*May 24, 2007*
Clark almost couldn't believe that Lex was graduating. They'd been lovers four years now, and during that entire time Lex had been in school. It had become such a corner stone of their reality that it was strange to think their lives were about to make such a dramatic change. It was almost like they were finally being forced to grow up. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time.
Lex returned to Met U in January of 2003. He had spoken of going back to Princeton, where he'd completed his first degree, but had eventually discarded that location as being too far away. Clark hadn't known at the time, but Lex had wanted to be able to see him as much as possible.
Lex needed to spend his first two semesters in Metropolis, taking the courses that would form the basis of his second bachelor's degree in physics. Those months had been hard on both of the men. When Lex left for Metropolis, he and Clark had only been good friends. They hadn't been together, although both of them had secretly hoped for that possibility. It was when Lex returned to Smallville during spring break that Clark finally decided to give into the attraction he'd always felt for his friend and admit his feelings. After that the two of them were together as much as possible, although it wasn't easy with Clark still in high school and Lex dealing with the rigors of college. Clark made as many trips back and forth to the city in the ensuing months as he could without raising his parent's suspicions too much.
After those first two semesters, Lex returned to Smallville for the fall. That's when he and Clark had really become close. They'd been together as often as possible and done nearly everything together. His parents had seemed concerned that Clark barely spent any time with his other friends and one day Clark simply confessed his relationship with Lex to his mother. She'd been less shocked than he had thought she would be, although she had insisted on lecturing Clark about the dangers of sex with strange men. She'd also insisted on telling Clark's father about the relationship and Clark hadn't been able to convince her otherwise.
That had been a scene. Clark's father hadn't been happy and had threatened Lex, although he eventually found there was little he could do. Clark was seventeen by the time he and Lex had started dating, and they hadn't done more than make out together when the confrontation with Clark's father occurred.
In January of 2004, Lex moved back to Metropolis permanently. He and Clark spoke a lot about his decision to do that, and in the end they had concluded that Lex needed to be in the city to finish his education and then take up the research that would be required for him to complete his master's degree and eventually his doctorate. As much as Clark wanted Lex to stay with him in Smallville, he'd needed to compromise and give Lex the freedom he really needed.
After completing his junior year of high school, Clark had spent most of the summer at Lex's penthouse in Metropolis. His father had protested the arrangement, but Clark was eighteen by then and legally allowed to go wherever he wanted. His mom managed to convince his father that it was better to let the matter drop since there was obviously no way to change Clark's mind.
Lex completed his degree in time to enter the master's program that September. It was where he had wanted to be all along. His research and his supervisor kept him busy and demanded much of his time. Clark visited as often as his own senior year workload would allow. He had spent a lot of time traveling between Smallville and Metropolis before he had finally admitted his powers to Lex. The older man hadn't seemed too surprised at the revelation. If anything, he'd been excited. He also seemed to suspect that there was more to Clark's story than what he had been told. It was true, but Clark still wasn't ready to admit to being an alien as well. One huge secret at a time had been enough for him.
Clark was going to have to come completely clean soon, though. His deadline for finally telling Lex had always been when they eventually moved in together. Lex had asked the night before while the two of them were lounging under the stars on the balcony of Lex's penthouse. Clark had said yes, of course. He didn't think that there had ever been any doubt in either of their minds as to what Clark's answer was going to be. If they were going to live together, be a real official couple, then Lex needed to know everything about Clark. It simply wouldn't be fair if he didn't.
Clark beamed with pride as he watched Lex walk across the stage and receive his degree. He was welcomed into the university community and went to take his seat on stage with the others who had also received their doctorates. Lex's eyes sought Clark's and when they met, Lex's eyes lit up. He had worked so hard for this day, had been so dedicated to following this new path in his life. Although Clark had never understood Lex's seemingly spontaneous interest in theoretical physics, he'd always supported his partner. Anything that finally managed to draw Lex out of his father's shadow had to be a good thing.
And that's what this had done. Lionel hadn't been happy about Lex leaving the family business and going back to school. He had cut Lex off from his money, but Lex hadn't been discouraged. He'd still had the money he inherited from his mother's family. He'd invested it well and it was more than enough to keep him in a comfortable lifestyle.
Lex had started to build a reputation for himself within the scientific community. Alexander Luthor was one of the rising stars in his field. He'd received job offers from half a dozen other universities, but had turned them down to stay with Metropolis University in a faculty position after his graduation. Even Lex admitted that his staying really had more to do with being with Clark than the quality of the job offer.
The rest of the graduation ceremony passed quickly and Clark soon found himself standing in the foyer of the auditorium with his mom. They were waiting for Lex to come and meet them. When Clark's mom had found out that Lex would be receiving his doctorate, she had insisted on coming to the ceremony. Clark hadn't been surprised, but Lex had seemed incredibly touched. Lex's own father wouldn't be there, but his lover's mother would be. He'd again told Clark how much he wished that he were part of any family other than his own. Clark had offered comfort as best as he could. He was pretty upset at Lionel as well for cutting Lex so effectively out of his life.
Clark looked down at his mom and found her smiling up at him. She looked happy and proud, almost as if it had been her own son who had just graduated. Clark only hoped that what he was going to tell her wouldn't break that mood too much.
"Mom?" Clark asked.
"Yes?"
"I just.... I wanted to let you know that I'm going to tell Lex the rest of my secret." He kept his voice low so that no one else would be able to overhear them. His mom and dad already knew that Clark had told Lex about his powers. His dad had been the one who had convinced Clark to hold back the final truth about his origins for at least a little while longer.
His mom looked up at him silently for several moments before finally nodding. "He's the one, isn't he?" she asked.
Clark knew without asking what his mom meant. When he had been nineteen, only a couple of months before he graduated from high school, he'd finally managed to get his ship working. Inside it had been information about his home planet, including a holographic representation of his birth father. The 'man' had explained many things to Clark including his powers and the ability of his people to mate for life. Apparently Clark would know when he found the right partner, and his body would instinctively 'imprint' that person. From then on, as long as they were alive, Clark wouldn't be able to love another. It had sounded horrifying and yet thrilling all at the same time.
"You know he is," Clark answered. "All of us have always known that he is."
He mom nodded in agreement. "Yes."
They'd known from the first time that Jor-El spoke of Clark's mating that his partner would be Lex. Clark hadn't been ready to give in to the fact that his fate, in this aspect of his life anyhow, had already been decided for him. He had rallied against the knowledge. His mother hadn't wanted to believe because she hadn't yet been ready to give up her little boy to the man who was already his mate, and Clark's father would never accept Lex as anything other than a Luthor to be despised. Now it was time for all of them to stop pretending and face the truth.
"You're not upset, are you?" Clark asked. He still wasn't really sure what his mother thought of his plan.
"This is your secret, Clark," his mom said. "If you trust him with it, then you should tell him. Why right now, though?"
"He asked me to move in with him," Clark admitted with a shrug.
"And you said yes," Martha concluded.
Clark nodded. He knew that his mom had needed to change the way she thought about a lot of things when she found out that her son was in a homosexual relationship. She believed in marriage before sex and had raised Clark to believe the same thing, but marriage wasn't something that was going to be allowed to Clark and Lex, no matter how much Clark might wish for it.
"You know that I love Lex like he was my own son," his mother told him and Clark couldn't help but smile, "but he worries me sometimes. He's been so driven for the last couple of years, almost like he's obsessed with this. I worry about you getting hurt."
"Lex is, well, Lex," Clark said with a smile. "He'd never hurt me on purpose."
"And what if he does it without realizing that he's hurting you?" Martha pressed.
"I...," Clark trailed off. He wasn't sure that he knew what to say to that. It had happened occasionally, that Lex got so caught up in what he was doing that he forgot about things he was supposed to do with Clark. And it *did* hurt, but Clark had just learned how to live with those occasional slights.
"You need to learn to stick up for yourself," his mom insisted gently. "Every good relationship is like that. You need to be able to tell him when he's doing something to hurt you."
"I know. You're right, Mom. I want Lex to know everything about me. That's why I need to tell him," Clark asserted.
"Tell me what?" Clark heard from behind himself just a second before Lex's arms slipped around his waist.
Clark smiled broadly. He placed his hands over top of Lex's and drew the other man around his body so that Lex was standing in front of Clark.
"How much I love you?" Clark said softly, with just a hint of a question in his voice. He leaned in and kissed Lex. His sensitive ears picked up a couple of stray comments about their 'display', but he didn't care. He wasn't going to allow anything to ruin Lex's day.
"But I already know that," Lex protested.
"I know," Clark conceded and then became a little more serious. "Later, okay?" He knew Lex knew there was more going on and denying it would only make the older man annoyed.
"Okay," Lex agreed with his own nod. "Later."
"We're really proud of you, Lex," Clark's mom told his lover.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Lex said smoothly. Clark thought he was probably the only person who could have noticed the slight pause in Lex's voice before he had spoken. Even after all the years they had been together, Lex still wasn't used to receiving sincere compliments. Clark still sometimes grieved for the lonely life Lex had lived before moving to Smallville.
"Don't you think that if you're going to be living with my son that you should start called me Martha?" she teased Lex gently. Clark's mom had asked Lex to call her Martha several times previously, but Lex had never felt comfortable doing it. Clark wondered if that would possibly change now.
"You told her," Lex said and looked up at Clark with a smirk.
"Yes."
Lex turned to look at Martha. Something serious passed across his face and Clark realized that Lex took their moving in together as seriously as Clark himself did. "I promise that I'll take good care of him," Lex told her. The words were so very sincere.
"Good," she said, her voice just as serious.
"Hey, guys. I think I can take care of myself just fine," Clark protested.
His mom looked up indulgently at him. "We know, sweetie."
"Can we take you for lunch before you head back to Smallville?" Lex asked Clark's mom and effectively changed the subject.
Martha looked down at he watch and then back up at her son and his lover. "I think I have enough time," she said agreeably.
"Excellent," Lex told her and led the three of them out of the auditorium and towards his car.
***_***
"I love your mom like she was my own, Clark, but thank God she's finally gone," Lex said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Clark's waist.
The younger man had just finished saying goodbye to his mom and now she was headed downstairs in the elevator. The three of them had gone out to lunch and then come back to the penthouse so that Clark and his mom could do some catching up. She'd stayed most of the afternoon. It had been longer than Lex had expected. Now that she was gone, he and Clark could start their own celebration of his graduation.
Clark laughed softly and turned in Lex's arms to face the other man. He leaned in and stole a passionate kiss from Lex that Lex eagerly returned. "I thought she would never leave."
"You're the one who invited her back to visit," Lex reminded his lover.
"I didn't think that she would stay this long," Clark confessed. He leaned in again so that his lips were brushing against Lex's ear. "I haven't even been able to give you your graduation present, yet."
Lex shivered at Clark's words and he felt his mouth go slightly dry. "What.... What did you get me?" he asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Clark asked in a seductive tone of voice. He pivoted the two of them around and started leading Lex towards the bedroom. Lex followed willingly. The two of them continued to kiss as they made their way across the room.
They entered the bedroom and Clark quickly removed both of their clothing. Clark pushed him back onto the bed and Lex moved towards the center. Clark climbed on after him and settled himself between Lex's legs. He lay on top of Lex, and leaned in to kiss him deeply.
"I love you so much," Clark told him when they eventually pulled apart.
"I love you too," Lex returned. It felt so good to be able to say those words to Clark. For so long he thought that he wouldn't be able to say them to anyone, and then Clark had come along and changed everything in Lex's world. He didn't think he would ever be able to repay his lover for that.
"And I'm really proud of you," Clark continued.
"I... I'm glad," Lex answered. He didn't know if Clark had any idea how much Lex had always wanted to hear that from someone, but he suspected that he did.
Clark smiled happy and then started to kiss his way down Lex's body. He stopped at each of Lex's nipples, licking and nipping them gently, before moving to nuzzle Lex's stomach. It felt so good and Lex just abandoned himself to the sensations that Clark was causing.
***_***
"So," Lex prompted eventually as he ran his fingers through Clark's hair, "there was something that you wanted to tell me?"
Clark was sated and sleepy; their lovemaking had been slow and sweet and he wanted nothing more than to lie there in Lex's arms for the rest of the day. He hadn't been anticipating the question, so hearing it at that particular moment startled him. Sure, he was still planning on telling his partner about himself, but he'd thought that the other man had forgotten their earlier conversation. Clark should have known better, though. This was Lex, and Clark had rarely, if ever, known Lex to forget anything.
"I.... Yes," Clark stuttered and then blushed slightly. He hadn't meant to make it sound like he didn't want to talk about it, but somehow he had.
Lex propped himself up on his elbow and smirked down at Clark. "You thought I forgot, didn't you?" he teased gently.
"I love you?" Clark tried. He knew his attempt at evasion was futile, but he still felt that he needed to try. He was happy, warm, and content right where he was. He didn't want to have to disturb that and talking about his origins would almost certainly lead them to getting up from the bed sometime in the near future.
"Clark," Lex sighed. He still had a pleasant tone in his voice, though, so Clark knew that his boyfriend wasn't really upset yet. He just didn't like it when Clark tried to avoid talking to him about things. "You sounded so serious this morning when you were speaking with your mom. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Clark assured Lex with a nod, "everything's fine. I just... I need to tell you something." He pushed himself up in the bed so that he was sitting with his back resting against the headboard.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Lex asked and his voice was so serious that Clark had to laugh.
If only his problem was that simple. He'd actually wished more than once that he could give Lex exactly that. The other man swore that he didn't want children, but Clark had a feeling that as Lex got older his thoughts on that subject would change. Lex would need an heir for the empire he would still undoubtedly inherit from his father, and Clark wouldn't be able to give that to him. Of course, there was always adoption or a surrogate, but knowing that still didn't stop Clark from wishing that he could carry Lex's child in his body.
"No," Clark confirmed. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to tell the truth. "Remember when I told you about my abilities?"
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Kind of hard to forget that, Clark."
"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth," Clark admitted and looked down at his hands.
Lex reached out and placed his hand under Clark's chin. He nudged Clark's head up until he was again looking at Lex. "You didn't?"
"I know you think that I was changed by the meteors like you were, but I wasn't. I wasn't caught in the shower."
"You weren't?" Lex asked. He had a confused look on his face and seemed to be thinking hard about what he had been told. Lex came to the obvious conclusion. "Then you were born like this?" he asked. His eyes swept down the length of Clark's body.
"Yes," Clark supplied. That hadn't gone quite as he had imagined it would, but he guessed that it still worked.
"How?"
"I'm not human," Clark said in a quiet but serious voice. His eyes again left Lex's face and fastened on his fingers. This time Lex didn't reach out and move his face. The older man was silent for a long time, not saying anything, and eventually Clark glanced over at him.
Lex's eyes were narrowed. "Be serious, Clark," he demanded.
"I am serious. I'm not human. I... I came with the meteors. In a ship. My parents found me and took me in."
Again Lex didn't say anything for a long time. Clark was starting to think that he might have broken his boyfriend.
"Lex?"
"You're serious," Lex said at almost the same moment that Clark called his name. "You're not human."
"No, I'm not. I... I'm from a planet about ten light years from here. My parents sent me away because the planet was being destroyed."
"But it's been eighteen years since the shower and you're only twenty-one, Clark," Lex protested.
Clark wasn't surprised that Lex had caught on to the disparity between his age and how far away his home world was. Lex understood better than most other people on the planet how space travel over that kind of distance would work.
"There's some kind of stasis device in the ship," Clark explained. "I was three when I left my birth planet and I was still three when I landed here."
"There's a ship," Lex said suddenly as if he'd just then become fully aware of that fact.
"Umm, yeah."
"I need to see it," Lex insisted.
Clark nodded slowly. He'd expected this too. Lex was one of those people who needed to see evidence before he would believe anything. "I'll call my parents. We'll go out there sometime soon."
"No. I need to see it tonight."
"Tonight?" Clark exclaimed. He looked over at the bedside clock and then shook his head. "Lex, it's five-thirty. By the time we get out there it will be almost nine. My parents aren't going to want us poking around the farm in the middle of the night."
"Not if you take us," Lex reasoned.
Clark narrowed his eyes. "I thought you hated traveling like that?" This really wasn't like Lex at all.
"This is special. I *need* to see it."
"Lex," Clark sighed.
"Clark, please?"
"Is this the only way you'll believe me?"
Lex seemed to consider that for a moment and Clark wondered what was going through his lover's mind. "Yes," Lex insisted. "I need to see the ship in order to believe your story."
Clark sighed again and then started to crawl out of the bed. He couldn't believe that he was giving in so easily, but if this was what Lex needed in order to understand Clark's past, then it was what Lex would get. Clark had never been able to deny Lex much of anything.
"Okay, get dressed and I'll take us out to the farm."
"Thank you," Lex said and climbed out of bed quickly. He seemed excited to be seeing the ship. It was just a little odd.
Clark almost couldn't believe that Lex was graduating. They'd been lovers four years now, and during that entire time Lex had been in school. It had become such a corner stone of their reality that it was strange to think their lives were about to make such a dramatic change. It was almost like they were finally being forced to grow up. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time.
Lex returned to Met U in January of 2003. He had spoken of going back to Princeton, where he'd completed his first degree, but had eventually discarded that location as being too far away. Clark hadn't known at the time, but Lex had wanted to be able to see him as much as possible.
Lex needed to spend his first two semesters in Metropolis, taking the courses that would form the basis of his second bachelor's degree in physics. Those months had been hard on both of the men. When Lex left for Metropolis, he and Clark had only been good friends. They hadn't been together, although both of them had secretly hoped for that possibility. It was when Lex returned to Smallville during spring break that Clark finally decided to give into the attraction he'd always felt for his friend and admit his feelings. After that the two of them were together as much as possible, although it wasn't easy with Clark still in high school and Lex dealing with the rigors of college. Clark made as many trips back and forth to the city in the ensuing months as he could without raising his parent's suspicions too much.
After those first two semesters, Lex returned to Smallville for the fall. That's when he and Clark had really become close. They'd been together as often as possible and done nearly everything together. His parents had seemed concerned that Clark barely spent any time with his other friends and one day Clark simply confessed his relationship with Lex to his mother. She'd been less shocked than he had thought she would be, although she had insisted on lecturing Clark about the dangers of sex with strange men. She'd also insisted on telling Clark's father about the relationship and Clark hadn't been able to convince her otherwise.
That had been a scene. Clark's father hadn't been happy and had threatened Lex, although he eventually found there was little he could do. Clark was seventeen by the time he and Lex had started dating, and they hadn't done more than make out together when the confrontation with Clark's father occurred.
In January of 2004, Lex moved back to Metropolis permanently. He and Clark spoke a lot about his decision to do that, and in the end they had concluded that Lex needed to be in the city to finish his education and then take up the research that would be required for him to complete his master's degree and eventually his doctorate. As much as Clark wanted Lex to stay with him in Smallville, he'd needed to compromise and give Lex the freedom he really needed.
After completing his junior year of high school, Clark had spent most of the summer at Lex's penthouse in Metropolis. His father had protested the arrangement, but Clark was eighteen by then and legally allowed to go wherever he wanted. His mom managed to convince his father that it was better to let the matter drop since there was obviously no way to change Clark's mind.
Lex completed his degree in time to enter the master's program that September. It was where he had wanted to be all along. His research and his supervisor kept him busy and demanded much of his time. Clark visited as often as his own senior year workload would allow. He had spent a lot of time traveling between Smallville and Metropolis before he had finally admitted his powers to Lex. The older man hadn't seemed too surprised at the revelation. If anything, he'd been excited. He also seemed to suspect that there was more to Clark's story than what he had been told. It was true, but Clark still wasn't ready to admit to being an alien as well. One huge secret at a time had been enough for him.
Clark was going to have to come completely clean soon, though. His deadline for finally telling Lex had always been when they eventually moved in together. Lex had asked the night before while the two of them were lounging under the stars on the balcony of Lex's penthouse. Clark had said yes, of course. He didn't think that there had ever been any doubt in either of their minds as to what Clark's answer was going to be. If they were going to live together, be a real official couple, then Lex needed to know everything about Clark. It simply wouldn't be fair if he didn't.
Clark beamed with pride as he watched Lex walk across the stage and receive his degree. He was welcomed into the university community and went to take his seat on stage with the others who had also received their doctorates. Lex's eyes sought Clark's and when they met, Lex's eyes lit up. He had worked so hard for this day, had been so dedicated to following this new path in his life. Although Clark had never understood Lex's seemingly spontaneous interest in theoretical physics, he'd always supported his partner. Anything that finally managed to draw Lex out of his father's shadow had to be a good thing.
And that's what this had done. Lionel hadn't been happy about Lex leaving the family business and going back to school. He had cut Lex off from his money, but Lex hadn't been discouraged. He'd still had the money he inherited from his mother's family. He'd invested it well and it was more than enough to keep him in a comfortable lifestyle.
Lex had started to build a reputation for himself within the scientific community. Alexander Luthor was one of the rising stars in his field. He'd received job offers from half a dozen other universities, but had turned them down to stay with Metropolis University in a faculty position after his graduation. Even Lex admitted that his staying really had more to do with being with Clark than the quality of the job offer.
The rest of the graduation ceremony passed quickly and Clark soon found himself standing in the foyer of the auditorium with his mom. They were waiting for Lex to come and meet them. When Clark's mom had found out that Lex would be receiving his doctorate, she had insisted on coming to the ceremony. Clark hadn't been surprised, but Lex had seemed incredibly touched. Lex's own father wouldn't be there, but his lover's mother would be. He'd again told Clark how much he wished that he were part of any family other than his own. Clark had offered comfort as best as he could. He was pretty upset at Lionel as well for cutting Lex so effectively out of his life.
Clark looked down at his mom and found her smiling up at him. She looked happy and proud, almost as if it had been her own son who had just graduated. Clark only hoped that what he was going to tell her wouldn't break that mood too much.
"Mom?" Clark asked.
"Yes?"
"I just.... I wanted to let you know that I'm going to tell Lex the rest of my secret." He kept his voice low so that no one else would be able to overhear them. His mom and dad already knew that Clark had told Lex about his powers. His dad had been the one who had convinced Clark to hold back the final truth about his origins for at least a little while longer.
His mom looked up at him silently for several moments before finally nodding. "He's the one, isn't he?" she asked.
Clark knew without asking what his mom meant. When he had been nineteen, only a couple of months before he graduated from high school, he'd finally managed to get his ship working. Inside it had been information about his home planet, including a holographic representation of his birth father. The 'man' had explained many things to Clark including his powers and the ability of his people to mate for life. Apparently Clark would know when he found the right partner, and his body would instinctively 'imprint' that person. From then on, as long as they were alive, Clark wouldn't be able to love another. It had sounded horrifying and yet thrilling all at the same time.
"You know he is," Clark answered. "All of us have always known that he is."
He mom nodded in agreement. "Yes."
They'd known from the first time that Jor-El spoke of Clark's mating that his partner would be Lex. Clark hadn't been ready to give in to the fact that his fate, in this aspect of his life anyhow, had already been decided for him. He had rallied against the knowledge. His mother hadn't wanted to believe because she hadn't yet been ready to give up her little boy to the man who was already his mate, and Clark's father would never accept Lex as anything other than a Luthor to be despised. Now it was time for all of them to stop pretending and face the truth.
"You're not upset, are you?" Clark asked. He still wasn't really sure what his mother thought of his plan.
"This is your secret, Clark," his mom said. "If you trust him with it, then you should tell him. Why right now, though?"
"He asked me to move in with him," Clark admitted with a shrug.
"And you said yes," Martha concluded.
Clark nodded. He knew that his mom had needed to change the way she thought about a lot of things when she found out that her son was in a homosexual relationship. She believed in marriage before sex and had raised Clark to believe the same thing, but marriage wasn't something that was going to be allowed to Clark and Lex, no matter how much Clark might wish for it.
"You know that I love Lex like he was my own son," his mother told him and Clark couldn't help but smile, "but he worries me sometimes. He's been so driven for the last couple of years, almost like he's obsessed with this. I worry about you getting hurt."
"Lex is, well, Lex," Clark said with a smile. "He'd never hurt me on purpose."
"And what if he does it without realizing that he's hurting you?" Martha pressed.
"I...," Clark trailed off. He wasn't sure that he knew what to say to that. It had happened occasionally, that Lex got so caught up in what he was doing that he forgot about things he was supposed to do with Clark. And it *did* hurt, but Clark had just learned how to live with those occasional slights.
"You need to learn to stick up for yourself," his mom insisted gently. "Every good relationship is like that. You need to be able to tell him when he's doing something to hurt you."
"I know. You're right, Mom. I want Lex to know everything about me. That's why I need to tell him," Clark asserted.
"Tell me what?" Clark heard from behind himself just a second before Lex's arms slipped around his waist.
Clark smiled broadly. He placed his hands over top of Lex's and drew the other man around his body so that Lex was standing in front of Clark.
"How much I love you?" Clark said softly, with just a hint of a question in his voice. He leaned in and kissed Lex. His sensitive ears picked up a couple of stray comments about their 'display', but he didn't care. He wasn't going to allow anything to ruin Lex's day.
"But I already know that," Lex protested.
"I know," Clark conceded and then became a little more serious. "Later, okay?" He knew Lex knew there was more going on and denying it would only make the older man annoyed.
"Okay," Lex agreed with his own nod. "Later."
"We're really proud of you, Lex," Clark's mom told his lover.
"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Lex said smoothly. Clark thought he was probably the only person who could have noticed the slight pause in Lex's voice before he had spoken. Even after all the years they had been together, Lex still wasn't used to receiving sincere compliments. Clark still sometimes grieved for the lonely life Lex had lived before moving to Smallville.
"Don't you think that if you're going to be living with my son that you should start called me Martha?" she teased Lex gently. Clark's mom had asked Lex to call her Martha several times previously, but Lex had never felt comfortable doing it. Clark wondered if that would possibly change now.
"You told her," Lex said and looked up at Clark with a smirk.
"Yes."
Lex turned to look at Martha. Something serious passed across his face and Clark realized that Lex took their moving in together as seriously as Clark himself did. "I promise that I'll take good care of him," Lex told her. The words were so very sincere.
"Good," she said, her voice just as serious.
"Hey, guys. I think I can take care of myself just fine," Clark protested.
His mom looked up indulgently at him. "We know, sweetie."
"Can we take you for lunch before you head back to Smallville?" Lex asked Clark's mom and effectively changed the subject.
Martha looked down at he watch and then back up at her son and his lover. "I think I have enough time," she said agreeably.
"Excellent," Lex told her and led the three of them out of the auditorium and towards his car.
***_***
"I love your mom like she was my own, Clark, but thank God she's finally gone," Lex said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Clark's waist.
The younger man had just finished saying goodbye to his mom and now she was headed downstairs in the elevator. The three of them had gone out to lunch and then come back to the penthouse so that Clark and his mom could do some catching up. She'd stayed most of the afternoon. It had been longer than Lex had expected. Now that she was gone, he and Clark could start their own celebration of his graduation.
Clark laughed softly and turned in Lex's arms to face the other man. He leaned in and stole a passionate kiss from Lex that Lex eagerly returned. "I thought she would never leave."
"You're the one who invited her back to visit," Lex reminded his lover.
"I didn't think that she would stay this long," Clark confessed. He leaned in again so that his lips were brushing against Lex's ear. "I haven't even been able to give you your graduation present, yet."
Lex shivered at Clark's words and he felt his mouth go slightly dry. "What.... What did you get me?" he asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Clark asked in a seductive tone of voice. He pivoted the two of them around and started leading Lex towards the bedroom. Lex followed willingly. The two of them continued to kiss as they made their way across the room.
They entered the bedroom and Clark quickly removed both of their clothing. Clark pushed him back onto the bed and Lex moved towards the center. Clark climbed on after him and settled himself between Lex's legs. He lay on top of Lex, and leaned in to kiss him deeply.
"I love you so much," Clark told him when they eventually pulled apart.
"I love you too," Lex returned. It felt so good to be able to say those words to Clark. For so long he thought that he wouldn't be able to say them to anyone, and then Clark had come along and changed everything in Lex's world. He didn't think he would ever be able to repay his lover for that.
"And I'm really proud of you," Clark continued.
"I... I'm glad," Lex answered. He didn't know if Clark had any idea how much Lex had always wanted to hear that from someone, but he suspected that he did.
Clark smiled happy and then started to kiss his way down Lex's body. He stopped at each of Lex's nipples, licking and nipping them gently, before moving to nuzzle Lex's stomach. It felt so good and Lex just abandoned himself to the sensations that Clark was causing.
***_***
"So," Lex prompted eventually as he ran his fingers through Clark's hair, "there was something that you wanted to tell me?"
Clark was sated and sleepy; their lovemaking had been slow and sweet and he wanted nothing more than to lie there in Lex's arms for the rest of the day. He hadn't been anticipating the question, so hearing it at that particular moment startled him. Sure, he was still planning on telling his partner about himself, but he'd thought that the other man had forgotten their earlier conversation. Clark should have known better, though. This was Lex, and Clark had rarely, if ever, known Lex to forget anything.
"I.... Yes," Clark stuttered and then blushed slightly. He hadn't meant to make it sound like he didn't want to talk about it, but somehow he had.
Lex propped himself up on his elbow and smirked down at Clark. "You thought I forgot, didn't you?" he teased gently.
"I love you?" Clark tried. He knew his attempt at evasion was futile, but he still felt that he needed to try. He was happy, warm, and content right where he was. He didn't want to have to disturb that and talking about his origins would almost certainly lead them to getting up from the bed sometime in the near future.
"Clark," Lex sighed. He still had a pleasant tone in his voice, though, so Clark knew that his boyfriend wasn't really upset yet. He just didn't like it when Clark tried to avoid talking to him about things. "You sounded so serious this morning when you were speaking with your mom. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Clark assured Lex with a nod, "everything's fine. I just... I need to tell you something." He pushed himself up in the bed so that he was sitting with his back resting against the headboard.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Lex asked and his voice was so serious that Clark had to laugh.
If only his problem was that simple. He'd actually wished more than once that he could give Lex exactly that. The other man swore that he didn't want children, but Clark had a feeling that as Lex got older his thoughts on that subject would change. Lex would need an heir for the empire he would still undoubtedly inherit from his father, and Clark wouldn't be able to give that to him. Of course, there was always adoption or a surrogate, but knowing that still didn't stop Clark from wishing that he could carry Lex's child in his body.
"No," Clark confirmed. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to tell the truth. "Remember when I told you about my abilities?"
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Kind of hard to forget that, Clark."
"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth," Clark admitted and looked down at his hands.
Lex reached out and placed his hand under Clark's chin. He nudged Clark's head up until he was again looking at Lex. "You didn't?"
"I know you think that I was changed by the meteors like you were, but I wasn't. I wasn't caught in the shower."
"You weren't?" Lex asked. He had a confused look on his face and seemed to be thinking hard about what he had been told. Lex came to the obvious conclusion. "Then you were born like this?" he asked. His eyes swept down the length of Clark's body.
"Yes," Clark supplied. That hadn't gone quite as he had imagined it would, but he guessed that it still worked.
"How?"
"I'm not human," Clark said in a quiet but serious voice. His eyes again left Lex's face and fastened on his fingers. This time Lex didn't reach out and move his face. The older man was silent for a long time, not saying anything, and eventually Clark glanced over at him.
Lex's eyes were narrowed. "Be serious, Clark," he demanded.
"I am serious. I'm not human. I... I came with the meteors. In a ship. My parents found me and took me in."
Again Lex didn't say anything for a long time. Clark was starting to think that he might have broken his boyfriend.
"Lex?"
"You're serious," Lex said at almost the same moment that Clark called his name. "You're not human."
"No, I'm not. I... I'm from a planet about ten light years from here. My parents sent me away because the planet was being destroyed."
"But it's been eighteen years since the shower and you're only twenty-one, Clark," Lex protested.
Clark wasn't surprised that Lex had caught on to the disparity between his age and how far away his home world was. Lex understood better than most other people on the planet how space travel over that kind of distance would work.
"There's some kind of stasis device in the ship," Clark explained. "I was three when I left my birth planet and I was still three when I landed here."
"There's a ship," Lex said suddenly as if he'd just then become fully aware of that fact.
"Umm, yeah."
"I need to see it," Lex insisted.
Clark nodded slowly. He'd expected this too. Lex was one of those people who needed to see evidence before he would believe anything. "I'll call my parents. We'll go out there sometime soon."
"No. I need to see it tonight."
"Tonight?" Clark exclaimed. He looked over at the bedside clock and then shook his head. "Lex, it's five-thirty. By the time we get out there it will be almost nine. My parents aren't going to want us poking around the farm in the middle of the night."
"Not if you take us," Lex reasoned.
Clark narrowed his eyes. "I thought you hated traveling like that?" This really wasn't like Lex at all.
"This is special. I *need* to see it."
"Lex," Clark sighed.
"Clark, please?"
"Is this the only way you'll believe me?"
Lex seemed to consider that for a moment and Clark wondered what was going through his lover's mind. "Yes," Lex insisted. "I need to see the ship in order to believe your story."
Clark sighed again and then started to crawl out of the bed. He couldn't believe that he was giving in so easily, but if this was what Lex needed in order to understand Clark's past, then it was what Lex would get. Clark had never been able to deny Lex much of anything.
"Okay, get dressed and I'll take us out to the farm."
"Thank you," Lex said and climbed out of bed quickly. He seemed excited to be seeing the ship. It was just a little odd.
