SV fic post:Transference part 14
11/4/07 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roxyTitle: Transference
Fandom: SV
Pairing:Clex
Rating: PG
cover by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danceswithgary
The previous parts of Transference are here.
Clark parked his car in the lot in front of Liam's apartment, next to his old BMW. He climbed out of the car, and stood next to Lex's, his hand sliding over the hood of the BMW longingly. That morning's dream kept sneaking up on him. Red crept up his neck, stained his cheeks…it had been a nice dream, right up to the point he'd smacked his dream head against the headboard. Heck, it had been damn good, better than real life. Most of what he'd done in Metropolis had been rushed and furtive. After he'd come back home, the memories of the encounters were guilt filled and just…sad. Last night's dream had felt so real, he'd even come and that was something he hadn't done since he was a kid. It was terribly embarrassing.
He hoped there was a chance of reenacting the dream some day. Soon.
He heard the shouting as he walked up the path towards Liam's apartment. He could hear it through all the walls, over the sound of different varieties of music and conversation--the intense hiss of Liam's angry words, the rasp of Ed's harsh whisper…they were having the kind of fight people had when they didn’t want to upset the kids or alert the neighbors. Closer, and now he could hear Liam's pulse hammering, his heart pounding, a sound he knew as well as his own. His first instinct was to rush up the stairs to Liam's apartment and kill Ed a little, just a little…but he knew Liam was likely to turn anything he perceived as Clark attempting a rescue, against him, and Clark'd been on the receiving end of his anger too many times--it hurt, but it had always hurt Lex more--he just couldn’t ever seem to realize it.
He would wait. If he needed to, he'd go with his original plan and just kill Ed. Clark leaned against the sun-warm BMW, rubbed the back of his head, and wondered when enough would be enough….
Ed threw open the apartment door, with Liam right behind him. "Go home, Ed…get out." He sounded tired—Clark thought he looked tired.
Ed laughed. "Think I'm worried about this? You'll call. You always do."
Liam slammed the door shut, and Ed stood on the steps for a long minute, before chuckling. He strolled down the sidewalk like he'd had a very good day, headed for his car.
"Hey."
"Jesus!" Ed jerked back from the car door. "Who the hell—you. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I don't think you have a right to ask that."
"Look, asshole, whatever you think you know--"
Clark leaned over the hood of the car, and stared at Ed. Hard. "You must think you're something—you look at Liam like you own him but you don't. Don't come back here anymore, you hear? Leave him alone."
"Fuck off. I'll drop him when *I'm* ready to. Trust me, asshole, he's addicted to this." He grabbed himself, and squeezed, sneered at Clark.
Clark stopped himself, just barely, from crimping the guy's hood. "You think you're some kind of dangerous guy, don’t you? You think Liam's afraid of you, because he doesn’t argue back. That, my friend, is a big mistake, the kind of mistake an idiot like you *would* make. And then, even bigger mistake, you think I'm afraid of you. Buddy—you’re a real estate agent in a town the size of a nickel. I've been all over the world—seen shit you could not begin to imagine. I've seen murderous rage, and death--I've seen evil, with a capital e. You? You're evil lower case—evil like cockroaches and stepping in dog crap and expired parking meters. You don't *begin* to scare me. Understand?"
Ed started to look a little less cocky. "Liam gets pissy from time to time and then it's all fuck and make up. Don't interfere in what's not your business."
Clark sighed. "You're not getting it. You will never speak to Liam again. You won’t be happy if you do. I can't promise that…things might not get out of hand. Do yourself a favor." Clark grinned as nastily as possible, put every memory of every night in Metropolis into his smile. "Get. Lost."
He reached over, and bent one of Ed's windshield wipers into a pretzel. Ed blanched.
"Okay, okay…he belongs to you, I get it. I do get it." Ed slipped into his car, and before locking his door, said hurriedly, "If I ever hear of Liam getting…damaged, I'll take the risk and go to the cops. Remember *that*."
He drove off quickly, leaving Clark a little stunned on the side of the street. Okay. His bluff had worked…but what the hell kind of person had he appeared to be to that asshole? He blew a short breath out. The whole stupid speech was him imagining he was Lex. He smiled. It…worked. Now, he had to hope that Liam would take the news he'd scared off his jerk of a boyfriend like Liam, and not like Lex, who sometimes would rather hold onto a scorpion than admit he might be in over his head a little. Or a lot. He swallowed. It was beginning to sink in he hadn't really thought much more beyond getting rid of Ed….
He heard clapping, slow and definitely ironic coming from the shadows near the apartments. Great, he thought, now I get to deal with Lex. Liam.
"Mr. Kent."
"Mr. Miles…"
"What makes you think that you have a right to interfere in my life?"
"I don’t know…could have been all those years in Metropolis, when you were trying to kill me? Or the years before that, when you were my best friend?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He turned to leave and Clark was behind him in the blink of an eye. He pressed himself against the stiff back and shivered before getting control of himself. He was pretty sure he felt an answering tremble. "You don’t know what I'm talking about? Okay—stop me if I leave anything out--clone, transference—that evil rock your dad used on me— a new life, happy guy-- I'm leaving out bits in the interest of time…"
The stiffness that had begun to leach out of the body slightly leaning into his returned. Clark could almost feel the ice radiating from it. "There's nothing amusing in that at all. I killed--"
Clark was at his side, arm around him and leading him back towards his apartment. "Quiet. Come inside, Let me talk to you." Once inside, Clark told Liam, "I know…about that. I don't know how or why, but I do. I saw it in a…a dream--"
"Yes, a dream," Liam said, his voice full of awe, a little fear. "I dreamed—things, so many things and you were in them, and some of them were true and some of them were nightmares…"
"Yeah." Clark shuddered, remembering hell…"yes, they were so vivid, some of them. How is it possible?"
"Don't know. But I know that I used to wish like crazy I could read your mind, so that I could understand what to do—how to reach you. I think it made me crazy."
"So…the attempted murders were your efforts to communicate with me?"
Liam smirked. "Oh please. If I'd really wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, and I'd be in the oval office."
"Miserable, bitter and alone. This is so much better, isn’t it? You have friends, a place in the community. Millions might not be hanging on your every word, but dozens of people know you—and like you, very much."
Liam nodded. "Yes." He looked embarrassed to admit it, but he did. "It is better."
Clark reached out and grabbed Liam's hand. "Lex…"
"Liam," he corrected. "Lex died a long time ago." Clark was relieved Liam didn't pull his hand away.
"Liam, then. If I'd told you the truth, how much better would our lives have been?"
"Clark—it might have been worse. In those days I could have talked myself into cutting you to bits and believe it was for your own good. I was…lost. Falling, and taking everyone I could down with me. Now…I sometimes can’t believe how good my life is.
"And I saw you trying to tank that happiness, Liam." Clark frowned, rubbed his thumb over Liam's rough knuckles. He remembered looking at Lex's hands, and marveling how smooth, how soft they'd looked…he looked up into the grey eyes locked on his. "It's like you don't believe you deserve it."
He laughed. "I don’t. I haven’t done anything to deserve it for a long time."
Clark shook his head. "You need to be comfortable being happy. That's something I had to learn."
tbc
Fandom: SV
Pairing:Clex
Rating: PG
cover by
danceswithgaryThe previous parts of Transference are here.
Clark parked his car in the lot in front of Liam's apartment, next to his old BMW. He climbed out of the car, and stood next to Lex's, his hand sliding over the hood of the BMW longingly. That morning's dream kept sneaking up on him. Red crept up his neck, stained his cheeks…it had been a nice dream, right up to the point he'd smacked his dream head against the headboard. Heck, it had been damn good, better than real life. Most of what he'd done in Metropolis had been rushed and furtive. After he'd come back home, the memories of the encounters were guilt filled and just…sad. Last night's dream had felt so real, he'd even come and that was something he hadn't done since he was a kid. It was terribly embarrassing.
He hoped there was a chance of reenacting the dream some day. Soon.
He heard the shouting as he walked up the path towards Liam's apartment. He could hear it through all the walls, over the sound of different varieties of music and conversation--the intense hiss of Liam's angry words, the rasp of Ed's harsh whisper…they were having the kind of fight people had when they didn’t want to upset the kids or alert the neighbors. Closer, and now he could hear Liam's pulse hammering, his heart pounding, a sound he knew as well as his own. His first instinct was to rush up the stairs to Liam's apartment and kill Ed a little, just a little…but he knew Liam was likely to turn anything he perceived as Clark attempting a rescue, against him, and Clark'd been on the receiving end of his anger too many times--it hurt, but it had always hurt Lex more--he just couldn’t ever seem to realize it.
He would wait. If he needed to, he'd go with his original plan and just kill Ed. Clark leaned against the sun-warm BMW, rubbed the back of his head, and wondered when enough would be enough….
Ed threw open the apartment door, with Liam right behind him. "Go home, Ed…get out." He sounded tired—Clark thought he looked tired.
Ed laughed. "Think I'm worried about this? You'll call. You always do."
Liam slammed the door shut, and Ed stood on the steps for a long minute, before chuckling. He strolled down the sidewalk like he'd had a very good day, headed for his car.
"Hey."
"Jesus!" Ed jerked back from the car door. "Who the hell—you. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I don't think you have a right to ask that."
"Look, asshole, whatever you think you know--"
Clark leaned over the hood of the car, and stared at Ed. Hard. "You must think you're something—you look at Liam like you own him but you don't. Don't come back here anymore, you hear? Leave him alone."
"Fuck off. I'll drop him when *I'm* ready to. Trust me, asshole, he's addicted to this." He grabbed himself, and squeezed, sneered at Clark.
Clark stopped himself, just barely, from crimping the guy's hood. "You think you're some kind of dangerous guy, don’t you? You think Liam's afraid of you, because he doesn’t argue back. That, my friend, is a big mistake, the kind of mistake an idiot like you *would* make. And then, even bigger mistake, you think I'm afraid of you. Buddy—you’re a real estate agent in a town the size of a nickel. I've been all over the world—seen shit you could not begin to imagine. I've seen murderous rage, and death--I've seen evil, with a capital e. You? You're evil lower case—evil like cockroaches and stepping in dog crap and expired parking meters. You don't *begin* to scare me. Understand?"
Ed started to look a little less cocky. "Liam gets pissy from time to time and then it's all fuck and make up. Don't interfere in what's not your business."
Clark sighed. "You're not getting it. You will never speak to Liam again. You won’t be happy if you do. I can't promise that…things might not get out of hand. Do yourself a favor." Clark grinned as nastily as possible, put every memory of every night in Metropolis into his smile. "Get. Lost."
He reached over, and bent one of Ed's windshield wipers into a pretzel. Ed blanched.
"Okay, okay…he belongs to you, I get it. I do get it." Ed slipped into his car, and before locking his door, said hurriedly, "If I ever hear of Liam getting…damaged, I'll take the risk and go to the cops. Remember *that*."
He drove off quickly, leaving Clark a little stunned on the side of the street. Okay. His bluff had worked…but what the hell kind of person had he appeared to be to that asshole? He blew a short breath out. The whole stupid speech was him imagining he was Lex. He smiled. It…worked. Now, he had to hope that Liam would take the news he'd scared off his jerk of a boyfriend like Liam, and not like Lex, who sometimes would rather hold onto a scorpion than admit he might be in over his head a little. Or a lot. He swallowed. It was beginning to sink in he hadn't really thought much more beyond getting rid of Ed….
He heard clapping, slow and definitely ironic coming from the shadows near the apartments. Great, he thought, now I get to deal with Lex. Liam.
"Mr. Kent."
"Mr. Miles…"
"What makes you think that you have a right to interfere in my life?"
"I don’t know…could have been all those years in Metropolis, when you were trying to kill me? Or the years before that, when you were my best friend?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He turned to leave and Clark was behind him in the blink of an eye. He pressed himself against the stiff back and shivered before getting control of himself. He was pretty sure he felt an answering tremble. "You don’t know what I'm talking about? Okay—stop me if I leave anything out--clone, transference—that evil rock your dad used on me— a new life, happy guy-- I'm leaving out bits in the interest of time…"
The stiffness that had begun to leach out of the body slightly leaning into his returned. Clark could almost feel the ice radiating from it. "There's nothing amusing in that at all. I killed--"
Clark was at his side, arm around him and leading him back towards his apartment. "Quiet. Come inside, Let me talk to you." Once inside, Clark told Liam, "I know…about that. I don't know how or why, but I do. I saw it in a…a dream--"
"Yes, a dream," Liam said, his voice full of awe, a little fear. "I dreamed—things, so many things and you were in them, and some of them were true and some of them were nightmares…"
"Yeah." Clark shuddered, remembering hell…"yes, they were so vivid, some of them. How is it possible?"
"Don't know. But I know that I used to wish like crazy I could read your mind, so that I could understand what to do—how to reach you. I think it made me crazy."
"So…the attempted murders were your efforts to communicate with me?"
Liam smirked. "Oh please. If I'd really wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, and I'd be in the oval office."
"Miserable, bitter and alone. This is so much better, isn’t it? You have friends, a place in the community. Millions might not be hanging on your every word, but dozens of people know you—and like you, very much."
Liam nodded. "Yes." He looked embarrassed to admit it, but he did. "It is better."
Clark reached out and grabbed Liam's hand. "Lex…"
"Liam," he corrected. "Lex died a long time ago." Clark was relieved Liam didn't pull his hand away.
"Liam, then. If I'd told you the truth, how much better would our lives have been?"
"Clark—it might have been worse. In those days I could have talked myself into cutting you to bits and believe it was for your own good. I was…lost. Falling, and taking everyone I could down with me. Now…I sometimes can’t believe how good my life is.
"And I saw you trying to tank that happiness, Liam." Clark frowned, rubbed his thumb over Liam's rough knuckles. He remembered looking at Lex's hands, and marveling how smooth, how soft they'd looked…he looked up into the grey eyes locked on his. "It's like you don't believe you deserve it."
He laughed. "I don’t. I haven’t done anything to deserve it for a long time."
Clark shook his head. "You need to be comfortable being happy. That's something I had to learn."
tbc
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
11/5/07 05:18 am (UTC)Good job Clark!! Way to scare the shit out of Ed!!!
(no subject)
11/5/07 05:37 am (UTC)I'm so glad that the shared dreams are out in the open.
And hopefully some of those dreams will soon be acted out in real life.
Please, I'd like some more.
(no subject)
11/5/07 06:27 am (UTC)Clark threatening Ed was great, I also liked Liam/Lex slow clap.
(no subject)
11/5/07 06:43 am (UTC)*cackles madly* OMG.... that may be my favorite line yet. hehehehe And Clark can squish Ed like a cockroach too!
FINALLY!!! Clark and Liam are talking... and holding hands. :D It's a start! :D
(no subject)
11/5/07 07:11 am (UTC)That's extremely good advice and Liam needs to take it.
As for Ed, he's an idiot, and i suspect we haven't seen the last of him because he's an idiot and as such probably doesn't know when to leave things alone.
Great chapter babes.
(no subject)
11/5/07 07:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/5/07 12:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
11/5/07 12:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
11/5/07 09:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
11/5/07 11:40 pm (UTC)Great part!
(no subject)
11/7/07 03:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:50 am (UTC)I'm trying my best to bring you more!
(no subject)
11/7/07 03:51 am (UTC)Slow clap--funniest thing ever! My 80s roots are showing.*G*
(no subject)
11/7/07 03:52 am (UTC)Thanks so much for reading, honey!!
(no subject)
11/7/07 03:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 03:57 am (UTC)Thank you, love!
(no subject)
11/7/07 07:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
11/7/07 02:59 pm (UTC)convolutedinteresting to write. *g*If I'd told you the truth, how much better would our lives have been?"
11/12/07 11:24 pm (UTC)*kicks you some more if you dont convince lex otherwise*
Re: If I'd told you the truth, how much better would our lives have been?"
11/13/07 05:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
12/2/07 10:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
12/3/07 01:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
3/10/13 06:19 pm (UTC)