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Clay is not a hothead. He is not a violent person, either. Incidences of violence in Clay’s life to the point in our story where he tossed a man named Sonny like a rag doll, have been largely reactive. He is never the aggressor in any conflict, but he is usually the victor because he does not start a fight that he cannot defend with all of himself; mind, body, and spirit. When Clay applies all of himself, he is an unstoppable force, a blur of punches and focused destabilization. Clay’s anger is a righteous anger. He saves up his frustrations that amass from the things in his life that he can’t avoid that cause his rage to build, and he balls it up in the unhealthy way that people should not, the way that could cause cancer or stroke, and when he finds himself in a situation where his fighting skills can defend the defenseless or stamp out the vile and evil, he taps it, releasing it to his muscles and limbs to move faster, to his eyes to see clearer. It is a matter of focus and practice that he is as good as he is, and maybe there is something else, maybe he was born with something that gives him a better chance at mastery than the normal guy, but it is mostly the practice and the control that he exercises to defuse situations before someone gets hurt.
Clay’s mother taught him self control. She was a devout Christian and she would take him to church with her when she went midweek. Clay loved his mother and relished the time alone with her away from his other siblings who were happy to miss church. Clay was young when his mother was still alive and he would resist the urge to fidget at the Bible studies that were mostly attended by adult members of the congregation. He wanted to be on his best behavior for her, so he sat quietly as the people in the room read passages and shared stories that he could not care less about. And when they called on him, the “young, studious, God-fearing brother who would grow up to be a fine soldier for the Lord,” Clay would speak clearly and articulately about how much he loved Jesus and wanted to be just like him when he grew up. The smile of pride on his mother’s face was priceless and he would do anything to see it. After his mother’s death, Clay’s life changed forever. Not only did he lose his greatest motivation, but he lost his father as well. The man had been a boxer in his youth, and despite the talent that he displayed, his career never took off. Eventually, the man took a job at a grocery store and he started to drink his regrets away. Clay watched his father change from the fit, swift boxer who taught him discipline and the value of hard work, into the sloppy drunk that his mother yelled at all the time and who always reeked of alcohol. Clay’s father killed his mother by accident one day he was driving drunk. Clay internalized the lesson that the loss of self control will only lead to horrible things and he vowed to always maintain control of himself.
After losing both his parents, Clay was cared for by his older siblings who appreciated his interest in martial arts as a way to keep him occupied after school. Clay learned from his Judo and Taekwando instructor that a truly brave fighter never uses his skills to provoke violence.
All of that is in stark contrast to Clay’s current situation where it is possible that he has seriously injured the friend of the man that he loves.
“This isn’t love Clay.” Ivan says as the two stand in the parking lot of the apartment complex in TN where Ivan has been living with a friend named Sonny. Ivan’s eyes are normally dark brown, but as he stands in front of Clay now, they are glowing a bright color green. “This is not you. This is stupid.”
Clay doesn’t move, he can’t seem to pilot his body. He stares at Ivan. “This is your fault,” he says and his eyes are starting to glow as well. Soon his eyes are glowing with the same intensity as Ivan’s and then he regains control of his body. He pushes past Ivan who is surprised, and he heads for Sonny who is hurt on the other side of the parking lot.
“What is your plan Clay?” Ivan asks following closely behind him. “You’re going to hurt him more than you already have?”
Clay turns and yells at Ivan, “You chose him over me!”
“Stop!” Ivan yells and he lifts off the ground. Suddenly his entire body is surrounded by the green glow. “Stop it right now. You can’t punish innocent people because you’re mad at me.”
Clay doesn’t feel like himself. He isn’t himself. He is a new man that loves Ivan and will do anything to persevere that relationship. Only, in this moment, he is blinded by jealousy and he believes that the impediment to his happiness is the man Sonny who has been with Ivan while Clay has missed him and been ignored.
Sonny is a recent friend of Ivan. The two had met because of Ivan’s job at the local morgue and his work with Detective Paul Young at the Knoxville Police Department. Sonny has no sexual interest in Ivan, he only took him up on the offer to stay in his apartment because the life he had before coming to Knoxville didn’t exist anymore. He is regretting his decision. His leg feels broken and both his wrists are sore; Clay really had manhandled him. And as he rolls over to look in the direction of Ivan and Clay arguing, he is stunned to see Ivan glowing like a lamp and levitating off the ground. Clay seems to be bigger than he had been in the car. Sonny can’t believe his eyes. He finds his cellphone in his shirt pocket and is surprised that it is not broken. He calls Detective Young despite the early morning hour.
“Get down here, man. Ivan’s in trouble again.”
Detective Young had also become a good friend of Ivan over the time they’d known one another, and he is at the scene in minutes. When he arrives there, Young can’t believe his eyes either; the sight of Ivan is awe-inspiring. Young hears Sonny calling his name and he goes over to help the injured man to his car.
“Don’t ask me what’s going on.” Sonny says in between winces of pain.
“Lord, what is going on in the world? Stay here.” Young says and he slowly approaches the baffling scene in the parking lot. Young is surprised that a crowd has not gathered to witness Ivan being superhuman, but it is very early in the morning and the sun is not out. Just as Young approaches the couple, Ivan spreads his arms high and wide in his levitating position, all the while his glow is expanding around him until suddenly Clay flies back as though he is hit in the chest. Ivan returns to the asphalt of the parking lot.
“What in the world is going on here?” Young asks when Ivan notices him.
Ivan smiles weakly. “Detective Young. That’s my boyfriend, Clay.”
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