Title:
The Project
Author:
Zaeria Cheng (zaeria_cheng@yahoo.com)
Rating:
PG-13 (swearing, kissing)
Pairing:
CLex, slight E/A (you’ll see…)
Disclaimer:
They are as mine as porcines can imitate airborne fowl.
Spoilers:
Nope; not with my fics. Two characters make a minor appearance from another
fandom as well…sorry about ‘Ater’s ‘accent.’ And the song belongs to the BSB (I
think…). Notes at bottom of fic.
Summary:
You have no idea what you’re getting into when deities get involved…
Challenge
for 10th wave “University Life”; Radio Station
Lex Luthor quirked an eyebrow in
bemusement, looking up from his computer as his best friend and
farmboy-turned-college-freshman Clark Kent literally dragged himself into the
office, flopping bonelessly onto the leather couch. ‘And damn, does he look good sprawled out like that…’ Lex shook
his head minutely, clearing his throat before speaking.
“Rough day, Clark?” He stifled a
smirk as Clark merely cracked open one eye and glared blearily at him.
“Orientation week is hell, Lex.
Signing up for classes, signing up for university clubs and activities,
attending orientation sessions, taking placement exams …I can’t remember half
the things I did!” Clark half-moaned. “And I’m no longer ‘Clark Kent.’ I’m
‘252-756-539’.” He added, grimacing. Lex chuckled.
“Ah…you’ve become part of the
collective, then. The woes of a college freshman.” He shut down the data
spreadsheet he was working on, and stood up, stretching. From under his lashes,
Clark surreptitiously stared as Lex’ sweater rose up slightly, tightening so
that just a hint of toned stomach could be seen underneath the fine material.
He swallowed hard refocusing as he realized that Lex was asking him a question.
“…early dinner? There’s this place I remember from my own college days, not too
far from campus.”
“Um…sure, Lex! Dinner sounds great.”
Clark made a face. “You wouldn’t believe
some of what they’re trying to pass of as food in the Dorm Dining halls!” Lex snorted.
“Clark…I’ll have you remember that I
attended Met U – briefly – in my own past. I recall quite well what they
served.” Lex made a considering face, and with a sly glance at Clark continued.
“Did you know that I actually analyzed the chemical composition of the meatloaf
once? Fascinating, I must say. There were enough synthetic additives in one
portion of…” Clark cut him off with a groan and a thrown couch cushion.
“Ew…Lex. I really didn’t need to
know that! You…you geek you!” He made
a disgusted face. Lex smiled serenely. Clark rolled his eyes. “C’mon. I seem to
recall you promising me an early dinner.”
“Movie at the penthouse afterwards?” Lex asked. He
refused to acknowledge the slightly hopeful lift in his voice. After all, he
hadn’t seen Clark all week! But Clark’s voice was truly remorseful as he
replied.
“Aw…Lex, I’d like to, but, I have to get back
early.” Clark wrinkled his nose. ‘Damn! Movie at Lex’…popcorn, dim lights,
snuggling up together…’ he forcefully brought himself out of his thoughts, and
cleared his throat. “There’s, um, supposedly a ‘meet and greet’ thing later
tonight; something about bonding with your roommate and floormates.” Lex
shrugged to hide his disappointment.
“All right then, never mind. Let’s go, Farmboy.”
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Lex was in a singularly bad mood,
and it was all due to withdrawal. After three and a half years with at the very
least weekly get-togethers with Clark, he was taking this distinct lack-of-Clark very badly. And lately,
all he could think about was Clark. It wasn’t Clark’s fault; as a college
freshman his schedule “sucked monkey balls,” to use his terminology. And every
time Clark managed to scrounge up free time, Lex was in a business meeting
with, or courtesy of, Satan incarnate (a.k.a. Lionel Luthor). And every time
they managed to connect with each other on the phone, one or the other of them
would be called away. So it was that Lex hadn’t managed to have more than
fifteen minutes total worth of phone conversations with his crush for the past
two weeks. He absently rubbed his chest. ‘Not a crush…I’m in love with the
damned Farmboy…’ Lex admitted to himself. ‘But it’s not like anything will ever
work out between us; since he’s still so in love with Miss Lang. Or was it
Sullivan this time?’ He shook his head. ‘No matter. Not like Clark likes me that way.’ Lex sighed, mentally going
over Clark’s class schedule. Shooting a quick glance at the clock, he made an
impulsive executive decision. ‘Screw work and screw my father. I want to see
Clark! Seeing him is enough…’ Decision made, he left the office.
And never noticed the two people floating outside his office window. Of
course, they were invisible to
mortals…the one clad in black leather and safety pins looked to be cackling at
the fact that his partner was nearly tearing out his blonde hair in
frustration. Said blonde swiped at the black haired man with one wing, missing
as he had just disappeared in a burst of dark blue sparkles. Heaving a sigh, he
followed with his own burst of dark pink and gold.
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“Ater…how the hell did you talk me
into doing this, again?” For perhaps the hundredth time in the past week and a
half, Clark questioned the sanity of his Mass Media and Journalism project
partner Ater Chemifis as they left the lecture hall.
Tall, but shorter than Clark, with
short black spiked hair, pale skin, and shockingly blue eyes glittering manaically,
Ater grinned at Clark as he walked backwards. “Well, ‘s like this, Clark. Class
requiahs we do tha project, or drop an entiah grade. Newspapah ‘s borin’ an ya
don’ wanna do the TV thing. So’s tha only thing we can do’s tha radio.” Clark
grimaced.
“Yeah…but sing? Why do I have to sing?” Clark refused to admit he was
whining. He hated singing…Ater rolled
his eyes.
“Clark…yah tha one who signed tha
papahs. Ya tell me, why ya singin’.” Ater shrugged. “‘Sides, ah don’ sing.
Can’t sing. Wit mah assent an’ all…ah learn tha controls on tha outside of tha
radio, and ya do the performin’ inside. Then we write tha papah togethah, an;
turn it in with the tape. ‘Sides, ah know tha regular DJ. Friend o’ mine. Now
c’mon. We’ah gonna be late!” He swung an arm around Clark’s neck, turned, and
stared charging forward, all but dragging Clark along. Clark had no choice but
to follow.
And unnoticed to all but one
shadowed figure, Lex clenched his fist as a spike of jealousy shot through him.
He got up from the ledge where he’d been sitting waiting for Clark’s class to
end. ‘Who the hell was that with his
arm over my Clark?!’ he seethed. And
not quite knowing why, he followed the duo at a discreet distance, not
realizing that he himself was being followed in turn.
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“Oh Eros~! We’ah heah~!” Ater
caroled at the top of his lungs as they entered the small viewing room of the
studio from where the student-run radio station broadcasted. Clark frowned,
trying to shush Ater as he noticed the ‘Quiet; Program in Progress’ sign was
lit. Moments later, he whirled in surprise and alarm because from behind them a
muscular, tanned arm latched around Ater’s neck and tugged.
“Ater…how many times have I asked
you to stay quiet when we’re doing a
live show? It’s not completely
soundproof!” The man hissed into Ater’s ear. Ater contorted, and moments later
had his ‘assailant’ kneeling on the ground with his arm twisted up on his back.
“Yea’ yea’. Don’ get yer panties
inna twist.” He looked up at a slightly apprehensive Clark. “Clark, this heah’s
mah good ‘friend’” here Ater wriggled his eyebrows “Eros Marsson. ‘Ros, meet
mah Mass Media partnah Clark Kent.” With this, Ater let go. Eros rose to his
feet, throwing Ater a dirty glare even as he extended a hand to shake Clark’s.
“Nice to meet you, Clark. Ater been
driving you up the wall with his…mischief…yet?” Eros smiled. He was taller than
Clark; big, buff, blonde, and bronzed, completely the opposite of Ater.
“Um…likewise. And no, we’re fine…”
Clark stammered. The only other person Clark had ever felt ooze such… sensuality …was Lex.
“Hm.” Eros replied. He sent a glance
towards Ater. “Must be losing his touch, then.” And ignoring the faces Ater was
sending in his direction, Eros checked his watch before addressing Clark again.
“Now…Cindy should be done in about three minutes, which should give me enough
time to give you the basic run-down. After we go to music, meaning we won’t be
live anymore, I can take you into the booth and start showing you what’s what;
sound good?” Clark nodded dumbly. Eros flashed him a brilliant grin. “Good.”
And just outside the viewing room
doors, out of sight but able to see in, Lex practically seethed with a mixture
of jealous rage and crushing disappointment. Rage because the big blonde was flirting with his Clark, and disappointment because it didn’t look like Clark
minded at all.
Ater cocked his head to one side,
seemingly listening to some inaudible voice. He shot Eros a knowing grin,
winked at a blushing Clark, and bounced in place a couple of times. “Lissen, we
got three minnits, right? Be right back!” Ater called out, quickly sidling out
the door and shutting it behind him before Clark could protest. He saw Lex, and
a wicked grin crossed his face. Lex didn’t have time to blink before Ater’s arm
was locked around his chest, pinning his arms, and a hand was around his mouth
muffling his cry of surprise and indignation.
“Mm mmph mrg ng gn!” Lex struggled
futilely. ‘Damn! How the hell strong is this guy?!’ he thought, frantically
trying to wriggle free.
“Nuh-uh, buddy.” Ater murmured into
his ear. “Lex Luthor, right? Wait…of course you are. Young, bald” here he gave
the top of Lex’ head a lick “and jealous beyond belief. Clueless too, despite
everything Cupe’s thrown at the two of you. Well, come on, we have somewhere to
be…” And with this, Ater proceeded to drag Lex down the hall to a small waiting
room. “Now…the radio’s tuned in to the university’s wavelength. You won’t be
able to change it. Your cell phone won’t work in here either. And you won’t be
able to get out until it gets through that stubborn head of yours.” He released
Lex while pushing him into the room. “Any questions?”
“Who the fuck are you and what’s going
on?” Lex all but snarled. Ater raised an eyebrow.
“Hm…nice effort, but nowhere near Unc’s expertise. As to who I am…”
He gave a small bow. “Mischief, at your service. What’s going on? Feathahs
needed help with the two of you, because…how did he put it? Oh yes, the two of
you ‘kept missing the damned clue bus!’ Now, settle in and listen up! Ta’!”
With this, Ater slammed the door shut, leaving Lex’ mind whirling in a hundred
different directions at once even as he rushed to the door to tug uselessly at
the knob.
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“Bye Cindy! Great job with the talk
show today!” Eros called as the redhead ran out the door, narrowly avoiding
Ater. “Now, as I was saying earlier, this is where you’re going to be. It’s the
recording room, nearly soundproof, with the microphone and headphones. Put the
headphone on, please. The screen in front of the mike blocks out minor
background noise, like breath inhalation, stuff like that. Through the window,
where Ater is, is the control panel where we cue the music and special effects,
and take calls for the talk shows.” Ater at the moment was inspecting the
switches, dials, and knobs with scary intensity. He flicked and pushed a few,
and Eros left the recording room, closing the dividing door behind him. Eros
flicked a few more switches, before he pressed down on a button and addressed
Clark. His voice came through the tiny loudspeaker in the corner of the room.
“So, have you decided what you’re going to be
singing?” Eros asked, leaning back in his chair. “The best results come from feeling the emotions connected to the
song, you know.” He made a gesture in Clark’s direction. “Oh, and just answer
into the microphone.” Clark shifted nervously, rubbing his shoulder absently.
“Um…not really…” He stammered. Eros
hummed.
“Well…love songs are quite popular
right now. How about a song for the lovely young lady in your life?” Eros
suggested, with a gleam in his eyes. He stretched up, before slinging one arm
down and around Ater and tugging. “Quit fiddling with the knobs.”
“Yea’ yea’. Spoil my fun,
whydoncha’.” Ater grumbled.
“No, no lady in my life…I’m in love
with my best friend.” Clark barely restrained the urge to slap his hands over
his mouth in horror. ‘What the hell? Why’d I admit that?!’ “Um…are you sure
that we aren’t broadcasting?” Eros laughed.
“Don’t worry, we’re not live.” Eros grinned at him. “So I take
it that your best friend’s a guy, right?”
“Uh…yeah.”
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‘What?! Clark’s in love with his
best friend…a guy…me?’ Lex was dumbfounded, and continued to listen to the
radio broadcast. All thoughts of escaping this room fled.
“His name is Lex, Lex Luthor, and
he’s the best.” ‘Oh…my…God…’
“Well, why doncha’ tell ‘im ya wanna
jump ‘is bones?”
“Oh…he doesn’t like me that way.”
Lex could hear the frown in Clark’s voice. “He doesn’t think he can love
anyone, because he’s…different.”
“Why? Hades, everyone deserves
love!”
“…His father… makes him think that.
And he…it’s the way he looks…” Lex ran one hand over his bald scalp.
“Imma gonna wish some major bad luck
on tha dude…”
“St..Ater, not right now. Clark, let
me get this straight…you still like him, right?”
“Yeah, Eros, I really do…I think I
love him. He’s taught me, helped me so much…” Lex’ heart clenched. ‘Oh Clark…’
“Well then, I have the perfect song for you!”
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“Oh?” Clark frowned, still trying to
figure out why he’d just let his second biggest secret out to two virtual
strangers. He’d only met Ater three weeks ago and known Eros not more than
fifteen minutes!
“Let me see, let me see…ah, here we
go!” Eros held up a small disc triumphantly. He slid it into the slot on the
control panel. “Now, the lyrics to the song will appear on the small screen in
front of you. Go ahead and change the ‘girl’ to some other word. I’ll let you
read through the lyrics really quickly, and tell me what you think.”
There was a pause as Clark went over
the lyrics quickly. He was amazed. “Eros…these, these fit almost perfectly!”
“Good, good. Any time you’re ready
now…” Clark nodded at his words. He took a deep breath.
“Okay.”
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Lex listened as the music to a
vaguely familiar song drifted out of the radio. He frowned slightly, not quite
believing what he’d just heard, but unable to completely discount it.
Then…Clark began to sing.
You don't run
with a crowd
You go your
own way
You don't play
after dark
You light up
my day
Got your own
kind of style
That sets you
apart
Baby, that's
why you captured my heart
I know
sometimes you feel like you don't fit in
And this world
doesn't know what you have within
When I look at
you,
I see
something rare
A rose that
can go anywhere
And there's no
one
I know that
can compare
Lex closed his eyes while lowering
the barriers around his heart and just letting the music wash over him. He
leaned against the still closed door. Clark had quite a nice singing voice;
deep and smooth.
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Clark closed his eyes, already
having memorized the lyrics. He thought about all the things that made him love
Lex, and tried to relay his feelings through his voice.
Hey, yeah
You got
something so real
You touched me
so deep
Say material
things
Don't matter
to me
So come as you
are
You've got
nothing to prove
You won me
with all that you do
It was true…material possessions
didn’t matter to Clark. Neither did businessman Lionel Luthor’s son, Alexander
J. Luthor. He loved Lex...just Lex.
What makes you
different, makes you beautiful
What's there
inside you, shines through to me
In your eyes I
see, all the love
I'll ever need
You're all I
need, oh babe
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Lex breathed deeply, trying not to
hyperventilate. ‘Oh God oh God oh God…’ The song that Clark was singing…the
sheer emotion behind Clark’s voice…
‘Clark is in love with me! Clark is in love with me! Clark
is in love with me!’
You taught me
what love is supposed to be
You saw the
little things that make you beautiful to me
What makes
you...
What makes you
different, makes you beautiful
What's there
inside you, shines through to me
In your eyes I
see, all the love
I'll ever need
You're all I
need, oh babe
What makes you
different, makes you beautiful to me
‘And I love Clark, too…’ “Fuck…I
have to get out of here!” With this, Lex gave a mighty pull on the door, and
nearly fell over because it opened with ease. Regaining his balance, he rushed
towards the radio station’s broadcast room.
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Everything you
do is beautiful
Love you give
shines right through me
Everything you
do is beautiful
Clark had his eyes closed still,
unaware of anything but singing his heart out to the microphone. He didn’t
notice the tears running down his cheeks at the overwhelming feelings he was
putting into this song. He didn’t see Eros and Ater look at each other as they
faded from view as the outer door opened to admit a frantic Lex. He only knew
that he had to finish this song.
You are
beautiful to me
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Lex entered the room, not seeing
anyone but Clark, his Clark, behind
the glass partition. Breathing hard, heart pounding rapidly away inside his
chest, he walked as calmly as he could to the partition door and opened it.
Clark didn’t open his eyes or look up. He figured it
to be Eros because his skin was prickling with the sensuality that he
associated with the blonde. He didn’t even consider that it could be the other person Clark associated the
feeling with. “Hey…was that okay, Eros?”
“Clark…” Clark’s eyes shot open, stunned.
“Lex!” He frantically tried to wipe the tears off
his face, cheeks flaming. “Um…wh-what are you doing here?”
“Oh Clark…I heard the song…” He swallowed hard.
“I…I…” More tears filled Clark’s eyes; hopeful tears. Lex groaned inaudibly at
the vision; watery big green-blue eyes set in that gorgeous face. He lunged
forward, capturing those almost-trembling lips with his own. Clark’s arms
wrapped themselves around Lex’ waist as his circled Clark’s neck, hands going
into the thick, lush hair.
“I love you.” Clark mumbled into the kiss. Lex
pulled himself out of the kiss just enough that he could gaze into Clark’s eyes
with his own.
“I love you, too.”
And unknown, unseen, and unheard to the two who had
resumed kissing in the recording room, ‘Eros Marsson’ and ‘Ater Chemifis’ were
sharing their own little celebration.
“Told ya’, Cupe! This was a great idea!” The black haired man laid a big smooch on the blonde’s
lips.
“Mmm, yep. You were right, Strife. All those wasted
arrows, when I could’ve used just three; Jealousy, Truth, and True Love. Man,
they were taking forever to get
together!”
“So…we done here?” He wiggled his eyebrows in a
decidedly lascivious manner.
“Let me see…Infiltrate local university. Check. Get
clueless soul mates together. Check and double-check. Make sure that Clark’s
project is done.” He looked at the cassette tape and the half paper attached to
said tape. “Check?”
“Yeah. Wrote up my half of the paper ‘Making Waves
at the Radio Station.’”
“Check. And I’ve made sure that the Radio Station is
‘closed’ for the rest of the day, and that the top songs disc is on continuous
broadcast, so the two lovebirds are safe. So we’re done, then?”
“Yep.” And wrapping their arms around each other they
flashed out of the station in unseen bursts of mingled blue, dark pink, and
gold sparkles, leaving behind two still-voraciously-kissing mortals.
The
End
Notes:
If you don’t know yet…’Ater Chemifis’ is Strife, God of Mischief (‘Ater’ is
masculine for ‘Ate,’ who was the Greek Goddess of Mischief) and ‘Eros Marsson’
is Cupid, God of Love. Both are from the Xena/Hercules fandom, and NOT MINE;
though the (bad) pseudonyms are…