He was never much for self analysis. He had never really thought about why he had stayed in Seattle for so long, he just had. He knew that there were reasons, he just didn't like to think about them, so he didn't here either.
He spent the first week at Clarks. He found a few ways to keep himself entertained. He actually found himself liking Smallville. He'd only ever lived two places, Manticore and Seattle and Smallville was a long ways off from either of those places.
The more time he spent with Clark, the more and more he realized how exactly good Clark was. He wondered if Clark ever did anything bad. If he even had one of those teenage rebellion stages that most kids went through. Wondered if he had ever cut classes when he was still in high school for something other than to save someone's life.
He was very aware that the attraction that he had initially felt for Clark was only growing. The kicker was that it was for all those reasons. All the things that had drove him crazy in Logan had actually drawn him to Clark. Which might have been part of the reason he didn't leave Smallville, but again, he didn't analyze it.
Lex walked into the barn, looking around for Clark. He knew that Clark was still pissed at him, but he didn't want Clark thinking he'd put someone in danger, even if it was true. Plus, he had been thinking about what happened. He knew that he was right about Clark, he just couldn't figure out the change.
"So, your the bad guy in this story?" A voice said from behind him. Lex turned to find a young man sitting on the steps leading up to the loft. Dark green eyes met his.
"Some people seem to think so." Lex said casually. He put his hands in his pockets and stepped closer to the young man. He cocked an eyebrow over one green eye. A bag of chips sat in his hand and the kid looked like he had just woken up, his dark blonde hair a mess.
"Uh huh." He said, shrugging. "Some people right?" He asked. Lex let a small smile play on his lips.
"If I were the bad guy, wouldn't I just lie?" He asked right back. The kid shrugged again.
"Point." He said, smile tugging at his own lips.
"Who are you anyways?" Lex asked. "What are you doing in the Kent's farm?"
"I'm a friend." He said. "Staying here for a few days."
"A friend, huh?" Lex asked.
"Clark's friend." He specified. He stretched his legs downward, bare feet hitting the floor before getting up off the stairs.
"And your Lex Luthor." He said matter of factly.
"Well, you know my name, but what's yours?" The kid considered him for a moment.
"Alec." He said. Lex actually nodded at that.
"Ah, your the kid who was with the Kent's and Lana when everything went down here." He said, narrowing his eyes.
"Yep." Alec said, still with that casually amused air. "Clark's not here by the way." He leaned forward a little. "And I'm pretty sure that even if he were, he'd throw your ass out."
"Well, I know he's pretty angry with me right now." Alec snorted.
"Yeah, well. Hiring guys to threaten his parents and girlfriend, what do you expect?"
"Is that what Clark told you?" Lex asked, small smile still in place. "And you believe everything you hear?"
"Why do you even care what I believe?"
"I don't." Lex said with a sigh.
"Then why so defensive?" He asked, grinning.
"People tend to get that way when someone's attacking their character." He said. Alec snorted again and then held up his hands.
"Oh, I wasn't attacking your character. I was just stating a fact."
"Lex." Alec and Lex both turned to find Clark standing just inside the barn. "What are you doing here?" He walked over to him, and Lex raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about the fact that Clark stood almost in front of Alec in a sort of defensive position. From the eye roll that Alec gave him, Lex guessed he noticed it too.
"I just came to talk." Lex said, raising his hands.
"I think we did all our talking already. You need to leave." Lex, small smile still in place, nodded.
"If that's the way you want it, Clark." He said, walking out. As soon as he got out, he stopped at his car, remembering what the kid he had hired had said after Clark had saved the day yet again. His small smile grew as he gave one more glance at the barn before hopping in his car.
"You should be careful." Clark said as soon as he heard Lex's car pull out of the driveway. Alec rolled his eyes again and started up the stairs to the loft, Clark behind him.
"I can take care of myself." He said.
"Lex is dangerous." Clark insisted. "And connected."
"No shit." Alec flopped back down on the couch. "He is a billionaire." Clark actually let out a frustrated breath and sat down on the table across from him.
"Alec, whatever secret your hiding, trust me, Lex will not be as discreet about it."
"Why the hell would he be interested in me?" Alec asked, furrowing his brow. Clark gave him a look like he was being stupid or something.
"Lex has been obsessed with me for years and I'm just a farm boy." Alec chewed his lip thoughtfully.
"You really think he hired those guys?" He asked finally.
"I know he did." He sighed and got up. Still in thought, Alec moved his feet so Clark could sit down on the other end of the couch. Resting an elbow on the arm of the couch, Clark rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"I used to never think he would do something like that."
"Yeah, well. People surprise you." Alec said quietly. He wondered if Clark would give him the same look he had given Lex if he found out the things he had done in his past.
"Yeah." Clark said. Alec switched on the TV to some music channel and they sat in silence for a while, Alec resting one foot on the side of Clark's thigh.
Clark and Alec actually became pretty good friends during the week that Alec stayed at his house. Well, as close of friends that they could be with neither of them talking about their past.
Clark had decided not to lie anymore, but the problem was the only way he could really do that was to not talk about his past to much, so he kept to his family and the town and the things that he could talk about. Alec, it seemed, at made that same decision.
Clark told him about the town, about his parents, some about his friendship with Lex. Alec told him a few things about Seattle and about some of the people that he had worked with there.
Still, Clark knew barely anything about Alec. He didn't ask about Alec's big secret for more than one reason. One reason, of course, was that he really had no right to push someone to reveal their secrets when he wouldn't. The other was that whatever this secret was, he could tell that it hurt Alec.
He had only seen it a couple of times. Alec was insanely good at hiding his emotions but Clark had caught the flash of pain in his green eyes at times. He wondered what had happened to Alec to cause that but didn't ask.
He had only known Alec for a week and already felt a connection to him. He knew Alec was different. He'd seen the way he fought, the way he had moved when those guys had taken them. Then there was the fact that he should have died from that shock.
He knew that Alec wasn't affected by the meteors. He'd never been to Smallville, or at least that was what he said. He'd met people with powers that didn't live there, though.
Alec was...confusing to him and he thought he might have a little bit of a crush on his friend. He had spent the first two days after realizing that one completely freaked out and a little bit nervous around him.
In the end, though, the fact that he was in love with Lana, that crushes didn't matter when he was in love, and Alec's easy going manner had relaxed him a little.
He may have been straight, but it wasn't like he'd never had crushes on guys before. Just nothing ever strong enough to go for. It had always been about Lana for him, and even the near to six month fascination that he had had with Lex after first meeting him hadn't compared to that. He loved Lana, and some meaningless crush didn't compare to that and that was all the thing with Lex was and all the thing with Alec was.
It was midweek when Clark went up to the loft to see if Alec was awake and saw something that had him even more worried. Alec hadn't been feeling well the day before. He didn't say anything and shrugged off concern but Clark could tell that he had been a little off.
He had found Alec, sound asleep on the couch and in the clutches of what looked like a bad nightmare. He was moving restlessly on the couch and making small sounds of pain. The groan that came from him had Clark rushing over to him to wake him up.
"Alec." He said, grabbing his shoulders. Instead of waking Alec up, though, he actually began to struggle against Clark's hold and Clark found out first hand how strong Alec really was.
He threw Clark off of him easily and sat straight up on the couch, breathing heavily. Clark landed painfully a few feet away and stared at his friend. Alec looked around the room a little wildly at first before his gaze landed on Clark and his eyes cleared.
"Alec?" Clark said warily, getting up.
"Clark, what-" He stopped short and groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. Clark shrugged even though Alec couldn't see him.
"No damage done." He said, sitting down beside Alec's feet and watching him. "That must have been some nightmare." He said. Alec lowered his hands.
"Yeah, I guess." He said quietly.
"Are you alright?" Alec met his gaze and smirked, but Clark caught the bitterness that flashed in his eyes momentarily.
"Always." He sighed, laying back. When Clark didn't say anything, Alec lifted his head and met his gaze again. "I'm fine, man." He insisted. "I'll be alright." Clark hesitated before nodding.
"Well, breakfast is ready, if you want some." Alec nodded.
"I'll be there in a minute." Clark nodded one more time before getting up.
Alec waited until he knew that Clark was gone before he let out a curse and punched his pillow. Something was wrong with him.
He'd had nightmares before, of course, but this one was so vivid. Not that he hadn't had those before either, he was just usually quieter about them.
And then there was the fact that Clark had come up on him while he had been sleeping without him knowing it. His training and genetics should not have allowed that, not even while he was sleeping.
He'd been feeling slightly weak too. Something was definitely wrong and he never got sick, his genetics wouldn't allow that either. Maybe something was wrong with his genetics.
He got up slowly from the couch and then wavered when the room spun slightly. What the hell is wrong with me?