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mathiwrites · 23 days

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five years, a clark x orm fanfic

note: sorry, I realized I never posted the updates on Tumblr! will be posting all the chapters on here until I’m caught up!

Chapter 7

Little Potato ignites into a ball of sparks. One moment he’s splashing in the water, and the next, he’s perched on Orm’s shoulders, gumming into his soft blonde hair and effectively ruining his fishy coif. Little Potato is not its official name, but it has been two years and Orm wonders if it’s too late to ask. That’s the name everyone calls it— him , he reminds himself.

He tips his head forward and the child tumbles into his arms, half-giggling and half-growling at him. He offers his hand for him to tussle with.

Another child latches onto her mother beside him, and Orm does not think twice. A warrior queen such as her should continue her line. Her heirs will be formidable with the right training, these tiny harbingers of death. The second child, he’s told, is a Little Empanada. Or was she rolled into one like Little Potato and his burrito blankets? After five years, he still cannot care for these ridiculous surface foods.

The children are a welcome distraction.

“It is almost the end.”

He remembers a time when they had tried to kill each other, and yet here he is, asking for advice for the hundredth time. He poses no question, but Queen Komand’r has always understood him. They are one and the same; mirrored souls on different paths.

Komand’r hums, a deep purring rooted in her chest. She shifts the child onto her other breast.

“It does not have to end,” she finally responds, calmly.

He follows her eyes to the distant skyline. It’s too dark to see where the sun meets the sky, so he hopes to see flickers of her errant thoughts—hopes to find the solution to his problem. In five years, they have both made lives for themselves, yet only one can keep theirs.

“That is what I told him.”

It never occurred to Orm to stop after his marriage to Mera. Clark was the one who drew the line. After five years, until the day he is to marry his betrothed. He does not understand why, but he respects the decisions. More and more, he realizes that he does not like the decision. In his heart, and in his mind, his love for Clark will never end.

Komand’r’s laughter snaps him from his reverie, soft, yet harsh and mocking.

“You wish to continue two separate marriages and continue to sit on the throne? Selfish,” she reprimands. She is the one with two lovers— two husbands —and yet, she does not inspire hope within him. “Men like Kal-El and Barry are full of love, but they honor tradition in their own ways. You cannot expect Kal-El to share you with another, yet disallow your lovers to share each other.”

“Mera is not my lover,” he states, neutrally. Mera is his duty to his kingdom. That is all. He will perform as necessary to grant Atlantis an heir, but Clark is the one who holds his heart. Clark is the one who knows him, the real him. “You are saying… I should allow Clark and Mera to marry each other.”

“She is not your lover. What would be the point?”

Orm has observed her relationship for a long time, ever since the beginning of their alliance five years ago. He acknowledges that Barry and Harold are intimate with one another, the same way the Queen of Tamaran is intimate with them. The proof is here, cradled awkwardly in his lap and biting him viciously.

“Enough,” he tells the child and Little Potato snarls at him. Playfully, of course.

“What works for me may not be true for you, King of Atlantis. I allow a regent to sit on my throne while I live here. Are you willing to make that choice for Kal?”

“No.”

In his own private way, Orm hesitates. The value of the throne has been beaten into him as a child. It turned him against his own brother, once upon a time, and there are days where he struggles to believe that Arthur is not simply buying his time before he finally challenges him. But… there is little he will not do for his brother, Clark, or the allies he has met on the surface. Clark insists they are friends, and perhaps his husband is right.

“I must protect the people of Atlantis.”

“You imply that I do not?” Komand’r tips her head, her emerald eyes narrowing. “You insinuate that my brother cannot manage our planet while my sister and I are here?”

“No. That is not what I said.”

Komand’r hums, short and clipped, as if she does not believe him. She shifts the child to lay against her shoulder, bouncing the baby and gently tapping its back. When the little one burps, it is with a dark flame.

“Whatever you choose, understand what you ask of Kal. If you ask him to wait, he will wait while you spend half your life with another. Is that what you want from him?”

“No.”

Komand’r’s ascension to the throne was not like his. Orm trained for it, inherited it and now, he defends it. It is not his place to judge the politics of another planet, and he respects the Queen for success in conquering her planet. From what he understands, it was preferable to her people if she did not sit, actively, on the throne. Though she still reigns, it is from the shadows, and a more palatable sibling represents her will.

“Kingdoms come and go, but a love like this? You cannot win it, you cannot conquer it. It simply finds you, and it is your choice to nurture it or let it die. Do not toy with the Kryptonian. It will cause more harm than good.”

The air fills with static, a precursor to the arrival of a ‘speedster’. Orm can tell whether it is father or son by the prickle against his skin.

“Hiya,” Barry Allen grins, appearing out of nowhere with a crack and a snap. “Ready to go, kitten? Hal’s already there.”

“Duckie,” Komand’r greets with an uncharacteristic softness. She smiles—only at him, and never anyone else. When she stands, she gives a full body shake, freeing herself of the sand. Immediately, her eldest screeches and jumps into her thick dark mane, using it to swing into the arms of its father. His father. They nuzzle one another and it is reminiscent of the Wright Kingdom and their customs.

Orm watches the small family for a brief moment. This was her choice, living a simple life in a too-small apartment with a soft human. Two soft humans. She loves them enough to weave their lineage into hers, to give her seat to a child with human blood. Her life is the antithesis of everything he has ever known. He watches as Barry catches his child, nuzzles him and tosses him into the air. Little Potato does not come back down. Instead, he floats and sticks his tongue out at Barry. The warmth between them is bright, like a beacon in the night.

He glances away.

“Well, we’re off. You alright here, Orm?” Barry asks, sporting a Little Potato hat.

“Yes.” Why wouldn’t he be?

“I require babysitting next Friday.” Komand’r states.

“I will discuss it with Clark.”

“Excellent.”

“Okay, say ‘bye Uncle Orm’,” Barry takes his baby’s tiny furled hand and waves it in Orm’s direction.

“Bye, Uncle Orrrrm ,” the older child growls, grinning. He floats towards Orm’s head and hugs it, before flying back to his parents.

“Farewell,” Orm nods.

Like the names of the children, he wonders if it is too late to ask. Why must he sit on the children?

#my fics #clark kent #orm marius #clark kent x orm marius #ship: clam #superman #ocean master #barry allen #the flash #komand'r #hal jordan #green lantern #ship: barrykomhal #ao3 #dc comics #dc comics fanfiction #ao3feed

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