Chapter 2: Beginnings
*****
Clark Kent sat in the cafeteria picking at his food with his fork, his mind lost in thought. He looked around him seeing his schoolmates laughing and talking, completely oblivious to his true nature. His left hand slowly slid down around his stomach and rubbed the skin just below the navel.
It had been a month since they had discovered he was with child, and today Clark began to show. The slight curve of his belly was well hidden under his white turtleneck sweater, but he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it forever. Despite all the fear he felt, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of the life growing inside of him. His demeanour was rather pleasant these days, though his classmates figured he was just content with his relationship with Lana - who wouldn't be?
"Hey Clark, are you alright?" asked a voice from behind him.
He quickly withdrew his hand from under his shirt and turned around, recognizing the owner of said voice. It was Maria Vargas, a junior who in Chloe's absence had taken over the school paper. Clark was well aware that her rosy cheeks and bright smile hid her true character. Her gossip column in the Torch quickly grew in prominence since her promotion to editor. He was always very careful around her as she was always digging for dirt on everyone.
"No, I'm fine... just not hungry," he replied, giving a weak smile and pointing to his still half-full plate.
"Right Clark, listen if I were you I wouldn't be rubbing yourself with your hand under your shirt in the middle of a full cafeteria," she mused.
"You're not gonna put that on the front page are you?"
"Well since you are one of my better reporters, I'll let it slide. I'll save that piece of blackmail for a rainy day," she said with a smirk, sitting down beside him. "So where's Lana today?" she asked, trying her best to say Lana's name without any noticeable disdain.
"She's studying in the student lounge. I'd be with her but she said I would be a distraction," he responded, tossing a carrot stick from his plate into his mouth.
While Clark knew she was a gossip-monger, being the dork he was, he was quite ignorant of her crush on him. She straddled the bench and stared straight at him as he picked the carrots off his plate one by one. Maria bit her lip and gave off a slight inaudible sigh as she watched his tongue lick his lips clean of some salad dressing. She glanced at her watch and groaned.
"Listen I've got to go. You'll have the draft on that track meet report for me today right?"
"Yup, no problem. See ya later," he exclaimed, not bothering to look up as she got up to leave.
"Okay. Later, Clark," she said as she walked away pouting. 'Someday, Clark Kent, I'll find an angle to play... and you'll be mine. Mmm...' she thought with delight as she made her way to her office.
*****
After being let out of school, Clark and Lana walked to the Talon, hand-in- hand of course. They stood at the entrance and kissed each other sweetly with longing in their eyes before reluctantly stepping away from each other, their gazes still locked as Lana entered the Talon for her shift. It was then that a car's brakes were heard slamming, making him stumble onto the road. He put his hands up to protect his face as the front bumper of the car stopped right two inches short of his head. Clark swore under his breath as realized he had backed all the way into the middle of the street.
"Clark! Long time no see," Lex smirked from the driver's seat of his Porsche Carrera GT.
"Hey Lex. It has been awhile," Clark replied with a smile, sighing in relief while standing up and dusting himself off.
"Hop in, I'll give you a ride home. That is if you're finished ogling your girlfriend in there and putting your life in danger..."
Clark looked fondly one more time through the Talon's main window before jumping into the passenger side. Lex quickly switched gears and accelerated down the street, tires screeching.
"So, Lex, how's it going?"
"I've never been better. Business is good and my father isn't being quite the pain he used to. I think he's actually stopped plotting to put me back under his control again," he said as the car rolled to a stop at a red- light. "How about you? Anything interesting going on in your life?"
"Um, I'm fine. Same old same old," Clark responded nervously. "Spring Break starts next week."
Just then a thump came from Clark's stomach. He quickly put his hand over it, amazed at the sensation.
"What was that?" Lex asked, his eyebrows lifting in curiosity.
"I didn't hear anything."
"Huh," he exclaimed before shaking his head and turning his attention back onto the road.
Clark's eyes anxiously shifted repeatedly between Lex and his stomach.
*****
Lana stared at her aunt in disbelief from across the counter, a frown on her lips. Nell in turn put on her best pleading look and smiled, hopeful that she would agree to her request. The phone suddenly rang which Lana picked up with force.
"Lana, you won't believe what happened!" Clark cried out excitedly from the other end.
"Not now, Clark, I'm in the middle of something. I'll call you later," she replied sternly before hanging the receiver up.
She returned her attention to the matter at hand. Nell was giving her that look that said 'I raised you, you owe me.'
"It's only a week," her aunt repeated. "If you don't like it there, we'll figure something out."
"Alright," she complied with a deep sigh.
"You're going to love Metropolis!" Nell beamed as she hugged her tight.
Lana just stood there, wondering how Clark was going to take the news.
*****
Clark stared at the phone in shock as the dial tone flooded his ears. Lana had hung up on him. He looked down in sadness and fought off the tears that were threatening to break. He stood up with determination and marched over to the fridge, pulling out a tub of ice cream and a spoon from a drawer. Clark finally made his way to the couch, pulling a quilt over himself and flipping on the TV to Oprah. His chunky monkey consoled him as he cried with one hand on his stomach, searching for the comforting feeling of the baby's kicks. They didn't come.
*****
Clark Kent sat in the cafeteria picking at his food with his fork, his mind lost in thought. He looked around him seeing his schoolmates laughing and talking, completely oblivious to his true nature. His left hand slowly slid down around his stomach and rubbed the skin just below the navel.
It had been a month since they had discovered he was with child, and today Clark began to show. The slight curve of his belly was well hidden under his white turtleneck sweater, but he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it forever. Despite all the fear he felt, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of the life growing inside of him. His demeanour was rather pleasant these days, though his classmates figured he was just content with his relationship with Lana - who wouldn't be?
"Hey Clark, are you alright?" asked a voice from behind him.
He quickly withdrew his hand from under his shirt and turned around, recognizing the owner of said voice. It was Maria Vargas, a junior who in Chloe's absence had taken over the school paper. Clark was well aware that her rosy cheeks and bright smile hid her true character. Her gossip column in the Torch quickly grew in prominence since her promotion to editor. He was always very careful around her as she was always digging for dirt on everyone.
"No, I'm fine... just not hungry," he replied, giving a weak smile and pointing to his still half-full plate.
"Right Clark, listen if I were you I wouldn't be rubbing yourself with your hand under your shirt in the middle of a full cafeteria," she mused.
"You're not gonna put that on the front page are you?"
"Well since you are one of my better reporters, I'll let it slide. I'll save that piece of blackmail for a rainy day," she said with a smirk, sitting down beside him. "So where's Lana today?" she asked, trying her best to say Lana's name without any noticeable disdain.
"She's studying in the student lounge. I'd be with her but she said I would be a distraction," he responded, tossing a carrot stick from his plate into his mouth.
While Clark knew she was a gossip-monger, being the dork he was, he was quite ignorant of her crush on him. She straddled the bench and stared straight at him as he picked the carrots off his plate one by one. Maria bit her lip and gave off a slight inaudible sigh as she watched his tongue lick his lips clean of some salad dressing. She glanced at her watch and groaned.
"Listen I've got to go. You'll have the draft on that track meet report for me today right?"
"Yup, no problem. See ya later," he exclaimed, not bothering to look up as she got up to leave.
"Okay. Later, Clark," she said as she walked away pouting. 'Someday, Clark Kent, I'll find an angle to play... and you'll be mine. Mmm...' she thought with delight as she made her way to her office.
*****
After being let out of school, Clark and Lana walked to the Talon, hand-in- hand of course. They stood at the entrance and kissed each other sweetly with longing in their eyes before reluctantly stepping away from each other, their gazes still locked as Lana entered the Talon for her shift. It was then that a car's brakes were heard slamming, making him stumble onto the road. He put his hands up to protect his face as the front bumper of the car stopped right two inches short of his head. Clark swore under his breath as realized he had backed all the way into the middle of the street.
"Clark! Long time no see," Lex smirked from the driver's seat of his Porsche Carrera GT.
"Hey Lex. It has been awhile," Clark replied with a smile, sighing in relief while standing up and dusting himself off.
"Hop in, I'll give you a ride home. That is if you're finished ogling your girlfriend in there and putting your life in danger..."
Clark looked fondly one more time through the Talon's main window before jumping into the passenger side. Lex quickly switched gears and accelerated down the street, tires screeching.
"So, Lex, how's it going?"
"I've never been better. Business is good and my father isn't being quite the pain he used to. I think he's actually stopped plotting to put me back under his control again," he said as the car rolled to a stop at a red- light. "How about you? Anything interesting going on in your life?"
"Um, I'm fine. Same old same old," Clark responded nervously. "Spring Break starts next week."
Just then a thump came from Clark's stomach. He quickly put his hand over it, amazed at the sensation.
"What was that?" Lex asked, his eyebrows lifting in curiosity.
"I didn't hear anything."
"Huh," he exclaimed before shaking his head and turning his attention back onto the road.
Clark's eyes anxiously shifted repeatedly between Lex and his stomach.
*****
Lana stared at her aunt in disbelief from across the counter, a frown on her lips. Nell in turn put on her best pleading look and smiled, hopeful that she would agree to her request. The phone suddenly rang which Lana picked up with force.
"Lana, you won't believe what happened!" Clark cried out excitedly from the other end.
"Not now, Clark, I'm in the middle of something. I'll call you later," she replied sternly before hanging the receiver up.
She returned her attention to the matter at hand. Nell was giving her that look that said 'I raised you, you owe me.'
"It's only a week," her aunt repeated. "If you don't like it there, we'll figure something out."
"Alright," she complied with a deep sigh.
"You're going to love Metropolis!" Nell beamed as she hugged her tight.
Lana just stood there, wondering how Clark was going to take the news.
*****
Clark stared at the phone in shock as the dial tone flooded his ears. Lana had hung up on him. He looked down in sadness and fought off the tears that were threatening to break. He stood up with determination and marched over to the fridge, pulling out a tub of ice cream and a spoon from a drawer. Clark finally made his way to the couch, pulling a quilt over himself and flipping on the TV to Oprah. His chunky monkey consoled him as he cried with one hand on his stomach, searching for the comforting feeling of the baby's kicks. They didn't come.