#(finals)

finals are around the corner ! starting off with criminal law today… 📝📝📝

if you’re also going through your finals I’m sending you a lot of strength, love and luck💫💫💫 !! we got this ! ure a killer⭐️.

PROPAGANDA

Your totally adorable tutor, Clark, helps you get through finals.

Tags/content warnings: fluff, college romance, slow(ish) burn romance, nerdy jock Clark, finals, swearing, Christmas romance, Clark x Female Reader

Word count: 3.6k

Writer's note: thanks for the anonymous suggestion!!! also i'm english so please excuse any inconsistencies with american college life lol, idk how similar it is to uni life here

Please send any suggestions for Clark fanfics, my inbox is open :)

Masterlist here

The calendar on your wall was filling up fast, each day ticked off, reminding you finals week was approaching fast. 

Your first semester of sophomore year had been a massive step up from freshman year: more assignments, higher standards, and way less free time. You'd considered giving up your role at the student paper (one of the few things keeping you sane) more often than you'd like to admit. 

You'd always been a good student with straight A's, but this semester had just kicked your ass. All nighters fuelled by ramen, Skittles and whatever they had in the cafeteria at midnight wasn't cutting it anymore, and you became desperate to keep up your streak of A's. 

You're sat in the campus library, simultaneously blasting a study podcast through your headphones and writing feverishly on your laptop. After a few hours, you decide to stretch your legs. You pack up your kit and head for the exit, when the bulletin board catches your eye.  

Pinned on the board are various sign up sheets for sports clubs, scholastic competitions and..... an advert for a tutor. It reads:

Free Student Tutor for [Your Subject] I'm Clark, a junior with straight A's and A+'s. Available for tutoring every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6pm, and occasional weekends. Call the number below if interested. First come, first serve. 

It was a sign, the final push you needed to ace your final exams. You add the number into your contacts and rush back to your dorm.

Your overflowing bag barely touches the floor before you press call. The phone rings twice before he picks up.

"Hello?" a deep voice says on the other side of the call.

"Hi, I'm calling about the ad in the library. I'm desparate for a tutor, I hope I'm not too late?" you reply, giving your name, still out of breath from rushing back to your room.

"Oh hi! Golly, I didn't expect to get a response so soon, I only put the poster up this morning. You're not too late at all. I'm Clark by the way, Clark Kent," he replies. You notice the country twang in his voice. Cute.

"Your name rings a bell. You also write for the student paper, right? I've read some of your stuff, it's really good. I just stick to entertainment writing and reviewing the seasonal specials in the campus cafe," you say with a giggle. You'd never properly met Clark before, but you knew from reading his articles that he was smart. Just what you needed.

"I thought you sounded familiar. I loved your latest review, what was it called? Oh, 'The Good, The Brewed and The Ugly: The Drinks You Should Order To Get Through Finals.' I thought it was brilliant," he says.

"Thanks, I was so proud of that title. Anyway, you said on the ad that you could do Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Would tomorrow be too soon to start? I know it might be an inconvenience but I need to fit as much practice in before finals as I can," you ask, fingers crossed.

"Sure, it's no inconvenience at all," he replies. "Let's meet in the cafe at 4 tomorrow. You're a sophomore, right? I've got all the textbooks from last year still, so just bring yourself and your laptop."

"Perfect, thanks, Clark. See you tomorrow!" you say before hanging up. You sleep easily knowing you've got a great tutor in the bag.

Your 8am alarm jolts you from a deep sleep, the first you've had in weeks. You go to your classes, finish your essay and sit in your dorm, waiting for 4pm.

With your laptop, notebook and pens packed away in your backpack, you get ready to head down to the cafe. Just as you're about to open the door, your phone buzzes. You check the message:

Clark - Got us a table in the corner of the cafe. It's super quiet, perfect for studying. See you soon :)

You get to the cafe exactly on time and decide to set your things down at the table before ordering a drink. You walk towards the corner of the cafe and see Clark. You stop dead in your tracks.

Even sitting down, you can tell just how tall he is, and the varsity jacket he's wearing does little to disguise his broad chest and shoulders - not the kind of guy you'd think would have 'golly' in his day-to-day vocabulary. He's typing on his laptop, which looks more like a mini iPad in his massive hands, and he reaches up to brush a stray, brunette curl away from his glasses before he spots you.

Shit, he's cute, this is the last thing you need right now.

"Hey Clark," you say, setting your stuff down on the chair in front of him, trying to seem confident and hoping your face isn't turning a bright shade of red.

"Oh hey, right on time," he says smiling at you. He stands up to give you a handshake (seriously, is this dude from the 1950s?) and you're taken aback by just how tall he is. He's gotta be 6'4 at least.

"I'm just gonna grab a drink and then we can start?" you say, hoping you can regain some composure while you're waiting in line.

"No need, I got you a peppermint mocha. You said it was the best drink here in your review so I thought it'd be a safe bet. I got a hot decaf, wasn't sure how you take your coffee but I can get another if you don't like it," he says, extending a paper cup towards you. You stand there for a second looking at him, then the cup, then back at him. He's cute, dorky, jacked and bought you coffee? You're so screwed.

"That's perfect, just how I like it. Thanks, Clark," you say, taking the cup from him. Your fingers brush and you pull away before you can register the gentle touch.

"What did you get? Don't tell me it's the mulled wine refresher, it's awful. Definitely deserved to be at the very bottom of my review," you joke, trying to regain some composure.

"Haha, I remember, didn't you say cold non-alcoholic mulled wine was 'wrong on a fundamental and spiritual level'? So I took your advice and got the same as you, just iced. It's pretty amazing," he says, sitting down and taking a sip from his drink. You sit down across from him and pull out your equipment from your bag.

The next two hours are exactly as you hoped. He answers all your questions and queries and recaps the few chapters you'd been struggling with. When the session is over, you feel a million times more confident.

"Thanks, for all your help, Clark. It's all starting to make more sense. Chapter 7 has been getting on my last nerve for weeks, but I see how it works now," you say packing up your stuff.

"Glad I could help. Although I'm surprised you were looking for a tutor, you seem to be pretty advanced, especially for a sophomore," he says, genuinely puzzled.

"Actually, I'm typically a straight-A student, but this semester has just kicked my ass. I have most of the knowledge and ability, I think I just need to get my confidence up," you say.

"Well, that's what I'm here for. Are you free again Thursday? I have practice on Wednesdays, but after that I'm all yours," he says, packing his books away. His backpack must weigh a ton, but with those muscles, you're sure he can handle it.

"Sounds good to me. I noticed the jacket earlier, what do you play?," you ask.

"Lacrosse. I used to play football in high school, even got MVP a couple of times, but it was too violent for me, you know? Lacrosse is more my speed," he says. "Feel free to say no, but do you want me to walk you to your dorm? It's pretty dark outside now."

You hadn't noticed the flicker of the streetlamps coming on. Campus was pretty safe, but let's face it, who would pass up an opportunity to spend an extra 15 minutes with Clark?

"I'd appreciate that, if it's not too much trouble?" you say. He takes your backpack from your shoulders and slings it over his.

"No trouble at all," he says.

You walk back side by side in the crisp winter air. He tells you about his hometown and his ma and pa.

"Oh, so you're a farmboy?" you joke.

You chat about life back home and plans for the holidays, hoping you're not almost back at your dorm.

"Well, this is me," you say when you reach your building. "Thanks again for today, Clark, it was great to meet you. And next time coffee is on me."

He chuckles, gives you a small wave, and you walk your separate ways.

Crap, he's cute. You can't fall for your tutor, especially not this close to finals. You tell yourself you need to focus and push any developing feelings away.

You continue like this for the next 4 weeks, meeting every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Clark always arrives ahead of time with your coffee already on the table. You try arriving early to beat him to it, but he's always there first. You offer to pay him back for coffee, but he just says, "Ma raised a gentleman, and besides, it's my treat."

He offers to meet you on weekends closer to finals, which turn into hangout sessions, rather than study sessions. You grab a coffee and walk through campus, just talking about life and getting to know each other. You swear you catch him staring at you once or twice. He gives you the confidence boost you needed, and you start getting 100% on your assignments.

And then finals week comes around.

Your alarm blares at 6am, but you're already wide awake. You start getting ready when your phone buzzes.

Clark - Hey, good luck today, you're gonna ace it. Remember, stay calm and breathe, you can do this :). Meet me outside the classroom before the exam.

You walk towards the building, headphones on, trying to calm down. You'd forgotten to eat anything in your panicked frenzy which you can tell will be a problem based on your rumbling stomach. You almost walk straight past Clark before you hear him shout your name.

"Hey, how are you, you look nervous," he says with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm super nervous but I know I can do it. I just need to get this first exam done, and then I'll feel better," you say, nervously rubbing your hands together.

"I had a feeling you'd still be nervous so I got you something," he says holding a paper cup out towards you. "You said you forget to eat when you feel nervous so I got you a peppermint hot chocolate to keep you going. I thought coffee might make the nerves worse."

"Thanks, Clark. That's just what I need," you say with a smile. You start to calm down as you're sipping your drink.

You finish your drink and throw the cup away as you hear the 5-minute warning. Clark notices your restless leg as you lean against the wall.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be fine. If you get nervous, remember everything I've said; you can do this. I'll wait for you outside when the exam is done," he says, holding your shoulders. You nod but the nervous expression doesn't fade from your face.

He pulls you into a hug. You're not sure how to react, he's caught you by surprise. You hug him back just as you hear students being ushered into the room.

"I gotta go, I'll see you after," you say, turning away before he can see you blush.

The exam goes amazingly. You manage to calm your nerves and focus.

Once it's over, you run out looking for Clark.

"How'd it go?" you hear him say from down the hall.

"It went so well, I didn't panic and I remembered everything," you say as you run towards him.

"Gosh that's amazing," he says, beaming. Without thinking, he picks you up and pulls you into another hug. He remembers himself after a second and puts you down, red in the face.

"So, um, how many do you have left now?" he says.

"Just one, I submitted my essay assignment a while back, so I'm all done after tomorrow," you say.

He walks you back to your dorm, standing a little closer than usual. You say your goodbyes and head up to take a nap. You keep replaying his embrace in your head. You'd accepted that you liked him ages ago, I mean, those dimples are enough to fall in love with alone. But is it possible he liked you back? You try to push it out of your head until your finals are done.

Your next exam goes just as well, and once again, Clark is waiting outside. You walk back to your dorm together, a comfortable silence hanging in the air. Until Clark breaks it.

"So since we're both done with our finals, I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Lacrosse holiday formal tomorrow evening? I can walk you there if you're interested," he asks coyly.

After the stress of these last few weeks, an evening out is exactly what you need.

"I'd love to, text me the information and I'll be there," you say, beginning to walk away from him so you can go and crash in your dorm, not fully registering what just happened.

"Oh, really? Amazing, I'll text you," he says, voice trailing off as you walk away.

You get up to your room, jump into bed and close your eyes. Then it hits you. Was he asking you to come with him? Like a date? No way, you'd gotten so close over these few weeks but surely you're reading to much into it.

Your phone buzzes:

Clark - Hey, here's the link to the info. Really happy you decided to come :) I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow? Clark - And well done again for getting through finals, I knew you could do it

As much as you wanted to believe this might be a date, you didn't want to ruin the friendship you and Clark had built over the last few weeks. You decide to not assume anything, you don't want to risk losing your friend.

The next evening rolls around fast. You'd spent all morning trying to figure out what do wear (how does 'Christmas formal' differ from normal formal anyway?) and finally started getting ready. Your hair is perfectly curled, with the front pinned back with a dark red, velvet bow. You'd pinned your mistletoe earrings on and started on your makeup when you hear the familiar buzz of a text message.

Clark - Still on for tonight? I heard the cafe is catering the formal, let's hope they've made enough peppermint mochas ;)

A wink? Does that mean something? Or has Clark just not discovered emojis yet? You tell yourself to stop reading into things, you're just friends.

You slip into your red dress, perfectly matching the bow in your hair, and put on your favourite sparkly heels. You sit, waiting until 7pm rolls around, nervous butterflies brewing in your stomach.

Clark - I'm outside, come down whenever you're ready. No rush!

You look down the spiral stairwell outside your room and see Clark waiting in the lobby below. The butterflies in your stomach refuse to quiet down. He's wearing a black suit and tie that emphasises the sheer size of his chest. As you get to the bottom of the stairs, he's reading the building's notice board, oblivious to you standing behind him. You catch a glimpse of his cufflinks - vintage looking Santa hats, probably gifted by his Pa. Seriously, could he get any more adorable?

You hesitate to tap him on the shoulder. Instead, you awkwardly clear your throat to get his attention and say, "Hey, Clark, are you ready to go?" He turns to look at you, with a smile on his face. His smile quickly turns to shock (or awe, you can't quite tell). His mouth hangs wide open, his eyes look like they might pop out and his face becomes a bright shade of red.

"Golly, um, you look fantastic. Um, that dress is gorgeous. Did you do something different with your hair?" he eventually spits out, clearly at a loss for words.

"Something like that," you giggle shyly, taken aback by his sudden shy demeanour. "I like your cufflinks."

"Thanks, my Pa gave them to me. Some kind of family heirloom," he says without taking his eyes off you. "Shall we get going?" He extends his arm out to you.

Even now you're unsure if this is a reflection of his gentlemanly upbringing, or if it's affection reserved just for you. But as you're walking, you lean into his arm and allow yourself to believe maybe it is just for you.

The formal is amazing. The hall is decorated in snowy whites, reds and greens. You walk in, arms linked together, and find a seat. Clark gets you a drink and you sit awkwardly trying to make small talk, neither one of you wanting to aknowledge the elephant in the room (aka the feelings you're both desparately trying to hide from each other). After a while, you get back into your usual rhythm of conversation. Clark forbids you from talking finals with him anymore, for fear of you second guessing yourself. Instead he distracts you with the story of the cufflinks. You feel brave and place your hands the cuffs of his jacket as he's telling the story. His speech doesn't faulter but you notice the rosy hue on the tips of his ears.

You and Clark eventually separate to socialise with your respective friends, but you notice his quick glances at you when he thinks you aren't looking. Your friends drag you to the dance floor, begging you to let loose and have fun with them after how AWOL you'd been during finals season. Eventually, the music slows, and you and your friends begin to exit the floor, until you feel a hand grabbing yours.

You look back to see Clark, gently holding your hand. "Can I steal you for a dance?" he says.

You nod, completely awestruck that this is actually happening. You look back and exchange knowing glances with your friends. They'd had a feeling your lack of communication the last few weeks wasn't entirely just down to finals. He leads you as you gently sway to the music, your hand in his and the other placed gently on your waist.

"I'm really proud of you, you know?" he says softly.

"Why's that?" you ask.

"You've become so much more confident these last few weeks. It's clear not just in your essays or tests, but even just how you talk. It makes me really happy to see," he replies earnestly.

You blush and look away. "Well, that's mostly thanks to you," you say.

"Only partly. In those exams, that was all you. You're the one who's made you feel more confident, I just gave an extra boost," he says, holding you closer. You continue to dance to the music, leaning against Clark's shoulder. You close your eyes, completely in the moment.

"I think the evening is starting to wind down. Want me to walk you back to your dorm?" he asks. You nod. You grab your clutch and walk the familiar path back to your dorm with him, arm in arm and closer together than ever before. He puts his jacket around your shoulders when he notices the cool, evening air making goosebumps on your arms. You don't want the night to end as you see your building getting closer and closer.

Just as you reach the lobby door and turn to say your usual goodbyes, he says, "Why don't I walk you to your room?". You take him by the hand and lead him into the lobby. He's slightly taken aback by your sudden confidence, but doesn't let go. You walk slowly up the spiral staircase and down the hall until you reach your room. Still holding his hand, you turn to face him.

"Well, this is me. I had fun tonight, thanks for inviting me," you say. You start to open the door to head inside, bringing the night to a close, until you hear Clark say, "Wait, look up."

Mistletoe.

Of course, the girl three doors down was obsessed with Christmas. Truthfully, you think Christmas decorating was her coping mechanism for finals week. Either way, you were indebted to her in this moment.

You look at Clark. His expression is bordering on nervous and excited, like he's been waiting for a chance like this, but is unsure if he should take it. You place your hands gently on his chest, and stand on your very tippy toes. Clark catches the hint and leans down.

He places and gentle kiss to your lips. God, this is all you'd been thinking about during those tutoring sessions, and now it's actually real. He holds the back of your waist delicately, as if you're made of spun sugar.

You both pull away and look at each other for a few seconds, unsure of what to say next.

"Well, looks like I might need to find a new tutor next semester. Pretty sure there's a rule against kissing your tutor somewhere," you joke, trying to break the ice.

He laughs and adjusts his glasses.

"I'm sure we can make an exception, " he says, his tone now confident and flirty. It catches you off guard, but Clark kisses you again before you can react.