It's Friday and this is the next installment in my MagiKal AU I was fretting about the title, trying to find one that referred to the story and included a magical reference. I did not come up with one, but thanks to my wonderful beta Lynn S.M, I didn't have to write "Title magically pending".
I know this is not what you've been hoping for, but I needed this little interlude. The action will pick up next week, I hope.
Have fun!
The Once and Future Interviews"I don't care how much money I could make."
Clark's chest was heaving with every breath he took. He clenched his hands into fists, willing his powers to behave themselves. Murray Brown was wearing on his patience.
"I'm not going to perform in Shuster Hall. And I'm not going to do that interview either."
"But you can't avoid the public forever," the agent argued. "You're a celebrity now. Lois Lane must have called me a dozen times to set a date for an interview. And I have a hundred different magazines begging for one as well."
Clark pinched the bridge of his nose. He shouldn’t have promised Lois that interview. He could only attribute it to temporary insanity. Whenever she was near him he couldn’t think straight.
"Well, tell her I changed my mind." He grumbled. "I'm not giving interviews."
"You hired me as your manager. And there is plenty of money-"
"You came after me and begged to be my manager," Clark cut him off. "I only accepted because I didn’t want the donations to land in the hands of people who have enough already. I'm not looking for a quick buck and I'm not looking for fame, either."
This was taking far longer than he had anticipated. Clark shifted from one foot to the other. He started to feel a prickling in his neck, but he wasn't sure if that was another hiccup announcing itself or just his frayed nerves playing tricks on him. He really wished Houdini were at his side. The dog would be able to tell the difference. But he'd figured that his identity was safer if Houdini remained at home.
The longer he stayed with Murray Brown, the more he regretted his decision to come in the first place. But it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Better than having Murray place ads in every newspaper in Metropolis.
"You need to give someone an interview soon, MagiKal," Murray tried again. "If you don't throw the press a bone, they'll make up stories. Nothing you tell them could be worse than what they'll come up with."
Clark wasn't so sure about that. "I don't want publicity."
The prickling in the back of his neck intensified.
"Then you shouldn't perform so publicly," Murray scoffed.
Clark squeezed his eyes shut as they started to burn. He fought against his powers, but they surfaced relentlessly. His strange abilities had always been linked to his emotions, another reason why he'd been staying away from people for so long. He wouldn't be able to contain them much longer.
"This is important," Murray insisted. "You could be so much more than you even dare to imagine. That's why I came after you. I know you've got potential."
"Stop it right there-" Clark broke himself off as he felt the sound of the city shattering his barrier. His own voice sounded muffled to his ears as a million other voices merged into deafening white noise. "We'll have to talk about this later."
He stormed out, unseeing, his eyes still squeezed shut. His hands felt for and turned the doorknob. He headed down the stairs, but his feet left the ground and he moved up instead of down. Clark cursed softly and changed directions, daring a quick peek through his lashes. He spotted a window and rushed toward it, hoping that he’d manage not to tear it out of its frame. Thankfully it stayed intact, but he was pretty sure that he’d left indentations.
He tumbled out of the window and shot up straight into the sky, desperate to leave the city behind. Within seconds he was above Earth’s atmosphere and the deafening white noise was replaced by an equally oppressive silence. He knew that he couldn’t contain his powers any longer and finally opened his eyes. Since the power spike had nowhere else to go, it erupted in a massive blast of heat vision, more intense than ever before. He was helpless to stop it, helpless to control it.
If he hadn’t been floating in space, a cry would have been ripped from his lungs. Despair filled Clark as he felt all the energy burst from his eyes. He’d been such a fool to believe that there was a way he’d ever pass for normal. He didn’t need all this frenzy, he just wanted a life. How was he going to get that if everyone wanted a piece of MagiKal? All he’d longed for was to walk down a street and not be stared at if he started to float accidentally.
An interview with Lois Lane? How was that even going to work and what would she think of him if he’d start hiccuping right in the middle of it? Best case: She’d think he was a show off. Worst case: Well, he didn’t want to imagine the worst case scenario.
After what seemed like an eternity, the beam of heat vision died down and Clark felt utterly spent. His lungs were aching for another breath and he floated down, now in control of his descent. He headed straight back to the worn out trailer that now passed for his home.
His feet touched ground close to the junkyard. It was the most secluded area in Metropolis he’d been able to find. Nobody stayed here longer than he absolutely had to. Weary and with slumped shoulders, Clark trudged back to the old RV.
He could hear Houdini jump to his feet, barking with excitement. His wagging tail flopped against the wooden interior and as soon as Clark opened the door, the dog was all over him. Caught by surprise, Clark fell on his back as two large paws settled against his shoulders.
A sloppy tongue covered his face with dog kisses. He felt the tension ease.
“Did you miss me?”
The dog whimpered.
“Yeah, I missed you, too.” He let out a breath and pressed his face into the soft fur of his companion. The steady beat of the dog’s heart was soothing.
“You know, I think I might have made a mistake,” he told the dog softly.
Houdini took a step back and shook himself. To Clark, it seemed like he was shaking his head.
“You don’t think so?”
Houdini barked as if to confirm his point, then nudged Clark with his nose. In reply, Clark ran his hands through Houdini’s thick fur. Involuntarily, his thoughts wandered back to Lois Lane. Oh, how he hoped that Houdini was right.
Maybe, Murray Brown had a point, too. If he gave an interview, he could control what the public learned about him. One thing was for sure - the fiery Lois Lane wouldn't give up.
A part of him actually hoped that she wouldn't. He longed to talk to her.
He wanted to feel that magic again.
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