Work Text:
At times Clay isn't even aware he’s fallen asleep. It can just sneak up on him and knock him out before he knows it. As long as he's in a good place he can drift off without a second thought and be gone for an hour before he realizes it.
Now should have felt like one of those times. Jolting himself awake as he realized the cool sensation of a wooden desk against his cheek and the buzzing of his phone.
Odd, because he distinctly remembered going to sleep in his actual bed for once. Not on the desk in his room or his desk for teaching. Because he was definitely in a classroom. Not the one he was used to. It was very simple, white painted walls with reminders on upcoming tests or inspirational posts that could have only be bought ironically. Windows to the right of him let in the late afternoon light. He was too familiar with the Knights Academy being a closed off metal box. Compared to this far more friendly and warm environment. No wonder he’d fallen asleep here.
His phone started buzzing again. At least, what must be his phone based on it being with him in an empty room. It looked far less advanced than his. Covered in a plastic case with an American eagle on it. Not very shocking that he would make that choice.
He looked at the screen that read “Lance” along with the usual accept or decline call buttons.
What could he want? Clay wondered as he hit the accept button and put the phone to his ear.
“Was starting to think something happened to you!” Lance's same larger than life voice said through the speaker.
“Guess I'm a bit worn out today.” He sighed. He wanted to try and act like everything was normal. Try and not disturb whatever was going on here.
“Not too tired to get Naomi, right?” He had his usual nice tone on but the annoyance wasn't lost on Clay. He's known him long enough.
But that wasn't the off thing about what he said. “Naomi?” He repeated the foreign name. He didn't know anyone named that.
“Yeah,” Lance said with a sarcastic effect. “You said you would pick her up from your uncle's today. Because you're nice enough to your husband to do that.”
“I-” Wow. His last sentence had enough venom to paralyze Clay. “I guess I’m having a memory lapse. Sorry.”
“As long as you weren't implying I go the two-mile walk to your weird uncle’s bookstore to get our daughter it's fine. That jog your memory?”
What is going on? Was a quickly recurring though in Clay's head but never as intense until now. At least Lance finally gave him enough to work with after saying that.
So they were married? Clearly, since Lance just referred to himself as Clay's husband. However, the last thing Clay remembered was him dating Lance. Not going too terribly for them to boot. But marriage wasn't really in either of their ballparks just yet.
Not only that, but they had a child too. Clay had half a mind to blurt out a question to confirm whether Lance was still female to male but he's clearly already annoyed at his off behavior as it is. He’ll just assume for the time being that Naomi is biologically theirs.
Finally, his uncle had to mean Merlok. But Merlok wasn't with them anymore. And Lance knew perfectly well. It was still fresh, even he had a sense of timing. But he’d said it twice in all seriousness now.
All together, this still made no sense. The dumbest but most likely idea was that he was somehow in another dimension where there were no serious threats and was far less technologically advanced.
Okay, that was astronomically dumb. But whether that was right or wrong the best option was still to just go along with it and try to not act out of place. Even if he already failed step two.
“Yeah, I remember now. I must have let my brain go out with the last class.” Clay tried to laugh off as he stuffed what looked like his usual papers and supplies for classes into his bag.
Good thing Lance was a sucker for comedy because he laughed along with him. “Just get home soon. Unless you forgot your way back there too.”
Clay slung his satchel over his shoulder. “No.” He lied. He didn’t know where this bookstore Merlok now owned was either. But he was slowly recovering and didn’t want to destroy it. Worst comes worst, he’d see if his apparent daughter remembered.
“I’ll see you soon,” He hesitated on the idea of adding another in one more thing. “And, I love you.” But he did it. Despite whatever was going on, he did. And maybe it would help him gain back more points with his now husband.
“Love you too.” Lance said back, sounding like he’d finally calm down.
With that, the line clicked and the call had ended.
Clay wouldn't be surprised if an olden style witch hunt came after him by now. Having asked several people walking down the street if they knew where the bookstore run by Merlok was. Most if not everyone he ran into must have known him due to their raised eyebrows and prolonged silence before giving him directions.
He wondered what exactly he was known for here. Not for being a knight who saved the realm obviously.
Old photos on his phone revealed he did a lot of work around this, village? That's the word he was accustomed to but it felt wrong here. But he was still a good samaritan here as he was in the world of Knighton. Group of charity workers and various projects filled a good portion of the gallery.
The other half being who he presumed was his family. Their daughter, Naomi, is what he would imagine a hellspawn of the two knights to look like. A blonde with a chubby face like any other toddler, who had an affinity for pink and white but also for mud and scraping her knees regularly. One specific photo was probably taken to shame Clay. Noting the date being Easter, explaining why he and Naomi were dressed nicely before viciously being covered in mud. Naomi clearly enjoying the outcome more than he did.
While walking down the unfamiliar concrete street he starts to smile, feeling the old memories these hold. Maybe he really did just have a weirdly vivid dream and got confused. Or he was loosely connected to this other version of himself and could feel what he felt. Or, worst of all, he wished he had this. It looked nice. Fun even. Just a new family raising their kid together. Not entirely a normal one, but they do their best like everyone else.
Eventually he had to reach his destination though, kicking him out of the dream. Now he stood in front of a small shop, the sign above reading “Wizards Chamber Book Store”. How fitting.
He opened the glass door cautiously and a small bell over the door played as he did.
“Daddy!” A child's voice yelled as loudly as it could. It belonging to Naomi, who jumped off the front counter of the store and ran to embrace her father's leg.
Clay planted his hand firmly on one of the windowed walls next to the door. Of course, she was strong as well. “Good to see you too,” He tried to laugh it off as his daughter nearly knocked him down.
“Guess what!”
“What?” He tried to play along nicely.
“I help Uncle Merlok and he said I could get a book for being so good.”
“Did he know?” He somewhat muttered under his breath.
He tried playing it off, seeing Merlok sitting at the front desk as nonchalantly as he could, but it was hard. He wanted to do something upon seeing his uncle again. Cry? Hug him? He wasn't sure, but he knew he was overwhelmingly happy to see him alive and well again. And with a physical body too.
“She's a great helper.” Merlok finally spoke. His features were close to the man Clay remembered. A very elderly gentleman with a long beard tied in a knot at the end. Instead of a blue robe, he had a blue button-up sweater jacket with a white t-shirt and lose faded jeans. Almost like a hippie, but more accepting of modern society.
“Especially in my day.” He chuckled before finally getting out of his chair. Taking his sweet time on the task and the walk over to his nephew and grandniece. Who was bouncing up and down eagerly as she watched him.
Clay laughed along with him, patting his daughter on the head. “Well, if he said you can,”
Naomi gasped and grew a huge smile. Quickly devolving into a long cheerful yell as she ran towards the line of shelves behind the desk.
“My, my. She reminds me so much of you as a child.” Merlok commented, smiling softly.
“Really?” He’s not sure what he was like as a child. Maybe he could compare his affinity for knighthood with hers for books. Maybe the Knights Code as well. He must have a love of books as he does back in Knighton.
“Very much. You were always so keen on reading what you could about knighthood when you weren’t training.”
At that moment, it felt like the entire world stopped. There was no noise, no movement, just a look of shock on Clays face as he thought over his uncle's comment.
“You remember what I mean, right? Such an energetic young man you were. Despite everything that had happened to you, your parents curse and my own incompetence in not being able to save them.” Somehow he still held that soft smile. “You still became a remarkable young man.”
“What-” Clay was flabbergasted. Again the question came to mind, what is going on? This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t the same universe. There was no way. He was a different person here. Yet Merlok talked to him that way Clay remembered everything from back home.
Then he thought about it harder. Even in death, Merlok was a wizard. He had the most limitless type of magic there was, next to Clays of course.
“What are you doing Merlok?” He asked seriously. This wasn’t in the wizards nature. He was high spirited and would joke often, but tricks like this were far from the normal.
Merloks face fell. Taking a deep breath, psychological pain obvious on his face. “You need to move on, Clay.”
Clay huffed out a laugh, knowing what his true intentions were now. “How can you say that?” He turned to him finally, holding back tears. “How can I just move on when you’re not here anymore?”
“Because you have people who need you,” Merlok put his hand on Clay's shoulder, giving the feeling of grounding again. “And you will have more soon enough.” He looked down the rows of shelves as a blur of pink ran by.
He moved away from Merloks hold. “This- this can’t be real. None of it. I don’t know what anything here is or who that girl is. She’s my daughter, but I’m not her father here. She’s some other Clay’s child.”
“Correct. I merely wanted to show you this so you’d understand.” He took a step closer to his nephew.
“Understand what? I know the people of my realm still need me. How is this going to widen my perspective or something like that?” He bit his tongue to keep himself from yelling. This was getting psychologically straining with how little he was being given.
“Clay,” He said calmly. “You will lose people. That’s the sad nature of the world. But you will gain them as well. That girl is real in more than one dimension. And if you are to raise her properly, you need to accept those who have left and be ready to raise those who will succeed you.”
“You and your limitless magic,” Clay muttered. Remembering the times Merlok would make off-handed comments that would happen. More than him attending the Knights Academy, making friends, becoming a great knight. “So what? I have to forget you and raise a family like anyone else? You’re not someone I can just leave in the past.” Clays voice strained, scared that Merlok didn’t understand how much he meant to him.
“I would never wish for you to forget me. But you must treasure the good times we had and keep going forward.”
“Like it’s that easy?” He looked down, tears starting to drip down his cheeks. He felt like a mess of his original self. But, at the same time, like he was finally ready to say something he was always afraid to. “You were never just a friend or family to me Merlok.” He finally closed the distance between them, embracing the old wizard. “You cared for me more than anyone ever did. I owe you my life. Yet I failed to save you more than once. We were so lucky you survived before. But now, without you, I don’t know how we’ll make it.” Despite the realms declaration of peace again after the defeat of Monstrox and Ruina, Clay still felt uneasy of what was to come. The future was uncertain, And with him having to take the reins as one of the now three remaining wizards they had, it was terrifying.
Merlok returned Clays action lightly. It was only then that he realized just how little of Merlok he really could feel. “I’m sorry Clay. I’ve always wanted the best for you, but even I can only do so much.” He took a hold of Clay's shoulders and pushed him back. “You must carve the rest of your destiny. I trust you’ll do well. Just make sure you treasure those around you as you have I.”
“Please, don’t.” But his plea fell on deaf ears, as he too felt himself fading away.
“Wait,” Clay yelled as he finally woke up. He gasped for air, clutching his chest to try and steady himself back to reality. He looked up and saw his normal dorm room in the castle. Sterile metal walls with little more than the bare essentials of furniture. A desk, bookshelf, dresser, tv, and the bed he sat on.
Once he felt grounded enough, he used his forearm to wipe away the tears he’d been pouring out in his dream. “You’re so unfair.” But he knew Merlok was right. He always was. One day, he’d have to move on and continue on his legacy. It would be better if that was sooner than later.
He took a deep breath, two, then three, and pulled his sheets to the side before shoving himself out of bed. This was it, he needed to stop lying around and get back on his feet. Metaphorically and literally in this case. He pulled off his now sweat covered shirt and shorts and put on the undershirt and pants for his armor. He was more comfortable in them than normal clothes, and training again would help him clear his mind. If anything, people would probably be happy to see him training like mad again. Being a ghost for a month would make anyone miss a person's habits, even bad ones.
He stood in front of his door, still having the needed pep talk in the back of his mind, but still nervous. Unsure of what was waiting for him outside. Unsure of the future.
But Merlok knew that he showed him what could happen, having a normal life, having a family in the most unlikely but happy way. Despite the major differences, there was still hope.
When he finally gained the courage to open his door Lance was standing in front of him.
“Figured you were here.” He said happily as he allowed himself into Clays room.
“That was a fair enough guess,” Clay muttered. Finally seeing Lance again, his Lance, and having understood him as he was in this world, felt better. He knew Clay had been through a lot emotionally lately, his routine had changed with that. “You seem to be in a good mood this morning.” Having that contrast felt nice after everything he’d experienced. Even if his tired voice didn’t convey that.
“Well, today's turned into a pretty good one.”
“I guess something good happened to you?”
“You could say that.”
The two fell silent. Lance still has a smile so bright it was blinding.
“And you’re here to gloat about it, aren’t you?” Even if he liked the rare genuine smile on Lance it usually didn’t mean good things for anyone but him. Usually, it was when he got his way with something, which was rare but did happen. Only when it came to his real aspiration of acting. Which Clay didn’t mind him going into after everything had gone back to normal. But he didn’t need to hear about every little detail. Double standards fully in effect.
“Nope. Because it involves you.”
“Oh,” He expected Lance to go on but he continued to just look at Clay gleefully. He tried to think of something that would be positive between them, but that kind of thing never happened. “I’m not following.”
“Of course you aren’t.” He said condescendingly, still holding his smile. “I should have expected that from you. Just thought it was worth a shot to see if you’d changed at all.”
Clay hung his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at his partner. “Are you going to tell me then or just insult me more, like usual?”
Lance hummed happily. “I’m pregnant.”
Clay straighten himself in shock. Blinking several times, as if it would help him comprehend what he just heard. As if it might help his thought process in realizing that what Merlok meant was going to happen was happening right now. “You’re- really?”
“Surprise!”