Title: Hotel

Author: SugarRush

Pairing: CLex

Rating: NC-17

Spoilers: The pilot specifically; assume all episodes.

Warnings: Some mild Domination/submission.

Acknowledgments: To the lovely Jennie and Rowanne for offering their beta services on the spur of the moment, and coming through with flying colors. *mwah!* You two are the best! Additional thanks to lycanthrophile, jacynrebekah, amandajane5 and tig35ress for being my AIM sounding boards.

Miscellaneous Crap: This is sort of an unofficial entry in my own Tori Amos Song Challenge. This story is *very* loosely based on the Tori song "Hotel" from her album from the choirgirl hotel. Lyrics follow at the end of the story.

Written to the beat of: Queer as Folk - Season Three soundtrack; The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole, Exit Planet Dust & Brothers Gonna Work It Out. I'm getting into dance and techno music, cantcha tell? :P

Hotel
By SugarRush

Lex stepped under the shower, hot needles slicing his skin. He turned around to let the spray hit him right between his shoulder blades, sighing a little as the pressure and temperature loosened his muscles. Propping himself up against the shower wall with both hands, he gave himself over to it, letting the water pound him, trying to let his mind float, go mercifully blank.

He didn't want to think anymore, not after the hellish last three days he'd endured. Glad-handing and schmoozing and trying to chat up new investors wasn't something he was especially good at, and that was all he'd been doing since he'd arrived in Edge City on Tuesday. Luckily, even distracted charm seemed good enough for most of the people he'd met with, and he'd managed to sell a good number of shares in LexCorp.

As much Lex hated parting with any of his own stock, for now it was necessary. The company wasn't doing badly, but it wasn't fulfilling its potential either. The extra income from the sale of the stock would help provide for some vital equipment and personnel upgrades at the plant, which hopefully would step up future productivity.

Flicking off the water, he stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and wrapped himself in a robe. The thick cotton rubbed smoothly against his skin, and he could feel himself starting to relax.

He ambled into the living room of the suite he'd taken for the week, dropping onto the couch, reaching for the room service menu on the table in front of him. He'd toyed briefly with the idea of going out for dinner, but he'd been out every night since he'd arrived, wining and dining potential clients, and tonight the last thing he wanted was to be around people. Peace and quiet, a leisurely, relaxed dinner, and then bed, and tomorrow morning he'd head back to Smallville.

He'd actually planned to leave tonight, but after a lunch meeting that had stretched out until nearly five o'clock, he knew he'd never be able to make it back without nodding off at the wheel. So he'd called Clark as soon as he'd gotten in, told him they'd have to postpone their usual Friday night dinner and movie date till Saturday. Clark had sounded disappointed, but not all that surprised. Lex had the uneasy feeling he'd been expecting the call.

In truth, Lex was disappointed too, perhaps even more than Clark was. They'd only missed one other Friday night together, and that had also been due to the press of business - the LuthorCorp annual stockholder's meeting several months earlier. He'd come to treasure and look forward to his time with Clark more and more over the past few months; often it was the only thing he had to look forward to, the only thing that got him through his week. And to have to put it off, even for a day, frustrated him no end.

And it wasn't just because of the sex - or lack of it, in this case. Not that the sex wasn't incredible, even after nearly a year together. But lately it wasn't sex Lex was craving when he was with Clark; it was the closeness, the intimacy they shared together. Oftentimes Clark would sit on the couch in Lex's office doing his homework while Lex worked at his desk, and just being together, even in total silence, brought Lex a kind of calm and peace he'd never known before. Being with Clark was like floating in the eye of a storm - safe, warm, loved and protected from harm.

He hoped he'd never get used to the feeling, because he never wanted to take it - or Clark - for granted. Not again, anyway. They'd broken up briefly a little over a month and a half ago because he hadn't taken Clark's feelings seriously. Lex wasn't about to repeat that experience anytime soon - or ever, if he could help it.

A soft rap at the suite door jolted him from his thoughts. Strange -- he hadn't called in his dinner order yet, and he hadn't requested anything from housekeeping either. Frowning, he got up to answer the door.

His heart nearly skidded to a halt when he saw who it was. "Hey," Clark grinned, leaning in to give his lover a kiss as Lex ushered him through the door. "Bet you weren't expecting to see me, huh?"

"That's an understatement," Lex said, smiling back, wrapping his arms around Clark's waist to pull him close. And a good thing he was holding on tight, too -- because the tiny soft kisses Clark was feathering down his throat and back up to one ear nearly took Lex's knees out from under him. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but how--?"

"I ran."

"Three hundred miles in under an hour? Impressive."

"I missed you." Clark was smiling down at him now, face flushed, lips all rosy, obviously from running against the wind all the way to Edge City. His hair was windblown too, tousled and wavy, the way he looked after they'd been fucking furiously for half the night. The sight of it made Lex's cock twitch. "You don't mind, do you?"

"God, Clark, you have to ask? I mean, as long as your parents don't have a problem with it-"

"I told them I was coming to spend the night with you, and that I'd ride back with you in the morning. Mom told me to have a good time." That smile again, wider this time, fairly bursting with happiness. It did Lex's heart good, knowing that happiness was all for him.

"You want some dinner? I was just about to order room service."

"Yeah, I'm starving." Clark went over to the couch, shedding his jacket as he went. Lex handed him the room-service menu, then nearly burst out laughing as Clark's eyes bugged out at the prices.

"Order whatever you want, Clark," he said softly, sitting down on the couch next to his lover and running his hand along Clark's arm. "It's all going on my expense account."

"I, um... well, all I want is a burger..."

"Clark, this isn't McDonald's. Besides, I doubt they have hamburgers on the menu anyway."

Clark scanned the menu quickly. "You're right, they don't."

"Here, give it to me," Lex said, taking the menu out of Clark's hand. "I'll order for both of us."

He ordered steaks and Caesar salads, and a fine bottle of cabernet. Clark watched him with gentle amusement in his eyes, then landed on Lex with a gleeful pounce as soon as he hung up the phone. "How long till the food gets here?" he growled, nuzzling Lex's throat, pulling at the front of his robe.

Lex laughed, raking his fingers through Clark's hair. God, only three days and he'd already forgotten how good this could be, sweet and comfortable and fucking hot all at the same time. He'd missed Clark so much his bones ached; no wonder he'd been so tense. "Probably about half an hour."

Clark grinned. "Good."

They rolled around on the couch, tugging at each other's clothing, kissing and fondling and grinding together like a pair of horny teenagers parked on lover's lane. Well, at least one of them actually *was* a horny teenager, Lex mused with a chuckle. It felt good to be wanted like this, to be the object of such rampant, unbridled passion. Clark was so damned beautiful now, open and eager and completely, essentially *his.* The look of utter joy in Clark's eyes nearly had Lex's heart punching through his chest.

They both groaned at the knock on the suite door. "C'mon," Lex whispered, easing Clark up gently, tugging his robe back around himself before getting up to let in room service. If the waiter noticed his own state of half-undress or Clark's fidgeting and uneasiness, he didn't show it by either word or action -- but then, Lex hardly expected him to. That was one of the reasons he always stayed at this hotel whenever he was in Edge City - the staff here was known for its impeccable professionalism and discretion.

Apparently Clark's three hundred mile run helped him work up quite an appetite; he scarfed down his steak and salad in record time, then slumped back in his chair, watching Lex finish his meal with a contented smile on his face. He turned down Lex's offer of wine, and drank bottled water instead. "So... I guess everything went okay?" he asked finally.

"Yeah, pretty much as I expected, though I really had to work for it in a couple of cases."

"But you got the money you needed to start the improvements?"

Lex nodded. "More than enough."

"Good," Clark replied, rising from his chair, coming up behind Lex, and then, to Lex's surprise and delight, starting to rub his neck and shoulders. He'd never done this before without being prompted, but Lex was in no mood to question good fortune; he slid down in his seat to give Clark a better grip, reveling in strong, gentle fingers kneading his sore muscles slowly, deliberately, working each tendon until they fairly sighed with pleasure. God, talk about Heaven on earth... "I just wish..."

"What?"

"I-I just... I see you working so hard all the time, and I wish I could help."

"You *do* help, Clark," he said, reaching up to put his own hands over Clark's, just enough, Lex hoped, to reassure him without stopping what he was doing. "Just by being here, you help me. I can't tell you how much it means that you came all this way to be with me tonight."

"I-I wasn't sure you'd be glad to see me."

He could hear the uneasiness in Clark's tone, and something else too, something he wasn't saying. Something Lex knew he'd never say, not straight out anyway. Something that had been hanging in the air between them ever since they'd gotten back together. Lex sighed; might as well face this head on, and get it behind them. "Clark... did you expect to find me with someone else?"

Clark's hands stopped moving. "Well, after what happened with me and Chloe... it's not like I'd blame you or anything..."

Talk about hitting the nail on the head. Lex rose, facing Clark, one hand wrapping around the nape of Clark's neck, tangling in his soft dark hair. Clark tried to look away, but Lex reached up to cup his face, forcing Clark to meet his gaze. "So you think I've just been waiting for an opportunity to get even? I thought you knew me better than that."

"Lex, I-I..." It was damn near heartbreaking, the love and anguish and uncertainty all warring for dominance in Clark's expression. Lex suddenly felt like he was plummeting down the side of a skyscraper, with nothing to break his fall. "I didn't want to think it, but when you called to say you wouldn't be back tonight, I couldn't being afraid that..."

"S'okay," Lex whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Clark's mouth, pulling him down so that their foreheads rested against each other's. "Look, I understand. You have doubts about us; so do I, sometimes. We wouldn't be human if we didn't."

Clark smiled wanly. "Well, *you* wouldn't be, anyway."

"You know what I mean." Another kiss, slow and sweet this time, and, to Lex's relief, he could sense the tension between them starting to ebb away. He knew it probably wouldn't be the last time something like this would come up, but for right now, everything was good. And it was up to him to keep it that way. "So... shall we continue with our traditional Friday night, and watch a movie?"

Clark grinned. "Sounds good to me."

Twenty different pay-per-view channels, and they all appeared to be showing the same damn movie. They finally got the selection narrowed down to the latest Vin Diesel action opus or a silly comedy-western that looked exactly like something they'd seen on DVD a few months earlier. But Clark insisted it was actually the sequel to that film, so the western it was.

About half an hour into the film, Lex's mind was already wandering. The plot was an almost exact copy of the movie they'd seen a few months ago, and he hadn't even liked it the first time around. He was starting to idly speculate on exactly how many times the blond leading man's crooked nose had been broken when he felt Clark's head drop onto his shoulder, then a soft, raspy snore.

He grinned, giving Clark a gentle nudge. "Time for bed, sleepyhead."

Clark jolted awake with a tiny, adorable gasp. "Um... sorry 'bout that..."

"Don't be, I'm tired too," Lex said, getting up, offering his hand to help Clark up off the couch. To his surprise, Clark was so weary he actually seemed grateful for the help. "C'mon..."

They ambled into the bedroom hand in hand. Lex had to bite back a chuckle as Clark's gaze swept the room from one end to the other and back again, eyes widening in awe at the huge bed, thick cream-colored carpeting and big-screen TV in the far corner. "This is... wow," he breathed. "It's just like your room back at the mansion, except for the TV."

"I take it you haven't stayed in a luxury suite before?"

"I've never stayed in a hotel before, period."

"You're joking."

Clark shook his head emphatically. "We always went camping or fishing on vacations when I was a kid, and whenever we went to Metropolis, it was only for the day, so..." He shrugged.

Lex was surprised, though he supposed he shouldn't have been. The Kents had always been incredibly protective of Clark - overly protective, to Lex's way of thinking, even taking Clark's abilities into consideration. Keeping him out of public places like hotels was just another symptom of their inability to let go.

But Clark didn't need to be protected from the real world - quite the opposite, in fact. He'd been protected for far too long, and the time was coming when he'd both want and need to shake off his parent's constraints and spread his wings. And Lex intended to be there, standing beside Clark, offering his love and support when that time came.

But tonight what Clark needed was to relax, and maybe allow himself to be pampered a little as well. And Lex knew exactly how to take care of that. "The bathroom's right through there," he said softly, coming up behind Clark, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Why don't you go take a shower?"

Clark grinned. "You coming with me?"

Sorely tempted as he was, Lex shook his head. "If I get under that hot water again, I'm going to pass out." It was true, he realized; Clark's presence had buoyed up his spirits and his energy level for the last couple of hours, but now weariness was starting to tug at him. The huge California King was starting to look like the next best thing to Heaven, and not just because Clark was spending the night in it with him. "You go on, and take your time... and I'll be waiting for you in bed when you're done."

"'Kay." Clark looked disappointed - which gave Lex's ego a tiny boost -- but smiled and leaned in for a kiss, then headed for the bathroom.

Padding over to the bed, Lex tossed his robe on the nearest chair and stretched out on the fluffy down comforter, smiling as he heard the shower go on in the next room. The thought of sliding in between the soft sheets was a temptation straight from the gods, but he knew if he did, he'd be out cold in record time. He wanted to stay awake at least until Clark came to bed. He wanted some happy, cherished memories of this night, even if all they ended up doing was kissing and caressing until they both conked out.

He wasn't even aware he was dozing off until he felt the bed dip down on the opposite side of him, and then Clark's heavy, welcome weight was scooting in next to him, Clark's mouth swooping in to claim his own, hot and moist and wet. Lex moaned and wound his fingers in Clark's hair; it felt like damp silk pouring through his fingers, and he tugged harder, dragging his lover down closer, kissing him with fervor, pulse surging at Clark's husky moans. God, *yes*...

He was awake now, wide-awake from head to toe, nerves singing and thrumming with Clark's every kiss and lick and nip and touch. Lex fairly shuddered with delight as Clark rolled all the way over on top of him, pushing him down into the mattress, grabbing both Lex's wrists in one huge hand, pinning them up above his head. *Jesus.* He loved it when Clark turned dominant like this, craved it, gave himself over to it like a giant wave cresting over his head, somehow suspended in time and space, hovering, threatening to drown him. And tonight he didn't give a damn if it did...

Full body contact now, and Clark's knee was parting Lex's thighs, splaying them wide. They moaned and groaned and laughed as their cocks glided against each other, hot and sticky and hard enough to cut diamonds. Clark was still holding him down, his other hand straying down to Lex's waist to grasp and hold him as he flexed his hips, cock slipping and sliding against Lex's belly.

Hard and fast and wet and Clark's tongue was raping his mouth now, Clark's sweet weight and heated, heavy cock-thrusts rapidly sending Lex's brain into red-hazed atomic meltdown. One more thrust, then another, and Clark's hand was closing over both their cocks, pulling and stroking and that was it, the red behind Lex's eyes exploded, shattered into white, then complete, utter pitch black.

***

Something was wrong. Lex knew it the second he reopened his eyes, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was until he reached over to where Clark was supposed to be, and found only empty space. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table answered his next question - 3:12 a.m.

There were low, muted sounds coming from the living room; it sounded like the TV. Grabbing his robe, he got up and padded to the door. Clark was sprawled lazily on the couch, dressed in his jeans and t-shirt, remote control in hand, flicking channels.

"Hey," he said softly when he finally looked up and saw Lex standing there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'll turn it down."

"The TV doesn't bother me," Lex answered, coming over, sitting down next to Clark. "However, waking up and finding you gone *does* bother me."

"I couldn't sleep, so I just thought I'd try watching something."

"You can watch something in the bedroom," Lex said firmly, reaching over to take Clark's hand. "C'mon back to bed."

But Clark wasn't moving. Clark wasn't even looking at him now. That was never a good sign. "Lex, I-I... I did something I hope you're not gonna be mad at me for."

"Well, I guess that depends on what it is."

A deep breath, a long swallow, and then, "I told Lana about us yesterday."

Of all the things Lex could have imagined Clark was going to say, this wasn't even close to the top of the list. Anger flashed through him for a moment, quickly turning to irritation coupled with concern. Clark was always doing things like this, speaking or acting without thinking through all the consequences. Most of the time Lex chalked it up to youthful impetuousness, but *damn* it, this was serious. This affected them both, and not in a good way. "Okay," he answered slowly, making a concerted effort to stay calm, "so... what prompted you to make that confession?"

"She just... she keeps hinting around that she wants me to ask her out, and after the whole Chloe thing, I-I just... I don't want to go through that again."

"Well, I doubt you'd have to, unless this is your way of telling me you want to sleep with her."

"No!" The shock on Clark's face was damn near comical; Lex found himself biting back a laugh. "Lex, c'mon... you know you're the only one I want."

Clark's reassurance was gratifying to hear, but it didn't erase their immediate problem. When Clark reached over to try to take his hand, he pushed it away. Clark looked hurt, but at the moment Lex was past caring. He needed to concentrate on damage control, and he was still slightly annoyed with Clark for putting them in this situation to begin with. "So... how did Lana take the news?"

"She was... surprised, I guess, and kinda shocked too, but not as much as I thought she'd be. I got the feeling she'd already figured it out, she was just waiting for me to confirm it."

"What, did Chloe drop some hints?"

Clark snorted. "Chloe doesn't have to drop anything. Everybody I know knows I spend Friday nights up at the mansion with you. I mean, I'm pretty sure Pete's figured it out too -- every time I mention your name, he gets all weird on me and tries to change the subject."

Lex sighed, rubbing his eyes, trying to force his mind to stop spinning. "Clark... look, I understand why you told Lana, but I wish you'd discussed it with me first. Lana and I are business partners, and this is going to make things awkward between us, to say the least."

"Lana won't tell anybody. She promised me she wouldn't."

"That's not the point, Clark. This is my personal life too, and I really don't care to have half of Smallville High knowing about it."

Clark went silent for a moment, then grabbed the remote and flicked off the TV. "Lex, I... I don't want to lie about us anymore. Not to my friends, not to anybody. I want us to come out."

A brick dropped on his head couldn't have stunned Lex more. The room was starting to tilt; any second he expected the floor to drop out from under him. "Clark, you didn't tell everybody--?"

Now it was Clark's turn to look annoyed. "No, of course not! Look, I know I shouldn't have told Lana-"

"No, Clark, you shouldn't have," Lex snapped, "and frankly, I think I've got every right to be angry with you right now. How many times do you have to get burned by doing or saying things in the heat of the moment before you start figuring out that most of the time it's a really bad idea?"

Clark didn't say anything, just slumped back on the couch with a very chastened, miserable look on his face that sent what was left of Lex's irritation sailing towards the nearest window. Reaching over, he took Clark's hand, entwining their fingers. "Clark... have you really thought about what this would mean?"

"It's all I've been thinking about for the past few days. I-I just... I've been hiding who I am my whole life, and I'm sick of it. And I know I still can't tell anybody about my abilities, but... I mean, I'm proud that we're together. Why should I keep on lying about it?"

"Because you'll be insulted and reviled and maybe even assaulted at school, and you won't be able to fight back without revealing your powers. It could be a lot rougher than you're anticipating."

"Jesus, Lex, d'you remember the night you took me down off that cross? You really think it could get any worse than that?"

"Maybe it won't - not for you, anyway. But did you even think of what this could do to your parents? If this was Metropolis, nobody would give a shit, but Smallville is Middle America, Clark. And Middle America is *not* ready for one of its apple-cheeked boys next door to admit to a homosexual affair." A touch of anger and irritation had crept into his tone, but he didn't care. Clark needed to hear this, especially since, despite his protestations, he obviously hadn't considered all the pitfalls of what he was contemplating. "Especially not a homosexual affair with the town pariah."

"You're ashamed of me. That's what you're really trying to say, isn't it?"

"Clark, *no.* I am not ashamed of you, and I'm certainly not ashamed of us, but..." Time to say it, lay it all out. It was going to hurt like hell, seeing the pain on Clark's face when he heard it, but there was no other way. "Have you thought about how it's going to feel when all the locals start canceling their weekly orders for Kent Organic Produce? When your mother gets snubbed at the grocery store, or at the bank? When all your father's friends - people he's known his whole life -- stop talking to him? When all the kids at school laugh at you and call you 'fag' or 'queer' behind your back - or even worse, to your face?"

Clark looked away, jaw working. "You really think it'll be that bad?"

"I don't know. I hope not. But you've got other people to think about in this, Clark, people besides you and me. You need to weigh all the consequences before you speak out." One last thing, and he hoped Clark wouldn't hate him for saying it, but he had to. "Look... you were past the age of consent when we first slept together, but you weren't when I first arrived in Smallville. When people hear about this, they're going to assume I took advantage of an underage boy. That's statutory rape, Clark."

Clark stared down at their clasped hands, now resting in his lap. "So you're saying... you're basically saying, you don't want to do this."

"Clark, I *can't* do it, not now anyway. LexCorp's just getting off the ground, and I had to work my ass off this week to get that extra funding the company needed. All I need right now is for my new investors to suddenly decide they can't follow through on our deal because it's come to light that I'm fucking a teenager."

When you're coming down
You were wild
Where are you now
You were wild
Where are you now
King Solomon's Mines
Exit 75
I'm still alive
I'm still alive
I'm still alive

END

-- Like I said, this story's *very loosely* based on the song.