LoS: Missing Pieces Chp 17

Clark trusted Brainy, he really did. He knew Brainy loved him and when Brainy said Clark had nothing to worry about; he tried to take that to heart.

Unfortunately Lyle was doing his best to make any since of security Clark had shrivel up and die. That or get the Kryptonian to throw him through a wall; Clark wasn't really sure which.

Over the last few days Lyle would be outside Clark's and Brainy's room with some easy to eat breakfast for two to whisk Brainy of to the labs that much sooner. It was all under the excuse that Lyle had a lot of research and notes to go through with Brainy on the healing star, the miniature of which that Lyle made residing in the lab with those notes, plus equipment to unload, repair and old experiments to "take off the shelf" so to speak. There didn't seem to be an end to the excuses to get them alone in the lab together.

Even on days Brainy would work alone Clark would try to bring him lunch only to find that Lyle had beat him to the punch. He would walk in with them talking, often about the past seeing as Brainy seemed to avoid talking to Lyle about his time on Colu like the plague, occasionally laughing, which did nothing for Clark's confidence, or with Brainy scolding Lyle for using a beaker as a glass for his lemonade but the scolding always seemed to be light hearted with hidden affection.

The one day Clark managed to find Brainy alone in the lab, he was barely able to keep himself from tackling the small Coluan. As it was he swung Brainy's chair around to make it so they were face to face and kissed him without so much as a hello. He had one hand in Brainy's hair, the other holding him close and he could feel Brainy's arms wrap around him in return just as the door opened.

After Lyle shouted something about his "innocent eyes being tainted" Brainy had to talk Clark out of soldering the door shut with his heat vision.

If Lyle wasn't bad enough the Legion kept getting harassed with missions, everything from bank robberies to the Fatal Five took away whatever Lyle free time with Brainy, Clark would have had since the only real other time they had gotten lately was when they were sleeping. And it was literally when they were sleeping since one of them, usually Clark would be asleep before the other came to go to bed and then, as mentioned earlier, Lyle would abduct Brainy as room as they left the room.

Seeming to sense Clark's frustration, or possibly sharing it, Brainy found Clark sulking in their room after breakfast one day and they left Legion headquarters entirely for a real 31st century date. They went back to the park where they had their first unofficial date, ate the watermelon and strawberry cotton candy while walking the trails and sharing a soda. They ate out for lunch, saw a movie, rescued a cat from a tree, went somewhere nice for dinner and spent the entire night not sleeping.

It was almost unfair when the time came for Clark to return to the past. It was even worse when Brainy wouldn't let him weasel out of going.

"Clark, you can't spend all your time in the future. If you don't do that you're meant to do in the past then there won't be a reason for us to ever go get you in the first place," Brainy tried to reason.

"I still don't understand how that works," Clark grumbled.

"You wouldn't," Lyle pretended to whistle when Clark turned to glare at him; why did he have to be in Brainy's lab all the time anyway?

Gently turning Clark's face back towards him, Brainy slipped the glasses onto his lover's face.

"The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back."

"You could come with me," Clark tried to ignore Lyle's snort.

"Lois Lane's observational skills might not be highly regarded in this time, Clark, but even she would notice someone with green skin walking around the Daily Planet," Brainy chuckled.

As it always seemed to go; Brainy lost by winning the argument, sending Clark back to the past. He ignored Lyle and kissed Clark good bye before he left in the time bubble.

Unexpectedly, Lyle was silent for a moment after the time bubble was gone. When the silence was over, he turned to Brainy, his eyes serious.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Doesn't what hurt?"

"Your bond; long distances between bond partners can actually become physically painful, to the point where it can kill both of the partners. And a partner dying is practically a death sentence to the other. With Superman in the past, isn't it like he doesn't exist anymore?"

For a while Brainy stared at Lyle. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't thought it all through beyond initial panic. He also didn't want to admit this was their first time in separate times since they bonded.

It was very much like Lyle to know exactly what Brainy didn't want him to know.

"Even if that's the case it will take a while for it to affect you," Lyle theorized. "Maybe he'll come back before it does?"

The small hope was not enough to squish the worry that had been so easily dismissed with Clark's reassurances.

Lyle strode over to Brainy and gave him a gentle hug around the shoulders softly saying, "It's going to be okay."

Brainy almost thanked him until Lyle added, "Besides, if worse comes to worse you could always bond with me."

It was a very good thing that Lyle was an expert at hiding.