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

[stands_for_hope]

[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.

Comments

[stands_for_hope]

Between Jim and Diana, Lois finally finally let herself uncoil a little, relax a little, pull down the walls that she'd erected to keep herself together. By the time they were at conditioner, she was utterly boneless, but there were, perhaps, a few drips of water down her face that had not come from the sink.

[kolodnoykovki]

And he wasn't going to say a word about it. Not unless she wanted to. He was going to focus his attention on helping her hair be smooth and clean and smell like home again. Only when he was done did he reach down, with slightly damp hands, and wipe the tears away. Kiss her forehead. "Ready to sit somewhere other than the kitchen for a while?"

[stands_for_hope]

She was quiet for a moment before nodding up at him.

"The kitchen's pretty amazing, though. Way better than its competitors."

Diana smiled a little and patted her leg.

"We will care for the rest of you later, once you have rested."

[kolodnoykovki]

"So where do you wanna go from here? Living room? Bedroom? Somewhere I've not thought about?"

He wasn't perfect at it, but with a few gentle gestures, he had her hair up in a loose turban. It was good enough to stay, but not good enough to not flop a little.

[stands_for_hope]

"Living room. And then I want you on one side and Clark on the other and Diana and Steve on the other chair and we're all going to eat the rest of the cake and watch movies."

Diana chuckled and rubbed her leg with the other towel to dry off her feet.

"As said by a true queen, Lois. So shall we obey."

[kolodnoykovki]

"You've got it," he agreed easily, and then, after checking with Diana and with utmost care, he lifted her into his arms to carry her where she wanted.

[stands_for_hope]

Lois would never admit to curling up against his chest and resting her head against his shoulder and soaking in as much of him as she could before she was put down on the couch. But that was what happened.

Diana said nothing other than to bring a pair of slippers and soft socks to put her feet into.

"Shall I summon Steven and Clark? I believe Clark can finish things up properly in record time once he is made aware that you wish for his presence."

Lois nodded, but she was still curled up against Jim for the moment.

[kolodnoykovki]

He settled Lois in and settled himself in beside her, close enough for her to lean. She'd never gone through that before. He had. In a way, Steve had. It was something he would never have wished on her. "Feelin' any better?" he asked in a murmur.

[stands_for_hope]

She paused for a moment before letting her eyes close and nodding against him.

"I'll be all right," she said quietly, her usual sass, her usual armor. Lois Lane, gets writer's block unless she's in a flak jacket, hard as nails, general's daughter and honorary Howling Commando... Lois Lane didn't quail or curl up after things got rough. Lois Lane was fine.

...except here, with her 'uncle' Jim, with the family that she'd managed to find and who'd found her, with people who weren't just waiting for permission to go off and care about something else? She wasn't fine. Not yet.

"I'm just... so fucking glad to be home. Home's safe."

[kolodnoykovki]

"You're always gonna be safe here," he promised in a murmur. "I love you. You're my niece. You're family. I'd do anything to keep you safe."

He'd almost razed the entire building. Left it running red with blood. But for the sake of justice, he'd held back.

For Clark's sake.

Family.

[stands_for_hope]

Her voice was only a little choked as she said--

"Thanks, Uncle Jim."

And he could probably feel her muscles relax again, some of the pain filtering out as she stopped clenching tight, stopped waiting for an attack.

A moment later, Clark and the others slipped in and Clark settled carefully beside her, leaning in to kiss her cheek carefully.

"Oh man," she said, voice sounding normal again, "I'm delegated to cheek kisses from my own boyfriend?"

Clark rolled his eyes a little.

"I will kiss you breathless soon enough, Lois, don't worry."

Steve glanced over at Jim, checking in with him to make sure Lois and he were all right before taking his usual spot on the love seat. Diana, trusting the lot of them, settled beside him.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim gave Steve a little smile, a small nod. Everything was okay - they were just going to need to help her settle back in. And that, Jim knew, was always the hard part.

He kissed her temple. "Somebody wanted cake."

[stands_for_hope]

There was a blur, a soft breeze, and somehow there were five plates of cake on the coffee table now, each one with a little fork stuck in. Clark, grinning, pulled over the remote and the console controller and started navigating to Netflix.

Steve shook his head.

"Still never getting used to that. It's always going to be neat," he observed, tipping his head over to Clark.

Clark shrugged.

"According to popular lore, you never quite get used to your inlaws." And that came with a grin over at Jim.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Speaking of in-laws," Jim mused, bringing a slice of cake over for Lois, and then getting one for himself, "what did you think of Michael? He and Martha were getting along pretty well."

[stands_for_hope]

"I'd say he seemed very nice," Clark said, sounding every ounce the farm boy he was, "and judging by how happy he seems to make my Ma, I can't say I have a problem with him."

Lois looked up.

"Wait, wait, you mean Martha really has a boyfriend sorta thing? ...that's adorable."

Clark laughed just a little.

"Oh, she was pretty excited to hear he might be visiting. I haven't seen her that ramped up for ages."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Tall. Kind of skinny," Jim elaborated. "Older and younger than me at the same time. Nice guy, though, and if he does right by Martha, he's not bad," he agreed. "Just gotta make sure he does right by her."

But he had to admit to himself, he didn't really worry about that. He was trying hard to be a good father already, and he was definitely a good person. Even his slightly-tried people skills could feel that out.

[canon_bondage_kink]

"Well," Clark said with a deep sigh, "at least my grandfather already likes him. Grandpa Clark couldn't ever much get along with Dad."

"He is very kind, very brave, and very gentle," Diana noted, "and I have no doubt that if Martha is displeased with his behavior, that she will take care of the matter as needed."

[kolodnoykovki]

"I don't doubt Martha could take care of anybody's behaviour as needed," Jim agreed with a smile. "It'll be interesting to see how that turns out, though."

Just the thought was making his smile turn into a grin.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark chuckled just a little and leaned over to kiss Lois's towel-bun.

"I think it'll turn out good. She's been texting me most of the day, making sure Tony intends to come for Thanksgiving, asking about Lois, and apparently also talking to him in between."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Your little house in Kansas is gonna be full this Thanksgiving." He smiled at the idea, though. It'd been a long time since he'd had a family Thanksgiving with more family than Steve. And now he was going to cook and help in the kitchen and have a whole family around...

God, he loved the idea.

"And it's gonna be good."

[stands_for_hope]

"I have a feeling we're gonna have to bunk out in my old spot in the barn," Clark admitted as he clicked the button and turned on an old familiar favorite.

Lois made an approving noise and leaned up against Clark.

"And I think Ma'll be over the moon for it. Same as I am."

[kolodnoykovki]

"We could rent an RV," Jim suggested. "Then there'll be room for everybody."

There was a movie to watch, cake to eat - Lois to take care of. He was feeling pretty good, all in all.

[stands_for_hope]

"I'll have to coordinate with Tony, see how he was planning on getting there. If he's gonna have a personal jet he needs to land in the corn field, we'll probably be set."

And Clark was only being mildly sarcastic about the personal jet. He was reasonably certain that Tony would find his childhood home... if nothing else, interesting.

[kolodnoykovki]

"I'm... not sure he'd land it in your field, but probably at the closest airport. Even Tony's not that selfish." In fact, Tony was better than he'd heard he used to be. If anything, Tony really had ended up being the Element of Generosity, which was...

Well, it made some jokes unfair, anyway.

All the same, Jim took another forkful of cake. "But we'll work it out."

[stands_for_hope]

Clark laughed.

"Oh, I know he'd never meddle with the farm land. I'm kidding. But as it is, I do need to see if he has anything he wants specifically. An RV would be good, but there's a few other options I can look into depending on what he says."

He leaned back.

"All in good time."