Ends of The Earth

Title: Ends of The Earth
Rating: PG
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chlark
Spoilers/Timeline: Some time after Blue. Very loosely based on spoilers for the back half of Season 7.
Disclaimer: I own very little, certainly not these characters. Please don’t sue!
Author’s Note: Total fluffy wish-fulfillment.

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It’s the end of the world again. Of course Chloe Sullivan is by his side.

He watches the portal open with a familiar sense of dread. Predictably enough, she steps in front of him as though her tiny frame could protect him against what’s coming, what he failed to stop.

She grins back irreverently. “Is it me, or is this an annual event for us?”

He goes for a tight smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace when he glances past her.

To his horror, another version of the android he once knew as Milton Fine steps lightly through the portal. She backs into him and his arm comes around her shoulder of its own volition.

“Ah, Kal-El. I see your poor taste in companions hasn’t changed.” He nods toward Chloe. “Miss Sullivan.”

Clark starts toward him, and the android puts up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Whoa, there. I come in peace, Kal-El.”

“Like we’re supposed to believe that.” He knew Chloe couldn’t stay quiet long.

“I have enough power to destroy you where you stand, and yet here you are. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Not really.”

“Pity. You know you’re far too clever to be hanging around the likes of him, my little human friend. Have you given any thought to selecting better post-apocalyptic friends? Because I would just love to pick your brain on a few subjects. I’m sure you’re quite the conversationalist.”

“Fuck. Off. I think I’ll stick with him.”

“Your choice.”

Fine gets within a hairs breadth of Chloe’s skin before Clark pulls her back and swings the dagger into the AI’s throat with his other hand, just as Jor-El instructed.

Light pours out of Fine’s every orifice, though to Clark’s relief, it seems to disperse, rather than transfer. He can only hope Lex is home sleeping and not preparing to be a vessel.

It’s still hard to believe that it was Lana’s greed and thirst for revenge brought them to the brink this time. He’ll never forget her fury as she unleashed the AI on Lex, opening the portal for both of them.

Only Chloe’s quick thinking had saved the billionaire, which was about par for the course. He didn’t really know anyone who didn’t owe Chloe their life in one way or another.

In the months since the most recent invasion began, Clark has found himself in awe of Chloe’s resourcefulness more times than he can count. He’s been amazed by her heart since the day he met her.

Chloe Sullivan wouldn’t know how to give herself to anything halfway. Oliver calls her Clark’s paladin. She is his staunchest defender and his most trusted friend. Since things went south with Lana, she has also starred in quite a few of his most secret fantasies, not that he will ever have the guts to tell her that.

Level-headed as ever, Chloe collects a sample of the dust Fine disintegrated into, and radios Ollie’s men to decontaminate the area and contain the material for eradication. Even her sample will be destroyed immediately following analysis.

“Shall we, Mr. Kent?”

“After you, Miss Sullivan.” He follows her out of the building and they catch a ride back to the Tower with AC and Victor.

Safely in the van, she grins at him from the bench opposite. “Seriously, does that make it four?”

“Five, if you count Gabriel.”

“Well, I wasn’t actually next to you when you took out that nuke.”

“You were fighting on my side, though. It counts.” He’s terrified the warmth in his smile gives him away.

A pleased grin stretches her features and she wiggles happily in her seat. “Ah, the end-of-the world rush. It’s better than coffee.”

Something about that wiggle makes him think bad, bad friend thoughts. He tries to distract himself with food. “So, you want to grab breakfast after Ollie’s?”

“Why Mister Kent, I didn’t know you had it in you!”

He gapes at her, utterly confused.

“You have to take me to a better show than that before I’ll accept a morning-after breakfast invite.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’ll cook.”

“Waffles?”

“With fresh strawberries and whipped crème.”

“Oooh. Deal.”

“Yeah, you’re a real tough sell.”

“What can I say? Watching someone heat a waffle iron with their eyes is too cool to pass up.”

He chuckles, but the honest appreciation in her eyes warms him beyond measure. That she thinks of his abilities as cool is something that got him through a lot of the uncertainty Lana brought to his life.

He always feared that Lana would want him to hide his gifts, so his horror was complete when he found her urging him to use them for selfish gains. She wanted him to force her understanding of what was right on an unsuspecting world, which in the end, made her no better than Jor-El.

Only Chloe supported him in whatever he chose to pursue, Lana included. When she did push, it was to use the gifts he had been given to help those who couldn’t help themselves. She trusted in the good of those around her, and helped him to do the same even when everyone else told him to give up on humanity.

She was so far out of his league it was a good thing he had telescopic vision. Crazily enough, she considered Clark worthy of her attention. Long ago, she’d even harbored a little crush on him.

He wasn’t so dim that he missed the irony in that. He’d love the chance to go back and smack the clueless 15-year-old he once was just to see what could have been if he hadn’t wasted years pining for someone else.

These days, she was married to her dual careers – journalism and saving the world from itself. She accepted a date from time to time, but the last serious relationship she was in went south after she discovered her infected status. She dedicated herself even more thoroughly to the hero business after that.

Not that Clark is complaining. In fact, he’s gone back to school for journalism so he doesn’t have to miss out on the other half of her day.

It’s hard not to cross the aisle to share her space, but he manages to control himself. She just grins and looks away shyly. That’s when he realizes he was staring and blushes like the fool he still is.

--

The waffles come out perfect, and she scrunches up her nose in delight when he drops a dollop of homemade whipped crème on top of his masterpiece.

This is definitely one of the good days.

She happily digs in while he refills the carafe with coffee. He sits beside her at the kitchen table, and Zod himself couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.

“So, now that the world didn’t end, what’s on the docket for today?”

“I was thinking I might just ask my best friend for a sleepover. Saving the world is tiring work, you know. And if she goes home, she’ll have to explain to her nosy cousin why she’s exhausted.”

“You, sir, are a genius.” She yawns, and leans into him. “I’m slightly delirious with all the sleep we’ve missed lately. You’d think the end of the world would come with some vacation time, but noooo. Damned aliens have no sense of timing. I mean, finals are next week!”

She’s picking at the last of the strawberries with her fork and clinging to his arm in a familiar gesture, but all he can think about is how right this feels. He was born to live and work at Chloe Sullivan’s side.

Another yawn claims her. “Hey Clark?”

“Yeah, Chlo?”

“You think, in 20 years, we’ll still be having post-apocalyptic waffles together?”

He’s floating on a haze of exhaustion and comfort, so he forgets to guard his response. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get to make you waffles even when the world isn’t ending.”

He holds his breath, but she doesn’t seem to take it the way he meant it, because she just smiles dreamily and snuggles deeper into his shoulder.

“C’mon, Chlo. Let’s take this to the couch before you fall out of your chair.”

“Oh-kay…”

He helps her down and lets her lean on him all the way to the sofa. He tries to do the right thing when he gets there, attempting to extricate himself, but she clings to him. He can’t deny her anything, so he sits and lets her use him as a pillow.

“Mmmm…this is nice.” She practically purrs.

“It is.” He wraps his arm around her and strokes the exposed skin on her arm.

“You know I love you, right?” She says around a jaw-popping yawn, her eyes still closed. “Always have, always will…”

He can barely make out the soft snores that follow over the hammering of his heart. He was floating at the edges of consciousness himself for a second there, but he doubts now whether he’ll be able to sleep for a week.

She loves him? He tries to exert some control over his hopeful heart. It’s probably just friendly love, but what if it’s not? Is he willing to let it pass by?

Hell no.

He pulls at her a bit. “Chlo?”

It takes a bit more jostling to wake her. “Yeah, Clark?”

“Did you know I love you?”

“Nope. Total shock.” She grins and blinks sleepily at him. “But the good kind.”

With that, she winds her hand behind his neck and pulls him down for a strawberry-flavored kiss before settling back into him and promptly falling asleep.

It’s the end of the world as he knows it, and he feels fine.

---

End