Mark was looking at the state of his house, he walked around inspecting the various holes and broken doors and sighed as his shoulders slumped "My Landlord is going to kill me..." he said to himself, he heard Kara giggle as she floated behind him putting her arms around his neck kissing him on the cheek "Maybe we could afford to be a little less rough" Mark said but yelped when Kara bit his ear for even suggesting such a thing.
"Why not just build a house?" Kara asked as she placed her head on his shoulder.
"Are you an idiot? I can't just build a house" Mark replied
"I can't just build a house," she said in a mocking voice. "Read a book asshole, you have super strength and super speed, you can finish a book in like 10 minutes"
"Pffft you are oversimplifying things, A lot of things go into a house you know," Mark said with a raised eyebrow
"Sounds like you're overcomplicating things, Just build a foundation and go from there, humans do it all the time" Kara replied.
Mark sighs and just chooses to ignore her, though she does bring up a good point he can't exactly keep living here when he spent most of his time with a girl who loved rough sex and also happened to be capable of punching a hole through a mountain. 'Things to think about later' he thought to himself as he walked back into his kitchen through the destroyed backdoor.
"You know I never got around to asking, but why are you in Smallville?" Kara asked as she followed him inside, she sat down on one of the few chairs that were not broken.
Mark shrugged "Needed a place to hide Batman seems to have a hate boner for me right now, not sure why" Though he did suspect it had something to do with his dad, there was a lot he didn't know and he'd have to investigate, but for now he'd lay low and get better at using his powers.
Kara makes an 'O' with her mouth "Oh I forgot you were a criminal, must've been pretty good if you got Batman on you"
Mark snorted "I was a criminal for less than 2 days before I ran into Batman" Mark walked over to his fridge which was thankfully still working and pulled some juice out, he poured both him and Kara a cup and sat next to her.
Kara took a sip before looking at him "Why did you do it... become a criminal I mean?"
Mark shrugged once again "Couldn't afford college, and I hated watching my mom going to a job that she hated every day just for my sake, was gonna do a few jobs and move us to Metropolis, though I don't see that happening now" Mark said with a sigh.
"What will my cousin think of me, my boyfriend being such a hardened criminal" she said in a dramatic voice before she started laughing.
"Oh so I'm your boyfriend now, a little presumptuous of you," Mark said with a raised eyebrow. Kara floated from her seat and straight onto Mark's lap putting her arms around his shoulders.
"You feel it as much as I do, I feel calm and contented when I'm with you," She said with her face close to Mark's own.
"I also refuse to give my Virginity to... what was it you humans call it? Oh yeah, a one-night stand" she continued making Mark laugh slightly.
"Well, I suppose I could put up with you for a while longer, or at least until I'm thrown in whatever jail you and your friends have," Mark said with a smile.
Kara shook her head "I will keep you a secret, I'm not sure why they seem so desperate to capture you but I will not have my first boyfriend be someone I visit in jail, reminds me of a TV show I watched" she said with a shudder.
Mark smiles at her "I appreciate the help... since we'll be staying with each other for a while how about you help me get started on this house you said I should build"
"I thought you'd never ask"
———————————————————-
Barbara sat at her desk trying to study, she was on break from her college in Burnside but she still had to keep up with her studies or her grades would drop. Though she had other thoughts on her mind at the moment which prevented her from concentrating on her studies.
Mark had been missing for months and she was no closer to finding him than she was before, From what she'd been able to discover the Justice League were having trouble as well 'Where could he have gone...' she wondered to herself as she tapped her pen against the side of the table.
Kara hadn't been talking to her either which she found strange, She was always on her phone so either she must've lost it or she was purposely avoiding her, though she had no clue why she would do such a thing. It was all strange, Bruce was acting worse than he normally was, in fact, she had never seen him so concerned. Not that she'd seen him much, she knew why as well "He probably worded it like, Batgirl is compromised she cannot be trusted blah blah blah" she said to herself with a small giggle.
"That's because you are compromised"
Barbara nearly fell out of her chair and quickly turned around holding her fists up only to put them back down and sigh "Could you at least warn me before invading my room" she said with a huff as she sat back down on her chair. Batman stood before her his cloak billowing in the wind blowing in from the window.
"Your previous relationship with Mark makes you a liability, it's possible you'd let him escape or not fight him as seriously as you would someone else" Batman states.
Barbara rolls her eyes "He doesn't deserve this that's why! He just made a mistake, he never hurt anyone" she shouts at him.
"This isn't about his criminal activities, it's about something far more dangerous" Batman replies.
"And what is so bad that you'd search half the country for and have Superman and Wonder Woman searching the rest of the world!"Barbara asks
However, Batman does not reply and ignores the question "I need anything you've managed to dig up on Mark's location and any other information that might prove useful"
Barbara laughs "Like hell! You expect me to give you information for this Witch-hunt without even knowing why!" She said incredulously.
Batman narrowed his eyes at her but she met his gaze with an equally fierce look, she did roll back in her chair a little when he approached her he reached forward making Barbara wince a tiny bit but he didn't touch her, instead he reached towards her laptop and plugged in a memory stick. Scrunching her eyebrows she looked at Batman "Watch" he said sternly.
Barbara turned in her chair and watched as a video appeared on her screen, it seemed to be CCTV footage from the Hall of Justice. A man she hadn't seen in a long time was standing at a large computer typing into it 'Omni-man' from what she could see it looked as if he was trying to gain access to the computer but wasn't having much luck.
The footage sped up a little until someone walked in, another person who she hadn't seen in years. Green Arrow walked into the Hall of Justice and walked up to Omni-man but Barbara didn't know what was said as there was no sound. She sees Omni-man get angry and grab Green Arrow by the neck forcing him to the console. She gasped as Green Arrow attacked him and got loose from his grasp, but Omni-man just impaled him through the chest with his arm killing him.
"Officially Green Arrow died on a rescue mission in Nepal, his body was never recovered, but in reality, he was killed by Omni-man after refusing to give him access to the computer" Batman explained.
"Omni-man also known as Nolan Grayson, it took nearly an entire day for us to take him down, he is incredibly dangerous, as strong as Superman but with hundreds of years of experience in fighting" He continued.
"And Mark frees him like we believe he will try to, Nolan will likely escape and call for backup from his people"
"People? You mean Mark isn't human?" Barbara asked.
"The rest isn't important, what is important is that we find Mark, he can't be allowed to free his Father" Batman states severely.
"Why not explain this all to him? He is a good person he wouldn't free his father if it meant he'd hurt people" Barbara asked.
"It is too late for that now, Perhaps it would've been a viable option at the beginning but now it is unlikely he'll trust anything we say" Batman replied.
Barbara feels conflicted, but in the end, she can't bring herself to betray Mark "I don't have anything, I'm just as lost as you are" she said to him.
Batman looked at her for a few seconds before he turned around and left through her window. While it was true she didn't have any leads she knew Mark and knew he wouldn't have left the States even if he could fly.
She'd find him and do what she could to make sure he wasn't hurt.
———————————————————-
(One Week Later)
"Okay so that should just hold itself up then," Mark said to himself as he placed a rather large log on top of another creating the beginnings of a roof.
"You know Kara maybe you were right this isn't so hard after-"
*CRASH*
The entire structure toppled on top of Mark before he could finish his sentence, silently cursing he stood up lifting the logs from on top of himself only to see Kara who was toppled over laughing on the ground.
"Oh, you think it's funny?" Mark asks as he floats over towards her landing in front of the laughing woman with his arms crossed.
"Very... much so," she said while laughing holding her stomach.
Mark just rolls his eyes with amusement before lying down next to her "I give up, seems I just don't have the knack for building things, maybe it's a Viltrumite thing"
"Pffft how would you know, You didn't even know you weren't human until I told you," Kara said as she moved closer to him and cuddled up on his chest.
Mark put his arm around her "Maybe I should just live in the forest, could get myself a tent and bathe in the river, eat nuts and berries"
Kara snorts "As amusing as that would be I would prefer my boyfriend not be a homeless man"
"Technically I did have a home until I met you" Mark replied.
Kara straddled his hips and put her hands by either side of his head "So was it not worth the trouble?" She said in a sultry voice.
"I suppose I can live with it," Mark said with a smirk on his face.
Kara giggled before moving her face closer and pressing her lips against Marks. Mark puts his hands on her hips holding her against himself while they explore each other's mouths with their tongues. Kara moans in contentment while she lets herself melt into Mark's embrace, though suddenly she gets an idea that makes her widen her eyes "Kelex!" She shouted as she detached her lips from Marks.
"I think your dirty talk could use some work," Mark said with amusement in his voice.
"Ass! Kelex is a Kryptonian service robot, he should be able to build a house in no time at all, especially such a primitive house," Kara said with excitement.
"Rude" Mark replied
"Oh shut up! I'll be back soon" she said before getting off him and launching into the air flying away.
———————————————————-
Barbara walked into a diner the sound of a bell rang out as she crossed the threshold, she looked around hoping to see the person she had come to meet and was happy to see that they had come early. She walked over to the table they sat at and saw they had just gotten a coffee and were in the process of mixing some mustard into the beverage.
Barbara crinkled her nose "It's good to see you Kori it's been too long" Barbara said with a smile.
Koriand'r looked up and smiled brightly "Yes! Friend Barbara, it has indeed been a long time since we have 'hung out"
Barbara smiled as she sat down 'She really hasn't changed at all' she thought to herself, Dick had introduced the two of them together when she had first come to the planet, she thought it was a shame the two never dated, a lot of their friends believed it would happen but it never did. But Kori is a sweet girl and as good a friend as any to have, which is why she came all this way to help Barbara without even knowing why.
"I appreciate you coming, you're the only person I can ask who might know something," Barbara said with a sigh.
"I am glad that I came to mind, I'm always happy to help a friend," Kori said with a sweet smile as she downed her coffee in one go.
Barbara had done some more investigating and had even managed to get partial access to the Bat computer, she'd only managed to discover that Omni-man and by extension, a Mark were from a race of people called Viltrumites. As one of the only aliens she could trust to keep her secrets, she called Kori down to see if she knew anything about them.
Barbara leans in close "While you still lived on Tamaran, did you ever encounter a race of people known as the Viltrumites"
As soon as the words left her mouth Kori seemed to explode in excitement "Yes!!! Viltrumites were an important part of my home world" she said
"At first they came to conquer but when they discovered the compatibility our two races had they instead offered protection as long as their people could breed with ours" She explained.
"Though a long time before I was born they disappeared and no longer protected our planet," She said sadly
Barbara couldn't believe what she was hearing, the way Bruce had described them was that they were a ruthless people, but it was clear they could be reasoned with so she didn't understand why he was so concerned, he'd only met two Viltrumites.
"Why do you wish to know about the Viltrumites Friend Barbara" Kori asked with a curious expression.
"My friend Mark, he's being chased by the Justice League because they think he's dangerous, he is a Viltrumite, or at least half-Viltrumite" She explained as she looked down at the table.
When she looked back up she couldn't help but frown as Kori was gone, She turned around and saw her pushing herself off the ground flying into the air 'What the hell' she thought to herself, her phone then beeped with a text message.
Kori: Sorry Friend Barbara but I realised that I had something I needed to do
Barbara couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the timing of her departure.
Barbara: It has nothing to do with the conversation we just had.
Kori: No...
Barbara: -_-
———————————————————
(Two Weeks Later)
"Okay I have to admit, you're a genius, or at least Kelex is," Mark said as he looked at his newly built house in a forest by a small lake.
Kara stood next to him looking smug "I even told him to reinforce the structure and make it heat resistant"
Mark smiled as he grabbed Kara by the waist "Wow isn't my girlfriend smart, though I'm glad she won't knock down this house too" he said with amusement.
Kara gave him a mischievous smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck "I wouldn't speak too soon, who knows what might happen" she said before kissing him on the lips.
Mark sighed in contentment as she kissed him lovingly, not in an intense passion like they did when they had sex but a serene loving kiss. He was concerned at first when he and Kara first got together, he thought that maybe it was just a result of some biological impulses or maybe even something more sinister. He couldn't explain why he felt so attached to her and her to him, but after a couple of weeks he stopped caring, These few weeks had been some of the best in a very long time so he'd ignore anything trying to ruin it.
Kara got a beep from her phone, she detached her lips and looked down before cursing "I have to go... Ma and Pa are getting suspicious, and I can't keep telling them I'm staying at friends, last thing I want is them telling Kal" she said though it looked as if it pained her to leave.
Mark who felt equally as sad just smiled "It's okay, go and reassure them, I'll still be here"
Kara kissed him passionately before backing up and taking off into the sky. Mark looked up and watched her disappear above the clouds, he then looked down and sighed wondering what he should do.
"Maybe I should get into Gardening," he said to himself
———————————————————-
Kara landed on the front porch of the Kent farmhouse "Ma! Pa! I'm home she said as she walked in through the door"
"Nice to see you, Kara"
Kara looked to her left and cleaning the dishes was her cousin, Kal-El.
Kara tried to keep herself composed as she nervously smiled "Hey Kal, I didn't know you'd be dropping by since you're so busy and all" she said as she rubbed her hands together.
"I thought I could use a bit of a break, and maybe take some time to visit my younger cousin," he said, though Kara still couldn't see his face so had no clue if he was angry or happy or whatever.
"When I arrived they told me you'd been gone nearly a month, Everything has been okay?" He asked.
"Yeah I was just staying with Barbara, you know how us girls are," she said with a small nervous chuckle.
Clark chuckled as well "That's funny, Bruce visited Barbara and not once did he mention you visiting her, she hasn't even gotten a text from you"
Kara was starting to sweat "Kal what is this about, you can't just come in here and ask me questions about my personal life," she said indignantly
Clark finally turned around and smiled "You're right, you are an adult now, so you deserve some privacy" he then walked past her and out onto the front lawn.
"I'll see you later Kara," he said before flying away.
Kara took a breath for what felt like the first time since she walked in through the door 'I hope he didn't find me too suspicious' she thought to herself as she walked up to her room. However, before she opened the door to her room she found herself speeding to the bathroom and throwing up in the toilet. Something that completely took her by surprise as she'd never been sick before.
'What in Rao is happening' she thought to herself.
(AN: So a bit of a slice of life/set up this chapter, ngl writing this is nice, it's pretty relaxing and a break from my more difficult fics. Like Lost Artefacts I'm struggling to write the end of the Arc, which is crazy since I struggled in arc 1 to write a good ending. I'll get there i just need to research a bit more and take my time. I'll probably release it later today or tomorrow. Also after this chapter imma slow things down and go to once a week, I think 25,000+ words is a good enough starting point for people to jump aboard)
If you like my work consider supporting me
Patreon.com/Captainalfie78Works