CHAPTER ONE: pilot

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"Aunt Jane," Aster Maverick calls to his aunt, who sat in the driver's seat. He had been placed in the back. He had said he wanted to be up front, closer to his aunt. And although the woman told him it was sweet, she also told him he couldn't. That he wasn't old enough.

"No, Aster," the woman replied, already knowing that he was going to ask to sit in the front seat.

"Oh dear God," Jane mutters in horror, seeing the sky had black, thick smoke. There was a line of it, but as they looked up, something landed near the car, a loud explosion.

Jane turned the car, sharply to avoid being hit.
Aster slammed into the car door.
Jane was driving as fast as she could, as if she could put speed the metros.

Jane turned the car, to late as a metro was headed straight for them. She unbuckled her seatbelt, unlocking the car. "Aster, take your seatbelt off."

"Mom, said-"

"Take it off!" She panicked, worried that, if they needed to get out of the vehicle, they would be unable to move.

A metro headed straight for the car.
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Aster Maverick picked up the bracelet, in the middle, was a glowing green rock. It had been the same rock that nearly taken his life. It, however, did take his aunt's life.  Despite that, his mother, always wanting to see the good and beauty in everything, had collected the rocks. She had made herself a necklace, one she hardly wore, as she wasn't much of a jewelry person. Her son, she had made him a bracelet. One that he wore constantly.   And his father, had gotten rid of the ring she had made, unable to look at the reminder of his sister's death.

It was what had gotten the two into arguments.  And as the arguments increased, it seemed their love for one another decreased.

Aster didn't wear it around his father. He barely liked to wear it. He had only worn it around his mother.

At time he loved the bracelet. And other times, wanting nothing more than to watch the thing explode and set fire to whatever was left.

Aster stared at the bracelet, head shooting up as his mother yelled that the bus was there. He quickly ran down the stairs, running out the door and towards the bus.

Aster quickly got on. He turned back, confused to see that Clark Kent wasn't in sight. As he turned to question Chloe and Pete about it, he had seen the two trading money.
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"Oh, there you are!" Lana Lang smiled. 

Aster smiled back at her. "Hey, you were looking for me?"

"Apparently, Whitney as a friend, who has seen a picture of you-"

Aster sighed, throwing his head back. "I thought you were done trying to set me up. Especially with people that Whitney suggest. The dude hates me."

"He doesn't hate you-"

Someone had fallen, gathering the attention of the two. As Lana helped gather up the boy's belongings, Aster helped the boy up. "You alright, Clark?"

Clark stared at him for a moment, Lana handed over his books and notebooks. "Nietzsche, didn't realize you had a dark side, Clark."

Lana paused, looking between the two. She had always known that Aster liked Clark, and now, watching as Clark looks at Aster, she realized that Clark also may have a crush on Aster.

"Doesn't everybody?" Clark replied to the girl.

"Yeah. I guess so. So, what are you, man or Superman?"

Clark breathed out deeply, still crouching on the floor. "I haven't figure it out yet."

"Lana," Whitney called. "There you are.

Aster frowned. "You sure you alright, Clark?"  He extended a hand to him.

"Hey, Clark," Whitney had briefly spoken to Clark. Then turned back to Lana. "I was wondering if you could do me a humongous favor; could you look over my English paper? I didn't finish it until two AM. I'm not to sure about the ending."

"Clark," Aster called again. "Are you alright?" He stepped closer, placing a hand on the other's shoulder.

Clark slowly nodded.

"Dude," Whitney spoke, seeing Clark. "Are you feeling alright? You look like your about to hurl."

"I'm fine." Clark spoke.

Whitney stands up again, walking away before he bends down and picks up a book. He throws it at Clark, who went to catch it but fell down.  Aster glared at Whitney. Once again, helping Clark. "Ignore him. He doesn't know how to act around actual people instead of his squad of douches."

"Do you want to me go walk you to the nurses?" Aster asked, concerned.

Clark shakes his head. "I'm fine."
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Asher had thought about trying out of the football team, but, went against it. Not only does he hate multiple members on the team, but, if he was being honest he would only use to as an excuse to injure the boys he hated.

Asher had wanted to try and speak to Clark, but he didn't appear to be home.
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The day wasn't eventful, as it typically was. Asher wondered if maybe he should see if tryouts for the football team, and any clubs were open so he wouldn't be bored.

Asher turned to see what time it was, before quickly leaving the house. He went to the graveyard. Once he arrived, he stayed in the car for a moment. Then he got out of the car, a bouquet of red roses in his hands. He walked towards the grave stone. "Aunt Jane," he says softly.

He looked up when hearing the snap of a twig. "Hello? Someone else here?"

"Clark," the boy spoke, turning around to face the other.

"Clark Kent?" Asher questioned, despite knowing who it was. He had just been shocked to see the other here.  "What are you doing here?"

"You'd never believe me if I told you." For a second he is silent. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Clark goes to walk away.

"Clark, wait," Aster takes a step closer. "I just wasn't expecting anyone else here. This dark at least."

Asher walks closer. "Are you okay?" He stood next to the other.

"I'm hanging out in a graveyard. Does that strike you as okay behavior?"

"I'm here too. Depends why you're here. If it's for a drug trade, no, it's not. If you are visiting someone, yes. It's perfectly normal."

"Why are you here?" Clark asked.

Aster Kiev's to stand in front of him. "Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm the Fort Knox of secrets." Clark says lowly.

"I came out here to talk to my aunt," he nervously laughed. Unsure if it was a good idea to admit that. Talking to someone dead. "you must think I'm crazy, or really weird. You know, conversing with a dead person."

"No, II Don't think you're weird, Aster. Do you remember her?" Clark asked.

"She died when I was three. So not much."

"I'm sorry.l

"It's not your fault, Clark." He smiled softly, before he reached out and gently took a hold of Clark's hand. He leads him over to a headstone. "Aunt Jane, this is Clark Kent." He momentarily turns to Clark, speaking in a tone that Clark couldn't tell if he was serious or joking. "Say hi."

"Hi," Clark waves.

Aster laughs, looking at the stone; Jane Riles 1956-1989. Loving Sister, aunt and friend. Forever Loved. 

Aster squats down and puts the flowers on the grave. Clark squats down also.

Aster speaks to the same as he normally would. As he would if his aunt were still alive. "Yeah, he is kind of shy."

He smiled, thinking of a way to try and make Clark smile.

"How should I know?" He asked the headstone. Before he turned to Clark. "She wants to know if you're upset about a girl."

Clark shakes and ducks his head. "No."

"Jane wants to know if you're upset about a guy."

"No." Clark says, but not in the tone that Aster expects. Like, when he had joked with Whitney, who, despite being supportive and had threaten (and on few occasions followed through with the threats) whoever had began to be homophonic to Aster.

Clark smiles, ducks his head.

"Seriously, Clark, Why are you out here?" Aster questioned.

"Aster, you ever feel like your life was supposed to be something different?"

Aster tilts his head, as if thinking in the words. Then he nodded. "Yeah. I think everyone does, though. Like, I dream I'm at school, waiting for my parents to pick me up. But they don't come, so my aunt drives up. She's not dead,  just really late. Then I get in the car and we drive to our favorite movie theater. That's usually when I wake up. But for a minute, I'm totally happy, until I realize that it's not reality. That, I can no longer go to the movies with her. Or anywhere. And even though I have my parents, my friends at school, I can't help but feel alone. Even after all these years, I can't be as close to someone as I was to her."

"What's that Ms. Maverick?" Clark suddenly asked after a second of silence.  Which had caused for Aster to turn to him.  Clark nods, as if understanding. "Yeah, Yeah, I'll tell him. She wants you to know that you're never alone. That she's always looking over you. No matter what."

The woods has caused for Aster to smile, looking at Clark in wonder and amusement.

Clark makes a humming sound, turning back to the stone from Aster.  Then turned back to Aster. "She thinks you're a shoe in for Homecoming king."

That has caused for Aster to laugh, throwing his head back.  "She really said that?"

For a moment. Clark hasn't answered, observing the boy's smile and laughter.

"Oh, yeah. She's  quite chatty, once you get her started."

"Oh, god, Clark, my aunt was many things, but delusional wasn't one of them."

"It's delusional to think you'd win prom king? It's not some crazy, far fetched thing."

Instead of answering, Aster ducks his head, not facing Clark as his face heats up, turning red.
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Clark had offered to walk Aster home, until the boy replied that he had his car, instead offering Clark a ride.

Only, when Clark realized that Aster had his car with him. "Beats creeping around the woods." Clark says, bucking his seat belt.

Aster laughed. "Hey. It does. But, you were the only one creeping in the woods."

"Thanks." Aster says after a second of silence.

"For what?" Clark questioned, confused.

"Listening to me be insane back there."

"You weren't insane."

"That was quite literally, one of the first things I've ever said to you. And it was a rant of feeling alone." Aster says, as if he needed to explain the situation. "Insane."

Aster pulled up to the Kent house, his own only being slightly away.

"You know what I realized? This is the longest conversation we've ever had." Aster turned to Clark. "We should do it again."

"Yeah, we should," Clark smiled, He pauses, then says in a rush. "So you going to the dance?"

Asked shakes his head. "Lana's trying to make me go. She and Whitney keep setting me up with at least one boy and girl a week.  Probably gonna go with whoever they set me up with."

"Right," Clark looks down. "Of course."

"How about you?"

"Nah. Figured I'd sit it out."

"Well..." Aster tried to think of its worth it. Just because Clark didn't seem revolted or offended when he suggested liking a boy, doesn't mean he does.   "If you change your mind, and I'm there, just come up to me. And, if you like, I'll dance with you."

Aster immediately turns to face the road, even though he isn't going to drive off. Clark was still in the car.

"Goodnight, Clark." Aster says.

"Oh, right," Clark says as if the thought had just accord to him. Clark gets out of the car, grinning. "Good night, Aster."

Aster turns to his horse, surprised to see that both Whitney and Lana were standing in his porch.  Although Lana is smiling widely. Whitney didn't seem excited.

"Was that Clark Kent?" Lana asked, a smile on her lips.

"Yes. What are you doing here?" He questioned back, confused.

"You weren't answering your phone. I was worried."

"No need to worry. You seriously brought Whitney over?"

"What were you talking to Clark Kent about?" Whitney asked.

Aster narrows his eyes. "Well, in the beginning, it was my dead aunt," he says. "And ended in him asking me if I was going to the dance."

"He did!" Lana jumped up, grabbed the boy's shoulders, shaking him.

"I don't even know if I'm going."

"Oh,you're going. You're going."
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Aster wasn't sure if he was going to go to the dance, only to find out that Lana had arrived at his house early, to help him get ready. Or, force him to go to the dance.
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"Come on, Aster," Lana, after realizing that he wasn't dancing, stopped her dance with Whitney to drag him over.

"Aren't you dancing with Whitney?" He questioned.

"And now with you, to cheer you up."

"This is, why you are my best friend," Aster smiled.
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Whitney had brought over someone for Aster to dance with, then taking Lana to dance again.
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Aster, slightly worried, had gone to visit Clark, only undoing his tie as he felt nervous, and began to tug at it.   He had known that Clark spends his time in the barn, as Clark had told him during their conversation in the car. "Are you okay?"

Clark immediately turns from his telescope to the other boy, pausing in surprise. "Aster." He breathed out. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't see you today. And after what happened in school... I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Clark nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Okay enough for a dance?" He carefully stepped closer, unsure.

He had heard Whitney and the others drive off.
Clark nodded, slowly and he stepped closer before he placed his arms around the other.

"You got any music?" Aster smiled, side-stepping for the dance.

Clark, after a second, nodded before turning to search and play a song. Clark then turned back around, and moving closer to dance with the slightly taller one.

Clark smiled brightly, wondering if he was imagining this, again.
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{2436}
I know in the episode, Clark imagines that Lana visited him, but I thought it worked well with Aster's character, to have checked up in Clark after seeing Clark sick at the school, and then after Clark comforted him at the graveyard, to have checks up on him.