Poetry in Motion
            by Nymph Du Pave

           Chapter Two:  The Idea

           "What's wrong?"

           Lex groaned internally, but plastered on a fake look of worry to match Clark's.

           What's wrong? he thought bitterly.  Other than the fact that you're in love with her, still chasing Chloe and sexually frustrating me?

           He ignored the urge to roll his eyes.  Oh, that's right.  You're not asking me.  You're asking her.  Little Miss Doe Eyes.  Little Miss Adorable Smile.  Little Miss Perfect Hair.

           That one really got to him and he let his hand trail over the bald scalp.  Everyone thought he was used to it but sometimes it hurt more than usual.

           "Lana?" Clark called before she left their table to get their orders.  "What's wrong?"

           She's just going to pretend it's nothing.

           She bit her lip and shook her head.  "Nothing really."

           She's making you ask again.  She wants you to beg it out over her.

           Clark gave her a blinding smile that lit up her face and through a shadow over Lex's.

           Easy bastard.  Lex contemplated taking lessons from Lana, but realized that since he'd still be missing the feminine figure, the face and the all-out Lana fatigue, it wouldn't bode well with his love interest.

           He swallowed and kept from sulking the best he could, the spoiled little boy in him coming out again.

           "Come on Lana, it’s me."

           Yes, Lex thought.  It's you.  You saw Lana as did I under the Nicodemus' spell.  It liberates.  You must be blind not to see the truth inside her, Kent.

           "It's the Talon, actually."

           It let Jonathon relax a little around the farm.  You told me yourself he kept trying to jump your mother.  So the inner romantic, primal man was coming loose.  He just wanted to be free of all of his problems.  Including me.  He didn't have to hide what he'd been itching to say.

           Clark frowned.  "Why?  What's wrong with it?"

           It let Pete come over with his father's vengeance and with the broken soul of a lost best friend and try and rid your life of the plague that is me.  He tried to help you.  In his pissed off, childish state, he wanted nothing more than to be noticed by his closest friend.

           Lana sighed.  "It's Thursdays."

           But Lana…  Oh, dear Lana.  She wanted to be a bad girl.  She wanted to be a slut.  But you don't know that, do you, Clark?  Because all you know is that she hit on you in the pool.  That the two of you kissed.  You have no idea she practically sexually assaulted me here, in this little memorial to the dead Langs.  Right over there, by the bar.  She's hiding an inner slut, Clark.  She's not what you think she is.

           "The Poetry thing?"

           She nodded.  "Yeah.  It's not working, but I love the idea too much to let it go."

           Look at her in all her pastel glory.  She thinks she can fool people, but she can't fool me.  Like she said, I'm the experienced one.  I've been there.  Done that.  I would know about the innocent little girls.  I've been around them, in them.  She's just like so many of them.  A viscous little vixen- Nell- waiting to be set free.

           "My father…  He just loved poetry."

           I'm sure he did.

           "I just want to try and keep the idea, you know?  Honor his memory and the things he loved."

           Keep the idea, just don't keep on Clark.

           "What do you think, Lex?"

           If only he were a little bit more Metropolis, he'd-  Okay, maybe not, since the anti-Metropolis raising is one thing I love so much about him.  If only he had that one little bit of the teaching, though.  Something that says homosexuality is not the world's greatest perversity, that relationships between two men can be just as-

           Clark cleared his throat, startling Lex out of his dreary thoughts.  He instantly flushed feeling guilty and dirty for thinking such horrible things about Lana.  Even if he did suspect their truth.

           What’s happening to me?  Guilty for thoughts?  Oh, Clark.  How thou doth influence, inspire and actuate thy crux.

           "What?"  His voice was dry.  He hoped Lana would fetch their order.
 
           As if reading his mind, Lana smiled sweetly at them both.  "I'll get you your food and drinks."

           They both said their thanks, then Clark turned back to him.  "Are you alright?"

           He nodded vaguely, the start of a headache creeping into his temple.  "Fine."

           "Liar."

           He laughed at Clark's mock-insult and looked up at the boy for the first time since Lana came over.  His heart caught in his chest to see the simple smile, tinged with the slightest bit of worry.  No one that beautiful had ever looked at him like that.  Not in years.  Too many years.  And it wasn't that same kind of-

           He cleared his throat- something he found he did often around Clark- and looked down at his hands.  "I've got a little bit of a headache, that's all."
Hands.  Soft mostly, marred by calluses at the tips from playing guitar.  His one guilty pleasure.  Well, one of his very few guilty pleasures.  And the secret was safe with him because the tips didn't really show up unless his hands had been under water for more than a minute.

           What he wouldn't give to touch Clark's divine face with his hands.

            Simple hands that could do no justice to the texture, the radiance, the-

           "-and then I asked you-"

           "What?" he asked, feeling guilty that he had again zoned out on his friend.

           Instead of looking hurt like Lex expected, the worry came back even stronger on Clark's face.  "Are you sure you're alright?  Not too tired, or I don't know, head-achy?"
 
           Lex smiled.  "I'm sure."

           "Because we don't have to stay here."

           "Clark, I-"

           "Although, if you’re tired you might not want to come back to my house later after all."

           Lex visibly perked up, both with his body and his face, at the slightest hint of more time to be spent with Clark, at the most meager fragment of proof that the boy preferred his company.  The grin that split his face was short-lived.

            Fuck.  Be obvious why don't you?

           Clark smiled and Lex couldn't help it.  His grin returned.

           +_+_+_+_+

           It was hard not to just simper away at his friend's reaction to his offer.  Lex had sat up straighter and the frown that had wrinkled the handsome forehead ceased to exist.

           "I'm not tired at all," he said.  Clark wondered if he was imagining the inkling of buoyancy he thought existed deep in that sexy voice.

           "Good," he said and caught Lana approaching from the corner of his eye.  His plan had been set in action.  Now to just leave Lana happy in his wake.

           He breathed in, full of giddy energy he couldn't wait to expend with Lex later that night.  He could think of several different ways to do just that, but doubted any of them would be put into motion any time soon.

           Lana approached the table with their food. "So, Lex.  Did you think about it?"

           Lex frowned.  "About?"

           Clark grabbed his two subs from Lana.  "About Thursdays here."  He motioned to Lana.  "What she should do."

           Lex nodded and thought for a moment.  "You don't want to give up that whole poetry deal?"

           "Right," she nodded giving them both a sweet little smile.  "I'd like to try my best to keep it going."

           "Is the problem with participants?  Or an audience?"

           "Participants," she placed their drinks down on the table and tucked the tray under her arm.  "We've always got a huge audience waiting to hear bad poetry, drink and eat, but I just can't find enough participants.  Or, well…"

           "Any?" Lex asked bluntly and Clark caught his eye.  He had to admit Lex had a way of getting to the heart of things without feeling the least bit remorseful or embarrassed for being so candid.  Sometimes, late at night when he would lie awake thinking of slate-blue eyes twinkling at him, peeling away layers of clothing so that pale skin normally hidden from his eyes was revealed in the moonlight…
 
           Getting to the heart of a situation bluntly.  Being honest about life and love with no qualms.  Sometimes he really admired that trait.

           Lana nodded and twisted a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  "Right.  Any.  Nell and I are getting a little tired of coming up with new poetry, and the crowd's kind of dispersing.  I think all they really need is a little courage."

           Lex smirked behind his Pepsi.  "Or incentive."  He took a sip and put the drink down, ready.  "You need to appeal to their greedy natures, Lana.  As humans they need an impetus to get up on stage an make asses of themselves.  Free stuff is just such a driving force.  You offer them, say, a free cup of Java and a croissant and they'll be writing poems on the back of their hands just to get the freebees.  And try a contest.  Give away something like free coffee for a month to the winner."

           Lana didn't look so sure.  "With my current profits?"

           Lex shrugged.  "Business is about making compromises.  You're in the green right now, so you shouldn't worry too much about a couple little giveaways here and there.  What you should worry about is conceding that this is first about a personal venture, second about making a buck."

           Lana stiffened and Clark wondered why it was that this always happened around Lex.  He seemed to put her on edge all the time.

           He frowned.  Actually, Lana seemed to put Lex on edge too.

           What the hell?

           "Are we talking about Thursdays or the Talon in general, Lex."

           He gave her a polite smile and even Clark felt the icy winds blowing.  "Arbitration without jeopardizing your business Lana.  Sometimes, despite what winning the Talon has taught you, every personal endeavor will not pull through."

           "I didn't win this place, Lex."  Lex looked down at his plate suddenly and obviously uncomfortable with her out-of-character severe tone.  "I earned it.  You saw the plans.  You knew the deal."

           He also knew his best friend's love interest wanted to open up for business.

           Clark wondered briefly if he had manipulated Lex into this at all.  He honestly didn't remember.

           "And you keep thinking I'm going to fail."

           Lex sighed.  "It's not that, Lana.  I just notice your predilection for going to other people when you're in trouble.  You especially have a penchant for Clark here."

           Clark blushed and looked at his subs, suddenly not at all hungry.  He couldn't believe Lex said that and prayed that this was not another chance the millionaire was going to take to point out their fitness as a couple.  Clark was one-hundred percent sure about what he wanted and, well, it wasn't Lana Lang anymore.  Though, initial-wise she was close.

           Lana looked outraged and, as Clark suspected, her voice got lower.  She was a natural at not making a scene.  He guessed so many years with Aunt Nell 'Perfect World' Potter had taught her well.  "He asked what was wrong.  I was merely answering."

           "You asked his opinion."

           She shook her head.  "Recount the conversation I wasn't even sure you were paying attention to.  He asked yours."

           With that she walked away, leaving Lex to shoot a startled look at Clark.  "She didn't…"

           Clark shook his head.  "Nope.  I went straight to you.  Guess that shows my own predilection, huh?"

           There was a look in Lex's eyes that he couldn't decipher but it jump-started his lazy heart.

           He took a sip of his fruit juice to moisten his suddenly very dry throat.

           Lex sighed.  "I should go apologize."

           Clark shook his head.  "I think the real reason she's so angry is you hit a nerve, Lex.  You might have erred on who asked for whose opinion, but you were right about things."
 
           The older man raised an eyebrow.  "Like?"

           "Like the fact that she uses this place more as a memorial than a business enterprise.  Like it's not quite the fairy-tale bustling business she thought it was going to be.  You were also right about how she's going to have to realize that sometimes she won't be able to conciliate problems without compromising the integrity of either her business or her parents memories."

           He was wondering where that particular insight came from, especially so articulately from his usually bumbling own mouth, when Lex smiled.  Both eyebrows raised and fingertips began tapping on the circular table.  "I'm impressed, Kent."

           Clark blushed at the look of approval in Lex's eyes.  That 'something else' was still there if not stronger.  A part of him- hell, all of him- wished that it was attraction.  Passion.  Love.

           At least he knew that Lex felt some sort of attachment to him.  They were best friends after all.

           Clark got out of his chair, using it as an excuse to lay his hand on Lex's.  "I'll be right back."

           Lex's eyes shot to the big hand on top of his then back.  "Where are you going?"

           "I've got an idea."

           +_+_+_+_+

           Lex sighed, his hand still tingling from where Clark had covered it with his own.

           ~"I've got an idea."~

           That was never, ever good.  When it came to Clark it was worse.

           Lex sat back and watched Clark calm Lana's nerves.  He noticed that the teen wasn't as wiry as she had been in his presence and he shook his head.  She never could learn to hold a grudge.
 
           I bet she could if she heard my thoughts about her earlier.

           As much as he sometimes thought those things, he didn't really believe it so much as it was a convenient excuse for him not to like the girl of Clark's dreams.  He'd never really had one until the little princess had taken a sniff of the power flower and gone wacko.  He clung to that reason like a desperate mountain climber to a cliff after his lifeline snapped.

           Lana had hit on him big time and in his more Luthorian moments he liked to believe that he was holding that information until the proper time to introduce it to Clark.  Kind of a 'Hey and by the way' deal, but he knew it was bullshit.  He could never do that.  Not that it would matter to Clark if he knew or not.  The boy would still be just as infatuated because the same aspect of his personality that kept him believing in Lex would be utilized for Lana.  And he wouldn't even hate Lex for telling him about the darker side of Miss Lang.  Instead he would most likely misconstrue it as some strange action of friendship and protection.

           Lex sighed, thankful that he'd not ordered anything to eat because the sight of Clark's subs was making him sick to his stomach.

           He looked up.  Well, he had no appetite for Clark's food at least.  He had a pure famine for the hottie grinning like a fool and heading his way.

           Clark sat down at their table, his long legs brushing against Lex's.  Lex noticed that the boy didn't pull away quickly.  Or even at all.

           "What are you grinning at?"  The gentle and consistant touch made the smile contagious even as it was disconcerting.

           "Oh… nothing."  Clark dug into his sub with a sudden voracious necessity.  His eyes looked down at his mangled food then slid back up to Lex's evilly.

           Lex tried not to spew his soda all over his friend.  The sexy look Clark was giving him was enough get more than a little rise out of his libido.

           Jesus.

           If he wasn't careful he was going to have to spill his icy-cold soda on his lap before he could leave the Talon.

           "What's the se-" he cleared his throat before he finished the word 'sexy.  "The evil look for?"

           Clark's grin only grew wider and more humored.  "I signed us up for the next 'Thursday Poetry Night'."
 
 
 
 
 
 

            TO BE CONTINUED...