Firebrand, Superman, Lois Lane, and the Avengers in... Unfortunately Lex Luthor Is An Asshole

[stands_for_hope]

That morning, there wasn't a paper that didn't have a variation of one headline:

Captain America Comes Out in Support of Superman

The quotes were all different, though: 'He's here to help, same as me.' 'I've never met a kinder, more civic-minded man.' 'I've fought beside him and I'd do it again; there's very few people I'd trust to have my back like Superman.'

The Planet was the only one who had a full interview to go along with the statement that had been distributed to the various publications, an exclusive as written by Lois Lane who was starting to get known as the woman to go to if you needed to talk to a harder-to-find superhero. Lois didn't mind that one bit, honestly, though Cat Graham had started to ask her if she knew any of their numbers to get herself a date.

Later, on another day, Clark might wonder if that had been as much of a catalyst as anything. Because that was the day that Lex Luthor decided to make his play.

The massive spider mecha seemed to appear out of nowhere, towering over parts of the downtown area that had only just begun to be rebuilt. The streets were suddenly filled with rolling war machines, filled to the brim with alien soldiers speaking a language that was unfamiliar and strange to anyone who might hear it. Strange flying ships made their way from the outskirts of the city inward, terrifying the people as they scattered them from the streets. And all of them, each and every one of them, wore red, blue, and gold... and sported the s-like curve as an emblem.

The invasion had begun.

Comments

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"More than once," Steve told him with a definite smile in his eyes.

"I'd grab for the blankets like a little devil when I was half asleep and cold. Half the time--"

He wasn't sure how to finish that without things getting awkward, so he acted like he hadn't been starting a new sentence. Then he figured out a better idea.

"Half the time, I run too hot now to want one."

[kolodnoykovki]

"And here I just have to make sure this damn thing doesn't vent out in the night and grab hold of the sheet," Jim muttered in answer, knocking on his left bicep.

But he flopped down onto the floor, draping the blanket over himself before resting his head on the pillow. Comfortable as anything.

"Pain in the ass."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Me or the arm vents?" he asked, good-natured.

[kolodnoykovki]

He raised a wry eyebrow. "Can I say both?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

The other pillow got tossed at Jim's head.

"Jerk."

[kolodnoykovki]

Laughing, Jim grabbed it and swung it up, thwapping Steve with it as hard as a pillow could thwap. It wasn't a very effective weapon.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve 'blocked' before giving an undignified squawk.

"Super jerk! I'm out of ammo!"

[kolodnoykovki]

"Should'a thought of that before you threw it at me," he returned, and thwapped again.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Don't make me come down there, you," but he was more likely to fall out of the bed from laughing than making any moves to do any such thing.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Come down here and do what - make yourself an easier target?" This, he could do. Tease, laugh. If anything, it felt as overdue as sleep.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Go for your supplies," and he managed to reach down just far enough to grab the other pillow, going for a quick swipe with the remaining momentum. It's only by the grace of serum-enhanced balance that he hasn't fallen out, though.

[kolodnoykovki]

But balance was easy to mess with. He reached up, grabbed the pillow Steve had stolen, and he pulled. If Steve was going to threaten, Jim was going to make it come true.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve tumbled down out of the bed with a laugh before continuing the pillow assault, rolling to try and avoid some of Jim's thwacks with very limited success.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim pushed, rolling Steve to his back and pinning him with a pillow in each hand. "You won't win," he teased, smirking.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve looked up at Jim and just... breathed in, happy for a moment before pushing off with his leg to roll them back side to side.

"Why's that?"

[kolodnoykovki]

"Because you're just like Clark. You're a marshmallow." He couldn't stay on his side for long. The way his arm pressed into him made it too painful - and that was why he slipped up, into the bed, and swung a pillow again.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve blocked with a pillow, a shield-user to the end.

"Oh, you are so wrong and you know it."

Then he was going for a few side shots now that Jim had the high ground.

[kolodnoykovki]

"You've only won one fight with me, ever - and that was because I was pinned under a beam." Jim used his arm for a shield before aiming a pillow hit right to Steve's face.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve took the pillow to the face, then let out a bark of a laugh.

"Oh, like I was trying to win that one anyway. Not my fault you cheat all the time."

[kolodnoykovki]

"We didn't grow up to fight clean," he snorted and dropped the pillow onto Steve's face.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He gave Jim a good clean thwack to the head with a pillow before flopping onto the ground next to him, the pillow on his stomach.

"Nope," he agreed, a little breathless from laughing.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim smirked, leaning over the edge of the bed. "Looks like I stole the bed."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He looked up at Jim for a moment before taking the pillow and fluffing it behind his head. He doesn't look particularly bothered by it.

[kolodnoykovki]

He chuckled and rested his chin on his hand - right hand, the left laying down beside him. It was... amazing, really. Amazing that he could do this. Be this comfortable with someone who had set him off so hard before.

"Thanks," he ended up saying. "For coming to help."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He looked up.

"Course I came," he said with a little smile.

"Clark's a good guy. And you're--" he paused for a moment, not uncomfortably but obviously trying to find the right way to say it, "well, if you need me, I'm gonna be there."