Similis

"Now, do try not to get into any trouble." Martha smiled, as she handed Clark the picnic hamper. "I've packed enough food in there even for you two, so I don't expect to find either of you back in here raiding my kitchen until breakfast tomorrow. Enjoy your stargazing."



"Thanks mom!" Clark beamed, giving a quick peck on the cheek to his mother with minimal embarrassment. Haze nodded and leant in and kissed Martha dutifully on the other cheek.



"C'mon, Haze!" Practically bundling Haze out of the door Clark headed for the fields. "We can walk over the back way, it won't take more than half an hour to get right into the woods from there."



As they walked, it occurred to Clark that this was actually the first time that he had spent with Haze without anyone else being around, or being expected. He led the way through the deep grass in the fallow field and thought it through, a subtle tingle of excitement humming deep down inside him. For the rest of the day it would be just the two of them, alone, way out in the woods, so they could get a really clear view of the night sky from the secluded meadow.



Yeah, and you'll do what? Tell him? Like that'll happen. More likely you'll spend the whole time with a hard-on that you won't admit to, mooning over him, and hoping to heaven that Haze doesn't notice anything up, except the sky?



Clark sighed. He could hide what he was feeling from pretty much everyone else, but he couldn't hide from himself. It wasn't always fun being a teenage alien, even if you did also have certain cool powers.







The day was pleasantly warm, even by human standards, and although Clark didn't exactly mind the heat, as they walked he pulled off his t-shirt and stuck it into a belt loop, at the same time noticing that Haze had already done the same.



"You won't get sunburned, will you, Haze?" He asked, glancing back over his shoulder as he waded through the long grass. In answer a hand settled on his bare skin. 'No.' Haze's mental voice was pleasant. 'But thanks.'



"Thanks? For what?"



'Being interested enough to ask.'



"Oh." All of a sudden Clark couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't either incriminate him in some way, or make him look sappy. It also occurred to him that Haze didn't actually need to touch him for them to communicate mentally, he could project when he chose to. So why did he touch Clark so often?



Maybe he just finds it less of an effort? You're just hoping that he does it for the reasons that you would like.





'You're very quiet all of a sudden. ' Haze commented.



Clark flushed, despite knowing that Haze couldn't see his face from back there and hoped that his 'twin' hadn't been able to read him at that moment. "Just thinking." He mumbled as they entered the stand of willow that marked the edges of the river. "We have to follow the river bank round the bend, then there's a fallen tree that leads over to the water meadow. It won't be long now."







Emerging from the dappled shade of the willows, Clark looked out over the flower-filled meadow; the waist-high luxuriant grass looked very welcoming, and private. That was one of the reasons he had been thinking of this spot when planning the picnic.



Skin touched his, cool against the back of his neck in contrast with the sunlight and a solid arm wrapped around Clark’s shoulder.



'This place is classy!' Haze approved. 'This was a great idea.'



Pleased that his efforts were appreciated, Clark led the way into the rough centre of the open area and put the basket down. Pulling the large blanket out from the bag, he spread it down on the grass and sat down.



'What were you planning on doing until it gets dark?' Haze asked casually, brushing his hand over Clark's bare shoulder and communicating directly, as he settled down beside him.



Clark tried to make his brain function past the delicious feeling of Haze's skin pressed against his. "Oh, nothing much." He managed to say. "Just hang out in the meadow."



'Okay.'



Was it his imagination or did Haze's response sound just the tiniest bit off about that? Immediately Clark began to fret about what that might mean. Maybe Haze didn't really want to be here with him? What if he was just doing this out of some sort of loyalty to Clark? After all, why would anyone as adult as Haze really want to spend time with a gawky teenager?



Especially when Lex made it so clear how attracted he is to Haze …



"You okay, Haze?" He asked. Haze's comfort was just as important to him as his own, Clark wanted to be certain that his 'twin' was going to enjoy their time.



'Just fine, Clark, don't worry about me

.'

"But I do…" Clark murmured.



Warm hands reached out and grasped his. 'I'll tell you if I'm not happy.' Came the silent promise.



"Will you?” Clark wondered. “Really?"



'Really.' Haze grinned and rolled over onto his belly. 'In fact I'll make an absolutely huge fuss about it, if that'll make you feel better?'



Clark smiled and tried to believe that. He certainly wanted to.







'Clark, you suggested this picnic, but you don't seem to be enjoying it much. Why?' Haze was being casual about it but Clark could tell that the other youth wasn't fooled for a second.



"Dunno." And Clark really didn't, with a sigh he closed his eyes, letting their hands slip apart. The same nagging doubts resurfaced and would not allow him to simply lie back and enjoy being here with Haze.



What if the angel thought Clark was simply using him? What if Haze felt so obligated to Clark that he was just saying that he was happy in Clark's company, when he secretly wasn't?



How could Clark ever be good enough for Haze? He was just a messed up adopted alien kid, clumsy and awkward, and not good at saying what was on his mind.



In Clark's eyes Haze was perfection: elegant, mellow, cool, controlled, at ease with his abilities and his place in the scheme of creation, Haze was all of the things that Clark wanted to be, but was not. He sighed again.



'Want to talk about it?' Haze asked.



"Couldn't you just read me?" Clark looked over at him.



'You want me to?' Haze wore the same inscrutable look that he had been giving Clark all week.



"Sometimes." Clark admitted. "It's kinda nice to have someone know exactly what I mean, especially when I can't find the right words to describe it."



'But you're not used to communicating like this all the time.' Haze said gently. "It bothers me that I could be intruding on you, or pushing you into things you're not comfortable with.'



"You have never intruded on me, Haze, and I don't feel like you're pushing me. What we have is special. I like that."



'Thought you didn't like being special?' There was just a hint of tease in the warm tones.



Clark smiled shyly. "Not on my own I don't…"



'Ah.'



From the abrupt change in the feel of their connection, Clark decided that Haze was currently concentrating on something, bemused he looked round to find his 'twin' sitting on the far edge of the blanket, letting his bootlaces undo themselves. "Haze, what are you doing?"







'What does it look like?' Haze grinned wolfishly.



"Like you're taking your boots off?" Clark told him.



'See, you're at least as smart as a goldfish today! Yep, I'm taking my boots off.'



"Why?"



'Oh-oh, down one point from the goldfish! Because I'm going to take my jeans off next and, unless I'm prepared to waste energy, these boots have to come off first.'



"You're what?!" Clark wasn't sure he could cope with that. A mostly-dressed Haze in intimate proximity was testing enough for his self-control, but being near to a partly-dressed Haze would be pure torture, however his 'twin' seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on Clark's burgeoning libido.



'Taking my jeans off?' Pulling his feet out of his unlaced boots and discarding his socks, Haze stood. Unfastening his jeans he tugged them a short way down his thighs. Being tight, of course they stuck. Haze sighed.



Biting his lip, Clark tried very hard not to look. Sitting back down on the blanket, the other youth caught hold of the jeans from the ankle end and eased the bunched fabric down his legs. As Haze moved, the muscles in his back and arms rippled and flexed.



A hot sensation washed over Clark. "Haze! Someone could see!" He managed to say, blushing furiously.



'See what? Blue cotton boxers? Very erotic!' Haze gave one of his silent laughs. 'Really going to draw the crowds!' He teased, without turning. 'Besides, Clarkster, there's no one for miles except the two of us and it's not possible that you don't already know what's under here, eh?'





"Uhm."



'Clark!' Haze tousled his hair. 'Don't panic! I'm just going to go sit in the river. I saw a deep bit at the bend just by where we crossed, although I doubt if it's more than waist high even there. If you're that worried about it then you're perfectly welcome to come over and join me. Of course, if you were thinking of preserving my modesty, then by all means chaperone me!' Standing up again, he looked down at Clark. 'Keep all of your clothes on if you're really that worried about anyone disturbing us, but I'm not wasting a perfectly good day. I'm going in anyway, with or without you.'



"Uh," Clark realised that he wasn't going to win this one. He let his eyes rove over the endless golden skin and felt himself starting to …



Don’t look! Oh shit, he was talking to me while I was zoning out!







'… So aren't you going to come in too?' Haze was asking. 'The water looked great.'



"Uhm, no."



'Okay, it's your call.' Haze wandered off through the knee-deep grass.



Clark watched him stroll easily over the level ground, and sighed. What was he more afraid of, someone else seeing Haze, or Haze catching him looking?



Probably both.



Still there was at least one positive development; at least he had managed to completely keep his heat vision in check so far today.



Of course, there's still plenty of time for me to mess that up too…



Reaching the edge of the trees, Haze turned round and gestured for Clark.



Reluctantly, Clark shook his head. I can't … The uncomfortable tightening in his jeans suggested otherwise. Oh, this is SO not a good idea… But Haze was still waiting patiently under the trees, obviously wanting Clark there. How could Clark possibly resist, knowing that?



Getting to his feet, Clark followed, deliberately not looking as Haze disappeared under the dappled canopy, just in case his x-ray vision came on unexpectedly or the heat vision crept into play. He didn't seem to have the same sort of luck with his hearing though and therefore he couldn't help detecting a momentary hesitation in the soft pattering of feet and a soft swish that sounded like fabric, followed by a change in sound as Haze used the roots of one of the massive willows as a shortcut down to the water.



No! He hasn't … But he already knew the answer to that, and as he reached the stand of trees, Clark found the pale blue boxers lying on a convenient stump.



Oh god, he's naked!



"Are you okay down there?" He called to his 'twin', walking carefully up to the bank, and peering hesitantly over the edge.







'Hi!' Haze smiled up at him from the rippling water. 'It's cool, but good! You could almost float in this bit.' He gave Clark a wider grin, 'Besides, this is all your fault for introducing me to swimming in the first place, you know? Go on! Live a bit! Get in!'



"I, uh…" Clark looked longingly at the sparkling water, and the sunlight playing on the bend in the river. He took a good long glance around. Haze was right. There was nothing but trees as far as even Clark's eyes could see. Even x-ray vision wasn't picking up anything larger than the occasional stump or log, and certainly no signs of potential interruptions.



"Okay." Taking off his own boots and socks Clark placed them neatly on the stump beside Haze's, his jeans followed, and then, after he took another long look around just to double-check, he shed his boxers. It was at that point that it became evident to Clark that he would still have to negotiate either the gnarled roots of the willows or nip down the bank further along…



I can do this. I can walk down there right in front of him as if I do it everyday… Come to that, he probably DID do it everyday. Except that this was different, this wasn't the family bathroom, and there were no parents around to interrupt here…



Turning, Clark was startled to find Haze standing there, watching.



The next few seconds were a bit of a blur.







'I wasn't trying to scare you, honestly! I really thought you'd changed your mind again and weren't coming in.' Haze thought softly, shaking the water out of his hair and blinking at Clark from under adorably spiky eyelashes. 'You took so long getting sorted that I wondered if something was wrong, so I came up to check.'



"You frightened the beejesus out of me! Sneaking up on a guy like that! You could have given me heart failure!" Clark was not mollified.



'Oh come on, Clark,’ Haze rolled his eyes. ‘You have x-ray eyes and super hearing! Just exactly how could I have sneaked up on you?'



"So you admit you WERE sneaking?"



'I wasn't sneaking! I just walked up the roots of the willow and out onto the grass. How can that be sneaking?'



"I couldn’t hear you." Clark knew he was pouting, but refused to let that stop him.



‘Well, you try and make noise when you're me…' Haze shrugged. 'It wasn't anything deliberate, I can assure you.'



"So how come I heard when you were walking DOWN the tree, but I didn’t hear you while you were walking back up it?" Clark was still suspicious, and more than a little defensive.



‘Maybe it's because my feet were wet and I was being careful not to slip?' Haze suggested. 'Now you mention it, it is odd that you heard me climbing down but not scrambling up?' He added. 'Perhaps your attention was elsewhere the second time?'



"My attention was right where it should have been, I just didn’t know you were that near." Clark was not going to give in that easily, or have his own actions examined. "You should have said something."



Haze merely gave him a flat look.



"Well, you know what I mean!" Clark verbally back-pedaled, "You just startled me, is all. Suddenly you were just THERE!"



'Obviously,’ His ‘twin’ raised a superior eyebrow. ‘Or you wouldn't have screamed like that.'



"You'd have yelled too, if you suddenly found someone standing where you had no reason to expect anyone to be!"



'No I wouldn't.' Haze pointed out very reasonably. 'I can't do that.'



"Okay, YOU wouldn't!" Clark grudgingly conceded the point. "But most people would have…" Something in Haze's earlier comment suddenly got to him. "Anyway, what do you mean 'screamed like that'? Are you saying that I screamed like a … a girl … or something?"



'Like a girl…?' Haze thought that over, a hint of tease appeared in his thoughts. 'Yes. Just like a girl, actually, now that I come to think of it!' There was a brief mental image of Clark that somehow incorporated an impression of Lana. Under other circumstances the way the likeness morphed from Clark to the dark haired girl might have been clever, but Clark wasn't in the mood to appreciate it there and then, and gave Haze a dark glare for his efforts.







Haze ignored the death-stare. 'Just like a girl!' He continued blithely. 'You sure you haven't been taking lessons from Lana? She seems to give you all sorts of odd ideas…'



"Don't Haze…" There were some things that Clark was not prepared to take, not even from Haze.



'Don't what?' His duplicate asked innocently.



"Don't keep pushing." Clark warned.



'Oh, pushing…' Haze raised an amused eyebrow, 'Pushing, is it? Why? Is something going to happen to me if I do?'



"It could." Clark wasn't going to be drawn.



'You mean, like being dragged down a river bank upside down at Clark-speed and dropped bodily into cold water? That sort of something?'



Guilt instantly kicked in. "I said I was sorry." Clark managed not to whine, but it was a close call.



'Yes, you did and, while I won't pretend to be bothered about being pushed under the water because we both know perfectly well that I don't really need to breathe like you do, it still occurs to me that, considering I ended up face down in the river for a minor misunderstanding, you definitely got off a bit too lightly.'



"What?" A sense of something curious happening in the world around him grabbed Clark's attention.



Haze's grin grew wider.



"Haze, what are you up to?" Clark asked his 'twin' cautiously.



'I'm not up. I'm down.' Haze reminded him, gesturing at the pebbled riverbed all around them. 'So are you.'



Looking at Haze, Clark had the very definite sensation that something was missing, something that had been there until only a few minutes previously. He turned the idea over in his head for a few seconds until it clicked.



Shouldn't there be a lot more water here? There was only a trickle of moisture dribbling under his thighs, and he distinctly remembered the river being hip deep only a few minutes earlier. Turning, Clark looked round and up, only to find the missing element poised in a massive wall just behind his head.



'Deep breath!' Haze chortled in his mind, leaping up from the riverbed and dashing up the bank and out of the way of the onrushing water.







The water crashed down over Clark and thoroughly drenched him. "Oh, I am so going to get you for that!" He yelled, lunging for Haze, but Haze had gotten a good head start and Clark could hear the other youth's bare feet already pattering through the short grasses under the tree canopy.



Laughing, Clark shook the water out of his hair and scrambled up. He resisted the urge to use his extra speed now, wanting to draw this out for as long as possible. Negotiating the gnarled roots with enthusiasm, he pounded out into the sunny meadow after his 'twin'.



"Haze! You are so fried!" He called out, glancing quickly around. There was no sign of his 'twin'. Grinning fiendishly, Clark used his x-ray vision to check through the long grass.



Okay, not there. He took a quick peek into the trees at the nearer edge of the meadow. Not there either.



'Looking for something, Clark-bear?' A mocking voice drifted lightly into his mind.



Curious, Clark panned round. "Where are you?" He asked aloud. It felt to him as if Haze was fairly close. They were communicating exceptionally clearly, as evidenced by the amusement practically radiating off his 'twin'.



'Up here.' Came the quick response.







Spinning round, Clark squinted up at the huge dead oak just beside the river. Up on the topmost fork was Haze, wings out, perched on a branch and grinning at him lazily while swinging one leg in the empty air.



"You cheated!" Clark accused. "You used your wings!"



'Like you didn't use your abilities?' Came the ready reply.



"I what?"



'You didn't speed, but you were using your x-ray vision.'



"How'd you know that?" Clark peered up at his 'twin'.



'Felt it.' Haze told him smugly.



"Oh." Good job he hadn't used it earlier then… "You coming down?"



'Maybe? What's it worth?'



That angel was getting too darn cheeky! And didn’t he look at home up there, like a bird on a branch? Clark took a good long look at the old tree, and a devious idea sprang to life in his brain.



"No, on second thoughts, just stay put." He told Haze. "Better hold on tight though."



'What are you planning, Clarkster?' Haze looked less sure.



"Just a quick run up…"



'No!' Haze wrapped himself around the tree. 'Bad idea!'



"Yes! Great idea!" Decision made, Clark took a deep breath and ran full-pelt up the vertical surface, relying on sheer acceleration to hold him to the coarse bark. It was only as he reached the three-quarter mark that it occurred to him that he was very shortly going to run out of track, or more accurately, trunk… And that would leave him with nowhere to go, but down… Predictably, he stalled.



'Okay, I gotcha!' Two burly arms locked around him just as gravity threatened to reassert its hold.



There was a convenient branch just to the right, and Clark settled on it with a triumphant smirk, wrapping both hands firmly around the sun-bleached stub that was all that remained of the crown of the oak. "Knew you'd grab me!" He told Haze.



'Really?' Their eyes met and held for some time, and Haze smiled at him. 'Okay, so this round goes to you. Now you’re up here, what’s the plan?'



Blinking, Clark took a deep breath as something occurred to him. He was sitting stark bollock naked, about thirty feet off the ground at the top of an old dead tree, with an equally naked angel. For once the lack of clothing was hardly even a side issue, right now his body was urgently giving priority to an entirely different question. "Haze?"



'Clark?'



"How are we going to get down?"







In answer, Haze licked his lips and smiled. Not the sort of smile that should have ever appeared on the face of someone with wings, more the sort of smile that flitted dangerously through salt water attached somewhere beneath a vertical triangular fin.



'Interesting question that. How are YOU going to get down, don't you mean?' The angel asked casually.



"Haze?" More and more of Clark was coming awake to the height issues involved here.



'I'm going to launch myself into the empty air, spread my wings, and then glide down to the meadow and have lunch.' Haze smirked. 'How 'bout you?'



"I can't." Clark said quietly. As the initial adrenaline rush wore off, nausea began to set in. He closed his eyes, but that only made him even more acutely aware of the air rushing around the tree, the very empty air just under his toes…



'Clark?' Haze had stopped joking now, sensing that Clark was serious. He leaned closer and in response to the shifting weight the tree moved slightly.



Automatically Clark tensed, his grip tightening. With a sharp crack the dead wood under his palms began to disintegrate.



'Clark, calm down. What's wrong?'



"I'm scared of heights!" Clark admitted through tightly clenched teeth. More of the wood splintered off as he instinctively gripped even tighter. "I know it's stupid, and that I should be able to fly whenever I need to, but … I get frightened that it won't happen, and then it doesn't."



'I won't let you fall.' Smooth hands settled on either side of his face, 'I'm right here, and you're not in any danger.'



"It feels too high…" Clark managed to say.



'Let go of the tree.' Haze murmured soothingly.



"Easy for you to say.'



'Impossible for me to say, easy for me to think though…' Haze reminded him. The hands slid down the outside of Clark’s arms, down over his elbows to his wrists. 'Let go, Clark. Hold my hand instead.'



"I … I'll crush you…" Clark shivered, "Look what I've done to the wood…"



'You won't do that to me. You're scared now because your body still feels like it ought to fall, but you won't let yourself hurt me, Clark. I trust you.'



"You do?" Haze trusted him that much?



There was no hesitation, and no doubt. 'Totally.'



Very slowly, Clark made himself reduce the pressure of his grip on the wood. Once he was sure that at least one hand was back under his control, he held it out. Firm flesh slid immediately over his.



'Just balance yourself with the other hand as I stand up.' Haze communicated. 'Right. Now I need you to stand up too. Don't tense, just let me pull you to your feet.'



"I can't!" Clark wanted to move, because that would mean getting closer to getting down to the ground, except his legs refused to co-operate.







'Look at me.' Haze urged.



"I can't!"



'Yes, you can. Only look, no need to move yet.'



Opening his eyes a crack, Clark risked a peek at Haze.



The angel stood just in front of him, wings spread to either side for balance. 'I have your hand, you think I'd ever let you fall?'



"No," Clark was as certain of Haze as the angel was of him. Digging his toes directly into the peeling wood, he clambered awkwardly to his feet with Haze's help.



"You wouldn't do that." He stared at Haze's wings, finding something intensely satisfying in being able to see the beautiful dark feathers spread out right in front of him. Solid arms locked around him, holding him safe. The feeling of a body pressed against his reassured him.



'Look around, Clark. Enjoy the view. Most people will never see this.'



Feeling braver, Clark opened his eyes and glanced around the top of the woodlands. The trees huddled together and if he ignored the meadow off to one side, he could almost have been looking at a solid surface.



'Come on then, time for lunch!' Haze decided, and sweeping Clark up into his arms, launched them both out into empty air. It was nothing like falling.







The steady beat of Haze's wings pushed the air around them, and before Clark had time to even think of what that felt like, they were down.



'Not so bad?' Haze was asking.



"No." Clark felt immensely stupid.



'Hey! Not your fault.' The angel wrapped warm arms around him. 'Nothing to be ashamed of. It's going to take time to really get used to being able to fly. You can't expect to get it right overnight.'



"You weren't scared."



'Because I grew up flying, and it’s easier when you have wings to do it with.'



Misery flooded through Clark. "I don't think you're scared of anything." He whispered.



'Of course I am.' Haze ruffled his hair tenderly. 'There are things that scare me too.'



"Like what?" Suddenly it seemed important that he know what bothered Haze, if only so that Clark wouldn't feel so stupid about his own shortcomings.



'Being alone.'



"Alone?" Clark frowned, not understanding. "But we all have to be alone sometime." He pointed out.



'Not being alone for just a time, being alone Forever.' Turning, Haze padded back to the stump to retrieve their clothes.



That’ll never happen to you, Haze, not if I have any say in the matter! Clark stared, committing each detail to memory, from the raven-dark hair, down the broad shoulders to the tapering waist and perfectly rounded buttocks, then on down to the sculpted thighs and solid calves, but now that they were on show for once he found what drew him most strongly were the rich strong shape of the massive wings, and the dancing motion as Haze walked.







Clark was still puzzling over the impact of actually seeing Haze's wings when Haze dropped the neat pile of their clothes at his feet and beamed at him. To Clark's delight the view from the front was just as spectacular, now that there was nothing in the way of his viewing pleasure. This angle had the added benefit of a head to toe exposure with Haze's smooth golden flesh being framed by the dark pinions instead of being hidden in the half-shadow beneath them.



'How does that invulnerability thing you have work with something like hot coffee?' Haze wondered, shivering his wings away before leaning down and casually extracting his jeans from the pile.



"What?" Now that the wings were gone again Clark finally managed to stop staring. He desperately hoped that he hadn't been dribbling, or something equally embarrassing. "Uhm, I'm not sure … Why?"



'Well,’ His duplicate suggested. ‘if you have any doubts about any bits not being coffee proof, you might want to put something on, because I know there's a thermos in there somewhere, and I think we could both do with some caffeine.'



"Oh, yeah, sure." Clark sidled into his own clothes. By the time he was dressed, Haze had already unpacked their 'mid afternoon snack'.







Clark roused from an unintentional sleep to find his head resting on a gently moving pillow.



Moving? He blinked and found his face resting on Haze's lap, lunch and the heat of the afternoon having apparently combined to send him into a heavy drowse. Startled Clark sat up. Boy was he ever glad that they had both decided to dress again before eating!



Haze reached for him, eyes full of concern. 'Clark?'



"Uhm, I…"



'What?'



"I didn't mean to use you as a head rest?" Clark started to say.



A finger rested on his lips, silencing him. 'You weren't comfortable, so I moved you.'



"You did?" Clark puzzled over that.



'I love the way you do that frown thing.' Haze's gentle amusement stunned him.



"You do? I mean … Haze?" He stared up into the eyes that matched his own so perfectly. "But you frown just exactly the same way I do."



'I can't watch it when I do it though." Haze pointed out. 'Besides, however alike we look on the outside, there's something quite different inside you Clark, a quality that I don't possess." He looked at Clark speculatively. 'I sometimes wonder whether it's innocence? You're a lot more tolerant and accepting than I am too.’



"I …" Clark didn't know whether he was being complimented or subtly insulted, either way he felt his face heating up.



'I also like the way you blush.' Haze admitted in a curiously quiet voice.



"You do?"



'MmHmm.'



"Oh." Suddenly encouraged Clark managed to ask at least one of the questions that had been churning around in his head practically forever, or at least since Haze had woken from his initial confusion. "Now that you've gotten to know me better, is there anything else you like about me, Haze?" He wondered shyly.



Haze shrugged, his fingers twined in the fringe along the edge of the rug. 'Hard to pin it on to any one thing, really.'



The words 'hard' and 'on' occurring in the same sentence triggered the now almost-inevitable reaction in Clark. Self-conscious, he rolled over to conceal the evidence. Firm hands pressed down on his shoulders, massaging the suddenly tense muscles. 'What is it, Clark? What keeps bothering you?'



"Can't …"



'Can't say?'



"Mmm." Clark agreed.



'Want a massage? Might help you relax?'



Was he going to turn down the chance to have those hands touching him now that he was awake and could appreciate it?



Clark thought it over and sighed.



I have to refuse. God knows what will happen if I let him do anything! I'll probably go into meltdown! Okay, so better do it as politely as possible.



"Uhm, thanks." His body very unobligingly took charge without consulting his brain.



Stupid! Why did I say that? Now he's going to touch me! The anxiety faded as skin met his skin. Blissful sensations overtook his anxiety.



Oh wow … that's … Two strong hands kneaded the aches out of his neck and shoulders. It was not where his body was crying out to be touched, but it was more contact than he could have reasonably hoped for.







The hands dipped lower, rubbing pleasure along his spine and Clark had to remember not to move, not to raise his hips from the rug, and most especially not to thrust forward, particularly once the focus of the massage drifted still lower.



More! The hands worked deftly around the edge of his waistband, then stilled.



Oh, god! Frustrated, Clark held onto a sigh.



'How does that feel?' Haze asked.



Clark worried that the tightness in his jeans must be visible from that angle. The seams should be stretched close to bursting if the tugging sensation at his crotch was anything to go by. However, he managed to say that his back was fine now, and to thank Haze for his efforts, while subtly shifting, trying to adjust himself into a marginally less uncomfortable position.



Cross-legged, Haze sat and watched him. 'Clark, you haven't been the same with me since we healed your mother.' He sighed. 'I never imagined that seeing me using my talents would unsettle you so much. You were so comfortable with me when I first got here, but I think the last time I saw you really relax totally with me was that evening when we all sat downstairs watching the TV, when we had the popcorn and jelly beans.’



"Haze." Clark sat up carefully, blushing at the recollection of the totally mortifying moment that had followed on later from that. "Really, it's not you. It's me. I…" He couldn't bring himself to say more than that. Was it wrong to find your duplicate attractive? He supposed it should be, which just made the feelings currently running rampant through his body and mind seem worse somehow.



'Just being around me is making you feel uncomfortable, isn't it? ' Haze asked.



"No." He couldn't meet Haze's eyes. Couldn't let him know how his stupid body was reacting to Haze's simply being near him. How much he wanted …



'Please Clark, don't hide. Not from me.'







To Clarks' relief, Haze didn’t sound annoyed, only sad.



'Whenever we're alone together lately your body language starts to scream discomfort.' Haze told him. 'Is it something I've done, or not done?'



"I just …" Clark wanted desperately to just confess what he wanted, but he was too knotted up for the words to come out. Apparently his inner turmoil was also preventing Haze from reading anything useful from him.



'I'm truly sorry. I appeared in your life unexpectedly and I've complicated everything, haven't I?' Haze sighed. 'If there's any way I can make it up to you, please tell me. I really do want to make things better.'



"Make what better?" Clark realised what an effect he was having on his gentle friend. He hadn't ever intended to make Haze feel guilty for anything, but that was exactly what was happening. "Haze, you haven't done anything wrong."



'I may not share your culture but this body is enough like yours for me to be able to tell that you're having problems.' Haze reminded him. 'Since I seem to be the cause then at least let me try to help.'



"It's not, Haze. Not you arriving, not living with us, not looking the same but being different, totally not that at all. It's everything else." Clark said truthfully.



'Then what is it?' There was no insistence, just a genuine concern.



Clark shrugged. "My parents, my real father and his take-over plans, the whole 'emerging powers' thing." He let his voice tail off.



'Just the timing, huh? Everything happening at once?'



"Yes."



'Puberty's very confusing.' Haze's arms wrapped around him and held him. 'There's more to it than just the obvious changes and the extra hormones and impulses." He stroked Clark's hair, probably not even aware that he was doing it. ‘Although I didn't use to look quite the way I do now, I did start to look adult quite a lot sooner than I actually was,’ The angel said thoughtfully, ‘and suddenly everyone seemed to expect me to be mature, even though I wasn't sure how to.'



"That's it exactly." Clark leant against Haze and breathed the fresh pure sky scent that radiated from his 'twin'. "Sometimes there are so many voices shouting at me and I just don't know what to do for the best." Heart pounding, he dared to return the gesture and to slide his arms around Haze's broad chest, resting his face against the curve of Haze's neck. "I'm sorry…"



'What for?'



"Being such a baby. Making things so difficult for you."



'A babe maybe, but not a baby.' Haze's warm mental voice drifted over him. 'Kinda like the feel of that word. It has a nice ring to it. You don't make things unpleasant for me, Clark, far from it.'



Clark pressed closer, suddenly needing the contact, the comfort that Haze was offering.







'Better now?' Haze continued to hold him close.



"Mmmhmm". If Clark had been a cat he would have been purring. Instead, he settled for slightly tightening his arms around his 'twin'.



'Aha, someone's definitely feeling happier.'



"Yep."



As Haze's fingers started rubbing small random circles over Clark's back, he sighed with contentment and squeezed even closer. Being all wrapped up like this with Haze was way beyond wonderful.



'If I'd known that this was all you needed, I'd have done it a lot sooner.' Came the mental whisper.



"You would?"



'Definitely. If all you need is a hug to stop you being unhappy then I promise you a daily dose.'



A warm tingle of excitement surged through Clark, setting his pulse racing. "Really?" They could do this every day? "Haze, what if this wasn't ALL I needed?" He mumbled.



'Are you asking for something more?' There was a hint of understanding, and a definite sense of growing confidence in the mental voice.



Tentatively, Clark nodded. How would Haze take that?



'Maybe something a bit more physical?' Haze guessed. 'So perhaps it wasn't too much of me? More like not getting enough…?'



Clark nodded again, not trusting his voice.



'Good.'



And it was. One hand stayed around his waist, while the other rubbed up along his back. Clark swallowed hard as fingers stroked through his hair, light and soothing, and at the same time so incredibly sensual.







'So Clark, you okay with this so far?'



"Mmm." Clark seemed to have lost the power of speech. The hand moved to cup him deftly under the chin and around his ear, guiding him to turn his face toward Haze. As he complied, soft lips brushed over his. A long hot tongue slipped between his lips and teased over his, tasting him for the first time. Clark groaned and fidgeted as his jeans tightened again.



'Problem?' Haze paused in mid-action.



Clark pulled Haze's hand down to the bulge in his jeans.



'Oh, THAT sort of problem…' Haze smiled knowingly. 'Undo them.' He suggested.



Clark looked at him.



'No one here but us.' The other youth reminded him.



"But…"



'No sentient life bigger than my hand for a mile in any direction.' Haze's voice trickled into his mind. 'Trust me?'



Clark had no doubts. "Yes."



'Then breathe in.'



He did, and a firm hand released the straining fastenings. Clark sighed with relief. "How about you?" He wondered.



Haze smiled. 'Sorted.'



While Clark was puzzling that out, the hand that had unfastened the jeans was sliding up under his t-shirt and roaming over the taut skin of his abs, cruising up to where his nipples jutted up against the thin cotton.



As the tongue slid back into his mouth, Clark decided that Haze tasted just as delicious second time around, and naturally their mouths were at exactly the right height for Clark to do a little exploring of his own. He even got daring enough to get in a little tentative groping under Haze's shirt.







Clark roused again to firelight and warm arms around him. Opening his eyes he found himself looking at Haze's chin, his head pillowed on his duplicate's broad chest. This time finding himself so close to Haze did not embarrass him. At this proximity the other's mental voice was tangible and, if he didn't look, Clark could imagine Haze was actually speaking aloud.



'Hey there Babe…' Haze tightened his grip fractionally in affection. 'How you feeling?'



"Good." Clark whispered. "What time is it?"



Haze raised his eyebrows and flickered a glance up at the sky. 'About five minutes past sunset, not much visible up there yet.'



Clark shut his eyes and tried to see if he could tap into what Haze was seeing, pouting in disappointment when he found that he couldn't.



Soft lips warmed the tip of his nose. 'Nice pout Babe, moderately effective even, but your talents really don't lie in the other direction.'



"You felt me trying to read you?" Clark wondered.



'Sure.'



"Then why…"



'Why didn't I let you in?' Haze guessed.



Clark nodded.



'Maybe I didn't want you to know everything that I was thinking right then?'



It was an honest enough answer if not particularly enlightening. Clark decided that perhaps he should just ask directly? "Why not, Haze?"



Haze shrugged. 'Didn't want to upset you.'



Frowning, Clark tried to think of what Haze might mean by that? His confusion was seen and understood.



'I want to make you happy.' Haze murmured. 'But we’re different, so maybe what I might want isn't what you would want? I don't want to rush you, or make you feel pressured, but I can't help having certain thoughts about you.'



Clark tingled as that revelation sank in. Haze has thoughts about ME?







"You do make me happy." Clark assured Haze as he snuggled up to his duplicate. He felt at ease with the other youth, in a way that he knew he would never be able to be with any human. He need not play human with Haze, no need here for him to rein in his instincts. Provided that Clark was not purposely rough, Haze's gifts meant that the difference between their physical strength was reduced to little more than the gap between an average human couple; rendering the two youths more than compatible in a bodily sense.



That last realisation triggered the most unbelievable images, and the warm heat surging through Clark's body chased away the remaining hints of anxiety. Absently he began to slide his hand along Haze's torso, tracing the same muscle patterns that were there whenever he looked at himself in the mirror.



"I really like you, Haze." He glanced up from under his lashes at his 'twin' and did not miss the way that Haze's pupils dilated. He likes me too!



"Really like you…" He whispered, emphasizing the first word as he traced lazy circles over Haze's pec’s with one finger.



Haze licked his lips, as if he was waiting for Clark to do something…



But what? On impulse, Clark raised himself on one elbow and leant in toward Haze. Slowly, he pressed his lips over those of his 'twin'.



'Clark…' Haze took in a long drawn sigh, and pulled back a little. 'Maybe this isn't what you need from me? '







Does Haze not want to? But it didn’t feel like that. Not an outright refusal, more of a question, Clark decided, is Haze testing me? He hoped so. "You kissed me earlier." He reminded his friend. “I liked it.”



'You did?' One eyebrow rose approvingly.



Clark grinned. "Very much." He told him.



Haze slid his hand over Clark's waist, up along his arm, moulding his palm to the curve of Clark's shoulder, and then eased it down behind Clark, gently tugging his elbow off of the blanket, leaving Clark stretched out on his back. 'Might you want us to keep doing it then?'



"Definitely."



'And, just so I know, are we still working toward other things?'



"I was kinda hoping we might." Clark admitted. "But maybe not too quickly?"



Their fingers entwined. Haze rested his full body length alongside Clark, moulding them almost into one. 'Whatever you want, Babe, you set the pace.'



Clark blushed. He wanted Haze, as much as he had ever wanted anything, but at the same time he couldn't bear to let anyone see him naked … down there. He didn't want to let himself be so exposed, not so soon… Bare chests were one thing, but not …



'If you asked me to, I could make you come.' Haze whispered softly into Clark's ear, trailing through the surface of his thoughts and so instantly understanding his dilemma. 'Bring you to climax. With your clothes on if you want? Maybe even without touching you at all…'



Clark thought that he had never heard anything so erotic. He stifled a gasp of excitement as he gazed into Haze's eyes. "Can you? Really?"



'Oh, yes…'







In that instant Clark's mind was made up. "Show me." He insisted.



'Lie back, Babe. Put your head tight up alongside me and turn your face a little more toward me.'



Clark obeyed.



Haze bent his lower arm, resting his face on the curve of the resulting bicep. They were so close that Clark could feel the heat radiating from Haze's skin. 'You don't know how beautiful you are Clark. You are so fine, so smooth, so … damn hot…'



Clark trembled, feeling a rush of heat to his groin.



'I get hard from just looking at you, Babe…' Haze leant closer, matching his mental voice to the steadily exhaled breath ghosting over Clark. 'So sensual! I love your mouth…'



Clark felt moist air flush over his lips.



'Yes, that's it,' Haze encouraged softly, 'Trust me…'



As Clark lay there, heart pounding, the breath of warm air continued to flow out of Haze, and down onto his upturned face.



'Open your lips for me.' Haze instructed, increasing the warmth, 'Like we were about to kiss…'



Surprised, Clark drew a sudden breath, inhaling the dissipating heat with it. An electric thrill raced from his mouth to his groin, encouraging the heat there to increase. Tasting a faint sensation of something on his tongue, sweetness, spice, and something unique to Haze, Clark licked his lips, seeking more.



'Clark…'



He thought he had never heard his name sound better.



'You are so amazing, Babe … I want to show you so many things…'



The tang of Haze intensified and Clark gasped at his own growing hardness. "Yes…" He whispered. "I want that too."



'Soon, Babe … soon…'



The warmth moved down, trailing over his nipples. In a few seconds the two discs of skin had puckered up into tight jutting nubs. The cool night air brushing over his heated skin felt amazing. Clark's hands fisted on the blanket, one began edging toward his jeans.



'No, don't touch yourself…' Haze urged, 'Just let this happen.'







Obediently Clark held still. The heat slipped lower, over his abs, pausing at the open waist of his jeans, before continuing inexorably downwards. Groaning, he bucked his hips up slightly, feeling the friction from the fabric of his boxers.



'Easy Babe, easy… no rush… we got all the time in the world to get this just perfect…'



As the warm air gusted over his tented erection, Clark felt himself get even harder. "Haze …" He moaned, "Oh, God, Haze …"



'You like that?'



"MmmHmmm"



'What is it you like, Clark?' The voice was velvet, pure seduction.



Clark panted as shivers of pleasure tore away his last reserves of shyness. He felt his hips involuntarily leaving the blanket again. "You …" He managed to say.



'Me?' Haze asked innocently. 'Doing what?'



In Clark's mind Haze's voice had dropped to a low sexy drawl.



'Tell me Babe, and I'll do it for you.'



Clark's hormones were going into meltdown. "T.t.t.alking to me … and b.b.breathing on me …"



'Where should I breathe, Clark?'



"In … in … my mouth …" Clark gasped.



'Not … down here? ' Came the gentle enquiry.



The sensation was almost perfect, so good that Clark nearly changed his mind, but now he knew what he wanted, what really worked… what would send him practically out of his skin. "No…. Please, Haze… Please...!"







Haze obligingly readjusted his position. Clark closed his eyes, the shadow on his eyelids telling him that Haze was already moving into place.



Clark could sense those tempting lips, so close he could practically feel their soft skin on his, but still Haze kept just out of reach, a fraction of space dividing them, breathing slowly and steadily, while Clark writhed beneath him, needy and desperate enough by now to have allowed the other to do anything.



'Go on, Babe… Take it, take it right in…'



Gasping, and eagerly drawing the warm moist air down his throat, Clark felt his head spinning.



'You're almost ready…' Haze murmured. 'Getting so close…'



The sensation of hot air moving so close beside his ear pulled shivers from Clark's sensitised skin. "Haze…!" He groaned,



'Imagine my hands sliding over you… How good that would be…'



A low groan slipped out between Clark's lips before he could stop it.



'Or my tongue?'



Tongue? Images flashed through his youthful imagination and Clark suddenly wondered how long he was expected to last?



'My tongue licking your dick, me drinking you down as you come… '



"Oh, fuck! Haze!!" The words were out before Clark could censor them.



Haze shifted slightly, easing over him but holding just clear. The heat from his arms, now coming from both sides, made Clark writhe in helpless anticipation and longing.



Another second of this and he would beg openly. Anything to be touched, to be stroked, to be…



'I'm right here,' Haze encouraged. 'And I can feel that you're so very close.' The sensation of near-touch became overwhelming. 'Right on the edge.'



Clark panted desperately, keening with desire.



'Do it now, Clark. Come hard for me, Babe…'



That did it. Clark ground his heels in the blanket. His hips left the firm surface, jerking in sheer pleasure. Losing all control, he screamed. Waves of ecstasy rushed through him, wiping all coherent thought from his mind.