Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

by Alicia U. <lxu2@cwru.edu>

Rated: G

Submitted: November 2003

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Calm was a word seldom used to describe Clark Kent's life. His work was hectic, to say the least. The Daily Planet newsroom was a constant battleground, each reporter trying to outscoop the rest of the city. His life as Superman was even more chaotic. He rarely ever got a break.

But he would make time tonight. For as hard as he had tried to get the woman of his dreams to notice him for the past year and a half, his dreams had finally reached fruition.

Lois Lane had agreed to go out with him.

It was a dream come true. If only the world would cooperate for one night of his life. He wanted to show Lois how much he cared for her, as more than just friends. They were meant to be together.

He wasn't sure if she realized that yet or if she would ever see his true feelings. Could she ever think of him as more than a friend?

Maybe. There had been several times when he'd thought that he had seen some evidence that she loved him, too. It was in her eyes, her voice, her kiss.

Her kiss.

They had kissed, really kissed, several times, but each time it had been a guise covering up for something else. At the Metro Club when they were about to be discovered by Toni Taylor. At the Lexor Hotel when the maid was about to walk in. In the plane before Trask pushed them to their deaths. Each time had sent Clark's heart into palpitations seeing his deepest fantasies realized. He could almost imagine that Lois had felt something, too.

But she hadn't. She had made that absolutely clear. They had been play acting. That's all.

That's all it was for her. Did she realize just what her presence was doing to him? Did she know how crazy her touches made him, how he salivated watching her every move? He was hopelessly, madly in love with her.

Tonight, he would have the chance to prove that to her.

A date. The most important night of his life. A test to see her true feelings.

She couldn't be stringing him along, could she? He needed her too much! His love was all powerful, completely consuming.

Clark snuck a glance at his partner, the love of his life, typing diligently at his computer.

Lois tilted her head too quickly for Clark to avert his gaze. Their eyes met, and their gazes locked unwavering. It felt like a twisting kaleidoscope, the mirage of colors and textures refracted in hundreds of different directions creating a strangely unsettling whirlwind of emotions.

Love. Hopeless, shameless, unwavering.

Clark had the striking feeling that Lois might feel a twinge of his passion, and even, maybe, returned it. But it seemed too good to be true.

Lois cleared her throat and turned away, blushing. "Are you ready?" she asked in an uncharacteristically unsure voice.

"Oh, uh, sure." Yeah, that sounded confident, Kent! He smiled at her widely hoping to portray a nonexistent confidence.

Their eyes locked again, and both sensed a difference in their relationship. It was a strange subtlety, but unknowingly, their relationship had undergone a metamorphosis from colleagues to friends and now to potential lovers. The knowledge was both incredibly exhilarating and horribly frightening.

There was a calm surrender to the rush of a normally busy day. It was unexpected, yet quite welcome. For a few seconds looking into the other's eyes, the heat of the ever rolling world was completely turned away. Everything else was momentarily forgotten. It meant nothing compared to what they were feeling at this moment. It was an earth-shattering revelation.

Lois felt her breath catch in her chest and heard her heart pounding loudly in her ears. The rush of adrenaline from the horribly strenuous day surrendered to the anticipation of a calm evening alone with her boy...partner. Dinner and a movie curled up on her couch together with Clark. They would forget the rest of the world and would turn away any interruption. She glared at Jimmy, wordlessly issuing him that warning.

If he was just her partner, then why was she so nervous? It was just like any other night. How many nights did they spend like this? Why was it different this time?

Because he had asked her out on a date. And she had accepted.

That's what made the familiar a completely new and uncharted territory. It was completely frightening. Every nerve in her body was on guard, her fight or flight response setting in.

This was Clark. Why was she so afraid?

He was the one man in the world that would never hurt her. Clark Kent was the only decent man in the world, the most wonderful man she had ever known.

Clark was the only person she wanted to be with; the lone person in the world with whom she actually wanted to share her life.

Did she really say that?

Yes. Because she meant it. Whenever she imagined her future, Clark was always there with her. He was an integral part of her existence.

She needed him.

And that scared her more than anything else in the world.

From their initial impressions of each other, they had come so far. In Lois's mind, he had gone from a worthless hick from Nowheresville to become her best friend and, dare she say it, love.

With great trepidation, Lois stood to meet him as he moved towards her desk. Would she ever have the courage to admit her true feelings before it was too late? What if she lost him because of her own stubbornness? Now that she had finally come to terms with her true feelings, she needed to act on them. Rashness. It used to be one of her most prized character traits. Now she thought way too much. She needed to dive into this situation head first without checking the water.

She needed to show him her true feelings without barriers or inhibition.

Lois softly intertwined her fingers with Clark's as they headed towards the elevator. A strange fluttering in her stomach alerted her of an unfamiliar nervousness that she had never felt around him.

As Lois's fingers laced through his, Clark gasped audibly. It was unexpected, but so wonderful. The feeling of her soft, cold hand against his elicited an unfamiliar, awesome sensation in every nerve ending in his body.

They had held hands hundreds, if not thousands, of times. But this time was different. The simple gesture took on an entirely different meaning.

It was a promise. A declaration.

Clark had always felt that it was enough just being with her. More than enough. He didn't need anything more.

But now that he had finally experienced more, he wasn't sure how he had ever lived without it.

The air was thick. An unspoken mutual feeling of intense love and admiration welled up between them.

As they made their way out onto the Metropolis streets, their usual familiarity had completely disintegrated to a fear of the unknown.

Lois stopped abruptly and turned to look into her partner's eyes. She saw a hint of the same excitement laced with fear that was coursing through her body.

Their eyes locked and they moved closer, both afraid to make the first move, but praying the other would take the initiative.

An enchanted moment, so long in the making, that saw them through their troubled world. They realized at this moment that being together was the most important thing in their world.

It was enough for Clark, who had wandered through life alone, a solitary vagabond, just being so close to the woman he loved. He couldn't ask for anything more.

Yes, he loved her. And right now, he was fairly certain she felt the same way.

Being so close was not enough for Lois. She was sure he felt the same way about her, but she knew he wasn't sure how she felt. It was time for her to drop her hardened exterior; she needed to show him her true feelings. With all the mixed feelings she had shown him, she didn't blame him for his obvious trepidation.

Lois had gone through life as a lonely warrior, fighting against her feelings for most of her life. Now she had found her savior. He had tried to end her war with the world and had succeeded in ways she had never imagined.

Unconsciously, Lois ran her hand behind Clark's head and gently pulled him to her. Their lips touched softly, tentatively at first. The kaleidoscope of emotions sent a shock of vivid colors between them. Their bodies coursed with feelings neither had experienced before. The kiss was magical, wonderful, beautiful. No adjective could correctly describe their feelings.

Their hearts beat in time together. Everything was right with the world.

How had they resisted for so long?

How had they lived without this feeling? Right now, they knew that they would never be able to turn back.

Lois and Clark, Clark and Lois. The names had always rolled off the tongue as the hottest team in town, the best reporting duo in the city. Now the 'hottest team in town' had a different meaning indeed.

The restless warrior woman and the star-crossed voyager man embarked on the long journey of life. But now they were together, and being together was so much stronger than being alone. The two lonely souls had finally found their way home.

The End

This story was written to satisfy Julie Stars' "Lion King" Challenge on the lcficmbs and inspired by the song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice and shown in Disney's "The Lion King".

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