A Summer Of Broken Hearts

Rated R but will go NC-17

Disclaimer: Characters are owned by DC comics and WB. This is non-profit entertainment and no infringement is intended

Thanks to Rose7 for all her time and beta efforts. A big thank-you to Skuf also, for going through all of this and correcting my comma and grammar errors. Any remaining mistakes are my own. Please feel free to point them out.

2

Clark closed his eyes and leaned back against an old fence post as he half-heartedly chewed the giant turkey and cheese hero his mom had brought out to him at lunch time. Up until now, his summer had sucked royally and there seemed to be no way to rectify the situation without getting into a major confrontation with his parents.

The trouble began in early June. His mother had approached him alone in the loft one evening to discuss his friendship with Lex, and the amount of time he spent out at the mansion. She told him, in no uncertain terms, that although she had nothing against Lex personally, she didn’t want him going out there to visit without permission from either her or his father. As he started to protest, his mother cut him off and said that while she respected his right to choose his own friends, she and his father would like him to spend a little more time with kids his own age. He must have done a good job of faking a calm demeanour, because she gave him a relieved smiled, and told him that she was glad he could understand that it wasn’t that big a sacrifice to make. There was always an increase in the number of chores and projects to do in summer, which would mean that he had less free time anyway. Clark said nothing as she turned and left the loft. He wondered how long it would take for the other shoe to fall.

It happened a day later when his dad casually told him that he was not, for the time being, to use his super speed to get farm chores done. At Clark’s incredulous look, his father had placed a hand on his shoulder and proceeded to dish out a story about how they couldn’t risk drawing attention to themselves; that Jonathan used to hire on a couple of part-time hands to help out each summer was common knowledge. Clark had to realise as well, that the neighbours would start to ask questions if work on the Kent Farm got done just as quickly, with no outside help, didn’t he? Clark had feigned understanding and walked away as quickly as possible; at least now he knew how they planned to keep him busy. Clark wondered if his parents really thought he was so naive and out of touch. Jesus, he had Chloe Sullivan as a friend. Did they honestly consider it possible she hadn’t heard the rumours first, or did they just delude themselves into believing she wouldn’t mention it to Clark?

Naturally Chloe had heard, and she brought him not only the rumour one evening at the end of May, but her unapologetic curiosity. Clark had been annoyed, with both her need to discuss the gossip about Lex, and her insistence that Clark would be the one most likely to know if his friend was ploughing both sides of the field. In the end, her insinuation that maybe Clark (who, in her experience, had never been terribly adept at noticing when someone was attracted to him) had missed obvious signals from Lex, had caused him to lose his temper. They had fought and Chloe had gone off in a huff, leaving Clark with an unpleasant sense of foreboding. A week later, his parents must have picked up on the rumour and had panicked at the thought of Clark becoming embroiled in yet another Luthor scandal. Hence, the new rules about Lex, and his parents current choke hold on his free time.

Although Martha and Jonathan seemed relieved that he had complied with their request without complaint or question, they had not expected their son would spend no more time with his school clique than he had before. Clark did see Lana and Pete now and then, but he continually turned down his parents suggestions that he invite his friends over for an evening of pizza or a barbeque. They had failed to recognize that the time he spent with Lex was not interchangeable with his other friends.

Clark could see his parents struggling at times to comprehend how his mind worked. More often than not he reacted in a way they hadn’t expected, or reasoned along paths they could not follow. For his part, Clark was frustrated with trying to explain what they could not understand. He wanted to believe that this was just part of what happened when children moved on toward adulthood – the chasm between parent and child widened – but in his heart he knew it was much more than that.

Since the beginning of the year, Clark had been acutely aware of something awakening inside his mind. It was different from the physical changes that had taken place inside him when he came into a new ability. This was much more subtle and powerful – new and frightening, yet somehow familiar. Its unexplained presence caused him to become increasingly restless and uneasy. He slept less and less, and was beginning to suspect that somewhere down the road, sleep was not going to be a necessary function. During these extra waking hours, his body and mind were coiled with energy he had no idea how to release. He had tried to work it off by running at top speed for hours through Smallville and neighbouring towns, but the tension did not subside.

On one particularly desperate night, he had been running in the direction of the mansion when he recognized Lex’s Porsche winding its way up the street to the front gate. Clark sped to the garage side, where he knew Lex would park, and sat himself down on the stairs to wait for him. If Lex was surprised to find his friend on the back steps of the mansion, at one in the morning, he didn’t show it. He merely greeted Clark, keyed off the alarm system and invited him into the kitchen for something to eat. Clark guessed that his relief at the lack of questions must have shown on his face, because Lex gave him an understanding smile, and said that he didn’t need to know unless Clark needed to tell him. It wasn’t until he returned home two hours later, that he realized the pressing energy, and pulsing vibrations in his head had receded to a tolerable level.

Other than admitting that he sometimes had trouble sleeping
(his mother found him out in the barn at two in the morning on more than one occasion) he had not informed his parents of the latest developments. The mere thought of trying to find words to describe something so foreign and elusive made his head swim with panic. Clark felt the chasm between them stretch a little wider.

Shortly after his late-night snack with Lex, Clark began showing up at the mansion on a regular basis. At first he felt awkward and a bit foolish for stopping by with neither a good reason nor an invitation, but Lex always seemed happy to see him. Clark was more grateful than his friend could know, for the unquestioning acceptance of his presence. It hadn’t taken long before they fell into a routine where both conversation and companionable silence were easy and comfortable.

Over the next several months, the energy levels in his body and mind began to recede to where they were endurable during the day and most of the night; Clark knew, however, that only during the hours he spent with Lex would his body completely relax and his mind fall truly silent. Because of this, his friendship with Lex was essential in a way that Clark himself had yet to fully grasp. How could he even begin to explain it to anyone else?

On the wave of that thought he gave up pretending to be hungry, and threw the rest of the sandwich into the field behind him. He wondered fleetingly if he actually needed to eat or if it was just a habit he had acquired. Clark guessed habit, but it was one he liked, and since his body seemed to process food without a problem he wasn’t planning on giving it up. He took several long swallows of the lemonade that had accompanied the turkey hero and a slice of chocolate cake.

His mother, though pale, had been overly bright and cheerful when she delivered his lunch; a sure sign that she had not only noticed his return to insomnia, but that she was worried. Clark sighed and dropped the empty thermos back in the lunch pail. He knew that he was going to have to come clean with his parents soon. Compliance with their new anti-Lex legislation was just not worth the panic that he endured, night for night, as first his mind and then his body staged a tandem revolt against him. The lingering effects of the calm he experienced in Lex’s presence had completely dissipated, and Clark wasn’t sure how much longer he could endure it without totally losing his sanity.

Clark had brushed the rules aside one restless night a week ago, when he ran out to the mansion to see Lex. But an X-ray scan told him his friend was not at home, and his Boxster was missing from the garage. Clark had waited several hours, before he gave up and went home. He called Lex’s office the next day and was told that Mr. Luthor would be working from Metropolis for an undetermined amount of time. Clark had hung up the phone with an unsteady hand and a pit in the bottom of his stomach.

Clark decided and stood up. He would finish his chores at top speed, and then round up his parents for the dreaded talk.