A Helping Hand

He stepped into the room, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings with a suspicious eye.

"Where are we?"

"An apartment for one of my VP's." Oliver's voice was husky and low, and Clark's head whipped around to look at him.

"Why are we here?"

Lex stepped up behind Clark and placed a hand on his lower back, sliding it across as he moved around him. "We thought neutral ground might make you feel a little more comfortable."

Shivering, Clark stepped away, missing the feel of Lex's hand on his body. "I'm less than comforted, Lex. Why are we really here?" When his question was met with silence, he glared over at Oliver, who was leaning against a wall, looking amused. "This is too weird. You two, together, talking, and I don't understand any of this."

"Clark-"

"Ollie. There is not going to be a replay of what happened last week."

"You're right." Oliver murmured, pushing back against the wall and moving towards Clark's wary frame. "I barely got a chance to touch you last time."

Clark backed away, holding out a large hand. "This isn't going to happen. I am NOT prepared to deal with that fall-out." Looking at Lex, he shook his head, "This isn't what you want."

Lex nodded. "You're right. It's not. I want you all for myself. I don't share; you said it yourself. Something has to bend, though, Clark. A branch will break if it does not learn to bend. I don't want either one of us to break."

"For fuck's sake, Lex; let's not traipse out the old-school 'sayings' and analogies. If I hear one more metaphor from you tonight, I'm putting an arrow in your ass." He paused, grinning, and laughed softly as Lex rolled his eyes.

"I think I've dealt with enough arrows as of late." Lex remarked.

"Whose fault was that?” Oliver asked, rolling his head back on his neck as Lex's eyes flared.

"If you hadn't tried to take what was mine, it never would have been necessary!"

"Only YOU would think resorting to violence and deception would be necessary! You say you love Clark, and then you turn around and lie to him...try to make him think horrible things about me. For what? He ALREADY loved you. He never would have betrayed you. That's your problem, Lex. You always let your emotions...your insecurities...rule your actions. And, unfortunately, your actions are almost always painful to the ones you supposedly care for."

Lex surged forward. "You don't know the first thing about how I feel about Clark! My father-"

"Sure...okay, bring your father into it. Poor me. Had to grow up with Lionel for a father. Life sucks. Hold on while I get out my violin." Oliver's hands lifted up in a parody, holding an invisible stringed instrument as he laughed.

Clark moved over to a dark brown, leather couch and sat down, sighing heavily. The sniping continued back and forth, for a while, and he laid his head back, staring up at the ceiling. Tuning them out was difficult with super-hearing, and it took him a while. He was almost asleep when something caught his attention.

"Who's going to Star City?"

The two furious men turned simultaneously, looking at Clark. The way both of their faces softened instantly make him tremble, and he looked away. Repeated his question.

"You are."

Clark's eyes shot up to look at Lex. The man looked angry, hard and fierce. His eyes were burning into Clark's, and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"You're going with Oliver to Star City." Lex said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because..." Lex sucked in a breath, and forced out a brilliant smile. "I don't know what else to do." He turned away, walking to a wide-framed window and looking out into the night. "I love you, Clark. If I've given you reason to doubt that, I'm sorry. That was never my intent. I'm not sure I know how to love you the way you need to be loved. I'm not saying that I'm 'giving' you to Oliver, here. I don't think I could ever let you go completely. It's not in me to do so. All I know is that your happiness has always been at the forefront for me. No...That’s not even true, is it? MY happiness has been what I've strived for. And, I know that it's you that makes me happy. I need you in my life to be someone who can ever be worthy of you." His smiled dimmed, turned wry and bitter. "It's not right to ask you to be that."

"Lex," Clark's throat constricted, and he swallowed, fighting for a calm he did not feel. "This isn't you. You don't give up. You don't share. You don't care if something is fair or right, as long as you get your way. You won't let me go. And...I'm not sure that I've ever really wanted you to. In the back of my mind, there's some part of me that's always liked that part of you. I don't really know what that says about me."

Oliver sighed, "It says that you love him." His hand shot up, brushing through spiky blonde strands, sending them dancing. "That's something I accept, Clark, as part of who you are. I'm not asking you to change. I'm asking you to come to Star City with me. It'll give you a chance to help me, to help yourself...It'll give you some time and space. And it'll give us..."

"No sex."

Oliver's brown eyes flashed as they spun over to Lex's steely gray ones. "THAT was never agreed on."

"His ass is mine. Touch it, and you'll regret it."

Clark's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me? You're arguing about my ass?"

Oliver's grin and shrug and Lex's eyebrow arching onto his forehead was too much. Clark spun around, throwing his hands out and up into his hair. "Well, come one, then, guys. Tell me what's what." He jerked his hand down, angrily, gripped the edge of his shirt and stripped it off. "Who's this belong to? Who gets to touch me here?" Reaching down, he ripped open the zipper of his pants, and yanked them down. "I mean, I don't get a say in any of it, right, so who gets this?" He grasped his cock roughly through his soft boxer briefs before letting go and turning away.

"Fucking Christ, Clark." Oliver sounded raw, broken, and Clark turned to look over his shoulder.

Lex stood, breaths panting out heavily. The erection was obvious against his tailored trousers, and his shoes gleamed on the floor as he stepped forward. "It never fails to shock me, just how beautiful you are." A hand drifted up and glided across a wide, gold-tinted shoulder. "And, you don't even know." Stepping around Clark's body, his hand sliding across warm skin, Lex stopped in front of Clark and reached up with both hands, drawing Clark's mouth down to his.

The kiss was dark and silky, impossibly wet. Lex tasted like sweet, hot liquor and salt, and his tongue was marking the inside of Clark's mouth with long, possessive swipes.

When he moved back, his eyes were closed tight; his breaths wrenching out of his chest. His eyes opened to look at his own fists, and he seemed to lower them away from Clark through sheer will.

He stepped away and moved to the door.

"Why are you letting me go, Lex?"

Lex shook his head, reaching for the handle. "I don't know, Clark. It doesn't seem right, to me...which maybe is the biggest proof that it is." He smiled and looked into Clark's worried green eyes. "And, because I'm Lex-fucking-Luthor. You're mine. You'll come back to me."

"What if he doesn't?" Oliver's voice was strong, determined as he moved forward to stand beside Clark.

Lex stepped through the door, and looked away. "Hopefully, you'll both be able to stop me."

He walked away, the door clicking shut behind him. Clark turned to look at Oliver, his face pinched with fear. "I can't do this to him."

"Clark," Oliver said softly, lifting a callused fingertip to run along the edge of Clark's jaw. "I never thought it was possible for a Luthor, but Lex actually loves you. It shouldn't surprise me, after knowing you...but...he's trying to give you the option. Of course, he's Lex, so there's an edge, but he wouldn't be 'Lex' without it. Take the time, Clark. Take this. Take me." He moved in and brushed his mouth against Clark's. Moaned as Clark leaned in, responded gently. "Come with me."

Whimpering quietly as hands moved to grip his skin along the sides of his ribs, Clark nodded, swiping his mouth over Oliver's. "Yes. Okay, I'll come with you."

Oliver smiled and pushed his hands around Clark's body, drawing him in. He rested his face against soft, soft black curls and sighed into them. "I love you, Clark. You won't regret this."

Clark's eyes slid shut, his eyelashes tangling in short, blonde strands of hair. 'I hope not,' he thought. Aloud, he whispered, "I love you too, Ollie."

Clark pulled his clothes back on, holding his pants together,and leaving his shirt untucked. Oliver shuffled him into the white, stretch limo, and they headed for the airport, hands clasped together.

Glancing over his shoulder, Clark took notice of the dark sedan keeping a subtle distance from them. He smiled, shaking his head.

Looking over at Oliver's profile, the profound happiness etched onto Oliver's handsome face was beautiful. He looked calm, peaceful, and it lightened Clark's heart.

He didn't know, yet, what the future held, but he knew that Oliver was the right person to help him decide.