A Summer Of Broken Hearts

Part I: A Summer of Broken Hearts

This was written for the Rhiannonhero Summer Title Challenge

Rating: R but will turn NC-17
Discalmer: Smallville belongs to DC comics and WB. This is non-profit entertainment. No infringement is intended so please don't sue me

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.


3

Lex slowly pulled into the dusty, rutted driveway leading to the familiar yellow farmhouse. He thought idly how deceptive the scene before him was. Everything about the Kent house and the surrounding garden radiated jovial warmth – like a giant welcoming mat. Lex knew better. As he turned off the ignition he spotted the chairman of the welcoming committee, as he strode out of the barn and headed directly for the Porsche. Lex silently cursed the impulse that had caused him to drive directly here. He should have called Clark first, or waited until dark when his friend would more than likely be alone in the barn. Wanting to avoid a confrontation with Jonathan while sitting down – thus giving the older man the psychological advantage – Lex quickly exited the car and moved to meet Jonathan half way.

“Hello, Mr Kent.” Recalling the number of times his offered hand had been ignored, Lex was careful to keep them in the pockets of his black jeans, and a casual smile on his lips. “I didn’t realize that my car was so noisy. Is Clark around?”

“Lex,” the elder Kent bit out, with a short bob of his head. “I was just heading into the house for something cold when you pulled up.” Jonathan busied himself with removing his work gloves as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Clark is working out in the West field today and I don’t expect him back to the house until dinner. He’s fixing up a stretch of fence that needs to be finished tonight so we can graze cattle out there tomorrow.”


“No problem, Mr. Kent, I can find my way,” Lex said, reaching up to pull the black Nike baseball cap a little lower over his eyes. He turned his head briefly in the direction of the West field so there would be no mistaking his intention.

“I’m sorry, Lex, but Clark really needs to work un-interrupted if he’s going to finish that fence today. I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by.”

“No need, Dad, I can see for myself that he’s here,” called Clark, approaching the two startled men from behind. “And don’t worry about that fence, I finished it up already.” Clark clapped his father on the shoulder and then turned with a big grin to greet his best friend. “Hey, Lex! When did you get back into town? Your office told me you would be working from Metropolis for a while.”

“Hey, Clark,” Lex said. The look of suppressed rage on Jonathan’s face, coupled with Clark’s obvious pleasure at seeing him, caused Lex to give Clark one of the most sincere smiles that had ever graced his face. “I had a couple of business meetings there last week and wasn’t sure when I’d make it back.”

“Well, you didn’t miss much while you were gone. I will be more than happy, however, to fill you in on all the non-existent events over a cappuccino at the Talon,” Clark teased with more good humour than he had felt all summer. As his eyes focused intently on Lex’s face his grin faded slightly. “Unless you have something else to do right now…I mean, we could get together later this evening…”

“Or not at all,” Jonathan interjected.

“Dad…”

“I’m sorry, son, but I can list at least 20 projects, in addition to regular chores, that we need to get done before summer ends.” As he spoke, Jonathan turned to face his son, excluding Lex. “As far as this evening goes, your mother has already made plans; actually, she wanted to surprise you.”


“Surprise me with what?” Clark glared at his father in a way that could only be interpreted as a warning.

Lex was startled at the unexpected sharp tone in his friend’s voice. He was suddenly very curious as to why a surprise meant to please him would provoke such a negative reaction.

“Look, son, your mother and I both know and appreciate how hard you’ve been working,” Jonathan said in a reasonable tone, ignoring the challenge in Clark’s eyes. “We wanted you to have a fun evening with your school friends so you could just relax and blow off a little steam.”

“You called and invited my friends here without asking me?! I know I made it clear, on more than one occasion that I wasn’t interested in having any kind of party!” Clark looked at his father with sudden comprehension. “You thought you’d just spring it on me and then I would be forced, for politeness sake, to go along with it. More than one way to skin a cat, right, dad? Well, you can just FORGET IT! I expected you to respect my wishes the same way you expected me to respect YOURS!” Clark was practically screaming when he finished, his face flushed and angry.

“Clark…” Jonathan reached out to grab his son’s shoulder; Clark stepped back out of touching range.

“Don’t. Just don’t,” Clark whispered hoarsely. It was obvious he was struggling to get control of his anger as he closed his eyes and briefly massaged his temples with long, shaking fingers. “Dad, you need to go find mom and tell her to call back whoever it is she invited; let them know that the little get-together has been cancelled.”

Jonathan glanced quickly at Lex, before stepping closer to Clark. “Look, son,” he said quietly. “This isn’t a good time or place to discuss…”

“It’s not a good time or place to make me lose my temper either, is it?” Clark hissed venomously. He took another large step back from his father’s shocked face and turned toward Lex.

Lex had been following the heated exchange between father and son that was as bewildering as it was out of character. He never imagined that Clark would speak to his father in such a manner, and wondered what the hell was wrong in Kentville.

“Lex…”

Lex studied the tableau before him. Clark’s flushed and no longer smiling face looking intently at him, and Jonathan watching Clark with something like hurt mingled with…fear. Now that was odd. “I’m sorry, Clark, I didn’t come here to keep you from your work or put a wrench in your plans for tonight. We can get together another time…”

“I’ll walk you back to your car, Lex,” Clark calmly interrupted as he turned again to look at his father. “Dad, you really need to go find mom so she can un-invite the guests she was expecting tonight. I’ll meet you both back at the house.”

Jonathan didn’t trust himself to speak. He simply gave a curt nod of defeat and headed off toward the house, aggressively slapping his work gloves against his hand.

“Come on, Lex,” Clark said as he tugged lightly on the sleeve of Lex’s pale blue shirt.

“What the hell was that all about?” Lex asked as they moved slowly towards his car.

“Not you – not really,” Clark added at the sound of Lex’s derisive snort. “It’s more about my anger at my parents for not being honest with me, at their well-meaning, yet unacceptable manipulations, and their all-round mollycoddling. I just can’t take it anymore.”

“I think it’s pretty safe to assume that they will consider this entirely my fault.”

“Well they should be grateful that it happened here and now with only you as a witness. Geez, Lex, if people had just shown up tonight I would have gone ballistic and really embarrassed everyone.” Clark’s voice was oddly weary and Lex could almost feel the tension bouncing off him.

“Clark, I realize I’ve missed something here – something important – still, don’t you think you may have over-reacted just a bit?”

Clark closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, inhaling the light, masculine scent of Lex’s personal cologne. He let his breath out in an exaggerated sigh, and looked into Lex’s questioning blue eyes.

“Yes, and no,” he answered pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans for the sole purpose of controlling the urge to reach out and touch Lex – to forcibly link himself to the calming aura that was so near.

“Well, that’s perfectly clear,” Lex quipped as he turned to open the door of his sports car.

Clark watched as his lithe friend slipped into the low, leather seat with more fluid grace than a man of his height could be expected to possess. Clark bent down to lean on the open window, eye to eye with Lex.

“I’ll explain later, I promise. Right now I need to go and have it out with my parents.” Clark closed his eyes again and rested his forehead on the window frame, letting out another long sigh. “I should have done this weeks ago; waiting has just made everything much worse.” He wanted nothing more at the moment than to allow his body and mind to surrender to the calming force he felt in Lex’s presence. First things first.

“Is it okay if I come by later…will you be home?” he asked without opening his eyes.

“I will be home, and you know damn well that you can come over anytime you want,” Lex said in a tone that made Clarks eyes snap open.

“This,” Clark gestured with his head toward the yellow house “may take some time. It could be rather late before I show up.”

“Riiight, like the time of day or night has ever been a deterrent to your visits,” drawled Lex. “If you don’t show up, should I assume the worst and send someone to look for the bodies?”

“Very funny, Lex,” Clark said, though he knew by the look on Lex’s face that he didn’t think it was funny at all. Lex was worried. “It’ll be fine. I mean, every normal teenage boy has a major meltdown with his parents at least once between puberty and adulthood, doesn’t he?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking me,” Lex shrugged as he turned the key in the ignition. “I was never a normal anything.”

Clark smiled and stood up as the precision motor roared to life.

“I’ll talk to you later, Lex.”

“Later,” said Lex with a small smile as he let the window slide up.

Clark watched until the car reached the main road, and then reluctantly turned his attention to his family home. He could faintly hear his mother making apologetic noises into the phone while his father paced the wooden floor. A sudden pang of conscience, for putting his well-meaning mother in such a predicament, hit him. His parents had known what he was when they found him as a child, and still they had taken him in and showered him with love. Now he was going to go in there and say things he knew would be hurtful. Clark scrubbed his face with his hands as he fought down the bile in his throat and the pang in his heart.