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: The rating I've given this chapter seemed a little on the edge to me. So let me know if you think it needs to go up. It probably will in the future, anyway.

Author's Note 2: As you probably have noticed by now, I've decided that this definitely goes AU after 'Insurgence.' So, no parallel to canon after that.

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 Five - Appetite

1 week earlier:

Clark zipped through the fields on his way to Lex's house. It had become a ritual by now, something that all his friends and parents were acquainted with extremely well. He would go to school, sometimes stay after to work on the Torch with Chloe, but he almost always had time to drop by the castle and check up with Lex. Most of the time he did his homework there so that he could stay later, and then he would go home for dinner. Since he'd already done his homework, he could do his chores after he ate with his family, and in this way get the 'Maximum Life in Minimum Time,' as Chloe called it, having practiced it herself for years.

"Lex!" He called, dropping his backpack unceremoniously by the door. He could come get it when he needed it, and for now, he was tired of carrying it. Though he didn't really feel weight like other people did, he was conscious of it, and it was bound to get annoying after eight hours of school.

"In here, Clark." Not like Clark actually needed to ask. Lex could be found in his study with almost un-erring accuracy during most of the day, and his answer just confirmed what Clark already knew. Picking up his backpack again, he trotted towards the sound of his lover's voice.

The billionaire leaned over his desk to greet Clark with a kiss, something that still sent a thrill through him at its easy casualness. Lex was never all that open emotionally, but he'd let Clark in to a degree that was unparalleled in his life, and the teenager loved how familiar it felt to just have his boyfriend greet him with a kiss like any other pair of lovers.

Clark looked down at the pile of work on the desk and frowned. "Hard day?"

Lex sighed. "Hard week. Hard month. But yes, today is worse than the rest, in terms of the Olympic-sized mound of paper you're looking at."

"What's going on?"

Lex smiled. "LexCorp is gaining followers. It's good, it's just getting busy."

"Do you need to work for a while?"

The billionaire frowned. "I don't want to. You came all the way over here..."

Clark leaned over and kissed him quickly. "Lex. It's okay. I've got homework I can do, and you can read your reports, and we can make fun of stupid things people say." It had become somewhat of a ritual for them, when Lex did work while Clark was over, to make fun of anything they could find that was even mildly amusing. Clark considered it a way to loosen up Lex, and Lex considered it a way to make Clark work his intellect in 'actually useful ways.'

Clark had once inquired why such a skill as finding humor in anything was useful, and Lex had told him that humor was a great tension-breaker, and therefore, if one could find it anywhere they looked, one was always ready to break any tension that might gather between people that didn't know one another. Clark had shook his head and accused Lex of always thinking like a business man, and Lex had questioned why then Clark did it. To which he responded that it was fun.

From then on, every time Clark did his homework and Lex worked, they played with the mistakes and unintentional jokes and puns in the reports. Clark liked to make fun of the way that people sucked up to Lex, but Lex needed more work to find that particular aspect of the emails and letters amusing. Not that it mattered to Clark, that just meant he'd have to do more of it until his billionaire boyfriend got the idea of exactly how amusing fifteen 'sir's in four paragraphs was. Especially four paragraphs about the functioning of a crap factory.

They chatted amiably over paperwork for a couple of hours before Lex stretched, yawned and ran his hand over his bald head. "Want a snack?" He asked Clark, aware that the teenager could rarely go more than a few hours before being hungry.

Clark gave him his patented 'Clark-grin' as Lex referred to it, swearing that it was so unique it could be called nothing else, and nodded at the familiar study break. "Yeah. What is it today?"

Lex shrugged. "Dunno. The cook makes whatever she feels like, and leaves it in little boxes so that I don't get confused by my massive kitchen." He grinned. "It wouldn't be all that hard."

Clark shook his head. "Geez, Lex, I know servants are supposed to make things easier for you, but don't you need to know your way around the kitchen in case you want a snack at midnight or something? And what I meant was, you haven't tried today's snack yet?" Usually, Lex would have sampled the snack by this time in the afternoon. Though he ate lightly compared to Clark, his high metabolism was evident and he was a fan of religious exercise as well. Therefore, he'd almost always nibbled on something outside of a meal by five-thirty in the afternoon.

Lex shook his head. "I wasn't hungry. And I don't eat in the middle of the night. It's bad for digestion." Clark didn't question, it wasn't his business. He wasn't going to be a mother-hen to Lex, as much as he wanted to sometimes. Not snacking during the day wouldn't hurt his lover, and besides, now the snack was a surprise.

It turned out that the cook had made them brownies that day, and Clark sat down happily with two huge chunks of the dessert and an enormous glass of milk. Idly, he wondered how much Lex spent on feeding him every afternoon, but decided that wasn't something he was going to feel guilty about. After all, if anyone could afford to keep Clark in food, it was Lex.

Lex took one of the brownies, broke it in half with delicate fingers and sat down next to Clark. He nibbled on the sides occasionally, but mostly just watched his lover eat. Clark didn't complain, he felt like Lex's gaze was devouring him, which was not at all an unpleasant sensation. When Lex broke up the brownie in his hand and fed it to Clark, he didn't complain either. Lex fingers, covered in chocolate and in his mouth... what was there to complain about?

The cook wandered in from wherever she'd been, a moment later, and Clark just glanced over at her before continuing to lave Lex's fingers seductively inside his mouth with a wet tongue. Lex was focused entirely on Clark now, watching his fingers disappear into the hot, wet cavern and then flicking his eyes to see his lover's eyes. They were as close to totally engrossed in each other as an alien with super-senses could be.

Though he was a little uncomfortable doing this in front of the servants and would never have considered it with any of the other help in the room, Clark knew the cook. Lex was always joking about the fact that with how much he ate, he ought to know more cooks, but in reality, the woman was warm and friendly and, well, he did spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen.

She was also the only person that Clark was one-hundred percent sure knew of his and Lex's relationship. Lex's staff was sure and discreet for the most part, and Clark rarely saw them. But he was aware that whoever washed the sheets was getting a good idea of what they did together, as well as anybody who just happened to wandering around the castle at the right time. He'd worried previously about information getting back to Lionel, but Lex had assured him that his staff was well-paid to not report his activities to his father, and he trusted Lex.

When Clark finally decided Lex's fingers were clean enough and released them from his mouth, the cook looked up with a twinkle in her eye. "Hello, Master Clark," she greeted him. "Did you like the brownies?"

As often as Clark tried, he couldn't seem to get Rosa to stop putting 'Master' before his name. Therefore, he'd stopped trying. It was only a waste of energy, he'd deduced before too long. "Yes. Thank you," he told her.

She smiled. "Such a polite boy. Did you manage to get Master Lex to eat any of them?"

Clark grinned and shook his head. "Sorry. Guess you'll have to wait until later for Lex to try them."

Rosa frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Master Lex promised he would eat something later." She directed the comment at the owner of the title, and Lex shrugged. Besides Clark, Rosa was the only one he allowed to fuss over him in any way, and despite the fact that he gave her this privilege, it still clearly made him uncomfortable.

"I wasn't hungry."

"Breakfast alone won't sustain you forever!"

Clark looked over at his lover. "You didn't eat lunch?"

Apparently feeling a little boxed in by his concerned lover and cook, Lex snapped at them. "No. I didn't. And I didn't eat any brownies, and I am not hungry and I am fine."

Rosa frowned but turned away, probably knowing once Clark knew about this, her work was done. The soft footfalls of Lex's designer dress shoes reached her ears first, moving quickly in a clipped, angry manner, followed closely by the clomping of Clark's big boots without any of the grace Lex carried. She sighed, and pulled a package of cheese from the bags she'd carried in to start restocking the refrigerator. It was time to let Clark take over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lex!"

The owner of the name was steadfastly ignoring him.

"Lex, c'mon. I'm just worried about you."

Lex deigned to lift his head and glance at his lover this time, something that was almost always his downfall. Clark's open, honest face was staring up at him from a slouched-over position on the couch, displaying only concern for Lex's well-being. He sighed.

"I'm old enough to decide for myself when I'm hungry, Clark." He was still miffed. He didn't like being coddled at all, and Clark wasn't going to get away with it so fast.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you," he repeated.

Lex frowned. "Why? It's just a meal."

Clark sat up a little straighter. "No, it's not, Lex. Don't you get it?" He started ticking numbers off on his fingers. "First, you're incredibly tired all the time. Remember when you fell asleep in my lap and were so tired you didn't wake up when I carried you to bed? You always woke up before, Lex. Even when I'd just rescued you and you had a concussion, you woke up if I tried to carry you."

"I don't like to be carried."

Clark snorted. "Yeah. I kind of got that." He ticked off another finger. "Secondly, that paper-cut that bled for like, an hour? Maybe it's connected. In fact, I think more than 'maybe.' And you're pale. I've been ignoring it because you're always pale, but it's more pronounced, now. And then today, you're not hungry."

Lex shrugged. "It's flu season."

"You told me yourself, you don't get sick."

"Well, maybe I do now! I don't know, Clark."

"Please go see your doctor?"

Lex sighed. "I hate doctors."

Clark shrugged. "They're not most people's favorite visits either, I don't think. But maybe he can tell you what's wrong." When Lex didn't respond, he leaned over and kissed the billionaire's forehead quickly. "Please? For me? 'Cause I'm not gonna stop worrying until you do."

Lex conceded that point without argument, knowing it was true. "I'll think about it."

This time, Clark's kiss was on his lips, though equally quick. "Thank you."

When he pulled away, Lex rolled his eyes at his young lover, then stepped out from behind the desk. Grabbing both sides of Clark's head in his hands, he kissed him thoroughly. When they were both gasping for air, he pulled away, leaving their foreheads touching, leaning against each other.

"Think maybe I could try and help you forget for a little while?" He asked, and Clark nodded.

"I'm up for it."

Lex grinned, hearing the double entendre of the sentence. He kissed Clark quickly, and, smirking, drew his answer out long and seductively. "Reaally."

Clark blushed a little and pulled away just a couple of inches. Lex loved how he still did that, still behaved so innocently at times when Lex knew exactly how innocent he wasn't. "Lex!"

Lex grinned. "Oh come on, Clark. If you can do it, you should be able to talk about it."

"Maybe later, okay? For now, can you just kiss me?" Those big blue eyes were pleading and full of lust, and that was a combination Lex had long since admitted he was powerless against.

Lex kissed him quickly, then leaned over and started nibbling on Clark's ear. Whispering softly, he made sure to make his breath tickle the inside enticingly, sending a shiver through Clark's body. "Promise? Because you know dirty talk coming from you is one of my favorite fantasies..."

Clark shivered again at his words, and nodded as best as he could with his ear clamped gently between Lex's teeth. "Promise," he whispered.

"Good."

[Prologue] [Sleepy] [Scared] [Bloody] [Stay] [Appetite]