Feedback: All comments and/or criticism are welcome, if you are so inspired Notes: This one's for my girls: Hope, Wendi, jenn, and Beth -- who all provided suggestions, beta assistance, and support that went above and beyond the call. Thanks for keeping me relatively sane, chicas.

He would kill Pete for this.

Just as soon as he figured out how to get away with it and where to hide the body, Pete was a dead man. Of course, Clark fantasizing about killing his friend wasn't getting his penance done any faster. And really, he could have said no. Wasn't Pete's fault that Clark had agreed to the wager. He'd known what he was getting into, but Pete's taunting that his farm upbringing had resulted in an eerie identification with chickens had pricked Clark's pride. So, he'd agreed. And he'd lost. And now he was trying to figure out how he was going to do what Pete had demanded in payment.

Still, Pete had cackled a little too loudly over winning. Bastard. Maybe not death, but Pete had a comeuppance on the way. Clark could do revenge. Maybe Lex would let him borrow one of the Machiavelli tomes for research purposes.

Sitting in the Talon with his notebook open, Clark thoughtfully chewed on his pencil eraser. He stared at the last sentence he'd written, scowling and scratching it out. Damn it. This wasn't getting any easier, and Clark never realized that Pete had so thoroughly embraced his inner sadist before now.

"Studying for midterms?"

Lex's voice near his shoulder had Clark moving faster than he should (humanly) be able to, out of embarrassed instinct. Slamming the notebook closed, flush burning his cheeks, Clark turned his eyes up.

Faint frown lines on Lex's brow marred his smile slightly. Not angry, more like curious and questioning. "Umm, no. Not really." Please, don't let him ask. Please-please-ple-

"What are you working on that has you blushing like this? I haven't seen you look this uncomfortable in years."

Lex settled into the chair opposite Clark's at the small table. He raised one foot and rested the ankle on the opposite knee, calmly looking across at Clark in expectation of having his question answered. Lex was right about the blushing -- the frequency of them had diminished over the years. But despite being eighteen and only a few months away from graduation, Clark could still be relied upon to turn as red as a lobster with the right provocation. And he was certainly being provoked at present.

Just one more indignity that Pete would pay for making Clark suffer.

Lex still waited patiently for an answer, and Clark could see the curiosity growing in his friend's expression with every second of painful silence. Peachy. "It's nothing important. How are things in Metropolis? Did the meeting with your dad go well?"

Lex chuckled and put his foot on the floor, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees and fixing Clark with a sly smile. "Okay, now I know something is up. You would never bring my father into a conversation unless you were desperate. What's going on, Clark? Anything I can help with?"

Well, actually... No. No way. Although Lex was the one person he could discuss this dilemma with and potentially get help -- besides Pete, who had been *no* help at all, what with the hysterical laughing at reading Clark's first fumbled attempt -- it wasn't a good idea. Very bad, if he was brutally honest. He could get himself into serious trouble in *that* kind of conversation with Lex. "No. I- "

Clark broke off his speech when the bell attached to the door of the Talon chimed. Glancing over his shoulder, Clark's eyes narrowed. Speak of the devil.

In walked Pete, his arm thrown around Samantha's shoulders and laughing cheerfully with her. So damned carefree that Clark really wanted to hit something. The urge to growl nearly overtook him as Pete approached with a grin plastered across his face.

Maybe he could get through a conversation with Lex about the bet after all. Clark wanted that smug look *gone*. Definitely worth the embarrassment and the potential risk he would be taking.

He turned his gaze back to see Lex looking intently at Pete, then focusing on Clark again. Better to jump in with both feet and not think too much, right? "Can we go back to your office? I don't really want to discuss this out here. It's a little embarrassing."

"So I gathered." Lex gave him one of those assessing looks, then smiled, standing up and gesturing with his head toward the arch that led to the back hallway. "By all means. Follow me."

When Lex's office door closed behind them, the finality of the sound shook Clark a little. Second thoughts springing up now that he wasn't being actively annoyed by Pete's smirk. Lex leaned against the desk, arms folding loosely as he waited for Clark to start talking.

The problem was that Clark couldn't seem to make his mouth form the words. He fiddled with the notebook in his hands -- the manual equivalent of stuttering in embarrassment, he supposed.

"Clark? Are you-"

"IlostabetwithPeteandhe'smakingmewritealettertoPenthouseForum."

Lex's brow shot up at the hastily muttered explanation. "That's some lung capacity you have there, Clark."

Clark sighed, dropping gracelessly into one of the office chairs. "I'm in hell. I've tried to write this thing and I just... can't."

Lex was silent for a few seconds before continuing, very un-Lex-like in his hesitation. "You *have* had sex, haven't you?"

Clark suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He needed Lex's help, and acting pissy wasn't the most efficient way to get assistance. "I dated Jorden for over a year and a half before she left for college. What do you think, Lex?"

Lex tilted his head slightly. "Well, I'd assumed. It's just that if inexperience isn't the issue then I'm not following why this is such a problem."

"I didn't tell you the worst part yet." Clark buried his head in his hands. Pete was *so* dead. "Pete said I have to write it as a woman."

"You have to what?"

Okay, so maybe talking into his hands had muffled it too much. Clark lifted his head. "I said-"

"No, I heard you the first time." And Clark could see Lex's lips twitching. "I'm a bit surprised, that's all. Mr. Ross is more creative than I previously gave him credit for being."

Looked like everyone was enjoying this except for Clark. Beyond annoying. "Et tu, Lex? Thanks a lot."

Lex chuckled and pulled a chair over to face Clark's. Sitting down, Lex leaned back into the cheap office furniture like it had been hand-molded to his body. Lex took his sense of comfort with him everywhere. Clark envied that ability, always had. "Sorry, Clark. You have to admit that it's a little amusing."

No, he really didn't. "Maybe I'll appreciate the humor once I've put the overwhelming trauma of this behind me. Look back and laugh someday, like when I get Pete back."

"So, you need my help planning revenge?"

Yeah, that too. But... "Actually, I was hoping you could look at what I have and tell me what you think of it." Clark flipped the notebook open to the appropriate page and handed it over. He watched as Lex read through it, and damn, that reaction wasn't what he'd hoped for *at all*. "What's so funny?"

Lex raised wide eyes twinkling with barely suppressed laughter to meet his. "Clark... 'my thighs quivered in anticipation of the sweet ecstasy being offered by his velvety hard manhood'?"

"Bad, huh?"

Lex raised a brow in answer.

Clark ran both hands through his hair. "Shit. I had no idea what to write, so I cribbed that out of one of my mom's romance novels."

Lex chuckled. "That's a relief, and the source material is fairly obvious, now that you mention it."

"But isn't that how a woman would write about sex? Pete said I had to be realistic."

Lex ripped out the page and crumpled it up in a ball, tossing it into the trashcan next to the door. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Damn it, I'm going to get Pete back for this if it's the last thing I do."

"What do you want to do to him?"

Interesting question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that imagining your revenge could help motivate you to get this task accomplished."

"Oh, good point. I actually have something in mind..."

Lex narrowed his eyes and smiled at him. "That's a rather wicked grin on your face. Care to relate this grand scheme of yours?"

"It's not a scheme, exactly. I just have this image in my mind of Pete losing our next bet and being forced to run through the halls at school wearing nothing but a purple tutu and singing the Barney theme song."

Lex laughed and reached for something on the desktop. "You'll need to make a bet you can win next time." Lex paused with his hand in the air, turning a questioning look back in Clark's direction. "What bet did you lose, anyway?"

No way in *hell* was he going there with Lex. This letter writing business was mortifying enough, thank you very much. And he was blushing again. Damn it. "I... just stupid guy stuff."

Lex looked at him for a moment, then shrugged, hand dropping to the desk and grabbing something from its surface. "Doesn't matter. We'll have you out of this in no time flat."

"What are you doing?"

Lex had uncapped a pen and was writing on a fresh sheet of notebook paper. "I'm writing your letter for you. I have plenty of source material. What do you think would sound good? There was this time at a Christmas party in the coat room-"

Lex stopped speaking when Clark's hand landed on top of his, trapping it against the notebook paper. "No, Lex."

"No?"

"I need to write the letter myself. If you do it, I'd be cheating."

Lex smiled at him, fondness and frustration warring on his features. "You martyr yourself to that code of ethics far too often."

Clark grinned back at him, rueful in spite of the fact that he wasn't relenting. "You've said that's one of the things you like about me, remember?"

"Yes, I do remember."

The soft timbre of Lex's voice skated along Clark's nerves, making them jangle and soothing them at the same time. The automatic reaction recalled to Clark's mind the position of his hand -- still resting on top of Lex's on the notebook. He also noticed that he'd been stroking the back of Lex's wrist with his thumb without realizing it. Clark's breath hitched as he tried to subtly still the motions, pulling back casually as though nothing had happened that was out of the ordinary.

Which it wasn't. Clark had been having these urges around Lex for a while now. The compulsion to touch and kiss and do a thousand other things that he was fairly certain would shock the hell out of Lex if Clark ever lost his mind and confessed them aloud. He usually controlled himself better than this, but it took a valiant effort to make his movements nonchalant this time. Jesus, Clark. Get a grip on your hormones and say something. "So if a romance novel isn't how women write about sex, then...?"

Lex stared at him, saying nothing for a long moment before relaxing back into his seat. Slouching with a singular focus, as if he knew exactly how he looked in the chair, each muscle positioned for ultimate effect. Sensual without even trying -- fluid movement and relaxed seductiveness underneath the dangerous smile, like watching a panther sleep with one eye open. "In my experience, they aren't all that different from men where it comes to sex. They speak just as frankly about it as we do."

Clark took a deep breath. Back to normal mode again. "But in writing? To total strangers at a magazine? Would they really...?"

Lex bared his teeth, smile made almost feral by the lingering sense of coiled sexual energy around him. Clark was used to that, though. Lex owned his body and his personal space more completely than anyone Clark had ever met. "You should see some of the things posted on the internet. It's most definitely an eye opening experience where women are concerned."

Oh. Well. He'd maybe look some of that up for pointers if he got really desperate. For now, he reached over and took the pen and notebook from Lex's hands. The blank page stared up at Clark with smug taunting, and he glared at it.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to write it for you?"

So tempting to take Lex up on the offer. It would probably take twenty minutes for Lex to create the perfect fake letter, and then all Clark's torture would be over. Damn his conscience for poking him on that point. "I'm sure. I just... I have no idea where to start."

"Hmm... What about Jorden?"

Clark looked up from the page, eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out where Lex was going with the question. "What about her?"

"Didn't she ever tell you what sex was like from her end?"

"No. I would remember something like that. Definitely."

"You never asked her?"

Blushing again. Fuck. Clark felt as though the past three years had never happened and he was still the naive virgin Lex had met on the riverbank. "Uh... nope."

Lex tilted his head, then shrugged. Reaching over the desk again, he grabbed the cordless phone and handed it to Clark. "Ask her now."

"*What*? I... Lex, I can't do that."

"You don't know her phone number?"

"Well, yeah, but how exactly do I have that kind of conversation with my ex-girlfriend? I can just imagine it." Clark held up his thumb and pinky next to the side of his head in the pantomime of a phone receiver. "Hey, Jorden. It's Clark. I know it's been three months since I last called, but I'd appreciate you telling me what having sex with me was like. You see, I lost a bet and I need material so I can write a letter to a porno magazine. You don't mind going into the intimate details of our sex life for a good cause, right?"

Lex laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I see your point. She's not that type of girl, I take it."

"She'd never speak to me again, Lex. She'd probably change her phone number and send her new boyfriend to kill me." Not that the last part was actually a real concern, but it helped to make his case. Clark watched Lex return the phone to the charging stand on his desk. "The women you've dated would tell you stuff like that?"

Lex settled back in the chair, smirking as he steepled his hands in front of him. "'Dated' is a gross exaggeration when applied to most of my relationships, but I appreciate the delicacy of wording. And in general -- the ones who are still speaking to me -- yes, they would."

Clark grinned and shook his head, smile fading as he looked down at the notebook page that continued to mock him with its blankness. He wasn't any closer to getting this done than he had been an hour ago. "Shit. What the hell am I going to do?"

"Well..."

Clark looked up hopefully at the sound of Lex's voice. Lex's eyes were narrowed slightly and he was running a finger underneath his lips. Oh, the thinking look. This could be good. "Tell me you have an idea."

"I do have one actually, but..."

Clark sat forward, trying to encourage Lex with the eagerness of his tone and body language. "Lex, I'm desperate."

Lex stared back at him, focused examination in every line of his face. "What I have in mind is extreme, but I think it will work if you're willing to cooperate."

"Anything. Just name it."

Lex stood abruptly and walked over to the office door. "Not here. Meet me at my place tonight around nine. I need to get some supplies, and you need to be sure you mean it when you say 'anything'."

Clark grinned, anticipation of getting his letter written bringing a sense of relief that soothed his nerves. "I'll be there."

At precisely nine o'clock, Lex met Clark at the front door, leaning with negligent ease and welcoming him inside. Upstairs and down the hall, Clark wondered what Lex had in mind, and where they were going. It turned out that the where was a bedroom. Not Lex's, he'd been in there before.

The first thing he noticed was the dressing table off to the side. It looked like a woman's vanity; in fact, the entire decor had a vaguely feminine ambiance to it. Pale blue and tan fabrics adorned the furniture. A large vase of irises and lilacs centered on the stone mantle above the gas fireplace. Large Impressionist painting of a woman in a garden that Clark's vague recollection of art history told him was a Monet. Probably an original, since it wouldn't be hanging in a Luthor home if it wasn't.

Priceless art in a spare room. Clark didn't want to think about how far out of his element he felt. "So, Lex. You had an idea?"

Lex set his brandy snifter on the dresser, then fetched the decanter and a second glass from the sidebar. He poured some of the amber liquid into the snifter and gestured to the small bench. "Have a seat, Clark."

Used to Lex's tendency for object lessons, Clark wasn't all that surprised by his behavior. He crossed the floor and took a seat on the fragile looking piece of furniture, breathing an internal sigh of relief when the spindly legs didn't collapse under his weight. Lex held out the snifter of brandy. "Take this."

Clark accepted the glass, rolling it slowly between his hands the way he'd seen Lex do on other occasions. "I'm not much of a drinker, Lex."

Lex picked up his own glass, swirling the liquid and dropping his nose to inhale the scent, then sipped from it. "You don't have to drink it unless you want to. Consider it a prop."

"A prop? I don't get it."

Lex grinned down at him. "Then I'll explain. I noticed you examining the room."

"Yeah. It's nice, but not exactly what I'd picture as being your taste."

Lex gave a single nod and set his snifter down. "True enough. What you're sitting in is the modern equivalent of a lady's dressing room. Back when this castle was first built, the lady of the house would start her day here. Her servants would help her dress and do her hair." Lex stepped behind him, and Clark had to look into the vanity mirror to continue meeting the blue-gray eyes. "When that was finished, she'd perhaps stay here a while longer working on personal correspondence at her desk. Then she'd see to the matters that needed her attention with the running of a large estate."

Lex steadily met his gaze in the mirror world, but Clark still wasn't sure where the history lesson was going. "That's all really interesting, Lex, but what does it have to do with my letter?"

Reflection in the glass that Clark didn't really believe until he felt it along with the visual. Lex's fingers threading through his hair, pulling slowly through the strands in a way that felt *really* good, and Clark had to force himself not to rub his head into the touch. "You want to write a letter from a woman's point of view. I think the easiest way for you to do that is to get in touch with your feminine side."

The little jerk of panic in him at the thought of what that might entail had Clark taking a sip of the brandy. He felt the warm, smoky burn of the cognac take residence in his stomach, then set the glass down. The alcohol helped, but the fingers slowly massaging his scalp soothed away the anxiety more effectively. He'd do just about anything to keep those hands in his hair, touching him with all that soft confidence. Clark swallowed hard and hoped that his voice wouldn't betray his body's misinterpretation of a few simple touches. "How?"

Eyes meeting his in the mirror silently, and Clark had never realized that cold, flat glass could reflect so much *heat*. Then again, it was probably just wishful thinking -- a trick of reflected light that made Lex's eyes seem to glow with intent. "Do you trust me, Clark?"

"Yeah."

Lex directed another of those slow, smooth half-smiles into the mirror. Clark had to bite the inside of his lip to prevent an instinctive protest from escaping him when Lex's fingers left his hair. He watched an arm reach down, approaching his thigh with excruciating slowness, and-

Lex pulled open a drawer in the dresser.

Damn it.

Reaching inside, Lex removed a handled case from the drawer. Setting it down, he fetched a spray bottle and a flat, hinged box as well before pushing the drawer shut. Lex flipped open the lid of the box, and Clark found himself looking at a brush and comb set.

Lex picked up the brush and ran it through Clark's hair. The soft bristles scratched lightly across his scalp, bringing increased sensitivity with each gentle tug. The rhythmic, muted abrasion somehow felt hypnotic. Every stroke stimulated Clark's nerve endings, and not only those on his head. Lex pampering him this way transformed the routine grooming into something intimate, almost sensual.

Clark had never imagined that having his hair brushed would be a turn on, but it was. The long strokes reminded him that he needed a haircut, but it didn't matter now, not when he could stare at Lex, unobserved. Lex's intense eyes focused on the brush, rather than meeting Clark's gaze in the reflected reality of the glass.

Way too soon for Clark's liking, Lex set the brush down and reached for the spray bottle. He set about spritzing Clark's hair, wetting it with a fine mist of water. When he was satisfied, the bottle was put down, and *yes*, Lex's fingers were back. Carding through Clark's hair and working the dampness through the strands and down to the roots. The moisture sufficiently distributed, Lex started squeezing the ends up toward Clark's scalp, teasing out the natural curl that Clark spent quality time taming with his blow dryer on a daily basis.

Lex shifted, moving to stand between Clark and the mirror. Their knees brushed in the small space between the edge of the bench under Clark's legs and the vanity top behind Lex. Clark was apparently the only one who felt the electric charge from that accidental touch, because Lex remained entirely focused -- crouched down to closely study Clark's face and the fall of his damp hair. Fingers slid into the curls again, and Lex was so *close*. Clark could smell the faint musk of Lex's subtle cologne, and all he wanted was to lean forward and press his lips to the hollow at the base of Lex's throat. Wanted to know if the pulse there would quicken under his mouth, what the skin would taste like if he dared to dart out his tongue.

Lex stepped away, moving to the side again and reaching for the unopened case. Meanwhile, Clark attempted to control his breathing and convince his hormones to settle down. Looking up, he caught his reflection in the mirror. Lex had slicked his bangs straight back from his scalp, pushing the longer strands down behind his ears. The rest of his hair fell in damp, black waves to just above jaw level. The effect was remarkable. His face looked slimmer, cheekbones appeared more defined -- he almost looked glamorous like this. "Have you been hiding your secret career as a hairstylist or something?"

Lex chuckled, reaching into the case and extracting something from it. "There's an art in artifice, Clark. It's all a matter of practice." Lex moved in front of him again, holding out something and asking, "Are you ready for the next step?"

Small, flat box opened in Lex's palm. It held a small brush, along with a glossy-looking colored rectangle. "Makeup?"

"Only if you're comfortable with it and not much." Quick study of his face before Lex continued, "You don't need a lot of enhancing."

Clark had no clue if that was a compliment or not, but he decided to take it as one. If the makeup application was even half as interesting as the hair styling... "Sure. You know, desperate about the bet and all."

Lex smiled slowly. "Of course." He turned and grabbed the case from the vanity, moving around with it and kneeling at Clark's feet. Brow furrowed, he stood up again. "The angle is all wrong. This will be easier with you on your knees."

Clark was not going to make a lewd comment about that. He was *not*. No matter how much the thought tempted him, he kept his mouth shut and slipped onto the floor to kneel. He'd positioned himself so close to the bench that Lex had to swing his leg up and over it to sit, shifting around until his legs were bracketing Clark's body. That closeness again. The most exquisite torture Clark could imagine, but he perversely enjoyed it. All he would have to do would be to push forward slightly and they'd be in intimate contact. His mind played the images out for him -- rubbing up against Lex and hearing him gasp out his name. Touching all that skin that had been tempting him for so long, finding out if that patch over Lex's collarbone was really as smooth as it looked-

Lex's finger was on his lips. Sudden and unexpected and dear God... Clark wanted to suck it inside his mouth and lick it.

"Clark, relax your lips a bit, like this."

Looked up to see Lex's lips parting slightly, looking like a breathless invitation to kiss, and Clark opened his mouth to draw in a shaky breath.

Lex smiled. "That's it." Soft bristles covered in the slick-feeling balm slid across Clark's lips. Trying to distract himself from the lazy intimacy of Lex moving the brush slowly across his mouth, Clark took a glance down at the small compact. The color was some unusual combination of brown and deep mauve. Not distracting enough. The sensation of creamed color spreading onto his skin was erotic in a way that Clark didn't want to think about too closely. Couldn't imagine feeling like this if he were applying the makeup himself. It was all Lex, and Clark allowed himself a peek when Lex turned away to pull something else from the case.

The smooth skin of Lex's scalp painted in a soft glow by the lighting above him, and Clark wanted to taste him there, too. The need to feel that flesh and bone under his tongue started a slow burn deep in his belly, reviving the sensation the cognac had created earlier and intensifying it. Wanted it *so* much.

Clark quickly averted his eyes when Lex turned back. That tactic didn't last long, because Lex tilted his face up to examine his handiwork. "Do this." Clark watched as Lex rubbed his lips together and then mimicked the gesture. His skin was slippery with the creamy pigment, allowing his lips to slide against each other more easily than Clark was used to. The difference was interesting in more ways than one, and he filed it in the back of his mind along with all the other details he'd need when he got around to writing the letter.

Like that was even the point of him doing this anymore.

Lex studied the results and nodded. "Good. Now close your eyes and try to stay still. This will feel a bit odd."

Wet little touch on his eyelid just above the lash line. Lex hadn't been exaggerating -- it did feel weird, but the warning allowed Clark to prevent himself from flinching away and messing up whatever Lex was doing. Lex made quick work of the right eye, then moved to the left. A few light, wet brush strokes and Clark heard, "Keep your eyes closed. I'm not finished yet."

Clark rubbed his hands on the legs of his jeans. The sensation of moisture evaporating off the skin of his eyelids felt vaguely strange, but not unpleasant. He heard Lex rummaging in the kit, then felt something waxy pressing near the corner of his eye. Almost felt like Lex was dragging a crayon gently across his skin. More quiet noises before something soft and powdery brushed each lid in turn, then Lex's thumbs rubbing lightly before pulling away. "Okay, open."

Clark let his lids raise and looked at Lex, wondering what he was seeing. Lex studied him closely before nodding. "You don't need anything else, except..." Reaching down into the case and pulling out a pot and brush. Clark watched as Lex opened the container and dipped the large brush inside. He blew lightly on the end once it was retracted, then started applying the powder to Clark's face. After a dip in for more powder and few more strokes of the brush, Lex restored the jar to its place inside the box of makeup and turned back to face Clark. All that focus, and Clark really wanted to touch, to grab Lex's hips and pull forward, to do *something*. But he knelt there and suffered instead, forcing himself to *not* gasp when Lex saw some small flaw and rubbed a thumb across the arch of his cheekbone.

Lex pulled back and shifted on the small bench, gesturing with his head toward the mirror and smiling. "Stand up and take a look, Clark."

Obeying simply because his brain wouldn't function on higher levels when he saw that expression on Lex's face, Clark stood up and looked into the mirror.

Into a face he barely recognized.

Still him, but *more*. The color on his lips softened them, enhancing the bow of the top, the fullness of the bottom. The eyeliner had a shade between black and silver, and the accentuating shadow on the lids made his eyes appear slightly tilted up at the corners. The powder evened out the tones of his skin and made it appear softer. There was a slight glimmer to it in the light when he slowly turned his head to look at himself in three-quarter profile. He looked... beautiful, and thinking the word brought yet another blush to Clark's cheeks, which did nothing but enhance the effects of the makeup. "Jesus."

Lex was standing next to him, studying Clark's reflection in the mirror. "How does it feel to see yourself like this?"

That low murmur set off a chain reaction in Clark's body, and he joked nervously to cover. "Like I should break into a chorus of 'I Feel Pretty'. Damn, Lex. How do you know how to do this?"

Lex smiled, brow shifting up in a way that was nothing close to mocking. "I went to some interesting clubs back when I was in college. You learn a thing or two along the way out of necessity." Lex studied him again. Apparently not satisfied with using the mirror, he turned Clark to face him. "There's still something..." Lex snapped his fingers. "Your clothes."

Clothes? "Lex, tell me that you didn't buy me a dress, 'cause that's just going a little too far for a silly bet."

Lex chuckled at him, crossing the room to open a drawer in the large armoire. "No, I didn't buy you any clothes. But," Lex held a bundle of midnight blue material in his hands, returning to where Clark stood and handing it to him. "Flannel shirts and cowboy boots are not traditionally considered to be feminine wear. Take off your clothes and wrap this around you."

The dark blue fabric was almost black, slippery and smooth in his fingers as he spread it out. "A satin sheet?"

Lex nodded. "I don't care for them myself -- too uncomfortable -- but this room is used as a guest suite, so I keep a selection around."

Very Luthor-esque -- providing what was needed before it was ever requested. Clark was well aquatinted with that trait after knowing Lex for so long. He crossed over to the bed and dropped the sheet on top of it, hands moving to the buttons of his shirt and beginning to undo them. He heard a shift and looked up to find himself staring at Lex's back. "Would you like me to leave? I promise to keep my back turned."

At first, Clark thought his impulsive move to strip without preamble had discomfited Lex, but then he caught the subdued humor in Lex's voice. Almost playful, and he realized that Lex was sustaining the role-play element by protecting Clark's 'feminine sensibilities'. "You can stay. I trust you to behave like a gentleman."

Lex chuckled quietly, a laugh that held an edge of something Clark couldn't read. At least the joking around had killed the half-hard state he'd been in ever since Lex had started applying the makeup. Quick, economical movements had Clark stripped down to nothing but his boxers when he reached for the sheet, and...

Hooked his thumbs in the elastic and removed those too. He had to figure boxer shorts weren't the most feminine of undergarments. If he was going for immersion, it was best to make it total.

Clark picked up the sheet and tried to figure out how to get himself into it without wrapping up like a mummy. It was a king size flat sheet and way too long to wrap around him once without leaving a large amount of left over fabric. Pulled it back off and stared askance at it for a second before flashing on a memory -- uncontrolled x-ray vision and the girl's locker room. Inspiration struck, and he folded the sheet. A little experimenting and shifting had it wrapped around his body, complete with a tucked knot that he moved to center over his sternum.

Looking up with the thought of examining the effect in the mirror, Clark froze. He could see Lex's averted face in the mirror. And if he could see Lex...

Lex could have been watching him.

/I promise to keep my back turned/ -- Clark couldn't help wondering if Lex's wording choice had been deliberate. That enigmatic laugh coupled with the fact that Lex hadn't specifically promised not to look...

Not that he had any reason to think that was the case -- Lex certainly wasn't aiming his eyes at Clark's reflection in the mirror now. But Lex *could* have been watching him, watching Clark strip out of his clothes, remove his *boxers*, for crying out loud. Lex could have been studying Clark the entire time he was standing there naked and playing dress up with a satin sheet.

Clark was glad he hadn't known that while he was undressing. Would have been too much. Too tempting to show off a little, make his stripping a strip *tease* in the hopes of getting the reaction he wanted. Too much, too hot even *thinking* about the 'what if' now to prevent his body from reacting to the images.

"Are you decent?"

Clark smothered the absurd urge to chuckle, as if Lex had somehow read his thoughts and was making a comment about his state of mind rather than his state of dress. He hadn't graduated high school yet, so Clark allowed himself to enjoy the juvenile nature of his humor just a little. "Yeah. I'm dressed... uh, sort of."

Because looking in the mirror now, Clark wasn't sure what to make of the image staring back at him. Not him in the glass at all. Someone more exotic, even a little soft looking, despite the too-tall stature and too-wide shoulders. Somewhat androgynous, regardless of his size, and it was a strange kind of thrill to see an almost-stranger staring back at him in the glass.

Lex moved behind his shoulder and smoothed a hand down a wrinkle in the front of the sheet, which thankfully ended midway down his stomach. If it hadn't, Lex would have been the recipient of a rather interesting tactile surprise. Definitely a lucky break that the excess sheet material fell in a cascade over an increasingly alert portion of Clark's very male anatomy. "Do you feel it, Clark?"

And Lex is *not* psychic. He really isn't, so that question could not mean what Clark's lust-addled mind was interpreting it as asking. "Feel what?"

"Feel the difference when you see yourself this way." Hand skating across the line of material at his back, fingers occasionally brushing Clark's skin in a maddening way as he continued. "How much softer you are, more pliable under fingers and hands -- do you feel it?"

"Yeah." Too damned breathy, but Clark was in no way able to stop it, and Lex really didn't seem to notice.

Hands off him now, suddenly gone, and Clark wasn't at all happy about how casual and *easy* Lex's stance looked as he slid those hands into his pockets. "Good. Why don't you go over to the desk and try to write your letter now?"

No. No-no-no. Not what he wanted to do at all. No way he could write something sexy when he was this frustrated and hard. Well, maybe if he stared at Lex while... nope. Not gonna work. Clark hated to push for more after Lex had already done so much, but maybe a tiny request wasn't too much to ask? He turned so he could look at Lex directly. The mirror wouldn't do for this. "I don't... I think I need to know what..." Shit. His verbal center picked a really bad time to short circuit.

Lex stared at him. Not judgmental, just questioning. "What do you need, Clark?"

More than he could ask for, obviously, but he could maybe get just a little of it. Lex still looking at him with openness and no censure. "I need to know what a man's touch feels like. And I don't... well, I mean I could myself, but... you know, not really the same?" Jesus. Clark could be more pathetic, though he couldn't quite imagine how at the moment.

Lex looked at him silently, so damned expressionless that Clark wanted to sink through the floor and disappear. "Go sit on the edge of the bed."

And, okay, Clark was *really* glad that the whole sinking through the floor thing hadn't actually happened. Couldn't believe it was this easy, but Lex was walking over and standing next to the bed. Clark followed and sat, watching with stunned eyes as Lex took off his shoes and socks and then...

Stopped. No more clothes removed, but Clark didn't have much time to curse his luck before Lex was climbing up on the bed behind him, and *yes* -- hands on his shoulders. Clark looked up, watching the non-him in the mirror of the vanity being caressed by the very real Lex. The Lex that knelt behind him and stroked slow hands over his shoulders. Fingers that sank into Clark's flesh and began kneading it, so much stronger than the times that various girlfriends had done this. So *different*, and while it wasn't the type of touching he'd been alluding to, it was too good to regret it. "God, Lex." Even his voice sounded softer, less rough-edged than Clark had expected to hear coming from himself when he was this hot. Lex's transformation had apparently worked better than Clark had realized.

The hands moved down and rubbed, slow and steady over the slippery material that covered the small of his back. The touch of the fabric on his skin emphasized every change in pressure and position. Clark could lose himself in this. He could have Lex do nothing but touch him through the cloth for the next week and be happy with just that.

Well, at least he'd thought so, but his body seemed to have other ideas about the matter. His own hands sliding back, and he barely registered the surprised jerk of Lex's body when one hand fell on the angle of a hip. The other hand went up to curve around Lex's neck, and Clark let his head fall back on Lex's shoulder. Turning his face as he pulled down, awkward angle forgotten in the need to taste Lex.

Just a breath away.

"Clark... what are you doing?"

Not entirely welcoming. Mostly shocked. Steel-blue eyes searched his, but there was no hint of panic or rejection there. That would have made Clark let go. Just surprise and a hint of something softer. Wonder, maybe? "I'm waiting for you to kiss me."

Slight smile, a little bit bewildered still. "I thought you were about to kiss me."

"That would sort of defeat the object lesson, wouldn't it?"

"Not really. Women kiss men all the time."

And the insane thing was that Lex seemed to be relaxing more with every second they shared breath in this really awkward position. Clark was tempted to shift, to face Lex more directly instead of leaning his neck back like this, but he didn't want to risk breaking the tentative acceptance he saw growing on Lex's face. "I know. But I need to take this to the extremes if I'm going to feel the difference enough to write it."

And Lex's smile stopped everything. Completely *stopped* it all -- Clark's breathing and his heartbeat, and God... just hovering in the sudden flash of heat in Lex's eyes. "Good point."

But Lex still wasn't kissing him. One hand stroking along his back again, but Lex wasn't moving at all otherwise. Oh... "Have you ever kissed a guy before?" Clark figured it was a fair question -- he'd seen Lex with dozens of women, but never a man. Given societal pressures, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Lex's eyes closed on a harsh in-drawn breath that he blew out slowly across Clark's face. Lids opening by degrees, but not all the way. Hooded and hot, and Clark knew that *this* was the definition of 'bedroom eyes', no question. "Yes, I have. What about you, Clark?"

Clark shouldn't be jealous. He had no right to be, but his fingers flexed on Lex's neck anyway. "Never." Never wanted to before. Not before Lex. "How many?"

Lex's tongue flicking out to lick his own lips, and their faces were close enough that the tip of it brushed Clark's lips, too. Caught his breath and waited. "A few. None recently. None that matter."

And that helped the jealousy thing *a lot*. But curiosity was nagging at him still. "When?"

"Five years ago, give or take."

Wow... "Why so long?"

Lex brought his hand to Clark's face, thumb rubbing slowly along his jaw. "Because I couldn't ha..." Lex cutting himself off that way was unusual. He didn't generally edit his words regardless of situation, and Clark wondered- "Does it matter?"

It didn't. "No. Lex, *please*..." /Show me./

He hoped that Lex was still thinking clearly enough to discern what he meant from context, because Clark's mind remained scattered from that light brush of Lex's tongue on his lips and the fingers caressing his face. "Yeah..." Lex shifted in his grasp, motioning, and Clark felt himself complying to the gesture in an obedient mental haze, turning and lowering himself onto his back. Spread across the bed and scooting until his legs were no longer hanging off the side of the mattress. Clark felt strangely vulnerable, watching as Lex settled himself above, propped on one elbow and the other arm straight with the palm planted next to Clark's shoulder.

Lex stared at him without moving any closer for an agonizing amount of time. Searching for something, and whatever it was, he must have found it. Slowly lowering himself, and...

Lips grazed along Clark's jaw, barely touching at first, then softly worrying at the powder-smoothed texture as Lex traced one side and headed toward the other. Clark tried to absorb a hundred different things at once -- the feel of Lex's mouth on him, harder than Clark was used to but still achingly gentle. He wondered what Lex was thinking as he moved to sweep across the arch of Clark's cheekbone, curious if the powder left residue on Lex's lips, if he could taste it; smell it. Clark had to do something to keep his mind off how *good* this all felt. That was the only way he could prevent himself from touching, because as much as he wanted to, Lex's kisses were so *hesitant*, and the last thing in the world Clark wanted was for this to stop.

So he clenched his hands into the soft duvet and lay as still as he could. Just watched and waited and *prayed* that Lex would decide to move lower. Kiss to the corner of his eye and a wordless nudge made Clark realize that Lex wanted him to close his eyes. When he did, one feather-light kiss fell on each lid. Clark thought he might just scream with need for more when he felt the air from Lex's breathing move down the skin of his face.

Soft brush of that mouth against his. Not even a kiss, just contact, too brief before Lex leaned back. Clark hadn't yet mustered the words to protest when Lex dropped down again, and this was an actual kiss, though rather chaste in nature. Lex fitting his mouth over Clark's and just the tiniest bit of pressure before pulling away. Then back, rubbing first and then pushing in, lips closing around his bottom one and pursing softly, then sucking. Little nibble at it that caused Clark's jaw to drop in offering, but Lex didn't deepen the kiss. Moved to play with the bow of his upper lip, and in the back of his mind, Clark registered how different this felt when *he* had the lipstick-covered mouth. The rough friction of uncoated lips became a thing he craved, even as he relished the easy slide that the lipstick allowed. Felt the quick dart of Lex's tongue -- God, *finally* -- outlining his mouth and then... nothing.

When Lex pulled away again and didn't return, Clark opened his eyes. Looking up in amazement and trying to find the words to ask for more before Lex simply dove in and *attacked* Clark's mouth. No sweetness this time. Just all that heat and a tongue pushing into his mouth and feeling like he was being eaten alive. So good. So *right*. Better than anything he'd imagined or dreamed or fantasized. Lex took possession of his mouth ruthlessly, tongue plunging in and scouring every surface inside with rough, needy strokes that had Clark whimpering and letting go of the fabric, sliding a hand up to hold Lex to him.

And Lex pulled back *fast*. Sitting up on the edge of the mattress with his back to Clark and his face turned away. "Lex?"

"Here endeth the lesson. I think you should go write your letter now."

That tone in Lex's voice -- so hollow and unreachable. Clark sat up and touched  a hand to Lex's shoulder, trying not to clutch at it when Lex jerked away. "I don't want to stop." And if anything, that stiffened Lex's back even more. Oh shit. "I mean... if you don't want-"

"What I want has very little to do with this, Clark. I didn't intend for... I think it's best that your little experiment stops here before you do something that you'll regret in the morning."

And that... made a lot of sense out of this previously inscrutable behavior on Lex's part. "I won't regret it, Lex. Will you?"

The weary scoff that met Clark's ears hurt to hear. "This hasn't exactly been the most normal night of your life, Clark. It's easy to get wrapped up in things that are different and seem exciting at the time and then... I don't want this to be the thing that ruins our friendship. We've had enough close calls as it is without throwing in a one night stand as a variable."

He couldn't let Lex keep thinking like this. Clark shifted to his knees, moving until he was kneeling behind Lex and wrapped his arms around, not allowing Lex to pull away. "What if I don't want it to be a one night stand?" He felt Lex stiffen in his arms, but at least the struggling to pull away had quieted. "What if I said that I've been wanting to do this for months but I didn't think you would let me?"

A shudder and a gasp when Clark leaned down and ran a row of kisses along the base of Lex's skull. "Months?" Disbelief and awe and something unidentifiable in the whispered question.

"Yeah." He tried to meet Lex's eyes in the mirror, but they were closed. "Months, Lex. Just *looking* at you, hearing your voice... I've been going crazy."

"I had no idea that you felt this way, Clark."

Clark nuzzled a smile into Lex's skull. He must have done a better job of concealing his hunger than he'd imagined. He moved his hands on Lex's torso a bit, exploring and gentling at the same time. Motions that stilled when it occurred to Clark that Lex had never answered his question. "What about... is this something *you* want?" Leaving off the questions that he couldn't bring himself to ask just yet.

Staring into the mirror, Clark suddenly found himself pinned on Lex's gaze when his eyes opened. Couldn't have looked away even if he'd wanted to. "I've wanted you for a lot longer than a few months."

Heat flooded Clark's veins at the husky admission, astonishment sending an electrifying jolt through him. He swallowed hard and hoped his voice would work around the knot of tension and need gathering in his chest. "I didn't... how long?"

"From the beginning."

No hesitation and no apologies anywhere in the confession, and Clark felt his cock harden even more. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Lex smiled at him in the mirror, one hand drifting back to skim a line down Clark's thigh. "You seemed emphatically heterosexual up until tonight. I didn't see the point of saying anything. I wanted your friendship more than your body." Clark caught a breath at that, and Lex directed a curious look at the glass. "Why now? What made you decide to-"

"Hit from both sides of the plate?"

A surprised laugh burst out of Lex. "Baseball metaphors, Clark?"

Clark smiled into the mirror, enjoying the fact that he'd managed to make Lex laugh. Some of the tension bled from both the man in his arms and the conversation. "I suppose there's some more scientific method I should use?"

"Well, there's the Kinsey Scale."

The what? "Huh?"

Lex chucked and shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, the timing?"

Clark considered making another joke, but didn't. Lex seemed very interested in his answer, even though Clark couldn't fathom why it would matter. "I don't know. I guess I wasn't ready before now. Maybe I was too focused on trying to be normal to do anything but ignore it." Clark moved his fingers to the buttons of Lex's shirt and started unfastening them. Conversation or no, he had to get his hands on Lex's skin. *Needed* it. "And it seems to be Lex-specific." Fingers pushing the buttons through their fabric holes, glad for the dexterity that let him do it blind while he stared into Lex's eyes in the mirror. "I don't want anyone but you."

"God, Clark... are you serious? Are you *sure*?"

All the buttons undone, so Clark grabbed one of Lex's hands and placed it on his satin covered erection. Heard the groan rumbling out of Lex and smiled. "What do you think?"

Clark let his other hand push inside the open plackets of Lex's shirtfront, playing lightly along the muscles of chest and abdomen. Learning the feel, and he moaned a bit when Lex stroked him through the sheet. Slippery material not giving him the friction he needed so badly, so Clark reached up and undid the fall of fabric. Pushing it away, and Lex released him, turning sideways on the mattress to look at him. Searching again, eyes exploring Clark's body before they rose to meet his. "I'm beyond the capacity for rational thought." A hand landing on his cheek again; a thumb that traced slowly along his tinted lips. "So fucking beautiful, even with this paint on your face."

Lex thought he looked better as himself? That brought the turn on to a whole new level of intense, and Clark felt his cock twitch in response. "Do you want me to take it off?"

"I'll leave it up to you. It will take a while for me to remove it all-"

"Then I'd rather leave it on for now." Too eager for this to stand any unnecessary delays, and the impatient plea echoed in his voice.

Lex smiling that way -- hot and soft and *hungry* -- was something he'd never get tired of seeing. "Okay. We'll save that for after-"

"After, definitely. After you fuck me."

Lex's breath caught on a groan, and his hand tightened on Clark's face. "*Clark*... that's-"

"It's what I want."

"You don't know what you're asking."

He tried on his own version of the hungry look. "I do. Once I realized, I started... well, researching."

"Researching?"

Clark nodded slowly, then turned his head to nip at the thumb resting near the corner of his mouth. Licking after, tongue possessively tracing the faint indent his teeth left in Lex's flesh. "The internet, magazines, videos. Some self-exploration, once I knew what I was getting into. I liked it, Lex. I want it. Please."

"*Fuck*, Clark..."

So his smile had a little tease in it this time. "Yes. Exactly."

The growing heat in Lex's eyes began chasing off the doubt. "It's been a long time since I've done this."

Clark smiled, seeing the acquiescence increasing along with the heat in Lex's eyes. "Well, I've never done this, so you've got me beat. Is it that different from...?"

And Lex didn't make him clarify. "Yes, it is. On both ends, though more for the catcher than the pitcher, obviously."

"Catcher?"

"You're not the only one who's adept with baseball metaphors."

Momentary confusion by the terms cleared up, and he laughed into the teasing grin on Lex's face. "Got it."

Lex's expression suddenly took a turn for the serious. "Are you certain that you don't want to start a little further down the exploration curve? This could end up being different from your expectations."

"I- I want everything, Lex. As much as you'll give me. We can go slowly, if you want, but..." Clark dropped his hand, closing eager fingers around the hard shaft still hiding underneath Lex's clothes. "Haven't we both waited long enough?"

Lex's hand dropped to the belt fastening his slacks, starting to undo it with swift, jerky motions. "Hell, yes." Fingers brushed Clark's when Lex pulled the belt out of the fabric loops, flinging it away. "It certainly would help add a bit more realism to your letter if I-"

His fingers on Lex's mouth stopped the words. There was no accusation in Lex's tone, but the chill that ran through Clark at the idea of Lex misconceiving his motivation made clarifying a necessary thing. "I'm not going to write it."

"You're not?"

"Not if you think that's why I want you. I can deal with Pete gloating for the next three months. What I can't handle is you thinking I would ever use you like that."

Lex smiled gently at him. "I don't think that you're using me, Clark. Just mentioning it as a side benefit, so to speak."

Relief was like a cool pour of water over hot skin. "Good. Just making sure."

With Clark's unwarranted crisis of conscience dealt with, Lex's hand returned to the fastening at the top of his slacks. Realizing Lex would be naked faster if he helped the process along, Clark reluctantly removed his hand from its position on top of Lex's cock and reached up to push the shirt off his shoulders.

Beautiful, hairless skin everywhere he looked. A smattering of freckles that Clark really had to taste, and he leaned down to play connect the dots with his tongue. Lex had the pants unfastened now and did some mind-blowing shimmy to get out of them and chuck them on the floor.

Lex naked. Naked Lex. Clark could make a mantra out of that.

So much better than the fantasy images he'd painted, because he had the other senses coming into play along with the visual. The intoxicating smell of Lex's cologne when Clark buried his face against a shoulder and started licking. Kissing across that patch of skin over the collarbone, and yes, it was as smooth as he'd believed it would be, but it felt so much warmer under his mouth than he'd imagined. Flesh stretched thin over the bone there, so tender, and he heard Lex's heartbeat thrumming loudly in his ears. Tasting the moist salt of sweat and something vaguely spicy that Clark guessed was the flavor of really expensive soap. Tongue catching something else underneath that he couldn't place but chose to define as Lex.

Lex who was touching him everywhere. Hands and fingers skimming along Clark's back, then to the curve of his hip and across his stomach. One hand coming up to catch Clark's head and lift so that Lex could capture his mouth. Invaded Clark's mouth with his tongue, and Clark moaned around it. One of his own hands moved up to cup Lex's skull, gentle pressure to get the kiss even deeper, and Lex complied. Tongue scraped against the ridge of his teeth, then flitted lightly against the palate before teasing lower, tangling with Clark's in an enticement to play. Clark's body responded to the kiss like it was a high quality drug that lacked hangover effects -- taking everything he was given and craving more.

Had to have more. He ached for it.

Clark hooked a hand behind Lex's neck as he shifted, pulling Lex with him as he stretched back out on the bed. Lex followed him down, his hands making a thorough study of Clark's supine form as he moved his lips from Clark's mouth to his neck. Licking and sucking and little nips at the skin that set pulsing waves of electric heat rocketing though Clark.

Could hardly believe it when Lex pulled back and placed a quick kiss on his lips. Restraining hand pressed to Clark's chest when he tried to sit up. "Wait here. I need to go get a few things."

Clark turned his head and nipped Lex's wrist. "Hurry."

An eager groan from Lex spoke eloquently to his feelings about waiting. He wrapped himself in Clark's discarded sheet and left the room. Staring at the vacant doorway, Clark tried to think of a distraction that would suppress the itch to touch himself. Didn't want to waste this, so he gave his cock one quick squeeze and set about dividing thirty-seven by seventeen in his head.

He was working on the nineteenth decimal place when Lex returned. "Wow, that was fast."

Lex shut the door and crossed the room, discarding the sheet as he climbed up on the mattress next to Clark. "My room is just down the hall and I was motivated to move fast."

Clark chuckled, glancing down when he noticed Lex dropping something on the bed -- a box of condoms and "Mineral oil?"

Lex looked at it with mild disgust. "I told you it's been a long time since I've done this. I don't have bottles of Glide stored all over the house, unfortunately." Lex smirked at him wickedly. "I figured this was safer than VapoRub."

Clark laughed, reaching over to run hands across Lex's back. Couldn't seem to stop himself from touching for any longer than was necessary. "Definitely better than VapoRub. Although, there are other things we could use instead." He leaned up and whispered the idea in Lex's ear, flushing all over while he did so. It felt dirty in the best possible way to use the information he'd gathered to the best possible effect.

"Jesus, Clark..."

"Willing to give it a shot?"

Lex grinned wickedly, tossing the bottle away with the flick of a wrist. "We'll see if I can pull it off."

Clark's laugh turned into a throaty moan as Lex started kissing and licking patterns into his chest. Tongue laving a nipple and then a bite that had Clark arching off the bed. So *hot*. Clark thought he might lose it just from the sight and feel of Lex's mouth on his skin. Lex moved down further, teasing the ridges of muscle that covered Clark's ribs with little nips and darts of his tongue. Swirl of that tongue in his navel a promise that Clark felt shudder throughout his body. Hot wet line being drawn down from there toward his groin, and he caught Lex with a shaking hand. "Wait."

Lex backed away, sitting up with lust burning in his eyes, setting fire to Clark's skin. Knew he wouldn't last long once Lex's mouth went *there*. Had to get him ready first. Grabbed a condom from the box, removed from the wrapper and thank *God* he didn't rip it. Looked over at Lex, scattered brain managing to dig up an image, and yeah, he could do that. Took the latex lightly between his lips and leaned down.

"*Clark*. Oh, fuck yeah..."

Slid his mouth slowly down Lex's cock, latex rolling out and sheathing the hard length as he went. Clark relished the pulse he felt on his tongue -- Lex's blood thrumming, flesh seeming to swell under the ministrations of Clark's mouth. So hot and hard and *his*. Owned Lex in that moment as surely as Lex owned him, and *fuck*, he needed so much. Needed everything.

Receding as slowly as he'd descended, making a caress out of this necessary act. Tongue taking one last stroke of the covered head before he pulled away completely. Strange flavor in his mouth from the condom, but a quick swallow chased it away to be forgotten when Lex reached out and pulled him in for another kiss. Mouths tangled and wanting and it wasn't enough for either of them for long.

Clark laid back on the bed, and Lex skipped the preliminaries this time. Hand slicked with saliva from two quick licks that Clark watched hungrily, then closing around his shaft as Lex's mouth descended.

"*Lex*!"

Scream something Clark couldn't have suppressed in any version of reality. Moving on auto-pilot as Lex licked and sucked at the head of his cock. Hand moving fast below in long, hard strokes that were torturous perfection. Clark arched up, trying to get more of that hot, wet clasp. Muttered words that might not have been recognizable as English as he pushed and grunted and felt like his spine was being liquefied.

Lex pulled off for a moment, the air a sweet torment on the sensitized head of Clark's dick. Watching as Lex licked the fingers of his free hand before he settled back in. Mouth back on Clark's cock, stroked by one hand as the other reached under him to tease at his hole, slicking and pushing *in*. Pressure and stretching and so much better than when he'd done that to himself. Clark was torn between pushing down on the fingers below and up into the heat of the mouth and hand above. Flesh tormented into awareness *everywhere*, and he couldn't focus on which flash point of sensation felt the most intense.

Too much, too good, too needed for him to last, and Clark felt the twist begin in his belly, spreading fingers of heat and tension through every muscle. Shuddering on the edge, and Lex pushed him over with a nudge of his tongue at the slit. Bowed off the bed in an arch that could qualify him as a contortionist, muscles frozen for an instant, then spasming with release as he came in Lex's mouth. Pushed and pulsed and quivered until he could scarcely believe there was a drop of moisture left in his entire body, let alone his cock.

Lex pulled back, trickles of semen mixed with saliva dripping down his chin where it had escaped from his closed, full mouth. Some of it left behind on Clark and falling onto his skin. Lex quickly shifted further back, and Clark somehow remembered to lift his legs through the haze of pleasure in his mind. Lex tilted Clark's ass up with his hands, laying down and pressing close. Clark vaguely heard the sound of slicking and a groan, though he didn't know that came from Lex or himself. He was still mindless.

No recovery time at all before he felt Lex's tongue pressing in where his fingers had been. Hot, wet trickle on and into Clark's hole as Lex swiped mercilessly with his tongue -- in and around and spreading the gathered moisture. Clark already felt loose from his orgasm and the probing of Lex's fingers. Couldn't be patient anymore. "Fuck... Lex... please. In me. *Now*."

Lex moved back after one last teasing dart of that tongue into Clark's hole. Reached down for Clark's legs, pulling them up and resting them against his shoulders. Slick head of Lex's cock nestled into Clark's ass, then a slow push forward. Clark felt his body spreading and accommodating the heat and length as Lex pressed forward. Needed more, needed it fast, and he pushed his hips forward.

"*Clark*..."

Lex seemed frozen in place. Another push forward, and Clark got more. Not enough. "More... faster... please..."

That broke Lex's statue imitation. Suddenly thrusting hard and fast, and Clark was losing his mind. Couldn't possibly be hard again, but he was. Dropped a hand to his cock and started jacking it to the rhythm of Lex's fast drive into him.

"Perfect... Jesus, Clark... so fucking beautiful..."

Clark had no means of speech left. Lost in the press and the heat and the need building in him all over again. Couldn't believe what he was feeling. Being taken and possessing at the same time. Filled over and over by Lex's cock and he had no idea what he'd thought this would be. So much more to this than sex had ever been before. Different in all the best ways and his mind was collapsing under the strain of too much pleasure.

Shattered into a thousand pieces on a shout. Come spilled over his hand as Lex continued to thrust above him, rhythm mindless and jagged now. Words falling from Lex's mouth that Clark couldn't hear over the rush of blood in his head, but he knew that Lex was the only tether he had to the world. Only anchor to reality was watching Lex push and thrust and shudder against him. Felt the heat inside him increase and Lex slowed, then stopped.

Lex stayed there a moment, arched above Clark and staring down at him with eyes as dazed as Clark's must look. Clark reached up, needing to touch even with the aftershocks still wracking both of them. Hand landing on Lex's chest to feel the thunder of his heart and the quiver of breathing slowly brought under control.

Lex pulled out of him, knotting the condom and tossing it aside before collapsing across Clark's chest, resting in the sweat and the sticky residue on Clark's belly without seeming to care. Clark ran a hand over Lex's back, stroking down to caress his ass. "Wow..."

Lex breathing hard against his skin. "Yeah. That about covers it."

"So... what's next?"

Lex chuckled, hand idly playing along the tacky skin of Clark's stomach. "A shower. Then I'll show you the art of removing makeup."

"That'll be good for future reference."

A long shower and several more learning sessions later, Clark was curled up in the bed with Lex asleep next to him. Perfect. Never wanted to move from this spot. He managed to keep his hands to himself so that Lex could rest without being disturbed. Clark was too wired to sleep, but it was enough to simply trace the lines of Lex's body with his eyes, to watch the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Somehow peaceful in sleep in a way that Clark found addictive to watch. He never wanted to forget a second of what had happened.

That thought foremost in his mind, Clark got out of bed and crossed to the desk next to the door.

"You want me to make this bet without reading it first?"

Clark tried not to look too much like a cat with a bowl of cream. Pete was practically bouncing to accept the wager. He owed Lex *big time* for this idea. "Yep. Those are the terms."

Pete narrowed his eyes in consideration. "And you swear that you wrote the whole thing yourself?"

"Every last word." Lex had reviewed it for him and had only offered two grammar corrections.

Pete grinned. "With what I saw before, I think I'm taking advantage, but..." He held out his hand. "It's a bet."

Clark shook on it, allowing the self-satisfied grin full reign on his face. "It's a bet. If my letter gets published, you do the whole nine yards."

Pete was looking skeptically at him, but still confident. He nodded. "Yeah. Now let me see this masterpiece."

Clark handed it over and watched the expression on Pete's face change from confident to stunned to slightly dismayed. "Holy shit..."

"Celebrate with me."

A pleased smile quickly broke across Lex's face as he pushed his chair back and watched Clark cross the study. "What are we celebrating?"

Clark set his bag down on the desk, turning Lex's chair and straddling him. Comfortable position that he wasn't even close to sick of even after two months of having permission -- and encouragement -- to assume it. Leaning down and kissing, lips tangled with Lex's not losing the silly grin Clark still had plastered on his face. Lex's hands raised to cup his head, and the grin evaporated into a groan as Clark opened his mouth to Lex's tongue. Rasping against his, tasting of mint and expensive coffee, Lex's mouth held more interest than anything else could possibly match.

Lex pulled back, one last nip at Clark's lower lip before catching his eyes, voice low and hot and addictive. "Hello to you, too."

Clark licked his lips, retrieving the last of Lex's flavor that lingered there. "Hey."

Slow smile that shot straight to Clark's groin, and he braced his hands against the high back of the leather desk chair. Grinding down and forward the way they both liked, and Lex's hands drifted in slow lines down Clark's back, grabbing his ass and doing a little thrusting of his own. Movement confined by the chair and Clark's weight on his lap but still hot as all hell, and Clark could forget his own name if Lex kept that up long enough. Amnesia welcomed as Lex's tongue started playing along the angle of his jaw, up to his ear and biting the lobe. "Are you going to answer my question? Or shall we skip the explanation and move straight to the celebration?"

Question? Lex had asked him something, but there was the whole lost-mind thing, and Clark was past ready to skip any unnecessary conversation. Talking seemed to be highly overrated with Lex under him, stroking and making Clark so hard that diverting blood to his brain in order to think was nearly impossible. "Fuck... Lex..." And yes, that seemed to be the only remnants of his previously excellent vocabulary -- six-ninety-five verbal score on the SAT obliterated by lust.

Lex leaned his head back and looked up at Clark expectantly. So unfair of Lex to take himself away, and Clark moved forward to rectify the situation. Stopped by fingers on his lips, so he licked at them, teasing one into his mouth and sucking on it suggestively. Lex groaned and pulled the hand back, pressing it to his shoulder instead. "Not that I'm complaining about the greeting, but I'm curious. What are we celebrating?"

Oh yeah. That. Remembrance of why he'd come over in the first place returning as his brain functions kicked back into gear. Clark grinned, twisting his arm to reach inside his backpack and pulling out the magazine. Lex deserved to share this victory. "Check it out."

Magazine opened to the marked page, and Lex smiled, brow raising. "I told you they'd print it."

"Yes, you did. I just came from delivering a package to Pete's place. I cannot wait to see him in that purple tutu." The victorious smirk felt appropriate after all of the gloating Pete had done when Clark had lost the previous bet. Although, if he was going to be completely fair about it, Clark probably owed Pete a thank you. Losing the wager had gained him Lex, and that was a trade he'd make any day of the week. "You should have seen the look on his face, Lex. It was *priceless*. I am *so* going to enjoy every second of his serenade on Monday."

Lex slid his hands under the hem of Clark's shirt, playing light fingers over the skin of his back. "You're letting him stew on it all weekend? That's positively wicked of you, Clark."

Clark's hands unfastened a few of the buttons on Lex's shirt, fingers delving inside to rub and touch. "I know." Lex's chuckle reminded Clark of the purchase he'd made on the way over, and his grin widened. "I almost forgot." On hand twisting behind him again to pull a plastic bag out of his backpack. Handed it over to Lex and gave him a quick kiss. "This is a little thank you for... well, everything."

A small wrinkle of curiosity crossed Lex's brow as he opened the top of the sack. Eyes widening as he reached inside and pulled out one container. "Six bottles of Glide?"

Clark ground down in Lex's lap again, leaning in to trace an earlobe with his tongue, then whispered. "Not exactly one for every room of the house, but..."

Lex pushed up against him, hand reaching for Clark's fly and unbuttoning. "It's a start."

~ The End ~

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