Karli Morgenthau (smashedflags) wrote in momadness_log, @ 2024-03-11 21:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | !red portal event, dc: clark kent, marvel: karli morgenthau |
Who: Clark and Karli
Where: Earth-96, Metropolis
When: February 22, 2019 to March 12, 2020
What: Red Portal Adventures (Part 1)
Rating/Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Status: Complete
The air screamed past her ears, ripping at the exposed bits of her skin. What little she could draw in with shallow, panicked gasps were little daggers of ice pricking her lungs. When she could pry her eyes open in the barest squint, all she could make out was snatches of light and dark blue and the occasional snatch of green.
She was falling. Hurtling to the ground after feeling the hard pinch of instantaneous travel.
Karli remembered, then: walking from the bodega at the corner near the Consulate, a shopping bag held loosely in her hand, smiling when she saw a familiar face coming from the opposite direction—and then red.
A portal.
One of those damned red portals.
Karli tried to scream, for all the good it would do while she was falling end over end, but the wind whipped the sound right out of her mouth. Oh, god, she was about to die, and all she could do focus on the profound sense of loss pounding in her gut. She'd never see Rogue, never help Sam or Bucky, never tell—
Tears were plucked right out of her eyes and froze to her cheeks. She couldn't make a sound that carried, but it didn't keep her from whispering a regretful, "Clark…"
Sharp hearing picked up the whisper, despite the rush of wind against them. He'd seen Karli on the street near their building, lifted a hand to wave and then the portal had appeared between them. The red light was closer to Karli than himself and its pull hadn't been focused in his direction, but he decided in that split second that he couldn't let his young friend face another new world alone. So he'd flown straight into the vortex, a hand thrown in front of his eyes to shield them from the strobe effects of the light inside the interdimensional tunnel.
It took a brief moment to adjust once he was through to the other side, but instinctively he recognised the resonance of the place. Impossibly, he was home. On his own Earth. Below he could see the shoreline of Metropolis and easily picked out Richard's plane bobbing against its jetty. Then beside the water; their home, toward which Karli plummeted rapidly.
A burst of speed had him diving after and easily catching her, a reassuring smile on his face as he gently floated them both down into the yard. "I've got you."
As soon as Clark's arms were around her after matching her speed, Karli still didn't try to open her eyes until she felt the pull of gravity and the whipping wind ease around her. Even then, they rolled blearily, couldn't focus on much other than the fuzzy shape of Clark's face and the sky, the tops of trees. Relief meant she could let go, so she did with a whispered, "Dad."
From the kitchen, Richard had heard the tell-tale sonic boom that had him rushing from the house and out onto the porch. The last thing he expected was to hear what the young woman said, but his concern won out over his stab of curiosity when she very clearly passed out, going limp in Clark's arms. He approached slowly, cautiously, Clark's name in his mouth before he course corrected at the last moment. "Kal-El?"
A soft smile came to Clark’s face at the name she’d called him, and though her faint was a concern, a swift unobtrusive check of her vitals assured him she was okay. Cradling her closer, he turned toward the house, hearing Richard’s approach before the man appeared. He’d recognise his heartbeat and light footfalls anywhere. But the sight of those blue eyes almost floored him. It had been so long, and he’d missed his family so much, despite trying his hardest to carry on as normally as he could.
"Richard," Clark’s smile brightened, and it was obvious by the way he stepped forward that he would have hugged him had his hands been free. "It’s fine, you can call me Clark around Karli. Would it be okay for her to stay with us a while? I have so much to tell you." His eyes shifted to the house, picking out Jason’s window. "All of you."
Richard's gaze went from the girl—Karli—to Clark and ended with a wry expression settling on his face. "Clearly. Been a busy day, huh? And yeah, of course, she can stay if you trust her."
After he'd led the way back in, he registered the state with which he'd rushed from the house: dish towel over his shoulder, flour on his cheeks and probably in his hair, too, bare feet only just now registering the cold of the ground outside, old sweatpants and a college shirt worn soft with age. He danced in place a little to get some warmth back into his feet before gesturing toward the living room. A longer look at the girl revealed what looked like low grade burns over her face and across her hands. Richard frowned, concerned. "Should I grab the First Aid kit?"
"More like a busy year," Clark mumbled as he followed Richard into their home. "Thank you, I do trust her, she’s very special." He was glad Richard was taking this all in his stride, but hadn’t really expected anything else.
Leaving his shoes at the door as he stepped over the threshold, Clark laid Karli gently on the sofa in the living room. "She’ll heal soon… she uh— has certain abilities of her own." Clark’s gaze swept over Richard’s form, taking in everything from the comfortable clothes to the bare feet, and he couldn’t keep from pulling the slighter man into a swift embrace. "I have missed you."
"Woah, hey!" The exclamation came on the back of a surprised gasp, but Richard didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Clark's broad back almost as tightly. He was frankly baffled by the whole thing, but this wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. Such was life living with (and loving) the Man of Steel, his wife, and their son. "You didn't give me time to miss you, since I just saw you this morning, but I think I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. Jason took Lois to Taipei for a few ingredients for Sunday night dinner, but they should be home any minute now."
"This morning," Clark repeated, his mind turning over the conundrum of parallel universes and time differences between them. It really did appear that life here had carried on as usual in his absence, that he was in fact existing in two places at once, and he'd just replace himself when he returned. Releasing his hold on Richard, he stepped back, touching a streak of flour which had run its way through his love's hair. "You've made dumplings?" Clark didn't really need to ask, the other man was an excellent cook, far surpassing his own competency level.
"Clark?" "Pa!" Two of the voices he'd missed the most had him turning on the spot and smiling in greeting as Jason and Lois appeared from the hall.
"Lois." She was treated to the same tight hug as Richard had been and Clark closed his eyes as he held her, listening to the beat of her heart, feeling it against his own chest. "I missed you too."
Jason looked between his parents and cocked his head, confused. "Why's Pa acting weird?" He addressed his Dad, turning wide blue eyes on Richard. "And who's that girl on the sofa?"
Before Richard could admit he was making xiao long bao and scallion pancakes, the other two-thirds of their family arrived and the subject was lost for now. He stood back while they reunited, and shared a slightly baffled look with Lois that was clearly picked up by their son. "I was hoping your Pa was about to be forthcoming with a few answers." His lips quirked up, along with a single brow. "She called him 'dad'."
At that moment, the very sofa girl in question jolted awake, eyes flying open before she sat upright and skittered to the edge of the couch. Karli was in a weird house, where she only knew one person. Her skin was tingling a little, itching in places, and she only had to glance down to see the pink patches fading quickly to their normal tone. Right. She'd been falling. Clark had caught her. She looked up again, warily and then curiously, because the younger bloke looked like… "I'm Karli. Are you Jason?"
"Dad?" If anything, Jason was even more bewildered after the little tidbit of information, but he could wait for an explanation. Or if not, his x-ray vision would tell him if she was human or half-Kryptonian like himself. Her sudden return to consciousness cut short his wait, and he looked at her with as much curiosity as she was showing him. "Hi, Karli." He smiled, the expression made him look exactly like a younger version of Clark. "I'm Jason, yes. I guess Pa has been telling you all about me?"
"I might have mentioned you a few times." Clark admitted, looking a little bashful as he stepped out of Lois' arms. He couldn't help but be proud of their son, it was only natural. Looking at each member of his family in turn, his gaze settled on Karli and a twist of anxiety curled in his chest. "Karli, this is my home and this is my family. Lois, Richard, and you've already said hello to Jason."
Her attention flicked between Clark and each member of his family, and a tight ball set up residence in her chest. There was an ease to Clark now that she only noticed because she'd never seen it before. He was home. And she wasn't. Karli nodded slowly in greeting and then released the vice grip she'd had on the back of the couch so she could stand. Lois, she noted, was smiling at her with a bemused expression, like this was something Clark did on the regular, bringing adopted young women home with him. After all, what other explanation was there for her dazedly letting the D-word slip?
"This sounds like a long story, Smallville." Lois went up on tip-toe to kiss Clark's cheek and then touched the back of Richard's hand. The gestures were small, but spoke volumes. Karli was struck all over again with just how much of an outsider she was. Again. "Why don't we get some tea going for our guest, and you can tell us all about it. Jason, do you want to stay out here or help?"
"A really long story," Jason agreed, handing his Pa the bag of ingredients he’d brought back from Taipei. "I’ll keep Karli company," Here he smiled at the young woman in question, "You can tell me your version."
Clark took hold of the bag, watching as Richard headed back into the kitchen with Lois. "I’ll be right with you." He called after them, lingering for a moment to make sure Karli was okay with Jason’s proposition. "I’m just out there if you need me, I’ll try and fill Lo and Richard in as best I can without confusing them even more. If Jase asks too many questions, tell him so."
"I won’t! I promise." Jason interjected, nudging his father toward the kitchen, "Go on, before Mom tries to help Dad cook." Clark shook his head with a laugh, but disappeared into the kitchen without further prompting.
For just a second, Karli considered asking Clark not to go. But that was patently absurd. He'd just be in the next room. With is family. (Where he belonged.) And if he could hear her from thousands of kilometers away, she had no doubt he'd be keeping an ear on their conversation from the kitchen. Her gaze went from his retreating form to that of his son's, and she let her mouth quirk a little. "You aimin' to be a reporter like your Da? Seems like you might be chomping at the bit to ask me things."
"Da… I like that." Jason smiled, gesturing for Karli to take a seat again if she wanted, before plopping down on the floor with his back to the sofa and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Pa sounds a little too country, considering I grew up in Metropolis, not Smallville. But in answer to your question, I think three reporters in one family is quite enough. I wouldn't mind writing for the sports column maybe."
He shrugged, looking over at her, "Speaking of family… you don't seem all that bothered my parents are a polycule, which is fab. I could tell Da was really nervous about it. You two must be close if he's that bothered by your opinion.
"Which leads to my chomping at the bit question; are you part Kryptonian like me?" Probably a roundabout way to ask if she was his sister, but he didn't want to be too blunt and come off as rude.
Try as hard as she might, Karli couldn't make herself look at all casual as she perched on the edge of the couch. Nor could she really relax. Her limbs felt like they were on a hairpin trigger. She took in a slow breath, something, anything to ease the pounding in her ears. On the other side of it, she managed a smile that was a little deeper than a smirk, but still not all that easy. "Pa, Da, 's all the same, so long as you know it in your heart. Or whatever." This level of sentimentality wasn't her forte. "What would you do, then?"
She scooted down until she sat on the floor with Jason, still keeping no small amount of distance between them. Truth was, she hadn't know about Richard, or at least not his part in their little fam, but she wasn't fazed in the slightest about it. Karli shook her head and pulled her knees up to hug her legs. "We don't talk much about where we're from—for him, probably because it hurts too much. For me, it's just because there ain't much good to tell. But your Da has a big heart. It's not so strange that he's share it with more than just you and your Mum."
No need to beat about the bush then. She admired him for that, appreciated the forthrightness. "Nah, I'm human enough. Earth-born, at least, but not a normal human. If you're a bit like your Da, you probably already gathered that much."
Jason cast a glance in the direction of the kitchen where he could hear the adults talking, despite their lowered voices. "I do know. They’re both Dad to me. Da wasn’t around for the first five years of my life. He’d gone to try and find any other survivors from Krypton. But Dad was here with Mom, coping with my weird health issues." He waved a hand, "Wow, I’m veering wildly off topic. TMI, too. I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I feel like I should help people, like Da does. Maybe try and find cures for diseases. I’m taking biology, but I got a scholarship because of Baseball. Everyone expects me to follow in my parents’ footsteps. But I don’t think reporting is for me. What do you do, are you at college?"
As she joined him on the floor, he smiled, glad he wasn’t alone in liking to sit down there. But in contrast, Karli curled up, while he stretched out. Jason knew it was probably all kinds of uncomfortable for her, to be thrown into a family situation that wasn’t usual. But she was handling it well. "I’m sorry to hear that." Jason’s brows pulled together in a thoughtful frown then, as Karli’s words sank in properly. "It sounds like you’ve known each other for a long time, but you’ve not been here? Da said he missed us, like he hadn’t seen us for months. So were you on another planet?"
He chuckled a little and shook his head, "I’ve been told not to use my powers on people unless it’s a medical emergency. I can see you’re a quick healer, are you a meta-human? That’s really cool if you are."
"Sounds like you'd make a good doctor—or a nurse. Always heard they did more anyway." Karli gave him a wry smile and tipped her shoulder into his before straightening again with a small shake of her head. Having some insight into how Clark had found out about his son made it easier to understand why she caught him with this sad look sometimes, so full of regret that she didn't ask about it. Thought it might hurt too much to bring it all up. "University? Nah. Didn't get much past year 8 when my world went to shit. School wasn't doing much for me anyway. Learned a lot more from the company I kept. Never really considered higher education. I get by just fine without it. And what I don't know, I can usually fake it."
She shrugged at his apology. He meant well by it, she knew, so it didn't perturb her as much as it might have otherwise. "He was already there when I showed up. We wound up living down the hall from each other. I think it's been a couple of years for him? But, no. Not another planet. Another Earth. In a different dimension. It was my Earth originally, but I was from a few years in its future when I got pulled in through the same portal that brought your Da. Clear as mud, innit?"
Leaning in again, she settled her arm against his in a companionable way. Weird how he already felt like family, but she didn't suppose it would be any other way for Clark's son. She'd seen a few people talk about metas on the network, so she had an idea of what Jason was referencing. In a way, she supposed she was one, but still she replied with, "No, 'm not a meta. Wish I could say I came by my abilities naturally, or even honestly, but at least I got them for good-at-the-time reasons.
"On my Earth, back in World War II, there was this super soldier program. Only had one successful test subject: Captain America. Fast forward several decades, and someone finally managed to crack the serum and successfully recreated it. Enter me and my mates, and our desire to do right by way of doing wrong." Karli frowned, because she knew what happened next thanks to Sam and Bucky. Cold flooded her insides, and she squeezed her legs tighter. "If I'd stayed in my time, I would've died."
A pleased grin came to his face at the brief contact, taking it as a sign Karli was feeling more comfortable around him, and in their home. "Actually, I'd much rather become a nurse, and you're the first person who's suggested that, other than my folks." For a second he puzzled over what year 8 meant, then quickly cross referenced it to the education system he knew. "Sounds like you have a lot more street smarts and real world skills, which honestly are invaluable. A degree is just a piece of paper and definitely not for everyone." Jason smiled, realizing how much he sounded like Uncle Perry in that moment.
"A couple of years." He repeated softly, glancing toward the kitchen again, where a quiet had suddenly fallen. "That's… He must have been lonely. Thank you for looking after him. It's good that you found each other." The multiverse theory had wigged him out when his Father had first told him about it. What if his different versions were bad or had made awful choices? But for there to be a world where he didn't even exist, that was interesting.
Sliding over a little closer as she leaned against him, he felt completely comfortable in her company. It was nice to have someone his own age who he could be himself with, who knew their unusual family secrets and wasn't bothered by them. He listened with interest as she explained how she had come by her abilities and the snippet of history from her world. It might have sounded fantastical, had his own father not been an alien and his godmother an amazonian princess.
"Then I'm glad you were taken from your time, and I really hope that pesky portal doesn't send you back. Or if it does, it sends Da with you, so he can turn back time to save you."
Didn't seem much use in rehashing the gratitude cycle again, so Karli merely inclined her head in acceptance of it. She still wouldn't have said that she'd been there for him as much as he had her, but she'd tried a lot more with him than anyone else for a long while, but especially after Walker and his ilk had gone away. Truth told, she'd felt safer then, even when Sharon went through the portal and came back with the memories of their shared time. But she wasn't about to lay that at Jason's feet. She knew and trusted Clark. That sort of connection took time, and she had no idea if she'd have that.
She offered him a wry smile and an even drier chuckle. "Well, he's already done that. Not turned back time, but definitely saved me. A couple of times now."
Her attention snapped to the doorway, where Richard appeared a couple of seconds later. Benefit of heightened senses, although she had no doubt that Jason had known about his approach well before she did. She didn't miss the way his eyes were rimmed red or the blotchy flush on his cheeks. His smile was still warm, though, and it wasn't hard for Karli to imagine how easy it had probably been for Clark to fall just in love with him as he had Lois. "Dinner is still a couple hours out. You kids want a snack?"
"Yeah, he does that." Jason responded with a wry little smile, saving people was literally his father’s day job. But he seemed to do it outside of office hours too, he couldn’t not help people.
Jason’s attention went to the door as he heard his Dad’s approach, smile melting into a slight frown as he saw the obvious signs of a recent upset on his face. He’d been parted from Clark for two years, without even knowing; it was a difficult truth to swallow. No doubt all three of his parents had been emotional. "I’d love one, but you know my appetite." Letting his smile brighten again, he looked at Karli, "How about you?"
She hadn't been called a "kid" in so long that it kind of stopped her brain for just a moment. Just like being around Clark, it loosened something long held tight in her chest. It was a feeling that never went away altogether—she had too much life under her belt to let it go completely—but sometimes it eased. Let her feel like she could take a breath without having to worry about the next one. Karli blinked her way out of her thoughts and offered first Jason and then Richard a small nod and even smaller smile. "Yeah, I could snack."