SV Fic: Gods and Butterflies (Fairytale!Chlark, R), 5/??
Sorry it's taken this long, but at least I'm posting it this year, for those of you who haven't already started celebrating the New Year. :)
This update's not too long, and not too smutty. (OK, maybe a little...) I'm giving it a soft R; let me know if you think that's too much or too little.
AU Chlark, based on the classic tale of Cupid and Psyche. Links to earlier chapters are here.
As always, feedback is much appreciated. In fact, I've heard that the more feedback you give, the better luck you have in the coming year. (Well, not really, but it *should* be true. :P )
Enjoy, and Happy New Year!!
Gods and Butterflies
Chapter Five
Even as a child, Chloe had never been afraid of the dark. A shepherd’s daughter was used to venturing outside at night sometimes, in search of stray lambs, and, unlike most people, Chloe had welcomed the task. Where she’d grown up, in the country far from Metropolis, the stars shone much more brightly, acres of tiny diamonds strewn across a black velvet cloak. They moved through the night sky in familiar patterns, and yet, she knew they held secrets that had nothing to do with the world she lived in. Their unknowable beauty fascinated her.
When she’d been very young, she’d asked her father where the stars went during the day. Most fathers, she thought, would have laughed off the question, but Gabriel, aware that Chloe would keep asking until she got an answer, took it seriously. “I don’t know,” he’d replied honestly, and then smiled. “But just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
Now, lying next to Kal’s overwhelming, invisible, warmth, Chloe remembered her father’s words. Seen or unseen, Kal was as fascinating as the stars themselves-only, she thought, shivering with pleasure as she felt him still inside her, far less remote. His breath tickled her bare skin as he nestled against her, murmuring in his sleep, while his arm draped over her chest possessively.
She fondled his biceps; even in this relaxed state, they were as hard as granite, and his embrace, in spite of its lightness, held her firmly. Only an hour ago, she mused, the power in that grip would have terrified her; now, it made her feel safe.
His forearm slid further up, pressing uncomfortably close to her neck. Chloe, unable to budge it even an inch, made a protesting sound, and at once the weight of the arm disappeared. To her disappointment, Kal, groaning softly, pulled himself out of her and rolled over. Reluctant to let him get too far away, she snuggled up against the broad expanse of his back, and hooked her own arm around him, listening to his happy sigh.
She smiled into his shoulder, and wondered how such an immensely powerful being could possibly feel as cuddly and comforting as a stuffed bear. (An unusually large one, she added silently.) Like the stars, Kal was an enigma.
In more ways than one. Chloe let her fingers wander down the length of his arm until they reached the bracelet on his wrist. It jingled softly as she played thoughtfully with the slender chain.
Could such a delicate piece of jewelry really be the source of his power? It didn’t make sense. Even though she’d grown up in a kingdom overrun with curses and monsters, Chloe’d never really believed in magic charms. She was convinced that there were logical explanations for everything, no matter how strange, and she felt the same way about this bracelet. She wanted to find out more.
No sooner had the idea formed in her head than she began to finger the chain in search of a clasp or a hook, trying to find some way to slip it off his wrist just long enough to examine it in better light. Surely all the rooms in this enchanted place weren’t pitch black?
She was all too aware how foolish this was. Every tale she’d ever read had taught her that stealing from the gods was not only hopeless, but usually fatal. If he caught her, Kal was bound to be furious.
But she was too close to stop now. She’d found something that felt like a hook, and with a little jiggling, it began to move. In another minute, it would be unlatched. Chloe held her breath in anticipation.
A sudden tremor underneath her arm startled her so much that she lost her grip on the bracelet. Kal’s shoulders, pressed against her chest, had begun to shake violently. Swallowing nervously, she pulled away from him, sliding over the satin sheets to the furthest edge of the bed, and waited.
There were no signs of movement from Kal’s side of the bed. An anxious minute later, she heard an amused voice which, she noticed, held not a trace of sleep.
“Curious already?” He began to chuckle, and she realized that his shoulders had been shaking, not with anger, but with bottled laughter.
Chloe didn’t know if she should feel relieved or insulted. Deciding on the latter, she inched closer, reached out to slap his arm, and missed.
“Don’t do that,” he said. From the direction of his voice, it was clear that he’d shifted position to avoid her. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“You were awake all along, weren’t you?” Chloe accused.
“Not really. But I’m a light sleeper. And I knew that, sooner or later, you wouldn’t be able to resist peeking.” The smile crept back into his voice, sending warm shivers down her spine in spite of her irritation. “Turns out it was sooner.”
His easy reply chased away the last trace of her fear. “Hmmph,” she grumbled, sitting up. “Can you blame me? I’m in a strange new world, and I can’t even see the person who claims to love me. Do you know what that’s like?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” His tone suddenly turned serious. “I’m sorry. My father insisted, but, I promise you, once he understands you the way I do, he’ll change his mind.”
Chloe wished she could share Kal’s optimism. Jor-El, from what little she knew of him, didn’t seem like the understanding type.
He sat up too, gathering her closer, and she leaned into his reassuring bulk as his lips grazed her forehead. She felt his large hand encircle the back of her neck, kneading her muscles with small, delicious strokes. “Speaking of father, I mustn’t neglect my training. He insisted on that, too.”
His words shook Chloe out of her pleasant trance. “Training?” she asked, slowly.
She felt his head nodding above her. “To fulfill my destiny.”
His reply was a jarring reminder of Jor-El's recent, dire predictions. Chloe stiffened, shrugging off his caress. “What destiny? Conquering the world?”
“For its own good, yes.” There was a pause. “It’s necessary.”
The room seemed to have turned chilly all of a sudden. Chloe wrapped the silken sheets around her, pulling them up to her chin like a protective cocoon, while she tried her best not to feel the waves of heat radiating from Kal's tempting body, mere inches away. When his unseen fingers smoothed her hair, she dodged his touch. “Is that what your father told you?” she challenged.
“He showed me that most humans aren’t like you, Chloe,” Kal answered solemnly. “They have destructive urges, and they’ve caused a lot of suffering. I can put a stop to that.”
“How?” she retorted. “By killing all the troublemakers? If that’s your idea of ‘helping,’ you’re no better than King Leo.”
It was his turn to stiffen. “No one’s going to die.”
“Did your father tell you that, too?” she asked softly.
In the darkness, the silence seemed to stretch on forever. Kal’s answer, when it finally came, sounded defensive. “He didn’t have to.”
Ah, thought Chloe, shuddering at the implications of his response. Jor-El obviously was more of a realist than his son.
He sidled closer and slid his huge palm underneath her cocoon of sheets. It rested lightly on her shoulder, and, this time, she didn’t bother to dodge it. “Humans need me, Chloe. The world needs me…just as I need you.”
The warmth of his touch seeped into her, as comforting and as welcome as a hearth fire in the winter. She couldn’t help but relax into it; with a sense of dismay, she felt her outrage melt away.
What’s wrong with me? she thought, angrily. Her new lover had just confessed his plans for world domination, and all she could think of was how wonderful he made her feel.
“In that case,” she replied, stubbornly holding on to the last shreds of her defiance, “I give you fair warning, I intend to do everything I can to stop you.”
His hand wandered lower, making her quiver with an emotion that was the opposite of the one she’d intended to project. “Then I’d better keep a close eye on you.” His fingers teased her nipple, forcing a gasp from her. “Very close.”
Abruptly, the hand withdrew, leaving her breathless and fighting to regain control. “But right now, Jor-El is expecting me,” Kal said briskly. “He’ll be angry if I’m late.”
Before she could open her mouth to object, lips pressed softly against hers in a quick kiss. “Feel free to explore all you want,” Kal murmured affectionately against her cheek. “Do your worst. I’m willing to take the risk.” He rose from the bed, his towering form barely distinguishable from the surrounding gloom. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The next instant, he was gone, leaving her alone in a bedchamber that was, magically, once again flooded with light. Chloe blew out a startled gust of air and lifted a determined chin.
Clearly, Kal had been taught to have a very low opinion of mortals. It was up to her to try to change his mind. But how?
The bracelet, she decided, was the key. Magic charm or not, it was certainly an important clue to this mysterious being, who seemed, at once, awe-inspiring, exasperating, and naggingly familiar. Like a pea in the court magician’s shell game, the real Kal seemed impossible to locate. Once she found him, she might understand him better.
And, as Jor-El himself had told her, back in King Leo’s throne room, in King Leo’s voice, knowledge was power.
Anxious to put her plan into action, she threw aside the silky coverlet, and jumped onto the plush Oriental carpet, landing with barely a thud. In a glittering heap next to the bed, she discovered the midnight-blue gown she’d seen before, laid out across the mattress; it must have fallen while she and her lover were otherwise occupied in the dark.
Sternly pushing aside the memory of Kal’s warm weight on top of her, she rubbed the last sticky evidence of his attention from her stomach, and forced herself to focus on her next move. True, she could use another bath, but that could wait for later. Right now, she needed to explore this mysterious place, just as Kal had suggested.
Hastily, she wriggled into the dress, unsurprised to find it a perfect fit. Locating a pair of matching shoes in the huge wardrobe, she headed for the door.
It was time to show Kal-El what a mere mortal could do.
Chapter 6 is here
This update's not too long, and not too smutty. (OK, maybe a little...) I'm giving it a soft R; let me know if you think that's too much or too little.
AU Chlark, based on the classic tale of Cupid and Psyche. Links to earlier chapters are here.
As always, feedback is much appreciated. In fact, I've heard that the more feedback you give, the better luck you have in the coming year. (Well, not really, but it *should* be true. :P )
Enjoy, and Happy New Year!!
Gods and Butterflies
Chapter Five
Even as a child, Chloe had never been afraid of the dark. A shepherd’s daughter was used to venturing outside at night sometimes, in search of stray lambs, and, unlike most people, Chloe had welcomed the task. Where she’d grown up, in the country far from Metropolis, the stars shone much more brightly, acres of tiny diamonds strewn across a black velvet cloak. They moved through the night sky in familiar patterns, and yet, she knew they held secrets that had nothing to do with the world she lived in. Their unknowable beauty fascinated her.
When she’d been very young, she’d asked her father where the stars went during the day. Most fathers, she thought, would have laughed off the question, but Gabriel, aware that Chloe would keep asking until she got an answer, took it seriously. “I don’t know,” he’d replied honestly, and then smiled. “But just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
Now, lying next to Kal’s overwhelming, invisible, warmth, Chloe remembered her father’s words. Seen or unseen, Kal was as fascinating as the stars themselves-only, she thought, shivering with pleasure as she felt him still inside her, far less remote. His breath tickled her bare skin as he nestled against her, murmuring in his sleep, while his arm draped over her chest possessively.
She fondled his biceps; even in this relaxed state, they were as hard as granite, and his embrace, in spite of its lightness, held her firmly. Only an hour ago, she mused, the power in that grip would have terrified her; now, it made her feel safe.
His forearm slid further up, pressing uncomfortably close to her neck. Chloe, unable to budge it even an inch, made a protesting sound, and at once the weight of the arm disappeared. To her disappointment, Kal, groaning softly, pulled himself out of her and rolled over. Reluctant to let him get too far away, she snuggled up against the broad expanse of his back, and hooked her own arm around him, listening to his happy sigh.
She smiled into his shoulder, and wondered how such an immensely powerful being could possibly feel as cuddly and comforting as a stuffed bear. (An unusually large one, she added silently.) Like the stars, Kal was an enigma.
In more ways than one. Chloe let her fingers wander down the length of his arm until they reached the bracelet on his wrist. It jingled softly as she played thoughtfully with the slender chain.
Could such a delicate piece of jewelry really be the source of his power? It didn’t make sense. Even though she’d grown up in a kingdom overrun with curses and monsters, Chloe’d never really believed in magic charms. She was convinced that there were logical explanations for everything, no matter how strange, and she felt the same way about this bracelet. She wanted to find out more.
No sooner had the idea formed in her head than she began to finger the chain in search of a clasp or a hook, trying to find some way to slip it off his wrist just long enough to examine it in better light. Surely all the rooms in this enchanted place weren’t pitch black?
She was all too aware how foolish this was. Every tale she’d ever read had taught her that stealing from the gods was not only hopeless, but usually fatal. If he caught her, Kal was bound to be furious.
But she was too close to stop now. She’d found something that felt like a hook, and with a little jiggling, it began to move. In another minute, it would be unlatched. Chloe held her breath in anticipation.
A sudden tremor underneath her arm startled her so much that she lost her grip on the bracelet. Kal’s shoulders, pressed against her chest, had begun to shake violently. Swallowing nervously, she pulled away from him, sliding over the satin sheets to the furthest edge of the bed, and waited.
There were no signs of movement from Kal’s side of the bed. An anxious minute later, she heard an amused voice which, she noticed, held not a trace of sleep.
“Curious already?” He began to chuckle, and she realized that his shoulders had been shaking, not with anger, but with bottled laughter.
Chloe didn’t know if she should feel relieved or insulted. Deciding on the latter, she inched closer, reached out to slap his arm, and missed.
“Don’t do that,” he said. From the direction of his voice, it was clear that he’d shifted position to avoid her. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“You were awake all along, weren’t you?” Chloe accused.
“Not really. But I’m a light sleeper. And I knew that, sooner or later, you wouldn’t be able to resist peeking.” The smile crept back into his voice, sending warm shivers down her spine in spite of her irritation. “Turns out it was sooner.”
His easy reply chased away the last trace of her fear. “Hmmph,” she grumbled, sitting up. “Can you blame me? I’m in a strange new world, and I can’t even see the person who claims to love me. Do you know what that’s like?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” His tone suddenly turned serious. “I’m sorry. My father insisted, but, I promise you, once he understands you the way I do, he’ll change his mind.”
Chloe wished she could share Kal’s optimism. Jor-El, from what little she knew of him, didn’t seem like the understanding type.
He sat up too, gathering her closer, and she leaned into his reassuring bulk as his lips grazed her forehead. She felt his large hand encircle the back of her neck, kneading her muscles with small, delicious strokes. “Speaking of father, I mustn’t neglect my training. He insisted on that, too.”
His words shook Chloe out of her pleasant trance. “Training?” she asked, slowly.
She felt his head nodding above her. “To fulfill my destiny.”
His reply was a jarring reminder of Jor-El's recent, dire predictions. Chloe stiffened, shrugging off his caress. “What destiny? Conquering the world?”
“For its own good, yes.” There was a pause. “It’s necessary.”
The room seemed to have turned chilly all of a sudden. Chloe wrapped the silken sheets around her, pulling them up to her chin like a protective cocoon, while she tried her best not to feel the waves of heat radiating from Kal's tempting body, mere inches away. When his unseen fingers smoothed her hair, she dodged his touch. “Is that what your father told you?” she challenged.
“He showed me that most humans aren’t like you, Chloe,” Kal answered solemnly. “They have destructive urges, and they’ve caused a lot of suffering. I can put a stop to that.”
“How?” she retorted. “By killing all the troublemakers? If that’s your idea of ‘helping,’ you’re no better than King Leo.”
It was his turn to stiffen. “No one’s going to die.”
“Did your father tell you that, too?” she asked softly.
In the darkness, the silence seemed to stretch on forever. Kal’s answer, when it finally came, sounded defensive. “He didn’t have to.”
Ah, thought Chloe, shuddering at the implications of his response. Jor-El obviously was more of a realist than his son.
He sidled closer and slid his huge palm underneath her cocoon of sheets. It rested lightly on her shoulder, and, this time, she didn’t bother to dodge it. “Humans need me, Chloe. The world needs me…just as I need you.”
The warmth of his touch seeped into her, as comforting and as welcome as a hearth fire in the winter. She couldn’t help but relax into it; with a sense of dismay, she felt her outrage melt away.
What’s wrong with me? she thought, angrily. Her new lover had just confessed his plans for world domination, and all she could think of was how wonderful he made her feel.
“In that case,” she replied, stubbornly holding on to the last shreds of her defiance, “I give you fair warning, I intend to do everything I can to stop you.”
His hand wandered lower, making her quiver with an emotion that was the opposite of the one she’d intended to project. “Then I’d better keep a close eye on you.” His fingers teased her nipple, forcing a gasp from her. “Very close.”
Abruptly, the hand withdrew, leaving her breathless and fighting to regain control. “But right now, Jor-El is expecting me,” Kal said briskly. “He’ll be angry if I’m late.”
Before she could open her mouth to object, lips pressed softly against hers in a quick kiss. “Feel free to explore all you want,” Kal murmured affectionately against her cheek. “Do your worst. I’m willing to take the risk.” He rose from the bed, his towering form barely distinguishable from the surrounding gloom. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The next instant, he was gone, leaving her alone in a bedchamber that was, magically, once again flooded with light. Chloe blew out a startled gust of air and lifted a determined chin.
Clearly, Kal had been taught to have a very low opinion of mortals. It was up to her to try to change his mind. But how?
The bracelet, she decided, was the key. Magic charm or not, it was certainly an important clue to this mysterious being, who seemed, at once, awe-inspiring, exasperating, and naggingly familiar. Like a pea in the court magician’s shell game, the real Kal seemed impossible to locate. Once she found him, she might understand him better.
And, as Jor-El himself had told her, back in King Leo’s throne room, in King Leo’s voice, knowledge was power.
Anxious to put her plan into action, she threw aside the silky coverlet, and jumped onto the plush Oriental carpet, landing with barely a thud. In a glittering heap next to the bed, she discovered the midnight-blue gown she’d seen before, laid out across the mattress; it must have fallen while she and her lover were otherwise occupied in the dark.
Sternly pushing aside the memory of Kal’s warm weight on top of her, she rubbed the last sticky evidence of his attention from her stomach, and forced herself to focus on her next move. True, she could use another bath, but that could wait for later. Right now, she needed to explore this mysterious place, just as Kal had suggested.
Hastily, she wriggled into the dress, unsurprised to find it a perfect fit. Locating a pair of matching shoes in the huge wardrobe, she headed for the door.
It was time to show Kal-El what a mere mortal could do.
Chapter 6 is here