Clark was depressed. It was March, late March even, but it had been snowing for eleven days straight without any end in sight. Although the snow was fresh and powdery and beautiful in theory, in reality his days had become a monochrome of white snow falling from pale grey skies, only to turn into dirty grey slush and black ice on the ground. He hadn't seen the sun in almost two weeks and felt its loss keenly.

He was sitting in his loft, having come out here to brood with nothing but some blankets, a space heater and his history book for company, when Lex dropped in. Clark supposed he should have been pleasantly surprised, or at least a little happier, but he couldn't seem to shake off the listlessness that had been plaguing him for the last few days. His mother had even started to wonder if he was sick.

"Clark! How are you?" Lex sauntered up the stairs. His business suit looked rumpled, as though protesting the weather in their own way, by refusing to maintain their usual impeccable state. Clark looked miserable, huddled down into his nest of blankets with just his nose and history book poking out, and Lex was suddenly very glad he'd come.

"Eh. Mom thinks I might be coming down with something. I just miss the sun. I mean, it's almost April, for god's sake. It's supposed to be spring!"

Lex sat down next to Clark on the old couch, rubbing his hands together against the chill. He hadn't really considered that Clark would be refrigerating himself out in the loft when he'd left the castle. "Why are you doing your homework out here on a Friday night? Shouldn't you be at the Talon drinking hot cocoa or something?"

Clark gave up on concentrating and closed the textbook he'd been reading, tossing it gently on the floor. He absently lifted the blanket and invited Lex into his little cocoon of warmth, saying, "Come under here, you're freezing."

Surprised, Lex kicked off his shoes and complied, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Do you invite all your guests to snuggle or am I special?"

Clark smiled, a weak shadow of his usual bright grin, "You're special. Everyone else I know is smart enough to dress for weather like this."

"Touche, Clark." They shifted for a few moments until they were cuddled together comfortably, lying close on the narrow couch. "So, got any plans for this weekend?"

"Naah. I'll probably stay in. I can barely make it into town for school with the roads being what they are."

"Do you think you might be able to convince your parents to let you come stay with me? At least it's warmer in the castle than in this barn, and I have an unexpectedly free weekend." A very carefully engineered free weekend, but Clark didn't need to know that. An ironic smile played around his lips as he plucked at Clark's chest meaningfully. "You could teach me what smart people wear in winter."

Clark was dressed, if anything, less appropriately than Lex. He had on jeans, a t-shirt and socks, his heavy boots and snow-damp flannel having been abandoned near the stairs. "And who was the one smart enough to bring his own blanket?"

That surprised a laugh out of Lex, and Clark's grin grew almost imperceptibly brighter. "Ok, I give," Lex replied. "Still, do you think your parents would let you take a break from farm life for a couple of days?"

Clark thought it out. Saying that Lex and the Kent family had gotten off to a rocky start was an understatement, but despite the many difficulties, even Jonathan had eventually warmed up to him. Now it was Clark's senior year and they really were best friends, although Lex's busy schedule still made overnight invitations a rarity. And with all the snow, there wasn't much work that could be done around the farm.

"I think so, yeah. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. This blizzard has had one good side effect; it's allowing me to cancel my weekend of meetings in Metropolis, and I thought it would be good to spend some time with you."

"Well... we'll go inside and ask them in a while. Are you staying for dinner?"

Clark ran his hand in small, slow circles over Lex's back. He hadn't intended the invitation to turn into a full-fledged cuddle, but he was enjoying it while it lasted. Over the last four years, Clark had come to realize a lot of things about himself, not all of which were as alien as x-ray vision or invulnerability. One of which was that his affection for Lex was not entirely platonic in nature. Although they both skirted around the issue masterfully, Clark had a pretty good idea that he wasn't alone in his interest.

"Sure, Clark. I think your mom enjoys trying to fatten me up, she already invited me when I stopped by the house." Lex gave him an ironic look before adding, "I hadn't expected you to be turning yourself into a popsicle out here in the barn."

Clark wrapped his arms firmly around Lex, engulfing him in a bear hug. "She does have a point, you know. You don't eat enough," said Clark. Lex could feel his friend's arms go completely around him and almost halfway around again. For all his working out, he'd never really put on any bulk, ending up with a wiry strength instead, an asset he kept hidden under neatly tailored clothes like a panther waiting in the shadows.

He nestled into Clark's embrace, politely disregarding the fact that Clark's growing interest was poking him in the stomach. They'd danced around that particular subject for years. Although Lex had some hopes for this weekend, he could be patient until he got Clark home and away from the watchful eyes of his parents and stick to safe subjects, like his diet. "Not all of us can grow to be giants like you."

Clark resolutely ignored the part of his mind that was telling him that kissing the top of Lex's naked scalp would be a good idea. He shifted again, trying to find a position that wouldn't tempt him into dry-humping Lex like a naughty dog. "Yeah, yeah. I think you secretly envy me my height. That's why you're always ordering our vegetables and coming over for dinner -- in case it's the food here that made me this big."

A tiny thrust of the hips on the word *big* startled a laugh out of Lex. With a small squirm of his hips and stomach that Clark pretended to overlook, he replied, "Well, Clark, maybe I'm just like Julie Brown in liking my men big and stupid."

Before Clark could frame a reply, Martha's voice came drifting up the stairs to call them for dinner. Clark gave in to a different temptation then, dumping Lex rather unceremoniously onto the floor. "I'm not dumb, just big. I still think you're jealous."

Lex grinned lewdly, sitting in the nest of blankets and putting his shoes back on. "How do you know I'm not bigger?"

Clark winked and went over to slip into his boots and flannel, an answering grin on his face. "You'd better not let my dad hear you talking like that. I think he's still got your last name carved on his shotgun."

They quickly made their way over to the house, laughing and joking. Most of Clark's depression had been lifted; Lex's uninhibited cuddling and bantering kept him energized throughout dinner. Even his father looked pleased at the change that Lex's presence had wrought in his son, and he grudgingly agreed to let Clark stay the weekend at the castle.

After dinner, Clark packed up a few days' worth of clothing. Outside was parked the same red truck that Lex had bought him so long ago. As they hopped in, Clark joked, "I guess you're pretty glad I didn't take the truck after all, huh?"

"I don't know, I could always have just made you chauffeur me around whenever the roads got too icy for European sports cars."

Clark laughed.

Lex pulled onto the ice and snow-covered roads, driving for once at something resembling a sane speed. Snow swirled around them, starkly white against the darkness of a cloudy, moonless night. Clark rode next to Lex in silence, slumping further and further down into his seat as his jovial mood drained away into the whitewashed silence. An interminable time later, they pulled up to the brightly lit gates of Lex's castle.

"Almost there," said Lex, with unusual gentleness in his voice.

They pulled into the garage, surrounded at last by light, warmth, and about a dozen high-performance sports cars. Lex hung the keys to the truck on the designated peg by the door, and they went inside.

Clark had never liked the castle much; he usually found it gloomy and somewhat creepy, and today was no exception. Cold drafts seemed to find their way past his collar, leaving a chill down his spine that he couldn't quite erase. When they came to the door of the suite that he and Lex had both come to think of as 'his,' Clark was surprised to see Lex turn, shifting somewhat guiltily from foot to foot.

"Look, Clark. I know you don't like it when I give you extravagant gifts, but... your Mom called me last week to ask if there was something I could do to cheer you up, and... well, I hope you like it." Lex motioned for Clark to precede him into the room. This was the moment of truth, to see if his last week's worth of effort was in vain, and he was both dreading and eager to see Clark's reaction.

Completely nonplussed by Lex's nervousness, Clark stepped up and opened the door, only to stare across the threshold in shock. Gone was the slightly staid blue wallpaper, the ornately carved mahogany bed, even the matching wardrobe and dresser. In fact, the walls between the bedroom, closet and bathroom had been torn out, giving the room an irregular shape and a feeling of openness.

Of course, the openness might also have come from the way that all the walls had been exquisitely painted to look like a cloud-filled, robin's-egg-blue summer sky. There was even a sun at about 2 o'clock, bright and yellow and just so *right*. The carpet had been replaced by a deep plush in bright grass-green, and in the niche that had once held a walk-in closet a "hill" of cushions and soft green blankets formed the perfect bed.

Plants thrived everywhere. There was a sort of hanging garden around the French doors that led onto the balcony, with ivy hanging down to disguise the windows almost completely. A tropical assortment of flowers thrived in the far niche, where the already luxurious bathroom fixtures had been ripped out and replaced with a Jacuzzi, finished in smooth natural-seeming stone and so large it was almost a small pond. A nearly invisible door in the far wall led to what Clark could only assume were the missing facilities.

"It connects to my bathroom." Lex said softly, seeing Clark's gaze come to rest on the door. His voice took on a tone of gentle self-mockery, "I figure we can learn to share somehow, and it was the only way to fit the pond in. The sun is a gro-light, for the plants."

Clark felt something in his chest tighten, snap and then flutter, like a bird breaking free of its cage. He turned to Lex with an expression of incredulity on his face, tears glinting in his eyes. "Lex, I... this is so... How? Why?"

Lex reached one hand up to cup Clark's cheek, brushing softly at the tear that had escaped the corner of one eye. "When your mother called... Clark, I hated seeing you that way. I know you miss the sun, the spring. Now you've got a little bit of springtime whenever you need it."

Suddenly all their pretending seemed... almost petty somehow. Clark hated that they'd let... well, whatever it was that stood between them, that they'd let it stay there for so long. He drew Lex carefully into his arms, looking deeply into Lex's eyes for any signs of reticence. "It's incredible, Lex... like you."

Clark held Lex's eyes as he leaned down slowly, absently noting that Lex's hand still cupped his cheek. When their lips were almost touching, he whispered, "I love you, Lex."

That seemed to galvanize Lex, who tangled both hands in Clark's hair, closing the distance and claiming his mouth passionately. To Clark, the kiss felt like completion, like something left unfinished for far too long and only now allowed to be whole. He concentrated his whole being on their kiss, breaking away only when the passion inside him threatened to overwhelm his basic motor functions. Although little things like breathing and standing seemed like nothing compared to finally kissing Lex.

"I thought you'd never do that," whispered Lex as they parted. He felt stunned; his knees would have given out long ago if it wasn't for the solidity of Clark's embrace. Finally, finally, the word echoed in his head, his mind unable to really process the kiss yet. That it was real, that it was Clark, that it was better than he'd imagined because Clark had really, really, kissed him.

Clark laughed breathlessly, gently resting his forehead on Lex's. "I have no idea what took us so long," he said, rubbing their noses together in a playful Eskimo kiss.

Moving past Clark and into the room, Lex caught his soon-to-be lover's hand and turned back, smiling. "Come on. After all, I didn't build an oasis in the middle of my castle just so you could neck with me right outside the door."

Clark laughed delightedly and walked in, starting to shed his clothes. He left a trail of flannel, t-shirt, boots and jeans leading over to the pond. He turned at the brink, thumbs hooked into the edge of his boxers and one determined sock dangling from the end of his foot. "Coming?" he asked, suddenly feeling awkward and acutely aware of the tent in his shorts.

Lex's face held an expression that he'd never let Clark see before, at least not on purpose. A mixture of love, lust and humor brought a blue sparkle to his grey eyes, and warmth to his voice. "Not yet, Clark, but I have a feeling I will be soon."

Giving up all pretense of decorum, Lex stripped out of his clothes where he stood, tossing them to litter the carpet like giant black flowers. When he was down to his own incongruously bright red briefs, he flashed Clark a nervous grin. Then his face and voice grew serious, almost earnest, as he asked, "Are you sure you're ready for this, Clark?"

Taking in Lex's sincerity, Clark actually stopped and thought about it. The kiss aside, this was the real point of no return. Was he ready to be with Lex, to change their friendship forever into something that was different and so much more? Was he really ready to feel Lex's body sliding along his own, to taste the tantalizingly hidden cock, to feel it moving deep inside of him?

His cock twitched insistently at that thought, bobbing eagerly against the transparent wet patch that had formed on the front of his boxers, startling a giggle out of both of them. "Well, Clark... I think at least a part of you has put its vote in."

Giving up all effort at serious thought, Clark stalked over to Lex, the forgotten sock trailing behind him before catching on his jeans and giving up entirely. Clark drew Lex once again into his arms, bending his knees and spreading his legs to align their cocks. Lex thrust helplessly against him once before forcing himself to still.

"Clark, I..."

"It's funny, you know? I told you my big secret years ago, but it took me 'til now to just..." He captured Lex's lips in a soft, brief kiss. "...do that."

"Clark," his voice was lower this time, and rougher, and Clark silenced him with another kiss, this one gently exploring. Hands traveled down over Lex's back, pausing at the hips as Clark pulled back again.

"I guess it took me longer to trust you with my heart than with my life."

"Claa~ark!" Already practically a moan, it turned into a shout as Clark's hands moved down to cup Lex's ass, pulling their groins together sharply.

"Mmm, Lex. I always loved the way you say my name, like a caress."

"Well, it was the only part of you I could allow myself to touch... Clark."

Clark slipped his hands down inside Lex's briefs, splaying his large hands to mold and part the firm flesh of Lex's ass. "Why didn't you ever...?" Clark trailed off into a deep, breathtaking kiss.

"I had to be sure.... You had to be sure. I couldn't let my feelings for you take away the one person you trusted."

Clark moaned at that, hips bucking. "God, Lex! I don't know what I did to deserve you, to deserve all this..." Clark turned his head to indicate the sun, the plants, the pond, the nest, "But I'll do it over and over again if it means I get to keep you."

Lex laughed, open and delighted, the freest sound Clark could remember him ever making. "Fuck, Clark, you'll be prying my old, withered hands off your ass when I'm 80!"

He reached around, goosing Clark for emphasis. Clark jumped, and their cocks did a bump-slide that left him gasping and trying to just stay upright.

Lex's smile grew more predatory. "How about we adjourn to the hill? You'll find there's everything we need there."

The last vestiges of Clark's nervousness manifested themselves as humor, and he batted his eyes, saying, "Why, Lex! Did you build this paradise *just* to seduce me?"

Lex hooked his hands into Clark's waistband, slipping down out of his lover's embrace as he drew the thin fabric down and finally exposed the prize he'd been wanting since the first time he'd laid eyes on Clark. "Or perhaps I'll just take care of you right here... And no, Clark, no seduction. This is just a much-anticipated..." A lick to the head of Clark's cock made him gasp as Lex continued, "...mmm, bonus. I really did just want to cheer you up."

Clark grinned down at him, eyes glazed with lust, "Well, it's certainly putting a smile on my face!"

Lex raised one eyebrow before engulfing Clark's cock completely. A smile teased around the edges of his mouth, but even that was swept away by the desire that shot through him as the taste hit him. Clark moaned, bringing his hands in to ever-so-gently cup the back of Lex's head. Lex began to pleasure him in earnest, bringing all of his considerable skill and experience to bear. Moans and little nudges from Clark's fingers urged him along.

Clark couldn't tear his eyes from the sight before him. Lex, his familiar features distorted around Clark's glistening cock, kneeling down and sucking him like he had in so many fantasies. Only this was better than any fantasy he could have thought of, here under the illusion of open sky, the bright rays of the sunlamp sinking into his skin, and the incredibly real sensation of a hot mouth, wet lips and skillful tongue on his cock.

Lex could feel Clark's balls drawing up, felt his own cock twitching in anticipation of finally getting to taste Clark's seed, to hear his name on Clark's lips as he climaxed.

"Lex, I'm going to..." Clark's hands pulled away abruptly to fist at his sides, his eyes finally closing as he threw his head back and just poured his climax out into his best friend's mouth. "Lex!"

The shout was loud enough to be heard even through stone walls. Lex swallowed, and swallowed again, reveling in the bitter-salt taste of Clark's come on his tongue. When Clark's shudders had subsided, Lex leaned back on his heels to look up at his lover. "I guess it's a good thing I sent all the servants home, or everyone in the house would have heard that."

Clark grinned back, looking unabashed and utterly content. "They would've cheered if they were here, Lex. Your cook has been trying to fix us up since I turned 16!"

"Figures," said Lex wryly as he stood up, taking in a good look at Clark as he rose. Strong, muscular thighs. Narrow hips with jutting hipbones that Lex ached to nibble at. Dark hair in a wild thatch around the half-hard cock, head glistening with spit and come. Taut stomach, firm chest, broad shoulders. Caramel skin everywhere and not a tan line in sight.

"How is it you don't have any tan lines, Clark?" Lex said, smirking as he traveled up past lips that begged to be kissed and licked and bitten, up to the shockingly blue eyes hiding under a fringe of dark, sweaty curls. He stalked around his young lover like a cat with a mouse. High, firm ass. Strong back. Flawless skin, not a single freckle or birthmark.

Clark blushed, the red travelling down over his shoulders to color his chest. "I sunbathe in the nude whenever I can. On top of the barn, where my parents can't see me. I love the sun, the feel of it on my skin. The only thing that feels better is you." The last was said softly, shyly.

Lex trailed a hand over Clark's skin, palming the strong flank, looking almost hypnotized. Turning his hand over to run his knuckles over fluttering abs, gently tweaking a pebbled brown nipple. "Well, now you've got both, whenever you need us; the sun, and me. Although the salesman tells me I should wear sunscreen if I'm going to be in here too much."

Lex looked up at Clark's smiling face, his eyes going dark and serious. "I love you, Clark Kent. I've never loved anyone like this, never been in love."

Clark started to speak, but Lex hushed him with a finger to his lips. Clark captured the hand, kissing the fingers, tongue flicking out to taste the skin, eyes never leaving Lex's. "This is it for me, Clark, I... *You* are everything I want, all I hope to ever need." Lex paused, searching Clark's face before continuing, "When I came here, at first all I thought about was getting out, back to the clubs, the drugs, my old life."

Lex's free hand continued to roam, touch, explore. He stepped closer, even the heat off his body feeling like a caress. "After that, it was all about my father, my empire. Being king of the hill, king of the world."

Clark placed a soft kiss on Lex's palm, trailed them up his hand to settle on the sensitive skin beneath his wrist. "You've changed that, Clark. Just by being here, being my friend, being you. When you trusted me enough to share your secrets, to tell me what you are, all thoughts of overthrowing my father were left behind in the sudden need to protect you. That's when I first suspected that I loved you."

Softly, shyly, Clark said, "That's when I knew I loved you. When you accepted me." More kisses on the wrist, gentle nibbling of teeth up towards the inner elbow. Lex's hand cupped Clark's hipbone. They were almost face-to-face.

"I guess my point is... although I've known for a while I loved you, tonight I realized that I never want to know anyone else, to love anyone else *but* you. This is it for me, Clark," he repeated. "I love you. I belong to you, now."

Clark looked up from where he'd been nuzzling Lex's elbow. "I love you, too, Lex. And you could never belong to me, when I already belong to you."

Like the tides, like nature taking its course they drifted into a kiss. Clark's hands drifted down again, carefully shredding Lex's briefs even as their kiss deepened. Both naked now, their erections collided, and Clark cupped Lex's ass again gently. Coaxing. Lex took the hint, lips never leaving his lover's as he wrapped his legs around Clark's waist. Clark walked them carefully backwards to the hill of blankets and pillows, finding the edge with his feet and gently falling back into the softness.

They stayed like that, mouths locked, hands exploring, all urgency forgotten in the newness, time lost as they lay under the motionless sun. Desire waxed and waxed again, building from the bright fires of their love and singing through their veins. Mouths parted and wandered, even white teeth nipped and tongues probed. Each motion just seemed to flow from the last, dreamlike in the artificial sunshine.

Eventually Lex found himself lying on his back, legs spread impossibly wide, hands tangled in Clark's hair. Clark's mouth was latched onto the soft, hairless skin at the juncture of his hip and thigh, close enough to his cock to make his breath catch and gasp. Clark's ministrations developed purpose and he licked his way down Lex's perineum, holding his lover's legs wide as his tongue rasped over the puckered hole he found there.

"Clark!" Lex cried out, trying helplessly to buck, thighs held in Clark's implacable grip. He might have bruises in the morning, something to cherish on Monday when he would be forced back into his role as businessman. The thought of suits, clothing, of ever having anything other than Clark against his skin was almost terrifying to him, and Clark's tongue plunging into his ass felt strangely comforting.

All his nerve endings were on fire while he lay powerless as Clark tasted his center. His hands had migrated above his head of their own accord, the feeling of helplessness automatically channeling memories of being tied, bound, taken. His cock twitched at the thought of Clark doing those things, binding him, being the only one ever to take him again. "Please, Clark. Christ, fuck me, please!"

Clark moaned against him, the vibrations making Lex's entire body tingle. The taste of Lex heavy on his tongue, Clark luxuriated in the feel of Lex's skin silky against his hands. Clark had known they were going towards this, but his mind had been completely unable to even imagine the way it would make him feel. A lightning bolt of desire shot through him from hearing those words and knowing that soon, soon he'd be inside his lover.

Clark fucked him with his tongue first, deep, slow strokes that he tried to make last. Lex was pleading, practically begging incoherently by the time Clark stopped, suddenly feeling at a loss. "Lex, I... you have to show me what to do."

Lex arched and laughed, not mockingly but delightedly and a little ruefully. "Oh, god, Clark you make me wish I was giving you something half as pure." He rolled over and crawled to the corner of their little cubby, burrowing through the blankets to find and open a soft, padded box.

"Lex, what you're giving me... It means more to me like this, with everything you've been through. It's who you are, and it's you that I love."

Lex stopped for a moment in his rummaging and looked up. His face was shining in the same way that Clark imagined his own face must have looked when he saw the room, when they first kissed. It seemed like ages ago, like a second ago. "I love you, Clark." The smile grew a wicked, lustful edge. "Catch!"

Clark tried, finding himself with a lap full of supplies. Two condoms, four kinds of lube, and he'd been trying so hard to catch them all he'd missed every single one. They shared another gentle laugh as Lex cat-crawled back to Clark's side and began explaining the various items.

In the end, Clark elected to go with the oil. It felt soft on his fingers, and the gently spicy scent reminded him of Lex's cologne. Everything else was stashed away, and Lex made a mental note to buy more of the oil, hell, to buy the company that made it, and stash it all over the house.

Clark poured some into his palm and spread it over his length. He groaned at the sensation, surprised to find himself so close to the edge. Lex was laying back, hands once again above his head in supplication, legs spread invitingly. His skin was almost as flawless, a translucent white that glowed pink in the artificial sunlight, completely hairless and marred only by the occasional faint scar. Lex's lithe, slender body was open to him, all the strength he hid under layers of clothing exposed and relinquished for Clark.

A sheen of sweat covered Lex, glistening on the outlines of his muscled thighs. Coral-pink nipples had become cinnamon-dark and peaked, begging for Clark's mouth. The strong, supple lips, their perfect bow marred by the small scar that Clark had already learned he loved to lick again and again. His scalp, bare and white like the rest of him, gleamed like a pearl. Lex's eyes shone from beneath pale lashes, blue-grey, hooded and dark with desire. Clark drank in the sight, his hand idly spreading the oil around on his fingers, his cock.

"Clark," Lex moaned, hips bucking impatiently. Offering and demanding.

Clark relented, sinking a finger slowly into the welcoming channel. Lex moaned louder, pushing against the intrusion as if to take in his entire hand. Clark had to bite back a moan of his own when Lex whimpered at the loss of that single finger. He replaced it with two, trying to keep his brain on straight enough to remember the things he'd read, wanting desperately not to hurt his lover. Thrusting gently into that heat, scissoring his fingers open and he still didn't know how his cock was going to fit.

"Lex, I don't know if I can wait..."

"Don't wait. Do it now, Clark. Please!"

That was all the encouragement Clark needed. He pulled his fingers out and positioned himself at Lex's opening, practically dragging his lover into his lap. Lex allowed Clark to sit him up, and they both pushed gently. Lex sank down onto Clark's erection with a soft sigh and a look of pure bliss. Clark thrust up into the welcoming heat, capturing Lex's lips for a passionate kiss just as he felt himself fully sheathed.

"God, Lex. I love you so much!" Clark thrust up, hands grasping Lex's hips to push him down even further. Lex leaned back bonelessly, hands trailing down Clark's thighs as he let himself go. Clark thrust again, and again, powerless to resist the sight of Lex arching his back and thrusting down onto him, the sound of Lex's whimpering moans as Clark touched something deep inside him. The slick slide of Lex's heated skin beneath his hands, one bracing almost effortlessly in the small of Lex's back, the other still slick from the oil and encircling Lex's cock.

Lex cried out, hips moving up into Clark's grasp and then back down onto his impaling cock. Words were lost, and Clark could feel his control dissolving completely. His spine tingled, electric currents running from his ass to his nipples and back again, balls drawing up for the inevitable conclusion.

"God, Lex, please! Come for me, let me see you, feel you..."

As if permission was all he'd been waiting for, Lex convulsed and came, screaming, "Clark!"

Orgasm washed over them both in a wave, starting seemingly at the top of Lex's head and travelling to their joining and through to Clark, a sensory white-out that ended with them both collapsed in a tangled heap. "God, Lex... Is it always this good? 'Cos if it is, I'm gonna kill myself for not doing this sooner."

Lex curled into Clark's arms, the two of them burrowing down into the blankets and into one another. "I wouldn't know, Clark. I've never really made love before today. But if it is, I'm going to have to rethink my earlier statement, because I don't think I'll live to see 40, let alone 80!"

They both laughed, Clark finally giving in to the impulse to kiss the top of Lex's head. That netted him a glare and a conspiratorial whisper. "Although I secretly love it, if you ever do that in front of anyone else, I'll have to kill you."

Clark giggled quietly at the mental image of anyone kissing Lex on the top of his head when he was in his Business Mogul mode. "I promise, Lex. This secret is just between you and me."

They lay in sated silence for another timeless interval, basking in the warm glow of sunlight and love.

"Lex?"

"Yes, Clark?"

"What are we going to tell my Dad?"