Author: Fernando a.k.a. FaItHzAnGeL
Series Title: More than just being there…
Title: The Proposition
Rating: PG-for now
Disclaimer: I own not Smallville. This wonderful show belongs to the WB, and the people who create, and produce it, and to DC Comics; I am but a lowly kid trying to appease a few friends…so don't sue! ;-)
Spoilers: None that I can think of.
Distribution: Sure, you can have. Just let me know where it goes so I can make sure my baby's doin' good, ;-)
Author's Notes: This is my first Clex/Smallville piece. Blame Mandy and Nymph Du Pave, they got me to write this, so here it is. I hope they, and you the reader, like it. This is my first Smallville fic ever, so I hope I do the characters well, and that I don't totally screw myself over, do you think I should continue?
Feedback: Please? Don't make me beg…
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Its odd.
He sits there, and he burns holes in those papers, and a part of me should know that's his job, his work, he has to do this, but another part of me thinks...
He's faking it. Like there's something more between us than just this friendship deal.
Not to say that I don't love what we have right now because it beats being alone all the time, and trying to lie to your friends, and family, about how you feel. I know Lex Luthor. I see him for the real person he is. They only think they know him, they pretend that he's some horrible monster that needs to be slayed by Buffy or something, but...I see the angel he is, or at least what he's trying to be.
I'd never tell him that though.
"Hey Lex." Clark said quietly, staring at the bald man before him and smiled, "What're you doing?"
Lex looked up from his paper of mounting work and smiled, "Hey Kent, how long you been here? Didn't hear you come in."
Clark shrugged, "Just a few, you said you had something to talk to me about?"
"Oh, yeah." Lex's eyes dimmed lightly, and his brow furrowed.
Oh man, I hate when he gets that look, Clark thought and he sighed, "Jeez, dire-look, what's the problem?"
Lex chuckled, "I...need a favor. I am supposed to go to Metropolis, but the thing is, I'm not really looking forward to going alone." Off Clark's look Lex shrugged, "I know, I thought it odd too," he smirked, "but I would really like it if you'd accompany me. I'd pay for everything because you are my guest. It'll require you to miss some school, though. It's Thursday, and if your parents object to that, then I understand. I just...I really don't want to go alone..."
Clark nodded lightly, "Why? Not that I'm not considering the offer, but y'know..."
Lex was silent, grim. "An…old friend of mine died this morning, and I..."
Clark had never seen Lex choked up about anything in his life, at least until now. Clark gave him a concerned gaze and quietly replied, "I'll go. Just...need to break the news to my parents."
Lex smiled, "Thanks, Clark. I owe you so much."
Clark smirked, "Please, it's nothing. What are friends for if not to be there for one another? I'll always be here for you, Lex." For a moment, his eyes cast down, and in that moment of hesitation, Lex tilted his head, "What's wrong?"
Clark smiled, "It's nothing."
Lex's eyebrow shifted, and he nodded slowly. Clark was lying; his eyes betrayed him. Kent could never be good at poker, Lex thought.
Clark gave Lex a nod, "Well, I better head off. Parents will worry and all."
Lex nodded, "Yeah, wouldn't want Jonathon hating me even more," the once red head deadpanned.
"I'll see you around Lex. Thursday, right?" Clark looked up at him once more, and Lex nodded.
"Yeah, around eight in the morning."
With that said, Clark took his leave, and walked out the door. Lex sighed watching the dark-haired boy exit, and sat in his chair, holding his head in his hands. "God, why does this always have to be so difficult?" Lex just couldn't live a day without the dark-haired kid on his mind, without going five minutes without wondering whether or not he should just express whatever feelings he felt.
However, he was a Luthor.
Luthor's do not express their feelings.
Especially feelings of…
God, you stupid shit, you can't even say the word cause you're so scared. He didn't understand, and he probably never would. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny that Clark, his angel, was anything but wonderful. That Clark made him feel things that no one ever had before…except maybe one, but she was dead—destroyed by her excruciatingly loving husband. Notice the sarcasm there?
Mother.
The thought brought chills to his spine, and he, at that moment, wished his mother were still around to give him the advice he needed. But she would probably end up telling him what he already knew, profess his – word – for Clark Kent, farm boy, Resident of Smallville, Kansas, and all around high school dork.
But oh, how he makes me laugh, how makes things just disappear with a look, a look from his wonderful sky blue eyes. His smile radiates whatever hope, the happiness he has, and it just fills me with this indescribable feeling. But when I catch myself unguarded, and he's here for too long, and I'm filled with whatever joy that's in my heart…I begin to ache because that's when I realize…I can't ever have him.
He belongs to his fucking beauty queen, he thought bitterly.
Lex was not a fool; he knew exactly the way things went down. It was a classic clichéd –
…fucking piece of crock…
– that storybook romance –
…and she should die like a whore…
– every person dreams of –
…yeah I'm only a little bitter…
– where Lana and Clark made sense.
Lex and Clark…didn't make sense. For all his lo…feelings for Clark, he knew better than anyone that Clark was head-over-heels for Lana Lang, and he lo…had feelings for Clark strong enough to respect that, No matter how much I loathe her, and the picture of Clark and Lang together makes me ill….
So then, why don't you take the fucking chance and tell Clark that you…
Lex sighed, Tell him that you love that stupid farm boy more than anything else in the world, that you'd give your right arm for him, that when you're around him your skin hums, and your heart races, and you can't help but picture him with you and living your life for him, and no one else.
Lex took a deep breath as he stared out the window in the hall, watching Clark go down the dirt road to his truck and he sighed, Because you're afraid….
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"Absolutely not Clark," Martha huffed as she placed the dishes down looking at her son as he placed the forks and spoons, "on a school day? Of course not," she shook her head. She frowned, "And not to mention what your father'll say." Martha sighed, "Clark I know you and Lex are friends, and no power on this earth could ever make you stop being friends, but I can't allow you to miss school for this."
"Mom please, Lex needs…"
Me?
He cleared his throat, "Lex needs a friend right now, and I think…" His brow furrowed for the umpteenth time today as he quietly said, "I think I might be his only friend that's not trying to get to know him for his money."
Martha opened her mouth to say something and she closed it, staring at her son long and hard, his pained features, his blue eyes filled with concern and she shook her head, Damn him, he knows exactly how to get me. She shook her head again; Jonathon's going to kill me. "All right Clark, as long as while you're there you do the assignments you're not in school for. Make sure you get the assignments from your teacher and…"She gave Clark a concerned and loving glare (she was a mother a bit teed off after all), "And please be careful, Metropolis isn't like Smallville, no matter what you might think. Superpowers or no," Martha added quickly as she stared at Clark, his facial features now excited and he nodded emphatically.
"I promise mom, color me safe-guy. Thank you so much."
She stopped him, "Not so fast, buster. You have to be the one to tell your father." She gave him a daring glance and Clark stopped dead in his tracks. Oh great, he thought.
"Martha!"
Great Dad, right on cue like this is some stupid television show. Clark frowned, You know, sometimes I hate my life…
Martha hurried into the living room, "Yes?" She smiled as her husband gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek, "I think this is going to be a great year for us, the crop is going great, and the cows are as healthy as they've…"
He looked up at Clark, who was staring at him nervously, "Clark?"
"Hey, Dad…"
He looked down to Martha, who had a guilty expression on her face and wiped her mouth lightly, "I left something on in the kitchen."
Jonathon sighed, "Oh…it's one of those 'I left something on in the kitchen' discussions isn't it?" Jonathon glanced at his son, "What can I do for you?"
Clark took a deep breath, "Dad, if your friend were in need of your help, you'd be there for him right?"
"Yeah," Jonathon replied slowly.
"And let's say someone close to them died, and they asked you to go to a funeral with them because they really needed someone with them, you'd go…right?"
Jonathon raised an eyebrow, "Where's this leading Clark? Did something happen with Chloe, or with Pete?"
Clark gave him a nervous grin and he shook his head.
Jonathon sighed, "Lex." He said simply, staring at Clark as he sat down on the sofa, "And this was such a great day…"
"Dad he really needs a friend right now and…"
Jonathon shook his head, "No, absolutely not."
"Dad, mom already said yes…"
"What?!" There was a sudden clanging of dishes heard from the kitchen and a small, "Sorry!"
Clark took a deep breath, "Dad, I know you don't like me hanging around Lex…"
"That's the understatement of the century…"
"But he's still my friend nonetheless, and I am not going to let him go through this by himself, he asked me to come with him on Thursday over the weekend, he's going to a funeral and he doesn't want to go alone."
Jonathon shook his head as he quietly muttered to himself, "Since when do the Luthor's care about other people."
Clark stood up straight as he firmly raised his voice, "Lex is a person. Dad. He does have feelings. He is human after all. And my friend." Clark gave his father a cold stare and started up his room, feeling angry, upset, and guilty for staring at his father like he did, but at that moment it didn't matter. Damn it.
"Clark, wait." Jonathon called back and sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry that I sounded like a jerk, but I really don't enjoy the fact that Lex has so much control over you…"
"What control?" Clark's raised voice, "Dad, you said so yourself, if your friend were in trouble, or needed you, you'd be there in a heartbeat. I'm missing two days of school to help a friend deal with a loss, is that so bad? Or is just because you don't like Lex."
It was a never-ending battle, Jonathon knew it, and he'd never win – or lose. He sighed, "Fine. Clark, you're right. He's a person, even if he is Lex Luthor, he's still young and I'm sure whatever's happened has been hard on him. As long as you make sure that you don't…"
"…fall behind, do my work, grab my assignments, I know, mom already went through that." Clark interrupted as his father continued to rant, "Don't worry, it's all covered."
Jonathon took in a perturbed breath and shook his head, "Be safe."
Clark rushed back upstairs into his room as his father watched him. Jonathon felt a familiar presence walk into the room and he turned to her, giving her a peculiar glance. Martha shook her head, "He really wanted to go. And as much as you hate Lex, I think Clark would be a good influence on him. He seems to genuinely care for Clark." She moved toward Jonathon and wrapped her arms around him, "By just how you are adamant about him being bad because he's a 'Luthor', I think Clark might be right, he might not have many friends…"
Jonathon kissed his wife and sighed, "I just don't want Clark getting hurt."
"I know Jonathon, neither do I." She laid her head on his chest, "...neither do I."
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Clark lay in bed for hours that night, just thinking about the events to come, and whatever it was that was going to happen – would he actually slip up and tell Lex? He sighed; I'm really going to do this. I'm going to go to Metropolis; I'm going to spend time with Lex Luthor. The very same Lex that I can't help but turn red when I think about him alone…mostly because those alone thoughts, are for when we should…be alone. He frowned, Oh damn it, why me? Isn't it enough that I'm not normal? That my life is totally odd? Why is it that once I got a handle on my powers and felt at least pseudo-quasi-normal, this had to happen?
I had to start falling in love with Lex Luthor.
My best friend.
I must be the laughing stock of heaven.
But why should it matter? He growled at himself, Why should it matter whether or not I do love Lex or not, or whether I'd rather have my arms around him, have his lips on mine, to be able to lay next to him and hear his heart beat? He shook his head, Because you're afraid… he thought.
Clark sighed, for the first time in his life he was afraid. Sure he'd gone crazy when he thought his mother was in trouble, or his father, or his friends, but never afraid. He had superstrength, he was virtually invulnerable, he had superspeed, he didn't need to be scared, there was no reason. However, this feeling he had, this indescribable goodness he felt every time he and Lex were together, staring at the bald man's smile… It feels so right.
But I can never have him; what would he want with a stupid farm boy from Smallville?
That night Clark finally slept, but with a heavy heart.