Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.
Summary: S01E07/8+. Clark starts dating Chloe after the events of "Cool", and things spiral from there. With impending parenthood and premature flight coming into play there's a lot more in store for the intrepid duo than just teen drama. Chlark. Inspired by "Pariah" by The Fallen Sky.
Chloe quickly jogged to keep up with the two boys, turning a bright grin on the larger of them and giving a friendly wave to the smaller even as she jumped the former. "Hey you!" She said giddily, wide green eyes locked onto his own blue.
"Hey." Clark said in a softer tone, though his own answering grin was no less bright, if not brighter.
She shifted slightly in his arms, marvelling at the teen's strength as he effortlessly held her off the ground in an embrace. "How's it going?" She asked, suddenly seeming much less hyperactive, a light pink blush grazing her cheeks.
Pete rolled his eyes at the display, tsk'ing the two like a disapproving parent, though the effect was ruined by his cheeky grin. "Get a room!" He heckled, grin widening as the two stumbled apart, blushes deepening.
"So what are you two up to?" Chloe queried as she settled into a steady walk beside them, turning her blonde head from one to the other.
"Going to school." Pete dead-panned, smirking as she flipped him off.
"Right." Clark agreed half-heartedly. From the corner of his eye the shorter boy spotted his hand absently playing with hers, their fingers dancing about as the blonde playfully kept her hand from his.
For the past month the two had been dating, ever since Chloe had nearly been killed by Sean Calvin. After the event in question Clark had become protective, almost overly so of the blonde, and eventually things had escalated after he had stayed the night around hers during a weekend in which her father was away. Pete had been surprised when he came to school to find the eccentrically dressed girl leaning against a locker, arms around the taller youth's neck as they gazed at one another.
A part of him worried that they were going too fast, just from the glimpses he got of their relationship; The errant flirting, the lingering kisses, shy looks and sly smiles... For the past two weeks he had had to put up with the gag-inducing displays. But in the end it really wasn't any of his business.
Wondering ahead he absently listened to the two as they talked. "A 'Get together', huh?" The blonde spoke up beside him, finally clasping Clark's own larger hand and smiling lightly. "Do my ears deceive me or is Clark Kent planning a party?"
"Not a party, just a small gathering." He defended, pouting.
Chloe rolled her eyes, turning to Pete as she did so. "'Small.'" She mimicked, and he bit his lower lip as he thought of all the people that he was going to invite just to see the look on Clark's face.
"Pete, what is all this?" Clark looked around his living room in disbelief, shaking his head as a large amount of people roamed around his house, couples making out by the doors, teens laughing in front of the TV and girls gossiping while a few of the more messy teens got into a makeshift water balloon fight across the living-room.
Pete grinned as he gestured around the room as though presenting some grand spectacle. "Awesome, right? And this isn't even the best part!"
Leading his date and Clark out the door, the shorter boy looked up and following his gaze Clark frowned, watching as an intense fireworks display lit up the sky. "Are you trying to get the cops to come here?" He asked the other boy incredulously.
"Relax," Both teens turned at the smooth voice, taking in the sight of Lex Luthor, extremely out of place in his expansive clothing and immaculate appearance in comparison to the hyperactive kids running around and awing at the lights going off high above. "I know that a party like this can make or break a reputation so I've taken the liberty of making sure it goes off without a hitch." He reassured the younger man.
His date chose that moment to make her presence known, an oriental woman dressed in a fine black dress and expensive jewellery that seemed even more out of place than Lex. "Sorry I took so long, there was a line. Apparently someone clogged up the upstairs bathroom."
"I'm so dead." The farmboy murmured, shaking his head in stunned disbelief.
He barely registered Lex patting him on the shoulder as he turned to walk back into the house, wading through tens of people to drop onto the couch, his only interruption an obviously drunk teen ready to throw up. A quick burst of super-speed took care of that problem and he silently sat there, brooding as the other teens walked around, giving him a wide berth. The only exception being Lana's wince of sympathy, her look only causing him to sink even deeper.
"Clark!" He twisted to lean on the arm of the red couch, watching as Chloe stumbled her way over to him, wide grin in place. "'Small gathering, huh?'" She slurred slightly, and his brow rose as he realized that she was obviously a little drunk herself.
"I can't believe Pete did this." He responded, pouting as he slouched even further.
Chuckling, the blonde rested a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle rub, exaggerating her movements as she did so. "There, there, I'm sure it'll be okay." She crooned, her comforting offset by the continuing giggle that came after.
"So dead." He repeated mournfully.
"Come on." She dragged him up by his arm, bemused boy following her through the living room to the punch table. "Drink up and try to relax."
Despite knowing that the drinks had probably been spiked and being against it, he just sighed and, figuring it couldn't get much worse, took a deep gulp, metabolism and invulnerability making the content barely registered.
Cheering, the girl ushered him to take another drink and pushed him into the main room, manoeuvring around other partakers and dragging him onto the makeshift "dance-floor" that had been erected in the centre of the room.
Clark tried to maintain his frown, but for some reason he couldn't resist the smirk that came as he watched the petite girl fumble about in an uncoordinated dance. "Light-weight." He teased, fighting the urge to laugh.
"Hey!" She huffed, face red as she stumbled into him, leaning against his chest.
Laughing as she mumbled into his plaid shirt, Clark wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "How much have you had to drink?" For some reason whereas usually he would be upset at the thought of his friend drinking, now the sight of a buzzed Chloe Sullivan just brought an amused smile to his lips.
"Like, three glasses." She pushed at his arms, looking up at him with defiant emerald eyes. "Why?"
Nearby one of said glasses shattered on the ground, but he shrugged it off and turned back to the pouting blonde. "No reason."
"No, why?" She insisted, grasping the fabric with both hands.
He stared at the tiny blonde as she attempted to manhandle him and couldn't contain the humour that shook his form. "No reason. It's not noticeable at all that you're drunk." He mocked.
"Good." She nodded resolutely, apparently not realizing that he was being sarcastic.
"You know what, I think you need to rest. Come on, you." He slowly walked up the stairs with her, rolling his eyes and mouthing 'three glasses' to himself as he did.
The upstairs of the house, in spite of the claims to the otherwise, was completely empty save for a couple of kids that hadn't gotten the memo that the toilet was out of order.
Sighing at the blonde as she snuggled into his shirt once more, he calmly stepped into his room, locking the door behind him via the door-chain. "Come on." He grunted, lifting her into the bed as she cooed against him.
A blush took over his face as she shifted, feeling her curves against him and watching her hazy eyes look up at him. A spark of mischief overtook her and she casually brushed against him, a sly expression covering her face. "Ooh."
Perhaps he should have been more defensive, or just tucked her in the bed and left her, but for some reason he didn't want to. "Chloe." He groaned, meeting her gaze and settling down beside her.
For a moment she stared up at him, and then she wrapped herself around him, locking lips simultaneously.
One after another article after article of clothing was shed, until the two were completely stripped. And then they sank beneath the covers.
The sound of sirens roused Clark from his slumber, and he mumbled against his pillow as he did so, blowing errant strands of hair from his face and then freezing.
Slowly looking up, his eyes widened as he took in the sleeping face beside him, bathed in red-blue light from outside. He shook his head and got up, laying on his forearms as he did so and looking out the window in alarm. "What the hell?" He murmured.
"Lex, what's going on!?" Clark rushed towards the billionaire that, for some reason, had yet to leave.
"The quarterback found an injured person in your loft, Clark. Apparently he had some kind of seizure." He spoke grimly.
"What!?" Alarmed, he hurried over to the ambulance, pushing his way through the crowd. "Excuse me, hey!" He called to the paramedics as they carried the man in on a stretcher.
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you- "I'm the person that lives here, I might be able to identify the guy." He cut across, furrowing his brow.
The paramedic hesitated, turning to his colleague for a moment before nodding and revealing the man's face.
"Earl?" He gasped, taking in the sweat-drenched features and the injured gaze."
"Clark." Earl croaked, attempting to reach out to him. "Jonathan, I... Only one I could trust." He drifted off into incoherent mumbling, and Clark grit his teeth.
"I know him." He nodded to the paramedics. "His name's Earl Jenkins, he used to work here."
"Alright. We'll be sure to keep you apprised of the situation." He assured Clark, pulling a pad and clipboard from within the vehicle. "If you could just write down your details."
After doing so, they quickly closed the doors and drove off, leaving him staring worriedly after the vehicle as the other party-goers gossiped around him.
"Hey." Clark started as he heard her voice, turning so fast that he nearly broke into super-speed.
"Chloe!" He smiled awkwardly, hunching his shoulders as she sat beside him, pulling off her red coat and bunching it around her knees. "Hey."
She clicked her tongue and raised an eyebrow at his skittishness. "This isn't going to be one of those times where we get all nervous and defensive around each-other, is it?" She queried dryly.
He flinched as she casually threw it out there, nonchalant as always. "No, no. I just..." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Chloe, I'm sorry. I took advantage of you."
"Hardly." She scoffed, waving off his apology. "Clark, you were drunk as well. It was just a thing."
"I-" He couldn't deny that he'd been out of character, and he pursed his lips in confusion as he mulled over his earlier behaviour.
"Heh, come here you dope." She leaned into him and gave him a comforting squeeze, smiling at his nervousness. "Clark, it was just sex. And I'm glad that my first time was with you."
"Right." He blushed, feeling slightly guilty as he remembered how at the time he hadn't even thought of what might happen if he couldn't control his powers.
"So," She moved on, rubbing her legs as she glanced around the hospital waiting room. "Your dad's in there?"
Clark nodded and looked down the hallway. "Yeah, he was the first person Earl asked for. I don't know what's going on. Apparently he's being arrested for murder." He said in apprehension, frowning.
"Well, you don't always know a person." She shrugged. "He belongs in a detox clinic."
Shaking his head resolutely, Clark turned his frown on her. "He's not on drugs, Chloe."
She looked doubtful, but shrugged once more and gave him another squeeze on his biceps. "Alright, if you say so."
He ignored her doubtful tone and turned to watch the waiting room door, hoping that the nurse would come and collect him soon. "He tried to teach me how to play guitar once, said it'd help me with women." He revealed.
"Uh-huh, because every girl's a sucker for a six-string." Chloe jabbed, smiling. "How come I haven't heard you play before?" She queried softly.
"I kept breaking the strings. I think he got sick of replacing them." He chuckled.
She gave him a sympathetic look and shook her head. "Y'know, just because you know someone, doesn't mean you know their deepest, darkest secrets."
Pausing, Clark looked down at his lap, troubled. "Yeah..." He whispered.
"Mr. Kent?" His attention was drawn by an orderly waving him over and he released Chloe's hand, returning her small smile and making his way to the door.
Chloe watched as Clark stepped through the double doors, led by the female orderly through the hospital.
Despite what had happened earlier at the party she didn't feel that now was the best time to bring it up; He had bigger worries right now and she'd rather they come back to whatever this was later, after he'd taken care of "Earl".
A drunken accident didn't define their relationship, and she didn't overly mind what had happened anyway, though she wished that it had waited a month at least, after she was fifteen.
Sighing, the blonde pushed it out of her mind, not thinking on the incident more than a handful of occasions throughout the weekend, and she didn't even think about it when they met on Monday.
"Clark!" She waved as she caught up to him, watching his bashful smile make an appearance. It wasn't fair that he could be so big, yet so adorable. "Hey!" She grinned.
"Hi, Chloe." She wrapped her hand around his, walking with him to the bus. "So we've got a trip to the Luthorcorp plant. Doesn't your dad work there?"
She grimaced as she mused over her father's nerdy attitude and terrible puns about crap. Literally. "Unfortunately."
"That bad, huh?" He chuckled, and her face lit up again as he gave a rueful smile. Clark's happiness was contagious, and she just couldn't stay upset when he was happy.
"Yeah." She huffed in consternation. "Wanna skip it?" She grinned mischievously.
"What?" He stumbled, flabbergasted. "We can't do that!" He gasped, looking at her with wide eyes.
She shrugged and slowed, watching as the bus pulled up just across the road. "Sure we can. It'd just be for today."
"What about your dad?" He queried, and she grinned as she realized that even if he hadn't thought about it before, the idea had stuck with him now. Hook.
"I'll tell him I'm sick." She shrugged with a rueful tilt of her head, matching his look with an innocent smile. She swayed as she walked ahead, looking over her shoulder and hoping she didn't look like a doofus. His eyes caught her hips and her smile widened. Line...
"I don't know." He murmured, watching her move. They were nearly in the view of the bus now and she knew that she had to act quickly if she wanted to convince him.
She shifted on her heel and gently ran a finger across his chest, marvelling as he followed it's path with a fixated stare. Was this what all those girl on the cheer-leading squad felt when they led on the boys? No wonder they seemed so snobbish, she felt powerful watching him swallow, eyes lidded. Was that all it took? "I'm sure we can think of something else to do. Something better." She spoke innocently, and his baby blues seemed to light up. Sinker.
As responsible as he was for his age, Clark Kent was still a teenager, and right now she was taking full advantage of that fact. Happily taking advantage of that.
Across the road the bus took off, unknowingly leaving behind the two teens as they were obscured by the cornstalks around the path. "Well, I guess it's decided." She said brightly, bringing her arms up around his neck. "Let's go back to mine!"
Clark glared at the screen as his character ran, blade whirling in specific patterns, beating off enemies of the same build and design. "Come on." His glare intensified as he watched the kill count. 984. 993. 1000!
"Yes!" He grinned, finishing off the final boss and watching the character unlock screen appear. "Nailed it. Shame Pete isn't here." He sighed.
Chloe laughed from her place beside her computer, errantly browsing the pages of the Daily Planet. "Yeah, it's a shame." She said wistfully, though she followed his movement with a slight grin and stood, turning from the computer. "Want something to drink?" She offered.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind some orange juice." He grinned up at her from his place on the floor. "Thanks!"
"OJ it is." She said amusedly, stepping out the door and down the stairs and wondering into the kitchen.
A minute later and she walked back into her room, hands full with two glasses of the beverage.
She paused as she saw Clark looking out the window, gaze locked on something in the distance. "You alright?" She asked uncertainly, startling him out of his reverie.
"Yeah, I just... Thought I saw something." He shrugged. "Guess it was nothing."
She returned the gesture as she set down the drinks, wondering over to stand in front of him. "So... We're up here, all alone. No-one's around." She pointed out, sidling up to him with a small smile.
"Yeah." He agreed dumbly, watching as she moved in closer with wide eyes, bending to meet her.
The two kissed beside the window, and neither took notice of the fact that the curtains were open, uncaring even if they did. "Come on." She pulled him over to her bed, smiling impishly.
"I-" He followed her down, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the sound of a knock at the door.
The blonde hissed in disappointment, meeting his earnest gaze with a guilty smile of her own. "One minute!" She called in a slightly hoarse voice, patting him on the shoulder as he pouted.
Walking down the stairs, she ushered him back into her room when he made to follow and answered the door, frowning at the sight of two police officers.
"Is there a problem officers?" She asked uncertainly, and her heart dropped when she caught their grim faces.
The older officer stepped forward. "Are you Chloe Sullivan, daughter of Gabe Sullivan?"
"Yeah." She stared up at them in worry. "What-What's happened?"
The two stared at her, and then the officer spoke again, gaze troubled as he slowly spoke, as though hesitant to actually tell her the problem. "There's a situation at the Luthorcorp plant, where your father works."
Having abandoned his hiding spot, Clark sat beside Chloe in the back of the police car, arms around her as she stared out the window in worry. "Hey, it'll be okay." He comforted.
She didn't reply with words, but instead burrowed into his welcoming embrace.
The car pulled up alongside the Luthorcorp plant, where there was a veritable circus of media hovering around the plant like vultures. The officers led them to the main gate, pushing through the crowd with prejudice as they converged.
After a minute of pushing the two got through the main gate, where Clark was surprised to see his parents alongside the Luthor's, vehemently arguing with one another. "Mom, dad!" He called out, and the two turned, startled to see him running towards them.
"Clark!" Martha screamed, running to meet him and flinging her arms around him in a desperate embrace. She patted his face and his clothes as she surveyed him even as Jonathan jogged to meet the two. Next to him Chloe smiled slightly at the family of three, though she was predominantly worried for her father. "What are you doing here?"
"I-" He pattered off into silence as he gauged their reactions. "Chloe and I were skipping school." He blurted, slouching.
For a second Jonathan looked affronted, but then his hard gaze softened and he wrapped his son in a hug once more. "I'm just glad you're safe, son."
Chloe turned from the touching scene and saw Lex glaring at his father, equipping a large SWAT-type vest. "What's going on?" She queried as he went to walk past her.
"I'm going in to negotiate." He informed her briskly, continuing his gait even as Clark and his parents pulled away to meet him.
"Lex, it's dangerous in there. There's gas." Jonathan frowned.
Sighing, the junior Luthor shook his head. "I know that, but I can't just sit around while innocent kids are held hostage in my plant, Mr. Kent. I'm glad you're safe." He directed at Clark, nodding in acknowledgement. "Now if you'll excuse me."
The four watched him march into the building, head held high as he did so.
Clark pushed away from his parents, and while Chloe couldn't catch what was said she did see him jog into the plant after Lex. "What the hell is he doing!?" She yelled at them, realizing that somehow no-one else had seen him go.
The two started, and Jonathan sighed as he spoke, gently holding Martha by the shoulders. "Clark'll be fine Chloe. We've known Earl for a long time and he'll do the right thing." He spoke firmly, but she could clearly see the doubt in his eyes.
She spun on her heel, however his hand came down to rest on her shoulder and he shook his head. "Trust me. And him."
The blonde was conflicted, but before she could say anything a sudden increase in sound drew her attention to the main entrance, where students were making their way out, closely followed by her father. "Dad!" She ran to him.
Gabe held her in a tight hold, expression serious as he did so. "Chloe." He didn't say anything else, and she could see how badly the experience had shaken him up.
After a moment of silence she turned back to the plant, only to have her attention drawn once more by one of the Luthorcorp employees shouts. "The gas levels are dropping!"
Everyone hurried to stand around the table, watching as the readings steadily decreased. "Clark." Martha whispered, so quiet that she barely heard her. She shook off her suspicion and instead chose to lean back, watching the entrance for any sign of him. Minutes later Clark and Lex exited, carrying Earl between them, though Clark seemed pained.
After some Luthor spinning Earl was seen as a sick man out of control of his own actions and Lex promised the crowd that he would get the best care available.
"Clark." She hurried over to him, ignoring their usual secrecy around their parents and giving him a tight hug. "I was so worried."
He smiled down at her he returned the gesture, looking like someone out of an action movie with the soot covering him and his hair in disarray. "I'm fine, Chloe."
Though she would later deny it, Chloe Sullivan actually cried a little at his words.