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Chapter 5: Comfort

Martha was delighted to see that Jonathan came into the house after the morning chores with a demeanor lighter than he'd carried in awhile. When Lex went upstairs to shower, Jonathan stated simply, "Kid works hard. Loves the horses." Martha grinned—she knew exactly how much that meant coming from her husband.

Meanwhile, Martha had to remind Clark over and over again that he wasn't allowed to use his powers to speed through his chores. They were going to tell Lex about Clark's abilities soon, but they wanted to give Lex a little bit of time to settle in first. Unfortunately, Clark was so excited to play with his new "big brother" that it was all they could do to keep him from zooming all around the farm.

Martha wasn't sure if the teen would indulge their six-year-old, but Lex happily sat down to play a board game with Clark after lunch, and even seemed to be letting him win. After a couple of games, she sent them outside, and they played basketball—this time, Clark was clearly missing baskets on purpose. Her heart swelled.

Just before dinner, and after discussing it with Jonathan, Martha took Lex aside and offered to let him wear his hat in the house, if it would make him more comfortable. He thanked her, but he never put the hat back on.

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A week into Lex's stay with them, the four of them settled down in front of a movie. Martha and Jonathan sat on the couch, with Clark snuggled between them, while Lex sat in the rocking chair beside them.

Martha looked down at the boy under her arm, then over at the one sitting stiffly in the chair. He was so alone. She wished she could do something for him, but he was barely ready to be embraced by them, let alone held. She desperately wanted to invite him to sit with them, to put her arms around him, but she just couldn't let herself do that. Not yet.

Clark glanced up at her, then over at Lex. Martha could see it in his eyes—he was thinking the same thing she was. She tensed and squeezed her younger son, willing him to remain silent rather than embarrassing Lex by pointing out the inequality.

Clark wriggled away from her grasp, crept over to the rocking chair, and nestled into the narrow space between the armrest and Lex's side. He tucked himself under Lex's arm and rested his head on Lex's chest.

Martha held her breath, watching the teen react. Lex stiffened at first, his eyebrows raised. Then, as Clark settled in, he relaxed and pulled Clark in a little tighter, resting his cheek on Clark's hair for a moment before sitting back up and watching the movie.

Martha's throat choked up, and she cuddled in closer to Jonathan, watching the boys. Clark fell asleep in minutes. Lex never stopped smiling.