Fic: I Believe
Dec. 7th, 2007 07:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomcornerTitle: I Believe
Author: Hils
Week/Challenge: Day 7: Fairy Tales
Prompt: Sleeping Beauty
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex (with hints of Clark/Lana and mentions of previous Lex/Lana)
Words: 5,421
Rating: NC-17
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
undermistletoe fiction challenge. Huge thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
danceswithgary for the beta
Art byherohunter
Clark felt Lana’s eyes on him before he saw her. She loved to watch him work and often would sit in the barn for hours, chatting away while he worked on one of the tractors.
Today was different.
She was quiet as her eyes followed him around the barn, watching closely as he fetched various tools.
It made him feel kind of nervous.
“Why do you spend so long out here?” She finally asked softly. “You could have all these jobs done in a few seconds if you wanted.”
He shrugged. “I find it sort of relaxing.”
As her small hand came to rest on his arm, he almost flinched, hoping she didn’t notice as he continued to work.
“I could help you relax,” she purred in his ear.
Inwardly, he sighed. They seemed to be having this conversation more and more frequently, and it wasn’t as though anything had changed between them.
“Lana, you know we can’t. I’d hurt you, maybe something worse.”
“You'd be careful, I know you would. We could take it slowly like you do when you’re out here.”
The sound of grinding metal screamed through the barn and Lana could only stare as she was presented with the mangled remains of Clark’s wrench.
“The tractor is a machine, Lana. It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake or lose my concentration. I’m not going to take a chance like that with you. I’m sorry.”
To further illustrate their differences, he ran into town using all of his enhanced speed. He needed to buy a new wrench anyway.
* * *
Dejected, Lana trudged into the house. As much as she loved Clark, it was extremely annoying the way he could just disappear in a fraction of a second and avoid any sort of rational discussion about their relationship. It wasn’t as though she could follow him. The best she could do was storm away and slam a door, neither of which would stop Clark and both of which felt extremely tempting right then.
“Hey,” Kara greeted, arriving with the same speed Clark had used to depart. “Have you seen Clark?”
Lana sighed. “He took off while we were talking. I have no idea where he went.”
“Did you guys have a fight?” Kara asked with a frown.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what it was. Things have been kind of…awkward since I got back from China.”
Kara poured Lana some coffee, and then took a seat. “Is it because of Lex?”
“Why would it have anything to do with Lex?” Lana asked with a frown.
“I don’t know,” Kara shrugged. “They used to be best friends, and then after they stopped talking, you started dating Lex, and then you married him. Maybe Clark is finding that a little hard to deal with.”
Lana set down her mug and smiled. It was a smile she had spent months perfecting, one that she could slide into place without even thinking about it now. “Kara, I don’t think Clark explained things to you properly. It was a lot more complicated than that.”
“Oh, Clark didn’t explain it to me at all. He never tells me anything. I hear people talking.”
Now Lana could feel the muscles in her face twitching as she struggled to keep her perfect smile in place. “I wouldn’t believe everything you hear, Kara. People in this town like to gossip. When there’s nothing interesting to talk about, they make things up. Trust me, what’s happening between Clark and me has nothing to do with Lex.”
“What is it then? Is it something I can help with?”
Lana allowed her smile to soften slightly. Kara was new to this world but she did genuinely seem to want to help. “Not unless you know a way for Clark and me to overcome our…physical differences.”
“What do you mean?” Kara’s eyes widened. “Ohh!”
“I know Clark wants to take things further with me, but he’s so scared of hurting me that he won’t even try.”
“Well, you can’t blame him,” Kara replied gently. “You wouldn’t do something if you thought it might hurt him, would you?”
“Of course not. I just wish there was some way we could have a normal relationship. I’m starting to feel like his mother, not his girlfriend.”
Kara nodded. “I understand. On Krypton, people used to travel to all the planets in the galaxy. Sometimes they would fall in love with someone they met there. Luckily for them we had the Shea.”
Lana felt herself leaning forward. “What’s that?”
“A crystal, a very special one. We used it to modify our bodies. Nothing dramatic, just enough to make it possible for us to mate with whomever we had selected as a life mate.”
“That’s incredible,” Lana breathed. “Did you bring one with you?”
Kara shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Lana. All I had was the crystal my father gave me.”
“What does the Shea look like?” Lana asked.
“Like most Kryptonian crystals,” Kara replied with a shrug. “Only it’s red.”
Lana’s eyes widened. “I have to go.”
Kara could only watch in confusion as Lana all but ran out of the house and jumped into her car. There was so much about humans she still didn’t understand.
* * *
It hadn’t taken her long to recall where she had seen a crystal like the one Kara had described, and of course it would be in the one place that was the most difficult to penetrate.
She frowned as Lex worked, oblivious to the fact that the key to her happiness lay just a short distance away from him. Using her computer to zoom in on the crystal, she almost laughed at the plaque it had been mounted on.
Awarded to Lex Luthor for services to Metropolis in the wake of Dark Thursday.
It was a joke, really. These people had no idea that they were commending the very person who had brought about Dark Thursday in the first place. She should have been surprised that Lex had kept it and put it on display, but these days nothing Lex did could surprise or shock her. The man was capable of anything.
It made her tremble, seeing how close she was to getting what she wanted and knowing that yet again, Lex was the one standing in her way.
She pulled out her phone and hit number one on her speed dial. “It’s me. I need a job done, and money is no object. I’ll pay whatever it takes.”
* * *
Clark still came to the mansion when he needed time to himself. Of course, he didn’t go inside, he and Lex were past that now. Instead, he would find a spot somewhere out of sight of the cameras and just sit. Sometimes he would think, but today he wanted to empty his mind of everything. Things with Lana were just too complicated, and thinking about them made his head hurt. He closed his eyes and just cleared his head of all thoughts.
“You know, there’s plenty of comfortable furniture in the mansion if you wanted to rest.”
Clark’s eyes snapped open. Lex was standing over him, briefcase in hand and an amused smile on his face.
He scrambled to his feet. “Lex, I…”
“Relax, Clark. I sit out here sometimes, too. It’s nice to get away from everything sometimes.”
He gave Lex a small smile and nodded. “Yeah. I should go though.”
“I’m on my way to a meeting in Metropolis. Do you want a ride home?”
Clark stilled and looked at Lex. Really looked at him. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever understand this man. He knew that Lex was capable of terrible things, he’d witnessed some of them himself. Somehow, despite all that, whenever he looked at Lex, all he could see was his friend. He knew that he should avoid him, never speak to him again, but he couldn’t keep away.
As Lex laid a hand on his arm, Clark felt himself tremble.
“I know you don’t trust me,” Lex said softly, “but I want you to know that you are welcome to come here whenever you want. I promise no one will disturb you.”
Clark was surprised to find that he believed him. It had been his tendency to immediately assume that Lex was lying whenever he opened his mouth these days.
This was different though. Lex actually seemed sincere.
“Thanks. Lately, my barn is less like a Fortress of Solitude and more like a hotel.”
Lex smiled, and for the briefest of moments it felt as if they were friends again. It felt good, but the feeling soon faded when he remembered that Lana was waiting for him.
“I should go.”
“Me, too. Goodbye, Clark.”
“Bye, Lex.”
* * *
It still amazed Lana the power that money could buy.
Apparently, the screening process for Lex’s staff had become lax of late. She’d been able to bribe one of the maids for a few thousand, and a new identity once the job was finished. The stupid girl had no grasp of the magnitude of what she was doing. If she had, she’d have asked for more money.
The crystal glittered in the early evening light. It felt so fragile in her small hands, but it was so much stronger than anything she could imagine. The wooden mount it had been affixed to had come away easily. She’d burn it later.
Slipping the crystal into her purse, she smiled. Tonight was going to be the best night she and Clark had ever known.
“I have to say I’m impressed.”
Lana scrambled to her feet, cursing herself for letting Lex startle her like that. She quickly slid her cool mask back into place.
“What are you doing here, Lex?”
He moved towards her, hands thrust deep into his pockets. To a casual observer he was relaxed, but she knew he was far from it. He was a hunter and she was the prey.
“I just wanted to congratulate you on yet another victory,” he purred. “I’m going to have to be more careful about who I employ, it seems.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulders and brushed some straw from her knees. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lex smiled, and Lana had to stifle the urge to shiver. “Don’t play games, Lana. We’re much too alike for it to work with me. I just want to know why you did it. What’s so special about a worthless award?”
“I am nothing like you,” she hissed. “You want to know why? You don’t deserve it. What happened on Dark Thursday was your fault.”
“What’s going on?”
Lana turned. She hadn’t even heard Clark enter the barn.
“I’m just asking Lana why she stole something from my office,” Lex replied dryly. “Perhaps you’ll have better luck getting a straight answer from her.”
Lana had to hide a smirk. Lex honestly thought Clark would believe him over her. It was ridiculous. She moved over to Clark and wrapped an arm around him.
“It seems that one of Lex’s servants decided to help herself to one of Lex’s awards before running away. For some reason, he’s decided that it's my fault and he doesn’t seem to realise that I don’t need to steal. Everything I want is right here.”
Just to make sure Clark knew exactly what she meant, she pressed a kiss to his mouth.
Clark glanced over at Lex and frowned. “Lex, you must be mistaken. What is it you think she stole?”
“Nothing of value. It was an award presented to me in the aftermath of Dark Thursday. I keep it on display to remind me what my responsibilities are.”
Lana snorted, she couldn’t help herself. “You keep it on display to convince yourself that you’re a better man than you are.”
Clark frowned and pulled away from her, studying her intently for a few seconds. “Lana, please tell me you didn’t steal it.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What? Of course I didn’t. How can you even ask me that?”
He ignored her and turned to face Lex. “What does it look like?”
“It’s a long, red crystal. Have you seen it?”
Clark closed his eyes and turned back to face Lana. “Your purse.”
She was going to protest and hurl more accusations at Lex, but something in Clark’s eyes made her stop. Then she remembered the way he had been staring at her, and she kicked herself for forgetting about his x-ray vision.
She pulled the crystal out of her purse and handed it to Clark. “I did it for us.”
Clark wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on the crystal as he turned it over and over in his hands, his fingers exploring its smoothness. It was obviously Kryptonian, and looked just like the crystals in the fortress, only this one was red. He could almost feel it vibrating in his hands as he touched it.
He gasped as one of his fingers touched the tip of the crystal, his eyes widening as a spot of blood appeared where it had pierced the skin.
The last thing he saw was Lex moving towards him, eyes filled with concern.
Then there was only white.
* * *
“Clark? Clark!” Lex whirled to face Lana, his eyes blazing with a fire that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “What’s going on? What did you do to him?”
Lana was still staring at the empty space that Clark had been occupying until a few seconds ago.
“Lana!” Lex snapped when she didn’t answer him. “Where did Clark go?”
“I…” She whispered. “I don’t know.”
Lex stormed out of the barn and into his car. If Lana wasn’t going to help him find Clark then there was someone else who might.
* * *
When Clark’s vision cleared, he was surprised to find himself in the Fortress.
“My son,” the voice of Jor-El rang out. “I did not expect this moment to come so soon.”
“Why am I here?” Clark asked, feeling disoriented and confused.
“The crystal you hold in your hand means that you have chosen a mate and are ready to bond with them.”
Clark’s eyes widened. “What? I didn’t choose anything.”
“It is time for you to become an adult, but first some minor modifications to your body must be made.”
Clark dropped the crystal as though it had burned him. “No, I don’t want this. I didn’t make any choice.”
“The choice is made. Now, you must sleep, Kal-El.”
The white light was back, and Clark was powerless to stop it. He felt his knees buckle but before he hit the floor he felt himself lifted up and placed somewhere soft and warm. His eyes drifted shut, and then there was only darkness.
* * *
Lex’s tires screamed as he tore around the corner and screeched to a halt outside The Talon. He didn’t even register the stares he was generating as he leapt out of the car and hurried inside.
“Mr. Luthor,” Kara greeted him with a smile so fake he was in serious danger of smashing something. “Can I help you with something?”
“I need to talk to you. Now. Something has happened to Clark.”
The crash of the cup as it slipped from her fingers caused several customers to stare, but Lex didn’t care. All he wanted was answers, and a way to get Clark back.
“This way,” Kara hissed, grabbing his arm with such a force that he almost cried out in pain. He didn’t really have time to dwell on her incredible strength, because as soon as they were out of sight of the customers, her grip moved from his arm to his throat.
“What have you done to Clark? If you’ve hurt him…”
“It wasn’t me,” Lex wheezed, his sight fading as the breath was choked out of him. “It was Lana.”
He crashed to the floor as Kara released him, his body wracked with coughs as the air rushed back into his lungs.
“Lana would never hurt Clark,” Kara said with just the barest hint of uncertainty in her voice. “She loves him.”
“Does naivete about Lana run in the family?” Lex asked with a sigh, as he climbed back to his feet.
“Just tell me what happened,” Kara snapped, “before I choke the information out of you.”
Lex rubbed his throat. Getting throttled again really didn’t sound appealing, and they were wasting time. “I’m not sure exactly. Lana stole a red crystal from my office and gave it to Clark. He cut his finger on it and disappeared.”
Kara’s eyes widened and her face paled. “Oh, no. She couldn’t have.”
“Kara,” Lex pressed. “Where is Clark? I have to find him.”
“You can’t help him now,” Kara replied sadly. “Only one person can.”
“Who?”
“Clark’s true love.”
* * *
Lana was still trying to reach Kara’s cell phone when Lex arrived back at the farm.
“Wrap up warmly. We’re taking a trip.”
She snapped her phone shut and stared at him. “Lex, if you really think I’m going to go anywhere with you, then you’re crazy.”
He stepped towards her, eyes locked with hers as he closed the distance between them. “If you want to save Clark, then you’ll do exactly what I say. After all, you’re the one responsible for what happened to him.”
She took a step back. “No, it was an accident. I would never have done it if I’d known this was going to happen.”
Lex shrugged. “Whether you intended it or not, the responsibility still lies with you. Isn’t that what you told me after Dark Thursday?”
“I…”
“Get your coat, it’s cold where we’re going.”
With more distance between them, Lana seemed to regain some of her confidence and she folded her arms across her chest. “If you think that by helping me save Clark it’ll get me to forgive you, you’re wrong.”
“I’m not doing this to help you,” Lex replied coldly. “Meet me at the mansion in thirty minutes. I’ll have a plane waiting.”
He walked out of the door before she had a chance to reply.
* * *
There was a time when Lex would have been thrilled to have Lana pressed close to him the way she was now. That time had long since passed, though, and this was now purely to ward off the cold as they travelled the final distance to the location where Kara had said they would find Clark.
“Look, there!” Lana shouted in his ear over the roar of the snowmobile engine.
Lex pulled to a stop, his jaw dropping as he took in the sheer magnificence of the structure they were seeing.
“Incredible…”
What was even more incredible was that something this size had never been discovered by anyone.
“We should go,” Lana said, and Lex cursed himself for momentarily forgetting why they were here.
“I’m surprised that Clark never brought you here,” he said as they entered the cavernous main hall. Amazingly, despite the extreme cold outside, now that they were sheltered it actually felt quite warm.
Lana pursed her lips and said nothing.
They both froze as a soft red light shone down on them, seeming to come from nowhere.
“What is it?” Lana whispered.
“I’m not sure.”
As rapidly as it had appeared, the light vanished again. and a voice echoed through the room.
“The one bonded to Kal-El has arrived. Step forward.”
When Lana didn’t move Lex gave her a small shove before addressing the voice. “Where is Clark?”
“Kal-El, the one you call Clark, is now ready to complete his transformation. Now that you are here, he will awaken.”
A soft white light began to glow in one corner of the room, revealing Clark. He was laid out on a bed, which seemed to be carved into the crystal floor. His clothes were gone and had been replaced by white robes which seemed to glow in the light.
Lana ran forward. “Clark!”
She shook him, gently at first and then harder when he showed no signs of waking. “Clark, wake up.”
“Why won’t he wake up?” Lex called out.
“Kal-El awaits his chosen one.”
“But I’m here!” Lana shouted, still shaking Clark’s shoulders. Lex moved over to join her, laying a hand on Clark’s cheek and checking his eyes for any sort of reaction.
“Mmm…”
“He moved!” Lana exclaimed with delight. “Did you see that? Clark, it’s me, can you hear me?”
Lex stepped back and Clark fell silent as Lana continued to try to wake him. When there was no further response, she turned to Lex with helpless eyes. “I don’t understand.”
Realisation was starting to dawn on Lex, mixed with a high dose of hope as he tentatively stepped forward and laid his hand back on Clark’s cheek.
“Mmm…Lex…”
Lana recoiled and blinked for a moment as she tried to process what she had just heard. She turned to Lex with blazing eyes brimming with tears. “You…” she hissed. “What did you do to him?”
Lex was still staring at Clark, convinced he had imagined the softly spoken words. He was brought out of his reverie when Lana flew at him with a cry, small fists pounding on his chest.
“He.” Thump. “Loved.” Thump. “Me.” Thump.
“Lana, I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“Liar!”
With a sob, she ran from him, fleeing into one of the dark recesses of the Fortress.
“I’m sorry,” Lex murmured before turning back to Clark, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully once more.
“You are the one Kal-El has chosen,” the voice rang out again.
He was still trying to process it. How was this even possible? Clark hated him. They fought all the time and lied to each other. How could this have happened?
He cleared his throat of the lump that had formed there, hating himself for speaking, but knowing that he had to. “There has to be some sort of mistake.”
“There is no mistake, Lex Luthor. The crystal read his deepest desires and longings. You are the one he wishes to be with. Now, take your rightful place at his side.”
He moved back over to the bed, struck by how startlingly beautiful Clark was in the light. With a trembling hand, he tentatively reached out and brushed the hair away from Clark’s eyes.
Clark let out another sleepy murmur and his lips curved into a small smile. Lex couldn’t help himself. In this light, Clark’s lips looked so full, red and inviting. He leaned down and kissed him, saddened that Clark was unconscious for their first real kiss.
Only Clark wasn’t asleep.
His lips were soft and warm and he was most definitely kissing Lex back.
A small, rational part of Lex’s brain wanted him to pull away and talk to Clark about what was happening, but the rest of him was too caught up in how good it felt, to listen. It was what he’d been longing for, for years, ever since the day Clark had pulled him back from the edge of death. Nothing on Earth would convince him to stop right now.
Eventually, Clark was the one who pulled away, giving Lex a chance for oxygen that he hadn’t even realised he'd needed.
“Hey,” Clark said with a gentle smile.
Lex knew he was grinning like an idiot but right then he didn’t care. “Hello, Clark.”
He loved it whenever Clark blushed that way. It made Lex eager to kiss him again, and never stop.
“So…uh…I guess I need to explain a few things.”
Lex shook his head, surprised at his actions even as he did so. “You don’t need to explain anything until you’re ready, Clark. Last time I lost you because I thought the truth was more important than what we had. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
“I want to tell you everything,” Clark replied softly. “You’re the one I want to be with. I just wish it hadn’t taken me this long to understand it.”
Lex smiled and brushed his hand over Clark’s cheek. “Maybe we can talk when we get back to Smallville.”
Clark nodded and sat up. “That sounds great. Uh…you don’t happen to know where my clothes are, do you?”
“You may not leave this place yet, Kal-El,” the bodiless voice rang out again. “The bonding has not yet been fully completed.”
Clark frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You must mate with your chosen one. Now.”
Lex raised an eyebrow. The owner of this voice was blunt to say the least. He would have to ask Clark about it later. Glancing over at Clark Lex was alarmed to see his face had turned a deep shade of red. He was almost purple, he was blushing so hard.
He reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Clark’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Clark.”
Clark looked at him with tear-filled eyes. “No, it’s not. I wanted our first time to be perfect, not because I’m a freak and forced to by my biological father.”
Okay, that was slightly twisted, but Lex wasn’t going to let that get in the way of this. He took a seat on the bed beside Clark. “Look around you, Clark. We’re in a crystal palace. I can’t think of a perfect and more romantic place for this to happen, and I want it to happen, don’t you?”
Clark nodded silently.
“Well, then. We both want this. No other reasons matter.”
Clark turned to him, uncertainty still wavering in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
As an answer, Lex leaned forward and kissed him. It was deeper than their first kiss, needy and fuelled by his desire for this beautiful, mysterious man.
Clark moaned and returned the kiss, leaning in close until their bodies were pressed fully against each other. Lex could feel Clark’s hardness beneath the robe, and he tingled in anticipation.
“I’m sorry that I pushed you away,” Clark whispered between kisses.
“Doesn’t matter,” Lex replied as he nipped at Clark’s bottom lip. “We’re here now.”
He pulled back and slid the robe down over Clark’s shoulders, pausing as Clark lifted his hips and allowed Lex to fully remove it.
Lex couldn’t stop himself from gasping. Every single inch of Clark Kent was perfect, and in this light his skin seemed to glow a deep bronze.
He had his own personal Adonis.
“So beautiful…”
Clark smiled shyly, and then reached forward and began to undress Lex.
It should have taken a long time, considering how many layers of clothes Lex had been forced to wear for his trip across the Arctic. However, Clark’s fingers were surprisingly quick and nimble, and soon Lex was naked. Surprisingly, Lex wasn’t cold, even though they were as far north as any man could travel.
He did shiver when Clark stroked his arms, gooseflesh breaking out on his skin as he reacted to the touch.
“I’ve never…I mean, not with a man before,” Clark whispered, peeking through lowered lashes.
Lex smiled and kissed him. “Don’t worry about anything, Clark. Just lay back and let me take care of you.”
Clark did as he was asked, rolling over and laying down on his stomach. Lex licked his lips in anticipation as he ran his hands over the firm flesh of Clark’s ass.
“Do you have any lube?” He asked, suddenly fearful that this was going to be over before it had begun.
He almost cheered when Clark reached beneath the pillow and passed a tube back to him.
“Always prepared,” Lex grinned. “Like a true boy scout.”
Clark’s muffled chuckle rumbled into the pillow as Lex leaned forward and pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades. “Okay, just relax. You’re going to enjoy this, I promise.”
He coated his fingers in the lube and slid one digit into Clark, grinning at the gasp of pleasure it evoked. A second finger joined the first as Lex explored Clark’s tightness, preparing him for the best part.
“More,” Clark groaned into the pillow. “I need more.”
“Patience,” Lex whispered.
He withdrew his fingers and crawled up the bed, placing a kiss on the nape of Clark’s neck before he entered him. Clark groaned again and bucked his hips before they started moving in unison. A warmth filled Lex as they rocked together, filling him and making him feel safe and loved for the first time since his mother died. Any doubts he might have had left him as he was suddenly filled with the absolute certainty that he and Clark were meant to be this way, joined and as one, for the rest of their lives.
They climaxed together, and as Clark slumped back onto the bed, Lex rested his head on the broad, sweat-slicked back beneath him. He wrapped one arm around Clark’s chest and used the other to stroke his hair.
“That was perfect,” he murmured sleepily.
“Mmm,” Clark responded contentedly.
A few minutes passed, and Lex suddenly felt Clark tense beneath him.
“Clark? What’s wrong?”
“Uh…”
Lex raised his head, opened his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Past Clark’s shoulder, he could see the bed beneath them. Far beneath them. He tightened his grip on Clark.
“We’re floating.”
“Yeah,” Clark replied in a fear-strangled voice. “I don’t know how to get down.”
Lex drew in a deep breath. He still hated heights, but Clark was clearly freaking out and it wouldn’t do either of them any good if they both panicked.
“Clark, I need you to focus, okay? Just look at the bed and imagine yourself slowly sinking towards it. Can you do that for me?”
He heard Clark gulp. “I can try.”
Lex pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You can do this, I know you can.”
They hovered for a few seconds, wobbled, and then slowly started to descend.
“That’s it, Clark,” Lex encouraged. “You’re doing great.”
It took a few more minutes to reach the bed, and the last few inches were more of a plummet, but they made it. As soon as they landed, Lex rolled off Clark and pulled him into his arms.
“That was amazing!”
Clark gave him a shaky smile. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Your transformation is complete, Kal-El. You now possess the ability to defy gravity. Now that the bonding is complete, you may leave.”
“How polite,” Lex muttered, causing Clark to grin. “Come on, I never thought I’d say this but I miss Smallville.”
Clark smiled and kissed him. “Me, too.”
Lex pulled his clothes back on, and Clark was relieved to find that his own had somehow appeared on a ledge beside the bed. Hand in hand, they headed out towards the entrance to the Fortress. As the reached the opening, Lex stopped.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Lex gestured to the vast emptiness of snow in front of them. “It would seem Lana has departed and taken the only means of transportation with her.”
Clark’s eyes widened in horror. “Lana was here? She saw us? Oh, God!”
Lex raised an eyebrow. “Clark, she put you in a coma so she could have sex with you. Why do you care?”
“She’s not a bad person, Lex. She just makes bad decisions, sometimes. We’ve all done that.”
“And stranding us in the Arctic and essentially leaving us to die? Is that just a ‘bad decision’ too?”
Clark fell silent for a moment. “People do crazy things when they’re in love, Lex. Look at us before today.”
Lex froze and turned to face him. “Love?”
Clark’s face paled. “Well…I thought…”
Lex smiled and placed a finger on his lips. “Clark, I’ve loved you for the longest time. I just never expected to hear you say the words.”
Clark kissed the finger that was still pressed against his lips. “I love you, Lex, and you’ll be hearing it a lot more from me, I promise. Now, let’s get out of here.”
“How?”
Clark grinned and pulled Lex close to him. “Do you still believe a man can fly, Lex?”
“I never stopped.” He gasped as the rose a few inches from the ground. “Are you sure you can do this? It’s a long way back to Smallville.”
“Lex, with you in my arms, I can do anything.”
The End
Author: Hils
Week/Challenge: Day 7: Fairy Tales
Prompt: Sleeping Beauty
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex (with hints of Clark/Lana and mentions of previous Lex/Lana)
Words: 5,421
Rating: NC-17
Written for
undermistletoe fiction challenge. Huge thanks to danceswithgary for the betaArt by
herohunterClark felt Lana’s eyes on him before he saw her. She loved to watch him work and often would sit in the barn for hours, chatting away while he worked on one of the tractors.
Today was different.
She was quiet as her eyes followed him around the barn, watching closely as he fetched various tools.
It made him feel kind of nervous.
“Why do you spend so long out here?” She finally asked softly. “You could have all these jobs done in a few seconds if you wanted.”
He shrugged. “I find it sort of relaxing.”
As her small hand came to rest on his arm, he almost flinched, hoping she didn’t notice as he continued to work.
“I could help you relax,” she purred in his ear.
Inwardly, he sighed. They seemed to be having this conversation more and more frequently, and it wasn’t as though anything had changed between them.
“Lana, you know we can’t. I’d hurt you, maybe something worse.”
“You'd be careful, I know you would. We could take it slowly like you do when you’re out here.”
The sound of grinding metal screamed through the barn and Lana could only stare as she was presented with the mangled remains of Clark’s wrench.
“The tractor is a machine, Lana. It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake or lose my concentration. I’m not going to take a chance like that with you. I’m sorry.”
To further illustrate their differences, he ran into town using all of his enhanced speed. He needed to buy a new wrench anyway.
* * *
Dejected, Lana trudged into the house. As much as she loved Clark, it was extremely annoying the way he could just disappear in a fraction of a second and avoid any sort of rational discussion about their relationship. It wasn’t as though she could follow him. The best she could do was storm away and slam a door, neither of which would stop Clark and both of which felt extremely tempting right then.
“Hey,” Kara greeted, arriving with the same speed Clark had used to depart. “Have you seen Clark?”
Lana sighed. “He took off while we were talking. I have no idea where he went.”
“Did you guys have a fight?” Kara asked with a frown.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what it was. Things have been kind of…awkward since I got back from China.”
Kara poured Lana some coffee, and then took a seat. “Is it because of Lex?”
“Why would it have anything to do with Lex?” Lana asked with a frown.
“I don’t know,” Kara shrugged. “They used to be best friends, and then after they stopped talking, you started dating Lex, and then you married him. Maybe Clark is finding that a little hard to deal with.”
Lana set down her mug and smiled. It was a smile she had spent months perfecting, one that she could slide into place without even thinking about it now. “Kara, I don’t think Clark explained things to you properly. It was a lot more complicated than that.”
“Oh, Clark didn’t explain it to me at all. He never tells me anything. I hear people talking.”
Now Lana could feel the muscles in her face twitching as she struggled to keep her perfect smile in place. “I wouldn’t believe everything you hear, Kara. People in this town like to gossip. When there’s nothing interesting to talk about, they make things up. Trust me, what’s happening between Clark and me has nothing to do with Lex.”
“What is it then? Is it something I can help with?”
Lana allowed her smile to soften slightly. Kara was new to this world but she did genuinely seem to want to help. “Not unless you know a way for Clark and me to overcome our…physical differences.”
“What do you mean?” Kara’s eyes widened. “Ohh!”
“I know Clark wants to take things further with me, but he’s so scared of hurting me that he won’t even try.”
“Well, you can’t blame him,” Kara replied gently. “You wouldn’t do something if you thought it might hurt him, would you?”
“Of course not. I just wish there was some way we could have a normal relationship. I’m starting to feel like his mother, not his girlfriend.”
Kara nodded. “I understand. On Krypton, people used to travel to all the planets in the galaxy. Sometimes they would fall in love with someone they met there. Luckily for them we had the Shea.”
Lana felt herself leaning forward. “What’s that?”
“A crystal, a very special one. We used it to modify our bodies. Nothing dramatic, just enough to make it possible for us to mate with whomever we had selected as a life mate.”
“That’s incredible,” Lana breathed. “Did you bring one with you?”
Kara shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Lana. All I had was the crystal my father gave me.”
“What does the Shea look like?” Lana asked.
“Like most Kryptonian crystals,” Kara replied with a shrug. “Only it’s red.”
Lana’s eyes widened. “I have to go.”
Kara could only watch in confusion as Lana all but ran out of the house and jumped into her car. There was so much about humans she still didn’t understand.
* * *
It hadn’t taken her long to recall where she had seen a crystal like the one Kara had described, and of course it would be in the one place that was the most difficult to penetrate.
She frowned as Lex worked, oblivious to the fact that the key to her happiness lay just a short distance away from him. Using her computer to zoom in on the crystal, she almost laughed at the plaque it had been mounted on.
Awarded to Lex Luthor for services to Metropolis in the wake of Dark Thursday.
It was a joke, really. These people had no idea that they were commending the very person who had brought about Dark Thursday in the first place. She should have been surprised that Lex had kept it and put it on display, but these days nothing Lex did could surprise or shock her. The man was capable of anything.
It made her tremble, seeing how close she was to getting what she wanted and knowing that yet again, Lex was the one standing in her way.
She pulled out her phone and hit number one on her speed dial. “It’s me. I need a job done, and money is no object. I’ll pay whatever it takes.”
* * *
Clark still came to the mansion when he needed time to himself. Of course, he didn’t go inside, he and Lex were past that now. Instead, he would find a spot somewhere out of sight of the cameras and just sit. Sometimes he would think, but today he wanted to empty his mind of everything. Things with Lana were just too complicated, and thinking about them made his head hurt. He closed his eyes and just cleared his head of all thoughts.
“You know, there’s plenty of comfortable furniture in the mansion if you wanted to rest.”
Clark’s eyes snapped open. Lex was standing over him, briefcase in hand and an amused smile on his face.
He scrambled to his feet. “Lex, I…”
“Relax, Clark. I sit out here sometimes, too. It’s nice to get away from everything sometimes.”
He gave Lex a small smile and nodded. “Yeah. I should go though.”
“I’m on my way to a meeting in Metropolis. Do you want a ride home?”
Clark stilled and looked at Lex. Really looked at him. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever understand this man. He knew that Lex was capable of terrible things, he’d witnessed some of them himself. Somehow, despite all that, whenever he looked at Lex, all he could see was his friend. He knew that he should avoid him, never speak to him again, but he couldn’t keep away.
As Lex laid a hand on his arm, Clark felt himself tremble.
“I know you don’t trust me,” Lex said softly, “but I want you to know that you are welcome to come here whenever you want. I promise no one will disturb you.”
Clark was surprised to find that he believed him. It had been his tendency to immediately assume that Lex was lying whenever he opened his mouth these days.
This was different though. Lex actually seemed sincere.
“Thanks. Lately, my barn is less like a Fortress of Solitude and more like a hotel.”
Lex smiled, and for the briefest of moments it felt as if they were friends again. It felt good, but the feeling soon faded when he remembered that Lana was waiting for him.
“I should go.”
“Me, too. Goodbye, Clark.”
“Bye, Lex.”
* * *
It still amazed Lana the power that money could buy.
Apparently, the screening process for Lex’s staff had become lax of late. She’d been able to bribe one of the maids for a few thousand, and a new identity once the job was finished. The stupid girl had no grasp of the magnitude of what she was doing. If she had, she’d have asked for more money.
The crystal glittered in the early evening light. It felt so fragile in her small hands, but it was so much stronger than anything she could imagine. The wooden mount it had been affixed to had come away easily. She’d burn it later.
Slipping the crystal into her purse, she smiled. Tonight was going to be the best night she and Clark had ever known.
“I have to say I’m impressed.”
Lana scrambled to her feet, cursing herself for letting Lex startle her like that. She quickly slid her cool mask back into place.
“What are you doing here, Lex?”
He moved towards her, hands thrust deep into his pockets. To a casual observer he was relaxed, but she knew he was far from it. He was a hunter and she was the prey.
“I just wanted to congratulate you on yet another victory,” he purred. “I’m going to have to be more careful about who I employ, it seems.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulders and brushed some straw from her knees. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lex smiled, and Lana had to stifle the urge to shiver. “Don’t play games, Lana. We’re much too alike for it to work with me. I just want to know why you did it. What’s so special about a worthless award?”
“I am nothing like you,” she hissed. “You want to know why? You don’t deserve it. What happened on Dark Thursday was your fault.”
“What’s going on?”
Lana turned. She hadn’t even heard Clark enter the barn.
“I’m just asking Lana why she stole something from my office,” Lex replied dryly. “Perhaps you’ll have better luck getting a straight answer from her.”
Lana had to hide a smirk. Lex honestly thought Clark would believe him over her. It was ridiculous. She moved over to Clark and wrapped an arm around him.
“It seems that one of Lex’s servants decided to help herself to one of Lex’s awards before running away. For some reason, he’s decided that it's my fault and he doesn’t seem to realise that I don’t need to steal. Everything I want is right here.”
Just to make sure Clark knew exactly what she meant, she pressed a kiss to his mouth.
Clark glanced over at Lex and frowned. “Lex, you must be mistaken. What is it you think she stole?”
“Nothing of value. It was an award presented to me in the aftermath of Dark Thursday. I keep it on display to remind me what my responsibilities are.”
Lana snorted, she couldn’t help herself. “You keep it on display to convince yourself that you’re a better man than you are.”
Clark frowned and pulled away from her, studying her intently for a few seconds. “Lana, please tell me you didn’t steal it.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What? Of course I didn’t. How can you even ask me that?”
He ignored her and turned to face Lex. “What does it look like?”
“It’s a long, red crystal. Have you seen it?”
Clark closed his eyes and turned back to face Lana. “Your purse.”
She was going to protest and hurl more accusations at Lex, but something in Clark’s eyes made her stop. Then she remembered the way he had been staring at her, and she kicked herself for forgetting about his x-ray vision.
She pulled the crystal out of her purse and handed it to Clark. “I did it for us.”
Clark wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on the crystal as he turned it over and over in his hands, his fingers exploring its smoothness. It was obviously Kryptonian, and looked just like the crystals in the fortress, only this one was red. He could almost feel it vibrating in his hands as he touched it.
He gasped as one of his fingers touched the tip of the crystal, his eyes widening as a spot of blood appeared where it had pierced the skin.
The last thing he saw was Lex moving towards him, eyes filled with concern.
Then there was only white.
* * *
“Clark? Clark!” Lex whirled to face Lana, his eyes blazing with a fire that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “What’s going on? What did you do to him?”
Lana was still staring at the empty space that Clark had been occupying until a few seconds ago.
“Lana!” Lex snapped when she didn’t answer him. “Where did Clark go?”
“I…” She whispered. “I don’t know.”
Lex stormed out of the barn and into his car. If Lana wasn’t going to help him find Clark then there was someone else who might.
* * *
When Clark’s vision cleared, he was surprised to find himself in the Fortress.
“My son,” the voice of Jor-El rang out. “I did not expect this moment to come so soon.”
“Why am I here?” Clark asked, feeling disoriented and confused.
“The crystal you hold in your hand means that you have chosen a mate and are ready to bond with them.”
Clark’s eyes widened. “What? I didn’t choose anything.”
“It is time for you to become an adult, but first some minor modifications to your body must be made.”
Clark dropped the crystal as though it had burned him. “No, I don’t want this. I didn’t make any choice.”
“The choice is made. Now, you must sleep, Kal-El.”
The white light was back, and Clark was powerless to stop it. He felt his knees buckle but before he hit the floor he felt himself lifted up and placed somewhere soft and warm. His eyes drifted shut, and then there was only darkness.
* * *
Lex’s tires screamed as he tore around the corner and screeched to a halt outside The Talon. He didn’t even register the stares he was generating as he leapt out of the car and hurried inside.
“Mr. Luthor,” Kara greeted him with a smile so fake he was in serious danger of smashing something. “Can I help you with something?”
“I need to talk to you. Now. Something has happened to Clark.”
The crash of the cup as it slipped from her fingers caused several customers to stare, but Lex didn’t care. All he wanted was answers, and a way to get Clark back.
“This way,” Kara hissed, grabbing his arm with such a force that he almost cried out in pain. He didn’t really have time to dwell on her incredible strength, because as soon as they were out of sight of the customers, her grip moved from his arm to his throat.
“What have you done to Clark? If you’ve hurt him…”
“It wasn’t me,” Lex wheezed, his sight fading as the breath was choked out of him. “It was Lana.”
He crashed to the floor as Kara released him, his body wracked with coughs as the air rushed back into his lungs.
“Lana would never hurt Clark,” Kara said with just the barest hint of uncertainty in her voice. “She loves him.”
“Does naivete about Lana run in the family?” Lex asked with a sigh, as he climbed back to his feet.
“Just tell me what happened,” Kara snapped, “before I choke the information out of you.”
Lex rubbed his throat. Getting throttled again really didn’t sound appealing, and they were wasting time. “I’m not sure exactly. Lana stole a red crystal from my office and gave it to Clark. He cut his finger on it and disappeared.”
Kara’s eyes widened and her face paled. “Oh, no. She couldn’t have.”
“Kara,” Lex pressed. “Where is Clark? I have to find him.”
“You can’t help him now,” Kara replied sadly. “Only one person can.”
“Who?”
“Clark’s true love.”
* * *
Lana was still trying to reach Kara’s cell phone when Lex arrived back at the farm.
“Wrap up warmly. We’re taking a trip.”
She snapped her phone shut and stared at him. “Lex, if you really think I’m going to go anywhere with you, then you’re crazy.”
He stepped towards her, eyes locked with hers as he closed the distance between them. “If you want to save Clark, then you’ll do exactly what I say. After all, you’re the one responsible for what happened to him.”
She took a step back. “No, it was an accident. I would never have done it if I’d known this was going to happen.”
Lex shrugged. “Whether you intended it or not, the responsibility still lies with you. Isn’t that what you told me after Dark Thursday?”
“I…”
“Get your coat, it’s cold where we’re going.”
With more distance between them, Lana seemed to regain some of her confidence and she folded her arms across her chest. “If you think that by helping me save Clark it’ll get me to forgive you, you’re wrong.”
“I’m not doing this to help you,” Lex replied coldly. “Meet me at the mansion in thirty minutes. I’ll have a plane waiting.”
He walked out of the door before she had a chance to reply.
* * *
There was a time when Lex would have been thrilled to have Lana pressed close to him the way she was now. That time had long since passed, though, and this was now purely to ward off the cold as they travelled the final distance to the location where Kara had said they would find Clark.
“Look, there!” Lana shouted in his ear over the roar of the snowmobile engine.
Lex pulled to a stop, his jaw dropping as he took in the sheer magnificence of the structure they were seeing.
“Incredible…”
What was even more incredible was that something this size had never been discovered by anyone.
“We should go,” Lana said, and Lex cursed himself for momentarily forgetting why they were here.
“I’m surprised that Clark never brought you here,” he said as they entered the cavernous main hall. Amazingly, despite the extreme cold outside, now that they were sheltered it actually felt quite warm.
Lana pursed her lips and said nothing.
They both froze as a soft red light shone down on them, seeming to come from nowhere.
“What is it?” Lana whispered.
“I’m not sure.”
As rapidly as it had appeared, the light vanished again. and a voice echoed through the room.
“The one bonded to Kal-El has arrived. Step forward.”
When Lana didn’t move Lex gave her a small shove before addressing the voice. “Where is Clark?”
“Kal-El, the one you call Clark, is now ready to complete his transformation. Now that you are here, he will awaken.”
A soft white light began to glow in one corner of the room, revealing Clark. He was laid out on a bed, which seemed to be carved into the crystal floor. His clothes were gone and had been replaced by white robes which seemed to glow in the light.
Lana ran forward. “Clark!”
She shook him, gently at first and then harder when he showed no signs of waking. “Clark, wake up.”
“Why won’t he wake up?” Lex called out.
“Kal-El awaits his chosen one.”
“But I’m here!” Lana shouted, still shaking Clark’s shoulders. Lex moved over to join her, laying a hand on Clark’s cheek and checking his eyes for any sort of reaction.
“Mmm…”
“He moved!” Lana exclaimed with delight. “Did you see that? Clark, it’s me, can you hear me?”
Lex stepped back and Clark fell silent as Lana continued to try to wake him. When there was no further response, she turned to Lex with helpless eyes. “I don’t understand.”
Realisation was starting to dawn on Lex, mixed with a high dose of hope as he tentatively stepped forward and laid his hand back on Clark’s cheek.
“Mmm…Lex…”
Lana recoiled and blinked for a moment as she tried to process what she had just heard. She turned to Lex with blazing eyes brimming with tears. “You…” she hissed. “What did you do to him?”
Lex was still staring at Clark, convinced he had imagined the softly spoken words. He was brought out of his reverie when Lana flew at him with a cry, small fists pounding on his chest.
“He.” Thump. “Loved.” Thump. “Me.” Thump.
“Lana, I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“Liar!”
With a sob, she ran from him, fleeing into one of the dark recesses of the Fortress.
“I’m sorry,” Lex murmured before turning back to Clark, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully once more.
“You are the one Kal-El has chosen,” the voice rang out again.
He was still trying to process it. How was this even possible? Clark hated him. They fought all the time and lied to each other. How could this have happened?
He cleared his throat of the lump that had formed there, hating himself for speaking, but knowing that he had to. “There has to be some sort of mistake.”
“There is no mistake, Lex Luthor. The crystal read his deepest desires and longings. You are the one he wishes to be with. Now, take your rightful place at his side.”
He moved back over to the bed, struck by how startlingly beautiful Clark was in the light. With a trembling hand, he tentatively reached out and brushed the hair away from Clark’s eyes.
Clark let out another sleepy murmur and his lips curved into a small smile. Lex couldn’t help himself. In this light, Clark’s lips looked so full, red and inviting. He leaned down and kissed him, saddened that Clark was unconscious for their first real kiss.
Only Clark wasn’t asleep.
His lips were soft and warm and he was most definitely kissing Lex back.
A small, rational part of Lex’s brain wanted him to pull away and talk to Clark about what was happening, but the rest of him was too caught up in how good it felt, to listen. It was what he’d been longing for, for years, ever since the day Clark had pulled him back from the edge of death. Nothing on Earth would convince him to stop right now.
Eventually, Clark was the one who pulled away, giving Lex a chance for oxygen that he hadn’t even realised he'd needed.
“Hey,” Clark said with a gentle smile.
Lex knew he was grinning like an idiot but right then he didn’t care. “Hello, Clark.”
He loved it whenever Clark blushed that way. It made Lex eager to kiss him again, and never stop.
“So…uh…I guess I need to explain a few things.”
Lex shook his head, surprised at his actions even as he did so. “You don’t need to explain anything until you’re ready, Clark. Last time I lost you because I thought the truth was more important than what we had. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
“I want to tell you everything,” Clark replied softly. “You’re the one I want to be with. I just wish it hadn’t taken me this long to understand it.”
Lex smiled and brushed his hand over Clark’s cheek. “Maybe we can talk when we get back to Smallville.”
Clark nodded and sat up. “That sounds great. Uh…you don’t happen to know where my clothes are, do you?”
“You may not leave this place yet, Kal-El,” the bodiless voice rang out again. “The bonding has not yet been fully completed.”
Clark frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You must mate with your chosen one. Now.”
Lex raised an eyebrow. The owner of this voice was blunt to say the least. He would have to ask Clark about it later. Glancing over at Clark Lex was alarmed to see his face had turned a deep shade of red. He was almost purple, he was blushing so hard.
He reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Clark’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Clark.”
Clark looked at him with tear-filled eyes. “No, it’s not. I wanted our first time to be perfect, not because I’m a freak and forced to by my biological father.”
Okay, that was slightly twisted, but Lex wasn’t going to let that get in the way of this. He took a seat on the bed beside Clark. “Look around you, Clark. We’re in a crystal palace. I can’t think of a perfect and more romantic place for this to happen, and I want it to happen, don’t you?”
Clark nodded silently.
“Well, then. We both want this. No other reasons matter.”
Clark turned to him, uncertainty still wavering in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
As an answer, Lex leaned forward and kissed him. It was deeper than their first kiss, needy and fuelled by his desire for this beautiful, mysterious man.
Clark moaned and returned the kiss, leaning in close until their bodies were pressed fully against each other. Lex could feel Clark’s hardness beneath the robe, and he tingled in anticipation.
“I’m sorry that I pushed you away,” Clark whispered between kisses.
“Doesn’t matter,” Lex replied as he nipped at Clark’s bottom lip. “We’re here now.”
He pulled back and slid the robe down over Clark’s shoulders, pausing as Clark lifted his hips and allowed Lex to fully remove it.
Lex couldn’t stop himself from gasping. Every single inch of Clark Kent was perfect, and in this light his skin seemed to glow a deep bronze.
He had his own personal Adonis.
“So beautiful…”
Clark smiled shyly, and then reached forward and began to undress Lex.
It should have taken a long time, considering how many layers of clothes Lex had been forced to wear for his trip across the Arctic. However, Clark’s fingers were surprisingly quick and nimble, and soon Lex was naked. Surprisingly, Lex wasn’t cold, even though they were as far north as any man could travel.
He did shiver when Clark stroked his arms, gooseflesh breaking out on his skin as he reacted to the touch.
“I’ve never…I mean, not with a man before,” Clark whispered, peeking through lowered lashes.
Lex smiled and kissed him. “Don’t worry about anything, Clark. Just lay back and let me take care of you.”
Clark did as he was asked, rolling over and laying down on his stomach. Lex licked his lips in anticipation as he ran his hands over the firm flesh of Clark’s ass.
“Do you have any lube?” He asked, suddenly fearful that this was going to be over before it had begun.
He almost cheered when Clark reached beneath the pillow and passed a tube back to him.
“Always prepared,” Lex grinned. “Like a true boy scout.”
Clark’s muffled chuckle rumbled into the pillow as Lex leaned forward and pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades. “Okay, just relax. You’re going to enjoy this, I promise.”
He coated his fingers in the lube and slid one digit into Clark, grinning at the gasp of pleasure it evoked. A second finger joined the first as Lex explored Clark’s tightness, preparing him for the best part.
“More,” Clark groaned into the pillow. “I need more.”
“Patience,” Lex whispered.
He withdrew his fingers and crawled up the bed, placing a kiss on the nape of Clark’s neck before he entered him. Clark groaned again and bucked his hips before they started moving in unison. A warmth filled Lex as they rocked together, filling him and making him feel safe and loved for the first time since his mother died. Any doubts he might have had left him as he was suddenly filled with the absolute certainty that he and Clark were meant to be this way, joined and as one, for the rest of their lives.
They climaxed together, and as Clark slumped back onto the bed, Lex rested his head on the broad, sweat-slicked back beneath him. He wrapped one arm around Clark’s chest and used the other to stroke his hair.
“That was perfect,” he murmured sleepily.
“Mmm,” Clark responded contentedly.
A few minutes passed, and Lex suddenly felt Clark tense beneath him.
“Clark? What’s wrong?”
“Uh…”
Lex raised his head, opened his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Past Clark’s shoulder, he could see the bed beneath them. Far beneath them. He tightened his grip on Clark.
“We’re floating.”
“Yeah,” Clark replied in a fear-strangled voice. “I don’t know how to get down.”
Lex drew in a deep breath. He still hated heights, but Clark was clearly freaking out and it wouldn’t do either of them any good if they both panicked.
“Clark, I need you to focus, okay? Just look at the bed and imagine yourself slowly sinking towards it. Can you do that for me?”
He heard Clark gulp. “I can try.”
Lex pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You can do this, I know you can.”
They hovered for a few seconds, wobbled, and then slowly started to descend.
“That’s it, Clark,” Lex encouraged. “You’re doing great.”
It took a few more minutes to reach the bed, and the last few inches were more of a plummet, but they made it. As soon as they landed, Lex rolled off Clark and pulled him into his arms.
“That was amazing!”
Clark gave him a shaky smile. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Your transformation is complete, Kal-El. You now possess the ability to defy gravity. Now that the bonding is complete, you may leave.”
“How polite,” Lex muttered, causing Clark to grin. “Come on, I never thought I’d say this but I miss Smallville.”
Clark smiled and kissed him. “Me, too.”
Lex pulled his clothes back on, and Clark was relieved to find that his own had somehow appeared on a ledge beside the bed. Hand in hand, they headed out towards the entrance to the Fortress. As the reached the opening, Lex stopped.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Lex gestured to the vast emptiness of snow in front of them. “It would seem Lana has departed and taken the only means of transportation with her.”
Clark’s eyes widened in horror. “Lana was here? She saw us? Oh, God!”
Lex raised an eyebrow. “Clark, she put you in a coma so she could have sex with you. Why do you care?”
“She’s not a bad person, Lex. She just makes bad decisions, sometimes. We’ve all done that.”
“And stranding us in the Arctic and essentially leaving us to die? Is that just a ‘bad decision’ too?”
Clark fell silent for a moment. “People do crazy things when they’re in love, Lex. Look at us before today.”
Lex froze and turned to face him. “Love?”
Clark’s face paled. “Well…I thought…”
Lex smiled and placed a finger on his lips. “Clark, I’ve loved you for the longest time. I just never expected to hear you say the words.”
Clark kissed the finger that was still pressed against his lips. “I love you, Lex, and you’ll be hearing it a lot more from me, I promise. Now, let’s get out of here.”
“How?”
Clark grinned and pulled Lex close to him. “Do you still believe a man can fly, Lex?”
“I never stopped.” He gasped as the rose a few inches from the ground. “Are you sure you can do this? It’s a long way back to Smallville.”
“Lex, with you in my arms, I can do anything.”
The End
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Date: 2007-12-07 05:19 pm (UTC)