Free Fall [9/?] (Smallville // Clark/Lois)

[krysyuy]

Title: Free Fall (9/?)
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: Clark isn’t willing to risk his heart again. But when Fate gives him a glimpse into his future, the only question is – how hard will he fall?
Pairings/Characters: Clark/Lois, Chloe/Bart, Oliver/Dinah, Bruce/Zatanna, Justice League
Warning: Spoilers up to Hex.
Rating: PG-13/T
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used. This fic is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Author’s Notes: More than a month between updates! Yikes. One reason for that was Comic-Con – it was my first time going this year, so I was scrambling with that. My other reason is – well, I was writing other stuff! If you haven’t checked out my two newest Clois one-shots, please do. Readers may be particularly interested in Popsicle Soup as it takes place in the Free Fall universe. A little fluff piece between future!Clark and future!Lois when they were dating. My other story is Unfamiliar – a look into Clark’s head during the dunk scene in the season 4 episode Façade.
Anyways, what to say about this chapter. A lot going on. I hope some of you are paying particularly close attention. Everything in this chapter is in here for a reason. I also realize I left you guys on a particularly frustrating cliffhanger. Good news – no cliffhanger this chapter! I kinda tried something new this time around too so I hope it doesn’t confuse anyone… I guess I’ll let you get started reading. And please leave a review if you are so inclined. :D It would mean a lot.
Big huge THANKS to my awesome reviewers and readers! Hope you guys haven’t forgotten about this story. ;) I will be replying to reviews from last chapter, but I figured you guys would rather read than wait for me to do that. So, without further adieu, please read, review, and enjoy!



Chapter 9: Complication

Oh god.

Clark tried to hold in his screams, but the pain was so great he couldn’t keep it in. Every nerve ending was on fire, burning him from the inside out. The intense heat blanketing his skin suddenly pulled back and centered in the middle of his chest. He fell forward on his hands, drawing into himself as he now struggled to breathe.

A sensation he recognized as magic tugged at him, trying to unearth him. But it seemed his core, his very being was rooted to the ground, refusing to budge.

This was nothing like kryptonite, where his lungs constricted and a fever broke out. The radioactive meteor rock paralyzed him, all his joints locking up and muscles seizing. That pain he could handle, even endure if he had to.

But this – this was unbearable.

It was more than crippling him and blocking a necessity to breathe. The magic wanted to take him away, fought against something else wanting to keep him. The conflict born from this threatened to rip him apart. It tore into his insides, pulling him in all directions. What felt like hands grabbed at the center of his chest and yanked.

On his hands and knees, Clark screamed his anguish.

Magic was forcing him to go. It called to him, telling him it was time. He had to return to his rightful place. Back where everything made sense. But no… he wasn’t ready at all. He wasn’t ready, wasn’t ready –

I’m not ready to leave yet!

Clark grit his teeth even as his head ducked down to touch the ground. Something more powerful compelled him to stay, no matter how much the magic insisted.

Through his haze of pain, he barely registered the panicked voices in the background. One in particular sounded distressed, somehow increasing his own pain.

“I told you to stop! You’re hurting him! Stop!”

“What are you doing?! You’re killing him!”

Echoes of her voice, present and past melded together, resounding in his ears. He knew that voice. He knew her.

Lois.

The thumping of his heart rumbled through his body. He curled into himself on his side, hoping to concentrate the pain in one area. There was no relief – only the same unfathomable ache deep in his chest.

“I did! I don’t know why –”

“Stop, Lois! Who knows what’ll happen if you go near him?”

“Let go of me!”

Sounds of a struggle reached his ears, but seconds later, soft hands pressed against his face and pushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead. The pain receded almost instantaneously, and his limbs slackened, unlocking themselves.

“Relax, sweetheart.” A whisper of a kiss against his forehead.

Clark loosened completely beneath the tender touch and let himself sink into the black oblivion of unconsciousness.

–

Dreaming. He must be dreaming.

Clark stood in a white void, completely alone. He looked to the front and to the back, but it was colorless all around. He stepped forward tentatively. When nothing disastrous happened, he took another step and then another. He started walking with no real destination in mind. Everything stayed the same no matter how long he walked or which direction he went. Direction was a moot point in this dreamscape.

Clark stopped in his tracks as a three-dimensional image began to shimmer in his path. A feminine shape with an ethereal glow formed and he recognized her immediately. Lois stood before him, hazel eyes bright and locks of dark brown hair shining. He didn’t know how he knew, but this was the Lois from the future. However, her image was hazy along the edges and she seemed to be looking through him.

He turned around to see what she could possibly be looking at, but saw nothing except the same white space. When his gaze swiveled back, he was alarmed to see the image of Lois flickering. She began flashing through several expressions, hairstyles and outfits faster and faster until she simply became one blinking blur.

Clark reached for her, but pulled back in surprise as his hand passed through her shape. Immediately, she stopped flickering as if his touch was all the permission she needed. He stared at his hand and then at her as she began to move.

Lois stretched out her hand and for a moment, it disappeared in front of her. When she drew it back, she held a simple silver ring dotted with three diamonds on the top. She stared at it, speechless, but the corners of her lips quirked up as her gaze turned to him.

“Is this a hint that you wanna make an honest woman out of me? ‘Cause you’re a little late, Smallville.”

Clark blinked, but before he could process exactly what he was seeing, Lois’s image flickered again. Her expression changed to curious with that hint of mischief that never seemed far behind.

“What color underwear am I wearing?”

He balked. What kind of dream was this? There was no time to think as Lois changed yet again. This time the scenery transformed as well. Before he knew it, he was standing on the wrap-around porch of his house, though the edges of the setting still dissolved into the white void, a reminder that something wasn’t right.

Lois tensed in front of him, her hair up in a ponytail, as she balanced on the balls of her feet. “I’m faster than you.”

Clark was startled when an image of himself emerged from his body and stepped in front of him. He moved to the side to get a better angle as his doppelganger smirked and asked, “You think so?”

She lifted her hands in front of her, and they were covered in varying colors of some kind of sticky substance. “I know so.”

The future Lois began to look more and more like his Lois. Her flickering started and then paused again as did his double’s. She looked absolutely furious and just a bit frustrated as she exclaimed, “Stop making me fall in love with you!”

Clark was sure the gobsmacked expression on his duplicate’s face was mirrored on his own. Then the image of himself fluttered with the scenery and suddenly, he was wearing frayed and dusty clothes, looking a little the worse for wear. He clutched an unconscious Lois to him and his relief was palpable.

“I will never let you out of my sight again.”

The pure depth of exhaustion and relief on his double’s countenance astounded him. Confused, but more than fascinated, Clark could only watch as his double and Lois flickered again and again. The background automatically altered itself to fit wherever their interactions took place. Clark began to have an inkling of what was going on, but instead of analyzing it further, he found himself wanting to witness more of the revealing conversations between his twin and Lois.

His double pleaded with a stubborn Lois whose back was turned to him. “Don’t go out tonight.”

She turned around and regarded him carefully. “Give me a reason.”

Clark recognized the inner struggle on his face. Then his twin simply requested, “Trust me.”

The backdrop remained at the Daily Planet, but their clothes changed and Clark knew it was once again a different scenario. Lois raged in front of him, pacing back and forth. “She’s not at home and she’s not answering her cell!”

His double stopped her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll find her,” he promised.

The serious tone of the past flickers faded as his twin’s face smoothed into a teasing expression. A phone materialized in the air as he held it between his ear and shoulder. He sat down and typed at his computer. “Don’t get overenthusiastic about your lead,” he advised.

Lois’s voice came over the phone. “I promise nothing.”

With the next change, his image and Lois were sitting in the back of a parked ambulance. Clark was surprised to see the one getting treated was himself, though he noted his double was insisting he could patch himself up to the EMT.

Lois hovered near him, wearing a large trench coat. It opened slightly in the middle with the movements of Lois’s pacing and Clark had a glimpse of skintight leather. Huh. “I can’t believe you! You stupid, stupid –”

His twin nodded at the EMT’s insistence he go to a hospital, though his focus was really on Lois. “I would do it again.” Do what again?

She paused, rubbing at her eyes. “Like I said. Stupid.”

Another flicker. The backdrop altered itself to the Daily Planet again. Lois scribbled something in a notepad before typing madly on her keyboard. She glanced over at his counterpart, who was staring pensively at his computer screen. “Work waits for no one, Smallville.”

He met her eyes and looked away. “I just…”

She leaned forward. “What’s wrong?”

The image of Lois kept on flickering as his double stopped. He supersped into his house and sat down on the couch. “Yes, Lois? What can I do for you on this fourth phone call?”

“This is only the second time I’ve called!” her voice replied indignantly.

He shrugged off his jacket and made himself comfortable. “I think you need to learn your numbers again.”

His image flickered and this time he was standing in the kitchen of his house. “I’m fine. It’s okay.”

“Okay? Okay?!” Lois exploded, clutching at the edge of the island. Though she looked physically drained of any energy with her red-rimmed eyes and mussed hair, she seemed to have enough to ream him. “You were in an exploding airplane! That is not okay!”

For the first time, Clark recognized the scenario change as they were transported to the staircase of the Daily Planet. He remembered it as if it only happened hours ago. His image was drenched from the rain as he stared down at Lois, who was looking back with an air of nonchalance. Her expression seemed out of place, considering the complications that had just been raised between them.

“I’m gonna work off my jet lag later on tonight at the café,” she said, as if it were easy to deal with the sudden questions about their friendship. “If you want to come by for a coffee, cool. If not, let’s just say I get it.”

His double nodded, and Clark knew his mind was working a mile a minute behind that neutral expression. “Okay.”

No, this was not a dream.

Memories?

Clark brought up his hand, watching as it began to flicker, too.

Not my memories.

–

“No, that’s it! No more spells!”

Yelling somewhere in the distance pierced the fog clouding Clark’s mind. It roused him from his deep immersion in what he assumed were memories. Memories that didn’t belong to him. Not yet, anyway. Even then, it still felt like he viewed something he wasn’t supposed to be privy to. Disoriented, he turned his head from side to side slowly and discovered he was on the couch in Oliver’s loft.

“The longer he stays here, the greater the possibilities grow that something’s goes wrong.” The stern and calm voice in the face of Lois’s wrath could only be one person. Bruce must have already returned from Gotham.

“Something already went wrong! I’ll find another way, just no more magic,” Lois stated firmly. Her voice brooked no room for argument. “He will not go through that again.”

“Lois…” Zatanna sounded horribly regretful. “You know I never meant to hurt him.”

“But you did!” Lois snapped, and even Clark winced though her ire wasn’t directed at him. There were several tense seconds of silence and then Lois took a long, deep breath. Her next words were quieter and Clark wouldn’t have heard her without his super hearing. “… I’m sorry, Zee. I know. God, I know. But this… I can’t stand this.”

The pain in her voice spurred Clark into action. He pushed himself up with minimal difficulty. Any residual pain was fast becoming a memory, especially with the scattered rays of sunlight beaming across his back through Oliver’s ceiling to floor windows.

“Lois,” he said, throat dry and scratchy. He meant for his call to come out stronger than that. He frowned and clutched the back of the couch with one arm.

Lois’s eyes snapped to his. “Clark!” The utter relief visible on her face sent something warm fluttering in his chest. She rushed down the steps of the raised platform and over to the couch, kneeling next to him.

Lois grabbed one of his hands and reached out with her other to lightly graze his cheek. “Oh Clark,” she repeated, looking him over from head to toe. Her gaze was so intense that if Clark didn’t know better, he would have thought she was x-raying him. He paused. Then again… this future was already present with all sorts of anomalies.

Clark leaned forward a bit and Lois was quick to steady him. Before she could get a word out, he whispered, “Lois… you don’t happen to have… any powers, do you?”

Amusement briefly broke through her concern. “Like what?” she murmured back.

Heedful of the three other people lingering in the back of the room, Clark bent even closer so his lips were close to her ear. “X-ray vision?” he asked. Now that he said it aloud, the notion seemed sillier than it had in his head.

Embarrassment colored his cheeks when Lois laughed and ducked her forehead so it lay in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Her breath tickled his collarbone. “I have the power to write one damn good story. Not to mention the ability to affect a certain Superman,” she said. “But sorry – no x-ray vision.”

“Oh.” He felt even more foolish. Of course Lois didn’t have powers! She was human. Clark shook his head and her hair slid under his chin.

Lois’s laugh died down. “Are you okay?” she whispered against his neck.

“I’m fine,” he replied. Her arms encircled him tightly and he wanted to comfort her somehow. So, he did the same, pulling her close. “It’s okay.”

Her fingers curled into the hairs at the nape of his neck. She didn’t say anything for several seconds before she leaned back. “Are you sure?” she asked.

Clark smiled reassuringly. Gently, he took her arms and moved them so that he could grasp her hands in his lap. “I won’t attempt another time jump by spell any time soon,” he replied. “Other than that, I’m fine.”

Lois smiled in return, though she was obviously still a bit skeptical.

“Clark, I’m so sorry!”

He looked up to find Zatanna standing behind the edge of the couch. She clutched at the bottom of her leather jacket, her expression earnest and stricken. “It was never supposed to hurt you like that,” she said. She looked like she wanted to step forward, but she kept her distance. “I did everything by the book, and –” She clenched her fists. “It was supposed to be safe. I made sure of it.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, meaning every word of it. How could she have known? “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

The guilt in Zatanna’s expression lessened somewhat, though her frown remained behind. “I appreciate your vote of confidence, given how short we’ve known each other,” she said, “and I know I did the spell right.” She crossed her arms, hands gripping her elbows. “Instead of sitting here, you should be back in your own time, unharmed and in one piece.”

“Since he obviously isn’t, do you have any ideas what went wrong?” Lois asked, her hands squeezing Clark’s.

Bruce came up behind Zatanna and wrapped a casual arm around her waist. He looked every inch the heir to a major corporation in a stylish black two-piece business suit, complete with navy tie. “It wasn’t on our end,” he replied.

“If not the spell, then…” Lois turned to look between Bruce and Zatanna. “You’re not suggesting…” She trailed off, but her narrowed eyes said she suspected something.

Clark was lost. “What?”

Zatanna walked around to the opposite side of the couch from where Lois was sitting. She crouched down and placed her arms along the back of the furniture, looking him in the eye. “Depending on the spell, my magic deals not only with the physical form, but the spiritual as well,” she explained. “As you are not in your body, my spell was cast so that I could free your soul and subsequently lead you back where you belong.”

Clark nodded. “I’m following you so far.”

“My magic is strong,” Zatanna went on, “and it is rare when I encounter a soul who can reject my power.”

“Reject?” Clark repeated, puzzled. “I’m susceptible to magic. How can I reject it when I’m vulnerable to it?”

“That’s what’s so confusing,” Zatanna replied. Bruce placed a hand on her shoulder. Without looking, she reached up and placed her hand over his. They were proving to be quite the enigmatic couple.

The black-haired sorceress continued, “The only ones who should be able to repel me are other magic wielders.”

Clark added the pieces of what they weren’t telling him. “I did something,” he concluded. “It’s my fault.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Lois stated fiercely. Her glare pierced Zatanna. “Right?”

Zatanna wasn’t exactly looking at Lois, while Bruce remained unaffected, as always. “I don’t think he did anything,” Zatanna said. “Consciously.”

Lois rubbed Clark’s shoulder. “Unconsciously?” she said, tone deceptively light.

“I believe you fought against my spell,” Zatanna replied, locking eyes with Clark again.

Clark’s eyebrows furrowed. “But I was –” He immediately corrected his wording. “I am ready to go.” Wasn’t he?

Words lost in his recent haze of pain tugged at his mind. It had been a stray thought as the torment reached its height. He concentrated on remembering, but the words continued to elude him.

“For this specific spell, the soul has to be willing,” Zatanna said. Her eyes never left Clark and he had the distinct impression she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it aloud.

“But if it’s an unconscious desire, then you can’t just change it like that,” Lois said, snapping her fingers to emphasize the ‘that’. “You can’t change what you aren’t aware of.”

“We’ll find out if Zatanna tries again,” Bruce stated. He took Zatanna by the shoulders and smoothly straightened her so she was standing. “After an appropriate time has passed.”

“I said no, Bruce,” Lois said tightly. “Get that through your playboy – no offense, Zee – head. There’s another way and we’ll find it.” She squeezed Clark’s hand and Clark found himself thankful for her support. She was his anchor in this tumultuous future.

Not mine. Clark was reminded of his glimpse into his future relationship with Lois. “I don’t understand,” he said suddenly. “I’m ready. I want to go back now.”

“You might think so,” Zatanna said gently. “But there is something keeping you here.”

Clark looked from Zatanna to Lois, not knowing what to do. There was nothing keeping him in the future. He was ready to go back. He didn’t want to deal with any more surprises. He needed to be back on even ground.

He wanted to give Lois her husband back.

“You’ll figure it out,” Lois said, giving him an encouraging smile. “Besides, you’re not alone.”

Clark stared at her. This Lois was particularly good at overwhelming him. Then again, so was his. He felt his heart swell and backpedaled quickly. “Well, I’m obviously not going home any time soon,” he said, looking over at the Justice League members. “The mystery needs to be solved.”

“You hold the key to that,” Bruce replied coolly. “The only one keeping you here is you.”

Zatanna lightly slapped his chest without looking back at him. “You’re not helping,” she murmured.

Lois placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head towards her. “How are you feeling now?” she asked, drawing his attention away from Bruce.

Clark carefully moved his legs to the ground and made sure not to hit Lois. He stood up and walked over to the glass doors. Sunlight poured over him, feeding him with new energy and strength. “Good as new,” he stated, turning around. He smiled big so as to put her worries to rest.

Lois returned his smile, and Clark was gratified to see her anxiety melt away.

“So are we just supposed to sit around and wait until Clark has his epiphany that he wants to go home?” Oliver called from his position behind his computer.

Clark looked over at his old friend, for the first time realizing he was still in the room. Oliver had been uncharacteristically quiet. “But I do want to go home,” Clark retorted. How many times would he have to say it before they believed him?

Oliver leaned back in his chair. “Obviously not, Boy Scout,” he replied, tapping a pen on his desk. “Or you wouldn’t be standing there.”

Clark didn’t know if he could trust what he felt anymore. Everyone was telling him one thing when he was sure he felt another. He remained silent.

Oliver sighed. “Someone needs to take over the patrol for Metropolis,” he said.

Clark twitched. Zatanna spoke before he could. “Clark can take on patrol,” she commented.

Bruce met Clark’s eyes challengingly. “How exactly will he do that when he can’t fly?” he asked.

Oliver immediately interrupted, frowning. “Abilities don’t make the hero.”

“Then why didn’t you suggest him as my lovely companion did?” Bruce asked nonchalantly, glancing at Zatanna though the question was directed at Oliver. It was clear he already knew the answer.

Clark’s suspicions were confirmed when Oliver looked away. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

Bruce returned his stare calmly. “We need Superman, not the Red-Blue Blur.”

Definitely didn’t like it. Clark leveled a glare at the dark haired billionaire. “I am perfectly capable of patrolling Metropolis,” he said, tone neutral.

Bruce seemed amused by something, and Clark bristled. “You have absolutely no idea of the state of this world,” Bruce commented. “Don’t presume you know anything.”

What was he going on about? “I never said I did,” Clark replied tightly.

Lois stood and came over to place a hand on his arm. She looked between him and the others. “This is getting us nowhere,” she said. “And you –” She frowned at Bruce. “– you are being more prickly than usual.”

“I don’t take too kindly to the timeline being threatened,” Bruce answered. “Or boys playing at heroes.”

“Bruce!” Zatanna exclaimed. She moved out of his reach. “What are you doing?”

“I’m reminding Clark –” Bruce emphasized his name in a way that had Clark picturing quotation marks. “– not to get too comfortable.”

All these digs at his expense were grating on his nerves. “You clearly have a problem with me,” Clark said, crossing his arms. “So don’t talk as if I’m not here.”

“If I had a problem with you, you’d know,” Bruce replied, expression closed off.

No one could drive him as crazy as Lois, but Clark thought Bruce was coming in a close second. The man was as mystifying as he was frustratingly obstinate. “Look, I’d be out of your hair if I could,” Clark said patiently. “But for however long I’m stuck here, I’m going to help.”

“You can’t help when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I don’t need any more of my inadequacies shoved in my face,” he said stonily. “I’m not Superman. I’m not your Clark. I get that.” He uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists at his sides. “But that isn’t going to stop me from helping.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

Clark stepped up to Bruce, narrowing his eyes. “Try and stop me.”

–

“If I didn’t know about Bruce’s notorious self-discipline, I think he would have decked you.”

Clark set Lois down carefully in the middle of the apartment, having supersped back after the unsuccessful meeting in Oliver’s loft. “He knows it would hurt him more than it would hurt me.”

Lois nodded. “Still, there was something funny going on there,” she commented, pursing her lips.

Clark winced at the memory of Bruce’s disapproving stare. “Can we… not get into that?” he asked. “I’d like to cool down first.”

Lois gave him an assessing look, but acquiesced. “You should rest,” she said. “I’ll work in the living room.”

Clark shook his head. “I’m fine. I can’t sit around here and think of a way back home. Not now,” he said. “I need to get out there and clear my head.”

She frowned and after a moment, sighed. “I’m not your prison guard,” she said. “And you know I’m not a fan of rules.”

Clark snorted. Understatement of the century.

She glared at him as if she knew what he was thinking and he schooled his expression innocently. She eyed him a few seconds longer and finally said, “There are things in this future you shouldn’t know. But I’m not going to keep you from doing what you feel is right. What little knowledge you might glean out there –” She nodded to the Metropolis skyline. “– is miniscule to the good you can do in Clark’s absence.”

Lois trusted him to keep his promise. “Thank you,” he said. He turned, fully prepared to speed off, partly because he didn’t want to give her any reason to retract her permission.

Lois caught the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Ah-ah-ah,” she said in a singsong voice, wagging her finger. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To patrol.” Hadn’t they just gone over this?

“What, you’re going to blur everywhere without letting people or cameras catch you?”

“… pretty much,” he replied, seeing nothing wrong with the idea. That was his plan every time he went out as the RBB.

“You want to save people?” she asked. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to wear the suit.”

Clark twitched. “Oh no.”

Lois smiled and nodded.

“No,” he said. She kept nodding and he kept shaking his head. “No, no, no, no.”

“Clark Jerome Kent, what is your dysfunction?” Lois circled him with her hands on her hips, looking him up and down. “This is more than a tights phobia.”

Clark hated when someone used his full name. It always made him feel like he was in trouble. And now, Lois had made the short list of people who ever used it on him – the only other people being his parents.

Lois stopped in front of him, studying him intently. He fidgeted.

“It… doesn’t feel right,” he said lamely. She gave him a look that said she wasn’t letting it go so easily.

How to put his uncertainty into words? Dozens of explanations ran through his head before he finally said, “There are no sunglasses.”

Lois’s pensive expression became puzzled. She shook her head. “Umm… no?”

“No mask.”

“… no face-obscuring doohickey?” Lois continued, and Clark saw the beginnings of understanding cross her face.

“Exposing myself to the public…” The initial admiration and hero-worship was nothing more than a fleeting fantasy. He recalled how easily the world was swayed to believe the worst in him. How swiftly the government had descended on his home, threatening those he cared about. “I don’t exactly have the most pleasant of memories.”

A calculating gleam darted through her eyes, but it disappeared so fast that Clark wasn’t sure he saw anything at all. “You’re safe here. In this future,” she said. “Clark Kent is a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But –”

“No explanations here,” she said, zipping her lips. “All I can say regarding your identity –” She reached up to tap the sides of his glasses. “– is that you’ve taken care of it.”

Clark felt the same curiosity from earlier creeping up on him again. A sense of inevitability washed over him and he sighed. Then he remembered what another Lois had attempted in an alternate universe. Combined with the actions of this future Lois, he made sure to make one thing clear.

“No peeking.”

–

“How do I wear this thing?”

Clark stood in the middle of the bedroom his future self shared with Lois, holding up the blue one-piece suit. Lois leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom. She looked more amused than she should be, and he frowned at her.

She shrugged, though there was a kind of secretive glint in her eye. “I’ve never seen you do it slowly. You sort of –” She twirled her fingers in a fast circular motion. “– and there you go.”

Well, that was no help at all. His frown was directed to the costume again. His hand moved along the edges at the top and he felt the zipper. He pulled it down till it stopped mid-back.

He looked back up at Lois, and she wiggled her hips. “Shimmy your way in?” she suggested.

Clark paused long enough to give her a stare of disbelief, though his gaze then swung quickly away from her hips and back to the suit. The material was soft under his fingertips. He took a deep breath. He was really going to do this. He kicked off his shoes, but then looked pointedly at Lois.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before,” she said nonchalantly.

“Lois.”

“Yeah, ‘no peeking’,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. She seemed to contemplate something, and then simply headed towards the hallway. “I’m going out.”

“Wait – where are you going?” he asked, placing the suit on the bed next to the cape and belt.

“I need to check up on some things,” she replied vaguely. “You don’t need me for anything, right?”

He didn’t know how to answer at first. “No, I guess not,” he finally replied, caught off guard by his own surprise. All of a sudden, the idea of not having Lois beside him felt a little… strange. Plus he found it very peculiar that she wasn’t sticking around to see him wear the final product.

Lois waved at him without looking back.

“Just do what you do best.”

–

Saving the world was all well and good, but what happened when the world was relatively quiet? Listening to a police scanner while in costume was out of the question, so he decided to stretch his ears. Clark stood atop a high building in Suicide Slums, simply listening to Metropolis. There were no disturbances or cries of distress. He closed his eyes in an attempt to focus further.

He heard the fluttering of his cape as the wind rushed by him. The red boots were solid and comfortable on his feet, while the blue one-piece suit clung to him like a second skin. The feeling was not as horrible as he imagined. An unusual sense of something ran through him. Not quite pride, but not humility either.

It had been maybe an hour since Lois had gone from the apartment, leaving him to don the costume. Once he had steeled his resolve, putting on the suit had been relatively easy. A quick shimmy, as Lois suggested, and then a few tugs was all it took. After that, he hooked on the cape and slipped on the boots. Before he supersped to the roof, he took one look in the mirror.

Clark hadn’t recognized himself, but the big deal about Superman was beginning to make sense.

He let the sounds of the city surround him. He pushed past the honking of afternoon traffic, the flapping of pigeons’ wings, and the chattering of random pedestrians. Searching, searching…

“Don’t even think about pressing that button, sweet cheeks. Unless you want a bullet straight through your pretty little head.”

There!

Clark concentrated on the ensuing conversation between criminal and victim as he supersped towards their voices. Seconds later, he stopped in a deserted alleyway, not quite ready to have anyone spot him. There was an unmarked van at the entrance, and with a quick x-ray look, he knew it was the getaway car. He turned his x-ray vision onto the brick wall in front of him, and saw the beginnings of a bank robbery.

Customers lay face down on the floor while bank employees were gathered in a corner. They huddled together as one of the robbers watched them. Another robber pointed a machine pistol at the back of who Clark assumed was the bank manager. The short balding man was sweating profusely as the robber nudged him towards the vault at the back of the building.

Clark took this all in within a matter of seconds.

“Nice and slow, old man, and you might be able to get out of this with your life.”

Clark’s jaw clenched as the bank manager trembled horribly. The short man stepped up to the security panel and pressed his finger to the scanner.

Clark made a swift reassessment of where all the robbers were located. Before he lost his nerve, he supersped into the building, quickly disabling all the weapons in each criminal’s grasp. They fell in a twisted pile next to the startled bank staff. Within the next few seconds, there was a gust of wind and a blur of movement before all five robbers, including the driver of the getaway car, were deposited in the center of the room. Their hands were bound behind their backs by plastic cable ties that Clark found in the van. All of them were knocked unconscious with a small tap to the forehead. He removed their ski masks and wildly colored wigs, dropping them beside their still forms.

Clark paused before completely stopping in the middle of the room. His cape fluttered with the movement before it settled gently against his back. He raised his head slowly, still wary of anyone seeing his face. He half-expected to hear exclamations of “Clark Kent? Is that you?”

Instead, there was only stunned silence and then relieved shouts of “Superman!”

Customers picked themselves off the ground as bank employees strayed from their designated corner. The fear and panic on their faces transformed into gratitude and appreciation. They all looked thankfully at him, but the bank manager approached him first.

“Superman! Thank you so much!” The manager reached out to shake his hand. “If you hadn’t come when you did –” he cut himself off, shuddering. “We’re forever in your debt.”

Clark nodded, the name ‘Superman’ still sounding foreign to his ears. “You should call the police right away,” he said, purposely making his voice a tad deeper. It seemed like the right thing to do.

“Of course, of course!” The manager nodded rapidly and signaled someone over Clark’s shoulder. “To be honest, Superman, I’m very surprised they chose to rob my bank. We don’t hold half as much money as the larger branches. Same goes for our number of clients.”

That was a bit odd. The size of the take is what usually attracted a criminal. “Money is money, sir,” he said. “And it looks like they wanted to take advantage of your security situation.” He spotted the two lone security guards getting their bearings as they started to make rounds, checking everyone’s status.

“Superman! Thank you!”

“Thank you so much!”

“You saved us!”

As they emerged from their shock, more and more customers and employees began to approach and thank Clark. He smiled, though it was a bit strained as memories from before he used the Legion ring came back to him.

“Forgive me, ladies and gentlemen, but –” Clark’s ears picked up the sound of screeching tires. “– duty calls.” They continued to shout out their thanks as he sped out of the building.

It was all very strange. Strange, but not dreadful. He could give this a real chance.

–

A few hours later, as nighttime descended on Metropolis, Clark landed on the balcony of Lois’s apartment, having leapt across from the neighboring building. Lois was asleep on the couch in bunny print pajamas. She sat sideways with her feet flat on the cushions and her left cheek against the back of the couch. Ever so quietly, he entered the living room and shut the sliding door.

But Lois wasn’t as asleep as he thought she was. Her eyes opened and when she lifted her head to look at him, he froze. Her face lit up and the smile that bloomed on her lips made his heart ache. A pause. Her smile faded.

She composed herself quickly and ignored the elephant in the room. “You look good,” she said. She looked him up and down with a self-satisfied grin. Her appraisal sent an unexpected streak of pride through him. She continued, “Am I right, or am I right?”

He pinched the fabric at his side. “It’s… not so bad,” he conceded. In fact, he was a bit nervous at how fast he had gotten used to it.

“Not so bad, huh?” She arched an eyebrow. “I guess patrol went well.”

“The Blur-slash-Superman helped a few more people today.” He couldn’t stop from smiling. If he couldn’t yet help find out where his future self was, he wanted to help keep the city safe.

“Chalk up another win for the good guys,” she said, pumping a fist in the air. Lois pulled at the long sleeves of her pajamas as she stretched her legs out on the couch. “Change out of that very hot ensemble and then come join me. We’re going to veg out and watch a movie.”

Clark zipped out of the room and returned in the same sleeping clothes he wore the night before, the breeze from his sudden motions stirring Lois’s ponytail. “We are, are we?” He cocked his head, trying to see into her thought process.

She held up a DVD box. “Back to the Future,” she said as he read the title silently. She tossed the slim container on the coffee table. “I imagine that’s what Clark is up to right now.”

Clark tried to picture his future self running around, possibly even enlisting the help of his Lois. A knot of unease formed in his gut at the idea, and he focused instead on the movie the Lois before him chose. “You have a strange sense of humor sometimes,” he commented.

“You say that now, but I bet a DeLorean would solve a lot of our problems,” she said offhandedly. She reached for her mug of coffee on the table and took a sip. Her voice turned subdued. “I know that, if Clark is stuck in the past, he’s trying as hard as we are.”

“Lois…”

She shook her head. The somber look on her face was out of place, and Clark hated it. “I need to not think about it for a couple hours,” she said quietly. She placed her mug back on the table and held out her hand. “Want to escape with me?”

Clark hesitated. He stared at her hand for a long moment. Just as her fingers started to curl back, he grasped it. She beamed and tugged him down next to her on her right side. He fell back against the cushions, her hand still twined with his. Her right wrist touched his skin and a peculiar tingle ran up his arm.

“Ready to accelerate to time travel speeds of eighty-eight miles per hour?” Lois asked, pressing ‘play’ on the DVD remote. She tucked her legs underneath her and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Sure,” he said absently, distracted by her proximity. He shifted in his seat, which caused her hair to skim along the side of his neck. It was not an unpleasant feeling.

Clark glanced sideways at Lois.

This is getting dangerous.

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Complete Chapter List HERE.


Crossposted to clois, cloisfic, Divine Intervention.

Comments

[leonhart-17.livejournal.com]

aww clark is superman (almost!) and i loved the inclusion of back to the future! i can see lois doing that to try and make him feel better!

another great chapter!

[krysyuy.livejournal.com]

Clark is taking teeny-itty-bitty steps towards Superman. XD I love B2tF. One of my fav movies. :D I think they both needed a pick-me-up. The movie night was for both of them. ;)

Chapter 10: Bullpen is here. Enjoy~!

Sorry for the late reply! :(

[anakaliaandrea.livejournal.com]

very nice love! this story is so good!

[krysyuy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)

Chapter 10: Bullpen is here. Enjoy~!

Sorry for the late reply! :(

[babettew54.livejournal.com]

I'm still reading your story. I'm a bit late, but I have been writing a bit on myself!

This chapter was worth the wait. They are so sweet together. Yeah, you have to wonder if future!Clark and past!Lois are getting this close! That magic trick was a complete disaster. Poor Clark.

It was very interesting that Clark would mentally try to stay in the future, and not go back where he belongs. Hummm...

And, yes, the sparks are all over the place with these two. I really like the way you write their scenes.

Excellent update! More, please! :D

[krysyuy.livejournal.com]

Yay, thank you! I'm glad you're still reading it. And don't worry about being late (I definitely understand) - I understand how it goes. ;) All us authors are pretty busy.

The magic didn't work, but it's all on Clark. XD Even if he doesn't know it. He's getting there, though... It's an unconscious thing. There's something very alluring about this future, even if he won't admit it to himself.

Oh, I'm glad. I'm always very worried about my Future!Lois, especially. :) Thank you for your kind words.

Chapter 10: Bullpen is here. Enjoy~!

Sorry for the late reply! :(

[htbthomas.livejournal.com]

I love that Clark finally gives putting on the suit a try! I'm really interested to know what this experience will do to him once he's back in his own time!

[krysyuy.livejournal.com]

He couldn't put it off much longer, lol. And I must say 'no comment' to your other sentence. -shifty eyes- XD I hope you enjoy where I take this!

Thanks for commenting! ♥

Chapter 10: Bullpen is here. Enjoy~!

Sorry for the late reply! :(

[eternal-moonie.livejournal.com]

totally loved this chapter!!! It was so AWESOME!