Beta:svmaria, thanks again for the sugar at the end!
Word Count: 2,406
Disclaimer: Smallville is property of WB, CW and DC comics. No maliciousness was intended during the making of this piece of fan fiction.

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Staring out the stained glass window of the castle, Lex felt confined. The rain had been continuing all week. This was not a good thing, considering it had already been a very wet spring and now summer was proving to be worse. This stalled front was making him seriously consider hoping a plane to the tropics, sunburned be damned. He hated the rain, always had and always would.

He heard the sound of someone entering the office and spun his chair to see who it was, although he suspected it was Clark. The tell tale sound of his boots on the flooring was hard to mistake. With a wave of his hand, he let Clark know he was on the phone and would be off of it in a moment.

Lex soon put down the phone and took full notice of his friend. Clark looked depressed, upset and worried. He also looked drenched to the bone. This was not a surprise though, since it was pouring out again. Lex walked over to the wet bar, and his stash of towels. He tossed one to Clark.

"Please tell me you didn't walk over." Lex hoped not, although Clark looked decidedly soaked.

"No, this was just getting from the house to the truck, then from the truck into here!" Clark snapped.

Lex held up his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to –"

Clark hung his head. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Lex sat down and taking the towel from Clark's hands, asked, "May I?" Clark nodded when he realized Lex's intent. Soon his best friend was doing his best to towel dry his hair.

The quiet between them was slightly uncomfortable, but Lex had forgiven Clark. So it wasn't that and Lex knew that Clark understood that as well. It was going to be up to Lex to loosen Clark's tongue.

Finishing the drying, Lex tossed the towel over the arm of the couch. "What's wrong Clark?"

"I just had to get out of the house," Clark admitted after a long silence, which had made Lex uncertain if he would get a response or not.

"I understand that feeling. In fact, I was thinking about to trip to somewhere sunny and warm. You're welcome to accompany me. In fact, I'd enjoy the company of someone who was not out to kill me," Lex joked, referring to his bad luck with wives.

Clark stared at his folded hands in his lap. "God, I'd love to Lex, you have no idea…"

"I sense a 'but' in there, Clark. You can't possibly tell me that your father can put you to much work on the farm with things like …" Lex trailed off as his mind put the pieces together. "Oh, I'm sorry, Clark. I wasn't thinking. I suppose all this rain has really affected you and your family?"

Clark nodded. His jaw went tight. The knuckles of his hands went white.

Lex wasn't sure what to do. If Clark had been a woman, or even a gay man, he would have tried to comfort him with some good, old fashioned sex. But Clark was not the type for casual sex and appeared to be completely heterosexual, even if his luck with women was about as good as his own.

He settled for draping a loose arm around Clark's back. That's when he noticed how wet Clark's shirt was. "Clark, we need to get you into some dry clothes before you catch cold."

"I don't get sick, Lex. Neither do you." Clark said flatly, with a detached air to his voice. So detached, in fact, Lex wondered if now would be the perfect time to bring up the dreaded subject, they always avoided like a pack of wild, stampeding, Indian elephants.

Lex cleared his throat. "Yes, I noticed that. Except for those pesky little green rocks that you seem to (be highly adverse to) which you are highly adverse."

"Kryptonite," Clark muttered.

"Excuse me?" Lex leaned forward to hear correctly.

"You heard me," Clark sighed and lifted up his chin to stare ahead dully. "It's called Kryptonite. I suppose its okay to tell you now, since we…"

"Clark, what is it?" Lex's gut twisted. If Clark was suddenly ready to be completely open, it did not bode well.

"We're moving." Clark's voice shook.

"What?" Lex couldn't believe his ears. Jonathan Kent loved that stupid farm, the house and all the backbreaking work he did to keep it barely afloat. OH… Afloat… Lex looked toward the windows, where the rain was coming down like the wrath of God.

"No, you aren't. If you start to take on too much water, you are all welcome to move into the castle. It's in my name anyway. Although I suspect your father would rather build and ark than live under my roof, no matter how temporary."

Clark didn't utter a word. So Lex plunged on. If need be, he could carry the conversation for both of them.

"I take it the crop is ruined and you've run out of feed for the cows?" Lex asked.

Clark nodded, his eyes closed in emotional pain, no doubt.

"This may seem like there's no relevance to the state of your farm Clark, but exactly how strong are you?" Lex's mind was hard at work, his eyes fixed on the cufflinks he'd taken off the night before and left on his desk.

Clark looked at him with empty eyes. "I can bench press the tractor."

Lex blinked. "Okay, we'll get back to that, but that's the wrong kind of strength. What can you do pressure wise with your bare hands?"

At last there was a reaction out of Clark. He frowned. "I can twist an iron bar, if that's what you mean."

Lex grinned. "Have you taken Earth or Physical Science in school?"

"Yes, back in my freshman year, why?" Clark looked truly perplexed now, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Most diamonds are made of carbon that was in the mantle since the earth was formed, but some are made of carbon from the bodies and shells of microorganisms, like algae in ancient oceans. If a rock fell into an ocean trench at the edge of a tectonic plate where rocks are being dragged underneath a continent, it would reappear millions of years later as diamonds!" Lex smiled at Clark, willing him to get it.

"Okay," Clark was obviously lost.

Lex shook his head. "Clark, with enough pressure you could speed that process up considerably."

"Lex, I appreciate what your doing, but whether it’s a million years or a hundred my parents have already been contacted by the bank –"

"Just bear with me, alright Clark?" Lex pleaded. Clark sighed, obviously at the end of his rope. "I've seen you run really fast too. But how far have you run?"

"I've run to both coasts, but then got grounded for ruining more shoes. Why?"

Lex chuckled. "Remind me to get you a gift card for Foot Locker."

Clark's mouth twitched upwards and Lex took it as a good sign. He sat down next to Clark again, who twisted to give him his full attention. "Clark, Kansas has coal although the states west of the Appalachians are better known for it. For a long time, Pennsylvania (was) is the top coal producer."

"You mean, you want me to run and get you some coal so we can see if I can squeeze it into a diamond?" Clark blinked.

"Exactly. Think about it Clark, its not like your parents are going to accept any money from me. But if you could do this, then I could get the diamonds cashed out and you could save your farm!"

"And I wouldn't have to leave you!" Clarks' smile lit up the whole room and he gave Lex a bear hug of gratitude, not realizing what he'd said. But Lex hadn't missed it. He smiled, even though he was starting to see stars from lack of oxygen. Evidently, he'd been controlling his strength for their previous hugs.

"Clark!" Lex gasped.

Jerking away from Lex like he'd been burned, Clark looked over Lex nervously. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Lex rasped out.

Clark grinned. "I'll be right back!"

Lex was thrown back into the arm of the couch, where the wet towel lay, by the burst of speed Clark had laid on suddenly. Shaking his head, he took the sodden towel and left it to dry over the bar. He was just about to grab a bottle of Ty Nant when Clark appeared in front of him, causing him to jump yet again. "Holy shit, I need to bell you!"

Clark was rather dirty and in his hands was a large piece of coal. Lex nodded encouragingly. Clark applied pressure with both hands squeezing and squeezing with all his might. Small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead before he opened his hands. They both leaned over them to see the results.

Little sparkles of light winked at them through the black grit of the coal dust on Clark's hands. "Oh, I guess I squeezed too hard?" Clark bit his lip and looked at Lex nervously.

Lex laughed. He picked up one of the diamonds. "Actually Clark this is just perfect. It would have been hard, even for me, to move a diamond the size of your fist without questions."

"Really? Will this do it, Lex? Will this save the farm?" Clark asked excitedly, one question after another, as he walked over to the glass desk and poured the diamonds and dust onto it. He wiped his hands onto his jeans, making large black smeared handprints on them. But the smile on his face said he (couldn’t) could care less.

Looking down at the diamonds, Lex did a quick estimate. "I think we're looking at about a half a million dollars worth right here, Clark."

"Wh-wh-what?" Clark's mouth was flapping open like a fish on a dock.

"Of course, it might be more. I've been out of the diamond market for awhile now, you understand. Plus, as dark as it is in here and without a jeweler's glass –"

"But my parents will get upset about that much money!" Clark protested.

Lex rolled his eyes. "Fine, then give the rest to charity. Or start a fund for other farmers in the area. Give the money to the Farmers Co-op. Or I could, if you prefer." Lex smirked. "Or you could be really evil and put it into an account. After all, Clark, if your parents should need long term nursing care when they get older –"

"Do you think they will?" Clark asked, looking concerned once more.

"Perhaps you should put some of it aside and then give the rest away?" Lex shrugged.

Clark looked at him with an accessing stare. "What do you want from this, Lex?"

"Well, how about you tell me the rest of the secret and –"

Clark gulped and nodded. "And?"

"A date?" Lex winked.

A blush filled Clark's cheeks. "I'm a guy, Lex."

"Do tell," Lex teased. "I never would have guessed." Enjoying the fact that Clark was on the receiving end of a truly amazing blush, he added. "Actually, we could make sure of that fact."

Clark was too embarrassed to even speak. Lex laughed. "Let me place some calls and we can take care of the farm first. We can play truth and dare later."

Clark shivered and Lex wasn’t sure if it was from him or that fact that Clark was literally dripping onto the floor. He grabbed a fresh towel and tossed it at Clark. "I think you better get out of those clothes first."

"Lex!" Clark yelped.

"Clark? My floor?" Lex pointed down at the puddle at Clark's feet.

"Oh, right," Clark began to stutter then ran out of the room in the direction of the bathroom. Lex was still laughing when he picked up the phone to make arrangements to liquidate the diamonds.

"Um… Lex, do you have something more I could put on?" Clark appeared in the white towel. Lex never thought he'd be jealous of a piece of fabric. Would wonders never cease?

Clark was wet, but looked like he'd washed up. Lex was trying not to stare but it was hopeless. He was drawn to Clark like a moth to a flame. His feet took him to Clark without a second thought. He watched, as if he was having an out-of-body experience, his hand reach out to trace a drop of water down Clark's chest.

"Oh," Clark whispered closing his eyes. It was clear, by the expression of dazed pleasure on his face, that no one had ever done that before. The thought that he was the first to do it, made Lex feel very smug indeed.

"Do you like that, Clark?" Lex used his best sexy tone, pleased to watch Clark tremble under his fingertips. Clark's body was hard as if chiseled out of marble, yet smooth as a glass. "So does this mean you accept the concept that although we are both men, going on a date interests you?"

Clark was breathing out of his mouth as Lex's fingers traced around a nipple. Lex didn't exactly get a verbal answer. Clark did manage to get what sounded like a whimper out. "Mmm, I'll take that as a 'yes'." He reluctantly withdrew his hand. "But as much as I'd love to continue this right now, you better get changed. I'll be right back. Why don't you call your folks?"

Opening his eyes, Clark clumsily grabbed for the phone Lex was handing him. Lex tried not to think about how adorable that was as he left the room. He made sure to close the door firmly behind him, then as an afterthought, locked it.

Walking toward his bedroom for some clothes for Clark, he reflected over recent events. Clark finally trusted him and was going to tell him his secrets. He'd helped Clark to save the farm, earning his eternal gratitude and in the process, had won the young man. If he was really lucky, he could convince Clark that the roads were too flooded for him to go back that night.

Maybe he could even get Clark to do that trick with the coal a few more times, and LexCorp's future would be assured.

Lex smiled, he loved rainy days.