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Title: Perspective
Author: Phoenixnz
Genre: General, KidFic, Consort verse, Oneshot
Pairing: Clois
Rating: G
Summary: Angela Marie Kent is sixteen and is embarrassed by her parents. A talk with her grandfather offers her a different perspective.
a/n: While there is a pairing, this is written entirely from the perspective of Clark and Lois' eldest daughter from the Consort story.
The crystal fortress often looked imposing, even to a Kryptonian, or half-Kryptonian. Yet Angela Kent liked the peace of the structure. She supposed it was part of the genetic memory her grandfather had told her about. There was a part of her that felt like she belonged here.
She wandered through the structure, her fingers brushing the crystals. For anyone not Kryptonian, they felt like ice but she was never cold, although the fortress was situated near the Arctic Circle. Grandfather Jor-El had ensured the fortress could never be found on any radar, nor picked up by any satellite. He’d wanted to make certain any family members could feel safe from any intrusion. Especially since her father was like the strongest man in the world. Being Superman and all.
She caught sight of her reflection in one of the crystals. There weren’t really any mirrors inside the fortress but sometimes if the light hit the crystals just so, they would give off a reflection of sorts. She frowned, her dark eyebrows in the reflection shifting as her brow furrowed. She touched a finger to one of the thick brows, sighing. Her mother often told her she had inherited the best of both of her parents. Thank god she hadn’t inherited her father’s nose, though, she thought. Her dad had kind of a hooked nose which only really showed up in profile. Otherwise he was an extremely handsome man.
She sighed again, thinking of the reactions of her school friends when they saw her father. Or rather, when he was in the guise of Superman. Almost every one of the teenagers in her set, girl and guy alike, had crushes on her dad. Which was weird, considering when they saw the real Clark Kent, glasses and all, they all thought he looked like a nerd. It was kind of disconcerting, knowing that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same guy.
“Ang-El, what brings you to the fortress?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Are your mother and father …”
“They’re fine. More than fine,” the sixteen-year-old told her grandfather. Or rather the artificial intelligence that represented him.
She loved her parents. Really, she did. But there were times when they drove her crazy. She’d come home from school and there they would be, in the kitchen, macking on each other. Like, didn’t they see each other enough at work? Did they have to make out like teenagers at home too?
She was luckier than most, she supposed. A lot of her friends either came from broken homes or, like her best friend Michael, had parents who were gay. The ‘nuclear’ family didn’t really exist anymore. Not that she really cared about that.
“Mom’s pregnant. Again.”
She’d run out of the house after yelling at her parents about ‘how could they do this to her’ and weren’t three enough? Her father had been shocked at her attitude and justifiably angry, telling her she was behaving like a spoilt brat and he wasn’t going to stand for it. Yeah, she knew she’d acted like a brat, but it had hurt for her dad to yell at her that way.
“Surely that is something to celebrate,” Grandfather Jor-El replied.
“Couldn’t they have just stopped with Meg? Why’d they go and have to have another child anyway? I mean, it probably means I’m gonna have to babysit.”
“Your mother and father love each other very much,” Jor-El admonished her gently. If she was reading the tone right. How could an avatar of her grandfather, or whatever it was, actually understand love anyway?
“I would like to tell you a story, Ang-El.”
She settled on a bed of crystal, sitting cross-legged. She liked listening to stories from her grandparents. Grandpa Sam would talk about all the times he went to war, while Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop would talk about life on the farm and tell her stories of when her dad was growing up.
“Many years ago, before even your father was born, I met a young woman. Her name was Lara Lor-Van. My father, your great-grandfather, Seyg-El, was a very traditional Kryptonian. He had decided that it was time for me to join in a lifebond with another Kryptonian and he had chosen Lara. We were not happy with this decision. Lara considered me rather arrogant and I thought she was a rather obstinate young woman. We argued constantly from the moment we met. Your uncle Zor-El decided to compete with me for Lara’s affections but in the end, it was not what we wanted that mattered. The choice was hers and she chose me.”
“And you fell in love?” Angela asked dreamily.
“It took some time, but we learned to appreciate each other and yes, we did fall in love. We were happy together for many years but the one thing that would have made us complete eluded us.”
“My dad?”
“By the time your father came along, we knew Krypton was in danger. It broke your grandmother’s heart to send him away, but we had to save him.”
“So you sent him to Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop.”
“Your father grew up on Earth and became a man I was very proud of. I admit I made my mistakes when I tried to force him to embrace his destiny when he was not mature enough to do so. That was my error.”
“And then he met my mom?”
She knew the story of how they’d met, but her grandfather explained the meeting anyway, telling her of the way they had bonded. It was part of their culture, he told her, that Kryptonians only bonded with one partner in their lifetime and for her father, Lois Lane was it. Just because her mother was human didn’t change that. Their affection for each other was their way of strengthening the bond between them.
“Your mother is an extraordinary human in very many ways, Ang-El. There are times when I think she is a lot like your grandmother Lara. She is strong-willed, yet compassionate.”
“I get that, but … it’s embarrassing, Grandfather. I mean, imagine walking in with one of my friends only for them to see my parents macking on each other.”
“I do not understand these feelings, Ang-El. Is it wrong for your parents to not still care about each other after so many years together? If I could change the course of events on Krypton, I know I would still feel the same way about your grandmother Lara.”
Angela bit her lip. Despite the impersonal tone, she could sense a wistfulness in her grandfather’s voice. She realised he was telling her that she was lucky to have both parents, and that they both still cared about each other even after eighteen years together. Even Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop were still affectionate with each other and they had not long celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary.
“You’re right, Grandfather. I should be grateful. It’s just, well, the friend I was talking about is this guy that I … I mean, it’s kind of weird to be dating a guy and you know, him seeing my parents …”
Mom had not been happy when she had learned that Angela was starting to get serious with her boyfriend. She’d sat her down to have a long talk with her about her age, which was kind of a double standard in Angela’s book, considering her mom had been eighteen and her dad had been seventeen when they’d got together.
“Ahh, I understand,” her grandfather replied. “You feel that your parents are being hypocritical because they were so very young when they joined in a lifebond.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Human relationships are viewed so very differently than Kryptonian. What you must remember is that your father may have been raised on Earth but he is still very much Kryptonian, and when he met your mother his humanity, as it were, had been suppressed. It was a necessary part of his training in his own culture.”
“I get that, it’s just …”
“The bond between Kryptonians is sacred. You are still a Kryptonian, Ang-El.”
“I’m only half-Kryptonian,” she pointed out.
“Nonetheless, the bonding is very important for a Kryptonian.”
“Wait, hold the phone, I’m not talking about having sex with him. I don’t even know if I want to go that far with him.”
“Oh.” She was sure her grandfather would have been blushing. “I see. Of course.”
“I mean, geez, I’m only sixteen. That’s going to be like way, way in the future.”
“I understand, and that is a very mature decision, even for a human.”
“Okay, now you’re just making fun,” she returned.
There was silence from the fortress. She grinned. Great comeback, Gramps, she thought.
“Uh, so I’m gonna go,” she said. “Nice talking with you, Grandfather.”
Angela ran at superspeed away from the fortress, back to the two-storey house in New Troy. She saw her mother’s car in the driveway as she ran up the path and opened the door. Her mother was in the kitchen, making a snack.
“Hey Mom,” she said. “I’m sorry for running out before.” She opened the fridge and began rummaging around for something to eat, grabbing a couple of carrot sticks. “So, where’s Dad?” She bit her lip. “Is he still mad at me?”
“Out on a job,” her mother replied. Angela straightened up and looked her mom over noting she didn’t answer the second question.
Lois Lane was thirty-six but looked maybe about thirty. She had taken to wearing glasses, although she really didn’t need them. She had chocolate brown hair which she was wearing long today. At work she usually kept it in some kind of knot.
Angela’s hearing picked up the sounds of her brother and sister arguing over something.
“Um, so …”
“Where did you go?”
“The fortress. I ended up talking to Grandfather Jor-El.”
“Oh. Was it a good talk?”
“Sort of. I mean, he doesn’t really get human stuff, I guess, but I dunno. I kind of saw it from his perspective. And he’s right. I’m pretty lucky. I mean, maybe it is kind of embarrassing to see your parents macking on each other but when I think about it, it’s sort of cool. You know, a lot of families now aren’t like, well you know, there’s gay parents and well, like stepmoms and stepdads and stuff …”
“Honey, you’re rambling.”
“Yeah,” she said with a grin. “Dad says I get that from you. Something about you’ve always hated uncomfortable silences.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “You just wait until your father gets home. I’m gonna get him for that.”
Angela chuckled. Her mother joined in a moment later. Yeah, she thought. I am lucky. I’ve got two parents who drive me crazy but I wouldn’t change them for the world.
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, I’m sorry I was such a brat before, specially about the baby.”
“Well, just so you know, we won’t be asking you to babysit.”
Angela turned and stared at her father, not having heard him come in.
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” she said, running to him and wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her tight. “I’m sorry for what I said.”
“Well, I think we’re all going to have to sit down and have a little talk, don’t you? Especially about your attitude lately.”
“I know,” she said, sniffling. “I know I act like a spoilt brat sometimes, but I’ll try to be better. Promise.”
They sat down at the table. She noticed her parents giving each other loving looks as they linked hands. She told them about her visit to the fortress.
“I guess I never really thought about things from your perspective. I mean, you lost like a whole planet. As well as your real mom and dad,” she said, looking at her father.
“I happen to think I’m still pretty lucky to have your Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, but you’re right. Sometimes it takes seeing things from another perspective to realise that while things might not look ideal from our perspective, others aren’t so lucky.”
“I know, Daddy.”
“Honey, we love you, but we’re really not trying to embarrass you when you see us being affectionate with each other. The bond your dad and I share is very special and really kind of rare.”
She nodded. “I know that now.” She got up from the table. “I’m gonna go do my homework and call Wally.”
“Honey …”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m only dating the guy, it’s not like I’m gonna go bonding with him. Not yet anyway,” she added with a wink before flouncing off, long dark hair flying behind her. As she left the room she heard her parents grumbling.
“Kids!” her mother was saying. “Are you sure we still can’t throw that one back?”
“Lois …”
“Yes Pookie?”
Angela rolled her eyes and laughed, before running up the stairs to start her homework.
Author: Phoenixnz
Genre: General, KidFic, Consort verse, Oneshot
Pairing: Clois
Rating: G
Summary: Angela Marie Kent is sixteen and is embarrassed by her parents. A talk with her grandfather offers her a different perspective.
a/n: While there is a pairing, this is written entirely from the perspective of Clark and Lois' eldest daughter from the Consort story.
The crystal fortress often looked imposing, even to a Kryptonian, or half-Kryptonian. Yet Angela Kent liked the peace of the structure. She supposed it was part of the genetic memory her grandfather had told her about. There was a part of her that felt like she belonged here.
She wandered through the structure, her fingers brushing the crystals. For anyone not Kryptonian, they felt like ice but she was never cold, although the fortress was situated near the Arctic Circle. Grandfather Jor-El had ensured the fortress could never be found on any radar, nor picked up by any satellite. He’d wanted to make certain any family members could feel safe from any intrusion. Especially since her father was like the strongest man in the world. Being Superman and all.
She caught sight of her reflection in one of the crystals. There weren’t really any mirrors inside the fortress but sometimes if the light hit the crystals just so, they would give off a reflection of sorts. She frowned, her dark eyebrows in the reflection shifting as her brow furrowed. She touched a finger to one of the thick brows, sighing. Her mother often told her she had inherited the best of both of her parents. Thank god she hadn’t inherited her father’s nose, though, she thought. Her dad had kind of a hooked nose which only really showed up in profile. Otherwise he was an extremely handsome man.
She sighed again, thinking of the reactions of her school friends when they saw her father. Or rather, when he was in the guise of Superman. Almost every one of the teenagers in her set, girl and guy alike, had crushes on her dad. Which was weird, considering when they saw the real Clark Kent, glasses and all, they all thought he looked like a nerd. It was kind of disconcerting, knowing that Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same guy.
“Ang-El, what brings you to the fortress?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Are your mother and father …”
“They’re fine. More than fine,” the sixteen-year-old told her grandfather. Or rather the artificial intelligence that represented him.
She loved her parents. Really, she did. But there were times when they drove her crazy. She’d come home from school and there they would be, in the kitchen, macking on each other. Like, didn’t they see each other enough at work? Did they have to make out like teenagers at home too?
She was luckier than most, she supposed. A lot of her friends either came from broken homes or, like her best friend Michael, had parents who were gay. The ‘nuclear’ family didn’t really exist anymore. Not that she really cared about that.
“Mom’s pregnant. Again.”
She’d run out of the house after yelling at her parents about ‘how could they do this to her’ and weren’t three enough? Her father had been shocked at her attitude and justifiably angry, telling her she was behaving like a spoilt brat and he wasn’t going to stand for it. Yeah, she knew she’d acted like a brat, but it had hurt for her dad to yell at her that way.
“Surely that is something to celebrate,” Grandfather Jor-El replied.
“Couldn’t they have just stopped with Meg? Why’d they go and have to have another child anyway? I mean, it probably means I’m gonna have to babysit.”
“Your mother and father love each other very much,” Jor-El admonished her gently. If she was reading the tone right. How could an avatar of her grandfather, or whatever it was, actually understand love anyway?
“I would like to tell you a story, Ang-El.”
She settled on a bed of crystal, sitting cross-legged. She liked listening to stories from her grandparents. Grandpa Sam would talk about all the times he went to war, while Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop would talk about life on the farm and tell her stories of when her dad was growing up.
“Many years ago, before even your father was born, I met a young woman. Her name was Lara Lor-Van. My father, your great-grandfather, Seyg-El, was a very traditional Kryptonian. He had decided that it was time for me to join in a lifebond with another Kryptonian and he had chosen Lara. We were not happy with this decision. Lara considered me rather arrogant and I thought she was a rather obstinate young woman. We argued constantly from the moment we met. Your uncle Zor-El decided to compete with me for Lara’s affections but in the end, it was not what we wanted that mattered. The choice was hers and she chose me.”
“And you fell in love?” Angela asked dreamily.
“It took some time, but we learned to appreciate each other and yes, we did fall in love. We were happy together for many years but the one thing that would have made us complete eluded us.”
“My dad?”
“By the time your father came along, we knew Krypton was in danger. It broke your grandmother’s heart to send him away, but we had to save him.”
“So you sent him to Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop.”
“Your father grew up on Earth and became a man I was very proud of. I admit I made my mistakes when I tried to force him to embrace his destiny when he was not mature enough to do so. That was my error.”
“And then he met my mom?”
She knew the story of how they’d met, but her grandfather explained the meeting anyway, telling her of the way they had bonded. It was part of their culture, he told her, that Kryptonians only bonded with one partner in their lifetime and for her father, Lois Lane was it. Just because her mother was human didn’t change that. Their affection for each other was their way of strengthening the bond between them.
“Your mother is an extraordinary human in very many ways, Ang-El. There are times when I think she is a lot like your grandmother Lara. She is strong-willed, yet compassionate.”
“I get that, but … it’s embarrassing, Grandfather. I mean, imagine walking in with one of my friends only for them to see my parents macking on each other.”
“I do not understand these feelings, Ang-El. Is it wrong for your parents to not still care about each other after so many years together? If I could change the course of events on Krypton, I know I would still feel the same way about your grandmother Lara.”
Angela bit her lip. Despite the impersonal tone, she could sense a wistfulness in her grandfather’s voice. She realised he was telling her that she was lucky to have both parents, and that they both still cared about each other even after eighteen years together. Even Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop were still affectionate with each other and they had not long celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary.
“You’re right, Grandfather. I should be grateful. It’s just, well, the friend I was talking about is this guy that I … I mean, it’s kind of weird to be dating a guy and you know, him seeing my parents …”
Mom had not been happy when she had learned that Angela was starting to get serious with her boyfriend. She’d sat her down to have a long talk with her about her age, which was kind of a double standard in Angela’s book, considering her mom had been eighteen and her dad had been seventeen when they’d got together.
“Ahh, I understand,” her grandfather replied. “You feel that your parents are being hypocritical because they were so very young when they joined in a lifebond.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Human relationships are viewed so very differently than Kryptonian. What you must remember is that your father may have been raised on Earth but he is still very much Kryptonian, and when he met your mother his humanity, as it were, had been suppressed. It was a necessary part of his training in his own culture.”
“I get that, it’s just …”
“The bond between Kryptonians is sacred. You are still a Kryptonian, Ang-El.”
“I’m only half-Kryptonian,” she pointed out.
“Nonetheless, the bonding is very important for a Kryptonian.”
“Wait, hold the phone, I’m not talking about having sex with him. I don’t even know if I want to go that far with him.”
“Oh.” She was sure her grandfather would have been blushing. “I see. Of course.”
“I mean, geez, I’m only sixteen. That’s going to be like way, way in the future.”
“I understand, and that is a very mature decision, even for a human.”
“Okay, now you’re just making fun,” she returned.
There was silence from the fortress. She grinned. Great comeback, Gramps, she thought.
“Uh, so I’m gonna go,” she said. “Nice talking with you, Grandfather.”
Angela ran at superspeed away from the fortress, back to the two-storey house in New Troy. She saw her mother’s car in the driveway as she ran up the path and opened the door. Her mother was in the kitchen, making a snack.
“Hey Mom,” she said. “I’m sorry for running out before.” She opened the fridge and began rummaging around for something to eat, grabbing a couple of carrot sticks. “So, where’s Dad?” She bit her lip. “Is he still mad at me?”
“Out on a job,” her mother replied. Angela straightened up and looked her mom over noting she didn’t answer the second question.
Lois Lane was thirty-six but looked maybe about thirty. She had taken to wearing glasses, although she really didn’t need them. She had chocolate brown hair which she was wearing long today. At work she usually kept it in some kind of knot.
Angela’s hearing picked up the sounds of her brother and sister arguing over something.
“Um, so …”
“Where did you go?”
“The fortress. I ended up talking to Grandfather Jor-El.”
“Oh. Was it a good talk?”
“Sort of. I mean, he doesn’t really get human stuff, I guess, but I dunno. I kind of saw it from his perspective. And he’s right. I’m pretty lucky. I mean, maybe it is kind of embarrassing to see your parents macking on each other but when I think about it, it’s sort of cool. You know, a lot of families now aren’t like, well you know, there’s gay parents and well, like stepmoms and stepdads and stuff …”
“Honey, you’re rambling.”
“Yeah,” she said with a grin. “Dad says I get that from you. Something about you’ve always hated uncomfortable silences.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “You just wait until your father gets home. I’m gonna get him for that.”
Angela chuckled. Her mother joined in a moment later. Yeah, she thought. I am lucky. I’ve got two parents who drive me crazy but I wouldn’t change them for the world.
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, I’m sorry I was such a brat before, specially about the baby.”
“Well, just so you know, we won’t be asking you to babysit.”
Angela turned and stared at her father, not having heard him come in.
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” she said, running to him and wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her tight. “I’m sorry for what I said.”
“Well, I think we’re all going to have to sit down and have a little talk, don’t you? Especially about your attitude lately.”
“I know,” she said, sniffling. “I know I act like a spoilt brat sometimes, but I’ll try to be better. Promise.”
They sat down at the table. She noticed her parents giving each other loving looks as they linked hands. She told them about her visit to the fortress.
“I guess I never really thought about things from your perspective. I mean, you lost like a whole planet. As well as your real mom and dad,” she said, looking at her father.
“I happen to think I’m still pretty lucky to have your Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, but you’re right. Sometimes it takes seeing things from another perspective to realise that while things might not look ideal from our perspective, others aren’t so lucky.”
“I know, Daddy.”
“Honey, we love you, but we’re really not trying to embarrass you when you see us being affectionate with each other. The bond your dad and I share is very special and really kind of rare.”
She nodded. “I know that now.” She got up from the table. “I’m gonna go do my homework and call Wally.”
“Honey …”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m only dating the guy, it’s not like I’m gonna go bonding with him. Not yet anyway,” she added with a wink before flouncing off, long dark hair flying behind her. As she left the room she heard her parents grumbling.
“Kids!” her mother was saying. “Are you sure we still can’t throw that one back?”
“Lois …”
“Yes Pookie?”
Angela rolled her eyes and laughed, before running up the stairs to start her homework.
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