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"You can hypnotize people?" Lex's gaze was steel, boring into Clark. His tie was loose around his neck, two buttons undone on his purple silk shirt. The lines under his eyes told Clark it had been a long day.
Clark stopped where he was in the middle of pacing around the penthouse. "I—yes. But I don't. I don't think it's fair to—"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I kind of forgot? Like I said, I don't use it."
Lex crossed his arms, contemplative. He wasn't making eye contact.
"I swear, Lex, I would never do that to you. I never have."
"Without pointing out the obvious fact that you could absolutely be lying—which, might I add, you are known to do—I wasn't going to accuse you of that."
Clark bit his lip. "Then what is this about?"
"I want you to do it. Hypnotize me."
Clark blinked.
Lex uncrossed his arms, fingers tapping against his thigh. "You heard me." The penthouse windows framed Metropolis glittering below them, sharp lights against the deepening dusk. "I want you to erase it. The static. The noise." He gestured vaguely at his own temple. "Just... quiet."
Clark began to protest. "I—we don't know what that'll do to you—"
"That's the scientific method, Clark. Besides, it's not like I'm any stranger to neurological trauma."
"That's not funny, Lex."
"Who said I'm joking?"
Lex stepped closer, the scent of his expensive cologne cutting through the penthouse's cool air. Clark could hear the frantic drumbeat of Lex's heart beneath that calm exterior, a contradiction that sometimes unnerved him. Lex's fingers brushed lightly against Clark's wrist. "Do it. Make it stop." He exhaled. "Just for a while."
Clark hesitated. This was hardly something he practiced, like all of his abilities, it had the potential to go wrong. But the look in Lex's eyes drew him in, and maybe he was the hypnotic one.
"Okay," he said, swallowing. "Just for a while."
Clark raised his hands slowly, palms facing Lex. "Look at my hands." Lex's gaze snapped upward, locking onto Clark's fingers. His breathing hitched. Clark focused, letting the strange, humming energy build behind his eyes. He saw Lex’s pupils dilate, the tension in his jaw softening incrementally. "That's it," Clark murmured. "Just breathe with me. In... and out." He matched his own breaths to Lex’s, syncing them until the frantic drumming of Lex's heart began to slow against Clark's super-hearing.
Lex swayed slightly, eyelids fluttering. Clark guided him backward until his knees hit their plush armchair. Lex sank into it bonelessly, head lolling against the velvet. The sharp lines of his face, the perpetual furrow between his brows, the tightness around his mouth, dissolved. Clark watched the transformation with a knot in his stomach. Lex looked younger, suddenly. It was like seeing an old friend, with a wave of nostalgia and a bit of hurt. Clark’s fingers brushed Lex’s temple. "Forget the weight," he whispered. "Forget the noise. Only warmth. Only quiet." Lex sighed, a soft, surrendering sound Clark had never heard from him before.
"Everything feels light. So light," Clark said. "Doesn't it?" Lex nodded slowly, a small smile playing on his lips. His shoulders slumped deeper into the chair, tension bleeding away. Clark kept his voice low, rhythmic. "That's right. No pressure. No darkness." He watched Lex's fingers uncurl from their tight fists, resting open and relaxed on the armrests.
Clark took a shaky breath. "What are you thinking about, Lex?"
The other man stared at Clark, blankly. It was a look Clark had never seen on Lex Luthor before.
"You're not thinking about anything?"
Lex shook his head slowly, the smile on his lips not disappearing.
The Lex Clark knew was usually thinking about at least twelve things at once.
He steeled himself again, pressing on. "What do you want right now, Lex? Think about whatever it is you desire the most. Focus on it."
Lex nodded, breaths shallow and slow.
"Can you tell me what it is you want?"
It was a single syllable answer. "You."
Clark blinked. He hadn't expected that. Lex's gaze was steady, unwavering. It wasn't predatory, or possessive—it was soft. Open. Vulnerable in a way Clark had rarely witnessed. Lex shifted slightly in the chair, his silk shirt rustling against the velvet upholstery. He didn't elaborate. Didn't need to.
"I want you, too. Did you know that?"
Lex nodded again.
Clark swallowed. The vulnerability radiating from Lex was unnerving. He leaned closer, voice softening further. "You're brilliant, Lex. Truly." He traced the curve of Lex's jawline with his thumb. "Your mind... it amazes me. The way you see patterns, solve problems nobody else can even grasp." He paused, letting the words sink into the quiet space between them. "And your resilience. How you rebuild, every single time life tries to shatter you. That strength... it’s something I admire a lot about you."
Lex’s eyelids drifted shut for a moment, his breathing deepening. A faint hum escaped his lips, almost content. Clark watched the tension melt from Lex’s shoulders, replaced by a profound stillness. He continued, pouring sincerity into each syllable. "You deserve peace, Lex. Real peace. Not just the absence of noise. You deserve to feel safe." Clark’s thumb brushed gently over Lex’s temple again. "Safe enough to just... be."
Clark’s gaze drifted downward, tracing the elegant line of Lex’s throat where the undone buttons revealed smooth skin. The sharp angle of his jaw, softened now in relaxation, the defined curve of his collarbone beneath the silk. "And you’re beautiful, Lex," Clark murmured, the words falling into the hushed air like a confession. "Not just your mind. All of you." His knuckles grazed Lex’s cheekbone. "The way the light catches your eyes sometimes, like a lake full of diamonds. And I've seen the way you work out every day—it pays off, Lex. Everything you do pays off in one way or another."
Lex hummed again. Clark couldn't help the way his eyes locked onto parted lips, Lex's jaw slack and pliant. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to those lips, pretty and pink and so inviting. Lex gasped softly, tilting his head back to deepen the kiss. Clark pulled away just enough to murmur against Lex's mouth. "You're so good like this." Lex's eyelids fluttered, a soft sigh escaping him. Clark kissed him again, slower this time, tasting the quiet surrender on his tongue. Lex melted into it, fingers curling weakly into Clark's shirt.
Clark slid his hand down Lex's chest, feeling the rapid flutter of his heart beneath silk. He lingered over the undone buttons, fingers slipping beneath the fabric to trace the hard planes of Lex's stomach. Lex arched into the touch, a low moan vibrating against Clark's lips. "So responsive," Clark breathed, pulling back to watch Lex's face. Eyes half-lidded, lips swollen, expression utterly open—nothing like the sharp-edged man who'd demanded hypnosis minutes ago. Clark trailed his thumb over Lex's lower lip. "You look perfect."
Lex's hand lifted, clumsy and slow, to grasp Clark's wrist. Pulling him closer. "More," Lex murmured, the word thick and slurred. His gaze drifted downward, settling on Clark's mouth with unnerving focus. Clark kissed him again, deeper, swallowing Lex's gasp.
Clark pulled back just enough to speak, his voice a low hum against Lex's lips. "You're not thinking, are you? Not worrying. Not planning." His fingers traced the hollow of Lex's throat, then drifted lower, slipping another button free. Smooth skin, warm beneath silk. "You're just... feeling." He undid the next button, then the next, parting the shirt like unwrapping something precious. Lex's chest rose and fell steadily, unguarded. "An object," Clark murmured, knuckles brushing a taut nipple, watching it peak instantly under his touch. Lex whimpered. "Made for peace. For happiness." Clark leaned down, pressing a kiss just above Lex's navel. "For pleasure." His tongue traced the hard line of muscle leading downward.
Lex's hips lifted off the velvet, a silent plea. Clark’s hands slid to Lex’s belt buckle, the metallic click loud in the quiet apartment. He eased the zipper down slowly, the rasp of fabric against fabric the only sound besides Lex’s shallow breaths. Clark peeled the expensive trousers down lean hips, revealing dark briefs straining against Lex’s obvious erection. The scent of him filled Clark’s senses. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband and pulled them down too, freeing Lex’s cock. It stood flushed and heavy against his stomach, already glistening at the tip.
Clark leaned in, his breath warm against the heated skin. He took Lex deep into his mouth, swallowing him whole with a low groan that vibrated against Lex’s flesh. Lex cried out, a raw, unfiltered sound Clark had never heard before—pure sensation ripped from his throat. Lex was not a selfish lover, but Clark noticed when he bit back a moan, cut off his sounds like somebody might hear and get him in trouble. This Lex had no such hangups. Clark pulled back slowly, savoring the weight on his tongue, then sank down again, deeper this time.
His rhythm was deliberate, unhurried, each movement drawing another choked gasp or shuddering moan from Lex. Between deep, wet sucks, Clark lifted his head just enough to speak, lips brushing the swollen head. "Just an object," he murmured, the words thick, intimate. "Made for feeling." He dipped down again, tongue swirling. "Not thinking." Lex whimpered, fingers tangling desperately in Clark’s hair, not guiding, just clinging. "Only pleasure," Clark breathed against him before taking him deep once more, hollowing his cheeks. Lex’s thighs trembled violently. "Perfect for it."
Lex arched off the chair, back bowing, a strangled cry tearing from his throat as release hit him—sudden, violent, utterly uncontrolled. Clark swallowed steadily, eyes locked on Lex’s face, watching the raw ecstasy twisting his features. It was breathtaking. Lex collapsed back onto the velvet, chest heaving, eyes wide and unfocused, mouth slack. A thin sheen of sweat coated his skin, gleaming in the city lights filtering through the windows. Utterly spent. Utterly serene.
Clark leaned back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He watched Lex breathe, the frantic pulse in his throat slowing to a steady, deep rhythm. Clark reached out, gently brushing Lex’s forehead. His thumb traced the sharp line of Lex’s cheekbone, then drifted down to his jawline. "Look at you," Clark murmured. "So beautiful." Lex’s eyelids fluttered, a faint, blissful smile touching his lips. "Every part of you." Clark’s fingers traced the elegant column of Lex’s throat. "You are worthy, Lex Luthor. Worthy of peace. Worthy of feeling cherished. Worthy of love." He leaned closer, his breath warm against Lex’s ear. "You deserve good things. Not just scraps or victories fought for tooth and nail. Softness. Warmth. Safety." Clark pressed a soft kiss to Lex’s temple. "You deserve to feel good. To be good, exactly as you are right now."
Clark straightened, his gaze intense. "I want you to remember these words, Lex. Deep down. Where the noise can’t touch them." His voice dropped to a resonant whisper, layered with subtle command. "They’ll be there, waiting. Whenever you need them."
He paused, letting the silence stretch. "Now," Clark commanded softly, "wake up."
Lex blinked slowly before his pupils contracted sharply. The dazed softness vanished like smoke, replaced by sharp awareness. He frowned, looking at Clark and then down at himself.
"Clark... why am I half naked?"
Clark grinned, toothy and full. "Your reward for doing a great job."
"I don't remember any of it."
"You're not supposed to."
Lex bristled. "Well, then what's the point?"
Clark laughed. "You tell me, super-genius. I remember you saying something about the scientific method? Did your hypothesis get confirmed?"
Lex scowled, pushing himself upright. The movement was fluid, Clark noted, lacking its usual coiled tension. He glanced down at his unbuttoned shirt, the pants pooled around his ankles. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. He stepped out of the bottoms, and Clark enjoyed the view as Lex walked to the bathroom to clean up.
Maybe this use of his power wasn't so bad.