Archive of Our Own

This LEXANDCLARK Challenge Fic is dedicated to ArtemisRaine :0) Her requests: 1) Lex using martial arts or kick boxing; 2) Clark dressed up in a suit & tie; 3) chocolate. No-No's: No rift (unless it's fixed!); No Red!K. Restrictions: No unhappy angsty ending! =>Warm appreciation for justabi's excellent Beta-ing for me -- a friend, in need! -- and for fromward's most-perceptive read-through and welcome encouragement -- cheers to her Google skills! -- and thanks, to my PM-Pal at KryptonSite ;0)

~

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand...he'd been lying in bed a long time without sleep. Closing his eyes, softly laying lax fingers over his forehead, Lex Luthor arrived at a decision.

A week later, forty or so people milled about the grand dining hall at the Luthor Mansion, the result of Lex's sudden decision to host a black-tie charity event. Regular guests were still arriving when Lex saw Clark walk in and he hurried to the entrance to welcome him.

"Clark!" he called out, and was rewarded with a glorious smile in response, although it soon was tinged with a certain amount of social anxiety.

"Hey, Lex! Well, here I am! Though, I don't really know how much help I can give you," Clark confided as he nervously scanned the crowd. "I suppose I could always carry around a tray of appetizers!" he grinned at Lex, hoping he could get off the hook that easily.

Lex scoffed, "Clark, more people RSPV'd than I anticipated, which is a good thing...but, Clark, I just want to say that I really appreciate the fact I could call on you to help me out on such short notice!" Clark smiled in response.

Lex leaned back a bit, to appraise him. "I see my friends over at Shettland's did you justice."

Clark smoothed his lapels and adjusted his unbuttoned jacket smartly. His face raised up to Lex's, beaming. "Oh, they were great...I didn't even know that place did rentals...and it's so much nicer than the tux place in Smallville. They actually tailored it a little for me, too. I just walked over to the Natural History Museum and messed around till they were done. I got back early enough to shower and get ready, no problem."

Clark wore a contemporary styled two-button black tuxedo by Tommy Hilfiger of lightweight wool with a fine feel. A burgundy-colored, Italian silk tie set against a stark white shirt complemented the deep burgundy vest. When the light hit it just so, the vest showed faint pinstripes picked out in shiny threads. New Italian dress shoes finished the ensemble.

"Hmm," Lex said, continuing to eye him up and down appreciatively. "I do enough business with them that they ought to be able to come to our rescue." He smirked slightly.

"Well, then," Clark added, "you ought to know they were really nice to me. They said I had three days, not just one, to bring the suit and vest back and they'd take care of the cleaning, and that I could just keep the rest of it! They said they were throwing it in, because you were such a good customer!"

"I told them I couldn't keep it all," he continued, "the shirt and tie and shoes; they're such nice shoes! But they insisted, and said they couldn't use them again, anyway," he ended with a shrug, expressing that their business was their business, but that he was glad to have somehow benefited.

While Clark had been speaking, Lex had steered them to the bar, where Clark acquired a glass of lemon-lime soda with a twist, and Lex picked up a Scotch.

"Well, bravo for Shettland's," Lex intoned flatly. Leaning forward a bit conspiratorially, he confided, "Look, Clark. This kind of generosity is regularly showered on the rich. You'd be amazed what a strong sense of entitlement we tend to have. So, Shettland's just happened to throw the perks your way today," he ended, shrugging it off with a sip.

Lex turned to face his crowded hall, then turned back with mock chagrin. "Well, Clark, it seems that I have enough tray-carriers tonight! So, I'll have to bump you up to: 'Official Glad-Hander'. There happen to be more women here tonight than men, so you'll help even out the crowd."

Clark's eyebrows came together in question, to which Lex answered, "Just wander around with a glass in your hand and walk up to any ladies who are not especially engaged in conversation at the moment and say hello."

Clark still stood there, eyes earnestly asking for more prompting.

Lex added sternly, "...and talk about the weather," ending with a look that told Clark he couldn't stall anymore.

Taking an exaggerated deep breath as if plunging into battle, and giving a look to Lex that spoke '...the things I do for you!', Clark entered the crowd and soon politely greeted a middle-aged lady who sported an amazing amount of jewelry.

Lex smiled at some inner joke before returning to his host's duties.

After an hour or so, Lex walked up to Clark and handed him a fresh glass of soda.

"Thanks," Clark said, sipping. "I've been carrying the same one this whole time, and it's totally flat now," as he put the stale drink on a table.

Lex, sipping his Scotch, indicated someone with his head. "Have you met Reggie yet?"

Clark turned to look at the athletically-built, fourtyish man who had just passed them. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut in a Julius Caesar style and he carried himself with ease through the crowd. "No, I've been pretty much focusing on the ladies. Friend of yours?"

With his glass held in front of his chest, Lex blandly eyed his guests. "Used to be...a good one. Reggie's the first guy I slept with, back in the day."

Lex returned his Scotch to his lips and coolly watched Clark's reaction. Clark was staring at him, agog. Then, in the span of a few seconds, Clark managed to reclaim his dropped jaw and close his eyes to normal size.. He took a large gulp, which he swallowed with difficulty, before finally managing to voice, "Mmm, oh!"

"Huh!" he added, and took a smaller sip, which he found equally difficult to swallow.

Clark squinted as his eyes stared into the crowd but were clearly focusing within. Then he turned to Lex in confusion and protested, "But, what about Victoria, and Desiree? I don't understand."

"I'm bisexual, Clark. That's all," Lex answered offhandedly, as if he had mentioned he liked both Mac and PC equally well. Then, looking toward the room's exit, "Oh, the Uebel's are leaving. I have to go thank them again; they're been the biggest contributors of the evening. Excuse me."

Lex sauntered away with a wry smile, feeling the eyes of Clark bearing down on his back as he left.

Two days later, a courier from Shettland's arrived at the mansion to deliver a garment bag. Lex ordered it taken to his bedroom closet. When he retired that evening, he disrobed behind his locked bedroom door in sweet anticipation, though he never stopped wearing a faint smile. He showered for a second time that day then threw a fresh towel onto the bed.

Lex unzipped the garment bag and beheld the black tailored tuxedo and burgundy vest. He unhooked the bag from the hangar and let it fall to the ground, holding his acquisition on high for examination as he approached the bed.

His fingers brushed over the thin wool with the fine feel. He undid the buttons and slid the jacket onto the bed. The five-button vest followed next, then the pants. The oak hanger was tossed in the general direction of the bag.

Languorously settling himself in the middle of the bed, Lex relaxed onto his back. He breathed deeply and relaxed, bringing his arms up to either side of his head. He spent several minutes appreciating the opportunity before him, rather proud of himself.

After a while he sighed with contentment, covered his midsection with the towel, and reached over to pluck up...the jacket, first. He crushed it to his face as he breathed in the scent of Clark and his cologne from that night...the effect on his body was immediate and he grinned slightly. Then his mouth relaxed as he lightly brushed the jacket collar gently along his lips, imagining the thick, smooth neck of the enticing young man he wished was there. The soft, slick lining ran under his fingers as he envisioned the white shirt and hard shoulders the jacket had been resting upon.

Reaching now for the black, satin-banded trousers, he brought them to his face, letting long minutes pass as his thoughts and senses conveyed him to his world of fantasy indulgence. He refrained from touching himself as long as he could, postponing as long as he was able. Finally, when he brought himself to climax, his release was incredible, all the while inhaling Clark's essence. As he lay panting, Lex thought to himself, "...as much of Clark's essence as my guile and money can bring me.

After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and bent his attention to refining the remainder of his grand plan.

The next day, Lex walked the zippered garment bag over to his special locked room, his room of fascinating objects.

Three Saturdays later, at the Kent farm, Clark was getting a snack together in the kitchen and answered the phone.

"Hey, Clark."

"Oh...hi, Lex," Clark put down the items in his hands to concentrate on the call.

Lex continued, "I've got a couple of films in from Metropolis and wondered if you wanted to come by for popcorn and a movie."

More than a couple of seconds passed.

"Hello?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm here, Lex."

Two more seconds.

"Is there something the matter, Clark? Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Snapping out of it, Clark began to speak, "Uh, no, Lex. Well, yeah, actually...yeah, I don't think this is a good time."

There was a brief pause before Lex responded, "Of course. I understand."

"But," Lex continued, "it's been a while though, don't you think? What was it that came up, last Wednesday? ...the reason you couldn't meet me for coffee?"

Clark answered swiftly, "That was when I had the Science Project due the next day."

"Oh, yes," Lex recalled. "Surely, I'm not one to stand in the way of science." Clark gave a slight, nervous chuckle.

Lex continued, "I'm trying to remember, Clark. Why couldn't you watch the game with me on Sunday?"

"Um," Clark offered helpfully, "that was when my Mom had me peeling bushels of apples for a big pie order she'd gotten."

"Oh, yes. I approve, of course" Lex commended. "If I were as helpful to my Dad all these years, as you are to your parents, the Luthor family history would have been a better one."

Clark blurted, "Well, you just had a different childhood, Lex...you know...that's all."

Lex reeled him in. "What about my childhood, Clark?"

Clark immediately regretted having inadvertently divulged too much of what had been on his mind lately, and now panic drove his response. To avoid another uncomfortable silence with Lex, he let his mouth begin speaking. It was imprudent; his thoughts were blindly casting about, not knowing where his words would lead him.

"Uh, Lex, only that you had a, uh, you had an unusual childhood...I mean, we've talked about that, a lot, right? And...I'm, uh, sure that under normal circumstances..."

Lex cut him off bluntly, "...I would have turned out normal?"

"Geez, Lex!" Clark slapped his hand over his wincing eyes. "Of course not!"

Then, hearing what that had sounded like, his eyes snapped wide open, staring through his fingers. "I mean, you already are normal, Lex!"

"Well, then, all is well with the world: Clark Kent considers me normal," Lex drawled.

Desperate to salvage the situation, Clark moaned, "God, Lex, how did we get on this, anyway?" He was leaning against the post in the kitchen, trying to feel supported.

"You tell me, Clark. I was only following your train of thought. I began by trying to determine why, every time I've invited you for some innocuous activity over the last three weeks, you seem to have...well, I hate to say it, but...an excuse. Could that be right, Clark? Are you coming up with excuses, in order to avoid me?"

Pitiably flustered, Clark considered withholding the extent of his personal dilemma. Sighing, he finally decided to speak freely. He composed himself.

"Lex," Clark said quietly, "I have to admit that I wasn't prepared to find out you were bisexual."

Heartbeats passed.

"Clark, I don't know what to say. Except, that I'm disappointed in you."

"What do you mean?" Clark's eyebrows shot together.

"Somehow, I wouldn't have figured you for a homophobe."

"I'm not a homophobe, Lex! I have gay friends!"

"Well, then, what's the problem, Clark?"

"Well," Clark slowly found his words. "I just never really thought of it as...a choice."

Lex prompted, "A choice?"

"Well, yeah," Clark explained. "We hear about how homosexuals are born gay...and I just thought, 'OK, fine.' But, to see that you...well, you're notoriously straight, Lex, with all the beautiful women friends you have...and then, well, you seem to have chosen to be gay, too...in addition."

Lex's tone was generously conciliatory. "Are you confused by that, Clark?"

"Yeah, I am," came the quiet answer.

"Well, I respect that Clark. Just realize that you have some thinking to get through and you'll come to your own decisions."

"But," Lex added, "are you somehow scared of me, now?"

Clark answered, "No, it's just that...well, you know...we're good friends, and, uh..." Clark let the sentence trail off, hoping that Lex would catch his drift.

Lex paused for a full minute. Faced with this sustained silence, Clark, on the other end, held his hand over his eyes and shook his head, not knowing whether he should say more, or refrain.

Lex finally spoke. "Let me ask you something, Clark. Have I ever said, or done, anything inappropriate toward you?"

"No, no, that has totally never happened, Lex," Clark rushed to assure him.

"Well?" Lex questioned. "What's changed, other than you know something more about me than you did before? Can you give me a reason why things should be any different between us? We're just friends, and right now, I'd like to make some popcorn and watch a movie with my friend."

Shaking his head as if awakening, Clark looked down in embarrassment, pressing the phone hard to his ear with his shoulder. "Gee, Lex, I'm sorry. I don't know...I guess I was acting stupid."

"No problem. Like I've told you before, Clark, I'm used to people holding the wrong opinions about me," Lex said. But although it seemed aimed at making Clark feel better, it actually drove the lesson in deeper, that Clark would have joined the ranks of people who had misjudged him.

In a certain amount of anguish now, Clark swiftly offered, "Yeah, well, I can be there in about an hour; sound OK?"

"Just fine," Lex smiled to himself. "I look forward to it. See you then." His smile deepened as he clicked off the phone and replaced it in its cradle.

Lex had selected a comedy and after they watched it the mood was light.

"There's still another piece of the fudge your cook made. Want it?" Clark asked, licking his fingers.

"No, I'm good. It's still early. You up for a game of pool?" Lex offered.

"Sure," Clark responded, wiping his hands on a cloth napkin, and walking to join Lex to pick cue sticks.

Lex thought to himself, "Let me time this, now. I'll say, oh... within fifteen minutes."

Within three minutes, while bending over a for a shot, Clark asked in his most obviously casual voice, "So, Lex, how'd you get into bisexuality?"

Lex smirked to himself and mused, "Must have been the chocolate."

Aloud, he said, "Hmmm? Oh, you mean Reggie, and the others?" He watched in stifled glee as a look of annoyance passed over Clark's features while he continued aiming his shot.

With practiced nonchalance, Lex continued, "Well, I happen to believe that one's attraction to another person cannot be confined to one gender. In fact, I feel that it's unnatural to deny expressing your feelings to someone, just because they share your gender."

Clark had been listening attentively, and now took his shot. It missed and the play went to Lex.

Lex leaned his hip against the table and chalked his cue stick's tip...meticulously. Then he broke away crisply and swiftly lined up a shot, sinking it. He circled the table, deciding his next play.

Clark had been watching him only distractedly, cogitating with a slight frown this whole time, while in turn, Lex never let up his quiet surveillance of Clark.

Finally Clark asked, "So, then, you do it because you fall in love?" obviously having difficult applying heterosexuality's social norms.

"Possibly. It's very different from the Guy-Girl thing. You're not going to get married and have kids. There's no virginity issue," answered Lex.

Standing straight, holding his cue stick at ease before him, Lex spoke with a direct stare at Clark across the pool table, "You see, Clark, it's just that if I really like someone, then I want to share myself with them, and give them pleasure."

Suddenly, Clark's eyes became heavily-lidded. Lex thought, "Score!" and slid his eyes away, bending forward to made his next shot. Also successful.

There was nothing but silence from Clark as Lex continued his turn. After a while, Lex missed a shot and it was Clark's play. As he had not been paying attention, Lex alerted him, "Your shot, Clark."

Clark blinked his eyes as he became alert again; he looked at the table, then down at his shoes. He rolled his cue stick around in his hands, then looked up at Lex, who regarded Clark speculatively. After Clark spent several seconds sending his eyes around the room, he sent his gaze back to Lex. "Would you be interested in showing me?"

Flooded with self-congratulation, but betraying nothing of it, save a slight rise in the corners of his mouth, Lex slightly tilted his head to one side, projecting the image of a benevolent mentor.

A relieved breath escaped Clark at Lex's obviously positive response; he had risked so much emotionally, against a possible rebuff.

Lex placed his cue stick on the table and Clark followed suit, preparing for he knew not what. Lex walked with undulating grace to stand before Clark, right hand reaching up to draw softly along Clark's cheek. Clark's face was flushed and his lips were just parted as he drew shallow breaths.

"I'd be very pleased to, Clark," Lex said to him softly.

Very slowly, Lex steadied Clark as they leaned in toward each other. But clearly Clark was nervous. Lex stilled his forward motion, brought his chin back to lock eye contact with Clark, whispering, "Relax, Clark. I'll show you everything...everything you desire."

With that reassurance, Clark stilled, but Lex continued to move into the kiss and their lips met gently. Slowly Lex withdrew to gauge the effect.

Internal conflict telegraphed from Clark's eyes, so Lex moved in again before anything could be voiced. Their slightly-parted lips rested together longer this time...more emphatically. Lex exhaled warmth as he pulled away, leaving moisture on Clark's soft lips.

After a slow blink, Clark licked Lex's taste from his lips by ingenuously drawing the tip of his pink tongue where Lex had been. Overcome by the sight, and its significance, intense desire flooded Lex's gaze. Clark had accepted the kiss, and was clearly responding.

A thrill that banished his prior nervousness washed through Clark's body as he perceived the change in Lex. Suddenly, the excitement of Lex's hand on his cheek jolted down to his groin and to the ends of his limbs. The texture of the clothes he wore, the warmth of Lex's breath on his face...his skin became hyperaware of it all. Stunned by all his sensations, Clark stood completely still, absorbed.

Faces so very close, Lex raised his other hand to tilt Clark's head just so, as he swept in for a third kiss. Both mouths opened, Lex's tongue sliding deeply in Clark's mouth and then back, a promise, by analogy, of what he would do to Clark later. Their lips made a slight smacking sound as they disengaged.

Fully overcome by this, Clark groaned as he closed his eyes and melted against Lex, wrapping his arms around his sleek frame. Two sets of lips found each other, again and again. One arm lowered to embrace Lex's slim waist while the other slid up Lex's back, Clark's fingers spreading across bare neck and head, rubbing, pushing, kneading.

"Oh, Lex. I didn't know," Clark whispered when their lips were not engaged.

"Clark. I'm yours," was the hushed response, hands still framing Clark's face. "Come with me. Upstairs. To my bedroom."

They hung on each other, unable to stay their lips from meeting, as they made their way up the stairs. They moved inside Lex's bedroom and then closed and locked the door.

Months passed. Clark and Lex were discreet lovers, but only because of Clark's age. It was an open secret, and the school, the town, and the Kents had simply been forced to adjust.

As much as their time allowed, Lex interwove Clark into his daily life. Lex enjoyed holding forth in his office, expounding on the broad basics of business to Clark, as deals were planned and executed. He tried every sport with Clark except fencing, which would have taken years of training just to make a good sparring partner. They enjoyed swimming in the mansion's pool, but that was mainly play.

Clark showed promise in tennis, but even if he hadn't, Lex could produce no good reason to stop seeing his lover in tight white shorts, trying to look serious and competent on the other side of the net.

One workout that seemed to be a favorite for the two of them was martial arts. Both of them understood the value of fighting skills, and they could practice regardless of the weather outside. Bringing Clark up from the basics was something Lex enjoyed. A quick learner, Clark made an excellent sparring partner, while at the same time Lex could provide Clark with some feel of real fighting.

But it was during their weekly Kenpo sparring session in Lex's gym room at the mansion, that, unfortunately, the 'honeymoon' officially came to an end.

Both men wore martial arts practice uniforms, Lex's with a black belt and collar. They were bare-handed, because training with gloves, Lex had said, altered the way one fought in real life. They had traded moves for over an hour and all the while Clark had been pressing Lex about a difficult issue.

"It doesn't matter how I found out about it, Lex," Clark stated. "The point is that you really did know Dr. Hamilton. Not only that, he was your goddamn employee! You lied to me about not knowing him!"

Lex responded, stone-faced, "I made a mistake with Dr. Hamilton. What he did was unauthorized..."

Clark spoke sharply, cutting him off, "But as his employer, you were still responsible for him and his work!"

They traded kicks and blocks during a period of tense silence.

Clearly exerting much self-control, Lex finally voiced in clipped tones, "I'd appreciate, Clark, if you didn't interrupt me while I try to respond to your personal attacks."

"Lex!" Clark retorted. "He tried to kill Pete!"

"Clark, I told you ten minutes ago, and again, twenty minutes before that, I'd found out by then that Hamilton was unstable, and I'd already let him go. I didn't want to be associated with him anymore! I can't be responsible for what every single ex-employee does!" Lex's voice rose at the end.

Wishing Clark would stop already, Lex swept his leg at Clark's face. Clark successfully avoided the swipe but it made him annoyed that the sparring had escalated to something else.

"Don't fuck with me, Lex!" Clark bit out. "You know I'm right."

Lex laughed bitterly, "I know nothing of the sort! As soon as I discovered the effects of that damned flower experiment of his, I immediately put all my resources into finding the cure. I sweated every moment, knowing that your Dad and Lana were in danger...possibly going to die...all because..."

They traded punch and counterpunch.

"...all because of a genius who had gotten in over his head on a stupid attempt at glory, OK? He screwed up, and I had nothing to do with that work of his. So, why should I have stuck my neck and name out there, when it simply wasn't my fault?" Lex ended.

Thoroughly vexed now, Lex decided to indulge himself by advancing with a sophisticated combination of attack moves. Normally, Clark would have been gratifyingly tagged multiple times under such a volley, but today he smoothly deflected every step of it.

It occurred to Lex that this was the second time this had happened since they had begun their argument, Clark performing at a far higher level of skill than usual. Had Clark somehow studied on his own, before, and had simply been toying with him all this time, Lex wondered.

But that didn't make sense either; Lex himself had been immersed in the art for years, with the best senseis. The Kents could never afford something like that for Clark, and he couldn't have attained this skill level with video tapes or books. He hadn't seen Clark at any of the local bouts, or championships, either. Narrowing his eyes, Lex speculatively regarded his partner and the nettling puzzle he presented. Distracted for the moment from defending himself to Clark about Hamilton, he decided to test something out.

When Clark opened his mouth again to renew the grilling, Lex suddenly moved extremely sharply against him, in a very swift, highly aggressive mode, a mode that only championship-level practitioners would exercise against each other.

Mid-sentence, Clark halted, eyes hardening with self-righteousness. He immediately responded to the physical attacks with defensive moves in perfect form as if he could see every move coming and had all the time he needed to address and counter them.

This made Lex furious. Here was this little prick, impugning his integrity and his decisions, and now it seemed he'd been deceptive about his own skill in martial arts this whole time, leading Lex on in a charade.

What the fuck was going on?

Lex decided Clark was going down.

Stepping deep into Clark's territory with his right leg, Lex swiped a swift leftward arc with his sharply-bent right elbow, aimed at connecting with Clark's chin.

Faster than Lex had hoped, Clark pulled his head back.

To top it off, as Lex's elbow passed before him, Clark clasped his hands together, cupped them behind Lex's elbow, and pushed Lex's arm harmlessly across to Lex's left. This was a move of a pro and this alone convinced Lex that he was 'fighting the good fight'; Clark was somehow a very worthy opponent, despite all his prior dissembling.

Halting his leftward momentum, Lex re-attained balance on his feet, and then turned back again, at the waist, re-marshalled his energy in the reverse direction, and swung the same elbow backward at Clark's face.

The hit connected, bringing a lot of pain in his own arm, but Clark simply turned his face forward again...he just wasn't going down easily.

Seeing that Clark had turned his body a bit to his left, Lex stepped in toward Clark's body with his left leg, aiming his right to make a hard kick to the back of Clark's left knee, trying to make it buckle.

But it didn't; it just absorbed the blow and easily straightened, as Clark brought himself upright and steady to face forward again.

With his upper-body now twisted fully to his right, Lex replanted his feet. In fluid motion, swung in a smooth, hard backward arc, his fully-extended left arm successfully connected with Clark's jaw.

Lex winced in pain, but Clark turned his face quickly to his right, so that Lex's clenched hand slid off him and proceeded along on its path. Again, Clark appeared not a bit fazed.

Lex stepped back a bit to regroup. He lowered his head and stepped twice to the side, stalking. Even in a grimace, his face retained its natural smirk, but now it was slightly more a snarl.

Finally advancing, he swiftly raised his bent right leg halfway up and sent a sharp kick aimed at Clark's left mid-leg. Lex's flexed foot, turned outward slightly, propelled forward with great force.

Incomprehensibly, Clark answered it to perfection, swiftly raising his own bent left leg so that the forward sides of both feet connected with a thunk in mid-air, to withdraw then to their respective owners. The move was a draw.

His feet under him again, Lex hopped in for close-body work, punching his right arm toward Clark's abdomen, but it never reached it.

Reacting to Lex's move by bringing both his hands up to guard his middle, Clark let Lex's fist pass between his hands and then grabbed and held fast to Lex's forearm. With his hands on either side of the flat of Lex's forearm, Clark first twisted quickly to his right, diverting the throw's momentum, then twisted the forearm back over toward the left, which forced the loosening of Lex's clenched fist.

His forearm still in Clark's grip, Lex aggressively followed through by advancing on his left foot and throwing a hard, left-handed punch at Clark's face. As Clark pushed aside Lex's now-neutralized right forearm, he also jumped back swiftly, letting Lex's left fist miss him by a few inches.

Then Clark retreated a few steps back, while Lex in a coups d'etat move, bent down at the knees as he swirled around to his right, swinging completely around, and coming back toward the front with a full-force jump-kick aimed at Clark's head.

Clark straightened up and did not dodge. Lex exulted at the sight, anticipating contact, and victory!

But Clark brought his left hand up across his face and caught Lex's ankle before it connected, stopping it dead cold. The momentum in his kick had nowhere to go but back up his frame. The recoil swept back up Lex's kicking leg, and his upper body was jerked backward and then forward. As his two hands ran across the ground to steady himself, only his skill and experience preventing him from sprawling ignominiously.

"Enough of this!" Clark commanded.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me that?" Lex demanded, yelling, fury in his eyes.

Surveying his options, Lex realized he didn't have a lot of training against an opponent who could lock his leg at chin-level. He tested Clark's grip; it was seriously uncompromising.

Lex improvised by turned his head away from Clark and extending his body in a rigidly straight line. He reached his arms out fully in front of him, to create leverage with which to attack back at Clark. Clark still held Lex's right ankle immobile. Lex was balanced on his left leg, and his upper body, arms and head were all extended diametrically opposite to Clark.

With a furious fighting yell, Lex snapped his body back and pivoted on his one leg that remained on the ground, swinging himself fiercely with full force toward Clark. Both arms extended, elbows locked and hands fisted, directly toward Clark's abdomen. Lex then jumped his left foot off the ground with a savage bent-knee kick aimed at Clark's right kneecap. His ankle in Clark's hand was now the fulcrum of all his attack's force.

But suddenly, Clark's kneecap simply wasn't there. Neither was his abdomen. Abruptly Lex's right leg was freed and came down hard to land below him. Recovering from his momentary instability, Lex managed to forward-roll on the dojo mat, standing up to look around in bewilderment. He replayed in his mind incessantly the final seconds of engagement, turning around looking for where Clark might have moved to.

Mystified, but in a rage, Lex screamed out, "Clark!"

When there was no response, Lex stalked over to the benches and sent mats and equipment flying around the room, cursing. After his immediate anger was finally expended, he sat cross-legged, staring, wondering if he had been sleeping with a spirit.

One late afternoon, some weeks later, Lex answered the phone in his den.

"Yes?"

"Lex," came the voice.

Lex's mouth pursed slightly while his eyes tried to evince complete self-control. His voice was better at it.

"Clark." A multitude of comments passed through his mind, each one had been evaluated during endless nights. Finally, "You want to tell me something?"

A moment passed. "Yeah, I do," answered Clark.

Although relieved at the contact, Lex couldn't help but roll his eyes; he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Fine, come on by." He hung up with disdain. Well, at least Clark could pick up his clothes and they'd have that precious closure that was so prized by relationship gurus.

He turned at a quiet rap on his den door, and there was Clark.

"Clark, what'd you do? Call me from down the hall?" Lex frowned at the oddness of it.

"Uh, no. Lex, can we sit down to talk?"

Groaning inwardly, Lex figured this would be an angst-ridden afternoon as they hashed out their separation.

"Just a minute," he begged, with a wan smile, "while I get a drink." He poured a rather large Scotch, then made his way to sit on the couch opposite Clark. He sighed and crossed his legs away from Clark, and sipped. "Fire away."

Clark began, "OK, first off, I've thought about the Hamilton stuff and I'm just going to let that all go, Lex. You understand? I know you grew up in a different world from me and it's harder for you to be up-front. OK?"

Regret at having fallen for a teenager slipped his mental sarcasm into operation, but Lex kept quiet and simply nodded.

A frown marred Clark's face because he had clearly expected to receive praise for this leap, but then realized he wasn't going to get it from Lex that day. Disappointed, but still lofted by the momentum of his preparation for this talk, Clark moved to his next topic, the far more important topic.

"Fine. Now, about that fight we had." Lex became alert as he surveyed him over his glass of Scotch. Clark continued, "I've never voluntarily told anyone this about myself, do you understand?"

Lex nodded on cue.

It wasn't enough. Clark repeated, "Not anyone, OK?"

After he cleared his throat, Lex said softly, "I'm honored." The sarcasm caused Clark to grind his teeth, but he understood Lex was going to be prickly until he knew where he stood.

Clark went on, "Lex...I'm..."

He exhaled, turning his head away. Bracing himself, he faced Lex again and attempted, "I'm...," but he failed and stopped.

Eyebrows raised, Lex tipped his head forward in mock encouragement. "Gay?" he offered.

He was more than rewarded by Clark's fit of distemper.

"No!" Clark scowled and passed his hand over his face.

Smirking grimly, Lex noted that, whatever it was that Clark wanted to divulge, it really did seem to be something difficult for him.

"Good," he thought with satisfaction, as he took another sip and watched Clark squirm in his own private, idiotic hell.

Deciding that maybe he was going about this the hard way, Clark changed his tack. "Lex, did you ever notice anything...unusual about me and what I am able to do?"

Lex leaned forward, answering vehemently, "Oh, you mean like, take my unrestrained blows like a practice dummy and then hold my leg like a manacle?" He looked up, pretending to think hard, then faced Clark again and added, "And then disappear like a special effect in some movie? Like that, Clark?" His pent-up bitterness having expressed itself, he rested back to compose himself.

"Yes," Clark, upset at the outburst, looked down, "Like that."

Looking up, he continued, "And...like the bridge."

Lex was all seriousness now. This was a conversation on an entirely different plane from what he'd expected. He placed his drink on the table. "Go on."

"You know what I'm talking about, Lex?" Clark asked.

"Clark, don't go this far, and then get all vague on me again. Just come out with what you have to tell me."

A full minute looking around the room trying to get up the nerve to speak did nothing for Clark. Whenever he glanced back, Lex held his gaze hard. Obviously he would get no assistance breaking this news.

Eventually he spoke. "Lex, you know the day of the meteor shower?"

Lex sighed slightly and thought to himself, "So, he's finally going to admit he's a meteor freak."

But Lex only offered aloud, "Hmm?"

Then, thinking to himself again, "Schmuck! Big deal!" Lex felt let-down, after all.

"Well, I'm really sorry you lost your hair..."

With a slight frown, Lex wondered what that had to do with anything.

Clark resumed, "...because I came to Earth that day from space, myself," and he stopped to gauge the effect.

Lex lifted his eyebrows higher than he could remember ever having done.

"Holy Shit! A nut-case!" he thought, and swiftly rose off the couch to put some distance between himself and Clark, heading toward the panic button at his desk.

But, instead, he immediately bumped, hard, into Clark who was inexplicably standing between him and the desk.

Lex turned around to make sure there wasn't a second Clark behind him on the couch, where he ought to have been. He turned forward again and ascertained that, yes, indeed, the one and only Clark now stood before him.

He began to sweat.

Nonetheless, Lex managed to voice smoothly, "Clark, I'm really glad you felt you could share this with me, and I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my work."

He moved three steps around Clark, but there was Clark in front of him again, blocking his way!

"Lex, I am not crazy!"

"Clark, whoever said anything like that?" Lex intoned soothingly. "I'm pleased that you've shared this news with me. If you'll just let me get over to my appointment book, I can see when we can discuss it later in detail."

Brows furrowed, Clark continued, "Lex, I don't want your security people brought in." Then he had an idea. "Look, do you have a gun in here? You can get it and shoot me, and I won't be hurt. In fact, I'll just catch the bullets."

Lex's eyes went wide again, as he imagined the scene. "Right! And then I'll go to jail for murdering my deluded, underage gay lover."

Out loud, Lex spoke, "Uh, Clark, I don't think that's the best idea."

Clark gesticulated ineffectively, beside himself with frustration and not knowing what to say next. He had longed so much for the day when he could finally unburden himself to his lover (and his parents would kill him if they knew), and now Lex wouldn't even believe him!

Then he came up with a plan. "Look, rather than my tearing this place apart showing you my abilities," Clark announced (while Lex blanched at the prospect), "I'm just going to have to take you to where I can show you, without causing damage to anything that matters."

By the time Lex's lips formed his "No!" Clark already had picked him up and run them at super speed to Harper's Gorge.

"Clark, that's..." Lex continued, and then his sentence petered out as he looked around at his displaced setting.

He turned around fully, squinting at the light of the setting sun, looking down as he scuffed his dress shoes on the large, dusty stones. His eyes lifted up to Clark.

"You've hypnotized me! Or drugged me!"

The face Clark made unmistakably conveyed what a screwy idea he thought that would be.

"Just listen, Lex. I'm an alien from another planet. I am super strong, super fast, can't seem to be hurt by things, and I can set fire to stuff with my eyes."

Eyes darting around rapidly, Lex was frantic to determine the most direct route out of the gorge.

Clark grabbed Lex by the shoulders and shook. "Lex! Watch! Look at that branch over there."

The branch burst aflame when he turned his head to stare at it.

"Yeah, great," Lex said skeptically. "You set this up, you know? You put chemicals all over the wood here."

Hands on either side of his own head, Clark closed his eyes, feeling desperate. "Oh, man!"

He looked around. "OK, Lex, just please try to move this big boulder. Come on, over here, and see if you can move it."

To placate Clark, Lex walked over and nudged with his fingers the four-foot-across boulder. Then Clark reached below it, hefted the boulder aloft, and hurled it twenty feet, to crumble on impact.

"Clark, if you're hypnotizing me, then I can't believe anything you're showing me."

Fisted hands held out to either side, Clark looked up to the sky and screamed, "FUCK!"

After a minute, Clark said, "OK, you're taking a vacation, right now! I'm going to have to kidnap you."

Lex's eyes startled.

Clark continued, "Because I don't think you can sleep and wake up and still be hypnotized, so maybe when that happens enough times, you'll believe what you see."

Hand held out, Clark asked, "May I have your cell phone, please."

"I left it on my desk," Lex lied.

Inexplicably, Clark squinted his eyes in concentration and then suddenly had Lex's cell in his hand. Lex checked his empty right pants pocket, where it had been, then looked up at Clark, puzzled.

"I forgot to tell you I have X-Ray vision," Clark informed him drolly, as he turned it off and stashed it. Then in as chipper a voice as he could muster, he announced, "Here we go!"

Trying futilely to ward Clark off, Lex raised his arms and said, "Wai-"

And then he was in Clark's arms again, moving forward through a rush of air. It was like being in a streaking tunnel, blurred images passing by him. At one point he tried to turn his head outward to get a better look, but Clark hitched his shoulder up, causing Lex's head to drop back onto Clark's broad chest. Then Clark tucked his chin gently down on Lex's head, holding it protectively against him.

"-t!" Lex's eyes viewed before him now a hunting cabin near the edge of large, long lake, the scene colored by the purples of evening shadows. It was beautiful. Waterfowl were in abundance and the tall trees were lush. No boats or people were in evidence.

Once Clark had placed Lex's feet on the ground and helped him stand, he was gone. Lex blinked. Then, five feet away, Clark just appeared out of nowhere next to a large pile of wood, which he incidentally didn't think had been there just a minute before, stacking some of it in the fire pit.

The air seemed thinner and held a chill as Lex looked around at the surrounding woods. Looking back at Clark, he saw him back off and stare at the wood, which burst into a blaze, then settled down to emit a welcome warmth.

"This is for you. I don't get cold," he told Lex. "My dad and I come here when we fish; it's Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge, in South Dakota; it's closed for the winter now, so we'll be alone. I'll get us some food." Lex was taken aback when Clark instantly appeared nude, his clothes suddenly folded in a pile on the log by the fire. Then Clark completely disappeared.

Still trying to piece things together, Lex began to wonder if he would be able to find his way back to civilization by himself. But, about fifteen seconds later, Clark reappeared before him again, dripping wet, and carrying a stick stuck through the gills of eight very large, cleaned trout.

"I'm hungry," Clark shrugged and said by way of explanation. There was a sort of blur where he stood, and then Clark was there again, re-dressed and hair only a bit damp now.

"I'll get some other stuff," and he was gone. Several minutes passed this time, so Lex walked around. Enough stars had come out to take a sighting. His rough reading confirmed that they were at a higher latitude; if he could trust what his eyes told him, he reminded himself.

He turned as Clark showed up with two bags of groceries and cooking utensils, including bottled water, fresh fruit, canned green beans, bread, butter, and spreadable honey. A childlike grin broke as he retrieved a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and a couple of Hershey's chocolate bars.

"S'mores," he explained.

Shock and disorientation had taken the bite out of Lex's fear, so he felt free to say, "Great. I've been kidnapped by a lunatic Boy Scout. No," he corrected, "I forgot your age. Cub Scout."

Clark sent him a look for that, then exhorted, "C'mon, Lex! You have no idea how important this is to me, for you to know me for who I really am!"

Lex kept his comments to himself this time.

"Can you cook the fish while I'm gone for a while?" Clark asked.

"Gone, where?"

"I've got to go back to get sleeping bags and gear," Clark explained. "It'll be cold tonight."

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Lex! Don't go wandering off. You'll just get lost and ruin the fish."

Appraising the sky once more, Lex admitted, "That's OK, I'll plan my daring escape when I'm not in imminent danger of freezing to death."

After he set a grill over the fire pit, Clark lay the fish around the perimeter to roast.

"Please turn these once, and by then I'll be back," Clark requested.

Lex nodded. And then Clark simply disappeared again. Lex sat on a log and wondered what in hell he was going to do, while he poked at the fish dispiritedly. When the crackling became noticeable, he took the prongs Clark had left and turned them all. Just as they started to look almost done, Clark reappeared, loaded down with bulky bundles which he deposited in the cabin. He came over with two plastic plates and cutlery, to sit by the fire with Lex.

"I asked my parents to call the mansion and say you'd gone away for a few days with me. You better believe, they don't know why we left," Clark emphasized, eyes looking upward through his bangs. Then Clark added almost shyly, "Thank you for not running."

"I didn't get my S'mores yet," Lex explained dryly.

Clark grinned.

As he served the meal, Clark began a running commentary on his life, to bring Lex up to speed. But more than that, Clark felt that if he could provide a huge amount of incidental facts, maybe Lex would believe the big picture they constituted.

Into the evening Lex listened to Clark talk but, sooner than he would normally, he became sleepy.

Right away Clark pointed out, "It's the fresh outdoor air. C'mon, let's turn in."

He doused the fire and led the way to the cabin with a flashlight, pointing out the outhouse down the hill a ways, and informed Lex he had already stocked it with paper.

"Yes, but what brand?" Lex asked, and then laughed out loud at Clark's face when he took him seriously.

When Lex moved his sleeping bag to the opposite side of the room, Clark was unhappy, but he understood.

Over the next three days, they ate their rustic meals, bathed in the lake, and Lex listened to the ins and outs of Clark's existence on this Earth. According to Clark, Lex really had hit him at the bridge with the Porsche; he'd been unhurt and had swum down to pull back the roof and rescue Lex.

He listened patiently to Clark's explanation of how he was strong enough to lift Lex and Earl up onto the catwalk in Level 3, and which fires Clark really had started while grappling with his new ability when Desiree had come into Lex's life.

To which Lex countered with all the times he had seen Clark weakened, or without his purported powers. He pointed out that when Eric Summers was doing all the kinds of things which Clark now said he could do, Lex had walked in on a battered Clark and the doctor had said he had cracked ribs. The x-rays had even been displayed on the wall in the hospital room.

An uncharacteristically silent Clark retreated in the face of these challenges.

Perceptively Lex commented, "Clark, if you want to make a believer out of me, you're going to have to tell me the whole story."

Clark got up and walked away. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he stood for some minutes. Then he turned back to Lex.

"Lex, I know you still sort of think I'm crazy or whatever, but I'm real. And I love you." He paused.

"I'm going to tell you something I hadn't planned to," Clark continued. "I have a weakness. It's the green meteor rocks. I don't know why, but they are a poison to me. They take my powers away and are very painful to be around." Clark added, "I think they could probably kill me."

Soberly, Lex assessed this new data. On the one had, if everything Clark had said was true, and his lover had actually originated on another planet, then he wanted to protect Clark from the meteor rocks. On the other hand, if Clark was someone he really needed to get away from in order to survive, this potentially provided him the means.

The sudden lack of discourse allowed the sounds of nature around them to come to the fore. Lex continued to regard Clark for a long time. Eventually, Clark hung his head and went about the chores of the campsite, leaving Lex to consider all he had heard over the last three days.

That evening was the first night Lex moved his sleeping bag over next to Clark. Giving a brilliant smile, Clark unzipped both bags and re-zipped them to make one double-wide bag. Lex approved, and they both got undressed and slipped inside, immediately entangling into each other's arms.

Their passion was instant and blazing; they had been apart so very, very long. Tongues and lips demanded re-acquaintance with every inch of bare skin. Their senses were sharper from the mountain air. Every inhalation was an incense of musk; every taste, an erotic ambrosia.

They had recommitted to each other and possession had to be complete. As he made love from behind, sweat running down his neck, Lex demanded with a hoarse whisper into Clark's ear, "Who do you love?"

"You, Lex!" Clark gasped, and Lex's blood ran hot.

Knowing they were miles from the next human, they were fierce in their ecstasy.

Late into the night, both sated, they finally dropped off, tight against each other in a press of limbs.

Upon awakening the next morning, they spontaneously packed up camp. A newfound fondness for this retreat convinced Lex that they would have to make regular return visits, to periodically remove any civilized veneer from their lovemaking.

"So, now that I'm convinced, Clark, before we go, show me some of your stuff."

Pleasure bloomed on Clark's face; how often did he ever get a chance to show off? He led Lex down to the lakeside. When dirt gave way to shore, he halted and focused intently on the sand, some four feet away. Heat waves emanated from the spot, distorting Lex's view to a minor extent. Soon, a three-foot circle darkened, the center few inches of which began to pulse with a warm orange glow.

Gray tendrils rose and skirted the area, hugging the surrounding ground before dissipating. Fascinated, Lex stepped further aside and drew his attention to the space between Clark's eyes and the hotspot. If he concentrated, Lex was just able to discern a wavering quality to the air between.

Then Clark stopped focusing on the spot, walked up to it, and reached down with both hands bare.

"Clark!" blurted Lex, but Clark had already cupped his hands into the melted sand and then stood, playing with the viscous blob, working it back and forth, from palm to palm. He turned and walked over to offer it for Lex's examination, who could feel the intense heat emanating when he held his hand a half-foot away.

Though glassy, it was smoky-colored from impurities as it cooled in Clark's hands. He rolled it into a coil and then brought the ends around in a half-twist together, like a bracelet from a primitive culture. Clark laid it on a rock to finish cooling.

"For you," he gestured and gave a small smile. Then he strode over to a shoulder-high boulder some paces away. Looking back to make sure he had Lex's attention, he swung his fist hard and the boulder cracked into hundreds of shards, collapsing into a mounded heap. Lex walked over to inspect first the rubble, then Clark's undamaged hands.

After thinking a minute, Lex inquired, "So, what happened, back when we were fighting in the dojo?"

"I got really angry," Clark said curtly.

He added, "I had to leave," and turned away briskly, striding back to where the supplies were.

Lex mulled this over. "Note to self: 'Do not make Clark really angry'," he thought, as he rejoined Clark near the cabin.

Upon returning to Smallville, Lex smoothed over his absence from LexCorp as an impetuous getaway to help him clear his mind for one of his next business deals. Under the radar of his father, he then quietly created efficient 'clean-up crews' to gather meteor rocks from around Smallville to bury them in a deep excavation at the far edge of one of his properties.

With a characteristic focus of mind, Lex took it upon himself to quantify Clark's powers, a pastime in which Clark enjoyed indulging him. They amused themselves by timing how fast Clark could reach a distant locale and then cell-call him upon his arrival.

Lex set up a lab where Clark could vaporize various pure substances to evaluate the temperature of his heat vision...this also assisted Clark in fine-tuning his control. He had Clark lifting heavier and heavier loads, to see what the limit was...they hadn't found it yet.

At night, they twined together, a precious binding fueling their lovemaking. Intimacy between them had been intensified by Clark having shared his secret.

Eventually, as the months passed, Clark became more savvy to the ways of his other half. In bed one night, as he cradled Lex's head on his chest, Clark asked a question.

"Lex...did you set up that whole 'first time' thing we had, at the pool table?"

Clark could feel Lex smirk against his chest as they lay in the moonlight.

Lex snuggled closer, reaching his hand possessively over Clark's chest, and responded, "I told you a while ago, Clark: we rich have an incredible sense of entitlement."

Raising himself on his elbow, Lex was just able to make out Clark's shadowed grin in the pale light. He bent forward to receive the kiss Clark's lips had begun to offer.

~end~

Copyright (story, not characters) by Rose etta, 9-20-04