Chapter Two: Love Redeems, Or Something Really Cheesy Like That

There was nothing quite so nice, Clark decided, as waking up to having your chest being used as a pillow by your arch-nemesis (Lex's words) slash lover (Clark's words) and knowing that you had absolutely nothing that you needed to do for the rest of the day. Glancing over at the clock on the bedside tabled revealed it to already be after ten in the morning, which only made the whole thing even more ridiculously decadent.

Clark let his hand rest on Lex's back and idly run up and down along the other man's spine. Clark had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do with his free day, but for the moment he was content just to watch Lex sleep. Lex claimed that this habit of Clark's was creepy, but Chloe, when appealed to, had assured Clark it was more or less normal. Plus, Clark had totally woken up to catch Lex staring at him a couple of times. Lex insisted that as a supervillain he was supposed to be creepy, but Clark just found that assertion ridiculously adorable. Of course that might actually be weird.

Normal was overrated anyway.

Clark might not have been trying to wake Lex up, but he had still succeeded in doing so, if the pleased sort of purring sound coming from Lex was any measure. Not that Lex would ever admit to purring, but Clark was more than happy to admit to it for him.

"Good morning," Clark said, increasing the pressure behind his hand until it was moving in a lazy sort of massage. Lex let out a low moan and Clark grinned. "If you don't have anything planned for the day" – and Clark really hoped he didn't, since there was a definite correlation between the times Clark had convinced Lex that whatever he had to do could wait until later and Lex's more mean-spirited plots – "then I was thinking we could just not get out of bed today."

Lex didn't respond right away. Clark was sure that was a bad sign, a suspicion that was confirmed a few seconds later when Lex pulled away and sat up, saying "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Clark asked, breaking out the pout that never failed to get Lex to bite his bottom lip, not even when Lex was in full villain mode. A whole day in bed with Lex was so worth getting shoot at with another Kryptonite laser or three.

But it seemed that there really was a first time for everything, because Lex looked at Clark like he'd like nothing better than to molest his mouth, but he didn't bite, not figuratively or literally. Instead he turned away and said, "This isn't working, Clark."

Clark refrained from pointing out that if it was working then they would be having sex right now. Somehow he didn't think that was what Lex was talking about anyway. "What isn't working?" he asked.

"This," Lex responded, as though the emphasis would suddenly make everything clear. He didn't turn his gaze from the wall as he said it. "This. You, me. Us."

Which sounded like – but Clark wasn't even going to think about what it sounded like, because that couldn't be happening. Propositioning Lex on that rooftop all those months ago was, Clark was certain, the best decision he had ever made in his life and so this couldn't be happening because Clark wouldn't let it happen.

"Did I – is it something I did?" Heaven knew that Clark wasn't the best boyfriend and sometimes the being arch-nemeses and lovers thing was confusing for him, but if this was something he could fix, he would.

Clark didn't know if it was his words or his tone that caught Lex's attention, but either way, that blue-eyed stare was all on Clark now, expression something of horror and concern. "God, no. Christ, Clark you – you're perfect," Lex assured, punctuating the statement with a kiss.

Undoubtedly Lex had meant it to be a perfunctory kiss, a simple press of lips to reinforce the "it's not you, it's me" sentiment in his words. But Lex might be trying to leave him right now, and this kiss had to be perfect. So Clark grabbed Lex's face and poured everything into it. All the desperation and hunger and need – and God, how was it possible that Clark hadn't realized until just this moment how much he needed Lex?

Lex graciously took all that Clark offered and paid it back with gentleness and comfort. It was better than the cool distance Clark had been half expecting, but it wasn't the fire he had wanted either. Reluctantly, Clark let go and let Lex pull away.

"Absolutely perfect," Lex said, echoing his earlier statement. "That's why this can't work."

Clark almost – almost – groaned. He held back because he knew that Lex was serious, and he knew Lex really would break-up with him if Clark couldn't talk him down from his latest crazy, but it was a near thing. Lex trying to end things between them because he thought Clark was perfect, aside from being completely nonsensical, could only be due to one of two things. Either Lex's insecurities and self-esteem issues were getting to him again, or this was more of Lex's doublethink/arch-enemies thing.

Clark really hoped it was the self-esteem.

"Could you please explain to me how you're getting from point A to B here?" requested Clark. "Because I'm not following."

"I'm your arch-nemesis," Lex said, and oh God it was the doublethink thing. It was way too early to deal with doublethink, any time this side of noon and breakfast was too early for doublethink. "As such I have to be able to hate you, and genuinely want to kill you. Us being together is making that too difficult."

"And you couldn't have figured that out months ago?" Clark said grumpily. Whoever said that thing about it being better to have loved and lost was a moron. "Why do you even need to want to kill me anyway?"

"I just said, because I'm your arch-nemesis," Lex responded, tone completely even and reasonable.

"Well, why are you my arch-nemesis?" Clark rebutted.

"Because it's your fault I'm bald." Lex was starting to sound a little testy now. "We've been over all this before."

They have been over it before, a million times, and Clark still hasn't gotten a satisfactory answer. He felt like a rat in a maze, except Lex's mind games keep changing the walls around. There has to be a reason, a real reason, why Lex decided on this arch-nemesis course of action, because no one likes comics that much. And even if Clark did believe that's why Lex started this, no one decides to end things with someone they think is perfect for that reason. There is something more going on here, and Clark was starting to think he could run around in circles forever and still not get it.

"This is so stupid," Clark announced. Belligerent and petulant as hell, yes, but Clark's boyfriend was trying to break up with him because said boyfriend liked him enough to not want to kill him. This did not a happy Clark make.

"You're being unreasonable," Lex told him.

"Of course, I'm being unreasonable. You want us to stop seeing each other because you think it's interfering with your ability to be evil."

"Well, excuse me if I'm having a hard time trying to kill someone I'm in love with," Lex snapped.

They both froze. Slowly, what must have been the world's goofiest grin spread across Clark's face. "You're in love with me?"

"I didn't mean to say that," Lex answered.

"But you're in love with me," pressed Clark.

"It really has no bearing on this conversation."

"But you're in love with me."

"Yes, fine," Lex said waspishly. "I'm in love with you. Happy?"

"Immensely," Clark told him. Then, to prove his point he kissed Lex on the nose. Lex scowled, which was just about the cutest thing. There was definitely more nose-kissing in his future.

"And," Clark added, inspiration striking suddenly, "I think you're wrong. About the arch-nemesis thing that is."

Lex's scowled deepened. He really didn't like being told he was wrong about… well anything really. "How so?"

"I don't think you're my arch-nemesis at all. I think you're my… uh… rival." Superheroes had rivals right? Man, Clark really should have read more of Lex's Warrior Angel comics.

"I am not your rival. That doesn't even make sense."

"Why not?" Clark said plaintively. He had thought it was a really good idea. A really good idea that allowed Clark to work with the crazy, rather than through it.

"To be rivals we'd have to be competing for something," Lex explained. "We have to have the same goal."

And it probably had to be a superhero-related one too, so their goal of having sex in every room of the penthouse wouldn't count. Not to mention that was more of a joint effort than a competition. Damn.

"We both want to help people?" Clark suggested. That could be a completion, right? Who can help the most people, or help people more?

Lex looked at him in askance. "I have two goals, Clark, and neither of them is to 'help people.' The first is to be a better man than my father, both morally and success-wise, and the second is to use my evil plots to take over the world and kill Superman."

Admittedly Clark had never actually met Lionel, but he was at least ninety percent sure that those goals weren't actually mutually compatible. But the point of this whole thing was to convince Lex not to break up with him without trying to deal with the doublethink stuff, so Clark decided to let that one go.

"But you do help people. LexCorp does all kinds of good stuff," Clark insisted.

"Mere by-products of what I'm actually trying to achieve," Lex said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Besides I'm evil. The rival can, and really should, be morally ambiguous, but he can't be evil."

"You aren't evil," Clark told him. Clark firmly believed this, even taking the evil plots into account.

"I built a death ray," Lex said flatly.

"Nobody knows about that but me, you, and that pigeon," Clark rejoined. And the pigeon was dead, so it wasn't saying anything even pigeons could talk. Which they couldn't. Probably. "You are not evil."

"The people of Australia would probably disagree with you," said Lex. Man, Clark had totally forgotten about that plot, likely because it had made even less sense than most of them. And Lex had refused to elaborate on it beyond it being "tradition" so Clark was still in the dark.

"Okay, so you're a villain," Clark conceded. He still didn't believe it really, but Lex could almost certainly come up with examples of his "evilness" all day and that's not really how Clark envisioned their day in bed together. Time to change tactics. "But you could be a redeemed villain."

"Redeemed?" Lex repeated, sounding vaguely amused.

"Yeah," Clark enthused. This reasoning was much better than the rival thing, especially since it was almost true. "You were a horrible evil villain, and then the power of love redeemed you."

Clark saw the emotions in Lex's eyes shutter close, saw his body stiffen, but he had no clue what had caused it. No clue, other than the certain knowledge that he had tripped over one of Lex's self-esteem issues again, and fuck Lionel Luthor anyway.

"No," said Lex. "Absolutely not."

"What's wrong?" Clark asked cautiously. Lex didn't say anything, just sat, jaw clenched and staring at the wall. Clark reached out a hand and tried to place it on Lex's shoulder, but the other man yanked away.

"Lex, come on," pleaded Clark. "I need you to talk to me."

"No, you are not using that against me. I shouldn't have even said it; I didn't mean to say it."

"Using it against you? Lex, what are you – oh shit." Shit, shit, shit. If Lionel wasn't roasting in Hell this very second, then Clark was going to have Very Serious Words with someone. "I'm not trying to use the fact that you love me against you."

"Really?" Lex said incredulously. "Does 'the power of love redeemed you' ring any bells?"

"What I meant when I said that was the power of my love redeemed you." Lex's defenses were still miles high, but he softened just a little, let just a little hope peek out of the corners of his eyes.

"I love you, Lex," Clark said very clearly, so he couldn't possibly be misunderstood. "I love you so much when you said you wanted to end this I nearly had a panic attack. I love you so much I bullshitted comic book knowledge to come up with an excuse why you didn't need to leave. I. Love. You. Okay?"

By the end of Clark's speech Lex had collapsed n on himself, anger and doubt and relief draining him. Clark gathered Lex up in his arms and pulled him to his chest. When Lex didn't protest, Clark started rocking slowly and whispering comforting words in his ears.

"You can't leave me," Lex said, not a little brokenly.

"You were the one trying to break up with me remember?" said Clark wryly.

"I'm serious Clark," Lex protested, turning to look Clark in the eye. "If you do… fucking Australia won't know what hit it."

"We wouldn't want that," Clark replied with an eye-roll. Then, more seriously, "I'm not going to leave you. Panic attacks and fake comic book knowledge, remember?"

"Good," Lex said fiercely. Then, hand in Clark's hair, Lex yanked him down for a kiss. It was very nearly a reflection of the one earlier, Lex all desperate need and Clark gentle comfort. Though the gentle part might be a lost cause if Lex kept doing that thing with his tongue.

Regrettably, Lex did not keep doing that thing with his tongue, instead breaking the kiss to say, "That's not what we're telling people."

"What's not?" That Clark loved Lex? Because Clark fully intended on telling that to as many people as possible.

"That you redeemed me with the power of your love. That's ridiculously cheesy and Luthors don't do cheesy." Clark had a few memories of Lex that would beg to differ, but he figured he could let Lex have this one.

"We can tell them whatever you want," Clark assured him.

"We'll start working on that first thing tomorrow then," Lex decided.

"Tomorrow?" asked Clark.

Lex gave the little smirk that was pure sex and shifted – and wow, they were both still naked. "I believe you had us booked for the day."