"Soren?" It was clear that Soren hadn't processed what was happening.
Clark smiled as he lifted him up and whispered into his ear, "We're going to Iceland."
He dressed Soren in thick, warm clothes, wrapping a scarf around his face, layer after layer.
From the Fortress of Solitude, he found a hat that Soren had once worn when they watched the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree together, and placed it gently on Soren's head.
They flew to a city with the most whales in the world, and by the harbor in Húsavík, Clark found a small, empty oak boat.
Quietly, they set it adrift, heading out beyond the port together.
The azure sea shimmered like a giant sapphire, the white, glittering waves rolling gently.
The sky and the ocean were the same pure, piercing shade of blue.
Sitting in the oak boat, Clark wrapped Soren in his arms, resting his chin on Soren's shoulder.
"The sea here is the same color as your eyes," Clark said to Soren.
Soren turned around to look at him, his baby-blue eyes wide open, reflecting Clark's handsome, affectionate face in his irises, "Really? But I think your eyes are even more beautiful! Yours are the most beautiful blue in the world..."
They both had blue eyes, but Clark's were deeper, and on his left eye, there was an amber-colored speck that Soren loved to stare at.
It reminded him of a nebula floating in space.
Clark tilted his head slightly, smiling as he gazed at Soren, not blinking once, "I really want to kiss you. May I?"
"!!"
Soren's face turned bright red as he scratched his ear nervously, "...I guess you can."
After all, they had confessed to each other, right?
Kissing... kissing should definitely be okay...
Clark leaned in and gently pressed a kiss on Soren's soft, moist lips.
The moment their lips touched, Soren froze, not daring to even take a breath.
Clark let out a low chuckle from his chest and softly stroked Soren's back.
He laced his fingers through Soren's, intertwining them tightly.
Their fingers pressed closely together, palms damp and warm, rubbing gently against one another.
They began to kiss more deeply.
Soren felt a tingling warmth flow through his entire body, every inch of him burning with comfort.
Clark's grip on his hand was so firm, so hot, it felt like a branding iron searing into his palm.
His toes curled involuntarily, a soft whimper escaping his throat like a small, helpless animal.
Tears of pleasure glistened in his eyes, clearly overwhelmed by how good the kiss felt...
Behind them, a massive humpback whale surfaced from the water, its gray-white body rising like a small mountain out of the crystalline blue sea of Iceland.
The whale swam in circles around their small boat, spouting water in columns that resembled falling rain, but every droplet only touched Clark's broad back.
Clark kissed his star, shielding him from all the wind and rain brought by the whale.
They kissed again and again in the slightly salty sea breeze, while behind them, the humpback whale let out a low call, like an ancient voice from the depths of the ocean.
In Iceland, they spent a blissful day together.
The lighthouse at the port of Reykjavík glowed with a warm orange halo under the setting sun, while the sky was painted with streaks of purple and pink clouds.
They sat along the shoreline, watching the sunset.
Soren and Clark leaned shoulder to shoulder.
He gazed out at the descending sun on the horizon, his eyes seeming to see far into the distance, "...Earth really is beautiful, Clark."
It was even more beautiful than what he had imagined while on New Earth, when he had only seen it from the preserved video footage.
Even though he had been on Earth for so many years, he still marveled at its beauty.
Clark smiled and said, "That's why I'll do everything in my power to protect it."
Soren interlaced his fingers with Clark's, speaking earnestly, "You need to protect everything on Earth and make it a better place."
Clark nodded.
He leaned in again and kissed Soren's trembling, pale-gold eyelashes, his deep, magnetic voice resonating in Soren's ear, "And I'll do everything I can to protect all the people I love."
"...Then I'll protect you too," Soren said shyly.
He lifted his head and returned a kiss to the corner of Clark's mouth, as if he had stolen the most precious kiss in the universe, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction and a slight smile at the corner of his lips.
Clark's breath hitched, and his grip on Soren's hand tightened.
The handsome god lowered his head and kissed the crown of his lover's golden hair.
In that moment, he loved him so deeply, that he wished he could etch that love into his very bones.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Soren's waist, letting the sea breeze blow and the tides surge.