New Fic: "Gizmo", SV, LL/CK, R
Title: „Gizmo“
Author: Bev
Beta: Twinsarein, thank's dear.
Prompt: „Don't get him wet, keep him out of bright light, and never feed him after midnight.“ from the movie 'Gremlins'
Rating: R
Summary: Lex finds Clark after years … at a place he never would have guessed.
A/N: The title is the name from the first - sweet and friendly - Gremlin which was still cute and fluffy.
„So this is it?“
The man in the white labcoat stepped closer, and put one hand on Lex Luthor's arm, stopping him from getting closer to the cage.
Big mistake.
Before he could pull his hand back, what felt like five security guys had him first in a headlock, and then with his face on the floor.
It was an … interesting experience. The scientist knew about Luthor's revulsion about being touched. He had acted purely on instinct, trying to protect his boss. The thing in the cage was something they had just found, and up until now nobody knew what it was, though it looked remarkably human.
Hmm … he really had to talk with the cleaning personnel … there was dust under his desk. He could see it very clearly from his current position.
„Sir, Mr. Luthor, I'm very very sorry … but it might be dangerous to get too close to the cage,“ he mumbled from somewhere around the hand that held his head down and smashed his face into the floor.
For a long moment he heard nothing except for his own harsh breathing, then the hand from his head was lifted, and another hand helped him up, and patted down his coat. The big, burly guy who had pinned him down so effortlessly seemed to be genuinly sorry, and murmered something about just doing his job.
„Aren’t we all?“ asked the scientist back equally as quiet, and got a small, surprised smile in return.
He straightened his coat, brushed away some imaginary dust - and the security guy's hands - and slowly walked closer to Lex Luthor, his boss, self-proclaimed genius and billionaire.
„We found it about four weeks ago,“ he started, and continued hastily when an icy look out of two pale, grey-blue eyes met him, „but you … you already know that. Of course you know that. Well, we're still not quite sure if it's completely human or maybe another of those Smallville mutants. When we found it, it was lying on a glen surrounded by those green rocks. We brought them with us because they seem to weaken the thing.“
„Him.“
The scientist who had been staring down at his flip chart looked up, bemused. „I … I'm sorry, sir?“
The bald man turned around, and faced the scientist whose nametag read 'Carter'. „I said … him. You can clearly see that the creature inside the cage is male. If you can't … I'd be forced to replace you.“
„Nononono … of course, you're right. It … him … he's male. It's just that we're still not sure what kind of creature it … he is.“
Slowly, Luthor walked closer to the cage, and watched the man who huddled in one corner. He was filthy, and stank to high heaven. His hair and beard had grown, lending him indeed the look of a wild creature. He wore rags, and his skin was covered in dirt and bruises. Little green, glowing stones were embedded in the cage, weaking him just enough to endure the procedures the scientists planned for him but not harming him seriously.
Luthor reached out with one hand, and Carter resisted the urge to pull him back once again. His boss' voice sounded smooth and emotionless when he said, „I know him.“
Carter's eyes lit up. „You do? That's … that's amazing. Can you ...“
One gesture of his boss made him shut his mouth with an almost audible click. The gloved hand rested now on one of the cage's bars.
„Hello, Clark.“
~*~
From the moment Lex Luthor had gotten up this morning, he'd had the distinct feeling that this was going to not be a good day. After his father had passed away - the friendly way of saying that he got shot by one of the mad men he'd fucked over one too many times - it now was Lex's job to take a look at all the hidden laboratories, offices and stuff to see what he's inherited.
After being led what seemed to be twenty stories beneath the surface, the nervous man in the suit opened the last door. Blubbering something about a secret test with an alien. Lex didn't listen. Didn't listen until he saw the cage in the middle of the room.
And in the cage … Clark.
Lex's heart broke in a million pieces when he saw Clark for the first time in almost ten years. What had ahppened? What had become of the shy, loveable teenager he had met back in Smallville? Last he'd known was that Clark was studying in Metropolis at MetU. Then, the younger man had somehow vanished from his radar. Lex had been busy pushing his father out of business, and Clark … well, Lex had always thought he would finally marry his big love, Lana (or some other doe-eyed girl who would admire his strength and carry a child as beautiful as Clark at least every two years), and worked somewhere. Yet here he was, in a secret underground lab his father Lionel had built, enduring everything Jonathan Kent had always been afraid of.
But he was Lex Luthor, heir of the Luthor empire, so he couldn't show his emotions. He reigned them in, and only his education - and the fact that he had grown up in the presence of his father - made it possible for him not to react to the sight before him.
He wanted to rip out the stones, wanted to throw them far away, wanted to open the cage, and lead Clark out of there. He wanted to take him in his arms, wanted to take him far far away from this horrible place. He wanted to see the healthy golden glow of his skin again, not this sickly green color.
But he couldn't. Not right now.
At the mentioning of his name, Clark looked up, and for a second Lex was shocked to see the hopeless expression in them. Then anger welled up, and Lex almost smiled. Anger was good. It showed him that the younger man wasn't completely broken yet. Then the anger turned to pure hatred, and Lex shivered.
„You!“ Clark hissed, and then - without a warning or anything - he threw himself against the bars of his cage, growling with rage. But he wasn't able to push through them, the green meteorites burned deeply into his skin, making him scream out in pain. He fell to the floor again, writhing in agony.
„You … bastard,“ he panted, then he crawled back into his corner, whining quietly. It made him sound more like an animal in pain than a human. Lex could see that the wounds from the stones healed. But they left scars. Left scars where there should be none.
„Isn't that amazing?“ Carter asked next to him, and Lex had to behave himself not to smash this idiot's head in.
„What do you refer to?“ he asked, his voice neutral.
„The … the way he's healing of course. It's fascinating. No matter what we do to him … a few seconds - or sometimes a few minutes - later you see nothing. Just a faint scarring. We're still not sure how he manages to do that. But I guess a few more tests, maybe even with more of those stones, can give us some answers.“
Lex could see the shiver that ran over Clark's form. Could see the slight widening of those beautiful, and oh-so-familiar eyes. And he realized that Clark could hear them perfectly. More tests meant more hurt. More scars. More pain. And it would be only a matter of time until he'd give up. Would decide that this existence wasn't worth living anymore.
He stepped closer, ignoring the warning words from Carter. He took a closer look at Clark, noticing the way his ribs protruded. His face under the beard was thin. He must have lost at least twenty pounds. The only thing he wore were some stained sweatpants and a leather collar around his neck. Like a goddamn dog, Lex thought. And embedded in the leather collar was one tiny sliver of a green stone. Not enough to hurt him, just enough to weaken him. Lex sighed inwardly.
„Do you … feed him enough?“ Lex asked, hating himself for using this word. He remembered Clark's healthy appetite.
Carter looked at his flip-chart, and frowned slightly. Then he found the information he was looking for. „He gets the normal ration, once a day.“
Once a day. He had Clark's delighted laughter in his ears whenever Mia, Lex's housekeeper, had brought something to eat up into the TV-room. Once a day simply wasn't enough. Not by far!
„How about sunlight?“ In his mind he saw Clark basking in the sun like an overgrown cat, knew that the young man loved the warmth and the light.
Carter shook his head. „Oh no. We don't know how he'd react to the radiation so he stays inside. Oh, and he produces semen very much like a human's.“
Lex grew icy cold inside. Semen? How did they … they wouldn't, would they? His father wouldn't have stooped *that* low … would he?
„How,“ he cleared his throat, „how do you know that?“
„We took a sample. He wasn't too eager to participate but in the end we could trick his body to get the results.“
Trick his body. Lex closed his eyes, glad he still had his back turned to Carter. Trick his body. He didn't dare to think about the ways they might have tricked his body.
„Who gave you the order to do it?“
„Your father, Mr Luthor, Sir. He wanted to know everything there is to know about the creatu....I mean, about him.“
Yeah, that was just like Lionel. But to order something close to rape? That was low … *even* for Lionel.
„Leave me alone with him.“
„But, Sir, I ...“
Lex turned around quickly. „I did *not* ask for your permission, Carter! You followed my father's orders blindly, I expect nothing less from you now. So get out, and leave me alone.“
Two of his three bodyguards moved silently, and swiftly. Two large hands came down on Carter's shoulders, gently but insistently guiding him out. All the other lab techs followed quietly. Lex turned back to the cage. Without looking back at his third bodyguard, he said, „Make sure that every recording is stopped the moment the door closes behind you.“
The man nodded, and left quietly. The door closed behind him, and the silence that followed was heavy. Lex sighed regretfully, and rested his forehead against the metal bars of the cage. „God, Clark, I'm so sorry,“ he whispered.
„What do you want here, Lex?“
The voice was scratchy, and sounded as if it hadn't been used very much in the past. Lex looked at Clark, saw the fear and yet also the anger in the younger man's eyes.
„Did you came down here to show me your superiority? Show the alien that not even his powers are strong enough for a mighty Luthor?“
„No, Clark, I didn't know. This lab,“ Lex made a gesture, encompassing the whole building, „is my father's doing. I had no idea he … had you in here.“
„Why should I believe you?“
Very slowly Lex gripped two bars with his hands, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Clark was still huddled in one corner, as far away from the green meteorites as possible. It hurt Lex to see his former friend so afraid, so deadly scared. And he knew that there was only one answer to that question.
„Because I will get you out of here.“
~*~
Pain.
Bright, hot, startling intense pain, exploding in every cell of his body was the first thing Clark had noticed after waking up for the first time, still on the glen, staring up at the sun and the sky. He'd tried to get his bearings together, tried to think but the pain was too intense, the urge to just let go and slip back into unsconsciousness to alluring to resist, and he'd drifted off again. The next time he awoke, the pain had diminshed a little bit, so he had been able to think. To remember. To remember his fight against the mutant who'd had the ability to transform himself into everyone and every*thing* he wanted. Clark had won but barely. He could remember vaguely the triumphant expression in the mutant's eyes when he discovered that the green rocks hurt him. That had been the moment the pain had started. Not too intense in the beginning. Not enough to slow him down too much. Clark had been able to defeat him, but in doing so the mutant had picked up a green rock the size af a man's fist, and with his last breath he had thrown it at Clark.
The rock had hit him squarely in the chest, pushing him backwards, leaving him weak and breathless, and writhing in agonizing pain. At some point, he'd lost consciousness, unable to fight the hurt, the searing in his vains, the pounding in his head and his chest where the rock still lay, pulsating slowly in that sickly green light. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he had barely registered when people had arrived at the clearing where he had lain. People who'd walked closer, very carefully. Who had picked him up, together with the rock, never moving the rock. That goddamned rock that burned him from the inside. That turned his muscles to something resembling cooked noodles.
The rock that hurt. So. Much.
They'd strapped him onto a stretcher, and he'd been unable to do anything about it.
The rock.
Pulsating.
Burning.
He'd felt sweat running down his temples. A car. Something like an ambulance. A short drive. Darkness. Then white lights. On the ceiling. Passing by over him while they had wheeled him down a corridor and into a waiting elevator.
Down. Not up … down. And down. Forever downwards.
And then a lab. Men in white coats, with masks hiding their faces.
And Lionel.
Lionel Luthor.
Grinning down at him. Saying something that he couldn't understand over the painful roaring in his ears. Weakly he'd shaken his head, had tried to say something, had pleaded with his eyes if nothing else to pleasepleaseplease end the pain. Remove the rock.
Please.
Lionel.
Still grinning. Bending down, pressing the rock even harder into his chest, making him gasp and cry out, pushing him down into darkness again.
The first - really coherent - thought came much later. When the rock had been split into many fragments. When they had put the collar around his neck. When they had put him in that damned cage that had been lined with meteor fragments.
Hurt. Betrayal. His father's words … never trust a Luthor, Son.
Anger.
Hatred.
And fear. Those were the dominant thoughts in him. But they were useless. Day after day they cut into him, making him moan in pain, making him bleed, ripping his guts open just to study the way he healed. But his healing slowed down. And the lab-techs grew impatient. Stitching him together, waiting almost with a stopwatch in their hands for his flesh to heal.
Every night he was pushed back into the cage. A plate of food was shoved his way, and then, when the lights went out, he was finally alone.
Alone with his thoughts. With his pain. With his betrayal.
He hadn't thought of much in those nights. Mostly remembering life on the farm. When he lay shivering in one corner, he tried to think about the good things he had in his life. Tried to think of the long nights he had spent at Lex's place, playing pool, watching old movies, listening to him playing the piano. And how he wished to be in the manor again, hearing Lex's voice, feeling his hand on the shoulder when he had managed an especially good shot.
But then Lionel had shot all his dreams to hell. He came in one day, smiling, telling him that Lex had been thrilled when Lionel had told him about this facility. And that Lex had suggested that his semen should be examined.
And when Clark had thought that those last weeks had been humiliating? That procedure had been so much worse.
And now Lex was here. Standing at his cage. Telling him that he hadn't know anything about all this.
Could he believe him?
He wanted to. God, he wanted to. In his head he still had the memories of all the time they had spent together. All those times when he had wanted to reach out, and touch, and kiss, and stroke, and caress. And never dared.
Now Lex was here.
„Why?“
„I didn't know, Clark,“ Lex said quietly, „you have to believe that I didn't know.“
Clark bowed his head, and rested it on his knees again. Lionel's words still rang in his ears. Lex. Semen collection. Told me to do whatever it takes. He likes the pain, Clark. I'm sure he wants to come watching at some point.
„I can't,“ Clark whispered helplessly. „I can't. Not after everything that happened. Lionel,“ Clark swallowed, almost choking on that name, „Lionel will never allow it. He said … he said you liked my pain. Liked to see me bleeding.“
„My father is dead, Clark. That's why I'm here. To take a look at his … heritage.“
Clark couldn't comprehend this information at first. He raised his head and stared at Lex, heard again Lionel's voice in his head, and continued speaking without really listening.
„He said, you were curious about the color of my blood. Said, you loved it when I screamed. So I stopped screaming. Never said anything. Until one day … one day I couldn't take it any longer.“
Clark closed his eyes. „It hurt, Lex. When the strapped me down, pulled my legs apart, and pushed in. It hurt. It hurt so goddamn much. And all the time your father stood beside me, telling me to scream because you loved the sound so much.“
A weird noise from the place where Lex was standing caused Clark to open his eyes, and he sighed. Lex had sat down. No, slumped down was more like it. He seemed like a marionette with cut strings.
„I didn't know, Clark,“ Lex whispered hoarsely. „Please. You have to believe me. I did NOT know anything about it.“
Clark honestly didn't know why he did what he did, or said what he said, but with a heavy sigh he murmured, „I believe you, Lex.“
And for a brief moment he wondered if he had finally lost his sanity.
~*~
„I believe you, Lex.“
Never before had Lex heard words as sweet as those. And he was more determined than ever to get Clark out of there.
„Can you hold on for one more day?“ he asked quietly.
Clark looked up but remained silent.
„Clark, please. Tell me … can you hold on for just one more day?“
Clark cleared his throat, and winced when the green stone on his leather collar pulsated softly. „I think I can do that.“
„Good.“ Lex jumped up, and hated the way Clark seemed to shrink in on himself. He stepped around the cage, close to where he could reach Clark. He hesitated for just one second then he reached into the cage, and very gently put his gloved hand on Clark's naked shoulder.
„I am so sorry, Clark,“ he murmured, „and I promise that I will do what I can to get you out of here and to make it up to you.“
Clark just whined softly, and Lex pulled his hand back, afraid he might have hurt the younger man even more.
Two minutes later, Lex was on his way to the surface, the lab was once more swarming with men in white coats, and his bodyguards eyed him curiously.
His brain was already working at high-speed. He had to close down this institution without appearing to be getting soft. In his line of business, being a hard-ass was definitely something of a job-requirement.
But right now … what his father had done … that was more than being a hard-ass. That was being a mean bastard with little to no conscience.
The minute he was back in his office, he ordered Sam, his secretary, to bring him everything about all the facilities his father had on his payroll. He swallowed hard when about fifteen minutes later, she hauled a big stack of files on his desk, followed immediately by a second one.
„Thanks, Sam,“ he said. She smiled at him. „Need a coffee to go with these?“ she asked, and he nodded, already reaching for the first file.
Five hours later, Lex had a serious headache, and was regretting that his father had been shot by a madman. That was a job he would have loved to do by himself. With a look of utter disgust, he closed the last file from the first stack. It had been even worse than he had imagined. His father had captured at least 30 Smallville mutants, locked them away in facilities like the one he'd visited this afternoon, had ordered tests, bisections, and a lot more stuff that Lex hadn't been able to even read, let alone imagine.
But Lionel’s favourite pet project from day one had been Clark. He had been there almost every day, had talked to him, taunted him. There were written protocols of every single time Lionel had been there, sometimes even audio files, and Lex had almost lost his lunch when he had read some of them.
Lex was more determined than ever to get Clark out of there. First Clark, then all the others. He reached for his phone, and hit number 7 on speed dial.
„Oliver? I think now is the time to collect the favour you owe me.“
~*~
Jessup Carter was the first to arrive in the lab every morning. Of course there was always someone there but mostly those people were watching computer screens or were working on some experiments. He yawned. God, he hated early mornings.
With his eyes still half closed, he bypassed the cage, banged against the bars, and yelled, „Wakey, wakey, alien-boy.“
He took two more steps before he realized that there was no answering growl this morning. No sighing, no whining.
He turned back, glancing into the cage, and almost swallowed his own tongue when he looked inside and saw … nothing.
The cage was empty, the lock picked, the alien gone.
He felt himself grow pale.
This was not possible. Lex Luthor would want his head on a pike.
A thought went through his head … the security videos. There had to be security videos from this lab from this very night. It took Carter about three minutes to get ahold of them, and when he watched them, he sank down into a chair.
The Green Arrow had freed the alien. Quick. Efficient. Silent. It took him less than one minute to pick the lock, free the alien and disappear again. But not before he smiled very politetly into the camera.
And Carter knew then that he was up to his eyeballs in trouble.
~*~
The sun shone down on the three men who were sitting on a blanket in the private park. One was sprawled almost bonelessly in the sun, enjoying the warmth and the golden light, the other two were talking. Both of them were touching the reclining man.
„Who's next?“ Oliver asked, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. Lex's hand smoothed down one of Clark’s strong shoulders, reveling in the fact that he was allowed to do so. Was allowed to touch despite everything that had happened.
„There's a small facility just outside of Denver,“ Lex answered, flipping through the files next to him, absentmindedly still caressing Clark, „my father has at least three mutants in there.“
Clark moved a little, scooted closer to Lex and put his head in the older man's lap. „Fourteen,“ he said quietly, „there are fourteen mutants in there. That lab was one of Lionel's favorite. Directly after mine.“
Lex swallowed. „Fourteen?“
Clark nodded. „He loved to talk about it. Bragged about the things he did to them. Said I could be proud because I was the lucky one to participate in all of the tests … and not only just in one or two.“
Lex could feel a band around his heart tighten, and he closed his eyes for a moment. A hand on his shoulder made him open them again. Oliver had skidded a little closer.
„I still owe you something,“ he said quietly.
Lex shook his head, and gazed down at Clark, whose head was still resting in his lap, his green eyes looking up to him with so much trust it made his head spin. „You don't, Ollie,“ he answered quietly.
„Yes, I do,“ came the reply. Lex looked up. „This here?“ Ollie motioned down at Clark, „That was nothing. If I’d known where Clark was … I would have boxed him out without you even having to ask me. That way or another. You don't have to repay me. Not for this.“
Lex swallowed. „They held him like a Gremlin,“ he said after a while.
„What?“ Oliver sounded a little confused.
„Carter and all the others in the lab … they treated him like a Gremlin … no water, no direct sunlight and no food after midnight.“
Oliver chuckled, and then he burst out laughing. „A Gremlin?“ he gasped after a few moments, „I never saw it that way.“
Lex smiled a little. Looking back, it really seemed almost funny. But Ollie hadn't seen the reports. Hadn't had to listen to his father's audio files about the tests, the experiments, the results. Lionel's endless teasing, threatening and humiliations.
Without thinking about it, he carded his fingers through Clark's thick, black hair, enjoying the silken texture. It had grown longer ever since Olli had freed Clark from the underground lab. The lab itself was closed; Carter and a lot of the other people responsible had found themselves suddenly transferred to some other lab in a closed off facility where they were spending their days entering extremly boring data into very old computers.
Clark made a low, purring sound, and Lex smiled, content with the way his world was right now.
He knew that there was still a lot to work on. Knew that the labs they were working on right now, Oliver in his disguise as the Green Arrow, Lex as the CEO who acted as outraged as expected from him, were only the beginning.
It was three weeks now. Three weeks since Lex had walked into the lab to find his old friend tied up and treated like an animal. Three weeks in which he had done nothing more than pamper Clark to his heart's content, feeding him, letting him bask in the sunlight, talking to him.
Apologizing to him.
Oliver stood up, brushed some invisble dust from his designer jeans, and stretched. „I think I'll try to grab some sleep while I can. Looks like the Green Arrow will be on tour tonight.“
Lex remained seated, knowing he didn't need to get up. He and Ollie exchanged a glance, then they both nodded, and Ollie said, „I'll see myself out.“
Then he was gone, leaving Clark and Lex alone.
Lex closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his face, a warm breeze caressing his skin, heard the birds' singing in the trees above his head.
„I never said thank you, did I?“
Clark's voice interrupted the peaceful silence. Without opening his eyes, Lex replied, „You don't have to. If anything, I should apolo ...“
A finger pressed against his mouth, and a shadow fell across his face. Lex opened his eyes. „Don't you dare to apologize any more, Lex. None of the things that happened back there were your fault. And I don't blame you. So please, stop apologizing. Or else I have to think about a way to shut you up.“
Lex gazed deeply into Clark's eyes. Usually they were green, sometimes he thought they were blue. Right now they reminded him of the tree above him … green with little golden specks in it.
„You saved me, Lex,“ Clark whispered urgently, „saved me not only from the lab but also from your father and everyone else. I can never repay this debt. I don't know how much longer I could have stood their experiments. Don't how much longer I could have survived.“
Clark leaned so close that Lex could feel his soft breath on his face. „So don't.“ A kiss was pressed to one corner of his mouth. Gentle and quick. „you dare.“ Another kiss to the other corner. „apologize.“ A kiss on his lips this time. „anymore.“ And this time Clark pressed his lips harder to Lex's, and without thinking clearly, just driven by the thoughts of 'want this, want you, want it all' Lex opened his mouth with a barely audible moan and deepend the kiss.
It took Lex a while to get his thoughts together again after that kiss. For a long while they were just lying there, in the sun on the blanket, kissing and touching and making out like teenagers.
~*~
It felt good.
Feeling the sun. And the wind. And Lex. Clark was tempted to pinch himself. Just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Or hadn't finally died. But on the other hand … if he really had died and this was his heaven? He could totally live with that.
He closed his eyes again, and kissed Lex some more. Life was wonderful.
End
Author: Bev
Beta: Twinsarein, thank's dear.
Prompt: „Don't get him wet, keep him out of bright light, and never feed him after midnight.“ from the movie 'Gremlins'
Rating: R
Summary: Lex finds Clark after years … at a place he never would have guessed.
A/N: The title is the name from the first - sweet and friendly - Gremlin which was still cute and fluffy.
„So this is it?“
The man in the white labcoat stepped closer, and put one hand on Lex Luthor's arm, stopping him from getting closer to the cage.
Big mistake.
Before he could pull his hand back, what felt like five security guys had him first in a headlock, and then with his face on the floor.
It was an … interesting experience. The scientist knew about Luthor's revulsion about being touched. He had acted purely on instinct, trying to protect his boss. The thing in the cage was something they had just found, and up until now nobody knew what it was, though it looked remarkably human.
Hmm … he really had to talk with the cleaning personnel … there was dust under his desk. He could see it very clearly from his current position.
„Sir, Mr. Luthor, I'm very very sorry … but it might be dangerous to get too close to the cage,“ he mumbled from somewhere around the hand that held his head down and smashed his face into the floor.
For a long moment he heard nothing except for his own harsh breathing, then the hand from his head was lifted, and another hand helped him up, and patted down his coat. The big, burly guy who had pinned him down so effortlessly seemed to be genuinly sorry, and murmered something about just doing his job.
„Aren’t we all?“ asked the scientist back equally as quiet, and got a small, surprised smile in return.
He straightened his coat, brushed away some imaginary dust - and the security guy's hands - and slowly walked closer to Lex Luthor, his boss, self-proclaimed genius and billionaire.
„We found it about four weeks ago,“ he started, and continued hastily when an icy look out of two pale, grey-blue eyes met him, „but you … you already know that. Of course you know that. Well, we're still not quite sure if it's completely human or maybe another of those Smallville mutants. When we found it, it was lying on a glen surrounded by those green rocks. We brought them with us because they seem to weaken the thing.“
„Him.“
The scientist who had been staring down at his flip chart looked up, bemused. „I … I'm sorry, sir?“
The bald man turned around, and faced the scientist whose nametag read 'Carter'. „I said … him. You can clearly see that the creature inside the cage is male. If you can't … I'd be forced to replace you.“
„Nononono … of course, you're right. It … him … he's male. It's just that we're still not sure what kind of creature it … he is.“
Slowly, Luthor walked closer to the cage, and watched the man who huddled in one corner. He was filthy, and stank to high heaven. His hair and beard had grown, lending him indeed the look of a wild creature. He wore rags, and his skin was covered in dirt and bruises. Little green, glowing stones were embedded in the cage, weaking him just enough to endure the procedures the scientists planned for him but not harming him seriously.
Luthor reached out with one hand, and Carter resisted the urge to pull him back once again. His boss' voice sounded smooth and emotionless when he said, „I know him.“
Carter's eyes lit up. „You do? That's … that's amazing. Can you ...“
One gesture of his boss made him shut his mouth with an almost audible click. The gloved hand rested now on one of the cage's bars.
„Hello, Clark.“
~*~
From the moment Lex Luthor had gotten up this morning, he'd had the distinct feeling that this was going to not be a good day. After his father had passed away - the friendly way of saying that he got shot by one of the mad men he'd fucked over one too many times - it now was Lex's job to take a look at all the hidden laboratories, offices and stuff to see what he's inherited.
After being led what seemed to be twenty stories beneath the surface, the nervous man in the suit opened the last door. Blubbering something about a secret test with an alien. Lex didn't listen. Didn't listen until he saw the cage in the middle of the room.
And in the cage … Clark.
Lex's heart broke in a million pieces when he saw Clark for the first time in almost ten years. What had ahppened? What had become of the shy, loveable teenager he had met back in Smallville? Last he'd known was that Clark was studying in Metropolis at MetU. Then, the younger man had somehow vanished from his radar. Lex had been busy pushing his father out of business, and Clark … well, Lex had always thought he would finally marry his big love, Lana (or some other doe-eyed girl who would admire his strength and carry a child as beautiful as Clark at least every two years), and worked somewhere. Yet here he was, in a secret underground lab his father Lionel had built, enduring everything Jonathan Kent had always been afraid of.
But he was Lex Luthor, heir of the Luthor empire, so he couldn't show his emotions. He reigned them in, and only his education - and the fact that he had grown up in the presence of his father - made it possible for him not to react to the sight before him.
He wanted to rip out the stones, wanted to throw them far away, wanted to open the cage, and lead Clark out of there. He wanted to take him in his arms, wanted to take him far far away from this horrible place. He wanted to see the healthy golden glow of his skin again, not this sickly green color.
But he couldn't. Not right now.
At the mentioning of his name, Clark looked up, and for a second Lex was shocked to see the hopeless expression in them. Then anger welled up, and Lex almost smiled. Anger was good. It showed him that the younger man wasn't completely broken yet. Then the anger turned to pure hatred, and Lex shivered.
„You!“ Clark hissed, and then - without a warning or anything - he threw himself against the bars of his cage, growling with rage. But he wasn't able to push through them, the green meteorites burned deeply into his skin, making him scream out in pain. He fell to the floor again, writhing in agony.
„You … bastard,“ he panted, then he crawled back into his corner, whining quietly. It made him sound more like an animal in pain than a human. Lex could see that the wounds from the stones healed. But they left scars. Left scars where there should be none.
„Isn't that amazing?“ Carter asked next to him, and Lex had to behave himself not to smash this idiot's head in.
„What do you refer to?“ he asked, his voice neutral.
„The … the way he's healing of course. It's fascinating. No matter what we do to him … a few seconds - or sometimes a few minutes - later you see nothing. Just a faint scarring. We're still not sure how he manages to do that. But I guess a few more tests, maybe even with more of those stones, can give us some answers.“
Lex could see the shiver that ran over Clark's form. Could see the slight widening of those beautiful, and oh-so-familiar eyes. And he realized that Clark could hear them perfectly. More tests meant more hurt. More scars. More pain. And it would be only a matter of time until he'd give up. Would decide that this existence wasn't worth living anymore.
He stepped closer, ignoring the warning words from Carter. He took a closer look at Clark, noticing the way his ribs protruded. His face under the beard was thin. He must have lost at least twenty pounds. The only thing he wore were some stained sweatpants and a leather collar around his neck. Like a goddamn dog, Lex thought. And embedded in the leather collar was one tiny sliver of a green stone. Not enough to hurt him, just enough to weaken him. Lex sighed inwardly.
„Do you … feed him enough?“ Lex asked, hating himself for using this word. He remembered Clark's healthy appetite.
Carter looked at his flip-chart, and frowned slightly. Then he found the information he was looking for. „He gets the normal ration, once a day.“
Once a day. He had Clark's delighted laughter in his ears whenever Mia, Lex's housekeeper, had brought something to eat up into the TV-room. Once a day simply wasn't enough. Not by far!
„How about sunlight?“ In his mind he saw Clark basking in the sun like an overgrown cat, knew that the young man loved the warmth and the light.
Carter shook his head. „Oh no. We don't know how he'd react to the radiation so he stays inside. Oh, and he produces semen very much like a human's.“
Lex grew icy cold inside. Semen? How did they … they wouldn't, would they? His father wouldn't have stooped *that* low … would he?
„How,“ he cleared his throat, „how do you know that?“
„We took a sample. He wasn't too eager to participate but in the end we could trick his body to get the results.“
Trick his body. Lex closed his eyes, glad he still had his back turned to Carter. Trick his body. He didn't dare to think about the ways they might have tricked his body.
„Who gave you the order to do it?“
„Your father, Mr Luthor, Sir. He wanted to know everything there is to know about the creatu....I mean, about him.“
Yeah, that was just like Lionel. But to order something close to rape? That was low … *even* for Lionel.
„Leave me alone with him.“
„But, Sir, I ...“
Lex turned around quickly. „I did *not* ask for your permission, Carter! You followed my father's orders blindly, I expect nothing less from you now. So get out, and leave me alone.“
Two of his three bodyguards moved silently, and swiftly. Two large hands came down on Carter's shoulders, gently but insistently guiding him out. All the other lab techs followed quietly. Lex turned back to the cage. Without looking back at his third bodyguard, he said, „Make sure that every recording is stopped the moment the door closes behind you.“
The man nodded, and left quietly. The door closed behind him, and the silence that followed was heavy. Lex sighed regretfully, and rested his forehead against the metal bars of the cage. „God, Clark, I'm so sorry,“ he whispered.
„What do you want here, Lex?“
The voice was scratchy, and sounded as if it hadn't been used very much in the past. Lex looked at Clark, saw the fear and yet also the anger in the younger man's eyes.
„Did you came down here to show me your superiority? Show the alien that not even his powers are strong enough for a mighty Luthor?“
„No, Clark, I didn't know. This lab,“ Lex made a gesture, encompassing the whole building, „is my father's doing. I had no idea he … had you in here.“
„Why should I believe you?“
Very slowly Lex gripped two bars with his hands, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Clark was still huddled in one corner, as far away from the green meteorites as possible. It hurt Lex to see his former friend so afraid, so deadly scared. And he knew that there was only one answer to that question.
„Because I will get you out of here.“
~*~
Pain.
Bright, hot, startling intense pain, exploding in every cell of his body was the first thing Clark had noticed after waking up for the first time, still on the glen, staring up at the sun and the sky. He'd tried to get his bearings together, tried to think but the pain was too intense, the urge to just let go and slip back into unsconsciousness to alluring to resist, and he'd drifted off again. The next time he awoke, the pain had diminshed a little bit, so he had been able to think. To remember. To remember his fight against the mutant who'd had the ability to transform himself into everyone and every*thing* he wanted. Clark had won but barely. He could remember vaguely the triumphant expression in the mutant's eyes when he discovered that the green rocks hurt him. That had been the moment the pain had started. Not too intense in the beginning. Not enough to slow him down too much. Clark had been able to defeat him, but in doing so the mutant had picked up a green rock the size af a man's fist, and with his last breath he had thrown it at Clark.
The rock had hit him squarely in the chest, pushing him backwards, leaving him weak and breathless, and writhing in agonizing pain. At some point, he'd lost consciousness, unable to fight the hurt, the searing in his vains, the pounding in his head and his chest where the rock still lay, pulsating slowly in that sickly green light. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he had barely registered when people had arrived at the clearing where he had lain. People who'd walked closer, very carefully. Who had picked him up, together with the rock, never moving the rock. That goddamned rock that burned him from the inside. That turned his muscles to something resembling cooked noodles.
The rock that hurt. So. Much.
They'd strapped him onto a stretcher, and he'd been unable to do anything about it.
The rock.
Pulsating.
Burning.
He'd felt sweat running down his temples. A car. Something like an ambulance. A short drive. Darkness. Then white lights. On the ceiling. Passing by over him while they had wheeled him down a corridor and into a waiting elevator.
Down. Not up … down. And down. Forever downwards.
And then a lab. Men in white coats, with masks hiding their faces.
And Lionel.
Lionel Luthor.
Grinning down at him. Saying something that he couldn't understand over the painful roaring in his ears. Weakly he'd shaken his head, had tried to say something, had pleaded with his eyes if nothing else to pleasepleaseplease end the pain. Remove the rock.
Please.
Lionel.
Still grinning. Bending down, pressing the rock even harder into his chest, making him gasp and cry out, pushing him down into darkness again.
The first - really coherent - thought came much later. When the rock had been split into many fragments. When they had put the collar around his neck. When they had put him in that damned cage that had been lined with meteor fragments.
Hurt. Betrayal. His father's words … never trust a Luthor, Son.
Anger.
Hatred.
And fear. Those were the dominant thoughts in him. But they were useless. Day after day they cut into him, making him moan in pain, making him bleed, ripping his guts open just to study the way he healed. But his healing slowed down. And the lab-techs grew impatient. Stitching him together, waiting almost with a stopwatch in their hands for his flesh to heal.
Every night he was pushed back into the cage. A plate of food was shoved his way, and then, when the lights went out, he was finally alone.
Alone with his thoughts. With his pain. With his betrayal.
He hadn't thought of much in those nights. Mostly remembering life on the farm. When he lay shivering in one corner, he tried to think about the good things he had in his life. Tried to think of the long nights he had spent at Lex's place, playing pool, watching old movies, listening to him playing the piano. And how he wished to be in the manor again, hearing Lex's voice, feeling his hand on the shoulder when he had managed an especially good shot.
But then Lionel had shot all his dreams to hell. He came in one day, smiling, telling him that Lex had been thrilled when Lionel had told him about this facility. And that Lex had suggested that his semen should be examined.
And when Clark had thought that those last weeks had been humiliating? That procedure had been so much worse.
And now Lex was here. Standing at his cage. Telling him that he hadn't know anything about all this.
Could he believe him?
He wanted to. God, he wanted to. In his head he still had the memories of all the time they had spent together. All those times when he had wanted to reach out, and touch, and kiss, and stroke, and caress. And never dared.
Now Lex was here.
„Why?“
„I didn't know, Clark,“ Lex said quietly, „you have to believe that I didn't know.“
Clark bowed his head, and rested it on his knees again. Lionel's words still rang in his ears. Lex. Semen collection. Told me to do whatever it takes. He likes the pain, Clark. I'm sure he wants to come watching at some point.
„I can't,“ Clark whispered helplessly. „I can't. Not after everything that happened. Lionel,“ Clark swallowed, almost choking on that name, „Lionel will never allow it. He said … he said you liked my pain. Liked to see me bleeding.“
„My father is dead, Clark. That's why I'm here. To take a look at his … heritage.“
Clark couldn't comprehend this information at first. He raised his head and stared at Lex, heard again Lionel's voice in his head, and continued speaking without really listening.
„He said, you were curious about the color of my blood. Said, you loved it when I screamed. So I stopped screaming. Never said anything. Until one day … one day I couldn't take it any longer.“
Clark closed his eyes. „It hurt, Lex. When the strapped me down, pulled my legs apart, and pushed in. It hurt. It hurt so goddamn much. And all the time your father stood beside me, telling me to scream because you loved the sound so much.“
A weird noise from the place where Lex was standing caused Clark to open his eyes, and he sighed. Lex had sat down. No, slumped down was more like it. He seemed like a marionette with cut strings.
„I didn't know, Clark,“ Lex whispered hoarsely. „Please. You have to believe me. I did NOT know anything about it.“
Clark honestly didn't know why he did what he did, or said what he said, but with a heavy sigh he murmured, „I believe you, Lex.“
And for a brief moment he wondered if he had finally lost his sanity.
~*~
„I believe you, Lex.“
Never before had Lex heard words as sweet as those. And he was more determined than ever to get Clark out of there.
„Can you hold on for one more day?“ he asked quietly.
Clark looked up but remained silent.
„Clark, please. Tell me … can you hold on for just one more day?“
Clark cleared his throat, and winced when the green stone on his leather collar pulsated softly. „I think I can do that.“
„Good.“ Lex jumped up, and hated the way Clark seemed to shrink in on himself. He stepped around the cage, close to where he could reach Clark. He hesitated for just one second then he reached into the cage, and very gently put his gloved hand on Clark's naked shoulder.
„I am so sorry, Clark,“ he murmured, „and I promise that I will do what I can to get you out of here and to make it up to you.“
Clark just whined softly, and Lex pulled his hand back, afraid he might have hurt the younger man even more.
Two minutes later, Lex was on his way to the surface, the lab was once more swarming with men in white coats, and his bodyguards eyed him curiously.
His brain was already working at high-speed. He had to close down this institution without appearing to be getting soft. In his line of business, being a hard-ass was definitely something of a job-requirement.
But right now … what his father had done … that was more than being a hard-ass. That was being a mean bastard with little to no conscience.
The minute he was back in his office, he ordered Sam, his secretary, to bring him everything about all the facilities his father had on his payroll. He swallowed hard when about fifteen minutes later, she hauled a big stack of files on his desk, followed immediately by a second one.
„Thanks, Sam,“ he said. She smiled at him. „Need a coffee to go with these?“ she asked, and he nodded, already reaching for the first file.
Five hours later, Lex had a serious headache, and was regretting that his father had been shot by a madman. That was a job he would have loved to do by himself. With a look of utter disgust, he closed the last file from the first stack. It had been even worse than he had imagined. His father had captured at least 30 Smallville mutants, locked them away in facilities like the one he'd visited this afternoon, had ordered tests, bisections, and a lot more stuff that Lex hadn't been able to even read, let alone imagine.
But Lionel’s favourite pet project from day one had been Clark. He had been there almost every day, had talked to him, taunted him. There were written protocols of every single time Lionel had been there, sometimes even audio files, and Lex had almost lost his lunch when he had read some of them.
Lex was more determined than ever to get Clark out of there. First Clark, then all the others. He reached for his phone, and hit number 7 on speed dial.
„Oliver? I think now is the time to collect the favour you owe me.“
~*~
Jessup Carter was the first to arrive in the lab every morning. Of course there was always someone there but mostly those people were watching computer screens or were working on some experiments. He yawned. God, he hated early mornings.
With his eyes still half closed, he bypassed the cage, banged against the bars, and yelled, „Wakey, wakey, alien-boy.“
He took two more steps before he realized that there was no answering growl this morning. No sighing, no whining.
He turned back, glancing into the cage, and almost swallowed his own tongue when he looked inside and saw … nothing.
The cage was empty, the lock picked, the alien gone.
He felt himself grow pale.
This was not possible. Lex Luthor would want his head on a pike.
A thought went through his head … the security videos. There had to be security videos from this lab from this very night. It took Carter about three minutes to get ahold of them, and when he watched them, he sank down into a chair.
The Green Arrow had freed the alien. Quick. Efficient. Silent. It took him less than one minute to pick the lock, free the alien and disappear again. But not before he smiled very politetly into the camera.
And Carter knew then that he was up to his eyeballs in trouble.
~*~
The sun shone down on the three men who were sitting on a blanket in the private park. One was sprawled almost bonelessly in the sun, enjoying the warmth and the golden light, the other two were talking. Both of them were touching the reclining man.
„Who's next?“ Oliver asked, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. Lex's hand smoothed down one of Clark’s strong shoulders, reveling in the fact that he was allowed to do so. Was allowed to touch despite everything that had happened.
„There's a small facility just outside of Denver,“ Lex answered, flipping through the files next to him, absentmindedly still caressing Clark, „my father has at least three mutants in there.“
Clark moved a little, scooted closer to Lex and put his head in the older man's lap. „Fourteen,“ he said quietly, „there are fourteen mutants in there. That lab was one of Lionel's favorite. Directly after mine.“
Lex swallowed. „Fourteen?“
Clark nodded. „He loved to talk about it. Bragged about the things he did to them. Said I could be proud because I was the lucky one to participate in all of the tests … and not only just in one or two.“
Lex could feel a band around his heart tighten, and he closed his eyes for a moment. A hand on his shoulder made him open them again. Oliver had skidded a little closer.
„I still owe you something,“ he said quietly.
Lex shook his head, and gazed down at Clark, whose head was still resting in his lap, his green eyes looking up to him with so much trust it made his head spin. „You don't, Ollie,“ he answered quietly.
„Yes, I do,“ came the reply. Lex looked up. „This here?“ Ollie motioned down at Clark, „That was nothing. If I’d known where Clark was … I would have boxed him out without you even having to ask me. That way or another. You don't have to repay me. Not for this.“
Lex swallowed. „They held him like a Gremlin,“ he said after a while.
„What?“ Oliver sounded a little confused.
„Carter and all the others in the lab … they treated him like a Gremlin … no water, no direct sunlight and no food after midnight.“
Oliver chuckled, and then he burst out laughing. „A Gremlin?“ he gasped after a few moments, „I never saw it that way.“
Lex smiled a little. Looking back, it really seemed almost funny. But Ollie hadn't seen the reports. Hadn't had to listen to his father's audio files about the tests, the experiments, the results. Lionel's endless teasing, threatening and humiliations.
Without thinking about it, he carded his fingers through Clark's thick, black hair, enjoying the silken texture. It had grown longer ever since Olli had freed Clark from the underground lab. The lab itself was closed; Carter and a lot of the other people responsible had found themselves suddenly transferred to some other lab in a closed off facility where they were spending their days entering extremly boring data into very old computers.
Clark made a low, purring sound, and Lex smiled, content with the way his world was right now.
He knew that there was still a lot to work on. Knew that the labs they were working on right now, Oliver in his disguise as the Green Arrow, Lex as the CEO who acted as outraged as expected from him, were only the beginning.
It was three weeks now. Three weeks since Lex had walked into the lab to find his old friend tied up and treated like an animal. Three weeks in which he had done nothing more than pamper Clark to his heart's content, feeding him, letting him bask in the sunlight, talking to him.
Apologizing to him.
Oliver stood up, brushed some invisble dust from his designer jeans, and stretched. „I think I'll try to grab some sleep while I can. Looks like the Green Arrow will be on tour tonight.“
Lex remained seated, knowing he didn't need to get up. He and Ollie exchanged a glance, then they both nodded, and Ollie said, „I'll see myself out.“
Then he was gone, leaving Clark and Lex alone.
Lex closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his face, a warm breeze caressing his skin, heard the birds' singing in the trees above his head.
„I never said thank you, did I?“
Clark's voice interrupted the peaceful silence. Without opening his eyes, Lex replied, „You don't have to. If anything, I should apolo ...“
A finger pressed against his mouth, and a shadow fell across his face. Lex opened his eyes. „Don't you dare to apologize any more, Lex. None of the things that happened back there were your fault. And I don't blame you. So please, stop apologizing. Or else I have to think about a way to shut you up.“
Lex gazed deeply into Clark's eyes. Usually they were green, sometimes he thought they were blue. Right now they reminded him of the tree above him … green with little golden specks in it.
„You saved me, Lex,“ Clark whispered urgently, „saved me not only from the lab but also from your father and everyone else. I can never repay this debt. I don't know how much longer I could have stood their experiments. Don't how much longer I could have survived.“
Clark leaned so close that Lex could feel his soft breath on his face. „So don't.“ A kiss was pressed to one corner of his mouth. Gentle and quick. „you dare.“ Another kiss to the other corner. „apologize.“ A kiss on his lips this time. „anymore.“ And this time Clark pressed his lips harder to Lex's, and without thinking clearly, just driven by the thoughts of 'want this, want you, want it all' Lex opened his mouth with a barely audible moan and deepend the kiss.
It took Lex a while to get his thoughts together again after that kiss. For a long while they were just lying there, in the sun on the blanket, kissing and touching and making out like teenagers.
~*~
It felt good.
Feeling the sun. And the wind. And Lex. Clark was tempted to pinch himself. Just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Or hadn't finally died. But on the other hand … if he really had died and this was his heaven? He could totally live with that.
He closed his eyes again, and kissed Lex some more. Life was wonderful.
End