y. belova (doesnotpose) wrote in momadness_log, @ 2021-11-18 15:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | dc: clark kent, ~inactive: yelena belova |
Who: Clark Kent and Yelena Belova
What: Flying! (#2)
When: Oct 11 or 12, before Natasha’s return
Where: Starting at the Facility
Warning: Low/None
Status: Completed via Gdoc
Yelena and Clark met up once a couple weeks ago, and he showed her how he could fly. They kept it pretty under the radar, pretty hush-hush. Neither of them wanted his flight of fancy to be caught on camera by some nosey bystander, or for them to draw unwanted attention to the Avengers Facility… but Yelena was absolutely fascinated by the flight. She was a pilot, afterall, and the idea of flying without a plane? It warmed the young Russian’s heart.
They’d made plans to meet up again, but then Yelena lost her mother and her sister in one fell swoop. She had canceled, and taken off for a few days to clear her head. Thankfully, the trip helped… though it still felt like there was a giant hole in her heart. At least she wasn’t in constant pain anymore. It ebbed and flowed. She even had some hours where she felt almost normal.
When she arrived back at the Facility, Yelena sent Clark a message to let him know she was sorry for leaving so abruptly, and that she would like to cash in her raincheck. At the time they agreed upon, she headed to the front lobby to meet up with him. She felt numb. Void. But that was better than the pain she’d been in before.
Clark had completely understood Yelena’s choice to postpone their flight. Losing anyone to the portal was a wrench, he knew he’d taken a while to get over Lois returning home. But to have two people go back at once… it must have been doubly hard on the young woman. He hoped that her time away with good friends had helped her through the initial pain.
Their last meet up had been low key, Clark was still uncertain about how sheltered they were from prying eyes at the compound. Who knew what satellites were pointed in their direction at any given moment. But after scanning the skies above them that morning, he determined that there was little interest in their comings and goings, at least for now. Which meant he could fly fairly freely.
He was wearing the recently delivered dark version of his suit, which wouldn’t draw so much attention if they did happen to be spotted. Smiling as he spotted Yelena, he moved to meet her, “Good morning, how are you today?”
Yelena was impressed by the suit. As she moved closer, she got a good look at it. It was dark, but it suited him. (Suited him? Get it? English was a very funny language.) The prospect of actually going up in the air was a little on the terrifying side, but also thrilling. Way more thrilling than terrifying.
She broke into a small, tired, sad smile as she moved closer. “I am surviving.” Without her mother or sister, she’d felt devastated and alone. But spending time with Clint and Dylan, being alone but not alone? It’d helped a lot. “How are you this morning? Are you ready to fly?” Because she definitely was.
"I'm happy to hear that, sometimes surviving is all we can do, and it's definitely a step in the right direction." He offered another gentle smile as he moved to hold the door for her, "I'm fine thank you, the livestock were happy and cooperative this morning which is always a good sign for the day to go well. I'm always ready to fly, it's one of my favorite things to do."
As they stepped out into the open air, Clark lifted his head to look up at the relatively cloudless sky. The air was fresh, but there wasn’t a heavy breeze, so their flight should be easygoing. “Do you have a destination in mind? Or shall we just see where the wind takes us?” He could take them anywhere on earth, depending on how fast Yelena wanted to go. “My wife, Lois, likes to stand on my toes when we take off. Or, with your permission of course, I could take you by your waist.”
Yelena was incredibly entertained that the most powerful person she’d ever met was tending livestock. He could stop bullets with his chest, fly across the sky, run faster than… well, really, really fast. And he was tossing hay bales and dealing with chickens, or whatever. Collecting eggs? Anyway, it was cognitive dissonance for her.
She followed him out into the open air, then looked up into the sky. “I will follow your judgement. Whatever you think is best.” She looked down at his feet. “I… have no idea. I can try it?” She stepped closer, setting her toes on his. “Like this?” It didn’t seem super secure. A part of her was afraid she was going to fall. Then again, that was part of the fun, right?
Of the two, he knew which sounded more secure, but for a moment he wasn’t sure which option Yelena would choose. As she gingerly stepped onto his toes he smiled, “Yep, just like that, I won’t let you fall, I promise. But you can hold onto me if you’d like to feel more secure.” Kal waited for her to do so, before lifting his heels from the ground and pushing away from the earth.
His cape swirled around them both as he spiralled upward, not going particularly fast just yet, then hovered as the facility stood a few tens of feet below them. “It makes a refreshing change to be taking off with someone instead of catching them mid fall,” he admitted with a soft laugh.
Oh, she was definitely going to hang onto him. She just wasn't sure where or how at the moment. She wrapped an arm around his side and pressed her hand against the center of his back. He was surprisingly large and firm, actually, but it felt secure enough.
And then they took off up into the sky. It might not have been fast, but it was flying. Without a plane. Yelena actually gave a little yelp--not that she was surprised, but it felt a lot more real than she'd been expecting. She felt her body tense against him, her arm tighten around his side, and she looked over her shoulder as the world grew farther and farther away.
"Is that something you do often?" She asked, taking some comfort in that idea. If she fell, he had practice catching people. "I certainly hope we won't need that skill today."
As Yelena tensed, Kal circled her waist with one arm, hoping she’d feel more secure that way. If she said she wasn’t happy, he’d take them back down to earth, but he had the feeling that being in the air was exhilarating for Yelena as it was for him. Even after so many years, he still loved to fly, the novelty hadn’t worn off at all. “Fairly frequently, yes. I met Lois when I caught her after a helicopter accident. Metropolis, the city where I live, has far too many tall buildings and people seem to fall off them a lot.” Sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidental and sometimes he was sure they did it just so they could get selfies with him mid air.
“I don’t plan on letting you fall,” he smiled again, looking out to the horizon, “but hold on as tight as you need to and tell me if I go too fast.” He extended his other hand out in front of him, and they tilted 90 degrees as he moved off, flying through the skies toward New Asgard and the coast.
It was definitely reassuring that he was very experienced catching people in midair. If things were to go south, maybe she wouldn’t die today. It would be a cool way to die, though. Falling from flying without a plane? ...she’d have to figure out a way to make it cooler.
She gave a gentle Thank you before he was turning and flying through the sky. She gave a little yelp and her arms both tightened around him, but she turned to look out at the scenery. It was absolutely breathtaking. The wind was rushing past, making a roaring sound in her ears. And she was glad she’d worn her thick shirt and jacket, because it was chilly. But everything else--the sights, the smell as they zoomed closer toward the ocean, the way the air felt hitting her skin--made her feel more alive than she’d felt in days. Weeks, maybe.
As they flew, he could sense that Yelena was enjoying the experience as much as he. Even though her tightened grip suggested there was still some natural fear of falling, he could tell that the exhilaration he felt was shared by his new friend. The scent of salt grew stronger as they drew closer to the beach and he could taste it on his lips. Conversation wasn’t entirely possible or necessary, but he made sure that his passenger was comfortable as they flew.
Wondering if Yelena was warm enough, he dipped slightly lower in the sky and followed the coastline north towards New Asgard. Skirting the town, he looped back toward the facility, taking the scenic route above the woods. “Do you want to stay out longer?”
Yelena enjoyed the view, the feel, all of it. She was still clinging tight to him as they soared toward the ocean, then back around. She could taste the salty air, smell the seaweed, practically feel the spray of the ocean’s waves. It wasn’t really possible to tell him how much she was enjoying this, but she had a feeling that he knew.
She could hear him a bit better when they were over the woods. “Only if you want to?” She said, giving him a smile. It was the lightest, the freest she’d felt in ages. “I could go back in. Have a hot chocolate?” After the chilly air, that sounded really wonderful. “I will make you one.”
He smiled back, glad that her expression was lighter than it had been earlier in the morning. Hot chocolate sounded absolutely perfect after their flight and he steered them toward the facility. “I would like that, hot chocolate is perfect after a chilly flight.” Not that he really felt the cold, that was one of the perks of his Kryptonian physiology, but he knew Lois liked a warm drink when they got back from a trip through the skies.
Setting down lightly almost exactly where they had taken off, Kal lifted his arm from where it rested around her waist and offered another smile. “Thank you for trusting me to fly with you. I really love it up there and having company makes a nice change.”
“It sounds like it’ll hit the spot.” Yelena gave a happy, little sigh. She was pleased they’d had a chance to take the flight, and a little bummed that it was ending so quickly. Then again, the hot chocolate sounded amazing. And it wasn’t like they couldn’t take another flight together, right?
Once they were safely on the ground again, she had to slowly dislodge her fingers from where they were tightened around him. She took a half step back, down off of his toes, shaking both hands a little, sheepishly. They were sort of stuck in a claw-like shape. “I have only ever flown in a plane before.” One of the perks of being a trained and licensed pilot. “This was… thrilling. I should be the one thanking you.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt it will.” Clark smiled, “Next time we’ll stay out longer, and we’ll go further. If you like?” He blushed the tiniest bit then, realising he was probably coming off as an overeager puppy about things. But he couldn’t help it, not after finding someone who was happy to take to the skies with him. “I thought it best to start off slow today, just in case it was too much, or too cold, for you.”
Also there had been a satellite pointed at their general location for the latter part of their flight and he hadn’t wanted to cause any disturbance with the powers that be in this version of America. “You’re a pilot? That’s wonderful, have you flown many different kinds of plane?” Smiling again at the compliment, he pulled open the door and held it for her, “You are absolutely welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“I’ll put on a cap,” Yelena promised with a warm smile. “And some gloves. We can definitely stay out longer next time.” That would help with the chill. She would be willing to go as far as he wanted to. It wasn’t like Yelena to give her trust so easily, but something about Clark made her feel safe in his presence. He was good in a way that sometimes she wished she was. “I appreciate it. It is a lot to take in the first time.” She was still a little shivery, and not just from the cold. From the thrill.
“Thank you,” she said, for him holding the door, then she stepped through. Once inside she waited for him to come in, then led the way toward the kitchen. “And yes, I am a licensed pilot. I was trained on biplanes and helicopters when I was in the Red Room, though I have had the occasion to fly a few different crafts since.”
“Wonderful, because you need to be comfortable while we’re out.” He was immensely pleased that she felt able to trust him, having guessed she hadn’t had much reason to trust in the past. “I know, the first time I flew I terrified my mother and I couldn’t figure out how to land.”
Nodding as she explained what aircraft she had flown, he was impressed, “There’s quite a difference between the two. Do you prefer a rotary wing or fixed?” Following Yelena through the facility’s living area to the kitchen, Kal realised perhaps a little too late that he was still in his stealth suit. If he was to use it for Clint’s team, perhaps he shouldn’t be wandering around an Avengers building in it? “Can you excuse me for a moment? I should change.”
Clark waited for the okay from his new friend before using his speed to head back to his apartment and switch outfits. Returning within a moment so it would look like he simply vanished and reappeared in a plaid shirt and jeans.
Yelena considered the question for a moment, but then Clark was asking to be excused. She said, “yes, of course,” but practically by the time she’d given her permission, he was back, in civilian clothes. And… glasses. Yelena broke into a grin at the sight of them, then lifted a hand to adjust his collar. Just for a moment, then her hand fell again. “I like your glasses.”
Then Yelena moved across the kitchen to get out the milk, a small pot, and the cocoa powder. She didn’t do hot chocolate all that often, but when she did she went the whole nine yards. “I think I prefer flying without a plane,” she commented, once she was pouring milk into the pot. Her cheeks went slightly pink, and she turned to give him a small smirk.
Adjusting the glasses with a little smile, Clark nodded his thanks as she straightened his collar. Reminded of both his Ma and Lois by the simple, caring gesture. “Thank you. I guess I don’t really need to wear them around here. Seeing as everyone knows what I can do and who I really am. But it's habit. Only a handful of people know the real me back home.”
The way Yelena was making the hot cocoa was just how he made it and he joined her over by the stove. Reaching up into the nearby cupboard for a couple of mugs, Clark set them on the side, his smile brightening at her answer. “I wasn’t expecting that… but, thank you. I’m always happy to fly with a friend.”