developing," Sol continued, holographic displays flickering to life around Clark's glasses—logistical charts, analysis sheets, and reports appearing one by one. "All before you officially became Superman."
"And how are the organizations holding up?" Clark asked calmly, folding his hands behind his head. "I've given them almost full autonomy. It's been a while since I reviewed the numbers."
"The most successful division remains the medical branch," Sol replied. "They are currently providing extensive support for critically ill children across North America. Operations in Asia and North Africa are following closely behind."
Clark nodded quietly.
Despite how he often portrayed himself—rough, bastard, dimwitted at times—he was Kryptonian.
And that meant he was far from being stupid.
During his training leading up to becoming Superman, he hadn't spent his time solely mastering his powers, honing combat techniques, or sparring against training drones. He had planned. Strategized. Thought deeply about what it meant to be Superman.
He had reached the same conclusion Lois had.
No matter how fast he flew or how many lives he saved from immediate danger, he would never be able to help everyone simply by being a symbol of hope.
So with the help of Sol and Lara-El, he had begun building something more—quietly, carefully, and without recognition. Networks. Organizations. Systems designed to help those who could never cry out for Superman in the first place.
Momo and Seiko knew nothing about it.
No one did.
And Clark preferred it that way.
After all, this had never been about recognition.
It was about doing what needed to be done.
(A/N: In case someone mentions I've never showed signs of this before just know I've never shown Clark struggling with money, and once made a reference that he once offered to paid Seiko rent but she said no)
********************************************
Read More advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3
This Marks the end of the official dialy uploads for this fic (I know I missed a few along the way bite me but I kept a constant upload for like over 100 chapters) you can 20+ chapters on Patreon, there's going to be a 20 chapter gap so go over and enjoy yourselves 😉
Ps. The chat is completely free for anyone that just wants to come in and talk, I heard some people put a pay wall on theirs which is beyond me honestly