Quicksand 13/13
Title: Quicksand
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Thirteen
Once outside of the apartment, Clark turned left and headed for a coffee shop a block away. "The city's not too different, apart from LexCorp Towers and the changes you're making to Suicide Slums."
"True. I can still see the Daily Planet. It's very strange to see the towers missing." Lex shook his head and slipped his hands into his pockets as they walked.
"How uh... How did you and Clark get along?" Clark asked.
Lex looked up at the fading daylight pensively. "He appeared in my apartment bearing grilled scallops and mini-éclairs. I suspect from France, and I suspect as a snack for that one in there. We ate. And talked. After finding out what he married-apparently Lois is more tolerable in this dimension-and that he didn't have Bruce to go to, he returned and revealed himself to me. He was useful as a sounding board for ideas regarding how to get back here. I believe this mess is partially my fault. The instability was initially caused by the jelly creatures I found and altered."
Clark's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to admonish Lex, but then swallowed his words. "Here we are." He walked to a table and waited for Lex to take a seat. "So. You got along well, then."
"Yes," Lex answered simply. He sat and folded his hands. "And you?"
Clark nodded. "They forgave me. Both of them. And took me to see the Kents." He watched Lex's hands on the table. "Lex let me help him and I took Athena to school."
"You're going to have some explaining to do when you get back. Clark avoided your wife whenever he could. I think she's quite mad, by now." Lex paused, looking at the modern paintings decorating the walls. "He also visited Richard and Alfred... That one looks like someone got you with the Gloopifier," he said pointing at one of the paintings.
Clark looked over and chuckled. "So it does." He sobered up quickly, however, and placed his hands on the table as well. "Look, Lex, there are questions I have that'll only be answered if I ask them, so I'm going to, okay?"
Lex rubbed his temple. "Fine. Yes. Good. Let me get us some coffee, first. What would you like?" He stood by his chair and looked at Clark expectantly.
"Just a coffee," Clark said. "With cream and sugar, please."
"Got it." Lex strolled over to the counter to get Clark's 'just coffee' and a doubleshot latte with nonfat soymilk. He looked over the cookies and got Clark a big one as well before he returned with their refreshments. "All right. Shoot."
Clark blinked down at the cookie. "That's a big one." He broke a piece out of it and offered it to Lex.
Lex waved his hand. "No thank you. You had questions?" He sipped his coffee.
Clark put the cookie piece back on the plate. "All right, so. Here it goes." He met Lex's eyes. "Were you responsible for what happened to our Smallville?"
Lex blinked, then took a breath. "In that I... No. I couldn't stop it, but I wasn't my plan, no. I just failed to save them."
Clark frowned and inhaled deeply. "Why didn't you ever tell me this before? You knew-" He exhaled and force his voice to remain low. "You knew I thought you had been involved in it. It was your missile."
"You were never listening!" Lex looked at the melted Superman painting, scowling and rubbing the back of his neck. "I know it was my missile; I felt responsible because of that."
"My parents, Lex!" Clark exclaimed. He lowered his head and shook it. He couldn't do this, he couldn't.
"Don't you think I know that?" Lex snapped. "By the time I'd realized Brainiac had control of LexCorp's computers, it was already too late. We tried to use the remote tracking to derail it, but we... I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't fast enough. Go ahead and hate me, Clark. I can't change what happened."
Clark said nothing for a moment, then rubbed his forehead. "Your turn."
"Why haven't you killed me yet?" Lex asked after a moment.
Clark looked up at Lex. "I'm not a killer."
Lex looked into his eyes for another long moment. "Fine. What else do you want to ask?"
Clark licked his lips. "I also haven't killed you because we were friends, and I could never live with myself if I did that. Why do you hate me?"
"I don't. You're dangerous, out of control, and you know it. Someone has to step up, otherwise that thin line of "I'm not a killer" will cease to exist," Lex replied peevishly. "Why did you stop being my friend in Smallville? Was it because... What did I do wrong?"
Clark looked like he had been hit. "God, nothing, Lex! You didn't do anything wrong, other than become obsessed with life on other planets and trying to prove it. Once I found out what I was, how do you think I started feeling around you? I knew you'd figure me out sooner or later, and I was scared to death!"
"I was obsessed before I met you. The only difference then was letting you see that part of myself." Lex rubbed his thumb along the edge of his coffee mug and looked at it despondently. "Why were you scared? What did you think I would do? ...It's your turn. I apologize."
"I don't know," Clark said softly. He cared little for taking turns. "My parents always told me that no one could know. That they'd either betray me and tell someone who would come, take me away and hurt me, or they'd keep my secret and end up getting hurt because of it. People have gotten hurt because they found out."
Lex looked into his cup and lifted it to his lips for a long drink. "I do fine getting hurt all by myself. I suppose you'll notice the throngs of people I've told when we get home."
"I... I know. I'm sorry." The corners of Clark's mouth curled down. "But I can't help thinking I was right in not telling you. You just said so yourself; you think I'm dangerous and out of control. All I try to do is help people, Lex."
"Clark, you drop people mid-air. You choke people and toss them around like rag dolls when you lose your temper. You roughed up a pregnant man for fuck's sake," Lex replied. "What determination am I supposed to make? Trust you, because you say you're here to help? Worship you like everyone else? Power must always be checked, and yours is not. I don't think even the Justice Lords could stop you if you really lost it. Don't tell me you've never done so, either, because I know what Red K does to you."
"I only hurt Lex because I thought he was you," Clark said defensively. "And you've always been able to defend yourself." He exhaled sharply. "Fine, my turn. Why haven't you killed me yet?"
"It's really amazing you haven't been able to suss that one out on your own," Lex said in a dry tone. He rubbed his hand over his upper lip. "I suppose since you think I am a killer, while you're some kind of savior of mankind, my reasoning must be entirely different, yes? I haven't gotten around to it, I suppose. One of these days I'll get serious about murdering the man who stops nuclear explosions and saves orphans."
Clark held his hands open over the table. "That's not an answer."
Lex made an irritated noise. "The objective is safety and continued thriving of humanity. Not murder one. It never has been. If things go south, you must be contained. Period. Whether I like you or not, that is the case. I hate to be quite so blunt about matters, but I'm nothing if not a pragmatist."
Clark sat forward. "And you think I want to destroy humanity? That's my big plan? Lex, this is the last planet I have, as far as I know, these-" He swept a hand around, "are the only people left I can relate to."
"You need me to speak with smaller words, don't you?" Lex asked after glaring at him quietly. "Okay. I believe you. You don't want to hurt human beings. You don't plan to hurt them. Good for you."
Clark's expression saddened, and he sat back again, picking up his coffee cup and taking a slow sip. "You're never gonna trust me," he whispered with finality.
"And you'll never understand me," Lex replied. He looked toward the window thinking of the family he would never have back in that apartment. He wasn't entirely certain he wanted to go back to his penthouse alone. "If it makes you feel better, I trust very few people. The number currently, I think, is two. Mercy and the Clark of this world, and even then, when he first introduced himself I was certain he was using me."
He tapped the table slowly. "I do not think that you have current plans to take over the world. Knowing who you were under the tights helped with that. However... Words are empty for me. I'll have to see change before I believe that it is real. You should do the same."
"Why is he so much better than I am, Lex?" Clark asked softly. "I try to do the right thing, too."
Lex smoothed his hands over his head, thinking about the question. The other Clark had been hard to resist. That first night he had been in his penthouse, there had been such a discernable difference between the two of them. Later on that night, Clark had carried him in and undressed him for no other reason than because no one cared about Lex. Sure, many of them needed him for employment; some of them lusted after him. None cared. And finally Lex looked up.
"He's stubborn for certain, and in that way, he's much like you, but he's gentle. He thinks things through. He's quieter. He's honest, and above all, he cares. Genuinely and for everyone he interacts with, not just the innocents he saves, but the criminals he apprehends. He uses the force required to take them in, and then lets the law pass judgment. He treats his enemies as well as he can, regardless of what they've done, although I'm certain he is tempted. That is what I've observed from him. In case of emergency, he informs me, his friend Batman has some Kryptonite, not because Batman hates him, but because Clark cares about the people that much, and he trusts Batman not to misuse it against him. I think, when he hit you earlier, that was the first time I have ever seen him really attack someone, and I think it is because you are a reflection of himself and you do things that he would strictly admonish himself for doing. I also think he's probably feeling some guilt for it. He has a highly evolved sense of responsibility."
Clark nodded. "I understand." His Lex was in love with this world's Clark, that much was apparent, but more than that, Lex trusted him. Trusted him not to go rogue, and to do what was right. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he eyed the door and fought the urge to leave. There were lessons to be learned here, and letting jealousy win would not be the right way to do that. He had to listen to Lex's compliments to the other as possible aspirations and not criticism as to what he was not. "Is there..."
"Is there what, Clark?" Lex asked gently.
"Is there anything..." Clark let out a dry chuckle and linked fast a few times. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Is there anything I do that's worth keeping?" He tried hard not to sound like a kid fishing for compliments but he had no idea if he had managed it.
Sensing that he had just succeeded in crushing Clark's ego, and Clark was looking up at him like a small child needing a pat on the head, Lex replied, "You're devastatingly handsome. And your fashion sense is far superior to the Clark of this world. You should see his costume. It has garish gold on it and these little red spandex briefs on the outside calling attention to his package. It's a nice package, mind, but it screams Gay City more than anything else. I do hope he changes his costume."
He paused, trying to think of something more personal to say. He hadn't much experience with Clark, outside of being hurt and angry. "You are also a good surgeon. You could say I've had my share. I never would have suspected the same man who knocked me into an explosion-accidentally-would be the same man to so deftly and carefully stitch me back together. Thank you for that."
At least Lex had realized that Superman hadn't meant to hurt him that once. He hid his hands under the table and squeezed his own fingers, hard. "Lex. Do you think that our world would be a better place without its Superman?" he asked in a flat, lifeless voice. That could be arranged, and quite easily.
"I wish I knew, Clark. I... Before this all happened, I would have said yes without hesitation," Lex said honestly. "But now? ...I think we can do better."
"We?" Clark asked cautiously.
"Well, I would hope I'd be a part of this equation," Lex replied, watching Clark with an intense gaze. "I hope you can forgive me, so we might try our hand at friendship again."
"I..." Clark took a deep breath. "So much's happened, Lex. I used to worship you when we were kids, did you know that? It's not an excuse, but that's why I'm so hard on you; I don't want you to disappoint me." He nodded. "I want that. To try again. And I'd like you to forgive me, too. I get it that you want to see that I can change rather than take my word for it. That's fine. But I will need help."
Lex reached under the table and took Clark's hand. "I hope I'm up to the task."
Clark held on to Lex's fingers, so lean and breakable. He nodded again, fast. "Me too. I'm sorry, Lex."
"I- I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I didn't save them. I'm sorry I attract creatures like Brainiac." Lex swallowed tensely.
"Jesus!" Clark let go of Lex's hand, stood up and approached him. "Have you paid already?"
Lex straightened up. "Yes, I have. What is it?"
Clark took Lex's hand and pulled him up, but not too hard. "Come on. I won't hurt you," he added over his shoulder as he started out of the coffee shop."
Lex followed him, watching Clark's ass in... other Clark's jeans. "Where are we going?"
"There's something I need to do," Clark told him, scanning the streets and finally turning them into an alley. He then spun around, wrapped his arms around Lex and hugged him tightly.
"Clark...?" Lex's eyes began to widen.
"You don't attract creatures like Brainiac, Lex," Clark said against Lex's cheek. "I do! It's not your fault!"
Lex's heart was beating like a frightened rabbit's. He'd thought Clark was going to try to fly with him. "Brainy has always had an inexplicable fondness for dicking with me. I may not have been the reason he came here, but if the two of us weren't locking horns... If I hadn't been so obsessed with finding aliens..."
Clark pulled his head back and met Lex's eyes, breathing slightly faster himself. "You were right. Aliens exist. There are dangerous ones." He glanced down and then back up. "I can be one of them. I am one of them, to you."
Lex took a deep breath and hugged his arms. "Now what do we do?"
"If I promise not to drop you..." Clark bit his lower lip. "Let me take you up there?"
Lex closed his eyes for a moment. It was irrational to be afraid now after their talk; Lex knew that even if he knew that he was afraid. Lex told himself that if Clark did drop him, the other was close enough to hear him scream. Training wheels, he guessed. And if Clark didn't do it this time, maybe Lex could start trusting him. It was enough to build on. "Okay," he said quietly, stepping forward and opening his arms. "Take me. I- I might cling a little."
Clark gave Lex a blinding smile, the kind he hadn't used in quite sometime. "Cling all you want." He bent his legs, held Lex tightly around the waist, and pushed off.
"Ohh..." Lex immediately wrapped around Clark like a cat being swung up in the air.
Clark smiled as he turned his face up and rose above the buildings and over a Metropolis that wasn't theirs. "I got you," he told Lex.
"Mm hm." Lex tucked his chin over Clark's shoulder and refused to let go. He hated himself for being so afraid like this, but one had to face his fears, or be conquered by them.
"Breathe, Lex," advised Clark, giving Lex's back a gentle rub. "Do you wanna go see the Kents?" He paused and just hovered in the air.
"The Kents?" Lex's face relaxed a little, and he made a show of taking a few breaths in and out. That was going a little far from his security blanket. But still... "Sure. Let's go visit them."
Clark nodded, turned and headed towards Smallville. "How well do you remember the farm?"
"I remember getting bit by one of your stupid chickens. Not much, actually. I didn't explore the farm much. Unlike the Lex from this dimension, I've always been a city boy. His family had a ranch in Montana where they used to go for vacation before his mother died," Lex informed Clark.
"Did you like it there?" Clark asked, looking at Lex. He kept their speed what he assumed would be not-terrifying.
"I don't know. Not really when I was younger, because I lived in the Slums, but as I got older and bounced between foster families, I got to see more of the city. It became nicer," Lex admitted. "I really didn't like Smallville all that much."
"We didn't help," offered Clark. "Smallville was such a closed-off place. Likely because of the strangeness everywhere." His lips thinned.
"At some point, you have to get used to being a complete oddity. That was even before I lost my hair. It was worse afterward. I was still small at seventeen. People thought I had cancer." Lex sighed. "Or they just thought I was a freak. Now I see many more men shaving their heads. We living in a strange world. Have you heard that 65% of men in America now trim their eyebrows to mimic the 'Superman Swoosh'?"
Clark gave Lex a shocked look. "What??"
"It's true. Some social scientist did a widespread study of it," Lex replied, laughing just a little at Clark's surprise.
Clark rolled his eyes. "That's crazy." He slowly licked his lips and smiled at Lex. "So. Devastatingly handsome, huh?"
"I'm going to regret that, aren't I? Well, you were looking remarkably like a kicked puppy, albeit a cute one. I don't know how you get your eyes so big. Even Lex Luthor knows when to stop."
Clark threw his head back and laughed. "Give up, Lex. You think I'm handsome," he said happily. At least that!
"Fine. You're handsome. You've always been so." Lex rested his chin on Clark's shoulder again, but this time he wasn't clinging quite so desperately.
"So are you," Clark said firmly.
"I'm glad you think so," Lex replied, smiling softly. He shivered slightly and pressed into Clark's warmth.
"Cold?" asked Clark. He kinda liked Lex all wrapped up against him. Very much so, actually. "We're almost there."
"Good," Lex replied. He was going to have to get used to this. He suspected he would be flying quite a bit in the future.
"We can try running on the way back," suggested Clark as he began a steady descent, rows of corn below them. "Look, Lex," he pointed. They hadn't seen this much green in Smallville in years.
Lex turned his head and looked down. His eyes widened in shock. The sun was starting to set, but the remaining rays of golden sunlight spilled over the flat mid-western town, highlighting the green grass, the yellow corn, and the miles of flowers and other growing things. It was vibrant and alive. It was everything the remains of their Smallville was not. "Oh, Clark..."
"Isn't it beautiful? There are still some cows out, there." Clark turned them slightly to a group of cows on an emerald green field. Even a city boy like Lex would appreciate seeing again what they had lost. "And there's the farm!"
"I don't think I ever appreciated it as beautiful before. Everything was just so different and bright." Lex sighed. "Thank you for taking me here."
Clark looked at him and nodded. "You're welcome. Like I said, Smallville wasn't too good to you the first time around. You'll like it better today." He hovered down to the gravel in front of the Kent back porch.
As they came down, Lex's toes reached for the ground, and once he was safely earthbound once again, he turned his head a little to look around the farm. "They've made some changes. I..."
He caught sight of Jonathan Kent making his way back to the farmhouse, and his breath caught in his throat.
"You back?" Jonathan called, squinting over at them. "I thought you were gonna come back over tomorrow so Lex could get some rest?"
Clark turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Mr. Kent. Sorry to come without calling first, but I'd like you to meet my Lex." He pulled Lex with him and shook hands with Jonathan. "He and your son just arrived."
"Oh!" Jonathan came over to meet them halfway and held out his hand for Lex. "Havin' a good visit?"
Lex boggled a moment, amazed that Jonathan Kent would offer to shake his hand, but he shook it firmly and nodded. "It's been pretty good so far."
"You and Clark aren't together over there, are you?" Jonathan asked.
"No, we aren't actually. We were friends while I was in Smallville, but we grew apart," Lex answered.
"We're giving it another go," Clark told Jonathan with a hopeful grin.
"Clark?" Martha called as she came out of the kitchen. "Clark told us he was back and had brought..." She came down the steps towards them. "Hello, Lex!" It was all so confusing, but her son had called and she knew who this lean man was with her 'second son.'
"Good evening, Mrs. Kent," Lex said, getting a good look at her. He felt a twinge in his chest for Clark's parents. It really felt like seeing a ghost.
"Oh, look at you!" Martha said brightly. She pulled him in for a hug. "Oh, I miss the baby belly a little!" she exclaimed, and laughed.
Clark chuckled.
"The what?" Lex flushed and returned her embrace, a little embarrassed as Jonathan chuckled as well. "Oh, well..." he muttered vaguely in response. He felt as though he should be apologetic for not getting on the ball and making some grandkids already. The Kents had always made him nervous.
Martha laughed a little more and took Lex's hand. "Come inside, sweetheart!" She also gave Clark a loving smile, which he returned.
Lex felt adopted. He followed Martha into the house, and Jonathan came in after them. Lex was sure that his face was pink. "It's good to see this place. It has been a very long time."
"I can't tell you how happy Jonathan and I are to meet the two of you," Martha told him, entering the kitchen first. "It's like we just gained two more children as suddenly as we gained Clark! I hope you can find a way to come back to see us if you go back to your world."
Clark let Jonathan go inside first, giving the old man a couple of pats on the back.
"It's... I don't know, Mrs. Kent. If we really wanted to do that, I would have to come up with some way of making a stable portal between, instead of ripping the fabric of our universe open each time we do this. Otherwise our universe would almost certainly collapse in on itself," Lex replied. He looked around the kitchen, smiling as he remembered sitting in there with Clark.
"Oh, my! We don't want that!" Martha assured him worriedly, then rubbed his arm. "I'm sure you can do it, though, Lex. Would you like a slice of cherry pie? As some kind of cosmic miracle, Clark didn't finish that one off today."
"Hey!" Clark hunched down a little, but his smile remained. "It was good pie! I get hungry!"
"You'd think he was the one making the grandchildren," Jonathan joked, nudging Clark's side.
Lex smirked slightly. "Sure, I'll have a piece, Mrs. Kent. Thank you."
Martha busied herself with getting both Lex and Clark pie slices. "Clark called. He said he'll come see us tomorrow. Lex might come, if he's feeling well."
"He could barely sleep or eat all this time," agreed Clark. He touched Lex's back and motioned for them to sit at the kitchen island.
"Sounds like when Clark isn't around he reverts to his bachelor state," Lex commented. He took a seat and folded his hands.
"Yes, which would have been fine if he didn't have a little baby girl sucking up every bit of energy he has," Martha said fondly. She set two plates in front of them and turned to get them two glasses of milk. "For an already thin young man, that's not the best way to stay healthy."
"Well, Clark's home now. He and Athena will see to it that he's taken care of." Jonathan sat across from them. "Isn't she smart as a whip, that girl?"
"She seems quite precocious. I always was, as a child." Lex cut the tip of his pie with his fork and scooped the pastry crust and cherries onto it. "You know, if we're still here later tomorrow, we should pop over to France and get them some smoked scallops with mini-éclairs for dessert. He was expecting that snack and his loving partner to come home to him, and all he got was you," Lex teased Clark, then took a bites and smirked as he chewed.
Clark stopped with a piece of pie midway to his open mouth and looked at Lex. His first reaction was to get offended and hit back, but he managed to turn to his fork again, eat that piece of pie and swallow it down. "We can go to France, ray of sunshine."
Martha eyed them but since they were both still smiling, kind of, she just handed them their milk and sat down facing them.
"I think they'd appreciated it," Lex continued. He took a small sip of his milk. "This is fantastic pie, Mrs. Kent."
"Thank you, sweetheart." Martha reached over and patted his hand. "Where are you boys staying?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose I could sleep on the sofa at your son's apartment. It looks comfortable enough," Lex speculated with a shrug.
"You can take the guest bed; I'll sleep on the sofa," Clark said. "Doesn't bother me."
"If you insist," Lex replied with a nod.
Martha could notice the barrier between those two almost like something tangible. She sighed. "I was thinking you could stay here if you want. We have Lex and Clark's room, Athena's, and the sofa. Plus, the old sofa in the barn."
Clark smiled softly. "I wouldn't mind sleeping there."
"That's a very generous offer, Mrs. Kent." Lex nodded.
"Well, it's nothing, son. You can relax a little bit. We're not gonna bite you," Jonathan told him.
"A cow tried to bite him once," Clark informed Jonathan as he cleaned his plate.
"It only got the ends of my fingers," Lex scoffed. "I did startle the cows, once, though. Was trying to fix your milker and made it twice as effective and twice as noisy. The chickens are what I worry about, though. They ended up chasing me around the coop for fifteen minutes, until Clark came to save me. I'm not exactly the country type."
Martha shook her head. "Neither was I, when I met Jonathan, and here I am!" she laughed happily. Jonathan took her hand and squeezed it.
"Well, I think you adapted quite well. I myself always end up back in the city," Lex told her.
"What do you do?" Jonathan asked.
"I run a multinational corporation based mainly on medical innovations, LexCorp. Occasionally we take on contracts for the government, and our research has caused expansion into most fields," Lex explained. "I never meant for us to have our fingers in quite so many pots, but it seems to be working."
"LexCorp?" Jonathan repeated. "You got any fertilizer plants?"
Lex raised a brow. "Not... That I'm aware of. It's possible, don't get me wrong, but it's a very large corporation. Occasionally we have subsidaries that have been acquired before I know, or I simply forget."
"You must be very busy," commented Martha.
Clark stood and took his plate to the sink so he could wash it.
'I keep active," Lex agreed. "Although now that the company is established, it doesn't require constant babysitting. I've been able to hire some very skilled and trusted employees, and in my time, I go back to the lab where I started the innovations that made the company possible."
"That's nice, dear," Martha said. "It's important to do what you like in life." She stood up. "Clark, I'm going to change the sheets in Lex's bed and I'll bring you some to take to your loft."
"Okay, Mom," Clark said as he washed his glass. It felt natural to call this woman 'mom' and she herself had asked him to, earlier.
"Do you do anything besides work?" Jonathan asked. "Not that I'm judgin', mind, that's practically all I did for most of my life, except take my son fishing or play football."
Clark set the glass on the drying rack and returned to the island to pick up Lex's plate and glass so he could wash them as well. He had spent time with the Kents and wanted to give Lex some time to realize how nice they were.
Lex didn't want to tell the man he spent his spare time finding ways to corral his son in case of emergency, or that puttering around in the lab was his hobby, so he said, "Occasionally, I attend charity events and mingle with the people I need to social network with in order for LexCorp to remain a success."
Jonathan chuckled. "No wonder you have such a hard time relaxing. I don't remember Lex liking to go to those."
"Well, not really, but occasionally something interesting will happen at one of them," Lex said with a shrug.
"Seeing anyone?"
"Not currently, no. I've been single since my fifth wife tried to kill me," Lex informed him.
"Fifth? Fifth?" Jonathan repeated.
"I know. Your Clark was pretty baffled as well. He's only got the one wife. I don't know if I'm rushing in too quickly, or if I'm just attracted to psychotic gold diggers." He paused. "I don't know if that's a fair assessment of all of them. Heaven was shot, but I wonder how long she would have had patience for me. Chloe and I were just incompatible as lovers, much better as friends. We were too alike, and she was too young at the time to want to settle."
"Well, I'd say she's a bit too young!" Jonathan replied. After that he laughed and shook his head.
Clark turned around and leaned on the kitchen counter. He was glad they had ended up in a world where the Kents were alive and were good people. He had no idea what kind of realities might be out there.
"She never seemed that young, frankly. And at the time I was the world's most acclaimed xenobiologist, well, the only one, so we had a lot to talk about. Chloe always had a keen interest in aliens, and I never knew where it came from," Lex replied. "She always asked about my work, even if she had to keep that urge on the backburner most of the time for her own work."
Martha came back with a pillow, sheet and a blanket, which she handed Clark. "Here you go, sweetheart." She cupped his face for a moment.
"Thanks, Mom." He leaned down and gave her cheek a kiss; he didn't know how much longer they'd be there and if they'd ever be able to return, so he would love them for as long as he could. She smiled back at him, and Clark walked to the door. "I'm heading over there. Lex, do you-Are you going to bed soon?"
"Oh, probably not. I doubt I'd be able to sleep this early," Lex said.
Jonathan stood and headed toward Martha. "Well, I'll be heading up. Old people need their rest. Goodnight, boys."
Martha gave Clark a brief hug and then moved to hug Lex around the shoulders. "We're glad to meet you, Lex," she told him honestly. "You boys turn off the kitchen light later? You can leave the porch one on. Lex, your room is upstairs, to the right."
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent. I can find it." Lex touched her arm gently. In his eyes, there was no woman finer in the world.
"Good night, boys!"
"Night, mom." Clark watched them go. "Um. Wanna go talk, till you get sleepy?" he asked Lex.
"We can do that." Lex stood from the table, put his chair back neatly, and then walked beside Clark out the door. "They're good people."
"Yes, they are. No wonder y-well, Clark turned out so great," Clark commented. "Besides his own personality, of course."
"I think he lucked out on the parent issue. He's not perfect, Clark, but he has a lot of support from them." Lex paused, slipping his hands into his pockets as they walked. "How do you think your father would have reacted if I turned up on your farm pregnant?"
Clark looked at Lex. "Well. He'd probably kick us out. No, he'd definitely kick us out. Lex told me that Clark had to stand up to them on that one, but the Kents weren't too hard on them."
"I surmised as much." Lex looked down at his shoes for a moment. "I know your father was hard on you, Clark. And I'm sorry for that. I don't think I ever really acknowledged it back when we were friends, did I? Not in any substantial way. I could have been more sympathetic. I don't know. Maybe I could have helped."
Clark stopped walking as they reached the barn door and turned to Lex. "You know, I was remembering something while I did our dishes... I remember my mother commenting something about you one day... I didn't quite understand what she meant at the time, and forgot about it, but I guess being in that kitchen again brought it back..."
"Oh? And what was that?" Lex asked. He leaned against the side of the barn.
"She said..." Clark looked down. "She said you were likely abused." He met Lex's eyes again. "If I'd understood that then, I'd have done...Something. I should've, anyway. When I asked Dad, he said that abused meant picked on, and that it was no big deal, you were a big kid."
Lex tensed slightly and looked up at the stars. "I don't know what you could have done, Clark. You were a kid. If the grown-ups couldn't do anything, then what could a child do?"
Clark shrugged, barely. "I don't know, but something. Made my parents say something to the authorities, or do it myself. I can't believe my mother would realize that and not do a damn thing about it, Lex." He exhaled. "This Martha would have."
"I believe she would have. She acts as though we're hers too." Lex breathed in and out once. "It doesn't matter. By the time the Griggs got to me, I was already damaged beyond repair. All the state could possibly do would be to put me with yet another foster family, who could have been worse, and I only had a year 'til freedom in any case."
Clark frowned deeply. "Whether or not you'll believe me, it matters to me."
Lex turned his head and stared at Clark for a moment. "I believe you."
"Oh. Thanks." Clark offered Lex his hand. "It's dark in there; I'll help you."
"No light switching in a barn, huh?" Lex took his hand and walked inside with him.
Clark chuckled. "I'll turn the lights on upstairs." He guided Lex to the bottom of the stairs. "Step."
Lex took a step, looking down as though that might help. This is what the goggles were for. "Okay."
"Nine more till the landing," Clark told him, holding his hand securely. "Then I'll let you go and find a light switch."
"Or, you could find the light switch and I'll wait?" Lex suggested.
Clark rolled his eyes. "Fine." He let go of Lex's hand and climbed alone the rest of the way. The light switch was in the same place as in his world and when Clark flicked it up, a few lights went on as well as the rows of white Christmas lights that framed the room. He walked to a table, verified that it was clean, and placed the bedding items Martha had given him on it.
Lex climbed the rest of the stairs. "How much do you want to bet they fucked on that couch?"
Clark eyed the couch. "I'm sure they did. They may have made the baby there, too. I'm sure they do it all the time."
Lex sobered at the mention of the baby and nodded. He walked over to the window and looked out over the farm. It was strange to miss something you didn't have. "I'm sure Lois will be glad to see you when you return… In her own way."
"I..." Clark approached Lex and stood by him, his gaze outside as well. "I'm not going back to Lois, Lex."
"You gonna need a lawyer?" Lex asked, almost slipping into his accent.
Clark scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure; I've never gotten divorced before. She can keep whatever she wants." He turned his head toward Lex. "I might have to erase her memory of my being Superman, though. Is that... Bad?"
Lex thought about that for a moment. "No. It's not bad. If you want her to forget the past three years. Maybe longer. I think it's horrible actually. I wasn't aware you could do that. You haven't ever done that to me, have you? I'll understand if you have, considering you thought I would like you dead."
Clark sputtered for a moment. "I don't mean erase all of Lois' memories of me, just the 'I am Superman' ones. I'd like to protect her from that knowledge if we're to go back to being just..." He shrugged. "Nothing. And no, I've never done that to you, Lex."
"Good. Thank you. Although that doesn't get me off the hook for having never figured it out, does it?" Lex thought for another moment. "Would you? If we got into a fight and went our separate ways again, would I be losing the "I am Superman" memories? I don't think you should, Clark. If you trust Lois and respect her, I wouldn't do that. As much as I don't want to share you with that woman, I don't advise it."
Clark leaned his right hip on the window and considered that. "All right, I won't. I don't know, Lex, it's different with you. For years, I kept hoping you'd realize who I was, but you never did. I was the 'alien,' the 'menace,' the 'threat.' Now that you know... I really wouldn't want to go through that again, even if we fought and you came after me with a Kryptonite cannon that actually worked."
Lex dipped his head and bit back a laugh. "One that worked? Wouldn't that be a miracle." He shook his head. "I was looking for aliens for so long. I think... I was hurt when your first reaction to me was so negative. Maybe I simply didn't want to believe that you and Superman were the same. Maybe I need glasses."
"Maybe." Clark sighed. "I don't want to remember that anymore. The hatred in your eyes."
Lex slipped his hands in his pocket and looked up at the stars.
Clark waited for a reply and when one didn't come, he moved away from the window and sat on the old red couch, realizing he hadn't missed Lois for a moment yet, while he always missed Lex, always. It wasn't fair to her that he was hiding behind her skirt because of his own inability to make the one relationship in his life that he wanted, work.
After a long silence, Lex's deep voice broke it, asking, "Do you want me to go?"
Clark looked up at him. "What? No!" He shook his head. "No, stay. Please. I... Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean I wanted you to shut up. I'm just looking forward to having better memories from now on."
"... Oh." Lex walked over to the couch and sat next to him. Clark was warm. He was always warm. He remembered... "Do you remember that time you and I looked at stars with your telescope, and then climbed out on your snow covered roof?"
Clark's shoulders relaxed and he smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Wow, you still remember that, huh?" He held out a hand but stopped short of touching Lex's head. "I remember you got cold, even with all that hair."
"There was a warm current on the roof. It was coming off of you," Lex replied. He leaned his head over so that Clark's fingertips were touching his head. "Did you like the hair better?"
Clark leaned towards Lex as well and let his fingertips brush over Lex's smooth head, behind his ears, over the bump in the back of his head. He shook his head. "No. I mean, I liked your hair, but you look great like this, with nothing to distract from your face."
An involuntary smile graced Lex's lips at that reply. "You can be so sweet and charming."
"I can?" Clark's eyes met Lex's. He felt the back of Lex's neck, such frailty and hidden strength there. "Thanks," he whispered.
"I'm not always... Particularly confident about this 'look' I've got going on here," Lex admitted. "Most people I meet don't find it attractive. So I endeavor for 'fit' and 'striking' instead."
Clark's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? I... That's weird." He tilted his head a little and ran his knuckles across Lex's jaw line. "Unless they're not really looking at you. You know. If they're looking at your money and what it can get them."
"I think women like a nice head of hair. You have a nice head of hair, Clark. It says to them: virility." Lex nuzzled his jaw against Clark's hand a little.
"Okay, now you're just making that up." Clark bit his lower lip when Lex responded to his touch, and then curled his index finger under Lex's chin and pinched it gently. "I think you're attractive. It may not mean much, since I'm from another planet, but it is what it is."
"That makes sense, actually. Perhaps females from your planet are bald. It isn't uncommon for the female to be less adorned than the male of the species. For reasons of self-protection," Lex replied in a deadpan tone.
Clark gave Lex a baffled look for a second, then moved in to kiss him, but stopped about an inch away from Lex's lips. He had promised not to do anything rash, and he could make even kissing rash. "Shut up, Lex," he murmured. "You're handsome. Take the compliment."
"Hm. I... Thank you, Mr. Devastatingly Handsome." Lex touched Clark's cheek and brushed his lips against Clark's briefly.
"I think I'll change my name to that," Clark said with a smile. "Have no fear, Devastatingly Handsome is here! DH for short." He half closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You smell nice, too."
"I smell nice?" Lex looked down at himself. Then he leaned in to Clark's neck to smell him.
"Yes, you do. You always have." Clark offered more of his neck to Lex, his hand moving from Lex's chin to his shoulder. "Do I stink?"
"You smell as good as you always have. Maybe better. You were under ripe before. Now you're ready to be plucked."
Clark arched one eyebrow and rolled his eyes to the side to look at Lex. "I..." He nodded minutely. "All right. Pluck me."
Lex pulled back slowly and looked into Clark's eyes. "Is this a good idea? Should we let our relationship..." He waved one hand around searching for the word. "Grow? Percolate? Whatever relationships do when you want them to last?"
Clark sighed heavily, but not in a bad way. He touched the side of Lex's head but stayed where he was. "I don't know. But I know we've been doing it wrong all this time, and those other two figured out the right way. I want it, Lex. I want all the percolating you're willing to give me," he joked lightly. "But I won't push you. And you can't let me do it, either."
"You have no idea how stubborn I can be. The problem won't be you pushing me. It'll be me rushing things, or pushing you away. You don't get to be a quintuple divorcee if you're doing things right," Lex replied with a worried frown.
"Yeah, okay," admitted Clark. "But you've never been married to a Kent-El before. We invented the word stubborn." He suddenly let go of Lex and stood. "Hang on." He went to the table and picked up the pillow and covers.
"What... er?" Lex watched Clark moving. He wanted to touch that ass, just a little, but he refrained.
Clark returned to the couch, propped the pillow against the arm behind him, unfolded the sheet and blanket, and held them aside as he lay back on the pillow, not quite lying down but close. "Come?" he invited Lex, holding out his free arm and both his legs.
Lex wanted to say "I'd love to," but again, refrained, and went over to Clark. "What is this?"
Clark looked from one side to the other, not quite sure of what Lex meant by 'what.' He pulled Lex gently to his chest and covered the two of them with the sheet and blanket. "Am I comfortable?" he asked. He knew he was warm; Lex had already told him.
"Yes. The best body pillow I ever had," Lex said with a sigh. He took a moment to relax himself, but it wasn't hard next to Clark. Not after having flown with him. "I should keep you around in the winter just to keep me warm."
"Yes, you should," Clark replied softly, running a hand up Lex's back and kissing his forehead once. "You should definitely keep me."
"Then... I think I will." Lex bowed his head and pressed his face into the crook of Clark's neck.
Clark closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Lex loosely, and breathed easier. Lex had forgiven him. "Thank you," he whispered.
Lex nodded, not moving, and said, "Thank you too, Clark. I never thought... I never let myself dare imagine that we'd be here. But I'm glad we are."
"Me too." Clark rubbed his lips against the top of Lex's head. "Sleep, Lex. I won't hurt you ever again."
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Thirteen
Once outside of the apartment, Clark turned left and headed for a coffee shop a block away. "The city's not too different, apart from LexCorp Towers and the changes you're making to Suicide Slums."
"True. I can still see the Daily Planet. It's very strange to see the towers missing." Lex shook his head and slipped his hands into his pockets as they walked.
"How uh... How did you and Clark get along?" Clark asked.
Lex looked up at the fading daylight pensively. "He appeared in my apartment bearing grilled scallops and mini-éclairs. I suspect from France, and I suspect as a snack for that one in there. We ate. And talked. After finding out what he married-apparently Lois is more tolerable in this dimension-and that he didn't have Bruce to go to, he returned and revealed himself to me. He was useful as a sounding board for ideas regarding how to get back here. I believe this mess is partially my fault. The instability was initially caused by the jelly creatures I found and altered."
Clark's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to admonish Lex, but then swallowed his words. "Here we are." He walked to a table and waited for Lex to take a seat. "So. You got along well, then."
"Yes," Lex answered simply. He sat and folded his hands. "And you?"
Clark nodded. "They forgave me. Both of them. And took me to see the Kents." He watched Lex's hands on the table. "Lex let me help him and I took Athena to school."
"You're going to have some explaining to do when you get back. Clark avoided your wife whenever he could. I think she's quite mad, by now." Lex paused, looking at the modern paintings decorating the walls. "He also visited Richard and Alfred... That one looks like someone got you with the Gloopifier," he said pointing at one of the paintings.
Clark looked over and chuckled. "So it does." He sobered up quickly, however, and placed his hands on the table as well. "Look, Lex, there are questions I have that'll only be answered if I ask them, so I'm going to, okay?"
Lex rubbed his temple. "Fine. Yes. Good. Let me get us some coffee, first. What would you like?" He stood by his chair and looked at Clark expectantly.
"Just a coffee," Clark said. "With cream and sugar, please."
"Got it." Lex strolled over to the counter to get Clark's 'just coffee' and a doubleshot latte with nonfat soymilk. He looked over the cookies and got Clark a big one as well before he returned with their refreshments. "All right. Shoot."
Clark blinked down at the cookie. "That's a big one." He broke a piece out of it and offered it to Lex.
Lex waved his hand. "No thank you. You had questions?" He sipped his coffee.
Clark put the cookie piece back on the plate. "All right, so. Here it goes." He met Lex's eyes. "Were you responsible for what happened to our Smallville?"
Lex blinked, then took a breath. "In that I... No. I couldn't stop it, but I wasn't my plan, no. I just failed to save them."
Clark frowned and inhaled deeply. "Why didn't you ever tell me this before? You knew-" He exhaled and force his voice to remain low. "You knew I thought you had been involved in it. It was your missile."
"You were never listening!" Lex looked at the melted Superman painting, scowling and rubbing the back of his neck. "I know it was my missile; I felt responsible because of that."
"My parents, Lex!" Clark exclaimed. He lowered his head and shook it. He couldn't do this, he couldn't.
"Don't you think I know that?" Lex snapped. "By the time I'd realized Brainiac had control of LexCorp's computers, it was already too late. We tried to use the remote tracking to derail it, but we... I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't fast enough. Go ahead and hate me, Clark. I can't change what happened."
Clark said nothing for a moment, then rubbed his forehead. "Your turn."
"Why haven't you killed me yet?" Lex asked after a moment.
Clark looked up at Lex. "I'm not a killer."
Lex looked into his eyes for another long moment. "Fine. What else do you want to ask?"
Clark licked his lips. "I also haven't killed you because we were friends, and I could never live with myself if I did that. Why do you hate me?"
"I don't. You're dangerous, out of control, and you know it. Someone has to step up, otherwise that thin line of "I'm not a killer" will cease to exist," Lex replied peevishly. "Why did you stop being my friend in Smallville? Was it because... What did I do wrong?"
Clark looked like he had been hit. "God, nothing, Lex! You didn't do anything wrong, other than become obsessed with life on other planets and trying to prove it. Once I found out what I was, how do you think I started feeling around you? I knew you'd figure me out sooner or later, and I was scared to death!"
"I was obsessed before I met you. The only difference then was letting you see that part of myself." Lex rubbed his thumb along the edge of his coffee mug and looked at it despondently. "Why were you scared? What did you think I would do? ...It's your turn. I apologize."
"I don't know," Clark said softly. He cared little for taking turns. "My parents always told me that no one could know. That they'd either betray me and tell someone who would come, take me away and hurt me, or they'd keep my secret and end up getting hurt because of it. People have gotten hurt because they found out."
Lex looked into his cup and lifted it to his lips for a long drink. "I do fine getting hurt all by myself. I suppose you'll notice the throngs of people I've told when we get home."
"I... I know. I'm sorry." The corners of Clark's mouth curled down. "But I can't help thinking I was right in not telling you. You just said so yourself; you think I'm dangerous and out of control. All I try to do is help people, Lex."
"Clark, you drop people mid-air. You choke people and toss them around like rag dolls when you lose your temper. You roughed up a pregnant man for fuck's sake," Lex replied. "What determination am I supposed to make? Trust you, because you say you're here to help? Worship you like everyone else? Power must always be checked, and yours is not. I don't think even the Justice Lords could stop you if you really lost it. Don't tell me you've never done so, either, because I know what Red K does to you."
"I only hurt Lex because I thought he was you," Clark said defensively. "And you've always been able to defend yourself." He exhaled sharply. "Fine, my turn. Why haven't you killed me yet?"
"It's really amazing you haven't been able to suss that one out on your own," Lex said in a dry tone. He rubbed his hand over his upper lip. "I suppose since you think I am a killer, while you're some kind of savior of mankind, my reasoning must be entirely different, yes? I haven't gotten around to it, I suppose. One of these days I'll get serious about murdering the man who stops nuclear explosions and saves orphans."
Clark held his hands open over the table. "That's not an answer."
Lex made an irritated noise. "The objective is safety and continued thriving of humanity. Not murder one. It never has been. If things go south, you must be contained. Period. Whether I like you or not, that is the case. I hate to be quite so blunt about matters, but I'm nothing if not a pragmatist."
Clark sat forward. "And you think I want to destroy humanity? That's my big plan? Lex, this is the last planet I have, as far as I know, these-" He swept a hand around, "are the only people left I can relate to."
"You need me to speak with smaller words, don't you?" Lex asked after glaring at him quietly. "Okay. I believe you. You don't want to hurt human beings. You don't plan to hurt them. Good for you."
Clark's expression saddened, and he sat back again, picking up his coffee cup and taking a slow sip. "You're never gonna trust me," he whispered with finality.
"And you'll never understand me," Lex replied. He looked toward the window thinking of the family he would never have back in that apartment. He wasn't entirely certain he wanted to go back to his penthouse alone. "If it makes you feel better, I trust very few people. The number currently, I think, is two. Mercy and the Clark of this world, and even then, when he first introduced himself I was certain he was using me."
He tapped the table slowly. "I do not think that you have current plans to take over the world. Knowing who you were under the tights helped with that. However... Words are empty for me. I'll have to see change before I believe that it is real. You should do the same."
"Why is he so much better than I am, Lex?" Clark asked softly. "I try to do the right thing, too."
Lex smoothed his hands over his head, thinking about the question. The other Clark had been hard to resist. That first night he had been in his penthouse, there had been such a discernable difference between the two of them. Later on that night, Clark had carried him in and undressed him for no other reason than because no one cared about Lex. Sure, many of them needed him for employment; some of them lusted after him. None cared. And finally Lex looked up.
"He's stubborn for certain, and in that way, he's much like you, but he's gentle. He thinks things through. He's quieter. He's honest, and above all, he cares. Genuinely and for everyone he interacts with, not just the innocents he saves, but the criminals he apprehends. He uses the force required to take them in, and then lets the law pass judgment. He treats his enemies as well as he can, regardless of what they've done, although I'm certain he is tempted. That is what I've observed from him. In case of emergency, he informs me, his friend Batman has some Kryptonite, not because Batman hates him, but because Clark cares about the people that much, and he trusts Batman not to misuse it against him. I think, when he hit you earlier, that was the first time I have ever seen him really attack someone, and I think it is because you are a reflection of himself and you do things that he would strictly admonish himself for doing. I also think he's probably feeling some guilt for it. He has a highly evolved sense of responsibility."
Clark nodded. "I understand." His Lex was in love with this world's Clark, that much was apparent, but more than that, Lex trusted him. Trusted him not to go rogue, and to do what was right. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he eyed the door and fought the urge to leave. There were lessons to be learned here, and letting jealousy win would not be the right way to do that. He had to listen to Lex's compliments to the other as possible aspirations and not criticism as to what he was not. "Is there..."
"Is there what, Clark?" Lex asked gently.
"Is there anything..." Clark let out a dry chuckle and linked fast a few times. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Is there anything I do that's worth keeping?" He tried hard not to sound like a kid fishing for compliments but he had no idea if he had managed it.
Sensing that he had just succeeded in crushing Clark's ego, and Clark was looking up at him like a small child needing a pat on the head, Lex replied, "You're devastatingly handsome. And your fashion sense is far superior to the Clark of this world. You should see his costume. It has garish gold on it and these little red spandex briefs on the outside calling attention to his package. It's a nice package, mind, but it screams Gay City more than anything else. I do hope he changes his costume."
He paused, trying to think of something more personal to say. He hadn't much experience with Clark, outside of being hurt and angry. "You are also a good surgeon. You could say I've had my share. I never would have suspected the same man who knocked me into an explosion-accidentally-would be the same man to so deftly and carefully stitch me back together. Thank you for that."
At least Lex had realized that Superman hadn't meant to hurt him that once. He hid his hands under the table and squeezed his own fingers, hard. "Lex. Do you think that our world would be a better place without its Superman?" he asked in a flat, lifeless voice. That could be arranged, and quite easily.
"I wish I knew, Clark. I... Before this all happened, I would have said yes without hesitation," Lex said honestly. "But now? ...I think we can do better."
"We?" Clark asked cautiously.
"Well, I would hope I'd be a part of this equation," Lex replied, watching Clark with an intense gaze. "I hope you can forgive me, so we might try our hand at friendship again."
"I..." Clark took a deep breath. "So much's happened, Lex. I used to worship you when we were kids, did you know that? It's not an excuse, but that's why I'm so hard on you; I don't want you to disappoint me." He nodded. "I want that. To try again. And I'd like you to forgive me, too. I get it that you want to see that I can change rather than take my word for it. That's fine. But I will need help."
Lex reached under the table and took Clark's hand. "I hope I'm up to the task."
Clark held on to Lex's fingers, so lean and breakable. He nodded again, fast. "Me too. I'm sorry, Lex."
"I- I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I didn't save them. I'm sorry I attract creatures like Brainiac." Lex swallowed tensely.
"Jesus!" Clark let go of Lex's hand, stood up and approached him. "Have you paid already?"
Lex straightened up. "Yes, I have. What is it?"
Clark took Lex's hand and pulled him up, but not too hard. "Come on. I won't hurt you," he added over his shoulder as he started out of the coffee shop."
Lex followed him, watching Clark's ass in... other Clark's jeans. "Where are we going?"
"There's something I need to do," Clark told him, scanning the streets and finally turning them into an alley. He then spun around, wrapped his arms around Lex and hugged him tightly.
"Clark...?" Lex's eyes began to widen.
"You don't attract creatures like Brainiac, Lex," Clark said against Lex's cheek. "I do! It's not your fault!"
Lex's heart was beating like a frightened rabbit's. He'd thought Clark was going to try to fly with him. "Brainy has always had an inexplicable fondness for dicking with me. I may not have been the reason he came here, but if the two of us weren't locking horns... If I hadn't been so obsessed with finding aliens..."
Clark pulled his head back and met Lex's eyes, breathing slightly faster himself. "You were right. Aliens exist. There are dangerous ones." He glanced down and then back up. "I can be one of them. I am one of them, to you."
Lex took a deep breath and hugged his arms. "Now what do we do?"
"If I promise not to drop you..." Clark bit his lower lip. "Let me take you up there?"
Lex closed his eyes for a moment. It was irrational to be afraid now after their talk; Lex knew that even if he knew that he was afraid. Lex told himself that if Clark did drop him, the other was close enough to hear him scream. Training wheels, he guessed. And if Clark didn't do it this time, maybe Lex could start trusting him. It was enough to build on. "Okay," he said quietly, stepping forward and opening his arms. "Take me. I- I might cling a little."
Clark gave Lex a blinding smile, the kind he hadn't used in quite sometime. "Cling all you want." He bent his legs, held Lex tightly around the waist, and pushed off.
"Ohh..." Lex immediately wrapped around Clark like a cat being swung up in the air.
Clark smiled as he turned his face up and rose above the buildings and over a Metropolis that wasn't theirs. "I got you," he told Lex.
"Mm hm." Lex tucked his chin over Clark's shoulder and refused to let go. He hated himself for being so afraid like this, but one had to face his fears, or be conquered by them.
"Breathe, Lex," advised Clark, giving Lex's back a gentle rub. "Do you wanna go see the Kents?" He paused and just hovered in the air.
"The Kents?" Lex's face relaxed a little, and he made a show of taking a few breaths in and out. That was going a little far from his security blanket. But still... "Sure. Let's go visit them."
Clark nodded, turned and headed towards Smallville. "How well do you remember the farm?"
"I remember getting bit by one of your stupid chickens. Not much, actually. I didn't explore the farm much. Unlike the Lex from this dimension, I've always been a city boy. His family had a ranch in Montana where they used to go for vacation before his mother died," Lex informed Clark.
"Did you like it there?" Clark asked, looking at Lex. He kept their speed what he assumed would be not-terrifying.
"I don't know. Not really when I was younger, because I lived in the Slums, but as I got older and bounced between foster families, I got to see more of the city. It became nicer," Lex admitted. "I really didn't like Smallville all that much."
"We didn't help," offered Clark. "Smallville was such a closed-off place. Likely because of the strangeness everywhere." His lips thinned.
"At some point, you have to get used to being a complete oddity. That was even before I lost my hair. It was worse afterward. I was still small at seventeen. People thought I had cancer." Lex sighed. "Or they just thought I was a freak. Now I see many more men shaving their heads. We living in a strange world. Have you heard that 65% of men in America now trim their eyebrows to mimic the 'Superman Swoosh'?"
Clark gave Lex a shocked look. "What??"
"It's true. Some social scientist did a widespread study of it," Lex replied, laughing just a little at Clark's surprise.
Clark rolled his eyes. "That's crazy." He slowly licked his lips and smiled at Lex. "So. Devastatingly handsome, huh?"
"I'm going to regret that, aren't I? Well, you were looking remarkably like a kicked puppy, albeit a cute one. I don't know how you get your eyes so big. Even Lex Luthor knows when to stop."
Clark threw his head back and laughed. "Give up, Lex. You think I'm handsome," he said happily. At least that!
"Fine. You're handsome. You've always been so." Lex rested his chin on Clark's shoulder again, but this time he wasn't clinging quite so desperately.
"So are you," Clark said firmly.
"I'm glad you think so," Lex replied, smiling softly. He shivered slightly and pressed into Clark's warmth.
"Cold?" asked Clark. He kinda liked Lex all wrapped up against him. Very much so, actually. "We're almost there."
"Good," Lex replied. He was going to have to get used to this. He suspected he would be flying quite a bit in the future.
"We can try running on the way back," suggested Clark as he began a steady descent, rows of corn below them. "Look, Lex," he pointed. They hadn't seen this much green in Smallville in years.
Lex turned his head and looked down. His eyes widened in shock. The sun was starting to set, but the remaining rays of golden sunlight spilled over the flat mid-western town, highlighting the green grass, the yellow corn, and the miles of flowers and other growing things. It was vibrant and alive. It was everything the remains of their Smallville was not. "Oh, Clark..."
"Isn't it beautiful? There are still some cows out, there." Clark turned them slightly to a group of cows on an emerald green field. Even a city boy like Lex would appreciate seeing again what they had lost. "And there's the farm!"
"I don't think I ever appreciated it as beautiful before. Everything was just so different and bright." Lex sighed. "Thank you for taking me here."
Clark looked at him and nodded. "You're welcome. Like I said, Smallville wasn't too good to you the first time around. You'll like it better today." He hovered down to the gravel in front of the Kent back porch.
As they came down, Lex's toes reached for the ground, and once he was safely earthbound once again, he turned his head a little to look around the farm. "They've made some changes. I..."
He caught sight of Jonathan Kent making his way back to the farmhouse, and his breath caught in his throat.
"You back?" Jonathan called, squinting over at them. "I thought you were gonna come back over tomorrow so Lex could get some rest?"
Clark turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Mr. Kent. Sorry to come without calling first, but I'd like you to meet my Lex." He pulled Lex with him and shook hands with Jonathan. "He and your son just arrived."
"Oh!" Jonathan came over to meet them halfway and held out his hand for Lex. "Havin' a good visit?"
Lex boggled a moment, amazed that Jonathan Kent would offer to shake his hand, but he shook it firmly and nodded. "It's been pretty good so far."
"You and Clark aren't together over there, are you?" Jonathan asked.
"No, we aren't actually. We were friends while I was in Smallville, but we grew apart," Lex answered.
"We're giving it another go," Clark told Jonathan with a hopeful grin.
"Clark?" Martha called as she came out of the kitchen. "Clark told us he was back and had brought..." She came down the steps towards them. "Hello, Lex!" It was all so confusing, but her son had called and she knew who this lean man was with her 'second son.'
"Good evening, Mrs. Kent," Lex said, getting a good look at her. He felt a twinge in his chest for Clark's parents. It really felt like seeing a ghost.
"Oh, look at you!" Martha said brightly. She pulled him in for a hug. "Oh, I miss the baby belly a little!" she exclaimed, and laughed.
Clark chuckled.
"The what?" Lex flushed and returned her embrace, a little embarrassed as Jonathan chuckled as well. "Oh, well..." he muttered vaguely in response. He felt as though he should be apologetic for not getting on the ball and making some grandkids already. The Kents had always made him nervous.
Martha laughed a little more and took Lex's hand. "Come inside, sweetheart!" She also gave Clark a loving smile, which he returned.
Lex felt adopted. He followed Martha into the house, and Jonathan came in after them. Lex was sure that his face was pink. "It's good to see this place. It has been a very long time."
"I can't tell you how happy Jonathan and I are to meet the two of you," Martha told him, entering the kitchen first. "It's like we just gained two more children as suddenly as we gained Clark! I hope you can find a way to come back to see us if you go back to your world."
Clark let Jonathan go inside first, giving the old man a couple of pats on the back.
"It's... I don't know, Mrs. Kent. If we really wanted to do that, I would have to come up with some way of making a stable portal between, instead of ripping the fabric of our universe open each time we do this. Otherwise our universe would almost certainly collapse in on itself," Lex replied. He looked around the kitchen, smiling as he remembered sitting in there with Clark.
"Oh, my! We don't want that!" Martha assured him worriedly, then rubbed his arm. "I'm sure you can do it, though, Lex. Would you like a slice of cherry pie? As some kind of cosmic miracle, Clark didn't finish that one off today."
"Hey!" Clark hunched down a little, but his smile remained. "It was good pie! I get hungry!"
"You'd think he was the one making the grandchildren," Jonathan joked, nudging Clark's side.
Lex smirked slightly. "Sure, I'll have a piece, Mrs. Kent. Thank you."
Martha busied herself with getting both Lex and Clark pie slices. "Clark called. He said he'll come see us tomorrow. Lex might come, if he's feeling well."
"He could barely sleep or eat all this time," agreed Clark. He touched Lex's back and motioned for them to sit at the kitchen island.
"Sounds like when Clark isn't around he reverts to his bachelor state," Lex commented. He took a seat and folded his hands.
"Yes, which would have been fine if he didn't have a little baby girl sucking up every bit of energy he has," Martha said fondly. She set two plates in front of them and turned to get them two glasses of milk. "For an already thin young man, that's not the best way to stay healthy."
"Well, Clark's home now. He and Athena will see to it that he's taken care of." Jonathan sat across from them. "Isn't she smart as a whip, that girl?"
"She seems quite precocious. I always was, as a child." Lex cut the tip of his pie with his fork and scooped the pastry crust and cherries onto it. "You know, if we're still here later tomorrow, we should pop over to France and get them some smoked scallops with mini-éclairs for dessert. He was expecting that snack and his loving partner to come home to him, and all he got was you," Lex teased Clark, then took a bites and smirked as he chewed.
Clark stopped with a piece of pie midway to his open mouth and looked at Lex. His first reaction was to get offended and hit back, but he managed to turn to his fork again, eat that piece of pie and swallow it down. "We can go to France, ray of sunshine."
Martha eyed them but since they were both still smiling, kind of, she just handed them their milk and sat down facing them.
"I think they'd appreciated it," Lex continued. He took a small sip of his milk. "This is fantastic pie, Mrs. Kent."
"Thank you, sweetheart." Martha reached over and patted his hand. "Where are you boys staying?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose I could sleep on the sofa at your son's apartment. It looks comfortable enough," Lex speculated with a shrug.
"You can take the guest bed; I'll sleep on the sofa," Clark said. "Doesn't bother me."
"If you insist," Lex replied with a nod.
Martha could notice the barrier between those two almost like something tangible. She sighed. "I was thinking you could stay here if you want. We have Lex and Clark's room, Athena's, and the sofa. Plus, the old sofa in the barn."
Clark smiled softly. "I wouldn't mind sleeping there."
"That's a very generous offer, Mrs. Kent." Lex nodded.
"Well, it's nothing, son. You can relax a little bit. We're not gonna bite you," Jonathan told him.
"A cow tried to bite him once," Clark informed Jonathan as he cleaned his plate.
"It only got the ends of my fingers," Lex scoffed. "I did startle the cows, once, though. Was trying to fix your milker and made it twice as effective and twice as noisy. The chickens are what I worry about, though. They ended up chasing me around the coop for fifteen minutes, until Clark came to save me. I'm not exactly the country type."
Martha shook her head. "Neither was I, when I met Jonathan, and here I am!" she laughed happily. Jonathan took her hand and squeezed it.
"Well, I think you adapted quite well. I myself always end up back in the city," Lex told her.
"What do you do?" Jonathan asked.
"I run a multinational corporation based mainly on medical innovations, LexCorp. Occasionally we take on contracts for the government, and our research has caused expansion into most fields," Lex explained. "I never meant for us to have our fingers in quite so many pots, but it seems to be working."
"LexCorp?" Jonathan repeated. "You got any fertilizer plants?"
Lex raised a brow. "Not... That I'm aware of. It's possible, don't get me wrong, but it's a very large corporation. Occasionally we have subsidaries that have been acquired before I know, or I simply forget."
"You must be very busy," commented Martha.
Clark stood and took his plate to the sink so he could wash it.
'I keep active," Lex agreed. "Although now that the company is established, it doesn't require constant babysitting. I've been able to hire some very skilled and trusted employees, and in my time, I go back to the lab where I started the innovations that made the company possible."
"That's nice, dear," Martha said. "It's important to do what you like in life." She stood up. "Clark, I'm going to change the sheets in Lex's bed and I'll bring you some to take to your loft."
"Okay, Mom," Clark said as he washed his glass. It felt natural to call this woman 'mom' and she herself had asked him to, earlier.
"Do you do anything besides work?" Jonathan asked. "Not that I'm judgin', mind, that's practically all I did for most of my life, except take my son fishing or play football."
Clark set the glass on the drying rack and returned to the island to pick up Lex's plate and glass so he could wash them as well. He had spent time with the Kents and wanted to give Lex some time to realize how nice they were.
Lex didn't want to tell the man he spent his spare time finding ways to corral his son in case of emergency, or that puttering around in the lab was his hobby, so he said, "Occasionally, I attend charity events and mingle with the people I need to social network with in order for LexCorp to remain a success."
Jonathan chuckled. "No wonder you have such a hard time relaxing. I don't remember Lex liking to go to those."
"Well, not really, but occasionally something interesting will happen at one of them," Lex said with a shrug.
"Seeing anyone?"
"Not currently, no. I've been single since my fifth wife tried to kill me," Lex informed him.
"Fifth? Fifth?" Jonathan repeated.
"I know. Your Clark was pretty baffled as well. He's only got the one wife. I don't know if I'm rushing in too quickly, or if I'm just attracted to psychotic gold diggers." He paused. "I don't know if that's a fair assessment of all of them. Heaven was shot, but I wonder how long she would have had patience for me. Chloe and I were just incompatible as lovers, much better as friends. We were too alike, and she was too young at the time to want to settle."
"Well, I'd say she's a bit too young!" Jonathan replied. After that he laughed and shook his head.
Clark turned around and leaned on the kitchen counter. He was glad they had ended up in a world where the Kents were alive and were good people. He had no idea what kind of realities might be out there.
"She never seemed that young, frankly. And at the time I was the world's most acclaimed xenobiologist, well, the only one, so we had a lot to talk about. Chloe always had a keen interest in aliens, and I never knew where it came from," Lex replied. "She always asked about my work, even if she had to keep that urge on the backburner most of the time for her own work."
Martha came back with a pillow, sheet and a blanket, which she handed Clark. "Here you go, sweetheart." She cupped his face for a moment.
"Thanks, Mom." He leaned down and gave her cheek a kiss; he didn't know how much longer they'd be there and if they'd ever be able to return, so he would love them for as long as he could. She smiled back at him, and Clark walked to the door. "I'm heading over there. Lex, do you-Are you going to bed soon?"
"Oh, probably not. I doubt I'd be able to sleep this early," Lex said.
Jonathan stood and headed toward Martha. "Well, I'll be heading up. Old people need their rest. Goodnight, boys."
Martha gave Clark a brief hug and then moved to hug Lex around the shoulders. "We're glad to meet you, Lex," she told him honestly. "You boys turn off the kitchen light later? You can leave the porch one on. Lex, your room is upstairs, to the right."
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent. I can find it." Lex touched her arm gently. In his eyes, there was no woman finer in the world.
"Good night, boys!"
"Night, mom." Clark watched them go. "Um. Wanna go talk, till you get sleepy?" he asked Lex.
"We can do that." Lex stood from the table, put his chair back neatly, and then walked beside Clark out the door. "They're good people."
"Yes, they are. No wonder y-well, Clark turned out so great," Clark commented. "Besides his own personality, of course."
"I think he lucked out on the parent issue. He's not perfect, Clark, but he has a lot of support from them." Lex paused, slipping his hands into his pockets as they walked. "How do you think your father would have reacted if I turned up on your farm pregnant?"
Clark looked at Lex. "Well. He'd probably kick us out. No, he'd definitely kick us out. Lex told me that Clark had to stand up to them on that one, but the Kents weren't too hard on them."
"I surmised as much." Lex looked down at his shoes for a moment. "I know your father was hard on you, Clark. And I'm sorry for that. I don't think I ever really acknowledged it back when we were friends, did I? Not in any substantial way. I could have been more sympathetic. I don't know. Maybe I could have helped."
Clark stopped walking as they reached the barn door and turned to Lex. "You know, I was remembering something while I did our dishes... I remember my mother commenting something about you one day... I didn't quite understand what she meant at the time, and forgot about it, but I guess being in that kitchen again brought it back..."
"Oh? And what was that?" Lex asked. He leaned against the side of the barn.
"She said..." Clark looked down. "She said you were likely abused." He met Lex's eyes again. "If I'd understood that then, I'd have done...Something. I should've, anyway. When I asked Dad, he said that abused meant picked on, and that it was no big deal, you were a big kid."
Lex tensed slightly and looked up at the stars. "I don't know what you could have done, Clark. You were a kid. If the grown-ups couldn't do anything, then what could a child do?"
Clark shrugged, barely. "I don't know, but something. Made my parents say something to the authorities, or do it myself. I can't believe my mother would realize that and not do a damn thing about it, Lex." He exhaled. "This Martha would have."
"I believe she would have. She acts as though we're hers too." Lex breathed in and out once. "It doesn't matter. By the time the Griggs got to me, I was already damaged beyond repair. All the state could possibly do would be to put me with yet another foster family, who could have been worse, and I only had a year 'til freedom in any case."
Clark frowned deeply. "Whether or not you'll believe me, it matters to me."
Lex turned his head and stared at Clark for a moment. "I believe you."
"Oh. Thanks." Clark offered Lex his hand. "It's dark in there; I'll help you."
"No light switching in a barn, huh?" Lex took his hand and walked inside with him.
Clark chuckled. "I'll turn the lights on upstairs." He guided Lex to the bottom of the stairs. "Step."
Lex took a step, looking down as though that might help. This is what the goggles were for. "Okay."
"Nine more till the landing," Clark told him, holding his hand securely. "Then I'll let you go and find a light switch."
"Or, you could find the light switch and I'll wait?" Lex suggested.
Clark rolled his eyes. "Fine." He let go of Lex's hand and climbed alone the rest of the way. The light switch was in the same place as in his world and when Clark flicked it up, a few lights went on as well as the rows of white Christmas lights that framed the room. He walked to a table, verified that it was clean, and placed the bedding items Martha had given him on it.
Lex climbed the rest of the stairs. "How much do you want to bet they fucked on that couch?"
Clark eyed the couch. "I'm sure they did. They may have made the baby there, too. I'm sure they do it all the time."
Lex sobered at the mention of the baby and nodded. He walked over to the window and looked out over the farm. It was strange to miss something you didn't have. "I'm sure Lois will be glad to see you when you return… In her own way."
"I..." Clark approached Lex and stood by him, his gaze outside as well. "I'm not going back to Lois, Lex."
"You gonna need a lawyer?" Lex asked, almost slipping into his accent.
Clark scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure; I've never gotten divorced before. She can keep whatever she wants." He turned his head toward Lex. "I might have to erase her memory of my being Superman, though. Is that... Bad?"
Lex thought about that for a moment. "No. It's not bad. If you want her to forget the past three years. Maybe longer. I think it's horrible actually. I wasn't aware you could do that. You haven't ever done that to me, have you? I'll understand if you have, considering you thought I would like you dead."
Clark sputtered for a moment. "I don't mean erase all of Lois' memories of me, just the 'I am Superman' ones. I'd like to protect her from that knowledge if we're to go back to being just..." He shrugged. "Nothing. And no, I've never done that to you, Lex."
"Good. Thank you. Although that doesn't get me off the hook for having never figured it out, does it?" Lex thought for another moment. "Would you? If we got into a fight and went our separate ways again, would I be losing the "I am Superman" memories? I don't think you should, Clark. If you trust Lois and respect her, I wouldn't do that. As much as I don't want to share you with that woman, I don't advise it."
Clark leaned his right hip on the window and considered that. "All right, I won't. I don't know, Lex, it's different with you. For years, I kept hoping you'd realize who I was, but you never did. I was the 'alien,' the 'menace,' the 'threat.' Now that you know... I really wouldn't want to go through that again, even if we fought and you came after me with a Kryptonite cannon that actually worked."
Lex dipped his head and bit back a laugh. "One that worked? Wouldn't that be a miracle." He shook his head. "I was looking for aliens for so long. I think... I was hurt when your first reaction to me was so negative. Maybe I simply didn't want to believe that you and Superman were the same. Maybe I need glasses."
"Maybe." Clark sighed. "I don't want to remember that anymore. The hatred in your eyes."
Lex slipped his hands in his pocket and looked up at the stars.
Clark waited for a reply and when one didn't come, he moved away from the window and sat on the old red couch, realizing he hadn't missed Lois for a moment yet, while he always missed Lex, always. It wasn't fair to her that he was hiding behind her skirt because of his own inability to make the one relationship in his life that he wanted, work.
After a long silence, Lex's deep voice broke it, asking, "Do you want me to go?"
Clark looked up at him. "What? No!" He shook his head. "No, stay. Please. I... Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean I wanted you to shut up. I'm just looking forward to having better memories from now on."
"... Oh." Lex walked over to the couch and sat next to him. Clark was warm. He was always warm. He remembered... "Do you remember that time you and I looked at stars with your telescope, and then climbed out on your snow covered roof?"
Clark's shoulders relaxed and he smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Wow, you still remember that, huh?" He held out a hand but stopped short of touching Lex's head. "I remember you got cold, even with all that hair."
"There was a warm current on the roof. It was coming off of you," Lex replied. He leaned his head over so that Clark's fingertips were touching his head. "Did you like the hair better?"
Clark leaned towards Lex as well and let his fingertips brush over Lex's smooth head, behind his ears, over the bump in the back of his head. He shook his head. "No. I mean, I liked your hair, but you look great like this, with nothing to distract from your face."
An involuntary smile graced Lex's lips at that reply. "You can be so sweet and charming."
"I can?" Clark's eyes met Lex's. He felt the back of Lex's neck, such frailty and hidden strength there. "Thanks," he whispered.
"I'm not always... Particularly confident about this 'look' I've got going on here," Lex admitted. "Most people I meet don't find it attractive. So I endeavor for 'fit' and 'striking' instead."
Clark's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? I... That's weird." He tilted his head a little and ran his knuckles across Lex's jaw line. "Unless they're not really looking at you. You know. If they're looking at your money and what it can get them."
"I think women like a nice head of hair. You have a nice head of hair, Clark. It says to them: virility." Lex nuzzled his jaw against Clark's hand a little.
"Okay, now you're just making that up." Clark bit his lower lip when Lex responded to his touch, and then curled his index finger under Lex's chin and pinched it gently. "I think you're attractive. It may not mean much, since I'm from another planet, but it is what it is."
"That makes sense, actually. Perhaps females from your planet are bald. It isn't uncommon for the female to be less adorned than the male of the species. For reasons of self-protection," Lex replied in a deadpan tone.
Clark gave Lex a baffled look for a second, then moved in to kiss him, but stopped about an inch away from Lex's lips. He had promised not to do anything rash, and he could make even kissing rash. "Shut up, Lex," he murmured. "You're handsome. Take the compliment."
"Hm. I... Thank you, Mr. Devastatingly Handsome." Lex touched Clark's cheek and brushed his lips against Clark's briefly.
"I think I'll change my name to that," Clark said with a smile. "Have no fear, Devastatingly Handsome is here! DH for short." He half closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You smell nice, too."
"I smell nice?" Lex looked down at himself. Then he leaned in to Clark's neck to smell him.
"Yes, you do. You always have." Clark offered more of his neck to Lex, his hand moving from Lex's chin to his shoulder. "Do I stink?"
"You smell as good as you always have. Maybe better. You were under ripe before. Now you're ready to be plucked."
Clark arched one eyebrow and rolled his eyes to the side to look at Lex. "I..." He nodded minutely. "All right. Pluck me."
Lex pulled back slowly and looked into Clark's eyes. "Is this a good idea? Should we let our relationship..." He waved one hand around searching for the word. "Grow? Percolate? Whatever relationships do when you want them to last?"
Clark sighed heavily, but not in a bad way. He touched the side of Lex's head but stayed where he was. "I don't know. But I know we've been doing it wrong all this time, and those other two figured out the right way. I want it, Lex. I want all the percolating you're willing to give me," he joked lightly. "But I won't push you. And you can't let me do it, either."
"You have no idea how stubborn I can be. The problem won't be you pushing me. It'll be me rushing things, or pushing you away. You don't get to be a quintuple divorcee if you're doing things right," Lex replied with a worried frown.
"Yeah, okay," admitted Clark. "But you've never been married to a Kent-El before. We invented the word stubborn." He suddenly let go of Lex and stood. "Hang on." He went to the table and picked up the pillow and covers.
"What... er?" Lex watched Clark moving. He wanted to touch that ass, just a little, but he refrained.
Clark returned to the couch, propped the pillow against the arm behind him, unfolded the sheet and blanket, and held them aside as he lay back on the pillow, not quite lying down but close. "Come?" he invited Lex, holding out his free arm and both his legs.
Lex wanted to say "I'd love to," but again, refrained, and went over to Clark. "What is this?"
Clark looked from one side to the other, not quite sure of what Lex meant by 'what.' He pulled Lex gently to his chest and covered the two of them with the sheet and blanket. "Am I comfortable?" he asked. He knew he was warm; Lex had already told him.
"Yes. The best body pillow I ever had," Lex said with a sigh. He took a moment to relax himself, but it wasn't hard next to Clark. Not after having flown with him. "I should keep you around in the winter just to keep me warm."
"Yes, you should," Clark replied softly, running a hand up Lex's back and kissing his forehead once. "You should definitely keep me."
"Then... I think I will." Lex bowed his head and pressed his face into the crook of Clark's neck.
Clark closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Lex loosely, and breathed easier. Lex had forgiven him. "Thank you," he whispered.
Lex nodded, not moving, and said, "Thank you too, Clark. I never thought... I never let myself dare imagine that we'd be here. But I'm glad we are."
"Me too." Clark rubbed his lips against the top of Lex's head. "Sleep, Lex. I won't hurt you ever again."