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remix_reduxTitle: Passing Notes (The Yenta!Reporter Remix)
Author: dr_who_dre
Summary: She was used to seeing things that she didn’t want to see. She lived in Smallville, after all.
Disclaimer: All things Smallville belong to DC Comics, the WB/CW, et al.
Fandom: Smallville
Rated: PG13
Warnings: Mention of m/m lust.
Spoilers: None
Remix of Passing Notes by Abi at http://smallville.slashdom.net/archive/41/passingnotes.html
~*~
It was enough to make her stomach clench up, churn a little, and then give a heave that Chloe was certain wasn’t good for her. The same kind of feeling happened whenever Clark and Lana started giving each other those looks, but it had been a while since she’d seen that. She’d almost gotten over it, gotten used to it, and moved on. Sure, she’d never have Clark, but at least it didn’t look like Lana was going to have him, either.
Unfortunately, with this newfound clarity that Lana no longer was the sun that Clark’s world revolved around, came the realization that someone else had taken her place.
Someone that might actually return the sentiment.
Chloe averted her eyes as Clark and Lex stood talking off to one side of the Talon. Clark was smiling. Flat out, full-faced grinning. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to come up with a great big whopping four, and when it happened she felt like she’d been sucker-punched.
So, okay, she told herself. Clark has a little crush on Lex. Who didn’t? He was handsome, mysterious, and the whole rich-as-sin thing didn’t hurt, either. She’d entertained a fantasy or three about him right there at the beginning, when he was still settling into life in Smallville. She’d gotten over it, as had most, if not all, of his would be sycophants.
Clark, though? She’d never seen this coming. Some investigative reporter she was.
Out of the corner of her eye, she continued to watch, looking for signs to prove or disprove this newest theory. What she got wasn’t any big revelation about Clark.
No, what she saw made her think that Lex felt the same way. He certainly stood close enough – closer than casual conversation required – and the teasing half-smile on his lips wasn’t just about good humor.
“Oh, God,” Chloe muttered, staring down into her coffee and pointedly ignoring the urge to look at them anymore, because the more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her, and the more she saw that this wasn’t anything new.
So Clark had an unrequited crush on Lex. Lex…possibly had a crush on Clark.
Right. Time to do what any good friend would do.
And if it all blew up in their faces, then so be it. The last thing she wanted was to sit around and watch Clark moon over someone else he thought he couldn’t have, though.
Swallowing her pride and that vague sense of hurt that came with once again missing out on the one person she thought she really wanted, Chloe set about making a plan.
~*~
As plans went, she could admit it sucked. Passing notes was so seventh grade, crush-addled, teenage girlish. All of which Clark had pointed out.
Chloe felt a little underhanded retrieving the note from the trash, when Clark had made it clear that he didn’t want to go along with her plan, but que sera sera.
She was only doing what was best for him, she told herself as she headed towards Luthor Mansion. Maybe it was the right thing to do, maybe it was wrong. But she only had Clark’s best interests in mind. She wanted him happy.
Even if that meant that she wasn’t the one making him happy.
~*~
Feeling pretty pleased with herself, Chloe typed up the story she’d been working on for the better part of a week and a half. Sure, it was nothing groundbreaking, or even that interesting, but it was hers and it was complete. Next week there’d be another meteor mutant, she told herself, and she could get away from writing exposes on the hygiene habits of the school cafeteria staff.
She hadn’t seen Clark since their meeting at The Talon the afternoon before – during which she’d tried very, very hard not to feel guilty at all for what she’d done – and Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if that was a good thing. Maybe he and Lex were, right at that moment, talking about their feelings. The thought of Lex talking about his feelings with anyone was enough to make her laugh. If they were talking about emotional issues, then it was Clark doing the talking and Lex just sitting there, looking cool and collected, unruffled at all.
Hopefully everything would work out for the best for the two of them. Seeing Clark happy would make her happy. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
And at least he was over Lana, right?
Of course, the moment that thought started leading her to a happy place was just about the time that the bell rang. Time to get to class.
Pete was scowling something fierce when she settled into her desk in study hall, already opening her text to the Trig homework they’d gotten earlier that day. She arched an eyebrow at him, saw his lips press tight and his nose flare.
Something really had his panties in a bunch. Chloe was about to ask what was going on when the bell rang and class began. Five minutes in, she felt the sharp edge of a folded piece of paper tap her on the leg. Chloe reached for it under the desk without thinking, tucking it into her notebook as she gave Matt a silent ‘thanks’. She glanced at the front of the class. No, the teacher hadn’t noticed. Good. It had been years since she’d been caught passing notes in class and she really wanted to keep it that way.
Discreetly, she unfolded the note, and read.
Oh. Oh, no.
Chloe felt a headache coming on. She’d really screwed up, hadn’t she? And now Pete thought it was her fault and, maybe, it was. Okay, it definitely was. She’d made assumptions and then she’d given Lex the note even though Clark obviously didn’t want him to have it.
She winced.
Instead of making Clark happy, she’d made him miserable.
Some days it just didn’t pay to get out of bed.
Still, even as she penned a response back to Pete, Chloe found herself wondering where exactly she’d gone wrong. If anyone had asked her before right now if Lex liked Clark in that way, she would have said that she was ninety-nine percent sure he did.
Maybe her intuition was on the fritz, then. Sort of made her wonder if maybe Mrs. Johnson, one of the cafeteria workers, hadn’t been at the clinic for contagious skin rash, after all. Maybe she should pull that from her story for the week.
Folding up the note, she passed it to Matt, who returned it to Pete. She waited for him to read it, then caught his eye. Her and him, after school, Clark’s house.
Oh, the fun that would be had.
~*~
If Clark had been mad at her, even just a little, Chloe was sure that she would have felt better about things, she told herself as her and Pete piled back into her car.
But he hadn’t been.
At all.
He was just… broken.
“It’s my fault,” she muttered.
Pete frowned. “I’m not going to say it isn’t.”
“Thanks,” she said, dryly.
“But,” he continued. “You were only trying to help Clark out.”
Easy for him to say. Pete still didn’t know what it was she’d done. They’d managed to dance all around the reason why Clark was depressed while they were visiting with him, and Chloe wasn’t about to let Pete in on the secret. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be the one to tell him that Clark had a thing for a guy, let alone that the guy was Lex Luthor.
There was no point in him knowing now, anyway. There was nothing going on between Lex and Clark now except for some awkwardness and, on Clark’s part, hurt and rejection.
Pete could stay oblivious to this for the rest of his life, as far as Chloe was concerned.
~*~
The next day she didn’t see Clark in first period. This was the biggest screw up on her part ever, apparently. He couldn’t even drag himself out of bed to come to school? She shut her eyes briefly, shaking her head. This was going to call for some major cheering up on her part. Even if it hadn’t worked last night, she was sure that she could slowly work through the pain that Clark was feeling.
If all else failed, she guessed she could try to get his attention back on Lana.
The thought was enough to make her grimace.
There was a note in Chloe’s locker after second period, shoved between the slats. It fluttered to the ground as she opened the locker door, and as she bent to retrieve it, she recognized the paper as stationary from Lex’s company.
Great, she thought. Now it was Lex’s turn to make her life miserable. At least he would be more creative about it than the moping and crying that Clark was doing.
He might even have her killed and just put her out of her misery entirely.
The words were crisp black, scrawled eloquently. Just two little words.
And two signatures.
Chloe grinned, and it was an honest happy-for-him type of grin.
Of course, Clark could be the one to tell Pete.
~*~
Chloe,
Thank you.
Sincerely
Lex and Clark
END
Author: dr_who_dre
Summary: She was used to seeing things that she didn’t want to see. She lived in Smallville, after all.
Disclaimer: All things Smallville belong to DC Comics, the WB/CW, et al.
Fandom: Smallville
Rated: PG13
Warnings: Mention of m/m lust.
Spoilers: None
Remix of Passing Notes by Abi at http://smallville.slashdom.net/archive/41/passingnotes.html
~*~
It was enough to make her stomach clench up, churn a little, and then give a heave that Chloe was certain wasn’t good for her. The same kind of feeling happened whenever Clark and Lana started giving each other those looks, but it had been a while since she’d seen that. She’d almost gotten over it, gotten used to it, and moved on. Sure, she’d never have Clark, but at least it didn’t look like Lana was going to have him, either.
Unfortunately, with this newfound clarity that Lana no longer was the sun that Clark’s world revolved around, came the realization that someone else had taken her place.
Someone that might actually return the sentiment.
Chloe averted her eyes as Clark and Lex stood talking off to one side of the Talon. Clark was smiling. Flat out, full-faced grinning. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together to come up with a great big whopping four, and when it happened she felt like she’d been sucker-punched.
So, okay, she told herself. Clark has a little crush on Lex. Who didn’t? He was handsome, mysterious, and the whole rich-as-sin thing didn’t hurt, either. She’d entertained a fantasy or three about him right there at the beginning, when he was still settling into life in Smallville. She’d gotten over it, as had most, if not all, of his would be sycophants.
Clark, though? She’d never seen this coming. Some investigative reporter she was.
Out of the corner of her eye, she continued to watch, looking for signs to prove or disprove this newest theory. What she got wasn’t any big revelation about Clark.
No, what she saw made her think that Lex felt the same way. He certainly stood close enough – closer than casual conversation required – and the teasing half-smile on his lips wasn’t just about good humor.
“Oh, God,” Chloe muttered, staring down into her coffee and pointedly ignoring the urge to look at them anymore, because the more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her, and the more she saw that this wasn’t anything new.
So Clark had an unrequited crush on Lex. Lex…possibly had a crush on Clark.
Right. Time to do what any good friend would do.
And if it all blew up in their faces, then so be it. The last thing she wanted was to sit around and watch Clark moon over someone else he thought he couldn’t have, though.
Swallowing her pride and that vague sense of hurt that came with once again missing out on the one person she thought she really wanted, Chloe set about making a plan.
~*~
As plans went, she could admit it sucked. Passing notes was so seventh grade, crush-addled, teenage girlish. All of which Clark had pointed out.
Chloe felt a little underhanded retrieving the note from the trash, when Clark had made it clear that he didn’t want to go along with her plan, but que sera sera.
She was only doing what was best for him, she told herself as she headed towards Luthor Mansion. Maybe it was the right thing to do, maybe it was wrong. But she only had Clark’s best interests in mind. She wanted him happy.
Even if that meant that she wasn’t the one making him happy.
~*~
Feeling pretty pleased with herself, Chloe typed up the story she’d been working on for the better part of a week and a half. Sure, it was nothing groundbreaking, or even that interesting, but it was hers and it was complete. Next week there’d be another meteor mutant, she told herself, and she could get away from writing exposes on the hygiene habits of the school cafeteria staff.
She hadn’t seen Clark since their meeting at The Talon the afternoon before – during which she’d tried very, very hard not to feel guilty at all for what she’d done – and Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if that was a good thing. Maybe he and Lex were, right at that moment, talking about their feelings. The thought of Lex talking about his feelings with anyone was enough to make her laugh. If they were talking about emotional issues, then it was Clark doing the talking and Lex just sitting there, looking cool and collected, unruffled at all.
Hopefully everything would work out for the best for the two of them. Seeing Clark happy would make her happy. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
And at least he was over Lana, right?
Of course, the moment that thought started leading her to a happy place was just about the time that the bell rang. Time to get to class.
Pete was scowling something fierce when she settled into her desk in study hall, already opening her text to the Trig homework they’d gotten earlier that day. She arched an eyebrow at him, saw his lips press tight and his nose flare.
Something really had his panties in a bunch. Chloe was about to ask what was going on when the bell rang and class began. Five minutes in, she felt the sharp edge of a folded piece of paper tap her on the leg. Chloe reached for it under the desk without thinking, tucking it into her notebook as she gave Matt a silent ‘thanks’. She glanced at the front of the class. No, the teacher hadn’t noticed. Good. It had been years since she’d been caught passing notes in class and she really wanted to keep it that way.
Discreetly, she unfolded the note, and read.
Oh. Oh, no.
Chloe felt a headache coming on. She’d really screwed up, hadn’t she? And now Pete thought it was her fault and, maybe, it was. Okay, it definitely was. She’d made assumptions and then she’d given Lex the note even though Clark obviously didn’t want him to have it.
She winced.
Instead of making Clark happy, she’d made him miserable.
Some days it just didn’t pay to get out of bed.
Still, even as she penned a response back to Pete, Chloe found herself wondering where exactly she’d gone wrong. If anyone had asked her before right now if Lex liked Clark in that way, she would have said that she was ninety-nine percent sure he did.
Maybe her intuition was on the fritz, then. Sort of made her wonder if maybe Mrs. Johnson, one of the cafeteria workers, hadn’t been at the clinic for contagious skin rash, after all. Maybe she should pull that from her story for the week.
Folding up the note, she passed it to Matt, who returned it to Pete. She waited for him to read it, then caught his eye. Her and him, after school, Clark’s house.
Oh, the fun that would be had.
~*~
If Clark had been mad at her, even just a little, Chloe was sure that she would have felt better about things, she told herself as her and Pete piled back into her car.
But he hadn’t been.
At all.
He was just… broken.
“It’s my fault,” she muttered.
Pete frowned. “I’m not going to say it isn’t.”
“Thanks,” she said, dryly.
“But,” he continued. “You were only trying to help Clark out.”
Easy for him to say. Pete still didn’t know what it was she’d done. They’d managed to dance all around the reason why Clark was depressed while they were visiting with him, and Chloe wasn’t about to let Pete in on the secret. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be the one to tell him that Clark had a thing for a guy, let alone that the guy was Lex Luthor.
There was no point in him knowing now, anyway. There was nothing going on between Lex and Clark now except for some awkwardness and, on Clark’s part, hurt and rejection.
Pete could stay oblivious to this for the rest of his life, as far as Chloe was concerned.
~*~
The next day she didn’t see Clark in first period. This was the biggest screw up on her part ever, apparently. He couldn’t even drag himself out of bed to come to school? She shut her eyes briefly, shaking her head. This was going to call for some major cheering up on her part. Even if it hadn’t worked last night, she was sure that she could slowly work through the pain that Clark was feeling.
If all else failed, she guessed she could try to get his attention back on Lana.
The thought was enough to make her grimace.
There was a note in Chloe’s locker after second period, shoved between the slats. It fluttered to the ground as she opened the locker door, and as she bent to retrieve it, she recognized the paper as stationary from Lex’s company.
Great, she thought. Now it was Lex’s turn to make her life miserable. At least he would be more creative about it than the moping and crying that Clark was doing.
He might even have her killed and just put her out of her misery entirely.
The words were crisp black, scrawled eloquently. Just two little words.
And two signatures.
Chloe grinned, and it was an honest happy-for-him type of grin.
Of course, Clark could be the one to tell Pete.
~*~
Chloe,
Thank you.
Sincerely
Lex and Clark
END
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