Fic: ...Clark Is Actually Pretty Ok With This, Thanks (Part 2, 2/3)
Title: ...Clark Is Actually Pretty Ok With This, Thanks (Part 2 -- Lois Gets In On The Bromance)
Author: josephina_x
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark, Lex
Rating: R (because it sort of has vague references to themes of BDSM *shrug*)
Spoilers: References season 6 and previous, general spoilers for early season 7 and all prior. Diverges at the end of Wrath (7x07) when Clark goes to talk to Lex.
Word count: 20,000+
Summary: What if Lex decided to be a little more... evil... at the end of Wrath? What if he decided to punish Clark, for Lana's transgression? ...What if Clark agreed to sacrifice himself for her sake? Would Clark break? Or would he... bend?
...Hey, that would be a totally crazy fic, am I right? --Unfortunately, this is not that. (Oops.) Here, Lex kind of goes the other route. You know, the whole brotherly-love one.
So, instead, you get Lex being pissed about Lana treating Clark like her own personal bitch, Clark's "sacrifice" isn't so much of one, and everybody else is left standing around scratching their heads while Lana ends up doing screechy-harpy things which we don't have to hear too much about -- you're welcome. (Chloe does, though. Feel sorry for Chloe, and send her emergency chocolate cake, stat.)
Warnings: Un-beta'd. An ungodly amount of Lois POV. A little character-bashing (screechy!Lana).
Disclaimer: Not mine, not-for-profit.
Comments: Yes, please! :)
Author's Note: At this stage, Lex is still totally uninitiated in the fine arts of BDSM, especially the dominant-submissive... stuff.
Also, I was kind of all over the place for awhile with possible story threads/forks, until canon decided to kick me in the head. (*ow* for damn headshots) But I at least know how this one's gonna end, now. --I'm not sure if my canon-fu is going to work out when I get there, but I'm sure gonna try! :)
Lois' explanations are more or less my own understanding of things, a la reading other fics, a couple wikipedia pages on all that 'safe, sane, and consensual' stuff ^_^ ...and one CSI episode. *facepalm* I'm definitely going to be playing fast-and-loose with the idea of 'pet'itude due to lack of knowledge and for the purpose of Necessary Sacrifices upon the Altar Of Plot. If I'm wrong about anything, I apologize -- no offense is intended. I'll be happy to put corrections in author's notes at the bottom of the fic to clarify if and/or where I'm wrong or very far off base on anything, if anyone would like to let me know.
...Whew, wow, ok, and just a quick heads up: this installment ended up a lot more SRS BSNS than I originally intended. (And so will the next one, for a bit.) I swear that it's kinda necesary for the boys and girls for the sake of future, more happy-fun-time shenanigans, though, or things would've fallen through at a later date in a very bad way. ...But sometimes you gotta break down before you build up, y'know. *shakes fist at plot*
The first part of this fic is here on LJ.
Also posted to AO3 here (includes all chapters to-date).
Previous piece of Part 2 is here.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they woke up, it was Saturday.
Once they were mostly over their respective hangovers, Lois declared a field trip and drove them up to the Luthor castle-mansion-estate thingy, and proceeded to basically storm the gates.
Literally -- the guy in the gatehouse wouldn't let them in.
"You're not on the approved list," the man said, looking down his nose at them.
"Dont make me get up out of this car," Lois threatened. "You get on that little speakerphone of yours and you tell Clark Kent that Lois and Chloe are here to see him, right now."
"I don't--" he sneered.
There was a 'beep' from his tower.
The guy frowned and reached back to answer it.
After he hung up, he said very prissily, "Try not to drive on the grass," and hit the button for the gate.
"Lois..." Chloe complained, "Please don't."
"Guy is fucking asking for it."
"Yeah, except I bet he won't be the one who has to fix the grass if you do it."
"Fine," Lois grumbled. "But I'm coming back tonight and TPing his little dumbass tower, I swear," Lois grumbled under her breath. "TP and stink bombs, all the way."
Chloe gave her a pained little smile and carefully held her still-aching head.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex met them at the front door -- he actually opened it himself.
"Clark's asleep," he said.
"Get out!" Lois said in disbelief. It was nearly noon.
"We want to see him," Chloe said.
"He's. Asleep." Lex repeated, eyes narrowing.
"Is everything all right?" Lois asked, getting a weird feeling from him.
Lex glanced over at her. "...He didn't sleep well last night. I'm not waking him up."
"But--" Lois grimaced and frowned a little, then sighed gustily. "Fine." A sleep-deprived Clark was a cranky Clark; if he needed to rest...
Lex gave her a long stare, then looked away as he took a step back and opened the door. "You can wait in the library if you want..."
"What happened last night?" Chloe asked him as they walked in.
Lex's mouth drew itself into a faint line. "Lana got him on his cellphone before I realized he still had it on him."
Lois sucked in a breath. "Shit..."
Lex glanced over at her with a frown, then led them down the hallway in silence.
"Not too shabby, Luthor," Lois commented, unabashedly looking all up, down and around, and peering into every open door as they went.
Chloe did the same as Lois, but was a lot more circumspect about it.
Lex suppressed a sigh.
He pushed open the double doors to the library and walked them in.
"You work in here?" Lois asked.
"Sometimes."
Lois stood there for a moment, then realized that Luthor hadn't even given them a possible ETA on when he thought Clark might wake up. "Yeah, ok -- seriously, what's going on?" Lois rounded on him. "Is Clark even here?"
Lex's eyes narrowed. "Yes."
He started walking towards the doors, and Lois turned. "Seriously, that's it? Just a 'yes'?" She crossed her arms. "I thought you were a lot more verbose than that."
Lex stopped and turned, staring at her.
"...Did you get any sleep last night?" Chloe suddenly asked, and Lois blinked and glanced between the two of them.
With the way Lex's frown became almost a glower, Lois mentally high-fived her cousin. "Ok, so, what, you think he'll be any less happy seeing us than missing us coming over to see him?"
After a moment, Lex said, "You, perhaps not. Her?" Lex glanced at Chloe and gave her a disdainful look.
"You can't keep us from talking to him," Chloe threatened.
"Actually, I can," Lex said quietly.
"What's his new phone number?" Lois asked. When he blinked at her, she said, "What? You're not just gonna block Lana's number; she'll just use another phone." Because, really, Luthor was crazy, not stupid.
Lex seemed to be weighing her, considering.
Finally, he said, "If Clark wants you to have his number, he'll give it to you."
"Or call."
Lex nodded wearily at her. "I had his contact list copied over."
When he turned to go, Lois said, "You going up to see him?"
This time, Lex did sigh as he turned back. "No."
"Why the hell not?"
"It's called 'work'. I have it," Lex bit out, turning away again.
"Oh hell no," Lois said angrily, stomping out into the hallway past him before he could.
Lex did a double-take as she passed him. "What are you--"
"Where is he, upstairs in one of the bedrooms?" Lois asked, striding down the hallway. "CLARK?!?" Lois called out, jogging up the stairs.
Lex's mouth dropped, before he took off after her.
Chloe stood there blinking, then cursed under her breath and rushed off after them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex caught up to Lois soon enough -- she was easy to find, slamming doors open and yelling for him.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her. "You'll wake--"
"Then tell me where he is. I want to see him and make sure he's ok."
They glared at each other for a beat or two, before Lex, looking irate, tersely said, 'Fine," dropped his hold on her, and briskly walked off down the hallway.
Chloe caught up as Lex pulled out a key and proceeded to unlock the door.
...Or tried to, cursing under his breath because he'd pulled out the wrong one. He fumbled with the keychain.
"Oh that's rich," Lois said lowly. "You locked him in? I bet he feels real safe between that and all the bars on the windows. Real homey place you've got here at Casa de Luthor."
Lex's head came up and he frowned at that, before he turned back to the lock. "I gave him his own set of keys last night," he said shortly, as he finally got the door open.
"Clark..." he said as he knocked quietly and opened the door a crack, then he muttered a curse as Lois just barged right in.
"What the hell?" Lois breathed, half a laugh, as she caught sight of the white sheet hanging over the bed like magic.
She turned to Lex, who was rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
But Chloe was the one who said, "He doesn't like being under surveillance."
Lex's head snapped over to her, and he got a blank look of slight shock, then his eyes widened slightly, like he was remembering something he shouldn't have forgotten.
His mouth thinned and he turned and strode out of the room, rummaging in a pocket and pulling out a cellphone.
Lois shook her head and left him to it, brief muffled orders ringing back softly from the hallway in a regular staccato cadence.
She walked over and flipped the bedsheet up, then over, then over, until the sheet was on the floor.
Clark was sprawled out on top of the covers, in the clothes he'd been wearing the previous day. He was asleep, but fitfully. He looked like hell.
She eyed the weird metal boxy thing on the bed, then stepped back and performed a perfect Karate high-kick.
The thing went flying, hit the wall by the windows, and landed with a horrific crash.
She heard Lex curse loudly in the hallway and from his footsteps he was hurrying back in. She ignored him for the moment.
Clark stirred on the bed, and startled awake when she jumped onto it heavily.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Lois said, poking him in the shoulder as she sat next to him. "You getting up sometime this century?"
"...Lois?" Clark said fuzzily, blearily looking up at her.
"Yup, me," she confirmed. "Hey, do you know? That guy at the gate tried to pull a fast one on me. I almost had to run the thing down."
"It's cast iron," Clark frowned up at her, turning his head so he could look up at her. "You'd break your car first."
"Says you," she bantered back with a grin. "I say we test it."
"Please don't," Clark groaned.
Lex stood in the doorway in what looked like slight shock, phone in one hand, practically forgotten. His eyes flicked between Clark and Lois as they talked, watching warily.
"So, I hear Lana called you yesterday and was being all bitchy," she said, eyeing Clark.
Clark looked like he deflated.
"How many times did she call?" Lois asked.
"A couple."
"How many times did you pick up?" Lois said.
Clark muttered a non-answer under his breath.
Lex looked like he'd been sucker punched.
"Hm. Thought you weren't supposed to be talking with her," Lois tried, lightly.
"I wasn't. Just listening," he muttered, turning away a little.
Lex rubbed a hand across his face and looked like he wanted to hurt someone.
"Ok, and what did she say, exactly?"
When Clark looked miserable, she said, "Did you tell Lex?" and turned to Lex.
When Lex got a similar look, she cursed. "Fuck, she got to both of you?" Lois got angry all over again. "Fuck! God, just, fuck her. --Ok, no wait, don't fuck her, there is to be no fucking of her by either of you, that's gotta be at least half of what caused this whole mess in the first place," Lois grumbled, running her hands across her face.
Clark and Lex both blinked at her, then glanced at each other, before looking away.
"Ok, first thing -- Lana is a jealous bitch. Pretend she never said anything -- you'll feel better; she doesn't know what she's talking about anyway."
"And you do?" Clark muttered, hunching his shoulders and pulling his pillow closer to him.
"I have friends," Lois said. "Lots and lots of friends. They talk. --Speaking of which, where's your collar?" she segued without notice.
"I-- um," said Clark.
"What, Lex didn't sneak up on you while you were asleep?" Lois said sweetly, glancing at his neck.
"What? No!" Clark said, sitting up and bringing his hands up to his neck. "That's not--"
When Clark realized he wasn't actually wearing it, Lois grinned and said, "What, not fair? Out of bounds? Not part of the game?"
Clark looked at her suspiciously.
Lex... started to relax slowly, leaning up against the doorway. He brought his phone back up to his ear, finished the conversation quickly and quietly, and snapped it shut.
Chloe carefully watched the two of them, looking like she was trying to see -- or not see -- what Lois had told her she'd thought she'd seen the day before.
"So, where is it?" Lois asked.
"I have it," Lex said, pulling it out of a pocket and holding it up.
"Give it here," Lois said, reaching out a hand and making grabbing motions at air.
"I think not," said Lex, eyes narrowing, slowly pulling it towards his chest.
"Ooh, another rule: only Lex gets to collar the Clark," Lois teased, poking Clark. Clark frowned at her and shifted a little uneasily.
"Ok, so, stop me if I'm getting warm, ok?" Lois said, leaning back on her arms and lounging on the bed. "Lana said something about collars and naked everything else and perversion and human pets and maybe eating off of floors and flogging and belts and whips and chains and things, yeah? And maybe some other stupid bullshit about locks and no privacy and lots of gay sex--"
"Oh god, please stop talking," Clark nearly whimpered, putting his hands over his ears.
"No, Clark, that's all bullshit, ok? That's not how it's done," Lois said to him, tugging at his hands. "No sex, nothing weird, nothing either of you don't like," she said in a smooth patter of words. "There's nothing wrong with it. She's just jealous of you guys getting along, and can't handle it, and really, really doesn't know what she's talking about."
Lex's head was slowly coming up, and his expression was clearing into something like... relief?
Clark was staring at Lois, like he was half-afraid to listen.
"But..." he said.
"No, look, you should totally talk to people who, you know, actually know," Lois said. When Clark glanced over at Lex, Lois added, "Yeah, he should too; I swear you guys." She sighed deeply.
Clark glanced over at Lex again, eyebrows furrowing slightly together. Lex just stood there, and Clark quietly said, "Um...?" and bit his lip. His eyes brightened slightly and his shoulders started to drop.
"And you know... people who do?" Lex queried.
"Uh, yeah," Lois said, like that was a 'no duh' moment, turning back to him. "Well, ok, maybe friends of friends or something around here. I mean Metropolis. ...Fine, whatever: I'll call around and find people," she said brazenly. "Not like it's hard."
Lex tilted his head and stared at her.
"Seriously, Luthor -- your instincts are good, but you really don't know shit about this stuff," Lois said, shaking her head.
She heard a quiet giggle behind her, and she turned to see Clark biting his lip.
"Hey, you're no big exception either, Smallville," she said, poking him in the arm.
"Now seriously, we've got to get you the basics," Lois said, slapping her hands together and rubbing them.
"Um..." Clark started to look a little worried.
" 'We'?" Lex said, with a look.
"Uh, yeah, I think we've established that you both need some help, here, because neither of you know shit," Lois said. "I mean, do you even have a leash to go with that thing?"
"A leash?" Lex looked taken aback.
"Uh huh," Lois said.
She grinned as Lex's jaw dropped slightly, then even more as he snapped it back closed and turned just a tad pink.
"Lois!" Clark objected, blushing a bright red.
Interesting, that it had seemed to occur to Clark, but the thought obviously hadn't even crossed Lex's mind before now. Lois wondered who had come up with the collar idea first. "Fine, fine, whatever -- do it however you want, I don't care," she said, waving her hands. "But you--" she pointed at Clark, "need the rest of a new wardrobe, 'cause there's no way you're getting out of this without one, am I right?" she asked Luthor.
Lex smiled slightly, while Clark quietly groaned.
"Yup, gotta get rid of all that flannel," Lois continued. "Probably oughta just burn it all--"
"Oh my god, what is it about people and burning my flannel!" Clark yelled, throwing his hands up.
Lois blinked at him.
"Who told you!" Clark huffed, crossing his arms.
"Wait... this is a thing?" Lois asked, brightening.
Lex was covering his mouth with a hand and looking like he was trying not to... laugh?
Clark blinked then glowered. "No!" he said.
Lois didn't believe him. It didn't look like Chloe did, either.
"Can we grab the rest of his flannel from the farm?" she asked Lex, pointing a thumb at Clark.
"Don't even think about it -- I'll sic Cook and her fire extinguisher on you again!"
"...Again?" Chloe echoed.
"You called her?!" Lex exclaimed.
"Wha--" Lois looked between Clark and Lex and then started laughing hysterically.
Clark rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and looked very put-upon, glaring at Lois. Lex glanced away, smiling slightly.
"Oh, oh man, that is so not fair!" Lois finally said, wiping away tears. "How could you not invite me!"
"You're not on my speed dial," Lex said.
"Lex!!" Clark protested.
Lois grinned.
"Okay, so -- flannel-removal later; new wardrobe, now," Lois said. "And maybe a basic rundown on collars and things."
"I-- ...'now'?" Clark said, derailed.
"Yeah, sure," Lois said. "Why not? It's the weekend. Let's go to Metropolis, paint the town plaid."
"No, no -- too much like flannel," Lex murmured with a small smile.
"Whatever," Lois waved at him. "There will be a painting of some color arrangement across a multitude of buildings, and it will be fun -- come on, Smallville," she said, tugging at his arm.
"But--" Clark said, glancing up at Lex.
"It's fine," he said, pushing off of the doorway and standing upright. "Have fun."
"What?" Clark said. His expression dropped when he realized Lex wasn't slowing down. His eyes went wide when he realized he wasn't coming back. Then, louder: "Wait, no -- Lex!"
Clark slid off the bed and bounded out into the hallway.
Lois got up at a more sedate pace and passed Chloe with a smile and a wink.
"Fixed it," she said.
Chloe gave her a look.
"This isn't a good idea," Chloe said, frowning.
"Then don't come along; you weren't exactly invited," Lois said, turning and jogging to catch up to the two men.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe walked down the hallway towards the three of them at a sedate pace, and realized when Lex had given in when his shoulders dropped slightly.
"Fine," she heard him sigh, before she caught up.
"Chlo, you can drive back ok, right?" Lois said, tossing her the keys.
"Lois--" Chloe protested.
"You're not coming?" Clark tentatively asked her.
Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Lois overrode her. "You know she doesn't like huge clothes shopping trips; she only came by to make sure you were ok."
"Oh," Clark said.
Lois linked arms with the two of them and nearly dragged them along in her wake. Clark frowned at this, but Lex kept up without complaint.
He did glance back at Chloe, though, and from the narrowed gaze he sent her way, she was sure he knew that she didn't approve at all.
She also got the feeling that he didn't particularly care...
...so long as she didn't say anything disparaging to Clark about it.
Well, all that she'd seen happen here was that Lois had managed to make Clark and Lex feel a little better somehow -- as far as Chloe was concerned, it had had nothing to do with the two of them, at all.
They hadn't seemed too different, either; the sleepless night could've explained it. The jury was still out on meteor rock playing a role. It obviously wasn't straight green or red, at least.
She hoped Lana was having more luck -- or at least less trouble -- on her end.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex decided that they would take the limosuine.
Clark lay out flat on the seats, head in Lex's lap, and was out like a light.
Lois sat across from them, watching Lex slowly stroke his fingers through the hair on Clark's head.
She could almost see the tension slowly running out of him, as he leaned into the corner of the seats. He really did look horribly tired.
But the tension only went away so far. It was almost as though there was something Lex was physically holding onto, that he couldn't let go of.
...Well, ok, technically he was doing that to Clark's chest with his other free hand, but Lois meant more of a mental hold, she guessed.
"Just let go already," she muttered at him.
"...What?" Lex asked her, looking up, startled.
"Just lean back and let go of whatever it is you're worrying about, jesus," Lois said, a little louder. "It's not hard. You're in the back of a limo with Clark and nothing else to do; enjoy it."
"I should be working," he murmured, looking out the window.
"Well, you're here instead," Lois said blandly. "You gonna tell me you made the wrong choice?"
"Maybe," Lex said quietly.
"Maybe?" Lois repeated.
"It means nothing if he's not safe," Lex murmured.
"God you're paranoid," Lois said. "Lana's not going to--"
"I'm not worried about Lana; I'm perfectly capable of handling her," he said disparagingly, turning his head towards her, eyes flashing.
"Then who?"
Silence. Then--
"It is your intent to attempt to wrest information from me the entire ride to Metropolis?" Lex said quietly.
"No," Lois said tempermentally. "It's my 'intent' to get you to relax, and then fall asleep--"
"Is it," Lex murmured, glancing down at Clark.
"--so I can fall asleep because I've still got kind of a hangover from yesterday," Lois ended.
Lex blinked up at her, and then his eyes seemed to be laughing at her.
"Shut up," she said, crossing her arms.
"I didn't say a word," he said evenly, but he definitely looked amused.
"Whatever," Lois said. "So if they didn't send you to Belle Reeve for paranoia, then what was it?"
There was a long pause.
"Chloe told me that you got carted off there," Lois added. "So you might as well not deny it -- she would know."
"Yes, she would," Lex said. He glanced down at Clark again as he kept stroking his hair. "But you don't," he added. "I wonder why she wouldn't share that with you; don't you?" he said mildly.
Lois frowned at him. "Why'd you end up there, then?"
"I admit nothing; there are no records," he said evenly.
"Fine, don't admit it; just tell me why," Lois pressed.
Lex laughed lightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said quietly, with a twisted smirk.
"Yeah? Try me," Lois challenged, watching him.
"...You misunderstand, Lane." His smile grew even more twisted. "I can hardly believe it myself, some days."
Lois bit her lip and waited.
After awhile, she mentally shrugged and stared out the window as the fields whisked by.
Then, out of nowhere, after some time had passed, she heard, "My father sent me there in an attempt to forestall my efforts to have him tried for the murder of his parents, my grandparents."
Lois' eyes widened, but she didn't say a word.
"I was subjected to all manner of drugs, and then electroshock therapy, at an unconscionably high voltage setting," he continued in almost a whisper. "There's a seven week gap of memory still missing, a black hole in my mind from the experience."
"He made me forget what I knew. I didn't realize what had happened until months after the fact."
There was a long silence.
"And then what happened?" Lois prompted.
"And then?" Lex smiled. "And then Chloe helped me to have him tried and convicted for patricide and insurance fraud." His eyes lowered. "And then he tried to get even. I ended up poisoned, nearly died, and needed blood filtration every three days for months afterwards just to stay alive." He paused and licked his lips. "She was nearly killed by Lionel's thugs, even though I had the General put her and her father into hiding so deep that even you had trouble finding her."
He raised his eyes again. "I think you remember the latter part; it all should have ended with his rightful conviction, but instead it just continued onward in a never-ending cycle with his rather abrupt pardoning a few short months later." His mouth twisted as if he'd tasted something vile.
Lois gritted her teeth.
"For some reason, people tend to forget that he's a convicted felon," Lex said mildly.
"And yet LuthorCorp still employs him as a consultant," Lois shot back in a low tone.
"It's difficult to keep an eye on him when he's left completely to his own devices; he is that dangerous," Lex said simply. He looked down at Clark again. "I've found that out the hard way, over the years."
Not once through any of this did he stop his rhythmic stroking of Clark's hair. It was like Clark was his lifeline to reality.
"So why Chloe?" Lois asked, going with it for now. "Back then it was Clark you were friends with, wasn't it?"
Lex laughed softly. "Oh, Lane, you misunderstand." He looked up at her with darkness in his eyes. "I did go to Clark. I went to him first. He was the only one I trusted." He smiled. "He went to Chloe for help because his parents refused theirs."
Lois stared at him in disbelief. "Why wouldn't they--"
"Because they believed Lionel and his lies over their own son," Lex said quietly.
"Why would they do that?"
Lex shrugged. "They were never comfortable with, or approved of, my friendship with Clark in the first place. Perhaps they simply didn't care enough to take the time to see the truth for someone who was the son of a man they loathe. It wouldn't be the first time," he ended tonelessly, looking away. "I may never know for certain what occurred."
"You don't remember? --Then how the hell do you know that?"
"I'd been running from Lionel, dodging his net, with Clark's help. Lana ended up injured while sheltering me." He paused. "Why would Clark have tried to find sanctuary for me elsewhere, if I was welcome on the farm?"
"...Why didn't you just go to the police?"
"They wouldn't have listened." Lex shrugged. "I was drugged to my teeth by that point, and they would have just handed me over to my father; why not? On the word of a sixteen year old boy alone, who his parents didn't even believe? The idea that a father would drug his own son into a nearly-delusional state purely for their own personal gain, because of an accusation that no-one else believed at the time, a claim decrying an act perpetrated decades ago that might not have even been provable. Why the mindgames, instead of just killing me outright, if it were true and I such a threat? What would hold him back, if he'd murdered family before? It all sounds insane, doesn't it?"
Lois felt a little ill. "It does, yeah."
She'd expected Lex to say something disparaging, but Lex merely nodded.
"And the second time... Clark wasn't there to help. He went missing," Lois said.
Lex nodded. "But I couldn't have asked him for help, not then. That second time, Chloe came to me first; she'd gotten in deep with Lionel and had wanted out, wanted help from me, succor. She helped fill in some of the gaps; I had more leverage than she did. It worked, somewhat." He paused and grimaced. "I don't think she ever quite forgave me for going through what she did that summer, and it all for naught, with Lionel getting off just like that." He gestured, and said "Pardoned," like a curse.
"Did you help get him out?"
Lex looked outright offended. "Of course not! I'd wanted his poison locked away and forgotten," he scowled up at her. "But I'd promised her it would be over once he was convicted; I'd promised I could protect her. I'd thought I could keep my word and..." Lex shook his head, unable to look up at her. "Chloe still walks around with a target on her back, to this day; she knows it, and I know it." He sighed and leaned back, settling in. "That will only end with his death, yet somehow he keeps skirting the grim reaper with startling alacrity even when backed into the most impossible situations."
"Sucks to be you, I guess," Lois snarked.
Lex laughed soundlessly.
"You have no idea," he said with a smirk, looking back down at Clark.
There was silence for awhile, as Lex seemed to calm down again, his eyelids lowering as if they were growing heavy. Then, out of nowhere, Lex said, very quietly...
"...He almost saved me from Belle Reeve, you know. Clark, that is."
Lois frowned at him.
"I don't think he realizes I know," Lex said, looking down at him fondly. "He has a thing about secrets, you see. He doesn't like it when I poke about after the fact. But, well," he smirked up at her, "two deaths and one rather serious injury of meteor freak inmates scattered all over Belle Reeve, who Clark personally had a hand in putting away? Power system failures right before my scheduled electroshock procedure? All on the same day?" He smiled down at Clark. "Not to mention that apparently I was not pulled from my cell where I was supposed to have been restrained to my bunk under a metal cage and leather straps, oh no, but rather out in the hallway, already loose, looking as though I'd been half-mauled in a fight?" He laughed lowly. "All the trademarks of a Clark Kent rescue that didn't go quite... right."
Lois' lips thinned. It occurred to her that this would certainly qualify as a really good reason why Luthor was a dom, and probably not into bondage... if it were true...
"It really shouldn't even have been necessary," he continued, not looking up. "The doctor was under Lionel's thumb, but Clark had still managed to talk her out of performing the unnecessary procedure somehow; she actually had cancelled it. And then of course," he laughed again, "the good doctor with the change of heart ended up in a car accident, dead that very afternoon, and the procedure was put right back on the schedule -- not for the end of the week as originally intended, but the very next day."
Lois stared at him.
"I don't blame him, you know," he said conversationally, continuing to watch Clark as he slept, stroking his hair very gently. "He was only sixteen. Sixteen. He knew exactly what he was up against, and he still..." Lex shook his head, suddenly looking tired as hell. "Even against his parents -- do you have any idea?" Lex looked up at her. "Any idea at all? How hard it must have been? Not just trying to fight Lionel, where greater men have tried with more and done far worse." He sighed and shook his head at her bleakly. "But for him to go against his own parents? Every day? For a month? For me?" he whispered. He looked completely in awe.
"And do you know, that if you ever managed to get him to talk about it," Lex continued, sighing, "He'd be morose about it, that he failed. At going up against Lionel. At sixteen, with no support from anyone really. Just one other teenaged friend who helped him find a little information here and there." He looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
"I swear," he whispered. "Some days I just want to strangle him, he's such an idiot." He huffed out an outraged breath. "He went down into those collapsed tunnels for me, you know, while I was still married to Lana, and he still in half-a-rage and full-on denial about it. The papers tried to keep it quiet, no names, because the authorities were ashamed that their rescue units had pulled out first, while he went in and got me out, but that was him." He sighed. "He had no reason to. None at all. And many, so many reasons not to. But do you know why he did it? Why he said he did?" He smiled darkly. "He told me he did it because my father asked him to." He glanced up at her. "Lionel Luthor. A man I know Clark wouldn't take the time or effort to raise his head to spit upon these days, he thinks so low of him."
His smile quirked upwards crookedly. "Even after everything, all of it, broken friendship, broken promises, all the lies, the very best he could do to hold himself back, to fight his lunatic overbearing savior complex towards me, was to wait and wait and wait until he was given the smallest, meanest, tiniest, lamest excuse imaginable to come in after me. That is how little it took."
Lex looked down at him, and Lois barely heard him say, "All he needed was one single lousy excuse."
He looked back up at Lois with hollowed out eyes and whispered, with a shaky smile, "Do you think I've given him enough of one to keep him?"
Lois' mouth suddenly felt too dry. She had trouble swallowing. "I guess you could just ask him."
Lex laughed a little hysterically.
Clark shifted a little, but didn't wake up.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex wasn't sleeping well; he still hadn't let go of whatever was weighing on him.
Lois wasn't sleeping at all; she didn't like the idea of falling unconscious around a madman.
She didn't like the idea that Chloe might've left out something so important as Luthor not actually having been crazy before being stuffed in Belle Reeve, when she talked about him having been committed to the asylum.
(Whether he was completely out of his mind now was kind of a non-issue -- he definitely was.)
The worst thing was, without documentation or reliable sources, none of it was fit to print.
Lex certainly wasn't enough -- he was biased. Clark would be too, and Chloe, if she could get anything out of either of them.
(And he had probably known that when he'd told her what he did.)
She really wished she'd stuffed her taser in her purse. She'd be feeling a lot safer with that on her person. Or that combat knife the General had given her for her tenth birthday, it was so perfectly balanced for throwing; she loved that thing.
Lois took a picture of the two of them, asleep, and sent it to Chloe, along with a text, "you see this?"
She got back a "hah cute but evil".
Lois took a deep breath to steady herself, then typed, "why was lex in belle reeve?"
It was a good two minutes before she got back, "ask clark"
"asleep!clark. you tell" she sent back, frowning.
Another couple-minute pause. Then, finally:
"l8r not on phone. liolu can tap"
Lois shivered.
She took another deep breath and let it out. She wasn't afraid of Lionel Luthor.
...Even if he was. She glanced up at Lex.
Well, she had better things to do than watch boys sleep, even if they were devilishly cute. She got to work, texting her friends and friends of friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN2: Next piece of Part 2 is here.
Author: josephina_x
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark, Lex
Rating: R (because it sort of has vague references to themes of BDSM *shrug*)
Spoilers: References season 6 and previous, general spoilers for early season 7 and all prior. Diverges at the end of Wrath (7x07) when Clark goes to talk to Lex.
Word count: 20,000+
Summary: What if Lex decided to be a little more... evil... at the end of Wrath? What if he decided to punish Clark, for Lana's transgression? ...What if Clark agreed to sacrifice himself for her sake? Would Clark break? Or would he... bend?
...Hey, that would be a totally crazy fic, am I right? --Unfortunately, this is not that. (Oops.) Here, Lex kind of goes the other route. You know, the whole brotherly-love one.
So, instead, you get Lex being pissed about Lana treating Clark like her own personal bitch, Clark's "sacrifice" isn't so much of one, and everybody else is left standing around scratching their heads while Lana ends up doing screechy-harpy things which we don't have to hear too much about -- you're welcome. (Chloe does, though. Feel sorry for Chloe, and send her emergency chocolate cake, stat.)
Warnings: Un-beta'd. An ungodly amount of Lois POV. A little character-bashing (screechy!Lana).
Disclaimer: Not mine, not-for-profit.
Comments: Yes, please! :)
Author's Note: At this stage, Lex is still totally uninitiated in the fine arts of BDSM, especially the dominant-submissive... stuff.
Also, I was kind of all over the place for awhile with possible story threads/forks, until canon decided to kick me in the head. (*ow* for damn headshots) But I at least know how this one's gonna end, now. --I'm not sure if my canon-fu is going to work out when I get there, but I'm sure gonna try! :)
Lois' explanations are more or less my own understanding of things, a la reading other fics, a couple wikipedia pages on all that 'safe, sane, and consensual' stuff ^_^ ...and one CSI episode. *facepalm* I'm definitely going to be playing fast-and-loose with the idea of 'pet'itude due to lack of knowledge and for the purpose of Necessary Sacrifices upon the Altar Of Plot. If I'm wrong about anything, I apologize -- no offense is intended. I'll be happy to put corrections in author's notes at the bottom of the fic to clarify if and/or where I'm wrong or very far off base on anything, if anyone would like to let me know.
...Whew, wow, ok, and just a quick heads up: this installment ended up a lot more SRS BSNS than I originally intended. (And so will the next one, for a bit.) I swear that it's kinda necesary for the boys and girls for the sake of future, more happy-fun-time shenanigans, though, or things would've fallen through at a later date in a very bad way. ...But sometimes you gotta break down before you build up, y'know. *shakes fist at plot*
The first part of this fic is here on LJ.
Also posted to AO3 here (includes all chapters to-date).
Previous piece of Part 2 is here.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they woke up, it was Saturday.
Once they were mostly over their respective hangovers, Lois declared a field trip and drove them up to the Luthor castle-mansion-estate thingy, and proceeded to basically storm the gates.
Literally -- the guy in the gatehouse wouldn't let them in.
"You're not on the approved list," the man said, looking down his nose at them.
"Dont make me get up out of this car," Lois threatened. "You get on that little speakerphone of yours and you tell Clark Kent that Lois and Chloe are here to see him, right now."
"I don't--" he sneered.
There was a 'beep' from his tower.
The guy frowned and reached back to answer it.
After he hung up, he said very prissily, "Try not to drive on the grass," and hit the button for the gate.
"Lois..." Chloe complained, "Please don't."
"Guy is fucking asking for it."
"Yeah, except I bet he won't be the one who has to fix the grass if you do it."
"Fine," Lois grumbled. "But I'm coming back tonight and TPing his little dumbass tower, I swear," Lois grumbled under her breath. "TP and stink bombs, all the way."
Chloe gave her a pained little smile and carefully held her still-aching head.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex met them at the front door -- he actually opened it himself.
"Clark's asleep," he said.
"Get out!" Lois said in disbelief. It was nearly noon.
"We want to see him," Chloe said.
"He's. Asleep." Lex repeated, eyes narrowing.
"Is everything all right?" Lois asked, getting a weird feeling from him.
Lex glanced over at her. "...He didn't sleep well last night. I'm not waking him up."
"But--" Lois grimaced and frowned a little, then sighed gustily. "Fine." A sleep-deprived Clark was a cranky Clark; if he needed to rest...
Lex gave her a long stare, then looked away as he took a step back and opened the door. "You can wait in the library if you want..."
"What happened last night?" Chloe asked him as they walked in.
Lex's mouth drew itself into a faint line. "Lana got him on his cellphone before I realized he still had it on him."
Lois sucked in a breath. "Shit..."
Lex glanced over at her with a frown, then led them down the hallway in silence.
"Not too shabby, Luthor," Lois commented, unabashedly looking all up, down and around, and peering into every open door as they went.
Chloe did the same as Lois, but was a lot more circumspect about it.
Lex suppressed a sigh.
He pushed open the double doors to the library and walked them in.
"You work in here?" Lois asked.
"Sometimes."
Lois stood there for a moment, then realized that Luthor hadn't even given them a possible ETA on when he thought Clark might wake up. "Yeah, ok -- seriously, what's going on?" Lois rounded on him. "Is Clark even here?"
Lex's eyes narrowed. "Yes."
He started walking towards the doors, and Lois turned. "Seriously, that's it? Just a 'yes'?" She crossed her arms. "I thought you were a lot more verbose than that."
Lex stopped and turned, staring at her.
"...Did you get any sleep last night?" Chloe suddenly asked, and Lois blinked and glanced between the two of them.
With the way Lex's frown became almost a glower, Lois mentally high-fived her cousin. "Ok, so, what, you think he'll be any less happy seeing us than missing us coming over to see him?"
After a moment, Lex said, "You, perhaps not. Her?" Lex glanced at Chloe and gave her a disdainful look.
"You can't keep us from talking to him," Chloe threatened.
"Actually, I can," Lex said quietly.
"What's his new phone number?" Lois asked. When he blinked at her, she said, "What? You're not just gonna block Lana's number; she'll just use another phone." Because, really, Luthor was crazy, not stupid.
Lex seemed to be weighing her, considering.
Finally, he said, "If Clark wants you to have his number, he'll give it to you."
"Or call."
Lex nodded wearily at her. "I had his contact list copied over."
When he turned to go, Lois said, "You going up to see him?"
This time, Lex did sigh as he turned back. "No."
"Why the hell not?"
"It's called 'work'. I have it," Lex bit out, turning away again.
"Oh hell no," Lois said angrily, stomping out into the hallway past him before he could.
Lex did a double-take as she passed him. "What are you--"
"Where is he, upstairs in one of the bedrooms?" Lois asked, striding down the hallway. "CLARK?!?" Lois called out, jogging up the stairs.
Lex's mouth dropped, before he took off after her.
Chloe stood there blinking, then cursed under her breath and rushed off after them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex caught up to Lois soon enough -- she was easy to find, slamming doors open and yelling for him.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her. "You'll wake--"
"Then tell me where he is. I want to see him and make sure he's ok."
They glared at each other for a beat or two, before Lex, looking irate, tersely said, 'Fine," dropped his hold on her, and briskly walked off down the hallway.
Chloe caught up as Lex pulled out a key and proceeded to unlock the door.
...Or tried to, cursing under his breath because he'd pulled out the wrong one. He fumbled with the keychain.
"Oh that's rich," Lois said lowly. "You locked him in? I bet he feels real safe between that and all the bars on the windows. Real homey place you've got here at Casa de Luthor."
Lex's head came up and he frowned at that, before he turned back to the lock. "I gave him his own set of keys last night," he said shortly, as he finally got the door open.
"Clark..." he said as he knocked quietly and opened the door a crack, then he muttered a curse as Lois just barged right in.
"What the hell?" Lois breathed, half a laugh, as she caught sight of the white sheet hanging over the bed like magic.
She turned to Lex, who was rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
But Chloe was the one who said, "He doesn't like being under surveillance."
Lex's head snapped over to her, and he got a blank look of slight shock, then his eyes widened slightly, like he was remembering something he shouldn't have forgotten.
His mouth thinned and he turned and strode out of the room, rummaging in a pocket and pulling out a cellphone.
Lois shook her head and left him to it, brief muffled orders ringing back softly from the hallway in a regular staccato cadence.
She walked over and flipped the bedsheet up, then over, then over, until the sheet was on the floor.
Clark was sprawled out on top of the covers, in the clothes he'd been wearing the previous day. He was asleep, but fitfully. He looked like hell.
She eyed the weird metal boxy thing on the bed, then stepped back and performed a perfect Karate high-kick.
The thing went flying, hit the wall by the windows, and landed with a horrific crash.
She heard Lex curse loudly in the hallway and from his footsteps he was hurrying back in. She ignored him for the moment.
Clark stirred on the bed, and startled awake when she jumped onto it heavily.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Lois said, poking him in the shoulder as she sat next to him. "You getting up sometime this century?"
"...Lois?" Clark said fuzzily, blearily looking up at her.
"Yup, me," she confirmed. "Hey, do you know? That guy at the gate tried to pull a fast one on me. I almost had to run the thing down."
"It's cast iron," Clark frowned up at her, turning his head so he could look up at her. "You'd break your car first."
"Says you," she bantered back with a grin. "I say we test it."
"Please don't," Clark groaned.
Lex stood in the doorway in what looked like slight shock, phone in one hand, practically forgotten. His eyes flicked between Clark and Lois as they talked, watching warily.
"So, I hear Lana called you yesterday and was being all bitchy," she said, eyeing Clark.
Clark looked like he deflated.
"How many times did she call?" Lois asked.
"A couple."
"How many times did you pick up?" Lois said.
Clark muttered a non-answer under his breath.
Lex looked like he'd been sucker punched.
"Hm. Thought you weren't supposed to be talking with her," Lois tried, lightly.
"I wasn't. Just listening," he muttered, turning away a little.
Lex rubbed a hand across his face and looked like he wanted to hurt someone.
"Ok, and what did she say, exactly?"
When Clark looked miserable, she said, "Did you tell Lex?" and turned to Lex.
When Lex got a similar look, she cursed. "Fuck, she got to both of you?" Lois got angry all over again. "Fuck! God, just, fuck her. --Ok, no wait, don't fuck her, there is to be no fucking of her by either of you, that's gotta be at least half of what caused this whole mess in the first place," Lois grumbled, running her hands across her face.
Clark and Lex both blinked at her, then glanced at each other, before looking away.
"Ok, first thing -- Lana is a jealous bitch. Pretend she never said anything -- you'll feel better; she doesn't know what she's talking about anyway."
"And you do?" Clark muttered, hunching his shoulders and pulling his pillow closer to him.
"I have friends," Lois said. "Lots and lots of friends. They talk. --Speaking of which, where's your collar?" she segued without notice.
"I-- um," said Clark.
"What, Lex didn't sneak up on you while you were asleep?" Lois said sweetly, glancing at his neck.
"What? No!" Clark said, sitting up and bringing his hands up to his neck. "That's not--"
When Clark realized he wasn't actually wearing it, Lois grinned and said, "What, not fair? Out of bounds? Not part of the game?"
Clark looked at her suspiciously.
Lex... started to relax slowly, leaning up against the doorway. He brought his phone back up to his ear, finished the conversation quickly and quietly, and snapped it shut.
Chloe carefully watched the two of them, looking like she was trying to see -- or not see -- what Lois had told her she'd thought she'd seen the day before.
"So, where is it?" Lois asked.
"I have it," Lex said, pulling it out of a pocket and holding it up.
"Give it here," Lois said, reaching out a hand and making grabbing motions at air.
"I think not," said Lex, eyes narrowing, slowly pulling it towards his chest.
"Ooh, another rule: only Lex gets to collar the Clark," Lois teased, poking Clark. Clark frowned at her and shifted a little uneasily.
"Ok, so, stop me if I'm getting warm, ok?" Lois said, leaning back on her arms and lounging on the bed. "Lana said something about collars and naked everything else and perversion and human pets and maybe eating off of floors and flogging and belts and whips and chains and things, yeah? And maybe some other stupid bullshit about locks and no privacy and lots of gay sex--"
"Oh god, please stop talking," Clark nearly whimpered, putting his hands over his ears.
"No, Clark, that's all bullshit, ok? That's not how it's done," Lois said to him, tugging at his hands. "No sex, nothing weird, nothing either of you don't like," she said in a smooth patter of words. "There's nothing wrong with it. She's just jealous of you guys getting along, and can't handle it, and really, really doesn't know what she's talking about."
Lex's head was slowly coming up, and his expression was clearing into something like... relief?
Clark was staring at Lois, like he was half-afraid to listen.
"But..." he said.
"No, look, you should totally talk to people who, you know, actually know," Lois said. When Clark glanced over at Lex, Lois added, "Yeah, he should too; I swear you guys." She sighed deeply.
Clark glanced over at Lex again, eyebrows furrowing slightly together. Lex just stood there, and Clark quietly said, "Um...?" and bit his lip. His eyes brightened slightly and his shoulders started to drop.
"And you know... people who do?" Lex queried.
"Uh, yeah," Lois said, like that was a 'no duh' moment, turning back to him. "Well, ok, maybe friends of friends or something around here. I mean Metropolis. ...Fine, whatever: I'll call around and find people," she said brazenly. "Not like it's hard."
Lex tilted his head and stared at her.
"Seriously, Luthor -- your instincts are good, but you really don't know shit about this stuff," Lois said, shaking her head.
She heard a quiet giggle behind her, and she turned to see Clark biting his lip.
"Hey, you're no big exception either, Smallville," she said, poking him in the arm.
"Now seriously, we've got to get you the basics," Lois said, slapping her hands together and rubbing them.
"Um..." Clark started to look a little worried.
" 'We'?" Lex said, with a look.
"Uh, yeah, I think we've established that you both need some help, here, because neither of you know shit," Lois said. "I mean, do you even have a leash to go with that thing?"
"A leash?" Lex looked taken aback.
"Uh huh," Lois said.
She grinned as Lex's jaw dropped slightly, then even more as he snapped it back closed and turned just a tad pink.
"Lois!" Clark objected, blushing a bright red.
Interesting, that it had seemed to occur to Clark, but the thought obviously hadn't even crossed Lex's mind before now. Lois wondered who had come up with the collar idea first. "Fine, fine, whatever -- do it however you want, I don't care," she said, waving her hands. "But you--" she pointed at Clark, "need the rest of a new wardrobe, 'cause there's no way you're getting out of this without one, am I right?" she asked Luthor.
Lex smiled slightly, while Clark quietly groaned.
"Yup, gotta get rid of all that flannel," Lois continued. "Probably oughta just burn it all--"
"Oh my god, what is it about people and burning my flannel!" Clark yelled, throwing his hands up.
Lois blinked at him.
"Who told you!" Clark huffed, crossing his arms.
"Wait... this is a thing?" Lois asked, brightening.
Lex was covering his mouth with a hand and looking like he was trying not to... laugh?
Clark blinked then glowered. "No!" he said.
Lois didn't believe him. It didn't look like Chloe did, either.
"Can we grab the rest of his flannel from the farm?" she asked Lex, pointing a thumb at Clark.
"Don't even think about it -- I'll sic Cook and her fire extinguisher on you again!"
"...Again?" Chloe echoed.
"You called her?!" Lex exclaimed.
"Wha--" Lois looked between Clark and Lex and then started laughing hysterically.
Clark rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and looked very put-upon, glaring at Lois. Lex glanced away, smiling slightly.
"Oh, oh man, that is so not fair!" Lois finally said, wiping away tears. "How could you not invite me!"
"You're not on my speed dial," Lex said.
"Lex!!" Clark protested.
Lois grinned.
"Okay, so -- flannel-removal later; new wardrobe, now," Lois said. "And maybe a basic rundown on collars and things."
"I-- ...'now'?" Clark said, derailed.
"Yeah, sure," Lois said. "Why not? It's the weekend. Let's go to Metropolis, paint the town plaid."
"No, no -- too much like flannel," Lex murmured with a small smile.
"Whatever," Lois waved at him. "There will be a painting of some color arrangement across a multitude of buildings, and it will be fun -- come on, Smallville," she said, tugging at his arm.
"But--" Clark said, glancing up at Lex.
"It's fine," he said, pushing off of the doorway and standing upright. "Have fun."
"What?" Clark said. His expression dropped when he realized Lex wasn't slowing down. His eyes went wide when he realized he wasn't coming back. Then, louder: "Wait, no -- Lex!"
Clark slid off the bed and bounded out into the hallway.
Lois got up at a more sedate pace and passed Chloe with a smile and a wink.
"Fixed it," she said.
Chloe gave her a look.
"This isn't a good idea," Chloe said, frowning.
"Then don't come along; you weren't exactly invited," Lois said, turning and jogging to catch up to the two men.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe walked down the hallway towards the three of them at a sedate pace, and realized when Lex had given in when his shoulders dropped slightly.
"Fine," she heard him sigh, before she caught up.
"Chlo, you can drive back ok, right?" Lois said, tossing her the keys.
"Lois--" Chloe protested.
"You're not coming?" Clark tentatively asked her.
Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Lois overrode her. "You know she doesn't like huge clothes shopping trips; she only came by to make sure you were ok."
"Oh," Clark said.
Lois linked arms with the two of them and nearly dragged them along in her wake. Clark frowned at this, but Lex kept up without complaint.
He did glance back at Chloe, though, and from the narrowed gaze he sent her way, she was sure he knew that she didn't approve at all.
She also got the feeling that he didn't particularly care...
...so long as she didn't say anything disparaging to Clark about it.
Well, all that she'd seen happen here was that Lois had managed to make Clark and Lex feel a little better somehow -- as far as Chloe was concerned, it had had nothing to do with the two of them, at all.
They hadn't seemed too different, either; the sleepless night could've explained it. The jury was still out on meteor rock playing a role. It obviously wasn't straight green or red, at least.
She hoped Lana was having more luck -- or at least less trouble -- on her end.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex decided that they would take the limosuine.
Clark lay out flat on the seats, head in Lex's lap, and was out like a light.
Lois sat across from them, watching Lex slowly stroke his fingers through the hair on Clark's head.
She could almost see the tension slowly running out of him, as he leaned into the corner of the seats. He really did look horribly tired.
But the tension only went away so far. It was almost as though there was something Lex was physically holding onto, that he couldn't let go of.
...Well, ok, technically he was doing that to Clark's chest with his other free hand, but Lois meant more of a mental hold, she guessed.
"Just let go already," she muttered at him.
"...What?" Lex asked her, looking up, startled.
"Just lean back and let go of whatever it is you're worrying about, jesus," Lois said, a little louder. "It's not hard. You're in the back of a limo with Clark and nothing else to do; enjoy it."
"I should be working," he murmured, looking out the window.
"Well, you're here instead," Lois said blandly. "You gonna tell me you made the wrong choice?"
"Maybe," Lex said quietly.
"Maybe?" Lois repeated.
"It means nothing if he's not safe," Lex murmured.
"God you're paranoid," Lois said. "Lana's not going to--"
"I'm not worried about Lana; I'm perfectly capable of handling her," he said disparagingly, turning his head towards her, eyes flashing.
"Then who?"
Silence. Then--
"It is your intent to attempt to wrest information from me the entire ride to Metropolis?" Lex said quietly.
"No," Lois said tempermentally. "It's my 'intent' to get you to relax, and then fall asleep--"
"Is it," Lex murmured, glancing down at Clark.
"--so I can fall asleep because I've still got kind of a hangover from yesterday," Lois ended.
Lex blinked up at her, and then his eyes seemed to be laughing at her.
"Shut up," she said, crossing her arms.
"I didn't say a word," he said evenly, but he definitely looked amused.
"Whatever," Lois said. "So if they didn't send you to Belle Reeve for paranoia, then what was it?"
There was a long pause.
"Chloe told me that you got carted off there," Lois added. "So you might as well not deny it -- she would know."
"Yes, she would," Lex said. He glanced down at Clark again as he kept stroking his hair. "But you don't," he added. "I wonder why she wouldn't share that with you; don't you?" he said mildly.
Lois frowned at him. "Why'd you end up there, then?"
"I admit nothing; there are no records," he said evenly.
"Fine, don't admit it; just tell me why," Lois pressed.
Lex laughed lightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said quietly, with a twisted smirk.
"Yeah? Try me," Lois challenged, watching him.
"...You misunderstand, Lane." His smile grew even more twisted. "I can hardly believe it myself, some days."
Lois bit her lip and waited.
After awhile, she mentally shrugged and stared out the window as the fields whisked by.
Then, out of nowhere, after some time had passed, she heard, "My father sent me there in an attempt to forestall my efforts to have him tried for the murder of his parents, my grandparents."
Lois' eyes widened, but she didn't say a word.
"I was subjected to all manner of drugs, and then electroshock therapy, at an unconscionably high voltage setting," he continued in almost a whisper. "There's a seven week gap of memory still missing, a black hole in my mind from the experience."
"He made me forget what I knew. I didn't realize what had happened until months after the fact."
There was a long silence.
"And then what happened?" Lois prompted.
"And then?" Lex smiled. "And then Chloe helped me to have him tried and convicted for patricide and insurance fraud." His eyes lowered. "And then he tried to get even. I ended up poisoned, nearly died, and needed blood filtration every three days for months afterwards just to stay alive." He paused and licked his lips. "She was nearly killed by Lionel's thugs, even though I had the General put her and her father into hiding so deep that even you had trouble finding her."
He raised his eyes again. "I think you remember the latter part; it all should have ended with his rightful conviction, but instead it just continued onward in a never-ending cycle with his rather abrupt pardoning a few short months later." His mouth twisted as if he'd tasted something vile.
Lois gritted her teeth.
"For some reason, people tend to forget that he's a convicted felon," Lex said mildly.
"And yet LuthorCorp still employs him as a consultant," Lois shot back in a low tone.
"It's difficult to keep an eye on him when he's left completely to his own devices; he is that dangerous," Lex said simply. He looked down at Clark again. "I've found that out the hard way, over the years."
Not once through any of this did he stop his rhythmic stroking of Clark's hair. It was like Clark was his lifeline to reality.
"So why Chloe?" Lois asked, going with it for now. "Back then it was Clark you were friends with, wasn't it?"
Lex laughed softly. "Oh, Lane, you misunderstand." He looked up at her with darkness in his eyes. "I did go to Clark. I went to him first. He was the only one I trusted." He smiled. "He went to Chloe for help because his parents refused theirs."
Lois stared at him in disbelief. "Why wouldn't they--"
"Because they believed Lionel and his lies over their own son," Lex said quietly.
"Why would they do that?"
Lex shrugged. "They were never comfortable with, or approved of, my friendship with Clark in the first place. Perhaps they simply didn't care enough to take the time to see the truth for someone who was the son of a man they loathe. It wouldn't be the first time," he ended tonelessly, looking away. "I may never know for certain what occurred."
"You don't remember? --Then how the hell do you know that?"
"I'd been running from Lionel, dodging his net, with Clark's help. Lana ended up injured while sheltering me." He paused. "Why would Clark have tried to find sanctuary for me elsewhere, if I was welcome on the farm?"
"...Why didn't you just go to the police?"
"They wouldn't have listened." Lex shrugged. "I was drugged to my teeth by that point, and they would have just handed me over to my father; why not? On the word of a sixteen year old boy alone, who his parents didn't even believe? The idea that a father would drug his own son into a nearly-delusional state purely for their own personal gain, because of an accusation that no-one else believed at the time, a claim decrying an act perpetrated decades ago that might not have even been provable. Why the mindgames, instead of just killing me outright, if it were true and I such a threat? What would hold him back, if he'd murdered family before? It all sounds insane, doesn't it?"
Lois felt a little ill. "It does, yeah."
She'd expected Lex to say something disparaging, but Lex merely nodded.
"And the second time... Clark wasn't there to help. He went missing," Lois said.
Lex nodded. "But I couldn't have asked him for help, not then. That second time, Chloe came to me first; she'd gotten in deep with Lionel and had wanted out, wanted help from me, succor. She helped fill in some of the gaps; I had more leverage than she did. It worked, somewhat." He paused and grimaced. "I don't think she ever quite forgave me for going through what she did that summer, and it all for naught, with Lionel getting off just like that." He gestured, and said "Pardoned," like a curse.
"Did you help get him out?"
Lex looked outright offended. "Of course not! I'd wanted his poison locked away and forgotten," he scowled up at her. "But I'd promised her it would be over once he was convicted; I'd promised I could protect her. I'd thought I could keep my word and..." Lex shook his head, unable to look up at her. "Chloe still walks around with a target on her back, to this day; she knows it, and I know it." He sighed and leaned back, settling in. "That will only end with his death, yet somehow he keeps skirting the grim reaper with startling alacrity even when backed into the most impossible situations."
"Sucks to be you, I guess," Lois snarked.
Lex laughed soundlessly.
"You have no idea," he said with a smirk, looking back down at Clark.
There was silence for awhile, as Lex seemed to calm down again, his eyelids lowering as if they were growing heavy. Then, out of nowhere, Lex said, very quietly...
"...He almost saved me from Belle Reeve, you know. Clark, that is."
Lois frowned at him.
"I don't think he realizes I know," Lex said, looking down at him fondly. "He has a thing about secrets, you see. He doesn't like it when I poke about after the fact. But, well," he smirked up at her, "two deaths and one rather serious injury of meteor freak inmates scattered all over Belle Reeve, who Clark personally had a hand in putting away? Power system failures right before my scheduled electroshock procedure? All on the same day?" He smiled down at Clark. "Not to mention that apparently I was not pulled from my cell where I was supposed to have been restrained to my bunk under a metal cage and leather straps, oh no, but rather out in the hallway, already loose, looking as though I'd been half-mauled in a fight?" He laughed lowly. "All the trademarks of a Clark Kent rescue that didn't go quite... right."
Lois' lips thinned. It occurred to her that this would certainly qualify as a really good reason why Luthor was a dom, and probably not into bondage... if it were true...
"It really shouldn't even have been necessary," he continued, not looking up. "The doctor was under Lionel's thumb, but Clark had still managed to talk her out of performing the unnecessary procedure somehow; she actually had cancelled it. And then of course," he laughed again, "the good doctor with the change of heart ended up in a car accident, dead that very afternoon, and the procedure was put right back on the schedule -- not for the end of the week as originally intended, but the very next day."
Lois stared at him.
"I don't blame him, you know," he said conversationally, continuing to watch Clark as he slept, stroking his hair very gently. "He was only sixteen. Sixteen. He knew exactly what he was up against, and he still..." Lex shook his head, suddenly looking tired as hell. "Even against his parents -- do you have any idea?" Lex looked up at her. "Any idea at all? How hard it must have been? Not just trying to fight Lionel, where greater men have tried with more and done far worse." He sighed and shook his head at her bleakly. "But for him to go against his own parents? Every day? For a month? For me?" he whispered. He looked completely in awe.
"And do you know, that if you ever managed to get him to talk about it," Lex continued, sighing, "He'd be morose about it, that he failed. At going up against Lionel. At sixteen, with no support from anyone really. Just one other teenaged friend who helped him find a little information here and there." He looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
"I swear," he whispered. "Some days I just want to strangle him, he's such an idiot." He huffed out an outraged breath. "He went down into those collapsed tunnels for me, you know, while I was still married to Lana, and he still in half-a-rage and full-on denial about it. The papers tried to keep it quiet, no names, because the authorities were ashamed that their rescue units had pulled out first, while he went in and got me out, but that was him." He sighed. "He had no reason to. None at all. And many, so many reasons not to. But do you know why he did it? Why he said he did?" He smiled darkly. "He told me he did it because my father asked him to." He glanced up at her. "Lionel Luthor. A man I know Clark wouldn't take the time or effort to raise his head to spit upon these days, he thinks so low of him."
His smile quirked upwards crookedly. "Even after everything, all of it, broken friendship, broken promises, all the lies, the very best he could do to hold himself back, to fight his lunatic overbearing savior complex towards me, was to wait and wait and wait until he was given the smallest, meanest, tiniest, lamest excuse imaginable to come in after me. That is how little it took."
Lex looked down at him, and Lois barely heard him say, "All he needed was one single lousy excuse."
He looked back up at Lois with hollowed out eyes and whispered, with a shaky smile, "Do you think I've given him enough of one to keep him?"
Lois' mouth suddenly felt too dry. She had trouble swallowing. "I guess you could just ask him."
Lex laughed a little hysterically.
Clark shifted a little, but didn't wake up.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex wasn't sleeping well; he still hadn't let go of whatever was weighing on him.
Lois wasn't sleeping at all; she didn't like the idea of falling unconscious around a madman.
She didn't like the idea that Chloe might've left out something so important as Luthor not actually having been crazy before being stuffed in Belle Reeve, when she talked about him having been committed to the asylum.
(Whether he was completely out of his mind now was kind of a non-issue -- he definitely was.)
The worst thing was, without documentation or reliable sources, none of it was fit to print.
Lex certainly wasn't enough -- he was biased. Clark would be too, and Chloe, if she could get anything out of either of them.
(And he had probably known that when he'd told her what he did.)
She really wished she'd stuffed her taser in her purse. She'd be feeling a lot safer with that on her person. Or that combat knife the General had given her for her tenth birthday, it was so perfectly balanced for throwing; she loved that thing.
Lois took a picture of the two of them, asleep, and sent it to Chloe, along with a text, "you see this?"
She got back a "hah cute but evil".
Lois took a deep breath to steady herself, then typed, "why was lex in belle reeve?"
It was a good two minutes before she got back, "ask clark"
"asleep!clark. you tell" she sent back, frowning.
Another couple-minute pause. Then, finally:
"l8r not on phone. liolu can tap"
Lois shivered.
She took another deep breath and let it out. She wasn't afraid of Lionel Luthor.
...Even if he was. She glanced up at Lex.
Well, she had better things to do than watch boys sleep, even if they were devilishly cute. She got to work, texting her friends and friends of friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN2: Next piece of Part 2 is here.