Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. - Hippocrates

Clark never said a word when Lex brought home a woman and refused to answer any of his calls. He kept his mouth shut when Lex ran off to Metropolis for days only to return ragged out from lack of sleep and smelling of another man's cologne. Lex did as he pleased, when he pleased, and with whom he pleased. Clark didn't really mind too much, since they'd never clearly defined their relationship. He went along with whatever Lex wanted because he could find no reason why he shouldn't.

But there were times when Clark felt used, valued in the same way Lex valued his cars - as just another pretty toy. Like the cars, Clark was kept close by and heavily guarded, but not always utilized, and that was frustrating to him both emotionally and sexually. Lex would always time his attentions just right. When Clark's patience was at an end, and he began to have doubts as to whether Lex cared for him at all, he would be reeled back in with sex and much affectionate coddling. Afterwards Clark always felt guilty he'd ever had doubts in the first place.

Another way in which Lex sometimes treated Clark like one of his cars was in how he enjoyed showing him off in public. This was partially because Lex genuinely enjoyed Clark's company, and partially to drive Lionel Luthor crazy. Lionel disapproved of virtually everything Lex did, his sexual exploits in particular. Clark wasn't sure what Lionel knew about him and Lex, but apparently it was enough to require a frown every time he saw Clark hanging around. Lex picked up on his father's disgust, ordered a tux in Clark's size, and proceeded to dress him up and parade him around at Luthor Corp. functions.

"This is my good friend, Clark Kent."

Clark hated parties, especially when he had to wear a tuxedo, pretend to be older than he was (and thus know how to converse with accounting executives, CEOs, and attorneys), and deal with Lionel Luthor glaring daggers at him from across the room. Corporate functions weren't at the top of Lex's list of favorite things to do either. Generally they made him irritable. The saving grace was that Lex's anger frequently produced a great deal of sexual tension, and after the party was over, Clark was almost guaranteed to get fucked.

So Clark tolerated the nasty smell of cigars, Lionel's animosity, and the fact his collar was cutting off his air supply, because he knew he would be rewarded later. When the last guest was gone, Lex would summon Clark to his bedroom, and vent his spleen in an angry tirade against his father before getting down to business. It was a good thing he was so physically tough, because Lex tended to play rough when he was irritable and Clark would have had a hard time explaining the bites and bruises to his parents.

Lately Clark's heart was a bit bruised. Scorned by Lana, ignored by Chloe, and alternately neglected, abused, and babied by Lex, he felt lonely and insecure. This quarter-ending shindig Lionel hosted for several high rolling Luthor Corp investors was the first big party they'd had in a long time. The castle was lit up like a beacon and the drive was filled with limos. The caterers were busy in the kitchens making tiny, exotic tasting tidbits that did nothing to quiet Clark's rumbling stomach, and the alcohol was flowing freely. Lex had mischievously slipped rum into Clark's cola, which did nothing to him but leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Or was that the caviar? I'd rather be at home eating Mom's pot roast, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

He shook his head as a waiter approached him with a tray, and sipped at his rum and Coke. Clark stood alone by the fireplace, close to the door, watching Lionel circulate among the crowd with Lex in tow behind him. Many of the guests knew of Lex but had never met him personally, and Lionel was taking the time to introduce them to the Luthor heir apparent. Lex had a smile on his face, making the appropriate noises, but Clark could tell from his body language that he was hating every minute spent playing his father's drone.

I'm going to have fun tonight.

He hastily put the thought aside. It would lead to other thoughts inappropriate for the setting and he had no doubt his body would give those thoughts away to anyone looking. Clark was getting pretty good at controlling both his body and his pyrotechnic abilities, but he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. Some of the richest men in the world were in the castle ballroom. An unexplainable fire would be a bad thing.

Clark watched Lex as he and his father moved around the room. They were actually very much alike in both build and some mannerisms. One of the main differences was that Lex did not have Lionel's habit of flipping his fingers through his hair, and as Clark watched he wondered again if Lionel cultivated his thick mane just to irritate Lex. Another thing Lionel had that Lex didn't was the ability to hide his body language. Lionel was extremely difficult to read. Clark could read Lex like a book. Of course he'd never slept with Lionel, maybe that made a difference.

Lex's shoulders betrayed annoyance as he and Lionel stopped to speak to two men almost directly across the room from Clark. Clark recognized the younger of the two from tabloid pictures. Tall and dark, he resembled Clark himself, but with less breadth in the shoulders and very piercing blue eyes.

"You went to school with Bruce Wayne?" Clark had asked once, after some instance when the young CEO's name had come up in conversation. "What's he like?"

"Moody, arrogant, and prudish," had been Lex's reply. "We didn't get along then, we don't now, and it's doubtful we would in the future either. Wayne Industries is an investor in some of Dad's projects, but chiefly it is his biggest rival in the Midwest."

Clark was reminded of one of Lex's favorite phrases: "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer." It was obvious from their body language both Bruce Wayne and Lex were making their polite greetings through gritted teeth.

"You look like you're having the time of your life."

Startled, Clark looked over at the speaker. He'd not heard anyone approach, which was unusual since he had discovered his hearing was somewhat sharper than human norm. Standing beside him was a tall, slender young man not much older than himself. He was holding a glass of something clear and bubbling and at first Clark thought it was some sort of champagne. The smell, however, gave it away. It was lemon-lime soda.

"Not really," Clark said quietly, somewhat embarrassed at having been noticed, let alone noticed looking bored.

"These things can be pretty boring." The young man sipped his soda and nodded toward the grey haired man standing with Bruce Wayne. "I've been dragged along by my father, who, much like Lionel Luthor, thinks it's time his son be introduced to business society."

There was a somewhat bitter note to his voice. Apparently he was someone else with parental issues.

"Lex hates these parties."

"I know. I was sort of surprised to see him here." Abruptly he held out a hand. "Sorry, I'm John Carter, and you are?"

Clark shook hands. "Clark Kent." He did not add, friend of Lex.

Brown eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to place the name, but failing to do so, returned to watching Lex. "I haven't seen him in years as a matter of fact, not since high school."

It was the second time he startled Clark. He didn't look his age at all. "You went to school with Lex?"

"When Lex bothered to show up for class I did. If you looked up 'shirker' in the dictionary, his picture would be there." John snorted softly. "That and 'party animal.' "

As if sensing he was being talked about, or perhaps having hearing as sharp as Clark's, Lex glanced over his shoulder and saw the two of them talking. Immediately he politely excused himself from the conversation, in which he was hardly participating in anyway, and crossed the room, weaving in between other mingling guests. He appeared suddenly before them from around a passing waiter and did not look pleased.

"I should have known you two would find each other, given the birds of a feather adage." Lex looked at Clark but jerked his head towards John. "He's a bigger Boy Scout than you, Clark. Mr. Squeaky Clean, or at least that's how he wants to look to other people."

"And hello to you too, Alex."

Clark bit his lip as Lex bristled. Lex absolutely hated to be called Alex, and from the look on John's face, he'd known that when he said it. Apparently Lex had made few friends in high school.

"Still studying to be a saint, Carter?"

"Still studying to be an ass, Luthor? Oh, that is when you bother to study at all. I heard about your short stay at Metropolis University." John chuckled. "And unlike the general public, I know exactly why you were asked to leave."

Lex's face hardened and Clark realized he was barely holding on to his temper. With an apologetic glance toward Clark, he guided John a few steps away, but despite the distance and the lowered voices, Clark could still hear them.

"If your father didn't own half of Chicago, I'd kick your skinny ass out the door right now."

"Ah, thank God for rich fathers. You know all about that too, don't you Alex? You're pretty costly to keep out of trouble."

Clark wondered if he were going to have to step in to save John from being beaten to a pulp. He didn't show much of it, but Lex was more infuriated than Clark had ever seen him before. His eyes narrowed as he jerked his head slightly in Clark's direction.

"You keep your mouth shut, especially around him, or you'll never get that medical degree you're pissing yourself over."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes. It's a threat. I can make life really difficult for you, Carter. The only hospital job you'll be able to get will be mopping puke off the floors. You'll never so much as touch a bedpan if you mess with me. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly." John raised a brow. "You've got something going on with him don't you?"

"That's none of your fucking business." Lex growled. "Just stay away from him."

"Sure." John turned around and nodded at Clark. "It was nice meeting you, Clark." He tipped his glass, and moved quietly off into the crowd again.

Clark nodded back, and waited for him to get out of earshot before stepping up to Lex. "You were popular in high school, weren't you?"

Lex turned and looked up at him. "Clark, I've told you before I've done some things I'm not proud of. For the sake of our relationship I'd like you to remain ignorant of those things."

"We have a relationship, Lex? Sometimes I wonder." Clark said tersely. "Sometimes it seems pretty one sided."

"Lex!"

They both turned to see Lionel gesturing for Lex to join him again.

Before he left, Lex shot Clark a fierce look. "I don't have time for this right now. Just stay away from John Carter, Clark. You and I will talk later."

He broke away and followed in his old classmate's wake, but veered off to join Lionel and a group of elderly men smoking cigars. He greeted them with a pleasant, and completely fake smile.

Clark resumed watching the crowd, bored out of his skull, and noticed Bruce Wayne and John Carter conversing. Both of them glanced his way, and Wayne's blue eyes rolled. Clark's cheeks went scarlet; he could feel them burning. He'd had enough. Lex could call him if he wanted to talk because Clark was going home.

He set his glass down on the tray of a passing waiter, and slipped out the door.

He would make it home before dinner if he hurried, and Clark was hurrying as he slipped out of the tuxedo in the quiet of Lex's bedroom. He'd hoped to make a stealthy exit too. The sound of footsteps in the hallway thwarted that plan. At first he thought it was Lex, but there was something different about the tread, and he had a hunch he knew who it was long before he turned around to look.

"I get pretty tired of people telling me about the evils of Lex Luthor," he said, hanging the tux on the back of Lex's closet door. "Like I can't make my own judgments."

Clark turned around to see John Carter standing there, just as he'd suspected, in blatant opposition to Lex's orders. He reached for his shirt and slid into it, buttoning it as he looked around the room for his boots.

"He's good at fooling people, Clark. Trust me." John's voice was quiet, less animated and sharp as it had been downstairs.

"Why should I trust you? I just met you. I've known him for almost two years."

"And nothing he's ever told you has rung false?" Pushing away from the door frame where he had been leaning, John came into the room and shut the door behind him. "You should trust me because I've known him for more than two years, and because I was once where you are right now."

Clark's fingers hesitated as he buttoned the last button on his shirt. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I met him when I was sixteen. He's a year older than I am you know, but I'd skipped a grade so we had a lot of the same classes. I believed every word he ever told me and did everything he ever asked of me."

"What happened?"

John shrugged. "It's a long story, but basically I took the fall for something he did, not knowing all the details. When I found out the truth, my perception of him was irrevocably shattered. After that I saw him more clearly."

Looking away, Clark smoothed down his shirt and turned his head, still searching for his shoes and socks. "He's changed."

"No he hasn't. He's doing the same things he's always done, he's just not being as flamboyant about it." His voice softened further still. "He doesn't love you."

Clark refused to meet his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends. That's all."

"Is it?" John reached out a hand and caught Clark's elbow when Clark would have crossed the room after his shoes, which lay halfway under the bed. "Like I said, I've been where you are, Clark."

Their eyes met. Clark looked away first.

"Why did Lex get kicked out of college?" he asked. He wasn't really sure he wanted to know, but given the opportunity to find out, he was going to take it.

John laughed, and let go of Clark's elbow. "I'm surprised Lionel was able to cover that one up as much as he did." He shook his head and smiled wryly. "Lex was sleeping with one of his professors and he was cheating on him with the man's own wife. She was into coke. Lex was playing middleman between her and her dealer. He started sleeping with her while he was still having an affair with her husband. Nobody knows who tipped off the dean, but the next thing you know, the professor is out of a job, his wife is facing arrest, and Lex is expelled and exiled. It was a huge scandal for about a day, before Lionel swooped in and paid everyone to keep their mouths shut."

Clark sighed. He'd figured something of the sort, but hearing the truth of the matter wasn't pleasant. "So how did you find out about it?"

"Friend of a friend."

Shaking his head, Clark moved towards his discarded footgear. "He's changed since he came here. He almost died."

"I've heard that line before too. Did he give you his 'fresh start' speech?"

Clark stopped in mid stride and turned to look at him in shock. "What?"

Nodding, John continued. "Lex had a reputation before I met him, but the year before he'd had a close call when he wrapped his car around a telephone pole, and afterward he went around proclaiming he was a new man."

It was true then. Clark knew it, and he guessed he'd always known. Not one person had ever spoken up on Lex's behalf except himself and with those odds the truth of the matter should have been clear. Clark just hadn't wanted to see it. He sat down heavily on the end of the bed.

After a moment, John sat down beside him.

"It isn't easy, I know."

"I really don't want to give him up, or give up on him, not when everybody else has." Clark said softly. "He's trying, John. I know he is, and I know he cares for me in his own way."

"He'll stab you in the back, Clark."

Clark raised his eyes to meet his gaze again. "I'm a lot tougher than I look. I'll survive." He grinned slightly. "He really hates you."

"I know." John returned the grin. "I was the first person to ever dump him, instead of the other way around. I started dating a girl from our history class and told Lex to take a hike. He was not happy. He told my father I was gay, but Dad didn't trust Lex any more than anyone else did, and I had a girlfriend, so he laughed in his face."

"Are you?"

"What?"

"Gay?"

There was a hesitation, and a slight roll of his shoulders before John answered. "No." He glanced down at his hands, turning them over and looking at the neatly trimmed nails as he spoke. "It's taken me a while to figure it out, but I'm bisexual. I am attracted to women." He raised his head and looked poignantly at Clark. "And you?"

Clark had never actually had to answer the question before, mainly because he'd always assumed his attraction to Lana was sexual, until he'd become friends with her and everything just sort of shut down. His almost immediate and very definite sexual attraction to Lex had taken him by surprise, but he'd never made the connection, simply telling himself it was all Lex. Thinking about it now, he realized it wasn't just Lex and it took him a moment of silent contemplation before he replied.

"Yes," he said finally.

"That was a big moment for you." John spoke very softly. His expression was kind.

Letting out a breath, Clark nodded. "I've never thought about it before, not really, not enough to be able to say yes or no."

"So Clark Kent experiences two revelations today."

"I guess." Clark chuckled. "Thanks, I think."

There was a long pause, and Clark felt fingers brush back his hair. He flinched ever-so-slightly, but immediately relaxed under the gentle touch.

"Lex is an idiot." John said. "You could have anyone you wanted, Clark. Do you realize that? Or has he convinced you otherwise?"

"He didn't have to."

"Then you're the fool here." The words were accompanied by another soft touch, this time along Clark's cheek. "Or I am."

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Clark asked quietly, looking at him carefully.

"Not purposely."

Clark watched as John's fingers traveled down to the first button of his shirt. "I've never been with anyone else," he breathed.

"No?"

"No."

The first button was undone, followed by a second, and Clark wondered how far he should let this go. If Lex were to walk through the door and find him sitting next to....

No, strike that and make it kissing, one of his ex-lovers, Lex would be infuriated.

Clark didn't think it would be this easy. He'd never pictured himself with anyone but Lana until Lex came along, showed him a few things, and opened Clark's eyes to his own feelings. After that any thoughts of sex were completely and totally focused on Lex, and Clark told himself there could be no one else. The idea of a one night stand, which Lex did not find difficult in the slightest, Clark found impossible to consider.

Or so he had thought. He'd known John Carter for all of a half hour, if that, and now he was actually contemplating sleeping with him. Was he that dissatisfied with Lex, or was this yet another stage of his adolescence wherein sex was all that mattered and relationships were meant to be fleeting? Clark had no experiences with anyone else other than Lex, unless one counted his few pathetic attempts at dating Chloe and/or Lana. Should he experiment, see what other men had to offer him? It wasn't like he was going to screw everyone he met, just those he might feel some sort of a connection with, and he definitely felt a connection with John.

Even if Clark's mind had doubts, his body had already issued its opinion on the subject almost as soon as John started kissing him. It was obvious he had much more experience than Clark, simply in the way he was using his hands and his mouth. One hand was pressed firmly between Clark's legs while the other rested upon the back of his neck while they kissed, holding him steady and making him squirm at the same time. Clark exposed his throat when he threw back his head to look uneasily toward the door, and John took advantage of it to nibble and suck there like a movie vampire. The sensual feeling that brought on caused Clark to shudder. It also made up his mind for him; he had to experience the rest of what John was offering him.

A moment passed before Clark could find his voice.

"Lex. What if he...."

"He's busy." John began working on his own clothing, removing his tie with shaking fingers. "God, it's in a knot...."

Clark helped him undo the tie, and his buttons and belt. At one point they knocked heads, and had to laugh, although Clark was secretly glad the blow had not been any harder. He would have had a hard time explaining the resulting skull fracture.

With nudity came seriousness, and a slow slide down into the bed, where they lay intertwined upon the spread. John was not as muscular as Lex, who worked out regularly, but there was a surprising strength in his lean limbs one wouldn't know he possessed by simply looking. One had to touch, and be touched in return. Clark wondered if his medical aspirations included the idea of becoming a surgeon because John Carter had beautiful, delicate hands perfectly suited for it.

His hands were magic, stealing away all of Clark's strength as one wrapped itself around his cock while the other rubbed the small of his back. Clark moaned, and John's tongue entered his mouth, flickering along the roof of his mouth to send goose pimples crawling down his arms. Clark's hips moved in slow leisurely thrusts, responding to the firm stroking up and down his cock, and the hand caressing his buttocks.

Clark's answer to the kiss was to capture the invading tongue and give suck to it. He tasted the lemony-sweet flavor of the soda in John's mouth, and sucked harder, making John moan and move against his body. His erection rubbed against Clark's thigh leaving behind a damp trail, encouraging Clark to do more.

Clark let his hands roam the landscape of his lover's body, marveling at the sensation of hair against his skin. Lex's hairless skin was smooth, like silk, whereas John's had more of a velvety texture. It felt good beneath Clark's sensitive fingertips as he moved his hand across the flat plane of John's stomach to tweak a nipple. The hard cock resting against his thigh jerked in response. Clark's tongue darted in and out of John's mouth, mimicking the action of his cock in John's hand as he thrust in and out of the closed fist. He was getting close to coming.

John pulled away, disengaging the kiss, breathless from arousal. "Supplies?"

"Bedside table."

He rolled away, and Clark, who did not normally feel cold, shivered as the warmth of John's body left him. John's slender form stretched across the bed as he rummaged through the drawer and Clark rolled onto his back, stretching himself out across it. His hand found a bare leg and rubbed it until John came back and Clark could pull him into an embrace again. He kissed and nipped and caressed while John read the back of the lube. He giggled, actually giggled, when Clark ran a tongue over his right nipple.

Clark stopped and looked at him, staring deep into the darkness of his brown eyes, enjoying the humor in them, and the smile on his lips. Lex never smiled in bed. Never.

"Are you ticklish?"

John's lips pursed, and he cocked his head to one side. "No," he said, and Clark knew he was lying.

"So," he replied, grinning himself, "If I did this...."

He kissed the juncture of neck and shoulder, and John squirmed, finally breaking down into laughter as Clark ran just the lightest of touches over his ribs. There was a moment of gentle wrestling as John tried to escape the tickling, and Clark very carefully held him down to administer it. He paid a great deal of attention to John's chest and stomach, licking his nipples into hard peaks, and circling his navel with kisses. The need to be penetrated, anywhere, drove him down further, and he took John's cock in his mouth. His tongue found the slit and probed at it with short, hard thrusts before he sank lower. Opening his throat he embraced the full, hot, length to the hilt, inhaling the musky scent of the dark curls at its base. He came up slowly, applying suction.

"Jesus." John moaned, and his fingers dug into Clark's shoulders. Had Clark been anyone else he might have left bruises.

Clark went down once more, noting that this cock was longer and thicker than Lex's. The thought brought a surge of heat to his own that went from his center up his back and down into his stomach. He withdrew completely and rummaged around the bed for the lube and the condom. The former he handed to John, and the latter he tore open and rolled down John's erection with forced caution. The need to be fucked was overwhelming his circuits. He could think of nothing else, but he paused to kiss moist, swollen lips.

John's hands caressed his face, pushing back the sweat dampened tendrils of his hair. "Lex is an idiot."

"So you've said." Clark murmured.

"Beautiful, passionate, kind...he doesn't know a treasure when he sees one."

Thinking about Lex's drive to find out Clark's secrets, which Clark still would not reveal, he said: "He does, but I don't think he defines treasure in the same way you do." He rolled over onto his back, drawing John with him. "And I don't want to talk about him," he whispered, drawing his legs up along John's sides. "I want you inside me."

"Direct. Lex teach you that?"

"Lex doesn't like to fool around. He's straight to the poi...uhnt." Clark's breath caught as a hand cupped his balls, rolling them gently against the palm and fingers. The sensation knotted up his stomach and made him gasp.

"He hasn't changed." John said quietly, almost ruefully, making Clark wonder if some feelings for Lex might remain.

He also felt a slight twinge of jealousy, quickly forgotten when one slick finger pushed itself inside him, making him whimper. It had been several weeks since he and Lex had done anything and he hadn't realized how much he needed it until now. Clark wanted to ask someone if humans were as addicted to sex as he was, but didn't dare. He had nothing to compare his feelings to and didn't know if the cravings he felt were "normal" or some alien lust unique to his race. All he knew was that once he'd lost his virginity something had changed in him to increase his desires tenfold.

Clark sunk his fingers into the bedding, squeezing the yielding cloth of the spread where he could do no damage. Heat never made him sweat, but his own nervous system did when he was afraid, or nervous, or so turned on his body ached. His hair was already damp, and clung to his forehead in limp curls. Sweat beaded on his upper lip and ran into his eyes, making them burn like the tight muscles of his anus as another finger slid in beside the first. There wasn't pain, not exactly, but he could feel his muscles protest as they were forced to comply.

"Okay?"

"Hmm." Clark closed his eyes, and opened them again immediately as one of the fingers inside him changed its angle of entry and brushed up against his prostate. His hips jerked upward. "Oh, god. There, there...." Fire ran up his back. He let go of the bedspread and touched himself - his chest, his throbbing cock - toying with his own nipples and stroking himself closer to climax.

Lex never played with him like this. Lex knew a little of Clark's strength and his prep time was short and perfunctory before the fucking began in earnest. John was more careful, knowing where to touch him to make him whimper, to make him cry out for more, and he seemed to enjoy giving Clark pleasure. With Lex it was catch as catch can. Clark thrust himself on those long, talented fingers, reveling in their presence, but he wanted cock inside him. He wanted John's cock inside him, the thick, hot organ that had tasted so sweet and felt so good in his throat. Just the thought made him want to come.

As if sensing Clark's need, the fingers were removed. Hands slid up his legs, pushing him back, changing all the angles, and Clark opened his eyes to watch as well as feel the press of another body down and into him. Idly he wondered if the feeling of "belonging" that went with becoming one with another person, wasn't why he craved sex so much. It was something he could share willingly without hiding behind masks and lies. It not only made him feel things he sometimes couldn't, like discomfort, heat, or cold, but made him feel human too. In bed he was no different from anyone else.

The descent was carefully executed, Clark was filled inch by inch, stretched and molded to fit the length and breadth of John's cock as it entered him. He heard his own voice as a low moan deep in his throat when he lay fully impaled. His muscles contracted as if he were trying to expel the invader, creating a fiery pain deep within him that made him moan again. John leaned in for a kiss, soothing the hurt while Clark's body adjusted. He rocked his hips gently against the backs of Clark's thighs, and Clark began to move with him.

He could no longer hear, nor feel a difference in the beat of their hearts, and even the harsh, rasping sounds of their breathing began to bleed together in harmony. He felt the bed shift as John eased off the edge to grasp him by the ankles, and he obligingly allowed himself to be repositioned. Pain was turned into pleasure when John withdrew and drove down again to strike sparks from raw nerves with every stroke of his cock against Clark's prostate. Clark watched himself being fucked through heavy lidded eyes.

John's body was whipcord thin, but the skin slid over strong muscles and well connected joints. His back and hips undulated in long, deep thrusts that in time grew faster and harder, increasing the friction against his cock. The bedsprings began to creak, joining the sound of flesh slapping flesh and Clark wondered how much anyone below could hear.

If Lex entered now, Clark wouldn't care. He moved his fist, jacking himself off in time to the pounding his ass was receiving, and thought about what Lex would see if he did throw open the door. What would it be like to come in on a now detested ex-lover fucking the one you now called your own? Oddly, the thought of Lex's anger was turning Clark on even more. Lex would come in and see John Carter pumping his dick into Clark, and then what would he do?

The pressure mounted in Clark's body. Every muscle, every nerve, lay poised on the brink of release in that place where pleasure became pain again. His vision blurred. He closed his eyes. Maybe Lex would join them, and as John's beautiful cock filled his ass, Lex would fill his throat, fucking his mouth to make him pay for his infidelity. Lex would lean forward, stretching Clark's mouth around his cock, to exchange a kiss with his ex, or possibly to provide Clark's hand a little oral assistance.

The fantasy of being simultaneously ass and mouth fucked while having Lex suck his cock, was entirely too much for Clark's already overloaded senses. The pace of his hand increased when he felt the flesh swell beneath his palm, and he came so hard it hurt. His body jerked in a series of upward thrusts that drove his pelvis hard against John's. His back arced up off the mattress, and in response John pushed harder and deeper. Several short bursts of come fell upon Clark's stomach and chest. The smell of sex increased. Clark shuddered once more and the tight sheathe of his anus tightened around the length of John's cock buried inside him. It felt good, more than good. He stroked himself, milking the last burst of come from his body, and tightened his muscles again.

"Ah, god, god...."

John came, crying out and throwing his head back as his body locked in spasms he couldn't control. Sweat dripped down his cheeks like tears, and slicked his body with a thin sheen of glistening moisture like dew. He looked wild, and beautiful to Clark, very unlike the cool, sophisticated young man he'd met downstairs. He stood very quietly between Clark's thighs, still connected to him, and opened his eyes.

He pulled out as Clark reached out a hand to him. They kissed in a tangle of arms and legs, sweat and come, and knew it was over between them.

"Are you still going home?" John straightened his tie, brushed as many wrinkles out of his tux as possible, and turned around to face Clark who sat fully clad on the end of the bed.

In Clark's opinion John looked just as sexy dressed as he did naked and he felt a faint return of his desire. He willed it away very quickly.

"Yes. Lex is pretty mad, and he'll want to make up after he lectures me." Clark shrugged. "I'm not sure I can so soon after...us."

"So you're staying with him." It was a statement, not a question.

"I know he loves me, John. I don't care what you or anyone else says. He just doesn't know how to express it. Lionel took that away from him. Maybe I can give it back."

After staring deeply into Clark's eyes, and realizing his sincerity, John sighed. "Don't get hurt, Clark. It took me a long time to get over him. I don't want you to have to go through that, you're a good guy."

"I won't and thanks - for everything."

Carter smiled gently at him. "Let me know how it goes. You have my card still?"

Clark nodded, and patted his shirt pocket.

"Good." The smile turned slightly coy. "If you're ever in Chicago, Clark. Look me up, okay?"

"Sure."

Nodding, John opened the bedroom door, and froze with his hand still on the knob.

Lex stood directly outside.

For a moment none of them breathed.

"Your father is looking for you, Carter." Lex said finally, softly. "You'd better go."

It took John some effort to find his voice and when he did, it was a bit shaky. "Thanks," he replied. He glanced quickly over his shoulder at Clark before easing past Lex into the hallway. "I'm going."

Clark remained seated on the end of the bed as Lex entered and shut the door behind him. They stared at each other in silence, and Clark was filled with an increasing feeling of dread. When Lex was really mad, he often got really quiet. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Clark."

"You did." Clark said quietly. "But if I was known to obey orders, I wouldn't be with you either, would I?"

"Don't get cocky."

Lex walked up to within a short distance from the bed, then arced around it. He noted the tube lying on the bedside table, and replaced it in the drawer. Clark winced as he picked up the trashcan and examined its contents of soiled tissues and a spent condom. It was dropped with a sharp "thunk."

Clark looked back over his shoulder. Lex's face was dangerously void of expression.

"You've got a lot of nerve, Clark, do you know that?" Lex stalked around to face him again. "You fuck someone else in my home, in my bed, and right under my own fucking nose!"

His voice came to a crescendo and he turned, blindly grabbing a book off the shelf behind him, flinging it as hard as he could at Clark's head. Clark ducked and it banged off the headboard. A second one bounced off his shoulder and Clark was too distracted to pretend it hurt.

"Lex...."

"And of all people, " Lex grated through clenched jaws. "You had to pick John-fucking-Carter!"

Clark had him by the wrist before a third book was launched. "You don't own me. You've never paid any attention to our relationship when you're off fucking other people, so why should I? You've got nobody to blame but yourself because you kept pushing me away. What kind of relationship do we have, Lex?"

There was no reply, only stony silence.

"You need to tell me." Clark continued. "Because now I've learned I don't need you to get laid. I don't have to hang around at your beck and call anymore like some sort of prostitute, hoping you'll screw me. If all we are to each other is a good fuck, I don't want it."

Lex sneered. "So what are you going to do? Run away to Chicago with Carter?"

Clark let him go. "You don't get it do you?"

"What is there to get, Clark?"

"John told me about you."

There was a pause, and Lex's face darkened with fury. "Son-of-a-bitch. Son-of-a-bitch! He'll never get that fucking degree. I'll make sure he never lays one hand on a single god-damn pa...."

"He told me about you and I'm still here." Clark interrupted, raising his voice to override Lex's cursing. "Just like when everyone else told me to stay away from you. He told me how you are, what happened between you - everything." His voice went soft again. "He made love to me - and I'm still here."

Lex fell silent. His eyes found Clark's and gradually the ice melted. The tension eased from his shoulders, the color in his cheeks subsided, and his voice cracked with emotion not bred of anger. "Clark...."

Clark stepped up to him and took his face in his hands, leaning in to kiss him very tenderly. As their lips parted, he moved his hands down to Lex's slender waist and pulled him in close, looking deeply into his eyes to watch the smoldering fury fade.

"So now you know how I feel about you." Clark whispered. "And now I know how you feel about me."

"Do you?" Lex murmured.

"Yeah, because if you didn't love me you wouldn't have gotten so pissed off."

Lex smiled slightly.

"You'll never admit it will you?"

"Why should I admit it when you already know?" Lex countered. "I only do it because I'm afraid," he added.

"Do what?"

"Cheat on you. I've made so many screw-ups in my life - losing Carter was a big one - I'm afraid of getting too close anymore." He inhaled deeply, as if he were going to elaborate, but only sighed. "I don't want you to leave me."

Clark lowered his eyes, and his grin became wry. "I'm not going anywhere, not without you."

Lex stared at him silently for a moment. "No," he said softly. "I guess you're not."

"Well, I am sorta." Clark added, growing serious.

Frowning, Lex grew tense again. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going home, because your caterer sucks and I need some real food." Clark's smile returned, with a slightly wicked twist. "But I'll come back later for dessert."

"You're insatiable, Clark."

Clark chuckled. "You're going to leave John alone, right?"

There was a minute hesitation. "He's an arrogant little fuck...."

"Lex."

"I can't believe you did this, Clark."

He still could hardly believe it himself, and was terribly relieved John lived in Chicago and not somewhere closer like Metropolis. He could only shrug in response to Lex's statement.

"I'm insatiable, you said it yourself. Now about John...."

Lex sighed, relaxing beneath Clark's hands. "All right, all right. I'll leave him alone and he can play doctor if that's what he wants." There was another pause, and he grinned. "But not with you. That's my job."

"Hmm, I think I'm going to enjoy my dessert." Clark pulled him even closer. "Maybe I'll have dessert first." His fingers tugged at Lex's belt as they kissed again, and unbuttoning the trousers of the tuxedo Lex wore, he slipped his hand down inside them. Lex was already hard, which made Clark smile.

"There's whipped cream downstairs." Lex laughed breathlessly as Clark stroked his cock and kissed his lips in turn. He was shaking, and a film of sweat had broken out across his forehead. He wanted Clark now, but Clark was only playing around, not offering anything just yet, and enjoying every minute of it.

Clark stopped and looked at him at the mention of whipped cream. "Serious?"

"Serious."

Hmm, that could be interesting.

"Well then," Clark murmured, kissing Lex's throat as he withdrew his hand. "I'll go home for supper while you fire the caterer and throw all these people out. Then later I'll come back for dessert." He paused. "Maybe we can invite John to join us."

Lex's smile vanished. "Don't press your luck, Kent."

~FIN~