In Love ... All Bets Are Off Chapter 7
An update has arrived! I hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Story: In Love … All Bets Are Off
Pairing/Characters: Clark/Oliver, Clark/Lex friendship
Rating: R
Disclaimer: don’t own anything
Warning: slash, mentions of m/m sex, jerk!Jason (sorry, I do like him but I needed a villain and he fit)
Spoilers: AU but slight season 1-early season 3 mentions
Summary: Clark’s dad dies when he’s in high school. Martha and Clark sell the farm and leave to live with Clark’s grandfather, Clark transferring to Excelsior. Excelsior … where Oliver Queen rules the school. Oliver takes a bet that he can get the new guy in his bed … but what happens when he ends up falling in love instead?
Previous Chapters: Here
Chapter 7
After classes, Clark managed to finish his journalism application. They were already well into the semester and he wanted to get involved in the paper as soon as possible.
He stopped by the office to drop if off and fortunately, the editor-in-chief was there. They spent a few minutes talking and he was able to look through his application on the spot. As he had said before, they were in need of help and he managed to get on.
Clark was told about the meetings and he knew that this would be a time commitment but he didn’t mind. It would be a busy year, as he had SATs too but he knew that he would find a way to balance his time.
Promising to be at the first meeting, he left.
Where he promptly ran into Oliver.
“It seems that this is one of our spots,” Oliver quipped, with a grin.
“Careful Oliver,” Clark teased, “If I didn’t know better, I may think you’re stalking me.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t know better then,” Oliver suggested, with a wink.
“Why Oliver Queen, what would people say?” Clark said, trying to refrain from blushing. “Stalking underclassman … I’d have higher hopes for our student body president.”
“I’m sure they’d be shocked,” Oliver agreed. “Until they saw you and then they’d stalk you too.”
“Too?” Clark asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Does this mean you admit to the stalking?”
“I never denied it in the first place,” Oliver pointed out, smirking.
This time, Clark couldn’t stop the blush that flooded his cheeks.
“So,” he said, clearing his throat, “Have you decided on a costume for the party?”
“I have,” Oliver confirmed. His eyes twinkled mischievously. “Not that I’m going to tell you … you’ll have to wait like the rest of the world until the day of the party.”
“Guess I’ll definitely have to show up then,” Clark remarked.
“Was there any doubt?” Oliver questioned.
“Well, Lex can’t come,” Clark told him.
“You’re still coming though right?” Oliver asked.
Clark was taken aback to hear a note of worry in the blonde’s voice.
“Probably,” Clark replied. He paused. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“There’ll be tons of other people,” Oliver assured him. “Besides, even if Lex isn’t there … you’ll know me … we can hang out.”
“I don’t need you to babysit me, Oliver,” Clark replied with a smile.
“It’s not babysitting if I want to hang out with you,” Oliver retorted. “Don’t sell yourself short, Clark … you’re great company and I enjoy spending time with you.”
Oliver, why do you have to keep fueling my crush? This was not what he needed. The blond’s words were going directly to his heart.
“You’ll be there then?” Oliver wanted to know, oblivious to his thoughts.
“I’ll be there,” Clark responded.
“Wonderful,” Oliver said, pleased. “I’ll see you later then.”
Clark nodded and watched him walk away before heading back to his room.
On his walk back, he was thinking of Oliver and the upcoming party. He had to find the perfect costume, that much he was certain.
Halloween was in two weeks so he had time but he knew that the good costumes would be gone fast so he had to act quickly.
Which was how Lex ended up being dragged to downtown Metropolis the following weekend to help Clark pick out a costume.
His friend had a car on campus, which he hadn’t known about before but it was useful and got them to the costume store. Lex didn’t even make fun of him that much when he begged him for his help in finding the right costume.
“What exactly are you looking for?” Lex questioned as they searched through the various costumes.
“I’m not really sure,” Clark said, shrugging.
“Good to hear that you have something solid to work off of,” Lex said sarcastically.
“That’s why you’re here!” Clark responded cheerfully.
Lex chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, come along … we need to get you a costume and I don’t plan to spend the rest of my life in this store.”
Laughing, Clark followed him as they went through several costumes. None of them seemed right though. Lex made a few jokes when they saw a Prince Charming costume, which Clark vetoed immediately.
While it was funny at first, Clark grew frustrated at his inability to find the right costume. He didn’t know what he was looking for. Lex was patient with him but he wished he could just get this over with.
“Maybe we can go to another store?” Lex offered.
“I think we may have to,” Clark said miserably. “I’m sorry,” he added a moment later.
“What for?” Lex questioned, confused.
“For wasting your time,” Clark replied, frowning.
“You’re not wasting my time,” Lex assured him. “I knew perfectly well this could be a long outing when I agreed to help you.” He paused. “Look, I can see this is getting to you. How about we take a break and get some coffee or something? Then we can go this other store and try again?”
“Sounds good,” Clark said gratefully, a smiling emerging on his face once more.
Exchanging smiles, they headed out, finding a nearby Starbucks where they could sit and just hang out for a bit.
Once again, they went back to the costume hunt, trying out a different store. Much to Clark’s disappointment, they had the generic variety that the other one did. He was going to give up hope completely when a particular costume caught his eye.
Making his way toward it, he picked up the bag, the picture on the cover intriguing him.
“Will Scarlet,” Lex read from next to him.
“He’s from the Robin Hood mythos,” Clark recalled. Robin Hood made him think of archery, which made him immediately think of Oliver.
“It’s a nice costume,” Lex commented.
“It really is,” Clark agreed. The costume was beautiful, that was definitely true.
“And I like red,” Clark mused aloud.
“You’ll also be unique,” Lex noted. “I can’t see anyone showing up as Will Scarlet. Try it on.”
“K,” Clark said and went to one of the dressing rooms. He was actually pleased with the way it looked and when he showed Lex, his friend also gave his approval.
That was enough for him. He bought the costume and was extremely relieved that he found something that was okay.
Privately, he wondered what Oliver would think of his costume. He couldn’t help it. Even when he tried to push the blonde out of his thoughts, he always found his way back to the forefront of his mind.
Oliver had even said he wanted to spend time with Clark at the party. Don’t get your hopes up, Kent … once he sees all those other people clamoring for his attention, he’s probably going to forget that you exist.
As disappointed as he was with that thought and the probability that was what would actually happen, he decided to be optimistic. Even if Oliver didn’t pay attention to him, he would go and have fun.
At Smallville, he had always faded into the background but he didn’t have to do that here. It was a fresh start and at Excelsior, there wasn’t any weekly meteor freak incidents, so there was no worries about accidentally revealing his abilities.
My abilities. He had barely thought of them … he had been super careful over the past few weeks but being careful had become second nature to him. It was just natural and he was surprised that he hadn’t used them in a while.
That’s not a bad thing. No, it wasn’t. He didn’t have to lie to anybody about what they thought they saw or make excuses to why he was at someplace at a certain time. It was perfect. But he vowed to himself to never forget that he had them. That way, he wouldn’t slip up at all.
There were only a few people who knew of his origins, two of them being his mother and grandfather. Fooling William Clark was just not within the realm of possibilities. To his credit, he had taken it well and it had actually helped fix the father-daughter relationship, which pleased Clark immensely.
Outside of family, the only person who knew was Pete Ross. But he had confidence that his best friend in Smallville wouldn’t tell anyone.
Now he just had to make sure didn’t do anything stupid. Don’t stress … everything will be just fine.
He hoped so.
Yet, when he tried to ignore those thoughts, he only started thinking of Ollie again.
All in all, the following week was not easy for him. He was excited for the party but he was also a bit nervous too.
Looking at the invitation, he had found that it was a joint party between Excelsior and Illyria Prepatory, which was an all-girls boarding school. It was going to be held at the ballroom at Excelsior.
A journalism meeting in the middle of the week temporarily distracted him but whenever he wasn’t busy with school or the paper, his mind drifted back to the party and to Oliver.
Lex left Friday right after classes ended but he told Clark that he’d be fine when he expressed anxiety over the party at lunch.
He had told his mom about the party over the phone and she sounded excited, not to mention relieved, that he was getting settled so well. The separation was difficult but they were both coping.
It helped that he would see her during Thanksgiving. But even the holiday, which fell on the 27th of November, was four weeks away and it seemed too long. On the phone he made sure to be strong because the last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him when she was across the country.
Besides, he was looking forward to the party so he focused on that excitement.
Halloween had conveniently fallen on a Friday so the party would take place that night.
Clark didn’t have a lot of free time after class before he had to get ready. He showered and slipped into his costume, glancing at the mirror repeatedly before he got the nerve to leave the room.
Finding the hall was easy enough and Clark was amazed when he entered. The decorations were outstanding, making every Smallville High dance he’d ever been to look like kiddie parties.
There was already a decent amount of people there and Clark bit his lip, seeing all the unfamiliar faces. Taking a few steps inside, he couldn’t help but be nervous once more. Even when he had attended dances at Smallville, he had always known everyone and usually showed up with Pete and Chloe.
Here, he was new … a complete stranger. His stomach was in knots and there was the temptation to just run. But he managed to overcome the urge and stayed.
It turned out better than he expected. People were friendly enough and a few girls from Illyria flirted with him, which was a surprise. He even danced with a few of them and he found that he was having a good time. However, he couldn’t help but wonder where Oliver was. Though he tried to forget them, as the blond was probably busy socializing, the question kept coming back.
He wouldn’t have to wonder for long though.
After a few dances, he took a break to get some punch, his eyes wandering around the room until they accidentally locked onto a pair of brown ones from across the room. Suddenly Clark found that he couldn't breathe.
Oliver … Oliver was there … dressed as Robin Hood. He looked gorgeous in his costume, which was topped off by a tiny green mask. The blond seemed stunned at his costume choice and his lips quickly curved into a smile.
Clark found that he couldn’t move. His feet felt as if they were cemented to the ground. Seeing as he wasn’t moving, Oliver slowly began to close the distance between them. The brunet watched as Ollie moved gracefully through the crowd, his heart rate speeding up. No matter how many people tried to get his attention, Oliver’s gaze didn’t leave Clark’s face.
The room was large and Oliver was halfway through. Clark smiled, ready to say something when a voice caught his attention.
“Clark.”
Turning toward the sound, the moment broken, he was surprised to see none other than Jason Teague, dressed as a vampire.
“Jason,” he said, surprised. “Hi.”
“Hey,” Jason replied. “I thought I recognized you and I had to come and say hi. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“I thought it’d be fun,” Clark told him.
“Well I’m glad you made it,” Jason responded. His eyes drifted over Clark’s body. “Great costume.”
“I like red,” Clark offered lamely.
“You look good in it,” Jason replied with a smile. It was a nice smile, sure, but it didn’t do anything for him. Not like Ollie’s smile.
“It seems that you have showed up in a rather interesting costume yourself,” a voice interrupted. Both looked to see Oliver now by their side. “Should I warn the guests to protect their necks?”
“You’ve always been a clown, haven’t you Oliver?” Jason said, his smile more forced now.
“I prefer to think of myself as entertaining,” Oliver said smoothly. “Really, it’s part of my charm.”
His eyes met Clark’s. “I have to agree with him on the costume though … great choice.”
“I didn’t know you’d be here as Robin Hood,” Clark said, suddenly shy.
“I do like archery,” Oliver stated. “Robin Hood was one of my favorite stories when growing up.”
Jason Teague had been long forgotten by both men, Clark only able to concentrate on the beautiful blond standing in front of him.
“Come along, you promised me time together and I plan to collect,” Oliver said, with a teasing smile.
“I don’t remember promising anything,” Clark said, amused.
“It was implied,” Oliver replied, shrugging. “Besides, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet go hand in hand. Who are we to break tradition?” Turning to Jason with a superior smile, he added, “Enjoy the party Jason.”
As if remembering he was there, Clark turned and nodded. “Bye Jason.”
Jason didn’t look pleased but couldn’t say anything to contrary.
“See you later,” he was able to say before Clark was dragged away by Oliver.
Oliver was quite pleased with himself. When he had seen Clark, his knees had almost given out on him. The younger man had showed up as Will Scarlet and that just filled him with giddiness … their costumes had been coordinated.
He felt extremely dorky thinking that but he couldn’t help it. As he made his way to Clark, he could feel the chemistry between them.
Then Jason bloody Teague had interrupted. And he wondered how the hell they knew each other in the first place.
Even though Clark had been polite, he got a slight thrill over the fact that Clark’s eyes hadn’t lit up for him the way it had when they had fallen on Ollie.
The minute Oliver came into the conversation, Jason was ignored. Take that Teague … don’t even try to beat me when it comes to Clark. He’s mine.
It was with great pleasure that he stole Clark away and the brunet had come willingly. Jason must’ve seen he was defeated and it was definitely a highlight of his night, falling behind seeing Clark’s costume.
“Have you been having a good time so far?” Oliver asked his companion.
“It’s been fun,” Clark admitted.
“You sound surprised,” Oliver remarked.
“I didn’t know what to expect really,” Clark told him, as they made their way around the room. “But people have been friendly.”
It never failed to amaze him how modest the brunet was. He was oblivious to how attractive he was but it only made him that much more appealing.
“Have you looked in a mirror lately Clark?” Oliver questioned. “I certainly wouldn’t blame those who are flocking your side.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Clark said, blushing. Oliver usually liked the bold, self-assertive type but he was drawn to Clark.
“No, I’m just honest,” Oliver retorted.
Clark felt his face warm again and wished that Oliver didn’t have such a strong effect on him. He felt a little bad for unintentionally ignoring Jason but when he was around Oliver Queen, it was like the rest of the world just didn’t exist.
He saw there were several people vying for Oliver’s attention but the blond’s attention was completely devoted to Clark. It was an intense feeling and Clark knew that more than a few people were wondering who he was and what was so special about him.
But their curious glances didn’t even bother him. Not when he was chatting happily with Oliver.
They stopped in front of two other guys, who Clark recognized as the people he had rescued Lex from. His stomach tightened.
“Wow,” one of them said, “You guys ended up in similar outfits!”
“Coincidence,” Oliver said. “Or maybe it was fate,” he finished, throwing a wink at Clark.
Clark smiled at Oliver and turned back to his friends.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Oliver said immediately. “This is Geoffrey, and this is Alden. Guys, Clark Kent.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Clark said politely.
“You too,” Geoffrey replied.
Fortunately, they didn’t stay long.
“I’ll see you two later,” Oliver told them and he took Clark, and much to his relief, they took off.
Clark was introduced all around and he almost felt like Oliver’s date, a thought that had his stomach doing flips. Don’t go there, Clark. You’ll only get hurt in the end.
Though he did wonder why Oliver was paying so much attention to him, refusing to leave his side for even a second.
“You know, you don’t have to stay with me, right?” he asked quietly. “I was doing fine before you showed up.”
Oliver peered into his expression and smiled.
“Clark,” he said calmly. “I like spending time with you. Unless, of course, you want to mingle and are trying not to hurt my feelings.”
“Oh no,” he said quickly. “I just … didn’t want to hog your time.”
“Then we don’t have any issues,” Oliver proclaimed. “Because I’d rather be with you than anyone of them.” They headed outside for a breather and Clark stared out into the night sky, finding the silence between them comfortable as opposed to awkward.
“It’s a nice night,” Oliver said, breaking the silence.
“It is,” Clark agreed, meeting his eyes.
“I want you to know that I’ve had a great time with you Clark,” Oliver said and one look into his eyes and Clark knew that he was speaking the truth.
“I have had fun with you too,” Clark replied. “Though I did hear some speculation about our costumes,” he added, smiling to show that he was just kidding.
“It’s not our fault that we’re apparently mentally connected,” Oliver told him. “You do look great in that costume,” he added.
“Thanks,” Clark replied. “You look good too.”
The look in Ollie’s eyes took Clark’s breath away. Unconsciously, he took a few steps toward the blonde, and Oliver closed the remaining distance. His eyes drifted to his lips and when he moved back to Oliver’s eyes, he saw that they were darker than before.
Clark wondered if Ollie’s lips were as soft as they looked. Just a few more inches … and I could find out.
The thoughts didn’t scare him … it was what he had wanted for a while but to be so close was driving him crazy.
Oliver’s expression was serious as well, his eyes searching Clark’s, as if looking for a sign. The hope emerged in his eyes proved that he had found what he was looking for.
Clark wasn’t sure who moved first but before he could think, his lips were on Oliver’s, engaging them in their first kiss.
And it was perfect.
Chapter 8
Story: In Love … All Bets Are Off
Pairing/Characters: Clark/Oliver, Clark/Lex friendship
Rating: R
Disclaimer: don’t own anything
Warning: slash, mentions of m/m sex, jerk!Jason (sorry, I do like him but I needed a villain and he fit)
Spoilers: AU but slight season 1-early season 3 mentions
Summary: Clark’s dad dies when he’s in high school. Martha and Clark sell the farm and leave to live with Clark’s grandfather, Clark transferring to Excelsior. Excelsior … where Oliver Queen rules the school. Oliver takes a bet that he can get the new guy in his bed … but what happens when he ends up falling in love instead?
Previous Chapters: Here
Chapter 7
After classes, Clark managed to finish his journalism application. They were already well into the semester and he wanted to get involved in the paper as soon as possible.
He stopped by the office to drop if off and fortunately, the editor-in-chief was there. They spent a few minutes talking and he was able to look through his application on the spot. As he had said before, they were in need of help and he managed to get on.
Clark was told about the meetings and he knew that this would be a time commitment but he didn’t mind. It would be a busy year, as he had SATs too but he knew that he would find a way to balance his time.
Promising to be at the first meeting, he left.
Where he promptly ran into Oliver.
“It seems that this is one of our spots,” Oliver quipped, with a grin.
“Careful Oliver,” Clark teased, “If I didn’t know better, I may think you’re stalking me.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t know better then,” Oliver suggested, with a wink.
“Why Oliver Queen, what would people say?” Clark said, trying to refrain from blushing. “Stalking underclassman … I’d have higher hopes for our student body president.”
“I’m sure they’d be shocked,” Oliver agreed. “Until they saw you and then they’d stalk you too.”
“Too?” Clark asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Does this mean you admit to the stalking?”
“I never denied it in the first place,” Oliver pointed out, smirking.
This time, Clark couldn’t stop the blush that flooded his cheeks.
“So,” he said, clearing his throat, “Have you decided on a costume for the party?”
“I have,” Oliver confirmed. His eyes twinkled mischievously. “Not that I’m going to tell you … you’ll have to wait like the rest of the world until the day of the party.”
“Guess I’ll definitely have to show up then,” Clark remarked.
“Was there any doubt?” Oliver questioned.
“Well, Lex can’t come,” Clark told him.
“You’re still coming though right?” Oliver asked.
Clark was taken aback to hear a note of worry in the blonde’s voice.
“Probably,” Clark replied. He paused. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“There’ll be tons of other people,” Oliver assured him. “Besides, even if Lex isn’t there … you’ll know me … we can hang out.”
“I don’t need you to babysit me, Oliver,” Clark replied with a smile.
“It’s not babysitting if I want to hang out with you,” Oliver retorted. “Don’t sell yourself short, Clark … you’re great company and I enjoy spending time with you.”
Oliver, why do you have to keep fueling my crush? This was not what he needed. The blond’s words were going directly to his heart.
“You’ll be there then?” Oliver wanted to know, oblivious to his thoughts.
“I’ll be there,” Clark responded.
“Wonderful,” Oliver said, pleased. “I’ll see you later then.”
Clark nodded and watched him walk away before heading back to his room.
On his walk back, he was thinking of Oliver and the upcoming party. He had to find the perfect costume, that much he was certain.
Halloween was in two weeks so he had time but he knew that the good costumes would be gone fast so he had to act quickly.
Which was how Lex ended up being dragged to downtown Metropolis the following weekend to help Clark pick out a costume.
His friend had a car on campus, which he hadn’t known about before but it was useful and got them to the costume store. Lex didn’t even make fun of him that much when he begged him for his help in finding the right costume.
“What exactly are you looking for?” Lex questioned as they searched through the various costumes.
“I’m not really sure,” Clark said, shrugging.
“Good to hear that you have something solid to work off of,” Lex said sarcastically.
“That’s why you’re here!” Clark responded cheerfully.
Lex chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, come along … we need to get you a costume and I don’t plan to spend the rest of my life in this store.”
Laughing, Clark followed him as they went through several costumes. None of them seemed right though. Lex made a few jokes when they saw a Prince Charming costume, which Clark vetoed immediately.
While it was funny at first, Clark grew frustrated at his inability to find the right costume. He didn’t know what he was looking for. Lex was patient with him but he wished he could just get this over with.
“Maybe we can go to another store?” Lex offered.
“I think we may have to,” Clark said miserably. “I’m sorry,” he added a moment later.
“What for?” Lex questioned, confused.
“For wasting your time,” Clark replied, frowning.
“You’re not wasting my time,” Lex assured him. “I knew perfectly well this could be a long outing when I agreed to help you.” He paused. “Look, I can see this is getting to you. How about we take a break and get some coffee or something? Then we can go this other store and try again?”
“Sounds good,” Clark said gratefully, a smiling emerging on his face once more.
Exchanging smiles, they headed out, finding a nearby Starbucks where they could sit and just hang out for a bit.
Once again, they went back to the costume hunt, trying out a different store. Much to Clark’s disappointment, they had the generic variety that the other one did. He was going to give up hope completely when a particular costume caught his eye.
Making his way toward it, he picked up the bag, the picture on the cover intriguing him.
“Will Scarlet,” Lex read from next to him.
“He’s from the Robin Hood mythos,” Clark recalled. Robin Hood made him think of archery, which made him immediately think of Oliver.
“It’s a nice costume,” Lex commented.
“It really is,” Clark agreed. The costume was beautiful, that was definitely true.
“And I like red,” Clark mused aloud.
“You’ll also be unique,” Lex noted. “I can’t see anyone showing up as Will Scarlet. Try it on.”
“K,” Clark said and went to one of the dressing rooms. He was actually pleased with the way it looked and when he showed Lex, his friend also gave his approval.
That was enough for him. He bought the costume and was extremely relieved that he found something that was okay.
Privately, he wondered what Oliver would think of his costume. He couldn’t help it. Even when he tried to push the blonde out of his thoughts, he always found his way back to the forefront of his mind.
Oliver had even said he wanted to spend time with Clark at the party. Don’t get your hopes up, Kent … once he sees all those other people clamoring for his attention, he’s probably going to forget that you exist.
As disappointed as he was with that thought and the probability that was what would actually happen, he decided to be optimistic. Even if Oliver didn’t pay attention to him, he would go and have fun.
At Smallville, he had always faded into the background but he didn’t have to do that here. It was a fresh start and at Excelsior, there wasn’t any weekly meteor freak incidents, so there was no worries about accidentally revealing his abilities.
My abilities. He had barely thought of them … he had been super careful over the past few weeks but being careful had become second nature to him. It was just natural and he was surprised that he hadn’t used them in a while.
That’s not a bad thing. No, it wasn’t. He didn’t have to lie to anybody about what they thought they saw or make excuses to why he was at someplace at a certain time. It was perfect. But he vowed to himself to never forget that he had them. That way, he wouldn’t slip up at all.
There were only a few people who knew of his origins, two of them being his mother and grandfather. Fooling William Clark was just not within the realm of possibilities. To his credit, he had taken it well and it had actually helped fix the father-daughter relationship, which pleased Clark immensely.
Outside of family, the only person who knew was Pete Ross. But he had confidence that his best friend in Smallville wouldn’t tell anyone.
Now he just had to make sure didn’t do anything stupid. Don’t stress … everything will be just fine.
He hoped so.
Yet, when he tried to ignore those thoughts, he only started thinking of Ollie again.
All in all, the following week was not easy for him. He was excited for the party but he was also a bit nervous too.
Looking at the invitation, he had found that it was a joint party between Excelsior and Illyria Prepatory, which was an all-girls boarding school. It was going to be held at the ballroom at Excelsior.
A journalism meeting in the middle of the week temporarily distracted him but whenever he wasn’t busy with school or the paper, his mind drifted back to the party and to Oliver.
Lex left Friday right after classes ended but he told Clark that he’d be fine when he expressed anxiety over the party at lunch.
He had told his mom about the party over the phone and she sounded excited, not to mention relieved, that he was getting settled so well. The separation was difficult but they were both coping.
It helped that he would see her during Thanksgiving. But even the holiday, which fell on the 27th of November, was four weeks away and it seemed too long. On the phone he made sure to be strong because the last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him when she was across the country.
Besides, he was looking forward to the party so he focused on that excitement.
Halloween had conveniently fallen on a Friday so the party would take place that night.
Clark didn’t have a lot of free time after class before he had to get ready. He showered and slipped into his costume, glancing at the mirror repeatedly before he got the nerve to leave the room.
Finding the hall was easy enough and Clark was amazed when he entered. The decorations were outstanding, making every Smallville High dance he’d ever been to look like kiddie parties.
There was already a decent amount of people there and Clark bit his lip, seeing all the unfamiliar faces. Taking a few steps inside, he couldn’t help but be nervous once more. Even when he had attended dances at Smallville, he had always known everyone and usually showed up with Pete and Chloe.
Here, he was new … a complete stranger. His stomach was in knots and there was the temptation to just run. But he managed to overcome the urge and stayed.
It turned out better than he expected. People were friendly enough and a few girls from Illyria flirted with him, which was a surprise. He even danced with a few of them and he found that he was having a good time. However, he couldn’t help but wonder where Oliver was. Though he tried to forget them, as the blond was probably busy socializing, the question kept coming back.
He wouldn’t have to wonder for long though.
After a few dances, he took a break to get some punch, his eyes wandering around the room until they accidentally locked onto a pair of brown ones from across the room. Suddenly Clark found that he couldn't breathe.
Oliver … Oliver was there … dressed as Robin Hood. He looked gorgeous in his costume, which was topped off by a tiny green mask. The blond seemed stunned at his costume choice and his lips quickly curved into a smile.
Clark found that he couldn’t move. His feet felt as if they were cemented to the ground. Seeing as he wasn’t moving, Oliver slowly began to close the distance between them. The brunet watched as Ollie moved gracefully through the crowd, his heart rate speeding up. No matter how many people tried to get his attention, Oliver’s gaze didn’t leave Clark’s face.
The room was large and Oliver was halfway through. Clark smiled, ready to say something when a voice caught his attention.
“Clark.”
Turning toward the sound, the moment broken, he was surprised to see none other than Jason Teague, dressed as a vampire.
“Jason,” he said, surprised. “Hi.”
“Hey,” Jason replied. “I thought I recognized you and I had to come and say hi. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“I thought it’d be fun,” Clark told him.
“Well I’m glad you made it,” Jason responded. His eyes drifted over Clark’s body. “Great costume.”
“I like red,” Clark offered lamely.
“You look good in it,” Jason replied with a smile. It was a nice smile, sure, but it didn’t do anything for him. Not like Ollie’s smile.
“It seems that you have showed up in a rather interesting costume yourself,” a voice interrupted. Both looked to see Oliver now by their side. “Should I warn the guests to protect their necks?”
“You’ve always been a clown, haven’t you Oliver?” Jason said, his smile more forced now.
“I prefer to think of myself as entertaining,” Oliver said smoothly. “Really, it’s part of my charm.”
His eyes met Clark’s. “I have to agree with him on the costume though … great choice.”
“I didn’t know you’d be here as Robin Hood,” Clark said, suddenly shy.
“I do like archery,” Oliver stated. “Robin Hood was one of my favorite stories when growing up.”
Jason Teague had been long forgotten by both men, Clark only able to concentrate on the beautiful blond standing in front of him.
“Come along, you promised me time together and I plan to collect,” Oliver said, with a teasing smile.
“I don’t remember promising anything,” Clark said, amused.
“It was implied,” Oliver replied, shrugging. “Besides, Robin Hood and Will Scarlet go hand in hand. Who are we to break tradition?” Turning to Jason with a superior smile, he added, “Enjoy the party Jason.”
As if remembering he was there, Clark turned and nodded. “Bye Jason.”
Jason didn’t look pleased but couldn’t say anything to contrary.
“See you later,” he was able to say before Clark was dragged away by Oliver.
Oliver was quite pleased with himself. When he had seen Clark, his knees had almost given out on him. The younger man had showed up as Will Scarlet and that just filled him with giddiness … their costumes had been coordinated.
He felt extremely dorky thinking that but he couldn’t help it. As he made his way to Clark, he could feel the chemistry between them.
Then Jason bloody Teague had interrupted. And he wondered how the hell they knew each other in the first place.
Even though Clark had been polite, he got a slight thrill over the fact that Clark’s eyes hadn’t lit up for him the way it had when they had fallen on Ollie.
The minute Oliver came into the conversation, Jason was ignored. Take that Teague … don’t even try to beat me when it comes to Clark. He’s mine.
It was with great pleasure that he stole Clark away and the brunet had come willingly. Jason must’ve seen he was defeated and it was definitely a highlight of his night, falling behind seeing Clark’s costume.
“Have you been having a good time so far?” Oliver asked his companion.
“It’s been fun,” Clark admitted.
“You sound surprised,” Oliver remarked.
“I didn’t know what to expect really,” Clark told him, as they made their way around the room. “But people have been friendly.”
It never failed to amaze him how modest the brunet was. He was oblivious to how attractive he was but it only made him that much more appealing.
“Have you looked in a mirror lately Clark?” Oliver questioned. “I certainly wouldn’t blame those who are flocking your side.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Clark said, blushing. Oliver usually liked the bold, self-assertive type but he was drawn to Clark.
“No, I’m just honest,” Oliver retorted.
Clark felt his face warm again and wished that Oliver didn’t have such a strong effect on him. He felt a little bad for unintentionally ignoring Jason but when he was around Oliver Queen, it was like the rest of the world just didn’t exist.
He saw there were several people vying for Oliver’s attention but the blond’s attention was completely devoted to Clark. It was an intense feeling and Clark knew that more than a few people were wondering who he was and what was so special about him.
But their curious glances didn’t even bother him. Not when he was chatting happily with Oliver.
They stopped in front of two other guys, who Clark recognized as the people he had rescued Lex from. His stomach tightened.
“Wow,” one of them said, “You guys ended up in similar outfits!”
“Coincidence,” Oliver said. “Or maybe it was fate,” he finished, throwing a wink at Clark.
Clark smiled at Oliver and turned back to his friends.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Oliver said immediately. “This is Geoffrey, and this is Alden. Guys, Clark Kent.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Clark said politely.
“You too,” Geoffrey replied.
Fortunately, they didn’t stay long.
“I’ll see you two later,” Oliver told them and he took Clark, and much to his relief, they took off.
Clark was introduced all around and he almost felt like Oliver’s date, a thought that had his stomach doing flips. Don’t go there, Clark. You’ll only get hurt in the end.
Though he did wonder why Oliver was paying so much attention to him, refusing to leave his side for even a second.
“You know, you don’t have to stay with me, right?” he asked quietly. “I was doing fine before you showed up.”
Oliver peered into his expression and smiled.
“Clark,” he said calmly. “I like spending time with you. Unless, of course, you want to mingle and are trying not to hurt my feelings.”
“Oh no,” he said quickly. “I just … didn’t want to hog your time.”
“Then we don’t have any issues,” Oliver proclaimed. “Because I’d rather be with you than anyone of them.” They headed outside for a breather and Clark stared out into the night sky, finding the silence between them comfortable as opposed to awkward.
“It’s a nice night,” Oliver said, breaking the silence.
“It is,” Clark agreed, meeting his eyes.
“I want you to know that I’ve had a great time with you Clark,” Oliver said and one look into his eyes and Clark knew that he was speaking the truth.
“I have had fun with you too,” Clark replied. “Though I did hear some speculation about our costumes,” he added, smiling to show that he was just kidding.
“It’s not our fault that we’re apparently mentally connected,” Oliver told him. “You do look great in that costume,” he added.
“Thanks,” Clark replied. “You look good too.”
The look in Ollie’s eyes took Clark’s breath away. Unconsciously, he took a few steps toward the blonde, and Oliver closed the remaining distance. His eyes drifted to his lips and when he moved back to Oliver’s eyes, he saw that they were darker than before.
Clark wondered if Ollie’s lips were as soft as they looked. Just a few more inches … and I could find out.
The thoughts didn’t scare him … it was what he had wanted for a while but to be so close was driving him crazy.
Oliver’s expression was serious as well, his eyes searching Clark’s, as if looking for a sign. The hope emerged in his eyes proved that he had found what he was looking for.
Clark wasn’t sure who moved first but before he could think, his lips were on Oliver’s, engaging them in their first kiss.
And it was perfect.
Chapter 8