Work Text:
Minefield.
by Lopaka Tanu
Overlooking the Metropolis Harbor, Jimmy watched the gulls sail in through the lense of his camera. The LXM Burlix was docked half a mile to the west, but that was no longer of interest. He had been hoping to catch a shot of the Imperial delegation for Kat's column, but Lady Anne had the entire top deck canvassed off for privacy.
So much for getting a secondary commission this week.
At this rate, he would never get enough for a down payment. Then again, he lived in the city, his relatives were here, what did he need with a car? Sure, he would look cool in it. Also, there was the fact most women liked a man who could afford a car.
So much for that crappy idea.
Sighing, he refocused his camera lense upon the Burlix. Only the guards who patrolled regularly were on the lower decks. There were six of them at the bow now, which meant there were people aboard ship. It really sucked.
On a whim, he panned over the horizon, trying to locate anything worth photographing. Who knows, he thought, he might actually catch a glimpse of Superman with his mystery girlfriend. Not that that would ever happen.
Snorting, he turned his attention to the women floating in the surf. A few snapshots of them in their washed out bikinis, then he was back to scanning the crowds. For such a wondrous city, Metropolis sure was boring at times. Just once, he wished he was Lois Lane or Clark Kent.
Those two were the ones who were in the thick of it all. They had everything going on for them. Sure, they had their problems, but with a life as exciting and fascinating as theirs, who cared? Hell, he would kill to even be in Kat's shoes. Living it up almost every night at parties, yeah, he could do that.
Too bad he was just plain old Jimmy Olsen, not even a side kick! Not that there was anything wrong with that. He had it better than most people, not that there were a lotta people worse off. Still, he had his health and a semi regularly paying job.
So he was a loser. Nothing new there, he had been born one, would die one. Focusing his camera upon the crowds, he snapped several shots. He thought he might have recognized a couple of people in them. Whoopty do!
This caused him to chuckle. There were plenty of things to do, he just didn't feel like doing them. He made a final sweep of the Burlix, setting the camera to auto-snap. The shots would most likely be worthless, but he got them. The memory on his camera now empty, he put the lense cap back on and turned it off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three bags of dry-cleaning slung over his shoulder, Jimmy watched the floor indicator as it rose up. The fifth floor was still two floors away, but the car had stopped. Sighing, he stepped back, taking special care to make sure the bags of food in his other hand wouldn't be crushed.
The doors opened with a ding, letting in three women from accounting. They each looked the part, right down to mousy hairdos. None of them even bothered to acknowledge the fact that they weren't alone.
Jimmy supposed it could be worse. They could be from Marketing, or worse, Sales. Those people liked to tear you down without any provocation, just because they could. If they were really good, they did it with only a single, one-second look.
Finally, the lift rose up to his floor.
Not bothering to show the women any courtesy, he shoved between them. They could all jump out a window in his opinion. He stepped out in to the newsroom and immediately wished he was stuck behind the a-cow-tants still.
Rushing around Lois and Clark's desks, two interns were busy running copies back and forth. Obviously they weren't speaking to each other again, but had an assignment. That would mean heart attacks for the two teens.
A gaggle of copy editors were busy handing out their assignments from lunch. The joys of earning your degree in journalism, but not having enough seniority to actually put it to good use.
One of the attorneys was sitting at Kat's desk, whom was busy trying to flash him her cleavage. Either she was being sued, or she was trying to sweet talk him out of something. Probably both, knowing her.
He could see at least four night shift reporters setting up, all two hours early. The joys of being on Perry's shit list while half the staff was off for holiday.
The very thought of all this happening made his chest feel tight. Lowering his eyes to his feet, he exhaled slowly. He took the stairs slowly, so as not to cause his packages to jiggle.
His first stop was Mary the Pet Lady. Her column appeared twice weekly, but she was always at her desk. Why she even had one was beyond him. There were rumors she had more than a 'hands-on' approach to her work. She got what was in the Orange Agro bag, natural, soy protein. Disgusting.
Scooping up her payment, he nodded his thanks and pocketed it. Then he picked up his bags again and moved on.
The next stop was Kat's desk. He slipped the dry-cleaning bags off his shoulder, careful not to wrinkle their contents. Handing over her brilliant red bag, he held out his hand.
Kat must have been busy, because she only handed out his payment without trying to sweet talk him out of his fees. Then she went back to smiling at the lawyer.
Sighing, rolled his eyes. Jimmy ducked around two copy editors and stopped and Sanchez's desk. He wasn't sure the man had a first name, or what he did, but he had been there every day for the last ten years. A bowl of chili with orange cake and maraschino cherries.
The usual payment was held out before Jimmy even had the bag down. Smiling, he pocketed it and moved on. The next two dry-cleaning bags went to Lois and Clark. Since they weren't talking, that meant he wouldn't have to bullshit with her today when he stopped by CK's desk.
Lois always had to be the center of attention, even when she wasn't the topic of discussion. She was one hell of a reporter, and twice that in sexual fantasy. But his social skills were no match for her personality.
A quick stop by her desk, and he dropped off her lunch and dry-cleaner bag. The contents were known only to her, and he didn't really care. The twenty her intern held out was met with exact change. Lois didn't give more than she had to. Bitch.
That done, Jimmy felt his spirits lift. He only had one bag of lunch not his own left, and a dry-cleaner bag for CK. The shift in attitude was so sudden, Jimmy found himself near to giggling with giddy.
He knew there was a goofy smile on his face as he stepped over to CK's desk. Almost shyly, he set the bag down on the edge of his desk. Raising his eyes from the package, he slid the bag off his shoulder. "Hey, CK, I got your order and dry-cleaning."
"Thanks, Jimmy." Clark finished marking out half of what Lois had wrote, then handed it to Carla, his intern. Looking up at her, he gave her a smile in thanks.
She seemed to almost wilt under his attention. Her own grin twice as goofy as Jimmy's, she took the note. Ducking her head, she tried not to let her eyes linger upon Clark. Carla failed miserably as she backed away.
Clark chuckled, letting his eyes linger upon her for a moment more.
The bubble burst. Jimmy's good mood was now gone. Snatching up the money Clark had left in his paper tray, the usual place, he stuffed it in his pocket. Not bothering to wait for Clark to deign to acknowledge him, Jimmy stormed his way through the desks.
Pushing up the leather strap on his shoulder, he climbed the stairs back to the elevator. If he made it down to the photo lab now, he could have the entire contents of his camera's memory sticks printed out before the staff got back from lunch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Twenty-five thousand dollars, can you imagine?" Shaking her head, Shonda pushed the front braid of hair out of her eyes. If it wasn't for the fact she was working this week's Hip-Hop concerts, the extensions would be history. "I swear, if those two are ever in my cross hairs, public savior or not, Bam! I'd do it in a heart beat."
"You're not the only one." Leaning back against the wall, Jimmy glanced over at the printing machine. There were still fifteen more copies listed in the memory buffer. "I bet, whoever she is, is sore as hell. You'd have to be, he's made of steel."
Shonda snorted. Pushing the braids out her eyes again, she checked her own printer. "Looks like I'm here for the next hour for this shit. I bet I wasted five hours down at the hotels early this morning for nothing."
"Six hours at the scenic overlook at the docks." When the last of his pages printed, he pushed off the wall. "The same for me, probably."
"At least you've a steady job. I'm on my third column rotation this month." Shaking her head, she forgot about the braids. That is, until they fell in her face. With a growl, she slung them over her
back. "Fucking bitches, I told them no Predator hair. What do I get? A laser scope and a clicker are all I need to complete the costume."
Jimmy looked up from his pages. "You're getting hazard pay, right?"
"Bullshit. Are you kidding me?" Her printer beeped twice, signaling it was done. Stepping away from the wall, she faced the controls. "Out of ink, imagine that. I swear, those idiot techs would forget their asses if they weren't stapled to their bodies."
By the time Jimmy slipped the photos in a folder for later examination, he was smiling. Hearing her talk about her problems always seemed to do that for him. "Mine's free, if you can transfer
the remainder over."
"I think I can. That is if they've been networked. Those little bastards tore out the old system and put something vaguely resembling a computer network in its place." Pressing the keys, she tried to see if there was a secondary printer in the menu. "If I get my hands on them, I'll shove this damned hood rat boot up their asses!"
Snickering, Jimmy shoved the folder in his bag. If he didn't leave now, there was a chance one of those techs would be arriving soon. Then the fur and extensions would fly. No need risking getting caught in the crossfire. "I'll see ya later, Shonda."
She waved her two inch, blood red nails at him.
He wanted so badly to tease her, but he knew better. The Stanford graduate, even in that ridiculous getup, would kick his ass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taking the elevator back up to the fifth floor, Jimmy leaned against the console. If anyone wanted to get at the buttons, he would have to press them. There was no way in hell he was getting stuck behind those gas bags at this time of day.
By some miracle, the lift went all the way to the top without stopping. When the doors opened with a ding, he pushed off and walked out.
The newsroom was much calmer this time. People were either packing up their shit, or getting coffee for that long nighter they had planned. Didn't matter, none of them was the reason he was there. Unlike before, Jimmy didn't bother to glance over towards the star duo, just made his merry little way over to the Chief's office.
Once there, he knocked on the door. He waited for Perry to grunt 'enter' before he pushed in the door. Much to his amusement, the older man was working on a Zin garden, instead of the newspaper. Jimmy knew this was because of Alice, and was probably a show. Under that garden was probably two memos, a dozen articles, and thirty expense reports.
"Got those pictures you asked for, Chief." Grabbing his bag, he unbuckled the flap. Reaching in to the front pouch, he pulled out a folder. "There are two dozen shots of the harbor, two of the Burlix with people visible through windows."
"That's a good boy, Jimmy. Set them on the stack." He gestured to the in-basket on the corner of his desk with a small wooden rake. "I've got to figure out how to get this thing flowing just right if I
am to reach enlightenment."
"Seeing it flowing right down the toilet will make you feel smarter, if you ask me." As he spoke, Jimmy put the folder on the indicated stack. There were four other folders below it, which meant Perry would be another two hours. "Try not to stay too long, sir. I would hate to have Alice come in for another visit."
"Don't you mind that, Jimmy. Alice knows I have work to do." With the hand not holding the rake, he shooed Jimmy out of his office.
Smiling, Jimmy walked out, closing the door behind him. He sometimes thought, that if it wasn't for Perry, the job wouldn't be worth it. The old man was the only reason he had lasted as long as he had in the business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waiting for the microwave to finish might as well have been waiting for the new season of 'Ministrobe Mysteries'. It felt like it would never come. The anticipation was probably the best part. Finally, when it did happen, the product was far below what his expectations had hoped for.
Still, for a dollar a meal, the price was right. Besides, he had grown to like the taste of those instant mashed potatoes and soggy fried chicken. The faux pork ribs were his favorite, though.
When the timer did sound, he ready to tear it open. Taking the plastic tray out of the mircowave, he pushed it shut. Grabbing the beer off the counter, he carried both and a fork in to the living room.
Jimmy plopped down in the one chair in his living room. It was worn and probably had seen three decades, but it was his. Kicking up his feet, he grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
He spent the next three hours there, eventually dozing before he went to bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning in Metropolis was strange. The city truly felt alive, as people started to head out for their day. In some ways, it was Jimmy's favorite, being that there was so much life starting out, but not much pollution, noise or smog wise. It only lasted about thirty minutes, so he had to savor it.
Unfortunately, he was running late today. So, the pleasure of walking to work was lost in the honking of other late drivers in their traffic jams.
Thankfully, Jimmy had a solution to this. He had the most engenius device invented by man. It was a revolutionary, something that took away all the stresses of life. The thing brought a whole new world in and of itself.
And what was this miracle invention?
Reaching in to his bag, Jimmy pulled out his headphones. As he slid them over his ears, he almost felt the world melt away. So much noise and actions disappeared in a wave of pure pleasure as he turned them on. Closing his eyes, he felt the world seem to slow down.
Everything around him continued on, unaffected by the change in noise. Only now, it seemed to move in flow with the soundtrack of his life. The driver leaning out his window wasn't shouting obscenities at the taxi ahead of him, he was serenading the cabbie with a sultry techno beat.
Snorting, Jimmy pushed the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder. There were still ten blocks to the DP building, which meant he had time to dabble. Reaching in to his bag, he pulled out a camera. He snapped off random images as he headed up the avenue.
He started to bob his head slightly to the beat of the music. This was one of his favorite new songs. Shonda had gotten it for him from her last assignment with the music desk. As the drum beat picked up, he closed his eyes, and pounded out a quick solo in the air.
Once it was done, he continued on down the street, bopping to the beat. At the corner, he waited patiently for the light to change. Usually, he would press the button, but today, there was a group of girls across the street at the cafe. All of them in very short skirts.
Setting up the shot, he grinned. A few quick snaps, and their glory was forever captured on his camera's memory. "Thank you, ladies!"
Jimmy grunted as someone slammed in to his back, making him lose his grip on the camera. His heart stopped as he saw the pavement coming up to meet him. Then, suddenly, it was no longer getting any closer. In fact, the entire block was getting a lot further away.
As he watched, on the street below, traffic in the cross bound lanes came to a grinding halt. Up the center lanes, police cars were there, their brakes screeching. And where he had been standing, the light pole was gone, a now stalled semi in its place.
Twin arms held him firmly about the waist, locking him against a steady body. The world came back to him via a rushing of wind in his ears. Jimmy had only a moment to wonder where his ear phones were before realization of what had just happened hit him.
He gasped as tears stung his eyes.
Arching back, he clutched at the arms holding him, trying to keep from falling. He knew it was silly, that Superman now held him. Groaning, he tried to keep from crying out.
His heart was trying to break free of his chest as he felt them start to head back down. By the time there was something solid under his shoes again, he was shaking. The moment his waist was released, Jimmy spun to wrap his arms around Superman's shoulders. "Thank you," he was almost breathless as he said it.
"Any time, Jimmy." Superman's arms slid over his body to rest at the small of his back.
From where his face was mashed in the crook of Superman's neck, Jimmy felt more than heard the words. For the first time, he felt how very real the super hero really was. The heat of his body, the almost frantic pulse of his veins.
They were both alive. So very much alive!
Giddy relief caused Jimmy to giggle. He hadn't done that since he was a kid, but there was no shame in it now. "How did you know?"
"I was watching you." Superman's skin suddenly grew warmer. "What I mean to say is, that I was flying over head, and noticed the chase. I saw you ahead of the semi, and noticed you were not reacting."
"I was wearing headphones." Now that he mentioned it, Jimmy felt them around his neck. They hadn't been lost after all.
"I noticed." He gave a relieved chuckle, letting his hands slide up the younger man's back. "You are all right now?"
"Yeah, I think so." Jimmy knew he should step back. It was the proper thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to break the hold he had around Superman's neck. The strength and sheer presence of being in his arms made what had just happened seem a million miles away. "I don't think I can make myself let go."
Laughing again, Superman reached up to grab Jimmy by the shoulders. Pushing back gently, he eased the younger man off his neck until they were staring at each other. He smiled at the other man, enjoying the way he watched him. "Is that better?"
"Much." Realizing he was staring, Jimmy dropped his face to stare at his chest. Still feeling a little breathless, he gave a half laugh. His hands were now upon Superman's chest. "Huh. You really are super."
"So I've been told." Superman took a deep breath, making his chest rise.
This caused Jimmy's jaw to drop.
Reaching up, Superman bucked Jimmy under the chin to close his mouth. "You'll catch flies like that."
Jimmy forced his eyes to meet Superman's once more. He heard himself sigh, but didn't care.
They continued to stare at one another until a sound drew Superman's attention. When he looked back to Jimmy, it had become an expression of concern. "Will you be all right?"
"Yeah, I think so." After running his hands over his body, Jimmy nodded. "Go on, I'm sure someone else needs your miracle touch."
Superman's skin seemed to darken a little, making his smile return. "Stay out of trouble, Jimmy."
"You too, Superman." Jimmy craned his neck as he watched the man of steel fly away. Grinning like a loon, the giddy feeling returned in full force. "Wow, what a guy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time he arrived at the Daily Planet, Jimmy had pretty much returned to normal. As much as he could after a near death experience. Still, he was certain he could get through the rest of the day. Something about having been saved by Superman made it possible.
May be it was the fact that he had held something great in his arms. Just being able to touch a living god had put the whole world in a new perspective for him. There was no doubt in his mind that Superman was divine. He was too special not to be.
The alien set his heart to racing, just thinking about him.
Jimmy had to stop just inside the doors as the memory of being in Superman's arms made his knees weak. Leaning back against the marble wall, he let his head sag. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips before he had chance to calm himself.
While he tried to calm his body's reactions, he reached in to his bag. His hand automatically found the camera. Amazingly enough, after Superman had pushed the semi out of the way, they had found his camera intact. The only thing wrong were a few scratches from where it had bounced off the cement walk.
Now that was luck.
Letting it go, he reached in to the inner pouch and pulled out his ID. Closing his bag, he held it up for the security guards to see it was him. That done, he was waved passed in to the building. His first stop was the elevator, he had to go up and check in with Perry before he could start his day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stepping off the elevator, Jimmy immediately knew something was up.
There were dozens of people in the newsroom who had no business being there. He recognized people from the printing department. Three women from Sales were gathered around the brake room, staring at the others with disgust. Even Shonda was there, though she was glued to a Television screen.
In all this, Jimmy searched for someone who might be in charge. He found Lois at her desk, her ear plastered to a phone, a snapped pencil in her fingers. She was out.
He continued looking. Eventually, he found Clark by the water cooler. An irrational anger welled up in Jimmy's gut when he found with whom he was talking. Carla. The very thought of that girl made Jimmy want to throw something. Preferably her, out a window!
Tamping down on his murderous instincts, he tried to find Perry. Unfortunately, it was that time someone decided to notice him.
"Jimmy!" It was an unknown voice, that came from some where on the news floor.
All eyes turned to the elevator bank, and subsequently, Jimmy. A quiet seemed to settled down over them. Then, suddenly, they erupted in cheers and cat calls.
The shock of it caused Jimmy to back up a step. Staring at them, he felt a little out of place. "What?" He glanced down to see if his fly was open. Seeing that it wasn't, he quickly looked up again.
"Jimmy, son!" Pushing his way through the crowd, Perry became visible. His hair was a little out of place and his shirt was untucked. Despite the smile, his eyes were tight. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Tell you what?" Feeling a little safer, Jimmy walked to the banister. "What is everyone going on about?"
"Oh, don't be coy." Perry pointed to the television across the room. "It's on all the networks. Some yahoo beat us to it." He watched as Jimmy took the stairs two a time. "Was it a privacy thing?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Seriously." Apparently the something that had happened was extremely bad for him. Coming around the stairs, he found the nearest television. A mini on Rosenfield's desk. Spinning it so he could watch, Jimmy ignored the man's cry of outrage.
Then he wished he hadn't.
On the screen were pictures. Pictures of him and Superman. He remembered being there, he remembered their actions. "What's so special about this? He saved my life."
Having come up behind Jimmy, Perry looked at him with lowered eyebrows. "So special? You're not that dense. They've pegged you as Superman's love interest. Them pictures only give their argument validation."
"That's insane!" Turning to face his boss, and the rest of the newsroom, Jimmy scowled. He knew they probably wouldn't believe him, but he had to try. "Superman's not gay. I'm not gay. I like girls, Superman's dating a girl. We've all seen the grainy shots."
"Those were blurry at best. We can't tell who he was with." Having ended her war with the phone, Lois stood with her arms crossed, blocking the path between desks. "So, you're the little tramp who's been knocking boots with my lead story."
Jimmy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Had he heard her just say that? "Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't try that bullshit with me, Jimmy." She waved a hand Perry's way. "That might fly with him, but I'm not so gullible. I just got off the phone with yet another source calling in to claim they saw you with Superman this morning."
"Yeah, I was with him." Taking a step towards her, he tried to keep his cool. "What part of 'he saved my life' don't you understand?"
"Oh really?" Uncrossing her arms, Lois unfolded a paper that she had been holding on to. "And I quote: Jimmy: How did you know? Superman: I was watching you. Jimmy: I don't think I can let go." Her eyes kept fluctuating between it and Jimmy as she read. "Jimmy: You really are super. Superman: So, I've been told. Jimmy: Thank you. Superman: Any time, Jimmy. The list goes on!"
That did it! Any semblance of control went right out the window. "I was thanking him for saving my life!" Jimmy was near spitting when as he continued. "Anyone who thinks that conversation had any sexual context is a complete pervert and needs their head examined!"
Crumbling up the paper, Lois pointed a finger at Jimmy. "It's called subtext! It was there between the words. They, combined with the pictures, tell the real story!"
Jimmy's jaw dropped. So this is what madness felt like. He could really say it was not a pleasant feeling. Closing his mouth, he shook his head. It was unbelievable. They were going to believe what they wanted to.
Turning, he pushed passed two people he didn't recognize. Bag slung behind him, he made his way for the stairs. He could feel their eyes upon him, the questions they were wanting to ask him.
They could all rot in hell.
There was one thing that really hurt. Something that would keep him up at night. As he stepped on to the elevator, Perry didn't even try to stop him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We are interested in your statement. Of course, we would be willing to pay you handsomely..." The lights in the machine died as Jimmy pulled the plug. That done, he picked up the phone, then switched it to no ring.
There was no use, he would wait a few days before he went back out. With the groceries in the kitchenette, and delivery, he was set for that. He had sick days, and all his projects were up to date. There was only reason he would want to go out, but stir crazy didn't count.
Better to be cooped up than gawked at like some freak on the street.
And why was he having to do this? Because some asshole with a camera and a microphone had taken his rescue and reworked it. Oh, he wasn't unaware of the irony of the situation. There was plenty of what he normally did going on, but he never twisted the facts.
No, that was Lois' job.
Oh fucking well. At least it was with Superman. It could be worse, he could be romantically tied to someone like Lex Luthor. Not even he was that stupid. The man was trouble, anyone with common sense could see that. Someone would have to be pretty dense, or horny, not to see it.
Again, Lois.
Plopping down in his chair, Jimmy picked up the remote from the tv tray beside it. Turning on the television, he automatically hit mute. Just in case he landed upon a station showing the lies, he didn't have to hear about it, at least.
Really, he was surprised there wasn't a news crew or three camped outside his building. Then again, his apartment wasn't listed in the public directory, thanks to Aunt Genie. So, he gave them until tomorrow before someone figured it out. Or bribed someone to give them the information.
Until then, he flipped through more channels. Surprisingly, even the food network had managed to work him and Superman in to its lineup. How, he wasn't sure. Nothing on it was live after ten in the morning. A quick glance told him it was only nine-thirty in the morning. He got it when he saw the Superman/Jimmy Olsen pretzels.
Real funny.
After flipping through ten more channels, Jimmy decided he was definitely paying too much for cable and might just cancel his subscription. With a sigh, he turned the set off.
So may be the stir crazy part would set in early, and he could do something artfully constructive. May be the walls could use a nice coat of shit. Well, he didn't feel like taking one, so that was out.
That left one other thing he could do.
Pushing the back rest of his chair flat, he reached down beside his chair and picked up the blanket. Draping it over himself, he closed his eyes and settled in for an early nap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The knocking on his front door woke him several hours later. Sitting up, Jimmy glanced about with half open eyes. He felt half dead and wished he could go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the person at the door wanted his attention.
After closing the foot rest on his chair, Jimmy stood up, stretching his body. The knock came at his door once more, but he wasn't going to move any faster. It was bad enough they had woken him.
Scratching his butt, he finally wandered over to his door. He started to yawn as he pulled it open. It was with his hand on his ass, his mouth wide open, and his hair sticking up at odd angles that Perry found him.
"Son, I realize you've taken to seclusion, but that's no reason to lose all self respect." Pulling his hat off, Perry held it between his hands. He glanced down for several moments before he built up the courage to meet Jimmy's gaze. "I came over to apologize."
Pushing his hair flat, Jimmy stared at him. He made no move to back up and let the man in.
"What I did was no better than what those other papers and networks are doing." Perry began to twist the hat around. "I should have trusted you, believed you at your word. I didn't and I know that was wrong." Grimacing, he tried to get any reaction out of Jimmy.
None was forthcoming.
"Ah hell, Jimmy, you know I didn't mean it. It was the heat of the moment, I got caught up in the chance that it was true." A smile twitched the older man's lips. "For a moment there, I was proud of ya. Not the fact that you were keeping something like this secret, but that you might have landed the big guy."
Jimmy started to yawn. Reaching up, he rubbed at his burning eyes.
The smile slowly slipped from Perry's face. He started to grow worried. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"Clark's having sex with Carla." Scratching his ear, Jimmy looked back to Perry. "Get rid of her, and we're square, Chief." With that, he closed the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday dawned bright and irritatingly loud.
Wearing his shades and a black shirt, Jimmy staggered in to the lobby of the Daily Planet. He had his badge out and ready for the security guard before it was even necessary. As he was waved through, Jimmy stuffed the badge down in his bag.
He managed to make it to the elevator before the doors closed. As he pushed the button, he leaned against the control panel. The other people in the car didn't even seem to notice he existed. This made him sigh.
It seemed everything was back to normal.
Five days of being in hiding had let the whole situation blow over. Of course, Superman being seen in public with his 'mystery woman' yet again had eased up the media harassment. All and all, everything had gone back to normal. Not that he would have minded a little side effect to make his life interesting.
But that wasn't him. He was Jimmy Olsen, boy photographer. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary.
The lift dinged as the doors opened. A quick glance up told him that it was his floor. Lucky him. Stepping off in to the newsroom, Jimmy felt no different.
No one noticed his arrival. People continued about their business. Lois was already busy at her desk, on her phone, snapping her fingers at her intern. At his desk, Clark was staring at his screen.
He wasn't doing anything else, just sitting there. He was doing a pretty good job of hiding it, but it was obvious to someone like Jimmy that the reporter was moping. A tiny smile formed in his mind, but never quite reached his lips.
Making his way over to Clark's desk, Jimmy reached in to his jacket pocket and pulled out a pad and paper. Once there, he stopped and cleared his throat. He waited until Clark looked his way before he spoke. "Hey, CK, what can I get for you this morning?"
"Oh, hi, Jimmy." Then Clark went back to his work. Staring at the screen, he sighed.
"The usual?" If that was the case, Jimmy didn't have to write it down.
Clark shrugged. The article in front of him hadn't changed in the last hour, but he couldn't quite figure out what to write next.
Something in Jimmy's chest tightened. Walking around behind Clark, he put a hand upon the older man's shoulder. "Cheer up, Clark. Things will get better. You'll see." 'They already are for me,' he mentally added.
"I want my Latte, Jimmy, and I want it hot." Coming around the desk from the other side, Lois stopped next to Jimmy to make sure he wrote it down. With a smirk, she smacked Clark in the shoulder. "Cheer up, Smallville, so she dumped you. You'll get over it. Sheesh, you and Superman, both in the same weekend, world must be coming to an end." Snickering, she walked off.
For some reason this news made Jimmy's dour mood bubble up. Clark was no longer with the skank? It would explain Clark's attitude. Why, yes, things were certainly looking up indeed. He didn't even try to keep the smirk off his face.
Putting the paper and pen back in his jacket, he wandered off back to the elevator. He knew what everyone wanted, would get it for them. Then, he would be free to pal around the city, looking for photos and stories until lunch. It felt good to get back in to his routine.
He wasn't Lois or Clark, but he was Jimmy Olsen. Who needed excitement when he had predictability. A heart broken Clark meant there would be an after work invitation to hang out again.
An after work invitation often led to dinner.
Dinner with Clark. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.
As he pressed the button for the lobby, Jimmy bounced on the balls of his feet. Who knew, may be he would even get that picture of the Imperial Delegation. It was their last day in port. The security would be high, but the canvas would have to come down before they set sail.
Near giddy, Jimmy watched the doors closed.
THE END.............................