Protection, Chapter Six
Dec. 1st, 2006 12:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bagheera_san(ETA *headdesks* I need sleep.)
I'm having a crappy week and this isn't such a great week for SV in general but here I come bearing porn :)
Another chapter of Protection, this one rated NC-17 and containing a small spoiler for S5... Oracle, I think. Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
averaird for doing a great job as beta :)
Chapter Six
Clark slept. He didn't dream, or stir, or notice the sunrise, he just slept, way past morning and into noon. When he woke, the day was bright outside and the penthouse quiet. Clark was hungry.
The table next to the couch was still littered with the remainders of their late take-out dinner, which was odd. According to Clark's watch, the housekeeper should already have gone through the penthouse. Clark went over to Lena's room first, but on the way there he bumped into a middle-aged lady from Lex's staff who Clark thought was the cook – he wasn't sure, since they had lived out of the fridge for the past week.
She had that piercing, judging look of elderly ladies. Usually, Clark did well under such examination, but either the lack of flannel or the fact that he'd slept-in on the sofa and probably smelled of Thai food kept her from losing her critical expression.
"Mr Kent, I assume. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Clark pointed vaguely past her. "I was just going to see if Lena's alright?"
"Oh, the baby is fine. I'm going to take care of her until Mr Luthor finds a suitable replacement for the young lady who left so suddenly," she said. Clark hoped that the disapproval in her voice was directed towards Dinah Lance and not him. "Poor thing, she's sleeping."
"Did Lex leave already?"
"Mr Luthor," she said pointedly, "left for work at eight, as he usually does. He asked me not to disturb you and to accommodate any of your needs before you left."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Clark said. "I won't be leaving. Unless you mean he said I should catch up with him at work, Mrs, um – ?"
"Jones," she said. "Mr Luthor didn't mention it. I assumed you were a guest, actually."
Oh. Now Clark got why she was looking at him like that. He blushed and excused himself, fleeing for his room, where he took a quick shower and put on fresh clothes while trying to make sense of Lex's behavior. Eventually, he concluded that Lex probably wanted him to stay here and keep an eye on the housekeeper. After what happened with Dinah, Lex's paranoid streak could only have gotten worse.
But if he didn't trust Mrs Jones, why was she taking care of Lena at all? Lex could just have told Clark to take care of Lena if that were the problem.
Maybe Lex was doing something he didn't want Clark to be present for. That thought made Clark stop and close his eyes to concentrate on his hearing. It was hard with so many people in the building, but eventually, Clark found Lex's heartbeat. It was slow and even. Clark decided that it didn't sound as if Lex was doing anything dangerous or secretive.
Maybe Lex just wanted let Clark get some sleep this morning after staying up all night. That'd be nice if it were true. Clark didn't quite trust that optimistic interpretation, however he chose to accept it and spend the afternoon lazing around.
Lex came back from work at his usual time, but he wasn't alone. Clark was sitting in his room watching television at the time. Hearing Lionel's voice, he turned the TV off and listened to the conversation between father and son.
After a short, terse exchange of words – Lionel appeared to have ambushed Lex when he was just exiting his office – Lex agreed to introduce him to his granddaughter.
Clark had never heard anyone make more critical noises upon seeing a baby. It annoyed him on Lena's behalf and rekindled the resentment he'd always had towards Lionel. Lena was a perfectly fine baby. Lionel had to be doing it just to infuriate Lex.
When he was done inspecting her, Lionel apparently came to the actual purpose of his visit.
"I had expected to see young Mr Kent around tonight," he remarked. "After all I've been told that the two of you have been practically tied at the wrist for the last week. But then, you suing Miss Sullivan would have disrupted your little… agreement, wouldn't it? And what a crass thing to do that was…"
Lex made an impatient noise. "Crass? Spare me the false concern. You tried to have her murdered."
Lionel gave the least sincere gasp Clark had ever heard. Now wasn't that interesting. Around Clark and his Mom, he always acted like a reformed sinner, to the point where Clark had been willing to believe that being Jor-El's vessel had changed him.
"Murdered? Lex, you shock me. Miss Sullivan and I are on speaking terms, we hardly would be if she believed such a horrible thing of me."
"Is that what you're telling Mrs Kent?" Lex shot back.
"Ah, Martha. Now, you see, Lex, I have been wanting to talk to you about this. Martha is very worried about Clark. She seems to believe that he is… not himself. She seems to think that he might be dangerous."
"What the hell are you talking about, Dad? Martha saw Clark at the funeral."
"We've all saw Clark at the funeral. He was very upset. As I recall he and Miss Lang were once very close. Martha confided in me that Clark has difficulties dealing with loss. Apparently… he has a history of drug abuse. Of course, then I had to tell her what I witnessed in your office a few days ago, although I'm shocked to think that you would exploit a young man's grief like this."
What? His Mom thought he was under the influence of red kryptonite? Okay, he'd try to run away with Lex when he wore the ring that one time, but he was sixteen then!
Lex's voice was cold with fury. "And I assume you twisted the facts to make it appear exactly that way."
Lionel sighed dramatically. "Well, if you insist on being unsubtle… I must admit, I was impressed by your sudden resourcefulness when I found out about your… agreement with Mr Kent. Frankly, I didn't think you had it in you to take that kind of risk. It was a rather impulsive move – not one I would have thought advisable, considering Mr Kent's remarkable assets. But your gambit worked. Congratulations, son. This may be the most important acquirement in the history of LuthorCorp."
Clark's stomach turned at these words and he forgot all about red kryptonite. No, Lionel wasn't here for his Mom at all. He'd called Clark an acquirement… like he was some kind of thing Lex had bought with money.
"This has nothing to do with LuthorCorp. It was an arrangement between me and Clark only," Lex replied, fast and angry.
Lionel chuckled. "You see, this is where I see the weakness in your plan. You have obviously found a way to control a very powerful resource – but control is only half the rent. Now you need a way to exploit it, am I correct?"
"You know what, Dad? This isn't your business at all. I think you should leave."
Lionel's voice lost its playful tone. "I'm here to make you a business offer. I'll give you what you need – a way of turning Mr Kent as susceptible to invasive procedures as a human being, a way of turning him powerless and ensuring your safety in case he should ever not show himself quite so cooperative. In turn, you will make me part of this exciting project."
Oh shit. Lionel knew about kryptonite. Invasive procedures… Clark got up from the chair he had been sitting in, but he was too disoriented to get anywhere fast.
"There is no project," Lex snarled. "Now get out before I call security."
"Are you sure – "
Clark abruptly regained his balance. Lex was saying no to Lionel. Lex was refusing that horrible offer. There wouldn't be any alien autopsies if he acted fast now, before Lionel could say something to change Lex's mind. He zipped out of the room just in time for Lionel to say, in a disapproving tone:
"You're throwing away a great opportunity, Lex."
"I think you're no longer welcome," Clark said firmly, startling both of them. They stood in the hallway before Lena's room. He stared at Lionel, wishing he could just incinerate the man on the spot. He and his Mom had let him into their house, into their family – God, he had to call his Mom and warn her.
"Good evening to you, too," Lionel said, recovering his smile. He reached into his jacket, as if for a cell-phone or a gun. Instead he pulled out something very small – a ring.
The ring had a glowing green stone. Clark staggered backwards and tripped, crumpling to the floor. Lionel sauntered over to him, holding the ring in his open palm, steadily bringing it closer to Clark's face. Clark shrunk back with a groan. He found no purchase on the floor with his limbs like rubber and the kryptonite searing his skin. The wall was next to him, caging him, and the room tilted, making it impossible to escape.
"Fuck," someone said.
Lionel turned away and threw the ring at Lex to stop him from coming closer. "Have fun, son."
With a mocking smile for Clark, Lionel stepped over his prone body and strolled down the hall. Clark sagged in a pained heap on the floor. Only slowly he managed to opened his eyes again and focus. Lex was still staring at the tiny ring in his hands. He looked spooked by its very existence.
The ring wasn't quite so close anymore, but it was still hurting Clark. A pained gasp as he tried to pull himself away startled Lex out of his daze and he quickly closed his hand around the ring and took a step back, then another. "Are you okay?"
"Rocks," Clark managed breathlessly.
"I know, they hurt your people."
Lex had known? Lex had known about the kryptonite and never once tried to use it or ask Clark about it?
"How – ?"
"I've suspected that they affect you since the very first beginning," Lex admitted, taking another step back. "Your reaction to Lana's necklace was obvious. Last year I tried to threaten Milton Fine with a meteor rock and he confirmed as much."
Every step Lex took away from Clark lifted a ton from Clark's chest. He could breathe more freely now even though he still felt like he had to puke. "Could you take it to another room?"
Lex glanced at his fist, then nodded and left. The pain was gone as soon as he was out of sight, and Clark felt his strength returning. He got to his feet very carefully, so as not to upset his stomach, holding on to the wall for support. His mind was still spinning with all the revelations, though. Lex knew about kryptonite. Lionel knew about kryptonite and Lionel was evil and it all made no sense…
Lex came back and went closer to Clark this time, well into his personal space but without touching him. He looked concerned. "I put it in a lead-lined box in my study."
Clark gave a nod, then asked, "Why did your father just give it to you?"
Lex's expression went grim. He walked past Clark into the living room and poured himself a glass of scotch. Clark sat down on the couch and watched him glare at the drink in his hands.
"He never thought I would accept the offer, Clark. All he wanted was for me to get the ring."
"Why would he want that?"
Lex rubbed the back of his neck. "He doesn't need me to work with him to get what he wants. I suppose he thinks that now that I know about your weakness, I won't be able to resist exploiting it, while he can sit back and wash his hands in innocence." He considered for a moment longer, then added, "My father must have told your Mom that you are too dangerous for her to approach in order to make sure she comes to him for support and never finds out about his involvement. Basic divide and conquer. Once the testing would be done to his satisfaction, he'd probably try to neutralize me and get at my results, while you'd suffer a tragic and unexpected demise in one of my labs. This way, he gets the research – and he gets to comfort your mother. It's exactly what he's waited for."
Clark listened to Lex's analysis with wide eyes. "You just guessed all that right now?"
Lex grimaced at his glass. "I was trying to be him for the last three years, Clark. I never got as good at it as he is, but I know how he thinks."
That was scary. Three years… that was all the way back to Clark's senior year in highschool. They'd still been friends back then – or had pretended to be friends. Still, Lex had said he was trying to be Lionel. That meant he didn't anymore.
"But he's wrong," Clark said, voice tight with anticipation.
Glancing up from his glass, Lex looked startled. "What do you mean?"
"You're not going to… to do all that, right?"
Lex shook his head slightly, then after a moment said, "Clark… maybe you should call your mother and tell her I'm not drugging you."
It was a distraction tactic, but it didn't matter. Clark really needed to call his Mom. After what he just saw, he didn't want her to be alone with Lionel. Lex was already giving him his mobile, and then stepped out of the room to give him space.
Nervously, Clark dialed the number and waited for her to answer – which she did so quickly that she had to have been sitting next to the phone. "Kent, here."
"Mom, it's me, Clark."
She made a little gasp of surprise. "Clark! Oh dear, I've been so worried about you! Where are you?"
"Metropolis. I'm alright, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't call before, but – "
"Honey, please, just tell me what's going on."
"I'm not wearing any red rocks, I swear. Lionel has been lying to you."
She sucked in a harsh breath and was silent for a moment. "He didn't say exactly that it was red kryptonite… I thought that since you went to the Fortress, it might be about that – "
"No, listen, Mom, Lionel has been lying to all of us. He was just here – at Lex's – and he gave Lex a piece of kryptonite – green kryptonite – so Lex would use it to… to experiment on me. Lex won't use it, but you can't trust Lionel."
"Sweetie, calm down. Why exactly are you still at Lex's?"
Clark took a deep breath. "Lex knows about my secret. He's been blackmailing me with it."
There was dead silence on the other end of the line, then his Mom said slowly, "Chloe said something like that. She's in contact with Oliver Queen. They're going to help you – but what does Lex want from you?"
Clark swallowed. He'd thought that his Mom would panic, but he had been wrong. "He wants me to work as his bodyguard."
"And - ?" she asked warily.
"That's pretty much it. He made me take him to the Fortress, but I could convince him that the technology is too dangerous for him to mess with. I think – ", Clark stopped, because Lex came back into the room, carrying couple of grey folders with the purple LuthorCorp label on it. He put them softly on the table, gave Clark a passing glance and left just as quietly.
"Clark?" his Mom asked.
"Sorry. I was saying that I think I can convince Lex to stop what he's doing."
"Honey…" she sounded almost pitiful.
"No, look, I know it sounds weird, but I think Lex is sorry for what he did. In any case, I'm alright here for now, but you need to stop trusting Lionel with anything. Maybe you could call Chloe, or Oliver –"
It took a while to convince his Mom that he'd be alright on his own and to get her to acknowledge that she had to take care of herself and not see Lionel. When they finally hung up, Clark promised to call her first thing the next day. He was going to call Chloe next, but then his eyes fell on the folders Lex had out on the table, obviously for him to read. He picked one up and glanced inside.
It took him a while to get that he was reading about experiments on humans. It was written in a cold, bureaucratic way, full of science and business terms that were just gibberish to Clark, which made it hard to imagine this as something real, done to real people and not just a bunch of graphs and numbers. That was probably the whole point. Still, what Clark understood was blood-curdling enough.
Most, but by far not all of the research seemed to be centered on kryptonite mutations. Some of the subjects – named only with numbers – Clark thought he recognized by the description of their powers as people he had fought in Smallville, others were completely new to him.
He went on to the next folder, and the next. One of them contained contracts with LuthorCorp subsidiaries supplying the laboratories and budget grants for various of these projects. Most of them were signed by Lex, but a few of the older ones were still signed by Lionel – and even the more recent projects had gotten some of their funding from Lionel.
Clark put the folders down when it all became too sickening. Why in the world had Lex wanted to show him this? Clark went in search for him, but Lex wasn't in his study or anywhere else in the apartment. There was only Mrs Jones, just about to bathe Lena and asking him if they still wanted dinner. Clark declined.
After staring with his x-ray vision down the LuthorCorp tower for a long time, Clark concluded that only security personnel and cleaners were still in the building, but no Lex. Clark had Lex's mobile, so he couldn't call him.
Clark didn't know what to do. It was late, verging on nine p.m., and he had no clue where Lex might have gone. Clark hadn't even heard him leave, but he must have, since his keys were gone, too. His keys! Clark quickly went back to tell Mrs Jones that he'd be out, and that he had Lex's phone in case Lex came back, and then took the staircase to zip down to the LuthorCorp garage.
He'd seen all of the cars Lex kept down there and quickly identified the one that was gone - a small two-seater, a midnight blue Spyder - if Clark remembered correctly. He'd never seen Lex drive that car, even though it didn't seem to be very new.
Okay. So he had Metropolis and he had a single car that was fast enough to be just about anywhere in the city by now. Well, that was doable.
Clark couldn't quite run at top speed while he was looking for the Spyder, but considering how fast he had become in the last years, that didn't really matter. He could comb the city block for block in less than three hours.
The sun had just set outside and the sky wasn't even quite dark yet; there were shades of pink and tangerine still in the west, reflected beautifully by the glass and steel facades of the business district. It was warm, the air relatively clean from the rain the day before and it was a Friday night, so the streets were busy. Soon, the sky would be a dark, starless cover over the valleys of light that were the city's big streets, and the sidewalks would teem with colorful nightlife.
Clark loved Metropolis. He hadn't been able to admit that to himself for a long time after that bad summer, but now that he had rebuilt parts of the city with his own hands, he felt a sense of propriety even stronger than what he felt for Smallville.
It was a place where he almost felt as if he didn't have to hide. Metropolis wasn't a fragile porcelain shop like Smallville. It was huge, massive, tall, alive with power. It was big enough to take someone like Clark. And then some.
But it had it's ugly sides, too.
It was close to midnight when Clark found the Spyder, parked among cars that were also, but not quite, as expensive as it, in one of the parts of the city that Clark had saved for last, because he least wanted to go there. It was a part of the city, down towards riverside, close to the docks, that Clark had spent a lot of time – a lot of nights – in during his summer high on red Kryptonite. There were places that swallowed you, places that you went to when you wanted to leave yourself behind and only be a body.
That Lex was here couldn't mean anything good. It made Clark angry, too, because it wasn't a very safe place for Lex, who got knocked out and shot and kidnapped more than anyone Clark knew even when he just sat at home. Going here all by himself was practically inviting trouble. Just plain irresponsible.
Clark hated irresponsibility. But here, in this place, where the streets and warehouses haunted him with familiarity, he couldn't quite work up a righteous anger. He'd gone here himself. He knew what it was like to be willing to try anything just for the sake of distraction.
Only Clark wasn't sure what Lex tried to distract himself from. Lionel's visit? Lana's death? The things Clark had read in those folders?
It wasn't all that hard to find the club closest to where the Spyder was parked, following the thrum of a loud bass. Even someone with human hearing would have easily found it. There was a queue, albeit not a long one, waiting to get past the couple of bouncers. Considering that he was wearing business casual, which was decidedly not this club's style, Clark decided to not even try to get in the normal way. Instead he waited for a moment when the there was a gap between the two heavy-built men and the next couple of people let in and just zipped past at high speed.
The inside hit him like a brick wall of sound and bodies. It was dark, too, with strobe-lights moving erratically over a crowded dance-floor. A bar was more brightly lit at the other end of the place, but Clark decided to get a view from above first. He worked his way towards the stairs leading up to the second floor, the tight mass of bodies reducing him to human speed. People bumped at him, a couple of times someone tried to grab him or push him. The stairs were no better, but once he was on top, he managed to get a good look over the crowd on the dance floor.
Lex's bald head should have been easy to find, but Clark didn't actually expect him to be down there. He didn't know if Lex enjoyed dancing. Clark thought he might, considering how smoothly Lex moved. He had seen Lex fencing a lot more gracefully than most of the people dancing down there. But he couldn't imagine Lex being in the mood to throw himself into a crowd like this.
Clark wandered through the upper level that had tables and chairs and a lot of people just standing or lounging around. There wasn't much point in talking, considering how loud it was, so people were mostly drinking, checking out the crowd, taking a break from dancing. Lex wasn't here, either. So Clark took a place near the wall and started x-raying the place to get an idea of the lay-out. There were, as he had expected, backrooms, some with different music, most of them with a different crowd.
With his inhibitions fully intact, it was a lot more embarrassing to see what was going on in some of them. Clark kept losing his focus as he blushed and shifted in his seat.
He finally found Lex's skeleton, grateful to find him apparently just standing in one of the rooms and talking to some other people.
Clark rose, re-oriented himself with normal vision, and fought his way through the crowd towards the place where he'd spotted Lex. He had to evade a couple of bouncers and dubious offers on the way back there. During his stint in Metropolis, Clark had tried most of anything offered here – anything that didn't require him to take of his shirt and reveal the branding on his chest. Drugs didn't do anything for him at all, even at inhuman doses and Clark quickly lost interest in them as soon as his curiosity was satisfied. Lex, on the other hand, might be here for this. They'd never really talked about it back in Smallville, but Lex had hinted at past excesses and Clark didn't find it all that hard to believe, considering that Lex got drunk quite regularly.
Clark had a few things to say about that.
He all forgot them when, after a narrow flight of stairs and a badly lit hallway, he entered the room he had spotted Lex in. Lighting was spare here, too, only a few spots arranged to obscure rather than brighten the room. To Clark's right, there was a group of people sitting and drinking. One of them, Clark was pretty sure was a dealer. She gave him that sober, assessing glance, then looked away.
And then there was Lex and Clark was struck dumb. Lex was leaning against the wall on the right side of the room. He was no longer talking. He still had a glass of something loosely in one hand, and was looking with a dazed expression at the girl who was talking to him, a brunette taller than he was, but he clearly wasn't paying attention to her, because there was another guy attached to his side, sucking and biting at his neck while trying to get his hand down the front of Lex's pants. Lex's dress shirt was unbuttoned, the cuffs hanging loose, the disarray of his clothes more suggestive than if he had been naked.
Lex moved against the man's touch, slow and languid, and gave an empty smile as the other guy pinned one of his hands against the wall and pushed a knee between Lex's. Clark had never seen Lex like this, so unguarded and acquiescing, tolerating other people in his space, letting them take control.
It sent a thrill down Clark's spine, red hot anger curling deep in his belly.
The brunette took the glass from Lex's hands and gave him a hard kiss before moving away, back to the sitting group of people. Lex licked his lips with a quick shudder and said something before closing his eyes and baring his throat to the other man's mouth once more.
Clark unfroze as suddenly as he had stopped. He crossed the room and pushed the other man aside. Before there could be any protests, Clark said, loud enough to be heard of the heavy beat of the music, "That's enough."
The man didn't look quite sober himself, but he had the presence of mind to notice Clark's grip on his shoulder and the strength behind it. Raising his hands sloppily, he ducked out from under Clark's touch and stole away.
Lex opened his eyes. They were dark, hooded, catching no light at all, and the smile he gave was like a gutting knife, all warm and soft over sharp edges. He pushed off the wall but failed to stand, swaying instead against Clark's shoulder. Lord, Lex was completely out of it, Clark thought. He was soft, warm, pliant where he should have been all tense muscle and sharp bones.
"What do you think you're doing?" Clark demanded, steadying Lex by his shoulders. Lex smelled of sweat that wasn't his own, of sex and stranger's touches, even of smoke. It drove Clark mad.
"Clark." It was inaudible over the music, but Clark recognized his name on Lex's lips. "Shouldn't be here."
"Yes, you shouldn't," Clark agreed angrily. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Lex tilted his head to the side, half a head-shake. "No. You. You shouldn't be here." At least that was what it sounded like. Lex swayed forward again, and unless he wanted to push him away, Clark had to let him lean against his chest once more. Lex was hot, Clark could feel it through his own thin shirt, hot like fever. Lex took a deep breath against Clark's collarbone. His lips brushed Clark's skin. "Don't you get it, Clark?" he murmured, sounding more sober than he looked. "You're free to go. I'm letting you go… letting you lay waste to my…"
Lex trailed off, his forehead pressed against Clark's jugular. Clark stood very still.
Free to go.
He couldn't bear to stay here, in this dark cave of a room where the noise didn't let him catch a single thought and where there was no space to breathe. Clark grabbed Lex, clutched him close to himself and a moment later, he ran, out of the room, out of the building, through a locked backdoor and down a rickety fire escape.
In the dark of the alley, it was quiet. The distant noises of the city were no louder than the rush of blood in Clark's ears. It smelled of trash and foul water from the river, but Clark took deep, heaving breaths nonetheless.
Then he let go of Lex and let him tumble against the brick wall of the warehouse.
"What do you mean I'm free to go?"
Lex looked disoriented, but unalarmed at the sudden change of scenery. He blinked dizzily. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don't! You didn't say anything. You just left!"
Clark was yelling. He didn't care. He was furious at Lex for doing drugs, furious at him for saying this like that while he was high and didn't mean it.
Lex, however, looked pained. "Get it over with," he muttered. Then louder, as if talking to a slow person, "You need to take the things I gave you to the police."
Oh. So that was why Lex had given those folders to him. If Clark handed the documents over to the police, neither Lex nor Lionel would be free men again. And quite a number of other people as well. But that meant that Lex wasn't just saying stuff because he wasn't in his right mind – he'd been perfectly sober when he gave Clark the folders! Lex wasn't just letting him go, he was giving Clark the means to destroy him. It was a gesture so very typical for Lex in its excessive grandness that Clark almost smiled, but his mouth turned bitter as he realized that Lex was serious.
And Clark had no desire to destroy Lex.
"I don't want to report you to the police!"
"Then use it as a safety – "
"I don't want to blackmail you, either. Damn it, Lex, what I want is for you to stop being a coward!" Clark was ranting and shaking Lex by the shoulder and Lex just stared at him, wide-eyed and numb. "I don't want to punish you, Lex, I want you to stop doing all the stuff in those folders. I want you to be a better man. I'm glad you finally came to your senses, but now you're just giving up?"
Lex looked scared. Truly scared, as if Clark were threatening to kill him. "Clark, I blackmailed you. I threatened your family. Why do you even care?"
Clark let go of his anger in a gush of breath. "Because you're not doing it anymore."
No, that wasn't it. He could see that Lex wasn't believing it either.
"Because I want you to be a good man more than anything else."
That was true, but it wasn't what Clark was trying to say. He didn't even know what he was trying to say, he just knew that Lex was staring at him, frightfully sober and not daring to breathe –
"Because…"
Clark kissed him. He pressed his lips on Lex's with his eyes squeezed shut. It was like free fall, for a second, his heart stopped and his chest was all tight, but then the warmth and the taste of Lex caught him and set him ablaze. Lex shivered against him and opened his mouth under Clark's. Their teeth clicked together, then their tongues met hot and wet. Lex's mouth tasted sharply of everything that he had tried to submerge himself in, so Clark pushed deeper, trying to get past the taste to where it was only Lex, cupping Lex's face with both hands.
Lex let him. His hands scrabbled over Clark's chest and held onto his shoulders almost helplessly, but Lex let Clark kiss him breathless and senseless, until he gasped like a drowned man when Clark's mouth parted from his to kiss and suck down his jaw and under his skin. There were bruises there, left by strangers and Clark did something he'd never dared to before and laid his own over them while still holding on tightly to Lex's face to keep him from escaping. Lex groaned something that had only the barest resemblance to Clark's name as his hands slid under Clark's arms and to his back, where he clawed into Clark's shirt and his shoulders.
"Don't," Lex hissed, but in the same breath he bucked against Clark, trying to bring their lower bodies into full contact. "Clark! You're... I don't deserve –"
"Shut up," Clark said, and then, with devious grin because this was just so damn good and he was free, and Lex had bruises the shape of Clark's lips on his neck, "Earn it."
He hadn't meant that quite so literally, but Lex slithered out of his grasp like a snake and dropped to his knees, heedless of the dirty ground. Clark bit his lip. He half-heartedly tried to slow Lex down, but there was only the smooth back of his head, no hair to hold on to, so he ended up stroking the nape of Lex's neck instead, exploring the bumps of Lex's spine under the hot skin.
Lex's fingers were shaky but nimble as he undid Clark's belt and his fly and brushed against the outline of Clark's cock through his underwear once before pulling it out.
Clark couldn't even make a noise. All his willpower went into holding his breath and not coming right then and there. It wasn't as if Lex needed any encouragement, with Clark's rock-hard cock right before him. His fingers found the base, and worked deeper into Clark's boxers to cup his balls. He did a little twist, hard enough to make Clark throw back his head and yell through clenched teeth.
And then Lex's lips closed around the head. There was no clever play of that strong little tongue, no teasing, Lex had to recognize Clark's urgency, because he took him all the way in and then pulled almost off again, sucking hard. Lex put a hand on Clark's hip, thumb stroking over his bare hipbone and into the hollow beside it, but it wasn't there to steady Clark or hold him back. Instead Lex pulled him in, encouraging him to thrust, and Clark gave in and pushed forward. Every muscle in his body was tense as steel chords as he fought to keep control over his thrusts while barely daring to touch Lex's head with his hands. This was what exertion was like, this was how straining against your own body felt.
Clark won the fight even as he came in hard spurts down Lex's throat. For a glorious moment or two, everything tasted of victory. The rush and haze subsided, and Clark could have dropped straight to blissful unconsciousness if he had been lying down anywhere remotely comfortable.
But he was in a dirty Metropolis back alley. Even the balmy summer night felt cool on Clark's wet skin when Lex sat back, taking the wonderful heat with him. Clark's hands were shaking as he let them drop to his side, but there weren't any more bruises on Lex than there had already by been. He tucked himself back in and buttoned his pants.
Lex glanced up at Clark. His pink lips were full and wet and, God, he was licking them furtively – after all they'd just done, that made Clark blush violently. But Lex averted his face, and tried to get back to his feet and away from Clark, so Clark seized him by the shoulder and pulled him up flush against his chest.
It was like all the hugs they had shared. Clark held on tight and at first, Lex's body was still and tense under his touch, and then he let go with an almost inaudible sigh and softened.
"Clark," Lex whispered, broken and hoarse. "I don't know – "
Clark tightened his grip. "I'm feeling good right now," he shushed Lex, saying the first inane thing that came to his mind. "This feels good." Good. Bright. Dizzy. As if he were the one not sober.
"I lost my car keys," Lex said in a small voice.
Clark laughed, startled by the irrelevant comment. "You're not going back in there, Lex," he warned, still laughing.
Lex groaned softly, as if only just now remembering what he'd been doing before Clark arrived. "I lost my wallet, too."
Clark couldn't stop laughing now. "Someone's going to be very happy."
"Would you lend me your phone so I can call my driver?" Clark still held him, so Lex's polite words tickled against Clark's hair, making him want to rub his head against Lex like a cat.
"It's your phone," Clark said. "And no, I won't."
Lex went stiff against and tried to get out of Clark's hug. "Okay."
Clark stopped giggling and loosened his embrace, but only far enough that he could look at Lex's face. The sight of bruised lips and skin almost made him lose track, but he shook his head to clear it . "I'm taking you home."
Clark gave Lex time to protest as he picked him up to run, but he just clung to Clark in mute disbelief. With his arms wrapped around Lex to shield him from the worst of the rush, Clark made his way across the city back to the penthouse. It was pitch dark at the top of the stairs in front of the penthouse as Clark stopped and set Lex down, and he didn't see it coming at all when Lex grabbed his lapels and kissed him fiercely, all reluctance forgotten. Clark let himself be pushed backwards until he hit a wall, happily going along with Lex's enthusiasm.
No one had ever kissed him like this, none of his girlfriends, not even Chloe that one desperate time during the Zod incident. Even when he bit Clark's lower lip so hard his teeth must have hurt, Lex only winced and kissed harder afterwards, carding his hands through Clark's hair. Clark tried to slow him down with gentle touches down his back and sides, sneaking his hands under Lex's still unbuttoned shirt and Lex responded by abandoning Clark's mouth and gasping harshly into the crook of Clark's neck.
"I'll do anything you want. Anything, Clark. Are you sure you want this?"
There was something Clark was forgetting… "Do you want this?"
Lex bit Clark's shoulder, not hard enough to hurt himself this time, and ground his pelvis against Clark's upper thigh. Wow. Clark's eyes snapped open. Lex was hard. Lex's hard-on was rubbing against him, but not where Clark wanted it, so he put his hands on Lex's hips, his fingers splayed over Lex's ass and pulled him closer.
Lex's breath hitched and Clark whimpered. He was having sex. Sex like he could have had on red Kryptonite, but not bad. Not evil. Not selfish. Not at all selfish from the noises Lex tried not to make.
Lex was trying to shrug out of his shirt without letting go of Clark and Clark realized they were still in the hallway and not where he wanted them to be. He wanted a bed. Now.
Clark's fiddling for his key card frustrated Lex and he tugged at Clark's hair, but whisking them inside the penthouse and towards Lex's bedroom seemed to agree with him. The door fell shut behind them and they stood in front of the bed, in Lex's bedroom, where Clark had never been before, but he didn't care about the room, or its cold furniture or the skyline of Metropolis.
He felt giddy, deep in his belly. Clark had never wanted to laugh through sex. It wasn't funny, just so… nice. It felt really, really good touching Lex like this, not having to limit himself to what was appropriate. With Lex, anything was appropriate. They were past appropriate, deep within each other's boundaries. The smile was bubbling in his chest, twitching on his lips as they got their hands on each other once more, opening buttons, pulling off shirts and pants as well as they could in the tangle of limbs and kisses. Tumbling on the bed made Clark grin like an idiot from ear to ear.
Oh Jesus, this was so stupid. So stupid. But it didn't matter.
His hand on Lex's dick, all of a sudden, and for the first time it flashed through Clark's mind that he wasn't just having sex with Lex, he was having sex with another guy and –
Clark stilled, his fingers still wrapped around the hard shaft, kneeling between Lex's splayed legs. Lex opened his eyes and got a wry expression. "Second thoughts?"
Yeah, but it wasn't Clark who should be having them.
"I'm an alien," Clark reminded him.
Lex blinked. Very, very slowly, his eyes crinkled. A smile was breaking through, unfolding on his face like a leaf in the morning. "God, Clark," he whispered roughly, but the smile got ever wider, splitting into a grin.
Clark bent his head until it came to rest on Lex's chest. He shivered with pleasure as Lex trailed his fingers from the fine hairs at the nape of his neck down between his shoulders and up again.
Clark tightened the grip of his hand and tugged once at the hard cock, feeling the wet tip with his thumb. Lex's inner thighs shuddered against his arm and Clark quickened his pace, feeling every gasp and groan Lex made against his body. Clark was so concentrated on his task that he didn't expect Lex's free hand to sneak between them and squeeze Clark's dick. He yelped and came, just like that, all over their hands, and Lex followed suit.
Clark had to drape himself half over Lex to keep him from slipping away afterwards. He could tell that Lex wasn't used to this, that it made him tense, as if he didn't know what to do or expect. As far as Clark was concerned, sleep was the thing to do, at least for Lex. He didn't trust himself to sleep with a human in his arms, but he just wanted to lie there, close like this, sticky and warm under the covers. He wanted to smell Lex and feel his pulse and breathing slow down. As long as there was no distance, Clark wouldn't doubt himself. Tomorrow they'd talk and deal and evaluate, but tonight, Clark just wanted this for himself.
And Lex let him. He didn't sleep either, but he lay quietly in Clark's arms and gave as much of his trust as he could.
TBC
I'm having a crappy week and this isn't such a great week for SV in general but here I come bearing porn :)
Another chapter of Protection, this one rated NC-17 and containing a small spoiler for S5... Oracle, I think. Thanks to
averaird for doing a great job as beta :)Chapter Six
Clark slept. He didn't dream, or stir, or notice the sunrise, he just slept, way past morning and into noon. When he woke, the day was bright outside and the penthouse quiet. Clark was hungry.
The table next to the couch was still littered with the remainders of their late take-out dinner, which was odd. According to Clark's watch, the housekeeper should already have gone through the penthouse. Clark went over to Lena's room first, but on the way there he bumped into a middle-aged lady from Lex's staff who Clark thought was the cook – he wasn't sure, since they had lived out of the fridge for the past week.
She had that piercing, judging look of elderly ladies. Usually, Clark did well under such examination, but either the lack of flannel or the fact that he'd slept-in on the sofa and probably smelled of Thai food kept her from losing her critical expression.
"Mr Kent, I assume. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Clark pointed vaguely past her. "I was just going to see if Lena's alright?"
"Oh, the baby is fine. I'm going to take care of her until Mr Luthor finds a suitable replacement for the young lady who left so suddenly," she said. Clark hoped that the disapproval in her voice was directed towards Dinah Lance and not him. "Poor thing, she's sleeping."
"Did Lex leave already?"
"Mr Luthor," she said pointedly, "left for work at eight, as he usually does. He asked me not to disturb you and to accommodate any of your needs before you left."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Clark said. "I won't be leaving. Unless you mean he said I should catch up with him at work, Mrs, um – ?"
"Jones," she said. "Mr Luthor didn't mention it. I assumed you were a guest, actually."
Oh. Now Clark got why she was looking at him like that. He blushed and excused himself, fleeing for his room, where he took a quick shower and put on fresh clothes while trying to make sense of Lex's behavior. Eventually, he concluded that Lex probably wanted him to stay here and keep an eye on the housekeeper. After what happened with Dinah, Lex's paranoid streak could only have gotten worse.
But if he didn't trust Mrs Jones, why was she taking care of Lena at all? Lex could just have told Clark to take care of Lena if that were the problem.
Maybe Lex was doing something he didn't want Clark to be present for. That thought made Clark stop and close his eyes to concentrate on his hearing. It was hard with so many people in the building, but eventually, Clark found Lex's heartbeat. It was slow and even. Clark decided that it didn't sound as if Lex was doing anything dangerous or secretive.
Maybe Lex just wanted let Clark get some sleep this morning after staying up all night. That'd be nice if it were true. Clark didn't quite trust that optimistic interpretation, however he chose to accept it and spend the afternoon lazing around.
Lex came back from work at his usual time, but he wasn't alone. Clark was sitting in his room watching television at the time. Hearing Lionel's voice, he turned the TV off and listened to the conversation between father and son.
After a short, terse exchange of words – Lionel appeared to have ambushed Lex when he was just exiting his office – Lex agreed to introduce him to his granddaughter.
Clark had never heard anyone make more critical noises upon seeing a baby. It annoyed him on Lena's behalf and rekindled the resentment he'd always had towards Lionel. Lena was a perfectly fine baby. Lionel had to be doing it just to infuriate Lex.
When he was done inspecting her, Lionel apparently came to the actual purpose of his visit.
"I had expected to see young Mr Kent around tonight," he remarked. "After all I've been told that the two of you have been practically tied at the wrist for the last week. But then, you suing Miss Sullivan would have disrupted your little… agreement, wouldn't it? And what a crass thing to do that was…"
Lex made an impatient noise. "Crass? Spare me the false concern. You tried to have her murdered."
Lionel gave the least sincere gasp Clark had ever heard. Now wasn't that interesting. Around Clark and his Mom, he always acted like a reformed sinner, to the point where Clark had been willing to believe that being Jor-El's vessel had changed him.
"Murdered? Lex, you shock me. Miss Sullivan and I are on speaking terms, we hardly would be if she believed such a horrible thing of me."
"Is that what you're telling Mrs Kent?" Lex shot back.
"Ah, Martha. Now, you see, Lex, I have been wanting to talk to you about this. Martha is very worried about Clark. She seems to believe that he is… not himself. She seems to think that he might be dangerous."
"What the hell are you talking about, Dad? Martha saw Clark at the funeral."
"We've all saw Clark at the funeral. He was very upset. As I recall he and Miss Lang were once very close. Martha confided in me that Clark has difficulties dealing with loss. Apparently… he has a history of drug abuse. Of course, then I had to tell her what I witnessed in your office a few days ago, although I'm shocked to think that you would exploit a young man's grief like this."
What? His Mom thought he was under the influence of red kryptonite? Okay, he'd try to run away with Lex when he wore the ring that one time, but he was sixteen then!
Lex's voice was cold with fury. "And I assume you twisted the facts to make it appear exactly that way."
Lionel sighed dramatically. "Well, if you insist on being unsubtle… I must admit, I was impressed by your sudden resourcefulness when I found out about your… agreement with Mr Kent. Frankly, I didn't think you had it in you to take that kind of risk. It was a rather impulsive move – not one I would have thought advisable, considering Mr Kent's remarkable assets. But your gambit worked. Congratulations, son. This may be the most important acquirement in the history of LuthorCorp."
Clark's stomach turned at these words and he forgot all about red kryptonite. No, Lionel wasn't here for his Mom at all. He'd called Clark an acquirement… like he was some kind of thing Lex had bought with money.
"This has nothing to do with LuthorCorp. It was an arrangement between me and Clark only," Lex replied, fast and angry.
Lionel chuckled. "You see, this is where I see the weakness in your plan. You have obviously found a way to control a very powerful resource – but control is only half the rent. Now you need a way to exploit it, am I correct?"
"You know what, Dad? This isn't your business at all. I think you should leave."
Lionel's voice lost its playful tone. "I'm here to make you a business offer. I'll give you what you need – a way of turning Mr Kent as susceptible to invasive procedures as a human being, a way of turning him powerless and ensuring your safety in case he should ever not show himself quite so cooperative. In turn, you will make me part of this exciting project."
Oh shit. Lionel knew about kryptonite. Invasive procedures… Clark got up from the chair he had been sitting in, but he was too disoriented to get anywhere fast.
"There is no project," Lex snarled. "Now get out before I call security."
"Are you sure – "
Clark abruptly regained his balance. Lex was saying no to Lionel. Lex was refusing that horrible offer. There wouldn't be any alien autopsies if he acted fast now, before Lionel could say something to change Lex's mind. He zipped out of the room just in time for Lionel to say, in a disapproving tone:
"You're throwing away a great opportunity, Lex."
"I think you're no longer welcome," Clark said firmly, startling both of them. They stood in the hallway before Lena's room. He stared at Lionel, wishing he could just incinerate the man on the spot. He and his Mom had let him into their house, into their family – God, he had to call his Mom and warn her.
"Good evening to you, too," Lionel said, recovering his smile. He reached into his jacket, as if for a cell-phone or a gun. Instead he pulled out something very small – a ring.
The ring had a glowing green stone. Clark staggered backwards and tripped, crumpling to the floor. Lionel sauntered over to him, holding the ring in his open palm, steadily bringing it closer to Clark's face. Clark shrunk back with a groan. He found no purchase on the floor with his limbs like rubber and the kryptonite searing his skin. The wall was next to him, caging him, and the room tilted, making it impossible to escape.
"Fuck," someone said.
Lionel turned away and threw the ring at Lex to stop him from coming closer. "Have fun, son."
With a mocking smile for Clark, Lionel stepped over his prone body and strolled down the hall. Clark sagged in a pained heap on the floor. Only slowly he managed to opened his eyes again and focus. Lex was still staring at the tiny ring in his hands. He looked spooked by its very existence.
The ring wasn't quite so close anymore, but it was still hurting Clark. A pained gasp as he tried to pull himself away startled Lex out of his daze and he quickly closed his hand around the ring and took a step back, then another. "Are you okay?"
"Rocks," Clark managed breathlessly.
"I know, they hurt your people."
Lex had known? Lex had known about the kryptonite and never once tried to use it or ask Clark about it?
"How – ?"
"I've suspected that they affect you since the very first beginning," Lex admitted, taking another step back. "Your reaction to Lana's necklace was obvious. Last year I tried to threaten Milton Fine with a meteor rock and he confirmed as much."
Every step Lex took away from Clark lifted a ton from Clark's chest. He could breathe more freely now even though he still felt like he had to puke. "Could you take it to another room?"
Lex glanced at his fist, then nodded and left. The pain was gone as soon as he was out of sight, and Clark felt his strength returning. He got to his feet very carefully, so as not to upset his stomach, holding on to the wall for support. His mind was still spinning with all the revelations, though. Lex knew about kryptonite. Lionel knew about kryptonite and Lionel was evil and it all made no sense…
Lex came back and went closer to Clark this time, well into his personal space but without touching him. He looked concerned. "I put it in a lead-lined box in my study."
Clark gave a nod, then asked, "Why did your father just give it to you?"
Lex's expression went grim. He walked past Clark into the living room and poured himself a glass of scotch. Clark sat down on the couch and watched him glare at the drink in his hands.
"He never thought I would accept the offer, Clark. All he wanted was for me to get the ring."
"Why would he want that?"
Lex rubbed the back of his neck. "He doesn't need me to work with him to get what he wants. I suppose he thinks that now that I know about your weakness, I won't be able to resist exploiting it, while he can sit back and wash his hands in innocence." He considered for a moment longer, then added, "My father must have told your Mom that you are too dangerous for her to approach in order to make sure she comes to him for support and never finds out about his involvement. Basic divide and conquer. Once the testing would be done to his satisfaction, he'd probably try to neutralize me and get at my results, while you'd suffer a tragic and unexpected demise in one of my labs. This way, he gets the research – and he gets to comfort your mother. It's exactly what he's waited for."
Clark listened to Lex's analysis with wide eyes. "You just guessed all that right now?"
Lex grimaced at his glass. "I was trying to be him for the last three years, Clark. I never got as good at it as he is, but I know how he thinks."
That was scary. Three years… that was all the way back to Clark's senior year in highschool. They'd still been friends back then – or had pretended to be friends. Still, Lex had said he was trying to be Lionel. That meant he didn't anymore.
"But he's wrong," Clark said, voice tight with anticipation.
Glancing up from his glass, Lex looked startled. "What do you mean?"
"You're not going to… to do all that, right?"
Lex shook his head slightly, then after a moment said, "Clark… maybe you should call your mother and tell her I'm not drugging you."
It was a distraction tactic, but it didn't matter. Clark really needed to call his Mom. After what he just saw, he didn't want her to be alone with Lionel. Lex was already giving him his mobile, and then stepped out of the room to give him space.
Nervously, Clark dialed the number and waited for her to answer – which she did so quickly that she had to have been sitting next to the phone. "Kent, here."
"Mom, it's me, Clark."
She made a little gasp of surprise. "Clark! Oh dear, I've been so worried about you! Where are you?"
"Metropolis. I'm alright, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't call before, but – "
"Honey, please, just tell me what's going on."
"I'm not wearing any red rocks, I swear. Lionel has been lying to you."
She sucked in a harsh breath and was silent for a moment. "He didn't say exactly that it was red kryptonite… I thought that since you went to the Fortress, it might be about that – "
"No, listen, Mom, Lionel has been lying to all of us. He was just here – at Lex's – and he gave Lex a piece of kryptonite – green kryptonite – so Lex would use it to… to experiment on me. Lex won't use it, but you can't trust Lionel."
"Sweetie, calm down. Why exactly are you still at Lex's?"
Clark took a deep breath. "Lex knows about my secret. He's been blackmailing me with it."
There was dead silence on the other end of the line, then his Mom said slowly, "Chloe said something like that. She's in contact with Oliver Queen. They're going to help you – but what does Lex want from you?"
Clark swallowed. He'd thought that his Mom would panic, but he had been wrong. "He wants me to work as his bodyguard."
"And - ?" she asked warily.
"That's pretty much it. He made me take him to the Fortress, but I could convince him that the technology is too dangerous for him to mess with. I think – ", Clark stopped, because Lex came back into the room, carrying couple of grey folders with the purple LuthorCorp label on it. He put them softly on the table, gave Clark a passing glance and left just as quietly.
"Clark?" his Mom asked.
"Sorry. I was saying that I think I can convince Lex to stop what he's doing."
"Honey…" she sounded almost pitiful.
"No, look, I know it sounds weird, but I think Lex is sorry for what he did. In any case, I'm alright here for now, but you need to stop trusting Lionel with anything. Maybe you could call Chloe, or Oliver –"
It took a while to convince his Mom that he'd be alright on his own and to get her to acknowledge that she had to take care of herself and not see Lionel. When they finally hung up, Clark promised to call her first thing the next day. He was going to call Chloe next, but then his eyes fell on the folders Lex had out on the table, obviously for him to read. He picked one up and glanced inside.
It took him a while to get that he was reading about experiments on humans. It was written in a cold, bureaucratic way, full of science and business terms that were just gibberish to Clark, which made it hard to imagine this as something real, done to real people and not just a bunch of graphs and numbers. That was probably the whole point. Still, what Clark understood was blood-curdling enough.
Most, but by far not all of the research seemed to be centered on kryptonite mutations. Some of the subjects – named only with numbers – Clark thought he recognized by the description of their powers as people he had fought in Smallville, others were completely new to him.
He went on to the next folder, and the next. One of them contained contracts with LuthorCorp subsidiaries supplying the laboratories and budget grants for various of these projects. Most of them were signed by Lex, but a few of the older ones were still signed by Lionel – and even the more recent projects had gotten some of their funding from Lionel.
Clark put the folders down when it all became too sickening. Why in the world had Lex wanted to show him this? Clark went in search for him, but Lex wasn't in his study or anywhere else in the apartment. There was only Mrs Jones, just about to bathe Lena and asking him if they still wanted dinner. Clark declined.
After staring with his x-ray vision down the LuthorCorp tower for a long time, Clark concluded that only security personnel and cleaners were still in the building, but no Lex. Clark had Lex's mobile, so he couldn't call him.
Clark didn't know what to do. It was late, verging on nine p.m., and he had no clue where Lex might have gone. Clark hadn't even heard him leave, but he must have, since his keys were gone, too. His keys! Clark quickly went back to tell Mrs Jones that he'd be out, and that he had Lex's phone in case Lex came back, and then took the staircase to zip down to the LuthorCorp garage.
He'd seen all of the cars Lex kept down there and quickly identified the one that was gone - a small two-seater, a midnight blue Spyder - if Clark remembered correctly. He'd never seen Lex drive that car, even though it didn't seem to be very new.
Okay. So he had Metropolis and he had a single car that was fast enough to be just about anywhere in the city by now. Well, that was doable.
Clark couldn't quite run at top speed while he was looking for the Spyder, but considering how fast he had become in the last years, that didn't really matter. He could comb the city block for block in less than three hours.
The sun had just set outside and the sky wasn't even quite dark yet; there were shades of pink and tangerine still in the west, reflected beautifully by the glass and steel facades of the business district. It was warm, the air relatively clean from the rain the day before and it was a Friday night, so the streets were busy. Soon, the sky would be a dark, starless cover over the valleys of light that were the city's big streets, and the sidewalks would teem with colorful nightlife.
Clark loved Metropolis. He hadn't been able to admit that to himself for a long time after that bad summer, but now that he had rebuilt parts of the city with his own hands, he felt a sense of propriety even stronger than what he felt for Smallville.
It was a place where he almost felt as if he didn't have to hide. Metropolis wasn't a fragile porcelain shop like Smallville. It was huge, massive, tall, alive with power. It was big enough to take someone like Clark. And then some.
But it had it's ugly sides, too.
It was close to midnight when Clark found the Spyder, parked among cars that were also, but not quite, as expensive as it, in one of the parts of the city that Clark had saved for last, because he least wanted to go there. It was a part of the city, down towards riverside, close to the docks, that Clark had spent a lot of time – a lot of nights – in during his summer high on red Kryptonite. There were places that swallowed you, places that you went to when you wanted to leave yourself behind and only be a body.
That Lex was here couldn't mean anything good. It made Clark angry, too, because it wasn't a very safe place for Lex, who got knocked out and shot and kidnapped more than anyone Clark knew even when he just sat at home. Going here all by himself was practically inviting trouble. Just plain irresponsible.
Clark hated irresponsibility. But here, in this place, where the streets and warehouses haunted him with familiarity, he couldn't quite work up a righteous anger. He'd gone here himself. He knew what it was like to be willing to try anything just for the sake of distraction.
Only Clark wasn't sure what Lex tried to distract himself from. Lionel's visit? Lana's death? The things Clark had read in those folders?
It wasn't all that hard to find the club closest to where the Spyder was parked, following the thrum of a loud bass. Even someone with human hearing would have easily found it. There was a queue, albeit not a long one, waiting to get past the couple of bouncers. Considering that he was wearing business casual, which was decidedly not this club's style, Clark decided to not even try to get in the normal way. Instead he waited for a moment when the there was a gap between the two heavy-built men and the next couple of people let in and just zipped past at high speed.
The inside hit him like a brick wall of sound and bodies. It was dark, too, with strobe-lights moving erratically over a crowded dance-floor. A bar was more brightly lit at the other end of the place, but Clark decided to get a view from above first. He worked his way towards the stairs leading up to the second floor, the tight mass of bodies reducing him to human speed. People bumped at him, a couple of times someone tried to grab him or push him. The stairs were no better, but once he was on top, he managed to get a good look over the crowd on the dance floor.
Lex's bald head should have been easy to find, but Clark didn't actually expect him to be down there. He didn't know if Lex enjoyed dancing. Clark thought he might, considering how smoothly Lex moved. He had seen Lex fencing a lot more gracefully than most of the people dancing down there. But he couldn't imagine Lex being in the mood to throw himself into a crowd like this.
Clark wandered through the upper level that had tables and chairs and a lot of people just standing or lounging around. There wasn't much point in talking, considering how loud it was, so people were mostly drinking, checking out the crowd, taking a break from dancing. Lex wasn't here, either. So Clark took a place near the wall and started x-raying the place to get an idea of the lay-out. There were, as he had expected, backrooms, some with different music, most of them with a different crowd.
With his inhibitions fully intact, it was a lot more embarrassing to see what was going on in some of them. Clark kept losing his focus as he blushed and shifted in his seat.
He finally found Lex's skeleton, grateful to find him apparently just standing in one of the rooms and talking to some other people.
Clark rose, re-oriented himself with normal vision, and fought his way through the crowd towards the place where he'd spotted Lex. He had to evade a couple of bouncers and dubious offers on the way back there. During his stint in Metropolis, Clark had tried most of anything offered here – anything that didn't require him to take of his shirt and reveal the branding on his chest. Drugs didn't do anything for him at all, even at inhuman doses and Clark quickly lost interest in them as soon as his curiosity was satisfied. Lex, on the other hand, might be here for this. They'd never really talked about it back in Smallville, but Lex had hinted at past excesses and Clark didn't find it all that hard to believe, considering that Lex got drunk quite regularly.
Clark had a few things to say about that.
He all forgot them when, after a narrow flight of stairs and a badly lit hallway, he entered the room he had spotted Lex in. Lighting was spare here, too, only a few spots arranged to obscure rather than brighten the room. To Clark's right, there was a group of people sitting and drinking. One of them, Clark was pretty sure was a dealer. She gave him that sober, assessing glance, then looked away.
And then there was Lex and Clark was struck dumb. Lex was leaning against the wall on the right side of the room. He was no longer talking. He still had a glass of something loosely in one hand, and was looking with a dazed expression at the girl who was talking to him, a brunette taller than he was, but he clearly wasn't paying attention to her, because there was another guy attached to his side, sucking and biting at his neck while trying to get his hand down the front of Lex's pants. Lex's dress shirt was unbuttoned, the cuffs hanging loose, the disarray of his clothes more suggestive than if he had been naked.
Lex moved against the man's touch, slow and languid, and gave an empty smile as the other guy pinned one of his hands against the wall and pushed a knee between Lex's. Clark had never seen Lex like this, so unguarded and acquiescing, tolerating other people in his space, letting them take control.
It sent a thrill down Clark's spine, red hot anger curling deep in his belly.
The brunette took the glass from Lex's hands and gave him a hard kiss before moving away, back to the sitting group of people. Lex licked his lips with a quick shudder and said something before closing his eyes and baring his throat to the other man's mouth once more.
Clark unfroze as suddenly as he had stopped. He crossed the room and pushed the other man aside. Before there could be any protests, Clark said, loud enough to be heard of the heavy beat of the music, "That's enough."
The man didn't look quite sober himself, but he had the presence of mind to notice Clark's grip on his shoulder and the strength behind it. Raising his hands sloppily, he ducked out from under Clark's touch and stole away.
Lex opened his eyes. They were dark, hooded, catching no light at all, and the smile he gave was like a gutting knife, all warm and soft over sharp edges. He pushed off the wall but failed to stand, swaying instead against Clark's shoulder. Lord, Lex was completely out of it, Clark thought. He was soft, warm, pliant where he should have been all tense muscle and sharp bones.
"What do you think you're doing?" Clark demanded, steadying Lex by his shoulders. Lex smelled of sweat that wasn't his own, of sex and stranger's touches, even of smoke. It drove Clark mad.
"Clark." It was inaudible over the music, but Clark recognized his name on Lex's lips. "Shouldn't be here."
"Yes, you shouldn't," Clark agreed angrily. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Lex tilted his head to the side, half a head-shake. "No. You. You shouldn't be here." At least that was what it sounded like. Lex swayed forward again, and unless he wanted to push him away, Clark had to let him lean against his chest once more. Lex was hot, Clark could feel it through his own thin shirt, hot like fever. Lex took a deep breath against Clark's collarbone. His lips brushed Clark's skin. "Don't you get it, Clark?" he murmured, sounding more sober than he looked. "You're free to go. I'm letting you go… letting you lay waste to my…"
Lex trailed off, his forehead pressed against Clark's jugular. Clark stood very still.
Free to go.
He couldn't bear to stay here, in this dark cave of a room where the noise didn't let him catch a single thought and where there was no space to breathe. Clark grabbed Lex, clutched him close to himself and a moment later, he ran, out of the room, out of the building, through a locked backdoor and down a rickety fire escape.
In the dark of the alley, it was quiet. The distant noises of the city were no louder than the rush of blood in Clark's ears. It smelled of trash and foul water from the river, but Clark took deep, heaving breaths nonetheless.
Then he let go of Lex and let him tumble against the brick wall of the warehouse.
"What do you mean I'm free to go?"
Lex looked disoriented, but unalarmed at the sudden change of scenery. He blinked dizzily. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don't! You didn't say anything. You just left!"
Clark was yelling. He didn't care. He was furious at Lex for doing drugs, furious at him for saying this like that while he was high and didn't mean it.
Lex, however, looked pained. "Get it over with," he muttered. Then louder, as if talking to a slow person, "You need to take the things I gave you to the police."
Oh. So that was why Lex had given those folders to him. If Clark handed the documents over to the police, neither Lex nor Lionel would be free men again. And quite a number of other people as well. But that meant that Lex wasn't just saying stuff because he wasn't in his right mind – he'd been perfectly sober when he gave Clark the folders! Lex wasn't just letting him go, he was giving Clark the means to destroy him. It was a gesture so very typical for Lex in its excessive grandness that Clark almost smiled, but his mouth turned bitter as he realized that Lex was serious.
And Clark had no desire to destroy Lex.
"I don't want to report you to the police!"
"Then use it as a safety – "
"I don't want to blackmail you, either. Damn it, Lex, what I want is for you to stop being a coward!" Clark was ranting and shaking Lex by the shoulder and Lex just stared at him, wide-eyed and numb. "I don't want to punish you, Lex, I want you to stop doing all the stuff in those folders. I want you to be a better man. I'm glad you finally came to your senses, but now you're just giving up?"
Lex looked scared. Truly scared, as if Clark were threatening to kill him. "Clark, I blackmailed you. I threatened your family. Why do you even care?"
Clark let go of his anger in a gush of breath. "Because you're not doing it anymore."
No, that wasn't it. He could see that Lex wasn't believing it either.
"Because I want you to be a good man more than anything else."
That was true, but it wasn't what Clark was trying to say. He didn't even know what he was trying to say, he just knew that Lex was staring at him, frightfully sober and not daring to breathe –
"Because…"
Clark kissed him. He pressed his lips on Lex's with his eyes squeezed shut. It was like free fall, for a second, his heart stopped and his chest was all tight, but then the warmth and the taste of Lex caught him and set him ablaze. Lex shivered against him and opened his mouth under Clark's. Their teeth clicked together, then their tongues met hot and wet. Lex's mouth tasted sharply of everything that he had tried to submerge himself in, so Clark pushed deeper, trying to get past the taste to where it was only Lex, cupping Lex's face with both hands.
Lex let him. His hands scrabbled over Clark's chest and held onto his shoulders almost helplessly, but Lex let Clark kiss him breathless and senseless, until he gasped like a drowned man when Clark's mouth parted from his to kiss and suck down his jaw and under his skin. There were bruises there, left by strangers and Clark did something he'd never dared to before and laid his own over them while still holding on tightly to Lex's face to keep him from escaping. Lex groaned something that had only the barest resemblance to Clark's name as his hands slid under Clark's arms and to his back, where he clawed into Clark's shirt and his shoulders.
"Don't," Lex hissed, but in the same breath he bucked against Clark, trying to bring their lower bodies into full contact. "Clark! You're... I don't deserve –"
"Shut up," Clark said, and then, with devious grin because this was just so damn good and he was free, and Lex had bruises the shape of Clark's lips on his neck, "Earn it."
He hadn't meant that quite so literally, but Lex slithered out of his grasp like a snake and dropped to his knees, heedless of the dirty ground. Clark bit his lip. He half-heartedly tried to slow Lex down, but there was only the smooth back of his head, no hair to hold on to, so he ended up stroking the nape of Lex's neck instead, exploring the bumps of Lex's spine under the hot skin.
Lex's fingers were shaky but nimble as he undid Clark's belt and his fly and brushed against the outline of Clark's cock through his underwear once before pulling it out.
Clark couldn't even make a noise. All his willpower went into holding his breath and not coming right then and there. It wasn't as if Lex needed any encouragement, with Clark's rock-hard cock right before him. His fingers found the base, and worked deeper into Clark's boxers to cup his balls. He did a little twist, hard enough to make Clark throw back his head and yell through clenched teeth.
And then Lex's lips closed around the head. There was no clever play of that strong little tongue, no teasing, Lex had to recognize Clark's urgency, because he took him all the way in and then pulled almost off again, sucking hard. Lex put a hand on Clark's hip, thumb stroking over his bare hipbone and into the hollow beside it, but it wasn't there to steady Clark or hold him back. Instead Lex pulled him in, encouraging him to thrust, and Clark gave in and pushed forward. Every muscle in his body was tense as steel chords as he fought to keep control over his thrusts while barely daring to touch Lex's head with his hands. This was what exertion was like, this was how straining against your own body felt.
Clark won the fight even as he came in hard spurts down Lex's throat. For a glorious moment or two, everything tasted of victory. The rush and haze subsided, and Clark could have dropped straight to blissful unconsciousness if he had been lying down anywhere remotely comfortable.
But he was in a dirty Metropolis back alley. Even the balmy summer night felt cool on Clark's wet skin when Lex sat back, taking the wonderful heat with him. Clark's hands were shaking as he let them drop to his side, but there weren't any more bruises on Lex than there had already by been. He tucked himself back in and buttoned his pants.
Lex glanced up at Clark. His pink lips were full and wet and, God, he was licking them furtively – after all they'd just done, that made Clark blush violently. But Lex averted his face, and tried to get back to his feet and away from Clark, so Clark seized him by the shoulder and pulled him up flush against his chest.
It was like all the hugs they had shared. Clark held on tight and at first, Lex's body was still and tense under his touch, and then he let go with an almost inaudible sigh and softened.
"Clark," Lex whispered, broken and hoarse. "I don't know – "
Clark tightened his grip. "I'm feeling good right now," he shushed Lex, saying the first inane thing that came to his mind. "This feels good." Good. Bright. Dizzy. As if he were the one not sober.
"I lost my car keys," Lex said in a small voice.
Clark laughed, startled by the irrelevant comment. "You're not going back in there, Lex," he warned, still laughing.
Lex groaned softly, as if only just now remembering what he'd been doing before Clark arrived. "I lost my wallet, too."
Clark couldn't stop laughing now. "Someone's going to be very happy."
"Would you lend me your phone so I can call my driver?" Clark still held him, so Lex's polite words tickled against Clark's hair, making him want to rub his head against Lex like a cat.
"It's your phone," Clark said. "And no, I won't."
Lex went stiff against and tried to get out of Clark's hug. "Okay."
Clark stopped giggling and loosened his embrace, but only far enough that he could look at Lex's face. The sight of bruised lips and skin almost made him lose track, but he shook his head to clear it . "I'm taking you home."
Clark gave Lex time to protest as he picked him up to run, but he just clung to Clark in mute disbelief. With his arms wrapped around Lex to shield him from the worst of the rush, Clark made his way across the city back to the penthouse. It was pitch dark at the top of the stairs in front of the penthouse as Clark stopped and set Lex down, and he didn't see it coming at all when Lex grabbed his lapels and kissed him fiercely, all reluctance forgotten. Clark let himself be pushed backwards until he hit a wall, happily going along with Lex's enthusiasm.
No one had ever kissed him like this, none of his girlfriends, not even Chloe that one desperate time during the Zod incident. Even when he bit Clark's lower lip so hard his teeth must have hurt, Lex only winced and kissed harder afterwards, carding his hands through Clark's hair. Clark tried to slow him down with gentle touches down his back and sides, sneaking his hands under Lex's still unbuttoned shirt and Lex responded by abandoning Clark's mouth and gasping harshly into the crook of Clark's neck.
"I'll do anything you want. Anything, Clark. Are you sure you want this?"
There was something Clark was forgetting… "Do you want this?"
Lex bit Clark's shoulder, not hard enough to hurt himself this time, and ground his pelvis against Clark's upper thigh. Wow. Clark's eyes snapped open. Lex was hard. Lex's hard-on was rubbing against him, but not where Clark wanted it, so he put his hands on Lex's hips, his fingers splayed over Lex's ass and pulled him closer.
Lex's breath hitched and Clark whimpered. He was having sex. Sex like he could have had on red Kryptonite, but not bad. Not evil. Not selfish. Not at all selfish from the noises Lex tried not to make.
Lex was trying to shrug out of his shirt without letting go of Clark and Clark realized they were still in the hallway and not where he wanted them to be. He wanted a bed. Now.
Clark's fiddling for his key card frustrated Lex and he tugged at Clark's hair, but whisking them inside the penthouse and towards Lex's bedroom seemed to agree with him. The door fell shut behind them and they stood in front of the bed, in Lex's bedroom, where Clark had never been before, but he didn't care about the room, or its cold furniture or the skyline of Metropolis.
He felt giddy, deep in his belly. Clark had never wanted to laugh through sex. It wasn't funny, just so… nice. It felt really, really good touching Lex like this, not having to limit himself to what was appropriate. With Lex, anything was appropriate. They were past appropriate, deep within each other's boundaries. The smile was bubbling in his chest, twitching on his lips as they got their hands on each other once more, opening buttons, pulling off shirts and pants as well as they could in the tangle of limbs and kisses. Tumbling on the bed made Clark grin like an idiot from ear to ear.
Oh Jesus, this was so stupid. So stupid. But it didn't matter.
His hand on Lex's dick, all of a sudden, and for the first time it flashed through Clark's mind that he wasn't just having sex with Lex, he was having sex with another guy and –
Clark stilled, his fingers still wrapped around the hard shaft, kneeling between Lex's splayed legs. Lex opened his eyes and got a wry expression. "Second thoughts?"
Yeah, but it wasn't Clark who should be having them.
"I'm an alien," Clark reminded him.
Lex blinked. Very, very slowly, his eyes crinkled. A smile was breaking through, unfolding on his face like a leaf in the morning. "God, Clark," he whispered roughly, but the smile got ever wider, splitting into a grin.
Clark bent his head until it came to rest on Lex's chest. He shivered with pleasure as Lex trailed his fingers from the fine hairs at the nape of his neck down between his shoulders and up again.
Clark tightened the grip of his hand and tugged once at the hard cock, feeling the wet tip with his thumb. Lex's inner thighs shuddered against his arm and Clark quickened his pace, feeling every gasp and groan Lex made against his body. Clark was so concentrated on his task that he didn't expect Lex's free hand to sneak between them and squeeze Clark's dick. He yelped and came, just like that, all over their hands, and Lex followed suit.
Clark had to drape himself half over Lex to keep him from slipping away afterwards. He could tell that Lex wasn't used to this, that it made him tense, as if he didn't know what to do or expect. As far as Clark was concerned, sleep was the thing to do, at least for Lex. He didn't trust himself to sleep with a human in his arms, but he just wanted to lie there, close like this, sticky and warm under the covers. He wanted to smell Lex and feel his pulse and breathing slow down. As long as there was no distance, Clark wouldn't doubt himself. Tomorrow they'd talk and deal and evaluate, but tonight, Clark just wanted this for himself.
And Lex let him. He didn't sleep either, but he lay quietly in Clark's arms and gave as much of his trust as he could.
TBC
