It was nearing midnight when Lex threw his hands in the air (figuratively speaking) and gave up. Questioning the two scientists had gotten him nowhere earlier, and reviewing the security footage of the lab didn't clear anything up either. One minute the footage was showing Richary looking into a microscope while Jakkal heated up soil samples (the 'dirt-stuff' as she had so eloquently said); and the next moment showed Richary turning away from his task just in-time to watch three strangers pop out of nowhere!
At least the businessman now believed that Jakkal had been telling the truth when she said that she hadn't noticed anything. Hell, the woman hadn't even turned away from her project to see what was going on until security marched into the room! She was either a very dedicated scientist…or she was deaf as a tree.
Lex hoped it was the former.
The billionaire made his way from the factory wearily too exhausted to even realize he was going the speed limit the entire trip back to the mansion. All he wanted to do was fall onto his bed and crash-out. There was no way in hell he was going to be questioning the three intruders tonight; not when he still couldn't make sense out of the scientists statements and the camera footage that supported their experience…well, Dr. Richary's experience anyway.
The only information that he had heard from Addison was her repeating what her co-worker had said. 'At least she actually talked instead of stuttering like that damn idiot.' He would never say this aloud, but he was glad that he took Matthew's advice and hired her when she applied to work in the factory labs. 'Between the two, I probably don't need any more scientists.'
His thoughts drifted away as he finally reached the mansion, then its parking garage, and then (finally) his top-of-the-line bed. The bald man didn't even bother changing out of his suit and, instead, flopped down stomach-first onto the mattress. Lex sighed into his pillow. 'This shit is going to drive me insane…'
With the hope that everything would make a lot more sense after a night's sleep (or at least, make a few things a little easier to understand), he allowed his eyes to fall shut as he let sleep take him under its wing for the next few hours.
Midnight had long since passed and the three companions were still wide-awake. Earlier, they had been 'escorted' to a moderately-sized bedroom and then locked inside for the night. Lara had merely sighed and motioned Rengar to push the two full-size beds together towards the middle of the room while Tarko and her set about rummaging through the large dresser for something to sleep in for each of them. Minutes later found the three curled together in a small pile on the mattresses.
Tarko lay with his head resting on Rengar's stomach, Rengar's head lay on Lara's stomach, and Lara's head lay on Tarko's. It made it a heck of a lot easier to talk to each other quietly enough not to be overheard by any snoops. When Rengar had made a sign with his hand that meant 'bugs?', Lara had replied with a soft 'No.' and pointed to her eyes. "Already checked for them." Rengar and Tarko had relaxed at that. If Lara couldn't 'see' them, then they weren't there.
Now it was approaching two, and Tarko finally broke the silence that had descended upon them. "What now?" His voice was soft, meant only for his comrades ears. Lara shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position before answering. "Rengar says that I should just tell Father's parallel the truth and see where it goes from there." "And?" "And I'm trying to figure out a way to say it without him thinking I'm insane."
The blond thought quietly before speaking. "Well…he seemed pretty interested in the time changer thingy-" "Parallel Time Distorter." "Yeah that thing. You could always explain that to him, and then explain everything else after. He might find it a bit more believable once he knows that it's possible.' "…you know…" Lara's voice held a contemplative note, "that…just might work."
Grey eyes danced humorously as she turned her head to look at the blond. "It seems your hair color hasn't affected your brain just yet." Tarko stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her. She just chuckled and glanced at Rengar. "What do you think?" "…it's as good idea as any." "Excellent."
Sitting up (and grinning when Rengar growled at her for dislodging his head), the hybrid leaned over the bed and grabbed one of the two blankets that had been thrown on the floor earlier. She shot her comrades a small smile, a 'good-night', and then wrapped herself in a warm cocoon of blanket-y goodness. She was asleep before she heard them wish her sweet dreams.
Rengar listened as the brunette's breathing leveled out before raising his head to look down at Tarko. The blond glanced at him curiously, a silent question in his eyes. The mutant raised a brow. "Are you tired as well?" Ocean-blues blinked slowly. "No…not really. Why?" "Would you like to play a game of cards with me?" "Sure." They both sat up and edged away from Lara, not wanting to disturb her sleep.
Mocha hands dug into various pockets (Rengar refused to take his cargos off; even to sleep) until finding a pack of playing cards near the bottom of one. The redhead made a pleased 'hn' as he pulled them out, opened the box, and let the cards fall out into his free hand. Without a thought, he shuffled them swiftly before dealing out seven cards for each of them. "We're playing Go-Fish."
He savored the fuzzy warmth that bloomed in his chest when Tarko sent him a small grin.
They played quietly for an hour or so before Rengar noticed the small yawns that the younger male tried to hide. Biting back an amused grin, he snagged his friend's cards out of his hand and gathered up the rest off of the mattress before putting them away in one of his many pockets. The glare directed at him faded into a sheepish grin when the mutant pointed out the yawns. "I guess I am a little tired."
The mutant reached over the side of the bed to grab the blanket Lara hadn't snagged and handed it to the blond. A shiver raced down his spine as a pale hand brushed against his when Tarko reached out to grab it. Rengar's voice held a gruff edge as he spoke. "Get some sleep. The three of us need to be well-rested if we want the energy to deal with today's later events."
The blond nodded before tilting his head. "What about you?" "What about me?" "There's only two blankets," he held up the one in his hand and motioned the other towards the one that their leader had commandeered, "and three of us. Won't you be cold?" The mutant snorted. "My body temperature runs hotter than a human or kryptonian does, remember? I'll be fine."
Rengar watched as the experiment frowned at him before lying down and curling up under the blanket, clutching it tightly. "If you say so." "I do. Now go to sleep Tarko." Violet eyes stared at the wall absently as the mutant waited for the younger male to fall asleep. Within moments he could hear Tarko's breathing even out and match Lara's gentle huffs.
Releasing a sigh, Rengar scooted up the bed a bit and lay down with his head beside the blonde's shoulders and below the brunette's knees. He focused on the shadows playing on the ceiling in the moonlight and grimaced, his thoughts speeding through his mind in a flurry.
He had never cared about another before (let alone two). In the six hundred-and-some-odd-years that he had been alive, not once had he been attached to another living creature (human or otherwise). The humans throughout the ages had condemned him and labeled him a demon, animals were nothing more than food, and he couldn't keep a plant alive regardless on if he watered it or not…so he was surprised at himself that Lara and Tarko had come to mean so much to him.
Especially Tarko.
Rengar was a bit confused by that too. The only reason that the mutant had even put up with his presence in the beginning was because of Lara. She had believed that recruiting the human experiment would be beneficial to her cause, and Rengar owed her his freedom so went along with it.
Now, nine years later, it was the three of them against the world…and he wouldn't want it any other way. While Lara was the reason and the drive behind everything they did, Tarko was…Tarko was…well…he just was. Rengar knew that he could continue on if something ever happened to the hybrid. It'd kill him if he ever lost Tarko.
Tarko with his happy-go-lucky smile; Tarko with his kindness; Tarko with his compassion; his ocean eyes, his creamy skin, his shimmering hair; Tarko; Tarko; Tarko. 'Fucking hell I love him.'
Racing thoughts froze and the mutant's eyes widened into saucers. Love. In one, simple, four-letter word lay the answer to his confusion. Love. 'I…love…Tarko.' He was stunned, 'I love him…I love the only human I know to be shot in the head with a missile and not even receive a scratch…I'm…in love with Tarko.'
"Shit."
Blue-Green eyes watched as the sun rose slowly through the window of the guest bedroom in a distant relative's house. Clark's second cousin twice-removed on his dad's side was getting married in two days, and the teenager had been dragged away from Smallville and all the way to the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming to attend with his parents.
Instead of having fun with his friends, or hanging out with Lex…the alien was stuck at some unknown relative's ranch waiting to listen to two people he had never met before recite a bunch of written gibberish, exchange rings, and share a kiss. 'If I wanted to see that, I would have taken up watching soap operas.'
The brunette sighed and stood. He didn't want to, but getting ready for the day now seemed like a better idea than just sitting on the bed. Clark made his way over to the set of duffel bags thrown on the dresser and dug through them for a few minutes before finding a pair of loose jeans, a red-and-blue flannel shirt, a pair of socks, and boxers.
He took his time getting dressed before stepping towards the door. The alien paused for a second to breathe, wanting to build up a wall of defenses before dealing with a bunch of strangers. After a moment, he felt like he could deal with the near-choking stupidity of his distant relatives (and of course, keep his…oddities under wraps too). He stood up straight, turned the doorknob, and stepped out of the room.
The 'family trip' couldn't end fast enough.
