Reading Your Mind

*'I wonder what he's thinking right now.'*

Clark Kent felt the voice, like a tickle in the back of his mind. Frowning, he managed to keep his gaze on the steaming cup in front of him. He heard the swish of expensive fabric as Lex Luthor walked past him.

*'He won't even look at me. He hates me that much.'*

He could feel the pain in the voice, and he closed his eyes against the sorrow of it. Lex's voice had grown stronger inside of him. He'd first noticed it after he had come back from the Phantom Zone.

The moment Lex had awoken after Clark had released Zod from his body was like a flood of sound and emotion. The confusion and anger...the fear...it had nearly brought him to his knees.

And, there had been something else.

Something unexpected had shaken him beyond anything he'd felt in a very long time.

Clark had gone to the Luthor mansion, and he was in the greenhouse when he'd felt the flood of fury and love. Similar to a cold shiver, or the feeling one gets when they feel deja vu...it had started like that and grown. He had turned and seen Lex's eyes, and felt the shivers slam into overwhelming warmth that had raced down the back of his neck and into his spine. He wasn't sure how he had managed to speak with the heat searing through his body.

He felt him all the time now. ALL the time. It was constant, and unbreakable.

It was not entirely unwelcome, and that scared him most of all.

He sat, now, watching the steam rise from his cup and heard the voice wash over him.

*'Why can't you see that I wish things were different, Clark? Why can't you see that I would do anything to make things better? Who don't you love me the way I love you?'*

Clark's hand trembled on the table, and he moved it away swiftly to hide underneath the stilted table. Slowly, cautiously, he raised his head and met curious blue-gray eyes.

He regretted it immediately as broiling lust flared through him and he sucked in a broken gasp. The blood rushed through him, and he knew his cheeks were flushed and dark. He licked his lips and watched Lex's eyes darken and follow the movement.

*'You're so beautiful, Clark. Your mouth...I want to taste you.'*

Clark knew Lex noticed the shaking then, when the aroused eyes grew focused and sharp. They watched him carefully and narrowed as Clark swallowed hard.

*'Why is he so nervous? Look at him. He's shaking. What is he scared of?'*

Lex moved forward and Clark slid out from his seat. He stood up and started towards the door.

"Where are you off to, Clark?" Lex's voice was smooth and soft, like summer-warm wine.

"I need to get back to the farm, Lex. I've got work to do."

"I see," Lex murmured softly. *'Liar.'*

"Like you're one to talk," Clark whispered. He bit hard into his lip at Lex's surprised gaze. Shaking his head, he fought back the urge to flinch when Lex's hand lifted up to his collar. Long, elegant fingers smoothed the wrinkled fabric, brushing gently against the skin of his throat. "What are you doing?"

The scar across Lex's upper lip stretched as Lex smiled. "Nothing evil, Clark. Just fixing your shirt."

Clark stepped away, missing the feel of Lex's skin against his own. "Well, don't."

"My apologies," Lex said quietly, lifting his hand away. He followed Clark's retreating figure as Clark moved out the door. "Do you ever miss the way things were, Clark?" *'Do you ever miss me?'*

Closing his eyes against the setting sun, Clark watched the shadow of Lex's body darken the deep red against his eyes. "No." He opened his eyes slowly to see Lex watching him with dark eyes. *'Yes,'* he whispered in his own mind, and watched in horror as Lex's face paled in shock.

"Did you-"

"I have to go, Lex." Clark backed away, his movements jerky. He'd heard Lex. He had felt him in his mind, for months now. There had never been an instance where he'd felt his own thoughts being projected towards Lex, however, and he knew in a split second that things had changed.

Turning, he moved down the sidewalk, trying desperately to ignore the loud clatter of Lex's feet as the man ran after him. "Clark!"

When he reached the corner of the building, he rounded it quickly, and was gone.

-------------------------------------------------

His mind was roaring at him. He fought wildly to keep his thoughts quiet. He focused on the blueness of the sky above him, and the sharp leaves of the corn stalks that deflected harmlessly across his skin as he ran through the fields towards his home.

A dull vibration rumbled across his hip, and he stumbled to a halt, reaching into his pocket to pull out the cellular phone. Flipping open the phone, he looked down at the screen and winced.

"A.J. Luthor." *'Not a chance in hell. Not right now.'* He crumpled the phone in his hand and flung the pieces out across the seemingly endless field.

*'Then when?'*

The voice jolted him out of his panic, and he spun around for a moment in search of the voice before remembering it was in his mind.

He reached up, driving his hands into his hair and tugging sharply. A heavy sigh broke free from his lips, and he bent over as he tried to calm his frantic nerves.

*'I know I heard you, and I know you can hear me, Clark. I don't know how, but I know it's true. Why are you running?'* Lex's voice was strangely calm and curious.

*'I don't know what you're talking about,'* Clark thought, standing up and scowling into the cloudless sky.

A dark laugh rumbled across his brain, and Clark huffed out an irritated breath.

*'How long have you been able to hear me?'*

Clark shook his head and looked down at the dark ground. *'Since Zod left.'*

He felt a wave of rage and frustration flow through him like lava and winced at the potent nature of it. *'So, you've been...what? Listening in and gathering information? Have you enjoyed it? All this time...'* There was a long pause and Clark felt a range of conflicting emotions he couldn't stop to identify. It occurred to him that Lex slipped through his feelings the way he, himself, slipped through the air. *'Did it bother you?’*

His spine snapped straight as a picture of Lana Lang flitted through his mind. He could see the scene clearly. Tanned, smooth skin sliding against pale, unmarred limbs. Pain wrenched at the center of his chest, and he gasped for breath. *'STOP!'* He screamed into the open sky, his fury creating a wave through the stalks.

*'Was that upsetting for you, Clark? Seeing me fuck your precious princess? Was it difficult to see how much she enjoyed it?'* Lex's voice was like wet silk. He felt it brushing over his thoughts and through his very skin.

He tried to block him out, and found himself broken and alone. Lex was pushing, throwing his thoughts against the wall he had created. His eyes hurt as they welled up with moisture. He was running again, and he found himself standing in his loft before he was aware of it. The sound of a throaty engine in the distance made him wince, and he considered leaving again.

"No," he muttered in the solace of the barn. Shaking his head firmly, he smiled. He wouldn't let Lex twist this opportunity into a 'Luthor' battle for dominance. Opening his mind, he sent a mental wave to Lex, smiling at the shock he felt from the other man. *'You're right. I've heard so much. I was there in your mind when you slept with Lana.'*

*'That must have been rough.'* Clark could practically see the snarl on the man's face.

*'I could see everything you were thinking and feeling, Lex. Everything. Every...one.’*

He waited for it, and found himself grinning dryly at the bitter anger that ripped through the air between them. Rocks spewed across the driveway leading straight to him, and he held his breath until he heard a car door slam shut hard.

"Every ONE, Clark? Who do you think I was thinking about while I was buried inside of her?"

Clark blew out a small breath, closing his eyes as footsteps flew across the wooden steps leading up to his loft. "You were thinking about me."

"Was I?"

Clark nodded, and opened his eyes to see a furious blue-gray glare searing into him. "You're a lot more predictable than anyone would think, Lex."

"You're delusional," Lex hissed. He circled around the railing, moving to stand behind where Clark was leaning against the frame of the open window.

*'You were thinking about ME,'* Clark thought. He pictured himself the way Lex pictured him. Shaking his head, a small smile playing on his lips, he raised dark brows over green eyes in amusement. "You actually think I act like that in the shower? All slow-motion, stroking my hands over my body and moaning? Come ON."

Growling, Lex stepped up against him and smirked. "Like you don't."

"I don't," Clark spat, refusing to back away even as Lex leaned in further.

"You've been spying on my mind, Clark. But, me?" Lex shrugged casually and licked his lips. "I suppose my methods are more…primitive."

Clark narrowed his eyes, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

Lex smiled. "We both know exactly how you act in the shower, Clark."

Whirling around, Clark focused his eyes on the house, looking towards the bathroom. Upon spotting the tiny camera inside the center of the shower head, his eyes flared open wide and he turned slowly to look into bright, relentless gray eyes. "You put a camera in my bathroom?"

"You've been intruding on my private thoughts, Clark! Let's not quibble over details."

Clark huffed out a furious breath, and narrowed his eyes. "You had no right." At the arch of Lex's brow, he shook his head quickly. "No, it's not the same. This isn't something I had any control over. I didn't *choose* to listen in on you...you deliberately invaded my privacy."

Lex rolled his eyes. "I've always said that I'm not a good man, Clark. When are you going to learn to listen?"

Clark's eyes slid shut. "Why do you do things you know I can't accept if you're in love with me? Why aren't you willing to try to do the right thing?"

"Would it make a difference?" Lex snapped. "What great change would come about if Lex Luthor decided to follow the ‘Kent Code of Honor’? Would you come to me and be *with* me, Clark? Or...would you do the 'right' thing and stay with Lana Lang?"

"I love Lana," Clark whispered.

"Do you dream about her?"

"Of course-"

"No..." Lex said with a chuckle, his eyes dark. "I'm not talking about pretty little picnics in the woods with candles and bottles of pink, non-alcoholic champagne, Clark. I'm talking about skin and sweat and come. Do you dream about her mouth, swallowing you down her throat? Or...do you not have *those* sort of dreams?"

Clark winced. "Of course I have those dreams."

"Whose mouth is it, Clark?" Lex stepped closer, looking into his eyes. Clark felt the fingers curling around the edges of his mind, and he stepped back. "Whose tongue licks up the drops of come that slide down your dick?"

*'Yours.'* A low moan rumbled through Clark's throat, and he held up a hand as Lex moved against his body.


Part 2

The thin, smooth fabric of Lex’s jacket caught on the tear in the waist of his jeans. Warm, moist lips pressed against the side of his throat and Clark’s head fell back.

Tiny, barely-there kisses…up and down his neck. Clark moaned, the sound echoing in the open space.

Clark’s hands slid around Lex’s shoulders, holding him close. The warmth against his skin intensified as Lex’s tongue pressed against his skin, sweeping up and over his jaw.

“Your skin is so…*soft*,” Lex muttered, his breath fluttering against the wet flesh. Tiny goosebumps pressed up on Clark’s skin, and Lex soothed them with his mouth. He sucked hard on the line of Clark’s jaw, biting down for a moment. “So…different. Perfect. It’s like you’re not even real.”

Clark reared back, shaking his head to clear the dizzy blur in his mind. “No.”

*’I already knew you were unique, Clark.’* “Special.”

Clark pushed away, stepping back from Lex’s hands. “This can’t happen.”

Lex smiled. “Why?”

“We…” Clark bit his lip hard, sinking his teeth in. “We hate each other.”

The wave of fury and pain rocked through Clark’s body, and he turned away. He hissed out a breath and swallowed hard.

“I don’t hate you, Clark.” Lex sounded sharp, sore. *’Hates me. He really hates me.’*

“I don’t-“ Clark twisted his head around to look over his shoulder. He saw Lex looking blankly away. “I don’t hate *you*, Lex. I hate the things you do.”

Lex nodded. “I hate the way you lie. Always lying. To me…to everyone. Secrets are forever filling the space that keeps getting bigger between us. Soon, that’s all there will be, Clark.”

Clark sighed and turned back around. “I have a right to my privacy.”

*‘The right to hurt me.’*

“I don’t deliberately hurt you, Lex.” Clark felt a hand on his spine, barely touching, and he couldn’t stop himself from pressing back against it. “I would never want to hurt you.”

“But you do,” Lex said, his voice growing harder…his fingers more persistent. “Over and over; every time you refuse to trust me, you hurt me. Every time you treat me like a threat, you hurt me.”

“I can’t trust you,” Clark said, his voice breaking. *’I wish I could. I WANT to.’*

“I wouldn’t hurt you.” Strong, greedy hand on his spine, scraping and moving. Up to his neck, and into his hair. Lex’s fingers swam through the hairs on his head, pulling lightly and smoothing the strands back down. “I’d protect you…whatever your secrets are; I’d never let anyone touch you.”

*’You. You would touch me.’*

Lex’s laugh was loud and surprised. “Oh yes. Of course. I need to, Clark.” He was close behind him then, yanking sharply on his hair to pull his head back onto Lex’s shoulder. He leaned his cheek against Clark’s throat and breathed in. “I absolutely need to touch you.”

“Because you don’t know…that’s why,” Clark whispered. “You only want me because you can’t have me…my secrets.” *’You want me because you think I’m special.’*

“You ARE special, Clark, but that’s not the reason…at least, not entirely.”

Clark shook his head, shivering as the movement caused Lex’s teeth to brush over his skin. “You want me because you think you shouldn’t have me.”

Lex’s chuckled tickled his skin, and Clark’s breath hitched in his chest. “I want you because you’re stubborn and sweet, naïve and wise…I want you because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve always thought so, Clark. I want to know you; I want to see you…I want you to be mine, the way I’ve always been yours.”

Clark shook his body loose and stepped away. He moved over to the wall and pressed his forehead against it, breathing deep. The scent of the wood grounded him, and he fought to concentrate on it. “You want me.”

“I do.” A finger tapped on his temple. “And I KNOW you want me, too.”

Clark moved around, pressing his back flat against the wall. “We shouldn’t do things, just because we want to.”

“Says who?” Lex said, his playful voice a blatant contrast to his focused eyes.

Clark slid sideways against the wall, wincing as he heard his shirt catch and rip on the rough wooden boards. “We hurt each other, Lex; whether we mean to or not, it happens all the time.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“You would.”

Gray-blue eyes hid behind amber lashes for a moment. “How do you know?”

“Because…I know you. Because you have. You know you’ve hurt me, Lex.”

Lex’s eyes snapped open and he surged forward, digging his hands into Clark’s shirt. “You KNOW me. You KNOW how I feel. YOU KNOW! And, you deny your feelings, and mine…you say it’s to protect yourself and me, and it’s all so wrong, Clark.” His voice broke. “I don’t WANT to hurt you, not ever.”

“I know.” The words were quiet and anguished.

“I need to know,” Lex said, his eyes frantic. “I deserve to know. I can’t let it go, Clark. I’ve tried; I know you don’t believe it, but I HAVE. I can’t let it go, not ever. You have to trust me, or I’ll rip the world apart to find out what you won’t say. I destroy anything in my path, and I’ll do it with no regrets because there is NOTHING I need more than this.”

“You’ll destroy me if you get what you want.” Clark closed his eyes as Lex’s fists pushed hard against his chest.

“No.”

“Yes. You’ll break me, and I know that it’s not because you want to. It’s because it’s *who you are*.”

“You’re wrong,” Lex said, pushing his body against Clark’s.

Clark’s head swam with the scent of Lex’s cologne, his arousal, and he hissed. He could feel Lex’s hands clenching and unclenching, clutching at his shirt, desperately trying to find the skin beneath. Lex was hard and hot against his thigh, and he shifted against the heat.

*’Let me inside of you. Give me this part of you; give yourself to me.’*

Part 3

Clark felt his heels sway, drifting slightly off the floor, and he dropped down with a gasp. His body jerked hard against Lex's, pulling a moan from his throat.

*'How am I supposed to stop believing everything I've ever been taught? How am I supposed to just let GO...when I know...I KNOW, Lex, that your motives are anything but innocent?'*

Lex's hands moved around his neck, the fingers sliding into damp tendrils and tugging softly. Clark's head slid down until her met Lex's forehead. Soft, uneven breaths burned against his lips.

*'How can you not KNOW how much I need you?'*

"I know, Lex." Clark watched, his eyes heavy, as Lex moved in and up, brushing his mouth over Clark's. "I know you need me. I wish I could give you what you need."

Lex smiled, the movement pressing his lips across Clark's trembling mouth. *'I don't think you're going to be able to stop me from learning your secrets now, Clark.'* At Clark's puzzled look, Lex smirked. "You are physically the strongest, most perfect creation imaginable. Were we at battle, there wouldn't be a question. But, our minds..."

"You think I'm stupid?" Clark's face jerked back, his features pinched and hurt.

"No." *'NO!'* Lex shook his head and sighed. "I think you're bright and brilliant and wonderful. You're kind and sweet and loving...and honorable. And, you assume that because *you* are, that everyone else wants to be, too." He slid his palms across Clark's torso, settling on his waist and squeezed. "The truth is, Clark...some of us aren't honorable. We'll do whatever it takes to get what we want, and I'm a Luthor. It's in my blood, and I want you. I'm done fighting my own nature, when all it does is pull me farther away from you."

"But, we're farther apart than we ever have been!" Clark argued, his voice harsh and low.

Lex grinned and tapped a finger against his temple. "I would have to *'disagree'*, Mr. Kent."

"I'll close myself to you," Clark warned, pushing firmly back on Lex's chest. "I won't let you in."

"Why deny yourself?" Lex asked, pushing forward and following as Clark stepped away. "Why deny us both, when it's what we want."

"What *you* want, Lex."

Lex laughed humorlessly. "You really do have a problem with honesty, Clark."

Shaking his head, Clark swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Whatever *this* is...this thing we have...I'm not saying I don't want that."

"Then, what are you saying, Clark?"

Green eyes softened as they met stormy gray. "I will never give you everything. There will always be a part of myself that I will keep to myself, and I will fight to keep it."

Lex huffed out a breath and nodded. "I have always admired your uncompromising belief system, Clark, even if I haven't always agreed with it." A slow smile slid over his face, brightening sharp eyes. "If I'm being truthful, it'll make the victory that much sweeter."

Throwing his hands up in the air, Clark whirled around. Frustration marred his features, drawing his eyebrows together. "This is...what? A game to you? Something to win?" Clark slammed his hand against the surface of a table, wincing as the wood buckled. "This is *my* life, Lex, and contrary to what you and your father may believe...the people here on Earth were NOT placed here merely for your manipulations." *'I'm here for something MORE than a damned game.’*

Soft, strong hands slid over a blue-clad shoulder. Pale fingers clasped the material tightly and pulled. The air in Clark's lungs burst out in a gasp as Lex's body molded itself against his spine. "Should I even bother asking you to explain that?" He shook his head, burying his face in the silky hairs along the back of Clark's neck. Scarred lips pressed against the strands, breathing in the scent there. "I'll give you a week, Clark. I'll stay out of your way...out of your mind. After that-"

"After that?" Clark's voice was weak, tormented.

"After that, I'm deciding for you."

Lex moved away, and Clark felt the loss of Lex's warmth immediately. He felt himself falling to his knees, and sucked in a dusty gust of air. The sound of expensive shoes paused for a moment, and then moved away, slapping softly in the Kansas dirt.

Clark looked up into the rafters and watched the wood blur as his eyes moistened. *'What do I do?’*

...Lex shook his head and stared at the road, disappearing beneath the wheels of his car as he sped back towards Metropolis. "I wish I could make this easier for you," he whispered.

-------------------------------------------------------

Clark twitched in his sleep, his cheek warm against his pillow. He shifted onto his side and opened his eyes as a crack of thunder roared across the sky. His dream was vivid in his mind.

**The skies were screaming around him. The sheets of water barely glimpsed across his skin as he ran. White heat flashed through the air, lighting everything with a flood of vibrant color. As the electricity died in the blanket of night, the indigo blue that had surrounded his faded away to leave only black.

No stars marred the perfect darkness, and he couldn't help but shiver. The cold had no effect on his skin, but the isolation of the storm and the night left the fine, dark hairs on his arms standing up in awed awareness of the perfect chaos and desolation he was feeling.

He found himself in front of the immense stone structure, much as he had many a time throughout the years. His past was filled with moments like these, standing in front of the mansion. Narrowing his eyes, he sought out a familiar body, and sighed as he found it.

Lex.

He watched him walk through the house, slow and nervous. He imagined that perhaps it was the frantic energy of the storm that had the man slipping in his own realm as though he were lost within it.

A drop of water slid down the back of his neck, and he shivered as he felt it travel across the ridges of his spine. His shirt was quickly sealing itself to his skin, and he held his arms out, smiling wryly as steam rose from his flesh.

His eyes moved from himself to watch Lex step up to the window. He knew Lex was aware of his presence.

Light flooded the front lawn, and he stood still, trembling as he met curious gray-blue eyes through thick glass.

"Lex," he whispered, swallowing hard as he saw pale amber lashes slide down to hide a dawning realization. *'Lex...'*

His own eyes dimmed, as he looked up into the sky. Water splashed down over his face, and he opened his mouth, laughing softly as warm raindrops eased their way down his throat.

The door slamming shut sounded like an explosion over the steady thrum of rain on his forehead. The water was deep in his hair, warm and heavy, and he shook his head as he heard footsteps approach him on the wet earth.

"Interesting night for a stroll, Clark." Lex's voice sounded thick and worried. "What are you doing here?"

Clark cleared his throat, and reached a hand up to brush strands of hair off of his face. "I'm waiting."

Lex's brows shot up. "Waiting. Waiting for what?"

"I felt something tonight, and I thought I'd see if it was possible." He watched Lex's face and smiled at the confusion there. "Do you think it's possible, Lex?"

"I'd have to know what you're talking about, Clark."

He sucked a drop of water off of his lip as he pulled it into his mouth. "When I was fifteen, you used to look at me like you wanted to devour me. Eat me alive." Clark grinned as Lex hissed out a breath. "When I was sixteen, you were more than just my friend. You were my best friend. Every year, more and more, our relationship just grew more and more complicated. Secrets and doubts, friends, lovers, parents...everything seemed to be fighting against us, until there was this distance. This HUGE distance that just kept growing and growing. And, I feel like we'd shout to each other across it. I know we both wanted to reach other, but it was like this storm: Uncontrollable...vast...wild. I kept trying to figure it out, Lex, but the more time it took...the bigger the distance became. It's like one day I looked up and you were just too far away."

Lex stepped forward, and Clark watched as water slipped down his nose, and dripped away. "Did you come to any conclusions as to what happened?"

"A few," Clark murmured. "But, what I really figured out was that none of them was as important as what I was scared of losing."

Gray-blue eyes lit up in a flash of lightning. "Care to enlighten me?"

Clark stepped closer. "You. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared I've already lost you."

Lex's laugh was broken in the rain. "Come on, Clark. You must know by now that no matter what transpires between us, you'll never really lose me. Regardless of the animosities we seem to have built up, I've never been able to stop needing to be a part of your life." His hand rose up between them, a stream of water running down his skin. "There's something about you that's essential to me, Clark Kent."

Nodding, Clark took a deep breath. "I don't want things to be like this with us."


"Neither do I," Lex said quietly. "But, I don't see how things can change. You're...you. And, I'm a Luthor. I don't see either of those things working in favor of us having any kind of a working relationship, Clark. Your black-and-white morality and my persistent search for the 'truth' won't permit it. You refuse to trust me, time and time again." Lex looked up into the rain and gasped as a hand closed around his. "We can't stop a storm that's already raging."

Clark tugged on Lex's hand, pulling him in. "What if we could?"

Lex bit his lip, arching a brow. "How could we, Clark? We're only human."**

Clark's eyes slid closed, and he moved his hand beneath his pillow, pushing it up and against his face. He felt the fabric grow wet under his face, and he raised a surprised hand to his face to feel the tears.

...Lex sat up in bed, his eyes wide and dry. His throat wrenched painfully with sobs, and he moved to the window to look out at the night. "I need you."

Part 4

His head ached. Each step beneath his feet was impossibly loud, echoing in his mind over and over again. A few feet away from the kitchen, the overwhelming smell of coffee and maple syrup hit him. Clark brushed his hair out of his face, and looked, wide-eyed, through stray chunks of hair that swayed in front of his eyes.

"Lex."

A slow, knowing smile eased it's way across Lex's face, brightening his eyes. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"What..." Clark shook his head. "What are you *doing* here?"

An amber brow arched in amusement as Lex poured steaming coffee into a bright red mug. "I brought you breakfast."

"You said you would stay out of my way."

Clark watched the hurt slash it's way through Lex's happy face, and felt the anguish, quickly banked, flare up inside the older man.

"I'm not IN your way, am I?" Lex looked around him, his movements deliberate and mocking. "I think there's plenty of space here."

"Lex-"

"Clark." Lex took a quick breath and licked his lips. He leaned onto the counter, shifting his weight onto his elbows, and stared into Clark's confused face. "If you want me to go, I will. I said I'd give you a week, and I meant it. But, last night-"

Clark sniffed loudly, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't stay out."

"No," Lex snapped. "I tried. You moved into *my* mind. You brought me into *your* dream, Clark. You shared your emotions with ME." He watched Clark sit down across from him at the counter, and focused on the large, tanned hand as it walked across the surface towards the coffee. He smiled as tentative fingers curled around the mug and began pulling the coffee back across the counter. "And, I just needed to see you."

Messy, dark hair shifted as Clark nodded slowly. "I'm...I didn't mean to do that."

"Draw me into your dreams unconsciously, or accuse me of staging a manipulative coup?"

Wincing, Clark shrugged. "Take your pick."

Lex bit his lip hard. "It's killing me...not knowing what this is...how it's happening. Sitting and doing NOTHING, and waiting for Clark Kent to trust me." Blue-gray eyes glittered in the bright morning light. "But, I won't wait forever. I meant what I said, Clark. One week. I'll take what you refuse to give, one way or another. I think we'd both prefer the method to be pleasurable."

Brilliant green eyes lightened, turning a startling pale blue-green. The effect was like a shard of ice, hard and chilling, and so unlike the Clark Kent that Lex knew that he shivered.

"You think," Clark spat, "that if I don't give in to you, that you can just take what you want now." He shook his head and stood up from the counter. "You think I can't go every day...every minute of every day, and control my thoughts." He laughed, and Clark felt the empty flare of heat he familiarized with red kryptonite. "You have no idea, Lex. I won't even have to practice...I'm an expert beyond anything you can imagine."

Lex smirked and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure. I've no doubt you're a master of subterfuge, Clark."

Clark nodded, agreeing. "I am. When the week is up, and you try to rape my mind...what will you do when you fail? Will you finally go insane, Lex?" Waves of bitter anger emenated from Lex's body, and Clark turned away from it. "What will you do when you discover there's nothing you CAN do?"

"I never let you into my last dream, did I, Clark?" Lex's voice was eerily calm. Soft and sleek. "Would you like to see what I dreamt of last night after I finally fell back asleep?" Lex closed his eyes and remembered.

**Clark looked around at the ceiling, the whiteness dripping down across him. Everything was sterile and cold and confining, and it was closing in around his chest. The scrape of the door caught him, and his face stiffened in shock as the waft of familiar cologne scraped across his senses.

"Off."

The voice was cool and hard, and he flinched as smooth fingers slid over his cheek.

"I want it off of him."

Fast, efficient hands clipped and pulled at his clothes, sliding them roughly off of his body. The blood flushed against his chest and his face as his body was revealed.

"Lex, please-"

"Shh." Those clever, silky fingers moved to his lips, pushing gently against them, as though to test the plushness there. "Oh, Clark."

Clark's eyes flared, and he squeezed his eyes shut. The shame of being so exposed, so helpless, raged inside of him, and he felt himself choking on the awkwardness of it. Lex's hands pressed inside his lips, touching the smoothness of his teeth, his gums. Slow fingertips took their time, easing out and moving wetly down his chin and neck to play across his collar.

"I've always been fascinated by you, Clark," Lex whispered. "Something...about you just floods me. You weaken me simply by virtue of being yourself, and I'm uncomfortable with how easily it happens." Lex took a deep breath, and Clark caught the scent of his bourbon-laced breath. "I've always wanted to be close...to..." Manicured nailed scratched carefully over tanned skin. Clark's breath hitched as Lex's hands slid quickly down to his leg, sinking down and in, against his thigh. Clark felt the scrape of the nails as Lex's hands moved up and close, searching out his secrets. A finger brushed against his cleft, and Clark jumped against the restraints. Lex smiled, and behind his closed lids, Clark felt it. "I've always wanted to get under your skin, Clark."

Clark felt the words like a rush of hot water, moving in a relentless wave up through his head. He licked his lips and shook his head. "Lex, I know you don't really want to hurt me."

The laugh was short and bitter, and Clark's eyes flew open in shock.

"Lex-"

"I do, sometimes." Lex's voice grated as his hands continued to move. "I think about hurting you; I want you to feel the pain I feel every day." His finger pressed in and against Clark's ass, teasing. "I want to believe that you're not abundantly happy. I want to think that you can't be happier...better...without me."

"But," Clark's eyes sought out Lex's face, "you won't kill me, Lex. I know you wouldn't. There's some part of you that still cares. I KNOW it."

Lex nodded. "I could never kill you, Clark." The smile on his face was fleeting and soft. "But, I don't think there's enough left in me to stop myself anymore. I want what I've always wanted, and now...you're here. You're in my grasp. There's no more secrets." Lex's eyes worked across Clark's body, stopping at the thickening cock that Clark found himself unable to control. "I can have what I want."

"Not like this." Clark shook his head. "Not this way."

"It has to be SOME way, Clark," Lex whispered. "I won't wait forever."**

Clark heard the cup smash against the floor, and realized he had pushed it off of the counter. His eyes were full and blurred as he looked at Lex's blank face.

"That's exactly why I can't trust you!" Clark cried, trembling as a tear slid down his face.

Lex stepped forward, ignoring the jerky shakes from Clark's body. "The fact that I showed you is why you CAN trust me, Clark." He moved in, his breath pushing up into Clark's mouth. "I think about any number of ways to get what I want...many of them are awful...horrible...inexcusable in any culture. But, when it comes to you...that's all they are. Thoughts. I want *you*, Clark. I'll do anything to get all of you."

Clark leaned down, his lips throbbing against the tiny gusts of air from Lex's mouth. He pressed softly against scarred lips and sucked in the coffee-scented sweetness. Lex moaned and pushed up and in, sliding his tongue across Clark's lips.

"Let me in."

Clark searched for a moment, his thoughts frantic and wild, and saw the room from Lex's dream.

He jerked back, his hands shaking horribly. "Not just thoughts," he mumbled. "That room is real."

"Clark-"

"No!" Clark's eyes closed tight, squeezing out the overly bright, dilated eyes in front of him.

"I'll burn the damned room, Clark!"

"You built it in the first place, Lex." Clark opened his eyes and sighed. "You need to leave. I need to think, and I need to do it alone. I don't want you here right now."

Lex flinched, and ran his tongue over his teeth. He shoved his hands into deep, perfectly hidden pickets and backed away towards the door. "For now, Clark." His back pushed the screen door open and he slid out, standing and watching Clark through the wire as the door slammed shut. "Six days."

Part 5

The fortress walls muted the strands of emotion...quieted the strains of melody that were Lex's constant thoughts. He'd hidden there for days, and now he knew it was The night before.

The deadline to Lex's ultimatum.

Part of him wanted to scoff at the man; he told himself, 'Aside from kryptonite, what can Lex do?' He wouldn't really hurt Lana, and he'd already moved Chloe. Security on his mother was constant, and if he lost the farm, it was better than losing his soul.

The room was constant in his mind. White and clean and cold, it filled his waking thoughts.

Jor-El was mercifully quiet as he paced across the crystalline floor. Memories flooded his thoughts:

**He dragged the body out of the water, wincing as sopping wet cloth dragged and pulled over dirt and rocks. His hands were careful as he laid the fragile head over the smooth, cleared rock. His lips trembled as he leaned over and pressed them against the man’s bluish lips. His heart raced in his chest as he pushed against the too-still chest, begging the man to awaken.

He’d watched through a shield of dripping water as confused blue-gray eyes had become focused on him. He remembered the words, fumbled and absurd, and then he’d fallen to his side, shock and terror overwhelming him. And just before the darkness had claimed him…he remembered thinking that he probably shouldn’t think of those blue-gray eyes as *beautiful*.**

Clark moved over to a column and leaned against it. His mouth opened as a shuddering sigh escaped his throat. He slid down to the floor and dropped his face into his hands.

**Those eyes…always those blue-gray eyes…pleading with him to just *trust* him as Phelan waited in the wings to use him and his ‘gifts‘. Eyes staring at him in shock, and lust, as he’d strutted across Lex’s office, high as a kite on Red. He’d seen the way Lex had wanted him, and he’d felt drunk on the undeniable power of it.

…Eyes, bloodshot and tired, but filled with pleasure as Lex had stepped into his arms on that perfect, sunny day. That moment had been almost unbearable in it’s pure joy. Turning from the moving truck and seeing Lex, alive and whole…his face had flooded with heat and happiness, and he’d seen the love mirrored in his *best friend’s* face. He’d held him in his arms and he hadn’t wanted to ever let go.

…Watching Lex lay on the exam table, still twitching from the volts of electricity…seeing the blankness in his face afterwards in his home, and holding onto him almost too tightly. The guilt…and yes, the love…**

“Would things be different?” His voice echoed in the stark, open space. “Would he be this way if I’d trusted him?”

He felt the drops slide down his face and freeze in place.

“Is it too late? If I trusted him now, would it change anything? Is there still enough of THAT man left to love me more than his need to win?”

The room filled with a warm, blue light. He felt it enfold him, and for once, he did not fear the unknown aspect of a new occurrence in the Fortress. It felt…like his mother’s arms around him, and he breathed deep before falling into a fitful sleep.

------------------------------------------------------

The scotch burned as it slid down his throat. He lowered the glass to the desk, his finger clenched so tight, he feared the glass would shatter.

He couldn’t *hear* him. He’d tried…opening up his mind, meditating…nothing had worked, and it was driving him crazy. He smirked, hearing the almost silent sound of the servants as they tried to move through the house without detection.

“I suppose the wrath of a Luthor is difficult to take,” he muttered thickly.

He missed him. He *missed* him. Everything was dull and without color. Standing up, he moved over to the window and watched as his breath moved over the glass, leaving a whitish fog on the pane. He forced out a wave of emotion, calling to Clark.

*‘Stop running from me,’* he cried out inside his mind. *‘Is the thought of giving in to me so repulsive? Can you honestly say, after everything and every year that we’ve shared, that you believe that there is anything on this planet that would make my ‘Luthor nature’ dominate the feelings I have for you?’*

A gush of chilled wind swept over his scalp, and he nearly wept in relief.

“I didn’t think you’d come.”

“You knew I would, Lex.” Clark’s voice was hoarse and wary. “You demanded it.”

“You KNOW I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Clark started to shake his head and stopped abruptly when he saw Lex tap at his temple with one long, pale finger.

“You *know*.”

“I *hope*, Lex.” Clark ran a brisk hand through wind-tousled, inky-black strands. “But, I think my appearing out of thin air should at least show you that I’m willing to try.”

Lex laughed, the sound hollow in the large room. “It’s not the first time you’ve disappeared or appeared out of nowhere, Clark.”

“That’s true,” Clark agreed. His eyes locked on to Lex’s. “But, this is the first time that I’m not denying that I got here in a way a ‘normal’ person could never have. I’m admitting to you that I’m different…that I have *things* about myself that are unique to any human.”


“Human?” Lex’s voice wavered for a moment and he stepped forward.

Clark rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in frustration. The words were sticking in his throat, and he had to force them out. “Come on, Lex. You’re a genius, for crying out loud. Look at us. Look at us NOW. We’re hearing each other’s thoughts.”

“The meteors-”

“No.” Clark’s eyes glowed as a silvery tear traced it’s way down his face. “This happened after Zod left. My mysterious ‘disappearance’, and then…I was back. I know you remember, Lex. Even with everything going insane…with all the world running around frantic…I know that some part of you noticed.”

Nodding carefully, Lex moved closer still, and placed a cautious hand on Clark’s wrist. “Why Zod? Why would that-”

Shock. Stark and bright and wild, it filled his eyes, and Clark felt his chest constrict. “Lex.”

“You’re one of THEM.” *‘My God. What ARE you?*’

Clark bit down hard on his tongue, trying…and failing…to mask the sob that flared up from within him. “I’m just *me*, Lex. Just Clark.” He watched as Lex stepped back towards his desk…saw the thick metal box inside the drawer and knew instinctively what it contained. “Whatever my race is, whoever my biological parents are, I was raised on Earth. With Martha and Jonathan Kent. I am the same person you’ve always known. I’m the same person you love.”

Clark watched as Lex’s eyes flickered, confusion clouding the gray to a dark, dusky color. He took the opportunity and lunged forward, quicker than sound. His large hand covered Lex’s, keeping the drawer closed.

“You said you wanted me.” He whispered against a pale cheek. “Has that changed?”

When he didn’t hear an answer, he pulled back.

“Lex?”

Lex’s face was drained of color. “I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s so weird,” Clark joked weakly. “You always have a contingency plan for everything. You always know what to do.”

*‘I don’t right now.’*Lex took a deep breath and leaned, pressing his forehead against Clark’s cheek. “If you were anyone else. ANY ONE, Clark…I would…”

Clark saw the flash of the sterile, white room and shuddered. “I know.”

“But, you’re you.” Lex laughed, the puffs of air from it floating over Clark’s lips. “Not that I even know what that means. I don’t even know you.”

“You do-”

“I don’t!” Lex said, his voice dark. “All I know is what you’ve let me believe. All I can see right now is a man that I have loved for years, and I don’t even know who you *are*.”

“This isn’t fair,” Clark screamed as he ripped himself away from the older man. “You’ve begged me. You asked and promised that whatever it was…whatever my secret was…that it wouldn’t change how you felt. You swore to me, Lex, that whatever it was…you would protect it.”

“Maybe I lied, too, Clark.”

The cold tone of Lex’s voice threw shivers down Clark’s spine. “No. You meant it.”

“When I said it, I’m sure I did.” Lex said quietly. “I thought…meteor powers, a natural gift…something. But, Clark…” *‘You’re not even human.’*

Clark leaned his head back and looked up at the ornate ceiling. He huffed out a humorless laugh. “What now?”

“I need to think.”

Clark nodded. “Okay. I can give you time.” Rolling his eyes inwardly, he couldn’t help the thought as it ran through his mind. *‘I’ll give you a week.’*

Lex laughed. “Or what? You’re not me, Clark. Your threats lack the backing they require to be effective.”

Quicker than he could blink, Lex found Clark mere inches away from him. Plush lips lowered down to his and pressed against his. Clark’s tongue pushed against Lex’s, seeking the warmth inside.

Lex’s hands reached around Clark’s waist, digging into the cloth. The flesh underneath was so hot. He lifted up the soft, worn shirt, and cried out as his fingers met the heated skin. “Clark.”

Clark’s mouth moved down his chin, over and down his neck. The air around them was cool as it hit Lex’s throat, moist from Clark’s tongue.

Pulling gently, Clark moved Lex’s body over his own, and gasped as one of Lex’s hands moved up his chest and across his nipple. His head was roaring, the sound like the waves of the ocean. He knew Lex heard it, too, and he moaned as Lex jerked up against him, thrusting against him.

His mind went wild as he came, shock and a flood of color washing through his body. He pushed the feeling out, and sighed when he heard Lex’s choked breath.

“I wish I’d trusted you before,” Clark whispered. “I wish I’d known what I know now, but I didn’t. I can’t change the way things are. I know you must hate my dad for telling me to not have the faith in you, but I’ll never believe that he did it for any other reason than because he loved me and wanted me safe. I don’t regret that, Lex; I can’t. But, I regret that you were hurt. All I can do is go from here.” He pushed Lex away gently, easing the hands off of his chest. “I can’t alter the past, but I’m giving you my faith now. Whatever that means to you, Lex; I’m giving you my faith.” He turned and rushed away, fighting the urge to go back as he heard Lex fall to his knees. *‘One week, Lex. You can change EVERYTHING. Prove me right.’*

Lex’s broken cries followed him to the Fortress, and only behind the crystal walls did he allow himself to fall into the comforting blue light and cry.

Part 6

Lex paced the floor, his eyes flickering wildly between the darkened windows and the enormous door of his office. It had been five days since Clark had left.

His mind was constantly racing, considering possibilities, playing outcomes, raging against a surge of emotions. He fought at the clawing pain that urged him to just *let it GO*. Sighing, he moved to the door and pulled it open, his arms burning with the effort after days of sitting…watching and waiting.

His feet were heavy, moving through thick masses of *something* as he staggered up the stairs to his bedroom. Immediately, he moved to the small bar hidden discreetly behind a half-wall. He poured himself a drink, laughing soundlessly as the liquor sloshed over the rim, and moved over to the window.

He stood there, watching the flakes of white drift down in a heavy wall of lace. The chill touched his face through the thick glass, and he smiled into the feeling of it. There was something in the air...deja vu...he wasn't sure. Something.

Turning, he moved over to the bed and sat down, holding tight to the half-full glass clutched in his hand as the bedding sank beneath him. He thought about his mother, what she would think…wished she would visit him as she had before and tell him *something*. ANYTHING. Nothing made sense right now. He shook his head...smirking...as he realized that the last few visits had been a result of some of his many near-death experiences.

When the notion hit him that the possibility of death didn't scare him nearly as much as the idea that he might not receive such a visit...he lifted the glass, now trembling violently in his grip, to his lips and drank deep. Death would be a welcome reprieve to the loneliness.

*‘I don’t want to be alone anymore.’*

‘You don‘t have to be.’

His eyes were overly bright as his head shot up, looking around the empty room for a man he knew was not there. *‘Where are you?’*

*‘My safe place.’* Clark’s voice was soft and sad, full of regret and wishes. *‘I wish that my safe place were with you.’*

Lex shivered and he sank back into downy pillows, reaching out with a weakened arm to place his drink on the nightstand table. He pictured Clark in front of him, strong and impossibly beautiful. No matter what he was doing, Lex loved to look at Clark. Working, walking, talking, laughing, glaring fiercely (that might actually be one of his top three favorites), or smiling...anything Clark did, Lex loved to watch.

*‘You know, Clark, I’ve always been fascinated by your hands.’*

*‘My hands?’* ‘Clark’ sounded vaguely amused, and it flooded Lex with a warmth he was unable to push down.

“Always so soft,” he whispered aloud. “So soft. I always thought that was so strange. You grow up on a farm, and have such soft fucking hands.” *‘Unreal.’* “Does anything dull the perfect edges of Clark Kent?” He eased himself up, onto his elbows, and pushed his lips together into a sharp line, sucked in a deep breath. He remembered the glossy shine of Clark’s hair, and the potent, innocent scent of it.

His eyes glazed over as he watched the vision from his mind take shape in front of him. He saw ‘Clark’ step towards him and shook his head, his mind hazy and confused.

“You’re not really here,” he muttered. “Not real. I don’t even know *what* you are.”

“I’m just me,” ‘Clark’ said, the words shaky. “I’ve always been who I am; it’s never changed.”

“I don’t know what I believe in anymore.” Lex shook his head and dropped back. “I’ve always believed in you. When I needed to look to something…just to see what the right thing was, I’d look to you. You were perfect.”

‘Clark’ stepped forward, his eyes flashing a dark, bottle-green. “You expect things from me…Lex, you treat me like I’m some *thing*. You always have, even before you knew. You think I’m supposed to be perfect, and you assume that I always have this inherent knowledge that makes me do ‘the right thing’. It’s not like that; it’s always a choice.” He held out his hands for a moment in front of him before letting them drop down against his sides. “I’m only a man.”

*‘Not exactly.’*

Lex felt the anger and the fluid pain rip through him and he buried himself in the bed.

“You can’t blame me for not being what YOU believe I *should* be. I’m-”

“You’re such a contradiction, Mr. Kent.”

‘Clark’ shook his head fiercely and stepped up to the bed. He sat down, and Lex surged up in the bed as he felt the mattress give way. Lex felt himself moving towards the man before he could stop himself…could not deny the compelling urge that seized him to be as close as he could, in every way, to ALL things 'Clark Kent'. Man or alien, friend or foe, liar or pillar of all things ‘right’, he *needed* to touch.

Clark started to get up, to move away. His hand shot out and closed around a strong, golden arm. His fingers moved over and around Clark's elbow, and the sheer, unbelievable softness there...he felt the blood rush from his head. A groan escaped his mouth, and his eyes slid closed as his fingers gripped hard around Clark's arm.

"Lex?"

Clark moved in closer, his face softening from his earlier anger. The movement caused the satin skin beneath Lex's fingers to slide, and Lex moaned.

"Tell me something, Clark," Lex whispered, tilting his head slightly to hold Clark's gaze. "Your skin. Your hair. Everything...it's so soft, so silky. Is it like that everywhere? All over your body?" Lex shook his head slightly, as though amazed. His mouth dropped open on a gasp as he moved his fingers in a small circle across Clark's elbow. "Do you feel like *this* everywhere?"

Lex watched Clark's lips part in surprise. He reached up with a shaky hand and ran his finger across a trembling bottom lip.

"It is, isn't it? You're truly perfect. You're so incredibly soft. I can‘t stop wanting to touch you." He rubbed his finger across Clark's lip, and slid in to glide his fingertip across the wetness between Clark's lip and his teeth. "I can't even imagine what it would feel like to have this feeling moving all over me. Under me. With me." Lex smiled as Clark shivered. “I want you still. I think I always will.”

“You want me,” Clark murmured. “What do you want with me? A friend, a lover…an experiment?”

“I want all of those things,” Lex admitted. *‘Though I’d be happier with the first two. I don’t WANT to hurt you.’* A rough sound broke free from scarred lips. “I don’t want to hurt you…not really, not most of the time. There are moments when I do, in a way…it’s true and you know it, but you should also know that I wouldn’t. As much as the curiosity is a part of who I am…needing to protect you is just as much a part of me.”

“You love me.” Clark leaned forward, hovering over Lex’s body, and looked down at him. “I can feel it.”

Lex nodded. “Of course I do.” His hands shook as they slid down Clark’s throat and over his shoulders. Fingers dug in hard and pulled Clark down farther. “I need to kiss you.”

“What’s stopping you?” Clark asked, his voice broken and low.

“Years.” Lex closed his eyes and sighed against Clark’s face. “Years and years of pain and words. Suspicions. Beliefs, and lack thereof…so much is working to stop me, Clark.” A wet splash fell onto his cheek, startling him, and he looked up into wide, green eyes. “You cry. I wouldn’t think-” He lifted a hand from Clark’s shoulder to touch the wetness trailing down Clark’s face. He moved his damp fingertips to his mouth and licked away the tears. “You taste like me.”

He reared up, clasping his hands behind Clark’s head and pulled him down as he raised his head. Their mouths collided with a loud, wet burst, and then Lex was inside. He couldn’t stop tasting, exploring, seeing everything that had been hidden for too long.

Clark wrenched his mouth away, gasping, and cried out as Lex followed him, stealing his breath with another kiss.

Lex felt the lips against his swell and wondered at it. *‘How? What is he feeling? Does this feel for him like it does for me? Is there even any comparison? Oh, so fucking right. Everything feels so right.’*

He watched in awe as Clark pushed himself up. Golden skin was nearly vibrating, Clark was shaking so hard, as he pulled his shirt from his waist and lifted it up and over his head. “I feel scared, nervous, worried, frustrated…I feel the need, and I feel the rightness, Lex. I feel everything; I just can’t stop feeling so scared.”

Lex placed his mouth against Clark’s chest, tasting the skin there. “Because you don’t trust me.”

Clark nodded. “Or myself. That day…in the Talon, when you realized I could hear you…I thought that was it. I’d finally lost the last bit of control I have in this world…the freedom to think and feel. I always have to be so careful, Lex. Always. Every moment and every touch is measured and weighed in a split second, and I’ve learned to live with that. But thinking that you could just come in and take every secret…not knowing if all of these years would give you cause to *use* them against me…I’ve never been so afraid.”

“Clark, you don’t have to be afraid.”

“Afraid,” Clark whispered, “and grateful.”

Lex licked his lips and looked up into Clark’s pale gold face. “Grateful?”

Clark looked down. “You can’t honestly believe that I enjoyed lying to you?”

“No.” Lex shook his head, brushing his lips up and over a dark cinnamon nipple. “Not you.” He sucked the flesh into his mouth, biting down gently, and laughing silently.

“You’re laughing.”

*‘I don’t want to hurt you.’*

Clark smiled softly, and Lex felt something inside of him shatter. He hadn’t seen that exact smile since before Clark had discovered ‘the room’.

“What’s going to happen after today?”

Lex shrugged, moving his mouth up over Clark’s collarbone. He bit down and sighed against the skin. His hands slid around Clark’s waist, and wound together, keeping the man close. He pulled him down over him and pushed hard with his legs, rolling them over. Clark’s hands worked at his shirt, tugging it up just enough to share the warmth of his skin. Lex trembled and ground down against Clark’s thigh. “We’ll figure it out…tomorrow.”

Part 7

Clark felt the heat surging up inside of him, burning from within his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, fearing the damage that could be provoked by the wet tongue currently easing it’s way over his stomach.

Clever hands were careful and slow as they eased their way inside the waist of his jeans.

“Look at me, Clark. Open your eyes.”

Clark shook his head, the movement violent and sharp; the bed trembled beneath them. He clenched his fists tight at his sides, and moved his face to the side, sliding his cheek against the silky softness of Lex’s bedding. *‘Can’t control it. I can’t stop anything.*

“You can,” Lex whispered. “You don’t have to trust everything about me right this moment, Clark, but you can trust my faith in you.” *‘You’d die before you let yourself truly hurt me. Can’t you see that?’*

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down to meet dark, dilated eyes just before Lex’s tongue slid into his navel.

The air in his lungs caught as he choked in shock from the sensations washing over him.

“Lex, what are you going to do?”

Gray, intense eyes stayed focused on him as he gasped and jerked up against the lithe body. “Everything I’ve always wanted to do.” **‘I want to own you. I want to worship you, devour you. I want to stain you with me and watch your light wash it away like a fucking miracle. *Everything*, Clark. I *need* everything.’**

His hair fell in front of his face, and he shook his head, pursing his lips to blow the strands out of his eyes. “*Lex*, please. I don’t know what to do.”

Lex smiled, slow and easy. “You don’t need to do anything. You’re doing everything.”

“But-”

“I’ve come,” Lex whispered, “just from seeing you smile.” *‘Did you know that?’*

“Lex.”

"The way you say my name." Lex growled and leaned down, licking along the waistline of Clark‘s pants. "I love your mouth. I want it. On my cock, my ass. All over me. You're so sweet, Clark." A warm tongue pressed flat against Clark’s skin and just slid. “Even when I wanted to hate you, I wanted this more.”

Clark groaned and felt his hips jerk forward. He shuddered and fought to keep his eyes open. He looked into Lex's face, and reached out to grasp his hands. He pulled them up to his mouth and laid a soft kiss into each palm. “How can this ever work?” He murmured the words against the silky skin of Lex’s hands and sighed as the fingers curled against his face, stroking gently.

“We’ll make it work.”

The breaths against his abdomen tickled, and he shivered. “We can’t change who we are, Lex.”

“I’m not asking you to.” Lex shifted slowly, pushing his body into Clark’s as he rose up. “I wouldn’t want you to. I wouldn’t love you if you weren’t the exasperating, self-righteous, noble, naively sexy man you are.” *‘And, I do love you, Clark. Don’t ever think I didn’t.’*

Clark nodded and sighed softly. “Did…did you really love her?”

Lex bit his lip for a moment, turning the flesh a dark red. “Lana?”

Clark felt his face turn a deep pink and turned his face to the side. When strong, smooth fingers closed over his jaw and turned him back, he closed his eyes.

“I loved being inside her.”

Fingers tightened on Clark’s face as he choked and tried to twist away.

“I loved feeling that…where you’d been. I loved feeling it on me, knowing it’s something you’d felt. I was…” Lex’s fingers moved gently up his face, smoothing his brows and stroking until Clark’s eyes raised up to meet Lex’s worried eyes. “I won’t lie. Part of it was wanting to punish you for turning away from me. I felt betrayed and alone, and I wanted you to know what that felt like.”

*‘I’ve always know what it is to be alone.’*

Lex nodded. “I know that now. But then…that was a part of it.” He smiled cautiously and twisted closer, pushing Clark further into the bed. “The other part…I’ve always wanted to be close to you. I’d take anything I could get, and once I saw that I could have her, I took her. It killed me, Clark, knowing you’d felt something so intimate with her, and I wanted what she knew. I wanted *something*, anything, that would show me what you felt in your moment. I just wanted you, and I couldn’t have you. At the time, I thought I never would have you, and I was so angry.”

“You’re still angry,” Clark whispered, his eyes open now, and wide.

“Sometimes,” Lex admitted. His hands were moving along the muscles of Clark’s belly, scratching softly. Warm fingers slid beneath the cloth and eased inside. “I want to see you.”

Clark lifted his hips, his body shaking as Lex undid the button of his jeans and slid them down over his thighs. Clark’s hands flew to Lex’s chest and trembled against the smooth, damp skin. He felt his underwear sliding down to join his jeans, and he gasped in shock as fingers closed around him.

“Everywhere,” Lex muttered, his voice wild and full of awe. “You take my breath away.”

Clark felt the hand on his cock start to move, sliding up and over the head, and back down again. A whimper rolled up from his throat and was promptly swallowed by Lex’s mouth. *‘Tell me you love me.’*

Lex wrenched his mouth away, gulping in air as though he were dying. “I do. I love you.”

Lips slid across one another, and Clark felt his chin grow wet…felt a drop slide down his throat. “You want me?”

“You know I do.”

Clark blinked hard and felt his eyes fill. “Not just because…because I’m different?”

Lex was writhing above him, and bare skin slid over his body. He was covered with Lex, naked skin touching him everywhere. Lex’s hands wouldn’t stop moving, and he couldn’t think.

“You are different, Clark, but not for the reasons you think.” Lex sighed. “You’re the only person I’ve ever known who truly wants to help people for no other reason that because it’s the right thing to do. You don’t do it because you feel a need to fulfill yourself, or to pay penance…although, we both know you let guilt rule your thoughts entirely too much.” Lex jerked up, and Clark choked on a breath. “You’d know I was lying if I said I wasn’t fascinated by all that makes you unique, but that’s not why I love you. I love you, Clark Kent, because you’re *you*.” *‘I probably always will.’*

“Always?”

Lex smiled sadly and nodded. “I wish you didn’t sound so surprised.” He pressed his mouth against Clark’s and chewed on his lower lip, moaning as Clark’s tongue moved across his scar. “Let me.”

Clark’s mouth opened and Lex slid inside, tasting everywhere his tongue could reach. His hand sped up, picking up slick drops of come on his palm, and easing them back down over the shaft. “Oh.” *‘Please. Don’t stop.’*

“Not stopping,” Lex gasped into his mouth. “Never.”

*‘Oh God. Lex, I’m…I can’t…I-’* Clark’s hips were shaking as they rose into the steady jerks from Lex’s fist.

“Come, Clark.” Lex’s voice was unsteady and frantic, the hitches of his breath meeting the movements of his hand. “Come for me. I want to see you come for me.”

Clark’s eyes squeezed shut and his breath left his body in a whoosh as tingles exploded up his spine. It was like his body had been asleep for a very long time, and suddenly come awake in a rush, and it was too much at once. His fingers slammed up into his hair, and he dug in, sucking in huge, desperate breaths as his body took on a life of it’s own. He erupted in a startlingly hot flood between them. Slippery slick, their chest slid across each other as they moved shakily in a tangled, frenzied dance.


He felt Lex watching him, and the knowledge broke him completely. Loud, husky sobs jerked within his body, and he felt Lex’s face move down to his chest, laying his cheek against it as they shivered.

His hands uncurled from his hair and he dropped them down against Lex’s back. His body was moving on it’s own, as though confused. Floods of emotion and sensation sliced through his body with every breath.

“Lex?”

Clark felt Lex smile against his body, and he tapped his shoulder softly.

“Clark?”

Clark chuckled softly. “There’s more.”

“Oh yes.” Lex lifted his face and Clark saw a glistening smear of come on the side of his face. Long, elegant fingers slid through the wetness and moved up to Clark’s mouth. “So much more.”

Clark kissed the sticky fingers, and felt the smear on his lips. “Show me.”

Part 8

Clark walked over to the stove, testing the burner with the tip of a damp finger. He listened to the sizzle as the water on his skin hissed away in a small cloud, and he looked down at his unmarked finger with a wistful gaze.

*‘I can’t ever be one of them.’*

*‘Who wants you to be?’*

The amused voice in his mind brought a small grin to his lips, and he shrugged, rolling his eyes as he remembered that Lex couldn’t actually see him.

*‘Are you sure about that?’* Lex’s voice was teasing, but Clark frowned, the joy from initially hearing Lex fading.

*‘The cameras are still here?’* Clark realized that he hadn’t even thought to look around since he had returned home from the mansion. He stared intently through the walls, sighing as he spotted the cameras and listening devices implanted throughout the house. *‘Lex-’*

He heard the mental sigh as Lex grew frustrated. *‘I’ve had other things on my mind, Clark.’*

Clark felt the years of warnings and lectures building up inside him, and he fought to force down the panic he felt welling within his chest. *‘These can’t be here. What are you going to do with the tapes?’*

Lex’s voice was silent for a long minute before Clark heard a deceptively calm, collected voice echo inside of his head. *‘I can recognize and respect that you need privacy and space, Clark. I can accept it, and I can acknowledge the reasons for it. I can vow to work on tempering my NEED to know everything when it comes to you, but I also need for you to reciprocate. I need for you to realize that the way you jump to conclusions concerning my hypothetical plans are not conducive in our keeping any kind of relationship. I need for you to work on curbing your own impulses to convict me without giving me the opportunity to explain…or to defend myself. I…I can’t change if you won’t allow me the chance to try, Clark.’*

“But…” Clark found himself speaking aloud, and shook his head. *‘You DO want to try?’*

He felt Lex’s pleasure flood through his mind, pouring down his spine, and spreading into his body. Memories flooded his thoughts, and he closed his eyes, watching as they shared the memory of the previous night.

**“Show me,” Clark whispered.

Lex’s hands were fast and silky, moving along the curve of his neck where it met his shoulders. Steady fingertips moved in tiny circles, spreading wider as the crept up towards his face. “I want to feel you. I want to feel your pulse all over me, holding me inside with every beat.”

Clark shivered and felt his breath rush out of him as Lex’s hands rushed down his chest, across his belly, and over his thighs.

“Open for me.”

Long, golden legs slid apart, shaking slightly. Clark watched Lex’s elegant fingers inch their way in, tip-toeing closer and closer to their intended destination. A loud click forced Clark’s eyes open, and he watched as Lex spread a clear liquid over his fingers, rubbing them together slowly.

His eyes slid closed as the wet, slippery fingers pushed insistently at his ass, easing their way inside him and twisting as they worked their way in.

Blue-gray eyes were locked onto him, and he felt them burning into his closed lids. He started to open his eyes, and gasped, squeezing his eyes shut tight as Lex’s clever finger pushed up and in, stroking something inside him. Heated waves were stuttering through his belly, down his thighs…burning. He pushed down against the fingers, forcing them farther inside of him.

“You’re *inside* me.”

The hand worked slowly, firmly, as Lex leaned down, pressing his lips to Clark’s cheek. “I’ve always been inside you, Clark, in one way or another.”

Clark nodded, his movement jerky as he felt the hand slip away. He heard a low, anguished sound and opened his eyes, realizing it was himself. He looked into Lex’s eyes, watching as they grew dark and glossy. Damp, slick hands pressed against the back of his knees, pushing them up towards his chest, and Clark could only watch as Lex lined his body up against Clark’s.

He felt the warmth of Lex’s erection against his body, and sucked in a deep breath as Lex pushed inside. “Oh God.”

Pale, flawless skin erupted in a dark flush as Lex pulled back slightly, then shifted forward hard. Clark felt himself fill, and rocked forward, smiling at the soft feel of Lex pressed against him.

“I love you,” he whispered.**

Clark turned off the stove and leaned against it, smiling softly. “I do. I love you, Lex.”

“I know.”

Clark looked up to see Lex standing on the opposite side of the screen door. He blushed and grinned, willing down the pulsing flesh straining against the zipper of his worn jeans. “You know, huh?”

Lex nodded and pressed a hand against the screen, scratching across the threaded metal. “Of course. I feel it, inside me, and it’s like you’re a mirror of me in that moment.” He looked down at his fingers, splayed across the screen. His lips turned up in a rare, tender smile. “I was dreaming this morning, after you left.” He looked up into Clark’s face, his eyes open and soft. “I was thinking about your hands last night, on me. I was remembering how you gripped my back, my arms…how you held my hand. And-” Lex huffed out a small breath, a laugh hiding on the drift. “I was remembering how before…before I was *fascinated* by your soft, impossibly beautiful hands.” Lex pushed against the screen and moved inside, meeting Clark as he started across the floor. “I was so fascinated, Clark…and now, I’m just in awe. It’s beyond fascination. And, it’s not what is so unusual. It’s how you met me every step, and held me in your hands with so much softness.” His hands reached out and gripped Clark’s, pulling him closer. “It’s how much I know you loved me in that moment. It’s how, even if I never heard your voice again…I’d know that you loved me, because I felt it in every moment.”

Clark swallowed and watched as Lex’s hand rose higher, until a lone finger reached out and touched his cheek. He watched as the finger pulled away wet, and reached up to touch his hand to his tear-streaked face. “What ever happens, Lex, I want you to always know that I love you.”

Lex pulled him in, his hand firmly around his neck. Clark sighed softly as Lex pressed his face tight against Clark’s damp cheek and kissed his ear. “What ever happens.”

Part 9

Lex tugged at his collar, shivering as the fabric pulled against his sensitive skin. It felt raw, and he didn't bother to smother the smirk that crept up on his lips as he remembered the careful nips Clark had laced around his neck the previous night.

He adjusted his tie, rolling his eyes as the silk flew up into his face as a gust of wind rushed through the room.

"You don't need to dress up, you know."

Lex looked in the mirror at amused green eyes and smiled. "I'm Lex Luthor."

Clark nodded, a laugh lightening his voice. "Of course you are. But, I told you..."

Sighing, Lex shrugged. "I know. But, I need to." *'We all have our armor that we wear in times such as these.'*

The laugh filled the room, and Lex watched Clark's face light up with pleasure and joy. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen Clark so at ease and open.

"You know, Lex, there are times you tend to over dramatize."

Lex's left eyebrow rose over his blue-gray eyes, and he bit his lip. *'Interesting that YOU would be the one saying that to ME.'* "Especially considering your family trait for increasingly dramatic gestures."

He watched as Clark's eyes grew slightly sad, and he turned to him, pressing a gentle hand to the man's beautiful face.

"Why so sad?"

Clark's breath shuddered in his chest as he drew in a lungful of air. "It's just..." *'It'll all be gone soon. I'm scared-'*

"It's not going to change anything, Clark." Lex murmured softly. His thumb moved across Clark's cheek, stroking the satin-smooth skin slowly. "Faith. Clark, have faith." He moved in close, his lips mere centimeters from Clark's. "We have to be able to do this without having it as a crutch. If we can't believe in one another without it...we don't have any a chance."

"I'm just so worried." Clark leaned down, pressing his forehead to Lex's. "You know how I am. You were right...Chloe was right...everyone was. I fly off the handle without listening to explanations...I jump to conclusions." His eyes grew cloudy before moving to hide behind thick, black lashes. "I can recognize that, and see that it's a problem, but I'm scared that without *this*...I'm going to forget to trust you."

Lex swallowed hard, fighting the shiver that fought to take over his body. "I'm scared of that, too. I'm afraid, Clark." He raised himself up and brushed his mouth over Clark's before lowering himself, his breath heavy. "I'm *afraid* that I'll listen to that voice in my head...the one that sounds so much like my father...I'm afraid that I won't listen to the voice that is me, in love with you, because I'll know that you won't be able to really *know*. I'm afraid that I'll let myself believe that if I can get away with it...without you knowing...that I'll go through with anything."

*'It's like your dream.'* Clark's voice was clean, in his mind, clear and pure.

"I don't understand."

Clark smiled. "Telling me what you just did...it's how I can *know* that I can trust you." He licked his lips before pressing them against Lex's, making them damp and warm. "I didn't understand that before. When you show me yourself at your darkest...Lex." Clark's eyes shone. "When you show me that, it when your light shines through." *'I finally see that now.'*

*'I love you, Clark Kent.'* "I'll fight anything for you...even myself."

"I know," Clark whispered. *'I love you too, Lex Luthor.'* "Are you ready?"

Lex twisted around in the heated closeness of Clark's body and looked in the mirror. He looked at Clark and smiled, and then looked at himself, and nearly wept. He looked *happy*. "It's time."

-------------------------------------------------

The snow was a brilliant white, and Lex could feel the biting cold against the skin on his face. Clark's hand was strong in his, and as they walked towards the enormous fortress made of crystal, a blue light crept out and settled over them. Warmth crept into his body, and he smiled, even as he felt the presence of his lover's voice leave his mind.

Clark sighed softly, and smiled down at Lex. He squeezed his fingers softly, and seemed to melt into the hazy azure light for a moment, his eyes a brilliant blue. "Lex, I'd like to introduce you to my birth mother, Lara."

The End.