slayers_desire | Rested after a good night sleep

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clark

Rested after a good night sleep

It was amazing how much difference one good night of sleep could make. Especially since that sleep had been thanks to Clark holding her, and finally being able to talk to him about intimacy.

That one good night had led to a couple more, and today April was feeling 100 per cent better. And because of her good mood, had spent the better part of the afternoon making phone calls, arranging some details, and basically had a nice surprise all lined up for Clark.

All that was needed was the guest of honor. So she would give him a call.

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Clark leans his cheek on the top of her head, one long arm curled around her waist, and he gives a little sigh of contentment. "It's a long story... it was before the ship started speaking to me. And there was a key that helped me work Kryptonian technology. It called to me, to go and put it in the cave wall; it called so much that I started flying there in my sleep. My parents didn't want me to do it, but I couldn't stop myself, like I couldn't control my own body. There was this bright light and I blacked out, and when I woke up, I could read Kryptonian. The download made me burn the symbol for hope into the side of the barn, and when it made it into the newspapers, I got an email from Doctor Swann."

"He'd worked out the language, and gotten a message during the meteor shower where I arrived, asking the people of Earth to keep the last survivor of Krypton safe. He tracked the message back to its point of origin and found where the planet used to be, and when he saw the symbol on the barn, he knew where I was. He told me everything he knew."

"That must have been difficult, to lose control like that. But I am glad the experience allowed you to learn the language of your home world."

"Is Kryptonian a difficult language?"

"It was," he agrees. "I thought I was going crazy when I kept waking up in the middle of the road, or in a field somewhere between the caves and home. I managed to keep it hidden from everyone for a while, but I got caught when I ended up in the middle of Route 8 and Lex almost ran me over. He insisted on giving me a ride home, so my parents were already up by the time I got back."

He hesitates a moment. "It's very, very difficult. No slang, very formal, lots of layers of meaning. Humans can learn to read and write it, but only Kryptonians can manage the spoken version. There are too many sounds that can't be spoken or heard by ordinary humans."

"I can't imagine how hard it is to hide things from people you care about." April is so glad she doesn't have to do that with Clark. And she turns slightly to kiss his neck.

"Do you know many words?"

He closes his eyes, not because of heat vision, but just because he wants to focus on feeling her next to him. And then, hesitantly, he starts speaking in a lyrical, flowing language that sounds like rain rolling off rooftops, the distant rumble of thunder, the shush of wind rustling through the trees. Spoken Kryptonian is a gentle storm rolling over him, words and meanings wrapped up in a language no human tongue can hope to reproduce with any kind of accuracy.

The lyrical language that Clark speaks is so soothing, and she is caught up in the gentle storm of words. Her fingers stroke down his chest as he speaks.

"Wow."

The storm eventually trickles to a stop, and he opens his eyes again. "Sometimes I wake up thinking in it, and I have to remind myself what English sounds like. It's so easy to lose myself in it, and I'm the only one in the universe who can speak it anymore."

"That may be true. But you are not alone." April leaned to kiss him softly. "And if you ever want to speak it around me, I will be glad to listen. Even if I can't understand a thing you say."

"It comes from you. Your heart."

He smiles a little, grateful that she's as accepting and understanding as always. "What I just recited... it's a kind of a poem. I got some of the literary classics along with the language download, for contextual comprehension. It's about the harmony of the planets and how they move in predictable patterns, but there are phenomena in space that even my people couldn't explain, which defy the laws of physics. It's about what's undiscovered and mysterious."

"It sounds like they studied a lot beyond their own walls." Laying beside him, April can sense how important every aspect of learning about his home world is to Clark.

"I feel harmonious at your side."

Clark grins and says something in Kryptonian, something without a good English translation, the word closest to soulmate that the language has.

"I wish I could ask Jor-El about this. He fell in love with a human woman once."

April cuddles close at the word, even though she doesn't understand, somehow she gets the gist. "You have his simulation."

"He might be the only one who could have advice on the heat vision."

"I'm just afraid that he'll tell me that human-learned emotions are my weakness again, and prevent me from being with you. I don't know how much he feels like that, and Louise... she died in his arms. He didn't know the bullets would bounce off his skin, didn't know to watch for where they went when they ricocheted. He thought he was protecting her, and she died because of it. He might not think that Kryptonians and humans can be together." Not that she's entirely human, but he doesn't think that the AI will understand vampirism.

"If I had to, I would do anything to prove myself to him to stay in your life. Not that he matters... you do."

"I just want you to see you happy."

Clark feels a brief bolt of terror at the idea of her being anywhere near Jor-El. "I know my future self said to trust him, but I don't want you to talk to him. He's too dangerous; I don't know what he'd do to you."

"Shush my love..." April moves her position to sit on him, softly running her hands up his chest. "I said if I had to. I am not planning to talk to Jor-El."

"You matter to me. I just... feel like this is one thing I can't help you with. And it sucks."

He knows that, rationally, but the emotional part of him can't quite shake the idea, and it scares him. He still hasn't talked to the AI since he got the message from his future self, and when he eventually does, he doesn't plan to tell his father about April at all.

Without even planning to, he rests his hands on her hips, steadying her on her new perch. "You are helping me. You're patient, and you listen, even when I'm being dumb about things."

"You are not dumb Clark." April softly reassured him. She can sense his fear and worry, and gently runs her hands up his chest. It is okay with her that Jor-El doesn;t know about her. Clark's adopted parents do. And that is enough.

"Yeah, I am. I'm a big dumb alien who constantly runs the risk of setting his girlfriend on fire. Though in my defense, you are rather hot already."

"No insulting the alien I love. You will learn control over this Clark. Look at everything you have done, that you didn't think was possible."

She smiled at the compliment. And leaned in to kiss him. "I believe in you."

He kisses her back through a smile, and though there's a faint glimmer of gold in his eyes, that's as far as it goes. "Speaking of control, I haven't started any fires yet." He's a little pleased with himself, and with her. "I think having conversation to focus on helps." More of the emotional aspects to outweigh the physical. Although how much of that is the subject matter, he doesn't know. Thinking about Krypton and his alien heritage has always made him feel more stable, once he accepted it, that is.

"I had noticed that." April smiles at him. Very proud he has found something that gives him control. "I can balance between talking and kissing. If conversation helps."

"I like hearing you talk." So making out will require multitasking, something he's not entirely objecting to, but once they're ready to take the next step he might have to find something different, or get those candles ready. Or make sure a window's open with nothing in the way outside.

"Awwww." April kisses him softly. "That is sweet. I like talking to you."

"You know Clark." Kiss. "I know it is tough being the last one of your kind." Kiss. "But I think there is one thing you haven't considered." Kiss. "You have this great gift, to learn about your culture, history and language." Kiss. "And as long as parts of Krypton are kept in your heart, you will be able to preserve it." Kiss.

"And someday. When you are lots older. Maybe you will be a father." Kiss. "And pass on that history to your children. You can pass it on to their children."

It's interesting, balancing kissing with talking, and he supposes it's rather harder for the talker than for the other kisser, so he does his best to make up for it by running his hands through her hair. It's so much longer and smoother than his own, and so fragile beneath his fingers.

His heart lurches a little when she mentions children. "I hope so. I mean, I don't know if I can, with other species." He doesn't dare get into who these children might have as a mother. Doesn't want to presume, or scare her off, or dare imagine it for himself.

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