Similis

"Hey, Clark!" Pete strolled into the barn and watched his friend set another bale of hay meticulously into position. "How's it going?"



Cool eyes met his without a flicker. The other boy might as well have been a complete stranger. In the face of such complete indifference Pete hesitated.



"Look, Clark, old buddy … I'm sorry about winding you up like that, but we go back a long way, and if you can trust me with the whole," He glanced around cautiously. No one else around, but even so… "You-know-what stuff, you aren't going to let a stupid thing like a bad joke come between us, are you? I've hardly heard from you at all since I was over the last time. I know I'm not down the road any more, but still, there's always the phone, y'know? Just talk to me, huh?"



There was no change for a moment, and then a brilliant smile lit up the face of the raven-haired teen. Pete half expected Clark to joke-punch his arm and offer to jump ball with him, so he was more than a little surprised when his tall friend walked right past him and … took a bottle of soda from himself!



"Pete!" The new Clark noticed his buddy and gave that exact same mega-watt grin. "I didn’t hear you drive up?"



"Car's busted and I got grounded from driving for a month." Pete complained. "I'm only here today because we're all over at my cousin's place, and NO, I don't want to talk about it." Of course he didn't, apart from being mortally embarrassed about it, he was way more interested in why there were now two Clark's…



"Okay." Clark leant casually against his 'twin' and picked a few stray wisps of straw from Haze's hair. "Got to make a good impression." He told him. "This is Pete Ross, my best friend since Kindergarten…"



Calmly ignoring Clark's interference in his hair, Haze looked back at Pete, and politely extended his hand.



"Pete, this is Haze." Clark went on. "He's staying with us, but I guess you figured that part out for yourself?"



"Oookaaay." Warily Pete reached out, "When you said on the phone that your new house mate looked like you, I didn't picture him looking EXACTLY like you… Haze, you don't happen to be as strong as Clark, do you? If so, no offence, huh?"



The grin reappeared, and Haze applied no more than human pressure.



Relieved, Pete let go and sighed. "So, I take it that you're the 'man of few words' type?" He asked. "I mean, otherwise you would have said something sooner, right?"



Haze just shrugged and looked to Clark before sinking the rest of the soda in a few long gulps.



"Uh, Haze isn't able to speak." Clark managed to say, rubbing the sole of his boot over the tightly packed dirt and compacting it by a few extra inches. "Sheriff Adams says it might be the result of a trauma…" Just the thought of the formidable Sheriff still left Clark feeling slightly traumatised himself.



In total contrast, Haze reached over and ruffled Clark's hair with obvious affection, at the same time liberating the full bottle of soda belonging to his 'twin' and replacing it with his own empty bottle. Giving Pete a conspiratorial wink, Haze had drained the second bottle dry before Clark had even had time to notice that he had been robbed. By the time Clark caught on and protested, it was already way too late.



"Oh man! That is SO cool!" Pete couldn't restrain himself, and when Haze belched quietly behind one hand, Pete leant against the barn wall, chuckling while tears streamed down his face. "Way to go Haze! I've never seen anyone score one over the Clarkster like that!" He managed to choke out, between gasps.



Haze shrugged as if to deny that it was in any way unusual.



"I've been teaching Haze how to fit in." Clark told Pete.



"No!" Pete gave him a disbelieving look. "And you still let me shake on it? Man, Clark! No offence, but you are the last person to give those sorta lessons." He looked over at Haze. "You and me are going to get along brilliantly." He predicted. A twinkle of mischief glimmered in his eyes, "So long as you don't start turning into Romeo Zombie Clark the 2nd when you meet Clark's two main hotties!"



"Pete!" Clark was outraged. "Pete, you promised! No more jokes about Chloe or Lana!"



"But Haze is … well, he's practically you!" Pete reminded him, "Hell, if I was fooled, just think what fun we could have taking him into town!"



Clark gave him a totally disbelieving look.



"Aw, man! It would be way cool!" Pete was taking no prisoners with this one. "I would love to see Lana thinking that you could resist her… Hey, I'd even pay to see that!"



Haze looked over at Clark and subtly shrugged. Reaching out, he rested both palms on Clark's shoulders. 'Not if you don't want to…' He communicated silently.



Clark could feel the reassurance pouring off his 'twin'. Maybe it would be fun after all? Of course, they still had to persuade his mother that Haze was ready for a public appearance without a parental chaperone.







Martha sighed, and wiped her fingers on a towel. "I suppose you can." She said dubiously. "I mean, it can't be good for Haze to be cooped up here with only the three of us for company."



"Way to go Mrs. Kent!" Pete grinned, and went outside to wait, knowing that Clark was about to be chronically embarrassed yet again by the forthcoming and inevitable display of parental affection.



"Now don't you boys go getting yourselves into any mischief!" Martha instructed. "And I want you both back here in time for dinner… No excuses."



"Okay, Mom." Already flushed, Clark reluctantly gave his mother the necessary hardly-there kiss on the cheek.



"Haze." Martha looked up at her 'other' boy. "I am sure we can trust you, but you are not to let anyone, including Clark, persuade you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with, okay? When you want to come home, just tell Clark to bring you back."



Smiling down at his surrogate mother Haze gave her a reassuring hug, and pressing a light kiss to her forehead, let her go.



"Thank you sweetie." Martha smiled. "See Clark, it is possible to kiss your mother goodbye without catching fire…" She grinned at him. "Only teasing, honey. Oh, and Clark, I meant exactly what I said about you bringing Haze back as soon as he wants you to."



"How come you can do that?" Clark asked, as he pushed Haze out of the door and onto the porch. "Without getting all flustered, I mean?" He clarified.



Haze shrugged as he stuck his feet in his boots, the laces wriggling like snakes and knotting themselves neatly into place without him needing to use his fingers. He communicated through their bond that it was not something that he found awkward.



We aren’t alike in that way, not at all … will I ever be able to do that? Clark had often felt the fondness Haze was developing for his parent's and thought he understood. He found contact with Haze pleasing, so why shouldn't Haze find touching other people the same? For a second Clark almost envied his duplicate. Jumping into the truck, the three of them headed into town.







What Clark and Pete felt was necessary sightseeing was fairly easily accomplished, along with a few well-chosen wind-ups on the way, and after about an hour the three boys ended up looking along the street to the front of the Talon.



"Two of you are definitely more fun than one." Pete decided. "No offence Clark, but I've never laughed so much before in my life!"



Clark couldn't help but agree with that. He and Haze already enjoyed teasing his parent's on a daily basis. Having Haze along had even made clothes shopping tolerable: at least each of them only had to try on half the amount of things.



"Suddenly having a brother is turning out to have its advantages." He confessed. "Even if Haze is still wearing my favourite shirt." He realised that once again Haze had gotten to the clean shirts first. How does he do that?



"Mom took us shopping last week, and we both got new clothes." He explained to Pete.



"So you got new clothes and a full-sized new brother! Take it from me, that's way better than what usually happens." Pete joked, gesturing at the new black jeans that Clark was wearing.



"No, these are Haze's, he's got my old ones on." Clark told him wryly, pointing down at what Haze had on.



"Oh, Man! Clark steals your new jeans and leaves you his old gear! Ouch, that is a low move!" Pete sympathised.



"Haze likes my old jeans better because they're already worn in." Clark tried to vindicate himself, but Pete was not buying it, even though it was the truth.



"No wonder you snagged Clark's soda, Haze … I'm glad that none of my brothers fit into my stuff." Then Pete thought it over. "Actually, it's kinda cool that you guys can share."



Haze smirked and took the opportunity to tease Clark mildly about the shirt again.



"So, how are we going to do this?" Pete was wondering. He gestured along the street to the Talon. "I could go in with Haze and then sneak round and get the back door for you?"



"What if someone starts talking to Haze?" Clark reminded them. "He can't just stand there and ignore them?"



"Sure he can." Pete teased. "Haze can just put on a goofy look and stare at Lana." He tried very hard to stop himself laughing. "No one will notice a thing. After all, that's exactly what you usually do…"



"I think Haze should stand by the back door, and I can go out back and let him in." Clark suggested, ignoring the shorter boy. "What do you think, Haze? I'll let you call this one?"



'You. Walk. In. Now.' Haze gestured, reverting to gesture as he always did when they had company. 'Me. Round. Back.'



"Way to go!" Pete approved. "Then you excuse yourself, Clark and wait in the back while Haze comes in and pretends to be you, and we'll see if anyone can tell the difference?"







Clark found that despite his own natural tendency to worry, Haze handled being in company rather well. If anything the other youth was more relaxed about the predictable attention than Clark.



Once the switch had been made, Lana duly teased, and Chloe properly bribed with additional caffeine, Clark, Pete and Haze were left alone in a booth at the back, just sitting and watching.



As Haze's thoughts drifted over to him, Clark tensed.



"Clark?" Pete had noticed the interchange between the two 'brothers'. Long experience of Clark had taught him to read his friend pretty well, and he could see that Clark was nervous now. "What's up?"



"Sheriff Adams just came in." Clark replied grimly. "No, don't turn round, she'll see us looking!"



"How'd you know that? Unless you got eyes in the back of your head all of a sudden?" Pete grinned. "You developing another ability?"



Clark shook his head. "Haze saw her."



"Haze did?" Intrigued his friend leaned closer. "Clark, how could you know what Haze sees?"



"We got this sorta thought sharing thing going on…" Clark muttered at him under his breath.



"Oh really?" Pete gave him a dubious frown, and then he took a closer look at Clark. "No, you got that stupid serious look, you actually mean that." He stared at Haze, who merely shrugged and waited for whatever was going to happen.



Pete shook his head and sighed. "I can't believe I'm even asking this, but you're really sure you're not shitting me about this, Clark?"



Anxiously Clark waited for the whole 'this weird alien stuff is creeping me out, I'm off' spiel.



Pete merely regarded him with growing amusement, "You both know what the other one is thinking? For real?"



Haze nodded, and a small smile teased the corners of his mouth. He gestured in a small circle on one wrist.



"Sometimes?" Pete guessed, earning himself a warm smile from Haze



"That's about it." Clark admitted. Pete seemed to be taking this remarkably well, but then, considering how long he had known Clark, by now Pete had probably had most of the bigger bumps shocked out of him. But did owning your own spaceship really beat being telepathic?



"So essentially, you can read this guy's mind…" Pete was asking.



Haze shrugged as if that were nothing special.



"Neat." Pete decided. "And Clark?"



"Pete?"



"You can pick up what Haze is thinking?"



"It's only really clear when we're quite close, or when Haze needs to tell me something. Sometimes I get flashes of what Haze sees though. Like just then when Sheriff Adams came in. Or when Haze turned round in the barn and found you there, while I was in the house. I could tell that he was surprised but not worried, although the light was behind you so I couldn't quite decide what he was seeing until I actually got in there myself."



Pete sighed and slumped back in the seat. "And he still stole your soda! Clark you are so dumb sometimes!"



Clark mock-punched him and the two boys tussled amiably for a few minutes.







"Haze?" Chloe stood by the bar and gestured urgently. "Could you come over here for a moment? Leave your evil clone behind though…" She grinned as Haze raised one eyebrow at that suggestion. However he was obviously not offended as he readily abandoned Clark to Pete's tender mercies and wandered over to her.



"Haze, I need you to tell me something, only Clark mustn't know." Chloe began.



"Chloe! How is Haze going to do that?" Lana interrupted. "Give the guy a break!" She blushed, and amended the obvious comment about Haze lacking speech, into something less potentially embarrassing. "Haze only just got to town! I can't believe you are badgering him already."



Haze tilted his head and looked down at Chloe. He smiled at her amiably.



"See? Haze is not bothered." Chloe told Lana smugly. Haze nodded and spread his hands in a 'what?' gesture, waiting for Chloe to elaborate.



"There! See? Haze is probably even smarter than Clark." Chloe smiled. "What I want, Haze, is for you to taste these two muffins, and tell me which one Clark would like best? That okay?"



Haze didn't seem to have a problem with that, as he nodded and let Chloe feed him part of one muffin.



"How many marks out of ten, would you give that?" Chloe asked him.



Haze thought it over as he chewed. Just before he swallowed, he held up seven fingers.



"Okay. Have a sip of water."



Lana obliged with a glass from behind the bar. "I know my duty." She smiled. Haze grinned easily back at her, then let Chloe feed him a piece of the alternative muffin.



"And that one?" Chloe was anxious. "Ah! Nine! Great! Lana, order up two batches of those for Clark's surprise party…!" She smiled up at Haze victoriously. "If you like them, then Clark will too!"



Haze made an 'I guess so' gesture. At that second, someone barged past, pushing Chloe into Haze and nearly knocking her over. Catching her in one arm, and turning smoothly, Haze tugged on the offender's sleeve, demanding his attention.



"What the fuck?" The youth span round. Chloe recognised him as one of the heavy hitters from the previous year's football squad: Kenny Dobson.



"Kent? What do you want?"

Haze gestured at Chloe with his free hand.



"What Haze wants, Dobson, is for you to apologise for nearly knocking both of us over!" Chloe snapped, reluctantly moving out of Haze's embrace so that she could glare up at the offending party.



"Haze? What kinda stupid nickname is that?" Dobson laughed. "Kent, if you want to tell me something, say it yourself! Dumb fuck! Getting girls to talk for you!" He sneered. "Then again, maybe you've come out of the closet at last, and this is the new 'you'?"



The question hung on the still air.







While Haze had a fairly firm grasp of each word, taken in the current context he was not certain of what was actually being asked. However, from the boy's tone and attitude, it did not appear to be at all polite. Chloe obviously thought so too, as she visibly bristled.



"Well, need persuading?" Dobson demanded. "Try this for size!"



Haze's remained in a state of practiced calm, and as the other boy attacked he was already moving to counter the action. Stretching out one arm he left Dobson to flail against empty air, helpless against Haze's superior reach.



"Ow!" Dobson tried to force himself closer to Haze, but was unable to make contact. "Hey, you bastard!"



Haze merely waited, impassively.



"Lemme go! You fucking queer!"



On hearing the boy demand release, Haze abruptly obliged, stepping sideways. Unbalanced, Dobson fell forwards and staggered into the counter.



As the watching audience roared with laughter, Haze gave a small smirk. While it would not have been right for him to do actual injury to this man-child, subjecting an opponent to moderate public humiliation was one of the traditional perks of hand-to-hand combat.



"So you think that's fucking funny, do you, fag?" Dobson was reaching into his back pocket.



His attention mostly focussed on the irate youth, Haze's otherworldly gifts suddenly told him that Clark was over on the other side of the human wall that seemed to have materialised almost from nowhere. From the feelings that Clark was broadcasting, Clark felt not only helpless to intervene, but also intensely worried.



Haze tried to project reassurance to his 'brother'. There was no reason for undue anxiety. This was second nature to Haze, after all, he was a seasoned combatant and this opponent was barely out of childhood.



"He's got a flick knife!" Someone called.



The weapon was interesting, but hardly cause for dismay. However Haze also had Chloe's safety to think of. Gently he guided her behind him, keeping between her and harm, hoping that she would understand that he was buying her the time to get clear.



"What about that, you faggot? What do you say to that?" Dobson waved the knife in Haze's direction.



Ensuring that he remained at least one hand-span beyond the maximum potential reach of the blade, Haze waited for the teen to make a move. One part of his awareness confirmed that Chloe had now arrived behind the counter with Lana, while another part duly noted that Clark had also begun to take advantage of the situation and was subtly shifting position while all eyes were elsewhere.



"Haze can't talk!" Lana blurted from behind the counter, hugging Chloe.



"Who cares?" Dobson snarled. "Fuck him! Do you hear me, fag? Fuck you!"



Haze gave a dangerous smile. While the nuances were unfamiliar, the intention was plain enough. He also recalled what he had gleaned from the interactions between Clark and Jonathan about how some of these people reacted to non-procreational sexual activity.



Wiping his palm with the other hand, Haze quite clearly responded that he wouldn't be interested in that offer if he and Dobson were the last two people left on Planet Earth. After a final deliberate pause, He waved his hand, plainly indicating that it was obvious that Dobson was simply not worth the effort, and that the other youth should leave…



From the enraged look on the other's face it was apparent that Haze had made his point perfectly, even without being able to utter a word.



"In case you didn't quite understand, Dobson. Haze just told that he isn't interested in having anything to do with you," Clark purred, taking up position directly beside his 'brother'. "And I second that. I wouldn't touch you with a pitchfork."



Dobson's eyes widened. There were suddenly two Clark Kent's…





"I think that this nice young man has given you his answer plainly enough." Sheriff Adams' dry growl cut across the howls of mirth from the rest of those present. "I have to agree with him. Carrying a concealed weapon is an offence around here. So is offensive language in a public area. Seems to me that you got a bit of explaining to do… And I can't wait to hear it."



The room went still. The sound of the knife embedding in the floorboards reverberated as Haze waved 'hi' and signed a badge on his chest.



"Hello to you too, Haze." The Sheriff responded, already locking the cuffs on Dobson. "Miss Lang, I'm going to need my coffee 'to go'. Haze, might I trouble you to bring it over to the station for me when it's ready? I only need you to run through a few details." Adams narrowed her eyes and stared across the already thinning crowd.



"Oh, and Clark, come with him." She added as an afterthought. "You can make yourself useful and interpret…"







"Oh wow, Haze!" Clark was right beside him. "I thought…"



That you might get hurt? That Chloe might get hurt? That you would have to do something weird and we would both be exposed… The anxieties blazed out of Clark like neon lights



Haze's warm smile and brotherly slap between the shoulder blades dissolved all of Clark's worries, just as it had been intended to.



"That was awesome!" Pete grinned.



"I can't believe Sheriff Adams is so nice to you!" Clark admitted. "She hates me, has done from the start."



Haze performed a crudely graphic gesture involving his nose and a certain bodily orifice, pointed to Clark and shrugged.



Red-faced, Clark was about to clean up the statement sufficiently for public consumption when Pete stopped him. "No, let me see if I can guess?" Suddenly he caught on, "You're suggesting that Clark should do some brown-nosing with the Sheriff?" He wrinkled his nose in distaste, "Ooh. That is tacky!"



A neatly lifted eyebrow communicated the 'so what?' without Clark needing to say a word on Haze's behalf.



Handing Haze the Sheriff's coffee, Lana smiled. "Thanks." She said brightly. "That was smoothly handled."



"And for once nothing got broken!" Chloe piped up.



Both Clark and Haze blushed in tandem.



"Aw, that's so cute!" The two girls chorused. They grinned at each other. "Stereo!"



Dashing round the counter Chloe threw her arms around Haze. "C'mere, Haze, I owe you!" She told him.



Haze shrugged and leaning down, accepted a quick kiss on the lips from the bubbly blonde. Smiling, he pressed a light kiss on her forehead affectionately.



"Clark, I think I want to keep your brother," Chloe looked at Clark, who was standing and feeling a little bewildered. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"



"Uhmmm." Clark struggled to form a coherent sentence. Haze's impressions of soft, hot, Chloe in his arms, muddling with Clark's own very explicit view of Chloe draped over his 'twin' were sending his teenage hormones into a state of absolute chaos. Thankfully Chloe didn't seem to expect any sort of intelligible response from him. She continued to wrap her arms around Haze as if he were her very own walking squeeze toy.







"But Haze," Chloe was saying as Clark mentally resurfaced, "You'll have to give Lana a kiss too now, otherwise it won't be fair." She shared a meaningful look with Lana, "Isn't that right, Lana?"



Lana giggled as she wandered around the counter. "Absolutely." She agreed. "Management reserves the right to levy a charge for kissing in the Talon. Ten percent… Payment in kind."



Haze handed the coffee over to a stunned Clark. Too amazed to even think of protesting, Clark accepted the cup without complaint.



Reaching out to Lana, and guiding her gently against him, Haze placed an equally chaste kiss on her forehead, somehow keeping Chloe draped over one side of his body while Lana fitted herself against the other. Immediately he was enfolded in two pairs of feminine arms.



Giggling, the girls hugged Haze, who didn't seem the slightest bit uncomfortable with them squeezing him.



The sensations radiating off of Haze were beginning to send Clark into meltdown, and he wondered frantically just how much hotter he could get before he started visibly smoking?



"You don't mind this, do you Haze?" Lana asked, taking a moment to look up at Haze. "I mean, it feels like you don't mind, but …"



Haze smiled, pulling them both closer to him and grinning.



"Phew!" Chloe gave an exaggerated sigh. "Because I would be so embarrassed if you were, y'know … unavailable!"



"Chloe!" Lana said suddenly. "We're making assumptions here, and maybe we shouldn't be?" She glanced back up at Haze, and then over at Clark, who was already strawberry red. "I mean, how do we know Haze is unattached? We never even asked. Clark? Help us out here!"



Haze gave Clark a wink. Clark blushed beet red and tried to pretend that he was anywhere but here.



"Course he's available!" Pete stepped in. "I mean, why wouldn't he be available?"



"Available?" Lex's smooth tones snapped Clark out of his reverie. "Clark? Honestly, is one lovely lady not enough for you? Do you have to monopolise the entire female population of Smallville?"



"Actually, this isn't Clark." Chloe smirked, hanging on Haze's arm and showing not the least sign of letting go. "You just think it is…"



"Not Clark?" Lex raised a querying eyebrow. "Okay, I'll bite … so I'm utterly wrong and this is not young Mr Kent. Then assuming that this is really a perfect stranger," He only just managed to avoid putting undue emphasis on the 'perfect' part, and assessed the situation more closely, "Just who are you and Lana getting so... intimate with?" He finished with evident amusement.



"Lex," Clark decided that it was his right to break the good news. "This is Haze." He said, stepping into view and thoroughly enjoying the look of pure shock that blew the famous Luthor 'poker face' out of the water.



"Clark!" Lex sat down hard on a chair that through sheer good fortune just happened to now be conveniently located right behind his knees.



From the twinge of amusement filtering through to him from Haze, Clark knew that the chair had been given a little 'Haze help'. "Yep." He grinned.







Bemused, Lex stared from one lad to the other. Hair? Check. Face? Check. Body? Check. Legs? Check. It was a shame that he couldn't see the back view from his present position, but he guessed that he would be seeing double there as well.



"Lex? You okay?" Clark was obviously becoming concerned at the continuing lack of response.



Waving a carefully 'casual' hand to show that he was just fine, Lex waited while he recovered his composure.



Clark turned to his duplicate. "Haze, this is Lex. You know, the friend of mine that lives in the castle?" He asked.



Haze evidently did know something of what Clark was talking about, as he made a steering wheel gesture



Lex wondered just exactly what Clark had said about him? Explaining that you were nearly killed by someone didn't seem to be an exactly ideal way to introduce them to your … twin brother?



Since when had Clark had siblings? Let alone a twin? And was it really normal for even identical twins to be this alike? Then again, when was anything to do with Clark ever normal?



Haze flickered his fist in several hands worth of fingers.



"Yeah, the one with all the neat cars." Clark agreed readily.



Lex allowed himself a small sigh of relief. When would he learn not to doubt Clark? But how strange was this? Did the two youths share the same tastes? He could see the same flannel shirts, Clark in blue, Haze in red. Under the shirts, the same tee's, same jeans, even the same brand of boots that Clark wore on a regular basis. Although, given the Kent's usual financial state, maybe the youths had no choice but to share things?



And then there was Chloe and Lana, still entwined around Haze, and Clark seemingly not raising any apparent objections: the pout was conspicuously absent.



Willing to share people too apparently? That sort of sharing, raised new and interesting possibilities… Lex carefully catalogued that thought away at the back of his mind for later inspection as well. Maybe Haze and Clark would be equally willing to divide everything evenly between them? Ooh… That could mean he could have his cake - and still eat it?



Bad Lex! Down boy!







"I think we'd better get Lex a really strong coffee." Chloe took charge bravely. "Thinking of coffee, Haze, shouldn't you and Clark take Sheriff Adams her cup now and let her collect that statement?"



Haze saluted saucily and gave her a peck on the nose.



The petite blonde laughed. "That's right, I'm the boss, and don't you forget it!"



Haze also kissed the end of Lana's nose, before plucking the covered cup from Clark's hand, spinning him round, and directing him out of the door. Laughing, Pete followed them out.



"Oh God!" Chloe groaned, throwing herself down onto the bench beside Lex. "I nearly … uhm!" She stopped short of saying exactly what she had nearly done as she remembered that Lex was still there. Silent, but very definitely there, and certainly listening.



"Me too!" Lana admitted. She looked at Chloe and giggled again. The two of them shared a 'girly moment', much to Lex's amusement.



"You should have seen your face, Lex. I so wish I had brought my camera with me!" Chloe told him, breaking the eye-lock with Lana and smiling even wider.



"You can hardly blame Lex though." Lana laughed, taking the empty cups back behind the counter. "It is a bit surprising to find that there are two Clark's, even if they aren't both actually Clark."



"Mmmmm." Judging by the dreamy-eyed look, Chloe didn't seem to have found that particular experience at all unsettling.



"Chloe, what exactly has been going on?" Lex asked, hoping that this would fire up Chloe's reporting instincts.



"Huh?" Chloe shook herself out of her daydream. "Oh, sorry Lex. I was miles away…"



"I could tell." Lex smirked. "Now spill!"



As Chloe brought him up to speed on what she knew about the latest developments down on the Kent farm, Lex's eyes grew wider and wider.



* * * * *

"Lex?" Clark was back, slumping lazily down onto the seat beside Lex, with Haze slipping in to the booth on the far side of his brother. Pete was conspicuous by his absence. Not that Lex was upset by that: he knew perfectly well how the Ross boy felt about him and his family.



"Clark. Haze." Lex was determined not to allow himself to look like a complete drooling idiot this time around. Luthor's did not drool… "How have you been since I last saw you, Clark?" He asked.



"Fine. And now that we've been over and talked to the Sheriff, I feel a lot better." Clark admitted, settling two fresh cups of scalding hot coffee on the table in front of them. "I really don't like her. She's downright scary."



"Sheriff Adams is a tough case." Lex soothed. "She doesn't seem to like anyone."



"That's not exactly true." Clark jerked a thumb at his 'brother'. "She likes Haze. Can you believe that? She acts like the sun shines out of his…"



Haze's hand was over Clark's mouth before he could get the next word out. Wagging a finger at his 'twin' Haze prodded Clark in the ribs and cast a meaningful glance at Lex. Clark's eyes widened, and he nodded.



Haze let him go, but not before Clark had impulsively licked a wide strip over the underneath of Haze's fingers in what seemed to be a rather childish gesture of defiance, apparently intended to encourage Haze to pull away faster.



Satisfied that he had made his point, Haze nodded at Clark, then glancing at the damp patch on his fingers, he sucked them dry, utterly oblivious to the reactions of his audience of two.



Lex thought that it was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. As his groin tightened in sudden lust, he flicked a glance at Clark and the breath stilled in his throat: Clark's eyes were dark with arousal, pupils so fully dilated that hardly a hint of colour remained visible.



Oh Boy… Not just a childish prank after all … Looks like Clark has begun to discover what he really wants…







As Haze had pressed his palm over Clark's mouth, Clark had felt the contours of each finger brush over his parted lips. At a speed that only he could manage, he licked the underside of Haze's hand, slipping his tongue between each finger, dampening the deliciously smooth skin, and tasting Haze enthusiastically. His heart pounded in his chest, matched by an equally insistent pulsing in his groin, and his breathing speeded up.



For a second, the connection between him and Haze lit up like the fourth of July.



The sensations shut off as abruptly as they had flared up. Dimly, Clark was aware of Haze gesturing at him, and passing him a cup of liquid, although as he swallowed it down, he could not have said whether it was hot or cold, or even what it tasted of. The only thing on his mind at that moment was the lingering flavour of Haze, the feeling of his tongue on Haze's smooth flesh, and a resolution that it would have to happen again.







"Uh, yes, the Sheriff…" Lex brought his mind out of the fog that had temporarily clouded it, and tried desperately to find something publicly acceptable to talk about. "Yes, as you were saying, Clark, it is unusual for Sheriff Adams to be sociable with anyone."



"Particularly considering how Haze looks exactly like me." Clark grabbed the conversational lifeline gratefully. "And we all know that she absolutely hates me."



"Yes. I remember." Lex agreed, and then he frowned. "I must admit, that I do find this a bit unusual. Even for Smallville…" He added, alluding to their ongoing private joke. "Clark, I'm guessing that you won't answer this, but I'm just going to plunge ahead and ask anyway… How come you never mentioned having an identical brother?"



"I didn't know that Haze existed." Clark told him.



Lex tilted his head and looked Clark straight in the eye. "You're not kidding about that, are you?" He said, in astonishment. It wasn't really a question. There was no doubt in his mind that Clark had spoken the complete truth. Lex couldn't help wondering how often that was likely to happen? His exquisite farm boy might not lie, but Clark so rarely offered more than minimal details.



"Of course not." Clark assured him. "Why would I? We'd never met each other until Haze arrived at the farm." He added.



Haze nodded.



"Uhm, is it me, or do you not say much?" Lex asked, looking at Haze. It wouldn't be the first time that someone had chosen not to speak to him. After all, thanks to his father, the Luthor's weren't the most popular people on the planet.



"Haze can't talk." Clark put in quickly. "Mom says I'm to tell anyone who asks that Haze is mute but not deaf." He added helpfully.



"Oh, sorry, no offence meant." Lex apologised.



Haze's casual gesture showed that he was not in the least bothered.



"Really?" Lex was now curious. "No voice at all?"



The other 'Clark' shook his head.



"Weird enough for around here." Lex decided. "You should fit in perfectly, Haze, so in the unlikely event that no one's said it to you yet – Welcome to Smallville…"



Accepting the offered hand with a small smile, Haze shook it firmly.



As their flesh met, Lex could have sworn that he felt sunshine flowing over him. "I hope you understand why I have to ask this, but you're not another meteor mutant are you?" He wondered reluctantly.



Haze breathed out a couple of silent chuckles, shaking his head in amusement and drawing a cross over his heart.



"No, Haze is definitely not one of the green rock brigade." Clark said happily, flinging a solid arm over his 'brother' and smiling warmly. "I'll vouch for that."



"Okay. That's good enough for me." Lex told them both.



"Wow. Is that the time?" Clark had suddenly noticed the clock on the far wall. "Haze, we gotta go! Mom will have our hides if we're late for dinner!"



Being at the edge of the table, Haze immediately rose to his feet and offered his hand to Clark, who took it and let himself be hauled out until his knees were clear and he could stand safely without kneecapping himself, or wrecking the table.







Lex knew he was staring, but couldn't bring himself to care. As both youths pulled on matching jackets and, with an identical short wave at Lex, turned toward the door, the younger Luthor decided that he simply had to seize the moment.



"Why don't you both come over to the Castle and play pool with me tomorrow night, if you're free?" He offered.



"Are you sure?" Clark was immediately conflicted. "I know how you feel about people bringing strangers into your home."



"Clark." Lex chided him. "I would hardly consider your brother as a stranger."



"But Haze is practically a stranger to me, so why would he not be to you?" Clark was adorably confused.



Haze flicked Clark lightly upside the head and motioned for Lex to ignore him. Pointing questioningly to his wrist, he made a 'time' sign toward Lex while Clark's attention was totally engaged in an energetic exploration of all of his pockets, evidently having managed to misplace something important.



"Seven okay?" Lex suggested. That seemed to be fine with Haze. He gestured at Clark and mimed Clark telephoning Lex.



"Right, better let Clark check with your parents." Lex agreed. "Don't want to rile Jonathan…"



Nodding, Haze slipped his hands into his coat pockets. With a slight frown he pulled a set of keys out, handing them to Clark.



"But why did you have the keys?" Clark protested.



Haze signed at him hurriedly.



"Oh, then this is your coat?" Clark blushed.



Haze half-hugged him and started towing him toward the door.



"Right," Clark was saying. "Time, yes…Oh gees, Haze, Mom is gonna string me, I mean us, up for this! Hey, can I blame you?"