Clark actually smiles as he's pulled in. It's not what he expected, the easy acceptance, the way that M actually gets closer after hearing that. It's... nice. Really nice.

"No, it's not-" but that's not quite right. "It's pretending a little. But I don't know how to not pretend and still be me. I guess I haven't found the way to be totally, 100% myself yet."

He leans into the hold.

"It'd be nice to know. But you're right about it being worth it. There're good things about being me. The me people know."

Almost feeling like a man possessed, he leans over and presses a kiss to M's cheek. It's mostly affection. And a weird kind of punchdrunk feeling of spilling this all out to someone he's just met. He doesn't feel like they're strangers. But it's still so quick his head's spinning a little.

"But maybe there's nice things about being the me most people don't know too."

Clark wasn't exactly expecting that, mostly because his own little kiss had been such a spur of the moment thing, had been the sort of decision he hadn't wondered if it wasn't reaching or going to fast. But the way Midnighter says it, it's almost like he'd just been waiting for the right moment to do just that.

It's not his first kiss. That honor goes to Lana Lang, but it's his first guy kiss, and just like that first time, he dives right into it. He barely knows what he's doing, but he's enthusiastic and there's just a lot of feeling there. Maybe it's in-the-moment feeling, but it's all genuine and happy and good.

Clark could run a hundred mile race in a second and he wouldn't even break a sweat, but there's a rough edge to the breath he sucks in before he looks over at M, a wild and crooked smile on him in return.

"Do I get to kiss you now?"

He's... excited. Joyful, to be sharing this moment, this experience with someone, be with someone he wants to kiss who knows what he can do, who isn't afraid of him, who isn't offput by what he is. Someone who just accepts him, vet school and alien capsule and all and he doesn't want this to end.

Clark doesn't hesitate, leaning in to start kissing him, just as excited and enthusiastic as he'd been a moment ago. Enthusiastic enough, in fact, that the both of them lift up an inch or two off the ground as he gets his own hands around the back of M's neck and into his hair.

Clark blinks at the kick then looks down, and oh there's another one of those sheepish blushes on his face.

"Oh jeez, sorry!"

They hit the ground (it's a short trip) and then he's looking at M, so mortified, but also waiting. Waiting for the fear, waiting for even M to decide he's just too weird to be around, too weird to kiss. His hands, that had been gripping onto him, let go and he starts to pull back so he doesn't- he wasn't trying to-

"I'm sorry..."

God, this hasn't happened since he was little. Dammit dammit dammit.

There is very little on this planet that could move him against his will, but the fact is that he goes as willingly as if he was on an oiled track. Close, and then closer still, and as he looks at M, really looks, looks past his own projected fears, he swallows again before leaning in to kiss him.

If anything, it's just a little more desperate than before. Desperate with relief and renewed joy and around that, even, there's the beginnings of heat. Happiness translated into lust as he presses himself against Midnighter and gets his hands on him again.

Again, Clark's happy to go where M is leading, helped by the fact that neither of them really have to worry much about muggers or anyone else who might take exception to two men kissing by the lake. Er, making out by the lake. Well, more practically grinding against each other near the lake. Clark takes well to the hand on his ass, anyway.

Again, lots and lots of enthusiasm.

Clark does pull away from the kiss, his eyes a little wide. They flicker down once before turning back to M and he's blushing again.

"You don't hav- I mean, if you want-" a pause before- "You're sure?"

"I don't really have a... place. We could do things."

One of his hands leaves Midnighter's hair to scrub at the back of his own head.

"I have roommates. It'd be really awkward. But, um... if there's someplace you wanna go, I'll go with you."

But then something parses a little more and he tilts his head to look at M.

"...'sounds like I could use one?'"

He isn't... this isn't a pity thing, right?

First time with a guy.

Oh. Oh wow. Sex. This is... sex. Sex is going to happen. This is someone who wants to have sex with him that he... yeah, he wants to have sex with him. There's a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights look for half a heartbeat but then he's shaking his head so fast he almost blurs.

"That's fine. I can fly back. Won't even take me more than five minutes if I catch the right winds."

A pause.

"Portal?"

He looks at the Door.

He looks at M.

And then he takes his hand and nods. He can't live life afraid, after all. His life is going to be different from most people's, because he's different. And if he shies away from anything odd or strange or even dangerous, he'll never find what he's looking for.

So he steps forward, just shy of the door.

"Just... step through?"

That is the most important thing. You can tell by how Clark starts kissing him in kind as soon as he's there, the apartment itself getting only the most cursory glance to make sure he knows where things are since they're probably going to be walking somewhere or other from the door to another part of the apartment and he'd rather not break anything.

Clark is happy to help with opening his shirt and, once his kiss-addled brain figures out that he wants the shirt off too, he's good with doing that as well. Lo and behold, Midnighter was 100% correct on the shirtless front, and his hands reach out to try and help Midnighter into a similar state. He wants to get his hands on him, wants to feel the heat of his skin directly, drink the other man in with his fingers.