It's Tough to be a Fairy
Here's my first story for the Thirteen Challenge issued by svmadelyn.
Title: It's Tough to be a Fairy
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: PG
Length: 1,300 words
Thank you so very, very much to wonderful literaryll for beta reading this for me.
It's Tough to be a Fairy
Clark stared at his mother, green eyes wide with shock and panic.
"What do you mean - Oops?" he screeched.
"It wasn't our fault," Martha explained. "First there were the meteors. Then we found a spaceship. You were obviously stronger than the average toddler. Naturally we thought you were an alien."
"Naturally." Clark took a deep breath in an effort to get control of himself.
Turning back toward a mirror, he gazed at his reflection.
"I wish I really was an alien. I've adjusted to that. But this...." Clark shook his head in dismay.
Martha came forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They're not so bad. They're actually fairly pretty."
Clark shrugged and his wings fluttered in reaction. His blue, sparkly wings. His fairy wings.
"At least you now know that Jor-El's not your real father," Martha said.
Clark could always count on his mother to see the silver lining in any situation no matter how completely batshit crazy it was.
* * *
"Let me see if I understand this," Chloe said slowly. "It turns out that you're not an alien but a fairy and all of your powers aren't alien powers, but fairy powers."
Clark wished he could sink through the dorm room floor. "Right."
Chloe leaned forward on her bed and studied his wings. "They're really sparkly and shiny aren't they?"
Scowling, Clark threw a black rain poncho back over his shoulders. It covered up his wings but made him look like a two-hunch hunchback.
"So," Chloe continued, "did you just pop out of the ground or something when the spaceship crashed?"
"I don't know. I was three. How is anyone supposed to remember anything from three?"
"Lana can."
Chloe began to grin madly and she bounced on her dorm bed in excitement.
"I think I know why you were always attracted to Lana. When you were little, you must have seen that photo of her that was taken right after the meteor shower. You know, the one with her in her fairy princess costume. I bet you thought you were both the same species."
"Forget about Lana. What am I going to do?"
"I never thought I'd hear you say forget about Lana."
"Chloooeeee."
"I'm not sure if there's anything you can do about the situation. You are what you are." Chloe grinned at him. "You don't have a sudden urge to collect teeth, do you?"
"If you weren't my best friend..." Clark began.
"You'd what? Turn me into a pumpkin?"
"Fairies don't turn people into pumpkins. They turn pumpkins into carriages and can we get back to the subject at hand."
"I'm sorry, Clark," Chloe apologized, not looking the least apologetic. "I'm not being very supportive of your fairyhood, am I?"
"No, you're not. It's no fun learning that you're a fairy."
At that moment Lana walked into the room and stared at Clark.
"I-I-I couldn't help overhearing," Lana stammered. "I wish you'd told me that you were a fairy, Clark. Now I understand why you stopped wanting to have sex."
Clark's mouth dropped open
"Also, isn't the politically correct term 'gay'?" Lana added.
"I think fairy is actually accurate in this case," Chloe said.
Clark groaned and decided it was time to go home.
* * *
Clark was working in the barn, trying to keep so busy that he wouldn't have to think about his newest problem. Unfortunately every time he leaned forward to grab a bale of hay, his wings flapped a bit, reminding him of the situation.
His preoccupation was the only reason that could explain why he didn't hear Lex's car pull up.
"Clark," Lex said upon entering the barn. "I have those papers for your mother to sign now that she's too busy to work at the Talon and-"
Lex was staring at Clark. Specifically, he was staring at Clark's wings.
"What are those?" Lex asked.
"What are what?" Clark replied.
"Those!" Lex said, pointing to Clark's wings.
Clark turned around to look behind him then back at Lex. "Those what? I don't see anything."
"Those bright blue sparkly things that look like wings!" Lex shouted.
"What bright blue sparkly things that look like wings?"
Angry and frustrated beyond belief, Lex stomped forward and grabbed a wing.
"This!" he yelled inches from Clark's face. "What is this?"
Clark looked Lex straight in the eye. "That's a wart."
"A wart," Lex repeated, as if not quite believing his ears.
"Yes. A wart. I have two of them. You may have noticed."
"These are not warts," Lex hissed between his teeth.
"Yes they are."
"They look like wings. They look like fairy wings."
"Ha, ha," Clark laughed extremely unconvincingly. "Why would I have fairy wings?"
Lionel stepped into the barn, interrupting whatever Lex was about to say.
"I'm here to see your mother, Clark, and heard shouting. Is anything wrong?"
"Dad," Lex said with an air of desperation. "Look at Clark and tell me what you see."
Lionel studied Clark for a moment and then turned to Lex.
"What am I supposed to be looking for?"
"His back, Dad. Look at what's on his back."
Lionel studied Clark a while longer before he spoke.
"That's strange."
Lex let out a sigh of relief.
"Quite strange indeed," Lionel continued. "You don't often see warts of that size or coloration."
Clark winced when Lex screamed. Sometimes having fairy-powered hearing was rough on the eardrums.
* * *
Ten Years Later
Clark fluttered over Metropolis and wished that little kids would stop handing him their teeth. Since he hated to disappoint, he always kept some money to give them but it was getting expensive and he never quite knew what to do with the teeth.
Then he heard a voice cry out in the night.
"Help me, Fairyman!"
His wings beating hard, Clark swooped down on a trio of thugs dressed like trolls who were trying to kidnap Lex Luthor. It took only a moment for him to knock them out.
"Trolls?" Clark asked, arching an eyebrow and looking at Lex.
Lex adjusted his tie as he answered. "I suppose now that you've put the Goblinator in prison others are trying to fill his place.
"And you're not?"
"I take no one's place," Lex said emphatically. "I'm completely unique." He straightened his cuffs, the hook that had replaced his cancerous hand gleaming in the light from the streetlamp.
"Yes, you are unique," Clark acceded. "What are you doing wandering around at night without your bodyguards anyway?"
"Looking for you."
"That was dangerous."
"It worked didn't it?" Not waiting for an answer, Lex continued speaking. "I wanted to ask you if you'd consider being my date for the Annual Metropolis Museum Gala next week."
Clark almost stumbled back in surprise. "You're asking me for a date?"
"Yes. And don't even pretend you're not pleased." Lex smirked and waved his hand sending glittering sprinkles swirling through the air. "You only emit fairy dust when you're happy."
Clark really hated when that happened.
"I'm not sure if I should," Clark said. "We are enemies."
"Come on," Lex urged. "Isn't it about time that the fairy got to go to the ball instead of Cinderella?"
Numbly Clark nodded.
"Good. Meet me at my apartment at eight and we'll take the limousine. Unless you prefer a carriage?"
Clark shook his head. "A limousine is fine."
"I'll see you then." Lex began to walk off then paused and turned back to face Clark. "One more thing - don't wear any glass slippers. I intend to keep you out well past midnight."
As Lex strode away, Clark emitted so much fairy dust that it coated his silver and blue tunic and blue tights. Cursing in a low voice he began to brush himself off.
Sometimes it was tough being a fairy.
The End
Title: It's Tough to be a Fairy
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: PG
Length: 1,300 words
Thank you so very, very much to wonderful literaryll for beta reading this for me.
It's Tough to be a Fairy
Clark stared at his mother, green eyes wide with shock and panic.
"What do you mean - Oops?" he screeched.
"It wasn't our fault," Martha explained. "First there were the meteors. Then we found a spaceship. You were obviously stronger than the average toddler. Naturally we thought you were an alien."
"Naturally." Clark took a deep breath in an effort to get control of himself.
Turning back toward a mirror, he gazed at his reflection.
"I wish I really was an alien. I've adjusted to that. But this...." Clark shook his head in dismay.
Martha came forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They're not so bad. They're actually fairly pretty."
Clark shrugged and his wings fluttered in reaction. His blue, sparkly wings. His fairy wings.
"At least you now know that Jor-El's not your real father," Martha said.
Clark could always count on his mother to see the silver lining in any situation no matter how completely batshit crazy it was.
* * *
"Let me see if I understand this," Chloe said slowly. "It turns out that you're not an alien but a fairy and all of your powers aren't alien powers, but fairy powers."
Clark wished he could sink through the dorm room floor. "Right."
Chloe leaned forward on her bed and studied his wings. "They're really sparkly and shiny aren't they?"
Scowling, Clark threw a black rain poncho back over his shoulders. It covered up his wings but made him look like a two-hunch hunchback.
"So," Chloe continued, "did you just pop out of the ground or something when the spaceship crashed?"
"I don't know. I was three. How is anyone supposed to remember anything from three?"
"Lana can."
Chloe began to grin madly and she bounced on her dorm bed in excitement.
"I think I know why you were always attracted to Lana. When you were little, you must have seen that photo of her that was taken right after the meteor shower. You know, the one with her in her fairy princess costume. I bet you thought you were both the same species."
"Forget about Lana. What am I going to do?"
"I never thought I'd hear you say forget about Lana."
"Chloooeeee."
"I'm not sure if there's anything you can do about the situation. You are what you are." Chloe grinned at him. "You don't have a sudden urge to collect teeth, do you?"
"If you weren't my best friend..." Clark began.
"You'd what? Turn me into a pumpkin?"
"Fairies don't turn people into pumpkins. They turn pumpkins into carriages and can we get back to the subject at hand."
"I'm sorry, Clark," Chloe apologized, not looking the least apologetic. "I'm not being very supportive of your fairyhood, am I?"
"No, you're not. It's no fun learning that you're a fairy."
At that moment Lana walked into the room and stared at Clark.
"I-I-I couldn't help overhearing," Lana stammered. "I wish you'd told me that you were a fairy, Clark. Now I understand why you stopped wanting to have sex."
Clark's mouth dropped open
"Also, isn't the politically correct term 'gay'?" Lana added.
"I think fairy is actually accurate in this case," Chloe said.
Clark groaned and decided it was time to go home.
* * *
Clark was working in the barn, trying to keep so busy that he wouldn't have to think about his newest problem. Unfortunately every time he leaned forward to grab a bale of hay, his wings flapped a bit, reminding him of the situation.
His preoccupation was the only reason that could explain why he didn't hear Lex's car pull up.
"Clark," Lex said upon entering the barn. "I have those papers for your mother to sign now that she's too busy to work at the Talon and-"
Lex was staring at Clark. Specifically, he was staring at Clark's wings.
"What are those?" Lex asked.
"What are what?" Clark replied.
"Those!" Lex said, pointing to Clark's wings.
Clark turned around to look behind him then back at Lex. "Those what? I don't see anything."
"Those bright blue sparkly things that look like wings!" Lex shouted.
"What bright blue sparkly things that look like wings?"
Angry and frustrated beyond belief, Lex stomped forward and grabbed a wing.
"This!" he yelled inches from Clark's face. "What is this?"
Clark looked Lex straight in the eye. "That's a wart."
"A wart," Lex repeated, as if not quite believing his ears.
"Yes. A wart. I have two of them. You may have noticed."
"These are not warts," Lex hissed between his teeth.
"Yes they are."
"They look like wings. They look like fairy wings."
"Ha, ha," Clark laughed extremely unconvincingly. "Why would I have fairy wings?"
Lionel stepped into the barn, interrupting whatever Lex was about to say.
"I'm here to see your mother, Clark, and heard shouting. Is anything wrong?"
"Dad," Lex said with an air of desperation. "Look at Clark and tell me what you see."
Lionel studied Clark for a moment and then turned to Lex.
"What am I supposed to be looking for?"
"His back, Dad. Look at what's on his back."
Lionel studied Clark a while longer before he spoke.
"That's strange."
Lex let out a sigh of relief.
"Quite strange indeed," Lionel continued. "You don't often see warts of that size or coloration."
Clark winced when Lex screamed. Sometimes having fairy-powered hearing was rough on the eardrums.
* * *
Ten Years Later
Clark fluttered over Metropolis and wished that little kids would stop handing him their teeth. Since he hated to disappoint, he always kept some money to give them but it was getting expensive and he never quite knew what to do with the teeth.
Then he heard a voice cry out in the night.
"Help me, Fairyman!"
His wings beating hard, Clark swooped down on a trio of thugs dressed like trolls who were trying to kidnap Lex Luthor. It took only a moment for him to knock them out.
"Trolls?" Clark asked, arching an eyebrow and looking at Lex.
Lex adjusted his tie as he answered. "I suppose now that you've put the Goblinator in prison others are trying to fill his place.
"And you're not?"
"I take no one's place," Lex said emphatically. "I'm completely unique." He straightened his cuffs, the hook that had replaced his cancerous hand gleaming in the light from the streetlamp.
"Yes, you are unique," Clark acceded. "What are you doing wandering around at night without your bodyguards anyway?"
"Looking for you."
"That was dangerous."
"It worked didn't it?" Not waiting for an answer, Lex continued speaking. "I wanted to ask you if you'd consider being my date for the Annual Metropolis Museum Gala next week."
Clark almost stumbled back in surprise. "You're asking me for a date?"
"Yes. And don't even pretend you're not pleased." Lex smirked and waved his hand sending glittering sprinkles swirling through the air. "You only emit fairy dust when you're happy."
Clark really hated when that happened.
"I'm not sure if I should," Clark said. "We are enemies."
"Come on," Lex urged. "Isn't it about time that the fairy got to go to the ball instead of Cinderella?"
Numbly Clark nodded.
"Good. Meet me at my apartment at eight and we'll take the limousine. Unless you prefer a carriage?"
Clark shook his head. "A limousine is fine."
"I'll see you then." Lex began to walk off then paused and turned back to face Clark. "One more thing - don't wear any glass slippers. I intend to keep you out well past midnight."
As Lex strode away, Clark emitted so much fairy dust that it coated his silver and blue tunic and blue tights. Cursing in a low voice he began to brush himself off.
Sometimes it was tough being a fairy.
The End