AN: Well, I think this is the last chapter…thanks so much for all the support you guys have given me, and don't forget to review this chapter, too! *smiling hopefully* Anyway… sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter done… I hope you enjoy it anyway! Don't forget to review… Pleeeaaassseeeee?!!
Chapter Seven
The sky above Clark Kent's racing body was thick with ominous clouds, obscuring the clear field of stars that usually haunted the Kansas night sky. In fact, the clouds had been building all afternoon; but then, as now, Clark was much too distracted to notice them. In fact, he hardly felt the round wet drops that had begun to litter his clothes and skin, didn't realize the rain was pounding against him until he slowed and stopped outside the Luthor mansion gate.
It was simple enough to get through the bars and to the door; Clark had done it before, and he could easily do it again. The action of pressing the doorbell, however, became a deliberate and difficult act, and Clark gulped audibly before his trembling hand pushed in the glowing circle.
Within he could hear the ring of the bell; he could hear Lex's irritated voice calling for someone to answer the door; and then he heard the light, graceful steps that signaled Lex's approach.
Clark couldn't help the smile that crept to his dripping face as his alien hearing picked up the older man's mumblings. "Dozens of servants, and no one there to answer the door when you need them…"
He opened the door, and Clark's breath caught in his throat. Lean body taut, Lex's gaze locked with Clark's aqua stare, which was taking him in, drinking in his smooth ivory face, his clinging silk shirt, pressed black pants, immaculate polished shoes…this was Lex, the Lex he loved, and he could hardly bear the pressure of his heart pounding against the inside of his chest.
"Clark…"
Clark cut him off quickly, his lips pressing in a desperate and fierce kiss against Lex's. His callused hand lifted Lex's chin, holding it possessively in place as Clark kissed him again and again, short, powerful kisses designed to push away thoughts of the pain he had caused, to make Lex forget that there had ever been any doubt between them…
Lex pulled away finally, face flushed, and brushed a strand of rain-drenched hair out of Clark's eyes.
"Clark, you're soaking wet," he scolded softly. "Come inside."
He left no room for protest, tugging persistently at Clark's hand until Clark yielded, obedient as a trained puppy, to be dragged into Lex's office and Lex's own padded leather chair.
"I don't need your chair, Lex," he protested as he was pushed, relenting easily, into the cushioned chair.
"Don't be stupid, Clark, the other chairs are deliberately designed to make whomever is sitting across from me uncomfortable. Now wait there for a minute."
Lex hurried off, leaving Clark in drenched anticipation. He didn't feel the cold the water would surely have brought had he been normal, but Lex didn't know that. His concern was genuine and warming, and Clark resolved to let himself be taken care of. Besides, Clark thought with a bemused smile, anything was worth seeing Lex bustle around like a worried mother hen.
The young Luthor returned in a matter of minutes with a steaming mug and a thick, wooly blanket, bunching it expertly around Clark's wide shoulders.
"Really, Lex, I'll be fine," Clark protested weakly once more, allowing the mug of herbal tea Lex was holding to be placed in his hands.
"Just drink," answered Lex, the Luthor note of authority creeping into the command.
Clark obeyed immediately, closing his eyes as the hot liquid coursed through his veins, heating even his alien blood. Like fire it ran through him, half-scalding him with pleasant sensations of warmth and comfort.
"You know, this is exactly how you looked the first time I saw you."
Clark's eyes opened a crack, allowing the elegant young man before him into his field of vision. "Soaking wet," he drawled with a smile.
Lex nodded. "You'd just pulled me out of the river," he continued. "And your hair was plastered to you head in these beautiful dark curls… I'd just been dreaming, of flying through the clouds far above Smallville- you remember, I told you?- and then I opened my eyes, and there you where, like some guardian angel… some soaking wet guardian angel."
Clark laughed softly and slightly hysterically. "It's weird, isn't it, that that's what brought us together?" he mused. "A freak car accident?"
"You saved my life, Clark," Lex returned with a soft smile. "That's bound to bring people together."
A sheepish smile crept across Clark's face. "I'm glad it did," he admitted quietly. He took a deep breath. "Lex, I've been an idiot…"
"No, you haven't," Lex cut in quickly. "Scared, maybe. But never an idiot."
"No, I've been an idiot," Clark corrected with a grin, "and don't contradict me for a minute, just let me talk. I've been an idiot because I've known… I've had feelings for you for a long time, Lex, and I've been too blind to act on them or even realize them. You deserve better. You deserve to know how I feel. You deserve to know more than that, but there are things I just can't tell you right now, and hopefully you'll be able to understand that." Clark took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say, Lex, is that I want to be with you, parental approval or not. When I'm not with you, I'm thinking about being with you. I've been gravitating towards you without even realizing it, and now that I do, I can't ignore it. I can't stay away. I want to be with you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life, and as long as you want me, I will be."
Across the desk, Lex didn't move. His eyes were frozen on Clark's lips, as if he were watching instead of hearing the words escape them. Clark shifted uncomfortably under the gaze, waiting in silence as the older man processed what he had just said.
"Lex?" Clark asked tentatively after a few moments.
Finally, slowly, Lex stood, coming around the desk in a few confident strides. He looked down at the still- damp boy with a bemused smile. "You might not want to make such hasty promises, Clark," he said, bending to rest at eye level. Gently he took Clark's chin in his hand, pulling him in and pressing a swift, tender kiss on his lips. Their eyes locked as he pulled away, and Lex's smile grew.
"Because I'll want you forever," he finished softly.