SquidgeWorld Archive

9:15 P.M.

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"C'mon, Dad. It's a New Years Eve party. I'll be home by one a.m. No big deal."

"I trust you, Clark, you know that. Him... I'm still not sure about."

"I am. That's what counts. Lex... he hides behind a lot of masks, not all of them nice. It's how he protects himself. If everybody knew what a good man is underneath all that..."

"He'd be vulnerable. Especially to Lionel." Jonathan sighed, reluctant to take even one step in the direction of trusting any member of the Luthor clan. "I understand that, son, I really do. One a.m., hmmm?"

"I promise. Even earlier if it gets boring."

"I can't see that happening at any party of Lex's." Martha chuckled as she reached around and straightened her son's bow tie. "You look so handsome. I can't believe it..."

Clark gaped, laughed and turned to his mother.

"Thanks a lot, mom!"

"I didn't finish, Clark! I can't believe you're almost eighteen. So grown up."

"Oh. That's okay, neither can I." He said, smiling as he dropped a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you guys at breakfast."

"Have a good time, sweetie."

"I will."

"Not too good a time." Jonathan countered. "One glass of wine or champagne. No more."

"Dad, relax, will you? I don't even like alcohol and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't affect me anyhow."

"We've thought that about a lot of things... and been wrong every time. Just stay aware, alright? And have fun."

"Thanks. Happy New Year's guys." Clark enthused as he slipped his jacket on and jogged down the outside stairs. As he climbed into the truck he could hardly contain his excitement. With the second half of his final year in high school approaching, he'd been so busy there'd been little time to spend with Lex, so Clark was looking forward to catching up.

As he drove up to the front of Lex's enormous home and stopped, Clark looked curiously at the uniformed young man standing and waiting for him to exit the truck. Clark knew him, and the other valets, from school. As he got out and handed over his keys, Clark shook his head and grinned over the generous salary he was sure Lex was providing and had sworn them all to secrecy about, in order to protect his reputation.

Lex strolled over to greet him as Clark entered the house.

"Welcome and Happy New Year, Clark. Very nice tux."

"Thanks. Mom helped pick it out."

"She fixed the tie too, I'll bet." Lex replied quietly, reaching out to smooth the soft tartan patterned bow at Clark's throat. Before his hand made contact, however, he realized what temptation he was walking into the path of and slowly pulled back, not wanting Clark to think anything was wrong.

"You'd think so, but Dad taught me how a long time ago. I'm pretty good at it."

Lex grinned and turned his head away for a moment, using the excuse of a brief check on the other guests to hide that he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. After first meeting Clark Kent, Lex had merely been fascinated with the conundrum the young man presented, but that fascination had gradually grown into deep friendship, then shifted to desire. As he'd gotten to truly know Clark, his feelings now hovered somewhere just outside the realm of genuine love. Unfortunately, that realm was a place where Lex had only found pain and betrayal and he had no wish to risk himself that way again.

Smiling tightly, he let his hard-won wit lead him to make what he hoped would be a safe comment. "You know, anyone else would look like an absolute geek in that tie, but you... you pull it off. Not only that, you manage to make it look cool."

"Only because Mom talked me out of the matching cummerbund. She said straight black would look better."

"She was right. You look fantastic." Lex responded, privately adoring the blush that momentarily stained Clark's cheeks. "Well, come on in." he offered, walking beside Clark as the younger man moved slowly forward, trying to take in all the decorations and changes that had been made to the house since the last time he'd been there.

"Everything is beautiful. You did a great job."

Lex startled slightly and stopped in his tracks.

"How the hell did you know?"

Clark blushed again, smiled shyly and ducked his head as he answered.

"All this... it's exactly your style. No decorator could get it so right. The food is in the office?"

"Uh... yeah. Help yourself."

Clark moved off and left Lex behind to wonder how he'd missed Clark gathering intelligence on him as intently as he'd been gathering it on Clark. Shaking his head and smiling, looking much like Clark when he first arrived, Lex walked off to see to his other guests.

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TWO HOURS LATER:

As he wandered the party, mingling and talking, Lex had caught occasional glimpses of Clark. It worried him that the younger man seemed distinctly uncomfortable with the people around him and was sticking mostly to the walls, producing a word or two when absolutely necessary, but avoiding conversation for the most part. With half an hour until the big moment, Clark began to make his way through the crowds, headed for where the coats had been hung up. Brow furrowed, Lex moved to stop him, determined to keep the younger man there at least until midnight. He caught him in the entrance hall, gently gripping his arm.

"Clark... what's wrong? You look miserable."

"It's nothing, really... I guess. I just don't have anything in common with these people... and I don't think they like me much."

"Just the opposite. The women hate that you aren't theirs and the men hate how the women are looking at you."

"Yeah, right." Clark demurred. "It's okay. I'm just gonna go..."

"Please stay. At least 'till the countdown."

"You and I will talk tomorrow, Lex. You go see to everybody else. I'm sure they're missing you."

"Clark... God, I'm sorry. You really came to see me tonight, didn't you?"

"No, really. That wasn't it..."

"No, I've been way too busy for my own good lately. I treasure your friendship, Clark. I apologize if I haven't made the time to get together."

"It's on me too. School is crazy."

"Graduation approaching at light speed. I remember. Look... there's a room where you can get away from all these snobs, take a break... and when it's time for the ball to drop, I'll come sit with you and we'll watch it together, alright? Just you and me."

"Lex..."

"I'm getting pretty sick of this bunch myself, Clark. Trust me, they're so self-involved they won't miss me."

"Okay."

"Great. This way... right in here. I'll be back, I swear. I hate leaving you alone even a few more minutes..." Lex told him ruefully, his expression more open and authentic than he ever allowed around anyone else. Clark accepted that for the measure of trust it was and smiled.

"I understand. Go. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Lex was as good as his word. At eleven minutes before midnight, he strode back into the cozy den-style room carrying two deep snifters two-thirds full of deep red liquid. As he dropped down beside Clark on the sofa, he offered one to his young friend. "What is it?"

"Mulled wine. Did your parents say no alcohol? You know I'll have to respect their wishes..."

"No. Dad said one glass."

"And you haven't had any champagne tonight? Not even a beer?"

Clark wrinkled his nose.

"I hate beer. I tried it once and decided Monty Python was right."

"You mean that American beer is like making love in a canoe. Fucking close to water."

Clark's eyes briefly went wide and he blushed again, more heavily and for a longer period of time.

"Yeah..."

Lex chuckled.

"I love seeing you blush. Never known anyone like you, Clark. I'm really glad you're my friend. I need you to remind me that the whole world isn't like the people out there." He said, gesturing vaguely at the rest of the house with his glass. "So. Nothing else all night?"

"No. Nothing."

"Good. Here. Try a small sip first, to see if you like it."

Clark accepted the snifter cautiously.

"Mmmm. It's warm. Warm wine?"

"It's a special holiday thing, for cold weather. You warm the wine and add spices like cinnamon and cloves... I spend the whole year anticipating this one night. It's the only time I allow myself this... a belated Christmas present to myself." Lex explained, lifting his glass to his nose and drawing a deep breath. Clark surreptitiously watched Lex for clues as to proper etiquette with this unfamiliar drink and followed what the other man did.

"Wow... it smells incredible. The heat really makes the aroma stronger, doesn't it?"

"Just part of the appeal." Lex agreed, lifting the remote and clicking on the TV in front of them. "Here we go. Just two or three minutes left."

Clark smiled and nodded as he allowed a tiny wave of the dark liquid to bathe his tongue. Warmth blasted through him instantly, spreading first to his stomach and then outward from his core. Eyes slipping closed, Clark reveled in the sensation and took a deeper draught from his snifter. He was so focused on how good he was suddenly feeling that he had half drained the glass before he began to realize that such a small amount of wine shouldn't have had his head spinning the way it was. He squinted down at the glass then turned his focus to the screen. The ball seemed to shimmer and pulse and Clark giggled. Lex glanced at him with a curious smile.

"This is funny?"

"Kind of... don't know why. Hey... ten seconds comin' up..."

Both men quietly counted down to January first then clinked glasses. Clark tossed off the rest of his drink and, very carefully, set the glass down on the table in front of him, as he couldn't quite see properly.

"Clark? Are you alright?"

"Hmmm? Yeah... well, okay, maybe not completely. I mean, I feel weird, but it's a good weird, you know? Like... fuzzy and floaty, but it's not bad. I kind of like it. Never knew half a glass of wine would do this... I thought, maybe it'll make me warm and happy, but this, it's really nice, actually. That ball is so cool... all the colors and the little bulbs, how do they get all those bulbs on there anyway? And what if they had to change one? Is it like Christmas lights where you have to go through every single one to find the burned out bulb or none of them will work? Dad had to do that last year and he said some words I *know* he would've washed my mouth out for..."

Abruptly, Clark turned and frowned at Lex. "I'm talking a lot..."

"You certainly are."

"I can't help it... I feel this... need to say everything I ever shut up about when I didn't want to... like you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. I'm getting really bored waiting on you to-to make a move. I've wondered ever since we kissed... that day by the river..."

"There's a difference between kissing and CPR, Clark..."

"Okay, okay, but all the same, our lips touched, didn't they? They touched..."

"They did..."

"Well, can you say you didn't think about trying it again? I did... I thought about it every day for a month, it's not so often now but it's still on my mind a lot..."

"Clark, I'm not sure what's happened here, but you need to lay down and get some rest." Lex told him, rising to his feet and gently guiding Clark to stretch out on the sofa. He draped a blanket over the young man, but Clark pushed it off.

"No, I wanna talk about this, I've kept quiet too long..."

"Okay. If I promise we can talk about it later, will you rest?"

"Okay... I guess so..."

"Good."

The blanket once more in place, Lex turned down the volume on the TV and quietly left the room. Leaning back against the wall just outside he muttered a quiet "What the hell..." and moved away a few yards. His conscience soon drew him back, however. To his relief, Clark was not only asleep, he was snoring.

It took another half hour to usher out the last of his guests. When Lex finally returned to the small den, he found Clark sitting up with the blanket around his shoulders. The young man looked up at his friend, but obviously was not about to speak first. Lex smiled sympathetically and dropped down beside Clark.

"No more mulled wine."

"No. Lex, I don't... I'm so sorry about that. I have no idea what happened and I'm really embarrassed."

"You don't have to be. You're not used to alcohol. I never should have let you have it, no matter what Papa Kent said."

"It's not that. Yeah, that gabfest was a moment I'd like to forget... but it's because I meant every word. I... I do think about kissing you and... other things."

"Clark..."

"Whatever it was has worn off, Lex. I'm serious... and I know what I'm saying." Clark pleaded, shedding the blanket and reaching out to stroke Lex's face. The older man leaned into the caress slightly then pulled away.

"God, you're so damn young..."

"I'll be eighteen in three weeks."

"It doesn't seem possible. Three years since we met... since you saved me in more ways than one."

Clark tried again to touch him and this time Lex submitted to the soft fingertips.

"I admit, I've only been... you know, doing self-service for a few months... but it's always your face in my fantasies... always your hands on me instead of my own. I'm willing to wait for anything more involved, I really am... but if you'd just kiss me, I'd feel like when I walk out of here tonight... we'll have made a kind of promise. I'll know that you want me like I want you."

"Hell... I do, Clark. I did, I do and I always will. Close your eyes, alright? You won't be so nervous that way..."

Cupping Clark's face in both hands, Lex slowly brought their mouths into contact. Clark felt the same warm intensity rush over and through him like a tidal wave and he gladly succumbed to it, sure that this time his faculties would remain intact. His hands floated up and wrapped around Lex's wrists, holding the older man's hands in place to remind him that nobody was being taken advantage of.

Lex was instantly thrown back to the day on the river bank and his near drowning, realizing in a flash of insight that it hadn't taken as long as he'd thought to fall for this enigmatic, intriguing, darkly beautiful young man. He suddenly understood that something beyond both of them had put them in the right places that day, bonding them in that moment of shared breath.

At last the two pulled apart, panting faintly and studying each other with shining eyes. "You have to trust me to set the pace on the physical side of this, Clark. I won't let you rush headlong into something you're not ready for."

"I understand. You say what and when. So are you saying the other side..."

"... was a moot point a long time ago. I feel it, please believe that. I just can't say it yet."

"I understand that too. I hate this, but I have to go. I promised I'd be home by one..."

"I'll walk you out."

As Clark sat in the driver's seat, Lex kissed him once again, this time on the knuckles, and smiled sadly at him. "Have you got any more time off?"

"Another couple days."

"Good. Day after tomorrow we'll spend some time together here... do all the talking we didn't get around to the last few weeks."

"I'll be here. Happy New Year, Lex."

"It will be now. Drive safely."

"I will."

As Clark drove away, Lex looked up at heaven and mildly cursed his beloved mother for interfering in his love life from the great beyond. Then he shivered, grinned from ear to ear and strode back into the house.

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