Knight Fantasy

Knight Fantasy
Flora Winters
I do not own Smallville.
Summary: Clark’s now famous childhood friend returns to Smallville and his semi-normal existence is turned upside down. What’s an alien to do? This fiction will contain language, MM, and OC.

Chapter Five

It was a beautiful day at Crater Lake. The sun was beaming down, sparkling on the bluish-green surface of the water.

The weather was hot and the gentle wind was cool. There was the sound of two teens laughing and playing in the warm shallows.

Clark’s dad was a few hundred yards away, trying to do a little fishing. The boys were supposed to be trying, too. But, they had gotten bored, removed their shirts, and jumped in.

“You boys are supposed to be fishing!” Jonathan yelled over to them, waving his fishing rod around for dramatic emphasis. “Your mom wants to grill some fish, Clark!”

Clark splashed Zak in the face, laughing. “But, it’s hot!”

Zak splashed him back, jumping at him, pushing him under the water.

Jonathan rolled his eyes. It would seem that this was not going to work at all.

Clark managed to break free from Zak, breaking the surface, gasping for much needed air. He tackled Zak and they both went under with matching yelps.

Jonathan put his hands on his hips, waiting patiently for the splashing to cease. He watched the two come up gasping and laughing.

“I’m going to walk over to the dock and see if I can’t catch us some dinner there,” he called to them. “I don’t want the two of you leaving sight of the dock.”

“Okay,” Clark called to him, waving him off, looking back at Zak. “I think he forgets that we’re thirteen and really good swimmers.”

Zak nodded his head, watching Uncle Jonathan walk towards the wooden dock in the near distance. He looked at Clark, taking in his appearance once more.

His skin was a golden brown and his cheeks were rosy. That dark hair had grown longer and gotten curly looking. Those eyes of his were as blue and clear as the sky above their heads.

He had to turn away. He felt a little funny looking at Clark like that. He wondered if Clark felt the tingling sensation to whenever he looked at him.

“What’s it like to live in the big city?” Clark asked, turning to float on his back, looking up at the cloudless sky.

Zak looked down at the greenish water, gazing at his reflection. “It’s not the same.”

Clark nodded, closing his eyes. He didn’t care too much for it either. The big city had taken his Zaky away from him.

“It’s too noisy,” he said, pulling on Clark’s ankles. “And you’re not there to keep me company.”

“I could be,” Clark thought to himself, wishing he could reveal his secret to him. “I could be there to see you everyday in an eye blink.”

But, that would be hard to lie about, and it would make his parents furious. Nobody could know his secret, no matter how bad he wanted to share it with Zak.

He let Zak pull him around in the warm water by his ankles. It felt like he was flying.

“I’m glad my parents let me come here on the weekends,” Zak smiled. “Otherwise I would break all the glasses in the apartment again.”

Clark snickered. “Your voice is as deadly as it is magical.”

Zak blushed, letting his ankles go. “They were so impressed.”

Clark believed him. He knew Zak’s voice could hit the glass shattering notes. It was really cool.

He got back to his feet and looked at his friend. That long golden hair was curly as a horse’s mane, but, softer than silk. His skin was still just as white as snow, and he still had the golden speckle in his right eye.

He loved Zak’s eyes. He would steal as many glances at them as he could without being noticed. But, he saw that Zak was blushing like a cherry blossom, and looked away.

What was this feeling he was feeling? He noticed that whenever he would look at Zak like that, his ‘thingy’ felt funny. He loved the way the water droplets sparkled on his white skin.

“What?” Zak asked, seeing Clark’s golden cheeks burning like a rose.

Clark shook his head, wondering if he should tell him. But, he couldn’t. What if it had to do with him not being ‘normal’ like everyone else?

It had started again when Zak had pulled him around in the water by his ankles. The touch of his skin on his was so soft. Plus, Zak smelled nice, too.

‘It’ would get longer and harder the more he thought about Zak. He was starting to feel a little scared, wanting it to go away.

“How are your lessons?” Clark asked, wanting to add, “Now that you no longer need me.”

“Good,” Zak smiled, floating closer to him. “Ursula is teaching me how to hold notes while keeping them smooth and clear.”

Clark nodded, hoping Zak could not see his ‘thingy’ was acting weird again.

“I wish you could still be there with me,” he said a little sadly. “Like I said, it’s just not the same.”

“But, this is easier for you,” Clark said, not wanting him to feel sad. “You don’t have to sit in a car all the time.”

Zak laughed.

“How is your mom’s new teaching job?” He asked.

“She loved it,” Zak smiled. “The elementary school is really nice. I stop in and have lunch with her when Ursula turns her back during Saturday studies.”

Clark snorted. “And then she sends her eels after you.”

Zak rolled his eyes. “Kyle and Lyle are really goofy, but, they’re very nice.”

Clark crossed his eyes, making a funny face at him. “Really?”

Zak splashed him. “Oh, stop it.”

Clark laughed, shaking his wet mane of dark curls.

Zak remembered how sad Clark had been last year before the move. He had been terrified that Clark would hate him.

“I don’t want you to go,” Clark had snarled, stomping a foot. “You’re my best friend! What will I do without you?”

“You have Pete,” Zak said, wanting Clark to stop looking so betrayed. “And I’ll come see you on weekends, spring break, and Christmas.”

Clark shook his head. “It’s not the same! I hate it! That Sea Witch isn’t stealing your voice, she’s stealing you!”

Zak bit his bottom lip. He had never seen Clark so mad before. He looked like he wanted to pick up a house and hurl it at Ursula.

“I’m sorry, Clarky,” Zak whispered, looking into angry blue eyes that were wet with tears. “But, I can’t stop this.”

Clark held out his hand, indicating for him to take it. “We’ll run away.”

Zak’s jaw dropped. “What? That’s stupid.”

“I know!” Clark yelled, pulling at his hair. “Ah, I hate this!”

Wow, he was really loud when he really wanted to be. It was kind of scary. No, it was scary.

Zak pulled his angry friend into his arms and held him close. He could feel the bigger boy slightly shaking in his arms.

“I don’t want this,” Clark whispered, holding his hands to his chest. “I don’t want things to change.”

Zak closed his eyes, rubbing small circles on Clark’s back.

“Please,” Clark whispered. “Don’t leave me all alone.”

He was crying. Clark was actually crying. The only time he had ever seen Clark cry was that scary day at the mill.

Zak closed his eyes and Clark wrapped his bigger arms around him. He squeezed Zak tight.

“I love you, Clarky,” Zak told him, warm breath against a golden neck. “And that’s all that really matters.”

Zak blinked when he felt a wet finger poke him on the tip of his nose. He was looking into concerned blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” Clark asked. “You spaced out on me, blonde.”

Zak nodded. “I tend to get lost in my head. There are so many halls and turns to take.”

Clark smiled. “Sounds like a great place to play.”

“Sometimes,” Zak said, smiling back at him, wanting to add, “But, most of the time it’s a lonely place to get lost in.”

“Come on,” Clark said, taking him by the hand. “Let’s go to my secret place.”

If he couldn’t show his powers, he could at least share this with Zaky.

“Secret place?” Zak asked, cocking a wet brow. “You never told me you had a secret place.”

“Well, duh,” Clark said, turning, and sticking a red tongue out at him. “That’s why it’s a secret place, blonde.”

Zak pouted. “I’ll step on your foot.”

“And then I’ll cry,” Clark teased, happy that his ‘thingy’ was under control once more. “And make you feel like sand under my toes.”

“Uh-uh,” Zak lied. “I’ll cackle evilly.”

“No you won’t,” Clark said.

“Oh, yes I will,” Zak cackled evilly. “And then I’ll kick your pet cow, too. That way, you’ll see that I mean business.”

“Oh, now you’ve gone too far, Sir,” Clark said, picking up a stick, jumping up on a small boulder. “I challenge you to a duel.”

“A duel?” Zak asked, hands on his hips. “Have you lost your mind?”

Clark stuck a finger up in the air, looking to be thinking about it really hard, smiled insanely, and then nodded his head. “Yes, I do believe so.”

Zak looked around for a killing stick of doom and found one. He picked it up and leaped at Clark.

“On guard!” Clark yelled, meeting him head on.

His stick snapped.

“Hah!” Zak yelled in triumph, holding his stick to his neck. “I suggest you yield, for I am made of awesome.”

Clark’s eyes widened in shock and the he pointed with a shaking finger. “What is that?”

He sounded really scared.

Zak turned to look and Clark took off jumping from boulder to boulder, laughing at him.

“Hey!” Zak roared, snapping his stick across his knee in outrage at the trick. “I’m going to rub your face in hay until you sneeze!”

Clark laughed back at him. “How many blondes does it take to screw in a light bulb?”

“None!” Zak growled, jumping off after him. “We have smelly farmboys to do it for us!”

Clark pouted. “That’s not funny at all.”

“I snorted,” Zak laughed. “Now, come back here so I can hit you real good.”

Clark shook his head, jumping to a taller boulder with ease. “I don’t think I will.”

“You’re only making this harder on yourself, Clarky,” Zak sang out in song. “Just wait until I catch you.”

“None shall catch me,” Clark called to him, teasing him with a butt shake. “For I am faster than any speeding bullet.”

Zak’s jade green eyes narrowed into poisonous slits. Oh, he was going to smack that ass real good.

He suddenly blushed, feeling really hot.

“Oh,” Clark said, smiling down at his new discovery. “I never knew this was here. It’s really cool, huh?”

Zak suddenly stopped his pursuit, taking a look around. He looked to see that Clark had jumped down onto a rock cleft, overlooking an oval pool of water.

He couldn’t see the bottom, so it was un-telling how deep it was.

“Come on,” Clark said, holding up a hand for him to take. “Looks like we’ve found an even better secret place, huh?”

Zak reached down, grasped a hold of his hand, and his eyes widened in shock. His foot had slipped because a piece of the rock gave way with him.

He fell into Clark, and the two of them crashed into the water with a loud splash. The pool began to glow an acid green.

Clark broke to the surface, screaming in pain, and shouting Zak’s name. He splashed around, half blind with pain, looking for him. He hadn’t come up.

“Zak!” He yelled, cringing in pain, but fighting to stay afloat. “Zaky!”

He dove under, frantically looking for him.

His wasn’t happening! He couldn’t lose his Zaky!

He broke to the surface, crying out as blinding pain stabbed him in the gut. “Zaky! Daddy! Help!”

He gritted his teeth against the pain, diving under again. His whole body was screaming in agony and he didn’t know why.

He kicked his legs once more, mentally screaming for his friend, feeling everything starting to go black around him.

He felt arms wrapping around him, pulling him up out of the darkness. He moaned Zak’s name, cringing as the pain stabbed through him like knives trying to push their way through his veins.

“Clark!” A voice yelled. “Clark!”

Blue eyes opened. “Zak?”

“Don’t move,” Jonathan said, diving into the pool with a splash.

Clark crawled weakly to the edge, tears streaming from eyes, dripping into the pool. “ZAKY!”

Jonathan swam through the green water, looking to see if he could find Zak. His heart was thundering in his ears.

His eyes widened when he saw the blond floating in a strange green glow. He looked to be on a bed of green rocks.

The glow vanished just as Jonathan reached, pulling him up with him. He broke the surface with Zak in his arms, swimming with him towards the cleft.

Clark weakly reached for Zak, pulling him up out of the water.

“Zak?” He asked, looking down at his face. “Daddy! He’s not breathing!”

Jonathan scrambled out of the water just as Clark put his lips to Zak’s without thinking about it, blowing air into his lungs. He had seen it done in movies all the time.

Green eyes snapped open with a faint shimmer in them, and Clark pulled him up. Zak coughed up water out of his lungs, clutching at Clark with a death grip.

Zak took deep breaths, coughing as Jonathan looked him over.

“What happened?” He asked, checking them both now.

“We fell,” Clark said, holding Zak’s trembling hand. “And I tried to find him.”

Jonathan blinked.

“My whole body was…I couldn’t find you,” he whispered, tears trailing down his cheeks.

Jonathan pulled them both to him. “You’re okay now. You’re both okay now.”

“I’m okay, Clark,” Zak said, smiling into his face, wiping away his tears, putting his finger to his lips.

Clark closed his eyes, resting his head against his chest.

Jonathan looked at the two of them over once more, telling them that they needed to go. He couldn’t take Clark to the doctor, but, he wondered if he should take Zak.

What had been that strange green glow around him? It had been all green and shimmering. It had to have been the light reflecting off something.

“No doctors,” Zak said, reading Uncle Jonathan’s face. “My parents might not ever let me come back if you do.”

Clark flinched. Would they really do that? All of this was his fault. Zak could have died.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jonathan asked.

Zak nodded. “I’m fine, Uncle Jonathan.”

“Come on,” he said, helping them to their feet, looking at his son. “Why did I say, Clark?’

“Not to leave sight of the dock,” Clark whispered, keeping his eyes on his feet.

“Can you see it from here?” Jonathan asked in a stern voice.

Clark shook his head. “No, Sir.”

Jonathan put a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it. “Should I tell your mother about this?”

Clark just kept his mouth shut. He wanted to scream and break something.

Zak had needed him and he had failed. He hadn’t been able to save him.

“But,” a little voice in his heart whispered. “You did make him breathe again.”

He looked up at his dad, shaking his head. “She’ll just worry.”

“Come on,” Jonathan said. “Let’s go find your shirts and shoes.”

Zak took Clark’s hand. “I’m fine.”

Clark nodded, feeling like a total failure.

Jonathan climbed up off the cleft first, and pulled them up one at a time. He was still pretty damn shaken up, but thankful that his boys were all right.

“Have you boys learned an important lesson here?” He asked them.

Both nodded.

He pulled them into a hug. “I love you both.”

The two teens hugged him back.

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Both boys decided to spend the night in the newly constructed Fortress of Solitude. It had a couch, desk, table, shelves, a huge mattress with sheets, and covers.

Clark had been solemn for the rest of the whole day. He just followed Zak wherever he went, except to the bathroom, but, he did stand outside the door. He was terrified that something would happen to him, and he wouldn’t be there to save him.

“Clark!” Zak snapped, snapping his fingers in front of empty blue eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

Clark blinked, looking away from him. “I’m just sleepy.”

“Liar,” Zak said, bopping him on the forehead with an open palm.

Clark suddenly gripped him by the arms, blue jewels burning into jade stars.

“Do you have any idea what might have happened had my dad not been there to pull us both out?” He hissed. “I couldn’t save you! I couldn’t even save myself!”

Zak blinked. Clark’s grip on him was like steel. His breath caught in his throat and his body felt like it was suddenly on fire with that tingling sensation again.

“You would have died,” Clark said, voice trembling.

He had been in so much pain. His body had betrayed him again for some reason. What could have caused the pain?

Zak gave him a soft smile. “But, Uncle Jonathan was there.”

“You were not breathing!” Clark yelled.

“You did for me,” Zak responded with tenderness. “Uncle John pulled me out, but it was you who saved me in the end.”

Clark spun away from him, fighting not to ram his fist through the wooden wall before him. He didn’t want to have to explain why the wall was broken and his fist wasn’t.

Zak put both his hands on his back, but Clark moved away as if he had been burned. It made Zak gasp in hurt.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, walking over, crawling headfirst under the covers.

Zak watched him pull his big feet under the covers and turned his back. He walked over to the window and looked up at the twinkling stars in the violet night. They were bright and filled with silver light.

He turned around and went to take seat at the desk. He moved his elbow, gasping when he knocked over a glassful of water.

He held out his hands, wishing for the water to stop, and the liquid froze in motion right before his stunned eyes. They nearly popped out of their sockets.

He must have sat like that for ten stunned minutes. He was in shock.

There the water was, floating in the air, right before his green eyes. This was not possible. No! This was not normal.

Clark made a noise, causing him to jump. The water fell to the floor with a splash.

He shook his head, picked up the glass, and went to crawl under the covers, too. He made sure that he was as far away from Clark as possible, and he stared up at the ceiling.

Clark threw the covers off his face, rolling over onto his side to face him.

Why was he so far away?

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just stupid when I get scared.”

Zak turned his head over, looking at him, touching his own lips, saying without meaning to. “Your kiss brought me back to life, Clark.”

Clark blushed furiously, feeling that twitch. “I didn’t kiss you.”

“You know what I mean,” Zak mended, covering his mistake. “Thank you.”

He was still in shock. Did he really do that to the water? He was going to have to experiment with this. Or maybe, he was just crazy.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Clark whispered. “I was so scared.”

Zak reached over with a hand, poking him on the nose. “You didn’t and you’ll never ever lose me.”

Clark smiled, rubbing his nose. “Do you promise?”

“Cross my heart,” Zak said, doing so. “And hope to live forever.”

Clark snorted, holding out his pinky.

Zak took it with his.

“Don’t ever leave me,” Clark said.

“I’ll never leave you, Clark. I love you.” He said, holding his hand. “And that’s all that really matters.”

Clark closed his eyes smiling, wondering if it would be weird to hold him like a teddy bear. He began to feel warm again.

Next time, he wouldn’t fail. Next time, he was going to make sure there wasn’t a next time.

“Goodnight, Clarky.” Zak said, yawning, and full of excitement.

Clark squeezed his hand. “I love you, too, Zaky.”

Zak put a finger to his lips, wanting to feel Clark’s on his again.

He closed his eyes, giving Clark’s hand a gentle squeeze, receiving one in return.

Zak dreamed of glowing green water and he was dancing on top of it in someone’s arms.

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

Flora.