DAY 37: MEN'S SHOWERS (4th Shift)
There had been an awkward air left between him and Tyki after their conversation. Yuuri knew he wasn't the best at explaining much of anything, and for the tenth time he wondered why Murata wasn't here to answer the difficult questions for him. Everyone had been herded out of the cafeteria after that, and Yuuri had simply followed along in
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He froze up when he entered the room, all current thoughts brushed aside by the horror of realising this place had communal showers. Of course in theory he'd known about such social customs, but the good thing about theories was that they were just theories and he didn't have any practical experience with them. And, in this case, didn't want to. Seeing so many others - people that he didn't even know! - in such a state of undress was thoroughly different from Coluan society that he just couldn't cope. A sentiment which was, from him, rather unusual as the level of social contact he allowed with non-Coluans would have gotten him shunned from his homeplanet if he hadn't already left some years ago. But this? This was too much, even by his standards.
Brainiac 5 turned, hoping he could just back out of the room without being noticed, but was brought to a stop when he saw the several nurses and orderlies standing nearby. Obviously taking a shower on his own or otherwise avoiding the communal area wasn't going to be allowed. He was given no choice but to cautiously strip off his clothing, face heating more and more by the moment, and edge past everyone to locate a vacant shower as far from others as possible, all the while desperately trying to avoid looking at anyone. Clearly he should just clean up and leave quickly. Then he could put this whole thing behind him and hopefully never speak of it again.
[waiting for his one true love~ Clark!]
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The showers weren't exactly his favorite shift of the day. He'd gone through this a few times not to get too shocked about it, but that didn't mean he wasn't still uncomfortable. Clark kept his eyes down, not wanting to stare at what was a lot of other naked guys, and headed toward one of the showers. He began showering and was in the middle of shampooing his hair when he finally snuck a glance over at the other guy and realized one, he'd never seen him before and two. Two was a biggie because Clark couldn't help staring this time now.
There were three circles on his head, like scars or something.
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His reaction was unnecessary, he told himself. Despite how he may feel at the moment, he was not actually the centre of attention in the area, and the newcomer was not actually staring at him. He glanced up to prove the point and found, to his horror, that the newcomer was indeed staring at him. Intently. His face flared hot again and Brainiac 5 glared at the other boy, pointedly keeping his gaze on the other's face.
"Is there something you wanted?" he asked, ice practically crystalising on each word.
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"Sorry," Clark said. He flicked a sidelong glance at the other kid. "It doesn't still hurt, does it?"
He hoped not. They were actually really big and if they left scars that large, he wasn't sure he wanted to know how big the injuries had been when they were fresh. He didn't blame the other kid for getting annoyed at him, especially considering where they were.
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He honestly couldn't think of any injuries he'd received here that would have garnered such attention. The damage to his leg from the night before had been minor and there hadn't been any burns, so it couldn't have been that that the other boy was talking about. He studied the other's face for a moment, something about it was familiar, but for some reason he couldn't place what. Regardless, he was positive he'd never met him before. Maybe he was confusing Brainiac 5 with someone else he had been expecting to meet here. Why anyone would make appointments to meet others in the showers was beyond him, but it that was the case, it would be cleared up easily enough.
"I don't believe we've met before," he said stiffly, all too aware of how decidedly awkward it was to be talking with - or even just looking at - someone else while they were both naked. "My name is Brainiac 5."
Hopefully whoever this was would realise their mistake and leave him alone now.
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The hair was the wrong colour, brown instead of the black he was used to, and he was younger than the Clark Brainiac 5 knew, but otherwise... Otherwise his face was the same shape, his body (what he could see of it in the brief, embarrassed glance downwards) was the approximately same height and physique as the lanky boy from Smallville they'd met some time ago, and his eyes were the same trusting blue that Brainiac 5 was so familiar with.
It was entirely possible, he realised, that this was Clark from another dimension or from a time before the Legion had met him. If that were the case, Brainiac 5 would have to be careful about what he said to the Kryptonian and the effects it would have on the timestream. But getting to know this Clark and becoming friends with him wouldn't cause many problems, as he'd already done so before. Besides, the simple fact Clark was here and not in Smallville was more of a threat than Brainiac 5's friendship, so it would be best if he kept an eye on the other boy.
"Clark? Really?" he said, letting his happiness at meeting an old friend again come out in his tone and suddenly warm smile. As much as he wanted to, it wouldn't be a good idea to let on that he already knew Clark just yet. "It's... nice to meet you." He noticed Clark's confused look at his name and continued smoothly, "as I said, I am Brainiac 5, of the planet Colu, but you can call me Brainy."
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He'd never heard of any planets called Colu. Then again, he hadn't even heard of a place called Krypton until earlier this year, when he'd visited Professor Swann and he'd told him about the message from the stars. Clark had so badly wanted to believe there were others like him but...well, that hadn't turned out so well. Was Brainy crazy? Looking at him, Clark wasn't so sure. He was pretty specific for being delusional. And Clark knew he should know better. The majority of the people he'd seen in Landels seemed pretty sane to him.
And why was Brainy smiling at him all of a sudden?
Clark blinked a little in confusion, forgetting about the soapy water running into his face and only unconsciously reaching up to wipe it from his eyes, feeling a little uneasy. For a guy who had been giving him the cold shoulder - and not without a good reason, Clark might add - Brainy was now smiling like they'd met somewhere.
"You're like an alien?" Clark asked, probing the waters. He offered a questioning half-smile, as if he thought Brainy was joking, but it was more to cover up his own discomfort: he had so many questions, like have you heard of Krypton, were you raised here like me, and are there more of us out there at the top. "I don't see any green skin or antenna."
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"Even if I had possessed antenna or the like before arriving here, it seems as though those of us who where not originally human have been... altered to either look human or are not entirely human." He hesitated, the topic clearly hitting a rather sensitive point. "It's... rather disconcerting and a lot to deal with." He glanced away. Normally he'd have been pointedly avoiding showing any signs of weakness to those he was with, but around Clark he'd always felt relaxed, as though he didn't have to keep anything hidden. Of course, it was a misleading feeling, as he'd have to ensure he didn't let anything important slip about the other's future, but it was nice nonetheless.
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Trying to buy time to think, Clark turned back to the shower and ducked his head under the water again, rinsing out the shampoo.
"So, uh, what did you look like before?" Clark asked. It occurred to him now that maybe Kryptonians looked different too, but he had nothing to measure that up against besides himself and the only thing he knew was living on Earth, with humans as a human (well, as much of one as he could be).
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"My height and physique appear to be largely unaltered, and I've had it mentioned that my Coluan insignia is still present," he said, indicating his forehead as he spoke. "The most significant changes are the lack of my cybernetic components and nanotechnology. Both of which were largely internal, though there were some visual differences."
As he spoke, Brainiac 5 kept a careful eye on Clark, both gauging his reaction to the information and observing his actions. While in theory he knew that humans and some other species took showers to clean themselves regularly, he didn't know anything about the process himself, there had been little point as far as he was concerned, and had so far just been standing under the spray of water and wondering when it would be acceptable for him to leave. Now that he'd noticed Clark using several different products as well, he turned his attention to the dispensers doubtfully. Soap was easy enough, but there was also shampoo and conditioner and he was having difficulty remembering which was used first and the exact process required. His hesitation over the matter was obvious, and Brainiac 5 found himself wondering with embarrassment if he should ask for help with his problem or not.
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He realized finally that what he thought of as three scars weren't scars at all, at least no in the conventional sense. Clark wasn't sure what a Coluan insignia was supposed to mean though, but it probably wasn't anything injury-related, like he assumed. It did strike him as a little weird though that all the aliens he knew about seemed to look like humans, more or less...although considering he only knew about himself as the only resident Kryptonian and now Brainy the Coluan, that didn't mean he was exactly an expert here.
Clark rinsed out the rest of his shampoo and began putting some conditioner in, his hair in his eyes as he tried not to stare at Brainy. Why was he called Brainiac 5? The first part was weird enough, but the number thing threw him off even more.
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"I suppose that's a crude way of putting it," he said, disliking the term 'cyborg' in relation to himself. 'Coluan' was normally more than enough in his own time period, and it was grating to have to simplify it further. "Of course, Coluan technology is much more advanced than the cybernetics normally used by other species," he couldn't resist adding.
The were other visual differences too, but he realised that telling Clark about them now would just complicate the matter, it was better to just leave it at that for the moment. He carefully began working the shampoo into his hair, not quite sure what to make of the sensations involved. On one hand it was fascinating to be able to experience such a degree of feeling without the presence of his external plating dampening everything, but on the other it had distinct downsides, particularly in the area of pain. Distracted as he was, it took Brainiac 5 a moment to notice the clearly preoccupied look on Clark's face. It was one he was all too familiar with, one which normally appeared when the Kryptonian was wanting to ask something but worried that it might be taken the wrong way.
A smile tugged at the Brainiac 5's lips and he casually remarked, "you're going to have to verbalise if you want me to answer anything, Clark." He looked over for a moment, his smile more obvious and genuine than it had been in this place so far, and continued. "I don't mind answering any questions you might have, really."
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"How come you're called Brainiac 5?" Clark asked. He hoped it wasn't rude to ask, but it'd been bugging him ever since he started to really think about it. That and the way Brainy was suddenly friendly despite the fact that technically, nothing had changed except they knew each other's names. Sneaking another look at him, he really didn't see any thing different from him. He looked as human as he did, except for those three circles on his forehead, and he suddenly thought of something.
If he was as much as alien as him, did that mean he had abilities too?
Did he know about Krypton?
Clark reminded himself not to get his hopes up. Space was big, way bigger than even he probably knew, and Professor Swann had spent years looking for signs of life in the stars, stumbling on the message from Krypton about Clark. If there were other planets out there with people, that didn't mean they knew what happened to Krypton or what its people were like.
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"I am fifth of the Brainiac line," he said, carefully rinsing the shampoo from his hair and doing his best to keep the water out of his eyes. "On Colu, my family line is... was... considered of great importance, so having the name 'Brainiac' was a mark of that. I suppose it is my people's way of marking me as different and unique, though that hasn't always been a good thing." He paused, looking contemplative and perhaps somewhat... regretful?
But then he glanced back to Clark and smiled again. "I suppose it's more of a rank or title by your standards, which is why most others I've known shorten it to Brainy. It seems more personable."
Talking with Clark, even one who hadn't met him yet for whatever reason, was calming in a way. It reminded him of being back with the Legion, despite the differences - he glanced down at himself and felt his face flush hotly again - of which there were many. Of course it would be altogether more enjoyable if he weren't in such an embarrassing situation.
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"Oh," Clark said, that thoughtful look on his face even as water dribbled into his eyes. He turned to finish up lathering soap on to give him some more time to think. Clark thought he could tell if someone was a good person - maybe not if they were always trustworthy, like Lex, who was good but not someone you could always trust - and he had this gut feeling like Brainy was someone he would like even if they hadn't really started off too well. He just...he just seemed to Clark like he was a good guy.
Turning in the shower and rinsing off the rest of the soap, he snuck another glance over at Brainy. When you called him "fifth of the Brainiac line," it almost made it sound like royalty and Clark wondered for a second if his first real alien contact was with some kind of prince or king or something. The thought made him smile ruefully: he might have superpowers, but he still considered himself a Kansas farmboy at heart, alien or no alien. He couldn't really imagine Brainy mucking it up with cows and raising barns. He already looked like he was at a loss in the showers.
"You must've traveled around a lot," Clark asked, averting his eyes again so he wouldn't annoy Brainy with all his staring. He really did look human, but the more he talked, the more he was beginning to believe he was an honest to God alien. "Have you been to a lot of other planets?" He didn't say Krypton, but he hoped Brainy might let something slip and he might learn something new that Professor Swann hadn't been able to tell him.
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