Title: A Trip to Wonderland
Author: Lacey McBain
Email: laceymcbain@netscape.net
Rating: R. Slash. Clark/Lex.
Summary: "Clark had the feeling that somewhere between dinner and the bedroom he'd accidentally fallen down some kind of pornographic rabbit-hole. He wasn't sure he wanted to climb out."
Notes: Written for the Smallville Lex and Clark Ficathon. Challenge: spaghetti, leather, makeup. No rift, no tears. Written for kitkat3979. Thanks: To the SV Gang for constant encouragement (and occasionally pointy sticks) and to Nuala and versipellis for last-minute beta help. Disclaimer: I don't own them, but if I did neither of them would ever be late for a very important date. Well, unless they were having hot, hot sex together.

Clark entered the mansion as he always did--without being announced and knowing he was entirely welcome. In the year or so that Lex had made his home here, Clark had come to think of it as almost a second home--or at the very least, a refuge from the rest of his life.

Clark peered into Lex's office, but there was no sign of him. Clark could easily have used his xray vision to locate Lex, but sometimes he liked wandering through the mansion tracking him down the old-fashioned way. It made him feel almost normal--although he didn't know how normal it was to be friends with a 22-year-old bald billionaire who lived in a castle and managed a crap factory.

Clark took the stairs to the lower level where the kitchen and dining room were located. Lex had said to come for dinner, so he supposed Lex could be down there checking on the meal's progress. Clark's stomach growled in anticipation as he thought about what Mrs. Cushing might be whipping up. Her cooking was almost as good as his mom's.

Suddenly Clark heard the sound of something large and metallic striking hard against a wall, followed immediately by Lex swearing profusely. Clark ran towards the kitchen and thrust open the door. He caught the startled look on Lex's face, the blood-red stain spattered across his white shirt, and Clark ceased being able to think. He felt like his heart had stopped. He was across the room faster than was humanly possible, grabbing Lex by the hand and pulling him into the hallway and to safety.

"Stay here," Clark said before rushing back into the kitchen. He looked for an assailant of some kind, but didn't see any. He stood in the middle of the room and stared at the amount of red everywhere. It was on the floor, the counters, the wall. Jeez, he had to get Lex to the hospital. He turned to go just as Lex pushed through the swinging door, looking bloody and mildly amused. Clark could've sworn Lex was one smirk away from full-out laughter.

"Lex, you shouldn't ..." Clark gripped him tightly by the arms, trying to see where Lex was hurt. He fumbled with the buttons on Lex's shirt, fingers slipping on warm red liquid, ignoring the stupid grin on Lex's face. Shock. Lex must be in shock. Clark cursed himself inwardly for not super-speeding through the mansion to find Lex in the first place; if he had, maybe none of this would've happened.

"You're early," Lex said calmly, watching Clark undo the buttons on his shirt. It looked like he was about to protest, but thought better of it. Clark paused and took a hard look at Lex. He leaned in and sniffed. Onions, garlic, a hint of basil and lots of oregano. Clark noticed the green flecks spattered on Lex's shirt with the red. Not meteor-green either--they looked like parsley. Damn it. He'd just saved Lex from tomato sauce.

Lex looked down at his ruined shirt, now half-open and still clutched in Clark's large hands. "I should've known better than to wear white in the kitchen."

Clark nodded, refusing to meet Lex's eyes. He continued to stare stupidly at his hands gripping Lex's open shirt--the shirt he'd unbuttoned in his haste to see if Lex was hurt. Clark swallowed reflexively. Maybe the floor would suddenly open up and swallow him. Maybe Lex didn't notice his slightly faster than normal burst of speed. Or the way Clark's tongue kept darting through his dry lips like a hummingbird who'd sighted the most glorious nectar ever. Yeah, and maybe Lana would get accepted to art school in Paris.

"Clark," Lex said warmly. "I'm fine. The sauce just got away from me." Lex grabbed a towel off the island and started to wipe his hands with it. He had yet to try to extract himself from Clark's hands.

"I heard something metal, and you were yelling ..." Clark floundered like a beached whale. He almost hoped meteor mutants would burst through the door and give Lex convenient head trauma. At least then maybe he wouldn't have to try to come up with some sort of reasonable explanation for what had just happened. Of course, this was Smallville. Reasonable explanations weren't always expected.

"Clark, I threw the ladle at the wall. It happened to be full of sauce at the time and there was some collateral damage." Lex indicated his shirt. "Ralph Lauren appears to be the only casualty."

"Ever thought about anger management courses?" Clark asked softly, still not meeting Lex's gaze. Lex laughed.

"That'll be the day." He brought his hands up to rest on top of Clark's. "Hey--you saved me. Again."

"Yeah, from the evils of tomato sauce."

"Evil takes many forms. Don't mock the sauce. I'll have you know I make a positively wicked marinara."

Clark couldn't help but smile. Lex caught his grin and returned it. "Um, Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"You can let go any time now." Clark blushed and pulled his hands away. Lex started to undo the last few buttons on his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked sharply.

"Getting rid of the evidence. Can you keep an eye on things here for a few minutes?" Clark nodded dully as Lex pushed through the door. Clark was left with one glimpse of naked chest and then he was alone.

Clark felt a bead of sweat trickle down his nose. He reached up and wiped it off. God, he was hot. His face was flushed and he was hard. Clark groaned. He'd wanted to keep unbuttoning Lex's shirt. It would've been so easy to lean his mouth down and lick the drops of spaghetti sauce from Lex's bare skin.

Clark shook his head. He was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be having thoughts like that about his best friend. He set to work cleaning off the counter, making sure to turn down the pots bubbling on the stove. He eyed the pot of spaghetti, the sputtering sauce, the tray of garlic bread toasting in the oven. Lex had done all this for him. Lex had a house full of servants to do exactly this, but here he was on a Friday night wreaking havoc in his kitchen for Clark's sake. Clark smiled as he drained the spaghetti. Lex never ceased to amaze him.

"Aren't you supposed to throw that at the wall or something to test if it's done?" Lex breezed through the door in jeans and a baggy navy sweatshirt claiming he was "Property of Princeton U."

Clark gave Lex a pointed look. "Haven't you assaulted enough walls for one night?"

Lex made a face as he leaned over the pot of spaghetti and snagged a piece. He put it to his lips and sucked the strand of spaghetti in slowly. It slithered towards his lips. Clark stood openmouthed and stared. He had the fleeting thought that he desperately wanted to be that strand of spaghetti--and that just seemed ... weird.

"Hey," Lex said, catching his eyes. "Let's eat. Thanks for cleaning up in here." Clark nodded dumbly. Lex was already pouring the spaghetti into a bowl. "You want to grab the toast out of the oven?"

Clark was still preoccupied with the motion of Lex's lips sucking the spaghetti strand into his mouth, and trying hard not to imagine any other kinds of sucking that Lex's lips might be familiar with. He opened the oven door and grabbed the cookie sheet with the bread on. He set it on top of the stove, then turned to find Lex staring at him. Clark pulled his hand away suddenly, remembering that he should be feeling a burn.

"Ow."

Lex leaned back against the counter for a moment. He looked thoughtful as he poured the sauce into a bowl.

"I didn't mean you had to literally grab it out of the oven. We have pot holders for those sorts of things. Hand okay?" Lex said.

"Yeah, fine," Clark said, hiding his hand behind his back. "Um, can I do anything else?"

"Salad's in the fridge," Lex said, carrying the spaghetti and bread towards the dining room. Lex pushed through the door and Clark stared after him. Brilliant. Not only had he super-speeded in front of Lex, he'd grabbed a pan from a 500 degree oven without a thought--or a burn. Lex was many things, but he wasn't an idiot. Clark was in serious trouble and he knew it.

He opened the fridge, grabbed the salad and headed for the dining room, prepared to meet his fate.

Supper was ... interesting. Clark had expected one of two things to happen. Either Lex would simply ask--specifically, explicitly, and directly why and how Clark could apparently move faster than the eye could see and why his hand was unharmed when it should be red and blistered. Or, Lex would act like nothing strange had happened ... and then every request to pass the spaghetti or the salt would be spoken with the weight of a thousand secrets, every "Clark, you wouldn't mind sharing that bread with me, would you?" would be a subtle treatise on the danger of lies between friends.

Neither happened.

Instead, Lex talked about what was going on at the plant, asked Clark about school, and generally was as relaxed and casual as Clark had ever seen him. It was making Clark nervous.

Very nervous.

"Clark, you seem nervous," Lex said partway through dinner. He looked at Clark with those grey-blue eyes and twirled his spaghetti around the tines of his fork. He slipped the fork into his mouth, catching a stray strand of spaghetti between his lips and sucking it in gently.

Clark stared. Why in God's name had he ever told Lex that spaghetti was his favourite meal? He'd always known Lex was capable of torture, but he'd suspected it would have more to do with whips and leather than using his lips to fellate a limp piece of pasta into standing at attention. Clark shook his head. Imagining Lex with leather pants and a whip was not helping.

"Clark?" Lex said. "You okay?"

"Sure." Clark reached for his glass of water and drained it. "Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Clark shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

Lex raised another forkful. Clark watched as a tiny drop of sauce teetered on the end of the tines, threatening to splash onto Lex's chin. Clark realized he could super-speed to the end of the table and catch the drop before it touched Lex. No, Lex wouldn't think that was at all suspicious. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Clark watched helplessly as the sauce formed a droplet that clung briefly before falling just to the side of Lex's mouth.

"Clark?"

"Um, you've got a little sauce there," Clark said, pointing to the side of his own mouth, which suddenly felt as dry as uncooked pasta.

Lex's tongue slipped between his lips and licked at the speck of sauce. Clark made a strangled sound in the back of his throat as he dropped his eyes to concentrate on his own meal. Jeez, was Lex trying to kill him? Of course not. Lex was his best friend and was sharing a meal with him. That was all. Lex had no idea that Clark felt anything more than friendship for him, and Clark couldn't tell him. Couldn't. God, there were so many things that he couldn't tell him, and his feelings were making him careless. He wanted Lex to know. He wanted Lex to catch him in a lie he couldn't talk his way out of--wanted Lex to make him give up his secrets, his truths. He wanted Lex.

More to the point, he wanted Lex to keep doing that thing with his mouth--the way his lips swelled around the spaghetti as he lightly sucked it into his mouth. Clark couldn't help picturing Lex's mouth, lips full and wet, sliding up and down his cock, that tongue pushing expertly along the length of his hard ...

"--feels like I'm talking to myself," Lex was saying. He was swirling his red wine thoughtfully around his goblet and looking at Clark quizzically. Clark felt his face turn the same colour as the wine.

"Sorry," Clark muttered. Lex let out a sigh and set his wine glass back on the table. He seemed to be taking stock of the situation. Suddenly, Lex pushed away from the table, stood up and was in motion before Clark had even registered the change in his body language.

"I think you need a distraction, Clark," Lex said as he walked past and tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, we're going out."

It was the longest two hours of Clark's life, slumped in the front seat of Lex's Ferrari. After Lex had made his declaration that they were going out, Clark had followed him upstairs to the master suite. Clark stood awkwardly while Lex disappeared into his closet and started tossing clothing out onto the bed. Clark stared as a growing mound of leather and silk in black and varying shades of blue and purple appeared.

"Lex?" Clark was afraid to ask. He was more afraid of what appeared to be a leather vest with tiny chains attached. Clark didn't want to know exactly what those clips were for.

A hand waved from the doorway of the cavernous walk-in closet. "I think any of those should fit you." Clark did a double-take. Should fit him? Lex had clothes that would fit him? There was at least a four inch difference in their heights, and Clark was pretty sure that he outweighed Lex by at least thirty pounds. Clark reached over and held up a deep blue sleeveless shirt. It took him a half-second to realize he could see right through it, and he wasn't using his x-ray vision. Lex chose that moment to pop his head out and check on him.

Lex nodded approvingly. "Good choice. Try it with the black leather pants."

Leather pants? Clark was beginning to think that maybe the sauce had been laced with meteorenhanced parsley after all. It wouldn't surprise him, and it would certainly explain the casual way Lex was approaching dressing him for an evening out. It would not, however, explain why Lex had a closet full of Clark-sized clothes suitable for ... well, Clark wasn't sure what they were suitable for, but Lex must have a few ideas. And that thought was ... more than a little disconcerting. And exciting. Clark tried to breathe normally.

"Lex," Clark tried again, embarrassed when his voice strayed into a register it hadn't reached for a number of years.

Lex stepped out of the closet, naked to the waist and wearing the tightest, sleekest pair of leather pants Clark had ever seen. They were so dark they were almost black, but Clark was absolutely certain they were purple. Lex. In purple leather pants. He could practically see the muscles rippling in Lex's thighs as he moved. Clark could feel a bead of sweat start to form at his temple. He had the feeling that somewhere between dinner and the bedroom he'd accidentally fallen down some kind of pornographic rabbit-hole. He wasn't sure he wanted to climb out.

"Um, Lex, where are we going?"

"Wonderland," Lex said cheerfully. Clark shook his head. Now he was certain there had been something in the sauce. He was obviously hallucinating. Any minute, someone in a white rabbit suit was going to pop out and tell him this was all a dream. Weird and potentially a little kinky, but still just a dream. Clark snickered as he pictured Lex in a white rabbit suit with a fluffy white tail on his tight round ...

"Clark!"

Clark snapped to attention. Lex had slipped on a deep purple iridescent shirt that shimmered like scales when he moved. The top three buttons were open, and Clark could just see the glimmer of a silver chain beneath. Well, that was interesting.

"Wonderland's a club. In Metropolis." Lex said, as if Clark might think for a moment there were any clubs in Smallville, whose nightlife entertainment consisted of open mike night at The Talon and the amusement park that seemed to attract more freaks than honey attracted flies. He put his hands on Clark's broad shoulders. "You've been so uptight. A night out will do you good. We'll hang out for a few hours, stay over at the penthouse, maybe catch a Sharks game tomorrow. It'll be a blast. A real guy weekend."

Clark would've sworn that Lex had said gay, except that wasn't something Lex would say. Not like this. Not even while wearing a shimmery silk skirt and what might have been a nipple clip. Clark was not going to think about what might be under that shirt.

"My--my parents--" Clark stuttered.

"Already taken care of." Lex breezed past and pulled a pair of leather pants from the pile. "Put those on. And the blue shirt." Lex headed back towards the closet. "I'll find you a pair of shoes. Size thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Fourteen," Clark said self-consciously. Clark sincerely hoped that the whispered "big boy" that came from the closet was just his imagination. Clark slid off his jeans and pulled on the leather pants Lex had thrust at him. He was still trying to figure out exactly when and how Lex had okayed an overnight trip to Metropolis with his parents. He'd been with Lex every minute since he'd arrive at the mansion.

The pants fit like no glove ever had. They were soft and supple and felt as if they'd been made for him. Clark wondered briefly if they had been. Nothing Lex did surprised him any more. Well, almost nothing.

Clark pulled the see-through shirt over his head, feeling it cling to his body like plastic wrap. He was surprised to realize that it wasn't at all uncomfortable, although he did feel self-conscious. Lex sauntered back into the bedroom and looked at Clark with a grin as he handed him a pair of black leather lace-up boots. Size fourteen. Clark sat down on the edge of the bed and put on the shoes.

"You're awfully quiet over there," Lex said as the Ferrari raced through the streets of Metropolis.

"Just out of curiosity, how'd you clear this with my parents?" Clark said. Lex had spent half the drive on his cell phone, shooting apologetic glances at Clark as he argued with someone about needing to reschedule a meeting on Monday. Clark wondered briefly if it was Lex's father, but Lex seemed far too relaxed for it to be Lionel on the phone.

"I offered to show you some of the cultural sights of Metropolis." Lex was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"I don't lie to my parents, Lex," Clark said uncomfortably. With the top down on the Ferrari, the wind had whistled through his hair and through his shirt. Clark was aware that the rushing air was causing his body to react in ways that were not easily hidden beneath see-through fabric and tight leather.

Lex's face grew serious. "I didn't lie to them, Clark. Wonderland is a club for teens. They don't even serve alcohol."

Clark looked at Lex's face. There was a firm set to his jaw, a level of tension that hadn't been there earlier. Not even when he'd been yelling into his phone and driving one-handed down gravel roads at speeds that clearly exceeded the posted limit. Clark had the feeling he'd just setoff some sort of hidden trip-wire, a secret trigger that was causing Lex to shut down and pull away right before his eyes. Clark reached a hand across the car and touched his arm.

"Thanks for doing this. Really. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," Clark said. "It's just that everything--the clothes and all--was a little weird."

Lex nodded. "It was a surprise."

"Yeah, it was," Clark said. He smiled so Lex would know he wasn't upset. But he was definitely out of his league, and he knew it. Lex knew everything there was to know about Metropolis night life. He fit in effortlessly in a world that dressed in see-through shirts and leather pants. Clark didn't. Clark's world was somewhere far across the stars, somewhere they needed heat vision and super-strength and where lies were as familiar as home. Clark let out a sigh as he leaned his head back against the seat. He didn't have the slightest idea where he fit.

"Hey," Lex said. "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have pushed." Lex glanced across at Clark and gave a sheepish smile. "I forget that not every teenager is like I was."

"Lex, I don't think any teenager is like you were." Lex grinned as he pulled the car into a parking lot outside what appeared to be a large warehouse. A steady bass beat filtered out onto the streets. So, this was Wonderland.

Lex put the car in Park and turned to Clark. "We can go to the penthouse, you know. We don't have to go in, if you don't want." Lex's eyes flitted not-very-casually over Clark's chest before resting on his green eyes. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"You never make me uncomfortable," Clark said honestly. Well, mostly honestly. Lex never purposely made him uncomfortable, and if he occasionally felt a shiver of fear when Lex looked at him it was only because Lex's intense gazes had awakened something in him that he knew was an even deeper secret than his super-powers. A secret that he couldn't share with anyone. Not if he wanted to keep Lex's friendship.

"You're a terrible liar," Lex said softly, shutting off the engine. Clark felt as if Lex had stabbed him with a meteor-rock blade. It was one thing to have Lex ignore his lies, to pretend that the things that happened around Clark were just strange coincidences; but it was quite another to have Lex throw the shaky lies in his face in that quiet, exhausted voice that was more damning than if Lex had hit him.

Lex opened the door and stepped out of the car. He strode towards what appeared to be the back entrance of the club. Clark had no choice but to follow him or stay in the car. He followed.

Wonderland was a maze of dark corridors and bright flashing lights. Once they'd navigated the back hallways--Clark had been right, they'd come through a back entrance--they emerged into a chaotic world of flashing lights, pounding techno-rock, and swirling, dancing bodies.

"Welcome to Wonderland," Lex said, turning to Clark with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Clark stepped up beside him and looked around. The place was amazing. They'd taken an "Alice in Wonderland" theme and given it a decidedly more grown-up slant. The bar stools appeared to be chrome toadstools, the booths were soft white leather circles curving in on themselves and allowing for privacy. Neon smiles winked in and out of being around the walls of the club and towering over the dance floor, a smoking dragon-like creature was breathing out what might have been dry ice, much to the delight of the dance floor patrons.

"It's the Jabberwock," Lex said matter-of-factly. He looked into Clark's face. "From the poem." Clark didn't have a clue what Lex was talking about. "I'll tell you about it sometime," Lex added. "It's one of my favourites."

Clark hadn't thought it was possible to feel like a bigger heel, but here was Lex standing in the middle of a club for teens, after having made him dinner and driven him all the way to Metropolis. Not to mention buying him clothes and trying to get him to loosen up. Clark shook his head. What could Lex ever see in such a loser?

Through the crowd, Clark saw a head of spiky blonde hair weaving towards them. "Clark! Lex!" Chloe burst through the mass of people and practically threw herself into Clark's arms. He set her back on her feet and looked at her with surprise.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"It was Lex's idea," Chloe said breathlessly. "Lana's around here somewhere. And Pete."

"Your parents let you guys come to Metropolis by yourselves?" Clark had to raise his voice to be heard over the crowd.

"No, my Dad brought us. He's got meetings for LuthorCorp this weekend." Clark shot a glance at Lex who shrugged casually.

"I thought you might enjoy some time out with friends," Lex said. Lana and Pete suddenly appeared beside Chloe, and Clark was pulled in the direction of the dance floor. By the time he turned around, he'd lost sight of Lex in the crowd.

"Whoa, Clark!" Chloe said. "You should let Lex dress you more often." She ran a hand over the front of his shirt. Clark took a careful step back.

"Who says Lex dressed me?"

"Please, if you'd dressed yourself you'd be wearing flannel, not some see-through number and ... are those leather pants, Clark?" Chloe practically squeaked as she reached out a hand and ran it over Clark's thigh.

"Hey!"

"Wow, Lex should definitely dress you more often," Chloe smirked.

"And will you please stop saying that?" Clark asked. "It makes it sound ..."

"More gay than it should?" Chloe asked innocently. Clark blushed deeply. "Hey, Clark, it's fine by me, but I think it's going to come as a shock to Lana."

Clark followed Chloe's gaze to the dance floor where Lana was trying to get Pete to contain his dancing to moves that wouldn't inadvertently poke someone's eye out. Lana looked very much like a poodle who'd been haphazardly dropped into a vat of flaming pink paint. Her fluffy sweater was the colour of plastic flamingos and nausea medication. Clark had to look away.

"But not to you?"

Chloe shrugged good-naturedly. "I've got eyes, Clark--no thanks to Pete's 'I'm lost in the seventies' dancing, I might add. Seriously, anyone can tell you're ga-ga over Lex, and ...," she let her eyes rove over Clark's outfit once again, "I'm willing to bet serious money, he feels the same about you."

Clark shook his head. "I wouldn't take that bet, Chloe."

"Oh, please, Clark! Lex looks at you the way an alcoholic looks at a gin and tonic."

Clark rubbed dry lips together and looked around for Lex's familiar shape. He seemed to have disappeared completely. Clark felt a wave of panic course through his body.

Chloe put a hand on his arm. "He probably just went next door."

"What's next door?"

"The adult club. The Jabberwock. That's where my Dad is--waiting for us. He said we could stay til midnight, and then it's back to the suite."

"Suite?"

"Yeah, at LuthorCorp Towers. Because Dad's here on business, Lex made sure he had a place to stay. A place for us all to stay." Clark shook his head. When Lex put things into play, he didn't leave anything to chance. Clark just couldn't figure out what exactly Lex's plan had been this time. Was he telling him to give it another shot with Lana? Was he just being a good friend and trying to give Clark a night out? Was he really interested in something more? Chloe seemed to think so, but Clark didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Hey, Clark." Chloe was peering at him intently. "Stop thinking and dance. You look like you're going to hurt something. I'm sure Lex'll be back after he talks to my dad. He's not going to miss the chance to watch you in this outfit."

Clark nodded, unconvinced, but let himself be led into the middle of the dance floor.

Clark wasn't certain how he knew when Lex had returned, but it was as tangible a feeling as if someone had touched his skin. He looked up from where he was dancing with Lana and met blue eyes staring into his. Clark smiled and gave a little wave. He felt a flood of relief course through him. He hadn't been entirely convinced that Lex would come back for him.

"Come on, Clark," Lana whined. "You're not dancing." She put her hands on his hips and tried to get him to move.

Clark glanced up and noticed a tall, dark-haired woman had sidled up next to Lex and was chatting with him. Lex was nodding and smiling, and the woman appeared to be laughing. Flirting. Bitch. Clark stared as she handed Lex a drink--something orange in a martini glass--and watched helplessly as he took a sip, nodding with pleasure.

"Sorry, Lana," Clark said, stepping out of her hands. "I've got to talk to Lex about something." Clark backed away and practically tripped over Chloe.

"Whoa, what's the rush, farm boy?" Chloe said, regaining her balance. Her eyes flickered to the balcony where Lex was leaning with a smirk against the railing. He raised his drink in a small salute. "Ah, I see."

Clark rolled his eyes and licked his lips. "Chloe, it's not like that. I just--I have to talk to him, that's all."

"Well, stop licking your lips," Chloe said with exasperation. "No one wants to kiss cardboard."

Clark's hand went automatically to his lips. God, they were dry. Chapped. Chloe was right--Lex wasn't going to want to kiss ... and when exactly had kissing Lex entered the equation? Clark looked at Chloe desperately. She was already fumbling in her purse. She pulled out a tiny round jar of something and handed it to him.

"Lip balm. Just rub some on. It'll do the trick." Clark did as he was told, making sure his back was turned to the upper balcony as he rubbed one finger lightly over his lips. God, Lex didn't need to see he was putting on lip balm before coming up to talk to him.. How would that look? The fact that he'd seen Lex with a woman and immediately bolted in a jealous fit was, of course, nothing to worry about either. Lex certainly wouldn't have noticed that. No.

"Thanks, Chlo," Clark said, handing her the jar and giving her a quick hug.

"Good luck," she called to his back as he pushed through the crowd. "You're going to need it," she added quietly.

Lex was still sipping that orange thing when Clark reached the upper balcony, but the brunette seemed to have disappeared. Lex didn't turn around before he started talking. It seemed as if he always knew when Clark was in the vicinity.

"Having a good time?"

"Are you?" Clark hadn't meant it to come out the way it sounded--jealous and a little bit bitter.

Lex turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Clark had almost decided on the way up the stairs that it was now or never. He was going to have to tell Lex what was going on. Tell him how he felt. It was either that or risk losing him forever. Losing him to bimbos with perky breasts and splashy drinks, women who were forever finding a way to smile at him in just the right way to get past his defences, although Clark was strangely comforted by the fact that Lex seemed to have a thing for leggy brunettes with full-lips. It at least gave him an equal shot.

"What's going on, Clark?" Lex asked, and there was a tightness to his voice when he spoke. He sipped at his drink. Clark reached across and grabbed the drink, taking a deep swallow. He immediately regretted it as the taste of alcohol burned its way down his throat. He coughed once.

"You said they didn't serve alcohol."

"They don't," Lex said, reaching for his empty glass and looking at it longingly.

"But that was--"

"Vodka. Yes, it was." Lex sounded like he'd just lost a dear friend. He was peering at the empty glass again.

"That's alcohol."

"Your ability to state the obvious is actually quite remarkable, Clark," Lex said with a hint of exasperation. "Since you've apparently forgotten, I'll remind you. I'm Lex Luthor. If I want a drink, I can get one--even in a club that doesn't serve alcohol."

Clark just stared, processing. Well, of course that made sense. Nobody had ever refused Lex anything.

"But the girl ..."

"Was a waitress," Lex said, starting to put things together. "Is that why you rushed up here?"

"No," Clark said a little too quickly. "And why are you drinking, anyway? You have to drive."

Lex rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I drive better when I drink."

"Lex."

"Seriously. The day I hit you on the bridge, I was stone-cold sober. If I'd been drunk, I probably would've missed you and none of this would've happened."

Clark stared at him. He tried to remember when Lex had stopped simply speculating about things like the bridge crash and had started making definite statements about what had occurred. As if the answers were already fact--proven or not. "And that would've been better?"

"Maybe." Lex set his glass on a nearby table.

"You really believe that?" Clark asked with some hesitation. He couldn't imagine Lex not being part of his life. Since that day on the bridge when Lex had hit him with his Porsche, Clark's life had been turned upside down. He'd always known he was different--faster, stronger--but it was the thing with Lex that had forced his parents to tell him the truth. And then the rest of his life had become a tangled set of lies.

"Don't you?"

"We wouldn't be friends."

"We're not friends now," Lex said evenly.

He felt the sting as if he'd been slapped, and Clark decided he'd had enough. Maybe it was the vodka or the spaghetti sauce, or the leather pants cutting off part of his circulation. Maybe it was just that Clark was tired of pretending and feeling as if he could never have what he wanted most.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clark said. If he hadn't been so upset, he would've been pleased at the shocked expression on Lex's face. Lex recovered quickly.

"Friends don't lie to each other."

That did it. Clark grabbed Lex by the arm. He didn't have any idea where they were going, but they needed to talk. Now. Clark could feel Lex trying to shake himself free from Clark's grip, but Clark didn't budge.

"Clark." Lex carefully enunciated every letter his name. "I will not be dragged through this club like some prize trophy."

Clark stopped, but didn't let go. He glanced around until a sign on the wall caught his eye. He pulled Lex in the direction of the men's room. Lex saw where he was looking.

"We are not having this conversation in the men's room."

Clark pushed through the door, pulling Lex after him. They both blinked in the harsh light. Clark locked the door behind them, not really wanting to know why a public rest-room had a lock on the inside of the door. "Yes, we are."

Clark turned to look at Lex carefully. For the first time, he realized that Lex's eyes were dark and purpled. Clark reached out a tentative finger and stroked the skin over Lex's eyes; his fingers came away purple.

"Are you wearing make-up?" Clark asked in amazement. Lex took a step back and rubbed his hands over his scalp.

"Clark, do you really want to talk about whether or not I'm wearing make-up?"

"When did you have time to put on ... and why did you put on ..." Clark took another step forward and looked at Lex carefully. The area around his eyes was smudged a deep purple. "Your eyes looked bruised."

Lex laughed and leaned back against the sink. He glanced over his shoulder and looked in the mirror. "I suppose they do."

Clark focussed on Lex. The purple eye shadow seemed to bring out the deeper blue tones of Lex's eyes. The skin really did look bruised--that just reminded Clark of how vulnerable Lex was, and how easily hurt. God, Clark didn't know anything about protecting someone's heart from being hurt. He would willingly and gladly throw himself in front of a thousand bullets for Lex, but no one had told him how to keep Lex's heart safe.

"You bruise too easily, Lex," Clark said quietly.

"You don't bruise at all."

Ah, so here it was. Time for the truth, and Clark sensed that this time it would be winner take all--all or nothing. Lex didn't know any other way to play. Clark was beginning to think that he didn't either. He'd tried giving parts of himself away--best friend, son, Torch reporter, honours student--but somehow no one seemed to feel that they'd gotten enough, and Clark just ended up feeling pulled in a dozen different directions.

"Lex."

Clark looked around once. Took in the shiny chrome fixtures, the white porcelain urinals, the bathroom stalls with what appeared to be happy oysters playing by the sea-shore. Clark tried not to think about that too closely. He'd imagined sharing his secrets with Lex--had even scripted out what he would say, what Lex would say, planned it all down to the final heart-felt embrace where all would be forgiven--yet he'd never for a moment imagined having this conversation in the men's room of a club in Metropolis that looked like it was decorated by children's writers who'd been a little too well-acquainted with magic and mushrooms.

Lex was looking at him expectantly. "You dragged me in here to talk, Clark, so talk--or I'm leaving."

Clark saw the contained anger in Lex's eyes and knew that no one else would've gotten this much cooperation from Lex. Clark nodded, and let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I just didn't think I could."

"Because I'm a Luthor," Lex stated.

"No," Clark interjected. "My parents told me I couldn't tell anyone. They were trying to protect me."

"Clark, I would never--"

"I know that, Lex. But they're my parents. They were afraid someone would take me away, or try to hurt me."

"Except there's not much that can hurt you, is there?"

"No."

"You didn't burn yourself earlier."

"No," Clark held his hands up in a gesture of surrender so Lex could see that his hands were unhurt. Lex nodded.

"And you're very fast," Lex said. "So fast I can't see you move sometimes." It was Clark's turn to nod. He dropped his eyes from Lex's piercing gaze.

"You know, Clark," Lex said, "the meteor shower affected a lot of people." Lex rubbed a hand over his own scalp. "You're not alone."

Clark closed his eyes. God, this was the hardest part. Lex understood being different, being alone--but he didn't know the truth. Clark didn't really want to tell him.

"Yes, I am," Clark said, eyes still closed. "I'm not a meteor mutant, Lex. I'm an alien." There. He'd said it. He could feel the word echoing against the walls of the room. Any second he expected to hear the door closing behind Lex as he walked out of his life for good. Not only had he lied to him, but he wasn't even human. Who would want to be friends with some ... thing?

Clark's felt a cool hand touch his face, and his eyes flashed open. Lex was looking at him intensely--his face was full of wonder. There was no trace of the fear or horror Clark had expected to see. He felt Lex's fingers lightly stroke his skin.

"Amazing," Lex whispered. "You are absolutely amazing."

Clark couldn't help it--he blushed. He'd just confessed his deepest, darkest secret and Lex wasn't running. In fact, if anything, Lex was moving closer every second.

"And you're beautiful when you blush," Lex said and leaned towards him. Clark stayed absolutely still, watching the slow tilt of Lex's head, the way his tongue darted out carefully and licked at his scar, white against his dark lips. Clark wet his own lips nervously and wondered if Chloe's lip balm was going to do any good at all.

"There's something else," Clark said, and kissed Lex before he could change his mind. Lex's lips were soft and warm, and after a moment of hesitation Clark could feel Lex shift closer to him, arms going around his back, mouth softening against his as he let Clark control the kiss. Clark couldn't remember ever feeling anything as wonderful as the insistent pressure of Lex's mouth on his.

"I think I should warn you, Clark," Lex whispered when they finally broke apart, "I don't let go easily."

"I don't want you to let go," Clark whispered back, and kissed him again. This time there was no hesitation in Lex's kiss. Clark felt cool hands holding his face, pulling him closer. He'd never imagined that the simple act of kissing Lex would make every cell in his body awaken--he felt as if he'd been plugged into an electric socket. He was sure that he could've powered a small city with the heat that was pulsing through his body. Clark wrapped his arms around Lex and pulled him tight against him, just as Lex slid his mouth down to Clark's neck. Clark leaned his head back and moaned as he felt Lex's teeth graze his skin lightly.

"God, Lex." Lex's mouth was on his again in an instant, and Clark felt himself shoved hard up against the door. His fingers slipped against the shiny fabric of Lex's shirt as he tugged it free from Lex's pants. Clark moaned as his hands found skin as warm and smooth as anything he had ever touched, and the moan allowed Lex's tongue to dart slyly between his lips. Clark felt himself opening up to Lex. God, whatever Lex wanted from him, he could have. Clark didn't even care that they were making out in the men's room.

"Clark, we have to stop," Lex murmured. He sounded breathless and unbelievably sexy. Clark couldn't decide whether he wanted Lex to keep talking or keep kissing. He wondered if Lex could just do both. He was Lex, after all. Clark was sure he could do anything he wanted.

"No, we don't," Clark said stubbornly, and started unbuttoning Lex's shirt. He could feel Lex's hands sliding over the see-through front of his shirt, rubbing hard when he found Clark's nipples. Clark clutched frantically at Lex as a flurry of sensation ripped through him. Clark thought he might have actually lifted Lex off the ground.

"You're sixteen," Lex whispered, trying to protest. Clark figured his argument might have been more convincing if he hadn't been clutching Clark's ass at the time and pushing up against him. Clark could feel Lex's erection hard beneath the soft purple leather.

"Not for sure," Clark countered. "I might be older." Clark was feeling brave. He kissed Lex more deeply, letting his tongue push into Lex's mouth, pleased when Lex's tongue brushed over his. Clark was sure he was going to come in his pants if they kept this up much longer. God, he'd never known that kissing could be so incredible. Clark gave himself up to the sensations of touching and being touched, of hands stroking over his body with absolute confidence in what they were doing.

"Jailbait, Clark," Lex said. "I could go to jail for this."

"I'd break you out." Clark found Lex's ear and sucked gently at the lobe. Lex swore and grabbed him roughly, Lex's hips pushing hard against Clark's. Clark thrust awkwardly against him, mouth still busy sucking at Lex's ear. It seemed to be something that Lex liked because there was a steady stream of moaning and swearing and what Clark guessed was a short treatise on the dangers of horny teenage aliens. Clark smiled against Lex's skin and nipped his ear gently.

"Clark--Clark, we have to--"

"Don't stop, Lex. Fuck." Clark groaned as Lex pushed a leg between his thighs and applied pressure. Lex rocked against him roughly, his hands gripping Clark's hips with a strength that never ceased to amaze him.

"I am not ... fucking you ... in the men's room," Lex said with an utter lack of conviction. Clark thrust hard against Lex's leg, felt an answering push from Lex, and Clark forgot about everything except the soft slide of leather under his hands, the steady rhythm of Lex thrusting against him, Lex's mouth on his throat, his neck, Lex licking and sucking while Clark concentrated on not passing out from the sensations. He leaned his head back against the wall and let Lex push him closer and closer to the edge of the world.

"Lex, I'm--so close--I'm gonna " Clark's words were lost as Lex gave one final thrust against him, and the world disappeared in a breathless tumbling cry. Clark was down the rabbit-hole again, and this time he wasn't alone. Lex was panting and rocking against him, and then Clark felt him stiffen. He held Lex tight against him as he came, Clark's name the only word that Lex seemed to know.

Lex slumped, his head resting on Clark's shoulder, his hands still gripping Clark's hips. Clark let his arm wrap around Lex, enjoying the warm, smooth feel of skin and leather. Clark buried his face in Lex's neck and breathed deeply--silk and sweat and sex. God, Lex smelled like heaven, and Clark didn't think he would ever get enough. He pressed a kiss to Lex's skin. Then to his ear. Another to the side of Lex's head.

"Okay, okay," Lex murmured against Clark's damp shirt. "You're a cuddler--I get it." Clark grinned and cuddled Lex closer. He kissed him again. And again. Lex raised his face to look at Clark and shook his head.

"Christ, I'm in trouble," Lex said looking at his rumpled shirt and Clark's swollen lips. Clark was sure that anyone with half a brain and a decent sense of smell would know exactly what they'd been doing. "I just made out with a minor in the bathroom at a teen club."

"A gay alien minor," Clark added helpfully. Lex glared. Clark grinned and kissed him again. Nothing was going to ruin his mood.

"Feeling pretty proud of yourself, huh?" Lex asked, trying to extract himself from Clark's hands.

"Yup," Clark said. He kissed the tip of Lex's nose, and laughed when Lex scowled at him. "I told you everything and you still wanted to kiss me."

"Was that ever in question?" Lex asked seriously.

"Well, yeah," Clark said, finally letting Lex move away from him. Lex slipped into a bathroom stall to get cleaned up, and Clark figured he'd better do the same. The feeling of leather pants being stuck to him was not entirely pleasant.

"Clark, I've wanted you since the day I met you. I just tried very hard not to show it."

Clark laughed and silently did an inventory. Swords, cannons, water bottles, pool cues, and intensely hot gazes.

"Yeah, you're the master of subtlety. I hate to think what you'd be like if you were trying to be obvious."

Clark stepped out of the stall, and came face to face with a flushed Lex Luthor.

"I would've kissed you back on the riverbank, sucked off more than a Ty Nant bottle in front of you, and fucked you on the pool table. Any other questions?"

Clark stood dumbly and felt the breath leave his body. God, obsessed Lex was the hottest thing he had ever seen. There was nothing hidden in those eyes anymore. They may have been smudged with make-up, bruised and dark, but they were more naked than Clark had ever seen. Hunger lingered there like an itch that couldn't quite be reached. Clark finally understood what Chloe had been talking about.

"No more questions?" Lex murmured, leaning in and tugging at Clark's lower lip with his teeth. Clark shook his head. "Good," Lex said, and kissed him once more. It was slow and sweet and nowhere near long enough. Clark wanted to protest when Lex finally pulled away.

"Now what?" Clark asked.

"Now we go back to the penthouse," Lex glanced at his watch. "The club closes at midnight and it's almost that now. Your friends are going to wonder where you've disappeared to."

"No, they won't," Clark said. "I have a habit of disappearing, remember?"

Lex smiled. "Ah, yes, Clark Kent saves the day."

"You're taking it all pretty well considering. I thought you'd be freaked out."

"Why? I've always known you were special, Clark. I just didn't know how special you were."

"And now that you know?" Clark couldn't help it. His voice shook slightly, but he had to know. Old habits die hard. He'd been afraid of people for too long, been warned about people for too long.

Lex drew him into a warm embrace. "I'll never let anyone hurt you." He said it with such conviction that Clark had to believe him. When Lex let go, Clark took a good look at the man that was his closest friend and so much more. His eyes still looked bruised, but there was a glimmer of something else there now. His skin seemed to glow with happiness--and tiny flecks of gold. Clark reached out and brushed a fleck off Lex's skin.

"You still haven't explained the purple eye shadow," Clark said lightly.

"It's just something I used to do at clubs. Old habit, I guess. And it does bring out the blue in my eyes," Lex said casually.

"Yes, but purple eye shadow and gold glitter? Isn't that a bit much?" Clark teased.

Lex grinned at him. "I'm not the one who had the glitter on my lips, Golden Boy."

Clark's face fell as he glanced in the mirror. Shit! Chloe's lip balm. Clark could see that his lips were still glittering with gold, and there was glitter all over his face and neck as well. And Lex was sparkling like fireworks on a clear night.

"Chloe," Clark said helplessly.

"I should've guessed," Lex said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Clark said, rubbing at his lips self-consciously. He stopped rubbing when he realized all he was doing was spreading gold on his fingers as well.

Lex shrugged. "You told me you were an alien and then you kissed me. A little bit of glitter seemed relatively minor." Lex reached out for Clark's hand and tugged him towards him.

"I guess we'd better go," Clark said reluctantly. As soon as they walked through that door, he knew Lex would let go of his hand, step away from his body, slip back into being the adult rather than the guy Clark wanted nothing more than to put up against the wall in the men's room.

"Back to Wonderland," Lex said with a grin, and pushed through the door into the club where darkness enveloped them.

For a moment Clark couldn't see. The change from bright light to absolute darkness was too much. He could still feel Lex's hand in his, squeezing him gently, and Clark smiled at the thought. Lex hadn't let him go.

"I think he's coming around," a voice said. Clark tried to place it. It sounded a lot like Chloe, but she'd been out dancing when he'd seen her last. She shouldn't have found them so quickly.

"Clark. Clark." That was Lex. Definitely Lex. Clark squeezed his hand again and tried to see where he'd gotten to. "Come on, Clark, wake up."

Wake up? Clark pushed his eyes open and realized that he wasn't in a dark hallway in a club, but lying on his back on the kitchen floor of the Kent farmhouse. There was something soft under his head--it smelled distinctly like leather and Lex's cologne. Lex and Chloe were kneeling beside him. Clark struggled to sit up.

"What--what happened?" Clark asked. He felt Lex slip an arm under him and help him sit up. Chloe disappeared and came back with a glass of water, which she pressed into Clark's hand--the hand that wasn't holding Lex's. Clark wasn't letting go until he found out exactly what had happened. It might be his only chance to hang on to Lex like this.

Chloe grinned at him. "What didn't happen is a better question," she said with excitement. "Do you remember anything?"

Clark shook his head. He remembered saving Lex from spaghetti sauce, Lex sucking on pasta, Lex dressing him in leather. He remembered a long drive to Metropolis, a club with blinking smiles, Lex's eyes looking like bruises, the burn of vodka in his throat. Then there was bright light and truth, purple shadows and golden flecks of happiness, kissing and thrusting and falling down the rabbit-hole together. Clark wondered if he closed his eyes if he could bring it all back.

"Clark?" Lex's voice was gentle. "Don't fade out on us now." Clark kept his eyes open. He saw that Lex had retrieved his rolled-up leather jacket and tossed it onto the table.

"I'm okay," he said. "But why am I on the floor?"

"You're a big boy," Lex said grinning. "It was easier than trying to lift you onto the couch." In his mind, Clark heard the whispered "big boy" that had seemed to come from Lex's closet. Clark sighed.

"Tell me what happened."

Chloe took the empty water glass from his hand and set it back on the counter. "It started after school. You and I came here to pick up that piece you were working on for the Torch."

Clark remembered now. The article on animal testing in the cosmetics industry. He'd left it on the kitchen table and Chloe needed it for the new issue.

"So, we'd just been here a few minutes, and there was a knock at the door. It was the Avon Lady or Mary-Kate or something."

"Mary Kay," Lex offered. Clark could still feel Lex's hand in his. He didn't see any reason to let go, and Lex wasn't trying very hard to move away. In fact, he was still sitting on the floor with him, one hand resting lightly against the small of Clark's back. Every once in a while, Clark would feel a slow circle rubbed into his back. He leaned experimentally into Lex's touch and was rewarded with a steady, warm pressure.

"That's right, the nightmare in pink," Chloe said.

"Lana was here?" Clark asked without thinking. He heard Lex suppress a chuckle.

"Um, no, the make-up lady had a pink outfit, pink car, pink everything. It was scary." Chloe looked at Clark as if he might have been knocked in the head.

"Go on," Clark said. He closed his eyes against the image of Lana in her fluffy pink outfit.

"Well, she wanted to talk to your Mom--or so she said--but your parents had gone into town. But she was really pushy, insisted that we look at her products. She started pulling all kinds of stuff out of her little case."

Clark vaguely remembered trying to explain to the women that they had to leave and that they weren't interested in make-up, although Clark remembered thinking that the eye shadow labelled "Aubergine Delights" was something Lex would've really liked--if Lex were into that sort of thing, which he was pretty sure he wasn't. Was he?

"She put something on me," Clark said. "She--"

"I'm getting there," Chloe said. "Gee, who's telling this story?" Clark shut-up and let Chloe continue. "She wouldn't take no for an answer, and then she caught sight of the article about the cosmetics testing and that seemed to send her over the edge. She actually tried to assure us that all the testing was done on human subjects--as if that would make us feel better!" Chloe snickered, then grew serious. "Anyway, she'd been making her own products from plants grown in Smallville."

Clark closed his eyes. Plants grown in Smallville never led to anything good. Mutant roses that turned people invisible, meteor-enhanced vegetables that made people insatiable. Clark was grateful that his parents had cleared all the meteors from their property, otherwise Kent's Organic Produce could have been anything from orgasmic to sentient. Clark blushed.

"She tried to get me to put on some of the stuff," Chloe said. "You told me to run and get help. That's when she smeared you with the glowing green lip balm." Clark's hand inadvertently went to his lips. They felt soft and tingly. He remembered the lip balm making his face tighten. He remembered not being able to breathe properly and then ...

"When did you come in?" Clark said, turning to look at Lex. For the first time, he realized that one of Lex's eyes was beginning to purple. Clark reached out a hand without thinking and stroked the skin around Lex's eye. "And what happened to you?"

Lex smiled. "I was pulling into the yard to invite you for dinner, when Chloe came running out of the kitchen. She told me what was happening. I gave her my phone to call the sheriff, and I went in to deal with the crazy cosmetics lady."

"She hit you?" Clark said, looking at Lex's eye.

Lex shrugged. "She attacked me with 'Aubergine Delights.' She was pretty much a lonely woman who'd spent too much time playing with meteor rocks in her cosmetics lab. And," Lex paused, "since she used to work for LuthorCorp as a research assistant, I felt like I owed her something."

"So, Lex let her do his make-up until he had a chance to knock her out!" Chloe said triumphantly.

"And that story never leaves this kitchen," Lex said.

"My lips are sealed," Chloe replied.

"Yes, with 'Barely Cherry,' if I recall correctly," Lex said. Chloe rolled her eyes. Clark was trying to keep up. He was still staring at Lex.

"So, you mean, you let her put make-up on you? Willingly?"

"It seemed like a better way to go than the head trauma I usually end up with in these cases," Lex said. "She really just wanted someone to practice on. She couldn't have known that green wasn't your colour."

Clark flushed and looked away. He and Lex were back to treading carefully around lies and truths. The club confessions were clearly just a pleasant dream. Clark felt his skin prickle as he thought about being with Lex, touching Lex.

"I'm still not sure how you got all that goop off of Clark," Chloe was saying as she gathered her stuff together. "I gave the sheriff the whole story and Lex looked after you. You'd already passed out by that time."

Clark looked at Lex questioningly. "I did what I had to do," Lex said cryptically.

Chloe smirked and held up a sheet of paper. "A good journalist never sleeps. Time to put The Torch to bed. I'm off to add your article to this week's edition, Clark, and to add our newest Freak of the Week story."

"Please tell me you didn't let her take pictures," Clark said to Lex when he saw the full extent of Chloe's grin. Lex shrugged non-committally.

"No farm boys will be permanently harmed in the writing of this article," Chloe snickered as she left. "See you, guys!"

"It's not permanent damage, I'm worried about," Clark muttered. His reputation just didn't need any more abuse.

"So, do you want to sit on the floor some more, or shall we try getting up?" Lex asked.

Clark stared at him sheepishly. "Sorry," he said, getting to his feet and pulling Lex along with him. Clark still wasn't ready to let go.

"It's okay, Clark. You gave us quite a scare."

Clark looked down at the floor he'd been lying on. It seemed to be covered with broken bits of pasta. Lex caught his gaze.

"Spaghetti. I think your Mom must have been planning on spaghetti for dinner. The box got knocked off the counter sometime during the whole fiasco."

Clark nodded. Well, apparently his sub-conscious mind had taken elements from around him and constructed a much more pleasant dream for him. Clark was just sad it had only been a dream.

"What about 'Alice in Wonderland'?" Clark suddenly blurted out. Lex cocked his head to the side and smiled. He didn't seem surprised at the complete non sequitur.

"You said you'd never read it. I was dropping off a copy for you to borrow. This edition has 'Jabberwocky' as well," Lex said, taking a small leather-bound book from his jacket pocket. Clark nodded. That's right. Last time he'd been at the mansion, Lex had been reciting something about vorpal swords being taken in hand and something burbling as it came. Trust Lex to be able to turn children's literature into porn with just his voice. It had gotten Clark excited just hearing it in Lex's low sexy undertone and he'd tried to cover the fact by asking to borrow the book. As usual, Lex came through without hesitation.

"I guess that explains almost everything then," Clark said. He looked at Lex carefully, then reached out a finger and gently traced Lex's lips. Lex froze.

"Clark?"

"But it doesn't really explain how come you have meteor-enhanced lip balm all over your mouth."

Lex's eyes didn't break from his for a second. "I told you I did what I had to do, Clark," Lex said softly. "Your life was in danger. You've done the same for me."

Clark smiled and tugged Lex a little closer. "And I'd do it again." Clark leaned forward and kissed Lex, his lips trembling slightly when Clark pulled away.

"Where is this going, Clark?" Lex asked. Clark could feel Lex's hand tighten its grip on his own.

"Wonderland, Lex. We're going to Wonderland."

THE END