#clois fics

[cloismami]

For smallville clois fans, does anyone have access to Red Haze?? I want to read more clois fics😭

[shamelesstragedyenjoyer]

When a fic is so badly written and cringe you are ashamed of even reading it but the idea is so good you just gotta suffer through the thing

[authenticaussie]

Alright so I just finished Batman:TAS recently and started watching Superman:TAS and it delights me that the first episode is literally just: superman??? Who dat. This is aliens :)) (even if Brainiac does say "human error, Jor-el"). So obviously I do now have aus. Obviously <3 shout-out to @midnightluck for the Justice League, @cer-rata for Terry and @suzukiblu for Jordan + putting up with the initial ramble

So anyway Brianiac's satellite upload gets fucked up by Jor-el either in petty revenge or as an accident, and a part of Brainiac ends up on Clark's ship. The vague explanation I have is that Brainiac is the AI for everything and in TAS, Jor-el also does not realise he is "evil" and thus still uses his help as a navigator for Clark's ship while he is initially building it. The ship, however, is offline to prevent the Kryptoninan council from finding out about it, and thus, that section of Brainiac does not get taken back into the satellite upload.

As it is BARELY the 90's when the Kents find Clark after the crash, Brainiac is summarily useless thanks to the current lack of wifi, but manages to mostly teach himself English and Kal kryptonian, and decides that. >:( since they're BOTH there, they can BOTH be vestibules of kryptonian knowledge. And also Kal can get him more earth knowledge. The vibes entirely are: "Weird aspects of kryptonian culture taught by an unbodied dickhead historian" and while the argument is "but brainiac is evil!" Main brainiac is. But this is a subsection of Brainiac :) he learnt more stuff + Clark loves him soooo much.

Unfortunately. That is His baby now. He is not impressed with his baby. His baby bought him a growing chick the other day, with big sad eyes, and said the kryptonian word for fluffy!!! in such a mournful tone that Brainiac resigned himself to teaching kal about how growing up worked and that the chicken needed feathers to fly. This explanation ends with Clark collecting feathers and trying to jump off the barn roof, and he thus resolves to extend further co-parenting issues to the Kents. For his own personal convenience, of course.

It does of course ALSO mean that Brainiac, who has a loose definition of the words "surveillance state" absolutely gets in at the ground floor when the internet first starts up. Clark's influence relegates him to the background, but he is good at hiding ! So they don't realise they have an AI in the wifi! But ohhhh boy does brainiac scare a few people at first. Potentially tries to do his "i am helpful" schtick before realising he is not useful in this because he's basically just. Seems completely like a troll? He's some random person who's invaded the internet!!

However he is also the inspiration for google 😂 and calls it his younger, stupider sibling. It is also funny to me to think about earth compsci engineers having NO idea why sometimes the internet acts SO DAMN WEIRD <- brainiac's fault.

As a result though, when Clark starts up as Superman, Brainiac does NOT let the Kr project off the ground. Files are misdirected and blackmail is gathered. Until one day Kal says something sad about how he'll never be able to have a great romance, because he's terrified of telling anyone the alien thing, and that he's always thought about kids but he's kinda terrified because what if he hurts someone- and Brainiac is like ah yes wait. I shall fix this for my Only Kryptonian.

TWO kids for the price of one?!? he finds, after he goes searching, and then further prodding finds THIRTEEN children, extraordinary. Not all of them are viable because the earth scientists truly are incapable but Brainiac can fix the issues with their technology to ensure Kal has the children he wants.

"How many children did you think of, kal-el?" he asks, and Clark laughs at how kindly his friend/uncle/grandfather figure treats his silly selfishness.

"Oh, man, sometimes I think: as many as I can carry! But then- I don't want Superman to get in the way of being a good dad. Too many and I won't be there for them like I should, you know? I worry about that, I guess."

"As many as you can carry is a significant amount," Brainiac says dubiously, already imagining teaching these numerous children kryptonian culture and Also that they are Not chickens. "I do not think that can be fulfilled effectively."

Five minutes later Clark has five children and has realised his matchbox apartment and budding romance with Lois Lane are both complicated things he will now have to resolve. He's basically commuting daily to the Daily Planet from Smallville, thank god for superspeed and his endlessly patient parents, jfc

(Children I was thinking of: the destablised kon!clone from SB94/The Ravers, Kon, Match, Bizarro, and Mia. Alternatively they went old-school with Biz so Brainiac didn't get a chance to help him/he's older than the other kids when Clark finally mentions wanting kids, to Brainiac, and thus Biz ends up like. The kids' uncle. There ARE technically twelve clones before Kon. I could've given you thirteen-fifteen kids, Clark.)

Anyway this does mean that either a) when Lois finds out Kal is superman this is not his biggest secret, b) Kon rocks up as Superboy and Lois, once she finds out Clark is Superman, immediately goes: WAIT BUT SUPERBOY'S YOUR KID. ARE YOU MARRIED??? or c) everyone at the Daily Planet thinks Clark just. Got really unlucky with different people he slept with and someone in the world's wildest stroke of luck they all ended up pregnant. Because Clark Does Not mention a partner when it is eventually revealed he has kids.

He probably does keep them a secret for a while though. A) He doesn't want them to have to try and be "normal" since they're only just out of the pod and B) I feel like, weirdly, Clark is somehow that co-worker that people like. barely know anything about. You like them and they're so helpful! and good-natured! and then you get him in the office secret santa and realise you're not even 100% what his favourite colour is or if he has a pet.

Anyway, Lois: he is NOT expecting Lois to get pregnant and they have to have a Long talk about it because Brainiac is. :) Being an asshole about species compatibility and the fact that it is "not natural" for Kryptonians to be created biologically rather than properly, in a pod, and also: Clark already has five freaking kids. That's a lot of kids! Are they going to be okay having a brother that much (at least five-ten years I'm thinking, depending on if we go: Brainiac gives him multiple children of multiple ages, or multiple young children of the same age,) younger than them??? And then there's Chris, too, who rocked up just after Clark and Lois started dating, and is still pretty high needs because he only mostly speaks Kryptonian (and is lowkey terrified of Brainiac, so Clark's main babysitter is out) (also please please imagine how freaking cute the subplot of "chris realises this brainiac is not the nightmare his stories told him about; watching his new siblings do things that Brainiac would have killed them for, terrified for them because he heard the stories of how long Brainiac bided his time--)

But this is also: how many kids can we give clark, the fic, and thus they have Jon, and then Jon exhibits so many kryptonian characteristics and Lois doesn't mean to but she's a little wine drunk and says, "i love them, you know, they're all perfect, Jon's perfect, I was just- I'm terrified for him. If we raise him right he's gonna be just like his dad…and you know what? I was wanting my own little Lane. Someone to follow my footsteps. I'm feeling a bit outnumbered here, haha!"

Brainiac: hm. I will amend this. (Makes and artificially grows human!Jordan so he displays more human genetic characteristics As Lois Wants)

Brainiac: I have created Jon-el's twin for you, Lane. You are welcome.

Lois: um what

Clark: honey no you can't talk about children with Brainiac he will make more

Lois: WHAT.

Lois: OUR CO-WORKERS KNOW I DIDN'T HAVE TWINS, KENT.

Clark: …. you're gonna have to be one of those weird "I didn't know I was still pregnant" stories…. 😂

Lois: 😭 Clark you know those are only funny when they are NOT HAPPENING TO ME

Clark: you didn't know you were pregnant….. literally

Lois must engage in the gaslighting of all of her coworkers <3 What do you mean you didn't realise she had twins she's shown you both of them? Of course they look the same they're babies. Of course she always had twins. She carried them. Did you carry her babies? Of course she would know. Isn't that right, Clark? …. isn't that right, Clark?

Clark: "Where else would she'a gotten a baby from, guys? An alien?"

Brainiac: hello i have delivered the child. Where is my thanks? It has still not been conveyed? I am doing the Literal Best as the Literal Best AI ever? Excuse me? You ignore Brainiac?

Brainiac: death for one thousand humans-!!!

Martha: 🥰 Brainiac I'm so proud of you for always making sure these kids are taken care of. Giving us Jordan! Oh, you marvellous robot

Brainiac: …. acceptable, Matriarch Kent

either that or Lois shoots herself in the foot and everyone thinks Clark is STILL the man with the world's worst luck and the strongest genetics ever:

"Lois, honey…how are Jon and Jordan so close in age? If they're not twins?"

"Uh- Jordan is adopted!"

Everyone: looks at Jordan, who is Jon's splitting image

Everyone: …..okay

Anyway because this AU is wildly cliche, very obviously the Bit of Brainiac that helped Clark grow up re-integrates with Brainiac prime during a Big Dramatic Battle where all of the Superfam are getting hurt, and manages to stop/halt Brainiac prime from hurting Clark and the Kryptokids at the cost of his existence.

Jordan gets to punch it in the circuits cause he's the only one not affected by kryptonite but still has the general invulnerability. (And then Jon and/or Kon and meeting the LoSH and they realise their grandfather Brainiac has very much been continued in Brainiac 5's code :3 for an open-ish happy ending of "hey good exists forever and always regardless of heritage")

GRANDPA LEARNS LOVE AND AFFECTION.

GRANDPA CHANGES FROM GENERAL SELF SERVICE AND SELFISHNESS AND REALISES HE LOVES KAL AND THE KENTS AND HE WILL PROTECT THEM

GRANDPA ALSO WANTS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. There is a constant battle and it does work for a while because he is elected babysitter of the kryptokids and he is only a small part of Brainiac, five kids does stretch the circuits he developed from Clark's pod, but it's a constant cycle.

"Kal-el, son of house of el, I demand google, I have not finished investigating the 'man of Bats'. Why are there two variations of his name?"

"You mean Dark Knight?"

"THERE ARE THREE? KAL-EL, PROVIDE ME WITH THE WIFI IMMEDIATELY--"

Also when Brainiac finds out that Clark's birthday falls on a human holiday he. He tries. He tries to do pranks. Most of them are vaguely and accidentally evil (Chris cries when Brainiac takes over the internet for the day and makes every search engine answer questions wrong), but he tries. He knows Clark likes pranks! He is trying to participate! It's family bonding!!!

Braniac: It is your 33rd April fool's day.

Clark: Yep!

Braniac: I have finally decided to assist you with a prank.

Clark:...oh?

Braniac: Behold! (Small boy with dark hair, blue eyes and a square jaw walks in, dressed in a decent little suit.)

Clark: Braniac you CANNOT keep making...Wait. No. No you didn't--

Braniac: A prank to share with your closest friend!

Braniac: I have been calling him "Bruce" for my records, but you may want to pick something else for clarity.

Clark: 😦😳😬💀

(And thus we have Terry)

Also, while Clark is pretty secretive about his kids, when/if any of them go out with a Superfam name, and/or after he gets closer with the Justice League, there are little slip ups. He does really love his kids!!! And at the point where he's joined the JL he's been with Lois for a few years now and is used to mentioning them every now and then at the Daily Planet/trauma sure does bond you together :) and he trusts the core members of the JL pretty well. Someone makes fun of Bruce for his "hoard" of children and his "adoption problem" and Clark snorts and then chokes. Bruce has barely adopted Tim and/or has only just gotten Cass. Four? Please, Clark's almost at double digits.

Or Hal is talking about the fact that he doesn't know what to get his niece for her birthday; Clark asks how old she is, and goes "Seven? Oh, yeah. Go for Monster High, it's really big right now. The dolls are pretty cool."

"Lol why do you know so much about dolls, you have a secret collection-"

"What? No, my daughter likes them."

Hal:

Barry complains about how many birthdays he has to go to and Clark laughs. "Oh, tell me about it! Mia, Mark ((Match)), Chris and Mara all had birthday parties for their school friends in the same week - thank god for superspeed, right?"

Barry, who was talking about volunteering to visit kids' birthday parties at different orphanages in Central: Clark what are you talking about.

Also, Clark's an idiot and decides to introduce Brainiac's "prank" to Bruce on the watchtower because hey! It's neutral ground! And none of his kids can hear into space, thank fuck.

Clark: so....Bruce....you know how you were complaining about being an empty nester. Now that Damian's gone to college. Well. Hm. (pulls Terry from behind him) Surprise!

Bruce: .......You have a new child.

Clark: er. Well. sort of!

Terry, staring at Bruce like the autism creature: O_O

Bruce: .....I have a new child.

(also probably terry's backstory then includes some amanda waller induced kidnapping and potentially a bit of amnesia and adoption by another family but hey, he finds bruce again eventually!)

(also match does try and be the badboy of the family and does hang out with thad, when thad comes up to kill Bart, but. they both just. accidentally vaguely rehabilitate each other? They're not good, but they don't murder, at least. It's a low, low bar. When Clark tries to disappointed-face him, Match just says he's following in Grandpa Brainiac's footsteps and does Clark REALLY expect him to disregard a family legacy-- and you can give him some suicide squad angst or whatever, but the fam is still. there for him.)

(Mia and Kara get into a fist fight when they first meet; then they are best friends. Mia's not great at 'being Kryptonian', especially because she was one of the first attempts, and as per canon is technically a human who they tried to overwrite with Kryptonian DNA, and thus doesn't entirely understand Kara's connection to their 'home', but as a result she also ends up being Kara's confidant in it, because unlike Kal she does understand being taken away from your home and not being able to go back to it, and yet does not have...the same connection the way the other members of the Superfam do, and the disconnect allows Kara to actually talk about Kyrpton instead of mourn)

(Kon does try and grab the spotlight; Clark is trying to let him have freedom, after both Mia and Match went a bit....bitey at his attempts to keep them safe until they were older, but he's still the more naive of his siblings. Thankfully for Clark, he does get to introduce Kon to Robin, and while they don't hit it off, it is enough to mitigate the worst of the fallout of Rex's sleazy bs and Knockout's crimes ): When he joins YJ Clark is both proud of his heroism and a little scared that one of his kids is actually deciding to follow in his footsteps.)

(Mara is Kon's destabilised clone, from when he learns about paul westfield. We did not have enough girls in this family and thus part of their journey of self-identity was the fact that in a family of loud personalities they weren't great at speaking up; it takes a while for them to admit they want a new name and to use she/they pronouns, but by the time Jon and Jordan are five everyone's used to the change. Mara and Kon are closest, even though Kon and Mark/Match are technically sort-of twins; they clash waaay too much in temperament and personality. Kon was much better at playing protector to his little sibling, especially after they came out, and Mara shares "Supergirl" with Kara - she's only a backup member of the titans, though, and has the compassion and strength for heroism but sometimes too much empathy. Does a lot of relief work and peaceful outreach programs. They love a lot.)

(Chris?? no self sacrifice here!!! He has a bunch of fucking siblings with TTK, he is NOT going into that portal)

(There are two Nightwings; every now and then they debate who should switch to Flamebird, jokingly, and yet both of them have perfectly valid arguments - it's kryptonian! / I look good in blue! - and thus it never comes to fruition. When Mia and takes on Flamebird they give it up entirely; it helps that Chris ends up doing a lot of intergalactic work, so there isn't much confusion on earth with the call sign.)

When Jon is old enough to want to switch from Superboy he 100% puppydog eyes Chris into giving him the Nightwing handle so he can give it to Dami, and snags Flamebird from Mia. Dick decides he can live with that and is trying to take care of his own kid so is semi-retired (and can snag it back from Dami if he ever gets too bored).

For a bit there are def still two Flamebirds, but then Mia and Chris decide to team up for intergalactic stuff and to bully Mara into more fistfights, so then they're Trio and just go by Mar-El, Lor-Zod, and Mi-El. I know that is not how female names work on Krypron but I also think Lois Lane, who kept her name and also gave both Jon and Jordan her last name, hyphenated, heard of that shit and went "absolutely not". Either that or Mara decides to keep her Kryptonian name as Mar-El and Mia is Mia Kal-el, or copies her mom and is like naw Fuck This, especially considering her.....lack of general connection to Krypton? Could be fun for any :3 (Or maybe in space she just goes by Lane; time for her semi-mom to get recognition. Mara is already showcasing the house of El, Chris is rehabilitating the house of Zod, she's gonna kick butt for the house of Lois.)

....Though this does potentially mean i have accidentally called Match "Mat-el" and the Barbie jokes from that. Would be. Iconic.

Anyway that's the Grandpa Brainy au! Tune in next week when I force Cerata to watch Arthur and the Invisibles with me and start talking about bug-prince Kon-el and Lois' adventure to save her husband from a tiny evil overlord.

[nat-ter]

lois lane thinks bruce wayne doesn't deserve clark kent whose smallville heart is too pure for a tainted gothamite like wayne. not to mention clark is a literal superhero and the only good thing bruce wayne ever did is keeping the gotham's newspapers alive by being a right asshole of a billionaire. and a playboy. and an airhead who's also a playboy and who's also a drunkard who doesn't understand the meaning of public decency.

lois just manages to talk clark out of his ridiculous crush on wayne when clark kent, literal ball of sunshine, immediately decides to go and fall for tall, dark and broody, the gotham's so called dark knight himself. which isn't really a step up from bruce wayne. but at least batman's a hero. or a vigilante. depends on one's perception. all in all, lois is not amused.

she doesn't like bruce wayne because he's too showy and fake and she knows he's hiding something under that billion dollar smile and glittering bodyfit suit. and she doesn't trust batman because he's too secretive and cold and dangerous and she knows he must have already planned hundred ways to kill superman. see, she knows a little something about batman and it's that he has trust issues bigger than bruce wayne's ego.

but if she were to choose between batman and bruce wayne— better that clark pines after someone who probably will crush his heart right away with a few carefully worded sentence meant to strike right at the heart instead of bruce wayne who undoubtedly will use clark for one crazy night of fun and then leave him heartbroken with empty hope that will lead to nothing. because it's better to be let down from the start than being led on. because clark doesn't deserve to be a mere notch on bruce wayne's very wide, very much public bedpost.

that's why— after a weekend of clark eating a tube of ice cream on lois' couch while lois tells him all the cons of crushing on bruce wayne— when clark excitedly tells her that he's ready to get back on dating while he dopily stares at a grainy picture of batman on his computer screen, lois doesn't immediately go on a rant about how much of a stupid idea it is to try and court batman of all people. yes court because clark is old fashioned like that.

she has already crushed clark's spirit once, she leaves the honour to batman now. at least batman won't lead clark on and will be straightforward with his rejection. or superman. whichever identity clark chooses to see batman as.

oh boy is she wrong.

[frownyalfred]

a what-if scenario, as proposed by @lurkinglurkerwholurks and developed by myself, @audreycritter and lurker over on discord.

The original what-if: You know those delightful scenarios where Bruce is so pressed or scared or in danger that he yells for Superman and Clark POOF appears? Take alllllllllll of those, all that fear and pain and desperation...What would be required in that moment for Bruce to yell Clark’s name instead of Superman?

He’s so so so careful. Would it be an extreme amount of those emotions, like Jason’s death? Or is it something he specifically needs Clark for and needs him NOW? Like how much would that scare the living snot out of Clark to hear?

What if: Bruce finds Lois close to death -- maybe a few seconds away from dying, and it's a sure thing. Her heart is still beating, but she doesn't have long.

It’s kind of like a scene in a movie, where something happens that’s so big, so quietly awful, everything slows down and the rules don’t matter anymore. Internally, Bruce would go really still and hyperfocus to figure out how to fix this, but he’s not stupid.

Bruce sees Lois and knows. He clears the comms, kneels down next to her, and calls for Clark -- all in less than five seconds. Because there's no one else to make those snap judgements right now other than him -- or even knows why they need to be made.

Clark hearing his name shouted like that would make his entire world go staticky with panic. Because hearing Superman’s name shouted like that by Bruce Wayne has always meant the end of the world, and somehow this is so much worse.

He’d hesitate for a second because surely it’s a mistake? Why would Bruce call him that on open comms? Why is Bruce's heart suddenly pounding in his chest?

Bruce calls him Clark for two reasons: 1) Because he's about to give Clark the worst news of his life and 2) to remind him of his humanity. To remind him he's Clark at his core, because what he's about to see will shake those very foundations.

There’s nothing they can do. No medevac, Clark can’t take her anywhere. She will die, and it’s a certain thing. Lois just needs to see Clark. She needs to be able to say goodbye.

Bruce is both their friends and that’s what makes it worse. The weight of that grief -- grief for Clark, but also Lois because she is his friend too. He loves her, too, in a completely different way. And now he’s watching another person he loves die in front of him and he can’t stop it.

[stealingyourbones]

[skywalkervahnya]

One of the best Kryptonian romantic tropes is the definitely the whole memorizing/listening to/finding the other person’s heartbeat it gets me every time. The concept of being so familiar with someone and loving them so much that you can pick their heartbeat out of millions of people in a city is insane and it makes me want to cry every time

[evilwickedme]

This wasn't asked for because nobody in their right mind would ask for this but this is a fic rec list of fics I cannot stop rereading

Just started yet another reread of Inimitable Verse by deniigiq and I fully plan on rereading their into the multiverse series which occasionally crosses over also - this is a Spider-Man/team red focused series, think comics canon infused early mcu-spidey since only homecoming had come out for a non substantial amount of time they were working on the series and the daredevil stuff is explicitly tv show AND comics. Also the multiverse series is how I got into Murderdock and therefore how I got into Spider Gwen

Unpretty's Sorrowful And Immaculate Hearts series which is just a loosely interconnected series of DC fics. My personal favorites are Empty Graves, in which Martha Kent keeps killing time travelers trying to kill baby! Clark; any of their clois fics but especially Third Wheel; and Anti-Social, which is a social media fic mostly about Tim and Bruce that made me cry laughing. Catch Bruce trying to get Walmart's employees to unionize. Also shout out to unpretty's only fic with Jason in it, it looks awesome but is tragically incomplete

This particular Reverse Robin AU which put in the work to reverse every single younger generation and is chef's kiss I LOVE this version of Tim he's wild

Both of Shoalsea's fics are in constant rotation for me I talk about Into The Brighter Night all the time in the tags of reblogs and stuff it truly lives in my head rent free. Anyway Tim gets kidnapped by aliens and the batfam have to watch as yj98 saves him and it's angsty and funny and such a good take on what could have been if the new 52 hadn't happened. And Compassion Builds No House is about Tim and Pru from Red Robin. Ugh they're both so good

Speaking of Clois (I did you've just forgotten this by now) brilliant (like a confession) by kathkin (penny-anna on the hellsite) is so fucking good I'm. Okay. Anyway it'll be listed as inspiration if/when I finally post my two person love triangle fic for them

I'm too anxious to catch up on this before it's done but jumble sale chic is hands down the best spideydevil fic series despite and because of the omegaverse

Make A Little Birdhouse In Your Soul is my favorite take on Jason, period, and has a lot of fantastic Damian stuff going on too. It's updating every few weeks still! Sometimes more often! I love you bacondoughnut it's me JustGail the person who will not stop commenting on your fic you're stuck with me forever

I lied above Rumspringa Murderdock is what got me into Murderdock but that series is second place. I found this one while scrolling through the tv show's mattfoggy tag, thinking I was safe

Speaking of Murderdock mattfoggy, The Lawyer All the Wickedness was written early on in spider-gwen's history and so diverges from canon really early in ways that I think are super interesting and creative

Oh also straight on 'til morning by merils (Tumblr url mamawasatesttube) does SUCH a great job unpacking Kon's trauma and building up healthy relationships around him including a budding timkon romance and yeah it makes me sad and happy at the same time

We're getting into poisonivory territory so just trust if you like the pairing and poisonivory is writing it you'll like it. Ok rapidfire

Like A Handprint On My Heart mattfoggy soulmate au with a twist

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Damijon future fic/au. Jon came back from the future when both of them were 19. Demisexual!Damian at its best. Damian's terrified of being abandoned by Jon again and it made my heart hurt

I feel like I've already recommended every JayRoy fic by poisonivory and genuinely I do reread them all, sometimes in order of publication if I'm in a particular mood. Maybe the one I've read most though is I've Got the Feeling You're the Right Thing After All which is about Roy and Jason starting a fwb thing while Roy still harbors old feelings for Dick. Can't see anything going wrong here lmao

Mmm this post is long enough so I'll leave it at just superhero fic for now but I do in fact have the ability to do a whole post just for the Witcher or Leverage so I might do that. Anyway thanks for following me on yet another burst of insanity it will happen again

[dio-icarticaae]

Currently writing a Superfam snow day fic and an offhand line about driving got me thinking:

Kansans have negative winter/icy roads driving skills. They are TERRIBLE at it. I say this as someone who has Kansas relatives, but does not live there.

So picture Clark, in Metropolis, after experiencing his first major snowstorm. He has to drive for some reason (picking Lois up from somewhere). Lois actually knows how to drive on winter/icy roads. She is horrified. She makes Clark pull over so that she can drive instead because "Really, Smalville, were you trying to get in an accident?"

Lois then insists on teaching Clark how to drive on winter roads so he's no longer a road hazard during winter. Bruce gets to help/be the mock driver's examiner after Lois calls him to complain about their boyfriend's lack of driving skills (because I think this works best as Cloisbat)

Bruce: Clark, why did Lois call me and say we had to teach you to drive before you killed us?

Clark: You're both terrible drivers and she's exaggerating. I can drive perfectly safely on ice!

Bruce: So what did you do?

Clark: I stopped before driving up a hill. It's slippery!

Bruce: You what?!?!

Clark: It's slippery!

Bruce: *going through the five stages of grief about how Clark is going to end up in a car accident*

And then Lois and Bruce teach Clark how to drive in winter conditions and despair when he says that everyone drives like this.

[mcgnagallsarmy]

And all of my heroes die all alone Help me hold on to you

[dont-f-with-moogles]

hello! I saw your festive prompt.

could I request idea 6 or 27 with Levi x Hange, please. 💚💜

Festive Fics 27: Confessing A Crush When It’s Snowing 

The Last Two People on Earth (modern AU) Levi x Hange (mentioned: Zeke Yeager) 1835 words 

Levi was struck by hot whips of panic. His breath rasped in his lungs as he glared wildly into a haze of white. The frantic scraping of his windscreen wipers did little to relieve the snow as it pummelled down with renewed ferocity. It was quickly becoming impossible to drive in such a blizzard; the tightening of his chest warned him so. And yet his eyes were fixed upon the darkness, searching amongst the pale limbs of trees which lined the road for a lone figure. Every shape emerged as human company, only for his headlights to flash over it and extinguish all hope. Levi was terrified that he would pass them without recognition… leave them to perish out in the storm. How long had Hange been walking? They had left moments before he had run to his car. How had they managed to cover so much ground in that time?  

Then his lights caught a shape. Stalking against the wind, head bowed, arms wrapped around them, was Hange Zoe. 

Levi’s tyres crunched the ground as his vehicle slowed to a halt. He flung open his door and scrambled out.

“Oi, Hange!”

His voice tore in the snow-flecked gale. Hange stopped, arms still folded, refusing to turn around. Flakes dusted the shoulders of their coat; tangled in their hair. Levi’s shoes sank into the carpet of white. Snow littered his chest and arms. He brushed the flakes from his face with an impatient hand. Within a few short seconds the cold was already beginning to seep through his jacket. 

“Of all the places this guy had to live… what is this, Count Fucking Dracula’s Castle…?”

“Well, no one asked you to drive all the way out here!” Hange burst out tremulously.  

Their breath coiled like smoke into the wind. Suppressing a shiver, Levi wrung the snow from his arms. Then he placed a tentative touch upon their shoulder.

“Hange-” Slowly, they turned to him. Their lenses were smeared, eyes clouded with hurt and fury. The gale had whipped their cheeks raw. 

“Come on. You really think you would have gotten very far walking in all this?”

“I only left because you showed up uninvited!”

Hange’s stare blazed the ground. And yet, they did not resist as Levi drew them closer.

“We can’t stay here-” The cold air grated Levi’s tone, fraying every word until they hung hoarsely between them. “We’ll freeze.”

His arm tightened around Hange’s shoulders. The fabric of their coat was so icy it chilled his fingertips. Turning back, they struggled towards the car. Hange refused to speak another word, even once the door had slammed shut upon the cool interior of the vehicle. 

As they rolled into the night, there was just the rustle of flakes upon the windscreen and the creaking of Levi’s wipers as they battled the onslaught.  His eyes strained, exhausted, into the whirl of white. Only minutes had passed before Levi could hardly see more than a couple of inches of road curving in front of them. A sudden bend caught him unaware, forcing him to press upon the brake. The car crawled feebly, defeated by the elements which rained down upon them.

“We can’t keep on going, Levi…” Hange’s voice was heavy with tiredness.

“You mean…” Levi turned to cough into his damp sleeve. As he lifted his head, he found himself unable to finish his question. The silence settled heavily between them, as suffocating as the snow which clung to the corners of the glass

“There’s a high school less than ten minutes from here,” Hange suggested, “I remember visiting there a couple of times for inter-school competitions…”

Levi obliged by pulling over by the side of the road. He removed a torch from the glove compartment and retrieved a spare sweater from the back seat - this, he flung upon Hange’s lap.

The school building loomed into view; a hidden relic encased within the swirl of a shaken snow globe. Arms clinging to one another, bowed against the gale, Levi and Hange staggered forwards. They moved in slow motion, like aged versions of themselves cut out of time and place, left to wander in a world of white.

“Evening cleaning staff stay til late,” Hange’s jaw chattered as they nodded towards the lit windows. “I doubt they’ll be leaving anytime soon…”

Frozen footsteps left a trail of ice-water across the hardwood floors. Crossing an eerily quiet reception area, the two of them entered the first ground floor room they passed. It was a small space connected to an adjoining classroom. A faded display adorned the wall; paper turned pale by the sunlight of endless summer afternoons. Fresh chalk had recently been scrawled over a small, wall-mounted board. There was the scent of plastic, of paint and marker pens preserved in the still air.

They removed their wet shoes and placed them beneath a traditional column radiator which ran along the space opposite the window. Levi shook the water from his jacket and placed it over a classroom chair. The sudden warmth after such exposure drew the heat into his face. He ran his tongue across the roof of his dry mouth. Then he removed a tissue from his pocket to wipe at his icy nose. Hange sat with their back resting against the radiator, Levi’s thick sweater spread over their lap.

Once Levi had settled beside them, they lapsed into separate spheres of thought. The window opposite was a black square framing flakes as they drifted upon the night like feathers.

“Is it true?” Levi broke the silence at last. He appeared to address his arms, which rested upon his knees. “What you said before?”

The sleeve of Levi’s sweater slid off Hange’s lap as they shifted against the metal coils of the radiator. They retrieved it a little pedantically, smoothing the fabric out with several strokes of their hand.

“...about what?”

“That you only left because I showed up?”

“Well, how else do you explain it?” Hange turned to him fiercely. “You appeared out of nowhere. Of course Zeke assumed he was getting in the middle of something! Now I’d be surprised if I ever manage to get him on his own again.”

Levi reached out to check the dampness of his jacket. “...I see.”

“I don’t think you do.” Hange shifted so that they were kneeling next to him. The sweater lay crumpled at their side. “This is how it works with benefactors! If a department needs funding for equipment then they have to kiss a pompous ass here or there to make it happen.”

Levi’s mouth twisted at their words.

“I know it’s not the same in your job… but to us, donations are everything.” Hange glared down at their trembling fists. “Without them, we can’t continue our work. We’d be left stranded years behind in terms of research…”

“It just…” Levi lowered his head and coughed into his sleeve again. “It shouldn’t have to be that way.”

“Well… it is.” Hange sat back on their heels. In this posture there was something childlike about them. “...and you implying that there’s something seedy going on when it was just dinner and the offer of a guest room in his house… well, that really stings, Levi.”

“I never thought…”

“So why then, huh?” Hange’s voice rang in the small confines of the room. “Why did you drive all the way out here from your place?”

“I…” Levi cleared his throat again. Then he leaned his head back against the plain plaster wall behind them. “I… just think it gives the wrong idea.”

“So what… you rode out here to defend my honour?” Hange laughed derisively. “Give me a break…”

“Don’t be stupid. I mean it gives him the wrong idea.”

The corners of the windows were misted with white. The darkness beyond was speckled with wisps of magic.

“Moblit told me about the last time you both met that guy… he said there was something off about him. You all felt it. And… I didn’t like the idea of you being stuck with someone who makes you feel that uncomfortable.”

Hange wrapped their arms around their knees. They turned their face away and remained still, half-hidden by their sleeve.

“It’s not your job to rescue me… I don’t know why you think it is.”

In answer, Levi drew towards them. Wordlessly, he picked up his sweater and swept it around Hange’s shoulders so that the sleeves embraced them around the neck. His hand lingered upon the material; his eyes intent upon their face. Then he moved back against the wall.

Silence lay upon the scene once more, only broken by tiny, incidental sounds. The humming of the overhead lights. The clicking of the radiator. Rustlings of snow whispered their secrets against the glass. The quiet rasp of Levi’s breath. Within that small room surrounded by flaking plaster and old paper… the smell of chalk dust and dried paint… Hange heaved an exhausted, tearless sigh. So consumed by their anger, they had hardly noticed Levi. He was sleeping, his head resting against the faded wall. His face was drawn and pale.

Removing his sweater from around their shoulders, Hange draped it over his lap. Levi gave a small grunt in response but did not stir. Hange placed the back of their hand against his forehead, withdrawing as his skin burned them.

“You idiot,” Hange chided him, “rushing out into a storm to save me, even though you’re sick and trying to hide it… who do you think you are, a knight in shining armour?”

Hange studied his pale brow, tightened with worry, even now as he slept. They mapped out the contours of his angular cheekbones; the small, curved nose; his sharpened jawline.

“You were born in the wrong era, Levi. You ought to have lived in the time of fair maidens so you could ride in on horseback and be the hero.” They gave a sparkling peal of laughter, their tone far lighter than before. “It’s just… I’m not cut out to be a damsel in distress, I’m afraid.”

Levi’s dark fringe tickled the back of their hand as they stroked it away from his face.

“You see… you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t need to worry about me… especially when it comes to Zeke.” 

The room had grown colder and emptier without Levi’s brash interjections, but Hange would not have woken him for the world. As his breath whistled quietly down his nose, Hange marvelled at the steady rise and fall of his chest. 

“...because I can take care of myself… just how I take care of you.”

Instinctively, Hange’s fingers felt for his. They knelt beside him, Levi’s hand held gently in theirs. 

“Thanks to you we’ll be stuck here until sunrise…” 

Hange touched their own forehead lightly to his. Resting there for a moment, they savoured the warmth of his skin as it flared against their own.

“...we could be the last two people on earth. Maybe we should just stay here forever… just you and me.”

[cloismami]

there really should be more Clark Luthor fics out there :/. If y’all have any recs, please let me know 😭

[tickle-bugs]

Needling Away

Summary: When Clark skips a team-building acupuncture appointment, Lois offers to make it up to him personally with a massage. AU where Jimmy knows Clark’s secret and tries to protect him but Lois is on to both of them.

Lois has officially backed herself into the corner of all corners and she knows it. 

She’s almost positive that Clark is Superman. She still has questions, so many goddamn questions, but it fits so neatly in her brain that she’s getting tired of ignoring it. Clark’s just a nice, small-town boy who conveniently disappears whenever crime is happening, who shows up to work tired and bruised, and whose muscled chest is the exact softness and density as the super-pecs she’d just pressed her cheek on last week.

She knows that chest. At this point, it’s denial. 

“Hey guys.” Lois bumps open the door to their supply closet of an office. She sets down coffee and bagels for the three of them. 

“Hi Lois!” Jimmy looks up from fiddling with his camera. Clark waves shyly at her. His gaze hangs on her with awe of witnessing the sunrise. She looks away, face burning. 

“I brought you something.” She fishes out a crumpled envelope from her pocket and cringes at the state of it. She smooths it out. Takes a breath. 

“I know we’re still fighting to move up, but…I couldn’t have done any of this without you guys. I figured…if you’re anything like me, you’re probably stressed out of your minds, sitting up at night trying to figure out who Superman is--”

She meets Clark’s eye. His eyes widen. She clears her throat and looks away.

“I thought we could use a break.” She hands Clark the envelope. Their fingers brush as he takes it. He opens it gently and takes out three peach-colored vouchers with tiny text. His eyes skim quickly before he peeks up under his lashes. 

“Acupuncture?” He adjusts his glasses. Jimmy takes the envelope from him and reads it over, muttering under his breath. 

“Yeah! It’s supposed to help you relax. I’ve never done it, but Cat swears by it.” She sits on a table, gesturing wildly. She tries to dismiss the image of Clark looking up at her like that from her brain.

“This is so thoughtful, Lois. Thank you.” Clark smiles.

“Super thoughtful, but…Clark can’t go.” Jimmy elbows Clark in the ribs. He startles. They descend into a cyclone of whispers, doing that infuriating ‘best friend’ thing they do where neither of them speaks a complete word or thought. 

“I can’t? Oh. Oh! Right, yeah. Can’t go. Maybe I’ll give this to my mom, she’ll use it--” Clark starts to hand back the voucher. 

“Why can’t you go?” Lois frowns. 

“Uh…”

“He’s afraid of needles.” Jimmy blurts. Clark looks at him like a deer in headlights. Jimmy elbows him again and it seems to reboot him. 

“Deathly afraid, yeah. See one and I just, whew--I just pass out.” Clark laughs nervously. Lois’s heart sinks. 

“Oh.” She looks at her shoes. “Sorry, that was stupid of me. I should’ve asked you first.”

Clark’s warm hands gently take her shoulders. She looks up into his eyes, his smile, and is immediately at peace. 

“It’s a really nice gesture. The fact that you thought of me--” He grunts at another elbow to the ribs-- “and Jimmy was really kind. We appreciate you, Lois. We couldn’t do this without you either.”

“I will be cashing mine with haste.” Jimmy snaps his voucher, folds it crisply, and shoves it in his wallet. 

“I’ll give mine to my mom. She could use the break. Thank you.” Clark squeezes her shoulder. Lois nods, but she finds herself chewing the inside of her cheek in thought. 

 ……

That evening, Lois stands in front of Clark and Jimmy’s door for an embarrassing twenty minutes just raising and lowering her hand to knock. The inside of her cheek screams from the chewing. 

“Just knock,” she hisses under her breath, and her annoyance with herself drives her to knock a little too frantically. 

“Hey Clark? Is it okay if I--” The door slams open before she can finish-- “...come in?”

“Hi!” He beams. His hair is wet and curly from the shower and his hoodie looks so upsettingly soft. He’s wearing shorts, cozy ones, and the whole ensemble makes her want to chew on the drywall. He’s so cute. 

“Hi,” She breathes, totally cool and collected. They stare at each other for a moment before Clark’s eyes go wide behind his glasses.

“Oh god, did we have a meeting? I totally forgot, I’m sorry--”

“No, no. We didn’t. I just…wanted to see you.” She rocks forward on her toes. 

Way to sound desperate, Lane. 

Clark, adorably pink, opens the door for her. She steps into the apartment gingerly. 

“I should explain. I was thinking about the acupuncture thing. It was an excuse for us to spend some good time together and I messed it up. I really should’ve asked about your fear. I feel terrible.” Lois grabs his hand. It’s warm and soft to the touch. 

“You couldn’t’ve known. It’s not your fault.” He squeezes her hand. She pulls away. 

“Well, still, I felt bad that you were left out. I was thinking…maybe I could give you a massage? To make up for it?” Lois fiddles with her hands and watches him closely. His lips part slightly. He ducks his head, but Lois still catches the flush racing across his skin. 

“Wow, um…if you want to. I wouldn’t mind. You don’t have to, but—“

“I want to.” Lois smiles, and at last it feels natural. Clark awkwardly shuffles over to his bed and she follows. He sits stiffly, watching her with wide eyes. She stifles a chuckle as she sits behind him. 

“Get comfortable, Smallville. C’mon.” She pushes his shoulder. He lays down on his stomach, pillowing his arms under his head. He shuffles around a bit before he finally relaxes. 

“Can I go under your hoodie?” She touches his arm gently. He nods. She kneels beside him, sliding her hands up under the fabric. His back is warm and well-defined, almost foreign to the softness of his face. 

“Wow, you are…very tense. Your back’s like a brick.” With some difficulty, Lois starts working her hands into the dips and curves of his back. 

“Yeah, I’m just a tense….guy…” His voice breaks off into a murmur. Each muscle relaxes under her touch, like seams coming undone, and he lets out a sweet, soft sigh. Lois bites her lip on a smile. She’s never seen Clark relax like this before. Poor guy always seems like he’s a stiff breeze away from an aneurysm.

“I can’t believe you never did sports,” She hums. Her fingers trail upwards over patches of freckles and very faint scars. 

“I tried. It didn’t take. I like teams, but…I have much more fun getting to use my brain, I guess.” He shimmies in place a little bit. 

“So…how’d you get so strong?” She asks casually, timing the question with a push into Clark’s back. He groans and drops his head into his arms. At first, Lois fears she upset him, but then she catches the pleased sigh that follows after. 

“I started helping my dad with the farm and construction when I was very young. I guess it just built up over time.” He shrugs weakly. She narrows her eyes. It’s a good answer. Conveniently good.

Lois slots her fingers into his upper back. Clark full-body shivers to the point where she almost loses her balance. 

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Lois pulls her hands away. 

“Y-Yep, I’m fine! Promise.” He squeaks and gives a thumbs up, but his head remains steadfastly buried in the mattress. His ears are bright pink where they poke out from his hair. 

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Lois’s smile creeps into something mischievous. She leans down towards Clark and walks her fingers up his back. She gives an experimental little scritch, like she’s removing shmutz. He lets out a small eep and cranes his neck to watch her. 

“Are you ticklish, Smallville?” 

“Uhh…” Clark laughs nervously, avoiding her eyes. “I feel like no matter what I say, this is going to end badly for me.”

“You would be correct.” She skitters her fingers over his shoulderblades and he trembles, giggling like a maniac. He wiggles in place, grabbing fistfulls of the blankets. Shivering, bouncy laughter tumbles out of him in waves, consuming each breath before he can turn it into syllables to scold her with. His upper back tries to crunch in on itself to no avail. 

“Are you ticklish in any other weird places?” She pokes along his spine and he jumps. He rolls over quickly, too quickly, trapping her hand behind his back. She raises an unimpressed eyebrow and tickles the back of his ribs. 

“I’m ticklish in very n-normal places, thank you--Lois!” He squeaks and arches his back, swatting uselessly at her newly-freed hand. 

“Like where?” Lois grins. Clark narrows his eyes at her. The process of squirming had sent his hoodie creeping up, exposing the carved line of a hip and a bit of his stomach. Lois’s eyes dart to it. She feints for his back again but instead dives for his stomach. His voice cracks hard. 

“I’m not falling for thaaaaat!” Clark crunches forward like a lawn chair, deep laughter punching out of him. Her fingers creep around to the back of his hips and he falls back onto the bed, threading his fingers up into his hair. His glasses slide off his face and she catches them, neatly setting them aside. 

“God, you’re adorable. What endearing weakness for Superman to have.” Lois watches him carefully. Clark’s entire face shifts from pink to red as his chest heaves, still twitching away from her evil fingers. 

“Superman?” He shouts hysterically, half-caught in a bubbly laugh, and Lois laughs with him, folding forward into his chest. His hand immediately finds her back. 

When she looks up, his face is so close to hers, close enough to see the dusting of freckles fighting the wave of blush on his cheeks. His eyes are teary at the corners, still sparkling with his smile. 

The door bursts open then, sending the two scrambling apart. There’s nowhere to go on a bottom bunk, though, so they just smack their heads into the bed frame above them. Lois falls flat across Clark’s torso. 

Jimmy pauses, arms full of takeout bags, and gives them a very knowing look. 

“Do y’all need a minute?” He smirks and sets down the bags. Clark hides his burning face in his hands. 

“Nope, no we do not--”

“Jimmy, did you know Clark’s, like, stupid ticklish?” Lois leans on Clark’s shoulder and grins. He looks between them, alarmed. 

“As his best friend, it is my job to know all.” Jimmy fishes his food out of the bags. “Like how his armpits are really bad, for example.”

Clark squawks in offense, but then he’s flat against the mattress and cackling as Lois acts on her new intel. He starts to slide off the bed, his hair falling upwards with gravity. The light catches his eyes and smile just right, forming a clear picture of--

Superman. Clark is…Superman.

He must see it in her face then, that she knows, because he just very shakily raises a finger to his lips. His gaze darts towards Jimmy and Lois follows. 

“Your secret is safe with me,” she murmurs, knowing now that he can hear it, and smiles. He lights up, then his face settles into a deep, very attractive smirk. His eyes flash with sparks and then Lois is under him, screeching through laughter she didn’t know she was capable of. His hands on her are a dream and a nightmare all at once. 

“Unhand her, fiend!” Jimmy launches himself at the already-crowded bunk, worming under Clark’s tree trunk arms. Lois can’t quite see in the tight space, but she does feel the two of them crush her into the mattress as laughter floats around them. 

“Jimmy, the food!”

“Should’ve thought of that earlier, Clark! Perish!” 

Lois accepts that she will suffocate here beneath these two dorks, and it will have been worth it.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Hair Trigger

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Superfam, YJ98

Summary: A junior at Gotham University, Jason finds it difficult to conceal his worsening mental health from his family and his friend, Jon Lane Kent. Family secrets are revealed and boundaries are pushed as Jason and Laney struggle to navigate through school, their romantic feelings, and their trauma. Could the reintroduction of Laney Kent be more trouble than it's worth, or is it just what Jason needed to confront the demons of his past?

I will also do trigger warnings for chapters and if there is smut I have the chapter(s) tagged so you don't have to worry about nsfw in the fic if you're just here for the story itself.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Jonathan Lane Kent, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake, Conner Kent, Natalia Knight, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Chris Kent, Bart Allen, Original Character(s)

Relationships: JayLaney, Clois, TimKon

Additional Tags: University AU, No Powers AU, Sharing A Bed, Romance, Angst

Chapter One: Monotony

Jason started walking back to his apartment from the campus, taking a shortcut through the park. His phone vibrated in his bag as soon as he entered the building, and he let out a sigh. It continued to buzz as Jason let himself in his apartment, kicked off his shoes, and melted into his couch. He pulled his phone out of his backpack and answered dryly. "Bruce, I just got out of class," Jason mumbled, his eyes closed as he fought the onset of a headache.

"How was school?" Bruce asked. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know, it was the first day of class. We went over the syllabus and—."

"Clark said his son goes to school with you. He just started there too," Bruce interrupted. Jason curled up on the couch and turned the tv on.

"Oh? Is that right?" Jason asked sarcastically. He turned the tv up, and he heard Bruce sigh. "I'm sorry, go on."

"You remember Laney, right?" Bruce asked. Jason made an affirmative noise. "Are you listening?"

"Laney... You told me I couldn't hang out with him anymore after we got caught sneaking into a rated R movie together," Jason replied. Bruce made a noise over the phone as if he was tapping his fingers on the table.

"How are you, Jason?" Bruce asked softly. Jason set his phone down and pulled a pillow over his face. "Jason, are things okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired today," Jason mumbled. Jason could hear Dick's voice in the background.

"Dick wants to say hi," Bruce replied.

Before Jason could say anything, Dick greeted him with an over-enthusiastic, "Hey, Jason! How was class?"

"It was okay, just a bunch of first-day stuff... How are you?" Jason asked. As Dick started speaking, Jason put the phone back down and closed his eyes.

"Are you still there?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, I'm listening," Jason mumbled.

"I know you're probably busy, Jason. I'm gonna let you go," Dick replied, "Goodnight."

"Night, Dick," Jason mumbled, "And tell Dad that I'm fine." Jason heard Dick make an affirmative noise, and he hung up.

He lay there for a while, feeling pressure in his chest, and his eyes burned with tears. He pulled the pillow back over his face, and he let out a whining noise as he succumbed to his tears. Jason felt a duty to his family to seem like he was doing alright, but everything felt meaningless. After allowing himself to cry, he got up and took a shower, putting on a pair of shorts before climbing into bed. He let the tv play in the living room as he lay in his bedroom facing the wall.

Jason fell asleep on an empty stomach and a heavy heart, not really knowing why he felt so terrible. He woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, another nightmare. Jason rolled out of bed and poured himself a glass of water. His phone vibrated once, and he walked over to pick it up. He read it out loud, "You up? It's Laney." Jason plugged his phone back up to the charger and went back to bed without answering.

Jason thought about how hard Bruce was trying to get him to open up about how he felt. Bruce meant well, but even the sound of his voice was enough to remind Jason of his public breakdown. Not only was it humiliating, but it was also the reason why Jason felt he couldn't go back home. It'd been months since the incident, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was a ticking time bomb.

He settled for a restless slumber, waking up to the sound of his alarm in the other room. He slipped on a baseball jersey and a pair of jeans on his way to the bathroom. He turned off his alarm after he brushed his teeth, and he grabbed an orange from a bowl on the kitchen counter.

His phone rang, and he put it on speaker as he ate. "I'm still alive," Jason answered.

"Huh?" the voice answered. "This is Laney."

"Oh, fuck. Ignore that. I thought you were Bruce. Morning," Jason mumbled as he peeled his orange.

"Do you have class this morning?" Laney asked. Jason made an affirmative noise as he ate. "Are you free tonight?"

"Um... Yeah, actually, I am," Jason replied.

"There's a party on the East End tonight, and I can pick you up if you wanna go... Party starts at eight," Laney replied.

Jason finished chewing before answering, "Yeah, sounds good!" He cursed silently, immediately regretting his answer.

"Cool, just text me your address, and I'll be over there at like eight-ish. We can catch up. I guess your dad isn't mad at me anymore," Laney laughed nervously. Jason laughed a little too.

"Guess not... He gave you my number?" Jason asked. He finished up the rest of his orange and went to wash his hands at the sink and grab a pre-made smoothie from the fridge.

"Technically, he gave your number to my dad, who gave it to me. But yeah, I think it's their way of keeping tabs on us," Laney replied, "Guess I'll see you later."

"Catch you later, Lane," Jason replied before hanging up and texting Laney his address.

He grabbed his bag and grabbed his keys before heading out to his class. He drank his smoothie and took the shortcut through the park, and he stopped in front of his classroom. Other students already crowded around the door, some of them talking to each other, others sitting on the ground. Jason finished his smoothie and threw it in the recycling bin.

The professor walked through the students, unlocked the door, and stepped into the small portable building classroom. The students swarmed in behind her. Jason sat close by the door and put his phone on silent. The professor took the role, passed out the syllabus, read through her copy, and set it up for an icebreaker assignment. She handed out an icebreaker bingo sheet and had students go around and fill them out.

"I have more than three siblings," Jason mumbled as he switched worksheets with someone. The icebreaker seemed to drone on for forever. Once it was done, everyone turned in their worksheets and left the classroom. Jason went straight to his next class and went through the same routine he did in the previous two.

As soon as the second class of the day was over, Jason walked to the deli and bought himself lunch while he dreaded a call from one of his family members. His phone rang as soon as he took the first bite, and he answered, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Afternoon."

"Did you talk to Laney?" Bruce asked.

"I did," Jason answered, feigning enthusiasm, "Yeah, we're gonna hang out later." He took another bite.

"Are you eating lunch right now?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," Jason replied with a mouthful of food in his mouth. Jason finished chewing and took a sip of his soda. Bruce said something to someone in the background. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to ask how you slept," Bruce asked.

"I sleep fine," Jason answered.

He heard a door shut, and Bruce made a noise over the phone. "When are you coming home?" Bruce asked.

"I'm gonna come visit soon," Jason lied, "I'm just busy right now with school and work..."

"Jason, you can come home. We miss you," Bruce whispered. Jason's throat felt tight, and he let out an uncomfortable breath of air.

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna come by as soon as—."

"I don't want to pressure you. I just want to see my son again," Bruce whispered.

Jason threw the rest of his food in the trash and started walking home. "No, yeah... I know. Can we talk about this later? I gotta go get ready to hang out with Lane tonight." Jason felt his chest tighten, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Okay, Jason," Bruce replied. Jason could hear the disappointment in his voice. Once he got to his apartment, he went straight to the bathroom to take his shower.

The cold water calmed his nerves, and he went back to his room to take a nap. He curled up in his bed and slept until he received a call that woke him out of his sleep. "Hello," he groaned.

"You okay?" Laney asked.

"Mm, yeah... I was just taking a nap. What time is it?" Jason asked.

"Seven forty-five... I was calling to tell you I'm here—."

"I'll be right down," Jason interrupted as he jumped out of bed and slipped on some clothes that he laid out for the next day.

"You sure? Because I'm not in a hurry. I can just park and wait—."

"No, really. I'm almost ready anyway," Jason replied as he slipped on his socks and shoes and grabbed his keys. "I'm on my way down."

Laney described his car to Jason as Jason looked across the street. Laney reached over and opened the car door. Jason froze up for a moment at the sight of Laney. "Long time no see, Jay," Laney smiled, "I knew you wouldn't be as short as you were when we were kids, but I also didn't expect you to be built like a tank." Jason laughed and got in the car. Jason hung up his phone and buckled his seatbelt, and Laney stared at him for a while. "What's wrong?" Laney asked.

"What? Nothing," Jason lied. Laney rolled his eyes and started the car.

"One thing you can't do is lie to me. I know your tells," Laney joked, "I'll find out later on anyway." Jason shook his head.

"I'm fine," Jason replied.

"Now, I know something's wrong... Nobody ever just says they're fine," Laney replied, "And it must be dire for your dad to let me speak to you again."

Jason shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Lane, how do you know about a party in the East End anyway?" Jason asked. "Actually, I have two questions. When did you start going to G.U.?"

"In order, I was talking to this girl, and she told me about the party, and I ended up transferring to G.U. because I was bored. I figured I'd bump into you eventually," Laney explained, "I know we were like fourteen last time we hung out, but I imagined you couldn't have changed that much."

Jason stared out of the window until they got to the party, and Laney parked around the corner. He locked the car door, and they made their way through an abandoned warehouse. The music blared, and the lights flashed in their eyes, disorienting them for a moment, and they made their way to the food. There were a couple of pizzas in the corner of the room on a fold-out table, and Jason ate a slice while Laney made their drinks. "I don't drink," Jason turned it down.

"What?" Laney yelled over the music.

"No, thank you!" Jason yelled back. Laney nodded and drank Jason's drink, and he handed his keys over to Jason. Jason shoved the keys in his pocket. Jason ate for a little while, watching out for Laney to keep him out of trouble.

Eventually, Laney managed to pry Jason out of the corner to dance, and instead of letting go once he got Jason on the floor, Laney held onto him and let Jason support his weight. Jason's breath caught, and his heart raced in his chest. "You don't remember," Laney mumbled in Jason's ear as they danced.

"Remember what?" Jason asked. Laney didn't say anything else about the matter. "Laney?"

"I'm gonna get another drink," Laney let go of Jason, and all the life seemed to drain from Jason's body. He didn't realize how good it felt to have someone hold him. He stood there, stuck until Laney returned. "You okay?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "One more dance and we can go, okay?"

Jason nodded, and Laney put a hand on his shoulder and danced with him at arm's length. After the song ended, Laney took Jason's hand and led Jason back outside. "I can drop you off at home and walk back—."

"Let's go eat," Laney slurred, "Come on, let's go." Jason got in the driver's seat and waited for Laney to buckle up before going to a drive-thru. "Tacos!" Laney exclaimed.

Jason chuckled and shushed him as the woman asked for their order. "I'll have an order of chili fries and a coke," Jason paused and looked over at Laney, "What do you want?" "Tacos!" Laney yelled, and he started dancing.

"What kind?" Jason chuckled.

"I want two of each," Laney answered, "It's important to me."

"Okay," Jason laughed, "Can we get two fish, two chicken, two ground beef, and two vegan tacos?" The woman gave them their total, and they pulled up to the next window. Jason reached for his wallet, and Laney shook his head.

"No! Uh-uh... I'm gonna pay for my best friend," Laney slurred, "Look at this guy, lady. He's not gonna pay for these tacos, no ma'am."

"Laney, shut up," Jason mumbled. Laney gave Jason the money to hand to the cashier. "I'm so sorry about him." Jason took Laney's change and gave it back to him before pulling up to the next window. Jason asked for sauces at the next window, and they parked in the lot and ate.

Laney devoured his tacos, making noises as he ate. "Want one?" Laney asked. Jason shook his head. "Thanks for taking us to get tacos," Laney mumbled, "I know you don't like drive-thru tacos."

"Please don't start crying," Jason whispered as he ate. Laney sniffed.

"Can I have some of your soda?" Laney whimpered. Jason nodded. "Tell me what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"What? No, I'm not sick," Jason replied as he picked over his food with a fork. Laney started on his second taco.

"Then, what's wrong?" Laney asked. Jason shrugged.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jason replied sternly, and Laney burst into tears. He continued to eat as he wept. "Oh god, Laney. Please don't do that."

"You don't remember why our parents stopped letting us hang out," Laney cried. He lay back in the seat with his head back, and Jason adjusted Laney's posture.

"Don't tilt your head back," Jason reminded him, "What do you mean? We snuck into a rated R movie, and our dads said that we couldn't hang out anymore."

"That's not what happened! Jay, talk to your dad..." Laney wiped his tears and went back to eating, but Jason had lost his appetite. "Wanna have a sleepover?"

"Huh?" Jason asked. Laney ignored him and continued to eat until he finished his tacos.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Laney mumbled as he stumbled out of the car. Jason checked the time on his phone and chuckled. "Don't be a wiseass, buddy." Laney pointed at him. Jason covered his laugh and noticed he had eight missed calls from Bruce.

He called his father back, and Bruce answered with an anxious, "Hello?"

"I'm fine. My ringer was off. I'm with Laney right now," Jason replied.

"Thank god, I thought you were upset about our earlier conversation... How are you doing?" Bruce asked. Jason watched Laney come back from the bathroom dancing.

"I'm good," Jason answered, trying to hold back his laugh. Laney slammed his hands on the hood of the car and gestured for Jason to maintain eye contact. Jason succumbed to laughter.

"I just wanted to check in with you. I'll let you go, okay?" Bruce asked.

"Okay," Jason chuckled before hanging up. "Get in the car!" he yelled at Laney while laughing, and Laney got in the car.

"Who were you on the phone with at three in the morning? A girl?" Laney asked.

"No!" Jason exclaimed.

"A guy?" Laney asked.

"My dad. I had eight missed calls from him. I'm surprised he didn't call the police—."

"Why would he do that?" Laney asked.

"Don't worry about it," Jason replied.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Laney asked. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, you can stay at my place," Jason replied as he drove back to his apartment, and they took the stairs. Jason held him steady, and when they got to his apartment, Laney plopped on the couch and passed out. Jason pulled Laney's shoes off and threw a blanket over him.

He took another shower and put pajamas on before going to bed. He woke up a few hours later, just before dawn, to the sound of Laney throwing up in his bathroom. "Laney?" Jason asked. He sat up in bed and listened to Laney vomit a little while longer before getting up to check on him. "Lane? You alive in there?"

"It was definitely the tacos," Laney answered. Jason went to the kitchen and made coffee.

"I wouldn't know," Jason replied, "I never would've done that to myself. Four different kinds of tacos, the rest of my fries, alcohol, and a coke?"

"Don't remind me. You've got quite the little medicine cabinet," Laney stated. Jason opened the door, and Laney rinsed out his mouth. "Gotcha. Your medicine cabinet is locked, by the way."

"Jesus, Lane," Jason mumbled.

"What are you hiding?" Lane asked.

"Nothing, it's just that I don't want people going through my—." Jason's phone rang, interrupting him in the middle of his sentence. "Hold on. Good morning, Bruce," Jason answered.

"How'd you sleep?" Bruce asked.

"Okay. Something wrong?" Jason asked.

Bruce said, "No," and continued on to ask Jason if he had a good time.

"Yeah, I had a great time. It was really nice to see Lane again," Jason answered as Lane posed comically to elicit a laugh from him. Jason covered the phone with his hand and mumbled, "Laney, I swear to god if you don't stop it."

"He spent the night?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, he asked to stay over because it was too late for me to walk back after dropping him off in his car... Why?" Jason asked. Lane walked past Jason and over to the kitchen. "Do you have an aspirin?" Laney asked. Jason nodded and unlocked his medicine cabinet. Laney came back over and took an aspirin. "Tell your dad I said hi."

"Tell Laney I said hello," Bruce replied.

"Bruce said hi, Lane," Jason relayed the message as he made his way to the kitchen and started making eggs for breakfast. Laney sat at the counter.

"What's on your schedule for today?" Bruce asked. Jason looked at his calendar.

"Laundry day. Why?" Jason asked.

"I was thinking maybe we could have dinner later on today?" Bruce suggested. Jason made a hesitant noise, and Bruce made an affirmative noise. "Jason, if you don't want to go—."

"Don't do that... Don't—. Don't make me feel bad for saying no," Jason replied.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad... I just want to know when you're going to stop avoiding—." Jason hung up the phone and pulled his hair.

"Hey, you okay?" Laney asked. Jason forced a smile.

"Uh-huh, yeah. I'm fine," Jason responded on his way to his bedroom. Laney stopped him before he could close the door. "Let go of the door, Lane. I don't feel like messing around—."

"Jason, what's up with you? It's like it hurts you to laugh now," Laney asked. Jason took a few deep breaths.

"Lane, leave me alone right now. I just need a minute," Jason warned him. His phone rang again, and he tried to shut Laney out.

"What is wrong with you, Jason?" Laney asked.

"Get the hell out of my doorway!" Jason yelled. Lane let go out of shock, and Jason shut the door and sank to the ground before allowing himself to unravel. His hands shook, and his chest felt tight as he held back his tears.

"Jason, I'm gonna give you some space right now... But maybe we should hang out again next week and really talk," Laney whispered through the door. "I'll text you later on." Jason listened as Laney walked away from the door and picked up his keys. As soon as he heard the door shut, he climbed back into bed and lay there wrapped up in his sheets. He listened to his phone ring in the background, but he couldn't move himself to talk to anyone else.

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

alrighty, here it is~

🩵 The Overmorrow playlist (on youtube) 🩵

The first 11 are songs that encapsulate the mood of the entire story and its overarching themes, mostly about Eph or literally from his pov (I’m on my hands and knees begging you to listen to King, The Next Right Thing, Quiet, and A Little Closer at the very least 🥺)

The 19 after those are various instrumental tracks I listened to while writing and editing to set ✨ the mood ✨ (I do this for all my fics), more or less in chronological order

And finally, once Overmorrow is finished…I’ll add some bonus songs 😃

Hopefully I’ll be able to host this in a better place suited for music (with no ads!) later on, but this’ll do for now. I really hope you like it!!

[katesofheaven]

Just Call My Name

Clark Kent x Lois Lane | Explicit

My Adventures with Superman

ao3

Length: 6.1k

Lois learns to take advantage of Clark’s super hearing.

Read it here!