For Better or Worse - Part 1
In honor of mlleelizabeth announcing that today was Celebrate the Clex Day, I'm posting part of what I keep writing when I should be writing something else.
Completely unbetad - so please forgive the abundant mistakes.
For Better or Worse
Clark sat down on the curb next to Lex and watched the car he'd managed to drag his friend out of burn. Representatives of the Metropolis Fire Department stood around, making sure that the flames didn't set any of the nearby buildings on fire.
Stephanie, Lex's latest fiancee, was currently being shoved head first into a police car, having been the one to set the car alight. She was still hurling invectives and threats as they drove away.
"I'm sorry, Lex," Clark ventured. "I know how much this has to be hurting you."
Lex didn't say a word, his eyes on the flaming piece of metal.
Clark scooted a little closer to his friend. "I know you loved her."
"She was beautiful," Lex said softly.
"Don't worry, Lex. One day, you'll fall in love again."
Lex shook his head. "I don't think there'll ever be another one like her. The way she responded to my slightest touch. Her ride was amazing."
Okay, too much information, Clark thought.
"The first time I saw her, I knew I had to have her. The way she gleamed in the showroom... "
Clark sat up suddenly. "You're talking about the car? The car? Your fiancee just tried to kill you. Do you know how crazy that is?"
Rising to his feet, Lex nodded as he brushed off his pants. "I know," he said as Clark stood, too. "Usually they wait until we're married before attempting murder."
"You know, if you were smart, you'd propose to someone you knew hated you," Clark said, trying to lighten Lex's mood. "That way when they tried to kill you, it wouldn't be so much of a surprise."
"That's an idea. Do you think Lois might--"
"No," Clark answered quickly.
"Oh." Lex's blue eyes gleamed and Clark wondered what scheme he was hatching. It didn't matter, though. Superman would deal with whatever Lex came up with.
* * *
"Are you nuts?" Superman yelled. He'd spied Luthor on top of the LexCorp building and had flown over to see if there was another crazy plan to conquer the world in the works. Instead of world domination, Lex was planning something even more outlandish and Superman was still reeling from the idea as Lex pressed the point.
"It makes sense, if you think about it. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
"Not that close." Superman ran a hand over his head, mussing his hair in the process. "I can't believe you'd think I'd accept."
"Did I not do it right?"
Was Lex smirking? Clark scowled at him, but it didn't seem to faze the man.
"Let me try again." Lex dropped to his knees. "Superman, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
The sight of Lex on his knees in front of him did weird things to Clark's insides. He'd never thought this might happen. Well, there had been those dreams he'd had when he was a horny teenager and the looks Lex had constantly thrown his way had added up and Clark had ended up washing his underwear and sheets on an almost daily basis so that his mom didn't find out - but all those times didn't count.
This was reality. A reality that definitely was smirking as Clark twitched in his tights.
Of course, Clark thought, this could be just another way of saving Lex. If he didn't say yes, Lex might be tempted to propose to another homicidal lunatic. There'd been Desiree with death by manipulated man, then fire when his father's rifle hadn't succeed. Helen with death by plane crash. Monica with death by creamed corn suffocation. Penelope with death by freezing in a giant slushie machine, and Heather, who'd attacked Lex at the wedding with the knife she'd been using to slice the wedding cake.
Looking down, he saw that Lex had been distracted by all the twitching in his tights and was currently looking in that direction. And licking his lips.
With a soft groan, Clark nodded his head. "Fine. I'll marry you."
Lex rose to his feet and Clark tried to bite back any sound of disappointment.
* * *
"I'm sorry, Lex. I can't do it."
Clark could tell by the tensing in Lex's jawline that he was upset.
"Is there a reason you won't?" Lex asked icily.
Clark wanted to give Lex what he wanted. He wanted to wipe away that hurt Lex was trying so hard to hide. But the truth of the matter was that he couldn't be both best man and groom.
Again, he repeated his apologies in a voice that was a shade above pleading. "I'd do it if I could. But I can't. Really."
Lex turned his back to him. "I thought you were better than this, Clark. I didn't realize that the idea of a me marrying a male was so repugnant to you."
"No!" Clark grabbed Lex by the shoulders and spun him around. "That's not the reason why I can't do it. It isn't. Besides, it'd be hypocritical, seeing how I'm bi, myself."
Lex froze for a moment in surprise. "You're bi?"
"I thought you knew." Clark dropped his hands from Lex and shrugged. "I thought everyone in Kansas knew. When Lana caught me with Jason, she didn't exactly keep it a secret."
"I thought that was meteor related."
"It was," Clark acknowledged, then added on, "at first."
Moving closer, Lex's voice was husky when he spoke. "I wish I'd known."
Clark's breath hitched as their bodies brushed against one another. "I do, too."
Slowly Clark leaned forward so that his face was close to Lex's, his lips parting in anticipation. Just two inches away. One inch. Half an inch.
Lex jerked back, blinking rapidly. "I... I have to go, Clark. I have a wedding to prepare for."
Moments later, alone in his apartment, Clark wondered how he'd managed to get into a situation where he'd almost broken up his own engagement.
* * *
The ceremony at the office of the Justice of the Peace was short and simple. Jonathan and Martha Kent stood next to Lex as his witnesses. Superman's witness was Lois Lane, who made snide little comments throughout the procedure.
A quick, chaste brush of lips at the conclusion of the ceremony brought Clark out of the numbing disbelief he'd been maintaining. It irked him that the kiss had been so perfunctory. As if Lex was completely disinterested.
Lex certainly hadn't seemed disinterested during their almost-kiss in his apartment.
When Superman overheard Lex thanking his mom and dad and wistfully asking after Clark, he could almost feel his blood begin to boil. This was his wedding day and his spouse was thinking about another man. Even if the other man was him, it was infuriating.
Striding over, Clark swept a surprised Lex up in his arms. "We have some consummating to do."
The Kents looked stunned. Lois began making fake retching noises in the background.
Swallowing hard, Lex attempted a smile. "Why you silver-tongued devil, you."
Clark didn't care. He and Lex were married and he was going to make him forget everyone else he'd ever wanted. And he had no problem using all of his special powers to do so.
* * *
Clark stretched, hoping to get some of the aches out of his body and wondered again how humans did it.
Five days of honeymoon in Lex's penthouse had just about killed him. He was actually looking forward to going on patrol and facing someone who would attack him with fists or bullets and not fingers and tongue.
Opening up the closet doors where he'd stored his superhero suits, he stared for a long moment. His hands clenched into fists.
He was going to kill Lex.
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but the most painful way possible sounded like a really good idea at the moment.
"So - what do you think?" Lex came up next to him, dressed in a robe that did little to hide his body. "Quite an improvement, I say."
"Lex," Clark hissed. "Where are my suits?"
"These are your suits."
"No, they're not." Clark took a deep breath in an attempt to get a hold of his anger. "My suits are blue and red. These aren't them."
"I made a few changes."
"A few changes?" Grabbing one of the offending suits from the rack, Clark held it out. "Black pants, black cape, black boots, purple top. You call that a few changes?"
"For the better, I might add."
"And, instead of the El family crest, there's the Luthor logo on the chest," Clark blurted out.
"You're a Luthor now, remember?"
"I am not your personal property."
Lex moved closer and ran his hand down Clark's chest. "I beg to differ."
Clark was definitely going to kill Lex, he decided. And he'd do it right after they had sex again.
Part 2
Completely unbetad - so please forgive the abundant mistakes.
For Better or Worse
Clark sat down on the curb next to Lex and watched the car he'd managed to drag his friend out of burn. Representatives of the Metropolis Fire Department stood around, making sure that the flames didn't set any of the nearby buildings on fire.
Stephanie, Lex's latest fiancee, was currently being shoved head first into a police car, having been the one to set the car alight. She was still hurling invectives and threats as they drove away.
"I'm sorry, Lex," Clark ventured. "I know how much this has to be hurting you."
Lex didn't say a word, his eyes on the flaming piece of metal.
Clark scooted a little closer to his friend. "I know you loved her."
"She was beautiful," Lex said softly.
"Don't worry, Lex. One day, you'll fall in love again."
Lex shook his head. "I don't think there'll ever be another one like her. The way she responded to my slightest touch. Her ride was amazing."
Okay, too much information, Clark thought.
"The first time I saw her, I knew I had to have her. The way she gleamed in the showroom... "
Clark sat up suddenly. "You're talking about the car? The car? Your fiancee just tried to kill you. Do you know how crazy that is?"
Rising to his feet, Lex nodded as he brushed off his pants. "I know," he said as Clark stood, too. "Usually they wait until we're married before attempting murder."
"You know, if you were smart, you'd propose to someone you knew hated you," Clark said, trying to lighten Lex's mood. "That way when they tried to kill you, it wouldn't be so much of a surprise."
"That's an idea. Do you think Lois might--"
"No," Clark answered quickly.
"Oh." Lex's blue eyes gleamed and Clark wondered what scheme he was hatching. It didn't matter, though. Superman would deal with whatever Lex came up with.
* * *
"Are you nuts?" Superman yelled. He'd spied Luthor on top of the LexCorp building and had flown over to see if there was another crazy plan to conquer the world in the works. Instead of world domination, Lex was planning something even more outlandish and Superman was still reeling from the idea as Lex pressed the point.
"It makes sense, if you think about it. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
"Not that close." Superman ran a hand over his head, mussing his hair in the process. "I can't believe you'd think I'd accept."
"Did I not do it right?"
Was Lex smirking? Clark scowled at him, but it didn't seem to faze the man.
"Let me try again." Lex dropped to his knees. "Superman, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
The sight of Lex on his knees in front of him did weird things to Clark's insides. He'd never thought this might happen. Well, there had been those dreams he'd had when he was a horny teenager and the looks Lex had constantly thrown his way had added up and Clark had ended up washing his underwear and sheets on an almost daily basis so that his mom didn't find out - but all those times didn't count.
This was reality. A reality that definitely was smirking as Clark twitched in his tights.
Of course, Clark thought, this could be just another way of saving Lex. If he didn't say yes, Lex might be tempted to propose to another homicidal lunatic. There'd been Desiree with death by manipulated man, then fire when his father's rifle hadn't succeed. Helen with death by plane crash. Monica with death by creamed corn suffocation. Penelope with death by freezing in a giant slushie machine, and Heather, who'd attacked Lex at the wedding with the knife she'd been using to slice the wedding cake.
Looking down, he saw that Lex had been distracted by all the twitching in his tights and was currently looking in that direction. And licking his lips.
With a soft groan, Clark nodded his head. "Fine. I'll marry you."
Lex rose to his feet and Clark tried to bite back any sound of disappointment.
* * *
"I'm sorry, Lex. I can't do it."
Clark could tell by the tensing in Lex's jawline that he was upset.
"Is there a reason you won't?" Lex asked icily.
Clark wanted to give Lex what he wanted. He wanted to wipe away that hurt Lex was trying so hard to hide. But the truth of the matter was that he couldn't be both best man and groom.
Again, he repeated his apologies in a voice that was a shade above pleading. "I'd do it if I could. But I can't. Really."
Lex turned his back to him. "I thought you were better than this, Clark. I didn't realize that the idea of a me marrying a male was so repugnant to you."
"No!" Clark grabbed Lex by the shoulders and spun him around. "That's not the reason why I can't do it. It isn't. Besides, it'd be hypocritical, seeing how I'm bi, myself."
Lex froze for a moment in surprise. "You're bi?"
"I thought you knew." Clark dropped his hands from Lex and shrugged. "I thought everyone in Kansas knew. When Lana caught me with Jason, she didn't exactly keep it a secret."
"I thought that was meteor related."
"It was," Clark acknowledged, then added on, "at first."
Moving closer, Lex's voice was husky when he spoke. "I wish I'd known."
Clark's breath hitched as their bodies brushed against one another. "I do, too."
Slowly Clark leaned forward so that his face was close to Lex's, his lips parting in anticipation. Just two inches away. One inch. Half an inch.
Lex jerked back, blinking rapidly. "I... I have to go, Clark. I have a wedding to prepare for."
Moments later, alone in his apartment, Clark wondered how he'd managed to get into a situation where he'd almost broken up his own engagement.
* * *
The ceremony at the office of the Justice of the Peace was short and simple. Jonathan and Martha Kent stood next to Lex as his witnesses. Superman's witness was Lois Lane, who made snide little comments throughout the procedure.
A quick, chaste brush of lips at the conclusion of the ceremony brought Clark out of the numbing disbelief he'd been maintaining. It irked him that the kiss had been so perfunctory. As if Lex was completely disinterested.
Lex certainly hadn't seemed disinterested during their almost-kiss in his apartment.
When Superman overheard Lex thanking his mom and dad and wistfully asking after Clark, he could almost feel his blood begin to boil. This was his wedding day and his spouse was thinking about another man. Even if the other man was him, it was infuriating.
Striding over, Clark swept a surprised Lex up in his arms. "We have some consummating to do."
The Kents looked stunned. Lois began making fake retching noises in the background.
Swallowing hard, Lex attempted a smile. "Why you silver-tongued devil, you."
Clark didn't care. He and Lex were married and he was going to make him forget everyone else he'd ever wanted. And he had no problem using all of his special powers to do so.
* * *
Clark stretched, hoping to get some of the aches out of his body and wondered again how humans did it.
Five days of honeymoon in Lex's penthouse had just about killed him. He was actually looking forward to going on patrol and facing someone who would attack him with fists or bullets and not fingers and tongue.
Opening up the closet doors where he'd stored his superhero suits, he stared for a long moment. His hands clenched into fists.
He was going to kill Lex.
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but the most painful way possible sounded like a really good idea at the moment.
"So - what do you think?" Lex came up next to him, dressed in a robe that did little to hide his body. "Quite an improvement, I say."
"Lex," Clark hissed. "Where are my suits?"
"These are your suits."
"No, they're not." Clark took a deep breath in an attempt to get a hold of his anger. "My suits are blue and red. These aren't them."
"I made a few changes."
"A few changes?" Grabbing one of the offending suits from the rack, Clark held it out. "Black pants, black cape, black boots, purple top. You call that a few changes?"
"For the better, I might add."
"And, instead of the El family crest, there's the Luthor logo on the chest," Clark blurted out.
"You're a Luthor now, remember?"
"I am not your personal property."
Lex moved closer and ran his hand down Clark's chest. "I beg to differ."
Clark was definitely going to kill Lex, he decided. And he'd do it right after they had sex again.
Part 2