Well here it is, the second half of Chapter 5, a day earlier than expected, though it is part post-sleepy product so I humbly beg leniency for any mistakes that may have crept past. Hopefully this will make up for the short chapter. :)
A hearty THANKS! to ellennar for the inspiration that gave this chapter the subtle flavor changes that made for a remarkably different animal.
Lex felt like his heart was trying to leap out of his chest when his shoes slid on the small pebbles that littered his landing spot. His arms shot outward as he tried to control his balance, upper body thrown forward to avoid the gap behind him. While his heart valiantly tried to steady itself Lex looked carefully around to try and get a better idea where Clark was hiding. His soft panting was not loud enough to cover the voices that were gaining clarity with his approach.
"…not the point!" Ahhhh, the ever-emotional Pete Ross. Pity he's only that passionate when it comes to hating the Luthors. Lex shook his head and continued picking his way towards the voices.
Muttering another curse when a stone rolled out from under his foot, Lex vowed that he was going to make Pete show him the faster route that he so obviously had to have taken to beat him here. He paused momentarily when he saw another large hole breaking up the surface between him and where he heard the voices. A slight movement within the hole caught his eye; Lex quickened his pace, eagerness chased his irritation away.
"Clark, I know how much you want to tell your friends the truth about everything," Jonathan's voice drifted over to him, his sympathy apparent, supportive in its obvious denial of permission. Jonathan? He's here too? What the hell was this, the meeting of the 'I hate Luthors Club'? Lex froze where he stood, breaths suspended in his efforts to hear what he hoped was about to be revealed. "But there's just too much risk, son…"
Lex heard the weary sigh that Clark made in his disappointment, "They're my secrets Dad, mine to share." Clark's words were heavy, seeming to weigh Lex down just by hearing them. Clark continued speaking, "You guys can't protect me forever, it's human nature to seek companionship, support amongst friends and family, and this is bigger than what you and mom can help me through."
Lex's mind whirled with the effort of building a theory with the limited conversation he had caught between Jonathan and Pete. Something that had to deal with the truth, Clark's secrets, and stealing something? He didn't quite understand what it was that was supposed to have been stolen, but this was something that upset Clark enough to resort to mockery in the harshest fashion. Something that secluded Clark, excluded him perhaps, since maybe he wanted to be 'just like you' in the manner that a son wants to be like their dad? He knew that Jonathan had forbidden Clark from playing football, and that Clark held some resentment for that. Did his secret have something to do with him not being able to play football? Would it clear up some of the mysterious events that seemed to occur around the teen?
Again Jonathan's voice seemed to be heavy with regret, as if this were an argument that happened regularly, "I know we can't shelter you from the world forever, son, but your mother and I will do so for as long as you're with us. I know that sharing your problems can make it a lighter burden to carry, but in this…" Jonathan's voice trailed off, Lex imagined a sympathetic gesture full of the care and concern that his own father often made a mockery of.
"I know dad," resignation evident in the barely spoken words. Clark sounded like he was near tears, the emotion tugging something deep within, like calling to like.
"Clark?" Lex called out cautiously, half expecting to hear the angry tones of either Jonathan or Pete to challenge his presence.
A soft gasp, the thing that had wiggled earlier dropped out of his line of sight before he could identify it, then an incredulous "Lex?" called out before scraping noises drifted out. Lex peered over the edge of the hole to find Clark surprisingly alone and not garbed in his usual jeans and flannel attire. He watched as Clark rolled to his feet and looked back at him and crimson fire burned across his features as he hurriedly brushed the debris off his clothes.
"Hey Lex," Clark shyly greeted him, all evidence of Clark's emotional distress gone as if they never were, hazel eyes peeking at him through a fringe of mussed dark hair. "I wasn't expecting anyone to show up," he offered, his face a careful display of sheepish innocence. Lex hid his surprise at Clark's unexpected guile, even his eyes shone with his projection of innocent truthfulness. You may be an awful liar, Clark, but I see now that this is an expression with many years of practice. Bravo.
Lex cocked his head slightly at Clark's artifice, "I learned from your mother that you may have come out here. I could have sworn that I heard voices." Lex's curious tone prompted for answers to his unasked question.
Clark fidgeted slightly, "No, it's just me out here."
Lex watched quietly as Clark avoided his gaze, what better way to get answers than to silently wait for them? He knew Clark would offer something, anything to keep the silence from getting uncomfortable. He privately grinned when Clark continued after a few moments, "How…how long had you been standing there, Lex?"
Time for his own duplicity, "Not long before I called out, Clark." Confident his minor deception would be unnoticed, "Quite the obstacle course you've got going here,discouraging for the casual trek. My clothes will never be the same." His self-depreciation coached with wry humor ensured that Clark wouldn't feel too guilty for making him go through all that trouble, yet obligate him to some form of payment for his loyalty to their friendship.
Clark shielded his eyes from the sun's glare to get a better look at Lex, his expression shifting from open friendliness to concerned astonishment as he took in Lex's state. "Must have been really important for you to go through all that trouble to find me here?"
"I thought it was," Lex held out a hand towards Clark to help him out of his hole. "My staff saw fit to tell me that you had shown up earlier today," Lex waited a moment, noticing the slight flinch Clark gave. "I'm assuming that you had heard my father being an ass and it upset you."
At the mentioning of Lex's dad Clark scowled and his voice took on a gruff edge, "I don't like your dad Lex. He…" Clark seemed to be searching for the right word. "He makes me very angry sometimes."
"So you come out here…" Lex prompted with an encompassing gesture for the spot Clark was hiding in when he realized Clark wasn't going to take his hand.
"I, uh, vent?" Clark replied, somehow turning it into a question as he climbed out easily, muscles bunching and shifting under his thin t-shirt drawing Lex's appreciative gaze momentarily. Maybe he should subscribe to the farm chore methodology of exercise.
Lex nodded, deliberately guiding Clark into a verbal corner, "I see, would that be why I thought both Pete and your father were here with you?"
"Yes?" Innocence shone from Clark, an obvious attempt to misdirect Lex's attention. Interesting…
"You did a pretty good impersonation of Pete, I really did think he was here with you." Lex turned back towards where he had parked his car, expecting Clark to join him. "Which is funny considering that both he and your mother suggested I bring you food."
Clark's expression brightened as he drew up to Lex's side, "You brought food? What kind of food?"
Lex gave Clark a sidelong glance, "McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries. Though you'll have to eat them before we go, no way are you gonna eat greasy fries in my car."
Clark gave a little bouncing dance as he moved ahead trying to get Lex to hurry, "You're the best! Come on!"
"You wouldn't happen to have an easier if not secret route to get back to the parking area, would you?" Lex asked hopefully.
Clark seemed to think on his question briefly before chirping an overly happy, "Nope!" Lex gave a distressed groan of disappointment at that news which made Clark laugh before he moved into a light jog and bound effortlessly over the schism.
"Are you sure, Clark?" Lex resigned himself to the crossing when Clark merely shook his head. Mountain goats, Lex groused mentally.
This crossing went better as Clark was waiting with a steadying hand and a, "Steady Lex," when he skidded yet again. Lex nodded his thanks to Clark for his assistance before continuing on their way. It wasn't long before they came to the rock facing that he had originally climbed up that doomed his clothes to their trashy fate. He swallowed softly; it seemed to be much higher when he was looking down than when he was climbing up.
"Tell me there's a hidden staircase around here somewhere?" Lex's hopes crashed when Clark shook his head. "I'm afraid to ask, but how do you get down normally?"
Clark's expression of calm looked suspicious to Lex, especially when Clark simply said, "Jump."
"You're kidding me, right?" Please tell me you don't really jump from a 15-foot tall ledge, Lex mentally pleaded.
"Nope, I usually just jump. It's not that bad when you're used to it. I can help you get down once I'm done," with those words Clark moved towards a spot where the slope was more pronounced. Without any signs of hesitation Clark stutter-stepped a few times down the slope before taking the plunge. Lex could feel his heart drop down to meet his stomach as Clark fell, only to skip more than a few beats trying to reestablish its rhythm when he landed and straightened up unharmed.
Clark looked up at him with his head tilted slightly to the side, "You wanna jump too or do you want to try climbing?"
Lex tried not to blanch at Clark's suggestion that he jump; he could see the headlines, Luthor Heir Plummets to Death in Attempt to Defy Gravity. I'm sure my father would be amused that I was trying to defy the Laws of Physics and not just him. "I don't think I should jump like you did, my shoes aren't quite made for impact reduction like yours are."
"I'd catch you, Lex," earnest in the face of Lex's nervousness that he couldn't quite hide. "I wouldn't let you fall."
Lex allowed a chuckle to escape, temporarily easing his unease, "I don't think I want to risk that, I weigh a bit more than the lovely Lana." He grinned to show that he was joking with Clark.
"I don't think you outweigh my dad, Lex. I've caught him before when he slipped off the roof trying to string up Christmas lights one year."
Lex frowned, "How about you make sure I don't fall and kill myself as I lower myself down from the edge?"
Clark nodded, "Okay, I can do that. Once you get low enough I can help steady you."
It was a tense couple of minutes as Lex thanked all of his years spent building his upper body stamina with fencing. Clark helpfully called out where the closest footholds were as Lex worked his way down the rock face. When Clark's hands firmly gripped his hips Lex fought his sigh of relief and the flood of desire that spiked at the solidness of his hold. 'Such a strong grip,' Lex's thoughts helpfully informed his libido and proceeded to torment him with the other ways that Clark's firm grip could be useful upon his body. Lex continued to follow Clark's directions, even as he smacked his wayward thoughts into submission, and soon found himself back upon solid ground.
Lex felt saddened when Clark's hands withdrew from his body, their warmth leaving him feeling chilled at their absence. "Thanks Clark," thankful in more ways than one, especially that his voice didn't betray his desires.
A blinding smile and then Clark was skipping ahead of him towards his silver Aston Martin. Ahhh, Clark, food waits for no man, right? He used his remote to deactivate the alarm and unlock the doors so that Clark could retrieve his food while he followed at a more sedate pace. He decided that he'd wait until they were on their way back to his house before asking Clark about his impersonations and about what happened earlier with his father. He didn't want to give Clark opportunity to run off before he got some real answers from him.
"We'll pick up some pizza for tonight on our way back through town," Lex informed Clark as he was eating, earning him a confused look. "I'll explain once we're on our way." Thankfully, Clark just gave a brief nod before returning to his food.