In Flight Special

by Talya Firedancer


The first time Richard takes him up he says, twenty minutes in, "I'm thinking of selling her." He means the sea plane, of course, and Clark turns wide eyes in his direction and says nothing as Richard works the throttle and pushes the plane higher into the sky. They soar above the clouds and Clark turns to him, fingers slipping over his hand.

"Keep her," Clark says, soft and persuasive, almost low enough to get lost in the engine noise.

"If I sell her, I could put the money in a college fund for Jason," Richard argues, knowing this is a sucker punch, delivering it anyhow.

Clark looks over at him, his eyes solemn, focused. "Jason will never lack for money when he needs it."

Not from any of us, Richard agrees in his heart. They finish the flight in silence, and when they unbuckle, they don't leave the plane for a good long time, entangled in the flight between just they two.

Clark is impatient, pulling and tugging at his clothes while they're still buckled in. "This wasn't in any of the manuals," Richard quips as his belt twangs free - and shoots clear across the plane.

"We can make a new chapter," Clark mumbles, kissing down his neck. "Flight safety do's and don'ts?"

"You like flying, Mr. Kent?" Richard says suavely, and Clark's eyes trail from his gaze to his mouth. Then they're kissing, and the heat of breath and urgency between them is such that there's barely time to relocate to the bench in back.

If he likes it so much, Richard thinks as they soar together, next time he wants to see how it is when Kal-El takes them up.

+end+



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