Fic for electricmonk333
For: electricmonk333
From: g8r_gal
Request: Angsty with a happy ending.
Type: Fic
Title: The Missing Piece
Rating: FRT
Warnings: S8-before Abyss and Bride-those things never happened here.
Summary: Clark realizes what he's been missing.
A/N: Happy Holidays!
Clark was miserable. He hadn't been this miserable in a long time. He thought his days of pining in the loft were over. He was more mature than this. He shouldn't be sulking in the loft like some love-sick teenager, but here he was, sitting on that old ratty couch going through his yearbooks with a rather large frown stretched across his face.
He doesn't know when it happened. Doesn't know where he went wrong. All he knows is that Chloe Sullivan, his best friend in the whole world, was in love with him-with him, and he had no clue. He didn't find out until she so casually gave him a letter she wrote him years ago. This letter professed her undying love for him, but apparently it was not so undying. She is engaged to Jimmy Olsen. She has obviously moved on.
He thumbs through the old yearbooks and stares at pictures of them together. Now he can see it. Now he can look at these pictures and see the love and adoration that she held for him. It is right there, plain as day in her eyes. Why couldn't he see it before? Oh that's right, Lana Lang. Clark groans out loud as he quickly turns the page away from the cheerleader collage and back to the Journalism page. He was so obsessed with Lana that he didn't see what was right in front of him all this time. The girl of his dreams masquerading as his best friend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It's been two weeks since she gave him the letter. She gave him the letter and told him, “So you blew it, Bud.” He has replayed that in his head over and over a thousand times. He did blow it, and now all he can think about is her. And how much he wants to be with her.
They still talk on the phone, still visit each other at Isis or the DP, but it kills him. Every time he sees her, it kills him. He wants to tell her how blind he was. Wants to tell her that he had feelings for her all along, and still does, but was too afraid to pursue anything beyond friendship because it seemed that was all she wanted. He would do anything to have a chance with her, but he figures there is no chance left. She is marrying Jimmy and he is supposed to give her away.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clark’s cell rings and Chloe’s number is on the caller id. He’s in a meeting with Tess, but he’s bored out of his mind, so he slips out to answer it. “Hey Chlo, what’s up?” Chloe hesitates at first before answering, “Clark, would you be able to hang out today? I need to talk to you.” He tries not to sound too excited when he replies, “sure, wanna meet for lunch at that Chinese place down the street from Isis?” He knows Chinese is her favorite. “See you at 12:30, Clark.”
He already has a table and her usual mongolian beef waiting for her when she arrives at the restaurant. She begins to eat and he knows right away something is up. She doesn't normally stuff her face like this. She's practically inhaling her food. He finally asks her what it was she wanted to talk about. “Clark, I've been your best friend since what? Eighth grade? I know when something is bothering you, and lately, something has really been bothering you. I've been waiting for you to tell me yourself without prodding, but you haven't yet, so I'm breaking out the prod. What's going on?”
Clark shifts nervously in his chair before he retorts, “you can't tell me that being worried about what's bothering me has got you so worked up that you inhaled your food that fast. Something's up with you and you're deflecting.” He looks at her incredulously and she snorts, “I did not inhale my food! And I am not deflecting. Sounds like you're deflecting to me, mister.”
“Oh really?” he asks, “did you even taste your food?” She nods her head in affirmation but before she can speak he continues, “because you ate my food, Chlo. I had chicken with broccoli, and you hate broccoli.” She looks down at the nearly eaten food and then sheepishly back at Clark. “Spill it,” he says.
Chloe goes on to tell Clark that while going through pre-marriage counseling with Jimmy and the minister, she began to wonder if Jimmy was the one she really wanted to marry. Clark couldn't believe his ears. If he didn't have superhearing he would've asked her to repeat herself. He listened intently as she went over all the reasons for and against marrying Jimmy. She really didn't have any concrete reasons for marrying him, actually.
“Your turn,” she said. “What's been going on in that head of yours?”
Although hearing that she was unsure about marrying Jimmy was probably the best news he's heard in a while, he wasn't sure that now was the time to pour his heart out. You know Chloe, though. That girl never gives up. She kept trying to get it out of him until she finally had to resort to threats. “Don't make me get my little lead box, Clark. Tell me what's been bothering you.”
Facing the prospect of little green rocks, he caved. “fine, I'll tell you, although I don't think that now is the right time...I'm an idiot, Chloe.”
“We know that already, Clark. I mean, your mom and I don't call you 'the BDA' for nothing.” Clark looks at her confused and she explains, “Big Dumb Alien?” Clark crosses his arms in front of his chest like a child, “you and my mom call me that? Really?” Chloe bursts out laughing at his tone and slight tantrum. “That's what's been bothering you? You've finally realized you're an idiot?”
“No, Chloe. I was upset because I had no idea you felt that way about me. After I read that letter you wrote I just couldn't stop kicking myself for not noticing. So many times I wanted to go further, to be more than just best friends, but I thought you didn't, so I never acted on those feelings. I read that letter and it's all back, and I can't get rid of it. All I can think about is you and what I have lost, what could've been.”
Chloe just stares at Clark for the longest time, unable to speak. For so many years she wanted to hear that from him. Now she's engaged and weeks from getting married and he finally comes to his senses? Typical Clark to wait until the last minute, right?
Clark speaks first, “I'm not expecting you to call it off with Jimmy and start something with me, I just, well, you kept asking, so I figured I'd tell you. I can't bear to lose you, Chlo, but if Jimmy makes you happy, then marry Jimmy. When I told you that I only want for you to be happy, I meant it.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Three weeks later Chloe shows up at the Kent farm, unannounced. Clark pours them both a cup of coffee and they sit in the living room. “I heard you broke it off with Jimmy,” he says softly. “Are you okay?” She takes a long sip of the hot coffee before answering. “I hope I will be. I want to try it with you, Clark. I want to know what could've been, what could be.”
His heart does a few dozen flips in his chest and he tries to contain his happiness, “are you sure this is what you want?” She sets the coffee on the side table and lays her hand on his forearm. “You're such a BDA, Clark. I haven't loved you all these years for nothing. I thought I was over you. I was resigned to the fact that we were best friends, and that's all we'd ever be, so when Jimmy came along, I tried to make it work. I really did, but I was never really over you. He knew it and so did I, but I tried to deny it. Something was always off with Jimmy and I., like something was missing. When you said you had feelings for me, too, I couldn't just let that go. I think you're the missing piece. I want to see where this takes us.”
Clark was so overwhelmed with emotion that he just lowered his head and kissed her right then and there. “Me too, Chloe, me too.”
~Fin~
From: g8r_gal
Request: Angsty with a happy ending.
Type: Fic
Title: The Missing Piece
Rating: FRT
Warnings: S8-before Abyss and Bride-those things never happened here.
Summary: Clark realizes what he's been missing.
A/N: Happy Holidays!
Clark was miserable. He hadn't been this miserable in a long time. He thought his days of pining in the loft were over. He was more mature than this. He shouldn't be sulking in the loft like some love-sick teenager, but here he was, sitting on that old ratty couch going through his yearbooks with a rather large frown stretched across his face.
He doesn't know when it happened. Doesn't know where he went wrong. All he knows is that Chloe Sullivan, his best friend in the whole world, was in love with him-with him, and he had no clue. He didn't find out until she so casually gave him a letter she wrote him years ago. This letter professed her undying love for him, but apparently it was not so undying. She is engaged to Jimmy Olsen. She has obviously moved on.
He thumbs through the old yearbooks and stares at pictures of them together. Now he can see it. Now he can look at these pictures and see the love and adoration that she held for him. It is right there, plain as day in her eyes. Why couldn't he see it before? Oh that's right, Lana Lang. Clark groans out loud as he quickly turns the page away from the cheerleader collage and back to the Journalism page. He was so obsessed with Lana that he didn't see what was right in front of him all this time. The girl of his dreams masquerading as his best friend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It's been two weeks since she gave him the letter. She gave him the letter and told him, “So you blew it, Bud.” He has replayed that in his head over and over a thousand times. He did blow it, and now all he can think about is her. And how much he wants to be with her.
They still talk on the phone, still visit each other at Isis or the DP, but it kills him. Every time he sees her, it kills him. He wants to tell her how blind he was. Wants to tell her that he had feelings for her all along, and still does, but was too afraid to pursue anything beyond friendship because it seemed that was all she wanted. He would do anything to have a chance with her, but he figures there is no chance left. She is marrying Jimmy and he is supposed to give her away.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clark’s cell rings and Chloe’s number is on the caller id. He’s in a meeting with Tess, but he’s bored out of his mind, so he slips out to answer it. “Hey Chlo, what’s up?” Chloe hesitates at first before answering, “Clark, would you be able to hang out today? I need to talk to you.” He tries not to sound too excited when he replies, “sure, wanna meet for lunch at that Chinese place down the street from Isis?” He knows Chinese is her favorite. “See you at 12:30, Clark.”
He already has a table and her usual mongolian beef waiting for her when she arrives at the restaurant. She begins to eat and he knows right away something is up. She doesn't normally stuff her face like this. She's practically inhaling her food. He finally asks her what it was she wanted to talk about. “Clark, I've been your best friend since what? Eighth grade? I know when something is bothering you, and lately, something has really been bothering you. I've been waiting for you to tell me yourself without prodding, but you haven't yet, so I'm breaking out the prod. What's going on?”
Clark shifts nervously in his chair before he retorts, “you can't tell me that being worried about what's bothering me has got you so worked up that you inhaled your food that fast. Something's up with you and you're deflecting.” He looks at her incredulously and she snorts, “I did not inhale my food! And I am not deflecting. Sounds like you're deflecting to me, mister.”
“Oh really?” he asks, “did you even taste your food?” She nods her head in affirmation but before she can speak he continues, “because you ate my food, Chlo. I had chicken with broccoli, and you hate broccoli.” She looks down at the nearly eaten food and then sheepishly back at Clark. “Spill it,” he says.
Chloe goes on to tell Clark that while going through pre-marriage counseling with Jimmy and the minister, she began to wonder if Jimmy was the one she really wanted to marry. Clark couldn't believe his ears. If he didn't have superhearing he would've asked her to repeat herself. He listened intently as she went over all the reasons for and against marrying Jimmy. She really didn't have any concrete reasons for marrying him, actually.
“Your turn,” she said. “What's been going on in that head of yours?”
Although hearing that she was unsure about marrying Jimmy was probably the best news he's heard in a while, he wasn't sure that now was the time to pour his heart out. You know Chloe, though. That girl never gives up. She kept trying to get it out of him until she finally had to resort to threats. “Don't make me get my little lead box, Clark. Tell me what's been bothering you.”
Facing the prospect of little green rocks, he caved. “fine, I'll tell you, although I don't think that now is the right time...I'm an idiot, Chloe.”
“We know that already, Clark. I mean, your mom and I don't call you 'the BDA' for nothing.” Clark looks at her confused and she explains, “Big Dumb Alien?” Clark crosses his arms in front of his chest like a child, “you and my mom call me that? Really?” Chloe bursts out laughing at his tone and slight tantrum. “That's what's been bothering you? You've finally realized you're an idiot?”
“No, Chloe. I was upset because I had no idea you felt that way about me. After I read that letter you wrote I just couldn't stop kicking myself for not noticing. So many times I wanted to go further, to be more than just best friends, but I thought you didn't, so I never acted on those feelings. I read that letter and it's all back, and I can't get rid of it. All I can think about is you and what I have lost, what could've been.”
Chloe just stares at Clark for the longest time, unable to speak. For so many years she wanted to hear that from him. Now she's engaged and weeks from getting married and he finally comes to his senses? Typical Clark to wait until the last minute, right?
Clark speaks first, “I'm not expecting you to call it off with Jimmy and start something with me, I just, well, you kept asking, so I figured I'd tell you. I can't bear to lose you, Chlo, but if Jimmy makes you happy, then marry Jimmy. When I told you that I only want for you to be happy, I meant it.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Three weeks later Chloe shows up at the Kent farm, unannounced. Clark pours them both a cup of coffee and they sit in the living room. “I heard you broke it off with Jimmy,” he says softly. “Are you okay?” She takes a long sip of the hot coffee before answering. “I hope I will be. I want to try it with you, Clark. I want to know what could've been, what could be.”
His heart does a few dozen flips in his chest and he tries to contain his happiness, “are you sure this is what you want?” She sets the coffee on the side table and lays her hand on his forearm. “You're such a BDA, Clark. I haven't loved you all these years for nothing. I thought I was over you. I was resigned to the fact that we were best friends, and that's all we'd ever be, so when Jimmy came along, I tried to make it work. I really did, but I was never really over you. He knew it and so did I, but I tried to deny it. Something was always off with Jimmy and I., like something was missing. When you said you had feelings for me, too, I couldn't just let that go. I think you're the missing piece. I want to see where this takes us.”
Clark was so overwhelmed with emotion that he just lowered his head and kissed her right then and there. “Me too, Chloe, me too.”
~Fin~