"Breakable"
Clark started up at her forehead and traced her face with a feather-light touch. She lay silent and still, facing him, eyes closed. His hand brushed lightly over her shoulder, settled briefly on the black lace material of her bra, before continuing on to her side, where it finally rested comfortably on her exposed stomach. Her skin was incredibly smooth, and soft to the touch. It smelled familiar, and inviting, like baby lotion or some kind of sun block. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Lana's head lay in the crook of his neck. Clark ran his fingers through her hair. Her hand fell sleepily on his bare chest. Lana shivered in his arms, so Clark pulled the sheets over them. He watched intently, smiling, as her lashes fluttered while she slept.
When Lana woke up, some time later, it was pitch-black in the room. She made out the outline of her bed, and Clark, whose warm body she was propped up against. He was looking out the window, at the stars that provided little light. She reached over him, and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. Clark squinted as his eyes adjusted to the change. Lana smiled apologetically and lay back down beside him. She laid her head on his shoulder, her lips grazing his skin. He continued to stare restlessly outside.
"What is it?" she murmured, her eyes searching his face.
He smiled a little at her. "Nothing." After a moment, "You."
"What about me?" she asked, sitting up, releasing herself from his embrace.
"Nothing too lurid, I hope."
He grinned. "Not this time."
Lana laughed. She stretched sexily, watching Clark's gaze wander up her body, as she pulled her arms over her head.
She sat on her knees and leaned up against him, her lips brushing against his. He closed his eyes and whispered her name. She pulled away.
"Yes?" she whispered huskily.
He opened his eyes and stared at her soberly. "I love you."
She nodded, smiling sadly. "I know. I love you too." Her voice came out choked, and not nearly as strong as she'd wanted.
He looked away. "You don't seem exactly thrilled about that."
Her shoulders feel and she turned away from him. "Oh Clark." she said simply, her voice trailing off.
He picked her hand up gingerly, as if he was afraid too much pressure would break her. She glanced up at him and gave him a small, encouraging nod. She bit her lip and turned her gaze to him, and brought her hand up to his face to stroke his cheek.
"I love you," she said again, this time as if she was trying to convince herself. "But I don't trust you. Maybe I never will."
"Lana-," he started.
"Shh." she said, putting her thumb over his lips, preventing him from saying anything more.
"You're going to leave again," she said matter of factly.
He narrowed his eyes angrily and turned away from her, roughly swinging his legs over the bed so they hit the floor. He sat, his head in his hands, and stared at the ground.
"Lana," he said in a measured tone, that showed constraint, "I already told you I wasn't going to leave again." He sounded as if he was losing patience, something Lana had always assumed he had in unlimited supply.
"You're wrong," she replied, equally as cold and controlled.
He let out an annoyed sigh. "Stop telling me what I'm going to do," he said, his voice growing dangerously quiet. He was struggling to main his composure.
Lana recognized this, and adjusted her approach. She sat down next to him on the bed, and slipped her hand loosely in his. They sat stiffly like this until Lana finally spoke again.
"I know you've said that about now, but what about the future? That's what this is about, isn't it? Clark, believe me when I say I know you're not lying to me."
At this, he seemed to relax a little.
"I just think you're choosing not to think about the big picture. The reason you left the last time is the same reason you'll leave again. You can't stay here forever. You must know that!"
"Why not?" he said indignantly. "Why can't I stay here?"
"Because, Smallville isn't your destiny. Don't you get it Clark?" she whispered. "You are so much bigger than this. Than this town.than me."
He shook his head vigorously as if he was trying to shake away her words. "No," he said softly.
"Clark," she said gently. "Smallville breeds farmers, and farmers' wives. People marry young, take over their parents' businesses and have lots of kids. You have a future that is so much greater than that."
"What if I don't want that, Lana? What if I just want to be normal?" He stood up and started pacing around the room.
"Be quiet!" Lana hissed. "Chloe will hear us."
"I don't care," he responded defiantly. "Let her. C'mon Lana, she knows we're together."
"Yeah, but I really don't think Gabe would approve of our little sleepover, Clark."
Clark nodded and lowered his voice. "Okay. Fine. I should just go."
"No!" Lana said, exasperated.
"Lana, I don't know what you want anymore! You say that you love me--."
"I do love you," Lana interrupted.
"But you're so scared to be with me. Why? I already said I'm not going anywhere."
"You can deny the truth all you want, but we both know, that come graduation, you'll be off to Metropolis and I'll get left behind, as always."
"How do you know that's how it's going to be? Do you want to stay here?"
"What, and run the Talon all my life?" She shook her head and scoffed at the thought.
"I don't want to be somebody's little wifey, padding around barefoot in the kitchen, holding the baby."
Clark smiled at the mental picture. "So? No one's asking you to do that." He returned to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her.
"I don't know if I can stand being second best. After all, you'll be busy saving the world all the time." She said it sarcastically, but both of them knew, there was some truth to her words.
"I'm never too busy for you. And you're never second best." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, letting his lips linger there.
She looked somewhat appeased by this, and pulled him down on the bed again, where she snuggled up next to him flirtatiously.
"Maybe." she said thoughtfully, "we could just enjoy the moment," as if she had never brought up Clark's leaving at all. "I guess we shouldn't think about this now. It sort of spoils things, doesn't it? I mean, it's not like we've even been dating that long. Technically, only for a week or something."
"Right," he agreed. "We have two more years of school ahead of us. And then, when the time comes."
"We'll see," Lana said softly.
After a long silence, Clark spoke up.
"You could come with me," he said softly. "To Metropolis."
She smiled at him, forced and unconvincing. "Yeah.maybe," she replied, knowing full well that she would not be leaving Smallville with Clark Kent.
The End
Clark started up at her forehead and traced her face with a feather-light touch. She lay silent and still, facing him, eyes closed. His hand brushed lightly over her shoulder, settled briefly on the black lace material of her bra, before continuing on to her side, where it finally rested comfortably on her exposed stomach. Her skin was incredibly smooth, and soft to the touch. It smelled familiar, and inviting, like baby lotion or some kind of sun block. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Lana's head lay in the crook of his neck. Clark ran his fingers through her hair. Her hand fell sleepily on his bare chest. Lana shivered in his arms, so Clark pulled the sheets over them. He watched intently, smiling, as her lashes fluttered while she slept.
When Lana woke up, some time later, it was pitch-black in the room. She made out the outline of her bed, and Clark, whose warm body she was propped up against. He was looking out the window, at the stars that provided little light. She reached over him, and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. Clark squinted as his eyes adjusted to the change. Lana smiled apologetically and lay back down beside him. She laid her head on his shoulder, her lips grazing his skin. He continued to stare restlessly outside.
"What is it?" she murmured, her eyes searching his face.
He smiled a little at her. "Nothing." After a moment, "You."
"What about me?" she asked, sitting up, releasing herself from his embrace.
"Nothing too lurid, I hope."
He grinned. "Not this time."
Lana laughed. She stretched sexily, watching Clark's gaze wander up her body, as she pulled her arms over her head.
She sat on her knees and leaned up against him, her lips brushing against his. He closed his eyes and whispered her name. She pulled away.
"Yes?" she whispered huskily.
He opened his eyes and stared at her soberly. "I love you."
She nodded, smiling sadly. "I know. I love you too." Her voice came out choked, and not nearly as strong as she'd wanted.
He looked away. "You don't seem exactly thrilled about that."
Her shoulders feel and she turned away from him. "Oh Clark." she said simply, her voice trailing off.
He picked her hand up gingerly, as if he was afraid too much pressure would break her. She glanced up at him and gave him a small, encouraging nod. She bit her lip and turned her gaze to him, and brought her hand up to his face to stroke his cheek.
"I love you," she said again, this time as if she was trying to convince herself. "But I don't trust you. Maybe I never will."
"Lana-," he started.
"Shh." she said, putting her thumb over his lips, preventing him from saying anything more.
"You're going to leave again," she said matter of factly.
He narrowed his eyes angrily and turned away from her, roughly swinging his legs over the bed so they hit the floor. He sat, his head in his hands, and stared at the ground.
"Lana," he said in a measured tone, that showed constraint, "I already told you I wasn't going to leave again." He sounded as if he was losing patience, something Lana had always assumed he had in unlimited supply.
"You're wrong," she replied, equally as cold and controlled.
He let out an annoyed sigh. "Stop telling me what I'm going to do," he said, his voice growing dangerously quiet. He was struggling to main his composure.
Lana recognized this, and adjusted her approach. She sat down next to him on the bed, and slipped her hand loosely in his. They sat stiffly like this until Lana finally spoke again.
"I know you've said that about now, but what about the future? That's what this is about, isn't it? Clark, believe me when I say I know you're not lying to me."
At this, he seemed to relax a little.
"I just think you're choosing not to think about the big picture. The reason you left the last time is the same reason you'll leave again. You can't stay here forever. You must know that!"
"Why not?" he said indignantly. "Why can't I stay here?"
"Because, Smallville isn't your destiny. Don't you get it Clark?" she whispered. "You are so much bigger than this. Than this town.than me."
He shook his head vigorously as if he was trying to shake away her words. "No," he said softly.
"Clark," she said gently. "Smallville breeds farmers, and farmers' wives. People marry young, take over their parents' businesses and have lots of kids. You have a future that is so much greater than that."
"What if I don't want that, Lana? What if I just want to be normal?" He stood up and started pacing around the room.
"Be quiet!" Lana hissed. "Chloe will hear us."
"I don't care," he responded defiantly. "Let her. C'mon Lana, she knows we're together."
"Yeah, but I really don't think Gabe would approve of our little sleepover, Clark."
Clark nodded and lowered his voice. "Okay. Fine. I should just go."
"No!" Lana said, exasperated.
"Lana, I don't know what you want anymore! You say that you love me--."
"I do love you," Lana interrupted.
"But you're so scared to be with me. Why? I already said I'm not going anywhere."
"You can deny the truth all you want, but we both know, that come graduation, you'll be off to Metropolis and I'll get left behind, as always."
"How do you know that's how it's going to be? Do you want to stay here?"
"What, and run the Talon all my life?" She shook her head and scoffed at the thought.
"I don't want to be somebody's little wifey, padding around barefoot in the kitchen, holding the baby."
Clark smiled at the mental picture. "So? No one's asking you to do that." He returned to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her.
"I don't know if I can stand being second best. After all, you'll be busy saving the world all the time." She said it sarcastically, but both of them knew, there was some truth to her words.
"I'm never too busy for you. And you're never second best." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, letting his lips linger there.
She looked somewhat appeased by this, and pulled him down on the bed again, where she snuggled up next to him flirtatiously.
"Maybe." she said thoughtfully, "we could just enjoy the moment," as if she had never brought up Clark's leaving at all. "I guess we shouldn't think about this now. It sort of spoils things, doesn't it? I mean, it's not like we've even been dating that long. Technically, only for a week or something."
"Right," he agreed. "We have two more years of school ahead of us. And then, when the time comes."
"We'll see," Lana said softly.
After a long silence, Clark spoke up.
"You could come with me," he said softly. "To Metropolis."
She smiled at him, forced and unconvincing. "Yeah.maybe," she replied, knowing full well that she would not be leaving Smallville with Clark Kent.
The End
