05/07/14
For the May Weekly Challenge at the CxB Club on Deviant art. This week's theme: Spring.
Of Flowers and Onions
When Brainiac Five left the Legion he thought he would never see the others again. There would be no more horror movie nights with Bouncing Boy, discussions about the mind or human social behavior with Saturn Girl, or correcting Lightning Lad whenever he spoke. There would also be no more trying to understand Phantom Girl's sense or humor, enjoying companionable silence with Timber Wolf when neither of them could sleep, or avoiding Duo Damsel, now again Triplicate Girl, after she watched a makeover show. And there would be especially no more playing chess with Superman or sightseeing with Superman or even just sitting around and drinking hot chocolate with Superman. Those days were behind him now.
At least that's what Brainy thought. Then again he wasn't sure if it counted as being wrong when Superman acted against Brainy's observations of abducted him, literally swooping in from the sky and scooping him up a few blocks away from Legion Headquarters and flying right back what Brainy had walked away from.
"I'm pretty sure this would qualify as kidnapping Superman," Brainy crossed his arms and did his best to give Superman a disapproving frown, knowing it was useless to struggle.
"Is it really kidnapping when I'm taking you home," Superman returned Brainy's frown with a charming smile
Brainy looked away from the smile to look at the buildings far below them, "I don't have a home."
Though Brainy thought Superman would argue, Superman proved Brainy's theory incorrect again when Superman remained silent. Perhaps now Superman would return to the ground and allow Brainy to get on with his life.
"In that case I'll take you to my home," Superman stated.
"What?" Brainy looked back up but had no choice to grab hold of Superman when the Man of Steel suddenly went into a dive.
Down below Saturn Girl and a few of the others stood beside the Time Bubble with the door already opened, allowing Superman to glide right in much to the others smiling faces.
"Have fun on your sabbatical, Brainy," Timber Wolf's fanged grin seemed amused at the expression Brainy must have been making at the sudden descent just moments before.
"Take lots of pictures," Phantom Girl grinned and waved at them while Saturn Girl pressed the button on the remote to close the Time Bubble.
"This is definitely kidnapping," Brainy shouted but the Time Bubble had already been activated. Without the others to yell at, Brainy turned his glare to Superman.
"Are you going to going to arrest me," Superman still smiled charmingly.
"Like I could," Brainy grumbled and then realized he was still holding onto Superman, making his face feel hot. He let go in order to push against Superman's insignia, which gave the desired effect of making Superman set him on his feet. "I take it we're going to your time?"
"That's right," Superman nodded.
"Why?" asked Brainy.
"It's Easter," said Superman as if that explained everything.
"That explains nothing," Brainy grumbled.
"Well we're here so we might as well get out and enjoy it," said Superman as the Time Bubble door opened inside of Clark's bedroom on the Kent Farm.
Brainy sighed and followed him, glad Superman had also grabbed Brainy's bags when he had abducted the Coluan from New Metropolis. He took the opportunity to look around the room, walking over to where a spare set of fake glasses sat on the dresser, picking them up and looking at them. He never understood how fake glasses fooled anyone but he never had to be on the other side of Clark's meek reporter persona, for all he knew Superman was a great actor.
"Could you hand me those Brainy?" the sound of Superman's voice indicated that Superman was directly behind Brainy so Brainy was careful when he turned around to find Superman that Superman had already changed back to his Kansas attire; jeans, a white button down shirt and a red sweater vest.
"I think, given the circumstances, you should call me Querl," Brainy kept hold of the glasses, fiddling with them idly.
"Querl," Clark asked.
"Querl Dox," Querl elaborated, "I guess you could say it's my birth name."
"How come you never told it to me before," asked Clark?
"You never asked," Querl offered Clark his glasses.
"Remind me to ask you stuff more often," Clark slipped on his glasses. "Let's head out."
"Head out? Clark, you do realize people in this time can't see me, unless you happen to have another circus in town for this Easter thing," Querl vaguely remembered Easter had something to do with resurrection of a deity but information was harder to access in his newly organic mind.
"We're not leaving the farm," Clark assured him. "We just need to pick some flowers."
"That has to be the least heroic thing I've ever heard you say," Querl was trying to banish the mental images of Superman frolicking in a field and picking flowers but his mind seemed fixated on it.
"Clark Kent doesn't need to be heroic," Clark smiled with his Superman charm. "And he picks flowers, heroically."
"This I have to see," Querl followed Clark out of the house where Clark grabbed a small basket, possibly for feeding chickens, and headed to a field.
There wasn't much growing in the field, it being spring and still a little chilly but they, at Clark's insistence that Querl participate, picked a few yellow dandelions and a few other wild flowers. Clark also picked out a few ferns and put a bird feather into the basket.
"What are these for," asked Querl as they returned to the house?
"Dyeing Easter eggs," Clark put the basket on the kitchen table, where another basket filled with onion peels sat. He went to the fridge and got out some eggs with a bright, child like smile on his face.
"Wouldn't colored dye be simpler?" asked Querl, picking up an onion peel, finding that it dried out.
"Maybe but these will be much better than simple color dyed eggs," Clark sat at the table and opened up the eggs, then looked at Querl expectedly.
With Clark instructing him Querl pressed the flowers against an egg, the stems pointing outward. Once the eggs were covered with flowers and leaves, one of Clark's eggs with a feather, they wrapped the eggs with the onion peels with tied thread around them to keep it all together. The eggs were then put into a pot of water to boil.
While the eggs boiled, Querl looked at the leftover flowers and weeds and wondered what the Kents did when there was still snow on the ground for Easter. He also wondered where Mr. and Mrs. Kent were, though he was grateful to have the house to just himself and Clark; he wasn't sure if Mrs. Kent would remember him and how to explain his change in appearance.
"Why do you celebrate Easter?" asked Querl, suddenly curious.
"People in general or me specifically?" asked Clark, taking the pot off the stove and scooping out the eggs to cool on an egg shaped plate, painted with stripes and dots in many pastel colors.
"You specifically," said Querl, he didn't really care about the people.
Taking a moment to consider it, Clark started to untie a string off the first egg.
"Well when I was little it was about a family tradition, but as I got older it became more about celebrating spring."
Not looking at Querl, Clark started to remove the layers of onion peels off the egg.
"You know Querl, in a way, you just went through a winter and now you're starting your spring, a new beginning."
Silently, Clark offered Querl the egg. Not sure what to say, Querl took the egg, looking at it. The egg was dyed a light red color, still white in places the flowers and leaves had made an impression. Almost most notably, the egg was still warm.
"I want to celebrate your spring with you," Clark smiled, soft and warm with Clark Kent gentleness.
Slowly Querl smiled, "Never knew you were such a romantic."
"You never asked," Clark started to un-wrap another egg.
"Remind me to ask you more questions," Querl set down the flowered egg to help reveal more spring hiding underneath onion peels.
"About stuff," Clark joked.
"About stuff," Querl rolled his eyes fondly.