Before Sunset (Part Twenty-Four)

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The sun was high, but getting lower by degrees. It had to be afternoon. "We need a break," Clark said from behind her.

Chloe agreed, but she didn't want to say so just yet. "Just a little longer. I think we're nearing the top."

"You keep saying that," he groaned.

She stopped, reflecting that she had said that more than a few times and there still wasn't an end in sight. The area around Le Gal's cabin had been misleading, so obscured by trees. It would make a person think the land around was flat. That only lasted a half-hour at the most until the uphill climb began... and never seemed to end. "Just a few more minutes," she panted, pushing forward. Every time she stopped the cold hit her. She couldn't decide what was worse, the cold or the burning in her thighs. If she could just think of it like a work out, maybe she could soldier on. Lois always said you knew it was working when you just couldn't take it anymore. And she definitely was nearing the point where...

Her legs wobbled on the next step and she found herself tilting backward. She didn't get far before she felt Clark behind her, pulling her pinwheeling arms in. "Chloe, just stop."

"But the top..." She sagged against him, knowing she wasn't going to win this when she could hardly walk anymore. "I don't want a break."

"But you need it."

She used what strength she had to turn and glare at him.

"Fine. We need it." He took her pack from her and moved her sideways, steering her toward a large rock that was mostly clear of snow. The rocks were getting larger and larger, the further they climbed.

"I wanted to get to the top first," she said miserably as her stupid jelly legs forced her to sit. "If my thighs didn't hurt so much, I could."

"We just need to rest." Clark put both their loads down with a clink and crouched in front of her, rubbing briskly up and down her thighs. "You do realize that, once we get to the top, we're going to have to go downhill, which is kind of worse. We had a hell of a tumble before we found Le Gal's place."

"At least it's a faster way to t-t-travel." She shuddered as the cold hit her again. "Is it just me or is it colder than before we f-found the c-c-cabin?"

Clark frowned and untied the quilt at his side, brushing the snow off. There wasn't as much snow around now, just patches over the rocky slope, but that didn''t make it any warmer. "We're just higher up. That's all." He carefully took out the lantern, the can of kerosene, the can that once held coffee grounds and now held three cans of corn, and a vodka bottle, nearly empty.

When they were leaving, they had to be choosy in what they packed, so they compromised. Chloe offered to forgo what was left of the coffee grounds to make way for the corn, their only food, as the coffee can had a lid to contain it. Clark resisted the urge to pour the prune juice into the remaining vodka as Chloe pointed out that, if they needed it to light a fire, the prune juice would get in the way. They had the kerosene, but who knew if the local moose population would send another emissary to run off with their stuff again.

"Here." He placed the quilt around her. "I'll get some wood."

She wanted to offer her assistance, but her legs refused to move. "I'll watch the stuff," she said, feeling useless and tired. "Yell if you can't find your way back," she warned, pulling the quilt closer as he moved off.

"I will." They'd learned that the hard way. There wasn't as much snow to make footprints now and earlier, when they'd both needed a bathroom break, they'd damned near lost their rendezvous point and she yelled for him, running as well as she could on an incline for the most panic-stricken minutes of her life. Really. The most. No meteor freak, no chainsaw barrelling towards her, not even Lionel Luthor's bomb exploding just above her head as she crouched in the tunnels below her safe house touched the moments until she heard Clark yelling for her. She yelled back and they eventually found each other again.

At the time, they'd ended up wasting a good ten minutes making out like the teenagers they still were against a sapling that bent under the ferocity. She hoped that didn't happen again. Not just because she didn't want to lose him, but because... it was a little scary all over. When she saw him again, running towards her on the slope, she felt so much... too much. It wasn't just about life or death. It was about him, this boy... No. This man. They were legal adults now. Man and woman. And the idea of losing him was something made her think of giving up altogether. In those few minutes, she could have sank to the ground and let the cold take her.

And she didn't want to feel that, not for anyone, and especially not for Clark. Experience had taught her not to feel too deeply for Clark.

She tried to ignore the fear, knowing he wouldn't go far now, and pulled the other blanket toward her, still tied up. She untied it, pulling out the first aid kit, the sheet, and what utensils they had, some empty cans, and the kettle before shaking it out. They'd really have to go through, item by item, and figure just how much money to send Olivier Le Gal. He might be awfully pissed to find his cabin denuded of almost any useful thing.

She started at a rustling noise, half-afraid there were really was another moose with a hankering for their meager camping supplies, until Clark stepped out of the brush.

"Didn't get a lot," he said wearily.

Chloe looked around with some trouble. Even her eyes were tired. "The trees kind of thin out, the higher we go."

He grunted and put his branches down.

Chloe leaned over to hand him the kerosene. "We'll be fine," she said, brightening her voice. "We just eat and get warm, then keep going."

He grunted again, pulling the corn-filled coffee can toward him, sort of placing it in the middle of the branches before he dropped the match. He sat back as their fire ignited, taking a dry spot on the ground and the blanket Chloe was holding out.

"We'll be fine," she said again. "Really."

"It's not that," he said. But she wasn't convinced. Here they were with a chillier wind the higher they got and they seemed to get higher and higher with no end in sight. She hadn't even spotted a cave. Even the trees were thinning and what would they burn to keep warm if they disappeared altogether? And there was less snow! 


While that might seem like a good sign, what would they melt for water if it lessened even more? She hadn't seen a stream. Le Gal's place had a well and the trees and brush here weren't dying, so there must be water under the ground. But how could they get at it? 

And the corn tasted like coffee, she noted with distaste as he handed the large can up to her. Unlike most combinations involving coffee, it was disgusting. She forced her fork in as he handed it up to her again, figuring she had to eat it anyway. "Just stop worrying, Clark," she said as he sighed, digging his spoon in. "We really will be..."

"No. I'm good. I think we will be fine," he said quickly. "I think we've put in enough time out here to survive, no matter what. I'm not worried."

She leaned forward and turned to him. "Really?" Because she was.

"It's just... us."

She closed her eyes. That was why he was all sullen and silent, just like after the caves... "Clark, I'm not avoiding anything. Okay? It happened. We had sex. A lot. If I haven't been talking about it, it's because I've had my mind on other..."

"No. I know. It happened. It just bugs me that were so... uneven."

Chloe straightened on her rock, staring ahead. "No, we're not," she said quickly. "We are on even footing. No one is above the other." She was not investing in some kind of relationship and there were no expectations and...

"Yes, we are," he insisted. "I've had eight, Chloe. You only had seven." He kicked at some snow and handed the can up again.

She didn't take it. Just shook her head. "Yeah. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He put the can down and turned to her. "Okay, you gave me one in the shack, then I gave you two in the caves, but you also gave me one, so we were even. And we stayed even at the cabin with five more each, then you just had to..." He gestured downward. "And now we aren't even."

She gaped at him. "So I've been agonizing over our survival and you... you've been thinking about sex?"

He groaned and turned away. "I can't help it. It's not like I've had a lot of it... I mean, for too long a time."

"Well, neither have I. I mean, I did, but I didn't... I mean, when I did, I didn't exactly..."

"I just don't like that it's uneven," he grumbled. "I owe you one and I don't like being in debt."

"Well, forget it," she scoffed. "You can't pay me back, anyway. I told you. I'm raw and if you put a hand or anything else on me..."

"It wouldn't have to be a hand," he cut in. "Or anything else. I could..."

He grew silent and she stared at the back of his neck. It was growing redder with each second and she could feel her own face heating up and she both desired and dreaded what he was about to say.

"I could do it to you," he finally choked out.

She squeezed her eyes shut and put her cold hands over her heated face. "You mean..."

"I want to try it."

She opened her eyes to find him turned to her again, a hand on her knee. The idea was so... dirty. Sure, they'd had sex, they'd touched, but his mouth on her was so much more... She stiffened as his hand slid up her inseam. "I think we should keep going." She stood and threw the quilt off, gathering some supplies in it.

"Well... Why not? You did it to me. I just want to..."

"That's different," she said briskly, tying the quilt and kicking what snow there was over the fire. "You have... external genitalia and this is... just... Will you pack up already?"

He glowered at her, but did so. "Fine. If you don't want me to, then... fine."

"Well, I don't." It was so... intimate, letting someone actually taste you. She had tasted him, but with her, it was... it was just embarrassing. She stomped on the fire as he gathered his load, glad he was dropping it, at least.

"You know what?" He dropped his blanket. "I'll have you know that my parents have gotten those free premium cable previews and I've watched some stuff on Cinemax at night and most women seem to like it." He shuffled his feet slightly. "I mean, they were actresses and I couldn't see the details, but it was kind of obvious what the guy was doing and I always thought it was something girls... I mean... that they wanted." He shook his head and grabbed up his load. "Fine. Never mind."

She watched him trudge up the hill, followed a moment after, trying to be glad he'd dropped it for real because it was so embarrassing, thinking about his lips and all that mess between her thighs and how silly it would look, him staring at her as he...

She did not want to think about that. They had to keep going, survive, soldier on and all that.

Of course, a long boring trudge uphill that still seemed to never end didn't leave room for other thoughts and, with the heavy exercise, no breath for conversation. By the time the sky started darkening, she was still having heated, dirty, very embarrassing thoughts about Clark's mouth and the places it could be.

"What are we going to do?" he said, suddenly stopping.

She drew up short against him. "Uh... I don't know. Maybe I was too quick to... I mean, we could..."

"Chloe, I don't see anything resembling a cabin or even a cave and... It's getting dark."

Oh, that. She stared down with some measure of guilt. Here, she'd chastised Clark for thinking about sex and she'd spent the entire afternoon doing the same thing. Except about oral sex, cunnilingus, eating out, going down, carpet munching...

She swept the dirty words from her mind and looked around. "Well, maybe we should go east or west, see if there's anything..."

He shook his head. "That'll just get us off course. I think we're going true south now. You wanted to stick to that." He dropped his load. "I think we should just do it here."

She stilled. "Do it here?"

"Let's just get some wood, then make camp while we have some light."

"Make camp," she repeated dumbly. That's what he meant. "Yes. Of course." She nodded and dropped her own load, moving around their bags in widening circles behind him, testing the trees for dry, easily, broken-off branches.

"We just start a fire, melt some clean snow, then take the driest spot. We'll be fine. We have two blankets now and that sheet. Plus our clothes, once we take them off."

She stilled, a branch snapping in her hands. "We're still taking off our clothes?"

"Well, yeah. We did it in the caves. It's the best way to stay warm and we..."

"No. I know." Taking off their clothes was not sexual. It didn't mean he'd really... Sure, he'd thought about it before, but she said no and she would stick by it. Yes. No. No was the answer. "We'll stay warm and that's all."

He turned to her in the gathering dark. "Chloe, don't worry."

"Don't worry? About what? I'm not worried or... anything."

"You told me you're sore." He moved closer. "I won't touch you."

She drew up to her full height, which was just never tall enough. "You just... see that you don't." She moved ahead of him, testing a branch and finding it too bendy. There really were less trees. Maybe they should try the bushes. She moved to one and pulled at the brush. "I just... I think we should focus on getting through this alive," she said firmly.

"I never said we shouldn't."

"Good. Because all that earlier was just... crazy talk. I mean, we're out in the open now and it's more dangerous and suggesting things like that is just... not practical and..." God, why couldn't she stop talking? She whirled on him. "I just think you should drop it."

He was staring at her, wide-eyed. "I'm not the one talking about it."

"Well, I'm just being clear," she said, one last ditch attempt to make herself drop it. 

"Yeah. But you're being kind of too clear." He smiled. "Like maybe you kind of..."

She turned away quickly. "Do you think we can burn this brush? It's dry enough. It might not last too long, but worth a try."

"Always good to try new things." 

"Uh-huh." They continued to gather branches and dry bits of brush, stealing glances at each other. 

She watched Clark hastily stuff fistfuls of snow into the kettle as she tried and failed to light a match three times. She couldn't stop looking at his lips. When her gaze moved up to his eyes, she saw he was looking, too. "Hands aren't working," she said with a shaky sort of laugh. "Little cold." Which was a total lie. Every bit of her felt overheated right now.

He moved toward her. "Why don't I take care of that? You can," he shrugged, "make up the bed."

"Right. Because it's bedtime." She unpacked their supplies in the tightest possible pile, thinking of bedtime up until this age. It was always under protest, always just another hour, ten more minutes, just a sec... She supposed that was one of the perks of being grown-up and having things like sex to look forward to. It made a person actually want to go to bed. And she did-want to go to bed, that is. And with Clark. And his mouth. But now it seemed humiliating to bring it up again. He was already sending her sly looks, the minute she said something, they'd turn into smug looks and, damn it, she had her pride.

Besides, they were about to sleep in the open, open to wolves and bears and rogue gangs of moose. This was not the time to think of anything sexual... if she could just stop. She moved around their site as Clark built up the fire, trying to scope out which spot was dry, large enough for the two of them and didn't have too many rocks poking up. She found one, covered in pine needles. She sifted through them, looking for any particularly sharp rocks. She poked through the area, looking for a few more pine needles. It could make it seem a little softer, she hoped, like a mattress.

She sat back on her heels as she spread the sheet, then the blankets, hit with a memory. She turned to Clark. "Did you ever read Babes In The Wood?"

He looked at her across the fire. "I don't think so," he said, poking the kettle with a stick, trying to keep it in the fire.

"I read it in a fairytale book when I was little. This brother and sister are dumped in the woods."

"Sounds like a Hansel and Gretel rip-off."

"Not really. It wasn't their parents. It was an evil uncle. He was trying to get their inheritance. Anyway, they huddled up together to stay warm, but the cold was too much and they froze, then these birds took pity on them and covered them with a blanket of leaves so they survived. And the uncle got run out of town and died in the forest. I guess it was about nature protecting the just or something."

"I think I remember hearing that one. Can?" She tossed him one. "But I was pretty sure they died and the leaves were their grave." He grabbed the kettle with his sleeve. "And I don't think he got caught."

She drew back. "That's creepy. What would the moral of that be?"

"Watch out for evil uncles?" He handed her a can of water and she tossed him another empty.

"So I guess Hansel and Gretel's is not to take candy from strangers. Or strange witches."

He chuckled. "So what? Do you think the birds are going to take pity on us tonight?"

"Doubt it. We're not young and cute enough." She took a gulp of her lukewarm water. "Plus no mean uncle."

"Plus, we aren't brother and sister." He sipped at his own water, sliding her a look that told her he didn't mind at all.

Just when she was getting her mind out of the gutter... "Anyway, it just popped into my head." She stood quickly, finishing her water so fast it ran down her chin. "I'm tired," she said. It was no lie. It was getting darker and colder, cutting through her clothes and making her heated skin feel clammy and prickly. She tossed her can with their gear and quickly ducked out of the cold and out of his sight, between the quilt and blanket, hastily undressing.

She poked her head out after she spread her jacket under herself. "I'm in."

He tossed another branch on the fire, then stood, giving her another sly look. She closed her eyes as he moved towards her. She was not going to think about sex, not even oral sex, not even a little. "The brush smells funny," she said, having nothing better as he slid in, rustling behind her as he took off his own clothes.

"But it burns nice and slow." 

Even that sounded sexual. Or maybe it was just because she could feel him behind her. "You know, this is actually the most danger we've been in."

"Really? I feel like we've got this down. It's not much worse than the caves. No rabbit bones or wolves."

"But there could be and we're like sitting ducks, all out in the open and..."

"But we have a fire. We can always shoo them off with that."

"I'm just saying that this is going to be a rough night, so... you know... no funny business."

"I haven't said a word about funny business. But you keep bringing it up like I did." She felt his hand run up her spine. "I wonder why."

She squirmed away. "Well, you might. So none of that crazy talk about making it even and kissing your way down my stomach."

"I never said that."

"Didn't you? I could've sworn you did.." She felt his hand on her shoulder. She didn't have time to squirm away before she was on her back, him looming over her. 

"You want me to."

It was dark, but she could see the gleam of his teeth. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You could just say it."

She huffed and pushed at him, turning on her side and away from him. "Say what? I have nothing to..."

"Of course you don't. But I'm kind of annoyed. I mean, I've been trying to insure our survival and you're thinking about sex."

"Okay. Shut up."

He chuckled. "I had to, but..." His voice suddenly dropped. "Come on, Chloe. I won't use my hands," he said, pressing against her back. "I mean, not on certain parts. I'll be so gentle. I just want to... I want to make you feel as good as I did."

She turned her head slightly toward him. "How good was it?" She might be fishing. He'd pretty much screamed, so she knew it was pretty damned good.

"It was like... it wasn't better than sex, but it was this whole other experience. I just had to lay there and... feel. And it was so frustrating, having nothing to do, but so good, knowing someone was... taking care of me. I want to take care of you." His lips grazed her ear and she shuddered.

"I want you to," she breathed.

She felt his chuckle against her back. "I knew it."

She poked her elbow backward, but not too hard. He was doing the most delicious things to her ear. "You're going to really do it now? I mean... here?"

"There's no one to see," he said against her neck now, which was also a little raw from the last few days, Clark having grown a fair amount of stubble in the last week.

"But it's still so... dangerous out here," she finished on a gasp as his lips grazed her shoulder. "What about wild animals and..."

"You can keep a look out," he said, pulling her onto her back. "I'll be under here," he said with a grin.

She let out a nervous giggle and was horrified at the sound. She'd had sex over six times. She wanted to be so much more grown-up about this, considering she was a legal adult and high school graduate, but... God, this was naughty and somehow scarier than sex. Her legs were shaking, her teeth were chattering, the closer Clark got to...

She tensed up and she heard a grunt of pain. "Clark?" She picked up the blanket, saw him rubbing his jaw in the dim firelight coming through the blankets. 

"You gotta watch those knees."

"I'm sorry. I just got a little... nervous. I don't know." She threw her head back to the ground and grunted herself, kind of wishing they'd been able to fit the pillow. "Maybe we shouldn't do this tonight. I..."

"It would help if you would open your legs," came the muffled interruption.

She lifted the covers again and glanced down. They were kind of closed tight. He put a hand on them and she flinched again. He ducked out of the way this time, then quickly grasped her knees, pulling them apart and flattening himself over her.

"Gotcha," he said against her breasts with a satisfied smile, like he'd just wrestled a steer. She'd be annoyed, but he dipped his head to her breast, lips and tongue brushing and circling. It felt soft and warm and only reminded her of what he was about to do. Her hips shot upwards, in either anticipation or tension, maybe both.

"Shhh," he hissed against her skin. "I'm getting to it."

And he was. She felt him scoot down, then felt his lips slide slowly back and forth just under her ribs. She could feel herself trembling harder, even hear the buzz of her body. 

She nearly bucked him off her again as his lip nipped at her pelvic bone. He just pressed one hand on her stomach and looked up. "Is that a good spot?"

"I don't know."

He nipped her again and she tensed, not sure if that touch was ticklish or sexual. She felt his teeth lightly and she let out a shuddering gasp, thinking it was a bit of both. "I'll remember that," he breathed, moving down further, hovering just above her.

She tried to rein in her limbs as he stared at her. The light from the fire was dimming and she could hardly see him now and they'd have to remember to build it up after this and that was her last practical thought because she could feel his breath on her, almost as if it was in her, and he was really going to...

At the first touch of his mouth, she let out a startled squeak.

He drew upward, taking the covers with him. "You okay?"

She swallowed hard and tried to pull them back. "Fine. It's just... new. Weird."

"I know. I can't see what I'm doing. Let me..." 

Her body jolted as she felt his lips on her inner thigh. 

"Is that good?"

"It's... um... Do it again?"

He did and she tried to keep her legs still. They wanted to kick off the covers, kick even at him, and she couldn't control them.

She felt his hands warm on her thighs, gripping them. "I'll just hold onto these."

"You do that," she said vaguely as his breath hit her. It was almost like a touch. When his lips touched her again, she didn't know what she'd do.

Nearly knock him away again, apparently. "Easy," he said, gripping her thighs harder. "Okay, Chloe? I'm having a little trouble. Is this good or..."

"It's good," she cut in, trying to sit up. "I'm just nervous and we're in the open and I've never had anyone do this. It's hard to just..."

Her words failed her as she felt his lips again, right on her clit. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as he actually licked. 

Her head hit the ground again as his lips left. "You taste like Cheerios." Did he really say that? Maybe she was hearing things. She was certainly feeling things. She could feel his lips brushing her clit, then his tongue just under it, a raspy-soft caress that had her twisting her head from side to side. "Clark..."

"It's okay. I got it." She felt the words more loudly then she heard them. "Just like with my fingers. Keep still..."

Was he crazy? She couldn't keep still. He was licking her up and down, then in a tiny circle, then up and down again and... If it weren't for his hands holding her thighs wide, she'd have done some serious damage to his jaw.

As it was, she could barely move. Her hands flailed, gripping the dirt and pine needles above her head as his lips stopped brushing and sucked. She let out a low moan and he did it again... and harder.

Her own moans were echoing around them, she could hear them coming back to her, bouncing back and mingling with the noises, the wet, strange sucking noises combined with the heavy breaths coming out of his nose.

It was all so dirty and gorgeous and silly and serious and it felt like her body was expanding or the air shrinking around her, so cold and so hot and he was still gripping her thighs, keeping them down and her arms flailed, finally sliding down her own body, hands fisting in his hair as he groaned against her, fingers digging in as her hips rose, even under his weight...

He pressed down on her hard with his hands as his mouth enveloped her clit, tongue swirling around and around until she actually screamed into the sky, hands falling limply from his hair.

She lay there, her heartbeat so loud and thumping that she couldn't hear or feel anything else. She gave a lazy, startled gasp as he spoke, beside her again.

"I totally did that," he breathed, holding her still when she jolted against him.

She tried to find the energy to roll her eyes at how proud he was of himself, just like that night in the caves. But she was kind of proud of him, too. "You were right," she said blearily. "It's... different when you aren't doing the work."

"Well, you were tough. You kept trying to work."

"It's in my nature. I'm a hard worker," she yawned.

"I know."

He pulled her against his back and sighed. She felt so boneless and languid and so ready to drift asleep, outside or not, but... Her eyes opened suddenly. "I taste like Cheerios?"

"Hmmm?" He stirred against her. "Oh, yeah, but with lemon, if that makes sense." He sighed. "I like cheerios."

"You're weird."

"What about me?"

"I just told you you're weird," she said pressing back into him.

"No. I mean, what do I taste like?"

She squinted into the darkness. "I don't know. It was like... the way bleach smells, but as a taste."

"Ew."

"No. It's kind of... salty and clean."

"Still, Cheerios is better. Hold on..."

The cold hit her as he shuffled out of their cocoon, bare-assed and shoved more branches and brush into the fire. She stared lazily at him as he scurried back. He was so beautiful, especially in motion. All those muscles and that...

She sat up as he slid back in.

"Lay down," he hissed, pulling the covers over them and pressing her down.

"Clark, you're..."

"I know. It's okay.

"But I can take care of you... if you want." Her eyes were closing even as she said it, but she could roust herself after what he did.

"I can wait," he said against her lips, giving them a brush. "Because when we get out of this, you're going to make it up to me."

She tried to open her eyes, but failed. "Am I, now?"

"Oh, yeah." He brushed his hand up and down er hip slowly. "We're going to do all kinds of crazy sexy, things, like... exotic positions."

She mustered the strength to open one eye, wondering exactly how exotic Clark was thinking. "Like what?"

"You know... Different stuff. Like... from behind," he said in the kind of voice that said was seemed pretty darned daring.

"You mean doggy style?"

"Is that what they call... Have you done that with somebody? With that... guy?" He sneered the word and his hand went from brushing her hip to gripping it.

She leaned her head against his shoulder wearily. "I thought we were over the fact that I did this, like, once before. And no. I didn't. I hardly remember that first time, I was so nervous. But I know what it's called."

"Of course you do," he said on a yawn. "You know everything. Know-it-all."

"I am not. It just so happened I've seen some premium cable, too. And not just on a preview basis. My house gets every channel."

He tucked her head under his chin. "Then I guess you're the expert. You'll have to teach me a few things when we get home."

"Let's not talk about that," she said blearily.

"You're still doing that?" He pulled the covers tighter. "I'm gonna change your mind."

"We'll see."

"Yes... you will see," he said as she drifted off.

******************

Clark woke up to a loud, repetitive clacking sound. He was past the point of forgetting he and Chloe were in the middle of the Yukon by now, but he wondered what could be making that awful noise and the shaking... He dimly wondered if it was some combination of woodpecker and earthquake when he opened his eyes and realized it was coming from him. And not just him. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. It was light now, but he was loathe to keep his eyes open. He gripped around him, grappling for the blankets. He found them behind and pulled them over himself and Chloe, both naked and shivering. He clenched his teeth, trying to stop their chattering.

"Wh... What's g-g-g..."

"We're f-f-fine. We got through it." He pulled Chloe closer and wrapped the blankets tighter. "We must have k-k-kicked off the covers," he got out.

She turned and burrowed into him. "Why did we d-do that?"

"T-too many sex d-dreams," he ventured, grinning to himself despite the cold.

He heard her shaky laugh. "That's your fault," she said, sliding a leg over his. "You kept t-talking about it."

He moved against her, warming up now. "You're the one with all the dirty knowledge." He poked his head under the blankets blindly, finding her lips. "Mmmmm. Too bad you're sore."

"I don't know," she said against his mouth. "I don't feel so sore anymore."

He opened his eyes at that, staring into hers, clear and green and just a little lazy. "Yeah?"

"Mmmmm." She stretched against him. "But we're tired."

"I don't feel so tired anymore." He closed his eyes again, brushing her lips, hoping she wasn't too tired, either. But she wound her arms around his neck, sliding against him and he was relieved. Certain parts of him had been ready for this since last night and, if he hadn't been dead tired, he would have had a hell of time negotiating sleep. As it was, he was wide awake now all over. There was no sleeping now. He pulled away. "You're sure?"

She didn't answer, just kissed him again, pulling him on top of her. He was fine with that. Talking was a waste of time when there was kissing to do... and more. His tongue delved into her mouth as her legs opened beneath him. He hummed into her mouth and slid a hand down her waist.

"Um... Excuse me?"

"Go away," he muttered against her lips.

"Well, I would, but you kids are sleeping on the ground. And kissing. Just don't know if that's okay. This is private property, ya know?"

Clark's lips and hands stilled.


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