Corner of the World 51 Update

[serafina20]

Dude. Where's my virgin!Dean fic? ;P

I love Supernatral. You know what else I love? Smallville. I love Clark. I love Lex. I love Clex. And I love COTW. So here's more.



Lex and Chloe were sitting together at a table when Lana and Clark arrived at the Talon. Chloe was engrossed in a novel, her legs folded under her on the chair, the remains of what once had been a muffin on a plate in front of her next to a cup of coffee. Lex sat across from her, pencil in hand as he wrote. He'd pulled a couple tables over to connect to theirs and spread out half a dozen books, papers, and his laptop across them.

So much for relaxing. Oh, Lex made a good show of it, cheek resting on his hand, pencil held idly, making tiny, sweeping arcs over the page. To the casual observer, he was relaxed, but Clark knew better. If Lex were truly zoned, he'd be singing or humming or something. Instead, he was chewing on his lower lip and cracking his jaw. Not relaxed at all.

"Oh," Lana said softly, squeezing Clark's hand. "I forgot to tell you that I sent Chloe to tell Lex that Whitney was back." She looked up at him. "I thought that, you know. Forewarned is forearmed and all."

He tore his gaze away from Lex to look at her. "Did you tell her to tell him that my life sucks and I hate school?"

"No, I left that part out. You didn't tell me anything that was happening with you before I called her. Or after. Why do you hate school?"

"Reynolds is there," Clark bit out. He dropped his hand and stalked across the Talon. "Hey," he said, barely restraining himself from bending over and kissing Lex's ruddy lips. It was only a warning thought from Lex that stopped him. Instead, he kissed Chloe on the forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. I'll be back in school tomorrow, ready to defend your honor and get the truth about what happened to all of us out there."

"X-Files style," Lex put in with an indulgent smile. "Hey, Lana."

"Hey." Lana smiled and began gathering the empty plates and cups. "Can I get you anything?"

"You're allowed to take a break before rushing off to work, you know," Chloe said, taking Lana's wrist.

Lana blushed. "I know. Habit." She sat, taking Chloe's hand and threading their fingers together. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, kissing Chloe's cheek.

"What's this?" Clark asked, pulling Lex's sketchbook from him.

Lex dropped his pencil and rubbed his jaw gingerly. "Damien told me I should redesign my new house. I'm just coming up with different plans that I think might work. I want to keep the farmhouse comfort feel of home, while adding in space and openness that I've been missing in the castle."

"Babe, this one? It's all windows."

His ears turned pink. "I miss light," he said. "The mansion is too dark."

"Well, it is a castle," Lana said. "You're lucky it's comfortable at all."

"That's the gazillion dollar furniture," Chloe said. "It's hard to be uncomfortable when lying in the lap of luxury."

"Oh, I don't know," Lex drawled. "It's rather hard to be comfortable when ever square inch of your property is riddled with spy devices."

Clark watched as Lana and Chloe exchanged looks. Lana shook her head slightly, causing Chloe to bite back whatever she'd been planning on saying, contenting herself with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought you got it all," Lana said.

"Ah, but the memory remains." He closed one of his books and leveled his eyes on Chloe, daring her to say something.

She smiled sweetly.

"I didn't know you could draw," Clark said. "These are good."

Lex's ears turned pink. "I'm not an artist of Miss Lang's talent by any means, but I can draw passable plans. I'm getting a computer program, though, so other people can actually build off them." He looked up; Clark could read a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "I want your input. It's going to be... you know." /Our home./

Clark gave Lex a lopsided smile fueled by the sudden warm, fuzzy feeling inside him. /Our new bed, our new home. And me just sixteen./

/And a half. Don't forget the half. It makes all the difference./ His foot slowly ran up Clark's leg.

Clark snorted and slipped his hand under the table so he could rest it on Lex's knee. "I'd be happy to give you input," he said out loud, noticing that Chloe was beginning to shift uncomfortably in her seat and shoot looks at Lana. "I haven't seen the actual house in awhile, though. Can we go there sometime this week?"

Lex nodded and put his hand over Clark's. "Of course. If you're free after school sometime, we can go over. Otherwise, next weekend."

"God, why can't it be weekend now?" Clark groaned. He dropped his head to the table and lightly banged against it.

A small hand pet the back of his head gently. Chloe's, Clark realized after a moment. Her fingers tangled in the knots, gently working them out. "What happened at school?" she asked.

He sighed. "Reynolds stuck his foot so far into his mouth it came out his ass," he replied. Underneath the table, he turned his hand over and laced Lex and his fingers together. "He was trying to let me know that I should tell him if anyone harassed me, and, in doing so, not only laid the burden of guilt for being molested on me by making it seem like it was my job to fight Lionel, but also said that this wouldn't haven happened if Lex and I weren't friends." He tightened his fingers as Lex flinched, needing Lex not to run away either mentally or physically.

Lex, though, wasn't running; he'd turned into stone, instead. His eyes were hooded, body stiff, face blank.

Perfect.

"I couldn't figure out what to say to him," Clark continued. "He was just so... full of shit, you know? So completely... *wrong*. I got all angry and I wrote an editorial about him--because he also said that Chad deserved to get beaten on because he wears make-up. So Mr. Townsend called the Dr. Carvey and I told her all about it and I actually feel a little better now." He shrugged. "I guess that maybe it won't so bad talking to the stupid psychologist the social services people are going to send." Clark frowned and bit his lip before adding, "Maybe."

"I think it'll be good for you to talk to someone, Clark," Chloe said. "Besides us, I mean." She touched his shoulder lightly, and stood up. "Someone who wasn't there when you went through it all. You know?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"Um, I'm going to get a refill. Lana? Come with?"

Lana glanced at Clark. "Yeah, I'll come. Do you want drink, Clark?"

"Just hot chocolate," he said. For once, he wasn't n the mood for coffee, even though he was feeling tired again.

"One hot chocolate, coming up."

Clark listened as they left, talking softly to one another. He closed his eyes, yawning.

/You going to go to sleep?/

/I'd like to./ Clark yawned again and turned his head, resting his cheek on the table. He opened his eyes. "It wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't yours." Lex rolled his eyes. "How many times have we had to have this conversation in the past week alone?"

"I don't know. A hundred?" Clark yawned. "I want to sleep."

Lex squeezed his hand. "You really shouldn't. You're beginning to scare me."

"Dr. Carvey said that I'm sleeping so much as a way to avoid having to deal with stuff I don't want to deal with."

His eyes rolled again. "Lucky you're not paying her by the hour for such a brilliant diagnosis. I could have told you that."

"Well, I thought that I was a latent narcoleptic."

"I think you mean nascent. Latent means that it's not active. Nascent means that it's an emerging trait. And if you had talked to me about this, I could have told you that it wasn't."

Clark closed his eyes. "I'm not afraid or anything. Sleeping my life away sounds good. Except that Dr. Carvey said that she'll do some testing on me because school's so boring."

"You told her that?"

"Yes. Because I am bored. I'm coasting through all my classes with As. I'm bored." Okay, now he was whining. "I mean, even with the magazine and working with Chloe sometimes, and now I'm thinking about joining the diving team, but that's all... it doesn't make the hours between first and sixth period any more bearable, you know?"

"I know. So, what are you hoping? Bump up another math class? Proceed to the next grade?"

Clark sighed and picked his head up. "I don't know. Maybe I should just leave, you know? Get them to graduate me and start college. We could go together."

Lex pulled his hand away and picked his pencil up again. "That sounds intriguing." His eyes went past Clark.

"Hey, Clark," Doug said, coming up to their table. "Mr. Luthor."

Lex nodded at Doug and pulled one of his books to him.

"Hey, Doug. Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you yesterday," Clark said, turning.

"Dude, don't worry about it. I heard about Chloe and Pete. I totally understand." He glanced at Lex, who was studiously ignoring the two of them. "Look, uh, if I'm not interrupting, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure." Clark glanced at Lex, then back to Doug. "Do you want to go to another table?"

Doug looked for a moment like he was going to say yes, but, after taking a deep breath, shook his head. "No. No, here's fine." He sat and drummed his fingers on the table, eyes darting nervously from Lex to Clark to the rest of the patrons of the Talon.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, wondering what was up. He really, really hoped that Doug was not planning on asking Clark out or anything.

"I'm fine. I'm just..." He leaned forward, pressing the palms of his hands together. "Okay, I know the rest of the guys said that the number one rule is that we don't tell anyone about... you know. But I was thinking that, maybe I don't want to be in the closet my whole life, you know? And it's not just because of you. Roger was really broken up with he found out about his friend, and he told me that he wishes there was something he could do. To, you know. Help."

"Help?"

"For there to be a place where he could have gone to help his friend. So he hadn't acted like an ass. Or for his friend to have gone."

"If there had been a place, someone like Roger wouldn't go until it was too late," Lex said without looking up.

Clark shot a look at him, but Doug just said, "Well, maybe not, but I was thinking that if Smallville had a Gay/Straight Alliance and Roger was a part of it, maybe more straight guys would be willing to join. He's already lectured the football team about tolerance and he won't put up with even one of them making joke about Clark. Or Whitney."

Freezing, Clark looked guiltily at Lex.

Lex ignored him. Setting down his book, he said, "Well, right now, the town is in a bit of an upheaval. I agree now is an opportune time to start something up. Still, don't expect miracles. And do expect parents to complain."

"I figured they are probably the ones to make the most trouble," Doug said. "Well, them and Reynolds."

"Actually, Principal Reynolds will probably be very supportive," Lex said. "He likes to think of himself a progressive, and since all of this came under public scrutiny, he'll want to make it look as if he's supporting his students." A thoughtful look crossed Lex's face and he inclined his head. "Although, this is Kansas. The public around here isn't exactly what you'd call overly accepting. I'm still shocked the town is being so kind to Clark."

"It's the 'us' verses 'them' thing, really," Doug said. "Clark is ours. You're ours because of the whole plant buyout thing and then being so cool when you run into the people who work for you. We are protective of our own. My dad even went into this whole lecture about how it isn't that he agrees with the lifestyle or that it's a choice or anything, but Clark's good kid and you're a good employer and it wasn't anyone else's business and everything."

"And you still want to come out?" Clark said, finally getting a word in. "I mean, it doesn't sound like your dad's very supportive."

Doug smiled and said, "That's the beauty of a gay-straight club, Clark. It's a support and social group, but no one has to say what their orientation is. The biggest problem is that everyone who isn't in the club is just going to assume that everyone going to the meetings is gay, but we don't have to even ask."

"You know a lot about this," said Clark.

"Haven't you ever read 'Rainbow Boys'?"

He shook his head. "Mr. ... Uh, I got the book for Christmas, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet."

"Oh. Well, you should. It's a good book, and the school forms a gay-straight club. That's where I got the idea." He licked his lips and leaned forward. "I want to get one going, but I don't want to do it alone. You're the only one that I know who might be interested in doing this with me, except for Jack, and you know how flighty he is. He just follows whoever pays attention to him, and I'm afraid that if Mike or Tom says anything against this to Jack, then I'll be doing it alone, you know?"

Clark scrubbed his hands through is hair. "I don't know."

"Oh, come on, Clark. I'm sick of only getting to talk to other guys when we get together, which is, like, never and then, practically all we do is watch porn and jack off. I want... support."

Clark sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. The day was just getting longer and longer and he still needed a nap.

"Clark, it might not be a bad idea," Lex said softly.

"I know." He sighed. "Yeah, okay." He looked at Doug. "You get the club approval form from the office and we can meet in the Torch office tomorrow at lunch to fill it. Is that okay?"

Doug grinned, his eyes lighting up like Clark had just offered him a full ride to Yale. "That's better than okay. Thanks, man."

"You're welcome." Clark smiled and tried not to look as exhausted as he felt. "I think it'll be a good thing. Really bring Smallville into the twenty-first century."

"Exactly." He checked his watch. "I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Clark held out his hand, which Doug clasped warmly. "Later."

Doug rose and left, nodding goodbye to Lex, who nodded back. Clark tried not to watch him walk away, but Doug was a football player and had a really nice ass, so it was hard. When he turned back to Lex, he found Lex watching him.

"Were you ever going to tell me that Whitney's back?" Lex asked, voice cold.

Clark sighed and rolled his eyes. "I figured that's what Chloe was doing here. Lana must have sent her ahead to warn you."

One pale eyebrow arched. "Did I need to be warned?"

"I don't want hot chocolate, and Lana and Chloe are making out in the closet again anyway." He stood. "Take me home?"

Lex gathered his things and slid them into his briefcase. When he and Clark were outside the Talon, he asked, "Did you and Whitney sleep together?"

"Yup. This morning before school," Clark replied. "He came over while I was doing chores. I tool a shower before, of course, since I smelled like cows, and that took up most of our time. We were getting into it when Lana came to pick me up, so he and I finished screwing in the backseat of her car."

"Clark..."

Warming to the topic, Clark climbed into Lex's car and strapped in. When Lex got in beside him, he added, "It was kind of hard, since he has crutches now because of his knee, and he kept twisting his knee, and I kept hitting my head on the roof of the car, but we managed. It wasn't as messy as messy as I thought it would have been, either."

"You done?"

"I don't know." Clark rolled his head on the headrest, looking at Lex. "Want me to tell you how he can get his whole hand inside me without any trouble because of the missing fingers?"

"I liked you better before you got sarcastic."

He laughed and kissed Lex on the cheek. "No you didn't." He took Lex's hand and laced their fingers. Lex was a good enough driver to do it one handed, even at the speeds he went. "I kissed him, and that's all. It didn't even feel sexual. Just good. It just confirmed that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, that's all. I don't know if it's an alien thing or just a thing, but until I felt and tasted him, I really didn't believe he was still alive."

"Then to whom did you think you've been talking with the past month?"

"I didn't say it made any sense. It's just how I felt." He lifted Lex's hand and kissed the back of it. "He spent the night with Mr. Townsend, anyway. They're in love, and I'm in love with you. So even if you were really okay with me sleeping with Whitney, which I've never bought for a minute, it's not going to happen. We're together forever and they're together... for however long." He turned Lex's hand around and kissed the inside of his wrist. "Are we okay? Because I really need us to be okay."

Lex glanced at him. "We're okay, angel." He kissed Clark's hand and dropped it so he could shift gears. "I'm sorry. You had a hard day, and I'm being an ass. I should have realized the fact you didn't mention Whitney meant that you really needed me to be your boyfriend." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm trying to be there for you."

"You are."

"You shouldn't have to ask."

"Lex, you're moving into self-pity land and making this all about you. I want this to be all about me." The whine was back in his voice.

Lex smothered a smile and nodded. "All about you, right. So, my house, my hot tub, Mabel's cooking, me feeding you and you pouring out your heart?"

"That sounds about right."

"Then let's get to it."


I don't like my cat whining to go outside.

I do love feedback. And sleep. And chocolate. And marshmallows. And Wincest. Oh, how I loves me some Wincest.
I'll go read Wincest. You read COTW. And then tell me what you think. Bye.