imagine owning an independent bookstore with a cafe and bakery with a cat that sleeps on the windowsills and people like to pet her while they browse the shelves
"I have a house, and family, and things like that... not like I'm complaining or anything, because I have a cat, I have an apartment, sole possession of the remote control. That's very important. It's just, I never met anyone I could laugh with."
While You Were Sleeping (dir. Jon Turteltaub), 1995
oh god, it's just not fair of him (to make me feel this much)
superman (2025) | rated t | complete | 2,326 words | clark kent/lois lane, clark kent & lois lane & the daily planet crew | romance, humour
summary
Lois isn't jealous. Sheâs just slightly displeased with the situation.
Across the room, the woman lightly touches Clarkâs arm, Loisâs eyes narrow.
or, Lois proves she's immune to jealousy by thinking about it excessively and making out with her boyfriend
read
under the cut or on ao3 for better formatting
notes
this has been up on ao3 for weeks, but I kinda forgot about posting on tumblr for a while so sorry about that
had this almost finished in my drafts for weeks bc I wrote most of it after midnight (you can tell) and I do not like it, but it's done now so I thought I might as well post it. I think I corrected most of the spelling and grammar, but I couldn't be bothered to proofread beyond that so yeah.
title from 'so american' by Olivia Rodrigo
Lois Lane doesnât get jealous. Well, she does, obviouslyâsheâs only human after allâbut not when it comes to relationships. Sure, sheâs dated a few individuals who, in hindsight, seriously made her question her taste in partners, but sheâs always had enough self-respect to leave if she started doubting their loyalty. She simply had better things to do than wasting time on petty relationship drama.
If she were in the mood for some serious self-reflection, she might question whether it was really out of self-respect, rather than leaving before things started to get too serious, and she could get hurt. Although it has to be said that she does have a remarkable sense for disloyalty. One of her university boyfriends had consecutively cheated on three girlfriends after her, but not her, because she had had a bad feeling about him and dumped him. Itâs a tremendously helpful skill for a reporter (and also really good for avoiding being cheated on). This, however, is not the point. She doesnât even go down that route of thinking, because sheâs decidedly not in the mood for self-reflection tonight. Point is, Lois Lane doesnât get jealous when it comes to relationships. Ever.
Despite this being an undisputed fact so far, she can admit that she is not entirely pleased by the woman talking to Clark at the moment.
Heâs standing across the room from where sheâs sitting at a table, half listening to her colleagueâs chatter, half watching him wait for the bartender to finish his drink order. The woman came up to the bar just a moment ago, ordering a drink as well. She had started talking to Clark while they were both waiting, and Clark was as unfailingly polite to her as he was to anyone else. Now sheâs steadily moving further toward him and giggling more often than usual for a casual conversation between strangers at a bar.
Itâs not that she thinks he would cheat on her; she knows he would never, and she trusts him wholeheartedly. He certainly wouldnât flirt with another person while being with her, but heâs also very bad at noticing when heâs being flirted with (something Lois knows from personal experience). Heâs not clueless, but when navigating social situations as Clark Kent, he deliberately makes himself smaller, takes up less space, appears as the clumsy nerd with a shy disposition and big glasses. Not all of it is an act; to an extent, he is exactly that, but when he is just Clark Kent, he plays up all these qualities that he thinks make him less noticeable. And they doâLois doubts the woman at the bar would ever make the connection between him and Supermanâbut they donât make him any less attractive, as he seems to think they do.
It never used to bother her when they had first started dating. Way back then, she was still counting down the days till their inevitable break up in her head, convinced that they would never work because he was just so good and she was as bad at relationships as a person could possibly be. Lois doesnât understand why sheâs suddenly all jealous now. Although, is it really jealousy if sheâs not at all worried about being cheated on? Surely not.
So sheâs not jealous. Sheâs just slightly displeased with the situation.
Across the room, the woman lightly touches Clarkâs arm, Loisâs eyes narrow. She has half a mind to get up and over there, even though she has no clue what she could do or say without sounding unnecessarily possessive and insecure.
Clark has already politely pulled away from the woman, and thankfully, the bartender finally hands Clark the tray with his finished drinks so he can start making his way back to their table. Lois turns away quickly, tuning back into the debate Cat and Steve are having aboutâŠleopard print?
Lois has no time to question how they arrived at this particular topic of conversation before Clark appears behind her, setting the drink tray down in the center of the table. Their friends loudly express their gratitude to him and he just smiles before he places his hands on the back of her chair and leans down, concern evident in the slight furrow of his brow. âEverything okay?â
She half turns in her chair to look up at him. The barâs dim lighting makes his sharp features all soft; heâs taken off his tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves and Lois thinks that she cannot possibly go another second without kissing him.
Not here, though. She smiles and squeezes his hand reassuringly. âIâm alright. Just tired.â
He nods, and she can tell that he doesnât fully believe her, but he doesnât pry. âShould we leave?â
She agrees and they announce their departure to their friends, who protest and act as if theyâre committing high treason by leaving Friday night drinks early, though itâs all in good fun. Cat raises an eyebrow and winks at her and Lois rolls her eyes at her in mock-annoyance as Clark helps her into her coat. They say their goodbyes, and Lois swats Jimmy with her scarf when he makes a joke about âthe old people having to go to bed earlyâ, even though Cat, Steve and Ron are their age and Jimmy is only slightly younger than them.
Outside the bar, theyâre hit with a rush of cold air, swiftly making Lois feel more awake than she has since they arrived at the bar. Itâs a welcome sensation and she takes a deep breath, tilting her head back to look up at the few stars in the night sky above Metropolis she can spot from here. When she looks back down, she catches Clark looking at her with a look of fond adoration on his face. She smiles and tucks her face deeper into the scarf around her neck to hide the blush gracing her cheeks, because apparently, Clark Kent is the only person on planet earth who can make her blush with just one look.
He takes her hand and intertwines their fingers as they make their way back to her flat. Thereâs no need to question if heâll stay the night. They havenât officially moved in together, but half of his clothes fill her wardrobe, thereâs a set of pots and pans in her kitchen Lois knows she didnât purchase herself, and she is hard-pressed to remember the last time he spent the night at his own place. The thought of sharing her spaceâher lifeâwith someone in this way used to scare her; it doesnât anymore. Every morning, she vows to finally ask him to really move in with her, but they lead busy lives and thereâs always another story to chase or a city to save, overthrowing all her carefully crafted plans, and he ends up in her bed every night anyways, so she keeps postponing her question.
Tonight, Iâll ask him tonight, she vows while unlocking the door to her flat, Clarkâs hand resting at the small of her back. They make their way inside, and Lois hangs up her purse and scarf and locks the door behind them, while Clark takes off his coat. He turns back toward her and pauses, brow furrowed in question. It seems she's been starring again.
Lois just shakes her head and steps into his space, pulling him down towards her. He goes easily. Their lips meet and she makes a soft sound she would resent if he were anyone else. Clarkâs hands fly to the front of her coat and his fingers make quick work of the buttons there. He doesnât bother pushing it off her shoulders, just slips his hands beneath it to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her close. She feels his fingers brush against the bare skin of her waist where her sweater rides up, as she wraps her arms around his neck and she sighs against his mouth.
Unfortunately, Clark chooses that moment to pull away, only to lean back in and press his lips to hers for a second longer before she can complain about it. Then he pulls away again, just far enough that they can look at each other properly. âWhat was bothering you?â
âHm?â Lois asks, drawing idle circles against the collar of his shirt with her thumb.
âEarlier, at the bar,â he clarifies. âYou said you were just tired, but I can tell there was something else bothering you.â
Lois bites her lip; she doesnât want to answer, because it seems horribly embarrassing to her now, but she doesnât want to lie to him either.
âThe woman you were talking to at the bar,â Lois settles on after a moment. âDid you notice anything about her?â
Clark looks at her like she just asked him to solve the worldâs hardest crossword puzzle, obviously not understanding where Lois is taking this conversation. âUh, she had red hair, her name was Tracy, I think, and she told me she worked in marketing or something of the sort. Why?â
âDid you notice that she was flirting with you?â Lois asks him.
âNo, was she?â Clark answers incredulously, seemingly replaying the interaction in his mind. Then his face changes and Lois can pinpoint the exact moment he starts seeing right through her. âI really didnât realise she was trying to flirt with me, I promise, but is it possible that you were a little jealous?â
âNo,â Lois says emphatically, dropping her gaze from his face to his chest, blushing once again. âI knew you most likely didnât notice her flirting, and I know you would never cheat on me, so, no, I wasnât jealous. I was maybe slightly irritated at most.â
âOkay,â Clark says slowly and she can tell heâs fighting a grin without looking at him. âThatâs good then. If you had been jealous, I would have told you that you never have to worry about me cheating on you, because I would never, and also that I love you and youâre the only one for me. But since you obviously werenât jealous, Iâm just going to kiss you again.â
Lois hums. âRight, because if I were jealous, which I definitely wasnât, I would feel a lot better now.â
âGood,â Clark says, no longer fighting his grin.
âYeah,â Lois says, returning his smile.
He leans down to kiss her. âI love you.â Kiss. âYouâre the only one for me.â Kiss. âI would love to make dinner for us, because Jimmy stole all my fries at the bar and Iâm really hungry.â
Lois pulls away with a snort. âSure, but I doubt youâll find anything besides a piece of cheese and some crackers in the kitchen. We havenât been to the store in at least a week.â
Clark shrugs. âThatâs fine, I can make a cheeseboard.â
âWith one kind of cheese?â she asks sceptically.
He considers that for a moment, unable to come up with an argument in defense of his cheeseboard. So he kisses her again. It works excellently at making her forget all about cheese.
He finally bothers to push her coat off her shoulders and leans to the side to hang it up without breaking the kiss. Then he wraps his arms back around her waist and pulls her even closer, while his mouth migrates from her lips to her neck. Lois hums contentedly and tangles her fingers in his hair.
âYou know,â Clark says thoughtfully between kisses. âYou could always just ask me to marry you.â
Lois freezes and pulls away so she can look at him properly. Sheâs reasonably sure sheâs finally lost her mind and started hearing voices.
âIf I were wearing an engagement ring, people would stop flirting with me,â Clarkâreal Clark, not a voice in her headâelaborates.
Lois stares at him disbelievingly, unsure what to say. He stares back, his face completely serious. Half a second later, he cracks up, loud laughter filling her hallway. He was just joking, thank god. She smacks his chest lightly in retaliation.
âI'm sorry, I'm sorry,â he says, still laughing. He catches her wrist before she can smack him again. âThat was such a dumb joke, I don't know why I said that.â
âYouâre such a jerk,â she says, but thereâs no heat behind it. âYouâre lucky I love you as much as I do, or I would throw you out.â
âI really am,â he says, then leans down to kiss her again.
âBut if I asked you,â he whispers, barely audible against her lips, âWhich I will someday if you allow me, because it's only ever going to be you for me, would you-â
And God, she canât possibly answer that now, because then sheâd have to think about the fact that she would marry him in a heartbeat if he asked, because she doesn't think sheâll ever love anyone else in the way she loves him. And despite how far sheâs come in terms of emotional vulnerability in the last eight months, itâs definitely still too early for that. So she cuts him off before he can finish his sentence. âMove in with me.â
Clark has to pause for a second, his train of thought swiftly interrupted by her, but he recovers quickly and theyâre still so close she swears she can feel his smile. âSure.â
Thereâs no discussion, no questions, and it occurs to Lois that if she asked him to marry her right this moment, heâd probably say yes. She files that information and its implications away for later. âGood. Thatâs good. Are you still going to make that cheeseboard, or was that just an offer so I wouldnât kick you out? Your offering as a guest, you know.â
Clark laughs. They both know heâs been more than a guest for months. âDonât worry, I still intend to make it, even if we only have one type of cheese.â
james gunn writing a script where superman is anti isreal, extremely supportive of a free palestine, pro immigrant, anti ice, anti billionaire AND falling for lois at first sight???? OH HE KNOWS CLARK KENT DOOOOWWWNNNNN
like the love that discovered the sin (lover, be good to me)
superman (2025) | rated t | complete | 1,819 words | clark kent/lois lane, clark kent & the justice gang | fluff, humour
summary
"Iâve never hypnotised anyone, and neither have my glasses,â Clark furrows his brow, confusion evident on his face. âWho told you this?â
âGreen Lantern,â Lois answers. Then, because sheâs starting to become increasingly unhappy with the situation, she adds, âYou know, the guy with the abysmal haircut.â
or, it starts in the kitchen with the mystery of the pseudo-hypnotic glasses and ends with making out (still in the kitchen)
read
under the cut or on ao3 for better formatting
notes
went to the cinema last week to watch superman, obsession came back with the force of a freight train.
this one is dedicated to @bikananjarrus who doesn't know me, but has been reblogging lots of superman stuff so I always saw something new on my dash during writing breaks which kept me motivated. (if you don't like this and don't want to be associated with it I totally get it, just pm me and I'll delete this paragraph)
I hope I did lois and clark justice and somewhat matched the tone of the film. anyways, see you next time the motivation to write finds me. cheers!
The question has been bouncing around in the back of her mind for almost a full week before she finally asks it. Thatâs a rather long time for a question to go unanswered by her standards. Still, even star reporter Lois Lane forgets stuff when sheâs busy saving her boyfriend from a pocket dimension, taking down a billionaire and realising that she, in fact, doesnât want to break up with her boyfriend, because she is madly in love with himâhas been for longer than she wants to admit even to herself.
In the end, itâs Clark who reminds her. Theyâre in her kitchen again, sheâs sitting on the counter, head leaning back against the cabinets, and a glass of wine beside her on the countertop. Clark is cooking dinner (actual dinner this time, not breakfast) and takes off his glasses when the steam from the pan makes them fog up. He normally doesnât bother wearing them at all when itâs just the two of them, but heâs so used to them that he occasionally forgets to take them off after work, which works in Loisâs favour today because she finally remembers what has been bothering her ever since she visited the Hall of Justice. âWhy didnât you tell me?â
âTell you what?â he asks absentmindedly, too busy adding the right amount of spices to the pan to give her his full attention.
âAbout your hypnotic glasses,â she clarifies.
He abandons his quest to make the perfectly seasoned dinner and turns toward her with a look of absolute bafflement on his face. âMy what?â
Lois sighs, slightly annoyed that theyâre even having this conversation; she didnât think there were any big secrets left between them at this point, but here they are again. âYou told me you use the glasses as a disguise so people donât figure out youâre Superman, but I thought they were just normal glasses, not hypnotic ones that mess with peopleâs heads.â
âWell, they are just normal glasses. Iâve never hypnotised anyone, and neither have my glasses,â he furrows his brow, confusion evident on his face. âWho told you this?â
âGreen Lantern,â she answers. Then, because sheâs starting to become increasingly unhappy with the situation, she adds, âYou know, the guy with the abysmal haircut.â
Realisation flickers over Clarkâs face, and he starts laughing, turning away from her in the process. Lois doesn't think itâs all that funny, and sheâs a second away from voicing that thought, but Clark has already stopped laughing and started explaining.
âA while ago, I told the Justice Whatever who I really am and also showed them what I look like when Iâm not wearing the suit,â he has turned back towards her, but is looking down at the countertop instead of at her, âGreen Lantern asked me if Iâm really relying on a pair of glasses to protect my identity. He was being all judgy about it, so I told him the glasses were actually equipped with a hypnotisation technology that changed my face in peopleâs minds when I was wearing them. Itâs obviously not true. I donât know why I even said it. I guess I was just fed up with him.â
Lois doesnât know what to say. She probably shouldâve expected something of the sort; he had no reason to lie to her, after all. In hindsight, it all sounds really fucking stupid. Why she even believed anything the Lantern told her in the first place is beyond Lois.
It seems like Clark has drawn the wrong conclusion from her momentary silence, because heâs looking up at her now, cheeks tinged pink and a hand rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. âI really am sorry, Lois.â
Lois can hear the concern in his voice, and it makes her heart do something she canât put into words, so she deflects. âGreen Lantern made fun of you for that? That man doesnât even have a secret identity, the whole world knows heâs Guy Gardner!â
âExactly! Itâs so stupid,â Clark replies, matching her tone instantly.
âI get strength in numbers and all, but working with him seems insufferable.â
âHeâs not that bad,â Clark says, because, of course, he would defend Guy fucking Gardner.
She raises one eyebrow. âWhen you were kidnapped and I asked your friends for help, he told me he couldnât interfere, because it would be, and I quote, âagainst his vowsâ.â
Clark sighs. âYeah, alright, that does sound like him.â
âYou should get better superhero friends.â
Now itâs his turn to raise an eyebrow. âDid you tell Guy that?â
âNot exactly,â she replies carefully.
He tilts his head to the side in question.
âI believe it was more like telling him his haircut should be against his vows,â she answers. Sheâs sorry for being rude to a friend of Clark, but sheâs decidedly not sorry for being rude to Guy Gardner. He had it coming, and she wonât apologise.
Clark laughs brightly at that, eyes sparkling. And thereâs something about him when he looks at her like this that makes her want to kiss him, so she does, because heâs her boyfriend and she wants to. He kisses her back instantly, stepping closer to where sheâs perched on the counter. She tilts her head to the side to deepen the kiss, and his hands find her waist, bunching up the fabric of her shirt. For a moment, she forgets all theyâve been talking about. He tends to have that effect on her. Normally, sheâd wonder if this was another superpower courtesy of his biological parents, but she knows this is all Clark Kent.
When he pulls back from the kiss, itâs entirely too soon for her, and a disgruntled sound of protest slips from her mouth. Before she can lean back in, he brings one hand up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear and cup her cheek.
âLois, I promise that the glasses are just glasses. They donât mess with your head,â he says earnestly. And, oh, she should've expected him to not just let their conversation go. Ever since theyâve started dating, sheâs been insisting that sheâs just not good at relationships, and to be perfectly honest, she had expected them to break up after a short while. Itâs not that sheâs especially pessimistic; sheâs not, but she knows herself and knows how her relationships usually go. But with Clark, itâs like the more she keeps trying to convince them both sheâs bad at relationships, the more he keeps trying to prove her wrong. He keeps reassuring her, doesnât expect things sheâs not yet ready to give, doesnât expect her to be someone sheâs not. He genuinely likes her as a person, and she loves him for it. She loves himâfull stop. Ironically, that is the one thing star reporter Lois Lane struggles to put into words.
âThank God, because I was already debating whether I was crazy or they simply didnât work on me, because you look almost the same to me, glasses or not.â Itâs half-joke, half-truth; she didnât have the time to think about it all that much, but if she did, this is probably where she wouldâve ended up.
Clark hums thoughtfully. He keeps on absentmindedly stroking her waist with his thumbs, but his gaze drifts away from her face to a point just above he shoulder. âAfter I first told you Iâm Superman, I kind of stopped drawing the line between Clark and Superman when I was with you. It wasnât a conscious decision, I didnât really notice I was doing it, at first, I just did. Other people always see one or the otherâClark or Supermanâ, but I think you just see me.â
A warmth blooms in her chest that makes her insides feel like molten gold. Itâs the feeling she gets when he makes her coffee in the mornings; when he kisses her outside of the bar they get after-work drinks at with their friends, when no one is looking; when he offers to type up her articles for her, when the words on the page keep blurring together and she keeps misspelling every second one; when he looks at her like sheâs worthy of devotion. After all, to be loved is to be known.
Itâs her turn to cup his cheek and gently turn his face towards her. âJust you,â she whispers, and it sounds like a confession and a promise at once. She leans in to press her lips to his once again. The kiss is slow, but intense, and sheâs almost losing herself in it when Clark pulls back hurriedly. âWait, wait,â he says, âWeâll burn the pasta.â
He leans to the left to turn off the stove and move the pan away from the stovetop, putting a lid on it to keep their meal warm. âBy the way, I think you should get new tea towels.â
Lois frowns. âWhatâs wrong with my tea towels?â
âNothing, really. I just think you should own more than one.â
Lois rolls her eyes affectionately. âYouâre welcome to buy me some, if it makes you happy.â
âYes, very,â he answers and finally pulls her back in.
This time, Lois decides she wonât let him interrupt their kiss again, and she intertwines her fingers at the back of his neck to keep him close. The way he pulls her closer until theyâre chest to chest and she can feel the warmth radiating off of him, tells her she doesnât have to worry about that. His left hand finds the small of her back to pull her even closer, as if there was still space between them, while he leans slightly forward and places his right hand on the countertop beside her to steady himself. Thereâs a clink and she belatedly realises that he almost knocked over her long-forgotten wineglass.
âHow do you feel about moving to somewhere with fewer wineglasses and stovetops in the way?â he asks, his lips never straying far enough from hers to matter.
âWhat about the pasta?â she asks between kisses. Truthfully, she couldnât care less about the pasta at the moment, but the banter has been part of their relationship almost since the day they met.
âWe can reheat it later,â he decides.
âThe microwave is still broken,â Lois reminds him, nodding towards the half-disassembled microwave Clark had started repairing before the whole Luthor thing even started. Another thing unconsciously abandoned in favour of their worldsaving.
Clark leans back, not enough to let go of her, just enough so she can look at him properly. His hair is tousled from her running her hands through it, the first few buttons of his shirt are undoneâLois wonders when that happenedâand heâs grinning at her. âItâs fine, I have heat vision.â
Lois rolls her eyes, but has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. âAlright,â she concedes, âBut if you burn down my kitchen, Iâm moving into your place.â
âSure,â he says easily, like she didnât just half-jokingly suggest they move in together after dating for less than half a year. God, who has Clark Kent turned her into? She decides that all the investigating and self-reflecting sheâll have to do to answer that question can wait, and lets herself be swept away by him. Figuratively and literally.