Towel Day

by a campbell

Smallville, Clark Kent/Lex Luthor, PG-13

For danceswithgary's Towel Day Challenge.. Written in one sitting, not very polished (no pun intended), unbeta'd. And it's done before midnight!

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"Clark, you don’t have to do this." Not only was it close to ninety degrees in the shade, but the outdoor thermometer was still climbing. In more ways than one. Lex settled back in the lounge chair, strategically placed under the shadiest tree near the drive by the mansion garage. He sipped iced mint tea and raised his brows as he watched Clark, wondering how he could be comfortable working in the broiling sun, not even breaking a sweat--he’d burn to a cinder himself, even with the precaution of several layers of 45 SPF sunscreen. And musing on just how he could look so damn gorgeous all the time, and particularly this afternoon.

"You’re always doing things for me." Clark thinned his lips and swabbed the natural sponge over the black Spyder’s left rear fender. "Just for a change, I wanted to do something for you." His big fingers gripped the sponge and squeezed so that soapy water dripped in glops on the finish and coursed down the side of the car to pool on the ground.

"I have people to take care of my cars for me."

"Yeah, the whole fleet. But I know this one’s as close to a favorite as you have. I’ll bet when your ‘people’ do this, they just do the minimum, no matter how much you’re paying them. This is going to be a hand-wash—they say it’s the best way to do it—and a wax. A good one."

An elaborate shrug. "Whatever floats your boat." He simply wouldn’t let his mind go where it was headed full speed based on the power of Clark’s last remark. He banished visions of body waxes and hand-jobs through sheer force of will and shifted on the lounge.

Clark jabbed a finger in his direction and leveled him a mildly stern glance. "You just sit there and relax. I mean it, Lex.” He leaned down to pick up the running hose, squinted and sprayed.

Lex didn’t argue further. Instead, he refilled his tea from the sweating pitcher on the lawn table and settled back to enjoy the show. The spray kicked back, soaking Clark’s t-shirt and denim cutoffs, and well--things just didn’t get any better than this.

Clark sputtered, then gave a little, embarrassed laugh, swiping the back of his hand across his brow. "So I get the klutz award for today." Then, one of those huge grins that invariably made Lex’s heart execute a near-gymnastic flip in his chest.

Lex smiled back, eyes drooping half closed. The favors he did for Clark were nothing to him, certainly no hardship temporally or financially: rides to school, press-box tickets to football games, lawyers when his family needed help, invitations to concerts in Metropolis. But maybe now wasn't the time to tip his hand. He watched as Clark picked up a dry towel draped over the side of the bucket that held the soapy water. With a small frown of concentration, he began to buff the car’s surface

Water beaded on Clark’s bangs and dripped down his brow into his eyes. Lex observed how his damp hair was forming into messy curls as it dried, and how the soaked azure shirt clung to his chest, showing the hard nipples beneath.

The first towel sopping wet, Clark bent to grab another, moving around to the other side of the car, affording Lex a view of his back that showcased shapely calves and, higher up, shoulderblades under wet fabric.

Clark might think the car wash was his main and most thoughtful gift this afternoon, but he didn’t know the half of it.

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