Archive of Our Own

This was, technically, breaking the rules. Clark knew that. Even if his dad hadn't *said* he was grounded after the party. He hadn't needed to. That one look said it all. So yes. He was going to be in trouble. If he was caught. He didn't think he would be. And he was going to be quick. Just run over, make sure everything was all right, then run back. Piece of cake.

Besides, Clark thought as he ran, Lex must be okay. *Must* be. His dad flew off before the reporters even left, before the EMTs had done more than shine a penlight into Lex's eyes.

But once Clark got to the manor, he wasn't so sure. Lex's car was parked haphazardly in the middle of the driveway with the driver side door ajar. Clark reached out to shut it, then paused. The keys were still in the ignition. He plucked them out, then looked at the dark house and saw the front door. Also slightly open.

Without stopping to think, Clark raced through the doorway, skidded to a halt in the dark foyer and called, "Lex?"

No answer. He tried again, louder. Again, nothing and now Clark was more than a little worried. At the very least one of the servants should have responded. But when he narrowed his eyes and concentrated, he saw nothing but empty rooms on the entire first floor.

He went up the stairs taking them two at a time, but at normal speed, just in case. No one in Lex's office, no one in the model room, not one living thing in *any* of the rooms except…There.

This door was closed, but the handle turned easily under Clark's fingers. Like the rest of the house, this room was large and filled with heavy ornate furniture. And there, in the middle of a heavy, ornate bed, was Lex.

Sleeping, just sleeping. Except. His eyes were clenched tightly shut, his hand was clenched around a handful of sheet and his legs moved in small, agitated motions under the comforter.

Clark moved closer and whispered, "Lex?"

Lex scowled and his fist clenched even tighter.

A few strides and Clark was next to the bed. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Lex?" When Lex did nothing in reaction, Clark sat next to him, then reached out and lightly shook his shoulder. "Hey. Lex."

"Wha-Clark?" He blinked, then shook his head slightly. "How did you get in here?"

Clark shrugged. "Your door was open. The front door I mean."

Lex leaned back a little and half closed his eyes. "I can't even remember coming home," he said under his breath, as if to himself. He rubbed at his eyes, then fixed Clark with an inquiring look. "Is it the middle of the night?"

"Last time I checked."

"Then, having settled the how, can you explain why you're here? I'm always pleased to see you Clark, but I admit to being confused."

"I thought you might have a concussion."

"A concussion."

Clark nodded. "I called the hospital, but they said you'd already checked yourself out." And here Clark couldn't help but hear a note of disapproval creep into his voice. "Against your doctor's advice."

Lex's lips quirked in a half smile. "You sounded a lot like your mother when you said that." He held up a hand. "No, it's okay. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. No concussion, no memory loss, no brain damage. No more than usual anyway. So I went home. I have…I have a slight aversion to hospitals."

"I hate the way they smell," Clark said.

"That too. So, you found out I was fine and yet you still came here. Why?"

"I tried calling you. There was no answer."

"And?"

"I thought you might have slipped into a coma."

"Slipped into a coma. I see."

"You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

"Just a little."

"Lex. Are you really okay?"

"Aside from the nightmare you just woke me up from, I'm fine. Why?"

"Because you also left your keys in your car." Clark extended his hand and showed Lex the keys.

At that, Lex's slightly amused expression faded and his face became blank. "I must have been upset," he said tightly. "Tell you what. Keep them."

"What?"

"Keep them. This is twice now. I think car is nicer than the truck anyway."

"Lex, I can't."

"Sure you can, Clark. You do know how to drive a manual transmission, right?"

"Lex. Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't be like this. You don't have to give me anything. You don't owe me. You're my friend."

Lex tilted his head and studied him for a long moment. "Just that simple, Clark?"

"Yes."

"You are…really something, Clark." And he smiled, a real one this time. "I'm fine. But thank you for coming over to check on me." He leaned back against the headboard and the blanket slipped down, revealing Lex's bare chest. It suddenly it hit Clark that Lex was probably naked under the blanket.

It made him feel weird, so he quickly said, "Do you want anything? Like water or aspirin or-"

Lex shook his head, then narrowed his eyes and looked closely at Clark. "I'm fine, Clark. I should have asked before. How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"Clark, I saw him hit you. You flew halfway across the room."

"I was just knocked down. It's no big deal, Lex."

And Lex made hmmm sound, then reached over and flipped on the bedside lamp. "Lean forward, please."

Puzzled, Clark did so, then froze when Lex's fingers brushed his cheek before lightly grasping his chin and turning his head so the light hit his face full on.

"No bruises," Lex said quietly.

"I told you, he didn't hit me that hard." A quick glance out of the corner of his eye confirmed that Lex was still staring at his cheek, or maybe his mouth, so Clark hastily added, "I'm sure it looked worse than it was. Maybe I fell over my own two feet. I'm pretty clumsy, you know."

"You're not clumsy, Clark." Lex's voice was different. Softer, maybe, or deeper. "You move like…" Lex's voice trailed off and Clark risked another look. Lex's eyes were…heavy. Heavy and focused on Clark's mouth like he had something on it and Clark instinctively scrubbed at his lips.

Lex's hand fell away. He blinked, then met Clark's curious stare and smiled tightly. "Sorry. I'm really not myself. You should probably go." Said in something very like Lex's normal voice, but still off.

"Lex, I think maybe you should go back to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Because you're all alone and acting like someone with a head injury."

"And how would you know this?"

"I looked stuff up on the net before I came over. You're all distracted and your eyes are weird."

"Weird."

"Like…sleepy. And you seem disoriented." Clark leaned in a little closer and added, dubiously, "Maybe I should check your pupil reaction." Moving carefully, he lightly cupped Lex's cheek, intending to hold him still so he could open his eyelids, but Lex turned his head a little and sort of…nuzzled him.

His voice muffled, Lex said, "I really think you should go, Clark. I really, really do." He closed his eyes, then he added, "I don't think I can be a good friend to you tonight."

"Lex," Clark said, feeling out of his depth. "Let me help you. Let me-" Lex opened his lips, then licked Clark's palm "-oh."

Without opening his eyes, Lex said, "Sweet. You taste sweet. Did you know that Clark?"

"Lex, I don't-"

"I wondered, you know."

"What?" It came out breathless but Lex just nuzzled him again before answering.

"How you would taste. I thought maybe…salty. You know. Salt of the earth, but." He licked again, a delicate flicker of his tongue, then made a soft sound, before whispering, "So sweet."

In a distant sort of way, Clark realized he should do a whole bunch of things. Right now. Take his hand away. Call an ambulance. Call his mother, maybe, because she would know what do to with an amorous head trauma patient. His mom *always* knew what to do. But all he could do was breathe and watch. Watch as Lex rubbed his cheek against his hand, then turned his head, just a little, parted his lips and sucked at the tip of Clark's thumb, then took it in all the way to the base.

And then Lex had Clark's wrist in a light grip and stared at him as he slowly lifted his head, then lowered again and-- Lex slowly sucked on each of his fingers in turn and Clark felt each suck like a pull on his cock. Clark could pull away, could easily break Lex's hold without even trying, but he was frozen. Just breathing and watching and listening to the soft, wet sounds of Lex's mouth until he let go of the last finger and licked Clark's palm again.

"What are you doing, Lex?"

"What does it feel like I'm doing, Clark?"

"I don't…I don't know." A very obvious lie, but Clark couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that Lex Luthor had just given his index finger a very good impression of what Clark suspected a blow job would be like.

"No? I think I'm being rather obvious. Let me see if I can make this clear." He leaned forward until Clark could fee the heat radiating from him, tilted his head and licked at Clark's lower lip. "Does that help?"

Clark dumbly shook his head.

"How about this?" Another lick, then a delicate nip, and when Clark opened his mouth, Lex kissed him. Lex's tongue in his mouth, licking and tasting and Clark was only dimly aware that he groaned and clutched Lex to him. Kissed him back.

Lex pulled away. "What do you think I'm doing now?"

Finger sucking might be beyond Clark's ken, but he's pretty sure about what kissing lead to. Especially when there were tongues involved. "I think you're trying to seduce me."

"If you're not sure, I'm not doing a very good job of it." He sighed and dropped his head onto Clark's shoulder.

Clark stopped clutching and tried just holding instead. He stroked Lex's back. Smooth. Smooth, soft skin over hard muscles. His fingertips skated over the knobs of Lex's spine and Lex sighed again. Put his arms around Clark and held him in return. "Do your parents know where you are, Clark?"

"No. They're sleeping." I hope.

"You should be too."

"I'm--"

"Okay, yes. I know."

Clark stroked up the line of Lex's spine and felt Lex shiver as his fingers settled at the base of Lex's skull. "Does it still hurt?"

Lex made a muffled sound, then sagged against him and held him tighter. "Yes."

Clark gently kissed the bruise, then when Lex kind of shuddered, said, "I'm sorry. My mom always kisses things better."

Lex made that sound again, then said, "You're going to kill me, Clark."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Clark made as if to let him go, but Lex shook his head.

"No. It's okay. Just--yes," as Clark's hand settled back on him.

They sat like that for what felt like a long time. Every once in a while, Lex's lips would brush Clark's pulse and he'd feel it jump. Once, he thought he felt Lex smile. But eventually, Lex lifted his head and intently studied Clark's face. "Clark."

"What?"

"Do you even know…?"

"What?"

"Never mind. You should go home."

"You keep saying that."

"Only because I really want to mean it."

"You're not making sense again."

"I know. Believe me, I know."

Clark reluctantly let Lex pull away. He stood and watched as Lex settled back into his pillows. Lex's mouth was slightly bruised looking. Clark wondered is his mouth looked the same, so he touched the tip of his tongue to his upper lip to feel it, and Lex let out a soft noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan. "I," he said, almost to himself, "should be shot."

"If you really mean that, I can run home for the shotgun."

The corners of Lex's mouth twitched, like they wanted to smile. "I said I should be, not that I wanted to be." When Clark smiled back him, Lex said, "Clark. Go home. Right now, before I ask you to spend the night."

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh. Go home, Clark."

"You keep saying that."

"Then stay."

"You know, Lex, you're kind of giving me mixed signals."

"Clark." Lex closed his eyes and compressed his mouth, took a deep breath, then continued, "I'm really trying to be good, here."

"I know," Clark said as he walked to the bed. "You've just had a bad day." He sat next to Lex again, and when his eyes opened, said, "I really can't stay the night."

"I know."

"My parents."

"I know."

"And I have school tomorrow."

"I know. Don't you think I know exactly how--"

"But," Clark interrupted, "I really want to."

"Oh."

"I really want to," he said as he leaned forward, "to…"

"What?"

"Kiss you again. Can I?"

He liked the way Lex tasted, the way he felt, all smooth and sharp angles at the same time. Liked the way his hands clenched and unclenched on Clark's shoulders like he was kneading them. Liked the noises Lex made deep in his throat when Clark touched in certain places -- the hollow of his throat, the small of his back, the points of his hips…there.

There. Lex's cock under the palm of his hand, all hard and smooth and Lex made that noise again, like he was hurting, but Clark knew it was a good noise, a yes noise, a please noise, so he gently stroked and pulled, felt Lex scrabble at the fly of his jeans and made the same noise when Lex touched him.

Not a sound but their breath and the slide of their hands and it was good, so good that Clark never wanted it to stop, didn't think anything this good could stop until Lex almost groaned out, "Clark. Look at me. I want to see you--" and Clark opened his eyes, looked at Lex and pulsed all over his hand, felt Lex do the same.

Afterward, between lazy, soft kisses, Clark said, "I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Lex?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me to go home."

"Go home, Clark."

"Stop kissing me when you're telling me to go home."

"Sorry, can't."

"Then give me a good reason to go."

Lex's eyes half closed, then he said, "I have a horribly misshapen skull."

Clark pursed his lips and pretended to study the head in question. "It's not horribly misshapen," he finally said. "Just a little lumpy."

"Why, Clark Kent. Are you teasing me?"

"Maybe just a little."

Lex laughed a little. "Okay. Good. But seriously..." He paused.

"What?"

"Thanks. For coming over. For worrying about me."

"Somebody has to."

"Then I'm glad it's you. Now go home. But, Clark?"

"Yes, Lex?"

"One of these nights, you're going to stay."