Just a sweet little one-shot I was inspired to write based off of one of the plot bunnies from Discord.
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“Don’t tell me you read Chinese.” Clark just smiles, and takes the little slip of paper from me. He looks at it for a moment, before nearly choking.
“What? What does it say?” I don’t believe in superstitions, and fortunes, of course, but my curiosity is piqued by his reaction.
“Um… it says, ‘you’ll learn to fly when you find happiness on the ground.’” He hands me back the paper, avoiding my eyes, which I have to restrain from rolling at the ridiculous sentiment.
“I hate that. It sounds like one of those sayings made up to keep people from following their dreams.” Still, I turn it over, and write the translation on the back, tucking it into my pocket before turning back to the research.
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A YEAR LATER…
In the wind from Superman’s abrupt departure, a box is knocked off my shelf, and the contents are still everywhere. Just great. Now on top of everything else, I have to clean up this mess. It’s mostly just junk. Old receipts, and small gifts I didn’t really want, but couldn’t bring myself away, and… an odd little strip of paper with some writing on it…
“You will learn to fly when you find happiness on the ground.” Just perfect. As if I needed another reminder that Superman is unattainable. I hated this fortune then, and I hate it now.
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It’s been bothering me for weeks now. It shouldn’t be. Really. It’s just a stupid fortune cookie. And yet, the words keep ringing in my head, taunting me, as if there’s some hidden meaning that I have yet to see.
“You will learn to fly when you find happiness on the ground.”
At first, I thought it was about Superman. I suppose that was the easy answer. Every time it comes back, it brings back the image of Clark, laughing over chinese food. Which turns into Clark hugging me when we discovered that the Prometheus was, in fact, being sabotaged, Clark kissing me goodbye during the heatwave, Clark protecting me from Mr. Makeup, Clark laughing, and teasing while playing games in the Honeymoon Suite, and… that kiss…Clark may have only just said he loves me a month ago, but he’d been telling me through his actions since the day we met. I guess I understand the meaning of the fortune now. It’s not about reaching for the stars. It’s about being grateful for what you already have. And I didn’t listen. Like a fool, I was blinded by Superman, and Lex, and never even stopped to see what was right in front of me.
“I… I can’t.”
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TWO YEARS LATER (give or take)…
“Lois?” Clark calls from inside the apartment as I finish putting the last box in the van.
“Yeah?” Joining him in the living room, I find him looking, slightly perplexed, at a little jewelry box.
“What is this?”
“Oh.” I haven’t seen that in a long time. “It’s just a box of knick knacks, and keepsakes.”
He opens it, gently, and pulls out a few old movie tickets, a receipt from the Lexor Hotel, and other keepsakes from our early relationship, that I'm not really sure why I kept, until one of the pieces of paper falls on the floor. Bending down to pick it up, I recognize my handwriting scrawled across the paper.
“You will learn to fly when you find happiness on the ground.” Laughing, I stand back up to put the paper back into the box.
“What?” Clark leans over my shoulder to read the writing.
“It's the fortune. From our first stakeout.” He reads it, and chuckles lightly. “I wish I’d have known then what it meant.”
“Honey, it wouldn’t be a fortune if it was straightforward.” Chuckling, I turn around to kiss him.
“I suppose you’re right.” I don’t think I ever could have predicted where I am right now, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. We’ve come through every challenge together, and come out stronger on the other side.
“You will learn to fly when you find happiness on the ground.” The fortune was right. And I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am in this moment. Taking one last look at the apartment before closing the door, I turn to Clark.
“Ready?”
“With you? Always.”
Last edited by AbigailEllenKent; 11/13/25 07:13 PM.
This sounds so much like Lois!