Clark
opened the beer in his hand, well on his way thru the case at his feet.
He'd stolen it, one more stain on the life he found himself living these
days. There had been a time when shoplifting would have seemed like the
worse thing he could do, now it was the least in a long repertoire of sins.
But nothing, nothing could ever compare with the sin he'd committed against
Lex.
He'd left Lex in that hellhole.
Left him there, knowing nothing was wrong with him, knowing Lex was scared,
knowing he trusted Clark to get him out. He'd begged, begged for help
and watched Clark walk away and still he had not betrayed the secret that lay
between them.
That had lain between them. It was gone now, forgotten, burned away in
that flash of electricity.
Clark had gone to him, knowing Lex was scared, knowing he needed something to
hold onto and Clark had offered himself.
He'd confessed his innermost secret to Lex, told him everything, hoping the
knowledge alone would be enough to show Lex that someone did trust him, rely
on him, love him.
That was what he'd told the frightened, disconsolate Lex. He'd confessed
his love and offered himself. Trembling and hesitant at first, Lex had
taken the offering. They'd lain together and it was the sweetest peace
Clark had ever known. Holding that slender body, touching that warm
skin, kissing that perfect mouth.
His father would never have understood Clark's desperation. Jonathan
Kent wanted Lex left there, left locked away to his own fate if he forgot it
would be better for them. For the Kents. Clark had swallowed the
bitter words and finally chosen his own fate, away from either of his fathers.
In the end, Clark had tried to stop Lionel, tried to stop the electroshock
therapy, tried to stop them from erasing Lex's memory of the last few weeks.
His memories of Clark. All gone. Forgotten. The first person
Clark had given his soul and his body to couldn't remember holding him,
touching him, loving him.
He choked down the rest of the swill and threw the bottle at a distant tree.
It struck and shattered into a impossible number of shards, no more than dust
and carried away on the Kansas night wind.
He'd seen Lex today. Lex had been formal, reserved. He'd hugged
Clark and thanked him for all he did.
It hurt worse than any Kryptonite bullet ever could have.
He opened another bottle and wondered if the case was enough to inebriate a
Kryptonian.