Similis

"Remind Clark that I expect him not to stop up late tonight, and I'll ring tomorrow morning to check that you're both okay. Otherwise, we'll see you both when we get back from the farm show." Martha was saying, "Will you be okay, sweetie? I mean, with waiting here until Clark can come by and pick you up?"



Haze gave her a reassuring nod.



"Haze is more than welcome to stay here until we close up, Mrs Kent." Lana promised, handing Haze a brimming cup of hot chocolate. "Clark should be back long before that. I've got a couple of books I can lend Haze if he gets bored, and besides if it stays quiet in here this evening then Haze has promised to sit for me as my model," She smiled sweetly, "I don't want to get out of practice with my sketching."



"Well, so long as you're sure?" Martha glanced at her watch. "Jonathan will be by any minute. Clark should be along in about two hours."



Leaning over, Haze gave Martha an affectionate squeeze, and a kiss on the forehead, making her chuckle. "You will really have to teach Clark how you do that…" She told him softly. "He's still not quite got the hang of it." The sound of the truck pulling up outside caught her attention. "Oh, that's Jon now…" She gave Haze one last look and then hurried outside.







"Clucky, much?" Chloe asked, hefting the cardboard box she was holding onto the counter. "Sorry, Haze, I know Martha's your surrogate mom and all, but…"



Haze grinned and nodded in agreement, sipping at his drink and idly leaning back so he could watch the tail end of the truck vanish out of his line of sight.



Is he watching her go, or checking that she's really gone? Chloe stood and stared at the thin brown line of froth on Haze's upper lip and wondered if Haze would take it as a joke if she offered to lick it off, or if there was any chance at all that he would take her up on the offer?



Although judging by the way Lana is eyeing Haze, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea. It hadn’t escaped Chloe’s notice that Lana also seemed to be more than a little interested in Clark's new brother.



Are we doomed to always be caught in a perpetual tug-of-war over the same people? Just for a moment, Chloe wondered if it would be ungracious of her to suggest that the two of them just toss a coin and each take one of the boys?



Lana and Clark are practically perfect for each other, all that seething angst… Not that Clark wasn't cute enough for Chloe to have overlooked any such flaw, should the opportunity ever arise...



I'm not greedy, I only want one of them. Either would do really. Surely that isn't asking too much? Yeah, right…



Blinking herself back to reality, Chloe locked her arms around the box again and prepared to help Lana shift whatever this stuff was into the upstairs storage area.



"Lana, is this one going in the same place as the other two?" She asked.



"Uhm, oh yes." Lana replied, tearing her attention away from Haze with obvious reluctance. "Thanks."







By now Haze had noticed the struggle that Chloe was having, and putting his drink aside, he gestured to her.



"Oh, you'll take it upstairs for me if I want?" Chloe interpreted. "Well, I wouldn't say no, assuming that Lana doesn't mind?"



"No, that's fine. Actually I felt a bit guilty about roping you into helping in the first place, Chloe." Lana admitted. "If I hadn't been manning the counter during the afternoon rush I would have moved them properly myself. I got them as far out of the danger zone as possible, but I don’t dare leave them stacked down here for long. I really don't want a citation for creating a safety hazard."



Haze glanced in the direction that Lana was pointing. Five more of the boxes stood just at the edge of one of the entrances where the delivery person had stacked them. If there was a large influx, some enterprising person was bound to try squeezing through past the back of the chairs, making it practically inevitable that they would fail to notice the boxes and fall straight over them.



"What are friends for?" Chloe managed to cut Lana off without seeming to. "Oh, and Haze, they're really dusty." She warned. "It was lucky that Lana keeps this old shirt handy for when she's painting." She slipped out of the borrowed garment. "It won't fit you, though… You could wear it as gloves, maybe?"



Haze shrugged and neatly took off his own outer shirt, folding it over the back of a nearby chair. He looked at the boxes and made an immediate decision. His black t-shirt followed the blue plaid onto the chair back. The girls quietly exchanged approving glances as he strolled over to the stack and taking two boxes into his arms, looked expectantly at Lana.



"Oh, sure, you need to know where to put them!" Lana caught on.



"I can show Haze …" Chloe jumped in. "I mean, you're busy serving and all that…"



"There isn't anyone in here right now, except us." Lana pointed out equally quickly. "I can spare a few minutes, I'm hardly rushed off my feet anymore." She didn’t seem to notice that she was now effectively totally contradicting her previous statement.



Chloe wrinkled her nose in frustration. She had shifted two of the damn things already, and had started on the third; surely she was entitled to a little personal compensation? A chance to ogle Haze in his half-naked glory would have fitted the bill just about perfectly.



Only now Lana wants to butt in. Typical!



As luck would have it, just at that moment, a solitary customer walked in through the front door.



"Oh, hi Sheriff!" Lana said brightly. "Did you want your usual?"



"Please." Adams pursed her lips and glanced over at the shirts. "Starting a trend, Mr Kent?" She asked tersely.



Haze adjusted the boxes in his arms and smiled at the Sheriff, shaking his head.



"Haze is just helping us do a little shifting." Lana told their visitor hurriedly.



"Oh, so it's you, Haze?" Adams visibly unclenched. "Lending a hand, eh?"



Haze nodded and looked at Chloe and nodded at the stairs.



"Good lad. It's nice to see someone making things better for a change." The Sheriff approved. "Don't even try talking with your hands full, though," She insisted. "We don't want any accidents."



Politely inclining his head, Haze trotted after Chloe, who had wasted no time in eagerly seizing the heaven-sent opportunity.







"There's a place for them over here, Haze." Chloe told him, pointing out the area that Lana had set aside in the corner of the apartment, and admiring the ripple of muscle as Haze deftly set the two boxes into place. He glanced at her and gave a friendly smile. The light from the far windows illuminated his eyes perfectly, highlighting tiny golden flecks mixed in among the other shades.



Does Clark have those too? Chloe knew she was staring, but couldn't resist. What would Clark's eyes look like in this sort of light? She tried to remember.



Haze's grin widened, and he passed his hand in front of her face.



"Sorry, I guess I was spacing out a little just then." Chloe confessed. Haze shrugged and seemed not to mind. Heading for the door he glanced back over his shoulder at her.



"No, you go ahead, I'll be right behind you." Chloe told him, and following him down the stairs she was able to enjoy a perfect close-up of his tight arse, chiselled waist and broad shoulders. Licking suddenly dry lips, Chloe grinned to herself.



That makes up for at least two of those boxes.







As he passed Haze signed a proper hello to the Sheriff. In return Adams gave him an approving grin. Bending Haze lifted up another two boxes, apparently oblivious to the three females openly admiring the show. Carrying the weight easily, he strolled past them again, stepped lightly up the stairs and vanished in through the apartment door.



"Whew." Chloe sighed. Lana merely pressed her lips together and nodded in approval.



Adams gave them both a wry glance. "Now you two are both smart girls, surely between you, you can both come up with something else to keep that lad shirtless for at least another hour?" She supposed.



"Why, Sheriff!" Lana chuckled. "What are you suggesting?"



The Sheriff smiled. "I'm not so old that I don't remember how these things work. Don't get to fighting over him though. Wouldn't do to give a fella the idea that he is that important… Not even that one."



"Makes sense." Chloe nodded.



"Sure does." Lana considered the idea. "I might ask Haze to pose for me without his shirt. That would be reasonable, wouldn't it?" She looked at Chloe.



"Oh, yeah." Chloe sighed. "Mmmm. Very reasonable."



"There, you already sorted it. Knew you could." The Sheriff put her empty cup on the counter, and paid her tab.



Wandering past, Haze confidently picked up the last of the boxes from the floor, teamed it up with the one that Chloe had left on the counter, and carried everything upstairs.



"One of my cousins has a boy who is hearing impaired." The Sheriff was explaining to Lana, "I learned to sign so we could communicate. It's nice to be able to practice occasionally. Keeps me fresh." She shrugged. "Well, that's it for my coffee break. See you next time." She signed 'Goodbye' to Haze as he returned to his appreciative audience. Haze's smile brightened, and he duplicated the gesture.







By the time the two girls had watched the door shut behind the normally close-mouthed older woman, Haze had dusted himself off and was reaching for his t-shirt.



For a moment Chloe thought that Lana had either forgotten or was going to chicken out.



"Oh, Haze, since it does seem to be a quiet evening, would you mind if I sketched you like that now?" Lana asked hurriedly. "You could sit over there on one of the high stools?"



Haze signed that he was okay with that, and setting his shirt back down, took up a position at the counter.



Chloe watched with growing envy as Lana fussed around, adjusting Haze until she was happy with the pose.



She gets to touch him! Chloe knew she was being irrational, but there was temptation right in front of her and she could only look! Still, she cheered herself with the thought that she was at least able to do that much… She could have just as easily been stuck outside peering in the windows, and would have had no hesitation in doing so, if that had proved necessary.





"Lana, can I get myself a refill?" She asked.



Lana smiled over Haze's arm. "Sure. But mind the Espresso machine, I've booked it in for a service call, it's been clogging today."



"Clogging?"



"The steam jet has been hissing and spitting. I can't decide if it's the valve or the tap." Lana theorised.



"Whoa! Getting too technical on me!" Chloe laughed. "So that's why you have the wet tea towel draped over it today?"



"Yes." Lana grinned, and took up a pencil and pad.



Chloe finished refilling her own drink. "Anyone else want anything, while I'm here?" Haze shook his head, careful not to move from the position in which Lana had him posed.



"Oh, thanks Chloe, I'd love …" Whatever Lana was about to say was lost in a sudden short hiss.



Startled, Chloe turned, instinctively realising that something was going badly wrong with the machine beside her. Sitting up straight, Haze gestured for her to get out from behind the counter, and quickly.



"I can't!" Chloe squeaked. "That means going right past it!"



Haze urgently held out his arms and indicated that Chloe should jump onto the counter and let him lift her over it.



Rescue and maybe a chance for an 'accidental' grope? Oh yeah! Chloe was definitely up for that! Even as she was moving onto tiptoe the hissing became furious, turning into a full-fledged growl as Haze's hands locked tight around her waist.



Leaning right across the counter and bracing himself, Haze prepared to pull her over to him. Behind her the machine began to rattle. Chloe cried out in fright, she felt her feet leave the floor as Haze hauled her hurriedly toward him.



"Hurry!" Lana squeaked.



Chloe's feet were almost over the counter when the scalding jet of pressurised liquid burst out of the machine. Licking up her bare leg it doused the pair of them in steaming grounds. Haze flinched but with a supreme effort, continued to yank Chloe clear.



"Oh, my god!" Lana was panic-stricken.



"Cold water!" Chloe gasped. "Quick!"



Rushing for the fire hose and turning it half-on, Lana held it on the both of them.



It was only then that Chloe realised that Haze had deliberately kept himself between her and most of the hot liquid. While she had gotten a wide scald from her knee down to her ankle, almost the entire upper left half of Haze, from his ear down to his waist had been coated in hot dark sludge.







"I'll call 911!" Lana blurted, reaching for her cell phone only to realise that it had been resting on the counter and was now a casualty of the coffee. She rushed for the landline, finding that part of the cable had been caught by the exploding liquid as well, and dangled uselessly down the wall, melted into a solid lump. Chloe's phone and bag were both similarly missing in action.



"We have to get you both treated, as soon as possible!" Lana was firm. "I'll drive you myself." Now where were her keys? Oh, on the other side of the counter and somewhere under the mounds of ominously steaming coffee sludge…







Haze was already bending to examine Chloe's leg.



Despite the terrible burning pain in her leg, Chloe was only too aware of the angry scalds that had been left all over Haze even after Lana's prompt actions with the hose. If her leg was this bad, what must he be going through, with at least twice the surface area affected?



"Haze! We have to get you to hospital now," She insisted anxiously. "You've been scalded a lot worse than I have! You could go into shock."



Staring up at Chloe with concern, Haze shook his head, then looking over at Lana he gestured for her to stop.



"Stop? I need to find my keys! The longer that those wounds aren't treated, the more likely they are to scar…" Lana stared at the scarlet blaze of raw flesh that trailed the whole way down Chloe's lower leg. "Oh, Chloe…"



Haze made a decision. Dropping to one knee he placed one hand on Chloe's leg just above the damaged area and wrapped the other around her ankle below the last of it.



"What," Chloe didn't have time to complete the question before the pain was gone. Utterly and completely gone! Amazed as much by the sudden absence of the burning agony, even more than the means by which it might have been achieved, she fell silent and gaped.



Haze was kneeling at her feet, the angry red on his own skin fading even as she watched. Was she imagining a faint light around him?



Bending, Chloe looked him in the eyes. "I would never have gotten out of that without a scar," She breathed, "You just healed both of us, didn't you?"



Haze nodded, and then seemed to lose all strength. Leaning heavily on her, he panted, eyes closed. There was no trace of the light now, if it had been there at all.



"What was that?" Lana hurried over. "Haze? What did you do?" As usual when she noticed that something odd had happened, she sounded totally flustered.



"Haze healed us." Chloe was less fragile. "And we aren't going to tell anyone about this." She said firmly.



"Do you think Haze is one of the meteor mutants?" Lana wondered, suddenly wide-eyed.







"Don't be so bloody stupid, Lana." Chloe replied sharply. "And I don't care even if he is." She added defiantly, taking the opportunity to run her fingers over her newly healed leg and finding no discernible difference between the previously damaged area and the surrounding flesh. If not for the choking smell of coffee it might never have happened at all.



"If you're sure?" Lana was apparently gradually adjusting to the idea that Haze was rather more than she had supposed him to be. Already she looked a little less panicked, although she was still staring at Haze a little less adoringly than before.



Chloe sighed at the sheer hypocrisy of the girl.



And what exactly did you think Haze was, Lana? Didn't you find it the tiniest bit implausible that Clark suddenly found himself with a twin? Someone who appeared unexpectedly out of nowhere one day and just happened to look more like a clone than a sibling?



In the privacy of her own head, Chloe could be as scathing as she wanted, and right now the Perfect Pink Princess was on the verge of pissing her off royally.



Didn't you ever think to wonder how that might have come about? Or were you just thinking about how you could be getting a chance at a newer and equally handsome, but less fucked-up, version of Clark?



Whatever the explanation, Haze had saved her from having to go through hours of agony, not to mention probably months, if not years, of plastic surgery to undo the damage, therefore Chloe decided that she could care less how he might have done it. It was enough for her that he had.



"Lana, why don't you get a broom handle and make sure that that machine is switched of at the socket and not going to explode?" She suggested, keeping part of her attention on Haze and part on Lana.



While Lana fussed around in the storeroom, presumably deciding which broom would co-ordinate best with her current outfit, Chloe seized advantage of the opportunity. Haze was still leaning against her legs, and she decided that while she rather liked it, a view that included his face would be even nicer.



"Haze?" She reached down and dared to run her hands through the silky dark hair. Chloe had been wanting to do that for longer than she could remember! She knew that she would never have been able to do that to Clark, at least not without sending the shy farm boy into full panic mode. Weakly, Haze glanced up at her, seeming not to notice her hands on him.



"Can you stand?" Chloe asked him. Haze shook his head.



He looks utterly exhausted.



"If I helped you, could you get onto one of the benches?" She wondered. "It's soaking wet down there, and dirty."



Evidently Haze was no keener on being wet or dirty than Chloe was, and with her help he was able to make it up onto one of the long banquettes, where he all-but collapsed again, with his head resting on her lap.







Chloe would have been more worried about Haze, but gradually his eyes began flickering open at increasingly regular intervals and he appeared to be reviving. Their hands seemed to jump together, at least that was how Chloe would have explained it, had she been asked to do so. The huge warm hand felt wonderful dwarfing hers, his skin was just work-roughened enough to offer a definite texture without being so hardened that it was uncomfortable.



"Chloe." Lana leant against a mop. Evidently she had been clearing up the mess, as the floor was clean again, if still a little moist.



"Sorry, I was in another galaxy." Chloe apologised.



"How is Haze?" Lana asked, finally seeming to have recovered her normal equilibrium.



Chloe looked down. Haze nodded and sat up. "Fine, I guess." Chloe offered.



"Oh, your clothes are covered in coffee grounds…" Lana finally noticed the state of Haze. The side of his body that had been nearest to the machine was still strongly marked with the solidifying remains of the dark ooze. Lana had picked up his t-shirt from the floor and was holding it at arms length, nose wrinkling. As Haze had climbed onto the banquette, the oily slick had spread all the way down his jeans too. Even his other shirt seemed to have caught an unhealthy amount of the spray, despite having been left draped over the nearby chair.



"Mrs Kent will go mad if she finds this." Lana decided. "Stay right there for one minute." Quickly, she shut the blinds and turned the signs to 'closed'.



"Take off all of your wet things and drop them in here, Haze." Lana ordered briskly, offering him the empty bucket. "I'll take them up to the flat and put them in the machine. We can have them clean, dry, and back on you in less than an hour."



"Lana…" Chloe was about to raise a protest, but evidently Haze was not at all concerned, as he bent towards his shoes. With the lights on outside, and most of the internal lighting off, it was next to impossible for anyone passing by to have seen anything of what was going on inside the Talon.



"No, I'll help!" Returning, Lana hurriedly knelt at Haze's feet and began undoing the laces on his sneakers.



Chloe realised that this had only part to do with Lana wanting to assist Haze, and just as much in her ensuring that no more mess ended up back on her clean floor. Privately, she decided that for an artist, Lana definitely lacked imagination. The situation offered ample opportunity for a subtle grope if done properly, Lana naturally didn't seem to even notice.



And Lana complains that Clark is oblivious!







Putting down a dry cloth for Haze to stand on as he undressed, Lana continued micro-managing. "There's a shower in the apartment, you can go up and use that." She announced. "I'll bring you an extra towel and try and find you something to wear until your own stuff is dry."



"Uhm, Lana." Chloe decided it was time for a small reality check.



"Chloe?"



"What's Haze going to wear on the way IN to the apartment?"



"Oh."



"Yeah." Chloe grinned. The look on Lana's face was priceless.



Both of the girls stifled identical gasps as Haze peeled his jeans off without the slightest hint of embarrassment and slid them carefully into the bucket.



"Boxers." Lana sighed.



The two girls watched in silent admiration as Haze padded across the floor and up the stairs with only a wry smile and a modest amount of thin fabric to cover his assets.



"Bugger." Chloe breathed, once he was out of sight, and presumably out of hearing range too.



"Chloe?" Lana looked a little shocked.



"I was rather hoping that Haze went commando." Chloe told her without even a hint of shame.



"You are wicked!" Lana giggled.



"I would be, if anyone gave me the chance." Chloe sighed.



"Well, I can't give you the chance to be any more wicked than that," Lana said thoughtfully, "But I can give you the chance to wait here and Clark-watch while I go up and put these in the washing machine. That boy is bound to turn up the second my back is turned and if this isn't done quickly the stain will set and then Mrs Kent will have my hide for letting Haze's clothes get ruined."



"'Kay." Chloe grinned. While she would have dearly liked to go up and perhaps catch a sneaky peak at Haze, she wasn't about to volunteer to do his laundry. Just in case something went wrong… Martha Kent was scary.







"Haze?" Lana called from just outside the bathroom door. "I'm about to start the washing machine." She looked at the floor and noticed the boxers, and the large wet coffee slick around the waistband.



"I've found your, uhm, boxers, I'm going to put those in too." She called. "The wash should take about 35 minutes. I've also brought you another towel. Unfortunately there aren't any bigger ones… I'm just going into the other storage area to see if there are any overalls that might fit you. Maybe I can find you something to put on while you're waiting for your things to be ready?"



There was no answer, but she hadn't expected one anyway. Tiptoeing up to the door, Lana opened it just enough to place the towel on the shelf, so that Haze would see it as soon as he stepped out of the shower. She definitely didn’t want him to think she was spying on him though.



Satisfied that she had done everything that she could do at this stage, Lana wandered off into the other room to see if she could drag out anything for Haze to put on? The idea of seeing him naked was undeniably appealing, even with the added complication of Chloe being around, but Lana had the distinct feeling that it would only lead to trouble. Besides, she didn't want Haze to catch cold…







"Chloe!" Clark banged on the main door, his x-ray vision clearly showing him the identity of the room's only occupant even through the brick wall. He had to consciously stop himself from simply tearing the lock apart as he waited anxiously for the blonde to get over and open the door.



"Chloe, what happened?" Everything looked normal enough in here, except … why were all the lights off? Where was Haze, and Lana? And was it just him or was the smell of coffee unbelievably strong in here this evening?







Opening the door, Chloe was amazed at the concern written all over Clark. It was like he already knew that something had gone wrong this evening…



"Where's Haze?!" Clark sounded utterly frantic.



"Upstairs… But Clark…" Chloe was already talking to herself. She had never seen anything move so fast. It was as if Clark blurred across the room. The sound of his feet pounding up the stairs followed along almost as an afterthought…







Feeling the pain running down their link, Clark had almost abandoned the truck at the side of the road and run straight here to find Haze, but as he was already driving into the town limits at the time it would have only raised even more suspicions, and going into 'Clark-time' might well have had additional consequences for Haze. Instead he forced himself to concentrate on driving, and staying generally available in case Haze had to draw on him.



Since that moment, the feeling of Haze being with him had drifted in and out. Stuck in slow moving traffic and growing increasingly terrified that something dreadful had happened to Haze, Clark had already worked himself into a state approaching terror before he had even parked the truck.



Clark was already guilt-ridden at having totally monopolised Haze over the entire weekend that they had spent with Lex. Regardless of what the other two had said, he was perfectly well-aware that Lex and Haze would have been much better off without him there.



That way Lex would have gotten some sleep. Or at least he wouldn't have minded not sleeping! Clark's face flamed as he recalled the way the other two had been intimately intertwined the first time he had woken that night, screaming, from the nightmare. Of course his two friends had dismissed his mortification, and had relocated to Clark's bed and laid there, close beside him for the rest of the time he was asleep, but Clark knew in his heart of hearts what they would have been doing.



And it wouldn’t have been baby sitting me…



By the second evening even Haze had been looking a little frazzled. While the angel didn’t usually sleep, he was still fatigued from the efforts he had put into healing Clark, and being woken by Clark thrashing about was not the nicest alarm call. Lex had finally been persuaded to go and sleep in his own bed. At least there he was safe from any possibility of Clark accidentally hurting him…



Which is why I have to make it up to both of them tonight! With Mom and Dad out of the way, there'll be no one to know what time Haze and I get in … IF we get in … Only now, who knew what had gone wrong?



What'll I do if Haze is hurt … or worse? I still can't feel him!



As the apartment door slammed shut behind Clark, the far door opened and Haze walked out, dripping wet and draped in only a small white towel! Towelling his hair dry with a second hand towel, he smiled warmly at Clark.



"Haze!" Clark dashed over to him. "I felt… Are you okay?" Flinging his arms around Haze, he clung to him, as indifferent to Haze's damp and near-naked state as Haze himself was.



In return, Haze slid his own arms around Clark, physically reassuring Clark that he was fine now, that they were fine, that everything would be all right. With both their emotions running so high, more meaningful communication was out of the question.



"Haze, I … Oh, Clark," Lana wandered out of what seemed to be a bedroom and stared at them with wide eyes. She was obviously putting two and two together and it was anyone's guess what the answer was going to be.



Unconcerned at Lana's reappearance, Haze didn't release his grip on Clark. Instead, he stroked soothing fingers along the sides of Clark's face, concentrating on easing the panic boiling inside his 'twin'.



"What's going on?" Chloe had recovered from the surprise of Clark's speed burst, and having securely locked the downstairs door again, had entered the flat in perfect time to see the two boys embracing.







"I couldn't find anything to fit you…" Lana said, unsure of how to take what she was seeing.



Clark simply stood, his face pressed into the side of Haze's neck, trembling from the sheer relief of finding Haze uninjured. "Thank god you're alright." He breathed. "I thought I'd lost you…"



Haze sighed and leant against him, seeming equally relieved that Clark was okay.



Quickly Clark looked his 'twin' over. Haze appeared undamaged, so what had happened? It was then that it occurred to Clark that right now they probably ought to also be worried about what Lana was going to think. Had he found anyone else in this situation, Clark knew he might well have jumped to a conclusion, and that it would have almost certainly been the wrong one.



Then again, Lana was walking around the flat while Haze was next to naked, and someone else might have reasonably, and also incorrectly, assumed that there was a more direct correlation between those two events.



Thanks to the unique insight that came from his connection to Haze, Clark was perfectly aware that things here were not as they might have appeared to a casual outsider; he also knew that this was an advantage that Lana did not have. He could feel that Haze knew it too.



Pressed against each other, both boys waited to see what would happen.



"Clark?" Lana blinked uncertainly. "What's wrong? Haze?"



"Yeah, and while you're explaining that, maybe you'd like to tell me how Clark can accelerate so fast that he practically vanished right in front of me?" Chloe chipped in.



"Are you guys … together?" Lana was more interested in that than in anything paranormal.







Clark sighed and straightened up.



'No lies.' Haze communicated.



Clark nodded at him.



"Oh my god! You are!" Chloe blurted in sheer disbelief.



"Together? Well we are, sorta." Clark said carefully, realising that he had already inadvertently given at least one answer that he had not intended, but that to deny it outright now would most likely alienate and upset Haze and therefore also ruin whatever might be happening between them. "Haze and I have …"



The two girls stared at him.



Haze made a linking gesture.



"A link." Clark put it into words for him. "But we're not … " He hesitated. Weren't they exactly that, in a way?



"Not lovers?" Chloe was confused. "Or are you?"



Still not sure of quite how their relationship ought to be classified, or even if it should be, Clark immediately went on the defensive. "Don't pry, Lana. Whatever connections might be between us is no one's business but ours." He ground out. "I'm just telling you what Haze wants you to know."



"Of course you are." Lana's voice was equally harsh in the tense silence. "We all know how hard it is to get anything out of YOU, Clark. You don't care how much confusion you cause. Anything as long as you don't have to tell anyone the things you don't think they can handle! I just don't see why you have to drag Haze into all of that along with you?"



Haze slapped both his hands together hard enough to bounce echoes off the walls. He stared at Lana, and then at Chloe, then he deliberately rested his palm against Clark's face and let Clark absorb the full extent of what had occurred earlier that evening.



"They saw that?" Clark swallowed, no longer caring what this might look like to the girls. "The healing?"



"Is Haze talking to you?" Chloe guessed. "He is, isn't he?" She and Lana blinked at each other.







Reaching out, Clark took Haze's hand in his, carefully checking Haze's skin for any remaining tenderness. Stroking his fingers over the smooth flesh, he took a second to enjoy the way Haze's skin raised into goose bumps with his touch. "You're really sure you're okay now?"



Despite Haze's reassurances Clark was still a little anxious, he knew how easily Haze could overreach himself and that Haze would not hesitate to do so.



"Haze was a little weak for a while." Chloe said carefully. "But he got better after about ten minutes. What just happened between you two?"



"Haze used our link to make sure I knew exactly what happened this evening." Clark said curtly. "It takes a lot out of Haze when he heals. I hope that you appreciate what he did for you, Chloe?"



"How did you know that Chloe got hurt?" Lana sounded worried.



"It was part of what Haze just shared with me." Clark admitted. "On your right leg, Chloe?"







"Spot on." Chloe confirmed thoughtfully. "So there is a connection between you." She frowned. "Clark, can you do that healing thing too?"



"No." Clark still felt uncomfortable about even acknowledging his own abilities, let alone subjecting what he and Haze shared to public scrutiny.



And once Chloe knows something, that's as public as you can get!



With a small grin, Haze reached out and patted the end of Clark's nose with the tip of his finger, and then pointed to Chloe.



"Oh yeah … Right, I'd forgotten about that." Clark relaxed a little. "So she can't?"



Haze shook his head.



"I can't what?" Chloe was suddenly suspicious.



"Can't betray Haze." Clark supplied. "Something in the healing process. Didn't you wonder why you weren't already thinking of fitting Haze on your wall of weird?"



"You're right and I wasn't!" Chloe said, suddenly realising that Clark must be telling the truth. "But Haze didn't heal Lana. Lana could tell anyone she likes." She pointed out.







"I wouldn't tell anyone else anything." Lana was more than a little concerned at the direction that this conversation was taking. Telepathy? Or maybe it was more like mind-control? If it had been anyone other than Haze and Clark, she would have already been freaking out; not that she wasn't beginning to slowly build toward that…



"Actually, Haze says he already feels that he can trust you, Lana." Clark supplied. "Besides, without any evidence it would be pointless for you to say anything to anyone." He added.



"Haze?" Lana looked at Haze. "How much of that was from you? And how much came from Clark?"



Haze signed that he was only responsible for the first part.



"So you trust me, but Clark's not so sure?" Lana was getting understandably upset. "Clark, in all of the time we've known each other, have I ever given you any reason to think that you couldn't trust me?" She demanded tightly.



"I've had a hard time with trust over the past few years." Clark admitted. "But no, Lana, I don't think you would intentionally betray a friend."



"Even so you won't share anything with me, will you?" Lana glared at him. "You'll continue to hang on to whatever it is you keep locked inside you."



Haze let go of Clark and walked across to Lana, holding out both hands, he waited, obviously watching to see how she would react.



Without hesitation, Lana grasped both his hands with hers, feeling her anxiety start to dissipate. "I do feel like I can trust you too Haze. I was a bit surprised downstairs and maybe I didn't react quite the way I should have, but I want you to know that I don't think that having those abilities makes you in any way a bad person. Quite the opposite actually."



Haze glanced at Chloe. Chloe nodded. "Me too. And I owe you. You can count on me, Haze. Whatever else you want to tell me, or not, is fine by me."



"Haze wants you to have part of his secret to share, Lana." Clark relayed. "He says that he is prepared to trust you and that maybe I should as well."



Without breaking the contact with Lana, Haze knelt down on the carpeted floor. He stretched his back luxuriously and shivered his wings into the empty air behind him; oblivious to the effect his movements were having on the small towel.



"Oh my GOD!" Chloe's voice was pitched nearly high enough to shatter glass.







Lana was simply speechless at first. She stared at the angel kneeling in front of her and at the magnificent wings now flaring out from his back. If she hadn't been holding Haze's hands, she might have thought that this was some sort of elaborate hoax. However, judging by the disapproval practically radiating from Clark it was all too real…



"Can I touch them?" She asked, finally regaining her voice. Haze nodded, and clambered carefully back to his feet, spreading his wings out to either side.



Clark darted in, and recaptured the towel with confident hands.



Grinning at him, Haze tucked the ends back in tightly.



Even nearly-naked male body was not as immediately eye-catching as those wings, and Lana found that she could not stop looking at them. Stretching out her fingers she ran them across the shiny feathers, finding them smooth and surprisingly soft. Curious, she rested her hand on the leading surface. When Haze flexed the wing, bunching the muscles under her palm, Lana giggled.



"Wow." Chloe was taking a turn with the other wing. She put her face close to the long straight feathers along the upper surface and inhaled. "I always wondered what an Angel would smell like?" She said with a small grin.



"Like sky." Clark smiled, "Just like blue sky…"



"You are really comfortable with Haze, aren't you?" Lana found herself standing right beside Clark. Looking down at her, he nodded shyly. "There's nothing wrong with that, Clark." She told him softly. "He's your brother, after all."







"Haze is not my brother, Lana." Finally Clark found something he could say, without feeling awkward about it. "I'm not like him biologically, and we're not really related."



"You're not?" Her nose wrinkled in the way that Clark had always found so endearing.



"No." He smiled down at her. "We just look alike. So you'll have to find some other reason for us being so close."



"Oh." Lana's eyes were wide.



"Yes," Clark agreed. "Oh." He looked over at Chloe. "Are you okay with all this, Chloe?"



"I guess." Chloe blinked at Haze. "But I would love to know what Haze is thinking right now?"



"He's happy." Clark said. "And he says you can both share that with him if you want?"



The bright smile that Haze gave her practically lit up the whole room. He took her hand in his, and held out the other to Lana, and very slowly, opened up to them, allowing his nature to flow out over the three teens, bathing them in the warm bright feeling that Clark adored.



"I … " Chloe was plainly trying to make sense of what she was feeling. "It's like having sunshine, on the inside!" She breathed.



"It's sheer Haze." Clark grinned, not caring how soppy he might sound at that second.



"It's love…" Lana decided. "Pure Love."



"Which makes sense if you think about it," Chloe recovered herself first, as Haze restored the barriers which he normally held around himself to disguise his nature and shrugged away his wings. "According to many religions Angels are supposed to represent God's love of His Creation." She added.



"So you really are … an Angel?" Lana looked up at Haze with wonder in her eyes. "In that sense?"



Haze nodded. His gaze flickered to Clark.



"And Haze's very uncomfortable with us having to lie about things because of him." Clark volunteered. "My folks were worried that if anyone found out about Haze they might try to use what he is somehow, so we took advantage of him looking exactly like me to persuade the authorities that he should be allowed to stay with us."



"Your parents took him in pretty quickly, considering how little they could have known about him. Sounds almost like they're already used to things like that, keeping things secret, and so on." Lana said quietly.



Clark found that intensely annoying. What the hell did she really know about any of this anyway?



"Like having two non-humans living with them? That sort of stuff? Well, gee Lana, think about the panic whenever a new meteor mutant appears, why would my parents not want the whole world to know about our business?"



"Two?" Lana's eyes got a little wider. "You said that you and Haze aren't related, and that you're not like him."



"It's the truth, and we aren't." Clark felt Haze's hand gently close on his shoulder. "But what is also true is that I'm no more human than Haze is." He admitted. Haze's closeness soothed and reassured him, but even so he waited tensely for the explosion of questions that he was sure was about to happen.



"Do you want to tell us anything about what you are, Clark?" Lana asked.



"Not really. I hate being different." Clark said slowly.



"Which probably goes some way to explaining why you feel so comfortable with Haze." Lana theorised.



Clark decided to grab the verbal life-preserver while it was being offered. "I guess it does." He was trying to think of what else he could say without compromising himself when a series of small bleeps went off in the nearby kitchen area.







"Oh, the washing machine has finished!" Lana was immediately off. "Okay, now I need to go get everything into the dryer!" She hurried off.



Clark smiled and looked at Haze, who let him know in no uncertain terms that, no, Clark was not going to practice using his heat vision to dry Haze's clothes, no matter how good Clark had gotten with it. Especially when the Lana-factor might be in operation.



"What are you two up to?" Chloe had seen the external evidence of the conversation, even if she hadn't been able to follow the mental part.



"Why would we be up to anything?" Clark tried to look innocent.



"Don't give me the big eyes, Kent!" Chloe flung herself at him, forcing Clark to fall onto the sofa and catch her on his lap to avoid her bruising herself on him.



"What are you made of? Steel?" Chloe poked him in the leg. "Gees, all that farm work must be paying off!" She was so obviously trying not to pry for once that Clark relaxed and simply laughed as she prodded him lightly in the legs, arms and chest, but when she decided to poke him in the ticklish part of his belly he grabbed her around the wrists and threatened dire retaliation if his childhood companion didn't keep her wandering fingers to herself.



Laughing happily, Chloe simply leant back on him as if he were another piece of the furniture. "What? I'm not tickling you any more." She stated. "What are you complaining about now?"



"Chloe…" Clark was going to protest; however he could already see that it was a lost cause. "Okay, forget it. But just sit, no squirming." Once she stopped jumping all over the place, he actually found it quite pleasant to have a lapful of Chloe. She was warm, soft, and she smelt nice. It was as he was making this rather agreeable discovery about his little blonde friend that Lana returned with Haze's dry clothes.







Shucking off the towel, Haze prepared to climb back into his clothes. The sudden silence caught his attention. Curious, he glanced around at his companions. Chloe's eyes were like saucers, while Lana seemed a little more composed, but no less interested. Clark, well, Clark was just being Clark.



"Ah, Haze… Guys don't just strip naked in front of girls, not around here." Clark started to say. "It's …"



Chloe's hand arrived over his mouth with surprising speed. "Shut up, Clark." She told him. "Wow, Haze … you look good!" She licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and openly admired him. "Darn good in fact, and if I'd known it was that easy to get you out of your clothes, I'd have saved up my coffee money for a week and asked Lana for a big bucket of the stuff…"



"Chloe!" Lana gave a nervous giggle.



"Well, I would. It would have even been worth the withdrawal symptoms."







"Hhhmmm," Lana sighed softly, agreeing with Chloe for once. Even a week of Cold-Turkey Chloe would have been bearable if they could be sure that there was a treat like this at the end of it.



"Are you and Clark really exactly alike?" Lana had asked it before her brain had caught up with her mouth.



Haze's ready grin widened and he nodded.



"Gees, Lana!" Clark was practically incandescent with embarrassment.



"Exactly?" Lana continued, before anything remotely resembling common sense could get in the way. "Everywhere?"



"Don't answer that, Haze!" Clark begged. "Please?"



As Clark cringed in anticipation, Haze gave one of his delightful silent chuckles and signed that Clark did not have wings at all. Both girls sat and watched in fascination as the lines of muscle on his flat stomach rippled.



"Sssh. Keep still Clark!" Chloe protested. She took another quick look at Haze, and flicked her attention back to Clark. "So, you look like that under your clothes too? Yum! I can't wait to email Lois and tell her!"



"Oh, God, this is not happening…" Mortified, Clark slumped back and let Chloe ogle Haze in peace, while the unconcerned youth continued to dress.



With his lower half now decently covered, Haze took a moment to smile at Clark. Through their link Clark could feel that Haze was not in the tiniest bit uncomfortable with the attention, in fact Haze actively liked that the girls found his body attractive.



Conversely, Haze was quite aware of the discomfort Clark was feeling, and wanting to comfort him, he walked over and brushed the tips of his fingers over Clark's cheek. It was simply the closest convenient bit of exposed flesh, as Clark's hands were currently around Chloe's waist and holding her steady on his lap.



Haze's touch had the usual effect and Clark opened his mouth into a small 'o' of pleasure. As their skin met and the contact surged between them, he drew in a shuddering breath from the intensity of the sensations surging between them. The closeness of Haze's mind, coupled with his physical proximity, added to the entirely unusual experience of having Chloe in his lap, was sending tingles through Clark's entire body. He sighed, letting the breath out again in a sudden rush and shutting his eyes.







Chloe shivered as the air in the room became suddenly charged. Every hair of her body stood on end with the almost electrical surge.



Edging in close, Haze leant forward, he was less than an elbow length away now. His skin glowed slightly golden in the room lights, and his eyes were half-closed as he regarded Clark with an intensity that was intoxicating. His fingers traced the line of Clark's lower lip, teasing a soft groan from the other boy, and then he glanced at Chloe and smiled invitingly at her.



On impulse, Chloe leant up and kissed Haze on the lips, rocking forward on Clark's lap to retain her balance. As she touched Haze there was a definite tingle between her legs coupled with a familiar feeling of moist heat.



Tilting his head Haze accepted the kiss, gently returning it. He tasted good, chocolatey with an added masculine undertone.



Clark tightened his grip around Chloe's waist and moaned softly as Haze's fingers roamed through his hair. Gently, Haze guided Chloe around until she was facing Clark, and as his eyes flickered from her to his 'twin', Chloe caught on.



Oh… Oh yeah!!!



Emboldened Chloe leaned in and kissed Clark, feeling his lips part under hers, briefly tasting him as she savoured the mix of mint gum and something even better.



"We," Lana's voice was saying something, off somewhere across the room, but Chloe wasn't hearing it, only odd disconnected sounds. She was far more interested in the throaty groans that Clark was making as her tongue intimately explored first the outside and then the inside of his mouth. She moved into a better position and continued her long-awaited seduction of the big beautiful farm boy. When Clark began to tentatively return the kisses the delicious warmth between Chloe's legs intensified, building as his hands roamed over her, until a wave of pleasure burst over her.







"Chloe!" Lana was definitely being very insistent.



Whose dream was this anyway?



"G'way Lana!" Chloe grumbled, keeping her eyes shut.



"You aren't doing anything more than that in my coffee house!" Came the immediate response. "Not even up here."



Chloe opened her eyes to find that she wasn't dreaming, that she was actually sitting on, no, make that straddling, Clark, who was still happily panting and getting his breath back, and if she wasn't much mistaken she had just come.



Clark seemed to be as surprised about what had just happened as she was. Chloe gave him just one more deep frenchie, just to let him know what he would be missing out on, and then climbed reluctantly off him. She also realised that she must have missed a few moments somewhere along the line, as Haze was now fully dressed and beaming at her with wry amusement.



"I thought you two were going to eat each other." Lana said sarcastically. "It would have made a good headline too… Except that you wouldn't have been around to write it. So, what are we going to say about this evening?" She asked.



"Nothing." Chloe said firmly. "Not one thing, apart from telling the engineer that your Espresso machine needs urgent attention!"



Haze picked Chloe up and hugged her warmly. His lips brushed hers for a second and then she was gently let down again, feeling a little wind-tossed. "What about Lana?" She found herself asking.



In answer, Haze raised a debonair eyebrow. Catching Lana's hand, and raising it to his lips he kissed the backs of her knuckles with enthusiasm. Lana giggled and blushed.



Encouraged, Haze continued to kiss all the way up her arm and around her shoulder. Lana made no effort to resist. Gradually the giggles were replaced by soft gasps once Haze began to nibble and suck softly along the curve of her neck and along her jawline.



Holding Lana close, Haze gently cupped her face with both hands and pulled her to him. Panting, Lana opened her mouth and pressed against him, as his tongue slipped between her lips.



Chloe marvelled at how long Haze could make one breath last. Lana was moaning urgently now, while Haze showed no sign of even being winded. With one final thrust of his tongue, Lana shuddered into his arms and Haze slowly drew free, leaving her breathless and stunned.







Dropping onto the sofa, Lana sat staring into space as Haze waved goodbye to both of them and followed Clark out of the door.



"Did you …" Chloe had to ask. "…Come?"



"Uh-huh." Lana hesitated momentarily, before squirming at the wetness in her underwear. She blushed and glanced at her friend. "You?"



"Me too." Chloe admitted, feeling more than a little awkward.



"Good huh?" Lana was beginning to get her breath back.



"Oh yeah!" Chloe had had slightly longer to recover and her curiosity was already rebooted and fully online. "You reckon Clark did?"



"Sounded like he did." Lana said in a wistful voice.



"It did? Oh, that's good." So maybe there might be a next time? As far as Chloe was concerned that was definitely something well worth being around for.



"So we're not mentioning this?" Lana checked just to be sure.



"Only to each other."



"Right."



"Right."