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Entry tags:
Deal part 5C
title: Deal
fandom: SV
rating:3
pairing: Clark/Lex
Getting close now!
Clark was in his final year, and would graduate with the rest of his class. Without the artificial constraint on his potential, he shot to the top of all his classes. Not having to appear at all times to be average wasn’t the only change Clark experienced--he was out to the school, out to the town, and not in a sneaking “everybody knows about Kent” kind of way, but aggressively, in a “my boyfriend is prettier and richer than yours” way. He was eighteen, he was his own man, and confident about making his own choices.
Sometimes…sometimes the two years past seemed to be melting away like…fog. There’d been so much hurt—so much pain, and confusion and sorrow. It was almost unbelievable that those memories could fade, but he had Lex now, and all that went before had no more substance to him than a horrible, dimly remembered nightmare.
What mattered was now. He was going to Metropolis University in fall, would--with his parent’s blessing--share an apartment with Lex. An apartment Adam was looking for...and that was a choice that was no one’s business but his own….
******
Adam was about to graduate, was about to become the youngest CEO in North American history and he was ready. He had no choice but to be ready--there was no real way to avoid it, and maybe he could even do some good. He had the backing of the board, and confidence in himself and those he picked to stand by him. And--there was always his confidant, standing in the wings with advice, support.
The past two years brought tremendous change into his life. He’d learned a lot about himself. He’d learned that he could take care of himself—he’d learned that he had the capacity to take care of others. As the horror and grief of those years faded, and were replaced with anticipation of the future, Adam found himself to be grateful to be alive like never before. He had more happiness, more love than he ever dared wish for, and nothing could take it away from him again. He made his choice and it made him…free.
*****
Lex was alone, and taking some time to get used to the sensation again. Clark was busy with school and home—trying to rebuild his relationship with his parents and actually making some progress there—he could be a stiff neck but was learning to bend a little. Adam was back in the city, and God knew his dance card was full—Lex grinned to himself. He was doing even better than Lex expected him to—had been doing an excellent job. It was good to know that his faith hadn’t been unfounded.
He wandered through the castle, taking his time. His destination was the library, where he planned to take it easy, relax, read a little, and to that end he carried a book meant solely to entertain, and a glass of very good wine.
He spent a pleasant hour reading—the book was as entertaining as promised, the sofa was extremely comfortable and the library was warm with the gold light that made fall afternoons so memorable. With a small sigh, he laid down the book, skimmed back his sweater sleeve to glance at his watch.
He had a half hour before his on-line conference. He’d built up a nice consultation business, something designed to occupy his time while he pondered his next step. Adam was doing fine running Lexcorp and as far as anyone else knew, Lex didn’t exist--for the moment, they were content to leave it that way.
Lex walked into his bedroom and pulled off the sweater and smiled as he held it to his cheek momentarily. Martha was really a very skilled knitter. The care she’d put into it was evident—it was baby fine and the colors were soothing to the eye--it was his favorite. It made him feel very human, and he liked that feeling. It was the reason he enjoyed spending time with the Kents. They treated him like a son, partly because they thought that Clark and he were committed to each other, partly because he’d worked to establish a good relationship with them. They were a pleasure to be with, very relaxing—they were honest, simple and relentlessly normal. Average. Clueless.
He scrutinized the contents of his closet as he shed the rest of his clothing. Looked at himself in the mirror. Clark and Adam had slowly, carefully told him about what they’d thought must have happened to him, and at every new revelation, he’d been properly horrified. Just…horrified.
He ran hands over his smooth, flawless skin. He tilted his head and considered. He drew a hand up and over his naked scalp, and watched red hair erupt, flow over his head, and curl against his neck. Too long? He thought again and he examined the spiky red buzz cut—smiled. Shook his head, and the hair dropped away, leaving him bald again. Copper strands floated and drifted around him. He waved his hand and every strand disappeared.
Well. The boys were happy and that made him happy. It took such little effort to hide from them, and he’d refrained from doing anything—yet.
He could feel it building. A desire to do…something *big*. His hands twitched at his sides, and the glass in the mirror wavered briefly. Something, something whispered in his ear nearly all the time now, licked the nerves along his spine, fluttered like a live thing in his stomach. Stroked him from the inside and made him want to…the closet walls danced a little, wavered into a black like the night and stars burned briefly and winked out. He felt heavy, lethargic, full, the same sort of content he eperienced after exceptional sex. He shivered and pushed out with his mind, pushing all the Things back into place, tidying up.
It wasn’t time yet, wasn’t right yet. There were things to do and he had the freedom—the absolute freedom--to do as he wished, to whom he wished. The freedom to be as petty, or as generous and giving as he wanted. With a stretch and a yawn, he hid himself again. He grinned. That he was especially skilled at.
He walked into the mirror and walked out in the kitchen, dressed again and humming vaguely as he puttered around. There was a small gasp behind him, and he turned with a smile.
“Mr. Lex, I didn’t see you walk past me.”
"It’s all right, Mrs. Hudson," he told the cook. “I’m very quiet.” She smiled uncertainly as he walked past her out of the kitchen. He winked as he snagged an apple from a bowl on the counter and bit into it. “Delicious,” he smiled.
******
Out here, on his private island, the sky seemed to go on forever and ever. The stars truly were like diamonds in this deep black sky. Without the interference of artificial light, they glowed, sparkled like a necklace of the gods. And they damn well better, Lionel thought, ---he’d paid enough.
He lifted his drink to the skies and toasted…whatever. Whatever or whoever aligned the stars in such a way that he’d gained the ability to purchase his very own…he smiled a little. Well, his very own country, in a way. He chuckled and drank deeply. In a small way, he had Lex to thank for this. He’d taken his death as a sign that one must occasionally, as the saying went, stop to smell the roses. Losing the boy had been startling, upsetting, and surprisingly painful, but ultimately life had to go on.
Finding that Lex was alive hadn’t changed his feeling much—thinking his ‘resurrection’ was a temporary state made him briefly sad, but he’d had two years to get over the sorrow after all…
On this particular clear starry night, Lionel Luthor received a visitor.
His drink shattered against stone patio, his heart leaped and slammed in his chest, as he staggered away, away…“I had nothing, nothing to do with it,” he told the figure in the tropical white suit lounging in his doorway. “I didn’t….”
“Oh, I know that. I know you had nothing to do my kidnapping and torture, and,” it shrugged. “maybe my death. That’s open to debate. But—once you knew, you did nothing. Why?”
Lionel took a breath, considering. There was no heat in…Lex’s…words, just a kind of desultory curiosity. He said slowly,” You know that we don’t negotiate with gangsters or terrorists. You know that.” There was a chance that he wasn’t here for revenge—for blood, at least.
“Um. That’s true. You were just following policy. So, I forgive your action. I won’t kill you.”
Lionel felt a ridiculous amount of relief on hearing him—probably the last clear thought he had.
Lionel Luthor apent the rest of his life in Belle Reeve, where he was found to have a great hand with roses, and a troublesome aversion to white uniforms.
Continued in part six
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You know, I really love you! *HUGKISS*
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What!!!
*flails*
And here i thought it was all *good*!
*flail*
Eeeevol!
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*cackles* Too, too funny, my dear.
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*hangs head* I'm so self indulgent. *grins evolly*
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and you shall have some lovely homemade cookies, because you are so clever!! *HUGS*
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I worry (and when don't I?) but I have decided to trust you on this one. I won't ask for a happy ending, I know I will like whichever one you give me!
:D
*throws love at you*
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Good gosh, Ms. Roxy, this story is delievering big time on the twists and turns and all great things in between.
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