Something There

Lois sat on her bed, knees pulled up so she could bury her head in them.
   "Lois? Are you okay?"
   Lois abruptly lifted her head and looked to the left.  Her bedroom had an attached mini-balcony, and someone was standing on it.  She couldn't see who it was at first, her watery eyes muddling her vision, but there was something calming about the stranger's voice that kept her from being startled.  She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times.
   It was Clark.
   "Clark...What are you doing here?"
   "...I heard you crying.  What's wrong?"
   She wanted to try and change the subject; to ask him how he'd possibly heard her crying from wherever he'd been earlier—and wasn't he supposed to be at Diana's right about now?—but she knew he wouldn't let her slide like that.
   "Bruce... he broke up with me."
   Clark was completely surprised, and more than a little angry.  Why on Earth would Bruce break up with Lois? They cared so much for one another; it just didn't make sense...  Why would Bruce hurt her like this?...  No.  Lois was the one hurting right now; Bruce could be dealt with later.
   "Lois, I'm..." Clark didn't know what he could say that would help. "...I'm sorry."
   Lois managed to chuckle a little at him. "Heh. It's okay. Come in."
   Clark stepped inside, moving to sit next to Lois on the bed.
   "What happened?" he asked.
   Lois took a deep breath.  "He called me a little while ago.  He said that he was sorry, but—and I quote: 'a relationship wouldn't really fit into his life anymore.'  I tried to argue with him, but... he just said that it wasn't working between us anymore."
   Clark sat quietly without saying a word.  He remembered his mom telling him something about girls not actually wanting people to solve their problems when they were venting, but just to listen.  It sounded ridiculous, but he decided to try it anyway.
   "...I guess I should have seen it coming," Lois said. "It just... it happened so fast. We started arguing a month or two ago, and... I don't know.  Maybe... maybe I was too hard on him about the Diana thing, or... I don't know."
   "You don't like her, do you?" Clark asked.
   "Not entirely," Lois said without hesitation.
   "I figured as much," Clark said.
   "But Bruce sure seems to."
   Clark squinted a little. "What are you talking about?"
   Lois's head sank a little lower again.  "He spends hours every day with her.  And... I mean, look at her. She's gorgeous."
   Clark frowned.  "Bruce never even gave Diana an extra glance.  He trains with her because he wants to learn to fight, but I really don't think he likes her that way.  At all.  Actually, I'm not sure that he cares about her in the slightest."
   Lois's head sunk all the way back to her knees.  "It doesn't matter," she said, her voice muffled through her sweatpants.  "It was only after he met her that we started arguing."
   She lifted her head again, exasperation on her face.  "I mean, how am I supposed to keep him when he's got miss beauty-goddess staring him in the face every day?!?  Why would he even want me when I look like crap next to her?"
   Clark was a little taken aback.  He'd never seen Lois fuss over her physical appearance much; it was something he liked about her.  She just looked naturally beautiful the way she was.  No makeup, no hair-color-switching.  She wasn't beautiful like a movie star, exactly; but there was something in her eyes—a fire of sorts.  Diana had something similar, but it was different.  Diana's eyes burned with a solid gaze; resolute and firm.  Lois's eyes, even when they weren't moving, seemed to show a thousand things flying through her head at once.  Her mind was a flurry of intensity.
   "Lois," Clark said gently, "You're not any less attractive than Diana."
   Lois gave him a disbelieving raise of the eyebrow.  "Sure I'm not.  You don't have to sugar-coat it, Clark.  I'm not exactly the most—"
   Clark put his hand on hers, stopping her in mid-sentence.  "Lois, you're beautiful.  Don't ever think otherwise."
   Lois's eyes went wide and her cheeks burned a bit redder.  She felt like a stunned, embarrassed little girl.
   Through the bedroom door, Lois and Clark heard the apartment's front door open.  A few voices could be heard shuffling inside.
   "Sounds like your family's home," Clark said.
   "Yeah," Lois said, shaking off her stupor.  "They've been gone all night at my sister's play."
   "Alright, well, I'd better go," Clark said with a gentle smile.  He stood up and walked to the balcony again.
   Lois sat in the same place she'd been when he got there, watching him as he looked up towards the sky, ready to fly away again.
   "Wait!" she said, jumping up and running over to him.
She squeezed onto the tiny balcony next to him, and looked up into his eyes.  For a moment, it was as if something passed between them—a spark.
   "Clark... thank you," Lois said quietly, moving forward to hug him.  He gently put his arms around her and hugged her back.  They held each other for a quiet moment, perfectly still in the open air.
   They pulled back slowly.  Clark gave her one last caring smile before flying up and away.