Lex wiped his streaming nose and eyes and sneezed explosively. One of the horses whickered at the noise and Lex glared at it. "I wasn't talking to you," he muttered, before continuing.
"He does want to apologize."
"I bet it wasn't his idea."
"Well, no, but he agreed instead of throwing anything so it would be a favor to me if you'd let him." He smiled persuasively, knowing that he'd played a strong card.
"Okay." Lex stepped out of the stable and waved to Clark, who was standing near the car, and walked towards them. Even though Lana didn't appear to be nervous, Lex positioned himself to be closer to her than to Clark.
"I'm really sorry," Clark muttered, keeping well back from her and looking at the ground. "I shouldn't have."
"It's good that you see that it's wrong, Clark." Lana tried to sound kind but distant.
"Yeah." *God, I must be in love. I feel so weird, like I'm going to fall over or something. Is that why they call it *falling* in love?* Clark prodded his foot back and forth, staring at the ground.
Lex punctuated the silence with another series of sneezes. Lana dug into her pockets and finding another tissue, stepped forward to hand to him. Clark felt his guts seem to twist as she passed near him, his head pounding as his vision blurred. *Wait, this feels more like when that guy...what's going on?* When Lana moved back, he was able to talk again. "Lex, we'd better go," he said, hastily, adding with a tiny smile, "before you shake the place down." Lex nodded, amidst another barrage of sneezes, and Clark turned back to Lana. "I'm really sorry, I mean it."
"Goodbye, Lex, Clark."
In the car, Clark moodily drummed his fingers on the doorhandle. *I wish I could ask Dad about why I get weak sometimes but he doesn't want to listen. If it keeps happening...sometimes I think that for him I'm just my abilities. If I didn't have those, he wouldn't even have adopted me...I might have been somebody else's kid...that'd be so weird...or what if it's because of her..does that mean I can't ever have a girlfriend? I don't want to be a freak like that, too!*
Lex noticed that Clark was covertly watching him. *Channeling Martha Kent, channeling Martha Kent. Try to look approachable.*
"Lex?"
*What about that, it worked!* "Uhm-hum?"
"What's it like, to be in love?"
*Mom *gave* him The Talk, didn't she?* "I wouldn't know, I've not been in love," he prevaricated.
"Oh, come on, you've even...well, you know...I mean, you've brought lots of girls home and..." Clark blushed.
"That wasn't being in love, that was-" Lex tried to search for euphemisms but the suggestions that came to mind weren't helpful. He cleared his throat. "It wasn't being in love, for them or for me. It was just, well, sex. Having a good time together."
Clark frowned. "Then how come you and Diana were always hitting one another? It didn't look like it was a good time..."
Lex remembered very few times when his jaw had dropped, but of them, this had to be the worst revelation and the worst timing. "Care to tell me how you know?"
"I watched. It was through the walls!" Clark added the last defensively, as if that made it not really watching.
*Just as well I *didn't* know about that particular ability or I sure wouldn't have been 'having a good time.' I was never much for an audience.* Another thought struck him. *Even if Mom had The Talk with him, I doubt that they discussed the finer points of rough play.* "That was...sometimes sex is more exciting if you and the person you're with pretend that you're fighting one another."
"Oh. I just thought it was gross."
*It wasn't for your benefit. I just hope I never find out what else he saw.* "I didn't know you could see through walls," Lex continued, cautiously.
Clark remembered that Lionel had ordered him never to tell Lex about this particular ability. *Well, what if it goes along with everything else?* "Yeah. It kind of happened a while ago. Uh, Lex, Dad did tell me not to tell you, so could you, like, not tell him I did?"
Lex nodded grimly. "It'll be our secret." *Luthors are good with secrets, anybody would have to give us that.*
"He does want to apologize."
"I bet it wasn't his idea."
"Well, no, but he agreed instead of throwing anything so it would be a favor to me if you'd let him." He smiled persuasively, knowing that he'd played a strong card.
"Okay." Lex stepped out of the stable and waved to Clark, who was standing near the car, and walked towards them. Even though Lana didn't appear to be nervous, Lex positioned himself to be closer to her than to Clark.
"I'm really sorry," Clark muttered, keeping well back from her and looking at the ground. "I shouldn't have."
"It's good that you see that it's wrong, Clark." Lana tried to sound kind but distant.
"Yeah." *God, I must be in love. I feel so weird, like I'm going to fall over or something. Is that why they call it *falling* in love?* Clark prodded his foot back and forth, staring at the ground.
Lex punctuated the silence with another series of sneezes. Lana dug into her pockets and finding another tissue, stepped forward to hand to him. Clark felt his guts seem to twist as she passed near him, his head pounding as his vision blurred. *Wait, this feels more like when that guy...what's going on?* When Lana moved back, he was able to talk again. "Lex, we'd better go," he said, hastily, adding with a tiny smile, "before you shake the place down." Lex nodded, amidst another barrage of sneezes, and Clark turned back to Lana. "I'm really sorry, I mean it."
"Goodbye, Lex, Clark."
In the car, Clark moodily drummed his fingers on the doorhandle. *I wish I could ask Dad about why I get weak sometimes but he doesn't want to listen. If it keeps happening...sometimes I think that for him I'm just my abilities. If I didn't have those, he wouldn't even have adopted me...I might have been somebody else's kid...that'd be so weird...or what if it's because of her..does that mean I can't ever have a girlfriend? I don't want to be a freak like that, too!*
Lex noticed that Clark was covertly watching him. *Channeling Martha Kent, channeling Martha Kent. Try to look approachable.*
"Lex?"
*What about that, it worked!* "Uhm-hum?"
"What's it like, to be in love?"
*Mom *gave* him The Talk, didn't she?* "I wouldn't know, I've not been in love," he prevaricated.
"Oh, come on, you've even...well, you know...I mean, you've brought lots of girls home and..." Clark blushed.
"That wasn't being in love, that was-" Lex tried to search for euphemisms but the suggestions that came to mind weren't helpful. He cleared his throat. "It wasn't being in love, for them or for me. It was just, well, sex. Having a good time together."
Clark frowned. "Then how come you and Diana were always hitting one another? It didn't look like it was a good time..."
Lex remembered very few times when his jaw had dropped, but of them, this had to be the worst revelation and the worst timing. "Care to tell me how you know?"
"I watched. It was through the walls!" Clark added the last defensively, as if that made it not really watching.
*Just as well I *didn't* know about that particular ability or I sure wouldn't have been 'having a good time.' I was never much for an audience.* Another thought struck him. *Even if Mom had The Talk with him, I doubt that they discussed the finer points of rough play.* "That was...sometimes sex is more exciting if you and the person you're with pretend that you're fighting one another."
"Oh. I just thought it was gross."
*It wasn't for your benefit. I just hope I never find out what else he saw.* "I didn't know you could see through walls," Lex continued, cautiously.
Clark remembered that Lionel had ordered him never to tell Lex about this particular ability. *Well, what if it goes along with everything else?* "Yeah. It kind of happened a while ago. Uh, Lex, Dad did tell me not to tell you, so could you, like, not tell him I did?"
Lex nodded grimly. "It'll be our secret." *Luthors are good with secrets, anybody would have to give us that.*