A Rock in a Weary Place excerpt
I haven't done a WIP Wednesday in forever. It's almost Wednesday so here we go. A Rock in a Weary Place is part two of my Clark-adopts-Billy AU and I am so excited about it. I've finally gotten some good work done on it, but since it's a long one-shot (I don't actually know how long, but I wouldn't be shocked if it exceeds 10k) it'll be a while before its done. So here's an excerpt!!!! Of course any and all of this can change between now and posting the final.
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Clark felt… lost.
For as long as he’d been planning and scheming on how to get Billy Batson off the streets, he hadn’t fully realized what taking a kid into his home would fully entail.
Because, for all the talk about how he’d be more like a roommate to Billy… he also realized that he couldn’t be just a roommate.
He was the adult. He had to be— the adult. And Billy was the kid. Clark was providing for Billy, and that was that.
Which meant, Clark had to cook food.
A lot.
He’d never really cooked before, when it was just him. He ordered food, usually. Or just ate something microwavable. Ma would be upset, if she knew that.
But she didn’t know, so she couldn’t be upset.
If she found out he fed Billy, a “growing boy,” primarily greasy take out and cheap microwave dinners… Well Clark wasn’t sure he’d find a place on Earth safe from her wrath. And since he was Martha Kent’s son, he did know how to cook.
So that’s what he did.
A lot now.
Breakfast and dinner every day, and lunch on the weekends too. Although there had only been one weekend with Billy, so far. Five days in total.
How did five short days feel like an eternity?
“Smallville,” Lois nearly sang, “Yoohoo, hello? Is anyone home?”
Clark looked up from his laptop screen and smiled sheepishly at Lois, where she was leaning over his desk almost between him and his computer. He’d been zoning out a lot recently. “Sorry Lois,” he said, “what did you say?”
“What is up with you,” she exasperated, sitting back down into her chair, across their back-to-back desks from him, “you’re so…. distracted lately!”
“Oh nothing,” Clark said, as he leaned back in his chair, trying his best to give her his undivided attention, “just a lot on my mind.”
“Such as…” she prodded, leaning forward further into his personal space. When Clark didn’t reply other than to offer another sheepish smile, she let out an exasperated sigh and said, “Okay fine, I’ve got a new story for us. You won’t believe it, but there’s competition for Superman.”
“What?” Clark asked.
Lois grinned.“You know that guy from Fawcett? Captain Marvel? He’s been spotted in Metropolis this week.”
Clark resisted a laugh. He had known that, of course. “Really?” he asked anyway.
“Yes, and this morning, you’ll never believe it,” Lois said, as she went ahead and fully sat up on his desk, her arms moving all over the place as she spoke, “I was walking from the garage when this kid walked right out into the road without looking, and Captain Marvel swooped in and grabbed him before he got hit by a car. It was incredible! And I got to see Captain Marvel close up.”
“Did you now?” Clark asked with a grin.
“Yes, and let me tell you, he’s handsome. Superman has some real competition there.”
Clark… wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
Billy was just a child. A ten-year-old boy. But Clark couldn’t tell Lois that. How would Clark even know that?
He just hoped he never had to have that conversation with Billy, either. Adults shouldn’t be looking at him as if he were an adult.
But.
That was a concern, wasn’t it? Billy had said so himself. Sometimes he wasn’t a kid. Half the time, Billy was an adult. In form, at least.
They definitely would have to have a conversation, wouldn’t they?
Clark… Clark had no idea how to go about that.
“We should do some scouting this evening. Listen to the police scanner and see if we can catch Captain Marvel, just like we used to do with Superman, remember?”
He nodded absently. That had always been… interesting. Having to come up with excuse after excuse to slip away for a moment, all while Lois was trying her best to see Superman.
No matter how fun that had been, he couldn’t do that again. Because. He had to go home and feed Billy.
Also, Billy probably wouldn’t go out and about that time, anyway. He usually did his work during the daylight, and stayed in at night. Clark hadn’t seen him out at night much at all, not even before he came to live in Metropolis.
“Smallville,” Lois snapped, “Clark. Tonight. Scouting. What do you say?”
Clark looked back at her and tried to look regretful as he said, “I can’t, I’m sorry.”
“Can’t?” she exclaimed, scowling hard, “Why not?”
“I have plans,” he said simply.
Because he did. Feed the kid.
“Plans with who,” she demanded, “You haven’t been available all week!”
He spluttered and held his two hands up in surrender. “It’s not like that. I’m just busy. Besides, has Captain Marvel been seen after dark much anyway?”
Lois narrowed her eyes, but then sat back as she clearly thought it over, then muttered, “Hm. I wonder if he gets his strength from the sun or something.”
“Hey, maybe,” he said, as he pushed his chair back and stood up. He shut his laptop and slipped it into his bag before he grabbed his coat and said, “I’ve got to get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow. We can talk more about this new hero tomorrow.”
He felt mildly bad he’d blown her off three times already. He’d only had Billy for five days, and three of those days he’s had to blow Lois off.
They used to spend almost all day together, weekends to. Clark already missed that…
“Yeah, yeah,” Lois said, as she slid off his desk and returned to hers, “go do whatever. Tomorrow we’re scouting for Captain Marvel, Kent, don’t forget it.”
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