"The future has taken root in the present,"
The melodic female voice was the first thing he heard when a jolt of unimaginable power surged through him and he returned to the sky. Then, he opened his eyes for what felt like the first time.
It was a mild morning in Metropolis, the sun was still rising and the city was humming quietly. It was tranquil and unrecognisable to their newly risen Kal-El. A soft breeze rustled Kal's black curls as he surveyed the city below him with piercing blue eyes.
He saw those who were awake and they saw him as he hovered effortlessly above their heads; a God in the sky. The tranquillity had died only to be replaced with tension, confusion, hope and unease. It pulsed off of every human being looking up at him and he could hear their hearts pounding, their halted breathing.
"The future has taken root in the present,"
What future? What present? Where was he? Who was he?
His brow furrowed and he tilted his head, looking for landmarks; anything that could possibly answer the questions echoing in his mind. When he spotted what was left of a monument and the symbol of House Kal engraved on the stone floor, something clicked inside him. It was a feeling that he could not put his finger on yet, but he recognised the symbol and that was enough for the moment.
The air felt like feathers caressing his skin as he descended, lowering himself down so smoothly, it was as if he were a machine built for harnessing great power and using it with just as much ease. The hard stone was cold against his feet as he turned to look around, trying to understand why he was drawn to the rubble. He took a deep breath as he spotted some writing not far from his feet.
'If you seek his monument, look around you,'
The words were written in white on the stone floor beneath the symbol that had drawn him to that spot. As he read the words, their meaning and sentiment soaked through his entire being. Somehow he knew these words were about him and the cobwebs in his mind started to unfurl. He began to understand the raw emotion emitting off of the people around him.
His face softened as he felt sorrow in those words, not his sorrow, but the sorrow the world felt. Kal still did not fully understand why he'd inspired such strong sadness, but he felt it and it was real.
Had he died?
Kal shook his head slightly and looked up, trying to find out more from the monument around him but he was disturbed before he could put more pieces of the puzzle together.
The sound of four sets of boots landing on the stone not far behind him pulled him away from the monument and his thoughts. The static electricity of pure strength vibrated from behind him and Kal paused for a moment, trying to recognise the energy but he could not, so, he turned around, uncertain of what he was about to be faced with.
"He's back," The woman said, her bright brown eyes shining with happiness, a smile pulling at her lips but Kal frowned. She wasn't like the people he'd seen looking up at him while he'd been afloat above the city; none of the four standing before him was.
So he had died, her words answered one question but raised more. Another one, a young man suited in red, seemed to share her happiness but the other two exuded caution and unease.
Who had he been to these people?
He had so many questions but he had no idea what their intentions were and his hair began to stand on end as he tried to look deeper, scanning their forms, attempting to understand their power. His scan showed they were powerful, powerful enough to be a substantial threat if they attacked together and at least half of them were not comfortable with his presence.
"Something's wrong, he's scanning us," The one that was almost completely metal and without a heartbeat said as Kal took a slow, measured step forward.
"What?" All happiness and awe had drained from the red-suited boy's face and was replaced with shock and panic. Kal took another step and advanced, having officially decided that they were more foe than friend now.
Kal's gaze hardened as his eyes settled on the machine, he could sense the otherworldly force at his core and it was feeding his substantial strength. Kal recognised it as the same energy that had brought him back. It was volatile, dangerous and had brought him back to life. He wondered how that would affect him.
Kal tilted his head, his features hardening, as alarm bells rang in his head. The machine's head jerked, and Kal narrowed his eyes, he was clearly fighting the movement but the mechanical part of him was overpowering.
"Wha- Victor?" The red one spoke as mechanical whirling sounded and the machine jerked. So it had a name.
"Victor-" Fear had seeped into the red-suited man's voice. So not all of them wanted to fight but they were all lethal. Despite Victor's best efforts, his body continued to morph into defensive mode.
"Shit!" Victor said and Kal watched as man fought machine.
"What are you doin'?" The long-haired one spoke and Kal's eyes tracked their movements. When Victor pointed his arm at Kal, he had no more doubts about the four beings' intentions.
"It's my auto defence system! It senses danger!"
"Victor no, Victor!" Kal could hear the sheer panic in the boy's voice.
"I can't control it!"
"No!" Then, the missile went off.
Kal took a deep breath, twisted his torso then leaned back, dodging the missile in one fluid motion. He watched it crash into the monument and explode, then he turned back.
Lois whipped around, stopped dead in her tracks and swallowed hard when the sudden burst of energy ripped a hole through the Kryptonian ship and sent Clark soaring high into the sky.
At first, she couldn't process what she was seeing, she couldn't believe her eyes but her heart knew he was back. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears as her heart fluttered and pounded. So, she ran, ran as fast as she could, back to the monument she'd visited religiously every day for as long as Clark had been in the ground.
So she ran, she ran as fast as she could back to the monument she had visited religiously each day to remember Clark. Maybe each pilgrimage to that spot had been her holding onto some form of hope that he would rise again, that he would come back. She didn't know, grief was not something she had tried to comprehend, it was just something she'd wallowed in for far too long. She had willingly drowned in her loss and sorrow but now, Clark was soaring in the sky.
Her calves burned and she sucked in air like it was life itself. She pushed further, moving as fast as she could until finally, the monument came into view and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her muscles burned, her heart felt like it had stopped, and all air seemed to have rushed from her lungs but she had to stop him.
Clark was hovering over Batman, his eyes glowing a fiery red, anger and pure hatred twisting his expression. This was not the Clark she knew and for a split second, she was afraid. The man she loved had Batman pinned on the ground against a car, looking down at the other hero, readying for the killing blow but she had to believe that he was still Clark Kent. Not wasting another second hesitating, Lois began running again.
As she got closer, the scalding heat from Clark's heat vision singed her hair but she pushed forward, fearing for Batman but for Clark's morality too.
"Clark! Clark! Clark!" Lois gasped, out of breath while her desperation caused her voice to break. As she looked up at him though, she saw his expression change. He ceased his attack and Lois hoped it was because he had recognised her. Tears formed in her eyes as he hovered above them.
"Please," Those tears tumbled down her cheeks as Clark took a deep breath and Lois nodded ever so slightly, urging him to come to her.
Slowly, he lowered himself down and Lois knew that he recognised her. The first step she took towards him was small but confident, and as she drew closer, Clark seemed to soften even more.
"Please," She reached out to touch him, her fingers sliding over his shoulders before she drew him close and held him against her body. When his arms closed around her, Lois finally felt like the world was back as it should be. She felt the heat of his body, his face buried in her hair and she closed her eyes.
"Please, just go... Let's go,"
She'd never get used to flying, not now, not ever. It was not that she was frightened of it all but because the sheer exhilaration of it that filled her to the brim and threatened to overflow. At first, Clark flew too fast and too high, whipping her hair and chilling her to the bone but he seemed to realise that she was struggling almost immediately. As quickly as she began to feel uncomfortable, Clark adjusted his flight, slowing and changing attitude to better suit Lois' human body.
If he wasn't him, she knew he wouldn't have cared to ease her discomfort, and slowly, she relaxed against his body. Uncertainty and worry still nagged in the back of her mind, but it was quiet for the moment, so Lois allowed herself to feel him.
Her tears hadn't stopped flowing, but she was not a sobbing, broken mess, not yet anyway, as they flew and she was thankful for that as she kept having to wipe the frozen tears from her cheeks as they moved through the atmosphere.
Despite wanting to stare at him through her tears, her mind still wondering if she had gone insane, keeping her eyes open was not a feasible option as they flew through the sky. So she closed her eyes and let herself revel in the familiarity of his arms, of his body pressed against hers.
Clark was not tense, or rigid in flight, he just seemed to be surveying the land, drinking in the sights and sounds that were familiar yet new all the same. She couldn't imagine what it was like for him at that moment, but he was not distressed and he seemed to know, instinctively, where they were going.
It wasn't a long flight, Clark had moved quite quickly despite carrying Lois. Lois opened her eyes when they slowed and finally, her feet settled down in the long grass covering the uneven land outside of the farmhouse that Clark had grown up in. Her calves trembled as she was set down on the earth and she had to hold on just a little bit longer to find her strength.
Touching him still felt surreal in a way, but it reminded her that he was there, that he was real and not just a figment of a mind gone insane. So she didn't let go, her hands lingering. He didn't seem to mind, his arms still tight around her, almost as if he was also uncertain of their reality too.
Finally, she could look at him, her eyes studying his face, drinking in every little detail as if she had just set eyes on him for the first time. He was real, she was real and he'd taken them home.
"You brought us here," Lois turned to look at the house, it was painful taking her eyes off of him but her hands remained on his chest, anchoring her.
"You remembered," Lois said and Clark had also turned to look towards the house, his hands falling away from her body but she held on tight.
"This is home," He spoke and his voice rang in her ears, soothing her, warming her, comforting her. It was still a surprise though, he had not said a word the entire flight and she had been wondering why he'd been so quiet. The thought had occurred to her that maybe he had not come back completely whole but that was not true.
"You spoke," Relief flooded her and her small smile widened. She felt his eyes on her as he looked down at her.
"Did I not before?" Clark asked, confusion colouring his tone and Lois met his gaze.
She sighed ever so gently, happiness filling her, then she took a step forward and offered him her hand. He slid his hand into hers, further confirmation that he was Clark, and then she led him into the home he had grown up in.
Everyone say it with me, 'there will only be two chapters to this fic or the other WIP's will lynch me'. Good fudging Lord, this was meant to be a one shot but I got carried away, far, far away. Next chapter will be exactly what happened in that house between Lois and Clark, all the happy things. Maybe smut, maybe... Let me know if you want smut...
I don't know why, but this was hard to write... not as hard as Clark's abs but still... hard... Anyways enjoy guys and thank you for reading! And smashing that favourites button... and commenting. Thank you!