Lex and Clark sat up talking for most of the night. Clark told Lex about college, and how he had fallen in love with journalism. He talked about interning at the planet with Chloe, and how he had gotten his job. Lex talked about safe topics, the good times they had in Smallville, business, that sort of thing.

He was very careful, Clark noted, to stay away from subjects like his father, the asylum, And even his mother. Lex was very sensitive about his family. He and his mother had a good relationship, while she was still alive, but after she died, Lex had basically had to raise himself.

Lionel Luthor is a total bastard, Clark thought to himself. He didn't think he would ever find anyone who would disagree with him, unless Lionel himself where actually in the room at the time.

Clark talked about college, his job, his family. When Lex asked about his friends, he began to talk rapidly about a reporter he worked with named Lois Lane. Lex couldn't help but notice he was even more excited about her than he had ever been about Lana Lang. He mentioned this to Clark who blushed and shrugged his shoulders.

Lex put his arm around the younger man's shoulder. Clark's mouth went dry, and he wanted to shrink away, but he knew Lex would be angry if he did. Instead, he tried to concentrate on keeping his cool.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lex had always been observant, and even now he was damn good at it. Part of it was because of how his father had pushed him to make sure and watch everyone very carefully. . .

Trust no one, that's what his Lionel always said. . .

The other part was just because of Lex's naturally high IQ. People didn't realize how thin their so called disguises really where.

"Nothing," Clark lied and looked away. He felt Lex's hand on the back of his neck, moving slowly down his spine. Lex was being extremely and unusually gentle. "I guess I. . ." Clark sighed.

"I'm sorry." Lex backed off. "I—do you want to go back to your place? I can have a car out in front in like five min—"Clark moved closer, pressed his body to Lex's, and kissed the older man.

"Lex?"

"Yeah, Clark?" He picked up the phone. Clark, who outweighed Lex by at least 100 lbs, pushed his hand down, dropping the phone into its cradle.

"I wanna stay." They kissed again, longer this time, and more passionately. Lex moaned.

"I love you, Clark." The boy—man, Lex kept reminding himself, stop thinking of him as a kid, he'd hate that—smiled as if he were still a child. Not just any child, but a child who had discovered that Santa Clause not only existed, but had decided to only give presents to one child, and that was him.

"I love you too, Lex." There was an awkward silence and then, "how come you never said that before tonight?"

"I wanted to. But, I've been in so many relationships that have been screwed up, either by me, or by my father, and I was scared. Clark, I didn't want to end our friendship, and I knew that the minute I said 'I love you,' things were going to change. I was terrified that you might not say it back, or—"Lex stopped. "I don't know what else I thought. I was stupid, forgive me?"

"Of course. But. . .I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Do what?"

"Talk about yourself like you're the most pitiful person on earth."

"Oh." Lex looked at his feet. He mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" Clark tried to kiss him once again, but this time Lex was the one who pushed his lover away.

"I'm gonna call that car for you."

"Why? What's going on? Lex, come on talk to me, please!" Clark begged. He dropped to his knees in front of Lex. "I don't want to go, and I know you don't want me to leave. Talk to me. Like the old days, Lex."

"It's not the old days any more, Clark, and in case you haven't noticed, this isn't Smallville. Things are different. People change. I've changed, you changed. I'm sorry you got—"Clark grabbed Lex and pulled their bodies as closer than Lex ever would have thought humanly possible. But then again Clark wasn't exactly human.

"When you said 'I love you' just now, was that a lie?" Lex tried to look away but Clark held his head still. Luthor closed his eyes. "Stop that. I'm talking to you."

"No, Clark, it wasn't a lie. I meant it."

"Then why the hell are you acting like this?"

"I'm scared, Clark. I don't know what's going to happen."

"Me either and I'm scared too."

"Yeah, right." Lex fought to get away from Clark. He would have succeeded had Clark been anyone else on the planet. And after that, Lex could have talked his way out of the situation. He could have gotten the person to leave. But this wasn't anyone else. This was Clark Kent. This was the boy who had saved his life that afternoon of the accident. This was the boy who had always trusted him. And Lex couldn't stop himself from hurting Clark anymore than he could stop himself from hurting any other person.

"I am, Lex. But we can't give up just because we're scared. Right? I mean what is that you always used to say to me?"

"There were a lot of things that I used to say to you; I didn't think you listened to a single one." Lex said without any emotion, but Clark knew he meant it to sound sarcastic.

"I listened to everything you ever said. I love you, Lex. I have since the day we met. I was scared then too, but I watched you and I realized that you loved me too, but I still wanted to hear it. It hurt that you never said anything."

"I'm sorry." Lex said.

"I don't think you mean that. You might feel bad that you hurt me, but you aren't sorry for how you acted then, and you're not sorry for how you acted tonight, except for maybe that thing with the Kryptonite."

"Clark how could you—"

"How could I say something like that? It's not too hard to say stuff like that when it's true." Lex sighed, he knew Clark was right. There was another awkward silent pause.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." Clark said angrily. Lex kissed the younger man, trying to calm him down. He kissed back.

"Sometimes I just feel like . . . like there's something wrong with me." Clark gasped, but Lex put his fingers over his mouth. "I'm like a badly bruised piece of fruit. A rotten apple."

Clark held tightly to the older man. He kissed Lex, trying to give him all the love that was in his body. Lex and Clark both began to cry. Clark stopped himself, and tried his best to make Lex comfortable, but said nothing to make him stop crying. He knew that Lex was the kind of person who never dealt with his emotions and sometimes they got to be too much. Everyone needs a good cry once in a while, for Lex it was a hell of a less often then most other people, and it was a lot harder for him.

"There's a big difference between a bruised apple and a rotten one. Sure there are parts of you that your dad screwed up by treating you like a robot instead of a child. And yeah a lot of people fucked you over in life, and you fucked a lot of people over. And you aren't the purest person on the planet, but Lex you aren't all bad. There's still a lot of good in you."

"Like what?"

"You saved me tonight." Lex opened his mouth to protest. "I don't think you really knew what was going to happen when you put that piece of Kryptonite on my chest, did you?" Lex shook his head. "I didn't think so. And you took it away; I bet there are lots of people who wouldn't have done that. If you were really as bad as you think you are, you would have just fucked me and then left me to die, or God only knows what else."

"Clark?"

"I love you Lex, and you're not going to get rid of me after one bad night."

"So you're gonna stay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"So, um, now what?"

"I think you know the answer to that." Lex smiled his first real smile in a long time. He had been right about Clark all along. He wasn't human. He was something much better.

Sorry for the cliché last line, but I wasn't sure what else to do. And besides, it's just a fan fiction after all. :-P