Hope its enjoyed..Edited while extremely exhausted so bear with me.
"Leans a bit"
A gloved hand brushed gently over pine needles before moving on to the next one. Smaller and slightly more fashionable boots causally meandered around trees with larger farming ones trailing reluctantly behind.
"Ugly green"
"It's the usual green all pine tree's are Lois"
"Typical guy.." Lois lifted up a branch of the offending tree in question"..shade blind. Look this is 'I'm going to die fairly soon, just in time for those Christmas photo's' green. But this.." She then took a few steps and gently lifted a branch of another tree, one with a much more vibrant colour and continued "has the 'I'm alive and well and will out shine everyone..I don't even need sparkly little baubles to look good'. And that Smallville is exactly the kind of green we want."
Clark looked between the two tree's before settling on giving the Lois approved green one a long look. They had been walking for atleast 15 minutes between various tree's at the end of Ben Hubbards land, where they had been told they could pick a tree, a gift in return for a few favours Clark has helped with earlier in the year.
"Then is this your tree?"
"It's not my tree Clark..its your tree we are hunting for. And Gawd no!.. Do you see this?"
His eyes tracked to where she was pointing unsure of what he was suppose to see, "What?.." refraining from saying 'what's wrong now?'.
Rolling her eyes at his expression, Lois bent down a little, "It may be pretty in colour but its branches don't spread out properly. The ornaments wouldn't hang right on it. No, definitely not ours."
"Ours.." Clark repeated softly as he watched Lois scrutinize another tree. As with everything she did, she gave it her all. Lois did nothing with half her soul and that thought made him smile to the point where the big lopsided grin on his face was caught by Lois.
"What?" she glanced at him curiously, feeling suddenly a little self conscious. He had a way of doing that to her. Smiling or staring at her so intently, with a barely subdued passion, that the world around would stop and she'd feel like nothing else outside of them existed. Lois was hardly able to resist the urge to kiss the smile off his face.
He knew there was no way he'd ever be able to stop the smile growing on his face, so he didn't bother trying. Instead, he gave her as much of the truth as he could. "Just you.. I'm glad you're here."
The full truth was, it occurred to him that if she gave her all in everything including picking out a tree, that said a lot about how she felt about him. It added more weight, more meaning and depth to her need to take it slow, for them to get this right. Several times it seemed to him that Lois was about to tell him she loved him. But then she'd stop, it didn't matter though that the words had not been said when it was very clearly expressed in her eyes and her actions. Not only did it fill him with a euphoria, causing the smile stuck on his face, but echoed his own feelings for her.
He had known for some time now that he was in deeply in love with her. Not a little nor just a like, or passing fancy of feelings, or even a type of love that he could get over. She was the one. It was a feeling so strong, growing with every moment he spent with her. Clark couldn't fathom why he never noticed it before.
Like with his secret, he wanted to tell her how he felt. The words never came and when they did, something would steal them away, the right moment passing them by. He loved her so much and yet it seemed it was the hardest thing in the world to just say the three words. To allow the change they would cause. Was this the same reason she held back too? That little tiny fear that if they said it, put the words out there, the truth of them would change everything and for some reason it would fall apart?
There had been Lana and Oliver. Love and hope, all that surrounded them had not been enough to make the relationships work.
Lois' smile in response to him, taking his arm, pulling him towards another tree in an attempt to hide the blush that crept up her cheeks. As Clark let himself be directed toward her desire in question, another idea hit him.
Maybe it wasn't the fear of it failing to work that kept them from saying what needed to be. Maybe it was the idea that it would succeed. That they had finally really found the one they were meant for. Clark felt a bit like a coward, he could face dangerous situations, even kryptonite with less fear but the affairs of his heart, especially when concerning one Lois Lane were a different matter entirely.
"Coward.."
What? Did she just read his mind?
"Lois?"
"I said, Clark, stop standing there with cow eyes! " She gave him a quizzical look "What do you think?"
Blinking, Clark refocused his attention and took in the tree before him. He had to admit it was a beauty. The shade was very pretty, the branches were full and spread out nicely. Lois was beaming from ear to ear as she glanced back and forth between him and the tree.
"See.. colour, form and even height all matter. Isn't it just gorgeous?"
Clark turned his gaze on her, watching the sunlight and happiness sparkle in her eyes and had to agree, "Yes..very." He took her hand and felt Lois thread her fingers through his before she stepped closer, leaning her head against his arm.
They stood soaking up the tree and each other for several long minutes. Clark pulled her close and stole a deep kiss. The sort that made Lois' toes tingle and Clark's breath to catch at her beauty as she pulled away. Opening her eyes slowly, her slightly swollen lips upturned into a wide and satisified smile, he caught the glimmer of mischief in her hazel depths.
"I want to help you decorate!"
"You already did!"
"That was then and this is now..besides it took me laying out a condition to get you to replace that ugly tree."
"It's not that bad Lois" He replied, arms around her waist.
"Smallville, unless you are going to open up a orphanage or shelter for abandoned and unwanted Christmas tree's than yes, it is. It looked like it had been run over!" Lois stole a soft kiss and placed a hand gently on his chest as if to console him, "I'm sorry.. I know you're a softy but the tree has to be put down."
Shaking his head, Clark gave a little laugh, "I agreed to replacing it. I draw the line at putting it down."
Lois gave him a incredulous look, "What are you going to do with it? Clark, you can't keep a cut tree as a pet!"
"Is this a dare?" He raised his chin at her, challenging her..seeing how far she'd take this. After a moment Lois bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes."Fine..keep it. But I am still decorating this new one with you."
Clark smiled, "I was already planning on it. Actually .." he stepped away softly, tugging her along with him as he made his way a bit back to where he had rested his axe. "We have a stop to make in town before head back to the farm."
"Oh..? "
"Yep." was all he gave her back knowing it would drive her crazy.
"Yep?.. Clark.. what is it?"
"It's a surprise. You only have to wait till we get back to the farm"
He heard her huff and pout as he went to pick up the axe. It had fallen down the side of an old stump , bending down for it, he heard the cries of alarm in the distance. The Blur was needed and it was the fifth time that morning, how was he suppose to get away now?
Peeking over his shoulder, he noticed Lois seemed a little lost in thought, her gaze falling back to the chosen tree. Thankful for the convenient moment, Clark speed the axe back to the truck and was back at her side in barely a second. The only sign he had gone and come back was the flying up of her hair, which caused her to shiver a bit and tuck her scarf in around her neck.
"Oh that wind has a bit of a bite." She said to him with a smile. Waiting for him to do his usual remark about how she still wasn't bundled properly, and frowned at the look on his face. "What?..what is it?"
Despite his hope the sirens he was hearing meant things were under control, it was apparent they weren't as he had continued to listen in. With an internal defeated sigh, Clark used the only excuse available to him, "Lois..I forgot the axe, I need to go back to the truck."
"I could have sworn you brought it up here. " She turned glancing around the stump. Lois gave him a puzzled look when it was clear it was no where to be seen. "Okay then..we go back."
Inwardly groaning, Clark added trying not to sound like he was in a huge hurry though he was, "No, its fine..I can go get it. Why don't you go back to the tree and make sure its the one you want." He finished with a smile that he hoped was a bit flirty, but had a feeling from the look on Lois face it probably wasn't.
Sucking the inside of her cheek a little, Lois narrowed her eyes. "Sure.. okay." Something smelled completely fishy but for the life of her she couldn't place what. She knew she had seen him bring that axe out, so where the hell was it?
With a nod, Clark bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I'll be quick." Smiling, Lois nodded back and started to return to the pretty so-to-be Christmas tree, not even three seconds later she spun on around to add, "If I were you I'd check the ground on the way back Smallville. I think you're becoming really absent.."
How did he do that? Completely disappear.
"..minded.. Clark, you or I need help. Professional because something is definitely wrong with you." Not expecting a response spoken to the cold bitter air, Lois turned once more.
Then it happened.
Exactly what she hoped and even believed wouldn't.
Lois 'rarely get sick' Lane let out a sneeze powerful enough to cause her to stumble back.
"Oh sh*&"
It would happen wouldn't it? After having spent a half hour trying to convince Clark earlier that morning that she hadn't coughed, that her coat was warm, and that Lanes have good immune systems and don't need to be coddled, here she was doing exactly what Clark had predicted. She was getting sick.
Glancing back, while she headed for the tree, Lois couldn't see him and let out a sigh. So okay, this meant she was going to have to suck it up no matter how bad this cold or whatever got. There was no way she was going to let him be right, his big farmer head would swell and she'd never hear the end of it.
Nope. Lois Lane didn't do sick, hadn't for years and wasn’t about to start now.
"Mind over matter Lane. Don't believe you're sick and you won't be sick. The plaid king is just a worry wort. As you said this morning he's a bonafide mister mother hen and you are not one of his chicks."
The mental image from the last statement made her shudder or atleast that's what she told her self as a funny shiver ran up her back. Pulling her coat tighter, Lois fought the image and ended up with one of her and Clark in an compromising position in front of the fire. "Now thats how one treats a sick girlfriend."
It took a second for the 'g' word to register. "Oh Gawd no!.. " Lois spun around in a circle to make sure Clark wasn't there yet. With no sign of him, she turned towards the tree she chosen and gave it a look over though her mind was elsewhere.
It became clear to the patch of pine tree's around her that Lois wasn't really on the same mental plane of existence in that moment as the peaceful wood. Staring hard at the tree Lois declared out loud.
"I can't use that word!" She crossed her arms and shook her head, "no..no nonono. That word implies trouble. I mean if we use that word then it means we can break up." Eyes now having gone wide with the thoughts ping ponging through her head. They were always there but generally pushed way below the surface. But with the quiet around her and the lately constant confusion when it came to one Clark Kent sexy farm boy drive her crazy reporter, Lois couldn't avoid the thoughts in this moment.
So she gave them to the tree.
"Its not that I want to break up or even think we will. " She said a bit defensively. "It's just.. once you say the 'g' word or the 'b' words and certain 'L' words, then everything becomes that kind of complicated and you can break up. I've done breaking up..its not pretty."
A cough tickled at her, Lois fought it and cleared her throat continuing her ramble, "The thing is so has Clark and I've seen him after a break up. And it is even less pretty then me drowning in a tub of Ben and Jerry's. No.. no complicated words. Be strong Lois."
The problem was they were no longer really in the just started dating phase anymore. That became obvious once she realized she had stopped counting PDA's. But despite that and every other sign that pointed to deep feelings between them, they both played with the awkward factor of newly daters. It was easier to pretend and hold back then to let herself fall. But pretending would only get them so far, eventually if she wanted to keep him, Lois knew she was going to have to start volleying certain words.
Even the patience and understanding of Saint Clark would have to have an end. Wouldn't it?
Lois groaned. Only she could get a boyfriend she didn't call a boyfriend but wanted to call her boyfriend, yet didn't out of the fear of losing him to some imaginary break up. And it all would end up leading to that said boyfriend probably running away because she refused to call him her boyfriend.
Shaking her head, from the confusing train of thought Lois squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so doomed."
To be continued..tomorrow if all the stars align
Cookies..feed me please..
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