Chapter Text
Denise wasn't nervous.
Why would she be?
Okay, for some reason, her hands were kind of clammy. Her heart kept doing little back flips. And her mouth felt weirdly dry.
But that didn't have to mean she was nervous, did it?
After all, there was nothing to be nervous about! She was just having Boxing Day lunch with her boyfriend's family. They were all perfectly lovely people, whom she'd met plenty of times before; as wholesome and normal as they come.
If you overlooked the alien superhero stuff anyway.
The sharp blare of a car horn caused Denise to shriek in surprise, accompanied by a full body jolt that left her heart even more rattled.
She spotted Jon waving through the jeep's dashboard and did her best to recover, smoothing down her multi-coloured dress as she headed for the passenger side door.
‘Wow, you look amazing,’ he said, and she could feel herself blushing.
‘Oh this old thing?’ she said, with a practiced casual tone. ‘You scrub up nice yourself!’
That was actually the other reason she was blushing. Jon didn't just look nice.
He looked hot.
Who knew a simple white shirt and black dress pants could make a guy look so...
Girl, you gotta get a hold of yourself!
Today is a family affair. We are keeping things PG-13, no matter how firm those biceps look under that form hugging fabric…
‘So, uh… you had a good day yesterday?’ Jon asked, gratefully pulling her thoughts towards something safe.
‘Oh it was okay. It's pretty cramped in the flat when it's more than just the three of us, and my parents were totally knackered. The store's been really busy all month. But it was cool to see everyone. How bout you?’
Jon laughed knowingly. ‘You see that landslide on the telly?’
Denise's eyes widened. ‘Oh my god, of course. I'm such a ninny. Were you able to enjoy yourselves after at least?’
Jon shrugged. ‘We've got time for that today. In fact, Mom and Dad might be a bit more… intense about this lunch. Feels like the last opportunity to properly celebrate, you know?’
‘Is that a warning?’ Denise asked.
‘Just… maybe we should agree on a signal? In case you need a timeout or something.’
Denise laughed. Despite her earlier totally not nerves, Jon's attempt to prepare her for parental embarrassment was only putting her more at ease.
That was something she knew how to navigate.
If Clark & Lois being overly eager was the most uncomfortable thing that happened today, she'd be chuffed.
It was sure as hell better than her usual speciality.
Sticking her bloody foot right in her bloody mouth.