The rain forest is full of chatter.

The first thing Lex is aware of upon wakening, before even opening his eyes, is the almost musical cacophony of a thousand different creatures all giving voice at the same time. There are chirps and squawks, hoots and growls, squeaks and titters...nature's symphony.

The blanket of noise surrounds Lex's body heavily, just as heavily as the warm, damp air that clings to his skin. And like the air that moves around in a slow, lazy breeze, the sound moves, too.

A family of quarreling monkeys swings over to a new tree and the sound of their arguing follows them. A small group of macaws resting in the tree are offended by the invasion and their raucous, squawking complaints float by as they take flight. And as a steady, relentless accompaniment, there is the background hum of millions of crickets, their constant chirping moving in an undulating wave of sound.

Lex manages to crack one eye open just long enough to take in some of the beauty surrounding him. The tree house is very high and almost completely open to the lush, green, upper canopy of the rain forest. From the dappling of sunlight that's barely able to penetrate the thick foliage, Lex knows that it must be at least mid-morning.

He presses his body deeply into the soft mattress of the huge four-poster bed and peers through the haze of the mosquito netting a moment longer before letting his eyes fall shut again. He squeezes his eyes shut a little tighter and stretches languidly, tightly contracting every muscle in his body for a moment before rolling over and relaxing again in a boneless sprawl. A new sound reaches his ears; a gentle, sleepy exhalation of breath followed by a throaty, "Mmmmm...."

Finally, a noise that makes Lex want to keep his eyes open, and when he does, he has to smile at the sight of peaceful, hazel-green eyes, half-hidden behind lazy eyelids and long lashes. Clark returns the smile and when his full, moist lips part invitingly, Lex leans in for a soft kiss.

Their lips slide together and when both mouths are open wide, their tongues begin a softly thrusting dance, slick and hot and wet. Lex pulls out first and runs the tip of his tongue along the pillowed softness of Clark's lips until Clark releases a shivering sigh and extends his own tongue.

Their hands are awake now and beginning to roam. Thick, tanned fingers are brushing over Lex's chest, fingertips pausing to lightly press into each dip and ridge created by lean muscle, before stopping to run slow circles around Lex's hard nipples. Long, pale fingers slide up Clark's hard biceps and stroke over his shoulders before gliding down his warm, smooth back and coming to a stop on the tight cheeks of Clark's buttocks.

As they continue their lazy kiss, just the tips of their tongues meeting, lightly pressing and sliding together, another sound begins...the sound of rain pattering on broad, sturdy leaves. Lex rolls his head to one side and peers through the netting again. The dappled sunlight is gone, just that quickly, and as he watches, the gentle rain becomes a steady downpour.

"I love it here," Clark murmurs. He takes Lex's cheek in the broad palm of his hand and gently pulls until Lex is facing him again. Clark scoots in closer, twining his legs together with Lex's, and buries his face in Lex's neck, nuzzling and sucking the soft skin there.

Their hands resume stroking and petting, and their bodies press more closely, half-hard cocks bumping together between them. But the sound of the rain is a powerful sedative and their movements grow slower and slower, their eyelids heavier and heavier, until Lex feels himself falling asleep again. He reaches for Clark's hand, lacing their fingers together and bringing their clasped hands to rest snug between their bodies. Held close by Clark's other arm, the last thing he sees before succumbing to sleep, is the sight of Clark, already asleep himself, deep, even breaths escaping from lips still parted in a gentle smile.

The next time Lex wakes, he realizes that the rain has stopped and that he's hungry. A loud squawk sounds, and he looks over to see a bright red and blue macaw sitting on the rail of the tree house, its head dipping and bobbing and tilting to one side to peek in curiously.

Lex sits up in bed and yawns, arching his back and flexing his shoulders in a deep stretch. "You hungry, too, fella?" Lex asks the bird, then leans over to nibble and suck Clark's ear lobe a little before whispering, "Your friend's back."

The first day of their vacation, the bird had come to perch on the wooden railing of the tree house. Clark had been telling Lex a horrendously corny joke (Lex was pretty sure Clark had gotten it from Jonathan), and when Lex wasn't amused, Clark had begun laughing at his own joke. Lex and Clark had both jumped, startled, when the bird suddenly began laughing in a freakishly accurate imitation of Clark. Clark's eyes widened, then he began laughing louder, so the bird laughed louder, and Lex had had to cover his ears until they stopped.

Clark decided that the bird had an excellent sense of humor, even though Lex kept telling him that macaws are just talented mimics. Clark was so charmed by the animal, that the next time he went for food, he returned with raw peanuts for his new friend.

The next day, while they were playing chess on the balcony, the bird had returned. While planning his next move, Lex had taken a sip of brandy that went down the wrong way, causing him to cough until his eyes watered. The macaw had listened for just a moment before joining in, making a coughing noise identical to Lex's. Clark had snickered and gone inside the tree house to get more peanuts for his brightly colored pal.

And now the bird is back. Clark has turned it into a shameless beggar and Lex knows that Clark has started thinking of it as a pet. He also knows that Clark is starting to think of this tree house as home and he's glad he made Clark take this vacation.

The city is full of chatter, too. But unlike the relaxing, musical sounds of the rain forest, the chatter in Metropolis is spiteful and cruel.

If Lex is seen at a business luncheon with a female client, Clark has to hear gossipy rumors about Lex's infidelity. If either of them frown just the least bit in public, and a picture is taken, Clark gets upset the next day reading news articles that speculate that they're breaking up, that the relationship is over.

Clark knows these things aren't true, but the constancy of the gossip, the maliciousness of the rumors, wear him down until he begins retreating into a shell of his formerly cheerful self. But in just three days here in Costa Rica with no one but Lex and a noisy macaw for company, Clark has relaxed and smiled and laughed more than the last year in Metropolis.

Lex's stomach growls and he begins contemplating lunch when he feels the bed shift and strong arms wrapping around him, pulling him back into Clark's lap. He gasps, then laughs softly when he feels Clark's erection poking him, pressing into the small of his back.

Lex swivels around in Clark's lap to find sleepy hazel eyes twinkling up at him, and something in the region of Lex's chest just melts and his empty stomach is forgotten. They've made love so much in the last three days that Lex is frankly surprised that either of them are able to get hard so quickly, instantly. But they are hard and this time, he knows they won't be falling asleep again for a long while.

Turning fully around to straddle Clark's lap, wrapping his legs around Clark's waist, Lex leans down to cover his lover's mouth in a deep kiss filled with all the passion and love he can convey. And when Clark whimpers and raises one hand to reverently stroke Lex's scalp, Lex knows that Clark understands; understands how much he's loved, needed, wanted.

He settles down more deeply into Clark's lap, their cocks nestled together and smearing each other with the shiny fluid that's leaking steadily from both of them. Lex reaches down between their bodies, taking both erections in his hand and stroking them together until he and Clark are both panting and squirming and needing more.

Lex climbs off long enough to retrieve the bottle of lubricant from the little table beside the bed, then quickly settles himself back in Clark's lap, picking up Clark's hand and placing a warm, wet kiss to the palm, before flipping the bottle open and covering Clark's blunt fingers with the slick fluid. He spreads his legs wider for Clark and leans back on his elbows, opening himself to his partner.

Clark's face is flushed and his eyes are hazy, almost glazed over with desire and he moans softly when his finger finds Lex's opening and slides in. He strokes his finger in and out, slickly, before adding a second finger, twisting them up and crooking them until his fingertips glide over the gland inside, making Lex throw his head back and moan loudly. The macaw, still sitting on the balcony rail and apparently disturbed by Lex's moan, squawks loudly, but is ignored, the sound barely penetrating Lex or Clark's desire-clouded brains.

"I'm ready, Clark," Lex says breathlessly, reaching for the bottle on the bed and squeezing more lubricant into his hand, liberally coating Clark's erection. He raises himself onto his knees over Clark's lap and takes his lover's cock in hand, guiding it in, sinking down slowly, slowly, until Clark is fully encased, held warm and tight and deep within Lex's body.

Clark's arms wrap tightly around Lex, pulling him close, his face buried in Lex's chest. He kisses the smooth skin and licks at Lex's nipple, taking the hard nub into his hot mouth and sucking gently, wetly, until Lex is groaning. When he releases the nipple, Lex grasps Clark's shoulders and begins to ride him hard and fast, the bed squeaking in rhythm with Lex's bouncing. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lex is aware that the macaw is making squeaking noises in that same rhythm, matching the bed creak for creak.

He's amused and tries to smile, but when Clark shifts back a little on the bed, changing the angle slightly so that his cock bumps Lex's prostate with each thrust, Lex loses all ability to think.

Clark's thick erection is stretching him, his anus is tingling with each stroke, his ass is slapping wetly against Clark's sweaty thighs, and the musky smell of their lovemaking is hanging in the heavy, humid air. Lex takes his cock in hand and strokes himself and Clark watches, his breath getting more ragged with each slide of Lex's hand. They're both on edge, orgasm imminent, and moaning loudly, when they hear it.

The macaw is also moaning. Loudly. They pause for a second, look at each other and burst into laughter. Their eyes meet, bright with humor and love and Lex feels it starting and knows he's done. His balls, drawn up tight, begin to tingle and that indefinable sensation explodes within him and he's pulsing warm come onto Clark's chest.

He collapses on Clark's shoulder, and with a few more deep, hard thrusts, Clark is coming too, filling Lex with his wet heat, his face pressed to Lex's chest and his muffled moans sounding almost like sobs.

They cling together limply, trying to slow their breathing and their racing heartbeats, and listen to the crazy macaw who's still moaning and groaning and gasping from his perch on the balcony rail.

They hold each other, kissing, until Clark starts laughing and says, "Let me go get him some peanuts before he wears himself out." Clark gingerly lifts Lex from his lap and rolls him over on the bed, pausing on his way to the peanuts to grab some tissues for Lex and bending to deliver another quick kiss as he puts them between Lex's legs.

After Clark puts a small pile of peanuts on the balcony, he and Lex clean up and have lunch themselves, along with the macaw who is busily cracking open the nuts, scattering pieces of shell everywhere.

As they eat, it begins to rain again, and Lex is surprised to find himself growing sleepy yet again. Thunder rumbles low in the distance, and he feels his body becoming heavy and lethargic with relaxation. It's dreamlike here and he's starting to lose all sense of time and place. He smiles in contentment and looks at Clark, expecting to see an answering contentment. But Clark is staring at the macaw, and his face is sad, melancholy.

"Clark? What's wrong?"

Clark looks up and smiles sadly. "I really like it here, Lex. I wish we never had to leave."

"You're just getting too attached to that damn bird," Lex says, grinning, trying to lighten Clark's mood.

"Well, I am going to miss him. I'm going to miss this place."

Lex smiles and takes another bite of lunch. "You can come here anytime you want you know." He looks deeply into his lover's questioning eyes before grinning and saying around a mouthful of food, "Had a feeling you would like it here. I bought the place."

Lex has to laugh at the sudden transformation of Clark's face. That smile was worth a thousand times more than what Lex had paid for this little tree house deep in the Costa Rican jungle.

He finishes his lunch, listening to Clark talk to the macaw (who he supposes will be needing a name soon), telling the silly bird how he'll come every day on his lunch break to bring him peanuts.

Lex chuckles. Other people relieve their stress by spending their lunch breaks in City Park, throwing bread to the ducks at the lake. Clark will be flying to Costa Rica every day on his lunch break to feed peanuts to a sassy, smart-ass macaw. And Lex thinks that if it makes Clark happy, it's a great idea.

They'll both enjoy coming here every weekend they're able. Just to get away from the chatter of the city.