Title:
Luthor's Will
Author: Rhea
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Clark
finds a large amount of money suddenly appears in his account and
decides to investigate.
I tried to write this one more in keeping
with the Superman novels, they have a very clear tone, I think I got
it towards the beginning, and then lost it, it's a little too fluffy
I feel, but good enough for a fist try. I hope you enjoy it.
I
don't know if it would have been more or less surprising, certainly
more romantic if he'd shown up on my doorstep with 12 red roses,
however it certainly meant something when on a bright spring Tuesday
morning when I opened my bank account to see it increased 10 fold.
The numbers sat there on my cyber doorstep, no note or simply
identifiable significance. However there aren't that many people
with that much money. I'd been a little twitchy and suspicious all
month. Lex Luthor had broken out of prison, again, not two months
back, but to the surprise of most, not to resurface, yet. As Superman
that meant an immanent threat. Luthor was obviously planning out of
sight, however a new long set of zeros on my bank account didn't
explain new mastermind plans. I usually let Luthor come to me, he
always does one way or another, and it's less effort and more
likely to be on my own high bound if I wait long enough. Now however
I had a reason to seek him out.
Even as a superhero it can be a
sizable amount of work to track down a single individual. The
proverbial needle in a haystack: but even worse when that bald,
purple-wearing, needle was an expert in subterfuge. I was unsurprised
to finally track Luthor down at a lab, but when his name shoed up on
the patients list I paused. Luthor hid, but disguise was not his
specialty, he was always too much himself. I on the other hand am a
disguise expert.
I went to see a doctor about a man. Imagine my
shock to be told the lab was truly as it appeared: a medical lab,
Luthor corp yes, but not a nefarious plot, and Luthor a real patient.
It was a Luthor corp facility with the best doctors to be had, and
private, Luthor would have it no other way. I decided to pay him a
visit. After locating his room I stripped down to my superman clothes
and borrowed a lab jacket. Luthor's room was empty, save for the
large bed and few monitors clustered around it. He looked almost
fragile, translucent skin, blue veins, and large egg-like head
against cotton sheets pale as he was. He seemed surprised to see
me.
"Come to gawk?" he recovered quickly.
"What are you
doing here Luthor?" I asked genuinely curious..
"Dying in
peace, and out of jail, although I suppose now you're here I'll
have to come up with some ingenious escape plan. Why are you here, I
figured you'd be the last person to see me. Good riddance and I
haven't tormented the city in three months." He
smirked.
"Dying?"
"That's what they tell me. Certainly
feels like it on the bad days, be glad it's a good day. How'd you
know where to find me? My circumstances that common
knowledge?"
"Clark Kent told me about his accounts. I figured
something must be up."
"Ah, the Clark connection. Trust your
friend Clark to follow up a simple gift. Well, he can't return this
one. My will is being executed as I speak. I won't die till it's
all settled. Funny that you can do that, but of course with a family
like my you'd have to or none of your wishes would be
honored."
"You willed your money to Clark Kent? Why?"
"Not
all, some stays with the company, some goes to the Daily Planet for
all their years of dogging me, they should have compensation for all
the stories they wont get to run when I'm no longer around to
provide news. Some goes to a scholarship foundation at Met U, have to
keep up the philanthropic gentleman appearance. But the rest, yes all
that goes to Mr. Kent. Why? Call it a dead man's dying fancy. Some
good, an un-refuse-able gift, a message, all are true, pointless. I
don't do many pointless things."
"A message?" Superman
asked perplexed, "of what?"
"Ah, you see Superman. I've
essentially made him my heir. They say friends are one's chosen
family. At least I'll die with the best, mine certainly doesn't
deserve it. Wouldn't you say?" Superman stood silent. "What,
disapprove? Think I'm soft in my illness?"
"No." he said
softly. "Surprised, even after all those years. You forgive him?
See him as a friend, family even?"
"No I see him as a cabbage.
What do you think you great blue dolt."
"Do…you want me to
tell Clark for you?"
"No, don't bother. He shouldn't'
care. If he doesn't get it, it doesn't matter." Superman nodded
slowly, not fully comprehending.
"So, how long…?"
"My
estimated time of departure. Weeks, if I'm lucky, months. Maybe
till Christmas. My mother died at Christmas. You know Superman, for
hating each other so much, we're awfully good at small talk. Don't
you have a kitten up a tree somewhere to save? The world doesn't
need you consoling Lex Luthor, as much as it does for my ego. Out!"
Lex waved a dismissive hand. Superman stood, nodded and left as he'd
come.
Clark Kent sat at the table of his three room apartment.
The table spanned the space between the living and dinning room with
the kitchen. A sort of limbo between food prep and community space
where the eating occurred. Currently eating implied crap teriyaki,
but Lois had been busy and not paying attention to the finer things.
Sometimes it paid to be super, especially when it came to Lois'
neglected meals and his digestive tract.
"So" Lois pointed a
mean chopstick at his chest, "he just gave you all his money,"
"Not
quite all" Clark hedged, why he'd thought to ask Lois was beyond
him, but she was his partner and so thought of Lex nearly as often as
he did, more than once a month, not including jailbreaks.
"He
gave some to charity."
"A budding philanthropist. He must be
really kicking at buckets. You know they say dieing men start to
think heaven, hell and their legacy so they reform. That's why near
death experiences never work. They don't die so they take it all
back."
"I think he's telling the truth. I don't know hwy
he's changing, but maybe you're right. But whit should I
do?"
"Whatever you want. He can make his choices, you yours.
Though for the amount you talk about him you might as well visit him
and get it over with our you'll want to and regret it." Lois
stabbed a piece of chicken and Clark said nothing, she was probably
right. He, Clark Kent, should visit Lex Luthor.
Clark followed
the doctor back to Lex's room. It was the same as when he left it
yesterday.
"You've a visitor Mr. Luthor." said the nurse.
Clark walked over to Lex's bedside. The other man smiled warmly,
gently.
" I heard form your friend that you discovered your
inheritance."
"Thank you." Clark offered. Lex sighed.
"At
least I tried. So the mud-raking, found a new target yet?"
"There's
always those."
"Replaceable. Well, just goes to show. Want my
last interview, a chance at one more zero digit on those billions.
You're the only one I'll give an interview too."
"Why me
Lex?"
"Ha. Why? Destiny, fate, call it whimsy."
"Is
that really it?"
"Could I spell it out any clearer? What do
you need? A dozen roses and a red paper heart that says "I care"?
Do you see any cards, flowers? I've been here a month. You're the
one person who sought me out. That should give you your answer."
Lex sighed, toying with the hem of his sheet.
"The answer?"
Clark wasn't' sure if he was being willingly obtuse, it was just
even hearing Lex's comments as Superman, and now. Why now? How many
times wouldn't it have changed things? Did it take death to make
everything more and less difficult? Certainly near demise would put
things in perspective, but did Lex have to go and make it harder? Of
course thoughts like that were cruel, to Lex as well as to himself.
Clark glared at the railings on the bed, reminding himself that
setting things on fire wasn't the proper way to work out anger or
frustration.
"You…care?" Clark cleared his throat,
clarifying.
"If wanting to invite you for Christmas with my
family isn't what you want from me, then maybe New Years, or a life
time, of course the issue with that I clearly don't have a lifetime
to give you, so I figured my financial accounts will settle it.
You've had my life for years, of course you wouldn't notice. I
think I used to worry your friends and family. They were right of
course, but not necessarily for the right reasons." Lex tossed his
head, in that mock smile, his eyes piercing Clark "feel free to
reinterpret this in a way that will work for your psyche, but please
know exactly what I'm saying. I love you. Clear? Now feel free to
leave whenever the sight of my poor bed-ridden self bores you. I'm
sure you've got great stories to report. Unless you want an
interview." Lex settled back into his pillows with all the
regal-ness that Lex commanded an army full. Clark realized he was
holding his breath. This was like, and entirely unlike Lex and now
Clark had a handful of facts and no idea what to do with them.
"You're dying." Lex stared at him incredulously. "And you
love me." Clark tested the words on his tongue, like the two
statements should nullify each other, not be linked. "You have the
worst timing." Clark sighed, running a hand over his face and
collapsing into the chair beside Lex's hospital bed.
"The
best, actually, I'm always in the worst place at the right time. I
hit you didn't I."
"And there's been a world of trouble
since. How long…"
"Right from the start, of course you're
blind as a bat, I was unsurprised when you finally made the leap to
glasses, you couldn't see through glass, at least not when it comes
to people. Or maybe it's just me?"
"I think it's probably
just you." Clark whispered. He really looked at Lex now. His face
was open, like it had been all those years ago, Clark wondered when
the change had come, how they'd gone from friends to mere
acquaintances the distance of lies and all those little experiences,
that came with life, unexplained and with a lack of communication and
trust left a gaping hole. That's where Clark had shoved his
feelings. He had always been blind to what was right in front of him,
Chloe and Lana and Lex. They'd all cared at one time or another but
Clark had always been hankering off in the wrong direction. By the
time Clark had noticed the gap to Lex he convinced himself he didn't
care. Lex was another Luthor after secrets, after science. That had
been true, but it hadn't been the full truth and Clark supposed his
sleeplessness and headaches not to mention the questions from friends
and the school councilor about depression might have been a better
tip off. Clark's always been best at lying to himself, better than
lying to other people at least. Now Lex has laid bare a question he's
not really wanted to contemplate. He can't look at Lex.
"You
always mess up my life, you know that. I think everything's fine,
put in its place, I'm settled and then you throw a curve
ball."
"I'm sorry?" Lex seemed bemused, though genuinely
apologetic.
"Don't be, I just have to have my life altering
experience here and figure out what the hell to do."
"Can a
life altering experience involve kissing? I know it sounds far
fetched, but dying wishes and all that." Lex offered sweetly. Clark
couldn't glare, he just stared at Lex's face, tilted up too him
and almost smiling. It hit like a punch to the gut, his best friend,
his once crush who apparently loved him, his arch-nemisis and most
interesting opponent was dying, what was Superman to do in a world
without Lex Luthor, without evil to thwart would he die of boredom,
and all the minor good things Lex did to keep him guessing, who would
fund the nefarious children's health care center that would cure
some rare disease by means of unethical treatments, who would fund
the underbelly of black science to save the world in the ways that
Superman couldn't. And who would Clark Kent be without Lex Luthor
to grouse about and pester at press conferences. Life without Lex, it
seemed a very drear prospect.
"Lex I…"
"Fine, no
kissing, I wasn't really suggesting it, just wishing."
"Lex."
Clark said firmly, authoritatively as he leaned down and placed a
kiss on Lex's mouth. Clark withdrew, a faint smile tinged Lex's
lips, almost rueful.
"Well, now I can die happy. Thanks Clark.
I'm sure you'll figure it out and be fine. I'm glad I told you
though. Give my regards to the Daily Planet."
"I'm not
leaving." Clark stated, "and you're not dying." Lex quirked a
not existent brow.
"I'm not am I, well that's news too me.
How pray tell do you know this, wishful thinking doesn't work and
the last I checked kissing only wakes sleeping princesses or turns
frogs into princes. As I'm neither female nor a frog you may have
some issues."
"Lex, I never told you the truth." Lex cocked
his head to the side, the brow staying up in a slight wrinkle of his
forehead.
"Does my immenent not-death suddenly spur you to
honesty? Really, I've given up, no need for that sort of charity,
there's nothing I could do with the knowledge, you'll just make
me sad of all the science I'm missing. I have a good guess you
know. And if I'm truly not dying you wouldn't tell me because
then I'll know your secret." Clark shook his head.
"I'm an
alien. When your father was making those serums that might cure him.
That was from my blood. Lex, if my blood could have potentially saved
your father, maybe it could save you." Lex gaped at him for a
moment before smiling widely.
"Well at least I'll die knowing
I was correct in some guesses. Clark really, you don't have to do
that. To use your blood you'd have to tell more than just me, my
doctors and the whole team of lab techs, really it would be like
calling in alien hunting season. There'd be nothing left of you by
the time the cure got to me."
"I know, that's why I wont be
the one supplying the blood."
"Who then?"
"Superman."
Lex's eyes lit up. Clark could almost see the light bulb going off
over his head.
"I knew it, well I had guessed you were related,
family, but he's you isn't it. That makes so much make sense.
You're a right bastard you know." Lex was down right jolly. Clark
couldn't help laughing himself.
"Well, Superman's the great
savior; they won't dare take him apart, public opinion and all
that. And you know what they say about near death experiences."
"They
do tend to change a man. So are we going in for a plan?"
"I
think saving a reformed Lex Luthor is a worthy job. Of course I'll
have to monitor you closely for the rest of your life so you don't
slide back into your dastardly ways."
"By monitoring you
wouldn't mean living with and maybe legally bonded to? I do suppose
it's a bit early to propose, seeing as I'm still dying, you're
an alien and we don't really know each other, but you see I feel we
do in the ways that matter, and we've been dating for the past few
years, even if I do regret nuclear weapons and smart bombs being the
general date gifts as opposed to chocolates. I do suppose you'd
rather flowers than nefarious plans and ingenious
machines."
"Ingenious machines are fine, just as long as
they're not killing people. Don't worry, we'll work it out."
Clark smiled. Lex smiled. Clark squeezed Lex's hand and then with a
grin ripped off his shirt to Lex's startled and delighted laughter.
He folded his civilian clothes and posed playfully in his Superman
attire.
"You really are a Big Blue Boyscout. Always prepared.
Go get em hotpants." Clark snickered and went off to see a doctor
about an alien and a cure.
