![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seriousficTitle: The Villain Of The Story
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,112
Author’s Note: Betaed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vagrantdream.
Characters/Pairings: Davis, Chloe/Justin, Eric Summers
Last Part: Chapter 11
Next Part: Chapter 13
Summary: Davis has some thoughts on how to deal with the Justin situation.
Justin looked at the Wall of Weird, smiling with a happiness Chloe could never understand. He had done it. Penetrated into the deepest recesses of who she really was. He’d pared Davis out of her heart and taken his place and it felt good. She was his. Body and soul.
“Cafeteria food scandal,” he read. “It doesn’t seem as freaky as cattle mutilations.”
“You never tasted the meatloaf.” Chloe sipped her latte.
Justin looked again at the article and saw Davis had written it. His fingers knotted with the desire to rip it down. “You must’ve been scared, having those freaks after you.”
“It wasn’t so bad. I had Davis.” Chloe realized what she’d said. “Watching my back, I mean.”
“I don’t blame him.” He rubbed her shoulders. “That is a great back.”
Chloe bit her lip, trying not to feel uncomfortable. “I sent the license plate numbers of the car that hit you to my contact in the DMV. Since it’s not the whole thing it’ll take a while, but he’s optimistic.”
“Wow. You have a contact in the DMV. How’s that even work?”
“We’re in the same Scrubs community on Livejournal. So I’m expecting a fax any day now.”
“Good, good.” Justin looked back at the Wall of Weird. “You know, you don’t have to worry about them anymore. I won’t let any of them get near you. I can protect you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re not the only one with a secret.” Taking Chloe’s hand, Justin spun her around like they were dancing. “Close your eyes and don’t look down.”
“If my eyes are closed, what difference does looking down—holy crap!”
She was floating. Chloe was actually walking on air. And Justin was holding her up, or tethering her down, or… she needed him.
“Justin, put me down.”
“Just try to enjoy it.”
”Put me down now!”
Justin moved her down a touch harder than necessary, making her feet slap against the floor. “All those letters you sent me about pushing the boundaries of science and uncovering weird phenomena, now you’re afraid of me?”
Chloe shook her head. “I’m not afraid. It’s just a lot to take in.” She stopped, but his eyes held hers with an intense flare, forcing her to admit there was more. “Everyone else I’ve met with these kinds of powers has been corrupted by them.”
“I’m not like that!”
“I know you’re not,” Chloe placated. ”How about an interview for your girl? You can tell me how this happened to you. Take a seat.”
Chloe got her tape recorder from her purse. When she saw that her taser was inside too, she carried the purse back with her and set it in her lap. Justin sat across from her.
“It’s the meteor rocks, Chloe. They’re magic.”
***
It was easy to break the lock on Justin’s locker with his new powers. Eric watched the U of the lock snap in two and he smiled. He had already done it three times, with the mischievousness of a young boy testing his limits and finding them pliant. Holly’s locker had her cheerleading uniform in it, still smelling of her perfume. Lana’s had a mosaic of magazine cut-outs forming a reflection of her own face. Chloe had pictures of her and Pete and Davis nestled inside her notebook. And Davis’s was empty except for the pile of textbooks at the bottom, pens rolling beside them.
Justin had pictures of Chloe taped on the walls, some from last year when she’d worn her hair up. They orbited a drawing of her. His book pile bottomed out into a sheaf of paper. Eric toed the books aside and looked at the papers. The newspaper articles were about Justin’s doctor and suits brought against him for malpractice, all dismissed or settled out of court. Below them was a drawing of the man in the newspaper photos, his hands lost in red ink.
“Good read?” Justin asked.
Once, Eric would’ve shied away from a confrontation even with a punk like Gaines, but not now. He stood to his full height and was surprised to find it was greater than Justin’s. He could’ve sworn Justin was taller before he went to the hospital. Maybe he’d just slouched.
“I like the pictures. Grisly stuff, but good artwork. Exceptional, in fact…” He tossed them to Justin, who fumbled them. The stack of drawings and clippings exploded against his arms. “—for a guy with no fingers.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Now why don’t you get out of here before I get you thrown in detention for breaking and entering?”
“I was just leaving. Give my love to Chloe, enh?”
As soon as Eric was gone, Justin slammed the locker shut with his mind. Eric would get his, but first things first. He had a date with Chloe.
***
The thought of Chloe with Justin no longer filled Davis with rage. That kind of sustained anger had left with the Red. The lingering regret was much worse.
So Chloe’s name on his caller ID was like a lifeline. She asked to meet with him. He agreed without a moment’s thought.
They agreed to hook up in the barn. He waited on the loft, watching the stars come out. Finally, the headlights of her Bug washed over him. He looked out the window as Chloe and Justin got out of the car.
Regrets. That was the real price of power.
He went downstairs to greet them. “Hi Chlo—Justin.”
“Hey!” Chloe took a step toward him and held it, hands shoved in her pockets. “I just had to share, it’s so… cool!”
Davis smiled at Chloe. She never did have time for melancholy when there was a story to be had.
“Justin, show him.”
Justin looked from Chloe to Davis and back again. “We can’t trust him.”
“Show me what?”
“He’s my best friend. Justin, come on. He’s harmless.”
“Alright. If it’ll make my girl happy.”
Davis glanced aside as they kissed. My girl. Bastard.
He noticed the hay on the floor rising, like leaves caught in a gust. There was no wind. The hay danced around Justin as he stood there, Chloe in his arms. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Ice-cold.”
***
“Awesome!” Eric said, wrapping his lips around a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade he’d brought over when Davis had called him.
Davis paced the barn, still feeling Justin’s intrusion like a pin in his flesh. His thoughts were a maelstrom he couldn’t escape. Justin was a demon. But he was something else too. He hadn’t hurt anyone.
Davis sat down. He’d called Eric, hoping that if God wouldn’t speak to him, He’d speak to Eric instead. “How is a single aspect of this awesome?”
“God has basically given you permission to kill the boyfriend of the girl you love. How is that not awesome?”
Davis looked at him sharply. “I don’t think Justin’s bad. He’s just… wounded.”
“Yeah?” Eric took another drink, reached into his coat. “Look what I found in his locker.”
“What are you doing in his locker?” Davis asked as he looked at the sheaf of papers Eric had pulled out anyway.
“Looking for this. Pretty gruesome, huh?”
Davis looked away, into Eric’s eyes. “We’ve done worse. It’s not illegal to have a fantasy, Eric. He hasn’t hurt anyone.“
“Yet. We can stop him before he kills.”
“Yeah. By talking to him.”
Eric dropped the pictures to the ground. “Why do you even care, Gandhi?”
“Chloe loves him. If she loves him, there must be some good there. She wouldn’t be in love with a killer.”
“And is this the same Chloe who can’t figure out you’re the town hero?” Eric asked, smirking. “Don’t think she’s much in the brainpan.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Eric cringed at the harshness in Davis’s tone, then recovered, hoping Davis hadn’t noticed. “Make me.” He drew up to his full height. “Get it straight, Kent. You’re living vicariously through me, not him.”
“Don’t touch him. That’s your warning.”
***
Davis felt an unexpected lightness as he walked up the steps to Justin’s front door. It didn’t feel like he’d lost Chloe, it felt like he’d let her go and now, she was free of the shadow world that had taken him and wanted to spread to her. He could forgive Justin for being with her. He just couldn’t forgive himself for the opposite.
He knocked on the door. Justin answered in a housecoat and Wonder Woman boxer shorts.
“Oh, I thought you were the pizza guy.”
“Not guilty. Mind if I come in?”
“Yeah, sure.” Justin stepped out of the way, belting his robe. “Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting anyone over until my date with Chloe tonight. Oops.” He smiled. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Davis walked in. The house was cozy and lived-in, but with odd shadows on the walls in the shape of major appliances.
“We had to sell a lot of shit. Hospital bills.” He held up his bandaged hands. “Money well-spent, huh?”
“Justin, we need to talk.” He followed Justin into the kitchen. “It’s important.”
“To you, I’m sure.” Justin dug a Mountain Dew out of the fridge. The toaster and microwave were nowhere in sight. “I know what this is about. You mind?”
He tossed Davis the bottle. Davis twisted off the cap and set the bottle down on the table.
“Chloe used to talk about you all the time. It wasn’t hard to read between the lines. But you never sealed the deal and now she’s with me.”
“Yes. She is,” Davis said carefully. “But that’s not what this is about.”
“Isn’t it? You want Chloe, but now I’ve got her. And it’s tearing you up inside.” Justin drank.
Davis waited for him to finish his chug and wipe his mouth on his sleeve. His eyes were faraway, but his voice was constant. “I know you blame the doctor for your hands. I know you’re still furious over the hit and run.”
Justin’s voice hitched, fingers tightening on the bottle of Mountain Dew. Or trying to. “And why shouldn’t I be? Eight months and no arrest!”
“This isn’t about him. It’s about you. You have a choice. You can live in the light or in the dark, but you can’t do both. And the longer you spend in the dark, the harder it is to find your way home. The more you find has changed… gone away. I know you want to be good to Chloe. So did I. But you have to choose.” Davis sat down gingerly, wearily, like he was nursing a wound. “Murderers can’t be in love. There’s no room for it in their hearts.”
Justin just stared at him, wondering where that voice could come from that it could sound so lost. “Why do you care? Why are you hurt?”
Davis laid his palms flat on the table. “She deserves to be happy. Maybe you do too. So be happy. Don’t be angry. Don’t be vengeful. Don’t be bitter. Just be happy. That’s all.”
Justin held still for a long time, waiting for Davis to say something else, his hands shaking. He kneaded them against each other. “When the car hit me… it was like I’d broken in half. He didn’t even slow down.”
“I know.”
“I can’t draw anymore. I loved the feel of the paper under my pencil. It still hurts sometimes.” Justin wiped at his eyes. “You want a drink?”
Davis stood up slowly. “No. I’m good.”
After Davis left, Justin spent a long time looking at the DMV report he’d stolen from Chloe’s fax machine.
He went to find Chloe’s number.
***
It felt weird to be doing this without Davis, like a betrayal. But the Red told him it would be okay, and who was he to argue with the Red? Davis was the one who was no longer faithful to it. And he’d never accepted help, so why should Eric?
He listened to the beat of Justin’s heart as the villain moved around, into his bedroom, then in view of a window. Eric wasted no time. He burst through the wall, so fast he was almost part of the gray dust cloud. Both were on Justin before he could react.
Eric’s knuckles burned. He quenched them in Justin’s heart, not realizing until his bloodlust had passed that he had grown claws. Justin went down, gasping, bleeding. He tried to pull himself up on a bedpost. Eric rested his foot on the back of Justin’s head, letting him feel the tread. Then he lifted his foot up. Then he brought it back down. Then he left.
Author’s Notes: This chapter covers 1x14 Zero.
So, obviously, I wanted to do something a bit different than the expected story here and make Justin into a bit of a sympathetic figure. Someone who Davis identifies with and who Eric targets in his growing… whatever. I think it’s actually something that could stand to be expanded on, both the Chloe/Justin relationship and the Davis/Eric partnership, but this probably isn’t the project for that. Things are moving fast now, as you might have gleamed from how close we’re getting to the “season finale”
I actually don’t have that much to say about this chapter, since a lot of what it is is the repercussions that come out next chapter, and I’m not posting that until I get back from my vacation. That’s when the shit really hits the fan. I do have a lot of notes for how to grow this part of the story, adding meteor freaks and giving this weird codependent relationship between Davis and Eric more face time, but for now, let’s just enjoy the shocking shock of Eric taking out Justin like a Hefty bag.
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,112
Author’s Note: Betaed by
vagrantdream.Characters/Pairings: Davis, Chloe/Justin, Eric Summers
Last Part: Chapter 11
Next Part: Chapter 13
Summary: Davis has some thoughts on how to deal with the Justin situation.
Justin looked at the Wall of Weird, smiling with a happiness Chloe could never understand. He had done it. Penetrated into the deepest recesses of who she really was. He’d pared Davis out of her heart and taken his place and it felt good. She was his. Body and soul.
“Cafeteria food scandal,” he read. “It doesn’t seem as freaky as cattle mutilations.”
“You never tasted the meatloaf.” Chloe sipped her latte.
Justin looked again at the article and saw Davis had written it. His fingers knotted with the desire to rip it down. “You must’ve been scared, having those freaks after you.”
“It wasn’t so bad. I had Davis.” Chloe realized what she’d said. “Watching my back, I mean.”
“I don’t blame him.” He rubbed her shoulders. “That is a great back.”
Chloe bit her lip, trying not to feel uncomfortable. “I sent the license plate numbers of the car that hit you to my contact in the DMV. Since it’s not the whole thing it’ll take a while, but he’s optimistic.”
“Wow. You have a contact in the DMV. How’s that even work?”
“We’re in the same Scrubs community on Livejournal. So I’m expecting a fax any day now.”
“Good, good.” Justin looked back at the Wall of Weird. “You know, you don’t have to worry about them anymore. I won’t let any of them get near you. I can protect you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re not the only one with a secret.” Taking Chloe’s hand, Justin spun her around like they were dancing. “Close your eyes and don’t look down.”
“If my eyes are closed, what difference does looking down—holy crap!”
She was floating. Chloe was actually walking on air. And Justin was holding her up, or tethering her down, or… she needed him.
“Justin, put me down.”
“Just try to enjoy it.”
”Put me down now!”
Justin moved her down a touch harder than necessary, making her feet slap against the floor. “All those letters you sent me about pushing the boundaries of science and uncovering weird phenomena, now you’re afraid of me?”
Chloe shook her head. “I’m not afraid. It’s just a lot to take in.” She stopped, but his eyes held hers with an intense flare, forcing her to admit there was more. “Everyone else I’ve met with these kinds of powers has been corrupted by them.”
“I’m not like that!”
“I know you’re not,” Chloe placated. ”How about an interview for your girl? You can tell me how this happened to you. Take a seat.”
Chloe got her tape recorder from her purse. When she saw that her taser was inside too, she carried the purse back with her and set it in her lap. Justin sat across from her.
“It’s the meteor rocks, Chloe. They’re magic.”
***
It was easy to break the lock on Justin’s locker with his new powers. Eric watched the U of the lock snap in two and he smiled. He had already done it three times, with the mischievousness of a young boy testing his limits and finding them pliant. Holly’s locker had her cheerleading uniform in it, still smelling of her perfume. Lana’s had a mosaic of magazine cut-outs forming a reflection of her own face. Chloe had pictures of her and Pete and Davis nestled inside her notebook. And Davis’s was empty except for the pile of textbooks at the bottom, pens rolling beside them.
Justin had pictures of Chloe taped on the walls, some from last year when she’d worn her hair up. They orbited a drawing of her. His book pile bottomed out into a sheaf of paper. Eric toed the books aside and looked at the papers. The newspaper articles were about Justin’s doctor and suits brought against him for malpractice, all dismissed or settled out of court. Below them was a drawing of the man in the newspaper photos, his hands lost in red ink.
“Good read?” Justin asked.
Once, Eric would’ve shied away from a confrontation even with a punk like Gaines, but not now. He stood to his full height and was surprised to find it was greater than Justin’s. He could’ve sworn Justin was taller before he went to the hospital. Maybe he’d just slouched.
“I like the pictures. Grisly stuff, but good artwork. Exceptional, in fact…” He tossed them to Justin, who fumbled them. The stack of drawings and clippings exploded against his arms. “—for a guy with no fingers.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Now why don’t you get out of here before I get you thrown in detention for breaking and entering?”
“I was just leaving. Give my love to Chloe, enh?”
As soon as Eric was gone, Justin slammed the locker shut with his mind. Eric would get his, but first things first. He had a date with Chloe.
***
The thought of Chloe with Justin no longer filled Davis with rage. That kind of sustained anger had left with the Red. The lingering regret was much worse.
So Chloe’s name on his caller ID was like a lifeline. She asked to meet with him. He agreed without a moment’s thought.
They agreed to hook up in the barn. He waited on the loft, watching the stars come out. Finally, the headlights of her Bug washed over him. He looked out the window as Chloe and Justin got out of the car.
Regrets. That was the real price of power.
He went downstairs to greet them. “Hi Chlo—Justin.”
“Hey!” Chloe took a step toward him and held it, hands shoved in her pockets. “I just had to share, it’s so… cool!”
Davis smiled at Chloe. She never did have time for melancholy when there was a story to be had.
“Justin, show him.”
Justin looked from Chloe to Davis and back again. “We can’t trust him.”
“Show me what?”
“He’s my best friend. Justin, come on. He’s harmless.”
“Alright. If it’ll make my girl happy.”
Davis glanced aside as they kissed. My girl. Bastard.
He noticed the hay on the floor rising, like leaves caught in a gust. There was no wind. The hay danced around Justin as he stood there, Chloe in his arms. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Ice-cold.”
***
“Awesome!” Eric said, wrapping his lips around a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade he’d brought over when Davis had called him.
Davis paced the barn, still feeling Justin’s intrusion like a pin in his flesh. His thoughts were a maelstrom he couldn’t escape. Justin was a demon. But he was something else too. He hadn’t hurt anyone.
Davis sat down. He’d called Eric, hoping that if God wouldn’t speak to him, He’d speak to Eric instead. “How is a single aspect of this awesome?”
“God has basically given you permission to kill the boyfriend of the girl you love. How is that not awesome?”
Davis looked at him sharply. “I don’t think Justin’s bad. He’s just… wounded.”
“Yeah?” Eric took another drink, reached into his coat. “Look what I found in his locker.”
“What are you doing in his locker?” Davis asked as he looked at the sheaf of papers Eric had pulled out anyway.
“Looking for this. Pretty gruesome, huh?”
Davis looked away, into Eric’s eyes. “We’ve done worse. It’s not illegal to have a fantasy, Eric. He hasn’t hurt anyone.“
“Yet. We can stop him before he kills.”
“Yeah. By talking to him.”
Eric dropped the pictures to the ground. “Why do you even care, Gandhi?”
“Chloe loves him. If she loves him, there must be some good there. She wouldn’t be in love with a killer.”
“And is this the same Chloe who can’t figure out you’re the town hero?” Eric asked, smirking. “Don’t think she’s much in the brainpan.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Eric cringed at the harshness in Davis’s tone, then recovered, hoping Davis hadn’t noticed. “Make me.” He drew up to his full height. “Get it straight, Kent. You’re living vicariously through me, not him.”
“Don’t touch him. That’s your warning.”
***
Davis felt an unexpected lightness as he walked up the steps to Justin’s front door. It didn’t feel like he’d lost Chloe, it felt like he’d let her go and now, she was free of the shadow world that had taken him and wanted to spread to her. He could forgive Justin for being with her. He just couldn’t forgive himself for the opposite.
He knocked on the door. Justin answered in a housecoat and Wonder Woman boxer shorts.
“Oh, I thought you were the pizza guy.”
“Not guilty. Mind if I come in?”
“Yeah, sure.” Justin stepped out of the way, belting his robe. “Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting anyone over until my date with Chloe tonight. Oops.” He smiled. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Davis walked in. The house was cozy and lived-in, but with odd shadows on the walls in the shape of major appliances.
“We had to sell a lot of shit. Hospital bills.” He held up his bandaged hands. “Money well-spent, huh?”
“Justin, we need to talk.” He followed Justin into the kitchen. “It’s important.”
“To you, I’m sure.” Justin dug a Mountain Dew out of the fridge. The toaster and microwave were nowhere in sight. “I know what this is about. You mind?”
He tossed Davis the bottle. Davis twisted off the cap and set the bottle down on the table.
“Chloe used to talk about you all the time. It wasn’t hard to read between the lines. But you never sealed the deal and now she’s with me.”
“Yes. She is,” Davis said carefully. “But that’s not what this is about.”
“Isn’t it? You want Chloe, but now I’ve got her. And it’s tearing you up inside.” Justin drank.
Davis waited for him to finish his chug and wipe his mouth on his sleeve. His eyes were faraway, but his voice was constant. “I know you blame the doctor for your hands. I know you’re still furious over the hit and run.”
Justin’s voice hitched, fingers tightening on the bottle of Mountain Dew. Or trying to. “And why shouldn’t I be? Eight months and no arrest!”
“This isn’t about him. It’s about you. You have a choice. You can live in the light or in the dark, but you can’t do both. And the longer you spend in the dark, the harder it is to find your way home. The more you find has changed… gone away. I know you want to be good to Chloe. So did I. But you have to choose.” Davis sat down gingerly, wearily, like he was nursing a wound. “Murderers can’t be in love. There’s no room for it in their hearts.”
Justin just stared at him, wondering where that voice could come from that it could sound so lost. “Why do you care? Why are you hurt?”
Davis laid his palms flat on the table. “She deserves to be happy. Maybe you do too. So be happy. Don’t be angry. Don’t be vengeful. Don’t be bitter. Just be happy. That’s all.”
Justin held still for a long time, waiting for Davis to say something else, his hands shaking. He kneaded them against each other. “When the car hit me… it was like I’d broken in half. He didn’t even slow down.”
“I know.”
“I can’t draw anymore. I loved the feel of the paper under my pencil. It still hurts sometimes.” Justin wiped at his eyes. “You want a drink?”
Davis stood up slowly. “No. I’m good.”
After Davis left, Justin spent a long time looking at the DMV report he’d stolen from Chloe’s fax machine.
He went to find Chloe’s number.
***
It felt weird to be doing this without Davis, like a betrayal. But the Red told him it would be okay, and who was he to argue with the Red? Davis was the one who was no longer faithful to it. And he’d never accepted help, so why should Eric?
He listened to the beat of Justin’s heart as the villain moved around, into his bedroom, then in view of a window. Eric wasted no time. He burst through the wall, so fast he was almost part of the gray dust cloud. Both were on Justin before he could react.
Eric’s knuckles burned. He quenched them in Justin’s heart, not realizing until his bloodlust had passed that he had grown claws. Justin went down, gasping, bleeding. He tried to pull himself up on a bedpost. Eric rested his foot on the back of Justin’s head, letting him feel the tread. Then he lifted his foot up. Then he brought it back down. Then he left.
Author’s Notes: This chapter covers 1x14 Zero.
So, obviously, I wanted to do something a bit different than the expected story here and make Justin into a bit of a sympathetic figure. Someone who Davis identifies with and who Eric targets in his growing… whatever. I think it’s actually something that could stand to be expanded on, both the Chloe/Justin relationship and the Davis/Eric partnership, but this probably isn’t the project for that. Things are moving fast now, as you might have gleamed from how close we’re getting to the “season finale”
I actually don’t have that much to say about this chapter, since a lot of what it is is the repercussions that come out next chapter, and I’m not posting that until I get back from my vacation. That’s when the shit really hits the fan. I do have a lot of notes for how to grow this part of the story, adding meteor freaks and giving this weird codependent relationship between Davis and Eric more face time, but for now, let’s just enjoy the shocking shock of Eric taking out Justin like a Hefty bag.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-06 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-06 11:43 pm (UTC)Also, I wonder from last chapter, if Davis has really just watched too much Buffy seeing the MF's as demons he needs to slay :)
*drags him in a closet and gives him a lap dance*
no subject
Date: 2009-08-07 07:52 am (UTC)