Hey, guys!
Happy Friday! I hope y'all all have a great day!
This chapter got so long that I actually ended up cutting it before I finished it, lol. I hope y'all enjoy!
Lex woke up the next morning with a sense of purpose.
While his future with the child was still unknown, he knew what he wanted to do. For as long as the child was in his care, he wanted to make sure that he had the best life Lex could possibly give him.
Lex rubbed his eyes as he stood up and began to walk to the attic. With the nightmare the child had during the night, Lex hadn't been able to get as much sleep as he was used to. He couldn't dwell on that though.
He started to look through the boxes as he hoped that he would be able to find what he was looking for. He really didn't want to have to call a tailor. The last thing the child needed was someone having to measure and touch him, and the last thing Lex needed was the questions he would undoubtedly get if the tailor came to his house.
Luckily, there was a box of clothing that Lex thought would fit the child. As soon as he lifted the box to carry it downstairs, he realized why these clothes would have been kept in the first place. They would have been for Julian.
Lex swallowed, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He had a long day ahead of him. There wasn't time to think about Julian right now. He couldn't break down right now. The lump in his throat didn't go away though.
After he put the box in his room, he walked towards the kitchen. The chef wouldn't be back for another couple days, so it was up to Lex to cook breakfast for him and the child. Normally on the weekends, he would just brew a coffee and not eat an actual meal until a brunch or lunch meeting, but with a child he knew he wouldn't be able to do that anymore.
When Lex entered the kitchen though, he almost jumped out of his skin.
"How long have you been down here, bud?" Lex asked the child as he tried to regain his composure. The child had scared him three times now in the past twenty-four hours.
The child looked up at him from where he sat on the floor, then tilted his head.
Lex sighed and shook his head. "Are you hungry?" He asked.
When the child nodded eagerly, Lex began to work on breakfast. It had been awhile since he had done this. He really preferred to grab food while he was out and about instead of cooking it himself.
Though he couldn't say he hated all of it. He really liked to bake apple pies. His mother had shown him how years ago, and he had never forgotten how. He liked to make at least one each year.
He opened the fridge and grabbed the eggs. A simple breakfast of eggs and toast would probably keep the child full for a few hours. At least long enough for Lex to get some work done.
Part of the way through cracking the eggs though, Lex felt something tug on his leg.
He turned to look down, then smiled. The child had been tugging on his leg? It almost amazed Lex how quickly the child was coming out of his shell, but he knew that there would be setbacks at some point too.
"Hey, bud," Lex said. "Everything okay?"
The child didn't answer. Instead, he continued to look at Lex with his big blue eyes. Lex couldn't tell if the child had just wanted his attention or if he needed something.
After a moment though, he thought of the night before when he had warmed the milk over the stove for the child. He smiled, then reached down and placed the child on the counter.
"There you go." Lex said as the child grinned, and Lex couldn't resist ruffling the fluffy hair on the top of the child's head.
It was clear to Lex that the child's hair had been cut multiple times since he came to earth, and from the way some clumps of hair were being held together by glue, he also assumed that the child would have had it cut again.
He wondered if they had shaved the child bald. It would have been easier to stick adhesive electrodes and monitors onto.
He shook the thought from his head. If the child had been bald, it wouldn't have mattered. They had still been torturing him. They had been hurting someone who was considered almost a baby when he arrived. All in the name of science.
Suddenly, the eggs and toast didn't sound very good…
He put the toast into the toaster as he finished up the eggs. He hoped that the child would like it, but he had the feeling that the child would eat almost anything that was put in front of him.
As he waited for the toast to finish, his thoughts turned back to the child, though if he was being honest he wasn't sure that they had ever left. He would need to find someone who could watch him when he had long work days that he couldn't get out of.
He had no problem delegating the tasks to other employees, but he wouldn't be able to get out of the meetings he had to attend as CEO of Luthorcorp.
He sighed at the thought of the meetings. He wouldn't be able to take the child. Plus he couldn't have anyone asking about him, and people would ask. They would use him as leverage.
Lex buttered the hot toast and put it on a plate with some eggs, then looked over at the child. "You ready to eat?" He asked.
The child nodded happily, then held out his arms so that he could be put back down on the floor.
Lex picked up the child, then placed him on the ground. He still wasn't used to the child's weight, but he wasn't sure that he ever would be. He was so tiny, so bony…
Once the child was on the floor, Lex grabbed the plates of eggs and toast. "Let's go eat."
Surprisingly enough, the billiard balls had been enough to keep the child occupied while Lex worked.
Every once in a while, Lex would look up and make sure that the child hadn't wandered off or gotten into something. To his surprise, he never did.
Finally, when the last paper or report or phone call was over, Lex stood up and stretched. It was over. He could be done for the day.
He looked out the window, then at the child. Had the child ever been able to play outside? Or even just have a few hours of fresh air?
Lex decided there and then what they would be doing next. They were going outside. In fact they were going apple picking.
He walked over to the child and smiled as he lowered down so he wasn't towering over him. "Hey, kiddo," he said. "Wanna go do something fun?"
Lex wasn't sure that the child understood, but he still followed Lex as he left the room. Lex wondered if it was some sort of separation anxiety that had kept the child so close to him. Did the child think that he would end back up at the lab if he wasn't close to Lex at all times?
Lex let the thought simmer in his head for a few more minutes, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He wanted to have fun with the kid, something that wouldn't happen if he was too lost in thought.
Lex helped the child into the car, then smiled. This was gonna be fun.
The drive to the farm took around forty-five minutes, but Lex couldn't help but enjoy every minute as he watched the child take in all of the sights of Smallville Kansas.
Lex was a little worried about introducing the child to new people so soon, but maybe socialization would be good. Plus, the Kents would be a good place to start.
Lex couldn't help but smile at the thought of them. Jonathan and Martha Kent had been the first to welcome him to Smallville after he had taken over the Luthorcorp plant about a year ago.
Martha had been welcoming and kind from the beginning, though it had taken a bit of time for Jonathan to warm up to him. Of course, Lex understood why. He had seen first-hand the way farmland would slowly become industrialized and the people who made the community moved away and workers replaced them. Lionel Luthor also hadn't been an exactly loved member of the town.
Now they had dinner together at least once a month.
"You ready?" Lex asked as he looked down at the child.
The child looked up at him and nodded, but Lex could tell that he was nervous by the way he was biting his lip and his huge eyes.
"Hey," Lex said. He hoped he sounded reassuring, because that was exactly what the poor child needed. "They aren't gonna hurt you. We're gonna have fun, I promise. You'll love this."
Lex got out of the car and walked up to the front door of the yellow farmhouse, the child following behind him just out of arm's length.
He didn't even have to knock on the door before it opened, and Lex grinned.
"Hello, Mrs. Kent," he greeted. "How are you?"
Martha grinned, then hugged him. "I'm good," she said. "How are you?"
Before Lex could answer though, Martha spoke again. "Who's this?" She asked as she walked up to the child and got down on the ground beside him. "I didn't know you had a son."
Lex only faltered for a second. "I didn't know either," he said. He didn't like the idea of lying to Martha, but he wasn't sure that he should spill everything yet. He didn't think it would be wise. Not yet at least.
"Hi, Sweetheart," Martha said to the child. "What's your name?"
Lex watched as the child hid behind his leg. It was cool outside, but all of these questions and lies were making Lex begin to sweat. It had been a long time since he had reacted to something like this. "He liked to be called Bud or Buddy," he said. "Is Mr. Kent around?"
Martha looked up at him and smiled. "He's finishing up some work in the fields," she said. "So. What brought you over here?"
Lex reached down and gently stroked the child's hair. He winced internally as his finger's caught a spot that was hardened from adhesive. He hoped that this would comfort the child and make him not as nervous.
"We were hoping to buy some apples," Lex said. "I thought it would be fun to pick them too, if it's alright for you."
Martha grinned, her bright smile lighting up her face. "Of course!" She said. "Follow me."
Lex grinned back and began to follow her to the apple orchard, glancing behind him every once in a while to make sure that the child was still following them.
He couldn't help but notice that just a few minutes in the sun had somehow made the child look healthier, not quite as pale.
Lex shook the thought from his head. That wouldn't be possible. Sure, fresh air was good for anybody, but that sort of effect would be impossible.
Besides, they were here to have fun, and that was exactly what they were going to do.
So now the Kents have been introduced! Well, at least Martha. I hope y'all enjoyed! Please follow, fave, and review! I would love to know what you thought!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!