Twist Upside-down

by

Kelsey

Disclaimer: SV and Superman belong to so many people I'm not going to list them all here, okay? Just be assured they don't belong to me.

***Author's Note: If you're confused, this is how it goes: Prologue, chapter 2, etc... are in current time. Chapter 1, etc, (odd number) will be flashbacks for a while. If it says '_ weeks ago' at the top, it's a flashback. If not, it's in current time.***

Set-up: 2nd season, post- "Insurgence." AU after that, though I may or may not roughly follow the events of later eps. Clex, established relationship.

Summary: When a deadly illness befalls Lex, Clark will stand at his side. But what will the effect be upon their relationship with each other and the rest of their loved ones? Clex.

Rating: Will change as we go. This chapter: PG

Chapter Two - Scared

Lex could see the news sink in as Clark's body slumped. "Oh, god." Lex didn't respond, just let his lover try to make sense of everything before he spoke again.

Moving a little more sluggishly than usual with the shock, Clark hopped off the deck and moved around behind it. Behind the desk was Lex's sacred space, something he really wasn't fond of anyone entering, even Clark, but as his boyfriend, the occasional trespass was overlooked. Lex stood up by habit, and Clark grabbed him, hugging him tightly to his body.

Lex melted. Against his will, his body started to shake with adrenaline and fear from the diagnosis, and he collapsed against Clark, who easily held him up. He didn't allow the tears that he felt threatening to fall- he was a Luthor, and he wasn't that far gone. But he couldn't seem to get his body to stop shivering.

Clark hugged him for a long few minutes, then stepped away and took Lex's hand to lead him out of the study. "C'mon. Let's go sit down, huh?"

Lex just nodded and followed him.

Clark led them confidently to the room that he supposed could be called Lex's living room- really, though, it was too posh for that title. Anyway, it had a couch, and it was where he and Lex curled up to watch television, so it fulfilled all the basic functions of a living room. Of course, it was also nearly as large as the Kents' entire house and had a bar in the back corner, but Clark wasn't having any trouble overlooking that at the moment.

Sitting down on the couch, Clark reached out for Lex, who let himself be pulled down against the firm wall of his lover's flesh. Sitting there, curled together, they were silent for long moments. Then, Clark spoke, needing to have his questions answered despite the urging in his head to just comfort Lex and leave them for later.

"Where are you going?"

"Metropolis."

"When do you go... go to the hospital?" He asked.

Lex sighed. "Friday."

"Shouldn't you go right away?"

"I have people to reassign, jobs to shuffle, paperwork to do, that's the earliest I can manage." His tone was clipped.

Clark turned Lex's head to face his, and cupped his skull in both hands. He could read the fear that Lex wasn't willing to admit to shining in his lover's eyes, but he couldn't lose Lex, not when he'd just found him, and it really wouldn't be any less scary on Friday. "Lex..."

Lex didn't respond, just shifted his eyes so that he wasn't meeting Clark's gaze.

"Lex, please? I don't know much, but every minute counts, I know that much."

"I really can't, Clark."

"Then give me a list of things that need to be done. I'll go to Mr. Sullivan, and I'm sure we can get them finished for you. I... I can't lose you." He paused. "Please, for me?"

Lex moved his eyes again to meet Clark's. He was silent for a long moment, just studying the look in the teenager's eyes. Clark's eyes were deep and blue, and full of the most honest concern Lex had ever seen aimed at him. He sighed. "Okay."

Clark hugged him briefly, and kissed his head. "Thank you," he murmured, and Lex leaned back against him again.

A moment later, Lex pulled away, though, and reached for his phone. Clark held onto his waist, keeping him firmly on his lap, but didn't interfere. Lex's fingers shook a little as he dialed, but his voice was steady. "Dr. Manson?"

Dr. Manson replied, and Clark heard the murmur of his voice, but couldn't make out the words. Well, he could, if he tried, but this was Lex's phone call.

Lex's voice was smooth, calm and emotionless. "I'll be in the hospital tonight. Alert whoever needs to know."

The conversation went on for a few more moments, then Lex hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. Leaning back against Clark for a moment, he gathered his energy and sprung from the couch. Putting out his hand, he reached for Clark, who grabbed it and stood up. Silently, Lex walked them to his bedroom and then let go of Clark's hand to start packing.

Clark sat down on the bed and watched as Lex pulled shirts, pants and ties from his closet, smoothing them into the neatest piles of clothing Clark had ever seen in a suitcase. He added socks and underwear, undershirts and an old pair of sweats that Clark had only seen once- when Lex was really, really drunk. They were ratty and said 'Metropolis U' on them, but they looked well loved.

Grabbing something from his night-table, Lex threw it into the suitcase and slammed the lid. Then he efficiently gathered his soap, toothbrush and things from the bathroom, added them to the mix, and latched the bag. "Okay," he told Clark, his voice dull, "Wish me luck."

Clark shook his head. "I'm coming with you," he told him.

"You can't. It's four-thirty already, it'll be eight before we get to Metropolis."

"I'm coming, Lex."

The tone in his voice said 'don't argue with me, you won't win,' but Lex had always been one to play the odds. "What about your parents?"

"I'll tell them something. I'm coming, Lex, and you won't talk me out of it."

He sighed, then nodded and motioned to the suitcase. Giving as much of a tiny smile as he could manage, he handed it to Clark. "If you're so determined, you might as well make yourself useful," he told him, so Clark took the bag and Lex's hand, and followed him down the stairs to the front door.

"There'll probably be press all over this already," Lex told him. "They always seem to have their noses pointed in the right direction whenever I don't want them to look." He managed a weak smirk. "They're damn bloodhounds, and I can guarantee that you'll be on the front page of the paper tomorrow if you come with me. Are you sure you can handle that?"
Clark nodded. "I'll be okay."

Lex shrugged, and stepped into the car. It was black, almost large enough to be a limousine, with extremely darkly tinted windows and a partition between driver and passengers. Clark gave the luggage to the driver, who loaded it into the trunk, and joined Lex.

The three-hour ride to Metropolis was quiet. Lex sat staring into space for most of it, and Clark only tried to talk to him once. After that, he was satisfied simply by holding Lex, who, though apparently wasn't thrilled with the idea, put up with it. Clark felt a little selfish, after all it was Lex who had to deal with this, but he needed to be in physical contact with his lover right then, and Lex would allow it, he knew, even when he didn't really want it. So, knowing that, he cuddled up right next to the billionaire and rested his chin on Lex's shoulder, staring into space every bit as blankly as Lex.

When they finally arrived, Lex had been right and the paparazzi was waiting for them in a frenzy of flashing lightbulbs. Clark picked up the luggage, careful not to take Lex's hand, as much as he wanted to, and followed the billionaire into the quiet of the hospital itself.

Three doctors met Lex at the front desk and escorted him up to the oncology floor. They didn't pay much attention, really to Clark, so he just trailed on Lex's heels. When they reached Lex's room, he put down the suitcase by the end of the bed and waited as Lex discussed something with the doctors. Without intending to, he sort of zoned out, over-adrenaline from the last few hours pushing him quickly into mental exhaustion.

"Now?" Lex asked, and Clark abruptly snapped back to the real world.

Doctor number one, he decided he'd call her, replied. "Mr. Luthor, you checked in here for treatment. We'd like to get that started as soon as possible."

Lex sighed, and Clark stepped up closer behind him, careful not to touch him while other people were in the room. It was Lex's rule, not Clark's, but while he usually hated it, he admitted he wasn't really ready to deal with the repercussions should his and Lex's relationship hit the public eye.

Still, that didn't stop him from moving up behind Lex and invading his personal space rather thoroughly, offering his presence as a support if he couldn't offer his touch.

"Fine."

The doctors were all professional now, and two of them quickly disappeared. Doctor number one pulled a gown out of a cabinet and handed it to Lex, who immediately shook his head. "No."

"Sir, it's sterile and it really provides us with the best access..."

Lex rolled his eyes minutely, then nodded reluctantly. The doctor, apparently satisfied, stepped out of the room and closed it behind her. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she called as she disappeared.

"What do they want?" Clark asked, only a little embarrassed to have to ask. He knew Lex was zoning a little himself.

Lex started to strip, and dropped his clothes on the bed as he took them off, one piece at a time. It struck Clark as almost funny that he wasn't as compulsively neat here as he would be anywhere else, but he didn't know why. "They want a spinal tap."

Clark grimaced. He didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound fun. "Do you want me to stay?" He asked.

Lex didn't reply. Clark took it for a yes. Sometimes, even after a year and a half of friendship and two months of being lovers, Lex still didn't want to appear like he was leaning on Clark, even when he was or desperately needed to. Therefore, Clark had become fairly adept in Lex-language, which was like a rather complicated form of reading between the lines. "Okay," he replied, so that Lex would know he understood the unspoken message.

Lex pulled on the gown, and turned so that his back was to Clark, holding out the ties. Without a word, Clark tied them, and then sat back on the bed when his lover did. He tuned in his hearing as best as he could and then reached out to rub a hand up and down Lex's stiff back, knowing that spoken comfort would be useless at the moment.

He drew away reluctantly when he heard the doctors coming back. This time, there were only two of them, and a nurse, too. They worked efficiently, setting their things up on a tray and explaining the procedure. The more he heard about it, the less Clark liked it, but he didn't let any of his feelings show on his face, because he knew that Lex needed him calm.

The nurse swiftly undid the ties Clark had just done on the back of Lex's gown, and the doctor pulled the cloth from the tray, revealing what was on it. Clark paled a little, he knew, but Lex's face stayed perfectly composed.

"Okay, I need you to curl up on your side in a fetal position with your back near the edge of the bed," the first doctor told him. "I won't lie to you, this is going to hurt, but I need you to stay still."

Lex nodded as he lay down, and the doctor continued. "You're going to want to stay very still for about half an hour after this, too, or you'll probably get nauseous." She glanced at Clark. "Do you want him to stay?"

Knowing that Lex didn't want to answer that question, Clark did it for him. "He does."

Getting no reply from Lex, the doctor nodded reluctantly and moved around behind him. Clark crouched down on the floor in front of his lover and surreptitiously took his hand. Lex clutched it, harder than Clark knew he meant to, because he loosened it quickly, trying, even now, not to show worry. Clark never hated Lionel more than when Lex was scared, because Lex could be terrified, scared to death of something, and he still wouldn't allow himself to lean on anyone else. 'Trust no one' had been ingrained in him at an early age, and it wouldn't go away so quickly.

The doctor swiped a cloth over the middle of Lex's back, and he shivered, though whether it was from cold or fear, Clark wasn't sure. Since Lex wouldn't hold onto him, Clark tightened his grip gently around Lex's hand, and held on.

Lex twisted his eyes shut and twin tears appeared in the corners of both as the needle slid between his vertebrae and into his spinal column. Clark leaned down, uncaring of the doctor's presence, and kissed them away, then continued to press kisses gently against his lover's face as more tears appeared.

Lex's body was taut and his face was pale, his breaths extremely shallow. Clark ran a hand over his bald head and spoke in a soothing tone. "Lex, breathe. You have to breathe."

The billionaire seemed to gather himself slightly, and he opened his mouth and took a deep breath. It seemed to hurt him, because he winced, but his face grew slightly less pale and his body relaxed infinitesimally.

The doctor sat up behind him and handed the syringe to the nurse who was waiting for it. "There," she told them softly. "All done."

Lex didn't respond, and Clark just nodded. The doctor pressed a hand to Lex's head gently, trying to convey her sympathy it seemed, and Clark didn't blame her. In this position, Lex didn't look anything like the threatening business man he usually was, in fact, he seemed young and injured and the doctor's maternal instincts had clearly noticed.

Clark continued to hold Lex's hand with one of his, and stroked his face gently with the other as the nurse and remaining doctor packed the tray up again and disappeared. Lex didn't open his eyes for a long minute, but when he did they were full of pain that he had clearly pressed back as far as possible in his mind.

"Hey," Clark said softly. "You gonna be okay?"

Lex started to nod, then remembered he didn't want to do that. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for another few moments, then Lex spoke again. "Call your parents," he told Clark, clearly trying not to give him a choice in the matter.

"I'm not leaving you." Clark was just as adamant.

"My phone's in my coat pocket. Use it." His eyes told Clark that this was something he wasn't going to get out of doing, so, reluctantly, he let go of Lex and grabbed the phone out of his jacket, returning to the chair beside the bed with it clutched firmly in his fist.

Dialing his phone number, he braced himself for the irate-parent response this was definitely going to warrant. It was nine o'clock at night on a weekday, and he was going to be in big trouble. He could only hope his mother would answer the phone, because at least then he might have the chance to get a word in edgewise.

Fate, or whatever divine influence he believed in was with him, and Martha Kent picked up the phone at the farm. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom."

"Clark! Where are you?! Where have you been?! Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry."

Her worry fading a little, Martha picked up the stress in her son's voice. "Clark? Is everything alright?"

Clark sighed. "Not really."

"Did another mutant something happen? I hadn't heard anything- are you alright?"

"I'm fine, and no, another mutant thing didn't happen. I'm in Metropolis."

"You're in Metropolis?" Martha sounded suspicious, but willing to listen, so far.

"I'm at the hospital. Mom... Lex is sick."

Martha seemed to need to digest that for a moment or two, and then she replied again. "Oh? Well... why are you in Metropolis, with Lex?" She sounded cautious, like she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Just a sec, okay?" Clark motioned to Lex that he was going outside to continue the conversation, and Lex gave him as much of a smile as he could. As much as he didn't want to leave Lex's side, he wanted to continue this next to his lover even less. Closing the door behind him, Clark leaned against the wall just outside Lex's room.

"There was no one else who would have come, and as much as he won't admit it, he's scared, Mom."

Martha softened a little, having taken somewhat of a liking to Lex during his frequent visits to the Kent household. "What's wrong, Clark?"
Clark sighed, his voice shaking a little. Lex might be scared, that was certainly true, but what he neglected to mention was that Clark was scared, too. He knew how serious this was- he knew that Lex might not make it through this, and Clark really didn't have a clue how he'd manage if that happened. "He's got leukemia."

Martha's breath drew in quickly enough that Clark could hear it over the phone. "Oh, god, Clark."

"Yeah. That's what I said."

[Prologue] [Sleepy] [Scared]