Author's notes. This follows Peppermint Soda and Bitter Greens. Much to my own surprise there's more to come.
My various and sundry betas include Shawn, Wileykit, Gileswench, and Rhiannonhero. Any mistakes that are left are my own.
Lex saw Clark hug his father and smiled in relief. Martha'd told him what was going on and had made certain that he was all right. It was always easy being around Martha Kent, she was an attractive woman, but it was more that she treated him like part of Clark's life and therefore part of hers. It had been Jonathan that he'd worried about.
Clark was right. The entire town was discussing the fact that they'd been seen together the night before, as if they didn't have coffee together at the Talon most days. But if Jonathan could hug Clark, then it was all going to be fine. In spite of the glare, Jonathan was giving him as the two of them walked back.
Lex realized what Jonathan was seeing as he stood beside Martha. A boy -- no, man -- who was complicating their lives. All Jonathan saw was this outsider, this Luthor, making life more difficult for Clark. Lex understood. He'd lived with that look most of his life.
"Lex." At Clark's nudge, Jonathan extended his hand; Lex took it, relieved.
"Mr. Kent."
"We expect Clark home no later than 12:30, and I expect you not to drive like you do around here."
"Yes, sir. Ready to go Clark?"
He watched Clark hand his mother her car keys and give her a quick hug.
Lex turned to her, "Thank you for your company, Mrs. Kent."
"Lex, please, I'm Martha. And you will come to dinner on Wednesday?"
"Of course, thank you. Martha." Lex was surprised when she reached up and kissed his cheek.
Clark didn't know that Lex owned any antique cars. This one looked a little strange, but it had great lines, a back seat, and, once he'd gotten in, an interesting suspension system. Most importantly it was a convertible on a sunny spring day. He stretched his arm along the top of the seat and smiled as Lex got in the car.
He watched Lex back out carefully, and they were on the road. Before they made it to the highway, Lex turned to him. "So, what'll it be?"
"What'll what be?"
"Dinner. Where are we going to dinner?"
"Lex, I don't know. When we go to Metropolis we're usually visiting my grandparents. Sometimes we'll stop at Wendy's on the way home. And Mom took me to a great diner near my grandparents last year when we visited for a week."
"I was thinking more along the lines of which do you prefer: Chinese, Viet Namese, Thai, Indian, Brazilian, Algerian, Japanese, Italian, German. Probably not French, we're not dressed for it."
"Well, I've had Chinese from Jo's Take Out in town. And Mom fixes spaghetti about once a week. So one of the other ones."
"Clark, next time we go to Metropolis on a weekend," Clark smiled broadly as Lex went on, "I'm taking you for Dim Sum so you'll know what Chinese food tastes like. I'll take German off the list; it's a little heavy for spring. And Algerian can wait for when I invite your parents to join us for dinner. Any of the others strike a chord with you?"
"Indian food. We had to read Kim last year in school, and Mom really liked the Jewel in the Crown on PBS. It looked and felt different. I want to try Indian food."
"Great, I know just the place."
While Lex hadn't kept to the pace he imagined Jonathan Kent would prefer, it had taken them over two hours to get into Metropolis. He pulled into the parking garage at the Luthor Tower. "The museum's only a couple of blocks from here."
"OK."
The restaurant smelled wonderful, not at all like the curry powder in his mother's spice rack at home. Clark had been a little worried when they first came to the restaurant, but Lex's confidence had carried him through. Being able to say, even if it was only to himself, "I'm with him," helped immensely.
Lex had seemed so different at the museum. Or maybe he'd just been more -- relaxed wasn't the right word -- himself -- than Clark ever remembered seeing him.
There'd been a special exhibit on historical games at the museum, and it seemed that Lex had known a little bit about all of them. The historical Labyrinth game that had been reconstructed from Knossos hadn't surprised Clark. Lex knew all the ancient Greek things, but he'd been a little surprised that Lex had never played Go. And completely unsurprised that Lex'd won several small backgammon tournaments
The amount of knowledge that Lex had about chess and its history made Clark a little ashamed for never having learned the basics of how to play. That checkmate came from shah mat -- king death. That the game had precursors in ancient Egypt. What a knight's tour was. Clark had ended up enthralled with all the different styles of pieces from all over the world. He'd asked if Lex would teach him, but Lex had said no because it had been too long since he'd learned the basics himself. Lex characterized himself, laughing all the while, as the world's least patient teacher.
The museum's shop had been fascinating. Clark found several boards printed on linen and knew that he could afford the Go board and the Labyrinth one (Goose on the back). The problem was the tokens didn't come with the boards, and they were expensive.
Lex had found something too, a Byzantine chess board. It was also printed on linen, and the advantage to Byzantine chess was that Lex had never played it. So, Lex had suggested that Clark by all three of the boards and he'd buy the tokens and chess pieces. They'd learn Go and Labyrinth (which didn't seem all that difficult) together, and Lex would teach Clark chess by using the Byzantine chess board where he wouldn't have too big an advantage.
Now Clark was staring at a menu he was completely unfamiliar with, but which seemed exciting. A waiter had brought some thin wafers with cracked peppercorns and a condiment holder that had a brown syrup which Lex identified as Tamarind sauce, something that was an almost algae green (hot sauce according to Lex), and chopped onions with red stuff that Lex called kulcha.
"All right. Not all Indian food is hot, but it all has layers of flavor. Vindaloo tends to be the hottest, and it's sharp with vinegar too. Masala can be just as hot, but because the flavors are sweeter it doesn't seem like it until your mouth's on fire. Tandoori is a very plain baking method that uses a yogurt marinade before cooking to enhance the flavors. Korma is a much sweeter sauce that, I believe, was originally invented for the British."
"Is the vindaloo like the green stuff?"
"A bit."
Clark turned the page in his menu. "Lex. Look at all these vegetables."
"Yeah, many Hindi are vegetarian either by caste or by choice."
"But, these are... You said something about sharing. Are you all right with it just being vegetables?"
"I'd thought that on a farm you'd eat too many vegetables to begin with."
"Have you been eating the stuff you order? A fresh tomato is the most sensuous thing I can think of. Well, could think of. Before kissing you."
"Since I'm pretty sure you meant that as a compliment..."
"Cauliflower with, what's nigella?"
"Onion seeds. Look get as many of the vegetables as you like. We'll get breads to go with it."
"What do you want?"
"As long as one of the dishes has dal in it, I'll be happy."
Clark looked at the menu again. "Dal is lentils." He saw Lex smile fondly at him. "OK. Is the tarka dal good?"
"One of my favorites."
The waiter had come to the table. Lex rattled off an order of "Kashmiri puri, peshawari naan, and paratha. No rice. Medium heat on the dishes my friend orders" Then "Clark, have you decided?"
"Um, tarka dal, Gobi -- yes, that one, thank you, navratan korma, bhindi masala, saag paneer..."
"Clark, if you're still hungry after that, we'll order another round. Also, two lassi: one sweet, one salt. Thank you."
The waiter went off to place their order.
"Sorry Lex, it just all looked so amazing."
"No problem, we can always take something home if we ordered too much. I find that Indian food fills me quickly because the flavors are so intense. You may be different"
They chatted amiably and decided which game they were going to learn first. Lex thought he'd take a late lunch at the Talon through the summer, and they could meet up to talk and play. Clark thought that sounded great and finally persuaded Lex that Byzantine Chess should be the first game they tried. Go would be the second.
The breads arrived first and Clark tore off little pieces of each to get their flavors. The naan had coconut and cashews and golden raisins that Lex called sultanas. The saffron added something mysterious to the puri. Maybe it was because he'd never had that spice before. The paratha was just bland. He liked the sweet lassi better than the salt one.
Then the food arrived. The scent of spices overwhelmed Clark. It felt like they'd gone straight into his bloodstream. He followed Lex's lead and took a little of everything. The dal was smooth and spicy. The cauliflower was milder but very distinctive. The sauce on the korma was as rich and sweet as Lex had promised. And the spinach with fresh cheese was bland with a rich texture and a little after-hit of spice. But the okra... that was everything he'd ever imagined about exotic foods in exotic places. Heat and spice, sweet and smooth, richness and texture all melted together and transported him.
Clark opened his eyes to see Lex smiling at him. "It's not like anything else I've ever had." He felt a little embarrassed.
"Clark, don't apologize. I never seen anyone respond to something new the way you do. It's wonderful. You give it your full and detailed attention. So many of the people I know pretend to be jaded or, worse, really are. Nothing excites them. They won't admit that anything's new."
"Still, I closed my eyes, that's got to be a little weird."
"You closed your eyes the first time we kissed and for the same reason, to appreciate the sensation through one sense before adding another." Lex lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's hot to see you respond like that."
Clark blushed and changed the subject to a statue they'd seen in the museum. Lex gave a half-smile and let him lead the conversation.
When they'd finished, Lex suggested khulfi for dessert. Clark took one taste of the ice cream and moaned. "Sorry. This is just -- what did you say the flavor was?"
"Cardamom. You should try one of the rose flavored desserts some time. I think you'd like them."
"Yeah. Lex, thanks for suggesting something exotic for dinner." Clark's grin was infectious.
"My pleasure."
Somehow, Clark wasn't surprised when Lex gave him an order of Bhindi Masala to take home to his mom.
"Lex, last night you said you'd been called a faggot before. And you said you were bi."
"Yes."
"Um, have you ever -- Am I the first guy for you?"
"When I was younger, I tried to rebel in every way I could. Most of it involved clubs and drugs, though I will say that I never took anywhere near as many drugs as my father thought I did. Maximum rebellious bang for minimum brain damage. Sorry, I'm kind of talking around this. Crudely, I never cared about the sex of the mouth that was sucking me off." Lex took his eyes off the road to glance at Clark. He could tell that Clark was listening hard and a little nervous.
"I enjoyed the sensations, sex felt good, and getting sucked off was the most sensation for the least risk whether for diseases or pregnancy. For all my wild reputation, that period only lasted about eight months. Not that I didn't do other stupid and rebellious things, but at some point... look, I'd been told that people would use me all my life. And these people... I saw that they were using me for money, drugs, or prestige. Unfortunately, it also meant that I was using them. And I really didn't like what that made me."
"So you've never, with a guy, I mean, like done the sucking." Lex could hear Clark blushing.
"While the rumors about British boarding schools aren't all true... There was one guy a couple of years ahead of me. We caught each other's eye at the beginning of my second year and after a couple of weeks managed a couple of assignations. But once we'd scratched the itch, there wasn't really that much attraction there. We became good enough friends that he invited me home for Christmas. I lost my virginity to his sister."
It was a couple of miles before Lex spoke again. "Did I disappoint you?"
"No, Lex, it's just.... This is happening kind of fast and when I thought about it last night, I figured that you'd either done it all during that rebellious period everyone talks about, or you hadn't done anything with a guy and we'd be discovering it together. This is ... confusing."
"For me too. Even when I was supposed to marry Victoria..." Clark gasped. "You didn't know we'd been engaged? I'm sorry. When we ran into each other at the museum, I hadn't seen her in over a year."
"What ended the engagement?"
Lex paused. "I was about to say 'none of your business,' but that's not entirely true. Infidelity. Hers. We should never have been engaged in the first place. It was advantageous for two businesses, and we liked each other. After seeing people like your parents, I realize that's not enough to make a marriage."
"I think I'm finally realizing the difference between 16 and almost 22."
"More like the difference between urban and rich and rural and not. That came out a little harsh, but I'm serious." Lex risked taking his eyes off the road again for just a second. The stark look on Clark's face perturbed him.
"Clark, are you rethinking dating me?"
"Lex, no. " There was a little panic in Clark's voice. "I like you. Not just more than I've ever liked anyone else, but differently than I've ever liked anyone else. It's that you've been very honest with me. And I don't think you are with too many people."
Lex waited for Clark to finish thinking.
About ten miles later Clark said, "I don't know how to put this. There are things going on with me right now that are confusing and frightening me. And I'm not even talking about the fact that I'm sort of dating a guy." Lex chuckled. "I want to give you honesty for honesty. But, Lex, I'm still trying to figure some of this stuff out. I don't want to lie to you, and I know I have, because evasion and omission are still lying, but I can't tell you some things yet. Even things that you may have an idea about, because I haven't faced them entirely myself, and I don't think I'm ready to."
"I was going to say, 'it's all right,' but it's not. You're the one person I've tried to be honest with, and yes, I know you've been lying to me, but I still hate knowing for a fact that there are lies between us."
"Lex..."
"Let me finish." He looked at Clark gently, "Please, Clark." At Clark's nod, he continued, "Having said all that, I'm here. If you need a sounding board for talking it out, or whatever. I'm your friend, and I don't want to pressure you. I assume your parents know that you're stronger than most and very fast?"
Clark froze; Lex could almost hear the moment when he decided to be honest. "Yes, they do. Yes, I am."
Lex felt something inside himself relax. He took a deep breath. "Then I won't press. When you're ready to tell someone, I hope it will be me."
Clark grinned in relief. "Lex, I can guarantee that."
Lex's smile answered his.
About an hour later, Lex pulled the car into a little drive at the edge of the Luthor property. It was darkly shaded and mysterious until it ended up at the edge of the lake. A moment or two of maneuvering and they were facing east, watching the moon rise.
"It's only 11, and it's only our second date. Should I be worried that you're going to try to take advantage of me?"
"Nah, if I were going to do that, I'd take you to the house. Much more impressive."
"I don't know Lex, this is pretty stunning. Even when you picked me up this morning, I noticed that this was the first four door convertible I've seen you drive."
"That obvious?"
"I think my dad noticed."
Lex pondered this for a minute. "Since I'm dead anyway, want to park with me?"
"Somehow I don't think you're taking the whole small town reputation thing seriously."
"I'm not, but I'm taking our getting to know each other very seriously. The problem is that right now I have an overwhelming urge to kiss you."
"What's stopping you?"
"The emergency brake."
Clark laughed and climbed into the back seat. "You know, this isn't going to work if you don't come back here too. Lex, what are you doing?"
"Setting the alarm on my watch. I don't want to get you home past your curfew." He opened the back door and sat down next to Clark. Before he could close the door, Lex found himself pressed against the seat, and Clark's lips brushing across his.
Every time, Lex tried to grab Clark or deepen the kiss, Clark shied away. "Only our second date, and you've already learned how to tease."
Clark pulled back just far enough to look him straight in the eye. He smiled brighter than the moonlight, "Yeah. It's fun." When Lex grinned back at him, Clark dipped his head down for another kiss.
His tongue slid over Lex's lips, then he pointed it a little and traced them slowly. When Lex's tongue came out to play, Clark slipped his tongue into Lex's mouth.
Lex's hands twined in Clark's hair and smoothed down his back. Clark rested his arms on the seat behind Lex and began brushing his lips under Lex's jaw and down his throat. Clark enjoyed hearing the little sounds Lex made.
Noticing that he was boxed in, Lex was amused. "Clark, are you afraid to touch me?"
He felt Clark smile against his ear. "Lex, I'm afraid that if I touch you, I'll never stop."
Lex turned his head to capture Clark's lips and ran his hand down Clark's arm and pulled it around himself. Clark's hands began to explore the other man's body.
Long minutes of kisses whispered over ears and necks, hands exploring backs and chests through clothes. And always back to lips on lips, firm and hot, sharing their tongues and their oxygen; wet and messy, open mouthed, teeth scraping at wrists and throats. Clark's hands gliding over Lex's scalp as he found a small spot just behind Lex's earlobe that merited detailed attention. Lex mouthing up Clark's jaw and the needful sounds that both were making joined the sounds of a cool spring night.
Clark pulled away, panting. "Oh, Lex. That was..." He dipped back in for another kiss and pulled Lex down on top of him. Long minutes of exploring each other's mouth ended with Lex's head on Clark's shoulder.
Lex couldn't remember ever just making out. Even at fourteen when he'd had those assignations he'd told Clark about, there'd never been this sense of urgency and languor. Long moments when all they did was look at each other and smile. Tiny touches eliciting little shivers in Clark that he could file away for deeper exploration later. He was very disappointed when his watch alarm went off.
"I have a problem. I'd really like to take you out on Friday, but until I start earning some summer money with odd jobs, I'm basically broke."
Lex was driving them back to the Kent farm. "And I suppose offering to pay is out?"
"Well, not all the time. But you paid for today mostly, so I want to keep us more ..."
"Even? Equal?"
"Something like that."
"Have you ever seen Only Angels Have Wings or Gunga Din?"
"I've never even heard of the first one, and I thought 'Gunga Din' was a poem?"
"It is. But it was made into a movie, mostly based on another work of Kipling's, back in 1939. The other movie's from the same year. Cary Grant stars in both."
"Pretty sure that I haven't, why?"
"Smallville library's been showing free movies on Fridays. Those two are showing this week. I'll even let you buy the coffee afterward."
"How about the loser of our first Go game pays?"
Lex turned into the drive. "Sounds good." He could see Jonathan's shadow near the door. "Should I walk you to your door?"
Apparently Clark caught his father's shadow too. "Better not." He opened the door and started to step out. Suddenly Lex felt Clark's lips against his. Then Clark was gone.
Lex watched in the rear view mirror until Clark was inside and smiled.