Fic: Not With A Leap
Feb. 29th, 2008 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomcornerTitle: Not With A Leap
Author: Hils
Rating: G
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Lex/Clark
Words: 1,607
Summary: This particular day doesn’t happen every year. Written for the Superman birthday challenge.
Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danceswithgary for the beta
Clark woke cautiously, tensing for a moment, only allowing himself to relax when none of the usual pain or sounds of screams hit him. It might only happen once every four years, but it always seemed to come around too quickly…and take forever to end.
He decided to play it safe and skip breakfast, still remembering the last time, when he’d found kryptonite in his cornflakes. He flew to work and changed clothes in an alley next to The Daily Planet, hoping that the change in routine would keep the public transport system running smoothly. It still amazed him that everything had been shut down that one time, just to make him late for work.
“Morning, Smallville,” Lois greeted in an annoyingly chipper voice, flashing him a smile that instantly made him suspicious. “You want me to get you a coffee?”
“What do you want, Lois,” he sighed wearily. Whatever it was, he knew there would be no rest for him until she got it.
She threw up her hands in a mock surrender. “Okay, you caught me. I need you to help me find a birthday present for Superman. You know him better than anyone, and I suck at buying presents for guys.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “You want me to help you buy a present for Superman?”
“That’s what I just said,” Lois replied with a sigh of exasperation. “Did all those years on the farm leave you deaf as well as with a lifetime supply of plaid?”
He was so used to her jibes now that he barely even noticed them anymore. “Lois, you don’t have to get him anything.”
“Yeah, well, I want to. Now come on, I’ve got Jimmy covering for us with the Chief, and we need to be out of here before he spots us.”
He allowed Lois to drag him out of the building, knowing it would be more trouble than it was worth to argue with her about it. Now he was going to have to spend the day shopping for a present for himself, and he wondered just when his life had got so messed up and complicated.
“I’m guessing clothes are out,” Lois said as they walked. “Unless he wants a spare uniform. Even then, I suspect the stores are all out of Kryptonian material.
Clark simply walked, and let her talk. He didn’t like being out in the open, he decided. On any other day, it would have been fine, but today was different.
Today, anything could happen.
* * *
He was suspicious when lunch came and went without incident. No bombs, no kidnappings, not even a threat of a death ray pointed in the general direction of Metropolis. Something definitely wasn’t right.
By the time he got home, even the noises of the birds outside his window had him poised and ready to spring into action, and he spotted the envelope as soon as he walked through the front door of his apartment. It was sitting in the middle of his table, as if it had always been there, and seemed to be harmless.
It was addressed to Superman.
A quick glance with his x-ray vision told him that there was nothing inside the envelope but a single sheet of paper. He opened it carefully, fully expecting it to be written in kryptonite ink.
The plain black font surprised him, and he quickly read the note.
Meet me on the roof of The Daily Planet for your birthday surprise.
L.L.
Lois. It had to be. She’d dismissed Clark as useless after a frustrating morning of shopping, insisting she’d think of the perfect present for Superman on her own. Looks like she managed to find it.
It took him a fraction of a second to change into his costume, and he took off through the window of his apartment, leaving the note to flutter to the ground.
* * *
It was quiet when he landed on the roof, and he smiled at the dinner table that had been set up, a single candle flickering in the soft breeze. Lois had really chosen the perfect gift. A quiet dinner for two was just what he needed.
“Wine?”
He froze at the voice that most definitely did not belong to Lois. It was his own fault. He’d allowed himself to relax and he’d made assumptions. Now, he was going to pay for it.
“Let me guess, there’s red kryptonite in the wine, like the last bottle you sent me. I don’t think so, Lex. I’m leaving.”
“But I haven’t given you your birthday present yet.”
Clark closed his eyes and sighed. He could handle all the attacks that had been made against him over the years, but face-to-face confrontations with Lex were always much harder. “I don’t want anything from you.”
His eyes snapped open as he felt a piece of paper pressed into his hand and cool, smooth fingers brushing over his.
“Just take it,” Lex said softly. “Please.”
Now he was confused. Lex never said 'please.' It had always been demands and accusations with the odd maniacal laugh thrown in for good measure. That version of Lex, the one he’d grown familiar with, was nowhere in sight.
He glanced down at his hand where the corners of the paper were sticking out of his clenched fist. Torn between reading it and tossing it over the edge of the building, he simply stared for a few moments until, finally, curiosity won out. He smoothed out the paper and scanned the few lines written there.
“What is this?” he finally demanded.
“It is what it says it is,” Lex replied with a casual shrug.
Clark ran his eyes over the paper again, and then shook his head in disbelief. “This is what you’ve reduced yourself to this year? Trying to mess with my head? It’s not going to work, Lex, I’m long past falling for your cheap tricks.”
“It’s not a trick, Clark.”
“You expect me to believe that? Every year, since Lois mentioned my birthday in that article, you’ve gone out of your way to make sure it’s the most miserable day of my year.”
“I know,” Lex said quietly, “and I do appreciate that an apology can never make it right, but I assure you the gift is genuine.”
Clark raised a sceptical eyebrow. “And you just decided to do this today?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but today seemed like the best time to start. This particular day doesn’t happen every year, after all.”
Clark glanced down at the note again, surprised at how badly he wanted it all to be real. He’d grown so accustomed to treating Lex as his enemy that he hadn’t even thought about the man that he'd once considered a friend.
“What brought about this dramatic change of heart? Did you just decide you wanted to be a better person?”
“Would you believe me, if I said 'yes'?”
“No.”
Lex sighed. “Clark, my father is dead and my sixth wife just decided to leave me for someone younger and richer. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be alone in the world?”
Of course he did. He was the only survivor of a dead planet. No matter how many friends he surrounded himself with, there was a part of him that would always feel alone.
“You must be pretty desperate if you’ve come to me as a last resort,” he finally said softly.
“Not a last resort, Clark. You’ve always been first in my life. Why do you think all my wives keep leaving me? They hate finding out that I put you before them.”
“So stop!” Clark yelled in exasperation. “Lex, don’t you think this twisted obsession has gone on long enough? You’re throwing your life away because of it. Why can’t you just let it go?”
“Because I love you, damn it!” Lex snapped. “I can no more stop thinking about you, than you can stop saving people. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I gave you that gift.”
Even though he had already read it several times, he glanced down at the note again.
Clark,
You’ve shown your secrets to the world and, now, it’s time for you to see mine. I'm granting you full access to LexCorp in the hope that you’ll see that I’ve changed. I know it’s too much to hope that we can be friends again, but just know that I miss you.
Lex
His mind was reeling. Lex loved him. Lex missed him.
“So, what did you think was going to happen?” he finally managed to croak. “You’d give me the note, declare your love, and then we’d celebrate, with me letting you see my birthday suit?”
Lex smiled. “Actually, I was just hoping you’d have dinner with me. One step at a time, Clark.”
He glanced over at the table as his stomach let out an involuntary rumble. To Lex’s credit he didn’t laugh. The food did look good, and Lex had clearly taken the effort to prepare all of Clark’s favourites.
“I promise it isn’t poisoned,” Lex said, as he sat down and helped himself to some of the food. When the smell hit him, Clark caved and took a seat beside Lex, smiling gratefully as Lex poured him a drink.
“Why don’t you make a toast, since it’s your birthday,” Lex suggested.
Clark thought for a moment, and then raised his glass. “To old friendships and to mending broken bridges…one step at a time.”
Lex smiled and clinked his glass against Clark’s. “Happy birthday, Clark.”
“Thanks, Lex.”
The End.
Author: Hils
Rating: G
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Lex/Clark
Words: 1,607
Summary: This particular day doesn’t happen every year. Written for the Superman birthday challenge.
Thanks to
danceswithgary for the betaClark woke cautiously, tensing for a moment, only allowing himself to relax when none of the usual pain or sounds of screams hit him. It might only happen once every four years, but it always seemed to come around too quickly…and take forever to end.
He decided to play it safe and skip breakfast, still remembering the last time, when he’d found kryptonite in his cornflakes. He flew to work and changed clothes in an alley next to The Daily Planet, hoping that the change in routine would keep the public transport system running smoothly. It still amazed him that everything had been shut down that one time, just to make him late for work.
“Morning, Smallville,” Lois greeted in an annoyingly chipper voice, flashing him a smile that instantly made him suspicious. “You want me to get you a coffee?”
“What do you want, Lois,” he sighed wearily. Whatever it was, he knew there would be no rest for him until she got it.
She threw up her hands in a mock surrender. “Okay, you caught me. I need you to help me find a birthday present for Superman. You know him better than anyone, and I suck at buying presents for guys.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “You want me to help you buy a present for Superman?”
“That’s what I just said,” Lois replied with a sigh of exasperation. “Did all those years on the farm leave you deaf as well as with a lifetime supply of plaid?”
He was so used to her jibes now that he barely even noticed them anymore. “Lois, you don’t have to get him anything.”
“Yeah, well, I want to. Now come on, I’ve got Jimmy covering for us with the Chief, and we need to be out of here before he spots us.”
He allowed Lois to drag him out of the building, knowing it would be more trouble than it was worth to argue with her about it. Now he was going to have to spend the day shopping for a present for himself, and he wondered just when his life had got so messed up and complicated.
“I’m guessing clothes are out,” Lois said as they walked. “Unless he wants a spare uniform. Even then, I suspect the stores are all out of Kryptonian material.
Clark simply walked, and let her talk. He didn’t like being out in the open, he decided. On any other day, it would have been fine, but today was different.
Today, anything could happen.
* * *
He was suspicious when lunch came and went without incident. No bombs, no kidnappings, not even a threat of a death ray pointed in the general direction of Metropolis. Something definitely wasn’t right.
By the time he got home, even the noises of the birds outside his window had him poised and ready to spring into action, and he spotted the envelope as soon as he walked through the front door of his apartment. It was sitting in the middle of his table, as if it had always been there, and seemed to be harmless.
It was addressed to Superman.
A quick glance with his x-ray vision told him that there was nothing inside the envelope but a single sheet of paper. He opened it carefully, fully expecting it to be written in kryptonite ink.
The plain black font surprised him, and he quickly read the note.
Meet me on the roof of The Daily Planet for your birthday surprise.
L.L.
Lois. It had to be. She’d dismissed Clark as useless after a frustrating morning of shopping, insisting she’d think of the perfect present for Superman on her own. Looks like she managed to find it.
It took him a fraction of a second to change into his costume, and he took off through the window of his apartment, leaving the note to flutter to the ground.
* * *
It was quiet when he landed on the roof, and he smiled at the dinner table that had been set up, a single candle flickering in the soft breeze. Lois had really chosen the perfect gift. A quiet dinner for two was just what he needed.
“Wine?”
He froze at the voice that most definitely did not belong to Lois. It was his own fault. He’d allowed himself to relax and he’d made assumptions. Now, he was going to pay for it.
“Let me guess, there’s red kryptonite in the wine, like the last bottle you sent me. I don’t think so, Lex. I’m leaving.”
“But I haven’t given you your birthday present yet.”
Clark closed his eyes and sighed. He could handle all the attacks that had been made against him over the years, but face-to-face confrontations with Lex were always much harder. “I don’t want anything from you.”
His eyes snapped open as he felt a piece of paper pressed into his hand and cool, smooth fingers brushing over his.
“Just take it,” Lex said softly. “Please.”
Now he was confused. Lex never said 'please.' It had always been demands and accusations with the odd maniacal laugh thrown in for good measure. That version of Lex, the one he’d grown familiar with, was nowhere in sight.
He glanced down at his hand where the corners of the paper were sticking out of his clenched fist. Torn between reading it and tossing it over the edge of the building, he simply stared for a few moments until, finally, curiosity won out. He smoothed out the paper and scanned the few lines written there.
“What is this?” he finally demanded.
“It is what it says it is,” Lex replied with a casual shrug.
Clark ran his eyes over the paper again, and then shook his head in disbelief. “This is what you’ve reduced yourself to this year? Trying to mess with my head? It’s not going to work, Lex, I’m long past falling for your cheap tricks.”
“It’s not a trick, Clark.”
“You expect me to believe that? Every year, since Lois mentioned my birthday in that article, you’ve gone out of your way to make sure it’s the most miserable day of my year.”
“I know,” Lex said quietly, “and I do appreciate that an apology can never make it right, but I assure you the gift is genuine.”
Clark raised a sceptical eyebrow. “And you just decided to do this today?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but today seemed like the best time to start. This particular day doesn’t happen every year, after all.”
Clark glanced down at the note again, surprised at how badly he wanted it all to be real. He’d grown so accustomed to treating Lex as his enemy that he hadn’t even thought about the man that he'd once considered a friend.
“What brought about this dramatic change of heart? Did you just decide you wanted to be a better person?”
“Would you believe me, if I said 'yes'?”
“No.”
Lex sighed. “Clark, my father is dead and my sixth wife just decided to leave me for someone younger and richer. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be alone in the world?”
Of course he did. He was the only survivor of a dead planet. No matter how many friends he surrounded himself with, there was a part of him that would always feel alone.
“You must be pretty desperate if you’ve come to me as a last resort,” he finally said softly.
“Not a last resort, Clark. You’ve always been first in my life. Why do you think all my wives keep leaving me? They hate finding out that I put you before them.”
“So stop!” Clark yelled in exasperation. “Lex, don’t you think this twisted obsession has gone on long enough? You’re throwing your life away because of it. Why can’t you just let it go?”
“Because I love you, damn it!” Lex snapped. “I can no more stop thinking about you, than you can stop saving people. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I gave you that gift.”
Even though he had already read it several times, he glanced down at the note again.
Clark,
You’ve shown your secrets to the world and, now, it’s time for you to see mine. I'm granting you full access to LexCorp in the hope that you’ll see that I’ve changed. I know it’s too much to hope that we can be friends again, but just know that I miss you.
Lex
His mind was reeling. Lex loved him. Lex missed him.
“So, what did you think was going to happen?” he finally managed to croak. “You’d give me the note, declare your love, and then we’d celebrate, with me letting you see my birthday suit?”
Lex smiled. “Actually, I was just hoping you’d have dinner with me. One step at a time, Clark.”
He glanced over at the table as his stomach let out an involuntary rumble. To Lex’s credit he didn’t laugh. The food did look good, and Lex had clearly taken the effort to prepare all of Clark’s favourites.
“I promise it isn’t poisoned,” Lex said, as he sat down and helped himself to some of the food. When the smell hit him, Clark caved and took a seat beside Lex, smiling gratefully as Lex poured him a drink.
“Why don’t you make a toast, since it’s your birthday,” Lex suggested.
Clark thought for a moment, and then raised his glass. “To old friendships and to mending broken bridges…one step at a time.”
Lex smiled and clinked his glass against Clark’s. “Happy birthday, Clark.”
“Thanks, Lex.”
The End.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 11:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 11:41 am (UTC)Yeah, Clark has every reason to be paranoid but it all worked out ok for them in the end :)
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Date: 2008-02-29 12:39 pm (UTC)Good birthday fun!
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Date: 2008-02-29 01:07 pm (UTC)Glad you liked it. I'm going to put together a master list of birthay fics shortly.
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Date: 2008-02-29 01:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 01:50 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading and have a fab time in Seattle *g*
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Date: 2008-02-29 01:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 01:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 02:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 02:49 pm (UTC)Thanks for commenting
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Date: 2008-02-29 05:39 pm (UTC)I do like Lex trying to make amends but can't blame Clark for being wary! Still, Clark wants to believe so badly that all it takes is a little home cookin'! ;)
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Date: 2008-02-29 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 08:34 pm (UTC)Thanks for commenting
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Date: 2008-02-29 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-02-29 11:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 10:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 12:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 10:27 am (UTC)Hehe! That's a story just waiting to be written *g*
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Date: 2008-03-01 02:50 am (UTC)I think it's kinda cute that he spent so much time making Supes' birthdays annoying, well cute in a stalker-ish sort of way.
The ending was wonderful. They didn't just forgive and forget but there is hope that there will be happily ever after.
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Date: 2008-03-01 10:28 am (UTC)I'm glad you liked the ending :)
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Date: 2008-03-01 04:20 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-03-01 07:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-01 08:31 pm (UTC)that was lovely, though i did feel pity for clark when he said:
//Every year, since Lois mentioned my birthday in that article, you’ve gone out of your way to make sure it’s the most miserable day of my year//
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Date: 2008-03-01 08:40 pm (UTC)They'll be ok now and there will be lots of happy birthdays to come for Clark :)
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Date: 2008-03-06 07:43 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-11-17 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-20 08:23 pm (UTC)I love how twitchy Clark became the longer the day went on without anything happening.