Merry Christmas!

[serafina20]

So, I don't have any pretty gifts for y'all. I'll give you the one thing I can: A sneak preview of Corner of the World 48: Foundations Part 2. Enjoy!



(quick background: after the hostage situation, the Kents are staying at Lex's penthouse. Lionel broke Lex's figners as they left LuthorCorp together)

The shrill ring of his cell phone cut painfully through what was a completely dreamless sleep. Lex snorted and twitched, unwilling to open his eyes. The bed was soft and warm, and Clark was pressed against him like a second skin. Reality lay somewhere outside the bed, on the other side of the covers, and Lex wasn't quite ready to deal with reality yet.

The phone continued to ring.

"Lex," Clark groaned into his neck.

He heaved a sigh. Without opening his eyes, Lex reached out with his good hand and fumbled for the phone. Flipping it open, he brought it under the covers to his ear. "'lo?"

"Hey, Lex, it's Mark."

"Hey." He yawned and pressed back against Clark. "Something wrong?"

"No. I've been worried about you. I guess I woke you, though, I'm sorry."

"S'okay."

"Who is it?" Clark asked.

"Mark. Go back to sleep." He pulled the covers off his head and sat up. "Don't worry about the time," he said, checking the clock. It was a quarter to eight.

Mark cleared his throat. "You're literally still in bed, aren't you?" He sounded embarrassed.

"I was at the hospital until almost one, and they gave me some kind of super pain-killer. My head is completely fogged." He bit back a gasp as Clark yanked him back down to his side. One super-strong arm snaked possessively around his waist, and Clark draped a leg over his hip.

He smiled and stroked Clark's hand. The whole incident had brought out Clark's alien need to protect Lex, and damn if he was going to complain.

"What happened? You were fine at the press conference."

"Broke my fingers. There was an accident on the ride home." Which was the party line. Limos could be a treacherous place, full of cracks and crannies to break three fingers across the knuckles. No one had questioned him when he gave his story, not even when Clark got there and started fuming in the corner.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"The doctors tell me I'll live," Lex said dryly. Then he yawned. "I'm fine, Clark's fine, everyone is fine. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, okay. Sorry to have woken you."

"'s'not a problem," he sighed sleepily, and then he hung up.

"What did he want?" Clark asked, pulling Lex underneath him.

Lex didn't open his eyes as he pressed his face into Clark's neck. Clark's body was hot, his skin dry, and he smelled deliciously Clark. "See if I was okay." Clark tasted spicy as Lex licked a strip up his neck.

Clark made a noise deep in his throat and pressed Lex harder into the mattress. "You need to sleep," he told Lex. His teeth closed over Lex's ear.

"Yeah, I know." He raised his head and found Clark's lips. The kiss was anything but restful. "I missed you," he breathed into Clark's ear.

"Me too." Clark kissed down Lex's neck, hands running up and down Lex's side. "Yesterday, when I came out of the building, I wanted to press you against the wall and take you right there."

Lex moaned, arching under Clark. "In front of everyone?"

"All those cameras." Clark was breathing heavily. His tongue scraped wetly over Lex's nipple, teasing it. "All those people, watching me take you. Mark you. Prove that you're mine." He bit Lex gently.

Trying to keep from crying out, Lex bit his lower lip. His fingers scratched along Clark's back. "I am yours," he panted, kissing Clark's desperately. "Always."

"I know. I want them to know." He slid down Lex's body, placing wet kisses and sharp bites along Lex's torso and stomach.

Lex writhed as Clark teased him, clutching the sheet with his good hand. His broken hand flailed above his head and wrapped as best he could around a slat on the bed frame. "One day," he ground out, shuddering as Clark's teeth sank into his stomach.

Clark made a sound deep in his throat. His hand ran down Lex's back, worshiping and caressing. His cheek brushed Lex's hard cock and...

The phone rang again.

"Fuck!"

"Ignore it."

"I can't." He gasped when Clark's tongue slid into his navel. His stomach tightened and cock twitched. But he still picked up his cell phone.

"I have to take it," he said when he saw the number.

"No you don't."

Lex flipped the phone open. "What?" he demanded, tone short.

"Good morning, Lex," Carrie Castle purred over the line. "And how are you this lovely day?"

"What do you want, Ms. Castle?"

"Can't I just..."

"No." Lex grabbed Clark's head and held him. Clark was still trying to lick every inch of him, and Lex needed all his wits. "No, you cannot just call me. What do you want?"

"Testy, aren't you?"

"I'm not a morning person. Forgive me."

She laughed softly. "I see. Well, perhaps one day I'll have the pleasure of learning that first hand."

She was getting awfully aggressive. Ever since he'd formed LexCorp, Carrie had been trying to get into his pants. "Ms. Castle?" He squirmed when Clark managed to slip from his grasp and lick a stripe up Lex's chest.

"I'm just calling to let you know that that there are several juicy pictures of you and your young friend holding hands outside LuthorCorp Towers. There are also a few pictures of the two of you leaving the hospital."

Wonderful.

"And, according to my sources, the paparazzi are camped outside your apartment building." She sounded amused. "Good luck getting him out."

"Getting out whom?" Lex replied blandly. He pushed Clark off him and sat up, wincing as he put weight on his left hand.

"Of course," was her dry response. "Anyway, we're running a sanitized article in about the more personal side of the event. The boy's name isn't mentioned since we couldn't get in contact with his parents, and there is a strong emphasis on your friendship with the family."

"Which is good, because I am a very close friend of the family." He rubbed his hand over his face. "Thank you for your call. I'll see that you're duly compensated for your diligence."

"I have an idea on how you can pay me back," she said.

He braced himself for another come-on, but all she said was, "How about an interview on the strange and sudden mass selling of voting shares among your employees?"

He sighed silently. "We'll see. Good day, Ms. Castle." He hung up and lay back down. "We're being watched," he told Clark, reaching out to brush hair from his face.

Clark immediately got that deep look of concentration as he x-rayed the room.

"No, angel, I mean by the paparazzi," Lex said, kissing Clark's cheek. "They're camped outside."

"Oh." Clark wrinkled his nose and ran a hand through his mussed hair. He looked so gorgeous in the mornings, all big, sleepy eyes and over warm skin that glowed with health. "What do we do?"

Lex rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Act normally. We eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, and then all drive back to Smallville together as one happy family. I already explained last night why you were in the city, and they can't prove we've done anything. If we try to sneak out, it'll only look suspicious." He stretched his neck slowly. "Of course, we'll load into the limo in the garage, but we won't do anything dramatic."

With a predator's smile, Clark climbed back on top of Lex. "Then we have time, right?" he asked in a low, rough voice. He arched his hips into Lex's, cock hard against Lex's thigh.

A renewal of interest stirred in Lex, bringing to live what Carrie's voice had killed. "We have time," he whispered, looping his arms around Clark's neck.

They kissed hungrily, practically devouring each other. This was definitely Lex's favorite part of going through a stressful situation. Sex, while always intense, was never quite as good, quite as all-consuming, as when Clark went alien.

Clark yanked Lex's boxers off his hips. One big hand wrapped around his cock and...

The intercom buzzed.

"Fuck!" Lex shouted. He slapped the button. "What the fuck do you want, Damien?"

"Sir, the paparazzi..."

"I know. They're outside and have pictures of Clark and me. I am *trying* to *sleep*."

"I'm sure you are." He sounded *way* too amused. "Do try to come out sometime before noon. The Kents are getting restless."

Lex bit back what he was going to say and turned the intercom off. With his left hand. Really, really hard.

"Are you all right?" Clark asked with Lex stiffened with pain. "You just went white."

"I'm fine. Just." He held up his hand and exhaled shakily. "Too hard."

Clark sat up and took Lex's hand in his. "I'm sorry," he said, kissing around the splint. "I’m sorry this happened."

"It wasn't your fault," Lex said. He rested against Clark heavily, eyes on his fingers. All five of them were badly bruised and puffy. Two of them were dark purple and three times their normal size. Those two were taped together and splinted. It was going to be a painful recovery.

"I know what you're thinking," Clark said. He moved down so he was lying between Lex's legs, head resting on his shoulders. "And you're wrong."

He shifted uncomfortably, guilty suddenly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You think you deserved this. To be hurt. Especially by your father." He kissed the space between Lex's shoulders. "You didn't deserve this."

He squeezed his eyes tightly. "Maybe I did. You father asked me not to do this. He told me so many times how wrong it was, and I didn't listen. Look what happened."

"But you don't deserve to be hurt. He broke your hand, Lex. He's the wrong one. Especially since you were just retaliating against him. I mean, he bugged *your* office."

"That doesn't make what I did right."

"Well, no," Clark said slowly. "But it also doesn't mean he had a right to hurt you." Teeth sunk into Lex's shoulder. "Lex? Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah." He opened his eyes and gazed sightlessly into the distance.

"Why was bugging your Dad's office so wrong?"

Lex frowned. This was obviously some kind of trick question. And one he wasn't quite prepared to deal with. But, then again, he couldn't just not answer. "Well," he said after a moment. "You saw what happened. Because of my actions, your mother got taken hostage."

He could tell by the hot sigh on his skin that it was the wrong answer.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He turned. "What?"

"Well. It's just that it was wrong before it all went to hell. That's all."

Oh. This again. "But he did it to me first."

"I know." Big hands caressed over his ribcage, holding him. "And what he did was wrong, right?"

"Yes," Lex said cautiously.

"And if you'd done it to him without provocation, it'd be wrong, right?"

"Yes. But he did it to me first." He turned around to face Clark. "I couldn't just let him violate our privacy like that, Clark. Can't you understand that?"

Clark nodded. "I do. I completely understand. But don't you understand that there were other choices you could have made?"

"You said you wouldn’t be disappointed in me." Lex's heart felt heavy; he swallowed back a lump in his throat.

"And I'm not disappointed, Lex. Really. I understand why you made this choice. And there's a part of me that agrees with it. It's just, we have to learn something from this, and I don't want it to be that if you do something bad, you deserve to get hurt. Or it's only wrong when someone you love gets caught in the crossfire." Clark kissed the bridge of his nose. "It was wrong way before Mom got involved."

Lex closed his eyes, helplessness and rage filling him. "What would you have had me do, Clark?" he whispered.

Clark sighed again. "I don't know. Something else. Something... legal. Ethical. Creative. I mean, if you weren't a Luthor, and weren't bound by his rules, what would you have done?"

He wanted to fire off some flippant answer, but something stopped him. Instead of answering, he thought a moment, trying to find an answer that would satisfy Clark.

Unfortunately, nothing came. "An eye for an eye, Clark."

"The only thing that gets you is two people missing eyes. Two angry people missing eyes." He kissed Lex gently and ran his tongue over Lex's bottom lip. "You know your dad is going to view this as an act of aggression, not retaliation. In his eyes, what he did was perfectly justified. What you did was unnecessary."

"But when he pokes my eye out, he also takes my heart, Clark. What he did, it wasn't just against me. It was against you, too."

Clark smiled crookedly. "And yet I'm still here. And maybe, next time, instead of us both working ourselves into separate panics and being unsure of what to do, we should *talk* about it and make a decision together. Because if this is *our* life, and it's *our* money, then it's *our* corporation too, right? And I don’t want to be involved in a corporation that stoops to illegal and immoral corporate espionage."

The world spun around Lex, even though he was firmly anchored by the weight of Clark's body. "Are you saying... you want to work for LexCorp?"

"No. I’m saying that we're partners. That's what these rings mean, Lex." He found Lex's right hand and threaded their fingers. "We're equals. And, no, I'm not interested in business. I'm a writer. Or something. I don't know; I'm only sixteen. But, me not working for your corporation doesn't change the fact that I'm going to be involved with it for the rest of my life. So I want some input on how it's run."

"You said it was okay. That you wouldn't be disappointed in me if I did this," Lex protested, a terrible pain in his heart. He was aware he was repeating himself, but he hated that Clark had led him on.

"I’m *not* disappointed in you, Lex." Clark rested his forehead against Lex's. "But when you told me about what you were going to do, you, well, *told* me. It was a decision that you'd already made, and if I'd thrown a fuss, you would have resented it. And it would have gotten worse and worse, and you'd feel more and more victimized by Lionel and angry at me for not letting you do what you thought was the best course of action."

He closed his eyes. "And I still don’t know what else I could have done."

"I'm not sure either. But there had to be other options. They just require a lot of creativity." Clark kissed him. "Tell me that next time something like this happens--and we both know it will--we can talk about it? I mean, we were so busy panicking separately, we never thought to work through this together. And we promised each other that we always would."

Clark was right. He had promised. They'd promised each other. Lex *knew* who he was dealing with. Not a kid, but a man. A partner. And Lex had completely discounted that.

What was wrong with him?

"Nothing." Clark kissed down his face and bit Lex's neck.

Lex arched, gasping at the painful pleasure filled his body. "Clark," he said raggedly. His fingers threaded through Clark's hair and hooked his leg around his hips.

Clark's tongue scraped wetly on the overly-sensitive spot. Fire spread as he licked over Lex's Adam's apple and into the hollow of his throat.

He wrapped his arms around Clark and lifted his head. Hungrily, his mouth found Clark's and he kissed him. Their tongues slid against each other, searching deeply, teasing frantically. There was no tenderness or sweetness, only urgency and a deep desire to reconnect. To be one.

Cock hardening, Lex rode his hips into Clark's. "I want you," he breathed into Clark's ear. His teeth sank into Clark's earlobe and he tugged. Releasing it, he ran his tongue into Clark's ear.

"Lex!" Clark cried out, body bucking into Lex's.

"Shhh," Lex warned, capturing Clark's mouth. He didn't say or think the word *parents*, but the implication was clear.

"I don't think I can be quiet," Clark whimpered. "Oh, God, my parents are right outside."

"We can stop," Lex said. He wiggled out of his boxers and tossed them aside.

"Right." Clark reached for the lube tucked underneath the mattress. "I can't."

"Good." Lex pushed Clark over and straddled him. "We should do this every morning," he whispered, lips brushing lightly over Clark's face.

Clark just whimpered.

"Boys?" Martha called through the door suddenly.

Lex jerked, his fledgling erection wilting immediately.

Clark just bit his lip and held his breath, face turning an alarming shade of purple.

Which meant that Lex was going to have to call on years of experience to get them through this mortifying experience. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yes, Mrs. Kent?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, sweetie, but Mr. Kent would like to leave soon. So can you boys get up, now?"

"Sure. Just gives us about fifteen minutes to shower and dress, and we'll be out."

"Thank you, Lex."

Lex sighed and rested his forehead against Clark's. "This is not our morning," he said.

Hopefully, it won't take me very long to get this one out.

Comments

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

YaY! My first Christmas present! Thank you so much for the preview-- I'm feeling the boys' pain, I want you to know.*g*
Poor Lex-- he just can't understand yet, can he?

Thanks again- you make me happy!

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

YaY! My first Christmas present! Thank you so much for the preview

You're welcome! And merry christmas!

I'm feeling the boys' pain, I want you to know.

I do love to torture them so. *eg*

Thanks for the feedback!

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Clexus interruptus.

This is a great Christmas present, serafina; Thanks! This snippet has me looking forward to the rest of the story even more than before.

Merry Christmas!

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

This is a great Christmas present, serafina; Thanks! This snippet has me looking forward to the rest of the story even more than before.

Merry Christmas! I'm glad you enjoyed it. If you're still interrested in betaing, I should be ready to send it out sometime this week. :)

Thanks again!

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Sure! I would love to beta. Send it on. :)

story pressie!

[astrea9562.livejournal.com]

Wonderful to see Christmas morning. Thanks so very much, sweetheart.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

{{{hugs}}}

Re: story pressie!

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

Merry Christmas to you! And you're welcome for the present! :P

[lapetite-kiki.livejournal.com]

Hee! What a nice gift!

Merry Christmas!

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed! Merry Christmas! :P

[luvmax1.livejournal.com]

That Lionel is such a bastard. Poor, Lex. ANd I still love horny, possessive Clark. And I liked how you worked Carrie Castle into it, too. I can't wait to read more.

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

Lionel is just a magnificent bastard, isn't he? And horny, possesive Clark is one of my favorites. :)

Thanks!

[obsidian-rai.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, this is such a nice present, sweetie! Thanks for posting it! Merry Christmas! *hugs*

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Merry Christmas!!

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

LOL! Poor Lex! I love how hopeful you make it seem, even though so many things are going wrong for them. Thanks for putting this up!

[sabershadowkat.livejournal.com]

I'm not looking! I can't read this, because then I'll want the fic NOW, and I have to be patient and stuff.

*waits (somewhat) patiently for full fic*