Title:  Beneath The Skin

Author: danceswithgary (danceswithgary@yahoo.com)

Pairing: Clark/Lex

Rating: G, pre-slash

Warnings: None

Spoilers:  Phoenix

Word Count: 1360

Archive: Fine, just let me know

Summary: It's what's inside, underneath that counts.

 

 

Standard Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the characters herein. The characters of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent as well as any supporting characters are the property of their creators and DC Comics. Gough/Millar Inc and the WB Network TV own Smallville. Any deviations (or deviant behavior) from the originals, however, is mine.

 

Feedback is both welcome and appreciated.

***

 

Beneath The Skin

 

***

 

 

 

Reaching out to pull a bit of peeling skin off the back of Lex's neck wasn't something I'd thought about doing, it just happened. We were sitting there next to each other on the porch steps, drinking Mom's lemonade and talking. I'd looked sideways at something Lex said, and then the next thing I knew, I was picking off that flaky bit of skin.

 

I hadn't really noticed the sores and sunburn covering Lex's scalp when Lex had arrived earlier that day. I'd been too busy hugging my best friend, who'd miraculously returned from the dead. After the first rush of giddy relief subsided, we were content just sitting close together, the two of us, after so many months apart. Studying the half-loaded moving van, I'd thought that even losing the farm wasn't enough to kill my joy at having Lex back in my life. I'd missed him so much. Touching Lex like that, touching his skin with the tips of my fingers to try to smooth out a tiny flaw, had felt right.

 

At least it did until Lex had stiffened with a gasp, and looked at me with those wide, blue eyes, shocked. Feeling like a clumsy fool, I'd pulled my hand back and mumbled an apology. "Sorry, I just...I didn't mean to..."

 

I was able to see how Lex deliberately forced himself to relax, and he'd caught my hand as I picked at the hem of my flannel shirt. His voice sounded throaty and rough as he'd tried to make me feel better. "Clark, it's okay. Really. You just startled me. I don't mind you touching me." He'd let go of my hand and laughed a little, and I didn't think I'd die of terminal embarrassment right then. "In fact, I'm grateful. My skin has been peeling for days now and since Luthors don't scratch themselves, I've been slowly going crazy with the need to remove layers of itching skin."

 

I'd had to ask. "Luthors don't scratch?"

 

Lex had nodded with a wry grin. "No scratching, fidgeting, farting or burping. To do so, would reveal to the world that we're human, and that just isn't allowed."

 

It was yet another example of how badly Lex's father always treated him, and it'd made me angry. "Well, you're with the Kents now, and scratching, burping and farting are most definitely allowed, although Mom expects an 'excuse me' whenever the burping and farting happens."

 

With a grin, Lex had pretended to mop his forehead in relief before scratching at the back of his neck. "Thanks, I wasn't sure how much longer I could manage to ignore the itching. I think you just saved my sanity, although I'll most likely be disinherited if my father finds out."

 

I still don't believe what came out of my mouth next. "What do you think his policy is on having a friend peel the skin off for you?" When I saw one eyebrow rising, I'd hurried to explain. "My mom used to get sunburned every summer, until she started using some 75 SPF sunblock. I would peel her back and shoulders where she couldn't reach. She liked to have me to do it instead of Dad, because his hands were so rough from farmwork. She said I was very gentle, and that I never hurt her." I'd held my breath, hoping Lex wouldn't think I was too weird to hang out with anymore.

 

Lex tilted his head and looked at me for a second before setting his glass down on the step. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, but I'd felt much better after he started unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugged it off his shoulders and shifted on the step so I could reach his back better, and I knew then that it was going to be all right.

 

I finished my lemonade with a big gulp, and put my glass next to Lex's, before I wiped the dampness from my hands onto my jeans. I studied Lex's back and shoulders to see what skin was ready to be peeled, and what still needed to heal. My special vision came in handy as I could look down through the layers of skin to make sure Lex was healing. I did get a little sick to my stomach at the sight of the cuts and scrapes that seemed to cover his body and I'd wished again that I'd tried to save him instead of rampaging through Metropolis trying to forget my problems.

 

Starting at the point of Lex's shoulders, I started to pull the loose skin delicately, keeping it as intact as possible as part of the silly game I used to play with Mom. The bigger the piece of skin, the more laughter that came from Mom when I showed it to her. She'd said it was good practice for me, to help me control my strength for delicate work, not just for heavy farm chores. I figured that this time, I'd have the bonus of being able to touch Lex's skin, like I'd always wanted to.

 

From the small sound of contentment Lex made, I'd guessed I was doing it right, but I had to ask. "Are you okay? I'm not hurting you, am I?" A silent shake of Lex's head encouraged me to continue. "I've always wondered what it feels like when your skin peels, or when someone peels it for you. I've never had a sunburn. I asked my mom, but she said she couldn't describe it very well. She said it was like a little tug, and then the air would brush against the new skin underneath. She said the best part about having someone peel the skin for you was the feeling of being cared for, a closeness."

 

Sitting a little sideways from Lex, I could see he had his eyes closed and a little smile on his lips. He hummed and then shared one of his many interesting facts with me, one of the things I'd missed when he was gone. "Many scientists believe that the grooming behavior in apes and monkeys fosters a sense of belonging in the group and can even be seen as evidence of a caste structure. The lower caste members groom the others seeking acceptance, and the higher caste offers grooming as a reward or mark of favor."

 

I'd laughed at the thought of a bunch of humans sitting around peeling skin off each other, each feeling more important than the other. "I don't know if it was the same thing as monkeys grooming each other, but my mom would brush my hair for me so I could feel what it was like to have someone take care of me in sort of the same way. She would take long, careful strokes and smooth it down with her hand. It felt nice, sort of made me feel warm inside, like she was saying she loved me with her hands."

 

I'd felt a little embarrassed telling Lex about the things I did when I was a kid, but he didn't seem to mind, just turned a little more so I could continue to remove the loose skin. He'd accepted me, accepted what I was doing, and allowed an intimacy I'd always craved. I realized then that he'd always offered it to me, right from the start, sharing bits of his past as well as glimpses into his life as it was now. He trusted me to take care of him.

 

"Do you think everyone was the same on my planet, had the same kind of skin, Lex? I've always wondered if some of them could've gotten sunburned if they weren't careful." Holding my breath, I'd waited for Lex's response, hoping.

 

A shuddering, deep inhalation of air was followed by a slow release of breath. Just as I was starting to get worried, he moved again, pressing closer, offering himself to me, the vulnerable nape of his neck exposed. My hands stilled, and I was able to breathe again, when he spoke in a soft voice I'd never heard from him before.

 

"Do you think I could brush your hair for you someday, Clark?"

 

 

fin

 

 

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