The Ticket to Tomorrow
Chapter 31 - You, Me, and Superman. In a room together. At the same time.
Chapter Summary
Previously, while Vash prepared for surgery, everyone else officially met and joined Luida on a tour of the SEEDS ship. While Ship 3 may be home to Vash, the others feel the ache of homesickness.
—T&J—
Shortly after the Plant chamber tour, Luida guided the group back to the ship's residential area. Before leaving, she reminded them of the deck and room number where they'd meet the crew that evening. At that, she excused herself to attend to other matters.
With time to kill, Jimmy ran off with Milly, his new best bud, to explore more of the ship on their own.
Clark suspected his friend was giving him and Lois more alone time together. Jimmy gave a not-so-subtle wink wink, after all.
The shady undertaker-priest guy shuffled off as well, mumbling about going to find a place to smoke.
Meryl took her leave last, mentioning that she wanted to contact headquarters and give her chief a status update. She hadn't acted guilty about rushing off from December without a word. From what Clark observed, it seemed like she was used to leaving at the drop of a hat and rarely spent time in the city.
Reminded him of another tenacious, hot-headed reporter.
Speaking of that reporter, Lois laced her fingers with his. She glanced up at him with half-lidded eyes, a sly grin sliding onto her face.
"So, Smallville, your room or mine?"
The undignified noise that escaped Clark was a mix between a cough and an eep. "Oh, uh, haha. W-whichever room you p-prefer. Um…"
Lois giggled, gently tugging his hand and leading him down the hall. Clark's feet glided over the floor, following Lois wherever she might take him. She peeked over her shoulder and laughed giddily.
Clark shook his head to clear the haze. Oh, he was floating. Not even the tips of his shoes skimmed the floor.
Superman was like a satellite whose orbit revolved around a bright star. His North Star. Together, they drifted through the vast, wondrous universe. As long as he followed her, he'd never be lost.
—T&J—
As soon as the door closed with a whish, Lois found herself wrapped up in Clark's arms.
Suspended in the air as if gravity ceased to exist.
The tingling of soft lips on hers sent a thrill through her from head to toe.
Clark's hands around her waist felt so gentle yet held such strength. Lois slung her arms around his neck. Her fingers combed through his hair, fingertips grazing shorter strands on the nape of his neck.
Clark hummed in response against her mouth. He nipped at her bottom lip, and she returned the playful teasing. Clark abandoned her lips to trail tender kisses down her jaw and neck. Lois echoed a sigh of pleasure as she nuzzled his temple.
They swayed a foot off the ground in a slow dance as if to an unheard melody.
"You're so beautiful, so breathtaking. The brightest star in the night sky," Clark whispered against her ear.
Her breath hitched.
Without meaning to, Clark's sweet talk spurred dark emotions. Memories of a lonely childhood flooded Lois's thoughts.
She'd spent so many years learning to navigate by the constellations, chasing the North Star. Being taught how to survive if lost in an unfamiliar place—alone.
However, the only real lesson she'd learned was to never rely on anyone but herself.
As a young adult, she remained determined to make it on her own. But here she was, chasing after a man who could cross the stars on a whim.
"I'd be so lost without you, Lois," he said, unaware of her turmoil. His words hardly even reached her brain.
Clark spun them in a lazy roll as if laying on a mattress of clouds. Like there wasn't a single weight on his shoulders.
"I—" a lump caught in Lois's throat. "I shouldn't have followed you here. You're… You're a superman, a superhero who can fly to other galaxies and save entire cities single-handedly!"
She hiccuped. Tears started rolling down her cheeks sideways— her left side facing the floor.
With the overhead light off, only the dim lumination from the footlights along the walls and a flickering, sunlit halo around the closed window shade kept the room from being painted pitch black.
Lois could barely make out Clark's face as her vision adjusted to the darkness. She hoped he didn't notice her watery eyes.
Of course, she knew he did.
Clark adjusted his hold on her back, used his other hand to cup her cheek, and wiped tears with his thumb. For how often he got into scrapes, everything about him was smooth and unmarred. He was too perfect for her.
Even with her sight blurry from tears, Lois saw the deep furrow in Clark's brow and his bright blue eyes practically glowing in the dark.
"What makes you think you aren't super, Miss Lane?"
Clark titled them so their feet were grounded on the floor.
"Who also flew across the multiverse to a strange, new world? Who stirred the whole dang city of Metropolis to save one man—after everyone almost cast him out because of their fear of someone… different?" Clark asked. His gaze simmered with emotion, even shadowed by darkness.
"I just… Sometimes I worry that…" Lois bit her lip and turned to look away.
"What's wrong? I'm sorry if I made you worry—"
"But that's it, isn't it? I worry that you'll always be out of my reach. I'm used to… I'm used to people leaving me." Her gaze stayed glued to a spot on the floor. Her arms crossed to hold the one opposite, closing herself off. Hiding behind a lead wall.
"I worry I'll do something stupid like this again and get in your way. That I'll push you away. That you won't want to be with me anymore." Lois stepped back and collapsed onto the bed. She sat on the edge and rested her elbows on her knees. Then covered her face with her hands, her shoulders starting to shudder.
"Lois… Please don't think that," Clark whispered, sitting down gently beside her and pulling her into a hug. Lois scrubbed her face and peeked a glance at him. He gently reached out, offering her his hand to hold. She hesitated and hiccuped.
Clark waited patiently, his soft, bright eyes begging her to trust him. To go easy on herself. Finally, she reached out and grasped his hand like a lifeline. Her eyes were blurry again, and her lip quivered.
"I want you with me in the fields under the moon and stars," Clark said. "I want you with me, floating on the clouds on a warm day. I want you by my side, smiling at me every morning when we wake."
His hand slipped out of hers before she could blink. The miniature globe that housed clippings of her purple Violets instantly appeared in Clark's palm.
Lois gawked at the flower globe, eyes flitting from it to her pockets. The glass dome planter had just been in the pocket of her borrowed SEEDS coat.
"Remember what the Sparrow Flower means?" Clark used the flower's Korean name—the one, as Lois recalled from her childhood, that her mother used.
Lois's response stuck in her throat. She reached out for her fortune. Clark placed the glass globe in her palm. She stared at the flowers inside with distant, glossy eyes as if she'd forgotten their symbolism.
At her silent non-answer, he continued. "Honesty, devotion, dependability. And love.
"'A Violet's small size and exquisite nature represent a sincere and deep affection. Blooming Violets remind us to always embrace growth throughout our lives.'"
He grabbed her other hand and kissed her knuckles.
"These are all the amazing things about you I could never put into words of my own. You make me a better person because I see your determination and fire every day. I love the way you embrace uncertainty and crush whatever challenge gets in your way.
"And without you, I'd never be able to find my way home. You are my North Star. I love you so much, Lois Lane."
"I—" Lois hesitated, too frozen to brush away her tears. "You… you really think that?"
"Of course I think that." His one hand rose to cup her cheek. "Lois Lane, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world."
"Oh, Clark." The light reflected in her teary eyes. She watched him in silence for what felt like an eternity. As if wondering if he could read her mind.
"Even if… Even if you get lost in space. Even when some creeps or robots or… or magic imps steal you away.
"Even if I have to listen to any more of Jimmy's Swamp Thing conspiracies when I come over. I will always be there with you if you'll have me. I'll love you. I'll love you more than anything in the galaxy."
Clark leaned down, sweeping them into another long, deep kiss.
"...and the universe. And I want all of that with you too," Lois whispered.
His affection was a silent yet compelling reassurance. His arms wrapped around her like a cozy blanket, safe and comforting.
Lois's walls came crumbling down. Those shields had protected her from letting someone get too close since adolescence. Protected her from the pain of them later walking away, leaving her alone. While the walls kept her heart from breaking, they left it achingly empty.
"My heart is yours." He rested his forehead against hers.
It wasn't even his superpowers that smashed through those walls; it was just the strength of who Clark was. That strength filled her heart. She, too, wanted to be a better person for him. For herself.
"I love you too, Clark Kent," Lois said, placing a featherlight kiss on his lips.
With renewed passion, Lois plucked those awful, thick-rimmed Coke bottle glasses off Clark's otherwise handsome face. She had no idea where he'd found them and, frankly, wasn't sure she wanted to know. For his sake, she set them down delicately on a nearby table.
"Let me show you?" she asked, closing the space between them again.
Clark nodded with a contented smile. He took the flower globe from her palm and set it gently next to his glasses. He wrapped his arms back around her.
"Only if I can show you, too," he said with an over-the-top, sultry, yet somewhat dorky voice that made Lois giggle. She gave him Eskimo kisses, and her cornball boyfriend chuckled as well.
Her not-quite trembling hands latched onto the front of his shirt. "Off. Now."
At this point in their relationship, he'd better be used to her bedroom bossiness.
He laughed again. "Yes, ma'am."
—T&J—
From top to bottom, coats and shirts and belts and pants peeled away, falling in haphazard piles on the floor.
Clark and Lois took their time, clearly savoring the art of undressing each other. (Not that he didn't like the occasional whirlwind stripping when human slowness felt unbearable.)
Lois skimmed her palms over Clark's shoulders and chest. Over ridges of muscular arms. A brush of her fingertips down his abs had him shivering. Such delicate touches melted his skin of steel into something pliable like molten metal.
Clark teased kisses along Lois's neck and collarbone as each article of clothing disappeared. His electric kisses sent shivers down her spine.
Superman already knew her weak spots. He was a fast learner, after all. Plus, his superhuman sensitivities and abilities only made their moments like these more enjoyable.
Getting to this point wasn't so easy at first, though.
Clark had been so worried that his strength, differences, and powers would be too dangerous for intimate activities. That they just wouldn't work together.
So often, he feared Lois would be repulsed by how weird and invasive his alien senses were. With every little thing she learned, she always reassured him nothing about him was weird. She'd say, sure, he was unique, but he should never be ashamed of his body and abilities.
In fact, she said, everyone was their own kind of weird and had insecurities about their "fleshbags." (Her phrasing, not his.)
Lois clumsily explained that being in a relationship was a learning experience for both partners. And sure, she had a few short-term human partners in the past, but no one just got her or made her feel as happy as he did.
She said the way they gravitated to each other was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Clark had to agree.
Luckily, a little bit of patience, practice, and words of encouragement were all it took to ease his mind and find peace within his own skin.
Clark thanked Lois for her patience for days and weeks (because he knew she didn't have much to spare). When he slipped the "no spare patience" bit, Lois glowered, love-smacked his chest, and ranted about her incredible patience. He'd just laughed and pecked her on the cheek.
Soon enough, Clark's bashfulness waned after a few weeks (months) of intimacy. From then on, they struggled to keep their hands off one another.
Like now.
Clark kneeled at the foot of the bed. His eyes roamed the curves of her body. Lois curled her arms over her head, opening herself up for his inspection. Even if Lois laughed at herself, she gave him her most sexy bedroom eyes. Her smile seeped with sweetness.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"Like what you see?" she cooed.
Once before, she'd caught him with his eyes aglow and asked the same question. He had never turned so red so quickly or stuttered so profusely. Then she had the gall to laugh at him!
At least it'd only killed the mood for a minute or two before the temptation took over again.
This time, he knew a similar reaction crossed his face. Clark was just glad she'd complained about how dark the room was earlier. Maybe she couldn't see his expression.
He groaned to himself about how easily she teased him. But she had to be careful; he was getting much better at giving it right back.
"What's going through that head of yours, Smallville?" she asked innocently.
"Everything. Nothing," he said, short breaths coming after each admission. "Just how lucky I am. How amazing you are. How I still can't believe you're here. You came for me. Across the stars."
"And you came from across the stars to Earth twenty-two years ago. Must've been fate," Lois replied, chest heaving.
"Defying the tragic fate of star-crossed lovers," Clark said, lowering himself.
"Gave that fate the big 'F' you." Lois tilted her head to toss a lazy smirk. She raised a hand, shoving her middle finger at the sky or god or whatever might be out there.
Clark snorted, pressing his face into her stomach to suppress his laughter. When Clark didn't move, Lois couldn't help but giggle too. Her bouncing tummy made his head bobble.
She combed her hands through his hair and sighed dreamily. "You fall asleep, Romeo?"
Clark chuckled and pushed himself up. Lois giggled.
Ugh, he could just imagine her thinking about how gosh darn cute that lopsided smile and those puppy dog eyes of his were.
—T&J—
They spent a few moments resting, catching their breath, and relishing the lingering feel-good tingles. Lois seeing stars.
Clark looked into her eyes, and she wondered if he could see those same stars.
Lois lazily raised her hands, beckoning Clark to scoot closer.
They wrapped their arms around each other's backs, and she draped a long, bare leg over his. Lois nestled closer, catching his lips in short, sweet kisses. She settled back with a drawn-out sigh.
Lois rested her head on his chest, tucked under his chin. Her index finger twirled in small circles on his pec. Clark laid kisses on her messy hair and stroked her back.
"This has to be our wildest adventure yet," Lois said.
"Hmm?"
"Spaceships. Desert planets. Fucking sand and sandstorms. Intergalactic commerce terrorists. Sand. Nuclear reactor aliens, er, people. Did I mention the fucking sand?"
Clark chuckled. "Once or twice. Oh! Don't forget the angry, giant Sandworm monsters."
"Shut up. Sandworms?!" Lois shrieked.
Clark nodded. "Yeah, big slimy, glowing green worms. Creepy crawly legs and long pincher-like mandibles." Clark used hooked fingers, curling them near his mouth while he made exaggerated, chittering bug noises.
Lois shoved his face, trying to push him away. "Ugh, gross! Get outta here, Wormface."
Clark's chest rumbled with his laughter. He pulled her against his chest, snuggling her like a plushie.
Lois rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her playful smirk. She resigned to cuddling and listening to his calming heartbeat. She wriggled up a bit to plant one more kiss on his lips.
A few days apart, and she'd already come undone.
"I love you, Clark," she whispered, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck.
"I love you too, Lois."
Lois closed her eyes, emptying her mind of thoughts and worries. She wanted to forget all the stress, all the bad things that kept happening around them—to them.
She just wanted to bask in the joy of being wanted, appreciated, and cared for. Loved.
—
More sunlight filtered into the room when Lois opened the window shade. The slowly drifting billowy clouds surrounding Ship Three obscured the view, but she guessed it was almost sunset by the rich red-orange gradient of the early evening sky.
Clark did that…wet dog super-shake thing with his head. His sopping wet hair steamed and a moment later was completely dry.
Another moment later, he went from towel-around-the-hips to completely dressed and groomed.
"Show off," Lois critiqued under her breath with an eye roll. She returned to the dresser and held up a clean SEEDS-provided tunic to inspect. She then slipped the top over her head and straightened out the wrinkles.
"Okay, so, back to that Space Shopping Syndicate thing…" Lois said.
"Intergalactic Shopping Network," Clark corrected, not unkindly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just calling 'em like I see 'em," she said. "Anyway, so first you fight this 'Lobo' jerk in Meryl's hometown, then he's just ready and waiting to try and take down Vash in Ripmela? Why didn't he just steal the Plants and then book it?"
"It seemed like he was way more interested in fighting than he cared about the Plants. I think he said something about a job and Mister Gold or something?
"He must've meant the mastermind who hijacked the satellite network. That 'Lord Manga Kahn.'" Clark ruffled his (just combed) hair.
"There's no way this is all a coincidence. As soon as Mxy is up to no good, advanced spacefaring extraterrestrial pirates pop out of the sky? And besides those Lois Leaguer grunts, the rest of their League said they had no intention of crossing through the rift.
"These Nomand's Land inhabitants ('No Man's Land,' Clark corrected) here are barely getting by. At least from what I've seen and learned. And this spaceship," Lois waved around them, "is all they have left to defend the planet, right?"
Clark shook his head. "I don't know for certain. Ms. Luida or Miss Stryfe would know more. We should bring this up later. With everything else going on, this problem slipped my mind."
Lois sighed and stopped pacing. She uncrossed her arms to hang loosely by her sides. "You're right. We're just talking in circles."
She plopped down on the bed, arms spread wide and legs dangling over the edge. The sudden extra weight didn't even make Clark move. He folded a leg under him and leaned over to rest on his elbow.
"How about we go explore the ship some more? Jimmy's probably getting suspicious," Clark said.
Lois snorted, turning her head to give him that 'don't play dumb' look. "I think Jimmy knows exactly what we've been up to, Smallville."
Clark tried to maintain a straight face, but he felt a warmth spread on his cheeks. "Well…maybe not, um, exactly exactly?"
She gave him deadpan eyes. "If you wanna think so."
She rolled onto her side, squirming closer. "We could just stay here a little longer." Lois walked two fingers up his arm, batting her eyelashes.
Clark smirked and brought his head closer to hers. "Why, Ms. Lane—"
Suddenly, red emergency lights flared and a blaring alarm filled their ears.
They both yelped and scrambled out of bed, sheets and blankets tripping them.
Clark was at the door in an instant, with Lois close behind. It slid open, and he peeked out. A group of gray-uniformed crewmates came rushing down the corridor.
"What's going on?!" Clark shouted.
"Breach in the Plant chamber! Intruders!" One man shouted back before he realized Clark and Lois weren't crew themselves. Clark whooshed away so fast that no one else even saw him disappear. The man looked startled but likely didn't have time to respond as his group continued with haste.
Lois stood dazed, watching the crew's shrinking backs rush to the scene. A few dorm rooms down, another door slid open. Meryl exited, looking around wildly and similarly confused.
Lois sprinted over. "Hey! Have you seen Jimmy and your friend?"
It took Meryl a moment to process. Her face dropped, and she shook her head. "No, Milly never came back to our room."
Shit. Lois had no idea where they might've gone. She glanced down the hall in the direction the crew ran off. Would Jimmy and the woman head towards the danger? They were both reporters. Did they even know what was going on?
Meryl tugged Lois's arm, grabbing her attention. "C'mon! We need to go find them, right?" The other woman unholstered a small silver pistol, opening the chamber to check if it was loaded.
Lois nodded. "Right!" She took a step. "Oh, wait! Gimme one sec!" She pivoted, stepping back into the room.
She grabbed her bag sitting on a side table. Lois reached inside and snatched the stolen League blaster. As soon as she was out the door, the two women dashed side by side, following the crew's trail.
Emergency lights washed the walls in a red haze, and roaring alarms drowned out the thudding of their rapid footsteps and racing heartbeats.
—T&J—
AN: Thanks as always for following along! Please review to let me know how you're enjoying the fic, what you liked, or what you'd like to see in future chapters! I appreciate every kudo and subscribe too!
Next Chapter 32: Robot Rumble
Good news! I'm moved into my new house! However, I haven't had any time or energy to write, I'm sad to say. I'll post the next two written chapters about once a month and hopefully have another one or two written by then. Thanks for your patience!