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She’d finished topping off her mug with another splashing of whatever lukewarm sludge the Planet breakroom was passing for coffee and taken that first cringed sip to clear the stalling fog of another long day and even longer night on the job when she heard it.The off-key whistled tune of ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ drifts eerily through the empty newsroom.Even half dead on her feet, Lois squares her shoulders as she carries her freshly fetched refreshment back to her desk.Someone else was waiting for her. The lumbered shadow leaning back in the chair now curiously assigned to the fumbling mystery that was Clark Kent newly hired farm boy turned new paper man that while being only a little easy on the eyes Lois had yet to completely let her guard down around him.“Let’s get this over with.” Lois huffed more to herself than to whoever had thought to crash her late-night revision party before the paper hit the streets for the morning run in only a few short hours.“Word on the beat is you have an in with the city’s red trunks reject who couldn’t cut it in the wrestling rings, so he tries to cut his ‘boy scout in the tight blue suite’ act on whatever thug comes crawling out to face him.”Lois rolls her eyes at the comparisons. “I’ve written what two three articles on the guy and suddenly I’m meant to be the go to connection like I have the big guy in blue on speed dial or something?” the Genrals daughter yawns then wakes herself back up with another gaged gulping of coffee.“You don’t?”Lois hates that she gives a not-so-quiet gasp of surprise when the thug, already bounding on her last nerve, leans into the low glow of her switched-on desk light, so she catches that first offered glimpse of his face.“Names Lobo.” He grunts by way of an introduction now that he sees he has Lois’s undivided attention.“Pleasure meeting me, I know.” He sinkers, puffing himself up even more for her not-so-interested gaze. So much so that Lois was actually disappointed he didn’t stretch himself right off his chair with a crash that would put a planet-sized dent in that already universal-sized ego of his. “but please, if you’re going to swoon over the goods, make sure you do it well away from the actual money makers.”
He gloats, giving the tightened muscles in his arms another overly needed flexing.“Drogo?” Lois answers, deliberately getting the name wrong as she takes another measured sip of her bland caffeine fix.“No.” the man huffs and Lois quietly chuckles to herself at just how deflated her newest annoyance was at her teasing. “My name is Lobo.” He repeats. Lo-Bo.” He not so helpfully attempts to articulate to her, “You know. Lobo, like with an L as in-““Lunatic?” Lois offers. “Lethargic” she was quick to offer. “Oohhh or was it Lactose intolerant?”“L as in Laceration,” the man -Lobo- snaps and just for a fraction of a second Lois feels something close to fear at the angered tick in the man’s jaws the same time his annoyance trembling fingers brush the hilt of the overly large hunting knife he had strapped to his belt as he glared at her with glowing blood red eyes.“Then you got an O in there that stands for Obliteration.” He grins and that fear triggered anger was sniffed away “then you got an B and we’re gonna call that Dis-em Bowling.”“Doesn’t even start with the letter B.” Lois tisked in correction as instead of pretending to be the least bit interested in what the man was saying the reported instead started doodling lazily at one corner of what was meant to be the press-print of her latest Superman article.“Then finally.” Lobo hisses, visibly struggling now to keep a grip on his flaring temper. “that last O, and just for fun, we’re making it the return of our good buddy Obliteration, making a comeback.” He finishes with a proud grin and even something of a horizontal attempted bow for his apparent spelling efforts.“You know it’s nowhere near Halloween, right, Lobo?” the tired reporter points out, stressing the man’s name. Mostly to mask her surprise at just who it was or at least who he was attempting to impersonate sitting so coolly across from her in the darkened newsroom when the nuisance turns again into the thrown lighting of one of the other left-on desk lights now throwing his bearded profile into sharper attention. “and besides the Eric Draven look kind of a giveaway folks should keep an eye on you.”“Long as those eyes include yours, I’m just fine with that.” The man grinned but Lois can tell despite his amusement the man had now idea what or who she was referencing when it came to the man’s chosen attempt at a painted-on disguise.“Alright, enough of that. No-go-Drogo.” Lois hisses, already having half a mind to toss what little remained of her already cold coffee into the leering man’s face if he didn’t straighten up soon. “What do you want?”“I already told you, Toots, I want you to get me a meeting with the boy scout in the cape and the tights.” The burly man grunts once again, kicking back in Clark’s office chair as he speaks. The poor seat was hardly able to hold up against the occupant’s sloth-esk punishments.“And why would I do that, Mr. Tall Dark and a total Aquaman wanna-be?” Lois asks, giggling to herself when the comparison suddenly makes her hanker for sushi with a side of lobster.One booted foot slammed hard against the side of the digging reporter’s desk. A move that had that reporter been anyone but Lois Lane they might have been intimidated as said desk was sent skidding hard into the opposite wall.“Listen here, lady.”Lois repressed a grin with difficulty as Lobo leaned back into her sightline. “I got a job to do same as you.” He snaps, bristling rage-cutting words, “And let me tell you, after I pull off this job, I could buy my own dammed galaxy with the payoff. And with the cash my buyer is able to toss out for just a sample of her genetic codes, who knows what he’ll pay out when I dangle the idea of taking the stuff right from the source once I can get that brat to cool her heels long enough to actually snatch her.” He growls in rambled huffing.“Now I’m coming to you out of something like kindness just to give that super dork you pal a warning or something before I decide to up and take that also super-powered mutt of his for a day or five just till I find what I’ve been asked to, then we all get what we want.”“You’re telling me you are going to steal Superman’s dog?” Lois questions.“Borrow.” The man across from her spits. “Trust me, Lane, even I’m not so Toony Tunes to think even an alpha stud like me could tame that mutt.”“And why, may I ask, would you need to borrow Superman’s dog?” the reporter probes.“Cause why go through the trouble of catching the dang thing myself and triggering my danger allergy when I can just make it simpler and get the mutt to do the running down for me?” the man shrugs. “Leave me free to start focusing on the real prize of who’d show up to rescue the milk-loving fluff ball.”This last part was said so low it seemed her newest story source hadn’t realized he’d spilled the beans on himself as his eyes glazed over in deep thought.“Anyways.” He finishes shaking himself out of whatever thoughts he was gathering up in his hardheaded skull. “We gotta deal or what?” he asks, then makes a show of glancing at a watch he wasn’t wearing, or if he was, it was a stolen one. “Come on, clocks kinda ticken here so---” he pauses, watching her expectantly.“A cat?” Lois scoffs. “All that tangled shpeel you dragged me thought all because you want help in catching some random cat?”“It ain't just any cat I’m trying to catch. Weren’t you listening?” The bounty hunter reminds. “Come one, What’s the big deal? Just tell the Superpowered nerd to let me use his dog this one little time, and I’ll owe you one. Like an honest no questions asked or answers kind of a favor.” The dark-haired, even darker glowing red eyes sporting man goads.“I’d get my cat meaning that in reality I walk away with an insanely sweet payday; my client gets his already paid for science experiments to slice and dice however he wants; the Super dork’s doggie-o would get a nice game of chase the kitty and you and Sups get a few nights of free time without Krypton dweeb wondering if that big ice thing of his is even still standing cause he decided to turn it into one giant crystal crate for his temperamental pooch.” The man says it’s some widely known secret. “It's all a win-win deal.”Lois was about to open her mouth to again and more finally this time decline said ‘sweet deal’ when a blurring of white, red and swishing blue collides with the man still attempting to politely intimidate her.“Stay. Away. from my cousin, Lobo.” Superman warns, ramming his shoulder hard into Lobo’s midsection like some superpowered linebacker, sending her late-night visitor flying hard into several rows of desks halfway across the darkened newsroom.Krypto growled hungrily as he trotted off after him.Then, just as quickly, Superman straightened up again and even held out his hand with a guilty smile on his lips as he helped her up from her staggered fall back against someone else’s desk in support. “Evening, Miss. Lane.” Superman was so quick to greet, making Lois’s heart flip like a swooning schoolgirl against her ribs as he straightened up beside her. “You’re here late; everything alright?”“As if you wouldn’t have already handled it if anything was to happen.” Lois laughed, hardly hearing the dazed grunting of the taken-down face stealer spoiling her evening of hunting for spelling errors and the possibility of that Lobo guy hadn’t shown up when he had snooped through a few desks before finally clocking out for the night.“Even ace reporters need beauty rest, Miss Lane.” Superman reminds.“You saying I’m not already drop-dead beautiful already, Superman?” Lois gasped in mock hurt as she leaned closer to him.Superman’s hands were quick to rest against her hips before sliding up to a more ‘workplace friendly’ hold, wrapping around her back as he hugged her against his so warmed body. “You know that’s not what I was meaning at all, Lois.”She grinned, winding her arms around his shoulders. Her fingers slid with practiced ease into his hair as she stretched up onto her toes. “Better not have been.” She grumbled sleepily before allowing the soft press of his lips to hers.With a low chuckle, one of Clark’s arms dropped to hook under her knees, with the other sliding in a firmer grip around her back as he swung her up into his arms. “Time to go home, Lois.”Lois doesn’t attempt to hide her tired yawn this time as she snuggles gratefully into the offered crook of her hero’s arm. “Krypto, come on boy. Going home now.” the tired reporter calls off when the sounds of animal growling grow louder from the direction of Lobo’s landing spot.“And don’t worry. As soon as you’re tucked in and Krypto’s on proper watch, I’ll come right back to fix up the office so we don’t get any salad ghosts before Perry’s had his morning coffee.” Clark promises tucking a little more of his cape around her.“My hero.” Lois sighed, already losing the fight to stay awake as a bloodied but happy-seeming Krypto hovered just high enough to allow her to hold his paw as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.