Ryan coda
Thanks to GothPhyle for the beta.
The castle was dark when Clark arrived. He paused and looked down at the comic books. He couldn't help the small smile that curled his lips, fighting its way through his grief. Finding out Lex Luthor read Warrior Angel comics had been one of the high points of the past year for Clark. He frowned, his pleasure turning to sadness at the thought of why he was here. Ryan was gone and nothing Clark had done to help had done any good. At least Clark had been with him in the end.
Clark looked up at the sound of the side door opening. Lex stood leaning against the door frame, a look of sympathy on his face.
"Hi," Lex whispered, as if fearing to disturb Clark. Lex gestured at the door. "Join me inside?"
Clark nodded and followed his friend into the house. He settled silently on the leather sofa in Lex's office. Lex handed him a bottle of water and sat across from him.
Neither talked for what seemed like a long time. Lex reached out and took the comics. He smiled wistfully, opened one of them and thumbed through its pages.
"I . . . I never thanked you for everything you did to help Ryan," Clark finally said.
Lex set the comic books down and placed a hand on Clark's arm. "He was a good kid, Clark, I was happy to help." Their eyes met and locked. Clark could feel the wetness in his eyes. He turned away and swiped a thumb across one eye.
Lex pretended not to see. "At least you got to spend the last moments with him. I'd give anything to go back in time and be able to do that with my mother."
Clark tried to smile. "Thanks for that advice. I . . ."
Lex waved a hand. "I'm just glad you got the chance."
Silence fell between them. They both seemed unwilling to break it.
Eventually Lex reached out and picked up the rare issue of Warrior Angel. His lips curled with a humourless smile as he opened the magazine and started to read the first panel. "From an alien world Warrior Angel has come to earth to help those who can not help themselves."
A small sniffle stopped Lex. Lex swallowed hard and flipped the page.
Clark cleared his throat. "Ryan told me how you feel about me."
Lex froze and slowly looked up into his best friends eyes. "He could do what I said couldn't he?"
Clark looked down at the comic book but didn't reply.
Lex sat back and tossed the book on the table. "Oh."
"I'm flattered, Lex, really," Clark said leaning forward. He placed a hand on Lex's arm and rubbed it reassuringly. "I've never had anybody say that about me."
"Well," Lex said with a hesitant grin, "I didn't mean for it to happen. I've never felt that way about a guy before."
Clark looked confused.
"I mean," Lex continued. He sat up and leaned into Clark's space. "I hope it doesn't change anything between us. I don't want our friendship to end."
Clark looked down to find that Lex's hand was shaking. He watched as the hand reached out and gripped Clark's own hand.
"Why would our friendship end? I feel the same way, Lex." Clark smiled and tightened his grip on Lex's hand.
Lex looked relieved. Again, their eyes locked. Lex swallowed hard and leaned in. The kiss was chaste and brief, so feather-light that Clark had no time to react.
When Lex pulled back, Clark's eyes were closed. He opened them to find blue swirls of passion staring intently at him.
"Oh, um, Ryan said you admired me. He didn't say anything about you wanting to kiss me."
"Oh." Lex looked very nonplused. He stood and put distance between them.
Clark stood and followed him.
Lex tucked his hands in his pants pockets and bit his lip. He looked up at Clark through pale lashes. "Could we just forget that happened?"
Clark inhaled a deep breathe and stepped into Lex's personal space. "No, we can't." He leaned in and kissed his best friend gently. When Lex didn't respond, Clark pulled Lex into his arms and deepened the kiss. Clark moaned as he slipped his tongue between Lex's moist, warm lips.
When the kiss ended, Clark held Lex close and buried his nose in Lex's neck. He inhaled deeply. The reaction was hard to hide.
"I feel the same way," Clark whispered. He smiled when Lex slid his arms around Clark and squeezed tightly.
END