Bad Math (DCfic, In Progress)
Mar. 6th, 2006 05:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transemacabreRough draft, Superboy story. Because Kon? Is love.
It wasn't always easy. Hell, it was the furthest thing from easy, and if he hadn't been able to go to rant at Tim on the weekends, Kon would've gone crazy many times over in those first few months. Because with everything else in his life, he had THIS added to it. And sometimes it was so hard it was all he could do to keep from losing his temper, and some days he would just fly away, higher and higher till the atmosphere thinned out and the air was so very cold and he could get control of himself. Kon remembered what it felt like to be out of control, and he didn't want that. Ever again.
The Kents were sure candidates for sainthood. Pa went out and bought a bunk bed, and suddenly Kon's room wasn't just his anymore. Ma baked lots of fruit tarts, because that's what HE liked. Even though Kon kinda liked fruit tarts too, he refused to eat them anymore on general principle. He'd be damned before he had to share everything.
It was weird, brushing your teeth and glancing up at the mirror to see this perfect reflection standing behind you, but not you, HIM. Perfectly identical down to the genetic level, all the same little As and Cs and Gs and Ts and god knows what they inherited from Clark. One white, one black, both with the same impossibly blue Kryptonian eyes. Twins, that's what they told everyone at school, pretty much the only explanation that made sense after the birth certificate was altered to read 'Matthew' instead of 'Conner'. Word got around fast in Smallville, and when the kids asked him about this mysterious twin brother they'd never heard of before, all Kon could think of was to tell them that they'd been split up between two sets of grandparents.
Not twins, not really; no mother's womb for these two, curled together, suspended beneath a beating heart. No mother at all, just two fathers, and Matthew had taken that news far too well. Almost like he'd been expecting it. They'd needed something to call him, something other than that dumb name Cadmus had given him, and Pa had suggested Matthew, "for the disciple", and it was as good a name as any. Kon was just grateful they didn't have stupid matching names. And sometimes he caught himself thinking of his brother as Matthew, thinking of him as his brother, really and truly. Match was always more Matthew than Kon-El was ever Conner.
Having the two of them now meant Clark got even more paternal, which just made things weirder. He was always trying to do wholesome stuff, like playing baseball or whatever. Then there was the day Superman offered to give Matthew a Kryptonian name, and Matthew refused. Kon's jaw went splat! as it hit the floor. And poor Clark had this look on his face like he didn't know what to do, and Matthew explained that he'd never made a decision on his own before, but he was deciding this for himself now. He wanted to be human, leave the superheroing stuff to Kon.
But it's not all bad. It's comforting, somehow, to have someone just like you, someone to share this weird, wonderful existence with. 'Cuz who else would ever understand? Understand what it means to be grown in a tube, to be an alien/human hybrid, to wear a Kryptonian 'S' and have Luthor's blood in your veins. Late at night, Kon would lay awake in bed and think to himself, I'll never let Luthor have him...never never never... and his hands would clench so hard that he'd rip holes in the sheets. And it's fun sometimes too, playing tag in the clouds, and Kon likes his brother so much more now that Matthew's not evil anymore. Now that he's not Match.
It's just not always easy, you see.
FINIS
I am one half
Bad math
Faceted
Fractured
Subtracted
Divided
Into parts
One mind
Two hearts
Broken
Into less than the sum
Of my parts
A blind artist
Of lost arts
- David Mack's Kabuki.
It wasn't always easy. Hell, it was the furthest thing from easy, and if he hadn't been able to go to rant at Tim on the weekends, Kon would've gone crazy many times over in those first few months. Because with everything else in his life, he had THIS added to it. And sometimes it was so hard it was all he could do to keep from losing his temper, and some days he would just fly away, higher and higher till the atmosphere thinned out and the air was so very cold and he could get control of himself. Kon remembered what it felt like to be out of control, and he didn't want that. Ever again.
The Kents were sure candidates for sainthood. Pa went out and bought a bunk bed, and suddenly Kon's room wasn't just his anymore. Ma baked lots of fruit tarts, because that's what HE liked. Even though Kon kinda liked fruit tarts too, he refused to eat them anymore on general principle. He'd be damned before he had to share everything.
It was weird, brushing your teeth and glancing up at the mirror to see this perfect reflection standing behind you, but not you, HIM. Perfectly identical down to the genetic level, all the same little As and Cs and Gs and Ts and god knows what they inherited from Clark. One white, one black, both with the same impossibly blue Kryptonian eyes. Twins, that's what they told everyone at school, pretty much the only explanation that made sense after the birth certificate was altered to read 'Matthew' instead of 'Conner'. Word got around fast in Smallville, and when the kids asked him about this mysterious twin brother they'd never heard of before, all Kon could think of was to tell them that they'd been split up between two sets of grandparents.
Not twins, not really; no mother's womb for these two, curled together, suspended beneath a beating heart. No mother at all, just two fathers, and Matthew had taken that news far too well. Almost like he'd been expecting it. They'd needed something to call him, something other than that dumb name Cadmus had given him, and Pa had suggested Matthew, "for the disciple", and it was as good a name as any. Kon was just grateful they didn't have stupid matching names. And sometimes he caught himself thinking of his brother as Matthew, thinking of him as his brother, really and truly. Match was always more Matthew than Kon-El was ever Conner.
Having the two of them now meant Clark got even more paternal, which just made things weirder. He was always trying to do wholesome stuff, like playing baseball or whatever. Then there was the day Superman offered to give Matthew a Kryptonian name, and Matthew refused. Kon's jaw went splat! as it hit the floor. And poor Clark had this look on his face like he didn't know what to do, and Matthew explained that he'd never made a decision on his own before, but he was deciding this for himself now. He wanted to be human, leave the superheroing stuff to Kon.
But it's not all bad. It's comforting, somehow, to have someone just like you, someone to share this weird, wonderful existence with. 'Cuz who else would ever understand? Understand what it means to be grown in a tube, to be an alien/human hybrid, to wear a Kryptonian 'S' and have Luthor's blood in your veins. Late at night, Kon would lay awake in bed and think to himself, I'll never let Luthor have him...never never never... and his hands would clench so hard that he'd rip holes in the sheets. And it's fun sometimes too, playing tag in the clouds, and Kon likes his brother so much more now that Matthew's not evil anymore. Now that he's not Match.
It's just not always easy, you see.
FINIS
I am one half
Bad math
Faceted
Fractured
Subtracted
Divided
Into parts
One mind
Two hearts
Broken
Into less than the sum
Of my parts
A blind artist
Of lost arts
- David Mack's Kabuki.
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 03:59 am (UTC)Match fic. You wrote *Match* fic!
I miss Match. I hate how they've ignored all the old YJ-era villains :(
no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 04:32 am (UTC)OMG YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 05:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 12:15 pm (UTC)Yeah, that's it. Just wow. I'll try and come up with something more coherant later.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 02:39 pm (UTC)Y'know I was never thrilled about the concept of Match because I thought it took away from Kon's uniqueness, but you just about convinced me in one fic. Damn you! :P
I also adore the idea of Match wanting to be "human". I can imagine these boys being so alike in appearance, but so different in personality. My nephews aren't even 2 and they are already like that. I got to immediately thinking about their birth certificates and what their middles names would be. For some reason, I can see it being Conner Jordan (after Jor-El) and Matthew Alexander (because Match would have a twisted sense of humor like that). And the idea of Clark being more paternal with two kids made me smile and sad for Kon at the same time. As if Kon alone wasn't enough for him.
Whatever did happen to Match? Is he just playing poker in DC limbo with Inertia? (And Thad cheats!) It's kind of too bad that this probably wouldn't happen in canon. Excellent fic!
no subject
Date: 2006-03-06 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 02:34 am (UTC)And the 'long lost twin whom I've never mentioned before' felt very golden age.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-11 12:36 am (UTC)I saw your page from a link on the fan site about David Mack called davidmackguide.com.
Have you seen it?
no subject
Date: 2006-07-04 05:08 am (UTC)Found you again through that meme thing you posted.
I love this. Lots. The independence in different ways and the "split up between two sets of grandparents" and Matthew wanting to be human and leave the superheroing to Kon and Kon's protectiveness.... And them playing tag in the clouds!!! Eeeee!!!
It's just great. All around great.