Chapter 4

…

…

Many of Superman's detractors claimed that, as an alien, Superman was simply the first in a line of invaders, that soon the Earth would be overrun and humanity enslaved or annihilated. Lex's father had been of that mindset before he'd died. But despite the fact that most people welcomed Superman, alien or not, and believed him when he said he was a friend and not a foe, the detractors weren't entirely wrong.

Aliens did invade.

They invaded twice.

Both times, Superman was instrumental in stopping them. The Justice League – renamed when Lex Luthor referred to the heroes as such in a few press releases and company documents and in interviews, whether the League wanted it or not – fought alongside him. The first invasion happened shortly after the formation of the League. Calling it rough would be an understatement. Several cities suffered huge losses of both humans and infrastructure. No one had been prepared for an invasion.

The second time aliens invaded, two years after Lex met Clark again, LexCorp offered its assistance. Lex wasn't egotistical enough to believe that it was his company's tech that made beating back the second invasion possible, but he knew it helped a great deal. Few people died in the second invasion, even among the aliens. Superman was seen, on camera, with most of the League behind him, telling the aliens to spread the word: Earth was defended, and anyone who dared to invade would be killed.

So far, no other aliens had dared to try and prove him wrong.

…

…

As they materialized in the transportation room of the Watchtower, Lex resisted the urge to grab his stomach and groan. Obviously zeta beam transportation took a bit of getting used to.

"You okay?" Clark asked, stepping away from him and off the transport pad.

Lex gave a short nod. "Just…acclimating."

When he was sure he could walk without his stomach acting up anymore, Lex followed Clark through the automatic doors into the rest of the station. It was all sleek monochrome – the walls, the floor, the technology. The outer wall was full of windows though, so at least the view of Earth from space broke up the monotony from time to time.

"Batman designed this place, didn't he?"

Clark looked surprised. "How can you tell?"

Motioning to the general area around them as they walked, Lex sarcastically said, "It's so homey."

That earned him a laugh from Clark, which was all the payoff Lex needed. "Well, it's got rooms for all the members of the League, but the Watchtower isn't really meant to be homey, I guess. It's for keeping an eye on Earth."

That was fascinating, really, and maybe a look at the ships they had in the bay, used for zipping off to wherever needed saving within minutes, would impress Lex. At the moment, it felt like he was walking through one of LexCorp's labs, if that lab was trying to create the 1980's view of the future of technology.

Soon enough, Lex and Clark came to the main observation deck. There were a dozen work stations situated around the room, most of them unoccupied but with a keyboard and two computer monitors each. There were large windows showing the Earth in full view along the far wall. Embedded in the ceiling and on the top of the bank of computer stations, Lex saw the base points for a hologram screen projection. No doubt that was for sharing information on one large monitor to all members of the Justice League at once, without blocking the view of Earth.

It was a beautiful room.

Lex went to the nearest computer and tapped the screen. It woke up. An appreciative hum. "Touch screen. Good." Anything less would be insulting. He tapped his way through a few screens.

The Watchtower was meant to be the epitome of modern technology. It was created using both Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp funds, drawing heavily from the Fox Tech and T.R.E.A.T. divisions. Wayne Enterprises had been the ones to physically build the space tower, but even their CEO Bruce Wayne wasn't allowed to visit the station. It was Batman's suggestion - no civilians in the Tower. Only the League. Of course. And if Bruce Wayne wasn't allowed up here, then Lex Luthor definitely wasn't.

Lex narrowed his eyes at Batman every time the subject was brought up – even when Batman wasn't physically present. Damn Bruce, playing both sides. It was entirely unfair.

Not that Lex held a grudge or anything. He wasn't a child, after all.

"Do you like it?" Clark asked, and when Lex turned to look at him, Clark was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. It wasn't a powerful stance, though, not like usual. It was…defensive, uncertain, nervous. Clark wasn't even meeting Lex's eyes.

"I think it's fantastic," Lex said, making Clark look at him. "Better than the schematics and plans I saw during its development by far."

Relaxing his shoulders, his arms dropping to his sides, Clark said, "That's good. I'm glad."

Lex gave Clark a curious look. "Is something the matter? You weren't this nervous the first time I saw your apartment, and you had laundry lying all over the floor then."

Clark sighed, which looked strange coming from Superman. "I know you helped build the Watchtower, but you were kept out of the loop on a lot of it. You love superheroes and you have all these big ideas about what we do and what we're like. I guess I was just worried you'd be unimpressed."

Lex left the computer station and moved to stand between Clark and the giant window wall into space. "Do you see what's behind me, Clark?"

Frowning, confused, Clark said, "Space?"

A nod. "That's correct. Space. The closest anyone else has ever gotten to the view I have right now is from the International Space Station, and the ISS is nice, but you don't get floor to ceiling windows or zeta beam transportation or, for that matter, real food. There aren't space ships waiting in a hanger bay that can get you from this station to anywhere on Earth within ten minutes. This Watchtower is the greatest scientific achievement of our century, and it's where you go to work," Lex said, just shy of gushing like a teenager.

He stepped closer to Clark, until the taller, alien, man had to look down to meet his gaze. His eyes were blue now, as they always were while he was in costume. Lex poked him in the chest, though it was more putting his hand there to rest rather than a jab. There was a light pink dusting appearing on Clark's cheeks.

In a smooth, almost sultry voice, Lex said, "I am very impressed, Clark."

"We don't use our real identities in the Tower."

Clark jumped back, actually floating into the air a few feet, at the deep voice. Lex just frowned and faced the dark figure standing by the door.

"How nice to see you again, Br-I mean, Batman," Lex greeted, and was pleased to see the tightening of Bruce's lips in response to his fake almost-slip. "It's been awhile."

"Luthor," Batman greeted, not even giving an incline of his head. "Are you enjoying your visit?"

Lex put his hands in his pockets and leaned slightly back, as if they were in his house, his territory, and he had no cares in the world. "Quite. It's an amazing piece of work."

"You requested Superman give you the tour," Batman said, as if it were an accusation.

"We're both from Metropolis, and the press is well aware that I like to give a helping hand," Lex answered, pretending this was an interview. "It seemed fitting that the League member I know the best should give me the tour of my own space station that I earned after saving the world a time or two."

Sensing the tension in the air, Clark landed between them. "Batman, are you here to watch the monitors?" Batman nodded. "Then Lex and I will get out of your way. Excuse us," he said curtly, then waved for Lex to lead the way out.

Once they'd left the main observation deck, Clark showed him the mess hall, the training rooms, the labs, and the bedroom assigned to Superman for if he had to stay in the Tower overnight.

"I prefer your apartment back on Earth," Lex commented lightly.

Clark chuckled. "You hate my apartment," he corrected. "You called it 'Middle America's Cesspool' if I remember correctly."

Sitting on Clark's bed – a simple, square, passably comfortable box – Lex crossed his legs and said, "True. I did. But at least it has character."

Clark flipped his cape up so he could sit on the bed beside Lex without sitting on the draping fabric. "Character? That's like calling a crowded, messy house 'quaint' so you don't hurt the owner's feelings, Lex."

Lex shook his head. "No it's not. Your apartment is beneath you and I think you should let me buy you something better, but I'm not talking about money here. This room was made using more money than NASA's yearly budget for a decade and look at it. It's Spartan."

The way Clark glanced around the room showed that he hadn't really thought of it that way before. It was like he was seeing the room for the first time. "It could use some—"

A grin began spreading over Lex's face. "Some what?"

Grimacing, knowing he'd been caught, Clark continued, "Some…homey touches."

"But it has so much character already," Lex protested, teasing.

Clark reached over and pushed him, hard enough to make Lex tip over, but not enough to make him fall. "Shut up."

…

…

Alien invasions weren't the only thing LexCorp had helped the League to do since buying out LuthorCorp following the death of its CEO. In the four years since Lex had been CEO, five since meeting Clark again, his company had often assisted in rebuilding, clean up, and prevention services after Superman saved the day.

Whenever Superman helped to put out a raging forest fire (which had happened more than two dozen times already, it was like the world was constantly, uncontrollably on fire somewhere), LexCorp planted thousands of new trees and funded conservation programs and research designed to prevent future fires.

When Superman used his breath and the help of the Green Lantern to stop a tsunami from destroying miles and miles of Pacific coastline, LexCorp personally sent hundreds of rescue aid workers to communities that had been affected before the heroes arrived. There was a promising idea on how to stop tsunamis from ever making landfall coming out of South Africa and LexCorp gave the man behind it the financial support necessary to try and prove his theory, or come up with better ones.

When landslides nearly destroyed entire villages and their farmland and herds, and Superman was the only thing that stopped that devastation, LexCorp followed close behind, designing new ways to support and strengthen the sides of mountains and cliffs. The technology was used even in places where landslides weren't common, but where the necessary elements for one existed.

There had been a viral outbreak that spread worldwide in days. The Justice League had formally requested LexCorp's help on stopping it, knowing that Lex had the best labs and scientists on the planet and could get results fast. It had taken a week, and thousands of people had died, but then the antivirus was ready and the Justice League – as well as LexCorp jets – was zipping around the planet delivering the medicine to everyone infected. It was then available as a vaccine for future generations for an affordable price.

The Justice League – minus Superman – wasn't always excited about LexCorp's interventions. Some members (most usually Green Arrow, Lex's old bully Oliver) suggested that Lex was causing these natural disasters himself so that he could then turn a profit on the technology and science created afterward. They weren't the only ones. Lex remembered a press conference he'd had to hold to dispel similar ideas from the general public. It was an event that Clark had found amusing.

"While it is true that LexCorp technologies are created and sold after these disasters, the profits earned are not substantial enough to justify the loss of life and property the disasters themselves cause."

"If LexCorp isn't causing these disasters, then how come you're able to respond to them so quickly?"

"LexCorp simply follows the actions of the Justice League closely and, like the League, responds to crises in the best way it can. For heroes, rushing in and using physical force is usually the way. They deal with events as they are developing or after they've happened. LexCorp's goal is to prevent these disasters from happening at all, so when we respond, it's with products that work to make the world safer for people both today and in the future."

"If your reasons are so humanitarian, why not just donate the products and technology to people in need, rather than sell it for a profit?"

"We may be trying to save the world, Ms. Lane, but LexCorp is still a company, and companies have to make money or they stop working."

Still, Lex would've thought the League knew better, since they knew Superman and Superman was Lex's friend. Lex was even allowed to attend League meetings from time to time. It wasn't as if he were sneaking around in their systems, trying to collect data on their strengths and weaknesses and spying on their every move. He wasn't Batman, after all.

…

…

Leaning back in his chair, Lex sighed. It wasn't an unhappy sound. In fact, Lex was in high spirits. He was almost done with all the work he'd planned for the day, so he would actually finish up early. That would leave him plenty of time to make sure everything was prepared for tonight.

Tonight.

Lex spun his chair around and looked out through the wall of windows behind his desk. While Lionel Luthor had placed his office on the side of the Tower that afforded him the best view of the city, so he could appear to rule over it like an emperor simply by standing near the glass during a meeting, Lex had renovated the LuthorCorp Towers when they'd changed owners. Lex Luthor's office was directly opposite The Daily Planet, the tallest building in Metropolis.

The news had reported this as a ploy to make himself seem trustworthy, always in the eye of the press. It didn't matter that the tinting on the windows and the distance and the security on the Tower meant that no one from The Daily Planet building could see inside Lex's office without high tech spy gear – or x-ray vision. People still had an image of Lex as either more trustworthy than his father, or somehow more sneaky if he could get away with things while under that much scrutiny.

The real reason he'd moved his office was because Lex wanted to be close to Clark. From his office, Lex could see the bullpen where Clark did most of his work for the paper. The pane of glass directly behind Lex's desk was actually a touch screen, subtly hidden in plain sight. Though Lex could see Clark's desk with his naked eye, a simple adjustment to the touch screen would activate a camera positioned outside and Lex could zoom in for a better look. Clark had made him promise to never use the camera to spy on what Clark or anyone else was working on, and that was easy enough to follow. Lex only used the camera to watch Clark when he was feeling particularly smitten.

Clark sometimes left sticky notes on the window by his desk for Lex to read later. They held comments like 'Mom says you looked too skinny on the news last night' or 'Smallville Saturday?' or the time and location of a date for that evening or the general location of a hero-related action and a frowny face, which told Lex he'd left to save someone and would be late. Sometimes, if Clark was simply feeling goofy, he put up notes that just had emojis on them, or he 'tricked' Lex into looking at a note that only had the word 'Giraffe' on it, or 'Bubbles.'

If Lex wasn't expecting anyone to visit his office that day, he'd respond with similar notes. 'I'm not skinny. I'm lean.' or a responding emoji or 'Spying on me again? Such a villain.' It was fun. It was flirty.

Which brought Lex back to tonight. It had been years since Lex started working with the League, and it had been clear for most of that time that Clark found Lex as attractive as Lex found Clark. That was why, according to the Flash, the League sometimes doubted Superman's faith in Lex.

"I don't know. It's just hard to trust the judgment of someone who's sleeping with, well, not 'the enemy,' but, you know, the person under suspicion."

"Wh-Lex and I aren't sleeping together!"

"Dude, it's fine, we already kn-Wait, are you serious?"

Shortly after that conversation, Lex had asked Clark out. Officially. He wanted to date. Clark had been skeptical, not sure how Lex and Superman could have a relationship. In hindsight, Lex probably should've waited until Clark was wearing his street clothes before asking, but oh well.

"I wasn't asking Superman," Lex told him. "I was asking Clark Kent, the mild mannered reporter and small town farm boy."

Tonight was the one year anniversary of them dating. Luckily, it seemed that Lex would have plenty of time to make sure everything was perfect.

Through the window, Lex gazed down on his boyfriend. Clark looked the same at thirty-three as he had at twenty-seven when he'd saved Lex. Hell, he looked almost exactly the same as he had at seventeen, stopping Lex from running away from home. Big, brawny, and beautiful.

Clark was writing something down on paper. He often wrote things down on paper and then typed them up. Doing both, he rationalized, meant he had to take time and think about what he was writing, and allowed him to edit himself better than simply skimming over errors on the computer screen alone. Lex just liked watching him work and didn't care about the whys.

While Lex was watching, Clark's head snapped up. After the briefest pause, he said something to Lois in the desk across from him. She waved him off lazily, focusing on her own computer and the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder, and then Clark was jumping up and hurrying from the room.

Ah. A hero thing. Whatever it was would likely end up being the subject of Clark's next published article in the paper. Maybe even without Lois sharing his byline.

Lex reached up to his ear and pressed the back of the earpiece there. It functioned like a Bluetooth usually, but not now. "Do you need any help on this one?" he asked calmly into the secure line.

There was a moment of quiet, then, "If you give me any more gadgets, Lex, people are going to start calling me Batman."

Chuckling, Lex responded, "I'm just trying to make sure you're ready for any scenario."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one under the cowl instead of Bruce," Clark teased.

Lex hummed, considering what that would be like. Playing the foolish playboy during the day and prowling the dark streets of Gotham bringing fear to all during the night. "I like the sun too much to be a dark knight."

The pause that followed told Lex that Clark caught on that Lex wasn't talking about the physical sun.

"It-This thing, it isn't too bad. I'll be back in time for tonight," Clark said, barely stumbling over his words.

It had been long enough since Clark disappeared from the bullpen for Lex to know that Clark was now bolting through the sky somewhere. He still never caught sight of Clark leaving from the Planet rooftop, and he made sure no LexCorp Tower cameras ever pointed at it just in case.

"Good, because I've got plans."

"What kind of plans?" Clark sounded mildly concerned, but not upset.

Lex had a tendency to go…well, Clark would say overboard, when making plans. His plans usually involved large gifts or gestures to prove his feelings, like paying off the debt on Kent Farm for Clark's mom, or blacklisting someone who made a discriminatory comment at Clark during a gala, or fifteen dozen roses delivered to the Planet just because he'd been thinking about Clark, or-

Chuckling, Lex said, "Nothing extravagant. I promise. Hopefully memorable, but not extravagant."

The smile was clear in Clark's voice as he said, "Okay. I trust you."

Lex loved hearing Clark say that. His father had never trusted Lex at his word. The Justice League doubted him from time to time, even. Throughout his formative years, people had betrayed Lex at every opportunity, and he'd used them in turn to get whatever it was he wanted – usually drugs or sex or connections to companies to help him against his father. But now he was in his late twenties and he had the trust of the world's most predominant superhero, and his own personal savior.

Sometimes Lex was struck dumb by how much he loved Clark Kent. Someday soon, he'd have to tell that to Clark. Hm, maybe tonight. Yes, tonight sounded good.

…

…

Diana Prince was well known as Wonder Woman. There was no secret identity there. The press outside of the Luthor family mansion were having a field day asking her a million and two questions. How did she meet Lex? Were they close? Was he telling the truth about being a good man or was it all a cover up? Was he secretly part of the Justice League? Was she dating Superman? Batman? The Flash? Would any other Amazons be joining the party with her?

It was pleasing just to watch her ward them off, using only her voice, and head inside. Lex couldn't hear a word she said from across the room, but the completely flummoxed looks on the faces of the reporters was enough for him.

"Is this the point where I'm meant to congratulate you or something?"

Turning from his entertainment, Lex frowned at Oliver Queen. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, but I feel I have to point out that wearing green might draw too much attention to certain facts about your personal life, Queen."

Oliver glared at him briefly, but visibly shook the comment off. "I'm referring to your birthday, obviously," he said with too much joy and admiration to ever be believed truthful. Gesturing around the room, he said, "Thirty years old and you've managed to prove me wrong."

It would've hurt Lex to ask what on Earth Oliver was talking about, so he was glad that the billionaire playboy continued on his own.

"You run your own, successful company; you help superheroes save the world and get to take all the credit for it," two things that Lex was now certain Oliver resented him for, "and you've finally found friends who aren't only around you because they think you're dying of cancer. Hell, more than friends," he finished with a sly, and frankly too-close-to-bedroom-eyes-for-comfort, wink and smile.

While Lex wasn't sure that he'd call the Justice League his friends, they were definitely closer than associates by now. It only took helping to save the world a few times before it started to sink in that they all genuinely enjoyed each other's company.

Well, except Batman.

And Lex and Oliver would probably never be friends. That was just a given. "I'm not sure this is the moment to congratulate me for that, but nevertheless, I accept," Lex said, raising his champagne glass briefly and taking another sip in mock toast.

Oliver was frowning again, but he didn't seem displeased with Lex this time. His eyes ran over Lex from head to toe and back up again, as if his sudden wrong-footed-ness could be explained in Lex's appearance. Lex was looking frankly fabulous in his tailored black on black pinstriped suit and lilac colored shirt, so he didn't mind the scrutiny.

On the return trip to Lex's face, glancing at Lex's left hand holding a glass of champagne, Oliver let out an "Oh." Then, with more feeling, "Oh."

"Is something the matter?" Lex asked.

Oliver shook his head, grinning like the cat that got the canary. Lex hated that look on Oliver Queen's face. "Not in the least, Mr. Luthor." Before Lex could question him on the strange emphasis on Lex's last name, Oliver downed his entire glass of champagne, said, "Enjoy your night," and scurried away. He almost immediately found a busty blonde to talk to.

There would be a time and a place for discovering exactly what made Oliver Queen tick. The night of Lex's thirtieth birthday party was not it.

…

…

Mercy, Lex's personal bodyguard, informed him that, from the hundreds of guests at the party, Lex had received a matching hundreds of gifts. They were all being scanned eight ways to Sunday and then stored in one of the rarely used guest rooms until a more convenient time for unwrapping.

It was as he was leaving Mercy to her business that Lex spotted Bruce Wayne. Okay, to be fair, Lex spotted Clark Kent talking to Bruce Wayne. That was both billionaire playboys accounted for then.

Bruce had two women with him, one hanging on each arm, both of them brunette but not related. Clark was mostly turned away from Lex and was making emphatic hand gestures toward Bruce. Lex wondered how he could learn what subject they were discussing that had Clark so impassioned so that he could bring it up again later. He loved when Clark got passionate about things.

As Lex watched, both women reached out – at separate times – to place a hand on Clark's shoulder, each of them saying something that was obviously meant to calm Clark down or agree with what he was saying. Lex vowed to practice lip reading, because all he caught was Bruce saying, "Listen to them, Clark."

Listen to what?

"Happy birthday, Lex."

Lex's gaze broke from Bruce and Clark, sliding over to the red headed woman now standing at his shoulder. He smiled. "Mrs. Kent. It's good to see you." And he pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you could make it."

She smiled. "I wouldn't miss your thirtieth, Lex." Martha Kent reached up and touched him gently on the cheek – one of the few people allowed to touch Lex so boldly. "You've come a long way."

"CEO of the largest international corporation, including Wayne Industries," Lex agreed.

Shaking her head, Martha corrected him. "You accomplished that years ago. I meant from the boy my son found in a field during a meteor shower." She clasped his hands. "I'm not sure we ever told you this, but we tried to find you afterward."

Lex frowned. "You did? Why?" He was just a random boy. Or maybe they'd known he was a Luthor and wanted money? But no, that wasn't the Kent way.

"Clark was worried about you," Martha revealed. "It was the first time he'd been injured himself, when the green rocks came down that year, and he wasn't sure if he'd done enough to protect you. But no one would tell us anything about you. We asked around the hospital but all they'd say was that the boy's father had checked him out."

A nod. "My father was never a fan of small town medicine. He had me taken back to Metropolis and hired a few dozen doctors to try and find out why I'd lost all my hair," Lex told her, refusing to touch his own head at the memory.

A look of sympathy crossed Martha's face, but she wiped it away quickly, knowing Lex didn't like pity. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm glad Clark was there the day of the meteor shower, and that I'm proud of the man you've become."

If that was the only gift Martha gave him that night, it would be more than enough.

In the few years since Lex and Clark had met again, Martha had treated Lex like her own child. She was Lex's second mother. It was fitting that she was a lot like Lex's birth mother – red hair, kind face, always telling him he could do wonderful things with his life. She'd become even more motherly when he and Clark became a couple. Lex was definitely okay with that.

Clark's father didn't trust Lex for over a year, claiming he was just like his father and would betray Clark the minute they let their guards down. He and Lex warmed up to each other though, and Lex was sad when he died last year.

"Thank you, Martha," Lex said quietly, giving the shorter woman a tight hug.

"I brought some baked goods with me. Mercy said she'd put them in your bedroom for later," Martha said as they pulled apart. "I think she stole a muffin first though."

Lex chuckled. Martha Kent could make even Mercy Graves break the rules with her baking. "I bet she did."

…

…

"Clark. Clark. Clark, where are you-Why are you dragging me from my own party?" Lex complained, his arm held firmly but not painfully in Clark's hand. Normally, Lex could have at least put up a fight, but not at the moment. He was just drunk enough that he lacked the necessary strength to pull away.

Clark walked them out of the grand hall and up the stairs, past catering staff and mansion household staff and guests looking for somewhere a little quieter to rest for a minute. He didn't stop until they reached Lex's bedroom. Upon entering, the first thing Lex noticed was the box on the side table. Martha's baked goods.

Standing his ground before the wall of muscle that was the Man of Steel, Lex demanded, "What's going on, Clark?"

Clark looked down at him with green eyes edging into blue. "I don't know, Lex, you tell me."

"What are you talking about?"

Clark crossed his arms, then uncrossed them immediately. He didn't want to seem intimidating. He was trying to be open and accepting. It was something Lex and he had talked about. Clark was always going to be strong enough to intimidate or hurt Lex, so Clark did his best to never use his physical bulk or might to coerce compliance from Lex.

"In the past hour, you've had more to drink than in the four before it," Clark explained. "Something is bothering you and I want to know what it is."

Oh.

Lex glanced away, to the window with floor to ceiling glass doors where Clark sometimes flew in if Lex was staying at the mansion rather than the penthouse. This was embarrassing. "My father was right. I failed."

Frowning in confusion, Clark asked, "Failed at what, exactly?"

Lex shook his head. "Your mother talked to me tonight."

"….I saw…Did she say anything bad?"

"No," Lex assured him. "She said she was proud of the man I've become, of how far I've come. And Oliver asked if he should congratulate me on the company's successes."

"I don't see how any of that could make you drink like this," Clark said.

Sighing, Lex moved to sit on the bed, next to the table with the box of baked goods on it. "Alexander the Great had conquered the world by thirty."

Clark didn't join him on the bed, but he did step closer. "I remember. You said your dad named you Alexander so you'd also be great, right?"

A nod. "But let's be honest, Clark. You and the Justice League are closer to ruling the world than I ever will be." He motioned out the window. "You have a watchtower, orbiting the Earth, where you can literally watch over the planet. And with your powers, you could easily take over any country. Every country. I'm the CEO of a company. A successful, multinational company, but just a company. I'm never going to rule the world." Lex held his head in his hands and stared at the floor. "I'm a failure."

For a few moments, the bedroom was silent. It was because Lex was right, he knew. Clark didn't know how to comfort the truth out of him. Lex was thirty and he wasn't the President of the United States of America, or even in control of all of Metropolis, or Kansas, or anything except his own company. Alexander the Great had conquered the world at Lex's age. He was remembered as one of the greatest military generals and greatest leaders in history. Lex was distressed by his own shortcomings.

And so Lex drank. It was a problem. He was working on it, okay?

"Since when have you wanted to rule the world, Lex?" Clark asked, sounding concerned.

And Lex had convinced Clark that he was secretly a megalomaniac intent on world domination. Goddammit, he should've worked on this drinking thing before now, before he was thirty.

"I don't," Lex said, though he wasn't sure it was convincing. "It's…My father made sure I knew everything about Alexander the Great's successes, his campaigns, his leadership, so that I knew what I had to live up to. He used to mention it all the time. I just…I haven't accomplished anything like that."

Now Clark sat next to him on the bed. He wrapped his arm around Lex and said, "You're a hero, Lex." Lex scoffed. "You help the Justice League all the time. You've literally saved millions of lives with the stuff your company makes. And your company, LexCorp, is bigger and better than your father could've ever accomplished. You've done a lot."

All of that was true, Lex had to admit. He had done all of that. He wouldn't call himself a hero, not like Clark and Diana and Barry, but he did help. Still, his father's words echoed in his mind. A failure of a son. A disgrace. Weak. Lex had grown up with that, had heard it up until the day his father died. Couldn't he at least succeed at one thing his father pressed for him to do?

"But Alexander-"

"Was also dead by thirty-two, Lex. I'm not sure using him a model for your life is the best plan."

A model for Lex's life.

"I modeled my life after you," Lex murmured.

The arm around his shoulders tensed. "What?"

Lex raised his voice and lowered his arms, but didn't look away from the floor. "The day of the meteor shower, I saw you in the hospital. Your parents were worried because the kryptonite had made you weaker than you'd ever been. And you said…Yes, you were weak now, but you were sure it wasn't permanent. You said the weakness would leave and you would be stronger than ever afterward." A deep breath. "That's what I modeled my life after."

Even as he explained, the voice of Lex's father was fading. That's right. Lex had fought against his father's expectations his entire life. He'd purposefully done exactly the opposite of what his father wanted whenever possible. He rebelled. He decided, from a young age, that he was going to follow his own dreams, listen to his own wishes, and become someone stronger and better than his father.

It was amazing how something Clark had said in passing, not even to Lex himself, could lift Lex's spirits over twenty years later. Those words shaped Lex's entire world. Clark shaped Lex's entire world.

Clark appeared to be having trouble breathing. "Yo-you…You based your life…on…on that? On me?"

His tone of voice was unmistakable. Clark was used to people telling Superman that he'd changed their lives, saved their lives without ever meeting them. He wasn't used to people saying that to Clark Kent.

Nodding, Lex said, "The idea that I was weak, but I could be stronger…It helped me through a lot of my life."

The fact that he still cared what his father wanted…It was nigh impossible for Lex to conquer the world. The world was much bigger now than it had been when Alexander the Great had controlled it. Even if that had been what Lex wanted out of life, it was unattainable. He would've run himself into the ground trying, and taken everyone around him down with him.

Clark slid off the bed to kneel between Lex's knees. He grabbed Lex's hands gently, prodding Lex to look at him. "Clark?"

Taking a deep breath, Clark said, "Alexander Joseph Luthor." He met Lex's eyes. "You are amazing. You believed in me, saw me as a hero long before I ever considered myself one. You inspired me when you were young, and you still inspire me today. You make me a better person. You make me…human. You're the most important person in my life and I love you."

He released Lex's left hand so he could reach into the pocket of his tux. From within its confines, Clark pulled a small velvet box. Lex's heart stopped.

"What are you doing?" Lex asked in a whisper.

Clark smiled. "I'm conquering the world," he said, confident but quiet.

Lex gaped at him. Conquering the…

With just the one free hand, Clark maneuvered a simple, white gold ring from the velvet box. Letting the box hit the carpeted floor, Clark held the ring between them and looked up at Lex again.

"You are my world, Lex," he said. "Am I your world too? Are you going to conquer it, or run away? Will you marry me?"

It was a silly turn of phrase. Conquer the world. They weren't the world. They were people. But Clark was trying to help Lex achieve the thing that was bothering him, even though he didn't have to. He was using this proposal as a way for Lex to finally overcome the last memories of his father.

Lex clearly didn't tell Clark he loved him nearly often enough. This might require buying Clark his own island, or single-handedly funding the side projects of everyone at the Planet for a few years, or research into helping Clark not be the last of his race. That last one sounded especially intriguing.

He clenched Clark's hand in his own.

"Yes. Yes I will."

…

…

It wasn't until hours later, looking at the glint of white gold on his left ring finger, that Oliver's odd behavior at the party made sense to Lex. That washout had known Clark was going to propose! And come to think of it, Clark's nervous behavior with Bruce made more sense now too.

The whole League knew didn't they? Lex would be getting side-eyed and sly congratulations for weeks.

Goddammit. Superheroes.

Fin