stands_for_hope | The Not Quite Justice League in... The Bee's Pleas!!!

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house of am

The Not Quite Justice League in... The Bee's Pleas!!!

[continued from here]

Finishing his article, clearing everything with Keith, those things took time. That was why it took a few hours before Clark was ready to make his usual call to Lois that night. He had worried that he might not make the time window that she cleared every day to talk to him and the others, but he was proud to say that he'd left himself an even half an hour as long as everything was to schedule.

After the fifth time she didn't pick up (didn't so much as text or ping him), it became clear that things were very much off schedule.

Clark made his way back to the main floor where everyone seemed to congregate and headed straight for Tony, holding up the phone to him.

"I know we're all tired and we've certainly had a long day, but... can you find out where Lois's phone is from the number here?"

In all the madness of the day, all the fighting and the close calls and the weakness brought on by the proximity of kryptonite, he'd lost track of her heartbeat. Usually, it was simple enough to pick up over the phone once again, a steady pulse that he could find his way back to once the phonecall had ended.

He couldn't hear her. He couldn't tell where she was. And she wasn't answering her phone. She always answered her phone. He didn't want to think anything was wrong, but he wasn't naive enough to discount something like this. Not after today. Not after they'd pulled out kryptonite weapons.

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He smiled back at her. "Anything you want. We were just getting breakfast, but we'll get anything."

"Just something. Clark made eggs?" and Lois looked hopeful at that. She loved Clark's eggs. He always managed to make them properly fluffy.

"I think we can get you some Clark-made eggs." In fact, he was almost sure that now they'd been mentioned, they'd materialise before too long.

Clark pulled away from discussing the issue of the keyboard ('I can actually feel the lasers, Tony, no, really') and headed straight into the kitchen like he was on schedule. Steve couldn't help a faint smile and Diana stepped up to stroke Lois's hair out of her eyes as they settled around her.

"I am so glad I wasn't going to be much help for Thanksgiving anyway," Lois said with a little grin. "That means I won't feel like a total putz. I can still buy a box of pie with three fingers, after all!"

He smiled warmly to her. "Let us wait on you for a while. You'll get used to having us serve you and once you're back on your feet, you won't know what to do."

"Now that's just ridiculous," Lois said with a crooked smile, "I absolutely know what to do when everyone's waiting on me hand and foot.

"Steal the television for my Netflix queue."

"Yeah, but afterward?" he teased, but then leaned in to murmur, "If both of us do the puppy eyes, I bet we can get Steve to sing along with Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty."

She leaned in against him, obviously soaking in some of his presence, taking something she needed from it even if it was on the sly.

"I can puppy dog like nobody's business. We're definitely doing that."

With a wide grin and a wink, he nodded his agreement - they were absolutely doing that.

"See? Already on the road to recovery."

"Screw that! Who needs recovering? I'm consistently fabulous," Lois said with a small smirk even if she was leaning up against Jim.

He settled his arm very carefully around her. "Damn straight you are."

And he had her. Nobody was going to take her out of his grasp now, under pain of death. That was his niece.

She let her head rest up against his arm and closed his eyes. Diana looked over at Jim and gave him the tiniest nod. Yes, they'd take care of her. His niece, but also her sister.

A moment or so later, Clark was walking in with a plate of eggs and a small spoon for her to eat them with.

"So, you guys gonna rock paper scissors for who gets to man the spoon or do I get to choose?"

"Your choice," Jim smiled. "I know all of us will go by whatever choice you make."

And he would. But he could tell that she'd probably do miles better once they were home. Their home, not just Metropolis.

He and Diana were going to have to pull off their plan soon.

Lois looked down her nose imperiously before nodding towards Clark.

"Clark gets spoon duty. Jim, you're on cuddle shift and Diana, you get to try and fix my hair so I don't look like a haystack when we head out of here."

Diana gave her the warmest smile.

"Of course, Lois."

Clark didn't want to crowd her, so he floated beside her before he started feeding her the eggs.

Jim chuckled but stayed close, supporting Lois as much as cuddling - after all, he'd missed her. And she... Well. Maybe she needed a little support. "What did the doctor say about us helping you wash up outside your bandages?"

She paused before taking the next bite.

"He said that I should, and suggested that for some of the larger sections, I get a thing that makes my cast waterproof with like a whole bag so I can shower. But for right now, I'm strictly sponges, unfortunately."

Steve gave Lois a little smile before walking out to go find Tony. They needed to set up some sort of pipeline, something firm, so that the good guys were at least as in sync as the bad guys.

"Then I'll leave everything from the knees to the shoulders to people who should see you naked," Jim said. "But I should be able to handle the rest. I'll get you sponged off as soon as you're done eating while we have Tony's water bill to abuse."

This was something they hadn't really seen of him - something that hadn't been necessary, even when Steve had been forced into his old body. He hadn't gotten sick in that time. Hadn't needed Jim there to mop his forehead and make sure he got the fever-sweat washed away. But his hand was as practiced at that as it was anything else. He'd been a caretaker for a long time before he'd been a soldier.

"It is always an honor to assist a fellow warrior," Diana said warmly, stroking her arm with a kind smile.

"And I'll keep wrangling Perry. Though he, uh, he may barge in at some point to check on you. He's been texting me since I let him know your situation," Clark admitted.

Lois smiled just a little herself.

"That old softy."

"And we'll make sure there's always someone around the house so you won't have to worry about being alone."

That, he hoped, would help. It'd help him, the knowledge that he didn't always have to watch his back.

"Oh, like there's ever a time when the apartment's empty," she said airily, though her eyes went up to look at Jim. It said, very quietly, that she appreciated what he was saying. And she'd appreciate his presence with her there.

"And you could still come upstairs with me when you're not making Clark take dictation," he suggested. "Now that the main construction's done, everything that needs doing is indoors up there. You can tell me when I get the planters level."

He could invent things for her to do. Just like he used to with someone else he cared about.

"Tell me which herbs to plant where. Watch a city boy like me try to remember which one is rosemary and which one is chives."

She nodded even as she nudged him with her shoulder, but she didn't say anything, letting her eyes close and lean into him. Diana took the movement for what it was and nodded over to Clark before taking her leave to join Steve out in the main room. She knew, just as Steve knew, that sometimes the best thing one could do is let things be. And she knew that Lois was in good hands between Clark and Jim.

He hugged her gently, lips pressed to her temple. She was there, she was safe, she was home. Both of them were right there to take care of her, and that wasn't going to change.

And he wasn't going to insist that she never do it again. Or that she take one of them with her. He knew better. But he also knew that they were going to keep an eye on such things anyway.

"After I finish these amazing eggs," Lois said quietly, "I'd like to see about going home. Then I'm going to pass out for a week."

Clark nodded his agreement with this plan before dishing up another spoonful of eggs for her, which she ate dutifully.

"That sounds just fine," Jim agreed, stroking her hair as she ate. "Want me to sponge you off here or wait? It's up to you."

His voice might well have been gentler than any of them had heard before - well. Any but one.

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