fic: Contingencies, 7/7

[xparrot]

And that's all she wrote! Well, of this. There will be more of others. Er. (I'm also vaguely tempted to do a follow-up to this, as the PG-13-ness of the resolution might frustrate...and the rest of the season might well frustrate even more, depending how it goes...but we'll see.)

I have to say thanks for the great reception this fic has gotten, I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed all the comments. I wrote "Contingencies" out of a dissatisfaction with the way the series has taken the Clark-Lex relationship, however predestined; it seems I'm not alone in my sentiments. Whether or not the end is what you expected, I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Smallville: Contingencies, 7/7 {5,922 words}
PG-13; Clark/Lex; 6th season; angst, drama, h/c
Lex, forced to his last resort, comes to the Kent home, and Clark must rise to the occasion, as he finds himself questioning his assumptions about his dying enemy.

Read it on AO3

Comments

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

awwwwwwwwwww *sniffles* That was terrific. I love that it wasn't...everything wasn't perfectly solved and miraculously healed. There's more growth and learning and trust still to come. And that hope of more is just awesome. God I loved this story!

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

This is one of those fics where I'd really love to see the kind of talks they'll have afterwards, the compromises they'll have to make.

I love Clark's decision to be friends even though they can't be allies. And I love that Lex doesn't accept Clark as Earth's sole defence.

Injecting the ship instead of the avatar was a cool twist :D

[danceswithgary]

I just loved this, beginning to end. Choices, it always comes down to choices. I adore Clark choosing to remain Lex's friend, no matter what. :-D

[lukita.livejournal.com]

Sorry, Pi is unavaliable right now, she'll get back to you as soon as she stopped running around the house shrieking "then they have sex" like an idiot. *beep*

[lukita.livejournal.com]

Ah~ Seriously. This is a really good way to end this, I love how even when Lex was dying he wanted to save Earth from the dangerous alien but then he gave Clark the deactivation code anyway. And I love Clark's choice in the end to want to be Lex's friend even if Lex doesn't. Dood, the fluffy ending made up for all that angst in the last six chapters. I won't say no to a follow up on this, but I think this is good enough as it stands. XD

[elandrialore.livejournal.com]

Awww, it was a lovely ending, and I'm so happy you didn't compromise anything about the boys beliefs:)

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

I told you this was going to be a story I'd remember forever, and it absolutely is. Brave Lex, stepping in to distract the avatar, to give Clark the chance to infect the ship. And then Lex giving the deactivation code when Clark couldn't, and telling him to leave before Luthorcorp security could arrive. And Clark declaring that he wouldn't ever hate Lex again -- that he'd consider Lex his friend even if Lex didn't return the feeling, but that he'd still try to stop Lex from doing things Clark thought were wrong. (Oh, a follow-up to that, with more exploring of boundaries between them, would be awesome.) Fantastic story, with a fantastic conclusion, and I fully expect to be squeeing for hours. Thanks so much for writing this! Will you be posting it to the SSA?

[bonehed.livejournal.com]

Yes. And yes. Thank you.

[morganlilah.livejournal.com]

I stayed up late last night and kept refreshing my friends page just to see whether this chapter was already up and now it is. Yay! \o/

Also, now, I will always have this fic to comfort me should Nemesis turn out be a train wreck that's still all about Lana!

I'm also vaguely tempted to do a follow-up to this, as the PG-13-ness of the resolution might frustrate...

The ending was perfect! I wouldn't say no to more fics from this 'verse but I think Clark and Lex's détente was the best denouement, given where they were emotionally at the beginning of this story. I feel hopeful that they will be able to work things out.

"Today," Clark said, "you have no plans," and smiling, he pulled Lex outside into the sunlight.

Oh, my pretty boys. *gazes at them fondly as they walk away*

[issen4.livejournal.com]

Clark declares himself--and it strikes the perfect note. Lovely ending.

[ladydreamer.livejournal.com]

Awww... that was the best ending! Yes, they should have different ideas about how to go about saving the world. And they need to help each other not to be monsters. That's for sure. :)

[supercaptain182.livejournal.com]

Fantastic from start to finish. The action was fast and well paced. I love that they can move past all of Lex's contingencies and move towards the way things used to be.

Excellent job!

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful fight scene! I love your Clark so much! This whole story has been incredibly wonderful. Thank you for writing it and putting it up!

[hangebokhan.livejournal.com]

O_O awesome~~~ is there going to be a sequel?

[herohunter.livejournal.com]

I absolutely loved this story! I think that (even though I love it) sex would not have kept the flow of their starting anew--or maybe not anew, but over again. I would not have fit, unless you fast forwarded. But I'd LOVE to see a sequel with sex, and lots of it, hehe!

You painted a very realistic Lex, who does what's necessary instead of what's right, and a perfect Clark, struggling to understand the difference and look past his black and white views into Lex's world of gray.

Thanks so much for sharing this marvelous story, hon! It's already a classic!

[dogwoodblossom.livejournal.com]

That was a fantastic last line. Lex with no plans. Hehe.

I like that Lex doesn't "convert" to "good" at the end, he just decides to chill out a little.

[morganichele.livejournal.com]

Perfect ending. This story was incredible, and I love the way you finished it...hopeful and honest. :-)

[romanyg.livejournal.com]

*is quietly stunned*

This story is just so compelling, flows from one word to the next. And what makes it so compelling is the *largeness* of this. These aren't just two guys who have problems, but two men who work to save the world and yet have such a different philosophy behind it.

Lex may go to Clark as a last resort, but Clark wants to keep that connection. They work so well together and I adore Clark's strength here. Lex might have the resolve but so does Clark, who manages to conquer his fears first because he does believe in the right thing--and he's so marvelously not weak about it.

And neither is your Lex. But he fears that personal connection to Clark as much as he fears an alien invasion. The cold-bastard bombs he lobs at Clark are an attempt to drive that away.

Even if they have just this one day, it's a start.

I happen to like that this stayed in the PG-13 zone; it served the story better.

[tasabian.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. I love how resolute Clark is at the end, reducing the situation to its simple truth: he wants to be Lex's friend again. Also love how much Lex wants to be forgiven, to be embraced back into Clark's world. It's very fitting that the story ends with Clark pulling Lex into the sunlight.

That was perfect....

[greenlady2.livejournal.com]

... perfect just the way it is. A sex scene would have been out of place, somehow. It's not that sort of story.

I loved Lex standing over Clark, defending him. And Clark injecting the ship. Perfect. They still have a lot to work out, and maybe they'll never be in complete accord. They're too different -- but also too alike.

Great story!

[yma2.livejournal.com]

Beautiful ending to a wonderful story. Loved the female Brainiac and the interplay between the boys. Excellent plotting, brilliant characterisation, beautiful writing.
Really great!

[writer-azzie.livejournal.com]

Very very good...Loved it!

[aditu_az]

I think this may well be the best piece of fanfiction I've read....

*tries to come up with a scheme to for you to be in charge of season 7...*

Seriously, it's amazing, I never comment on things!

[yavannauk.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely ending.

[hils.livejournal.com]

If you haven't been able to tell from all my other comments I have thoroughly enjoyed following this fic and the ending was perfect :)