Fic: Shall Not Fade (1/3)
Title: Shall Not Fade
Author: Hils
Rating: PG (for now)
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Summary: Lois loves Superman and ignores Clark. Lex misses Clark and hates Superman. Clark is caught in the middle
Written for 10_hurt_comfort. The prompt was ‘love’. A million thanks to romanyg for the beta
Clark had always imagined that his life would be simpler when he grew up. He’d have a job, maybe a girl. He’d visit his mother every weekend so she could feed him up, and they could talk about what they’d been doing all week. Never once did he imagine he’d be longing for the days when his biggest problem was some sort of teenage meteor mutant.
Now he had two jobs, both seemed to involve keeping Lois out of trouble and one of involved frequent battles with his former best friend. So much for the simple life.
“Hey, Smallville,” Lois said as she plonked herself down on the edge of his desk. Clark knew the twinkle in her eye and the teasing tone in her voice did not bode well. “Guess who left another message for you?”
Clark wasn’t going to groan, and he certainly wasn’t going to let Lois see how much this was bothering him. “My mom?”
“Only if your mom is male, bald, and owns half of Metropolis.”
Clark tried to keep his face neutral. The messages were becoming more frequent now. “What did Lex say this time?”
Lois shrugged. “Same as always. He wants to have lunch, catch up, repair the friendship, blah, blah, blah. Look, why don’t you just go? Maybe try and get an interview out of him. Having you as my partner has to be useful for something and God knows I’m sick of acting as your PA.”
He’d thought about going. He wanted to believe that something had happened to change Lex, but considering just a few nights ago he’d stopped Lex from developing yet another weapon, he knew it was pointless. Lex was never going to change, and if Clark met him for lunch, he’d just be subjected to yet more lies and he was tired of it.
“Come on, Lois. You know as well as I do that Lex always has some ulterior motive for his actions. Neither of us has been exactly complimentary about him in our articles. What possible reason would he have to try and patch things up?”
Lois pounded the desk. “Exactly! Doesn’t the reporter in you want to find out what he’s up to?”
“No.”
It was a lie and they both knew it. Clark actively sought to investigate anything which he thought might have a connection to Lex. Some might call it an obsession, but Clark always said that it was his duty to protect the people of Metropolis from the lies and manipulations of Lex Luthor. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive Lex for the years of lies he’d been subject to, and for a while, it seemed that Lex didn’t care about being forgiven. Then the phone calls started.
“Look,” Lois said, breaking into his thoughts. “No one is asking you to marry the guy. Just have lunch, listen to what he has to say and see if you can get an interview. You never have to see him again after that.”
Except every night, when Superman foils one of his plans.
He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Lois. I can’t.”
* * *
Clark almost dropped his briefcase as he fumbled for the phone ringing in his jacket pocket. He frowned as ‘number not known’ flashed on the display and then he answered it.
“Clark Kent speaking.”
“Hello, Clark.”
He froze mid-stride in the lobby of The Planet.
“Lex?” he hissed with a low voice, trying to shield the phone from the people bustling past him. A building full of reporters was the worst place to be having a private conversation with one of the most infamous men in Metropolis. “How did you get this number?”
“I’m a resourceful man, Clark. You should know that better than anyone. But if I were you, I’d be careful who you give this number to. Evidently, it can be bought for the price of an hour long interview.”
Lois.
Clark had to keep himself rooted where he was or else he was in serious danger of giving Lois a first-hand demonstration of his powers.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Lex, and I’m changing this number tomorrow. Enjoy your interview. I’ll be sure to give Lois some suitable questions to ask you.”
“Clark, wait, please.”
Clark felt his finger hovering above the disconnect button. There was something different about Lex’s voice. He sounded almost desperate, and desperation was definitely an un-Luthorlike trait. He sighed.
“Lex, I really don’t think either of us has anything to say that’s going to fix this. I’m sorry.”
He was surprised to find that he really was. Despite everything, he occasionally found himself looking fondly back on the days when he and Lex had been best friends. He’d even thought at one point that their friendship was going to lead to something more, but it never did. Too much had happened between them and too many lies had been told. He was sure there would be no going back now.
“Just have lunch with me tomorrow,” Lex asked in a soft voice that almost took Clark back to that time in Smallville. “Listen to what I have to say, and if you don’t want to see me again after that, I swear I’ll never contact you again.”
Clark doubted very much that Lex would give up that easily, but he was doubly sure that Lex would continue to pester him until he at least agreed to a meeting.
“Fine, but I’m not coming to LuthorCorp. We meet somewhere neutral.”
“I’ll get us a table at The Lutèce.”
Trust Lex to choose the most expensive restaurant in Metropolis. Clark remembered the days when coffee and pie at The Talon suited him just fine.
“I’ll see you there.”
Only after he'd hung up did he notice that his hands were shaking.
* * *
Clark scowled at himself in the mirror and his reflection scowled back. This was the third time he’d changed his clothes, and with each time he got more annoyed at himself for caring what Lex thought in the first place.
“Just walk out the door,” he told himself and scowled again when his feet refused to move. He was already going to be late and, despite several attempts to convince himself that he didn’t care about keeping Lex waiting, his heart fluttered nervously in his chest.
He adjusted his glasses and smiled, still unable to believe that this, a slightly different hairstyle and a stupid costume, kept his identity as Superman hidden. It was laughable really, but it gave him at least some semblance of a normal life and that suited him fine.
He put his coat on and cast one final look in the mirror. He’d finally opted for his best suit, the one he saved for his most important interviews. Lois had practically dragged him to a tailor, insisting he own at least one fitted suit and saying she refused to be labeled as the reporter with the scruffy, hick partner. It had cost him almost half a month’s wages; but from the way Lois looked at him when he wore it, he knew it had been worth it. It was the only time she’d ever actually noticed him when he wasn’t dressed as Superman.
Clark still found it faintly amusing that Lois barely noticed Clark when they were at work, but as soon as he changed into the blue and red outfit she melted into a puddle.
His phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Do you want to save me the embarrassment of sitting here alone for an hour and tell me you’re not coming? Or is this part of the fun for you?”
Clark groaned. “Lex, I’m sorry. I got caught up at work. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.
He could hear the resigned sigh on the other end of the phone. “Alright.”
He hung up and, with no further glances in the mirror, he rushed out of the door to his apartment. Sometimes superspeed was a very useful thing to have.
* * *
Coming to a stop in the alleyway next to the restaurant, Clark attempted to straighten his tie and flatten his hair. So much for his attempts to look good for Lex. He turned the corner and walked into the restaurant. Apparently not even needing to give his name, he was immediately shown to Lex’s table.
Lex greeted him with a warm and genuine smile, any annoyance at Clark’s lateness apparently gone.
“Sorry I’m late,” Clark said as he took a seat.
“Don’t be,” Lex replied. “I’m amazed you showed up at all, actually. I hope you still like steak. I took the liberty of ordering for you while I waited.”
Clark couldn’t stop the smile from blossoming on his face. Despite all their years apart, Lex still remembered what his favorite dish was.
“What is it you wanted to say to me, Lex? Why the sudden urge to get back in touch?”
Lex stared at him for a moment, and Clark almost felt the urge to shift in his seat. He couldn't remember Lex looking at him this intensely before, almost as if Lex had the x-ray vision and could see inside him.
“I miss you, Clark. I miss our friendship. I want to know if there’s any way we can get back what we had when we were in Smallville.”
Lex said it as if it was the most simple thing in the world, that there weren’t years that had gone by where they had barely spoken. Clark began to wonder if Lex was having another breakdown of some kind.
“Lex, we hate each other,” he reminded him.
Lex shook his head. “I never hated you, Clark. I was disappointed and frustrated that there were obviously things you weren’t telling me, but I never hated you. Now I’ve realized I don’t care if you have secrets. I’ve got plenty of my own that I have no desire to share with anyone.”
Clark sighed. “That’s how we came to be in this position in the first place. It’s okay to have secrets, sure, but the ones you have put people in danger.”
He still remembered that night. He found out that Lex had allowed dangerous criminals to escape from Belle Reve, had put Lana and his parents in danger, all so he could put Clark through some sort of test. That was the night their friendship had truly ended, and had left both of them bleeding in the mansion.
“I know,” Lex replied. “That’s why I’m going to change that. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I will prove it to you by giving you and Lois full access to all of my facilities. Every room, every report, every file will be open to you. I don’t want anything like this to come between us again, Clark.”
Clark studied Lex intently for a moment. He’d spent long enough around him that he instinctively knew when Lex was lying. There seemed to be no trace of that now. Lex was actually serious about this, and it both moved and scared Clark at the same time.
“All right,” he conceded. “But you have to promise me one thing. I want you to stop any projects that have anything to do with hurting Superman. I know you don’t see it, but Superman is good for this city. He helps people.”
Lex took a careful sip of his wine. “Clark, I know you and Superman have some sort of friendship and that he and Lois have a twisted flirtation going on, but you can’t trust him. He might help people now, but how long do you think that will last? Honestly, if you had the sort of power that he does, wouldn’t there be the temptation for you to abuse it?”
“No.”
Lex raised an eyebrow at him, and Clark felt his face flush red. “Ok, maybe I’d be tempted but I wouldn’t do it and neither would Superman.”
“You can’t know that, Clark. And you’re naïve if you think people like Superman don’t have their own agenda. One day he’ll just wake up and decide that humans are weak and not worthy of his protection. I’m sorry, but if something like that happens, I want to give humanity a fighting chance.”
Clark sat rigid in his seat. He knew Lex had a deep-rooted hatred of Superman, but whenever they met, their conversations involved mostly yelling while Clark dismantled yet another one of Lex’s labs. Lex never explained where the hatred had come from, and hearing it laid out like this, with Lex actually thinking he was protecting people, cut deep.
“You’re wrong about him, Lex,” Clark said softly, “I know you are.”
Lex gave Clark a gentle smile and poured him another drink. “I wish I could put as much faith in him as you do.”
Clark returned the smile. “Maybe one day you will.”
Part 2
Author: Hils
Rating: PG (for now)
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Summary: Lois loves Superman and ignores Clark. Lex misses Clark and hates Superman. Clark is caught in the middle
Written for 10_hurt_comfort. The prompt was ‘love’. A million thanks to romanyg for the beta
Clark had always imagined that his life would be simpler when he grew up. He’d have a job, maybe a girl. He’d visit his mother every weekend so she could feed him up, and they could talk about what they’d been doing all week. Never once did he imagine he’d be longing for the days when his biggest problem was some sort of teenage meteor mutant.
Now he had two jobs, both seemed to involve keeping Lois out of trouble and one of involved frequent battles with his former best friend. So much for the simple life.
“Hey, Smallville,” Lois said as she plonked herself down on the edge of his desk. Clark knew the twinkle in her eye and the teasing tone in her voice did not bode well. “Guess who left another message for you?”
Clark wasn’t going to groan, and he certainly wasn’t going to let Lois see how much this was bothering him. “My mom?”
“Only if your mom is male, bald, and owns half of Metropolis.”
Clark tried to keep his face neutral. The messages were becoming more frequent now. “What did Lex say this time?”
Lois shrugged. “Same as always. He wants to have lunch, catch up, repair the friendship, blah, blah, blah. Look, why don’t you just go? Maybe try and get an interview out of him. Having you as my partner has to be useful for something and God knows I’m sick of acting as your PA.”
He’d thought about going. He wanted to believe that something had happened to change Lex, but considering just a few nights ago he’d stopped Lex from developing yet another weapon, he knew it was pointless. Lex was never going to change, and if Clark met him for lunch, he’d just be subjected to yet more lies and he was tired of it.
“Come on, Lois. You know as well as I do that Lex always has some ulterior motive for his actions. Neither of us has been exactly complimentary about him in our articles. What possible reason would he have to try and patch things up?”
Lois pounded the desk. “Exactly! Doesn’t the reporter in you want to find out what he’s up to?”
“No.”
It was a lie and they both knew it. Clark actively sought to investigate anything which he thought might have a connection to Lex. Some might call it an obsession, but Clark always said that it was his duty to protect the people of Metropolis from the lies and manipulations of Lex Luthor. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive Lex for the years of lies he’d been subject to, and for a while, it seemed that Lex didn’t care about being forgiven. Then the phone calls started.
“Look,” Lois said, breaking into his thoughts. “No one is asking you to marry the guy. Just have lunch, listen to what he has to say and see if you can get an interview. You never have to see him again after that.”
Except every night, when Superman foils one of his plans.
He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Lois. I can’t.”
* * *
Clark almost dropped his briefcase as he fumbled for the phone ringing in his jacket pocket. He frowned as ‘number not known’ flashed on the display and then he answered it.
“Clark Kent speaking.”
“Hello, Clark.”
He froze mid-stride in the lobby of The Planet.
“Lex?” he hissed with a low voice, trying to shield the phone from the people bustling past him. A building full of reporters was the worst place to be having a private conversation with one of the most infamous men in Metropolis. “How did you get this number?”
“I’m a resourceful man, Clark. You should know that better than anyone. But if I were you, I’d be careful who you give this number to. Evidently, it can be bought for the price of an hour long interview.”
Lois.
Clark had to keep himself rooted where he was or else he was in serious danger of giving Lois a first-hand demonstration of his powers.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Lex, and I’m changing this number tomorrow. Enjoy your interview. I’ll be sure to give Lois some suitable questions to ask you.”
“Clark, wait, please.”
Clark felt his finger hovering above the disconnect button. There was something different about Lex’s voice. He sounded almost desperate, and desperation was definitely an un-Luthorlike trait. He sighed.
“Lex, I really don’t think either of us has anything to say that’s going to fix this. I’m sorry.”
He was surprised to find that he really was. Despite everything, he occasionally found himself looking fondly back on the days when he and Lex had been best friends. He’d even thought at one point that their friendship was going to lead to something more, but it never did. Too much had happened between them and too many lies had been told. He was sure there would be no going back now.
“Just have lunch with me tomorrow,” Lex asked in a soft voice that almost took Clark back to that time in Smallville. “Listen to what I have to say, and if you don’t want to see me again after that, I swear I’ll never contact you again.”
Clark doubted very much that Lex would give up that easily, but he was doubly sure that Lex would continue to pester him until he at least agreed to a meeting.
“Fine, but I’m not coming to LuthorCorp. We meet somewhere neutral.”
“I’ll get us a table at The Lutèce.”
Trust Lex to choose the most expensive restaurant in Metropolis. Clark remembered the days when coffee and pie at The Talon suited him just fine.
“I’ll see you there.”
Only after he'd hung up did he notice that his hands were shaking.
* * *
Clark scowled at himself in the mirror and his reflection scowled back. This was the third time he’d changed his clothes, and with each time he got more annoyed at himself for caring what Lex thought in the first place.
“Just walk out the door,” he told himself and scowled again when his feet refused to move. He was already going to be late and, despite several attempts to convince himself that he didn’t care about keeping Lex waiting, his heart fluttered nervously in his chest.
He adjusted his glasses and smiled, still unable to believe that this, a slightly different hairstyle and a stupid costume, kept his identity as Superman hidden. It was laughable really, but it gave him at least some semblance of a normal life and that suited him fine.
He put his coat on and cast one final look in the mirror. He’d finally opted for his best suit, the one he saved for his most important interviews. Lois had practically dragged him to a tailor, insisting he own at least one fitted suit and saying she refused to be labeled as the reporter with the scruffy, hick partner. It had cost him almost half a month’s wages; but from the way Lois looked at him when he wore it, he knew it had been worth it. It was the only time she’d ever actually noticed him when he wasn’t dressed as Superman.
Clark still found it faintly amusing that Lois barely noticed Clark when they were at work, but as soon as he changed into the blue and red outfit she melted into a puddle.
His phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Do you want to save me the embarrassment of sitting here alone for an hour and tell me you’re not coming? Or is this part of the fun for you?”
Clark groaned. “Lex, I’m sorry. I got caught up at work. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.
He could hear the resigned sigh on the other end of the phone. “Alright.”
He hung up and, with no further glances in the mirror, he rushed out of the door to his apartment. Sometimes superspeed was a very useful thing to have.
* * *
Coming to a stop in the alleyway next to the restaurant, Clark attempted to straighten his tie and flatten his hair. So much for his attempts to look good for Lex. He turned the corner and walked into the restaurant. Apparently not even needing to give his name, he was immediately shown to Lex’s table.
Lex greeted him with a warm and genuine smile, any annoyance at Clark’s lateness apparently gone.
“Sorry I’m late,” Clark said as he took a seat.
“Don’t be,” Lex replied. “I’m amazed you showed up at all, actually. I hope you still like steak. I took the liberty of ordering for you while I waited.”
Clark couldn’t stop the smile from blossoming on his face. Despite all their years apart, Lex still remembered what his favorite dish was.
“What is it you wanted to say to me, Lex? Why the sudden urge to get back in touch?”
Lex stared at him for a moment, and Clark almost felt the urge to shift in his seat. He couldn't remember Lex looking at him this intensely before, almost as if Lex had the x-ray vision and could see inside him.
“I miss you, Clark. I miss our friendship. I want to know if there’s any way we can get back what we had when we were in Smallville.”
Lex said it as if it was the most simple thing in the world, that there weren’t years that had gone by where they had barely spoken. Clark began to wonder if Lex was having another breakdown of some kind.
“Lex, we hate each other,” he reminded him.
Lex shook his head. “I never hated you, Clark. I was disappointed and frustrated that there were obviously things you weren’t telling me, but I never hated you. Now I’ve realized I don’t care if you have secrets. I’ve got plenty of my own that I have no desire to share with anyone.”
Clark sighed. “That’s how we came to be in this position in the first place. It’s okay to have secrets, sure, but the ones you have put people in danger.”
He still remembered that night. He found out that Lex had allowed dangerous criminals to escape from Belle Reve, had put Lana and his parents in danger, all so he could put Clark through some sort of test. That was the night their friendship had truly ended, and had left both of them bleeding in the mansion.
“I know,” Lex replied. “That’s why I’m going to change that. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I will prove it to you by giving you and Lois full access to all of my facilities. Every room, every report, every file will be open to you. I don’t want anything like this to come between us again, Clark.”
Clark studied Lex intently for a moment. He’d spent long enough around him that he instinctively knew when Lex was lying. There seemed to be no trace of that now. Lex was actually serious about this, and it both moved and scared Clark at the same time.
“All right,” he conceded. “But you have to promise me one thing. I want you to stop any projects that have anything to do with hurting Superman. I know you don’t see it, but Superman is good for this city. He helps people.”
Lex took a careful sip of his wine. “Clark, I know you and Superman have some sort of friendship and that he and Lois have a twisted flirtation going on, but you can’t trust him. He might help people now, but how long do you think that will last? Honestly, if you had the sort of power that he does, wouldn’t there be the temptation for you to abuse it?”
“No.”
Lex raised an eyebrow at him, and Clark felt his face flush red. “Ok, maybe I’d be tempted but I wouldn’t do it and neither would Superman.”
“You can’t know that, Clark. And you’re naïve if you think people like Superman don’t have their own agenda. One day he’ll just wake up and decide that humans are weak and not worthy of his protection. I’m sorry, but if something like that happens, I want to give humanity a fighting chance.”
Clark sat rigid in his seat. He knew Lex had a deep-rooted hatred of Superman, but whenever they met, their conversations involved mostly yelling while Clark dismantled yet another one of Lex’s labs. Lex never explained where the hatred had come from, and hearing it laid out like this, with Lex actually thinking he was protecting people, cut deep.
“You’re wrong about him, Lex,” Clark said softly, “I know you are.”
Lex gave Clark a gentle smile and poured him another drink. “I wish I could put as much faith in him as you do.”
Clark returned the smile. “Maybe one day you will.”
Part 2