Lex Luthor stood staring out the window of his office on the top floor of
the Luthorcorps building. He looked down at the people on the streets
below, and couldn't help but notice one person in particular. This boy,
man, was probably in his late 20's, and Lex could tell just by looking at
him that he had grown up on some kind of a farm. The boy entered the
Luthorcorps building, much to Lex's surprise. He looked over the list of
interviews he had to do that day, the one this morning read Clark Kent,
Smallville.
Memory fragments raced through Luthor's mind. Ever since the asylum he had been having trouble remembering his past clearly, and that had been almost ten years ago. Lex often thought of himself as that one bruised apple on the fruit display at the grocery store. A recent ex-girlfriend was rumored to have called him "damaged goods" in an exclusive interview with the tattler, but both the girlfriend and the quote were total fabrications.
// Two boys, one of them a little bit older, by the side of the river after some kind of accident.//
// the same two boys, hey Lex thought one of those is ME, standing in a very large open window (the hayloft of a barn) looking out at space, they are talking but the words have long since left Lex's mind//
//Lex and the boy (Clark? He thinks.) Cuddled together snuggled under soft sheets of. . .//
"Mr. Luthor?" The secretary calls into his office on line one. Lex walks over to his desk and picks up. There is no need for him to say anything. A light on the secretary's phone is lit up when he answers. "There's a Clark Kent here to see you, sir."
"Send him in," Lex says straightening his tie. He doesn't know why but something makes him want to impress this boy.
"Lex?" The young man, probably fresh out of college, pokes his head in the door. Lex looks at the boys resume. He has no qualifications for the job that is currently being offered. Stupid kids, Lex thinks. Then he remembers how he used to be one of those "stupid kids."
"Mr. Luthor, I'm pretty sure you already know that you're extremely under qualified for this position." Clark's shoulders sagged. He couldn't believe it. After all that had happened. After all they had been through, Lex still didn't remember him.
"Lex, it's me. It's Clark. Clark Kent, from Smallville."
"Smallville," Lex said quietly and puckered his lips as if remembering the taste of something foul. He also shuddered at the mention of the town, but he was able to hid e that. He did it the same way he used to hide the cuts on his wrists was a teenager by wearing long sleeved shirts, even in the summer. "Clark," he tested the word. This one seemed much friendlier. Something about it wasn't right though. There was something alien about that word. Lex shook his head, snapping himself into reality. How his father would have laughed to see him spending so much time one some one he wasn't even going to hire.
"Look, maybe I should just. . ." Suddenly something came flooding back into Luthor's mind. He looked at the boy who was standing up across the room from him. Lex rushed over.
"Clark!" He shouted. "It's been. . .a long time."
"Ten years," Clark said with a sad sort of smile. Lex remembered himself at that age, and shivered once again. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to hide the fact that he was shaking from the younger man, he could only hope that Clark's eyesight had gotten a little worse with time. He was after all wearing a pair of glasses, think ones too by the looks of it.
Pity, Lex thought, he always had such nice eyes. Luthor walked over to Clark and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He smiled.
"Wow, I can't believe it."
"I thought you had forgotten."
"My memory's not what it used to be, not since, not since I last saw you." Lex didn't like talking about the institution, he supposed that most people felt that way. "There are still a lot of blank spaces."
"Sorry."
"It's not your fault." Lex grinned manically and then added, "is it?"
"That's not funny, Lex."
"You're right," the older man nodded. He sat down facing Clark. "So, what are you doing here?"
"By here, do you mean right in this building, or in Metropolis," Clark asked blushing slightly. Lex was glad to see it. He didn't like being the only nervous one in the room. He felt compelled to reach out and touch the boy's face, but still wasn't sure if it would be misinterpreted. Instead he just shrugged. "I work over at the planet."
"Then why are you applying for a job here?" Lex cracked his knuckles, in his lap. He wanted to get up and move around, but he knew that made people nervous. He stayed in the seat, and let his leg shake a little. No harm in that one, is there dad? He thought. But there is no response. There never is, anymore.
"I um, I just wanted to see you." Clark blushed again. Lex smiled more. "Is something-wrong?" Clark looked over at Lex's shaking leg, it had almost knocked over a glass of hot coffee.
"The planet, hu? So you must know all about this 'superman' who's suddenly deiced to save every soul in Metropolis then, eh?" Clark didn't make eye contact after the question was asked. Lex wanted to know why, but knew better than to ask straight out.
"Lois Lane is covering that story," he said quietly. Lex nodded.
"But surely you have an opinion, Clark." The boy began to unbutton his shirt as if he were too warm, but after the first button was opened, changed his mind.
"I think you said something to me once. Something like, 'you can't save everybody. If you try you'll just end up with a Messiah complex and a lot of enemies."
"That sure sounds like something I'd say, now doesn't it?" Lex couldn't hold himself back anymore. He reached forward and touched the boy's face. When Clark didn't pull away, Lex leaned in and kissed him, hard.
"I thought you said you didn't remember," Clark muttered with tears brimming in his eyes.
"I wasn't sure, Clark. And you have to admit, I probably would have scared the hell out of you if I was wrong."
"But-I thought you didn't even. . ." Clark shook his head. "You wanna go somewhere or-" But Lex wasn't listening. He was too busy unbuttoning Clark's shirt. "No, don't-not here. . ." he protested. Lex pushed his hands inside. Instead of finding the sun roughened, tight chest he was expecting, there was something else.
Under Clark's shirt, was another piece of cloth. This was no ordinary undershirt, however. Clark's second shirt was actually a one piece suit. It was made of soft blue cloth with a yellow and red image embroidered on it. Lex thought the image looked familiar but couldn't quiet place it.
"I was right about you, all along. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh yeah like that wouldn't have sounded in-" The young man stopped himself.
"Insane? You think I don't know that! Do you know what they did to me in that place?" Lex shouted.
"I'm sorry, but Lex. . . Look, we should talk. You know?"
"I'm not sure that's such a good." "Please, let me take you out to dinner. It's the least I can do for wasting your time today. Please." The boy was almost begging. Lex enjoyed having this much power over someone, anyone, again.
"Fine," Lex licked his lips. "Tonight, I'll have a car pick you up at the planet at around 7?" Clark nodded.
"I really am sorry, Lex."
"I'm sure you are," he said quietly, thinking about the lead lined box in his desk drawer. Something had made him bring that all the way from Smallville, and now he was glad to have it.
Memory fragments raced through Luthor's mind. Ever since the asylum he had been having trouble remembering his past clearly, and that had been almost ten years ago. Lex often thought of himself as that one bruised apple on the fruit display at the grocery store. A recent ex-girlfriend was rumored to have called him "damaged goods" in an exclusive interview with the tattler, but both the girlfriend and the quote were total fabrications.
// Two boys, one of them a little bit older, by the side of the river after some kind of accident.//
// the same two boys, hey Lex thought one of those is ME, standing in a very large open window (the hayloft of a barn) looking out at space, they are talking but the words have long since left Lex's mind//
//Lex and the boy (Clark? He thinks.) Cuddled together snuggled under soft sheets of. . .//
"Mr. Luthor?" The secretary calls into his office on line one. Lex walks over to his desk and picks up. There is no need for him to say anything. A light on the secretary's phone is lit up when he answers. "There's a Clark Kent here to see you, sir."
"Send him in," Lex says straightening his tie. He doesn't know why but something makes him want to impress this boy.
"Lex?" The young man, probably fresh out of college, pokes his head in the door. Lex looks at the boys resume. He has no qualifications for the job that is currently being offered. Stupid kids, Lex thinks. Then he remembers how he used to be one of those "stupid kids."
"Mr. Luthor, I'm pretty sure you already know that you're extremely under qualified for this position." Clark's shoulders sagged. He couldn't believe it. After all that had happened. After all they had been through, Lex still didn't remember him.
"Lex, it's me. It's Clark. Clark Kent, from Smallville."
"Smallville," Lex said quietly and puckered his lips as if remembering the taste of something foul. He also shuddered at the mention of the town, but he was able to hid e that. He did it the same way he used to hide the cuts on his wrists was a teenager by wearing long sleeved shirts, even in the summer. "Clark," he tested the word. This one seemed much friendlier. Something about it wasn't right though. There was something alien about that word. Lex shook his head, snapping himself into reality. How his father would have laughed to see him spending so much time one some one he wasn't even going to hire.
"Look, maybe I should just. . ." Suddenly something came flooding back into Luthor's mind. He looked at the boy who was standing up across the room from him. Lex rushed over.
"Clark!" He shouted. "It's been. . .a long time."
"Ten years," Clark said with a sad sort of smile. Lex remembered himself at that age, and shivered once again. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to hide the fact that he was shaking from the younger man, he could only hope that Clark's eyesight had gotten a little worse with time. He was after all wearing a pair of glasses, think ones too by the looks of it.
Pity, Lex thought, he always had such nice eyes. Luthor walked over to Clark and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He smiled.
"Wow, I can't believe it."
"I thought you had forgotten."
"My memory's not what it used to be, not since, not since I last saw you." Lex didn't like talking about the institution, he supposed that most people felt that way. "There are still a lot of blank spaces."
"Sorry."
"It's not your fault." Lex grinned manically and then added, "is it?"
"That's not funny, Lex."
"You're right," the older man nodded. He sat down facing Clark. "So, what are you doing here?"
"By here, do you mean right in this building, or in Metropolis," Clark asked blushing slightly. Lex was glad to see it. He didn't like being the only nervous one in the room. He felt compelled to reach out and touch the boy's face, but still wasn't sure if it would be misinterpreted. Instead he just shrugged. "I work over at the planet."
"Then why are you applying for a job here?" Lex cracked his knuckles, in his lap. He wanted to get up and move around, but he knew that made people nervous. He stayed in the seat, and let his leg shake a little. No harm in that one, is there dad? He thought. But there is no response. There never is, anymore.
"I um, I just wanted to see you." Clark blushed again. Lex smiled more. "Is something-wrong?" Clark looked over at Lex's shaking leg, it had almost knocked over a glass of hot coffee.
"The planet, hu? So you must know all about this 'superman' who's suddenly deiced to save every soul in Metropolis then, eh?" Clark didn't make eye contact after the question was asked. Lex wanted to know why, but knew better than to ask straight out.
"Lois Lane is covering that story," he said quietly. Lex nodded.
"But surely you have an opinion, Clark." The boy began to unbutton his shirt as if he were too warm, but after the first button was opened, changed his mind.
"I think you said something to me once. Something like, 'you can't save everybody. If you try you'll just end up with a Messiah complex and a lot of enemies."
"That sure sounds like something I'd say, now doesn't it?" Lex couldn't hold himself back anymore. He reached forward and touched the boy's face. When Clark didn't pull away, Lex leaned in and kissed him, hard.
"I thought you said you didn't remember," Clark muttered with tears brimming in his eyes.
"I wasn't sure, Clark. And you have to admit, I probably would have scared the hell out of you if I was wrong."
"But-I thought you didn't even. . ." Clark shook his head. "You wanna go somewhere or-" But Lex wasn't listening. He was too busy unbuttoning Clark's shirt. "No, don't-not here. . ." he protested. Lex pushed his hands inside. Instead of finding the sun roughened, tight chest he was expecting, there was something else.
Under Clark's shirt, was another piece of cloth. This was no ordinary undershirt, however. Clark's second shirt was actually a one piece suit. It was made of soft blue cloth with a yellow and red image embroidered on it. Lex thought the image looked familiar but couldn't quiet place it.
"I was right about you, all along. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh yeah like that wouldn't have sounded in-" The young man stopped himself.
"Insane? You think I don't know that! Do you know what they did to me in that place?" Lex shouted.
"I'm sorry, but Lex. . . Look, we should talk. You know?"
"I'm not sure that's such a good." "Please, let me take you out to dinner. It's the least I can do for wasting your time today. Please." The boy was almost begging. Lex enjoyed having this much power over someone, anyone, again.
"Fine," Lex licked his lips. "Tonight, I'll have a car pick you up at the planet at around 7?" Clark nodded.
"I really am sorry, Lex."
"I'm sure you are," he said quietly, thinking about the lead lined box in his desk drawer. Something had made him bring that all the way from Smallville, and now he was glad to have it.