This deserves so much feedback, but I'll see what I have time for:
I grin back in relief - he was only kidding. A rush of affection for him spills through me. Only Clark dares to tease me like this. He's done it since practically the day we met. It took some time, but I eventually realized that he wasn't mocking me; he was acknowledging me. It's the verbal equivalent of a wink. There's something reassuring about having one person in the world who isn't fooled by my blunt personality.
This is quote-compulsory. I sometimes have a bit of trouble with the banter between Clark and Lois in a few Sue-fics, because this banter can occasionally reach levels that I, at least, am not comfortable with. Here, for the first time, Sue explains why her Lois loves to say some not-so-nice things to Clark and have him say some not-so-nice things back at her. It is because she sees this verbal sparring between them as being acknowledged by Clark. "It is the verbal equivalent of a wink." It's like him saying, 'I can see through you, Lois. I can see who you are, and I like you.'
Thank you for explaining this, Sue!
I hold my hand out to him. "Wanna fly with me?"
Clark doesn't say a word and I can't tell if he's speechless because he thinks I'm kidding or if he's trying to find a polite way to decline.
"Come on, Clark, I promise I won't drop you. This is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me, and I want someone to share it with. Fly with me. Please?"
A very long two or three seconds tick by before he reaches out and takes my hand and softly says, "All right."
This is wonderful and so charged with emotions. I can read Clark's feelings here in a way that Lois can't, because she doesn't know that he is Superman. I think Clark's first reaction is negative. He misses flying so much, and Lois, who is the one who "stole" his superpowers, is rubbing it in by sort of "flaunting" her powers, which used to be his, in front of him. (What a role reversal, too: the woman is flying with her fair maid-man.)
So I think that Clark's first reaction is not positive. But then he sees through his own reaction and chastizes himself. Lois hasn't
stolen his powers. What happned to him was certainly not her fault. And she isn't rubbing anything in, because she doesn't know that he is Superman. Instead, she is offering him something; indeed, it could be that her invitation to him is a gesture of love.
And Lois acknowledges that the gender-role reversal is weird:
"So, um--." I gesture at him and shrug. "I'm not, uh, not sure what the protocol is for this. I mean, should I carry you or hold on to you or --?"
Clark answers in a way that takes away her nervousness and brings back the banter-comfort level between the two of them:
"Having you hold me sounds nice." His eyebrow quirks lecherously upward and it's only the fact that I would hurt him that stops me from giving him a playful shove. Besides, he's right. It does sound nice. Really, really nice.
This is brilliant:
This suddenly seems like a very bad idea. Just because I can fly and I can lift him doesn't mean that I should do both at the same time. What if I drop him? I try to give him a way out. "I won't take it personally, if you don't want to do this."
"Lois." His hands move to my waist, loosely holding us together. "Just relax. It's okay. I trust you."
I search his eyes for a moment and see that he really does mean it. Clark trusts me. He absolutely trusts me. I'm not sure I'd trust him this much if he showed up at my apartment claiming to have Superman's powers and asked me to go flying with him.
This is brilliant. Lois's impulsive offer to Clark suddenly seems more than foolish to her, and suddenly she can't do what she offered him to do. Until she sees his absolute trust in her. That must be so fantastic: to be about to do something weird-and-crazy, and to see the most grounded person that you know acknowledge your decision and look at you with such absolute trust in his eyes.
What a gift.
"Please," Clark adds softly. "I'd really love it if you'd take me flying." He gives me an encouraging smile and I can't help smiling back.
I take a deep breath and release it slowly. Just like my first attempt under Superman's guidance, I mentally picture us both rising higher as I exhale. We lift off of the patio by a few inches and I glance down to check that Clark is with me. He is. There's a flutter in my stomach as I comprehend that I'm the one making this happen. We drift higher - almost as high as the roof of his building - and I look at him to judge his reaction.
Clark grins at me. "Keep going."
It's wonderful that Clark finally asks Lois to take him flying, so that it becomes his idea as much as hers. And Clark turns out to be Lois's flying instructor rather than just her passenger!
"Wow," I whisper. "I've never seen the city like this before. Do you think he does this?"
"Superman?" Clark asks.
"Of course. Do you think he hangs out up here sometimes?"
"Sure.” Clark sounds almost wistful as he tips his head back to study the stars above us.
Wonderful! And Clark misses his flying, all right.
"What do you hear now?"
I listen for a few seconds. The city below seems so distant and muted now. And yet I can clearly hear a steady rhythm and I wonder if it's true that cities have a pulse. Then it dawns on me that what I'm hearing is Clark's heartbeat and not Metropolis. It feels far too intimate, like I'm spying on him somehow, so I leave it out of my answer.
I love that Lois finds herself listening to Clark's heartbeat, in the same way that we know that Clark has been listening to Lois's heartbeat so many times!
"You'll tell me if you're getting cold, won't you?" I ask him. "Or if you start feeling nervous or--."
"I'm not cold," he says softly. "Please, let's just stay here a little longer."
I want to stay with him like this forever and the realization sets off a small spark of panic inside me. Too late, I realize that I can't simply walk out on him if I start getting cold feet. There's no door to slam. There's nothing but me and Clark and the sound of his heartbeat. It's so cozy and intimate and yet I can't stop myself from ruining it by blurting out, "Are you sure? I mean I did threaten to squish your head earlier today. What's to stop me from dropping you now?"
That's a wonderful description of Lois Lane's fears and hangups.
Clark doesn't tense and his heartbeat remains slow and steady. "Did you bring me up here just to drop me?"
"Of course not," I reassure him, feeling terrible that I suggested it. "I would never let you fall."
I would never let you fall... where have I heard that before?
Our eyes meet and his pulse quickens. Mine races to match it. The breeze around us picks up a little and it blows my hair across my face. Clark tucks a wayward strand behind my ear. His hand stays there, keeping my hair tamed. It's a faintly possessive gesture that makes me wish Clark would cradle my face between both his hands and kiss me.
At this moment, I've never wanted to kiss anyone more in my life. In spite of the breathtaking view below us, Clark is looking at me like I'm his entire universe. Maybe it's the moonlight or maybe it's his trust in me or maybe it's the way I can hear his heart racing with anticipation, but he's suddenly my entire world.
Absolutely beautiful.
"Just drop," Clark suggests. "We'll pick up speed as we go."
"Drop?" My whole body goes cold at the realization that I'm messing with powers that don’t belong to me. I'm going to end up hurting Clark - and be too late to save the frantic woman whose cries I can't ignore. "Clark, I can't--."
"Yes, you can. Just drop and let gravity do the rest. Trust that you can stop us. No matter how fast we fall, you're in control. All you have to do is concentrate on moving toward where the emergency is without hitting any buildings on the way. It's all about reflexes and steering. Just drop."
How can he be so certain? There isn't really time to argue with him about it, so I decide to give it a try. I let go of the floating sensation keeping us aloft and my stomach seems to be left behind as we start to fall. I stop us immediately and tighten my arms around him.
And the vertigo of this!
I don't have time to do so much quoting now, but it was wonderful that Lois didn't think twice about using her powers to help people. It never occurred to her to use them to get herself favours, for example, and it never occurred to her
not to use them in order to help.
I'm reminded of the aspect of LnC canon which says that Lois basically "created" Superman by telling him what he could, and should, be. He should use his powers in the noblest possible way. But Lois is using Superman's powers in exactly the same way, now that they are at her disposal. And she isn't even thinking that there could be an alternative.
Because of that, it was so heartbreaking that her efforts met with so little gratitude and success. A woman resisted Lois's attempts to save her and afterwards called her a scrawny and aggressive brunette. And the man that she had tried so hard to save died in spite of her best efforts. No wonder Lois was thinking to herself:
"Oh, Superman. It sucks to be you."
But Clark supports her:
"You can't save everyone." Clark takes my hand in his and squeezes it gently. "No matter how fast you are, sometimes you still won’t be able to help them."
I let out a choked laugh. "Would you believe I've told Superman that before? It just feels so different on this side of the cape."
That's heartbreakingly sweet and sad.
My own FDK-time is running out swiftly now, so let me just add that there were still more "melting you into a puddle of goo" moments between Lois and Clark here. I loved that Clark was about to tell Lois his secret identity, and that Lois figured it out anyway, when Clark -Superman - told her that he would never let her fall. And as much as I loved seeing Lois with Clark's powers, it's great that they are back where they belong now.
This was an absolutely wonderful chapter, Sue! Looking forward to part 3!
Ann
Wow! Love it!
You flatter me. Go on. :p 
Gah! I swear it's not! They're flirting! The reason that Clark hesitated after Lois asked him to fly with her is explained in part three - and I promise he doesn't think she's flaunting her powers.
Thank you so much for picking out one of my favorite bits (when Lois thought the city had a pulse until she realized it was Clark's heartbeat) to highlight. You made my day!
