Reassurances - Chapter Four (Part Two)
A prequel to our Batman epic, "The Eye of Anubis," taking place three years before its beginning.
Pairing: Kon / Tim (Superboy / Robin iii)
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Tim and Kon finally get to have some REAL fun! After Tim gets a bruise or two, of course.
Warnings: Angst, a little bit of foul language
Summary: After the "Luthor Mess," Kon has put himself under house arrest in Smallville. Tim is worried and seeks him out, hoping to ease Kon's mind and help him find a little peace. They both get far more out of Tim's visit than either of them bargained for.
(On with the story...)
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just knocked the breath out of me." Suddenly, Tim grabbed Kon in a headlock and dragged him towards the farmhouse. "How about we wash out your mouth!"
Laughing, Kon allowed himself to be dragged, putting up only a token struggle to get away. "I'm not the one who needs it!" he insisted and stooped just a little so that he could hook an arm behind Tim's legs and scoop him up. The action took them up into the air a little and Kon grinned, hovering them about a foot off the ground. "Now what, Bird Boy?" he teased.
Tim looked down at the ground, then playfully glared up at Kon. "That's not fair." There was nothing he could do to force Kon back to the ground if the meta was feeling stubborn, and, while it wouldn't be a long drop, Tim still didn't want to fall. Crossing his arms, he glowered, his sparkling eyes betraying his mirth.
"We've got some time. Wanna fly?" Kon asked, his tone going from playful to something more serious.
"Will I get dirtier in the process?" The back of Tim's wet head was coated in dust, dirt, and hay chaff from his fall.
"No, I promise," Kon murmured and slowly loosened his hold on the Teen Wonder. Telekinesis had to be one of the coolest powers. "Look, Ma. No hands," he teased softly and grinned a little as he allowed his TK to take Tim's whole weight.
It was if he were floating on a cushion of air. Moving carefully, Tim straightened until he was standing on level with Kon and smirked, hovering above the ground. "How long could you hold me up like this?" he asked, deeply curious.
"You, compared to that castle I moved with my TTK way back in the beginning of Young Justice, are a feather, Tim. Probably for a really long time. Maybe indefinitely." Kon smiled a little and shrugged. "Why?"
"Just curious." Cautiously, Tim took a step forward and grinned as Kon's TK continued to hold him up, giving him an idea. "Y'know, I bet if we practiced enough, combining your strength and TK and my martial arts and tactician skills, we could become a virtually unstoppable team."
"You're going to trust me to multitask with your life," Kon stated in disbelief while lifting them higher into the air. Living out in the middle of nowhere had its advantages.
"I already do, don't I?" Tim pointed out, testing his range of movement with the grip of TK. "Every time we guard each other's backs, we're placing our lives in the other's hands."
"Yeah, but asking me to fight and still use my TK on you… that's a little different, isn't it?" Kon watched Tim test the limits of his hold with a small sense of pride that he really had no right to. Tim was truly amazing when it came to martial arts, and Kon couldn't help but feel pride in their friendship. It said something that someone as disciplined and strong as Tim was his best friend.
Satisfied to find he had complete range of motion and could travel a sizeable distance from Kon without feeling the TK weaken - he'd stopped walking and turned around to come back at about seven meters away, still having found no limit - Tim shrugged. "Not really. Either scenario calls for us to trust in each other's abilities and to use each other as support."
Kon couldn't help smiling a little at that, pleased to be told that Tim had that much faith in him. "We could try it. Practice and plan and see what happens." Tightening his mental hold on Tim's body, Kon reeled him in faster and caught Tim's hands, lacing their fingers together. They were sort of in a relationship now, so… acting like it couldn't hurt. They had decided to test the waters.
"We could start tonight after chores, or even right now." Tim gave Kon's fingers a squeeze and relaxed his hold, leaving their hands in a loose, comfortable tangle. A small smile hovered on the edges of his mouth from the ease at which they touched each other. Years of friendship had erased most physical boundaries between them, leaving room for new levels of intimacy.
Pulling Tim in closer, Kon lowered his head and nuzzled noses with the Teen Wonder, reveling in the touch of another. He'd been contact-starved for so long, even more so after the Luthor Mess, and now that he had someone that wanted to touch him, to be touched by him, Kon was acutely feeling that deprivation. "Now. Later. Whatever you want." His voice was low and deep in the quiet of the moment. A cool breeze wafted past them, ruffling dark hair and clothes and carrying the scent of fresh air and sunny country afternoon with it. That moment must have been what real serenity was, Kon-El thought as Tim's scent tickled his nose. Deep blue eyes slid briefly shut, then lazily opened again. He hadn't felt this calm in months and it was definitely all because of Tim.
"Later?" murmured Tim, leaning into Kon's nuzzles, his eyes closing to half-mast. "I feel like going inside and being lazy. Maybe watch some bad game shows." It wasn't often Tim got to just relax, especially as of late. Granted, he had a lot of free time here on the farm between chores, but for the couple months following the Luthor mess, he'd had almost no time for himself. Add the fact that now he and Kon were testing out a new, deeper level to their friendship, and Tim was actually looking forward to having someone he could be affectionate with again. He'd almost forgotten how wonderful it could be to have someone he could just… be with.
"Later," Kon agreed and slowly lowered them back to the ground. His feet touching earth before Tim's , Kon carefully let his partner find his feet before releasing him from his mental grip. Kon kept one of Tim's hands laced in his, comfortably holding hands as they walked towards the porch. "Hungry at all?"
"Yeah, actually. Make us lunch while I go rinse all this dirt out of my hair?"
"Why don't you take a shower? I should probably neaten up the house a little anyway since Ma and Pa might be coming back soon. At superspeed I should be able to get it done before you get out." The screen door creaked on its hinges as he pushed it open for Tim to enter the kitchen. Of course, Kon had to let go of Tim's hand to do so, but he figured it wouldn't be long before he'd be touching Tim again, so that didn't matter much. Following Tim in, he let the screen door swing shut behind him and started to toe off his barely tied work boots.
"Alright." Tim kicked off his shoes and waited for Kon to straighten before pressing a brief yet warm kiss to Kon's mouth. "I'll be out soon so you can have a turn. See you in a bit." He headed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.
Kon watched him leave, blue eyes fixed on Tim's back until he couldn't immediately see him anymore. His mouth still felt the warm tingle of Tim's brief kiss, but it was the casual intimacy that had floored him. Shaking his head with a happy smirk, the Teen of Steel shifted into overdrive and straightened up the house, including his own bedroom, before settling on the couch and flipping on the TV to wait for Tim.
"You forgot to make lunch, didn't you?" Totally silent, Tim had crept up behind the couch and took great pleasure in watching Kon start in surprise. Ah, the advantages of being a Bat. Smirking, he leaned forward to brace his folded arms on the back of the couch beside Kon's head. His own dark head was still damp from his shower, most of the water having been toweled out, leaving just enough to run down the side of his face in small rivulets, which felt wonderful in the day's summer heat. "Anything good on?"
The wet Teen Wonder had Kon's undivided attention from the moment he'd turned around. His eyes finally connected with Tim's after slowly roving over his face and oh-so-sexy wet hair, and he mentally gave himself a shake. "Uhm, nothing so far and yeah, I forgot to make lunch. Sit down and I'll take care of it."
"How about you go take a shower and I'll make lunch." Tim ruffled Kon's hair as he straightened, combing it back from his forehead. Kon had yet to cut his hair after the Luthor incident and it had grown almost as long as it had been back when he'd been known as simply "Kid," minus the buzz underneath. Tim liked it that long; it made Kon look younger and reminded him of happier times.
The gentle caress made his heart skip for an instant and Kon smirked, rising to his feet once Tim's fingers had left his hair. "Yeah, okay. I'll see you in a few." Kon moved around the couch and caught Tim by the back of his head, giving him the same kiss that Tim had given him before wandering off for his own shower earlier. With a happy smirk, the meta caressed Tim's cheek and slowly let him go before heading up the stairs and into the bathroom.
When he came out again, there were sandwiches on the counter for him, which Kon wolfed down in minutes. After grabbing drinks out of the fridge, Kon went into the living room to settle on the couch right next to his human companion. "Find anything good to watch yet?"
"Just the news, and they keep repeating the same set of stories over and over again." Nodding in thanks, Tim took one of the drinks and leaned on Kon's shoulder as he popped open the can, more than comfortable with the casual touch. "Right now it's something about a string of arsons in Topeka. They just caught the arsonist."
"Mm," Kon hummed and shifted so that he could wrap one powerful arm around Tim's shoulders. The action pulled the other boy close to his side, and he used his telekinesis to open his can. After a sip of the fruity soda, Kon tipped his head, resting his temple on Tim's crown. "What about a movie?"
"That works. Go ahead and put whatever in." Tim shifted closer so he didn't have to lean so far, pressing their sides together, and tucked his shoulder under Kon's arm. They fit together very much like two pieces of a puzzle and Tim couldn't help but smile, somehow not surprised in the least to realize that so far everything they'd done felt easy and comfortable, almost as if they'd been just a step away from this for a long while.
Turning his eyes to the small bookshelf that was packed with movies, the half-Kryptonian contemplated their choices for a while. "How about 'Short Circuit?'"
"Sure. 'Johnny five is alive!'" murmured Tim under his breath with a snicker into his pop can.
Kon pretended to pout as he extended his telekinesis out, catching the movie he was eyeing. It took a lot of concentration, but he could manipulate things with his TK almost as well as he did with his hands. "It's an okay movie. Geez," he drolled.
Tim chuckled and rested his head against Kon's shoulder, watching as the video slid out of the box and into the VCR, all without either of them touching it. "I didn't say it wasn't. You ever notice that his eyebrows are uneven?"
"No, actually." Warm lips caressed Tim's forehead close to his hairline.
A low, content hum answered his light caress. "Mm. Then you're the only one."
"I've only seen this movie once and barely paid any attention to it then. Probably won't now either," Kon conceded and gave Tim's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Nice to know I'm distracting." Smirking, the Teen Wonder pressed closer and tilted his face up, blue eyes at a lazy half mast.
"Mm, very." Lowering his head, Kon let his mouth brush against Tim's, the contact brief and warm. "Not that I'm complaining," he added in a low, almost sultry voice.
"I should hope not, especially since this was your idea." Balmy breath ghosted over Kon's mouth as Tim sat up straighter, their lips barely touching. One hand found its way to Kon's opposite hip, the lean arm attached to it draping over his waist.
Releasing his pop can, Kon guided it through the air to the end table at the nearest arm of the couch. His newly freed hand dropped to Tim's wrist and slid up his arm then back down, caressing smooth, only slightly scarred skin. "Is it a problem?" he asked, his tone so much like the old, cockier Superboy that with the longer hair, Kon seemed like himself again.
Tim shook his head and brushed his nose against Kon's. "Not at all." Each word was a soft, teasing kiss, their promise fulfilled by a firm press of lips. Tightening his hold on the meta's waist, Tim tilted his head to deepen the kiss and parted his lips, giving Kon access to his mouth if he wanted it.
A thrill of excitement raced down the meta's spine as Tim's mouth parted against his. Without hesitance, Kon's tongue slipped out to stroke Tim's lower lip once before dipping past to seek its mate. The kiss went from near-to-timid to deep with slow passion as their tongues wound together.
They never did end up watching the movie.
----------
"Jonathan, could you please go check on the boys?" asked Martha as she set her grocery bags down on the kitchen counter and began putting things away, being as quiet as she could in case Conner and Tim were already asleep, which she hoped they were since it was almost midnight and they had chores to do early in the morning. She wasn't at all surprised to see that the pantry and fridge had been significantly depleted while they were gone, all too familiar with Conner's sizable appetite.
"Sure thing," Jonathan agreed amiably and pecked his wife's cheek on the way by. Moving quietly up the stairs, Jonathan crept to Conner's door. It was open a slight crack and he pushed it open just enough to peek through. The moonlit scene shook him and he stared for one stunned moment before turning and heading back downstairs as quickly as he could. Without pausing he went straight for the porch. "Martha, come out here."
"What is it? Jonathan?" Her brow furrowed in concern, Martha tucked the vegetables she was holding into the fridge and followed him outside. "Is something wrong?"
"I just looked in on the boys. Conner's wrapped around Tim like the boy's some kind of body pillow," he informed her. His tone was troubled, but more confused and startled than angry. Jonathan kept his voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping boys upstairs. He couldn't tell how much Conner could hear or how well.
"What?" Confused herself, she went back inside and up the stairs to see for herself via the cracked-open door.
Conner was indeed wrapped around Tim as if the shorter boy was a body pillow. He was laying on Tim's side with his head on one shoulder and a hand on the other. Their legs were tangled almost to the point where she couldn't tell which legs belonged to whom, and the blanket had become a knot around their ankles. The arm attached to the shoulder Conner was laying on was flung out to the side. Tim's other arm was draped over the thick arm on his chest, his face half buried in dark hair. Both boys were sound asleep, completely dead to the world.
Smiling at the warm picture they made, Martha silently closed the bedroom door and went back downstairs to the porch. "Well, they certainly looked cozy."
"They look a little more than cozy, Martha," Jonathan stated. He didn't look upset so much as unsettled. This wasn't something they had had to deal with when raising Clark. "So, now, Conner's not only a clone of our son and Lex Luthor, but he's gay as well? It's hard enough keeping the secrets he already has."
Martha pursed her lips at her husband's attitude. "Just because they're cuddled up like that doesn't mean Conner's gay, Jonathan. He's been through a really rough spot lately, and Tim's an old friend and a source of comfort."
"Martha, straight men don't lay with other men like that. There's a lot more to that than just comfort," Jonathan stated and shook his head, looking off towards the barn through the dusky night. "I guess it's not our place to tell him who he can and can't be with, but this is only going to make things harder on him."
"Maybe. Or maybe it'll make things easier on him, we don't know. But you're right, it's not our place, so how about we stop jumping to conclusions and see what happens in the morning, hm?" Martha kissed Jonathan on the cheek and headed back inside. "Come on. Let's finish putting everything away and go to bed."
Jonathan nodded after a moment's thought and followed his wife back into the kitchen. Conner was almost like a second son to him, though a belatedly adopted one, and he worried over lots of things considering how unique their technical grandson was. This was really just one more small item to add to the pile.
On to Chapter Five…
Pairing: Kon / Tim (Superboy / Robin iii)
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Tim and Kon finally get to have some REAL fun! After Tim gets a bruise or two, of course.
Warnings: Angst, a little bit of foul language
Summary: After the "Luthor Mess," Kon has put himself under house arrest in Smallville. Tim is worried and seeks him out, hoping to ease Kon's mind and help him find a little peace. They both get far more out of Tim's visit than either of them bargained for.
(On with the story...)
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just knocked the breath out of me." Suddenly, Tim grabbed Kon in a headlock and dragged him towards the farmhouse. "How about we wash out your mouth!"
Laughing, Kon allowed himself to be dragged, putting up only a token struggle to get away. "I'm not the one who needs it!" he insisted and stooped just a little so that he could hook an arm behind Tim's legs and scoop him up. The action took them up into the air a little and Kon grinned, hovering them about a foot off the ground. "Now what, Bird Boy?" he teased.
Tim looked down at the ground, then playfully glared up at Kon. "That's not fair." There was nothing he could do to force Kon back to the ground if the meta was feeling stubborn, and, while it wouldn't be a long drop, Tim still didn't want to fall. Crossing his arms, he glowered, his sparkling eyes betraying his mirth.
"We've got some time. Wanna fly?" Kon asked, his tone going from playful to something more serious.
"Will I get dirtier in the process?" The back of Tim's wet head was coated in dust, dirt, and hay chaff from his fall.
"No, I promise," Kon murmured and slowly loosened his hold on the Teen Wonder. Telekinesis had to be one of the coolest powers. "Look, Ma. No hands," he teased softly and grinned a little as he allowed his TK to take Tim's whole weight.
It was if he were floating on a cushion of air. Moving carefully, Tim straightened until he was standing on level with Kon and smirked, hovering above the ground. "How long could you hold me up like this?" he asked, deeply curious.
"You, compared to that castle I moved with my TTK way back in the beginning of Young Justice, are a feather, Tim. Probably for a really long time. Maybe indefinitely." Kon smiled a little and shrugged. "Why?"
"Just curious." Cautiously, Tim took a step forward and grinned as Kon's TK continued to hold him up, giving him an idea. "Y'know, I bet if we practiced enough, combining your strength and TK and my martial arts and tactician skills, we could become a virtually unstoppable team."
"You're going to trust me to multitask with your life," Kon stated in disbelief while lifting them higher into the air. Living out in the middle of nowhere had its advantages.
"I already do, don't I?" Tim pointed out, testing his range of movement with the grip of TK. "Every time we guard each other's backs, we're placing our lives in the other's hands."
"Yeah, but asking me to fight and still use my TK on you… that's a little different, isn't it?" Kon watched Tim test the limits of his hold with a small sense of pride that he really had no right to. Tim was truly amazing when it came to martial arts, and Kon couldn't help but feel pride in their friendship. It said something that someone as disciplined and strong as Tim was his best friend.
Satisfied to find he had complete range of motion and could travel a sizeable distance from Kon without feeling the TK weaken - he'd stopped walking and turned around to come back at about seven meters away, still having found no limit - Tim shrugged. "Not really. Either scenario calls for us to trust in each other's abilities and to use each other as support."
Kon couldn't help smiling a little at that, pleased to be told that Tim had that much faith in him. "We could try it. Practice and plan and see what happens." Tightening his mental hold on Tim's body, Kon reeled him in faster and caught Tim's hands, lacing their fingers together. They were sort of in a relationship now, so… acting like it couldn't hurt. They had decided to test the waters.
"We could start tonight after chores, or even right now." Tim gave Kon's fingers a squeeze and relaxed his hold, leaving their hands in a loose, comfortable tangle. A small smile hovered on the edges of his mouth from the ease at which they touched each other. Years of friendship had erased most physical boundaries between them, leaving room for new levels of intimacy.
Pulling Tim in closer, Kon lowered his head and nuzzled noses with the Teen Wonder, reveling in the touch of another. He'd been contact-starved for so long, even more so after the Luthor Mess, and now that he had someone that wanted to touch him, to be touched by him, Kon was acutely feeling that deprivation. "Now. Later. Whatever you want." His voice was low and deep in the quiet of the moment. A cool breeze wafted past them, ruffling dark hair and clothes and carrying the scent of fresh air and sunny country afternoon with it. That moment must have been what real serenity was, Kon-El thought as Tim's scent tickled his nose. Deep blue eyes slid briefly shut, then lazily opened again. He hadn't felt this calm in months and it was definitely all because of Tim.
"Later?" murmured Tim, leaning into Kon's nuzzles, his eyes closing to half-mast. "I feel like going inside and being lazy. Maybe watch some bad game shows." It wasn't often Tim got to just relax, especially as of late. Granted, he had a lot of free time here on the farm between chores, but for the couple months following the Luthor mess, he'd had almost no time for himself. Add the fact that now he and Kon were testing out a new, deeper level to their friendship, and Tim was actually looking forward to having someone he could be affectionate with again. He'd almost forgotten how wonderful it could be to have someone he could just… be with.
"Later," Kon agreed and slowly lowered them back to the ground. His feet touching earth before Tim's , Kon carefully let his partner find his feet before releasing him from his mental grip. Kon kept one of Tim's hands laced in his, comfortably holding hands as they walked towards the porch. "Hungry at all?"
"Yeah, actually. Make us lunch while I go rinse all this dirt out of my hair?"
"Why don't you take a shower? I should probably neaten up the house a little anyway since Ma and Pa might be coming back soon. At superspeed I should be able to get it done before you get out." The screen door creaked on its hinges as he pushed it open for Tim to enter the kitchen. Of course, Kon had to let go of Tim's hand to do so, but he figured it wouldn't be long before he'd be touching Tim again, so that didn't matter much. Following Tim in, he let the screen door swing shut behind him and started to toe off his barely tied work boots.
"Alright." Tim kicked off his shoes and waited for Kon to straighten before pressing a brief yet warm kiss to Kon's mouth. "I'll be out soon so you can have a turn. See you in a bit." He headed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.
Kon watched him leave, blue eyes fixed on Tim's back until he couldn't immediately see him anymore. His mouth still felt the warm tingle of Tim's brief kiss, but it was the casual intimacy that had floored him. Shaking his head with a happy smirk, the Teen of Steel shifted into overdrive and straightened up the house, including his own bedroom, before settling on the couch and flipping on the TV to wait for Tim.
"You forgot to make lunch, didn't you?" Totally silent, Tim had crept up behind the couch and took great pleasure in watching Kon start in surprise. Ah, the advantages of being a Bat. Smirking, he leaned forward to brace his folded arms on the back of the couch beside Kon's head. His own dark head was still damp from his shower, most of the water having been toweled out, leaving just enough to run down the side of his face in small rivulets, which felt wonderful in the day's summer heat. "Anything good on?"
The wet Teen Wonder had Kon's undivided attention from the moment he'd turned around. His eyes finally connected with Tim's after slowly roving over his face and oh-so-sexy wet hair, and he mentally gave himself a shake. "Uhm, nothing so far and yeah, I forgot to make lunch. Sit down and I'll take care of it."
"How about you go take a shower and I'll make lunch." Tim ruffled Kon's hair as he straightened, combing it back from his forehead. Kon had yet to cut his hair after the Luthor incident and it had grown almost as long as it had been back when he'd been known as simply "Kid," minus the buzz underneath. Tim liked it that long; it made Kon look younger and reminded him of happier times.
The gentle caress made his heart skip for an instant and Kon smirked, rising to his feet once Tim's fingers had left his hair. "Yeah, okay. I'll see you in a few." Kon moved around the couch and caught Tim by the back of his head, giving him the same kiss that Tim had given him before wandering off for his own shower earlier. With a happy smirk, the meta caressed Tim's cheek and slowly let him go before heading up the stairs and into the bathroom.
When he came out again, there were sandwiches on the counter for him, which Kon wolfed down in minutes. After grabbing drinks out of the fridge, Kon went into the living room to settle on the couch right next to his human companion. "Find anything good to watch yet?"
"Just the news, and they keep repeating the same set of stories over and over again." Nodding in thanks, Tim took one of the drinks and leaned on Kon's shoulder as he popped open the can, more than comfortable with the casual touch. "Right now it's something about a string of arsons in Topeka. They just caught the arsonist."
"Mm," Kon hummed and shifted so that he could wrap one powerful arm around Tim's shoulders. The action pulled the other boy close to his side, and he used his telekinesis to open his can. After a sip of the fruity soda, Kon tipped his head, resting his temple on Tim's crown. "What about a movie?"
"That works. Go ahead and put whatever in." Tim shifted closer so he didn't have to lean so far, pressing their sides together, and tucked his shoulder under Kon's arm. They fit together very much like two pieces of a puzzle and Tim couldn't help but smile, somehow not surprised in the least to realize that so far everything they'd done felt easy and comfortable, almost as if they'd been just a step away from this for a long while.
Turning his eyes to the small bookshelf that was packed with movies, the half-Kryptonian contemplated their choices for a while. "How about 'Short Circuit?'"
"Sure. 'Johnny five is alive!'" murmured Tim under his breath with a snicker into his pop can.
Kon pretended to pout as he extended his telekinesis out, catching the movie he was eyeing. It took a lot of concentration, but he could manipulate things with his TK almost as well as he did with his hands. "It's an okay movie. Geez," he drolled.
Tim chuckled and rested his head against Kon's shoulder, watching as the video slid out of the box and into the VCR, all without either of them touching it. "I didn't say it wasn't. You ever notice that his eyebrows are uneven?"
"No, actually." Warm lips caressed Tim's forehead close to his hairline.
A low, content hum answered his light caress. "Mm. Then you're the only one."
"I've only seen this movie once and barely paid any attention to it then. Probably won't now either," Kon conceded and gave Tim's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Nice to know I'm distracting." Smirking, the Teen Wonder pressed closer and tilted his face up, blue eyes at a lazy half mast.
"Mm, very." Lowering his head, Kon let his mouth brush against Tim's, the contact brief and warm. "Not that I'm complaining," he added in a low, almost sultry voice.
"I should hope not, especially since this was your idea." Balmy breath ghosted over Kon's mouth as Tim sat up straighter, their lips barely touching. One hand found its way to Kon's opposite hip, the lean arm attached to it draping over his waist.
Releasing his pop can, Kon guided it through the air to the end table at the nearest arm of the couch. His newly freed hand dropped to Tim's wrist and slid up his arm then back down, caressing smooth, only slightly scarred skin. "Is it a problem?" he asked, his tone so much like the old, cockier Superboy that with the longer hair, Kon seemed like himself again.
Tim shook his head and brushed his nose against Kon's. "Not at all." Each word was a soft, teasing kiss, their promise fulfilled by a firm press of lips. Tightening his hold on the meta's waist, Tim tilted his head to deepen the kiss and parted his lips, giving Kon access to his mouth if he wanted it.
A thrill of excitement raced down the meta's spine as Tim's mouth parted against his. Without hesitance, Kon's tongue slipped out to stroke Tim's lower lip once before dipping past to seek its mate. The kiss went from near-to-timid to deep with slow passion as their tongues wound together.
They never did end up watching the movie.
----------
"Jonathan, could you please go check on the boys?" asked Martha as she set her grocery bags down on the kitchen counter and began putting things away, being as quiet as she could in case Conner and Tim were already asleep, which she hoped they were since it was almost midnight and they had chores to do early in the morning. She wasn't at all surprised to see that the pantry and fridge had been significantly depleted while they were gone, all too familiar with Conner's sizable appetite.
"Sure thing," Jonathan agreed amiably and pecked his wife's cheek on the way by. Moving quietly up the stairs, Jonathan crept to Conner's door. It was open a slight crack and he pushed it open just enough to peek through. The moonlit scene shook him and he stared for one stunned moment before turning and heading back downstairs as quickly as he could. Without pausing he went straight for the porch. "Martha, come out here."
"What is it? Jonathan?" Her brow furrowed in concern, Martha tucked the vegetables she was holding into the fridge and followed him outside. "Is something wrong?"
"I just looked in on the boys. Conner's wrapped around Tim like the boy's some kind of body pillow," he informed her. His tone was troubled, but more confused and startled than angry. Jonathan kept his voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping boys upstairs. He couldn't tell how much Conner could hear or how well.
"What?" Confused herself, she went back inside and up the stairs to see for herself via the cracked-open door.
Conner was indeed wrapped around Tim as if the shorter boy was a body pillow. He was laying on Tim's side with his head on one shoulder and a hand on the other. Their legs were tangled almost to the point where she couldn't tell which legs belonged to whom, and the blanket had become a knot around their ankles. The arm attached to the shoulder Conner was laying on was flung out to the side. Tim's other arm was draped over the thick arm on his chest, his face half buried in dark hair. Both boys were sound asleep, completely dead to the world.
Smiling at the warm picture they made, Martha silently closed the bedroom door and went back downstairs to the porch. "Well, they certainly looked cozy."
"They look a little more than cozy, Martha," Jonathan stated. He didn't look upset so much as unsettled. This wasn't something they had had to deal with when raising Clark. "So, now, Conner's not only a clone of our son and Lex Luthor, but he's gay as well? It's hard enough keeping the secrets he already has."
Martha pursed her lips at her husband's attitude. "Just because they're cuddled up like that doesn't mean Conner's gay, Jonathan. He's been through a really rough spot lately, and Tim's an old friend and a source of comfort."
"Martha, straight men don't lay with other men like that. There's a lot more to that than just comfort," Jonathan stated and shook his head, looking off towards the barn through the dusky night. "I guess it's not our place to tell him who he can and can't be with, but this is only going to make things harder on him."
"Maybe. Or maybe it'll make things easier on him, we don't know. But you're right, it's not our place, so how about we stop jumping to conclusions and see what happens in the morning, hm?" Martha kissed Jonathan on the cheek and headed back inside. "Come on. Let's finish putting everything away and go to bed."
Jonathan nodded after a moment's thought and followed his wife back into the kitchen. Conner was almost like a second son to him, though a belatedly adopted one, and he worried over lots of things considering how unique their technical grandson was. This was really just one more small item to add to the pile.
On to Chapter Five…