Lois Lane's desk trembled a little as Clark threw the rolled up paper over the notes she had not been reading. She lifted her eyes from her computer screen and grinned, without letting the cigarette fall from her lips. She never did.
"Lois, you destroyed my life." he said simply, then walked around his own desk and slumped on his chair, hands hanging to his sides.
"What are you talking about, Smallville? I possibly just gave you a Pulitzer!"
"Which I didn't ask for! Damn it, Lois!"
"What?"
"You're just…too damn nosy!"
"Why thanks, Clark! Lois Lane." She had already turned away and all of her attention was on whoever it was on the other side of the phone call. Clark sighed. His life was over. Not his living, but surely his life.
One week earlier he had been happy. Seven days.
…
They were on the sofa, Clark straddling Lex's hips and not moving. Just loving the perfect face of his lover when his eyes were closed. Lex would snort and inform Clark that he was the perfect one, but Clark knew better. He also knew Lex's struggle to relinquish control, and how much they enjoyed it when he did. Like then.
The stock report had been muted and not even their breathing could be heard. But Clark felt the warm air that gently left Lex's nostrils, repetitive, lulling. He lowered his head and kissed the scarred lips. Softly, lovingly, once. Twice. Rubbed the tip of his nose on Lex's, then traced a path across his left cheek, only to return to the nose and on to the other side. Lex soaked in the attention, the love. Clark could feel it exuding from him and penetrating through Lex's defenses, and sometimes, Lex almost smiled. Clark almost smiled too.
His thumbs across Lex's eyebrows, over his scalp, his lips pulling Lex's lower lip in a careful sucking motion. Licking the entire softness inside and out until he released it and started on the upper lip. Scar. Kissed, licked, adored. It was a kink that Lex would never understand, the adoration of his scars. Not even Clark himself understood it as he gently nibbled his way from one side of Lex's jaw to the other. Lex sighed, Clark sighed. So relaxed, Lex's eyes did not shift erratically under his eyelids.
Clark licked Lex's neck and laced the fingers of their hands together. Pushed his hips down only once, letting Lex know. Blue eyes looked back at him, and Clark smiled.
"I missed making out."
Lex was smiling too, nodding. Not speaking, but that was all right. Clark, for a while, had the words. That would change once Lex was inside him or he was inside Lex. Then all the words in the world would be reduced to those three letters that symbolized Clark's life. Lex.
"I wish I could take you with me wherever I went. Or that I could always taste you in my mouth."
Lex sighed again, lips stretching a little more.
"But then I wouldn't get to miss you. And I miss you more than I miss the Sun."
Coming from Clark, that made Lex smile broadly, their gazes dancing from one eye to the other in a slow dance that was theirs alone.
"Lex…" Clark shivered because Lex's hands had gotten loose and had found their way into his shirt, fingertips like the feet of two spiders crawling up his abdomen and chest. Clark closed his eyes and let Lex roll him over, onto the rug. Slow, liquid movements that had nothing to do with Clark's strength or floating capability, and everything to do with the fact that Lex had him, and he would never let Clark fall.
…
"Why did you have to put my name on it?" Clark asked coldly, and Lois looked up from her cup of low-fat low-carb yogurt. Raised her eyebrows.
"Just what is your problem today? I wrote the editorial based on all of our work this year, it was only fair that your name be on it too."
"The one time you pick not to be selfish…"
"Relax, Clark."
"Relax? Do you have any idea how much money you're going to cost Luthor with those non-too-subtle innuendos that can't be proved?"
"I don’t see why-"
"Millions, Lois. In PR, remarketing, strategy planning-"
"-you're getting your panties in a bunch for this. The guy's not even in town. By the time he gets back from London next week, he'll have this whole thing-"
"That's not the point! You can't prove what you implied, you did it while the guy's not here to issue a proper reply, and you put my name there without consulting-"
Clark froze. He heard it before the elevator chime dinged and the doors opened. He would know that heartbeat under any circumstance. Lex.
No. No, no, no, too soon. He had not had time to prepare himself, to figure out how to explain his name on the most LexCorp deprecating article to date…or what to say when Lex broke it off. Because Lex would, he had told Clark the month before. After the illegal dumping article that Clark knew would lead nowhere, but that he had not mentioned to Lex, and had Lex literally breaking Murano vases before Clark was even out of bed. "Last time, Clark, this is the last time you do something behind my back." Lex had said as he thrust and pumped inside Clark on the breakfast table and took Clark's lower lip between his teeth. Clark had promised and meant it, that their fabricated antagonism would be from then on discussed and decided before either party took action. Clark Kent towards Lex Luthor and Lex Luthor towards Superman. But Lois Lane had broken that promise.
Lois Lane, who inspired the most absurd and yet riveting jealously from Lex. Not even Lana had managed what Lois brought forth in Lex, a possessiveness so fierce it bordered on…obsession. Heh. The word would always make Clark snicker, because that was he was for Lex, and he could not say that he did not like it. But he knew that Lex loved him as well, Lex had said and proved it several times. Including almost dying for Superman once, for Clark twice, and even for Jonathan Kent on one occasion. Talk about a way to mend a rift with the senior Kent.
But no more. It was all gone, all the years and the words and the love for nothing, because Lex had said-
Italian shoes, Armani black suit, white silk shirt, dark purple tie and woolen overcoat. The man's presence was like the wrath of God descending upon mere mortals. Not even Superman's shocking colors had the same effect on a crowd as Lex did. Strolling casually, neck slightly craned under his raised chin, hands to his sides and gaze straight ahead. He was all shoulders and hips and slightly tight lips, curved at the ends as usual.
The conversation died wherever Lex passed, and even the phones on the permanently chaotic floor seemed to respect his catwalk-worthy performance. Clark braced himself.
Lex walked right past him and Lois, and headed straight for Perry White's door. Named door swung open just before Lex reached it- as was the obligation of every door when confronted with Lex Luthor -and Perry nearly bowed as Lex went inside the office. The door closed.
Lex had not even so much as glanced at Clark. Clark wanted to cry. Lois lit her second cigarette using her first one and typed away furiously. And self-righteously.
"He can't get us fired. It was an editorial, this is still a democracy, right? Clark?"
Clark's eyes swept around slowly to find Lois'. "No, Lois, he won't get us fired." That was not how Lex operated.
…
By the time the billionaire and the editor chief stepped outside, Perry's face was as pale as Lex's. Only Lex was naturally pale, whereas Perry…was not. The burst of activity that had returned among the Daily Planet staff died again.
Lex left Perry without a word and made his way across the room of hushed voices. He strolled Lex-like, hands in his coat pockets, along rows of messy desks and paralyzed professionals, and stopped before an unusually damaged desk. Clark's. Lex slowly removed his hands from his pockets, but before his and Clark's eyes could find each other, a sinuous body materialized between them. Lex looked perfectly at peace. No good, Clark thought, sliding his chair slightly backwards. Not good at all.
"Miss Lane." Lex's voice sent shivers of lust and dread and regret down Clark's spine. Lex reached inside his jacket pocket and Lois took a minimal step back, then set her jaw. Clark moved to stand up.
"Sit down!" Voice low and sharp, and a flash of anger before cold blue eyes changed and returned to Lois. Pacified. Clark fell back in his chair with such conviction that it creaked under his weight. Clark was blushing at the gasps around them, gripping his own knees, and silently praying that the chair would not break exactly then.
Lois glared at the treatment administered to her partner and raised her nose in the air. Clark's eyes widened at the prospect of Lex and Lois rolling on the floor, scratching, biting and pulling at each other's hair and…ears?
"What right do you have-"
"Miss Lane. I am hosting a gala event tonight and have come to bring your invitation in person." A white envelope appeared before Lois' chest in the seconds that Lex and Lois simply eyed each other. Weighing, measuring, calculating. God, how had Clark ever gotten wedged between those two?
Tonight. Gala event tonight. Lex had traveled all night long and was hosting a party hours from now. Millions in PR, indeed. He did not look it, but Clark knew that he had to be exhausted.
Finally, Lois' red nail polish flashed as she snatched the envelope from Lex's pale hand.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Glad to hear it."
"Great."
And a childish face-off on top of that. Clark closed his eyes.
"Make sure to bring a date, Miss Lane, it's a dance event."
"Oh, I will, Mr. Luthor. Clark-"
"Not. Him." The icy tone again. Clark's eyes shot open to find Lex already rounding Lois and his desk.
He could not move, he could not speak. He wanted to explain to Lex, he wanted to go back to that morning when Lex had called to wake him up and have phone sex. He wanted to…breathe, but Lex's face, that face that Clark loved more than life itself- even with that ruthless expression on it- just kept growing towards him, in front of him. Until Lex bent at the waist and his hands gave Clark's suit jacket a sharp tug that forced Clark to sit up.
Clark's lips were pressed against Lex's…lips.
Eyes wide open, Clark saw in the grayish-blue the meaning that Lex's mouth was too busy to convey, as Lex's tongue parted Clark's lips unceremoniously.
Kiss me back. Right here, right now. Like you mean it.
Well. Meaning it was not difficult, just like any other time that any surface of Lex touched any of Clark's surfaces or vice-versa. The undisguised gasps -and Lois' outraged stomp of her high heeled shoe on the floor- were a bit distracting, but years of familiarity easily compensated for the awkwardness of the situation. That Lex Luthor was kissing Clark Kent. In the mouth, no less. *Way* in there.
Clark responded in earnest, rolling his eyes before his eyelids veiled them and throwing back his head to allow Lex better access. Lex took it. Seven seconds (as far as Clark could tell, but who was counting, really) and an open-mouthed sloppy kiss later, Lex pulled back, causing Clark to nearly fall to his knees due to the sudden departure. He had that wolfish grin that made Clark swallow the Lex taste in his mouth and just blink.
Lex's voice was only audible to him. "I told you it would be the last time, Clark."
Clark was already sporting on his face his goofiest grin to date. At last, no more hiding, no more pretending. He should have betrayed Lex earlier. Not that he had, in fact, done that, but he would be sure to apologize fully for his partner's actions. Yeah. Apologizing was going to be sweet.
Lex straightened, spun around and walked away. But not before muttering passing words as his left shoulder missed brushing against Lois' by *this* much.
"He's already taken."
The End.