Part 5
Lex awoke in the gray of the morning, reaching for the warm body he knew instinctively was not there. The bed was empty save for himself and the lingering warmth of Bruce Wayne, which meant it had only recently been vacated. Lex smiled, thinking that he may just catch Bruce yet... before he woke and slipped away from him. It was something he'd been trying to do since they first got together: wake up before his lover, watch him sleeping, awaken him with deep kisses and skilled touches...
It never seemed to work out that way, however. There was something about his partner that prevented it; something Lex knew was deliberately being kept from him. A part of Bruce he longed to know, yearned to understand. The part of him that lie hidden in the darkness of his eyes, which hardened his smiling features into a sometimes frighteningly intense mask. There was a secret there, waiting to be spoken, and Lex desperately wanted to know what it was. Mainly because Lex disliked secrets in general, but also because knowing would mean Bruce trusted him with all aspects of his life. Not just business, and not just sex.
But more than anything, he really just wanted to wake up in the morning with his lover's arms still wrapped tightly around him. Was that so much to ask, Lex asked himself as he slipped from the bed.
A bath and a change of clothes later, and Lex was ready to go in search of his missing companion.
Alfred met him at the bottom of the stairs, just as Lex was debating which corridor would take him in the right direction. "Good morning, Master Lex," the butler greeted him. "Master Bruce is in the gymnasium completing his morning constitutional. Would you prefer to wait for him or should I see to your breakfast now?"
"Good morning, Alfred," Lex replied with a smile. "I think I'll wait for Bruce, if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the right direction?"
"Not at all, sir." Alfred led the way down the opposite corridor than the one Lex had been contemplating a few moments before. His guide opened the last door on the left--at the very end--and ushered Lex into another hallway. Much to his surprise, this one looked slightly more modern. Although still sporting stone on the walls, there were also modern light fixtures and regular windows. A soft area rug lined the floor, covering the stone Lex knew must be there. "The gymnasium is on the end," Alfred told him, excusing himself to see to breakfast.
Can't miss it, Lex thought to himself as he approached the double doors at the end of the hallway. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting as Bruce's "gymnasium"--a treadmill, weight bench... maybe a sauna--but what he saw when he pushed the doors opened wasn't it. Yes, there were weights and the obligatory treadmill, but there was also a set of gymnastic rings, boxing ring and--
Lex's observations halted as he spotted his host in one corner of the eclectic gym. A very sweaty Bruce Wayne--Lex could see his muscular chest through the sweat-soaked white tee-shirt he wore--was delivering a series of well-timed, perfectly executed kicks and punches to a human-shaped punching bag. The dummy was suspended from the ceiling and strapped to the floor by several cables. Every time Bruce connected with it, the cables shook, giving just a little.
And every time they gave, Lex noted, their attacker added more force to his efforts. As Lex watched silently, not wanting to break the other man's concentration, Bruce launched himself at the dummy in a flying kick. His body made the perfect missile--long, trim and yet oh-so powerful. He hadn't realized just how much strength his companion hid behind his clothes, but the extent of it became clear as the cables snapped beneath the weight of that power impacting against the dummy.
Man and punching bag went tumbling together onto the floor mat behind them. Lex watched--both intrigued and a little aroused by this time--as Bruce extracted himself from the mess, rising gracefully to his feet. As he brushed dirt off the legs of his black sweat pants, Lex made his presence known--applauding slowly as he stepped further into the room. The deep concentration that shadowed Bruce Wayne's face fell away instantly, replaced by a brilliant smile.
"Lex! Good morning!" he beamed, the glow of his smile warming Lex thoroughly.
"Good morning, yourself. Working off a few frustrations?" he asked,
unable to forget the reaction Bruce had to the mysterious message the day
before and his reticence to speak of it. The 100-watt smile faded
a little with his implied question.
"No," his friend informed him, picking up the wrecked dummy and carrying
over to the wall. "My usual morning routine," he explained.
"Just to get the juices flowing." Lex's lips twitched, curling into
a half smirk. He could think of better ways to "get the juices flowing"
but he was certain his paramour knew that without having to voice it.
He was fairly sure he didn't have to speak the words, anyway. Currently, he was staring at the sweat glistening off the other man's skin, and was certain the object of his desire could see the hunger in his eyes. Bruce, however, seemed not to notice, and reached for a towel on a nearby bench. When he brought the terry cloth up as if to dab the moisture form his face, Lex stopped him and took the cloth from his hands. "Let me," he said, in a voice husky with sudden desire. But instead of wiping his lover's brow with the cloth, he leaned in, tentatively licking at a drop of sweat at the base of his neck. Bruce tensed slightly at the surprising touch, then responded by pulling Lex closer to him. Emboldened by the arms circling his waist, Lex allowed himself to taste each inch of exposed skin of the face before him. Salty sweat mingled with Bruce's essence, thrilling his taste buds. His tongue lapped eagerly at each sweat drop that presented itself. Bruce moaned softly at the intimate touch. Lex's lips found their way to the moist lips which parted to form his name, devouring them as a starving man devours a piece of ripe fruit.
"Ah, Lex," Bruce sighed raggedly, chuckling as he broke the kiss. "I was going to suggest a shower, but you seem intent on bathing me yourself." His giddy laughter was infectious. A shower with Bruce sounded good to Lex, and he stopped administering the tongue bath long enough to say so. "I thought you might concur," came the reply, as casually as if they were discussing a business transaction. "Come," he added. "There's much to be done and the day isn't going to wait for us to finish playing around."
"Pleasure first, Bruce. Pleasure first," Lex reminded as they slipped out of the gymnasium and up the stairs to Bruce's bedroom and promise of the shower that awaited them.
*L*E*X*
Bruce had been right, of course. The day wasn't about to wait for them to get over the rush of hormones caused by too much time apart. While they showered--and fooled around in the shower--the business of the day plunged on without them.
Alfred was standing in the doorway when they tumbled, wrapped in huge towels and still very amorous, from the shower.
"Alfred?" Bruce inquired, while Lex extracted himself from his lover's embrace. Alfred had been to his own room, he noted, seeing a change of clothes laid out for him on Bruce's bed. Alfred had chosen one of his more casual ensembles, not quite what Lex would have started the day wearing were he in Metropolis, but far be it for him to complain. The clothes were there, conveniently, and saved him the embarrassment of stealing out of his host's bedroom in a towel to fetch clean ones.
Behind him, Bruce pulled on a pair of black denim jeans, nodding as the elder man apprised him of the situation with the historical society's benefit that night. Caterers would be arriving no later than five that evening to set up.
"As expected. Has Ms. Gilcrest called yet this morning?" he asked, his voice slightly pained.
"Not yet, sir. But I suspect we'll be hearing from her soon." Alfred also seemed unimpressed. Lex knew the Gilcrests. Donovan occasionally did business with his father, and his wife was a notorious social butterfly, flitting from one cause to the next in an attempt to ingratiate herself within certain circles. She and their daughter had a knack for getting involved in every Gotham event they could, so it didn't surprise Lex to hear them mentioned. "Mr. Kent called from the JFK airport. Their connecting flight was early, and they're on their way."
Lex threw Bruce a look, eyebrow raising in curiosity. He was rewarded with a wry smile. "Mr. Kent was... concerned about the way our credit union is handling the farmers' loans."
"Of course he was," Lex replied, echoing the smile. None of the farmers had been asked to repay their loans yet. Naturally, many of them would be worried about what this might mean.
"I asked him here to ease his mind a bit." The other man shrugged lightly, reaching for a shirt from his bureau.
"You know that might not be as easy as it sounds. Jonathan Kent
is inherently suspicious of wealth." His words were punctuated with
a sarcastic smirk. Lex remembered how hard he'd tried to get on the
farmer's good side early on in his brief stay in Smallville. Even
now that they'd come to an understanding, Clark's father was still hesitant
when it came to "Luthor money." Although not a Luthor, Bruce
would likely learn this same lessen rather quickly.
