Disclaimer: I own nothing. Never have, never will.
A/N: Okay, my first Smallville story, very short fic. Just a fluff that popped in my head during my birthday. I hope you like it. I must warn you, english is not my first language, so there will be some grammar/coherence mistakes. Just tell me where, and I'll fix them :)
Enjoy !
Sitting in her dressing table, Tess sighed as she looked at her image in the mirror. She didn't even know why she bothered blow-drying her hair; it was not like she was expecting someone. The only thing she wanted was for that day to end.
Although she considered going to bed early, it was only 7:30pm and it just didn't make any sense going to sleep at that time.
Leaving her room, she went towards the library. Her heart sank at the sight of the long wooden table that had been set in the middle of the room. She didn't fail to notice the table was set only at one end. Only for her.
As her eyes filled with tears of sadness and a hint of humiliation, she automatically found a glass of wine, and tried to drown her tears down with it.
Resting against the chair, she absorbed the emptiness of the room and cursed herself for not considering eating in her room. It would have spared her from going through this.
Her lip quivered as the sad realization hit her like a sharp knife. She had nothing, no family, no friends, nobody. Not even someone to share a meal with.
Sure, Oliver had taken her to dinner the night before. But Oliver was not there this night, he was in Star City. And she was alone and in need of affection.
She looked at the row of empty seats around the table and took another sip of her wine.
The Luthor mansion seemed particularly darker and colder, making the empty feeling in her chest get stronger with each passing minute. She had to close her eyes to prevent the damn tears to surface.
She should be used to it by now. It's was not like it was the first time it happened. If she thought about it, it was hard for her to remember the time when it did not happen. Maybe once or twice.
There was this once, when she was little. Her father wasn't home. Her mother had bought her a Malibu Barbie and they had strawberry cake. She felt safe.
There was this other time, soon after she left that island. He had made her dinner. They stayed up until late and watched the stars. He made love to her for the first time.
However, those memories seemed so far in the past. The last few years had been like this; alone, loveless. And this year, it hurt even more.
Tess took a deep breath and tried to focus in something else. She picked at her food, but she wasn't hungry. She was feeling rather melancholic.
Finishing her third glass of wine, she decided to go to bed. It was for the best; she would feel better in the morning. It would be a new day.
She was about to leave when she spotted something on the table and smiled to herself. The card next to it was signed by Oliver. It was a strawberry cake, and a flower shaped pink candle was on top of it. Tess rolled her eyes at her friend's silliness.
But as gentle as his action was, she didn't felt like celebrating.
"You're not going to blow your candles?" an angelical voice asked, making her heart skip a beat.
She sighed turned around to face him "No this year, Clark" she said, a new tone of sadness in her voice.
He stepped closer to her "Why not? It's your birthday" the farmboy offered a smile.
She shook her head "Not according to my real birth certificate" She was quiet for a few seconds "It's weird, you know. Like I don't know who I am anymore".
Clark looked deeply into her green eyes "It doesn't change anything, Tess. You're still Tess Mercer. It's still your birthday. Your biological heritage doesn't change who you are. Believe me, I should know".
But she just sighed and looked away, her eyes filled with tears again.
Clark knew from the unsteady rhythm of her heart and her irregular breathing that she was trying not to cry. He realized how fragile she was, and wanted nothing more than comfort her.
"I got you something" he announced "Close your eyes"
Tess sighed again "Clark, you don't have to…"
"Just close your eyes, ok?" he interrupted her "Okay?"
She rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.
She could hear him whooshing, and before she could think about peeking, he was back.
"You can open your eyes now" he said with a smile, anxious to see her reaction.
Tess opened her eyes and turned around only to find the library floor covered in dozens of sunflowers.
A small smiled played on her lips as she looked at the flowers, amazed by his gesture.
"They are still your favorites, right?" he asked with a smirk.
She nodded and looked at him, her eyes shining with tears once more "Thank you, Clark"
His smile grew wider "You're welcome. I have something else for you"
"Oh, Clark, you really shouldn't…" she started, but again, he didn't let her finish.
"Stop it Tess. You deserve it. Although, I must warn you, it's nothing like the emeralds Oliver got you" he said smiling sheepishly, and handed her a blue box "I hope you'll like it, though".
She slowly opened it, cherishing the moment. She genuinely smiled for the first time in the night when she saw the little plush fish. It was blue and yellow and had a sympathetic smile.
The little mermaid, she thought with a smile.
"You know..." he started "the red hair, the passion for the ocean and for the sea animals… How you liked to play with your blue sheets and pretend to be under the sea. You have a lot in common, so don't know, it seemed appropriate…"
She looked up at him; truly touched by his words.
"Thank you, Clark. I really loved it. It means a lot to me you remember my birthday" she said with a smile "You mean a lot to me…" she added in a whisper, forgetting he could hear her.
And he did hear her.
He closed the distance between them "You mean a lot to me too" he said, putting a strand of hair behind her ear, making her blush crimson.
He leaned closer to her, closing the small gap between them, and gently taking her lips in his. Tess was taken by surprise by his action, and it took her a few seconds to react to the contact of his lips on hers. But as his tongue tenderly coaxed her lips open, she allowed her passion to meet his and deepened the kiss, starting a hot, wet tangle.
He broke the kiss sooner that she would like, and whimpered at the loss of contact. He chuckled and kissed her forehead.
"We can continue this later" he said kindly "but now, you should blow your candles. It is your birthday, after all" he said.
Holding her hand, he approached the table, taking her with him.
He put arms around her waist, hugging her from behind, and she relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder and smiling.
Lighting the candle with his heat vision, he whispered in her ear "Make a wish". And that melted her heart.
A/N: Tell me what you think, reviews make me so happy and help me a lot :)