For The Good Times by Joanne Collins

Disclaimer: Smallville characters and situations are not mine. They belong to the WB, Millar/Gough, DC Comics and many other people who are not me. I’ll return them as I found them. Yes, even Lex.

***

Lex could never remember the exact details of the accident. He went over and over it in his mind, figured out the fluctuations in temperature, that he hadn't quite compensated for *something*, but he would never know exactly what it was that had led to the chemicals reacting so badly that they exploded so spectacularly and destroyed the entire building.

Not to mention almost killing him. He knew that if it had been anyone else, there wouldn't have been an almost in that statement, but lying here in the hospital, sometimes he wondered if it wouldn't have been better. Not that he'd do anything to help it along, it just seemed to him that after all the tests and operations and therapy that he should at least be capable of walking again.

Even the knowledge at first that he wouldn't walk again hadn't sunk in. It wasn't that he was in denial, though the first four therapists the hospital had brought in had said that without even listening to him. It had simply not been in his world view that it could be real. He had accepted it after talking with the fifth therapist, the only one who had bothered to talk to him.

Of course that had been the one Clark sent. Lex wasn't at all surprised. Clark knew too much about him. That he had trust issues - whole subscriptions as Chloe used to say. He smiled as he remembered that, accidentally walking in on her and Clark talking about his and Clark's new at the time relationship. It was what had taken place after that he remembered best, though.

Clark had come over to him and taken his hand, the first time he'd done so in front of one of his friends. "Lex has trust issues, but I'm helping him work through them," he'd said and smiled. Then Chloe had hugged them both and politely thrown them out of the office, saying she knew Clark was useless for reporting for the rest of the day and Lex might as well get the benefits. And Lex certainly had...

It was more than a little frustrating to be able to remember this and not the details of the explosion. He'd been told, over and over, that it was unlikely that he'd ever get the memory of those moments back. That he'd never know exactly what it was that had caused the accident that had left his legs completely useless. It was not good for his orderly brain. It frustrated him more than it had when he'd thought for a while that he wouldn't be able to make love to Clark again. Well, almost.

The doctors had thought the damage was above his waist. That would pretty much have meant that everything below was useless, but either Lex's healing ability had helped or the prognosis had been premature, because once the swelling in his spinal cord had gone down, his legs had regained a little feeling, though sadly that had been as far as it had gone with them. He'd even accepted that maybe the sex wouldn't happen, but a wet dream a few weeks after that had proved that wrong. He hadn't even been that embarrassed when the nurse had cleaned him up. Though he would have really preferred to wait for Clark, he hadn't wanted to lie there sticky for half the morning. Of course, when Clark had found out, he'd almost got sticky again at the promises Clark made to him of what they were going to do once he got him out of the hospital. Though he had got the last word in by reminding Clark that the room was private and he had given the hospital so much money that no one would blink if he sent down to the pharmacy for condoms. Clark's blush had resembled a stop sign, and Lex had laughed more than he had since the explosion.

Clark had eventually agreed that they would make love *when* the doctor okayed it, feeling that it would probably not be in Lex's health's best interest if they did anything before that. Reluctantly - because he seemed to get hard at a breeze blowing over him, let alone when Clark touched him - Lex had agreed. Though he'd found it quite funny - because of course he and Clark had never stopped touching and kissing and just playing - when he'd had to ask Clark to stop or deal with the consequences if he kissed him again. It was strange how quickly Clark had suggested calling the doctor to check him out after that - not that he hadn't been due to come around later as part of Lex's routine, but they would have had to wait a few hours at least, without Clark making the call.

Clark hadn't even been able to stay in the room, he was still so young sometimes Lex had thought, while Lex had discussed his recovery process with the doctor. Clark had adjourned to the lounge and spectacularly awful coffee while Lex had been poked, prodded and checked over - none of it in the fun way. Still, at least he'd received the go ahead - with the usual medical caveat of being careful and stopping if anything hurt or felt odd - to resume his sex life with Clark.

Clark had liked that too, Lex remembered with a chuckle. Especially when they'd been snuggled together, just kissing and touching, and Lex had whimpered. It had taken a moment for Clark to process - Lex had almost been able to track it on Clark's face, but once he had, he'd asked Lex if he would need to send down to the pharmacy. Lex had shaken his head. He'd already done that - partly in hope and partly with a notion of slipping one on as he went to sleep to mitigate the mess in the morning if he had a wet dream again. The look of relief on Clark's face was priceless, though the one when he figured out that he hadn't needed the condom - because he'd ended up sucking Lex off - was even better. Not to mention feeling Clark's mouth again. Just the thought of it could still make Lex hard, that first time after such a long dry spell.

After some discussion, they'd decided not to try going further while Lex was in the hospital. To leave something for their first time when Lex came home, and also, although Lex had a bigger bed due to his financial position, it still was a little small for them both to really let go and enjoy it without worrying about rolling off or the wrong part of Lex being squashed, especially if he couldn't feel it. And it wasn't like there weren't plenty of ways for them to have fun and to love each other.

Lex had been grateful that their relationship had never been solely about penetration. It was a wonderful part of it, but it wasn't a huge adjustment for them to decide to wait because it had never been a focus. And Clark's fingers or mouth were as good - sometimes better, depending on his mood or what part of him had been stimulated and how - as his cock inside Lex, or Lex's cock inside him.

Lex looked out of his window. It was a large one, and the hospital building was huge. Lex had donated the building many years ago, it had once held offices, and been a tall building that had lit up the city at night. But there had been some specialists who hadn't had room in the smaller hospitals throughout Metropolis, but didn't want to go to the bustle of Metropolis General. They'd applied for a permit to start a practice and as Lex had known the building was about to fall empty, it had seemed natural to donate it. He had asked for one thing in the process.

There was a small area on the roof that no one ever went to. There was no fence, or anything designating it as private property. It was just something that was mentioned to all staff when they started working at the hospital. Even before the explosion, Lex had often escaped to it, when he'd needed to be alone, just the wind in his face and, later, Clark alone with him. They'd looked out on the city lights and kissed and talked and planned. Sometimes, Lex would have a chair, but he rarely did. It was just a place he could be himself and he didn't want any trappings - beyond perhaps his clothes if they could be called that - from his life to interfere with that. That was one of the reasons he hadn't been there since the explosion. He'd never be able to be there without life hitting him hard.

He'd thought about asking Clark to take him, in his arms. It would be no problem for Clark, of course, but he'd never quite felt comfortable asking Clark to use his abilities to help him, and even though he still preferred Clark to be the one to lift him if he was available and there was no one around, it felt wrong to ask this.

And that was why the events of the evening had been so wonderful. Lex had been expecting Clark for dinner. They'd eaten and talked and laughed together. But it was Clark's suggestion that they take a walk, get some air, that had led to Lex moving to the chair and getting a shake of Clark's head. He'd wondered what Clark had meant, even when Clark's arms had gone around him, and lifted him. When he'd been asked to close his eyes, Lex had complied. The invitation to open them, minutes later, even though he'd known they were outside, had been accompanied by a smile from Clark that had almost made Lex to forget to look where they were.

Of course they'd been on the roof, in Lex's place. Clark had said that he would bring Lex there whenever he could. Lex had kissed Clark and thanked him, and that's when he'd shared with Clark the news he'd gotten earlier, that he would be going home in a week providing all his tests came back clear.

Lex had thought Clark's smile could light up the night sky.

FINIS