Thanks to MystryFann for the title!
Alex smiled, putting his hands down and folding them in his lap, and leaving Clark and Chloe's hands suspended in the air in front of him, still clasped together.
Their eyes locked.
Lana coughed, trying to be subtle and failing horribly, and Chloe pulled her hand away from Clark's hastily and said, "Guess he was wrong this time," and threw in a smile that didn't quite reach her pale blue eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so," Clark said softly. He looked at Chloe hard for another second, then turned towards Alex again and threw out the dreaded question.
"What are we going to do about him?"
~~~
Chloe glanced at her reflection in the mirror once more, sighed dramatically, and proceeded to change out of the prom dress.
Clark knew how she felt about him, she was sure of that. If he hadn't gotten it from what Ryan had told him, and the not-so-subtle hints she had been dropping about prom, then the article she had written in the Torch-all about him, without mentioning his name-had sealed the deal, without a doubt.
As she hung the dress back on her door, she thought herself foolish for having bought it in the first place when she knew she'd never get to wear it.
She determined not to think about it as she slipped her shirt over her head, decided it was no big deal as she grabbed her keys and jacket, told herself to let it go as she headed out the door, and realized she was just BSing herself as she got into her car and pulled out of the drive.
~~~
"Knock knock."
There was no reply.
"Hey, Clark. It's a barn, and I'm knocking," Chloe said, tapping her knuckles on the banister. "Helloo, Clark."
"Up here!"
"Somehow I guessed that," she said as she walked up into the loft. "How'd they take it?"
"My parents? Between Ryan and Alex, they're starting to think the heavens are hinting that I want a little brother," Clark said with a little smile.
Chloe smiled, then regarded him more seriously. "Do you?"
"Hi!" Alex called out suddenly, before he could reply.
"Hi," Chloe smiled at the boy, then stole another glance at Clark before walking over to him.
"Clark, has he been strapped into this damn chair this whole time?"
"Yeah. He can't walk, remember?"
She shook her head. "Tell me you at least fed him."
"I don't know what he eats!"
"Clark, he's disabled, not from another galaxy," she chided.
"How am I supposed to know this stuff?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Common sense, Clark. Now, let's get this boy out of his chair, and fed, bathed, and hope he konks out fast so we can take a course of action in getting rid of him." She grimaced. "That came out wrong."
"You positively glow with maternal warmth, Chloe," Clark said teasingly, dropping down next to her in front of Alex. She smiled brightly.
"It comes naturally."
"Right, because ink-stained fingers, cramped neck muscles, and late nights with an excessive amount of caffeine totally prepare you for motherhood." He paused. "That almost made sense."
She laughed, and it was infectious. Before long, both Clark and Chloe were all but rolling on the floor, with Alex giggling just watching them together.
~~~
"Ugh. I should've just gotten in with him," Chloe said, wringing out her wet hair.
Clark grinned and said, "Why didn't you?"
"I would've been fully clothed, don't get your hopes up, farmboy."
"Hadn't planned to," Clark replied, pulling off his soaked T-shirt.
Chloe's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Clark Kent, shirtless and soaking wet, in all his glory. And all she could think was 'wow' as she forced herself not to stare.
"It's late. Wanna stay here tonight?" Clark offered, snapping her back to reality.
"Uh, sure," she said. "I'll call my dad."
While Chloe headed downstairs to call, Clark went towards his room to get a dry shirt. He stopped in the doorway and looked at Alex, curled up on his bed, fast asleep.
"He looks peaceful," came the voice at his side, stirring him from his reverie.
"Chloe! I didn't hear you come back up."
She smiled. "I feel like a mother. Feeding and bathing him before bed."
"Who's the father?" he questioned. He realized the implications of what he had said only when she cast him a side-long glance, and he blushed. "I need a shirt."
As he crossed the room and slipped on a fresh T-shirt, she went to the bed and covered Alex. "So, bed's taken. Where do we sleep?"
"We could get sleeping bags and pillows and all and sleep out in the barn," Clark suggested.
The concept of sleeping alone with Clark, out in the open air, under the stars, was extremely appealing to Chloe, if words could even describe her elation at the idea.
She smiled.
"Sounds great."
~~~
"Alright. Your turn. And make it good."
Chloe stared off into space blankly, pretending to be lost in thought. "Hmm...I'm deeply in love with someone, and I think I may even be obsessed." She knew she was running a risk with that statement. Given what he already knew, he could easily guess she was talking about him.
But if he did, he didn't admit it.
"Really? With who?"
"You really wanna know? It's kinda embarrassing."
"Tell me."
Her eyes glinted mischeviously as she spoke. "Alex. He spit food on us, he got me soaking wet, he chose to learn 'love' instead of some stupid word he doesn't need, and he looks peaceful when he sleeps. He's stolen my heart already." She flashed Clark a coy smile. "Your turn."
"I'm confused."
"About? Come on, you know you have to elaborate. You made me."
"Yeah, and you made up some cute little thing about Alex, and avoided really telling me."
"Good point," she said, nodding slowly. "Tell me anyway."
"There are these two things, and they've both been around so long, but I'm a lot more familiar with one than the other, more comfortable with it. But somehow, the one I'm not so sure of seems more safe. The other is daring, and challenging, and it kind of scares me. I can't choose between safety that I know nothing of and risk and adventure that I've always known on a different level."
"Let me get this straight. This thing you've always had around, that you're comfortable and familiar with, seems more risky to you. And the other you don't really have, but it seems safer."
"Right."
"You should stick with the un-certain thing that feels safe," she said.
"Really?"
"Absolutely." She grinned again. "It probably is safer, and she won't suspect a thing."
"Huh?" For a moment, Clark almost thought she had guessed what he was talking about.
"A digital camera is much safer," she went on. "That telescope's so big, she'll probably notice where it's pointed eventually. And plus you can take pictures."
He tried not to smile. "Cute. Now, seriously."
She turned serious abruptly. "Take the risk," she said. "You should always take the risk. It's usually worth it."
He nodded and smiled a little. "You know, that's kind of what I was thinking." He leaned back on the mountain of pillows they'd dragged out to the barn and not yet arranged. She did the same next to him.
"So, what was it?"
He turned to face her. "You'll find out soon enough. Maybe."
Alex smiled, putting his hands down and folding them in his lap, and leaving Clark and Chloe's hands suspended in the air in front of him, still clasped together.
Their eyes locked.
Lana coughed, trying to be subtle and failing horribly, and Chloe pulled her hand away from Clark's hastily and said, "Guess he was wrong this time," and threw in a smile that didn't quite reach her pale blue eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so," Clark said softly. He looked at Chloe hard for another second, then turned towards Alex again and threw out the dreaded question.
"What are we going to do about him?"
~~~
Chloe glanced at her reflection in the mirror once more, sighed dramatically, and proceeded to change out of the prom dress.
Clark knew how she felt about him, she was sure of that. If he hadn't gotten it from what Ryan had told him, and the not-so-subtle hints she had been dropping about prom, then the article she had written in the Torch-all about him, without mentioning his name-had sealed the deal, without a doubt.
As she hung the dress back on her door, she thought herself foolish for having bought it in the first place when she knew she'd never get to wear it.
She determined not to think about it as she slipped her shirt over her head, decided it was no big deal as she grabbed her keys and jacket, told herself to let it go as she headed out the door, and realized she was just BSing herself as she got into her car and pulled out of the drive.
~~~
"Knock knock."
There was no reply.
"Hey, Clark. It's a barn, and I'm knocking," Chloe said, tapping her knuckles on the banister. "Helloo, Clark."
"Up here!"
"Somehow I guessed that," she said as she walked up into the loft. "How'd they take it?"
"My parents? Between Ryan and Alex, they're starting to think the heavens are hinting that I want a little brother," Clark said with a little smile.
Chloe smiled, then regarded him more seriously. "Do you?"
"Hi!" Alex called out suddenly, before he could reply.
"Hi," Chloe smiled at the boy, then stole another glance at Clark before walking over to him.
"Clark, has he been strapped into this damn chair this whole time?"
"Yeah. He can't walk, remember?"
She shook her head. "Tell me you at least fed him."
"I don't know what he eats!"
"Clark, he's disabled, not from another galaxy," she chided.
"How am I supposed to know this stuff?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Common sense, Clark. Now, let's get this boy out of his chair, and fed, bathed, and hope he konks out fast so we can take a course of action in getting rid of him." She grimaced. "That came out wrong."
"You positively glow with maternal warmth, Chloe," Clark said teasingly, dropping down next to her in front of Alex. She smiled brightly.
"It comes naturally."
"Right, because ink-stained fingers, cramped neck muscles, and late nights with an excessive amount of caffeine totally prepare you for motherhood." He paused. "That almost made sense."
She laughed, and it was infectious. Before long, both Clark and Chloe were all but rolling on the floor, with Alex giggling just watching them together.
~~~
"Ugh. I should've just gotten in with him," Chloe said, wringing out her wet hair.
Clark grinned and said, "Why didn't you?"
"I would've been fully clothed, don't get your hopes up, farmboy."
"Hadn't planned to," Clark replied, pulling off his soaked T-shirt.
Chloe's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Clark Kent, shirtless and soaking wet, in all his glory. And all she could think was 'wow' as she forced herself not to stare.
"It's late. Wanna stay here tonight?" Clark offered, snapping her back to reality.
"Uh, sure," she said. "I'll call my dad."
While Chloe headed downstairs to call, Clark went towards his room to get a dry shirt. He stopped in the doorway and looked at Alex, curled up on his bed, fast asleep.
"He looks peaceful," came the voice at his side, stirring him from his reverie.
"Chloe! I didn't hear you come back up."
She smiled. "I feel like a mother. Feeding and bathing him before bed."
"Who's the father?" he questioned. He realized the implications of what he had said only when she cast him a side-long glance, and he blushed. "I need a shirt."
As he crossed the room and slipped on a fresh T-shirt, she went to the bed and covered Alex. "So, bed's taken. Where do we sleep?"
"We could get sleeping bags and pillows and all and sleep out in the barn," Clark suggested.
The concept of sleeping alone with Clark, out in the open air, under the stars, was extremely appealing to Chloe, if words could even describe her elation at the idea.
She smiled.
"Sounds great."
~~~
"Alright. Your turn. And make it good."
Chloe stared off into space blankly, pretending to be lost in thought. "Hmm...I'm deeply in love with someone, and I think I may even be obsessed." She knew she was running a risk with that statement. Given what he already knew, he could easily guess she was talking about him.
But if he did, he didn't admit it.
"Really? With who?"
"You really wanna know? It's kinda embarrassing."
"Tell me."
Her eyes glinted mischeviously as she spoke. "Alex. He spit food on us, he got me soaking wet, he chose to learn 'love' instead of some stupid word he doesn't need, and he looks peaceful when he sleeps. He's stolen my heart already." She flashed Clark a coy smile. "Your turn."
"I'm confused."
"About? Come on, you know you have to elaborate. You made me."
"Yeah, and you made up some cute little thing about Alex, and avoided really telling me."
"Good point," she said, nodding slowly. "Tell me anyway."
"There are these two things, and they've both been around so long, but I'm a lot more familiar with one than the other, more comfortable with it. But somehow, the one I'm not so sure of seems more safe. The other is daring, and challenging, and it kind of scares me. I can't choose between safety that I know nothing of and risk and adventure that I've always known on a different level."
"Let me get this straight. This thing you've always had around, that you're comfortable and familiar with, seems more risky to you. And the other you don't really have, but it seems safer."
"Right."
"You should stick with the un-certain thing that feels safe," she said.
"Really?"
"Absolutely." She grinned again. "It probably is safer, and she won't suspect a thing."
"Huh?" For a moment, Clark almost thought she had guessed what he was talking about.
"A digital camera is much safer," she went on. "That telescope's so big, she'll probably notice where it's pointed eventually. And plus you can take pictures."
He tried not to smile. "Cute. Now, seriously."
She turned serious abruptly. "Take the risk," she said. "You should always take the risk. It's usually worth it."
He nodded and smiled a little. "You know, that's kind of what I was thinking." He leaned back on the mountain of pillows they'd dragged out to the barn and not yet arranged. She did the same next to him.
"So, what was it?"
He turned to face her. "You'll find out soon enough. Maybe."