[Third Person Pov]
After Clark and Lala finished getting ready within the icy halls of the Fortress of Solitude, Clark reached for his travel bag and slung it easily over his shoulder. With his other hand, he picked up what looked suspiciously like an overstuffed grocery bag, the contents shifting slightly as he lifted it.
"Hold on," Clark warned, his tone calm but firm.
Lala, who was already perched securely on his back, tightened her grip and flashed a determined grin. "I'm locked and ready!" she declared, giving him a thumbs-up for good measure.
Clark leaned forward, muscles tensing for just a fraction of a second, before bursting into motion at super-speed. The sudden acceleration released a violent gust of displaced air that rippled outward across the frozen ground.
"Weeeeeeeee—!"
Lala's excited scream stretched and distorted into a high-pitched echo as they tore across the Arctic at speeds well beyond Mach. Her hair and uniform whipped wildly behind her, snapping like banners in the wind as the world blurred into streaks of white and blue.
When they crossed the open sea, the water itself parted along Clark's path, waves splitting cleanly beneath his feet before crashing back together moments later. Clark's eyes remained narrowed and focused, locked firmly on their destination as he carried them halfway across the planet, all the way toward Japan.
They arrived at the temple's stone steps just as the early morning light began to creep over the horizon. Clark came to a smooth stop, barely disturbing the ground beneath them. Lala hopped down, but her hair and uniform remained comically frozen in place, still pointing backward from the sheer force of the trip. She blinked, then giggled softly as she began fixing herself, patting her hair back into place.
Because of the difference in time zones, they had arrived much earlier than the others were used to waking. As Clark and Lala entered the temple, Seiko was already descending the steps, having just finished waking up.
Her hair, usually tied neatly into a topknot, was loose and flowing down to her upper thighs. Her eyes were half-lidded and grumpy with sleep as she rubbed them and stared at the two newcomers.
"Morning, you two," she muttered, her voice thick with a yawn. "You're up early."
"Morning," Clark and Lala replied in unison. Clark tilted his head slightly before asking, "Do you mind if I'm the one who makes breakfast today?"
Seiko paused mid-step, freezing as she slowly sized Clark up from head to toe. Her gaze lingered on the grocery bag in his hand for a moment before she simply shrugged. Turning away, she yawned again and waved dismissively.
"Easier for me. Knock yourself out."
Clark slipped into a pair of sandals at the entrance and strolled toward the kitchen, while Lala skipped happily after him, humming under her breath.
As the morning continued, Momo soon emerged from her room, brushing and straightening her hair as she walked. Krypto padded out beside her, his tail swishing lazily as he alternated between sleeping in Momo's room and Clark's whenever he felt like it.
The two of them made their way down the stairs, and Momo immediately noticed Seiko already seated at the table. At the same time, she could hear unfamiliar movement and voices coming from the kitchen.
"Huh?" Momo said, confusion clear on her face as her gaze shifted around the room. "What are you doing sitting?"
Krypto suddenly broke into a scurry, circling Seiko excitedly, his claws clattering softly against the floor. Seiko smiled and reached down, running her hand through his fur as she replied, "Clark is making breakfast. I think Lala's helping him."
That answer only deepened Momo's confusion. "Since when does Clark handle kitchen duties?" she asked, her eyebrow twitching.
Seiko merely shrugged, turning her attention back to the TV while her hand continued to rest on Krypto's head. "Don't know. And I don't care enough to complain."
Momo's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Carefully, she walked over and peeked into the kitchen. There she saw Clark standing at the stove with his sleeves rolled up, focused on cooking. Lala sat casually atop the counter, swinging her legs, while Peke floated nearby, animatedly giving instructions. Sol had also manifested, swirling beside them as a faint cloud of red sand, clearly involved in whatever was happening.
Clark sensed Momo's presence and glanced over his shoulder, breaking into a cheerful grin. "Oh, you're here. Perfect—and right on time, too. I want your opinion on something."
"What is it?" Momo asked, stepping closer despite her lingering suspicion.
Clark dipped a wooden spoon into the pan and scooped up a small sample of what he was cooking. "I want you to taste this and tell me if you like it."
"Hm? Sure," Momo said, examining the spoonful. It looked like a simple breakfast dish—nothing particularly alarming.
What she failed to notice, however, was the collective look of disbelief and horror that spread across the faces of everyone else in the kitchen as Clark handed her the spoon.
As Momo raised it to her mouth and puckered her lips, the others finally snapped out of their stupor—but it was far too late.
"No, no, no! Stop!!" they shouted in unison, trying desperately to warn her.
Momo was already chewing.
Her jaw locked instantly as the taste hit the back of her tongue. Her cheek bulged slightly, her face slowly—very slowly—turning a sickly shade of green. Her eyes widened in dawning horror.
That was when she noticed the unmistakably sinister grin spreading across Clark's face.
Momo bolted toward the sink, barely managing to lean over it before she started violently gagging and spitting out everything that was still in her mouth.
"Blerghh!!" she retched, gripping the edge of the counter for support. "What the actual shit was that?! What did you give—blerggggh!!—me?! Oh God…"
She heaved again, shoulders shaking as the aftertaste stubbornly clung to her tongue.
In the meantime, Clark zipped across the kitchen in a blur and reappeared beside Lala, placing a large dog bowl—nearly the size of a dinner plate—on the counter next to her.
"Man, too bad you don't like it," Clark said casually, sounding genuinely disappointed. "I really thought you would. Oh well… more for Krypto, then."
"It's dog food…" Lala, Peke, and Sol all said at the exact same time.
"Alien dog food," Clark corrected calmly as he began scooping the remaining contents into the bowl. "When I was up in space doing my thing, I asked Lala if there were any souvenirs I could bring back for Krypto. She figured he might like some of the pet food they sell up there—since he's technically an alien dog."
Momo was furiously rinsing her mouth under the faucet, gulping water, gargling, and spitting repeatedly into the sink. When she finally paused long enough to breathe, she turned just enough to glare daggers at Clark.
"I'm going to fucking kill you," she growled, her voice raw with fury.
Clark met her glare with an icy look of his own and replied evenly, "Let this be a lesson about not messing with my Fortress. Think of it as payback for having Lala build a sex dungeon in my Fortress of Solitude."
"So you feed me dog food?!" Momo snapped, spinning around to face him fully. "Alien dog food at that?!"
"You were being a bitch," Clark said smugly, clearly proud of himself. "It was appropriate."
Momo inhaled deeply, her fists trembling at her sides, before she suddenly threw her head back and screamed, "Grandma!!"
She sprinted out of the kitchen at full speed. Clark merely rolled his eyes and immediately began moving at super-speed, his body turning into nothing more than a streak of his school uniform as he zipped around the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, the real breakfast he had prepared was neatly laid out on the table, steam still rising from the dishes.
He reappeared in front of Krypto and crouched down, setting the filled bowl gently on the floor.
"Enjoy yourself, boy," Clark said warmly, giving Krypto a casual wink. "I made it with extra love."
In the blink of an eye, Clark was seated at the table just as Momo returned, dragging Seiko along with her and immediately launching into an angry explanation.
"Clark, did you seriously give Momo dog food?" Seiko asked with a tired sigh.
"She made Lala build a sex dungeon in my Fortress," Clark repeated, scoffing as if that alone explained everything. Lala and Peke rounded the corner at that moment, with Sol slithering up and settling comfortably around Clark's face, reforming itself into his glasses.
"Wait, are you serious?" Seiko asked, suddenly amused. Her eyes lit up. "You have a sex dungeon? Ha! That's hilarious! Let me see it."
"Wha—That's all you have to say?!" Momo screeched, throwing her hands up in pure indignation.
"What do you want me to do?" Seiko replied, giving Momo an odd look. "You know exactly what kind of person Clark is. You know firsthand how petty he can be. If you messed with him knowing that, then you really only have yourself to blame."
"Heh," Clark chuckled, leaning back in his chair with a deeply satisfied, smug expression.
"Am I in enemy territory right now?!" Momo exclaimed, staring between them all in disbelief. "What is this?!"
"Just sit down and eat before you end up late for school," Seiko said, shaking her head as she began eating her own breakfast before it got cold.
Krypto looked down at his food and testedly took a bite out of it. He slowly chewed before his eyes lit up with wonder. He let out a loud howl before he started to devour everything in a splendor. He created a mess along the floor and started licking it clean until the bowl and the space around was sparkling clean.
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