Title: Crossing the Line

Author: twinsarein

Rating: PG

Challenge: 31^st CLFF Wave: Jealousy / Prompt: crossing the line

Notes: Thanks to danceswithgary for the kickass beta work.

Summary: Lex takes a phone call that changes the way Clark thinks about their friendship.

Clark reclines on the couch in Lex’s study, taking a break from reading the book in his hand while waiting for his friend to finish up his work. They’re going to play a game of pool today, and Clark is looking forward to evening up the score. Lex has won the last several games because Clark has been getting increasingly distracted whenever Lex bends over to line up his shots. Clark doesn’t really understand why he’s been so drawn to his friend’s pool form lately, but he’s determined to remain focused so he can win today.

Clark startles as the phone rings, disrupting the quiet he’d sunk into since he arrived earlier. Lex calmly picks up the phone, not even looking up from the reports he’s working so hard on. Clark smirks in smug satisfaction, knowing that Lex’ll get rid of whoever it is quickly. He never lets anyone disturb their time together for long.

Unashamedly, Clark watches Lex, looking forward to the verbal slapdown Lex’ll give whoever’s on the other end. Clark will never admit it out loud, but he gets a bit of a thrill in watching or listening to Lex put people in their place. Clark knows he’d never be able to talk like that to another person, but Lex always does it so well, often with such subtlety that the other person is left wondering if they’ve been insulted or not.

“Luthor.”

Clark can see Lex gathering himself to say something cutting, and he just manages to keep himself from rubbing his hands together in glee. Thankfully, the book still in his hands stops him from giving himself away like that. This is the first day he and Lex have been able to spend time together in almost a week, and he knows that Lex won’t let anyone interrupt them for long.

“Bruce! It’s great to hear your voice! It’s been so long since we've talked that I was beginning to think you’d dropped off the face of the planet.”

Clark watches in disbelief as Lex’s entire posture changes and a soft smile steals over his face.

'That’s my smile! Lex has never looked like that for anyone but me. Who is this Bruce character?'

Clark feels an unfamiliar tightening in his shoulders as he wonders who else could make Lex look that approachable and happy. He decides it doesn’t matter. Obviously whoever it is, is up to something. Clark figures he’ll have to find out what’s going on, so he can be ready for whatever scheme this Bruce character is planning. Clark gives himself a mental pat on the back; it’ll be nice for once to be ready for whatever happens before an attempt on Lex’s life is made. Clark tunes back in to the conversation.

“Umhmm…yes…sounds good…sure…wait, you want me to what?...No, Bruce, I can’t…I have underage company…No! It’s not like that…No, he’s just a friend…”

'Lex is blushing! Lex doesn’t blush, what the heck?'

Clark’s jaw joins his shoulders in tensing up, and he loses the thread of the conversation after he notices that blush. What could this Bruce guy have said to make someone as sophisticated and experienced as Lex blush?

'He looks good like that, I wonder if I could…no, what am I thinking?! Lex is just my friend…isn’t he? Could I be feeling…more?'

Clark’s jaw and shoulders start to relax in wonder at this new idea, and past thoughts and actions begin to slide into place. That explains why he’s been so distracted by Lex during their games of pool lately, why he feels so good when Lex is around, and that’s why he gets the shivers whenever Lex drinks from one of those bottles of Ty Nant.

'Wait…what’s Lex saying now?'

“Yes, I remember…mmhmm…sounds good…yes, I’ll look forward to it…if you’re anything like I remember it won’t be a hardship…”

'He’s flirting with Bruce! What the hell is that all about, letting his voice go all low and throaty like that?'

Clark feels something unpleasant coiling in his belly, along with an increasing need to go over and make Lex hang up that phone.

'Lex has flirted with a lot of women since I’ve met him and I’ve never reacted like this.'

That thought doesn’t stop the coiling in Clark’s belly from getting worse.

'Bruce is a guy and Lex isn’t supposed to flirt with other guys, just me.'

That thought does pull Clark back from the brink a little.

'Lex flirts with me?'

Again Clark looks at his past interactions with Lex with a new perspective and he realizes - not only does Lex flirt with him, but he’s been flirting right back.

'Lex is really crossing the line though, flirting with this guy while I’m sitting right here. But, he did say earlier that I’m just a friend and that I’m underage. Maybe he doesn’t feel that way about me, or does but feels I’m too young to be what he needs. I’m not though. I can be what he needs if he gives me a chance. I learned a lot in Metropolis. I might not have done anything myself, but it was hard not to see all kinds of things that people like to do together in those clubs. And I liked watching it all. It didn’t matter if it was a man and a woman, two women, or two men. Maybe that should have been a clue?'

For Clark to have a chance though, Lex has to get off the phone with this Bruce character. Bruce has obviously given him what he wants in the past and might again in the future. That thought has Clark clenching his hands and a sudden tearing sound wrenches his attention from Lex and down to his hands. Hands that are holding two mangled halves of a book. He’s ripped the thick, leather-bound volume he’d borrowed from Lex into two pieces. He stares at the book in shock and is distantly aware of Lex hanging up the phone and walking over to him slowly.

Clark watches as Lex crosses the room, sees his eyes slide down his body, hardly pausing at the book, then working back to Clark’s face. Clark sees the looks of speculation and curiosity cross his friend’s face, and then he’s crouching down so he’s at eye level where Clark is still reclining on the couch.

“Clark, is there something that you want to tell me?”

Clark’s mind is in turmoil. All he can think about are the revelations he’s had in the last five minutes and that Bruce had made Lex blush, had caused him to flirt. “Who was that man, Lex?”

The question comes out more tersely and angrily than Clark had meant it too, but he doesn’t retract it. He glares at Lex, waiting for his answer.

“Clark, what’s come over you? What’s this all about?”

‘Typical. He won’t answer a direct question, just dodge’s it with more questions.’ Clark surges up off the couch and grips Lex by the shoulders. At the last second, he remembers to soften his grip a little. Where Clark has grabbed him, Lex will have bruises, but nothing will be broken.

Bruce!” The name falls from Clark’s mouth like a curse. “You gave him my smile! You were flirting with him. You don’t flirt with other guys, only me. Why?” Clark is starting to feel like he’s five again, but he doesn’t take back his questions.

“Clark, are you…jealous?”

'Damn it! Another question. Can’t he just answer one for once!'

Clark feels a flush steal over his face. Part of the color is embarrassment at being caught out, but part of it is anger for the way Lex keeps deflecting his questions and turning them around on him. Clark releases him and slides off the couch until he’s kneeling on the floor right in front of Lex. “Lex, what can he give you that I can’t?”

“Clark….”

Clark doesn’t know what Lex is about to say, but his tone sounds entirely too patronizing, so he interrupts. He reaches over and grips Lex’s hands and uses them to pull Lex a little off balance and into Clark a little, so he can whisper into Lex’s ear. “I can give you whatever you need, be whatever you need, Lex, if you just give me a chance.”

Clark grins when he hears Lex inhale sharply. When he speaks though, his voice is rock steady and sounds disdainful to Clark’s ears. “Oh? And just what do you think he gives me, Clark? Give me a demonstration of what you think I need.”

Clark gulps at the challenge Lex just laid at his feet, but he’d asked for a chance so he wasn’t going to ruin it now. His tongue slips from his mouth to wet his lips. He’s nervous, but then he notices how Lex’s eyes track his tongue and his nervousness clears up – mostly. Clark leans forward and presses his lips to Lex’s mouth.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two days later

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bruce Wayne is sitting in his study going through his email when Alfred comes in carrying the day’s correspondence. On top is a lilac-colored envelope bearing the name Lex Luthor. Bruce picks it up and stares at it for a few moments.

He’d gotten such an odd email from Lex a few days ago, asking him to call the mansion in Smallville at a particular time so Lex could ask a few questions about Bruce’s favorite charities. Bruce felt it was an odd request, since he and Lex don’t get along very well, but Bruce was willing to overlook old animosities when it came to his charities.

Then, when he’d called, Lex had sounded so strange, and his responses hadn’t really matched up with what Bruce had been saying at the time. It had all been very surreal. Quickly and efficiently, Bruce slits open the top of the envelope and pulls out the contents.

Dear Bruce,

Thank you for your timely phone call. Our conversation did just what I had hoped. Enclosed is the check made out to your favorite charity as we discussed. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Lex Luthor

Bruce glances at the check for a million dollars made out to the Gotham Orphanage and mentally shrugs his shoulders. For that kind of donation, Lex could be as eccentric as he pleased, especially since it didn’t hurt anyone.