Grundy County Auction
By Kel

"You want me to do what?" Lex pinned Clark with a mildly outraged glare, though his words were directed to his Talon business partner, Lana Lang, who was currently hiding behind Clark.

"Come on, Lex, it'll be good for your image," she wheedled from behind the vicinity of Clark's shoulder. "Doing something suave like this for a charity, getting to show that debonair Metropolis charm I know you have..."

"Getting bid on like a priceless piece of antique furniture," Lex busted in, interrupting her dreamy spiel. "Going once, going twice, Lex Luthor is Sold!" he said, imitating an auctioneer. "I don't think so."

Lana turned her eyes on Clark. "Clark, come on. You're doing it, you tell him how great it's going to be."

Clark had dropped his gaze from Lex when he'd turned to look at Lana, but when he turned back, he almost wanted to flinch. Lex's entire posture had hardened, and his eyes were flinty specks. The knuckles of the hand holding the juice glass were white, and his lips were pressed tightly together. Lex was pissed off, Clark had no doubt of it. He just didn't know why. "It'll all be okay, Lex. I'm going to be on the walkway too, just not as a date." Lex's eyebrow quirked, inviting Clark to continue the explanation. "I'm donating a week's worth of work to the highest bidder."

Lex's posture relaxed slightly even as he chided himself for getting angry in the first place. He made no claim on Clark--yet--and he had no right to stop him from going on the Bachelor block if he wanted. And yet, the thought of Clark up there being bid on by all those bitchy women and girls of Smallville had just set his teeth on edge. "I tell you what, Clark. Do both. And I'll make sure that I outbid anyone for at least one of them, which will make sure that there's a very charitable donation to..." He left the sentence hanging for one of them to fill in the blanks.

"The school's marching band trip... we're sending them to New York to march in the Macy's parade this fall."

"Then you'll have a quite sizable contribution under your belt, while not depriving the town of Clark's company entirely." Lex kept Clark silent, his eyes boring into the young man's.

"That's very generous of you, Lex. Clark, will you do it?"

Clark shook his head. "I can't, Lana. I barely have time for a social life as it is, between school and my chores at home. Lex would be the one to rake in the money at the guy auction."

Lex laughed softly as he put his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Clark, I seriously doubt that anyone could afford me."

"Oh." Clark's face burned bright red. "But Lex--"

"It's for a good cause?" Lex finished for him.

"Yeah."

Lex watched as Clark shifted from foot to foot nervously. "All right, Clark. I'll do it."

"Yeah?" Clark asked, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Yes." Lex answered the smile that spread across Clark's face with one of his own before remembering Lana. "You can put me down on your list, Ms. Lang. I'll be glad to help out."

"Thanks, Lex. You're a lifesaver." She shook his hand and then turned, scribbling things down on the clipboard she carried. "Clark, can you fill Lex in on what he'll need to do and when he'll need to be at the barn?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Okay then. Whitney should be picking me up any moment now. Thanks, you two. Don't forget, Clark. Rehearsal, your barn, Tuesday afternoon, four o'clock." She stuck her pencil under the clip and waved. "Bye."

"Bye, Lana." Clark waved back, and Lex leaned against the pool table, eyeing Clark through the flannel and denim layers, waiting for Clark to turn back around to him.

"You're rehearsing an auction?"

"Well, yeah. Just to make sure nobody trips on the stage or whatever." Clark shifted nervously.

"And it's being held at the barn?"

"Well, yeah. The stage is being built there, cause it's big enough, and everyone in town can fit in and mill around. Plus there's the hayloft and everything."

Lex shook his head sadly. "How about you move it here? You can have the downstairs ballroom."

"Why not the upstairs?" Clark kidded.

Lex didn't even bat an eye. "Because it's not as large and doesn't have the view."

"You have two ballrooms?"

"This is a castle, Clark. I've got a construction crew at the plant that I can have move the stage here to the ballroom, and the decorating committee--I am assuming you have one?--can work with my decorator."

"You'll have to talk to Lana about it, but I bet she'd love to have a fancy place like this. She wanted to use a Metropolis hotel but it cost too much, and it was too far for people to go."

"Problem solved." He turned to the small refrigerator and brought out two bottles of water, handing one blue bottle to Clark and opening the other himself. "How about..."

"To Lex Luthor, the most eligible bachelor in the world?" Clark suggested with a grin, holding his bottle up to clink the neck against Lex's. He shivered when Lex's eyes caressed him once before lifting to clink in return of the toast.

"I'll drink to that."

The rehearsal at Clark's barn went without a hitch, thankfully. Lex spoke with Lana, who was more than happy to have the auction in his ballroom. He introduced her to his decorator, a stunning redhead named Marissa, and soon Lana and Marissa were buried deep in color schemes, and Lex sought out Clark.

"Hi."

"Lex! Hi! You know Whitney and Pete, right?"

"Of course I do. Mr. Fordman, always a pleasure. Mr. Ross."

Clark threw Lex a dirty look. "The rest of the guys went to get something to drink, I'll introduce you all when they get back."

"There's no rush."

"Whitney!! Pete!" Chloe skidded to a halt a few inches from slamming into Lex, and Clark reached out to steady her. "Mr. Luthor!"

"Chloe, what a pleasant surprise."

"Chloe's doing wardrobe," Clark supplied helpfully.

Lex eyed the dangling tape measure that hung around her shoulders. "I can provide my own measurements for you far easier than you could obtain them."

"What? No. I'm just coordinating costumes."

"Cos--costumes?" stammered Clark. "This is news."

"It's Marissa's idea. Lex's designer? She says that the guys should be dressed in outfits that portray who they really are." She dug through her bag and came up with a rumpled tablet that had been hastily shoved in there. "Whitney, you and Pete are going to dress up in your football jerseys, okay?"

"Whatever," Whitney said, and Pete rolled his eyes.

"Clark... um... can I talk to you alone?" Chloe dropped her eyes to the tablet, refusing to meet Clark's eyes. Whitney and Pete left, ambling off towards Lana, and Lex merely crossed his arms and leaned against the beam. "Lex?"

"Chloe, it's okay. What's up?"

"It's this thing Marissa cooked up. She knows you're sort of the local cult-hero kinda thing..."

"I am not a hero!" Clark protested hotly, ignoring Lex's snicker. "Totally not hero material here."

"Yeah, well, anyway... she kinda wants you to..." Chloe shoved the tablet at Clark, unable to say it aloud.

Clark scanned it. "No way! Chloe, you gotta be out of your mind here!"

"What is it?" Lex asked, and Clark turned the tablet around to show him the sketch. A red cape, a black bodysuit with a silver S in a shield. "She's got me dressed up like the damned Crow mascot!" Lex fought hard to muffle the grin. "I'm not even in the bachelor auction!"

Chloe blushed. "You're not? Oh, shit. Lana thinks you are!"

"No, I'm not, and I told her I wasn't! I'm in the services auction! Week's worth of farm chores! Lex is the one in the bachelor auction!"

"Right, I've got his sketch right here." Chloe flipped through her papers. "Here you go."

Clark craned his head and saw that Lex would be wearing a plain black tuxedo. Playboy was the caption scrawled beneath it. From the few times that Clark had seen Lex in his tuxedo, he had to agree. Lex would look absolutely stunning in the formal black. //Okay, whoa... where the hell did that come from? Since when do I find Lex stunning?// Although, Clark had to admit the thought wasn't nearly as unsettling as it should have been. It felt... right, surprisingly. "At least she's got you dressed normally."

Lex chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Clark. You don't have anything to worry about. You'll be back in your overalls and pitchfork before the night is over. Just talk to Lana and remind her that I took your place."

"Right, I'll be back." Clark darted off to talk to Lana and left Lex with Chloe.

"Okay, rewind? You said you took Clark's place in the bachelor auction?"

"That's right."

"I thought Lana said she was going to recruit you."

Lex gave Chloe a small, sharp smile. "She tried. And ended up almost selling Clark off twice, in the services and bachelor auction. So I stepped in and took Clark's place on the runway."

"So... you did this for Clark, not Lana."

Lex pushed off the beam and straightened to his full height. "That's right." Chloe studied Lex for several long moments, and he almost laughed at the intensity of her scrutiny. Instead he kept his face straight and his eyes steady as her eyes finally swept up to meet his. "Satisfied with what you found, Ms. Sullivan?"

Chloe was uncharacteristically intent. "Clark's my friend. Don't hurt him."

"That's not my intention," Lex answered back with equal seriousness.

"You know what they say about the road to hell, Lex."

"Yes, I do. I've been on that road most of my life, Ms. Sullivan." He looked up as Clark rejoined them. "Hello, Clark."

"Hey, Lex. What's with all the serious faces?" Lex's blank stare challenged Chloe to tell Clark that he was the topic of their discussion. When nothing was forthcoming, Clark transferred his glare from Lex to Chloe and back again. "Well?"

"We were just discussing my tuxedo choices. Marissa suggested the Versace, but I like the Armani better."

Clark considered. "The Armani has the narrow lapels, right?" Lex nodded. "The Versace then. I hate to challenge your fashion choices, but the wider satin lapels accent your chest and shoulders better, and it makes you look more... what?" He looked around to notice Lex smirking softly at him and Chloe staring openmouthed. "What?"

"How do you know how Lex looks in his tuxes, much less differentiate between them?" Chloe finally asked.

Clark flushed. "I've seen him in both." When Chloe didn't close her mouth, Clark shrugged. "We go places. Metropolis. You know, the art gallery opening? Stuff like that. Broadening my horizons."

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Chloe snarked.

Lex's grin faded as he looked coldly at Chloe. Clark just looked mystified. "What?"

Lex leaned in, his deadly glare still trained on Chloe. "She thinks I'm fucking you, and that's why you know so much about my tuxedos."

"What! Chloe? Is that true?" He shivered, though not in revulsion. Just the thought--the abstract idea of Lex fucking him made him tingle in places he didn't realize tingled. He felt his cock stirring, and he stepped a half step closer to Lex. "Chloe!"

"Yes, all right? I thought you two were because... you're always together, you know things about him that nobody else does. I would have sworn you were... together-together."

"No! I mean, not because I have anything against that, just because Lex hasn't asked me! Or I haven't asked him! Or whatever! It's my personal life, Chloe, and if I want to sleep with Lex then I ought to be able to! And it's none of your business anyway! I know what's in your closet too, does that mean I'm supposed to be sleeping with you? Jesus, I ask you to help me pick out clothes all the time!" Lex put his hand on Clark's shoulder, trying to calm him.

Chloe was visibly upset too. "I was wrong, okay? I mean, come on, Clark, what was I supposed to think? Let me guess, you know his shoe size?"

"Seven men's narrow, just like yours is nine women's E."

"Clark!"

"See, Chloe, this is just my point! I know things about Lex, and I know things about all my friends, but that doesn't mean that we're sleeping together! Do you know how lucky I'd be if someone like Lex even gave me a second look? I have a new friend, and suddenly I'm sleeping with him because I know things about him? That's lame, Chloe, and I thought better of you." Clark turned and stalked off.

"Clark! Clark, wait!" Chloe called out, but Clark didn't stop. She looked at Lex, who was staring after Clark. "Are you happy now?"

"Me? I didn't do anything, Ms. Sullivan. You put your foot in your mouth all by yourself on that one." He moved to leave, then turned to deliver a final parting shot. "That road you were talking about earlier? Welcome to it." Shot delivered, Lex went after Clark. "Clark! Wait up!"

Clark paused at the edge of the cornfield, waiting for Lex to catch up to him. As soon as Lex had fallen into step beside him, Clark started walking again, raising his hand to bat the cornstalks out of his face. "I'm sorry about that."

"You're not the one who should be apologizing, Clark."

"Yeah, I am. I said some stuff..." Clark crammed his hands in his pockets. "Can we just forget the things that I said?"

"Will that make you happy?" Lex asked, following and ducking the snapping cornstalks. Suddenly Clark stopped, and Lex nearly ran into him.

Without warning, Clark's hands were snugly gripping Lex's waist and pulling him close, their bodies pressed tightly together. Before Lex could question it, one hand had moved from his waist and held his face still as Clark kissed him. The kiss was hard and demanding, and yet innocent, without tongue. Clark broke the kiss, and Lex blinked. When his eyes opened again, there was a backwash churning through the corn and Clark was gone.

It was three days later, and while Lex was loathe to say that anything in his existence was a life-altering religious experience, the kiss from Clark was damned close. It was all he'd been able to think about, and it had taken almost all the self-control that the young billionaire possessed to keep from storming the Kent barn and kidnapping Clark to finish what he'd started.

He'd waited all yesterday afternoon for Clark's weekly produce delivery, only to be cheated of the boy's company. Jonathan had delivered the crates instead, dropping them off without returning Lex's call of greeting or giving any explanation of Clark's absence. He drank himself into a stupor on Thursday night, brooding over the lack of Clark in his life, and was in fine fettle by Friday afternoon, which was when the auction was supposed to get underway.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, smoothing down the wide lapels of his Versace tuxedo. Clark was right; the lines of the tux did flatter him more, and the light gray mottle of the cummerbund brought out the color of his eyes. A light grayish-lavender orchid sat in his buttonhole, and he spritzed it with a spray of cold water to perk it up. Lana and the other organizers were already in place downstairs with Marissa, greeting the guests that were already showing up, and he descended the stairs, a congenial smile firmly in place.

He'd just reached the bottom of the stairs when Clark came in the front door, and near-electric sparks jumped between them as their eyes met. Lex was mesmerized when Clark's lips parted slightly and the glistening pink tip of his tongue snaked out to lick them. He finally tore his eyes from Clark's mouth, and their eyes met once more. Lex's smile both widened and went crooked, going from perfect business to true mirth. "Hello, Clark."

"Hi, Lex." Clark's eyes roved once over Lex, from head to toe and back up. "I told you the Versace looked better on you than the Armani."

"Yes, well, what can I say? I bowed to your superior fashion sense." He smiled as he noticed Clark's eyes devouring him. "Could we make some time later to have a private talk? I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you." Lex let his own eyes wander over Clark's outfit; the boy looked beautiful in a black suit and tie. "You look very nice yourself."

"Thanks." Clark blushed at Lex's apparent appraisal. He hadn't known what to expect since he'd kissed Lex in the cornfield, but he hadn't expected Lex to flirt back with him. Maybe Lex would be okay with what Clark had been thinking about since Tuesday night, things that generally included a lot of kissing and a lot of Lex's naked skin pressed against his own. "Um... how about now? We can sort of slip out of here, the auction won't start for an hour or so, cause Lana won't be done schmoozing everybody up till then."

Lex looked casually at his watch, and then let the cuff of his jacket slide back over it. "Let's abscond to my office."

"Abscond?"

"Abscond: to depart secretly and hide oneself," Lex recited.

"Thank you, Mr. Webster," Clark said with a grin.

"Always happy to help increase your vocabulary." Lex started up the stairs, and Clark vaulted up the first few to catch up with his friend. "So tell me, Clark, do you make a habit out of kissing your friends in the cornfield and then disappearing, or was that special on my account?"

"Can I take the fifth on that?"

Lex's smile grew even more crookedly sincere. "No. Because we're not in a court, and besides, I'd really like to know the answer."

Clark was silent as Lex unlocked his office and let the young man in. "Well... um... God, this is hard. I just... when Chloe mentioned it... the us sleeping together thing I mean... I kinda liked it. The thought of it, you know? You and me? We're always... we've got this thing going on, Lex. You say it's our destiny or something, but every time we're together, it's there. Seriously, I can't watch you play pool without sporting wood of my own every time you fondle the damn cue!" Clark was flushing scarlet red.

Lex stepped forward into Clark's personal space and ran his hands up Clark's chest. When he got to Clark's shoulders, Lex dug his fingers into the fabric of his friend's jacket and hauled him close. "Do I look like I'm disagreeing, Clark?" Their mouths were millimeters apart, and Lex was almost whispering the words into Clark's slightly parted lips. "Why do you think I fondle the pool cue whenever you're around? Despite the rumors to the contrary, I'm not kinky enough to have an affair with the stick, no matter how well endowed it might be." Once more, Lex was hypnotized by the tip of Clark's tongue peeking out nervously, wetting his lips and causing them to shimmer in the red light that poured through the cathedral-like stained glass in the office. "Clark... if you do that again, I am going to kiss you."

In answer, Clark let his tongue flick over his lips again while leaning forward enough to bring them into contact. Lex wasted no time diving in, controlling the kiss from the outset as his tongue slipped between Clark's wet lips to taste and tease. Clark was making hungry little noises in the back of his throat, his body pliant against Lex and molding to the bald man's every curve as Lex devoured the kiss.

Lex felt Clark pressed against every inch of him, and suddenly wished that he had some sort of meteor-rock mutation that caused clothes to vanish with a touch as his hands opened the buttons of Clark's white shirt and yanked it out of his slacks, baring most of the tan expanse to his roaming hands. He pulled his mouth away from Clark's lush lips and licked his way down Clark's throat until he reached the hollow at the bottom. He buried his tongue there, his hands sliding around Clark's sides and up his back to hold him close.

The hungry noises that Clark had been making only grew louder without the muffling effect of Lex's mouth over his, causing Lex to reach up to quiet him. "Sssh... don't want to attract attention." He worked his leg between Clark's and gasped himself as the vise of his--lover's? friend's?--strong thighs clasped his leg. He felt the hardness of Clark's erection rubbing against his leg, and Lex gently pushed up against it, feeling Clark's hips snap in answer as he pushed down. Reluctantly, Lex trailed his tongue down Clark's chest and then started buttoning his shirt closed. "We can't."

"Lex!!" Clark leaned forward and nuzzled his forehead against Lex's neck. "You can't--"

"Not now," he amended. "We both have to be presentable downstairs in..." and Lex paused to consult his watch, "...thirty minutes. And while I'd love to spend the next half hour making out with you against the wall, I don't think it'd do for either of us to go downstairs looking like we'd just screwed our brains out." He slipped his arms around Clark's shoulders, leaving the shirt half-buttoned and rubbing his cheek against the top of Clark's head. "You cuddle."

"Yeah, so? You're cuddling me back."

"Don't get defensive, Clark. I didn't say it was a bad thing. I'm just not surprised that you cuddle." Lex ran his fingers through Clark's hair. "Isn't this better than the hit and run in the cornfield?"

"Oh yeah." Clark's voice had turned smug. "Much." Then a pause. "That screwing our brains out thing you just mentioned..."

"Mmmhmm?" Lex murmured.

"We can do that later, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Lots?"

Lex grinned. "As many times as you can get it up."

Clark snickered. "You should know something, Lex. I've got like, record breaking stamina."

"I'm not exactly an old man myself." He finished buttoning Clark's shirt, and Clark tucked it back into his slacks as he adjusted his coat. "There." Lex nodded. "You look presentable."

"Just presentable?" Clark huffed.

Lex ran through a brief line of adjectives in his head. "Presentable is the only word I can use in mixed company."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh," Lex mimicked as he straightened the lines of his own tuxedo and smoothed out the wrinkles. At some point, his tie had come undone, but Lex easily tied it back into place, and then looked at Clark. "Well?"

"You look..."

"Presentable?"

"Stunning," Clark said, with a shake of his head. "That's what I thought about you the other day, when we were talking about your tuxedos."

"I can definitely live with stunning," Lex said cockily. "We should reappear downstairs before we're missed."

"Okay, but will you kiss me first?" Clark asked innocently.

"Of course." Lex leaned in and pressed a feathery kiss to Clark's cheek. "Now come on." He put his hand on Clark's shoulder and steered the young man out of the office and propelled him down the stairs. He dropped his hand to the small of Clark's back, guiding lightly. He couldn't help it; touching Clark was an easy addiction and one that he was thrilled to feed. "Did you clear the air with Chloe?"

Clark shook his head. "No. She keeps trying to say she's sorry, but Lex... she shouldn't have made that assumption in the first place, and she definitely didn't have the right to say the stuff she did."

"Clark... Chloe is your friend," Lex chastised gently. "As much as I'm flattered that you're defending my already-tattered reputation, it's not worth destroying your friendship for."

Clark whirled fiercely on Lex. "Nobody talks about you like that to me, Lex. Not even my dad, not anymore. I won't let him. You're my friend, and I l--well, I won't let anyone talk about you."

For a long moment, Lex really wished he hadn't heard that pause and the beginning of the words that Clark had been forming. "Clark, trust me. Your friendship with Chloe will last much longer than anything else you may ever find with me." Lex tried to make his voice firm. "I want you to patch things up with Chloe."

"Lex... I don't believe that. I know that I will be your friend a long time after I lose touch with any of the people in this town. I know that I'll be in your life for a long time to come, and if Chloe can't accept that, then it's her problem." Clark's brow was furrowed as he spoke intently to Lex, keeping his voice down and nodding in greeting to the people who passed them as they stood at the foot of the stairs. "I'm not going to let anyone screw up our friendship, least of all Chloe."

"Clark... I want you to go and talk to Chloe. Let her apologize for over reacting, and then you tell her that you're sorry too, that you're just sensitive because of the things people say about me." He crossed his arms over his chest, and Clark knew Lex wasn't going to budge. "Now. Before the event starts."

Clark almost protested, but Lex's steely eyes warned him not to bother. Instead, he caught Lex's wrist and hauled him in to whisper something. "Fine, but I don't love her, Lex. I love you, and you're the one who's most important to me." As soon as he said that, Clark left, fearful of Lex's reaction and unwilling to see it. He wove through the growing crowd and found Chloe on the outskirts, snapping pictures with her camera. He wondered sometimes if the camera was surgically attached. "Hey, Chloe."

"Clark!" Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin when Clark addressed her. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

"Sorry," was all he said, rocking lightly on his heels. "Having a good time?"

"Oh, yeah, can't you tell? Just me and Sony here, capturing the glitter and drama of Smallville for posterity." There was a long moment of awkward silence. "So, Clark... about the other day..."

"It was totally my fault," they both chorused together, and then they both laughed.

"No, seriously Clark, I totally jumped the gun, and you were right. I totally didn't think about the fact that you knew all this stuff about me, and I was just jealous. I'm sorry."

"Well, it's partly my fault too. I mean, you know the way people treat Lex around here, but there was no way I should have jumped on you like that. I just get itchy, you know?" He grinned. "Friends?"

"Friends," she said, grinning back, and then she found herself hugged tightly. She hugged Clark back, and she was still grinning when they broke. "Love your apologies, Clark. If you could bottle that Kent charm..."

"He'd be a millionaire in no time," Lex inserted smoothly as he stepped from behind Clark. "Sorry, I couldn't help but notice the smiles. I take it you got your difficulties worked out?" His hand rested lightly on Clark's hip, hidden from general view but obvious to the young man.

"Yeah, we did," Clark said with a happy nod. "Chloe and I are officially friends again." He had to fight the desire to look down and verify the fact that Lex was touching him. Apparently Lex was okay with Clark loving him. That was good.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Lex said. "I've always thought that friendships are the most important relationships to maintain," he finished pointedly, glaring at Clark.

Chloe was about to make an observation when Lana attached to her shoulder. "Oh, there you are, Chloe! Come on, we need you over here at the stage so you can get the guys when they come out. Wow, Lex, you look... stunning." Clark smirked when Lana used the same word that he had. "Clark, you look great too. You're both going be our big sellers," she teased. "I've already had people complaining that you're not on the date auction." She slipped her hand through each man's arm, and Clark took Chloe's. "Come on, we've got to mingle. All of us."

"If anyone sings We're Off To See The Wizard, I will personally rip his vocal chords out," Chloe threatened, looking directly at Clark.

"And I believe I'd assist," Lex offered.

Clark and Lana looked at each other, and Clark smirked as he nodded. The opportunity was too good to pass up. "We're... off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz! We hear he is a whiz of a wiz if ever a wiz there was!" Clark's voice was a smooth baritone, and Lex just shook his head. It was going to be a shame when Chloe killed him.

Mayhem ensued as Chloe chased Clark backstage, Clark all the while shouting something about Toto. Lex offered his arm to Lana, and they calmly followed the two young people. "I notice you didn't help Clark sing," Lex smirked.

"Yeah, well, I value my vocal chords," she said in reply. "I didn't want Chloe ripping them out, I'm going to need them later to call out the auction."

"I see." He noticed that she wasn't wearing her parent's necklace tonight, and he nodded to himself. "You look particularly beautiful tonight."

Lana blushed at Lex's flattery. "It's okay, Lex."

"I'm sorry?"

"You don't have to keep sucking up to me. I've seen the way you look at Clark when you think nobody else is watching," she said quietly. "Your entire face softens somehow, and your eyes just study him like there's nothing more in the world you want to do than memorize everything he's doing at that particular moment." Lana rested her hand on Lex's forearm.

For several moments, Lex was speechless. He'd grown so used to dismissing Lana out of hand as nothing, that it surprised him when she came up with that too-truthful observation. And for the moment, he could not come up with a glib retort. Instead, he opted for truth. "I do watch Clark, yes."

Lana actually smiled. "I know. And it's okay. I haven't told him or anyone else. It's not my business. But I know, Lex. You can relax."

"You don't seem troubled by it."

"Why should I be? Clark's my friend, and I trust him to know what he wants. Besides, if I learned anything from my parents' deaths, it's that you never know what time you have. You've got to make the most of it, and it's too short to worry what other people think. I thought you of all people would have understood that, Lex." Lex caught sight of Clark across the room, and Clark smiled brightly as he noticed Lex looking at him. Lana followed Lex's line of sight and saw Clark's radiant smile. "Congratulations, Lex."

When Lex looked down to thank Lana, she had already gone ahead backstage, and Clark was making his way through the crowd, shaking hands and laughing as he headed straight for Lex. "Hey, Lex! Come on, there are some people waiting to meet you. Lots of the girls can't wait to bid on you." He leaned in to whisper to Lex. "The whole cheerleading squad is throwing their money together to bid on you, and they've got almost five hundred dollars."

"Group sex was never my thing," Lex said with a theatrical eye-roll as he let Clark pull him through the people.

"Hey, at least you've still got the truck, right? They'll all fit in the back of that."

"You're not helping."

"Then you wouldn't want to know that Mom's thinking about bidding on you."

"What??" Lex demanded, digging his heels in and halting Clark as well.

"Yeah, she said if she wins, she finally gets to have you over for dinner. But Dad won't let her go over two hundred dollars, no matter how good the cause is."

"Martha is going to bid two hundred dollars to get me over to your house for dinner?" Lex repeated.

"Right." Clark's eyes were twinkling with mischief. "And I gave Chloe fifty bucks to bid on you."

"Clark..."

"Take it easy, Lex. You'll go for more than that."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Lex let himself be introduced to the cheerleading squad as well as what seemed to be almost the entire female population of Smallville over the age of seventeen. Clark was presiding over the introductions, and in the back of Lex's mind, he appreciated how the boy's cheeks were permanently flushed red, and how he made sure that none of the women got too close to Lex before the main event. Finally, Lex had met well over thirty girls, and he decided that was his limit. He checked his watch, and then tapped Clark on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Clark, I think we're both due backstage in just a few."

"Right, okay. Well, sorry, ladies. We'll see you from the stage!" He and Lex walked off towards the vicinity of the stage, and Clark sighed. "Thank you."

"For?"

"The rescue."

"Ah, it was nothing. You've rescued me how many times now? Least I could do."

Clark stepped closer to Lex so that their shoulders brushed together as they walked. "Still, thanks."

"No problem."

"Lex?"

"Hmm?"

Clark was looking at his feet. "Would you bid on me? If I were in the bachelor auction, I mean?"

"Not only would I bid, I'd win," Lex said confidently. "I wouldn't let anyone else have you, Clark."

"I wish I could bid on you," Clark said quietly. "I'd make sure nobody got you but me." Clark was still staring at his feet, scuffing them against the ballroom floor. "I... you know. Don't have too much fun without me."

"I won't. I couldn't. And it would be nothing like anything I'd do with you." Lex looked at Clark. "What you said earlier... it goes both ways," he gambled quietly. It paid off when Clark's face transformed with quiet joy. "Sssh. Just let me think."

"I love you, Lex," Clark repeated quietly. He was content to watch Lex think, because he was convinced that Lex could find a way to solve world hunger if you left him alone to think long enough.

Lex smiled softly as his lover - for he now had no doubt that Clark would be his lover soon - watched him with shining eyes. "Trust me, Clark. This will work out well for both of us."

Lana appeared to hustle Clark away. "Sorry, Lex, but I need to get him in line. He'll be going first."

"Lana, have him go last."

"Okay, sure. No problem." Lana rearranged her papers, and put Clark at the last of the line. "Lex, where are you going?"

"Out to bid," he said with a smile.

Lex watched the bidding for the different services, and even put in low-end bids on a few of the items while waiting for Clark. He ended up with a free combine of his field--which he would promptly donate to the farming association--and four free car washes from the junior varsity football team. That one he kept, figuring watching the jocks washing his car was worth the hundred bucks he shelled out for it.

Clark was the last man out on the walkway, hands self-consciously in his pockets as he looked around at the sea of faces until he focused on Lex. Lex was smiling a secret half-smile, and Lana explained that Clark was offering a week's worth of work around anyone's home or business, and she started the bidding at fifty dollars.

Between Nell Potter and Jack Fordman, the price on Clark's services had gone up to two hundred and seventy-five dollars. Lana was about to bang the gavel, and Lex spoke up. "Five thousand dollars."

Clark's eyes bored into Lex's as everyone in the ballroom stared at him. Five thousand dollars had completely eclipsed the hoped-for goal to send the band on their trip. Lana's jaw had almost hit the podium as she closed the bidding on Clark Kent. The clamor in the ballroom was deafening as Lex cut through the crowd to pay his bid and collect his prize.

Clark was waiting backstage as Lex calmly waited to see Martha and hand over his bid. Clark was shifting foot to foot, taking the gentle ribbing from the others backstage about the outrageous price that Lex had paid for him. "He's got work for you," Pete teased. "He's gonna be wearin' your ass out all over the place." Clark merely replied with an enigmatic smile.

Finally, Lex made it to Martha's table. "Mrs. Kent."

"Hello, Lex. Quite the bid you made for my son."

"Well, he's definitely worth it. And the money is being spent for a good cause." He reached into his jacket and brought out his wallet. "Cash?"

"That would be fine," she said, and then marveled as he counted out fifty crisp $100 bills. "Lex, is it safe for you to carry around that kind of cash?"

"Only for special occasions." He flashed her a smile as she marked it down in her book and handed him the receipt. "Thank you, Mrs. Kent."

"And thank you, Lex."

Lex turned to tuck the receipt into his pocket and found himself face to face with Clark. "Hello, Clark," he said softly, leading Clark away from his mother and farther towards the back corner of the ballroom.

"I can't believe you bought me," Clark whispered throatily.

Lex shivered. "I didn't realize it would excite you so much."

"How could I not be excited belonging to you for an entire week?" Clark was almost purring. "Maybe I can talk Mom into letting me stay with you that week, seeing as how you paid so much for me."

"Oh, yes, I can just see your mother agreeing to that. 'Why yes, Mrs. Kent. I'd like to thoroughly possess your underage son for the next week, including having him live at the mansion until the terms of the auction bid runs out.' Why do I see your father chasing me with a shotgun as soon as those words come out of my mouth, hmm?"

"Because your imagination is overactive. My father doesn't own a shotgun." Clark paused. "He owns a hunting rifle."

"I feel so reassured."

"Sarcasm becomes you, Lex."

"Thank you for noticing," Lex answered dryly. "I thought my greatness was going unnoticed in the wilds of Smallville."

"Yeah, right. You drive off a bridge, you go into a plant and trade yourself as a hostage, someone steals your identity to rob a bank, your own house gets robbed, you get kidnapped by a ghost from your past... you're not exactly keeping a low profile, Lex."

"It's not my fault. I don't go out looking for trouble, you know."

"No, it pretty much knows where you are at all times." Clark was following as Lex was weaving his way out to the gold and glass doors of the ballroom, then walked out into the garden. Sunset was ending, and it colored the entire garden a beautiful green-gold. "Wow, I didn't know you had this."

Lex shrugged. "My mother's favorite flowers were white roses. I grow them out here for her." He looked down at the orchid in his buttonhole, then quietly exchanged it for a white rosebud. "It's my memory garden, Clark. I come out here when I want to think."

Clark took the orchid and slipped it into his suit pocket. "We should be getting back inside; the intermission is almost over, and your part is about to start."

Lex smiled. "I'm last on the list, Clark. Besides, I brought you out here for a reason." He leaned forward and his mouth touched Clark's, the young man's mouth instantly parting to let Lex inside. Lex's hands moved to Clark's hair, holding him in place as his tongue ravished Clark's mouth. He felt Clark's hand moving to his hips, and Lex broke the kiss reluctantly, stepping away and catching his breath. He rested one hand on Clark's chest.

Clark looked at his lover-to-be. Lex's lips were shining in the dying sun, his eyes shimmering as he looked at Clark's. "What?" asked Lex softly. "Don't I look like I've just been kissed by the love of my life?"

Clark's hand cupped Lex's cheek, and his thumb caressed the smooth skin softly. "Knock 'em off their feet, Lex."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here for a while."

"Come back in with me, Clark," Lex said, putting his hand on Clark's shoulder. "I... want you to be there. I want to walk down to the end of the line and see you standing there smiling at me so I can smile back."

Clark smiled. "I'll be there for you, Lex."

Lex sighed softly in relief. "I'll be looking for you." He and Clark walked back into the ballroom, Lex slipping into place at the end of the line and Clark taking his place in the crowd as Whitney, the first bachelor in the auction, walked onto the stage.

Backstage, Lex's eyes sought out Chloe, and when he found her, he waved her over. "Chloe, you want to do something that will make me very indebted to you?"

"Is it legal?" was her first comeback, and Lex had to smile.

"Of course it's legal." He pulled out his wallet and passed it to her. "I want you to win me."

Chloe thumbed through the money. "Oh my God. You've got like... five grand in here!"

Lex cleared his throat. "I would really appreciate you not broadcasting that fact all over the ballroom. Especially since it's going to be my money you're using to buy me. Whatever it takes."

Chloe studied him. "What do you get out of it?"

"Will you drop this question if I ask you to simply trust me?"

"No, because I don't." Chloe started to hand his wallet back, and Lex stalled her. "What?"

"It will help put Clark's mind at ease about me being mauled by a perfectly strange woman."

"And you're under the impression that I won't maul you if I win?"

"When you win," Lex corrected. "And no, you won't, because I'll give you the exclusive interview that you've been clamoring for these last few months. No holds barred, one evening only." He dangled his leather wallet in front of her. "Is the interview worth helping me out for?"

"Absolutely." Chloe grabbed the wallet and ran out into the crowd as Whitney was walking offstage with the head of the cheerleading squad.

She found Clark leaning against the wall. "So what's going on?"

"Whitney just went for a hundred bucks. Felice is going to eat him alive."

"Ooh, the rest of the pom-poms can't be too happy about that little development," Chloe said, watching as Pete came out, and adding her own wolf whistle to the catcalls. "I heard they were going to pool their money and buy Lex for the night."

"That was their plan. Still may be, even though Felice broke the party line."

Chloe nudged Clark's shoulder. "Don't look now, but another pom-pom is breaking the party line too for Pete."

"I thought for sure you'd have bid on Pete."

"Nah, gotta wait and see. As one of the event workers, I can't show favoritism this early on."

"Uh huh. Scaredy cat." Clark grinned to soften the tease.

"Hush, I can't hear what they're saying about Pete." Chloe concentrated on watching Pete on the runway, snapping a few photos as he strutted and preened.

Pete went for $135. One of Pete's older brother's went for $150. Several of the football team went up also, but they didn't do nearly as well, reaching only $75 apiece. Home from Metropolis University on a break, Michael MacNamara led the bachelors in money earned with $275.

Then Lana announced Lex, and Clark straightened from his slouch. They seemed to make more of a production of him than they had any other man in the auction, setting a single spotlight to shine as he walked out confidently onto the runway. He walked out, hands in his pockets, the white rosebud on his lapel the only thing breaking the smooth black line of his tuxedo. Once he reached the end of the runway he turned around and then gave the crowd a smile. His eyes focused on Clark, and the young man's dazzling smile caused Lex's grin to widen. The bidding for Lex started at a hundred dollars.

The remains of the cheerleading consortium--now consisting of three girls--called the hundred dollar bid.

Martha Kent called in one-fifty.

Marissa--Lex's decorator--called out one seventy-five, earning a disapproving glance from her employer.

Chloe dug in her pocket. "Here, give this back to your mom, she'll need it if she's going to outbid those bitches." She shoved the fifty bucks he'd given her earlier back at him.

"Right." He wove through the crowd as his mom bid two hundred, and shoved the money to her. "Here, it's mine, take it. You can still get Lex."

The cheerleaders still went higher, going to two twenty-five.

Nell called out two thirty-five, earning her an evil look from Lana.

Martha called two-fifty.

The cheerleaders conferred quickly and called out three hundred.

That's when Lex pinned Chloe with his gaze, and she jumped. "Three-fifty!"

Both Clark and Martha snapped their heads in surprise to look at Chloe while the cheerleaders called out their final bid of four hundred dollars, all the money they had.

"Five hundred!" No one else turned in another bid, and Lex Luthor was awarded to Chloe Sullivan for five hundred dollars. He waited to escort her up on the catwalk, and Martha hurried backstage, to where Jonathan was helping to collect the money this time. Chloe stood beside Lex, counting out the five hundred-dollar bills and passing them over to Clark's father. "Hi."

"Nice bit of work there," Martha congratulated. "I'm glad that group of girls didn't get you, Lex."

"You and me both, Mrs. Kent. I was flattered to see that you were bidding on me."

"Well, how else am I supposed to get you over to our house for dinner, young man? You're Clark's friend, and Jonathan and I would like to get to know you."

"Mom... don't embarrass him," Clark said, mortified on Lex's behalf.

Jonathan silently passed Chloe a receipt for her payment, and she stuck it in the black wallet Lex had given her. While Clark was talking to Martha, Chloe quickly slipped the wallet back in Lex's jacket pocket, and that got her a smile. "Very smooth, Ms. Sullivan," Lex congratulated softly. "You could be a pickpocket. Thank you for your help."

"You won't thank me when I get done with the interview, Lex. I'm going to grill you like a hamburger."

"Chloe! Is that why you bid on Lex?" Clark's voice was surprised, not outraged, and Lex noticed immediately.

"Of course," she said smoothly. "How else was I supposed to pin him down to talk to me? It'll be worth if it I can just get him to answer a few questions."

"Should I have my lawyer present?" Lex ribbed.

"Only if you've got something illegal going on," Chloe shot back good-naturedly.

"I look forward to our date," Lex grinned, and lifted Chloe's hand to his mouth, brushing her knuckles to his lips. "How about tomorrow night at five? Dinner and all the questions you can throw at me."

"My tape recorder and I will be here."

"I'll send my limo for you." Lex's smile was disarming, and he could feel Clark standing beside him. "Clark... you I'll see Monday afternoon, right?"

"Absolutely," he grinned in response. "And if you need help burying her body, that'll be free of charge."

"Clark!" Chloe playfully smacked him on the arm, and Clark laughed.

"What?"

Martha shooed them out. "Out, all of you. We've got work to do."

"Follow me then, since we're being thrown out." Lex bowed to Martha. "Since I have your son for the next week, how about dinner the week after that? I promise you, Mrs. Kent, I will be there."

"That'd be great, Lex," Martha replied, genuinely pleased. "Can you call me next week and let me know when?"

"Of course," Lex said, and with a gracious smile, he showed Clark and Chloe the door hidden in the mural on the wall. The three walked through it, and ended up in the now-empty reception room that led to the main ballroom. The smaller room was lined with chairs and couches, and Lex dropped onto one of the couches. Clark sat on the other end of the couch and Chloe picked one of the velvet wing chairs.

"Chloe, I can't believe you spent five hundred dollars to interview Lex," Clark started again.

"Hey, every other time I've tried, I ended up getting interrupted by a phone call from his father and then thrown out the window. Call me paranoid, but I'm beginning to think he's avoiding me."

Clark threw his long legs up on the sofa, snuggling them between Lex's hip and the back of the sofa, and Lex shifted slightly to accommodate them. Chloe watched in a fascinated, stunned silence as Clark so obviously cuddled up to Lex without a second thought. And Lex allowed it, she noticed with shock.

"I would never try and avoid you, Chloe," Lex reassured her. "If you'd like this to be a real date, by all means, we can schedule the interview some other time."

"No, thanks, looks like Clark's already beat me to it," she said before she thought, then clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, man, that came out wrong." Clark's look was torn between anger and amusement, Lex's was merely one of resignation. "Didn't it?" When she received no answer, she looked from Lex to Clark. "Guys?"

"Chloe... nothing's happening right now," Clark said softly. "You mentioned it the other day... so we're giving it a try." He turned and smiled at Lex. "You can't tell anyone yet. We want to make sure it's going to work out before we say anything."

"Wait, rewind. You're saying that... okay, whoa. And it's my fault?"

"Not your fault, Chloe, but thanks to you," Clark clarified. "It wasn't until after you said something that I started thinking that Lex might sorta feel the same way."

Chloe was torn between shock and the desire to thump Clark on the forehead. Thumping won out, and she leaned forward and smacked the heel of her hand into his forehead. "Duh, Clark!"

"Ow," Clark exclaimed, rubbing the spot.

Lex rolled his eyes. Christ, I'm slipping, he thought to himself. If a bunch of high-school kids figured it out....

"This is why you wanted me to buy you!" Chloe exclaimed.

Clark turned his eyes to Lex, who shrugged. "I told you I'd take care of it, and I did." Lex toed off his expensive shoes and swung his legs up on the couch, nestling them in Clark's lap. Clark's hands moved down to massage Lex's feet, thumbs rubbing the arches through the black socks. "I knew if it was Chloe, you'd feel much better, and I wouldn't have to worry about being pawed to death."

"You're good," Chloe finally admitted. "Damn good." She watched as Clark casually rubbed Lex's feet as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Do that little thing you do at the heel, he'll like that." She got up to leave and shouldered her bag. "Don't forget. Tomorrow night, five o'clock."

"Lock the door behind you, Chloe." Lex reached into the table beside the couch and threw her a wrought-iron key. "Just shove it under the door after you lock it." Chloe caught the key and headed out. Lex heard the tumblers turn after she shut the door, and then the key slid back under it. "Wonderful girl." Then he looked at Clark. "That little thing you do at the heel?" Clark peeled Lex's socks off, slid his hands down over the instep and positioned his fingers on either side of Lex's heel. Then he pressed in and up, and the ankle bone popped while the rest of the muscles in Lex's foot almost completely relaxed. "Christ Almighty." Lex's eyes fell shut at the exquisite feeling.

"You okay?"

Lex dragged his eyes open. "What the hell was that?"

Clark shrugged. "Don't know. Dad taught it to me, and Mom always liked it. Then one time, Chloe broke her leg and I did it to her un-casted leg, and she liked it."

"That's almost as good as sex."

Clark flushed. "I wouldn't know," he mumbled as he switched feet.

Lex lifted his free foot and tipped Clark's chin back up. "Wouldn't know how good it feels?"

"Wouldn't know if it's betterthansex," he said, running the last three words together. "Never had sex before."

"Well then, we're going to have to remedy that," Lex said softly.

"Isn't that why you had Chloe lock the door?"

"Yes," Lex admitted. He almost went bonelessly limp when Clark did his trick again to his other foot. Then he did go limp as he felt wet heat wrapped around his big toe. His eyes shot open as he saw Clark's head against his foot, sucking inexpertly as his tongue pushed the toe back and forth. Then the young man let the big toe slip out, moving his mouth to each toe in turn, sucking and kissing. When he finished, Clark moved to the other foot, kissing and sucking each toe in order from big to little.

By the time he was done, Lex had been reduced to quivers, occasionally crying out and moaning as Clark worshiped his feet. "Lex?"

"I think so," he said with a sated grin. "I'll have to get back to you. Where did you learn to do that?"

"Um, I don't know. I just saw you wiggling them at me, and I wanted to do it. When you started making little noises, I figured I was doing the right thing."

Lex sat up and looked at Clark. "Anything else you want to do?" Clark blushed furiously, and Lex inched closer. "What is it? Clark... let's face it, chances are I've done pretty much anything you can think of and a lot you can't."

Clark's blush grew even brighter. "It's... well, I heard some guys at school... they said I had...well, that my mouth..."

Lex had an inkling as to where things were going. Truth be told, Lex had entertained the same thought himself. "That you had a cocksucker's mouth?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Clark said, relieved not to have to say the words. "I've been thinking about... doing that to you. Other stuff too, but... I wanna try it all, Lex. With you."

Lex curled around Clark. "We will, I promise you that. We'll go up to my room tonight, and I'll let you suck my cock. But right now... there's still a few too many people. Go and tell your mother that you're staying here tonight so you can get an early start on helping me unpack the new office suite tomorrow."

"You bought a new office?" Clark squeaked.

"No, but I have four offices of unused furniture sitting around the house. I bought your week so that I would have enough time to do everything that I've ever thought about doing to you. Now go get permission to stay." Clark disappeared through the side door in the ballroom, and Lex waited.

A few long moments later, Clark reappeared in the room, a sunny smile on his face. He locked the hidden door behind him as well, and settled back on the couch with Lex. "I can stay all weekend! Tonight and tomorrow night, but I have to go home Sunday night. I told Mom I'd be by tomorrow morning to pick up some clothes."

"That's perfect," Lex said softly. "I have nothing at all planned this weekend. It's all ours."

Clark crawled on top of Lex and settled against him, his buttocks resting lightly against Lex's thighs as his legs supported most of his own weight. "Tell me everything that you're going to do to me, Lex. I want to know."

"You don't want me to surprise you?" Lex asked with a small grin. He brought his hands to rest on Clark's spread thighs.

Clark shook his head. "It'll all be a surprise because I've never done it before. But I want you to tell me."

Lex caught the glimmer in Clark's eye. "No, you want me to talk dirty to you, don't you?" Lex asked softly. "You want me to talk about my cock fucking your pretty little ass. You want me to tell you how I'm going to twist your pert nipples until you cry out, how I'm going to jack you off while my cock is sliding in and out of your ass." Lex opened the fly of Clark's slacks and pushed the thin fabric of his boxers aside to free his cock. He wrapped his hand tightly around the hard shaft, fisting it roughly as he continued talking. "Maybe you want to hear about me rimming you, which means I'll shove my tongue up your ass, sucking and kissing that tight little hole until you beg me to let you come." He listened to the whimpers that came from Clark's throat as the young man bit down on his hand to keep from crying out too loudly. He jacked Clark's cock more savagely as he watched the beautiful face contort in pleasure. "No, I know what you want, Clark. You want to think about doing these things to me. You want your tongue in my ass, fucking in and out, making me scream your name just because you can. Your lips wrapped around my cock, sucking down my cum--" Clark cut him off with his free hand, and Lex bit down hard on the fleshy base of Clark's palm as he felt the spurts of hot come jerking out of his lover's cock. He'd brought his free hand up as soon as he felt the twitch, and kept most of Clark's orgasm from splashing onto his clothing. He felt Clark sagging forward, and their foreheads touched briefly before Clark rolled off and collapsed against the opposite end of the couch. Calmly, Lex licked his hands clean, and then tucked Clark back into his boxers and slacks. "You're beautiful, Clark. I can't wait to hear you scream my name when I make you come in my bed," Lex whispered.

Clark dragged Lex over so that the smaller man lay on top of him, and his hands firmly cupped Lex's head and brought their mouths together. His tongue thrust deeply into Lex's mouth, seeking out his own flavor on Lex's tongue and finding the mingled tastes irresistible. The thought fizzled in his brain that he'd heard in the showers once that guys wouldn't kiss girls who'd just blown them, and now he couldn't figure out why that was. "Bed. Fuck me. Now," was all that Clark could manage to verbalize.

"Go on upstairs then. You know the way. I'll be up in a few minutes. If we go at the same time we get too many questions," Lex said, forestalling Clark's protest. "Go."

He watched as Clark unlocked the main door and flung the key on the nearest end table. Once Clark was out of sight, Lex rose and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the huge refrigerator, he pulled out an aerosol can of whipped cream and grinned. He dropped it into his tuxedo pocket and ambled back out. Most of the people were gone by now, and Marissa was finishing up. Lex climbed the stairs quietly, unseen by the few people remaining, and walked slowly to his bedroom door. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, not sure what he expected to see. He found Clark lying naked on the large bed, sprawled across the purple down comforter. The young man's cock was already hard, and one leg was bent at the knee, offering a shadowy glimpse of his cleft. He walked all around the bed, examining the exquisite boy offering himself from every angle. "Very beautiful, Clark," Lex whispered softly. "Turn over, onto your stomach." He made quick work of undressing himself and locking his bedroom door before heading to the bathroom and bringing out a damp cloth. The can of whipped cream sat on the mattress beside Clark, and Lex reached for pillows, raising Clark's hips and spreading his legs wide. "Do you trust me, Clark?"

"Of course."

"Then lie still." Lex took the can, and as he popped off the lid he pressed down on the nozzle and dispensed a small glob. Part of it he left on the tip of the nozzle, and the rest he used for slick lubrication as he slid his fingertip into Clark's opening. His lover jumped, and Lex petted his back soothingly. "It's all right, Clark." His tongue darted out and licked up the first small squirt of whip cream, and Clark sighed approvingly, wiggling a little as he adjusted his cock against the pillows. Lex put a hand on Clark's shoulder, exerting a firm pressure. In one quick motion, Lex slid the nozzle of the whip cream can into the slightly stretched opening and pushed down.

Clark immediately contracted against the nozzle, holding it tightly as the cold confection filled his ass. "Lex!!"

"Sssh," Lex crooned softly to his lover as Clark writhed. He gently moved the nozzle out and lowered his mouth, sucking at the creamy hole and then thrusting his tongue inside, devouring the sweet foam in mouthfuls. Each time Lex's tongue penetrated him and removed another mouthful of cream, Clark twisted under him, pushing back against Lex's agile intrusion. His throat was already sore from crying out Lex's name, pleading cries that caused his lover to delve deeper with each lick. Lex's teeth worried the rim of his lover's hole, biting gently and watching the rhythmic throb. Clark was begging for him to do something, the tongue stimulating his opening not enough. His cock was weeping into one of the pillows when Lex relented. He reached around Clark, sliding his hand along the young man's dripping cock and coating his index finger. Once he was slick, the finger pushed into the wet hole and slid deep. He stroked several times before finding Clark's prostate, and once he did, the young man's entire body jumped.

Clark was almost crying from the frustration, and Lex withdrew his fingers. He cleaned the sticky cream residue from Clark's ass before looking in the bedside table and pulling out lube. His hand was hovering over the condoms when Clark made the decision for him by throwing the box across the room and ringing the trashcan in a single shot. "I trust you," Clark gritted out hoarsely. "I don't want to feel anything but you."

"I love you," Lex whispered, covering Clark's body with his own as he slicked his cock with the lube. "Just me," he said again, and his teeth nipped along Clark's ear as he slid his cock into his lover. "Oh, God," Lex moaned softly as he was gripped by Clark's tight sheath. "Fuck..."

"Yes," Clark whimpered, thrusting up. "Fuck... fuck me." He rocked his hips, trying to encourage Lex to move.

Lex got the message quickly, and started to thrust inside his lover. Clark met him, pushing back and up against Lex's punishing downward strokes. His forearm pressed across Clark's shoulder and pushed him face-down into the comforter. Nothing tender in this as Clark growled and rocked back sharply, causing the next pounding thrust to glance off his prostate. The growl turned into a howl as Lex hammered the same spot, and Clark's sweat-slick body was sliding against Lex's as they came together hard and fast. Possessive and animalistic, Lex was claiming Clark as his own as surely as Clark was claiming Lex. The only thing that Lex could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears, and he didn't hear himself snarling one word, over and over again as he fucked Clark.

"Mine!"

Nor did he hear Clark's answering cry with every thrust back. "Yours!"

Lex's orgasm hit him hard as he realized Clark was coming. He felt the throbbing and pulsing of Clark's passage around him, and Lex sunk his teeth into Clark's shoulder as a shout of Clark's name tore from his chest.

When he was next aware of anything, Lex found himself lying on top of Clark. Somehow Clark had managed to turn over onto his back and had pulled Lex on top of him, arms wrapped firmly around his waist as their legs tangled together. He looked at Clark's face, open and sated, and even as he watched, Clark yawned like a large cat, stretching and holding onto Lex with no problems. "Clark? Are you all right?"

"Like you wouldn't believe, Lex... like you wouldn't believe." His eyes slowly opened to meet his lover's. "Was it good for you too?"

Lex couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up and out. "Oh yeah, it was good for me too."

Clark looked around curiously. "Got a cigarette? This calls for something special."

Lex snorted indelicately as he rolled to settle on the bed beside Clark. Clark immediately shifted to cuddle Lex against his side, burying his face in Lex's neck. "Cuddler."

"Teddy bear," Clark shot back.

"I believe I am singularly unable to be a teddy bear simply because I have no hair." Lex felt incredibly satisfied himself. He usually deserted his lovers as soon as they'd finished their business, but Lex felt no urge to leave Clark's arms.

"I could call you snuggle bunny," Clark teased. Lex could feel the muscles in Clark's face spreading into a smile.

"Or we could all rip our tongues out and not call anyone anything."

"Geeze, touchy much?" The smile still hadn't disappeared from Clark's face.

Lex ran his fingers through Clark's hair. "What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.

"How much I'm going to enjoy turning the tables on you later tonight and showing you what a quick study I can be," Clark replied seriously. "Not that I had much time to take notes or anything, but I think I got the basics."

Lex shook his head. Only Clark would be thinking about sex again this soon. "Insatiable cuddler."

"You're built for cuddling," Clark pointed out. "You fit me."

Lex examined their situation. Clark's face was buried in Lex's neck, their legs were still wrapped together, Clark's arms were loose around his waist, and his ass was pressed against Clark's groin. Clark was right; they'd been made to fit together.

There was an almost audible click as Lex's thoughts coalesced. "I'm never going to let you go, Clark. Not now, not ever. I know I only got you for a week, but I'm going to own you for the rest of your life," he vowed quietly.

Clark's answer was simple, and it warmed Lex's heart. "Yes. You will."

The End