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The snowy plains around the Arctic fortress glimmered beneath the stars far above, only just noticeable under the aurora that drifted across the night sky, casting soft ribbons of green and pink over the crystalline spikes of the Fortress of Solitude.
Lois stepped through the towering Kryptonian doorway with a smile already forming. “You said dress for the cold, but not the Arctic.”
Clark Kent, although tonight he looked every bit Superman, gave her a familiar, sheepish grin. “I wanted somewhere quiet, and you'll warm up in no time.”
“Quiet,” she nodded, glancing around the vast chamber where glowing alien crystals glistened. “Yep. Nothing says romantic like your Elsa ice palace in the middle of nowhere.”
“Let it go, Lois,” he replied, then smirked as Lois elbowed him in the ribs. "12? Could you take Lois to the archives and find her something to wear, please?"
The robot giggled ever so slightly, and her screen blinked. "Of course, Sir. Follow me, Miss Lane."
Clark took the time to prepare the fortress for their dinner. The central chamber was transformed with candles flickering atop an intimate table, their reflections multiplying in the translucent walls. The table itself was set with silverware and steaming dishes that smelled incredible. Lois returned wearing a flowing light blue dress, and she gasped at the sight of the room.
Lois paused, genuinely surprised. “Clark… you did all this?”
“I had help,” he admitted. “A little super-speed. You can’t exactly use an oven in an ice palace.”
Lois laughed as he pulled out her chair, and they tucked into the meal. Their conversation varied from work talk to family matters, and Clark listened intently, hanging onto every word Lois said. For all his impossible strength and symbols attached to the name Superman, he never stopped being the man who looked at her like she was the centre of gravity. Gary, formerly Four, brought over dessert of fresh strawberries and chocolate mousse prepared with suspicious perfection and Lois narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Thank you, Gary."
“You definitely cheated with this," Lois laughed fondly.
“Local bakery.”
“Mhm. Sure, local.”
Clark reached across the table, taking her hand gently in his, and the candlelight reflected in his blue eyes. “I know life can get a little chaotic at times with me,” he said quietly. “And in the past I've disappeared at times which have been important, but when things slow down… You are what matters to me and why I do this job.”
Lois’ expression faded into something more tender. “You don’t have to fly me to the top of the world to prove that.”
“I know,” he answered. “But I wanted to.”
“Well, now that I’m here, what else does this fortress have to offer me?”
Clark pushed his chair back and took her hand in his. He led her deeper into the fortress, away from the grand chambers and into an illuminated corridor. His hand remained in hers, and she squeezed it back lovingly. The private quarters were surprisingly simple compared to the rest of the fortress- less monumental and more sanctuary. Soft lighting reflected off crystalline walls, and enormous windows revealed the endless glacial wilderness outside.
Lois turned to face him, running her fingers over the S emblem on his chest. “So,” she murmured, “does Superman bring all his dates here?”
“You’re the only human who’s ever seen it,” his voice was honest.
Lois smiled. “Good answer.” She kissed him softly, then deeper when his arms wrapped around her waist.
Clark rested his forehead against hers, smiling faintly. “Still wishing we had gone out like a normal couple?” He asked.
Lois smirked. “Not a chance.”
Lois pulled him back into another kiss as snow swirled gently beyond the crystal walls of the Fortress of Solitude.
“Think I’m ready to turn in though…” she lowered her voice slightly, and Clark smiled.
With a smile, Clark activated the solar crystals, bathing the bedroom in a soft, crimson light which would mute his powers ever so slightly. Under this light, in the quiet sanctuary of the room, he was simply a man. He removed his suit, revealing toned skin, and cast it aside thoughtfully as Lois loosened the straps of her dress she had been provided with, and dropped it to the floor now that Clark had joined her in the bed. Lois reached up, her fingers threading into his dark hair as she pulled him down to her and teased his lips with her own with a searching embrace.
Clark shifted his weight, beginning to hover just above her, and Lois grinned reaching up to pull him back down with a laugh. Lois smiled against his mouth as he went to kiss her again, giving him a quiet murmur of complete consent and he settled above her. His hands shifted, tracing up the curves of her waist before reaching a hand up and brushing a lock of hair off her face. His hips gyrated, and a jolt of pure electricity surged through her. It was a profound, startling sensation, a feeling that no other man had ever given her and she gasped.
The heavy sheets tangled around their legs as they moved together, entirely lost in the rhythm of his thrusts and Clark lined a trail of soft kisses down her jawline to the cleft of her neck, causing a soft groan from Lois that echoed in the room. She held him close, her hands tracing patterns across the broad, solid planes of his back, and pulling him closer to her as her legs trembled.
When they finally broke apart, the air between them was thick and hot. Lois lay back against the pillows, the red solar lights catching the flush on her cheeks. Caught in the quiet aftermath of the makeout, they held each other lovingly and entirely breathless.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Lois awoke to silence. Not a worrying empty kind, the fortress was never truly silent, but a deep, relaxed silence. She lay still for a moment beneath the heavy sheet, cosy and comfortably warm despite the frozen world outside and in. Clark continued to sleep beside her, and she gazed at him, feeling her breath catch in her throat for a second. The strongest man in the world looked impossibly peaceful. His jet-black hair was flopped on the pillow under his head and one arm draped loosely across Lois' waist as though, even unconscious, he needed to know that she was there with him. Without the weight of the suit and cape, he looked younger and more human.
Lois shifted slightly onto one elbow, making sure to not jolt his arm off her, and studied him in the icy glow the fortress provided in the room. She loved and knew both versions of him; the shy reporter, and the hero who carried the city on his shoulders. And he was all hers. With a small smile, Lois brushed her fingertips across his chest, tracing slow, absent patterns against his toned skin. His body was utterly relaxed.
The world saw Superman as invulnerable and strong, but Lois got to see the real him, the boy scout from Smallville.
Clark stirred faintly, cracking an eye open. “You’re staring,” he murmured, his voice a little rough with sleep.
Lois smiled immediately. “Am I not allowed to?”
“Weirdo…” He smirked, his eyes closed again. “Your heartbeat has sped up, too.”
“That is an unfair observation.”
A sleepy smile tugged at his mouth, and his arm tightened around her uncovered waist, drawing her closer until her head rested against his shoulder. Lois sighed contentedly and curled up again, resting a hand lazily across his stomach while her other drifted down his arm, marvelling at the feel of him. Superman, holding her in the middle of a frozen landscape where no other human had ever been.
“You okay?” He whispered, kissing the top of her head without fully waking up.
“Mm," Lois closed her eyes. “Just appreciating something nobody else gets to.”
Clark chuckled softly under his breath, the sound vibrating warmly beneath her cheek. “Good,” he murmured, “because I’m pretty sure nobody else ever will.”
Lois blushed thinking about the makeout they had enjoyed before sleeping. “I’m the luckiest woman on the planet.”
Outside, a snowstorm raged against the fortress, but inside, Superman held Lois close and secure in his arms and they drifted back to sleep.