Summary: The rift isn't exactly what it seems.

Warnings: Rated NC-17. m/m, futurefic.

The hideout was a wreck, heaps of twisted metal and ruined concrete. Great choking clouds of dust rose in the air, as the last of the gun cartel's hired thugs ran like scared little schoolboys. Clark stood in the middle of the rubble, arms crossed over his chest, occasionally blasting his heat vision at the heels of one of the foolhardy stragglers, glaring for good measure.

Hired thugs were so easy to intimidate.

When it was all clear, Clark searched for the door to the inner sanctum and knocked it off its hinges. Inside was a small cinder-blocked room, empty except for a single chair, where Lex Luthor was bound and gagged.

Clark shook his head. "You really ought to know better than to get involved with weapons smugglers. Those jackals will turn on your every time."

Lex regarded him with an insolent look and lifted his chin defiantly, a gesture Clark knew far too well. Lex didn't try to talk through the gag, too proud, no doubt, to make noises that would only sound pathetic even if he was calling Clark a son of a bitch.

Clark smiled. "You know, I think I like you this way. Quiet. Still." He sauntered over to Lex. "At my mercy."

Lex stayed silent. But the "fuck you" was clear in his expression.

Clark laughed. And dropped to his knees in front of Lex, whose eyes went wide with disbelief.

Clark rubbed Lex's erection through his pants. "You seem to like it, too."

Lex tried to jerk away, but the ropes held him tight.

"Hey," Clark said. "I saved your life. Don't you think I deserve some kind of reward?"

He opened Lex's pants and pulled them down to his knees. Lex's eyes got bigger. And much angrier.

"Oh, please. You know you're going to enjoy it."

Clark sucked Lex's dick deep into his throat.

Lex naturally fought against it. Tried to stay still and not respond. Tried to bite back little whimpers of pleasure. But Clark didn't need to breathe the way humans did, and it made him a truly inventive cocksucker. Not even Lex Luthor, with his iron will, could resist forever. In fact, it wasn't long at all before Lex's hips were thrusting forward, as much as the ropes would allow, and the room echoed with his desperate, needy moans.

Out of the corner of his eye, Clark noticed the door open, and two stubborn, or possibly just stupid, thugs storm in with their guns drawn. Faced, though, with the spectacle of Superman busily deep-throating his arch nemesis, they quite understandably froze in place.

Lex thrashed rather violently and made urgent noises through the gag, trying to get Clark's attention. Apparently, he was in no mood for an audience. Clark, on the other hand, had more important things to think about.

"Oh my God. He's-- He's torturing him," one of the idiots whispered.

"Man, if that's his idea of torture, then sign me up," said the other.

Clark smiled around Lex's dick. He was rather proud of his technique. Still, he figured they'd seen enough, and he liked having Lex all to himself.

He pulled back from Lex's dick long enough to send a stream of fire shooting over their heads.

"Fuck!" one of them yelled.

"Run!" cried the other.

When Clark was certain they were gone, he turned back to Lex, whose expression had gone from arrogantly defiant to bitterly betrayed. Lex was never above piling on the guilt if he thought it might help him.

"Don't look at me like that. You know you had this coming."

He went back to work with a satisfied hum. It was not much longer before Lex came with a strangled shriek.

Clark sat back on his heels and wiped his mouth. "Please, don't ever put me through this again. When I realized they'd taken you-- You have no idea how terrified I was."

He stood up and undid the gag.

"I had everything under control," Lex insistently hotly.

"Do I need to remind you that you're tied to a chair?"

Lex gave him a look that would have wilted a lesser man.

"Okay, okay," Clark said.

He snapped the ropes.

"I can't believe you," Lex said.

"Well, I can't believe you. I specifically asked you not to get involved with these people. And what do you do?"

"I can't help you if I don't get involved. That's our plan, remember? I pretend to be shady. We act like enemies. So I can find out what's going on in the criminal underworld."

Clark tightened his jaw and didn't answer.

"I could have been injured, you know," Lex went on. "Did you even stop to think about that before you decided to go down on me in front of the hired guns?" He rubbed his chafed wrists and made a rueful face.

Clark frowned and brushed his fingers lightly over a bruise on Lex's forehead, as if he could erase it with tenderness.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, with concern.

Lex glared at him. "No. But you didn't know that."

"I knew nothing was broken."

Lex got to his feet.

"I hate it when you use your x-ray vision on me," he muttered grumpily.

Clark rolled his eyes. "No, you don't."

Lex sighed. "Okay, so I don't. But you still shouldn't have done that. You completely ruined the plan. Who's going to believe we're mortal enemies if you go around sucking my dick in front of people?"

"Uh, nobody?"

Lex narrowed his eyes.

Clark shrugged. "What can I say? I'm sick of pretending to be your enemy. But I never get tired of sucking your dick."

"You did this on purpose," Lex accused.

"Yes. I did." Clark crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to be sorry. "I hate your plan. I always have."

"But Clark, think of all the valuable information we've gotten because of it. The edge it's given you. Who's going to watch your back now?"

"Lex, nothing is going to happen to me. I love you, but I don't need your help. These dangerous messes you get yourself into scare the shit out of me. And as irresistible as you look tied to a chair, it's something I only ever want to see in the privacy of our bedroom. Okay?"

Lex studied him a long moment. Clark knew he was trying to calculate if there was any way he could still win this argument.

Finally, Lex let out of his breath in defeat. "Okay. No more plan. But you could have just told me. You didn't have to give those moronic minions a show."

Clark said nothing. He simply slung his arm over Lex's shoulder and led him out of the building. He knew it would do absolutely no good to remind Lex that he had mentioned his loathing of the plan, loudly, and on many occasions.

"Let's go home, huh? It's going to be nice not to have to sneak into the penthouse anymore."

He wrapped an arm around Lex's waist and took off.

"You do realize this is going to be all over the city tomorrow?" Lex said.

"Mmm." He tucked Lex's head under his chin to prevent wind burn.

"In the papers. On television."

Clark smiled. "Fellatio ends feud. Film at 11."

Lex groaned. "I'm going to be known all over town as the Man of Steel's sex toy."

"Gorgeous sex toy. Don't sell yourself short."

He landed smoothly on the penthouse balcony and set Lex down.

"I'm glad you're having so much fun at my expense," Lex said dryly.

"Oh, please. So the public won't think you're an evil mastermind anymore. You'll get over it."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's going to be called Superman's slut behind his back."

"Hey." Clark pulled Lex into his arms. " I realize it's not as Machiavellian as you may like, but will it really be so terrible to have people think of you as Superman's best friend? His trusted companion and one true love?"

There was just the briefest pause, and then Clark felt Lex's smile against his cheek.

"I suppose I could learn to live with it."