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Against all her better instincts, Lois is beginning to worry.
They’d been having a quiet night in, celebrating one year of officially dating. Clark had flown over to Chiang Mai for some takeout — having a boyfriend who can fetch meals from anywhere in the world has become quite the luxury — before lighting a few candles and opening a bottle of wine.
When the whole Superman thing had finally come to light, the two of them had made an agreement — if they’ve set aside time for one another, Clark will only leave for true emergencies. Unfortunately, tonight qualified. She’d seen it on his face the moment he turned his head, eyes filling with alarm. ‘Someone’s attacking a school. There are kids…’
Lois could see the apology forming on his lips, but shooed him away before he could say it. So he’d disappeared, Lois’ hair fluttering in his wake.
That was three hours ago.
This is just part of the gig. She’d known that when she’d agreed to keep dating Clark, despite his big secret. Being Superman’s partner means respecting his commitment to humanity, and sharing him with the rest of the world. She won’t let herself be selfish… but there’s no denying that it sucks sometimes.
As she puts the rest of Clark’s dinner into the fridge for him, the concern really starts to set in. He’s not usually gone for this long.
It doesn’t make sense to fret over Superman. He’s Superman. He’s probably just caught up making sure the attacker is fully subdued, or ensuring all the children are safe. Or another emergency came up. But there’s nothing on the news…
Lois sighs and goes to change into her pajamas. Staying up all night worrying won’t do either of them any good.
She’s just picked up her toothbrush when something thunks outside.
Lois freezes. That sounded like something on the fire escape. A big something.
Cautiously, she eases back out into the living room, grabbing her ELT from the entry table just in case. It’s probably just an animal. Or someone climbing to one of the upper apartments. Or —
She steps over to the window. And gasps.
The ELT clatters to the ground as Lois frantically pulls at the latch, shoving the pane up and clambering out as quickly as she can. “Clark!”
He lies in a crumpled heap on the cold metal, trembling, breathing far too heavily. Sweat drips down his unnaturally pale face. His cape lays oddly over his frame — like there’s something between it and his lower back.
“Clark, what—!?” Lois rests a hand on his arm, before tossing his cape aside. What she sees sends a sickly shudder down her spine.
A jagged green rock pokes out of Clark’s back — at least five inches long, but it’s impossible to say how much is inside him. Blood stains the torn blue fabric of his suit. The small patch of visible skin bubbles around the shard as neauseating green veins shoot outwards.
Clark inhales sharply before grinding out two simple words. “Help me.”
That’s enough to snap Lois into go-mode. She quickly takes his arm and slings it over her shoulders. Clark groans as she hauls him to his feet, swaying ominously as he finds his balance. She lets him lean on her as he shuffles over to the window, taking as much of his weight as she can, doing her best to set aside how cold and clammy he feels.
Getting him inside is not graceful — Lois more or less has to shove him through the narrow opening. He collapses as soon as he’s in, grunting as he hits the carpet. Lois scrambles in after him, helping him stumble his way to the couch. He lands on his stomach with a pained wheeze.
Lois kneels beside him and moves his cape out of the way once more, forcing a few deep breaths as she considers. The shard is obviously jammed in pretty deep. It might have punctured an internal organ — assuming his are even in the same place. They've never discussed that. Why would they? “You need a doctor. I have to call someone. Who can we trust—?”
“No.” Clark’s hand reaches out blindly, making contact with her arm. “You… you have to take it out.”
What? “Clark, if I do that, you’re gonna bleed out.”
“I won’t.” His voice is barely more than a whisper. “I’ll heal. I just… I can’t get it myself. I tried.”
For the first time, Lois looks down at his hand. The skin of his palm has the same bubbling texture as his back. That happened just from touching it?
“Do you have anything made of lead?”
The question snaps her attention back to Clark’s face. He’s so pale…
“Lead? No, why would I have…?” And what does that have to do with the horrible rock impaling his back?
“Think.” Clark grunts, wincing. “Anything. Maybe an antique.”
“I…” Her mind races. “My grandmother’s jewelry box. That might be lead.”
“Get it.” Then, as a shudder runs through his entire body, he gasps out, “Hurry.”
Lois sprints to her bedroom, grabbing the box from her dresser and rushing back to Clark’s side. “I’ve got it,” she says, as her knees hit the floor.
Clark grimaces. “You need… to pull it out. Then put it in the box. And close the lid. As fast as you can.”
Surely that’ll just kill him. “I really think we should—”
“Lois.” It’s probably not meant to be as sharp as it is. Clark grits his teeth and hisses. “I can’t… stay awake much longer. I need you to do this. Please. Trust me.”
She’s not used to seeing genuine fear in his eyes. It cuts her to her core.
“Okay,” she whispers, her voice trembling slightly. “Okay. Are you ready?”
Clark nods a little. “Do it.”
Gingerly, Lois closes her hand around the green rock. Clark winces as it jostles against his skin. “On three, okay?”
In response, Clark shoves his face against the nearest throw pillow. Lois decides to take that as a yes.
“One… two… three.”
Lois yanks the shard out in a single motion. Clark flinches and cries out, muffled into the cushion. Blood spurts from the wound, but Lois ignores it, focusing on getting the rock into the jewelry box — but it’s too big. The lid won’t close. Shit.
Clark groans, shaking. Whatever this thing is, it’s still poisoning him. She needs to get it inside the box now.
Lois turns and slams the rock against the edge of her coffee table. Once. Twice. On the third hit, it breaks in two. She frantically gathers both pieces off the floor, drops them into the jewelry box, and snaps the lid shut.
The difference in Clark is immediate. His next gasp isn’t one of pain, but relief. His breathing starts to even out. As Lois watches, the blood pouring from his back gradually slows. Then stops. The wound closes itself up before her eyes, fading to a scar, then to nothing. Like it was never even there.
“Thank you…” Clark whispers, turning his head towards her again, cheek resting on the pillow.
Lois exhales shakily. Her hand finds his hair. “Are you okay?”
He manages a nod. “I will be.”
For a minute, Lois just breathes with him, caressing him and watching the color gradually return to his skin. But the questions and the residual panic keep building up, until she can’t stay silent. “What happened? What was that?”
He sighs. “Kryptonite.”
“What’s kryptonite?”
Clark slowly rolls himself over to see her better, settling onto his back with a soft grunt. Her hand rests on his chest. “When I arrived here as a baby… there were meteor showers all over the world for almost a week. It… was fragments of Krypton. That came along with my pod. My father calls it kryptonite. It’s…” He sighs. “It’s one of the few things that can hurt me.”
“And the box?”
“Lead can shield its effects. I... really need to start keeping some around.”
“How did you get kryptonite in…?”
“The attack on the school. He…” Clark closes his eyes. “He had a big piece of it. I don’t know if… he knew somehow, or if it was just… luck.”
“How many people know about it?”
“Not a lot. I don’t… exactly publicize it.”
“What else can hurt you?”
But he gently waves the question off. “Not much.”
“Clark.” It comes out a little too frantic.
Cautiously, Clark cracks open his eyes, watching her.
Lois sighs and cups his cheek with her free hand. Thankfully, there’s some warmth in his face again. “You really scared me,” she breathes.
Clark slowly moves his hand to hold hers against his chest. “I’m okay.”
She grips a little too tightly. “I didn’t know you could get hurt. I didn’t know this was something I had to worry about.”
“It doesn’t happen often.”
“But it does happen,” Lois gently insists. “So I want to know everything else that can hurt you, and how to counter it.”
“Babe…”
She loves when he calls her that. But this is not the time. “Clark, if there are things you’re vulnerable to, people are going to figure out what they are. I know you’re used to dealing with it alone. But I am your partner. And the next time some psycho manages to almost kill you… I need to know what to do. What if I didn't have a lead box? What would we have done then?”
Clark considers her for a long moment. Then nods. “I… will make you a list. Tomorrow.”
God, he looks exhausted. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m just tired. Flying here, um… that took a lot out of me."
Lois pictures him airborne in the condition she'd found him in. No wonder it had taken three hours.
"But I’ll be better when the sun comes up," he adds, running his thumb reassuringly over the back of her hand.
She squeezes. “Stay here tonight. Let me put you to bed.”
When he nods, Lois helps him stand, keeping a firm hold of his arm as they walk to the bedroom. She helps peel the Superman suit away from his skin, before digging out the spare set of pajamas he’s started keeping in her bottom drawer. A few minutes later, Clark eases himself into her bed while she pulls the covers up over him.
“Lois?” he whispers, as she settles onto the mattress beside him.
“Yes?”
He manages a small, sleepy smile. “Happy anniversary.”
That makes Lois scoff slightly, but affection shines in her eyes. “Happy anniversary. I love you. Now sleep.”
Clark obediently closes his eyes. After everything, it only takes a few minutes for him to drift off. Lois lays with her head on his shoulder, listening to his steady breathing until she finally falls asleep.