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Naomi walks in balancing a big box of assorted roots and plants in one hand and Clark's own tiny hand held in the other, pushing the door with her hip.
"Bruce?"
A man with dark hair and sharp features pokes his head out from where he was looking for something behind the counter.
"Oh, Naomi! Let me give you a hand with those." He dusts his hands off on his pants and walks over to grab the big crate. "I can't thank you enough for these. It's incredibly difficult to find them this season, but they are essential for wound balms and sleep potions… You know, very requested. Can't have those running out…" Bruce grumbles. He hands over a pouch of silver coins.
"Oh, don't you worry, it's always lovely doing business with you." She notices a boy with dark curls sitting in an all too big chair behind the counter. He's holding a book but staring at them with big eyes. "Well, hello there, Jason!"
The kid's cheeks go bright red, and he ducks his nose further inside the book, hiding.
"Where's your eldest?" Naomi asks.
"Oh, Richard's out playing knights with his friends. You know how it is. I see you've brought young Clark with you."
The boy, Clark, hides behind his mother's leg.
"He's helping me run errands. Say hi, Clark."
"Hi, Mr. Bruce," the boy mutters.
"Hello, Clark. You know, you should go out and play with Jason. He could benefit from some sun." The boy makes a sound of complaint behind his book. "Jason, you could show him the garden."
"He probably doesn't-"
"I would like to!" Clark chimes happily, "I-if he wants to."
Jason closes his book and lazily slides off the chair.
"Can I, Mom?" Clark asks.
"Yeah, Clark, go ahead."
"This is the biggest garden I've ever seen!" Clark said, kneeling down to look at some flowers that wiggled in place.
"Be careful; the one beside those bites."
"Wha-" Before he could finish that question, a big purple plant snaps at him, making him fall backwards.
Jason pulls a piece of beef jerky from his pocket and chucks it at the plant, which gladly chews on it before going back to sleep. He helps Clark back up.
"The leaves are a good cure for fever. Once they die naturally, the stem can be crushed and used as poison. The petals around its head are good for shapeshifting potions but those are very hard to make and rarely last long. My dad roasts the seeds for snacking. They taste pretty bad."
"You know so much about plants and stuff!" Clark is looking at him with big bright eyes.
"I wanna make potions like my dad when I grow up. And open a library. And write my own books."
"You are so smart!" Clark smiles, to which Jason shrugs. "I wanna be a knight. Fight evil and save princesses!" he says, wielding an air sword. Jason laughs. "So then, when I'm a knight, you can make me uhh… Strength potions!"
Jason sits in the grass, and Clark follows.
"That implies you are not very strong."
Clark's cheeks turn pink.
"That's not what I meant! Forget it," he huffs out. "What potions can you make?"
"Simple healing ones. My dad doesn't let me try anything more complex, but I watch him brew."
"Cool."
A comfortable silence engulfs them as Clark picks on the grass and Jason picks up bugs and worms, presenting them to Clark, who thinks they're the coolest thing ever.
"D'you wanna help me plant some seeds?"
"Sure."
Jason teaches Clark how and where to plant lavender seeds, and they proceed to plant quietly. That is until…
"Huh, berries!"
"No, Clark!"
Clark looks at Jason, swallowing a mouthful of berries. The boy runs to his side, shoving two fingers into his mouth. Clark pushes him away.
"What are you doing!?"
"Throw up! Right now!
Clark opens his mouth to complain, but nothing comes out. He flails his arms, scared.
"Okay! Let me think!" He fidgets his fingers nervously. "That red plant," he points. "It's called amaranth. Pick the leaves; I'm gonna boil some water. Be right back."
Jason comes back with a bowl and a cup of boiled water. Clark's throat is starting to hurt, and he looks at Jason with urgency.
"I know! I know!"
Jason shreds the leaves in the bowl before dumping a spoonful into the boiling water, giving it a stir and blowing on it. When he deems it not boiling hot, he passes it over to Clark, whose cheeks are turning a little purple.
"Gargle on this." Clark makes an attempt to laugh but winces in pain. "Clark."
He does gargle, spitting it back into the cup and coughing.
"H-hi," he says with a very rough voice. Jason slaps him on the side of the head.
"Rule number one of anything. Never eat a weird berry."
✧ — 11 YEARS LATER — ✧
Jason barely looks at the door when he hears it swing open, followed by a loud thud.
"Hey, Clark."
"Hghnm-"
Lo and behold, he is bleeding onto Jason's wooden floors. Again.
"Clark, I've told you a million times. Please bleed out outside or come through the back door."
Jason moves a big cauldron and some books from his big table. He finds a pot of purple powder, rubbing it on his hands before casting his attention back to Clark. He does look in pretty bad shape. A halo of purple surrounds Clark, levitating his hurt body and slowly setting him on the table.
"I love when you do that, y'know," he coughs out, spit and blood dribbling down his chin.
Jason rolls his eyes and pats the purple off his palms.
"What's the diagnosis, Mr. Bounty Hunter?"
"External and internal bleeding," Clark grins, showing off blood-stained teeth.
"Don't say it like it's an accomplishment," Jason reprimands, softly patting his cheek.
He looks through his shelves, grabbing different vials, powders, herbs…
Jason is proud to say he's become quite a talented healer and potion maker. Unlike Bruce and his siblings, Jason had decided to stay back in the small town he grew up in. His siblings went off to pursue knighthood or work with higher kingdoms, while Bruce went off to learn every potion-making technique ever and fight evil or something like that.
Jason didn't mind staying. He saw his village grow; he saw people leave or pass away, but newcomers arrived, and babies were born (a few of which he helped deliver). He couldn't leave; these people needed someone strong who could protect them, and Jason just so happened to be a skilled fighter and a talented healer.
He slowly removes Prime's shirt (or what's left of it), grimacing when he sees big purpling bruises, and starts cleaning and disinfecting all open wounds. He smears bright yellow salve on top of them.
"How many broken bones?"
"At least three."
His eyes linger on the crest of the House of El. Jason himself helped heal that scar.
Things really changed when Clark came back. He came back angry and with a wounded pride. Kicked out of the royal knights of El, banished for the murder of a man, bloody, bruised, and tired. His parents had passed away a few years prior from a faraway kingdom plague neither Jason nor Bruce could cure, and his childhood best friend Laurie had left years ago.
The only one who dared to pick up his beaten body from the outskirts of the forest was Jason.
Clark spent months living in Jason's cottage. Brooding, while Jason did his best to take care of him. The scar he carved on himself refused to fade; something about the material of the sword, Jason guessed.
Eventually, Clark turned that anger and violence into something useful and became a bounty hunter. He'd take bounties that would have him gone for months sometimes, leaving Jason worried. But he always sends him a bird. Not always carrying a letter, just any confirmation that he's alive. He comes back to Jason when his trips are over, usually wounded. Jason can't help but love those periods of time where Clark has no bounty to hunt, and he just stays with Jason.
The townspeople aren't particularly fond of Clark, but they tolerate him out of respect for his late parents and because Jason likes him.
Clark's banishment was… rough on him, but he does seem relatively content with bounty hunting.
"You are pretty beat up," Jason mumbles.
"You should see the other guy."
He wraps Clark's ribs in orange cloth.
Jason does like Prime's bounty hunting. That is because he always brings a gift. Plants from faraway lands, ingredients he could never afford, books, hard to hunt mythical creatures…
Jason stirs his cauldron and gives Ckark a cup of red sparkling liquid.
"Hm, what's that?"
"Amaranth, mixed with my usual healing infusion; it's good for internal bleeding. A cold cup a day. I'm assuming you are staying for a while."
Prime nods and downs the cup, lying back down.
"I got you those weird salamanders you like."
"The purple ones or the ye-"
"Both. And some red ones. I don't know if those are-"
"Oh, Clark, you are an angel." He rushes to pick Clark's satchel from the ground. "D'you have any idea how expensive these are? They only come out of the ground in battlefields and stuff, to lick on blood. That's how they- Do you think you could get your hand on some of these alive? Maybe I could breed them." He looks through his books, picking a thick bestiary. "They are criminally understudied, d'you think I could get different effects with different blood-"
"Hgnnhh, what are they even good for?"
Jason smooths a hand over Clark's hair.
"Soul bonding, some powder that makes you blind, very standard stuff."
"Cool," Prime smiles fondly.
"Get some rest, I'll make us food, and then you can tell me how you killed that guy."
Clark is a smitten fool. He's always had a dumb crush on Jason. He was a blushing little kid marvelling at how smart Jason was, and he grew up to be a blushing grown man still amazed by how talented Jason is.
Clark would've died a couple of years ago if it wasn't for Jason. If Clark had to slay a dragon for a bounty, Jason would load him up with fireproofing and elixirs he could dip his weapons in for extra effects. Strength powders, healing potions, quick cooking spells… Clark never left for a mission underprepared, because Jason always thought extra.
He also never refused to take care of Clark when he came back beaten and bloody. Hell, Jason had managed to regrow some of Clark's teeth after they were kicked out by some idiot.
"Beever bile and blue weed, rub it over the gums."
Clark could never thank Jason enough for all he did for him, so naturally he showered him in all the gifts and praise possible.
He stands nervously at Jason's door, giant flower bouquet obscuring his view a little. He finally builds up the courage to swing the door open.
The bell dings.
"Hey, sorry, I'm a little busy-"
Jason is hiding behind a huge pile of books he's carrying over to the counter.
"Hi, Jay."
Jason pokes his head from behind the books.
"Clark!" He places the books down and walks over towards Clark, eyes wide as he stares at the flowers. "These are… Oh, Clark, how did you know!"
He smiles ear to ear before taking the bouquet and… ripping all the petals from the flowers, sprinkling them on a nearby bowl. He then grabs a knife and starts chopping the stems up into tiny little pieces. Jason wipes the sweat off his brow with his forearm and looks at Clark.
"Can you get me some toad eyes and cow spit from the pantry?"
Clark's look turns fond incredibly quick.
"Sure."
Clark remembers his mother reading him stories. Stories of knights who woke up princesses from eternal slumber with nothing but a kiss. Jason told him when they were fifteen that those were a sham; you can't wake up from eternal slumber.
"There has to be a way to wake up!"
"Not really. Your body just gives up. That's why you don't mess with witches."
But there has to be a way. That's all Clark can think about as he flips through what feels like the thousandth book. The cottage is a mess, books scattered everywhere, potions spilled, Jason's spiders crawling all over, a few curious bats poking their heads to take a look…
Jason is going to be so pissed when he wakes up. Because he will wake up.
He is lying so peacefully; he reminds Clark of the princesses in those stories.
Clark knows he doesn't have much time left, at least that's what the book says. He sent Bruce a bird, but there's no way he's making it in time. Jason's breathing keeps slowing down, and Clark doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know how to heal. All these hands can do is bruise and break, not like Jason's. Not like Jason's beautiful hands that healed and cared for babies and-
Clark's fists meet one of Jason's cabinets in rage. Little glass containers fall and shatter near Jason's sleeping figure that Clark propped up on a table. A piece of glass cuts near his temple, and contents from all the jars drip all over Jason.
"No, no, no!"
Clark wipes Jason's face, watching a salamander crawl on the table and lick at Jason's temple. Clark picks it up, putting it back on the floor. He smooths Jason's hair as tears trickle down his cheeks.
"Jay, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what to do, Jason. I'm sorry."
He presses a wet kiss to Jason's forehead, keeping their faces close, tears falling directly on Jason's cheeks, hands caressing the sides of his face.
A few seconds later, he feels little butterfly kisses against his face.
Jason's eyes are blinking open.
Clark is shaking.
"J-Jason?!" He sniffles.
"W-what happened?" Jason says, voice raspy from lack of use.
"There was a wizard, you were in eternal slumber, I- you-"
"Well, that's impossible. You can't wake up from eternal slumber." Jason gets up a little too quickly, his legs failing him as he falls onto Clark's chest.
"You just did. Oh my god, it was true love's first kiss…" Clark gasps.
"Oh, you are ridiculous. There's a cut in my forehead, so I'm bleeding." Jason drags a finger along his face and licks it. "I'm covered in blood, tears, moon dew, green mist, some root I can't quite-" His eyes land back on Clark's. "Love? Y-you love me?"
Clark's hands never leave Jason's cheeks. All he does is nod, and Jason wraps his arms around Clark's neck, bringing their mouths together. Clark smiles into the kiss like a fool.
"Loved you since we were little," he mumbles against Jason's lips, and the man just kisses him harder.
"Clark…" Jason's eyes finally scan the room around him. "My house is a disaster!"