Fic: A Passing Moment
Title: A Passing Moment
Pairing: Clex
Rating: G
Word Count: 1358
Summary: Clark visits Lex after saving Kara. Spoilers for “Lara.”
Thanks to my swifty beta herohunter <3
Clark walked into the study almost silently, although the study was far from silent. Lex was playing something on the piano, something so fast and complex that Clark could barely follow Lex’s hands as they moved across the keys. A blur of pale peach over ivory. It was odd because he’d hardly ever seen Lex play before, and after four years of friendship and two additional years of… whatever they were to each other, he’d have thought that he’d manage to walk in on him more than once or twice. That he should know Lex was capable of producing something so intensely beautiful and that Lex had it in him to commit himself so completely and emotionally to putting this music out there.
The hands began to slow down. The piece was coming to a close.
“Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66 in C# minor. Hello, Clark.” Lex did not turn his head until his fingers had stopped. Then he gave Clark a once over with his eyes then pushed his lips. “Well? Are you going to tell me what evil deed I’ve committed lately? Or are you just going to cut right to the choking?”
Clark rolled his eyes and sighed. He should have known from his interactions with Lex lately that he wasn’t going to be able to do this without Lex practically spewing bitterness on him. “Okay, I deserved that. Actually... Kara told me that you tried to protect her and that Agent Carter shot you when you tried…” he trailed off, scanning Lex up and down.
Lex frowned deeply. “I appreciate your concern, but as you saw when you came by to accuse me of harming your cousin, I’m fine. It was merely a tranquilizer dart. I suppose someone around here remembers who they’re dealing with.”
Clark shuffled his feet and looked away.
“Look, Clark, I’ve had a rough day. Is Kara alright? Carter didn’t harm her with the exposure to the meteor rock, did he?”
“Uh…” Clark felt his heart speed up. “Why would the meteor rock hurt her?”
“Why does the meteor rock cause harm to anyone? It’s the radiation, obviously.” Lex stood and put his hands in his pockets.
It took Clark a moment to notice, but he could see that something was wrong. While Clark hadn’t spent much time with Lex over the past two years, he still recognized the pain in Lex’s eyes. “Kara’s fine now. A little sore. Lex, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Again, just a tranq dart.”
“I don’t mean physically.”
Lex’s eyes hardened, and he turned towards his bar. “You can find your way out.”
“Lex-“
“Clark, you and I are no longer friends.” He took his scotch and began pouring as he looked up at Clark. “I’m just not in a sharing mood.”
“Fine. Just-“ Clark stopped himself. Just what? Just know I’m here for you? Just remember the times when you opened up to me and I said hateful things back? Great, Clark. “Whatever. I just came to thank you. For trying to protect Kara. I know you didn’t succeed, but you tried. Carter took her and subjected her to that stuff that Summerholdt created to bring out memories.”
“Oh?” Lex lifted his glass and appeared intrigued. “What did she find?”
“A repressed memory of her father. Apparently he wasn’t a very nice guy.”
Lex’s expression opened slightly, and he sipped his drink, letting out a tight sigh. “I see. It must be difficult for her. She loved him a lot.”
“What? Oh, yeah. Do you guys, uh… talk?” Clark asked, trying to sound unassuming.
“No, we communicate through dance.”
Clark knew that Lex was trying to be irritable and sarcastic, but he couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that comment. “Hah hah. Hm. Okay, fair enough. What’s she told you? Has… no, I’ll ask her myself, I guess. It’s not fair to ask you to help us with our family dysfunction.”
“She said that she was raised in an orphanage in Minnesota.” Lex put his other hand in his pocket and strolled towards Clark. “She also says that you’re an oppressor, and you get ‘all on her’ for everything she wears and does and who she associates with.”
Clark chuckled and looked down. “She’s uh… willful.”
“So were you once, if I remember correctly.”
Clark could hear the smile in his voice, even if he suspected that it wouldn’t reach Lex’s eyes. “Lex, I… you should know…” He paused and took a breath. “I knew that Kara had been here because Lana told me. She still has contacts with your staff, or something, and she knew almost right away. They must have called her?”
Lex thinned his lips and walked up to Clark. For a moment, Clark thought Lex was going to strike him. Instead, he said very softly, “I know she’s been spying on me. Remember? I told you about this when I was in the hospital.”
“What? She… oh.” Clark met his eyes in astonishment.
“Thank you for telling me, though,” he said, just as softly. He reached over and squeezed Clark’s shoulder. At a normal pitch, he continued, “You should know that government agents aren’t the only ones interested in your little cousin. My father has been asking after her as well.”
“I know. She’s my cousin on the Kent side.”
Lex withdrew his hand and took another drink. “You remember of course I did a complete background check on the Kents. There was no mention of a Kent contingency in by the Great Lakes, nor did your father have any brothers and sisters. You might want to find an explanation for that, if he asks. He may have done a background check at some point as well. I don’t know, but it’s likely. As far as I’ve told him, however, Kara and I merely have a good business relationship.”
“You think he believes you?”
“He wouldn’t be my father if he had faith in anything I said or did,” Lex replied bitterly.
Clark raised a brow and thought he might know why Lex was drinking and playing furiously on the piano.
“He thinks that I’m obsessed with her because she’s your cousin. Considering my history with the Kent family, it’s a decent cover. I’m disinclined to correct him on the matter, though I met her before finding out that the two of you were related.”
“Well, thank you for covering that much.”
“He hasn’t been forthcoming about what he knows about you. I don’t see why I should share my information with him.” Lex’s voice was almost haughty, and Clark thought back to his meeting with Lionel earlier in the day… their hug. The only time he’d seen Lionel hug Lex was directly after Earl Jenkins had held Clark’s class hostage in the plant. That had only been a show for the press, however. He remembered the look on Lex’s face as he’d glanced over from where both of his parents were genuinely hugging him, his mother crying from happiness that he was safe.
“Thanks anyway. And thanks again for what you did with Agent Carter. I really appreciate it, and I know that Kara does. She won’t stop talking about it.” Clark looked at the fire and sighed. “If you don’t need anything, I’ll go and leave you alone.”
Lex moved his head slightly, as though he were about to say something, and his eyes rounded. They bore into Clark in that intense relentless way of theirs, searching, questing, wanting to know what this and everything else meant. They were asking Clark for answers, for meaning.
Then Len blinked and turned. “Don’t let me keep you.”
Clark felt as though he’d just watched a moment pass. A moment where he might have stepped in and changed it all. He hesitated, and when Lex did not turn again, he left the study as quietly as he’d come. But he stayed outside watching Lex in his study, drinking and pacing and settling by the piano, for a long time.
He closed his eyes as Lex set a fresh glass of scotch on the bench and began to play anew.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: G
Word Count: 1358
Summary: Clark visits Lex after saving Kara. Spoilers for “Lara.”
Thanks to my swifty beta herohunter <3
Clark walked into the study almost silently, although the study was far from silent. Lex was playing something on the piano, something so fast and complex that Clark could barely follow Lex’s hands as they moved across the keys. A blur of pale peach over ivory. It was odd because he’d hardly ever seen Lex play before, and after four years of friendship and two additional years of… whatever they were to each other, he’d have thought that he’d manage to walk in on him more than once or twice. That he should know Lex was capable of producing something so intensely beautiful and that Lex had it in him to commit himself so completely and emotionally to putting this music out there.
The hands began to slow down. The piece was coming to a close.
“Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66 in C# minor. Hello, Clark.” Lex did not turn his head until his fingers had stopped. Then he gave Clark a once over with his eyes then pushed his lips. “Well? Are you going to tell me what evil deed I’ve committed lately? Or are you just going to cut right to the choking?”
Clark rolled his eyes and sighed. He should have known from his interactions with Lex lately that he wasn’t going to be able to do this without Lex practically spewing bitterness on him. “Okay, I deserved that. Actually... Kara told me that you tried to protect her and that Agent Carter shot you when you tried…” he trailed off, scanning Lex up and down.
Lex frowned deeply. “I appreciate your concern, but as you saw when you came by to accuse me of harming your cousin, I’m fine. It was merely a tranquilizer dart. I suppose someone around here remembers who they’re dealing with.”
Clark shuffled his feet and looked away.
“Look, Clark, I’ve had a rough day. Is Kara alright? Carter didn’t harm her with the exposure to the meteor rock, did he?”
“Uh…” Clark felt his heart speed up. “Why would the meteor rock hurt her?”
“Why does the meteor rock cause harm to anyone? It’s the radiation, obviously.” Lex stood and put his hands in his pockets.
It took Clark a moment to notice, but he could see that something was wrong. While Clark hadn’t spent much time with Lex over the past two years, he still recognized the pain in Lex’s eyes. “Kara’s fine now. A little sore. Lex, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Again, just a tranq dart.”
“I don’t mean physically.”
Lex’s eyes hardened, and he turned towards his bar. “You can find your way out.”
“Lex-“
“Clark, you and I are no longer friends.” He took his scotch and began pouring as he looked up at Clark. “I’m just not in a sharing mood.”
“Fine. Just-“ Clark stopped himself. Just what? Just know I’m here for you? Just remember the times when you opened up to me and I said hateful things back? Great, Clark. “Whatever. I just came to thank you. For trying to protect Kara. I know you didn’t succeed, but you tried. Carter took her and subjected her to that stuff that Summerholdt created to bring out memories.”
“Oh?” Lex lifted his glass and appeared intrigued. “What did she find?”
“A repressed memory of her father. Apparently he wasn’t a very nice guy.”
Lex’s expression opened slightly, and he sipped his drink, letting out a tight sigh. “I see. It must be difficult for her. She loved him a lot.”
“What? Oh, yeah. Do you guys, uh… talk?” Clark asked, trying to sound unassuming.
“No, we communicate through dance.”
Clark knew that Lex was trying to be irritable and sarcastic, but he couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that comment. “Hah hah. Hm. Okay, fair enough. What’s she told you? Has… no, I’ll ask her myself, I guess. It’s not fair to ask you to help us with our family dysfunction.”
“She said that she was raised in an orphanage in Minnesota.” Lex put his other hand in his pocket and strolled towards Clark. “She also says that you’re an oppressor, and you get ‘all on her’ for everything she wears and does and who she associates with.”
Clark chuckled and looked down. “She’s uh… willful.”
“So were you once, if I remember correctly.”
Clark could hear the smile in his voice, even if he suspected that it wouldn’t reach Lex’s eyes. “Lex, I… you should know…” He paused and took a breath. “I knew that Kara had been here because Lana told me. She still has contacts with your staff, or something, and she knew almost right away. They must have called her?”
Lex thinned his lips and walked up to Clark. For a moment, Clark thought Lex was going to strike him. Instead, he said very softly, “I know she’s been spying on me. Remember? I told you about this when I was in the hospital.”
“What? She… oh.” Clark met his eyes in astonishment.
“Thank you for telling me, though,” he said, just as softly. He reached over and squeezed Clark’s shoulder. At a normal pitch, he continued, “You should know that government agents aren’t the only ones interested in your little cousin. My father has been asking after her as well.”
“I know. She’s my cousin on the Kent side.”
Lex withdrew his hand and took another drink. “You remember of course I did a complete background check on the Kents. There was no mention of a Kent contingency in by the Great Lakes, nor did your father have any brothers and sisters. You might want to find an explanation for that, if he asks. He may have done a background check at some point as well. I don’t know, but it’s likely. As far as I’ve told him, however, Kara and I merely have a good business relationship.”
“You think he believes you?”
“He wouldn’t be my father if he had faith in anything I said or did,” Lex replied bitterly.
Clark raised a brow and thought he might know why Lex was drinking and playing furiously on the piano.
“He thinks that I’m obsessed with her because she’s your cousin. Considering my history with the Kent family, it’s a decent cover. I’m disinclined to correct him on the matter, though I met her before finding out that the two of you were related.”
“Well, thank you for covering that much.”
“He hasn’t been forthcoming about what he knows about you. I don’t see why I should share my information with him.” Lex’s voice was almost haughty, and Clark thought back to his meeting with Lionel earlier in the day… their hug. The only time he’d seen Lionel hug Lex was directly after Earl Jenkins had held Clark’s class hostage in the plant. That had only been a show for the press, however. He remembered the look on Lex’s face as he’d glanced over from where both of his parents were genuinely hugging him, his mother crying from happiness that he was safe.
“Thanks anyway. And thanks again for what you did with Agent Carter. I really appreciate it, and I know that Kara does. She won’t stop talking about it.” Clark looked at the fire and sighed. “If you don’t need anything, I’ll go and leave you alone.”
Lex moved his head slightly, as though he were about to say something, and his eyes rounded. They bore into Clark in that intense relentless way of theirs, searching, questing, wanting to know what this and everything else meant. They were asking Clark for answers, for meaning.
Then Len blinked and turned. “Don’t let me keep you.”
Clark felt as though he’d just watched a moment pass. A moment where he might have stepped in and changed it all. He hesitated, and when Lex did not turn again, he left the study as quietly as he’d come. But he stayed outside watching Lex in his study, drinking and pacing and settling by the piano, for a long time.
He closed his eyes as Lex set a fresh glass of scotch on the bench and began to play anew.