Who: Mia, Nick, Lois, and Clark What: Having Dinner When: backdated to Wed. evening Where: Mia’s house Rating: low
Dinner!
Mia and Nick weren’t exactly cooks, though they were trying to learn. Mia still really sucked and she wondered if that was simply a gene she was stuck with thanks to her mother. Because of this they ordered food for dinner except for the salad which Mia made because she could at least put vegetables together and not ruin that.
She came out into the dining room and put the salad on the table and then went into the living room to find Nick. Mia was sure that Lois and Clark would be here soon, but she wanted to check in. She felt a little guilty there were more people from her home after Nick had lost some of his own, including his dad.
“Hey.” She closed the distance and then kissed him on the lips. “Ready?”
Nick could do simple things and breakfast food. Neither of which really screamed ‘dinner guests’ to him. At least they had the salad Mia made.
For his part, Nick had ordered takeout from the Cajun restaurant. He ordered enough to feed about ten people, but planned on there being leftovers for Mia’s ward.
Honestly, this felt like a good distraction for Nick. He still missed his dad and Logan, but he tried to focus on it a little less.
“Hey.” He returned the kiss and then rested his forehead against Mia’s momentarily. “Let’s do this.”
Lois could manage in the kitchen, but before farm life, she would often bring something home because of the weird hours both her and Clark worked. Adding in the boys' schedules, it was often easier. Next time, she’d invite the two over once she and Clark were more situated within their place. "I told Mia we’d be nice, which means no twenty-question game. So make sure I don’t go journalist Lois while at dinner, okay?" She knew her husband would know when to pull her back before she slipped into a role she knew all too well. Just in case it happened, she had him to snap her out of that state of mind. Stopping off at a bakery earlier in the day to pick up some brownies, Lois wasn’t about to show up empty handed. "You look good by the way," she smiled up at her husband, kissing him softly before making her way up to the door and knocking. Holding the box in one hand, she pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. Excited to see Mia and also to meet the boyfriend.
Clark hadn’t expected to be invited over to dinner by anyone so soon after his arrival in Madison Valley. To be honest, he hadn’t expected to know anyone when he arrived in town. It appeared as though he knew a few people here, a few people who had been here before him. Lois was here as well, she had arrived the same day he had. He would always be grateful for Lois’s presence in town.
Even though he did miss his boys, Jonathan and Jordan. Maybe one day they would arrive here as well. He had heard that happened sometimes, especially when one least expected it.
“You look beautiful, like usual,” Clark said, offering Lois a small smile and a kiss. “And I promise, if you start trying to play twenty questions, I will try my hardest to distract you from it.”
It was easier said than done, sometimes.
Mia told Nick that she hadn’t mentioned he was a werewolf and it was up to him if he wanted to tell them, as it always was. When the doorbell rang, Mia went to get the door. Opening it, she smiled when she saw them. Mia might not know them very well, but she fought along Superman and she had met Lois a few times before the universes ended. Having them here was kind of nice. Did she want to have people like Zoe and her brother show up? Yes. But she’d go for people she knew in general which was a sign of how much she had grown as a person.
“Lois. Hey.” Mia actually went in for a hug and everything. “Clark. Good to see you.” She gave Clark a nod instead.
Stepping back, she waited until they were inside to introduce everyone. “Lois, Clark, this is my boyfriend Nick.”
Nick didn’t plan on announcing his whole werewolf self, but he wouldn’t lie if asked about it either. Being a werewolf was as much a part of him as his eye colour, so Nick didn’t want to lie.
At the other couple, Nick held out a hand. “Nice to meet you both. I always enjoy getting to meet people from Mia’s life.” He said nothing about the hug his girlfriend gave. She’d changed a lot in the last year as their relationship grew.
“Can I get drinks for anyone?” Nick reached for the tumbler of scotch he’d poured himself right before the couple arrived, that he’d set down to shake hands.
"Thank you for the compliment and the promise," she figured if anyone had a shot at distracting her when she got into Lois Lane mode, it was Clark. He knew the signs and knew how she could be sometimes. Entering the house, Lois gave the two a smile. Lois didn’t know Mia all that well, but she was someone from her world and someone she met a few times. Considering the different points in time, she figured this was a great chance to get to know the woman better than what she knew of her. There was also the fact that it was amazing to have some people who she knew around. "Hey," she didn’t expect the hug from the bit she knew about Mia, but welcomed it, hugging the younger woman back. She extended the box to Mia after the two had released their embrace, "I brought these since I wasn’t about to come empty handed, so I bought them." At the introduction, Lois smiled at the man. "Nice to meet you," she said, shaking the man’s hand before stepping to the side so she was out of the way of Clark, who was most likely going to shake the man's hand as well. "Yes, well, I was excited to meet her boyfriend when she mentioned you." Lois nodded at his offer, "I’ll have a glass of wine, if you have any? And thank you for the invite; you two will have to come over next time for dinner." She figured Clark wouldn’t mind her inviting them over for another dinner.
This was all still a little strange for Clark. After all, he hadn’t been in town for too terribly long yet. It was true that there were people here that he knew. At least, people that he was familiar with. That helped immensely. The fact that Lois had arrived at the same time he had helped considerably more, though. He just wished Jonathan and Jordan were here as well. Though he knew that was likely a bit too much to ask at this point in time. “Thank you for having us over,” Clark said, with a genuine smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Nick,” he added, shaking the man’s hand. While he knew Mia likely knew him to be Superman, he wasn’t exactly sure if Nick did as well. Not that he was planning on hiding it from Mia’s boyfriend. If Mia deemed him trustworthy, he trusted her judgment. “I’ll have wine as well, if you don’t mind?”
Of course they were more wine people. She should have figured. They had some, so at least she didn’t feel weird about it, but she thought she should have anticipated it more. “I met Lois and Clark when the universes were in trouble. I.. don’t actually know when they are from. Are you from after the crisis?” Did that mean they knew more about ‘the future’ than she did? She’d go back to her future, she knew, so chances were Lois and Clark would be much older in her timeline.
Thankfully, Nick generally made sure the house had a few bottles of wine. He liked a glass or two with dinner, even if he tended to drink scotch more often. But, to the Italian-American, Nick thought wine with dinner just made sense. “Red or white?” Nick asked, knowing they had two bottles of red, but only one of white. He didn’t enjoy white as much, but should have thought about their company. “It’s nice to meet the two of you.” Nick couldn’t answer their questions, so he ushered them into Mia’s living room. “As the only person not from your world, I find your timelines fascinating.” In Nick’s world, time travel didn’t exist. Lois was never going to be the one who told anyone about Clark being Superman unless it was life or death. Such as back home when she had to come clean to save her husband. It wasn’t her secret, and if he wanted to share it, then that was on him. Just like the whole daughter from another universe that showed up was probably a topic that’d be saved for maybe when her and Mia had drinks and caught up on their own. It definitely was not dinner conversation, unless in some weird way it ended up coming up. "Red would be fine," she said to Nick with a smile before returning to focus on Mia’s questions. "We’re both after the crisis," she confirmed. "I know you’re from the future, but since you knew us, you must be around the crisis or after?" It wasn’t like the two could ruin anything with the different timelines and Mia being from the future, making it a bit easier to not have that concern hanging over her head.
"While complicated when trying to think it all out, it’s fascinating," and can be screwed with rather easily. There was also the issue of how different timelines could be, which Lois knew all too well considering she had a man staying with them in their own world who was her husband from another timeline. "What type of world do you come from, Nick?" She asked, returning the conversation to him for the moment, wanting to get to know the man better. “Red for me as well, please,” he said, in response to Nick’s question. He hadn’t always been a wine drinker, but after meeting Lois and eventually marrying her… well, his tastes had changed a little. That wasn’t to say he didn’t indulge in other alcohol. Wine just seemed like the appropriate choice for tonight. “It might give you a headache if you try to think about it too much,” he said. “Then again this entire town could possibly give you a headache if you try to think about it too much. Like how Barry Allen is both someone I know while simultaneously being someone I don’t know.” Barry being a different version of the Barry he knew was enough to confuse anyone, really. He recognized the man’s name, knew who he was, but that was about it. “Yes, Nick, where are you from?” He was interested in getting to know Mia’s boyfriend a little better. That’s why they were there, wasn’t it? "I'm from when the moment my dad dies." It still hurt to think about, but it was easier now to talk about it then before and easier still since she has gotten to spend time with her dad here. *But Nyssa told me what happens after. Apparently I forget everything until someone gives me back my memories, but she couldn't tell me who." It had annoyed Mia more at the beginning. Being with Nick really helped her come to terms with that kind of thing.
Nick listened to the trio talk as he poured wine for the two guests and then passed the drinks to them. “To new and old friends,” he said as he raised his glass. He waited until MIa finished speaking and then answered the questions. “I’m from New York.” Nick took a sip of scotch. “I would wager it’s not unlike the New York in this world.” Did he want to spill the beans on his world? “Ours has supernatural creatures though, like witches, sorcerers, half-demons etc. I’m a werewolf.” Nick didn’t elaborate, because they might have questions. And, while Nick didn’t exactly binge superhero comics and shows, he wasn’t completely obtuse about who these two were, especially if they came from Mia’s world. Clark wasn’t wrong about the headache part. While Lois had become a lot better at handling issues like timelines and superheroes, thanks to being a part of Clark’s life, it was still weird sometimes. Even more when adding in something like the Barry around here, who seemed nice, but wasn’t the one she had met. Hearing where in the timeline Mia was from caused Lois to frown, knowing that had to be a difficult point to be pulled from. "I said it before, but since you haven’t lived it, I’ll say it again. I’m sorry for your loss," she told Mia with a very small smile before nodding to the rest of what she said. "She isn’t wrong. The ones involved were given back the memories of what had happened, which is why we," she motioned towards her husband and herself, "know who you are and the rest of the group." Made it easier considering it would’ve been awkward and difficult to be here without knowing the others. Lois thanked Nick, taking the glass and raising her glass for a moment before returning her attention to what Mia had to say, then turning her attention back to him when he spoke. Lois had mastered the poker face very well, thanks to all the years in her job. So when he said "werewolf," she didn’t even flinch and just listened, nodding for a moment. That was a new one, but then again, the same could’ve been said when she met Superman. "Were you born a werewolf or was it more scratched and ended up one?" She asked after a moment, taking a sip of her wine. "So you have your own madness back in your own world, just of a different type?" She offered it up. It may not be like their world, but it wasn’t like it didn’t have a fair share of other stuff going on. Lois was keeping the questions simple enough for now, plus she was leaving the door open depending on if Clark decided to share his secret or not. Clark had known of Mia’s father’s fate, and he knew it must have been hard on Mia. Of course it was hard on her, it would be hard on a lot of people. “I am sorry for your loss as well, Mia. Losing a loved one is difficult.” He may not have experienced something like that recently, and he didn’t want to imagine losing a loved one now. Mia seemed to be handling things well, though, which was good. Clark was glad for that. “I didn’t know werewolves were born,” he mused. “I mean, born as a werewolf.” Though, to be fair, he didn’t know a whole lot about werewolves. Only things he gathered from watching movies, like An American Werewolf in London. He never expected to meet one in person, though. To be fair, he had never expected to end up in a place like Madison Valley, either. The only thing that made losing her dad, again, easier was knowing that it was actually for something. His death actually fixed the universe. Had it been for nothing, it would be a lot worse. She didn’t answer Nick’s question since he could do that for himself, but she did decide to add to it. “There’s a lot of werewolves here, actually. Some from Nick’s world and some from others. Pretty much if you think it might exist, even in a dream, it probably can and does here. It’s a concept that gets easier to deal with over time.” Going through what they went through helped, obviously.
Nick wrapped an arm around Mia at the mention of her loss, but only for a moment, to not make her too uncomfortable. He knew what loss felt like, given what had happened recently with Logan. Hell, he’d started therapy to work through these feelings. Quite honestly, he should have started therapy a lot sooner. At the questions, which Nick expected, he took a sip of his scotch before he answered. “I’m a hereditary werewolf, through my father.” Nick didn’t mention the part about his not knowing his mother at this point. That felt like a longer conversation than he wanted. “Scratches can’t turn you in my world. You have to be bitten and even then it’s far more likely you’ll die than turn into a werewolf. Hereditary werewolves don’t usually have their first Change until puberty hits. And, up until my Alpha and her daughter, werewolves are all males. The gene didn’t pass to women until my niece. But yeah, we have our own madness.” And some of it super fucking dangerous. Dangerous enough that Eve and Kristof managed to manifest into their corporal forms. And some vampires became mortal again. Lois was glad that Mia had Oliver around here even though she wasn’t sure if that made the whole thing better or not for the younger woman. It was something she probably ask privately between the two over drinks and depending if the conversation even went that way. Tonight was about getting to meet Nick and getting to know him. Talks about their world could be done at some other point unless Nick had something he wanted to ask.
While she was pretty good at hiding her reaction to certain things, she knew a raised eyebrow with a slightly confused look showed up on hearing how the gene didn’t pass to women. Oh how badly she wanted to ask on that, but she had promised herself no going twenty questions on the man right after meeting him. So for now she was holding back on that question. The key word being for now. “I think everyone has their own version of madness, especially with the different types of people that I’ve been seeing around here,” she added with a nod, crossing one leg over the other as she took a sip of her wine.
Bringing the glass back down, she looked over at Mia with a smile. “Maybe while we eat you can share with us how you two met,” she offered. Quite curious considering Nick looked older than Mia. Not that Lois had any problem with that considering who she was married to, but she knew how her and Clark met. So she was curious on the story between the two of them. “It seems there are all sorts of people here,” Clark said, softly. “I met a woman named Yelena my first day here, she said she comes from a world of superheroes. I had never heard of any of them, but she seemed to imply they were relatively well-known in her world.” He shrugged a bit at this. “She was also very interested in what I happened to be wearing.” So far, Yelena was the only person – outside of people from his world – who had seen him in his Superman outfit. He was planning on keeping it that way, at least for now. And he didn’t think the assassin would go blabbing to everyone she knew. “Yes, I am interested to hear how you two met as well.” Maybe he was just saying that because Lois wanted to know, maybe not. No one would know.
“Lucky for everyone our dinner is already ready.” So far this dinner didn’t feel forced or awkward which was something entirely new for Mia. This was another example of how Mia had grown as a person from when she first had shown up here. She gestured for them to follow her toward the dining room table. “It won’t be as exciting as how we met -” Mia meant Lois and Clark, “But there is a story.” One she’d be happy to tell over dinner wrap!