Work Text:
Lex looked at the dead mutant cow at his feet. Its spine was broken, and its guts spilled through a hole in its side where Clark had punched it.
Clark had the cow's head in his lap, face thrust deep in the curly pelt that was grown even with its moose-like horns. His shoulders shook silently.
"Clark? What just happened?" He knelt, felt the steaming bodily fluids from the cow wash over his knees. When he reached for Clark with his right hand, his friend was hotter, almost hot enough to burn. Not so surprising, considering that he'd run at least a mile in about fifteen seconds. "You're not…?"
Clark looked over his shoulder, shook his head. "I'm not human."
Lex smiled at him and called power to his left hand, not enough to do anything, just enough energy to facilitate Thoughtspeech. "Neither am I," he said quietly and touched Clark's shoulder.
Nothing happened.
Clark's power didn't rise to meet his, Clark's mind didn't open to his, and Lex's own power didn't enter Clark as it would have a normal human.
Lex stood quickly, backed up a step.
Clark bent over the cow again. "I thought you had guessed. I've been…careless around you."
"I thought. I thought you were like me. But you're not. What are you, Clark?"
"I don't know. I mean, I'm an alien, but—," Clark turned to face Lex, looked animated for the first time since he'd hit his pet cow. "Like you? What are you?"
"I'm Sidhe."
Clark blinked.
Lex realized that even if Clark had read enough fantasy to know the term, he probably didn't recognize the correct pronunciation. "I'm an elf."
Clark frowned. "But elves have long hair and pointy ears, Lex."
Lex frowned. "And aliens have green skin and wrinkly foreheads."
Clark sighed. "I won't tell if you won't."
