TITLE: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? [Chapter Two]
AUTHOR: Nymph Du Pave
FANDOM: Smallville
PAIRING: Lex Luther/Clark Kent.
RATING: PG-13

Chapter Two
 

Jonathon frowned and he maneuvered around his petite wife to take the breadbox-sized package. He looked to Lex and nodded. "Uh, thanks, Lex," he said, stumbling awkwardly around the words.

Lex couldn't understand or describe it, but a warm feeling gushed through his stomach when Jonathon spoke his name. Not the same as the heated sensations that tore through him when Clark said his name in an undertone, or called to him from out of the blue, but it was still just as much of a jolt, holding just as much power. For once the man's tone lacked antipathy, was absent of the inflection bordering on- or perhaps duplicating strongly- despise.

Martha crossed her legs and turned to face her husband and the package. Even she, the most polite and thoughtful person Lex had ever met in his life, had abandoned all pretense of being interested in her own present, at least for now.

Lex's stomach was suddenly churning sickly, and he wished he could have just brought Clark and only Clark his present. But no, he had to pick up the damn jacket, then feel obligated to buy a man who disdained him a gift that he might actually like.

What if he's already got it?

Then at least he had tried.

What if he thinks it was rude of me? Or thinks that I thought he couldn't afford it?

Lex had had enough problems with the Kent family and money. He didn't want this to be another.

What if it doesn't fit his model?

No, he'd seen the motorcycle and had made sure-

What if-

"Open it already, Dad."

Lex smiled clumsily and turned to look at Clark, thankful for the interruption of his paranoid thoughts, when he noticed how the twinkling Christmas lights fell on his friend, who was currently watching his father with fretful anticipation. It hit Lex just how much Clark wanted the man to like his friend, not just for his own sake, but primarily for Lex's.

His chest swelled with emotion and before he knew just what he was doing, his hand was reaching to brush the ink-hued hair away from Clark's neck. He wanted so badly to run it through the kid's gorgeous locks, touching the wild thatch that looked impossibly soft and abstractly silky. He wanted to breathe in the tips of his fingers in the middle of tomorrow's phone conference and see if the scent of Clark would linger.

"I doubt it bites, Jonathon."

Martha's urgent whisper startled him back into reality milliseconds before his hand touched Clark and he jerked it back, thanking whatever guardian angel had gone astray from his or her real heavenly task long and far enough to chance into Lex's life and keep him out of trouble.

He heard the paper rip and looked back out into the psychedelic field, not able to watch what could be an incredibly disappointing stagnation.

"Oh… wow," came Martha's surprised words.

He looked back to find Clark's mouth parted slightly in surprise and dared to look over to Jonathon. The look on the man's face made Lex feel like a kid that had cleaned up his room and the entire house, inside and out, without even being asked first.

Jonathon looked up at Clark who shrugged, looking just as surprised as he and his wife.

Lex figured this was the opportunity to explain. "Clark mentioned how you couldn't get it for your motorcycle until after Christmas and I-" He cut himself off before his sentence ended with know a guy. That sounded too dumb. "I thought you might like it before then."

Jonathon looked up and smiled at him. An actual honest to God smile. Lex was glad that he was already seated solidly, otherwise he would've made quite a spectacle of himself. "Thanks."

Lex just nodded numbly, thinking a smile from the elder Kent was something he might never in his life see again.  He watched as Clark motioned for his mother to go next. She opened the box and smiled with delight at its contents.

"If it's the wrong size," he started. "-you can return it for another. Or anything you want, really."

She took the jacket out of the box and put it on. "I love it."

"I have the receipt just in case."

"It fits, Lex. Thank you."

He reached into his coat pocket to retrieve the scrap of paper. "But if it's not really your style-"

He felt Clark's hand on his knee, and almost jumped. "It's okay. She likes it."

He looked to Martha and she nodded.

He smiled. "Okay. I'm glad. I knew it would look good."

"You were right." Jonathon looked at his wife with such obvious love and affection that Lex had to look away. He didn't have to wonder where Clark got his ability and freedom to express his affections, and wished for an instant that he had been raised with the same openness of sentiments.

He felt a tug on his slacks, and looked over to find Clark eyeing the package in Lex's lap. He laughed and handed the box to Clark who immediately began to tear the paper off.

In the seconds before Clark opened the gift, Lex felt a different kind of anticipation bubbling inside of him. He knew Clark was going to like what he got him, so it wasn't the gut-wrenching experience that watching Jonathon had been. It was more fun than he'd ever had giving another human a present.

He also knew he was going to have to explain it before Clark could fully appreciate the gift.

Clark took off the lid and pulled out three medium-sized ring binders, thick with well organized papers. He looked at Lex, curious, and Lex reached over to open the first binder to the cover page. He grinned as he saw Clark's jaw drop. "MASS?"

"I take it you know who they are."

"Yeah. Metropolis Astrophysical and Astrochemical Studies."

He nodded, pleased that Clark didn't have to be sold on the gift. He was already hooked. "My father funds the biological studies foundation up in Metropolis. I fund the astronomical studies foundation. Recently they've opened up new project areas, trying to find new planets, new galaxies and the like, but they're using different, more unconventional techniques."

Clark raised his eyebrows at this, and Lex held up his hands.  "I'm only the bearer of gifts here, not explanations. Their research is practically unreadable to commoners like me, so they have clerks go through it and translate it into standard English. I still don't understand a lot of it, but I'm sure you will."

He took the opportunity to scooch a little closer to Clark, putting one hand on the roof less than and inch behind the farmboy, inconspicuously feeling the powerful back with his arm, and used his other hand to turn the page to the table of contents. "It's basically all of the results of what they've been doing so far. This is literally everything, so you may have to wade through a ton of uninteresting babble. I don't know. I love science, but astronomy-"  He gestured to the stars.  "Something too big for me to conquer."  Clark smiled at that, still looking at the contents, and Lex continued.  "This is all of what's in the first book of the first volume."

Clark looked up at him, and Lex's heart sped up a notch as the boy's forehead briefly touched his own.  "Three binders for one volume?"

"Yeah. That's just what they've sent me since I started contributing financial subsidies for their newest programs." He winced at the mention of monetary help, but the senior Kents seemed too caught up in his gift to Clark to even notice.

Good sign.

Clark shook his head, eyes wide with amazed gratitude.

Lex wanted to just stay within this moment in time, within this proximity to Clark forever. "I knew you'd like it. You've mentioned being interested in astronomy and you've got that telescope in the barn." He caught Clark's slight wince and figured he didn't want to think of the girl so far out of his reach.

Lex could relate.  He scooted away from Clark, too aware of Lana's sudden influence on the atmosphere. "If you want them," he continued, bringing his knees up to his chest and letting his arms rest on top. "-and whatever else I receive, I can just tell them to send me doubles. It's no problem, really."

Clark looked to his parents, amazing Lex once again with a natural goody-goody disposition that he, as a Luthor, just couldn't comprehend.

Both Jonathon and Martha, stunned at Lex's thoughtfulness, nodded, Jonathon more vigorously than even his wife.

Clark looked back to his friend. "Thanks. Really, I mean it, Lex."

He could tell by the look in Clark's eyes that the boy felt his words were not enough. Flashes of a fast car and even faster flooding water filled his mind. He could understand times when vocalizations seemed inadequate. "It's the least I could do," he said softly.

He felt a shift in Clark's gaze and he looked away quickly, knowing that if he stared into the quasar too long, he'd get lost and bawl like a baby when he was finally found and taken away.

Clark stood up and pulled gently on Lex's coat. "Come on."

Lex looked up and took the proffered hand, standing. "Where're we going?"

"I've got a Christmas present for you, too." Clark walked off, leaving Lex to grab his cocoa, wave goodbye to the other two Kents and tag along carefully behind their son.  When he and Clark got to the top of the roof Lex felt a cold, heavy dread fill his gut. He looked down to the ground. "Clark-" he whispered. He felt mortified about having to ask for an easy way down, but if anyone had to see him like this, at least it was Kent.

"It's alright," Clark said walking down to the edge of the roof, Lex stopping short a foot behind him. "I've got an idea. Just sit here and finish your cocoa and I'll be right back."

Lex smiled and did as he was told, wincing a little as Clark jumped off of the roof and down to the railing, then off the railing and onto the ground. He took another sip of the cocoa, thinking how wonderful it would be to be so nonchalant about heights. He didn't understand his fear, it was just something that "was" about him. He didn't remember a time when he could be up on something tall, even a ladder, and not get tingly all over with the fear of falling. Just the thought of heights made him physically ill.

He downed the very last of Clark's drink when he saw Jonathon's truck pull up to the front of the house, and he saw that the bed had been covered by a metal cabin. He watched as Clark parked it right below where he was sitting, then got out and climbed atop via the hood.

Clark looked up to him. "Toss me the cup." Lex did and stood up, looking gingerly over the edge. Instead of a five foot jump to the railing he had a three and a half foot jump onto the metal covering of the bed. He looked up at Clark who was watching him patiently but with a certain level of expectance, and smiled. "Here goes nothing, huh?"

Clark gave him a comforting smile, but said nothing, so Lex, feeling brave for what he was about to do- and weak for needing the assistance in the first place- did an internal countdown.

3…… 2…… 1……

"Blast-off," he muttered and jumped down.
 
 
 
 
 

...To be continued [will be finished before X-Mas, I PROMISE!!]