SV fic post: East of the Sun part 32
6/2/08 03:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roxyI'm just sitting on these next few bits, have been for a while. I have so much stuff floating around, it's hard to concentrate on everything. I felt this fic tonight, I figured let me toss this out as long as it's talking to me. So here it is, as much a surprise to me as it is to you. Come my friends, let us step into the dark, mysterious Metropolitan night, turn up our trench collars against the biting sleet, as the notes of a jazzy saxophone drift into the air, and the hacks call out to us, "ride, miss?" We light our cigarette, (French, black, with a gold filter) and chuckle. No need, buddy…we're waiting for Destiny. We step off the rain glazed curb with a haughty toss of our curls....
Say, that would have looked a lot better, sister, if we hadn't stepped ankle deep into a puddle of slush….
Title: East of the Sun
Author: roxy
Pairings/Characters: Lex/Wade, Lex/Beebs, eventually clex, because there is nothing else
Rating:PG
Word Count:1760
Summary: Lex learns about trust and love from an unlikely source.
Notes/Warnings: my version of the swing era.
This section contains hints of violence.
Fair warning to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danceswithgary, I'm about to beg you to look over a ton of stuff, but in the mean-time dear readers—the mistakes here are all my own.
Chloe sat on the edge of her stool, swinging slightly from side to side as she sipped at her vanilla coke--and waited. Clark was *supposed* to meet her here and he was late by about…she glanced at her watch…fifteen minutes. Which meant he should be walking in the door in about another ten minutes. She always added an extra twenty or so minutes to whatever time Clark gave her. She sighed, nibbled on the straw.
Clark. He was a puzzle. A real Chinese puzzle box of a boy. When they'd first began dating…or *whatever* you called what they were doing, he'd been all big clumsy hands and sloppy kisses and heavy breathing. And then—zip. Nothing. Goose egg. Just a lot of excuses and 'I'm sorrys' and 'I've got a headache', and sure, he was still a good friend, but ever since she came back from Connecticut, that's *all* he was--a friend. And that wasn't what she wanted. Friends she had a damn dime a dozen. But Clark…Clark made her feel…herself. More herself than when she was without him. When she was with him, she felt like she was beautiful, like she was sexy and *alive*. He touched her and she just quivered, inside and out in a way that would have been embarrassing with anyone else but Clark. She bit down savagely on the straw, chewing through the paper stem and unraveling it. Crap! She pulled it out of the coke and tossed it down, jammed another in her glass with an exasperated huff. If she could get him to just—just *get* with it. This stop and go business was awful and she was uncomfortably aware of what guys must feel like—though there was no damn way she was begging Clark for it…besides, she couldn't claim blue balls would kill her, lacking balls for one thing....
God knows, she mused, she really had nothing to complain about—nothing she should complain about. Most guys, when they found out her non-virginal status, wanted to paint her with a big scarlet A, the bastards—on account of most guys being two-faced, panty chasing, double dealing chiselers—but not Clark. Clark was just so….different. So….
"Miss, *can* I get you something else?" the soda jerk asked, and she jumped, knocked out of her thoughts. He stared at her with a heavy hint of 'get something or get off the stool'. She smiled her sweetest, widest, brightest smile.
"Well, I'd just love a slice of that apple pie," she pointed to the pie displayed on a covered glass stand. "But can you cut the slice thinner?"
He sighed lifted the glass dome, grabbed the pie-server and began to saw at the pastry.
She held up her hand, thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Smaller, please?"
He moved the knife in an inch.
"Smaller."
He rolled his eyes and jabbed the knife into the crust, an inch over from his first cut.
"Smaller—"
"Chloe! There you are!"
"Oh, never mind, don’t cut it at all." She beamed and tossed her head, her blonde curls dancing in an effect she knew looked good—she'd practiced.
The soda jerk gave her a look that was all about shiny, sharp objects and irritating little blondes and growled, "Of course…*miss*."
"And can you bring my friend a cupa joe, white, and heavy on the sugar?"
Clark plopped down on the stool next to her. "Hiya, Chloe—oh great, pie!" He swung the plate in front of himself and dug in without another word. She wished he'd greet *her* with as much enthusiasm. Geez, look at the lug scarf up that pie. I'm jealous of a damn pastry…Sullivan, old girl, reel it in, before they drag you off to the bug house…
She watched him wolf half of the slice, and gulp most of the java, before speaking. "You wanted to talk to me about something important, Clark," she gently reminded.
"Oh!" He swallowed the bite in his mouth in a way that managed to look guilty. "Oh, yeah. I…I wanted to talk to you about. You know. About us."
She kept a smile on her face by sheer force of will. About us …in Chloe's experience, those words meant 'something's goin' to happen and it ain't nothing good'…she'd heard them plenty times before—hell, used them herself too many times. They meant one thing. The boot. The brush-off. The old heave-ho. bastard…
"Chloe, I like you, a lot. A whole lot. And if things were different you and I would be gangbusters together…"
"But--" Chloe said, and leaning forward, she fixed him with a steely glare that she just managed to keep tears out of. "--but you found someone else while I was gone, someone with more prospects than little Chloe Sullivan from nowhere. What, you found some low flight starlet to squire you around? All that attention from the stage-hangers went to your head? Some broad snagged you—"
"It's Alex."
"The who the what you say! Alex?" She yelped. "Alex? You're fucking kidding me!"
"I'm not, I mean it, it's Alex and I'm in love with—"
"I'm going to kill that bitch. Holy hell, I'm going to kill him, gut him, and then I'm going to shove his guts back up his ass and then I'm going to cut off his di—"
Clark's huge hand was wrapped around her mouth, and he looked terrified. "Shh! You're making a scene! Oh gosh! Don’t cry now, please, don’t."
She was about to bite him. Cry? Cry---she'd die first before she cried in public…but tears *were* falling and she felt so betrayed. How could he do this to her? Break her heart like this--how could Alex do this to her? How could he hurt her? He was her closest friend, her…her brother. And he took Clark. She blinked tears away, snatched a handful of napkins from Clark's tentative grip and scrubbed at her mascara. Well. Stupid, really. He couldn't take Clark unless Clark was able to be taken, right? She dropped her head to her fists. Oh--damn it, she was a sucker and a boob. No wonder he wouldn’t fuck her. No wonder it was almost all above the waist and nearly all above the clothes. Oh my god, hours and torturous hours above the clothes and there'd never been a snowball's chance in hell of a payoff? All that…hope… She lifted her head and glared blearily at him. "God, I hate you."
Clark looked at her, his eyes were huge deep wells of sympathy and guilt, his lips turned down in a sad little frown, they were pink where he bit them, and so full—she had to wrench her eyes away and clench her fists--tight. His hand inched closer to hers…"I know. I'm so sorry."
She snatched her hand away. Oh fer cryin' out--right now she should be wishing him dead, and yet, here she was starting to feel sorry for *him*! And fuck—feeling a little warm between the legs… "Clark Kent—you son of a--why did you string me along like that?"
"Chloe, I swear, I wasn't, I mean, I didn't think I was. I thought I…and then Alex…and things kind of fell into place…"
"You idiot. Oh gawd…well, you really set yourself up for a hard fall, honey." She sniffed, wiped her face again and straightened on the stool. "Alex is kind of a whore and I say that with all sorts of love for him."
Clark looked devastated. "Pete said the same thing, sort of. It's true?"
She nodded, wiped her nose. "Yeah. Pete'd know first hand. Alex is a great guy but comes to sex, he's a tramp. Again, with love."
Clark took her hand and pulled her to her feet, into a hug that at first she resisted and then, with a little groan, melted into. "Hate you so much," she muttered into the warm acre of his chest.
"I know," he said again and smoothed the escaped strands of her bob behind her ears, and kissed her forehead. She smiled—and frowned.
"Knock it off, you big sap." She grabbed her purse from the counter, and Clark pushed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a few bills.
"I'm springing for this, okay?" He hesitated and snatched a last bit of sugar-syrup covered crust from the plate. She rolled her eyes at him.
The soda jerk came over and slid the bill across the counter to them, watching Clark. Chloe saw that he'd written a telephone number across the bottom. He whispered only loud enough for Clark and Chloe to hear. "If that guy don't work out, I'd love to help…"
"Jesus! This city's chock full of fairies!" Chloe grabbed Clark by the sleeve and stormed out of the drugstore.
@@@@@@
They were walking arm in arm, and Chloe had almost decided to forgive Clark. "Clark, really. Alex…you know I love him, but he will break your heart."
"Not if I don’t sleep with him, he won't."
She stopped abruptly and looked up into Clark's serious face. "Hunh. Well, you're pretty damn good at that, I'll grant you." she said, and managed to keep the bitterness almost completely out of her voice.
Clark flushed a little and pushed on. "Pete said he only sleeps with a person once. So if I don't sleep with him..." He shrugged and smiled.
Chloe stared and after a moment she said, "Ooooh, got it—flaunt it around until he comes crawling after you on his knees begging for it. Smart, that—you'll for sure hook 'em and reel him in like a flounder."
Clark blinked. "Well…I hadn't meant that exactly, but yes…I guess that is a plan." He looked askance at Chloe, as if seeing her for the first time.
"What? Hurry up; we've got to get to the Al-Kazar before Walt blows his top. And we have to stop at the cleaners on the way; I gotta pick up my gown."
Clark nodded. "I can't believe tonight is New Years Eve."
Chloe glared at him, her mouth turned down and if she could have she'd have shot flame from her eyes—it made her hopping mad to feel them well up again. "Oh, *thanks* loads for reminding me *again* that I got *dumped* for New Year's Eve—yay for Chloe Sullivan."
"Oh crap…Chloe…"
"Shut up. Walk. I'll get over it, eventually. It'll help if you pay for my cleaning, you louse."
"Anything for you, Chloe. Anything."
part 33
tbc
Say, that would have looked a lot better, sister, if we hadn't stepped ankle deep into a puddle of slush….
Title: East of the Sun
Author: roxy
Pairings/Characters: Lex/Wade, Lex/Beebs, eventually clex, because there is nothing else
Rating:PG
Word Count:1760
Summary: Lex learns about trust and love from an unlikely source.
Notes/Warnings: my version of the swing era.
This section contains hints of violence.
Fair warning to
danceswithgary, I'm about to beg you to look over a ton of stuff, but in the mean-time dear readers—the mistakes here are all my own.Chloe sat on the edge of her stool, swinging slightly from side to side as she sipped at her vanilla coke--and waited. Clark was *supposed* to meet her here and he was late by about…she glanced at her watch…fifteen minutes. Which meant he should be walking in the door in about another ten minutes. She always added an extra twenty or so minutes to whatever time Clark gave her. She sighed, nibbled on the straw.
Clark. He was a puzzle. A real Chinese puzzle box of a boy. When they'd first began dating…or *whatever* you called what they were doing, he'd been all big clumsy hands and sloppy kisses and heavy breathing. And then—zip. Nothing. Goose egg. Just a lot of excuses and 'I'm sorrys' and 'I've got a headache', and sure, he was still a good friend, but ever since she came back from Connecticut, that's *all* he was--a friend. And that wasn't what she wanted. Friends she had a damn dime a dozen. But Clark…Clark made her feel…herself. More herself than when she was without him. When she was with him, she felt like she was beautiful, like she was sexy and *alive*. He touched her and she just quivered, inside and out in a way that would have been embarrassing with anyone else but Clark. She bit down savagely on the straw, chewing through the paper stem and unraveling it. Crap! She pulled it out of the coke and tossed it down, jammed another in her glass with an exasperated huff. If she could get him to just—just *get* with it. This stop and go business was awful and she was uncomfortably aware of what guys must feel like—though there was no damn way she was begging Clark for it…besides, she couldn't claim blue balls would kill her, lacking balls for one thing....
God knows, she mused, she really had nothing to complain about—nothing she should complain about. Most guys, when they found out her non-virginal status, wanted to paint her with a big scarlet A, the bastards—on account of most guys being two-faced, panty chasing, double dealing chiselers—but not Clark. Clark was just so….different. So….
"Miss, *can* I get you something else?" the soda jerk asked, and she jumped, knocked out of her thoughts. He stared at her with a heavy hint of 'get something or get off the stool'. She smiled her sweetest, widest, brightest smile.
"Well, I'd just love a slice of that apple pie," she pointed to the pie displayed on a covered glass stand. "But can you cut the slice thinner?"
He sighed lifted the glass dome, grabbed the pie-server and began to saw at the pastry.
She held up her hand, thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Smaller, please?"
He moved the knife in an inch.
"Smaller."
He rolled his eyes and jabbed the knife into the crust, an inch over from his first cut.
"Smaller—"
"Chloe! There you are!"
"Oh, never mind, don’t cut it at all." She beamed and tossed her head, her blonde curls dancing in an effect she knew looked good—she'd practiced.
The soda jerk gave her a look that was all about shiny, sharp objects and irritating little blondes and growled, "Of course…*miss*."
"And can you bring my friend a cupa joe, white, and heavy on the sugar?"
Clark plopped down on the stool next to her. "Hiya, Chloe—oh great, pie!" He swung the plate in front of himself and dug in without another word. She wished he'd greet *her* with as much enthusiasm. Geez, look at the lug scarf up that pie. I'm jealous of a damn pastry…Sullivan, old girl, reel it in, before they drag you off to the bug house…
She watched him wolf half of the slice, and gulp most of the java, before speaking. "You wanted to talk to me about something important, Clark," she gently reminded.
"Oh!" He swallowed the bite in his mouth in a way that managed to look guilty. "Oh, yeah. I…I wanted to talk to you about. You know. About us."
She kept a smile on her face by sheer force of will. About us …in Chloe's experience, those words meant 'something's goin' to happen and it ain't nothing good'…she'd heard them plenty times before—hell, used them herself too many times. They meant one thing. The boot. The brush-off. The old heave-ho. bastard…
"Chloe, I like you, a lot. A whole lot. And if things were different you and I would be gangbusters together…"
"But--" Chloe said, and leaning forward, she fixed him with a steely glare that she just managed to keep tears out of. "--but you found someone else while I was gone, someone with more prospects than little Chloe Sullivan from nowhere. What, you found some low flight starlet to squire you around? All that attention from the stage-hangers went to your head? Some broad snagged you—"
"It's Alex."
"The who the what you say! Alex?" She yelped. "Alex? You're fucking kidding me!"
"I'm not, I mean it, it's Alex and I'm in love with—"
"I'm going to kill that bitch. Holy hell, I'm going to kill him, gut him, and then I'm going to shove his guts back up his ass and then I'm going to cut off his di—"
Clark's huge hand was wrapped around her mouth, and he looked terrified. "Shh! You're making a scene! Oh gosh! Don’t cry now, please, don’t."
She was about to bite him. Cry? Cry---she'd die first before she cried in public…but tears *were* falling and she felt so betrayed. How could he do this to her? Break her heart like this--how could Alex do this to her? How could he hurt her? He was her closest friend, her…her brother. And he took Clark. She blinked tears away, snatched a handful of napkins from Clark's tentative grip and scrubbed at her mascara. Well. Stupid, really. He couldn't take Clark unless Clark was able to be taken, right? She dropped her head to her fists. Oh--damn it, she was a sucker and a boob. No wonder he wouldn’t fuck her. No wonder it was almost all above the waist and nearly all above the clothes. Oh my god, hours and torturous hours above the clothes and there'd never been a snowball's chance in hell of a payoff? All that…hope… She lifted her head and glared blearily at him. "God, I hate you."
Clark looked at her, his eyes were huge deep wells of sympathy and guilt, his lips turned down in a sad little frown, they were pink where he bit them, and so full—she had to wrench her eyes away and clench her fists--tight. His hand inched closer to hers…"I know. I'm so sorry."
She snatched her hand away. Oh fer cryin' out--right now she should be wishing him dead, and yet, here she was starting to feel sorry for *him*! And fuck—feeling a little warm between the legs… "Clark Kent—you son of a--why did you string me along like that?"
"Chloe, I swear, I wasn't, I mean, I didn't think I was. I thought I…and then Alex…and things kind of fell into place…"
"You idiot. Oh gawd…well, you really set yourself up for a hard fall, honey." She sniffed, wiped her face again and straightened on the stool. "Alex is kind of a whore and I say that with all sorts of love for him."
Clark looked devastated. "Pete said the same thing, sort of. It's true?"
She nodded, wiped her nose. "Yeah. Pete'd know first hand. Alex is a great guy but comes to sex, he's a tramp. Again, with love."
Clark took her hand and pulled her to her feet, into a hug that at first she resisted and then, with a little groan, melted into. "Hate you so much," she muttered into the warm acre of his chest.
"I know," he said again and smoothed the escaped strands of her bob behind her ears, and kissed her forehead. She smiled—and frowned.
"Knock it off, you big sap." She grabbed her purse from the counter, and Clark pushed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a few bills.
"I'm springing for this, okay?" He hesitated and snatched a last bit of sugar-syrup covered crust from the plate. She rolled her eyes at him.
The soda jerk came over and slid the bill across the counter to them, watching Clark. Chloe saw that he'd written a telephone number across the bottom. He whispered only loud enough for Clark and Chloe to hear. "If that guy don't work out, I'd love to help…"
"Jesus! This city's chock full of fairies!" Chloe grabbed Clark by the sleeve and stormed out of the drugstore.
@@@@@@
They were walking arm in arm, and Chloe had almost decided to forgive Clark. "Clark, really. Alex…you know I love him, but he will break your heart."
"Not if I don’t sleep with him, he won't."
She stopped abruptly and looked up into Clark's serious face. "Hunh. Well, you're pretty damn good at that, I'll grant you." she said, and managed to keep the bitterness almost completely out of her voice.
Clark flushed a little and pushed on. "Pete said he only sleeps with a person once. So if I don't sleep with him..." He shrugged and smiled.
Chloe stared and after a moment she said, "Ooooh, got it—flaunt it around until he comes crawling after you on his knees begging for it. Smart, that—you'll for sure hook 'em and reel him in like a flounder."
Clark blinked. "Well…I hadn't meant that exactly, but yes…I guess that is a plan." He looked askance at Chloe, as if seeing her for the first time.
"What? Hurry up; we've got to get to the Al-Kazar before Walt blows his top. And we have to stop at the cleaners on the way; I gotta pick up my gown."
Clark nodded. "I can't believe tonight is New Years Eve."
Chloe glared at him, her mouth turned down and if she could have she'd have shot flame from her eyes—it made her hopping mad to feel them well up again. "Oh, *thanks* loads for reminding me *again* that I got *dumped* for New Year's Eve—yay for Chloe Sullivan."
"Oh crap…Chloe…"
"Shut up. Walk. I'll get over it, eventually. It'll help if you pay for my cleaning, you louse."
"Anything for you, Chloe. Anything."
part 33
tbc
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
6/2/08 11:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/2/08 12:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:02 am (UTC)*g*
(no subject)
6/2/08 01:54 pm (UTC)I'm glad he told her, though. Poor Chloe!
Paper straw detail *rocks*.
Wheeee!
We light our cigarette, (French, black, with a gold filter) and chuckle. No need, buddy…we're waiting for Destiny. We step off the rain glazed curb with a haughty toss of our curls....
Say, that would have looked a lot better, sister, if we hadn't stepped ankle deep into a puddle of slush….
*snickers madly*
I luff you.
:)
(no subject)
6/4/08 01:03 am (UTC)Man, folks have noooooo idea how annoying straws used to be, lol!!!
(no subject)
6/2/08 01:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:04 am (UTC)I'm going to throw out some more tonight, unless I pass out first...*g*
(no subject)
6/2/08 02:39 pm (UTC)*kicks him*
(no subject)
6/4/08 01:05 am (UTC)*G*
(no subject)
6/2/08 03:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/2/08 08:49 pm (UTC)But never has my icon been more appropriate for fic commenting purposes!
(no subject)
6/4/08 01:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/2/08 11:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/3/08 12:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:09 am (UTC)But I'm glad you liked the break-up!
(no subject)
6/3/08 12:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
6/4/08 01:10 am (UTC)yay, I'm glad you liked that bit! Clark and Lex are getting closer....
(no subject)
6/3/08 01:52 am (UTC)Love this and looking forward to more soon!
(no subject)
6/4/08 01:11 am (UTC)and Walt to find out that Chloe's available FINALLY and we'll have ourselves the start of a very happy ending.
*HECK* yeah!!! Can't wait!!
(no subject)
6/3/08 06:16 am (UTC)I'm babbling, aren't I? Pay no attention. :-)))
But I hope we get some Clark/Alex action soon, and that Chloe finds a real boyfriend. :-)))
(no subject)
6/4/08 01:12 am (UTC)but good babbling! :)
But I hope we get some Clark/Alex action soon, and that Chloe finds a real boyfriend
Yes to both!
(no subject)
10/24/12 02:45 am (UTC)