Title: BreakdownAuthor: SC182
Rating: R
Pairing: Jonathan/Other female character, Clark/LexSummary: Even the truest of loves can stray.Notes: AU. Spoilers for all seasons, especially Season 2 and 3. Blended and mixed canon. Clark is in his senior year of high school, though many of the other events are very much from season 2 and 3. Written for the last Clexwave challenge...'Cheating'. That's all I'm giving you.
It was a solid fact that Jonathan Kent could not cook. In fact, the rule was almost as grounded in truth as natural law. Clark was a far better cook than he was. Blame it all on Martha's desire to make their only child well rounded. Cooking he hadn't minded so much, especially as he stared down into a bowl of hot too old to remember canned spaghetti.
At first, it had been a small part time job and mostly a way to keep abreast of what Lionel knew. Then, as the days wore on and weeks turned into months and they all melded and stacked up to a year, he realized with sad regret that his wife had found her calling, even if it was in the hands of the devil.
Jonathan plopped the spoon full of red sauce and noodles back into the bowl, pushing it away with disgust. Sitting in silence, he listened to the lowing of the cows and the perky clucks of the chickens.
The animals were all taken care of. At least, he had gotten his son to do that much. His son wasn't bad by any means. Clark was a good boy. Sweet, kind, innocent—far too innocent for his own good. And Martha…she was the greatest woman a man could ask for. Smart, beautiful, loving, kind, determined. She was more than his partner, she was his truly his better half.
Therefore, it hurt even more to have all those little voices of his friends in town grow louder and louder.
When had he lost control of his family?
In the past, it had been so easy to simply ignore the eccentricities of his family. In truth, he wanted people to ignore them for their own good. Leave it to the Luthors to change all of that. Jonathan knew he wasn't being far, but when someone could explain to him why he was stuck eating canned noodles and make-believe tomato sauce for the third day in a row in a series of weeks that seemed to be melding more and more into one long chained mesh of close canned food and creaky eeriness of an unnaturally empty house.
As he drove on the main drag, passing shops and his neighbors alike, his eyes caught sight of Pete and Chloe heading into the Talon. There was a day when it was always Pete, Chloe and Clark, but slowly those days had been eroded.
He'd been right along with all the other voices decrying Lex when he'd moved in. Even more so after he became Clark's best friend. How that happened he still didn't know? Then, he voice had fallen silent as the whispers began to get louder. The ones that speculated on the motives a billionaire's son would want to be pals with a farmer's son.
Martha had forced him not to pay them attention. She was his rock after all.
Of course, when they found out she was pregnant he was the most elated of them all. After years of trying, their little family would grow.
The convince that this happened while working for Lionel Luthor wasn't lost on anyone. Neither was the fact that Martha bore an uncanny resemblance to his late wife. If they, his neighbors, former football buddies, and the general body of upstanding citizens in Smallville had known that their little miracle was brought to them by the means that gave them their first miracle, they'd all be singing a different tune.
Sharing the secret was never going to happen.
There had to be something he could do.
He takes the red truck out, driving down the main drag of Smallville. It's always said that people stay the same and the town changes, that's not true. This place looks just as it did when he was his son's age. Kids rush from school crowding the sidewalks, trying to get to the Talon. During his day, it was Rick's and there you could get a burger, a shake, and fries for just over a quarter.
Now, the kids were spending their money on over priced coffee with complicated names. Coffee for seven dollars. His father would have a heart attack all over again if he heard such foolishness.
Just up the street, he could see between the front row of parked cars and trucks, Chloe and Pete, talking animatedly before entering the Talon's door held open by a smiling Lana Lang. It used to be a time when you never saw those two without their taller shadow.
Jonathan sighed, and found an open spot a ways down.
As he killed the engine, Jonathan realized in surprise that he was parked in front of Nell's shop. It had been some time since he'd last been in there. Matter of fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd gone in there without Martha.
As if she'd heard his thoughts, Nell looked up from the arrangement she was making and smiled in his direction. She waved at him with a friendly open palm, and her nod and smile indicated she wanted him to come in.
He waved back shyly. He could just pretend to have not known what her signals meant. But his parents hadn't raised him to be rude and they had been friends once; all things considered Jonathan got out of the truck and entered the shop.
She was standing at the counter, hands buried deep within the arms and guts of lushy green plants and her face brushed against the soft bright colored petals. "Why Jonathan Kent, I know you weren't considering not coming in here?" She teased.
He found himself coughing, ducking his head and blushing to avoid her eyes. Well, he had considered it. "No. Absolutely not."
Nell smiled knowingly. "Well, how have you been?"
"Good. Good." He said as while looking around the shop. Flowers and plants covered shelves and tables. Beautiful, some he didn't even know the name of.
"All you can say is good?" Nell pushed the bouquet across the glass counter. "From what I heard, you should be doing a lot better than okay? Martha's how far along now?"
Jonathan did smile just then. "Well, she's almost seven and half months along."
Nell smiled and shook her in wonder. "Time sure flies. It's amazing after all these years…" She began and stopped. "You two did a fine job with Clark. He's a handsome and thoughtful young man."
A modesty man, he'd never learned how to really take compliments, but now, a he couldn't fight the slow spread of that smile across his face. "I was looking for him actually."
"Nothing serious, I hope." Nell's brow knotted.
"Oh, no…I--" He could have said anything. Anything, but his mouth decided to work on its own volition and not his will. "There are some things that need to be done around the farm, but…more or less, I was just lonely."
A warm weight settled on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I feel the same way. With Lana having the Talon, it's like…" She sighed. "I hardly ever see her anymore. Who would have thought? My precious little girl a business owner at sixteen. With two years under her belt, I feel like asking her for business tips."
They shared a laugh, then the quiet settled over them again. Jonathan wasn't meeting her eyes again, but that didn't matter much as Nell watched him nonetheless. Taking in his profile and strong build, Jonathan had faired a lot better than many of their classmates.
Her gaze broke away and she whirled about the room towards the back of the shop. "Come on, I have some coffee brewing."
He took her up on her offer and followed her into the back. It's funny how the years seemed to melt away. Conversation between them flowed free and loosely. Years of memories shared between them, because of this town kept them talking and like the teenagers they once had been, they speculated about the future.
He finished god knows how many cups of coffee. The crack in the curtains told him it was well past the afternoon. "I should be going." He rose from the table slowly, his knees cracking just a bit from the long sit.
"I'm going to head home myself and make dinner. You're welcome to join me." Nell offered with a soft smile.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I need to head home to Martha and Clark. Those chores won't do themselves."
She gave him a look that seemed to speak a hell of a lot louder than his confidence that someone would be home. "Alright, but the offer still stands."
He sat in front of the house for a good five minutes, listening to the ticking of the engine as it cooled. The house was dark and so was the loft. No one had been there and the house stood quietly, vacant and sad. He turned on the lights, checked on the animals and considered how easy they had it.
Jonathan stared at the empty table and the lonely can of condensed soup seemed to laugh at him in the quiet recesses of his home. The table was so bare, cold without the spread of food that Martha cooked.
His son was with Lex Luthor.
His wife was with Lionel Luthor.
And he sat in a too silent house.
That dinner invitation seemed better and better. His stomach growled, making the decision for him. He left a light on.
He drove down the lane and turned down a driveway he hadn't been down in nearly ten years. They'd been neighbors forever, but the rise of family and never-ending stream of work kept him occupied and the semi-weird feelings of being around an old girlfriend were repellant enough to keep him away.
Tonight, he had a dinner invitation, and the moment he knocked Nell answered and she seemed a lot less surprised to see him than he expected. Her cooking has definitely improved from the attempts she made years ago when he was a football player and she, the mighty head cheerleader.
Dinner was simple enough. To his tongue and stomach though, it was as if he was eating the world's best meal. Chicken, vegetables, potatoes—nothing fancy, simple homecooking. The key word was homecooking.
They sat around the table, plates exchanged for cups coffee and small slices of cake. It's store bought, no where near as good as Martha's but it's so much better than what he's had in last couple of months.
"That was great." Jonathan leaned back in chair, allowing his body to stretch and unwind.
Nell watched him, lips curled into a slight smile. " I know I'm not a cook like Martha, but I can make do." She's comfortable with this knowledge, and he saw how much she'd grown from the girl he used to know. Nell was still competitive, but somehow, the woman in front of him was more subdued—laid back even.
"It was great, Nell. Thank you for inviting me." Jonathan stood, reaching for the dishes. "It's only fair. You cooked, so I'll clean."
Nell tried to protest, yet Jonathan's adamant refusal shut her down. Their conversation was light and easy, and each found it easy to talk to the other about work, friends, their children. It all came crashing down when Nell asked when Martha was going to take some time off.
"You said Martha's about seven and half months ago? When is she going to take a break?" Nell leaned against the counter, while Jonathan scrubbed the last of the plates.
He shook his head. "God damn, Lionel. Excuse me." He added as a near after thought.
Nell shook his head. "I know you must hate Martha working for him, but from what I've heard, she'd done a great job with him." She saw Jonathan scowl, knowing he would never be on the Lionel Luthor sympathy bandwagon.
"I can't, Nell. I just can't be happy that my wife is working for that snake." He stopped himself before his tirade could continue on, thinking that at one time Nell too, had been involved with the snake in question. "I don't trust Lionel…"
"But you trust Martha."
His hesitation spoke for him. Nell moved closer to him, her hand landing on a rigid arm. "Jonathan Kent, Martha loves you more than anything." She declared in a voice as hard as steel.
Hanging his head in shame, he dropped the rag in his hands. "I know. It's Lionel I don't trust. Luthors…they're not our sort of people, and …and Christ, I know you've heard what's been said."
Nell's sharp blue eyes lock on to his head on, grabbing him and keeping immobile. "It doesn't matter what they say. Who are they anyway to judge? Who are they to condemn anyone for anything, especially for something that's not true?" Jonathan could hear the sound of experience in her voice.
"It burns me up." He said quietly.
"Don't let it."
He remembered her staring at him, her eyes so strangely blue in the dim lights of the kitchen. Her hair as dark as night, very much the opposite of Martha's. His arms were cold from the drying water and suds on his exposed forearms. Her perfume was rich and spicy. Sassy just like her. There's that punch drunk feeling again, his body moving steadily closer to hers. She's so warm—hot and he could feel the real live warmth.
Her lips were just as read as he remembered. A hand on his chest stopped him. "Jon--" She whispered. In her voice were the sounds of questions, a slight pleasing for him to reconsider, the innate begging for more.
Jonathan backed off, feeling the sudden weight of shame settle over him. She's got him in the beam of her hot blue eyes, and he felt hot and tired, and amazingly alive.
"Jon…" She said again. Now, his mind was going off into realms of fantasy and imagination, poetry that he was never quite all that well versed in. Things like budding flowers, yawning into full bloom, her mouth moves and he only caught the curl of her lips before they pursed.
Nell walked up to him, and the next few minutes blur into a mix of kaleidoscopic hot passion. When he came back to himself, they were on her bed, the springs creaking, whining in protests. Her eyes tell him to think about what they're going, but her mouth was busy on his, and her hands were sliding down, gripping, untucking, and unzipping him in the preparation of committing true all out sin.
His blood surged in his ears, and he's never felt more alive.
Neither of them says the word cheating, but they know it's there as clear as Kansas sunshine hanging above them as he slid his hand up her thigh and her lips landed on his neck.
He should be thinking about Martha, seeing her face as he does this, thinking of the way her hair fell across the pillow. The red-gold veins that he's come to know and love were absent. There's a black forest beneath him, and Nell was laying there, underneath, like Snow White on a bed of white flowers. Lionel Luthor was the devil hanging over his shoulder, and his wife's voice was silent in asking him.
Once inside, he's surrounded by her tight wet heat, and memories that seem like a thousand years ago. Things have a way of being a lot better than one remembered.
Lex lined up his shot , his stick striking the solids with pure accuracy as it rolled across the table and sank in the net. Smiling in triumph, he dragged his eyes away from his successful shot and landed on Clark, who seemed more pensive than usual.
"How are things going with your Dad?"
Clark shrugged and reverted back to his classic pout. "I tried to talk to him like you suggested but, he's seems so busy." Clark sighed. "I guess I never knew how busy the baby's arrival would make him."
Lex laid a hand on Clark's shoulder, internally fighting the urge to squeeze or touch it more than he already was. "That's why I suggested it to you a while ago that you make an effort to get closer, because of the baby." Lex placed his pool cue on the table and leveled his friend with all his attention. "Rarely, Clark do most parents begin the cycle of childrearing again when the nest is about to be empty."
Clark sighed, knowing Lex was right. It had taken a while, mostly with Lex's help to warm up to the idea that he would be a big brother. That his parents would finally have a child that was not only theirs in name, but with the matching set of biological ingredients. The process had been awkward and painful, but now he was excited.
"I guess you're right….I think that's one reason I'm here so much." Clark instantly regretted that last part when he saw the look on Lex's face. "Oh no, I'm not saying that I don't like hanging around with you--" Obviously, that was not the case at all, because they were dancing around each other like butterflies that wanted to get the nectar from the same flower. "It's just that this is the only time I can see my mom, outside of the weekends. She and your dad are always coming and going, always to Metropolis. I have to see her sometime."
The expression of mock hurt was gone, replaced by one of Lex's almost frequent small smiles now. "I understand completely. You simply need to be persistent."
Lex was staring at Clark like he with shiny veiled eyes that were once again glad that Clark had decided to attend Metropolis University. Clark's eyes sparkled teasingly. "You always said I didn't have a problem with being persistent."
"Right. So, I expect to hear better news tomorrow."
Taking Lex's advice, Clark was sure that he could get his dad's attention somehow. Of course, 'somehow' came in the form of finding the old crib in the attic. He knew it was his dad's when he was a baby, and possibly his granddad's. The wood needed new staining and sanding. Between the two of them, they could have the crib fixed up and in the baby's room before his mother officially began maternity leave.
It was weird to have a baby's crib sitting in his room. When he'd come into his parents' lives, he'd been slightly too big for a crib, so he'd never had the benefit of experiencing sleeping in one. Clark looked up, head pointing towards the barn, as the familiar sound of his father's footsteps became louder and louder.
He zipped down to the kitchen and outside to the back porch. His dad was wiping his hands furiously, intently, while simultaneously straightening his clothes. There's something very odd about his dad's behavior.
Launching himself off the porch, Clark filed the thought away. "Hey, dad!" Clark sprinted over. "Are you busy?" He stopped short just a few paces away.
Jonathan stuffed his handkerchief into his back pocket and issued his son a small rushed smile. "Hi son. I was just on my way out. "
Clark frowned slightly. "Oh, well in that case, I guess I could wait." He sighed.
Expecting his dad to take the hint, Clark's more than a little surprised when Jonathan nodded and prepared to get into the truck. So, Clark rushed along, his words spilling out as his father continued to ignore his deeper resolve. "I was thinking that we could finish up the baby's room together. I found your old crib, and I had some ideas. Maybe, we could--"
"Clark." His father stressed. "I'll be back in a few hours. Then, we discuss anything you like." His words were punctuated with the finality that a chastisement from only a father could have.
Strangely enough, Clark backed off, drawing in on himself and nodded in response. He watched his father drive off, only remembering as the truck was only a tiny red dot in the open distance that he never asked where his father was going.
The matter continued much to Clark's disappointment. As he sat in the Talon, which was devastatingly empty, he felt more alone than ever. It wasn't that he couldn't confide in Chloe and Pete, but apparently Chloe and Pete were embroiled in the trappings of realized attraction. With graduation this close, he couldn't just interrupt their budding romance with his drama. All this was supposed to be a surprise for his mom anyway, so he couldn't burden her down with anymore. She had enough to think about with the baby's impending arrival.
There's Lex. Clark sighed, looking down at his now cold hot chocolate, feeling for all the world like he was fifteen again and had just learned his origins. They didn't lie to each other anymore. After many avoided glances, arguments, and fights, they settled for an uneasy truce. A practical creed where Clark acknowledged that he knew Lex was aware that he had secrets, and Lex in turn acknowledged that Clark wasn't ready to disclose them. The wounds were finally healed. The last thing he wanted was to make them bleed again.
They couldn't go back there.
His friends had always called him oblivious. Well, he might be oblivious, but he wasn't blind. His relationship with Lex had surpassed the mire bounds of friendship. They were constant companions and if the talk that circulated around school from Whitney's pre-Marine days to the present, 'everyone' or just his unenlightened classmates believed they were more than friends.
The idea of being so didn't bother him in the least, in truth it felt more like inevitability.
The now cold hot chocolate escaped his mug just slightly as a voice interrupted his concentration. "—I didn't mean to disturb you." Lana began to clean up the mess while eyeing him woefully.
"You weren't disturbing me at all. I was just off in my head." He replied with a smile.
Lana arched a brow slightly, expressing the belief that she thought whatever occupied Clark's thoughts were important. The look on his face had said just as much. "I'm on break now. If you aren't busy then maybe you could keep me company for a little while."
Clark eyed the rest of the near empty Talon. "Sure, you need to steal a break while you can. This place is a real madhouse." He jested.
She sat down and didn't immediately regale him with stories of her day or the ins and outs of what it took to be Lana Lang. It's amazing how much she's grown up, how much she's changed. Her time in Paris was very beneficial to her.
"Now, why don't you tell me what's on your mind?" Lana's face was open and beckoning for him to speak. He didn't realize it until another waitress had asks for Lana's help that's he's been talking to her for nearly an hour.
Lana smiled at the girl, indicating with a nod of her head that she would be coming shortly. "I think your dad is just a little preoccupied with thinking about the baby. But, I'm sure that he might be acting out sorts because you're graduating." She explained excitedly. " I think that might be exactly it, because he and Nell have been talking a lot more."
"Really?" His dad and Nell talking? That was truly news to him.
"I'm sure of it now. Don't worry, Clark. Go ahead and fix up the crib like you wanted." She moved to stand, and eyed him hard for a moment or two. Under the weight of her eyes, he felt like a specimen being examined until her gaze softened. "This kid will be lucky to have you as his or her older sibling."
"Thanks Lana."
She smiled at him before moving into through the filled tables. She had to be right, if there weren't some surprise why else would his dad be talking to Nell. Fantasies of a joint graduation party with Chloe, Pete, and Lana filled his head for the briefest moment.
He didn't have long to mull over what she said as a familiar pair of feet stop beside his table. "Clark, what are you doing here." Lex asked, concern riding high in his voice.
"Oh nothing. I wanted to get away from the farm for a while, so I thought I'd come here."
Lex 's winter day grey eyes darkened, and his mouth frowned just slightly. Clearly, he was hurt. "You know you could have come to the castle. You're always welcome, even when I'm not there."
Clark's blushing, a soft warm creeping red flow spreading across his cheeks as Lex's invitation sank deep inside.
"I just had a nice discussion with Lana, so I'm good to go." Clark said, as he stirred the dredges of his hot chocolate. .
The urge to touch Clark, to offer comfort was far too great. Lex settled for a slight nod, and another round of reassurances. "If you're not busy, then I'd really like some company. That studio forwarded a copy of the Warrior Angel sequel, and I thought you could keep my critiquing to a minimum."
Clark's smile was bright, free and completely unguarded. "Sure, I'll see you later." Neither said it was a date, but with the way things were progressing, it was only a matter of time before the first, or second kiss as Lex recalled correctly would seal the deal.
Lex offered to give him a ride home, so Clark found himself ensconced in the nice inviting leather seats of Lex's newest vehicular dream. The purr of the engine alone made him want to melt. All the tension Clark had amassed bled out as Lex drove down Main Street. He saw his father's truck as they nearing Nell's flower shop.
"Lex , can you stop for a second?" He was already half unbuckled before Lex could even pull into an empty space.
Lex began to shut of the engine, when Clark's hand stopped him. "Something the matter?"
Clark shook his head vehemently. "Call it me being nosy." His cheeks were already coloring, making him look more mischievous than innocent.
Lex let him go with that. Clark saw that his dad's truck was some distance from Nell's. He smiled and nodded at passing people as he neared the shop. Truthfully, he felt more like a sneaky eight year old than a legal young man.
The front room of Nell's shop was full of flowers and plants. Strangely enough, it was dark and devoid of either Nell or his dad. A sign in the corner of a window said closed, though the front door was unlocked. Clark walked inside quietly. The wonderful fragrances get to him first. He's lucky that though his senses were magnified, he didn't have to worry about super-allergies. Part of him was tempted to call out to his dad. He stopped, realizing that would have defeated the whole reason for coming inside. It's not that unusual for a shop to be closed this late in the afternoon.
Something fell in the back of the shop. Curious, he walked around the counter. The closer he came, the more rhythmic the sound grew. Clark switched his vision to from normal to x-ray and searched through the back rooms. Almost immediately, his eyes land on two skeletons, locked in what appeared to be a struggle. The smaller of the two was seated on a high counter, legs akimbo as the other larger skeleton surged forward, wrapping its arms are the former.
Spurred into action, Clark rushed towards the door. Again, he stopped as the sounds from the room penetrated his heroic haze. Moans, grunts, the all too familiar sound of skin meeting skin. His hand was paused in front of the door knob, hovering for the signal to act. Clark focused his hearing, making the sounds beyond the door crystal clear.
"Jonathan, don't stop!" Nell moaned.
"God…so tight, Nell….So good." Jonathan half stammered and grunted.
His breath caught the moment Nell said his father's name. He held it, not in the least bit uncomfortable, as the pair beyond the continued their tryst. Clark wasn't sure when his vision slipped back into x-ray mode, but he could see his father so easily as he plowed into Nell repeatedly. There were no traces of meteor rock or a parasite. It appeared that his father was willfully committing adultery.
Nell's almost operatic words literally froze his blood. "I—I love…your visits."
Then, his vision was red and he was struggling to keep his heat vision under control. He backed away from the door, slowly, quietly—trying to leave no trace that he'd ever been there. Outside the shop, he furiously tried to tell himself that what he'd seen had been a hallucination.
His father would never.
Nell would never.
His feet pound the pavement; moving away from that place which he thought would forever haunt him. Clark registered a hand on his arm, pulling back. He turned to see Lex's face. Whatever was on his must have been terrible as Lex's expression slipped from curiosity to outright worried concern. "Clark?"
Words won't escape his mouth. Trapped inside the hollow tunnel of throat. He felt like he was in the midst of choking, drowning, suffocating, until Lex grabbed him and ushered him to the car. He collapsed inside, and folded himself in half as Lex put the car in motion. He couldn't dare look up and face the world. Not when his had just been destroyed before his very eyes.
Lex was driving fast, far faster than his normal ridiculous speed. Clark could only imagine that he was freaking his friend out. Though, he couldn't bring himself to care.
The car stopped a good two minutes before it was supposed to, and they sat in silence with the ticking of the engine the only noise around. Even the birds seem to be respectful of his plight. Lex's hand hovered like a pendulum, waiting to lower at the right moment. It finally did. Instantly, moving in circles across the fabric of his shirts. "Clark."
He was still too shocked to speak. Noises were coming out of him nonetheless, because Lex's hands unfolded him and force him to look Lex in the eye.
Clark was crying and freaking Lex out beyond belief. If he had thought it would do any good, Lex might have slapped him to reduce his hysteria, but he knew enough to know better.
"Clark, tell me what's wrong." Lex commanded. Another thing about Lex, he didn't get worried when something was out of his control. He instinctually forced the offending issue or person to be pliant enough to allow him to fix them. Clark was no different in this respect.
Hyperventilation was something Clark had only experienced once. It was a sensation he truthfully didn't want to ever repeat. The image of his father and Nell having sex combined with the knowledge that this was a semi-normal occurrence retriggered his body's one time experience.
Lex's hands clutched him tighter. "Breathe." Lex instructed. They were out of the car, walking into the castle, up the stairs and into a place Clark had never been. Lex seemed to be fine in lugging him around, not at all burdened by Clark's big frame.
They're sinking down onto the softest bed imaginable when Clark's breathing began to level out. Lex's only word was 'good' over and over again. When Clark's calmed and silent, he didn't break free of Lex's embrace. If anything, he moved closer and buried his face into Lex's exposed skin.
"I saw them." Clark whispered.
"Who?" Lex asked in an equally low voice.
"Nell and my d-dad." Clark flinched just saying their names. Just saying it made what he had seen far more real.
"What?"
"I saw them in the back of Nell's shop… They were together." Clark paused. "They were having sex."
Lex shifted up and away, giving him the ability to look down at Clark. "Are you sure you actually saw what you say you did?"
Clark's a combination of anger and unadulterated hurt. He felt raw and exposed. "I saw them and I heard them."
Lex was touching him again, patting and caressing him. "I'm so sorry, Clark. There has to be another explanation."
"I don't know what another explanation could be for what I saw. But, I know what I heard. Nell said—she basically said that this was not their first time." Clark rolled up to his elbows, almost nose to nose with Lex. "God, Lex. How long has this been going on? How could he do this to my mother?" Clark asked desperately.
Lex stared into his eyes, hypnotized by the display of green on pink. "I don't know, Clark. I've never been able to understand how anyone could betray the person they claimed to love the most."
Clark's head dropped to Lex's shoulder. "All those times, he blew me off….it was so he could see her." Tears sprang anew from the corners of his eyes and Lex allowed Clark to drench his shoulder.
"What do I do, Lex?" Clark pleaded. How was he to look his father in the face and not see what he'd done? Or how could he face his mother and know she'd been betrayed? She gave up everything for him.
"I don't know, Clark. Why don't you call your mother and tell her you're staying here for the night." Clark didn't question Lex. He called his mother on his cell phone and fought down the thickening of his voice. When he finished, he lay back down; Lex joining him shortly thereafter and they laid silently until the room filled with darkness.
How ironic that the first time he slept with Lex they didn't have sex.
When he woke up, Lex was still beside him, awake, and watching him as he silently. He felt a lot better, his mind just a bit clearer. It was still hard to think about what he'd seen the following day, but somehow he had. This was the type of crossroads a person never wanted to face; one where each direction held some other unsightly and less favorable outcome. Jumping off a cliff. Swimming with bloodthirsty sharks. Walking through fire. Out running and avalanche. None were appealing.
Lex knew he was awake but the sudden change in his breathing. "I'm sorry about yesterday." Clark half whispered.
A truly apologetic look filled Lex's eyes. "This is a horrible position to be in. No matter what, I'm here to help you decide your strategy."
Clark felt emotional again. Sensing the change in Clark's mood again, Lex shifted closer. His side pressed tightly against Clark's. "I'm sorry for doing this, Lex. I bet you have a lot of important things to do."
Lex's moods changed faster than anyone he'd ever met. Just as quickly Lex was back in his no nonsense mood. "There's nothing more important to me than making sure you're okay." This was as close as Lex had ever come to explicit saying how he felt for Clark.
The first kiss was tentative. Clark's lips barely lighting up Lex's. There was a pause, after which Clark drew back on slightly to gage Lex's reaction. Lex took the assessment out of his hands by swooping, and sealing their mouths together again. There kisses were long, needy and full of emotion that had yet to be unleashed. It didn't go farther than that, because Clark didn't have the energy and Lex knew it wasn't the right time.
The feel of Lex's arms around him was something Clark could grow used to. They lay in silence, and eventually slipped off to sleep, and out of the problems of this plane.
The week officially brought around the beginning of Martha's maternity leave. This also happened to coincide with the final days of school. He was at his mother's beck and call, always offering even when she wasn't wanting. The room was pretty much finished, though he was waiting for graduation day to show it to her.
He spent as much time with his mother as possible and every other second after that with Lex. The relationship was still very new, and despite the years of friendship. The ability to now touch each other was quite freeing and addictive. They were very adept to making out now and knowing the terrain of each other's bodies through clothes.
Clark had made it so that his life was pretty much a father free space, and from what he could tell, and knew from his distanced investigations, his father hadn't quite stopped seeing Nell yet. A stop had to come soon.
He actually wound up showing his mother the run a lot a few days prior to graduation. She was nearly overwhelmed by all the hard work he'd put into making everything perfect. The moment was even better, because Lex was there with a huge teddy bear and baby basket in tow. Jonathan missed it of course.
Funny, how it all culminated at graduation. As he walked across the stage, he could see his parents, and Lex, who sat in the back. Seeing him made his heart swell, just a bit. His mother hadn't been feeling too well for some days, but it's not until the end of the ceremony when all the families and grads had reunited that her water decided to break.
At the hospital, his father looked twitchy and nervous. Damn right, Clark thought. He was also giving Lex the worst look he could muster. Finally Jonathan pulled his son aside and leveled him with a serious question. "Why is that Luthor here?"
It was hard for Clark to look at this man and see that same one who taught him right from wrong. "Lex--" He over enounciated. "—Is here, because he's been my best friend for the past four years and as soon as we get to Metropolis--" He should pause and give his dad some warning, but he refusing to this time. "He'll also be my boyfriend."
Jonathan paled deeply. "That's right, Dad. If you had paid attention to what was happening around our house and not Nell--" Jonathan's mouth jogged up and down in utter shock. "I know, Dad. I've known for a while and I haven't said a damn thing to Mom."
His father sobered and looked ready to explain. Some things, though, were unforgiveable. "Don't worry, Dad. Mom has enough to worry about with me adding more to her plate. Just stop it okay, and remember Lex was the one that kept me from going to mom."
As they waited in the waiting room, just the three of them, it became all the more apparent that life as they knew it had changed. Lex's hand curled around Clark's as they sat across the room from Jonathan, who glared at the display with a look of supreme disapproval and consternation. This would be how life would be for them from then on. Facing disapproval and scorn, but supporting each other always.
His father had his shame to bear. Hopefully, he would disclose it to his mother rather than, heaven forbid Nell or someone else doing it for him. They were divided by love. A shrill wail resounded faintly from beyond the big metal double doors. Clark smiled in happiness.
The only thing left was the hope and convergence of their future.
The End