"Hey Lex. I'm an alien."

[serafina20]

rose_emily asked for how we got Clark out of the alien closet. I've written fifty fics and done it 3 times. :)



This was more of a process of discovery for Lex. Clark never actually *said* it, but, then, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

First, there was the obligator, "Clark's a mutant" theory:

Lex sighed, sitting up. "I know you're very strong, Clark. Stronger than average." His voice was surprisingly gentle. He put his hand on Clark's knee, eyes gentle, yet guarded. "I know you're scared that you'll turn out like the others."

"Others?" Clark asked, voice cracking. His muscles were so tense, they were screaming.

"Yes. The other mutants."

He gasped, taking a few hard breaths. Tears pressed at the back of his eyes as he tried to process what Lex meant. "Mutants. You think I'm ... of course." Relief flooded his veins, making him weak. Lex thought he was a mutant; he didn't know the truth. He just thought that Clark was like the others.

COTW 10:Genetics, Super Strenght, and Squeaky Balls

That was followed by Lex deciding that theory didn't fit the facts in Part 14: Secets and Lies

Damien tapped his pen on the pad of paper in his lap. "What do you think the truth is?"

Shaking his head, Lex flipped the page of the report and turned back to his computer. "I don't know. I didn't know before, and I certainly don't know now. If he's not a mutant, then what the hell is he? What's left?"

Damien rose. "In this town, you must consider everything."

"Well, first I thought he was normal. Then I thought he born with special abilities. The more I observed the town, the more sense it made to assume he was altered in some way. A mutant. But now ..." Lex trailed off, eyes focusing inward. "He agreed readily that he was a mutant, but he also has said he isn't human. Not when I confronted him, but when he was upset. Right after he popped the ball." He chewed his lip. "What does that leave? Some new evolution of man? Or something else?" Raising an eyebrow, Lex laughed in a self-deprecating way. "I'm beginning to think impossible things."

His assistant tilted his head. "Perhaps not. You do know Sherlock Holmes's famous saying, don't you? 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' In this case, I believe you must give every possibility careful consideration before discounting it."

Followed by Lex a fight

"What did I lie about?" Clark demanded, rising.

Lex laughed bitterly. "What did you lie about? Everything. Try everything. First, you tell me you're normal. Then, you let me believe that you're a mutant."

"I am! I am a mutant." Panic rose, almost choking him.

"No, Clark. I don't think you are. I did before, but now I'm not so sure. Your father seemed a bit too pleased that I knew to make me comfortable with that theory. So tell me, Clark. What the fuck are you, anyway?"

Clark's face crumpled. "I'm a mutant. Just like the others. Just like Jeremy and Coach, and Tina and Sean and ..."

"Right," Lex interrupted, voice hard. "A mutant, just like the rest. Belonging is important to you, isn't it Clark? You're so afraid to be alone. Guess what, angel. You are. They were monsters, you are not. They were mutants, and you ... I don't know what the hell you are. And, until you tell me, I see no reason why I should be completely honest with you. So what if I told you my father was out of the country? What business is it of yours?"

"I just ... I thought that maybe ..." Clark broke off, eyes squeezed shut.

"Tell me the truth, Clark."

"I can't," he whispered in anguish.

"I thought you loved me."

The teen sank back to the couch. "I do love you. But the truth hurts, Lex. It just ... hurts." He opened his eyes, and looked at his lover.

Lex leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed over his chest. Gazing at Clark through pain filled eyes, he said, "Yeah. It does."


And then impossible thoughts:

Lex rolled onto his back, pulling Clark with him. Running his hand up and down Clark's broad back, he whispered, " 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' But what is left?" He closed his eyes, trying to open his mind so he could see into Clark's dream.

A ship. Unfamiliar design, strange-feeling metal. The same as from Clark's nightmare. Exactly the same, except now there was no blood dripping off it.

The ship disappeared; Clark started dreaming about something unrelated to anything.

Lex opened his eyes. "Not human." Lex gazed at Clark. "Looks like a human. Smells like a human. Tastes ... different. Has super-human strength; seems invulnerable. And doesn't know if he can die." He laughed softly. "Maybe he's an ... No. That's impossible."

Improbable.

Whatever remains, however improbable ...

"An alien?"

And then, in Part 15: Projects, Lex begins to believe.

Ship. Space ship. It was real. It was fucking real. A fucking SPACE SHIP had crashed to earth at the same time as those damn rocks.

He got his inhaler free, lifting it to his mouth.

And he thought Clark was having a hard time dealing with this.

He hadn't really believed before. It was just something that he said to try and fit all the evidence together. A joke, almost, to prove Damien's 'whatever remains, however improbable' saying was stupid.

But he saw the fucking ship in the picture. And in Clark's mind. The same ship, fitting perfectly in both places.

Clark was ... special. Different.

Alien.

"Shit," Lex rasped. His chest ached, and he was beginning to tremble with fatigue. "A fucking alien. Jesus Christ."

How do you help someone face the fact that they were an alien? It wasn't like there was a self-help book out there for it.

Sighing, Lex rested his head on the steering wheel, and dialed Damien's number on his cell. He needed some one to drive him home; he was too exhausted. "Time," he whispered, listening to the ring. "All I can give him is time."


But it wasn't until Part 19: Trust Part 2 that Clark's able to "tell" Lex.

With one last nip, Clark pulled away. "I'm an alien. But I thought that it wasn't supposed to matter because ... because it didn't mean anything was different. I was still the guy who was forced to stay on the sidelines and hide because he might hurt everyone else. The guy who loved his parents and followed the rules, who got good grades, and was best friends with a girl. Still just Clark Kent, and nothing else mattered." His eyes filmed over with tears. "But it did. It does. Because everything is different and I just. Don't. Understand."



That was COTW.



In Pirate, Clark does tell Lex. Of course, he doesn't know he's an alien, but he's pretty close.

Alexander was grateful that Clark had hold of him. If he hadn't, his legs would have given out and he'd be on the floor, amidst the broken pieces of knife, trying to decide if he should cower or kneel.

"What are you?" he asked.

"My mother thinks I am a gift from heaven." Then he smiled slightly. "She and my father used to have a small farm. One day, there was a storm that devastated the village. Their farm was destroyed. People were killed. The next day, as my parents tried to salvage what was left, Mother found me, floating in a boat in the river."

"A boat."

"Well, it was a small, metal pod floating in the river. It had been caught in the reeds. She took me home, and they adopted me as their own. When my gifts began to develop, Mother said they were from God because, above all, I was His child and blessed."





In Lex Luthor, Ace Reporter it's all confusing because, again, Lex figures it out. Superman tells about himself during the interview:

"Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you grow up? What's your favorite book? How did you come by these remarkable abilities?" He sighed. "Where did you get that body?"

"I was born with it."

"Fuck!" Lex swore as he whirled. He tripped over the coffee table and started to fall.

And then, suddenly, he was in a strong pair of arms. Deep blue eyes set in a heart stopping face twinkled down at him in amusement. "We need to stop meeting like this," a smooth baritone voice said, washing over Lex.

He shivered. "You startled me. Where did you come from?"

"Krypton."

Lex looked at him blankly.

And

"How did you come by these powers?"

He hesitated, looking suddenly unsure. It was startling, like a crack across a mirror, a sudden glimpse at the being inside the muscles and spandex. This was a man who was unused to revealing much about himself.

"I'm not human," Superman finally said slowly. For a moment, he broke eye contact, which he had maintained fairly steadily up until then.

Lex felt suddenly bereft without Superman's eyes on his. And then the full impact of what he'd said hit Lex and he realized he needed to sit down.

"Not human," Lex repeated. Legs shaky, he moved and sat on the back of his couch. "Not human. Alien?"

A small smile graced Superman's full lips. "Yes. I'm an alien. Born on another planet."

"Called Krypton."

"Yes."

"You're from another planet which is called Krypton."

Superman frowned, looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

He swallowed. His mouth felt like cotton. "I could use a drink."

I guess this is the closest Clark comes to telling Lex:

Clark laughed and looked away. "Oh, God, you do know. I thought you were ... were reaching, you know? Trying to say that no matter what I did in my past, you knew I was good or something. But you know." He pulled away. "Fuck. No wonder."

Lex grabbed his arm. "No, Clark."

"How long have you known?"

"Since I put together that the meteor shower happened in Smallville, and Superman came down in a meteor shower. Before our fight. Before you took me to Edge City. The more I researched, the more I realized he must have landed here. And you are such a mystery anyway, Clark. The glasses." He reached up and pulled them from Clark's face. "They way you try to hide yourself in plain sight. Your voice. Your eyes, and yes, I know Superman's are blue, but they bleed sometimes, and I can see the green. You have the same teeth, Clark. And there was blood on your hand the night of the interview, my blood, from the cut you bandaged. And then how Perry called you in to yell at you that day. He was mad because you were saving people and it got into the newspaper, huh?" Lex shook his head. "There were so many things I knew, or thought I knew, or was afraid I knew, but I wasn't absolutely positive until yesterday afternoon."

"Why yesterday? Did you hear Dad and me talking or something?" He sounded near tears.

Lex shook his head and stepped into Clark. He pressed a desperate kiss into Clark's cheek and whispered, "You told me that we're never given more than we can handle. Twice. First as Superman and then as yourself. That's when I knew. But that's not why I'm here, Clark. That's not why I want you. Superman isn't real. He's not the person, he's the image. You're real, and you terrify me, but, God, I can't not want you. I haven't been able to stop myself no matter how many rules I make about it or obstacles I throw in my way to you." He pressed closer and kissed Clark on the lips. "Don't ever doubt that it's you, Clark."

Clark turned and looked down at Lex. He looked heartbroken. "But you were so excited to meet Superman. So in love with me in that costume."

"Because you were safe. The image was safe. Clark, do you know what my life is like? Romantically? I've had one relationship that ended without me being betrayed. One normal, healthy relationship. I decided long ago not to get involved in anything that might end up with me being hurt. What better way than to fall in love with something I couldn't have?"

"So you do love Superman."

Lex swallowed hard. "Not as much as I love you."

Clark closed his eyes. His jaw clenched hard and he inhaled shakily. "I need to think about this."

"Clark ..."

But he was gone.


And, uh, that's it. All my coming out scenes. That was fun.

Comments

[hey-miss-missy.livejournal.com]

Wow.

*runs off to read "Lex Luthor, Ace Reporter"*

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

*runs off to read "Lex Luthor, Ace Reporter"*

I hope you enjoy it!

[selectclientele.livejournal.com]

Ditto me that! It looks fantastic, I can't wait to read it!

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it. And I *love* your icon!!

[selectclientele.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I will! Thanks! Kelex made it.

[rudeburtrude.livejournal.com]

Wow. You're so prolific. I'm in awe.

See, there's this thing I have, where I'm trapped between what canon tells us is important (Clark telling Lex) and what I think is important (which varies from fic to fic, but is generally along the lines of Clark kissing Lex). I had my own little way of toying with that in Omiai, where Clark's biggest secret was traded for his smallest, least significant article of clothing. But in general, I don't want to focus on the whole alien thing. I want to get around it somehow.

Thanks so much for sharing all these. Now I have to go and read some more of your work! *hugs*

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

See, there's this thing I have, where I'm trapped between what canon tells us is important (Clark telling Lex) and what I think is important (which varies from fic to fic, but is generally along the lines of Clark kissing Lex).

I tend to see them as the same issue, really. In something like "Pirate", where both Clark and Lex were in a totally different situation than presented in Smallville, the secret wasn't important for the secret's safe, but rather as a way to asure Lex that Clark was going to be safe from Lucas. But in Corner of the World, because I was following the show so carefully, it became a huge deal not as a way to get them together, but for both their characters development. But, in most stand alone fics, the way to get them to kiss seems to be hinged on what Lex knows about Clark. It's not always the case, and doesn't need to be so, but that's what I see a lot. And I think part of the fun in writing/reading fics is how important the secret is to their relationship. Is the disclousure necessary to get them together, something that's hidden even after they are, or just a natural disclosure during their relationship.