Chapter Text
*Incoming Call- Ma*
Clark stepped away from the ring display, letting Tim keep looking, and answered the call.
"Hello."
*Clark, hi. We just had a young man here looking for you. Did you hire one of the neighbors boys to handle the animals for the day?*
"No, I paid Steph to come by and feed them."
*That's odd.*
"Did something happen?" Clark asked. The mer couple who'd recognized Raven still had him on edge and he didn't like being so far from home when something might be going on.
*No, no. He just looked so out of place. We don't get many young men out here with so many piercings.*
That clicked in Clark's mind.
Where had he seen…
"Was he wearing a leather jacket? With spikes on the shoulders?"
Ma gasped. *Yes! You know him?*
"I ran into him at the coffee stand a few days ago. He's in town to find his father. I offered to help him but he turned me down. I guess he changed his mind." Clark felt bad for missing the kid, but how did he know where Clark lived?
Maybe he'd asked around town?
*Oh, I wish he'd told me that. Jonathan and I could have helped him.*
"Dad, Dad! Check out this one-, oh, sorry." Tim quickly covered his mouth. "You're on the phone."
"I've got to go, Ma. I'll see you tonight, okay?"
*Okay. Drive safe. I love you.*
"I love you, too, Ma."
Clark hung up the phone and knelt beside Tim's wheelchair to get a better look at the ring he was holding.
"That stone's called rutilated quartz." The mer running the floating shop informed. "If you're looking for a gemstone with meaning, it offers protection against those that wish harm on you."
"I'm actually looking for an engagement ring." Clark examined the stone, turning it in the sunlight to watch the needle-like black bands running through it glisten. "But I like the sound of that."
The mer grinned. "Well, I'm honored you came to me for it. My name's Hal."
"Clark." He shook the mer's offered hand. "And this is my son, Tim."
"Hi. Are those gills..?" Hal asked, gesturing to Tim's neck.
"Yeah." Tim nodded, ducking his head slightly. "I- I'm a mer."
Hal arched an eyebrow but decided to not say what was on his mind.
Instead, he gently flicked his tail and swam to another ring box, bringing it back to his customers.
"If you've decided on the stone you want, these are all rutilated quartz."
Clark and Tim looked through the glass, pointing out all the different cuts, colors, and bands.
There were elegantly crafted rings shaped like vines, branches, and coral.
Stones with black or gold spines in them.
Some were set in the bands, while others stood far out of the rings.
But none of them said 'Bruce'.
Until Tim reached over and lifted Clark's hand off the corner of the case, showing him that he'd been blocking a few options from view.
And that was when Clark saw the ring.
Bruce's ring.
It was perfect.
Yyyyy
Since their lunch break had been spent at the market, neither he nor Tim had had the chance to eat, so the pair spent the last few hours with a few snacks from the vending machine in their pockets.
Tim spent much of their time helping Jimmy go through and clean up photos, learning about editing and photography, while Clark and Lois worked on articles.
Well, when they weren't checking out the ring, that was.
Clark had it in a ring box in his chest pocket and kept checking that it was there, opening it to look at it.
"I'm sure he'll love it." Lois smiled, examining the ring.
"I sure hope so." Clark took the box back and turned it, letting it flash in the lights. "I know I'm probably being ridiculous, but now that I've got a ring… this all just seems so much more real.
Lois couldn't hide the small chuckle. "Are you worried the man you've been with for the past sixteen years will say no? After four kids? And two grandkids?"
"It sounds silly when you say it like that." Clark closed the box. "But… I can't help but go over everything that could go wrong."
"Clark." Lois smiled. "Bruce has been with you for sixteen years. Think of everything you two have been through together. Even if the proposal doesn't go perfectly, I'm sure he'll say yes. He loves you, too, after all."
"Yeah." Clark opened the box to look at the ring again. "But I still want everything to go well."