SV Clois FF - Little Moments (2/?)
Title: Little Moments
Author: kelly1142 / emerald_night
Rating: PG (though who knows, it might go up at some point, but I'll warn!)
Verse: Smallville
Disclaimer: I don't own Clark or Lois. If I did they'd be making out in a supply room at the Planet for at least half of each episode :)
Spoilers: Through anything current.
Summary: Sometimes little moments tell the real story, and it's those little moments that can change things more than anyone can predict.
Next on the episode list - Bulletproof.
It had been a long night for Clark.
Correction. It had been a long week. Now he was just exhausted, the past week draining him of what little energy he’d had left after everything that had happened since Chloe’s wedding.
And it seemed like it wasn’t going to end on an up note, as he heard the now all too familiar ring of Lois’ cell phone in his ear.
He knew that it took about six rings before it went to her voicemail. On the first ring, he was filled with hope that maybe this time, she’d pick up. The second one, the hope remained, although slightly faded.
Third ring? He’d tell himself she was just busy with Jimmy. Fourth? Maybe talking to a doctor. Lois was nothing if not thorough and he could only imagine the General’s daughter barking orders at the various doctors and nurses assigned to Jimmy’s case in Star City.
By the fifth ring, his hope was hanging on by the slimmest of threads, a thread that inevitably snapped once the sixth ring rolled around.
He closed his eyes, hearing her recorded voice reciting a message he now knew by heart, and wished he didn’t. As the beep sounded, he cleared his throat.
“Hey, Lois…it’s me. Again. I just…,” he paused, trying to figure out a new way to say what he’d been saying to her voicemail since the day after she’d walked away from him at Metropolis General. “I just wanted to check on Jimmy…and you. Chloe’s doing better, the doctor said she’d be released a in few days so…anyway, give me a call when you get a chance.”
As he slid his phone shut, he sighed, frustrated. At her, for not picking up. Again. At himself, for not being able to say what he really wanted to say, not back at Chloe’s wedding or now, in one of the multitude of voicemails he’d left her since she’d left to be to stay by her new cousin-in-law’s side.
“Is this a private pity party or can anyone join?”
Clark rolled his eyes, watching as Oliver entered the kitchen door of the farmhouse.
“I just checked on Chloe and Jonn, both are recovering nicely.”
Clark nodded. “Yeah, I was there about an hour ago,” he said, his fingers sliding his now closed phone down on the counter.
“You okay, man?”
Clark looked at him, seeming to make a decision in that moment to have the discussion he knew he really could only have with a few people, Oliver being one of them.
“You ever wonder if you’re meant to be alone?”
Oliver looked taken aback for a second. “I never really thought about it.”
“What we do…it’s kind of hard on relationships.”
“No kidding.”
“Lana seems to think that the world needing me means any kind of relationship is impossible.”
“Is this about Lana?”
Clark shook his head. “No. Just, in general I guess.”
“Are you and Lana back together?”
“No, and we’re not getting back together,” Clark responded, with not a hint of sadness or regret, which did not go unnoticed by the young billionaire.
“Is that the reason? She doesn’t want to put up with your superhero life?”
“There are a lot of reasons,” Clark shrugged, his mind wandering back to earlier that evening and his dinner with Lana, one that ended with a long overdue kiss goodbye as they parted as friends. “But I think the biggest one is that we both moved on and realized that what we had is in the past, and we probably held onto it a lot longer than we should have in the first place.”
“So, why do you care what she thinks about your ability to have a relationship with someone else?”
“Do you think she’s right?”
“Do you?” Oliver challenged.
He rubbed his hand over his face, clearly tired but, to Oliver’s eyes, still needing to have this conversation.
“I don’t know. I used to think she was right. I always thought I’d end up alone.”
“But?”
“But then, I talked to this cop’s wife, and what she said made me think that maybe…,” his voice trailed off for a second, before continuing. “She talked about the world needing her husband, but she needed him to. And the thing is, I think he needs her, and his family, you know? To know that once he’s done helping people, risking his life, being a hero, he’s got someone at home who loves him, who needs him, and who’s there for him just like he’s there for everyone else.”
A hint of a smile graced Oliver’s lips. “It sounds nice.”
“Yeah. Although, it’s not exactly the same thing as what we do.”
“No, cops don’t have the abilities you do, or even I do. But they do get called away at all hours, their lives are in danger, they have to leave their loved ones and put their own wants and desires behind the safety and well-being of the public.”
“But they can do it in the open, and not have to live a secret life.”
“True, but don’t you think, in our case, having that secret life is what would keep you sane? I can’t imagine being Green Arrow all the time. Just being everyday guy Oliver Queen helps me do what I can do as Green Arrow.”
“I’d hardly call you an ‘everyday guy’, Oliver,” Clark said, a slight grin on his face.
Oliver chuckled at that. “I guess the trick is finding someone who’s willing to share the person they love with the world.”
He noticed Clark’s face darken at that. “I have a feeling that’s easier said than done.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“How many successful relationships have you had Oliver? Where your other job, your other identity didn’t get in the way?”
“Obviously none, considering I’m single. But that only means I just haven’t found the right person.”
“But…you’ve been in love,” Clark said hesitantly, his eyes darting around the farm’s large kitchen.
A smile played on Oliver’s lips at that, the direction of the conversation crystallizing suddenly in his mind.
“I have been.”
“And it still didn’t work.”
“She wasn’t the one, at least, not for me. And I wasn’t the one for her.”
Clark simply nodded in response.
“If it had been meant to be,” Oliver continued, “she would’ve been willing to live with my life, and I would’ve been willing to meet her halfway and not make her a distant second to my alter ego.”
“Do you think…,” Clark paused, glancing at his friend before eyes shifted back toward his irritatingly silent phone, “she’d ever change her mind? You know, be willing to live that life?”
“Not for me. But for you, Clark?”
Oliver began walking toward the door, before turning back to look at Clark, the corner of his lips ticked up into a knowing grin.
“Lois will do it for you.”
Clark’s eyes widened slightly as the words sunk in, watching Oliver turn and disappear into the cold, winter night. His face then softened into a smile before he picked up his phone again. Sliding it open, he hit redial, and waited for the first of the six rings. .
Author: kelly1142 / emerald_night
Rating: PG (though who knows, it might go up at some point, but I'll warn!)
Verse: Smallville
Disclaimer: I don't own Clark or Lois. If I did they'd be making out in a supply room at the Planet for at least half of each episode :)
Spoilers: Through anything current.
Summary: Sometimes little moments tell the real story, and it's those little moments that can change things more than anyone can predict.
Next on the episode list - Bulletproof.
It had been a long night for Clark.
Correction. It had been a long week. Now he was just exhausted, the past week draining him of what little energy he’d had left after everything that had happened since Chloe’s wedding.
And it seemed like it wasn’t going to end on an up note, as he heard the now all too familiar ring of Lois’ cell phone in his ear.
He knew that it took about six rings before it went to her voicemail. On the first ring, he was filled with hope that maybe this time, she’d pick up. The second one, the hope remained, although slightly faded.
Third ring? He’d tell himself she was just busy with Jimmy. Fourth? Maybe talking to a doctor. Lois was nothing if not thorough and he could only imagine the General’s daughter barking orders at the various doctors and nurses assigned to Jimmy’s case in Star City.
By the fifth ring, his hope was hanging on by the slimmest of threads, a thread that inevitably snapped once the sixth ring rolled around.
He closed his eyes, hearing her recorded voice reciting a message he now knew by heart, and wished he didn’t. As the beep sounded, he cleared his throat.
“Hey, Lois…it’s me. Again. I just…,” he paused, trying to figure out a new way to say what he’d been saying to her voicemail since the day after she’d walked away from him at Metropolis General. “I just wanted to check on Jimmy…and you. Chloe’s doing better, the doctor said she’d be released a in few days so…anyway, give me a call when you get a chance.”
As he slid his phone shut, he sighed, frustrated. At her, for not picking up. Again. At himself, for not being able to say what he really wanted to say, not back at Chloe’s wedding or now, in one of the multitude of voicemails he’d left her since she’d left to be to stay by her new cousin-in-law’s side.
“Is this a private pity party or can anyone join?”
Clark rolled his eyes, watching as Oliver entered the kitchen door of the farmhouse.
“I just checked on Chloe and Jonn, both are recovering nicely.”
Clark nodded. “Yeah, I was there about an hour ago,” he said, his fingers sliding his now closed phone down on the counter.
“You okay, man?”
Clark looked at him, seeming to make a decision in that moment to have the discussion he knew he really could only have with a few people, Oliver being one of them.
“You ever wonder if you’re meant to be alone?”
Oliver looked taken aback for a second. “I never really thought about it.”
“What we do…it’s kind of hard on relationships.”
“No kidding.”
“Lana seems to think that the world needing me means any kind of relationship is impossible.”
“Is this about Lana?”
Clark shook his head. “No. Just, in general I guess.”
“Are you and Lana back together?”
“No, and we’re not getting back together,” Clark responded, with not a hint of sadness or regret, which did not go unnoticed by the young billionaire.
“Is that the reason? She doesn’t want to put up with your superhero life?”
“There are a lot of reasons,” Clark shrugged, his mind wandering back to earlier that evening and his dinner with Lana, one that ended with a long overdue kiss goodbye as they parted as friends. “But I think the biggest one is that we both moved on and realized that what we had is in the past, and we probably held onto it a lot longer than we should have in the first place.”
“So, why do you care what she thinks about your ability to have a relationship with someone else?”
“Do you think she’s right?”
“Do you?” Oliver challenged.
He rubbed his hand over his face, clearly tired but, to Oliver’s eyes, still needing to have this conversation.
“I don’t know. I used to think she was right. I always thought I’d end up alone.”
“But?”
“But then, I talked to this cop’s wife, and what she said made me think that maybe…,” his voice trailed off for a second, before continuing. “She talked about the world needing her husband, but she needed him to. And the thing is, I think he needs her, and his family, you know? To know that once he’s done helping people, risking his life, being a hero, he’s got someone at home who loves him, who needs him, and who’s there for him just like he’s there for everyone else.”
A hint of a smile graced Oliver’s lips. “It sounds nice.”
“Yeah. Although, it’s not exactly the same thing as what we do.”
“No, cops don’t have the abilities you do, or even I do. But they do get called away at all hours, their lives are in danger, they have to leave their loved ones and put their own wants and desires behind the safety and well-being of the public.”
“But they can do it in the open, and not have to live a secret life.”
“True, but don’t you think, in our case, having that secret life is what would keep you sane? I can’t imagine being Green Arrow all the time. Just being everyday guy Oliver Queen helps me do what I can do as Green Arrow.”
“I’d hardly call you an ‘everyday guy’, Oliver,” Clark said, a slight grin on his face.
Oliver chuckled at that. “I guess the trick is finding someone who’s willing to share the person they love with the world.”
He noticed Clark’s face darken at that. “I have a feeling that’s easier said than done.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“How many successful relationships have you had Oliver? Where your other job, your other identity didn’t get in the way?”
“Obviously none, considering I’m single. But that only means I just haven’t found the right person.”
“But…you’ve been in love,” Clark said hesitantly, his eyes darting around the farm’s large kitchen.
A smile played on Oliver’s lips at that, the direction of the conversation crystallizing suddenly in his mind.
“I have been.”
“And it still didn’t work.”
“She wasn’t the one, at least, not for me. And I wasn’t the one for her.”
Clark simply nodded in response.
“If it had been meant to be,” Oliver continued, “she would’ve been willing to live with my life, and I would’ve been willing to meet her halfway and not make her a distant second to my alter ego.”
“Do you think…,” Clark paused, glancing at his friend before eyes shifted back toward his irritatingly silent phone, “she’d ever change her mind? You know, be willing to live that life?”
“Not for me. But for you, Clark?”
Oliver began walking toward the door, before turning back to look at Clark, the corner of his lips ticked up into a knowing grin.
“Lois will do it for you.”
Clark’s eyes widened slightly as the words sunk in, watching Oliver turn and disappear into the cold, winter night. His face then softened into a smile before he picked up his phone again. Sliding it open, he hit redial, and waited for the first of the six rings. .