This is my response to the fourth Kerth Challenge:
The lyrics to the next song you hear are now the title of your fic. What are the lyrics and how do they relate to the fic?
The song is The Sound of Silence, which is a Simon and Garfunkel song originally. This version would be the Disturbed version and if you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it (either the official music video, or the Conan live version).
Set in season two, before TOGOM.
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He floated above the heavy, grey, stratocumulus clouds that blanketed Metropolis that evening, glad to be above the artificial lights and city hubbub. Contrary to popular opinion, it wasn’t silent above the clouds. Airplanes, the most obvious source of sound at his current altitude, competed with distant thunderstorms, and unless he consciously dimmed them, as he was doing now, the sounds of the vibrant city below could easily be heard thanks to his super-hearing.
But it was peaceful in the darkness.
It had been a day. The dreary weather, while it rarely bothered him, aggravated those around him who felt the cold, damp, drizzle that had persisted over the last few days. Standing in the rain this morning, along with many other reporters, waiting for a statement from the Governor’s aide, had been unpleasant for everyone around him, as despite the copious amounts of umbrellas, everyone had ended up with some part of their person, completely soaked.
Lois had refused to bring an umbrella. So he had. Which she had steadfastly refused to use. She couldn’t write with one hand, hold her notebook with the other, and magically hold an umbrella, she had curtly reminded him. Even though her notebook had been soaking wet, and her pencil making holes in the sodden pages as she tried to write, she still stubbornly refused the umbrella. When he’d held it over her, she’d stepped aside, claiming it was obscuring her line of sight, as well as her hand when she raised it for a question.
Naturally, by the time the press conference had ended, Lois was drenched from head to toe. He struggled to resist the urge to dry her off with his heat vision, watching as she shivered from the cold, getting his head bitten off after suggesting they head to her place so she could change.
He’d had to rush out for an emergency shortly after returning to the newsroom, which thankfully hadn’t taken long, though long enough to earn the sharp edge of Perry’s tongue when he’d rushed back in without a substantial excuse, or a Superman story. Not every rescue was newsworthy and it was refreshing to help someone without having to read about it, or report on it, later.
Lois had remained distant as they’d worked on their story. He’d hoped she would have been animated as this was the result of their investigation which had brought to light the Governor’s husband’s offshore business, exposing his tax evasion and infidelity. Instead, she’d remained quiet, professional, avoiding any attempt by him to lighten the mood, or encourage any dinner plans after work.
It was his fault. His silence, his secret, was like a cancer growing between them, eating away at their friendship, at any possibility of further intimacy. He was petrified to tell her exactly why he kept running away at the most inopportune times, yet every time he disappeared, the cancer grew a little more. He had to say something before his secret caught up to him, or, heaven forbid, something happened to him that he couldn’t cover up with a poorly worded lie, but he was terrified he was past the point of redemption.
His fear perpetuated his silence.
In the star lit darkness, Clark hovered, torn. How easy it would be to fly straight to her apartment, gently tap on the ever open window, and confess everything, while begging her forgiveness for concealing with truth. The distinct possibility she would never forgive him stopped him every time.
This space between the lights was his refuge. No matter where he was in the world, he could always go up, and no one could reach him. It was beautiful above the clouds, joylessly so, as it reminded him of his loneliness. It was a place to think and reflect, and he’d pondered this question for months, dreaming of the day he could share this with her.
As he drifted through the heavy clouds, back to the rain soaked city streets, fear and uncertainty triumphed once more. He selfishly wasn’t ready to risk losing her just yet. Soon. It would have to be soon. The longer he waited, the worse it would be, but for now, her ignorance fed his delusion that it would be ok, he could be forgiven.
The silence of the clouds gave way to the noise of the city as he finished his patrol, flying over her apartment before heading home to get out of the rain.
