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Brief Summary: Clark and Xander hang out, basking in their reunited friendship.
Clark woke up with a sore neck. He hadn't been sleeping very well lately. He wasn't sure why. He threw his legs over the edge, which took a considerable amount of work, and yawned. He slowly stood up and stretched before grabbing his shirt and slipping it on. He rubbed his eyes as he walked out of his room and wondered if Xander was still around. Would he up for grabbing something to eat? He knocked on the door frame and leaned against it. "Xander?" he called quietly with another yawn.
Xander rubbed his eyes and looked up from where he'd been laying in bed, just dozing for a while. He stretched, his blanket falling down to his waist, leaving his upper body bare. He blinked sleepily over to the door. "Clark? What's up?"
"Sorry," he said, "wasn't sure if you were awake." He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of his neck. He should probably have left by now but his room seemed so far. "I'm not used to feeling like this." Heavy and tired and lazy. "It feels weird." He yawned again and leaned back on Xander's legs.
Chuckling softly, Xander sat up and indicated for Clark to turn around, back facing him. "Welcome to the world of the everyday man. I used to wake up will all kinds of aches and pains after a night of patrolling with Buffy. Willow and I took a message class to help deal with it." He began rubbing Clark's shoulder, looking for the troublesome spot. "I know Buffy totally faked aches and pains to get my magic hands on her." He paused. "You know...the meaning of that that sounds less dirty."
"Right." Clark tilted his head. "Didn't you have a mad crush on Buffy?" He quirked a brow and smirked. "So, it couldn't have been too less dirty, right?" He was mostly teasing Xander, who was a surprisingly good at the massaging thing. It made him sleepy, though, and a for the briefest second he dozed off and began to lean back before jolting up and waking up. "Sorry," he said.
Clark earned himself an elbow in the back for that. "She was still my best friend first. I didn't realize farm boys had such dirty minds." Xander teased as he rubbed the knot he finally found, trying to get Clark to relax. When he dozed off for a moment, Xander just chuckled. "It's alright. Means I'm doing something right. It's supposed to relax you."
"Yeah but I thought you always had a thing for her," Clark replied. "Best friend aside." He chuckled at the farm boy comment. "I'm still a boy," he added with a yawn. "If you're not careful, I'll end up just passing out right here." And that probably wasn't a good idea.
"Yeah okay...so I do...did." Then Xander rolled his eyes and kept working on the knot. "Should we move this to your bedroom then?" He frowned. "I really do not mean to keep having these things pop out of my mouth like this. I meant if you want to go back to bed, it's fine by me. And I'm just going to stop now."
Clark gave some guttural noise in response because at the moment his eyes were heavy, slightly closed, and he was leaning back just a tad into Xander's kneading that he barely registered any of Xander's potentially dirty comments. "Too far," he managed to say.
Xander looked up with a curious expression. "Hmmm? What did you say Clark?"
Clark couldn't manage words this time, instead complete silence and a heavy breathing. Had Clark just crashed on Xander? Why yes. Yes he had. Sitting up, too, which had to be at least a little impressive.
Noticing how out of it Clark was, Xander chuckled and shook his head. He stopped rubbing, patted Clark lightly on the back and carefully got up to get dressed.
With the pat, Clark found himself falling back onto the bed and shifting so that he lay on his side. It was all a haze, but he could feel warmth leaving and lazily he reached and mumbled something like, "Don't go." There was a heavy sigh, too.
Xander paused mid putting on his shirt and reached down to feel Clark's forehead. "You okay man?" He didn't feel sick but Xander sat on the edge of the bed all the same.
Clark stirred slightly. He managed to see one thing in his sleep - Lana, which caused him to wake up as soon as he felt the touch. He jerked slightly and sat up. "So sorry," he said. "I guess I'm more tired than I realized." He rubbed his face some more.
Sitting there with his shirt open, Xander just patted Clark's shoulder. "I think you need more sleep big guy. Why don't you do that and I'll come back with breakfast?"
"No, I'm fine," he replied as he shook his head. He didn't feel like dreaming about Lana, anyway. He rubbed his neck. "What do you think you'll do today?" He slipped out of bed. "Aside from grabbing breakfast."
Xander glanced over as he stood up again, finishing doing up the buttons of his shirt and moved to the corner to change from his sweats to his shorts. "I don't know. I don't think the building crew needs me today. Did you have something in mind?"
"I dunno," he said. "Maybe we could go for a swim or something." He shrugged. "I'm down for just about anything." So long as it didn't mean he was going to be left alone to his own thoughts for too long.
After giving him a curious look, Xander shrugged. He was getting some weird vibe off Clark, but he knew that the other boy knew where to find him if he needed to talk. "A swim sounds good to me, but definitely breakfast first."
"What should we do for breakfast?" he asked standing up and stretching out to unstiffen his back. "Pancakes, eggs, omelets?" He smirked. "All three?"
Xander can't help but notice how stiff Clark is as he rises. "Are you sure you’re okay? Did you do anything strenuous lately?"
"I think I slept weird," he said. Though, to be honest, it's not like his life on the island has been a piece of cake, either. Once things were squared away with Xander, everything else sort of imploded. With the Titans and the Conner kid. That might have a thing or two to do with it. "Maybe the stuff with the Titans didn't help," he said after a moment.
With a sigh, Xander nodded. "Yeah okay, I'll give you that." Then he gave him a friendly smile. "Come on; let's go get something to eat." He said by way of distraction.
"I should probably put on some pants," he replied and went into his room to change. he pulled on a pair of jeans and put on his boots before finally joining Xander. Clark knew there were certain things that hadn't really been discussed. Mostly if Xander still felt like had before or how he was doing with everything. "How're you doing, anyway," he asked. He hadn't asked lately. He'd been so wrapped up in himself.
As Clark changed, Xander went look for his sandals. Once he found them, he waited for Clark out in the main room. At the question, he shrugged though his mind went to his soon to be secret job for Saffron and he blushed slightly. "I'm doing good. Just, you know, living my island life and all."
"How's the site job? What're you guys building, anyway?" Clark asked as he slipped pass the door, and waited for Xander to join him. He slipped his hands in his back pockets and leaned back just a bit more.
Xander followed leisurely behind as he covered for his blush. "It's uh going good. It's going to be a ....jazz club!" It's was the truth after all, or at least the bottom floor anyway.
Xander was red. Not in a I-burn-easily sort of way, either. "Everything okay?" Clark smirked. "The blushing is starting to get..." He chuckled. "Let's just say I thought I was bad."
"Yeah everything's okay!" Xander answered quickly, smiling as he took a deep breath. "Really."
Clark quirked a brow and watched him carefully a soft grin on his face. He just looked because, in most cases, saying nothing did the most good and would eventually cause someone to fill it.
Xander took another deep breath and just made himself relaxed. His smile was much more genuine and more himself. "Really. I'm fine. It's just been a weird few months."
"Okay," Clark said with a soft chuckle and ran his fingers through Xander's hair, nudging his head a little bit playfully. "You just seemed..." He paused. "Wigged." It was his new word, one he heard Xander use a few times.
The hand in his hair earned Clark a curious look out of the corner of his eyes but Xander just laughed at his word going out of Clark's mouth. "I think that just proves I'm a bad influence on you."
"I think so," he said slipping his hands in his pockets. "You know, you can tell me whatever you want, right?" He glanced at Xander. "Just. In case you ever want to talk about what you're really okay about." He gave him another small grin.
Looking down at his feet for a moment, Xander nodded. "I know." And that was all he offered. Then he nudged Clark with his elbow lightly. "Stop worrying so much." He teased lightly.
"That's like saying 'stop being green, grass.'" He said with a grin. "Besides," he added, "you can't help worrying about people you care about." He shrugged. "Sorry."
"Believe me, I know the feeling." Xander chuckled again and shook his head. "I am okay though. Really. Haven't you realized yet that I'm always this jumpy?"
"Only when you're hiding something," he replied. He hesitated and changed the subject. "What do you do on dates on the island?"
Xander blinked and glanced at Clark. "Well...There's always movies in the rec room or a picnic on the beach. I guess just be creative." He paused for a moment before he asked curiously, "Why? Got someone you want to woe?"
"You mean woo?" He smiled softly, the little slip amusing, and also painfully appropriate. There was a lot woe that went with dating Clark Kent. Maybe things would be different on the island. However, Clark shrugged and said. "Maybe." It was a definite maybe, too. Mostly because he wasn't sure what he felt and he wasn't the type of guy to just leap into these things kind of lightly.
"Same thing." Xander kidded with a small wave of his hand and another light nudge of his elbow. "Well, if you ever need help, let me know? Let my relationship with Jill be good for something."
"You'll be the first to know," he said quietly, nudging him back. It was a thinly veiled comment, but he hoped Xander wouldn't catch on. It was hard enough trying to figure out what he was feeling, he didn't want to make it too complicated by mucking things up too soon.
"Okay." Xander said simply with a friendly smile. Then he mercifully changed the subject. "It looks like it's going to be a hot one today. Want to go swimming in the ocean later? Because nothing is more relaxing then floating on the waves in my opinion."
"You're just trying to get out of wearing clothes again," Clark replied jokingly with an eyeroll. He smirked, though. "Maybe after breakfast we can go for a swim, if you want."
Xander couldn't help a flinch but he immediately started laughing to cover it. "Yeah, you know me. Less clothes the better." He kidded it off, rolling his eyes. "Come on, let's get some food in you so you'll start talking sense."
"Race you? Loser does chores for a week?" Clark smiled and quirked his brow as a challenge.
"I'm going to regret this but okay." Xander paused. "One. Two. Three...." And he took off down the beach without saying go, laughing.
"Cheater!" Clark shouted and ran after his friend, shaking his head.
Clark woke up with a sore neck. He hadn't been sleeping very well lately. He wasn't sure why. He threw his legs over the edge, which took a considerable amount of work, and yawned. He slowly stood up and stretched before grabbing his shirt and slipping it on. He rubbed his eyes as he walked out of his room and wondered if Xander was still around. Would he up for grabbing something to eat? He knocked on the door frame and leaned against it. "Xander?" he called quietly with another yawn.
Xander rubbed his eyes and looked up from where he'd been laying in bed, just dozing for a while. He stretched, his blanket falling down to his waist, leaving his upper body bare. He blinked sleepily over to the door. "Clark? What's up?"
"Sorry," he said, "wasn't sure if you were awake." He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of his neck. He should probably have left by now but his room seemed so far. "I'm not used to feeling like this." Heavy and tired and lazy. "It feels weird." He yawned again and leaned back on Xander's legs.
Chuckling softly, Xander sat up and indicated for Clark to turn around, back facing him. "Welcome to the world of the everyday man. I used to wake up will all kinds of aches and pains after a night of patrolling with Buffy. Willow and I took a message class to help deal with it." He began rubbing Clark's shoulder, looking for the troublesome spot. "I know Buffy totally faked aches and pains to get my magic hands on her." He paused. "You know...the meaning of that that sounds less dirty."
"Right." Clark tilted his head. "Didn't you have a mad crush on Buffy?" He quirked a brow and smirked. "So, it couldn't have been too less dirty, right?" He was mostly teasing Xander, who was a surprisingly good at the massaging thing. It made him sleepy, though, and a for the briefest second he dozed off and began to lean back before jolting up and waking up. "Sorry," he said.
Clark earned himself an elbow in the back for that. "She was still my best friend first. I didn't realize farm boys had such dirty minds." Xander teased as he rubbed the knot he finally found, trying to get Clark to relax. When he dozed off for a moment, Xander just chuckled. "It's alright. Means I'm doing something right. It's supposed to relax you."
"Yeah but I thought you always had a thing for her," Clark replied. "Best friend aside." He chuckled at the farm boy comment. "I'm still a boy," he added with a yawn. "If you're not careful, I'll end up just passing out right here." And that probably wasn't a good idea.
"Yeah okay...so I do...did." Then Xander rolled his eyes and kept working on the knot. "Should we move this to your bedroom then?" He frowned. "I really do not mean to keep having these things pop out of my mouth like this. I meant if you want to go back to bed, it's fine by me. And I'm just going to stop now."
Clark gave some guttural noise in response because at the moment his eyes were heavy, slightly closed, and he was leaning back just a tad into Xander's kneading that he barely registered any of Xander's potentially dirty comments. "Too far," he managed to say.
Xander looked up with a curious expression. "Hmmm? What did you say Clark?"
Clark couldn't manage words this time, instead complete silence and a heavy breathing. Had Clark just crashed on Xander? Why yes. Yes he had. Sitting up, too, which had to be at least a little impressive.
Noticing how out of it Clark was, Xander chuckled and shook his head. He stopped rubbing, patted Clark lightly on the back and carefully got up to get dressed.
With the pat, Clark found himself falling back onto the bed and shifting so that he lay on his side. It was all a haze, but he could feel warmth leaving and lazily he reached and mumbled something like, "Don't go." There was a heavy sigh, too.
Xander paused mid putting on his shirt and reached down to feel Clark's forehead. "You okay man?" He didn't feel sick but Xander sat on the edge of the bed all the same.
Clark stirred slightly. He managed to see one thing in his sleep - Lana, which caused him to wake up as soon as he felt the touch. He jerked slightly and sat up. "So sorry," he said. "I guess I'm more tired than I realized." He rubbed his face some more.
Sitting there with his shirt open, Xander just patted Clark's shoulder. "I think you need more sleep big guy. Why don't you do that and I'll come back with breakfast?"
"No, I'm fine," he replied as he shook his head. He didn't feel like dreaming about Lana, anyway. He rubbed his neck. "What do you think you'll do today?" He slipped out of bed. "Aside from grabbing breakfast."
Xander glanced over as he stood up again, finishing doing up the buttons of his shirt and moved to the corner to change from his sweats to his shorts. "I don't know. I don't think the building crew needs me today. Did you have something in mind?"
"I dunno," he said. "Maybe we could go for a swim or something." He shrugged. "I'm down for just about anything." So long as it didn't mean he was going to be left alone to his own thoughts for too long.
After giving him a curious look, Xander shrugged. He was getting some weird vibe off Clark, but he knew that the other boy knew where to find him if he needed to talk. "A swim sounds good to me, but definitely breakfast first."
"What should we do for breakfast?" he asked standing up and stretching out to unstiffen his back. "Pancakes, eggs, omelets?" He smirked. "All three?"
Xander can't help but notice how stiff Clark is as he rises. "Are you sure you’re okay? Did you do anything strenuous lately?"
"I think I slept weird," he said. Though, to be honest, it's not like his life on the island has been a piece of cake, either. Once things were squared away with Xander, everything else sort of imploded. With the Titans and the Conner kid. That might have a thing or two to do with it. "Maybe the stuff with the Titans didn't help," he said after a moment.
With a sigh, Xander nodded. "Yeah okay, I'll give you that." Then he gave him a friendly smile. "Come on; let's go get something to eat." He said by way of distraction.
"I should probably put on some pants," he replied and went into his room to change. he pulled on a pair of jeans and put on his boots before finally joining Xander. Clark knew there were certain things that hadn't really been discussed. Mostly if Xander still felt like had before or how he was doing with everything. "How're you doing, anyway," he asked. He hadn't asked lately. He'd been so wrapped up in himself.
As Clark changed, Xander went look for his sandals. Once he found them, he waited for Clark out in the main room. At the question, he shrugged though his mind went to his soon to be secret job for Saffron and he blushed slightly. "I'm doing good. Just, you know, living my island life and all."
"How's the site job? What're you guys building, anyway?" Clark asked as he slipped pass the door, and waited for Xander to join him. He slipped his hands in his back pockets and leaned back just a bit more.
Xander followed leisurely behind as he covered for his blush. "It's uh going good. It's going to be a ....jazz club!" It's was the truth after all, or at least the bottom floor anyway.
Xander was red. Not in a I-burn-easily sort of way, either. "Everything okay?" Clark smirked. "The blushing is starting to get..." He chuckled. "Let's just say I thought I was bad."
"Yeah everything's okay!" Xander answered quickly, smiling as he took a deep breath. "Really."
Clark quirked a brow and watched him carefully a soft grin on his face. He just looked because, in most cases, saying nothing did the most good and would eventually cause someone to fill it.
Xander took another deep breath and just made himself relaxed. His smile was much more genuine and more himself. "Really. I'm fine. It's just been a weird few months."
"Okay," Clark said with a soft chuckle and ran his fingers through Xander's hair, nudging his head a little bit playfully. "You just seemed..." He paused. "Wigged." It was his new word, one he heard Xander use a few times.
The hand in his hair earned Clark a curious look out of the corner of his eyes but Xander just laughed at his word going out of Clark's mouth. "I think that just proves I'm a bad influence on you."
"I think so," he said slipping his hands in his pockets. "You know, you can tell me whatever you want, right?" He glanced at Xander. "Just. In case you ever want to talk about what you're really okay about." He gave him another small grin.
Looking down at his feet for a moment, Xander nodded. "I know." And that was all he offered. Then he nudged Clark with his elbow lightly. "Stop worrying so much." He teased lightly.
"That's like saying 'stop being green, grass.'" He said with a grin. "Besides," he added, "you can't help worrying about people you care about." He shrugged. "Sorry."
"Believe me, I know the feeling." Xander chuckled again and shook his head. "I am okay though. Really. Haven't you realized yet that I'm always this jumpy?"
"Only when you're hiding something," he replied. He hesitated and changed the subject. "What do you do on dates on the island?"
Xander blinked and glanced at Clark. "Well...There's always movies in the rec room or a picnic on the beach. I guess just be creative." He paused for a moment before he asked curiously, "Why? Got someone you want to woe?"
"You mean woo?" He smiled softly, the little slip amusing, and also painfully appropriate. There was a lot woe that went with dating Clark Kent. Maybe things would be different on the island. However, Clark shrugged and said. "Maybe." It was a definite maybe, too. Mostly because he wasn't sure what he felt and he wasn't the type of guy to just leap into these things kind of lightly.
"Same thing." Xander kidded with a small wave of his hand and another light nudge of his elbow. "Well, if you ever need help, let me know? Let my relationship with Jill be good for something."
"You'll be the first to know," he said quietly, nudging him back. It was a thinly veiled comment, but he hoped Xander wouldn't catch on. It was hard enough trying to figure out what he was feeling, he didn't want to make it too complicated by mucking things up too soon.
"Okay." Xander said simply with a friendly smile. Then he mercifully changed the subject. "It looks like it's going to be a hot one today. Want to go swimming in the ocean later? Because nothing is more relaxing then floating on the waves in my opinion."
"You're just trying to get out of wearing clothes again," Clark replied jokingly with an eyeroll. He smirked, though. "Maybe after breakfast we can go for a swim, if you want."
Xander couldn't help a flinch but he immediately started laughing to cover it. "Yeah, you know me. Less clothes the better." He kidded it off, rolling his eyes. "Come on, let's get some food in you so you'll start talking sense."
"Race you? Loser does chores for a week?" Clark smiled and quirked his brow as a challenge.
"I'm going to regret this but okay." Xander paused. "One. Two. Three...." And he took off down the beach without saying go, laughing.
"Cheater!" Clark shouted and ran after his friend, shaking his head.