LoS: Missing Pieces Chp 10

Brainy wasn't sure exactly when he had noticed that Clark had began to look at him in a sexual matter.

There had been subtle changes in Clark's behavior the first time he had returned from the 21st centaury. He touched Brainy with less hesitance and more often, walked closer to him, cuddled him in bed and that first morning Clark kissed him so softly when he had thought the genius was still asleep, still half naked and wet from his shower.

All of which Brainy had assumed was due to their recent separation. All besides some initial surprise, and much blushing, he never commented on it. He enjoyed Clark's closeness, particularly with how much he had missed him during that first week apart. He, perhaps, even encouraged it by deepening their kiss that first morning of Clark's return, allowing their tongues to meet for the first time and many times after that.

The touching soon became more frequent, longer and there was a certain nervous energy about Clark that made Brainy think he felt guilty about something. He had many theories about what the reason could be. The first that came to mind was that Clark was just nervous about the change in their relationship, being the first one of it's kind the Kryptonian had since his high school sweetheart Lana Lang and Brainy's first relationship of this nature period. That didn't explain the apparent guilt though.

Unfortunately Brainy's mind soon turned to more depressing theories. What if Clark had met Lois Lane? What if Clark regretted entering this relationship now that he saw what it was like to live in separate times? What if Clark had found that, once they had some time apart, that Clark didn't really feel that way about him? What if Clark had fallen under Florence Nightingale Syndrome, like a nurse falling for their patient, during the time Clark had taken care of him due to Brainiac's memories haunting him and now that Clark no longer had to take care of Brainy the effect was wearing off?

If any of these theories were true it would explain the increase in affection and apparent guilt. Clark, feeling guilty about wanting to end the relationship, could be trying to make the relationship work anyway because he didn't want to hurt Brainy.

The possibility that any of them were true was enough to make Brainy feel panicked and nauseous. His mind spun with arguments and pleas for Clark to stay with him but his mind kept spitting out reasons why they should be apart; one of the biggest was what history dictated.

"I don't care. I don't care," Brainy had cried to no one, when he broke down in his lab, the fear that Clark would leave forever, where he wouldn't even be able to see him as a friend, became too much for him to handle. "I love him."

The break down had cost Brainy one of his experiments but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He stabilized it and went to the room he shared with the object of his heart and currant torment.

Walking into the room, Brainy slipped off his shoes and crawled into bed with his slumbering Kryptonian. He wrapped himself around Clark, burying himself in the other's warmth, wondering how much longer their time together would last.

Feeling Brainy against him, Clark stirred but remained asleep. He turned just so, so he could wrap his arms around the Coluan, mumbling his name.

His heartbeat making itself known as it pounded against his chest in pure elation, Brainy felt relief surround him along with Clark's arms. There was no way Clark could be unhappy in their relationship if he could display such a subconscious act of affection.

Soon after this, Brainy noticed Clark watching him. It wasn't as if Clark had been staring, but his eyes would instinctively turn to Brainy whenever he was doing something. After a day or two, Clark's eyes never seemed to leave him, even when he was doing nothing of importance.

Was Clark trying to analyze him? Or was it that Clark just didn't know when to approach Brainy on what had been bothering him?

Then came the day Brainy was working at the main computer in the lounge, the others near by talking to each other and occasionally trying to engage him, when Superman came into the room. When he saw the other boy, Brainy had smiled at him.

The smile had caused another change in Superman. He stopped, literally, in mid-step, one foot in the air, and stared at Brainy in a way Brainy didn't recognize. Superman's face had darkened and his face flushed, looking like he wanted to run; whether it was forward or away Brainy couldn't tell.

By this point Brainy thought he must have been at least subconsciously aware that Clark had started to look at him sexually for he didn't see how else the realization could come to him so suddenly the next day.

He had been working on the Batmobile with Bouncing Boy, as he had many times since he and Clark returned from the past, going over his recent interactions with Clark in his mind when he dropped the old fashion screw driver.

Clark saw him in a sexual way.

Telling Bouncing Boy that he would return later, Brainy had rushed from the hanger and into his lab, thankful that he hadn't encountered anyone along the way. He leaned against the door and fell to the ground in front of it, his legs no longer able to support his weight.

Clark was sexually attracted to him.

Carefully counting his breaths, Brainy couldn't bring his mind to understand it. He could barely understand why Clark found him attractive at all, why he was in love with him. He had never stopped to consider that Clark's feelings could develop further into the physical aspects of a relationship.

One part of Brainy's mind argued that physical attraction was a normal part of romantic relationships while another tried to figure out what Clark could possibly be attracted to about him.

Besides deepening their kisses Brainy couldn't think of anything he did differently to attract Clark in such a way. Was it their week apart that had made Clark develop these feelings or had they always been there and Brainy just never noticed?

Remembering Clark's darkened eyes, pupils expanding in an expression Brainy could now identify as lustful, Brainy recalled that Clark was in his late teens, fresh out of puberty at a stage boys, Kryptonian or otherwise, were the most hormonal.

Feeling like his heart couldn't take the pressure anymore, deserting him in his desperation, Brainy felt his face blush so deeply he had to bury his face in his knees to hid it from the empty room.

What was he supposed to do? He knew practically nothing about this aspect of relationships.

Knowledge is the key to all doors.

Keeping this Coluan saying in mind, Brainy stood, a bite shakily, and walked over to his work bench to sit at his computer there.

"COMPUTO, do a private search on homosexual relationships, emphasis on sexual aspects."

"104,095,875,375,094,608,047,262,830,259 results found," responded COMPUTO after a minute of searching.

"Delete all results under the category of porn," said Brainy, glad that there was no one around to hear what he was doing and that COMPUTO couldn't care less how badly he blushed.

"10,200,654,122 results remaining," complied COMPUTO, taking longer to do this then the previous request.

Brainy went through a list of things to narrow it down until only 49,115 results were left. He stared at the screen, his hands trembling at the keyboard while his mind felt like it just returned from a roller coaster ride; he could no longer blame Saturn Girl for hating them.

Could he really do this?

"COMPUTO save and encode the remaining results," said Brainy, surprised when his own voice seemed to betray his uncertainty.

His legs having remembered how to work as he sat, supported Brainy on his walk back to the hanger where Bouncing Boy was still working.

"You okay?" asked Bouncing Boy, looking up when he heard the other's approach.

Brainy opened his mouth to respond but ended up nodding instead. He found where he had dropped the screwdriver and returned to work, trying to put it all out of his mind, if only for the time being.

"Is it not something you can talk about?" asked Bouncing Boy, not allowing Brainy that simple leisure.

Not turning to Bouncing Boy, Brainy shrugged. He knew Bouncing Boy was fine with his relationship with Clark, sometimes even encouraged it like when he told Clark to kiss Brainy for him, but when did things enter the realm of too much information?

"Wanna take a break and watch Wicked Scary 10?" asked Bouncing Boy.

"Not even remotely," said Brainy, trying not to shudder at the memory of the earlier editions of that series.

"Then talk to me," said Bouncing Boy.

Now turning to face the Legion's leader, Brainy leaned against the Batmobile and wondered what the Dark Knight would have thought of his situation.

"He'd make an excuse for you to leave the room and have a little 'discussion' with Superman and by the time you heard his screams, it would be too late," Brainy could imagine Richie saying before throwing back his head and imitating a mad scientist's evil laugh complete with thrown up hands and rolls of thunder.

Even when they separated by time Brainy was still effected by Richie's strange and bluntly honest personality.

"I-I'm not sure what to do with the direction my relationship with Clark is going," admitted Brainy, wishing he could talk to Richie again, who seemed to have the power to take anything that made Brainy feel bad and turn it into a ridiculous notion.

"And what direction would that be?" asked Bouncing Boy, confused.

Despite his best efforts, Brainy's face began to boil.

"O-one of a, a more phy-physical nature."

Bouncing Boy's jaw dropped, along with the tool he had been using.

Blush increasing, Brainy looked away and tried to resist the urge to ask Saturn Girl to erase their leader's memory.

Standing, Bouncing Boy headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Brainy, hoping that maybe the could ignore the fact that this conversation happened.

"To have a talk with Superman," said Bouncing Boy in a practical growl.

Jumping up, Brainy flew to the other boy and blocked his path.

"Why in spock's name would you do that?"

"I can't have a member of my team being pressured to do anything they aren't ready for. And if you say it's not Legion business then I'm doing it as your friend," exclaimed Bouncing Boy determinately.

Brainy stared at him a moment, barely remembering to blink. He almost felt like laughing.

"Clark isn't trying to pressure me."

Bouncing Boy's anger blinked away.

"He isn't?"

"It's Clark for goodness sake," said Brainy.

At this Bouncing Boy laughed almost nervously.

"Yeah, Clarky really isn't the type now that I think about it."

"Thank you for your concern though," said Brainy, managing to smile. "Not many people would be willing to confront Superman about, well, anything without fearing for their personal safety."

"Are you scared for your personal safety?" asked Bouncing Boy, angry again.

"No! Stop jumping to conclusions," snapped Brainy.

At this Bouncing Boy half heartedly laughed.

Anger fading, Brainy sighed and let his gaze fall to the floor.

"I am scared though. Not of Clark but of that stage. I know next to nothing about it and, and it's different for Coluans. I'm not sure if we, if I can take that step. If something goes wrong, it will be even harder to let him go then."

"Hey," said Bouncing Boy, putting his hand on Brainy's shoulder and waiting for the other boy to look up at him before continuing. "You love the big guy, don't yea?"

"Of course I do," said Brainy.

"And we know he loves you," said Bouncing Boy with a huge grin on his face. "He practically glows whenever you smile at him. Talk to him about it, I'm sure he'll understand if you're not ready."

"And if I can't," asked Brainy softly, "ever?"

"If he's as good as a guy as we think he is, he'll still love you and if he doesn't, his lost," said Bouncing Boy, releasing Brainy's shoulder.

No, thought Brainy sadly, it would be mine.

"I hear he invited you to his parent's for dinner," said Bouncing Boy. He watched Brainy nod. "You should go, if only to understand more about him."

"I would like that," said Brainy softly. "Though I think I need more information on the subject before I approach Clark on that other matter."

"Whatever you do, don't ask Lightning Lad," said Bouncing Boy seriously.

Unable to help it, Brainy chuckled.

"Thanks Bouncing Boy."

When Clark went to the past again, Brainy took the opportunity to look at his saved research. Most it was still things he had to delete within 0.5 seconds from completed download but a lot of it was very intriguing and made Brainy feel better about not being in the dark anymore.

Soon enough Brainy began to wonder about Clark and himself in such situations as he was reading about. He blushed a lot but found he wouldn't mind seeing or feeling Clark naked. He enjoyed the feel of Clark's skin when he touched his face and those rare times Clark wore short sleeves. He couldn't imagine having more access to that softness as a bad thing. But could he reveal himself in turn?

His body wasn't even remotely normal. There were additions to even his most private of parts. It was very possible seeing him naked, or feeling his abnormities would disgust Clark and scare him away.

Brainy almost didn't go to the farm for dinner, but he was glad he did. Martha and Jonathon Kent were very warm people and he learned something very important.

He wanted Clark as much as Clark wanted him.

The discovery came quite by accident. He had just woken up, feeling oddly restless, and finished getting dressed after his Martha imposed sleepover when Clark returned from his shower in only a towel.

Even with a very short glimpse Brainy found Clark's bare chest to be much more then simply pleasant to look at. His heart pounded and he felt the need to flee but Clark blocked his way and kissed him.

It felt as good as it made him nervous, unsure what to do when Clark took Brainy's hands and placed them on his bare chest. He had been right though when he thought touching Clark's bare skin would feel good and couldn't resist exploring it.

Even after Martha called into the room, thinking that she was waking them, and giving Brainy a heart attack, thoroughly embarrassed by what they had done, he wished it could have continued for just a while longer.

Clark had kissed Brainy temple and apologized.

Brainy looked up at him in surprise. Wasn't this what Clark wanted as well?

"What for?"

"For jumping you like that," said Clark in a dejected manner.

It was very hard for Brainy not to smile too broadly, touched that Clark cared enough about him to hold back.

Reaching up, Brainy pulled on Clark's shoulders and kissed him with the same fire that Clark had just moments before. When they separated, Brainy flickered his tongue over the bottom and tops of Clark's lips before pulling away and smiling at Clark's dazed expression.

"I'm not."

Brainy wasn't quite ready to talk further about it with Clark yet but he felt relieved knowing that he was capable of these emotions and that Clark seemed willing to wait as long as Brainy needed, since Clark hadn't even told Brainy about his own lustful feelings.

It was hard not to panic when Phantom Girl so much as suggested that he and Clark were lovers but Brainy tried not to let it bother him. He was going to continue his research on sex and deepen his knowledge on Clark himself for the time being.

One day Brainy wanted to belong to Clark and no one else.