DC [DCAU] Sparks Fly

[AndrewJTalon]

Leslie: "Hello Metropolis and viewers around the world, this is Livewire! As those of you watching our stream can see but those of you just listening will have to take our word for, we have in the studio today: Superman! And Lois Lane, for some reason."

Lois: "Streaming huh? Getting back to your roots as a cam girl, Willis?"

Leslie: "Nah, just giving you some experience when the Daily Planet turns into a phone app. Better use the fish eye lens to make those things look as big as possible."

Lois: "I guess I'll just defer to the expert when it comes to showing off cleavage."

Superman: "Ahem..."

Leslie: "So, Superman. First off... Thanks for coming onto the show and thanks for saving Metropolis from lots of crazy crap. Never let it be said I'm ungrateful."

Superman: "Well, thank you Leslie. I really appreciate that."

Leslie: "Buuut, after watching footage of you in action, I think it's safe to say you're... Pretty new at the superhero thing?"

Superman: "Yes, I haven't been active very long."

In his office, Perry White feels a sudden migraine coming on.

Leslie: "Yeah, I kind of figured. I asked a hand to hand combat expert from US Special Forces about your combat performance... He had some critiques. One, you seem to take tanking damage literally. I mean, I get you're trying to act as a shield, but in many situations you could have been better served by dodging. You are invulnerable, pretty much, but you do seem to take hits to your stamina."

Superman: "I wouldn't say I'm invulnerable, but I am very, very tough. But anyone can get overwhelmed and I suppose I might rely on it a little too much."

Leslie: "Secondly, and, just putting it out there... You do realize you have legs, right? You can kick."

Superman: "It's a lot harder to control a kick rather than a punch. Having strength like mine? You need a LOT of control. It'd be easy for me to kill someone if I wasn't making sure I held back. Even if they were in, say, powered armor."

In prison, John Corben suddenly finds he's lost his appetite.

Leslie: "He final critique is kind of all over that: Basically that you need more control and to not overthink fights as much. But it's probably hard for you to find a sparring partner."

Superman: "Extremely."

Leslie: "And of course, we have thousands and THOUSANDS of comments on ways for you to learn better control... Most of them from anime... Why don't we take a look?"

Lois: "Really? This is the show?"

Leslie: "Megami41 suggests 'Wear really heavy weights and learn how to move normally with them. Then take them off.'"

Superman: "Not a lot of things heavy enough and easy to wear under spandex. What's the next comment?"

Leslie: "Bl... Blurgzballs223? I think? They suggest 'Make a clone of yourself to fight.'"

Superman: "Somebody did that, it did not end well."

Leslie: "Lots of comments about how hot you look... How you are totally gay... It's the Internet people, what do you expect?"

Leslie: "This one says 'Is there something that will turn off your powers so you can train normally... And that's a lot of emotes after..."

Superman: "Maybe... What's the next one?"

Leslie: "This one just says you should find Master Roshi... And then an argument about who the best mentor from various shonen animes is..."

Lois: "Oh my God, do you actually know what she's talking about?"

Superman: "You don't?"

Lois: "Geez..."

Leslie: "Annnd now there's a whole flood of OMG Superman's an anime fan comments. Moving right along. This commenter thinks you'd look better if your costume was all black."

Superman: "No thanks. I don't want to horn in on someone else's color scheme."

Leslie: "This one asks 'If you are the last Kryptonian, will you have children to repopulate the species?"

Superman: "I do want to have kids some day. But the woman would have to be very special. I'd teach them their heritage of course, but Earth is my home. And their home too. So that would take precedent."

Leslie: "Well, I think you're a shoe in for a green card at this rate. But hey, you could always marry for your citizenship."

Superman: *smile* "Are you volunteering?"

Leslie: "No thanks. But Lane looks like she's getting pretty desperate so hey!"

Lois: "We're friends, Willis. And I wouldn't be talking about desperate looking when you don't know how to cover up your belly."

Leslie: "Yeah Miss Prude, I'll get right on that when you wear a skirt that doesn't show off your panties when you 'accidentally' misstep."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

After the commercial break...

Leslie: "Well, we've had some fun this interview. Something to shake things up and entertain, but we need some food for thought. So here we get to the unscripted bit."

Lois: "Hey, you never said-"

Leslie: "Oh what, the Daily Planet is Superman's PR firm now? I guess that would be the case since otherwise you'd have to start running clickbait articles to stay afloat."

Lois: "At least we do actual journalism you yellow-!"

Superman: "Lois, it's all right. This is why I came on the show. Go ahead Leslie."

Lois fumes as Leslie smirks a bit.

Leslie: "So, Superman: You say you're here to help out, protect the world, generally use your powers for good. Isn't that right?"

Superman: "It is, yes."

Leslie: "But good can be a complicated thing. So can evil. I mean, why don't you just go and kill off all the evil dictators in the world? That would be seen as good by a lot of people."

Superman: "In their view, yes. It would."

Leslie: "And we still have wars, and crime, and violence... I mean, you could take over the world. Most people who tried thought they were doing it for its own good. That they would do a better job running it. And here you are, the Superman, who could redefine good and evil. Or just define it. You have that power... You can't tell me you aren't at least tempted from time to time to take over?"

Superman is quiet for a long time, thinking it over. Leslie doesn't say anything, and looks like she's holding her breath. Lois is the same.

Superman: "Anyone with power is tempted to abuse it. Doesn't matter who they are, or what kind of power they have. They are. And I'm no different. The temptation is always there."

Superman lets out a long sigh.

Superman: "But my power doesn't mean I'd make a better world if I was in charge. It would just be a world under me. It would probably be a lot worse, because for all my abilities, I still fail. I still screw up. I still make mistakes."

Superman leans forward, looking very grave. Lois and Leslie are watching intently. Lois looks tempted to put her hand on his shoulder, but she resists.

Superman: "I might have the powers of a god, but when it comes to reason and judgement? I'm still as mortal as anyone else. And as a mortal, I recognize that I need to use this power responsibly. I can't fix all the world's problems. No one can. But I can use this power to make the world a better place, and encourage other people to realize they also have the ability to make the world a better place. Because nobody can do it alone. Together? We have a much better chance."

Leslie: "... That's... Actually a lot more honest than I was expecting."

Superman: "Yeah. I'd make a lousy politician."

Leslie: "Yeah. Yeah, you'd suck at it."

Lois visibly relaxes, as does Superman. Leslie smiles.

Leslie: "... I guess we can skip the comments asking you to kill such and such. Some of them are really disturbing, even for me. We have got a comment from Tetsuya Nomura... You want to do some voice acting?"

Superman: "For who?"

Leslie: "Sephiroth, Final Fantasy 7."

Superman: Eyebrows rise "Really?"

Leslie: "Apparently you have a very serious tone that he likes."

Lois: "Do you have nothing but weebs who listen to your show?"

Leslie: "Looks like. Come on Lane, join the Weeaboo side: Think of it as your chance to bully nerds in completely new ways!"

Lois: "I was a nerd. Just a different species of nerd. There's plenty of weird junk right here in America."

Leslie: "Wow, and they call me provincial. 'Planet Doomed, Metropolis Most Affected.'"

Lois: "That was released on April Fool's Day. Guess the joke went over your head."

Leslie: "This from the lady in high heels. Little insecure are we?"

Lois: "I'm not the one wearing a push up bra-Though with udders like those, I'm surprised you aren't calling yourself a cyborg. How much silicone did they need?"

Leslie: "I'm all natural, Miss 'Violet Eyes.'"

Lois: "With a dye job like that I'm amazed you can say the word 'natural' without laughing."

Superman: "You do realize most of the comments are now largely about you two kissing, right?"

Leslie: "Eh. I don't want my tongue stuck in Miss Frigid here."

Lois: "Like you'd even know what to do with me."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

After the last commercial break..

Leslie: "Well... We've had some laughs. We've talked about power and how it is used. And Lois Lane's been annoyed, so hey, productive. But let's get far more basic in the time we have left. Lane?"

Lois: "You'd know all about basic, wouldn't you? But fine."

Leslie: "Superman, do you know Batman?"

Superman: "Can't say that I've ever met him, no. Though for an urban legend, he sure gets a lot of press."

Leslie: "Then again, I am speaking to a space alien on a global computer network. Some giant bat-human is not that weird in comparison."

Superman: "Weird is relative too."

Leslie: "Yeah. Still, at least for now, I guess I'm kind of happy you're the one with these powers. Compared to the guys who want to kill everyone at Disney over their Star Wars movies... Though I can't exactly blame them."

Lois: "Seriously?"

Leslie: "Oh... And here come the flame wars because I expressed an opinion. Gotta love the Internet."

Superman: "I guess I'll take that as a compliment?"

Leslie: "I guess so. Here are a few other questions from the comments, sorted out by our social media manager-Who is doing a kind of a so-so job right now. Ooh! This is a good one: 'Do you really have a base on the moon?'"

Superman: "Nope. It would be way too far away, and my commute is terrible as it is."

Leslie: "Next question: 'Superman, are you actually humanoid? Or are you a tiny alien riding around in a robot suit?'"

Lois: "Yeah, you need to fire your social media manager."

Superman: Takes Leslie's hand, and presses it against his face "Do I feel like a robot?"

Leslie: "... Eh, no. But you could be a very good robot." She tries to poke him in the eyes, but he blocks "Aww...!"

Lois: "Any others? This is like a train wreck: I can't look away."

Leslie: "This is the kind of hard hitting journalism you can't get anywhere else! But yeah: 'Do you have to eat a lot every day?'"

Superman: "I do eat slightly more than most humans, but I get most of my energy from the sun. Which is handy, since I don't have to chow down every second just to keep going. The Flash is a bit less lucky, since he has to eat a LOT of food every day to keep running."

Leslie: "I guess that's the kind of super science I'll get a headache trying to understand. Good luck to the guys who do! Next question: 'Can you shoot energy from your hands?'"

Superman: "Nope."

Leslie: "Well, that's one less thing in common with Goku-"

Superman: "They come from my eyes. Eyebeams. It's heat vision."

Leslie: "Oh. Okay, that's cool. Again, not sure how that works scientifically but hey. It keeps your hands free."

Superman: "And before you ask, yes: I am aware of all the fanart depicting me fighting Goku. Which doesn't make sense: We'd probably be friends."

Leslie: "I know right? He'd probably call you a nerd though."

Superman: "Who isn't compared to him?"

Leslie: "Yeah..."

Lois: "And yet again, I'm missing context."

Leslie: "You're a journalist, aren't you supposed to do some research?"

Lois: "I didn't think I'd be walking into a science fiction convention. I did know I'd be walking into a war zone with you around."

Leslie: laughs "Oh Lane. Why must you always engage me in these petty verbal fencing matches?"

Lois: sneer "Because I don't have a real sword handy."

Leslie: "..." Grins "Babylon 5!"

Lois: eyes widen "No..."

Leslie: "Oh my God! That was a Babylon 5 reference! You watched it!"

Lois: "No I didn't-!"

Leslie: "You know what that makes us?"

Lois: "Nooo..."

Leslie: "NERD SISTERS! Give me a hug!"

Lois: "No!"

Superman: chuckles "You're a Garibaldi fangirl, aren't you?"

Lois: "Et Tu, Brutus?"

Superman: shrugs "I was honestly more partial to Vir myself. Unassuming, quiet... but he made an impact and he stuck to his guns."

Leslie: "I have never found you hotter than right now."

Lois: "Which one of us?"

Leslie: smirk "Sadly, that's all the time we have for today-"

Superman: "Yes. I hear police sirens. Miss Willis, Miss Lane, thank you for a very interesting interview. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it was, but-"

Leslie: "I know, I know: This looks like a job for Superman."

Superman: "Lois actually coined that meme. You can ask her all about it." He nods... And flies out the nearby window

Lois: "I didn't coin the meme! I just wrote it! It's a great line!"

Leslie: "And the world rewarded you by sticking it onto every stale joke image you can imagine."

Lois: "God I hate the Internet."

Leslie: "You're not the only one. Well! Since we're about to end, want to practice kissing for the camera before the Daily Planet goes under?"

Lois: "How about I shove that microphone right up your-!"

And the stream ends...

 

[AndrewJTalon]

THE WAY OF ALL FLESH: CODA

Leslie had tried very hard not to be clingy. That was the last thing she wanted to be to Clark. After all, he had his own life and so did she. And to keep the paparazzi from ruining his life, she would have to exercise some caution and restraint when it came to physically seeing him. Naturally, he was very busy keeping up with the most voracious newshound the city had ever seen and investigating stuff that could be dangerous, so he didn't need her just dropping in on him all the time. That was just the reality of the situation.

Leslie was extremely proud of herself for not just going nuts and doing anything crazy. Anything strange. Anything borderline illegal...

But the last couple of weeks, Clark had been looking really down. Like he was sick, stressed out-Probably both, really. So she decided there was really only one way to cheer him up.

The door to his bedroom opened. Leslie blinked. Funny, she hadn't heard him use the front door. No matter!

She affixed her most sultry, come hither look to her face. She stretched out on his bed, dressed in the sluttiest lingerie she had been able to find: A dark red sheer nightie over matching bra, panties, stockings and garter belt. She pouted with her matching lipstick as she saw him reach for the light, and switch it on.

"Hey sweetie," she said in a voice dripping with sex, "what took you so-The fuck?!" Leslie dropped her sex kitten persona and sat up in alarm. Clark smiled at her, looking haggard and worn.

"Hey babe," he managed weakly, as though speaking was difficult for him. He was hunched over, his skin pale and his forehead clammy. Leslie got up onto her ridiculously high, pointy heels... And immediately fell over.

"Oh shit-!"

Clark moved, and she was in his arms. She looked up at him in shock, as he kept up his smile.

"You look great," he wheezed sincerely, nuzzling the top of her head. She shook her head.

"You look like shit!" Leslie gasped, her hands all over his face. She kicked off her heels and stood up, and he leaned back to let her, "Holy fuck! What happened?!"

"As it turns out," Clark sighed, a little shakily, "keeping up with Superman and a super cyborg... Really takes it out of a guy."

- - -

Leslie's cooking skills had been mediocre at best. She'd had to cook for herself, so everything she could make was simple and foolproof. Nowadays she mostly got her food delivered or prepared, but hey: Anyone could heat up a bowl of soup and put crackers in it without screwing it up.

She put the finishing touches on it, and took the bowl out to the living room. Clark was on the couch, down to his boxers and wrapped in a fuzzy quilt that was probably hand knit by his mother or something. So she took extra care to not spill any soup onto it as she set it in front of him on the coffee table. She sat down next to him, sliding against him as though afraid he might drop dead at any second. He gave her a warm smile, and dug into the soup gratefully before he spoke.

"Mmm... Glad I still had some of the good stuff left over," Clark said with a nod. "I gotta go shopping again soon."

"I saw the fight on the news-Hell I commentated on it!" Leslie cried. "How did you get this bad?"

Clark was still for a long moment, before he sighed. "Like I said," he admitted, "trying to keep up with that fight? Exhausting. All the lifts and other means of getting around were offline because of the damage, and running up and down the stairs between skyscrapers and skyways is tough cardio," he said. Leslie sighed and shook her head, leaning up against him.

"Idiot," she said, "why can't you be like all the other journalists and just repeat what you hear on Twitter?"

Clark smirked slightly.

"Then I wouldn't be very good at my job, would I?" He soon finished the soup, and he did look a lot better. Leslie shook her head again, and rested it against his shoulder.

"So," Leslie began, "John Corben's a cyborg now, huh? Powered by some... Green crap? Kryptonite, right? Hurts Superman?"

Clark looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah," he said. "I learned about it from Doctor Hamilton-Apparently it's a piece of his homeworld. Followed him here. But it's radioactive. Deadly to him. Plus, he's made of some new kind of metallic alloy: Metallo. It's incredibly strong, but lightweight. And with Kryptonite powering him-"

"It makes him into someone who can derail a train through sheer strength," Leslie laughed grimly. "Man, what a world we live in. Oh, and let me guess: The guy who turned Corben into that thing is getting away scot free?"

Clark gave Leslie a cautious expression, his arm hovering near her waist.

"And who do you think turned him into that thing, Leslie?" He asked slowly.

Leslie rolled her eyes, and held a finger up to her chin as she hummed sarcastically.

"Gee. Who's a rich, powerful businessman slash genius engineer with a hard on for robots and who hates Superman?" Leslie shook her head with a snort. "Come on Clark. It's obvious Lex has a murderboner for Superman. Has since he showed up. I mean, either Superman's a threat to his power that Lex can't control, which would fuck with him hard..."

"Or?" Clark asked. Leslie shrugged and smiled impishly.

"Or he's finally coming to terms with his repressed sexuality and expressing his affection the only way he knows how: Trying to kill the one man he wants with robots and shit," she said. Clark's face became green, and he looked aside.

"Ugh."

"Aw, come on," Leslie cooed, "a little man on man action in your thoughts isn't gonna kill you!"

"It is when one of them is Lex," Clark groused. Leslie nodded, hugging his arm and pressing her boobs against his arm in apology.

"All right, good point. Sorry about that," she said. "But seriously: The asshole unleashed a killer cyborg in Metropolis and he needs to pay."

"Yes. He does. Problem: We have no proof," Clark said gently. Leslie snorted.

"That's never stopped me before," she huffed. Clark shot her a very serious look, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Leslie... Don't," he said. "Lex Luthor is dangerous. If he's this reckless with his power to get rid of Superman, what do you think he might do to you?"

Leslie growled. "I've never been afraid of men with power," she stated firmly, "and I'm not going to start now! So we don't have definitive proof-The people need to at least know who to blame! It's the truth!"

"It is," Clark said with a nod, "and that's what I pursue. But you can't just start saying things I've told you about my job on air without proof. Especially if it puts you in his crosshairs."

"It's not like I haven't been slamming on Luthor since I got my show!" Leslie shot back, tightening her grip on his bicep. "I take shots at him all the time! Killing me off would be a hell of a red flag for everyone, a sure sign he was close to-!"

Clark turned to face her, and wrapped his arms around her. He completely encompassed her, and she almost tried to struggle out of it. He looked her right in the eyes, his expression firm, furious... And desperate.

"I can't risk losing you," he said softly, in a tone that belied his expression. Leslie stared him back in the face, her face cold. She held onto his arms and looked him right back in the eye.

Despite everything, her heart fluttered at this show of protectiveness. Still...

"You won't," she said softly, "but how can I let this slide?"

Clark sighed heavily.

"I'm not asking you to let it slide," he said, "but I am asking you to wait. Wait until there's enough to bring him down with. Don't attract his direct attention."

Leslie took a deep breath. Part of her was screaming to just defy him: Who was he to tell her what to do?! Wasn't he just seeking the glory for himself?! She'd had lovers who had done just that, used her for their own goals. She'd hated being taken advantage of like that, being nothing more than a means to an end.

But that wasn't what Clark was asking, was it?

She took a deep breath, and rested a hand against his broad, bare chest. She looked down for a bit, getting her bearings, and looked back up into his eyes.

"Okay," she said, "I'll keep a lid on this... For now." She sighed heavily and rested her head against his chest. She felt his hand rub up and down her back, and she chuckled a little.

"What?" Clark asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said. She hummed and looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest like a puppy. "I was just thinking that saying he's gay for Superman would probably annoy him a lot more."

Clark sighed, and reached down to ruffle her hair. She playfully batted his hand away with her own.

"You're impossible," he said. Leslie grinned.

"Yup," she proudly admitted. He smiled back, and Leslie was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was to make him do that.

"Sooo," Leslie began, grabbing the bowl and spoon with a slow, deliberate action she combined with rolling her hips, "anything else I can do to cheer you up?"

"Hmmm?" Clark asked, leaning back. Leslie rolled her eyes. She swayed her bottom as she walked into the kitchenette, bending over quite deliberately as she shoved the bowl and spoon into his dish washer. She rose up, and slowly turned around, bringing her hands up to her large breasts as she walked seductively back towards him. Maybe he needed to be pointed in the right direction.

"Anything I could do, maybe~?" She simpered. Clark didn't respond. She frowned, and walked up to him. "Clark? Hey? You okay?"

A gentle snore answered her, his eyes shut tight. Leslie growled a bit under her breath, about ready to yell at him to wake up! She was still dressed in her sexy finest and he just-he just-!

She saw the contented smile on his face, and sighed. Her ire withdrew from her blood. She reached up and pulled his glasses off, gently setting them on the table. She walked over to the lights, and killed them. She walked back, and snuggled up to him. In his sleep, he lifted his arm to wrap around her and pull her tight against him. She smiled, and pulled the blanket tight around them both. It was a tight fit, but right now Leslie couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be.

"Oh, I'm gonna make you pay me back for this so hard," she murmured to him, cuddling up against his strong chest and listening to his gentle heartbeat, "I'm thinking leather Speedos at least..."

She drifted off herself, her last waking thought about how handsome he looked without his glasses...

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

THE MAIN MAN - PRELUDE

The Daily Planet had been a fixture of Metropolis from the 1850s, capitalizing off of the then-recent discovery of Neptune to have a fresh and new newspaper title. It encapsulated the idea of progress, that the world was truly becoming connected thanks to the railway and the telegraph. It wasn’t until Metropolis’ debut of the skyscraper in the 1930s, nearly a century later, that the newspaper got its now iconic home on the corner of Shuster Ave and 1st Street in downtown. Complete with the huge globe statue atop it, that shone like a beacon across the City of Tomorrow.

It was impossible to miss, and despite her own cynicism Leslie still appreciated the art deco design of the skyscraper in the midst of so much soulless glass, steel and concrete. The old building was a survivor, and she appreciated it.

She hoped it could pass on a little of that to her via osmosis though, as she pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. The Bluetooth earbud glowing at the side of her head was the source of her irritation as she entered the main lobby.

“Lenny, I thought I made it fucking clear: This is my day off,” Leslie hissed to the microphone stuck to the side of her jaw. She could imagine Lenny rubbing his hand over his badly disguised bald spot.

“You can still help me out here, Leslie! Come on! We need something for the gossip columns and-”

“Other thing I thought I made fucking clear: My personal life is off limits,” Leslie growled. A little old lady sitting by the elevator gave her an affronted look, but Leslie ignored it as she hit the call button.

“That was before you actually had one,” Lenny responded. “I mean, a steady boyfriend? Girlfriend? They’re already speculating! You could at least tell me who it is!”

Leslie scoffed.

“I don’t have to tell you shit!”

“But Leslie, babe,” Lenny insisted, “when you’re a celebrity you gotta use reputation! I mean, that interview with Superman and Lois is old news now!”

“It was a month ago and our ratings are still as high as ever! Not to mention our views,” Leslie retorted. “We’re doing great!”

“But we can always be doing better!” Lenny insisted. “Come on! That incident at the restaurant got you some buzz but not as much as-”

“That incident at the restaurant fucking sucked,” Leslie hissed, “and I’m not repeating it. I’m not a fucking Kardashian! I’m not going to turn my personal life into a circus!”

“But Leslie-Come on-Be reasonable!” Lenny insisted.

“Hey, know what’s reasonable?” Leslie asked cheerfully. She hung up, and blocked Lenny’s number.

“That. Asshole,” she muttered. The old woman was still staring at her. Leslie sucked in a deep breath, and let it out hard. She smoothed down the front of her dress, and gave the old lady a warm smile.

“Hey,” she said, rummaging in her basket, “you look like you could use a pick me up.” She handed the old lady a blue chrysanthemum, holding it out as an offering. The old lady hesitated, then took it. She sniffed it, and smiled. Leslie nodded to her.

The elevator chimed, and the doors finally opened. Leslie strode in, turning around. The old lady’s smile made hers a lot more genuine. That’s what she wanted to greet Clark with.

She made it to the offices near the top floor, only getting a few weird looks from a few employees as she walked between the numerous desks for all of the busy journalists. The large windows overhead gave a simply amazing view of the city skyline, and Leslie could see the logic in the design: No office? That’s fine, give everyone a window.

It also made eavesdropping a lot easier, as she approached the desk Clark was sitting at. There was Lane, standing in front of him as he typed, holding up a newspaper and complaining about something.

“I'm confused, Kent. See, I've lived in Metropolis most of my life and I can't figure out how some yokel from Smallville is suddenly getting every hot story in town,” Lois said, looking annoyed but showing just a bit of respect. Leslie paused, as she saw Clark lean closer to Lois.

“Well, Lois, the truth is, I'm actually Superman in disguise and I only pretend to be a journalist in order to hear about disasters as they happen, and then squeeze you out of the byline,” he replied. He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk with a very sexy, smug smile.

Lois was silent for a moment, then smirked back.

“You're a sick man, Kent,” she stated, turning and heading to her own desk. Clark shrugged.

“You asked,” he chuckled.

Okay. That was kind of hot, Leslie thought. Outwardly, she maintained her character as she approached Clark’s desk. She cleared her throat and smiled warmly, putting her hands around her flower basket as Clark looked up at her.

“Excuse me Mister Kent,” she said in a gentle, warm tone, “I’m Aerith Gainsborough. We met when you did that story on the Suicide Slum Midgar Church?”

Lois immediately raised an eyebrow. Clark stared for a second, and then recognition flashed in his eyes.

“I’ve never heard of a Midgar Church in Suicide Slum,” Lois said slowly, eyes narrowed. Leslie shrugged, still conveying that warm, gentle smile like the sun.

“It’s gone through a few different names, but Mister Kent really helped us out,” she said. She gave Clark a warmer smile, with just the right amount of mischief in her gaze. “I was hoping to thank Mister Kent personally? His article has increased our donations by almost double!”

“Uh, certainly,” Clark said. He stood up and smiled at her. “I don’t need any thanks-”

Leslie wrapped her arms around his bicep, and beamed sweetly up at him.

“Oh, but I insist!” She giggled. “You might also help us by doing another story?”

“Well,” Clark began, glancing back at Lois and then back at Leslie, “I’m sure we can work out the details.”

“Superman, huh?” Lois deadpanned. Clark shrugged, and immediately began guiding Leslie away from the desks towards one of the utility rooms on the other side of the main floor.

“He helps all kinds,” Clark replied, smirking just a bit. Leslie hid her own, until they finally got into a deserted conference room. He shut the door, and turned around with one eyebrow firmly raised above his glasses.

“Leslie… Why are you visiting me dressed as Aerith Gainsborough?” He asked, extremely bemused. Leslie hummed and pushed up against him with a broad smile.

“What? I can’t just visit my boyfriend on my day off?” She asked. Clark scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“I mean… I don’t mind but-Is that what we are now?” He asked. Leslie put her hands on her hips, pulling back just a bit.

“Well, I did make you soup and you rocked my world,” she said, “I think that fits the basic definition.”

Clark nodded, smiling a bit wryly.

“Fair enough,” he said. He looked her up and down, and he whistled softly. “Now that’s impressive.”

“I think I might stick with it for a few conventions,” she said, “but I wanted your opinion first.” She spun around, pirouetting with some difficulty in her hiking boots.

“How do I look?” Leslie asked. Clark beamed.

“Like the kind of person I’d save the world for, over and over,” he said. Leslie giggled, and hugged him tightly.

“That’s just what I was going for,” she said happily. She looked up at him with a smirk.

So,” Leslie began, “you feel like playing hooky for the rest of the day? Doing some Chocobo riding?”

Clark sighed, and hugged her back tightly.

“I’d love to. Honestly, I would,” Clark said, “but I’m on a deadline with Perry over a story about Lexcorp and I can’t afford to drop it now.”

“Oh,” Leslie said with a nod, “I see.”

Clark immediately looked concerned, “I am really sorry, Leslie,” he said. Leslie sighed and turned away, looking out the window and going for as soulful a look as possible. It must have been working since Clark looked even guiltier.

“I understand,” she said, “your job is important. You being so committed to it is one of the reasons I care about you.”

Clark nodded back slowly.

“I’m glad you see it that way,” Clark replied. He was about to turn away, but Leslie caught his arm and pulled him into another tight embrace. She looked up at him with a broad, happy smile.

“Which means we should make the most of the time we have,” she said, running her hands up and down his sides. Clark’s eyes widened.

“Uh, Leslie, I don’t think I-”

“Are you saying, Clark Kent,” Leslie began, rubbing a circle into Clark’s firm chest with her finger, “that when your girlfriend dresses up in hot cosplay to visit you at work and offers to let you do anything you want to her in this empty conference room, you’ll say no?”

Clark’s jaw dropped. Leslie’s smirk widened even more, as she nuzzled his chest.

“I… That is-”

“I’m not hearing a no~,” Leslie purred. She looked up at him. “Come on Smallville. We have to be quick, but I’m sure you can do just fine. Enough to make us both happy, hm?”

“I…” Clark gulped. Leslie smirked. Clark finally smirked back.

“I’m willing to find out,” he growled.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Leslie said with a beam.

- - -

Twenty minutes later, Clark emerged from the conference room, adjusting his tie and wearing a much more relaxed smile. He walked towards his desk, only to notice that Lois was not at hers. Jimmy Olsen was though, checking his phone.

“What’s up Jimmy?” Clark asked. Jimmy looked up at the reporter and grinned.

“Oh man, you will not believe this,” Jimmy said, holding up his phone. “Some space biker just smashed into a police precinct a few blocks away and started shooting up the place! Man, is this the weirdest viral marketing campaign or what?”

Clark’s eyes widened. “And Lois went to go cover it?” He asked. Jimmy nodded, glancing back at his phone.

“I wanted to get you, but she was determined not to get scooped by you again,” he said. He looked back at Clark. “I guess this means she’ll get the story-Huh?”

Clark was long gone. Jimmy blinked a few times. He shrugged.

“Okay, I guess maybe she won’t,” he muttered. He looked back at his phone, then felt a hand tap his shoulder. He looked up and gawked.

“Huh?! Aerith?!”

The woman beamed at him, even as she leaned heavily on a nearby desk. “Hey,” she said, “mind helping me downstairs? I’ve called an Uber but I’m gonna have some trouble getting down.”

“Uh… Sure miss?” Jimmy said. He let the woman lean against him as they made their way for the elevators. “What were you doing here?”

“I needed to chat with Mister Kent about a few things,” she said with a happy sigh, “and we resolved it all…” Here she purred, “very nicely.”

Jimmy may have been a teenager, but he wasn’t stupid. Or at least as stupid as most people thought. Some hot cosplayer visiting Clark and emerging from a room after almost half an hour alone?

“Did you invite him to cosplay with you?” Jimmy asked. The woman laughed.

“Something like that, sweet summer child…”

"Awesome," Jimmy said, as he got her to the elevator, "the guy needs to get out more. All I ever see him doing is work, work, work..."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

THE MAIN MAN: Aftermath

After that… A week of nothing. She’d seen the videos. She’d seen the damage. She’d made commentary:

A crazy alien biker attacking Superman? That was news. That was something to stream. It was a new chapter in the insanity that was now real life. Another thing for endless commentary and rewriting of the books of science, philosophy, and everything else.

Once again, Superman vanished. The world just went nuts over that. As usual. It was annoying.

Well, someone could. But it would have been seen as ridiculous, mad. Then it happened, and there was a whole new definition of insanity for everyone to work out.

There she was though. Awash in the impossible. Still worrying over one man.

“This is Station WLXL, from Swan Tower in the heart of Metropolis, the Livewire show,” Leslie spoke into the microphone, a bit dully, “now streaming online. And we’re in day 5 of Superman being gone. As usual, Lex Luthor is hardest hit.”

She leaned back in her chair, idly tapping her pencil on the desk. She sighed under her breath.

“I mean, I bet he had a new killer robot all ready to fight Superman with. And now, all he can do is polish the chrome on it, over and over, and look wistfully over at a poster of the Blue Boy Scout. Maybe this time, this time, Superman will notice him and finally love him.” She sighed and tapped her feet together.

“I mean, it’s not like the guy is any good at interpersonal relations. You see the way that Mercy Graves looks at him? She could show up nude and he’d just tell her to put on the latest anti-Superman armor for him. Now she knows how Harley Quinn feels about Joker.”

Leslie tossed her pencil up into the air. It fell, clattering onto the floor. Leslie rolled her eyes.

“If you call that love, please: Stop commenting in my stream. It’s creepy as fuck, and it means you probably don’t actually have any meaningful human interactions.”

She sighed, looking down for a bit. She was silent. Silent long enough that Lenny waved in the sound room. She cleared her throat.

“Anyway,” she began, “we have callers on the line. Caller, go, you’re on the air.”

“Hello, this is Martha from Smallville, Kansas,” said a kind, warm voice, “calling in for the first time-Hello Leslie!”

Leslie blinked, thrown off briefly.

“Uh, hey,” she said, “listening from a long way away, huh?”

“Well, my son told me to tune in. He said you could be a bit colorful, but spoke honestly,” Martha said, “and I have to say I’m enjoying it. That Lex Luthor did try to expand into Smallville several years back. He was a charmer, I’ll give him that. But he always takes things too personally. Ego of his. I mean, men can ignore the love of a wonderful woman without having to be into men too.”

“Something you’re familiar with, Martha?” Leslie asked, unable to hide her grin. Martha chuckled.

“Oh my yes. I’ve been married for over thirty years. You tend to recognize that men have their drives and goals. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do but let them be. Sometimes though, you have to step in and make sure they know this is a partnership, not a solo act.”

“Marriage?” Leslie asked. “I was under the impression it was a contact sport. Very messy.”

“Sometimes, yes,” Martha said, with a smile in her voice, “it can be messy. But I was referring to life. Life is messy… But it’s always better when you can trust someone to be at your side. Lex Luthor… That man doesn’t seem to have anyone he can really trust at his side. Not really.”

“Yeah, but him not getting to fight Superman with another giant robot is funnier,” Leslie replied. Martha laughed.

“Well, boys never like not being able to go out and play. My own boy hated rainy days.”

Leslie nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’ll bet,” she said. “So, Luthor may not be gay, he may just be a gigantic man child who wants to show up the other kids at the playground?”

“At some point, a lot of us can be like that. Boy or girl, we like being the center of attention sometimes. It’s the ones who always have to be that who are the troublemakers,” Martha said.

Leslie hummed. “So, happy housewife from Smallville: Where do you think Superman is right now?”

There was a short but noticeable pause. Then:

“Wherever he is, he’s no doubt trying to get back home to us, as fast as possible,” Martha said, “and we need to trust that he’ll get back.”

Leslie frowned, leaning up in her chair. “You believe that for everyone?” She asked.

Martha chuckled. “I believe that for my son, and he and Superman? They both know where home is. They always get back, sooner or later. Besides, all this drama over him being gone-again-is quite exhausting, isn’t it dear?”

“It is part of how I make my living, Martha,” Leslie admitted. She saw Lenny waving frantically in the sound booth, and sighed. “But hey. We need to go to the next caller.”

“No problem,” Martha said cheerfully, “and don’t worry! He’ll be back before you know it!”

“Who’s worried?” Leslie chuckled. “All right, next caller, you’re on the air!”

“Hey Leslie. Long time listener, first time call in,” said a familiar voice. Leslie’s jaw dropped, and she nearly fell out of her chair.

“Clark?!” She cried. At the looks of her crew from the sound booth, she blushed, and immediately calmed herself as Clark chuckled. “Ah, hey: Clark Kent, Daily Planet, right?”

“Right,” Clark said, “been a while huh?”

“Uh, yeah,” Leslie snorted, “a while since I saved you!”

“And Superman, I’m not forgetting that,” Clark said. Leslie smirked, getting back into character so to speak.

“Yeah, now if the memes about that would ever stop,” she said. “So! Been a while since you were around. You didn’t get kidnapped again, did you?”

A rough, gruff voice laughed in the background.

“Again, you geek? Oh man, that’s hilarious!”

“And that is?” Leslie asked.

“Well, that is-” Clark tried, before the gruff voice interrupted.

“THIS is the Main Man, Lobo the Bounty Hunter! And I’m talking with these two geeks-Superman and Clark Kent! I kidnapped them-The latter one was an accident I’ll admit. Didn’t even know he’d stowed away! But hey, he’s going to make me look good!”

“A miracle worthy of Jesus,” Clark muttered. “Anyway, turns out Superman and Lobo were both kidnapped by an alien called the Preserver who collects the last of any species. I got caught up in it when he decided to stop by for something nearly extinct on Earth. Superman and Lobo managed to get free and defeat the Preserver, and now they’re bringing us home. With an alien zoo and a starship for scientists to all study.”

Leslie gaped in disbelief. It seemed like the insanity of real life had just hit another level.

“... I bet Lois Lane is freaking the fuck out right now.”

“I don’t dare to speculate,” Clark said, “anyway, we’ll be landing at S.T.A.R. Labs pretty soon. See you soon… Sooner if Lobo crashes this thing.”

“HEY! The Main Man is the best pilot in the universe! Bar none!” Lobo shouted. “Also, your Earth photographers had better get my good side!”

“They will, they will,” Clark said, “we’re losing the satellite and-!”

The call cut out. Leslie got up and grinned, She pulled her headphones off and tossed them aside.

“LENNY! Get the van! I’m not letting Lane beat me to this one!”

She had a whole wardrobe of sexy cosplay to show him and have sex with him in!

- - -

Aboard the Preserver’s ship, Superman looked over at Lobo as the Czarnian carefully piloted the ship. Well, ‘carefully’ being relative: The bounty hunter was still whacking the console and cursing a lot as the Earth became bigger in the viewscreen.

“Hey, listen,” Superman began, “thanks for helping me out there.”

Lobo grinned. “Well hey! The moment I learned you had an actual girlfriend, the Bro Code kicked in! Bros before hos is a universal constant!”

Clark rubbed the back of his head. “Heh, well…”

“In fact, I won’t even try to steal her from ya,” Lobo said cheerfully. “Unless she’s that feisty one with the purple skirt.”

“Well, no,” Clark said. Lobo stared in disbelief.

“What?! You ain’t hitting that?! Even I can see how much she’s into you! For now, anyway! Well then-!”

“She likes Superman,” Clark growled angrily, “but my girlfriend likes… My secret identity.”

Lobo stared at him. “So let me get this straight,” the Czarnian stated, “you have two hotties after your dual identities?”

Clark sighed. “Yeah. I mean, it’s complicated but-”

Lobo laughed and slapped Clark on the back hard enough he was nearly bowled over.

“HAHAHA! You are a man in there, Supes! I was worried for a second! You’re uptight, but damn if you aren’t impressing me!”

“Yeah, thanks,” Clark sighed. “Now, are you sure you can land this thing?”

“For you? Absolutely,” Lobo said. He held up a finger. “I just want one thing in exchange.”

Clark stared at Lobo.

“And that is?”

“How do you tie a tie and wear those glasses?” Lobo asked, “because I wanna try this whole ‘mild mannered’ thing for myself!”

Clark stared at him for even longer. He shrugged.

“All right.”

“YEAH! Just you wait, hotties of the universe! The Main Man is gonna be double the trouble from now on!”

“You sure are,” Clark muttered.

- - -

I'm hoping this is enough for this two part episode. I mean, Lobo's in it so I have to go over the top. But I didn't want to overdo it.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Clark

- - -

Superman being the center of events had become the norm. After all, he was a superhero. He got involved in practically everything that could threaten Metropolis or the world, and that made for big news.

Clark Kent being in the spotlight for a while was unexpected, but not entirely unpleasant. He'd given his interviews, again and again. He was actually writing a book about the entire adventure, which meant more time away from the Daily Planet and maybe more time for himself. He'd always wanted to be a writer.

Though at the moment he was spending most of his time off playing with the technology from the Preserver ship, the alien zoo, and his girlfriend.

"You're grinning again," his Pa said with a sly grin. Clark coughed, as he refocused his efforts on the circuitry he'd been working on.

"Well, I am home again," Clark said, nodding to the Kent family barn surrounding them. "Who wouldn't be happy about that?"

Pa Kent smirked as he double checked the wires they'd run to the devices they were working on. The bright sunshine shone through the windows, as the cows lowed in the field nearby.

"That's a 'my girl's been kind to me' kind of smile," Pa said. Clark blushed, and shot his father a scowl.

"PA!"

"Come on, son," Pa Kent said with a wink, "I'm not stupid. And I sure ain't innocent."

Clark sighed, redoubling his checks on the circuitry. He nodded, satisfied, and lifted the device up to the ceiling. He fastened it securely, and then descended back down to grab the next device. Clark did nod slowly at his father's grin, feeling uncomfortable.

"Well... Yeah," he admitted. Pa Kent's grin grew just a bit wider.

"So...?"

"Pa!" Clark barked. "Come on! I can't talk about that kind of stuff!"

"I'm not asking for details, Clark," Pa Kent said, holding up a hand, "but I don't think I need to: You're practically glowing."

Clark flushed, and took the next device up. He flew up and placed the next device onto the ceiling.

"She's... Something else," Clark admitted. "I mean, not just... That. I mean, she's funny, she's strong willed, she's brave, she's determined, she's beautiful..."

"So," Pa said, raising his eyebrows, "when are we going to meet her? Your mom got to call her on her show, after all."

Clark hesitated.

"Well, I'm... Not sure about that," he said. Pa dropped one of his eyebrows, giving his son a probing look.

"Why?" He asked. Clark sighed, and adjusted the final device.

"I just... I mean, it's scary how fast it's happened," Clark said. "She just kind of railroaded me past my doubts and fears. I didn't count on that."

He stared intently at the circuitry, unable to raise his eyes to his father. He hated feeling... Afraid. He could take bullets to the face without even noticing them, but this? This was far more intimidating.

"Life comes at you fast," Pa said with a nod, "and trust me, it's not your fault. We Kent men, well... We can be dense. Too wrapped up in ourselves to see what's in front of us. That's why it takes a strong woman to sometimes give us a kick in the pants." He winked. "But don't tell your mother that."

Clark finished the circuitry.

"But what if she's... What if she's not the one?" Clark asked. "What if going with her is a huge mistake? What if-What if falling for her ruins all our lives?"

Pa Kent stared at Clark for a long time, and slowly shrugged.

"That's the risk you take when you fall in love, Clark. Regardless of whether you have super powers or not." He reached out and rested a hand on Clark's big shoulder. "But I do trust your judgement, Clark. Do you think she's the kind of person who would do that?"

Clark was silent for a time. He shook his head.

"I don't think so," he admitted. "I just... I want to be sure before I let her in completely. You know?"

Pa Kent nodded slowly. "That's your call to make," Pa said, "but you might not want to wait too long. Hell, at least let us meet her, hm?"

Clark sighed and nodded back.

"All right," he said. Pa Kent chuckled, and patted Clark's shoulder.

"Now, let's use that anxiety of yours for something useful, huh?"

Clark nodded, and flew up to put the last device in place. He descended back down. Pa Kent closed the barn doors, and then closed the shutters on the windows.

Pa looked towards his son. "Ready?"

"Ready," Clark said. He flipped a switch, and the devices activated. Red light bathed the interior of the barn, the warmth strong against his skin. Clark took a deep breath, and Pa looked at his son in concern.

"Clark?" He asked. Clark shook his head, and walked over to the heavy bag they'd set up. He took several deep breaths, and let the red sun radiation wash over him. Pa moved to go to him, but Clark waved a hand. Pa nodded, and stayed put.

Clark reached out his hand, and flicked the heavy bag with his fingers. He winced, and waved his fingers. Pa was up and moving to him.

"Clark?"

Clark looked up and grinned at his father.

"It hurts!" Clark chuckled, holding up his fingers. Pa then smiled broadly as he picked up two pairs of boxing gloves. He handed over a pair to Clark, who gratefully pulled them on.

"Still, let's take it easy," he said. Clark nodded, and held up his fists. Pa shook his head, and reached out to push his arms and hands into new positions.

"No, no, you need to hold your fists up like this," Pa said, "and rest your elbows on your chest. Adjust your stance-Your feet need to be spread further apart or you'll be knocked over with just one hit."

"I do fly for a lot of my fights, Pa," Clark pointed out, "how do you fight like that?"

Pa nodded. "I've thought about that," he said. He then walked over to the far side of the barn, and pulled out a wobbly-looking balance board. He set it down in front of Clark. "It's all a matter of balance and controlling your mass. Isn't that how those... Gungun giant robots maneuvered? Adjusting their center of mass in space?"

"Gundam, and yeah, it is," Clark said thoughtfully. He stood on top of the platform, and struggled to keep his balance. He steadied himself, and grinned at Pa.

"All right, come at me!" Clark said. Pa raised an eyebrow, and tapped Clark on the shoulder hard. He lost his balance and fell off the board, landing hard on his knees. "Gah!"

"One step at a time, son," Pa said. Clark looked up and nodded, back on his feet.

"All right," he said. "Show me how to do it."

Pa Kent nodded, and bounced on the balls of his feet, holding his fists up.

"Okay, the first rule is-It's all about the hips and legs when you punch. Jabs are punches without throwing your weight behind them-That can help a lot, but you can't overthink it, so let's focus first on how to punch properly."

Pa threw a few punches, and Clark copied them. Pa smiled and nodded.

"That's good! Keep your chin down though, you don't want to present an inviting target..."

Clark saw the barn door crack open slightly, a hint of yellow sunlight peeking through with his mother. She watched them in silence, and then smiled. He smiled back, and nodded to his father. He threw several punches into the air, getting used to the feeling.

"All right, what else?" He asked. Pa smirked, and threw some more punches, faster.

"Now, we focus on footwork," he said. "Your mother's dancing lessons will definitely come in handy here-And with Leslie." Pa Kent grinned and winked. "Especially the handy part."

"PA!" Clark groaned.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Leslie

- - -

Leslie's fists balled as she sat behind her desk, her eyes narrowed as her manager Lenny wildly gesticulated in front of her. It was not an unusual situation for her to be in: Lenny was overly dramatic by nature and always had some kind of issue he could only express like a mime on cocaine. It was part of their relationship.

Today though, her usual irritation with her manager's antics had become genuine, cold anger.

"I'm sorry, would you like to repeat that?" Leslie growled. Lenny groaned, throwing his hands up.

"I'm saying, you need to host this concert or you're through, Leslie," he said.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Leslie demanded. "My interview with Superman and Lane has millions of views, and is getting millions more! That call from a spaceship-It blew up the fucking internet! We have more listeners than ever, and you're telling me that I have to host a concert or I'm through?!"

"It's the sponsors," Lenny admitted, waving his right hand around like a windmill, "the sponsors are threatening to pull out because while the show is doing great, the local sponsors aren't getting their cut. The guys who put their money here in Metropolis? Who make their money here? They're not getting anything."

"That's bull!" Leslie shouted, nearly slamming her fists through the desk and making the laptop and other items on it shake. "How many fucking Metropolis listeners do we have!? Plenty! The sponsors say they're not getting their fair share?! How?!"

Lenny looked pained. "Well, apparently it's the nature of the contract with the sponsors," he said. He shook his head. "I'm not a lawyer, Leslie, but-"

"But what?! You're not doing your goddamned job?!" Leslie shouted. "You're supposed to figure this out, Lenny!"

"It's just one concert, Leslie!" Lenny insisted, backing away a step. "Just one! What's the big deal?!"

"The big deal is that I've done four of these already!" Leslie barked angrily, leaning across the desk. "Four of them! In the last two months!"

Four exhausting events that had left her no energy to see Clark. He'd been pretty busy himself: Some creepy clone of Superman had appeared, and some alien Kaiju too. That had been worth plenty of vitriol: This for General Hardcastle, the hardass who had thought using missiles that burned ten times hotter than nukes against a gigantic alien robot that literally ran on heat was a good idea.

Even a month after, the "General Hardcastle Hotness" meme was topping Google search statistics.

That said, when you get a boyfriend whom you do care for deeply, you start to want more time with him. And four concerts in two months had taken away pretty much all the time she could have allotted to seeing Clark.

"Nothing like this! Nothing this big!" Lenny insisted. "Look, it's just one more! You're an entertainer! This is what you do!"

Leslie looked over at her computer. The weather reports were all dire, almost universally. And the dark shadows of the cloud cover above demonstrated the truth of the situation. She grit her teeth.

"Yeah, but never with a record thunderstorm blowing in," Leslie pointed out. "I'm a sound engineer, Lenny-These conditions are dangerous."

Lenny grinned and held up his hands.

"Exactly!" He crowed. "That's the point! That's what you need, more than anything else! You're starting to look like some goody two shoes, instead of an anti-authority figure!"

"I am an anti-authority figure!" Leslie retorted, "but I'm not stupid! Local controversy isn't worth suicidal conditions!"

Lenny sighed heavily, and rested his hands on the desk.

"Look, Leslie," he said, "you need to do this concert. Period. One more concert and we can get the sponsors off our back. Just one, and you can take it easy for a while! You need to take risks, or else you'll just become one of those piddling YouTube celebrities!"

"Youtube is the future, Lenny!" Leslie snarled, "what do I care if the locals don't get their fucking cut?!"

Lenny shook his head. "Because without their backing? You don't have a foot in both worlds," he said. "Sure, you can get a YouTube following. You could do this show by yourself. But if you want to do business in Metropolis, you need the locals on your side. You need to have a spectacle. You need to have a brand."

Leslie gritted her teeth. "And that's what I am? A brand?!"

Lenny laughed humorlessly. "That's what you signed up for," he said, "when you became a celebrity. That's the situation: Do the concert, and we keep the local sponsors happy. Got it?"

Leslie sat down, her fingers digging into her desk. She took a deep breath, calming herself. She shut her eyes tightly.

"... Fine," she ground out. Lenny grinned, and nodded. He went over and opened the door to her office.

"Then come on," he said, "let's go thumb our noses at God."

"Yeah yeah," Leslie sighed, getting up and trying to put her public face on. It wasn't hard, with how irritated she was feeling.

Still, as they got into the limo and drove off to Centennial Park, Leslie was able to calm herself and focus on the job at hand. Maybe she was being immature. Maybe this was her job, and she just had to do it. Maybe the risk was low enough they'd be fine.

She looked up at the dark clouds, and glared up at them.

Maybe she could just defy nature itself. After all, it was the ultimate authority.

Main problem was, nature did not have a complaint department.

Nature didn't care.

- - -

Backstage, Leslie found her script. She immediately discarded most of the pages, and began scribbling short hand for corrections and her own lines. The concert featured plenty of local talent, and per her usual idiom, she would roast them or compliment them as needed. So most of her job was improv, really. Who knew those stupid acting classes she'd had to take would come in handy? She'd only taken them for her cosplay and for filling out her electives.

The script had been easy, and was soon done. So next up, she went around the stage to examine the equipment and helped with the sound checks. It was something she'd done in college, getting experience and pay at local theaters. It came naturally back to her, and let her keep her thoughts away from the storm overhead. Immediately, there were issues. Issues she discussed angrily with the stage manager near one of the great subwoofers, as the murmurs of the crowd outside warbled through the air.

"You call this acceptable?! The circuit breaker work on this shit show wouldn't pass with the local union!" Leslie barked. The manager leaned back worriedly, cringing at her assault.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but this is what the planners called for!" The manager said defensively. "The engineer said it would be fine-"

"Fine if there wasn't a thunderstorm over our head?! Maybe! Now? Now it's a fucking death trap!" Leslie snarled, waving a hand over the framing for all of the lights and speakers, "this isn't a stage, this is a death trap! Get me the fucking engineer, NOW!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The manager babbled, tearing off in fear as he shouted instructions into his mouthpiece. Leslie shot another glare at Lenny, who had been hovering near her from the moment they arrived. He shrugged sheepishly under the intensity of her glare.

"I-I didn't-I just got the contractors the sponsors used-"

"Next time, give me the list!" Leslie growled, "and I'll tell you who to use and who will set us all on fire!"

Another stage hand ran up to her across the stage, dodging other workers setting up instruments and checking wires. Her young face was filled with worry, as a group of police officers and men in suits marched after her. Leslie growled low in her throat.

"What now?" She demanded. The runner panted hard, catching her breath.

"Miss Willis, the-the police are here! They say they want to shut things down!"

Leslie clenched her fists tightly, her teeth grinding almost audibly. She looked over at Lenny, who again was looking away at his phone to avoid her furious gaze. She sighed angrily.

"Fine, fine," she said. She walked out onto the main stage, the crowd letting loose whoops and cheers when they saw her. Already, several cops in ponchos were trying to hold them back, and angry shouts and expletives were being hurled back. It was an ugly scene, and normally she would have been elated at it. But maybe Clark's caution was rubbing off on her, because right now it was making her even more pissed off. She took a deep breath as she stared down the cops: Daniel Turpin was with them, looking as grizzled and stony as ever. She allowed a little smirk to come onto her face. The detective glared as they stopped a few feet away.

"All right lady, we're here to shut you down!" Turpin called. "Let's just call this whole thing off! The storm's coming, this whole place is a lightning magnet!"

"What?!"

Lenny had come onto the stage, his eyes wide in shock. The boom of thunder rattled through them, as Lenny glared at the cops.

"You can't be serious," Lenny cried, "we've been planning this concert for months! You can't shut us down!"

Leslie grit her teeth. She'd had a way out, and Lenny had blown it. Fucking blowhard. Still, she could hear cries and cheers from her audience in support of defying the police.

"This is going to turn into a firestorm! Shut it down, reschedule it, just stop right now before someone gets hurt!" Turpin ordered.

That rankled her something fierce. She hated being given orders. And yeah, maybe he was right. Maybe this was a death trap. But if the local sponsors wanted a show? Fine. She'd give them one.

Leslie stepped forward and shook her head.

"Crowd control, huh? Bit of a step down for the guy who saved Superman, Turpin," Leslie taunted. "Who'd you piss off at HQ?"

Turpin scoffed, sneering in anger.

"That's got nothing to do with it!" He shouted. "The city safety inspector says this is dangerous-So shut it down!"

"Speak of the devil," said one of the cops, looking at the sky. Leslie followed his eye line, and saw a familiar blue and red form flying down towards them. She could hear Lenny's sharp intake of breath and practically feel his grin-Superman was here!

Yeah, it was time to end things, Leslie decided. She'd have a bit of a face off with Big Blue, they'd cancel the concert, and she'd get to blast the local contractors for their shitty work and the cops for being killjoys.

Nobody got hurt. That would keep Supes happy, no doubt.

He landed between the two groups, raising an eyebrow.

"Dan? Why are you here?" He asked. Dan grumbled.

"This concert is in violation of safety codes, and the storm overhead means we gotta shut this down," he stated. He gestured up to the black, soupy sky. "But Miss Nonconformist here is refusing!"

"I didn't say a damn word!" Leslie shouted back. "My stupid manager did!"

"Hey!" Lenny protested, but quieted at a glare from her. She looked back at Superman. She smirked up at him as he walked closer, until he was only a foot away from her. A microphone on a pole stood between them, humming softly.

"So, are you going to shut this down willingly? It's dangerous out here right now," Superman stated. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, tell me about it," she said quietly, "but! Gotta save some face, right?"

A rock arced its way for Superman, and bounced right off the side of his chest. He looked unamused, stoicly taking more shots as Leslie instinctively backed away.

"Boo! Fuck you Superman!" A concert goer shouted.

"Killjoy! Fuck off!" Another jeered. The officers had to work harder to hold back the crowd, as it got more unruly. Superman looked back at Leslie, still stone faced.

"I think you need to tell them to go," Superman said slowly. "Say whatever you need to, but this is getting dangerous."

Leslie privately agreed... But she saw the signs of her sponsors high above the frothing crowd. She mentally sighed, and waved her hand.

"Well then, hand me the microphone," she said, "and I'll give them the bad news, Super Baby Sitter."

Superman, still unamused, reached out and took hold of the microphone. He picked it up and mechanically held it up to her. She reached out to take hold of the stand, her eyes never leaving his...

Thunder roared, and a blast of white lightning connected with Superman. The arcs raced over his body as he cried out in shock, but were smothered by her screams. The heat, the voltage filled her, her entire body screamed as raw power threatened to tear her apart! Her vision went white, and she went numb. She felt herself fall, hitting the stage floor. She felt everything go dark... The last thing she heard was Clark's voice, calling her name...

Then everything vanished.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Leslie

"Augh, fuck..." Leslie groaned. She slowly opened her eyes, bright lights greeting her. She shut them again and growled, lifting her hands to rub her temples. "Fuuuck... What the fuck did I… Drink? Do? Last… Whenever?”

It wasn’t like a hangover. It wasn’t a feeling of pain, so much as a tingling that ran through her entire body. Like an ever present sensation of static cling.

“Well, there’s a simple answer, and a complicated answer to that,” said a pleasant older man’s voice. Leslie managed to lock her sensitive eyes onto the speaker: A portly, dark skinned doctor with a kindly smile and glasses.

Leslie blinked.

“Uh, hi,” she said, her eyes darting around. There were screens on the walls of the small room, all monitoring complicated stuff. And the faint smell of antiseptics in her bed. She was dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, and covered by thin blankets. She looked back at the doctor.

“What happened? Where am I? Who are you?” She asked.

The man chuckled. “You got struck by lightning. You’re in Metropolis General Hospital. And I am Doctor Freleng.” He held up a thermometer. “Mind if I do the check up?”

“Go ahead,” Leslie said with a shrug. The older man ran the thermometer over her forehead, his eyes fixed on the screen… And the device shorted out. He yelped as he tossed it aside, and Leslie jumped. That had felt so weird!

“That keeps happening,” Doctor Freleng muttered. He shook his head. “Oh well! We can use the new remote set up. Though it’s not as accurate.”

“Star Trek, huh? Sure, that works,” she said, scooting back a bit. He picked up a tablet and began tapping buttons. He hummed and nodded.

“Well, that’s good. Pulse rate, breathing, blood oxygen levels, everything seems to check out,” he said. “But it doesn’t explain the… Uh…”

“Explain what? What?” Leslie asked urgently. Already her hands were going up to her face, and then to her chest. Nothing felt burned-Hell, nothing hurt at all! She almost felt electrified, full of energy.

Given she’d been struck by lightning, maybe that wasn’t unexpected.

Doctor Freleng frowned. He then reached down, and pulled up a mirror from the side table. He held it up in front of Leslie’s face. She stared.

Okay, she wasn’t scarred… She was…

Leslie’s eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms under her breasts and snorted.

“Oh, I get it. Body paint and do up my hair because I’m in a coma. Real funny,” she snorted. “What, is this some kind of gag for reality TV? Because last time that happened, I knocked out one of Ashton Kutcher’s teeth!”

Doctor Freleng shook his head.

“I’m afraid it’s no joke, Miss Willis,” he said.

Leslie rolled her eyes, and reached up. She pushed her hair down… And it stuck right back up. She snorted, and rubbed her cheeks, hard. The skin changed color slightly… But no make up came off. She grit her teeth and rubbed harder, digging in with her nails.

“Ow! Fuck!” Leslie cursed, pulling her fingers away. She took hold of the mirror and stared intently into it, studying the light marks she had left on her cheeks. She sucked in a deep breath.

“... I… I don’t suppose anyone else has gone through this? After being hit by lightning?” She asked plaintively. Doctor Freleng smiled gently.

“We’re looking into it,” he said. He shrugged. “That said, it could have been much, much worse than a cosmetic change.”

Leslie pulled her gown out, and looked down her body. Her eyes widened as she shifted her thighs.

“Holy shit… There too?! Everywhere?!” She cried. She shook her head. “I look like the fucking Ice Queen from Adventure Time!” She let her gown snap back onto her body, and looked at the doctor. “Hey, what happened to my clothes?”

The doctor grimaced. “Sorry, we have to cut you out of those,” he apologized. “As for your phone, keys, and other personal belongings? All fried, I’m afraid.”

“Great,” Leslie muttered. She sighed, and looked carefully at the doctor.

“So, can I get a phone?” She asked. Doctor Freleng nodded.

“Of course, though we’ll need one that’s better grounded,” he said. He pointed to a phone on the wall nearby. “It shorted out too!”

“Swell,” Leslie muttered. The doctor smiled, and got the remote for the TV. He pointed it at the largest screen on the wall in front of Leslie, and it came to life. He handed it to Leslie, carefully. She took it, and flipped through the channels.

“In the meantime Miss Willis, I suggest you rest,” he said. “Your manager is handling your business right now. I’ll get him to contact you as soon as I see him.”

“Yeah, sure,” Leslie muttered. The doctor walked out, the door sliding shut behind him. She flipped fast through the channels, until she hit the one thing she hadn’t watched in years: The local news. Thankfully, Angela Chen seemed to be saying something useful for once with her usual, annoyingly saccharine smile.

“We continue with our coverage of Leslie Willis’s hospitalization after that lightning strike with her manager, Lenny Decampo, having this confrontation with Superman outside the hospital!”

A little icon saying “Live” appeared in the corner, as she saw Lenny on the steps leading up to the hospital. He was pointing his finger furiously at Superman, who was walking down the steps.

“You! This is your fault!” Lenny shouted. Superman was frowning deeply, as reporters buzzed around him like angry hornets.

“She bashed you on your show and so you took it out on her!” Lenny continued.

Superman shook his head. “She was willing to call off the show when the lightning struck. As for her ‘bashing’ me, she had me over for one interview and I found her very fair.”

“So you deny that you were motivated by any resentment towards Miss Willis?” Another reporter asked. “You sound quick to respond like that.”

“I do not have any resentment towards Miss Willis,” Superman said, sounding like he was trying hard not to grit his teeth. He was clearly upset-Honestly, she couldn’t blame him. Staying around Lenny and reporters would drive a saint to homicide.

“I’ll have you know that we’re going to be suing you, Superman!” Lenny shouted, “and we’ll get every cent for her pain and suffering!”

“Fat chance, asshole!” Leslie growled. This was the kind of media circus that, when she was younger, she might have enjoyed. But right now, it was about as authentic as media coverage of gun violence in Suicide Slum.

That, and the last thing she wanted was Lenny representing her to the press. This big of a disaster needed her out of this hospital bed and on the radio! Or a stream! Something!

Doctor Freleng entered again, carrying a phone wrapped in rubber. He plugged it into the wall, and set it on the side table. He smiled and nodded.

“All ready to go,” he said cheerfully. Leslie beamed.

“Thanks you’re a lifesaver,” she said happily. She picked up the phone and felt incredibly happy about the dial tone she was hearing. She looked back at the doctor. “Er… If you would-?”

The doctor nodded and backed out, closing the door behind him. Leslie punched in the numbers for Lenny’s phone, her eyes narrowed on the screen as the verbal tussle continued. Lenny was now poking Superman right in the chest, looking smug.

“Hope you’ve got enough capital in the space bank for this, Superman!” Lenny shouted. “This is all your fault!”

“Come on, come on…!” Leslie growled. Lenny kept up his verbal assault, clearly ignoring the phone buzzing in his pocket. She groaned. “Of course. Fuck it. Why call him?”

She hung up, and rapidly punched in Clark’s number. It began to ring, as Leslie anxiously played with the old cord attached to it.

On the screen Superman paused for a moment… And then shook his head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some real matters of importance to attend to,” Superman stated. He then flew upwards, speeding off into the sky like a fighter jet. Lenny was still there, shaking his fist like an impotent dweeb.

“EVERY! LAST! CENT! ALIEN!”

“UGH! Fuck him!” Leslie growled, hitting the mute button on the remote. At last, the call connected.

“Hello? Clark Kent speaking?” He responded. Leslie felt her heart leap up in her chest-Damnit, with everything going on just hearing his voice made her feel better.

“Clark? Clark, where are you?” She asked urgently. She frowned as she heard the sound of rushing wind in the background. “What’s that sound? Are you driving?”

“Uh, no, that’s a fan,” Clark said. “As for where I am…”

The door slid open, and the tall form of a slightly disheveled Clark Kent entered. He smiled warmly, and Leslie found a grin coming to her face immediately.

“You son of a bitch,” she cried, “how long have you been here?!”

“Long enough to evade the nurses and doctors,” he said. He made a face as he waked up to her bedside. “And Lenny, of course.”

“Ugh, that fucking guy,” Leslie growled. She shook her head. “Listen, I need you to record a statement from me. I’m sick of Lenny taking over things like this!”

“Taking over?” Clark asked, raising an eyebrow. Leslie growled.

“He’s the guy who organized this fucking concert! And he kept insisting we keep going ahead, even though the electrician who put it together was fucked in the head!” She sighed and looked up at Clark. The reporter studied her.

“He’s been saying you wanted to go ahead with it, and as a formal audio engineer yourself, you signed off on it,” Clark said in a neutral tone. Leslie felt a surge of rage.

“HE WHAT?!” She shrieked. She was almost out of her bed and halfway to the door before Clark caught her by the sides. He gently but firmly pushed her back into bed, even as she struggled. “Let me go! Let me go! I’ll kill him!”

“LESLIE!” Clark shouted. Leslie stopped, shocked, as she looked up at him. He looked embarrassed, but stayed firm.

“Leslie,” he said, “you’re in no condition to go after him. A livestream of you is more than enough. Let’s do that, huh?”

Leslie took deep breaths. The tingling sensation had gotten stronger, all over her body, running up and down her spine. She nodded quickly.

“Okay… Okay, you’re right,” she panted. “You’re right… A livestream of me fucking firing that fucker.”

Clark beamed at her. Leslie sighed, and pushed back a bit. She gestured up and down her body.

"So... They don't know why this happened," she said. "It's... A bit of a change, huh?"

She was already feeling a bit worried. Anxious, really, about this change to her. Him just appearing had made her unable to think too hard about it, but now that he was here...

Clark just smirked.

"I think you look just as beautiful as ever," he said. And he cupped her cheek gently to make sure she knew he meant it.

Her mood immediately surged again, in a new direction. Heat seemed to envelope her from the inside, as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and pushed her breasts up against his broad chest. She licked her lips as she gazed into his eyes.

“But first,” she growled. Clark blushed, and coughed uneasily.

“Uh, Leslie, we’re in the hospital-”

“And I just survived being struck by lightning,” she practically purred, her fingers yanking at his suit jacket urgently. “I think this calls for a celebration~...”

God, she was so hot for him right now… Her mood swings were severe. Geez, was she pregnant? She was mostly sure she wasn’t. Then again, getting hit by lightning was bound to cause some issues.

Eh, she’d worry about all of that later. After she’d reconnected with her boyfriend in the best way. She kissed him, her lips pressing to his…

Instead of his usual response of deepening the kiss and taking her into his arms… He began shaking and turned stiff as a board. Lightning crackled around them and the smell of ozone filled the air. He fell back, and Leslie watched him fall, as though in slow motion. Her eyes widened. He hit the floor with a dull thud, his suit smoking as he twitched.

“Clark?! CLARK?!” Leslie screamed. She looked at the door. “HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!”

Doctor Freleng burst in, a nurse accompanying him. They knelt on the floor, the nurse already shouting into a radio as the doctor began checking the shaking Clark all over. Leslie was breathing faster and faster, her heart pounding in her ears. She stumbled back, her hand reaching out for support from a nearby screen.

The tingly feeling screamed through her hand, and she looked away from her convulsing boyfriend to her hand. Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief-Arcs of electricity danced all over her hand as it slid into the screen.

“Wha-No-What the hell-!”

The tingly feeling exploded all over her body, and the world faded from sight. She was inundated with sensations-views-images-all a confused, cacophony of stimuli as she seemed to be everywhere and nowhere…

One image stayed trapped in her mind though. One that refused to leave, and haunted whatever consciousness she still possessed:

Clark's lifeless eyes staring up at the hospital ceiling.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Leslie

She didn't know where she was. She didn't know who she was. Hell, she didn't even know if she was. She was awash in so much electronic information, part of it, swept away by it-It was so hard to think in human terms. It was like every part of her was somewhere else and yet here...

"Perry, I'm telling you, those bozos at Lex Corp don't know what they've unleashed..."

She could hear someone... Someone familiar...

"Willis could be anywhere-hell, she might be everywhere! The entire city powergrid is going haywire, whatever happened to her might-"

She was drawn to the electronic impulses. She found a place where the flow stopped, but there was something beyond. Open. She pushed herself forward, willed herself out...

The flash of light. The scream of surprise of a familiar woman. The feel of soft carpet on her bare knees, the smell of ozone, the crackle of sparks… She had a body again. She felt the pull of gravity on her body, the air wash over her skin. She clutched at the carpeting, trying to keep her hold on something.

"Willis?!" Lois Lane cried above her. "... Leslie?"

Leslie jerked, startled, and stared up at Lois. In an instant, she was herself again. Enough to realize Lois's shakily approaching hand would spell danger for its owner.

"DON'T!" Leslie shouted, stumbling backwards away from the hand. Lois pulled the hand back, startled.

"Leslie, what the hell-?"

"Don't-Don't touch me! Just... Just give me a second, but don't touch me," Leslie insisted, breathing hard. She wrapped her arms around herself, pulling as much oxygen into her lung as she could. She looked around shakily. The golden orange light of the sunset was washing over Metropolis outside. The lights of the skyline were scattered and intermittent, like there was a power outage-

Oh. Oh...

“Wha… How long has it been?” Leslie gasped. Lois blinked.

“Since you left the hospital? I don’t know, a few hours?” Lois knelt down, but Leslie immediately cringed away. The reporter frowned, looked thoughtful… Then she rose, rushed out, and came back with a rubber poncho. She tossed it to Leslie, and the electric woman wrapped it around herself. Lois then reached out, and slid her hands under her armpits to help her up to the couch.

Leslie accepted this, careful not to touch Lois, and settled down on the couch. She took a deep breath, then another, and another. The crackling slowly died away, and Leslie was able to feel the power inside her subside. Just enough she could calm down.

“You don’t know?” Lois asked.

Leslie shook her head, letting out a small, hoarse laugh. “I’ve been turned into living electricity. I have no idea what the hell has been going on, or what’s been going on-” Her eyes widened as she leaped to her feet.

“CLARK! Oh shit, oh shit, Clark! CLARK!”

“What? What?!” Lois cried, scooting back away on the couch.

“I-I shocked Clark badly in the hospital! Just before I went onto the grid!” Leslie cried. “I need your phone-Call the hospital-!”

Lois held up her hands appeasingly, waving them to get Leslie’s attention.

“CALM DOWN!” She shouted. Leslie stopped and looked over at the reporter. She gave Leslie a comforting smile. “Look, it’s all right. I called the hospital about Clark a few minutes ago, before I called Perry. They’ll get right back to me. I’m sure he’s fine!”

“I… Oh God…” Leslie was taking deeper breaths, getting herself back under control. “Right… Right, God…” She held a hand to her forehead. “Fuck. I feel like I’m-I’m about to fly apart. My emotions are-Shit…Why is this happening?”

“Well,” Lois began carefully, “if I had to guess? Since we use electricity to conduct our thoughts, being made of it probably makes you a little unstable?”

“UNSTABLE?!” Leslie screamed, and lightning arced from her eyes. Lois yelped and fell onto the carpet as her TV exploded. Leslie gaped at that, and immediately lowered her arms. She shrank back, biting her lower lip.

“Okay… So maybe I am a little unstable,” Leslie admitted softly. “Um… Sorry.”

Lois blinked several times, and then took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, and nodded a few times.

“It’s okay. It’s just a 75 inch plasma TV. No biggie,” Lois said, surprisingly gentle. She got close and very carefully squeezed Leslie’s arm through the poncho. Leslie leaned in to the touch, just a bit. It was amazingly comforting, considering who was doing it.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Leslie said. “I promise. I’ll have Lenny deliver the check on his hands and knees in his teeth.” She growled. “The bastard is going to be doing a lot of shit on his knees when I’m through with him…”

“He’s been getting plenty of practice with Luthor lately,” Lois muttered. Leslie’s eyes shot right to her, as Lois’s eyes widened. She covered her mouth as Leslie narrowed her eyes.

“He’s been what?!” Leslie hissed, sparks nearly literally flying from her eyes. Lois backed away slowly, but kept her body language very calm and neutral.

“I started looking into the contractors your manager used. They’re all contractors that have been fighting off acquisition by Lexcorp assets or Lexcorp itself for years. They’ve all had stellar records… Until now,” Lois said. “And at least one of the technicians who worked on your stage has admitted one of these companies was willing to put him in charge once the acquisition went through. But all of them being sought out specifically by Lenny for this one show with such terrible planning?”

Lois shook her head. “I mean, he couldn’t be that stupid, could he-”

Leslie snarled, the air burning with white hot plasma. Lois backed away further, rummaging in a drawer.

“Okay, I’m guessing he could,” Lois said.

“THAT FUCKING ITALIAN ASSHOLE!” Leslie roared. “I’M GOING TO SHOVE MY KEYS SO FAR UP HIS ASS I CAN USE HIM AS A KEYCHAIN! I’LL LIGHT HIM UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE! I’LL FUCKING-!”

Lois’ rubber gloved hand struck her across her cheek, and she nearly fell over. She looked up in astonishment at Lois, who was breathing hard.

“LESLIE!” Lois bellowed, “GET CONTROL!”

There was a tense, twisted silence.

“... O-Okay,” Leslie murmured, her rage diving back down into cold terror. She wrapped herself tightly in her arms, shivering, as she curled into a ball at the foot of the couch.

Lois’s jaw dropped, and she slowly knelt down. She then reached out and lightly touched Leslie’s bruised cheek with a wince.

“I’m sorry,” Lois sighed sadly. “I’m so-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-!”

“No… No, I get it,” Leslie muttered. “I’ve wanted to slap you for less.”

Lois actually managed a snort.

“You must be feeling better if you can be snarky,” she said.

Leslie almost managed a smile back. She felt a lot more stable already. She let out a long sigh.

“I can’t believe I ended up here, of all places,” Leslie managed. “Maybe you were reaching out to me?”

“Isn’t there enough fanart of us making out online?” Lois asked, in a despairing tone. Leslie chuckled.

“You know you love it,” she replied. She looked over at Lois’s phone. “That would be the hospital.”

“Wha-?” Lois’s phone rang loudly. The reporter slowly stood up and walked over, taking it into her hand. She hit the speakerphone. “Lois Lane speaking?”

“Yes, Miss Lane? This is Doctor Freleng,” the familiar voice of the kindly doctor came over the phone, “you were calling about Mister Kent?”

“Yes,” Lois said, and Leslie immediately felt a chill at the forced detachment in the doctor’s voice. “How is he?”

The doctor sighed.

“I’m sorry to say that Mister Kent has gone,” Doctor Freleng said. “You see, he-”

The phone fried as Leslie’s lightning struck it. The lights went out, and Lois swung back to the pale woman. Leslie was slowly standing up, raw voltage shooting out of everywhere and arcing into her. Lois fell away, until her back was to the wall.

“L-Leslie?” Lois tried. “Leslie! LESLIE! He was going to explain-He was going to-You need to calm down Leslie-!”

Leslie sucked in a deep, hard breath. She let it out slowly. Despite the heat of the electricity crackling around her body, she felt cold inside.

“I am calm, Lois,” Leslie said slowly. “You see… I know exactly what I need to do now.”

“Go back to the hospital?” Lois tried, a hopeful smile on her face. Leslie smiled back, cold and empty of any mirth.

“I’m going to find Lenny,” Leslie began, the electricity snapping and hissing over her as she tossed aside her poncho and gown. She ionized the air around her, turning it into a black, skintight covering that slowly concealed her naked body in a sharp, curve hugging ensemble.

She had been so emotionally distraught she hadn’t thought of everything she could do with this power. She’d been like a sine wave going up and down and every which way.

But now? Now she had a singular goal.

She had purpose.

Someone had taken everything away from her, even a future.

They were going to pay for it.

“I’m going to find him,” Leslie repeated, “and after I make him beg for death? I’ll go to Lexcorp.” She clenched her fists, and felt the raw power thrumming within them. She raised them up and took another deep breath.

“And I’ll do even worse to that bald son of a bitch,” she hissed.

Leslie felt herself grin, and saw Lois shudder in fear. She liked it more than she thought she would.

“See you around, Lane,” she said. She sprang over to the wall outlet, and shoved her hand into it. Once again the world fell away and she became one with the lightning. But this time? She had a clear goal to keep herself together.

Revenge.

- - -

Maybe a bit cliche, but I'm hoping you'll like it.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Before, being in the grid had just been pure noise and confusion for Leslie. It was still hard to sort out the millions of signals pulsing through electric and phone lines across the entire city.

Thankfully, her target made it easy: he was on his phone, speaking in his loud, easily identifiable voice.

“Listen,” Lenny said, “it’s no big deal! So she’s got superpowers and she’s running amok-You can’t buy publicity like that! This feud with Superman will keep us in the black for years to come!”

Leslie focused, hard, and suddenly she could see through the cameras in the office-The webcam she used for streaming shows, the cameras on every laptop or cellphone. It all let her see her prey-Sitting in his chair, a few large monitors showing news about the Metropolis power crisis behind him. She couldn’t really breath in this form, but if she could, she’d have taken a deep, lung filling breath to prepare.

She was electromagnetism itself, and it seemed to respond to her will. So she willed herself to appear on the screens, and to push her voice out through the speakers.

“Too bad you won’t live long enough to see it,” Leslie crooned through the speakers, making Lenny jump. He looked around in shock, finally coming face to face with her-Staring into the monitors. She was still smiling her enraged grin. It made Lenny break out in a hard sweat all over his balding forehead.

“L-Leslie?” He ventured. He put down his cellphone and smiled, spreading his arms wide. “Hey! You’re looking great-!”

Leslie pushed, and the monitors all exploded as she burst back into the real world. Lenny fell back in shock, slamming hard against his desk. He held onto it for dear life, staring in disbelief as the destroyed electronics crackled and popped in a heap behind her.

“W-Wow! That’s a hell of a trick!” Lenny complimented. “Zatanna couldn’t do better!”

“I know about your little dealings with Luthor, Lenny,” Leslie said in a sing song voice, slowly tilting her head as she grinned madly. Lenny’s pupils shrank to pinpricks, as he froze like a deer in headlights.

“Ah… Wh-What deal-?”

“The deal you made to make the show a death trap so Baldy could take those companies over, Lenny,” Leslie continued, still speaking cheerfully. “The deal that did this to me.”

“I-I didn’t know you’d get struck by lightning!” Lenny insisted. Leslie took a step forward, and Lenny awkwardly rolled over the top of the desk to put it between them as he kept babbling.

“H-Hell, I didn’t even know Luthor was involved! It was some guy at one of his subsidiaries who set me up! Said that there’d be an electrical fire or-or something! Superman showing up, you getting superpowers-Who could plan for that?!”

Leslie took another step, and made her hand burn with power. She raised her hand, and slammed her fist through the desk. The hardwood, flush with energy, immediately exploded from the thermal overload and broke in two, the edges blackened and glowing like coals.

Lenny yelped as his back hit the wall, and his hands scrambled for the doorknob.

“Oh, I’m not pissed about that,” Leslie said in a soothing tone entirely at odds with her manic grin. “You see, you were right. I was dating someone. Someone I cared about. Someone I loved.”

Her eyes began to glow, as her rage bubbled up to the surface.

“Someone I electrocuted to death when I touched them,” she snarled. “All. Because. Of you.”

Lenny was paler than any white man could or should be. Leslie trembled a bit, the voltage causing arcs and sparks in the air around her.

“Killing a loved one will make anyone dangerous. So imagine what it’s done to me,” Leslie seethed. The front of Lenny’s trousers were assuredly soaked.

His beady eyes darted around the room. They locked onto the office door. He took off like a shot, grabbing the door handle and tearing it open as he ran. Down the hallway, his flabby body almost a blur in his panic.

Leslie zapped back into the nearest outlet, and followed the course of the electrons to another monitor on a wall. She burst out of this one, right in front of Lenny. He screeched to a halt and clumsily spun around to run the other direction. Leslie happily skipped after him, an insane sounding giggle leaving her lips.

“You really think there’s anywhere for you to run? Anywhere for you to hide, Lenny?” Leslie called as Lenny slammed into the elevator doors ahead of her. He frantically pressed the summon button, over and over. Leslie raised her hand, and an arc of lightning formed. The panel exploded, making Lenny screech as he stumbled back.

He turned and ran for the stairwell door-yanking it open and running, rushing up the stairs. Leslie shook her head. That wouldn’t do. He couldn’t fall and die before she got a chance to have some fun.

Again, she sought out an outlet, zapped herself into the grid of the building, and accessed every camera she could. Yup-He was heading for the roof. There was a helicopter parked there, illuminated by numerous roof lights as night descended.

She waited, just long enough… Then blasted out of the nearest overhead lamp as he stumbled out of the rooftop access door. He screamed and fell onto his backside, and began dragging himself back from her. She strode easily, unhurried, after him. He looked back at her even as he retreated. The stars visible through Metropolis’ light pollution shone brightly down upon them as he started to beg.

“L-Leslie! Leslie! Let’s talk about this! Y-You don’t want to kill me! I-I helped you! I took you on! I’ve been your manager for years-You-You’re like a daughter to me-!”

She fired a blast of plasma at his feet, making the concrete explode. He shrieked and scuttled faster, faster, right to the edge of the roof. He wrapped an arm around the safety rails, panting hard for breath even as he pleaded.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He cried. “I swear, I’ll-I’ll-!”

“Yes!” Leslie shouted, “that’s it! Offer me money!”

“I’ll give you everything I’ve got! EVERYTHING!” Lenny squealed. Leslie got closer.

“Offer me power! My own position!” Leslie taunted. Lenny nodded frantically.

“Anything! ANYTHING!”

Leslie grabbed his collar and slammed him up against the railing. Lenny yelped in pain as she grinned maniacally.

“Offer me my heart’s desire!” Leslie shouted.

“I’ll give it! Anything at all! ANYTHING YOU WANT!” Lenny bellowed at the top of his lungs. Leslie gathered all the power she could in her off hand, and held it up. It burned, hot and bright enough Lenny shut his eyes tight and sobbed.

“I want my boyfriend back, you son of a bitch,” Leslie hissed. She pulled her fist back, ready to finish it. It wasn’t long enough, it would never be long enough, but she had bigger fish to fry-

“Leslie! Stop!”

She froze. She looked up. There he was-floating in the air, red cape fluttering in the winds that rushed through the city skyscrapers. His arms crossed over his chest, slightly obscuring the big red “S” shield.

“Beat it Superman,” Leslie snarled. “I’m doing you and everyone else in this fucking city a favor. First? This asshole fries. Then? Luthor.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Superman implored, “he’s going to confess and go to jail. Killing him won’t help anything.”

Lenny nodded frantically. “I will! I WILL!”

“Not fucking good enough,” Leslie seethed. “Luthor will just sacrifice a pawn and stay out of jail. Again. I’m making sure, and I’m starting with the small fry.” She reared back, ready to punch Lenny right through his flabby chest. Lenny whimpered.

Superman let out a soft breath, and spoke again. Quietly, and calmly.

"Leslie, I realize that you're incredibly upset. That's likely a major understatement. But doing it this way? It won't prove anything. This... man isn't worth making yourself a murderer."

Leslie hesitated, but the power still burned in her palm. The face of Clark’s dead face still burned in her mind.

"It's not murder. It's vengeance."

"No it's not,” Superman replied. “Clark is alive. Lenny needs justice, but not death."

Leslie looked away from the crying Lenny, staring at Superman in shock. She tried to see any sign of deception, but the superhero’s expression didn’t change a bit.

"What?! How?! I heard the doctor-" Leslie started. Superman moved a bit closer.

"I'm not sure what the doctor said, but I can promise you Clark is alive and well. I can prove it if you come with me.”

Leslie was silent, the power she had gathered still buzzing and crackling away in her hand. She could feel Lenny’s frantic heartbeat through her clenched fist.

“Let him go,” Superman said. He was now close enough he extended his hand out to her. “Do you think he can hide anywhere the two of us can't find him?"

Leslie stared intently at Superman. She looked back at Lenny, who had passed out by now. She glared back up at Superman.

"If this is a trick..." She warned.

"Have I ever done that?"

Leslie let out a long sigh.

"... Take me to Clark, and I'll let him live."

Superman nodded.

She let the electricity dissipate from her palm. She let the flabby bastard go, and stood up. She reached out and took Superman’s hand.

Superman pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. She held on tightly, and as soon as Superman was sure she was okay, he took off. He flew fast for the west, out past the city limits, past the Metropolis suburbs, and straight into the Quitely Mountains.

Superman descended into an isolated valley, before setting down on an isolated little plateau that was illuminated by the moon above. He let Leslie go, and she stepped away and stumbled. She turned around and glared expectantly.

“Well?! Where is he?!” Leslie demanded.

Superman let out a long sigh. He rummaged in his belt, and pulled out… A pair of glasses. He placed them on his face. He then ran his fingers through his hair, flattening it out. He then hunched over just a bit, his body language shifting.

Leslie stared at him. Clark smiled back awkwardly.

The image of his dead face in her mind matched up perfectly.

“Is… Is this some kind of sick joke?!” Leslie cried. He shook his head.

“No. I’ve always been Clark,” he said. “I am Clark. Superman… Just helps out.”

Leslie stared longer, everything inside her compressing to a single point… Then exploding outwards.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!”

Every volt of her electrical power exploded outward from every pore, every inch of her body. Lightning boomed and roared as the plateau detonated in a massive explosion, casting rocks and debris all over the valley.

The smoke gradually cleared, the moonlight exposing the damage wrought to the landscape… And to Superman, who was lying on his back some distance away. Her rage immediately transformed into fear and concern, and she ran over to his side.

“Clark?! CLARK! Are you okay?!” She shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. He groaned and looked up at her, a wry smile on his face.

“Haa… Haa… I may have had that coming,” he admitted. He reached up and took her hand, and she held him back.

“It wasn’t just my secret to keep, Leslie. I couldn’t tell just anyone, you know? And I wanted to. I’ve wanted to. When the time was right.” He sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. “So… Here we are.”

“Yeah,” Leslie murmured, “here we are.”

Things were silent for a time. Leslie reached down and stroked the back of Clark’s head. She leaned in close.

“I was so scared I’d killed you,” Leslie admitted. Clark smiled back gently.

“So was I,” he replied. He let out a long sigh, and reached up to cup her cheek. She flushed deeply, and nuzzled his palm. She held it to her cheek, and leaned down to look him right in the eyes.

“I mean… I get it,” she said softly. “I do get it. I just… It’ll take some time to get used to it, you know?”

“Tell me about it,” Clark admitted. He hugged her tightly, and she found herself relaxing into his embrace. She hugged him back, and they lay there together on the cold hard ground.

“So,” Leslie murmured, “where do we go from here?”

Clark nuzzled the top of her head with his chin.

“After everything? We deserve some happiness. Maybe it’ll be hard, but I’ll work for it. If you want to. Do you still want to?”

Leslie snorted.

“You’re quoting me right back,” she muttered. Clark smiled.

“What can I say, you inspired me,” he replied.

She felt so warm inside at that. She could have kissed him. Instead...

“That’s your job, stupid,” Leslie shot back, snuggling against him.

- - -

As Leslie predicted, one of Lex’s underlings took the fall and ended up in jail. Lenny joined him, earning a very long sentence with little chance for parole.

Fortunately, the damage to the city caused by her episode with her abilities was minimal. And there weren’t really any legal grounds for suing a newborn superhuman for their powers going crazy.

Even so, Leslie decided that her show was going to go on hiatus while she figured things out. As her apartment had been fried in the ensuing chaos, she decided to stay with Clark. Something he was perfectly fine with, all things considered.

The media was hounding her even more after this. Already she was being called “Livewire” and speculation ran rampant that she’d become a superhero.

She didn’t know what the future held for her, but she was going to find out. With Clark… Superman… At her side.

- - -

And thus concludes the Livewire arc. What did you think?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - - -

Lois

It was a few days after Leslie Willis’ manager confessed to his crimes and was arrested. Frankly, the guy seemed determined to stay as far away from life out here as possible. Lois couldn’t blame him: She’d seen how terrifying Leslie was, up close. And he deserved it. The bastard was probably hoping that his probation would let him go somewhere out in the wilderness, as far as possible from any technology.

None of that was really weighing on Lois’ mind right at the moment though. She was stopping by to check in on Clark Kent. Right now she was standing in front of the apartment door, slowly pulling up the courage to ring the bell.

It wasn’t like she liked Smallville all that much. He was a rival, a direct competitor. He was also sarcastic and snarky-Nothing like Superman.

But he was also a comrade and he’d nearly gotten killed visiting Leslie Willis. It was something that had driven her over the edge, almost made her murder a man.

So she was going to check up on Kent. Just to see if he was doing all right.

Lois reached up and pressed the doorbell. She heard the faint ring through the door. She steeled herself, calming down. It wasn’t a big deal. She’d just deliver a get well card, and leave. Nothing special.

The door opened. A familiar pale woman with spiky white hair stood in the doorway, wearing nothing more than a white, button up shirt. She yawned, rubbing her eye… And then blinked. Lois blinked back.

“Willis?” Lois blurted out.

“Lane?” Leslie replied, just as surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Lois’s pupils shrank as any level of denial left about the nature of Clark’s relationship with Leslie was obliterated. She took a deep breath, and put up a professional face.

“I was about to ask the same thing,” Lois said, “but I can guess.”

Leslie glanced down at her attire, and then back at Lois. She then grinned, almost sheepishly.

“Uh, yeah,” she said. She rubbed the back of her neck. “This is… Exactly what it looks like.”

There was a pregnant pause. Then, Leslie smiled softly.

“Come on in,” she said, “he’s recovering still but he can see visitors.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Lois deadpanned, with a bit more venom than she intended.

Leslie raised her eyebrows. Lois fought the blush threatening to break out on her cheeks. Leslie then shrugged, and grinned.

“What can I say, I’m glad to nurse him back to health,” Leslie beamed. She turned and headed in, swaying her hips. “Come on in!”

Lois hesitated. Then she walked into the apartment, following Leslie in. She eyed the apartment interior with a critical eye: Tastefully, if simply decorated. Mostly books on shelves, a few pillows on the couch-All very ordinary.

Frankly, if it wasn’t for the barely clothed woman walking around it with easy familiarity, she would swear it was boring.

Clark came out of the bedroom, wearing a bathrobe over his pajamas. His hands were wrapped in bandages. He stopped short when he saw Lois-Which is what let Leslie pounce, pulling him into a hug and deep kiss.

Lois averted her eyes and suppressed her irritation as best she could. Finally, the tonsil hockey ended, and Clark looked up to Lois with a friendly smile. Even as Leslie leaned against him.

“Hey Lois. It’s nice to see you. What brings you here?”

“I was just checking on how you were doing,” Lois got out stiffly. She glared, and handed over the note. Clark reached out and took it from her, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thank you,” he said. Lois sighed and shook her head.

“Yeah well, I can see you’re already feeling better. Congratulations,” she stated icily. Clark nodded.

“Yeah, but you got the scoop on Lenny,” he said. “Good on you.”

Lois allowed herself a smirk and shrug. It almost made her forget that Leslie was all over him.

“Yeah,” Lois said, “he named a number of Lex’s lower level executives. They’ll take the fall for it. Not enough to bring him down, but he’ll remember it.”

“Good work,” Leslie said, pulling away from Clark to walk over and hug Lois. “Thanks a lot, Lois. I mean, for everything.”

Lois stiffened, and let out a sigh. She hugged her back awkwardly.

“Don’t make a habit of frying my apartment,” she stated.

Leslie nodded. “Trust me, my apartment got worse,” she admitted. “I kind of accidentally stopped by, and well…” She shrugged as she pulled away.

“I offered to let her stay with me,” Clark said. Lois suppressed a twitch.

“Yeah. Good for you two,” she managed. “Well, don’t recover too fast Smallville. You could barely keep up as it was.” She gave them both cold looks, turned and headed out.

She immediately felt better the moment she was away.

“Well, let’s have some fun Clark!” Leslie said happily behind her, and she could hear fabric falling onto the floor. Lois closed the door behind her, the twitch now very pronounced.

But not that much better.

- - -

Her day was a dull blur after that, just work, working out, and back to work. It was all a bunch of distractions she just ignored.

Finally, that night, she headed up to the rooftop. She stepped out onto the roof, pushing down her skirt as the winds threatened to blow it up. She looked out over the city of Metropolis, the skyline lit up with thousands of bright lights. She closed her eyes and let the cold air pass around her. She shivered at the cold, and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Clearing your head?”

Lois started, and looked over to her right. There he was, floating easily in the night. It was Superman, his cape fluttering in the wind. She smiled up at him.

“Something like that,” she said. “So. I heard you talked Willis down.”

Superman slowly nodded. “She was angry and grieving. But when she learned Kent was okay, she backed down.”

Lois shook her head. “How did you know she’d believe you?”

Superman smiled back.

“I had faith in her,” he said simply. “After all, she saved my life. So she’s not all bad.”

“That’s the worst part,” Lois muttered. Superman raised an eyebrow. Lois shook her head, and ran her fingers back through her hair, a bit of her nerves showing.

“I mean… You know when other people are getting together, and you’re… Painfully reminded that you’re single? And it’s not their fault, but just… How things are?”

Superman slowly nodded. “I’ve experienced that, once or twice.”

“You then start thinking and considering that,” Lois continued, “that given that you are painfully single… Maybe you should try to fix that?” She played with her hair as she looked up at him shyly.

“Maybe even… Take a chance?”

Superman stared at her for a very long time, silent. He looked pained. He took a deep breath, and descended down. He stood in front of her, close enough she could touch him. She almost did, but she waited.

“Lois,” Superman began, “I would love to. I really would.”

Lois stared back, her heart in her throat.

“... So…?” She asked.

Superman opened his mouth to speak… And there was an explosion in the distance. He looked in the direction of the blast, and then back at Lois. He looked conflicted for just a moment…

Lois sighed, and waved her hand.

“Go on,” she said, resigned. He gave her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry,” he said. He flew off at high speed, vanishing into the night. Lois grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. She turned and headed back to the roof access door. She felt about as confident as she did when she was twelve and her middle school crush rejected her in front of everyone.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

- - -

A better epilogue than what I had.