In the Clouds

Superman: Part 8

One might think flight would eventually lose its charms, if it were accessible at will. That it would eventually become as mundane as walking or taking the bus. Why not fly everywhere, too, when you're faster than a speeding bullet? In Clark's opinion, that state of mind couldn't be further from reality. For him, it didn't matter how many times he did it. It didn't matter how many times he felt his hair part with the wind or he broke through the clouds. Exhilarating didn't begin to describe it - the feeling of flying was unlike anything else, beautiful and terrifying and electrifying all in one.

The still-recent addition of color to Clark's life only made that all-the-more true. Removed from the confusion of sorting out the course of his life, Clark had seen the world in earnest for the first time. In a way, it was thanks to Lois - he only wished he could thank her. Looking down at the city beneath him in all its chromatic splendor, his telescopic eyes saw details he never thought possible.

The little flecks of color in the irises of a child. The rainbow flag on the shirt of a teenager buying strawberry pink ice cream. The gold of an old woman's ring, holding their partner's hand on a brown park bench in a sea of brilliant green grass that, no matter how many times he saw it, threatened to overwhelm him in its grandeur. More closely, Lois's hair, violently shaking in the wind. The astonishing blue of her eyes in that brief moment she'd been able to keep them open before squeezing them tight.

-

The flight to the Planet was far from the first time Clark had taken someone into the air. He'd done so a dozen times in his life, usually in situations not too dissimilar from this one - rushing an injured or endangered person to safety in a way that, as far as Clark knew, only he was capable of. One might think him used to doing it by then, and for the most part, he was. He was long past the days of thinking it awkward to lift a grown person off the ground and physically shield them. Something was different there, though. Something was different in that Metropolis skyline.

Fear was a reaction Clark was used to. Fear of what he was, what he could do. Fear of what else the otherwise quiet man that had apparently hidden everything about himself might be capable of. Invariably, it was how most everyone reacted when they found out - but even without the secret identity, it was just how many people responded to Superman when they saw him up close.

He could hear their whispers. What is he here for? What is he capable of? Who does he work for? It was something he dreaded, especially from the people he called friends. That was one minor benefit of the costume, even if it wasn't why he used it - to slip back into another life where he could just be him and not be looked at like some sort of monster.

Lois's eyes were squeezed tight in fear, yes. Abject terror, even. In fact, for the briefest moment, Clark was scared she was afraid of him. But the way she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on for dear life, the way she buried her face in his chest as though seeking some sort of physical reprieve from the idea of hitting the ground... She wasn't scared of him. She was afraid of falling. "I've got you. Don't worry." They were his only words throughout the short trip, but they carried a certain gentle sincerity.

-

It was reassuring to see her smile up at him. To know, first and foremost, that she was safe and sound, both in body and (at least mostly, there was no discounting the danger she'd just been through) in mind. Secondarily, it acted as a confirmation of what he'd thought. All those nightmare scenarios he'd cooked up in his mind over the past several weeks of when they inevitably met like this, all those images of her looking at him with genuine terror in her eyes fell away.

She's not afraid.

In a way that... no one outside of his family had ever been. Even his dad had his issues, no matter how much he loved Clark. "No thanks necessary. I was just doing what I'd like to think anyone would do in my shoes." Clark met her smile warmly, finding it harder than ever to combat being too familiar with her. With that genuine but still roguish, almost crooked grin of hers, she wasn't exactly making it easy. He glanced her over for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright, though? Your heart rate's going a mile a minute." He gestured towards her, realizing that probably warranted some explanation. "Sorry. I can hear it."

The little quip earned Lois a chuckle. "I suppose you might be right, but I wouldn't undersell what you do, either." The Kryptonian's smile faded slightly into a still contented look. Shifting his weight, Clark weighed saying something more. Normally, that hesitation would be all it took to get him not to do something. For once, he overrode it. "You didn't jump to any conclusions where a lot of people do." Clark had already heard the explanation why, so he didn't ask. "Thank you."

With her wellbeing solidly confirmed, Clark's feet already lifted off the ground as he started to float backwards, only to hesitate when she spoke. Impossibly blue eyes - alienly blue eyes - scanned her face openly for a moment. Outwardly, it might have seemed he was gauging her intentions, or searching for some sign of deceit. That, of course, wasn't true. She couldn't possibly know (or at least he hoped she didn't know) the two had already met, and that Clark knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she meant no ill-will.

No, his quiet contemplation was more inward. More about what he thought was the right move. Was he ready to put himself out there like that? If he did, how much should he reveal? Was he prepared to deal with the possible reality where his answers didn't just not endear himself in the eyes of Metropolis, but set himself apart as something other? Something not only not of this city, not of this state, not of this country, not of this planet, but not of this galaxy? Clark himself had only known the truth of his origins for a very short time. He'd known he was from somewhere else, of course, but getting that datapad to work had taken years. It had shown him his home. for the first time. The place he came from, impossibly far away and... gone.

Clark set his jaw as he came to a decision. Building a foundation of trust on lies was impossible. He'd either have to tell the truth, or nothing at all. Slowly, he came to rest back down on the building in front of her. His cape continued to wave gently in the breeze, as it had in the doorway before. "Presume away, Lois. I'm willing to talk if you're willing to listen." He already knew Lois was right about getting ahead of things, as well. As before, Clark was at least glad that the person to do it would be her.

It was only a matter of time, he figured, until his old friend made things a lot harder for him on that front.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I might even have some answers," Clark's earnest grin returned after that moment of heavy thought. "Fire when ready."