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"Lex!" Clark bangs on the door to the manor, breath catching in his chest with each sob that threatens to shake him apart with the force of his cries. "Lex, come on, open the d-"
The door opens before he can knock again and Lex finds himself looking at a familiar, tear-streaked face of his best friend. It's a shock to see, his hair is a mess as if he'd been running his hands through his hair and his lips are red from being roughly bitten into.
"Clark, what's wrong?" Lex is already stepping aside, allowing the younger to slip inside past him while he hastily wipes tears off of flushed red cheeks.
"They kicked me out! They found out and I had to leave-"
"Clark-"
Lex closes the door quickly and follows behind him, concern creasing his brow as he watches Clark make his way into his study, sinking down haphazardly into a seat.
"Take a moment to breathe, do you want some water," Lex pauses, "something stronger?"
Clark just shakes his head, rubbing his hands from his eyes up through his hair, sniffling loudly. The tears leave a shiny and messy streak along his cheeks and hairline, though he quickly scrubs his hands over his face and unintentionally cleans it away.
"I really messed up this time, Lex."
Enough to drive you here, the older man thought privately, slinking over to the couch to sit, keeping some space between them. Clark quickly diminished it, scooting over until their knees were touching. "I didn't think they'd react like that." He was still in his head, eyes glazed over with memory and lingering panic. Lex frowned with worry, reaching over and resting his hand on Clark's knee.
"I need details or else I can't help." It was like Clark was pulled out of it at the sound of his voice, large eyes snapping up to his face suddenly. Lex flinched back at the intensity of his gaze.
"You'll hate me."
"I could never hate you." Certainty laces Lex's words, because it's the truth — as far as he's concerned, there's very little that Clark could do that would truly drive a wedge between them.
Green eyes kept tracing his face for signs of a lie, likely thinking over one of his many secrets.
Lex always wanted to be a part of Clark's world, even though his world was convoluted and hidden in shadows.
"They found out." Whispering out the words like he could hide them from Lex if he just said them softly enough. "I.. they.." The tension was growing between them, as Clark fidgeted and struggled to say the truth that had sent him running from his home.
"Clark," A pause in which their eyes met and Lex had to resist the urge to smile — he loved having Clark's attention, being the one he looked to for help, "It'll be okay. Whatever it is, you won't scare me off."
".. promise?" His voice was so soft and child-like that something in Lex's chest squeezed tight. He knew he was walking a fine line that would either make or break their steadily growing relationship.
"I promise." Clark stood up suddenly, everything about him in that moment was sudden, his movements full of frenetic energy.
"I like to cross-dress. And mama caught me." He rushed the words out, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip when he was done. Wide green eyes stared Lex down, as it daring him to say something.
Lex was shocked into silence — at the thought of a strapping and seemingly heteronormative man like Clark being entranced by the world of makeup and stockings.
"She.. she looked so sick." He sunk back down into the couch, curling in on himself. He looked pathetic, and small, for once. It's times like this that Lex is reminded of Clark's age — only 15 and still learning how to navigate the world around himself. "I can't go back. She'll have told pa and that'll be the end of it. They'll hate me."
"So they didn't actually kick you out. You got scared and ran?" Lex asked, just to clarify. After a brief pause, Clark nodded and the older hummed softly in thought. Knowing Clark's parents, it wouldn't be long until they magically forgave him for his sins and they were a picture perfect family again but in the meantime, he was all Lex's to put back together again. Scooting closer to him, Lex laid a hand on his back and slowly began to run a circle into his shirt.
"Well, you don't know for certain if they don't want to see you again, right? How about you let them cool off for a day or so and then go back home. It looks to me like you need some time too."
".. you aren't mad?"
Lex's lips part as he thinks of an appropriate response, hesitating for only a moment before he decides to hand over a weakness of his own.
"I'm bisexual, so no, it'd be rather hypocritical, don't you think?" Clark tilts his head to the side so he can look up at Lex with wide eyes.
"So.. you like.. both?" Once again, his childish roots peek through in the most innocent and bizarre of manners.
"I do. Do you like both?"
Clark's nose scrunches up as he thinks of his answer and after a moment of silence, "kind of. I like, uhm, boys more than girls, but I do like both."
Lex nods and doesn't ask any more questions.
Clark cries himself out once they stop speaking, sent back into a spiral of tears by the remembered disgust on his mother's face. Where he lay, curled up tightly on the too-small couch, Lex can't help but watch him sleep from his desk.
Looking closely, he can see his eyelashes brush against his cheeks and his wild curls flattening against his cheeks.
He's beautiful.
Lex tilts his head a little and knows that, as he always does when he looks at Clark, that he'd do anything for him.