By angelic_editor <Moxie406@yahoo.com> and Ann Sidbrant <Annsid@hotmail.com>
Rated: G
Submitted: November, 2006
Summary: Lois holds out for her version of the perfect, "super" man while Clark longs to be accepted for the ordinary man he is not.
Feedback: Better than chocolate! Both of us welcome comments and criticism of all kinds.
Disclaimer: The characters aren't ours; the words are. Please don't take legal action — you'd only end up with an iPod and a bicycle, anyway.
A/N: Just for reference, this is set in season one. Miscellaneous: Effusive thanks to everyone who read and commented on this two-part vignette at www.lcficmbs.com!
***
Lois Lane wants the fantasy.
She knows it's stupid and juvenile and completely irrational, and every time she sees a flash of hurt darken Clark Kent's guileless brown eyes, she wants desperately to *not* want the fantasy.
But she does.
Oh, she does.
Just this once, she wants to be stupid and juvenile and completely irrational — because she has always been smart, mature and nothing if not rational, especially when it comes to keeping men at a safe distance.
This is her path not taken, personified in a hero who flies around in bright blue spandex and a red cape; an Adonis of a man who embodies all that is true and just and good.
A man who's not from this world.
A man who's strong enough to lift a space shuttle into orbit.
A man who has swept her off her feet, literally and figuratively.
So yes, Lois wants the fantasy. Even if simply uttering his name is another metaphorical nail in the coffin of her best friend's unrequited love.
Her heart breaks a little more for Clark every time she sees how much she's hurting him. And she hates herself a little more each day.
But she can't stop loving Superman.
Because God help all three of them, she wants the fantasy. Just this once, Lois Lane wants the fantasy.
***
Clark Kent wants the fantasy.
He knows it's stupid and juvenile and completely irresponsible, and every time he sees a flash of hurt darken Lois Lane's vulnerable brown eyes, he desperately wants *not* to want the fantasy.
But he does.
Oh, he does.
Just this once, he wants to be stupid and juvenile and completely irresponsible — because he has always been mature beyond his years, ready to carry a world of responsibilities on his shoulders.
This is his fantasy, personified in a man who comes to work every morning, dressed in a conservative suit, an outrageous tie and glasses.
A man from this world.
A man who has no special abilities, nothing to set him apart from other men.
A man who, in spite of his ordinariness, is able to sweep the woman he loves off her feet, if not literally, at least figuratively.
So yes, Clark Kent wants the fantasy. Even if it means having to turn Lois Lane down for not loving him as the ordinary man he is not.
His heart breaks a little more for Lois every time he sees how much he's hurting her. And he hates himself a little more each day.
But he can't stop loving the idea that she will love him as Clark Kent, the ordinary, non-superpowered Earthling he is not. Only when she loves and accepts this ordinary man can he reveal that he is the glorious hero who she has wanted all along.
Because God help both of them, he wants the fantasy. Just this once, Clark Kent wants the fantasy.
THE END