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Title: "Let the World Know"
Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Lex lays at Death's door once again, but this time will change everything for he and his beloved hero, Clark.
Warnings: Slash, Established Relationship, AU, Anti-Lana
Word Count: 1,983
Date Written: 5 April, 2011
Challenge/Prompt: For the Old-School-Clex LJ comm
Disclaimer: Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, all other characters mentioned within, who belongs to himself, and Smallville are © & TM DC comics and any other rightful owners, none of whom are the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Clark's mind spun in shocked circles as he prayed for another miracle. He continued fervently pumping his beloved Lex's chest as he fought back a rain of tears that felt as though it would never end once the first drop fell. He couldn't believe that this had happened again! Why was his love always getting himself into these nearly fatal situations? And yet, Clark had to admit, that this wasn't entirely Lex's fault.

No, he had played a large hand in this act. He should have kept his mouth shut, but like an idiot, he'd spilled the beans. Still he never would have thought that the woman would have reacted to their news in this manner. He'd thought her a friend, a good person who would understand and accept their love for the beautiful, wonderful blessing it was eventually, and even if she'd not accepted them, he never, in a million light years, would have thought that she would have reacted the way she had. He never would have believed that his friend would have tried to kill his boyfriend.

Maybe he was naive, Clark thought, his dark, curly head hanging and tears sparkling in his baby blue eyes. Maybe he was stupid to think the best of every one, but he'd known her for years and had truly thought her not to possess a single wicked bone in her entire body. She had just proven how evil she truly was, however, and now his love lay being dragged toward Death's waiting arms yet again because of her wretched actions and Clark's own stupidity.

"I'm sorry, Lex," he breathed, "so sorry!" A lone tear at last fell down his cheek, trickled down his mournful face, and splashed onto his love's still face. "Give me another chance, and I promise I won't be so stupid." Lex had yet to respond to his methods on his chest, but yet Clark could still hear his beloved's faint heartbeat. "Please, Lex! Baby, you've got to live!"

He couldn't lose him not now, not like this, not after all they'd been through together! He had to live! Clark could no longer imagine his life without Lex shining his star in it. He remembered the woman's cold smirk and her taunt that, once Lex was dead and out of the picture, he'd come back to her. Never! Clark swore. He was gay and proud of it! He loved Lex, and nothing in all of existence could ever change his undying love for the most wonderful man he'd ever known!

"Please, Lex!" Clark begged, his head hanging closer against his love's body and more tears falling down his face. "Please live! I love you!"

Lex coughed at long last, and Clark's eyes shot expectantly up to his face. Lex smiled weakly at him. "I love you too, Clark," he said, reaching up and caressing his love's sweet face, "and I'm not going anywhere." He paused before saying, "That bitch, on the other hand . . . "

"Don't worry about her," Clark urged. "Leave her to me. I'll hand her over to the authorities."

"And what?" Lex prompted. "Say that she tried to kill me when the police already want me imprisoned? They'll turn the tables on us, Clark. They'll find a way to make it look like I attacked her, and you know she'll play along."

"I'm not going to let her get away with this, Lex!" Clark exclaimed, his face flushing with his anger.

Lex drew a thumb gently across Clark's hot cheek. It was very rare indeed that he saw his man get angry, and it warmed him to see that anger, know who it was directed at, and, even more, to know that it was justified because of what the little bitch had tried to do to him. "We're not going to," he assured him, "but we're going to play it a little differently."

Clark's brow furrowed. He looked at him in surprise, his blue eyes narrowing. His love had a fantastic mind that always kept him on his toes. No matter how many times Clark tried to figure out Lex's plans before the end of his games, he always took him by surprise. "How?" he asked at last. "What are we going to do?"

"You, my sweet love," Lex said, his voice still weak despite his fingers running softly over Clark's supple, pink lips, "are not going to do a thing save never again telling your ex-girlfriends that we love each other while we're in a speeding car and -- "

Clark grimaced and cut his love short before he could stop himself. "I didn't think Lana would push you out, Lex!"

Lex smiled. He shook his head once but then instantly stilled. His body still hurt too much to move. "I know you didn't," he reassured him, "but I wouldn't have put this or much more pass young Miss Lang. As you see now, she's not as innocent as she makes herself out to be, and she, like myself, despises the press." He pulled his phone out of his breast pocket, opened it, and showed Clark the last picture he'd taken. He'd snapped it just before Lana had pushed him out of the car. He was lucky his phone hadn't broken despite how hard he'd hit the platform, and he made a mental note to invest in the company that had made it.

"So what?" Clark questioned, obviously confused. "You're going to send that picture in to the press? What good is that going to do?"

Lex smiled calmly. "That's the other thing I need you to do, Clark. I need you to just take a picture of me laying here." He handed him the phone and laid back, resuming the posture of a dead man.

Clark's stomach squirmed, and his heartbeat quickened. He didn't like the way Lex was laying so still and calm; somehow, his skin almost seemed to be paler all of a sudden. "Lex?"

"I'm fine, Clark," Lex assured him, his lips barely moving. "Just take the picture, sweetheart."

Clark paused. He looked at the phone and then back to Lex. "How?" he finally asked.

Lex raised a single, slender eyebrow, reopened his eyes, and looked back to his love. His smile grew at Clark's doubtful, confused expression. He knew that Clark's naivety with certain things of modern life bothered the younger man, but even after all their time together, he still found his naivety sweetly charming. He sat back up, took the phone again, and showed Clark the button to press. "You aim the phone, just like this," he said, indicating the positioning, "and then press this little button. That's all there is to it."

"Okay . . . " Clark said slowly, and Lex's smile grew.

His man could lift mountains and stop trains. He'd saved the world too many times to count, and yet still he doubted that he could do something as simple as snapping a picture. He handed him his phone back and lovingly cupped his face. "You'll do fine," he assured him, caressing him before resuming the position of the dead, rich corpse. He could see the pictures hitting the newspaper across the globe already and had to fight down his smile. Lana Lang only thought she knew the man she had just angered. The little bitch was in for the surprise of her life.

Clark stood, took a few steps backward, and hesitantly snapped the picture as Lex held perfectly still. The moment the flash had stopped and he heard the phone make a faint noise, he returned to crouching by his soul mate's side and asked softly, "How'd I do?"

Lex took his phone again from Clark's timid hands and gazed at the picture. "Perfect," he announced and then showed the picture to his boyfriend. Clark nodded, and he turned his phone back to himself and started sending out the pictures.

"So what now?" Clark asked. "Do you really think this will do any good?"

"Oh, I know it will," Lex said, and the smile that curved his lips was the devious grin that promised Clark the ultimate of outcomes. "I'll lay low for a while, let the world believe I'm dead, and Miss Lang will not have a moment's peace. Believe me, Clark, there are few headaches worse than being hounded mercilessly by the press. They really are the Vampires celebrities make them out to be. Your little friend will think many times over before ever pulling a stunt like this again."

"She's not my friend!" Clark defended himself quickly. "Not any more! I only thought she was! No friend of mine would have pushed you to your death!"

"Baby, baby," Lex cajoled, sitting up and taking Clark in his arms. He cupped his handsome, troubled face and leaned his forehead against his. "I know that," he assured him, gazing deeply into his eyes, "and it's okay."

"No, it's not! She tried to kill you!"

"Yes," Lex agreed, "and she will get what she deserves." He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like she's the only one to ever try."

"No," Clark agreed sadly, "but she is the only one to ever try because I told her I love you!" He paused at that thought, a new concern lighting his blue eyes. "What if she tells them?"

"What?" Lex asked. "That we're in love?"

Clark nodded. "I know you weren't ready for the rest of the world to know -- "

Lex took a deep breath. "You're right," he agreed after a moment. "I wasn't, but you know this constant near dying has made me rethink that notion. I'm the luckiest man in the world, Clark, because I have you and your love and because you let me love you back! Let the world know!" he declared. "I don't care what they think! Let them all know that we love each other!"

Clark smiled, and Lex kissed him. Clark wrapped his arms around him, and they held each other for a while until Lex's phone buzzed, interrupting the moment. Clark glanced at it and shook his head. "I never would have thought of putting the press onto her." He glanced up at his love, his blue eyes shining, as he teased, "You're devious, you know that."

"Of course." Lex grinned. "Being a Luthor has to have some good to it, after all."

"And you're cute when you're devious."

"Am I?"

"Absolutely." Clark kissed him again with even more passion than before, his hands cascading over his lover's body and caressing every inch they came across.

"You know," Lex spoke after their kissing had paused again, his own blue eyes also twinkling merrily. "I'm going to have to lay low for a while and let them really think I'm dead. I'll be having nothing but time on my hands for a few months."

"Nothing but time," Clark amended, taking his love's right hand and laying it over his heart, "and me."

Lex's grin grew. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Of course," Clark agreed, smiling from ear to ear. "After all, we belong together!"

"That," Lex agreed, "we most certainly do, my dear Superman!" He kissed him again, his tongue diving into his mouth and tasting of his sweet nectar, as Clark gathered him into his arms, lifted them both up into the warm, afternoon sky, and flew them home. They had nothing but time stretched out before them, the rest of their lives as wide, expansive, and beautiful as the blue sky surrounding them, and he had every intention of spending every moment from then on -- or, at least, every moment, he wasn't off saving an innocent -- loving his soul mate forever more! "I love you, Lex!"

"I love you too, Clark!" And they kissed again in the glowing rays of the sinking sun, each other's smiling faces and sparkling eyes glowing with far more beauty than even the sun itself possessed. "Forever!" Lex promised, and Clark nodded, unable to say anything more, as Lex kissed him again and again!

The End