|7|
Chloe was stationed in a coffee shop across from LuthorCorp as the fall sky turned to deep orange and purple. Keeping watch on the front entrance, she had a clear view of Bart Allen, clad in a ridiculous delivery uniform and black, wraparound sunglasses, as he carried a package through the front doors of the imposing building. Chloe lost sight of him as the fading glare against the glass walls shifted with the setting sun. Bart was doing a quick search before the team as a whole entered once night fell, looking for anything not on the building's blue prints that might cause them trouble.
He had only been inside for a few minutes when Chloe froze, takeout cup held halfway to her mouth. She was out of her seat and winding her way through the crowded shop as she phoned Oliver, muttering a single word when the line was picked up on the other end.
"Abort!"
Chloe was racing across the street, coat flying open in the cooling air, when Clark caught sight of her and his unsteady steps faltered. Clad in worn jeans that hung loosely off his hips and a plain grey shirt, he looked ready to collapse right there on the sidewalk. Chloe could see a range of emotion running the gamut from fear to hope to relief flickering across his face as she drew closer.
"Clark," she breathed out on a gasp as she threw herself into his arms. "God, Clark," she whispered as he wound her in a tight embrace. "Are you alright?"
"I'd really like to go now," he whispered, voice raw as he held her and shivered in his unsubstantial clothing.
Chloe pulled back enough to twist and get her arm around his waist, waiting as he shifted so that she was tucked beneath his arm. "Yeah, ok, let's get you out of here. My car is right over there." She nodded to the coffee shop parking lot. "Can you walk that far or should I bring it to you?"
He was already tugging Chloe forward as he gave her an affirmative nod in response. Neither of them spoke as they made their way across the street and she helped to settle him into the passenger seat. She could see Bart exiting LuthorCorp, pace unhurried as he deliberately kept his gaze directed away from where they were parked. He climbed into the fake delivery van and drove away as Chloe rounded her car and slid behind the wheel. She steered the car in the opposite direction Bart had taken. Beside her, Clark leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes, still shivering even as she cranked the heat. He couldn't cover his flinch as Chloe laid a gentle hand on his arm not long after.
"Sorry," she said softly. "We're here."
"Home?" he asked wearily.
"Oliver's penthouse. We weren't sure your place would be safe."
Clark let out a heavy breath. "Ok." He was slowly manoeuvring himself out of the vehicle as she appeared in front of him, and he accepted the hand she held out with a whispered thank you.
The ride up the elevator was silent after they were buzzed in. Bruce, Victor, and Oliver were waiting as the door slid back and they stepped into the room.
"I'm ok," he said unconvincingly when their eyes fixed on him.
"You sure as hell don't look it," Bruce responded gruffly.
"I just need to lie down."
"Yeah, ok. Of course. Come on." Concern was painted across Oliver's face as his eyes raked over Clark from head to toe. He led the way up the short flight of stairs that opened into the loft-style bedroom. Chloe followed a pace or two behind them, eyes fixed on Clark's slow, stilted movements, hands poised to reach out in case he began to sway.
Oliver looked back at Chloe. "Can you get a glass of water?" Chloe disappeared into the bathroom long enough for Oliver to run exploratory hands rapidly across Clark's limbs in search of obvious injury.
"Oliver," Clark said tiredly.
"You've been off the grid for a while, Clark. I'm just making sure there's nothing we need to take care of right away."
"I'd tell you if there was."
He nodded as Chloe returned with the water and passed the glass across. She didn't let go until she was sure Clark's shaky hands had a firm enough grip. He took a few grateful sips before giving it back to her as Oliver stood and headed for the stairs.
"Get some rest," he instructed as he disappeared.
Chloe sat on the edge of the bed next to Clark, hands clenched in her lap to keep herself from reaching out to touch him. Clark saw the motion and caught them up in one of his own.
She turned her body sideways to face him. "Clark-"
"The guy holding me was after – someone else," he began.
"Bruce told me."
Clark brought dull blue eyes up to meet her gaze. "Told you?" he asked cautiously.
"He came to me for help finding you." She leaned into his shoulder for a second and lowered her voice. "Alfred snuck me into the Bat Cave. It's almost as awesome as your Fortress."
Clark huffed out a short laugh. "Yeah."
"There wasn't much left of the place when we got there," Chloe said, effectively switching the subject back. "But we found traces of red sun energy. He figured out who you are."
"Bruce, too."
"He suspected as much, but he'll want to have that confirmed. All of the data was gone by the time we arrived."
"Lex would have wiped it all out. He – there's nothing to worry about there. Not anymore." At Chloe's careful silence, he gave her hands a quick squeeze and let go.
"Did Lex hurt you?"
Clark was slammed bodily into the wall, the proximity of the kryptonite sending a spike of pain through his already weary body as Lex's hot breath painted the shell of his ear."
"Behave."
"No. He didn't."
Chloe let the lie hang between them for a beat. "You're still shaking," she finally said.
"Sorry."
"What about the other guy?" She ignored the apology.
"He locked me in a room lit by something toxic to me, Chloe. There was only one door, and it didn't open from the time he put me in there until unlocked it five days later."
Chloe made a soft, pained sound in the back of her throat. "You've been gone for twelve."
"Lex showed up, and I was already weak. He drugged me. Fighting back or breaking out wasn't really an option."
"You said he didn't hurt you. Drugging-"
"I'd have hurt myself trying to get away."
"And what does that tell you?" Her voice was still quiet but steadily rising.
"Chloe, please."
"No, he held you captive. He drugged you! You can't try and tell me that he didn't harm you. How did he hold you for so long? Did you stay of your own free will? Because last I checked, there isn't much that can keep you somewhere you don't want to be, and the things that can, hurt you!"
Clark's shoulders vibrated visibly as a tremor raced through his body unbidden.
"Be good, Clark, and this won't hurt much."
"Back off, Lex."
"Not an option." Lex's body was holding him to the wall, unrelenting as his fingers snaked their way into the loose track pants and slid through the coarse hairs at the base of his limp cock.
"You don't get to take this by force."
"Too late," Lex snarled before his teeth sunk into the fragile flesh just beneath Clark's ear.
"I said no."
Lex drew in a ragged breath when Clark's hand slid over his own and gripped tightly, not pulling him away but pressing his fingers around his dick.
"You can't take what I'm willing to give."
"Fuck you."
"I thought that was your plan." Clark pressed back against Lex and lifting as far away from the wall as possible.
"Don't you fucking move, Clark." Lex's voice dropped an octave. "You're going to feel every second of this." He squeezed Clark's sac brutally and grinned as the pain wilted what had been the faint beginnings of an erection.
"I hate you," Clark whispered just as Lex yanked his head back by his hair to seal their mouths together in a kiss rough enough to split Clark's lower lip.
"Get over it," Lex growled. "I am," he added as Clark's pants dropped to the floor.
"Chloe, I just want to get some sleep." A single tear slid unbidden down one pale cheek.
"Ok," she whispered, brushing a hand lightly through his rumpled hair. "It's ok. I'm sorry. Lay down." Once Clark was settled beneath the expensive sheets of Oliver's king size bed, Chloe refilled the glass of water and set it back down on the night stand.
"Call if you need anything. I'll be right downstairs." She leaned in to press a kiss against his forehead. "It's over now. It's all over, I promise."
She was already facing the other way when the shudder Clark could no longer repress raced through him. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a deep, quaking breath in an attempt to dispel the memories flooding his mind.
Clark's forearms were braced against the wall in an effort to hold himself up against the rebelling of his stomach and the force of Lex's assault behind him. He grunted as Lex pulled out of his body completely and slammed all the way back in once. Lex didn't speak as he fucked him, one arm braced beside Clark's on the wall and the other wrapped possessively across his chest. All he could do was close his eyes against the burn of the cock filling him. He gasped out a startled "oh" when Lex brushed past his prostate, the sudden zing of pleasure pulling him briefly from a haze of pain. Lex laughed, low and dangerous as he felt Clark clench around him. He pulled free and tugged him backwards into the room, pushing him to the foot of the bed.
"Get on your hands and knees," he ordered as Clark stumbled away. Legs too wobbly to find grace in the movement, Clark tumbled unceremoniously to the ground. He hissed in pain as his wrist bent awkwardly beneath him and tried to ignore Lex's chuckle as warm hands ran over his body.
"Is this still something you're 'giving' to me freely?" He pushed two fingers into Clark's body, past the first knuckle, before drawing them back to wipe faint traces of blood on the skin above Clark's hip.
Clark's response was lost on a strangled groan as Lex's fingers entered him again and sought his prostate to stroke across it. The nausea was lessening now that they were further away from the kryptonite and sensations other than pain were starting to encroach on his awareness. Withdrawing again, Lex folded himself over Clark's trembling body and pushed his cock violently back inside. Setting a brutal pace, he grasped Clark's hips and pulled him into his thrusts, driving himself as deep as he could for several minutes before pushing in hard one more time. Clark could feel the heat of Lex's come filling him, their twin shudders rocking his already wobbly limbs and finally driving him fully to the floor. Lex collapsed on top of him, panting lightly as his cock softened inside Clark's ass.
"It's over now, Clark. It's all over." He pushed himself up and away, reaching for his pants and tugging his shirt on over sweat-damp shoulders. "There are clean clothes in the bedroom across the hall. It's over. Go home."
Despite the warmth of Oliver's bed, Clark shuddered against the cold flooding him and pulled the soft, dark blankets tighter. He could hear the voices of his friends drifting up to him from the main room. Closer, he could hear Bruce's quiet, steady breaths as he watched him from the top of the stairs.
''Say the word and I will find new and painful ways to teach him a lesson."
"He didn't-"
"Don't lie to me, Clark. I'm not Chloe; I won't let you get away with it just because you're hurting right now."
"It's over," Clark said as Lex's voice echoed the words in his head. "Just let it be."
"He needs to be stopped."
"He has been."
"Luthor tell you that? He's a liar and you are a fool."
"Do you trust me?" Clark's voice was stronger now than it had been since his arrival.
Bruce paused, taking in the shallow rise and fall of Clark's back as he lay on his stomach with his head turned away. "Yes," he finally answered, surprised to find he meant it completely.
"Then believe me when I say it's over and everything will be alright."
Bruce's only response was to walk away.
o o o o
Several city blocks away, Lex was filling boxes with every piece of paper, every disc and flash drive that held information regarding Clark or Superman. Each full box was stacked atop a cart along with the broken remnants of the laptop he'd used exclusively for storing information about Clark on. It took nearly six hours and three separate trips, but soon all of the research stored in the building lay smouldering in his penthouse fireplace. A crew would arrive at dawn to dismantle the room. Finished with that task, Lex placed a single phone call to Rikkard. He spoke only three words before disconnecting.
"Terminate the project."
o o o o
Newscasts the next day told of an explosion at a LuthorCorp facility on the outskirts of Metropolis. The building had been reduced to ashes in an early morning blaze that burned so hot firefighters could only focus their energies on keeping it from spreading to nearby land or buildings. The initial blast had blown out the windows of cars, stores, and homes within a one-mile radius. There was no way to tell how many employees were in the building at the time, so great was the damage, but over the following days reports would come to light of two dozen missing LuthorCorp employees all presumed dead in the blast.
It was finally over.
-end-