CHAPTER III — high or low; it's off to work we go!

KIRAN WOKE UP THE DAY SHE WAS GOING BACK TO WORK, FRIDAY, WITH A FAMILIAR SHAKINESS AND A HIT OF CRAVINGS SHE DIDN'T MISS. It's way too early, a glance at her phone proves, searing into the back of her eyelids. She groans as she pulls herself from bed and clenches her fists hard enough to feel them stop shaking, her knuckles white from the pressure. Kiran took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down, before she was going to her closet to pick an appropriate outfit that Perry would do a double take at, but ultimately allow her to wear.

She trudges to her kitchen, ignoring the way her apartment is barely lit by the vestiges of a sunrise that hasn't peaked over the horizon yet. The coffee pot is pulled forward, a new filter put in with some ground, the back filled with water, and Kiran leaves it to brew as she makes her way to the bathroom to shower. It's not what she wishes she was drinking, but the bitterness of black coffee will stave it off for now.

She has a longer shower than usual, the water scalding. Then, she makes herself breakfast slowly, because she has the time, even if it is a badly made egg, some burnt toast, and the second mug of coffee from the pot, the first one drank while she was cooking. Her alarm goes off as she smothers her toast with peanut butter, and her door knob to her apartment jiggles before opening. Kiran waves tiredly at Gracie as she goes to turn her phone alarm off.

She comes back out to Gracie pouring herself a mug of coffee, stealing the milk from the fridge, topping off the mug with that, and then adding a sprinkle of sugar. The teenager also grabs an apple, rinses it off, then takes a huge bite as she plops down in the chair across from the one Kiran had taken again.

"You've run out of yoghurt," Gracie states around a bite of apple. Kiran purposely scrapes her fork across her plate to see the girl cringe.

"You ate the last of it."

Gracie leans back in her chair, munching on her apple. Kiran guesses she must have been painting already, with the new stain on her shirt that still looks a little wet, her hands covered in it too, and she smeared some on her cheek. She wants to ask what she's working on, but the need for silence this early stops her. Instead, Kiran gets up to get her third cup of coffee.

She doesn't know how long the two of them sit in a comfortable silence, but Kiran appreciates it. Gracie has clearly spotted the tarp haphazardly nailed over the hole in her wall, thanks to the help of Asher. He had come over after work to help her, Kiran had bought take-out, and they had watched half of a Disney movie before Asher had to go. Kiran had spent the time before Asher had arrived practising turning her glow on and off and could now do it on command, after hours and hours of a splitting headache from concentrating.

"What happened to your wall?" Gracie asks, after the sun has popped over the rooftops of Metropolis and it feels better to break the silence. Kiran looks over her shoulder at the awful blue thing attached to her wall, then turns back to Gracie, gripping her coffee mug in her hands.

"Superman," it comes out a lot more tired than it probably should have, considering Kiran is always excited to talk about the hero's exploits. But learning he was Clark, her day yesterday, and waking up with the shakes, Kiran just wants to crawl back into bed.

Gracie knows her too well, which Kiran has to cringe about one of her best friends being a teenager. Her eyes narrow as she stares at Kiran, her eyes darting over her face and her hands, looking back to her face, before Gracie is focusing on the tarp once again. Like she had been for however long. "I'm going to paint it," it isn't a question, "I just don't know if I should go Batman with it or Wonder Woman."

"Why not Wonder Woman carrying Batman like a princess," Kiran tells her, sarcasm dripping from her voice, but she knows with the way Gracie's eyes light up, that that's going to be on her tarp when she gets home. After training. Because fuck, she has to meet Batman on one of the bad days. For fuck's sake. Kiran checks the time, finishes her coffee, and goes about collecting her stuff to put into her purse for work. "I'll hang it on my rebuilt wall after it's fixed. Go to school, don't paint all day, text your mother where you are, and pretend to lock up when you're done. I'm going to be out late tonight, and I think whoever's in 5B wants my yellow shirt."

"You need to get your locks fixed," Gracie says, Kiran nodding in agreement. She grabs her keys, squeezes them in her hand to feel the ridges of her keys and the coin that's on her keychain dig into her palm painfully.

"Yeah, maybe it'll stop sixteen year olds from coming into my apartment, stealing my yoghurt, and getting paint everywhere," Kiran says solemnly, backing up to go put on the ankle boots sitting by the door. Gracie looks hurt and offended as she turns to look at Kiran. Kiran raises her eye, pointing at the yellow handprint on her door frame, the spot of turquoise near her kitchen counters, the shoe prints of crimson on her floor, half hidden by a dying plant, all examples of Gracie rushing over to tell Kiran something covered in paint. "Water my plant, please."

"You should be nicer to people!" Gracie yells at her back.

"Go to school!" Kiran shouts in reply. Then, "And don't get paint all over my apartment."

She tries to lock her apartment up, but knows it's really no use, since the lock is broken and it's easy to jimmy. Inside, she hears Gracie mumble about Kiran paying her rent on time, which makes the older girl cringe. She knew she had been forgetting to do something and makes an alarm on her phone to do so the next day as she walks down the stairs of her apartment building.

Public transit in Metropolis is a beautiful thing. The buses are cleanly, the drivers are nice, and Kiran isn't upset about having to stand as she rides to the Planet. She gets off on the stop a block away, stopping at the coffee shop along the way to get something sweet, and Clark and Lois' orders. Lily doesn't drink coffee, a lie, but she's refused to drink it since she's trying to work out to be fit enough to sweep Clark off his feet. Literally. Kiran can't wait to use her shoddy photography skills to film it.

She has to squeeze into the elevator in the Daily Planet, thanks Zacharias for pushing her floor button, and gets there with minimal coffee spillage. A breath escapes her when she sees her desk, happy to set Lois' coffee on her desk in passing, then Clark's on his, before settling in her chair. Her peace is interrupted when Lily Lark, photographer extraordinaire, plants her ass on the corner of Kiran's desk, and she has a green smoothie in her hand that looks absolutely horrible.

"Clark said you were shitting yourself yesterday," Lily says, and Kiran blinks at her, then at Clark and Lois, who have graced the two women with their presence. Lily looks tired, the bags under her eyes clear, and Kiran takes a pointed sip of her coffee. Hopefully, the shake in her hands is from the overdose of caffeine she's slowly working herself too.

"I did not!" Clark huffs, sitting down in his chair, then spots his coffee. He gives Kiran a big smile, and Kiran makes a show of covering her eyes and grunting at it, like she had been hit in the eye with too bright light. Clark chuckles, takes a sip of his coffee, makes that pleasant hum that Lily would describe as too fucking adorable to be coming out of a six foot something, Kansas beefed up man. When he's done savouring his coffee, he turns back to Kiran, "I really didn't."

Kiran looked between Lily and Clark, watched as the girl took a sip of her smoothie and made a face at it, before sighing and signing into her work computer.

"Actually, I told Lily you were shitting yourself," Lois peeped in, a smirk on her face, "From context clues Clark gave me, and Perry overhearing Perry ranting about it in his office." Kiran leaned around Lily to glare at her, deciding if she should take her coffee away. Lois takes a pointed sip of said drink as if knowing what Kiran was thinking. She probably did.

There's a pause in the conversation as Kiran focuses on opening the necessary documents on her screen. Her knuckles, which are purple and ugly from when she punched Clark, throb slightly as she types some things into a series of notes she has about potential stories. Lily's ass is still parked on her desk so Kiran jams a pen in her hip and watches as she twitches but doesn't move, still sipping her fucking smoothie and looking around the office.

"Did you get that article about the Lex Corp. warehouse written, Lois?" Lily asks into the silence. Clark and Kiran shared a look as Lois nodded then excitedly explained what she had written. Lily must have noticed they were having a silent conversation on how much he told Lois by how much the photographer stares at him, because she raises her eyebrows at the both of them. "What do you two know about it?"

"Nothing!" Clark tells her, too fast, and Kiran lets her head drop onto her desk with a thump because how the fuck did she not get suspicious of him? The attention is drawn to her, and that's the moment that Kiran hears, and smells, Lily's smoothie going through her.

"Did you just fucking fart?" Kiran asks, giving Lily a disgusted look as she picks her head up from the dangerous atmosphere that Lily made of her desk. She even has to wave the stink away, and she promptly shoves her coffee in her face to take in the soothing aroma of the beans. All hail the beans, Kiran thinks to herself. "God, it's worse than my toilet when I have the shits."

Lily, who Kiran knows has the most obvious crush on both Lois and Clark, throws her head back and dramatically puts her hand on her head, leaning back so her body is in some kind of tasteful arch. Kiran wants to push her off her desk for trying this shit before they start working seriously, but let's the girl have it. Maybe Clark and Lois would notice that they weren't mutually pining for nothing.

Kiran rubbed her head in annoyance as Lily whined, "If only there was a handsome man with dark hair and nerdy glasses that could save me from this bitchy fiend!"

"I don't think flannel charming will do much for you," Kiran mumbled. They were all oblivious to each other. Though Kiran can't really say anything, she was pretty oblivious to her first time crushing on her until she had him under her, too young to be doing stuff like that but not knowing how to get attention otherwise. The boy had been sweet, and Kiran hadn't been in Fallville, Iowa for long before her parents had moved her and Asher to another place for their jobs. She wonders what he's doing with his life, more than a decade later.

Clark, with a pout on his face, looked down at his shirt, the blue flannel standing out against the other professional wear in the office. Hell, even Kiran's shirt, a vintage Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon shirt under her blazer, didn't stand out as much as him.

"She's just kidding, Clark," Lois told him, comforting in the way she spoke.

Lily righted herself and shrugged, "I like the flannel, it's quirky."

Kiran watched the looks on Clark and Lois' face, watched how they softened together as Lily made an effort not to stare at them but her nails, picking at the cuticles. Kiran wanted to groan, shout at them, but she hated meddling in love lives. She had tried once before, and it had failed, so she vowed never again.

However, watching Lily, with a mocktail in her hand, a bright green face mask covering her tan skin, as she whispered in the silence brought on by the movie they were watching on their self care night makes her almost want to go back on that promise. Both of them are just so good, in their own different ways, she had said, and, I don't know, it makes me want to be better. Knowing that they might be looking at me like someone who could be as good as them makes me want to be better. So, even if they don't like me back like that, I won't know if I don't tell them, and then I can keep pretending they do.

Kiran decides, in that moment, that they're all disasters. Every single one of them. Maybe not as bad as her, but just looking at this... is it considered a love triangle? Who cares? Looking at this love triangle, and how plainly obvious they're all basically in love with each other, Kiran wants to slam her head into the wall. Or, drop the fact they love each other than tell them she slept with Lex Luthor when she snuck into a Gala her first year of university, the first weekend she was on campus. Mostly so they had to process everything and she had time to run away. However, with Clark being Superman, that might not work anymore.

It's a good thing that Perry walks out to give everyone their assignments. Lily gets off the desk and speedwalks to where Jimmy Olsen stands, Kiran impressed she can walk in such high stilettos and a pencil skirt. Perry starts calling everyone's name and what they're doing, Kiran listening closely for her name. Lois gets something that will land on the front page and above the fold, where she belongs, something that'll have her digging more into LexCorp. and the warehouse, more in depth than the piece she did yesterday. Clark gets a piece about a huge company pulling out of a housing development in what would be considered the bad side of Metropolis.

Kiran hears her name, perks up, and then almost starts laughing in joy because apparently, as a new entrepreneurial venture, is going to be making a show under Wayne Entertainment and Wayne Studios and she has been graced with an interview with the big man himself about the new show and how he feels as a producer. Perry gives her a stern look and tells her to be serious about it. Everyone knows the Daily Planet has been in talks of being bought by Wayne Entertainment and Perry doesn't want to fuck up with his new boss. She doesn't catch Lily's assignment due to her excitement.

Kiran can't believe she's going to be meeting Bruce Wayne, of all people. She cackles quietly to herself, much to Clark's chagrin, if the look he has on his face is anything. Clark has met the billionaire a couple of times, from what she knows, and the two have some good banter from reading the interviews they've done before. Still, Kiran can't help but feel the excitement for the interview.

She wonders what the show is about, then wonders what she should wear, and she's happy for the assignment. It's made her day better, because it's a pretty easy one and she's always been interested in what Wayne Enterprises does. They're one of the biggest multinational companies and have their hands dipped in many things that help better the world.

Kiran's so excited for the interview, that she almost doesn't realise she finished her coffee as she writes down potential interview questions. She sighs when she goes to take a sip from her cup, finds it empty, and has to go to the break room to get a mug full of the stuff in the office. It's not bad, and she does put a little bit of the creamer that the Planet keeps stalked in the fridge to help it not be so bitter, but she'd rather have the sugar high with her Bruce Wayne excitement.

She wonders if he's a Gotham Wildcats fan and then wonders if she should wear her Metropolis University Bulldogs sweatshirt she stole from one of the guys she tried to date in her time there. She's not sure what the Gotham University football team is called, but any passionate Gothamite should be rooting for their own team.

Kiran changes her mind, because despite the fact that she can get away with the vintage band tee tucked into some wide legged pants and a blazer overtop, she thinks she has to look better for Bruce Wayne. He's been the sexiest man alive more times than she actually cares to remember. And, she kinda feels like she shouldn't try to be a little shit to Bruce Wayne during an interview (which will be the only time she'll meet him, probably).

Kiran takes her seat again, goes back to her list of questions, before she's hit in the forehead with a small piece of paper. That's not unusual, as she started doing it to a sleep deprived Clark to get his attention after it seemed like he had stopped listening to everyone around him. It's sort of the way that got each other's attention now whenever they were both at their desks.

Clark looks a little nervous, "Remember our plans for tonight?" Kiran nods, and nobody is really listening except Lois, but she's always listening somehow. Like right now, she had only cocked a brow at Clark's words as she typed speedily on her computer. "Well, I'm going to be late, probably. I need to do some more stuff for work."

There's a constipated look on Clark's face. Kiran can't help but blink at him, "Your furry friend seems like a bit of a tight-ass though?" Lois, who had been taking a sip of her coffee, choked. Clark looks like he wished the ground would swallow him or aliens suddenly attacked Metropolis.

"Yeah, he is," Clark tells her, seriously, "which is why it's going to be my fault you're late. He's a bit more forgiving to me."

Kiran blinked at Clark, took a moment to study him, take a glance at Lois who is making a face of agreement, and Kiran can't stop the words from coming out of her mouth, "That's kinda gay, Clark." She watches his cheeks blossom into a red blush up to his ears. "God, the fanfictions some hero fans would write to hear about that. I'm going to post it on a forum right now."

"Kiran, you're telling me if Wonder Woman or the Black Canary had a soft spot for you, you wouldn't enjoy it either?" Lois asks, and Kiran takes a second to think as she types a question about Batman into her interview with Mr. Wayne. Just in case she can ask for his opinion about the Bat.

"Black Canary could stomp on me in her fishnets and I'd thank her," Kiran says, seriously, doing the sign of the cross before mouthing, thank you, Jesus, up towards the roof. Lois cackles and Clark is blushing even deeper. "Oh wait, shit, that's your co-worker, right?"

Kiran is trying to keep her voice down, but she can't help the laugh that spills out of her mouth at a new mental picture. Farm boy Clark Kent, standing in his suit of primary colours, beside all black Batman and Black Canary. Then she can't help but think about Black Canary in her bodysuit, leather jacket, and fishnets and suddenly hopes she runs into her tonight.

"I'll come grab you from your place when I'm done here," Clark says, still red, but clearly done with the subject. Kiran finds herself nodding, taking a mouthful of coffee. She has a thought as she swallows it.

"What do I wear? Will I need to hide my identity?" Clark shifts at the question, thinks for a second, then shrugs.

"I guess that's up to you. If you want, I can get one of his extra domino masks that might fit you, I think Canary had some from an old suit still lying around the locker rooms," It's weird to hear Clark call something in the Justice League's headquarters something as simple as a locker room.

"Sure, that'd be good. And then I'll just wear athletic wear?" Clark nodded, Kiran made a note on her phone. She wonders then, staring at the cracked phone, if she could guilt Bruce Wayne during her interview with him to give her a Wayne Tech model. It wouldn't even have to be the latest one, just something she could read better because it wouldn't be cracked.

Kiran plans on getting back to work after that, but then her stomach grumbles. She looks at the time on her computer, notices that she worked through lunch break, and stands up. It's a quick announcement that she's going to the sandwich shop maybe a block or two from the Planet, asks if they want anything, Clark tells her nothing, but Lois is suddenly craving tuna, and makes her way to the elevator.

Kiran, who had wanted to show off her newfound skill to Clark later, seizes the opportunity now as she gets on the open elevator. As it's closing, Kiran glances around to make sure nobody is paying attention but Clark, and then lets herself glow brightly for a second before turning it off again, just as the doors close. Her sandwich tastes like victory and accomplishment. 

____________

so, i literally love all these characters, thanks again to liv for letting me write lily. there's going to be way more of gracie, lois, and asher in the book, and bruce comes next chapter yaaaaay!!

i love you guys and this is the end of the repost! you'll get new content next ((;