a_different_future | IC/OOC Contact

"Well, you came up with three," he admits, "but the answer remains the same. Mostly because of Bill, frankly, but I'm not about to leave it up to chance."

"If I wasn't aware of the impossibility and futility of it, I'd demote myself to get rid of him." Just honestly. "And I think delegating is choosing who does it, not leaving it to chance."

"One, once it's out of your hands it's out of your hands," he points out, "and two, while Bill and I have something of an accord" the kind of accord that kept him from getting demoted, "I'd rather not test it with watching him deface Shakespeare."

"I don't want to talk about any accord anyone has with Bill." Just, you know, tossing it out there because he hates that fucking triangle more than Sinister and that's saying something.

"No 'deal', if you're worried," he says, a little more quietly. "That particular kind of evil is one I'm well aware to avoid."

"That's... reassuring." He knows - "I know you're smarter than that, but the barge has a way of making things happen."

"If it happened, I'd leave the barge," he says firmly. Firmly. There is nothing worth letting his power and his body be used by someone else. Nothing. And if this damnable ship let it happen, it would be the kind of betrayal he wouldn't let happen twice. "You'd find me back in your world, shopping with Emma."

"I'd probably find you back in my world sleeping with Emma." Just amused and kind of fond, though. He still really, really doesn't think Clark should return to his world but he is well aware Lark isn't going back to his own and maybe he will end up in Five's and maybe he won't. He'll work with whatever. "And I think ending up with that sort of situation would make me leave in a hurry, too."

"One doesn't preclude the other," is his answer to that.

"But I'd much rather be here."

He laughs, very quietly at that.

"Why?" The being here. The fact that Clark can do both is pretty obvious.

"You. Hope. A number of others. Any other world, I'd have to choose between all of the people I care about; here, they're all in one place. As is the library, where I have access to all of the Kryptonian crystals, including the ones my father destroyed."

"Those are good reasons to be here." He's pretty... nonplussed by most of them, on a personal level, but he does know how good they are for Clark.

He looks over at Scott.

"And why are you here?"

"Because going home without a solid plan is suicide, I'd like to find a way to live, and my solid plan just carved magical symbols into my back."

...

You'll have to excuse him, because this is the first time he's heard anything about the possibility of Erskine as-

Aha.

Aha.

Well then.

"I see."

"Relatively solid plan."

He isn't really apologetic. He told Jean. Jean's a nice sanity check when it comes to the shit show that his world is even if hers isn't quite as bad. That she's concerned but kind of approving means he's probably not too far off.

But.

"Aren't you glad you asked?"

"Yes," he says, though there's something very faint in his voice that says, somewhat, 'no'. "It makes my reasons sound positively sane in comparison."

Then, like he's just heard a dinner bell or remembered that he left the oven on-

"You should rest and I should probably go."

"I'm pretty sure I'm actually sane, but I recognize that the delivery isn't." He sounds, and is, apologetic because Clark's so clearly... disturbed and bothered and upset. "I'm sorry, and you're ... probably right." Not going to shut down escape.

He isn't really disturbed, but he is very bothered and exceptionally upset. But he isn't upset at Scott. He's upset at himself.

He should have realized before now.

"At the moment, it looks a little silly," he admits with a wry half-smile. "But I see the utility. And considering I put you in that state, I don't really have a right to an apology."

He refills the glass with water before heading for the door.

"I'll be checking to make sure you aren't making a total mess of it."

He groans and pushes himself up to sitting and then standing. "First off all, I am making a total mess of something. Second, the state of my back is my doing - both by request. That wasn't a thing you did without being all but begged. Third - Please dont' walk out of here upset. Talk to me, Clark."

Clark closes his eyes, breathes in deep enough that he actually flutters the bedsheets a little, and breathes out much more slowly before looking over at Scott.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Scott. Nothing." He tips his chin towards Scott. "Other than, perhaps, getting out of bed."

He closes the door.

"If you need me to be more boring at you to help you drift off, we can keep talking. It just looked as if I might be making you less likely to sleep."

Clark is his and he's going to be following through with this but - "Okay."

For now, he lays back down on his stomach and actually does go to sleep. It's been a shitty day, he's somewhat shocky and he can't help it.

But there WILL be follow through.

Clark stands outside the door, having left it just the tiniest bit open to listen... until Scott is out. Then the door is closed and he heads back to his room.

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