Chapter Text
“Mom, I’m leaving!” Clark yelled as he trudged down the staircase. His heavy boots made his footsteps echo through the small farmhouse. His longer curls bouncing with his strides.
Martha could hear the hurry in his step and furrowed her brows. It was unlike him to not tell her where he’s going and when he would be back. She moved to the front door and watched as her son tried to open the door and rush out.
“Not so fast,” she chuckled, “Where are you going? What time will you be home?”
“Just hanging with some friends.” He muttered, avoiding his mother’s gaze.
“What friend?” Martha eyed her teenage son. He was tall for his age, but still looked awkward and skinny under his oversized flannels.
“A friend from school.” A soft blush spread on his cheek, making his mother smile. This was a blush she knew all too well.
“A special lady friend from school?” she raised her eyebrows and Clark groaned in response, throwing his head back in annoyance.
Jonathan, Clark’s dad, walked in through the back door of the house, rubbing his dirty hands on a tethered cloth.
“Hi Clark, where you off to?” he laughed at the sight of Martha not letting her son leave.
“He’s meeting a lady friend.” Martha smiled.
“That’s it, I’m leaving.” Clark gently ushered his mother aside and left the house.
Both Martha and Jonathan watched through one of the windows as they watched their son drive off in his rusty truck. He had had crushes before when he was a little boy, and he would tell his mother all about it. How the girl had accepted his ‘proposal’ and that they even had a wedding in their kindergarten playground.
But now that he had reached the ripe age of 18, and was in his final year of high school, there was no longer communication when it came to his love life. Martha loved to ask about it during dinners, much to Clark’s annoyance, but she was just teasing him. He was as moody as a teenager could be and would often hide away in his room instead of spending time with his parents.
“Our little boy.” Martha muttered as his truck disappeared from her sight.
“He hasn’t been little in years, my dear.”
Clark sat in his truck, leaning back into his seat. He took a few deep breaths before turning on the radio, humming along to the familiar song. His eyes darted back to the house he was parked in front of and looked down to his hands resting firmly on the steering wheel.
He removed his hands and sighed at the sight of the sweat marks on the steering wheel. Quickly he wiped his hands on his jeans and used his sleeve to dry off the evidence. The nerves were making him more anxious and as he watched the front door open his heartbeat picked up and he looked away from the house, not wanting it to look like he was staring. His hands moved to rest anxiously on his lap, but he then moved them so one rested on the wheel and the other in his pocket. The position looked very forced and he cursed at himself for his nervousness.
“Hi Clark!” her soft and sweet voice met his ears, and he tried his best to turn to her slowly and smoothly, wanting to come over as cool and mysterious. But as soon as he looked at her, his eyes widened, and he lost his breath.
Her long loose summer dress flowed in the wind while her hair was contained within two tight blonde braids that hung over her shoulders. Under her summer dress she wore a long-sleeved tee, to keep most of her skin from showing.
“Mary.” Was al he managed to say.
She chuckled and climbed into the truck to sit next to him. He could smell her immediately; it was sweet and reminded him of a summer’s harvest when all the strawberries were plucked and ready to be made into jam. She was sweet like jam.
“You’re very pretty.” His heart was beating out of his chest when he looked at her, and that sweet smile almost made him melt into his seat. He watched her blush and he started stuttering.
“I meant, your dress is very pretty.” He quickly said, “not that you’re not pretty!”
Mary chuckled at his awkwardness and bit her lip.
“Thank you, Clark.” Her hands were folded on her lap, her fingers picking at the small scabs around her nails.
Both sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. The radio continued playing.
Then Mary turned to face Clark.
“Are you still sure about this? If my daddy finds out, we’re both in trouble.” Her big blue eyes gave him a pleading look, and Clark only nodded in response.
He knew he wasn’t supposed to do this, but when she had asked him with her sweet smile he could never say no. She probably just asked him because he had a truck, Clark told himself.
He started the car and the two of them drove off. Mary anxiously stared as she watched from the window as her home faded out of her view. It was still early in the afternoon and she knew her father would not be home until late today, but there was still worry in the back of her mind that he somehow knew what she was doing.
They stayed silent throughout the journey. Mary stared out the window while Clark kept his eyes on the road and only stole casual glances her way when he knew she was distracted. She had never spoken to him before two days ago, at school she was often by herself and quiet in most classes. Many knew about her strict religious upbringing, and she dressed very modestly, always covering her arms and legs, even in summer.
“And we’re here.” Clark put his truck in park and unbuckled his seatbelt.
“You’re sure nobody can find us here?” Mary asked.
“I’m sure.”
Clark got out of the truck and looked around the empty parking lot. It was next to an abandoned movie theatre, and the only people that would still be around here were junkies.
Mary climbed out and stood next to Clark, him towering over her small stature. She looked up at him and brushed her hand against his, he stared at her as she grabbed a hold of his hand.
“Thank you, Clark. It truly means the world to me.” He looked in her eyes, flashing her a quick smile. His heart felt like it would beat out of his chest. Her hands were so incredibly soft, and the way she was caressing the back of his hand was enough to make him swoon.
As he noticed himself losing focus he gently pulled his hand out of her grasp, eager to get started.
“Let’s get to it.” He muttered.
Clark climbed into the passenger seat and watched as Mary got in next to him, immediately noticing the chair was positioned too far back for her. She did not seem to notice and scooted forwards to sit on the edge of the seat.
“You can pull the chair forward,” Clark smiled, pointing to the small handle beside the seat.
She pulled the chair forward and then rested her hands on the steering wheel.
“So you have three pedals at your feet.” Clark spoke, Mary immediately moving her legs to the side to look at the pedals, “From left to right, we have the clutch, brake and gas.”
“You use your left foot for the clutch alone, and your right one for both the brake and gas. We’ll focus on gas and brake first.” he pointed to pedals before looking back to her face, to see if she seemed to understand.
“What if I need to gas and brake at the same- Nevermind!” Mary laughed at her own comment, covering her face in her hands in shame.
“I promise I’m not that dumb.” She reiterated, “I was just not thinking straight.”
Clark smiled at the red blush across her cheeks.
“I’ll put the gear into one, and then you can slowly push the gas.” He watched her as she took a deep breath with her eyes closed. Her lips looked so incredibly soft, even if she was often biting at them when she felt stressed.
Clark leaned back and looked at her feet, her right foot simply resting on the gas instead of actually pressing it. He tried to remember his first time trying to drive. It was his dad that taught him how to drive initially, but that was a few years ago already. Driving had become a second nature to him.
She then softly pressed the gas and they started rolling forward. Only for a few seconds because Mary did not keep her foot on the gas. Clark nodded and chuckled slightly to himself.
“Now just keep holding it, and you can steer as well.” He smiled at her. She looked determined and started pressing the gas again.
She steered slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Mostly they moved in circles, but once she even circled around an old lantern. A smile was plastered on her face, and she was giggling as she slowly increased her speed.
Clark smiled at her, watching the dials intently in case he needed to shift gears, not that they were getting close to that point. He allowed to her to go at her own pace, and she seemed to be enjoying driving in very slow circles.
“Do you know what time it is?” she kept her eyes glued to the empty parking lot in front of her.
Clark looked down at his watch, “Almost six.”
She nodded and gently brought the car to a standstill, not by using the brake but by letting the truck roll until it simply stopped. In a quick motion she rolled her sleeves up, exposing most of her forearms. He tried not to stare at her, but with her focused gaze she did not even notice.
Mary went a little faster, laughing loudly as she circled around the parking lot. Clark could not help a smile from appearing on his face, he had never seen her this relaxed and happy before, and he often watched her in school. She looked even more beautiful to him like this, her smile truly enchanting.
Clark felt the gears acting up and looked away from her, noticing she had started to go faster. He smiled and pointed at the dials in front of her.
“When you see this one indicating it’s around there, switch into the next gear. I’ll do it for you.” He shifted it for her and she giggled as she went even faster.
Their gazes met for a quick second, both laughing and smiling at each other. Mary felt her stomach tingle as she looked into his eyes. He sure was beautiful, and it would be a lie if she said she never noticed it before. His eyes were simply mesmerising, especially combined with those dark curls of his.
“Brake!” Clark exclaimed suddenly, and Mary screamed as she quickly braked.
Both shot forward slightly, held back by their seatbelts. But Clark’s hand had sprung out in front of her, holding her back against her seat. His hand was resting against her upper chest, close to her neck. She stared at him, eyes wide, and he quickly retracted his hand from her body.
“I-I-I’m so sorry.” She spoke up first, “I got distracted. Maybe this all just isn’t for me, and I-“
“It’s my fault.” Clark interrupted her, “I was supposed to be paying attention, and I just zoned out. I’m sorry.”
“Could you maybe just take me home? I’m sorry for wasting your time.” She looked down at her hands and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Clark quickly grabbed onto her arm, his warm hand fitting easily around her exposed wrist. She looked back to him with widened eyes.
“Mary, it’s okay. I promise.” He carefully removed his hand from her arm and gave her a reassuring smile. “Are you hurt at all?”
“I’m okay. I just- I think I’ve had enough for the day.”
Clark wanted to hit himself over the head as they drove back to her house. He ruined it, now she’ll never talk to him again. She had rolled her sleeves back down her arms, and was holding the hems in clenched fists. Her eyes were glued to the outside landscape, not knowing what to say.
She felt embarrassed. For two days she had looked forward to this, and now she ruined it. He must probably think she’s some helpless dumb girl who can’t even drive. Her father was a very religious and conservative man, and he was already unhappy with the fact she got basic schooling, if he found out she was learning how to drive he’d kill her.
Clark’s family seemed so perfect to her. The whole town knew of Martha and her delicious baked goods. She was one of the kindest people in the whole of Smallville, always eager to help those who needed it. It was all she wanted for herself, a family of kind-hearted people. Her kindness definitely seems present in Clark as well.
As the car came to a halt in front of her home, Mary turned back to face Clark.
“Thank you, Clark. It was very nice of you to help me.” Her eyes avoided his gaze, thinking that he must probably want her to leave as soon as possible.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” he swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at her.
She met his eyes and sighed softly.
“Church.” She muttered. He nodded and flashed her a short smile.
“How about Tuesday? I know we’re done early, and I thought it would be nice-“
“I’d love that!” she didn’t bother to let him finish. He wanted to see her again.
Clark himself was also surprised how happy she was to meet with him again. He smiled and nodded his head.
“Wait for me by the fountain, and I’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.” Mary opened the door and looked back at Clark once more.
“Thanks for today. Bye Clark.” She flashed him a quick smile.
“See you Tuesday. Bye Mary.”
He watched her walk away, her long dress still flowing in the wind. She gave him one last short wave before walking through the door. His hand flew to his chest, feeling his heart beat heavily under his touch.
There was something about her that made him go insane, like he was no longer in control of himself. Her smile was rare and he could still envision the way she looked at him before they almost crashed, and how his first instinct was to protect her. Thankfully she did not notice the speed at which he had done that.
He drove home in silence, taking in her lingering scent on the passenger seat.
As soon as he parked his truck in front of his house he knew he was about to be bombarded with questions from his mother. He took one deep breath before exiting the truck and walking through the front door.
“Mom, I’m home.” Clark announced his presence as he took off his boots by the door.
“In the kitchen, sweetheart.” His mother called.
Clark leaned into the doorframe leading to the kitchen, waiting for the line of questioning to start.
“You have fun on your little date?” Clark only hummed in response.
“Where did you take her? Someplace nice I hope.”
“The abandoned movie theatre just out of town.”
“Well, you got that romantic edge from your father then.” Martha laughed, “Did she look pretty?”
Clark hummed again.
“So when do I get to meet this pretty lady?”
“Not happening.” Clark chuckled as he shook his head.
“Come on, invite her for dinner. I’ll behave.” She responded, “besides, I know everyone in this town already so it’s not like it’ll be some big surprise.”
“I’m seeing her again Tuesday after school. So I’ll be home late.” He was about to walk away when his dad came walking down the stairs, hair still wet from a shower.
“Clark! How was the date?” he playfully punched his son on the arm before sitting down by the dining table.
“Fine.” He muttered.
“He took her to the abandoned movie theatre, can you believe it?” Martha chuckled.
“I’ll be upstairs.” Clark turned away, not wanting to have the same conversation again. He knew his mother would spill all the details anyways the second he left the room. Not that he couldn’t hear them…
He let himself fall down onto his bed, looking up at the ceiling as he rested his hand on his chest. The feeling of his heart beating in his chest while his stomach was full of butterflies made him smile. Her smile was forever etched in his mind, and he was watching it on repeat.
Next Tuesday couldn’t come fast enough.