Lex groaned, stretching. He'd really wrenched his shoulder this time, but at least he'd scored a hit on Heike doing it. The price of victory hadn't seemed very high at the time, but then he hadn't anticipated spending hours going through an endless warehouse of old financial files, most of which seemed to be on the top shelf. He rotated his shoulder again, trying to remember when he'd last taken the totally ineffectual over-the-counter painkillers.

"Still sore?" asked Clark from the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe, backpack dangling from his loose grasp.

Lex nodded, wincing. Clark's face held a mix of amusement and concern; the grin lurking around the corners of his generous mouth almost made Lex regret telling him about the source of the injury, but the softness around his eyes made it all OK.

"I can probably help with that," said Clark, the smile finally surfacing, less smug than Lex had feared.

Lex raised one eyebrow, his expression dubious. He took a long swig of water, letting it slide easily down his throat in long gulps, watching Clark fidget out of the corner of his eye. Sufficiently pleased with his stall tactics, he rolled his shoulder again and asked, "How can you help, when my licensed massage therapist couldn't?"

Clark's grin widened, teeth flashing brilliant confidence, making Lex's insides squirm a little. The last four years had wrought quite a change in his friend, the gawky colt growing into a stunning young man. Their friendship had grown as well, past the rocky mistrust of Clark's sophomore year to solidify into something concrete. Clark cocked one hip, leaning in to murmur, "I have two things she doesn't have, Lex."

"Oh?" Lex replied, eyebrow raising further. "What, your cherry and..." They'd been flirting more seriously since Clark turned 18, a series of failed relationships scattered behind them both like a broken strand of inferior pearls. Clark's virginity and Lex's return to chastity were the topic of much of their banter, verbally picking at wounds to see when they'd stop stinging.

"Ha ha," said Clark sarcastically, reaching into his backpack. "No, x-ray vision and horse liniment. If, of course, you think your delicate sensibilities won't be too offended by the smell."

"And you're sure this isn't just another excuse to get my clothes off?" said Lex, sardonic smile twitching at his lips even as his hands began unbuttoning his fine linen shirt.

"That, too," said Clark, eyes twinkling. "Come on, let's go make your bed smell like menthol," he added lightly, starting for Lex's bedroom without even seeing if he was being followed.

Lex shook his head before going after Clark, stripping out of his shirt as he went. All the staff was in hiding anyway, since a Lex in pain was a cranky boss, so he didn't have to worry -- much -- about them misconstruing anything. At this point he was pretty sure half of them thought he was already sleeping with Clark, and the other half had a betting pool going on when he'd start.

When he got to the room, he was surprised to find the lights low, the covers pulled back, and Clark stripped down to his boxers sitting on one edge. He dropped his shirt over the back of a convenient chair and asked, "I know why I'm getting undressed, but why are you?"

"Have you ever smelled horse liniment, Lex? Trust me, neither of us wants it on our clothes." He patted the bed next to him, where the pillows had been arranged neatly to accommodate him. "Now come on, lay down. I'll start on your back."

Lex made short work of his shoes, socks and pants, an unexpected nervousness flickering through him like a school of tiny fish swimming through his stomach. Clark had seen him in less, had seen him naked when they changed for swimming, but somehow this was different. They were alone, the lights were low, the bed was soft and welcoming. The fish-feeling scattered to the four winds, a flash of silvery shiver that made his limbs twitch as he tried to relax.

"There you go," said Clark, opening the bottle. A pungent, clean scent drifted up, and Lex wondered if this was going to burn.

A foolish question, of course. The sensation was cold at first, followed by a pervasive warmth. Clark's fingers pressed firmly into his shoulder, kneading as if to press the heat into the deep injury by will alone. Surprisingly, it cooled down again quickly, making his skin feel doubly sensitive, each touch, each tiny current of air gliding over him like silk. Everything felt heightened, and his tension ratcheted up a notch.

"Stop that," said Clark gently, smoothing down the muscles in his shoulders that had tightened up. He seemed to find the points where it hurt most, and make the pain flare brightly before soothing it away with firm circles of his fingers. Lex felt his lungs opening up, first stinging with the smell then loosening as he took deep, even breaths.

Long strokes down his back made him want to arch up into the near-caresses, and a small moan of disappointment left his lips when they stopped at his boxers. Clark straddled his thighs, then broad hands spread themselves just above Lex's waistband and his breath left him in a whoosh as Clark pressed him into the bed. His brain started supplying him with images of what else they could be doing in this position as Clark's hands worked their way up his spine, vertebrae popping like knuckles.

Lex sighed and melted into the bed, letting all the day's accumulated stress flow out of him until it pooled, predictably, in his lowest point. Clark's hands took away the pain, replacing it with a burn quite different than the one he'd been expecting. He shifted his hips, adjusting himself in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. The last thing he needed was for Clark to realize his innocent massage was getting Lex... excited.

"All right," said Clark, as if on cue, running a surprisingly gentle hand down Lex's back before moving off to one side again. "Why don't you roll over and let me work on the shoulder from the front? It looks like you've got some swelling there."

Lex choked slightly, his supposedly-genius brain supplying him no ideas whatsoever for how to get himself out of this. He gave a huge mental shrug and turned his head to look at Clark, hoping for a hint on a course of action. He was mildly surprised to be greeted by sight of softly blue boxers making a very big tent.

Something must have shown on his face, because the view was suddenly retreating behind concealing hands, and Lex just couldn't have that. His brain had gone into complete denial of the English language, so Lex did the only think he could think of -- he rolled over.

Fortunately, it seemed that English was no longer a requirement, as he found his mouth covered in wet, enthusiastic kisses. Clark's liniment-smeared hands rested on either side of his head, keeping most of the weight off of him, not that he would have minded. He wasn't sure he was bothering to breathe anyway, too many other reflexes were taking over as he wrapped his arms around Clark, spread his legs to let them settle more comfortably together.

He found his breath again a moment later, hissing in air as their cocks slid into alignment, heavy and hard through their underwear. "Oh yeaaah," said Clark, and Lex marveled at his grasp of language even as he thrust upward into his heat.

"Fuuuck," groaned Lex as Clark slid down to bite at a nipple. He wasn't sure when they'd stopped kissing; everything seemed to be moving just a split second faster than his brain could keep up with.

A chuckle and another nibble, and Clark said, "I'm not sure I'm quite ready for *that*, Lex." He slid lower, rubbing his cheek along Lex's erection like a cat trying to leave its scent. "You haven't even bought me dinner."

"Oh god," said Lex intelligently, already reduced to the traditional prayer of lovers everywhere. How did Clark get so good at this, taking away his powers of speech and reason? Oh, that was how, he thought as Clark's mouth closed over the head of his cock, impossibly wet even through the fabric that seemed thinner every moment. He blew hot air through the fabric, searing away the last of Lex's coherent thoughts, leaving only ash and desire behind.

Clark's hands hovered tentatively over Lex's waistband. Lex arched into Clark's mouth, hips lifting off the bed, permission and pleading in one eloquent gesture. The next thing he felt was the wet-velvet lick of Clark's tongue just exactly where he wanted it. He wasn't quite sure what had actually happened to their underwear, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care.

Instead, he let his legs fall wider open, offering himself entirely, hands going instinctively up to cross over his head. He'd finally learned to trust Clark, and had that trust returned, and now his body had surrendered completely. A small, paranoid Luthor-trained corner of his brain was gibbering quietly about being at the mercy of the most powerful man on the planet, but the rest of him was very loudly cheering that self-same fact.

Especially since they had been experimenting with important things, like how long Clark could go without breathing, which he was now putting to very practical use on Lex's cock. Lex was whimpering, thrusting, managing not to beg only because he didn't have the words, and there wasn't much left to beg for when it was all spread out in front of you, sucking your cock with single-minded intensity.

Clark's mouth finally left him with an obscene wet pop, leaving him bobbing in the cold, saliva and pre-come dripping onto his belly. Clark's tongue wandered down over Lex's balls, lips stretching wide to take them both in, rolling them around, making Lex's head thrash back and forth. Hoarse moans were torn from Lex's throat, crescendoing even as Clark's mouth descended.

He'd never expected this, anything like this, what was a supposedly straight virgin boy from Smallville doing licking his ass? Lex had expected to have to coax Clark through the steps; he'd been looking forward to a future full of unreciprocated blowjobs and tentative frottage. Instead, he was having his ass rimmed with great enthusiasm if not expert technique. Each further step towards whatever goal Clark had in mind was happening just fast enough to keep Lex off balance.

Clark lifted one of Lex's thighs, forcing his knee towards his chest and opening him wide to the probing of Clark's tongue. Lex's cries trailed away, lost in the hitch of breath and catch of teeth on lips bitten nearly bloody. There was a rush of air and then Lex's balls were back in Clark's mouth, and a slick finger was pressing gently into the space his tongue had left achingly open for it. A squeak he'd completely deny later left his lips as the finger slipped easily into him, catching slightly at the knuckle before sinking in completely.

Clark looked up, eyes wide with amazement, cheeks bright with lust. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but Lex got some small measure of satisfaction seeing that words had finally deserted him, too. Instead he began moving his finger, eyes locked with Lex's as he slid smoothly in and out. As the lube thinned and was distributed, his lust-addled brain registered a slow burn that made him gasp.

He cried out incoherently when the liniment cooled as before, every nerve inside his already-sensitive entrance suddenly vibrantly alive and informing him joyfully of Clark's manual dexterity. A twist and probe, and Clark found his prostate. Lex threw his head back and closed his eyes, back arched almost painfully taut.

Clark responded by pulling completely out, only slide two fingers right back in. His opening burned more, stretching painfully as they sunk past the wide knuckles to the base. He gasped, body convulsing, as the pleasure and pain lanced through him, opening spasming around Clark's fingers. His hands scrabbled at the headboard, feet braced against the bed as his hips thrust helplessly, making his abandoned erection bob.

His back registered every wrinkle in the fine cotton sheets, nearly as sensitive as his cock. He ached in entirely different ways, his balls trapped in the heat of Clark's mouth, tugged at roughly by his own desperate motions. His cock seemed impossibly hard, hot and cold as the spit dried and pre-come flowed, leaving his belly sticky with it. His ass burned from the stretch, ached to be filled, tingled with liniment.

Lex almost came right then and there when Clark's teeth scraped the sensitive skin of his sac as he released Lex's balls from their prison. He nibbled his way roughly up Lex's cock, fingers still working relentlessly to open him enough for Clark's sizable erection. Lex pulled himself back from the edge with great effort, only managing because Clark chose to keep moving up his body, leaving his cock needy and alone once again.

Clark's mouth closed over his own, swallowing his desperate moans, fucking Lex's mouth with his tongue in time with his fingers. Lex brought his hands down to knot in Clark's hair, tugging purposelessly as he devoured Clark, biting at his lips, sucking on his tongue, parting long enough to rub cheeks before returning to their savage kisses. Clark took advantage of his distraction to slip in another finger, adding a fresh burn like new coffee in a cold cup, harsh and startling in its intensity.

Lex threw his head back, small whimpers catching in his throat and vibrating through Clark's head as he mouthed Lex's Adam's apple. A few more thrusts and a twist like a taser jolt, and Clark's fingers left him wanting. Clark's cock probed blindly at Lex's opening, the blunt head smooth and hot against the chemical chill. It finally found purchase, slipping inside abruptly, fitting like the original round peg.

Lex had just barely adapted to having Clark inside him for the first time when Clark's left hand, still slick with liniment, slid down to grasp Lex's straining erection. The burn here was almost worse than in his ass, pleasure and pain, hot and cold and more sensitive than he'd thought he could ever stand being.

Lex wasn't going to last long like this, Clark driving into him with a rhythm like the end of the world, hand stroking and mouth devouring. His teeth were leaving badges of ownership across Lex's chest, catching on his nipples and collarbone. Lex's hands scratched futile patterns on Clark's back, his hips pushing up and up, trying to get more, to find some relief from the spiraling tension that was threatening to break him apart.

Clark's right hand captured Lex's wrists in a moment of blinding speed, trapping them over his head. He wrapped his legs around Clark's back and allowed his mouth to be plundered. Clark kissed Lex painfully for long moments, bitten lips stinging from the pressure. Clark touched their foreheads together and surged forward, burying himself as deep as he could go, pulsing warmth into Lex.

Lex tried to keep his eyes open, but the slide of Clark's thumb over the head of his cock was too much for his overwhelmed nerves. He spilled his seed over Clark's hand and his own belly, adding to the stickiness there and sending cold shivers up his spine as the liquid reactivated the last traces of liniment. When he opened his eyes, still shuddering through the aftershocks, he found Clark staring thoughtfully down at him.

"Wow," said Clark, a grin breaking over his face, eyes sparkling.

Lex found himself grinning back. "Guh," he said, then closed his eyes briefly. He opened them and tried again, and despite the hand on his cock and the persistent erection in his ass he managed, "Yeah"

Clark let go of his wrists and cock, and Lex tried to gather the scattered remnants of his wits together enough for the conversation Clark was so obviously intent on having *right* then. "We're going to do that again, right?"

Lex's smile gentled at the earnestness in Clark's tone. "Yeah," he said quietly, leaning up for a sweet kiss.

Clark cocked his head to one side and wiggled his hips suggestively. "Next time, can I be on your end?" he asked, face bright and open, like an eager puppy.

Lex laughed, startled. "Yeah."

Clark kissed him again, deeply, then pulled out and whisked himself away, returning in seconds with a warm, wet cloth. He cleaned Lex carefully, the water highlighting all the places the liniment had smeared as it triggered it briefly, making his cock, belly and ass burn with cold. Clark sped away to discard the cloth, then returned to tuck them both in for a nap. He cuddled up on with his head on Lex's chest, mindful of the hurt shoulder, and asked, "We good?"

"Yeah," said Lex for the fourth time, still not quite up to full sentences. As he drifted off to sleep, he reflected that, if all he had to do was deal with Clark, then loss of the English language wouldn't be so bad after all.