Title: Sweet

Author: Te

Author Email: thete1@earthlink.net

Author Webpage: http://strangeplaces.net/te/index.html

Category: First Time

Spoilers For: Leech

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Clark/Lex

Summary: The *oddest* things can feel good at times.

Disclaimers: I can only sit here and wish...

Spoilers: Leech.

Author's Note: My square for the Virtual Binkie, at long last.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to the IRC crew and Jenn for audiencing, support, nagging... especially Livia. Because, well. Oreos. Also for my We in absentia. ::smooch::

Sweet
by Te
March 2002

There are times when Lex wants a nice, secret lab all his own to conduct experiments of varied levels of legality. Nothing Mengele-esque, nothing *Lionel*-esque for that matter, just...

What in God's name makes the Kents tick?

It's easy to think of them as just the walking, talking, farming example of Traditional Middle American Values at work -- hardworking husband, happy homemaker wife, apple-cheeked Good Boy of the sort that *didn't actually exist* in any universe Lex had ever visited, but... But.

There was more to it.

The husband was utterly unashamed of his prejudices (however justifiable), the wife a Metropolis transplant with a sharper tongue than would seem entirely predictable, and the apple-cheeked Good Boy...

Had a lot of secrets.

A *lot* of secrets, and while the moral high ground of pulling off his personal bloodhound had felt surprisingly satisfying, while even the shockingly *sharp* feeling of guilt that had provoked the retraction had felt satisfying...

The feeling didn't last very long at all.

Was it better or worse to do the watching himself? To remove all possibility of an objective, constant gaze and replace it with his own necessarily subjective and sporadic one?

More... sporting, definitely, and yet, and yet.

He wonders if life would be more satisfying if it was ever possible to study *oneself* scientifically.

Objectively.

He suspects a certain level of dissociation would probably be in order, and that he should be grateful to lack it -- however frustratingly obscure his own motivations might remain to himself.

In any case, it's not himself he wants under the microscope tonight. He doesn't need a lab to figure *that* out, standing on the winter-hard soil just outside the Kents' barn.

It's only ten o' clock on a Friday night, but the lights are all out in the house proper, save for the buttery glow of a lamp inside what he's sure is Clark's bedroom.

Clark isn't in there.

Sound carries in this God-loved (forsaken would be too much to hope for in terms of his more poetic moments of self-pity) emptiness. Lex can hear Clark moving around in the loft every few moments.

Adjusting the telescope to get a finer focus on the Lang girl's bedroom window?

Kicking out the proverbial jams?

Jerking off?

Were parents really *that* understanding in the normal run of the world? Calm and secure enough to provide their teenage children a place both entirely free of supervision and entirely... safe?

What did they think their son, their achingly beautifully son *did* out here?

Or maybe they'd just long since figured out that no one in the whole benighted county could see just how...

Clark.

Lex takes a long, deep breath, ignoring the harsh chill of the air. Needs less to fill his lungs than to catch something like a clue.

A hint.

Nothing but farm fresh... everything.

No Clark.

Pointless.

He gives the house one last cursory glance, noting that nothing has changed. Neither parent has sensed his presence and woken out of blameless sleep. Good enough.

The interior of the barn is dark, crowded with faintly ominous shadows that make Lex walk soft. Stealthier than he wants to be, now that he's committed himself to actually seeking Clark out. Doesn't want to be *seen* as creeping up on the boy, whether or not that's what he's actually doing.

Still, it's an effort to force himself to scuff his feet a little. Clear his throat for the benefit of the boy above. Lex waits at the foot of the ladder, cataloguing the extra degree of stillness which means he was probably heard by something more than all of those dumb shadows.

Farm equipment, he reminds himself. Tractors and hay bales and bears, oh my. Lex stifles a laugh in his throat.

"Mom...?"

Lex winces. This *could* be why they trust Clark so much, yes? "'fraid not, Clark..."

"*Lex*?" Heavy footsteps and Clark is looking down at him, moonlight catching the hint of a smile and just the faintest glimpse of his eyes.

Lex manfully resists the urge to toss poetry at the boy, bars it all behind his own smile. "Can I come up?"

Wider smile. "Sure! Uh... do you need a light?" Shuffling sound. "I think I have a flashlight up here somewhere..."

Lex grins a little helplessly. "No, that's okay. If I fall on my ass I can entertain myself on the way to the emergency room by watching your attempts not to kill yourself laughing."

Clark snickers. "Riiight. Hang on."

Lex pauses at the foot of the ladder, remembering only at the last moment to duck his head. The blast of light still makes him wince a little, but at least he's not blinded.

"Whoops, forgot to warn you about that..."

Lex chuckles. "That's okay, Clark. I figured farm-strength flashlights would be impressive."

"Here, I'll point it at the ceiling..."

And when his eyelids are no longer screaming red at him, Lex looks up gingerly. And snickers at the Clark of Liberty.

"What...? Oh." Clark narrows his eyes. "Don't make me point this thing at you again."

Lex grins and makes his way up the ladder, takes a look around to get his eyes accustomed to life without the flashlight again.

Nothing's changed since the last time he was up here, save that everything seems more serious in moonlight. No sign whatsoever of what Clark was doing up here, and the boy himself is just standing there, thumbs in the pockets of his blue jeans and rocking on his heels.

Somewhere between pornographic and simply obscene, and Lex hadn't known there was a difference before meeting Clark.

Silence between them like radically unstable particles tossed idly hand to hand. A better metaphor for these moments than something as jejune as "playing with fire," though the heat is unmistakable.

Beautiful boy, dangerously sharper in this light. Dangerously easy to forget that Clark's first thought was for his mother. Lex offers his own edge with a smile. Warning or invitation, all depending on how Clark chooses to interpret it.

Sporting.

Clark looks away first, and Lex has just enough time to wonder if he's relieved or disappointed when Clark makes a wide, abortive gesture at the loft.

"I'm never sure how to entertain people up here," he says with a smile of his own. The one forever stuck between flirty and embarrassed.

"Oh?"

Clark shrugs, gestures again. "Yeah. I mean, I can offer you a seat, but... that's about it."

"That's not enough?"

Clark gives him something like a glare. "C'mon, Lex. This from the guy who doesn't let me on the castle *grounds* without offering me, like, everything?"

And the number of ways to take that... Lex shakes it off internally. "Well, there's a *slight* difference of a plausible hospitality between a castle and a barn... unless, of course, you're expecting the three wise men."

Clark snickers and punches his arm gently. "Okay, fine. Have a seat. I think I have half a candy bar in my pocket if you want something to eat, rich boy."

Body-warmed, half-melted chocolate... Lex grins and lets himself sprawl on the hard old couch. "Gimme."

"But it's all melted!"

"You just want to keep it for yourself. You're right, you're a *terrible* host, Clark."

"You're a freak, you know that, right?" But Clark is grinning at him and digging the bar out of his pocket. "Oh, ew, five more seconds and I'd have to try to explain to my mother how I forgot about a huge block of chocolate in my pants *again* -- um. That sounds bad on any number of levels, doesn't it."

Lex nods as solemnly as he can manage. "Yes. Yes it does. Now surrender the candy, farmboy."

Clark shakes his head and joins Lex on the couch, unpeeling the wrapper as carefully as he can, but even in the untrustworthy light of the loft Lex can see that it's pretty much a lost cause.

"*How* long has that candy bar been in there?"

"You know, I could just make a joke about how this just proves that I'm hot, but I'm not twelve years old." And Clark throws him a small grin and licks a stripe of melted chocolate off the wrapper.

Long tongue, slickly, thickly muscular tongue and Clark turns the bar around to the unlicked side and offers it to Lex. Oh.

"Careful, it's pretty sticky..."

And there it was. That muffled, muffling sort of arousal Lex has come to, if not precisely fear, than certainly *worry* about. Always difficult to keep track of plans, beliefs, rational *thought* when it's like this.

When Clark is offering him a paper laden with barely solid chocolate to... lick. And is he really going to do this?

Lex smiles incautiously, catches the edge where Clark has licked between his fingers and tugs just enough to make Clark catch the other side --

"Careful, Lex -- ew."

Lex grins wider.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Lex leans in and slips his tongue out to taste, just a fraction of an inch from where Clark's blunt fingers are caught in the chocolate paste.

Clark laughs and moves as if he's about to smear Lex's face, but Lex knows he won't.

Offers that knowledge with a sidelong smile and bends his head again, stiffening his tongue to catch as much of the chocolate as he can before pulling back... not very far at all.

Close enough for Clark to brush him a little as he brings his dirty hand up to his mouth and oh, Jesus. Licks and sucks his fingers clean, eyes almost entirely closed.

Not closed enough to justify the way Lex is watching him, but then nothing really *could* justify that, so...

So what?

Lex takes the wrapper gingerly, thinks about setting it aside --

"Hey, it's my turn!"

Thinks about his future as a dirty old man, instead. Takes a slow, deliberate lick at the chocolate. Cheap, American, overly sweet for his tastes and just about perfect... because Clark gives a stifled little gasp and shifts beside him. Lex grins at the paper and licks again. "So take it from me."

Clark grabs for it and Lex turns enough that Clark has to reach around him. Lex can feel Clark's chest against his back as he grabs for the chocolate, feel Clark's laughter everywhere they're touching.

Bends forward a little, just to see if Clark will follow, and winds up covered with a truly impressive amount of sugar-hungry farmboy, one big hand clutching his shoulder and the other grabbing the chocolate easily from Lex's suddenly numb fingers.

*Jesus*.

Arousal a hot, hard knot in his belly, demanding and potentially disastrous. The feel of Clark disentangling himself is almost enough to make him moan.

Lex takes a deep breath through his mouth and tries to get something like his game face back on before he turns around...

... to find Clark staring directly at him, pure mischief in his eyes as he proceeds to lick every stray molecule of chocolate from the wrapper that he can. And that's just too much to take.

Lex lunges in fast, stopping just before he would've collided with Clark. Waits for the subtle little *something* that will let him know Clark has gotten used to -- if not comfortable with -- Lex being this close... and Clark licks his teeth behind his lips and grins.

"Gonna fight me for it, Lex?"

"Mm. I think... not." And twists his head just enough to bend to the wrapper without brushing Clark's face *too* much --

"Jesus!"

Though that, of course, was a matter of opinion.

Still, Clark didn't actually move away, or laugh it off, or... anything but breathe hotly against Lex's cheek and throat and hold the paper still. Lex thinks he can taste the boy in the midst of all the plebeian chocolate, but there's no real way to be sure. *Knows* he can taste the sharp acid of his own need.

Their knees are touching now, and Clark's hair is a ticklish goad to his own scalp and Lex thinks he would probably kill someone if it meant he could be this close to Clark, to having what he *wants*...

Pulls away from the damp wrapper slowly, turning and raising his head into something like a slow, open-eyed nuzzle of Clark's face.

Clark's eyes wide enough to give everything a patina of innocence and whatever the opposite of inevitability could be... in some universe where Lex wasn't too hard to give a fuck.

"Lex..."

Inhales Clark's warm, sweet breath and wonders just what's showing on his face. "Yeah."

"Are you..." Clark takes a shuddering breath and Lex knows Clark's noticed the way Lex is staring at his mouth.

Smiles. "Yes, Clark?" Keeps right on staring.

"Are you hard right now?"

Definitely *not* the question he was expecting, and Lex hisses in a breath. Closes his eyes and slowly, deliberately, adjusts himself in his trousers. Inviting Clark to look for himself. "Yeah. I am."

"I... oh. Uh..."

Lex plucks the candy wrapper away and drops it on the floor, leaning in to Clark's throat. Presses his tongue hard to Clark's thudding pulse for a moment before making it a long, slow lick. "Are you?"

"Ohh... what?"

"Hard." Lex licks him again when he gasps, sucks a brief, wet kiss. "Are you hard for me, Clark?"

"Jesus, Lex, yes..." Hot, sticky caress to his scalp, fast and shaky. "Are you... are we..."

"Fuck yeah."

And Clark ducks his head and... nuzzles Lex into a kiss. Hot and sweet, fumbling soft and wet. Like he doesn't want to use his hands. Like he *can't* use his hands, and that's something Lex can go with. For now.

Opens Clark's mouth for his tongue and catches the boy's wrists. Thumbs to Clark's pulse points and pressing, holding his arms away from his body and moving in. Kissing and kissing and biting and pulling back only long enough to straddle Clark's lap.

And Clark is hard against him, pushing up in sharply abortive thrusts that make Lex moan something like a yes into Clark's mouth, tighten his hold on the boy's wrists.

"*Lex*..."

"What do you want, Clark? What can I give you?"

Strangled whine from the back of Clark's throat and Lex *has* to. Nudges the boy's head back and sucks hard where throat meets shoulder, some vague rationalization about Clark owning turtlenecks flitting meaninglessly through the back of his mind.

Bites down at Clark's hissed "yes." Harder when the boy's thrusts get harder. Serious.

*Wants* this.

Squeezes Clark's wrists again, presses them against the back of the couch. "Don't move."

"Oh, God..."

Lex watches Clark swallow, toss his head like a horse and has to kiss him again. Has to get his hands in Clark's hair and pull him and hold him in place and he *knows* he's pushing too hard, no finesse at all, but until Clark gives some heavy physical signs that he's not the ravishing type...

Lex can't stop.

Pulls back to strip off his jacket, gratified by the way Clark's hands twitch. More by the way he balls them into fists and holds them still.

"Lex, please... I want. I want to touch you so much..."

"Later, I promise. Now take off your shirt."

Clark squeezes his eyes shut, bites his lip and does it. Moonlight silvers the light sheen of sweat on the center of his chest, makes it seem cooler, more remote than it should be. Lex leans in to take another kiss, trapping his hand between them. If he closes his eyes there's nothing but heat and Clark's increasingly desperate little sounds.

Slick hot skin and hard, tiny spike of a nipple...

"Do you like it hard, Clark?"

"Oh God, Lex, *please* --"

Begging, sweet and sweat-smelling Clark and Lex wants to hurt, be hurt, suck and bite and take -- twists Clark's nipple hard and rides out a helpless thrust, holding on with his thighs and watching.

Watching.

Clark eyes are heavy-lidded and gleaming, lips parted and color high and --

"Lex..."

*Jesus*. Realizes that he's been twisting the entire time and pulls off with a jerk and a gasp. "Sorry about that --"

"No, 's good..."

"You *do* like it hard." Can't even come close to keeping the greed out of his own voice, but when it makes Clark arch like that... thrust up against him and moan quiet little moans...

"Anything..."

Another kiss and Lex breaks it to bite Clark's lip, a ragged line over his jaw and down his throat and --

"Oh... oh please, Lex, let me touch you..."

Lex bites hard and thrusts harder and Clark doesn't wait for yes. Hands ghosting over his back, up to his scalp while Lex bites and sucks. Light at first, but getting harder. More confident or just hungrier and Lex wriggles back when Clark starts tugging at his shirt.

"Wha...? Lex, *please* --"

"Shh." Unbuttons as quickly as possible, tossing the eminently forgettable shirt somewhere behind him. Infinitely forgettable. Clark's staring at his chest like something both priceless and his.

Possessive.

Lex likes that. "So touch me."

Little flare of *something* in Clark's eyes and the hands are back. On his back, kneading and cataloging muscle like some particularly perverse sports doctor and Lex has just enough time to start to laugh before Clark's *mouth* is on his chest.

Wet and hot and dragging and God, his nipples are hard before Clark even *gets* there, because...

Because he hadn't really expected *too* much initiative, but Clark is sucking his chest like he thinks Lex will maybe lactate, and only the knowledge that he'll sound cracked keeps him from laughing at that.

Well, that and the fact that it's fucking *hot*.

Clark licking and sucking and scraping his teeth more gently than gently, and then looking up at him from under his lashes. Watching Lex for reaction. Ah.

"You can bite me. I don't mind."

Clark shudders, eyes closing, and squeezes Lex with one powerful arm while starting to nibble.

"Fuck. Yeah, that's. That... Clark." Slips his hands into Clark's hair again and urges him on, rocking his hips. Trying to get a better angle, trying to get a better feel of that hard cock, something. Something.... "Ah... harder --"

Moan rumbling against his skin and Clark squeezes him again, sucks so hard it *hurts* and Lex feels his cock spitting pre-come in his briefs. Has to get them naked very, very soon.

Slides his hands up and down Clark's broad back and has to moan when it makes *Clark* moan. Control. Control?

*Does* laugh this time and regrets it immediately when it makes Clark pull off. Wet red lips and Lex can see the bruise forming on his chest.

"What's funny? Am I... is this..."

No. No stammering Clark. "I'm funny, Clark. You're making me nuts here, Jesus. C'mere..." Kisses him, long and slow. Clark's learning fast and Lex can *feel* his mind careening off the rails when Clark starts to fuck his mouth with his tongue.

Beautifully unsubtle and perfect. God. To have this boy *want* him like this. Want him enough to be bold.

Lex hears himself growl at the back of his throat and Clark's holding him tight enough to make breathing a wonderful effort. Every inhale pasting them skin to skin. Demanding and sweeter than anything as simple as taste.

Clark's breath pure chocolate.

Clark's sweat impure salt and sex.

Lex grins into another kiss and urges them back against the couch, running his hands down Clark's sides to his hips and then jerking them forward hard.

"*Lex* --"

"Oh... you're so hard, Clark. Have you thought about this? About what you'd want me to do with your hard cock if you had the chance?"

"Yesss..."

Lex pushes up hard and bites Clark's throat again, mm'ing a little when his head lolls over the back of the couch. Complete trust and Lex wants to reward it. Wants to know more. "Do you jerk off out here? Thinking about me?"

"God, yes, Lex, *please* --"

Licks a stripe to Clark's ear and fucks it with his tongue. Every harsh breath, every tiny moan makes him throb. Makes him need. "Tell me what I'm doing to you. What makes you come."

Clark shivers, hands clenching almost painfully on Lex's shoulders for a moment before jerking away fast.

"Clark... c'mon. It's okay." Licks his ear again and the hands are back, sliding down and down and stopping at Lex's waist. "Oh... you want my ass, Clark?"

High, desperate little whimper. "Lex..."

"You want to fuck me? Do you want me on my hands and knees --"

"Lex! I'm gonna... you're gonna make me come..." Hips shifting and rocking, pausing, rocking, and Clark's so *hot*.

Burn of his skin and Lex wants it *everywhere*. "Yeah. I am. You're gonna come for me, Clark. In my mouth, in my --"

"*Fuck*!"

And Clark's jerking against him hard enough to knock Lex off if he wasn't also holding on tight enough to make his bones creak. Coming. With just Lex's voice and a little above the waist petting. Had to be a new record. Lex grinned against Clark's cheek and pulled back to kiss him slow when he finally eased up.

Sucks at Clark's mouth, catching every panted breath he can.

"Lex..."

"Mmm."

"Lex, I think you just killed me."

"Hmm. Likes dirty talk. I'll have to make a note." Licks Clark mouth and shifts against Clark's heat, hissing a little at Clark's drawn-out moan.

"You... you do that." Clark is smiling goofily, eyes closed and hands roaming on Lex's back.

"There are other things I want to do..."

"God, your *voice*, Lex, do you have any idea..." Clark blinks his eyes open, looks at him wryly. "Of course you do."

Lex raises an eyebrow. "I do?"

"You know just what you do to people. What you do to me. And you like it." And Clark's hands are on his ass now, cupping. Squeezing. Strength in them impossible to ignore.

Lex takes a shuddery breath. "I like a lot of things."

"Good. That's..." Clark's gaze skating down his chest, down to Lex's groin. "That's good. I want to see you..."

"Is that all you want, Clark?"

Hard squeeze. "You know it isn't. You wouldn't be here... God, your *tongue*." And Clark lets him go to attack his fly, instead. Deliciously clumsy, knuckles brushing Lex's erection once, again.

Again. "Clark..."

"Yeah. Yeah, I just..." Gets Lex's pants open and, "oh... you're *wet*." Thumb against the head of Lex's cock through the boxer briefs and rubbing.

"Fuck, yeah, that's --"

And suddenly Lex is on his back on the hard old couch, dust rising in the moonlight and Clark tugging his pants and briefs down to his knees. "I wanted... I think about you... about you touching yourself. Thinking about me."

And that's just... "*God*, Clark..."

"Yeah..." Warm hands, big hands moving up and down his thighs, very obviously warming himself up for this.

Lex looks up to see Clark staring at Lex's cock like it has all the answers of the universe and doesn't feel like telling. "I do, you know."

Clark jerks his head up. "Wha...?"

"Think about you when I'm jerking off. About your mouth, mostly." Reaches out to run his fingers over Clark's lips, pushing a little when he closes his eyes. Clark licks his fingertips and his eyes snap open again.

"Oh, God. You're so..." Doesn't bother finishing the thought before taking Lex's cock in his fist and starting to stroke, slow and hard.

Lex arches helplessly. "Jesus --"

"Do I suck you, Lex? Is that what makes you come?"

>From anyone else it would be a tease, from Lex, certainly, but Clark just sounds... eager. "Yeah. Among other --" Cut off by his own low cry as Clark takes the head of his cock in his mouth.

Wet and *hot*. Slick flame and Clark's brow is furrowed and his mouth, God his *mouth*.

Cheeks pulled in and sucking *hard*, fist still stroking, and the only thing that's keeping Lex from being positive that his body has disappeared utterly is his vision. He can't feel a thing but that mouth. Nothing else *matters* but that mouth and he thinks he might be babbling.

Clark hums something wordless around him and looks up at him steadily.

Watching again, but not for reactions. Clark looks pretty fucking sure that he's doing exactly the right thing, and Lex can't blame him. Not when he's this close to grabbing the boy's ears and
fucking his throat raw --

"Oh *God*, Clark --"

Taking more in, no hesitation. Sucking even *harder* and Lex can feel himself pumping more and more pre-come. So slick and hot and he *needs* this. Reaches for Clark's hair before he can think and it's all he can do not to *yank*. Clark feels so good, and it's fucking *better* than the fantasies, which shouldn't be possible, but... Jesus.

Going down on him like it's just one more thing he's been wanting kind, generous Lex to give him, eyes open and hungry.

Hungry.

"Clark..." Broken sound, barely his name. "I want to... oh God, you have to pull off *now* --"

Almost heartbreaking when he does, but --

"I wanna taste you..." Terrifyingly *earnest* in his lust and Lex can't even *watch* when Clark takes him back in, just throw his head back and pump and pump and gasp and.

Come.

Clark's mmm and Lex's own embarrassing whimper and yes, Jesus, yes, please, and that might be aloud, too, and he can't, cannot bring himself to care.

Shudders back to himself breathlessly, half-aware of Clark watching him. Doesn't bother to dim his smile. Clark is no one who needs to be kept in check with a little post-coital spin.

Jerks at the feel of Clark's tongue, low on his belly, and settles as best he can as Clark licks his way up his chest, gentle on his bruised nipple.

"Sorry," he mumbles, and Lex has to laugh.

"I'm pretty sure I can find it in my heart to forgive you, Clark."

He can feel Clark smile against his chest and disentangles his hand enough to pet him.

"Come here. I want to kiss you."

"Lex..."

Clark's tongue in his mouth and Lex tastes himself leisurely, using his free hand to tug on Clark's arm until he gets the hint and rests carefully half on top of him. Warm, still half-clothed boy. Heavy and absolutely irresistible. "I taste good in you," he says into Clark's mouth, enjoying the shiver he gets.

The little push against his leg. "Uh... thanks?"

Lex grins again. "You're welcome."

"God, you're smug." Clark butts Lex's chin with the top of his head. "Don't even try to deny it."

"I wouldn't dream of it. I just got blown by a gorgeous underage boy -- what's not to be smug about?"

Clark snickers against Lex's throat. "I don't know, I was expecting you to put up more of a fight."

"*Me*?" Lex tilts his head in an attempt to get a better look at Clark's face.

Clark grins down at him. "Yeah, you. The underage thing."

"You overestimate my shame. Or underestimate my ability to gloss over nasty little truths." Quirks an eyebrow at the boy. "Which?"

"Hmm. Probably the latter. I *never* thought you had any shame." And Clark's grin is positively *winsome*.

"Hey, I have shame. I have plenty of shame." Runs a finger over Clark's cheek. "Just not about the things most people do."

Clark tilts his head at Lex, eyeing him seriously for a moment. "No, I'd guess not." Visibly shakes it off. "Pretty sweet deal for me." And Clark's grinning shyly.

Lex kisses him again, softly. "For me, too, Clark. Though..."

"Yeah?"

Gives Clark his best gently dangerous smile. "I have to get you in my bed."

"Oh..." Something like happy terror in his voice.

"I'm gonna show you so many things, Clark..."

"Lex..." And Clark's eyes are closed again, hips pushing a little against Lex.

"Come over tomorrow."

"Oh... okay..."

"I'll even melt some chocolate for you."

Choked laugh. "It doesn't count unless you keep it in your pants all day, you know."

"Far, far too many bad jokes there. You should be proud of me for restraining myself."

Clark laughs again. "Only you would have no problem having sex with a teenager when you can't bring yourself to tell a bad joke."

Lex shrugs as best he can. "Told you I had shame."

Clark grins and shakes his head. Kisses him, slow and fading shy and sweet. "I like this," he whispers against Lex's mouth. "All of it." Kisses him again. "But... if I'm not back in the house before it gets too late my mother wakes up."

Lex sucks Clark's lip for a moment. "Time for me to go?"

"Uh... maybe?"

Chuckles. "Yes." Pushes gently at Clark until he can sit up and pull on his pants and underwear. Catches a wistful look on Clark's face and smiles to himself as he hunts for his shirt and jacket.

Clark watches him dress from the couch, eyes gleaming in a way that suggests Lex might be here for quite a bit longer than he should be if he doesn't leave *now*. One big hand is hanging
between Clark's thighs, inches away from... "Lex?"

"Tomorrow," he says, more to himself than Clark.

Who has a little smugness of his own. "Yeah, okay."

Lex shakes his head and kisses Clark once, hard, deftly avoiding wonderfully grabby hands and making his way down the ladder with only a little regret. He can feel Clark's eyes on him all the way back to the car, which should be impossible given the angle, but...

It's not like he *minds*.

Lex grins to himself as he drives back to the castle. At the moment, he couldn't care less about secrets.

That feels good, too.

### The End ###