Tangled

"I don't even like you anymore!"

"I haven't cared much for you in the past year or two, Clark!"

"Oh, wow. Excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep about THAT."

Lex Luthor turned to look over his shoulder, a scowl marring the soft curves of his face. "Sarcasm doesn't become you."

Rolling bright green eyes towards the ceiling, Clark huffed out an exasperated sigh. "Whatever."

Turning slowly, Lex moved his legs around, arranging them in front of him. He pulled his knees up to rest his chin atop them, and stared at Clark, a smirk on his lips.

"What?" Clark snapped.

Shrugging, Lex arched an eyebrow and sighed. "I'm just in awe of your verbal debating skills. Your vocabulary hasn't expanded much, has it, Clark?"

Clark rolled his eyes and slid down against the wall. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let you get to me like that?"

"I'm certain I have no idea what you're talking about." Lex purred, the left side of his mouth rising up in a smirk.

"Oh, give it a rest. Patronizing me. Talking down to me. Trying to put me down and make me feel less confident in my intelligence so you can get an edge on me." Clark smiled softly. "I know you too well for that."

"You don't know me at all." Lex's voice grew a sharp line to it, and he drew his shoulders up. Sneered as he looked down his nose at Clark.

"I know you better than you think." Clark muttered under his breath.

Lex caught the comment and drew himself up to his feet, rage bubbling beneath his skin and brightening his face. His eyes shone with a fierce determination and he whirled on his feet, turning to pound on the sealed metal door.

"You know that's not going to help, Lex." Clark muttered, reluctantly rising in case he had to prevent Lex from hurting himself too badly.

"Shut up. SHUT UP!" Lex screamed, throwing himself around and heaving himself forward. He clenched tight fists in Clark's shirt collar, yanking him forward. "Don't talk. Don't say anything to me."

Clark's eyes blazed as he glared down into Lex's silvery eyes. "You want to hit me, Lex? Go on. I dare you."

"Fuck you."

"Oh no. You'd probably like that." Clark snapped back.

Lex's eyes widened in shock, and his hands dropped away, loose as water. "Go to hell." His voice was a whisper. He backed away, shaking as his back thumped against the solid door.

Clark stepped forward; for once, not wanting to back down. "What's wrong, Lex? You don't want to make me bleed? Again?"

"What's wrong with you?" Lex's voice was trembling as he stared into Clark's face. "You think that made me happy? Hitting you? Watching you bleed, and knowing that I'd done that? Do you really think that day wasn't the worst day of my fucking life? I lost the ONLY true fucking friend I've ever had in my miserable life. I lost EVERYTHING that mattered that day."

The anger was gone. It slipped away so fast Clark felt dizzy, and he moved back, confused. He licked his lips as he reached out an arm against the wall to steady himself. "You lie so much; I don't think you even know when you're doing it any more."

Lex's eyes lit, a fever-bright intensity glowing behind them. "The fact that you can say that to me with a straight face speaks volumes about your integrity, Clark." He looked away, staring at a blank, empty wall. "You have no idea how much I valued our friendship. How important it was."

Taking a deep breath, Clark shook his head. "Why would you even say that? It's like you think that I cared less. That it didn't matter to me."

Laughing, the sound brittle and hollow in the small space, Lex shrugged. "It didn't seem to pain you all that much, Clark."

Clark lifted his hand away from the wall, balling it into a fist before slamming it back into the wall. He winced as he felt the dent his hand had left and lifted his eyes to look into Lex's surprised gaze. "You were my best friend, Lex. You meant a lot more to me than you realize." He slid his hand against the wall as he moved away, stepping as far away from Lex as he could. "It doesn't matter any more."

"You gave up on me so easily."

Clark whirled around, shock coloring his voice. "Easily? You thought it was EASY? Damn it, Lex. I'm so tired of this. I'm so tired of you blaming me for giving up when YOU'RE the one that gave up! You gave up trying. You gave up on everything you said you didn't want to. You became something worse than your father, Lex, because you had a choice. Whether you're willing to admit it or not."

Lex's face seemed to break...crumble, and Clark sighed. He stepped forward, a hand out. He couldn't see the pain and not want to help. Lex slapped it away.

"You think I'm worse than my father?" Lex bit out. He stepped forward, his feet sure as he reached out a hand and pushed against Clark's chest. "You're right. So right, Clark. Would you like to know why I backed off before? When you said that I'd 'like that'. You remember?" His voice turned silky, and predatory, and Clark shook his head numbly, backed away. Lex followed, his hand sealed to Clark's flesh. "You were right. I would like that...to fuck you. I've thought about it. All these years. Sweet, pretty Clark Kent." He leaned in and stopped mere inches away from Clark's lips. "That mouth of yours is decadent. I've wanted to taste it since the day we met. I've wanted to see it all over my body...sucking me. I've wanted to take that lovely ass of yours and pound it into oblivion, Clark. I still think about it. Dream about it."

"Stop." Clark's voice broke, and he flinched at the sound.

"Why? Because it disgusts you? Because the thought that I have wanted to taste every inch of your body, every single day I've known you, is so disturbing?"

"No." Clark shook his head. Mouthed the word again, and could not force out a sound.

"Why, Clark? Why should I stop? Tell me why. We both know I'm in control now. I can see it in those gorgeous fucking eyes of yours. So pretty. I've never seen eyes like yours before. I doubt I ever will. So sweet."

"Please. Lex."

Lex moved forward, his lips brushing against Clark's. Just barely. Brushing. "Why."

"Because I like it."

Lex's hand clawed into Clark's shirt. Dug in and he moved fast, slanting his mouth across Clark's and forcing lush lips open wide. "Kiss me back." He ordered it, breathed the words into open, panting lips. Felt something near a cry strangle itself in his throat as Clark's warm tongue pressed against his.

Clark's hands moved up, slid around his waist, the long fingers shaking as they pressed into skin. He pulled Lex in, and felt the firm pressure against his thigh. A sound, not unlike a kitten's mew, escaped his mouth and he felt a rushing scream of wind roar through his mind. His hips jerked forward of their own accord, and he knew Lex could feel his erection.

The door dinged, sliding open, and they leapt apart, breathing hard.

A man in a faded, marked uniform stood, wringing his hands in front of the opened doors. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Luthor. I don't know what happened."

Lex barely acknowledged the man as he brushed by him, nearly running in his haste to leave the confining space.

Clark swallowed hard and stepped out of the elevator. He moved to the nearest bathroom and stepped inside, his breaths sobbing out of his chest loudly. Stepping into a stall, he slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Tried to catch his breath, to clear his mind.

Dimly, he heard the bathroom door open and shut, and he closed his eyes.

"Clark?"

Oh God. "Go away, Lex."

"Open the door."

"Please. Just, leave me alone. I just need a minute."

"Now, Clark."

Furious. With Lex. With himself, Clark pushed off of the door and spun around. Yanked open the door, and looked into anguished eyes. He felt his fury die abruptly, and bit his lip. Waited.

"Come to the mansion tonight." Lex's voice was quiet, low, simple.

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Does it matter?"

Lex nodded, and stepped closer. "It does to me."

Clark closed the distance and looked down into darkened blue-gray eyes. Saw the pale skin of Lex's face flush with lust and let his eyes travel down to parted lips. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Why?"

Fingers reached up, brushed against Clark's lips. Trembled as those lips swelled to brush back. "Because I want it. I want you."

"Is that all?"

"No." Lex moved his fingers to Clark's jaw, and trailed along the strong line of it. "Come over tonight. Clark. Tell me you will."

Clark blinked slowly and watched Lex's eyes go hazy soft. "What time do you want me?"

They laughed, and moved into the kiss together. Lips embraced, tangled and joined, and it tasted like hope. It tasted like transformation.

"Be there at 8. We'll change everything. Just show up, Clark."

Nodding, Clark drew back. "I'll be there."