Fic: Split (Clark/Lex)
Feb. 7th, 2007 12:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomcornerTitle: Split
Author: Hils
Rating: PG
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Summary: Set during Onyx. What if Clark had found the real Lex a bit sooner?
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
10_hurt_comfort. The prompt was ‘injured’. Thanks, as always, to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vichan for the beta!
The muffled cries penetrated Clark’s ears even though he hadn’t been listening for them. It took everything in him not to react to the sound. It was clearly Lex and he sounded scared. Fear wasn’t something Clark heard from Lex very often and he knew it was something that couldn’t be faked. The Lex standing in front of him now was not his friend.
“Get Chloe and meet me at the lab,” the fake Lex said and it took all of Clark’s willpower to keep his face neutral. A trap. He’d unwittingly told Lex’s double everything that he and Chloe knew, and now he wanted to silence them.
“How will I know it’s you?” Clark asked, hoping he was keeping the anger burning inside him out of his voice.
The double smiled. “Well, we could always try a secret handshake. But I’d like to think you know me better than anyone after all these years.”
Yeah, Clark thought to himself. I know my friend. And you’re not him.
“Clark,” Lex continued, “this whole mess is my fault. But I’ll put an end to all of it tonight.”
Clark resisted the urge to shudder.
* * *
Having left the doppleganger as soon as he’d been able to without raising suspicion, Clark followed the sound of Lex’s cries. It didn’t take him long to find the entrance to the storage room. Lex’s double had clearly inherited Lex’s intelligence. The room was far enough from the main part of the house so that no one would hear him, nor think to look in there. He just hoped the double hadn’t suspected anything.
The room was in darkness when Clark entered. He flipped on the lights and immediately heard the sound of someone moving. He saw his friend, chained to a pillar and with a metal mask encasing his head. Clark ran to him, snapping the restraints and removing the mask from his face.
There were tears in Lex’s eyes as they flittered nervously around the room before coming to rest on Clark’s face. It made Clark’s heart ache to see him like this. It was all too similar to the way Lex had looked when he was in Belle Reve, and that was something Clark hated to think about.
“Clark?” Lex’s voice was barely more than a whisper.
“It’s ok, Lex. Don’t try to talk.”
Lex shook his head, becoming more agitated at the thought of Clark being caught. “Get out of here.”
“No, you’re going to be ok. Come on.”
He pulled Lex to his feet, and wrapped his arms around Lex’s waist when he sagged against him. Clark then used his free hand to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Chloe, it’s me. I’m with Lex. The real Lex. Yes, he’s ok, but the other one knows what we do, so if you see him, run. Meet me at my house as soon as you can and we’ll work out how to fix this. Okay, bye.”
He slipped the phone back in his pocket and walked slowly towards the door, while he supported Lex.
“Clark,” Lex rasped, strength returning to his voice. “Doctor Sinclair’s notes are in my office. They might help.”
Clark nodded. “Okay, I’ll get you out of here and then I’ll come back for them.”
“No, Clark, it’s too dangerous to go by yourself. I’m coming with you. He can’t kill me.”
Clark was desperate to tell Lex that the duplicate couldn’t hurt him either, but instead he just nodded, silently vowing that he would do everything in his power to protect Lex. “Let’s go.”
By the time they reached the office, Lex was strong enough to walk unaided and Clark reluctantly released his hold on him. Despite everything that Lex had done in the past, Clark still loved him, and he was determined to keep it as much of a secret as his abilities. It was better to have friendship with Lex than nothing at all.
He listened carefully outside the office door and then nodded to Lex. “We’re ok.”
Lex walked in and slowly made his way over to his desk, rummaging through the papers that were neatly stacked there. Then he frowned. “Clark, they’re not here.”
“Of course they’re not here. Did you really think I’d leave things lying around that would result in me being put back inside that pathetic body of yours?”
Clark immediately placed himself between Lex and the double. “Where are the notes?”
The double smirked. “I really thought you’d fallen for my little act. I guess you’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”
“The notes?” Clark prompted.
He shrugged. “I burned them.”
He moved closer to Clark, causing him to step back. “You know, Clark, you’ve kind of ruined the surprise I had planned for you and Chloe tonight. Guess you get yours early.”
Clark felt Lex flinch behind him as the double reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun.
“I’ll handle this, Clark,” Lex said softly, before darting out and placing himself between Clark and the double. “You leave him alone!”
“Lex,” Clark cried with alarm. “Get out of the way!”
“I’m not going to let him hurt you, Clark. Too many people have been hurt in the past because of me. It stops now.”
The double rolled his eyes. “Well, this really is just nauseating. Standing there ready to die to protect the man you love? I suppose now would be a bad time to tell him about all the times you’ve thought about killing him in the past? All those times he and his pathetic little friends messed up your plans? You should have listened to me and just done it.”
“Shut up,” Lex hissed.
“Get out of the way and let me do what you were too scared to.”
“No, I won’t let you hurt him.”
The double sighed dramatically. “You always make thing so damned difficult.”
The shot rang out before Clark even realised what was happening, the bullet hitting Lex in the shoulder and knocking him to the ground.
Rage flooded through him as he saw the blood flowing freely from Lex’s wound and he immediately focused his heat vision on the gun in the double’s hand. For a split second he enjoyed the scream of pain the other Lex emitted and the smell of scorched flesh that filled the air. Then he charged at full speed. The double was unconscious and tied to Lex’s office chair before a second had passed.
Clark ran back to Lex’s side. He was still bleeding but his eyes were open, although they were clouded with pain.
“Clark? Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine Lex. Just lay still. I’ll call an ambulance.”
“No. No ambulances. No hospitals. I’m not going anywhere until we stop the other me.”
Clark stared incredulously at him. “Lex, you’ve been shot. You need to go to a hospital. The other Lex is tied up here. He won’t hurt anyone, I promise. Chloe and I will try and work out a way to join the two of you back together. Just let me call an ambulance.”
Lex was already reaching into his pocket, the movement causing him to hiss in pain. He pulled out his phone, pressed a button and held it to his ear. “It’s me. I need you.” He put the phone away and turned his attention back to Clark. “Someone’s coming. Help me up.”
Clark frowned. “Lex, I don’t think you should move. You’re bleeding pretty badly.”
Lex didn’t listen and attempted to sit up on his own. Clark had to move quickly to catch him when he fell back. “Jesus, Lex, lie still. Please?”
Clark didn’t know whether it was the pleading tone in his voice, or the use of the word ‘please,’ but Lex stopped trying to move and closed his eyes. That was something, at least. Clark removed the flannel he was wearing over his t-shirt, bunched it up and tried to staunch the bleeding. He felt faintly sick as Lex’s warm blood soaked through the shirt and onto his hands. This was his life, his essence and it was slowly trickling away. If help didn’t come in the next couple of minutes he was going to take Lex to the hospital, to hell with the consequences. He’d spent most of his life avoiding awkward questions and this was no different.
His head shot up as the door to the office banged open and Toby marched in.
“What’s the idiot kid done to himself this time?” he asked Clark, moving him out of the way so he could examine Lex.
“Uh, he was shot.” Clark replied, slightly startled that Toby hadn’t given the other Lex a second glance. Apparently being Lex’s private physician meant no questions and Clark now saw why Lex had contacted him instead of being taken to a hospital. “Is he going to be ok?”
Toby raised his eyes from the painfully large needle he was currently threading. “I reckon so. I’ve patched up worse than this in my time. Your boy has a knack for getting himself into trouble.”
Clark had to smile. That was Lex all right. Although since when had Lex been ‘his boy’? In his dreams, maybe.
As Toby started stitching Lex let out a soft moan and opened his eyes.
“Don’t move,” Toby commanded in a stern, deep voice that surprised Clark. “I’m working.”
To Clark’s astonishment, Lex did exactly what he was told with no arguments. Clark decided he was going to have to get Toby to teach him how to use that voice.
Lex squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Toby worked. Clark reached over and took his hand. “It’s ok, Lex. I’m here.”
Lex clung to Clark like a lifeline, gripping his hand with a force that would have bruised a regular human hand. Even when Toby was finished, Lex still refused to let go and Clark found he didn’t mind one bit.
“We should move him upstairs,” Toby said when he realised the two younger men in front of him had absolutely no intention of letting go of each other. “Clark, help me lift him.”
Lex let out a groan of pain as Toby and Clark got him upright and carried him upstairs to his bedroom. Once Lex was settled and Clark was sure he was comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be with a gunshot wound, he finally allowed himself to relax a little. Toby handed him a bottle of pills. “You need to get him to take these every four hours and change his bandages at the same time.”
Clark nodded. “Thank you for helping him.”
Toby grinned. “I’ve been helping him for as long as I can remember. Can’t imagine doing anything else now. See you next time, Lex.”
“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time,” Lex groaned.
“You always hope there won’t be a next time and there always is. See you boys later.”
Once Toby was gone, Clark moved over to Lex’s bedside. “Do you want some of these pills now?”
Lex nodded and Clark went into the bathroom to fetch a glass of water. When he returned, he helped ease Lex into a sitting position so that he could drink.
“You should rest,” Clark said when Lex was done.
Lex shook his head. “Later. We need to resolve the problem of the other me first.”
“How? He said he burned all of Doctor Sinclair’s notes.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that the explosion is responsible for what happened to me. If we can replicate the experiment somehow then maybe it will reverse the effects.”
That made sense to Clark. After mulling over what Lex had told him about what happened, it sounded as if black kryptonite was responsible. If it had caused Lex to separate into two,then it could also join them back together, the way his mother had used it to put Kal-El and himself back together. “I can get Chloe to go to the plant and get another rock. Will you try and rest while we wait for her?”
Lex shook his head again. “I can’t, Clark. Not until he’s gone for good. He’s already killed one person and he was going to kill you, too. I’m responsible for this and I have to fix it.”
Clark sat down on the bed beside Lex and took one of his hands in his. “Lex, this isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.”
Lex sighed and raised his eyes to meet Clark’s. Clark was stunned to see tears in them. “You don’t understand, Clark. That man downstairs has all my memories. He is me. Now, it’s possible that the explosion created an evil version of me. But it’s just as possible that it simply released something that has been inside me all along.”
“We all have our dark side, Lex. Remember when I ran away to Metropolis that summer? I did some pretty stupid and awful things that not only hurt me, but my friends and my family too. That part of me will always be there. I just learned how to control it.”
“I don’t know if I can do that, Clark. I’m not as strong as you are.”
Clark smiled. “I’ll help you, Lex. You don’t have to go through anything alone while I’m here.”
Lex gave Clark’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re a good friend. Really.”
Clark blushed. “I should call Chloe.”
“Wait, Clark. Before you go I have to tell you something.”
Clark frowned. There was fear in Lex’s voice. “What is it?”
Lex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when we do the experiment. If something goes wrong—“
“Lex, nothing will go wrong. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“If something goes wrong,” Lex continued, ignoring him, “I want you to at least to know the truth about one thing.”
He paused, trying to find the words. “Clark, I love you.”
Clark smiled. “I love you too, Lex.”
Lex sighed. “No, you don’t understand. I love you, Clark. Not like a brother or a friend. More than that. So much more.”
Clark’s eyes widened as understanding hit him. “Oh.”
“I don’t expect anything in return. I never told you before because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I know how much you love Lana. If something happens to me just know that I love you and I have since you pulled me out of the river.”
“Oh,” Clark repeated, his voice soft as his brain tried to keep up with what was happening. He’d wanted this moment for so long but never in a million years imagined it would ever happen. “Lex, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Clark. I probably shouldn’t have said anything but it just felt like the right thing to do.”
Clark smiled gently and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Lex’s lips. “Jerk.”
He almost laughed when he pulled back and saw the wide-eyed look of shock on Lex’s face.
“Clark? You just…what…?”
“Remember right after we first met? You decided to try and get me and Lana together to thank me for saving you. Well, all I wanted was to kiss you again only with you being conscious this time.”
Lex blinked slowly. “But you love Lana.”
Clark shrugged. “I did until I met you.”
Lex smiled in a way that reminded Clark of the way an adult would smile at a small child or an elderly person. “Clark, I think the painkillers are making me hallucinate.”
He chuckled. “I promise to kiss you again when you’re better. If you still want me to, that is.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
It was Clark’s turn to sigh. “Since we’re being honest with each other for what I think is the first time there’s something I need to tell you too. I’m not…I’m not exactly human.”
Lex nodded. “I thought as much.”
Clark frowned. “What?”
“Come on, Clark. I’m not stupid. I’ve seen you do some incredible things over the years I’ve known you. Did you really think I believed all those excuses about adrenaline and luck?”
Clark winced. “Uh, sorry.”
Lex shook his head. “Don’t be. I understand the need for secrecy sometimes, Clark. You secret is safe with me.”
Despite Clark’s previous misgivings about how trustworthy Lex was, there was something so sincere about the tone of his voice that Clark couldn’t do anything other than believe him. He leaned over and kissed Lex again. This time Lex responded, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue into Clark’s mouth. Clark let out a soft moan of pleasure and almost whimpered when Lex pulled back.
“Clark, we need to stop or we’ll never call Chloe.”
Clark sighed. “All right. Give me a few minutes.”
He kissed Lex again, quickly, and then pulled out his cell to make the call
* * *
“This is so weird. You’re identical.”
Chloe’s eyes flitted from Lex, who was sat on the couch next to Clark, to the double who was still tied to the office chair. Unfortunately, he had woken up some time after Clark and Toby had taken Lex upstairs.
“Of course we look identical, Chloe,” the double answered dryly. “I am Lex Luthor.”
“You’re not him,” Clark snapped, seriously wishing he had something to gag him with. “Lex would never kill anyone.”
“Only because he never listens to me. If he did you’d all be dead by now.”
“That just proves that he’s stronger than you are.”
“Strong? He’d be nothing without me. I drive him. If I wasn’t part of him he’d just be a weak, pathetic little man. If it weren’t for me our father would have driven him to suicide by now.”
Lex stood up, swaying on his feet so badly that Chloe rushed over to hold him up. “He’s right, Clark. I’ve thought about giving up plenty of times in the past, but there was always this voice in the back of my head pushing me and telling me to keep fighting.”
Clark moved over to Lex, cupping his chin gently so that he was forced to look him in the eye. “You don’t need him now, Lex. You have me.”
Lex smiled. “I know. And it means a lot to me”
Chloe frowned, puzzled, as she looked between the two men. Something was going on here and it didn’t take a genius to see what it was. How the hell had that happened?
“Uh, maybe we should try the experiment.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out a lead box, handing it to Clark. “Why was the lead box so important anyway?”
“Uh…” Clark was trying to think of a reasonable excuse when Lex cut in.
“My research revealed that the meteor rocks emit a low level of radiation. It shouldn’t be dangerous but I didn’t want to take any chances.”
Clark was impressed and a little worried at how easily and smoothly the lies fell from Lex’s lips. His life would certainly be easier if he could lie as well as Lex did. Unfortunately, it was never something he felt comfortable doing.
“What are you going to do with the meteor rock anyway?” Chloe asked, apparently accepting Lex’s radiation excuse.
“We need to heat it up, but I’d prefer it if you weren’t here. It could be dangerous and the last thing we need is another person being split in two.”
Chloe shook her head. “I’m not leaving. What if you need help?”
Clark moved away from Lex and stood in front of her. “Chloe, please. Lex already got shot. I couldn’t stand it if someone else I care about got hurt.”
Chloe sighed. Clark really had perfected the puppy eyes look and she’d never been able to resist it. “Fine, but if you need me promise to call.”
Clark hugged her. “I promise.”
Chloe smiled. “Be careful. Both of you.”
As soon as she was gone, Clark helped Lex over to the chair that held the duplicate. Clark handed the box to Lex and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The double made a gagging sound in the back of his throat, but Clark and Lex ignored him, focused solely on each other. Clark brushed his hand over Lex’s cheek, not wanting this moment to end in case it was their last.
“We should do this,” Lex finally said softly.
Clark nodded, kissing Lex once more before moving to the far side of the room. Lex opened the box and tipped the kryptonite onto the floor. Clark winced as a wave of sickness hit him but the distance enabled him to keep himself upright. He focused on the rock and used his heat vision.
It took less than a minute for the rock to turn black and Clark was forced to shield his eyes at the blinding flash that occurred when it exploded. As soon as he was able to see he rushed over and caught Lex as he collapsed. “Lex?”
“Did it work?” Lex asked weakly.
Clark glanced at the office chair. It was empty. “Yeah, Lex, it worked.”
Les managed a small smile. “Good. I think I’ll have that rest you were talking about now.”
His eyes closed and Clark placed a soft kiss on his forehead before lifting him up and carrying him back up to the bedroom.
* * *
After carefully putting Lex to bed, Clark set about changing his bandages. Lex didn’t stir throughout the whole procedure. Once he was done Clark climbed into bed beside Lex. The whole ordeal had left him feeling exhausted, and all the money in the world wouldn’t convince him to leave Lex’s side now. He settled down and carefully placed an arm over Lex’s waist. Just feeling Lex beside him gave him comfort and soothed him. He pressed a kiss to Lex’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would see the first day of their new life. Together.
The End.
Author: Hils
Rating: PG
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Summary: Set during Onyx. What if Clark had found the real Lex a bit sooner?
Written for
10_hurt_comfort. The prompt was ‘injured’. Thanks, as always, to vichan for the beta!The muffled cries penetrated Clark’s ears even though he hadn’t been listening for them. It took everything in him not to react to the sound. It was clearly Lex and he sounded scared. Fear wasn’t something Clark heard from Lex very often and he knew it was something that couldn’t be faked. The Lex standing in front of him now was not his friend.
“Get Chloe and meet me at the lab,” the fake Lex said and it took all of Clark’s willpower to keep his face neutral. A trap. He’d unwittingly told Lex’s double everything that he and Chloe knew, and now he wanted to silence them.
“How will I know it’s you?” Clark asked, hoping he was keeping the anger burning inside him out of his voice.
The double smiled. “Well, we could always try a secret handshake. But I’d like to think you know me better than anyone after all these years.”
Yeah, Clark thought to himself. I know my friend. And you’re not him.
“Clark,” Lex continued, “this whole mess is my fault. But I’ll put an end to all of it tonight.”
Clark resisted the urge to shudder.
* * *
Having left the doppleganger as soon as he’d been able to without raising suspicion, Clark followed the sound of Lex’s cries. It didn’t take him long to find the entrance to the storage room. Lex’s double had clearly inherited Lex’s intelligence. The room was far enough from the main part of the house so that no one would hear him, nor think to look in there. He just hoped the double hadn’t suspected anything.
The room was in darkness when Clark entered. He flipped on the lights and immediately heard the sound of someone moving. He saw his friend, chained to a pillar and with a metal mask encasing his head. Clark ran to him, snapping the restraints and removing the mask from his face.
There were tears in Lex’s eyes as they flittered nervously around the room before coming to rest on Clark’s face. It made Clark’s heart ache to see him like this. It was all too similar to the way Lex had looked when he was in Belle Reve, and that was something Clark hated to think about.
“Clark?” Lex’s voice was barely more than a whisper.
“It’s ok, Lex. Don’t try to talk.”
Lex shook his head, becoming more agitated at the thought of Clark being caught. “Get out of here.”
“No, you’re going to be ok. Come on.”
He pulled Lex to his feet, and wrapped his arms around Lex’s waist when he sagged against him. Clark then used his free hand to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Chloe, it’s me. I’m with Lex. The real Lex. Yes, he’s ok, but the other one knows what we do, so if you see him, run. Meet me at my house as soon as you can and we’ll work out how to fix this. Okay, bye.”
He slipped the phone back in his pocket and walked slowly towards the door, while he supported Lex.
“Clark,” Lex rasped, strength returning to his voice. “Doctor Sinclair’s notes are in my office. They might help.”
Clark nodded. “Okay, I’ll get you out of here and then I’ll come back for them.”
“No, Clark, it’s too dangerous to go by yourself. I’m coming with you. He can’t kill me.”
Clark was desperate to tell Lex that the duplicate couldn’t hurt him either, but instead he just nodded, silently vowing that he would do everything in his power to protect Lex. “Let’s go.”
By the time they reached the office, Lex was strong enough to walk unaided and Clark reluctantly released his hold on him. Despite everything that Lex had done in the past, Clark still loved him, and he was determined to keep it as much of a secret as his abilities. It was better to have friendship with Lex than nothing at all.
He listened carefully outside the office door and then nodded to Lex. “We’re ok.”
Lex walked in and slowly made his way over to his desk, rummaging through the papers that were neatly stacked there. Then he frowned. “Clark, they’re not here.”
“Of course they’re not here. Did you really think I’d leave things lying around that would result in me being put back inside that pathetic body of yours?”
Clark immediately placed himself between Lex and the double. “Where are the notes?”
The double smirked. “I really thought you’d fallen for my little act. I guess you’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”
“The notes?” Clark prompted.
He shrugged. “I burned them.”
He moved closer to Clark, causing him to step back. “You know, Clark, you’ve kind of ruined the surprise I had planned for you and Chloe tonight. Guess you get yours early.”
Clark felt Lex flinch behind him as the double reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun.
“I’ll handle this, Clark,” Lex said softly, before darting out and placing himself between Clark and the double. “You leave him alone!”
“Lex,” Clark cried with alarm. “Get out of the way!”
“I’m not going to let him hurt you, Clark. Too many people have been hurt in the past because of me. It stops now.”
The double rolled his eyes. “Well, this really is just nauseating. Standing there ready to die to protect the man you love? I suppose now would be a bad time to tell him about all the times you’ve thought about killing him in the past? All those times he and his pathetic little friends messed up your plans? You should have listened to me and just done it.”
“Shut up,” Lex hissed.
“Get out of the way and let me do what you were too scared to.”
“No, I won’t let you hurt him.”
The double sighed dramatically. “You always make thing so damned difficult.”
The shot rang out before Clark even realised what was happening, the bullet hitting Lex in the shoulder and knocking him to the ground.
Rage flooded through him as he saw the blood flowing freely from Lex’s wound and he immediately focused his heat vision on the gun in the double’s hand. For a split second he enjoyed the scream of pain the other Lex emitted and the smell of scorched flesh that filled the air. Then he charged at full speed. The double was unconscious and tied to Lex’s office chair before a second had passed.
Clark ran back to Lex’s side. He was still bleeding but his eyes were open, although they were clouded with pain.
“Clark? Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine Lex. Just lay still. I’ll call an ambulance.”
“No. No ambulances. No hospitals. I’m not going anywhere until we stop the other me.”
Clark stared incredulously at him. “Lex, you’ve been shot. You need to go to a hospital. The other Lex is tied up here. He won’t hurt anyone, I promise. Chloe and I will try and work out a way to join the two of you back together. Just let me call an ambulance.”
Lex was already reaching into his pocket, the movement causing him to hiss in pain. He pulled out his phone, pressed a button and held it to his ear. “It’s me. I need you.” He put the phone away and turned his attention back to Clark. “Someone’s coming. Help me up.”
Clark frowned. “Lex, I don’t think you should move. You’re bleeding pretty badly.”
Lex didn’t listen and attempted to sit up on his own. Clark had to move quickly to catch him when he fell back. “Jesus, Lex, lie still. Please?”
Clark didn’t know whether it was the pleading tone in his voice, or the use of the word ‘please,’ but Lex stopped trying to move and closed his eyes. That was something, at least. Clark removed the flannel he was wearing over his t-shirt, bunched it up and tried to staunch the bleeding. He felt faintly sick as Lex’s warm blood soaked through the shirt and onto his hands. This was his life, his essence and it was slowly trickling away. If help didn’t come in the next couple of minutes he was going to take Lex to the hospital, to hell with the consequences. He’d spent most of his life avoiding awkward questions and this was no different.
His head shot up as the door to the office banged open and Toby marched in.
“What’s the idiot kid done to himself this time?” he asked Clark, moving him out of the way so he could examine Lex.
“Uh, he was shot.” Clark replied, slightly startled that Toby hadn’t given the other Lex a second glance. Apparently being Lex’s private physician meant no questions and Clark now saw why Lex had contacted him instead of being taken to a hospital. “Is he going to be ok?”
Toby raised his eyes from the painfully large needle he was currently threading. “I reckon so. I’ve patched up worse than this in my time. Your boy has a knack for getting himself into trouble.”
Clark had to smile. That was Lex all right. Although since when had Lex been ‘his boy’? In his dreams, maybe.
As Toby started stitching Lex let out a soft moan and opened his eyes.
“Don’t move,” Toby commanded in a stern, deep voice that surprised Clark. “I’m working.”
To Clark’s astonishment, Lex did exactly what he was told with no arguments. Clark decided he was going to have to get Toby to teach him how to use that voice.
Lex squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Toby worked. Clark reached over and took his hand. “It’s ok, Lex. I’m here.”
Lex clung to Clark like a lifeline, gripping his hand with a force that would have bruised a regular human hand. Even when Toby was finished, Lex still refused to let go and Clark found he didn’t mind one bit.
“We should move him upstairs,” Toby said when he realised the two younger men in front of him had absolutely no intention of letting go of each other. “Clark, help me lift him.”
Lex let out a groan of pain as Toby and Clark got him upright and carried him upstairs to his bedroom. Once Lex was settled and Clark was sure he was comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be with a gunshot wound, he finally allowed himself to relax a little. Toby handed him a bottle of pills. “You need to get him to take these every four hours and change his bandages at the same time.”
Clark nodded. “Thank you for helping him.”
Toby grinned. “I’ve been helping him for as long as I can remember. Can’t imagine doing anything else now. See you next time, Lex.”
“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time,” Lex groaned.
“You always hope there won’t be a next time and there always is. See you boys later.”
Once Toby was gone, Clark moved over to Lex’s bedside. “Do you want some of these pills now?”
Lex nodded and Clark went into the bathroom to fetch a glass of water. When he returned, he helped ease Lex into a sitting position so that he could drink.
“You should rest,” Clark said when Lex was done.
Lex shook his head. “Later. We need to resolve the problem of the other me first.”
“How? He said he burned all of Doctor Sinclair’s notes.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that the explosion is responsible for what happened to me. If we can replicate the experiment somehow then maybe it will reverse the effects.”
That made sense to Clark. After mulling over what Lex had told him about what happened, it sounded as if black kryptonite was responsible. If it had caused Lex to separate into two,then it could also join them back together, the way his mother had used it to put Kal-El and himself back together. “I can get Chloe to go to the plant and get another rock. Will you try and rest while we wait for her?”
Lex shook his head again. “I can’t, Clark. Not until he’s gone for good. He’s already killed one person and he was going to kill you, too. I’m responsible for this and I have to fix it.”
Clark sat down on the bed beside Lex and took one of his hands in his. “Lex, this isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.”
Lex sighed and raised his eyes to meet Clark’s. Clark was stunned to see tears in them. “You don’t understand, Clark. That man downstairs has all my memories. He is me. Now, it’s possible that the explosion created an evil version of me. But it’s just as possible that it simply released something that has been inside me all along.”
“We all have our dark side, Lex. Remember when I ran away to Metropolis that summer? I did some pretty stupid and awful things that not only hurt me, but my friends and my family too. That part of me will always be there. I just learned how to control it.”
“I don’t know if I can do that, Clark. I’m not as strong as you are.”
Clark smiled. “I’ll help you, Lex. You don’t have to go through anything alone while I’m here.”
Lex gave Clark’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re a good friend. Really.”
Clark blushed. “I should call Chloe.”
“Wait, Clark. Before you go I have to tell you something.”
Clark frowned. There was fear in Lex’s voice. “What is it?”
Lex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when we do the experiment. If something goes wrong—“
“Lex, nothing will go wrong. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“If something goes wrong,” Lex continued, ignoring him, “I want you to at least to know the truth about one thing.”
He paused, trying to find the words. “Clark, I love you.”
Clark smiled. “I love you too, Lex.”
Lex sighed. “No, you don’t understand. I love you, Clark. Not like a brother or a friend. More than that. So much more.”
Clark’s eyes widened as understanding hit him. “Oh.”
“I don’t expect anything in return. I never told you before because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I know how much you love Lana. If something happens to me just know that I love you and I have since you pulled me out of the river.”
“Oh,” Clark repeated, his voice soft as his brain tried to keep up with what was happening. He’d wanted this moment for so long but never in a million years imagined it would ever happen. “Lex, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Clark. I probably shouldn’t have said anything but it just felt like the right thing to do.”
Clark smiled gently and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Lex’s lips. “Jerk.”
He almost laughed when he pulled back and saw the wide-eyed look of shock on Lex’s face.
“Clark? You just…what…?”
“Remember right after we first met? You decided to try and get me and Lana together to thank me for saving you. Well, all I wanted was to kiss you again only with you being conscious this time.”
Lex blinked slowly. “But you love Lana.”
Clark shrugged. “I did until I met you.”
Lex smiled in a way that reminded Clark of the way an adult would smile at a small child or an elderly person. “Clark, I think the painkillers are making me hallucinate.”
He chuckled. “I promise to kiss you again when you’re better. If you still want me to, that is.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
It was Clark’s turn to sigh. “Since we’re being honest with each other for what I think is the first time there’s something I need to tell you too. I’m not…I’m not exactly human.”
Lex nodded. “I thought as much.”
Clark frowned. “What?”
“Come on, Clark. I’m not stupid. I’ve seen you do some incredible things over the years I’ve known you. Did you really think I believed all those excuses about adrenaline and luck?”
Clark winced. “Uh, sorry.”
Lex shook his head. “Don’t be. I understand the need for secrecy sometimes, Clark. You secret is safe with me.”
Despite Clark’s previous misgivings about how trustworthy Lex was, there was something so sincere about the tone of his voice that Clark couldn’t do anything other than believe him. He leaned over and kissed Lex again. This time Lex responded, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue into Clark’s mouth. Clark let out a soft moan of pleasure and almost whimpered when Lex pulled back.
“Clark, we need to stop or we’ll never call Chloe.”
Clark sighed. “All right. Give me a few minutes.”
He kissed Lex again, quickly, and then pulled out his cell to make the call
* * *
“This is so weird. You’re identical.”
Chloe’s eyes flitted from Lex, who was sat on the couch next to Clark, to the double who was still tied to the office chair. Unfortunately, he had woken up some time after Clark and Toby had taken Lex upstairs.
“Of course we look identical, Chloe,” the double answered dryly. “I am Lex Luthor.”
“You’re not him,” Clark snapped, seriously wishing he had something to gag him with. “Lex would never kill anyone.”
“Only because he never listens to me. If he did you’d all be dead by now.”
“That just proves that he’s stronger than you are.”
“Strong? He’d be nothing without me. I drive him. If I wasn’t part of him he’d just be a weak, pathetic little man. If it weren’t for me our father would have driven him to suicide by now.”
Lex stood up, swaying on his feet so badly that Chloe rushed over to hold him up. “He’s right, Clark. I’ve thought about giving up plenty of times in the past, but there was always this voice in the back of my head pushing me and telling me to keep fighting.”
Clark moved over to Lex, cupping his chin gently so that he was forced to look him in the eye. “You don’t need him now, Lex. You have me.”
Lex smiled. “I know. And it means a lot to me”
Chloe frowned, puzzled, as she looked between the two men. Something was going on here and it didn’t take a genius to see what it was. How the hell had that happened?
“Uh, maybe we should try the experiment.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out a lead box, handing it to Clark. “Why was the lead box so important anyway?”
“Uh…” Clark was trying to think of a reasonable excuse when Lex cut in.
“My research revealed that the meteor rocks emit a low level of radiation. It shouldn’t be dangerous but I didn’t want to take any chances.”
Clark was impressed and a little worried at how easily and smoothly the lies fell from Lex’s lips. His life would certainly be easier if he could lie as well as Lex did. Unfortunately, it was never something he felt comfortable doing.
“What are you going to do with the meteor rock anyway?” Chloe asked, apparently accepting Lex’s radiation excuse.
“We need to heat it up, but I’d prefer it if you weren’t here. It could be dangerous and the last thing we need is another person being split in two.”
Chloe shook her head. “I’m not leaving. What if you need help?”
Clark moved away from Lex and stood in front of her. “Chloe, please. Lex already got shot. I couldn’t stand it if someone else I care about got hurt.”
Chloe sighed. Clark really had perfected the puppy eyes look and she’d never been able to resist it. “Fine, but if you need me promise to call.”
Clark hugged her. “I promise.”
Chloe smiled. “Be careful. Both of you.”
As soon as she was gone, Clark helped Lex over to the chair that held the duplicate. Clark handed the box to Lex and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The double made a gagging sound in the back of his throat, but Clark and Lex ignored him, focused solely on each other. Clark brushed his hand over Lex’s cheek, not wanting this moment to end in case it was their last.
“We should do this,” Lex finally said softly.
Clark nodded, kissing Lex once more before moving to the far side of the room. Lex opened the box and tipped the kryptonite onto the floor. Clark winced as a wave of sickness hit him but the distance enabled him to keep himself upright. He focused on the rock and used his heat vision.
It took less than a minute for the rock to turn black and Clark was forced to shield his eyes at the blinding flash that occurred when it exploded. As soon as he was able to see he rushed over and caught Lex as he collapsed. “Lex?”
“Did it work?” Lex asked weakly.
Clark glanced at the office chair. It was empty. “Yeah, Lex, it worked.”
Les managed a small smile. “Good. I think I’ll have that rest you were talking about now.”
His eyes closed and Clark placed a soft kiss on his forehead before lifting him up and carrying him back up to the bedroom.
* * *
After carefully putting Lex to bed, Clark set about changing his bandages. Lex didn’t stir throughout the whole procedure. Once he was done Clark climbed into bed beside Lex. The whole ordeal had left him feeling exhausted, and all the money in the world wouldn’t convince him to leave Lex’s side now. He settled down and carefully placed an arm over Lex’s waist. Just feeling Lex beside him gave him comfort and soothed him. He pressed a kiss to Lex’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would see the first day of their new life. Together.
The End.
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Date: 2007-02-07 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-07 05:30 pm (UTC)