A/N – more adult situations.
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Chapter 4
Friendship
The next morning Clark was running late, as usual. Of course he'd actually been awake before his alarm even went off. To be honest, he'd barely slept all night. It was hard to sleep when your brain was racing so fast... and yet getting nowhere. What happened yesterday was just completely beyond his comprehension. He couldn't understand why he'd done what he'd done... or even how he was feeling about it. There were so very many unanswered (and unanswerable) questions in his mind! He let himself lay in bed, dwelling on these questions until his mother yelled upstairs that he was going to be late. That's what he'd been waiting for, of course.
He dressed uncharacteristically slow and then made his way downstairs. He hurried as he crossed through the kitchen.
"Hold up there, young man!" His mother called.
Clark came to a stop, sighing, then turned, "Ya?"
"Here." She said, handing him a brown sack.
He looked down at it, furrowing his brow, "Um... why the sack lunch?"
"That's your breakfast. A boy with your metabolism shouldn't skip a meal, let alone two in a row. I had a feeling you might be running late today, and I wanted to make sure you didn't pass out from starvation in class."
He flashed her a little smile, leaning in and kissing her cheek. "Thanks, mom." He said. He hurried for the door again, only to come up short as his father walked through it. He didn't meet his father's eyes.
"We should talk, son." Jonathan said in an oddly gentle voice.
"Sorry, dad. Running late!" Clark said, quickly dodging past him and hitting super speed before his father could even draw another breath.
Jonathan just sighed and shook his head.
"Give him time." Martha said once more, patting his shoulder. "Come on, your breakfast is getting cold."
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Clark dropped the empty brown bag in the trash can, then finished off the bottle of juice and sent it after the bag. He sighed in relief. He'd been starving! Not enough to risk a conversation with his father, but just about to the point of gnawing on his books for sustenance! Thank goodness his mother always seemed to be able to anticipate what he'd need. Sometimes he wondered if she was psychic.
"Hey, Clark." Lana greeted him casually as she came up to him.
"Hey, Lana." Clark said, starting into the school.
She paced him. She had that air about her like she was holding in a joke she was just dying to tell. Finally she asked, "Have you seen Chloe today?"
"No." He said, looking over at her warily, "Why do you ask?"
She grinned widely, "You should go say hi." She said with a little snicker before hurrying off towards her locker.
Clark furrowed his brow, wondering what that was about. Well, he guessed he should find out. It was pretty easy to figure out where Chloe would probably be. He headed over to the Torch.
When he got there he saw a girl sitting at one of the computers with her back to him, "Hey, have you seen..." Clark trailed off, his eyes going round as she turned her head.
It was Chloe... but way not her hair! Her hair was now a blazing shade of red! He let out a little amused breath, "What happened to your head?" He asked.
"You like it?" She asked, beaming at him, "This shade's called Copper Penny."
"I can see why." He replied, staring at the glowing red of her hair. It did, indeed, look the precise color of a newly minted penny. "So does that mean that the results of the poll are in?"
"That they are." She replied, reaching over and grabbing up a sheet of paper and showing him a pie chart. "Apparently, of the boys currently enrolled here at Smallville High, a whopping sixty eight percent prefer blondes. Not a surprise to me, but it's nice to be backed by statistical proof." She said, setting the paper back on the stack.
"But you were a blonde. Why did you dye your hair?" He asked, unable to take his eyes from her hair.
"Exactly! The paper goes out on Friday, so by Monday like eighty percent of the girls will be blondes. You know me. I'm not one to follow the crowd. I'm a bit of a rebel if you've somehow failed to notice." She said with a big grin.
"And you chose red why?" He asked, already having a very good idea why.
She shrugged, "Just a random choice. I've always liked this shade." She said nonchalantly, running her fingers through her hair.
"Right." He replied with a knowing grin.
The first bell rang and she hopped up, "Well, there's the bell. Don't forget to get in your article!"
"Wait, what article?" Clark asked in surprise as she whisked by him.
She turned to face him, backing towards the door as she spoke, "The one you owe me for not writing about yesterday at the Talon. I need it no later than end of school Wednesday. This edition is going to be pathetically light if you don't get it in, so don't let me down!" She finished with a little wave as she zipped out the door.
Clark sighed deeply. Great. One more thing to deal with!
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His classes passed in a blur... but a very drawn out blur! Clark hoped they didn't cover anything vital to his grades, because he didn't retain a single word the teachers said. He was lost in a cloud of swirling questions and thoughts. It was hard to focus on some battle waged hundreds of years ago when there was a battle going on in his own head. The implications of what he and Lex had done on Sunday were earth shaking. Well, they were for Clark at any rate.
He couldn't help but wonder if what happened meant he was gay. The thought had never crossed his mind before. He'd never had a single thought about another guy before, so the thing with Lex had really come out of left field. He just couldn't understand it. Red meteor rock made him irrational and made him act without thought to consequences... but the last time he'd encountered it, in the end, he couldn't deny that everything he said or did while affected by it had already been in his mind, no matter how buried. It had just removed his impulse control and conscience.
Had feelings for Lex been hiding in his subconscience? Well, more specifically those kinds of feelings? He'd never try to deny that he had strong feelings for Lex, but they had always been feelings of deep friendship to his knowledge. He'd never once harbored a single fantasy about the man. Or any man for that matter. When he'd first read about Lex's brief sojourn into being bi-curious he had worried that Lex's feelings towards him might be more than friendship... but it hadn't been a matter of him being repulsed by the idea or anything. He'd just been worried that he might end up unintentionally hurting Lex since he'd never return those kind of affections. He hadn't wanted Lex to end up feeling about him like Clark had felt about Lana for so long. No one should have to endure that!
Still, that worry had faded quickly after watching Lex while they were together. He'd shown no hints of inappropriate desire. Clark had then just dismissed such worries and all but forgotten about the possibility. Well, until yesterday, that is.
What had happened between him and Lex had obviously been unexpected... and he knew theoretically that a normal teenaged boy would be feeling rather horrified and disgusted with himself about it right now... but try as he might, he couldn't find a single trace of disgust, or even regrete really. Well, obviously he deeply regretted hurting Lex, and for that reason alone he wished it'd never happened... but if he hadn't hurt him... if they had been together and both of them walked away unscathed afterwards... he couldn't help but wonder if he would be heading right back over there as soon as school was over and taking back up where they'd left off.
Despite his continued complete lack of interest in males in general, and especially in so much as touching one... he couldn't help but remember how amazing it felt to hold Lex... to feel his warm body pressed against him. And the way it felt when they kissed. Why hadn't it ever felt that intimate when he'd kissed a girl? It hadn't just been lips and tongues... it had felt like their very souls were touching. And when they'd made love...
Clark let out a surprised cry and jerked back as the beaker in front of him exploded. The students around him scattered and the teacher rushed over. Clark blushed with embarrassment, realizing his heat vision had gone off and ruptured the beaker that was supposed to be simply warming gently over the Bunsen burner. He hadn't had a hormonal misfire like that since he learned how to control it! He mentally chastised himself as he hurried to clean up the mess, just grateful he hadn't hit the gas line running to the burner. Nothing like almost blowing up a whole classroom to get your head out of the clouds!
"Must have been a crack in the beaker." He offered as the teacher tried to figure out how this could have happened.
"Must have been..." The teacher muttered in confusion. The fluid in the beaker hadn't been combustible or reactant, so the glass was the only other logical explanation. Clark finished cleaning up and went to fetch a new beaker to start his experiment over again while the teacher instructed the other students to examine their glassware for defects.
He was very diligent with his work the second time around, and managed to finish just before the bell rang. He hurried to put his supplies back away as the other students filed out. When he returned to his seat, one of his classmates was standing there, obviously waiting for him. It only took him a second to realize who he was... Tommy Fischer, the son of the man who'd accosted Lex the day before.
"Hey, Tommy." Clark said as he scooped up his books.
The boy nodded in greeting, looking embarrassed. "I... um... I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?" Clark asked curiously.
"For not pressing charges." He said, his eyes dropping.
"It was Lex he was attacking," Clark pointed out, "So it was Lex's call to make. I supported the decision, don't get me wrong, but Lex is the one you should thank."
From the expression that crossed the boy's face at the suggestion, Clark knew Lex shouldn't hold his breath waiting for that particular thank you.
"You were the one who got hurt." He pointed out.
"It was just a scratch. Doesn't even hurt." Clark said dismissively.
"And you're the one who told Sullivan not to put it in the paper." He added.
Clark looked up in surprise, then flashed him a little smile, "Just making sure she doesn't stoop to slandering... or libeling rather, people who are just a little down on their luck. Wouldn't want the Torch turning into the Inquisitor, now would we? Besides, everyone deserves a second chance. In fact, if your dad can stick with the program and get himself cleaned up, I think he should reapply at LexCorp."
Tommy gave a snort, "Lex would never hire him back after dad went berserker on him like that!"
Clark shrugged, "Maybe not... but what's the worse that could happen? He gets turned down. I think it's worth a try, though. Lex is a good man, whether you believe it or not. He might just surprise you." Clark said, giving him a light pat on the shoulder as he went past him, hurrying on to his next class.
- 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0- 0 - 0 -
Well, that had been the longest school day in history! Still, in a way Clark was sad to see it end. Now he had no excuse not to go home and face his parents.
Of course he could always stop by the Talon and check to make sure Lana didn't need to order anything. Sure, she could simply pick up the phone and call his mother if she wanted to, but it was on his way home anyway... well, kind of at any rate.
As he approached the Talon, he looked up in time to see a flash of copper. Chloe had just entered the coffee shop. While seeing the color on her was jarring, he had to admit she wore it well. He slowed a little, hoping she'd take a seat a ways in and not notice him enter. He didn't want to avoid her, really... and yet he still feared she'd ask him more questions about the other day.
He slipped in, then headed over to the counter. Lana was filling a tray with drinks. He waited until she finished and the waitress whisked the tray away.
"Clark!" Lana said, spotting him, "I tried to say hello to you today after lunch and you just walked past me like I wasn't there! I was starting to think you were avoiding me!"
"I did?" Clark said, genuinely surprised, "Sorry. I was a bit distracted today."
She bobbed her head, "Are you alright?"
He glanced up and noticed she was staring at his sleeve, "Oh, that? It's fine. Didn't even need stitches."
"It sure bled a lot..." She muttered uncertainly.
"Oh! The towel! I'm sorry. It's in to be washed, but I rather doubt it'll be in any condition to use again. Blood doesn't come out of cloth easy, especially white cloth. I'll buy you a new one."
She waved it off, "Oh, don't worry about that." She said, then leaned a bit closer, "I put that and the dented tray on Lex's tab." She added with a chuckle.
Clark rolled his eyes, but knew Lex probably wouldn't care.
"Can I get you anything, sir?" She asked in a mock business tone.
"How about a mocha?" He said, giving her a wane smile.
"Yes, sir. One mocha coming right up!" She said, going over and quickly making it up, then set the mug before him. As she let go of it and shifted back, she suddenly grabbed for something at her neck. "This darn thing!" She said in irritation, holding up a necklace, the ends hanging loose, "The clasp lets go at the drop of a hat! I'd just tie the cord in a knot, but it isn't long enough!"
"Let me see. Maybe I can fix it." Clark offered, holding out his hand.
"Sure." She said gratefully, dropping it into his palm.
The oddest little shiver when through Clark as the necklace settled in his hand. He looked down at it in surprise, recognizing the thin rose quartz point. "Hey, I saw one just like this at the market yesterday."
"Did you?" Lana asked with a little half smile, "You like it?"
He gave a little shrug, "Not exactly my color, but I bet it looks good on you." He said, flashing her a little smile as he examined the clasp. It was a rather cheaply made one, and the hook was bent a bit oddly.
"Oh, I have to go get that table." She said quickly, grabbing up her order pad and hurrying off.
Clark just nodded absently, trying to get his fingers to manipulate the tiny hook without mashing it into a useless ball of wire.
"I'm glad you talked me out of that article." Chloe said, seeming to appear out of nowhere and lean back against the counter next to him.
"Hmm?" Clark asked, glancing up.
"Tommy actually hugged me when I told him I wouldn't print anything about his dad! Certainly made my day! I'd forgotten how unbelievably hot Tommy Fischer is. He usually hides it in that hoodie, but he has a really rockin body. God, look at that butt!" She sighed longingly, gazing intently across the room.
Clark turned, following her gaze. Tommy was there, all right. He could see her point, he did have a great butt. And the way that really thin cotton shirt hugged him you could see how trim and flat his stomach was. Being on the swim team was obviously keeping the young man in prime shape. Tommy looked over at him, noticing his gaze, and flashed him a disarming smile before looking back away. Damn! Why hadn't Clark ever noticed how unbelievably gorgeous Tommy's brilliant green eyes were? Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember noticing what color they were before. How could he possibly have missed that? He'd stood no more than two feet from him just a couple of hours before and he'd never noticed any of that!
"People are going to get odd ideas about you if you keep staring at Tommy like that, Clark." Chloe said mirthfully, turning around and stealing a sip of his mocha.
Clark quickly turned his head back away, trying not to blush. "Just thinking." He muttered, fixedly going back to messing with the clasp. What the Hell was that about? He had sex with one guy and now he was suddenly finding other guys attractive? But that was so weird, because he hadn't been noticing boys like that in school, and he'd been specifically paying attention to that to see if he saw guys any differently now. What had changed all of a sudden? Well, he didn't really feel like doing anything with Tommy, but he couldn't help but appreciate his attractive body. It was almost like it was with some attractive girls. He liked to stare at them and 'appreciate' them visually, even if they held no real personal interest for him. Still, he'd never done that with a guy before!
"I see Lana showed you her necklace." Chloe observed, spotting the crystal in his hand.
"The clasp is messed up. I'm just trying to fix it for her." He said distractedly. He almost had the little hook right.
"You know why she bought it, don't you?" Chloe asked with a mischievous grin.
He looked up at her, "Why?"
"Trish stopped in here after the market and was showing some of the girls her left over jewelry. She happened to mention that you'd stopped by her booth, and that you'd been very drawn to that particular necklace." Chloe said leadingly.
Lana had bought a necklace just because he'd liked it?
"Personally, I wouldn't touch the thing!" Chloe said, eyeing the point warily.
"Not into rose quartz?" Clark asked, smiling at her.
"Oh, please! Is that what she told you it was?" She asked with a snort of amusement.
He furrowed his brow, looking at the innocuous little crystal. "Ya. What, you think it isn't?"
"I happen to know it isn't." Chloe said confidently. "Quartz, no matter the color, forms primarily with six sides. Sometimes there are facets near the point that can give it more 'faces', but around the middle of the main crystal there is rarely anything but six sides. That little bugger has eight sides! I've never heard of a naturally occurring crystal that forms with that many, especially with each side being almost perfectly matched like that."
"You think it's fake?"
"No. I think that came out of one of those meteors." Chloe said matter of factly.
Clark's eyes widened and darted over to the crystal in his hand, "What makes you think that? I've never heard of meteor rock coming in pink!"
"I have. Her brother had some nice pink octahedrons about the size of a half dollar that he said were slices of a single perfect crystal from a meteor rock his cousin found. He probably gave Trish the little ones that were too small for him to work with and she didn't bother to ask what they were. She's not exactly an expert. She tried to sell me a cheap fiber optic bead necklace saying it was 'natural cat's eye stone'! I mean who would honestly be dumb enough to fall for that? They were even all identical! Natural stone just doesn't work like that!"
Clark set the necklace down and moved his hand away from it, then just stared at it. If it came from a meteor, chances are it affected him in some way... but exactly what did it do to him? He'd felt the shiver of power when he touched it, so he didn't doubt it... in fact he should have wondered about that possibility before, but he'd hoped they had seen the last of the different colors with red. Was this a watered down version of red? It didn't seem to make him irrational. His eyes widened again as he made the association, realizing the bracelet Lex had purchased had a large pink stone set in it that matched that description exactly! He'd though he was just feeling a bit of the red... what had the pink been doing to him? Oh God... it wasn't the reason why he was noticing guys, was it? He couldn't deny that he only just started noticing them when he had that crystal in his hand. That couldn't just be a coincidence. He took his mug and used it as an excuse to lean away from the crystal, gazing at it warily as he sipped his mocha.
"Still, even if it isn't that green stuff, I wouldn't touch it." Chloe went on, oblivious to his distraction, "I mean with all the meteor freaks we have wandering around here I think we'd all do well to avoid anything that fell out of the sky that day!"
He looked over at her, wondering how she'd feel if she knew he'd fallen from the sky that day. Would she avoid him as well?
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
Well, he had to go home eventually. Amazingly, there was no one home when he got there! He spent about five minutes doing his chores (super speed was awesome!), then got cleaned up and went into the kitchen. He'd had lunch at school, but he was always hungry again by the time he got home. It was only about an hour until dinner, but Clark really didn't want to put up with an achingly empty stomach that long! Luckily, no one was in the house when he got there, so he hurried into the kitchen and started slapping together a quick sandwich.
He sighed as the screen door opened behind him. He should have used his super speed for this part too! He pretended not to notice, grabbing up the sandwich making supplies and returning them to the refrigerator.
"Leave it open a minute." His mother said quickly before he had a chance to close the refrigerator.
He stepped aside, holding the door open for her as she deposited a gallon of milk inside it, then started picking other cold items out of the bag she was holding and putting them in as well. He glanced around while he waited for her to finish, but didn't see his father. He was just starting to feel relief when he heard the front door open and close. He tried to stifle his groan as he realized his father had circled around to catch him off guard. He could practically feel him standing behind him, watching him.
As soon as his mother finished with the refrigerator Clark let it close, then dodged around his father, gathering his sandwich up in a napkin.
"Clark." His father said.
"I'm heading to the loft." Clark said quickly, grabbing up his backpack and throwing it over his shoulder. "Tons of homework to get done."
Clark started for the kitchen door, then stopped and sighed deeply as his father's hand took hold of his shoulder, bringing him up short when he was no more than two paces away from freedom. He stopped, but he pointedly didn't turn, keeping his back firmly to his father.
"I know what happened, son." His father said gently.
Clark's eyes shot wide and he froze. "What do you mean?" Clark asked, his voice carefully even. Dear God! If his father really knew...
"When you wouldn't talk to me last night I drove over to the castle."
"You WHAT?" Clark asked with a horrified edge, having to try hard not to yell it. He wanted to turn, to look at his face, praying he was lying to try to get Clark to give something away... but he didn't turn, knowing his father probably had done just that. He should have seen this one coming!
"Jonathan!" Martha hissed, obviously shocked and appalled that he would do something like that behind her back, "Was that the 'little drive' you took to 'clear your head'?"
"I know I probably shouldn't have, but damn it, I need to know what's going with my own son!" Jonathan said defensively.
"I didn't want to tell you every little detail of my life, so you felt perfectly justified in invading my privacy? You couldn't trust me and just take me at my word and leave it be for once? Was that really too much to ask?" Clark asked in a tightly contained voice.
"Don't talk to me like that!" Jonathan growled.
"He has every right to be angry at you, Jonathan!" Martha said in a deeply disappointed tone.
"Well, he should have told me!" Jonathan replied, "Teenaged temper tantrums aside, we need to know when he's hurt someone!"
Clark winced, closing his eyes.
"No..." She breathed, looking at her son, "Clark would never have hurt someone."
"He didn't mean to, Martha. Lex bought a bracelet at the market that had a piece of red meteor rock in it and Clark tried it on."
She let out a little alarmed gasp.
Jonathan held up his hand, "Calm down. Lex didn't tell me exactly what happened, but he just had some bumps and bruises. I'm sure he'll be fine." He said reassuringly.
Well, that explained why his father wasn't nearly as furious as he thought he would be. He obviously had no inkling they'd had sex. He just thought Clark had smacked Lex around a bit.
"Listen, it's ok." Jonathan said, obviously addressing Clark once more, "He isn't holding it against you. I told him you didn't mean any of it."
Clark's chest tightened, "Why... why would you tell him that?"
"It was that damn rock, not you. Lord knows you'd never hurt that man if you were in your right mind. Don't worry. I told him it was an allergic reaction to something you were exposed to yesterday."
"An allergic reaction?" Clark asked, aghast.
"Well, I had to tell him something, now didn't I? It's close enough to the truth, and he bought it."
Clark clenched his eyes shut. What must Lex be thinking now? God, he needed to go and try to explain it to him... but how could he? And even if he somehow came up with some brilliant explanation, how could he possibly face him now? As if he hadn't dreaded the next time they met enough already!
"He asked me to give you a message." Jonathan went on. "He said to tell you that he understood, and that it never happened. Like I said, he forgives you. There's no hard feelings."
It felt like a blade went through Clark's heart. God! Lex thought it was all some bizarre allergic reaction and that Clark had never meant any of it! Why did his father have to be so damn stubborn and bullheaded? He'd made a huge mess of everything and it was obvious he felt he should be thanked for it! He caught sight of his mother watching him from the side with a worried expression and carefully wiped all emotion from his face.
"Couldn't you have just left me alone?" Clark asked tightly, biting back all the angry words he was dying to throw at his father.
"Ok, I've had about enough of the attitude from you, mister!" Jonathan growled angrily, "I dealt with your mistake for you! I know losing control like that is probably upsetting for you, but it has to be dealt with! Things like this don't just go away on their own. I did you a God damn favor! You have no right to take your frustrations out on me!"
Clark finally turned around, looking his father in the eyes angrily. "I am not a child anymore!" Clark hissed, "Stop acting like you're chasing a toddler around and cleaning up his mess! If I make a mistake, I will deal with it myself! If I want your help, I'll ask. Otherwise butt out of my personal life!" he finished with a yell.
His father started an angry retort, but Clark didn't wait for it. His father tried to grab his arm, but it was like shrugging off a spider web. He left the house and walked towards the barn. He rather expected his father to chase after him, and he was tensed, ready to hit super speed if he heard him coming. All he heard was his father's growling voice coming from the kitchen being offset by his mothers soft, soothing tones.
He made it to the loft alone. He paced back and forth in front of the battered old couch, his emotions swinging wildly back and forth between barely contained rage and utter heartbreak. His father had ruined everything! How could he ever possibly make this right with Lex now?
He finally sat on the couch heavily, mired in an emotional downswing. He finally remembered what he was carrying and tossed the backpack on the floor and set the now rather less than perfect sandwich on the seat next to him. Luckily he'd been holding it by the gathered ends of the napkin or it would be a little wad of mush by now.
He sighed deeply, rubbing his hands over his face. This was so messed up! He slumped back, resting his head on the lumpy back of the couch and stared up at the rafters. Yes, he really did have homework... but right now he had too much to think about to deal with anything as trivial as math problems and the English paper due Friday.
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
Clark stirred as he felt his hair being stroked. He blinked his eyes open, then stared around in confusion. He was curled up on the couch in the loft, obviously having fallen asleep there. There was light coming in through the window and his mother was perched on the edge of the couch beside him, looking at him with a soft smile.
"He means well." She said softly.
Clark let out a sigh, averting his eyes.
"He's just a bit pig headed." She added.
Clark looked around warily, making sure his father wasn't nearby.
"Don't worry." She said, rising, "I hid the bag of sugar and sent him to the store for some more. You've probably got at least fifteen or twenty minutes before he gets back, so go get cleaned up and changed. I want to get a hot meal in you before you leave."
He quickly got up. "Thanks, mom." He said lovingly, giving her a kiss on the cheek before hurrying off.
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
He had to admit, being properly fed helped some. Well, it made his body feel better at least... but his mind was still firmly stuck in the clouds through the whole school day. He'd been so spaced he'd nearly flunked his math test. The bell rang for end of class and he realized he hadn't filled in a single little oval on the answer sheet! Luckily his mind could work as fast as his body when he needed it to. He had the test done in the thirty seconds or so it took the teacher to reach his desk, collecting the tests. He preferred to take his time, especially with word problems that required some thought, and he doubted he got a perfect score, but he was fairly certain he passed.
His trip home (of course) included another trip to the Talon. They were too busy for Lana to make small talk, but he was ok with that. He just sat back in one of the comfortable chairs and sipped a drink and let his mind wander. No matter how fast he could get his brain to work for things like math, he couldn't seem to contemplate the important stuff any faster than anyone else. If only he could fast forward to some epiphany about his sexuality, his relationship with Lex or what he could possibly say to Lex.
Once he was done with his drink, he got up and headed for the door. When he opened the door a glint of sunlight came in and he caught a gleam out of the corner of his eye coming from something on the floor just under the edge of the counter. Clark let go of the door and went over curiously, stooping down and fishing it out. He knew what it was even before he could see it. It tingled against his fingertips.
Clark stood up, looking at the little pink crystal in his fingers. Lana came out of the back room just then. She spotted her crystal and immediately reached up and patted where it should be. The leather strap was still there, though one end dangled loosely down the front of her shirt.
"Oh, this stupid thing!" She grumbled in exasperation, yanking the useless cord the rest of the way off and throwing it in the trash can. She drew a deep breath, then sighed it out. "I'll just have to put it away until I can find something to string it on that won't break every five minutes!" She said, holding her hand out for the charm.
Clark eyed the charm, but didn't hand it back. "Actually, I think my mom has some cord that would work. Why don't I take it home and string it and give it back tomorrow at school?" He offered.
She blinked in surprise, then smiled. "That would be really nice. Thanks, Clark." She said gratefully.
"No problem." Clark said, turning and leaving. He put the crystal in his pocket and started walking home. He knew it was stupid to play with meteor rock of any kind... but he desperately wanted to know exactly what this variety did to him. If he knew that, maybe he could understand what he was feeling.
He got home and did his chores quickly, then got a spare silk cord from his mother's craft supplies and retreated to his loft. Luck was with him and his mother's efforts as mediator appeared to be paying off. His father didn't try to confront him or go anywhere near the barn. Once again ignoring his homework, Clark focused instead on experimenting with the little crystal. He tried every experiment he could think of. Most of it involved looking through a magazine with and without the crystal around his neck. Still, he wasn't exactly a scientist, so interpreting the results of the tests was a bit of guess work. The only thing certain he discovered was that close contact appeared to be necessary, and the effects took somewhere between fifteen and twenty minutes to wear off after he lost contact with the crystal (he checked every five minutes, so further tests would be necessary for anything more accurate).
While the fact that it was affecting him was obvious, the precise nature and limits of what that effect was was difficult to determine. Well, he definitely noticed things about men when the crystal was with him that he never noticed without it. He'd probably leafed through the magazine he was using at least a couple of times cover to cover in the past. He remembered how many really hot young women it had plastered across the pages... but to be honest he hadn't really noticed the men in it. In fact, he was rather surprised with how many men there were! They were like background to him before. With that little crystal dangling against his chest, the magazine suddenly became twice as interesting! The couples were two unbelievably attractive people, not just a hot girl on the arm of a faceless suit like before. And man, did all of the guys in that magazine have incredible eyes!
Ok, so it made him attracted to guys... but he still liked the girls too, didn't he? They still looked attractive to him... but was it actual interest, or just a lingering notion from when he saw them before the crystal? He probably needed a new magazine that he'd never seen before to be sure, but he only had the one. He wouldn't even have that one if Lana hadn't forgotten it there one time and never remembered to retrieve it.
"You missed dinner, dear."
Clark jumped a little, his eyes darting up from the magazine. Much to his embarrassment his mother was standing there no more than a few feet away with a plate of food and a tall glass of iced tea. He quickly closed the magazine and dropped it on the couch next to him, hoping she didn't see that he'd been staring at that really hot guy with the sexily tousled hair, his billowing cotton shirt half off and the button of his tight jeans undone, giving the camera an unbelievably smoldering "fuck me" gaze. He wasn't sure what they were selling, but he was pretty sure people were buying it with advertising like that!
"I thought you might be hungry." She said, holding them out.
He quickly took the offerings.
"We're heading to bed. Get to sleep soon. You have school tomorrow." She said, going over to the corner and pulling out a blanket. She brought it over and draped it over the back of the couch, "And if you sleep here again, please cover up. It can get chilly at night."
"Thanks, mom." Clark said softly, "For everything."
She flashed him a little smile. "All part of my job description." She quipped. "Good night, Clark."
"Night, mom." He said.
She wandered back off towards the house.
Experiments forgotten for the moment, Clark dug into his food. When he was done eating, he took the plate over and set it where he'd remember to take it in in the morning. That he'd be sleeping out here again wasn't even a question in his mind. He still couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed by his father, and he didn't want to be anywhere near him for a while. Yes, he knew his father hadn't meant to screw up Clark's life... but he had. Maybe if Clark could get this all ironed out somehow he'd be feeling more generous towards him... but for the moment he was finding it really hard to forgive him.
Not really ready for sleep, he went ahead and did his English paper. In fact, he just wished it'd taken longer. Once he'd decided what he wanted to write, it had only taken him about a minute to complete it... and that was just because he'd had to stop and sharpen the pencil three times.
He put his homework back away and wandered back over to the couch. He settled down on it, going back to his previous ponderings about the crystal and its effects on him. Well, yes, he obviously found many of those men very attractive and beautiful in a way he never had before, and he had to admit looking as those smooth, hard chests with rippling muscles gave him the urge to run his hand down them. Still, he'd been avoiding thinking too much about the more specifically sexual desire part of it, but he supposed he'd have to explore that sooner or later... and he only had the crystal for tonight.
He used his x-ray vision, gazing over towards the house and making sure his parents were indeed both in bed. Once he was assured they appeared to be settled in for the night and wouldn't be walking in on him again, he picked the magazine back up and shifted his thoughts to sex. He had to ask himself if the attraction he felt for those men extended to actual sexual desire. Well, he quickly discovered it was hard to imagine with flat, still faces on a piece of paper (even with that windblown Adonis gazing at him), so he tossed aside the magazine once more and decided to use an example from his own life.
Tommy.
So he focused on the young man, picturing him in his mind. He'd seen him countless times at school, of course, but he had to focus on seeing him in the Talon the day before... because before that, Tommy had never made a real strong mental image in his head. It was strange how vividly he'd come into focus the minute Clark had that crystal in his hand. He could still remember how he looked, standing there in those tight jeans and thin, clinging cotton shirt. Then the mental image looked at him and gave him that brilliant smile, those unbelievably beautiful eyes gazing at him. There's no doubt, Tommy was what Chloe would call 'drool worthy'. It was embarrassing, but he tried to imagine himself kissing the boy... actually reaching out and running his hand over that flat, toned stomach, then taking him into his arms and pulling him close.
Clark opened his eyes, his brow furrowing. The thought had given him an unpleasant squirm in his stomach. He contemplated that, trying to figure out what unsettled him about the thought. The only conclusion he could come to was that it was because he simply didn't know the boy in any real way. He was barely what Clark would consider an acquaintance. When they'd spoken after class was probably the most they'd ever said to each other. Yes, thinking about it, that conversation definitely contained more words than all their other interactions up to that point combined. It would be like going up to some strange but hot girl and trying to make out with her. Sure you'd think that'd be cool... but Clark just wasn't the type to do something like that. The very idea made him blush.
So... what about a guy he knew well then? Well, he only really had one close male friend other than Lex, and that was Pete. "Ew!" Clark said involuntarily, reeling himself back from the mental image before he even got close to kissing him. Pete was a great friend and all... but with or without that necklace, he just wasn't Clark's type in that way. It wasn't anything to do with race, as he'd found a number of dark skinned men quite appealing in that magazine. It just way didn't feel right. In a way he was grateful he felt that way. Being able to think of Pete like that, crystal or no, would have made him feel really uncomfortable around him (whether Pete knew why or not).
So why had he been so instantly drawn to Lex? He thought back over their relationship, examining his feelings for the man. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that if Lex had been a girl he would have been very interested in him from the beginning. So many things about the man drew him... his personality, his sense of humor, his strength of character, his protective nature, the way he didn't let people push him around... and even that little hint of a dark, vindictive side he sometimes displayed fascinated Clark, though he was embarrassed to admit it, even to himself. He'd just never given a single thought to the sexual magnetism those traits held for him before. It was surprising when he thought about it. How could he possibly not have noticed how much everything about Lex appealed to him before? Heck, put him in Tommy's tight pants and clinging shirt and...
Clark let out a little groan and shifted, his pants suddenly uncomfortably tight. He looked down. Yep, hard as a rock. One little mental image of Lex, not even one of them doing anything, and he was straining the stitching on his jeans. He should probably take the crystal off and see if he had the same reaction... but then he didn't think he could handle being in this 'condition' for the fifteen or twenty minutes it took for the effects to wear off... besides, he should probably start the 'test' fresh... and it was incredibly tempting to work out this little problem before moving on...
He rubbed himself slowly through his jeans, biting his lip and imagining running his hand over Lex's chest through thin cotton. Then again, he did love those nice button down shirts Lex liked to wear. Oh yeah... he imagined himself slowly pulling Lex's shirt open, popping off those buttons one by one as the cloth slowly parted, revealing that perfect, hairless chest. He imagined Lex looking up at him... that slow, seductive smile spreading across Lex's lips like it had on Sunday. He started trying to remember where he'd left his bottle of hand lotion...
"Clark?"
Clark's eyes shot open.
"Hey, Clark? You up there?" Chloe's voice called, coming closer.
Clark snatched up the spare blanket his mother had left and put it on his lap. Not a great disguise, but he didn't exactly have time to get rid of the problem.
"Ya, I'm up here." He called back.
Chloe bounced up the last few steps and walked over, plopping down on the couch beside him. "Hey there. I saw the light, so I figured you'd be here. I'm glad I don't have to pitch pebbles at your window or something... but why are you still out here this late?"
"I was kind of planning on staying out here tonight." Clark said, toying with the corner of the blanket and hoping she assumed he was about to go to sleep and that's why he had it there. "Me and my dad kind of got into it, and I just... I don't really want to be in the same house as him right now."
She reached over and took his hand, looking concerned, "You ok? What'd you argue about?"
Clark just shook his head, staring down at the blanket, "I don't really want to talk about it." He muttered.
"Ok..." She said, nodding her head. "Have you seen Lex yet?"
His eyes shot up in surprise, "No. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I just saw him. Lana was closing tonight, and I was giving her a ride home. He came in to get a cappuccino to go and check on an order." She said, watching him carefully.
"How... um... how did he look?" Clark asked, feeling a little uneasy.
"He looked fine." She said, "His wrist was wrapped, but that was it. He didn't move stiffly or act like he was in any kind of pain or anything. With how upset you were when you said you hurt him the other day I was afraid it was much worse."
"It looked really bad..." Clark said, stunned. Well, hopefully that meant he really hadn't had internal injuries. They had to operate for that, didn't they? And he'd hardly be walking around already if he had an operation. God, if he was ok... that was such a load off Clark's mind! He knew Chloe would never lie to him about anything like this, otherwise he wouldn't be able to believe it was true.
"You should really talk to him." She said coaxingly, "You two are such good friends... I don't know what happened Sunday, but whatever it was, I'm sure Lex will forgive you."
"Thanks for the advice." He said in a neutral voice.
She caught the subtle 'leave it alone' tone and desisted. She sighed and looped her arms around his arm and leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder.
After the silence started drawing out a bit she obviously felt the need to fill it and started talking about the next issue of the Torch and how Kim Kwon was whining about how the picture of her face above her little gossip column wasn't color, and how she'd like the show the girl what she thought about her sleazy little column... something involving a lighter, but Clark wasn't really listening to what she was saying.
Clark couldn't help but enjoy the way she was kind of cuddled up to him and the way her leg was pressed up against his. She was wearing a somewhat short skirt that day and it had shifted up a bit on the side when she sat down, so it showed some of her thigh. Continuing his earlier ponderings, he turned his attention to her and how he felt about her. He gazed at her, watching her face as she spoke. She was just staring forward, going on and on like she often did. He liked the way her lips moved. He'd always found her attractive. He'd never had a problem fantasizing about her... and he quickly found that now was no exception. In fact, it was a lot easier while they were alone together and she was wearing that skirt. The hair was really growing on him too. It seemed to almost glow in the muted lighting, surrounding her face like a warm red halo.
He slid his hand onto her exposed knee. Her eyes went wide and her speech faltered. She looked down at the hand, then hesitantly up at Clark, realizing for the first time that he was staring at her. She just sat there, staring back, her mouth half open but unable to make herself ask what he was doing.
He leaned over, kissing her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she immediately leaned into it. It was wonderful! He parted his lips and she took the opening. Her tongue darted across his, sending shivers of pleasure through him. She wasn't as good as Lex, but...
He quickly blocked out the thought, concentrating on the feel of her. Her hand strayed down and he felt the blanket pulled off, then he suddenly found her straddling his lap. Well, arousal certainly wasn't a problem. He was already achingly hard once more. Almost without thought, his hands slipped up from her waist and on up under her shirt... sliding up until they each cradled one of her breasts. They were firm but yielding, the heat of her body radiating through the thin material of her bra tantalizingly. He rubbed his thumbs over her firm nipples through the material and she broke the kiss with a moan of desire.
Chloe reached down and tugged off her shirt, then unclasped her bra. He gladly let her slip the thin material out of the way. He gazed at her breasts while he very gently massaged them. He'd barely ever even brushed a breast through a shirt before. They were just as amazing as he'd always imagined they would be. God, he wanted to know what they'd feel like pressed against him. He shifted back slightly, quickly pulling his t-shirt off, then pulled her close, moaning softly as he felt her flesh burning against his. It felt amazing. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she pressed herself up against him, nothing between them but the little pink crystal around his neck.
He let up on her and pushed her back a bit, leaning his head down and giving her nipple a lick. She shivered. He took the nipple into his mouth and sucked on it ever so gently, running his tongue over it at the same time. Chloe shuddered and moaned against him, grabbing a handful of his hair and pressing him closer. She shifted around a little as he suckled at her breast. He heard a zipper, then felt a little tug of material. Chloe shifted closer still, her hips pressing up against him.
He reached down, sliding his hand down to cup her butt... and found she was down to some rather small lace underwear. He shifted his head back, looking down to confirm it. Yep. Nothing but blue lace. She pulled him back over, claiming his lips hungrily as she reached down, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants.
Suddenly it dawned on Clark that this wasn't about Chloe. This was about him. This was him trying to prove to himself that he wasn't gay. He was leading her on, making her think he wanted her when he knew he wasn't really going to have sex with her. He couldn't. He didn't even have the meager protection of that necklace Lex had given him, not to mention his anatomy would do her serious damage even without super strength.
He pulled his lips away from hers and turned his head, disgusted with himself for what he'd been doing. How could he have used her like this? She was one of his closest friends, and he'd known she wanted to be more. He just wanted to prove to himself that he wanted to have sex with her. What if he'd deluded himself too well and let things get out of hand before he could stop himself? What if he'd given her hope that they would be so much more than just friends and now she'd be crushed and hate him? She'd have every right to be mad at him, too. The realization of how selfish and inconsiderate he was being to Chloe cleared the lust fog from his brain almost instantly. Clark gently pulled her hands away from his pants, "We should stop." He panted.
"Why?" Chloe groaned a bit petulantly, trying to reclaim his lips.
He turned his head away again and shifted back, "I don't want to lead you on, and this can't go much further." he said firmly.
"Why not?" Chloe asked, looking at him with a hurt expression. "Because I'm not Lana?" She asked, giving the little crystal a flick with her finger.
Clark let out an exasperated sigh, "You know what? Cut it out already with the massive inferiority complex! If I wanted to be with Lana, I'd be with Lana. I'm not, now am I?"
Chloe flinched a bit from the reprimand, dropping her eyes. She sat there for a moment, then said tentatively, "Then what's the problem?"
"I don't want to hurt you." Clark said gently, "And besides, I don't..." He trailed off with embarrassment, then took a breath and forced it out, "I don't have any protection, ok?"
Her sadness instantly melted away, "Oh!" She said in surprise, then a smile broke across her face, "Wait! I do! I still have that condom they handed out in that horrible Sex Ed class..." She said, climbing off his lap and to the other end of the couch, grabbing up her purse.
He let out a little groan, "It's not going to work, Chloe." He said sadly, "It won't fit."
"Oh come on, Clark. These things are pretty much one size fits all!" She replied, pulling it out.
"No," He said evenly, "They're one size fits most. I just don't happen to be 'average'."
Chloe giggled, dropping her purse down beside the couch, "Oh please, Clark!" She said mirthfully, "I know this is Smallville, but a big, strapping farm boy like you certainly can't be that small!"
He rolled his eyes, then shifted up his hips and pushed his jeans down.
Chloe's eyes went round as she gazed down at his straining boxers. "Um... Clark... did you happen to lose a really big flashlight? Or perhaps the entire contents of your sock drawer?"
"You still think that thing would fit me?" Clark asked with a hint of sad sarcasm.
Chloe eyed the little condom package, then sighed and tossed it back down into her purse. She gazed down at his boxers for a long moment, then she reached out, running her fingers over him through the thin cloth.
Clark shut his eyes and let out a little involuntary groan as he twitched against her fingers. She quickly grew bolder, pressing her hand firmly against him. "Chloe, please!" He panted, "Don't start what we can't finish. Even if I had a condom that would fit... I'd hurt you. I don't think I can be with a woman until I know for sure she's the one I want to be with for the rest of my life..."
"Cause you'd probably ruin her for other guys!" She said teasingly, her eyes still glued to the bulge she was running her fingers over.
"Exactly." He sighed sadly, "So I have to be sure first... and I'm not. Please don't take that wrong, though. I just... I really like you, and I care about you... but sixteen is a bit young to be making lifetime commitments."
She pulled her gaze away from his boxers, looking up at him, a great sadness entering her eyes. "So that's why you always seem to pull away whenever you're getting close. I'm sorry I've been so bitchy to you whenever you pushed me away. I should have known you were just trying to protect me. You always are."
"I just don't want to hurt anyone. If I ever tried to have sex with a virgin..."
Chloe grimaced at the thought. As much as she desperately wanted to have sex with him, she knew that it probably would be horribly painful. She nodded thoughtfully, then a little, tentative smile slipped over her lips. "Still... you don't have to be a complete monk until you find that special girl, you know... There are things you can do without going all the way. Things that would probably feel really good..." She said temptingly.
He couldn't bring himself to ask her what exactly she was implying... but she didn't wait for him to ask. She started tugging down his tight boxers. He knew he really, really shouldn't... but he found himself shifting his hips up again and pushing his boxers down out of the way for her.
She couldn't take her eyes off him as she started touching him tentatively. From the look of wonder on her face he strongly suspected she'd never really seen one before. Well, never up close in real life at any rate. He idly wondered if all the other boys she would ever be with in the future would hate him for raising her expectations to such a ridiculous level.
Such musings instantly vanished when she leaned down. His breath caught in his chest as she kissed it right on the tip. He closed his eyes and shivered as her warm breath tingled over his swollen flesh. There were a million reasons why he should stop her right now... but they scattered and disappeared when she tentatively started using her hot tongue. He let out an groan of pleasure.
Emboldened by the pleasure she was obviously giving the boy she loved so dearly, Chloe pressed on, taking him in her mouth and starting to suck on him. She couldn't even get half of him in, but he didn't seem to be objecting. To be honest, she'd never been able to comprehend the allure of going down on a boy. Ok, obviously the boy had good reason to enjoy it, but she'd never understood why some girl said they enjoyed doing it. She understood completely now. Seeing and hearing the pleasure she was giving Clark... feeling his body responding to her... it was the most amazing feeling.
Clark moaned in ecstasy, shifting down a bit to give her a better angle. He knew he never should have even thought about trying this without at least putting that resin necklace on, but he couldn't even make himself think about stopping her now. He pushed up to meet that welcoming mouth and questing tongue, but it took every ounce of restraint he had to keep from thrusting hard enough to throw her... or worse. It was obvious she didn't really have much (if any) experience at this... but she had an amazing learning curve! God, he had the almost irresistible urge to grab her hair, but he was sure anything he did after that would probably kill her, so he fought it off. He clutched the back of the couch with one hand, the arm of the couch with the other. He could feel the sturdy piece of wood running along the back of the couch for support compressing in his grasp and knew he'd ruin the couch entirely if this lasted much longer.
"Chloe," He panted desperately, "Chloe we need to stop..."
She let up on him and he let out a little gasp of relief... but then she quickly shifted closer and straddled him.
"Chloe, what are you doing?" he asked in alarm, looking down and noting she'd somehow gotten out of her underwear by this point as well.
"Not putting you inside me, if that's what you're thinking." She panted as she settled down on him, starting to rub against his achingly hard flesh. "But I think I should get at least a little pleasure out of this too, don't you?" She said in a low, husky voice.
He closed his eyes, his hips starting to rut him up against her without waiting for his mind to agree. Chloe groaned rapturously as she writhed on top of him. Lubrication certainly wouldn't be a problem!
Clark just gave in, not even able to make himself put up a fight. He kept his hands latched firmly onto the couch, but let her use his willing body. Much to his chagrin, he found himself thinking about Lex. He opened his eyes and gazed up at Chloe's enraptured face, the way her breasts bounced as she pleasured herself, the bright flush of arousal on her skin across her collar bones and leading down between those perfect breasts... the sight of her was amazing... it was more than he'd ever imagined. Perfect save for the fact that he wasn't actually sheathed inside that beautiful body. Still, this was even better than he'd ever imagined sex with her would be... so why did he keep closing his eyes?
In his mind he just remembered Lex on top of him, the pleasure on his face... the smooth, hairless perfection of his body as he undulated on top of him. God how he'd wanted to reach down and stroke Lex like Lex's body was stroking him. Chloe started to shake against him and he imagined Lex's face as he finished. Clark called out as he thrust up, his peak raging through his body.
As he slowly came back down, he realized she was pressed against him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "You ok, Chloe?" he panted worriedly.
"As long as you're not going to try to throw me again." She said with a hint of mirthful teasing. "Is it safe to let go now?"
"Sorry!" He quickly apologized, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "Ya, I'm done."
"Well no kidding!" She said, shifting up a bit. He'd left quite a mess across both of their bellies and trailing up nearly to his neck.
"Sorry about that... it gets a bit messy when..." He trailed off, feeling mortified.
"That's ok." She said, shifting back down and resting her head on his shoulder, just holding him silently.
Clark wasn't sure what he should do now. He'd never intended for things to go this far. He was incredibly relieved she was still intact and apparently undamaged... but he was afraid she was going to take this wrong. He couldn't stand the thought of deceiving her. Not about this.
"Chloe..." He said gently, slipping his arms around her, "That was amazing... really it was. I've never been... intimate with a girl before... and I'll always remember it, and I will always love the fact that you were the first girl I've... been with... kind of been with anyway."
She smiled against him, holding him a bit tighter.
He wished he could leave it at that, but he knew he couldn't in good conscience, "But what I said before... about not being ready to..."
"Shut up, Clark." Chloe said, nuzzling up to him more.
"I just don't want you to think..." He continued.
She reached up and pressed her hand over his mouth, silencing him. "I know what you're saying, Clark. I'm just telling you to stop. I get it. Really. You're not misleading me." She let her hand slide off his mouth.
He shifted his head around so he could see her. She gazed back with sad eyes, but a little half smile on her lips. "I've known for a while now that we were never going to be together. Making that realization stick just takes a bit of getting used to. This wasn't me trying to win your love or anything ridiculous like that. If anything... this was more about me getting this, getting the notion of us, out of my system." She stroked his cheek lovingly, "You are the most loving, caring, amazing boy I've ever met, and I'm never going to find another like you. You would be absolutely perfect for me... but we both know I'm not perfect for you."
"Chloe..." He started sadly.
She pushed her fingertips to his mouth again, "Not done talking, Clark."
She took her fingers away, but he dutifully remained silent.
"As I was saying... I'm ok with that. Admittedly, I wasn't at first..." She conceded, giving him a sad little smile, "But there's no point trying to make us fit together when we just weren't meant to. Not like this anyway." She said, glancing down at his naked flesh sadly. She laid her head back down on his shoulder. "Your heart was meant for someone else, and I think we both know that. I admit, I'm a bit jealous of whomever that lucky person might be... but I'm not going to try to mess up your chances of being happy. I love you too much for that."
"But... you'll still be my friend, won't you?" Clark asked worriedly.
Chloe smiled, "Clark, true friendship never goes away. Sure we might get mad at each other on occasion, but we'll always forgive and forget in the end. Friendship is a bond of love, whether those friends want to admit that or not. I just had to realize what kind of love you and I shared."
"So... you're ok with just being friends...?" He asked tentatively. He never really expected her to give up on the possibility of them being together. Not that he minded! He did care for her very deeply... he just didn't really want to marry her or anything. Though, judging from her performance tonight, that might have been interesting...
She gave a little chuckle, "There's no 'just' about being friends with you, Clark. That makes it sound like a conciliation prize. You're the best friend anyone could ever hope to have."
He hugged her gently to him, his eyes irritatingly watery. "I do love you, Chloe." He whispered, "I've always known that... I just didn't say it because I didn't think you'd understand what I meant before."
She hugged him tightly and they just held each other for a time.
"Um... Clark...?" She said after a few minutes.
"Ya?" He asked.
"I'm kinda getting cold."
He laughed and let go of her. She got up and he grabbed up his shirt off the floor. They used it to clean up the mess and then got their remaining clothes back on. They sat there for a minute after they were dressed, not sure exactly what to do next.
"Well." Chloe said with forced cheerfulness. "I should get going! It's a school night!" She got up and grabbed up her bag, throwing it onto her shoulder.
"Thanks, Chloe." Clark said quickly before she could leave, "For everything... and especially for understanding."
She cocked her head to the side and gave him a little smile, "I'm very good at understanding when given the chance, Clark. You should try me more often."
He gave her a little nod.
She started for the stairs, but then stopped and turned back, "Oh, and Clark..." She said, her grin getting mischievous, "If neither of us are seeing anyone and you feel the need for a little... release... I wouldn't mind visiting your little fortress of solitude and making it a little less solitary. I mean what are friends for if they can't help each other out with a little bit of sexual frustration now and then?"
Clark laughed, rolling his eyes at her, "Chloe!"
She gave an exaggerated shrug, "What? Just saying!" She said, tromping down the stairs, "Something to keep in mind!" She called back as she made her way out of the barn.
Clark let out an amused breath, leaning back against the couch. He let out an exasperated sigh as the distressed wood gave under his weight and the back of the couch sagged, having lost its support. He ignored it for now. He'd figure out how to fix it later. He shifted around, resting his head on the arm of the couch (which was wobbly, but reasonably intact), gazing up at the high vaulted rafters of the barn, thinking about what she'd said about friendship.
- 0 – 0 – 0 -
Chloe slipped into the driver's seat of her car and tossed her purse in the other seat. She closed the door and put on her seat belt, then stared sightlessly out through the windshield for a minute. She just couldn't stop hearing Clark's voice in her head... hearing what he'd called out when he'd peaked. Admittedly, she'd never expected him to call out her own name in such a situation... but she certainly hadn't been expecting that!
Her heart ached for Clark. He must be so very confused right now! She knew he'd been wrestling with some dark secret... fighting some intense inner turmoil... but that's certainly not what she imagined it would be about! Well, if that's where his heart was, she would support him... and God knows she'd always felt the almost primal attraction between the two of them... had always thought they seemed to fit together like two halves of the same whole... but if that bald bastard broke Clark's heart she'd kill him herself!
She took a deep breath and sighed it out, then turned on the car, slipping it into drive. "Well, at least he didn't call me Lana." She muttered as she pulled away.
- 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 - 0 – 0 – 0 -
A/N – I'm still going back and forth on what I want to happen in chapter 6, but I'm fairly certain this chapter is how I want it to be either way. Besides, I could use a little motivation, and though I know not to expect too much I'm hoping for at least a couple of reviews. I actually didn't plan on waiting this long to post this, but I've been without internet for almost a week! Oh God it was Hell... I'm gonna post this now, in case (God forbid) anything happens to it again. (if you notice this was reposted, I just realized it somehow lost about a dozen edits, so I fixed it and reposted-just spelling type stuff)