Lex Luther was never the type of man to take the subway. In fact he hated all forms of public transportations. He would much rather fly home across the city in his private limo or jet, but he knew he had to change his ways if he wanted people to vote for him. He had to be seen as one of the 'ordinary' civilians, rather than the multi-millionaire that he was. With much grumbling and glaring he made his way down into the underground subway station, a gun strapped to his hip in case anyone tried anything he deemed as a threat unto him. His blue eyes narrowed as he crossed a group of young adults, their clothes reeking of stale pot leaves and extreme body odor.
'I shouldn't be out here with these- these barbarians; I should be in my limo half way across the city by now.' Lex nearly flung his credit card at the attendant who was giving out tokens for the train. The candy striped attendant took the card in surprise as she glanced at the name, instantly handing it back to the Mayor, giving him a free token. "No, I insist. I want to pay three fifty like everyone else."
"I'm sorry Mr. Luther but my boss would kill me if he found out I made you pay to ride your own train. After all, you so kindly and generously gave the city the money to buy it. It wouldn't be fair. Please, take the token and board the train." Her soft green eyes looked ready to tear up as she rejected his card once again, forcing a small token into his hand.
"Why thank you Miss-" He looked at her chest, spotting a name tag. "Thank you Miss Rachel. You are doing a splendid job." He took the small token and left before he could add anything about her being a good ass kisser. He waited off to the side as a large subway train pulled up slowly into the station; the colors were bright and cheery, just like everything else in the city of Metropolis, regardless of the criminals who seemed to always want to destroy it. Yet Lex could see through it, it was nothing more than a mask, trying to hide the ugly of the city from the rest of the world.
'No. Stop thinking this way. You need to stay positive. After all, you just beat the Wayne Company by buying out Dynamo before they could, you're in good health, and Clark is home making dinner. So relax.' Lex mentally calmed himself as he sat down between a nursing mother and a tired eyed looking man who tried not to fall asleep against him. The only noise in the compartment was the sound of the wheels hitting the tracks and the soft growl of his stomach. He wish he were home already. Clark promised him a turkey dinner with chocolate pie, and he loved Clark's chocolate pie more than anything in the world. He could feel his mouth start to salivate at the thought of sitting next to his newly wedded husband and sharing a large slice of the creamy pudding pie.
The thoughts kept him happy, and for a moment a genuine smile was on his usually scowling face. He even took time to take in his surroundings. There were more than a few people in the compartment, some standing, and some sitting, some even lying down on the plush seated benches. People from all walks of life, some tall, some short, and some heavy weighted, while some where lighter. These were his people, the people of Metropolis that he swore to protect, and that thought made him smile more as he gazed at them. Even the infant next to him seem to mirror his happiness as it cooed loudly, tugging on his sleeve.
"You have a beautiful baby girl." He commented to the mother as the train pulled to a stop, his stop. He could hear the mother thank him as he left, his legs taking wide strides to get the cramp out as he took the stairs two at a time to get back up to the surface, the fresh autumn air reviving his slowly crashing energy. He could see their shared house in the distance, the red roof shining like a jewel in the setting sun. His pace doubled as he spotted Clark outside, dressed in a casual black shirt and denim jeans that hugged him in all the right places as he bent over to get the mail from the short standing mail box. Lex flicked his tongue out as he licked his bottom lip, the thought of skipping right to desert making it very tempting. Clark must have heard him, the man turned around just in time to press his tanned lips against Luther's pale ones, his arms encircling him as he pulled him closer, dropping the stack of bills to the ground.
"I missed you." Clark breathed against his lips, hands squeezing his lower back, the smell of chocolate already on him. "How was work? Did you win?"
"Yes. I beat that blasted Wayne by three thousand. The tightwad stopped after the auctioneer said two million. The company is now merged and LL Corps is now selling toys in Thailand and Japan." Lex said victoriously, pressing lips back against Clarks, arms hugging him close. God he was happy that he didn't end up killing the alien after all. "You smell good, been eating batter again?"
"I love chocolate batter." Clark chuckled, picking up the mail before taking Luther's hand, walking up the stone steps to their house, the sun reflecting off the stained glass windows, giving the three story house a church like feel. "I made turkey, potatoes, and your favorite broccoli salad. It should be done within half an hour. You should go take a shower and rest your feet." Clark cooed into his husbands' ear, taking the man's coat as he hung it up by the door, pushing him softly to the stair that led to the second story, the one used for bathrooms and an entertainment room.
"You're too good for me." Lex chuckled, giving him a kiss once more before heading up the stairs, going straight to the shower.
"I think it's the other way around." Clark said quietly, going to the large kitchen, god it made him feel like a real chief just being in the Italian stone kitchen, surrounded by new age tech and large rustic ovens dating back to 1930's. He quickly set the dining room table with fancy china, using the best silverware he could find, and pouring two frothy glasses of strawberry wine. He listened closely to the man upstairs whistling, he could hear the water hit his body and the floor, making him blush as he imagined the man naked, being covered in only steam.
Clark ignored the image as he checked on the turkey, pulling the food out of the oven, placing them in special pans as he placed them on the table, his heart beating faster from joy. This is what he always wanted, a house of his own, a city to protect, and a loving man by his side- Sure Luther wasn't perfect, but he was working at it.
He lit a few candles as he turned off the lights, heading upstairs for a quick shower, dressing in a pair of white kryptonian robes. They resembled that of an ancient Greek robe, yet they clung to his hips in a more god like fashion, the color enhancing his tan skin. He combed his hair back, burning off the slight stubble on his chin as he glanced himself in the mirror. Once satisfied with how he looked he walked back down to the dining room, heart skipping a beat when he spotted Lex wearing a dark satin crimson shirt, and a pair of black slacks. He sat at the head of the large oak table, his hands folded gracefully in his lap. He looked majestic, like a king from one of his old story books. He walked over to his usual seat by his right side, a majestic smile on his lips.
The meal passed with not a whole lot of talking, it was out of habit. They would greet each other warmly, but when it came down to it, all meals were eaten in almost total silence, something that to this day surprised Ma Kent whenever they would go to the farm to eat. She would always ask Clark off to the side if they were ok, and when he replied yes she would always furrow her brows and shrug it off, asking them if they were interested in some apple pie or cobbler.
By the time the candles were almost half their height the moon was out, bright and full as it lit up the night's sky. Clark placed his knife and fork down as he got up from the table, taking Lex's hand in his. He gave it a soft squeeze, leading him up stairs to the rooftop, wanting nothing more than to lie next to him under the full moon and stars. The pie would wait; he just wanted to be with him.
"The sky is beautiful tonight." Clark breathed, leading Lex to the middle of the roof, sitting down on a nest of blankets and pillows, pulling him down to rest on top of him, his arms cradling the other. He could see all the stars shining brightly, their glowing orbs giving him a sense of both hope and sadness. He was told that if you looked to the south of the big dipper, and kept traveling a light year away, you would find Krypton, his home world that was destroyed after his birth.
"Stop." Lex warned as he snuggled into his chest.
"What?"
"You are looking to the south again, and it's only going to make you depressed. Krypton is gone, Earth is here. Your parents are dead, nothing more than ashes in space, and I am here, alive and in the flesh. Your home will never return nor will you to it." From anyone else it would so sound almost wicked, but Clark finally understood the way Lex thought, and knew that he meant well. "Clark, I may be an ass hole to everyone, but you are the only one I hold dear to my heart, and depression does not suit well on my lover."
"I- I just like to check, just for old times' sake. It's a habit. I broke each of my habits one by one, just for you; please don't take this one away from me." Clark spoke softly as Lex moved around in his arms, facing the night sky, his back pushed firmly against Clark's chest.
"I won't, just as long as it doesn't consume you again." Lex warned softly, his head tilting back so that he could press his lips to the underside of Clarks chin, his harms wrapping around his as he looked up at the stars. "I wish I did this when I was younger."
"Why didn't you? Too busy going to parties?" Clark chuckled, he knew Lex had grown up in a wealthy family that was known for hosting 'charity events' and traveling the world, so perhaps he was always too tired as a child to go outside on a starry night to view the celestial heavens. "Or were you always studying to become a great business man like your father?"
The moment of silence was long as Lex slowly bit back the old rage he had for his father. It burned him up inside, always feeling like he could never escape his father's constant shadow that was no longer there. Rather than snapping at his beloved he turned around, speaking in a monotone voice. "I never told you about my life before I met you huh?"
"No. You and I always seem to get interrupted. Tell me about it. I want to know everything." Clark shifted his arms around him, his body heat picking up to keep them both warm on the ever growing chilly night.
"My name is Alexander Joseph Luther. I was born on a Sunday in October, my Father was a ruthless business man, never once did he waiver in his belief that power could solve everything, that money could buy whatever he needed. He was never kind and giving as the papers claimed him to be. He held his work and my school work over anything else. Never once did he strike me physically, but rest assured he had other ways of wounding me." Lex shook his head lightly, his breathing normal. "My Father knew I was depressed growing up, he knew I wanted to become an auto mechanic designer, but alas he wanted me to take over the family business, I wasn't allowed to go outside and play with the other children, I was forced to stay indoors and be tutored from dusk to dawn. Occasionally he would teach me himself, but those lessons never lasted long. He always told me I was too stupid to learn. Though I showed him wrong, I studied hard and passed at the top of my high school, and when that bloody bastard died I took his spot as head of the company and brought LL Corp back to honor! Showing him that our people would no longer be mocked and ridiculed as being crazy for working for a crazy man."
Clark's fingers stroked against Lex head, petting hair that was no longer there. He never heard such hurt in his husband's voice before; it was unbefitting of the man he loved so much. He was almost too afraid to ask. "What of your mother?"
"My mother…she was an angel. She was always the voice of reason in the house, she was always so kind and caring, and her art was her passion. She would take me up stairs to her studio and teach me to paint flowers and birds, for a while I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to paint flowers and make people happy, but when I was younger she passed away from cancer. She was the only one I ever trusted growing up. She didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, she told me what I needed to hear, and always she was loving to me. I was her only son and she wanted me to have the world be my home. I never will forget the day she died, my father, the scum bag that he was, he didn't visit her, and they say she died from a broken heart. You are so lucky, nothing bad has ever happened to you Clark. No one you ever loved has been lost, you always were given what you wanted, you had a happy childhood Clark, and you never sacrificed anything. But me? I gave it all up." He sounded bitter at the end as he turned to look at Clark, his eyes smoldering with self-hate and fury at his father.
Clark said nothing as he kept his arms wrapped around him, he never liked getting into fights, especially about who had it rougher. In his eyes everyone had one moment or two in their life when life just wasn't so great, who was he to talk about his down falls?
"Enough of my whining and self-loathing, tell me about your family." Lex huffed, moving away from Clark, resting his head in his husbands lap. "Both of them, the one from Krypton as well."
"Well, as you know I was born on the planet Krypton to Jor-El and Laura-El. I was the only child to be born in the EL family for almost a century. When I was born my father bought me a small pup to watch over me, and that pup was Krypto, to this day he watches over me, I would cry nonstop whenever he left the room. My father took him away to experiment on him when Krypton first started to break apart. I cried for a day straight, not even stopping to feed when my mother tried to nurse me. My biological parents loved me very much, giving me the toys I cooed after and always placing me on their hips when I was tired and wanted to nap. My parents, as you know, sent me to earth in a rocket, hoping that I would survive and grow on this new planet." He smiled brightly as he remembered his dearly loved mother and father.
"I was found by two very poor farmers who always wanted a child, Jonathon and Martha Kent, at first they thought of sending me to an orphanage, but after I lifted a car they decided against it." Lex looked at him. "My parents' income was farming, and when the crops failed, we made due by eating less and working harder. I never had fancy toys, or television never was allowed to do sports, I wanted to stay home and help my Pa with the fields."
"You ate less? I thought farmers were wealthy."
"Commercial farmers have more money, but not us; we were independent, meaning we didn't receive help from the government, or companies. And yes, when I was a child and saw that there was little to eat I would cry and throw tantrums, knowing that if I cried long enough I would convince my Ma and Pa to eat. And in the winter, when the fire was low we would all nestle together and drink cocoa, while my Pa widdled by the fire and spoke of when he was growing up in a large family. But being a child of heat, as some call me, I needed more warmth then them, and every cold winters night when the frost covered the windows and the wind wailed, I would sleep next to my parents, always ending up crying because I wanted to help them more. But I was so young, I couldn't get a job, and I had to go to school during the day. So yes I had a happy life, my Pa taught me to make toys for myself, and taught me to build houses and such, and yes my Ma taught me how to cook and clean and paint, but don't think I never made sacrifices Lex. Don't you ever think I was selfish."
"…" Lex turned to look at him, spotting the soft pain in the aliens' eyes. "Clark…Clark honey, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We all have a history, we all deal with it. And Lex, I don't care what your father thought, you are not stupid, you are loving, smart, and brave." He kissed the bald man's forehead. "I love you more than anything. And we learn from our pasts, and someday, we will have a child, and they will have the best childhood earthly possible." Clark kissed his forehead again. "Now enough sad talk, tell me an earth story."
Lex smiled as he moved to sit in his lap, holding him tightly, thinking of the children they would someday have. And with that in mind, he began to tell Clark the story of Thumbelina.