A/N: Future fic. Again. For some reason I seem to be kinda preoccupied with them recently. Dunno why. Anyway...

Disclaimer: Smallville does not belong to me. I'm just borrowing a couple of the characters for a little while. I promise to put them back where I found them.

Of Blood and Flying

"Do you believe a man can fly, Lex?" Clark asked, blood gurgling in his throat and erupting onto his lips.

Lex tried not to show his surprise. It had been so long since Clark had called him anything but Luthor… so long since he had called Clark anything but Superman, and indeed, even now his former friend wore the hated red and blue uniform. It was nothing but a disguise… something to help hide the secrets… to dazzle the world with so they didn't see.

And yet… do you believe a man can fly?

The question had originally been his, from a more innocent time. Hard to think he had ever been anything even remotely resembling innocent but…

He remembered…

"I did once."

Clark nodded. His movements were jerky and weak.

There was so much blood...

"I flew over Smallville."

Smallville. The place where, for all intents and purposes, his life had began. The place where he had met the alien even now bleeding at his feet.

Clark's eyes closed briefly.

"And… for the first time… you saw… not a dead end…"

"But a new beginning," Lex finished.

Clark's words weren't coming so easily anymore.

It wouldn't be long now…

There was so much blood…

"Lex."

Clark's breath hitched and Lex dropped to his knees beside him without realizing he had made the decision to do so.

"I do believe… a man can… fly… Lex. Didn't then. Do now."

Lex felt wild laughter bubbling up.

Fought it down.

Clark chose now to have this little chat? He always did have lousy timing.

Lex, though, knew it was years too late.

Didn't see what it could do now.

Still…

"You should have let me drown that day, Clark."

Clark's eyes closed. He forced them open. Focused on Lex.

"Never… never regretted… saving you. Fly, Lex… you can fly."

With that his eyes closed once more.

They didn't open again.

Superman was dead.

Clark was dead.

Somehow it had never occurred to Lex that the death of one would mean the death of the other. They were so distinct, so separate in his mind, though he'd contemplated the death of both of them numerous times over the years.

Unexpectedly he felt despair welling and in his mind's eye he saw the beaming smile of a 15-year-old boy… a boy he hadn't seen in so long…

"Do you believe a man can fly, Clark?"

"People can't fly, Lex."

"I did. I flew over Smallville and for the first time I didn't see a dead end. I saw a new beginning."

End.