Title: Sleepless in Smallville
Author: Hils
Email: ImmortalBeloved2000@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: R
Challenge: CLFF Wave 22 – Lex has insomnia
Notes: Thanks to danceswithgary and selinamoonfire for the beta
Summary: Lex can’t sleep and Clark worries.

This would be the last time Clark visited the mansion, or at least that’s what he told himself. The fact was, though, there had been numerous ‘last visits’ despite the fact Lex had made it clear Clark was no longer welcome. Clark had never been able to think rationally when it came to Lex, and it wasn’t in his nature to just abandon his former best friend, especially when Lex’s life was endangered on an almost daily basis. That just wasn’t something he could ignore. So, despite the fact he’d been officially banned from Lex’s home, Clark still went by every night and stood outside out of sight of the security cameras, scanning the building to make sure Lex was okay.

That was how he knew Lex wasn’t sleeping.

No matter what time Clark arrived, Lex was never in bed. Sometimes he sat at his desk staring into nothingness, other times he paced the office like a caged animal. It had been weeks now, and it was always the same.

Clark chewed his lip, concerned as he watched Lex’s distinctive skeleton through the wall. Tonight was obviously a pacing night, and Clark could almost feel the weariness radiating from Lex as he methodically trudged up and down the length of the office. He hated this, the helplessness of it all. His friend was suffering and, yes, he did still consider Lex his friend despite everything, but there was nothing he could do. Lex wouldn’t even see him now, never mind talk to him.

He scanned the rest of the mansion and soon found Lana asleep in bed, completely unaware of what Lex was going through. He hated the fact that he was here standing on the outside and looking in, knowing that his help would not be accepted even if he offered it.

All he could do was watch.

* * *

“I’m worried about Lex.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow as Clark breezed into the Planet as he did almost every day. “Worried in the ‘he’s up to no good yet again’ sense?”

“Worried in the ‘he doesn’t seem to have slept in a month’ sense.”

Chloe shrugged. “Well, a little insomnia is only to be expected with some of the things Lex has done. It’s probably his guilt manifesting itself.”

Clark frowned. “I don’t know what to do. He’s not going to want to talk to me about it, and I can’t exactly ask Lana to help.”

Realization dawned in Chloe’s eyes ad Clark looked pointedly at her as he spoke. “You want me to talk to Lana for you.”

It wasn’t a question.

Clark nodded and Chloe sighed. “Fine, I’ll talk to Lana, but I have no idea how I’m going to explain how I know about her boyfriend’s sleeping habits.”

Clark tried not to flinch as he was reminded about Lana and Lex’s new relationship. Instead, he smiled and patted Chloe on the shoulder. “You’ll think of something. That’s why you’re a good reporter.”

She grinned. “No, that’s why I’m a great reporter.”

* * *

It saddened Chloe to see how easily Lana had fallen into the Luthor lifestyle. Everything about her looked different. The clothes were sleek and expensive, her hair clipped tightly to the back of her head. Even her makeup had moved away from natural shades to deep lipsticks and heavy eyeshadow. It was almost as though her friend was gone.

Then Lana smiled and hugged her. Chloe relaxed.

“It’s so good to see you,” Lana said, still smiling as she sat down opposite Chloe. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Chloe replied. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Lana replied. “Still getting used to…everything.”

Chloe nodded. “Must be weird going from a student dorm to a mansion.”

“It is, but Lex is being really good about it. He’s trying his best to help me get settled in.”

Chloe resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark and instead took this opening for what she needed. “How is Lex anyway? I saw him on the news yesterday, and he wasn’t looking so good.”

Lana frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Pale, more so than usual, and tired. I know he’s not my favorite person in the world but is he okay?”

“He’s fine.”

There was almost a defensive tone to Lana’s voice. She obviously didn’t want to betray the fact that she hadn’t noticed anything was wrong with Lex. Chloe didn’t push it. She knew Lana would ask Lex about it later and that was all she wanted. She'd done what Clark had asked, and now she could go back to being a friend.

“Hey, at least you got a mansion. You have no idea what a pain it is sharing that small apartment with Lois.”

* * *

Dinner at the mansion was a quiet affair, as it was every night. Lana hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Chloe had said about Lex that afternoon. Looking at him now, she could see that he did look tired. Exhausted might be a better word. His face was pale and drawn, which just served to further highlight the deep purple shadows under his eyes. How could she not have noticed this?

“Lex, is everything alright?”

He smiled, and immediately she knew something was wrong. She’d known Lex long enough to know just how good he was at covering up his feelings when he needed to. This smile looked forced and weak.

“I’m fine, Lana,” Lex replied with that tired smile still in place.

It would have been easy for her to accept this obvious lie and just leave it at that, but she’d learned with her past dealings with Lex and the ship that the only way to get the truth out of him was to push. So she pushed.

“You’re not fine, Lex. You look exhausted.”

She could almost physically see him closing down as she talked. At that moment, she knew that no matter what she said, he wasn’t going to tell her what was bothering him.

“Really, Lana, I’m fine. Things are just busy at work in aftermath of Dark Thursday. Just give it time to settle down.”

She shook her head. “Why won’t you let me in, Lex? I thought we trusted each other. Why can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

He gave her that tight, weary smile again. “Believe me, Lana, when there’s anything to tell you’ll be the first to know.”

Somehow, she doubted that.

* * *

Chloe wasn’t altogether surprised when Lana showed up at the Planet the next day.

“You were right, Chloe. Something is wrong with Lex, but I can’t get him to tell me what it is.”

Chloe sighed and offered Lana a seat. “Lana, you have to understand that Lex has spent years keeping his feelings to himself. You can’t get him to change overnight. It’ll take time.”

“I know, but it’s hard. Lex never seemed to have problems talking to Clark, and he’s making himself sick with whatever’s bothering him. I don’t know what else to do. Chloe, do you think Clark would talk to Lex for me?”

Chloe snorted. “Lana, are you serious? Clark is the last person Lex is going to talk to about anything. He won’t even see him any more.”

“I know, but I don’t know what else to try. Clark’s the only person who’s ever gotten through to Lex in the past. I have to try.”

“So you’re really going to ask Clark, your ex-boyfriend, to talk to Lex, your current boyfriend?”

Lana winced. “That’s sort of why I’m here, actually. I thought it might sound better if you talk to Clark about it. Things have been kind of awkward between us since Lex and I started seeing each other. Besides, you were the one who first noticed something was wrong with Lex. It might sound better coming from you.”

Chloe had to smirk at that. Lana had no idea that all of this was because Clark was worried about Lex in the first place.

“I’ll talk to him, Lana, but I can’t promise he’ll say yes.”

* * *

“I know I work for a newspaper but that doesn’t make me a messenger,” Chloe announced as she breezed into the barn.

Clark looked up from the tractor he was attempting to repair and frowned. “Did you talk to Lana?”

“Yeah.”

Clark set down and his tools and wiped his hands on his shirt, leaving it streaked with oil. “What did she say?”

“Well,” Chloe sighed, “she agrees that something is wrong with Lex but he won’t tell her what it is.”

Clark nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Lex. His father used to tell him that showing his feelings was a sign of weakness, and that weakness should never be revealed to anyone, not even the people you care about.”

Chloe snorted. “Well, that explains it then. Lex only cares about himself.”

“I don’t think that’s true. Yeah, Lex has made some bad decisions in the past but that’s just because he doesn’t think the same way everyone else does. He needs someone there to help him and I abandoned him.”

Chloe smiled gently and patted Clark on the arm. “Clark, you can’t blame yourself for how Lex turned out. It’s sweet that you put so much faith in people, but someone like Lex is just destined for badness.”

“I can’t give up on him, Chloe. What did Lana say?”

“Well, actually, she wants you to talk to Lex.”

Clark raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Me?”

Chloe shrugged. “I told her I didn’t think it was a good idea, but she thinks you’re the only one who’d be able to get through to him. And you did just say you weren’t ready to give up on him.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

He was gone before Chloe could blink.

“I didn’t mean now!”

* * *

Lana had apparently expected Clark to agree to her idea, because as soon as he arrived at the mansion he was ushered into Lex’s office, despite Lex having banned Clark from his home.

He was nervous and hovered for a moment outside the door, trying to work out what he was going to say. Lex was bound to ask questions Clark wasn’t sure he could answer, and that would drive the final nail into the coffin that had become their friendship. Clark wasn’t sure he’d be able to bear Lex telling him to leave again.

He entered the office cautiously, and it was a testament to Lex’s exhaustion that it took him a few seconds to even notice Clark was there. Now that he was close, Clark could see the dark circles under Lex’s eyes and his heart ached. It was all too similar to how Lex had looked while under the influence of the drugs that had ended up landing him in Belle Reve. Clark longed to reach out to Lex, to hold him until whatever it that was bothering him had gone away. But he held back.

“Clark,” Lex sighed wearily. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear enough when I said you weren’t welcome here any more.”

Clark stayed silent. It would have been too easy to react the way he normally would, to snap and snark at Lex, and hurl accusations. That had been the extent of all of their conversations recently, but not this time.

“Lex, I’m here because Lana asked me to talk to you. She’s worried about you and so am I.”

Lex snorted. “You know, she’s almost as persistent as you are. I can see why you fell for her.”

Lex was trying to bait him, to turn this into yet another argument so that he wouldn’t have to talk about what was really bothering him. Clark knew him well enough to see that. He moved around to the side of Lex’s desk so there were no barriers between them.

“Lex, please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Lex sat back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest. Now that he was closer, he could see that Lex had lost weight. A lot of weight and that just made him more determined to fix what was wrong.

“I’m touched that you came running because Lana asked you to, and while your false concern is endearing, there is really no need for it. I told Lana that I’m fine and now I’m telling you the same thing. You know where the door is. You’ll have to forgive me for not showing you out, but I’m very busy.”

Clark merely folded his arms to match Lex’s pose. He’d endured years of stubbornness from him, and found himself pretty much immune to it these days.

“Lex, have you looked in the mirror recently? You’re not fine and I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Lex chuckled. It was a dry, humorless laugh.

“Your devotion to Lana is admirable, Clark, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to let her down on this one. Now, you can either leave of your own accord, or I can call my security and they can make you leave.”

Clark narrowed his eyes and stood up straighter. “They can try.”

Lex slammed his laptop shut and stood up. Clark was alarmed to see him sway, and hurried over to support him before he collapsed.

“This has nothing to do with Lana,” Clark said gently, as he eased Lex back into his seat and poured him a glass of water. “I’m really worried about you. I know our friendship doesn’t mean much to you anymore, but I still care about you.”

Lex closed his eyes as he sipped the water, and Clark noticed Lex’s hands were shaking quite badly.

“I appreciate your concern, Clark,” Lex finally said softly. “But this isn’t something you can help with. I just have some things I need to work though.”

Clark became aware that he was rubbing Lex’s shoulder as he talked. Surprisingly, Lex didn’t seem to mind. Either that or he was so tired he hadn’t even noticed.

“My dad always said that a problem shared was a problem halved,” Clark said. “I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it. Might help.”

Lex smiled; a genuine smile this time. “Clark, did your dad have a platitude for every occasion?”

Clark returned the smile. “Pretty much.”

“Well, unfortunately even if I wanted to share, there’s not really much I can say. That’s the problem when you get taken over by an alien being who causes you to hurt the people you care about most. Then, of course, there’s the fact that I destroyed half the city, and can’t remember a thing about it.”

So that was it. No wonder Lex wasn’t sleeping. He was blaming himself for what had happened.

“Lex, it wasn’t you. You can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

“Actually, I think you’ll find I can. I put myself in a position where Milton Fine could use me to act as his vessel. I knew he was dangerous, but I did it anyway.”

Clark continued to stroke Lex’s shoulder. “Do you remember anything about it at all?”

“Not really, but whenever I close my eyes I get these flashes. Nothing specific, but I know I hurt a lot of people.”

Clark smiled gently. “Lex, I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling right now, but you can’t let it destroy you like this. Have you been watching the news?”

Lex frowned. “Of course I have. In fact I can’t stop. Seeing all those images of the city in ruins and knowing that I did it…”

Clark shook his head. “You’re not looking at it the right way. Yeah, the city is in bits and pieces at the moment, but everyone is working together to rebuild it. People are dealing with what happened and moving on. You need to do the same.”

“That’s easier said than done, I’m afraid.”

Clark gave Lex’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It’s easier if you let people help you and I want to help.”

Lex sighed. “Because Lana asked you to.”

“No, because you’re my friend. And I miss you.”

Lex raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t hate you, Lex. I get frustrated at the decisions you make sometimes, but I could never hate you. I thought you hated me, anyway.”

“No, Clark, I just hate that you feel you can’t be honest with me.”

Clark nodded. “Give me time, Lex, and I’ll try and fix that. For now, though, now that we’ve established we don’t hate each other, let’s get some food inside you, and then see if you can get some sleep.”

“I’ll eat something if you join me,” Lex replied.

“When have you ever known me turn down food?”

“Good point.”

They both chuckled and Clark was amazed at how good it felt to laugh with Lex again. Even more amazing was that Lex was already starting to look better. His face had lost its pinched, grey look and his body was relaxed, instead of its usual poised stiffness.

“Come on,” Lex said, linking his arm through Clark’s. “Let’s go and raid the kitchen.”

* * *

Their bellies full, Clark helped Lex up the stairs and to the bedrooms.

“Where are we going?” Lex asked as they passed the door to his room and continued down the corridor.

“Sometimes it helps to have a change of environment. Here we are.”

Lex stopped outside the door and frowned. “Clark, this is your room.”

“Actually, technically it’s your room. I just used to borrow it sometimes.”

Clark could still remember how excited he’d been when Lex had announced he’d set aside a bedroom for Clark to use whenever he wanted. All he’d been able to think about was that he was only one door away from Lex’s room.

He blushed at the memory, and opened the door and guided Lex inside. Nothing had changed. Lex had picked out the blue bedding because he'd known it was Clark’s favorite color. The curtains were a deep maroon red, another of Clark’s favorites. Clark had been sure Lex would have redecorated, but everything was exactly the same as it had been when he’d last used the room.

He maneuvered Lex over to the bed and sat him down before switching on the lamp and moving over to draw the curtains.

“Are you going to sleep in your suit?” He teased when he turned back and saw that Lex was still sat on the edge of the bed, not having moved at all.

With a jovial sigh, Clark moved back over to Lex and slid his jacket down over his shoulders before starting to unbutton his shirt.

Startled into awareness, Lex looked down at the large hands working carefully at the small buttons. “Clark, what are you doing?”

“I said I was going to help you, and if that means helping you get ready for bed, then I’ll do it.”

He glanced at Lex’s face, wondering if he’d gone a step too far. He found himself faced with the blank neutrality Lex always put into place when he was trying to hide his feelings. Despite years of practice, Clark had never been able to penetrate that look.

He finished unbuttoning Lex’s shirt and stepped back. “How about I get the lights and you finish getting yourself undressed.”

That got a nod at least, and Clark smiled before walking deliberately slowly over to the light switch and flipping it off. He could hear the bed covers rustling behind him as Lex got into bed, and it was only then that he allowed himself to turn back.

He walked back over to the bed, and lay on top of the covers beside Lex.

There was a pause while Lex seemingly processed whether he was comfortable with Clark being this close. Finally, he sighed. “This isn’t going to work.”

“Yes, it will,” Clark replied, in a tone that made it sound like a certainty. “Just close your eyes.”

In the darkness, he heard Lex sigh again and could only assume he had done as he’d been asked. Clark took a deep breath and rolled over, wrapping his arms around Lex and drawing him close.

He could feel Lex’s whole body go rigid in his arms as he pressed a gentle kiss to Lex’s temple. “I just want you to feel safe. Nothing bad will happen to you while I’m here. Just sleep.”

Lex took a deep breath, and allowed himself to relax in Clark’s arms. When he closed his eyes, he’d expected the usual flashes of pain, fear and destruction, but this time it was different. There was only one image in his mind's eye; a radiant smile lighting everything like a beacon. It made Lex feel safe, warm, and loved.

He slept.

Clark, however, didn’t sleep that night. Every move Lex made; every twitch, every whimper made Clark tighten his hold and whisper soothing nothings until Lex settled again.

Not long after dawn, he felt Lex stir in his arms and braced himself for Lex’s reaction. Now that he was rested he had a feeling Lex’s attitude towards him would have reverted to the cold animosity that had been there before.

He waited.

Lex blinked, yawned and smiled. That was a good sign.

“Hey,” Clark said gently. “How are you feeling?”

“Well rested, and hungry for once. Thank you, Clark, for everything.”

He smiled and almost sighed with relief that Lex hadn’t gone back to hating him again. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

He was aware that Lex’s head was resting on his shoulder and he had to fight hard to resist the urge to run his fingers over the smooth scalp.

“Will you stay for breakfast?” Lex asked, nuzzling Clark’s shoulder sleepily.

Clark was alarmed at just how arousing he was finding this whole situation, as if it was the morning after some mind-blowing sex, which had never happened. He really hoped Lex hadn’t noticed how hard he was becoming at the mere thought of sex with him.

He almost whimpered when Lex rolled away from him and climbed out of bed.

“You’re welcome to take a shower if you want and there’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom.”

Clark was just wondering how he was supposed to get out of bed without Lex noticing his arousal, when a knock at the door disturbed them. Lex moved to answer it and Clark took the opportunity to hastily climb out of bed and adjust his clothes so that his erection was concealed.

“Apologies for disturbing you, Mr. Luthor, but Ms. Lang is looking for you. She became quite concerned when she couldn’t find you last night.”

Clark flinched. Suddenly, staying for breakfast seemed like a really bad idea. How was he supposed to face Lana, his ex, after he’d just spent the night with her current boyfriend and was currently having all sorts of lusty thoughts about him? It was all kinds of wrong.

“I should go,” Clark said as Lex closed the door.

“Clark, you don’t have to leave. Didn’t you say Lana asked you to talk to me?”

Clark shook his head. “Not so much asked me as sent a message though Chloe. You should go and be with her, Lex. My mom will be wondering where I am anyway.”

He slipped out of the door and was gone before Lex could reply.

* * *

Lex took his time showering and dressing. Now that Clark was gone it felt like part of him was missing, and it bothered him how quickly he’d allowed himself to become dependent on another person. He could hear his father’s voice in the back of his head telling him that Luthors don’t need anyone except themselves.

He pushed the voice aside.

Now that Clark was back in his life, there was no way he was letting him go. He still firmly believed that they had a destiny together and now that Clark had been able to help him when no one else could he was even more certain of that fact.

Lana was waiting for him when he eventually headed downstairs, and she smiled as he took a seat at the breakfast table.

“You’re looking better.”

“I feel better. Lana, I want to thank you for what you did. I know going to Clark for help can’t have been easy for you.”

Her face dropped at that. “I had a feeling he was the one you needed.”

They fell into silence as one of the servants came and poured some juice for them. An awkward silence made the sound of the cutlery chinking against the plates sound like a roar.

“Lex,” Lana finally said. “There’s something I need to say to you but I’m not really sure how.”

He set down his knife and fork and looked at her intently. “Lana, you know you can say anything to me.”

“That’s the thing, Lex, I’m not sure I can. You were wasting away in front of me, and it took Chloe saying something for me to even notice. That’s not the sort of person I’m comfortable being.”

Lex moved closer and took her hand in his. “Lana, you can’t blame yourself. I’ve been used to hiding my problems from others for so long that I’ve become an expert at it. I didn’t want you to see that there was anything wrong, so you didn’t.”

There were tears in her eyes now, and Lex felt his heart clench with the knowledge that he had been the one to cause them.

“It’s more than that,” Lana continued, “I wanted so badly to help you but you wouldn’t let me in. What does it say about our relationship when you were willing to talk to Clark, a man you claim to hate, but not to me?”

He had no answer to that, and for once, he couldn’t even find a convincing lie to fall back on.

“I’m leaving,” Lana said, even though the words weren’t really needed at this stage. “I need to get away from Smallville and Metropolis for a while. There’s so much I could be doing with my life, and I need a clear head before I can figure out what that is.”

Lex squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be who you needed me to be.”

Lana returned the smile. “It’s not your fault, Lex. This is who you are. I’m sure you and Clark will be happy together.”

“What do you mean?”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I think you know.”

As she walked out of the room, her heels clicking on the marble floor, Lex found that he was at a loss for words.

* * *

Clark spent a quiet day on the farm doing his chores and ignoring the numerous phone calls from Chloe. He really couldn’t face interrogation about what had happened with Lex when he was still trying to get his head around it himself.

He was already missing him, which was strange considering that less than twenty-four hours ago they hadn’t even been on speaking terms. Now, all he could think about was how nice it had been to wake up with Lex in his arms, and how he wished every morning could be like that.

He was so deep in thought he didn’t even notice his mom come into the barn.

“Honey, Lex is on the phone.”

She looked surprised and a little confused, even more so when Clark said he’d take the call. Thankfully, she left to give him some privacy while they talked.

“Hey, Lex.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was soft and polite.

“Clark, I hope I’m not being too presumptuous after everything you’ve done for me, but I was wondering if you’d mind joining me for dinner tonight. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

Clark frowned. “Is everything ok?”

“I’m not sure, but I hope it will be soon. So, you’ll come?”

Clark paused. He still wasn’t sure he could handle any sort of conversation with Lex while Lana was there.

“Lana won’t be here if that’s what’s worrying you,” Lex said, seeming to read his mind.

“Oh.”

Well, that made things easier at least, although now he was worried about what was so important that Lex felt he had to send Lana away for it.

“So, you’ll come?”

“I guess.”

“Great! I’ll see you tonight.”

As Lex hung up, Clark was struck with the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

Lex greeted Clark with a warm smile and a firm handshake before showing him into the living room for a pre-meal drink.

Clark was curious about just what it was that Lex wanted to talk about. He looked well enough. Much refreshed since yesterday, and happily asking Clark about his day as though the rift between them had never occurred.

“What did you want to talk about?” Clark finally asked when he couldn’t contain his curiosity any further.

Lex glanced at his watch. “Let’s talk after dinner, shall we? I’ve had Henri prepare Boeuf Bourguignon just the way you like it.”

Now Clark was starting to feel uneasy. It was almost as though Lex was trying too hard to get into his good books. Something bad was coming, and Lex was just trying to soften the blow, Clark knew it.

“Lex, what’s going on? Why am I here?”

Lex simply smiled. “Come on. Let’s eat and I’ll tell you everything.”

* * *

Clark had always been amused by the sheer scale of Lex’s dining table, and had often teased him that if anyone ever needed the salt, the food would be cold in the time it took to pass the salt from one end of the table to the other.

Tonight, they sat close together, with Lex at the end of the table and Clark to the side of him. The food, as always, was perfect and Clark wasted no time in beginning to eat while he waited for Lex to talk.

“Lana left me today,” he finally said softly, and Clark almost dropped his fork in shock.

“Wow, Lex, I’m really sorry. Are you okay? What happened?”

Lex took a slow sip of his wine. “She was never really happy with the Luthor lifestyle, and it didn’t help that she realized I was in love with someone else. Even before I did.”

Clark felt his heart sink. So this was it. This was what Lex had been preparing him for so carefully. “Really? Well, I’m happy for you. Is it someone I know?”

He hoped it wasn’t. The idea of Lex being in love with someone he knew would be too much for him. A stranger was bad enough.

Lex simply nodded. “It’s someone I’ve known for a long time and Lana gave me her blessing before she left. Now, I just need to see if the person returns my feelings or not.”

Realization hit Clark hard and fast. Lex was in love with Chloe and wanted him to find out if she was interested or not. Oh God, this was too much. He felt like he was going to throw up.

He pushed back his chair and attempted to stand, only to find his legs were too weak to support him. “Lex, I’m not feeling too well, I think I need to go home.”

Concern filled Lex’s face, and he poured Clark a glass of water. “Here, drink this. I’ll take you home in a minute, just please let me finish what I was saying, or I’m not sure I ever will.”

Clark took a gulp of water, willing his stomach to stop churning and for the strength to return to his legs. “Lex, I’m not sure I can hear this.”

“Clark, I’m in love with you!”

The next thing Clark knew he was choking on his water, and Lex was at his side worriedly clapping him on the back.

“Clark! Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Clark wheezed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.”

Clark managed a smile as the air slowly returned to his lungs.

Lex loved him!

He became aware that Lex was still crouched beside him gently stroking his back. There was uncertainty in his eyes, along with an element of hope.

Smiling, he coughed to clear away the last of the water. “You could have just asked me out on a date.”

Lex visibly relaxed, and his lips quirked. “Clark, how long have you known me? I never do things by halves.”

Clark leaned towards Lex. “What next? Do you want to ask my mom’s permission before we have our first kiss?”

Lex smiled and closed the distance between them. “I’m not sure I can wait that long.”

“Good.”

Their lips met in a burning fury of passion and Clark, in his desperation to be near Lex, tumbled off his chair, pulling Lex onto the floor with him. Neither of them paused as clothes were torn off and discarded without a second thought.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?” Lex groaned as Clark tugged at his boxers.

“Forever,” Clark whispered as he removed the last of Lex’s clothes and began to trail kisses down his chest and onto his stomach.

Lex shook his head. “Longer than that. Always.”

Clark had reached his prize now, and flicked out his tongue to capture the salty moisture that glistened on Lex’s tip.

He smiled when Lex hissed in anticipation, and looked up. “Maybe you should get permission before we do this. You could call my mom.”

Lex looked as though he was about to explode, and Clark almost laughed.

“Clark, if you think for one minute that I’m going to...OH GOD!”

Clark had resumed his task and had taken the whole of Lex’s length into his mouth, caressing with his tongue and humming gently. He felt Lex’s hand gripping his hair tightly, and was glad for his invulnerability, or he was sure he’d have a bald spot by the end of it.

“Clark,” Lex gasped, “I’m gonna…”

Clark didn’t pull back, and allowed Lex to spill into his mouth. He swallowed, and then crawled back up to Lex who had gone limp beneath him.

“Well,” Lex finally gasped as he tried to catch his breath. “That wasn’t on the agenda for tonight.”

Clark grinned and kissed him. “Sometimes it’s good to be spontaneous.”

“Oh, I think what you just did goes well beyond ‘good’, Clark.”

Clark smiled and nestled his head on Lex’s shoulder. “Maybe we should move somewhere a bit more comfortable.”

Lex chuckled. “I’m not sure I could move even if I wanted to.”

A moment later, he let out a startled yelp as he found himself lifted into Clark’s arms and carried upstairs.

“Now that you’re feeling better,” Clark’s voice rumbled in his ear. “I think we should use the bed for something other than sleeping.”

“Trust me, Clark” Lex replied, resting his head on Clark’s shoulder. “Sleeping is the last thing on my mind right now. In fact, all those restless nights have taught me that I can stay awake all night if I need to.”

Clark grinned. “All night? Well, we’d better get started then.”

He kicked open the bedroom door and nudged it shut behind him before gently depositing Lex on the bed.

An insomniac and an alien who physically didn’t need sleep meant that this was going to be a very long and very pleasurable night.

He couldn’t wait to get started

The End