Full Disclosure--Kel
Lex's speakerphone buzzed, and he looked at his watch. It was too early for Clark's delivery, and he had nothing scheduled for the rest of the day. He'd deliberately cleared his schedule, in fact, because the Kents were out of town, and Clark was his for the weekend. He intended to spend that weekend seducing Clark. Then the speakerphone buzzed again, snapping him out of his pleasant thoughts of Clark-seduction. Curiosity piqued, he answered. "Yes, Celia?"
"Sir, there's a Mr. Sandburg here to see you."
Lex sat back in his chair. "I don't know anyone named Sandburg. Have him make an appointment for tomorrow."
There was a brief pause. "Mr. Luthor, they're policemen, and they're demanding to see you right away."
Police? Now that's interesting, because I know I haven't done anything since Zero. "They? All right, Celia, let them in, and have a LuthorCorp lawyer on standby."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor."
Lex sat back as his visitors stepped inside. One was a tall stern-looking man with piercing blue eyes and a receding widow's peak. His companion looked to be a good ten years younger, with lively blue eyes and a mop of flyaway curls. Lex opened his mouth, but the curly-haired man beat him to it. "No way you're my dad."
"I should think not," was Lex's flinty reply. "Who are you and why are you here?"
"Oh, yeah, right. Blair Sandburg. That's Jim Ellison. And I'm guessing you're not Lionel Luthor."
"Figured that out all by yourself, Chief?"
"Bite me, Ellison."
Lex blinked. Twice. "No, I'm Lionel's son, Lex. Is there something I can do for you?"
Blair grinned widely. "Lex… it's all right if I call you Lex, right?"
"Chief…"
"Of course, please, call me Lex."
Blair snorted at Jim. "Well, Lex… not to tiptoe around, I think we might be brothers."
~ * ~ * ~
After the shock had worn off, Lex found himself at a Talon table. He'd already picked up on several different vibes, one of which he knew all too well. The two strangers shared an important secret--and they were lovers. The first didn't surprise him, but the second did. As the one called Jim got their coffees at the counter instead of from the waitress, Lex studied the bouncing man in front of him. His biggest question was how there could be love and trust despite the secrets, but he knew he couldn't ask. Instead he waited for his latte, watched Jim squeeze in beside Blair, and carefully sipped around the whipped cream. "Brothers?" he prompted Blair dryly.
"Right, well, here's the thing. Naomi--my mom--"
"Wait… your mother is Naomi Sandburg?" Lex couldn't believe this. "And you think Lionel's your father?" God, wouldn't that be fitting.
Jim eyed Lex narrowly. He didn't trust the slick young man at all. "You know Naomi?"
"Intimately," Lex choked out, grinning. She'd been one of Lionel's on-again, off-again lady friends until he'd seduced her two years ago just to spite Lionel. He supposed Lionel's bedding Victoria had been payback.
"You mean--you and my mom--oh man, that's…"
"Low, Chief? Even for Naomi." Jim looked shocked and vaguely repulsed; Blair just looked resigned. "He's younger than you are."
Blair looked at Lex. "How old are you again?"
"Twenty one."
Blair did some quick mathematics. "That means you were born in… 1980?" Lex nodded. "I was eleven, and Mom was actually in… Katmandu, I think, the whole year. So at least you didn't sleep with your own mother." Jim looked slightly agitated while Blair and Lex both shuddered. "But yeah, Naomi told me last week that Lionel was my dad."
Lex laughed softly. "Dad's going to just love you, Blair." He steepled his fingers. "Let me call Doctor Vargas. He'll take your blood and run the test to check it against Lionel's. No need to beard the bastard in his den without proof." Lex saw Jim bristle, and then a second later his attention was wrenched to the entryway. "Clark!" Lex was thrilled to see that Clark had tracked him down, as he'd missed the young man's earlier delivery, having been tied up with his visitors. "Over here!" Lex got up from the table when he noticed Clark's hesitation at the new faces, intending to talk him into joining them.
~ * ~ * ~
Blair looked over at Jim, who was almost snarling at the approaching teenager. "Jim? What's up?" He made quick notes of the response. "Another Sentinel, Jim? Is that it?" He looked at the young man that Lex was standing beside, whispers flying furiously between the two.
"Don't know, Chief… could be." Jim was studying the boy carefully, and Clark was flinching.
"Wow. That'd be amazing. The tests I could do on him… maybe use you as my control and see what kind of abilities that he's got." Blair made sure his voice was modulated low, quiet so that only a Sentinel could hear.
Clark was recoiling from Jim and from the things he was overhearing, backpedaling almost as fast as he'd come in. Lex was still by his side, his arms around Clark's shoulders and glaring at Jim and Blair. "What the hell is going on here?" Lex demanded. They were starting to draw attention, and Lex practically shoved the clinging teen to the door. "Meet us back at the office," Lex barked, putting Clark into the Ferrari and peeling away from the Talon. Once they were out of sight of the coffee house, Clark's trembling stopped, and Lex looked at his friend. Clark was pale, his hands were still shaking, and there were light beads of sweat dotting Clark's forehead. Lex had never seen Clark be anything less than rock-steady, even when being faced with guns, meteor rock mutants… not even a flying Porsche, Lex mused. "Clark? What the hell was that?"
"He knows, Lex," he confessed in a near-silent whisper. He wrapped his arms around his knees, rocking almost imperceptibly in the small seat.
"Knows what, Clark?"
"He knows my secret. He's different, too, but not because of the meteor rocks. That's why he reacted to me like that." Clark shivered violently. "He scared me, Lex."
Lex's hackles rose. Nobody scared Clark and got away with it. Quietly, in the back of his mind, he started planning the sequence of events that would cause Jim Ellison to quietly disappear. "What is your secret, Clark? I can't protect you if I don't know everything."
Clark studied his friend as he drove. "Lex… I'm different. Not like you. I'm… different." He dropped his eyes to the floorboard as he started talking, then turned to look out the window, unable to meet Lex's eyes.
Lex shot a glance at Clark, suddenly sure that the farm boy had been searching for another word entirely. "Different how?"
"Like the meteor rocks. Like Tina, like the other people. I'm just different," Clark said, emphasizing the word. His hands were twisting in his lap, and Lex had the distinct impression it was to keep Clark from fidgeting with anything in the car.
"You… are definitely different," he said, hiding his surprise and trying to offer comfort to his friend. "I… tried to stay out of it. After you asked me to, that is."
"I'm sorry, Lex. I wanted to tell you, just not this way." His foot was drumming impatiently on the floorboard, and the tremors wracking his body still hadn't gone away. "Nobody's supposed to know, not even you. Mom and Dad said it meant that people might try to take me away and put me somewhere to study me, to see what made me different. That's what they were talking about. The one with the curly hair said they were going to do tests on me, see what my abilities were." He shivered again, then finally looked up at Lex. "I don't want anyone to take me away, Lex."
"They won't. But, that's not important right now, Clark. What's important is making sure that these two don't find out about it." Lex picked up his cell phone and dialed. "Nixon. I want an entire dossier on a guy named Blair Sandburg. And his friend, Jim Ellison. And I want the files on my desk by the time I get there. Half an hour." Lex looked back at Clark as he hung up. "If they have to be dealt with, promise you'll let me handle it."
"Lex… you can't just…" Clark's hands were still in his lap, but they were clenched so tightly that it made Lex's hands ache just to see it.
"Clark… do you trust me?" At the stoplight, he put his hand over Clark's, trying to work the bunched fists open.
"Of course I trust you, Lex."
"Then let me handle this for you." Finally the fists relaxed, and Lex left his hand there.
"All right." Clark took Lex's hand, and held it tightly.
~ * ~ * ~
As soon as Lex had taken Clark out of the Talon, Blair had flung a twenty on the table for the bill and hustled Jim out to the truck. He settled the Sentinel into the passenger side and then slid himself behind the wheel. "Jim?" he asked softly. "Is that kid another Sentinel? Is that why you reacted that way?"
"Chief, I don't know what's going on in this town, but it's almost like that kid's not even human. Nothing about him is right. He smelled totally different, and as soon as he walked in, he set my senses on edge."
"Whoa. That's like… totally amazing!" Blair bounced in the seat. "Totally sentient humanoid aliens masquerading as humans in small town America!" He looked over at Jim, who was rolling his eyes. "Well, it's possible... okay, so it's not possible. Whatever he is, you think Lex knows?"
"No way. That panic was real--he oozed it so thick, it was making me jumpy. Though I bet the kid's spilling his guts now and begging for protection."
Blair hmmmed as he started the truck. "Okay. So that means that we gotta get back to the office and meet up with Lex and find out what's going on here with… Clark, wasn't it?" He shifted into drive and pulled the truck into traffic. "Jim… I hate to ask this, but could your senses be way offbase here? I mean, just looking at him, the kid seemed cool. Scared to death, maybe, but the way Lex was hovering over him…"
"Chief, I don't trust Lex. And if Lex was hovering, that just might mean that he's got something to hide. Like the kid's secret."
"Jim… if we go in there and accuse this kid of being an alien or something, then we're going to have to be able to back it up. Which means letting them know you're a Sentinel."
"Absolutely not, Chief. I don't want that Luthor character knowing a goddamned thing about me."
"Then I don't see what else to do." Blair drummed his fingers on the wheel as they got behind a truck hauling hay. "You can't just go in there say, 'Kid, you smell funny. You sure you're not an alien?' and expect people to take it just on your say-so."
"We'll figure something out, Chief, don't worry. But I will be getting to the bottom of this."
~ * ~ * ~
Lex had Clark back to the mansion in no time, and they went straight to Lex's office. On his desk were two manila envelopes, one substantially thicker than the other. Lex picked up the thickest one first and dumped it out. The thickness turned out to be a printed manuscript, and Lex thumbed through it, noting the title. The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg, Ph.D. As he paged through the introduction, his quick mind began to almost instantly click out the connections. Brilliant work, Blair, absolutely brilliant. The years it must have taken you to compile this depth of information! So your friend must be your living Sentinel. Hmm. I wonder if that's why Clark and he reacted to each other. I wonder. Lex put the manuscript aside and thumbed through the complete dossier that Nixon had compiled for him. Name, address, birthdate, social security number, phone number, cell phone, all the boring bullshit. "Clark, don't worry. I promised you, I'm going to take care of this," he said as he continued to flip quickly through Blair's file. "Sit down." He noted that Roger had somehow managed to get Blair's medical records, psychological testing results, even criminal history and copies of his paperwork filed with the Cascade PD. I must remember to give that man a raise; he was thorough. Clark sat down on the desk beside Lex, and Lex looked up at him, noting the nervous, almost hunted look in his eyes. "Clark."
"Yeah, Lex?"
"It's going to be all right." Lex let his hand drift up to cup his friend's cheek caressingly, thumb stroking the hard ridge of Clark's cheekbone.
"You'll make it all right," Clark said softly, turning into Lex's hand and nuzzling the palm, kissing it and smiling briefly at the warm tingle that spread through his lips at the contact of his mouth against Lex's skin.
Lex rubbed his thumb over Clark's lips, luxuriating in their silken feel before returning to his business frame of mind. He picked up Jim's folder, and tossed Blair's thesis to Clark. "Wade through that and tell me what you think."
"You've got to be kidding me, right?"
"No, I'm not kidding. Sit here, on the floor, beside me. I'll help you with anything you don't understand, but I want you to wade through that, and tell me if anything strikes a cord with you."
"All right." Clark settled onto the floor, his back against Lex's desk, his head almost level with the other man's knee.
Lex put the rest of Blair's information back into the folder and looked over Jim's. Ex-Ranger, now that's impressive. Stranded eighteen months in Peru, sole survivor. Gone up against oil companies, detective of the year, why you're just a big Boy Scout, detective. Lex looked down at his personal Boy Scout, currently skimming through pages at an alarming rate. Clark's arm was wrapped around Lex's leg, and his head was resting on Lex's knee. The close contact was just enough to bring the hint of a smile to Lex's face before he dove back into Jim's file. Ellison had been credited with saving many lives over his career; You and Clark are brothers beneath the surface. He studied Jim's family history next. The Luthors and the Ellisons had a passing business acquaintance; he'd seen William and his son Stephen at various corporate-sponsored events, but he'd never been chummy with either man. Lionel, on the other hand, was quite friendly with the elder Ellison, and Lex wondered briefly if it would be worth the hassle to call his father to find out about William. Then he dismissed it; nothing was worth the hassle of his father. Well… perhaps one thing is, he amended, looking down at the top of Clark's head as it was buried in the thesis. "Clark?" he asked softly. He'd expected the high-schooler to ask for help before now.
"Yeah?"
"How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay. Some of this I don't understand, but the rest of it… I know this sounds weird, Lex, but even though I don't know some of the words, I know what's behind them, and they really make sense to me. Like this… the tribal imperative to observe behavior of local indigenous people and to blend in whenever possible. It means that there's something inside you that makes you look at the people around you and make yourself try to fit in. Some of this stuff isn't me, but then, a lot of it is. Look here. Most tribal watchmen are so chosen because of genetic advantage coupled with an inherent drive to protect. That's me, Lex. I've got the genetic advantage because I'm… different. I mean… well, look what I did with you. I saved you, and I protect and save people all the time around here. Could I be one of these whaddyacallits, Sentinels?"
Lex put his hand on Clark's shoulder. "I think you could be anything you want to be," he said softly.
Clark smiled. "Think I could be yours?" he asked, a little fearfully.
"You already are, Clark," Lex answered back, just as quietly. "You've been mine since I got you out of the cornfield. And I've been yours since you fished me out of the river, even though you denied it." He ran his fingers through Clark's hair. "Keep reading, Clark. We'll take care of this problem, and then I'll take care of you." Clark rested his head against Lex's knee as he read, and Lex's throat closed for a moment, touched by the utter trust that Clark had in him. He left one hand carding gently through Clark's hair as he picked up the phone and dialed Nixon with the other.
"Nixon."
"It's me. Start the erasure on these two." Clark's entire body jumped as though he'd been shocked, and Lex squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Just the basics. Nothing that can't be undone." Clark relaxed at that, and rubbed his cheek against Lex's hand.
"Everything's already in place, Lex. Give me the word and they're gone. I anticipated it when you asked for dossiers."
"Good man. Remind me to give you a raise." Lex hung up on Roger Nixon as Jim and Blair pulled into the castle gate. "Showtime, Clark. Remember, trust me." Lex opened the top drawer of the desk just enough to make sure that the platinum revolver was still there, then pressed the button that activated the house PA. "Enrique, we have visitors. Please, show them into the office, and stay close."
Moments later, the two visitors were ushered into Lex's office, and Enrique closed the door, standing outside and guarding it.
Jim's nostrils flared as he entered the room, and Blair started murmuring. "It's okay, man. Calm down."
Lex urged Clark to stand up, and he pulled the dissertation from Clark's hand. Clark moved to stand behind Lex's chair, and Jim eyed them both with open distrust. "Excellent work, Blair," Lex said, tossing the dissertation onto the desk. "I only flipped through it, but it's an amazing piece of work… on Mr. Ellison here, if I guess correctly."
"How did you get a copy of my dissertation?" Blair demanded.
"I have my sources," Lex said, steepling his fingers as his elbows rested on the desk. "I must admit to being impressed with the depth of detail that you went into about his abilities. The reactions to other Sentinels is what really caught my eye as I flipped through it."
Blair wasn't sure whether to be enraged or mollified as Lex complimented his work. "You know something, Lex? That damned diss is none of your business."
"Oh, yes, it's definitely my business. If you're my brother, we'll definitely have the discrediting stain on your records erased and the Ph.D. awarded to you. But that aside, if this Sentinel business is what is causing your friend to react this way to Clark, then that's my business too. You see, Clark is a very dear friend to me, and I won't have him harmed in any way."
Blair flicked a look to Jim. "Tell Lex about the kid," Blair said, Sentinel-soft.
Jim looked at Blair, then turned his gaze to Lex and Clark. "If you want to share secrets, then I got one about your friend there to share."
"What, do you think he's different from you? Different from the people of this town? Try telling me something I don't already know, Detective." He heard the chair creak under Clark's grip. "Clark… calm down," he said, softly but loud enough to be heard by the others in the room too. "We're just putting all of our cards on the table here." As he said that, he pushed the manila envelopes towards the two visitors. "Now, as you can see, I pretty much have everything that I need to make things very uncomfortable for you on any number of levels. We can talk like rational people and come to an amiable resolution… or a not-so-amiable resolution. The choice is yours." As he finished speaking, he walked over to the mini-bar and poured himself a brandy.
"You're just the same kind of slimy bastard your father is," Jim hissed finally. "I remember my father talking about your father's latest business deal… and who he screwed over this time. You don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want."
"The truth, Mr. Ellison, is that I am nothing like my father. However, you're a threat to my friend, and that's just something I simply won't stand for." He took a drink from the snifter. His eyes drifted to Clark, who was holding himself stiffly behind the chair. "My father doesn't know what I'm capable of, and neither do you."
"The fact that you're threatening Blair and me doesn't rack me any points in your favor, Luthor."
"Call me Lex."
"I prefer Luthor."
"Then don't expect me to answer." Lex turned his gaze onto Blair.
"Jim, he's not doing anything you wouldn't do if I were in danger. He's just doing it on a grander scale. I think we all need to sit down and talk and figure out a way out of this mess."
"That's the best idea I've heard all day, Blair." Lex poured another drink and offered it to Jim, who declined with a hard stare. Lex merely shrugged and offered the brandy to Blair instead, who accepted it and then settled on the couch. Lex sat back behind his desk and pressed the speaker button. "Enrique, you can go now. Thank you."
Jim waited until he could no longer hear the man outside the door, then sat down on the couch beside Blair. Clark didn't move from behind Lex's chair. "So what do you want?"
"A trade, gentlemen, is all I propose. You see, I read in your dossiers about the discreditation scandal. You push me on this issue, and you, Jim, will find yourself locked in the Cadmus Labs facility outside Metropolis faster than you can breathe dissertation, and Blair, you'll be right there with him, next cage over, as they try and figure out how this whole Sentinel/Guide thing works. Your dissertation will be made available to those doctors and practitioners working on the Sentinel project. Or… you keep your mouth shut and you go home. You agree to keep what you know--or think you know, at any rate--about Clark a secret, and in return, I keep what I know about Jim to myself, and he doesn't get locked up in a lab for study."
"You can't do that."
"Do you want to try me on that, Mr. Ellison?"
"Jim, stop it. Lex, I can't believe you're doing this."
"I can," Jim said. "It's just like a Luthor. You should all be shot and put out of the world's misery."
"Shut up!" Clark suddenly jumped the desk and landed in front of Jim. One quick motion, and he had Jim lifted in the air by the throat, squeezing. "You can't talk about Lex like that! He's my friend, and he's trying to protect me!"
Jim was gasping, and the kicks he was landing on Clark had no effect on him. Blair was hanging onto Clark's arm, trying to pry the young man's fingers from around Jim's throat.
"Clark!" Lex called sharply. "That's enough! Stop it!"
Clark dropped Jim back onto the couch and looked from Lex to Jim and back again. "I… what did I just do?"
Blair was kneeling by Jim's side.
Lex hurried around the desk and pulled Clark back behind it. "Clark, it's all right. He was threatening me, and you just acted to protect me. It's instinct; he's bringing it out in you. I don't know why." Lex hugged the young man to him as Clark slowly slid to his knees, hiding against Lex. "We'll work this out."
Blair was checking Jim out. "Are you okay, man?"
"Fine," Jim croaked. "That little shit's a menace!"
Blair shot a look at Lex. "There's no way we're gonna be able to talk with these two in the same room together; is there somewhere Jim can rest?" Blair looked down at the Sentinel. "Don't argue, Jim; you trust me, don't you?"
"It's not you I don't trust."
Blair dragged Jim into an upright position. "Jim, look at that." He pointed to where Lex was cradling Clark, whispering to him. "Tell me what he's saying."
Jim listened hard. "He's saying… Don't worry, Clark. It's all right, you were just trying to protect me. They're not going to hurt me." Then Jim flushed.
"What, Jim?" Blair prodded, his arms crossed over his chest.
"The kid said, I'm sorry, Lex. I know I overreacted but I love you. I couldn't let him hurt you. Then Lex said, I love you too, Clark. Just hang in there, just a little while longer. For me."
"Oh, now where have we heard that one before?" Blair asked pointedly. "Look, it's not like you can't listen in or whatever, because you can. Just… get out. You're not helping anything, and you're setting the kid on edge."
"All right. I'll go. Quietly. But I'll be listening."
Blair looked over at Lex. "Guest room?"
Lex shrugged. "Any room on the second floor. I'll call Enrique to show you the way." He rose up just enough to press the buzzer, but didn't let go of Clark. The silent manservant showed up, his face expressionless. "Enrique, Mr. Ellison is feeling unwell. Could you please show him to one of the guest rooms so that he can lie down?"
"Certainly, sir. This way, please." Enrique led Jim out, and then Blair turned to Lex.
Lex had pulled Clark up from his huddle on the floor and was guiding him to sit behind Lex's desk. "There." Then, to Blair's surprise, Lex kissed Clark's cheek softly. He straightened, but left his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Thank you, Blair. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't talked Mr. Ellison into leaving."
"Call him Jim," Blair said. "Look, Lex, Clark's effect on Jim is similar to that of another Sentinel, but Jim says Clark's not one. I'm still trying to get my head around the whole different thing."
"Trust me, it's not much easier for me, but I've had a little longer than you to get used to the notion." A look passed between Lex and Clark. "Can you and Jim keep Clark's secret?"
"It's not like we have much of a choice."
"There are other options. LuthorCorp has been working on developing drugs to help trauma patients, and several of them have been shown effective for blocking memories. Not the effect we were looking for, but useful nonetheless. There is also hypnosis, by which false memories can be implanted."
Blair shook his head. "No thanks. My head's already messed up enough as it is, I don't need someone else poking around in there."
Lex reached into his desk and passed Blair one of his private cards. "If problems should arise, give me a call before they happen." He moved his eyes to Clark for a long moment. "I won't have this in the public domain."
Blair tucked Lex's card away in his wallet. "I understand."
Then Clark cleared his throat and spoke up. "Will you tell your friend I'm sorry?"
Blair smiled. "He knows, Clark. He heard what you said to Lex. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd have the same reaction you did. He's protective of me. See, I think he knows that you're… well, you're a guardian too, but in a different sense than he is. That's what's causing his reaction to you and to Lex." He looked up at Lex. "Keep the dissertation, Lex. I think you'll find it helpful in dealing with Clark. Even if he's not a Sentinel, he's definitely got the same instincts and some special abilities. I hope you'll be able to find some things in there useful."
"I'm sure I will. Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
"I, uh, think we're gonna head back over to Metropolis. See if we can't get back on the way to Cascade. I think Jim needs some time to cool down."
"And the blood test?"
Blair shrugged. "I've been an only child all my life. I don't see a reason to change that."
Lex nodded in understanding of what Blair had said, but also what he'd left unsaid. You weren't the person I thought you might be, Lex. "If you do change your mind, give me a call. I'll arrange everything."
"I'll do that. Clark… good luck. I know that once you learn to control your abilities, you're going to be one hell of an asset to Smallville here, even if you do have to keep it under wraps."
Clark ventured his first smile to Blair. "Thanks, Blair."
Blair paused at the front of Lex's desk, then opened to the first page of his dissertation and scrawled his Cascade phone number. "If you ever need help, you give me a call. I'll do what I can." He opened the door and found Enrique waiting outside with Jim.
"Ready to go, Chief?"
"Yeah, I think we are. It's been…"
"Interesting?" Lex supplied, and Blair nodded.
"Interesting is a good word for it." Blair waved at the two men in the office as he and Jim were escorted out. Once they were in the safety of the truck, Jim pulled Blair close to him. "I'm okay, Jim."
"No, you're not," Jim said softly. "I know you. You wanted to know if Lex was your brother because you didn't want to be alone in the world anymore. But you're never alone as long as you have me."
~ * ~ * ~
Lex watched Blair and Jim depart with something akin to relief. Clark finally moved from behind the desk after Jim left and wrapped his arms around Lex's waist. "You really wanted a brother, didn't you, Lex?"
Lex nodded. "It would have been nice to know that I had a chance in hell of not turning out like my father."
Clark rested his cheek against Lex's head. "You're not like your father, Lex. You never will be so long as you have me in your life. Your father wouldn't have given a shit about me or them. He'd have destroyed all of us in an eye-blink. But you risked it all for me, to make sure that I was safe." He tightened his arms around Lex's waist. "You're not alone, Lex. You're never alone as long as you have me."
Lex leaned back into the warmth of his friend's body. "Now that I know the truth, Clark, there's nothing that I won't do to keep you safely by my side."
Clark pulled guiltily away from Lex. "I want that too, Lex. But… you may not feel that way after you know everything." Clark walked across the room to perch on the edge of Lex's desk, putting space between them.
Lex started to follow, but then saw the worry in Clark's eyes and instead he settled himself against the doorjamb. "What more is there to know, Clark?" he asked softly, careful not to sound accusatory. He couldn't blame Clark for keeping secrets.
Clark shoved his hands in his pockets, not knowing what else to do with them. "You know I said that I was different?"
"Yes, I remember," Lex said, with the hint of a smile.
"Well, I just didn't tell you how different."
"How different can you be, Clark?" Lex rose to his feet, and walked to stand in front of Clark, not quite in his personal space but looming nevertheless.
The young man looked down as his heel banged against the front of Lex's desk. "Different as in… not from around here."
Lex was still casual, the hint of a smile still playing around his lips. "I'm not from around here either, Clark, I'm from Metropolis. You know that. Don't be absurd, that doesn't matter."
Clark couldn't help it; he wanted to laugh at this conversation. "I'm from a little farther away than Metropolis, Lex."
Lex moved in closer, his hips nudging Clark's legs apart until he stood between them. "I don't care if you're from Bumfuck, Mississipi, Clark." He leaned forward and nuzzled Clark's throat.
Clark shuddered slightly as he tried to keep track of the conversation. "No, no... not Mississippi... Bumfuck, Neptune, maybe. Or Bumfuck, Polaris."
Lex paused in his nuzzling to look at his friend who was suddenly pulling his leg. "Um, Clark… are you trying to tell me something?" The question asked, Lex went back to gently nibbling on Clark's neck.
"Yes," Clark said decisively. "I'm from another planet."
Lex stopped in mid-nuzzle. "You must be joking."
Clark looked around on Lex's desk, found a stainless steel letter opener, and quickly twisted it into a pretzel and presented it to Lex. "Not joking."
Lex didn't move from Clark's personal space as he examined what used to be the letter opener. "That's… different."
"I told you so."
Lex rolled his eyes. "Is it just me, or does this conversation suddenly seem completely surreal?"
"Not just you," Clark said, the twinkle back in his eye. Lex wasn't screaming, wasn't running in fear, and wasn't strapping him to a laboratory table. Lex was… still being Lex.
"And here I thought you dangling poor Jim like a fish on a hook was just another surge of adrenaline."
"Nope, not adrenaline. Wasn't adrenaline then, either."
"I think I just figured that out, thank you Captain Obvious." Lex ran his finger down Clark's shirt front. "Suppose I buy this, Clark, instead of assuming that you're putting the world's biggest joke over on me. What else can you do?"
"Step back."
Lex raised an eyebrow and took a step back, surprised to see Clark doing nothing but staring intently at him. At his groin. "Clark?"
"Sssh. I'm concentrating." Then his face lit up with a grin. "Purple silk."
"What?"
"Your underwear. Purple silk boxers." Lex caught himself before he actually opened his pants to check. Clark's grin widened. "You know I'm right."
"Could have been a lucky guess."
"Could I guess that you have almost a thousand dollars in the money clip in your left pocket? Which has a small hole in it, by the way." The grin turned into more of a smirk as he swung his legs like a little kid.
This time, Lex did dig into his pocket and pulled out the money clip and counted. The wad was thick with hundred-dollar bills, and there were nine of them. "Jesus." He slid the money back into his left pocket and his finger encountered the hole in the pocket. "Christ."
"Yes, that's His name." Clark's smirk widened.
"Clark… you're really not from around here, are you?" He moved back between Clark's legs, sliding his hands up the flannel shirtfront.
"Nope." He laid his hands over Lex's on his chest. "Do you mind?"
"Do I mind that you're not from around here? Should I? I mean, are there any other nasty surprises waiting for me?"
"Good nasty or bad nasty?"
"You're not old enough to know the difference," Lex retorted. He should have been freaked out, fascinated, and instead… he was just happy to be with Clark.
"Sure I am," Clark teased. "And even if I wasn't, I'd have to be a pretty big dope to not know the difference anyway."
This conversation is seriously close to getting derailed by pornography, Lex thought insanely. "Clark, Clark. Two minutes of seriousness, please." Clark sobered instantly, but didn't drop his hands. "No more pretenses… is there anything else I should know?"
Clark shook his head. "Only that I love you, Lex."
That was enough.
The End