Archive of Our Own

Choices: Part 1

By Hecubus ([email protected])

Disclaimer: Smallville and its characters belong to the WB and DC Comics. I don't own any of it. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Author's

Lex sat at the counter of the Talon, reading the latest issue of Wired and sipping an espresso. He was engrossed in an article when he heard Clark call his name.

"Lex, hey," Clark said as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Clark," Lex answered, not bothering to look up.

"What are you reading?" Clark asked as he sat down next to Lex and peeked over his shoulder.

"Article on the use of emerging technology in biomedical research."

"Right," Clark said, raising his eyebrows in amusement. "Just a bit of light reading, huh?"

Lex finally looked up at his friend. Before he had a chance to tell Clark about the importance of keeping up with innovative technologies, he was interrupted by a voice.

"Hey Clark," Lana greeted. "Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, no," Clark said, smiling as he turned to look at the dark-haired girl while Lex grimaced slightly and returned to his reading. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You know, with Whitney and everything."

"I'm okay. Thanks for asking," Lana said, returning his smile. "I guess I got used to the idea that I might have lost him when he was first reported missing in action, but it still hurts."

"Yeah, I know," Clark said, nodding. "I can't believe he's gone."

"I know. And the whole thing with Tina only made it worse," she said, shaking her head.

"I know," Clark said, looking at Lana with genuine sympathy. He may not have liked Whitney much over the years, but it was still a horrible loss. "It must have been so hard to realize that Whitney wasn't back--that it was Tina all along."

"Yeah, and she was just so creepy about everything," Lana said, frowning and shivering with a wave of revulsion.

"Well Lana, she really looked up to you and envied your life," Clark said, trying to respect Tina's memory, even if he had played a small hand in her death.

"That's not all she envied," Lana said in disgust. "I can't believe she kissed me."

"She kissed you?" Lex asked, snapping his head up and interrupting in a surprised voice.

"Well, Tina was kind of... she was... she looked like me when it happened," Clark explained, blushing.

"I see," Lex said.

"Ugh," Lana said, shuddering. "What a freak."

"Well, meteor mutants seem to be a regular occurrence around here, but I don't think any of us will ever get used to it," Lex said, remembering all the times he had been a target of the meteor rock victims.

"Yeah, and it only makes it worse that she was a lesbian," Lana spat.

"What does her sexuality have to do with anything?" Lex asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Well, she wouldn't have been so... so obsessed with me if she wasn't a lesbian, right?" Lana asked, matter-of-factly.

"Well, Lana, I don't think that you mean..." Clark began, sensing Lex's dislike of her comments and himself taken aback by her words.

"No, Clark," Lex cut off. "I think Lana knows exactly what she means. Glad to know Smallville isn't without its small town prejudices." With that, Lex picked up his magazine, stood up and promptly left the coffee shop.

"Lex?" Clark called as he entered Lex's study.

"Hey, Clark," Lex greeted as he walked down the stairs. "Delivery day?"

"Yeah," Clark replied. "I thought I'd come up to see how you were doing. You know, after that whole thing with Lana."

"What are you talking about, Clark?" Lex asked, momentarily confused.

"Yesterday. At the Talon." Clark clarified, sitting down on the sofa. "You know, when we were talking about Tina."

"Oh, right," Lex said, remembering. "Yes, well, I'm fine, Clark. A little annoyed by the glaring prevalence of discrimination based on sexual preference in the community, but not particularly surprised. We are in the Bible Belt, after all," he said, organizing some papers on his desk.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it right."

"No, it doesn't, Clark," Lex said, sighing. He stopped to look at Clark, taking in the picture of such an innocent young man. "What about you, Clark?" Lex asked seriously. "Where do you stand on the issue?"

"About people being gay?" Clark said, raising his eyebrows. "I guess I'm okay with it," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, I've never really thought about it. We don't exactly have gay pride parades running through Smallville. I don't really know anyone who's gay. Well, except for Tina, I guess," he added half-heartedly. He didn't really think of her as a lesbian as much as a victim of unfortunate circumstances.

"And that wasn't exactly the best exposure to homosexuality, now was it?" Lex said as he took a seat across from Clark.

"No, I guess not," Clark said sadly. He took a moment to really think about Lex's question and slowly began, "I guess I'm okay with it. I mean, the gender of the person you choose to have sex with shouldn't really matter. And it definitely shouldn't matter who you choose to love."

"I agree, Clark," Lex said, relaxing slightly at his friend's words. After the episode at the Talon, Lex had decided that it would be a long time before he came out in Smallville about his own bisexuality, but he was comforted that maybe his best friend would not judge him too harshly. "Unfortunately, most of the country, most of the world doesn't. I mean, what would your parents say if you brought home a man?"

"Well," Clark started slowly, taking a minute to consider Lex's question. He was surprised by it, but he remembered that Lex always seemed to ask him tough questions--questions that challenged who he was. "I'd like to think they would love me no matter what because I'm their son and that they would love whoever I loved as well," Clark answered firmly after a moment, though he didn't completely believe his own words. Both Clark and Lex knew how many times Jonathan had bad-mouthed Lex even though he was Clark's friend. "I know what it feels like to be treated badly because you're different. I wouldn't want to wish that on anyone."

Lex simply nodded.

(Two years later)

Lex handed his friend a drink as they sat down in his study to talk.

"So, Bruce," Lex said, "I'm surprised you decided to come all the way out to Smallville."

"Well, I thought I'd finally see what you were up to all the way out here," Bruce answered, smiling. "I have to admit, I never thought I'd see you living out in the boondocks and loving it."

"The town has its charms," Lex answered, chuckling. "Besides, my father still owns Metropolis. I don't have to second-guess everything as much out here."

"Well, you seem to be doing well for yourself," Bruce said honestly as he took a sip of his scotch. Bruce and Lex had attended prep school together and had grown close as two students who were often treated as outcasts--Bruce because of his dark personality, Lex because of his physical appearance and both because of their last names. Even in a place where everyone came from cultured and wealthy backgrounds, the names Luthor and Wayne carried their burdens.

"Lex!" a voice interrupted from the hallway.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Clark apologized as he came into the room, stopping short at the sight of the two men talking. "I didn't know you had a guest."

"No, Clark, please come in," Lex said, getting up to introduce his two friends to each other. "Bruce, I'd like you to meet Clark Kent. Clark, this is Bruce Wayne."

"Ah, the infamous Clark Kent," Bruce said, getting up to shake Clark's hand. "The one who saved Lex from his own bad driving?"

"Yeah, that's me," Clark said, blushing. It still embarrassed him when Lex told people about that day on the bridge--especially someone as famous as the prince of Gotham. "Well, I was just dropping off the produce. Wanted to drop by and say hi," he said, fidgeting nervously around two such powerful men. "I'd better get going."

"Okay, Clark," Lex said. "I'll see you at graduation tomorrow."

"Okay, Lex," Clark said, smiling. Clark had made no attempt to hide his happiness about the fact that his best friend was going to be his commencement speaker. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne."

"Bye, Clark," Bruce said as he watched Clark leave. When he thought Clark was out of earshot, he paused, and then turned to look at Lex, smirking as he asked, "Is that one of the local charms?"

"Well, over the years, Clark has grown to become one of my best friends," Lex said frankly.

"Wow, someone Lex Luthor calls a friend," Bruce responded, raising his eyebrows. "He must be special."

"He is," Lex affirmed, trying not to smile too much at the thought of Clark as his friend. "He's saved my life on more than one occasion, literally and figuratively. He's a good man."

"Yes, and a good-looking one too," Bruce said, considering the younger man in front of him. Bruce had never known Lex to be romantic or sentimental, but he seemed to show a curious fondness of Clark at the mere mention of him. "Nothing more going on between you two?"

"What? No, Bruce," Lex said, rolling his eyes, something he had picked up from his teenaged friend. "We're just friends. Besides, he's straight."

"Hmm, but you aren't, Lex," Bruce said thoughtfully. "Does he know that?"

"Not exactly," Lex said, refusing to meet his friend's eyes.

"Well, maybe he should," Bruce suggested softly. "Eighteen-year-old boys don't usually hang around twenty-four year-old men for nothing."

"Please, Bruce," Lex said, a little exasperated. "He's not interested, and besides, I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship."

"Okay, Lex," Bruce conceded, picking up his drink again. "Whatever you say."

After graduation, Clark moved to the city to attend Metropolis University and pursue a degree in journalism. He had wanted to stay closer to home, maybe start out at the community college for a few years so he could help out his parents a little longer, but Jonathan and Martha had insisted he go away to school. They realized that Clark wasn't meant to stay in Smallville running the family farm. His gifts destined him for much greater things--what those things were they didn't exactly know, but they hoped moving away from home might help him gain some perspective.

Clark and Lex stayed in touch. They emailed regularly, talked on the phone occasionally and even managed to get together once in a while when Lex was in Metropolis for business. Around the beginning of Clark's sophomore year, Lex decided to move to Metropolis full-time. His father had finally conceded, albeit grudgingly, that Lex might not be such a horrible businessman after all and began to bring him back into the fold of LuthorCorp affairs. As Lionel grew older, he grew paranoid and suspicious, trusting his executive assistants less and looking to family more. He felt that only family could take over the reins of LuthorCorp when he died. Pressured by his father's requests for his presence and the realization that Smallville could no longer be the center of a burgeoning LexCorp, Lex moved into the penthouse of the newly built LexCorp building in downtown Metropolis. Chloe and Pete teased Clark that his billionaire playboy friend had finally decided to follow him to Metropolis and Clark secretly entertained the idea that Lex had in fact moved to be closer to him, but Clark knew that Lex had an endless list of reasons other than their friendship to finally move back to the city.

"What are you working on?" Lex said as he sat down on the couch. Clark sat at his feet, books and papers spread out over the coffee table.

"Problem set," Clark answered, not lifting his eyes from his notebook.

"Problem set? Since when did journalism classes have problem sets?" Lex asked as he turned the television on. Clark often came to the penthouse to do his work and get away from the dorms. Lex welcomed the company after a day at the office, often finding himself working alongside Clark on his own files.

"They don't. This is for my chemistry class. Even humanities majors have to fulfill general education requirements."

"Chemistry? That's pretty ambitious, Clark," Lex said as he flipped through hundreds of channels, settling on an old episode of "Law and Order." "Don't they have a `Physics for Poets' class or something for you to take?"

"Yeah, but I figured that was kind of a cop-out," Clark said, shrugging his shoulders as he flipped through this week's chapter in his textbook. "Besides, you seem to like chemistry. I thought I would give it a shot."

"I'm flattered, Clark," Lex said as he watched Lenny make a snarky comment about the dead body they found at the beginning of every episode. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I think I got it. It's only beginning inorganic chemistry. Pretty straightforward."

"Okay, well, I'm always here to help," Lex said as he opened up his laptop and logged on.

"Thanks, Lex," Clark said and continued to work on his problem set.

Having Lex so near felt good to Clark. So overloaded with work from both LuthorCorp and LexCorp, Lex was living a schedule very similar to that of a busy college student. With the LexCorp building so close to campus, Clark and Lex would often make late-night runs for coffee or snacks during the week, not to mention their frequent dinners or outings on the weekend. Additionally, Clark could often be found hanging out at Lex's apartment, studying, watching TV or just hanging out while Lex did the same. As he neared the end of his college years, Clark felt less of a need to be involved in the dorm or participate in campus activities. By his senior year, he was taking fewer classes since he was almost done with his major and was working on his honors thesis, and he had also exchanged his job at the campus paper for an internship at The Daily Planet. All in all, Clark was spending less and less time on campus and beginning to step into an adult world that Lex had been living in for years; in the end, their lifestyles became more similar and with it, their time together greater.

Clark wasn't just a young, nave student anymore looking for advice from his older friend and Lex wasn't just the eccentric businessman looking for a little company from his younger friend. Clark and Lex shared almost every detail of their lives with each other, from the mundane to the unusual. When Clark discovered his bisexuality, Lex had shared the truth about his own sexuality, helping Clark comes to terms with his own. Eventually, Clark even shared his biggest secret with Lex--he had grown to trust Lex completely and now that he was over eighteen, he was free to tell anyone he chose about his alien origins. Lex, of course, had not been surprised after all the times he had watched Clark do the impossible, but he treasured Clark's openness. After all, despite his fumbling attempts at honesty in the beginning of their friendship, Lex had come to trust Clark with all the details of his life, both good and bad. In the end, they had grown into their friendship and for the first time, they seemed to be able to come to each other on a more equal footing.

(Fall of Clark's senior year)

"Hey, Lex," Clark said as he answered his cell phone. He had just come back from his last class of the day and was glad to see Lex's number flashing up at him on his phone.

"Hey, Clark," Lex said from the other end. It had been a slow day at the office and Lex had taken the opportunity to call his friend for a chat. They had made a habit of checking in with each other a few times a week, if not a few times a day. "Just wanted to see what you were up to."

"Nothing much. I broke up with Mark."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Clark," Lex said sincerely. "I thought you really liked him."

"I did, but things just didn't work out," Clark sighed into the phone. "We didn't want the same things."

"I see. Getting too serious for you?"

"Yeah. I mean, he'll still have two more years of school after I graduate in the spring and we're just at different points in our lives. He wanted something more serious, but I couldn't commit to anything too big right now. I mean, who knows where I'll be this time next year."

"Well, I thought it was pretty much set that you'll stay in Metropolis and work for The Planet."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly tell him that part," Clark answered, smiling.

"Just not meant to be together, huh?" Lex chuckled.

"Yeah."

Lex paused and then asked, "Did you ever tell your parents about him?" Even as close as the Kent family was, he knew that most parents would have trouble adjusting to a bisexual son.

"No. You know I haven't really told them everything about my sexuality yet."

"When are you going to tell them?" Lex said, trying not to sound accusatory. "I mean, you're so close to your parents--I thought you would have told them sooner."

"I am close to them and I think they'd be okay with it, but you know, they're still pretty old-fashioned. I don't really want to get too deep into my love life with them unless I'm serious about someone, whether it's a man or a woman."

"I can understand that," Lex said, knowing how he tried to keep his own personal life private from his father.

"Yeah," Clark said simply. "What about you? How's your love life going?"

"Eh, same old, same old," Lex said lightly. "You know me. Not exactly the type to have any serious boyfriends or girlfriends."

"I'm sure you'll find someone one day. You underestimate yourself."

"We'll see, Clark."

"Want to have dinner tonight?" Clark asked, changing the subject.

"Sure," Lex answered, glancing at his calendar to make sure he didn't have a prior engagement. "Come by your room around 7?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye."

Clark and Chloe sat in the student union, sipping on coffee and chatting while they tried to study for midterms. It felt a lot like their times at the Talon.

"Hey, Clark, what's with the face?" a young man said as he sat down next to the two friends. Steve had lived in the same freshman dorm as Clark and Chloe and while they weren't good friends, they had remained acquaintances and often ran into each other around campus. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Clark's down because he broke up with his, like, tenth boyfriend," Chloe said, rolling her eyes and smiling at Steve.

"Chloe! I don't date that much," Clark said.

"I'm just kidding, Clark!" she answered, giving Clark a playful shove.

"Boyfriend?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrows. "I didn't know you were a fudge-packer, dude."

Clark snapped his head to look at Steve, eyes wide in surprise. Yes, he had heard the slurs to refer to gay people, but he usually heard them being used jokingly by gay people.

"I'm just kidding, man," Steve said after a pause, chuckling lightly, although neither Clark nor Chloe truly believed his words. "It's cool. I just didn't know."

"Oh, right," Clark said, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm gay. Well, bisexual really."

"Right. Whatever," Steve said, shrugging and getting up. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you guys around."

"Bye, Steve," Chloe said as they watched him leave. She turned to look at Clark and they didn't say anything about it, but they both sighed and went back to studying.

(October)

Clark and Lex sat at a local caf, having Sunday brunch outside on the heated terrace. Clark concentrated his efforts on a pile of pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast while Lex alternated eating his light breakfast of coffee and granola with reading the morning's paper.

"Guess who I heard from the other day?" Clark said, stopping to wipe his mouth.

"Who?" Lex asked, turning to the business section.

"Lana."

"Really? What's she up to?" Lex said casually. He wasn't particularly fond of the young girl, but he had learned to not hold grudges or waste his time disliking someone he rarely saw.

"I thought you would know. She does work for you after all."

"Yes, Clark, but ever since I moved away from Smallville, I don't have to talk to her anymore," Lex said as he scanned the headlines. "I only talked to her back then because she was your friend and you seemed to be very infatuated with her."

"Hmm," Clark mumbled around a mouthful of food before swallowing. "Yeah, well, she just called to say hi. She's taking some classes at the community college, thinking about finally leaving Smallville."

"I see. Thinking about moving on to a four-year college?"

"Yeah, I think she finally realized she wants to do something bigger than managing the Talon. Besides, Nell's been living in Metropolis for years now and she could finally move in with her if she wanted to go to school here," Clark said as he reached for his orange juice.

"Interesting," Lex said, looking up to consider his friend. "What do you think about that?"

"About what?" Clark asked, pausing before he brought the glass to his lips. "About her going to school?"

"About her moving to Metropolis," Lex said, folding the paper to put it aside. "You could see more of each other. Maybe even finally date."

"Nah," Clark said without any hesitation. "I like her, but I don't think I want to date her."

"Wow, Clark Kent finally moving past Lana Lang," Lex said, smiling as he picked up his spoon to finish his bowl of granola.

"Ha ha," Clark answered, rolling his eyes. "I don't think there was any question of that."

"Yes, you do seem to be doing well in the dating game," Lex said. Clark had gotten a slow start, mostly due to his own shyness, but had become quite the casual dater of both men and women while at school.

"Yeah, finally," Clark said as he finished off his breakfast. "Maybe someday I'll catch up to you."

"Maybe, Clark," Lex chuckled. "Maybe."

Clark and Pete sat on Clark's bed playing NFL 2K when they heard a knock at the door

"Hey, Clark?" a voice called out as the door creaked open.

"Yeah?" Clark said as he hit pause on the game so Pete wouldn't cheat and start the kick-off without him. He got up and walked over to open the door wider, finding Gwen, a girl from down the hall.

"Oh hey, Gwen, what's up?" Clark greeted.

"Nothing," she said. "Just wanted to see if you were done with those Greek tragedy notes."

"Oh yeah, I am," Clark said as he shuffled around some stuff on his desk to find her notebook. "Sorry. Here you go."

"Thanks."

"Did you still want to borrow those notes from `History and Culture of Egypt'?"

"Uh, no, that's okay..." Gwen said awkwardly as she looked over at Pete and then back at Clark. "I got them from someone else."

"Oh, okay then," Clark said, shrugging. "Thanks for the notes."

"No problem. Bye," Gwen said quickly and walked back down the hallway.

"That was weird," Clark said as he sat back down on the bed and picked up his game controller. "She asked me for those Egypt notes like two hours ago and she already got them from someone else?"

"Oh, I don't think she got them from someone else," Pete answered casually as he got back into the game, watching the kickoff and opting for a fair catch. "I just think she doesn't want them from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark asked, eyes still focused on the screen as his players got into formation and Pete's quarterback started calling out signals.

"Well, she kind of overheard me and Chloe talking about you during dinner and we kind of let it slip that you're bisexual."

"What's the big deal? It's not a secret."

"Yeah, but I guess she didn't know and she didn't really say anything when she found out, but she got all quiet and squirmy."

Clark continued to play, but he didn't say anything back, his linemen doing a half-assed job of blocking. While his players tried to break through, Pete himself tore his eyes away from the screen to look at his friend, seeing the look on his face and knowing that to anyone else, it might just look like Clark was concentrating on the game, but to Pete, he looked like he was worrying about Gwen's behavior.

"Look, dude, don't worry about her," Pete said, returning his attention to the game and getting ready for another first down. He tried to act casual, not giving any more significance to Gwen than she deserved, and said, "Who cares if she can't deal? It's the twenty-first century for chrissake. Besides, if it makes you feel better, after seeing me in here, sitting on your bed, she probably thinks we were making out or something."

Clark let out a small laugh at that, his body releasing some of its tension. "Please Pete, like you'd ever be my type," he said, regaining his sense of humor at least.

"Hey man, we can't all be bald millionaires or male models like you," Pete said as he mockingly posed and flexed his muscles, trying to distract Clark as his quarterback passed downfield.

Clark grabbed a pillow, controller still in one hand, and whacked Pete gently in the head, forcing his friend to yell in surprise and his player to fumble. Clark seemed to be in a good mood again.

(November)

Clark and Lex played pool in Lex's entertainment room, a roaring fire lit to keep away the winter chill. The pool table wasn't the same one as the one in Smallville, the one they had played on so many times over the years, but it was still nice, as all of Lex's things were, and as they played on it more during their time in Metropolis, it began to hold a special place of its own.

"Hey, Lex?" Clark asked as he walked around the table to make his shot. "What did your friends say when you came out to them?"

"Well, I didn't really have friends growing up, Clark, but I never really told the people I guess you could consider my `friends'," Lex answered, watching Clark miss his shot.

Clark made a face as he watched the ball sail past the pocket and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Lex started as he leaned over to take his shot, "When you're caught in the headmaster's office with his son's mouth around your dick, the word tends to get out all by itself." He snapped his arm and sent his ball straight into its pocket.

"Did people treat you differently?" Clark asked as he watched Lex position himself for his next shot.

"Well, Clark, I've been treated differently my whole life," he said as he eyed the table. "Being called a faggot on top of it didn't really change things."

Clark frowned at the use of the word "faggot," but remained quiet.

When Clark didn't say anything, Lex paused and looked at his friend, seeing the concern on his face. "Why are you asking, Clark? Is someone giving you a hard time?"

"What?" Clark said, snapping out of his daze for a moment. "No, it's just... sometimes people act differently around me once they find out."

"Who, Clark?" Lex asked. Clark may not let him give him gifts, but Lex could take care of some homophobes for him if he wanted.

"Nobody, Lex, don't worry about it," Clark said, rolling his eyes at Lex's questioning. He had to admit that while he was usually flattered, Lex could sometimes get out of control with his need to protect Clark. "It's not a big deal, but you know, they try to hide it, but I can tell they're uncomfortable."

Lex sighed and said, "Well, unfortunately Clark, that's the world we live in." He returned his attention to the game and started to line up his shot. "But being true to who you are is what's important," he said, ironically telling Clark the lesson Lex had learned from him. "And the people that truly care about you will accept you for who you are," he said as he made his shot, sinking another ball flawlessly. "It's like you being... being an alien. Yes, it's a surprise and it might take a little getting used to, but knowing that doesn't make you a different person than the one we knew before we find out," Lex said as he took his shot, this time missing the pocket completely and scratching. He stepped away from the table to allow Clark his turn and continued talking. "Same thing here. It's just more of who you are. You're a good guy and being a big ol' gay alien is part of the package," he said with a completely straight face.

"Thanks, Lex," Clark said, laughing and shaking his head. He was glad to have Lex to talk to about these things. Not only did Lex know about his bisexuality and could relate directly to those issues, he also knew the burden Clark carried because of his origins and his powers.

"No problem, Clark," Lex said, watching Clark miss his shot again and stepping closer to the table to line up his own shot. "Now shut up. I'm trying to kick your ass here."

(December, after the LexCorp holiday party)

"So, did you enjoy the party?" Lex said as he joined Clark in the study. All the guests had finally gone home and Lex had found Clark gazing lazily into the fireplace.

"I always do," Clark answered.

"Sorry it was so late this year," Lex said, collapsing onto the sofa next to Clark. "I know you want to get back home to see your parents."

"No big deal," Clark said, shrugging. "Besides, spending a whole month back at the farm during winter break doesn't hold the same appeal as it used to."

"Cramps your style?"

"A little. I've gotten used to going to work everyday and hanging out with my friends from school all the time. Not to mention you."

"That's touching, Clark," Lex said, smiling and turning to look at his friend. "A little drunk, are we?"

"Maybe just a little," Clark blushed. Alcohol usually didn't affect him too much, but that knowledge tended to tempt Clark into pushing his alien tolerance limits. With the open bar at Lex's party, Clark had worked his way to a pleasant buzz.

"Don't worry about it," Lex said, chuckling. "I think I am, too."

"Well then, sounds like it's time for another drink," Clark announced as he got up to fix them something from Lex's personal bar. "By the way, thanks for letting me stay here." This weekend had been the only time Lex could hold the annual party, but the dorms were scheduled to close down on Friday for the break. Both Clark and Lex didn't want Clark to miss the event, so Lex had invited Clark to stay with him before returning to Smallville.

"You're always welcome here, Clark. You know that," Lex said as he took his drink from Clark's hand. "Besides, this gives me the chance to seduce you."

"Who says I'm not trying to seduce you?" Clark said lightly as he took his seat again, only this time close enough to have his body brush up against Lex's.

Lex shifted at the contact and turned to look Clark in the eye. He had only been making an off-handed joke, but suddenly, the air around them had changed. He found Clark smiling at him, as he often did, but this time with flushed cheeks, slightly parted lips and half-closed eyes full of warmth and lust. Perhaps if Lex had been a little more sober, a little less tired, he would have hesitated, but tonight, he just leaned in and took Clark's mouth with his own. The kiss was gentle at first, marked by the newness of it all, but as they felt each other respond, it deepened into something hungry and anxious as they pulled each other's bodies closer.

Lex finally broke the kiss, gasping for air but refusing to pull away from Clark. He held him close, resting his forehead against his young friend's.

"You know, it's been a long time since I've been with anyone who was a friend first," Lex whispered.

"In a way, it makes it better, doesn't it?" Clark said, smiling as he ran his hands over Lex's scalp. "All that sexual tension building up."

"Yeah," Lex simply said before he moved in for another kiss.

Lex woke up to an empty bed, rubbing his eyes at the harsh morning light. He sat up at the faint sound of water running in the bathroom. The door opened to reveal Clark, already showered and fully dressed.

"Good morning," Clark greeted a sleepy Lex.

"Good morning to you too," Lex answered groggily.

"I have to catch the morning bus back to Smallville," Clark said as he gathered his things. Even though Clark could fly back to the farm in minutes, he had promised his parents and Lex that he would avoid doing it outside of emergencies. After all these years, they were still scared of Clark being seen or discovered. "I didn't want to wake you."

"It's okay. I had to get up anyway," Lex said as he watched Clark fidget. "You know, I can have my driver take you back."

"No, it's okay. It's a long way--I wouldn't want you to be without your driver all day," Clark answered, looking up to smirk at Lex.

Lex nodded silently. He knew he should get up, shower and get ready for a full Sunday of work, but he couldn't shake off the strangeness of waking up to Clark.

"So," Clark said, breaking the silence, "at the risk of sounding needy, what do you think about what happened last night?" Clark didn't really want to have this talk so soon after what had happened, but he knew it would drive him crazy if he went home for the break without some resolution. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to Lex, nervously looking down into his lap.

"I thought it was wonderful, Clark."

"I did too, Lex," Clark agreed, smiling, but still refusing to look at Lex directly. "But... but where do we go from here?"

"I don't know, Clark," Lex said, nervous himself and reaching out to hold Clark's hand in his. He had never had this kind of morning-after talk. "It wasn't just about sex. Well, for me at least."

"For me too. I don't think it really ever could be between us."

"No, it couldn't," Lex said softly. He paused for a moment, then said firmly, "I would like to date you, Clark."

Clark looked up to find a very serious, business-like Lex asking Clark to be his boyfriend. "Sure, Lex," he answered, chuckling and feeling his whole body relax.

Lex laughed at that himself and watched Clark rise to put his shoes on.

"I'll be in Smallville for Christmas. We can get together then," he said as Clark tied his boots and picked up his bag.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Clark said as he leaned down to give Lex a quick kiss. Soon he was off for a long bus ride home to play back last night's events in his head and happily think about dating his best friend.

To be continued...