{"id":521,"date":"2014-12-11T04:22:10","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T04:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"\/lnc\/?page_id=521"},"modified":"2023-06-10T10:59:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-10T14:59:31","slug":"a-special-relationship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/fanfic\/pg-fanfic\/a-special-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"A Special Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author: Poussin
\n
Email: bitterlym@yahoo.fr<\/a>
\n
Rated: PG<\/i><\/p>\n

\nIt was Saturday morning, really early, when John flew out the window of his
\napartment and headed towards Metropolis. It was at least one hour before
\nsunrise. With his dark clothes, he wouldn’t be seen. <\/p>\n

For once, he would have liked to stay in Boston. He loved his parents very much.
\nHe liked spending all his weekends with them in the family house in Metropolis,
\nbut for once, he would much rather have stayed in Boston, in his tiny student
\napartment -the apartment where Jennifer was still asleep, in his bed. <\/p>\n

She was the most beautiful, the most intelligent woman he had ever seen. She was
\na student at Harvard like him, and they had been taking the same classes for
\nalmost a year and half, and never before that week had he realized that she felt
\nthe same for him as he had for her at first sight. <\/p>\n

He never really believed it when his father claimed to have fallen helplessly in
\nlove with his mother the second he saw her. At the time his father was trying to
\nconvince the editor in chief of the Daily Planet to hire him. John never really
\nbelieved that was possible, until the day he met Jennifer. <\/p>\n

He never really understood either how frustrating it was for his father to be
\nonly a friend to his mother for almost two years, while his mother was so deeply
\nin love with him anyway. Only\u2026with him in blue tights. No, John never really
\nunderstood that\u2026 until the day he met Jennifer. <\/p>\n

Yes, it was definitely very frustrating to be just her good old friend and see
\nher totally hero- worshipping Superboy. He now understood how his father must
\nhave felt at the time. <\/p>\n

He never really believed his father’s advice would work, so he hadn’t even
\ntried, before this week. How dumb could he be! Over the years, he surely would
\nhave learned by now: his father was always right! And when his mother gave him
\nthe same advice, that meant it was good advice. Now, he knew they were right
\nagain. Next time, he wouldn’t forget. <\/p>\n

His parents told him, that they would probably still be just friends if his
\nfather hadn’t asked his mother out on a date once. That had worked for them 25
\nyears earlier, and that had worked for him this week. Finally, it wasn’t that
\ndifficult to go out on a date with the woman he loved, he just had to ask her.
\nWhy had he ever thought that could work without even asking? <\/p>\n

Well, he finally did, and she said yes. That was the most wonderful night of his
\nlife. Jennifer went out with him, as John Kent, and she hadn’t even said a word
\nabout Superboy. The date went so well, that he found the courage to ask her out
\na second time. And she agreed again. That was even better. <\/p>\n

And before the end of the evening, he declared his feelings, and she confessed
\nto him that she returned them. He was so happy. They spent all night talking and
\nkissing, and sat on his bed until she fell asleep. That was the night just
\nbefore, and she was still sleeping when he went out. <\/p>\n

He wasn’t worried that she might be mad to wake up alone. He told her that he
\nhad to take a very early flight to go see his parents in Metropolis for the
\nweekend. Plus he left a card for her on the nightstand with a rose, to tell her
\nagain how much he loved her and that he didn’t want to wake her, and was sorry
\nhe had to go to Metropolis. He couldn’t wait to see her again on Monday. <\/p>\n

The only thing that worried him was that, now that they were a couple, he would
\nhave to tell her soon that he was Superboy. He just couldn’t go on lying to her.
\nThat would be unfair. But he really didn’t have a clue as to how to do that.
\nMaybe he should ask his father how he had told his mother. He had done it, so he
\nmust know how to face the situation, and John would never make the mistake of
\ndoubting what his father told him again. <\/p>\n

It was still night when he landed on the balcony of the family house and
\neverything was silent. His parents must still be asleep. A little tired himself,
\nhe went to his room to sleep for a few hours before having breakfast with his
\nfolks. Then he would ask his father how to tell Jennifer the family secret. <\/p>\n

Jennifer reminded him of his mother, she had the same stubbornness, the same
\npassion for chocolate, the same competitive mind\u2026 and his father definitely knew
\nhow to handle that. He really needed his advice on the subject. <\/p>\n

The smell of coffee woke him up a few hours later. He went to the kitchen where
\nhis father was probably busy making coffee for his mother, as he usually did.
\nBut he wasn’t; only his mother was in the kitchen. <\/p>\n

"Hi, mom."<\/p>\n

"Good morning. You came back very late last night. Everything okay, John?" <\/p>\n

"Hmm, yeah. Everything’s just fine," he replied with a grin.<\/p>\n

Lois waited a few seconds for her son to go on talking, but he remained silent,
\ngrinning. Her curiosity was killing her; she wasn’t a reporter for nothing. And
\nshe had the strange feeling that John knew perfectly well that she was dying of
\ncuriosity and was keeping quiet on purpose. <\/p>\n

"So, what makes you feel so good today? To be home again?"<\/p>\n

"Yeah, that too. I like to be here with you both. Actually, where’s Dad? I would
\nlike to talk to him about something." <\/p>\n

Yes, she was right. He was doing this on purpose to tease her a little, the way
\nhe often did, just like his father did. She hated to be teased that way. No, to
\nbe honest, she loved it, but it was just unfair. She was way too curious for her
\nown good, and the two guys in her life knew her way too well. They were always
\nconspiring against her by teasing. <\/p>\n

"Superman was needed. You know you can talk to me about it too. What’s wrong?"<\/p>\n

"Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s just perfect."<\/p>\n

"Come on, this is killing me! Please don’t let me guess, tell me\u2026" <\/p>\n

Lois was hoping that the pleading note she put in her voice would be enough to
\nconvince her son to talk. It always worked with her husband, but his son seemed
\nto be immune to her pleas. He always talked more easily with Clark than with
\nher. She was glad that they had such a good father-son relationship, but she
\ncouldn’t help feeling a little jealous when her son was so obviously uneasy at
\nthe idea of sharing his thoughts with her. <\/p>\n

"Mom\u2026 Actually, it’s kind of a \u2026 man-to-man conversation I want with Dad. And
\nyou’re not exactly\u2026 you know." <\/p>\n

"Sure, I’m not a man, but there’s something you have to understand. A man-to-man
\nconversation is a conversation about girls. And if you want advice about girls,
\nyou have to ask a girl, not a man." <\/p>\n

While her son was thinking about what she had just said, she decided to push the
\nsubject a little further. <\/p>\n

"So, how’s Jennifer?" she asked almost innocently.<\/p>\n

John blushed, and Lois knew that she was right. The man-to-man conversation was
\nabout a girl. She smiled. John was so much like his father, a good-looking
\nsuper-powered man, but very shy and insecure with girls. Finally, he spoke. <\/p>\n

"Okay, Mom. You win. I’ve asked Jennifer out this week. And she’s accepted." <\/p>\n

"Oh John, that’s great news! So\u2026 you’re dating?"<\/p>\n

"Yeah, and yesterday, I told her I was in love with her, and she said she loved
\nme too." <\/p>\n

"Oh, I’m so happy for you. I LIKE this girl. Why did you only want to share this
\nnews with your father?" <\/p>\n

"Well, no. I wanted to tell you too. What I wanted to discuss with Dad was\u2026 how
\nhe told you he was Superman. I mean, when you finally gave up your fantasies
\nabout his persona and told him you loved him, how did he tell you he was
\nSuperman without you being mad at him?" <\/p>\n

"Err\u2026 Actually, he told me something like eight months before we started dating.
\nIn fact, I never had to give up my fantasies about Superman. I just learned to
\nlove him for who he was." <\/p>\n

"You’re kidding me? Why did he tell you, then?"<\/p>\n

"He told me because he was very embarrassed about something I said to him. I
\nguess it was easier for him to confess than to let me think that\u2026 err\u2026 Oh my
\ngod, it’s just so embarrassing! I was so stupid." <\/p>\n

"Mom, now it’s you who’s killing me, not saying anything\u2026 Tell me, please." <\/p>\n

"Okay, I’ll tell you. Just\u2026 don’t laugh at me. Don’t mock me."<\/p>\n

"I’d never do that, Mom. You know I wouldn’t."<\/p>\n

"Well, I had such a ridiculous idea that you might want to laugh. Just\u2026 don’t,
\nokay," <\/p>\n

"Okay."<\/p>\n

"Okay. Here’s the story of the most ridiculous idea that ever went through the
\nmind of Lois Lane. You’re warned." <\/p>\n

*************************<\/p>\n

I don’t really know when the stupid idea came to my mind, but I had thought that
\nit was real for a long time, before Clark told me I was wrong, before he told me
\nthe truth. I guess it didn’t come to my mind at one precise moment. It was
\ngradual. I had compiled the clues and imagined it step by step. So I guess I
\nhave to tell you everything from the beginning, so you’ll understand how I could
\nhave thought such a thing. Also, why Clark told me his secret, when I considered
\nhim only as a friend and still hero-worshipped Superman. And maybe you won’t
\nlaugh at me. <\/p>\n

So here I go. Everything from the beginning.<\/p>\n

The first time I met Clark, I didn’t even look at him. For me he was just a hack
\nthat was hoping to work at the Planet. I remember hardly anything about this
\nfirst encounter. He didn’t matter to me, but he dared to write an article that
\nPerry had given me first. He wanted to impress him and get the job. Okay, I
\nrefused to write that story. Too touchy feely for me, but he had still written a
\nstory of mine, so I disliked him right away. I was very competitive at the time.
\nThe first day he worked at the Planet, Perry told me to work with him on my
\nstory. I didn’t want to at first. I really disliked him, because he was a
\nhandsome male who had taken a story of mine and written it well, just like
\nanother bastard I knew before him. I thought he was like that too. I was wrong,
\nof course. Clark is a good guy. And when I acted like a total bitch with him, he
\nwasn’t even afraid of me; that was very irritating. My nickname wasn’t Mad Dog
\nLane for nothing! <\/p>\n

I really disliked him. The main reason I disliked him so much was because I was
\nattracted to him, and I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to give him a
\nchance to hurt me. But the first time I met Superman was another story. I was
\nstill very attracted to him, but that didn’t bother me because he wasn’t a hack
\nfrom Nowheresville, he was an alien from another planet. I know that seems
\nshallow, and maybe it was at first. Then, I got to know him better both as Clark
\nKent and Superman, and I loved him, really. <\/p>\n

For Clark, it was just friendship. I didn’t allow myself to feel more than that
\nfor him because he was my colleague, the only partner I had ever been able to
\nwork with. I didn’t want to lose that. He was my only friend and I didn’t want
\nto be alone again, just as I had been before I met him, in case it didn’t work
\nbetween us. Loving him as Superman was much safer. <\/p>\n

I was the first reporter who encountered Superman. When we first met, he flew me
\nback into the newsroom of the Planet. So a few days later, when Trask, a madman
\nwho tracked UFOs and aliens for the military, wanted to find him and kill him,
\nhe came to the newsroom. He thought I knew how to contact Superman. <\/p>\n

He forced Clark and me to answer his questions about Superman with a lie
\ndetector. I guess that’s the very first step that made me think later that,
\nmaybe, Superman and Clark were\u2026 no, I’ll tell you later what my idea was. If I
\ntell you now, you will laugh your head off, that’s for sure. I prefer to explain
\nhow I came to my conclusion first. <\/p>\n

Okay, so when Trask asked us to answer his questions with the lie detector, we
\nrefused at first. But we didn’t have much choice, so I agreed, and Clark became
\nvery nervous, as if he had something to hide about Superman. Of course, he had.
\nHe was Superman and he didn’t want that madman to know it. It was so obvious he
\nwas hiding something that Perry asked him if he knew something he hadn’t told
\nus. He lied, and said that he knew nothing more than we did, but I knew that was
\na lie. At that precise moment, I knew that my partner knew something about
\nSuperman that I didn’t. And I was determined to discover what that was. <\/p>\n

Maybe I was jealous. At the time, I just couldn’t see him as someone who worked
\nfor the some team as me. I didn’t care if he worked for the Planet or another
\npaper, he was a competitor. I wanted to be better than anyone else in the
\nprofession. He was also a reporter, so he was a competitor. Perry was right. I
\nreally wasn’t a team player. But maybe I would have been less curious about
\nClark’s secret if it hadn’t been about Superman. Well, anyway, I wanted to know
\nwhat Clark knew. I couldn’t stand the idea that he knew more than I did. <\/p>\n

Trask thought that one of us knew how to contact Superman. I was sure of one
\nthing: it wasn’t me. So, if Trask was right, Clark knew a way to contact him.
\nThat idea was in my mind, yet I wasn’t sure if it was right or not. I decided to
\npay more attention to Clark and Superman, and see if they had a direct link of
\ncommunication. I wanted to be sure that my "competitor" knew more than I did.<\/p>\n

When Trask pushed me out of a plane, I screamed, and I even tried to contact
\nSuperman by telepathy. Superman saved me. I believed that he really had read my
\nmind, and that that was what Clark knew about him, but he said that he just
\nheard me. But apparently, Clark did nothing to contact him, so maybe Trask and I
\nwere wrong, and he really didn’t know how to do it. <\/p>\n

I wasn’t sure any more if Clark knew more about Superman than anyone else. So a
\nfew days later, when Perry decided that Superman wasn’t my story anymore, and
\nthat all the employees of the Planet had the mission of finding him, I refused
\nto believe Clark when he told me that he knew how to do it. What a fool I was!
\nHe literally told me he had the inside track to find him, and I didn’t believe
\nhim\u2026 <\/p>\n

But he was still a competitor, so I wanted to find Superman before Clark did. I
\nwas so obsessed by that idea that I did really bad things. I’m still ashamed of
\nmyself when I think about it. He really made me crazy. Yes, crazy is the word. I
\ndefinitely was crazy about Superman. Well, anyway, I did things that I’m not
\nproud of, and Clark decided I needed a little lesson. <\/p>\n

He ridiculed me and wrote the story. I should have been furious, but I wasn’t. I
\nknew I deserved it. And for the first time in my life, I apologized. From that
\nday I began to respect him. At first, I was so surprised a freshman reporter had
\nsucceeded in taking a scoop away from me. I hadn’t immediately thought about
\nwhat that could mean. But later, at home, I thought about it. I came to the
\nconclusion that since Clark was the only one to get the story about Superman; it
\nwas because he really was in touch with him. I again believed the theory of
\nClark knowing a way to contact Superman. <\/p>\n

I still wasn’t very sure, but I had a strong feeling that it was true. I was
\neven more convinced when Trask tried to kill Superman again, this time with a
\nrock he found in Smallville, the town where Clark was from. <\/p>\n

Trask thought that, since the meteorite was found in Smallville, that it was
\nprobably the place where Superman had landed on Earth. And when I heard that
\ntheory, I knew it was right. I can’t explain it, but I knew it was right that
\nSuperman had landed in Smallville. It made sense. And that explained why Clark
\nand Superman were so close: they had known each other since Clark lived
\npreviously in Smallville. That meant that Superman had been on Earth for much
\nlonger than anyone had ever guessed. But I knew by instinct that was true too.
\nSuperman was so accustomed to Earth culture it was logical to think that he had
\nbeen here for some time. <\/p>\n

Trask had exactly the same idea as me. First of all, he thought like I did that
\nClark and Superman had been friends since childhood, but later he came to the
\nconclusion that they were one and the same. I don’t know how he discovered that.
\nHe was right, of course, but I thought he was crazy. I told you I was stupid!
\nThe truth was right in front of me, and I didn’t see it. I even concocted some
\nstupid idea to explain the thing differently\u2026 <\/p>\n

Well, anyway, Trask died. And on the way back to Metropolis I thought for a long
\ntime about all I’d learned, I mean\u2026 all I’d guessed during that first trip to
\nSmallville. Superman hadn’t come to Earth just two or three months earlier, but
\nprobably years before that, since he and Clark had met in Smallville and Clark
\nhad left after college and traveled the world for four or five years. I didn’t
\nhave a clue how long they had known each other before that. Maybe since
\nchildhood. <\/p>\n

And that got me thinking for a while. Why didn’t Superman make himself known to
\nthe world sooner if he was already here? <\/p>\n

It was the day after, when we were back at the Planet and I was writing the
\narticle about Trask’s death that I understood why. Or at least, I imagined a
\npossible reason for Superman to hide himself. In my mind, it couldn’t be because
\nhe was afraid the government would try to kill him and do experiments on him.
\nThat would have been the truth, and I had been wrong all along. No. I thought
\nthat he was hiding because he didn’t want people to attack his friends the way
\nTrask had attacked Clark to get him. <\/p>\n

In my mind, Clark and Superman weren’t telling the truth about their friendship,
\nbecause it would have been dangerous for Clark if someone had known. And when
\nTrask almost killed Clark, I realized that I liked him, and that I would have
\nbeen desperate if he’d died. I decided never to tell anyone what I suspected
\nabout Clark and Superman being so much closer than anyone thought. Not even to
\nClark or Superman. I decided, for Clark’s sake, to keep the secret. <\/p>\n

But I still wanted to know. What can I say? I’m not a reporter for nothing. I am
\ncurious. <\/p>\n

***************************<\/p>\n

>From that day, I thought about it more and more. If Clark and Superman knew
\neach other years before Superman put on the suit to become a public figure, that
\nmeant Superman was hiding himself among us, among the humans. He had a secret
\nidentity, and Clark knew what it was. <\/p>\n

I more or less figured that much out at the time, but I couldn’t think of a way
\nto discover what his name was. At the same time, I began to doubt myself. I was
\nmaking up theory upon theory, with no proof whatsoever. What if I was wrong? So,
\nI wanted to prove to myself that my guesses were true before searching for who
\nSuperman really was, because if I was wrong, he was nobody else. Just Superman.<\/p>\n

To prove to myself that Clark and Superman had known each other for years, I
\ndecided to investigate Clark’s past. I couldn’t investigate Superman’s past,
\nthere was simply no way, so I investigated Clark’s. <\/p>\n

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Until I read all the articles he wrote while he was
\ntraveling all around the world. On the same page of an article written by Clark
\nin New Zealand was another one about a miraculous landing of a plane. The
\nprivate plane was about to crash, because the pilot had had a heart attack. The
\nplane landed perfectly, but no one in the cockpit was piloting it. <\/p>\n

It sounded to me as if Superman had found it too hard not to save people, even
\nwhen he was in hiding. And obviously, he and Clark were in the same country at
\nthe same time. I wanted more evidence, so I searched all his articles one more
\ntime, and I noted all the sites and dates Clark had passed by. After that, I
\nsearched in all those places about miracles, strange rescues\u2026 Everything that
\ncould have been a bad situation but ended well without any logical explanation.<\/p>\n

And I found it every time. Everywhere Clark had been, there had been strange
\nrescues at the same moment and at the same place. Many, many lives were saved. I
\nknew it without a doubt. Clark and Superman had been traveling together all
\nthose years. <\/p>\n

And Superman came to Metropolis just a few days after Clark. They were still
\ntogether, and very much closer than I originally thought. Definitely very much
\ncloser than I thought. That was the next step I took in building my ridiculous
\nidea about Clark and Superman. Little by little, I fooled myself. <\/p>\n

Anyway, since I had the proof I needed to be sure that they had known each other
\nfor a long time, it only remained for me to discover who Superman really was.
\nAnd that’s when I made my biggest mistake. I decided not to take my
\ninvestigations further. I knew for a fact they were friends, very close ones,
\nand I was hoping to become close enough to them one day. I hoped that some day,
\nthey would trust me enough to tell me everything themselves. It would never have
\nbeen the case if I was investigating them, so I dropped it. <\/p>\n

At that moment, I didn’t want to discover the truth anymore by investigating
\nmyself. I wanted them to tell me because I was their friend. Lucy had just moved
\nto California and I was all alone. I guess I wanted to have a real friendship in
\nmy life. So I dropped my investigations to become closer to them. <\/p>\n

A few days after that, Superman was accused of being responsible for a heat
\nwave. The judge forbade him to use his powers, and to be sure that he didn’t,
\nthe tribunal wanted a guarantor. Perry White made the Daily Planet guarantor for
\nhim, so Superman was under the watch of the paper. When Perry asked him where he
\ncould stay, I offered to put him up in my apartment, but he chose to live with
\nClark. <\/p>\n

Of course, he is Clark, so he just chose to stay at home. But at the time, I
\ndidn’t know that Superman and Clark were just one and the same, so I thought
\nthat was because of their friendship. More proof. <\/p>\n

What else could I think? I mean\u2026 except the truth? And you haven’t heard
\nanything yet! You’ll see how stupid I am soon. That was the day I began to have
\nthe ridiculous theory of mine\u2026 <\/p>\n

Clark was absent when Superman decided he’d live in his apartment. Of course! He
\ncouldn’t split himself. But when you don’t know they’re only one guy, you think
\nthat they must be very close for Superman to be so sure that Clark would agree.
\nI have to admit, I was kind of jealous of the relationship Clark and Superman
\nhad. They were such close friends! Or, that’s what I thought. I really was
\njealous of Clark being so close to Superman. I wanted to be as close to Superman
\nas Clark seemed to be. <\/p>\n

So I decided to go to Clark’s apartment to see Superman. I needed an excuse, so
\nI made something to eat, and I brought it to them. It was Clark who opened the
\ndoor, and when I asked him where Superman was, he hesitated a little and then he
\nanswered that Superman was in the shower. <\/p>\n

Sure, now, I know that he hesitated because he had to think of a lie, and he
\ndoesn’t like to lie, you know that. But then, I was just obsessed with the idea
\nof Superman being in the shower. I was picturing him in my mind, I wasn’t
\nreasonable anymore. I couldn’t think of anything else, you know\u2026 Superman in the
\nshower. <\/p>\n

Well, anyway, in my mind, Superman in the shower was still\u2026 Superman. He still
\nwore his suit. I imagined him without, too, but I don’t know\u2026 that just didn’t
\nseem right, as if Superman without the suit wasn’t Superman anymore. In a sense,
\nI wasn’t wrong, since Superman without the suit is Clark. <\/p>\n

So, I asked Clark if Superman wore the suit or took it off when he had a shower.
\nI can’t believe I actually asked that, but I did. I was just so crazy about him
\nthat I had the guts to ask Clark. <\/p>\n

When I asked him that, he looked kind of shocked. Of course he was. But he
\nanswered anyway. He said that he didn’t know because he didn’t look. He was so
\nembarrassed when he said so\u2026 In the first few seconds, I thought that he was
\nembarrassed because of my question. It definitely was an embarrassing question,
\nbut then I wondered what was so embarrassing about it, if he never really
\nlooked? <\/p>\n

I think you guessed what my conclusion was? Yes, I was persuaded that Clark knew
\nvery well if Superman took the suit off to shower, and that the response was
\naffirmative. If not, Clark probably wouldn’t have been so embarrassed. <\/p>\n

I was so jealous! He was Superman’s closest friend. Close enough to have seen
\nhim naked. Why him and not me? I was volunteering to be Superman’s best friend.
\nThat wasn’t a problem for me to be close enough to him to see him\u2026 err\u2026 with
\nhardly anything on. I definitely was jealous of Clark. <\/p>\n

Jealous enough in fact to try and see Superman in the shower too. So I headed
\ntowards the bathroom. Clark panicked! <\/p>\n

It’s funny to remember all the clues that I missed. Clark panicked because he
\ndidn’t want me to see that there wasn’t anyone in the shower, but at that
\nmoment, the only thing I noticed was Clark preventing me from seeing Superman
\nnaked on the pretext of preserving his dignity! So sad\u2026 <\/p>\n

Anyway, shortly after that, the court ordered Superman to leave Metropolis, and
\nSuperman complied. The same day, Clark resigned from the Planet. He wanted to
\nleave Metropolis, too. He said that he had a job of editor in chief waiting in
\nSmallville, but I knew that wasn’t true. <\/p>\n

When Clark told me he was leaving, I knew that was because Superman had to go.
\nThe idea crossed my mind that they were even closer than I thought, really
\ninseparable. Not inseparable in the sense that he couldn’t split himself in two.
\nI hadn’t figured it out that much. That really was a surprise for me when Clark
\ntold me, and I’m sure you will understand why he did, after you hear what comes
\nnext. But I ask you again, please don’t laugh at me! If there really were two
\nmen, my deductions would have been kind of logical\u2026 <\/p>\n

That night, I even told Clark that I wasn’t blind. That I knew he was leaving to
\nbe with Superman because he felt very close to him. I said something like that
\nwhile trying to convince him not to go. I failed. He decided to leave. <\/p>\n

For a moment, I even imagined Clark could be gay and in love with Superman, but
\nI dismissed the idea quickly because he kissed me just before leaving. And when
\nI remembered the way Clark looked at me the first day we worked together, I
\ncouldn’t seriously keep thinking that. It was obvious to me that Clark was
\nattracted to me, so he definitely wasn’t gay. No, they were just close friends.
\nReally, really very close friends. <\/p>\n

I even saw Clark kissing another woman. One of the criminals we investigated
\ntogether, Toni Taylor. He accused me of being jealous. You know what the worst
\npart is? He was right. But the conclusion was that I couldn’t keep thinking that
\nhe was gay. I felt ridiculous to even have thought that in the first place. It’s
\njust, you know\u2026 he seemed so close to Superman that the idea crossed my mind.<\/p>\n

Clark didn’t know I thought such a thing but I felt awful for more than a week
\nto have had that idea. <\/p>\n

But the following week, the entire newsroom was sprayed with pheromones and
\neverybody fell in love with whom they were attracted to. I fell for Clark. But
\nhe didn’t fall for me, or for anyone else. He explained that it was because he
\nwasn’t attracted to me. At first, I didn’t believe him, but then Superman
\nhimself was sprayed and he told me he loved me. So, if even a super-powered man
\nwasn’t immune to the pheromone, the only explanation left was indeed that Clark
\nwasn’t attracted to me. <\/p>\n

He wasn’t attracted to anyone else while he was sprayed. And I had no choice but
\nto believe that Clark really wasn’t attracted to me at all. But that attraction
\nI thought he had was the main reason why I dismissed the idea that he could be
\ngay. So that idea came back to my mind. Maybe he was gay. <\/p>\n

The day after that entire pheromone story ended, Cat found out that I was
\ntotally love-crazy for Clark while I was sprayed. She hadn’t missed one
\nopportunity to tease me about that. But after a few hours, she became serious
\nand asked me what Clark was like in bed. <\/p>\n

That was a real shock for me. Since he was hired at the Planet, Cat told
\neveryone that she had had sex with Clark. He denied it, but nobody believed him.
\nNot even me. But then, I knew that he was telling the truth and that he had
\nnever slept with Cat. If not, she wouldn’t have asked me what he was like in
\nbed. <\/p>\n

So, all the reasons I had to doubt my gay theory were crashing. He wasn’t
\nattracted to me, he never slept with Cat, and he probably kissed Toni Taylor
\njust for the diversion, like he claimed. <\/p>\n

The more I thought about it, the more I thought that Clark was gay, and in love
\nwith Superman. And that Superman probably didn’t know it, and just considered
\nClark as his old best friend while Clark was fantasizing about him as much as I
\nwas. Luckily, Superman was heterosexual; after all, he was affected by the
\npheromone, and I was the one he said he loved. <\/p>\n

However I still wasn’t very sure about Clark’s sexual preferences. I needed more
\nevidence to be definitely persuaded that he really was gay. Somehow, I didn’t
\nlike the idea. I had to be sure whether Clark was gay or not. Somehow, that idea
\nhelped me to become closer to Clark. <\/p>\n

I could begin to flirt a little with him. I guess the idea that he could be gay
\nhelped me to forget my inhibitions. You’re less defensive when you think you’re
\nnot in danger. And I also think that maybe I liked the idea of him being
\nattracted to me while we were flirting a little. It’s flattering when a gay guy
\nfinds you attractive, because normally he wouldn’t. <\/p>\n

I don’t really know what my reasons were, how it happened, or why, but I began
\nto relax enough near Clark to become closer to him, and have a light flirt with
\nhim, while I suspected that he was gay. <\/p>\n

I don’t remember exactly, something like two or three weeks after the pheromone
\nstory, we had to live together in the Honeymoon Suite of the Lexor, for an
\ninvestigation. At first, I disliked the idea because maybe he wasn’t gay! And if
\nhe wasn’t, then he was a normal guy with a lot of testosterone and naturally
\nunable to restrain himself when with a girl. <\/p>\n

That was the way I pictured men, because of some disastrous experiences that I
\nhad had before Clark. So disliking the idea of sharing the same room with a guy
\nwas a normal reaction, and I was totally prepared to make him regret any wrong
\nmoves in my direction. <\/p>\n

But that wasn’t Clark. He was a gentleman. He didn’t try anything. Of course
\nnot. And I relaxed quickly at the idea of living with him for a few days, even
\nif sharing space like that was still distressing for someone who had never done
\nit before. <\/p>\n

Actually, I even relaxed enough to flirt a little with him. And on the first
\nevening, when we had to make our sleeping arrangements, he suggested that we
\ncould share the bed. He said that it was a big bed, big enough for two. <\/p>\n

I was confident that he wasn’t serious, that he was just teasing me, so I called
\nhis bluff. I accepted to share the bed. I thought that if I was wrong, I still
\ncould tell him that my response was a joke, that there was no way that we could
\nsleep together. And if I was right, I would then be sure that my partner was
\ngay. After all, no normal guy in the world proposes to a girl to share the same
\nbed and then change his mind when she agrees. <\/p>\n

But Clark definitely isn’t a normal guy. When I agreed to his proposal to share
\nthe bed, he told me he was just joking, and that he would sleep on the couch.
\nAnd he did. After that, I never doubted any more that he was indeed gay. Not
\nuntil he told me the truth. <\/p>\n

Some days later, a meteor was threatening to crash on Earth. Superman was the
\nworld’s last hope. He broke the meteor, and disappeared without a trace. Nobody
\nknew what had happened to him, and the world was still in danger. <\/p>\n

He just had amnesia. Clark couldn’t remember a thing, not even that he was
\nSuperman, and I didn’t know it at the time, so I couldn’t tell him. But he asked
\nme to tell him everything I knew about the hero, and then he remembered. <\/p>\n

He told me later that Superman was the first memory that came back to him. After
\nthat, how could I doubt that he was really and deeply in love with him? At that
\npoint, I took it for granted that Clark and I were both in love with the same
\nman. <\/p>\n

But at that moment, Clark’s love life wasn’t what perturbed me most. I was far
\nmore interested in Superman’s love life. And I began to have the strangest ideas
\nabout that as well. <\/p>\n

Until the Nightfall Meteor crisis, I was convinced that Superman was
\nheterosexual because he had told me he loved me when he was under the
\npheromone’s influence, and he kissed me. And I knew he wanted me, I could feel
\nhis desire, and so I had no doubt. <\/p>\n

Of course, he was under the pheromone’s influence, so he was kind of drugged,
\nbut the pheromone only made you desire what you’re attracted to, so I still had
\nhope that maybe, one day, Superman would act on his feelings for me. <\/p>\n

But just before he flew off to intercept Nightfall, the meteor, I kissed him.
\nAnd what was perturbing me was that; even if he hadn’t pushed me away, he didn’t
\nkiss me back either, as if he felt no attraction to me whatsoever. <\/p>\n

I began to doubt that Superman was indeed attracted to me. I began to doubt that
\nhe was turned on by me when he kissed me after the pheromone incident. I began
\nto think that I had imagined all that. I wasn’t thinking that he could be gay,
\nlike Clark, but I began to think that he wasn’t interested in me. <\/p>\n

I was pretty upset by that idea, so I tried to console myself with the thoughts
\nthat maybe he didn’t respond to my kiss before he went to intercept Nightfall
\nbecause there were journalists from all around the world all around us, with
\ncameras and video-recorders. Kissing him in front of the whole world wasn’t my
\nbest idea. <\/p>\n

Of course, now, I know that was why he didn’t respond to my kiss. But at the
\ntime, even if the thought crossed my mind, I didn’t really believe it. I really
\nthought that Superman wasn’t interested in me. And that he probably had someone
\nelse in mind. <\/p>\n

*************************<\/p>\n

For a whole month, I didn’t really think about Clark and his sexual preferences.
\nEven so, that was a subject that was upsetting me for a reason I refused to
\nthink about. I guess I loved him, but I was still in denial. But for a month, I
\ndidn’t think about it. I was too busy hiding my sorrow at the idea that Superman
\nwasn’t finding me as attractive as I was finding him. <\/p>\n

So, I didn’t think about Clark’s sexual preferences at all until something
\nhappened that made me think about it so much more than before. <\/p>\n

Clark’s apartment was burgled. We found the burglar, Jack, and Clark got his
\nthings back. He said that he got back everything that was taken, but he was so
\nstrange I knew he was lying. I knew that something was still missing, and that
\nit was something that mattered to him. <\/p>\n

But obviously, he didn’t want to tell me what that was. He didn’t even want me
\nto know that something was missing; if so, he wouldn’t have lied to me. But I
\nwanted to help him, and how could I do that if I didn’t even have a clue about
\nwhat was missing? <\/p>\n

So, I concluded that I had to discover what it was that he was hiding to have at
\nleast a clue about what was still missing. The locks of his apartment were still
\nweak after the burglary. He hadn’t replaced them yet. I took the opportunity,
\nand searched his apartment for clues while he was out. <\/p>\n

That day, I had a great shock. And it was the day I definitely built the
\nridiculous idea of mine that would lead Clark to tell me his secret. Oh my God,
\nhow stupid I was! <\/p>\n

Well, I was saying that I went searching Clark’s apartment for clues. I found
\nsome\u2026 First, I found pictures of Clark’s things that were taken. And on the
\npictures, we could see a globe out of which came a hologram of an old man with
\nan S on his chest. Obviously, I had discovered the still-missing object, and it
\nwasn’t Clarks; it belonged to Superman. <\/p>\n

But I found some other interesting stuff. I found a secret compartment in his
\nwardrobe where Superman’s suits were hung. That’s what gave me a shock. <\/p>\n

How could I explain to myself that Superman’s suits as well as his personal
\nbelongings, like the globe, were in Clark’s apartment, except for the obvious
\nsolution, "Clark is Superman"? That solution was definitely too obvious for me
\nto even contemplate the idea. I came to the conclusion that Clark’s apartment
\nwas in reality Clark and Superman’s apartment, that they were both living there.<\/p>\n

For a minute or so, I thought that they were such close friends that they had
\ndecided to live together, to be roommates. After all, Superman didn’t receive a
\npaycheck for his rescues, but needed nonetheless a place to live. So why not
\nlive with his dear childhood friend? But I didn’t believe it more than one short
\nminute. Probably because when I figured that, I was in Clark’s bedroom. The only
\nbedroom of the apartment. And just in front of me, there was the bed. A big bed.
\nA bed for two people. The idea struck me almost immediately that Clark and
\nSuperman weren’t just "roommates". They were really living together, sharing
\neverything, even the bed. In my mind, there was no doubt anymore. They were a
\ngay couple. <\/p>\n

That was my ridiculous idea. You didn’t laugh; I guess I succeeded in making you
\nunderstand why I thought such a thing. Anyway, since I began to imagine them
\nbeing a gay couple, I thought again about all I’d figured out before about Clark
\nand Superman’s past. They were together while they were traveling all around the
\nworld. They were already together in Smallville. So they weren’t just a recent
\ncouple. They had probably been together for years. I figured that was why they
\nnever settled anywhere for more than a few months during their travels. Superman
\nalready carried out rescues, and they didn’t want to be discovered. I even had
\nthe idea that the gay relationship they had was the reason why Clark had left
\nSmallville in the first place. It’s hard to hide something like that in a tiny
\ntown. <\/p>\n

I realized that they could only settle in Metropolis because Superman had become
\na public figure. They chose to do it in the anonymity of the big city. Things
\nwere obviously very serious between them. I know how ridiculous all that is, but
\nI really believed it to be true and I cried for hours in my room after that. I
\nremembered every moment I spent with Superman since I met him, and everything
\njust seemed different now that I knew that he was Clark’s boyfriend. Or now that
\nI thought he was Clark’s boyfriend. All the exclusives that Superman gave to
\nClark instead of me sounded to me like a declaration of love. All the time I
\nthought Superman was interested in me became time when he was just being
\nfriendly with his boyfriend’s partner\u2026 I remembered once that Superman was in
\nClark’s apartment one morning when I woke up after sleeping on the couch to
\nwatch over a man who had invented an invisibility suit. I didn’t think about it
\nat the time, but it was if he was in his own home. He answered the phone when it
\nrang without hesitation. The time when he chose to live in Clark’s apartment,
\nwithout even asking him first, when he was suspected to be the cause of the heat
\nwave. The way Clark blushed when I asked him if Superman took off his suit to
\nshower. I knew he was lying when he told me he didn’t look, but somehow, that
\nsounded different when you think about them as a gay couple who hide their
\nrelationship. <\/p>\n

I remembered too the first time I went to Smallville, when Trask found
\nKryptonite there. I made a joke about Clark’s father being a cross dresser.
\nClark found my idea very funny. I though that was because I said it about his
\nfather, without knowing that it was his father. But maybe that was because I had
\nsaid that to a gay without knowing it. Anyway, when I stopped crying, grieving
\nover my fantasies of a love story between Superman and me, I decided that if
\nthey didn’t want their special relationship or their sexual preferences to be
\nknown, then I would respect their privacy from now on. I would never say a word
\nto Clark or Superman to let them know that I knew. I would never again try to
\nknow what was going on in their lives. I decided to be the good friend I should
\nhave been long ago, to stop mourning and being selfish, and try to be happy for
\nthem. They were both my friends, and they had found love. Both of them deserved
\nto be happy, and since they were still together after many years, I could just
\nthink that they were truly happily in love. <\/p>\n

So I kept acting as if I didn’t know a thing about their relationship, and kept
\non being just their friend. But for some time now, the Daily Planet had been in
\nserious competition with the Metropolis Star. And the paper was having financial
\nproblems. Clark suspected that the new owner of the Star planned "accidents" so
\nhis paper could have exclusives. So he applied for a post at the Star. It was an
\nundercover assignment for the Planet, but I didn’t know it. I believed that he
\nhad really resigned from the Daily Planet, because it was having financial
\nproblems, to go to his its rival. I was furious. And jealous as well, I have to
\nsay. At the Star, he had a new partner who was my former best friend, when I was
\nin college. Linda King. We weren’t friends any more because once she stole my
\nboyfriend. I’ve never forgiven her for that. And then she stole my partner. I
\nreally was jealous. Clark was as friendly with her as he was with me while he
\nstill worked with me. But when he worked at the Star undercover, he worked with
\nher. I felt as if he didn’t find me good enough to work with him while Linda
\nwas. I just felt a mess. I was so jealous I even went to his apartment to yell
\nat him. But in the midst of my fit of jealousy, I noticed that he was acting
\nstrangely, and then I noticed that there were two cups of coffee on the table.
\nHe wasn’t alone, and he was trying to hide it. Of course, given what I thought
\nhis relationship was with Superman, I should have thought that he was with his
\nlover, but I was so crazy jealous about Linda that I didn’t think about anything
\nelse. I immediately believed that he was with Linda, and I searched his entire
\napartment, like a fury, for Linda. And when I searched in his wardrobe, I found
\nPerry. That calmed me down right away. I remembered immediately that Clark was
\ngay or that I though he was. And if he had to hide someone in his wardrobe, it
\nwouldn’t be a woman, like Linda, but a man\u2026 like Perry. <\/p>\n

Oh my God. I was imagining things that I’m not proud of. Clark cheating on
\nSuperman with Perry. Perry cheating on his wife Alice with Clark. And I was
\nshocked by the idea that Perry, too, was gay. I was so surprised and shocked
\nabout Perry, the man I considered as a father, to be gay too, and involved with
\nmy former partner that my thoughts showed on my face. The second I discovered
\nPerry hiding in the wardrobe, Clark and Perry told me not to get the wrong idea,
\nand then they gave me the right explanation. They told me Clark hadn’t really
\nresigned and still worked for the Planet, but that he was undercover at the
\nStar. I was so relieved. I don’t have anything against homosexuality, but to
\ndiscover that the man I saw as my father was gay, just after discovering that my
\nbest friend and the man I loved was, was a little too much for me to bear. I was
\nthinking something like "is there one great guy in the world who’s not gay"?!
\nSo, finding that at least Perry wasn’t really relieved me. But I was still
\ndeeply convinced that Clark and Superman were indeed gays and engaged in a
\nserious relationship together. <\/p>\n

I discovered the truth not long after that, and I felt really ridiculous when he
\ntold me that, in reality, he was Superman. He told me more or less one week
\nlater. A double of Superman came to town. He performed rescues, and arrested bad
\nguys. That was a clone of Superman, but I didn’t know it, so, for me, that
\ndouble really was Superman, even if he had a strange attitude. He was a little
\nbrutal with the bad guys, and he treated me\u2026 well\u2026 differently, with less
\nrespect, and definitely as if he was interested in me. I knew that couldn’t be
\nthe case since he was attracted to men, and that I wasn’t one. But when he asked
\nme for dinner at my apartment, I was so ecstatic that I agreed. I put on a
\nbeautiful dress, I prepared a candlelit dinner\u2026 I knew that he probably had in
\nmind something less romantic, and friendlier, and I knew I couldn’t seduce him.
\nHe was Clark’s boyfriend. But I still wanted to have the feeling that my fantasy
\nwas real, just for one night. So, I really was taken aback when Superman, or his
\ndouble to be exact, told me I was hot right at the beginning. I wasn’t expecting
\nthis. I was very surprised. I thought he was gay, and nonetheless he found me
\nhot. I remembered that he was indeed attracted to me when he was under the
\ninfluence of the pheromone. I thought that Superman was bisexual, that he could
\nbe attracted to both men, like Clark, and women, like me. But I was shocked that
\nhe had tried to flirt with me while he had been engaged in a serious
\nrelationship with Clark for so many years. Apparently, they had some couple
\nproblems. I was very ill at ease. I tried to calm things down a little, and I
\ndiscussed with him his new method of dealing with criminals, but he didn’t go
\nwith that change of subject, and kissed me. The kiss was brutal, and unpleasant.
\nI felt fear, I was afraid that he would rape me. <\/p>\n

When he kissed me, I knew immediately that he wasn’t Superman, that he was an
\nimpostor. I was so terrified. The kiss was broken by Clark’s appearance. He
\nentered my apartment, furious, and stopped Superman. They had an argument right
\nin front of me, and Superman, I mean his double, almost hit Clark. He didn’t
\nshow any fear. I was impressed. Superman left my apartment. For a minute or so,
\nI was still shocked by what had just happened. That made me believe that I was
\nright to think that Clark and Superman had couple problems. Clark interrupted
\nthe kiss and was furious, as if he was jealous. And they had an argument in
\nfront of me. He was so angry; shocked when I told him he kissed me. Immediately,
\nI wanted to reassure Clark that his lover didn’t try to cheat on him with me,
\nbut I still hadn’t told Clark what I thought about his relationship with
\nSuperman, so I couldn’t reassure him like that. But I could say something that
\nwould reassure him. I told him that the Superman who had just flown out of the
\nwindow was an impostor, not the real one. <\/p>\n

Later, we discovered that the double was a clone, and had died. That’s when I
\nfinally knew the truth, knew how ridiculous all my ideas were so far. Clark and
\nI were talking that night. He looked so sad I wanted to know what was wrong. And
\nthen, he told me that it would have been great if there had been two Supermen,
\nbecause the superhero would have felt less lonely. When he said that, I believed
\nthat I was right to assume that there was trouble in their relationship. Maybe
\nSuperman felt lonely because he was so unique, and Clark felt a little rejected
\nor something like that. At first, I tried to joke to make him less upset. I told
\nhim that if Superman felt lonely, I was volunteering to keep him company. He
\nsmiled at that, but he still looked very sad. Of course, it was he who felt
\nlonely because he was unique, but I didn’t know it. And I really wanted to help
\nhim feel better, because he was my best friend, so I decided to reassure him
\nabout Superman’s love. I was sure that was that the problem, that he doubted the
\nlove of his lover. I told him that he didn’t have to worry because even if
\nSuperman felt lonely sometimes, he knew he wasn’t, and knew he was loved. I
\nadded to Clark that I was sure that Superman really loved him too. <\/p>\n

Clark looked really puzzled while I was speaking, and he asked me what I was
\ntalking about. I thought that he was denying it, so I told him that I had known
\nfor some time that he and Superman were a couple. He looked to me very oddly and
\nsaid defensively that he wasn’t gay. That looked really like a denial to me, so
\nI insisted, telling him that it was okay with me, and that I would never tell
\nanyone what I knew. But he kept on denying it, of course! That was upsetting me.
\nHe didn’t trust me enough to admit the truth when I had already figured
\neverything out. So, I insisted too. I told him all the little things that were
\nproof to me that he and Superman were together. He really was taken aback.
\nFinally, when I challenged him to deny it again, he laughed and said that he
\ncouldn’t believe I’d collected all these clues and that I hadn’t figured out the
\ntruth. I was almost angry at this point that he was still denying. He
\ninterrupted me and said again that he wasn’t gay, and neither was Superman. And
\nhe added that, even if they were, they couldn’t have a relationship together
\nbecause he was Superman. That’s the way he told me the truth. <\/p>\n

My first reflex was to not believe him, but he was so deadly serious. And when
\nhe took off the glasses\u2026 my anger left me right away. I know I should have been
\nreally furious that he was lying to me, and made me believe that they were two
\npeople, but I couldn’t. I was definitely too embarrassed about all the
\nridiculous ideas of mine to be angry with him. And he was really embarrassed,
\ntoo. I guess that’s why he told me. It was easier for him to confess that he was
\nSuperman than to pretend to be gay and involved in a relationship with himself.<\/p>\n

********************** <\/p>\n

Clark landed on the balcony of his house. Immediately, he heard laughs coming
\nfrom the kitchen. He smiled. It was a good feeling to return home to see his
\nwife and his son laughing together. He loved his family so much. Entering the
\nroom, he said hello to John and kissed Lois before asking: <\/p>\n

"So, I can hear the joke?"<\/p>\n

"We were just discussing the way you told Mom you are Superman. I promised her I
\nwouldn’t laugh but I couldn’t help myself," answered his son. "Anyway, Dad, I
\nunderstand perfectly why you told her before you even started dating, but that
\ndoesn’t help me." <\/p>\n

"He started dating Jennifer, and she told him she loved him. Now, he has to tell
\nher the truth," explained Lois. <\/p>\n

"Oh, you have a big problem, John."<\/p>\n

"I know. Actually, I wanted you to give me some advice, Dad. How do you think I
\nhave to tell her?" <\/p>\n

Clark thought a while about his son’s question before answering.<\/p>\n

"Jennifer is so like your mother\u2026 If I were you, I would tell her with a
\nbulletproof vest on. And\u2026 son? Do it quickly; it will be less painful. You’ll
\njust have to crawl for a few weeks." <\/p>\n

THE END.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author: Poussin Email: bitterlym@yahoo.fr Rated: PG It was Saturday morning, really early, when John flew out the window of his apartment and headed towards Metropolis. It was at least one hour before sunrise. With his dark clothes, he wouldn’t be seen. For once, he would have liked to stay in Boston. He loved his parents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":13,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,405],"tags":[406,870],"class_list":["post-521","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-pgfanfic","category-poussin","tag-a-special-relationship","tag-poussin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1455,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/521\/revisions\/1455"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nfanfic.com\/lnc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}