L&C Do Europe part 14
7/29/05 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roxyWhew! Okay, here it is, unchecked, *shudder* but I want to move along swiftly, strike while the iron is hot, you know? So this bit’s a little longer than the others, for those of you who’ve been waiting, heh—I hope this makes up for it. Thanks again to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mecurtin, without whom this story would be …aromatic. She didn’t get a chance to look this bit over so any huge glaring boo-boos are all mine. Thanks also to thecaelum who helped me out of the ditch my brain fell into. Kiss you!
The Previous parts of L&C are here, awww-- playing with pick up sticks…oh my god, no, no--don’t look!
When In Rome…
This time, Clark left his bags without a fight, fairly secure that they’d be where they were supposed to be. Lex promised him they’d be delivered to the apartment they were renting for the week they’d spend in Rome—after that they were going on to Austria and then home. Clark felt a huge pang of homesickness. He missed his friends; he even kind of missed the day-to-day routine. Kind of. He sighed a little. This trip was turning out nothing like he’d thought it would. Yes, it was fun, yes, it was very educational-- in a way he’d not expected. Sure, eventually, he’d have discovered why girls just didn’t quite…make him ‘do the whacky’...at home. It was just—being around Lex non-stop really helped to define what it was he liked.
He liked boys.
Period. Full stop.
Hell of a discovery, and wasn’t every one going to be shocked, and wouldn’t Pete find some way to blame it all on Lex. He grinned faintly. Sort of it was Lex’s fault. All slinky and sexy and smelling like…everything in the world he’d ever wanted. Like home and safe and happy and –shit. He was such a girl sometimes. That was Lex’s fault too.
And the fact he was still a virgin, that was Lex’s fault…and what was he going to tell his folks about this thing, why couldn’t Lex just look at him and say, wow, you’re gay! and make a move, why couldn’t Emilio just tell him —slowly Clark’s mood slid from romantic to pissed off.
Lex looked away from the scenery slipping by the limo’s window and caught Clark glaring at him.
“Hey, I thought we resolved your unnatural attachment to your luggage. I promise, it’ll be waiting for you at the apartment, safe and unmolested.”
“I know!” Clark nearly shouted. “I know it will be, darn it!”
Lex and Emilio started at Clark’s outburst, and Emilio began laughing.
Lex frowned. “What? What’s so amusing? What did I miss?”
Emilio chuckled again and Clark was positively vibrating with anger. “You’re such a trouble maker.” He pouted. “You always have to start something.”
Emilio was the very picture of wounded innocence. “Who-- me? When have I done such a thing? Listen; when I leave you in Rome, can I count on you not to kill each other?” Lex looked offended and Clark seemed to swell up like an angry cat. His eyes flashed and a lesser person might have been afraid. Emilio simply smiled back.
“Hey, we did fine in France without a babysitter,” Clark snapped.
Emilio rolled his eyes. “So I heard.”
WHAT! Did Lex tell this guy every thing? Did he know about…he caught Emilio’s amused look and blushed in embarrassment and anger. For a guy who was supposed to be Mr. Reticent, he thought, Lex was a hell of a gossip. God damn, what all did he tell Emilio…and when. And what the hell made him think this—this—jerk was a good guy?
Clark glowered at the other man.
Emilio sighed.
“Clark. Please do not take this in the wrong way, but. Grow. Up.”
Clark snorted “Oh well now, there’s no way I could take *that* in a wrong way. It’s such a compliment!”
Lex looked at them a little puzzled. The conversation may have some meaning for Clark, but he was clueless and not at all eager to join in.
Emilio threw his hands up. “Ah! Sweet, you are breaking my heart, the two of you! You are so…so…”
“Pathetic?” Clark broke in. Lex looked at Clark thoughtfully.
Emilio shook his head. “Mmm—no. Stupid.” he finished.
“Oh, thanks,” Clark muttered. That makes me feel so much better.
*****
The apartment Marlene had arranged for them was spacious, two bedroom, one and a half bath, and furnished with excellent period style pieces. Two bedroom only because Emilio was leaving them to spend time with a friend of his.
Clark heard a commotion in the small hallway off the foyer and walked in to find that their bags had arrived, and Lex was standing there, opening one of Marlene’s packets, looking through notes and tickets and smiling to himself. He whistled quietly as he sorted through the materials and Clark was struck by how relaxed Lex looked. At home when he hung out, he was always one phone call away from shutting him out….
“Hey, Lex—we get our marching orders?” he grinned.
Lex laughed. “I guess you could say that, be ready for a lot of walking.”
Clark nodded. “Sounds good to me!”
In theory, the Rome visit would be a quiet, reflective, educational visit.
In theory,
*****
And Stuff Blows Up…Figuratively
It was warm in the apartment. Very warm, and apparently sometime during the night, someone had stolen into his bedroom and coated him with a thin film of grease. His mouth was puckered and tasted horrible, and he couldn’t wait to brush his teeth and shower until he felt human again, however long it took.
The elegant bathroom at least felt like a soothing oasis in the stupidity that was his life. Why was it that when he tried to do the right thing, it always felt …wrong—painfully wrong? He stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over him. He grabbed a bottle of soap blindly, and jumped when he opened the cap. Clark. Clark had….
He’d grabbed Clark’s soap by mistake. It smelled…like Clark. He poured a small amount in his hand and rubbed it over his chest, sniffing. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.
It went as far as his crotch and stopped. There was warming there, and rising, and hands moving lower and panting, Clark was on his knees and his mouth was open, a big hand was squeezing and rubbing, a thumb slipping around the tip of--god, fantasy was wonderful—and then reality raised it’s ugly head. Lex’s enthusiasm flagged. after last night…
Lex was fairly certain that he might have…screwed up….
******
The previous day, their first day in Rome, had started out nicely.
The Colosseum was impressive, still as overpowering as when he’d first seen it as a skinny little kid. And to take in these sights with Clark, it should have been really special…it *was*--
Clark had been full of questions, why and how and where, and Lex had answered carefully and as thoroughly as he could.
It was hard to put into words why it felt so horribly right to tread the grounds that Caesars had once walked, where games were played in which human lives hung in the balance and an imperial thumbs up or down decided the outcome. He could tell Clark why the Colosseum was here, and how it came to be but could he explain to him why it felt like home? Not in a pleasant or comfortable way by any means—it rather reminded him of his life.
He stared for a long time out over the floor of the arena where once heroes died or lived. Clark wouldn’t be out of place in those ranks, he thought, and a vision of him naked except for armor and a sword in his hand, standing alone under a clear hot sun burning down on the sand of the Colosseum, stunned him. Like a young god, that’s how he saw him, and given half the chance Lex would fight his way through a centuria for the opportunity to drop to his knees and worship him the way he should be.
Clark turned towards him and Lex suddenly found the archways behind them utterly fascinating, and hoped the shadows would hide his flaming face. He needed to go away from him, needed to regain self-control and more importantly he needed to have a serious word with his tailor. Pants like these should not be binding, for as costly as they were, he really should have comfortable non-binding---oh for god’s sake, if Clark was going to bend over like that…Lex shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for Clark to stop examining whatever it was that caught his eye and stand upright again. The word erect certainly never once crossed his mind.
******
They strolled along the streets, looking at shops as Clark made notes about what he wanted to get everyone, and Lex pretended to be interested. He watched Clark walk towards a crowd of tourists, his long legs carrying him swiftly through them, and Lex enjoyed the play of sunlight over the golden hairs dusting his calves and his fingers itched to feel them, he wondered if they were as soft as the looked…god, he’d smack himself but everyone would think he was insane—what the hell, the uncontrolled drooling probably took care of that for him.
They stopped for lunch at a pizzeria, and Clark was impressed that Lex would voluntarily eat pizza until he took a bite of the crisp crust and garden fresh ingredients. He chewed slowly, thoughtfully, and declared it delicious. His eyes closed in enjoyment and his tongue flicked up any crumbs on his lips and Lex watched and wondered if it he should have this pizza flown in for pizza and movie nights at the Castle. He planned to give it some serious consideration.
Clark took pictures of him enjoying the pizza, and Lex smiled widely for the camera. He smiled a lot that afternoon, between the warmth of the sun and the warmth of Clark’s skin against his whenever they sat to rest because he sat so close to him the hairs on his arms tickled his skin…torture. Pure and absolutely pleasurable torture.
They toured the Forum, and as Clark listened to Lex, his eyes locked on his, Lex composed silent little poems to himself about Clark’s eyes, which in the afternoon light were the exact color of a calm ocean. Clark’s attention was concentrated on him, and Lex found he was feeling a little faint under the intense regard...Idiot, he scolded himself. Fool!
This was getting ridiculous. If he didn’t do something about this soon, he was going to explode.
So he began describing in great detail to Clark the evolution of the area from a swampy marsh to the center of Roman life, in fact, a hub of civilization. Clark nodded and marveled at the ruins, correctly admired the sweep of ancient building hugging the rolling hills and commented in just the right way at just the right time.
Lex looked out at the remnants of a great civilization and thought Rome is where I think of my father holding my hand and explaining patiently why every day was a battle to succeed. Why one must strike first and strike hard, never let one’s guard down, never let the barbarians in, and in dad’s world, everyone not a Luthor was a barbarian. That was what he learned in Rome from his father.
He watched the late afternoon sun paint warm shadows across Clark’s face and smiled. He learned from his mother that if you squeezed a snapdragons jaw, it looked like it was laughing. He knew which lesson he preferred…he wondered briefly if Clark had ever made a snapdragon laugh…
Clark broke in on his thoughts. “Lex?”
“Yes, Clark?”
“Lex…it’s hot. I’d like to buy you an ice-cream.”
“In other words, thus endeth the lesson?” Lex smiled and Clark grinned happily.
“Yep!” Clark looked content—the way he always did when Lex did what he wanted.
God, Clark, I love you, I love you so fucking much….
******
They took their time walking back to the apartment; Lex bought some wine on the way home. Lex grinned when Clark shuddered, looking a bit green at the sight of the bottle and because he felt guilty, Lex let him pick out the cheese and fruit to take home. It was almost dark by the time they made it back to the apartment.
Emilio was about to change to go out when they came in and he greeted them with pleasure. He’d met with his friend earlier and was going to leave later in the evening—why not go out since this was their last evening together in Rome? A club would be fun, wouldn’t it?
Lex shrugged, why not, it should be fun and Clark agreed, can’t hurt, right?
Right.
TBC in part 15
Thank youherohunter, beloved! *kiss*
mecurtin, without whom this story would be …aromatic. She didn’t get a chance to look this bit over so any huge glaring boo-boos are all mine. Thanks also to thecaelum who helped me out of the ditch my brain fell into. Kiss you!The Previous parts of L&C are here, awww-- playing with pick up sticks…oh my god, no, no--don’t look!
When In Rome…
This time, Clark left his bags without a fight, fairly secure that they’d be where they were supposed to be. Lex promised him they’d be delivered to the apartment they were renting for the week they’d spend in Rome—after that they were going on to Austria and then home. Clark felt a huge pang of homesickness. He missed his friends; he even kind of missed the day-to-day routine. Kind of. He sighed a little. This trip was turning out nothing like he’d thought it would. Yes, it was fun, yes, it was very educational-- in a way he’d not expected. Sure, eventually, he’d have discovered why girls just didn’t quite…make him ‘do the whacky’...at home. It was just—being around Lex non-stop really helped to define what it was he liked.
He liked boys.
Period. Full stop.
Hell of a discovery, and wasn’t every one going to be shocked, and wouldn’t Pete find some way to blame it all on Lex. He grinned faintly. Sort of it was Lex’s fault. All slinky and sexy and smelling like…everything in the world he’d ever wanted. Like home and safe and happy and –shit. He was such a girl sometimes. That was Lex’s fault too.
And the fact he was still a virgin, that was Lex’s fault…and what was he going to tell his folks about this thing, why couldn’t Lex just look at him and say, wow, you’re gay! and make a move, why couldn’t Emilio just tell him —slowly Clark’s mood slid from romantic to pissed off.
Lex looked away from the scenery slipping by the limo’s window and caught Clark glaring at him.
“Hey, I thought we resolved your unnatural attachment to your luggage. I promise, it’ll be waiting for you at the apartment, safe and unmolested.”
“I know!” Clark nearly shouted. “I know it will be, darn it!”
Lex and Emilio started at Clark’s outburst, and Emilio began laughing.
Lex frowned. “What? What’s so amusing? What did I miss?”
Emilio chuckled again and Clark was positively vibrating with anger. “You’re such a trouble maker.” He pouted. “You always have to start something.”
Emilio was the very picture of wounded innocence. “Who-- me? When have I done such a thing? Listen; when I leave you in Rome, can I count on you not to kill each other?” Lex looked offended and Clark seemed to swell up like an angry cat. His eyes flashed and a lesser person might have been afraid. Emilio simply smiled back.
“Hey, we did fine in France without a babysitter,” Clark snapped.
Emilio rolled his eyes. “So I heard.”
WHAT! Did Lex tell this guy every thing? Did he know about…he caught Emilio’s amused look and blushed in embarrassment and anger. For a guy who was supposed to be Mr. Reticent, he thought, Lex was a hell of a gossip. God damn, what all did he tell Emilio…and when. And what the hell made him think this—this—jerk was a good guy?
Clark glowered at the other man.
Emilio sighed.
“Clark. Please do not take this in the wrong way, but. Grow. Up.”
Clark snorted “Oh well now, there’s no way I could take *that* in a wrong way. It’s such a compliment!”
Lex looked at them a little puzzled. The conversation may have some meaning for Clark, but he was clueless and not at all eager to join in.
Emilio threw his hands up. “Ah! Sweet, you are breaking my heart, the two of you! You are so…so…”
“Pathetic?” Clark broke in. Lex looked at Clark thoughtfully.
Emilio shook his head. “Mmm—no. Stupid.” he finished.
“Oh, thanks,” Clark muttered. That makes me feel so much better.
*****
The apartment Marlene had arranged for them was spacious, two bedroom, one and a half bath, and furnished with excellent period style pieces. Two bedroom only because Emilio was leaving them to spend time with a friend of his.
Clark heard a commotion in the small hallway off the foyer and walked in to find that their bags had arrived, and Lex was standing there, opening one of Marlene’s packets, looking through notes and tickets and smiling to himself. He whistled quietly as he sorted through the materials and Clark was struck by how relaxed Lex looked. At home when he hung out, he was always one phone call away from shutting him out….
“Hey, Lex—we get our marching orders?” he grinned.
Lex laughed. “I guess you could say that, be ready for a lot of walking.”
Clark nodded. “Sounds good to me!”
In theory, the Rome visit would be a quiet, reflective, educational visit.
In theory,
*****
And Stuff Blows Up…Figuratively
It was warm in the apartment. Very warm, and apparently sometime during the night, someone had stolen into his bedroom and coated him with a thin film of grease. His mouth was puckered and tasted horrible, and he couldn’t wait to brush his teeth and shower until he felt human again, however long it took.
The elegant bathroom at least felt like a soothing oasis in the stupidity that was his life. Why was it that when he tried to do the right thing, it always felt …wrong—painfully wrong? He stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over him. He grabbed a bottle of soap blindly, and jumped when he opened the cap. Clark. Clark had….
He’d grabbed Clark’s soap by mistake. It smelled…like Clark. He poured a small amount in his hand and rubbed it over his chest, sniffing. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.
It went as far as his crotch and stopped. There was warming there, and rising, and hands moving lower and panting, Clark was on his knees and his mouth was open, a big hand was squeezing and rubbing, a thumb slipping around the tip of--god, fantasy was wonderful—and then reality raised it’s ugly head. Lex’s enthusiasm flagged. after last night…
Lex was fairly certain that he might have…screwed up….
******
The previous day, their first day in Rome, had started out nicely.
The Colosseum was impressive, still as overpowering as when he’d first seen it as a skinny little kid. And to take in these sights with Clark, it should have been really special…it *was*--
Clark had been full of questions, why and how and where, and Lex had answered carefully and as thoroughly as he could.
It was hard to put into words why it felt so horribly right to tread the grounds that Caesars had once walked, where games were played in which human lives hung in the balance and an imperial thumbs up or down decided the outcome. He could tell Clark why the Colosseum was here, and how it came to be but could he explain to him why it felt like home? Not in a pleasant or comfortable way by any means—it rather reminded him of his life.
He stared for a long time out over the floor of the arena where once heroes died or lived. Clark wouldn’t be out of place in those ranks, he thought, and a vision of him naked except for armor and a sword in his hand, standing alone under a clear hot sun burning down on the sand of the Colosseum, stunned him. Like a young god, that’s how he saw him, and given half the chance Lex would fight his way through a centuria for the opportunity to drop to his knees and worship him the way he should be.
Clark turned towards him and Lex suddenly found the archways behind them utterly fascinating, and hoped the shadows would hide his flaming face. He needed to go away from him, needed to regain self-control and more importantly he needed to have a serious word with his tailor. Pants like these should not be binding, for as costly as they were, he really should have comfortable non-binding---oh for god’s sake, if Clark was going to bend over like that…Lex shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for Clark to stop examining whatever it was that caught his eye and stand upright again. The word erect certainly never once crossed his mind.
******
They strolled along the streets, looking at shops as Clark made notes about what he wanted to get everyone, and Lex pretended to be interested. He watched Clark walk towards a crowd of tourists, his long legs carrying him swiftly through them, and Lex enjoyed the play of sunlight over the golden hairs dusting his calves and his fingers itched to feel them, he wondered if they were as soft as the looked…god, he’d smack himself but everyone would think he was insane—what the hell, the uncontrolled drooling probably took care of that for him.
They stopped for lunch at a pizzeria, and Clark was impressed that Lex would voluntarily eat pizza until he took a bite of the crisp crust and garden fresh ingredients. He chewed slowly, thoughtfully, and declared it delicious. His eyes closed in enjoyment and his tongue flicked up any crumbs on his lips and Lex watched and wondered if it he should have this pizza flown in for pizza and movie nights at the Castle. He planned to give it some serious consideration.
Clark took pictures of him enjoying the pizza, and Lex smiled widely for the camera. He smiled a lot that afternoon, between the warmth of the sun and the warmth of Clark’s skin against his whenever they sat to rest because he sat so close to him the hairs on his arms tickled his skin…torture. Pure and absolutely pleasurable torture.
They toured the Forum, and as Clark listened to Lex, his eyes locked on his, Lex composed silent little poems to himself about Clark’s eyes, which in the afternoon light were the exact color of a calm ocean. Clark’s attention was concentrated on him, and Lex found he was feeling a little faint under the intense regard...Idiot, he scolded himself. Fool!
This was getting ridiculous. If he didn’t do something about this soon, he was going to explode.
So he began describing in great detail to Clark the evolution of the area from a swampy marsh to the center of Roman life, in fact, a hub of civilization. Clark nodded and marveled at the ruins, correctly admired the sweep of ancient building hugging the rolling hills and commented in just the right way at just the right time.
Lex looked out at the remnants of a great civilization and thought Rome is where I think of my father holding my hand and explaining patiently why every day was a battle to succeed. Why one must strike first and strike hard, never let one’s guard down, never let the barbarians in, and in dad’s world, everyone not a Luthor was a barbarian. That was what he learned in Rome from his father.
He watched the late afternoon sun paint warm shadows across Clark’s face and smiled. He learned from his mother that if you squeezed a snapdragons jaw, it looked like it was laughing. He knew which lesson he preferred…he wondered briefly if Clark had ever made a snapdragon laugh…
Clark broke in on his thoughts. “Lex?”
“Yes, Clark?”
“Lex…it’s hot. I’d like to buy you an ice-cream.”
“In other words, thus endeth the lesson?” Lex smiled and Clark grinned happily.
“Yep!” Clark looked content—the way he always did when Lex did what he wanted.
God, Clark, I love you, I love you so fucking much….
******
They took their time walking back to the apartment; Lex bought some wine on the way home. Lex grinned when Clark shuddered, looking a bit green at the sight of the bottle and because he felt guilty, Lex let him pick out the cheese and fruit to take home. It was almost dark by the time they made it back to the apartment.
Emilio was about to change to go out when they came in and he greeted them with pleasure. He’d met with his friend earlier and was going to leave later in the evening—why not go out since this was their last evening together in Rome? A club would be fun, wouldn’t it?
Lex shrugged, why not, it should be fun and Clark agreed, can’t hurt, right?
Right.
TBC in part 15
Thank you
herohunter, beloved! *kiss*Tags: