For Kon

[capable_of]

Once he'd gotten Clark settled, Lex wanted nothing more then to go home to the comfort Anatoly would provide once he heard Lex's news. Whenever he thought of Clark's return to the island, he'd prepared himself for another disgruntled teenager or the man who would grow up to be Lex's enemy. This new, mature version was almost more then Lex could handle, even if it was a pleasant surprise.

But, there was someone else Lex owed it to to tell about Clark's return. And that's why he was standing in the doorway of Kon's hut, knocking urgently. "Kon? Kon! Are you there?" He called, uncharacteristically loud. "I need to talk to you."

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[capable-of.livejournal.com]

At his name, Lex whirled around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kon. The concern for Anatoly brought a small smile to the corner of Lex's lips for a moment. "No...no, Anatoly is alright. I..." He hated Clark for a moment for putting him in this position. He still wasn't very good at things like this. "I have something I need to tell you."

[not_the_s]

"Tell…" Kon frowned. What was so urgent that Lex would come banging down his door and it not be about Anatoly? Was it...he knew that Lex didn't like Cassie and he wasn't sure whether he liked Bart, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be concerned on his behalf if something happened to either of them, right? "Just tell me, Lex."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex just looked at Kon for a long moment, wishing he knew a better way to say this, wishing he'd had a better role model for a caring parent. He even wished he could have let Anatoly do this, but Lex knew he owed Kon this much.

"Clark is back. The one from my universe. He's...he's not a teenager anymore, since he's from 8 years in my future." He and Clark were the same age, Lex would never be able to wrap his brain around that. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Now was about help Kon deal with this.

[not_the_s]

Kon's back went stiff and he took a step back. Clark? Here? "No," he blurted. "No, he can't be, it's not him. It's some other, island-normal clone. It's got to be." Having a clone like Tim had was something he could deal with. Having Clark here and a Clark that wasn't his and was Lex's was something that he just couldn't handle.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

"It's my Clark. Believe me...if it was any other, well, I doubt there would have been much talking when I found him." Lex said as he shook his head, still unable to believe that Clark had believed him.

"Kon..." Lex said as he moved forward to put his hands on the young man's shoulders, catching the distress. "It'll be alright. He knows he has a clone but I didn't give him any other details. But if you want nothing to do with him, I'll make sure that happens." There was no question about it. He may be looking forward to possible regaining his best friend, but he wasn't about to make Kon suffer for it.

[not_the_s]

"I don't...you don't understand. He's never wanted anything to do with me, so why should I want something to do with him?" It sounded stupid when he said it just like that. "It was the same with the other Clark. Mine. I get it. I mean, he never wanted me. He never asked for me."

It was kind of funny. Lex had, maybe, asked for him. Not this one, but if half of his DNA was Luthor's, then it meant that it was there purposefully, right? He couldn't imagine it getting there by accident.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

"Kon!" Lex said his name sharply and shook him slightly from his grip on the teenager's shoulders. "I don't care what Clark wants right now. I care what you want. If you don't want anything to do with Clark, then I will make sure he leave you alone." It was said with such ferocity that Lex could barely believe it was him saying it. But, he felt protective of Kon, responsible for him and Lex didn't take feelings like that lightly.

He looked away for a moment, gathering words that weren't the most familiar to him. "Anatoly and I...we do want you. You do know that right?" He said as if it was obvious but maybe he didn't let Kon know that enough. Lex certainly didn't have much experience with expressing such things or hearing them for that matter.

[not_the_s]

How messed up was it that he was turning to Lex for comfort? Except in the debate between Lex and Clark right now? Lex was winning. By a mile. He didn't seem evil and he was actually trying to help. Sometimes it seemed that but for a few months there, it was more than Clark had ever done for him.

He stilled under Lex's hands and ducked his head. "Yeah, I know. And I...I appreciate it, Lex. I do."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Despite his words, Lex wasn't confident Kon got it. And since Lex always was better at doing, he reached out and pulled Kon into a firm hug. "It will be alright Kon. I promise." And it was a promise he aimed to keep. This Clark was much more receptive to him, perhaps Lex could make him receptive to Kon as well.

Not that he was going to be the one to tell Clark whose DNA Kon shared but that had nothing to do with Kon and Lex's feelings for him.

[not_the_s]

Kon stiffened at the sudden hug and then slowly relaxed into the embrace. His eyes squeezed shut and he tried not to think about just how screwed up his life was right now.

"Thanks," he muttered under his breath. He wasn't sure whether Lex had heard him and he wasn't sure that it mattered.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

With a heavy sigh that he hid in Kon's shoulder, Lex took a step back. "We'll get through this. My door is always open." He squeezed Kon's shoulders before letting go.

"But...I am going to try and be friends with him again." Lex felt he had to say this. He cared for Kon like a son, or so he thought, but if he had a second chance to be Clark's friend...he had to take it. "I can't not. But that doesn't change anything. I promise."

[not_the_s]

Of course it would change things. It always changed things. Kon just didn't know how and he didn't think he wanted to know. Still, it wasn't like he was going to deny Lex the chance to be friends with Clark again. Even if didn't like it.

"I get it," he said with a shrug. "It's fine. Really."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex didn't quite believe him but he let it go. The only way he was going to prove to Kon that nothing would change was to show him, as he knew words wouldn't placate him in a similar situation. "If you want me to go with you, if you ever want to see him, I will. Anything you need," he added, saying it just one more time.