Title: You're My Favorite Place
Rating: mild T
Word Count: 1,600+
Characters: Conner/Cassie
Summary: The rain is cold and refreshing, and there's just something about being out here that nothing indoors could ever compare to.
Prompt: #149: outside
Other Inspirations: none
Note: Cassie's older here than she seems to be on the show, so she and Conner would be about the same age.
You're My Favorite Place
Conner kind of loves Smallville.
He's not entirely sure what it is about this town, but it continues to grow on him with each visit. Maybe it's the fresh air or something. Or maybe it's because the weather is always nice here. You kind of want to be outside all the time to enjoy it, and even when it's raining, it's the soothing kind of rain that people in those black and white films love to run around in.
It's just really nice.
Like right now, the air is still really warm even though it's starting to get late, and other than a few clouds right above them, the sky is all clear and this really bright shade of blue.
And they were kind of lazing around the loft all day because they didn't have any more chores, which they offered to do, too, because it's Martha and Jon. Of course they're going to help them. They mostly cleaned around the house and repainted the outside, anyway. And they goofed off a lot in the middle of everything, so it's not like they weren't still making the most of their vacation.
But since it's their last day there (they zeta back to the Cave after breakfast tomorrow morning), Martha said that if they were going to lounge, they should at least do it by the lake so that they'd have a change of scenery.
So that's why they're lakeside, lying down on the towels they spread out on the grass as they have been for the past hour.
He didn't think it were possible for him to do this, either; to lie down for such a long time and just be. Back at the Cave, he absolutely hated when all they would do was sit and watch TV or play video games or something. Cassie said it's probably because he spent most of his life indoors and being cooped up, and yeah, he figures that makes sense.
Anyway, his eyes are closed and he's just kind of listening to the grass rustling in the almost nonexistent breeze and the steady thrumming of Cassie's heartbeat. So when the first raindrop falls and splashes onto his cheek, it kind of startles him.
He looks over at Cassie and she's lifting her head to stare up at the sky, then at him to give him a smile. "Want to go inside?" he asks her, even though he knows her answer.
"No, I like the rain."
He laughs.
This definitely wouldn't be the first time they've been caught in it.
She rolls onto her back and sits up, and he props himself on his elbows and watches as she closes her eyes. The cold raindrops feel amazing against his skin, which was burning up a little from the heat, and the sound of the rain hitting the surface of the lake is relaxing.
Then Cassie stands up and meets his eyes as she begins unbuttoning the pink flannel she wore over her bikini.
"Cassie…"
She actually giggles, and he rolls his eyes as he gets up and stands in front of her. "It's just getting wet, anyway," she says, shrugging innocently.
He sets a hand on her waist and tugs her forward, sliding his lips over hers as his other hand pushes the sleeves of her flannel off of her shoulders. He'd just rip it off her completely, but Cassie's borrowing it and he'd rather not see how Kara would react if they ruined her clothes. So he waits until Cassie gets the last button undone before yanking it off completely and tossing it aside.
She kisses him back harder and he feels her fingers grasping the hem of his own shirt, which is thoroughly soaked with rainwater.
"Come on, Conner," she mumbles against his lips. "Live a little."
He laughs again, because this definitely wouldn't be the first time they've stripped out of their clothes and started making out in the rain, either.
(Cassie's adventurous.)
So he pulls away just enough for her to pull his shirt up and over his head, letting it drop to the floor, and he kisses her again before sliding his lips over her jaw and down her neck. He swipes his tongue over her pulse and feels her hold onto him tighter, tipping her head back, so he does it again.
"You taste like rain," he tells her.
She chuckles breathlessly, almost no sound coming out.
Then he smirks against her skin and, in one swift motion, hoists her up in his arms and tosses her right into the middle of the lake.
He laughs when she comes up gasping for breath. She tries to look mad (he knows she's just pretending) and it makes him laugh even harder, especially when she shrieks, "Conner!"
"Coming!"
He thinks he sees her roll her eyes as he's taking a few steps back, and then he leaps forward and lands a few feet away from where she's standing. The waves he causes must've knocked Cassie back underwater, too, because they both resurface at the same time and she comes back up laughing really hard, splashing another wave of water at him as she's trying to catch her breath.
The rain's picked up now, turning into a steady pour that sounds like billions of pebbles sliding over a glass surface as the raindrops continue to hit the lake.
He walks over to her (the water comes up above their waists) and sets his hands on her hips, and she smiles at him as she slides her hands up his arms and drapes them around his neck.
"You aren't too cold?" he asks.
She laughs and shakes her head. "It's nice."
"Yeah?"
She takes her lip between her teeth and meets his eyes as she nods.
"Good," he says, pulling her flush against his chest. He takes a hand off of her hip and gathers her hair between his fingers, twisting it around itself and bringing it over one shoulder before letting go and watching it unwind as it falls. She has her eyes closed as he does this, too, like she always does when he plays with her hair.
He knows how much she loves it.
His eyes fall onto her lips and he gives her this little smile as he asks, just loudly enough to be heard over the rain, "Can I kiss you?"
She's laughing again but nodding, and he tips her head back a little as he presses their lips together.
Their kisses are tentative and rather lazy and he kind of loves it. He can really appreciate the taste the strawberries they ate earlier on her lips, the feel of her wet skin as he runs his thumbs over her hips above the waistline of her bikini, the feel of her fingers sliding into his wet hair and gently massaging his scalp. This moment feels relaxing and comfortable and perfectly natural.
Somehow, it still manages to feel warm, and he thinks that they'd be uncomfortably hot if they were under a roof and dry. But the rain is cold and refreshing, and there's just something about being out here that nothing indoors could ever compare to.
After what feels like hours (which is honestly still too short a time), Cassie pulls back with her eyes remaining closed and hums contentedly as she leans her forehead against his.
"We should get going soon…"
"No."
She laughs softly, almost sleepily, and he pushes her wet hair over her back. "Martha and Jon will probably start looking for us soon."
"Then let them."
"Conner, we're not making them go out in the rain."
She begins to pull away, albeit reluctantly, but he slides his hand over the small of her back and pushes her against his chest again and sliding his lips over hers, letting the kiss linger until they need to come up for air. "Okay, fine," he finally relents, and she beams at him and threads their fingers together before leading them back towards the grass.
When they get back, Martha makes them dry off in the loft since she doesn't want them dripping water in the house and it's still warm enough to be out there, anyway, even if it's completely dark out.
He pats the raindrops away with a fresh towel before slipping into the jeans and plaid shirt Jon brings him, and rubs his head until his hair is mostly dry. Cassie changed into denim shorts and a white blouse that is partially see-through, especially the damp spot on her shoulder from her wet hair before she'd clipped it atop her head.
Martha has apple pie and sweetened iced tea on the table for them when they walk into the living room, and they sit on the floor with their bodies angled towards each other, their backs against the couch and Cassie's legs draped over his. As they eat, Jon begins setting up a board game and Martha disappears to throw their wet clothes and towels into the laundry.
And when she comes back and asks why they stayed in the rain so long, Conner replies bluntly, "I like it outside."
"Why?"
He just shrugs, letting a hand fall atop Cassie's knee and squeeze it a little as she laughs and feeds him more whipped cream off of her fork. He honestly doesn't know why. Actually, he thinks that the only reason he likes the outdoors so much is because of Cassie.
This wouldn't be the first time this has happened, but honestly? If he continues to have days like this, he thinks he'll be okay with it.