Who: Conner Kent and Clark Kent. What: Meeting. When: Connor's arrival. Where: Town. Warnings: None. Status: Closed | Complete
Connor was less than happy to be where he was. That less than happy attitude didn’t shift when he was told by the people who greeted him that he was going to be picked up by a random guardian. That randomly assigned guardian happened to be a name he was deeply familiar with. Clark Kent. But why of all people was he there?
The young clone stared ahead of him at his surroundings with about as much interest as someone who would have to go to a lecture on rocks and the different formations of them. His arms were crossed over a shirt with the House of El symbol painted in red on it. Krypto by his side, looking up at him anxiously. The dog whined and nudged him at the thigh with his nose. “I know right?” He spoke to the dog with a raised eyebrow as he reached down to scratch between his ears.
“He ditched us in metropolis and now this.” Connor rolled his eyes and folded his arms as he waited for Clark to show up. Not sure where or how he’d be arriving, but he watched and waited.
Clark hadn't expected to be given a ward – he assumed that the ward Lois had been given would suffice for the two of them. It was obvious that the dome and the town had other plans. Not only had it given him a ward, but the ward had the same last name as Clark. As he approached the young man, it became obvious that it was more than a last name the two shared.
The young man wore a shirt with the symbol of the House of El. That, combined with the name Kent – well, there had to be some connection.
"Connor," he said, softly. It would be inaudible to anyone with human hearing. He was merely testing the other's hearing. He reached to see. He had to see for himself.
Bright blue cranky looking eyes turned in the direction of the voice that said his name. That stare was so intense there was no way he hadn’t heard him. To Connor it was as loud as if he’d been shouted at. He’d always thought about what this moment would be like. Meeting the man he was created after. The original Superman. He didn’t know how to react or what he should think in that moment.
The dog by his side crossed that bridge for them. He didn’t bare his teeth at the other man, so it must have actually been Clark. Krypto gave Clark a happy head butt to his leg for attention. Connor could only barely refrain from rolling his eyes at the dog.
He didn’t say anything at first. Not sure what to say.
Clark honestly had no idea what to say. He had never been prepared for a situation like this – a situation where there was a Kent from Krypton that was not him. He wasn’t even sure if Connor was from Krypton. All he knew was that Connor wore a shirt that signified that he was at least aware of the House of El. And, given the fact that Connor looked in his direction when Clark called his name – that indicated that he had at least some Kryptonian blood in him.
He smiled down at the dog who had approached him, and he knelt down for a moment to scratch behind Krypto’s ears. Apparently the dog was Connor’s and recognized him as at least a version of Clark Kent.
“I do not believe I am the Clark Kent you were expecting,” he said as he continued to pet the dog. His words were for Connor, and he now knew the teenager could hear him. Even though it appeared as though he were talking to the dog. “There are different versions of people from different worlds here. Diana Prince and Barry Allen are from a different version of this world – Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon are from yet another version.”
He knew this was a lot of information at once, but he also knew that Connor deserved the truth. “I come from a world where I was living in Smallville with my wife, Lois, and twin sons. Was I in Smallville or Metropolis in your world?” he asked.
Krypto was not nearly as reserved as the clone was. He made content sounds when Clark acknowledged and pet him. He leaned right into it. He didn’t trust just anyone, which made Connor raise an eyebrow for a moment.
He didn’t say anything else at first. He thought when he met Clark he’d have ten million questions, but he wasn’t sure what to think instead. “I don’t know what that means.You are Clark Kent, Superman aren’t you?” He was very young when it came to understanding of things. Knowledge and true understanding were two different things. “Dick Grayson is here?” That seemed to pique his interest. He wondered then if this Dick Grayson would recognize him or not, but he was afraid to find out. Would this Clark decide to reject him too? So many worries and questions spiraled through his head until Clark spoke again and cut through them with more questions.
“Metropolis.” He answered questions as they were issued, he didn’t voluntarily speak of himself. It wasn’t in his coding to. “That’s Krypto.” He motioned to the dog Clark was lavishing his attention on. It made Connor pause in thought. Clark was kind to the dog though he owed him nothing if he was not his Clark, but that didn’t necessarily mean he would do the same for Connor. So he remained guarded and wary. He’d been hurt and disappointed by a Superman before.
Clark looked up, focusing his gaze toward Connor. "I am Clark Kent. Kal-El. Superman. I was raised in Smallville, moved to Metropolis, met Lois Lane and married her. We have twin boys – Jordan and Jonathan. We recently moved back to Smallville, before Lois and I were brought to Madison Valley. Our boys are not here, though we have a ward named Laura Kinney, who lives with us as well."
He felt Connor deserved to know who he was to be living with.
He then nodded, "Dick Grayson is here, yes. Bruce Wayne was here for a while, too, but he wasn't yet Batman." There were different reasons for Clark being open and honest with Connor – it was part of who he was, and he felt that he wouldn't be able to gain Connor's trust if he weren't honest with him.
Clark gave Krypto another scratch behind his ear before standing up once more. He moved to where he was standing beside the young man before speaking once more.
"I know this is a lot, and I'm sorry."
Connor wasn’t easy to trust. For good reason seeing who his counterpart father was. He knew Lex had…a history. He was now a part of that history. He just didn’t know where he fell in it. Was he good or not good? It must be nice to have that many memories to talk about. Connor did not. He was only less than a year old really. He looked seventeen, but he did not live the life of a seventeen year old, so he was quiet as Krypto joined back by his side again. The dog was loyal to him.
“I know Dick. I know Bruce Wayne. I know you…kind of. I don’t know who I am.” He admitted with a small shrug, confidence lacking as he spoke those words out loud. “I know what they call me, and how I am seen…They call me Experiment thirteen…Eve named me Connor.” That was about all he knew of himself yet. He was supposed to stay with Lex for six months, but Lex was now dead. Superman had blown him off. Connor was guarded at best. Superman kept wanting to see him, then did not. How many ways was he supposed to take that?
“You were in Metropolis…which sucks by the way.” Connor had not enjoyed that city. He was trying to talk to Clark, but everything in him wanted to just freeze up. He was worried this Clark was also going to reject him. He had his own family.
“Experiment Thirteen?” He allowed himself a moment to process this information. “If that means what I assume it means, then you and Laura have a lot more in common that I anticipated.” Clark hesitated before continuing – Laura had not told a single person who he truly was. Well, perhaps she had told Logan, but he hadn’t hid who he was from Logan. But then he made an impulsive decision to tell Connor a bit about the young girl. Laura would forgive him.
“She was created by an organization in her world that was trying to create strong soldiers – her biological father’s DNA was used so she would have his mutations and be harder to kill.”
Perhaps the reasoning behind her creation was different, but he felt that since they were both created…
“Metropolis is a lot to take in,” he admitted. “I was much happier in Smallville.”
Connor would not have told anyone he didn’t trust, at least not a little. Clark had offered up information about himself, so Connor had copied him. “I see.” He didn’t know what to say about the girl he’d soon be sharing a house with yet. It was a lot of information to process just being there with Clark. Connor couldn’t tell how the man felt about him either, but he supposed he was just as guilty of hiding his own feelings for the time being. “...You also deserved to know who I am. Since we will be together…if you want.” He uncomfortably folded his arms on his chest at that statement.
He didn’t need to take up much space. He would try to be as out of the way as he could. He wasn’t sure how to react to all this, except to be uncomfortable. “If you don’t, I can leave.” He didn’t know where he’d go, but he wouldn’t be somewhere that was uncomfortable for them. He looked off towards the dog instead of at Clark. Trying not to be too obvious about the inner turmoil his mind was cooking up for him while they talked. Or mostly Clark talked. Connor absorbed.
“Of course we’re going to be together,” he said. “Not just because whoever makes these decisions said I should be your guardian. You’re part Kryptonian, part me. I want to get to know you. …you didn’t exist in my world, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you around. Or that I don’t want to get to know you.” Clark was interested in Connor, and how he came to be. Even if he didn’t happen to be part Kent.
He studied the young man for a moment, his head tilting slightly. “You didn’t get along with the Clark Kent of your world, did you?” he said. “Or, something happened between the two of you?” He could tell that Connor didn’t feel completely comfortable or at ease around him. Perhaps it was due to the Clark he knew from his world. He wasn’t quite sure.
“I think you will find that while there are likely a good number of similarities between the Clark you know and myself, there will also be some differences.”
Krypto, unlike Connor was completely happy to be around Clark. The dog had accepted him immediately and knew he was a good person. Connor was taking his ques from the dog, but he wasn’t a dog so he still had the human emotion side of things to contend with. And he was worried. There was a bunch of fear in being there with Clark that mostly stimmed from potential rejection due to what he was. When Clark spoke of him like a human more than just the clone that he was, he did seem to pay a little more attention. “I’ve seen Krypton..before it happened. But I never lived there.” Clark was different than the man he only ever heard of before.
“I only met Lex.” He admitted after a moment of listening to what Clark had to say. His brows knit together. “...Clark didn’t seem interested to meet me. I came to Metropolis to meet him, he decided something else was more worthwhile.” Mapping the planets or some bullshit star labs told him that hadn’t exactly made him feel confident in their Clark. There was more to that story, sure…but Connor left it at that for now and just gave a sort of strained smile. “I was supposed to stay with Lex for six months…Get to know him, but he was murdered.” So, Connor was left with only an opinion of Lex and none of Clark. Which worried him.
He looked over at Krypto as the dog bounded ahead a bit. “People treat me differently when they find out what I am.” He paused as he looked up ahead as well, making sure the dog was still in ear shot. Though, for Krypto that could be miles. Even states away.
“People treat people differently if they aren’t the norm. If a person strays from what is expected of them, then they are judge for it. You did not choose to be created like you were – and it doesn’t change the fact that you are still human. It doesn’t make you different than anyone else, except for how you came to be.”
Clark wasn’t about to judge Connor for how he came into existence. Or that he had been cloned by using part of Clark’s DNA. He understood that it had not been the teenager’s decision. How could it have been?
“Well. If it makes up for anything, you have a version of me here. I’d like to get to know you.”
“I was told not to tell people what I am…should I…maintain that?” He wasn’t entirely sure what Madison had to offer, or what it would be like towards a clone. Or anyone who was like them really. Was there room for heroes there?
He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I think I want that too. To know you. I mean. I know some things. I know of your past, but not anything about who you are. Dick said that’s important.” Conner respected Dick, the man didn’t force him to be anything he wasn’t. Though occasionally he could be a little annoying about holding back his strength when he knew he could handle certain situations others could not.
“I know you grew up on a farm.” He’d never gotten to go to that farm, he got stopped at Lex’s creepy father’s place. That’s where his Superman field trip ended. “What do you do now?”